Just like that, we've already reached the first day of Abby's schooling which is certainly going to be interesting. Like I've previously mentioned, there will be certain parts of my story that won't follow the game through and through so you can expect a few things to be added here and there.

What to Expect

On the morning of her first official day at Hogwarts, Abby was beside herself with nerves. These nerves were nothing compared to her nerves from arriving at Hogwarts. Those had just come from her worries about what she'd have to face. These nerves came from Abby's desire to prove herself, because if last night was any indication, being Jacob Selwyn's brother meant that people would already have their expectations of her. Expectations that Abby hoped to prove wrong in the best way possible.

Out of all their classes, the one that Abby was mostly looking forward to was Potions. Simply because the idea of creating magic with something that the likes of muggles used had always fascinated her. But Abby knew that in order to do well in Potions that she'd have to get on Professor Snape's good side and considering Jacob's reputation around here already, Abby wouldn't have been surprised if Professor Snape looked down on her just because of what her last name was.

"Can you believe that we're starting our classes already? I'm so excited!" Rowan exclaimed giddily.

"I just hope that I don't mess anything up," Abby murmured.

"You'll do great! If any of the teachers give you a hard time, just prove them wrong with your magic," Rowan reassured her.

"I hope that the teachers don't give me a hard time. I don't even want to cause trouble. I just want to learn as much as I can so that I can be the best witch I can be," Abby admitted.

"Well both be fine. Now let's get to Charms before we're late. I'd hate to show up late on our first class. That could destroy my chances of becoming Head Girl!" Rowan said.

Abby rolled her eyes, "I'm sure we'll show up perfectly on time, Rowan."

Before Abby could conquer Potions, she first had to get through Charms. Having already learned some of the basic spells, Abby was somewhat confident that she would be able to handle Charms. Her first impressions of their teacher, Professor Flitwick, was that he was very… tiny. Based on what Abby already knew about him, Flitwick was a master dueller so she was excited to learn from him.

"Good morning, class," Flitwick greeted them as he climbed atop what looked like a staircase of books. "For those of you who don't know who I am, I am Professor Flitwick and I will be your Charms teacher. Today you will be learning one of the more basic spells, Lumos. Is there anyone who can tell me what the effect of this incantation is?"

Glancing around the class to se if anyone was going to answer, Abby saw that nobody appeared to be interested in answering the question. Opposite to her, Abby noticed a particular Gryffindor boy who seemed as though he knew the answer, but was hesitant to do so. Before anyone else could answer, Rowan beat them all to it.

"The effect of the Wand-Lighting Charm illuminates the wand tip," Rowan answered confidently.

"Correct, Miss…" Flitwick complimented Rowan as he trailed off in search of her name.

"Khanna, sir," Rowan smiled brightly.

"Ah, the Khanna family. Owners of the Khanna Farm, I assume?" Flitwick stated.

"Yes, sir," Rowan nodded.

"They do make fine wands over there. Five points to Slytherin. Now, can anyone tell me who invented the Wand-Lighting Charm?" Flitwick asked.

This time, Abby restrained Rowan from answering and gave the Gryffindor boy opposite to her a reassuring nod to hopefully give him the confidence to speak up, which it seemed to do.

"Levina Monkstanley in 1772, sir," the boy replied nervously.

"Correct!" Flitwick praised him. "What is your name, young man?"

"Ben Cooper, sir," the boy replied quietly. His shyness was obvious to Abby, but she had a feeling that it came from more than just the first day nerves that Abby was feeling.

"Five points to Gryffindor," Flitwick rewarded him.

"I heard he's a muggleborn and a bit of a coward," Rowan whispered to Abby.

"Rowan, don't say that," Abby hissed.

"That's just what everybody else is saying," Rowan said.

They spent the rest of the class learning how to perform the Lumos spell. At the end of the class, Flitwick had asked all of the students to demonstrate their use of the Wand-Lighting Charm. Some of the students performed it perfectly, whereas others weren't as impressive. One of the most impressive performers had been Ben Cooper, who Abby could see had a gift for charms.

