Author's Note: I apologize or the delay in this release. It is in part due to that I had already had the first three chapters prewritten and that I was writing a novel for national novel writing month that was for the month of November. Thanks for your patients and let me know what you think.

Chapter 4

The Sordid Sorting

Her fall was halted as a vice gripped her right arm. Before she knew what had happened, her body was yanked back up onto the train and into a very tall someone's waiting arms. She kept her eyes shut as she clutched onto the robes of the person holding her upright, waiting for her heart to stop trying to break through her ribs. She heard the train door slam shut and Ginny's breathless giggle underneath the chuckles of what sounded like two older boys. Ursella realized that one of the chuckles was coming from the chest she had her face buried into.

"Better late than never, eh Ginny?" said one boy.

"Who's our friend?" said the boy Ursella had attached herself to. "I think I like her."

Both boys roared as Ursella leapt back out of his arm reach. She now saw that the two boys were the twins she had thrown Ginny's trunk to. She also recognized them as being two of the Weasley boys due to the hair, freckles, and the anger they showed at Draco and Uncle Lucius in Flourish and Blott's.

"Yep, she's a lively one," answered the first boy. He was closest to the door and still had Ginny by her arm as she gasped for breath. That was probably the one that pulled her in the door. With a smile, the boy extended his hand and Ursella shook it. "Hello, I'm Fred. That's my brother George." Fred gestured to the brother Ursella had jumped away from.

"I thought I was Fred," said George.

"Oh, knock it off," Ginny gasped finally. "Mum isn't even here. Her name's Ella by the way." She straightened up and addressed Ursella. "They told you right the first time."

"Oh, I remember you now." George announced.

"I thought Malfoy said it was Ursella." Fred chimed in.

"It is."

They all turned to see Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle standing in the doorway to the rest of the train, looking very much put off. At least Draco looked put off. Ella always thought the ogres looked angry about being so confused and constipated.

"At least to you it is," continued Draco. He stepped forward to stand beside Ursella and put a hand on her shoulder. "What's going on here? Ganging up on an innocent girl Weasleys? Are you alright Ella?"

"No, yeah I'm fine." Ella shoved Draco's hand off her shoulder. "They were just helping me on the train."

"Why did you need help?" Draco questioned.

"Because I ran into her and made both of us almost miss it." Ginny answered before Ursella had a chance to come up with an excuse that made no one at fault. Draco, as is his nature, zeroed in on the tiny red head with a look he learned surprisingly from his mother. He gently pushed Ursella back toward the ogres as he stalked toward Ginny.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going." But suddenly he was blocked by the identical duo known as Fred and George.

"Speaking of ganging up on innocent girls," said Fred, or the boy on the right if he was Fred. Ursella wasn't sure anymore since they moved. "I don't fancy your tone. How 'bout you George?"

"It's not my favorite," answered George. They weren't smiling anymore, but unlike the ogres, they actually had intelligence behind their scowls, letting you know that they were scheming against you. "Should we teach him how he should speak to ladies, Fred?"

Next to Ella, both ogres grimaced and cracked their knuckles. She knew what would happen next and decided it wouldn't be a good way to start the year to be involved in a fight before they'd even left London.

"Okay, Draco, that's enough," Ursella drawled, purposefully being as condescending as possible. "Let's go sit down before the ogres do something stupid." She pushed Crabbe and Goyle up the train, back toward their compartment. Draco automatically deflated once his cronies weren't within punching distance and made to follow, all the while glowering at the twins. Ursella crossed her arms and stamped her foot. "Today, Draco? You're going to miss the treats trolley."

He finally trudged after his friends and Ursella made to follow but then stopped as soon as her cousin was out of earshot. She turned back to the Weasleys who were now watching her extremely more apprehensively than before. She gave them a noncommittal wave and a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that. And, uh…" she checked to make sure no one was watching, "yeah, thanks." Then she darted away before she was caught apologizing to blood traitors.

