Lorna
Chapter 10 –
Lorna was required to journey on the boats across the lake with the first years, luckily she didn't stick out too badly due to her small stature but still she shifted uncomfortably amongst them. Lorna smirked as she heard chatter of facing kneazels and boggarts as an initiation to get into Hogwarts but naturally Lorna knew better and just ignored their idle chatter.
But suddenly Lorna became aware of a young girl sat beside her shaking, Lorna put her arms around the girl and drew her close. "Hey littlen, I'm Lorna, what's your name?" The girl looked up at Lorna with startling hazel eyes and smiled nervously.
"I'm Ebony, because of my black hair." She said quietly.
"That's a pretty name. You know, there's nothing to worry about hun because there's no test just a barmy old hat." Lorna smirked at Ebony and saw the small girl giggled.
"It's not that," Ebony began to explain, "It' where I'm going to be sorted. Mum was a Ravenclaw but dad was a Slytherin. I really don't know where I'm going to be put! They'll be mad if I don't get put in either Ravenclaw or Slytherin!"
Lorna could really empathize with the girls inner turmoil. "I'll let you in on a secret eh, the hat will put you wherever you want to go. My parents were both in Gryffindor and so's my older brother Harry, the hat wanted to put him in Slytherin but he wanted to be like our parents so the hat put him in Gryffindor."
"Do you want to be in Gryffindor like your parents?" Ebony asked,
Lorna thought for a moment before answering, "Actually no, I want to be my own person. Besides, my godfather is the head of Slytherin house but don't tell anyone." Lorna placed her finger on her lips and Ebony giggled whilst doing the same.
"But won't your parents be angry?"
"They died when I was barely a month old. But I know they'd want me to be happy wherever that silly hat puts me." Lorna smiled and watched as the girl seemed to calm as they reached the shore. Lorna squeezed Ebony's shoulders as they entered the Great Hall in comfort and was relieved to find the girl now excited rather than dreading the sorting. Lorna gazed up at the ceiling which had been spelled to look like the night sky, it was truly a masterpiece and Lorna found herself wondering whether it would change depending on the weather. As she gathered at the front of the stage with the first years she could see the ancient sorting hat sitting proudly on a stool in front of them, but it was the pressing feeling of eyes staring at her that unnerved him not the wonderment of Harry's reaction when she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor.
Lorna shook it off and glanced up towards her god father to find him glaring down at the first years dressed in pure black robes and with a menacing growl threatening to burst from his lips. Lorna merely rolled her eyes and sighed 'Oh pa-lease uncle Sev, do you really have to scare these kids half to death before they've even reached the sorting hat? They're nervous enough!' Lorna projected her thoughts into Snape's mind.
'Yes I must brat.' Snape answered back in a somewhat amused tone. Projecting their thoughts into each others minds had been something that Snape had taught Lorna from an early age. The main benefit of such communication was so that she could contact him instantly rather than use owl post which obviously would not have boded well whilst she lived in the muggle world.
'Well you'll be pleased to know that it doesn't have any effect on me what so ever. And don't worry Uncle Sev, I'll make you proud of me.' Lorna grinned as Snape replied,
'You'll always make me proud, but if you become a dunderheaded Gryffindor then I may have to disown you. Now pay attention, your little friends needs you.' Snape nodded to Ebony who was clinging onto Lorna's robes.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Lorna whispered, "Just remember what I told you." And with that Ebony was called up to the front. Lorna gave her a thumbs up as the hat was placed on top of her head and slid down half her face so that only her mouth was visible, was she really that small?
The hat took its time with Ebony but eventually cried out for her to be placed in Ravenclaw and the small girl jumped up beaming like a Cheshire cat, Lorna sighed with relief after all, that girl was far too good to be a Slytherin. And so the sorting continued until Professor McGonagall announced that it was Lorna's turn to be sorted saying, "And into fourth year we would like to welcome Lorna Potter."
The hall fell silent as Lorna stepped up, there were a few shocked whispers around the room but as soon as the hat was placed on her head there was silence again. "The lost Potter eh?" The hat chirped, "Such a brilliant mind, you'd do wonderfully anywhere I'd put you. But what is this I see? You're so different to your brother yet so similar. There's also something you're keeping heavily guarded, a secret perhaps? You have an even stronger sense of loyalty than your brother but you don't want to follow in his footsteps? Your loyalty to your godfather is amicable, he's the only one you truly consider family other than your muggle friends, therefore it has to be... SLYTHERIN!"
The hall all held in a breath as Lorna stood up to join the Slytherin table, a Potter in Slyhterin? This was going to be fun. As Lorna approached her house she could hear a stuttered applause that was sparked off by Hermione and Ginny who were standing up next to a reluctant looking Harry, he wasn't happy but to be honest, Lorna really couldn't blame him.
Once Lorna was seated amongst what she assumed to be fourth years, after they had called her over and made space for her, the feast began. Lorna smiled nervously at her new housemates as a girl introduced herself "Hi Lorna, I'm Matilda Harlock but you can call me Tilly. I'll be your room mate." Tilly smiled warmly and Lorna smiled back feeling a lot happier.
"I hope you won't judge me for being a Potter?" Lorna asked nervously.
"Of course not!" Smiled a lad who Lorna later learnt was called Axel. "It's one of the things Slytherin house prides itself on, loyalty to its own, you're one of us now no matter your surname. But there is one question we have, if you're the lost potter then where've you been all this time?"
Lorna pondered for a moment, what could she say? "I've been living in the muggle world, at an orphanage. Dumbledore banned me from entering the wizarding world but then my other godfather and brother found out and here I am."
Well it wasn't a complete lie, Lorna thought and as she looked at her fellow fourth years they seemed to be reasonably happy with her answer. As the feast progressed Lorna glanced around the Slytherin table and there she saw 'Drakey' sat amongst two goons who looked more like body guards than friends. Great, she thought, I fancy a posh brat.
"Who's that blond haired boy with the body guards?" Lorna asked Tilly to her left,
"That is Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince." Tilly explained as she helped herself to a slice of chocolate for her desert, "The desire of every girl, yet amazingly he has never dated anyone here at Hogwarts or ever come to think of it."
"Oh really?" Lorna muttered absent mindedly,
"Hey, he's looking this way!" Tilly nudged her, "He's looking at you!"
Lorna looked up from her meal to see Draco Malfoy staring at her, his stare was so intense that it made her blush and look away but she couldn't look away for long and when she looked up again she saw him smile at her and in that moment she felt her heart melt.