Updated as of 1/29/19

"Salazar Slytherin…" Harry muttered with a frown. "But… that doesn't mean she's going to be in Slytherin." He looked to Ron who gave him an apologetic frown. "She can't be."

"Everyone in that family has been," Hermione said with a sad look.

"Well, she's different," Harry insisted with a frown as he shook his head before looking up at Fiona who sat on the stool. "I know she is."

"Please, not Slytherin," she whispered. "I want to stay with Harry," she pleaded.

"Not Slytherin?" the hat asked. "You know your lineage; you know who your ancestors are. Not one has been in any house but Slytherin."

"Please not Slytherin. I'm not bad. I'm not bad."

"Slytherin doesn't mean bad! It means great. Ambitious and cunning; you could be a strong and powerful leader."

"I don't want power," she whispered as she shook her head slightly. "I just want to be with Harry. Any house but Slytherin. I'm not like them," she all but growled.

"I see there's no changing your mind," the hat said in an amused tone with a hint of something else Fiona couldn't place. "Gryffindor!" it proclaimed. The cheering wasn't as great as it had been for others and she even saw the Slytherin table looking disappointed. Fiona slipped off the stool before making her way to the table, keeping her head down. She stared down at the table as names continued to be called; she was scared to look at Harry but when she did she found him smiling. As she started to smile back she noticed the looks Ron and Hermione – as well as some other students – had beside him.

When the hat declared Harry as Gryffindor, Fiona felt a weight lift off her chest. He made his way over to the table and sat down beside her. She immediately turned to him.

"I don't know what they told you but I'm not my family, I swear, Harry I-" she was cut off as he gave her a tight hug before pulling away to look at her.

"I know." Harry put a hand over hers with a smile. "You're still my best friend, no matter what," he assured her. "Besides, you're sitting here not over there." Fiona let out a sigh of relief as she smiled at him. "No questions. I'm just happy you're here with me," he said with a smile. Fiona grinned and leaned into him as he put an arm back around her. She just happened to glace at the Slytherin table to see a familiar blond looking at her. He quickly smiled when he saw her looking but then hid it just as quickly so no one else would see. She looked over to the teachers table and noticed a black haired professor watching the two. Fiona couldn't help but think he looked upset about something.

…

Once everyone was sorted and seated McGonagall clicked her spoon against her glass.

"Your attention, please," she said. Everyone quieted down as Dumbledore stood.

"Let the feast...begin," he said. Food magically appeared on all the tables and the hall was filled with awe and chatter.

"Wow." Harry looked at all the food. Ron started stuffing his face with chicken wings. A few students moved around their seats; some older students moved down to sit with their younger siblings. Harry moved to sit between Percy and Hermione while Ron stayed next to one of the twins and Fiona.

"So you knew?" Ron asked quietly as he turned his head to Fiona, his mouth full.

"Knew?" she asked. He gave her an exasperated look. "Oh, right. Yeah, I did. But I'm not like them," she added quickly as she looked over at the Slytherin table.

"Well, obviously!" Fiona blinked at his outburst. "The hat doesn't get it wrong, least that's what I heard. 'Sides … you're nice," he added in a mumble. "And you're friends with Harry." Upon hearing his name, Harry turned to them. Fiona gave him a smile which he returned.

"I'm half and half," Seamus Finnagan said look back and forth between Dean Thomas and Neville beside him. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mam's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out." Neville chuckled. Harry leaned over to Percy.

"Say, Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked.

"Oh, that's Professor Snape, head of Slytherin house," Percy answered.

"What's he teach?"

"Potions. But everyone knows it's the Dark Arts he fancies. He's been after Quirrells job for years." Ron, having just finished a chicken wing, reached into the bowl for more, and a ghostly head, Sir Nicholas, popped out making Ron jump and drop the wing with a shout.

"Ahh!"

"Hello! How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor," he said. Numerous ghosts came pouring from the walls, sailing along.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" The Hufflepuff ghost rose up from the floor.

"Look, it's the Bloody Baron!" A Slytherin girl exclaimed as the ghost flew over their table.

"Hello, Sir Nicholas. Have a nice summer?" Percy asked. The ghost turned to him.

"Dismal. Once again, my request to join the headless hunt has been denied," Sir Nicholas said before he started to leave.

