Autumn scoured the great hall for minutes on end for one encouraging face. She only wished for one proud smile. Her eyes flicked over to the Slytherin table where Draco and his friends were reacquainting themselves only to be frozen in shock mid-sentence. The other first-years whom were all awaiting their sorting looked as if they were all staring at a monster. 

At a freak. Just the word brought back memories of when she was younger; before the matron started to home-school her. The word alone made her stomach churn as she found herself going through the most gruesome, deadly series of 'what-if's. 

She had grown accustomed to these thoughts as she remembered her old school. The one where she made her first and only friend. The same boy who got tortured by those boys every day in return for saving her from them. The same emerald-eyed boy who was with her when they were growing up. If only he could remember who she was past her name. The same last name that everyone in their right minds were scared of. She locked eyes with her old friend as she continued to search the crowd.

Her eyes then fell upon the person that she least wanted to see. Grace or as she was now known as, Hermione. They were like sisters before grace was adopted. Grace was her only friend after the incident. Grace was her sister, her best friend but she was taken away because Autumn got too angry one time. Hermione looked at her in fear while Grace would have been kind, if a little confused. When she could no longer find the parts of her sister and best friend, she tore herself away from the warm, familiarity her eyes held. At least she hadn't forgotten it all too.

Her eyes went back to their mission of finding familiar eyes. no more could be found that held good or even neutral  emotion toward her.

All she found was looks of pity, confusion and even some of pure hatred at hearing her name. 'Well this is going great..'The first all-housed pupil thought bitterly as she remained stood at the front, with everyone looking at her with varying emotions written across their faces.

Then what she had hoped for had finally come, in the plentiful. The cheers. They were louder than anyone else's as there were four houses that she belonged to. Yet there was a feeling in which pointed out the silent people in the respective houses.

"Settle down please. Miss Riddle, a word?" A shocked Dumbledore said. Said girl followed him utterly confused out of the vast hall. "Did you ask for it to do that?" He asked calmly, as we went further into the castle, she found herself relaxing momentarily before realising what could happen and put her mind shields up again in order to prevent any attacks on her mind while they were alone.

"No sir, I was just as confused as you whole it was in my mind.." The heiress said, proceeding to recount some of the statements she had heard from the confusing hat, leaving out the last few.

"Well then, I believe that there is only one solution to our little predicament. You are going to have to do one day with each house for the year. You will start with Slytherin then tomorrow you will be transferred to Ravenclaw classes. After that day, you will transfer to Gryffindor and the following day to Hufflepuff. You will have your own room which connects to the common room for that day and you will have to get your sets of robes changed slightly by the school. I hope that this will work for your sake. Well done anyway Autumn."

Autumn nodded once, thanked him for the explanation he had provided her and excused herself, intent on entering the great hall again. On the way there, however, she was slow due to trying to map out the castle that she was to call home for the next seven academic years.

 As soon as she entered the hall, it went eerily silent as Dumbledore was yet to arrive and be forced to answer his co-workers and students questions.

Autumn approached the Slytherin table silently and was only met with a smile from Draco and nod from our prefects. 'This,' she thought, 'was going to be one hell of a year.'

(Re-written 8/4/2020)