Chapter 2: Animagus Transformations

Dumbledore's Office

Sunday, September 2, 1973

"How was your first night, Miss Clarke?"

It was probably one of the worst nights of my life and I am seriously considering jumping out the window just to avoid going back to my dorm where the people I live with ignore me as if I've done some great wrong or something.

"It was nice, thank you for asking Professor." Theo smiled and smiled and smiled to the point where she knew she was suspicious but who cares? Probably not the old man in front of her, that was for sure. Why would he?

"That's good to hear. Are you looking forward to your first day of classes?"

NO!

"Yes! I'm eager to see how the classes compare. I'm sure they're similar but it'll still be interesting." Dumbledore's beard twitched which made Theo think he was smiling but she was never sure.

"That's wonderful. I appreciate your enthusiasm. You seem to be taking this all very well." He said it how anyone would say it, but Theo could feel his doubt from her seat on the other side of the desk. But she didn't flinch, she just kept smiling and smiling…

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here?" She nodded. "You see, I did not accept you simply as a favor to my friend. There is something different about you, Miss Clarke. I think you know that."

Theo was shaking her head the moment the word different was uttered. She didn't want to be different. She wanted to just be normal and have normal friends and just blend into the blur of school. She didn't need this attention, she certainly didn't want it.

"Sir, I don't know what you mean…"

"Miss Clarke, there is nothing to worry about. It's a rare skill, you have. Quite keen as well, if what you said was true. I believe your skill could be quite useful, if you are willing to put the effort in."

Her head was shaking again seemingly of its own volition. She certainly wasn't controlling it. She wasn't trying to deny the fact that she was different, more so that fact that it was a useful and rare skill. She was different in the "I can't make conversation or socialize without confusing the other person in some form or another" kind of way. She didn't need any other things to make her different and weird and wrong. She wasn't the kind of person that helps, she just knew that. She wasn't meant to be able to do anything more important than anyone else. She wasn't supposed to be special, just capable.

"Are you scared, Miss Clarke?"

"Yes," she answered, before even thinking about it. How does he do that?

"That is wise, I think. Fear of what you're capable of is a very humbling thing. Miss Clarke I must make a request of you, if you don't mind."

"I don't."

"If you happen to see anything troubling during your time here, I must ask that you inform me or one of the other Professors here. I trust that you'll be honest with us, and in return I will be honest with you. Does that sound fair?" None of this was fair, she wanted to point out, but her mother's words were echoing in her brain. Life isn't fair, so you're just going to have to get over it.

"Yes sir, it does." His beard twitched again and Theo felt only slightly more at ease.

"I'm glad to hear it, Theodosia."

The next day, it did not cross Theo's mind that she had no clue at all where she was going until she stood from the breakfast table to make her way to class. She didn't think that she was never handed a map (they never give you a map) and was left to her own devices, even though that's exactly what was happening. All at once she could feel all the people around her, and how she was completely unwilling to ask any of them where the charms classroom was. She walked out of the Hall and elected to stand around until she saw one of her roommates and then she'd just follow them.

Her panicked mind thought that it was a good plan, until anxiety took over. What if they didn't have the same schedule? What if she walked into transfiguration and sat through the entire class completely confused only to realize too late how great her mistake was? What if her roommates were freaked out by her following them and told everyone she was a creepy stalker and-

"Hey!" Theo jumped about a foot into the air, glancing around and coming face to face with none other than Princess Charming herself, Isabel. "I'm glad I caught you. Did you enjoy your day off?"

Theo hated gaping like a fish, but she found herself doing it anyway.

"I'll take that as a no…"

Well fuck.

"What class do you have first? Do you need help finding anything?" Isabel looked so sweet and sincere and ready to help and Theo wondered what she did to deserve this girl's kindness but she was not willing to turn down the only person who could help her.

"I have charms, first. I have no idea where anything is though…"

Isabel then took the time to explain, to the best of her ability, where all of Theo's classes were. She did this as she escorted Theo to her first class, smiling the whole time like it was a pleasure to watch Theo stare wide eyed at everything Hogwarts had to offer. Theo tried to be friendly, and assumed she succeeded at least a little bit when Isabel laughed. She had a very nice laugh.