"Hey, I know you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!" Ron said.

"I prefer Sir Nicholas if you don't mind."

"Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Hermione asked.

"Like this." The ghost grabbed his head and pulled it to the side. His head was hanging on just by a thread.

"Ahh!" Ron exclaimed.

"Eugh," Hermione groaned.

"You had to ask," Fiona muttered. "I don't think I'm too hungry anymore."

"My apologies, dear," Sir Nicholas said.

"Oh no, it's alright," Fiona automatically assured him. The ghost smiled before floating down the table to talk to other students. "Harry?" Fiona asked. "How did you know what that professor's name was?"

"I met him with Hagrid in the Leaky Cauldron," Harry said. "He's the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Why?"

"I was just wondering," she said with a shrug. Fiona looked up at the head table and saw Snape looking over at their table again. He noticed her looking and his brow furrowed visibly. Fiona gulped and turned back to respond to something Ron had said.

…

After the feast the students poured out of the great hall, the first years being led by their head boy or girl. Percy, as Gryffindor's head boy, led the first years to the staircases.

"Gryffindors, follow me please. Keep up. Thank you," he said. Beside them the Ravenclaws walked up.

"Ravenclaw, follow me. This way," Their head boy said.

"This is the most direct path to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases...they like to change." The group looked up at the staircases, turning and changing. "Keep up, please, and follow me. Quickly now, come on. Come on." They began walking up the stairs. Fiona glanced down to see the Slytherin first years walking down a set of stairs towards the dungeons. Once again she caught sight of a certain blond who smiled up at her.

"He keeps doing that," she said. Harry looked at her.

"Who?"

"Malfoy. He keeps smiling at me," she said. Harry looked down to see the blond walk out of sight.

"Well, now that he knows who your family is he's probably trying to stay on your good side," Ron said before rolling his eyes as he shook his head slightly.

"Just ignore him," Harry said giving her a smile before taking her hand. She nodded as she returned the smile, giving his hand a light squeeze.

"Seamus, that picture's moving!" Neville exclaimed as he pointed to one of the portraits on the wall.

"Look at that one, Harry!" Ron gasped.

"I think she fancies you," Harry said as the girl in the painting smiled down at them. Ron nudged him.

"Oh, look! Look! Who's that girl?" A girl asked as the woman in the painting Ron pointed out curtsied.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," A man in a painting said.

"Who's that?" a girl asked.

"Do all pictures move?" Fiona asked aloud.

"Haven't you ever seen a photo move before?" Ron asked. Fiona shook her head.

"It's different from these portraits," Hermione said from behind them. Ron rolled his eyes. "These portraits are sentient due to enchantments placed on the portrait by the painter," she explained. "They can move from painting to painting and even visit a portrait of themselves anywhere in the world but…" she lowered her voice. "All the people painted have died; it doesn't work with living people. Photos have the ability to move because of a certain liquid that they're developed in but they're not sentient."

"Oh. How long do they move for?" Fiona asked.

"How long will they move or how long is the moment recorded?" Hermione asked. Before Fiona could clarify, Hermione answered both questions anyway. "They'll move forever but the moments are never longer than a minute or so."

"Oh." Fiona nodded.

"You had to ask," Ron muttered making her nudge him playfully.

…

As the first years approached the Gryffindor dorms they came up to a large painting of a large woman in a pink dress.

"Password?" she asked.

"Caput Draconis," Percy said. The woman nodded and the painting opened to reveal a gap in the wall. "Follow me, everyone. Keep up, quickly, come on."

"Oh, wow."

"Gather 'round here," Percy said once everyone was inside the common room, the portrait closed behind the last student. "Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room. Boys' dormitories, upstairs and down to your left. Girls, the same on your right. You'll find that your belongings have already been brought up," he said before he turned to head up the stairs. Some people followed but others stayed in the common room to look around a bit more before they too followed after the others.

"Boy, am I tired after all that food," Ron said. "I'm going to bed. Night Fiona. You coming, Harry?"

"Yeah."

"Right. Well, goodnight Harry," Fiona said before she gave him a hug.

"Goodnight, Fee," he said as he hugged back before they headed up to their dorm rooms.

…

The next morning, after breakfast, Fiona gathered her things for the first class of the day.

