Chapter 2

Faintly I could hear mom making breakfast downstairs. Harry was outside playing with Sirius and Remus, Selena and Emily was downstairs playing with their dolls and Daniel was in the bathtube, dad probably washing him. I looked myself in the mirror. Rapidly I started to brush through my thick, black hair. I was really glad that I had gotten mom's hair type, instead of dad's like all my other siblings. I found it easier being a girl with tameable hair, thank you very much. The time was 9:30 AM, and I was running out of time. I only had one hour before I would be leaving for the platform. I was finally starting at Hogwarts today. I couldn't wait!

"Emerald? Breakfast!" Mom called out from downstairs.

Quickly I got up from my spot by the drawer and started to head downstairs. I was only halfway down the ladder to the second floor, when I noticed the smell of pancakes in the air. I couldn't help but smile broadly to myself. I really loved pancakes!

"Good morning, love."

"Morning, mom." I responded just as I sat down.

Emily and Selena was already eating, arguing with each other who got the largest pancake. Selena was 7 and Emily was 6, but many found it hard to tell the difference between the two of them. I couldn't blame them. Sometimes they acted like twins, and it didn't help that they looked so dangerously similar too!
As I was about to take the first bite off my own breakfast Remus, Sirius and Harry came running through the door, the latter completely covered in mud. They had one broom each, so I assumed that they had been playing Quidditch over by the woods. Remus came over and sat down to my left, while the other two recieved a very dirty look from mom, which made them at least take off their shoes. I ended up sitting in between Sirius and my godfather.

"So, little duckling, starting at Hogwarts today, eh?" Sirius commented after he had started on his 3rd pancake. His mouth full of food as he spoke.

"Mhm." I swallowed. "And stop calling me that! I'm not so small anymore!

"Whatever you say, little duckling." I send Sirius my best icy glare, which only made him smirk.

I sat there glaring at Sirius till dad and Daniel appeared. It didn't even surprise any of us that dad was wet from top to toe. It happened close to every time he bathed Daniel.
When 10:30 started to crawl upon me, I headed upstairs to check that I had gotten everything packed. I really wanted to avoid the embarrassing letter home, telling my parents that I had left something behind. The suitcase was so packed that I almost couldn't lift it. The worst part, according to Sirius, was that most of the content were books. I didn't see anything wrong with that. When we had been in Diagon Ally I had managed to make my parents agree with me on the subject that I needed more books. I had finished them all by now, except three of them that mom had hidden away. She wanted me to have something to do while at Hogwarts.
After going through the list of things I was supposed to pack for the 2nd time, I noted that everything was ready. I took one deep breath as I grabbed the top of the suitcase. How was I supposed to get this bloody thing down the ladder and stairs? When I was about to lift it I took one last look into the mirror. What met me was a pair of huge, astonished, emerald eyes and a thin, little girl. Several of mom's friends thought that I was being underfed, but I really was just this thin and bony by nature.
It took some time, but I managed to drag the suitcase all the way down the hallway and down the stairs without asking for help or losing it. Straight away mom began fuzzing over me, which only made me blush. We were getting to the platform the wizarding way, even though mom was very much against it. We would be apparating to an ally just a block away from the station and walk from there. I found it a lot less complicated. It would only take us a few minuted to get there.

The fresh, London air was like honey to my lungs. One could basically taste the end of summer in the air. It was 10:45 when we entered platform 9 3/4, giving my family a bit too long time to say their goodbyes.
At 10:50 I boarded the train, quickly I finding an empty compartment to put my suitcase into, Sirius and dad insisting on helping me this time.

"Sweetheart, come here." Mom said weakly. "It's time to say goodbye." Never before had I seen mom this tearful. As she hugged me tight I could feel the pressure of tears behind my eyes myself. Softly mom sobbed onto my shoulder, until dad had to pull her away from me and comfort her. "My baby girl, all grown up, already going to Hogwarts. Where on earth did the time go? When did we become so old, James?"

