She walked slowly down the aisle between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw long tables, her gaze sweeping calmly across her surroundings.
Most of the Ravenclaws kept their heads down, minding their own business, though a few looked up with a flicker of curious, probing interest before returning to their studies.
The majority of the Slytherins cast haughty, contemptuous glances at her as she passed, as if she were a bug on the floor. Others ignored her entirely, casually murmuring to their neighbors. The angry blonde girl from earlier belonged to the latter group, and the people sitting near her seemed to form the core of the house.
Maintaining a placid expression, Camelia walked to the end of the long table and took a calm seat amidst the looks of disgust and disdain from the girls beside her.
"Bloody Muggle-born," she heard the girl next to her say with malice, receiving a look of utter loathing when she glanced over—the kind of look one reserves for something filthy.
Camelia’s gaze swept indifferently past her and back to the ongoing Sorting ceremony. Indifference and cold treatment were sometimes powerful weapons, as well as the best defense. She had always remembered the "teachings" of her father, Glas Greengrass.
"You—" Libby Macmillan felt a burning wave of humiliation and fury. She had actually been ignored by a filthy Muggle-born! How infuriating! Her expression twisted beyond her control, and had they not been in public, a curse would have already flown from the tip of her wand.
*Just you wait, Greengrass!* she cursed viciously in her mind.
Lily glanced over toward Camelia with a worried frown. Though she couldn't make out the specifics, she had a strong feeling that the Slytherins weren't welcoming Camelia at all. Camelia gave her a reassuring look, which eased her mind a little.
But she didn't have the luxury of worrying for long, because Professor McGonagall had already called her name.
"Lily Evans!"
"Oh! Her name is Lily, what a lovely and charming name!"
As Lily walked toward the stool, she heard that simpering voice and knew instantly it belonged to Potter.
She forced herself not to roll her eyes rudely in front of Professor McGonagall. Slowly, she sat down and picked up the Sorting Hat, placing it on her head.
The hat barely touched her head before it shouted, "Gryffindor!"
Lily was momentarily stunned, but she quickly recovered, blushing as she took off the hat and walked over to sit at the Gryffindor long table.
"So your name is Lily! Such a brilliant name!" Seeing her sit down, Potter squeezed eagerly into the space beside her, bubbling with excitement.
"Shut up!" Lily muttered in a low, exasperated voice, casting cautious glances around. Unfortunately, the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables were the farthest apart, situated on opposite sides of the Great Hall, otherwise Lily wouldn't have had to face this annoying Potter all by herself. It was infuriating.
Seeing that Lily had been sorted into Gryffindor, the stone hanging in Severus's chest finally dropped. Though he wasn't surprised, he still felt a tinge of disappointment, which quickly faded. He cast a regretful glance at Lily, who was interacting impatiently with Potter, and then turned his attention to Camelia.
Camelia's expression was calm, though it held a hint of unease and anticipation.
Soon enough: "Severus Snape!"
Severus clenched his hands at his sides, straightened his back, and strode up to the stool to sit down before picking up the Sorting Hat and placing it on his head.
The hat lingered on Severus's head for a moment before shouting, "Slytherin!"
*Another unknown Muggle-born. The nobility of Slytherin is about to be trampled to dust by these bloody Muggle-borns!* Camelia could almost hear those words echoing down the Slytherin table.
Severus let out a soft breath of relief. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he walked toward the Slytherin table and saw the platinum-blonde youth sitting at the head of the table extend a hand toward him, saying with aristocratic mildness, "Welcome to Slytherin. You will get what you want."
Blue and black eyes locked for a moment, then the black eyes dropped to look at their clasped hands. "Thank you."
The handshake was brief, broken almost as soon as it formed.
Severus nodded to him and walked over to sit beside Camelia.
*After the only heir of the Princes disappeared, she seemed to have married a Muggle named Snape,* Lucius Malfoy thought casually, wondering if the boy had inherited the Prince family's talent for Potions.
***
There weren't many students entering this year, and the sorting finished quickly. Most were sorted into Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, a small fraction into Ravenclaw, and a tiny few into Slytherin, including Camelia and Severus.
"Well, young wizards and witches, the Sorting ceremony is officially concluded. Let us raise our voices together in the school song!" An elderly wizard with silver hair and a beard tied into a bow, wearing half-moon spectacles and sky-blue robes patterned with stars, stood up and made the announcement after introducing the professors present.
With a wave of his wand, lines of text unfurled in the air for everyone to see.
"Now, pick any tune you like, and let's sing!"
All around, various tunes rose into the air. The Slytherins mostly recited the lyrics in the manner of spoken poetry, while Camelia and Severus quietly read the words in identical, flat tones.
The chorus ended swiftly. At Dumbledore's announcement that the feast was ready, platters and bowls of delicious food materialized out of thin air on the long tables.
Delighted, Camelia stood up to reach for a roasted lamb chop in front of her, only to grab empty air. Turning her head, she saw Libby looking at her with a malicious, mocking grin. "Mudbloods belong in the trash."
Camelia slowly withdrew her hand from midair, her eyes fixed on Libby with a dark, unfathomable gaze.
For a split second, Libby felt a chill run down her spine under that stare. But when she looked closer, Camelia had already lowered her gaze and sat back down, quietly eating only from the single plate directly in front of her, just like Severus.
Smugly, Libby picked up the roasted lamb chop she had been eyeing and tossed it into a nearby wastebasket.
Severus raised his eyes and cast a cool glance at Libby. When he lowered his gaze again, he saw a tomato added to his plate with a twitch of his brow. His lips moved slightly, but he said nothing, quietly picking up his fork and eating it.