A Different Life

Beth put the letters she had gotten from Neville in a box and then put the box on a shelf in her closet. After, she looked around her room to make sure she had packed everything. Tomorrow she would be leaving for Hogwarts and she didn't want to forget anything, though she could write to her adopted parents and ask them to send anything she'd forgotten via Lily, her owl. It had taken two days, but in the end Beth had decided to name her new owl after her mother. The name also suited, for the owl was white and lilies were white (other than tiger lilies and a few other varieties).

"Beth, it's dinnertime!" called Natalia.

Beth locked her trunk and went to the bathroom to wash her hands. Then she went downstairs to the kitchen and helped set the table. Sirius and Remus came in. Remus didn't live with the Blacks, of course, though Natalia and Sirius had asked him to move in several times before. However, he came by for dinner ever day and stayed during the weekends as a compromise.

The next morning, Beth woke up at five o'clock and couldn't fall alseep again. She showered, brushed her teeth, and got dressed, then spent the three hours until breakfast reading Hogwarts, a History. After breakfast, she put the book in her trunk and checked that everything was packed. After that, Sirius and Remus helped her load her trunk in the boot and then they drove to King's Cross Station in London.

The Grangers arrived about three minutes after the Blacks and Remus did. Natalia explained how to get through the barrier and then Beth and Hermione went through together. Several seconds later, Natalia and Mrs. Granger came through, holding hands, as Muggles couldn't go through the barrier without holding on to a witch or wizard. Sirius and Mr. Granger went through after them, and finally Remus came through.

Beth spotted Neville and his grandmother and waved them over. "Hi, Neville!" she exclaimed. "Hello, Mrs. Longbottom."

"Hello, Beth," said Neville, smiling. "Hi, Hermione. How are you?"

"We're fine," said Hermione. "Hello, Mrs. Longbottom."

Mrs. Longbottom smiled. "Hello, Bethany and Hermione." She then turned to the parents and greeted them. The three found an empty compartment towards the end of the train and tried to load their trunks. It was rather difficult and a pair of redheaded twins came over with an offer to help. As the adults were busy talking, Beth accepted. The twins helped the three load the trunks and then introduced themselves as Fred and George Weasley.

Beth, Hermione, and Neville introduced themselves in turn and the twins stared when Beth said her name. "You're the Girl-who-lived?" asked Fred. (At least, Beth though it was Fred. She couldn't tell the twins apart.)

"Yes," responded Beth, sighing. "Please don't make a big deal of it. I'm just a regular girl."

"Okay," said George, grinning. "Don't worry." Then the twins' mother called them and they left.

The adults then turned to the three kids. Mrs. Longbottom said sternly, "Behave yourself, Neville, and be a credit to me and your parents. I hope you have a good time at Hogwarts and remember to write." She then hugged Neville.

Natalia, Sirius, and Remus hugged Beth and wished her well. Sirius also added in a whisper for Beth to not do anything the Marauders wouldn't do and to feel free to play some pranks, as long as she didn't caught for it. Remus told Beth to ignore whatever Sirius said and to just have a good time and do her best at school. Natalia hugged Beth tightly and told her to behave and not get in trouble if at all possible. "Be more like your mother, not like your father and his friends."

"Okay," said Beth. She returned the hugs and kissed her adoptive mother. Then the three kids boarded and leaned out the window to say their good-byes. The Hogwarts Express began moving and they waved. The adults returned the waves. Beth spotted a redheaded girl running after the train, half laughing, half crying. The twins and another red-haired boy, was leaning out a nearby window and waving. Apparently the three were brothers and the girl was their sister, who must be too young to attend Hogwarts yet.

The train then rounded the curve and the adults couldn't be seen anymore. Beth, Hermione, and Neville sat down. A minute later, the door to the compartment opened. The brother of the twins stood there uncertainly. "Um, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Sure," said Hermione cheerfully. She got up and helped the boy stow his trunk away.

The boy then sat down and said, "Hi, I'm Ronald Weasley, Ron for short."

The others introduced themselves and Ron gaped. "You're the Girl-Who-Lived?" he asked, looking at Beth.

"Yes, I am," said Beth, sighing.

"But why is your last name Potter-Black?" pressed Ron.

"Because my godfather, Sirius Black, married my adoptive mother and became my adoptive father, and I added his last name," answered Beth.

"Oh," said Ron. "Er, do you have the -?" He gestured at his forehead.

Beth brushed aside her bangs and revealed the scar. Ron stared at it, then seemed to realize that it was rude and looked away. "Do you, um, remember what happened that night, Beth?"

"Not really," said Beth. "All I recall is a flash of green light and a scream. Now, can we please talk about something else? I don't like focusing on the fact that I'm famous. I'm just a regular girl and want a normal life."

