When they arrived at Hogsmeade station, Victoria was herded towards a group of boats with the rest of the first years by a giant of a man that introduced himself to them as Hagrid.

"I heard that he got himself expelled from Hogwarts." Said a voice that Victoria recognized all too well. Draco Malfoy, or as she liked to call him, the Scum of the Earth.

"Sod off, Malfoy." She said, and Draco sneered at her. "Aw, has the little Death Eater in training found a cause to support?"

"Your parents were just as involved with him as mine were, Malfoy, so don't act like you're better than me just because your parents aren't in Azkaban. I bet that if Aurors searched your house, they would find all sorts of things that would land your parents in Azkaban for the rest of their lives."
"You better shut up Lestrange before I make you."

"Malfoy, I have never in my life listened to anything that you've said to me before, so why would I start listening to anything that comes out of that greasy mouth of yours now?"

"Everythin' all right back there?" Hagrid boomed out.

"Everything is fine!" Victoria called out before talking to Draco again. "Others might be scared of you Draco, but I'm not. I'm not scared of cowards who are all talk."

She turned on her heel and walked towards the boats, getting into one with Blaise and a black-haired girl.

"A Malfoy is not someone that you want to have as an enemy," Blaise commented, to which Victoria shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a member of the Weasley family, so that means we've been enemies from day one. Besides, I would never be friends with a selfish prick like that."

When the boats pulled up to the castle, Victoria joined up with her brother and Harry once more.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Harry asked her.

"Blaise Zabini, he's really nice."

"Isn't his mum the one that offed all of her husbands?" Ron said in a loud voice, and Victoria punched him in the shoulder. "Keep your voice down, Ron! People think that she did that, but there's never been any actual proof of that."

"The wizarding world is a lot more exciting than I thought it would be," Harry said, which made Victoria laugh. "Yeah, you're friends with a boy who has a bottomless pit for a stomach and a girl who everyone thinks is a murderer to be."

"Murderess, actually." Piped up a female voice, and Victoria turned to see a bushy-haired girl. "Murderer is the male term."

"Um, thanks, I guess. Who are you?"

"Hermione Granger."

"We met her on the train," Ron whispered in his sister's ear. "She drove us absolutely bonkers, she's a know-it-all."

So a female Percy then. Well, wasn't that just wonderful?

"I know who you are." Hermione continued. "You're Victoria Lestrange, your parents were followers of You-Know-Who, I read about them in a book."

Yeah, she was definitely the female version of Percy. "Nice to meet you, I guess."

"What house are you hoping for? I'm personally hoping for Ravenclaw or Gryffindor myself."

"If she's in Gryffindor then I would rather be in Hufflepuff," Ron muttered under his breath, but Victoria ignored him. "I'm hoping for Gryffindor myself, everyone else in my adopted family is."

Soon enough, they were brought into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony by an older woman who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. Victoria watched as the students got sorted into the various houses, and it seemed like ages before it was her turn.

"Lestrange, Victoria!" Professor McGonagall called out, and Victoria took a deep breath before she walked over to the small stool, sitting on it as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head.

"A most interesting case, indeed." The Hat mused. "I remember your parents, both of them were extremely proud Slytherins, it's a house that you would fit well in, but it's not the house that you want, is it? If only to prove that you are nothing like your parents. You have traits that would suit all four houses, however, there is only one house that is the clear choice for you, and that is...Slytherin!"

Victoria felt her heart sink low into her stomach, and she glanced at her older brothers as she got off of the stool. Fred and George were looking at her with sympathy, but Percy was looking at her with a slightly cold expression, as though he didn't want anything to do with her.

Victoria sat at the end of the Slytherin table, ignoring the cheers and the claps on the shoulder that she got from her fellow housemates. What would Molly and Arthur say when they found out that she was in Slytherin? Arthur had told her that he didn't care what house she was in so long as she enjoyed herself, but Molly had made it very clear that there was no option other than Gryffindor, and judging from how Percy had looked at her, he felt the same way.

Victoria watched wordlessly as her brother and Harry were both sorted into Gryffindor, Ron looked like he wanted to come over and say something to her, but Percy gestured him over to the Gryffindor table. Ron looked at Victoria, shrugging his shoulders apologetically before taking his seat.

"Looks like you're more like your parents than you thought," Draco commented as he sat down. The Hat hadn't even been all the way on his head before he had been sorted into Slytherin.

"Draco, I really am not in the mood for this. I swear to Merlin, if one more word comes out of that mouth, then I'm going to break your bloody nose, do you understand me?"

"When I tell my father how you've been treating me-"

"I don't care, Draco!" Victoria said, slamming her hands down on the table and causing some of the others to look at her. "I don't give a damn what you think, okay?! I never have, and I never will. So would you please just leave me alone?!"

"I would listen to her if I were you, Draco," Blaise said as he sat down across from them. At least Victoria had one friend in this house.

"Whatever," Draco said, rolling his eyes before turning and talking to other people.

"Thanks," Victoria muttered, and Blaise nodded his head. "I can see why you don't like him now. Rather whiny, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Victoria chuckled, her spirits raising just a little bit.

"Slytherin isn't as bad as you think it is, Victoria. Not everyone in this house turns dark."

"It's not that, Blaise, but what are my parents going to think? My mom was hoping so bad that I would get into Gryffindor."

"I mean, if your parents actually love you, then they won't care, either way, right?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess that you're right." Victoria bit her lip. Surely everything would turn out okay, right? After all, how bad could things possibly get?