Returning to Hogwarts was like returning home after a very long vacation. The castle, while magical, seemed to come alive with the students returning. Yet there was still an air of uncertainty. There were some faces missing after family members were killed or forced to go into hiding.

But now that everyone was back together, an air of excitement passed around the students. They were safe and back at Hogwarts; the war didn't touch them there.

After the carriage ride, the older students were ushered into the Great Hall. James had his arm wrapped around Ursula's shoulders while the rest of their friends walked along with them. They took their usual spot at the table, waiting for the feast to begin and mayhem to unwrap.

Before long, McGonagall walked into the hall with the new students behind her. The group of first years was clearly larger than it had been in previous years.

"Merlin, did they multiply?" Sirius asked incredulously. There had to be seventy more students than usual.

Remus nodded, chuckling at his friend's incredulity, "Hogwarts is the safest place for underage wizards during war. All the parents that would have usually homeschooled their children are sending them away."

"Will we have room in the tower?" Peter asked, looking at the mass of students.

Remus shrugged before smirking, "Pete, is that lipstick on your cheek?"

The other four leaned in, all with varying degrees of smirks on their faces as they waited for their stuttering friend to explain how he got lipstick on his cheek. He was saved, however, the tear in the hat opened and the Sorting Hat Song officially began.

Year after year, time after time,

I sit upon this stool

To welcome you back

And tell you an entertaining rhyme.

I see inside your mind

And state where I see you best fit.

It is a difficult job

To determine at what table you will sit.

For no one is purely ambitious and cunning,

Nor is one always witty and studious.

Just as it is difficult to find one fully honest and loyal

Or one who is completely impulsive and chivalrous.

I have sorted traditional Hufflepuffs and brave Ravenclaws

Along with compassionate Slytherins and intelligent Gryffindors.

In a time of war you would do mind to remember

The qualities you never knew you possessed before.

This war has already taken so much

Do not let it take what you love dearly.

Unite together to overcome

Not only Godric's house can fight intrepidly.

To Hufflepuff, while you stand for fairness and equality,

It is time to remember what else you stand for.

Your house was built on the values of honesty and integrity,

Show your thirst for justice like you never have before.

For Ravenclaw I offer this.

Your wit and intelligence sets you above the rest,

Books are the greatest weapon to fight with,

For they teach us all the best.

Beware, Slytherins of falling into the abyss,

Your ambition and cunning can only lead you so far

Before you reach the point of no return

And end up a burnt out star.

Gryffindors, always itching for the fight

Remember this simple warning.

Bravery is not the absence of fear

It is taking the fear and overcoming.

I've warned you all time and time again

And yet none of you have listened.

So I offer a simpler plea

One that you will find hard to contend.

The threat is upon us

It is time to finally see.

Look past your house lines

You are not as different as you believe.

I may be a simple, tattered hat

But I have heard of the dead

And I can't help but remember

The days I sat upon their head.

All were brave and righteous

And stood up for what is right

All of them from different houses,

They were all a magnificent sight.

Don't ignore my plea

And forget what I warn.

You must learn to fight together

In this terrible war.

Now open your minds

Don't be filled with chagrin

Just put me on your head

And let the sorting begin!

Everyone politely clapped for the song but there was still some hesitation after listening to the song. The hat certainly knew how to poke at the sore points inside the school.

McGonagall stood up next to the stool with the hat and unrolled a scroll and started to read off the names. None of the Marauders paid attention to that, however, and focused back on Peter.

"So Wormy, who's the lucky lady?" James asked with a cocky smirk.

Peter flushed red and muttered a name. Sirius cupped his hand behind his ear, "What was that?"

"Claire DuBois."

"Teh Hufflepuff a year behind us?" Elyse asked with a smile on her face.

He nodded and tried to rub off the lipstick. "We ran into each other this summer and started talking. I think we're going steady now."

Sirius snorted, "You think? How could you not know?"

Peter flushed red, "She asked me to go with her to the first Hogsmeade in a few weeks and I said yes so I think we're going steady."

"She asked you? You didn't even ask her yourself?" James chortled. "That's pathetic Wormy. We're going to have to fix that."

"Like you can give dating advice, Prongs," Remus said sarcastically. "You've asked Lily how many times and she's accepted how many?"

Underneath the table, Ursula grabbed James's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. They had spoken more and though James never outright admitted it while sober, Lily rejecting him destroyed him each time.

"Says the bloke who's having a relationship with his Defense book." James shot back.

