The gigantic castle loomed before her, seeming to take up all the sky.

Blaire stared blankly ahead. The vision had restored her usual vacant stare, which hid a head of many thoughts. She carefully got out when the boats stopped and walked with the rest up and into the castle, where they were left in a room before the Sorting.

"What did Narcissa mean when she said I was too pure blooded?" Blaire asked Awn, who was fiddling anxiously with the edge of his robes.

"I don't know, but if I don't get in Gryffindor, I'm dead as a doornail." he said in a shaky voice as the doors opened.

"Doornails aren't living in the first place." Blaire dead-panned.

"Exactly." Awn said scaredly with a gulp. Narcissa was fair behind them, but she soon came up.

"See you in Slytherin, Silver-Snake." Narcissa said to Blaire and quickly got in line.

"Was it just me, or was that sentence full of alliteration?" said a girl next to Blaire. She had happy golden-blonde pigtails and dancing brown eyes. "My name's Katie. Katie Thomas."

"Blaire Silver." Blaire whispered to her. "Isn't your dad the Minister of Magic?"

Katie nodded. "I noticed you were standing with Awn."

Awn blushed. "Hi, Katie."

"Hi, Awn."

Blaire didn't even want to ask.

"My older brother's a Gryfindor. His name's Gilderoy."

"Like Gilderoy Lockhart?" Blaire asked, having read about him in some of the Daily Prophet's and Hermione's Witch Weekly's.

"He wasn't named after him. My dad thinks that guys a nutter."

"Attention, first years, the sorting is about to begin!" announced a woman with red hair. Blaire looked at her for a moment, wondering.

"All you do is place the hat on your head."

The hat opened a slit that looked unmistakably like a mouth.

A long and many time ago,

When this school did start,

The houses of this bested stow,

Needed a way to see in your hearts.

When Gryiffindor was already done,

When Ravenclaw was dead,

When Hufflepuff had been long gone,

When Slytherin had no head.

They made me up,

Filled me with stuff,

And now I'm ready too,

Decide which one,

You all are in,

And you sister's brother too.

Is it Gryffindor, the bravest lion,

Is it Ravenclaw, Eagle wise,

Is it Hufflepuff, a badger loyal,

Or Slytherin with Snake's guise,

So now sit upon this wooden stool,

I have yet to be wrong,

Your house is deep inside your mind,

And that's where you belong!

Blaire clapped with the rest.

"Abott, Julia!"

A girl with bouncy brown curls went up to sit on the stool and put on the hat.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table clapped and whistled.

Many names later, actually, maybe around 10, came "Finnigan, Ainnle!"

Awn walked carefully up to the front, put the hat on his head, and sat on the stool. It took a while, but it soon pronounced "GRYFFINDOR!".

The Gryffindor table roared with applause.

A few more names.....

"Thomas, Katie."

The hall went quiet and then murmurs arose.

Katie walked confidently up, waving to her brother, and sat on the stool with the hat on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Then maybe 3 names went by. "Silver," the wman's voice cracked, "Blaire."

Blaire walked up, and the hall went silent. Her hair copied the hair of the woman up front, and her eyes were those of a certain dark-haired boy.

"Is that Harry Potter's daughter?" she heard someone whisper.

"She looks exactly like him."

"Thats Professor Weasly's hair."

"Is she her daughter?"

"Eww, Professor Weasly and Hary Potter?"

Blaire sat on the stool and placed the hat atop her head.

Wow, you are a different one. Look at all your skills. Oh, owned by a Dursley. A great thirst to prove yourself, bravery, wisdom, but, ah, you lack loyalty. No, you lack trust AND loyalty. That makes you completely different from your dad.

Who was...? Blaire thought at the hat.

Sorry, dear. I can't tell you. Oh, dear me, you're a Parseltongue. You'd make an excellent Slytherin, but all these Gryffindor qualities. Want to go Gryffindor like your dad?

I don't really care.

Well, I can't chose. What should we do?

I don't know, you're the Sorting Hat.

Never thought you'd be arguing with a hat, did you?

No, this is an odd situation. What are you going to tell them?

Well, Slytherin isn't dominating, so I think I'll make you a Gryffindor. That okay?

Fine with me.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindors clapped and whistled and Blaire sat near Awn.

An older boy who looked like Katie was sitting next to her. She looked up at him.

"Hello." she said, her eyes distant.

"Hi, I'm Gilderoy." he said, holding out his hand. Blaire shook it.

"Call him Gil." Katie said.

Gil gave her a swat on the back of her head. "Thanks, Katie."

"What are little sister's for?"

Blaire watched the Headmistress up front. She was a young woman with crystal blue eyes and a bun of flaxen hair, looking much like a young Mrs. Clause.

"Who is she?" Blaire asked.

"Thats Professor Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore's neice."

"Oh. Wow." Blaire said, watching the woman's twinkling blue eyes.

Professor Dumbledore stood up, and the whole hall shushed.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, and that the sixth corridor to the left is the Hospital Wing. It has a big red sign above it, hard to miss."

The students gave a slight chuckle.

"I have a few announcements to make. This year we will be holding the first annual Inter-house Dueling Competition!"

There was clapping and whistling from all of the houses.

"A Dueling course has been added to your schedules, which you will get tomorrow. Thank you, and lets begin!''

Food appeared on the golden plates. It was ahrd for Blaire not to gape, and her friends laughed at her.

"Try not to be so obvious, Blaire." Gil said, closing her mouth with his hand.

Blaire blushed.

It wasn't long before all the students were up in their dormitories, fast asleep. All except Blaire. She sat on the windowsill, Diana perched calmly next to her, sensing that something was wrong. She hooted questioningly.

"I just wish I knew my parents, Diana. I just wish I knew them."

Ginny Weasly ran down the hallways of the school to the Headmistress's office. Her robe flew behind her.

"Come in, Ginny." the professor said beofer Ginny even knocked.

"Professor, it was her! It was my baby girl!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Calm down, Ginny. Who was your daughter? Didn't you set her up for adoption?"

"Yes, and someone adopted her and she's here! And Harry doesn't even know! He doesn't even know....I can't teach her! It would be impossible. What if she had been treated terribly or something and it would be my fault! My darling baby girl. My darling baby girl." Ginny sat abruptly down, cross-legged, and Trisha Dumbledore kneeled next to her.

"Shhh." she said in a motherly tone. "Shhhh."