Learning how to use magic in Hogwarts had always been a fantasy of mine. I never thought I would actually get the opportunity, but it turned out all I needed to do was get hit by a car and wake up in a new world. My life became the epitome of a fantasy story and I loved it.

What I found hard to love were the Slytherins. The fact they didn't like me came as no surprise. Everything I ever read posed the Slytherin house as the house for pure-bloods. Half-bloods went there too (Tom Riddle and Severus Snape for example), but Muggle-borns were unheard of. No matter where I went they sneered at me. It didn't help that everybody was naturally suspicious of Slytherins, so people outside my house were wary as well.

That left me as a loner. I'd been a loner ever since preschool, before Hogwarts, so it didn't particularly hurt. It just meant I spent a lot of my free time in the library, reading up on new spells and doing homework.

Remus found me there during the first week of classes, and asked to sit with me. I nodded and found myself at the receiving end of, "Why did you go into Slytherin?"

I stared at him for a few moments before speaking, my voice hoarse as always, "The Sorting Hat put me there."

I had an idea for why he put me there. All of the insults and dismissals would be expected from Slytherins. They stemmed from my Muggle heritage, and since I didn't particularly love Natalie or Brandon the insults didn't bother me. The Hat knew Slytherin would shape me into a stronger woman who could handle my future struggles in a way the others Houses would have failed. A different House would have made me more depressed, and made my life harder in the long run.

Remus was the only person besides Brandon who accepted my silence. Lily might have, but I hadn't spoken with her since the day McGonagall delivered my letter. I occasionally saw her in classes, but she always hung around Severus Snape, so I left them alone.

Another problem, other than not talking, would be my dorm-mates. All of them came from pure-blood families, so they hated me on sight like the rest of the House. Add their snide comments, and the instance where they woke me up with a cutting curse, and my mornings became that much harder. The comments I dealt with, but the cutting curse brought the caster a punch to the nose.

Never woke up that way for the rest of the year. Probably because I forced myself to get up at 5:30 in the mornings after the incident. It was hell, but all the others were still in bed at that time, so I could take hot showers and get ready without any trouble. The only reminder of the cutting curse was a scar on my right bicep.

Issues immediately started cropping up during meal times. If I tried to take a seat, someone would slide over to prevent me from sitting down. This happened all day on the first day of school, even during classes. I ended up having to sit in the very back corner of every room all by myself. Potions I was forced to have a partner, and I thanked God it was Severus. We ignored each other because he already got a bad rap for befriending Lily. I may be a Slytherin, but I would not force myself into their friendship. That would get him treated just as bad as me.

All the desk hopping and bench shifting really irritated me, so I made it my mission to find the Kitchens. After dinner on the second day I followed the Hufflepuff's through the castle, since I knew it was somewhere near their common room. I scanned every wall for the painting of a fruit bowl.

At the very last corner they took a right and stopped at a bunch of barrels. I watched them from around the corner. One of them tapped a few barrels in a specific order before they all rolled away to reveal the Hufflepuff common room.

Memorizing the sequence for future reference, I looked up and down the corridor until I finally spotted a large painting of fruit. I approached it hesitantly before reaching out and running my fingers over the pear. When it giggled I snatched my hand back, and watched in amazement as the pear become a doorknob.

I twisted it open and snuck inside. My eyes widened at the dozens of houselves bustling all over the room, working on different things. It smelled heavenly, so I took a deep breath and let it out in a happy sigh.

My sigh caught the attention of nearby elves. They scurried up to me with curious expressions, and asked if I wanted anything.

At that point I'd only been in the school for two days. Making that two days of classes where I forced myself to speak to cast spells. Clearing my throat irritated it more than it already was, so I spoke softly. It was almost indecipherable thanks to the rough quality.

The elves went from wary curiosity to crushing concern. They ushered me to a table, similar to those in the Great Hall but not as long. I sat on the bench, and they brought me a strange bottle. The label said "Butterbeer", so I brought the bottle to my mouth and took a swig. The liquid went down very easily, soothing the back of my throat.

From that point on I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Kitchens. I had water with breakfast and lunch, and Butterbeer with dinner. Getting in without being noticed wasn't challenging since everybody was already in the Great Hall. Getting out proved tricky. I had to leave early to prevent being late to class, and so people didn't see me walk out from behind a painting.

