CHAPTER 3: Sevrisa Snape
"What?!" Harry cried. The Great Hall suddenly sounded like buzzing bees. Some were whispering rapidly to each other; some eyeing Snape with great interest (though it didn't last long, Snape looked really angry) and even some Slytherins looked at their head weirdly. Ron asked, "Is McGonagall kidding? That girl? A Snape?" Professor Dumbledore stood up and lit up a few sparks at the end of his wand, and the Great Hall became silent. "For the common knowledge of all students, Sevrisa here is Professor Snape's niece. I hope that clears up things for you... Now Minerva, please continue." Professor McGonagall let Sevrisa sit on the stool and placed the Sorting hat on Sevrisa's head. The Sorting Hat did not speak for a few minutes, in fact, it did not move at all. McGonagall moved forward to see what was wrong, but the hat said, "No, nothing's wrong, I'm deciding which house suits her best." After a few minutes, the Sorting Hat shouted, "Very well, GRYFFINDOR!"
Nobody at Gryffindor House clapped. Ron whispered to Harry, "We're doomed." After the feast, both Professors Snape and McGonagall went to their houses' respective dormitories. Professor Snape went to the Slytherin dungeon common room and said to the Slytherins, "Jean Claude will be with Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Draco Malfoy's room. He'll be staying there for his year in Hogwarts. Now, if you wish to tell him your plans to deduct house points from Gryffindor this year, especially yours Malfoy, I daresay you tell him now. And I do certainly wish that we win the House Cup. Good evening then." And he walked out the common room. Malfoy told Jean Claude, "You're going to have a wonderful time here at Slytherin..."
Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor common room, Professor McGonagall was addressing the fifth year Gryffindor students too. "Sevrisa will now be considered a Gryffindor from now on, regardless of who she is, or who she is related to. She can add or deduct house points from Gryffindor, so I do suggest you warn her about the tactics that you know about this. For her fifth year, she'll be staying in Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown and Hermione Granger's room. That is all. Good night and I do hope you'll have a lovely year here at Hogwarts." After that, she walked out of the common room. Parvati and Lavender seemed to be happy about Sevrisa but not Hermione. She asked Ron and Harry, "Sevrisa's in my room! What a nightmare!" Ron asked, "How the heck is she supposed to lift those trunks?". He pointed at the three trunks near Sevrisa. "Bet it's the house elves, after all, they do all the work." Hermione told them. "For once in your life Hermione, shut up about house elves!" Ron had told her angrily, "Well, some people might think that they're our equals and not just slaves! Right Harry?" Hermione looked at Harry as if she'd curse him with the Avada Kedava curse if he said no.
These would be the times he was caught in the middle. Like Ron encouraging him in Quidditch while Hermione with lessons. But, different as they are, Harry cannot be with just one of them. He needed them both, they were like the fire triangle; one cannot survive without the other. "Well, for me, it's time I suggest the reading. Try this book, 'Medieval Creatures, A history'." Then he remembered; it was in the trunk. Sirius said Professor Binns might assign them some tough work this year. The portrait swung open and Dobby and Winky came in. They were Hogwarts house elves now, neither Malfoy's nor Crouch's. Though it was rather odd to see Winky happy. She was not at all pleased to be in Hogwarts the school year before. Winky said, "Let's go Dobby! We isn't keeping the others waiting!" Both of them rushed to the trunks, pointed their wands and shouted "Wingardius Levictitacus!" Dobby said in a rather singing voice, "Come on now Miss Snape, you can't just be standing here all night!" And with that, Hermione said good night to Ron and Harry.
Ron told him "Correction. It's not us. She's doomed." After Dobby and Winky left, the person of Hermione's nightmares came in; Professor Trelawney. She said in a drifty voice "The spirits have awaited your arrival Miss Patil and Miss Brown. Please come with me for I need more spirit gazers with me in the tower." "More people who would think she's real is more like it." she thought. McGonagall was behind her and said, "Just tell them your "good news" Sibyl." Professor Trelawney said in a rather raised voice "It is hard to deal with much stronger spirits! I need my best students! Let us go, the spirits might be deeply angered with us!" And with that, the four ladies left the room, leaving Hermione and Sevrisa alone. "Load of old tosh!" Hermione thought. Sevrisa said, "Divinations, a load of old tosh eh? You'll love it in Beauxbatons." "How did you…? Did you just…?" Hermione couldn't believe it. Sevrisa knew what she was thinking!
"Read your mind? It's easy if you concentrate on Divinations! I'm Sevrisa by the way! And I think I am going to have a wonderful time here at Hogwarts!" Hermione gave a huge gulp.
In the meantime, Ron was going nuts in his bed. "What if something happens to Hermione? Snape knew a lot of dark arts spells. She could be worse!". Harry reassured him, "Come on! She's not going to use any of them on Hermione! She smiles! That's the big difference! Snape NEVER smiles cause he's nasty." "No way! What difference does it make? She's a Snape! My dad said they had a connection to You-Know-Who!" Ron was now bewildered. "Snapes have a connection to Volde--.." Ron looked rather angry, so Harry said "Err.. You-Know-Who?" "Well, the rumor had it that the Snape who was in the same year with You-Know-Who made a pact with him. Said that his whole line would be loyal to him." Ron blushed after saying this. "Well, Professor Snape's a different Snape. He betrayed him."
