A/N: I know it's been forever since my last update, but this spring was crazy... and the later 2/3 of the chapter was somewhat difficult to write. (Even now, I'm not sure it's quite right, but I didn't want to delay further.) Somewhat unusually, the entirety of this chapter is from Helena's (Hermione's) PoV. The next chapter will explore Hadrian's introduction to Slytherin. I wanted to capture the distinct character of each House, so splitting things that way made sense.
As always, I own nothing and receive no renumeration.
Reviews are always welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read my story!
Helena stood with Hadrian at the end of the line of first years as they walked into the Great Hall. It was strange to see the hall from this perspective again—hovering by the doors without having a proper place—while also knowing the room so well. The two of them stood out, being so much taller than the first years, and she could feel the weight of people's eyes on them. She moved closer to Hadrian, who did not move away.
Unlike her first time being sorted, when the ceremony had passed in a blur, or her experiences sitting through it at the Gryffindor table—often whispering with friends, at least in the years she hadn't spent wondering what had happened to Harry and Ron—the sorting of the first years seemed to drag on. Neither the students nor the faculty at the high table betrayed any impatience, so she suspected that this sorting wasn't really longer than usual. But it certainly felt that way!
Finally the last first year—one Cleo Waitley—was sent to Gryffindor. Helena suppressed a sharp stab of jealousy, wishing she could return to the comfort of her old house. Professor McGonagall made a short speech—brief as it was, Helena was nearly overcome by her fondness for the woman—and called Hadrian up to be sorted. Helena was left standing all alone.
The hat took its time deciding where to put Hadrian, much to Helena's frustration if not to her surprise. Finally, it shouted "SLYTHERIN!"
Her heart sinking—Slytherin was the only house the Sorting Hat had not considered for Hermione Granger—Helena obediently walked up to the stool and put on the hat.
The hat did not quite cover her eyes this time, so she shut them tight rather than see the staring faces. Slytherin, please, she thought fiercely. We want to stay together.
In response, the hat chuckled softly in her ear. "I can hardly put you in Slytherin for reasons befitting a Hufflepuff, child."
But he needs me, she thought back stubbornly. Aren't I cunning enough? Ambitious enough?
"He will have you in every way that matters, no matter your house. You are cunning, yes, and ambitious, too, occasionally even ruthless. But you still don't belong in Slytherin."
Why not? she argued, only half-believing that she was trying to argue the Sorting Hat into putting her into Slytherin.
"Not for your own personal qualities, but for how you see the world. The cost of flourishing there would be too high—you would lose far too much of yourself. Besides, you'd find expectations for witches in Slytherin significantly more stifling than those in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or even Hufflepuff."
And Harry—Hadrian? she demanded, ignoring the hat's final argument because it was unanswerable.
"He lost those parts of himself long before he ever met you," the hat replied, and it sounded almost sad. "But we are here to sort you. You'd do well enough in Hufflepuff—you have loyalty in spades, and you value hard work—but you're a more obvious fit for Ravenclaw."
That's my choice, then? she thought. Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, separated either way?
"Yes," confirmed the quiet voice of the hat. "You may choose between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, Defender of the Castle, though you will always be a Gryffindor, too."
Defender of the Castle? What's that supposed to mean? It sounds ridiculous.
The hat laughed at her. She could feel it vibrating slightly around her head, and wondered if those watching could see it move. "That is something you will have to find out, child, though I suggest you keep your inquiries discreet. Now which will it be, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?"
Resolving to research the other question later, Helena briefly considered her options. Ravenclaw, she thought firmly at the hat, knowing she'd prefer Professor Flitwick to Professor Sprout as her Head of House.
"That wasn't so very difficult, was it?" commented the hat, before shouting "RAVENCLAW!" for the Great Hall to hear.
Helena removed the hat, completely unsurprised. She'd never really believed the hat would put her anywhere else, with Gryffindor off limits, though it had been interesting to learn that she could have argued successfully for Hufflepuff.
She looked for a space on the side of the Ravenclaw table that faced Slytherin, so that she would at least be able to see Hadrian, and found a gap next to some of the new first year girls. Before sliding onto the bench, she caught Hadrian's eye and sent him a look that was half wry and half helpless.