She caught up with Draco before he had noticed that she had fallen behind. When they got to their compartment, Draco held the door for her, then followed her in and slammed it shut behind him.

"The nerve of those Weasleys!" Draco growled to the group. Ursella rolled her eyes and went to her seat, of where her seat would have been had the fifth the member of their group not decided to sit there instead. It was a girl that Ursella had met many times before and always seemed to try and pull her and Draco apart. Like right now, sitting in the middle of the bench and making it impossible for Ursella to sit next to her cousin.

"Oh, hello Ursella," Pansy Parkinson smiled as sweetly as she was probably capable. Ursella didn't like Pansy. She always felt that the Slytherin was being fake, as if she hated the world and was constantly scheming against everyone in it. Ursella didn't have any proof of this, of course; it was just a feeling.

"Morning Pansy," Ursella smiled back. "Might I be able to sit there?"

"Oh, there's enough room here." Pansy remarked and patted the seat next to her by the window. Draco had taken his seat closest to the door and Crabbe and Goyle were across from him. So it was either sit next to Pansy or the creepy ogre twins. Lesser of two evils in this case is just smaller but no less great.

"Why thanks." Ursella sat beside Parkinson and tried to maintain a polite façade. "So, where did you end up going on holiday? Last I saw you, you said you hadn't decided yet."

"Oh, yeas. It was very nice," cooed Pansy, flipping her hair out of her face. "Mother and Father and I saw the Eiffel Tower on the way to visit some relatives in France."

"So, Pansy, you went to Paris with your parents, the Parkinsons?" Ursella managed to not laugh as she said it. She was always telling Draco how ridiculous sounding Pansy's name was. He only barely managed to hide his sudden snort in a coughing fit. Pansy didn't catch the laughter or the joke.

"Yes, that's what I just said," she deadpanned with a look on her face like Ella was the dumb one. Pansy turned to Draco as if Ella wasn't even there. "Really, Draco? How does your father expect her to fit in with people a whole year older than her? No offense, but she isn't all that bright."

"Hey!" Ursella felt herself getting hot under the collar and she pushed that heat, that energy down, funneling it into her hands, ready to explode out at Pansy at a moment's notice. Or at least singe her hair pretty thoroughly. But Draco interjected as usual.

"What Parkinson means to say, I assume, is that it would take an intelligence far exceeding the average to jump ahead a whole year." He was trying to soothe both girls without offending other. "What she forgot however is that you're only a few months younger than the other first years. An she doesn't know how great your many talents are."

"Talents?" asked Pansy, intrigued and mildly skeptical. "What talents? Ooh, show me!"

"Oh, I'll show you." Ursella said through gritted teeth. She was about to haul off and zap the older girl but Draco had is mother's look about him so she settled for an idea that was decidedly less violent.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Noctuam's cage in the luggage rack across from her. She held out her hands and pushed her energy up and around the birdcage till it was surrounded on all sides by her will. In her mind she imagined the cage lifting up and off the luggage rack and come to rest on the seat in front of her. She heard Pansy gasp and smirked as she opened her eyes to find the cage just touching down on the seat. When it was safe to, Ursella released the energy from the cage and instead focused it down to a finer space. She imagined an invisible hand reaching out, unlocking, and opening the cage. This time she kept her eyes open in order to focus on the intricate forces needed to manipulate the latch. Once it was undone, she used the rest to pull open the cage before relaxing back into her seat.

"Incredible!" This was the closest thing to a compliment Ursella had ever gotten from Pansy. "And you weren't even using a wand!"

"Yeah," Ursella sighed, as if using magic without a wand was no big deal. "But I expect using real spells would be easier. It seems like it uses a lot less concentration."

