I've just noticed that Jacob's sibling is now a character option which explains the change in the characters since before Abby was just listed as an OC. On another note, if you guys want to find me on twitter I have a Hogwarts Mystery profile on there so you can find me under /slytherinabby. And if you guys like the story so far, please share it where you can so more people can read it. I'm looking forward to this chapter since it's the start of Abby's journey at Hogwarts so I hope you guys enjoy it.

Silver Meets Green

Arriving at Hogwarts filled Abby with excitement that replaced the nerves she originally felt. The nerves had come from what would possibly be said about her because of her family's reputation. So far, Abby hadn't encountered any problems because of that since she had sat with Rowan the entire time on the Hogwarts Express. It hadn't been hard for Abby to find Rowan at Platform Nine and Three Quarters after being dropped off by her father, since Rowan had been the one to find her after pushing her way through the crowd of family's to do so.

Throughout their journey on the Hogwarts Express, Rowan had just recited basically everything she knew from Hogwarts: A History which was certainly a lot. It had quickly become apparent to Abby that Rowan prided herself on knowing as much as she could on everything, particularly Hogwarts. As annoying as it kind of was, Abby couldn't help but appreciate Rowan for just being herself without any worries. That was something that Abby could certainly learn from Rowan, since all her life Abby had done what she thought other people wanted her to do instead of just being herself.

Upon reaching Hogwarts, the first year students disembarked from the Hogwarts Express and were lead astray from the older students who seemed to know where they were going. As for Abby, she just stayed by Rowan's side in the hope that she would remain unnoticed for the time being. But then Rowan tugged gently at her arm, prompting Abby to look up, only to stumble backwards at the sight of the large man in front of her. He was easily the tallest man that Abby had ever laid eyes on and it was unfathomable to her that someone could be that size.

"Welcome, everyone," he bellowed. "Firs' yers make yer way teh me!"

"His speech is a bit… odd," Abby whispered to Rowan.

"He's also a giant," Rowan whispered back.

Together with the other first years, Abby and Rowan headed towards the Black Lake where several wood boats were waiting for them. Although it wasn't the darkness of the lake that first caught Abby's eye, as she instantly looked up at the breathtaking sight of the Hogwarts castle in front of her. It was truly unlike anything that she'd ever seen before and Abby couldn't wait to step inside of it for the first time.

Their short journey across the Black Lake was made in peace as Abby and Rowan were joined by another girl with blonde hair who seemed nice enough along with a rather shy boy who seemed terrified of everything. Once the boats reached the end, the first-year students disembarked from them and were guided towards the castle which Abby's gaze remained fixated on. This was going to be her new home for seven years, and Abby couldn't wait to see what it was all about. The first years were then greeted by an older woman standing at the top of a staircase, who was at a normal height in comparison to the giant.

"Good evening, first years," the woman smiled warmly at them. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall. The welcome feast is about to begin, but the first thing you must do is get sorted into your house. Our four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin and have produced a number of renowned witches and wizards. During your time here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points and any rule-breaking will lose point. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup. The sorting ceremony will begin in a few moments, so please wait here."

"What house are you hoping to get sorted into?" Rowan asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Abby admitted. "It would be nice to be sorted into Slytherin to continue my family's tradition, but at the same time I know that the other houses are just as enticing."

"Slytherin has a habit of producing dark wizards, though. But then again, there are other houses who have produced their fair share of evil," Rowan said before she leaned closer to Abby. "But none of them have been more evil than You-Know-Who."

When it came to the topic of the Dark Lord, Abby always preferred to avoid it considering her family's past in that area. So when Rowan mentioned him, Abby just nodded in agreement before changing the subject to something else. There wasn't that much time left for talking as Professor McGonagall made an appearance again.

"We are ready for you now. Please follow me in an orderly fashion," McGonagall ordered.

