Almost half-way through the first book :)
Selena stays up and in the early morning she decides that trying to get any sleep now is meaningless. She starts getting dressed and mechanically goes through the motions of covering her dark circles with some concealer and translucent powder she started investing in when her brother once commented on them. She manages to find her way to the Great Hall by asking a portrait politely for directions. She continues to use the portraits to find her way to her classes. After her classes and dinner, she explores Hogwarts taking note of all the passages and doors. She hopes to have a mental map of the school.
All in all, she doesn't spend more time around the Slytherins than she must. She leaves the dorm before anyone wakes up, eats breakfast and leaves when she's done, enters class at the last moment possible, and doesn't return to the common room until curfew. Blaise never fails to save her a seat next to him for class or lunch or dinner. They have a friendship of sorts.
Selena has already guessed that there will be a lot more to magic than just waving a wand and saying a few words. Otherwise, they wouldn't have a school for magic.
Herbology isn't really her forte as she doesn't care very much for digging in the dirt. Also, Harry was the one Aunt Petunia would force to do the yard work. Selena has read the Herbology textbook and other books on trees and plants but they don't really help when it comes to practice. She's decent enough to pass and hopes to use all of her homework and tests to bump the grade to an A or an Outstanding in wizard terms. If it gets too hard she can always ask Professor Sprout for tutoring.
The Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, is a tiny man who has to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. Selena doesn't think that the pile of books seems stable. She also isn't very sure if her apparent knack for cleaning spells will apply to charms as well.
Professor McGonagall is as strict as Selena thinks she is. She gives them a warning about messing around in Transfiguration before drawing their attention by changing her desk into a pig and back again. Selena thinks the display is awfully clever as immediately everyone is eager to learn. First, they take notes and then they are given a match to turn into a needle. By the end of their lesson, Selena is the only one successful in turning her match into a needle. Professor McGonagall gives her a smile and fifteen points to Slytherin.
History of Magic is another class where her eidetic memory comes in handy. Selena has the whole book in her head so taking a nap during his class doesn't do any harm. Blaise doesn't fall asleep although she can tell he wants to. She has a feeling that he's waiting for their first test so that he can be incredibly smug about her falling asleep in class. How unfortunate for him.
Astrology comes to her easily since it's just memorizing the names of the stars and the movement of the planets. Selena swears that if she were a better person she would feel incredibly guilty for the advantage her eidetic memory gives her, but she isn't so she doesn't.
Selena wasn't impressed in the slightest when she first met Professor Quirrell but she doesn't think Defense Against the Dark Arts will be too bad. That is until she enters his classroom and it smells of garlic, supposedly to ward off vampires which Selena doesn't believe even works. Apparently, his turban was given to him by an African prince as a thank you for getting rid of a zombie. Selena is doubtful that zombies exist even in the magical world. His turban smells strange and he stutters too much to be understood.
By the end of his class on Thursday, she has a headache from concentrating too hard on what Professor Quirrel was trying to say. "I think I have a bloody headache," she moans as she lays her head on Blaise's shoulder while they walk.
"Get off of me, you smell like garlic," he pushes her off.
She glares at him, "If I smell like garlic, you smell like garlic."
Blaise takes a whiff of his sleeve, "Ugh you're right. I thought the smell was especially bad today."
"We still have three classes left today! There's no way I'll be able to take a nap in History of Magic like this! Oh! Wait!" Selena takes out her wand and casts scourgify on both her and Blaise.
"Selena, you're a goddess," Blaise tells her with a charming smirk. Though on a eleven-year-old boy it just looks cute.
She pinches his cheek, "It's part of my name, of course I am!" She's runs off to who knows where for the remaining twelve minutes of the break. Blaise can only shake his head at her as she leaves. He also thinks it's best that she hang around their housemates as little as possible.
On Friday morning, Selena actually wakes up later than the rest of her house and is the last Slytherin to enter the Great Hall. It's the first time all week that Harry has managed to lay a good eye on his sister. She often disappears from the Great Hall as fast as she comes.
"So what do we got today?" Harry asks Ron while pouring sugar on his porridge.
"Double Potions with the Slytherins. Snape's Head of House of the Slytherins and they are rumors that he always favors him, we'll see if it's true."
"Wish McGonagall favored us...Umm...Do you think Selena will sit with us?"
