Disclaimer 1: Draco, his parents and teachers all belong to JKR. (As if you
didn't all know that.)
Disclaimer 2: Severus Snape owning a raven belongs to J.L. Matthews. (Go read her story everybody. It's great.)
Disclaimer 3: The gang name Sharks is borrowed from the musical West Side Story of course. I don't remember where I found the name Rakers, but I know I read it somewhere.
Disclaimer 4: The idea for Snape having a family comes from Al's fic Time of Trial.
Disclaimer 5: The Glizzard family and Gringolf Glizzard belong to my friend PegaPony and so do all of Gringolf's songs. Thanks for letting me borrow them!
Disclaimer 6: My friend Edmund owns himself and his horse Apollo.
Disclaimer 7: Old Joe and Tess' Joe belong to Zebee.
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A/N – This is definitely getting longer than planned. I was going to put the entire first day of classes into his chapter, but Sevi kept insisting he needed more time with his first years (He still thinks I gave him too little. I suspect the whole chapter wouldn't have satisfied him.) and Colleen took up more room than expected as well. Well, at least you get a look inside her head. The next chapter might be late, though at the moment I'm itching to write it. I have something I need to tell someone in the Saber Rider fandom and she didn't leave a way to contact her, so a review response is the only way. That however requires posting a chapter and I haven't got started on it (Nor do I feel like writing any Saber Rider at the moment after that person's review. That might really slow things down.)
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Chapter 5: New Friends
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The sound of a door slamming shut woke Billy the next morning. Feet raced around outside, voices called out. Had he overslept?
But his dorm mates were only just beginning to stir as well.
After a little exploration Rupert discovered the bathroom next doors to their dorm and Pank dragged Gangolf out of bed.
"Just a little longer." the blond boy pleaded, but Pank didn't give in.
That turned out to be lucky as Gangolf took longest to get ready for the day.
"Are you still not dressed?" Pank demanded of the open bathroom door about half an hour later when they were about to go to breakfast. "What are you doing?"
"Applying my beauty cream." came the annoyed answer. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up. I don't eat much for breakfast anyway."
"Somehow I don't think it had anything to do with the salad, Rupert." Pank decided as he led the group down into the common room.
"Do you remember the way to the great hall?" Billy asked Aterus. "I think I'd get lost."
Aterus shrugged. "We just have to follow everybody else. Where else would they be going right now?"
"I think I remember the way." Rupert said softly. "We have to turn left in the corridor, then take the second corridor on the right until we reach the stairs. Then we go up and ... um ... I'll remember when I see it."
Rupert didn't have to prove his orientation skills, though. The prefect from the day before had apparently been waiting for them to show them the way. She particularly pointed out the location of the entrance once again.
"It's hard to see from the outside, so you have to remember exactly where it is." she warned them.
The girls were already sitting at the end of the Slytherin table when they arrived. Well, four of them, that was.
"Where's Colleen?" Billy asked surprised.
"Still in bed as far as we know." Danny shrugged. "Which is more than I care to know. It could be so nice in our dorm, if it weren't for Miss Pureblood."
"Looks like you managed to lose Mirrorboy as well." Tullia pointed out.
"Oh, Gangolf said to go ahead." Rupert reported. "He wanted some quality time with his beauty cream and hairspray."
"Well, at least he doesn't find you icky." Anny sighed. "Just what did I ever do to Nocturne?"
"Nothing." Dinah assured her. "Some people just are that way. When I was still a baby there even was a war between them and us, but you'd have to ask Billy's father about that."
"Billy's father?" Anny asked wide eyed.
"Yes, our head of house, Professor Snape." Dinah nodded eagerly. "He was there in the last battle. Mum says it must have been terrible. Lots of people got killed, many of them innocent Muggles who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Nocturne's parents were probably right there killing Muggles and blowing up houses, too." Danny added. "There are always a few who get away and then years later the evil returns through them. Beware of Nocturne, Anny. Nothing good will come from that one."
"I don't know." Dinah hesitated. "My Dad says you always have to give people the benefit of the doubt. She hasn't really done anything evil, yet."
"You heard her, Dinah." Danny reminded her. "Eww, a Hufflepuff, she said about you. And eww, a Muggle born and quarter mermaids are icky. The Nocturnes always have been dark and Colleen is no exception. Your Dad's Hufflepuff kindness won't help there."
"Hey look, there's Snape!" Rupert pointed towards the head table. "Looks like he's coming over here."
"Dad!" Billy called out and waved and indeed his father came over to sit with them.
"Morning Billy." he even smiled at the first years. "How are you settling in? Shouldn't there be two more of you?"
"Gangolf's on his way." Billy promised. "He almost overslept."
"Well, I hope he gets here soon, because I want to get to know you a little better and he probably wants to as well." Severus said. "Under the circumstances, I'd best start handing out the schedules instead."
In fact some older students were already standing around them looking at Severus expectantly. Severus pulled a pack of parchments out of his pocket and separated it into seven stacks.
"Okay, here are the third years, Conny." he said to the smallest of the girls waiting around him. "Each of them has a name on it, so don't get them confused. Due to the elective subjects each of you has a different schedule now. Manty, the seventh years. Try not to lose any this time."
The boy called Manty blushed and the other older students laughed.
"Nancy, fifth year. Laura and Ines second." Severus continued. "There are a few differences between them this year as well, because of the new Sports classes, but if you inform me in time you can switch, if you don't like the group you're in. Andrew, sixth year. If you see any fourth years send them over."
He kept the first years' schedules, though.
"Hey, what's that?" a loud voice rang over from the Ravenclaw table. "What does WH next to a subject mean?"
"It means, Mr. Lourdes, that your class is held at West Hogsmeade Wizarding School. You will take a portkey from the old waiting room next to the entrance hall to get there." Professor Flitwick squeaked just loud enough to be heard over the voices of the students.
"West Hogsmeade!" a girl's voice shrieked and angry mumbling rose all around the hall. "You can't expect us to take classes in that ... that filthy Squib school!"
Severus stood up so forcefully that his chair clattered loudly to the floor. Was that intentional? It was almost too loud not to have been bolstered with a slight enhancement charm.
"Miss Humperding." Severus hissed in his most dangerous voice. It wasn't a shout but carried well enough through the hall to get everyone's attention and silence them instantly. "I assure you that West Hogsmeade is an excellent school, not just for Squibs, but also for everybody who doesn't want or can't afford to attend boarding school. Its Muggle Studies classes have a much higher standard that Hogwarts' own ever reached and they also offer several classes Hogwarts doesn't have. It is very kind of headmaster Donalds to offer us the chance to participate in those classes. West Hogsmeade could very well have continued without the partnership with Hogwarts. It was our wish to offer you a better quality of education that caused this partnership and I expect you to be grateful to both Headmaster Dumbledore and West Hogsmeade and its staff."
Complete silence reigned in the hall after Professor Snape had summoned his chair and sat back down. Gangolf, who had finally arrived during the speech blinked up at him shyly and even Billy was a little intimidated.
"So where were we?" Severus smiled at the first years. "Ah yes, I was going to hand out your schedules. You are Gangolf Bartering, I assume?"
Gangolf nodded a little nervously.
"Your dorm mates told me you almost overslept." Severus continued kindly. "Did you have trouble getting to sleep?"
"No, Sir." Gangolf blushed. "I'm just not used to getting up so early."
"I see." Severus nodded. "Where were you taught until now?"
"At my uncle's. He had already hired a tutor for my cousins, so my parents didn't see any reason to hire one of their own."
"A private tutor together with your cousins." Severus repeated. "Are they the same age as you?"
"No, they're younger. One is ten and the other eight."
"Did you take a test to see how you compared with other students your age?" Severus continued.
"No, Sir. Is that necessary?"
"No, just advisable. Especially if you've been studying with mostly younger classmates, you might be a little behind." Severus explained. "Please inform me if you have any problems. He checked a sheet of parchment that had suddenly appeared in his hand. "Your parents work at the ministry?"
"Yes, Mother is a secretary and Dad's in the ministry library. He catalogues law texts." Gangolf confirmed.
Severus nodded again. "Any problems, or something else you think I should know about?"
Gangolf shook his head and Severus handed him his schedule and turned to the next child in line. "And what's your name?"
"I'm Tullia. Tullia Waterwall." Tullia added hastily remembering Colleen's reaction to her last introduction. "And I went to North Scotland Magical Primary School."
"Excellent." Severus told her. "That is a very good school, so I don't think we'll have to worry abut you being behind in anything, Tullia. What do your parents do?"
"Mum studies water plants and Dad is a translator for Mermish."
"Cool!" Danny exclaimed. "Do you know any Mermish words yourself?"
