Marigold's first day at Hogwarts was rather rough, but to her surprise, the first day of classes hadn't been too bad. Breakfast was a struggle to get through at first due to all of the stares she got from students in other houses, but her morning quickly brightened when she noticed her family's owl, Mercury, flying toward her with a letter and a small box of chocolates. The letter read:

Dearest Mari,

I hope that you are doing well. We all miss you terribly at home, but we hope that you enjoy your time at school. I'm glad that you have Neville with you, and know that you will be able to make more friends in no time at all.

We're all eager to find out what house you are in. I'm sure that no matter where the sorting hat placed you, you will do well. Just remember not to let the house rivalry get to you too much - as great as your father was, I often felt that he was a bit too prejudiced against the other houses.

Write back as soon as you can, and enjoy your first week of classes.

With love,

Papa

P.S. Try your best to make the chocolates last. With Snape as your professor, there will definitely be days that you'll need it. Let me know when you run out, and we'll send you some more.

With a smile on her face, Mari carefully placed the letter and chocolates in her robes and made her way to class with the rest of the Hufflepuff first years. The first class of the day was Charms with the Slytherin students. For the most part, the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs kept to themselves, though she noticed that Goyle had deliberately taken the table across from her, smiling and waving at both her and Susan while taking a seat beside Blaise Zabini. Both she and Susan returned his greeting.

Before getting into the lesson, Flitwick had prepared a special demonstration with lights, which helped to set the atmosphere for the rest of the class period when he had begun teaching them all Lumos. Marigold had never tried the spell herself, as she would always use either a candle or flashlight when she needed additional light at night, but because she had learned a number of other spells from her papa before coming to Hogwarts, she had managed to create a rather bright light after a couple of attempts. Out of all of the students, Draco Malfoy had the most success, for his light was neither too bright, as Pansy Parkinson's had been, nor too dim, as Justin Finch-Fletchley's had been. By the end of the end of the class period, both houses even managed to gain some points for their houses, leaving everyone in a good mood.

Double transfiguration with the Ravenclaw students had also proven to be quite interesting. Though it had taken a while for the Hufflepuffs to find the classroom, they all managed to arrive on time. When McGonagall transformed from a cat into a woman, a few of her housemates had jumped in their seats. Even Marigold, who suspected that there was something amiss with the cat, was surprised by the transformation. But when McGonagall asked if anyone knew how she was capable of this particular act of transfiguration, her hand shot right up.

"Yes, Miss Potter-Lupin?"

"Is it because you are an animagus?" Marigold asked, remembering the tales that her papa had shared with her after he had told her about him being a werewolf. At her response, McGonagall offered her a small smile.

"Yes. Very good, Miss Potter-Lupin. As students typically do not learn about animagi until their third-year, I think I shall award… five points to Hufflepuff for showing initiative with their education," McGonagall said. As more points had been awarded to their house, the Hufflepuff students began cheering. Leanne, who was sitting next to Marigold, patted her on the back. "Might I ask how you became familiar with this particular term?"

Despite the question, there was a glint in McGonagall's eyes that suggested she was fully aware of why Marigold would know the answer. Of all of his Hogwarts professors, her papa expressed the most fondness for his former head of house, both for her fairness and for her clever mind.

"My papa used to tell me stories about people who were able to change into animals at will, and all of the fun these people used to have. When I was a little older, I wanted to know more about it." She could still picture that sad, nostalgic-tinged smile of his as he talked about his old friends. Even after everything that had happened because of Sirius Black's betrayal, her papa's ability to look back at all of his friends with fondness always stuck with her. If someone were ever to betray her in the future, she wasn't sure if she would be able to do the same.

