-----Chapter 8-----
Sela was just beginning to wonder if there was something she was missing about the houses when the first years came in gaping around at everything.
Sela munched a cookie and watched them. "Poor kids. Imagine...having to parade in all on your own without knowing what's gonna happen to you."
"Will you cut that out? You're getting crumbs everywhere." one of the girls muttered at Sela.
"Oh..." Sela put the cookie back "Sorry."
Sela blinked as Professor McGonagall put down a stool and a tattered old hat. Sela was pleased when the hat started singing a song that said what each house was famous for.
Professor McGonagall stood and began calling the children off to come and be sorted. The Slytherins cheered everyone coming to their house and booed or did nothing for the others. Which ended up causing some embarrassment since Sela called out advice to all of the first years.
"Vintran, Carl" went to Hufflepuff with advice to "Watch out for snakes."
"Baudon, Emily" went to Gryffindor with advice to "Be careful of the Potions Master"
And on it went. Finally, Professor McGonagall got to the end of the list. She glanced over at Severus, who seemed not to have cared whether or not Sela was warning people about him and the Slytherin house.
Sela stood up on the bench and called out, "Can I be sorted too?"
"Certainly not. You aren't here as a student." McGonagall said.
"Why not?"
"Because...once your sorted, you have to stay in that house no matter what." McGonagall said, hoping this would deter Sela.
"Well, if I had to stay in it for the rest of my life anyway, what difference would it make if I did it now instead of later?" Sela persisted.
McGonagall glared at the child. She looked at Professor Dumbledore, and he smiled.
"It might make all the difference in the world, Miss Snape. What if you like something now and decide later you don't like it after all? I think it would be best for all involved if you didn't make it into our esteemed houses just yet."
Sela nodded, but felt left out. Vamptor poked his head out from under the head table and meowed at Sela. She picked him up, being careful of his wings.
"Why does that cat have wings?" Professor Falweather, who'd been taking in everything that had happened so far snapped.
"Because he does. He likes them." Sela said. "We don't like her...I hope you pee on her pillow..." she muttered under her breath.
A meow was the only reply Sela got.
She sat at the end of the Slytherin table near the first years. There was a hierarchy at the Slytherin table that none of the other tables really had. The first years were forced into sitting near the high table, with the sevenths at the opposite end. They weren't strictly separated, but for the most part, each year kept to the company of it's surrounding years. Firsts with Seconds, Seconds with Firsts and Thirds and so on. Seladine became bored with the conversations about quidditch and which teacher was worst. Vamptor climbed onto the top of the table and watched her, then mewed.
"Hey, does he fly?" A hufflepuff sitting near Sela asked.
"Not yet. I brought him hoping he'd learn something."
"Not bloody likely. How is a stupid animal supposed to learn something?"
Sela turned back to find Draco standing there, a look of mild disgust on his face.
"Where did you live before this? With a troupe of baboons? Get that stupid cat off the table." He hissed.
Sela looked at Vamptor, who had his wings folded close to his body.
"No."
Draco looked at her as if he hadn't quite understood.
"What?"
"I said no. And I said no because Vamptor isn't stupid. And living with a troupe of baboons would be much better than living wherever you do since you obviously never learned to keep your nose in your own business." Sela snapped at the somewhat bemused Draco.
"You're lucky you're Professor Snape's daughter, or I'd-"
"Don't let that stop you, ferret brain." Sela said, standing up on the bench and leaning closer to Draco.
"What did you just say to me?!"
"I said you were a ferret brain!" Sela shouted back. "What's the matter with you? Can't you hear?"
"You-"
"That's enough. Sit down you silly girl." Severus hissed. Draco took the opportunity to slink away to parts unknown. Sela looked somewhat ashamed and, instead of sitting down, got off the bench, took her cat and left the hall.
Sela wandered around in the Entrance Hall, petting Vamptor and trying to calm herself. She was not going to get upset. She would not cry. On her way out, she'd overheard a couple of the Slytherin seventh years speculating on how her mother had bothered with her father and wondering if she'd truly been that desperate. Sela didn't know exactly what they had meant, but she knew an insult when she heard it. She wanted her mother now more than ever. At least she could have depended on her mother. Her so-called father had yet to actually do anything to show that he cared whether or not Sela was even around. She suspected that he disliked her. After about ten minutes, Sela went back into the Great Hall, but wandered around the room instead of sitting back down. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts and miseries that she completely missed the fact that her father was watching her.
