September, 1937

Eleonora followed the group of first-years into the great hall of Hogwarts, gawking at the size of it. Candles floated above them, giving off a warm yellow glow to the room, and stars sat beyond them where the ceiling was. Although, it just seemed to look like the night sky. They had all arrived for the school year, and found all the students divided into four long tables for each respective house.

The first years were gathered to the front of the gargantuan room, standing before the professors seated at a long table in front of them. The students wore generic robes, all black with a white button-down blouse and black tie containing a small pin of the Hogwarts crest below the knot. Eleonora felt the drafty air on her face, relieved that their school uniforms would be warm. An old castle in the UK would take some getting used to for her with the constant rain and damp air. Although, she was more than accustomed to snow for the winter.

A professor instructed them to wait for their names to be called, and that each would sit on the stool before them as the hat picked one of the four houses. Everyone fell silent as the professor rolled the scroll of first-year names open; even the portraits that adorned the halls outside that always seemed to be gossiping.

The first student was called, sitting on a stool before the student body. The professor placed an old pointed hat on his head, then the hat came to life.

"Hmm... this is an interesting combination I see. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw... which one is the best for you?"

The hat continued to think, then shouted, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table erupted into a loud applause, the students excitedly jumping out of their seats to welcome the newest recruit. The boy seemed surprised, then smiled and took a seat with the upperclassmen. The professor continued to call students in alphabetical order by last name, and the group thinned out.

"Isidore Lestrange," the professor called, then the boy stepped forward. He was tall for a first year, standing at least a head taller than most of the boys around him.

He stepped forward, sitting on the stool, and Eleonora's eyes narrowed as she tried to place his oddly familiar face. He had jet black hair, and ice blue eyes with porcelain skin, and was good-looking for his age. He sat stoically, not seeming nervous the way the others had. The hat was placed on his head, and the hat began to think.

"This is a difficult one."

"That surprises me," Isidore said dryly in a low voice, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes. There is one other Lestrange I've seen like you."

"Like me?" He asked, fairly perplexed.

"Yes, I'll never forget him. It was back in 1919. He was brilliant," the hat told him quietly, though the hall was silent and could hear everything. Isidore's face twisted into a confused and surprised expression, and he said, "excuse me?"

"Yes, brilliant. I believe he went on to do great things as a Slytherin. That house fits your personality perfectly too. I've decided, that's where you belong—" the hat told him quietly, then announced, "Slytherin!"

The Slytherin students arose and applauded politely, then Isidore stepped down and walked over to the table, shaking the prefect's hand that escorted him over. He took a seat, then everyone looked at the professor as she said, "Eva Mansfield!"

"Excuse me," Eleonora heard, then she turned to see a short girl with beautiful blond curls. Her green eyes casted downward shyly once Eleonora's naturally intimidating bespectacled eyes met hers

Eva looked at her, reading her face for an instant. It was one of Eva's strengths, she was very perceptive of people, just harbored no judgment based on her conclusions.

She's beautiful, I've never seen eyes that green. She seems very strong, somehow, and looks smart. Maybe it's the glasses, Eva thought. Eleonora stepped aside, and Eva said, "thank you."

She walked to the stool, hopping up on it, and the professor placed it on her head.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat declared, then Eva's pretty face lit up with a smile. The Hufflepuffs enthusiastically welcomed her, and she took a seat at their table. Eleonora's heart began to pound, since they were now on "M" last names.

"Eleonora Morrigan."

She stepped forward, feeling all eyes on her. She sat down, looking over the massive student body as they waited. Her heart pounded harder, and she clasped her hands together in her lap to prevent anyone from seeing their shaking. She held her head high, setting her jaw and inhaling slowly to calm herself as the hat was lowered onto her head.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, and they stopped on a boy who again looked familiar. But she couldn't place him. Another boy who was sure to be handsome as he grew older, with blue eyes and dark brown hair, porcelain skin as well. He was looking at her, almost shocked, which seemed odd to her.

Do I know him? He sure seems to know me, she thought.

The hat murmured to itself, drawing her attention away from the boy. She looked up, only seeing the brim of it, and then to the ground below her, sitting straight as a rod.

"Hmmm... it's been a while since I've seen your family at Hogwarts. Welcome," the hat told her quietly.

