In some cultures, crying is a sign of weakness, in others it is seen as a sign of strength. It’s strange how a crying child is reprimanded by its parent, yet a crying adult is immediately fussed over. There are times when this uncontrollable and unwelcome desire to let all your anguish out becomes overwhelming. Who would have thought that the torrent that is human emotion could be so easily quelled by releasing salty water from your eyes? There are so many times in life when you feel like crying; the first time you skin your knee, the first time you get your heart broken and the first time you face a whole new world. As young Kimberly Cura stood in a chilly shadow on Platform nine and three quarters, she faced that whole new world.

She watched, through eyes that were blurry with tears, as the crowd on the platform grew. The small buzz of chatter was in the air as strangely dressed parents escorted their even more strangely dressed offspring on to the gleaming red locomotive that stood before them. Younger children chased each other around; oblivious to the emotional keening that was brewing in their mothers. Teenagers tried to escape soppy kisses and never ending hugs. Their desperation to get on the train and start lounging with friends was far more important than gratifying the maternal needs of the woman who brought them into the world.

But Kimberly didn’t really care about anybody else. In the last year her parents, Telly and Rolando, had uplifted her from her home in the Philippines and moved her to Britain without much rhyme or reason. It hadn’t taken long for their motive to emerge. Just a few months after their move to a little Island off the coast of Kent in England, Telly and Rolando had sat their daughter down for a very serious little chat.

“There’s something that you need to know…� Her mother had muttered quietly.

“You’re rather…special…�Her father added.

“Kim, you’re a witch.� The Curas watched their only daughter carefully to see how she would react to the news and were somewhat dismayed by the shock on her face. She had clearly not been expecting that.

“What do you mean? How can I be a witch?� If she hadn’t known better she would have assumed that they were playing some kind of nasty little trick on her. Was it April Fool’s Day?

“Well, your mother and I are wizards, and your grandparents were wizards too,� Rolando explained carefully. “We have magical powers that we have been very careful about using over the years. Haven’t you ever noticed the things that seem to happen around you?� he asked with the hint of a smile; rather…unusual…things had been happening around Kim for some time. Her mind floated back over the months that had elapsed since her move from the Philippines, she had been, understandably, all over the place. Her moods swung from cheery to enraged in the blink of an eye, and when they did something disastrous happened. The best example being the day her mother took her shopping and, in the midst of an argument, the windscreen on their car smashed into a thousand pieces. There was even the time when she was getting lectured at dinner on keeping her room tidy, the platter of food that her mum had been carrying to the table had exploded, not fallen, exploded.

“I didn’t really think much of it…� Kim whispered in disbelief.

“Young witches and wizards like yourself can’t really control their magic, so sometimes it gets a little unpredictable. How do you feel?� Rolando asked with concern etched into his features.

“I’m not sure,� Kim replied. That technically wasn’t the truth; she was starting to feel decidedly upset. This was just typical of her parents! They ripped her away from her friends and her home only to drop this bombshell on her. She went to bed that night with a head full of contradictory thoughts and a headache that was more painful than any she had ever had.


It had taken a long time for Kim to adjust to the idea that she had magical powers and had taken even longer for her to accept that she would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sight of the gleaming Hogwarts Express was doing little to make her feel better. Large groups of friends were swilling about together, all of them laughing and joking with each other. Everyone here knew someone; she knew no-one.

Kim wasn’t the only Cura crying, her mother was standing in front of her taking deep, steadying breaths as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Rolando gently tugged Kim’s sleeve and pulled her towards the train. He led her into an empty compartment where he deposited her trunk in the luggage rack before turning back to his two sobbing women. “Come now, you two,� he insisted; wrapping one arm around his wife and another around his daughter. Suddenly, without any warning, Telly threw herself upon her daughter and captured her in a bone crushing hug. After a series of strange wailing noises Mrs. Cura pulled herself away from Kim and clung to her husband instead. “I think we’ll go now. Have fun at school and don’t forget to write to us every now and then. We’ll pick you up here at Christmas, okay?� Kim didn’t answer verbally, but she did nod her head. It was then that Mr. and Mrs. Cura departed the train and left their daughter feeling more terrified and alone than she ever had.

A/N2: The biggest thanks ever go to Marie, without her, this fic would be lost. Your help is appreciated more than words can say. We shall have a long and fruitful fic life, I can tell.

The Hogwarts Express shone brightly in the warm autumnal sunshine of an early September morning. It was only half past ten, so there were only a few people ambling their way along Platform nine and three. Among this small number was a group of three boys. One, a tall boy with lengthening, straggly black hair, relaxed against the side of the train and listened lazily as one of his companions relayed a dramatic tale that involved windmill arm movements.

Sirius Black watched through half open eyes as James recounted the story of his cousin Muriel falling off her broom for the third time today. “Why isn’t Peter here yet?� he asked Remus. The young Mr. Lupin was currently searching faces in the hope of finding their friend.

“I don’t know,� he shrugged.

“You did tell him quarter past, didn’t you?� James broke out of his story to address Sirius. James Potter was undoubtedly the shortest of the group, owing to the fact that both Remus and Sirius were excessively tall for their age.

“Of course I did,� Sirius bit back defensively. “I was very clear, ‘Quarter past ten. Carriage six. Bring Hippogriff dung.’� Sirius quickly recited his last letter to Peter.

“Maybe he got held up, you know what his mum and dad are like,� Remus suggested.

“Yeah,� snorted James. He then adopted an unnaturally high voice before he began to wail “Oh, Petie-Pie, you be a good boy for Professor Dumbledore. My little, Peter-Poo, you’re getting so grown up!�

Remus and Sirius snorted at James’ almost spot on impression of Mrs. Pettigrew. “Now, now, James, you know that we can’t be held responsible for our parents,� Remus reasoned. He was busy straining his neck to see through the thickening crowd. A little further up the train he saw a short Asian couple ushering their thoroughly distraught daughter on to the train. Remus felt a terrible pang in his heart. She looked so terribly upset; it was almost as if her heart was breaking.

“So who is it that’s grabbed your attention, Remmy?� Sirius asked, slinging an arm around Remus’ shoulders and craning his neck to follow his friend’s line of vision. His eyes quickly fell upon the young girl with tears streaming down her face. “You’re a fool for the ones in pain, aren’t you?� The young man shook his head sadly. “D’you fancy her then?�

“No! Look at her; she’s crying her eyes out! What’s to fancy?� Remus protested quickly.

“I don’t know,� James added thoughtfully. “She’d be quite pretty if she wasn’t crying.�

“We’ll have to see if we can get you two introduced.� Sirius rubbed his hands gleefully.

“Sirius, look at her. She’s a first-year…� Remus began.

“So, we’re only third years, it’s not like we’re the golden oldie troop yet,� James argued as he glared at his friend accusingly.

“Can we just get on the train?� Lupin changed the subject as quickly as was humanely possible while the colour began to creep up his cheeks.

“What about Peter?� Sirius asked as he began to grab his trunk.

“He’ll catch up,� the taller boy grumped and forged ahead. Sirius and James just smirked at each other, a Lupin temper tantrum was a sure sign that they’d hit a nerve.
________________________________________



The moments that followed her parents’ departure could have lasted minutes, hours or even days. All Kim knew was that she was alone.

In fact, she had only been sitting on her own for a minute or two when a round-faced girl with auburn hair slid the compartment door open. “Would you mind if I sat in here?� she asked warily. Kim wiped her tears away with her sleeve and nodded. “Are you okay?� she inquired with concern. Again, Kim nodded. There was a second of silence as the girl dragged her trunk into the compartment and struggled to sling it up into the luggage rack. She then threw herself into the seat opposite Kim and puffed loudly as she tried to get her breath back. She was quite a chubby girl and was now very red in the face. “It’s quite hard, isn’t it?� the newcomer asked the floor.

“What is?� Kim slipped out of her daydream and refocused on the girl in front of her.

“Leaving everything behind,� the girl responded sadly.

“I didn’t have anything to leave behind.�

“Oh,� she whispered with implicit understanding. After a few more moments of quiet she looked up and smiled widely. “I’ve forgotten my manners. I’m Natalie.� She held her hand out for Kim to shake. “Most people call me Nat, or Nats, which ever suits you.�

“I’m Kimberly, most people call me Kim, although my friends used to call me Lei,� Kim replied as she shook Natalie’s hand gently.

“So…where are you from?�

“The Philippines. What about you?�

“Scotland.� Kim stared at Natalie for a few moments before she ventured any further.

“You don’t sound very Scottish.�

“And you don’t sound very Filipino,� Natalie remarked with a smile. “I’ve lived in England for a while now,� she explained further.

“Same here.� More awkward silence followed until another girl appeared in the doorway.

“C-could I possibly take a seat in here? Most of the other ones are full up.� The newcomer had an oval face, friendly brown eyes and shoulder length, light brown hair.

“One condition,� Natalie said boldly while Kim watched in confusion.

“What’s the condition?� the girl asked with a look of fear beginning to brew on her features.

“You have to tell us your name.�

“Oh!� she gasped in relief. “It’s Marie.�

“Nice to meet you, Marie, I’m Natalie and this is Kimberly,� Natalie waved a hand through the air in introduction. “Do you want a hand with your trunk?�

“Yes, please,� Marie nodded hastily. Natalie immediately stepped forward to grab one end while Kimberly remained seated. When the chubby girl realised that her new friend hadn’t moved she gave her a pointed look.

“Don’t just sit there, give us a hand!� Interestingly, even though her voice was raised, it was still jovial and friendly. With a good deal of co-operation the girls managed to manoeuvre Marie’s trunk into the luggage rack successfully. Natalie returned to her seat and sighed heavily. “So what now?�

“Have you ever played Exploding Snap?� Marie asked excitedly.

“My little brother burnt his nose during a game once,� Natalie chuckled. Lei just looked at the pair with complete bemusement.

“What’s Exploding Snap?�

Marie and Natalie gaped at her wide-eyed.

“It’s only the best game, ever, besides Quidditch that is,� Marie gushed excitedly.

“And Quidditch is…�Lei inquired tentatively.

“Dear Merlin!� Natalie squealed.

“Quidditch is the most fantastic game, EVER!� Marie screamed excitedly. “It’s played on broomsticks and with three types of ball, they’re called the Quaffle, the Bludgers and the Snitch…� she launched into a highly passionate and very speedy explanation of the ins and outs of her favourite past time. Natalie sat in her corner of the compartment and watched with amusement as Kim tried to take in all the information that was spilling out of the girl in front of her. It was clear that she had never heard of anything half as fantastical as Quidditch. When Marie finally halted to take a breath Kim jumped in with a question.

“What’s Exploding Snap?�

“Oh right, I almost forgot…�

“Muggles play snap too, don’t they?� Natalie asked lazily.

“Well, yes….�

“Exploding Snap is just the same but the cards....well....they explode," Marie explained simply.

