Potions

Even though Ophelia didn't quite like that she didn't get sorted into Slytherin, Gryffindor didn't seem bad either. Lily was making friends fast while she was standing next to a very animated boy.

"Hey, Sirirus, look here!" A boy with messy brown hair and glasses told the boy with black locks.

Unlike what she was expecting, the glasses boy used magic to make a few chicken wings squirm in the mouth of a fellow student. The victim's eyes widened and spilled the food on the table, right in front of Ophelia. She looked disgusted.

Once the feast finished and Dumbledore gave them a welcoming speech, Ophelia followed the rest of the Gryffindors out and up towards the common room. When she walked out, she passed the Slytherin table, which still had students here and there. One of them was Severus, whose eyes fell over his hands when he noticed her heavy gaze over him.

"Hello again!"

Ophelia's head spun around, hitting a passing Ravenclaw straight in the face with her hair.

"Remus, right?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in concentration.

The boy smiled and nodded, glad that she remembered his name and probably grateful that someone he met, even briefly, was in the same house.

"Your friend was sorted into Slytherin." He trailed, glancing back swiftly. "You don't have to worry. You can still speak to each other. It's not like you're forbidden to meet." Remus added, trying to sound encouraging.

Ophelia looked at him, so closely that he felt like she was ready to jump on him, before she averted her eyes and started to play with her robes.

"I don't know much about magic. Listening to Severus, it made me wonder just how much there is to learn." She mumbled, "I wanted to learn everything together."

"You will. You're friends, aren't you? The house doesn't matter."

That word, friends, seemed to trigger something in her mind. It was a vague word that defined the relationship between two people that had a few things in common. Quite platonic, in her point of view, especially when she would only talk when she felt the need to ask something or she wanted something. Yes, friends was an intriguing word for Ophelia.

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The common room of the Gryffindor house was in the tower, the entrance being concealed by the Fat Lady portrait. Ophelia didn't ask anything about the Lady and decided she should search for her room and hide there for the rest of the night.

Inside, it was full of squashy armchairs, tables, and a bulletin board where school notices, ads, lost posters, etc. can be posted. It was decorated in several shades of red, which was associated with the house. The common room seemed comfortable, with many windows that looked out onto the grounds of the school, and a large fireplace dominating one wall. The mantle of the fireplace was adorned with a portrait of a lion. The walls were decorated with scarlet tapestries that depict witches and wizards, but also various animals. Altogether, it made Ophelia gasp and foxy green eyes sparkle.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Remus asked, coming next to her, his brown eyes holding the same sparkle as hers.

The Gryffindor dormitories were also located in the Tower, with two doors leading off from the common room that open to spiral staircases. One of them obviously led to the girls' dormitory, the other to the boys'.

Ophelia was was still looking around when Lily came and told her to come and check their dormitory. Well, it was definitely spacious up there and they had four beds, bigger than Ophelia had back with the Molleys. Their luggage was already there, each trunk in front of every bed. Lily chose the one closest to the bathroom while two more girls entered the room, smiling at the redhead and brunette.

"Hello, I'm Cissney Littlewood! Really nice to meet you both!"

Cissney was, just like her name, very small compared to other girls her age and looked very blank. The one thing that took Ophelia's eye was the midline teeth that would show every time she was smiling or talking. It was very hard to brush it off when Ophelia has never met someone with such teeth.

The other girl was the opposite of Cissney, with bright blue eyes and blonde hair that seemed to become white when the light was falling over the right side of it. She was like a bright point of color through black and red and strangely, she looked a lot like an older version of a girl from Bread of Life Orphanage called Kristella.

"Alice Worley." She introduced herself, smiling shyly.

Ophelia blinked, watching the girls interact with Lily before Cissney glanced at the brunette. Ophelia didn't say a word and just placed her trunk on the bed closest to the window. She also placed the cage on the window sill and let it open for Willy to stretch, which he did but didn't leave the cage nor seemed to have any desire to fly out.

"I have seen this owl before, in the shop on Diagon Alley but the owner told me to find something else. In the end, I bought Freddie." Cissney said, bloating with pride when showing a very little creature to everyone in the room.

"It's a rat." Ophelia said bluntly, furrowing her eyebrows at the white rat. "Is it normal for it to have red eyes?"

Cissney's smile only widened at that question.

"No, it's not normal. That's why I chose him and not a boring garden rat. Freddie is special." She said before kissing his head and placing him on the bed.

The girls continued their conversation for the rest of the night and through some very hard work, Lily convinced Ophelia to actively take part in it. From time to time, Willy would glance at her and she'd glance at him, wondering if now that she was in Hogwarts, she could actually count on that strange man's help.

The next morning, Ophelia woke up earlier than the rest and the first thing she did was look for Willy. He wasn't in his cage which immediately alarmed her. Brushing her covers aside, she first checked if the windows were closed, which they were. Secondly, she opened the door to their dormitory and tip toed her way down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone. The common room was empty and looked lifeless, compared to the night before when kids were taking so much space that it was hard to breathe. Now, the common room was silent and yet still warm for some reason, giving her a good feeling about Gryffindor.