"Thank you," Eleonora said politely, and the hat chuckled, saying, "your placement isn't too difficult for me. For, reasons."

"Oh, is that so?" she asked slyly, her smile bright with excitement in the eyes of the onlookers.

Thank God he didn't spill my beans, she thought, knowing the hat's "reasons" were her referring to her Merlin lineage.

"Slytherin!"

The Slytherin table stood up and applauded, beckoning her to sit down next to Isidore and the other first years.

"You have room?" Isidore asked, and Eleonora nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm Eleonora," she said, extending a hand to him. He shook it slowly, looking as if her face seemed familiar to him.

"Isidore," he said, narrowing his eyebrows curiously. He had an epiphany, turning his body toward her with his eyes snapping wide open.

"Eleonora, you're American— I remember who you are now," he said. The Ravenclaws applauded in the background as Eleonora rose her voice to say, "what do you mean?"

"I hope it doesn't freak you out- my memory is a strength of mine. You and your mother, I met you guys years ago. I remember your mother worked for the Magical Congress of the United States of America, especially because it's rare to see Americans working in London. You both fed me and my sisters."

Eleonora's jaw dropped as she cupped a hand over her mouth.

"I remember! Isidore, you were about to die!" She exclaimed and he nodded with a bewildered look.

"Did I say that out loud?! I meant- it's how I remember you," she cried, and he let out a hardy laugh, kicking his head back.

"You managed to make me laugh, that's a feat not many people have accomplished," she said with a grin once he looked back at her. Her face visibly relaxed and she chuckled, taking in his appearance. He was tall and on the thin side, but now looked like he was at a healthy weight, and was actually a very clean-cut looking person. She remembered how starved he looked, his skin had a gray hue, his eyes had a look of defeat that a child should never have had.

"I was on death's door, it was horrible. You don't have to apologize. Your mom and you saved our lives, and I have to thank you for that. I bought new clothes and shoes, then checked into a hotel like your mom told me to, and we stayed for two nights. Having a shower and bed was the best feeling for my sisters and me, and then we ran into someone at that hotel who took us in. I'll tell you more later, but what you guys did for us really saved our lives. Thank you, Eleonora. And tell your mother I said thank you."

The room quieted again for the next student, and the two of them leaned closer to continue their conversation.

Isidore's humble smile made her grin, and she nodded saying, "I will. My mom will be happy to hear you're okay. And your sisters, how are they?"

"They're fine. We were taken in by a nice family. They'll come to Hogwarts later. They're two years younger than me."

"Tom Riddle!" They heard, then Eleonora's head snapped back to the front at the sound of his name. Isidore noted her reaction, then followed her gaze curiously.

Sure enough, the boy who had been looking at her with dark brown hair and blue eyes walked forward.

That's him?! Tom got to Hogwarts, she thought to herself excitedly. Her mother did tell her that she reached out to Professor Dumbledore, but she didn't know if he had been found or not.

Tom sat down, facing everyone with the same stoic presence Isidore had. The had muttered something about how impressed he was by his brain, and saw a lot of drive in him. It then yelled out, "Slytherin!"

Eleonora stood up with he rest of the table as they clapped, and she moved with Isidore to the side to make room for him. A prefect walked forward, clapping Tom on the back with a handshake as he led him to the table the way he had with all the other new Slytherins.

Tom approached them, and Eleonora looked at him hopefully. He smiled to her, saying, "it seems you remember me."

She grinned, saying, "of course, I was worried about you!"

"Well, here I am. Professor Dumbledore found me and introduced me to the world of magic, and of course I enrolled in this school once I knew of its existence," he said, and Eleonora felt relieved. She remember how bad she felt leaving Tom and Isidore four years ago, and was so relieved they were safe and attending Hogwarts. What's more— they were sorted into Slytherin with her.

"I didn't know you knew Eleonora. I'm Isidore," Isidore said extending his hand. Tom firmly shook it, saying, "Likewise, I'm Tom."

"Tell your mother I am grateful for her contact with Professor Dumbledore," he said to Eleanora, who nodded with an excited grin and said, "I will. We'll have a lot of catching up to do."

The boys nodded in agreement, then they sat back down and watched the next student sit under the hat. Though they could barely pay attention, preoccupied thinking about how they were reunited, each in a different way.