But Pansy was off and moving her mouth at a million words a minute, telling Draco what gossip she had heard or other such nonsense. Ursella was yet again deflated. She imagined people would be in awe of her abilities like Uncle Lucius and her mother were. But they only seem to get surprised for a short second and then move on. At least everyone she'd met so far. Maybe non-Slytherin students would be more fascinated. She looked across at Noctuam as he ruffled his feathers when Pansy let out a loud an incredibly obnoxious laugh at something Draco said. The owl seemed as put off by the second year as his owner was, which made Ursella like him even better. With a smile she just gazed out of the window for the rest of the journey and tried to ignore Pansy and the creepy stares of the ogres.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Firs' years!" there was a mountain holding a lantern and lumbering down the platform, students swarming by and trying not to get trampled. "Firs' years this way!"

"Oh," Draco looked mildly disgusted and altogether disappointed as he steered Ella in the direction of the silhouette. "That is known as Hagrid. He's pretty much good for nothing, Dumbledore has him round up the first years and take them across the lake."

For the first time so far, Ursella felt apprehensive. She had heard uncle Lucius talk about the oafish gameskeeper. She didn't see why he would be a better guide than her own cousin. But, mostly she didn't want to be left alone with all of the other first years. Merlin knows who the purebloods were anymore. "Perhaps I could just go with you, Draco."

"Ursella," His gray eyes wide with shock, "you're not scared are you?"

"No!" She shouted, but then lowered her voice away from prying ears. "I just don't know who to trust. Who's loyal? Who's a blood traitor? Who's a mudblood? Half-blood? What if—?"

"Would you relax?" Draco draped an arm around his cousin's shoulders. Crabbe and Goyle made to follow them but Draco waved them off. Pansy was still gabbing some other Slytherin girls and just not paying attention. "How about just don't make friends with anyone you don't already recognize? You've met most of the purebloods your age. 'Course you're ahead a year now. Well just wait 'till they're sorted then." They were getting closer to the growing mass of first years so Draco dropped his voice even more. "And if anyone tries to make friends, just kindly introduce yourself as who you are. Everyone knows your parents. The ones who loyal will worship you and those who aren't will fear you. No worries."

"I never thought of that." Mumbled Ella, feeling stupid that Draco out smarted her. "Okay, then. I'll be fine Draco. Quit worrying!" she giggled as his head whipped around to see if anyone had heard. "Bye, Dwayko!"

Ursella didn't look back as she walked into the fray of first years encircling Hagrid from all sides. Most were very anxious, looking over their shoulders like someone was after them. Only a few were smiling genuinely. One dirty blonde, round faced boy was actually bouncing on the balls of his feet holding a giant camera around his neck. He was nearest her on the right and didn't notice her when she walked up. The girl on Ella's left didn't acknowledge her approach either. She had long white blonde hair and light blue eyes that didn't seem to be focused on anything in particular. The girl was just staring up at the roof of the station where the train smoke was wafting over it. Fascinated, Ella stared at the milky skinned girl who was staring at nothing but smiling serenely. Then the girl came out of her trance and turned her head to look above Ella at Hagrid's face. Ella was about to ask her what she was looking at when Hagrid started booming over them.

"Al' righ'. Is tha' ev'ryone then? Good." He smiled through his commingling masses of beard and hair. He had kind, black beady eyes that made his vast size seem sort of silly. "Now, follow me. An' watch yer step."

Ursella followed along with her classmates, out of the station and down a pebble strewn path that seemed to be heading to a vast expanse of water. She stayed close to the moony eyed girl, in the event that she did something else peculiar. Unfortunately that meant staying close to the bouncing blonde boy, who of course started talking to her.

"Hi, I'm Colin Creevy. Isn't this all very exciting? What's your name?" He was sickeningly doe eyed and it made him impossible to ignore.

"I'm Ursella Lestrange," She said as politely as she could. The boy frowned as if deep in thought. "What?"

"Well, your last name sounds familiar. I read a lot of current wizard history when I found out I was one," He looked up at her again. "Do you know Harry Potter?!"

