Author's Note: I'm so proud of myself! Two chapters in one day on a story I was suffering major writer's block on. But thanks to one review and a new chapter from Slytherin Rising, I think I was on a roll .I hate that this roll had to come after the school year started. So much time during the summer, and hardly any now. But I guess that's how plot bunnies scheme to work. One review inspired another chapter, imagine what a bunch in an hour could do. Just saying… I'm really excited about this story, and the way it's going, I think I might be able to have a series on my hands, along with AP classes and social events. Joy. But, the end of this chapter, the staff meeting, that's from the unrevised original Serpents and Muggle-borns, because I'm still just that lazy.
Disclaimer: Only one or two characters are mine. Yay me!
Chapter Four"We're leaving soon. Are you packed, m'dear?" Anne called up the stairs, purse slung over her shoulder and coat half on her body.
"Just about! Still have to cage the cat!" Tracey shouted back. This was followed by an indignant meow and a "thump."
After Tracey managed to get the cat into it's small jail, she headed down the stairs, long hair tied back in a loose bun, wavy tendrils flapping about her face as she went down the stairs with luggage and a cage in hand. Inside the cage an angry looking raven-haired cat, with a short but sleek coat of fur and magical violet eyes, glared at everyone and everything, and as it was peering angrily at the neighbor's gnome, the cage was shoved into the car with Tracey.
"Have you found a name for your feline counterpart yet?" Samuel inquired as he loaded the trunk of the car and closed it, before getting into the drivers seat and starting the ignition.
"He's my nameless cat. Oh, cat without a name. I suppose maybe Cat will do, it's simple, and everyone calls him that anyhow," Tracey reasoned, unlocking the cage and taking Cat out, who purred in relief.
"Don't be too happy, you're going right back in when we reach the platform," Tracey whispered to him, and he replied with a deep "mrow."
"I'm so excited for you, Tracey," Anne exclaimed, looking over her shoulder at Tracey with a large smile as they made their way into the city of London.
"I'm excited, too. And so is Cat. Aren't you, Cat?" Tracey asked, snuggling her face in his fur and stroking his ear.
"She sure can't get enough of that cat," Samuel observed, as he turned the car onto another road.
"I love him to death," Tracey sighed, "because he's grumpy like me."
"I can agree with that," Anne chuckled.
It wasn't long until the reached the platform, and poor Cat was put back into his cage, though he did put up a fight. Samuel strapped the cage to the top of Tracey's luggage, which was strapped to a trolley. Tracey took the handle of the trolley and began to pull it through the platform, followed by her inquisitive parents.
"Platform 9 and 3/4," Samuel repeated, looking at his daughter's ticket.
"Well, it seems odd enough for a wizard train," Anne whispered in reply.
Tracey shook her head, walking faster as she saw Platform 10 and Platform 9.
"Well, it's between these two platforms, I think. But I don't see anything," Tracey said, scratching her head as if it would help her figure out this new dilemma.
"You need to get on Platform 9 and 3/4?" a voice asked from behind her, and Tracey turned quickly, almost knocking heads with the shorter girl behind her.
"Yes," Tracey muttered, looking all around, but not at the girl. Her cheeks had taken on a light pink tint.
"Same here. I'm Daphne Greengrass," the girl announced, holding out her hand regally. She was outgoing like Astrea, Tracey's first magical friend, but more aristocratic, like that Malfoy boy.
"I'm Tracey Davis, I'm a muggle-born and I'm not entirely sure about how to get on," Tracey replied, playing with the hem of her sweater.
The taller girl, whom Tracey presumed to be her sister due to their incredible likeness, though she was obviously older, sneered at Tracey before walking away.
"That's not something you should announce, darling," Daphne said, looking at Tracey with pitying gray eyes.
"It's not?" Tracey asked, feeling all the more stupid and a bit hurt by Daphne's sister's reaction.
"Muggle-borns are seen as ignorant and a tad pesty. But you seem just darling, so I think you might be a bit of an exception," Daphne replied, smiling up at Tracey in an almost condescending way.
"Umm, thanks, I guess," Tracey retorted, frowning.
"Don't mention it," Daphne waved it off and winked. She ran a hand through her light auburn brown hair and asked, "You want me to help you get on? It's really simple actually."