The students continued to be sorted for another ten minutes, then the headmaster rose from his table. He raised his arms, silencing the students and everyone turned to listen.

"Welcome, new students, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And to those of you returning, welcome back. I am Headmaster Dippet, and am thrilled to welcome the newest class of students this year. Congratulations on being sorted into your houses, they are your family while you attend school here. Each house has two prefects in their fifth, sixth, and seventh years. The seventh year prefects are head boy and head girl of the houses, so please direct any questions or concerns to your prefects. We will be providing the feast for the first night, as per tradition, then the prefects will lead you to your houses and conduct your orientations there. Please pay attention, as they will explain school rules including uniforms, the house point system, curfew hours, and classroom expectations. You all seem hungry, so without further ado, please begin your meals," he said, then waved his arm across the room. Food appeared in front of them, and there was a collective surprised gasp which erupted into excited chatter as the students began their meals.

Eleanora noted Tom's eyes gleaming as the food appeared, remembering he had not seen magic aside from her encounter and possibly Dumbledore's. Isidore had a smirk on his face next to them, happy to see magic being in front of his eyes. For the longest time, he had to hide everything among muggles, especially from trying to escape his controlling family.

"Isidore, you seem happy," Tom said, and Isidore looked over to him as he chomped on some chicken.

"Mhm, I haven't used magic in forever since I lived among no-majs," he responded, and Tom asked, "among what?"

"No-majs. The American way of saying muggle," Eleanora said. Tom to her with a nod, saying, "I see."

"Yeah we have idiosyncrasies, just ask if we aren't making any sense," Isidore said after finally swallowing his food. Tom nodded, and Isidore turned a little toward them.

"How do you know Eleonora, Tom?" Isidore asked from Eleonora's right. Tom swallowed his bite of sweet potatoes, stealing a glance at Eleonora. She nodded, giving Tom permission to tell the truth.

"I met her four years ago. Long story short, she crashed into me while chasing her pet dragon," he said with a smile, and Isidore laughed as Eleonora lightly slapped the table with embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to!" she whined. Tom shrugged with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes. She was always clumsy, and hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself too much at school.

"Did you find him? I remember meeting him briefly," Isidore said.

"Yeah, he ran into a building and we found him running around with a lampshade on his head. I don't even know how we managed to catch him," Eleonora said, making Isidore laugh again.

"Sounds like you had to wing it," Isidore said dryly before eating a handful of vegetables off his fork.

"Was the pun intended?" Eleonora asked, and he looked at her seriously, saying, "the pun should always be intended."

"Well, aren't you on fire," Eleonora said with a sarcastic sneer, and Tom went, "burn."

Eleonora had been drinking a glass of water, promptly swallowing it wrong and choking through laughter.

"It's not even that funny," she said through a few coughs, slapping her chest. The boys laughed, and Isidore patted her back as she recovered. Eleonora finally took a big swig of water, clearing her throat with a wave of her hand to indicate she was done choking.

"Do you guys think you'll be in any clubs?" Eleonora asked before the puns could begin again.

"I looked into a bunch before coming here, but I'm not sure yet," Tom said. Isidore shrugged, saying, "I might as well. If my mother was here, she's say 'be social, Isidore.' Just not sure what yet. I was thinking Quidditch. My mom was on the Hufflepuff team and I think I had some Slytherin family members play as well."

"You should, you've probably got some sort of Quidditch genes. I want to join the Quidditch team too! I'd join the choir too, but you need to be at least 13," Eleonora said.

"Pfft, who wouldn't want pre-pubescent voice cracking in the choir? What a waste," Isidore said sarcastically, making Eleonora snort on the water she was drinking again. For being 11, Isidore was impressively sarcastic.

Tom chuckled, saying, "well, you have seventh year boys that probably have bass voices, then eleven year old boys that can pass for a soprano and slip into tenor or baritone at any moment. I think I understand the restriction. As for Quidditch, I think it's hard to make the team as a first-year. But worth a shot. You two sound like you can handle it."

"We'll figure it out, we've got seven years," Eleonora added.