But Harry did wonder; she might be a little dangerous. "Ok, let's go to Hermione's room. But first, " Harry unlocked his trunk and pulled out something "We need my father's invisibility cloak."
"Well, Hermione, if you don't mind, can I ask you a question?" Sevrisa said. "Sure, anything!" Hermione replied. "Is Harry Potter somewhere here?" "Harry? Why is she asking about Harry?" she thought. "Yup, He's a friend of mine!" "Really? Is he at all friendly?" Sevrisa asked. "Yeah" Hermione looked at Sevrisa's trunks. Two of them were normal sized, but the third one looked rather large. Sevrisa looked at her and said "I assure you, it's only my school stuff!" Then, she reached her green robes for something but.. "Bloody hell! I lost my keys! Oh no...Well, there's my wand, But, oh no, it's in my second trunk!" Sevrisa couldn't swallow it. Hermione offered, "Here, let me help." raising her wand, she cried "ALOHOMORA!" But nothing happened. Hermione was rather shocked, but Sevrisa asked, "What's your wand made of?" "Hermione replied, "Hardwood, dragon heartstring, twelve inches." "Well that explains it! My trunks can be only opened by two means. First the wand should be the same material with my trunk. It's made of yew, phoenix feather. And second," She tapped the locks twice and said "Alohomora."
Suddenly, the locks opened. "I alone can only open it." Hermione gave a sudden jaw drop. "How can you…?" "Well, our bloodline has magic with in us. Why? Doesn't my uncle show this to you guys?" Hermione shook her head. Sevrisa could read minds, and cast spells with her hands.
No way.
Sevrisa gave a sudden yelp when the door opened slightly. Both of them looked, but saw nothing. Hermione encountered this before; the three of them were in the Shrieking Shack, with Remus Lupin and Sirius. Snape came in through Harry's invisibility cloak. "Someone just came in. Am I right Hermione?" Hermione was in deep shock. She knew Ron and Harry went inside with Harry's invisibility cloak. Could Sevrisa really read minds? "Revliosa!" Sevrisa shouted. Suddenly, Harry and Ron were standing in the doorway, throwing undeniably weird looks at Sevrisa (who just shrugged and smiled) Sevrisa looked at Harry, especially at his forehead, and gasped. After the gasp, she yelled, "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" Harry replied, "Yeah, why do you ask?". "Well, my Uncle Severus told me a lot of great things about you." Sevrisa replied. The three of them exchanged looks then laughed. "Snape? Say something good about Harry? That's something!" Ron was laughing hard. "Yeah! And a Comet First Edition can outstrip a Firebolt!" Harry told them. Sevrisa did not look at all pleased. "How come it's so hard to believe?" she said angrily.
"Well, Sevrisa, believe it or not, your uncle is, well, putting it mildly..." Ron said, "a greasy haired git who is incredibly sarcastic!" "RON!!!" Harry and Hermione yelled. The three of them looked at Sevrisa and thought she was going to cry, but instead, "It's ok, you can call him a bloody moron if you want. Believe me, I've heard a lot. 'Is that over grown professor going to teach us again?', 'Why can't they get someone to replace that professor from hell?' Don't worry, I'm not at all angry." Sevrisa explained. "But how did you..." Harry was cut short when Sevrisa held up her hand. "You better get back in that invisibility cloak, someone's coming!" "And you better believe it!" Hermione added. Dumbstruck, Harry and Ron covered themselves and got out. "They're heading for the boy's dorm now. And here comes McGonagall!" And after Sevrisa said that, Professor McGonagall came in. "Why are you still up and awake?" she asked. "We're just waiting for Parvati and Lavender ma'am," Sevrisa replied. "You better sleep now. You're going to have a jump start tomorrow!" And with that Professor McGonagall left.
"Whew, quick thinking." Hermione told Sevrisa. "Yeah. We'll sleep. Just hang on a sec." With that, Sevrisa cried with her wand raised, "Arrangius!" and all her clothes were piled up neatly on the third trunk. Sevrisa cried "Transistio!" And the two medium sized trunks were now a huge bookcase. Then, her books, (which were in midair) went to it like a magnet. There was a book scuttling away, but Sevrisa said "Accio Diary!" and it flew to her hands. "Oh no, you're not going to spill secrets this time!" And she put it in the middle of two thick books. "There! We're all set! Good night Hermione!" Sevrisa snapped her fingers and her green robe suddenly turned into green silk pajamas. "Gift from my mum, a year ago." Then she lied on her bed and slept (Hermione was sure, she looked asleep) Hermione changed to her pajamas and before going to bed, looked at Sevrisa. Is she a nice girl? Or is she, in some terms, like her uncle, mean and nasty?
Chapter 4: The Potions Triumph