"Of course." Tullia seemed to think that was obvious. "We speak as much Mermish as English at home."
"There is a colony of Merpeople in the lake." Severus remarked. "If you'd like to meet them. I'm sure they'll love to hear about their relatives at your home."
Tullia nodded eagerly and Severus turned his attention to Danny.
"Danny Rassle. I went to a Muggle primary school, but I didn't really get on with the Muggle kids." she told him. "I kept accidentally making things fly at them whenever I got angry. Mum tried to teach me how to control my levitation spells, but it never quite worked and ... well have you ever tried to explain to a Muggle that you don't have control over your throwing things at him?"
"That should stop now that you have your own wand." Severus assured her. "If you continue to have any problems with unintentional magic, please inform me immediately, though. As your powers grow that could become dangerous."
Danny suddenly looked scared. "Mum said that it stops when you learn how to use a wand."
"Normally yes." Severus confirmed. "There have been some cases where additional training in wandless magic was required, though. That is extremely rare, however, as very strong magic is required for wandless spells. Usually a child your age doesn't have that much power, yet. If you do continue to have that problem it is a sign of considerable talent, Danny, not something to be afraid of. Now, how about your parents. Your father is a Muggle?"
"He's a taxi driver." Danny nodded. "That's similar to the knight bus, but he usually transports only one person at a time. Mum works in the Muggle relations office at the ministry, which was really lucky after I levitated my Math book into my teacher's face."
The children all snickered at that and Danny beamed with pride at her heroic accident.
Severus handed her her schedule and turned to Dinah.
"Dinah Laxter. My Daddy's a healer and Mum used to be a teacher, but she quit working when I was born. She taught me herself, though, along with the kids of several of our friends." Dinah reported. "They're all in Hufflepuff now." She glanced over to the Hufflepuff table where the first years were sitting next to older students talking happily.
"Would you have preferred to be a Hufflepuff as well?" Severus asked cautiously. If Dinah didn't accept her house that might cause serious problems.
"Well," Dinah hesitated for a moment. "It never occurred to me that I might not be, but I guess it must be for the best. I mean, I don't know my new classmates as well as I would have in Hufflepuff, but then Mum always said it was important to make lots of new friends when I got here and I really like Anny and Danny and Tullia already."
"Any idea why the hat chose Slytherin for you?"
Dinah blushed and stared down at her plate. "Because I wanted to be different. It said I'd get the chance to go my own path here."
"The hat would not have done that, if it thought there were anything wrong with your wish, Dinah." Severus tried to encourage her. "You have been taught to think in the Hufflepuff style where the group always comes first, but you are a Slytherin now. Slytherins are loyal to their friends as well, but we are individuals first. Each Slytherin makes his or her own way. Your friends will support you where they can, but you choose the direction without them. A Slytherin must be strong enough to go her path all alone and not expect her friends to always be there."
"But isn't that too selfish?" Dinah asked a little shyly.
"Slytherins are selfish, Dinah." Severus smiled. "It's what makes us great. And in our own way we have done more for the good of everybody than the Hufflepuffs."
"And more for the bad." Pank remarked.
Severus nodded at him. "Slytherins can go either way. That is the downside of our freedom in choosing our path. Nobody will stop us from choosing wrong. We alone are responsible for the consequences our choices. You will have to learn how to choose wisely and to have the maturity to turn back, if you find that you have chosen wrong, no matter how hard that may be."
Dinah looked from Pank to Severus apparently not understanding what he meant.
"Don't worry, it will become clear when you get to the point where you need it." Severus promised, though he knew that wasn't always the case. Too often his students were tempted by the dark arts much too soon, but Hufflepuff raised Dinah probably wasn't at risk of that. Her family's morals would provide a certain guideline until she grew mature enough to develop her own.
"You're Anny, then?" he asked the last girl in the group. He was still missing Mary-Anne Sharpe and Colleen Nocturne, but Dinah had mentioned only Anny, Danny and Tullia and he saw no reason she'd leave out the very girl she'd been chatting happily with when he'd arrived.
It made him worry about Colleen, though. Anny and Dinah seemed to have hit it off right away and Danny and Tullia seemed to like each other as well. The boys were still acting like a group rather than pairing off, but what about the fifth girl?
Most likely one of the boys would find himself alone once they started classes and had to sit in pairs and choose the leftover girl for his partner, but such friendships often turned out unstable later on. It would be easier, if they had something in common.
"I went to a Muggle primary school in Leeds." Anny confirmed his suspicions. "Dad is a plumber. That's a Muggle who ... um."
"Repairs boilers and pipes and such." Billy helped her out. "We do occasionally need plumbing in our houses as well."
"Oh, good!" Anny exclaimed. "It's so hard to explain these things when I never know how they are done here. Mum works in a factory. They make all sorts of plastic parts."
"Plastic parts?" Aterus asked. "What's that?"
"A substance that is produced via chemistry and can be formed into every shape you want." Severus explained. "It is lighter than metal and more formable than wood and can be produced with all sorts of different characteristics which Muggles find very practical. A lot of Muggle objects are made of plastic or have parts made of plastic."
"So your mother is a Muggle potion brewer?" Aterus asked Anny.
"Oh no, Mum just sits at a big machine and moves levers. She has no idea how it all really works." Anny shook her head.
"It's more like using potions than brewing them, I suppose." Severus mused. "The user knows what the potion does and how to apply it, but not how it is brewed, or why it has that effect."
"It's very boring work, actually." Anny said. "Mum only does it for the money."
"Next then." Severus decided and nodded towards Pank.
"I'm Pank Anterhill, home schooled. My father ... Well, to be honest he doesn't do much of anything." Pank looked a little embarrassed. "He usually just manages the estate."
"Huh?" was the immediate reaction from both Dinah and Anny.
"Lord Anterhill owns a considerable amount of land." Severus explained. "He also holds shares in the Daily Prophet and several other important wizaring businesses. Occasionally he lends money to people wanting to start a new business as well."
"Oh." made Anny.
"And what does that mean?" asked Dinah.
"It means he's rich." Danny translated. "So rich that he doesn't have to work."
"You are his oldest son?" Severus asked Pank.
"His only son." Pank confirmed. "I have two younger sisters, though."
"Anybody looking for a rich heir to marry?" Danny joked.
"Colleen might, if Lords aren't icky." Tullia wrinkled her nose.
"I'd sooner become a monk than marry her." Pank frowned. "Maybe Aterus wants her."
"What?" Aterus was jolted out of his comfortable silence. "I'm only eleven! Much too young to get married!"
"Indeed." Severus confirmed. "You must be Rupert Lennox then?"
"Yes, I went to Dublin Wizarding Primary and my parents own a small robe shop."
"And why did you choose Hogwarts?" Severus asked. "Most of your classmates must have gone on to Ireland's own wizarding school."
"Actually, that's exactly why my parents decided to send me to Hogwarts." Rupert admitted slightly embarrassed. "I ... um ... didn't fit in with my classmates that well and they thought it best that I should start over with a completely new group."
"Didn't fit in how?" Severus asked maybe a little too sternly. "Did you fight, maybe hurt someone?"
"No, not much that is. At least not in my last year." Rupert squirmed. "When I was younger I sometimes fought when the older kids picked on me."
"Picked on you?" Severus realised he clearly had misjudged the remark. "Why?"
"I honestly don't know. They just didn't like me." Rupert apparently didn't want to tell.
Severus cast another glance over his notes on the student. Nothing. The boy had been bullied, but why? He wasn't Muggle born or even a half blood, not a Squib, nor did he have a Squib parent. He didn't have any physical abnormalities as far as Severus could see and he didn't seem like a good victim either. It only takes one loud mouthed prejudiced fool that happens to be popular, though.
"I see." he told Rupert. "I doubt this could happen again here. Slytherins stick together and accept each other's individuality."
He cast a warning glance towards Pank, but the Anterhills weren't known to be prejudiced. The Nocturnes and the Montreys were the only traditionally dark names on this years' students list and Randolph Montrey had ended up in Ravenclaw. Severus really needed to talk to the Nocturne girl.
"Well, I already know you." he said handing Billy his schedule. "Which means you are Aterus Sorrel."
"My father has a broom company." Aterus reported. "Mother's a housewife. I was home schooled without any other kids. My teacher did have a group of other students, but Mum never wanted me to meet other children. She isn't happy with me coming here now either."
"Then why Hogwarts and not London or West Hogsmeade where you would come home every day?" Severus asked.
"Family tradition. My father insisted that I attend the most prestigious school in the country." Aterus sighed. "Look, I like it here. It's just my mother that thinks I'll catch a deadly disease, if I talk to another child."