"Lily! Relax! She'll be home for Christmas." Dad tried to comfort mom, all the while he was smirking at me. "Then she'll be able to tell us how she kicked some Slytherin ass at school."

"Language, James!"

"Sorry, love. Then she'll tell us how she kicked some Slytherin arse." Dad and Sirius gave each other high fives, recieving a death glare from both mom and Remus. God, they were so immature!

I couldn't help but laugh at how childish and immature they were being, even though it annoyed me to no end.

"Just behave, have fun, make friends. Be yourself and everything will be fine." Remus must've seen how my nerves was starting to take control of me, since he smiled and patted my shoulder lightly.

I tried putting up a brave face, but in reality I was terrified! I felt like throwing up! Everyone was so sure that I would be a Gryffindor, but what if I weren't? What if I ended up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? Or even Slytherin, the house that dad and Sirius hated more than anything? I was afraid that I wouldn't be the perfect daughter they wanted anymore.

*A couple of hours later *

I could feel my whole body shaking. Even my teeth were chatting lightly. All I hoped for was that the people around me wouldn't notice too much. I was in the middle of the crowd of 1st years, just about to get Sorted. I couldn't see anything in front of me because of some taller boys up front. I knew there was a hat there. I knew that it was singing. I knew that the teacher's table were up there in front of us. I just couldn't bloody see it!
When the Sorting started my brain seemed to zone all the way out. Even as I tried to focus on the names and what house they got into, I found myself unabled to really concentrate. The only thing I did notice was each time they started on a new letter. My shaking was growing violent as my turn to get Sorted was approaching. M... N... O. -

"Potter, Emerald." The teacher called out. I think her name was McGonagall.

I could've sworn that my heart stopped for a second, but luckily so did the shaking. I pushed myself through the crowd and slowly, but steadily, I walked over to the stool. From the teachers table I could feel someone staring at me, so I let my eyes look up for just a second. What met me was a pair of pitch black eyes. They looked so mysterious that I found it hard to look away. The eyes were sucking me in. And the owner looked just as mysterious as his eyes.
I turned my back to the teachers table and sat down onto the stool. Soon after, the Sorting hat was placed upon my head. It was embarrassing really, seeing that the hat almost covered my head completely.

"Ah, a Potter, huh? And a female one! I've been waiting for this day. So alike, but also so different from your parents and family. Brave, intelligent, loyal, cunning, but where to put you? Ah, not Hufflepuff, no, certainly not there. Not Gryffindor either, but where then? Aha, I see! You like being alone. Not many understand you. Working hard to reach your goals no matter what. Well, better be: SLYTHERIN!

My heart sank, but I put on a smiled anyway. Professor McGonagall removed the hat from my head and I quickly headed towards the cheering Slytherin table. I sat down next to a boy that looked about 2 or 3 years older than me, and he made me feel kinda safe. I couldn't really place the feeling. I was the first Slytherin girl to be Sorted that year, but I was soon followed by 3 other girls: Mira, Joan and Alexandra.
As the feast itself started I couldn't help but smile. Sirius would probably have killed me by now if he knew that I had ended up in Slytherin. Once again I noticed the mysterious teacher staring at me, and I let myself meet his eyes a couple of times. In the end the curiousity got the best of me, and I turned to the boy next to me for help.

"Excuse me, Marcus?"

He looked up at me with a smirking face, and I noticed that he had pretty messed up teeth.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Who's the black haired man sitting next to professor McGonagall?" I asked uncertain, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.

"Oh, that's professor Snape. He's the potions professor, and head of our house. You'll quickly see that he favors us. Just -" Marcus stopped "-make sure you're on his good side, will ya? We don't need another lecture about that."

I nodded quietly, once again looking up into the face of professor Severus Snape. Why did I have the strange feeling that I had seen him somewhere before?