Helena found it difficult to focus on Dumbledore's start-of-term speech, for she was too busy staring at the tables and floor separating her from the one friend who still knew her. When dinner appeared she served herself mechanically and began eating a modest portion, vaguely comforted by the warmth and familiarity of the food. She ate slowly and carefully, aware that her stomach was still tender.
To her left, her first-year housemates introduced themselves to each other, some eager and others shy. Those sitting nearest glanced at her occasionally, but she did not meet their eyes, and they did not attempt to draw her into their conversation. Part of her was grateful for the reprieve—she did not much feel like talking to anyone, most especially 11-year-olds—but part of her ached. Gryffindors would have introduced themselves and asked her questions, whether she wanted to talk or not. Their willingness to leave her be was yet another reminder that she wasn't in Gryffindor anymore.
There was an empty place directly to her right, and also the seat across from it. Glancing further to her right, Helena saw Luna sitting alone, across from a pair of shy 7th year girls who were well known throughout the school for almost never speaking a word to anyone but each other. Luna smiled vaguely at her and Helena smiled weakly back before looking down at her plate. Helena's eyes stung, and she was overwhelmed by her desire to talk with the other girl. Luna had hardly been a close friend, but she'd been a friend nonetheless—and Hermione Granger had had few enough friends that she valued each of them. But Helena Snape had no friends except her brother—her brother who sat at another table and belonged to a different house. Striking up a conversation with Luna Lovegood on her first night at Hogwarts was just the sort of thing she had to avoid, so Helena kept her attention firmly on her plate.
When the feast finally ended, Helena stood and then hesitated. As a new student, she wouldn't be expected to know the way to the Ravenclaw common room, and she certainly didn't know how to find her dormitory. Other students swept past her, Luna humming softly to herself. Glancing over to the Slytherin table, she saw that Hadrian looked as nervous as she felt.
After what felt like an eternity but was really less than a minute, Padma Patil approached her, prefect's badge gleaming on her robes. Helena might have believed the girl's smile was genuine if she hadn't spent five years sharing a dormitory with the girl's identical twin.
After a terse greeting, the older girl led Helena around the first years—who she saw were being gathered by the new 5th year prefects—and led her out of the Great Hall. The route Padma took to Ravenclaw tower was not precisely out of the way, but it was not the most direct or useful route, either. Helena knew other routes that would have led far closer to the library or the hospital wing, as well as passing by far more classrooms. But she knew she wasn't supposed to know, so she said nothing, instead wondering why Padma would lead her this way.
Curiosity prompted Helena to pay more attention than she otherwise might have, hoping to divine some reason beyond pettiness—perhaps driven by resentment for Professor Snape?—for taking her along this route, but she noticed nothing of interest.
Eventually they came to a narrow spiral staircase which Helena recognized as the way to Ravenclaw tower. She had never walked up this staircase before, only come to its base. Dutifully Helena followed Padma up the twisting stairs to one of the few parts of the castle she had never previously visited, trying not to pant too loudly with the exertion.
At the top of the stairs was a plain wooden door set with a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. Helena noticed without surprise that there was no handle and no keyhole. Padma gestured for her to knock, so she did. Almost as soon as the knocker fell silent, the eagle spoke in a soft, musical voice.
"My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick. Fat, I am slow. Wind shall always be my foe."
A riddle! She glanced at Padma, who looked slightly impatient. The prefect sighed and explained, "It won't open until you answer correctly. Tradition has it that new students must answer for themselves. Try to be quick about it, won't you?"
Helena nodded and thought over the riddle. Measured in hours… serves by being devoured… wind its foe. Oh! Yes, of course. With quiet confidence she responded, "A candle."
"Very good," said the voice. The door opened.
The Ravenclaw common room was gorgeous, but far more delicate than Gryffindor. The room was large and circular, with arched windows looking out on all sides. The floor was carpeted in deep blue. The high-domed ceiling was replete with gothic arches, between which was painted a starry sky. The furniture was elegant, but spindly. Helena couldn't help thinking that Gryffindors would have destroyed half the chairs within a week. Yet it was beautiful, and peaceful in a way that boisterous Gryffindor never could have achieved.
Seeing that the younger girl was impressed, Padma smiled smugly and began pointing to the room's various exits. Off to the right of the entrance, a small stairway led downward. "The study—our house library—is down there," Padma explained. "You are welcome to study there, but you must be quiet and not disturb anyone else. You can study up here if you want to talk."