Severus nodded and handed him his schedule. "I didn't mean it as an accusation. I just need to know who you all are and what problems each of you might have. Which reminds me: I want you to know that you can always turn to me with any problem you might have. Even when it seems too small, or too big for me to handle. If I can't help you with it myself, I might still be able to point you towards someone who can and I promise to keep everything you tell me completely confidential."
He looked at the group for a moment, but none of them seemed to have anything to say.
"So, do any of you know why Colleen Nocturne still hasn't come in for breakfast?" Severus asked after a moment.
"Maybe breakfast is icky." Danny commented.
"Yes, there might be leftovers in it." confirmed Tullia. "Or it might have been touched by a Hufflepuff."
"Nocturne has airs." Rupert informed Severus. "She wants nothing to do with anybody and the food's not good enough either."
"She'll turn up sometime." Pank agreed. "We can give her her schedule when she does."
Severus thought for a moment. He needed to meet the girl, but he couldn't run through the entire castle to find her. He had a class to teach in less than half an hour and she needed her schedule.
He nodded at Pank and handed him the parchment. The boy was pureblood enough that Colleen had to accept it from him no matter how prejudiced she was. "I hold you personally responsible for giving this to her."
"Yes Sir." Pank almost saluted.
"That's Professor, Pank, not Sir." Severus sighed.
"Yes Sir." Pank grinned and took off.
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"Here's your schedule, Nocturne." The curtains of Colleen's bed were suddenly pulled aside and someone threw a rumpled bit of parchment at her. "And Professor Snape wants to talk to you, if you can find the time."
"Mmmm ... right away." Colleen mumbled still only half awake.
"That might be a bad time." Danny grinned down at her. "We've got Latin in fourteen minutes. See you there."
Colleen shot up in bed and fumbled around on her nightstand until she found her watch. 8:47!
"Got everything, Tullia? Anny? Good then lets go." The door opened and closed and Colleen was alone.
She found the parchment still on her pillow and did her best to straighten it. Tuesday nine o'clock: Latin. Oh no!
Colleen tumbled out of bed dizzy as she often was right after waking up and stumbled into the bathroom. There was no time to shower or brush her teeth, but she had to do something about her hair.
She quickly brushed it out. Where were her hairpins?
Well, there wasn't any time left for the elaborate bun she usually wore anyway. Instead she grabbed an elastic band that lay next to the sink. She thought she'd seen one like it in the Mudblood's hair the other day, but it was the only thing on hand. A pony tail would have to do for the day.
In fact, it didn't even look bad, she thought regarding herself in the mirror for a moment before she remembered the time. 8:56, she had to run.
She raced back into the dorm. Where was her book bag?
Still in the trunk. She fumbled with the lock for what seemed like an eternity, threw out most of her clothes when the trunk finally opened.
Clothes! Where was her uniform?
She'd just thrown it on the floor!
It took her only a minute to dress and find the book bag, but what to put in it? Latin, first lesson. Latin book. Parchment, ink, quill.
What else?
The schedule was gone! ... No, no, she'd taken it with her to the bathroom.
She found it under her hairbrush. Second lesson: Charms. Charms book. Then lunch. She could get the rest of her books for the day during lunch break.
Her stomach growled at the thought of lunch, but there was no time for that now. She ran to the door, opened it ...
Her wand!
Back to the bed. No wand! Oh no, what should she do!
Try again. There it was.
Wand in one hand, book bag in the other she raced down the stairs. Now where should she go? She had no idea where the Latin classroom was!
"You're late." a red-haired girl frowned at her.
Colleen blinked at the stranger. "Who're you?"
"I'm the one who kindly agreed to show you to your classroom, so my best friend wouldn't be late for her first class of the year." the girl sneered.
"You're not a prefect." Colleen declared. At least the girl wasn't wearing a badge.
"My best friend is the fifth year prefect." the girl answered just as haughtily. "She was supposed to take you guys to class today, but you didn't show up in time and she didn't want to miss Ancient Runes for one stupid brat. However I don't take Ancient Runes, so I kindly offered to help you out. You could show at least a little appreciation."
"What's your name?" Colleen demanded.
"Ally," the girl frowned at her. "Allyssia Nott."
Colleen's face brightened immediately. "Colleen Nocturne." she introduced herself offering Ally her hand. "Very pleased to meet you."
Ally rolled her eyes. "Will you just follow me, you clown!"
Colleen hung her head and trudged after Ally. Apparently she'd managed to mess this up completely. The first girl she met at Hogwarts that was on her social level and she had to piss her off right away.
The Latin teacher looked at her very sternly when Ally finally opened the door to the Latin classroom and shooed her in.
"I'm sorry." Colleen started not sure what to say.
The teacher just waved her towards a still free chair in the first row. "We are generally held to tolerate lateness of first years during the first week of school. I don't approve of the policy myself, but the headmaster insists that you need to learn your way around the school first. So I won't take points this time. See that it doesn't happen again, though. It is your duty to see that you get where you have to be on time."
"I'm sorry, Professor." Colleen repeated.
"As I was saying my name is Professor Julius Stylus." the teacher turned his attention back to the rest of the class and Colleen breathed a sigh of relief. "I will now take attendance starting with the Hufflepuffs. Hermelindis Berring!"
"It's actually just Hermy, Professor Stylus." the small plump girl Colleen remembered from the sorting said.
Hermy, what a ridiculous nickname. Colleen shook her head and started to set up her things on her desk.
And discovered to her horror that she shared it with Gangolf Bartering of all people! Yuck!
"Melitta Eagle!" Professor Stylus continued after noting Hermelindis' nickname on his list.
"Just Mel." the girl behind Hermy corrected with a smile and Professor Stylus went right back to writing.
"Jorge Gomez!"
"Um ... Buenos dias. My name Jorge." a dark haired boy answered.
"We think Jorge doesn't understand English, Professor." his neighbour explained. "He seems to be speaking only Italian."
The teacher nodded. "Okay, no problem. I'm sure he'll learn soon. It's actually Spanish, though, a language closely related to Latin, luckily, so we should be able to establish communication soon. Jean-Louis Jock!"
Colleen regarded Jorge Gomez with distaste. A foreign wizard! She was really glad that he wasn't in her house. The housemates she'd been stranded with already were bad enough.
"Laurissa-Sue Porter!"
"Lorie, Professor." My what a homely looking little girl. She was even wearing pigtails! Colleen's frown deepened.
"Nigel Rouen!" was at least a pureblood, but as a Hufflepuff he was of course beneath her. Where was she going to find appropriate friends at all?
"Alexander Vauxhall!" That family had been entirely pureblood until two generations ago. If Colleen's assumption about 'Alex's' origin was correct, his mother was a Muggle, though.
"Carmelitta Weasley!"
What? For a moment Colleen thought she had heard wrong. A Weasley in Hufflepuff? That family was supposed to be Gryffindor!
"Cam, Professor." the girl certainly looked like a Weasley.
"Well, a Weasley in Hufflepuff." the teacher smiled. "That's a little unusual, though I have taught lots of Weasleys so far, I've never seen one in that house. Which branch of the family are you of, Cam?"
"My father's Bill Weasley, son of Arthur Weasley." Cam reported apparently used to the question.
"Ah yes, your mother went to Beauxbattons, didn't she? You probably got your Hufflepuff genes from her side of the family." Professor Stylus decided.
Cam shrugged. "To be honest, I don't really care. I love it in Hufflepuff. It's a wonderful house and Professor Sprout is absolutely great."
"That's nice to hear." Professor Stylus commented. "Jonathan Yeel!"
"Here." stated the boy who sat next to the foreign wizard.
"And Corinna Zander!"
"Here." squeaked the last Hufflepuff nervously.
"What a bunch of losers." Collen commented to herself.
"Well, not everybody can be as strikingly handsome as I." Gangolf answered her.
Colleen glanced over at him and moved her chair away as far as she could while still staying at her desk. She absolutely had to find someone else to sit with in her other subjects.
Meanwhile the teacher was making his way trough the list of Slytherins. Pathetic how they all insisted to be called: Pank, Danny, Anny and Billy! And what kind of name was Dinah anyway? Or Tullia? Really, that girl reminded her more and more of a trout.
"Colleen Nocturne!"
"I much prefer to be addressed as Ms Nocturne." she informed Professor Stylus.
"I could call you Little Miss Late, if you like." the teacher returned to the amusement of the rest of the class. "Or shall we stick with Colleen after all?"
Colleen decided that such a remark wasn't worthy of an answer. Stupid Mudblood teacher.
At least the lesson wasn't difficult at all. They only learned how to introduce themselves in Latin, because the stupid Mudblods didn't know any Latin at all, yet. What did they learn in their stupid vulgar Mudblood primary schools?
