Angelina, thought Severus. It's Angelina, back again.
Erin walked into the Great Hall, dripping wet and accompanied by a small boy. Severus watched her. He watched her flick one strand of honey colored hair back, watched her smile brightly at the Gryffindors. And he saw her eyes - so sparkling, so full of life.
Abruptly Severus remembered Angelina's eyes after her death, blank and dull, staring up into his. With a shudder he turned away slightly. His hand slipped beneath his outer robes, to where he wore Angelina's locket. He gripped it tightly now, feeling the smooth, cold metal beneath his fingertips.
He had known it would be hard, to watch this daughter of his love come to Hogwarts. He had known that she would probably look like Angelina, possibly even have some of the same mannerisms. But he hadn't known that she would be like this - a perfect model of Angelina, right down to her delicate feet.
Abruptly Severus realized that this was Voldemort's daughter, too. She looks like Angelina, but I don't know what she will be like, Severus thought. He hoped he was wrong, that Erin had no part of the Dark Lord in her.
"Erin Cooper," called Professor McGonagall. Erin Kristoff, Severus mentally corrected.
Erin marched up and sat on the stool. Minerva placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Severus watched anxiously as the Sorting Hat spoke words only Erin could hear.
"Hmm, yes - very interesting, very interesting indeed. Very good mind here, you'd do well in Ravenclaw. Good work ethic, too. And you're brave, no doubt about that. Like to stick up for others, do you? What else - oh - "
What? Erin thought to the Sorting Hat.
"Slytherin," said the hat abruptly. "You must go into Slytherin."
Slytherin! Thought Erin, panicked. But I want to be with Harry!
"I'm sorry," said the Sorting Hat, "but it's all here - you're a Slytherin, there's no doubt about it - "
All right, thought Erin. Slytherin it is.
"Good girl," murmured the hat, "you'll do very well in there, I think. Just try to stay the way you are - I'd hate to see you become - never mind. So, SLYTHERIN it is!"
She heard the hat shout her house in the last sentence, but Erin felt rather numb. She picked up the hat and put it down on the stool, then marched, still wet, to join her new house. Carefully avoiding her friends' disbelieving stares, she sat down next to a pale boy with gray eyes.
"I'm Malfoy," said the boy, sticking out his hand. "Draco Malfoy."
"I'm Erin, Erin Cooper," said Erin, very reluctantly shaking it. She'd heard enough about Draco to know that he was trouble. Deliberately she turned to the girl on her other side.
"Blaise," said the girl, also shaking Erin's hand. The girl had chocolate brown hair and very dark lashes and brows, which gave her face a curious, sharp look. She looked like more of a witch than anybody else in the hall. "This is Sara," she added, pointing to a blonde girl opposite them.
"Hi, Erin," said Sara, shaking Erin's hand enthusiastically. She was extremely pretty, with sparkling blue eyes and an infectious smile. Erin couldn't restrain a grin.
"Are you a transfer student?" asked Draco, trying to get this pretty new girl's attention back on him.
"No," Erin said shortly. "I didn't go to school at all before."
Blaise raised one elegant eyebrow. "No school? You don't look like a first year."
Don't tell them, Erin, thought Severus. Don't tell them you were raised with Muggles.
"My parents are Muggles," said Erin.
Too late, thought Severus.
"Oh, really," said Draco, suddenly very cool. "I guess I don't need to tell you that they sorted you in the wrong house?"
Leave her alone, Draco, thought Severus as he studied the little drama.
"Don't listen to him," interrupted a boy on Sara's right. "You look like a Slytherin to me. I'm Calvin."
"Hi, Calvin," said Erin. She liked the quiet, serious look to this boy.
"That's right, Calvin," said Draco nastily. "Demean everything Slytherin has ever stood for, right?" Draco stood up. "Excuse me," he said with a sneer to Erin, "I'm afraid I can't sit next to you anymore. Mudbloods are rather dangerous, you know." With that extraordinary statement, Draco went and sat on the other side of the table. Erin noticed that nobody else seemed very keen to fill his spot.
"What did I say?" she whispered to Blaise.
"I'll explain later," she said calmly.
"Now, budge up," said Sara cheerfully, appearing at Erin's side. "Calvin and I are sitting here."
So Erin got through the feast, surrounded by her three new peers to protect her from the hostile stares and catcalls of the rest of the Slytherins. And she managed to not look at Harry for the rest of the evening.
