Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Lia and Theo's personality. Everything else belongs to JKR.

A/N: A huge thank you to my beta and sister, Earendil!

PROLOGUE

September, 1991

Theodore Nott was transfixed. This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the towering majesty that was Hogwarts Castle, and, like the three other boys in his boat and the countless other students in the boats behind him, he was in awe. The castle loomed in front of them, welcoming them to the next seven years of their lives.

As his boat finally reached the rocky banks surrounding the castle, Theo hopped out, brushing off his brand new robes and cloak.

"It's nice, isn't it?" asked Draco, grinning at Theo pompously. "I knew it'd be amazing; I've heard it's one of the grandest buildings in all of Great Britain."

"Yeah, Father says the only thing wrong with it is that it's overrun with Mudbloods," said Theo, wrinkling his nose.

Draco laughed. "I reckon we can change that, don't you?" he said with a wink.

Theo smirked, but felt a tiny shadow of unease in the back of his mind. He himself hated Mudbloods, but wasn't quite sure if they should be exterminated.

Theo and Draco -- after impatiently waiting for Vince and Greg to laboriously clamber out of the boat -- hurried after the rest of the students who were making their way in wide-eyed clusters through the massive, oak double-doors of the castle.

After they were led inside by a tall, bespectacled, severe-looking woman who was called Professor McGonagall, the crowd of students were instructed to wait in the Entrance Hall, a huge room with a marble staircase at its center, while Professor McGonagall prepared for the Sorting. The students, who numbered around two-hundred-fifty, huddled together in the packed Entrance Hall, their nervous, chattering voices amplified by the size and height of the room.

Theo glanced at Draco out of the corner of his eye -- he appeared to be engaged in a less-than-pleasant conversation with a boy with black hair and glasses, whom Draco had identified on the train as the Harry Potter. Good, thought Theo, casually drifting away from Draco, Vince, and Greg. He wanted to take in the surroundings, to fully appreciate its beauty and newness, and he knew he wouldn't be able to with Draco and the others nearby.

He squeezed in between the throngs of first-years, trying to get to the back of the crowd, where, against the beige stone walls, stood two shiny suits of armor, their impressive swords shining grandly. Theo didn't think it at all strange that he was more interested in his surroundings than in his classmates, but anyone else observing the scene would notice that every other student except Theo was excitedly whispering to their neighbours, either out of enthusiastic friendliness, nervous anxiety, or a combination of both.

Every other student except one -- a freckled girl with long, curly black hair and an upturned nose, who was standing in the back of the crowd near a set of four massive hourglasses. Theo stared at the girl, who was gazing up at the beautifully painted, high ceiling, and wondered why she wasn't busy chatting with the other students. For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off her, which was strange in itself, since she wasn't particularly pretty.

Her eyes suddenly left the ceiling and fell upon Theo, who immediately looked away, his heart beating fast. After a moment or two, he dared to glance back at her, and found that she was smiling at him shyly, her light brown eyes shining with amiable exuberance.

Theo stared at her, unsure what to do. Her smile was so sweet, so beautiful, that he felt an intense urge to smile back. However, she was a stranger, and Theo didn't often go around smiling at random strangers. But there she stood, still smiling, although it was starting to fade a bit with obvious doubt. Before he knew what he was doing, Theo found himself grinning at her, and to his surprise, the girl grinned back, her round face beaming. She hesitated, then stepped forward, evidently ready to introduce herself, when Theo saw something that made his smile disappear at once.

In her right hand was a small paperback book that all respectable Purebloods shunned and ridiculed: A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World: Tips and Tricks for Fitting In. Her finger was lodged between the pages, as though she'd just been reading it and had decided to take a break. Theo was standing there, grinning stupidly at a Mudblood.

At once, his smile disappeared and was replaced by the most hateful sneer he could muster. His eyes burned with loathing and his jaw set fiercely. The girl blinked, her smile fading quickly. Her large eyes searched his face, evidently trying to discern the reason for his abrupt change of expression. He stood there resolutely as her face turned red and her eyelashes fluttered, trying to hide whatever embarrassment was in her eyes.

Turning on his heel, Theo marched past the girl, dodging between the packed crowds of first years. However, he found himself involuntarily glancing at her as he passed, and noticed with a small amount of alarm that her eyes were filled with tears. Theo smirked, but felt a tiny shred of guilt in his heart. Fortunately, Professor McGonagall had returned and was leading the students, single file, into a cavernous adjacent room she called the Great Hall. Abolishing all thoughts of the curly-haired girl from his mind, Theo followed his classmates into the regal Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.