After class both groups of first years waited outside for their prefects to come and lead them to their next class. In fact a whole swarm of Hufflepuffs showed up to tend to their first years. Babies!
The Slytherins got only one prefect to show them the way to Charms. This time it was the seventh year boy, Marcus Fortescue. Colleen didn't deem him worthy of recognission. After all his father only owned an ice cream shop. How common!
When they arrived at the Charms classroom Colleen thought to remedy her neighbour problem, but the Sorrel boy, who seemed the most appropriate choice so far immediately placed himself beside the Snape boy, another possibility she'd considered.
She wasn't sure about 'Billy'. The name was terribly common, the Snapes not particularly rich and she had no idea who the boy's mother might be, but Snape was still a well known and respected name, the Snapes had always been Slytherins and Billy was a teacher's son. Not just any teacher's in fact, but that of her head of house. The boy might well prove to be worth while, if she could overlook his obvious flaws.
Next she thought of the Anterhill heir, but he was already sitting next to that Lennox boy again. Bartering was just demonstrating his mirror charm for them. The professor would probably be delighted with the idiot.
The annoying Rassle girl had chosen to sit with the trout and the Hufflepuff with the Mudblood. All four were whispering with their heads together shooting occasional glances her way.
Colleen stalked to the back of the room and sat down by herself. With a little luck she could remain alone at her desk.
They had Charms together with Gryffindor house, which served to cheer her up a bit. The Gryffindors apparently had never heard of helping out their first years, or strength in numbers. They were all late and arrived either alone or in pairs. Professor Flitwick was much too lenient, though, and he seemed to have some dwarfish blood on top of it. Or was it goblin? Eeeewwww!
"Ah, did the Gryffindors get lost again?" Flitwick smiled when he entered the class to find only ten students there. "It's strange, but it seems Slytherins and Hufflepuffs always find their classrooms faster than the other houses and the Gryffndors always take the longest. Well, lets start to get to know each other while we wait. I am Professor Flitwick, your Charms teacher and what's your name?"
"I'm Gangolf Bartering." Gangolf beamed. "I can already do a mirror charm and hair conditioning charm and ..."
They were spared what Colleen suspected was a complete list of all beauty charms ever invented by the noisy entrance of a spiky haired boy.
"Ah, our first Gryffindor. Come on in and tell me your name." Flitwick said jovially.
"Oliver." the boy panted. "Oliver Sanger. Why do the stairs have to move about all the time?"
"Actually they do that quite voluntarily." Professor Flitwick informed him. "An enchantment cast by Godric Gryffindor himself in order to amuse and challenge the students."
They were interrupted once again by the entrance of two Gryffindor girls one of whom was clearly the most ugly person Colleen had ever seen.
The other one introduced herself as Sophy, though Colleen remembered her as Sophie-Marleen Patter-Hendrics from the sorting. Why really, couldn't people remember something as simple as stating their last name when introducing themselves?
The ugly one was at least a little wiser. "Laura." she said. "Elenor Warthay on paper."
Considering the big wart on her nose that might not have been the wisest thing to say after all. The class burst out into laughter. Gangolf sneered and pointed. Dinah pressed both hands over her mouth in an attempt to stop herself, but it as no use, even the boys had to chuckle a little.
The three Gryffindors glared at them, but of course that didn't impress the Slytherins much.
"You know, you didn't have to tell us that." Colleen informed Laura. "It's written on your face after all."
A quick shield charm from Professor Flitwick prevented Laura from throwing herself at Colleen and they got halfway though the Slytherin boys' introduction before the next Gryffindor stumbled in.
Wendy Carmey deserved an award for speed talking Colleen decided afterwards. She suspected that she would have found out half of the girl's life story, if she'd been able to understand most of what she said.
However Wendy didn't get to tell the other half of her life as two boys arrived shortly after her.
Charles Forbes seemed as quiet as Wendy was talkative, but Dominic King spoke for them both. By now there were no empty desks left and Colleen began to worry a little. The Gryffindors would prefer to sit next to other Gryffindors, wouldn't they?
Halley Alberta, who arrived in the middle of Tullia's demonstration of her Mermish skills, did indeed pick the seat next to Wendy and a halfblood called Ceasareus Tonks placed himself next to Oliver Sanger just before they were done with attendance and began the actual lesson.
Professor Flitwick was just explaining the miniscule differences between charms, hexes, glamours and enchantments when the door opened once again and a dark skinned boy walked in.
Flitwick glanced at his class list. "Mr. Thomas Quentin, I assume?"
"Yes, Sir. Sorry for being late. I got lost."
"I know, I know. Happens to first years every year." Flitwick agreed tolerantly. "Please sit down and copy the lists on the blackboard. They show the differences between the different categories of spells."
Colleen held her breath until Thomas Quentin sat down next to Gangolf. Phew, that had been close. One more student and she would have had to share her desk.
"Another separate category that I don't want to get into too deeply today are the curses. We will not study any curses in this class this year, but they mostly fall into the DADA sector anyway. You will hear more about them there, though I don't know in what year my college plans to cover them, yet."
Colleen frowned once again, She had been looking forward to learning curses. Her father had already shown her a few, but she'd never been allowed to try them herself.
"In our next lesson we will start practical exercises on a simple charm, so I want to take a closer look at the theory behind charms in general now." Flitwick pointed at the list of criteria noted under charms. "As you can see here ..."
The door opened and a tiny girl in old, too large robes stumbled in.
"Ah, Ms Barbara Xanton?" Flitwick smiled.
"I ran into Peeves." Barbara Xanton explained. "He directed me down into the dungeons." She shuddered. "Professor Snape already took points."
"It's alright Ms. Xanton. Peeves can be nasty. Please sit down and copy this list."
Oh no! No! Not that shabby little something!
"Hi, I'm Babsie." the girl introduced herself to Colleen.
"Just keep your filthy paws away from me." Coleen hissed and secretly hoped that her lucj would improve after lunch.
She was getting really hungry too. 'Please, let them not serve stew. Anything but stew.'
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Grimsdale – Ah, but I will have to stop sometime, or The Catar will never be written.
Madame Moony – Astronomy is mandatory. And you don't have every subject every day in a European school. Each day of the week has its own schedule. Normally the number of lessons a week is determined by the importance of the subject, but with only one teacher per subject the teacher works 42 hours a week, if each class consists of two houses of the same year and has his subject three hours a week. (If the students have six hours of classes a day, there are only 30 class hours a week. Poor teachers!)
Pam Briggs – Actually Colleen is the closest to the old Draco. (That hair thing is a bit of fanon I never adopted.) Gangolf is more the Lockhard type. Each of the student is a person of his/her own, though, not a copy of anybody else. Just try to see Gangolf as Gangolf and Colleen as Colleen.
Kasia – No, Gangolf has no close blood ties with anyone we know, but he is a bit like Gilderoy. I think I'm trying to show what I think would have happened, if Lockhart had been sorted into Slytherin. ... Nope, not too much about Draco's current life coming. I've developed an interest in my new Slytherins and we'll be following them into the beginning of their school careers a bit.
JerseyPike – That was going to happen soon, but Colleen slowed things down a bit and now I'm planning to take a look into all the Slytherin first years' heads. We'll see whether their first trip to West Hogsmeade will fit into this, or come afterwards.
Midnight Tiger – Er ... That was Sevi ... in My Name's Severus. Green hedgehogs are not part of the Runaway Dragon universe. (They only determine the plot from the outside.)
Yuyin – Well, the story will stay mostly at Hogwarts, but we do take a few trips to West Hogsmeade and Draco might pop up during those ... Ah, but Albus never wanted to collaborate with West Hogsmeade. That was always Sevi's idea, which he fended off by saying he had to concentrate on Voldemort. Billy was just the bait to finally get Albus to seriously consider the idea. (And Albus loves his little godson and thinks Hogwarts is the only truly good wizarding school in all of Britain. West Hogsmeade in his eyes is an inferior school for the untalented and hopeless. ... He'll learn better, yet.)
Mystical Witch – That's not the thrown together team Draco started with anymore, though they probably have no chance against West Hogsmeade, or any other school that has played actual games already, at the moment. They do have a lot of Muggle borns, though and once they get used to actual competitions, they'll do okay. ... Gangolf ... well, you'll see once we take a little walk in his head. This was Colleen's chapter for now.
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- A/N: So what do you think of Colleen now? Will she ever make friends with any of her classmates? And what is Rupert's problem (I'm actually looking for suggestions here. The idea I have doesn't quite fit.)?
