Disclaimer: No I don't own Harry Potter etc. J K Rowling does. Elianne is my own character though. And the poetry is definitely mine, and only mine.

Author's Note: here's the next chapter, this deals pretty much solely with Elianne at Hogwarts (Though that is related to overall plot otherwise it would not be done) as does the next chapter. Though chapter 12 promises to be much more revealing than either of the next two, which I'd say are quite so themselves. Sorry for the sorting hat song. I thought carefully and decided to have my own attempt at it, though I don't think it's all too great. Chapter 10 "It's A Pleasure"

There was a flurry of owls and people back and forth in the house that day. Hermione merely sat on the sofa more or less ignoring it.

Molly Weasley had come over to help with Hogwarts and be there for moral support when it was time to say goodbye, but had basically taken over Hermione attempts at organising Elianne.

Hermione had to hand it to her, and to Ginny for being one of those subjected to the same treatment previously, that she was a wiz at getting it all sorted.

Every now and then there would be Ginny or molly rushing around the house searching for something or the other. And there seemed to be few minutes when an owl didn't fly past with a letter going out or a package going in.

Eventually all three of them emerged into the living room, Ginny and Elianne looking rather puffed out carrying the large Hogwarts trunk. Molly then had signalled the urgentness of time and they'd all piled into the kitchen to floo themselves to the nearest wizard network chimney to the station, a pub called The Wise-old Hat.

Hermione could only remember being insanely excited when she had got to platform 9¾ for the first time. But as a parent she felt the slow and quiet dread of the fact Elianne was leaving. Gladfully she held onto Molly and Ginny as they entered the private platform with them. Elianne in front of all, and immediately in awe at the invisible barrier and then with the gigantic steam train that was chugging away a little in preparation for the journey.

The goodbyes were quick and sweet. She only held onto the girl for a few seconds, afraid that any more would both embarrass her and make the letting go even harder.

And from then on Elianne had begun the adventure that was Hogwart's. Without her.

####

She'd found it hard to believe that there was a platform between 9 and 10, between the air near the wall and the supposedly solid brick she presumed it was. Yet wizards had surprised her even more than before. First there was travelling by chimneys, then through walls though she knew the wall wasn't ever really there. Only invisible unless you knew where it was. It was another one of the mysteries solved by Hogwart's a further history. A book that her aunt herself had written. Not that Elianne ever remembered her mentioning it, as she would have probably hidden it from her in those days.

After saying and waving goodbye, Elianne had secured herself a neat little compartment with no one else in it so far. That so far hadn't lasted long before a short girl emerged from behind the door and smiled politely, inquiring if she could use this compartment too.

The girl was quite short for their age, as Elianne presumed she was, with dark blond hair and grey-blue eyes. Her pretty face smiled happily at her for a few nervous seconds before introducing herself.

"Hi. I'm Lucretia Malfoy. I'm so glad you didn't mind me sitting in here. A few people already refused. I suppose some of them don't want to socialise with first years."

Taking the proffered hand, she shook it and introduced herself to the girl too.

"I'm Elianne potter. It's really good that I've found another first year, I was afraid I wouldn't know anybody. I've only just found out I'm a witch a few months ago."

Lucretia brightened up considerably at the mention of this.

"Me too. I'm adopted. I knew I was a witch though but I never grew up knowing what it meant. My parents decided not to tell me anything till just before. That is my adoptive parents I mean. My real ones, I see them sometimes but I'd rather not and they'd rather not."

This didn't seem to upset Lucretia much. It seemed a shame she had tow sets of parents and only cared for one. But then not all parents were as nice as they should be.

Elianne couldn't help but think bad parents were something above not knowing any. It was curious that Lucretia wasn't very keen on her real parents.

"How come you don't like them?"

"They had a bad break-up, they can't stand each other. Wasn't exactly a good match in the first place. And I remind them of each other. Hence they don't like to see me. That's why I don't live with either of them. And besides my mother's a horror. And my father, not so bad but bitter. He has a dark past, my family does. I think that's why no one will let me sit with them."

Elianne sat, not saying anything. At least some one else had a life just as complicated as hers.

"Sorry if I rambled" said Lucretia, blushing slightly " I do that when I'm nervous, and right now, I'm so nervous."

"Me too."

Both of them noticeably happier that they weren't the only one's

When the train reached the station, hundreds of students in plain black robes filed out. Spilling onto Hogsmeade platform, where the first years were separated from the rest and led to the boats to cross the lake to the school.

They waited outside the great hall. Lucretia and elianne standing together.  A crowd was congregated around a tall brown haired girl who was showing off her ornately engraved wand, complete with family crest.

Lucretia rolled her eyes at this, and slyly commented, "I'm surprised she has any wand left to do magic with. If she even could"

Elianne's eyes danced back and forth between Lucretia and the girl, she sensed something more going on

Lucretia obliged

"She's my step sister. Patricia Parkinson. My mother remarried and her step daughter happened to be a muggle-born witch. She's just as horrible as my mother too. And insists on taking the Parkinson name despite the fact she has none of the blood in her. Personally I'd be embarrassed to have that name, not proud."

Lucretia turned away from the scene disgusted. And not likely to talk to anyone it seemed.

Elianne's attention changed towards another girl standing near by. She was freckled with fair hair and looked so completely out of place. Her eyes peered up feebly at the ceiling of the entrance hall, almost scared of it. she thought of saying hello but feared the girl might be frightened if she said anything suddenly.

