Jack: "…I'll bet you anything you like that half and hour after they have met, they will be calling each other sister."
Algernon: "Women only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first"
-Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Where You Belong
Chapter 4
Monday morning arrived bright and sunny, taunting the students that had to stay inside the dark castle all day. Classes started back up today and Andrea couldn't be happier, she was finally given a plausible excuse for not talking to her fellow housemates for a significant amount of hours.
Andrea had gotten up early to get to breakfast in time and still be able to leave early enough to act like she had to find her way to the Transfiguration classroom. She wandered the hallways aimlessly until she thought that she was lost enough to find her way back to the proper classroom. She had gotten to the Transfiguration classroom just in time and sat at the back away from the other Slytherins hoping to avoid them for the rest of the day.
By the time her last class of the day, Charms, had ended Andrea was pleased to say that she had avoided the rest of the Slytherins all day. Now that classes were over though she was sure they would surround her so she did the only thing she could think of to get away from them, she went to the library. The Slytherins didn't really like to hang out in the library because there were too many Ravenclaws and Gryffindors.
Andrea grabbed a seat in the Charms section, since that was the subject she need to study the most for, and got to her homework. She worked diligently for about an hour before she was disturbed by a shy female voice.
"Excuse me. Is it alright if I sit here with you? All the other tables are full."
Andrea looked up shocked that the library was so full. She was so engrossed in her work that she hadn't noticed the increase in volume. She was just about to lose herself in her thoughts again when she realized that she had yet to answer the girl.
"Sorry I was so caught up in my work, um…sure you can work here. Let me just move some of my stuff so you have room."
"Thank you. I'm Lily by the way."
"Your welcome Lily, I'm Andrea."
"The new Slytherin?"
"Yea…that's me."
"Sorry I'm just not used to kindness from Slytherins."
"Well I'm not quite what you'd call a normal Slytherin, but then again I don't think I've ever been called normal." Andrea had once again drifted into her own thoughts as she rambled on to Lily. Lily looked a little confused when Andrea realized what she was doing. "Sorry I tend to drift off when I ramble."
"It's ok."
The girls looked at each other for a few seconds before each turned back to their own work. Andrea was once again lost in her work while Lily worked but her mind was on the unusual Slytherin sitting across the table from her.
In all her years at Hogwarts not one Slytherin had been nice to Lily because she was muggle born, yet she was always trying to keep James and his friend's from picking on them. She had secretly hoped that if the marauders stopped picking on the Slytherins that maybe the house animosity would die. By now she knew that her dream was naive and pointless as the animosity ran centuries deep. Yet here was the newest Slytherin going against everything the others did, and it confused her for she knew that this girl had the house rivalry drilled into her from her first night here. By the time she was done her homework Lily had decided to give this girl a chance and find out why she was so different from the rest.
The nest few days went by with Andrea drifting from class to class, then to the library, not returning to the common room until right before curfew, and then going straight to bed feigning exhaustion. The rest of the Slytherins didn't bother her believing that she was working hard to do well, not knowing that it was all part of her plan to avoid them. Severus Snape was the only one who she felt was less then convinced by her act, as he was the only one in her year that was part of her greeting gang.
Malfoy, Narcissa Black, and Rookwood were all in seventh year and didn't pay any mind to those below them. Bellatrix Black, Regulus Black, and Rudolophus Lestrange were all in fifth year and were loaded down with too much work to care what the sixth years did.
After two weeks of her 'act' Severus cornered her in her spot in the library. Andrea had no idea what to expect from him but was just glad that Lily wasn't there yet, for ever since meeting her Lily had sat at the same table as Andrea to do her homework.
"Alright Taylor why are you really in here until curfew if our homework only really takes half the time?" Severus inquired in a hushed voice as he took the open seat next to Andrea.
"Well maybe for you it only takes half the time but I like to put my best effort into my work. Bedsides some of the subjects I need to study more then others because I'm not as good at them. Some of them I study further just because they interest me. Is that a problem?"
"If you enjoy studying so much then how come you aren't in Ravenclaw?"
"I don't know ask the stupid hat, I think it placed me according to my mood that night and not on my qualities or whatever." Andrea snapped back whishing Severus would get the hint and let her be.
"There's more to it though isn't there?"
"What do you want form me?"
"I want to know why you're avoiding us."
"Sorry I'm a little shy and not quite the social butterfly the rest of you are but that's just not me. I've always blended into the background to be ignored by everyone except my one or two friends, it's just who I am." Andrea retaliated.
"Well you'd better be glad that I'm the only one who's taken any notice of your habits so far."
"And why is that?"
"Because your outburst contradicts your statement and besides I know what it's like to be in a place and have to do things you'd rather not."
"What in the world are you talking about Severus?"
Severus took a quick look around the library to see how full it was and how private their conversation could be. Once he was satisfied that it was pretty empty he continued.
"Look Andrea you've heard of Lord Voldemort right, the one that's been wrecking havoc and killing muggles and muggle born witches and wizards?"
"Yea I've heard of him. Why?"