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In the next chapter: We see what's for lunch, take a walk in Anny's head and maybe one of the boys' as well.
Disclaimer 2: Severus Snape owning a raven belongs to J.L. Matthews. (Go read her story everybody. It's great.)
Disclaimer 3: The gang name Sharks is borrowed from the musical West Side Story of course. I don't remember where I found the name Rakers, but I know I read it somewhere.
Disclaimer 4: The idea for Snape having a family comes from Al's fic Time of Trial.
Disclaimer 5: The Glizzard family and Gringolf Glizzard belong to my friend PegaPony and so do all of Gringolf's songs. Thanks for letting me borrow them!
Disclaimer 6: My friend Edmund owns himself and his horse Apollo.
Disclaimer 7: Old Joe and Tess' Joe belong to Zebee.
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A/N – This is definitely getting longer than planned. I was going to put the entire first day of classes into his chapter, but Sevi kept insisting he needed more time with his first years (He still thinks I gave him too little. I suspect the whole chapter wouldn't have satisfied him.) and Colleen took up more room than expected as well. Well, at least you get a look inside her head. The next chapter might be late, though at the moment I'm itching to write it. I have something I need to tell someone in the Saber Rider fandom and she didn't leave a way to contact her, so a review response is the only way. That however requires posting a chapter and I haven't got started on it (Nor do I feel like writing any Saber Rider at the moment after that person's review. That might really slow things down.)
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Chapter 5: New Friends
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The sound of a door slamming shut woke Billy the next morning. Feet raced around outside, voices called out. Had he overslept?
But his dorm mates were only just beginning to stir as well.
After a little exploration Rupert discovered the bathroom next doors to their dorm and Pank dragged Gangolf out of bed.
"Just a little longer." the blond boy pleaded, but Pank didn't give in.
That turned out to be lucky as Gangolf took longest to get ready for the day.
"Are you still not dressed?" Pank demanded of the open bathroom door about half an hour later when they were about to go to breakfast. "What are you doing?"
"Applying my beauty cream." came the annoyed answer. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up. I don't eat much for breakfast anyway."
"Somehow I don't think it had anything to do with the salad, Rupert." Pank decided as he led the group down into the common room.
"Do you remember the way to the great hall?" Billy asked Aterus. "I think I'd get lost."
Aterus shrugged. "We just have to follow everybody else. Where else would they be going right now?"
"I think I remember the way." Rupert said softly. "We have to turn left in the corridor, then take the second corridor on the right until we reach the stairs. Then we go up and ... um ... I'll remember when I see it."
Rupert didn't have to prove his orientation skills, though. The prefect from the day before had apparently been waiting for them to show them the way. She particularly pointed out the location of the entrance once again.
"It's hard to see from the outside, so you have to remember exactly where it is." she warned them.
The girls were already sitting at the end of the Slytherin table when they arrived. Well, four of them, that was.
"Where's Colleen?" Billy asked surprised.
"Still in bed as far as we know." Danny shrugged. "Which is more than I care to know. It could be so nice in our dorm, if it weren't for Miss Pureblood."
"Looks like you managed to lose Mirrorboy as well." Tullia pointed out.
"Oh, Gangolf said to go ahead." Rupert reported. "He wanted some quality time with his beauty cream and hairspray."
"Well, at least he doesn't find you icky." Anny sighed. "Just what did I ever do to Nocturne?"
"Nothing." Dinah assured her. "Some people just are that way. When I was still a baby there even was a war between them and us, but you'd have to ask Billy's father about that."
"Billy's father?" Anny asked wide eyed.
"Yes, our head of house, Professor Snape." Dinah nodded eagerly. "He was there in the last battle. Mum says it must have been terrible. Lots of people got killed, many of them innocent Muggles who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Nocturne's parents were probably right there killing Muggles and blowing up houses, too." Danny added. "There are always a few who get away and then years later the evil returns through them. Beware of Nocturne, Anny. Nothing good will come from that one."
"I don't know." Dinah hesitated. "My Dad says you always have to give people the benefit of the doubt. She hasn't really done anything evil, yet."
"You heard her, Dinah." Danny reminded her. "Eww, a Hufflepuff, she said about you. And eww, a Muggle born and quarter mermaids are icky. The Nocturnes always have been dark and Colleen is no exception. Your Dad's Hufflepuff kindness won't help there."
"Hey look, there's Snape!" Rupert pointed towards the head table. "Looks like he's coming over here."
"Dad!" Billy called out and waved and indeed his father came over to sit with them.
"Morning Billy." he even smiled at the first years. "How are you settling in? Shouldn't there be two more of you?"
"Gangolf's on his way." Billy promised. "He almost overslept."
"Well, I hope he gets here soon, because I want to get to know you a little better and he probably wants to as well." Severus said. "Under the circumstances, I'd best start handing out the schedules instead."
In fact some older students were already standing around them looking at Severus expectantly. Severus pulled a pack of parchments out of his pocket and separated it into seven stacks.
"Okay, here are the third years, Conny." he said to the smallest of the girls waiting around him. "Each of them has a name on it, so don't get them confused. Due to the elective subjects each of you has a different schedule now. Manty, the seventh years. Try not to lose any this time."
The boy called Manty blushed and the other older students laughed.
"Nancy, fifth year. Laura and Ines second." Severus continued. "There are a few differences between them this year as well, because of the new Sports classes, but if you inform me in time you can switch, if you don't like the group you're in. Andrew, sixth year. If you see any fourth years send them over."
He kept the first years' schedules, though.
"Hey, what's that?" a loud voice rang over from the Ravenclaw table. "What does WH next to a subject mean?"
"It means, Mr. Lourdes, that your class is held at West Hogsmeade Wizarding School. You will take a portkey from the old waiting room next to the entrance hall to get there." Professor Flitwick squeaked just loud enough to be heard over the voices of the students.
"West Hogsmeade!" a girl's voice shrieked and angry mumbling rose all around the hall. "You can't expect us to take classes in that ... that filthy Squib school!"
Severus stood up so forcefully that his chair clattered loudly to the floor. Was that intentional? It was almost too loud not to have been bolstered with a slight enhancement charm.
"Miss Humperding." Severus hissed in his most dangerous voice. It wasn't a shout but carried well enough through the hall to get everyone's attention and silence them instantly. "I assure you that West Hogsmeade is an excellent school, not just for Squibs, but also for everybody who doesn't want or can't afford to attend boarding school. Its Muggle Studies classes have a much higher standard that Hogwarts' own ever reached and they also offer several classes Hogwarts doesn't have. It is very kind of headmaster Donalds to offer us the chance to participate in those classes. West Hogsmeade could very well have continued without the partnership with Hogwarts. It was our wish to offer you a better quality of education that caused this partnership and I expect you to be grateful to both Headmaster Dumbledore and West Hogsmeade and its staff."
Complete silence reigned in the hall after Professor Snape had summoned his chair and sat back down. Gangolf, who had finally arrived during the speech blinked up at him shyly and even Billy was a little intimidated.
"So where were we?" Severus smiled at the first years. "Ah yes, I was going to hand out your schedules. You are Gangolf Bartering, I assume?"
Gangolf nodded a little nervously.
"Your dorm mates told me you almost overslept." Severus continued kindly. "Did you have trouble getting to sleep?"
"No, Sir." Gangolf blushed. "I'm just not used to getting up so early."
"I see." Severus nodded. "Where were you taught until now?"
"At my uncle's. He had already hired a tutor for my cousins, so my parents didn't see any reason to hire one of their own."
"A private tutor together with your cousins." Severus repeated. "Are they the same age as you?"
"No, they're younger. One is ten and the other eight."
"Did you take a test to see how you compared with other students your age?" Severus continued.
"No, Sir. Is that necessary?"
"No, just advisable. Especially if you've been studying with mostly younger classmates, you might be a little behind." Severus explained. "Please inform me if you have any problems. He checked a sheet of parchment that had suddenly appeared in his hand. "Your parents work at the ministry?"
"Yes, Mother is a secretary and Dad's in the ministry library. He catalogues law texts." Gangolf confirmed.
Severus nodded again. "Any problems, or something else you think I should know about?"
Gangolf shook his head and Severus handed him his schedule and turned to the next child in line. "And what's your name?"
"I'm Tullia. Tullia Waterwall." Tullia added hastily remembering Colleen's reaction to her last introduction. "And I went to North Scotland Magical Primary School."
"Excellent." Severus told her. "That is a very good school, so I don't think we'll have to worry abut you being behind in anything, Tullia. What do your parents do?"
"Mum studies water plants and Dad is a translator for Mermish."
"Cool!" Danny exclaimed. "Do you know any Mermish words yourself?"