Ron turned scarlet. "Sorry. I didn't realize. How do you guys know each other?"

"Beth and I live on the same street and went to the same school," said Hermione.

"And I met them at Diagon Alley when getting my school supplies," said Neville. "Beth and Hermione introduced themselves to me and because they found me nice, asked if I wanted to be friends with them. I said yes and we've been writing to each other all during August."

"Fred and George are your brothers, right?" asked Beth. "They helped us get our trunks in the compartment."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, they are. They mentioned meeting you and your two friends, but I was afraid that it might have been one of their jokes." He went on to say that he had another brother named Percy, who was a fifth year and prefect, and two more named Bill and Charlie, who had already graduated. Last was his sister, Ginny, who wouldn't attend Hogwarts until next year.

There was a knock on the door and Julie came in, already in Hogwarts robes and the Hufflepuff prefect's badge on her robes. "Hi, Beth and Hermione. Are you okay?"

"Yes," said Beth. "Ron and Neville, this is my adoptive cousin, Julie Harper. She's in Hufflepuff. Julie, this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you, Ron and Neville," said Julie, smiling. "If you have any questions, you can ask me. If you get sorted into Hufflepuff, I'll be better able to help you. Well, I have to go now. Beth, Daniel might drop by as well. See you guys."

"Who's Daniel?" asked Ron.

"My cousin and Beth's brother," replied Beth. "He's a third year Slytherin." Seeing Ron and Neville's looks, she added, "Oh, he's very nice. He's one of the few decent Slytherins. Julie and Dan have another brother and sister. Evanna's the same age as your sister, Ron, and Mike is two youngers than them."

There was a second knock and Dan came in with another boy, who had the Ravenclaw crest on his robes. "Hello," said Dan. "How are you, Beth?"

"I'm fine, Dan," said Beth.

Dan smiled. "That's good. Oh, this is my friend Ralph Thewlis. He's in Ravenclaw."

Beth nodded and introduced Neville and Ron. "Pleasure to meet you guys. Maybe one of you four will end up in Slytherin. We need more decent Slytherins and combat the stupid reputation the house has."

Beth shook her head. "Well, don't look to me. I don't have anything against Slytherin, and I like Professor Snape, but Sirius would have a fit if I was Sorted there. Besides, if I ended up there, I'd be asked to play Quidditch for them, because I've inherited my dad's talent, and I really don't want to play on the team. Slytherin's winning streak needs to be broken."

Dan laughed. "All right, then. Well, Ralph and I are going now. Have fun, you guys."

When Dan and Ralph had gone, Ron asked, "You like Professor Snape, Beth? But from what my brothers told me about him, he favors Slytherins. They don't like him at all."

"Hermione and I have visited Hogwarts before," explained Beth. "We met Professor Snape and got to know him. He was friends with my real mum at Hogwarts, until he accidentally called her a 'Mudblood' in a fit anger at the end of fifth year. Their friendship broke up, but he's regreted his mistake ever since. Since I look like my mum, except for my hair, he grew to like me. Of course, he can't show it in public. He's gotten in the habit of being mean and only favoring Slytherins, and he has to keep it up or it'll look odd. Don't tell anyone else about it, though. They're not supposed to know."

"We won't," said Neville and Ron at the same time.

The witch with the food trolley came by then. Ron turned red and muttered that he had sandwiches. The other three went out in the hall to buy snacks. When they brought the food inside, they insisted on sharing with Ron. They spent the next hour working their way through the sweets and getting to know each other better.

Neville then noticed that his toad Trevor was gone, probably having escaped when the food trolley came by. The four of them began searching, stopping at each compartment and asking if the occupants had seen a toad. Finally Trevor was discovered by Ron, hiding in a box on the food trolley. Neville thanked Ron as he took his toad and the four returned to the compartment.

At around three, a boy with blond hair and a pale pointed face came by. Two thickset boys who looked mean were with him. "I heard that Bethany Potter's in this compartment," said the pale boy. "So, it's true?"

Beth stood up. "Hello. And it's Potter-Black. I added my adoptive father's last name to my original one. And I prefer being called Beth. Now, you are?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy," responded the boy. "Oh, and these two are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle."

"Nice to meet you," said Beth politely. She had heard of the Malfoy family, and how Lucius Malfoy was likely a Death Eater, but had avoided arrest by claiming that he'd been bewitched by Voldemort and donating a great deal of money to the Ministry. She didn't care for the Malfoy family, but so far Draco had been polite, so she was going to be polite as well.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to be friends," said Draco.

Beth raised a brow. "Well, I already have four friends, Draco." She gestured at Hermione, Neville, and Ron.

