Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling, and don't own Harry Potter

A/N: Thanks to my wonderful Beta Jim

Chapter 2

Bethany,

I'm glad that everything seems to be alright and that you're settling in, I hope that your first year is a lot less eventful than mine. (That story will wait until you are older. Just don't trust anything that can think for itself)

I'm also very glad that you got sorted into Gryffindor; I was in Gryffindor too when I went to Hogwarts.

Everything is fine here, Dad's work is getting a little stressful, not to mention Mrs Nyman's strange looks, but that's always happened, we're used to it now. Emily's mum asked me to tell you that Emily is missing you, and would like to write to you. I'm sure you know that telling Muggles about Magic is illegal, so be careful what you say, give your letters to me and I'll be sure to pass them on.

About Professor Snape, be wary of him, he taught me at school, and he was a nasty piece of work then! However it's good that these last couple of lessons you seem to be getting along alright with him. I presume that talent for potions comes from your Father being a chemistry teacher; they're quite similar in essence. Don't tell Snape that I am your mother, the fact that Snape doesn't despise you even though you are a Gryffindor will stand you in good favour, if he found out who you are, it will be gone. He really is that shallow, I went to school with a boy whose Father was in the same year as Professor Snape, and he hated the boy, just because he hated his Father. Too many questions will follow, questions that I am not ready to answer, and you are not ready to hear.

We miss you terribly, and hope to see you over the Christmas break

Love,

Mum and Dad.

Beth closed her eyes tightly and resisted the urge to burn the letter, she had too many questions, and wasn't getting any answers. Beth wasn't stupid; she knew that this had something to do with the looks that the teachers were giving her. They had to be. It wasn't just the first week, it had kept going. McGonagall the Rector had given her a hard look and shook her head as though dismissing it. Beth hadn't thought much of this because she was old... But Professor Snape, who was quite old, but not old enough to be going senile, continued to search her face. Tyrone tried comforting her saying that she just had one of those faces people couldn't help but look at. But this never happened back home. Well it did, but not in the same way.

She sighed and rolled the letter up, placing it into her pocket, trying not to think about what the outcome of those questions could be. It was Quidditch today and Tyrone was making her go. However when Iliana explained it earlier that week, the idea hadn't appealed plus Gryffindor weren't even playing, so it was with a heavy heart that she followed her friend to the Quidditch stands, all wrapped up in scarves and jumpers for the bitter October day.

x

The speed, The excitement, The pure thrill!

She wasn't too sure on the rules still; all she knew was that she loved it! Tyrone had sad that he would try and explain the rules to her again after they had finished their potions assignment. Truthfully, she didn't really mind if she knew the rules or not at that moment all she cared was that she had seen the best sport in her life. She knew while watching the game that she was grinning and cheering like an idiot, which made her get a rather strange look from Professor Snape, but she didn't care, she was having such a good time she didn't care what people thought of her then, nor whether people were looking at her.

"It really wasn't that good a game" Tyrone said, Iliana linked arms with him "My Godfather took me to the world cup last year and it was amazing. Even for Hogwarts that game wasn't that good. Hufflepuff caught the snitch far too early."

"Your Godfather took you to games? Is he a Quidditch fan then?" Iliana asked. Her blue eyes dull, obviously not really interested, but wanting to spark up conversation with Tyrone, Beth rolled her eyes, and tried hard not to laugh. Iliana had been trying to catch Tyrone's interest for quite a while, and she just wouldn't except that Tyrone just wasn't that interested in her.

"He's a huge fan! He plays quite a bit too, made sure I could ride a broom pretty much before I could walk. I can't wait until I'm able to try out next year!"

Beth's mood deflated. She'd never ridden a broom before, there was no way that she'd be able to play for the house Quidditch team, she thought about buying one over the summer, but then she remembered that there was no way she would be able to practise, Mrs Nyman would see her. She sighed and kicked a stone that was in front of her, Iliana was talking but she wasn't really listening, just thinking, until she heard something that caught her attention.

"Flying lessons?" Beth asked perking up.

"Yeah," Iliana said like it was obvious. "We were meant to start a few weeks ago but Madam Hooch is having family problems and had to go home. Notice how Jamieson was referee?" She hadn't, but Beth didn't think about that, Iliana was continuing. "Apparently some former pupil has volunteered to teach us for a while." Sheshrugged, and Tyrone shifted his weight slightly looking at the floor. They were going into the castle when that boy that Beth had bumped into all those weeks ago, looked her up and down and snarled before scampering away quickly. Beth had a problem contemplating what had happened, he had actually snarled at her!

"What's Nott doing that to you for?" Tyrone asked, Beth raised her eyebrows "Teirnan Nott's a nasty piece of work" He continued. "His uncle was a Voldemort supporter, a Death Eater, His Dad was suspected of that too but they couldn't prove it. So why was he doing that for?"

"Why is everyone doing it?" She muttered darkly, looking at the floor again. Neither of her friends could answer that.