"Sounds good," Tracey said, looking for her parents, then waving when she spotted them. They waved back from a family they were talking to, smiling.
"I'm going, mum! Dad!" Tracey called, and they headed over, both hugging her tightly.
It was a terribly sad parting, but it was for the best. Tracey sighed to herself, then looked at Daphne with a tiny smile.
"Brilliant," Daphne exclaimed, and she grabbed Tracey's hand. "We're going through a wall now. Hold onto my hand and walk fast!"
Tracey swallowed loudly, grabbed her luggage, and allowed this new girl to pull her through the barrier, as she waited for the impact of her face and brick. And yet, it didn't come. Tracey heart raced in shock, her fingers felt numb and she couldn't get her eyes to open.
"Ah! I'm finally going to get on the train this year! It gets old watching your big sister get on for two years, but now it's my turn," Daphne said in Tracey's ear.
"Yeah. Right," Tracey breathed, and finally opened her eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat again as she saw the majesty of the large maroon train before her. As it gleamed in the sunlight she felt her pulse quicken and her blood flow. This was really happening. It was no dream, or nightmare. This was all so real.
"Wow," was all Tracey could say, and Daphne laughed.
"Yeah, it gets old after the first year though," she said, tossing back her stick straight shoulder-length hair.
"It's gorgeous," Tracey sighed.
"And it's going to leave!" Daphne exclaimed. "Look at the time! Grab your things, Tracey!"
Tracey, taken aback by the sudden rush, grabbed her trolley and pulled it toward the open door of the train, but unfortunately had neither the strength, nor the awareness to pull it up. Daphne looked down from her place on the train steps at Tracey, looking scared and hopeless.
"Pull Tracey!" she cried dramatically.
"It won't go!" One of the wheels had gotten stuck.
"Hey!" a voice called from behind Tracey, she turned and then looked up into the face of a rather attractive young boy. He smirked and asked, "Need some help there?"
"Yes, uhh please," Tracey mumbled, eyes lowering to the ground.
"Fantastic! I get to use some magic!" he exclaimed, then took out his wand, waved it about and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Tracey fell back as her things levitated in the air, drifted through the doorway and collapsed right by a stunned Daphne.
"I thought magic couldn't be used outside of school," she said, gaping at him.
"I'm just a rebel, I suppose. Let's get you in," he said and pulled Tracey onto the train, slamming the door just as the train sounded and began to move.
"Thank you, so much! What's your name?" Tracey whispered, panting from the excitement.
The boy stood, grabbed a suitcase which she presumed to be his, and helped the two girls up.
"I'm Erik Bedeau, and please, don't thank me. It's bad for my reputation," Erik grinned haughtily.
"What reputation?" Daphne questioned abruptly. "My sister, Celie, tells me you're the bookworm of Slytherin."
"Slytherin?" Tracey asked, hoping to change the subject as Erik frowned.
"It's my house," Erik replied, "and the best there is, too."
"My sister's in it, and I'm hoping to get in, too. You'd be a pretty decent Slytherin, Tracey," Daphne observed, tightening the straps on her luggage as Erik did the same to Tracey's.
"So the houses are Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. What's the fourth one?" Tracey asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"Hufflepuff. Doesn't even deserve to be a house, if you ask me," Erik explained.
"Why?" Tracey queried.
"Full of questions, isn't she?" Erik said to Daphne, who nodded with a laugh. He turned to Tracey and winked, "Let's get a compartment first, then we can answer your many questions."
"Fine by me," Daphne said, and pulled her luggage down the hall, leaving the other two behind. She looked through each of the windows until she saw an empty compartment, then shouted, "Over here, you two!"
Tracey and Erik followed, pulling their trunks along. After putting them away in the small cabin, they collapsed on the seats.
"Luggage is exhausting," Tracey muttered, pulling the door shut with a slam.
"You can say that again," Erik laughed, then sat up, ruffling his short brown hair so that it stuck up in all directions, light blue eyes glittering.
"Houses," he said. "Let's explain."
"So, Hufflepuff," Daphne sighed, shaking her head, "is a house for basically the dunderheads. The people whose only point in life is to basically reproduce and make more dunderheads."
"Truer words were never spoken," Erik added.