Helena nodded thoughtfully, thinking how useful such a system must be. She'd known the house had its own library—it was described at length in Hogwarts, A History, after all—but she hadn't known the Ravenclaws' rules for studying in each space.
The dormitories were located above the common room. Padma chivvied Helena up the correct staircase, clearly wanting to be done with her task.
"First through fourth years room by year, with each year in one room," Padma explained as they went up two more levels, bypassing other dormitories. "Fifth years and up get private rooms, to facilitate more serious studying. You're quite lucky, starting as a fourth year you'll only have to share for this year. Your bathroom is there," she added, pointing to a door with a well-worn handle.
"And you'll sleep in here," Padma added, opening another door and gesturing Helena inside. "Your yearmates will show you the rest. Good night." She walked off briskly towards the stairs, not looking back.
Helena swallowed and stepped through the door. There were six beds, she noticed with some dismay, meaning she would be rooming with five other girls. Merlin, she hoped they were more pleasant—or at least less girly—than Lavender and Parvati had been. The other girls were all looking at her, most of them assessing, though one or two offered tentative smiles.
Helena spotted her trunk at the foot of the second bed from the right and walked to it, eager to get away from the door. "Hello," she said tentatively, trying to sound friendly rather than overwhelmed. "I'm Helena."
The other girls traded looks, and eventually a brown-haired girl at a bed towards the other end of the room looked at her and asked, "Are you related to Professor Snape?"
That was quick, Helena sighed to herself. And probably not the best way to start off, though from what she'd seen, Snape was better to Ravenclaw than any other house save Slytherin. Well, no use hiding it—they'd all find out soon enough. "Yes. He's my father," she replied.
A blonde girl at the other end of the room—the girl who the others had been looking toward, Helena realized—responded. "Isn't it strange for you, being in Ravenclaw? Being the daughter of the Head of Slytherin?" she asked, her posture and voice betraying veiled hostility.
Of course it is! Helena screamed inside. The drapes and coverlets were all blue, and all the furniture strangely delicate. There were no overstuffed armchairs grouped around the fire in the Common Room, and as beautiful as it was it all felt coolly elegant and uninviting. Much like these girls, really. Aloud she responded, "No, not at all. My mother was in Ravenclaw, so it's not at all surprising that I would be, too."
The other girls looked between each other again, communicating through small gestures with their shoulders and chins. Feeling rather like an exhibit at a zoo, Helena decided to ignore them until they spoke to her again. She opened her trunk and began unpacking, all too conscious of the eyes that followed her.
Conversations slowly resumed around her. The two girls who had spoken to Helena began talking too quietly for her to hear, but from the cadence of their voices and their frequent giggles, Helena strongly suggested they were exchanging gossip about boys.
The girls with the two beds immediately to her left were enthusiastically discussing Harry Potter's disappearance. The taller—an athletic girl with long black hair and brown skin—seemed convinced that Harry had once again missed the Welcome Feast, as (according to the older Ravenclaws at least) he had done several times in the past. The smaller girl—the shortest of the group, with short black hair and pale skin—was equally convinced that Harry had left the school to go fight You Know Who. Their debate was lively but friendly, though Helena found their intense interest in Harry's whereabouts slightly peculiar since she was quite sure Harry didn't actually know either of them. Harry had never paid much attention to anyone outside both his house and year unless they played quidditch.
On the other side of her bed, the last of Helena's new roommates was quietly unpacking her trunk. She had wavy reddish brown hair and seemed focused on her own tasks, though still aware of the rest of the room. The girls' eyes met as both girls unpacked in parallel, and the other girl smiled. Helena smiled back, encouraged. Perhaps she was not doomed to loneliness amongst her roommates, after all.
When Helena finished unpacking—there wasn't much to do—she found herself unwilling to face the prospect of changing in front of five unfamiliar girls. Shoving her feet into her slippers and grabbing her pajamas and toiletries, she set out for the bathroom.
When she returned she found that several of the other girls had also changed into their nightclothes. The blonde girl wore elegant pajamas made of baby blue satin and edged with lace, an ensemble that would have made Lavender Brown wild with envy. The blonde looked over Helena's pajamas—sensible navy blue cotton, relatively new and neat enough, but comfortable rather than fashionable—and sniffed disdainfully.
