X1.

"Oh, by the way. Do you think Tracy Davis is the Heir of Slytherin?" Dorathea asked as they picked themselves up off the floor of Snape's office. Earlier that day, they had received a missive from Hogwarts bidding both of them come to their school early in order to sort Dorathea into her new house.

Apparently, unless she wanted to spend the next several months in a special set of chambers all her own, Dorathea had to be sorted into a house for the castle to manifest her a bed, chest, and space. Since Snape had admitted to some difficulty in acquiring the necessary potion ingredients and Hermione had remained stubbornly uncommunicative, the polyjuice potion was still some months from being completed. Dorathea could hardly be expected to stay in Nott Keep by herself and miss out on her education.

Plus, Lady Malfoy had explained over their final lunch the previous day, it would be very suspicious if Dorathea wasn't publicly presented as healthy and sane after her miraculous appearance. There were certain sections of society, the elegant woman had promised her, that would not stand for any more interference. The promised threat in her voice gave Dorathea chills at the same time as it reassured her.

Theo stumbled over the edge of his robe as he tried to rise, "What?"

"Davis." Dorathea repeated, holding out her hand to help him to his feet, "Do you think she's the one petrifying Muggleborns?"

Theo was quiet for entirely too long, by her liking. Would she actually have to admit to Ron that his idea was correct? But when he finally answered, it was with a shake of his head.

"No, I don't think so," He said, "Not that she couldn't, mind you. I once saw her hex a group of Fifth Years for laughing about Bulstrode. But I don't think she dislikes Muggleborns. Purebloods, maybe. But not Muggleborns."

Dorathea sighed in relief but gave a quick shiver of nerves. Was Theo really safe with someone like that in Slytherin with him? But he didn't seem concerned, so she put it behind her. There was a more important issue to consider first.

. . . . . . . .

"Ravenclaw!"

Dorathea pulled the hat off her head hurriedly and handed it back to a bemused Professor McGonagall. They were gathered in the Headmaster's office, which was feeling very cramped with the extra people, but Dorathea was glad for them. Professor Snape looked entertained, Theo disappointed. Dorathea risked a glance to the Headmaster. He was staring at her with flat, unamused eyes.

"Well, I shall inform Professor Flitwick about his newest charge," Professor McGonagall announced, edging around the chair, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Nott."

Dorathea slid off the chair and hurried over to where Theo was huddled behind Professor Snape. She took his hand and gave him an apologetic look. She knew that he had been hoping for Slytherin and it would have been nice to have all the same classes. Honestly, either Slytherin or Gryffindor would have been manageable. She already knew everyone in Gryffindor, even if they didn't know her and in Slytherin, she could at least have Draco's support. But Ravenclaw?

Theo must have sensed her distress because he gave her a small smile.

"We'll still have one-third of our classes together," He whispered. "And the Ravenclaws are decent. Weird, but decent. At least, you're not in Gryffindor." Dorothea nodded sadly. Why hadn't Harry paid more attention to the other students in the other houses? She could barely name all Ravenclaw's in their year, much less know what to expect.

"Or Hufflepuff," She added and the twins shared a smirk.

. . . . . . . . .

The last evening before Hogwarts found the small household of Nott Keep in an uproar. As Harry, Dorathea had never had to worry about packing for school. Either all of Harry's things were already in his trunk since the Dursley's hadn't let him unpack or he had so few things that it was easy to throw them in his trunk. But the trunk that had once seemed so spacious as Harry was no longer.

"It won't fit!" Dorathea wailed as she tried and failed to close the lid over her pile of new clothes and loom. Theo didn't look up from where he was hurriedly scribbling the last six inches of his Transfiguration essay.

"Have you tried-" He gestured with one hand to indicate that she try placing her loom vertically on the side rather than flat on top.

"I've tried it every way!" She cried, feeling on the edge of tears with frustration, "It's too tall on the side, too wide on top and if I place it at an angle- Oh Euphie- no!"

"You is not being cold!" The house-elf had reappeared with an armful of thick, woolen stockings that she then attempted to shove into the minuscule space around the loom. The trunk groaned warningly. Dorathea had been concerned when she saw the number of clothes in her closet, but Euphie had apparently gotten it into her head that neither of her charges would be dressed warmly enough or have enough to eat. All throughout the day she had been disappearing into the storerooms or kitchen and returning with armloads of old clothes or fresh baked goods that were apparently essential for their future survival.

"Euphie it won't fit!"

"Wait- why can't you transform anything into alcohol?" Theo asked, his voice tightening in alarm. He had camped out on Dora's bed, the hangings pulled back. A unicorn pawed anxiously behind him, as though picking up on the panic. "We didn't learn this- I'm positive we didn't learn this!"

"You did-" Thea promised, attempting to sit on her trunk to keep the house-elf from adding anything else, "The seventh chapter. The alcohol evaporates too quickly and if transfiguration becomes part of the air, it's impossible to undo."

Theo brightened. "Brilliant- wait, can you repeat that? Slowly?"

"Oh- just give me that-" Thea jumped from her trunk to the bed, almost upending Theo's inkwell, and pulled his essay onto her lap. One of the blessings of this new body was that she wasn't expected to complete Harry's homework. "If you figure out how to close my trunk, I'll finish your essay."

"And the astronomy star charts?" Theo asked hopefully. Dorathea looked at him in astonishment.

"I thought you finished those!"

"I got distracted?" Theo had the grace to look slightly embarrassed under Dorathea's unbelieving expression. Was this how Hermione felt every time she tried to corral Harry and Ron into doing their homework? The thought raised a small pang of regret and worry. Hermione had barely recovered since her return to Hogwarts. She'd basically returned to the Gryffindor dorms and locked herself in her room. Maybe it would be better once they resumed classes?

"Fine. I'll finish your essay, your start charts, and look over your potion's report if you fix my clothes."

Theo abandoned the bed and his homework before she even finished her sentence. Ten minutes later, Thea wrote a neat conclusion to Theo's essay and her enormous pile of clothing was slowly being reduced into neat piles. Theo glanced up and read the unasked question in her eyes.

"You don't just shove clothes into a trunk," He explained. " You have to fold them and every cloth has a different way it likes to be folded so it doesn't take much space. See?" He took one of her new sweaters and with a few deft movements, it was a compact lump.

"Then, on bulkier items, you can do this," He pulled a piece of thread from his pocket and wrapped it around the sweater. Weaving the ends around each other, Theo muttered something under his breath and the sweater seemed to deflate upon itself until it was little wider than a folded shirt. Dora let out a low whistle of approval and Theo grinned at her. "I came up with that one by myself. No wand needed!"

Thea absently finished her brother's homework as he paced around the room, explaining the theory behind the space-saving knot. He might not be the best at finishing his homework, but transfiguration clearly wasn't his passion.

"And the loom?" She asked when he finished.

"Oh- just carry it in. No one will question you if you say it's for family magic." The pillow that Thea threw at him in exasperation caught him full in the face.

. . . . . . .

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, faved, and especially reviewed. The notification emails just make me smile.