I sat at the back of the potions class, the bench beside me empty. Slytherins and Gryffindors were busy finishing off their simple sleeping potions. I had finished a while ago and had started on my homework for my other classes. Snape never looked twice at me. He would come over once I was done working, test the potion, nod in approval, and return to dealing with my problematic classmates. Potions was the only class where my grades could beat Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor in my year. Our two kinds were never supposed to mix – we had always been like oil and water. Milk and dish soap. I sighed, scribbling down the report on Cornish pixies that Hagrid had assigned. Even though he was a professor, I spent some of my spare time out at his hut, talking or feeding his creatures.

My brothers had also gone to school here, but Eric and Van were in Ravenclaw and Mark was a Gryffindor. Eric had graduated last year and that left me without anyone to hang out with outside of class time, or at meals. Hagrid was okay with my spending time with him, as long as no other professors saw us and I was gone or hidden when Harry Potter and his group came by. And thankfully that had gotten less and less frequent as the years went on.

I was like a fly on the wall here. In classes, in the great hall, in my own house. No one cared to notice me. Though I never made any attempt to stand out. So it really was not their fault that I went unnoticed, I never really cared to be noticed.

Snape announced the end of class and our homework. I shot out of my desk, and out the door to my next class, Transfiguration.

The day passed by as it always did. Classes ticked by slowly since I finished the assignment early, then I would work on homework and wait for the end of class so I could repeat that same cycle again and again. I would go to dinner, sitting at the end of the table speaking to no one. Then to the library or to Hagrid's if all my work was done, or most of it. Then off to bed in a dorm with five other girls that were never there, or if they were would try to acknowledge me only to end up ignoring me.

I decided to go to Hagrid's.

"This is a photo of Norbert that Bill sent me. He's Ron's eldest brother, you know. You should really talk to him and Harry – I'd bet they'd like you too." Hagrid laughed.

"But I'm a Slytherin, there's no way they'd like me." I verbalized the excuse that always ran through my head.

Hagrid frowned, "you're the nicest Slytherin I know. You don't really fit the Slytherin mold either."

"I don't know." I frowned, "they're very popular as it is. My, has Norbert grown, he's nearly fifteen times the size as he was when he hatched."

"There's a trip down to Hogsmeade Friday evening – why don't you go and find something to send one of your brothers?" Hagrid suggested as I finished off my cup of tea.

I shrugged, "Van would enjoy a good laugh from Zonko's."

Hagrid laughed heartily, "there we go! He'd love some fizzy wizzbies or acid pops I bet." I thanked Hagrid for the long talk, and copious amounts of tea before excusing myself to bed. It was already far past curfew, but it was not as if I had to avoid Filch. The last time he caught me in the halls on the way back to the dungeons he snickered and laughed that someone could be even lonelier than he was. It was true after all. Especially this year.

I made my way back to my dorm in silence like I always did, not running into a single being. Even if Umbridge was here this year enforcing vain and peculiar rules on her whim – and no matter how many I broke I was never seen. I was about to place my hand onto the knob of the entryway to the common room, but the stone door flung open. I was pushed to the door as three boys in my year sauntered out. The two dark haired boys kept walking, but the blonde turned to watch me slowly get up. I cringed, I had scrapped open the palm of my hand when I fell. The blonde scoffed before turning on his heel and following his minions. Of course Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle would be out and about off plotting some horrible scheme against some first years – or Harry Potter. I sighed, taking out my wand and used a quick healing spell before making my way up to my, yet again, empty dormitory.