"I suppose introductions are in order," the blonde girl allowed. "I'm Melisandre McLaird." Her tone indicated that Helena ought to be impressed. Another snobby pureblood, how utterly unoriginal. "This is Joan Kerridge," she continued, gesturing to the brown-haired girl with whom she'd been gossiping. Next came Preeti Chatterjee—the tallest of the girls—and Miyuki Tsuji—the shortest. The last girl—the one with the reddish-brown hair and the smile—was called Elizabeth Landry. Her surname sounded vaguely familiar, and after a moment of thought Helena realized that she had a relation—probably a brother or a cousin with the same surname—who was a Hufflepuff in Ginny's year, though she hadn't known him well enough to recall either his face or his first name.
"What electives are you taking, then?" Melisandre demanded.
Helena restrained herself from snorting. Barely. It was not a question Gryffindors ever would have asked. "Arithmancy and ancient runes," she replied, as neutrally as possible.
"You'll be with Elizabeth then. Just follow her to classes." Melisandre dismissed her, gathering up her toiletries with her hands and Joan with a glance before sailing out of the room.
Helena turned to Elizabeth, hoping the other girl wouldn't resent the imposition. Much to Helena's relief, Elizabeth smiled again.
"Everyone in Ravenclaw takes runes," Elizabeth explained, "but I'm the only girl taking Arithmancy. "Melisandre and Joan are in Divination, while Preeti and Miyuki have Care of Magical Creatures."
"Oh," Helena responded. So there was a practical reason! "Thank you. If you're sure you don't mind?"
"Not at all," the other girl assured her. "You'll need someone to keep you from getting lost. And… well, I could use a partner in some classes. There was an odd number of Ravenclaws in our year before you came."
# # #
In the morning, Helena dressed in her new Hogwarts uniform, now complete with a Ravenclaw tie. It felt strange putting it on, but once in place it was thankfully hard to see unless she craned her neck at an awkward angle. It was, however, very strange to catch sight of herself in the mirror: a thin girl with straight black hair and pale eyes, dressed in a Ravenclaw uniform. Absolutely nothing about her was at all reminiscent of Hermione Granger. That was rather the point, Helena supposed, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of loss—and with it, a sense of disorientation.
Elizabeth found her in the bathroom. The girl was far more awake and alert than Harry or Ron had ever been in the mornings, so awake that just looking at her made Helena feel sleepy.
"Good morning!" the other girl greeted Helena.
"Good morning," Helena responded with somewhat less enthusiasm.
Elizabeth grinned. "I'm not normally much of a morning person, but the first day of classes is always so exciting, isn't it?"
Helena grinned back, warmed to realize that enthusiasm for school was common enough to be admitted in Ravenclaw. Gryffindors rarely stooped to express enthusiasm for school, instead expounding on their keenness for breakfast.
Elizabeth led her down to the Common Room and over to the notice board, where a number of other students were already gathered. "You'll have encountered the knocker last night?" she asked Helena, gesturing with her chin towards the entrance to the tower.
"You mean the entrance?" Helena asked, slightly confused.
"Yes. It can make it difficult to access our dormitories quickly," Elizabeth explained, "when it asks a particularly difficult riddle. Occasionally people can get stuck for hours, even older students. So we always make sure to take everything we need when we leave in the morning, because it's not considered a valid excuse for being late or unprepared for class.
"The other houses seem to think we carry a lot of books around because we're so studious, but really it's because we can't risk getting stuck outside Ravenclaw tower. Some of us think it might be intended to make us learn better study habits, though it's hard to be certain: we often start assignments on the day we get them just because we've already got those books and it can be such a pain to switch—or to carry extras on any given day."
Helena nodded, realizing she had always assumed they were just studious.
"Anyway," Elizabeth continued, "it poses a bit of a difficulty for the first day, since we aren't given our timetables until breakfast. Professor Flitwick—that's our Head of House, he's just delightful—solves the problem by posting a list of which classes each year has on the first day on the notice board, so everyone knows which books to bring." After darting in between two taller students to check the board, Elizabeth returned to Helena and continued, "Apparently we've got Ancient Runes, History of Magic, and Potions."
#
The route Elizabeth used to show Helena to breakfast was far more direct than the route Padma had taken the previous night. Elizabeth pointed out the various classrooms they passed, as well as pointing out the hallways that led towards the library and hospital wing. Helena breathed a sigh of relief: the more information she was given, the less likely it was that she would mess up by demonstrating knowledge of something she wasn't supposed to know yet.
