Interesting
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I can hear the murmuring of the students get louder, I'm surrounded by three of the teachers while all the rest are ushering the students out of the Great Hall. I'm still sitting on the floor, the three wands pointed at me belong to three powerful individuals and I know better than to test their reflexes, so I don't dare move, even if I am grinning like a maniac. Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore all have me surrounded. How exciting!
"This is quite a situation I've gotten myself into. More excitement than I've had in my entire life up to this point." I say casually. I'm not super concerned. I'm fully aware that I'm young and they likely have no interest in hurting me without a good reason. This is all safety precaution, I won't test them with the safety of their students, but I will annoy them.
"How did you do that?" A deeper voice comes from behind me. Snape.
"How did I do what, Professor Snape? I only just woke up. Have I done something amazing already?" I tease. I know I'm playing with fire, but I have always been a bit of a masochist.
"Hogwarts has anti-apparation wards. How did you manage to apparate straight into the Great Hall?" He asks, his voice a bit more irritated now. I can't help but grin a bit wider.
"I was very much unconscious for the trip, sir. I don't know how it was managed." I explain in a calm voice despite the manic grin on my face. I start to stand up and all the teachers present seem to stiffen. The hall is now empty except for the teachers and some staff members. Hagrid among them. But also...
"Do my eyes deceive me? Remus Lupin? Good to know..." I say in a cheery voice. I think the sorting ceremony had just ended when I appeared and... yep, hat and stool are still out. It must be 1993, then. I look him up and down. His face is more gaunt than his movie counterpart showed. And no mustache. Not exactly a travesty, in my opinion. His hair is neatly kept, but I can tell that one day without combing would leave it looking scruffy as all hell. I almost chuckle aloud at the image.
"What are you doing here?" Snape again. The Fandom got one thing right, deep voice is not just an Alan Rickman twist. A shiver runs down my spine.
"Well, this is a school and I was sent here against my will... I'm seventeen, so... I might be able to guess, but I think it's up to you what you do with me. I can't do much on my own..." I put my hands in my pockets and turn to face him. His eyes lock onto a spot on my jeans and his posture stiffens further and his eyes narrow. Ah. That's why they're so cautious.
I suppose I should start by explaining what I'm wearing. I am a huge Potterhead. I've got all kinds of merch and other themed items. I'm wearing most of them. Like a Slytherin hoodie and a bottle on a necklace labeled "Snape's Tears", though that is hidden in my shirt, which is also Slytherin themed, I might add. My jeans have iron-on patches, five of them, all themed after something Harry Potter... and as I am definitely a Slytherin... there are two very concerning patches. The others are harmless, like one that says "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" or the one that says "always" or even the Slytherin crest. Those can be explained away. The last two, however... One is the the sign of the Deathly Hallows, which, if you don't know, was used as Grindelwald's symbol during his reign. I also have a patch of the Dark Mark. Which is definitely concerning to these people, who it actually means something to, as they lived through a war where that symbol meant terror and death. I can't explain that away. Not easily, at least.
I look Severus Snape in the eye and feel something odd in my head, my immediate reaction is to recoil and mentally smack the feeling away. Snape flinches. A laugh bubbles out of me before I can stop it.
"Stay out of my head, thanks. Ow." I rub my temples, the odd feeling left behind is a sort of ache, like a sore muscle.
"Why do you wear those symbols? You are aware of the meaning behind them, aren't you?" Old man voice. I spin on my heel and stare at him. Dumbledore. He looks very much like his on screen version, maybe a little more eccentric. The serious look on his face does not match his outfit.
"I'm going to assume you mean the ones that are associated with the two most recent Dark Lords. I am aware of their associations, but one is the sign of the Deathly Hallows. I wish for a pass on that one. The other... well, it's more a reminder. We all lost people in that war, whether we remember them or not." I keep my explanations vague. They're lies and, even though I can apparently occlude well, it's best not to throw them any bones and have to remember more details later.
"Who did you lose?" Snape again.
"Who did you lose?" My voice is sarcastic. A warning. I won't be giving them any more info on the topic. Snape looks irritated, but doesn't ask again or protest. If he doesn't want to talk about it, I'm not talking about it.
"So. What are your plans? Throw me out on the streets? Keep me around?" I ask, genuinely curious. I suddenly wonder if I have any money or if I've just been thrown in the deep end. Maybe I'll ask the twins if I can work with them on their business. But that's not for a few years. Decisions, decisions...
"You said you are seventeen?" Dumbledore enquires. I nod in response and he turn to McGonagall.
"Check the attendance book. If she is a magical and of school age, she may be on the list." He says it seriously and I wonder if I'm on the list. I focus on McGonagall as she goes to check and she reads off the list.
"Noct, Valerie. Yes, she's on here..." She seems surprised by the revelation and I smile brightly.
"Should I be sorted? How is this going to work?" I ask. Snape answers with a reasonable enquiry of his own.
"What year would we put you in, do you know enough to be part of the 7th year classes? You don't have any of your OWLs yet, either." His questions are valid and important, but they trigger a sudden flood of information into my head. All the information I would have gotten over a 6-7 year period. All at once. I scream, clutching my head and swaying on my feet. Snape catches me before I fall, most likely on instinct. I feel the pain start to ease and I whimper softly, one of my hands grips his wrist as I force myself to breathe through it.
"Gods... ow... what the hell..? W-well, I'm just going to ignore that and answer your questions. Ow..." I move away from him and clear my throat, rubbing my temples.
"Uhm, so... I do know everything I need to in order to start this year... if you want, I can just take my OWLs the next time it's possible? Any way I could take them at the beginning of the year and then whatever NEWTs I want at the end of the year? Oh, and I'm going to need a wand." I shake off the pain to focus on figuring this out.
"That can all be arranged. Which electives would you be taking, then?" Dumbledore asks.
"Arithmancy, Runes, Divination and Care of Magical Creatures." I say immediately. They seem a bit surprised I intend to take more than three, but they don't say anything.
"Well, now that we have an idea of who you are and why you are here, you may as well be sorted. If you don't mind, please take a seat." Dumbledore gestures to the little stool and I shrug and go sit in it. The hat is placed on my head.
You're not supposed to be here, are you? The hat
Not really, but I'm here now, aren't I? I answer. The hat's laugh echoes in my head.
An odd one, you are. A good liar, but with good morals. A love for fun and loyalty that never dies, but a vindictive and cruel side. As well as a difficulty with forming emotional bonds... hm... yes you'll do well in...
SLYTHERIN!
"Yes, thank you." I agree happily as the hat is lifted off my head. Snape doesn't look particularly happy about this new development, but I just smile at him. Maybe a bit creepily.