"You can't just explain it to her like that, Mar, we'll have to show her. Do you have your deck handy?" Marie gave her a peculiar look.

After a second Natalie half-shrugged and said, "What?"

"You just called me 'Mar'."

"Do you not like having your name shortened?"

"No, it was just...strange to hear it like that."

"Well, do you have your deck or not?"

"Never leave home without it." She turned around and started rifling through a backpack that she had thrown on to the seat beside her. She pulled the large deck of slightly blackened cards out of it and started to shuffle them expertly. "Actually, I think I really like that.�

"Hmm? What?" Natalie mumbled as she watched the other girl shuffle.

"Mar, I like it."

"Good. Now deal," Natalie instructed.

Marie started sharing the cards out equally between the three of them and the game earnestly began.
________________________________________



It wasn't until the train was chugging its way out of King's Cross that Peter came bundling into his friends' compartment. He was almost purple in the face and completely out of breath. "So tell me, Peter, what does quarter past ten mean to you?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"I know, I know," Peter murmured irritably as James helped him push his trunk into the rack along with the others.

"So where were you then?" Remus asked in a much less accusatory tone than Sirius.

"My mum found the dung," he sulked bitterly and slouched into a free seat by the door.

"Where were you hiding it?" James rested his back against the window and stretched his legs out along the rest of the seat.

“In the bottom of my wardrobe.� Sirius spat his mouthful of Cauldron Cake right into James' lap.

"You what?" Remus asked in disbelief.

"Peter, are you really that stupid?" James chipped in.

"I didn't have anywhere else to put it!" Peter protested. "Unlike some people," he glared at Sirius and James. "I don't have a multi-roomed mansion thingy to live in!"

"But still, the wardrobe," Sirius winced and hid his face behind his hand.

"Don't you have a garden shed or something?" Remus shook his head ever so slightly, rarely was he so astonished by the absurdity of Peter's actions.

"I wanted to make sure that it was safe. My mum uses oodles of the stuff. I didn't want to leave it until the last minute in case she didn't have any left, and then it would have been hard to explain how so much of it went missing.

"Peter, you can be such a dozy prat," James declared.

"What d'you mean?" the portly boy demanded.

"Why didn't you just take some and tell your mum that you were trying to make your own little garden or something. That way you wouldn't have had to sneak the stuff away, she would have been more than happy to give you some of it, and you could have kept it outside." James rolled his eyes. Did he have to think of everything?

"I didn't think of that," Peter admitted, slightly crestfallen.

Sirius shook his head, and pushed himself out of his seat. "Come on, James, I want another Pumpkin Pasty, let's see if we can find the trolley." James naturally fell in behind his friend as they left the compartment. They wandered up the train amiably until Sirius stopped suddenly and James walked right into the back of him.

"Sirius, what'd you do that for?" James yelled as he rubbed the spot where his forehead had nastily collided with Sirius’ bony shoulder blade.

"Look who we have here," Sirius grinned as he waggled his head at the compartment only just ahead. Inside were three girls laughing their heads off and enjoying a riotous game of Exploding Snap.


A/N: Once again, much love goes to Marie for all her wonderous help. You are a star, my love!

A devious glint flickered in the back of Sirius’s eye as he slid the compartment door open. A curious silence fell across the girls as the two good looking older boys leaned against either side of the doorway. “Good morning, ladies. Having fun?� the taller boy asked. One of the girls, with hazel eyes that were a shade identical to James’s, began to smile widely, but when her eyes lighted on Sirius she coloured ever so slightly. Her eyebrows were verging on non-existent and she was slightly blackened around the cheeks. “Is that a Potter resemblance I see?� Sirius’s eyes flickered between his best friend and the girl opposite.

“I don’t think you’ve met my cousin, Marie, have you?� James pointed at his relative.

“Enchanted,� Sirius grinned as he bowed his head in his most charming manner. This caused Marie to blush almost scarlet. “Are you going to introduce your pals?�

“These are…uhm…� she was obviously trying to grasp for names but failing miserably, “my friends,� she finally murmured.

“I’m Kim,� Kimberly answered as she tried desperately not to laugh at Marie’s mortification. The other girl was giving the floor such a filthy look that one could have got the impression that it had just insulted her whole family. Kimberly’s face covered in much more soot that the two other girls and the ends of her short bob were singed. One of the cards that she currently held in her hand was still smouldering slightly.

“And you?� James asked the final girl rather impolitely. She was by far the cleanest of the lot; a single charcoal streak blazed across one of her chubby cheeks.

“Natalie,� she replied coolly. James immediately took offence.

“Do you have a problem with me?� he demanded indignantly.

“Does the name Joanne Wells mean anything to you?� Natalie asked. Her new friends were slightly taken aback by the fiery look in her eyes.

“Wells, Wells, wells,� James mumbled as he racked his brains. In the end his memory failed him and he was forced to shake his head.

“She’s a second year Ravenclaw who got caught in the middle of one of your stupid pranks last year, she also happens to be one of my best friends,� Natalie said very slowly and darkly.

“Ahh,� Sirius breathed as the penny dropped in his mind. “That would have been the invisible puddle outside the Charms classroom.� Marie let out a loud snort of laughter that she quickly covered with her hand after the stout girl glared at her fiercely. Natalie then returned her attention to James as she rose from her seat and advanced across the compartment with a mean expression.

“If anyone else I know suffers at the hands of one of your pranks then there’s going to be trouble,� she said in a dangerously low tone. James was completely astounded by the threat and gazed at her with confusion.

“A bit brave for a little firsty, aren’t you?� Sirius intervened as he pulled his wand out of his pocket and began to twirl it around in his hand.

“Go on, I dare you to,� she said as she jabbed a finger into his chest. Sirius was about to wave it in her direction when a fifth year Ravenclaw prefect walked past.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for trying to hex a new student. Get back to your compartment, before I hex you,� she snapped and smacked Sirius across the back of the head. He was about to answer back when she gave him a single, deadly look.

“Come on, mate, it’s not worth it,� James shoved his friend back out into the hallway and down towards their own compartment. The two of them muttered angrily the rest of the way along the train.

“Didn’t get that Pumpkin Pasty I see?� Remus commented as he glanced up from a page in his book and saw Sirius’s empty hands.

“No, but we ran into your girlfriend,� James grinned. Remus’s eyes stopped scanning the words a second before he looked up.

“My girlfriend?� he asked through a furrowed brow.

“Yeah, her name is Kimberly and she can’t play Exploding Snap,� Sirius mentioned.

“She’s a couple of carriages down with one of my second cousins and a complete PSYCHO!� James explained with a great deal of emphasis.

“Strange,� Peter mumbled; he was attempting to snooze in his corner.

“What’s strange?� James asked.

“Usually the people related to you are the psychos,� he snorted, earning him a kick in the shins from the offended party.

“Seriously, Remus, I’d steer well clear if I were you. At least until she gets rid of the screwball…� the raven haired boy advised with deep concern.

“Geroff it, James, she wasn’t that bad. Charming in her own way, she’s got fire in her belly, that one,� Sirius smiled.

“Well there’s enough of it,� James replied cruelly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?� Peter inquired angrily. Being the chubbiest member of the group, Peter found that some of his friends’ weight jibes were more hurtful to him then they were to the intended victims.

“She’s fat, Peter, that’s what it means. Am I wrong?� James challenged Sirius.

“Not really. She’s interesting though…�

“Interesting?� Remus raised an eyebrow.

“Yep, an excellent Snap player, nasty little temper too. I’m going to have fun playing pranks on her and blaming them on James,� Sirius smiled smugly.

“Don’t bother; I don’t want her trailing me all over the castle trying to hex me!�

“Quick with her wand, I bet,� Peter said with an assured nod.

“Don’t know, she never pulled it out,� James mentioned.

“Nah, she’s more likely to thump you than hex you. She’d probably make a good Beater, she’s got that mean streak in her,� Sirius made a batting motion.

“So what about this Kimberly?� Remus asked offhand as he pretended to be reading his book once again. James and Sirius grinned widely at one another.

“Well, James was right about something,� Sirius replied.

“Mmm?�

“She’s quite pretty when she’s not crying, and is trying hard not to laugh, and is covered in soot from head to toe,� Sirius continued. He could see a smile twitching at the edges of Remus’s mouth. A significant look passed between the other three boys: they were going to get Remus and Kimberly going out together if it killed them.

---

“What in the name of Godric was that all about?� Marie exclaimed as she watched the boys retreat down the hallway.

“What?� shrugged the now calm Natalie.

“Godric?� Kim asked at the same time.

“Gryffindor, one of the founders of the school,� Marie mentioned to her in as a side note before turning back to Natalie. “Why were you so…rude to James?�

“Jo’s my best friend and that prank could have killed her!�

“Killed her?� she laughed incredulously. “Didn’t he say something about an invisible puddle?�

“Yes, an invisible puddle at the top of a staircase,� Natalie replied with a scolding look.

“Oh,� Marie mouthed as her laughter died away completely.

There were several minutes of tense silence before Kim attempted to break the ice. “Does your cousin often play tricks like that?�

“All the time really-� Marie began but was cut across by Natalie.

“He and his merry bandits like to think of themselves as professional pranksters. They all need to get a life,� she remarked bitterly.

“Sometimes they’re really funny!� Marie protested in her cousin’s defence. “Besides, if this Jo is such a good friend then why aren’t you with her right now?�

“Because she’s got a bunch of new friends now!� Natalie shouted somewhat tearfully.

“Well, you do as well now. So it might be nice if you didn’t insult your friend’s cousins, okay?� Marie said in a much softer voice. Natalie replied with a stiff nod. “So, Kim, I think we’ve established that you’re Muggle Born?�

“Um, Muggle, that means non-magical, right?� Kim asked unsurely.

“It does.�

“I’m not, but I didn’t know that I could do magic until a few months ago,� the Asian girl replied.

“So you don’t know anything about our world?� Natalie asked, her own drama forgotten.

“Wow, that’s so scary. What have you been doing all this time?� Marie inquired. The very thought that life whirred on unknowingly beyond the world she knew was mind-boggling.

“I’ve been going to school. With the Muggles,� Kim said hesitantly; she wasn’t sure that she had used the word correctly.

“Really? That must have been so strange. What do they study?� The two other young witches sat eager to learn of the unfamiliar.

“Lots of different things: English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, and different languages,� Kim explained.

“Ma-ths?� Natalie contorted her mouth strangely as she pronounced the word.

“Yeah, what’s that?� Marie asked quizzicaly.

“Its numbers; adding them up, taking them away, dividing them, multiplying them, all that kind of stuff…�

“And they do all that without magic?�

“They do,� Kim laughed. Natalie and Marie were staring at her with eyes that were wide in amazement. “It’s nothing special really. Some of the stuff is fun, I liked Art a lot,� Kim informed them.

“What was that one all about?� Natalie asked avidly.

“Drawing, painting, making things; it’s the only subject where making a mess can get you good marks.�

“I don’t think we’ve got anything that interesting at Hogwarts,� Marie said with disappointment.