Thanks for the advice, Draco. Ursella was disappointed at her family's importance being subservient to Potter in this mudbloods memory. She mumbled something about meeting him once which sent Colin over the moon.

"No way! Was he amazing? Did you know that he defeated You-Know-Who twice? Once when he was just a baby and another time just last spring?!"

"He got lucky." Ursella shot back at him. "He's not anything special besides that. Not even very tall."

"Do you not like him because your parents were loyal to You-Know-Who?" The starry eyed girl had spoken in such a soft lilting voice that Ursella had almost missed it. But Colin hadn't.

"Your parents were Bad Eaters?" Colin looked amazed and apprehensive.

"Death Eaters." She corrected him. She turned back to the girl. "I have my own opinions about him. But it is a fact that he caused my parents to be in Azkaban so obviously he isn't going to be my favorite person."

"Oh good," The girl turned her far off gaze to the sky again. "I'd hate to think that you only hated him because you were told to."

Ursella almost tripped down the path. "Who are you anyway?"

"Luna Lovegood." Luna said in that lilting innocent way of hers. "Xenophilius is my father. He's the editor of the Quibbler, you know." Ursella wanted to hate her, but she was neither stuck up nor accusatory, just straight forward. And as much as she knew that she wasn't one of the loyal ones, perhaps no one would care if she talked to her.

"Al' righ', e'ryone! In ta the boats!" They had reached the lake and linin the shore was a fleet of small row boats. "No more n' four per boat. N' on'y one in mine please."

There was a mass of scurrying but all of the boats eventually received their mass number of occupants. Ella was in one with Colin and Luna and was mildly surprised when Ginny Weasley found her way in as well. Ella would have thought that after how rudely Draco had acted, Ginny would want nothing to do with her. But here she was, sitting on the middle bench with Colin while Luna took the front bench, leaving Ursella to have the whole back bench to herself. Ellas was fine with the back but sat on Ginny's side rather than Colin's. He was still a bit bouncy and frankly embarrassing to be seen with.

"Righ' then." Hagrid had worked his way into the last boat with one very uncomfortable boy, whose eyes kept darting around the boat, waiting for it to sink or capsize. The gameskeeper, however, seemed unperturbed by his boat's close proximity to the water and produced from his great coat a ratty old umbrella. Ursella almost laughed but then he tapped his boat with it and the fleet lurched forward across the lake as if being towed by invisible rope. Colin was just about losing his mind. Ginny and Luna seemed more appropriately amused.

Nothing was said during their journey until the boats rounded a corner and the castle came into view among gasps from the surrounding boats. Towers and spires seemed to burst out of all corners like a mutant plant. All windows a blaze from torches on the inside. It's great wooden doors propped open a the top of a stone staircase. Their destination seemed to be the shore closest to the front stairs. Ella thought it was beautiful and was about to say something when Colin jumped up out of his seat, rocking the boat violently.

"Sit down, will you?!" Ginny shouted at him, clutching the side to keep herself seated.

"But I have to get a picture of this for my parents," Colin had raised his camera over his face and making the giant thing focus in.

"You can do that sitting down!" Ursella hissed through her teeth.

Colin ignored her and was attempting to back away from the front of the boat to get the whole shot. He quickly ran out of room as the back of his leg hit the bench. The boat bucked side to side as he flailed for balance, tilting farther and farther back. Ginny darted across the bench and snatched for his hand but just managed to snag the camera instead. Colin's fall was halted as the neck strap held him up, but when the brittle cloth snapped, he quickly flipped over the side of the boat and into the black water.

Ella flung herself to the splashing boy and reached over the back of the boat for a handful of his robes. She caught him in the water before they had passed too far by him and tried to haul him back over the side. He had gained weight by soaking the water into his clothes and the momentum of the vessel was trying to rip him out of her arms. She started to feel her body tipping farther over the side when another pair of arms reached around the less than helpful Creevy. She didn't look up but Ella could see Ginny's cascade of red hair as they hefted Colin into the bottom of the boat.