In the next potions class, Beth found herself eyeing Snape curiously thinking about her mother's warning. Would he really 'abandon' her if he found out who her mother was? Snape had been rather kind to her, he had seen her pouring over a potions book in the library even no homework had been set and had warmed to her ever since. Well warmed as much as the cold hearted Slytherin would allow. She didn't know why he was like this towards her, as he wasn't to any other Gryffindors who all hated him, even some of the Slytherins seemed too! In a way it scared Beth and she wondered if Snape saw qualities within her that no one else saw. There often was a strange gleam in his eye, as though he reminded her of someone who he had been fond of. Beth shivered and silently wondered if she wanted to be thought of someone that Snape was fond of, even if that meant she didn't get detention of points deducted. She also wondered what said qualities could be, if there were any of course.

'Oh my, you are a cunning little one...'

Shut up! Beth told the voice in her head, that eerie voice in her ear of the sorting hat almost two months previously. Was it really two months? In all that time she had only gotten one letter from her mother. She suddenly felt as though her mother was glad that she had gone to Hogwarts now, only one letter, a short one at that. Then again, it wasn't as though she had written a lot either. 'I'm busy; mum only has a part time job, much more time to spare than I do.' Her thoughts were so involved in mentally chiding her mother she failed to notice that Professor Snape had asked her a question.

"Miss Richardson, I asked you a question. What is the difference between Wolfsbane and Monkshood?"

Bethany looked up at those cold black eyes, which seemed as though they had little, if any warmth in them. "Aren't they the same thing sir?" she replied. His eyes flicked up to Tyrone and glared at the boy.

"Indeed. Am I to understand that our young Mr Lupin told you that? We all know his relationship to that, little plant." He said very slowly and every word of it dripping with malice. Bethany swallowed and wondered why Tyrone would know any thing about it, and then thought that maybe it was something to do with the fact that his dad was a werewolf. Tyrone blinked but continued to stare at the loathed teacher.

"No, I read it sir." Bethany said firmly.

"So you say Miss Richardson." He said, waving her comments away. Bethany furrowed her eyebrows and wondered what had bought that on. He was fine when he saw her in the library only last week! She frowned, and continued to stare at the Potions Master as he put instructions on the board; for the remainder of the lesson he didn't look at her once.

x

Flying lessons started on the following Thursday and Beth was immensely looking forward to them. As she, Tyrone and Iliana stepped onto the Quidditch Pitch. Iliana said "Does any one know who's teaching us yet?" Tyrone looked uncomfortable and moved closer to Beth. As he walked he took her hand and gave it a small squeeze, she gave a shy smile at the touch of Tyrone's hand, but this went unnoticed to Iliana who carried on talking regardless. "I've been looking up former pupils who were good at Quidditch, good enough to teach us. There was Oliver Wood of course, you know, England's Keeper." She said at the oblivious look on Beth's face. "But he's far too busy to be teaching us." At this Beth stopped listening; Iliana was rather obsessed about famous people for some reason and often went on keenly who her mother had met at some point in her line of work as an Obliviator, whatever that was.

Her eyes went on to the pitch, Tyrone's hand still in hers. There she saw two lines of broomsticks, and the back of a dark haired man who was speaking to Professor McGonagall, who seemed to be giving him a bit of a going over. Without turning to them as they approached he yelled; "Stand by a broom, and don't do any thing until I say." They all did so, and Beth strained her ears to try and find what they were talking about. There was too much background noise to even catch a word but the Head Mistress was pointing a finger at the man threateningly, by his stance he seemed completely unphased by this threatening posture.

Beth looked around at her friends, and could see Iliana craning her neck to see who this mystery man was. Tyrone, however, kept his head down, kicking the end of his tatty broom, causing it to bump into hers. He sighed and Beth furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what was wrong with him. He normally seemed so cheerful but today he seemed so miserable. Beth nudged him in the ribs and smiled which he half heartedly returned.

The man turned around but his head was still down so that she didn't see his features enough to recognise him, not that Beth would have anyway. That was one thing that had shocked her. After coming from a small village where she knew everyone to this place where she knew no one frightened her a little, and she kept looking at people expecting to recognise them when she couldn't.

"Put your right hand over you broom and say up!" Beth bit her lip and saw other people do it first, Tyrone's of cause, after all his prior training, went straight into his hand. Others, Iliana and another girl called Jade's did nothing. A couple of others rolled, and some went into their hands on their second and third attempts. Aiden Clark's, another Gryffindor, smacked him straight in the face, causing an outbreak of laughter amongst the rest of the pupils.

Beth inhaled a breath and said very firmly "Up!" To her utter astonishment it went straight into her hand! She was so pleased with herself; she smiled brightly at Tyrone, who returned her smile, before she smiled at Iliana. But her face was so in awe of their teacher, she wasn't paying any attention to her friend's achievement. Beth followed her gaze to the Teacher, who still hadn't introduced himself. He had black messy hair and glasses and was quite short, but really just an average twenty- something man in Beth's opinion. Although as she looked at him, something struck her as familiar, but she still had no idea why Iliana was so amazed by him.

All of a sudden she heard this shrieking in her ear, "Beth, Beth!" squealed Iliana, shaking Beth's arm enthusiastically as she spoke.

"It's Harry Potter!"

A/N: Review please!