After Zabini, Blaise was sorted into Slytherin, and Alarya was sat in between Percy Weasley and Elarion, with Ron opposite, the headmaster stood up. He was an old man with a very impressive white beard and twinkling blue eyes behind his half moon glasses.

The feast appeared, and everyone began eating. Alarya practically drooled.

They engaged in pleasant conversation before being given a cryptic warning about a third floor corridor and being told that entering the Forbidden Forest was not allowed. ("Funny that." Alarya had muttered. Elarion snorted). Then they were sent to bed.

Alarya was practically dead on her feet, and barely paid attention to the route before she had crashed on her bed and fallen asleep. The following morning, she awoke quite early, the sun barely just scraping the horizon. For some reason, she found that she never really needed as much sleep as others to feel rested, and could actually go a few days without sleep before needing to recharge. It was welcome, if she was honest.

She slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the window. They were overlooking the black lake and the forbidden forest. The clouds blushed an embarrassed red from where the rays of the sun warmed them, and the sky was as beautiful as she had ever seen it with hues of pink and orange and light blue.

Alarya simply sat and looked out until her dorm mates first began stirring and she went to have a shower. After washing with rose scented shampoo and conditioner, she changed into her school clothes and began packing her bag while the other girls got up. There was her, Lavender Brown, Parvarti Patil and Hermione Granger. It seemed that Lavender and Parvarti were already friends, and the two giggled together as they got ready for the day.

After packing her bag, she slipped out of the dorm and into the common room. Aside from a few older students, she was the only one up and so sat on an armchair by a window and pulled out her charms book. The relative peace she had found was destroyed when Fred and George sat beside her.

"Well if it isn't our favourite ickle firstie, Laryakins."

"Don't you have a first year brother?" She asked, closing her book. "And Laryakins?"

"What, you don't like it?" Fred (or who she believed to be Fred) asked innocently.

She rolled her eyes. "No i absolutely adore it. Truly brilliant."

And thus, she was christened Laryakins.

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The weeks passed by in a flurry of activity.

Between discovering a natural aptitude for charms and transfiguration (seriously, she transfigured the matchstick into a needle first try, and got the levitation charm immediately); making the quidditch team as youngest seeker of the century; and drawing in friends from all houses (bar Slytherin, no-one was interested in being her friend from Slytherin.), Alarya was blossoming.

Though, it was not all good.

In her first potions lesson, the professor asked her three questions which she later discovered were from the second year text book (Hermione Granger obviously still knew the answers) and she had lost a few points from Gryffindor for suggesting the sallow potions master ask Granger the answers, potions had officially become her least favourite lesson. She had no talent for it and no patience for the practice. Snape also made her feel uneasy, she would feel him watching her, and unless it was a trick of the light, it was only when he looked at her face that his eyes hardened and anger blazed.

Elarion, however, was a genius at potions. He seemed to have a natural aptitude for it, as well as he did Herbology. It was unsurprising, given the two directly correlated. It was a shame, however, that Neville Longbottom was so awful at potions given his incredible talent at Herbology.

Alarya quite liked Neville. He was a lovely boy, very shy and clumsy, but he had a heart of gold.

She was very disappointed with Defence against the Dark Arts, however. She absolutely loved her textbooks that she read over August, and couldn't wait for the lessons, but the room stank of garlic, and Quirrel had about as much stage presence as a sack of potatoes. He was uninspiring, and so she had taken to self study. She loved the subject, and just hoped that in the future she would find a teacher who could actually teach it.

She grew very close with Ron and Elarion, and made friends with the girls in her dorm (even Hermione was nice, once you got past the whole 'life is not worth living if I fail in any single exam'). She liked Dean and Seamus, and  met Parvati's ravenclaw twin, Padma and her friend Sue Li, and Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones of Hufflepuff.

She sat next to Theodore Nott in potions. He was quiet, but seemed like a decent enough person, and so she resolved to slowly whittle him down so that he would have no choice but to be her friend. Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass didn't seem too bad either.

Malfoy absolutely hated her, that much was clear. He made several loud comments about her parents and how she was a disappointment, but strangely enough, the only time he was caught was in potions when he remarked something about her mother's blood status. Snape didn't seem to like that.

They were slowly settling into a routine, and Alarya had owled Ron's little sister Ginny in the second week. Soon, they were exchanging regular owls, and apart from letters from Hagrid inviting her, Ron and Elarion down to his hut, they were the only correspondence she received.

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It was mid October after a transfiguration lesson when McGonagall held Alarya back after class.

"Is everything okay Professor?"

McGonagall surveyed the eleven year old in front of her. She had started to gain a little more weight, yet was still concerningly thin. The Professor softened whenever she looked into those eyes, and she knew that many of her colleagues felt the same - not necessarily because they were James' eyes, but because they emanated something angelic and calming.

"Sit down, Potter." She gestures to the chair in front of her desk. "I would like you to see madame pomfrey, the matron, and see if we can get you on nutrient potions." She said bluntly.

The girls eyes widened. "T-there's really no need Professor. I'm fine..."

McGonagall softened visibly. "Dear, you are thin, very thin. Madame Pomfrey will be able to help you. And I'm sure that once you have reached a healthy weight you will grow too." Despite being thin, the girl was also very small. All in all, she wasn't in the best way, and other professors had noticed. The professors all loved the girl, particularly Flitwick, who was astonished with her talent in his subject. McGonagall was speaking to her as her head of house, true, but also as the honorary grandmother James and Lily made her when Alarya was born.

Those deep blue eyes had once sparkled with happiness and light when she was a baby, yet they had dimmed considerably. However, over the weeks, with good friends and comfort, they had slowly begun to brighten. It was heartwarming to watch.

