Disclaimer: This dramatization is an extension of some of what happens during Harry, Ron, and Hermione's 6th year at Hogwarts. It also covers flashbacks to Snape's first year of teaching. Since J.K. Rowling is yet to publish the 6th book, I'm very vague about what is happening in the wizarding world since only J.K. Rowling can truly write anything about Harry Potter. This is highly likely to disagree with a few facts, but since it's me writing, and not the author, please forgive me any goofs that I might make in relevance to the actual series. Thank you for choosing to read my story.

Chapter 4

Gabriella was very nervous. Today was the welcoming Feast, and she had never seen the school like this before. All of the teachers had begun to bustle in the final preparations for receiving students, and they had called off all of her lessons, except for potions. She was now very close to the fifth year level, she only had to complete one more test to pass for 4th year.

Ever since she and Snape had begun to discuss why ingredients had to be put in a certain way and how their properties tied into that, she had had an amazing improvement in her potions. Often, she was able to successfully complete several potions in one day. As they became more and more advanced, Gabriella actually found that she seemed to do better with these potions than the 1st and 2nd year level potions. In fact, Gabriella was almost entirely sure that, when he thought she wasn't looking, Snape looked at her with pride outlining his strict features.

To help relieve the stress of the upcoming sorting (she would be sorted along with the first years) as well as joining her class, she went down to visit Hagrid more and more often. Even though he was almost as busy as the teachers, he always seemed to have time for a cup of tea and a visit with her. She had begun to visit him so she could check on her animals. She went down in the mornings and evenings when she could, though her lessons with Snape often limited this. Her three dogs got along very well with a new mastiff puppy that Hagrid had bought and named Fang. The dogs would often run on the borders of the forbidden forest and around the premises of Hagrid's hut. She and Hagrid would often walk together while he performed his gameskeeping duties (Gabriella would often help by causing loads that were heavy for even Hagrid's great strength to float in the air before them).

On this particular day, the dogs were all inside. As she knocked on the door, she heard the howling, barking, and baying of the four dogs, who sounded as though they were a pack of greater numbers than that. Hagrid called her inside. Gabriella cracked open the door, slipping inside so that the dogs, who were now leaping up to lick her face, would be unable to escape outside. She saw that her rabbit was in a secure little hutch in a corner with a fresh pile of lettuce in front of her. She hopped to the front of the crate at Gabriella's greeting.

Hagrid turned around, grinning and holding two large cups of tea. Gabriella returned a smile, grimacing slightly at the thought of Hagrid's tea. She sat down at his table, bringing her legs up underneath her so that she could sit properly at the table since Hagrid had built it for a person of his size, and not a person of Gabriella's stature.

"I thought 'at you'd be up at the castle, packing ter join yer new class." Hagrid settled himself into his chair, shaking the floor of the house. All four dogs rushed to the table to beg for scraps, though Gabriella was pretty sure that they would no longer take her uneaten cakes that she tried to pass to them under the table when Hagrid wasn't looking.

"No, I can pack within a few seconds. I thought that I would come down here to visit instead. Unless you have something else you should be doing." She added hastily.

Hagrid shook his head happily. "Nope! I'm glad ter have comp'ny."

Gabriella smiled. She had always enjoyed Hagrid's company. He always seemed to be in a good mood, and was always more than happy to listen to anything she had to say. He was also delighted when he found out that Gabriella had a fondness for animals, almost to the same level as his. Though Gabriella didn't especially prefer the large and dangerous sorts of animals, she was often able to assist Hagrid in feeding and taming some of the fearsome creatures that he had. Hagrid found that she was especially helpful with the thestrals, which was what he would need to work with today in preparation of receiving students. Since Gabriella had seen her entire family die, she was quite able to feed and care for the thestrals. As the conversed over their tea, (Gabriella was right, the dogs wouldn't take the cakes), they eventually approached the subject of the thestrals.

"Eh, do yeh think yeh might be able ter help me with the thestrals, yeh know, hitchin' them up an' all?" Gabriella smiled. She had expected him to ask her this ever since he had explained why there was a herd of thestrals at Hogwarts.

