Once in my robes and off of the train, I looked around as I held Arwen and stroked her black fur. I nuzzled my face in her fluff, and backed into someone. I turned around, and it was Draco Malfoy. He smiled at me.

"Fate is on our side." He said.

I smiled. "I don't know about that. I think that I'm just not looking where I'm going."

Draco seemed crushed, but Pansy was very happy. If I kept being mean to Draco, then she had absolutely no competition. I just smiled, and patted Draco on the back. Now Draco was very cute, but he had an attitude that I didn't really like very much. Of course, maybe it was just that it reminded me of myself. I lie! Ha! I really liked Draco, and when I patted his back, I actually snuck a note in his pocket. Sneaky? Why, thank you, I am. I learned it from my brother.

We took a boat ride to Hogwarts, which is what the First Years always did apparently. I just sat close to Harry and Ron, and held Arwen to me so that she wouldn't catch her death and drown. Draco stole glances at me, but I just smiled at him, and then turned away, focusing my attention on Harry and Ron, because I didn't want Pansy to hate me for flirting with Draco.

Once at Hogwarts, a woman who called herself Professor McGonagall told us that there would be a feast after we were sorted. I was excited. It was a good thing that my parents had told me about the different houses and the Sorting Hat. I was hoping that I would be in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw like my mother or my father. Scott could stay his special self and be the only one in Slytherin for all I cared. I loved him—but not that much. Now that we'd all be living together again, I didn't need to spend every day in a house with him during school.

We entered the Great Hall, and there were four large tables, at which students already sat. We walked up to the front of the room, and stood in a cluster around a stool. My uncle came to me and took Arwen from me, stealing a smile, and walked her to a teacher who kind of scared me. That teacher left the room and then came back without Arwen.

"It is time for you all to be sorted into your houses." Professor McGonagall told us.

She called us up one by one, we sat on the stool in the front of the room, and she set an old hat on our heads, which was the Sorting Hat. The student would then go to the appropriate table, and that table clapped for them. When it was my turn, I had come at the very end, being a new student on the roll.

"Lana Langston." McGonagall called.

I just sat on the stool. The real reason people were listening was because they were still soaking in Harry's presence. Well, that didn't bother me. The hat just sat on my head for a moment, thinking. It had taken about four times as long for me to be sorted as it had taken Malfoy. Finally the hat had decided.

"Much power and courage I see in you." The hat whispered in my head.

"Wow, you can talk." I thought.

"Yes, but only in your head." The hat told me. "Slytherin would be a perfect place for you. You are pure-blood, powerful, and cunning."

"I'm not so sure about Slytherin. Matty's there, but…" I admitted.

"You are of the most intelligent, so Ravenclaw could be your place." The hat suggested.

"My mother was in Ravenclaw, but I'm not so sure." I said.

"You are hard to place, child. Maybe you belong with Hufflepuff. I see loyalty and caring that most do not have." The Sorting Hat was saying.

"I don't know. What about Gryffindor?" I asked.

"That power I sense in you is also fueled by courage and boldness. You are Dumbledore's niece, very nice. Daughter of Samuel Dumbledore and Marcia Langston. Sister of Scottward Langston. My, my. Such power and bravery. I feel I know exactly what to do with you—exactly where you belong." The hat told me.

"Really?" I asked.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat announced.

The Gryffindor table cheered, and I sat down next to a very handsome looking young gentleman, and Harry. I stole a glance at Draco, who smiled at me. Even Scott gave me a thumbs up—neither of us wanted to be in the same house.

"Actually, Lana, could you please come back up here." My uncle said.

I stood up, and walked up to him. He set his hand on my shoulder and then held up a hand to silence the room.

"This is my niece, Lana. She moved here all the way from America, and I hope that you will make her feel welcome. Most of you met Scott, Lana's older brother, last year, and he's having a wonderful time." He told them.

I walked back to the table blushing, as there was another round of applause from all of the tables. I sat back down between Harry and the cute boy, and then the food appeared. Ron started to chow down, and Harry slowly piled food on his plate. I turned to the boy next to me.

"What do you recommend?" I asked.

He pointed to the chicken.

"Thank you." I said.

"I'm Oliver Wood." The boy said.

"I'm—"

"Lana. I know."

I blushed. I was such an idiot. Dumbledore had already announced who I was to everyone. Sometimes family just really makes you want to scream. Though, I took a bit of the eating time to write a note, and I had cautiously kicked the note under the table to the Slytherin table, and Draco had watched, and picked it up. I smiled. That had worked rather nicely.

****

Percy, who I found out later, was Ron's older brother and a Prefect, showed us to our rooms. I had snuck off a bit, to see Draco. He found me, and we hid behind a statue on the second floor.

"I got your note." Draco told me.

"Yeah, I wanted to meet you after we got sorted to either talk about this whole us being friends thing, or this whole enemy thing. I mean now we're in separate houses, but I still want to get to know you." I told him. "I need new friends."

Draco smiled. "Well, I would like that too. Just, be careful around Pansy. She's not too happy."

I nodded. "Get back to your house, I need to not get caught on my first night here."

