"Well, I'm sorry then!" urg, boys were always SO annoying.

He looked at me nervously, and my eyes were slowly filling with unwanted tears. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant it is, well, it's weird to suddenly find out that you have a sister. I mean, come off it, I knew nothing about you. Nothing."

"Well, that's not my fault. I knew about you, but I wasn't allowed to contact you, see you. Nothing. It has been the same for both of us. Being brought up as lonely children, alone, and as we thought, without anyone to care for us."

"Apart from you did have someone caring."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at least you knew," he too was starting to get angry, "At least you knew you could do magic, and at least you lived with someone who loved you."

He had got me there.

"I'm sorry." And I burst into the unwanted tears that had been eating at my heart.

He stood, and looked at me for a second, before slowly walking, hesitantly over the rug towards me. He put his arms around me, and gathered me in a brotherly hug, "It'll be all right now, won't it?" I asked.

"Yes. Yes, it will."

As it turned out, it was going to be sort of alright. I didn't leave Gryffindor, and quickly earned the hatred of all the Slytherins. I wasn't sure if Draco hated me or not, as when I bumped into him alone, he seemed his old self with me, but with others he would call me all sorts of derisive and harsh names. I was so confused.

My lessons went as well as could be hoped, and I spent most of my free time with Kerkera, and Ginny. We would often join in with Harry, Hermione and Ron as well, and often I would sit and talk with all my friends well into the night.

We spoke of all our different childhoods, and also how we had got into the school. All of them were shocked to find out that I had never been to school before this. I mean, it was my second year.

I simply told them I had been studying at home, but I had never actually possessed a wand or used one until now.

Christmas came, and the whole school was beautifully decorated. I didn't stay long to enjoy it, however, as that Christmas I was going back to Kerkera's, spending the time with her and her family.

The train journey was tedious and cold and I watched the snow falling, and dreamt of the joys of Christmas, whilst Kerkera snored happily beside me. I knew all about why the muggles celebrated Christmas, but personally I didn't particularly like it, being slightly pagan myself, but still, the present were good.

On Christmas morning I woke up to find a large pile of presents at the bottom of my bed, in the room that Kerkera had given me. I was just about to open one, when Kerkera bounded into the room, her arms full, and she squealed in happiness, "Lets open them together!"

She sat on the bed with me, and we began to open our present, starting with the ones that we had exchanged. I had bought her the most amazingly bright pink, fluffy and glittery quill, and she some chocolates for me. Thanking each other, we opened the rest of our presents. Most of my other presents seemed to be chocolate, apart from a book from Hermione, and some kind of musical instrument, that looked weird, and seemed to have some swirling material inside the parts that appeared to be wooden. I looked at Kerkera uncertainly, "What the hell is this?"

"No idea."

"Boys are weird"

"You said it."

I also had a present from Draco, which surprised me, all be it that it was only chocolate, but still, food was food.

And then I got to my last present. It was big and heavy, and when I picked it up I was sure I could hear a squeaking noise inside it. The tag read that it was from Lupin, and I carefully opened it, praying that it wasn't a mouse or some other scary creature that he seemed to be obsessed with.

It wasn't. In fact, it was a small, beautifully formed little kitten. Small green eyes looked at me, surrounded by fluffy buff coloured fur (sorry…couldn't resist). It mewed pathetically, so I picked it up, and cuddled the warm fluff ball deep into my chest.

"Its. So. Cute!" Kerkera finally managed to speak.

"Thank you," I whispered, hoping that Lupin, wherever he was, would hear me.

I named the fluff ball Persephone. However for some reason, the name Fluff-ball also stuck. So Persephone the Fluff-ball started to mewl more than ever, and by them time we were on the train back to school, I started to get annoyed. She would follow me everywhere, and not leave me alone. She was also still small enough to fit into the palm of my hand.

Crookshanks seemed to like her at once, but I kept hi far away. I would cuddle the Fluff-ball late into the night, sitting or lying on the floor in front of the fire, reading a book.

One evening, I was lying on the rug, and semi-reading, yet also day-dreaming and dozing at the same time. I didn't realise that everyone had gone into bed until someone crouched down beside me. It was Fred Weasely.

"Um, Kara," he spoke quietly. "Everyone else had gone to bed."

"Oh, ok," I struggled to my feet still holding Fluff-ball. He helped me up.

"Are you going, already?"

"Well, yeah. It's pretty late!" what was he on about; he had basically just told me to go to bed.

"Well, I wanted to ask you something," he was still talking so quietly. But what would a fifth-year ever want to know from a second-year.

"Yes?" I smiled sweetly.

"Well, I know we haven't known each other that long."

I looked at him expectantly.

"But, well, I was wondering."

"Yes?" I wished he would hurry up, I really needed a wee.

"If you would think about going out with me?"

Everything went black.