Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I making any profit from the writing of this story.

Chapter Two

After The Giant had led the group into tiny wooden boats that seemed to paddle themselves across a moonlit lake, and in through a series of stone passages and arches that ended at the great Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, he left them to be greeted anew by a stern-looking woman in her mid-sixties with graying black hair held tight up in a bun. 'Come along, children! Come along!' declared the woman in an officious-sounding voice, 'we mustn't keep the food waiting! I…' if such a thing were possible, the woman stood up even straighter and introduced herself, 'am Professor McGonagall. And this, obviously, is Hogwarts. Welcome. Welcome! Now move lively and watch for the ghosts on your left. We mustn't have any laggers. We're already late!'

Over forty first-year students trudged anxiously along in Professor McGonagall's wake.

'I think she's you, fifty years from now,' Astoria whispered to Hermione, and received a swat for her efforts.

'Be quiet!' Hermione hissed. 'I can't hear her if you're talking.'

'I don't see how you cannot,' said Astoria. 'She did a sonorus charm.'

'A what?'

Astoria sighed. There was too much to teach the Muggle. Almost too much. 'I hope you wind up in a House that appreciates questions,' she responded. 'Otherwise, you're going to be learning on your own.'

'That's fine with me,' said Hermione. 'I like learning on my own, anyway.'

'A girl after my own heart.'

'Miss Greengrass!'

Aurelia and her sister jumped.

'The one with the blonde hair,' added Professor McGonagall.

'Yes, Professor?'

'Please refrain from conversing until after I have finished speaking. And wipe that nasty spot of chocolate off your chin. You of all people, astound me in your habits. I would have thought your parents taught you to carry a handkerchief along, your sister certainly doesn't seem to have an aversion to cleanliness, but I suppose not…'

Hearing the giggles that this comment produced, Astoria tried to locate Draco Malfoy out of the corner of her eye and glare at him. She failed. 'The ponce!'

'What?' asked Hermione.

'The ponce!' Astoria repeated. 'When the cad felt me up, he put his slime all over me! The ponce! …Eww, Hermione, get it off, will you? Get it off! It's disgusting!'

'Stop flapping your hands in front of your face and jumping and I'll do it!' Hermione replied, reaching in her pocket for her own handkerchief, and wetting it with her tongue. 'Hold still, now! Hold still!'

'Eww, Oh, Merlin, eww. Oh, I can't believe…my first night here…'

'Well, after he called me a…that word,' Hermione said, 'I can believe it just fine.'

'Yes, but I know his mother. I can write home about him.'

'Well, it'll have to wait until after dinner then, because we're here.'

'It'll get done, though, mark my words,' said Astoria. 'I'll also tell my mum that he verbally harassed you. She won't care that he called you the M-word, you know, but she will care that he called you a whore.'

Hermione turned white. 'But he didn't!'

'My mum doesn't know that!' Astoria promised her. 'She'll give me the benefit of the doubt. She's always thought Malfoy the worst sort of rotten-.'

'Miss Greengrass!' interrupted the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts again, 'do hurry up! You're holding up our line.'

'My apologies, Professor,' Astoria responded, lengthening her strides and staring down her smirking twin. 'We were just cleaning off that spot of chocolate you asked about earlier.'

Professor McGonagall squinted at Astoria to make sure of her report. 'Well, it's off, I see. Good work.'

'Thank you, ma'am.'

The professor walked to open the doors of the Great Hall and Astoria was left to stand in the back of the line with a clearly impatient and disgruntled Hermione.

Hermione the Muggle, Astoria reiterated in her mind, lest she become too attached to her.

'Oh, I'm so nervous!' Hermione said. 'How can you be sure of what House you'll be in, Astoria?'

'I can't,' Astoria replied. 'I mean, I can, of course, but I can't. True enough, I'm a Ravenclaw, but I don't really know for sure until That Hat declares me so, do I? He could put me in Gryffindor, for all I know. The best one can do is hope.'

'Why do you say 'Gryffindor' with a sneer on your face?' Hermione asked. 'I read that it was the best House to be in.'

'Oh, they said that, did they? Right after you read that Slytherin only turned out Dark Wizards and Hufflepuffs were notoriously dim, I bet.'

'…How did you know?' Hermione breathed.

'I've read Hogwarts: a History about eighty times.'

'Oh. Well it said that Dumbledore's House was Gryffindor.' Hermione had the look of someone now completely decided on the matter.

Astoria shook her head at the Muggle's ignorance. 'That's all just speculation, dear. It's a book, written by a person. It's not infallible.'

Hermione now looked like she had swallowed a lemon.

'That's right,' Astoria said, nodding her head encouragingly. 'You always need to question. Always! Why,' here, Astoria's smile turned sly, 'that's how progress is reached. Now, be prepared, your name's about to be called.'

'Oh!' Hermione exclaimed.

'…Granger, Hermione!'

'Good luck!' Astoria whispered.