"Of course." Tullia seemed to think that was obvious. "We speak as much Mermish as English at home."
"There is a colony of Merpeople in the lake." Severus remarked. "If you'd like to meet them. I'm sure they'll love to hear about their relatives at your home."
Tullia nodded eagerly and Severus turned his attention to Danny.
"Danny Rassle. I went to a Muggle primary school, but I didn't really get on with the Muggle kids." she told him. "I kept accidentally making things fly at them whenever I got angry. Mum tried to teach me how to control my levitation spells, but it never quite worked and ... well have you ever tried to explain to a Muggle that you don't have control over your throwing things at him?"
"That should stop now that you have your own wand." Severus assured her. "If you continue to have any problems with unintentional magic, please inform me immediately, though. As your powers grow that could become dangerous."
Danny suddenly looked scared. "Mum said that it stops when you learn how to use a wand."
"Normally yes." Severus confirmed. "There have been some cases where additional training in wandless magic was required, though. That is extremely rare, however, as very strong magic is required for wandless spells. Usually a child your age doesn't have that much power, yet. If you do continue to have that problem it is a sign of considerable talent, Danny, not something to be afraid of. Now, how about your parents. Your father is a Muggle?"
"He's a taxi driver." Danny nodded. "That's similar to the knight bus, but he usually transports only one person at a time. Mum works in the Muggle relations office at the ministry, which was really lucky after I levitated my Math book into my teacher's face."
The children all snickered at that and Danny beamed with pride at her heroic accident.
Severus handed her her schedule and turned to Dinah.
"Dinah Laxter. My Daddy's a healer and Mum used to be a teacher, but she quit working when I was born. She taught me herself, though, along with the kids of several of our friends." Dinah reported. "They're all in Hufflepuff now." She glanced over to the Hufflepuff table where the first years were sitting next to older students talking happily.
"Would you have preferred to be a Hufflepuff as well?" Severus asked cautiously. If Dinah didn't accept her house that might cause serious problems.
"Well," Dinah hesitated for a moment. "It never occurred to me that I might not be, but I guess it must be for the best. I mean, I don't know my new classmates as well as I would have in Hufflepuff, but then Mum always said it was important to make lots of new friends when I got here and I really like Anny and Danny and Tullia already."
"Any idea why the hat chose Slytherin for you?"
Dinah blushed and stared down at her plate. "Because I wanted to be different. It said I'd get the chance to go my own path here."
"The hat would not have done that, if it thought there were anything wrong with your wish, Dinah." Severus tried to encourage her. "You have been taught to think in the Hufflepuff style where the group always comes first, but you are a Slytherin now. Slytherins are loyal to their friends as well, but we are individuals first. Each Slytherin makes his or her own way. Your friends will support you where they can, but you choose the direction without them. A Slytherin must be strong enough to go her path all alone and not expect her friends to always be there."
"But isn't that too selfish?" Dinah asked a little shyly.
"Slytherins are selfish, Dinah." Severus smiled. "It's what makes us great. And in our own way we have done more for the good of everybody than the Hufflepuffs."
"And more for the bad." Pank remarked.
Severus nodded at him. "Slytherins can go either way. That is the downside of our freedom in choosing our path. Nobody will stop us from choosing wrong. We alone are responsible for the consequences our choices. You will have to learn how to choose wisely and to have the maturity to turn back, if you find that you have chosen wrong, no matter how hard that may be."
Dinah looked from Pank to Severus apparently not understanding what he meant.
"Don't worry, it will become clear when you get to the point where you need it." Severus promised, though he knew that wasn't always the case. Too often his students were tempted by the dark arts much too soon, but Hufflepuff raised Dinah probably wasn't at risk of that. Her family's morals would provide a certain guideline until she grew mature enough to develop her own.
"You're Anny, then?" he asked the last girl in the group. He was still missing Mary-Anne Sharpe and Colleen Nocturne, but Dinah had mentioned only Anny, Danny and Tullia and he saw no reason she'd leave out the very girl she'd been chatting happily with when he'd arrived.
It made him worry about Colleen, though. Anny and Dinah seemed to have hit it off right away and Danny and Tullia seemed to like each other as well. The boys were still acting like a group rather than pairing off, but what about the fifth girl?
Most likely one of the boys would find himself alone once they started classes and had to sit in pairs and choose the leftover girl for his partner, but such friendships often turned out unstable later on. It would be easier, if they had something in common.
"I went to a Muggle primary school in Leeds." Anny confirmed his suspicions. "Dad is a plumber. That's a Muggle who ... um."
"Repairs boilers and pipes and such." Billy helped her out. "We do occasionally need plumbing in our houses as well."
"Oh, good!" Anny exclaimed. "It's so hard to explain these things when I never know how they are done here. Mum works in a factory. They make all sorts of plastic parts."
"Plastic parts?" Aterus asked. "What's that?"
"A substance that is produced via chemistry and can be formed into every shape you want." Severus explained. "It is lighter than metal and more formable than wood and can be produced with all sorts of different characteristics which Muggles find very practical. A lot of Muggle objects are made of plastic or have parts made of plastic."
"So your mother is a Muggle potion brewer?" Aterus asked Anny.
"Oh no, Mum just sits at a big machine and moves levers. She has no idea how it all really works." Anny shook her head.
"It's more like using potions than brewing them, I suppose." Severus mused. "The user knows what the potion does and how to apply it, but not how it is brewed, or why it has that effect."
"It's very boring work, actually." Anny said. "Mum only does it for the money."
"Next then." Severus decided and nodded towards Pank.
"I'm Pank Anterhill, home schooled. My father ... Well, to be honest he doesn't do much of anything." Pank looked a little embarrassed. "He usually just manages the estate."
"Huh?" was the immediate reaction from both Dinah and Anny.
"Lord Anterhill owns a considerable amount of land." Severus explained. "He also holds shares in the Daily Prophet and several other important wizaring businesses. Occasionally he lends money to people wanting to start a new business as well."
"Oh." made Anny.
"And what does that mean?" asked Dinah.
"It means he's rich." Danny translated. "So rich that he doesn't have to work."
"You are his oldest son?" Severus asked Pank.
"His only son." Pank confirmed. "I have two younger sisters, though."
"Anybody looking for a rich heir to marry?" Danny joked.
"Colleen might, if Lords aren't icky." Tullia wrinkled her nose.
"I'd sooner become a monk than marry her." Pank frowned. "Maybe Aterus wants her."
"What?" Aterus was jolted out of his comfortable silence. "I'm only eleven! Much too young to get married!"
"Indeed." Severus confirmed. "You must be Rupert Lennox then?"
"Yes, I went to Dublin Wizarding Primary and my parents own a small robe shop."
"And why did you choose Hogwarts?" Severus asked. "Most of your classmates must have gone on to Ireland's own wizarding school."
"Actually, that's exactly why my parents decided to send me to Hogwarts." Rupert admitted slightly embarrassed. "I ... um ... didn't fit in with my classmates that well and they thought it best that I should start over with a completely new group."
"Didn't fit in how?" Severus asked maybe a little too sternly. "Did you fight, maybe hurt someone?"
"No, not much that is. At least not in my last year." Rupert squirmed. "When I was younger I sometimes fought when the older kids picked on me."
"Picked on you?" Severus realised he clearly had misjudged the remark. "Why?"
"I honestly don't know. They just didn't like me." Rupert apparently didn't want to tell.
Severus cast another glance over his notes on the student. Nothing. The boy had been bullied, but why? He wasn't Muggle born or even a half blood, not a Squib, nor did he have a Squib parent. He didn't have any physical abnormalities as far as Severus could see and he didn't seem like a good victim either. It only takes one loud mouthed prejudiced fool that happens to be popular, though.
"I see." he told Rupert. "I doubt this could happen again here. Slytherins stick together and accept each other's individuality."
He cast a warning glance towards Pank, but the Anterhills weren't known to be prejudiced. The Nocturnes and the Montreys were the only traditionally dark names on this years' students list and Randolph Montrey had ended up in Ravenclaw. Severus really needed to talk to the Nocturne girl.
"Well, I already know you." he said handing Billy his schedule. "Which means you are Aterus Sorrel."
"My father has a broom company." Aterus reported. "Mother's a housewife. I was home schooled without any other kids. My teacher did have a group of other students, but Mum never wanted me to meet other children. She isn't happy with me coming here now either."
"Then why Hogwarts and not London or West Hogsmeade where you would come home every day?" Severus asked.
"Family tradition. My father insisted that I attend the most prestigious school in the country." Aterus sighed. "Look, I like it here. It's just my mother that thinks I'll catch a deadly disease, if I talk to another child."