Suddenly there was a bright flash that blinded the group momentarily and when she had untangled herself from Colin and Ginny, Ella had regained her sight enough to see Luna pointing Colin's camera at them and looking pleased with herself.

"I think your parents will like that one." She handed the camera back to Colin as everyone returned to their seats. Colin mumbled something about being sorry as the boats bumped the shore and they all made sure to crawl out of the dingy, none of them wanting to get anymore wet than they already were. Hagrid ambled by with his booming voice.

"This way everyone! Up the steps!"

They looked up to the wide open wooden doors to see a thin figure in emerald robes waiting for them, silhouetted by torchlight. As she climbed the steps Ella heard a Scottish and commanding voice falling from the figure. It had to be Professor McGonagall. Uncle Lucius had mentioned the assistant headmistress when he ranted about Dumbledore's incompetency. But upon nearing the very stern woman, Ella couldn't see the weak old witch her Uncle had described. Ella found herself cowering just like the rest of the first years when the Head of Gryffindor ushered them into a small classroom and ordered them not to move until she returned.

Conversations crept up while they waited. Mostly just short whispers, but some of the first years were getting brave enough to introduce themselves. Ella saw that her boat group was closest to the door and stuck out farthest from the group. Luna was distantly observing the class as if it were a curiosity. Colin was shivering and whimpering over his camera's broken strap as he dripped lake water all over the floor. Ginny was looking mostly put off because, like Ella, her robe sleeves were soaked and her front was damp form their rescue of Creevy. She was also glaring at him when Ella caught her eye. Ginny just raised her dripping sleeves up and rolled her eyes at the blonde boy near tears. Ella chuckled as she took out her wand, a plan turning over in her head.

All right, wand. She thought as she brandished it at her own wet arms. Time to prove yourself.

Ella focused on the water on her left sleeve and imagined it pouring out from every stitch and thread. She moved the point of her wand slowly down to her hand, pushing the idea through it. The liquid surged ahead of the tip, rushing out of the material and leaving it as dry as if Dobby had just laundered it. Elated, Ella repeated this on her other arm and clothes front. By the time she was done, she'd attracted Ginny's attention. The red head was looking with shock and more than a little envy. "What spell d'ya use?"

"Spell? No spell." Ella crossed to her and re-performed her drying exercise on Ginny. "I don't really know any spells. I just focus on what I want to happen and if it's simple enough I can usually do it." After a few sort minutes, both Ginny and Ella were dry and the rest of the first years were more than obviously sneaking peeks at Ella's group by the door. Ella coud feel everyone's eyes as she turned to Colin who was staring at her like he'd never seen magic before. Ella assumed that he probably hadn't. She pointed her wand at Colin's chest. "Hold still, Creevy."

But before she could start, something very solid slammed into the back of her head making her stumble forward and lose concentration. Behind her, the classroom door had opened and Professor McGonagall was now try to squeeze her way in. "Goodness, get away from the door!" Her lips were pursed into a straight line giving away that she meant business. "Of all the stupidity…" Ursella heard snickering coming from some of her classmates and tucked her wand away, trying not to blush.

Professor McGonagall eyeballed the room before opening her mouth to speak. Then she saw the mess Colin had made of himself and changed what she was going to say. "Did you fall in the lake?" When Colin nodded, McGonagall waved her own wand once at the boy and the water vanished not only from his clothes but the floor as well. She gave a flick to the end of her flourish and the camera strap had mended itself. All this done in a fraction of the time it took Ursella to do one sleeve. The snickering grew to murmurs and McGonagall raised her hands for silence. "That's enough, everyone. Get in a single file line, if you please."

In her shame, Ursella missed the opportunity to be in the front of the line, but was well over halfway to it when she had finally managed to squeeze in front of a tall strapping boy with a sneer on his face. He leaned in uncomfortably close to whisper in her ear.