"That was great, Ben," Abby complimented him.

Ben almost jumped out of his skin when Abby acknowledged him, "Thank you…"

"Now, Miss Selwyn. It is your turn," Flitwick addressed Abby. "If you're anything like your brother, you'll do just fine. He was one of my most skilled students."

"Really?" Abby exclaimed. Jacob had never told her about his studies. He'd just told her about all of the adventures that he'd had at Hogwarts.

"Indeed he was. That being said, he was also one of my most rebellious students…" Flitwick trailed off. "Are you going to follow in your brothers footsteps or are you going to follow the rules?"

"I have every intention of following the rules, sir. I just want to stay out of trouble and do what is expected of me," Abby replied, hoping that the answer was enough to please Flitwick.

"Very well. Now if you could please perform the Lumos spell," Flitwick said.

Taking a deep breath, Abby recited the hand movement of the spell like Flitwick had taught them. As far as Abby was concerned, she had done the spell just perfectly. Although Abby still waited for Flitwick's judgement before she came to her final conclusion.

"Well done, Miss Selwyn," Flitwick praised her. "That's the best execution of the Wand-Lighting Charm I've seen from a first-year in quite some time. Ten points to Slytherin."

"Thank you, sir," Abby replied, happy that she had already done her part in her house.

"Nice work, Abby! I read everything I could on the Wand-Lighting Charm, and yours was still better! You're a natural," Rowan congratulated her.

"Thanks, Rowan. You're still the smartest witch I know and could probably recite every fact about the Wand-Lighting Charm unlike anyone else," Abby said.

Rowan blushed, "I probably could. Anyways, it looks like class is over so we would best be heading off now."

Abby nodded, "Yeah, we have potions next and I have a feeling that facing Snape won't be so easy…"

Despite her reservations about her Potions Professor and Head of House, Abby was still willing to head into Potions with an open mind and the desire to try her best. After Charms, Rowan went off ahead of Abby to get some more books from their dormitory. As Abby headed towards the Potions Classroom, she spotted Rowan outside but it soon became apparent that Rowan wasn't alone.

"Who's that girl?" Abby murmured to herself.

As Abby got closer, she recognised the girl as fellow Slytherin, Merula Snyde who was also in the same year as her and Rowan. While they didn't share a dormitory, Abby had seen her during the welcoming feast and Merula had made her dislike of Abby quite obvious based on the glare she sent her way. Once Abby could hear what they were saying, it became clear that they weren't having a friendly conversation.

"Admit it!" Merula exclaimed.

"I can't!" Rowan proclaimed.

"Say I'm the most powerful witch at Hogwarts!" Merula demanded.

"It's logically impossible!" Rowan argued as Abby got between them. "I've made numerous lists of the most powerful witches at Hogwarts based on multiple factors. You're less powerful than Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, every single seventh-year… You're a first-year like me!"

"I'm nothing like you," Merula seethed.

"Leave her alone," Abby said.

"Who do you think you are?" Merula demanded.

"If anyone should be considered the most powerful witch at Hogwarts, it should be Abby. Professor Flitwick said that she cast the best Wand-Lighting Charm of any first-year," Rowan proclaimed.

A glare morphed onto Merula's face as recognition set in, "Now I know exactly who you are. You're Abelia Selwyn. Your brother lost his mind, disgraced his house – our – house, got expelled from school and was never heard from again. The Sorting Hat should be burned for putting you in Slytherin."

"I'm sure you wouldn't care about what house I was in if I hadn't been put in Slytherin," Abby retorted.

"Yes, I wouldn't care," Merula glared at Abby. "Then I wouldn't have to worry about you tainting our house anymore than what your brother did. But I, Merula Snyde, first-year Slytherin and the best witch at Hogwarts will do everything I can to make sure that you don't do what your brother did."

"Trust me when I say that I don't plan on doing what Jacob did," Abby said.

"I overheard the professors talking about you at the Feast. I suppose you think that you're better than me. I should put you out of your misery before you ruin Hogwarts like your brother tried to," Merula taunted.

