The last week and a half of summer passed rapidly. Rosie's birthday was on the 27th, but she and Harry often celebrated their birthday jointly, in mid-August. Sirius had somehow gotten Kreacher to lavishly decorate the place (red and gold, of course), to the point that even Harry said it was more "Gryffindor" than the Gryffindor tower. There had been a lavish feast, followed by the "reveal" of several of Sirius's experimental projects ("and of I would be hardly surprised if any of these mysteriously disappeared and showed up at Hogwarts" wink, wink), and even some fireworks in the backyard.

Harry had invited Hermione and Neville, his two friends at Hogwarts, and Rosie had decided that Hermione was quite nice, though a tad overbearing. The witch had a head of bushy hair, and slightly over-large front teeth. She carried herself with an air of eagerness, and her eyes held a keen intelligence. Hermione couldn't seem to stop explaining things about Hogwarts to her, and as much as Rosie did want to know about Hogwarts, it was rather overwhelming to hear so much at once. Hermione also seemed rather bewildered by Sirius, though admittedly, Sirius did tend to often act like an overgrown puppy. It would have been a stretch to describe Sirius as being 'parental' - he was more like their friend than their guardian.

Rosie could have also sworn that she saw a tear in Sirius's eyes at the idea of both of them going off to school. 'What will he even do with himself?' she wondered, and then decided he would probably take advantage of his time to find a new snogging partner every week.

September 1st rolled around, and Sirius brought Harry and Rosie to platform nine-and-three-quarters. There were families all around, and beyond their chatter could be heard the noise of hooting owls, several annoyed meows and Rosie even thought she heard a toad croaking. The scarlet Hogwarts Express puffed smoke over the platform. Harry was pushing the trolley, containing their trunks and Hedwig's cage. He had with him his brand new Nimbus Two-thousand-and-one as well.

Harry's anxiety had been steadily rising in the past week, and it seemed even more intense now that they were on their way to Hogwarts. Primrose looked at Harry with bewildered concern. She knew he didn't like being around too many people, but surely, he could be at ease around familiar schoolmates? He hid his anxiety well, and only the tension in his jaw indicated his stress. He seemed to be peering through the crowds, hoping to catch sight of his friends. Rosie nudged his side gently, and gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back, his tension lessening by a tiny fraction. It was difficult, being calm when Harry was so stressed. If not for her nightly meditation practices (that she had learned from one of Sirius's inherited books called Guide to Advanced Occlumency), she would would have been a nervous wreck. Sadly, most of the Occlumency techniques were far beyond her abilities or understanding, but she spent each night working on clearing her mind so that was blank and empty. Somehow, clearing her mind helped her clear her feelings as well.

Harry had spotted Neville who was saying goodbye to his parents, and Harry waved him over. Rosie gave Neville a friendly wave as well, and then looked back at Sirius.

"Are you tearing up, Padfoot?" Rosie asked when she saw Sirius's eyes shimmering with wetness.

"Me? Never!" Sirius exclaimed with false bravado. There was something incredibly endearing about the way he attempted to hold back his feelings, and unable to resist herself, Rosie rushed over and hugged Sirius tightly.

"I'm going to miss you," she said, her voice muffled by his long jacket.

"Oh, pup," Sirius murmured, his voice hoarse. He hugged her back, embarrassed by his sentimentality. Harry, who noticed their display, couldn't help but grin. He joined them in the hug, and as pitiful as it was, Sirius felt that his heart would break, knowing both his pups were leaving him, even if it was only temporarily.

They broke the hug as Neville walked over, pulling his heavy trunks behind him, with his toad cradled in one arm.

"Hello Sirius," Neville said with a broad smile. "Hey, Harry, Rosie! Have you seen Hermione?"

"No, but she might already be on the train," Harry replied.

"We should try and find her. Maybe she's saved us a compartment. C'mon, let's go." Neville was already walking towards the train, and Harry and Rosie followed. Sirius helped them to get their trunks on the train.

