A/N: This process is lengthy, so you know… I'm having to reread the story as I type this, trying to make it an all-new story while following along with the old story (if that makes any sense). Maybe it doesn't. Alas, I'm having fun for the most part, and isn't that what it's all about (or is that the hokie-pokie, I never could tell).

Disc.: Creation is a start. Manipulation is divine.

Precursory

I very nearly laughed at James and his younger brother's outburst, and I probably would have if I hadn't been shocked to silence myself. I had watched at that goofy Professor Longbottom placed that decrepit old hat upon that minuscule child's head. She was small, even by first year standards. I had watched her half curiously, though I couldn't even explain to myself why. She sat there on the stool and I watched, wondering what great Gryffindor traits the hat was picking out of her head.

"Slytherin!" the hat had practically cheered and I froze. I couldn't begin to explain it. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, to be honest. Her damn blue eyes were wide again, and for a moment I swore I saw a hint of fear and dread. Headmistress McGonagall had snapped at the Potter boys and then directed Lily to take a seat. I watched her curiously as she kept her eyes trained to the floor. Her face was beet red and she sat down quickly a few seats down from me.

I half listened to Celeste, a girl in my year, give Lily the third-degree about her blood lineage. I stepped in, telling Celeste to ease up on Potter. A few people looked at me incredulously, but I had perfected the 'I don't care what you think' look. It was plastered on my face, even as my eyes met Lily's. I wasn't even sure why I defended her to Celeste. Potter was nothing more to me than just another lowly first year, yet there was something. I could tell, though I couldn't put my finger on it.

Celeste tried to argue her point to me, but I ignored her. I knew Celeste well enough that she hated to be ignored. Sometimes, in previous years, I would ignore her just to irritate her. This was not one of those times. I really just didn't want to hear what Celeste had to say on the subject, especially since she had an opinion on everything.

The common room was my home away from home, and yet that night I couldn't sleep. I sat like I had sat many nights before, hidden in the shadows while I pondered my thoughts. My roommates knew well enough to leave me alone, lest I sic my evil kitty, Ash, on them. Most nights, Ash would join me to unravel the thoughts that swirled like smoke in my head, but with it being her first night back at Hogwarts she was off catching the mice you'd never catch dead in Malfoy Manor.

I glanced up as I saw her creeping closer to the dying fire, a book clutched in her arms. She looked even smaller now, when the eyes of the whole school and all of Slytherin were not on her. Her tiny shoulders hunched over as she tried to curl into a ball, reading by the weak firelight. In this light, her hair looked more red than auburn, the glowing embers adding the look of fire to her hair. I watched her a while as she struggled to stay awake while she read. Curiously, like a fading candle, she went from awake to asleep. I yawned, knowing it was probably time for me to head off to bed myself. I stood and walked towards the third year dormitory, hesitating as I looked back at her.

Something in me squeezed and I turned, unfamiliar with the feeling. I headed towards Lily, stopping just a few feet from her. I pulled one of the blankets off the back of the couch and draped it over her. I justified that it wouldn't look good on the house if Lily Potter froze to death her first night as a Slytherin. Without a second thought, I turned and headed to bed.

The next morning, Damon and I headed out of our dormitory just in time to see Lily walk through the ghost of the Bloody Baron. I laughed, not so much at her walking through him but at the expression on her face and the reaction of the short little boy who walked beside her. I fell into step behind them, listening to their childish drivel.

"Is it always going to be this cold down here?" Lily asked the boy.

"You'll get used to it," I said suddenly. I hadn't intended on letting on that I was right behind them, but my knee-jerk answer to her question had given me away. I pushed past them, giving Lily what I hoped was an intimidating look. She didn't look fazed and it was unnerving. I had never encountered a girl, especially a first year, that didn't find me even slightly intimidating.

I joined Celeste, Damon, and Elena at the table, eager to start breakfast. Damon and I claimed all of the bacon, claiming what we always claimed. We needed it to bulk up for Quidditch tryouts. Elena laughed but Celeste rolled her eyes. She made a disgusted sound and I looked up at her curiously.

"God, our first years are disgusting eaters," Celeste said. I glanced down, thinking they didn't eat any worse than we did. "Someone should tell them to chew with their mouths closed."

"Alright," I said quietly seeing that Celeste was still annoyed at me for the previous night's slight. "But they're probably just excited." Celeste gave me what was supposed to be a dirty look, but Professor Perkins had just arrived and had drawn my attention from her.
My own classes were nothing special. I was a good student without trying, but because I wanted to be an Auror like my father, I tried hard. Actually, I probably tried harder than I needed to. I didn't want to just be like my father, I wanted to be him. He was suave, cool. He never got embarrassed and he always knew what to do. I just faked it a lot and acted like I knew what I was talking about. Most people didn't question me. Most times, though, I was just as uncertain as anyone else.

I was sitting in potions when Damon slid into the seat next to me, late but with a pass in his hand. Not that he needed it. Professor Perkins favored those of us in his house. He looked hassled and I shot him a questioning glance as Professor Perkins started explaining some vitally important detail. Damon kept shooting me these looks and finally, when the professor was clear on the other side of the dungeon classroom, berating James Potter for a pathetic attempt at the potion we were supposed to be working on, I looked at him. He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat.

