Severus P.O.V.

He could feel the pain in his head before his eyes had the strength to open. The pounding made it hard to see or hear straight. He couldn't remember who or where he was and every time he even tried to think the pain in his temples intensified. Slowly, he tried to stand or even sit up, but he fell right back over. When he hit the bed, he felt a smooth object pushing up against him. Finding his pocket, he reached inside and grabbed a small vial. Inside was a deep violet liquid. His fingers fumbled with the cork for a few minutes before he popped it off and drank every last drop of the vile liquid.

Instantly, his head stopped pounding and his eyes weren't blurry. He blinked a few times and looked around the room. There was nothing on the floor except for a few empty bottles of fire whiskey and a book that looked as if it had fallen off the desk. He picked it up and read the first page. Recognition almost knocked him over. He remembered a voice. A girl's voice reading him these exact words. He instantly thought of Lily. Bet that couldn't be, could it. She was dead. Gone and she was never coming back. He must have been dreaming.

Slowly, he picked everything off the floor and packed his small bag with the books he had bought and walked toward the mirror. He looked dreadful and he knew it. His eyes looked sunken in and his face even more pale than usual. His hair fell over his face and blocked his eyes from view. His clothes were wrinkled from sleeping in them the night before and his face was set in a permanent frown.

Dropping his bag, he sat down in the chair behind him and ran a hand through his hair. Lily was haunting him worse this year than any previous ones. He saw her everywhere. He thought he had heard her talking or laughing, but he hadn't. It hurt him. It hurt more than anything.

He wasn't ready to return to Hogwarts. There, he had to bottle everything up and hide it, like he did wherever he went. When She was alive, he could vent everything to her. He didn't have to hide. He could be himself, but that turned out to be a lie to. She left him like she promised not to do.

Turning to the clock, he mentally swore. He had to be to the feast in less than ten minutes. Grabbing his bag, he turned on the spot and apparated to Hogsmead.

Serena P.O.V.

The train lurched to a stop and Serena followed Harry, Ron and Hermione out onto the platform.

The steam from the scarlet engine covered the platform, giving it a mystical look. She found herself trying to take in anything and everything she could. The lake next to them and the carriages pulled by odd-looking horse things.

"Serena. Helloooo. Serena," said Ron waving a hand in front of her face. She shook out of her trance and smiled at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Dumbledore is motioning for you," he said pointing to the Professor who first told her she was a witch. He stood there with his long, silver beard, twinkling eyes, and a smile plastered securely on his face. Thanking Ron, who was still a little pale from the attack, she walked over to the Headmaster.

"Hello Serena," he said and smiled even wider, if that was even possible, " You will be coming with me to get you sorted before the first years come in for their sorting."

"Alright," she said. She was beginning to feel nervous. "Professor, will I be sorted in front of every body?" she asked timidly.

"Yes," was his response as he began walking away from the platform. Serena followed him through trees and around corners until she got her first glimpse of the castle. It was simply magnificent. It stood on a cliff overlooking a lake. It wasn't like the beach she had pictured, but it was good enough. The castle was not at all like she had imagined. It looked like it cam right out of her Medieval Times History textbook. She looked through the windows at the mass of student from other grades entering the main room. They finally reached the door and Dumbledore motioned for her to go inside.

She felt all the eyes turn to her and stare. She looked to the ground as she walked up to a stool with a hat on it. Harry had told her all about the Sorting Hat and each house, so she new what was coming. Still, she was nervous as heck and it got even worse as she stared at her shoes and felt her cheeks go red. One eternity later, she reached the stool and Dumbledore lifted the hat up so she could sit. He set it carefully on her head, but nothing happened. She was worried that perhaps Dumbledore was mistaken. Maybe she wasn't a witch at all. These thoughts filled her mind until she heard a small voice that she was sure only she could hear.

"Well, this is unexpected," it said," You could make a good Gryffindor, but an even better Slytherin.'

No, she thought, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would hate her if she was a Slytherin. Reading her mind the voice said," I guess you'll just have to deal with that,"

I can't, she thought more fervently.

She heard the word out loud, but didn't believe her ears. The Hat couldn't do this to her. Stumbling away from the Hat, the stool, and the Gryffindor table, she walked over to the silent Slytherins.

Dumbledore stood up to a podium she hadn't realized was there. He began talking and everyone was listening, except for two fat Slytherins and a pale blond one. They were acting like they were above Dumbledore and everyone else and it annoyed her.

She didn't hear what Dumbledore was saying because at that exact moment she heard the pale blonde one say," Ya, she is probably a half-blood. It's not as bad as Mud blood Granger though."

She felt the the anger rushing through her veins. She didn't know why she did it, but she did.

Harry P.O.V.

He was listening intently to Dumbledore, yet he wasn't. He knew he shouldn't of trusted her. She was a freakin' Slytherin after all. Hermione and Ron had to believe him now. On the other side of him he heard Malfoy," Is it true, Potter. You fainted. I mean you actually fainted."

Just then the Hall went silent and a girl was staring daggers and whispering spears at Malfoy," Shut up! Just shut up!"

It was coming from farther up the Slytherin table, so he, along with all the other students, stared at that side of the enormous candle lit hall.

"O look," sneered Malfoy at Serena, "The new girl's trying to defend little potty-wotty."

"Two things," she said maliciously,"One, you are the one acting like a baby, so calling him potty-wotty doesn't help your case at all." Several people sniggered at this, but she kept going.

"Two, bringing attention to yourself was not a good idea because your the one that didn't actually get attacked, but cried your eyes raw and almost wet yourself."

He leaned closer, ready to send back a comeback, and Serena just stared daggers at him. Before anyone knew what had happened Serena was racing out of the hall and Malfoy was on the floor with a bloody nose. All the students, except for Slytherin of course, were laughing and cheering at the vulnerable looking Malfoy.

Dumbledore, though, wouldn't tolerate it. He silenced everybody with almost no difficulty and Malfoy was whisked away by Madam Pomfrey. Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione, who were still giggling about Malfoy's predicament.

Of course, after that Ron, Hermione and he couldn't stop laughing. They could hardly see straight walking back to the common room after the feast. Ron kept impersonating Malfoy.

"My father will hear about this," he kept saying in a high-pitched, snotty voice.

Even after the most amazing night he had ever had, he still didn't trust her. She was a Slytherin, after all, but she had hit Malfoy and defended him. Oh, she was so confusing.

I am so sorry it took so long to update and that the chapter is so short. I've had a busy week and weekend. The next chapter will be longer. I promise.

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