It wasn't long though til they were all escorted into the great hall, filled with all the other students who sat each at one of the four house tables. Elianne hadn't taken much time to think about what house she wanted to be in. it didn't seem to matter too much though, especially nowadays. Even slytherin wasn't considered too bad now there were no deatheaters. People still seemed to fear it for the possibility of dark wizards. But no one could be worse than Voldemort. And he was gone.

One of the teachers stepped forward and placed the sorting hat on the small stool that stood affront the room.

Its wide rim formed a great big smiling mouth and it proceeded to sing its song.

See the musty crusty me,

I'm the famous hat of Hogwarts

Old as old can be

And every student that there is

Has to pass on by my way

For each and all

Short and tall

I, the sorting hat get to say

Where you belong

And have to stay

If you're clever

And controlled

Ravenclaws a must

But if you're loyal

And likeable

It's got to be hufflepuff

And for those who're sly

Who wish to reach the sky

I should shout

Slytherins the house to be

And if you're all but none of those

If you're strong and brave

Proud I'd be to call

You're a gryffindor!

And which ever I shall place thee in

For every reward and sin

Your house is the family here

So, drink up merrily the butterbeer

And remember, remember, don't forget

There's much fun to come yet

Most of the first years watched in wonder at it, though a few like the rest of the students were expecting this and weren't as impressed.

After that each of the first years got called up to the hat and it would bellow out there house.

ARRAN, Charlette  - Ravenclaw

BOREAS, Nathan - hufflepuff

BROWN, Jason  - Hufflepuff

CADMUS, Athena – gryffindor

COREULA, Perseus - gryffindor

DAURO, Helen - slytherin

ELLINS, Anthony – slytherin

ELVEN, Cassandra

Then came the fair-haired girl, who stepped up quite slowly.

Barely on her head it called "gryffindor" and she sweetly smiled genuinely.

FINCH, daphne -hufflepuff

GREGORY, horatio – ravenclaw

GRESHEM, Michael – hufflepuff

GROSCHL, anastis – ravenclaw

GROSCHL, ayran – gryffindor

HINKLEY, flora – gryffindor

IMAV, Joshua – slytherin

JONES, hector –ravenclaw

KRISTENSON, Damien – gryffindor

KRISTENSON, leander - slytherin

MALFOY, lucretia

Who seemed relieved when it announced "ravenclaw"

PARKINSON, patricia

The snobbish step-sister went in "slytherin" and looked very, very proud of it. Lucretia who was by now sitting at the Ravenclaw table smiled happily too, at not having the unfortunate problem of her relation in the same house, as if that would be possible with her.

POTTER, elianne

Now the fact that it shouted "gryffindor" wasn't too bad, nor the smiles of a few teachers and her new housemates. She however hadn't expected the commotion at her name. There was whispering all over the hall from the minute her name was mentioned and even still when the hat had shouted out her house. She stared uncertainly out into the hall. Not happy at the attention.

Walking towards the table, all the gryffindors appeared to be trying there best not to shout out hurrah or start screaming about getting the famous Elianne Potter.

She was only his daughter, what had it been like for him. No one had ever tried to kill her. Yet when her father lived on after the unforgivable curse he'd been subjected to, he must have had twice the welcome. Twice the hassle, twice the curse of being expected and adored by those who didn't know you.

She wasn't being praised or loved on who she was.

So she wasn't smiling at them when she sat down. Instead her face was a stern acceptance that she was here, this didn't put them off. They carried on talking quietly about her even next to her whilst the ceremony went on.

PRICE, Georgia – slytherin

PRINCE, electra - gryffindor

QUILLET, paris - hufflepuff

WILLIS, Philip  -ravenclaw

XALIS, dido - gryffindor

Now all of them were sorted. There were a few standard announcements as her housemates described, about the third floor and the forbidden forrest . The feast commenced.

The bowls and plates were piled high in an instant. And the ravished students grabbed onto the sumptuous food eagerly.

She'd learned plenty at dinner already and from the Historys of Hogwarts books, so the tour on the way to their dormitories was not too exciting for her. She wasn't the only one. The girl she now knew to be called Cassandra was looking bored too. She smiled at her. Cassandra wandered over and whispered to her.

"I know"

They glanced up at the guide, a seventh year prefect, who was practically quoting word for word with the Hogwarts a history's version. Which was fine for most of the group who'd never read it, but both of them had and he wasn't even quoting it in an interesting manner. Just word for word monotone, which if you already knew about the interesting bits, was very extremely irritating.

They sank into giggles as he moved on to the next thrilling paragraph.

They'd struck a friendship of sorts at dinner. Cassandra wasn't nearly as shy as she'd first thought her. Though Elianne had been nearly the only one she'd talked to on the table during the feast.

They gradually moved on up the stairs to the gryffindor common room. After of course meeting the famous fat pink lady, though she did not liked to be called that so neither of them dared say it anywhere near her. The password this week was "jugglejiffer"

Immediately they were to go to there respective dormitories. Elianne was to her joy in the same dormitory as Cassandra and two other girls, Dido and Flora.

They all stayed awake for a little while, talking amongst themselves about the next day and what they'd eaten at the feast, who they hoped would be in their classes. Flora seemed very smitten with Damien Kristenson, though Elianne didn't know how flora could tell which one of the identical twins he was.

At that they decided that tomorrow required rest and beauty sleep, especially for those who wanted to impress certain boys.

Elianne fell very satisfied into a dreamless sleep. Hoping lessons would be as fun as she wished they would.