Ron frowns at his breakfast, "I dunno. Would be up to her I guess. She doesn't seem to get on too well with the other snakes, well, except for Zabini."
Harry nods in agreement, every time he manages to catch a glimpse of his twin in the Great Hall she always streamlines to Blaise. Just then hundreds of owls stream into the Great Hall carrying boxes, parcels, and letters. It gave Harry a bit of shock the first morning but he's use to it now. Hedwig hasn't brought him anything so far but she does come to visit. However, today she lands on the table just between the marmalade and sugar to drop a note by Harry's plate. He immediately rips it open.
Dear Harry,
I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you and your sister like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?
I want to hear all about your week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.
Hagrid
Using Ron's quill he scribbles:
Yes please, we will see you later.
He sends the note back with Hedwig.
"I'll be right back," Harry tells Ron before getting up to walk across the hall to tell Selena of Hagrid's invitation. When he arrives behind his sister, her back is facing Gryffindor table this time, he sees a beautiful grey owl in front of her.
Selena turns around when Blaise taps her shoulder and points behind her, "Oh! Harry look! Mr. Vamish sent me the bank statement of last month and a list of all the shares the Potter and Black families hold. He even gave us keys to the estates although I'm not sure if we're able to enter yet."
Harry takes the letter she is handing to him:
Dear Ms. Potter,
As Heiress to the House of Potter and Black with no living Head it is protocol to send the last month and all future monthly bank statements to you. I have also enclosed the keys to all Potter and Black properties, a list of their properties, the bank statement of August, and a list of shares held by the two families.
Because there is no Head, you, as the heiress are able to control where the family money goes when it pertains to investments but you are not able to withdrawal or transfer money from the family accounts.
On a different note, I am unsure if you have an owl to do your personal correspondence with but I do hope you will accept this magnificent Great Grey Owl as a gift from us in the Goblin Nation. Word has spread among my people of a polite pureblood heir who goes by the name Selena Potter. Bear in mind, it is not just your politeness that has caught the attention of my people but your quick wit and readiness to take your role. The Head of Goblins requested that I give you one of the most beautiful owls as a symbol of our friendship. She is yours to name. You are always welcomed here or at any branch of Gringotts, Ms. Potter.
Cordially,
Mr. Vamish
Banker of Gringotts, London Branch
"Moony I think your forgot to mention that Gringotts gave you an owl?" He says incredulously.
She smiles at him, the one that isn't so wide because she isn't comfortable enough in her setting to smile with her dimples but is meant just for him. Only he is able to tell that she is in high spirits, to another she seems simply content.
"What are you going to name her?"
Selena gently pets her unnamed owl, "She is awfully beautiful. I've read about these owls before. Do you know that they're not as large as they appear? The fluffiness of their feathers gives them a large appearance. In Sikhism, there is a concept that events are real but the aftereffects aren't. This is known as 'maya' and because of this concept along with others similar to it maya is defined as illusion. I think it suits her, don't you?"
While Harry has, quite frankly, no idea what his twin is talking about he nods. Selena always gets this excited smile on her face when she speaks about something she read. It brings out a certain beauty from her and going by the slight flush on the nearby males' faces, including Draco and Blaise, he isn't the only one who notices this. "Brilliant as always." Selena grins, the comforting presence of her twin causing her to forget the stares. "Hagrid invited us for tea at his around three."
Selena gathers everything that came in the envelope and throws it into her school bag before getting up. "Alright, I'll meet you at the courtyard then? I'm going to go take these up to my room. Oh, I almost forgot!" She steals the piece of bacon Blaise held in his hand and feeds it to Maya.
"I was eating that."
"Well, now Maya is eating it." She says flatly and turns to coo at the owl, telling it to go up to the owlery with a promise that she will visit later. Maya hoots and nips affectionately at Selena's fingers before flying away. "See you both in a bit!" The oldest twin says before leaving.
"Is she always so...weird? She goes from quiet and sarcastic to chirpy and affectionate so quickly." Blaise asks Harry.
Harry snorts, "That's all you've seen of her? Here's a tip, don't get her angry." He walks back to the Gryffindor table and Blaise decides to take that advice to heart.
Potions takes place down in one of the dungeons, quite close to the Slytherin common room but Selena still somehow manages to arrive at the last possible second. Severus Snape starts class by taking roll and pauses at Harry's name. "Ah, yes," he says softly, "Harry Potter. Our new celebrity." He drawls out celebrity almost mockingly.