"Ah. I can't say that I'm too surprised, given how curious Mr. Lupin's friends, including Mr. Potter, were in the subject," McGonagall said, a trace of a smile on her lips. Marigold wondered if Professor McGonagall happened to know the truth about their curiosity - how her papa's friends all went through the ritual to become animagi to accompany him during the full moon when he transformed. She suspected that her professor had at least thought of the possibility, though whether or not she believed it to be the truth was a different story. Clearing her throat, McGonagall continued, "But before one can even think about becoming an animagus, one must first master the basics. Before we can practice transfiguration on living objects, we will first begin by practicing on inanimate items. Now, if you will turn your attention to the matchsticks in front of you…"

Very few students had much success managing to turn the matchstick into metal, muchness a needle. Though Marigold faired better than Leanne, as she had managed to completely transfigure the material, the shape of the metal was still that of a matchstick. The only person who faired any better was Hermione, who had managed to give the transfigured matchstick a pointy end. McGonagall offered both girls actual smiles after showing off their work to the rest of the class.

Lunch had also been nice until the end, as she and Neville managed to catch up on what they had been up to so far. For the first half of the lunch break, they mainly talked to each other from their own tables, as they were beside each other, but when Marigold had noticed that some of the older-students were moving about, she decided that it would be okay for her to join him at the Gryffindor table. Only one of the students - Parvati, who had been sorted right before her - was sitting near him, and she was more engaged in a conversation with the girl beside her. It hadn't taken long for their conversation to get derailed, however, when Neville's housemates expressed a sudden interest in him once they noticed Marigold's presence. She hadn't been too pleased with that, especially when she saw how flustered her best friend was becoming from all of the sudden attention.

The only real disappointment of the day had been her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. While some of her housemates approached the class with a sense of apprehension, more seemed to be jumping in excitement. The other houses seemed even more excited, with Gryffindor students showing the most enthusiasm. The youngest Weasley boy seemed particularly buzzed, as he expressed to a rather anxious Neville. But all of that excitement that had been bubbling was quickly burst when Professor Quirrell opened his mouth.

The poor man could barely get more than a few words out before he began stuttering. As he held the parchment with the list of students in their class, Marigold noted how his hands never stopped shaking. When he finally got to her name, his face paled before he finally croaked out her name.

Marigold hoped that his nerves would ease as he broke into the lecture, but they only seemed to worsen as the class progressed. In the middle of class, she heard someone mutter how Quirrell made Neville seem competent, causing her to glare at the offending Gryffindor. But as it turned out, Neville was one of the few students who seemed to enjoy the class in any sort of capacity.

"You know, I thought that was going to be a lot worse, but we didn't even have to use magic in that class!" Neville said as they walked to the greenhouse for Herbology.

"I had a hard time understanding what he was trying to say," Marigold said, frowning.

"Maybe he was just nervous since it's his first day as the Defense professor. I'm sure that tomorrow will be better."

Quirrell's class was not better the next day, or any other day that week. Even the older Hufflepuff students had started complaining about how Quirrell paled in comparison to his predecessors.

"If only they would bring back Rakepick. Now she was a proper professor," Beatrice had said Tuesday during breakfast. "I pity all of the poor souls in fifth year that have to deal with Quirrell the year they have O.W.L.s"

"What are O. ?" Marigold asked.

"Something neither of us have to worry about right now," the fourth-year Hufflepuff said before laughing. Being the only first-year at the Hufflepuff, as the others were still sleeping from going to bed so late due to Astronomy the night before, Marigold had joined Cedric and his friends for breakfast. To her relief, they had all been welcoming, especially Beatrice and Heidi, the two girls who she met on the train. "I don't know what I'm going to do next year, though, with Quidditch, chorus, and this potion business my sister's roped me into. If I'm made prefect, I think I'll die."

"I doubt Sprout would let you be prefect," Cedric said, causing Beatrice to mock gasp. Taking her seriously, he held up his hands, adding, "I just think she wouldn't want to give anyone too much to handle."

"Oh, Cedric, you're always so nice. Can't you ever say a bad thing about anyone?" Beatrice asked in a mocking voice, rolling her eyes. Beatrice's comment got a laugh out of most of the group, though Marigold noticed that Cedric had looked slightly flushed.

By the time the first and second-year Hufflepuffs joined them at the table, Marigold had become so engrossed with the older students that she failed to notice their presence. It was only when she was starting to leave as most of the other students were filtering out of the Great Hall that she caught their attention.