"By the way, what year are you?" Isabel asked when they stopped near the door to Theo's class.

"Oh, I'm a third year. What about you?"

"I am too! But I'm in Slytherin." Isabel seemed disappointed by that, though Theo could not fathom why. "But, we'll have double potions together tomorrow! If you'd like, we can sit together during lunch and walk to class together?"

Was she blushing? Theo shook the idea away quickly though. Why would she blush? She was just being friendly and Theo was in desperate need of a friend. "Definitely, I'd love to. And thank you so much for walking me to class. I really appreciate the help."

"I'm glad. Try to talk to some people during class who can help you get to your next class. Gryffindors are supposed to be all about comradery and bravery after all."

With a smile (and was that a wink?), Isabel glided (not walked, glided) away from Theo, leaving her shell shocked. There was no way she made a friend that easily. It had to be a trick, right? She was a pretty girl with a big smile and a great personality, what would she want to do with Theo?

Theo knew she wasn't much of a looker and when she thought about it, not many thirteen year olds were. Most were odd angles and baby fat, with pimples and anxiety. Thirteen year olds were not meant to be attractive, they weren't really meant to be anything. They were place holders for the greater being they were to become. With many thirteen year olds it was just best to look for the potential, and you could see that in a lot of kids. Lots of kids had quirks or skills, things that showed you what they could do when their limbs stopped feeling too long and their minds were more capable of greater levels of thought.

Theo never thought she had any visible potential, and was reminded that others didn't feel that way either almost constantly. She was more than awkward movements and confusing thoughts, she was too much fat in all the wrong places, she was untamable hair that didn't suit her at any length, she was pimples and untamed eyebrows and, apparently, a very rare and unique skill that motivated her to tackle teachers and zone out on a bench in a busy city. She was the kind of person you either glance over or stop to laugh at. She was not the kind of person you make friends with because you shared a compartment on a train, nor was she the person you walked to class.

Unless it's a trick, a sinister part of her brain supplied. The problem was that it was likely to be right in this situation. It certainly would not be the first time someone pretended to like her for a good laugh. And besides, it wasn't another awkward thirteen year old girl just trying to find someone who understands the trials and tribulations of a pudgy and antisocial kid, it was Isabel. Isabel was far too cute for someone her age, Theo decided. Her hair was too nice, her teeth too white, her eyes too bright. She was, to Theo, absolute perfection.

Oh god, I'm smitten…

Theo tried not to think about her new Slytherin acquaintance as she sat down in the back of the room for her charms class, and found that it was rather easy to forget when two figures stand in front of your desk expectantly. Glancing up at the people in front of her, Theo stopped breathing. In front of her were the two boys she'd seen that day in Diagon Alley, looking at her like she'd just offended their great ancestors. She cleared her throat.

"Can… Can I help you?"

"You're in our seat," James said, crossing his arms. Theo's eyes went wide.

"There are assigned seats? I'm sorry I didn't mean to…" She grabbed her bag and stood when another voice cut in.

"There aren't, you don't have to move." Theo looked to her left to see a tall boy with honey blonde hair and a very pale face. He wasn't looking too good, but that's not what Theo was focusing on. Her eyes went immediately to the white scar across his cheek.

"Don't be like that, Remus. We always sit here. She's up anyway." Sirius, Theo noted, spoke very differently when he was not out of breath or speaking to his mother. His mother…

Suddenly, Theo wanted to run for her life. She ran into his mother at the station and upset her more than Theo thought possible. He had to talk his mother down, which Theo could only assume would not be a pleasant experience if her show at the station was anything to go by. He must hate her already. Thankfully he didn't seem to recognize her, but she wanted to be anywhere but here when he figured it out.