"We'll contact you on the mirror," Rosie told Sirius, referring to the charmed two-way mirror that they used to communicate. He nodded, his throat thick.

Neville, followed by Harry and Rosie searched through the train compartments looking for Hermione. Rosie examined the faces of the other students, hoping to catch sight of Romulus, but she didn't see him anywhere. They eventually finally found Hermione, sitting in a compartment by herself, a thick tome open on her lap.

"Hey Hermione!" said Neville. "We didn't see you on the platform."

"Hi Neville. Hi Harry. Oh, hi Rosie. My mum and dad dropped me off early," she explained. She shifted out of the way so that Neville, Harry and Rosie could tuck their trunks away. Harry set Hedwig on the seat next to Hermione. In the confines of the compartment surrounded by friends, Rosie noticed that Harry's anxiety had lessened significantly. Harry sat by Hermione, while Neville and Rosie sat across from them. Neville's toad sat rather sedately on his lap.

"Whatcha reading?" Harry asked curiously, tilting his head to try and see the cover. Both had bonded in first year over their fondness of books. They both had a reputation of practically living in the library.

"Magical Theory: A Supplementary Text." Hermione folded the book to show Harry the title.

"Is it any good?" asked Harry.

"It covers a great deal that wasn't mentioned in Magical Theory. You can borrow it after I'm done, if you'd like."

"Thanks, 'Mione! It sounds really interesting." Soon, they could feel the train moving, and they all crowded up to the open window of the train. Neville waved to his parents telling them that he would write them, while Rosie and Harry waved to Sirius.

"I'll miss you Padfoot!" Rosie called out, hoping he could hear her over the din. He was waving back, a solitary figure in his dark clothes, standing on the platform. The train soon turned a bend and the platform was no longer in sight. The four of them settled themselves in their seats.

"What did you do this summer?" Rosie asked Neville. Across from her, Harry had pulled out his schoolbag, to show Hermione the latest book he was reading. As Neville chattered away about the trip his family took to the Amazon ("You wouldn't believe the plants they have there, Rosie! There was this giant swaying bromeliad, more orchids than I can count. Oh, and the whistling heliconia! I also collected some seeds from a strangler fig. I hope to grow one myself!"), Harry and Hermione discussed new and interesting things they had learned. Rosie peered over at Harry's schoolbag and noticed a small black book.

"Harry," she said, when there was a brief lull in Neville's excited monologue, "What's that?" She reached across, and pulled out the old-looking small black book.

"Oh, I just found it amidst my stuff after that day we were in Diagon Alley. There's nothing in it. I suppose it could be used as a diary, but I think I'll use it to write down my charm ideas. It's one of my favourite classes. Professor Flitwick even showed me a couple of the charms that mum created, back when she was in Hogwarts."

"Really?" Rosie knew her mother had been good in charms - Sirius had mentioned it several times - but she didn't realize that Lily had created her own charms in school. Harry nodded. Rosie handed the black book back to Harry and he tucked it back in his schoolbag.

"Some of them are still too advanced for me to try, but there is one I can do." Harry pulled out his wand. Holding it up before him, he made a swirling flick of his wrist. "Anguissillius!" From his wand, a serpent made of softly glowing green light emerged - the colour almost the same as Harry's eyes. It slithered in the air, circling the compartment one or two times with smooth undulating motions before dissolving.

"Wow, that was mum's? I wonder why she made it in the shape of a snake. I didn't even know she liked snakes." Rosie was glancing at the spot the snake of light had vanished.

"Yeah, it's kind of - Slytherin, isn't it? I always thought Mum and dad and them hated Slytherins. That's why I never really showed anyone. But it's still pretty great!" Harry grinned, and put his wand away.

"Are they really that bad?" Rosie asked. "I know Sirius has mentioned a few times how much he hates Snivellus - oops, I mean - Snape - Professor Snape, but-"

Harry seemed to be wearing a pained expression, and even Neville and Hermione looked upset.

"Professor Snape is awful," Neville said. "They way he treats Harry - It's like he hates you!"