“Although Potions is basically permission to blow things up,� Natalie grinned.

“And Defence Against the Dark Arts is a good way to hex people and pretend you didn’t mean it,� Marie added excitedly.

“Flying lessons are bound to be exciting too.� Natalie bounced in her seat ever so slightly.

“I'm going to assume you've never flown a broom?� Marie asked Kim.

“Never.� Kim looked thoroughly petrified at the prospect of being anywhere near a broomstick.

“You'll love it! We can't have brooms our first year, but we can use the school's store of them, though they're not quite up to performance standard. Ja-� Marie glanced at Natalie and decided to change her approach. “My cousin just got the latest Nimbus model-�

“That's a brand of broomstick,� Natalie clarified while Marie went on.

Kimberly nodded; eager to get up to speed in this new world she'd been thrust into.

“-and he said he'd let me ride it once in a while, but not my sister, Muriel. She's a menace on a broom.�

“Is it hard?� Kim asked anxiously.

“Well, of course it's hard, it's made of wood.�

Natalie laughed, and then Marie realized what their friend had meant.

“Oh, is flying a broom hard? It depends. It's not something that you can study for. You either can, or you can't. You'll know pretty quickly whether or not you'll take to it. But, like I said, Muriel is a terrible flyer, but she still tries to prove that she can fly when we dare her to. You should have seen her yesterday!� Marie began to make big windmill arm motions, punctuated with mock screams of terror.

Kim and Nat both laughed, then someone opened their compartment door again.

“You're making an awful lot of noise in here,� a boy about their age said. His face carried a look of annoyance.

“What's it to you? It's not a crime to re-enact stories about broom accidents.� Nat shot a glare at him.

“Oh, what kind of broom?� the boy asked.

“Nimbus 1500,� Marie replied with a smile.

“Comet just came out with a newer model than the Nimbus 1500, and it's got a faster acceleration by about two seconds.�

“So? Everyone knows that Comets don't have the endurance to outstrip the Nimbus short or long-term. What's two seconds when the Nimbus will maintain the speed-?�

Natalie interrupted Mar's informative broom speech to ask the intruder what his name was.

“Patrick.�

The girls didn't really know why Patrick ended up staying in their compartment for the rest of the journey to Hogsmeade station. Pat wasn't such a bad travelling companion, as long as he wasn't trying to prove that he was smarter than the three girls. Natalie didn't try to hide her obvious disdain for the boy. Marie and Kimberly both tried to be nice, but even Marie settled for simply ignoring the insufferable know-it-all when they ended up in the same boat on their way across the lake, led by Rubeus Hagrid, the game keeper, on their journey to the castle. Hagrid was an enormous man, twice or three times the height of the students he was gathering but despite his intimidating size he seemed incredibly friendly. He was a little pink in the face, most probably from the cold chill in the air, and he attempted to teach them the school song on the journey across the lake. Looking up at the massive castle of Hogwarts cast an awe-inspired silence over all the first years. It was a beautiful castle, and the way the windows were lit in the dark was enchanting to behold.


Hagrid, left the nervous first years with a tight-lipped woman. She seemed to have a stern exterior, but she looked on the group of young children with warmness in her eyes. “Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House. In a few minutes I'll lead you into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into one of the four houses. Your house will be like your family here at school, and you can go to your Head of House at any time with questions or concerns. The houses are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor, each named for one of the founders of our school. Now, if you'll just wait in that room,� she said, motioning to a small antechamber, “I'll go and see if it's about time for the Sorting.�

The first years all shuffled into the room Professor McGonagall indicated. There wasn't as much chatting among the group as there had been earlier in the day. Kim looked around apprehensively. Some boys were talking about what the sorting would entail. She caught snatches of words about 'Hinky-Punks' and 'Grindylows' and her eyes grew wide.

Nat noticed this and linked her arm with Kim reassuringly. “Don't worry. It can't be something difficult. Technically, though I'm sure some of the elite Pureblood families disregard the rule, no one under seventeen is allowed to do magic unless they're at school.�

“Pureblood means that your relatives are magical,� Mar added. “Besides, James said not to mind what everyone else said. He said it wasn't that bad, and that as long as you weren't first, there'd be no problem.�

Patrick was still standing near the girls and eagerly began, “I read in Hogwarts, A History that-�

But what he'd read, the girls didn't find out, as Professor McGonagall chose that moment to return. “If you'll please line up, I'll escort you into the feast now. Quickly, quickly. Follow me.� With that, she whisked out of the room, the trembling pre-teens trailing along behind her, trying not to trip on anything as they entered the Great Hall, all eyes watching them.

They all lined up at other end of the hall, in front of the staff table. Professor McGonagall then placed a stool in front of them, and placed a hat on top of it. None of the first years could really concentrate on a word that the hat sang (It sang?!) because of the nerves that were still raging. The hat didn't look dangerous, but there was no telling for sure what exactly was going to happen next.

Professor McGonagall stepped up before the first years again, a small smile on her face, and a scroll of parchment in her hands. “You'll have your turn to be sorted when I call your name. Just step forward, sit on the stool, and place the hat on your head. Bingham, Marie.�

After a moment or two, Professor McGonagall called again, “Bingham, Marie.�

There was an eruption of sniggering around the hall, and Nat nudged the now red-faced Marie forward. “There were no 'A' names?� Marie groaned quietly.

Marie rushed forward and pulled the hat onto her head. After a few moments, the hat shouted, “HUFFLEPUFF!� and there was a surge of cheers, the loudest coming from a table adorned with all sorts of yellow decorations. Marie was beckoned over to the table, and Kim watched as a few people in the other houses cheered a bit more than the other students, her cousin James for instance, making a loud wolf-whistle.

Black, Regulus followed Marie, and was sorted into Slytherin. Then there was Blakely, Todd and Bonham, McKay for Gryffindor, before Brownlie, Natalie was called up. She sauntered forward, sat on the chair, pulling the hat over her head, and waited for the hat's decision. It wasn't long before she went to join Marie at the Hufflepuff table.

Kimberly was now a bit scared. She felt like she'd finally connected with some people after being so bitterly lonely since her move to England. What would she do if she wasn't in the same house as Natalie and Marie? A couple of people were sorted into Ravenclaw, and then she heard the call of, “Cura, Kimberly.�

As soon as the girl’s name was announced Sirius started elbowing Remus in the ribs. “There she is!� he half yelled and half whispered. Their fellow Gryffindors were now glaring at them accusingly.

“Pretty without the tears, isn’t she?� James asked quietly.

“Shut up!� Peter hissed as he managed to kick both Sirius and James in the shins with one swing of his leg.

“Ow!� Sirius bellowed through the otherwise silent hall. Everyone turned to look at the commotion and sniggered when they realised that it was just another one of Black’s outbursts. James, Peter and Remus couldn’t help but join in with the snorting.

By the time Sirius had stopped his disgruntled huffing Kimberly was already off the Sorting stool and walking off towards the Hufflepuff table with a beaming grin on her face.

“Great, she’s stuck with the lunatic,� James sighed.

“And your cousin,� Remus added with just a tinge of hope in his voice.

Sirius wasn’t paying any attention, he was too busy laughing as he watched Natalie frantically shoo people further down the bench so that Kim could fit in between her and Marie. “She’s not loony, she’s just feisty,� he chuckled. “And if I do say so myself, your cousin is kind of fit.�

“You stay away from my cousin!� James protested.

“I’m just saying.� Sirius held his hands up defensively.

"Why does this always take so long?" Peter whined. "I'm hungry."

"That's all you ever say," James snapped.

"Excuse me, but I'm not the one who fancies your cousin. Bite his head off instead," Peter snapped back and furiously flicked his head across the table at Sirius.

Remus decided to intervene before things got too heated, "That's enough, would you lot be quiet before you lose us points?"

"Remus and Kimberly up a tree..."Sirius started singing quietly.

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g..."James continued.

Their impromptu singsong embarrassed Remus into silence and the boys managed to quietly cackle their way through the rest of the Sorting ceremony.

When Kim awoke the next morning it took her a considerable length of time to realise where she was. She stared up at the top of her new four poster bed for nearly half an hour before she dared to glance anywhere else. To her left was a large yellow lump that was topped with a mass of auburn hair and was snoring rather loudly. To her right was a much smaller yellow bundle with light brown hair that was rhythmically rising and falling. There were two other beds in the room, one had long limbs covered in blue pyjamas hanging out from under the covers, and the other was a pile of restless yellow velvet.

The sun was just beginning to push its way across the room through the tall arched windows of the pentagonal room. It was only as she watched the light creep up the walls that it occurred to her that what she was seeing was impossible. After dinner in the Great Hall they had descended down several staircases and could not possibly still be above ground. She tossed off her covers and rushed across the room to the nearest window. She threw back the white curtains, and her jaw dropped at what she saw there.

Spreading out beneath the window was what could only be described as the Philippines in the rainy season. She felt as though she was looking out on her back garden back at home. There were beautifully coloured flowers scattered among huge, towering palm trees. She was in sheer awe. Opening the window, she was met with a crisp breeze, and she actually gasped.

“Amazing, isn't it?� came a voice from across the room.

Kim whipped around to see that the pile of restless yellow velvet had now developed into one of her new roommates, a tall girl with dark, auburn hair, which she was pulling into a ponytail.

The girl smiled. “The windows are charmed to show you where you want to be. Lex told me about it last night.�

“Lex?� Kim echoed.

The girl pointed at the blue limbed lump in the bed next to her. “That's Lex Taylor, and I'm Elysa Montfort.�

Kim gave her name, and then pointed out who the other sleeping lumps were. Kim and Elysa went about getting ready, sharing the moderately-sized bathroom with no problem. She found out that Elysa was a Muggleborn and knew no more than she did about their new magical world. On the other hand, Lex was Halfblood and had told Elysa a few things here and there the previous day. Elysa thought it was a bit strange that Kim's parents had never told her about her magical heritage, Kim shrugged but silently agreed.

Lex, or Alexis, turned out to be a blonde bundle of energy, and opinions, and an utter bathroom hog. However, she was the sort of person who, after just one friendly conversation, you probably would find it difficult to get angry with. At least that's what Kim thought. Though she wouldn't lie; she was a little annoyed at how long she would've had to wait to get ready that morning, had she not taken a turn before Lex took over the facilities.

Nat seemed a bit impatient, once she woke up, at Lex's exclusive use of the bathroom, but Marie used the time to continue sleeping after being the last one to drop off. Elysa and Lex went down to breakfast, and they'd invited Kim to come along, but she decided to wait for Natalie and Marie.

