Tainted Love

The sorting ceremony

The sorting hat is on a stool in the front of the room. Professor McGonagall explains to the first year that the sorting hat will sing a song before they begin. She picks up the hat and In an odd voice it begins to sing

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!" (Philosopher stone, sorting hat ceremony.)

The hall erupts in applause. McGonagall grabs a scroll from her robes and starts to read the names in alphabetical order. Heather is ignoring the ceremony for the most part until James is called. She watches intently as the professor places the sorting hat on James's head. It only takes a few seconds before it shouts. "Ravenclaw!" Heather and Ginny both clap their hands for their newly formed friend. The entire Ravenclaw house erupts in applause and she watches James take his seat. She knew it would be a minute before her name was called so she took a moment to look around the room. She gave lots of notice to the professor table at the front of the room. Her dad was towards the end of the table and had an intense look on his face. He noticed her looking at him and he gave her a smile. She then heard Ginny's name being called and pulled her attention back to the ceremony taking place. The hat barely touched her head before shouting. "Gryffindor!" Once again she noticed the entire table of Gryffindor erupting in applause. She noticed at least 3 other red headed boys standing up and hugging her. 'They must be her brothers' heather things as she takes in the two other students besides herself waiting to be called.

"Snape, Heather." McGonagall announces. The entire hall falls silent. Of course they do. She thinks. Her palms start to go sweaty and her breathing hitched as she makes her way towards the stool.

The second the hat is placed on her head the hat starts to speak to her. "Ahh a very peculiar mind indeed. I see Bravery deep seeded inside of you. But I also see ambition. A need to prove yourself. Your also creative and intelligent. Very difficult you are. Hmmm." The hat says. She starts to panic. Would her dad be upset if she wasn't in Slytherin? Would she be upset? Oh no, please not Gryffindor. That seemed like the worst sort for her. "Hmm not Gryffindor? That's a first. But then again I see similarities indeed." She cocks her head. SimiliArites to whom? She thinks. "Better be SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouts to rest of the room. She exhales the breath she didn't realize she was holding as the Slytherin table erupts in applause. She looks up to her dad to see a big grin on his face, and if not mistaken a look of relief. She makes her way towards the green table and a group of students stand up to pat her on the back and welcome her to table.

She notices Draco Malfoy at the end of the table with a grin on his face. He sends her a wink before going back to his conversation with two larger males. It was kind of odd that Heather was the only first year female in Slytherin this year. How very peculiar. She thinks as the headmaster takes the center stage.

"The very best of evenings to you! Now... to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you all, for what we teachers hope will be the best year at Hogwarts yet! Now enjoy your dinner feast and then afterwards we will have you follow your prefects back to your dormitories." Headmaster Dumbledore announces loudly to the entire great hall. Applause rings out and like a snap of fingers the tables are full of delicious looking foods. There are meat pies, roast red, steaks, and hams, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, and French fries, a lot of different vegetables adorned the table and a variety of sweets. Heather grabbed a small plate full and started to pick at her meal. A group of four girls around her own age made there way down and sat around her.

"Welcome to Slytherin." The one girl says "my name is Daphne Greengrass, and this is Pansy, Tracey and Millicent." Daphne was a blonde girl with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Heather smiles politely.

"I'm Heather." She says. The girls all giggle.

"We heard! This is the first time I believe in our houses history that there's only been one female student." The one daphne pointed as Pansy said. She had a scrunched up face as if she was permanently scowling. This caused Heather to smile softly.

"Stick with us and you'll be fine." Daphne says looping her arm through her own. Heather had a bad feeling in her chest but She doesn't want to push away her chance at friends so she smiles brightly and nods her head.

Severus P.o.V

The second he is made aware of Harry and Ron he is seething. He had to leave the feast and miss out on his daughters reaction to everything to go and deal with Potter. He flips his robes behind him as he strides his way to his office down in the dark dungeons. He finds the two boys sitting on the other side of his desk with terrified looks on his face. Severus calmly sits down before conjuring up a newspaper and flashing it towards the two boys. "You were seen by no less than seven muggles. Do you have any idea how serious this is?" He snaps slamming the newspaper down onto his desk. Ron visibly jumps. "You have risked the exposure of our world. Not to mention the damage you inflicted on a willow tree that's older than before you were born!" He is seething mad now. Ron makes a smart ass comment about the willow tree being more harmful to them than they were to. Snape sees red as he stands up and rounds on them. "If it were up to me, you'd be on the next train home!" He shouts, rather enjoying the idea. At that moment Dumbledore makes his appearance and announces that it's not Snapes choice and that McGonagall will be allowed for serve their punishment instead. Snape rolls his eyes and exits his office.

Snape makes his way to the Slytherin common rooms in the dungeons and waits for his daughters arrival. It doesn't take long for her to enter through the portrait. Her eyes twinkling with wonder. She really looked so much like her mother in that moment, and it made his heart clench in his chest. How he missed Lily. He shook his head lightly to not dwell on the memory and walks towards her. Heather is in a small circle of girls, none of whom Snape really enjoys but either way he's happy she's making friends. "I need a word with Miss. Snape." He says directly to heather. The other girls all mumble how they'll see her later and walk away. Heather smiles and leans in to give him a hug. He glances around the room to make sure no one is staring and hugs his daughter back. He loves his daughter more than anything but he still needed to keep up his hard exterior around other students, so they wouldn't feel he was playing favoritism. "So as it turns out that since your the only female in your year, you don't have to stay in first year dormitory. Instead you have the option to stay in the private suite that's reserved for such occasions." Snape says to his daughter. Heathers eyes light up and she smiles.

"Really? That's exciting!" She says bouncing up and down. She looked so young in that moment and it made him so happy. Even tho she was starting school she was still is princess and he would always see her that way. He nods his head and grabs her arm gently, leading her towards the stair case.

"So you'll go up these stairs and instead of going to the right where all the girls dormitories are you go up another flight of stairs to the suites. We have three suites. Usually saved for students such as yourself on the rare case of being an only in their year, or reserved for head boy or girl. " he says leading the way towards the three suites. "Yours will be the one on the right. It has the best views." He says winking at her. She laughs and smiles at him.

Her room was brilliant. The walls were highly decorated in Slytherin flags and crests. The room was lined with green. There was a rather large four post bed in the middle of the circular room, the bed is adjourned with green eiderdowns with a small wooden nightstand next to it. There was a school trunk at the foot of the bed. A wooden chair and dresser off to the side of the bed. She noticed a wooden cork board situated on the left side of the bed with her schedule pinned to it. A potions book sits on her nightstand, and an old school lamp is sitting on top of her dresser. The walls and floors are stone but there is fluffy green rugs everywhere. There was a small note pinned to her cork board from her father. 'Good luck my little princess, I'm so proud of the young woman your becoming and I can't wait to see your magic blossom while your here, love your father' heather smiles and walks over towards her bed. She throws herself down onto the soft mattress and smiles. She was finally here and goodness was she excited.