"Anway, Wormtail," Elyse interjected, "I've met Claire before n' she's lovely."

"Which one is she?" Sirius pointed at the Hufflepuff table.

"She's got teh blonde hair n' glasses almost right across from us."

Sirius snorted, "Merlin, mate, you could have done better than that."

Ursula smacked her brother across the chest, "Shut up you arse."

Honestly, Claire wasn't beautiful in the traditional sense. She was a bit chubby and stocky and the school's uniform didn't help that fact. As a muggleborn, she didn't believe in using spells to fix her acne or blemishes, which wasn't that bad to begin with. Her dirty blonde hair was always pulled into the same sloppy ponytail. Her eyes were beautiful however. They were a rich dark brown that were literally the windows to her soul. They were unfortunately covered behind her glasses.

But while her appearance may not be described as beautiful, her personality certainly was. Ursula had to work with her a few years back in Arithmancy. Hidden behind those glasses and appearance was a brilliant mind and an equally beautiful soul."

"As much as I would love to see Muse beat up Paddy, the Sorting is almost over." James pointed out.

After the last name was called, Zumbili, Rose was sorted into Hufflepuff, the entire school applauded and Dumbledore stood up to deliver his speech. But the sixth year Gryffindors weren't about to let that happen. As discreetly as they could, they pointed their wand at the ceiling and focused all of their magic on the enchanted roof. They knew they were working against powerful magic so they had to focus all they had on this complex spell.

Thunder rolled in the distant and clouds started to form over ceiling, causing everyone to look up at the rapidly changing weather. An eagle cawed and suddenly out of the clouds flew a giant brilliant royal blue and bronze eagle, swooping down towards the Ravenclaw house. A badger came next, yellow with a black strip down it's back. A horrific snake hissed and descended upon the Slytherin house.

Last but certainly not least, a lordly lion jumped out of the heavens, golden fur and red mane, glowing magnificently. The lion walked down the table and swiped his tail at the new first years who suddenly sprouted manes around their necks. Ravenclaws now had small wings (they couldn't fly) emerging from their backs. The Hufflepuffs were covered in soft fur. All of the Slytherins were covered in slimy scales.

The rest of the school roared in laughter when they saw the fate of the most hated house. The Slytherins were all glaring furiously at the Gryffindor table, knowingly towards the Marauders. All of the animals jumped back towards the sky, one last lion's roar echoed throughout the Great Hall.

Dumbledore chuckled and with a dramatic sweeping motion of his wand, the entire spell was undone and the Slytherins, except the first years, were changed back.

"Welcome back, students to a start of a wonderful—"

Elyse tried to focus but the pull was too strong and she was pulled into a vision.

It was night and she was looking up at the Fat Lady. The portrait herself was looking down, glaring at the hunched over figured at her feet. Snape leaned against the wall, looking more despondent that Elyse had ever seen him. His face was pallid and his hair was a ruffled mess. His beady eyes kept on flickering towards the Portrait.

When the door opened, a heartbreakingly hopeful look spread across his face. He was unpleasantly surprised when he was violently yanked to his feet and shoved against the wall. Ursula either didn't notice or didn't care when his head hit painfully against the stone wall. She placed her forearm forcefully against his throat and with her other hand she placed her wand underneath his chin.

"I swear on my brother's life, I you ever even think the name Lily Evans again, I will destroy you."

"Please," Snape's raspy voice begged, "Just let me talk to her."

Ursula leaned forward, causing Snape to choke more, "You had more than enough to say today. What you said is unforgivable," she moved her wand an painfully pressed it against his left forearm. "And you decided to play with fire. This is your reward."

She shoved him back before she disappeared back into the common room. Not yet done, she turned around and glared at the teary eyed boy, "I want to thank you, actually. Lily's inconsolable right now and you want to know who is comforting her right now? James. And you won't do anything about it because Lily doesn't know about that tattoo on your arm. One slip up, one attempt to sabotage James and Lily's relationship and don't even think for a second that I won't tell her."

Ursula was about to walk back into the common room, but Snape was unable to let Ursula have the last word, "You would have made a great Slytherin."

She shook her head, "As that may be, I only do what I do out of love. You do what you do for empty promises of power."

Elyse jumped back to the present and saw the layout of food covering the tables. She shook her head and started grabbing food. "So woot did I miss?"

Remus shrugged nonchalantly, "The same stuff that James usually talks us into the opposite of. Since Katsopolis died this summer and didn't plan to come back at all anyway, the new professor is Gregor Podobinski."

