Hey you out there! I didn't really get much feedback on the first chapter, but there was one person, who added this to her favourites.
I want to thank nightworldangel! This chapter's for you

To all of you out there: Please, please give me some feedback!

P.S.: I did some research to find out, who went to school during the Marauder's era. It took some time and I'm still not quite sure about it, but I hope you will all forgive me.

I own nothing, etc. etc...

Lots of Love,
Jez


Month after month had passed and Aerwyna and Lily made it to become friends, mostly because the redheaded girl was someone, you couldn't spend time with and not fall for.
And Severus made sure they were seeing a lot of each other.
Although she had become her friend and Aerwyna would miss the girl dearly should they part ways one day, she envied her with every fibre of her being.
Everything Lily did came naturally to her and she had Severus twisted around her little finger without even being aware of it.


Finally their first day of school came and Aerwyna was waiting at the train station for either Lily to finish her fight with her sister or for Severus to arrive.
She was waiting alone as her mother had refused to go with her. She felt the familiar stinging pain in her chest and behind her eyes.

"Mum, I need my wand", she had whispered a few hours ago.

"You will get it as soon as you step out of that door", her mother didn't even look up from the paper she was reading.
Aerwyna nodded and turned to leave the sitting room, when her mother's voice made her freeze in her move:
"But if you keep wandering this path, darling, there will be the day you are no longer welcome in my house. You got that?"

Aerwyna threw a short glance back and whispered: "Yes."

She took her wand from her pocket and stared at the dark ebony wood.
Suddenly someone slapped her shoulder quite painfully.

"Ouch!", she yelped and spun around to see Severus smirking at her. She threw herself at him and tickled him to the ground.

A voice behind them said: "Hi Aerwyna."

Both looked up to see Lily standing there, her face emotionless. She didn't even look at Severus. Without a glance back she made her way to the train.

"What did you do, you moron?", Aerwyna shrieked and slapped the back of his head.

"Oui, nothing!", he exclaimed, threw her from him and ran after Lily.

Aerwyna got up, shaking her head and followed them rather slowly, because she didn't feel the slightest urge to experience their fight at first hand.
When she made her way through the train she stared at the floor glancing up shyly from time to time. Suddenly she saw feet right in front of her and nearly bumped into someone.

Their gazes locked, what caused the girl in front of her to grin. She folded her arms over her chest: "Well, well, another first year."
Somewhere in her mind a voice was screaming at Aerwyna to get the hell away from her, because one thing was for sure: that girl was up to no good.
Her hair was bright blonde with golden streaks and a rather snobbish attitude clung to her.

"Can you speak?", the taller girl asked sharply.

Aerwyna straightened and balled her fists: "Yes, indeed. My name is Aerwyna Rivers."

"And what's your blood status, Aerwyna Rivers?", the girls grin grew wider.

"I don't know how that would be any of your business. Besides I think it's quite impolite to force somebody to introduce himself and to not have at least the decency to introduce yourself", Aerwyna spat.

The girl's grin grew even wider if that was possible: "You are so going to become a Gryffindor. Well, I will introduce myself to make sure, you know your future worst nightmare. My name is Narcissa Black. Make sure to remember that."

She stepped back to let Aerwyna pass. The younger girl felt her stare in her neck until she heard the door of a compartment close.

Aerwyna sighed and threw a glance back. Another compartment door opened revealing Lily and Severus. She hurried towards them: "Guys!"

Snicker could be heard from the compartment they just had left until Lily threw it shut, an annoyed expression on her face.

"I just had the creepiest meeting of all times!", Aerwyna said, shaking her head.

"Get in line", Lily muttered, jerking her head towards the door.

They managed to find a compartment, which they shared with two girls.
Mary Macdonald and Alice Fortescue were first years like themselves and Lily started a conversation easily, but Aerwyna stayed out of it, just like Severus. But she noticed, that it was mostly because he was too occupied with staring at the redhead.

Aerwyna furrowed her brows and spent the rest of the train ride staring out of the window and turning her wand in her hands.


The night was warm and cloudless, the stars twinkled above them while they were carried by boats across the black, shimmering lake.
The castle wasn't comparable to anything Aerwyna had seen so far. The entrance door was gigantic, the building rearing up to the night sky.