It also made McGonagall want to brutally murder and decapitate those who had dimmed those eyes in the first place, though she would never admit it.

"Please, Alarya, go to Madame Pomfrey."

The girl nodded. She then hesitated, "Professor.... did you know my parents?"

Five words. Five words which sent McGonagall into a series of memories. Memories of a fiery red head insulting a deep blue eyed, bespectacled dark haired boy while he professed his undying love for her over breakfast. Memories of the pure love that shone in their eyes on their wedding day. Memories of the happiness that had emanated from the tired couple when they introduced their newborn daughter.

McGonagall swallowed thickly. "Yes. Yes I did."

Alarya sensed the swirling storm of emotions in her usually stern Professor and so simply nodded and stood. "I'll see Madame Pomfrey after dinner. Thanks Professor."

She was almost out of the door when McGonagall stood and said softly, "they would be proud of you, Alarya. So very proud."

And, Alarya thought as she walked to the hospital wing that night, those two sentences ringing in her ears, that McGonagall truly didn't understand how much that knowledge meant to her, or, she thought, maybe McGonagall actually did.

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The matron was absolutely lovely, and had put her on a strict nutrient potion schedule for a month. Madame Pomfrey spent the entire time grumbling about children 'not being taken care of' and how Alarya was 'such a poor dear'.

Ron and Elarion had taken it upon themselves to personally ensure that she adhered to the schedule. It was rather like having two mother hens fluttering over her.

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Halloween seemed to be a day of great celebration to almost all in the castle. Almost all.

The professors and several of the students didn't ignore how it was also the day that Alarya Potter lost all; the day that Lily and James Potter were murdered and Voldemort was 'vanquished'.

Alarya had been subdued the whole day, and instead of trying to cheer her up, Ron and Elarion helped her find places of quiet and just sat with her, talking about inconsequential things, reminding her wordlessly that they were there.

She had never truly mourned her parents- she had mourned the thought of them, but she didn't even know the date of their death until hagrid told her. And now, she actually had something to mourn. For she had never felt closer to them than she did at Hogwarts.

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Elarion nudged his best friend at the feast in the great hall. It hasn't escaped him how she was merely pushing her food around her plate. She looked to him and he nodded his plate towards her food.

She shrugged. "I'm not hungry." Before returning her eyes back to her lap.

Ron gave him a look as if to say, "just give her time and don't push her," so he nodded lightly before turning back to conversing with Neville.

Up at the staff table, many eyes were on the Potter girl. Dumbledore's, Sprout's, McGonagalls and Flitwicks were full of pity and concern, while Snapes eyes were full of an indiscernible emotion, and Quirrels were hardened. He quickly excused himself from the staff table, with only Snape and Dumbledore taking any notice.

It was fifteen minutes later when Quirrel returned.

"TROLL! In the dungeon! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" He panted.

Alarya sat up straight at this.

"Thought you ought to know." He then fainted forwards.

Pandemonium erupted. It was only when Dumbledore called for silence that it was given.

"Remain calm. I would like Professor Sinstra to accompany the Ravenclaws back to their tower, and Madame Hooch the Gryffindors to theirs. Slytherin and Hufflepuff will remain in here for safety reasons and you will be sealed in. Once the troll is dealt with and no longer near your common rooms can you go back to your houses. The rest of the teachers will follow me to the dungeons."

Alarya was doing a mental headcount as they left the great hall. "Where's Hermione?" She whispered anxiously to Elarion and Ron, each who had her sandwiched between them for protection.

They both shrugged and looked around to see if they could spot their fellow first year.

"Er- Madame Hooch?" Elarion asked.

"Yes?" The Professor replied without turning back as they continued towards the tower.

"We don't know where our friend is."

"I am sure they will turn up, and if not, the other teachers will soon find them. Do not worry."

The trio exchanged incredulous looks.

They then ducked into an alcove when no-one was looking.

"We can't just do nothing." Alarya whispered.

Ron and Elarion nodded assuredly.

"Where could she be?" Ron asked.

"Let's try the girls loos. I'm fairly certain she left the feast for a wee and clearly just never came back."Alarya responded as they slunk down the halls in the right direction.

Their senses were assaulted with a putrid smell.

"Oh bloody hell." Ron muttered as they watched the troll enter the girls bathroom.

"Brilliant." Elarion intoned sarcastically.

"Quick!" Alarya whisper-yelled. Without hesitation, they charged towards the girls bathroom and straight in, only running even quicker when they heard a loud scream and a smash.

"Hermione move!!" Ron shouted as they spied the girl hiding under a sink. Alarya took advantage of the trolls momentary distraction to run towards Hermione and pull her up. They weren't quick enough, and the red head pushed the bookworm towards Elarion who ushered her close to the door. Alarya, however, had to dodge a club swinging at her head (which she did with remarkable speed) and try and get around the foul creature. Unfortunately, she was cornered.

"Find a weakness Alarya!" Elarion shouted.

"The eyes!" She exclaimed, before throwing bits of debris at its face as it slowly advanced.

It growled and made to swing.

"OI! PEA BRAIN!"

Alarya had never been so glad to hear Ron's voice. She quickly slipped through its legs and skidded towards her friends.

The troll did not like that she had escaped, and advanced on the four.

"Quick!" Alarya shouted. "We can levitate that bit of sink and knock it out!" Hermione stepped up beside them and readied her wand.

On three, they chanted the incantation and lifted the sink higher and higher before dropping it.

It hit the trolls head with a scorning crunch, and they had to step back to avoid getting flattened.

The four looked between each other with bewildered expressions.

"Did that just happen?" Ron asked, dazed.

They burst out into hysterical laughter, even Hermione.

It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

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Hope you all enjoyed!

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