Nikki's alarm went off at eight am on September 1st. Normally, she'd be grumbling and complaining about being up so early, but not today. Today she would be returning to Hogwarts for her fifth year. She smiled proudly, picking up her prefect badge and putting it in her pocket. She was actually kind of shocked that Snape had picked her as a prefect. He had always seemed to hate her the last few years, but maybe that hadn't effected his choice. She knew she was one of the best choices, honestly. Not many of the other fifth year girls had what it took. They were snobby, mean, and frankly, most weren't very smart.

"Nikki, are you up?" Her mum, Grace-Ann, knocked on the door.

"Nope!" she answered, opening the door. Grace-Ann smiled and shook her head.

"Are you ready to head back?" she asked, fixing Nikki's hair and clothes in that motherly way.

"Of course I am," she smiled. "I've got all kinds of pranks planned for those Weasley twins." Grace-Ann smile a little bit sadly. She was worried, Nikki could tell.

"This year isn't gonna be easy for you, dear," she whispered. "Not with…everything that's happened." Nikki sighed. Her father had escaped from Azkaban, and was currently on the run. It was all over the Daily Prophet. He was like the muggle singer, Elvis, she had learned about one year when she visited America with her mother. He was being spotted everywhere.

"Mum, I know he didn't do it, and that's all I need. So what if people give me a hard time?" Nikki smiled, attempting to reassure her mother. "I'll kick anyone's ass who messes with me."

"Okay, sweetie…" Grace-Ann kissed her head. "You get ready, then we'll get something to eat before we drop you off."

"Got'cha, mum," Nikki closed her door and went about getting ready. She styled her pixie cut, raven hair, using a straightening potion and making it flare out behind her ears. She put some sliver eyeliner around her grey eyes, then threw her make up bag in her trunk. "Rainbow, c'mere!" she called, clicking her tongue in an attempt to get her cat to come out from where she was hiding. The little calico pounced up on her dresser and nuzzled her face. "Hey there, kitty-kitty." She picked up the cat and slipped her into the cat carrier that was on her bed. "We're going back to Hogwarts today!" she said happily, closing the carrier. Rainbow meowed happily. Nikki did a final check to make sure she had everything, before closing up her trunk and carrying her things out to the living room.

"Ready to go?" asked Grace-Ann, looking up from the couch.

Nikki and Grace-Ann had a fast food restaurant on the way to King's Cross. Nikki happily ate her breakfast sandwich until they parked. "Now, I want you to behave yourself," Grace-Ann ordered as Nikki walked to the trunk of the car.

"Mum! I'm 15, I'll be fine!" she exclaimed, pulling out her trunk.

"I still worry about what you do, Nikki. Every year I get a letter saying you've done something," Gracie sighed, running a hand threw her hair. "Those Weasley twins are a bad influence on you."

"Or maybe I'm a bad influence on them?" Nikki laughed.

"Just behave yourself. This year your godfather will be teaching you."

"Which I'm thrilled about!" she said, putting her trunk on a trolley. "He'll be ten times the teacher that bloody git Lockhart was."

"Nikolyn, language."

"Bloody, bloody, bloody!" laughed Nikki, putting Rainbow's carrier on the trolley. Gracie sighed. "I could be saying worse, mum." Nikki paused to make sure that Rainbow's carrier was safe, and watch as she raised her hatches, and hissed. "What's wrong, Rainbow?" Nikki followed the cat's angry gaze to a black dog in an alleyway. It had matted fur and was emancipated, but something about the dog made her feel that it was just down on its luck, and needed some love. "Mum, look at that dog. I'm sure he'd be beautiful if he got some food and a bath!"

"Nikki, you hate dogs, why do you ca-" Grace-Ann looked at the dog Nikki ad pointed out, and paused. Nikki's mother was where her fear of dogs came from, so this wasn't too shocking from her. "C'mon, you're gonna miss the train, dear." Gracie put an arm around her and gave her a little push towards the station.

"It's only 10, mum! You're so paranoid lately!" she laughed, pushing her trolley towards the station.

"Its what mums do, sweetie." Gracie mumbled. That dog seemed to really be bothering her mother, but Nikki just brushed it off as they entered Platform 9 and ¾. "Make sure to write, okay?" Grace-Ann ordered as Nikki prepared to board the Hogwarts Express. Nikki remembered her first two years at Hogwarts, how her mother had cried and mumbled about how she remembered when Nikki was a baby and had cried and cried when they entered the platform. Nikki's mum had been a sixth year when she'd been born, and her dad a seventh. Nikki had decided she was never going to have sex at Hogwarts when her mum had told her that she'd had been a mum so young. Nikki had things she wanted to do with her life, and was going to mess it up like her parents had. Not that Nikki thought her parents had messed up that badly. They'd done well…until the Potters died. Then everything went to hell.