She looked up at the staff table at the unfamiliar face that was dramatically telling an apparently hilarious story to Professor Sprout and Slughorn. He was middle age, probably around forty. His blonde hair was speckled with grey but even from her seat she could see his twinkling pale eyes. His laugh traveled over the loudness of the students and he seemed to be completely at ease in the situation.

Across the way, out of the corner of her eye, Elyse saw Snape glaring at in James's direction. Seeing him, Elyse realized that while she remembered all her visions, she didn't remember the prophecy. She was about to ask James but the conversation never allowed for the interruption.

Soon, the prefects were leading the first years up to the dorm so the rest of them quickly got ahead of the little crowd so they could get back to the dorm faster. The first thing on everyone's mind was to write home to assure their family of their safety and in the first years' case, what house they were sorted into. James was about to disappear up the boys' stairs when Elyse grabbed his sleeve.

"James, kin I talk ter yeh fer a second?"

He nodded and followed her towards a more private area of the common room. "What's up, Lucky?"

"I kin remember all me visions but I can't remember teh prophecy yeh heard. Woot did I say?"

His face lost its natural smile, becoming stern and deadly serious, "It doesn't matter what you said because I'm going to make sure that it doesn't happen."

She shook her head incredulously, "Yeh can't change teh future."

James cocked one of his eyebrows, "Watch me."

With that, he left her standing there as he escaped to his room to write his mom and dad. Elyse shook her head and followed his example and walked up to the comfort of her own room.

Later that night, the common room was almost completely deserted. A few seventh years were sitting up playing a game of exploding snaps at t he table while there were a few second years who were too cool to go to sleep early. Alice was writing a letter to her mom and dad, letting them know she was at Hogwarts and safe, while sitting on a window bench. Once done, she got up and went to walk up the stairs to her dorm but a familiar figure caught her attention.

Alice saw a lone figure sitting in front of the dying embers. Ben's elbows were resting on his knees and his hands were wrapped together and pressed against his mouth, his eyes furrowed in deep concentration as he stared at the fire in front of him. His back was hunched in a defeated fashion. There was a light scar on his cheek. The usually well kept fiery locks were in disarray and looked unbrushed.

She walked over and sat down next to him, not saying anything for almost ten minutes before she began to talk.

"I know what you're going through," she said softly. "And I know how much you hate those words. 'I know what you're going through'. Ha! That's the biggest lie next to 'I'm sorry' because no one really gets it. No one understands what losing a sibling does to you. They can relate it to when their grandma died when they were four or when their cat went to the magical menagerie in the sky. They don't know how it feels like someone took part of your soul and destroyed it without any warning.

"And it makes you so angry and you hate it. You lose part of yourself and it just angers you because you don't want to be this person. You hate who you are but you can't change who you are and it makes you so furious that you hate yourself more and then you realize how far you've fallen and nothing makes sense and in the end you just so angry." She said that all in one breath, speaking faster and faster and louder and louder.

She finished her rant, panting and trying to hold back tears. Alice took a few deep breaths before she spoke again. "My brother was eighteen years older than me." She began softly after her rant. "I was the 'oops' baby as my uncle jokingly said. Neville, my brother, said that mistakes are usually the best surprises. He was more of a second parent growing up. When he got married, I was only four so I got to be the flower girl. Nev loved having me over to play with his daughter, Nora, who was born later that year. Then my parents died in a muggle car accident.

"Neville tried to take me in but his wife was pregnant with twins, he already had Nora, and he had a job at the Ministry. My parents were close family friends with a family of muggles, the Creevey's and I was taken in by them. Nev made sure that every chance he had; he brought the family over to visit. Mom and Dad didn't care. They legally adopted me about two years after I went to live with them and my name changed to Alice Creevey."

Alice smiled fondly at the memories of her past, her eyes so wide and happy that even Ben smiled slightly, "I realized very young that I didn't just have Nev and his wife Kate along with Nora, Victoria, Michael, and Thomas. I had my new parents and my new two brothers, Andrew and Bradley. I got the best of the magical and muggle world. Nev always made sure to keep in touch and Andrew and Bradley love all things magical. I brought them home this book that read itself and they acted like I gave them a puppy. They never once treated me weird for being different. They loved it.

"Then I'm sure you heard about what happened," Alice said despondently. The fire seemed to sense the change in the story and started to flicker out. "They were all killed, Neville and his family. My nieces and nephews were so young and so full of life. Nora got her letter this summer. She called me up the second she got it and started going on about how happy she was to be going to school with Auntie Alice and be sorted in the same house as me. Oh God, she should be here right now getting settled into her room and writing to her father about getting into Gryffindor like she always dreamed." Alice couldn't stop the tears from freely flowing down her face as she sobbed.