"Jacob never wanted to ruin Hogwarts. He loved this place," Abby argued. "Besides, I have no intention of starting any trouble."

"You don't have a choice," Merula growled.

"I don't want to fight you," Abby tried to reason with her.

"You're just scared that I'll humiliate you and prove why I am the most powerful witch at Hogwarts," Merula smirked.

Before Merula could try and 'humiliate' Abby, she noticed Professor Snape heading towards them and tried her best to act like there wasn't any trouble. Only Snape saw through that.

"Selwyn," Snape addressed her. "I knew you would be trouble."

"Professor Snape!" Merula exclaimed, almost as if she was afraid.

"Merula was bullying my friend, Professor," Abby said.

"Get to class. Be thankful that you're not heading to detention," Snape growled and Merula quickly followed after him.

"Thank you for standing up for me, Abby. I've never been very strong. Or good at making friends…" Rowan trailed off. "I'm glad that you and I are both in Slytherin."

"Merula doesn't seem so happy about it," Abby remarked. "Did you hear what she said, though? Why would the professors be talking about me?"

"I don't know, but we better get to Potions. We're in enough trouble as it is," Rowan replied.

Abby nodded, "We don't want to get on Snape's bad side anymore than what we probably are."

They walked into the Potions Classroom together, and Abby quickly noticed how dark and dreary it was. There was hardly any light and it made Abby wonder how they were ever going to get any work done in here. Maybe that's why Professor Flitwick had taught them Lumos first.

"There will be no foolish pranks or wand-waving and intolerable screeching of mispronounced incantations in this class," Snape stated as he took his place at the front of the class. "This class is not for the impatient and I do not expect all of you to appreciate the subtle and complex art that is potions. Despite that, I hope that there is at least one of you who will be able to succeed in this class."

"That won't be you, Selwyn," Merula taunted from beside Abby.

"Today you will be learning one of the beginners potions; the Cure for Boils. It is a fairly simple potion so I will not tolerate any mistakes," Snape said as his eyes landed on Abby. "I will also not tolerate any rule-breakers whose only intentions centre around themselves with no consideration for the safety of others."

"You won't have to worry about that with me, Professor," Abby replied since she felt as though Snape's warning had been directed straight at her.

"Very well," Snape nodded. "Ensnare the senses. Bewitch the mind. Keep your mouths shut."

Potions class wasn't like Charms class where you could talk freely with those around you and help each other out. Professor Snape also wasn't like Professor Flitwick who openly encouraged students and praised them for their success whereas Snape was unsupportive and seemed to take time in nit-picking any mistakes he could find. It certainly didn't help that throughout the whole class Abby had to put up with Merula making rude remarks about her family and how she was 'destined to fail.'

Not wanting to let Merula get the better of her, Abby remained focused and dedicated to her work despite constantly feeling nerves as she felt Snape's glare at the back of her head. Knowing how hard it was to please their uptight Potions Professor, Abby was hoping to brew a perfect potion that would hopefully get him off her back. So when Abby finished brewing her Cure for Boils, she couldn't deny the pride that she felt at brewing her first potion.

"It worked! I brewed my first potion!" Abby exclaimed.

"Congratulations, Abby! In all my research, hardly anyone brews this potion correctly on their first try," Rowan said.

"Wait… What's happening?" Abby wondered as she started noticing her potion acting strange.

"Did you add Bulbadox Powder? From my studies, this looks like the beginnings of the explosive reaction caused by adding Bulbadox powder…" Rowan trailed off.

"I could've sworn that I followed each and every instruction precisely," Abby murmured before her eyes widened. "Wait, did you say explosive?"

Before Abby had time to react, her cauldron exploded into several pieces and Merula's satisfied smirk didn't go unnoticed by her. Whatever had happened to her potion, Abby was certain that it wasn't a result of her own fault.

"Congratulations. You have cured the table of boils," Merula smirked.

"You should have never been allowed inside of my classroom, Selwyn. Not since your brother have I seen such a reckless Slytherin. Pity you weren't sorted into Gryffindor instead where they pride themselves on being reckless fools," Snape reprimanded her.