"Yea Remus, it's not a big deal." A fourth voice was chiming in from her right, and her head whipped around to a shorter, pudgier boy who was standing just a little too close to James. She was, at this point, surrounded by these four boys. Two in front, Remus to her left, Peter to her right, all looking at her. She was red again, she was sure.

"What are you waiting for? Move," Sirius said. He moved around the desk and shoved her out of the way to sit in the seat she was previously occupying, causing her to stumble. It was not a hard push. It was not intended to do anything but barely move her to the right, but there was the pudgy boy and his feet to her right. Pudgy Boy's feet tripped Theo up, accidentally of course, but the effect was the same and down Theo fell, face first onto the stone floor. She heard a slight crash and looked to her bag to see the ink slowly pouring out.

"Sirius!" One of the boys, probably Remus, hissed as she tried to stand and get out of her current position as soon as possible. She felt the familiar sting of tears behind her eyes and swallowed hard to force it down. When she finally made it to her feet, she looked around and saw that more people had entered the room while she wasn't looking and all of them had their eyes on her. The stinging behind her eyes grew more intense as she fought back the tears and moved to the very front of the room. Plopping down in the seat farthest to the right, she inspected her bag.

The ink had gotten onto everything and Theo was suddenly unsure if she would be able to hold back the tears. There was a spell for this, right? But now she doesn't have any ink. How was she supposed to take notes without any ink? What was the stupid spell called anyway? Why was everything already so terrible when all she had done was pick a random seat?

Finally remembering the spell, she waved her wand and watched in relief as the mess cleared. The tears stopped trying to push their way forward, and for a little while she felt like maybe she could do this. She hadn't cried yet, which was no small feat. She was pleased to find that they were not taking notes in Charms today, and instead had a practical review of what they'd already learned. Theo began to feel slightly better, knowing that she was actually quite good at charms, and finding that she was up to speed with the rest of the class.

When that class ended she looked at her schedule and saw that she had Herbology next. She had no clue at all where she was going, and had not done as the fair Isabel suggested, so she found that she was at a bit of a loss. She looked around, hoping to catch the eye of someone who could help her, and instead made eye-contact with Sirius, who quickly looked away. Theo felt her stomach drop. Already, there was someone who didn't like her.

But in that moment it didn't matter, because the classroom was almost empty now and she needed help desperately, so she plowed forward. Rather quickly she caught up to the four boys she had the joys of meeting, and she lightly tapped the shoulder of the tallest one. Remus, wasn't it?

"Excuse me?" He turned and looked at her, confusion dancing across his features. She swallowed again. "I um, I don't know where I'm going."

He smiled and fell back into step with her, taking her schedule into his hand without a word and looking it over while they walked behind his friends. His friends glanced back, shot her a look, and went back to talking like it never happened. From here Theo noticed a few things. Remus was definitely taller than all of them, but Sirius and James were not far behind. Pudgy Boy, however, was much shorter. She noticed that sometimes Sirius and James would walk a little too quickly, notice their shorter friend fall behind, and slow their pace so that he could keep up easier. Theo smiled slightly, finding it cute that they noticed something like that.

"We have almost the same schedule," Remus muttered as he continued looking it over. "Today your schedule is the same as mine, so if you'd like to just follow me that's fine. Tomorrow, though, I have Ancient Runes while you have Divination, so I won't be able to help you with that. But my friends Sirius and James have it."

Theo physically cringed at the idea of trying to talk to the handsome boys in front of her who seemed to already dislike her. They seemed a little arrogant to her, but if she looked like them, she figured she would be too. She also noted with a little bit of annoyance that they were quite good at charms, and were very aware of this fact as well. She didn't want to ask them for help, not really sure they'd be willing to give it in the first place.

"I'm Remus, by the way. I'm sorry about my friend. He's a little careless sometimes. You're Theodosia, right?" Theo took a second to realize that he was still talking to her, and hadn't immediately gone back to his friends. She also cringed involuntarily at her full name.

"Yea, how did you know that?"

"I saw you get sorted. I thought you looked a little old to be a first year."

"I would certainly hope so," she snorted. Remus laughed, she liked his laugh.