The last two to get up didn't take long getting ready, but even so, they were pressed for time to get down to breakfast and to their first class. As they opened the door to leave their room, they were greeted by Robin, the Prefect who'd guided them to the Hufflepuff housing the night before. She smiled at the three first years. “I was just about to come make sure you'd be down soon, we don't want to be late to your first class!� As they continued to the common room, they were greeted with the smells of a lovely breakfast. “Lucky for you, our new head of house, Professor Sprout, has brought the morning meal to us, so you won't have to worry about rushing to the Great Hall.�

Indeed, there was a large spread on a table off to the side of the cosy common room. Professor Sprout swooped down on the girls, congratulating them on their placement in Hufflepuff, handing them their timetables, and giving them directions to their first classes.

History of Magic and Potions were the classes they had that morning, neither of which really tested the new students and their magical abilities. During History of Magic, Marie whispered to the students around her that Professor Binns had apparently fallen asleep in the staff room, died right next to the fire, and, when it was time to teach his next class, gone on in his ghostly form to fulfil his duties. Natalie didn't seem as awed by the story as Kim, Elysa or Lex, but it probably had something to do with Marie's source of information – her cousin James.

The first day of Potions consisted of the excessively rotund, walrus-moustached teacher, Professor Slughorn, dividing his lecture between some of the finer techniques they would learn for concocting potions, and the glory stories of his many famous former students.

Although they'd only been sitting through long speeches, the first years were thoroughly overwhelmed by all the new information, and were thankful for the lunch break. Natalie, Elysa, Lex, Marie and Kim all sat together halfway down the Hufflepuff table, pulling sandwiches, soups, and an assortment of casseroles toward them. They ate eagerly, interrupted by occasional spurts of conversation. They mostly just sat without saying anything. There was so much newness surrounding them, pressing in on every side, that they just needed to sit and eat quietly for a few minutes.

When they stood and left the Great Hall at last, they felt somewhat recharged and ready to face another new class. They clashed with a group of boys as they reached the magnificent arched exit of the hall.

“Marie!� one of them cried, tackling the girl to the ground. His three companions joined in the pair's laughter.

“Hello, James,� Mar managed through giggles. The other girls watched, hovering, as James stood, and the tall boy with dark hair offered Marie a hand up from where she was sprawled on the ground. Lex and Elysa giggled at the slight pink tinge that appeared on Marie's cheeks.

“You ought to be more careful, running into people like that,� Nat said boldly, taking a menacing step toward James.

James rounded on her, but one of his friends, a podgy boy with small, watery eyes, put a hand on his shoulder. “This is the cousin you told us about?� he asked, shifting the focus.

“Er, yes,� he shook his head. “Looks like you've got even more friends now.�

“Yes, they're all in my house. That's Elysa there, and Lex, and then you saw me with Kim and Natalie yesterday on the train,� Marie pointed to each girl in turn.

“I'm afraid James didn't properly introduce us yesterday,� the tall boy said. “I'm Sirius Black, and that's Peter Pettigrew, and,� he reached behind James to urge their other companion forward, “this is Remus Lupin.�

“Listen,� Marie said, noticing that Nat was still glaring daggers at her cousin, who was returning the gaze with equal animosity, “why don't you all go ahead to class, and I'll meet you there, yeah?�

“If you're sure,� Elysa said.

“Definitely,� Marie nodded.

“Good plan,� Kim chimed in, also very aware of the showdown that was quickly approaching if they stayed much longer.

“Bye, girls,� Sirius smiled. “Good to meet you.�

Lex and Elysa chuckled together as they followed Kim, who was pulling Natalie up the stairs. “You know, you're just going to have to control your temper,� she whispered to Nat.

Natalie glared at Kim, making the girl release her arm. Kim merely shrugged, and they chatted with Lex and Elysa the rest of the way to Defence Against the Dark Arts. They took a few wrong turns, but fortunately ran into Shannon, another of their Prefects, who kindly pointed them in the right direction.

The defence classroom was a large room, with sweeping windows that lit it brightly.
Unlike the previous classrooms that they had been in that morning, the desks were not arranged neatly, they were all over the room and in no particular pattern. There was a strange feeling in the place, and each student felt a chill down their spine as their eyes raced over all the new and interesting items in there. The students wandered around, a little afraid to sit down in the tingling environment.

“Fancy having this class with you!� piped a voice from their left. It was Patrick, the know-it-all from the train the day before. “Us Ravenclaws haven't had any classes with you Hufflepuffs before now,� he informed them, as if they hadn't already known that fact.

He hardly acknowledged the small hellos from Nat and Kim, but continued on. “I talked to my sister this morning – she's one of the Ravenclaw Prefects – and she says that Professor Hargrove is going to be a brilliant Defence teacher. She didn't teach here at Hogwarts last year, but my sister had her this morning. I am glad to be in Ravenclaw with my sister. Hopefully I'll be a prefect too, when I can.�

Natalie rolled her eyes, and shared a look with Kim, who tried to cover her laugh with a cough. Lex nearly said something but Elysa quickly stood on her foot and quickly quelled what had the look of something scathing. Before anything else could happen, a woman’s voice echoed throughout the room. “Welcome to your first Defence Against the Dark Arts class! Quickly, quickly, pick a desk and get yourself settled. We’ve got a lot to get through.�

A very short woman emerged from a door at the back of the classroom. Her long brown hair fell past her shoulders and had bright blue tips. She was wearing long, flowing robes of an impossibly pure shade of white. “How does she keep those clean?� whispered Elysa.

“She’s a witch,� Natalie replied with a slight shake of her head. “You can cast an Anti-Stain charm on them.� She sidled into a chair that was near her and Kim quickly followed. Lex and Elysa seated themselves just in front. Most people tried desperately to stay away from the front of the room. All except Patrick, who immediately rushed towards the desk nearest the teacher pulling a very unwilling victim with him.

Everyone was seated by the time Marie came bundling through the door at top speed. She came to a quick halt when she realised that everyone was looking at her and blushed a blazing shade of red. “I’m sorry, Professor, I was…�

“Not to worry, you haven’t missed anything yet. Find yourself a seat and we’ll get started,� the professor replied kindly. Unfortunately for Marie, the only seat left was next to a rather haughty looking Slytherin who was tucked away in a far corner of the room. She smiled at him in a friendly manner but he stared back rather blankly.

“I am Professor Hargrove, I will be teaching you Defence Against the Dark Arts,� their teacher began. “I don’t care much for fancy introductions, I only have three requests. One; that you attend my classes; I don’t care much for those who only come when it suits them. Two; that you bring your wand with you; you will always need it. Finally, do your homework. Contrary to popular belief, we teachers do not set homework to torture you; we do it to help you help yourself. If you do those three things then we will get along marvellously. If you don’t then stormy waters lie ahead. Now with that said, let’s dive right in!� she finished with a flourish.

An hour and a half later the first years emerged from the first floor classroom with a variety of war wounds. Kim had a golf-ball sized lump on her forehead, Marie had a scratch across her chin, Lex was hobbling awkwardly, Elysa’s robes were smouldering at the shoulders and Natalie had tissue stuffed up her nose. The inexperience of the class had had some interesting results.

“Did you see the blue tips in her hair?� Marie asked as she ran a tentative finger across her healing chin.

“What were they all about?� Lex winced.

“James and his mates had a lesson with her before lunch. They dared Peter to turn her hair blue; I don’t think that she managed to get it all out,� Marie grinned.

“Picks on teachers too, does he?� Natalie snapped. The effect was slightly lost in the muffling caused by her tissue filled nose.

"He's not the only person in the school who plays pranks!" Marie protested, she spun on her heel to face Nat. "I don't understand why you hate him so much. You'd think he'd insulted your mother!"

Natalie opened her mouth to say something. "He can't be all bad," Kim said quietly. Nat's jaws clamped firmly together, she gave Kim a small, almost hurt look, but said nothing. She turned, and headed down the stairs in the direction of their next class, taking defeat with surprising grace.

When the first week of October came it was time for the first years to start their flying lessons. This class was one that the young Hufflepuffs took with their Gryffindor counterparts. A large collection of brooms had been piled in the middle of one school’s many greens. As the class gathered around the heap there was an uneasy silence. This was broken when a large Gryffindor began to boast loudly, "I've been on a broom thousands of times, this'll be easy." The girl next to him didn't look too convinced, in fact, she looked perfectly petrified at the prospect of riding one of the rather worn looking wooden sticks. Elysa and Kim gave her a sympathetic look before sharing a worried glimpse themselves; the broomsticks really didn’t look safe. Natalie and Marie, astute as they were, spotted the fear and quickly went about dismissing it.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about,� Marie assured them.

“Yeah, flying is easy once you get the hang of it,� Natalie added. “Besides, Professor Colleen won’t have us flying too high today. We’ll probably only get a few feet off the ground and then you don’t have far to fall.�

"Speak for yourself," the large Gryffindor snorted.

"I beg your pardon?" Natalie snapped indignantly.

"I said, speak for yourself. Are you deaf or something?" he guffawed.

"No. What do you mean 'speak for yourself'?" The girls knew what was coming. Even after only a few days with Nat they could already spot an angry tirade in its early stages.

"I mean that I'll be flying round this castle quicker than you can say Flitwick is short. There'll be no keeping me down. I might even try out for the Quidditch team in a few weeks," he bragged.

"But, Paul, first years never make the house teams," another boy commented.

"Well, I'm going to change that," Paul stated simply.

"I very much doubt it. We'll soon see whether you're any good or not," Natalie replied shortly before turning her back on Paul and taking a step closer to Marie.

"When we get in the air you had better out fly him," she whispered. "Show him what you're made of, Mar." The girls watched Natalie carefully while her anger bubbled away; they waited expectantly for her next outburst. "You know something, those of us who've flown before shouldn't be boasting about how much better we are; we should be trying to reassure those who haven't."

"Well said," commended the approaching Professor Colleen. She was a tall and thin woman, with short hair that was faintly purple. She had a round, very friendly face and smiled warmly at them all from the start. Right, everyone grab a broom and let’s get started."

As Kim followed the professor's instructions and gripped her broom with her right hand she was surprised to feel the control she already had on it. When it came time to throw her leg over it she gave Nat another doubtful look, but after a firm nod and a wink from her friend she continued with more confidence. The broom slowly and rather steadily rose off the ground until only Kim's tiptoes were still in contact with the grass. She glanced up to see how the others were doing, and in her momentary lapse of concentration her broom began to shake. It was in that moment that she started to panic and ended up tipping her broom backwards. "Focus, Kimberly," Professor Colleen muttered quietly. Kim gathered herself together and focused on the handle in front of her; she quickly managed to bring her broom back under control.

While Kim and Elysa practised tipping their brooms up and down, and from side to side, the other girls were getting a little more adventurous. Marie and Natalie were flying around them, several feet off the ground, effortlessly moving in wide circles. Lex wasn't too far behind them; she was having trouble moving smoothly and seemed to be taking short spurts forward. The highlight of the lesson came only ten minutes from the end when Paul, the expert Gryffindor flyer, fell from his broom spectacularly; complete with wildly flailing arms. While everyone else exploded with laughter, Natalie remained mysteriously straight-faced but suddenly proclaimed, "Oh yes, he'll make it on to the Gryffindor team. I hear they're always looking for someone to distract the other teams."