"Of course Hagrid." Hagrid beamed.

"Thanks, it can be kinda tough gettin' 'em all together an' I got a late start on it."

"Would you like to start now? I won't mind having to leave my tea unfinished."

Hagrid smiled again. "Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks."

A few years later, another group of students went to visit Hagrid for tea. They, however, came to ask questions, not to give help. Hermione, Harry, and Ron approached Hagrid's hut, knocking on the huge wooden door. Fang's answering bark boomed from inside. "Come in!" Came Hagrid's voice from inside the hut.

Harry opened the door, almost knocked over by the gigantic Fang, who was ecstatic to see them. Hagrid turned around, beaming.

"I just put a kettle on! If yeh'd like a cup of tea, just wait a bit." Hagrid sat down at his table, which creaked slightly as he leaned on it. Harry, Ron and Hermione seated themselves down as well.

"We came to ask if you know anything about Gabriella Gisaf." Harry asked. Hagrid's face fell a bit.

"Yeah, I knew her. Great girl, she was. Real pity she disappeared." Seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione's interested faces. "She used te come down here an' help me with stuff. Takin' care of the thestrals an' stuff like that. Year she came to school was the year I got Fang here." He patted Fang lovingly. "I took care of her dogs an' rabbit. She couldn' leave em at her Grandmother's place, old lady wouldn' take care of em. She was an orphan. Saw er entire family killed in a car wreck." He shook his head sadly. "She'd float heavy stuff around fer me too. Didn't need a wand." Hermione's eyebrows rose a bit at this.

"What happened to her, Hagrid?" Harry inquired.

"She disappeared into the Forbidden Forest. Last person teh see her was Professor Snape." Ron and Harry glanced at each other meaningfully. "All of her animals escaped an' went into the Forest too."

"Hagrid, do you think it's possible that Snape killed her?" Ron asked.

"Ron, how many times do I need to tell you that a teacher wouldn't harm one of the students!"

"Quirell did!" Harry shouted.

"Well, if I remember correctly, he had Voldemort imbedded in his skull!" Hermione stated.

"'Sides!" Hagrid added. "Professor Snape helped lead the search parties for her!"

"Probably to make sure that no one found her dead body." Ron muttered.

Hagrid gave Ron an appraising look. "Yeh don't need ter worry about Professor Snape. I've told yeh before; he's a good man, despite some things. Yeh don' need to go meddlin' in things that aren't your business. Snape hasn't killed any students, so stop yer worryin!" Now, I need teh get back teh work, I'll see yeh at dinner t'night."

Gabriella paced nervously. After assisting Hagrid with the thestrals, she had returned to her room in the dungeons to pack her things, which had only taken one wave of her hand. She had paced around her room for one half hour, until McGonagall stopped by to tell her to make her way to the waiting room to be sorted, since the train had just arrived.

Now she was waiting to be sorted. She had glanced out at the Great Hall; it now had four house tables placed perpendicular to the staff table. She had been pondering which house she would want to be placed in. From what she had heard, Slytherin was full of rotten scum bags who would do anything to get what they wanted. She didn't think that that would be the house for her. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor both held appeal, but she knew that she didn't want to be placed in Hufflepuff. The best that could be said of them was that they were hard-working; kind of the leftovers from the rest of the school. There were several small 1st years crowded around her, all nervous and giving her strange glances. McGonagall followed them, carrying the Sorting Hat that Hagrid had told her about. She gave one smile to Gabriella.

"You will be sorted last, after all of the 1st years." She walked out, placing the sorting hat upon a stool. The first years cast her a few last curious looks, then filed out to be sorted. The hat broke out into song, startling Gabriella. It sang about the different houses and their features, mentioning their founders. Gabriella stirred nervously, waiting out of sight for all of the first years to be sorted. A long list of names was called out, and the different 1st years were sorted out to their separate classes. The line shrunk, eventually ending, the applause for the last student (sorted to Gryffindor) finally faded. There were a few mutters when the Sorting Hat was not taken away. Dumbledore stood up.