The first years had to wait in a room until all the other students had taken their seats in the Great Hall. Aerwyna was kneading her hands, Severus stared at the wall as if trying to burn a hole into it, another boy beside Aerwyna had turned a bright colour of green.

Just when Lily let out a nervous giggle at what Mary MacDonald had said, the door opened and the rather strict woman, who had hushed them in the room before, told them to follow her so the sorting could start. The Great Hall was huge, the four house tables lined up, the staff table right at the back and the stars twinkling above them all.

Aerwyna couldn't tear her eyes away from the night sky. It seemed to her as if she had never seen such a clear, beautiful night before. The hall was beaming with excitement, she could feel her chest tighten, her heart beating on an unbelievable speed.

The strict looking woman, Professor McGonagall as she had introduced herself, took a scroll out of her pocket, after she had carried a stool with three legs in front of the line.

"I will call you up and you will sit down on the chair and put on the Sorting Hat. As soon as he exclaims your house, you take a seat at the certain table", she said, holding up an old, worn hat.

She lifted the scroll, reading the first line and exclaimed:

"Bertram Aubrey."

A tiny looking boy with pale brown hair stumbled forwards, stretched out his shaking hands to put on the hat and sat down.

A few seconds later, the brim gaped open and the hat yelled: "Ravenclaw!"

One of the tables burst into claps and yells of enthusiasm as the students welcomed Bertram to their house.

"Davey Gudgeon."

This boy was the tallest in the row of first years.
He sat remarkably longer on the chair than Bertram Aubrey.

Finally the hat exclaimed: "Slytherin!"

"Alice Fortescue."

The shorter one of the girls, who we had been in a compartment with them walked forward.
Aerwyna lost track, while she felt her own nervousness take over. Her heart was beating so fast, as if it attempted to flee from its cage.
Her mother wouldn't care, which house she would be sorted into.

Her father had been a Ravenclaw. He would care. What if she was too dumb to become a Ravenclaw? What if she wasn't studious enough? Surely it wouldn't be too bad, if she would become a Gryffindor, but what if-

Suddenly Professor McGonagall's voice shook her out of her trance: "Lily Evans."

She noticed Lily's insecure look, before the hat slid down beneath her ears.

It didn't take the hat long to decide, where to put her, but Aerwyna would always remember the scowl on Severus' face at that moment, as the hat yelled: "Gryffindor!"

Lily threw a look back at us. A weak smile flashed across her face.
Mary MacDonald was the next to be sorted into Gryffindor. The table went wild.

"Aerwyna Rivers."

Her heart skipped a beat as she felt every pair of eyes in the hall on her.
Lily's warm smile was the last thing she saw before the hat covered her eyes.
At the sight of her face, her sparkling eyes and bright smile, one thought crossed Aerwyna's mind.

I am nothing like her.

She clenched her fists at her sides and squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly a voice shrilled in her ears:

"Quite bitter for your age, eh? You don't forget easily, do you? I see a lot of slyness, a lot of rage is boiling under the surface. You are in need of stability, a stable background, people you can rely on. You feel the need to let go and let your true self take over, but you fear, that you could lose those, who you call friends. The decision is all yours. Do you want to spend your live in the back ground, in the shadows and never let go? You would do honourable things, but nobody would ever know. Or you decide to become yourself."

Her eyes remained close as her thoughts began to race.

I don't know, if I'm strong enough.

"You decide, if you want to take the risk."

Her mind went blank. Then one thing clicked into place: I can't run away forever.

The hat was silent for a moment. Then it exclaimed: "Slytherin!"

She pulled it off her head, her eyes flickered to Lily. Slight shock and sadness crossed her features. Aerwyna walked to the table that had started to cheer.

She didn't even look at the people, who sat beside her. She stared at the row, her nerves stretched to the breaking point.
Two more kids were sorted into Hufflepuff, Emily Stanton and Theodore Drade. Then it was Severus' turn. He sat a long time on the stool, not as long as Aerwyna had, but much longer than Lily. Aerwyna couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

Finally the brim opened and the hat yelled: "Slytherin!"

Her heart jumped, her chest burned with heat as Severus turned his back to the Gryffindor table and walked towards her, sitting down beside her. They remained silent for the rest of the Sorting Ceremony.