The first few weeks at Hogwarts were relatively uneventful. I grew to loathe Herbology, as we doubled with Slytherin. Emma and I were fast friends; we both drew anything we could and we would earn loads of points for the House Cup for knowing things or correctly performing charms. We often quizzed each other and practiced together. We were both natural flyers and amazing in Transfiguration. It soon came to seem like the only difference between us was our families: me, pureblood, Emma, Muggle-born.

When I first found out, I thought about what my parents would think, but then I figured that if I only hung out with people they approved, I'd be stuck with Pansy Parkinson and that was never going to happen. So, I became friends with Emma. Subsequently, Draco stopped talking to me. It probably didn't help that I tried to punch or hex him every time he tried.

Then came Halloween. During the feast, Professor Quierell ran in yelling about a troll in the dungeon. Everyone panicked; and Slytherin perhaps the most. Dumbledore called for everyone to calm down and for the prefects to take us back to our dorms.

The next few days were full of rumors about how Harry Potter had defeated the troll. Somehow Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were involved. I asked her about it; she told me what happened.

"You lied to a teacher? I don't believe it."

"I did, now, I must be going. I'll be late to Charms."

"Alright," I said. She left. "I can't believe she, of all people, would lie to a teacher."

"I can't either. She's top of the class after all," said Emma.

The holidays soon approached; I decided to stay at Hogwarts with Emma. Her parents would be on poorly timed business trips and I didn't want her to feel alone. I didn't want to go home anyway. I sent my parents an owl to tell them. A few days later, I got my first owl with their reply. It hurt that they hadn't written before, since Draco got something almost every morning, but apparently, being a Slytherin was more important than being second in the class.

My parents allowed me to stay for the holidays. Emma and I had loads of fun. We finished our work on the first day, and we spent the rest of our time, well, having a good time. We played in the snow, I took her to the library and made her take out a copy of The Tales of Beetle the Bard; the rest of the time we were mostly drawing in the common room. It was the best holiday I could remember.

After the holidays, things went back into the usual humdrum of life at Hogwarts, which meant Quidditch and class work. The teachers seemed to be giving us more and more work.

Nothing really happened, but then I heard Draco got detention. I smiled at that. Around the same time though, Gryffindor lost 150 points and their lead in the Cup. It looked like Slytherin was going to win again. At first everyone thought that something was wrong, but then it came to light that Harry Potter, Hermione and Neville had been out of bed. No one talked to them for weeks, as everyone was hoping that Slytherin would finally lose the House Cup.

Spring holidays came and went; exams were soon upon us. It seemed to take forever to finish them all, but when we did, it was a wonderful feeling. Emma and I spent what time we could outside. We often sat near the lake; and she'd say a color and I would change my hair or eyes. Sometimes she'd say a name and I'd have to change my whole face. It was fun. We read The Tales of Beetle the Bard over and over. Our favorite story soon became The Fountain of Fair Fortune.

Sometime after exams ended, a rumor about Harry Potter and Professor Quierell spread like wildfire. Potter was in the hospital wing and couldn't play the last Quidditch match (Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor). Needless to say, Gryffindor was flattened. Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup and took second in the House Cup, behind Slytherin.

On our last day, everyone crowed in the Great Hall for the end of term feast. The Hall was decked in green and silver for the Slytherin victory in the House Cup. They seemed to be the only happy students. Potter came in late and it got really quiet for a moment, then got really loud. Professor Dumbledore called everyone to quiet. He had last minute points to award: 50 to Ron, 50 to Hermione, 60 for Harry-

"They're tied with Slytherin!" I cried. The Great Hall was full of noise, as three houses were celebrating this. Dumbledore called us to quiet once more. He gave 10 points to Neville! Gryffindor won! The Great Hall erupted so loudly that I was sure the noise could be heard anywhere on the grounds. All anyone cared was that Slytherin lost. The decorations changed to scarlet and gold. It was the best day ever.

On the train back, Emma and I shared a compartment. We played Exploding Snap and promised to write. And all was well and good.

That is, until I'd been home for a few weeks…