"He's cruel!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes shimmering as she considered the injustice of Snape's treatment towards Harry. "He's always insulting you, Harry. I don't know how why Professor Dumbledore even allows him to teach."

"I did melt more than one cauldron," Harry said darkly, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"What?" Rosie exclaimed. "But Harry! We've made potions before! They almost always turn out perfect!" Indeed, they had tried making numerous beginner-level potions in their makeshift lab in the attic of Grimmauld Place. Harry had always been extremely precise, and Rosie had often admired his skill. However, through their empathic link, Rosie could sense Harry's inner turmoil. He was feeling a distressing mix of shame and fear, and Rosie's heart ached for him. Harry would not meet her eyes, and she looked down at his hands which were trembling. Suddenly, she understood. Whatever Professor Snape had done to Harry had distressed him to the point where he lacked the physical control that came with calmness. If his hands trembled in potions class the way they trembled now, it explained why his potions kept failing.

"Harry does understand all the theory," Hermione was saying. "And he can answer a lot of Professor Snape's questions - even on our first day, when the Professor was asking us questions about things that weren't even in the first year curriculum, like about aconite and bezoars."

"And it's not like Harry's the only one to get his potions wrong," Neville added. "But Snape always seems to pick on Harry. He takes off tons of points unfairly too. It's like he's holding some sort of grudge. Potions is definitely my worst subject but Snape treats you way worse than he treats me." Neville was looking sympathetically over at Harry, who had his hands clenched into tight fists.

"And you've never gotten less than an E on any of your homework, have you Harry," Hermione added. Harry's lips were pursed, and agitation was rolling off him in waves.

"Sometimes I get the feeling that Snape hates me because of what dad and Sirius were like. I know Sirius said that things were bad between them in school, but I didn't think he'd use it against me," Harry said gloomily.

"That's awful! Do you think he'll treat me the same way?" Rosie asked, suddenly anxious.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "I hope not." His expression was deeply troubled. Not wanting to cause him more distress, Rosie changed the subject.

"So Harry, did you make much use of that invisibility cloak that you got over Christmas?" The question seemed to startle Harry out of his troubled state.

"Not really. Mostly to sneak into the library past curfew, or to visit Hagrid," Harry replied. Rosie laughed.

"That sounds like something you'd do," she said with amusement.

"Did you want to have it? You might end up using it more than me." Rosie gave Harry's question some thought.

"I don't know what I'd do with an invisibility cloak. Perhaps."

"Well, Sirius did give me the Marauder's map. I use that a lot more, to avoid Snape in the halls. It wouldn't be fair for me to have both the map and the cloak. Why don't you take the cloak? I can give it to you when we're settled in. I don't want to pull out my trunk for it."

"Alright then," Rosie agreed.

"You shouldn't even be sneaking out after curfew anyway," Hermione scolded.

"It was only a few times!" Harry responded in defense. "And nothing really came of it, other than to irritate the Fat Lady in her sleep."

"Who sent it to you anyway?" Rosie asked, referencing the cloak.

"You know, I never did find out," Harry replied with a touch of bemusement. There was silence for a moment, as they all looked out the window, watching the rolling hillside. Rosie broke the silence soon after.

"Harry wrote to me about how there had been a troll loose in the school. Did either of you see it?" Rosie asked Hermione and Neville.

"Are you mad? Of course not!" Neville exclaimed.

"The prefects led us all back to our dorms," Hermione added. "The Professor's took care of it."

"Were you scared?" Rosie asked. "It seems terribly dangerous to have a troll rampaging around in the school."

Hermione shuddered. "It was a bit frightening," she confessed.

"I wasn't scared," Neville added.

"Your parents are Aurors, Neville. They probably taught you all kinds of ways to protect yourself." Rosie gave Neville a pointed look. Neville grinned.

"They have, actually," he replied. "If I didn't love herbology so much, I'd be an auror." Rosie grinned.