Doing as told, the first years lined up in an orderly fashion and entered the Great Hall side by side. When they did, Abby couldn't help but look around in awe of the place. Her gaze lingered at the starry sky above them, even though Abby knew that it wasn't real. The group of first years then lined up at the front as Professor Dumbledore told them the rules that they were expected to follow. Then Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a scroll in her hand as she glanced down at the group of nervous first years.

"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted into your houses," she told them.

During the whole sorting ceremony, Abby just stood there as she nervously waited for her turn. As each student got sorted and their house welcomed them with applause, Abby's nerves only grew even more as she wondered if her house would welcome her like that. Just standing there was enough to warrant more anticipation from Abby as she looked forward to and dreaded hearing her name being called when finally, it was.

"Selwyn, Abelia."

Silence fell over the Great Hall and Abby instantly felt all eyes on her. Although that didn't bother her. What bothered her the most was that Professor McGonagall had called her by her full name. By the time Abby was done with her first week at Hogwarts, she would make sure that everyone knew not to call her that disgusting name Abelia.

As Abby stepped up, she could feel almost everyone staring at her, which soon became uncomfortable and even more so when she took her place on the chair and saw them all actually looking at her. Everyone seemed to be glaring at her, and Abby knew that it was because of her brother and fathers history. The only person who didn't look at her with distaste was Rowan who smiled eagerly at her from the Slytherin table as McGonagall put the sorting hat on her head.

"Hmm… very interesting. I haven't seen one like this in a long time. Not since your brother, if I'm right. He was a fine young wizard and I see the same potential in you," the hat spoke through her mind.

"R-really?" Abby asked, feeling a swell of pride at being compared to Jacob in a positive way.

"Indeed, young witch," the hat replied. "I can see the potential for greatness inside of you. But at the same time, I can also see shards of darkness that have corrupted your soul but the light inside of you continues to purify it. I can feel the conflict within you – the fear that you will not be treated justly and that people will condemn you for being your fathers daughter and your brothers sister but at the same time, you wish to stand on your own and prove yourself as a worthy witch."

"Yes, I do. There is nothing more that I want than to make a reputation for myself that isn't a result of my family's history," Abby whispered.

"You truly are a difficult witch to sort, young lady. I could see you doing well in all four houses. You have the ambition and resourcefulness of a true Slytherin, you have the courage and the bravery of a Gryffindor, the wit and creativity of a Ravenclaw along with the dedication and kindness of a Hufflepuff. Which house would you prefer?" the hat questioned.

"Just put me where you think I could do my best in," Abby replied, not wanting to influence the sorting hats decision despite having her own preference.

"Alright, then. I better put you in…" the hat trailed off before it shouted, "SLYTHERIN."

Relief flooded through Abby as that had secretly been her choice from the beginning before Abby realised that the sorting hat probably saw through that. The relief was soon replaced with uneasiness as she saw the soft clapping from the other houses while Slytherin remained quiet. Only Rowan got up to applaud her entry. It kind of hurt to be shunned by her own house already. As for the other houses, Abby assumed that they were only clapping because they hadn't got stuck with her.

When Abby reached the Slytherin table, she took a seat opposite to Rowan who smiled brightly at her. It didn't go unnoticed by Abby that the person sitting next to her quickly slid as far away as possible from her. Although Abby did feel someone's gaze on her, but she almost didn't want to look to see who it was.

"Isn't this exciting? We're Slytherin's!" Rowan exclaimed.

"It is. Of all the houses, this is probably the one that I would've felt the most comfortable in," Abby admitted.

"To be honest, I was surprised that the Sorting Hat didn't put me in Ravenclaw considering my knowledge on everything. But then the hat said that my knowledge comes from my thirst for it and my ambitions to be the smartest witch at Hogwarts fit the bill for Slytherin," Rowan said.

"Rowan, can you see anyone… looking at me?" Abby asked nervously.

"Who, the Snyde girl who just got sorted?" Rowan asked, referring to the girl who had been called up after Abby and was now glaring at her from down the table.

"No, not from that direction. Behind me," Abby clarified.

