Clara POV

Well, I was certainly glad Draco didn't have any siblings in our year, or at all. Renee would keep me grounded enough so that if I ever did let anything slip, she'd find a way to cover it up. But that wouldn't even need to happen because Renee had my back.

In the morning, she made to sit at the Hufflepuff table, but I pushed her away. "Renee, you can't do this. Please. Give Slytherin a chance. Try with Sandra. Please."

Professor Sprout, our head of house, passed out our schedules. I was sad to see that the only class I had with Renee was transfiguration, and that wasn't until tomorrow. However, I did have herbology with Ginny and she had potions with Renee later. Only a little sad about being apart from Renee, I paid full attention to Kat, Rebecca, and a few second-years; Justin, Ernie, and Hannah.

I had met our male prefect last night. His name was Cedric, and I almost wondered if he was an Apollo himself, he was so hot. He was really nice, too, and all the older girls seemed to desire him. I even caught Kat's eye on him a few times. Not that I cared about boys, of course.

Ernie offered to show me to the greenhouses for herbology, my first class. I said I'd be fine, but I still managed to get completely lost. I ended up near the forest and next to a large hut. The giant man, Hagrid, stepped out. "Are you lost, Miss Bradley?"

I jumped. "You….you know my name?"

"What else is there to do when you're the groundskeeper? You learn the names of those you can befriend, Clara. The greenhouses are back that way."

"How did you know where I was headed?"

"Hardly anyone comes out here for classes unless it's for herbology. Hurry along now, Sprout won't be mad, it's only the first day."

I heard noises from Greenhouse 1 and hurried inside. Ginny beckoned me over to her table, which had different plants on it.

"Ah, hello Clara, dear. We were wondering if you'd turn up. No matter, it's the first day. You're lucky you have me first, though. Some of your other teachers won't be so….accepting, I guess. Anyway, who knows what devil's snare is?"

A Gryffindor boy I didn't know raised his hand. "Mister Avery?"

"Devil's snare is a plant that traps the victim. Only if you don't struggle, you'll be free. It fears the light. Hermione defeated it last year in the way to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but if she hadn't, Ron Weasley would be dead." The boy, who was a tall kid with dreadlocks, looked over at Ginny and smiled.

Ginny shrugged at me, and I laughed. "Quiet, Miss Weasley and Miss Bradley!" Sprout yelled, which just caused us to crack up even more.

"Yes, Mister Avery is correct. And how did you know all that about Miss Granger?"

"I've heard stories from other Gryffindors."

"Well, good job, Mister Avery. Take a point for Gryffindor!"

The bell rang then, and Ginny bragged to me about how her house had won the first point from my head of house.

"Clarissa, can I talk to you a moment?" I looked at the herbology professor, hoping this wouldn't be about my laughing in class. Ginny ran to catch up with her roommate, Rachel, to get to their next class.

"I suppose I haven't formally introduced myself. I'm Professor Sprout, your herbology professor and head of house. I want you to that I am one of the few professors Dumbledore told about you and Renee, because he knew I could be trusted. I want you to know that if your demigod heritage is ever causing problems, come talk to me. I'm a daughter of Demeter, although most of the students and staff don't know that. But I'm trusting you. I will tell your friend when she has her first lesson as well."

I smiled. "You're a Demeter? That's so cool! Now I don't feel quite so alone."

Professor Sprout smiled. "And let Renee know she's welcome in the guest room at all times, which I think you, Kat, and Rebecca must have been the quickest first years yet to discover."

I grinned. "Thanks, Professor Sprout!"

I ran to my next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and passed Renee coming down with Sandra. She gave me a quick hug before running down to herbology.

Renee POV

My first class had been Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was kind of a joke. Honestly, I could teach that class better than crazy Professor Lockhart. I've actually fought monsters, which is way more than he can say. I didn't for a second believe anything in his books, although Sandra seems to be in love with him.