"So where are you from?" Ah yes, the accent. She hadn't thought much about that little fact when she realized she would be going to school in a different country. She should have anticipated everyone would notice.

"America, my family moved here for work." Theo was proud of herself for throwing it out in the open before someone else had a chance to surprise her with the question like they had the last time. She hoped this time she seemed more trustworthy.

"That's amazing. Do you like it here?"

"Yea, I guess. I haven't really been here long, though." They continued like that, making small talk as she was led out of the castle and onto the grounds. The grounds were absolutely beautiful in the daylight. The lake was glistening, the mountains towered over them. The Forbidden Forest looked large and imposing and so very different from anything Theo had ever experienced in her entire life. Theo grew up in the city. Not just any city, but a city in the flattest part of the world. There was very little to the nature that Theo was surrounded by, and had yet to experience anything so wonderful or intimidating.

Greenhouse 3 was rather cramped and physical contact could not be avoided, which upset Theo more than she wanted to admit. If she tried to inch away from one person she ran into another. The whole experience left Theo in a constant state of unease and caused her to jump if someone moved too suddenly or accidentally brush past her. This wouldn't have been so terrible, if James and Sirius were not shooting her such amused glances from across the table. She felt her face heat up again in embarrassment, especially when she noticed that Remus was not next to her anymore but was with them again.

This class, much like Charms, required a lot more practical application than it did note taking, and Theo was grateful for it as she still was without ink. However, Theo knew without a shadow of a doubt that she and Herbology did not mix well. She found the topic fascinating, but not quite as fascinating as literally anything else, and that showed in her work.

As soon as class was over she bolted from the greenhouse, trying to get away from all the touching and the talking and everything that was making her feel like she was going to be swallowed whole and waited outside for Remus so that she could follow him to their next class, which was Transfiguration. To her delight he popped out rather quickly and she didn't have to wait long, but his friends were with him, and she was unwilling to impose on him any further so she hung back a little further and tried not to look at him too much in fear that his friends might have something to say about it.

Professor McGonagall taught Transfiguration, Theo knew, but she didn't seem present when they arrived. Instead, a tabby cat was sitting on the desk, watching the students with a critical eye, as if daring them to try anything while the teacher was not present. James and Sirius seemed to take this as a challenge, and actually attempted something on the teacher's chair though from her seat Theo could not at all tell what it was. A few muttered incantations, a few waves of the wands, and the boys were back in their seats smirking to themselves. Theo found herself rather curious as to what they were attempting to do and whether or not the rather stern witch would even be fooled, but she never got to find out.

When the bell rang, the cat leaped off the table and smoothly transitioned into Professor McGonagall. Immediately she fixed the two boys with a hard stare. The class was silent as they watched in anticipation. James and Sirius had gone rather pale, all amusement gone from their face.

"That will be ten points each," was all McGonagall said on the topic before waving her wand at her chair and began the lesson. "Can anyone tell me what transformation I just performed?"

Theo noticed her red headed roommate raise her hand rather excitedly, but she was the only one. McGonagall looked around, as if testing to see if anyone else would answer. Theo, in a moment of pure stupidity, raised her hand slowly.

"Yes, Miss Clarke?" She saw her turn in her seat to look at her, as if in shock that she wasn't the only one with an answer. Theo felt stupid for raising her hand in the first place, especially if it upset her roommate.

"It was an Animagus transformation, right?"

"Very good," McGonagall smiled. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

The lesson continued, as she felt other student glance at her while McGonagall's back was turned. Theo was cursing her luck that she had gotten this far in the day without taking notes and was caught in the last class before lunch. Because of this, Theo merely watched as McGonagall spoke, a feeling of guilt and dread filling her as she just sat there while others scribbled away enthusiastically. This feeling intensified tenfold when she saw McGonagall rest her piercing gaze on her empty paper.

"Miss Clarke, do you not find this material important enough to take notes on?" Theo felt more than saw all the eyes on her and she was sure she heard a familiar snicker from behind her. She felt herself shrinking under their gazes, wishing the chair would just swallow her whole.