"Before the Sorting Hat can be placed away in it's shelf in my office, I must first introduce you to a new student of ours. She has not attended any wizarding schools before this time so over the summer all of the teachers gave her private lessons to get her up to date to join the 5th year class." Their was mixed muttering, some expressing curiosity that she could learn 4 years worth in 2 months, others pitying her for spending extra time at school. "Since she is new here, she must be sorted."

McGonagall stepped forward. "Gabriella Gisaf." Gabriella stepped nervously from 'back stage'. She sat down nervously on the stool, feeling the numerous eyes boring into her from the four house tables. She felt the hat being placed down on top of her head. It slipped somewhat around her ears. Then, she began to hear it whispering in her ear.

Hmm, you have an excellent mind I see, yes Ravenclaw would do very well. But, you also show courage, and the perseverance to continue. Hufflepuff or Gryffindor would also work well.' I'd not like to be in Hufflepuff.' She thought strongly. Not Hufflepuff, that's fine, you want to be a hero, well known. Slytherin might do well. 'I don't want to be in Slytherin.' She thought even more strongly. Hmm, not that either, eh? Well then, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor? Both can be great, but which one for you?. Gabriella opened her mind. 'That is your decision, you will know best.' Well, then, it had better be... "GRYFFINDOR!"

Gabriella cringed as it shouted in her ear, but at the same time, she flushed in excitement. A table to her left burst with applause, several of the students standing up. She had seen them doing this for other students that were chosen, but she felt overjoyed nonetheless. She stepped down, sitting next to a girl who had waved her over.

"Hi!" the girl exclaimed. She wore pigtails and looked very cheerful. "I'm in 5th year too! My name's Annabelle Watson!" Gabriella smiled.

"I'm Gab-"

"Oh, I heard. Can I call you Gabby instead?"

"Um, okay." Annabelle grinned.

"OH! Oh, oh!" she exclaimed. "This is my friend Piper!" A pretty girl with short black hair smiled. "She's in our class too! She's a prefect."

"Um, what's a prefect?" Annabelle and Piper looked at her surprised.

"You don't know what a prefect is?" Annabelle asked in a shocked manner.

"Well, I'm not British. I'm American. It's not something I've heard of before."

"Oh." Annabelle paused. "Well you're going to love it here! So is it true that you spent all summer getting private lessons from the teachers?" Gabriella nodded.

"So are you really completely up to date on all of your lessons?" Piper asked excitedly. She nodded again. Gabriella began to chat happily with her two new friends, finally accepted. Later, when she entered the Gryffindor tower, with its thick rugs, comfortable chairs, and welcoming fires, she realized that maybe she had finally found her new home.

Argus Filch was creeping around the school, muttering about how punishment should never have changed at Hogwarts, searching for miscreants skipping class or any signs of dirt or grime. His cat, Mrs. Norris stalked along beside him, her red eyes searching nooks and crannies. Both had a look of filth and malcontent about them.

Meanwhile, a Siamese cat was strolling down the hallway, taking in the sights of the castle with a strange fondness in its eyes. It was walking down the very same corridor as Argus and his cat, none of them realizing that there was any life other than themselves in the corridor. Rounding a corner, Filch suddenly stepped on something that screeched loudly, sending him tripping and falling to his back. Grunting, he turned around in time to see the Siamese cat bolting down the hallway with Mrs. Norris in hot pursuit.

"GET THAT CAT MRS.NORRIS!" he bellowed, struggling up and following the sounds of yowling down the hall, clutching his lower back and shuffling angrily.

Several weeks had passed since Gabriella had joined Gryffindor. She had settled into routine fairly well, happy with her classes and with her new friends. There were only two things to dampen her mood. The first was that she wasn't allowed to do any magic without her wand. After the Feast McGonagall had approached her, warning her to always use her wand, since she was the first 'wandless' for a very long time. Gabriella didn't see the point in this, but she persisted, sometimes just pointing her wand and causing the desired effect without saying an incantation. She never did this when someone was specifically watching her, but she found that this was easier than remembering the exact movements.