"I'll probably be in Hufflepuff then," Tracey muttered darkly, releasing her black hair from it's bun.
"No, you're smart. I bet you'll either be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw," Erik replied, giving her a pat on the back.
She smiled, then got up to let Cat out of his cage, he did look rather angry after all. The feline slinked out of the cage, before stretching and letting out a wide yawn.
"Beautiful cat, I have a cat, too," Daphne said, patting Cat on the head. "What's the name?"
"His name is Cat," Tracey answered, with a maternal and adoring smile.
"Ironically original," Erik commented, as he began to pet Cat, too, who purred at the attention.
"My cat's name is Charlie, he's with my sister though, she's probably better at controlling him than I am. I just spoil the poor cat," Daphne said, grinning. She ran a hand over Cat's smooth coat, smiling as the small kitten purred.
Immediately, their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the compartment door diverting their attention, and Tracey smiled when she saw it was Astrea, her hair up in a high ponytail and already wearing the school uniform, which looked a tad too big for her. Erik, now closest to the door, pulled it open and greeted Astrea with an interested smirk.
"Tracey!" Astrea exclaimed, pulling in her luggage and plopping down between Tracey and Erik. "I see you've made some new friends already."
"Yes," Tracey grinned, "that's Erik Bedeau and she's Daphne Greengrass. Guys, this is Astrea Moon."
"Moon?"
"Greengrass?"
Astrea and Daphne looked at each other suspiciously, eyes narrowed and eyebrows lifted.The room was silent, save for Cat's "meowing" due to the sudden lack of attention.
"What's the problem?" Tracey asked.
"Moon's mum arrested my dad," Daphne hissed.
"My mum caught Greengrass' dad bribing the ministry to let go of some Death Eaters," Astrea growled.
"What a splendid coincidence," Erik remarked sarcastically. "Why don't we all get back to what we were talking about?"
"I'm not staying if she's in here," Astrea said defiantly.
"Kick her out first," Daphne demanded.
"Astrea, Daphne," Tracey sighed, "this is all about your mums and dads, which should have nothing to do with you two. So what if her mum arrested your dad or whatever. We're all new, except Erik, and we all need friends, let's just forget about the past and look to the future."
"Very deep, Tracey," said Erik with a smile.
"Thanks," Tracey replied shyly.
"I suppose I can forget," Astrea mumbled, then held her hand out to an indignant Daphne. "Friends?"
"Sure," Daphne muttered and awkwardly took Astrea's hand before quickly letting it go.
"Lovely," Erik grinned, putting an arm around Astrea, who shrunk away, giving him a glare.
"So what house do you want to be in Astrea?" Erik inquired, watching her as she released her hair from the ponytail and shook it out.
"Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, like my mum and dad," she said, and Daphne laughed.
"We're all going to be in Slytherin, of course," Daphne spoke in a condescending tone as Astrea sneered at her.
"Well, I'm not," Astrea replied.
"How do you get sorted into the houses?" Tracey queried.
"They put a hat on you and it chooses. You don't get to choose," Erik said, looking pointedly at Astrea and Daphne.
"Wow, more surprises in store. Fantastic," Tracey moaned sardonically. "So, uhh, how are the houses different?"
"Slytherin's for the ambitious and cunning. Ravenclaw is for the smart people. Gryffindor is for the rash and supposedly brave. And Hufflepuff is for the dunderheads. It's pretty simple," Erik explained, ignoring Astrea's indignant gasp.
"There's only a few problems with being a Slytherin though, from what my sister tells me," Daphne said, grabbing Cat and pulling him onto her lap.
"And what are they?" Tracey asked, dark blue eyes wide and curious, a constant since entering this new world.
"One," Erik began, "is that the common room is in the dungeons. It can be rather cold, and the older years always take the seats right by the hearth. I suppose it's better to have the chance to go up in flames than freeze to death."
"It's that bad?" Daphne cried, mouth gaping.
"I doubt it, Greengrass," Astrea replied, and Daphne closed her mouth indignantly.
"Two," Erik went on, unfazed by the interruption, "The pressure to be the best house, because we are. We always have to win at Quidditch and get the House Cup, which goes to the house with the most points. Those points are earned by 'good' behavior and knowing all the answers. We won last year, of course."