"I know." There conversation was eventually disrupted by the sound of clattering outside their compartment. The door of their compartment slid open, and a smiling woman asked them if they wanted anything off the food cart. Rosie's and Harry's bags were already loaded from treats that Sirius had bought them, so they shook their head, but Neville bought several cauldron cakes.

"Want one?" he asked, holding the cake out to the group. Harry and Rosie each took one and started munching on them after saying thanks, but Hermione declined.

After a moment of silence, as the group watched the landscape go by, Rosie spoke up.

"So what happened with that Professor that disappeared? Quirrell, was it?" Rosie asked. "Harry mentioned something about it in his letters, but he wasn't really clear." Harry's face scrunched up.

"I always got headaches in that class," he muttered with a frown. Rosie looked at him curiously. While Harry had been away at Hogwarts, their empathic link became weak, and she rarely sensed anything from him. The only thing she did sense were the headaches from his scar on his forehead. Now she knew what was causing it.

"That class was such a joke. I don't think Quirrell even knew what he was talking about," Neville said.

"And the garlic," Hermione added, unable to hide her distaste. "But anyway, we never really found out what happened to Professor Quirrell. He disappeared so close to the end of the year. Maybe he decided to take a sabbatical. Professor Dumbledore didn't explain it very clearly."

"They say the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is cursed anyway. It's hardly surprising that Quirrell didn't last the year," said Neville. "Hopefully this year's teacher will be better."

"Gilderoy Lockhart?" Hermione perked up. "I met him at his book signing. He's so charming!" Neville looked at Hermione incredulously. He had been at Diagon Alley on the same day as her, and had gotten a distinctly different impression of Mr. Lockhart. Rosie and Harry locked eyes. Due to Sirius's tendency to procrastinate, they hadn't been at Gilderoy Lockhart's book-signing. It remained to be seen whether or not he would be a good professor.

"So did Harry tell you about Hagrid's dragon?" Neville asked Rosie, after a moment.

"Hagrid had a dragon?" Rosie exclaimed. Hagrid had been a member of the Order of the Phoenix, just like her parents, the Longbottoms, and several others that they knew, so Rosie was acquainted with Hagrid, even if she wasn't particularly close to him.

"Yeah, he hatched it in secret, and tried to raise it in the Forbidden Forest," Neville told her. "But when Professor Dumbledore found out, he made Hagrid get rid of it. Said he was endangering the students."

"Poor Hagrid," Hermione interjected. "He was so heartbroken."

"We'll have to visit him, and share a cup of tea," Harry said. "Hopefully he's feeling better now. He really loved that dragon."

"How did he get a dragon in the first place?" Rosie asked. Harry, Hermione and Neville looked at each other.

"We're not really sure," Harry said.

"We should have visited him more. Maybe if he had more company, he wouldn't have gone and gotten a dragon," Hermione said guiltily.

"I'm pretty sure that even if we had visited him every day, he still would have wanted a dragon," Neville replied, dryly.

"You're probably right," Hermione sighed. They spent the rest of the train ride in silence. Neville was watching the passing landscape, as the hills became mountains and forests. Rosie, Harry and Hermione had books to read. Before long, the sky was beginning to darken, and they could feel the train slow. Rosie could immediately feel an intense increase in anxiety from Harry. She looked up at him questioningly, but he kept his eyes on his book, pursing his lips unhappily. Rosie longed to be able to speak to him in private, to find out what was wrong, but with Neville and Hermione, it would be impossible. Perhaps it was just his normal social-tension, however, the negative feelings within him seemed more acute than usual.

A voice announced that they would be arriving soon, and to leave their luggage on the train. Rosie suddenly felt very nervous, and combined with the feelings of Harry's distress, it was near intolerable. Her sudden emotional vulnerability made her want to hide in the compartment and never leave. She was glad that the link between her and Harry was mostly one way, so that he could not feel the fear that she felt.

