AN: So, I'm incredibly late once again. But, this time I have a good reason! (I think?) I am currently staying with my best friend who I only get to see once a year because she decided it was a great idea to move clear across the country. (Unfortunately, I can't blame her since, while I've been here, I've fallen in love with the place too...damn.)

AN2: I am so sorry about this. If you tried to read the chapter yesterday when I posted you will notice that the formatting was somehow included. Think I fixed it, but let me know if it's still glitchy.

Chapter Four

She was nervous. She would never admit to it, had made sure that she suppressed her fidgeting hands and tapping toes, but the twins had seen her restlessness steadily increasing as they approached Hogwarts. Their friend, Lee, who had hunted them down halfway through the ride, showing up and lecturing them on forgetting about him, didn't know her tells. He hadn't spent practically the entire summer staying in an apartment with her, but he could read Fred and George, and he could see how worried they were getting about her. In the end, by the time the train had stopped, the three older boys were acting completely ridiculous, trying to make her laugh and relax enough to stop worrying.

It hadn't really helped, but it was sweet all the same.

And, now, she was here, on the edges of the group of other ten year olds, staring up at the massive stone castle that would be their home for ten months out of the year, for the next six years.

It was frightening. It was exhilarating.

It was the beginning she had never dared to hope for. As she stared up at Hogwarts, ignoring the blond that was glaring at her, ignoring the redhead that was apparently her twins' brother as he chattered away in her ear, she smiled softly. For the moment, her worry, her anxiety, disappeared. Still, as the Transfiguration Professor, McGonagall, led them through the doors and into the Great Hall, the wonder couldn't hold those feelings back any longer, and she twisted her fingers into the excess fabric at the end of her sleeves, safely hidden from view in her pockets.

She tried to pay attention to the Headmaster's speech, but her gaze continued to be drawn back to the strange hat on a stool in front of the table. It wasn't until Dumbledore was sitting, and the hat's brim stretched and opened and it started to sing, that she realized that her mouth had dropped open. She snapped her jaw shut so quickly that her teeth clacked together, but Hettie straightened and smoothed out any expression she might have dropped into, just in time for McGonagall to step up and start calling out names, drawing the rest of the Hall's attention back to the huddled First Years by the door.

It was torture.

Hettie knew her name would probably be at least halfway through the others, obviously as it started with "P". Still, she would be happy if it would be just a bit quicker. Some kids only took a moment, others took up 5 minutes to be decided. Either way, it felt like ages before "Potter, Hettie" was called.

Hettie walked forward, trying to not show her annoyance at the whispering that followed her up to the front of the Hall.

"That's her?" "Do you see the scar?" "The Girl-Who-Lived?"

She could practically hear the hyphens in the title, and she was no happier about it, and her fame, then she had been two months ago when she found out that she was famous for surviving her parents' murder.

As she sat on the small stool, and felt the ratty hat dropped onto her head, blocking out her view of everything around her and squishing her beanie, she fumed at the drop of Black from her name. She had mailed the school back after receiving her letter, accepting her place and requesting that they update their roster to include the name she inherited with her second title. Apparently, that was too much to ask for.

"Oh? What's this?" a voice asked, echoing in her head with a strange misty quality that reminded her of her 'Dex. "You are very angry, Miss Potter."

"Potter-Black," she snapped, under her breath and barely moving her lips.

"I see. Yes, Miss Potter-Black, you know your mind. And what a mind it could be. However," it continued before she could do more than make a soft, insulted sound. Her mind was fine, thanks very much, and she was capable of researching and learning whatever she intended to, as evidenced by her two month long information binge over the summer whenever the twins couldn't sneak out to see her. "Ravenclaw would not suit you, I don't think. No matter how well you can learn when interested in the topic," it finished, obviously amused. "Hufflepuff is out as well. You are loyal. When you want to be, at least. Not quite what Helga was looking for, though. Slytherin, though. Yes," the Hat said, contemplative. "You could do as well in Slytherin as you could in Gryffindor. Better, perhaps. If you only let yourself. That mind of yours, it twists and turns like Salazar's arbok, and the defenses you have would give anyone pause. I doubt Slytherin himself could read you, should you decide to play one of your masks in front of him."

Hettie stiffened, narrowing her eyes. "Gryffindor if you please."

"Oh? But you would do so well in Slytherin. Your cunning really does eclipse your bravery, no matter what the masses may think of you and your legend."