---

When lunch time came the girls were still chuckling loudly about Paul’s humiliation. As they sat at their table in the Great Hall Marie recounted the morning’s lesson to Robin, who listened carefully with an amused smile. The story was recounted, complete with chaotic arm movements that cause riotous laughter up and down the Hufflepuff table. Patrick, who was passing them at the time, interrupted their conversation.

“You’re not still telling that story, are you?� he asked with exasperation.

“Nope, this is a new story,� Marie chimed.

“Not that it’s any of your business,� Natalie muttered under her breath. Pat pretended not to hear her and stalked off in the direction of his own table. “Here comes the expert now.� She waved her head in the direction of the Great Hall’s doors where Paul and his friends were just arriving. They sauntered down to their seats and began stuffing their faces with the vast feast before them.

“I think he’s probably learned his lesson by now,� Elysa said reasonably.

“I’m not so sure,� Lex argued as she watched the boy carefully. “Look at the way he’s lording it up over there. He hasn’t learned a thing.� As the girls looked up to observe Paul and his cronies they realised that it was true. The corpulent Gryffindor was sitting at his table with his head held high and a rather superior look on his face. The day’s events had evidently taught him nothing.

“He’ll learn eventually,� Kim said calmly as she returned to her meal.

“Eventually isn’t really soon enough,� Nat muttered thoughtfully. Her eyes gleamed momentarily before she rose from the table and started towards the Gryffindor one.

“Nat, what are you doing?� Marie hissed as her housemate marched away from them.

“This is not going to be good,� Kim groaned.

“Nope, it’s going to be hilarious,� Lex grinned.

The four girls watched with bated breath to see what it was that Natalie had in mind. To everyone’s surprise, especially Marie’s, she waltzed straight up to James and his friends.

“Excuse me, James, do you have a moment?� she asked with unusual politeness. Her overwhelming hatred of James normally kept all civility out of her tone.

“Um, yes?� James replied in confusion. Peter and Sirius were staring at Natalie avidly, while Remus looked on with intrigue written across his features.

“You’re on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, aren’t you?�

“I am.�

“Well, if you’re looking for any extra players then there are some real stars in the first year; Paul, for example.� Natalie pointed to where Paul was sitting further down the table. He looked up at the mention of his name and his eyes widened. “He’s about as good as your cousin Muriel. He was showing us one of his moves earlier today. How did it go again?� She turned and addressed Paul who froze entirely. When it became clear that he wasn’t actually going to give her a response, she turned back to James. “It went something like this…�

Natalie proceeded to throw her arms in the air and started shrieking like a banshee. This drew attention from all over the hall. When she was finished with her demonstration she turned back to James. “I think it could make an awfully good distraction. You might want to keep him in mind.� With a swirl of her cloak Natalie returned to the Hufflepuff table, with a majority of the school’s students laughing and pointing at Paul, who quickly stormed from the hall.

“I knew that I was right. She’s a stark raving lunatic,� James stared at the spot where Natalie had been standing just a few seconds ago.

“Nope, she brilliant, absolutely brilliant,� Sirius howled. He was doubled over in stitches of laughter. His long dark hair was swinging with mirth and his eyes were positively dancing with amusement.

“I’m just amazed that she managed to talk to you nicely, normally whenever she sees you it’s like daggers are about to shoot from her eyes,� Peter reminded them as he began to pick apart a chicken salad sandwich.

“Maybe she’s mellowing.� Remus recommenced pushing food around his plate.

“Mellow, schmellow,� James snorted. “Remus, can I borrow that Defence essay from you now?�

“Which one?�

“The one on werewolves,� James replied.

“That was due in over a week ago, haven’t you done it yet?� Remus asked with a tone of annoyance.

“If I’d done it, would I be asking for it?� James gave him a look of incredulity.

“He’s a lost cause,� Sirius sighed dramatically.

“What did you think of that chapter on them?� Peter asked.

“Chapter on what?� James enquired with confusion.

“The chapter on werewolves.� Peter rolled his eyes.

“I thought it was very informative, even if it was a little biased,� Remus said firmly. The strange tone caught their attention. He rarely sounded so prickly.

“Biased? Exactly how was it biased?� Sirius raised an aristocratic eyebrow.

“Well, it made them out to be animals…� Remus bristled.

“Which they are,� James chipped in.

“Yes, for a couple of days in the month. The rest of the time, they’re human beings just like us.�

“That’s taking it a little bit far!� Sirius gawped in surprise.

“I don’t think so. I think we treat them very unfairly.� Remus slapped his goblet down on the table and moved away from his friends irritably.

“Is he all right?� Sirius asked with concern as he watched Remus disappear into the crowd.

“Maybe the madness is spreading,� James shrugged.

“I think it’s nearly time for him to visit that sick Aunty of his,� Peter reminded them all insightfully.

“I forgot about that. What is it that’s wrong with her?� Sirius screwed his face up in concentration as he tried to remember what Remus had told them about the aunty who was very unwell and required monthly visits.

“I don’t think he’s actually said,� James answered as his memory failed him. A sudden squeak from Peter made him and Sirius jump.

“What was that for?� Sirius gave his shortest friend an odd look.

“You don’t think she’s a werewolf, do you?� he whispered. The three boys shared a questioning look before James started shaking his head.

“Nah, Remus would have told us if it was something like that.�

When they caught up with Remus at Professor Flitwick’s classroom they avoided broaching the sensitive subject, and some awkward banter passed between them for the rest of the day. However, they did notice that he was looking paler than usual and had large bags under his eyes. It only served to make them question Remus’s motives all the more.

As they finished dinner Professor McGonnagall strode towards them. “Mr. Lupin, it’s time that you were leaving,� she said sternly.

“Yes, Professor,� Remus replied wearily. “I’ll see you lot in a couple of days.�

“Take care,� Peter chimed heartily.

“Yeah, look after yourself, mate,� Sirius grinned.

“See you soon,� James added. The three of them watched carefully as McGonngall and Remus paced out of the Great Hall and then slipped out the front doors of the castle.

Later that evening, as they sat discussing Remus’s strange behaviour in front of the fire in their common room, none of them heard the painful howl that pierced through the quiet air of the school grounds; not one of them spotted the bright and full moon that was hanging in the inky sky.

A/N: This chapter takes place on the same day as the last one; this is what the girls did after that eventful lunch hour. Many thanks to Bridget and Lexy, who helped me to create the Hufflepuff common room as we now know it.


After lunch there was a somewhat tense atmosphere between the girls. Kim kept giving Natalie very harsh looks; her brow was furrowed and her lips pursed slightly in annoyance. When the day’s classes were expended and the girls returned to their common room, they sat around a large circular table scratching away at various bits of homework that they had acquired. It wasn’t long before the silence became too much for Natalie.

“Okay, Kim, tell me what the problem is,� Nat said exasperatedly. She dropped her quill onto the table and let go of the parchment that she had been writing on. As soon as she did it curled up into a cylinder and rolled on to the floor. Instead of retrieving it, she merely glared at it.

“I don’t have a problem,� Kim replied shortly. She flicked the page of The Standard Book of Spells rather harshly.

“That’s not true and you know it,� Natalie insisted.

“You have been a little…grumpy today,� Elysa confirmed quietly. When Kim shot her an angry look she suddenly found a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, which was hanging on the opposite wall, incredibly interesting.

“Kim, whatever it is, just tell me. I can’t take this silence anymore,� Nat pleaded.

“I think that what you did today was horrible,� Kim stated simply as she put her textbook down on the table.

“What did I do?� the plump girl asked in confusion. She looked at the three other faces around the table, and found that none of them were able to look her in the eye.

“You were really mean to that boy today. You could have left him alone, why did you have to pull that stunt at lunch?� Kim asked.

“He deserved what he got,� Nat declared.

“I have a question,� Marie suddenly interrupted the exchange between her two friends.

“Yes?� The two waited impatiently for Marie to make her inquisition.

“You keep going on about how bad James and his friends are. How was what you did any different?�

“Exactly,� Kim agreed.

“The difference is that I didn’t do it just for the fun of it!�

“No, you did it to be vindictive, which is worse,� Kim remonstrated.

“I did not! I’ve never been vindictive in my life!� Nat pushed herself out of her chair in objection. “He had it coming. Nobody is going to walk around and treat my friends like dirt. I won’t have it!�

“Who was he treating like dirt?� Kim enquired with a little confusion.

“You and Elysa,� Nat informed her briskly.

“Nat, all he did was boast that he was a good flyer. He wasn’t saying anything to us really,� Elysa reasoned.

“I saw how terrified you two looked; he’s got no right to make you feel bad. The idea is that we try and make things easy for you, not scare the life out of you.�

“It really wasn’t that bad,� Kim assured her; her tone had softened considerably now.

“He didn’t learn anything from it, though. A few hours later he was just acting like he was so untouchable. It just made me so angry.� Nat banged a hand on the table for emphasis.

“So, really, all you were trying to do was stand up for your friends. I think that’s very admirable,� Lex chimed as she smiled proudly at Nat.

“It is,� Elysa nodded enthusiastically.

“Just make sure that, next time, we need standing up for,� Kim smiled. She could see now that Nat’s heart had been in the right place, she just hadn’t expressed herself very well.

“I’m sorry if you thought I was over reacting.� Nat deflated and sank back into her seat. “It just annoys me when people like that think they’re better than me, or us, when they’ve no right to. A lot of my family are like that. My uncle Joseph married into the Malfoys, and now he thinks he’s ten times better than us,� Nat murmured with annoyance.

“The Malfoys?� Elysa asked. All homework was now abandoned and the girls sat staring at each other keenly.

“They’re a really old wizarding family, loaded with Galleons,� Marie informed them. Her eyes were wide in astonishment.

“Yeah, and my uncle has them for pupils,� Nat snorted.

“Is he really that bad?� Lex wore an expression that suggested that someone couldn’t possibly be that greedy.

“No, he’s worse.�

“Ahh,� Lex shook her head sadly. It was at that moment Robin walked past; she took one look at the solemn faces in front of her and concern raced across her features.

“Are you lot all right? Is something wrong?� She stopped so abruptly that the tall boy who had been following closely behind her almost bulldozed right through her.

“We’re okay, it’s been a long day,� Elysa assured her.

“They all are at first, before long they’ll zoom by and you’ll wonder where they went. Isn’t that right, Steven?� Robin glanced around at her male companion. This was the first the girls had paid any attention to him, and now that they had; they felt a blush creeping up into their cheeks. Steven was a very good looking seventh year prefect with green eyes and windswept blonde hair. Up until now he had been staring into space patiently, and not paying any attention to what the girls were saying. Panic set into his eyes as he realised he was expected to give an answer when he didn’t know the question.

“Um…yes?� he ventured tentatively.

“Would you like me to ask the question again?� Robin stared at him rather irritably.

“Yes, please,� he nodded vigorously.