Primrose forced herself to take a deep breath, and quieted her mind. Blank and Empty. Blank and Empty she thought to herself, until the thoughts and emotions within her seemed to slip away into a serene nothingness. By the time the train stopped, she felt in command of herself, even if she could do nothing about Harry's emotions. Long ago, when she had initially come across Guide to Advanced Occlumency, she had showed the book to Harry, hoping it could help him manage his turbulent fears, but Harry had seemed unable to grasp any of the techniques. It was rather unfortunate, considering how much it helped her.

The students made their way off the train, pushing each other in their eagerness to get off. It felt good to finally stretch their legs after sitting most of the day. They exited to a small platform. The night air had a slight bite to it, and Rosie wished she had something warmer to wear. From the darkness, she could see a lantern light moving closer towards them.

"Firs' years! Firs' years right this way!" Hagrid called out. He spotted Harry, Hermione and Neville and smiled broadly. "Hey there, you three!" They waved to Hagrid in reply.

"I'll see you later, alright?" Harry said to Rosie. She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze before letting go. It touched her heart that he had so much concern for her, when his own anxiety left him feeling like someone had twisted up his guts. Harry, Neville and Hermione moved with the crowd of students, along the platform and soon they were out of sight.

"Follow me, firs' years! This way!" Hagrid was calling out. "Is that all of yeh?" As the bulk of the student body went off in the same direction as Harry and his friends, Rosie finally had a chance to look at the other first years. Unfortunately, in the shadowy darkness, it was difficult to see much of anything at all. The group stumbled awkwardly down a narrow path. Each side of them was flanked by impenetrable darkness of what seemed like forests. As Harry got further and further away, the feeling of anxiousness faded, and Rosie tried to absorb all that was happening around her.

"Almos' there!" said Hagrid, "round this bend. Hogwarts is jus' up ahead." The narrow path had widened before an immense lake that looked like a vast pool of black ink. Across the lake was a magnificent castle, looking like something straight out of a fairy tale. It had numerous towers and turrets, and it's windows were glowing with light. There were boats awaiting them at the shore of the lake, and Hagrid was telling them that only four were allowed for each boat. As Rosie walked up to the boats, she finally caught sight of Romulus, who looked to be standing slightly apart from everyone.

"Romulus!" she called out. He turned and looked at her in surprise. There was recognition in his eyes, but he seemed to be struggling to remember her name.

"Primrose," he said, finally. She smiled. It was a relief to know at least one person. The pair of them climbed into a boat with a dark-skinned boy, and a girl with shoulder length straggly dirty-blonde hair. Both of them smiled at Rosie and Romulus before turning their gaze back at Hogwarts. Rosie noticed that the blond girl had what looked like a magazine in her hands, but in the darkness, she couldn't see what it was.

The fleet of boats all moved off at once, once everyone was settled. It took them across the lake and through a tunnel which led to what seemed like an underground harbour.

From there, the first years followed Hagrid as he led them through the castle until they reached an impressive set of oak doors. They entered the castle, feeling dwarfed by the sheer size of the building. Most of the students were looking around, with open-mouthed awe. Hagrid passed the first years off to Professor McGonagall who explained to them about the four houses, house points and the sorting. Rosie already knew about the four houses from Sirius and Harry, so she only listened with half an ear. She had hoped Professor McGonagall would tell them more about the sorting, but sadly, she gave no details. On one side of her stood Romulus, who wore a thoughtful expression. On the other side of her was the blond girl, whose expression was utterly serene. Rosie looked down at the magazine she was holding. It was The Quibbler!

"You read The Quibbler too?" she exclaimed excitedly, feeling the tendrils of hope that she might be meeting a new friend. The girl looked over at her and gave her a dreamy smile.

"My father's the editor," the girl replied, not with a boastful tone, but with a rather misty matter-of-factness. "When my mother died, he said that death is just another mystery to solve, and that I might find the answer if I keep looking. Daddy says The Quibbler is always uncovering life's mysteries, so I started reading it after mum died."

"My mother almost died," Rosie said. "When I was one. I don't really remember very much of what she was like before, but now - she's not really - that is to say-" Luna glanced at Rosie through her protuberant silvery-grey eyes with a look that was oddly wise and knowing for her young years. Somehow, Luna's tranquil and accepting gaze calmed her down.