Draco nodded, and he went on his way, and I found my way to my Common Room, amazingly without help.

****

After a long nights sleep in the girl's dormitory, I woke up bright and early before anyone else, got dressed, and went downstairs to go and see my Uncle. I ran into Oliver, however, who was dressed in the ugliest, brightest, robes I had ever seen. I laughed.

Oliver turned around. "What are you doing up?" He asked me.

"I was going to pay a visit to my uncle." I said.

He nodded.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Quidditch practice." He answered.

"What?" I asked.

Oliver looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

"You don't know what Quidditch is?!?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Is it a sport or something?"

"Is it a sport?!?" Oliver laughed. "It's only the greatest sport ever invented!"

I smiled. I really had no clue what he was talking about. I guess I would figure out sooner or later, but I was hoping for later at this point, though he was amazingly cute, and seemed to be attached to this…sport.

"Well, I really need to go and see my uncle." I said. "You can tell me all about Quidditch later."

"Of course." He said.

I left the room and hurried to my uncle's office. I didn't know how to get in though. I didn't even know where it was. Holy Cricket! I saw Hermione down the hall, and raced towards her.

"Hello, Hermione." I said.

"Hi, Lana." She replied.

"On your way to 'History of Magic'?"

She nodded.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Aren't you already joining me?"

I smiled. "Yes, I guess I am."

We got through 'History of Magic', 'Charms', and 'Transfigurations' before anything exciting happened. And by exciting, I mean humiliating for Harry. When we got into 'Potions' class, we all sat down and I ended up sitting next to Hermione. Our professor was the same creepy man who had taken my cat!

"I am Professor Severus Snape, the Potion's Master." Professor Snape told us.

We all sat still, but Harry took out his quill and began to take notes. Snape cornered him and asked him a series of questions, in which only Hermione knew the answer, after he took role call. As with every teacher before him, he stopped at my name, and at Harry's. Harry was the new celebrity, and I was the Headmaster's niece.

After asking Harry the questions, Snape snapped at Harry. "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter."

I stood up. "Professor Snape, with all due respect, Harry did nothing wrong."

Snape whirled on me, and his cold eyes blazed. "Miss Langston. I see that you need to exercise your cheekiness as well. I'll go easy on you because you're new to this system, but speak out of turn again, and I will take another point from Gryffindor."

I sat down, and swallowed. Creepy, much?

****

We went through the next double hours of potions like cats in a desert. When we thought we were finally free, we were dragged back in. My cooking skills had come in handy though, so I breezed past the cauldron part, but Snape kept taking points from Harry for no good reason. If I could finally talk to my uncle, I would put a stop to this.

I stood up again, and opened my big mouth. "Actually, Professor Snape, Harry wasn't watching Neville. Neville is just accident prone."

Snape glared at me. "Miss Langston, I warned you what would happen if you talked out of turn again."

Normally, Draco and his goons would just laugh, but Draco stood up.

"Professor Snape, Lana has no idea what she is doing. You should just let her off with a warning." Draco told him.

"Draco, I am perfectly capable of fighting my own battles. Anyways, I know exactly what I'm doing." I said.

Snape smiled. "One point from Gryffindor."

I sat down, and then after a few more grueling moments, class ended, and I gathered up my things and left. Draco stopped me, and I sighed.

"What was that back there?" Draco asked me.

"Oh, you mean where I stood up for Harry?" I asked.

Draco nodded.

"I was watching out for my friends. I can handle Snape." I said.

Draco smiled, and I smiled back. "Okay. Maybe we should talk later."

I nodded. "I need to go. Harry and Ron are visiting someone now, and I'm meeting up with them after I see my uncle. I'll talk with you later Draco."

When I turned around, Pansy was in front of me. I groaned.

"Pansy, I don't have any time for you and your stupid little crush on Draco! Leave me alone and get out of my way!" I said.

Snape came out of the classroom and looked at Pansy, Draco, and I.

"Is there something going on here?" Snape asked us.

Draco shook his head and Pansy nodded.

"I see that we have a little disagreement among fellow Slytherins." Snape said.

I sighed. "I really need to talk to my Uncle."

"Well, not until I figure out what's going on here." Snape told me.

"I was just going to escort her to his office." Draco said.

"And I kindly told him that I could handle the walk by myself." I said sweetly.

"And I agreed with Lana." Pansy told Snape.

Well yeah, anything to be with her precious Draco. I couldn't care right now because no matter how cute he was I needed to see my uncle!

Snape nodded. "Well, be off then Lana."

"I will be off." I told him.

"And I'll go with you." Draco offered.

"Honestly Draco, I can go on my own." I smiled, and he backed off a bit.

"I think Lana can handle herself." Pansy said. "Or, I could go with her."

There was a nasty look in Pansy's eyes.

"Will you all just leave me the Hell alone? I just need to talk to my Uncle! It's not a world thing, it's a family thing, and I want you all to just leave me the...well alone!" I screamed.

I ran down the hall towards Dumbledore's office (even though I still didn't know where it was), and ignored Snape and Draco calling after me.