Draco looked at them, one brow raised. "You're friends with a Weasley? But they're blood traitors! And who're the other two?"

"That's Neville Longbottom," said Beth. "And the girl is my best friend, Hermione Granger."

"Granger?" inquired Draco. "Are you related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded a potions society?"

"I don't think so," replied Hermione. "I'm Muggleborn."

"Oh, a Mudblood," said Draco dismissively. "And you're the boy who was looking for a toad. Clearly you're behind the times if you have a toad for a pet."

Neville turned red, while Hermione and Ron got to their feet angrily. Beth spoke first, however. "Draco Malfoy, if you really wish for me to be your friend, insulting the friends I already have is not the way to go about it. Or didn't you learn any manners at all? My adoptive parents brought me up to be polite to everybody, which is the only reason I'm not being rude to you after you've insulted my friends. Now apologize to my friends please."

Draco froze, then reluctantly said, "Sorry."

"Good," said Beth. "Now, please do not insult my friends again. Hermione being Muggleborn doesn't make her any less of a witch. In fact, she knows the contents of all our set books, and she practiced a few simple spells before and they all worked for her within the first few tries. As for Ron, just because his family doesn't think purebloods are superior doesn't make him a blood traitor. If wizards didn't marry Muggles or Muggleborns in the first place, they'd have all died out. Also, if you only marry purebloods, eventually it leads to inbreeding and that's not good. And Neville isn't behind the times. He didn't pick out the toad for a pet. It was a gift from his great-uncle, and Neville could hardly refuse without being impolite."

A pink tinge appeared in Draco's cheeks, but he didn't look angry. In fact, he looked thoughtful. "I suppose you have a point, Beth," he conceded. "I need to think about this. I won't insult your friends again." He turned and left, the thoughtful look still on his face. Crabbe and Goyle looked somewhat confused, but followed Draco out the compartment.

"What just happened?" asked Ron. "First Draco Malfoy insults us, then he says he won't do it again and leaves, looking thoughtful."

"What I said just made an impression, that's all," said Beth shrugging. "Sometimes that happens. For example, Professor Snape was enemies with my father and his friends. So when I got along with Professor Snape, Sirius wasn't too happy about it. But after I spoke to him, he apologized and Snape accepted the apology. Remus, my father's other friend, also apologized. He didn't bother Snape, but he rarely stopped my dad and Sirius from bullying him. After that, they worked to forget the past and get along. Now they're friendly with each other in private, though in public they still have to act as if they're still enemies. "

"Well, if Draco sees things your way, he may end up turning out different from his father," said Neville.

"I hope so," said Beth. "Though I don't really plan on being friends with him. We're too different. But if he changes and becomes friendly, I will be friendly to him in turn."

After that, Ron and Neville stepped out so Beth and Hermione could change into their robes. Then the two girls went out so the boys could put on their robes. They put the rest of their sweets away and the discussion turned to the Sorting. Ron said that Fred had told him that it hurt, but he was sure that Fred was joking.

Beth smiled. "He was joking. Hermione and I weren't told the details, but Mum, Sirius, and Remus assured us that it wasn't anything difficult. All it involves is looking at your qualities and deciding which house you're best suited in based on them."

Ron looked relieved, but Neville said dismally, "My qualities will show that I'm best suited for Hufflepuff, I bet. Not that there's anything wrong with the house, but my parents were in Gryffindor and I'm sure Gran would want me to be in Gryffindor, too."

"I'm sure you have courage," said Hermione encouragingly. "Neville, you just need some confidence. Once you gain some, you'll be great. There's this Muggle book called The Wizard of Oz. One of the characters is the Cowardly Lion. But he's really not cowardly at all. He just thought he was and so went to seek this wizard in hopes that he could be given courage. But what he really lacked was confidence. After all, during the quest to find the wizard, he bravely stood up to a scary monster that was threatening him and his companions."

"Okay," said Neville, frowning. "So what happened to the Cowardly Lion?"

"Well, eventually the wizard gave the Cowardly Lion something to drink. He said that once it was drunk, it would be courage. So the Cowardly Lion thought he had gained courage and after that, fulfilled his destiny to be King of Beasts."

"So I just need to believe in myself and I will prove myself to be brave," said Neville slowly.

"Of course," said Beth. "Though it doesn't matter if you get into Hufflepuff. It's a great house, and you can still be brave. My cousin Julie's a brave person, but she's in Hufflepuff. Her qualities of being loyal and hard-working just overshadowed her being brave. And a cousin of my adoptive dad is currently training to be an Auror, and she was in Hufflepuff."