"Marigold, I didn't even know you were here! Are you leaving already?" Susan asked as Marigold made her way past the other first-year Hufflepuff students.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I woke up earlier, so I thought I would just come here with the others. I should probably feed Selene before class, anyway." Susan nodded, though Marigold noted the frown on her face. It was only the second day, but already Marigold seemed to be socializing less with the Hufflepuffs in her year than the others. She still hadn't even said anything to most of the boys in her their group, and she had only exchanged a couple of words with Megan and Hannah. "I'll see you in History with Nev?"

"Sure," Susan said.

With most of the students out of Hufflepuff section, Marigold let Selene out to roam around the common room again. While she had already taken notice of the warm fireplace, tables, chairs, couches, and floor cushions, it was only in the daylight that Marigold could fully appreciate the space. Above the fireplace was a beautiful mantlepiece with carvings of flowers and badgers and above that was a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, beaming at anyone who glanced her way. On the wall were an assortment of portraits, drawings, and even embroidered hoops with messages like "Don't Worry, Bee Happy," and "Stay Positive!" written within them. Hanging from the ceiling near the windows were terrariums containing both magical and regular plants. There was even a bookcase full of used books, with quite a few of them being muggle books, that had been donated by various Hufflepuff students over the years. If she didn't have to feed Selene, she probably would have picked up a book and plopped down on one of the floor cushions.

The moment Marigold removed the lid from Selene's tank, the snake was already beginning to rise up so that she could easily climb up Marigold's arm. With no interference from other students or the professors, Marigold decided to use the opportunity to explore as much of the castle as they could. Being near the kitchens, it didn't take long for Selene to sniff out a mouse so that she could enjoy her own breakfast. After she had finished, the pair ventured outside, making their way down the hills.

Marigold had no intentions of entering the Forbidden Forest, but she had wanted to mark what was at the border of the school grounds. To her surprise, she found that she was quickly greeted by a great black boarhound. Selene crawled up her arm until she was resting across her shoulders, mostly hidden by her robes. The move had been smart on her familiar's part, as the boarhound jumped up to start liking Marigold's face.

"Fang, get down!" a gruff voice called out, but Marigold only had to start petting the dog for him to stop jumping up. In a matter of seconds, the dog had been pulled away from her, with the school's groundkeeper looking down at her, his face red from embarrassment. "I'm sorry about that, miss. I don't know what got in ter him."

"Oh, I didn't mind - animals tend to act… different when they're around me," Marigold replied, smiling. "Fang seems really nice."

"Oh he is, but he's usually pretty shy. I've never seen 'im jump like that 'round people he don't know. Then again, yer not just any ol' mage, Marigold," Hagrid said, smiling down at her. Marigold's face twisted in confusion as her body grew slightly stiffer, to Selene's annoyance.

"What do you mean by that, Sir?"

"Well, yer'r the Girl-Who-Lived, of course. And please, don't fuss 'bout calling me "Sir" - it's too stuffy fer me. Hagrid will do."

"I don't see why me being the Girl-Who-Lived would matter in this case, Hagrid," Marigold said, her face still knotted. All too often had she heard people tell her how great she was for something she had no control over. How people could actually believe that a one-year-old was capable of actually killing a man, especially one that dozens of highly trained mages had failed to even contain, was simply beyond her.

"What I mean is that yer a pretty powerful witch. It's not any ol' witch who can have a snake familiar, 'specially if they're a light one," Hagrid said, pointing to her shoulders, where Selene clung. "Some mages are able ter bond really well with animals and magical creatures. Perhaps I could tell yer more in the future, but I think you'd better head back to the castle now."

With a nod, Marigold made her way back to the castle with Selene. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about Hagrid, but Selene had't seemed to mind him.

"Too many smells, but he had a good energy," Selene hissed once they were far enough away. That was her usual way of judging new people she met - scent and energy. Marigold usually took her word for things, as Selene had proven herself to be a good judge of character and often warned her when she needed to be careful. If only she could carry her around wherever she went, Marigold's life would be so much easier.