"Oh," Rowan replied as she looked ahead. "Well, there's that greasy looking guy at the Professors table who seems to be looking in our general direction."

Glancing towards the Professors table, Abby did indeed notice one of them glancing towards her before they quickly turned their gaze elsewhere.

"I think that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions and is our Head of House. He doesn't exactly have the best reputation. Rumour has it, he was a Death Eater and it's been said that he's a pretty harsh teacher with high expectations," Rowan supplied.

"Hasn't he only recently started teaching?" Abby asked.

Rowan nodded, "Yeah, I think he started teaching from the 1981 school year."

"That must mean he would've known Jacob," Abby murmured before noticing Professor Dumbledore heading towards the lectern. "I think that the Headmaster is about to say something."

Silence fell over the Great Hall as Dumbledore began his speech, "Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. The past few years have seen a great weight lifted from our world. The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, is safe. Years from now, young Harry will be old enough to attend Hogwarts. But for now, it's your turn. Before we can enjoy the pleasantries, I must inform the new students and remind the older students that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all. Also, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds. Enjoy the feast."

As soon as Dumbledore said that, everyone was quickly digging into the delicious feast that had been laid out for them. The food was quite different to anything that Abby normally ate at home, since she usually had fancy meals prepared for her by her house-elf, Ziggy, who Abby hoped was doing okay without her. The feast continued until their Head of House instructed them to head to their Common Room.

Abby's first impression of their common room was that it had quite a mysterious vibe to it, given the fact that it gave off the look of an underwater shipwreck. Based on what Abby knew, the Slytherin Common Room had windows that could see out to the Hogwarts Lake and that the giant squid often swam past. Looking around, Abby could see that the room was adorned with serpent-like decorations which prompted her to brush her fingers against her brothers family ring that was now rightfully on her finger instead of hidden behind her clothes as a necklace like it had been since Jacob first gave it to her.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Rowan said from behind her.

"Yeah, it really is," Abby agreed. "I hope we get to see the giant squid swim past at some point."

Rowan smiled, "That would be awesome. I'm so glad that we got sorted into Slytherin together, by the way."

"Me too. It'll be nice to have at least one person who isn't giving me an ugly look," Abby remarked.

"I'm excited to be in Slytherin because I'd like to change the all-Slytherins-are-evil stereotype. Some of the most successful witches and wizards have also come from this house which means that we could be successful witches too!" Rowan exclaimed.

"I'd like to dispel that stereotype too," Abby agreed. "There's so much darkness surrounding Slytherin, but history shows that not all Slytherin's are bad."

"Speaking of history, would you like me to give you an exhaustive history of our hose, including a comprehensive biography of our house founder?" Rowan asked excitedly.

Abby chuckled, "What are you, an encyclopedia?"

"I try to be," Rowan shrugged.

"I can't believe that they even let you in her after your mental brother got expelled and ruined Slytherin's reputation! Not to mention, everything that you're traitorous father did to tarnish our reputation even more!" a third-year boy suddenly snarled.

"I didn't choose to be put in Slytherin," Abby stated, even though she somewhat did. In the end, it had been the hat who put her in Slytherin when it could've easily put her somewhere else despite her wishes.

"We certainly didn't choose you!" the boy yelled.

"You're right, you didn't. The Sorting Hat did and there's nothing you can do about it so whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me," Abby remarked.

The boy growled before stalking off, leaving Abby somewhat smug at the fact that she had managed to have the last word. If there was any sign of winning an argument, it was having the last word which Abby had certainly had.

"I'm sorry, Abby," Rowan apologised. "I wanted to do something, but you asked me to keep quiet back in Diagon Alley."

"It's okay Rowan, that was what I would've wanted you to do. I don't want anyone to fight my battles for me, but I'm hoping that if I do ignore them that people will leave me alone about my brother and father," Abby said.

"They shouldn't treat you any differently because of them anyways," Rowan huffed.