"N-no ma'am, I just don't have any ink." More snickers echoed throughout the crowd.

"And why is that?"

"I was um…" Theo saw other students looking at her expectantly. Most of them were also in her Charms class, and probably knew exactly why she was without ink. She wondered how they would feel if she explained exactly why she was in this position, and decided she didn't want to find out. It had been an accident, after all, and Theo didn't want Gryffindor to lose any more points if McGonagall was not very forgiving. "I tripped earlier today and have not had a chance to run back to my dorm for more."

"I see. Please see me after class, Miss Clarke." The lesson resumed as normal for everyone else, but Theo felt like dying. This was not the day she wanted to be having. She certainly had not expected much for her first day, but she had hoped to remain anonymous and unnoticeable and so far the exact opposite was happening.

Theo didn't get up when the bell rang, and waited for everyone to file out before she went to the front of the room where McGonagall was erasing the board.

"Would you like me to do that, ma'am?" McGonagall seemed shocked, if the look on her face was anything to go by. It was gone as soon as it appeared though, and McGonagall just shook her head.

"No thank you, I think I can manage." She finished with the board before setting the eraser down and turning to look at Theodosia Clarke, Dumbledore's newest fascination.

"How has your first day gone?"

Why did everyone have to ask that? It was terrible. It was bound to be terrible, like every other first day was, and it was probably going to get worse from here. What were they expecting? Anyone who looked at her could tell she wasn't the friend making, easy to talk to type of person. It didn't take much to figure out that her first day was probably didn't go well, especially after being called out in front of the whole class.

"It's been ok, thank you for asking, ma'am. I'm sorry about not taking notes. I will ask someone else if I can copy." McGonagall looked Theo over, as if trying to determine something just by looking.

"Will you really?" Theo's face went warm. Of course she probably wouldn't, she didn't have anyone to ask. Maybe Remus, but she didn't want to get too close to him if his friends were around and she didn't want to bother him twice in one day. He was already so nice and she didn't want to burden him anymore. She didn't know anyone else, and her roommates still didn't speak to her so they weren't an option either. It was probably safe to say that Theo would never get her hands on these notes, and from the way McGonagall was looking at her, she already knew that.

"Miss Clarke, I've had the pleasure of speaking to one of your professors from Ilvermorny, and he had nothing but good things to say about you."

She didn't have to ask to know which professor. Theo had enjoyed the company of her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Mr. Mulaney, and he seemed rather fond of her too. He was, she thought, the only one who enjoyed helping her with her homework, and was always giving her extra practice in the areas where she needed it. She found out quickly that there were some areas of magic within which she was very skilled, and others which she was not. Transfiguration and Potions were far and above her best subjects, while Herbology and DADA left a lot to be desired. Everything else she was more than capable in.

She worked hard to achieve the grades she got in all of her classes, and was almost top of her class at Ilvermorny, but most teachers still were not fond of her. She often found herself either dozing off during classes or daydreaming, which most teachers found rather offensive, and had gotten her a few detentions from one of the harsher professors. Before she left she had heard some of the rumors about her incident and many of them believed that she attacked out of anger for the professor since not two days before, said professor had given her a week's worth of detention for dozing off again.

"I'm glad he thinks so highly of me."

"Indeed he does. He did express some worry over your well-being however. He was worried that you might have issues adjusting." Theo felt herself blush, out of rage or embarrassment she wasn't sure, but she knew she was upset. He didn't think she could make friends? She probably couldn't but found the fact that even a professor was worried about her capability was more than a little humiliating. And hurtful, her mind also supplied.

"I'm sorry he feels that way." McGonagall seemed to think before speaking again, and when she did her words were slow and careful.

"I hope you know you can come to me if anything or anyone is bothering you, Miss Clarke." Theo was taken aback by this simple gesture. Mulaney and said the same thing two years ago, but that had been different. That was one Professor whose aid she sought almost daily. He was the closest thing she had to a friend at that school, and she only started feeling that way after six months of talking to him. No other professor had ever expressed an interest in her well-being, so to hear this woman offer something like this shocked her into speechlessness.

