Disclaimer: I don't own either world, wish I did, but I don't. Anne Bishop and J.K. Rowling do.
Shout Outs:
Lady11Occult: They're getting sorted in this chapter. I hope you like it.
Phoebelightning: I'm glad you like it so far. Hope you keep reviewing.
WolfOfShadow: I'm glad your back. I hope you keep reviewing.
Almadynis: Hope this is soon enough for you. I haven't started on the next chapter yet, but I'll get that out as soon as I can. smiles sheepishly
Author's Note:
I know people have been waiting for this chapter. The girls will finally get sorted and you all have Almadynis to thank for it being finished so fast. "No more backing me against the wall." wags her finger at Almadynis Hope you all like it.
Chapter 10Lily and Raya entered the Great Hall behind all of the first years and held their heads up high and pretended they didn't notice all the stares that were directed at them.
"This should be fun." Lily said as she watched the first years begin to get sorted.
"Where do you think the hat will put us?" Raya asked.
"Who knows?" Lily replied as she watched first year after first year get sorted into the four houses.
"Now I know all of you have heard about two new students to our school." Professor McGonigall said after the last first year had been sorted. Turning to face the rest of the Great Hall, Lily and Raya gave a nod of acknowledgement to everyone as the professor continued: "Normally we do the sorting in alphabetical order, but with respect to their culture, we will be doing their sorting by rank."
"Who do you think arranged that?" Raya asked smiling at Lily.
"Who knows?" Lily answered.
"Raya Yaslana. A sapphire jeweled Priestess." Professor McGonigall said looking down at the two girls.
"Wish me luck." Raya said giving her a cousin a hug.
"Good luck." Lily said smiling as her cousin took a seat and McGonigall placed the sorting hat on Raya's head.
"Lily attempted to reach out and talk to her cousin and found for the first time in her life she couldn't talk to her cousin. She got anxious until her cousin looked at her and smiled. After what seemed like a lifetime Lily smiled when the hat shouted: "Gryffindor!"
"Congratulations!" Lily said as Raya gave her a hug on her way to the Gryffindor table. Lily saw her join a smiling Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Lily turned to look at Professor McGonigall and smiled as the older woman began to introduce Lily.
"Lilandra Sadi. Red jeweled Queen, Black Widow and Healer." Professor McGonigall read.
Lilandra smiled as she took a seat and faced the Great Hall. Lily jumped a bit when the hat began to talk to her.
So you're the one mind I felt brush against me when I was sorting the last student. The hat said.
Uh… sorry about that. Lily answered sheepishly. I wanted to see how my cousin was doing.
Well let's get you sorted shall we? The hat asked.
Sure. Lily answered.
Well you definitely posses the qualities to succeed in any house. The hat said after a moment.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Lily asked
Neither really, it just makes you difficult to place. The hat answered. Any house is a good house.
How about making it easy on your self and putting me with my cousin and the friends I have already made. Lily said sweetly.
You are very well suited for Gryffidor. The hat said thoughtfully.
See. Lily said triumphantly.
You want to be with friends you have already made. The hat said repeating what Lily had said moments before.
It would make the transition into this new realm easier if there are people I already know in my house. Lily said looking across the Great Hall and smiling at her cousin and friends who all had a worried look on their faces.
I believe you would do well in……… Lily watched the jaws on everyone of her friends faces drop as the hat said: "Slytherin!"
Lily looked at her cousin, her friends and the rest of the Gryffindor table who all sat in complete silence and looked from her to the table across the room. The Slytherin table had erupted into cheers. Lily got up and slowly headed towards the table and looked to her cousin who sat looking worried, the two of them had been sure they would be put into Gryffindor. Harry and the others hadn't had one good thing to say about the Slytherins. As she got near the table she saw Draco holding out a hand to her and gesturing to the empty seat next to him.
"Thank you." Lily said as she took a seat. She looked up at Draco as he took a seat next to her. She saw a smile cross his face as he looked across the hall.
She looked across the hall and saw Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor's staring open mouthed at her.
"What's wrong with them?" Lily asked her cousin as Professor Dumbledore began to speak.
"Not sure." Raya said turning to Harry she said: "I'll find out."
"Lily right?" Draco said as Lily turned toward him
"Yes." She said smiling. "Your Draco right?"
"Yes. These are my friends." Draco said as he motioned to his friends sitting around them: "Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Pansy Parkinson."
"Hello." Lily said to all of them.
"Hi." They all replied.
"Are you talking to Draco?"
Lily jumped and looked across the hall at her cousin who was staring at her along with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "Yes. Why?"
"You can't trust Draco." Raya said. "Harry says to be careful."