Watching for any sign of an owl aimlessly flying around, she noticed that one window downstairs was open, quite widely too, and realized that was probably the way he got out. For some reason, even though she knew Lily and the new acquaintance, Remus, Ophelia felt lonely.

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Breakfast on the first day was sumptuous but more importantly, very loud. As soon as Ophelia entered the Great Hall, her eyes searched for Severus on the Slytherin table. He was there, eating while reading something. He certainly felt her heavy gaze, because she was fully staring at him while walking, but he didn't raise his head.

Eating with the girls was far nicer than Ophelia expected. Lily and Cissney seemed to have clicked from the moment they met and the two had more in common than Ophelia had with any of them.

"Having fun yet?"

It was the same black locks, twinkling eyes boy that she sat next to after the Sorting. He might have had good intentions if it wasn't for the way he looked so happy to be there and so proud of himself, even if classes haven't started yet.

As soon as she thought about that, the same firm yet elegant woman strutted towards both of them, giving them what she called timetables.  They were identical yet the two children were excited for very different subjects.

"Ah, starting off with Potions…" The boy moaned, his eyes searching all over the room for someone.

"Are you looking for that loud friend of yours? He's not here yet."

What interested the boy, and what really piqued his interest, was the way she said those words. Cold, apathetic, seemingly lifeless and joyless. Those were the words that seemed to describe the eleven years old girl next to him.  

"Really? Because I have my own pair of eyes, even another if I try hard enough." He stated bemusedly, though it didn't sound like that to her.

Ophelia's eyes widened, feeling more uncomfortable than ever before. Living with people that would rarely respond with smart ass remarks and had an elegant way of speaking made her speechless because she had no idea how to respond to that.

The boy chuckled as he raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the small brunette. He opened his mouth, fully turning to Ophelia before someone grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"You'll have enough time to thank me." Severus mumbled, letting her go once they walked out. "Where is Lily?" He added, getting into a slower pace since Ophelia had shorter legs.

"She finished already?" Ophelia asked, glancing over her shoulder at the students walking in and out the Great Hall.

"She did. Well, it doesn't matter, we have Potions together." He started to ramble about what other classes they had together but Ophelia blocked out his voice.

 There was the blond boy again, staring at the two with a sneer.

"Sev, is Malfoy a big name in the wizarding world?" She asked, stopping him from going into another ramble.

"Well, yes, of course; one of the eldest pure blood families. They are rich and influential." Severus explained, his eyes falling over the blond as well. "Slytherins and Gryffindors are known to be in a constant competition so they hate each other most of the time." He added, feeling small when the blond raised an eyebrow at him. "Anyway, we'll meet in class." Severus finished and left quickly, scurrying away like a weasel.

Ophelia watched her friend go back to his dormitory before she realized she was alone, in the entrance Hall, with students buzzing from one side to the other. But most importantly, she was once again alone.

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 "Welcome, welcome! First year, such amazement is everything, isn't it? Especially for those who come from muggle families."

Professor Slughorn was his name, Potions Master and visibly gaining weight. His eyes were sparkling every time they'd fall over certain students. Ophelia's eyes drew him automatically, giving him the idea that she might be gifted pureblood in Potions. Ophelia wasn't sure of any if she were to be sincere.

"Potions is not a kind of class that needs any particular skill but relies solely on one's attention and hard work. That's why some of you may surprise yourselves and hopefully, even me." He laughed by himself, not one student following him. "Now, we will begin our first lesson with the Forgetfulness Potion. You will find everything you need in the cupboard and on the board, of course." He said, waving his wand for the ingredients to appear on the board.

An hour later and Ophelia was standing in front of her cauldron, having done everything written on the board and book yet the outcome looking strangely like mold.

Professor Slughorn was walking through the tables, peeking into their cauldrons, a smile forming on his face when it was correct and a frown when it was a disaster. When he got to Ophelia, his eyes were sparkling with high expectations yet when the smell of her potion filled his nostrils, his excitement cracked, as did his expression.

"Miss Molley, it seems you have forgotten to add two mistletoe berries." He said, trying his best not to inhale any more of that smell. "Also, you did not stir correctly. I'm sure this is just a mistake out of a lack of magic in your family. I'm sure you will do better next time." He added, containing what looked like the ghost of a smile.

"Yes, professor." She responded politely, looking down in shame.

From the other side of the classroom, Severus' eyes were focusing on the redhead Gryffindor when he noticed Ophelia's red face. He rolled his eyes, assured that his first impression of her was correct. Ophelia was a muggle born witch and had more chances into subjects like Herbology and History of Magic than actual magic. One memory in the back of his mind was telling him that he might judge her too fast and too harshly, especially after she lifted a curse without a wand but Lily's smile took his mind off Ophelia.