"Thank you professor, I appreciate it. I do have a question though," she trailed off, unsure if she really wanted to ask it or not, but decided it was too late to turn back.

"I have been curious about this for a while… but I was wondering if it were possible for me to become an Animagus?"

Whatever the elder woman expected, it certainly wasn't that. She stared at Theo, again with that calculating gaze but Theo knew what she was looking for this time: sincerity.

"And why, Miss Clarke, would you want to do that?" McGonagall was very good at hard gazes, the kinds that urge you to be honest and forthcoming, but also warned you of the consequences. Theo suddenly felt very unsure. She didn't know why this was what she wanted, she simply knew that it was a difficult thing, a challenge. She like a challenge and she knew that this class did not yet pose one for her.

"I'm not sure what you're looking for, Professor, but I just thought that it would something worth studying."

"I see. And you are aware of the risks, Miss Clarke?"

"I am, ma'am. It is not just a passing fancy; I've looked into it for the past two years. I just thought, that since you are an Animagus, you could help me."

Professor McGonagall continued to study Theo, searching and calculating. Theo knew almost certainly that the answer would be no and that would be the end of that. Theo was incredibly young, after all, and she has yet to give this woman any reason to trust her. She thought that maybe if she brought it up now, and proved her mettle in the years to come, that maybe she would have a chance if she asked again in a few years. So it came as a huge shock when McGonagall nodded.

"I will, of course, have to speak to the headmaster but if this is something you are truly interested in, then I will assist you. It takes a great deal of work and determination. If you are not dedicated, I will not help you. Am I understood?" Theo could not help the smile that spread across her face; it nearly cut it in half she was sure. She could not believe that her professor was agreeing! She didn't even notice that she began bouncing up and down until McGonagall put up a hand for her to stop. "However, there is one condition."

Theo's stomach dropped instantly. "What is it?"

"You must not let this get in the way of your studies. I will keep in contact with all of your professors and if any of them say that you have been slacking in your classes, then we will cease lessons until you get back on track. Is that understood?

Theo nodded enthusiastically, sure that if she kept it up her head would bob right off but she didn't care. Never in Theo's wildest dreams had she thought that a professor would actually agree to something like this, especially when she was the one asking. She promised in that moment to make McGonagall proud.

"Thank you Professor! I promise I won't let you down!" With that she sprinted out of the room and down the hall, not even taking the time to realize that she had no idea where she was going. She didn't care; she just wanted to shout from the rooftops that for once, something was going incredibly right!

Nothing could get Theo down for the rest of the day. Defense Against the Dark Arts with an old man who looked like he'd never spent a day outside his house? Nope, not even a little bit. A History of Magic a professor whose voice was as dead and lifeless as he was? Not a chance. Getting tripped by some boy from her transfiguration class? Ha! She learned her lesson and had put protective charms on her ink bottles, so when she hit the floor, nothing shattered.

The day was going great. It was fantastic. It was probably the only time she'd ever been happy in school, she noted.

Except maybe that one time…

Theo shook her head violently. This was nothing like that. Nothing about this could go wrong, she was sure of it. She felt herself glide through the halls, dutifully following Remus and not even caring about the looks his friends were sending her, because honestly even their distaste for her couldn't even ding the surface of her good mood. Instead of looking away, she would just smile and wave and they would glare harder as if they actually thought their approval was what she needed to be happy.

It certainly wouldn't hurt, a voice whispered in her head. It was right, of course. She was aware that when the novelty wore off she would be back to where she was before, and their glares would actually hurt her feelings. She knew that carriage had to turn back into a pumpkin eventually, but she would enjoy the ride while it lasted.

It was during this wonderful mood she had actually plucked up the courage to ask her roommate for her notes that she missed. She learned her name was Lily, and she had a great deal of dislike for the boys that had tripped her up earlier in the day.