"My family is gone and I will never get to see any of my nieces or nephews walk these halls with me. Do you know how much Tommy cried when he realized that I would be already graduated by the time he got to Hogwarts because he wanted to go to school and show off his coolest auntie? God, just thinking about his little face destroys me. I loved them all so much and now they are all dead and it's me who gets to suffer. They're at peace somewhere with no worries yet here I am terrified that if Lord Voldemort could take away my magical family so easily, what's stopping him from killing my muggle family too?"

Ben shook his head side to side, not knowing how to answer at all.

Alice smiled slightly, "I know you don't. No one does. But that's the thing. We can't control what has already happened. We can only change what will. I'm going to become an Auror to fight for my family and not the just the dead, the living. That's what you need to do, Ben. Find something to fight for."

She patted him on the shoulder twice before getting up and walking away, leaving Ben to his thoughts. She was about to step up the stairs to her dorm when a voice from behind stopped her.

"Alice," Ben said as he looked her in the eye for the first time that night. "Thank you."

Alice nodded her head with a smile, "You are still my friend, Ben. No matter what has happened."

With that, she walked up the stairs and into her dorm. Lily was braiding her hair while sitting cross legged on the bed. Marlene was putting her hair up in an intricate bun in front of a mirror. The sound of a shower running signaled that Elyse was still in the shower. Ursula was sitting in front of her trunk, looking at a letter she found. Her face was ashen and her silver eyes were watery.

After a quick peak over her shoulder, Alice saw the bottom was signed Uncle Alphard and she instantly understood. She gently placed a hand on Ursula's shoulder as not to startle her, "I'm sorry about your uncle. I know you were close."

Ursula shook her head, "We didn't even get a chance to say goodbye." With that she put the letter back in her trunk and climbed into bed.

Elyse came out of the shower a few minutes later and sat down on the edge of Ursula's bed for the other girl to braid it.

"Have you ever thought about what house you might have been placed in besides Gryffindor?" Lily asked out of curiosity.

Elyse shrugged, "Teh hat considered Hufflepuff fer me before placing me 'n Gryffindor. I wouldn't mind bein' here. Woot aboot yeh, Lily?"

"I think I would like to be in Ravenclaw." She admitted. "It's not like half the school doesn't already think I belong there. Marls, where would you go?"

"Slytherin," Marlene had no shame in admitting that. "I'm too blunt and harsh for Hufflepuff and I hate school and learning. So Slytherin is the only place I would fit in."

"I couldn't do that," Ursula said shaking her head. "Before I was sorted the first time, I swore that I would run away to France if I got in Slytherin. I can't imagine myself anywhere but Gryffindor."

Lily looked contemplative, "I think you would do well in Ravenclaw if you applied yourself. You're as smart as me but you just don't like doing school work."

Ursula snorted in a very unlady-like manner. "That's kind of what Ravenclaws stand for, Lily."

"I've ter agree wit Ursula on this. She's more o' a Hufflepuff ter me. I think she's as loyal as a dog," Elyse said with a slight smirk.

"Very funny, Lucky," she said rolling her eyes. "So that leaves only Alice. What's the verdict?"

"I actually asked the hat to put me in Hufflepuff. I've always loved what that house stands for. But the Hat won and he placed me in Gryffindor."

Marlene laughed, "We never had a chance of getting rid of you, eh?"

Alice laughed, "I guess that hat saw something in me that I couldn't see myself."

"You're destined for greatness, Alice," Lily said with a brilliant smile. "You're going to be unforgettable."

Alice caught Elyse's eyes and held them for a moment and Elyse couldn't help but remember all of the visions she had had of Alice. Pain flooded her heart and she fought against the tidal wave of misery drowned her.

Later that night while lying in her bed, Alice couldn't help but think back to the conversation. She could understand Lily's words. Lily always saw the greatness and worth of someone when they themselves didn't see it. But for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why Elyse's eyes looked so sad.

I don't really have much to say. I think this chapter kind of speaks for itself. This was just the first glimpse of Ben were are going to be getting. There is a high possibility that in one to two chapters from now...well, I guess I'll let you read for yourself what's going to happen.

I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, alerted, or favorited. I've been having a rough couple of weeks and to see such a positive response, it has significantly brightened some of my days. So from the very bottom of my heart, thank you.