Severus nodded and handed him his schedule. "I didn't mean it as an accusation. I just need to know who you all are and what problems each of you might have. Which reminds me: I want you to know that you can always turn to me with any problem you might have. Even when it seems too small, or too big for me to handle. If I can't help you with it myself, I might still be able to point you towards someone who can and I promise to keep everything you tell me completely confidential."
He looked at the group for a moment, but none of them seemed to have anything to say.
"So, do any of you know why Colleen Nocturne still hasn't come in for breakfast?" Severus asked after a moment.
"Maybe breakfast is icky." Danny commented.
"Yes, there might be leftovers in it." confirmed Tullia. "Or it might have been touched by a Hufflepuff."
"Nocturne has airs." Rupert informed Severus. "She wants nothing to do with anybody and the food's not good enough either."
"She'll turn up sometime." Pank agreed. "We can give her her schedule when she does."
Severus thought for a moment. He needed to meet the girl, but he couldn't run through the entire castle to find her. He had a class to teach in less than half an hour and she needed her schedule.
He nodded at Pank and handed him the parchment. The boy was pureblood enough that Colleen had to accept it from him no matter how prejudiced she was. "I hold you personally responsible for giving this to her."
"Yes Sir." Pank almost saluted.
"That's Professor, Pank, not Sir." Severus sighed.
"Yes Sir." Pank grinned and took off.
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"Here's your schedule, Nocturne." The curtains of Colleen's bed were suddenly pulled aside and someone threw a rumpled bit of parchment at her. "And Professor Snape wants to talk to you, if you can find the time."
"Mmmm ... right away." Colleen mumbled still only half awake.
"That might be a bad time." Danny grinned down at her. "We've got Latin in fourteen minutes. See you there."
Colleen shot up in bed and fumbled around on her nightstand until she found her watch. 8:47!
"Got everything, Tullia? Anny? Good then lets go." The door opened and closed and Colleen was alone.
She found the parchment still on her pillow and did her best to straighten it. Tuesday nine o'clock: Latin. Oh no!
Colleen tumbled out of bed dizzy as she often was right after waking up and stumbled into the bathroom. There was no time to shower or brush her teeth, but she had to do something about her hair.
She quickly brushed it out. Where were her hairpins?
Well, there wasn't any time left for the elaborate bun she usually wore anyway. Instead she grabbed an elastic band that lay next to the sink. She thought she'd seen one like it in the Mudblood's hair the other day, but it was the only thing on hand. A pony tail would have to do for the day.
In fact, it didn't even look bad, she thought regarding herself in the mirror for a moment before she remembered the time. 8:56, she had to run.
She raced back into the dorm. Where was her book bag?
Still in the trunk. She fumbled with the lock for what seemed like an eternity, threw out most of her clothes when the trunk finally opened.
Clothes! Where was her uniform?
She'd just thrown it on the floor!
It took her only a minute to dress and find the book bag, but what to put in it? Latin, first lesson. Latin book. Parchment, ink, quill.
What else?
The schedule was gone! ... No, no, she'd taken it with her to the bathroom.
She found it under her hairbrush. Second lesson: Charms. Charms book. Then lunch. She could get the rest of her books for the day during lunch break.
Her stomach growled at the thought of lunch, but there was no time for that now. She ran to the door, opened it ...
Her wand!
Back to the bed. No wand! Oh no, what should she do!
Try again. There it was.
Wand in one hand, book bag in the other she raced down the stairs. Now where should she go? She had no idea where the Latin classroom was!
"You're late." a red-haired girl frowned at her.
Colleen blinked at the stranger. "Who're you?"
"I'm the one who kindly agreed to show you to your classroom, so my best friend wouldn't be late for her first class of the year." the girl sneered.
"You're not a prefect." Colleen declared. At least the girl wasn't wearing a badge.
"My best friend is the fifth year prefect." the girl answered just as haughtily. "She was supposed to take you guys to class today, but you didn't show up in time and she didn't want to miss Ancient Runes for one stupid brat. However I don't take Ancient Runes, so I kindly offered to help you out. You could show at least a little appreciation."
"What's your name?" Colleen demanded.
"Ally," the girl frowned at her. "Allyssia Nott."
Colleen's face brightened immediately. "Colleen Nocturne." she introduced herself offering Ally her hand. "Very pleased to meet you."
Ally rolled her eyes. "Will you just follow me, you clown!"
Colleen hung her head and trudged after Ally. Apparently she'd managed to mess this up completely. The first girl she met at Hogwarts that was on her social level and she had to piss her off right away.
The Latin teacher looked at her very sternly when Ally finally opened the door to the Latin classroom and shooed her in.
"I'm sorry." Colleen started not sure what to say.
The teacher just waved her towards a still free chair in the first row. "We are generally held to tolerate lateness of first years during the first week of school. I don't approve of the policy myself, but the headmaster insists that you need to learn your way around the school first. So I won't take points this time. See that it doesn't happen again, though. It is your duty to see that you get where you have to be on time."
"I'm sorry, Professor." Colleen repeated.
"As I was saying my name is Professor Julius Stylus." the teacher turned his attention back to the rest of the class and Colleen breathed a sigh of relief. "I will now take attendance starting with the Hufflepuffs. Hermelindis Berring!"
"It's actually just Hermy, Professor Stylus." the small plump girl Colleen remembered from the sorting said.
Hermy, what a ridiculous nickname. Colleen shook her head and started to set up her things on her desk.
And discovered to her horror that she shared it with Gangolf Bartering of all people! Yuck!
"Melitta Eagle!" Professor Stylus continued after noting Hermelindis' nickname on his list.
"Just Mel." the girl behind Hermy corrected with a smile and Professor Stylus went right back to writing.
"Jorge Gomez!"
"Um ... Buenos dias. My name Jorge." a dark haired boy answered.
"We think Jorge doesn't understand English, Professor." his neighbour explained. "He seems to be speaking only Italian."
The teacher nodded. "Okay, no problem. I'm sure he'll learn soon. It's actually Spanish, though, a language closely related to Latin, luckily, so we should be able to establish communication soon. Jean-Louis Jock!"
Colleen regarded Jorge Gomez with distaste. A foreign wizard! She was really glad that he wasn't in her house. The housemates she'd been stranded with already were bad enough.
"Laurissa-Sue Porter!"
"Lorie, Professor." My what a homely looking little girl. She was even wearing pigtails! Colleen's frown deepened.
"Nigel Rouen!" was at least a pureblood, but as a Hufflepuff he was of course beneath her. Where was she going to find appropriate friends at all?
"Alexander Vauxhall!" That family had been entirely pureblood until two generations ago. If Colleen's assumption about 'Alex's' origin was correct, his mother was a Muggle, though.
"Carmelitta Weasley!"
What? For a moment Colleen thought she had heard wrong. A Weasley in Hufflepuff? That family was supposed to be Gryffindor!
"Cam, Professor." the girl certainly looked like a Weasley.
"Well, a Weasley in Hufflepuff." the teacher smiled. "That's a little unusual, though I have taught lots of Weasleys so far, I've never seen one in that house. Which branch of the family are you of, Cam?"
"My father's Bill Weasley, son of Arthur Weasley." Cam reported apparently used to the question.
"Ah yes, your mother went to Beauxbattons, didn't she? You probably got your Hufflepuff genes from her side of the family." Professor Stylus decided.
Cam shrugged. "To be honest, I don't really care. I love it in Hufflepuff. It's a wonderful house and Professor Sprout is absolutely great."
"That's nice to hear." Professor Stylus commented. "Jonathan Yeel!"
"Here." stated the boy who sat next to the foreign wizard.
"And Corinna Zander!"
"Here." squeaked the last Hufflepuff nervously.
"What a bunch of losers." Collen commented to herself.
"Well, not everybody can be as strikingly handsome as I." Gangolf answered her.
Colleen glanced over at him and moved her chair away as far as she could while still staying at her desk. She absolutely had to find someone else to sit with in her other subjects.
Meanwhile the teacher was making his way trough the list of Slytherins. Pathetic how they all insisted to be called: Pank, Danny, Anny and Billy! And what kind of name was Dinah anyway? Or Tullia? Really, that girl reminded her more and more of a trout.
"Colleen Nocturne!"
"I much prefer to be addressed as Ms Nocturne." she informed Professor Stylus.
"I could call you Little Miss Late, if you like." the teacher returned to the amusement of the rest of the class. "Or shall we stick with Colleen after all?"
Colleen decided that such a remark wasn't worthy of an answer. Stupid Mudblood teacher.
At least the lesson wasn't difficult at all. They only learned how to introduce themselves in Latin, because the stupid Mudblods didn't know any Latin at all, yet. What did they learn in their stupid vulgar Mudblood primary schools?