"I can't believe Black did that," she muttered as she dug through her bag for her notes. They were sitting in the common room during their free period before lunch. Lily had been studying, so Theo thought now was as good a time as any to ask.

"Who?"

"The boy that tripped you," she said as she handed Theo the notes, who quickly began copying.

"Oh, right. Yea I don't think he meant for me to fall. It was just an accident."

"Yea right, he's a menace, him and all his friends." Theo looked up at that. Sure, they seemed to like trouble, but Theo doubted that they actually meant to hurt anyone. Especially Remus, who had helped her just a few hours ago and even tried to get his friends to back off.

"Do they pick on you?" Theo thought that maybe that was the reason for her distaste towards the boys, seeing as they hadn't really done anything wrong.

"No, but they pick on my friend. They're absolutely terrible."

"Why do they pick on him?" Lily shot Theo a scathing look but Theo barely noticed, still copying the notes.

"Because… because they're arrogant prats, that's why!" Theo looked up again and saw that Lily looked rather put out. It wasn't anger, entirely, though that was definitely part of it. No, there was something more to it. They probably had a better reason than the need to be arrogant prats, but Lily needed to defend her friend so Theo didn't question it further.

"So what are all of their names? Sirius Black and who else?"

"James Potter, he's the one with the glasses. Remus Lupin, he's the tallest. And Peter Pettigrew, he's the short one. They all run around the school, wreaking havoc and picking on innocent first years. They're doing it right now!"

A quick glance to Theo's right showed that the four boys were, in fact, surrounding a smaller girl, but something seemed off. The girl didn't look scared. In fact, she looked rather excited, like she was waiting for orders or something of the like.

"I don't think that's it."

"Why do you keep defending them? They're the reason McGonagall called you out during class and are now short a bottle of ink!" Theo wouldn't say she disliked Lily Evans, but she found rather quickly that she wasn't horribly fond of her company. She seemed to look over certain details when it came to those boys, since she didn't seem to notice the smile that was crossing the girl's face as she skipped out of the portrait hole. Overall she seemed rather quick to judge, especially since Theo wasn't really trying to defend the boys as she was trying to maintain a neutral position.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Lily." Theo finished copying the notes and pulled out her Herbology book. Professor Sprout had not yet assigned any homework, but if she was going to stay on top of her coursework she was going to need to start right away. She had made it abundantly clear in class that she was absolutely terrible at the subject, seeing as she made a bit of a mess with the mandrakes and actually dropped her own.

They sat silently across from one another, both looking over their notes and reading the chapters that had yet to be assigned. While she didn't enjoy Lily's company, she hoped that at the very least they could tolerate one another enough to prevent any animosity. Theo couldn't be horribly picky about who she spent time with, and definitely didn't want to be on anyone's bad side, least of all her roommate's.

When it was finally time for dinner, Theo and Lily put their things away and walked to the Great Hall together. Lily asked a few basic questions like where Theo was from and why she came here. She asked about what school was like in America and Theo tried to make it sound like she wasn't an outcast. She wasn't really sure if she succeeded or not but hoped that the show was at least a little convincing.

The more they spoke the more obvious it was that Theo and Lily were not meant to be friends. Lily was a lot more uptight than Theo was, for one. Everything had a place and everything was in that place. Any sort of disorder made her upset, which would explain some of her distaste for the merry band of mischief makers they had spoken about earlier. Lily was also very outspoken, which Theo admired, but it intimidated her more than anything else.

And finally, Lily was a surprisingly close minded person. Not so much in the sense that she outwardly discriminated against anyone, but she had opinions that she was not willing to let go of. A brief discussion about Divination made that abundantly clear. Theo had simply mentioned that she had Divination the next day, and Lily was off about how it was a load of nonsense. Why she thought this, Theo had no clue. She had not taken a class on it yet, as students started that their third year, but she seemed to feel very strongly about how "absolutely ridiculous and farfetched" it was.