"My mother died when I was nine. She was an extraordinary witch. She liked to experiment with spells. One of my favourite spells was the one that gave form to imaginary creatures. Creating fantastical things was something we liked to do together." Luna's smiled wistfully, and there was a shadow of sadness in her eyes.

"She sounds like she was an amazing person. I wish I had gotten the chance to know my mum before she was - um - changed. I do know that she was good with charms. Harry showed me one of the charms she had created." Both girls fell silent for a moment, lost in thoughts of the past.

"What's your name?" Rosie asked curiously, but before the girl could answer, several of the first years began to shriek. The ghosts had floated into the room, but Harry had told her all about them in his letters last year, so she was unsurprised. Nonetheless, she still examined them curiously. Nearly Headless Nick was immediately identifiable. The ruff around his neck was rather distinctive, and Rosie was glad that ruffs were no longer in fashion. Harry had had a lot to say about Nearly Headless Nick. She was able to recognize the Fat Friar as well. However, she was unsure when it came to the other ghosts.

Professor McGonagall had finally returned and she led the group of them into the Great Hall. The sight that greeted her was even more awe-inspiring than what Harry had described. The multitude of floating candles gave the room a warm glow, and above the candles appeared what looked like the starry night sky. There ahead, were the four long tables, with the single one for the teachers at the top of the hall, just as Harry had said.

Rosie looked over at the teachers, wondering if she could identify Professor Snape based on Harry's descriptions: sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy hair that just skimmed his shoulders. She wanted to know who to watch out for when the time came. As the first years followed Professor McGonagall towards the head table, Rosie spotted him. At that very moment, he had been looking over at the first years, and his eyes met with hers. Rosie felt immediately frozen. There was an almost startled expression in his eyes, and it felt as though his black gaze was boring into her soul. She felt goosebumps on her skin, and longed to look away, but she felt like a rabbit who had just caught sight of a fox, and was frozen in place, not daring to make a wrong move. It was he who broke the eye contact first, and Rosie suddenly felt as though she could breath again. Blank and empty, blank and empty she thought, trying to calm her racing heart. It didn't help that here in the Hall, she was closer to Harry, whose anxiety rippled through her, making her feel vulnerable and helpless. Suddenly, she wished the day would just end.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Severus Snape sat at the High Table in the Great Hall, trying to ignore the self-aggrandizing inanities flowing from Gilderoy Lockhart's mouth. The man was wearing flashy robes of royal purple, and waving his hands over the table, talking about how this feast was nothing compared to the lavish feasts served by the Royal Prince's of the Turkish Kingdom ("and of course, I was given a place of honour next to the Royal Prince himself. He tried to offer me his own seat, but I most gracefully declined, of course. It's all in my book. I'm sure you've read it.") Severus was making no effort to be polite. As a matter of fact, his manners would be more accurately described as downright rude. Lockhart was waving his hands about, enthralled by his own descriptions of himself, and Severus was all but sneering at the man. How Lockheart could manage to twist Severus's expressions in his mind to convince himself that Severus was interested in what he had to say was beyond understanding. The man was completely, irritatingly clueless.

Severus looked over to his Slytherins seating at their long table. He was pleased to see that their manners were as good as ever - unlike the Gryffindor table across the hall. It was as though Albus Dumbledore had decided to admit a band of orangutans rather than young witches or wizards. It was a disgrace, really.

Lockhart was now going on about the time that he took on an entire gang of trolls (while injured, of course.) "-and once I defeated their leader, they saw me as one of their own. Their alpha, you might say. It was easy to keep them all in line after that. My book Travel with Trolls goes on in great detail about it."

It was almost a relief when Minerva McGonagall walked through the double doors into the Great Hall with the first years following behind her like a row of gawking little ducklings, looking both doltish and scared all at once. It looked like another uninspiring bunch this year. Though admittedly, this group would surely be better than last year's deplorable offerings. Afterall, last year was the year when he had the misfortune of meeting the Bumbling-Idiot-Who-Lived. He would forever rue the day when that particular brat walked into his potions classroom. Nothing and no one was safe when he was near.

