Chapter 5
Slytherin? Lily heard it being repeated throughout the Great Hall. There must be some mistake she thought. How could Harry Potter's daughter be in Slytherin? Ravenclaw perhaps, even Hufflepuff! But not Slytherin! All of her father's life he had fought those who were in Slytherin. And now his own daughter was in Slytherin.
Professor Sorax made surprised glances up at the staff table but tried to behave normally
"Take off the hat, Miss Potter"
Lily was stationary for a few seconds, she felt slightly nauseas from shock. Professor Sorax began to approach her as if to take the hat off for her, Lily grasped the situation and whipped off the hat marched straight down to the Slytherin table. She had to make the best of the situation. The Slytherin table cheered.
Lily sat down shell shocked by the news. Then she realised that she was sitting next to Venus.
"Isn't this wonderful! Maybe we'll all be in this house" she said in a loud whisper. She was absolutely ecstatic
Lily sighed and muttered under her breath
"Yeah…in the wrong house"
Jessica had been put in Gryffindor. Not Ravenclaw but still it was something that was reasonably expected.
Why Slytherin?
Why?
What would her father say?
What would her mother say?
Merlin what would anyone say!
Even when the delicious Hogwarts food had appeared she was not cheered up. Distracted slightly when she saw Octavias glaring at his sister who seemed to battling with herself whether or not to eat a chicken leg or not. Yes distracted but certainly not cheered up
"Well, well, well….a Slytherin well I always new you were the black sheep of the family but still!" came a soft kind voice from behind her. Lily swivelled around on her seat to face a tall Ravenclaw fifth year with soft light hazel brown hair and matching almond shaped eyes. Romulus Lupin.
"Rom!" Lily squealed giving jumping up and giving him a hug. At last her heart did not seem to be as heavy as a rock
Romulus was the son of her father's old DADA professor Remus Lupin and the metamorphmagus auror Nymphadora Tonks. Romulus was a very handsome boy who, from the gossip Lily had heard from her family, attracted girls left, right and centre and would have done the late Sirius Black proud. Romulus sat down next to Lily, between her and Venus.
"Well, a Slytherin…first in your family I'd say"
"I wouldn't be surprised" Lily mumbled
"Well not for us its not" came a voice. Octavias seemed to catch the prejudiced tones to Slytherin coming from Romulus and Lily.
Romulus looked at Octavias and said perfectly casually, he had inherited the diplomacy of his father.
"You're a Malfoy aren't you? And you?" he looked at Venus next to him.
"Yes we're twins" said Octavias
"Our Father is Draco Malfoy…you've probably heard of him?" said Venus
"Yes I have-" there was an awkward silence, then Romulus said with the same diplomacy "My father said he was quite good at Defence against the Dark Arts"
Pity he used the actual Dark Arts instead of the defence thought Lily. She caught Romulus' eye and knew he was thinking the exact same thing. He gave a lop sided grin. "My name is Romulus Lupin," he said holding out his hand. Octavias shook it
"Octavias"
"Venus" Venus said shaking his hand next
"Rom, tell us about all the teachers?" said Lily pointing to the staff table. Octavias and Venus looked at the teachers as well
"Well" said Romulus cocking his head to one side thoughtfully "the one who read out the sorting is Professor Katherine Sorax, she's deputy head and head of Slytherin"
"Slytherin?" repeated Lily her eyes wide
"I could have sworn she would be a Hufflepuff" said Octavias looking up at the pretty teacher who was fluttering her eye lids at a the handsome professor with the crew cut.
"As you can see not everyone is in the house you expect" said Romulus to Lily "Anyway she teaches charms and is champion hottie to every boy in the school"
Lily sniggered as Sorax's laugh rang out like a tinkle of bells from the staff table at the crew cut teacher who had obviously made a joke. "Yeah the guy she is laughing with is Professor Nikolas Tushkikov, Russian, he's head of Hufflepuff and teaches Potions"
"Whats he like?" asked Venus
"Well, he's pretty fair, he took over a few years back when Slughorn retired, poor guy, died half a year later you know. Well Tushkikov is the great love interest of Sorax. I mean look at her she's all over him. Anyway the teacher next to him is Professor Gerard Finnigan. His younger brother was in your Dad's year Lily. Seamus Finnigan was his name I think. Well Finnigan teaches Herbology, he's really good, he sometimes spends the whole lesson discussing the landscapes of Ireland and we don't do any work. Oh yeah and he's head of Ravenclaw."
"Sounds like fun" said Lily
"My father told me about the Finnigans" said Octavias sneering slightly "Half bloods aren't they…they go around boasting it too"
"Octavias" Venus growled. Octavias winced as though he had received a forceful kick against his shin
"Yes," said Romulus tonelessly "My mother is half blood too"
"And so is my father" said coldly Lily, she was about to add that so was Jessica but thought that Jess would not be too happy about her flaunting it.
"Sorry" said Octavias, although he did not sound very sorry, "Next teacher?"
"Oh yeah, the one between Professor McGonagall and Professor Sorax is Professor Darrell Rivers" he said nodding to the tall thin and elegantly beautiful black haired witch. "She's an auror…perhaps your Mum and Dad mentioned her?"
"I've heard her name…I think" said Lily
"If she's an auror why is she teaching here?" asked Venus curiously and absent mindedly unwrapping a mint humbug
"She had a bit of an arm injury from a battle. She was offered a desk job or a place in Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and Head of Gryffindor teaching next to her best friend"
"Who is?"
"Sorax. Apparently they were in the same year at school together"
"How long has she been teaching here then?"
"A year…her arms was cursed really badly…that's why she wears those black gloves. To cover the curse marks."
"Really?" Lily's eyes widened
"Well that's what she says…I looked up curses and found nothing about ones which have an everlasting effect on people" he said sceptically "Still, can't complain, she's a good teacher and quite a character…she used to be a goth…you should check out the shoes she wears."
"Hey Rom what are you hanging around here with the first years" came a boy's voice. Lily looked up to see a curly haired fifth year boy.
"Hi Jack, this is Lily Potter"
"Harry Potter's daughter?" he said raising his eyebrows. He shook her hand "Your Dad was a good quidditch player wasn't he?"
"Which comes second to defeating the You-Know-Who twice doesn't it Jack?" said Romulus sardonically
"Of course" he grinned
"Jack's quidditch captain for Ravenclaw" Romulus explained. Lily made an 'oh' shape with her mouth
"You'll be trying out for the Slytherin team then?"
"Uh perhaps" Lily mumbled not sure how her Dad was take that on top of everything else
"Well if you do I hope you don't have your father's talent or I'm finished" he said "Come on Rom' Chelsea Abercross is having another cat fight with Louisa Shortcake. Nice meeting you Potter" he said stalking off
"See you later Lil, Octavias, Venus" he nodded and followed his friend.
So, people weren't always in the house they expected. Professor Sorax, the expected Hufflepuff had been in Slytherin. She had ended up good. Besides she already had two new friends in Slytherin and was sure more could follow. Lily helped herself to a food thinking how her life at Hogwarts may not be so bad.