Disclaimed

Authors Amusement: Oh My God. You wouldn't believe what I found in the recesses of my movie collection… First I want to add, I have a very extensive video collection, and I've never thrown any away. I mean, I have Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Summer Vacation next to There's Something About Mary next to Blade. So I was rooting around in the bookshelves I've reserved for really old ones, from when I was little, (I was thinking I'd misplaced Dracula there) and what did I find? I found: Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World! Yikes. And yes, like the doll Barbie. So, being curious what the hell it is, I popped it into the VCR. And let me tell you, I AM CRACKING UP!!!! Dear God, this is the funniest thing I've seen in my life! The whole point is that Barbie and the Rockers (Barbie's band… LoL) have done it all, and are the most successful band in world history **giggles** and are now doing there next concert for world peace (Barbie is the first ambassador for world peace, by the way)… in space. It is so weird to see a frighteningly curly-haired Barbie dancing around going "Everybody rock Everybody Rock… who's got it? We've got it!" in this space station shaped like a flower (I'm serious, the petals bloom and everything!!). So, anyway, I just thought I'd tell you that. Now I'll write my chapter. I'll try.

*~~~~~~~Chapter 6: Horrendous Torture and Slow Death~~~~~~~~*

Sylvia walked towards the Sorting Hat, not really seeing it. She was one of the few people who had approached it with her mind on something else.

She was thinking about the events prior to her arrival. About her mother's hurried instructions, about the feeling of her soul being ripped out as she fled to the sound of her mother's screams.

She sat down on the stool, and put the hat on, barely aware of stares of so many people.

She didn't even jump when the hat started talking to her.

"Another Snape! It's been years since we've had one of you…"

What of it? She thought at the hat.

The hat was quiet for a moment. "A lot of pain in your life lately, I see…"

Are you going to choose a House for me or what?

"No need to get snippy!" the hat chided in a tone that reminded her of her mother.

With that thought she dropped her eyes, allowing long eyelashes to veil them, even though no one was close enough to see the pain in their dark depths. I'm sorry.

"That's all right. But you are right, time to get down to business! Now…" Sylvia felt like someone was riffling through her brain; which in fact, someone was. "I see, in the tradition of Snapes, a great deal of cunning here… oh dear, did you really have to confuse that poor man that badly? And intelligence to boot… And courage! My my my… I haven't had someone so hard to sort since Potter or that Neville boy…. ((a/n: I don't have a copy of any of the books, so I'm not sure if it said how long it took to sort Neville. For my purposes, let's just say that it was awhile)) But I think that you wouldn't be happy in Slytherin. You have to be able to take care of yourself there and you are quite vulnerable right now…"

Sylvia looked up at the hat sharply. I am not.

"And stubborn too! Well I think I know where you will be best at home, you should go for GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled the last part to the entire Hall. There was a small smattering of applause from the Gryffindor table, quickly over. She stood and went over.

The only seats open were at the end, one next to a row of three red-headed boys and the other next to another girl and boy, the boy with dark hair and glasses, the girl with simple brown and bushy hair, whom Sylvia noticed was actually quite pretty. She always noticed things like that, always saw the potential in someone. Her mother had called it a gift. The girl was one of the few people who had applauded when the hat had shouted 'Gryffindor.'

Sylvia sat next to the redhead, not sure what to do, and looked down at her plate. A moment later everyone in the Hall started talking again, all at once it seemed.

The boy next to her glanced at her nervously, then at the girl and boy across from him, then back to her. She, determinedly, didn't look at anyone.

He cleared his throat, and said "Um… hello. So… um… you're Snape's niece."

The girl across from him gave the boy a withering look, and turned to Sylvia herself. "Hello. I'm Hermione, this is Harry, and he's Ron." She and Sylvia shook hands, and Sylvia smiled reluctantly. She liked Hermione's brisk manner.

The boy--Harry-- spoke up. "So what year are you in?"

"Fifth." Sylvia said, speaking aloud for the first time since she'd come into the Great Hall.

Harry blinked, and she noticed his green eyes. Her eyes flitted to his forehead, but she couldn't tell if there was a scar there, due to his messy hair. She decided this must be Harry Potter--her uncle had talked about him when he'd visited over the summer. He asked, "Are you from America?"

"Yes."

"Then why aren't you in a Yank school?" Ron asked her.

She looked back down to her plate, and said quietly, but in a steady voice, "I was."

"So why are you going here now?"

Sylvia's lips tightened, and she didn't look up. Judging from the thump she heard from under the table and the way he jumped, Hermione had kicked him.

Hermione said in a rigid voice, "Maybe it's none of our business, Ron."

They were all quiet for awhile, which gave Sylvia time to rein in her emotions. I'm fine. I can deal with this. Of course they're curious. It's only natural. You don't have to answer them. GET OVER IT! She repeated this to herself until she no longer had to bite her lip to keep the tears back.

Near the end of the meal, when most people were starting to get up, Harry said to her, "We're in fifth too. We'll show you the way to the classes, if you like."

Sylvia looked at him gratefully and just nodded.

