Elanora was still checking herself in the mirror when she heard a familiar female voice call out, "Rose, wake up! Breakfast is ready and we can't be late for the Hogwarts Express."
Elanora's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and her eyes started to water at the sound of her voice. Her father had passed away when she was about three in a tragic car accident. Ely and her mother survived, but her mother passed away two years later. Ely's aunt told her that a wizard had come and killed her, and because of that Ely now had a scar that fell from the top of her left eyebrow all the way down to almost halfway down her cheek due to some glass that had shattered around her, along with a scar on her left shoulder. Later in life, Ely would realize that because of this, she would be able to see Thestrals later on in Hogwarts.
"Coming Aunt Minnie!" Making haste, at the sight of her aunt she tackled her in the biggest hug she could muster. Her aunt would die shortly before the battle of Hogwarts due to cancer. Ely would be the only relative to go to the funeral.
"Whoa, what's with this extra energy?" Minnie hugged her niece back. "Are you excited to see me or is it because you won't be seeing me for a few months?"
"I just feel like I haven't seen you in ages." Ely smiled brightly at her aunt, and together they made their way down to the first floor of the Leaky Cauldren.
Elanora was originally from Britain, but with the deaths of both her parents, she moved to Australia with her aunt, her father's native home. Both her mother and aunt had come to study at Hogwarts, thus it was decided that Elanora would also attend Hogwarts.
"Are you packed and ready?" Minnie asked Ely, who nodded, and a few seconds later Ely luggage was at their side.
"Hooroo Tom!" Minnie called out to the landlord, who chuckled but waved at the farewell, still not completely used to the Australian slang as they walked out to the busy London streets. Hailing down a cab, the cab driver put Ely's luggage in the trunk with her owl Belle in between herself and her aunt as they drove to King's Cross.
Elanora felt the familiar jitters she had when she was a first year. She wondered if she was going to be sorted into Hufflepuff once again. Like Severus, Ely found herself in solitude a lot of the time she was at Hogwarts. She would have much rather had read the latest romance novel, take walks along the shore of the lake, and explore the forbidden forest than play wizard chess and hang out in the common room. However, she did have a fondness for Quidditch, and tended to be in favor with her Professors.
Once at the King's Cross, she immediately recognized a few of her classmates out of the crowd. She quickly located a head of red hair not that far different from hers, and knew at that moment that she was looking directly at Lily Evans. Hatred filled her heart and her wand hand twitched, but then she realized that most of what she remembered hasn't happened yet. Putting a bright smile for everyone that turned to look at her and her aunt, they quickly passed through to Platform 9 and ¾ and the Hogwarts Express smoke greeted them before the sight of the shiny train.
Having her luggage in the compartment, Ely turned to her aunt and gave her another big hug.
"I'm going to miss you so much." Minnie hugged back just as hard, before looking at Belle, "You behaved yourself missy. Don't go and knock the other owls because you have the coolest witch."
"Aunt Minnie!" Ely turned almost as red as her hair which caused Minnie to laugh, a pleasant blush on her own cheeks that complimented her dark auburn hair quite nicely. Minnie was the sister of her father, although she was a muggle born witch, and her father was a muggle. It was because of Minnie that Elanora exist. She had her father's hair and eyes, but her mother's kind face.
"Go and have fun!" Minnie called out as Ely hopped on the train just as it signaled its departure.
Ely was carrying Belle in front of her as she searched for a compartment that would have a space. Everywhere seemed to be full, except for one, and that one contained none other than Severus Snape and Lily Evans.
"Fair dinkum, mate? This is just a big joke." Ely mumbled to herself as she slowly opened the compartment door.
Severus and Lily automatically looked up at the intrusion, and Ely put on her best welcoming smile. "G'day! Pardon me, but can I sit here? All the other compartments are full."
Severus was about to snarl something, but Lily beat him to it with a bright smile said "Sure, there's plenty of room."
"Thanks mate." Ely smiled warmly as she placed her bag and Belle down and took a seat next to the window, where Severus was currently staring out of to avoid talking to her. Ely frowned slightly, but Lily just brushed it off.
"Don't mind him, he isn't that sociable. By the way, I'm Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape." Lily jabbed him playfully in the side which he glared playfully back, but a small smile danced upon his lips. Ely's heart beat sped up at the sight, before she reminded herself that he still wasn't the man she had gotten to know and fallen in love with. "So, where are you from? You don't look like a first year, but I've never seen you before."
