He had known this day was coming. He watched the girl nervously approach professor McGonagall, as if the hat she held would pronounce her doom. She looks so much like Lilly. The thought came unbidden, but it was true. Severus let his mind wander back to a different sorting, where another little red head girl had been green with nerves. He watched her as the hat came down and turned away from the both the past and present girl. After all, he knew how both would end.
In some cases the sorting is a mere formality. Severus gave a mental shrug. Just look at the Malfoys, or heaven forbid, the Weasly clan. With her parents, the forgone conclusion is – "Slytherin!" The hat shouted. It took a second for the potions professor to understand what had happened, and by the time he had his house was already replacing the expectant silence with applause.
She really is just like her mother. A distant part of his stunned mind noted. The girl had the same dark red hair, same pert nose, and same habit of running a hand through her ponytail; as if it were a cat she was trying to calm. The real similarity though, was in the way she sat gazing in wide eyed wonder only after she had been sorted. Just like Lilly, too worried to get a good look beforehand.
He continued to unobtrusively watch Lilly's child throughout the feast, hardly glancing at the rest of his new first years, other than to observe that they were behaving properly. She seemed too distracted to eat, looking this way and that with obvious delight at her surroundings. It was like watching a piece of history rewrite itself. Her eyes flicked over the head table, looking curiously down the line of professors before meeting eyes with Severus.
His eyes. Lilly's beautiful face marred with HIS eyes. A split second was all it took before his bemusement turned to rage. Severus's sense of professionalism tried to tuck it away, and made him answer Professor Quarrel's question about the upcoming year…but out of the corner of his eye he saw the Potter girl cover her forehead with her hand, to the concern of one of the other first year girls. A drama queen like her father no doubt. He mentally sneered. I'll put an end to such nonsense …
Heather Lilly Potter… She gave a small gasp at the voice in her mind. Too worried to interrupt, she listed as the hat rummaged through her head. A fine mind, plenty of courage… The voice mused to itself. A desire for strong friendships. Maybe she wouldn't be sent back in disgrace after all. Ah, and a thirst to prove yourself…Another pause as the hat seemed to dig deeper. You'd do well in Slytherin. A few seconds of silence, but she didn't protest – could one argue with a magical hat? – and then that hat continued. Better make it, "Slytherin!"
The hat was whisked from her head and Heather found herself walking towards the cheering table. Seeing the happy expressions as they made room for her with the other first years, she felt the little knot of dread in her relax. People shook her hand and introduced themselves quietly as the sorting continued. Heather cheered with the rest of the table as a few more students got sorted into their house, a boy named Zabini being the last.
Supper came soon after and she was astounded at the bounty before her. Never had Heather seen so many good things to eat laid out together. Taking her cue from the girl who had introduced herself as Pansy, she began loading up her plate with gusto. Aunt Petunia would be horrified to see the 'young ladies' eating this much heavy food! She grinned as she took a large bite of shepherd's pie. Imagine! A whole year without being told to take dainty portions.
While she ate, Heather looked around the hall finally taking in the celling that looked like the night sky, the floating candles, the ghosts, and everything else. It was simply amazing. Even after Hagrid had arrived at the shack on the rock with her letter, and after Diagon Ally, and yes even after the train ride, Heather hadn't really believed it was happening. The only thing she had to go on for magic was an old book Dudley had never read by Tolkien and his party trick set that he had never bothered to figure out. Now though, she was here and while she hadn't had a chance to read her class books yet, with titles like transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions it seemed that being a witch was much more involved than Gandolf had ever made it.
Smiling wider than she thought she ever had, Heather continued to look in awe around the room practically forgetting to take bites of her food. Spotting the Headmaster in the center of the room as he talked amiably with the woman had run the sorting ceremony, Heather nearly laughed out loud. He looked nearly exactly like what she had pictured Gandolf to look like. She let her gaze run down the line of professors in delight, noticing each seemed more fantastic than the last. As her eyes met a particularly fearsome looking mans she felt a sharp pain in her forehead. Noticing his glare she turned back to her meal and tried to rub the sting out of her head.
"Are you okay?" Heather smiled at Pansy and said, "Yeah. I think one of the professors didn't like me staring. I suppose I was being rude." The girl darted a quick glance at the head table. "That's Professor Snape. He can be a rather strict potion's master, but he's our head of house and I heard he favors us." One of the older students overheard the comment and spoke up. "He only favors his house if you do the reading ahead of class. It's more of a trade really. He wants the Slytherin house to appear on top of things, and you really don't want him to treat you the way he treats the dunderheads in the other houses."
Agreeing that she didn't want to be on the man's bad side, Heather listened intently with the other first years as the older boy explained about the house cup, quidditch, and what different classes were like. It wasn't until he and the other prefects stood up to lead them down into the dungeons that Heather realized that her friend from the train had been sorted into a different house, and that Ron didn't like the house she'd been sorted into. Tomorrow she thought with a yawn. We'll have class together and talk about it.