**Thank you for taking a chance on my first public Fan-Fic. I know that Snape is the DA Prof in the sixth book but I liked the sounds of "The Potion Master's Daughter." I thought it helped direct the feel of the story, you know? Um...what else?....Please rate, comment, give constructive criticism. But please be gentle. Oh, and since it's fan fiction, I would appreciate no "lore-nazis." I'm just having fun here. So should you. ^_~ Enjoy!**

Her heart beat raced as she sat on the steps to the great hall. She would be the oldest student to be sorted, ever. At sixteen Zephyris found herself pulled from her previous school, Durmstrang, and plopped at Hogwarts. She wasn't too terribly shaken by it though. When it went public that the Dark Lord was free and that dark wizards had been boosted from Azkaban, it was only a matter of time before she was summoned here. In a very underground way, she was a high profile target. Just not that many people knew it yet. And to what extent of a target, she was oblivious.

The doors behind her creaked open and she jumped up with a start, turning almost mid air. Her long lazily curly black hair spun about her as her dreamy looking grey eyes met the stern eyes of Prof. McGonagall. Zephyris smoothed her robes and gave the professor a small polite curtsy.

"Good evening Professor," she said. Professor McGonagall looked over Zephyris's face. Her straight nose sat in the middle of her heart shaped face that was framed with a few long tufts of curls that Zephyris tried to pull behind her ears. They returned to her face anyway.

"Good evening dear. " The older woman said. "I expect the first years will be up these steps any second."

"Yes ma'am. I'd expect so." She replied, her voice rung gently in the Great Hall's entrance area; a smooth sound that walked the line between soprano and alto. "The sorting," Zephyris started, "won't I just be placed in Slytherin?"

"I dare say that would necessarily be so." The professor replied. "You have just the same chance of being in any other house. I could just as easily see you in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or even my own house as I could Slytherin. Don't worry. The hat will place you where you belong."

Zephyris nodded but said nothing in reply. She heard the first tentative steps of the first years coming up the way.

"Please stand to the side so you can join them. I don't want them to mistake you for a prefect."

"Yes ma'am." Zephyris pressed herself against the railing of the stairwell as a group of children walked up. She felt horribly out of place in the small sea of heads that bobbed no higher than her chest. A few children looked at her but their attention was quickly taken by the older woman as she began to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. When you go through these doors, you will all be sorted and put into houses. While you are here your house will be like…" her voice trailed off in Zephyris's head as her thoughts wandered. She was about to come face to face with some people she had only read about or heard about before. She wondered how she'd be received by her peers. Whether she'd fit in or not. Whether he'd step in…

"Zephyris!"

The voice snapped her from her thoughts. The professor was standing at the door, the group of first years already halfway down the row of tables. Zephyris's stomach lurched as she saw everyone in the room.

"I'm sorry professor…I was lost in thought." Zephyris said as she trotted up behind the group. She could feel the eyes of the students on her as she walked behind the shorties in front of her. 'I know I must stick out like a sore thumb…' she thought. She could hear students' whispering but tried to ignore them. Her silvery eyes scanned the table and met the eyes of Severus Snape. He gave her a small nod and she returned it.

"Come round!" Professor Dumbledore said. "Let us hear the sorting hat's song!" The great old wizard gently sat a much worn hat down on a tall stool and it began to chant. It was a long poem about each house and solidarity. When it finished the great hall burst with applause. "And now, in alphabetical order, the sorting. Professor McGonagall, if you please."

She held up a large scroll and began reading names. "Abbot, Carlie." A short girl came up and sat down in the stool. The hat was placed on her head and then moments later it called out, "Hufflepuff!" The Hufflepuff table soon erupted with cheers as the students made room for their new housemate. And this went on, student after student until there were a few students left, Zephyris included. She knew she was next.

"Snape, Zephyris."

Whispers filled the great hall as Zephyris sat down on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat down on Zephyris's curls.

"A little old to be a first year," The hat said.

"I've been transferred." Zephyris said.

"I see. I see…hmm…your father was in Slytherin, I'm sure you know that and your mother…well that's rather interesting. Curious indeed. You however are neither your father nor mother. I think you'll do best in…Gryffindor!"

There was hardly any applause. Zephyris looked at Professor Snape as she got off the chair with a horrified look. Snape's arms were crossed and his lips were pressed thinly together. He pointed casually to the Gryffindor table and flicked his finger as it to urge her to sit down with her fellow students. Zephyris nodded and turned to the people who would be like family until she left Hogwarts. There was no space for her with the first years but she saw an empty place setting appear somewhere where the sixth years were sitting. Gritting her teeth, Zephyris made her way to the placing which sat between a girl with bushy brown hair and another boy with dark brown hair and an upturned nose.