Because of having to go back to her room to put Selene away before class, Marigold was one of the last students in the room, as students from all of the other houses were already seated. She searched for where Neville and Susan had been sitting , only to find them surrounded by Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe on one side and Hannah and Megan on the other side. After catching her eye, Goyle started scooting over to make room for her, but since the row was already full, Marigold shook her head before moving to take a seat at the back. Just before the bell rang, a girl in Ravenclaw came running through the door, taking a seat beside her.

For the first thirty minutes, Marigold tried her best to take notes on Professor Binns' lesson, but about forty minutes into the class, her head began to droop. Right as she closed her eyes, the girl gave her a nudge on the arm. Marigold jolted upright as her face warmed - not for the first time was she glad that her blushes were hard to detect.

"Thanks," Marigold whispered, trying to keep her attention on the ghost lecturing in front of them. Looking down at the crowd, she noticed that several other students looked as if they were about to nod off, or were otherwise distracted from the lecture. Few of the students were actually still actively paying attention and taking notes.

"No problem. My cousin warned me about how boring Binns' lectures were, so I came prepared," the girl replied, pointing down to her notebook. On the right page were neatly written notes pertaining to the class, but on the left page was a sketch of four people standing around what looked to be the Sorting Hat.

"That's a really cool drawing," Marigold said as she peered down to examine the figures in closer detail. Each one had been given some type of animalistic feature. The first had a tail and a wild mane of hair, the second, a snout for a nose and particularly round ears, the third had wings and talons, and the final figure had reptilian eyes with a forked tongue protruding from his mouth. It was a representation of the four founders of Hogwarts with their mascots, Marigold realized.

"Thanks. Usually, people tell me that they're too silly or unrealistic, so it's nice to hear that," the girl said with a smile that lit up her whole face. Gazing into her topaz eyes, Marigold almost missed her hand when it was offered. "I'm Padma Patil, by the way."

"Marigold Potter-Lupin." For the remaining fifty minutes, Marigold and Padma talked about what they typically enjoyed doing. By the end of the class, she was actually glad that she had gotten the chance to sit next to her, even if she had initially regretted not getting to sit with Neville and Susan. When they discovered they both had Potions together, they decided to partner up again.

If History of Magic had been a struggle to get through, however, Potions was even worse. As soon as Snape had called roll, he decided to drill Marigold with an impromptu pop quiz. She only got one of the three questions right, and that was because her aunt had given her a bezoar to take to school.

"That was harsh," Padma whispered once Snape's attention was away from their table. "But I'm really glad it wasn't me - I didn't know any of the answers!"

Snape didn't make the lesson any easier when he started stalking around the classroom as he lectured. By the end of the class, Marigold's hands were shaking so much that the last part of her notes was completely illegible.

"Sit with me at lunch, and you can copy down the rest of my notes," Padma said once the bell had rung. Marigold nodded before reaching into her pocket and taking out the piece of chocolate she had left in from the box her papa had sent the day before. If Snape was always going to be like that, she was in for a long year.

Although Snape's lessons hadn't improved since the first class, Marigold wasn't minding her time at Hogwarts too much. The first Friday, Hagrid had invited her to come over. She had invited Neville, Susan, and Padma to come along, but Susan had opted out in order to hang out with Hannah and Megan.

Once they were close enough to Hagrid's hut, Fangs came running toward them, nearly knocking Marigold down as he jumped up to lick her face again. Neville, who had been walking beside Marigold, placed a shaking hand on her back to help steady her.

"That has to be the biggest dog I've ever seen," Padma said from behind them.

"Down, Fangs!" Hagrid cried out, but once again, he refused to go down until Marigold started petting him.

Once inside, with Fangs firmly stationed at Marigold's feet, Hagrid offered them tea and a cauldron cake to share. Neville tried cutting the cake into equal slices, but the cake refused to be divided, so the kids opted just to drink the tea. The conversation had been mainly about how their first week of school until Padma reached for a newspaper clipping in front of her.

"I thought Gringotts was supposed to be the most secure place in the country," she said, as she scanned the article. Marigold leaned over and read how there had been a break-in at the bank.

"It is, except fer Hogwarts. But I wouldn't worry too much about that," Hagrid said, looking away from the kids. Catching the shift in his gaze, Marigold eyed his movements carefully. From his skittishness, Marigold got the sense that he knew something that most people wouldn't, but not wanting to ruin the mood, decided not to press for more information.