The three of them led her away from the hall and through several corridors and up staircases, Hermione telling her on the way, "We're going to our dormitory to get some of our books. The Gryffindor tower is where our common room is and our bedrooms. Only Gryffindors know the password, so never tell someone who isn't one."

Sylvia looked at her curiously, "But who do you tell the password to get in?"

Hermione pointed to a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress, at the end of the hallway. "Her. She's the Fat Lady, and she'll let us in." Hermione looked like she would have said more, but at that moment they neared the portrait and a slightly chubby boy, who had been speaking to the portrait, spoke to them.

"Harry! Thank goodness; I've forgotten the password again!"

The three boys talked for a moment, and Hermione whispered to her, "That's Neville. He's nice, but very forgetful, and Professor Sn--erm, some of the professors get quite exasperated with him." Sylvia looked at the girl curiously, wondering what she'd been about to say, but her attention was drawn away by the portraits sudden attention to her.

"Dears, who's this girl? I don't remember her!"

Ron answered her. "She's a new Gryffindor. She just got sorted in this morning she's--um," he glanced at her, "a sort of transfer student."

The Fat Lady eyed her curiously, but said to all of them, "Well, you'd best all hurry up, or else you'll be late! Password please?"

"Faery wings."

"Remember the password, otherwise someone else will have to let you in," Ron told her once the portrait had swung shut, with a glance at Neville's back as he hurried up the stairs.

"That was the common room, and here's fifth year girl's room." Hermione was giving her a commentary as they went along, and she opened a door to a simple but very nice room, furnished mainly in gold with red trimming, and shimmery gold curtains around all the beds. "You're trunk should get here--oh, now," she said as a trunk appeared at the foot of a bed at the end of the room. Sylvia and her uncle had taken a trip to Sylvia's old house in the States over the weekend, to set everything in order and get her things. It had been eerie, the way nothing but everything was different at her ho- at the house. Just a house.

"Um, do you have any books?" Hermione asked her, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Yes; Uncle Severus-"Why does everyone get that weird look when I say that???"-took me out to buy books over the weekend. Um… I don't know the schedule; which ones do we need today?"

Hermione smiled. "Today we have… let me see…" she pulled a schedule out of her bag and made a face. "Double Potions with Snape, then Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. You'll like him. But -ugh- an entire morning with the Slytherins! Then lunch, and then Charms with Flitwick. Then any electives you have. Only bother with your things for Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, you can get the rest after lunch." ((A/N: Okay, I have no clue how many periods/hours they have. If someone knows, please tell me! I'm just making this schedule up off the top of my head.))

"Okay."

They met the boys back in the common room, and the three showed her the way to the dungeons and potions.

"Why is Uncle Severus in a room this cold?" Sylvia asked as they walked in, rhetorically. She and Hermione sat down with each other, Harry and Ron behind them. Most everyone was already there, although not her uncle, and the room fell quiet when she entered. Everyone who had been able to hear her had that same baffled look that Hermione and Madam Pomfrey had had on their faces. Sylvia looked around at the people who were staring at her, and asked in a caustic tone, "Can I help you?"

Everyone was suddenly busy with some parchment or another--except that blond boy from breakfast. He continued to look at her, then when she didn't look away he simply raised one superior eyebrow, (How can an eyebrow be superior?) smiled a little, and finally turned to say something to a rather large boy next to him.

She returned to the other three to see them looking at her too. Harry said, in a dark tone, "I see you've met Malfoy."

She felt herself jump in surprise. Malfoy? But that was--No. Don't think about it! She wrenched herself away from that line of thought and replied in a bored voice, "Is that his name? No, we haven't really met. I just noticed him staring at me at breakfast, too."

Ron snorted. "It's no wonder. You know, you're so--" he turned a bright crimson, making his hair seem horridly orange, and was suddenly very busy with some parchment of his own. Harry was looking at him in an amused sort of way, and Hermione had raised one eyebrow and was looking at him in a slightly disgusted manner. It seemed that they all knew what he'd been about to say except her. He was rescued from her asking by her uncle's entrance.

She noted with concern that he still looked very haggard. She was worried about him, but she didn't have time to dwell on the thoughts as he started class.

*~Snape's POV~*

He looked around gloomily, but brightened when he saw his niece. She didn't notice the way the class shifted at that, but he did. He looked around with warning in his eyes, and said, "Obviously we have a new student. I expect all of you to treat her no differently than any other student. Completely ignore the fact that she is my niece, and that I will see to the horrendous torture and painfully slow death of anyone that hurts her." He muttered the last part so only the people in the front row heard, but he knew they would spread the word. ((A/N: Mwuhahahaha))

He smiled and turned to the board to start class.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

That annoying author again: OMIGOD!!! I found something better than that Barbie thing… The live-action He-Man movie!!! Hahahaha…I'm serious! It's there! It's called Masters of the Universe! I'm just finding all these scary eighties movies today… HOLY CRIMETY! LOOK AT THAT GUY'S NIPPLES! Um… excuse me, I don't normally say things like that, but I don't think they're supposed to look like that. Erm. **dives under a rock to hide** **peeks out** HOW DOES THAT WOMAN WALK IN THAT OUTFIT WITH ALL THOSE STRAPS ON HER BUTT?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!??!!!!!!!??