She didn't want to face him just yet.
Erin walked into the Great Hall, dripping wet and accompanied by a small boy. Severus watched her. He watched her flick one strand of honey colored hair back, watched her smile brightly at the Gryffindors. And he saw her eyes - so sparkling, so full of life.
Abruptly Severus remembered Angelina's eyes after her death, blank and dull, staring up into his. With a shudder he turned away slightly. His hand slipped beneath his outer robes, to where he wore Angelina's locket. He gripped it tightly now, feeling the smooth, cold metal beneath his fingertips.
He had known it would be hard, to watch this daughter of his love come to Hogwarts. He had known that she would probably look like Angelina, possibly even have some of the same mannerisms. But he hadn't known that she would be like this - a perfect model of Angelina, right down to her delicate feet.
Abruptly Severus realized that this was Voldemort's daughter, too. She looks like Angelina, but I don't know what she will be like, Severus thought. He hoped he was wrong, that Erin had no part of the Dark Lord in her.
"Erin Cooper," called Professor McGonagall. Erin Kristoff, Severus mentally corrected.
Erin marched up and sat on the stool. Minerva placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Severus watched anxiously as the Sorting Hat spoke words only Erin could hear.
"Hmm, yes - very interesting, very interesting indeed. Very good mind here, you'd do well in Ravenclaw. Good work ethic, too. And you're brave, no doubt about that. Like to stick up for others, do you? What else - oh - "
What? Erin thought to the Sorting Hat.
"Slytherin," said the hat abruptly. "You must go into Slytherin."
Slytherin! Thought Erin, panicked. But I want to be with Harry!
"I'm sorry," said the Sorting Hat, "but it's all here - you're a Slytherin, there's no doubt about it - "
All right, thought Erin. Slytherin it is.
"Good girl," murmured the hat, "you'll do very well in there, I think. Just try to stay the way you are - I'd hate to see you become - never mind. So, SLYTHERIN it is!"
She heard the hat shout her house in the last sentence, but Erin felt rather numb. She picked up the hat and put it down on the stool, then marched, still wet, to join her new house. Carefully avoiding her friends' disbelieving stares, she sat down next to a pale boy with gray eyes.
"I'm Malfoy," said the boy, sticking out his hand. "Draco Malfoy."
"I'm Erin, Erin Cooper," said Erin, very reluctantly shaking it. She'd heard enough about Draco to know that he was trouble. Deliberately she turned to the girl on her other side.
"Blaise," said the girl, also shaking Erin's hand. The girl had chocolate brown hair and very dark lashes and brows, which gave her face a curious, sharp look. She looked like more of a witch than anybody else in the hall. "This is Sara," she added, pointing to a blonde girl opposite them.
"Hi, Erin," said Sara, shaking Erin's hand enthusiastically. She was extremely pretty, with sparkling blue eyes and an infectious smile. Erin couldn't restrain a grin.
"Are you a transfer student?" asked Draco, trying to get this pretty new girl's attention back on him.
"No," Erin said shortly. "I didn't go to school at all before."
Blaise raised one elegant eyebrow. "No school? You don't look like a first year."
Don't tell them, Erin, thought Severus. Don't tell them you were raised with Muggles.
"My parents are Muggles," said Erin.
Too late, thought Severus.
"Oh, really," said Draco, suddenly very cool. "I guess I don't need to tell you that they sorted you in the wrong house?"
Leave her alone, Draco, thought Severus as he studied the little drama.
"Don't listen to him," interrupted a boy on Sara's right. "You look like a Slytherin to me. I'm Calvin."
"Hi, Calvin," said Erin. She liked the quiet, serious look to this boy.
"That's right, Calvin," said Draco nastily. "Demean everything Slytherin has ever stood for, right?" Draco stood up. "Excuse me," he said with a sneer to Erin, "I'm afraid I can't sit next to you anymore. Mudbloods are rather dangerous, you know." With that extraordinary statement, Draco went and sat on the other side of the table. Erin noticed that nobody else seemed very keen to fill his spot.
"What did I say?" she whispered to Blaise.
"I'll explain later," she said calmly.
"Now, budge up," said Sara cheerfully, appearing at Erin's side. "Calvin and I are sitting here."
So Erin got through the feast, surrounded by her three new peers to protect her from the hostile stares and catcalls of the rest of the Slytherins. And she managed to not look at Harry for the rest of the evening.
She didn't want to face him just yet.