"My twins are in Gryffindor. They might not care, but being sorted into Slytherin would put far too many eyes on me. I will not abide that level of scrutiny, no matter what I might gain from going there over Gryffindor. No," she said firmly, concentrating to practically shout it in her mind to reaffirm her position. She smirked a bit when the Hat jumped at the sudden exclamation. "I will be in Gryffindor. Thank you."

The Hat sighed. "If you insist. Really Slytherin would be much more suited. Still, try not to lose yourself in the pyroar's mask during your time here, won't you? I hope you are satisfied with Gryffindor!" it finished with a shout to the room.

The red and gold table, topped with a matching banner of a roaring male pyroar, burst into applause and happy shrieks. Fred and George jumped to their feet, cheering, and scooted far enough apart that she could edge in between them while McGonagall waited for the raucous to abate. Hettie traded pleased smiles with her twins, watching in awe as her black Hogwarts sweater melted into a deep crimson with gold threading and a golden crest over the left breast that matched the banner above her head as she sat at the table.

"We're happy you're here," George said softly in her ear, voice just loud enough she could hear it with the noise of the Hall reverberating around them as he pressed up against her.

"Ecstatic really," Fred grinned, swinging an arm around her shoulders, just as cautious of being overheard as his brother. "So, seriously, don't take this the wrong way, but…" He trailed off, trying to figure out the wording so that she didn't get irritated, until George huffed at him over her head. "Why are you here?"

To their mutual relief, Hettie just rolled her eyes. "Ask any harder, and I'll start thinking you really aren't happy that I'm in Gryffindor."

She couldn't help the giggle, muffled as best she could manage due to the last bit of the Sorting, when they immediately stumbled over each other to reassure her. By the time the food had appeared on each of the four tables, after "Zabini, Blaise" had been sorted into Slytherin, they had calmed, scowling at her lightly for the teasing.

"We know you, Hettie," Fred finally said after they had grabbed some food, letting everyone around them get consumed in dinner and leaving them free of most evesdroppers. "You can fake brave and reckless well enough, we saw that this summer."

"But you're far more calculating than anyone else in this House," George added. "Your mind was meant for Slytherin, or Ravenclaw at the least. You would have had to fight to get here."

"Which can only explain how long you were under the Hat."

"Please," she said, actually getting irritated that they were making such a big deal out of it. "Like the two of you shouldn't have been in Slytherin, too. Your pranking shows how creative and cunning you can be, so don't even try." When Fred opened his mouth, she practically hissed at him, making it snap shut. "If you two can choose Gryffindor, so can I. So leave it," she finished harshly, turning resolutely to her dinner when she saw the comprehension in their eyes.

She hadn't really wanted them to realize that she had followed them here, hadn't wanted them to realize just how hard she was clinging to this new connection, but it wasn't the worst thing that they had. So, she ignored their happy expressions, the grins they traded over her head, the way they pressed closer to her briefly. Instead, she brought up one of the issues they needed to tweak in a prank, restarting an argument they had had fifty times over the last two months, no one able to sway the others to their view, and quickly pulling Lee into it. Despite only having met him earlier that day, Hettie was predisposed to liking him because of his friendship with the twins. Still, they definitely needed to get used to each other, since he hadn't even known that they knew each other before the train ride, and she was still leery of practically everyone.

The next morning, as Hettie fought against heavy limbs and a sluggish mind, she thought that her little distraction the night before may have worked a little too well. The discussion had been lively throughout the rest of dinner, lasting through the march to the dorms, and well into the night. She could only give a sigh of relief as she turned over, burying her head in her pillow, that it was Sunday, and she still had another day before classes began. Finally, though, she huffed and rose, the noise from the common room echoing up the stone stairwell, keeping her from sleeping any longer. A quick shower, followed by dressing in clothing nearly identical to the night before, save for the short sleeved now Gryffindor tee under a black hoodie and no beanie in deference to her wet hair, and she was down the stairs, her 'Dex bobbing along happily behind her.

She had had some warning that the common room would be rowdy, with how much noise had escaped to draw her from her bed, but turning from the base of the stairwell and fully into the room itself was like a blast of noise and color directly. Hettie couldn't help the slight stumble at the shock and blinked rapidly to adjust, even as her eyes darted about the room, trying to see if her twins had waited for her despite the later time.

"Hettie!"

Her head automatically snapped towards the shout, and she smiled in relief.

"Lee," she called back, trotting over to him and handily dodging anyone who seemed to be trying to get her attention.

