A Whole New Adventure

Part 11

The nerves crept back into Clarissa's body as they stepped down from the carriage to greet Professor Flitwick who was taking a full student body attendance at the front gates. The small statured professor was holding a clipboard and a quill looking up briefly at the students who passed him and scribbling things down. Once it came to their group, he looked positively delighted to see her.

"Miss Nox, good to see you again! I trust you had a wonderful summer holiday?" Professor Flitwick asked her with a warm smile.

"Oh, it's great to see you too Professor! And yes, it was very relaxing. I hope you had a nice break yourself," Clarissa replied politely.

"Yes, yes thank you. Now, I know it's sudden, but I would like to have a quick word with you in my office after the feast," He told her.

It dawned on Clarissa that this man was her head of house and that it shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary to want to talk to his students, but it still made her uneasy. It didn't help when Sirius made a teasing remark about her being in trouble before the term even started but quieted down from the sharp look of the tiny professor.

"It's nothing bad, I assure you my dear," Flitwick said hastily after seeing her expression.

Curious as to what it could be, Clarissa agreed to meet with him after the feast and bid her Professor goodbye and made their way to the Great Hall. She tried to memorize the way but was easily distracted by the wonders of the castle. Once they arrived at the hall, she could see that her fellow Ravenclaws were seated at the far left of the hall, a table separating them from the sea of red. Clarissa looked at the Ravenclaw table and saw some familiar people whom she assumed were her friends from this world. She bit her lip in contemplation wondering if she should sit with them and leave the Marauders. James must've felt her tense through their linked hands and squeezed it lightly making her turn to him.

"It's alright love. Sirius spoke to Cassie and Em earlier and told them you'll see them back in your dorms."

With that, he dragged her towards the Gryffindor table and sat her between Sirius and himself with Marlene and Peter in front of them. Remus and Lily joined them shortly, coming from their prefect duties. As the others talked amongst themselves, Clarissa took this time to turn her gaze towards the bewitched ceiling. It really was incredible to see the night sky from inside the castle. She could almost hear the young voice of Hermione Granger in her mind. The entire Hall quieted down as the doors to the hall opened and in came McGonagall followed by several first-year students, most looked nervous. McGonagall gave the same speech she usually did before the start of the sorting and proceeded to call the names of the students. Clarissa and her friends cheered for each student and was surprised to see a tiny Gilderoy Lockhart being sorted into her own house.

She found herself jabbing the sides of James and Sirius when a boy became the first to be sorted into Slytherin for their nonsense booing. The house of green and silver cheered for their newest recruit. Clarissa's eyes followed the boys and her gaze strayed from the newest Slytherin to those that were much older. She recognized several faces very easily, one being Severus Snape. His hooked nose and shiny (greasy) black hair were easy to spot. Next to him was someone she found eerily familiar with his grey eyes and short silky black curls. Without a doubt Clarissa was sure that she was staring at Regulus Arcturus Black. Flashes of a dark cave surrounded by water that had a greenish light that illuminated the centre entered her mind. Bodies of the dead swam to the shore, their white and cloudy eyes were apparent from the slight glow emitting from the centre of the cave. Clarissa flinched at the vision she saw in her mind, gaining the attention of the two wizards beside her.

"What's wrong Clar?" Sirius asked quietly, not wanting to alert the others.

Clarissa's sight moved from one pair of grey eyes to the other, the similarities more noticeable between the two brothers. Giving both of them a weak smile, she brushed it off and said they'll talk about it later. Turning her gaze back to the Slytherin's table, she took note that there was no sign of platinum blond hair amongst them meaning Lucius Malfoy has already graduated. She did however identify another familiar face, this time with two-toned hair. Narcissa Malfoy... no Black was undoubtedly beautiful with her aristocratic features and poised posture. Her magic must have alerted her that she was being watched because she glanced away from the sorting ceremony and her blue-grey eyes clashed with Clarissa's. Strangely, the corners of Narcissa's mouth turned upwards and she gave Clarissa a brief nod to acknowledge her before turning her attention back to the sorting. The brunette made a mental note to ask James and Sirius who she was acquainted with at Hogwarts, not wanting to disturb the balance of their world.