"But Professor Snape, I –" Abby started, only to get cut off by Snape's sharp tone.

"Ten points from Slytherin," he said, causing Abby's face to fall. "What do you have to say for yourself?'

"I must not have been given proper instructions, Professor," Abby stated.

"You dare blame your foolishness on me? You should consider yourself fortunate that I didn't give you detention. Or worse," Snape growled before walking off.

"I can't believe you blamed Snape," Rowan whispered once their Potions Professor was out of earshot. "But it was the right choice. It threw him off, and kept him from taking more House Points."

"It's only going to get worse, Selwyn," Merula threatened. "You should have known that coating your cauldron with Bulbadox Powder would make your potion explode. I certainly did."

"You did this?" Abby narrowed her eyes. "What's your problem? We're both in Slytherin. You just cost us House Points!"

"I'd rather lose House Points now than have you ruin Slytherin's reputation forever," Merula stated. "Now there's no doubt that I'm the most important first-year, and you're nothing but a disgrace, just like your brother."

They were eventually dismissed from class, which freed Abby from having to put up with Merula for any longer. Upon leaving the Potions Classroom, Abby spotted the Gryffindor boy from Charms class, Ben Cooper, in the corridor of the dungeons. When he recognised her, Ben nervously approached her.

"You're Abelia Selwyn, right?" Ben asked.

"Yes, but please call me Abby," Abby replied.

"I just wanted to thank you for giving me the courage to speak up in Charms. I also wanted to thank you for standing up to Merula Snyde," Ben said.

"Who told you I did that?" Abby wondered.

"I was watching from the end of the corridor. I've been following her so she can't sneak up on me, and if she sees me, I'll at least have a chance to run away," Ben answered.

"You seem so terrified of her when she's just a first-year like us," Abby observed.

"Merula Snyde isn't just a normal first-year like us. She's a bully. She tormented me the entire way here on the Hogwarts Express. She kept threatening me, and calling me a Mudblood," Ben explained.

"I'm sorry, Ben. That's terrible," Abby apologised, hating the word Mudblood. It just felt so wrong to call someone such a derogatory term, something that her father disagreed with.

"Merula is obsessed with being the best witch in our year, and she thinks she has to impose her will on us to prove it. I'm just glad that someone was brave enough to stand up to her. I'm certainly not. It's a joke that I got put in Gryffindor," Ben said.

"Everyone is afraid of something, Ben," Abby tried comforting him.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid of everything. I come from a Muggle family, so all of this is new and scary to me," Ben murmured.

"I know how you feel, Ben. I come from a wizard family and it's been hard adjusting to this as well. I'll try to help you however I can, Ben," Abby promised.

"Thanks, Abby," Ben smiled. "I'll see you around."

After Ben left her standing there, Abby knew that she was going to have to face Slytherin on her own, knowing that because of Merula's actions, she'd just lost her house ten points. Even though Abby had only just met Merula Snyde, she seemed determined to do whatever she could to ruin everything for Abby. That was when Abby remembered the warning that her cousin, Octavia, had given her before she left for Hogwarts.

Be careful of Merula Snyde. Her parents are trouble, which will probably mean that she's trouble too.

Normally Abby didn't keep up with the news or gossip in the wizarding world, but Abby did remember listening to her father talking about the Snyde's some time ago after they were caught doing crimes involving Voldemort. Since Abby's father had done his best to reinvent his image in the public eye, Abby just assumed that Merula hated her because of that. But since Merula had already tried to sabotage Abby on her first day, Abby had the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time that she'd be at odds with Merula Snyde.

So, Abby's met Merula and the rivalry begins. Things with Abby and Merula are certainly going to be interesting, considering that their parents share the same past. Then there's Ben, our beloved Gryffindor friend who some would hardly consider a Gryffindor but at the same time, I think Gryffindor is perfect for him. He might be afraid of everything, but that's what makes him a perfect Gryffindor in my opinion. Now Abby's had her first taste of Potions with Snape and it's going to be interesting to see where I go with that considering the somewhat similarities between them.