Desserts appeared in front of them suddenly, then Tom and Eleonora saw a white blur (of possibly a hand) to their right. They looked, seeing Isidore gulping something down, seeing red velvet cake on the plate he snatched at lightning speed. Eleonora smiled, remembering the first time he tried it after she bought it for him to keep him alive.

He still loves it, she thought.

"Wow, don't eat it too slowly, Isidore," Tom said dryly. Eleonora grabbed herself a slice, understanding Isidore's reaction to the cake.

They heard a very muffled, "I'm a growing boy, I need my nutrients," coming from Isidore, then Tom took a slice as well.

The dinner ended soon after, and the three followed the Slytherin prefects to the house. It was like seeing a tour group as they walked through the castle, in awe with the artwork that interacted with them on the way down to the dungeons.

"That knight just did a cartwheel. He's flexible," Eleonora said, pointing to a portrait above them. The knight noticed her and saw the two boys looking at him, then he did another one and struck a pose, crossing from his own painting to another. The 18th century woman sitting in the painting leaped out of his way, whacking his helmet once he posed with a fan she was holding.

"Unconventional, but I'll take it. This should keep us entertained on the way back to our rooms," Tom commented and Isidore nodded in agreement.

"I think it says the painting was mounted in 1694. If he had 243 years of practice, I'd hope he'd be that flexible," Isidore added.

HUH?! Eleonora thought, shocked at his math skills as an 11 year-old. She then felt her jaw drop as Tom calculated the age of another painting nearby, announcing it was 379 years old. They were definitely smart, and she felt a feeling of curiosity, wondering what else they were capable of.

"Shoot, we're falling behind," Eleonora said, then the three of them scurried back with the rest of the Slytherin students down the next flight of stairs. They followed the prefects to the Slytherin common room entrance, learning the password system of the house before entering.

The students gawked at the ornate decorations that adorned the room, living up to the reputation that Slytherin was the house of the aristocratic wizarding families. The furniture was expensive, with dark wood lining the green velour couches. Chess boards sat in various places of the room, as well as more private seating areas with two chairs on either side of a small table. The fireplace was lit and provided warmth to the dark room, especially from being under the lake.

"We're underwater?" Tom asked, then Eleonora and Isidore looked over to the windows. A soft green hue from the lake radiated into the room, and they could see aquatic life swimming in the distance.

"That's... different," Eleonora said, impressed with their view.

The prefects gathered the attention of the students, then began the orientation. Room assignments were given, as well as class schedules.

Eleonora said goodnight to the boys, following one of the prefects with a group of girls to the dorms. The female staircase was to the right, and they ascended them.

"Ladies, find your luggage in the wardrobe next to each bed. That is going to be your bed, and you may go to sleep once your settled. Goodnight," the prefect said, walking out of the room. Eleonora checked a few beds, not seeing her belongings, then found them at the eleventh from the door, next to the lake windows. Like the others, each bed was a four-posted with elegant black wood, and green curtains that could be pulled for privacy. She sat at the foot of the bed, feeling a comfortable mattress. She saw a small rectangular fountain in the middle of the floor with a serpent statue, and the running water rippled across to make small waves.

A half hour later, she found herself dressed in a nightgown, and sat on her bed, reading. She had met some of the girls in the room, but was exhausted for the day and just wanted to relax.

"Hey, I don't think I had a chance to meet you yet. I'm Victoria, in the bed next to you," a girl said pointing to the bed behind her. Eleonora looked up from her reading, shaking her hand and saying, "nice to meet you. I'm Eleonora."

Victoria conversed for a bit with Eleonora, sitting across from her on her own bed. They got along well, and discovered they both wanted to look into joining the Quidditch team. They compared schedules, talked about home and their families until the prefects came in to turn out the lights for the night.

Eleonora laid down under the green covers on her back, hearing the soft sound of water splashing from the fountain and hum of the lake against the window. She lay awake for a moment, thinking about the day that had just transpired, and smiled to herself.

I could get used to this school, she thought, then drifted off to sleep.


A/N: Thanks for reading! Next is a time-skip to their 5th year, and we'll be through with those for a while.

This story won't really be in a certain POV, but a lot of the time, you'll be following Eleonora. I want everyone to be figuring out the people around her as much as she is.

Updates will be frequent for sure at the beginning, since I have a lot written already. So, I'll see you all soon. :)

~sapphire-stars579