Chapter 1: Snakes and Lions

The door to a large bedroom slowly opened and a small figure quietly crept inside, making sure to not wake the boy in the bed. A girlish giggle was emitted from the intruder and she quickly tried to stifle it behind her hands. The mischievous smile never left her face as she climbed on top of the bed.

She took a deep breath. "JAMES! TIME TO GET UP! WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!" She then proceeded to jump on the bed and pull at his blankets eagerly in an attempt to rouse the boy.

James screamed in surprise and fell off his bed. The girl laughed and stopped jumping, letting herself drop into a sitting position, her chin lowering to rest in her hand as her elbow rested on her knee.

James untangled himself from his blanket and stood up, glaring at the girl; his hair sticking up at all ends. "Emily, must you do that every morning?"

Emily placed a hand over her heart and looked offended. "James, if you have to ask then you must not know me at all." She brightened and smiled. "But yes, I do."

He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his disheveled black hair. "Why can't you be shy like all the other girls your age? Shy and quiet."

"Psh, what eleven-year-old girls have you been meeting that acts like that?" She got off the bed and crossed her arms. "And if I was like that then I wouldn't be Emily Potter, future Gryffindor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She lifted her arm as if holding up a sword. "I will rise above all others to become the greatest witch in the world!"

James rolled his eyes and fell back onto his bed with a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before. You'll be at the top of your class, be on the Quidditch team, become a Prefect, then Head Girl, and be the prettiest girl in Hogwart's history." He smirked up at her. "But there are a couple of flaws in your plan."

She tilted her head to the side. "What flaws?"

"You have the attention span of a bug, you have horrible reflexes, you love to break rules even more than me, and with hair like this," He reached up and pulled on a lock of her messy black hair, a dismal result of being born as a Potter and getting the famous unmanageable hair. "You'll never be the prettiest girl.

Emily hit his hand away. "That will all change when I find a group of girl to be my friends who can show me how to fix this rats' nest. You and dad are no help whatsoever, you two just get up and leave your hair the way it is, I, on the other hand, have to battle with my hairbrush every morning." She groaned and ran a hand over her face. "Why oh why couldn't I get mum's pretty straight hair?!"

James rolled his eyes and sat up. "Go pity yourself somewhere else." He got up and pushed her out of his room. "And while you're at it, go make yourself useful and make sure my breakfast's ready for me." He slammed the door after her.

"Well someone is a little grumpy this morning!" She said loudly. "I would think you would be happy to go back to school. And grateful that I took up the job to wake you up so nicely."

"Get lost Em!" James yelled through the door.

She rolled her eyes and headed downstairs to the kitchen, bouncing happily, feeling excited for her upcoming first year.

"It's going to be great."

"This is not great."

Emily glared out the train window, trying to ignore the four twelve year old boys in the compartment.

"Maybe you should stop complaining and go away." James said, not looking away from his cards as he played Exploding Snap with his best mate, Sirius Black.

Emily pouted. "But the girls were mean to me, they made fun of me."

"Girls can be very cruel." A brown haired, amber-eyed boy named Remus Lupin said quietly, giving her a smile. Emily smiled at him and he looked away. Emily tilted her head and watched him curiously, wondering why he was so shy.

"Yeah, no doubt they'd be cruel after they saw that you share the Potter curse." Sirius smirked, causing Emily to turn her attention to him and glare. "Maybe you should just shave your head and start all over again." The black haired boy suggested.

"She already tried that." James laughed. "People started to think she was my twin when it was short."

Emily mock sobbed. "That was so horrible. How could anyone mistake me for that?" She pointed to James with a disgusted look on her face.

"Is that any way to talk to your older brother?" He asked, pretending to look hurt.

She nodded. "It is when that same brother was the one to tell his adorable, innocent nine year old little sister, who never did anything to him, to shave her head."

James snorted. "You, innocent? Remind me again who put snakes in my bed on my birthday?"

Sirius gapped at her. "You put snakes in his bed?!"

Emily shrugged. "They were only garden snakes, and I thought they were a wonderful birthday present, who doesn't like snakes?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You're sitting in a compartment full of Gryffindors and you ask if we like snakes?" He looked at James. "Is your sister right in the head?"

