The weather grew colder as they entered November. Quidditch season had begun. Celesta knew of the sport, having attended a few world cups with her family. She could tell Harry was nervous, but besides advising him to eat the morning of, she had no other advice. After all, it wasn't as if she could play, not with her sensitivity to light.

Hermione had been a big help to the boy-who-lived that week, Celesta smiling when she'd praised the young witch. Since becoming friends with the boys, Hermione had also grown lax with obeying the rules. While Celesta couldn't afford to misbehave, she did tend to look the other way.

The evening Harry 'Quidditch Through the Ages' taken by Snape found the common room noisy. She, Harry, Hermione and Ron were huddled together under one of the windows. Hermione was checking the boys' homework. The girls never let them copy, but this way they got the right answers anyway.

Celesta watched as Harry left to go ask for his book back, before turning to the others and excusing herself. "I need to write Mother and Father." she said, waving as she made her way to her dorm room. She'd gotten a letter after what had happened on Halloween, both in worry for her health and in admonishment. Her parents had almost threatened to keep her home or send her to Beauxbatons, until they took into account that she'd been attempting to stop her friend from going after the troll, and had nearly succeeded in fact.

While she wasn't going to be able to visit Hermione the next summer, she was allowed to stay at Hogwarts, provided she ceast all activities that could potentially get her in trouble or land her in the hospital wing.

'Dear Mother,

Thank you for allowing me to stay at Hogwarts. I've made two new friends since the 'troll incident', though Draco seems to detest them. Harry Potter, while ignorant to wizarding ways, seems to be doing well in school for the most part. Professor Snape seems to pay him a lot of attention, all of it negative. His best mate is Ronald Weasley, and while they aren't in the same circles as we are, he is of a funny sort. I think he tries a lot to stand out from all his brothers, however. Did you know he has five older brothers? Three of them are still in school, the eldest two in other parts of the world.

I believe one is a dragon wrangler in Romania, and the other a cursebreaker, but I couldn't tell you which was which. Percy Weasley is a fifth year, and a prefect as well, but he is rather borish. I much prefer the twins company, though they rather keep to the other third years. Mostly they come and make fun of Ron, though I can tell it's from a place of love.

Classes continued as normal after the incident, and I've been trying hard to keep my head down. Though Harry did notice Draco cornering me the other day, assuming Draco was bullying me. While he did grab my arm rather harshly to keep up apparences, he merely asked if I was okay. I tried to explain it to Harry, but he didn't seem to understand that while me and him have rather different personalities, he is my brother and I love him dearly, as I hope he does.

The first quidditch game is tomorrow, and Harry will be playing for our House in the seeker position. He seemed to grow more and more nervous as the week drew on, I think he's panicking now. I do hope he doesn't panic too much that he's unable to eat in the morning, else he's liable to fall off his broom.

I promise that when I'm outside, I'm using my parasol unless it is during flying class. I'm told that after this year we won't need to take it. While Harry is the superior flyer during the class, Draco is a close second. Surprisingly Hermione is rather dreadful at it, though she understands the theory well enough. I think she just gets too stuck in her head in order to really enjoy flying. While it is a wonderful experience, Madam Pompfrey has forbidden me to stay too long in the sun, so Madam Hooch allows me to get the necessary participation points before letting me retire to the library.

I look forward to seeing you in a little over a month. I feel like Hogwarts is a second home, this is true, but I do miss you, Luli, and Father far too much. Speaking of, I thought I'd ask if Luli could service me here in Hogwarts as well as at home, though it might not be allowed. I wouldn't use her for homework or anything, but sometimes I catch Hermione staring at my attempts at replicating a body in my bed the mornings after I spend a night in fox form. Luli would be a good substitute, or she might be able to keep them asleep...in any case I've not told anybody yet. I promised I wouldn't, not without secondary charms and proceedures in place for protection.

Do give Father my love and best wishes,

Celesta Hecate Malfoy'

She managed to complete the letter just in time for Hermione to return to the room, hastily informing her that Snape had been bitten by the three-headed-dog while, according to Harry, trying to steal whatever it was guarding. Celesta furrowed her brows, but was unable to dissuade Hermione before the other girls headed in and started getting ready for bed.

Once everybody else had fallen asleep, Celesta snuck out of bed, fluffing her blankets and pillows in a farce of a sleeping body before she shifted into her fox form. Maera went with her as they headed down the tower, slipping out of the portrait hole before heading to the Owlery, keeping to the shadows and listening attentively for footsteps. Managing to send a letter to her mother using the Owls, she slipped back into the castle, but instead of heading to the Tower, she went towards the potion's classroom, sniffing around for a moment until she caught her godfather's scent. Nudging Maera to go back to the tower, she scratched at the entrance before Snape finally let her in, a scowl on his lips.

"Shouldn't you be with Miss Malfoy?" he drawled, easily mistaking Celesta with her familiar. Playfully, she yipped instead, remembering to act fox-like as she used one of her back legs to scratch behind her ear. With a sigh, he went on with his evening business, occasionally watching her whenever she stared too long at him. Finally realizing he'd be alright, she hopped up and yawned, scratching at the exit once more until he waved his wand, silently releasing her from his chambers.