"Well most everyone in the group that met you on the first night is being inducted in to Voldemorts ranks once they graduate Hogwarts. They say that soon a war will break out and it's better to choose the winning side before traitors try to get in."
"And you don't want to join?" Andrea inquired.
"No…and yes at the same time. To join you need to do his wish of muggle baiting and torture, but I don't really want to do that. I want to have power and learn those long forgotten and banned spells that the ministry locks up. I know that Lord Voldemort can get those for me but I need to follow his word and gain his favor before I get what I want. So you see I have to do things that I'd rather not."
"Are you really sure that his, is the winning side?"
"Of course! Why do you question it you'll be joining him with me come next summer." Snape stated. Andrea looked at him for a moment with no emotion on her face before turning back to her forgotten Transfiguration essay. "You will be joining him, won't you?"
"I don't know Severus I've only just heard of him as he wasn't much of a threat to us in America."
"You have to join him or he'll hunt you down and kill you."
"Maybe some things are worth dying for Severus." With that Andrea snapped one of her books closed and drifted down one of the isles hoping that Severus would finally get the hint and leave her alone.
Severus sat there for a bit thinking about Andrea. She was surely a Slytherin if she was angry or annoyed but other then that she was too much of a Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. From her last outburst Severus was convinced that she was defiantly more of a Gryffindor then she ever would be Slytherin, and he was certain that she would not be joining the dark lord any time soon. The realization about her led Severus to leave the library and head back to the common room where he was intent on telling Lucius what Andrea was really like. Halfway there though Severus stopped, he wouldn't tell Lucius that he knew it was more then probable that Andrea wouldn't join the dark lord.
For some reason Severus knew that Andrea wouldn't tell what he told her so he wasn't going to tell anyone what she told him. Maybe in time she would change her mind and join the dark lord but he wasn't going to let anyone know that she had been against him once before.
By the time Andrea got back to her table Snape was long gone and Lily was sitting in her usual spot paging through her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.
"Oh hello Andrea." Lily greeted as Andrea sat down at the table.
"Hello Lily. What are you looking for?"
"More information on dementors."
"You'll never find what you want in there."
"Why is that?"
"Because I did the same thing. Here this is the book I used for extra information."
"Thanks."
"Just be glad I hadn't put it away yet otherwise you would have been here for a week trying to find it. I found accidentally."
"Oh that's not a problem I probably know this library better then the back of my hand I'm in here so often."
"Why are you in here so often? Do you really have that much homework?"
"Well I do have a lot of work but the common room is way to busy and noisy to get any work done there, and that's without the marauders there." Lily sarcastically answered.
"Who are the marauders?"
"Oh, sorry I keep forgetting that there's so much you don't know yet. The marauders are four sixth year boys, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They're best friends and pranksters, and they dislike all slytherins, in fact I'm surprised that they haven't tried to prank you yet as you're a new 'unsuspecting' target. Anyway they're quite rowdy so I work here to be able to concentrate."
"That and you want to get away from James constantly asking you out." Both girls turned to see who belonged to the mystery voice that had interrupted their conversation. Behind Lily stood a boy about five feet nine inches in height with shaggy sandy blonde hair that slightly fell into his amber and gold speckled eyes. He had a grin of amusement upon his slightly pale face as he saw the startled looks on the girls' faces.
"Remus don't do that, you startled me!" Lily reprimanded.
"Sorry Lily but I had to add that ever important fact, the story wouldn't be complete without it." Remus replied. "Who's your friend that doesn't know the story of the infamous marauders?"
"Remus this is Andrea, Andrea this is Remus."
"Nice to meet you Remus, and before you ask yes I'm the 'new slytherin'." Andrea introduced.
"Oh… hello Andrea…" but before Remus could say anything else Lily interrupted.
"What did you want Remus?"
"I wanted to let you know that we have a prefect meeting in…a half hour in McGonagall's classroom." Remus answered.
"Thanks. Will you be off to find the others?"
"Nah Peter has detention with Caldwell and James and Sirius have quidditch practice so if you two don't mind I'll just hang here until the meeting."
"Sure." Andrea replied as she turned back to her books and started working on her essay once more. Remus looked to Lily but she just shrugged her shoulders and went back to paging through her book. Remus sat for another minute before pulling out his half finished potions essay and working on it.
* * *
Once Remus and Lily were out of the library and away from prying ears a multitude of questions came.
"What's with her she's a Slytherin and she was being nice to two Gryffindors?" Remus blurted out.
"I don't know Rem, she's been nice to me ever since I met her two weeks ago. She's not like the other Slytherins."
"I see. Were you actually having a conversation with her before I interrupted?"
"Yea, she had asked me why I was always in the library and I told her it was because the common room was too noisy especially with you four there. She had no idea who you four were so that's why I was telling the story of the infamous marauders."
"But shouldn't it have been drilled into her head by now that she's not supposed to be nice to us?"
"Normally I'd say it has but I don't think she really paid any attention to them when they tried to tell her the ways of the Slytherins and how things work here."
Remus had quite a few more questions but they would have to wait until he learned more about this girl, or at least until the prefect meeting was over.