At the beginning of the term last year, Albus had beseeched Severus to keep an eye out for the boy. "For Lily's sake," he had said, manipulative wizard that he was. Severus had not been looking forward to the duty, but considering how timid the boy was, at least that made his job easy. Other than one incident on the Quidditch pitch, and the one fight in the halls, the boy had avoided trouble. Well, avoided trouble outside the potions classroom. Inside the potions classroom, he was a walking hazard.

As the first years followed timidly behind Minerva, he swept his gaze over them. There were a few faces that looked vaguely familiar, in the way that pureblood faces tended to pass down their features, generation after generation. There was a young boy with dark brown hair who was likely a Selwyn. And girl wearing a imperious expression who was probably a Rowle. The rest of the faces seemed unfamiliar. There were a few that were obviously muggleborn - the children that flinched at everything in sight, or gawked like twits who had left their dignity behind at the front door.

Suddenly, he noticed another familiar face and it felt as though his heart had momentarily stopped. Their eyes had met, and his first thought was: Lily. Obviously, it wasn't Lily of course. The girl had long black hair, and her eyes weren't the same shade of brilliant emerald green. It was a little harder now to appreciate bright emerald green eyes when they existed on the face of his least-favourite student, the ever-disappointing Potter. Nonetheless, the girl before him had Lily's face. It was unnerving, the way she wouldn't look away from him. He was accustomed to students fearing him, and the way that the girl looked at him reminded him painfully of Lily, and her vivacious and open nature. He broke eye contact, turning his gaze back to his Slytherins.

He had, of course, heard that the Potters had had another child, but he hadn't given it much thought. Afterall, all anyone ever heard about was the Boy Who Lived. The other one was nothing more but a forgotten shadow, name and face unknown to the world. He wondered if she resented the way that her brother took all the limelight for himself. He could imagine Potter being a spoiled, attention-grubbing imbecile like that, completely insensitive to those around him. Being raised by Sirius only made it so much worse. Any child raised would be ruined if they had to be raised by a dog.

He put the thought from his mind as Minerva brought the Sorting Hat and four-legged stool and placed them in front of the first years. Another year meant another song. Perhaps he should mentally review the potions ingredients that he needed to resupply in the meantime.

The hat twitched, and all the students turned to look at it as it sang:

"In ages old, when I was new,

A thousand years back in the past,

Four wizards whom the whole world knew

Had formed their greatest goal at last.

A vision shining in their minds,

Did glitter like a sparkling jewel

To teach the greatest magic skills,

They built the noble Hogwarts School.

Come one and all, ye eager souls,

And place me on your heads with grace

No secrets can you hide from me,

As I shall find your rightful place.

If working hard to reach your aims

's a virtue that sounds nice and grand,

Then Hufflepuff's the place to be

Where loyal souls can understand.

If courage burns bright in your heart

And you are daring, brave and bold

Then Gryffindor will welcome you

For you belong right in their fold.

Or could it be that mystery

and wisdom's what you want?

In Ravenclaw, you'll find your wish

And knowledge you shall flaunt.

Perhaps your goals are vast and great

And cleverness fulfills your mission

Find your place with Slytherin

And you can reach your grand ambition.

So come this way, and try me on

And let us have a little chat

I'll peer inside your curious minds

For I am the wise Sorting Hat!

The hall burst into applause once the Hat had finished it's song, though Severus's applause was at best, half-hearted. Minerva had stepped forward with the parchment that listed this year's new students, informing them that when their names was called, they were to sit on the stool and be sorted.

"Ancrum, Finley" she called out. A rather insipid boy stumbled up to the stool, and clumsily placed the hat upon his head. Severus found himself hoping that the whey faced child wouldn't end up in Slytherin.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat called out a brief moment later. The child scampered off to sit with the cheering Hufflepuff table, and Severus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Carter, Maisie"

"GRYFFINDOR!" The girl was grinning as she skipped over to the unruly Gryffindor table.