The next morning Celesta woke with the excited chittering of her dormmates, grumbling at the noise until the hot water from the showers managed to wake her up even more. Dressing for the day in her robes, adding a pair of leggings under her skirt and grabbing a red parasol her mother bought her after learning what house she'd been Sorted into, she followed the others, Maera following at her heels.

Harry indeed looked too nervous to eat, until finally Hermione forced him to eat at least a bit of toast, she'd observed. She waved him off with a smile for luck when the rest of the team lead him out the door, her eyes catching the twins as they laughed cheekily, attempting to cheer him up. Blushing lightly at the sight of their smiles, she glanced back to her breakfast of fruits and yogurt before she was caught. She'd noticed them more and more as they started to actually talk to her after befriending Ron and Harry. Though the general consensus of her brother was rather dreadful, she never took part in belittling their less that fortunate funds, nor did she bully anybody. If anything, the school found her rather quiet and studious, and while her appearance made some people uncomfortable for her lack of melanin, most found her rather pretty, for a first year at least.

By eleven, she and most of Hogwarts were in the stands. It was a rather clear day however, so she'd left her binoculars in her dorm room, her parasol low on her face. Unless some players depped in the pitch, she'd miss the game, but she was there to support her newest friend. She'd laughed a bit at the twin's friend, Lee Jordan's, commentary of the game, and while some of the words were rather not appropriate, she found she was able to follow the game through him.

Hagrid joined them sometime after the first score or two, Celesta smiling up at the half-giant, who unknowingly left her a saucer of milk for when she was in her fox form. Though she'd grown, it seemed she'd not be bigger than Maera in her animagus form, not too much bigger than a kit at the most.

It was Hagrid's words after the slytherins cheated-while making sure it didn't seem like they were, that worried Celesta enough to risk blindness as she looked up. Indeed, Harry's broom seemed to be bucking and flinching, as if trying to get the boy off of it. "It's jinxed!" she'd gasped, Hermione snatching Hagrid's binocular's and searching the crowd.

While she and Ron were convinced it was Snape, Celesta snatched the binoculars after Ron had them, looking around. Being raised in a family of purebloods that had unsure alliances to the dark side was enough for her to know that while Snape did appear to be the one jinxing the broom, she knew that Professor Snape wouldn't ever harm a student. Well, maybe emotionally and/or mentally in the case of Neville, but certainly not phsyically! Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Quirell also silently mouthing words, maintaining eye contact.

She didn't get a chance to tell them of this discovery though, before Hermione was already gone. Head flaring in pain from the light of the sun already, she groaned a bit and lowered the parasol once more. Celesta couldn't get involved, not anymore when it was sunny already.

The game ended not long after Hermione returned to them, Harry nearly swallowing the snitch. They were in Hagrid's hut discussing the game, Celesta staying away from the open window, as well as avoiding looking too closely to the fireplace. Her head was still screeching at her, her eyes on fire from the amount of sunlight she'd gotten in them during the game. While the others were seated around Hagrid's table for tea, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, Hagrid's dog Fang sitting at her feet, his head in her lap as she scritched at his ears.

By the way the conversation was going, she knew she'd never be able to convince them it wasn't her godfather, though Hagrid seemed to be attempting to. It was during this conversation that the four of them learned of the cerberus' name. Fluffy. And Hagrid had brought him there.

She'd refused to dig into the mystery further, though she'd offer advise if asked. She didn't need to be involved with Dumbledore's business, and as long as it didn't affect her or her studies, she didn't rightly mind what they were up to, no matter the pleading Hermione did in trying to get her to be more proactive. Instead, Celesta was busy making sure she wouldn't have homework over the holidays, and planning on what she'd be getting for her friends.

Draco had been more unpleasant towards her friends after the quidditch game, and while she disapproved, she knew she'd catch flak if she outwardly said something. Celesta had taken the habit of leaving her friends while they went off to the library for their researching, heading to lunch after their last potion's class before the holidays, helping Professor Flitwick with some of the final decorations before their mid-day meal. She'd been awarded five points for her excellent charm work, Celesta having taken up the habit of reading ahead. After the rest of classes, instead of attending dinner she'd packed her bag, planning on leaving her trunk at Hogwarts.

She'd go hunting in animal form after everybody was asleep, she had decided after lunch.

Author's Note: Here's chapter 7! I'm putting these chapters out as soon as I can get them down, but please understand that I'm a) new at writing fanfiction, and b) I don't want to burn out too fast and have this story sit here for a year or two until I can get a legit chapter out that's more than a single paragraph or two. As such, please don't get too impatient with me. I love all of you supporting me.

So! I realized I never explained why Narcissa would tell Celesta about her real mother. So the reason is this: While Eunoma's actions had her blacklisted from the family, Narcissa had grown up with her as basically a second version of herself. By all intents and purposes, Eunomia was a second Narcissa, until she ran away from home, rejecting her arranged marriage. So Narcissa felt it only proper to respect Eunomia's last request, that Celesta know her real mother.