Ely raised her hand to shake with Lily's and replied, "I'm Elanora Taylor, but I'm used to Ely." Lily nodded as if digesting the information, and now Severus was looking at her curiously as her accent slipped out. "I'm originally from Britain, but after both my parents died I went to go live with my Aunt Minnie in Australia."
"I'm sorry about your parents." Lily said as she frowned and so did Severus, both obviously sympathetic towards her lost.
"It's alright, I was only three and five, hardly remember it." She unconsciously nodded her head forward slightly so her hair fell in front of her scar and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Even as she grew up, talking about her parents had been a sore subject for her, due to the fact that she couldn't remember much about them. "So, this is your second year?"
Both nodded, to which Lily asked, "Is this your first year at Hogwarts?"
Ely, making up the story as she went along, nodded, "Yup, although I should be a second year. Who knows, maybe I will be."
"That would be great! Then you could be in the same year as Severus and I." Lily smiled at her to which Ely smiled politely in return. It was hard to dislike a person who was really nice.
Lily and Ely kept talking for most of the train ride with Severus on occasion adding his thoughts, but the fun was cut short when James Potter and Sirus Black opened the compartment door.
"Hey Evans." James immediately looked at Lily, while Sirus shifted his attention to Ely, checking her out while Ely rolled her eyes. James looking at Ely, turned back to Lily and asked "Who's your friend?"
"None of your business you ding bat." Ely snapped before crossing her arms across her chest, noticing Lily had a similar expression, which she answered "Why don't you leave us alone Potter?"
Both of them sat in the compartment, James on Lily's side while Belle's cage separated Sirius and Ely.
"So, you're new here. Which house do you want to be in?" Sirius asked slyly, a smirk on his face which took everything in Ely not to hex that smirk off his face. She looked down at their uniforms and realized that they were all in Gryffindor.
"Anywhere, but Gryffindor. But, if I had to pick one, it would be Slytherin." Ely watched with a smile as Sirius and James' smirks dropped from their faces, and Severus chuckled.
"Why would you want to go into that house? Everyone knows that anyone that goes in there comes out as a bad wizard." James defended which Ely and Severus rolled their eyes.
"I'd rather be ambitious and cunning then courageously stupid." Ely retorted, causing Severus to chuckle which he masked as a cough, and James almost swelled in anger.
With a slight smile, Ely said "Why don't you two just find another place to go? Obviously James' head is too big for this place."
"Why don't you go back to Australia and ride a kangaroo?" At this remark from James, Sirius laughed, but Ely's ears were turning bright pink.
Before James could even register what was going on, Ely wiped out her wand and flicked it right at James, who a few seconds later was being attacked by his own boogies. In an attempt to get away from them, he opened the compartment door and slid out and started running down the hall.
Sirius quickly got up to help his friend, when he turned back around and gave Ely a charming smile. "Feisty, I like you already."
"In a Buckley's chance I would date you." With that, she flicked her wand and with a murmur, the door closed on his face.
Severus was now looking at Ely with a great interest now, and Lily looked shocked.
"How did you do that?" Lily asked astonished, and Ely shrugged.
"My aunt taught me." Ely lied, considering she couldn't say 'I already learned the spells because I've already graduated Hogwarts, but I went back in time to stop Severus from living unhappy and miserable and to stop him from making tragic choices that would end up with him dead because of you.'
The Hogwarts Express slowed down to a stop and everyone piled off the train to be met by Hagrid, the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. Ely was about to greet him like she used to, but realized quickly that he had no idea who she was yet.
"Elanora Taylor!" Ely wiped her head around to see Professor McGonagall calling her name. "Elanora Rose Taylor!"
"That's me!" She made her way through the first years to where the Professor was. Professor McGonagall looked Ely up and down before saying "Miss Taylor, you are to follow me to the castle."
Casting a quick glance back at Lily and Severus, she waved them farewell before following McGonagall to where the threstrals were. She gasped at the sight of them, it had been years since she had seen one, but McGonagall only frowned at her. Once they were in the carriage, McGonagall explained the situation.
"The Headmaster gave me direct orders to come pick you up directly and take you straight to the office. It is there that you will be sorted into your house. You will be given a test that will determine if you are up to level with the second years where you should be, and that will decide who you will take classes with. Once that is decided, it will also determine where your sleeping arrangements will be." By the time she had finished explaining, they were in front of the castle, but she still had a frown on her face. "The Headmaster won't tell me exactly what's so special about you, but I guess I will find out in due time."
When they reached the Headmaster's office, Ely realized that this was far from a private meeting. She guessed that the two students standing there were prefects that were there looking expectantly at them. They Sorting Hat was sitting on a stool, ready for her.
"Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Taylor. By tradition we would normally have you sorted with the first years, but since you are not a first year, we will sort you first. That way you may take a shortened version of each of the first year OWLs to determine where it is that you will be placed." Dumbledore informed her just like McGonagall had earlier. He had a twinkle in his eye as he smiled. "But before we do all this, you must be sorted. This should be interesting."
McGonagall took the Sorting Hat off the stool and Ely sat down. Not even two seconds later was the Sorting Hat placed on her head.
"Hmm, interesting mind you have. Ravenclaw would be perfect for your love of books, but studious seems not to be a strong point. Loyalty is an admirable trait for Hufflepuff which seems to be a strong point for you…" Ely started to turn red as the Sorting Hat was reading her mind. Last time she was here she was sorted into Hufflepuff, but that didn't help her relations in the slightest. "Cunning and ambitious seems to have followed you. Slytherin would be an idea… But what is this…" Ely was turning redder than her hair under the hat. "But you are also very are courageous and brave; Godric Gryffindor would have loved to meet you… "
"Not Gryffindor please!" Ely pleaded to the sorting hat in her mind. She couldn't even think of having to deal with Potter and Black all the time. She'd go completely nuts before the first semester was over.
"Ah, but you would do so well!" Ely silently asked the Sorting Hat to place her anywhere but Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat finally opened its mouth wide and shouted, "Slytherin!"
The two prefects and Dumbledore clapped as McGonagall took the hat off of her head.
"That was very informative indeed." Dumbledore inquired after McGonagall excused herself with the Sorting Hat. "Now, you should enjoy your first feast here. Our prefects will escort you down to the Great Hall. As soon as you are done, they will escort you towards Professor Flitwick's class, where everything has been set up for you in advance." Nodding in agreement, Dumbledore smiled again, "I expect great things from you Miss Taylor. Great, life changing things. But, alas, we will talk again eventually." With a slight bow, he left as well.
The boy prefect was a Ravenclaw and the girl prefect was a Gryffindor. She had a smug look on her face while he didn't look so happy. However, they followed orders and escorted her to the Great Hall. Most of the first years were already sorted, so it was going to be a few minutes before they would eat.
The Ravenclaw prefect escorted Ely towards the Slytherin table. He had a firm grasp on her forearm as everyone slightly diverted their attention from the Sorting towards them. Ely assumed that the Slytherin coming towards them was one of the older prefects in the same year as the Ravenclaw. She blanched slightly however when she realized it was Lucius Malfoy coming towards them. She quickly composed herself however, hoping no one had seen her change in demeanor. The prefects exchanged quick words before the Slytherin nodded. Both of them then turned to Ely.
"This is one of the prefects in your house, fifth year Lucius Malfoy. He will take you to either Helena or myself once you're done."
"Thank you…" Ely wanted to properly thank him but she had no idea what his name was.
"Matthew Watson." He bowed slightly and Ely smiled.
"Thank you Matthew." Matthew smiled back and went towards the Ravenclaw table. Lucius bowed towards Ely, a small smirk on his face and Ely almost immediately knew she had to stand guard.
"If you would please follow me…" He paused, waiting for her to give her name.
"Elanora Taylor." She gave him a tight smile, remembering everything he was going to do in the future. She knew in the back of her mind that she couldn't hold him accountable, yet, but somehow it didn't stop her from seeing a bit of red.
He sat her next to him with some of the older students, and she quickly picked out Narcissa, Andromeda, and a few other Slytherins that she could recognize. Unfortunately, that also meant she knew she was surrounded by future Death Eaters, if they weren't Death Eaters already. She quickly ate most of her food as well-mannered as she could, and stole quick glances at Severus from time to time.
Lucius realized Ely had been finished eating and had was just sitting there and stood up. He left the table, probably to go look for Matthew or Helena, and Narcissa gave her a death glare.
"So Elanora…" Narcissa started with a bit of a hiss, "Where are you originally from?"
"I was born in Britain, but I've lived in Australia for most of my life." Ely was tempted to stare her down, but Andromeda brushed her sister off.
"Don't worry about Narcissa, she just really likes Lucius." Andromeda joked, which Narcissa turned and gave her sister a death glare.
"Don't worry Narcissa, I don't really care for anyone, nor do I think I will in a while, especially Lucius."
Narcissa was about to continue questioning her when Lucius came back with Matthew.
"Come on Elanora…" Matthew said to her and Ely nodded. Ely quickly said goodbye to those she was talking to, and followed Matthew out of the Great Hall, but not before nodding a farewell to Severus as well.