When Marigold went back home for Rosh Hashanah that Saturday, she had been all too happy to leave the world of Hogwarts behind for the weekend. Aside from updating her family about her what had happened since she had last written them, she mainly focused on socializing with her family and her friends from temple. While she still had to miss Shabbat, her family made up for it as they enjoyed their honey-dipped apples and challah with plenty of songs. After performing tashlich, she felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Her return to Hogwarts was marked by a higher resolved to have a good year, to make sure that nobody, not even Snape, made it a bad one.

After beginning her make-up assignments for Transfiguration and Herbology, Marigold attempted to catch up with the other Hufflepuff students, to mixed success. She still hadn't had much luck talking to Hannah and Megan, much less the boys, with the exception of Justin. Even though they had all made a pack to work on their homework together, it was clear to her that there a few of the students made little effort to talk to the rest of the group unless specifically called upon. Once the group had finished their work and made their way back to their rooms, Marigold opted to remain in the common room, looking through the books to read. Only Justin had remained behind.

"Things aren't going too well?" Marigold asked as she perused the books. As the silence lingered, she turned to look at Justin to see if he had heard her. From the frown on his face, she knew he had.

"It's just that this is all a bit much to get used to. I was supposed to go to Eton, study Politics, and then become an MP. But now… I'm not sure where I fit in."

"It hasn't been easy for me either, but we're just starting out. I'm sure things will get better soon," Marigold said, offering a smile. Justin shrugged as he slumped against the sofa, looking over to the fireplace.

"It seems like everyone likes you. I mean, you're able to talk to the third-years, Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, heck even the Slytherins. No one's really interested in getting to know me, however. Not even my own roommates."

"I may be able to talk to them, but most people aren't really interested in me. Most of them are more interested in the Girl-Who-Lived, because they probably think that talking to someone famous will mean that they can be famous. Having fake friends can be just as lonely as having no friends, sometimes," Marigold said, sighing before plopping down onto the sofa next to him. Taking a deep breath, she looked over at Justin again. "I'm sorry you've been having a rough time so far. But maybe we can change things. I, for one, would love to get to know you more. I'll be your friend, even if no one else is willing to be."

"At least that's one friend I can count on."

"I know you'll make more friends in time. My papa once told me that sometimes you have to make the first move, even if the other person doesn't seem interested, because sometimes people aren't aware of what they might be missing out on until you show them who you are. I'm sure if the others get a chance to see who you are, then they'll be interested in getting to know you."

"Thanks, Marigold. I'm not so sure, but I guess it doesn't hurt to try, right?" Justin said, a smile breaking out on his face. Marigold returned the smile before offering him a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

The following morning, Marigold and Justin sat together for breakfast and Charms. When Susan had joined them for Charms, Marigold smiled, especially when Draco's group decided to sit next to them. Noticing how Justin seemed to tense up in Draco's presence, she placed a hand on his arm before turning to face the blond.

"Hello, Goyle, Crabbe, Malfoy," Marigold said politely, smiling at the trio. Only Goyle returned the smile, though both Crabbe and Draco nodded at her. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Oh, just our little agreement on the train. I assume you haven't forgotten about it?" Draco asked with a hidden edge in his voice. For a moment, his eyes narrowed, and Marigold's did as well. Her smile, however, hadn't faltered.

"You'd be correct. Though I'm afraid I can't give you a proper answer at right now, considering how little time we've spent together since we arrived."

"I thought you would say something like that, which is why Crabbe, Goyle, and I will be joining you today," Draco said, gesturing toward the others.

"How thoughtful of you - though don't forget that Susan and Justin will also be here," Marigold said, to which he nodded. At Flitwick's prompting, the group silenced themselves and began paying attention to the lecture.

Despite the tense greeting, Draco's presence hadn't derailed the the mood too much, as he was primarily focused on trying to get on Marigold's good side. She still wasn't fond of his personality, but she had to admit that he was a pretty talented wizard, even if he had gotten a bit of head start. Besides, even if something about him rubbed her the wrong way, it would be a foolish move to make an unnecessary enemy out of him. So at the end of Charms, much to his pleasure, she told him, "I think there might be some potential to our being friends, after all."