She was followed by another Gryffindor, one "Creevy, Colin," who was a rather mousy-looking boy that acted like it pained him to have to sit still. Looking at the squirming child was giving Severus a headache. Colin was followed by "Bhatt, Haasa" in Hufflepuff. Severus found his mind wandering, and he flicked a quick glance over the child that looked so much like Lily. Would she be sorted into Gryffindor, like the rest of her family? He grimaced at the thought. Beside him, Lockhart was making some asinine comment about shaping future wizards.

"Harris, Harper" Minerva called.

"SLYTHERIN!" Severus was at least able to muster a clap for his Slytherins.

"Harwich, Edine,"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Severus found his mind once again wandering. He probably needed to get more adder's fork. He would not be remiss if he were to purchase more Lovage as well. The current stock he had had not been properly sealed (useless third years!), and had likely lost most of its efficacy from being exposed to the air. Once the students started getting detentions (and he imagined this would be soon), he would have them prepare some bulbadox juice as well.

"Lovegood, Luna"

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted out.

"Lupin, Romulus."

Severus sat up in his seat and peered at the child when Minerva called the name. Lupin? He had hoped never to have to hear that particular name again. Had that werewolf actually managed to beget a child? Oh, the horror! Now that he thought about it, he did remember Albus mentioning that they would have a werewolf this year, and to excuse the child on the full moons Albus had also wanted him to start brewing wolfsbane potion. He didn't realize the child would be Lupin's though. Curiously, the boy did not bear much resemblance to Remus. Remus often looked tired, as though he were fading away, but this child had a particular intensity about him. The hat seemed to take a while to decide how to sort the boy.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat eventually shouted, and the young Lupin walked over to his cheering table.

"Meakin, Elijah."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Next to Severus, Lockhart was now yammering about the different houses. "I was sorted into Ravenclaw myself. But the Hat took a long time with me. Longer than anyone else! The Hat thought I would do well in any house. Cunning and ambition, I have plenty. Bravery and daring, in abundance! Hard work? Never let it be said that Gilderoy shies away from hard work! But in the end, the Hat just decided that I had a mind too intelligent to ignore, so Ravenclaw it was!"

Severus looked at Lockhart in disgust. Did the man ever stop talking about himself?

"Potter, Primrose," Minerva called. Severus turned away from Lockhart to peer at the child once again. She looked calm and poised, and for a brief moment, he found himself admiring her steadiness - especially compared to some of the other first years. But immediately after, he shook the thought from his mind. She was probably nothing like Lily. It wouldn't do to be taken in by that face.

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat. Severus looked at her curiously as she walked over to her table. So, not a Gryffindor then. There might be hope for her yet.

Severus listened to the rest of the sorting with only half an ear. He had been right about Selwyn (Luthais was the boy's name) and Rowle (Astrid). Both of them had been sorted into Slytherin, unsurprisingly. There was also yet another Weasley (Ginerva). Did that family ever stop breeding? After "Wynch, Eleanor," who was sorted into Hufflepuff, the sorting was finally done.

Albus was on his feet soon after, welcoming all the new students, and throwing in his own brand of nonsensical statements. Finally, it was time to eat.

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A/N: For some reason, I thought book 2 had a Sorting Hat song that I could copy and paste. Turns out, JK Rowling never wrote one for that book, so I had to make one up. Please Review!

A/N: Also, if it isn't clear, it's implied that Professor Quirrell never got the philosopher's stone (as you may recall, he was in front of the mirror of Erised, unable to find out how it worked), so one can assume that Dumbledore caught him in the trap, and took care of him. It's just that in this AU, Harry wasn't there at the time because this Harry is more bookish and less trouble-seeking (considering his life circumstances)

A/N: Also, how did Harry get the Marauder's map from Sirius when it was with Filch in the canon? Let's just say that when Sirius took guardianship of the Potter children, he made the effort to sneak back to Hogwarts and get it :)