Two and a half minutes later, Gryffindor House had a new, happy subject.

Astoria shook her head, meeting Hermione's shrug. 'Such promise!' she said mournfully. 'And only to have been snuffed out so soon! Oh, woe! Woe, to the end of our Friendship!'

'…Longbottom, Neville!'

'Woe, to the unfortunately-named!'

When Mr. Longbottom failed to go to his seat at the Gryffindor Table sans Sorting Hat, Astoria dutifully shook her head again. 'Woe.'

'…Malfoy, Draco!'

'Merlin, look at him swagger!' Astoria cried, though of course not loud enough for anyone to hear, she did like to remain inconspicuous. 'I don't know why they're even bothering, he's so obviously Slytherin. Yes, look at him go! Swagger, swagger, swagger, why don't you, Malfoy, down to the Slytherin Table to sit next to kids just as evil as you. Merlin.'

Some time passed, and Astoria was brought out of her contemplation of the clear ceiling on the Great Hall by the calling of The Boy-Who-Lived's name.

'…Potter, Harry!'

'Apparently, I have already met him,' Aurelia said, choking a bit on her adoration for emerald green eyes and floppy black hair, oblivious to the fact that her and her sister's names hadn't been called yet.

Harry Potter was a bit stringy and short, Astoria thought, but so were most boys at age eleven. Why, just look at her cousin, Jackson: an uglier, more deformed shrimp until age fifteen you hadn't seen, and then he just shot right up to get girls climbing all over him. That was how Nature worked; that was how She supported the Betters of this World; Ugly Duckling now maybe, but, oh boy, wait until you got older! That was how it was going to go with The Boy-Who-Lived, Astoria was just sure of it.

Astoria also hoped that it was how it would be with her- she was a bit stroppy herself.

Astoria groaned when Harry Potter made it into Gryffindor. 'Another one. Another one! It's so sad.'

'Oh dear, I skipped a couple,' said a flustered Professor McGonagall, reviewing her list, and the occupants of the Great Hall laughed. '…Parkinson, Pansy!'

Astoria gave the Deputy Headmistress a hard stare. One didn't do that to a student, regardless of the other student's fame. One also didn't forget the alphabet a second time by calling 'Parkinson' before 'Greengrass.' But maybe it was all for the better. People were snickering, for Merlin's sake. At least Astoria didn't have to suffer the brunt of the humiliation. That had to mean something-Astoria wasn't getting laughed at like Parkinson was.

'Miss Parkinson! Miss Parkinson,' Professor McGonagall called, 'please, un-stick your feet from the floor and come up here!'

The snub-nosed, pinched-mouthed girl recovered herself and swept on, passed the giggling Hufflepuffs, passed the chuckling Gryffindors, passed the snickering Slytherins, and passed the, for the most part, curiously silent Ravenclaws. McGonagall-for who deserved a title after what had been done to Pansy and Aurelia and Daphne?-whispered an apology as Miss Parkinson passed her and plopped on to the Sorting Stool with true dignity and aplomb. The Hat barely touched Miss Parkinson's head before 'SLYTHERIN!' was shouted out to the Hall.

'Oh, um, oh my goodness! Greengrass, Astoria! My apologies to the both of you! Both the Misses Greengrass!'

And now, it was Astoria's turn.

'…Interesting, very interesting.'

'Of course,' Astoria replied, seating herself down primly and getting a chuckle out of the Sorting Hat. 'I knew I had to be.'

'Well, let's get down to business then, shall we?'

'Be my guest,' said Astoria, opening her mind.

'…Oh…my…'

Astoria grumpily sat down at the Slytherin Table next to Pansy Parkinson. In the background of her mental screaming, she processed that her sister's name was being called. 'I can't believe this,' she grumbled, looking down at her tie; it was now a very dark shade of green.

'What can't you believe?' asked Pansy.

'Slytherin,' said Astoria. 'I'm in Slytherin.'

'And what's wrong with Slytherin?' Miss Parkinson wanted to know.

Astoria turned a charming smile onto her neighbor. 'Well, nothing really, now that I know you, dear, but I really had my hopes set for Ravenclaw. I heard Professor Flitwick gives out Restricted Library section passes indiscriminately, you just have to be in his House to receive them.'

Pansy sniffed. 'Well, I'm sure Professor Snape is better than that…that half-goblin any day of the week.'

Astoria affected surprise. 'Professor Flitwick is half-goblin? Really?'

'Why, of course-.'

'Shove over, Pansy,' an impolite voice interrupted. 'I need to talk to Astoria.'

Pansy turned affronted eyes to Draco Malfoy. 'Why, I never!'

'Of course, you never,' Draco replied. 'But you better get used to it, lady, because it'll be happening a lot if you sit between us again.'

'Oh, Merlin,' said Astoria.

'Shove over,' Draco repeated, and sat himself down next to Astoria for the entirety of the Welcoming Feast.