"That was pretty sneaky, Mari," Susan said with a wink once they were away from the Slytherins.

"I'm just glad he didn't realize it as well. Besides, I kind of like Goyle, and Crabbe hasn't done anything to bother anyone as far as I'm aware. Surely Malfoy can't be all that bad."

Susan nodded as they made their way to History of Magic. Once inside, Marigold went straight for the back, not even realizing that she had lost Susan and Justin in the crowd of people. She sat alone for a moment, but was soon joined by Padma before class started.

"I hope you had a good Rosh Hashanah. I was starting to miss you," Padma said as she took out her notebook.

"Thanks," Marigold said, her voice raising as if asking a question. Aside from her professors, she ha only informed Neville and Susan that she would be gone.

"Anthony Goldstein was also gone," Padma said, answering Marigold's unspoken question. "I had to partner with Granger for Transfiguration and Potions, and while the girl's smart, she also made it pretty hard for me to contribute anything meaningful in those classes."

Moments later, Neville came up and sat down on Marigold's right. Padma offered him a quick nod, while Marigold hugged him. When the pair pulled apart, Binns had already begun his lecture on goblins. If she hadn't gotten notes on the lecture she'd missed, she would have been completely lost. As it stood, she had a hard time following everything he was saying, as he'd buried the main points of the First Goblin War under too many superfluous details. Thankfully, the class was over after forty-five minutes, and she and Neville were able to make their way down to the greenhouses for Herbology.

Herbology was fine, but her mind kept racing as she thought about finally getting to fly at Hogwarts. While she had been able to fly with either her aunt or her cousin Nym, she was never allowed to fly on her own out of fear of her falling and getting hurt. She'd often dreamt of her first time flying alone, soaring through the clouds while her hair flew around her.

Her excitement was only curbed once she'd heard about Neville's fall from his broom the day before. When Seamus Finnigan had started laughing at him, Neville had to hold Marigold back to stop her from doing something rash.

As it turned out, however, the flying class for the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws ended up being rather uneventful. No one's broom went berserk, and thus they all remained at a pretty low height. Only Hermione seemed to have any trouble, and that seemed to be more an issue of nerves than anything else.

In fact, her make-up Astronomy class with the Gryffindors ended up being more eventful, if only because of what happened after the class. Before Marigold could start making her way back to her room, she felt herself being dragged away from the army of Gryffindors retreating inside. For a moment, fear pricked through her as she was pulled further away from people, and she began to struggle. But seconds later, she was released when two familiar redheads stepped in front of her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you," Fred (at least she thought it was Fred), said.

"We just wanted to offer some help," George added.

Marigold let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding when she saw them. She hadn't really gotten a chance to speak to many Gryffindors aside from Neville, but she remembered them from the train.

"You two are friends with Cedric, right?" she asked, hope evident in her voice.

"You'd have a hard time finding someone who isn't friends with Cedric," George said, laughing. "But I suppose we have gotten pretty close to him, yeah."

"And since we know you're in Hufflepuff, we figured you'd need some help getting back to your room," Fred said. At that, Marigold's eyes widened. She hadn't even thought about not being able to make her way back to her room when she had asked Professor Sinistra if she could join the Gryffindor class for that week so she wouldn't have to miss class. But since she had only had the class once before, and the castle was known for its pathways always changing, there was no way she would have been able to make it back on her own.

"But won't you get in trouble if you get caught by Filch?" Marigold asked.

"We'll be fine; we're not amateurs," George said. Marigold watched as Fred reached into his robes and produced a piece of parchment.

"What's that?" Marigold asked, leaning in closer. To her surprise, the paper was blank.

"This, ickle Mari, is perhaps the greatest document ever to be produced by any Hogwarts student: the Marauder's Map," Fred said.

At the sound of the name, Marigold paused, staring up at the boys curiously. It had been a while since she had heard that name, but she remembered stories from her papa about the adventures he and his friends would get up to. When she had asked what had happened to the map, he'd told her that all but one copy was gone, and that when she was older, she would be able to handle the map. But now, a second copy had surfaced, and it was right in front of her.