"Nice trick," he said in a low tone, "Too bad the Professor showed you up in front of everyone." If Ursella learned anything from Draco, it's that if you give people an inch, they'll take a mile. So without turning around, she raised a finger up to his chin, gently pushing him back out of her space where she sent a rapid energy through her body and zapped him in the neck. He gave a yelp and jumped back, knocking into the rest of the line and sending them all falling over each other. This came to McGonagall's notice and she came striding back to where the line had begun to fall over, towering over them all.

"Is there a problem here?" Her lips were so thin that her mouth barely moved when she spoke. The boy Ursella had attacked got back to his feet rubbing the burn she had put on his neck. But he didn't rat her out and just shook his head. "Good." McGonagall returned to the front of the line. "You will follow me into the Great Hall where you will line up in front of the Professor's table and wait patiently for me to call your name. When I do, promptly walk forward and sit on the stool that I will provide for you so you can be sorted into the house that will become your family during your academic career here at Hogwarts. Any Questions?" When no one dared to ask anything, Professor McGonagall led them back across the Entrance Hall and through the open double doors into the aptly named Great Hall.

Ursella had to admit that the enchanted ceiling was amazing no matter how much Draco tried to tell her it wasn't. There weren't hardly any clouds and you could see every star in the sky. The whole Cathedral like room was lit with floating candles that hovered over the four house tables as well as the Professor's table. As the procession of first years headed toward the front of the room, Ursella found Draco sitting with the Slytherins and they exchanged an excited grin. They had finally reached the front and on a stool was the infamous Sorting Hat. Most first years aren't supposed to know about how you get sorted, it's like an unspoken rule that you don't talk about the sorting. But all of Ursella's family are Slytherins, and only follow rules when they are of benefit.

Just as the audience was getting restless, stitch in the rim of the hat tore open, forming a mouth with which the old ratty thing started to sing. It went on and on about such nonsense as Ravenclaws were intelligent and Gryffindors were brave and Hufflepuffs were ordinary and Slytherins hated having friends. Ursella thought it all rather bias since it was Godric Gryffindor's old hat, but nonetheless waited patiently until the hat wrapped it up. There was a round of applause for the magical singing article and McGonagall stepped up to the stool and unrolled the list of first years she had in her hands.

"Creevy, Colin!"

Colin nearly jumped a foot into the air before he jittered forward to take a seat on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on his head and as it was much too large it slid down over his eyes. Nothing happened for about three whole second and then the rip in the hat shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

There was an explosion of applause from the table on Ursella's far right and she could see them chanting and cheering and making general fools of themselves. McGonagall whipped the hat from Colin's head and pointed him in the direction he should go to sit, as he looked confused by the whole ordeal.

Professor McGonagall continued to call names and first years were sorted into their appropriate houses. The boy Ursella had zapped, Eric Harper, was the first to go to Slytherin while Hufflepuff obtained three and Ravenclaw just two so far. And then McGonagall reached the L's. Ursella knew she was next and saw the Head of Gryffindor hesitate before she read the name aloud.

"Lestrange, Ursella!"

Ursella stepped forward with confidence as whispered conversations crept up throughout the Great Hall, even from the Professor's table. She could hear snippets of the louder conversations:

"…Malfoys…"

"…You-Know-Who's right hand…"

"…Death Eater…"

"…Slytherin…"

Ursella tried not to smile but had to crack a grin when she saw the look on Harper's face as she took her seat and the Sorting Hat dropped over her head to rest on her shoulders.

The whispers of the Hall vanished and she could only hear the muttering of one voice in her head. "Well definitely not Hufflepuff then. Far too much talent for that…Let's see…hmm…Very intelligent and I see you have somewhat of a family history here..that will come into play…yes…this is a tough choice…but I think it better be…"

"GRYFFINDOR!"