"We also have Selena Potter, how fun must it be to be the older twin of the Boy-Who-Lived." He doesn't say it mockingly but Selena knows that he didn't mean it positively. Going by Draco's, Grabbe's, and Goyle's sniggers they know as well.
When Harry sees his sister's eyes narrow he smirks, there's no way she's going to keep quiet.
Snape finishes roll call and looks up at the class with cold black eyes, "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making." He speaks in a whisper but they hear every word. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you to really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
His over dramatic statement, in Selena's opinion, is followed by silence. From her seat next to Blaise she can see that Hermione is sitting on the edge of her seat with a quite desperate look on her face. She rolls her eyes.
"Potter!" Snape says suddenly as he snaps his head in the direction of Harry. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Hermione's hand shoots up into the air. Selena sighs when she sees her brother's stumped face, she clearly remembers reading that passage out loud. Apparently, he does not.
"I don't know, sir," her brother says with slight shame.
Snape sneers, "Tut, tut, fame clearly isn't everything."
And that's the line for Selena. "'Adding powdered root of asphodel, specifically 150 fl oz, to an infusion of wormwood creates a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Death. It is an extremely dangerous potion that must be executed with maximum caution and is taught to N.E.W.T. students,' that's what the textbook says. Very briefly mentioned for the sake of showing how powerful a potion can be. Hardly something a first year needs to remember for this class, don't you agree sir?" She spits out the word sir with as much malice as she can muster. Her own face making an on spot impression of her Aunt Petunia when she smells something bad.
Snape looks at her, his face contorted into a angry scowl. "And do tell me, Miss Potter, when did I give you permission to speak?"
"Well you just said 'Potter' without stating specifically which one of us you were talking to. Ergo, I assumed you were addressing the both of us. Harry gave his answer so it was time for me to give mine. Unless, you only called out Potter without specifics just for the sake of being dramatic with no intention to ask a question that's actually relevant to the class so that you could belittle an eleven-year-old boy. But that would just be ridiculous, no self-respecting Professor would stoop so low," she finishes with a condescending smirk.
There's a loud silence blanketing the classroom. Selena's smirk never leaving her face, Harry forcing himself not to laugh, and the rest of the students in shock. Snape's face is pale, deathly pale, his nostril flared out enhancing his crooked nose and his lips so thin Selena suspects he's holding in a shriek. He abruptly turns away and smacks the blackboard by his desk, "Here are the instructions for a simple cure to boils. Begin," he whispers the words with such intensity that Selena definitely knows he's trying to rein in his anger.
"I'll get the ingredients," she chirps to Blaise, skipping away as if she did not just humiliate a grown ass man.
Thing are neither good nor bad from then on. As they are weighing the dried nettles and crushing the snake fangs, Snape walks around but refrains from commenting on anything, almost like he's trying to prove something to himself. Selena does her work with an aura of confidence and keeps an eye out for any mistakes her brother might make. She hums to herself as she moves Blaise's cauldron away from the fire and prepares the porcupine needles so that Blaise can stir as she puts them in. Checking on Harry again, she sees Neville preparing the needles and notices he hasn't taken Seamus's cauldron off the heat yet. Without saying anything she moves the cauldron just before Neville tries to add the needles to it. "You have to take it off the heat first," she reprimands him slightly.
Him and Seamus wince. "S-Sorry Selena, t-thanks," Neville tells her.
She rolls her eyes with a slight twitch of the lips, "Just saving Seamus's cauldron and everybody's shoes and probably you if the potion had spilled all over you."
Neville blanches, "I-I'll double check the b-board from now on."
"Good idea!" She nods and walks away.
They are dismissed from class just in time for lunch. Harry looks around for his sister in the hallway but she disappears and by the time she shows up for lunch Harry had forgotten what he wanted to say. At the end of their last class of the day, Ron walks with Harry for a while as Harry walks to the courtyard to meet with his sister.
"Harry," Ron says to his friend and for some reason it makes Harry stop.
"Ron?"
"Err...I think you should tell your sister to be careful when it come to Snape. I heard he can turn very nasty."