"Wow, Slytherin's really good," Tracey commented in interest.
"Third," Erik's voice then lowered, "is that we have the worse Head of House, but he's the best, as well. No one really likes him, sure he's feared and occasionally respected, but not liked. He's the Potions teacher, and I barely passed his class last year, it's so hard. But luckily, he favors us Slytherins, he's basically mostly nasty to the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. His name is Professor Snape. And, I have to say, Tracey," he then turned to her, "there's something about you that just reminds me of him."
"A nasty piece of work like that? Tracey's may seem a bit dark, even when she tries to be perky and sweet, but she's not like him. I've heard horror stories about him, and that's not Tracey," Daphne said, as Tracey frowned.
"Well, that's a bit odd. I'll just have to see for myself," she retorted, settling back into her seat, her mind growing more and more preoccupied as the others began to discuss the rest of the staff.
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Silence. Absolute silence. Those who were anxious would glance at each other, some tapping their quills on the table before them, and a few just remained silent. Finally, a witch with a strict appearance, her dark hair pulled up in a tight bun and a frown etched on her features, stood up and cleared her throat.
The staff members looked up in surprise, taken aback by the sudden and abrupt noise. Yet only one teacher remained impassive as he stared forward, dark eyes locked on a crack in the aging stone walls.
"What is Albus doing?" squeaked a small Professor Flitwick before the woman had a chance to speak.
"Setting up the final test. His own," Minerva McGonagall answered briskly.
"Ah," Professor Flitwick nodded, followed by some of the others.
"Do you suppose the stone will be safe?" Professor Sprout, a squat witch with dirty fingernails and untidy gray hair, asked.
"Of course," the man, who had been listening intently, yet without having said a word, spoke up. He turned his cold black eyes to the teachers, all of whom looked surprised that he was even alive. "I highly doubt that three first years could just stroll right over and retrieve the stone."
"Severus," Minerva warned, narrowing her eyes in his direction.
"Spare me, Minerva," Severus Snape retorted with a drawl as Minerva glared.
"Is it true?" Professor Flitwick abruptly queried, diverting Minerva's attention away from Severus Snape.
"Is what true?"
"That Harry Potter is attending Hogwarts this year?"
Severus Snape looked over at Minerva, silently begging whatever powerful diety was in charge of his fate that this was just a sick and cruel joke. The worst was confirmed.
"Yes, with much trouble though," McGonagall answered.
"I suppose he had too much trouble deciding between all the schools he got accepted to," Severus muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Minerva shot another glare at the Potions Master before continuing the discussion at hand with the rest of the professors.
Half an hour later, Severus Snape was found sulking back to his quarters, purged by memories of his school days. Another Potter, aiming to make his life a living hell and to act like an arrogant and complete snob. The only thing that possibly stopped James from going too overboard (although Severus doubted that was even possible, seeing as the man was as cruel as anyone else he had ever met) was fame, and now his son had received that very honor.
Life was hell.
Severus reached a blank stone wall, with four cracks lining a brick to his right, and five on the one to his left. He took out his wand and tapped a certain pattern of stones, a similar procedure that was used on the entrance to Diagon Alley, after which he spoke the password in a hushed tone.
"Errare humanum est."
The wall opened up to reveal a dark and gloomy passage, which Severus entered, whispering a quick "Lumos" as he made his way through, the white glow of his wand leaving him not completely blinded by darkness. The entrance behind him sealed itself shut.
Severus Snape was not acting like some angst-ridden teenager, no, he was definitely not one to suffer from such depressing moods. But having to deal with a bunch of moronic and annoying students was bad enough, now he'd have another arrogant Potter on his hands. His personal date diety obviously thought this was a decent payback for having joined the Death Eaters... but wasn't this a bit too harsh?
Severus shook his head, a scowl plastered characteristically on his sallow features. He didn't even know what Harry Potter would pay for... but the boy would definitely pay. He would get his revenge before the brat even had a chance to gain an even bigger ego. That was his job, wasn't it?
Author's Note: Please, please review. Geez, this story just gets my heart all excited. So many plans for the future if I manage to even make it tto their second year. Wish me luck. And don't make me feel like I'm doing all this writing for myself, review!