"H..Hullo.." Zephyris said as she sat quickly. Before the students around her could reply, McGonagall had continued with the sorting. As soon as she finished, Dumbledore began speaking. He reminded the students about a few rules, welcomed back a very large man named Rubeus Hagrid and then began speaking about the return of the Dark Lord, speaking warnings to the students. Zephyris didn't hear much of it. She was trying to gaze through the place setting, the table, and the stone floor. She was startled by a small paper bird that landed on her plate and unfolded itself.

'Are you really Snape's daughter?' was written on it. Zephyris looked up to see who it was that sent it but all eyes were on her as the food appeared. She scanned the people around her and recognized one or two. She knew Ron Weasley by his red hair and right beside him, Harry Potter. They were right across the table. The other faces were familiar as she had seen them at Diagon alley.

She took a deep breath. "Yes. I am," she said to everyone and no one, then the reached out and took a pitcher of pumpkin juice and filled her goblet. "What a spread, huh?" she said hollowly as she placed the pitcher back. Nobody said anything for a moment. Then the boy a few seats down began to serve himself. Most everyone else followed suit to her relief.

The bushy haired girl turned to Zephyris while she served herself. "I'm, er…Hermione Granger. I'm one of the prefects for Gryffindor. That's Ron. He's another prefect."

"Nice to meet the both of you." Zephyris said. "I'm…heh..well you know who I am." She turned to her left where the brown haired boy was to ask him to pass her something. As their eyes met, she somehow knew him instantly. "Neville Longbottom?"

He looked at her with a confused look, "yes. Have we met?"

She nodded at him. "Yes. Ages ago at St. Mungo 's." she replied. "I was visiting someone and you were visiting…" she paused. "Visiting someone." She finished with a small uncomfortable smile. "We met in the waiting room. It was quite a while ago. I think before either one of us had begun school." She returned her attention to her plate, then to a pie and begun serving herself. She looked up at Harry as she placed the pie server back into the pie. "And I know who you are. You'd have to be daft not to, eh?"

Harry said nothing to her

"Harry!" Hermione whispered. "She was speaking to you."

"I know," Harry said hollowly. He said nothing else but dived into a meat pie.

"Don't worry about it." Zephyris said to Hermione. "If he doesn't want to talk to me, he doesn't want to talk to me. No worries." She looked back to Harry than began eating in silence.

There were snippets of conversation spoken in hushed tones between Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Zephyris could tell that they were speaking amongst themselves in pieces so not to say too much around her. Like she was spying or something. And why shouldn't they? Zephyris was fully aware of her father's reputation. It was merely months ago that Dumbledore had spoken to her personally along with her father and filled her in on a lot of information that she had not been privy to. It had been difficult to look her father in the eye after her told her that he had been a death eater. He didn't divulge much information and she was understanding. She dealt with wizards and students who hated anyone that wasn't pureblooded and she had learned about the Dark Lord's regime but couldn't understand why her father would have been involved. But, like Dumbledore had said to her, that was his past and his secrets that had nothing to do with her. He had also said, during a Snape-absent moment, that sometimes a child has higher expectations of their parents than they should. It was natural to think that your parent would do no wrong. She remember him urging her to understand that though he was her father, Snape was still a fallible human with regrets and secrets just like everybody else.

His secrets were something she was used to. She looked around the room. These kids probably saw him more than she ever got to see him. The few months in the summer and the holidays were spent with him at their flat in London. Sometimes he would bring her to Hogwarts. Sometimes they'd do some traveling. Mostly potions studies he had been conducting himself. She sometimes felt like she tagged along or slowed him down.

As soon as she finished eating, her plate disappeared and she pulled out a small book from her robes. Hermione's gaze slid over to the book, trying to see what it was. Zephyris showed her the cover.

"Exotic and Insanely Hard Potions." She said, smiling sheepishly. "It may come as a surprise, but it's one of my strongest subjects." Hermione nodded silently and seriously. Then Zephyris chuckled. "It was a kind of joke…" Hermione almost laughed pumpkin juice out of her nose as she realized that Zephyris was trying to make light her relation to the potions professor. Ron snickered too. Harry remained involved in his food.

Zephyris jumped at the feeling of hands on her shoulder. She looked up into the face of her father and stood quickly.

"Father!" she said as she put her book down.

"Sit down Zephyris." He said to her in his regular annoyed voice. She sat quickly. "I just came to check on you to see if you were having any trouble with your new…peers…" he looked at Harry, then Ron, then Hermione. "Please don't let yourself be pulled into their trouble making. Hogwarts has high standards for following the rules but you know I have higher."

Zephyris's ears burned red with embarrassment. "Yes father." She said quickly.