"No." James said immediately.

Emily glared at him, but gave up and looked back at Sirius when her wish for James to burst into flames didn't come true. "Just because the snake is the representative for Slytherin House doesn't mean they're evil. A snake could kill someone just as easily as a lion could. It's animal instinct, attack whatever is weaker so that it can get their meal."

"Snakes eat people?" The fourth boy, a glassy eyed boy with mousy blond hair, Peter Pettigrew, asked, his eyes wide.

"Well…no." Emily murmured. "But that just proves my point further. A lion will not hesitant to make you its meal if you're not fast enough, while snakes only attack when provoked."

"Maybe with animals, but we're in people world." Sirius interrupted. "Snakes and lions in Hogwarts may be based off the real thing, but are so not the same."

Emily smiled at him. "Thank you for agreeing with me Sirius. The animals aren't the same as the people in the Houses. You're all being judgmental against snakes because you don't like Slytherin."

Sirius flushed and looked down. "Fine, I don't like snakes because they remind me of that bloody House."

Emily smiled in satisfaction and leaned back in her seat. "Well I don't care that they're a reminder of Slytherin. I like snakes."

"Are you saying you want to be a Slytherin?" James asked in surprised.

"Of course not!" She said affronted, getting to her feet to stand over James. "I want to be a Gryffindor, but I just don't see why every person put into Slytherin is labeled as evil, even though," she said quickly as Sirius opened his mouth. "Most who do get sorted there are pureblooded children with the idea that they are greater than everyone. All I'm saying is that they can't all be bad."

Sirius shook his head sadly. "Naïve little first year, how quickly you will learn."

Emily rolled her eyes and opened the door, looking back to the boys over her shoulder. "I'm sure I will. Now, I'm gonna go and give finding new people to sit with. I'm finding all of you to be very boring."

"Us? Boring?" Sirius asked shocked. "Surly you jest, for there is no others whose presence is as pleasurable as ours."

"I jest not." She returned. "And if you're going to keep talking like that then I'm going to be glad that I'm gone and don't have to suffer through it."

Sirius glared and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked, bringing her attention to him.

"Like I said, I'm going to go and find better and more pleasurable company." She threw and sarcastic grin at Sirius and he gave her a look.

"That better not mean you're going to go and look for boys." James said sternly.

"Oh, I never thought of going to find boys." She said slyly. "I was going to find some gal pals, but thanks so much for the idea. See you all later, boys." She closed the door before he could protest.

Emily bounced on the balls of her feet, waiting anxiously for Professor McGonagall, who she hoped would soon be her Head of House, to call her up to be sorted.

I wonder how long I'll take. I am a very complex person, so maybe a while, although too quick would make me seem eager. Oh who cares, there is just so much I can accomplish after this. I will be top in my class, no one will stand in my way, and when I'm old enough I will dazzle everyone with my athletic abilities and beauty…that will one day come… Stupid hair and lanky body! Why can't I look like mother?!

Although her mother wasn't a young beauty like most mothers with children Emily and James's age, seeing as Emily and James were born late in their parents' life, Emily saw pictures of her mother when she was young and hoped she would one day obtain Mrs. Potter's straight hair and pretty face as she grew older.

Is it too much to ask to be seen as a pretty girl instead of a girly looking James? To want to be better than everyone else?

"Potter, Emily."

Emily snapped out of her thoughts when McGonagallcalled her name and calmly sat on the stool, heart beating wildly when the older witch lifted the hat and placed it on her head. It was on for a few seconds that felt like a lifetime to Emily before it spoke in a small voice.

"Ah… so much ambition." It paused before yelling out. "SLYTHERIN!"

The hat was lifted and Emily's frantic eyes searched the Gryffindor table for her brother. His face reflected her shock, but when he caught her eyes his face darkened and he looked away. Emily shivered and slowly got off the stool, making her way to her new House table. She kept her face blank and sat, bowing her head, and couldn't help but letting one ironic thought enter her mind.

Well…You do love snakes.