Harry rolls his eyes, "Tell her yourself. You're really gonna let that Slytherin bias get to you? She's my sister, it's not like you can avoid her. Moony probably didn't sit with us in the only class I have with her because she doesn't want you to feel uncomfortable. She taught you how to cast a spell when Hermione was about to make fun of you for it not being a real spell. She held your hand to help calm your nerves and you said it yourself that she doesn't seem to get along with the other Slytherins. Selena is cunning and resourceful and ambitious but she's not evil and the day she turns evil is the day I don't know anything about her. That's not going to happen because she's my twin, the other half of my soul, so I know her better than anyone."
Ron feels quite ashamed of himself by the end of Harry's touching speech. He knows that Selena doesn't fit into the evil, slimy Slytherin stereotype that had been ingrained in his mind since childhood but it's such a dramatic shift he didn't quite know what to do so he avoided her. Obviously, Selena isn't the first one to be sorted into Slytherin that didn't fit into the stereotype so lately he's been pondering on how long the word evil was synonymous with Slytherin and how much it affects the atmosphere of the school. He feels guilty for always recoiling from anything remotely Slytherin which included Selena the moment she was sorted there, even though he knows she isn't like that. "C-Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"
Harry smiles.
Ron and Harry have been waiting for Selena for about five minutes when she finally comes running towards them, "Harry! Oh my god I'm so sorry! I was with Maya and there's so many different types of owls there I just had to look at them all."
Harry shakes his head while chuckling. So typical Moony.
"Oh," Selena's face falls slightly when she sees Ron but swiftly lifts it back into a smile before they can notice. "Hiya Ron! I didn't know you were coming but the more the merrier, right?"
Ron nods with an awkward smile, not really sure where he and Selena stand.
"We better get a move on then!" She says and walks across the school grounds towards a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest.
Selena knocks on the door. In a few seconds, Hagrid face appears as he opens the door. "Harry! Selena! And a friend! Hang on, gotta get Fang."
He lets the trio in while keeping a hold on an enormous black boarhound. Selena immediately kneels before the dog and starts petting it. Fang stops fighting Hagrid. Instead he sits with content as Selena gives him affection. Hagrid smiles as he drops his grip on Fang's collar, "Make yer'selves at home."
"This is Ron," Harry tells Hagrid.
Hagrid pours water into a kettle to boil and places some lumps on a plate. "Another Weasley, eh? I spent half me life chasin' yer' twin brothers away from the forest."
The lumps are supposed to be cakes with raisins in them but they they are as hard as rocks. Nevertheless, Ron and Harry pretend to enjoy them. Selena is still fawning over Fang as the two boys tell Hagrid about their first lessons.
"And how 'bout potions? I remember yer' mum was good at it."
At the mention of potions Selena sneers, "That greasy git of Professor we have hates Harry for some stupid reason, probably, and tried to talk down on him."
"Rubbish! Why would he?" Hagrid says with doubt.
"I don't care why but if he does it again trust me I won't be as kind as I was today," she glares at the floorboards and Fang whines because he can sense her anger.
"That was you being kind?" Ron asks slightly horrified.
Selena's mouth curls into a menacing smile, "Anything he dishes out I can give back ten fold."
Hagrid looks quite afraid for Selena, "What did you tell Snape?"
Harry can't help but smile, "It's probably best you don't know Hagrid. With you being on the faculty you might have to give her detention. But Moony does have a way with words, she made one of Dudley's friends cry ones. He moved schools after that."
Ron and Hagrid look simultaneously terrified and impressed. "Er...How's yer' brother Charlie? I liked him alot- great with animals." Hagrid says, obviously changing the subject.
For a while, Hagrid and Ron talk about Charlie's work with dragons. Selena listens in closely, still petting Fang. Harry picks up a clipping of newspaper that was lying under the table.
GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.
Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.
"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.
"Hagrid! Selena! The Gringotts break-in happened on the day of our birthday, maybe while we were there!"
Hagrid doesn't say anything about the break in. Selena just shrugs it off, though in her head she thinks of how lucky they were. Harry reads the story. Apparently the vault that was broken into was emptied out earlier that day. Hagrid took out a grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen, emptying it in the process. Harry wonders if that is what the thieves were looking for.
All three leave with rock cakes in their pockets. Selena leaves the two boys saying that Blaise is making her actually walk with him to dinner. Harry's mind is buzzing with question. Did Hagrid collect the package just in time? Where is it now? And does Hagrid know something about Snape?