The second involved the class that she was in at that exact time; potions. Ever since she had been sorted into Gryffindor, it seemed that Snape began to hate her. This was rather confusing since she was sure she had seen him look at her with pride. She could have done just fine with this alone, but Snape seemed to think that it was necessary for him to constantly sneak up on her to criticize her like he had at the beginning of the year. At first this had given her failing marks, but she eventually learned to blot him out, just concentrating on making the correct potion. This soon brought her to the head of the class, though she preferred to work at the very back of the classroom.

Today they were working on a calming potion. Snape was in one of his particularly bad moods. He had assigned them each a partner, and had paired her with the dunce of the class, not because he hoped she could help him, but because he knew that she had a very short temper when dealing with those who were dim-witted. Annabelle had been paired with a Slytherin student who was highly moody, likely to snap when spoken to (Annabelle was known to have difficulty keeping quiet) and pairing Piper with a girl who never spoke at all, making her a difficult partner.

"Now I want all of you to watch what you put into this potion, as it is likely to explode when badly made." He cast a specific glance at Annabelle, who blushed. She had accidentally made a growth potion into an acidic toxin that ate through her cauldron and shoe, giving her a nasty burn that had to be cared for by Madame Pomfrey. "Instructions" he waved his wand. "are on the board. You have thirty minutes to assemble the potion, then we shall discuss its properties while the potions simmer. You may begin."

Gabriella turned to her partner, whose name was Edward Oak, and together they began to combine the ingredients.

"You alright Ed?" she asked her partner, who looked especially nervous and twitchy, partially because Snape was stalking around the classroom. He nodded, picking up a handful of dried jasmine roots. He shakily rose his hand to the cauldron.

"Um, maybe I should do it." Ed returned his hand, nodding vaguely. Suddenly, she heard Snape's voice whispering into their ears.

"Let Mr. Oak do it, he certainly needs the practice." She breathed in deeply to calm herself, then nodded to Edward to let him continue. He shakily raised his hand over the cauldron, sprinkling the roots sporadically. Gabriella groaned inwardly, he had added too much too quickly. Snape sneered.

"It appears that this potion shall become a dismal failure." Snape walked away.

"Alright, now we want the diced asphodel leaves." Ed picked up a handful shakily, sweating under the gaze of Snape who was now halfway across the room. "It's okay, just go ahead and do it. Only be careful! No, don't add that yet!" Edward was clutching not only the asphodel leaves, but also the sliced salamander tongue. "DON'T ED, DO—"but her shout was drowned out by a large explosion from the potion, sending her flying against the wall just behind her with a cauldron's worth of iron pieces following her, several finding a new home in her. Through the billowing smoke, Snape could be seen fighting his way through the frightened students to Gabriella, who had now sunken down to the floor and was bleeding rather rapidly.

"Get back!" Snape hissed, hoisting Gabriella into his arms. He rushed towards the door, stopping only to say, "If any of you move at all before you are dismissed, I shall see to it that you receive a week's worth of detentions. His robes could then be seen billowing around the corner.

Later that evening, after dinner, Annabelle and Piper crept towards the hospital wing, hoping to see Gabriella. Snape had not returned to his class, and they had been dismissed by a Slytherin prefect with a message from him. When Annabelle and Piper approached, however, they instead saw Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey speaking in hushed tones, which traveled across the hospital nonetheless.

"When do you estimate she will awaken?" Snape asked.

"I don't know. The iron pieces were covered in an overpowering calming potion; I'd expect that she won't awaken for a day at least. You'd better get back to your own quarters." Snape sat down shaking his head.

"I'll watch her."

"I think I can take well enough care of my patients, Professor."

Snape hissed at her. "I said I will watch over her." Madame Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly, but she continued to her quarters at the end of the hospital nonetheless, leaving Snape alone. Before Annabelle and Piper rushed back to the Gryffindor dormitory, they had time to see that Snape was wearing an odd expression on his face, one that they thought that no teacher should ever show a student. Annabelle swore that he was looking at her with confused hatred.