"I can't believe I have to let you go. You were always my little princess, and now you're all grown up and ready to leave your old man," Samantha's father said, his voice choked with emotion. Severus noticed a glimmer of sadness in his eyes, but it seemed almost unfamiliar, as if his parents had never truly understood him. They had always yearned for a daughter, and though his hair cascaded down to his shoulders, he could never fulfill their dream of a 'little princess.'

Tobias tenderly tucked a strand of brown hair behind his daughter's ear, planting a loving kiss on her forehead. "Don't forget to write me and your mother letters. You know how hard it is for her not being able to be here today."

"I will, Dad. But the train is about to leave, and I don't want to miss it," Samantha replied, trying to hide her own feelings as she sought a way to escape the emotional moment. Severus knew how much she cared for their father, but she was always the strong one, wearing her heart under a shield of courage.

"Maybe it's better if I hold you back and keep you here with us," Tobias tried to lighten the mood with a weak joke, but neither of his kids found it amusing.

"Goodbye, Dad," the tall girl said, giving him one final wave before she and Severus turned to walk towards the train. Once she was sure her father wouldn't see her, Samantha pulled up the hood of her jumper, and when she let it down again, her hair had transformed into a vibrant shade of pink.

"Foxy! You can't do that in public," Severus chided, masking a hint of envy in his voice. He had always admired her ability to change her appearance at will without a wand. Meanwhile, he toiled away, practicing Transfiguration and delving into Dark Arts even before starting at Hogwarts.

"Don't worry; nobody noticed. I just couldn't bear to board the train with that boring brown hair. I want people to see the real me," Samantha explained with a confident grin.

Severus embraced his little sister, wrapping an arm around her. He loved her more than anyone in the world, even Lily, who held a special place in his heart.

"Oh, look who we have here. Snivellus found himself a girlfriend," someone taunted, poking their head out of a nearby compartment. Severus knew exactly who it was before the four boys, who always stuck together, emerged to confront them. He wished Samantha didn't have to face them just yet.

"Who do you think you are?" Samantha retorted, glaring at the boys, their Gryffindor crests on full display. She sensed trouble brewing, and her instincts told her she would not get along with this lot.

"Ah, hasn't dear Snivellus told you about us? We've been sworn enemies since day one," James Potter said, acting like the leader of the gang. His messy black hair and round glasses made him stand out.

Severus whispered to his sister, "Let's find a compartment elsewhere," but she wasn't one to back down from a fight. Her fiery temper, inherited from their mother, refused to let anyone insult her or her brother without consequences.

"No, I won't stand for it," Samantha declared, walking toward the boys with an intense gaze. Despite being smaller than them, she exuded an air of fearlessness.

"You two related? Did you steal all the beauty while they performed surgery on you to be less hideous?" Sirius sneered, laughing along with his friends. He was known for flirting with any girl in sight, coupled with his habit of insulting them in the same breath.

Amidst the tension, Samantha countered with surprising wit, "Funny. But looking at your hair, it seems you and my brother share the same hairstyle. Maybe you were inspired by him. Is that it? Are you secretly admiring him? Remus, maybe you envy his intelligence; Sirius, his great hair; Peter, his physique; and James, perhaps you're just jealous that he's friends with Lily Evans, while she has nothing but disgust for you."

The four boys stood there, struck silent by the unexpected retort. Severus turned his back, leading his sister away to find a different compartment. Pride swelled within him; he had never been prouder of his sister. She would make a remarkable Slytherin, fiercely defending those she cared about, just like him.

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The Great Hall was filled with anticipation as first-year students lined up, waiting to be sorted into their respective houses. Samantha Snape, a young witch with bright eyes and an air of confidence, stood among them, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. She was one year younger than her brother Severus, but she possessed a fiery determination that matched her family's prestigious lineage.

As her turn approached, Samantha took a deep breath and stepped forward. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and the ancient, wise voice in her mind began to contemplate her qualities.

"Ahh, a Snape, you say? Cunning and ambitious, yet there is so much more to you," the Sorting Hat mused. "You possess a daring spirit, a thirst for adventure, and a remarkable ability to adapt. Slytherin might be a suitable home, but there's also potential for greatness in Gryffindor."

Samantha felt like he had put a dagger right through her chest. Did he really just say that she would be good in Gryffindor? Disgusting. She wished with all her heart to become a Slytherin and the hat seemed to feel her decision.

"SLYTHERIN!" the Hat proclaimed, and the table of green and silver erupted into cheers. Samantha felt a surge of pride as she joined her new housemates at the Slytherin table. She was feeling a sense of belonging and excitement.

As she settled into her seat at the table, a young boy with dark, curious eyes and a friendly smile extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Regulus Black," he said, introducing himself. "Welcome to Slytherin!"

"Thank you," Samantha replied with a warm smile. "I'm Samantha, but you can call me Sam. It's nice to meet you, Regulus."

Regulus seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her. They struck up a conversation, discussing their family backgrounds and shared interests. Despite their different personalities, they found common ground in their desire to make a mark on the world and uphold the proud legacy of their family name.

As the night wore on and the feast continued, Samantha and Regulus bonded over their dreams and ambitions. They shared stories of their childhood and discovered they had more in common than they initially thought. As the evening drew to a close, they exchanged promises to explore Hogwarts together and face whatever challenges lay ahead.

