Hermione looked across at the girl who walked silently next to her. She was surprised when this new student and her brother had challenged Snape. No one shouted at him and told him what to do, he was just too scary. Now the two of them had split from Draco and the other one. 'What was his name? Sorros. It had a ring to it,' Hermione thought.
The girl next to her was striking and was calling attention to them as they walked through the corridors heading towards the Gryffindor common room.
Sophius had politely asked questions as they had walked but seemed very much absorbed in her thoughts at the same time. It was weird. Hermione was used to silence, she liked it, but this girl's silence was as if she was talking.
They reached the portrait of The Fat Lady and she told her the password, "Flowerpots." They walked in and as Hermione scanned the common room she spotted Ron and Harry playing chess in the corner.
'Hermione is nice,' Sophius thought to no one but herself. She was startled when she got a reply from her brother.
'That is nice Sophius. Draco is not that bad for a Malfoy.' She smiled at his thought. They had heard of Malfoy from Krum who had stayed two years ago at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament.
'That is nice Sorros. But I was not talking to you. Where are you?'
'In the Slytherin Common room; they do like the colour green.' he thought with a laugh.
'Hmmm… talk later I have got to go socialise.'
'Okay. Do not forget the meeting with father.'
'I will!' Sophius turned her thoughts away from any reply and focused on the conversation between Hermione and the two boys. They were playing wizards chess, and from the looks of things the black haired boy was losing horribly.
"Sophius." Sophius looked up towards Hermione and smiled warily.
" Let me introduce you to my best friends. Ron Weasley," Hermione said pointing to the red haired boy who now studied Sophius with more interest than before.
"Pleasure," was all Sophius said.
"And Harry Potter." Hermione continued pointing to the dark haired boy who was watching the white haired girl warily. Sophius raised her eyebrows at the name but didn't comment.
Instead she asked, "Who's winning?" They got into a conversation and Ron swiftly beat Harry before Sophius asked if she could play. Ron smiled and said he'd take it easy on her.
"Don't bother! I know how to play. I'm not as good as my brother but I can play." So they played and within half an hour she had beaten him. Ron had been surprised whilst Harry and Hermione cheered her on. Sophius looked at her watch and smiled.
"I'd better be going now. Professor Snape wants to talk with us." Harry smiled politely.
"What did you do to deserve that horror?" Sophius laughed gently.
"It's not what I did but what he did."
Sorros sat across from the young blonde male, and was now surrounded by Slytherin students who weren't all that nice. The Draco he'd met on the way from his father's office to the common room, where he would be staying for the next week at least had disappeared and was now replaced with a cocky and arrogant git. Sorros said nothing on the matter and didn't really pay attention to the murmur of plotting against the Gryffindors and Quidditch match strategies. Draco smirked at him as the girl on his lap, Pansy, whispered in his ear.
Sorros glanced down at his watch thankful that he only had a few more minutes until he could leave. He heaved a sigh that went unnoticed by the rest of the rabble and abruptly stood. " You okay Sorros?" Draco asked not really paying attention to the answer. Sorros smiled politely and spoke, possibly for the first time since entering the common room.
"Yeah I'm fine. I've got a meeting with Professor Snape now so I'll see you later." And with that he turned and walked through the portrait into the dungeons. He took a few turns and ended up outside his Father's quarters. Whispering the password he entered to see his father in a leather chair with a book in hand and cup of tea on the small coffee table in front of him.
Sorros smiled remembering a time when the whole family would just sit in silence reading. But that was on the edge of his memory. The only memory he had of his Mother still alive.
Sorros moved further into the room and scanned the bookcase to find something to read. He knew that his father was not likely to start talking until Sophius arrived and he knew that she was likely to keep them waiting. He selected a book and sat in the chair opposite his father knowing he could make a good dent in the book before having to discuss the serious issues. Such as what was in store for them now they had arrived at Hogwarts.
Snape looked at the clock on the mantle over the fireplace. Sophius was late, but only ten minutes so far. Snape knew that he would have to wait a lot longer until he could have the conversation he had wanted to have in the potions classroom earlier that day. He had managed to annoy Sophius earlier and her lateness was her way of showing it. Unlike her twin, who was already in the room, she didn't just hex him then carry on as if nothing happened. She would let him wait, then, normally, argue until he relented, which although strange to see in the classroom, was the routine with his kids. He was kinder to his children and often let them win an argument due to the fact that he barely saw them.
Snape mused some more in the chair before the fire before finally closing the book and replacing it on the shelf of the antique bookshelf that stood in the corner of the room. He glared angrily at the clock his daughter was now over an hour late and he was beginning to get irritated.
"Where is she?" he snapped at Sorros who sat comfortably in the chair opposite, reading his copy of 'Potions and Charms: mixture for mischief.' Sorros placed the book steadily on his knee and looked at him. He smiled at a thought unknown to Snape and shook his head.
"She will be here!" he stated before once again lifting the book.
"When? Midnight? Or perhaps she'd prefer to keep us waiting 'til tomorrow breakfast?" Snape asked his son sarcastically. He watched as irritation flickered across Sorros' face before it smoothed back into a calm mask.
"She is on her way, okay? So chill!"
Snape regarded his son. ' He has spent too much time with his godfather,' he thought to himself. He was about to comment when the door opened and in swept his daughter, black robes billowing around her and white hair flowing.
"You are late! Again!" he stated in a cold voice and gave her a glare to match his voice.
"That's nice! I believe you asked us here for a reason! Get on with it so I can go!"
He snorted. "You do not make it easy! "
"If you had wanted it easy you would not have had children!" Snape rolled his eyes and gestured o the seat next to his.
"Let us get started then."
The week that followed saw no disruption and although Sophius and Sorros hardly saw each other they spoke often in the way only they could.
Hermione had shown Sophius the way around the school; she was given instructions as to where classrooms were and which of the steps on the ever-moving staircase to avoid, as they were trick steps.
When the Friday arrived the twins were summoned to the Headmasters office just after breakfast. It was time for them to be sorted into their houses for the years to come.