I sat down with Sandra at a table near the back. "Sandra, why didn't you stand up for me last night?"

"You didn't need it. You handled it well on your own. Besides, they're not worth it."

"Are you serious right now? Kaylee and Morgana threatened me, Sandra!"

"I didn't hear, I was talking to Gill and Tomasz."

I nodded skeptically. "Of course you were. And what about Draco? At dinner last night?"

"You handled that one just fine."

"Really?" I asked. "Sandra, I don't think I belong in Slytherin."

"Nonsense, the hat put you here. We all thought it was a fluke when Sophia got in, but then Stacy did, and, well, we belong here."

"Isn't the hat ever wrong?"

"Occasionally, but trust me, Renee, you belong here."

I just stared at her

"Alright, I'll let you in on a secret, even though Stacy told me not to tell anyone. It's a rite of passage. Slytherins are supposed to be brash, so it was a test to see if you could really stand up for yourself. If you couldn't, you would have been resorted."

I only half believed her. When we arrived at the greenhouse, we sat together, but I didn't know if we could really be friends. I watched as the Ravenclaws filed in. I waved at Luna, the girl from the boat.

It was only moments before everyone was there, and somehow they had all made it so there wasn't room left for Luna. She blushed, and I realized she was probably as lonely as I was. "Professor, can you draw up a third chair for this table?"

Sprout came over, saw Luna, and created a chair at once. I heard Kaylee whispering to Morgana and Ariana, probably laughing at me. Some others joined in. Luna gave me a relieved smile, and even Sandra had nodded at the idea.

Luna was wearing a lime-green dress under her robes, and she had a light and airy way to her; she was slightly distant.

Sandra raised her eyebrows at me, and I shook my head. I'd explain later. Somehow, I had thought inviting Luna would help, and I couldn't say why.

Sprout asked us to describe something called a "devil's snare." I listened only halfheartedly as a Ravenclaw boy explained it. I couldn't wait for lunch, when I could finally see Clara.

I guess I must have zoned out, because Sandra was shaking me and I realized the bell was ringing. "Race ya to lunch!"

I shook my head. I needed a little peace and quiet. As I was walking out, Professor Sprout called out, "Miss Sanderson, a word if I may?"

I groaned, knowing I'd be in trouble, probably for not paying attention.

"I want you to know that you're always welcome in Hufflepuff," said the professor, wiping her hands on a towel to get rid of some of the soil on them. I tried not to make a face; what would Mom think if she saw this lady?

"I can tell you aren't exactly comfortable with your housing placement. The way you helped Miss Lovegood and the way your housemates reacted, well, I strongly discourage the latter. If you have problems with any of them, please come to me. I don't know if Severus is going to favor you as much as some of the other teachers. You're….you're different, Renee. Different from the other Slytherins, and, I imagine, different from the other Aphrodite's, if they're still the same as they were in my day."

"You know about that?"

"I am one of the few who do. You see, I'm a daughter of Demeter, and I attended camp myself as a young girl.

"Also, I'm taking two points from Slytherin for Morgana and Kaylee. It would be three, for Ariana, but I'm giving one back because of what you did for Luna."

I nodded, happy that I had a professor on my side.

A/N: So there's Herbology. Sorry it was a bit of a filler. My next few will be, until winter break, after I finish SS and CoS to remember first-year details and figure out how to fit Renee and Clara into the plot a little better.

I hope you liked the part about Sprout being a Demeter child. I don't think I can do that with any of the other professor but for Sprout, it's perfect. I might do something with Trelawney, but then I'd need to make her Clara's sister, so I don't know.

What do you think of Sandra? Will she help Renee break the Slytherin stigma or will she just drag her down? Only time will tell, and I'm not sure I know myself. I can always see the ending and sometimes a small part of things that happen in the middle, but the beginning is always harder. Anyway, I'm thinking some interesting plot twists in the coming chapter.

Please review! Love my readers! 3