"I expect you to keep away from Potter and his friends and focus on your studies. You're not here to cavort with would-be celebrities…"

She looked up at him quickly. "Father, please don't." Her eyes were wide yet slightly aggressive. "I'd rather discuss this with you in private."

"Do not give me reason to have to discuss anything, Zephyris." He said as he patted her shoulders.

"Yes sir." She said to him, respectfully.

"But what you could do for me is help Longbottom with his potions. You'll more than likely be his partner, since there had been an odd number of students and no one wanted to take on the hazard of his potion skills. Luck may have helped him get into Advanced Potions this time but I don't want to see you hurt due to his lack of ingenuity." He looked at Neville who pretended to be oblivious to what was being said.

"I'm sure he passed to Advance Potions because of your teaching, not luck." She replied coolly as she picked up her book. "But I will be mindful. See you tomorrow." She said as she patted her father's hand back.

Snape gave harry and the others a glare then walked off.

"Gonna pay for that…" she muttered to herself, putting her book down. She looked at Neville. "I'm sorry about that."

Neville shook his head and smiled. "no worries." He pushed his plate away. "You didn't have to do that." He told her. People began filing out of the great hall and to dormitories.

"Yes I did." She replied. "Besides, I think he doesn't remember being sixteen."

"I think he remembers just fine…" Harry muttered to himself.

Zephyris looked at him stonily. "What was that, Harry?"

"Nothing." Harry stood, turning to leave.

She watched Ron and Hermione walk off to gather the first years then looked to Harry as if to follow him but he hadn't wasted any time walking off with the rest of the Gryffindors. She tried to follow everyone but though she knew the castle, she didn't know it that well. She felt almost invisible in the rush of people who pushed past her. Feeling alone wasn't new but it didn't look like it was about to be old anytime soon. She sat back on the bench as the last of the students straggled out.

"Ms. Snape, why haven't you gone with the rest of the first years?" asked a voice. Zephyris looked up at McGonagall.

"I don't know." She said. "you don't think that…well, that the hat made a mistake?"

The professor smiled. "Do you feel like you should have been somewhere else?"

"Well…, I mean, my father is head of Slytherin…" she shrugged.

"Come, walk with me to the common room."

Zephyris stood and followed the professor.

"I think the hat places you where you belong. Evidently there are qualities in you that belong in Gryffindor."

"Really?" Zephyris asked as they hopped the vanishing stair.

"Of course. I don't think that your self-doubt suits you though." McGonagall said. "I do know you a little, dear, from time spent here during holidays. When I do speak with your father, he speaks well of your wit and intelligence." Zephyris said nothing. "I know this is going to be awkward but keep your head up. I have faith in our house that they will accept you. Hinkypunk." She said to the fat lady. The picture swung open. Zephyris realized she had not memorized the way here. "Goodnight Ms. Snape." Professor McGonagall walked off. "See you in Transfiguration." She said over her shoulder.

"Thanks." Zephyris said. "Goodnight." And she entered the passage way. Hermione was the first person she saw.

"Zephyris!" she called. "Let me show you where you're sleeping." Thankfully Zephyris followed her to the girls dormitory. "I'm sorry you just kind of got left behind there." She said as she guided Zephyris to an unoccupied four poster bed. "All the rush, you know? I had hoped harry or Neville would have lead you but I guess not."

"I think Neville forgot I didn't know my way around." Zephyris said.

"Our beds are next to each other so we'll probably get to know each other pretty well."

"Actually, I know a little about already. Viktor and I had been pretty close friends and he talked about you non-stop."

Hermione blushed slightly. "Yes, he and I are pen-friends."

"Well he thinks very highly of you." Zephyris said as she began to unpack her things. She made her way to a small cage where a white rat slept. Hermione watched her as she unpacked her own things.

"oh," Hermione said, lifting up a large ginger cat, "this is Crookshanks." Zephyris looked over her shoulder at the cat. "He's my pet. He won't try to attack your rat."

"My rat?" Zephyris said almost insulted. She turned to reveal a very long furry white rat.

"Wait, that's not a rat." Hermione said as she set down Crookshanks on her bed and approached Zephyris. "That's a.."

"It's a ferret." Zephyris smiled and put the white ferret in Hermione's arm. It sniffed at her bushy hair and tried to burrow into it. "Her name is Hermione." Zephyris said to the ferret, then to Hermione, "and her name is Penelope. I call her Pen."

"But you can only have a cat, toad, owl, or rat," said Hermione as she gently pulled Pen from her hair. She smiled down at the white ferret who was rummaging in her robe sleeve.

"Yeah…I know." Zephyris sat on her bed. "They didn't have rules like that at Durmstrang. My owl, Prometheus is in the owlry. You can use him whenever you want. He'll be the great horned owl with the gentle face. You'll know him when you see him." She said.

"Are you nervous about classes?" Hermione asked as she handed back Pen.