"Fiona." She turned to see Hermione with her own books ready. "Would you like to walk to class with me?" she asked with a smile.

"We still have 15 minutes before we need to be there," Fiona pointed out as she tilted her head slightly.

"Yes, but if we get there early then we won't be late and we can get seats near the front of the classroom," the girl said with a big, excited smile.

"Oh, okay then," Fiona said with a nod. She quickly got her things before following Hermione down into the common room. "I guess Harry and Ron aren't ready yet…" she mused quietly seeing only a few students in the common room.

"They're going to be late," Hermione said as she shook her head. The two girls left through the portrait and headed downstairs.

"Hermione?" Fiona asked.

"Yes?"

"You…um…" Fiona hesitated. Hermione looked over at her curiously. "You don't mind my family name? No doubt you've read about them."

"Well, if you were anything like them then you wouldn't be walking with me, now would you?" she asked. Fiona looked confused. "My parents are muggles," she clarified, hesitantly. Fiona blinked.

"So?" she asked. Hermione's smile came back brighter than before. "Oh right," Fiona muttered as she realized. "We'll my mum's a muggle. I don't care about anyone's blood when I make friends." Hermione tried not to smile any wider than she had been.

"See?"

"Yeah," Fiona agreed. "I was afraid… once people learned my name… they wouldn't like me."

"Oh I'm sure there are a bunch of Slytherins who would love to be your friend," Hermione admitted making Fiona frown. "But since you're in Gryffindor you should be fine," she added with a smile. "There's a reason the hat placed you here and not there."

"Thanks, Hermione, you're right," Fiona said as she returned the smile slightly.

"You… will sit next to me in Transfiguration, won't you?"

"Of course. I'd love to," Fiona said. Hermione smiled and the two continued to class.

…

Like Hermione had predicted Ron and Harry didn't show up by the time class started. Everyone was seated and McGonagall had given a small speech as well as handed out the first assignment before turning into a cat and sitting on her desk. A few students looked on in awe having never seen anyone do that before. Hermione saw Fiona staring, her mouth open slightly, and was glad to explain.

"She's an animagus," she whispered to her. "It means she can transform into a specific animal at will."

"Why a cat though?" Fiona asked.

"It's based on a witch or wizard's personality and inner traits. It's also said that the animal is a person's Patronus."

"What's a Patronus?" Fiona asked but Hermione had quickly stopped talking and got to work. Fiona looked up to see McGonagall looking at them silently, her tail swishing sharply, and quickly started on her work as well.

It was only about five minutes later that the doors burst open and a few students turned to see Harry and Ron run in. Hermione saw them and shook her head before getting back to work.

"Whew, amazing, can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if we were late?" Ron asked. Fiona grimaced as the cat jumped off the desk and turned into Professor McGonagall. The two boys were amazed. "That was bloody brilliant."

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley. Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch, that way one of you might be on time."

"We got lost," Harry explained.

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats," she said before returning to her desk. The two boys sat down. Fiona turned her head and met Harry's eyes. He smiled sheepishly and she couldn't help but smile back. She just happened to glance behind the two and saw Draco smirking at her. Her smile dropped and she rolled her eyes before turning back to her work.

…

After Transfiguration was Potions. The four Gryffindors walked together. Hermione looked disappointed when she saw that the whole first row was filled by Slytherin students. She had to settle with sitting next to Harry in the middle row on his left while Fiona sat on her other side and Ron sat beside her. In front of them, and a little to their left, Draco sat between his lackeys. He turned around once the group of Gryffindors had sat down and smirked at Fiona.

"You lied to me on the train," he accused. Fiona glanced at him then turned to look at Hermione, hoping the girl would initiate a conversation to save her but she was making sure her area looked neat. "You should've told me you were a Gaunt."

"What does it matter?" she asked looking at him.

"Well, if I had known-"

"If you had known you wouldn't have been rude to me? Shows the type of person you are, Malfoy," she said making his smirk fade slightly. "You've got something on your nose." She tapped her own nose. Draco quickly rubbed at his nose but frowned when he found nothing there. He looked at her in confusion. "Looks like mud," she hissed. Draco's eyes widened as his cheeks went pink and he whirled around in his seat to face the front. Ron snickered beside Fiona while Hermione looked at her with wide eyes.