"Where - how did you get this?" Marigold asked.

"From Filch's office - but aren't you curious about how it works?" George asked with a bemused smile on his face.

"There's a special phrase you have to say," Marigold said, before the question fully registered with her. "You guys figured out how to use the map?"

"Well, the map did provide some help,"Fred said. "Wait, do you already know the phrase?"

When Marigold nodded, Fred handed her the map. After nodding for her to go on, Marigold said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

All of a sudden, ink appeared all over the parchment. Marigold carefully opened it up, revealing a map of the castle grounds. Most of the students were clustered in their rooms, though a group of students were either walking away from or toward the Astronomy Tower. Even Peeves appeared on the map, flying around near the kitchens.

When she looked up, she saw Fred and George staring down at her, their jaws hanging open. Before either one of them could get a word out, however, Professor Sinistra cleared her voice behind them, signaling that they should return to their dorms.

Despite the fact that she still held the map, the twins escorted her down to the Hufflepuff dorms. Stopping beside the barrels, she started to hand the map back to the twins, but they shook their heads.

"It's probably best if you hold onto it for now," George said. "Besides, Fred and I have been meaning to test ourselves, and this will be a nice test."

With a wave, the twins left her in the otherwise empty corridor. Carefully feeling for the correct barrel, she tapped out the five-beat pattern for the entrance to the common room. The common room was largely empty aside from a few of the older students who were buried in their books, so Marigold went straight for her room. Her eyes, which had grown heavy as she made her way to her room, immediately closed once her head hit her pillow.

Her dreams came easily to her that night. Like in many of her dreams, she found herself walking through a forest with only animals for her companions. Selene was at her side, as she had been since Marigold first got here, but another snake with blood-red eyes was there too. Selene hissed something to her, but for once, Marigold only heard her hissing rather than what she actually said. But it didn't matter, because she had to stay focused - there was treasure to find, and she only had so long to get it.

But before she could find it, Selene suddenly slithered away as a rat appeared. Marigold called out for her to stop, but the other snake stopped her by blocking her path.

"Let her go, foolish girl. The rat is your enemy. He deserves to die," the snake said.

The moment the snake spoke, she knew it was true, but at the same time, she she couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was wrong. As she watched Selene wrap herself around the rat, beginning to squeeze the life out of it, she took out her wand. But before she could do or say anything, the image vanished from her mind.

"Marigold," Leanne started, as she had begun shaking Marigold's shoulders, "if you don't wake up soon, you'll miss breakfast!"

Marigold jolted up to find herself in a blurry version of their bedroom. After putting on her glasses, she looked down to find that she had slept with the Marauder's Map still open underneath her. She quickly started folding it up, hoping that the other girl wouldn't notice, when she stopped as her eyes caught sight of Gryffindor Tower. Inside one of the rooms for the students was a single name that definitely shouldn't have been there: Peter Pettigrew.

The chapter title is from "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club. The meaning isn't as significant as it was for the last chapter, but not all of them will be.

Beatrice is from that one game that came out last year. I actually stopped playing early on, so I don't know what her character is actually like. Heidi is also from a game (that I didn't play), but I imagine she wasn't given much of a personality since that game was about quidditch.

I'm not going to go into all of the specifics right now, but the classes, are a bit different than how they operate in the books (mainly because a lot of the teachers have rather impossible schedules in the books and it bothered me a lot). So with the exception of Astronomy, all of the houses share their classes with at least one other class. HoM and DADA, as well as electives later on, are shared between all of the houses for each year that it's taken. As for Astronomy, the first, second, and third years of each class share the first class, while the fourth and fifth years share the second class (So Hufflepuffs have the class Mondays, Gryffindors have it Wednesdays, etc.). The NEWT students all share a class together on Friday night. Expect to see more of Sinistra later.

Marigold will not be on the Hufflepuff quidditch team for her first year, so I'm sorry if you were looking forward to that.

Um, that's all I can think of for right now. If you have any questions or comments, let me know!