Chapter 1: A Newcomer At Hogwarts

Severus Snape stared at the girl who had just put on the sorting hat. He wasn't the only one. As soon as McGonangall called out her name, the entire Hall's attention had been riveted. Why? You may well ask. Her name was easily the first reason.

"Severus, Madeline Reive" McGonangall had called out. Now this Madeline Reive stood (or rather sat) before them. She was most intriguing because of her looks. Naturally, she had to have good looks for people to take notice immediately, but that was not all. Truth be told, she did remind Snape of his own face (not that he stared at himself every time he passed a mirror like that git Lockhart). Severus Snape put his fingers to his chin and continued his scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the rest of the hall was lost in their own thoughts, though unlike Snape, they were not averse to sharing their ideas with each other. Over at the Gryffindor table our well-known protagonists were discussing their takes on this new addition to Hogwarts.

"Isn't she a little too old for a first-year?" asked Ron.

"Really Ron, don't you ever pay attention?" asked an exasperated Hermione. "She's going to be in the fifth year. She's a transfer student."

"Transferred from where?" Harry wanted to know. "And why?"

"Only Dumbledore knows." Hermione said cryptically.

"Why wouldn't the other professors know?" asked Ron.

"Because..!" said Hermione said in her annoying Know-it-all way.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Ron.

"Nothing."

And so it continued.

At the Slytherin table, the resemblance between the girl who was about to be sorted and his own Head of House was not lost on Draco Malfoy. However he didn't voice his thoughts to anyone, preferring to keep them to himself for the time being. He had learnt that it was better to let some things alone: something no one would ever have thought a boy like him to be capable of; because he was well-known for his big mouth and snobbish manner. He just smirked when the Sorting Hat finally made its decision (it took longer than usual) and the girl made her way towards his table and the seat beside him.

Severus Snape, lost in his reverie, was awakened rather rudely from his introspections when the Sorting Hat yelled out "Slytherin", and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Soo..." he thought to himself. "Let's see what we make of you, my dear." And a small smile passed over his lips. He thought he had a fair idea of where the girl came from and why she bore a resemblance to him.

As the trio made their way up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower, they were still immersed in their discussion about "Severus, Madeline Reive" as Ron put it, imitating Professor McGonagall's nasal voice. It had carried a faint note of surprise, maybe even amusement, when those words had been uttered, and it had not gone unnoticed.

"What's up, do you think?" asked Ron. They happened to be debating the point mentioned previously. "Why would McGonagall use that tone. Think she knows summat we don't?"

"You have a point there Ron," replied Hermione.

"Why, I, I'm quite overwhelmed, thanks very much for the complement," Ron said, complete with a mock curtsy and all. Harry was doubled up with laughter, while Hermione commented that Ron was starting to act a lot like his twin brothers, Fred and George.

" Anyway, did either of you notice the look on Malfoy's face when she was sorted into Slytherin?" was Hermione's next question when Harry and Ron had finally calmed down.

" Better yet, did you see the look on Snape's face?" Harry asked. He was quite taken aback by the response with which this innocent query was met.

"What?"

"No!"

"Snape?!"

"Yes indeed!" said Harry, quite enjoying the stir this little piece of info was causing. "He was looking kinda smug, you know, as if he was looking forward to something all of a sudden."

"That kind of describes Malfoy's attitude," said Hermione.

" Yeah, you know, I reckon it's a Slytherin thing," supplied Ron. "What, that doesn't qualify as a point?" he added upon seeing the puzzled looks on his friends' faces.

"Good night boys, I think you need a good night's sleep to sharpen your wits," said Hermione as she headed off to her dormitory, while Harry was overtaken by another laughing fit in which he was joined by Ron this time.

"What's so funny?" asked George Weasely.

"Severus, Madeline Reive." answered Ron, doing a McGonagall impersonation again.

Harry and George grinned at each other, then Fred came up, having overheard Ron, and said, looking thoughtful, "Do any of you think she looked like someone we know?" " More than we would like to." he added as an afterthought.

" No."

"Who?"

"Professor Snape?" asked Harry shrewdly.

"My, my, Harry's just stumbled upon his brains. Good for you!" said Fred as he slapped Harry on the back and George guffawed.

"Really?" asked Ron. "Snape? Of all the people in the world?!"

"Yeah, I know it is a shame." said George. "That and the fact that she got sorted into Slytherin. Though you've got to admit, she is an eye-catcher, what with those flowing robes and all. That girl has style."

" Why Fred! you're getting all poetic!" said George gleefully.

"Am not!" said Fred and he chased his twin all over the common room, trying to get him to take his words back.

"And you think that she looks like Snape?" asked Ron with an incredulous expression on his face, as he and Harry made their way to their own dorm.

Next morning the entire school was abuzz with talk about the unusual addition to the Hogwarts student body. " You know, I think there's a possibility she might be related to Snape," said Hermione who had heard about the resemblance between the two Severus's from quite a few people. Ron looked positively horrified at the thought.

" Well, why not? Snape must have some sort of extended family or something. I mean he is human."

Ron looked as if he seriously doubted the truth of that statement but Hermione ignored him.

"But she has style," he said, desperately trying to appeal to what was, in his opinion, left of her sanity.

"So? Professor Snape has style. Look at the way he walks around. Have u noticed the way his robes behave?" she returned. Ron was aghast at this and looked dumbfounded at Hermione.

" You notice a lot don't you?" said Harry, who had certainly not lost his voice.

"Can't help it," she replied coolly. "And being elegant has nothing to do with being pretty," she shot acidly at Ron.

"Alright," said Harry, "I'll give you that."

Before Ron could turn his disgusted gaze to Harry, another voice, smooth as silk, caught their attention. "Why I thank you for your favourable comments, but don't you think these things are meant to be discussed a bit more .. ah, privately?"

The three of them looked up to find none other than Professor Snape, the man himself, staring down his nose at them, with an unmistakably un-amused expression on his face. All three flushed with embarrassment. They hadn't realized they had been talking loud enough for half the Hall to hear. They ducked their heads and muttered apologies, but did not look up soon enough to catch the tiny smile on Snape's face as he continued on his way to the Teacher's table. Neither did they notice Albums Dumbledore look on with a mysterious twinkle in his eye as Snape berated them for their inadvertent audacity.

They only looked up again when Severus, Madeline Reive made her entrance in the Great Hall accompanied by none other than Malfoy and his cronies.