"Have you seen your timetable yet?" Abby asked.

"Yes! Can you believe it? Herbology with Professor Sprout, Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall…" Rowan trailed off in wonder. "What are you most looking forward to, Abby?"

"Well, it would be good to find my brother as soon as I can so that I can make sure that he's okay. But before I do that I guess I'd have to learn some spells and potions. But potions is what's intriguing me the most," Abby answered.

"I'm personally looking forward to Transfiguration because I hear that McGonagall is a great teacher. Snape, on the other hand, doesn't exactly have the best reputation but I've heard that he goes a bit easier on Slytherins," Rowan said.

"We've got Charms with Professor Flitwick first thing in the morning so we better get some rest," Abby suggested.

Rowan nodded, "You're right. I'd hate to mess anything up on my first day and even more so in my first class. Let's head to our dormitory!"

Ready to get some sleep, Abby followed Rowan to their dormitory which was just how Abby would've wanted it to be. The beds were covered in green eiderdowns with a nightstand next to them and their school trunks at the foot of their bed. There was a wooden chair next to the bed along with a dresser and a wooden board on either side of the bed which Abby knew was for them to decorate. She was definitely hoping to have that board decorated by the end of the year with plenty of memories to last a lifetime.

Now that Abby was finally there at Hogwarts, she had never felt a greater sense of belonging than what she did in that moment. Not even at home did Abby ever have that feeling, not since Jacob left. But now that Abby was at the same place where Jacob had made so many memories, Abby already felt their connection growing inside of her. That connection was something that Abby was hoping to nourish so she could still feel close to Jacob even though she had no idea where he was. But first, Abby just wanted to make it through her first day which she couldn't wait for.

Yay, we're finally at Hogwarts. Now the story's really going to start evolving into what it was and what I would've liked it to have been. This story is definitely going to try and break the bad-Slytherin mould that most people seem to believe since there are other dark wizards who came from houses that weren't Slytherin. Speaking of houses, I really felt like Rowan was a textbook Ravenclaw since she knows just about everything but I guess she had to follow MC wherever she went and Rowan does also have certain Slytherin attributes. On another note, I'm not really sold on the name for this story so if you guys have any other suggestions, let me know.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

James018: I'm glad you've picked up on certain things, since it was Jill's story that inspired me to make my own but I wanted to put my own twist on it and give my OC a much more contrasting background. Abby's interactions with Merula and Barnaby will still probably be the same, except she'll have a lot more understanding considering her own family history. You do have a point that Jacob probably isn't how I wrote him, and he probably won't be when he does come into the story at one point since after all, it will be a few years that have gone by. I'm always open to critical feedback, since in my opinion that's the best kind of feedback. If I had a dime for every time I heard "show, not tell" during school I would probably be a lot less broke than what I am now since I heard that phrase so many times it made me mental. While I get what you mean, that kind of information was somewhat necessary since it was a bit of a recap and the rest of the story probably won't be like that since my introductions tend to be a bit wordy. Trust me when I say there is still a lot to be uncovered about Abby's family which will be revealed in following years.

Jill Klein: Nothing is a better way to start a friendship than to offer fashion advice, right? Since it was kind of what started MC and Rowan's friendship, it was something that had to be included. Fun fact: the first time I played Hogwarts Mystery I suggested a scarf and the second time I suggested a hat so I figured why not suggest a sweater in here?

Son of Whitebeard: Originally, Abby and Jacob's names were going to be just that, Abby and Jacob. Ironically, Jacob's name is almost the same as my brothers name which is kind of funny. The change came from me changing Rogelius' name which was originally Rodrick because I wanted it to be something unique and then I stumbled across Jacobus while looking under Roman names. Before I wanted Abby's name to be something else too with Abby being a nickname, but I couldn't find anything that I liked until I stumbled across Abelia, which I thought was a perfect fit. Oh, how Abby and Tonks are going to take joy in mocking each other with their names when they become closer friends in Year Three.