The Sorting Ceremony was over and the feast had begun. Severus picked at his food as he viewed the crowd of students old and new gorging themselves on everything in front of them. His eyes kept coming back to Raithe Shadulro. He tried to keep from looking at her, but every few minutes or so he would discover himself studying her. Unlike all the new students, she did not seem impressed by the array of food in front of her, and she did not pile her plate high with food she would never be able to stuff down her gullet like the others. She ate delicately and gracefully. She ignored both the baleful glares of the females and the excessive attention the males gave her. And he everyone could see why all the guys were trying so hard to get her attention. Attractive would not do her justice. She was stunning gorgeous. Her hair hung down to her lower back and flowed down in thing waves. Her hair was looked almost silver from the angle he was viewing her from, with thin streaks of purple and blood red. He knew this could be right. Perhaps it was the lighting. After all, who had silver hair? It must be a light blonde color…he thought. He had not had a chance to see what color her eyes were, but knew that he would get a chance soon enough. He had, however, had a chance to see her body. Her body was a big factor in why all the boys were vying for her attention. He really hoped all the guys trying to talk to her had worn pants under their robes, or there was definitely going to be some visible tents on the way up to the dormitories…

He had finally managed to stop thinking about Miss Shadulro by staring down at the pitiful remains of food on his plate when he felt eyes on him. He looked up and saw Miss Shadulro look quickly away blushing, like she was embarrassed to have almost been caught looking at him. He looked back down at his plate and it happened again. He looked up again and she looked away again. He looked back down at his plate for a final time and decided to ignore it. If she wants to stare, let her. I have the body a man in his late twenties, so I'm sure the view is nice. He though, then he thought, dear God, I am a Professor! I should not think the vulgar things I have about her! She is a student!

Thankfully, the feast ended soon after and he was able to hurry down to his chambers without running into Miss Shadulro, though he certainly wished he had. But what would I have done if I had run into her? He had almost made it to his chambers when he stopped dead in his tracks. She was standing in front of his door waiting on him. Minerva walked out from the shadows next to her, and he realized that he had been so focused on Miss Shadulro that he had not even seen Minerva standing there.

"Well Severus, what are you waiting for? Would you come over here so we can talk without yelling down the hallway? Better yet, why don't you let us into your office so we can talk in privacy?" Minerva sounded a bit irritated. Had she noticed him looking at Miss Shadulro? He quickly walked the rest of the distance to his door, unlocked it, and allowed the two women to enter before walking in and shutting the door. He sat himself behind his desk while the Miss Shadulro and Minerva made themselves comfortable across from him.

"How can I help you ladies?"

"Let me start with introductions." Minerva said. "Severus, this is Raithe Shadulro. Raithe, this is Professor Severus Snape, the Potions Master, and Head of the Slytherin Household. Now that the introductions are over, we have come to the hard part of the conversation…"

"It is really not that hard, Headmaster. All you have to do is tell him the truth. Is the truth that hard to explain? First of all, Severus, I do not come here from another school. In fact, I am not entirely certain how I came to the attention of the Headmaster. The first thing I remember is—"

"Enough Miss Shadulro! I will explain to Professor Snape. Your input is only required when it is asked for. Is that understood?"

"My input seemed necessary Headmaster, for you did not seem to know how to explain the truth. Moreover, this is something that involves me; therefore, I would believe that would make my input very valuable to this conversation."

"I can explain to Professor Snape well enough without your help Miss Shadulro, now be silent." Minerva turned from the girl and focused her attention on Severus. "As Miss Shadulro has just said, she does not come to Hogwarts from another school. I was alerted to her presence and went in search for her. I found her wandering the streets of Tokyo in the pouring rain, her clothes in rags. I thought at first that I was mistaken. The streets were very busy, even though it was nearly midnight, and I easily could have gotten confused. Then two things made me realize that no mistake had been made. The first was that she was not Asian like everyone around her. The second was that only I could see her. I approached her and she tried to flee, however I was quicker and caught her with an immobilizing spell. The spell wore off much quicker than expected, but I had calmed her down and she did not try to run again. I convinced her to travel here with me. Do you understand everything I have told you, Severus?"

"I do, all but one thing. Why is Miss Shadulro a Third Year instead of a First Year if she has not been through proper training?"

"Ah yes. Her age is the main reason. She is the same age as the Third Year students. However, though she may not have gone to a school of magic, she does seem to have received some form of training. I would like to request that you be the one to see that she is properly trained in anything she may have missed. Would you please take care of her tutoring, Severus?"

"I will on one condition. Miss Shadulro? Do you agree to allow me to help you with your studies and help to catch you up to the other students of your class?"

She locked eyes with Severus and he was so stunned by the color of her eyes that he barely heard he agree to the proposal. Her eyes were a clear purple. It must be the lighting again. Her eyes are probably blue, not purple.

"Good. Now that everything has been sorted out, we will leave you to get some rest. One last thing Severus, keep the information you have received tonight to yourself. No one else needs to know the truth behind Miss Shadulro's arrival here." With that Minerva stood and began to lead Miss Shadulro out of his office. Ath the last moment Miss Shadulro stopped and turned around in front of the door.

"By the way, would you please refrain from calling me 'Miss Shadulro'? I much rather prefer Raithe. It is my first name after all." And without waiting for a response she turned and shut the door behind her.