A/N: This is the last introduction. Next chapter, the story will begin to progress (and get interesting). This story is taking place in the year 1945, which is a year where a lot of things happen. For one thing, Dumbledore's defeat of Grindlewald will be featured, along with the Chamber of Secrets opening and Tom Riddle's acquisition of the Peverell ring. The first official chapter will be posted sometime in the next day or so. As I mentioned in my profile, the majority of this story has already been written thus updates will come rather frequently. Thanks to those who have put this story on Story Alert / Favorite Stories, and to Cassia4u, my first reviewer. I hope this chapter makes enough sense; if some things aren't quite clear just let me know and I will fix it.

Also, I do not own anything in the Potterverse. I'm sure you knew that already.

Violette Black & Eileen Prince

Spinner's End had never been a friendly-looking neighborhood. It consisted of two wizarding households, both houses run down with cracked windows and missing shingles. There was a small road that led into town, yet it was poorly paved. The smaller of the two houses on the outskirts of the nearby mill town had once been white. The shingles had faded over time and now the house appeared to be a mix of yellow and brown. Vines clung to the roof while weeds took over the yard and the walkway to the house.

Inside the small cottage, Violette Black had just woken up from a terrible nightmare. The young girl sat up in her bed, panting heavily. She could feel her heart racing even still. Violette hated having nightmares. They made her feel weak.

She got up slowly from her bed and tiptoed through the hallway. She was extra cautious when passing her mother's room, yet she was relieved to see her mother sleeping peacefully in her bedroom. Violette quickly approached their small kitchen and grabbed a cracked pitcher of juice. She withdrew a cup from a dusty cupboard, wiped it down with her sleeve, and poured some of the juice into it. She gulped the drink down quickly.

Violette was beginning to get used to this midnight routine. Ever since her Hogwarts acceptance letter had arrived, she found herself worrying more often than before.

Once Violette had received her Hogwarts letter, her mother finally told her a bit about her father. It was a subject that Naptista hated to speak of. However, with Violette going off to Hogwarts soon, she would need to know what she would inevitably discover at school.

What Violette learned about her father had infuriated her. She pitied Naptista for the sadness and heartbreak she'd had to deal with over the years. She and her mother had very little money; they never wasted a single Knut on anything they didn't need. Violette learned very early in life that although it was hard to live in poverty, there were more important things than money.

However, Violette could not help feeling furious when she found out that her father had left them in squalor. Not only had he left them, but he had an entire family now. His family was quite wealthy, and both of his children were even older than Violette. Violette was ashamed and disgusted to possess the Black surname. She was nothing like Arcturus Black and his 'better' family.

Violette pushed the angry thoughts of Arcturus out of her mind. It wouldn't last long; if she wasn't fuming over her father's deception, she was worrying about how Arcturus's other children would treat her at Hogwarts. For now, she tried to distract herself by going for a walk. Violette had a feeling someone else would be awake.

She stepped out into the warm August night and hurried to the house next door. When she walked to the back of the house, she saw a candle lighting a small room to the far right. Violette grinned and ran over to the window, lightly knocking on the glass.

Eileen was at the window within a few seconds. She smiled when she saw Violette, her onyx eyes glowing in the moonlight. Eileen unlocked the window and beckoned Violette to enter her bedroom.

Violette quickly hoisted herself up onto the familiar ledge of the window. She pushed herself inside and Eileen promptly shut the window behind her. Violette took a seat on the edge of Eileen's bed. She was beyond relieved that her best friend was awake at this hour. The two girls were always there for each other.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Eileen asked, surveying her disheveled appearance and the hair still stuck to her forehead.

"Yeah," Violette confirmed, "but that's not really the worst part. I can't stop thinking about my father."

"I know what you mean," Eileen said glumly. Her father had committed suicide when Eileen was only six years old. Violette knew that Eileen secretly blamed herself for her father's death.

"Er," Violette began in an attempt to change the subject. "D'you want to come with my mum and me to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" She had asked Eileen months ago but had never mentioned it since. She'd been so preoccupied with the news of her father's true identity.

"Yeah!" Eileen said happily. "We're going to stop at some of the secondhand stores, aren't we? Mum said that Leugo's Book Nook has the cheapest books..." She trailed off, glancing nervously at Violette.

Violette, on the other hand, was reminded once more of her father. Arcturus's family did not have to shop at secondhand stores like she and Eileen did. The Prince family was just as pure-blood as the Blacks, and Violette's mother's family was pure-blood down the line as well. The great difference between them and the Blacks was that their ancestors had squandered their family fortunes generations ago, while the Blacks retained their wealth. Violette herself was a Black; she became worried as she imagined how the Black children would react to her bearing their surname while wearing tattered robes.

"Vi? Hello?" Eileen said rather loudly, rousing Violette from her nervous thoughts. She felt her cheeks growing warm as she noticed her friend's worried look.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I was thinking about Hogwarts again."

Eileen sighed. "Look, Vi, we've talked about this. The Blacks are just people! Plus, Lucretia would be out of Hogwarts by now, wouldn't she? That only leaves Orion, and once he sees you make Slytherin he'll shut it."

Violette nodded. Eileen was right; Arcturus's eldest child would be about nineteen years old by now. She wished she had family on her mother's side waiting for her at Hogwarts. Naptista was very secretive about her side of the family. The only two things that Violette was told about them were that they were bad people and they were all Slytherins. She also knew that her grandfather's name was Morfin Gaunt, but she had only found that out when she had read a letter delivered to Naptista by a barn owl when her mother wasn't home. The letter had been from a professor at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, informing Naptista that Morfin had been sentenced to life in Azkaban. Apparently, a few months ago, Morfin had readily confessed to the murder of three Muggles. The letter had sent chills down Violette's spine.

Violette and Eileen both expected to be sorted into Slytherin like their ancestors before them. Violette considered herself lucky that she would have her best friend with her at Hogwarts. Naptista was absolutely certain that Violette would be in Slytherin house, although when prompted she would not explain why. She never pushed the topic with her mother for she knew how upset it made her.

"I'm glad you'll be there with me," said Violette with a smile. Eileen's support meant a great deal to her.

"So am I," Eileen agreed. "When we make it into Slytherin, we'll face Orion Black together. We're pure-bloods, Vi, so it shouldn't be that bad. It's not as if we're Mudbloods."

Violette glanced at Eileen, whose sallow face quickly turned red as she murmered an apology. She knew Violette disliked the word 'Mudblood.'

"Anyway," Violette continued, "I've been saving some money for awhile now. I think I'll have enough to buy an owl from Eeylop's." She had always wanted an owl of her own; her mother's screech owl tended to bite. She'd been saving her birthday money for years in order to afford one when she turned eleven years old.

"Brilliant!" Eileen beamed at her friend. "You'll let me use it sometimes, right?"

"Of course," Violette replied. "You can use it anytime you'd like. What's mine is yours."

"Thanks, Vi," Eileen said softly.

Violette nodded once more. She and Eileen had been through everything together. Since they had both grown up in poverty, the girls had gotten used to sharing what little they had with one another.

Violette Black smiled to herself. She would not have to face the other Black children by herself. It relieved her greatly to know that Eileen would be by her side. She began thinking of how nice Hogwarts was actually going to be.

Her worries about the Black family had finally vanished. She was not alone, and she would face her half-sibling with her best friend. Violette was incredibly thankful for Eileen's encouraging words. Thanks to their situations, both girls knew that there were some things money could not buy. Friendship was one of those things; Violette would give up all the Galleons in the world for Eileen's support and love.

Suddenly, Violette was no longer nervous. She was ready.