Theo resisted the urge to point out the fact that magic itself was a strange mix of ridiculousness and science itself, with a little bit of farfetched thrown in for fun. Magic, like any no-maj subject, could be analyzed and learned, but it had its limits. After a certain point, one simply had to give into the belief that anything was possible and let their magic prove its worth. Lily was less of this opinion than Theo, and Theo did not have the energy to argue the point. Again, she did not want to upset the only roommate that was actually speaking to her.

When they got into the straight hall, Theo began following Lily to one of the tables but Lily stopped her.

"I'm actually heading to sit at the Slytherin table with one of my friends. I don't think it's a good idea for you to come." Theo's perpetual good mood had been waning, but was thoroughly dashed when Lily said that. Theo knew they weren't best friends or anything of the sort, but had thought that maybe Lily wouldn't find her completely revolting. Apparently, that was not the case. Lily spoke again, rather panicked.

"I don't mean I don't want to sit with you! It's just that Gryffindors and Slytherins don't get along, I thought you wouldn't want to sit there since I'd be the only one you knew." Theo felt herself relax, easing back into a state of contentment.

"Oh I see, thanks for the warning. I'll find someone else to sit with." At that moment a familiar hand shot into the air and was waving frantically at her from further down the Slytherin table. She recognized Isabel and her friends right away, and smiled as she made her way to the seat next to her new acquaintance. Who really cared what table she sat at?

"Hey, I was wondering when you were going to get here. I've been saving you a seat!" Isabel seemed to be a good mood, Theo noticed. Siren did as well, but Black Eyes jabbed at her plate like it had spat on her shoes.

"You did? Why?" This was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Black Eyes' head shot up to give Theo the nastiest look she'd ever seen.

"Well if you don't want it then just go and stop wasting our time." Theo was taken aback by the outburst, not used to people snapping at her like that. It wasn't hatred, more of a cold and violent distaste, as if seeing Theo was the same as eating a food that would make her sick.

"Claire, knock it off! She didn't mean anything by it!" Claire went back to attacking her food, taking out her frustration on the already abused piece of chicken. "Don't mind her she's just had a rough day. Herbology didn't go very well…"

"I hate that bloody class. Why do we have to take it anyway? And why did we have to deal with screaming plants of all things?!" The chicken suffered greatly for that one, and was torn to pieces almost instantly.

"I dropped mine and it screamed so loud I nearly fainted." Claire looked up at her then, distaste completely absent. Instead it was a look of understanding, and a little bit of relief.

"You hate that class too?" She sounded hopeful, like she had been alone in this endeavor before and was excited to finally find a partner in her plight.

"It's ridiculous and more than a little boring. Not only that but I'm terrible at it." Theo went to scoop some steamed vegetables onto her plate but a hand on her knee brought her attention back to the three girls around her. Claire, for the first time since Theo had the pleasure of meeting her, was actually smiling. It wasn't a small smile, but a wide smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"This is brilliant! What subjects do you like?" Claire was on the edge of her seat and Theo suddenly felt very self-conscious. No one had ever hung on her words like Claire was at this moment, and no one ever looked at her with that much affection.

"Oh uh… Transfiguration is my favorite, but I also like potions a lot." Claire's smile got wider if that were possible.

"This is great!"

"It is?"

"Anna and I are very interested in Herbology. It's out favorite subject. It's been hard for Claire because she really likes Transfiguration, but we hate it and most people in our house prefer Defense Against the Dark Arts." Theo finally remembered that there was a hand on her knee and for the first time noticed that it was Isabel's. She was smiling fondly at Theo, and Theo found she couldn't breathe. She would do anything for Isabel to keep looking at her like that for just a bit longer.

"But now you're here! Us against them! I know you're in Gryffindor but that's ok, we'll manage."

Theo tried hard to remember the last time she was this happy. There were three girls who wanted to sit with her, talk to her, and spend time with her. They liked her. They were all smiling and laughing like she'd been their friend for years. They wanted to be her friend and more than that, she wanted to be their friend too. This, Theo noted, had never really happened before. This was all uncharted territory and Theo knew there were many ways for this to go wrong but she didn't care. She was just happy that for the first time in years, she had friends.