"Nice one, Fiona," Ron praised quietly making her smile proudly. The other students were chattering quietly but quickly quieted down when the door slammed open and Professor Snape came rushing in.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class," he said before turning to face everyone. "As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few," he looked at Draco, who smiled slightly. "who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses," he said as he crossed his arms. "I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death." Snape saw Harry, writing what he was saying down but, in his view, not paying attention. "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not...pay...attention." Hermione nudged Harry in the ribs and he looked up before putting his quill down. "Mr. Potter. Our...new...celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione's hand skyrocketed. Harry shrugged and shook his head. "You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione's hand shot up again.

"I don't know, Sir," Harry said.

"And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfbane?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked. "Your assignment for next class is to read the first three chapters of your textbooks and define the properties of pungous onions, flobberworm mucus, ginger root and shrakes spines," he said a few students rushed to write down the assignment but Snape continued on without waiting and started talking about the first potion they'd be making that week. He chose to ignore the little girl who was glaring at him the rest of the class.

…

Later on that week, before lunch, during the student's study period Harry, Fiona, Ron and Hermione sat with the other first years working on their homework. The two boys were sitting across from the girls. Seamus was trying a spell on a cup.

"Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water, into rum." He looked into the cup then shook his head before trying again. "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum..."

"What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" Harry asked Ron.

"Turn it into rum. Actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before..." Just as Ron finished the cup exploded making Seamus' hair stick up in every direction and his face was covered in ash. There was laughter amongst the students. Suddenly, a flock of owls started coming into the hall from the rafters above.

"Ah. Mail's here!" Ron exclaimed looking up. The owls soared by, dropping parcels to students. Ron got a letter and a newspaper. He put the paper down and went to open the letter.

"Can I borrow this?" Harry asked. Ron nodded. "Thanks." He pulled the string off it just as Fiona caught a letter from her father's owl. "From your parents?" he asked with a smile. She nodded, looking a bit nervous as she started to open it. Neville unwrapped a small box before taking out its contents. It was a clear ball with gold around it.

"Hey, look! Neville's got a Remembrall!" Dean exclaimed.

"I've read about those," Hermione said. "When the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something." She said just as the smoke inside turned red.

"The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten," Neville said.

"Neville?" Fiona started. The boy jumped in his seat.

"Y-yes?"

"Where are your robes?" she asked. His eyes widened and he looked down at himself.

"Oh! Th-Thanks!" he managed as he bolted from the table.

"Hey, Ron," Harry started. "somebody broke into Gringotts. Listen, Believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. That's odd. That's the vault Hagrid and I went to."

"What was in it?" Fiona asked. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know. It was wrapped up and Hagrid didn't tell me what it was," he said. "How are your parents?" he asked nodding to the letter.

"Mum misses me already," she said with a small smile. "and father doesn't care I'm not in Slytherin," she added a bit quieter. "He was hoping I wouldn't be," she said as her smile grew. Harry smiled. "They want to know how you're doing, though."

"They do?" Harry blinked.

"Mhm. Mum thinks you're 'the sweetest'," she said with a small giggle as his cheeks went pink.

"Tell them I say thank you for thinking of me," he said. Fiona nodded.

"Do you think Hedwig could deliver my reply?" she asked.

"Of course. She doesn't have anything else to do," he said with a sheepish smile.

"Persistent isn't he?" Hermione asked.

"Huh?" the three looked at her.

"Malfoy," she said. "He keeps smiling at Fiona and trying to get her attention."

"He thinks if he's nice to her it'll put him and his family in a good place with You-Know-Who," Ron said.

"You-Know-Who is gone," Hermione said.

"He's wasting his time," Harry said. "I'm sure he'll stop eventually." He turned to look at the blond who started glaring as soon as he saw him looking. Harry shook his head as he turned back to the others.

"Wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have so many classes with him," Fiona said.

"He'll realize you're not like him soon enough," Ron said with a smile. Fiona smiled back.

"I don't see his logic though," Hermione said. "It's clear Fiona is nothing like a Slytherin."

"He's delusional," Ron said.

"Hopefully he'll stop soon," Harry muttered as he went back to his work.

"All I have to do is ignore him," Fiona said as she smiled at Harry. He smiled back with a nod. "He'll get the point eventually."