"Why?" Lily asked looking at Harry.
"Lily?"
"Sorry." Lily said turning to Draco. "Did you say something?"
"Are you ready to go?" Draco asked as Lily noticed people beginning to get up and leave.
"Sure." Lily answered as she stood up. Turning to Raya she said: "I'll talk to you later."
"Ok." Raya said as Lily began to leave the Great Hall. "Be careful."
"I will be." Lily said as she left the Great Hall.
"So what do you think of Hogwarts so far?" Pansy asked the group of Slytherins all claimed seats around the common room.
"It's okay so far." Lily smiling as she took a seat on one of the large green loveseats.
"You'll get used to it." Draco said taking a seat next to her.
"So I guess the Slytherin colors are green and silver." Lily said as she looked around the common room. Above the fireplace was a large portrait of a man with a plaque beneath it that said Salazar Slytherin. Aside from the loveseat that Lily and Draco were sitting on, there was a large couch, a large comfy looking chair, two tables and some chairs around them. The couch, and chair were also green, while the tables and chairs around them were a dark mahogany. There was a large green rug with a huge silver serpent in front of the hearth. The frame of the portrait was silver as well as all of the lamps whose lampshades were also green.
"Yea." Goyle said smiling goofily.
"And the our mascot is a snake?" Lily asked.
"Yup." Crabbe said.
"Can you answer a question for us?" Draco asked as Lily focused her attention back on him. "What did McGonigall mean by sorting you and your cousin by rank?"
"In our realm if you are Blood, then you are usually gifted with a caste and you are gifted with a jewel." Lily answered. "I have a higher caste and a higher jewel rank then my cousin."
"What are the ranks in your world?" Draco asked.
"For jewels the White jewel is the weakest, followed by Yellow, Tiger Eye, Rose, Summer-sky, Purple Dusk, Opal, Green, Sapphire, Red, Gray, Ebon-gray and Black being the strongest." Lily answered.
"So there is nothing stronger than the Black?" Pansy asked.
"No." Lily said not wanting to reveal that in the whole history of the blood only her mother had ever worn a jewel stronger than the black. Raya's words of warning were still ringing in her ears and she was not about to reveal the strongest weapon that they had in their corner.
"What about caste?" Draco asked.
"For females it goes Blood female, witch, Healer, Priestess, Black Widow and finally the Queen." Lily answered.
"What were you again?" Pansy asked.
"I'm a Healer, Black Widow and Queen." Lily answered.
"So it's possible to be more than one." Draco said
"Yes." Lily answered.
"So we got the strongest of the two of you?" Draco asked.
"Jewel wise…" Lily said, "yes you did."
"What do you mean jewel wise?" Draco asked.
"I mean that in a physical fight my cousin could kick my butt." Lily answered. Not wanting to reveal that they were trained to fight Lily answered the question in their eyes by saying: "She has two older brothers."
"Oh." Draco answered.
"I don't want to seem rude or anything, but I'm really tired so can somebody show me were I'll be sleeping?" Lily asked as she began to stand up.
"Sure." Pansy said as she stood up as well. "We'll be in the same room with Millicent so come on."
Lily followed Pansy down a long hallway and when they came to a door that said Seventh Year Girls they entered.
"Nice room." Lily said as they entered a room with three large canopy beds. "Who's Millicent?" Lily asked as the two got ready for bed.
"The only other Slytherin female in our year." Pansy said.
"Where is she at?" Lily asked.
"Umm…. there was some kind of family emergency. She'll be here tomorrow." Pansy said avoiding eye contact.
"Oh." Lily said looking at Pansy questioningly.
"Good night Lily." Pansy said as she got into bed and closed the curtains around her bed.
"Good night Pansy." Lily answered as she closed the curtains around her bed and added a red shield to just inside the curtains.
The next morning was a Monday and the first day of classes. Lily smiled at her cousin as she entered the potion's class with the other Slytherin's. Lily noticed the glares that Draco and his friends were sending to Harry and his friends.
"What's with them?" Lily asked Raya.
"It's a long story starting with their first year here." Raya said as Professor Snape entered the class. "I'll tell you later."
"This is your final year here at Hogwarts." Snape said looking around the class. "The potions will be much harder and I don't expect very many of you to pass your NEWT's at the level that you are at now. However, I refuse to allow you to take your NEWT's and embarrass me so I'll be grading potions with a higher expectations."
"Somehow I think he'll be an easier potion instructor than Grandfather." Raya said.
"I think so too." Lily said.
"Today we will begin with…" As Professor Snape began explaining that day's potion Lily began writing down her notes. "now this potion works better if it has blood of a male and female so pair up in pairs of one boy and one girl."