"Of course I will, mum." She gave her mum a hug, then boarded the train. Nikki walked down to the normal compartment and put her trunk above the seats as she mumbled a hey to one of her acquaintances. She had a lot of acquaintances, but few friends. In Slytherin house, being the child of a Death Eater lead to a lot of popularity, and even though she knew her father was no Death Eater, it didn't change the fact that the entire Wizarding community did.

"Hello, Nikki," a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and a set of lips landed on her cheek.

"Hey, Adrian," she smiled and kissed his cheek. "How was your summer?"

"Great, but its better now that I can see you," He smiled, letting her go and sitting down. She plopped down next to him. Adrian Pucey was one of the few real gentlemen of Slytherin house. He was the chaser of the Quidditch team. He didn't cheat during games, he was relatively kind to most everyone unless given reason to act otherwise. He was an attractive boy with short dark hair, and brown eyes whom she'd started dating late in her fourth year.

"I'm happy we'll get to be prefects together," she smiled, making sure his metallic badge was straight on his robes.

"So am I. I was scared Flint's stupid practice schedule was going to keep us apart." Nikki made a face. Marcus Flint was one of the biggest arses she'd ever met. He should have graduated the year before, but of course the idiot had found some way to fail and had to repeat his seventh year. She wasn't sure how he kept getting the Quidditch captain position each year. "So…how's things been on the home front?"

"Things are fine, Adrian. The Aurors have been talking to mum and they interviewed me, but I have just a much of an idea where my father is as anyone," Nikki shrugged. "Mum is worried people will give me a hard time this year."

"Well, if anyone does, then just tell me. I'll take care of them." She smiled and kissed his cheek as the train started moving.

"You're a good boyfriend, Adrian."

"I know I am." he stood up and offered a hand. "I guess we should head to the meeting?"

"Yeah," Nikki took his hand and got up. The two began walking to the Head compartment.

"Its wittle Nikkikins!" Nikki stopped, cringing at the voices. Fred and George Weasley, the bane of her existence, but also her only source of entertainment sometimes. She'd met them on the train in her first year, and had honestly thought they were going to be friends until she'd been sorted into Slytherin. Ever since, they'd been involved in some odd never ending war of pranks and witty banter.

"And her wittle boyfriend Pucey!" added George.

"What a cute little set of snakes!" Nikki sighed.

"Weasleys, I'm not gonna deal with you until we get to the castle. And trust me, I've got plans for you," she smirked at the twins.

"Oh goody!" Fred clapped.

"We have plans,"

"For you too, Black!" George smiled at her, before walking into his compartment. Fred took a look at the prefect badge on her robes.

"You made prefect, Nikki?" he asked.

"Yeah, so watch your ass, Weasley," Adrian said, stirring Nikki away from the Gryffindor. "Since when did he call you by your first name?"

"Fred's always called me Nikki. Its George that calls me Black." She shrugged. "I don't care what they call me. Its Fred and George Weasley for Merlin's sake."

The evening feast went about the same as normal. The First Years were sorted, and Dumbledore stood up and explained things about the coming year. The Great Hall was filled with gasps and mutterings when the Professor explained that the dementors would be at Hogwarts. Nikki wasn't too phased. Her mum had told her about all the consequences of her father's escape. After Dumbledore's speech, the meal began. Nikki was happily eating when she started to become aware of the stares and pointing. She sighed and set her food down. She didn't like pointing and staring but it seemed that she was just going to have to deal with it. She looked up at the professors' table and made a face at her godfather to show her displeasure. Remus Lupin smiled at her, trying to be encouraging.

"Adrian, would you mind covering for me? I wanna talk to someone," she whispered to him as the feast ended.

"Of course, Nikki," Adrian kissed her cheek. "I'll wait for you in the common room."

"Thank you." Nikki got up and walked opposite the flow of the crowd up to the professors' table. "Remus…" she whined when she reached him.

"Its Professor Lupin right now, Nikki," he reminded, reaching forward and ruffling her hair.

"Term hasn't started yet, Remus," she said with a smile. "I heard you had a run in on the train with a dementor. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Remus smiled and began walking out of the Great Hall. "After all, I've suffered threw worse than dementors. Though I am worried about Harry Potter."

"I heard he fainted." She said, felling the stares of some Ravenclaw fourth years on her back. She sighed.

"Yes he did," Remus held out a piece of chocolate to her. Nikki took it and nibbled.

"How come mum can't seem to learn the chocolate solves all?" she mumbled.

"Because Gracie hates chocolate," Nikki's godfather ruffled her hair again. He'd started doing that a lot more since she'd cute it short. "Will you be okay this year, Nikki?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. So what if some people point and stare?" Remus nodded.

"Well, I'm here if you need to talk, okay?"

"I know you are, Remus." Nikki hugged her godfather. "I'll see you tomorrow." She skipped off to her common room.