A Clash of Twins

Seb had left his last class before tea and had gone straight to the doors of the Great Hall, taking his bag with him so that he wouldn't miss her.

He may as well have gone with the other Ravenclaws and come back, since he saw no sign of her as he stood there, framing his head over the swell of the crowd incase she were among them, but he saw no sign of his sister.

He hadn't spoken to her since just after the Hogwarts Express, when they had been put in different houses. He couldn't believe it. They could finally be together and they had put Seph into Slytherin.

He pulled a face just at the idea. That hat was loosing it's mind through it's split seam. Seph a Slytherin?

He climbed a step to see better, waving friends off and calling that he would join them inside.

He couldn't wait to see her.

Persephone had just enjoyed a rather interesting Herbology class and she and the rest of the 1st year Slytherin's returned to the dungeons to leave their heavy bags. She, and two of the girls from her dorm, headed to the girls bathrooms to ensure that they looked appropriate and to clean their hands, because dirty nails would not have done.
Once satisfied with themselves, they made their way to the Great Hall, talking about how clever Persephone was, having answered several questions correctly and gaining them some points. They also commented on a Hufflepuff girl who had managed to get mud on her face, how embarressing it must have been and how they would have told each other straight away. The Hufflepuff, some muggle born creature, had left the class still dirty.
The shame!
Seph was just about to add something more, when she noticed her brother hanging around the entrance to the Great Hall. She slowed to a stop, her eyes wide and her face betraying her.
It was gone the moment the two girls she had been walking with turned to her and asked if she was okay.
"I've forgotten something," she said, patting her pockets in an attempt to cover for herself. "I will have to return to Slytherin."
She gently urged the two girls to head to the Great Hall and to save her a seat so that they could continue to talk more, then retreated down the hall, glancing over her shoulder to ensure that they did as she asked and skirting a corner to watch from.
The two Slytherin's passed her brother with barely a glance, heading into the Hall. When the door opened, the blast of noise showed her how late it was. Dinner was well underway.
What was he doing out here?
It was a stupid question, she chided herself. "He's waiting for you."
She walked slowly toward where he stood, pausing occasionally as other students headed past him, the last stragglers.
By the time she became in his clear view, there was no one else around. She was relieved about that. He brother was a joker and Persephone couldn't imagine anything more humiliating than him trying to be funny and saying something to her friends. She'd die. She just knew it.
Still, there was no getting past the idea that they were at the same school and as such she would have to see him. It wouldn't take a genius to work out that they were siblings. The first day no one would have noticed, because of all of the excitement with the Sorting Hat, but the longer time went on, the more people were going to work out.
Not that it was terrible. He'd been chosen for Ravenclaw, which was a mercy. If he had been in Hufflepuff, she never would have forgiven him. At least this way she could admit that she had a brother. Still, she didn't want to encourage this behaviour of him hanging around, looking for her.
"Sebastian," she said, her tone polite but formal. Any warmth could make it an encouragement to him. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with your friends?"
That's it, she thought to herself. Keep it light and gentle and with an arms length.

He grinned as he saw her coming toward him. He jumped the step he was stood on and felt elation at her appearance, though it was somewhat dampened by her words.

"Sebastian"

Not Seb, as she had called him before. Still, it was not enough to put him down for long.

"My mates are inside," he told her with uncontrollable glee. "I can't wait to introduce you to them. They will be really pleased to meet you, and don't worry about being in Slytherin. I know they've made a huge mistake!"

A brain wave hit him.

"You should change house!" he said, amazed he hadn't thought of it before. " You could be in Ravenclaw with me. We could tell the head and we could be together."

It was too perfect. She was no Slytherin and anyone would be sympathetic to their plea if they went together. They could even get her to try the hat again. It must have got it wrong the first ti, with all those students.

"We can go now!" he said excitedly. "You're no Slytherin. Anyone can see that.

She took a step back as he bounced in front to of her, as much to prevent being knocked over as to put some distance between them. He was grinning like an idiot and if it had been anyone else, she would have shot him down.
But when his words came from his mouth, she looked at him like he had struck her.
“…And don’t worry about being in Slytherin. I know they’ve made a huge mistake.”
She stared at him, his face bright and happy as he grinned at her, his ugly piercing all the more noticeable. To be fair, it wasn’t so ugly, it even suited him, but Persephone was a lady and her brother was hardly the gentleman she wished he was.
She composed herself and was about to tell him that she was perfectly fine, thank you very much, in her current house, when his next burst came from his lips.
Change house?
The idea of it threatened to knock the wind out of her, if she let it, so shocked she was at the words. The idea of Ravenclaw has appealed to her before the Sorting had placed her in Slytherin, but now she understood where she was was exactly where she should be. Slytherin’s were powerful and had powerful friends. She’d do well among them.
She could imagine if she’d been a Ravenclaw because she had thought about it one night after the sorting. One of a pair among many. Not special. Not Persephone but Sephy, the twin sister of Seb. She’d been that all her early childhood and while she hadn’t minded, she hadn’t realized what she was missing. Seb was easy to control and she had done that, keeping him to herself rather than share him with the other children, but now she had found that her charms over her brother worked just as well on others. She was well liked, smart and was good enough to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t need Seb to give her worth or power. She might let her friends still call her Seph or Sephy, but she wasn’t going to become part of Seb’s group, forever a pair. The idea sickened her.
“I’m a Slytherin,” she said, her voice calm and a little hollow, as if she were speaking from far away.
She pulled herself back together again, and made herself as tall and imposing as she could.
“I am a Slytherin,” she repeated with conviction, “and I have no interest to changing house.”
She wanted to soften the blow, and hoped her tone told Seb that the notion he posed was beyond ridiculous. She didn’t want to be cruel, but he needed to forget the idea that she was going to change houses.
Besides, the fact he said she was no Slytherin had actually hurt her and she would show him, and anyone else who doubted her place, that she was Slytherin through and through.

Seb looked at her dumb struck, as if she had told him that Grandmother Georgiana was a Hippogriff. That would had've made more sense too.

His sister a Slytherin? Ludicrous.

Yet he could see the conviction on her face.

She is worried, or frightened, is all he told himself, gazing at her. I just bet those Slytherin 's have been awful to her.

But he didn't say that. What if one was listening and would bully her if she said anything. Still he couldn't let her be alone in this. He stepped towards her and put his arms around her, hugging her close to him, then whispered, "I promise I'll speak to my Head of House. No one has to know you asked me to and you'll be better there, with me"