"And did you see look on his face when McGonagall praised you for your  Transformation skills when he was just bragging about how great he was?", Regulus laughed when he and Samantha walked through the dungeons to get to the Slytherin common room. His best friend laughed with him, happily remembering the moment.

"Parselmouth", she said in-between laughters to open the door, but when they walked into the common room a huge crowd in front of the black board caught their attention.

"What in Mearlin's beard is going on?", Regulus asked and the closest student to him answered his question: "The flying lessons are going to begin today, right after 'Dark Arts and the Defense against it'. Isn't that amazing?"

Samantha's heart skipped a beat at the word 'flying'. Where as Severus preferred having two feet on the ground, she couldn't imagine anything better than being able to fly.

"I really hope you are as excited as I am, otherwise I will have to question our friendship", the girl, who had blue hair today, told Regulus. When she saw the expression on his face, she smiled to herself. Of course he was excited, the way they talked about Quidditch was one reason they bonded so fast the first time they met and they had been inseparable ever since.

Even through Samantha really enjoyed DADA, today all she could think about was the field outside and a broom in her hands. The Professor seemed to notice that by the end of his lesson, nobody seemed to pay attention anymore so he just let them go early.

Regulus and Samantha almost sprinted outside with the rest of the students, but their mood dropped dramatically, when they saw Sirius and James standing there with Madame Hootch and the first year Gryffindors.

"What? Why are they here?", Regulus asked, but his best friend already had a theory: "Remember when they got in trouble last week? I think their punishment is to help Madame Hootch with the first years in flying. From what I've seen on the Quidditch field-"

"Don't you dare say that they are good players", Regulus growled, clutching his fist at the sight of his traitor brother.

"They weren't horrible players", Samantha finished her sentence before turning to the young teacher. She smiled but looked very strikt at the same time, holding her broom in one and a whistle in the other hand.

"Very well. Let us begin the training that most of you have been waiting for. You can all chose a broom that is lying on the ground and stand next to it", she began but her last words were drowned out by the noise of the students, trying to get the best broom. Which would hardy make any difference since they all just sucked.

Samantha stood next to the broom nearest to the teacher and the trouble makers, hoping that they wouldn't hex her broom for her to make a fool out of herself. She watched them closely, but had to look away when Madame Hootch walked around, inspecting each student.

"Very well. Now lift your right hand over the broom and say 'up'. The broom will jump into your hand. Don't worry  if it doesn't work the first time."

The field was filled with all the students shouting: "Up! Up! UP!", and only a few managed to actually get the broom in their hands.

"Up", Samantha said nevously, but the broom didn't move at all. She could feel the breath of Sirius in her neck, who was chuckling to himself: "Oh no. Princess is scared of a broom. Should I get you a horse instead? Maybe with a white pureblood Prince on top of it? Or would that be inzest?"

Samantha felt the anger bubbling up inside of her. She wanted to be great at flying, to get into the Quidditch team and show that arrogant idiot that she was better than him. "Up!", she said again, this time with a firm voice and to her surprise, the broom actually jumped into her hand.

Now that she managed it, Sirius couldn't annoy her anymore, so he kept walking to help the other first years. The girl looked to her left to see that Regulus held a broom in his hand as well and both smiled at each other.

Even though flying with a broom was not close to flying as an actual bird, it was nice to actually feel the wind going through her hair and to feel this free in a human body. She felt like she had a little advance though due to the fact that she had been flying before. Some students got sick with the feeling, others were surprised by a stronger gust of wind and got thrown off their brooms, and many couldn't coordinate their brooms correctly.

Regulus and Samantha were one of the little students who were actually flying loops over the heads of the other students, much to the misfits of Sirius and James.

"We are so going to make the Quidditch team next year", Regulus laughed while he high-fived his best friend. She had never seen him this happy before. He seemed to be born for flying.

"Urgh, just seeing his face makes me sick",  Samantha said, sticking her tonge out when Sirius came into the great hall with the other boys and looked over to her and her best friend.
"Tell me about it. And that is supposed to be my brother", Regulus added, but instead of making a face, he didn't look at them at all, but focused on his eggs.

"Well I am actually glad about that because I only  got into a fight with you about Sirius when we met. And you, Reg, are the best friend I could ever hope for."
"You're making me blush, Sam", Regulus joked and but when Samantha cleared her throat, he added:" And of course you aren't too bad yourself. Your drawing skills are amazing and I like your hair. Is that enough compliments for the day?"

"Well you can always give me more if you feel like it", Samantha grinned, taking a bite out of her apple.

"You know that christmas is coming up soon", Regulus started after a short break, looking into the green eyes of his best friend, not sure how she would respond to his question. They had only been friends for 3 months but he felt like they truly bonded and his mother kept asking about her.

"Spill it, Black", Samantha said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Would you like to spend christmas with my family?", Regulus blurted out, anxious of the reaction she would give him.

"What? Really? I would love to! But do your parents agree? I thought they didn't like halfbloods?"

"Well the name "Prince" is actually known for their pure bloodline. I think you should be fine." Regulus quickly said, trying to still convince himself. His mother had a bad  temper when someone lied to her, but even worse when she had to talk to a halfblood, let alone a mudblood!

"Oh well if you insist."

"And the best part is that we get to constantly annoy Sirius", Regulus laughed and Samantha joined.

After that, all the two friends could talk about was how christmas was going to be.