"Fred and George left me here to wait for you while they raided the kitchens," he answered her unspoken question as soon as she was in range. "They figured that we could all eat outside and give you a quick tour before classes tomorrow." He paused, searching her face for any indications of what she was thinking, before continuing hesitantly. "Is that alright?"

Hettie nodded quickly. "Sounds good. You know where we're meeting?"

Lee smiled back, visibly relaxing, obviously not able to read her quite yet. "Yep. Just follow me," he said, motioning her towards the portrait and out into the corridor.

He led her down the winding stone hallways and staircases and out onto the expansive lawn that sprawled right up to the large forest behind the school that bumped up against the mountains to the west and further north and the ocean to the east.

"We're up above Mt Moon, right?" she asked, gazing at the amazing scenery, the massive castle simply adding to the beauty.

Lee nodded, turning closer towards the mountains and skirting the edge of the woods. "Yep. We're about as far north as you can possibly get and still be in Kanto. Thanks to the mountains, which are practically unpassable from above, and the rough seas right off the coast here, Hogwarts is basically the safest place you could be if we get into another skirmish with Johto or Sinnoh."

"That's not likely to happen, though," Hettie said quickly, turning to him. "It's been years since anything of note has happened between the countries, since before we were born at least. Don't you think it's more prudent to worry about the organizations within Kanto, like Team Hallow or something?"

Lee jerked, surprised that she would bring up Grindelwald's followers so openly, and spoke slowly when he responded, "I suppose, but it's not like Team Hallow are really relevant anymore. I mean, Grindelwald's sectioned away in Nurmengard, no one can go see him easily, so his followers are either laying low, or in prison with him."

Hettie froze. "I thought that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald the night my parents died."

Lee nodded, and sprawled onto the grass, the two having arrived at a small clearing unseen from the main yard of the school, encircled by trees on three sides and backed against a small cliff overlooking the thin beach below.

"He did, and they gave him a trial and imprisoned him in Nurmengard, along with his pokemon, for three life sentences."

Hettie swallowed, eyes blanking flitting across the clearing as she sat across from him.

"So, Grindelwald and most of his followers are in the same prison, along with their pokemon?"

Lee winced and nodded, starting to look a bit frantically towards the small path into the clearing, wishing the twins would hurry up and get here. This discussion had not been on his to do list, and he was in no way prepared for it. He pulled out his pokeball, grasping for something to distract her.

"Would you like to meet my starter? George mentioned how much you like pokemon," he finished, somewhat desperately.

Hettie blinked, focusing back on him, and nodded. "Sure, what do you have?"

"This is my croconaw," he grinned, tossing the pokeball high.

The water type appeared from the ball, immediately crouching down and growling, eyes focusing on the only stranger in the area.

"Coral, no," he spoke firmly and she immediately straightened, waddling to him and crawling onto his lap as best she could.

Hettie laughed as Lee sputtered, Coral was about average size for a croconaw, only about 3 and a half feet and just over 50 pounds, but that was definitely still enough to be a significant hindrance as she tried to get as much on her eleven year old trainer's lap as possible. Hettie cautiously scooted closer, watching the croconaw for any signs of anxiety, but the water type seemed perfectly happy to let her approach as Lee stroked his hand down the spines along her back that she was obviously named for. At Lee's nod, Hettie, slowly extended her hand, allowing Coral to take in her scent, only for her to perk up and practically jump into Hettie's lap.

And so, the scene the twins walked in on was Hettie sputtering on the ground with Coral draped across her making happy noises as she rubbed her head against Hettie's, and Lee laughing hysterically and collapsed on the ground beside them.

Fred and George paused for a moment, both Bobs freezing beside their feet where the two monfernoes had been helping by carrying a basket like their trainers were. Then, when Hettie seemed to just give in, wrapping her arms around the pokemon on her lap as best she could and rubbing the damp scales gently, they too collapsed, practically howling in laughter as they tried to set down their baskets without damaging anything and mostly succeeding. The Bobs, on the other hand, carefully lowered their load, then pounced on top of Coral, chittering happily as they reunited with their water friend and their new human friend at the same time.

Finally, they calmed down enough to actually sit in a loose circle, putting the food in the middle of their conglomerate of four humans and three pokemon. As they sat and ate and laughed, Hettie looked around the circle of her first friends, and grinned to herself, hiding it behind her water bottle. Fred saw it, catching her eye from across the group and smiled widely, looking so completely goofy and human that she couldn't help the laugh that spilled from her, making the others join in.

She couldn't quite picture the rest of her time here, so many years in the future, but, in this moment, she was sure that as long as she had these boys and her pokemon everything would be amazing.