"What?" I hissed.

"Did you hear what Potter's sister did?" Damon asked. I shook my head.

"I don't keep up with Potter's sister," I had replied lethargically though I had to admit I was curious. I told myself that it had to do with Damon being in a tizzy.

"She went and got herself two detentions, back to back," Damon said almost gleefully. "Looks like Potter's sister isn't as innocent as everyone thought."

"That's not good," I mumbled. "That's not exactly the kind of repertoire we want associated with Slytherin."

"You should talk to her," Celeste decided as she turned towards him, ignoring her self-stirring cauldron. "Since you seem so intent on defending her last night, you should be the one who has to keep her in check."

"Super," I said sarcastically. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to a first year about her behavior, especially Lily Potter. She reminded me of a much worse version of James. "You're coming with me."

"Fine," Celeste said rolling her eyes, and I was certain that I heard her mumble something about me being a chicken shit for needing back up when it came to a first year. Like usual, I ignored her and it irritated the hell out of her.

Celeste and I saw Lily and her two midget minions heading into the Great Hall. Celeste elbowed me and I called to get her attention. She turned and looked, followed by her bobble headed friends. Celeste scared the two off towards into the Great Hall. I stood aside and let Celeste start tearing into Lily, admiring Lily for not shying away from Celeste's verbal assault. Celeste caught my eye and nodded towards Lily, indicating it was my turn.

"You have already managed to score yourself two detentions and lost our house points," I reminded her in what I hoped came out as an authoritative voice, my arms crossed against my chest. "This is the first official day of the new school year and you aren't behaving very Slytherin." She looked at me like I was the crazy one.

"What are you talking about?" Lily said crossly. "I hit a Gryffindor twice in the back of the head with a tuber root." Celeste almost lost it right there and instead of bursting into laughter, something I could feel the urge to do myself, she headed straight through the doors. I raised an eyebrow at her, amused but knowing that I couldn't admit it. I wouldn't dare try to picture a tuber root bouncing off of some lowly Gryffindor first year's head. Instead, I asked her why she did it.

And so began the first of many conversations that she and I would have. I explained to her that we, as Slytherins, did not go around acting up in class, even towards Gryffindors. Not when we could do it outside of class and never get caught. I watched her as I talked; surprised that she seemed to actually listen. Actually, and not to be full of myself, she seemed to hang on to my every word as if it was law.

"Look, I understand what it's like to be stuck in someone's shadow. We're all fighting to carve out our own place in the world," I said quietly as I looked at her little face fixated on me. "You have been given a grand opportunity here, to escape the house of your ancestors. It is an opportunity that most of us would kill to have the opportunity." I hesitated, never expecting to have shared so much of myself in one conversation. I could practically see her processing and storing what I had said. It was unnerving the way she watched me with her bright, blue eyes.

"Ok," Lily said.

"Now, go in there and behave," I smirked as I tried to cover the fact that I had shared so much more than I intended. "Just don't get caught misbehaving. We Slytherins never get caught."

We were about to head into the Great Hall when her older brother arrived, causing trouble.

Now normally I never back down from a fight, but I barely even got a word in edgewise and James and I were poised to fight. It was surreal. James and I had hated each other from our first day, our first year when upon finding out who our fathers were, wordless declared a life-long enemy in each other. So, we were ready to fight, and Lily slipped between us, and I was certain that she was going to defend her brother to me. Imagine my surprise when she turned on her older brother, claiming official Slytherin business. She put her hands on her hips and stared him down, telling James to mind his own business. I had to admire her spunkiness. I knew that the Potter and Weasley families were a tight knit group of people, so to have her turn her back on all that, even if rightly so, had me staring at her with admiration.

"You know, he's only looking out for you," I said grinning at her after he had stalked away angrily. I had no idea what I thought I was doing, actually defending James to her like that. I should have encouraged it, the animosity between siblings cast in separate houses, but something in me defended James. I nearly hated do it, to be honest. She looked at me, the look strange. She had a slight grin on her face, the tension evident.

"I don't need a big brother," she replied in a snappy tone. I had to smirk at her tone. We departed and I watched her stalk over to her miniature minions, barely getting in three bites before she was off again. Celeste looked at me and I shrugged, grabbing a few bites to eat before I headed off to my next class.

That evening, dinner was amusing to say the least. I was sitting there between Elena and Damon, eating, while Celeste and a few others were making rude comments about the way that the first year students were behaving. I glanced over at them, and while they were a lot louder than the rest of our table, they were far from acting like the rest of the school's first year students. I glanced over at Lily and her minions and nearly laughed. The boy one, Shale, looked a little bit like a chipmunk, his cheeks puffy with over stuffing and he was talking. The girl one, Kate, was eating just a much. My eyes fell on Lily and she looked at me, and I swear, I saw her blush.

I couldn't figure out for the life of me why that mattered, that she blushed when she looked at me. I ignored our prefect's words to them, knowing what they'd be, instead I looked at her and watched. I was curious about the heat in her cheeks, and the way she quickly covered up a laugh with a sip. She was unlike any Potter I had ever known.