"Not to sound full of myself, but no. Not at all. I have found myself to be quite adept at magic. I enjoy reading and research so the studying isn't very hard for me either. There are high standards here. It excites me." She grinned.

Hermione smiled widely back. "Then we'll be spending a lot of time together." She said. "I'm going to the common room to have a chat with Harry. Acting horridly."

"Don't worry about it. I understand."

"Funny, because I don't. Well, I can speculate."

Zephyris pulled off her robes and began working on her left shoe. "Go on. Speculate."

"Harry and your father don't get along. Naturally he'll feel like his safe haven, Gryffindor, has been breached."

"And I think you're spot on." Zephyris said as she tossed her shoes into her trunk. "Its not like I chose my parents. Well…I only know one…but the point is, he's my father and we all make mistake but his mistakes, I haven't' made." She said. "You'll never catch me saying something horrible like mu…m….I can't even say it. I don't understand why there's all this fuss over blood. It's all the same color anyway." She laughed as she pulled off her tie and stockings. "Probably why I'm here though…" she muttered. "You…you know about my father, right?"

"That he used to be..You know." They shared an awkward silence that confirmed the knowledge of Snape's "dark" past.

"Right. Well now that all these death eaters are loose, they'll be hunting down what they think are turncoats, my father, and they'll not stop with him…" her voice drifted off as she laid her folded tie on her night stand. "So, er, here I am!" she said cheerily. Zephyris slid off her bed and began rummaging for night clothes.

"Of course." Hermione said. "That makes sense."

"Indeed…"

"Would you like me to talk to harry?"

"If you want to. I intend to win him over somehow. I'm not a bad person. He'll figure it out."

"He can be pig headed."

"So I've heard." Zephyris said as she tossed her clothes in the hamper and pulled on a long night shift. She pulled a night robe over it and tied the sash. "I'm going to do some reading. I guess I'll see you in the morning or when you come to bed."

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Goodnight."

"Yes, goodnight." Zephyris climbed again in her bed with Pen burrowing into her dark curly hair, and began reading a large heavy book.

Hermione found Ron and harry engaged in a violent game of wizard's chest when she entered the common room. She sat beside them and opened her mouth to talk but was cut off by Ron.

"Just smash him, dammit!" he yelled at his queen who was refusing to take Harry's knight. She kept casting glances as the king who seemed a little less protected than usual. "Blimey, try something new and they never trust you." He said as he moved a pawn instead.

"Um…hey, about uh, Zephyris." Hermione began.

"Don't want to talk about it." Harry said quickly as he ushered his rook up the board.

"She's really quite nice." Hermione continued. "And it's not her fault that her father is Snape. Besides, the hat put her with us."

"Doesn't mean I have to like her." Harry replied.

"You don't even know her." Hermione countered.

"Well Snape didn't know me and hated me anyway!" Harry snapped back. He cast an exasperated glance at Ron who was prodding his queen again.

"Come on harry…sure he's a git but, I mean, hating her is just as wrong as him hating your dad."

Harry sat silently for a moment as his chess pieces looked up at him for their next command. He prodded his rook to check Ron's king. The rook moved forward hesitantly and checked the king. Ron's queen swooped in and bludgeoned Harry's rook, knocking him off the table and onto the ground. Harry bent to pick it up with a labored sigh.

"It's not that I hate her," he began as he placed the rook in the graveyard, "it's just that I don't trust her." Harry raised his emerald eyes to meet Hermione's. "I don't wish to talk about it further." He said simply. "I have other things that I need to talk to you about."

Hermione sighed. "But the hat put her here." She continued.

"Maybe the had was bewitched by Snape." Harry told her. "Maybe he charmed it or something to get her in here to spy. Maybe it has something to do with what Malfoy is up to."

"Or maybe she asked to be in Gryffindor because she didn't want Slytherin. You know," she said, "like someone else we know."

Harry glared at her. "Don't compare her to me. If she asked, I'm sure it's because he made her do it. Besides…" he said, dropping his eyes back to the chess board. "Besides, she reminds me of someone…"

"Who?" Ron asked.

Harry opened his mouth and was about to speak but then snapped it shut. "Never mind. I think I'm just tired, really…"

"How's your nose?" asked Hermione.

"it's fine." Harry said. "I'm going to bed." Harry quickly stood and with a flick of his wand, stowed the chess set.

"Hey! We weren't done here!" Ron yelled. Harry didn't reply. Instead he stormed up to the boy's dormitory.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other.

"He's got a point." Ron said to her. "Snape may be using her."

Hermione glared at him, opened her book, and then began to read. Ron frowned, "well he might!" he snapped at her as he stood up and walked off.

**Woo! First chapter done! I hope you liked it. Ch. 2 is under way! ^_~**