After class both groups of first years waited outside for their prefects to come and lead them to their next class. In fact a whole swarm of Hufflepuffs showed up to tend to their first years. Babies!
The Slytherins got only one prefect to show them the way to Charms. This time it was the seventh year boy, Marcus Fortescue. Colleen didn't deem him worthy of recognission. After all his father only owned an ice cream shop. How common!
When they arrived at the Charms classroom Colleen thought to remedy her neighbour problem, but the Sorrel boy, who seemed the most appropriate choice so far immediately placed himself beside the Snape boy, another possibility she'd considered.
She wasn't sure about 'Billy'. The name was terribly common, the Snapes not particularly rich and she had no idea who the boy's mother might be, but Snape was still a well known and respected name, the Snapes had always been Slytherins and Billy was a teacher's son. Not just any teacher's in fact, but that of her head of house. The boy might well prove to be worth while, if she could overlook his obvious flaws.
Next she thought of the Anterhill heir, but he was already sitting next to that Lennox boy again. Bartering was just demonstrating his mirror charm for them. The professor would probably be delighted with the idiot.
The annoying Rassle girl had chosen to sit with the trout and the Hufflepuff with the Mudblood. All four were whispering with their heads together shooting occasional glances her way.
Colleen stalked to the back of the room and sat down by herself. With a little luck she could remain alone at her desk.
They had Charms together with Gryffindor house, which served to cheer her up a bit. The Gryffindors apparently had never heard of helping out their first years, or strength in numbers. They were all late and arrived either alone or in pairs. Professor Flitwick was much too lenient, though, and he seemed to have some dwarfish blood on top of it. Or was it goblin? Eeeewwww!
"Ah, did the Gryffindors get lost again?" Flitwick smiled when he entered the class to find only ten students there. "It's strange, but it seems Slytherins and Hufflepuffs always find their classrooms faster than the other houses and the Gryffndors always take the longest. Well, lets start to get to know each other while we wait. I am Professor Flitwick, your Charms teacher and what's your name?"
"I'm Gangolf Bartering." Gangolf beamed. "I can already do a mirror charm and hair conditioning charm and ..."
They were spared what Colleen suspected was a complete list of all beauty charms ever invented by the noisy entrance of a spiky haired boy.
"Ah, our first Gryffindor. Come on in and tell me your name." Flitwick said jovially.
"Oliver." the boy panted. "Oliver Sanger. Why do the stairs have to move about all the time?"
"Actually they do that quite voluntarily." Professor Flitwick informed him. "An enchantment cast by Godric Gryffindor himself in order to amuse and challenge the students."
They were interrupted once again by the entrance of two Gryffindor girls one of whom was clearly the most ugly person Colleen had ever seen.
The other one introduced herself as Sophy, though Colleen remembered her as Sophie-Marleen Patter-Hendrics from the sorting. Why really, couldn't people remember something as simple as stating their last name when introducing themselves?
The ugly one was at least a little wiser. "Laura." she said. "Elenor Warthay on paper."
Considering the big wart on her nose that might not have been the wisest thing to say after all. The class burst out into laughter. Gangolf sneered and pointed. Dinah pressed both hands over her mouth in an attempt to stop herself, but it as no use, even the boys had to chuckle a little.
The three Gryffindors glared at them, but of course that didn't impress the Slytherins much.
"You know, you didn't have to tell us that." Colleen informed Laura. "It's written on your face after all."
A quick shield charm from Professor Flitwick prevented Laura from throwing herself at Colleen and they got halfway though the Slytherin boys' introduction before the next Gryffindor stumbled in.
Wendy Carmey deserved an award for speed talking Colleen decided afterwards. She suspected that she would have found out half of the girl's life story, if she'd been able to understand most of what she said.
However Wendy didn't get to tell the other half of her life as two boys arrived shortly after her.
Charles Forbes seemed as quiet as Wendy was talkative, but Dominic King spoke for them both. By now there were no empty desks left and Colleen began to worry a little. The Gryffindors would prefer to sit next to other Gryffindors, wouldn't they?
Halley Alberta, who arrived in the middle of Tullia's demonstration of her Mermish skills, did indeed pick the seat next to Wendy and a halfblood called Ceasareus Tonks placed himself next to Oliver Sanger just before they were done with attendance and began the actual lesson.
Professor Flitwick was just explaining the miniscule differences between charms, hexes, glamours and enchantments when the door opened once again and a dark skinned boy walked in.
Flitwick glanced at his class list. "Mr. Thomas Quentin, I assume?"
"Yes, Sir. Sorry for being late. I got lost."
"I know, I know. Happens to first years every year." Flitwick agreed tolerantly. "Please sit down and copy the lists on the blackboard. They show the differences between the different categories of spells."
Colleen held her breath until Thomas Quentin sat down next to Gangolf. Phew, that had been close. One more student and she would have had to share her desk.
"Another separate category that I don't want to get into too deeply today are the curses. We will not study any curses in this class this year, but they mostly fall into the DADA sector anyway. You will hear more about them there, though I don't know in what year my college plans to cover them, yet."
Colleen frowned once again, She had been looking forward to learning curses. Her father had already shown her a few, but she'd never been allowed to try them herself.
"In our next lesson we will start practical exercises on a simple charm, so I want to take a closer look at the theory behind charms in general now." Flitwick pointed at the list of criteria noted under charms. "As you can see here ..."
The door opened and a tiny girl in old, too large robes stumbled in.
"Ah, Ms Barbara Xanton?" Flitwick smiled.
"I ran into Peeves." Barbara Xanton explained. "He directed me down into the dungeons." She shuddered. "Professor Snape already took points."
"It's alright Ms. Xanton. Peeves can be nasty. Please sit down and copy this list."
Oh no! No! Not that shabby little something!
"Hi, I'm Babsie." the girl introduced herself to Colleen.
"Just keep your filthy paws away from me." Coleen hissed and secretly hoped that her lucj would improve after lunch.
She was getting really hungry too. 'Please, let them not serve stew. Anything but stew.'
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Grimsdale – Ah, but I will have to stop sometime, or The Catar will never be written.
Madame Moony – Astronomy is mandatory. And you don't have every subject every day in a European school. Each day of the week has its own schedule. Normally the number of lessons a week is determined by the importance of the subject, but with only one teacher per subject the teacher works 42 hours a week, if each class consists of two houses of the same year and has his subject three hours a week. (If the students have six hours of classes a day, there are only 30 class hours a week. Poor teachers!)
Pam Briggs – Actually Colleen is the closest to the old Draco. (That hair thing is a bit of fanon I never adopted.) Gangolf is more the Lockhard type. Each of the student is a person of his/her own, though, not a copy of anybody else. Just try to see Gangolf as Gangolf and Colleen as Colleen.
Kasia – No, Gangolf has no close blood ties with anyone we know, but he is a bit like Gilderoy. I think I'm trying to show what I think would have happened, if Lockhart had been sorted into Slytherin. ... Nope, not too much about Draco's current life coming. I've developed an interest in my new Slytherins and we'll be following them into the beginning of their school careers a bit.
JerseyPike – That was going to happen soon, but Colleen slowed things down a bit and now I'm planning to take a look into all the Slytherin first years' heads. We'll see whether their first trip to West Hogsmeade will fit into this, or come afterwards.
Midnight Tiger – Er ... That was Sevi ... in My Name's Severus. Green hedgehogs are not part of the Runaway Dragon universe. (They only determine the plot from the outside.)
Yuyin – Well, the story will stay mostly at Hogwarts, but we do take a few trips to West Hogsmeade and Draco might pop up during those ... Ah, but Albus never wanted to collaborate with West Hogsmeade. That was always Sevi's idea, which he fended off by saying he had to concentrate on Voldemort. Billy was just the bait to finally get Albus to seriously consider the idea. (And Albus loves his little godson and thinks Hogwarts is the only truly good wizarding school in all of Britain. West Hogsmeade in his eyes is an inferior school for the untalented and hopeless. ... He'll learn better, yet.)
Mystical Witch – That's not the thrown together team Draco started with anymore, though they probably have no chance against West Hogsmeade, or any other school that has played actual games already, at the moment. They do have a lot of Muggle borns, though and once they get used to actual competitions, they'll do okay. ... Gangolf ... well, you'll see once we take a little walk in his head. This was Colleen's chapter for now.
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- A/N: So what do you think of Colleen now? Will she ever make friends with any of her classmates? And what is Rupert's problem (I'm actually looking for suggestions here. The idea I have doesn't quite fit.)?
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In the next chapter: We see what's for lunch, take a walk in Anny's head and maybe one of the boys' as well.
