The following days all seemed a little calmer after that. Classes were pretty average; I often got a little ahead of the others but not by too much. I didn't see much of the Gryffindors except during Potions. I would see some of them from time to time in the corridors or when I had free time in the courtyard.
I did see a lot of Fred and George though, and I was getting better at telling them apart from one another. Fred was usually the one to speak first and was in love with pranking people, even if they were sometimes slightly cruel acts. George on the other hand spoke a little less and seemed a bit shy at times. Either way it was still hard to tell sometimes since they were so alike. I'd usually spend a little time with them after a meal or on my free time. They were both two very fun and kind boys and I was beginning to become close friends them.
"Why do you keep talking to those weasels?" Draco said when I waved to them from my seat at the Slytherin table. He hadn't glared at me anymore but it was obvious he still didn't like them. I didn't know what it was about them that made Draco so angry and he didn't bother telling me.
"Because, I like them. And it's Weasley, not weasel," I said and continued eating my breakfast. Draco grunted in response but said nothing else. Behind him I saw Pansy make a face. Ever since that night I went to Draco's room she'd been acting different towards me. She and Millicent had been whispering about me ever since. It wasn't in an obvious way but I'd dealt with that kind of behavior enough in my life to recognize it easily.
Movement caught my eye and I turn to see Fred and George waving and pointing to the door. They were asking if I wanted to go with them after I was done eating. I shook my head and pointed at Draco to tell them I was spending time with him today. They gave me understanding looks and went back to eating and laughing with their friends. I had been spending a lot of time with them lately and, while I did see Draco a lot, I felt like we should spent more time together.
A little after that, the mail came. Owls flew into the Great Hall bringing the students' letters and parcels with them. Draco's Hawk Owl dropped off a parcel from home. It was full of delicious looking sweets. Being who he is he began gloating about them of course; that was his nature. But, being who I am, his best friend and therefore special, he gave me some.
I watched as the owls came and went giving the students some form of mail. A lot received letters which, to me, seemed like a better gesture than any gift. Just as the last of the mail came in I saw Whiskers, my owl, fly in. He was a brown Tawny Owl, not very big but not small either, and personally I found him very cute. And I know the name is strange for an owl, to say the least, but I liked it so I kept it.
Whiskers came in dropping off a small square parcel, a little bigger than the size of my hand, as I threw a small piece of my breakfast up to him. He caught it in his mouth and made his way out of the Great Hall as I began to open it. Inside was a pocketbook edition of Moste Potente Potions, as well as a potion vial. The book was a potion book, full of complicated potions, and had a spell written on the side which could turn it into its actual size if desired, simple but wonderful. The vial, on the other hand, looked rather expensive. It was made of rose gold, linked to a necklace so I could wear it, with a black stopper that looked shiny. I heard a lot of my fellow Slytherins make awed sounds at the items while I looked at them a little confused. It wasn't as if I didn't like them, in fact I loved them, but that was the problem. My parents had no problem buying me expensive things but they often got my tastes wrong.
"It has a letter" Draco told me knowing I'd appreciate that more than the gifts themselves. I set the items gently down between us and took the letter from him. I smiled as I began to understand. These presents weren't from my parents, they were from my aunt Sacha. Aunt Sacha was my dad's sister, also a powerful and wealthy pureblood witch, who was one of my favorite people in the world. She lived in Russia so I hardly ever saw her but we kept in touch through mail. I already had a huge smile on my face as I opened the letter and began reading it
My dear Katerina,
How have you been dear? Well I hope. Congratulations on being accepted into Slytherin, it is an extraordinary house. Hogwarts is a very good school and I know you'll be a great student. As I know how you love potions, here are a few things that I expect you'll enjoy. Hope you like them and try to challenge yourself there, that's what Hogwarts is for.
With love, your favorite aunt, Sacha.
p.s. I'm sure Draco is a Slytherin as well so say hi to him for me. And give him a kiss for me too.