“The days fly by, don’t they?� Robin repeated.

“Ohhhh, yeah, it’ll be over before you know it. Rob, don’t mean to rush you or that but it’s time we…made our rounds,� he said hurriedly and giving the other students in close proximity a worried glance.


“I know,� she snapped. “Will you girls be okay?� she added in a much softer tone.

“We’ll be fine,� Natalie promised. Robin smiled comfortingly at them all before Steven led her away through the crowded common room.

In the short time that the girls had been living in the castle they had already come to love their common room; it was, without doubt, their favourite place in the castle. It was a tall, narrow room with an impossibly high ceiling. There were two fireplaces down either side of the room, each with a large portrait hanging above it. They had a particular soft spot for the middle-aged woman from the portrait who over looked their usual spot; Gladys the Merry. She had large goblet of wine that she frequently topped up using a Refilling Charm. The copious amounts of alcohol that she consumed lead to a permanently pink complexion and a very jolly mood; she constantly told jokes that were so bad they were actually funny.

In the mornings the room positively gleamed in the daylight that was flooding in through the near floor-to-ceiling windows that ran down either side of the room. They were nicely complimented by long, flowing black drapes with gold embroidery on them. In the evenings the room had a cosy glow that was attributed to by the moon and stars outside, and the gentle candles that were burning inside.

Most evenings found the girls lounging around their favourite fireplace with Elysa stretched out on a couch, Kim and Lex curled in chairs on either side of the fire, and Marie and Natalie leaning on oversized cushions on the floor playing Exploding Snap.

If they were having themselves a homework night, then the girls parked themselves at one of the larger desks towards the back end of the room, near to the archway that lead to the dormitory corridors. The circumference of this particular table allowed all five of them to sit at it comfortably with their multitude of books.

Another silence had settled over the group, but this time it was much more amiable. In the time between finishing their homework and going to bed the girls chatted about their families, and about the different things that they were looking forward to doing at school.

Their giggling continued long into the night and were especially loud during a conversation that touched on some of the older boys in their house. Steven was discussed at length, and not one of them managed to stop the redness in their cheeks. It was the early hours of the next morning before sleepiness permeated through air. They all snuggled down under their covers and waited for the drowsiness to overtake them.

“Kim?� Natalie’s lethargic voice called through the darkness.

“Mmhmm,� Kim mumbled in reply.

“Am I forgiven?�

“Forgiven?� Kim propped herself up on her elbows and turned in Natalie’s direction. Even though the room was pitch black and she couldn’t actually see anything.

“For being a spiteful little witch.� A snort exploded from Marie’s corner of the room.

“You weren’t that bad, Nat,� Kim reassured her.

“But we’re okay now, aren’t we?�


“We’re just fine,� Kim smiled. For someone who had been confident enough to squeal and throw her arms about in front of the entire school, Natalie suddenly sounded so delicate.

“And so we sprinkle water on the little plant that is our friendship,� Elysa’s merry voice rang through the darkness. The other four girls exploded with laughter.

“And they call me the crazy one,� Nat chuckled.

True to Robin’s word, the days soon began to fly in. Before the girls could catch a breath September had vanished and October was eager to do the same. The breezy warmth of the autumn gave way to the stronger winds and downpours of the oncoming winter. A blue sky became a rarity, in its place a dreary batch of grey clouds settled in and showed no signs shifting in the near future. The last, action packed week of the month saw the build-up to the first Quidditch match of the season.

Whilst Kim, Lex, Elysa and Nat were all very excited at the prospect of their house’s first game, Marie could barely contain herself. During the last days before the match the young girl positively bounced around the castle. Their beloved Hufflepuff was lined up to play against Gryffindor on the Saturday before Halloween. Marie took to reciting the statistics of past Hufflepuff and Gryffindor encounters, and telling anyone who would listen absolutely everything about the players on both teams. James Potter featured prominently in these long-winded speeches, which left Natalie with a sore jaw after all the teeth gritting she was doing.

Kim found Marie’s tales very informative; she learned a lot about Quidditch in a very small space of time. Although she was slightly disturbed when her friend started analysing what the Gryffindor Seeker ate for breakfast on the morning of the match.

“He’s helping himself to a banana now, that’s a bad sign. Bananas are full of energy,� she confirmed as her own breakfast lay forgotten on her plate and she craned her neck to look around Lex. “Do you think that I should wish James good luck?�

“Up to you,� shrugged Elysa.

“What’s more important to you, your house or your cousin?� Nat rolled her eyes and popped another forkful of beans on toast into her mouth.

“They’re both equally important to me,� Marie replied, barely taking her eyes off the Gryffindor team.

“You’ll have to make a decision one day, it’s them or us,� Nat pointed out.

“Nat! They’re my family!�

“And we’re your friends. Your friends are the family you choose for yourself. Take a look around, this is the family you chose, this is where you belong.� Natalie took a long sip from her goblet of pumpkin juice.

“You know something, Nat, every now and then you say something that really makes sense,� Lex commented as she stared thoughtfully into the distance.

“Only every now and then?� Nat demanded with a mocking smile on her face. Lex nodded cheekily at her. “That’s because I don’t want to outshine you with my brilliance.�

A series of snorts shot round the group.

“You keep telling yourself that,� Kim chuckled and patted the other girl sportingly on the shoulder. The five of them sat at the table giggling until there was a mass of movement from around the hall as all the students began their journey on to the grounds.

Some strong rays of sunlight were trying desperately to break through the thick, dark clouds. It was undoubtedly only a matter of time before the rain began. Up until now the girls had never had any cause to go near the Quidditch stadium, they had only ever seen it from the castle and were amazed by the sheer size of it.

The arena was oval shaped, and looked rather like a brightly coloured fortress. It consisted of eight tall towers that were bedecked in the colours of the school houses. There was a large archway in one wall that lead to a selection of corridors and staircases. As soon as they passed through the arch, the girls took off down the right hand passageway and continued past three towers before they reached the yellow and black decoration of the Hufflepuff stand. They headed up a several flights of stairs on their left and when they eventually emerged in the fresh air at the top, they were astounded. They selected seats not too far from the front and took a second to admire the atmosphere that surrounded them.

They were now more than twenty feet above the ground, and looking down across a vibrant green pitch. At either end of the stadium were three tall hoops, which Marie soon explained were used for scoring. A multitude of dazzling colours surrounded them. To their left was the blue and silver of Ravenclaw, and to their right was the Red and Gold of Gryffindor.

All around them were flags with varying images on them. One in their stand depicted a rather large group of badgers biting the paws of a lion. The noise level was extraordinary; everyone was chanting and shouting as loud as their voices would let them. In a stand almost opposite them the Slytherins were concocting some kind of song together. The tune of “All brawn and no brains, they don’t know how to win a game!� breezed across the grass to them. Only Marie didn’t think it was appropriate to howl with laughter. The Hufflepuffs listened carefully and before long had joined in the chorus of the song
The Gryffindors, who were in the stand next to them, seemed thoroughly unimpressed with their display and started booing loudly in an attempt to drown them out. When Natalie spotted a glaring Paul amongst their audience, it only compelled her to sing more raucously.

The game proved to be an exciting time for Kim and Elysa, neither of whom had attended a game before. Every time one of the players went into a dive they would subconsciously hold their breath. Marie spent most of her time hopping up and down in indecision. Whenever Hufflepuff scored she cheered, and when James came close to grabbing the Snitch to win the game for Gryffindor she nearly fell out of the stands in excitement. Natalie’s heel coming down fast and hard on her toes was the only thing that stopped Marie from toppling to the grassy floor below. James did eventually end up catching the Snitch, up until that point there had only been twenty points between the two teams. The Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins groaned in unison, while the Gryffindors cheered louder than they had at any other time during the match. When her cousin did a victory lap of the pitch Marie beamed and waved proudly, this resulted in Nat pointedly turning her back on her friend and proceeding to commiserate with Lex, who looked like she might cry.


As they all filed down the stairwell and back on to the corridor that they had come from they ended up interspersed with the Gryffindors. The look of misery adorning the girls’ features was just too much temptation for a certain red and gold student. “What do you have to say to that then?� Paul demanded of Nat as she streamed past him arm in arm with Lex.

“What do I have to say to what?� Natalie asked lightly, feigning ignorance.

“You were up there singing your heart out and it didn’t do any good, did it? We beat you in the end,� he replied smugly.

“I happen to think it’s terribly sad.� Nat tipped her chin downward and shook her head ever so slightly.

“You think what’s terribly sad?� Paul tried to hide his confusion and failed miserably.

“Well, your Quidditch team obviously got all the talent for your house. Such a shame, you’d think they might have shared some.� Despite trying to frogmarch away from Paul up the hill towards the castle, the Gryffindor proved he wasn’t easily shaken.

“Exactly what does that mean?� he challenged her boldly.

“It means that you’re a big, talent less, brute!� she yelled as loud as her lungs would permit.

“That’s it; you’re in for it now!� Paul whispered dangerously as he reached into his robe pocket for his wand. He pointed the long wooden instrument at Natalie and muttered, “Petrificus…�

Before he could finish he suddenly started wobbling all over the place, completely unable to stand up straight. As the gathered crowd started to point and laugh, and Nat stared at him in bewilderment, Kim pushed her way through the onlookers. “You should not be trying to hex people. It’s not very nice,� she seethed. When one of Paul’s flailing limbs suddenly came too close to her she gave him a swift kick in the shins and began pushing Nat and Lex towards the castle.

“Kim…� breathed Nat.

“That was amazing!� squealed Elysa.

“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant,� Lex muttered. Marie nodded in accord.

“Well, he deserved it,� Kim said with a tone of finality and a small smile.

“I knew I liked you for a reason,� grinned Nat as she took the other girl’s hand. The group continued to recount the incident well into the night, and every time they did it elicited a louder laugh.

James retired to his common room after the game tired but satisfied. He collapsed into chair by the fire, stretched his limbs out and allowed the warmth to soothe them. Sirius, Peter and Remus surrounded him as always. Peter was currently engaged in a battle of wills with Sirius, or, as it was more commonly known, a game of Gobstones. A game that Peter was easily winning, he was quite the tactician. The rest of the common room was bustling with post match vigour. There were several excited verbal replays going on in various corners in the room and many others were trying to re-enact their favourite moments.

James watched carefully as a girl on the other side of the room looked rather annoyed at all the furore. She was curled in a chair by the window with what looked like the Standard Book of Spells: Grade 3 open in her lap. She scowled as one of her friends; a rather pretty, curly haired girl demonstrated one of the more spectacular dives of the game.

“Honestly, Gemma, how many times are you going to do that?� she snapped.

“As many times as it takes for me to grow tired of it!� Gemma offered as she once again launched herself into the bed of cushions she had arranged on the floor.

James allowed himself to smile. He wasn’t sure what it was that he was smiling at exactly. His mind told him that he should be flattered that Gemma was so enthralled by his skill that she was annoying her friend to death with its re-enactment, but something nagged at his subconcious and it said that it wasn’t Gemma’s excitement that he was smiling at.

