Must Be Magic

Newly minted Ravenclaw Kitty Pryde made her way through the halls of Hogwarts. She was looking for the Transfiguration classroom, which would be her very first class. To say she was excited was an understatement.

Kitty still couldn't quite believe that the answer to all the strange incidents she'd had over the years were because she was really a witch, but she supposed it did make sense. From the moment Professor Grey had arrived at her house and sat down to explain, Kitty had looked forward to school.

Kitty only wished that Professor Grey had included a map with all the other pamphlets and documents she'd given her. As she walked, Kitty looked around eagerly. If there was one thing the small brunette loved, it was figuring out a good puzzle. From what little she had seen of the castle so far, it would provide plenty of mysteries for her.

She came to the door with the number that matched the one printed on her schedule. The door was shut, but that didn't mean she couldn't try it to see if it was unlocked. Kitty was sure that her fellow Ravenclaw would understand her desire to learn. No one here would insult her for being the "teacher's pet" or any of the other insults she'd heard so many times at her old school.

Before she could get to the door, however, someone shoved her hard from behind. Kitty, caught off guard, stumbled and fell to the ground. Her books scattered around her.

"Mudblood."

The unfamiliar word echoed in Kitty's head. She stared after the boy, noting his cruel laughter as he walked away with his friends. She only caught a glimpse of his face, not enough to positively identify him. However, Kitty did note his robes were trimmed in the green and silver of Slytherin.

Someone touched her elbow. Kitty glanced up to see a boy, a little older than her perhaps, kneeling beside her. His icy blue eyes were narrowed at the boy who had shoved her. "I have class with him later this week," the boy told her. "I'll get him for you then."

Kitty couldn't think of anything to say. The boy looked at her for the first time, smiling now. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine." She reached for the closest book to her and picked it up, dusting off the cover with a frown. "Mudblood" was still swirling in her mind. "He called me something," Kitty added. "Mudblood? I don't know what it means." She chewed her bottom lip, a terrible habit that she had never been able to break.

A shadow seemed to pass over her companion's face. "It means he's a narrow minded idiot," the blond boy told her. "We're not all like that. I promise." He smiled again and handed her the Charms textbook that had fallen in front of him. "I'm Bobby. You're Katherine, right? I remember seeing you at the Sorting."

The petite brunette felt her cheeks warm. She didn't think anyone had ever said anything like that to her before. "Kitty, actually. My family calls me Kitty."

"Kitty," he repeated. "It's nice to meet you," Bobby added, politely. "I hope the rest of your day is better."

"Come on, Drake!" another voice shouted. Bobby glanced up at the sound and he nodded at the boy who had called him.

He handed Kitty her last book – Potions – and got to his feet. "I'll be there in a minute, James," Bobby called to the other boy. He offered her a hand and Kitty took it without hesitation. As he helped her up, she noticed for the first time that his robes bore a lion emblem and red and gold trim – a Gryffindor. Of course.

"Bye, Kitty," Bobby said before going to join his friend, who was now watching them with a bored expression on his features. The older boys took off together, with Bobby sparing her a glance over his shoulder.

The Ravenclaw girl was still trying to make sense of this when she was joined by fellow first year Clarice. "I saw what happened," the other girl said. "Tomorrow you should wait for me, okay?"

Kitty was a bit surprised by this but she managed a smile. "Okay," she agreed.

Professor Grey arrived just as the rest of their classmates did. Kitty followed Clarice and settled in at a desk in the middle of the room. "That Gryffindor boy," Clarice started as she took her Transfiguration book out of her bag, "the one who helped you. He's cute."

She felt her cheeks turn pink again. "Yeah," she said, faintly. "He is."

Clarice fished a bottle of emerald green ink from her bag. "He likes you," she teased in a singsong voice.

"He doesn't even know me," Kitty protested.

This didn't seem to bother Clarice. "Maybe he wants to," she whispered as Professor Grey took her place at the front of the room and began her lecture.

It was different here, Kitty decided as she listened to Professor Grey talk. And not just because of the magic and witchcraft. Apparently, she already had a friend in Clarice and – according to the other girl – maybe someone who wanted to know her. A very cute someone; Clarice was right about that.

Yeah. Things were different here.