They were quite early to breakfast, but far from the first Ravenclaws there. The Hufflepuff table was similarly populated, while the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables were still mostly empty.
Not long after Helena and Elizabeth sat down, Hadrian entered the hall with Professor Snape. Helena frowned at her brother, suddenly worried by his appearance without his new year mates but with their putative father. He grinned back at her, suggesting that he didn't want her to worry. It didn't convince her that nothing was wrong—much as she loved Hadrian, she couldn't always trust him to tell her when he had difficulties—but it calmed her enough to focus on her breakfast.
Soon Professor Flitwick passed out timetables, stopping briefly to introduce himself to Helena. He was as kind and eager when addressing Severus Snape's daughter as he had been conversing with Hermione Granger, and Helena felt herself smiling warmly in gratitude. While Professor McGonagall had always been her favorite teacher, Professor Flitwick was by far the most amiable of all the Hogwarts professors, and the most even-keeled Head of House.
When Flitwick moved on, Helena noticed Elizabeth making a face at her timetable.
"What?" Helena asked, carefully not looking at her own.
"We have History of Magic first. Binns first thing on Monday morning, that's inhumane!"
"Is history that bad?" Helena asked. "It's not my favorite subject, but I've never minded it." Not quite true, but she had always liked history apart from Binns.
"You didn't have Binns," Elizabeth muttered darkly.
"Is that the professor?" Helena feigned ignorance.
"Yes. He's deadly dull. Literally—he's a ghost. My brother says he must have bored himself to death."
"Oh. Is that even possible?"
"Probably not, but I can't disprove it." The other girl smiled, then continued. "We have a system. Two people take notes each class, in rotation, while the others simply read the textbook—or sometimes books for other classes, when things get busy. Later we all pool our notes and discuss in context with the readings. That way we learn everything but we only have to listen some of the time, and we all suffer less."
Helena was impressed. Very few Gryffindors bothered to take notes in history at all, preferring avoidance followed by collective panic, and they had never had the kind of foresight or organization necessary for a note-taking rotation.
"What about the rest of the day?" she asked, curious about the other girl's opinions.
"It's nice having a break after history," Elizabeth allowed. "since it'll give us a chance to wake up again. We won't have that luxury on Wednesday, but Herbology is after history on Wednesdays so the walk out to the greenhouses will help then.
"Before lunch today we've got Ancient Runes. That can be little odd, just to warn you, since virtually all the Ravenclaws take it—it's a House tradition, like Hufflepuffs with Muggle Studies—and then a smattering of the other houses. Most classes we're paired with one other house, so it's evenly split, or in the other electives it's usually a mixture of everyone. Ancient Runes is a bit odd since there are so many more Ravenclaws than anyone else, but I suppose it's odder for everyone else."
Helena nodded, remembering Ancient Runes classes as a lone Gryffindor among a sea of Ravenclaws. She'd thought it was a peculiarity of her year, though, not a Ravenclaw house tradition! Clearly many things about each house were not written down or widely shared with the other houses. Ravenclaw's quirks and traditions seemed fascinating.
"In the afternoon we have double potions," Elizabeth continued. "Most of the others moan about it almost as much as they do about History of Magic, but it's really quite all right. At least, it was fine with your father—it's always a bit uncertain with a new professor. Don't pay much attention to the others' whining. Melisandre's just not careful enough to do well in Potions—I suggest not sitting near her in Transfiguration, either, she's a right menace—and Preeti is easily distracted. Joan's insanely clumsy—you have to watch out for her in Herbology, as well, but she does all right with her wand. I'm all right at potions, and Miyuki's quite good—she's the best in our year—so you won't hear her complain about it."
Helena nodded. That explained a lot about the other girls' reactions to her, she thought. Elizabeth and Miyuki, the two girls who had been most friendly—Miyuki had at least smiled at her, both last night and this morning, even if they hadn't spoken yet—were the two girls who did well in Potions. She strongly suspected that they were the two who Professor Snape treated most kindly. She'd heard he wasn't nearly as harsh with Ravenclaws as he was with Gryffindors, but he didn't suffer fools.
Well. It seemed like most students' initial perceptions of her were strongly colored by their experience of her putative father. Helena was suddenly extremely glad that she had chosen Ravenclaw over Hufflepuff.