“What’s that dopey smile for?� Sirius said glancing away from the marble that was rolling about in front of him in a rather threatening manner. He was already covered in the gunk that its companions had spat over him. Taking attention from it quickly proved to be a very bad idea as it projected its contents right into his distracted eyes. “In the name of MERLIN!� he cried as he stomped his feet in agony and hastily tried to wipe the stuff from his stinging eyes.

“That’ll teach you,� Peter grinned gloriously. He never had been a very gracious winner; it wasn’t in his nature as a Gryffindor.

“Honestly, Peter, do you have to be so rough with him. Why can’t you take it easy on him just this once?� Remus muttered quietly as Sirius jumped out of his chair and ran in the direction of the dormitory bathroom to wash his eyes out.

“There’s no point in playing if you don’t play to win. Isn’t that right, James?� Peter argued indignantly.

“He’s got a point, Remmy,� James nodded in agreement.

“Playing Quidditch as a competitive sport and playing a round of Gobstones with one of your friends are two entirely different things,� Remus asserted with an altogether superior tone.

“He’s right, Peter,� James said after a moment of contemplation.

The noise of the common room masked the sound of the portrait hole squeaking open, but it didn’t take long for silence to sweep through the room’s occupants. Those whose backs were to the entrance, turned in their seats, determined to scold whoever was dampening their mood. They barely halted themselves in time when they found that it was Professor McGonagall, their head of house, who had joined them.

“Please don’t stop on my account,� she said with a rather dry smile. As people once again began to talk the stern woman briskly marched towards the fire. “Mr. Lupin, it is time for you to visit your Aunt. Have you prepared your things?�

“Yes, Professor,� Remus responded emptily.

“Please go and collect them from your dormitory,� McGonagall instructed. She waited, rather impatiently at that, while Remus sprinted towards the stairs to his dormitory, vanished, and re-appeared a moment or two later with a duffle bag slung across his shoulders. Professor McGonagall nodded sharply at him, spun on her heel and led him from the tower. His two friends waved lightly at his as he was herded out the portrait

Moments after they had exited, Sirius re-emerged from the bathrooms with his hair and the front of his robes sopping wet. He returned to his seat and sat staring at his two companions for a moment with a puzzled look on his face. James rolled his eyes and pointed to the spot that Remus had previously occupied. “Where’d he go?�

“McGonagall took him away to visit his aunt again,� James replied. He was still watching the girls by the window carefully.

“You know, somebody said something weird to me about that a few weeks ago,� Peter mumbled so quietly the other two almost didn’t hear him.

“Something weird?� Sirius enquired as he put a protective had over a Gobstone that looked about ready to explode.

“Yeah, Marlene McKinnon, was coming back from a Quidditch practice last month when she saw Madam Pomfrey and Remus heading towards the Whomping Willow. Which is strange…� he trailed off.

“Why is that strange?� James asked.

“Because the Willow is nowhere near the front gates, James, keep up!� Sirius rolled his eyes. “You’ve fallen off your broom too many times and forgotten the geography of this place.�

“Maybe they were meeting someone under the tree so that Remus could get a Portkey straight to St. Mungo’s,� James shrugged, completely ignoring Sirius’ comment about falling from his broom. It wasn’t something he did often, but when he did he usually did it from great heights and ended up in the Hospital Wing for days.

“If you were catching a Portkey would you honestly stand under the Whomping Willow?� Sirius asked incredulously, his dark eyebrows had disappeared into his damp hair.

“Only if I had a death wish,� Peter offered.

“I vote we go after them and see where they go,� Sirius jumped from his chair with a fire alight in his eyes. Adventure was afoot and he wasn’t about to miss out on it.

“And how do you propose to get us through the castle unnoticed at this hour?� James asked him with a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

“You know what he’s suggesting,� Peter added in an excited whisper. “Cloak,� he mouthed silently.

“Definitely. Bed time for us I reckon, boys,� James said loudly while stretching his arms high about his head and faking a yawn.

“Yeah,� Sirius nodded. “I’m absolutely cream crackered, mate.�

“Me too,� Peter stifled a yawn with his hand, and the three of them drifted towards their dormitory. Once there they hurried under the Invisibiliy Cloak that James’ father had handed down to him and set off back down the stairs.

“We’ll need to be careful to not knock anyone,� James whispered as he assessed the minefield that was the common room.

People were strewn everywhere and it was going to be difficult to get the three of them past without anyone getting nudged. With much manoeuvring and a great deal of tip-toeing over limbs, they managed to make it to the portrait hole. They didn’t have to wait long for the Fat Lady’s picture to swing forward, curfew was fast approaching and any wandering lions were forced to return to the comfort and warmth of their tower. They swished past the incoming Gryffindors silently and proceeded down the several staircases that lay between them and the Entrance Hall. They were dismayed to find that the doors of the castle were closed.

“What should we do?� Sirius whispered as quietly as possible.

“There’s hardly anybody about, if we’re quiet we could get away with it,� Peter replied.

With a quick glance over his shoulder James nodded in agreement and Sirius slipped a hand between the folds of the cloak to gently push the door open. A thunderous creak reverberated off the stone walls followed by silence. The boys let out a breath that they hadn’t realised they were holding in and started to squeeze through the opening they had now made. Peter was just sucking in his slight paunch when Flich appeared from a corridor that lead to the dungeons. His horrid cat Mrs. Norris was winding her way through his legs as he took each step.

“Who’s there?� he called with a scowl. His paced quickened, he almost skipped, towards the open door. Peter barely managed to slip through the gap before Flich’s distorted face appeared in it calling out in to the night again. “I’ll get you, you know!� he hollered.

The boys quickly tapped their way down the front steps of the castle and scoured the night for signs of their friend and Professor McGonagall. They could barely make out two outlines standing on the slight hill that provided a base for the Whomping Willow. They set off across the grass with surprising speed, occasionally slowing a little to stop the cloak from billowing too much and revealing them. They paused at the bottom of the hill to carefully observe their friend and teacher.

McGonagall was in the middle of levitating a stick towards the Willow. She carefully directed the stick towards a knot that was protruding from one of the exposed roots. The tree immediately stopped thrashing around and froze in mid swing. As soon as it had stopped moving Remus moved in closer to the tree and knelt down to a sizeable gap underneath it.

“I shall return to collect you at dawn on Sunday. Will you be all right?� McGonagall asked with uncharacteristic concern written in her normally stern features.

“I’ll be fine, Professor, thank you,� Remus muttered as he threw his duffle bag down the hole and slithered in after it.

“Very well, be careful.� McGonagall watched carefully as Remus’ dark blonde head disappeared from view. As soon as he was out of sight McGonagall watched the tree spring back to life before she headed back towards the castle with her cloak whipping in the breeze. Once they were sure that she was safely back within the building and not able to see them, the boys moved forward and began to mimic her actions. With the Tree once again still they removed the cloak and quickly jumped through the gap one by one.

Under the tree they found themselves in a dank, dark tunnel. They squinted to try and see through the pitch black, but could barely see a foot or two ahead of them. It was Sirius who managed to light his wand first; he held it high above his head allowing them to see that they were in a very long tunnel that appeared to rise towards the end. With a single hesitant glance shared between them the pressed forward in single file with Sirius and his lighted wand leading them. They felt like they’d been walking forever before they finally felt the ground rising beneath them and their route coming to a dead end. A fleeting look upwards revealed wooden planks running across the roof of the tunnel. James reached up and felt around until he was able to find a section that moved, he gave it a solid shove and a whole panel moved. He peeked into the space revealed and saw an empty corridor. He signalled Peter to give him a heave up, he pulled himself up into the hallway and reached back to pull Sirius and Peter up after him. They snaked their way down this new passage as quietly as possible, although it was difficult with some of the floorboards squeaking under their weight.

At the end of the corridor there was a doorway, and beyond it a very dusty room. The windows had been boarded up, allowing only small shards of light to filter through the musky air. There were pieces of furniture scattered all over the place, well, what looked like pieces of furniture, their ruined state made it difficult to tell what they had once been. In the centre of the room, there was a large, rather murky looking blanket, next to which Remus’ bag and been abandoned. The boy himself was propping up the remains of a chair in one corner.

“So your Aunt’s getting taken care of in here, is she?� James asked loudly. Remus nearly fell out of the chair he was barely sitting in.

“What are you doing here? How did you get in?� he asked in panic as he picked himself up off the floor.

“That’s a really nice way to greet your friends,� Sirius commented as his eyes drifted across the dismal surroundings.

“I think the better question is what are you doing here?� Peter gave Remus a rather scolding look.

“I’m here because I need to be. You lot don’t. Get out of here and go back to the castle NOW!� Remus roared.

“Don’t talk to us like that, Remus,� James shouted back.

“You don’t understand. You need to leave….� Remus began trying to spin Peter around and send him back down the corridor.

“What don’t we understand? Why won’t you tell us? Why’ve you been lying?� Sirius demanded.

“You’ve got no idea, you need to go, it’s not safe…� Remus gave up on Peter and started trying to shuffle James out.

“Why isn’t it safe?� James asked.

“Look, there isn’t time to talk about it. Would you hurry up and go!� Remus was starting to look flushed and didn’t dare hold their gaze.

“What’s the rush?� Sirius asked.

“There isn’t much time left!� Remus cried in frustration.

“Remus, what’s the matter? Why don’t you just tell us? We’ll understand, we’re your friends,� Peter asserted in a much softer voice that Sirius or James had tried.

“Because you wouldn’t understand!� Was the harsh reply.

“Why don’t you try us, eh? Give us the benefit of the doubt.� Sirius quickly adopted Peter’s more encouraging tone.

“You’ll…you’ll…look at me differently.� The tall, fair haired boy mumbled quietly. James snorted rather loudly at this statement.

“We’re your best friends, I honestly don’t think that’s likely,’ he added hurriedly.

“He’s right, come one, Remus, tell us what’s wrong,� Peter urged in an almost motherly voice. Remus looked up at his three friends standing side by side defiantly; it was becoming uncomfortably clear that he wasn’t going to get out of this. Six eyes rested on him expectantly, they prodded at him, begged him to share his dark secret.

“I’m….� Remus began, but his voice faltered. The boys leaned forward in anticipation. “I’m…� he began again, “A werewolf� he mumbled inaudibly.

“Come again, mate.� Sirius tilted his head to the left in an attempt to bring his ear closer to the sound of his friend’s voice.

“I’m a werewolf,� Remus repeated ever so slightly louder. The three jaws in front of him dropped simultaneously. James’ mouth flapped soundlessly for several minutes before he took a large gulp. The awkward silence filtered through the air, it swelled with every passing second until it became an unbearable, invisible object that was pressing in on them from all sides.