Lily smiled at Harry as he made his way towards her. She turned around when she felt a tap on her shoulder and came face to face with Draco.
"Would you like to be partners?" Draco asked smiling at her.
"Umm…" Lily didn't know what to say because she knew that Harry was about to ask her to be his partner.
"Mr. Potter is there a problem?" Snape asked Harry who had stopped when he heard Draco's question.
"No sir." Harry answered after a moment's hesitation.
"Then find yourself a partner and get to work." Snape said.
With only twenty minutes left in class Professor Snape told everyone to add their drops of blood. While everyone else's potion turned different shades of the blue color they were supposed to be Lily and Raya looked from each other to their potion. Raya's potion had turned a dark gray and Lily's potion had turned a dark black.
"I don't get it professor," Draco said. " we did everything correctly."
"Ours looked fine until we added the blood." Harry added.
"Twenty points from Gryffindor Mr. Potter." Snape said. "I'm sure you must have done something incorrectly."
"Professor I don't believe Harry did anything wrong." Lily said looking from one potion to another. "I think it's our blood. That's when the potion went wrong."
"You believe it's your blood." Snape said simply.
"Yes." Lily answered just as simply. "We both come from long lived races, and our jewels are a part of us. Their strength is in our blood."
"I will have to look into that." Professor Snape said. "Class dismissed."
"Excuse me sir." Raya said. "Since neither Harry or I did anything wrong, don't you think Gryffidor should get back the twenty points."
Everyone stopped on their way out the door and looked from Raya to Snape.
"It's only fair sir." Lily added.
Snape looked from one girl to the next and after a few minutes said: "Fine, Gryffindor you can have your twenty points back."
"Thank you sir." Raya said as she exited the class with her friends.
Lily looked at the angry look Snape was giving her cousin and decided that she was going to have fun with this guy.
For the rest of the week all anybody talked about was how the two new girls had got Professor Snape to give Gryffindor back their twenty points. Even the teachers talked about it when the potions master was not around.
On Saturday afternoon at lunch Professor Dumbledore stood up and gave an announcement: "I know not all of you are here, but would those of you here be sure to pass along this information for me? Thank you. We have a surprise for all of you today."
Lily looked up from her seat between Pansy and Draco and gave the headmaster her full attention. Raya and everyone at the Gryffidor table also looked up.
"Today we will be starting a new class for anybody who wishes to take it. The class will be offered every Saturday from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Today there will be a demonstration to give you an idea of what to expect." Dumbledore added.
"Do they really expect anybody to take a five hour class?" Pansy asked snidely.
"The demonstration will be on the quidditch pitch in one hour. Everyone is to gather on the pitch, not the stands." Dumbledore said.
"What do you think?" Raya asked.
"I think the only way we'll learn about this realm is to take as many classes as we can." Lily answered.
"We don't even know what the class is on." Raya said.
"Oh come on." Lily said. "You want me tell Daemonar you were afraid of taking class."
"All right. Fine" Raya said looking at her cousin from across the room. "That's not playing fair."
"Since when do I play fair to get my way?" Lily asked smiling.
One hour later Raya and Lily were making their way to the quidditch pitch with many other students.
"What do you think the class will be about?" Harry asked from beside Raya.
"Humph." Draco snorted from beside Lily.
"Do you know what the class is about?" Lily asked Draco.
"Well…no." Draco answered.
"Then leave Harry alone." Lily replied.
Draco and his friends had begun to spend time with Harry and the other Gryffidors because of Lily and Raya. They still didn't get along, but neither group was willing to give up such an important friendship.
"Please form a large circle." Professor McGonigall said as the students entered the quidditch pitch.
Lily, Raya and their friends managed to get spots in front of the circle of students.
"Today will be just a demonstration of what the class will be." McGonigall said as she looked around the circle of students. Focusing on Raya and Lily she said: "Lily will you join me please."
Raya and Lily looked at each other and then shrugged their shoulders. Lily made her way to the center of the circle. "What do I do?"
Professor McGonigall bent down and picked up a long staff that had been on the floor. She then took the staff and handed it to Lily who took it with a confused look.
"Professor what do I…"
She never finished her question because from behind her she heard: "Don't look so confused Lily."
Out of instinct Lily swung the staff and heard the loud whack of the staff hitting another staff.
"Nice to see you to Lily."
All the students looked on in shock as four men with wings appeared out of nowhere.
"Dad!" Raya yelled as she ran into the circle and threw herself at the biggest man there.
"Hi Sweetie." Lucivar said wrapping his arms around his daughter and giving her a tight hug.