Wow, this took forever to update. Thankfully, summer is coming! More time!

As soon as Sophia had gotten her schedule, she heard a voice whisper in her ear. "First class is Potions, Snape. Are you glad you'll be seeing your daddy?" She jerked up, but no one was paying attention to her. The bench was empty next to her, and there was no one walking near. Someone must have jinxed me, she thought. "We all hate you, Snape," the whisper said again. "Go home." This must be someone's idea of a joke.

Sophia looked at her watch and then at her schedule. Potions was in half an hour. She got up from her seat and went out of the Great Hall. After getting directions from the Friar, Sophia went to the library. She pulled out a random book and sat down at a table.

Twenty minutes later, Sophia checked out the book and ran toward Potions. She already knew where that was: the dungeons. Getting lost only once, Sophia arrived two minutes early. She sat down in the back. If Professor Snape noticed she was there, he didn't show it. He was reading something, likely a letter, while the class filled up. About thirty seconds before class started, he put what he was reading in a drawer and stood up. A piece of parchment appeared in his hand, and he gave roll call. At "Snape, Sophia," his voice became the tiniest bit harder, but other than that, there was nothing to prove he believed she was any different from any of the other students.

Professor Snape didn't speak very loudly, but he could silence a room with very little. "As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death." Silence followed the little speech. The Ravenclaws were paying attention to his little speech.

"Snape! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Sophia thought fast. "You would get…Draught of Living Death." She was careful to answer that in a statement, not a question.

"Brocklehurst! What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"No difference sir, they're both aconite." Mandy answered, almost nervously.

Professor Snape nodded and flicked his wand. Instructions wrote themselves on the board. He put them into pairs and they started on the Boil-Cure Potion. Not one of them demolished a potion in their forty-five minute class. A few were off-color, but nothing exploded or melted, so all was good. Professor Snape had said that Sophia's potion did not have enough porcupine quills, so it had been weak, but not ineffective.

After Potions, Sophia flew to Herbology. It was a Double but Sophia was too interested in the plants to notice who the other class was. They were equally interested in the plants, and completely avoided her. There was little talk that she heard.

Next came Flying. The Ravenclaws quickly got to the pitch and stood next to a broom.

"Hold out you right arm," Madam Hooch instructed. "And say 'Up!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted. Most of the brooms flew into their hands. Sophia's simply rolled over. "UP!" she shouted at it. The handle flew up and hit her in the face. A couple of the others sniggered. She laughed herself and tried again. This time it came up to her hand.

Madam Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms and they kicked off, drifted, and landed again. They practiced several more times before the lesson was over. Sophia then ran to lunch ahead of all the other Ravenclaws. She grabbed a sandwich and quickly slunk out toward the library. She'd just gotten into a secluded hallway and started to run, when someone small slid around the corner and just about collided with her, stopping only a few inches away from doing so.

"Sophia! I thought you'd left, not seeing you at all!" Cori gave her a mock glare. "Really, how's that for being friends?"

"I'm a Ravenclaw," Sophia said seriously. "We are always concerned with our bookwork." Then she grinned widely. "Seriously, I'm going to the library."

"Well, then!" Cori said. "I hope you have fun with your book work."

xxx

Cori's first day was alright, but she was irritated with herself. She'd had Double Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs, then History of Magic and Charms in the morning. After lunch was Defense Against the Dark Arts and then she was free. They had Astronomy tonight, so it was supposed to be a period of sleep.

The reason she was irritated was because she was impossible with the spellwork. She could feel the magic, it went right up to her fingertips. Then it came to the wand, and it was dead. She just couldn't make it work.

Cori didn't see why the magic wasn't going through. She had learned to do magic without wands at a young age, so the wand should just be an easy extension, right? Cori sat on her bed and examined her wand. It was mahogany with unicorn hair. The wand used to be her mother's.

She did her homework with Millicent and Pansy. They were brilliant, though it would be a miraculous day when the rest of the school decided to believe that. To them, the Slytherins were all stupid and evil. When Millicent gossiped, it was easy to believe, but other than that…

"Yeah, Lily Evans, know her? That's got to be how they're related. I mean, my dad said Snape was totally crazy for her as a kid. Who knows, maybe they're twins." Cori rolled her eyes and quietly walked out of the room. She went up to the Owlrey and took out a folded letter. She read it once more to make sure of what she was writing.

Dear Auntie Nary,

I am sorry that I didn't arrive when you expected. I ended up getting on the wrong train, and now I'm at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am a Slytherin.

I hope you aren't too worried about me. It is perfectly safe here. I suppose I'll be coming at Christmas. I hope you can wait till then.

Sincerely,

Coralin

She quickly scribbled P.S. Do you know anything about wands? It wouldn't seem that mine is working with me. I guess the batteries are dead or something.

Cori folded the letter again and called to her owl. "Here you are, Jiminy. It goes to Aunt Nary." Jiminy hooted and flew off.

She walked down to the Great Hall, for it was now time for dinner. She sat down between Gregory Goyle and Pansy. "Where have you been?" asked Pansy.

"I was mailing a letter."

"Parents?"

"No, to my aunt."

"Oh, how nice. I bet she is so proud that you are a Slytherin."

"Oh, I'm sure," Cori said. "Real sure."

I hope you like this!