Neville cheered up slightly. Just then, the door opened again and a pug-faced girl with dark hair walked in. Behind her was a girl that seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle and a girl with brown hair that was pretty compared to the other two. "This is the compartment where Bethany Potter is?" asked the pug-faced girl.

"Yes, and it's Potter-Black," said Beth. "Who are you and your friends?"

"Oh, I'm Pansy Parkinson," replied the girl. "These are Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis. Why is your name 'Potter-Black'?"

"Because my godfather, Sirius Black, became my adoptive father and I elected to add his last name to mine."

"Oh," said Pansy. "Who are the three with you?"

"That is my best friend Hermione Granger. And the other two are Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom, our new friends."

"So you're hanging out with a Mudblood, blood traitor, and the stupid boy who lost his toad and has insane parents."

Beth shot to her feet. "Don't you dare insult my friends, Pansy Parkinson!"

"Pansy can do what she wants," said Tracey. "It's a free country, isn't it? Besides, why are you friends with losers? Some wizarding families are better than others, and we can help you with that. So ditch those losers and be friends with us."

Beth's tone grew icy. "My friends are not 'losers'. They are much better people than you. And insulting them is not the way to get me be friends with you. Until you learn some manners and start being nice, I have absolutely no intention of being even on friendly terms with you three. Now kindly leave this compartment."

"You'll be sorry," said Pansy. "Your parents were stupid enough to get themselves killed and you're stupid enough to refuse to be friends with us. If you're not careful, you'll just end up like your parents."

"Well, I'd rather be dead than desert my friends and become friends with idiots like you," retorted Beth. "Now get out before I lose my temper and do something I'll regret." Pansy glared at her, then she, Tracey, and Millicent left.

Beth sat down, silently counting to twenty to calm down. When she was done, she said, "Honestly, who does Pansy think she is? At least Draco Malfoy seems willing to see reason and rethink what he was taught. But Pansy doesn't seem to want to be like that. Er, Neville, you don't have to tell us, but what did Pansy mean when she said you had insane parents?"

Neville hesitated, then told the other three about how his parents had been tortured into insanity by Death Eaters who had thought the Longbottoms might have some idea as to Voldemort's whereabouts after his defeat. Beth gasped when she heard that one of the Death Eaters had been Bellatrix Lestrange. "But that's Sirius's ex-cousin! He mentioned her once and said that she was in Azkaban. He never told me the reason why, other than that she was a Death Eater."

"Ex-cousin?" asked Ron, looking confused.

"Oh, Sirius was disowned by his family when he ran away at the age of sixteen," explained Beth. "He went to stay with my dad and his parents. It was inevitable, for Sirius was Sorted into Gryffindor when the Blacks traditionally have been in Slytherin."

"You mentioned that he had a cousin in Hufflepuff," said Neville.

Beth nodded. "That's Nymphadora Tonks, but she'll kill you if you call her by her first name. Her dad and Sirius call her Dora, and everyone else goes by her surname. And Tonks is actually Sirius's first cousin once removed. Her mother, Andromeda, is Sirius's first cousin. Aunt 'Dromeda was in Ravenclaw and got disowned by the Blacks for marrying a Muggleborn, Uncle Ted."

Hermione said hesitantly, "What happened to your parents is terrible, Neville. And don't worry, we won't speak of this if you don't want, since it seems to be a touchy subject."

Neville swallowed. "I'm proud that my parents were so brave and all, but I really wish it hadn't had happened. Otherwise I'd be living with them and not my Gran. Though I do love my Gran very much."

Beth patted his hand and Ron said, "At least they're still alive and you can visit them in St. Mungo's, Neville. Though I guess that's not much comfort, considering that they don't recognise you."

"Well, I have relatives that love me and take care of me, and you guys are my friends," said Neville. "It's better than what some people's lives are like."

Beth recalled a book she had recently read and had to agree. The main character had a very unpleasant life at home and her only escape was books and daydreaming. Eventually, a real escape was granted her and she left for the capital city, where she discovered she had been Chosen to be the second-most important person in the kingdom, under the monarch. After that, her life was better, though she still had some difficulties. At least Neville's relatives loved him and meant well, unlike the book character's relatives, who had abused her, emotionally and by her half-brother, physically.

The train began slowing down. "We must be arriving," said Hermione, changing the subject.

A minute later, the train came to a complete stop. A voice told everyone to leave their luggage, it would be brought up to the castle later. Everyone disembarked. Hagrid was calling all the first years over to him. He greeted Beth and Hermione and then led the first-years to a group of boats. They would be crossing the lake to get to the castle. Four people were to a boat and Beth, Hermione, Ron, and Neville clambered into one. Hagrid got into the lead boat and they set off.

When they reached the other side, everyone got off and walked up the path to the castle. When they reached the front door, Hagrid raised his hand and knocked.