Twin of Potter-Book One

Introductions and a Feast

Harry and I Flooed back to Dumbledore's office, Harry getting up from the floor and shooting me a nasty look. Trying not to giggle, I sat down across from Dumbledore. 

"Harry, you had probably go back to your common room now." Dumbledore said. Harry nodded and turned to leave. I grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.

"Harry, do you mind sitting next to me at the feast?" I asked. "And will you ask your friend to sit by me too?"

"Hermione? Sure and of course I will! Why wouldn't I?" Harry replied with a grin on his face.

"Thank you!" I said flinging myself on him in a hug. He stiffened slightly, then hugged me back tightly.

After Harry had left the room, Dumbledore turned to me.

"I have called the teachers together in the staff room to meet you before the feast, and we will need to leave in few minutes. Would you like to change into your robes?" Dumbledore asked. I nodded, and he pulled them out of my trunk. When I had changed he led me out of his office and through the lesser travelled hallways. I was careful to keep my head down so no one saw my face. He led me into a room full of adults all of whom were sitting around around a fire, chatting idly. I was sure they were all wondering why Dumbledore had called them together. Dumbledore sat me towards the back of the room where no one would notice me.

"Welcome staff. I have called you here to meet our new student." Dumbledore nodded at me and I walked towards to him. I turned to face the teachers. They all looked surprised, except one. He had a hooked nose and greasy hair. He looked at me with a mixture of shock, fear, anger, horror and something else that I couldn't figure out.

"Lily?" gasped a formidable looking woman with her brown-gray hair pulled back in a tight bun.

"How is this possible? I thought..." a tiny man trailed off, looking lost in thought. Then I saw the huge man towards the back. I compared him to the giant in my dream, realizing that the only difference was this man looked older. He looked shocked to see me standing here.

"This is not Lily, Minerva. This is Sarah Potter. I know what you are all thinking, and apparently we were wrong. The reason I have brought her here is to ask if any of you would be willing to help her catch up." Dumbledore said. They looked at each other finally they the one Dumbledore called 'Minerva' spoke.

"I will, Albus." she looked at me and smiled. I grinned back, glad to know she was capable of smiling. The greasy haired man still looked shocked. 

"I will too" the man I remembered to be Professor Lupin said.

"Thank you, Minerva and Remus. I think we had better head to the Great Hall now if we wish to make it there before the students." Dumbledore said. The teachers formed a kind of ring around me so as to protect me from being seen before it was time. When we reached the Hall, the teachers went to their seats and I sat on a seat hidden behind Dumbledore. Once, I peered around Dumbledore in curiosity,  immediately hiding behind him again, wishing I hadn't. The sight of all those kids filing into the hall almost made me sick. After what seemed like ages, Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we start the feast, I have an announcement. We have a new student, and I expect you to treat her exactly like you would any other new student." He turned and looked at me, and I took this to be my cue, and stood. "We will Sort her and then we will commence with the feast. May I present Ms.Sarah Potter." Several gasps rang through the Hall, whether from my name or my appearance, I don't know. I looked over to see Harry grinning at me, a ginger on his left, and a girl I assumed to be Hermione on his right. She smiled at me and waved. I smiled at both her and Harry, and sat on the stool. After several moments of silence from the Hat, it shouted to the Hall "GRYFFINDOR!" and the table Harry was sitting at exploded with applause.  I heard someone shout "Take that Slytherin! We got BOTH Potters now!" which made me giggle slightly as I walked towards the table. I sat down between Harry and Hermione. 

"Sarah, this is Hermione and Ron. Hermione, Ron, Sarah." Harry said.

"Do you have a soul?" I asked Ron.

"What?" he asked, startled.

"Do you have a soul?" I asked again, pointing at his hair this time. "Gingers aren't supposed to have souls."

"Oh. I do. I'm not so sure about Fred and George though. What about you?" he asked, eyebrow raised and a finger pointed at my hair.

"Ron! Of course she has a soul! She's my sister!" Harry told Ron. I looked at Hermione and raised my eyebrow. 

"Are they always this stupid?" I asked her jokingly.

"Pretty much." she replied laughing. "Want some chicken?"

I looked at the table. It was covered in food! "No thanks." I said. I grabbed a slice of ham and a roll. 

"Have you already eaten?" she asked me.

"Oh, no, not since a while ago, at the last house I passed that could spare a little bread." I told her.

"WHAT?" she shrieked. "Then you have to eat! No wonder you're so thin!"

"I'm not that thin. And I'll be fine. The ham and roll will be enough to get me by." I said.

"'Get you by'? What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just that I'll be full for the next couple of days." I said, mumbling and hoping she wouldn't hear me, but to no such luck.

"Oh no, you don't. You are going to eat everyday and at every meal if I have to force it down your throat." she whispered dangerously, piling more food on my plate.

"No! Hermione! I'm fine! Really! I've lived like this for seven years! I don't need to change now!" I whispered, trying to scrape the contents of my plate onto Harry's while Hermione tried to replace everything I got rid of.

"Sev-seven years?" she whispered, so shocked at this information she stopped trying to fill my plate. 

I silently cursed to myself,  I hadn't wanted anyone to know when I had left the orphanage. "Fine. I'll eat if that means you won't tell anyone what I just said. Okay?"

"Fine. I won't tell a soul." Hermione said, still shocked at the words I had uttered. I sighed. 

"If I make it through this year, I'll promise Hermione I'll never go hungry again." I thought. "This is going to be a long year."