Avice listened to the girl, facinated. "You do not go home for the summer?" Avice could not imagine a world where she would nto be under direct family supervision for more than a week. Even at Hogwarts, the only time she was away from home, the headmaster was her own kin who looked after them all!

"Oh yes. My parents have a castle! Castle Black! It isn't near the sea at all, but, there is a nice bog nearby... I think... It [i]is [/i]beautiful. My mother collects tapestries and keeps a large beautiful garden, she entertains often and she hosts the most fabulous parties. There are lots of places to play! When the twins come over we fly for hours and hours!" She thought, but dare not tell the whole of her feelings; [i]and when there are not parties or twins it's dreadful.[/i] "Anyway... I'm going to go sit with my friends! I'll see you in class!" 

Avice gave Aoife a cheerful wave and quickly zipped away toward table Slytherin. 

She only got there just in time for the ceremonies to begin. She saw her cousins, the twins, seated at Gryffindor. She wondered how the sorting hat worked all that out. She was disappointed that they were not placed in her house, yet, she was glad to be placed in Slytherin herself! All her family was Slytherin, including her older brother Sorin. Sorin sat at the far end of the table while Avice sat somewhere in the middle. He had a tight knit group of friends in his own year. They were all in their last year. As the senior students theya cted as kings and queens of their house. Avice was shameless in her admiration of them.

When the hat had sung and sorted, she realized she was sitting across from a girl named Lior. The food appeared, it was time to eat, converse, and celebrate the return to Hogwarts.

"Hello, Lior." Avice smiled widely. The space between the two girls was much wider than the width of the table, they had had opposite upbringings. Avice knew that Lior was... Not well off... nor all the way pure blooded... Yet, Avice was jealous of how easily academics seemed to come to Lior. Avice reminded herself that this year she would not need to be jealous of anyone! She had gotten a lot of advice, lectures, and lessons over the summer. She was full of motivation and confident that she would be as good at her classes as anyone, even Lior! She would bring honor to her house! and her family name! and meet the standard of excellence... and all that her grand uncle was saying... but just in case... Even if she wasn't quite as good...  She had a powerful well connected family, a solid marriage arranged, even if she was not the best student her life would be alright... Right? 

"It looks like we have some strong first years added to our house! I know some of them... Well... Their families anyway. See that one? That's a Yaxley. Her mother visits my mother all the time, they swap a lot of plants and... and... things like that... All summer she has been talking about her daughter and how talented she is. She is going to be so great in Slytherin! What do you think?"

~~~

"If only we were..." She was certain that the headmaster was conspiring against [i]her[/i].

Ingerith made her way to the great hall, walking beside the castle's beastmaster.

As she walked, she began to change, she did so in plain sight of the students as she walked. 

Her mans face softened and rounded, her sun tanned skin paled, her eyes changed shape and the color within them bloomed, the lashes lengthened. The blond hair became red and grew long, spilling over shrinking shoulders and past rounding hips. The rough, blonde, muggle man became an elegant sharp-eyed witch. 

The cloths transformed as well, transfiguring as she walked. The armor that the muggle wore shrunk, tempered, softened, and finally shimmered as it hung around her neck in long chains of chunky jewelry. The worn peacoat, pantaloons, and shirt brightened in color and lengthened into an elegant dress, skirt, and chemise respectively. She took her seat at the table, her pale face unreadable, she counted her lost ones already at their house tables, and each new one as they were sorted.

Her cheeks burned a little as the headmaster spoke of [i]family names[/i]. The lost ones had none. She had none. She knew it was tradition but it still stung to be reminded and she knew it would make the lost ones feel even more uncomfortable than it did herself.