No one has the opportunity to say anything before Remus started to moan and shake. Before their astonished eyes James, Sirius, and Peter saw something violent take hold of their long time friend. The stood by helplessly as Remus’ moans soon became howls of agony, and he began to gruesomely transform. His limbs stretched awkwardly and hair forced its way trough his skin. In a matter of seconds, it was no longer their friend standing before them but a snarling wolf. With a frightened look shared between them the three boys bolted back through the door and along the corridor, before leaping back into the tunnel that brought them from the grounds above. They managed to slam the trapdoor shut an instant before the wolf that their friend had become, tried to ravage the wooden guard.

They returned to the castle in deathly silence, all of them too shocked to speak, and unable to put their thoughts into words. They retired to bed at a time that was considered horrendously early by their peers and all of them jumped when they heard a high-pitched howl penetrate the air of the school grounds.

In the blink of an eye the first term at Hogwarts had all but vanished and the last few days before Christmas induced a riotous atmosphere inside the castle. The frosty winter air positively crackled with the excitement of expectation. The school grounds had been covered in a thick, fluffy coat of dazzlingly bright snow for some time now. It was a breathtaking sight at dawn and dusk. The girls had found themselves drawn to the Astronomy Tower whenever their schedules permitted. Late on the last Saturday afternoon before the term ended they were to be found huddled in a corner of the front steps wrapped tightly in their heaviest cloaks, snacking on a few sandwiches they had managed to pinch from the lunch table. Kim, who was by far the most studious of the group, had taught herself a Melting Charm from their Charms textbook and had thawed a section of the stairs big enough for them all to relax on. They were chatting away quietly as they watched the sun slide down behind the blanched tree-tops of the Forbidden Forest. “Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?� Nat suddenly asked in a brief moment of silence. Elysa turned on the step below and stared at her friend wide-eyed while their other companions chuckled quietly. Natalie had a habit of asking the most random questions.

“What in the name of Flamell makes you ask that?� Lex asked between spurts of giggling.

“It’s something that’s been bothering me for a while now,� Nat replied, apparently oblivious to the comedic nature of her enquiry. “I mean, when you put a woolly jumper in the wash it shrinks. So why doesn’t a sheep shrink? It’s the same thing.�

“Not really,� Marie chipped in thoughtfully.

“How so?�

“Well, your jumpers only shrink when the water is hot. Rain water is cold,� she answered.

“When did you get so clever?� Kim joked.

“I’m not really sure…� Marie said with a smile. The girls returned to their quiet until the sun was completely gone and an inky blue had crept across the sky, which was when they returned to the castle.

There was just enough time for them to quickly return to their dormitory to hang up their cloaks before it was time to go to the Great Hall for the final feast of the term. Dumbledore was sat in his usual spot smiling genially at his exuberant young charges. When everyone had found themselves a seat the headmaster gently tapped the handle of his fork against the side of his empty challis.

“The season of goodwill is upon us once more and the twinkling eyes before me assure me that the spirit of the season is alive and well, and for that I am very glad. Myself and the staff hope that you all have a joyous and fruitful holiday. I believe I have rambled quite long enough. Let the feast begin!� Dumbledore clapped his wrinkly hands as copious amounts of food appeared on the five tables and energetic consumption began.

The Hall was filled with a variety of sounds, the rumble of laughter, the clanging of plates and goblets, the murmur of conversation and the screeching of moving chairs. All this was interrupted by sudden yelps emanating from the Slytherin table. As students from the three other houses craned their necks to see what was causing the commotion it became clear that a section of the table’s occupants had fallen victim to a cruel joke. The words ‘Another fine Marauder prank!’ were being formed by green and silver streamers above a large group of Slytherins who had now sprouted shiny black horns on either side of their foreheads. Roaring laughter swept through the breathless crowd. While Professor Slughorn was demanding calm, several of his students were running from the hall shrieking, as the majority of the others chortled into their Yorkshire puddings.

“There’s something that I need to tell you all,� Mar muttered so quietly that it was barely audible over the noise. The rest of the girls looked up at her seriously, but the small smile playing at the corners of Marie’s mouth gave them leave to relax. They eagerly swallowed the rest of their food and walked back to the Hufflepuff common room so quickly that they practically ran the whole way. They shuffled through the bustling crowd in the room and made a dash for their dormitory quarters. Once the door was closed, and the noise of their house-mates muffled, the girls stared at Marie expectantly.

“I know who the Marauders are,� she pronounced with a large grin.

“Who?� Elysa asked eagerly, she was bouncing slightly on the end of her bed.

“You all have to swear that you won’t tell anyone,� Mar looked at each of the girls intently.

“It goes no further than these walls,� Lex confirmed with a nod. The others did the same.

“The Marauders are James and his friends,� the girl announced with a proud sort of giggle.

“What?� Natalie looked up rather sharply.

“Don’t start that again,� Kim mumbled quietly.

“I’m not starting anything, I just want to make sure that I heard right there. You’re saying that your cousin and his pals are the Marauders?� Nat looked to Marie for confirmation, which she got in the shape of a fervent nod. “So they’re the ones responsible for that prank earlier?� Marie nodded again. “They’re the ones responsible for all those pranks that have happened over the last couple of years?� Marie nodded yet again. “Well, knock me down with a feather...� Nat breathed.

“Hold up, I think Nat might actually be impressed there!� Lex exclaimed.

“What is it?� Mar asked in confusion. Natalie had had a deep-rooted hatred of James as long as the girls had known her.

“Do you remember that I told you about my friend Joanne?� Mar and Kim nodded, but Lex and Elysa continued to sit on their beds bemused having missed out on that conversation. “James and the others setup up an Invisible Puddle at the top of the stairs outside the Charms classroom,� Natalie explained for their benefit.

“That explains why you hate him so much,� Elysa commented as the penny finally dropped in her mind.

“Well, after that happened there were this bunch of fourth years, who started picking on her because of what happened. They kept making fun of her. Jo was really upset, she cried all the time. A few weeks later, they all woke up with purple spots on their cheeks arranged into a word,� Natalie paused dramatically. Elysa immediately jumped in to ask the question they all wanted to.

“What word?�

“Marauders,� Nat nearly whispered. “They went to Madame Pomfrey, and it looked like she had managed to cure them all. They were wrong. Every time one of them tried to pick on Joanne the purple spots sprang up again. It only took a day or two for them to realise what was happening and they left her alone.�

“That’s brilliant!� Elysa trilled as she chuckled. Nat nodded solemnly, the realisation that she had been unreasonably mean to James was sweeping over her.

“Does this mean you’ll stop being horrid to James?� Marie asked eagerly.

“I didn’t say that,� Nat replied hastily.

“But you just admitted that he helped stop those people picking on Joanne…�

“Yes, but if he hadn’t played that stupid prank then they wouldn’t have been picking on her in the first place!� Nat continued adamantly.

“We all make mistakes, Nat.� Lex gave the other girl a significant look, silently reminding her chubby friend of the way she had behaved just a few months previously.

“We do, and we’ve all got to accept our punishment for them. When he shows that he’s actually sorry for what happened then I’ll stop being mean.�
“You’re really very stubborn, you know,� Kim commented with a sigh.

“I know, that’s why you all love me,� Nat replied with a big grin. With that the girls retired to bed and the only noises that filled the room were the rustlings of pyjamas, and the opening and closing of drawers. Just as the lights dimmed, as they did every night, the chorus of goodnights swept the room followed by gentle breathing and some light snoring.

---

The next morning was a bit chaotic in the girls’ dormitory as Elysa revealed that she hadn’t actually done any packing for her visit home.

“You haven’t packed anything?� Kim exclaimed with her eyebrows disappearing into her hair.

“Erm….no…� Elysa gave what she hoped was a little, casual shrug.

“Elysa, the train home leaves in an hour!� Marie yelped.

“I didn’t think I’d really need to take anything with me…� Now that her friends were looking so panicked it struck Elysa that she’d actually been a bit stupid.

“Right, everyone, action stations. Marie, you get the wardrobe, Nat, you go for the chest of drawers, Kim, you take the bathroom, and I’ll pack the trunk. The girls immediately dispersed to their stations and began picking out the things they thought might be needed for the trip home. Marie started tearing robes and cloaks out of the wardrobe with gay abandon, and threw them in what she hoped was Lex’s direction. Nat opened the top drawer of the oak cabinet and stared at it rather emptily, unsure what he friend would really need for her two week holiday. Kim was the only one who seemed to strike the balance between taking everything and taking nothing, she returned from the bathroom with Elysa’s toothbrush in one hand and her facecloth in the other. When Lex finished folding the robes that Marie had managed to land on her head she looked up at Nat expectantly, when she just stared back Lex rolled her eyes. Marie immediately shot round the bed, grabbed the open drawer, and in one swift action she emptied Elysa’s entire underwear collection into the travelling trunk.

“That’s how it’s done!� she rumbled happily and she gave her hands a satisfactory wipe on the front of her school uniform.

“No wonder you had trouble getting your trunk closed this morning,� Lex muttered as she flipped over the lid of Elysa’s trunk and locked it.

Their exuberant mood continued through breakfast and right up until they saw the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade station. As soon as they laid eyes on the glistening red locomotive their spirit seemed to ebb away. The five of them had been in almost constant company for the last three months, the prospect of not seeing each other for two weeks suddenly looked horribly daunting.

“It’s only two weeks,� Nat muttered at random intervals. The others weren’t sure whether she was talking to them, or to herself.

“We can always write to each other,� Kim added every fourth or fifth time Nat mumbled. The other girls nodded.

“Two weeks isn’t long. Look how quickly the past three months have gone by, we’ll be back on the train before we know it,� Elysa reminded them all comfortingly. This seemed to put a little bit of spark back into them and they spent the rest of the journey alternating between games of Exploding Snap and Gobstones, the latter of which Kim was getting surprisingly good at.

When the train pulled into King’s Cross, the girls all saw their parents on the platform. Mr and Mrs Cura seemed delighted to see Kim laughing as she disembarked the train with Natalie on the other end of her trunk, they had worried terribly about her. Mr and Mrs. Brownlie were a little further up the platform and whilst happy to see their eldest daughter again, they were having some trouble trying to keep their rabble of small children all in one place. Mrs. Taylor appeared to be scowling at Lex for no apparent reason; it quickly became clear that she and Lex’s younger sister had had an argument earlier in the day. Marie quickly rushed over to a large group of people who were all ecstatic to see her; there was some kind of Potter family reunion going on. The only person left without someone to greet them was Elysa, she nervously looked around in the hope of spotting her parents but couldn’t see them anywhere.

“They’re probably on the other side of the barrier,� Nat assured her. Sure enough, when they tumbled through the barrier between platform nine and three quarters and the Muggle world, Mr. Montfort was standing close by trying to comfort his wife. They hadn’t been able to get through the magical wall, something which had upset Mrs. Montfort terribly.

As they all divided off in their separate directions with their families, they waved to each other cheerily and wished each other a Merry Christmas, two weeks wouldn’t be long in passing them by.