Once people receive their letter to Hogwarts, being sorted is the most enjoyable, nerve-racking, and exciting time. It is the first time they will walk through the Great Hall, the first time they will see the castle, ride the train. My experience was incredibly different to everyone else. I didn’t go on the train; I didn’t see the castle for the first time. I was already living there. I waited like every year with the Grey Lady in Ravenclaw Tower to watch the boats arrive at the castle. The exception this year was that I was to meet Professor McGonagall at the entrance so that I could join all the other students. My robes were neatly pressed and a little too big, my hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. As I slipped into the group, I made one of the girls jump, I said “didn’t you know I’m one of the poltergeists.” She didn’t seem pleased.

As we walked into the Great Hall I noticed the people I knew, Tonks & Charlie, then Fred and George who gave me two thumbs up for good luck. My uncle had given me strict instructions not to look at him when getting sorted and to clear my mind so I just concentrated on listening to the instructions. Nobody had ever called me by my actual name before so this was going to be something very different. In actual fact I wasn’t sure what they were going to call me.

Professor McGonagall held out her list and adjusted her glasses, she then looked at me and said “Louisa Snape”. There was no way I could be uncertain, especially as there were only two more girls left in the group. I won’t say that I practiced the sorting ceremony but I imagined it a lot. All I heard was a ripple of SNAPE echo around the hall. I was actually more afraid that I would trip on the steps and make a fool of myself. That didn’t happen. I sat down and I remember the sorting hat saying “You are a Riddle” I couldn’t work out if it meant my father’s surname or because I was a puzzle. I decided it meant a puzzle. “what are you good at? – mmm” It seemed to take a long time. Perhaps many say that. “no not Hufflepuff, though you are kind. Intelligent but not a Ravenclaw, a descendent but Slytherin will not bring out your best I think you are better in GRYFFINDOR”

For everyone else there had been a huge amount of applause. But there was a moment of shock for me. If they had known I was actually a Snape-Riddle not a Snape it may have been even worse so I took what I got. The clapping only started when Professor Dumbledore and the teachers were all smiling (including my uncle). I looked up and he gave me the smile that said “just like her”. He meant my mother. I always think that every woman that he ever loved got put into Gryffindor.

As the feast began, I had never seen so much food. It was very overwhelming. All the talk and so, so, so many questions. Are you related to Professor Snape? Are you his daughter? Are you a pure-blood? Are you a half-blood? Why aren’t you in Slytherin? Is he going to be angry with you? etc, etc, etc… I had prepared myself a bit but after a while I was getting it from other tables. I was so happy to see Sir Nicholas. He found me at the table,

“Ah Louisa, finally a Hogwarts student! And a Gryffindor! Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Sir,” I said.

Many of the first years weren’t sure what to make of the ghosts, to be honest I quite enjoyed having them around. We went up to the dormitories and settled in.

It would be nice to say that I finally had a place within Hogwarts. I was with Charlie and Fred and George, but I didn’t feel like I had a place for a very long time. My whole first year was spent ducking and diving out of the way of people wanting to be my friends because they were sure I was supposed to be in a different house. There were people that wanted to be best friends with me because they thought it would get them an Outstanding in Potions and when they realised it wouldn’t they dumped me. The Slytherins called me a traitor and decided there was something wrong with me.

I couldn’t handle being with so many people so I would stay in my old room, where it was nice and quiet, I got told off a lot for doing that, so I compromised and made a bed for myself by the fire in the Gryffindor common room. It was cosy like at Arber’s. It’s where I caught Fred and George coming and goings on.

To get away from people I would use some of my secret passageways under the castle and it turned out to be quite effective when going from class to class. I showed some of my better friends but I would mostly do it on my own. I think Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore wanted me to make more friends than I was so I made more of an effort but being related to one of the most talked about teachers in school is exhausting.