To Be a Slytherin Hufflepuff

"I'm just saying that he's a lying little serpent. He blatantly stole it!"

"That's rich coming from you...have you looked at your house colours recently?"

"You just have to drag that into every argument don't you? Every single time."

"I wouldn't if you weren't such a hypocrite."

"Me, a hypocrite? Look in a mirror!"

"Just go back to Hogwarts where you belong."

"It just kills you that I didn't get into Hufflepuff. It ruins your image of the perfect family."

"Yes, yes it does. Sometimes I wish you had never come back."

A plump girl of fifteen stared at her mother. The older woman looked just as shocked, startled that the words had escaped from her. A hand went up to her mouth as if to snatch the words back. The brown haired girl stared at her a moment longer before flicking her hair black and glaring,

"Fine, if that's the way you feel, I'll see you in a year. I'll spend Christmas at school," she told the woman, her voice practically dripping with venom. Then, with a haughty sniff, she turned her back to the woman and climbed on board the Hogwarts Express.

The train was always full, filled with smiling pupils, shouting, screaming, and laughing. Not many noticed Amanda, it was her gift. Wherever someone big and important was, she remained unseen. It was probably how she managed to survive up to her fifth year in the same class as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and that Granger girl. They did not notice her, they were too busy, whether it was grappling with Goyle, catching Crabbe or mauling Malfoy. But Amanda did not mind. She preferred to watch. Joining in was-- How could she put it? -- Tiresome. Compared to the rows she had with her mother these were childish tantrums, no matter how many wands were involved. So it was that she had gone through her first five years at Hogwarts, passing her exams, making a few friends and trying not to get detention. It was the life of a lesser Slytherin; the life of someone who was placed there because of his or her ambition. Amanda's just hadn't shown up that much yet.

She found a compartment that was empty; it appeared to be the only one that wasn't filled with large groups of people. She had only been sitting for ten minutes when something bad happened. Worse than being set upon by half a dozen flesh-starved Thestrals, Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and a girl she didn't know walked in and smiled awkwardly. Nice one, Amanda, wait till Malfoy hears about this, she thought sullenly.

"Hi. There doesn't seem to be anywhere else to sit. Do you mind if we, um...?" Neville Longbottom asked. Amanda shook her head, trying not to laugh. The idiots didn't recognize her. Five years of house rivalry, jeering in lessons and near-death experiences due to all the hexes flying around and they still didn't know who she was. It probably didn't help that her hair was down, she had worn it up for her five years at Hogwarts, and she was wearing sunglasses instead of her usual glasses. They piled in and arranged their trunks and pets, and then with a sigh of relief they each sat down and slipped into an awkward silence. For a long while no one said anything, and Amanda was quite content with sitting there, watching them. If she had been in Malfoy's gang she would have jinxed the lot of them by now, but she wasn't, and she was more than happy to sit there 'examining' them. The only downside was that every now and then the girl she didn't know would look up at her shrewdly, as if she could almost remember something, but it was still a little out of reach.

About half way through the journey Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger appeared. They were glaring at each other, Ron's ears were glowing and Hermione was red in the face.

"Harry, tell Ron that if he doesn't start exercising some of his duties as a prefect they would have been better off awarding the badge to a pumpkin," she demanded, crossing her arms. Harry opened his mouth to say something but Ron interrupted him.

"Wait a minute! If you think giving someone a detention every time they sneeze counts as a prefects duties then they maybe they should have made Snape a prefect," he retorted, Amanda turned her laugh into a cough and looked out of the window, her face a mask of seriousness. Hermione rounded on him.

"Ronald Weasley, if I see you walk past one more Slytherin hanging Dennis Creevey upside down I'll...I'll...I'll enlarge every spider that lives inside of Hogwarts."

"She could, you know," Neville told him thoughtfully; he too was trying not to smile. Ginny, however, was beaming at the pair of them, enjoying every minute.

"Fine, Hermione. If it will make you feel better I will put the slimy little gits into detention. Happy?" he demanded, his ears now so red Amanda was considering frying eggs on them.

"I'll believe it when I see it," scoffed Hermione, and followed him out of the compartment, neither of them bothering to say goodbye. Everyone watched them leave and exchanged perplexed looks.

"Are they always that loving?" Amanda asked, Harry nodded and grinned.

"Unfortunately."

Eventually the sky darkened and Ginny looked up at them.

"Better change into our robes now; we'll be there in a bit." She told the others. Amanda had forgotten about her robes and paled a little. They all changed in silence, everyone intent on doing up their own robes, so they did not notice Amanda's at first. Then Luna looked up and frowned.

"That's why I remember you; you tried to sell Anthony Goldstein a 'Weasley is our King' badge," she said sharply. The others all looked up, doing a double take when they saw the Slytherin snake emblazoned on her chest.

"You're in Slytherin?" Neville asked, shocked. Amanda nodded, not knowing whether or not she should smile or pull out her wand.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ginny demanded angrily. Harry looked at Amanda, startled and at the same time disgusted.

"Enjoy your little laugh, did you? About to run and tell Malfoy all about it, are you? What year are you in, anyway?" he blurted; Amanda feigned thoughtfulness before answering in a calm voice.

"It was rather interesting, yes. But no, I'm not going to run off to Malfoy; he's nearly as big a prat as you. And for your information I am in the same year as you, Mr Potter, and your observational skills are poorer than Binn's," she told them, a triumphant smile playing on her face. "And if you'll excuse me, I do believe we have arrived," she informed them, then, as regally as she could, she picked up her trunk and dragged it out of the compartment, leaving an angry silence in her wake.