My short period of time in Hogwarts ended up being relatively calm, only interspersed by the various bullying. The cutting curse, having to sit alone in class, people preventing me from eating with them; all of those depressing things lead to me finding the Kitchens. One of the two places I really wanted to find, with the second being the Room of Requirement. If I found that room I could practice spells, without a Slytherin making snide comments at me; read any book I wanted without interruptions. As for homework I went to the library where Remus would join me.

Of course, where one Marauder went the others were sure to follow. They weren't called The Marauders yet, but they pulled quite a few pranks already. The four of them wracked up at least a dozen detentions. Poor McGonagall probably had high blood pressure, and most of those detentions happened within the first week of school. My ability to hide after classes saved me from getting pranked, but I saw many of the results while walking through the Slytherin common room. My immaculate attire compared to everybody else's pink robes did not help them warm up to me.

"Remmy, what are you doing with a snake?" James Potter stood at the edge of our table in the library with his arms crossed; Sirius Black on his left, and Peter Pettigrew on his right.

Remus sighed while keeping his head bent over his work. "I've told you before, it's Remus. We're doing our homework."

He snorted. "I doubt it's just homework. No doubt she's researching spells to use on Muggle-borns."

I shook my head with a quiet sigh, but decided against saying anything.

"James," Remus groaned tiredly, "why would she curse other Muggle-borns when she's one herself?" I looked up from my work to stare at James expectantly.

He flushed. "Uh, well, she's a Slytherin. You know all Slytherins are bad news, mate. Best not get to involved with her, 'cause she'll turn on you quick."

I snorted in amusement before going back to my work. They honestly believed I would hurt somebody based on the color of my tie. I wouldn't hurt somebody unless they hurt me first. The cutting curse being used to wake me up for one example.

Remus sighed. "Rosabell is a friend of mine. We met on the train before I knew any of you guys."

"Come on, Remus," James whined. "Ditch the snake and let's go! We have… things to plan." By "things" it was horribly obvious he meant pranks.

Remus sighed again, and I felt his eyes on me. I glanced up to meet his gaze. "I'll see you later."

Nodding goodbye I finished up my Charms essay while Remus packed up his belongings. Before they left the table Sirius pointed his wand at my parchment and whispered a spell. Whatever it was caused the paper to rip apart.

I stared at the pieces in shock. A rock settled into my gut while the three boys laughed, and Remus looked at me apologetically. I calmly stood up from my chair and faced Sirius.

He smirked at me. "Better get that fixed. It's due tomorrow."

With a bland smile I stepped a bit closer, and swung my leg up to kick him right in the balls. Sirius let out a choked noise before dropping like a rock.

Remus looked like he was trying not to laugh while James drew his wand. "Bloody hell, what was that for?! It was just a joke!"

I scoffed, then sneered at him in disdain. "You call that a joke? How would you feel if I pulled a 'joke' on you by ripping up your homework the day before it was due?"

His brows furrowed at the husky quality of my voice. Whatever he wanted to say got interrupted by the librarian yelling at him for having his wand out near her precious books. The three of them hauled Sirius out of the library, but Remus looked back at me with a wide smile and a wink. He obviously didn't mind that I'd hurt his friend, so I decided to relish in the feeling of having kicked someone in the balls.

Putting my books in my bag I swung it over my shoulder and collected all the pieces of parchment. I made my way to the charms classroom, where I found Filius Flitwick sitting at his desk. I asked him if he could repair my work, and he did so with a flourish of his wand. Had he been unable to I would've hunted Sirius again to deliver another kick.

Remus no longer sat with me in the library. He explained to me that he didn't want a repeat of last time. I agreed, and the two of us sat several tables away. Sometimes balls of paper were thrown at me with questions written on them, and I wrote a response before throwing it back. All in secret so the librarian wouldn't blow a gasket.

While I could do my homework in the library I couldn't do anything else very exciting. It was why I set out to find the Room of Requirement. All I knew was that it was located somewhere on the seventh floor across from a ballerina tapestry.

As it turned out I mentioned my exploration for the Room during lunch. The elf I spoke with looked at me in confusion before clarifying, "Does Miss mean the Come-and-Go Room?"

I could have hit myself. Of course the elves would know where it was. No doubt they knew more about this castle than Dumbledore. They probably knew where the laundry room was since they were the ones who cleaned the clothes, opening a floodgate of possibilities. I started making tentative plans to tie-dye everyone's robes.

I asked Taffy, my unofficial personal elf while in the castle, to show me the Room of Requirement during lunch the next day. She did so quite happily, and I despaired at the new route I would have to memorize. The castle was so huge it took me a week before I could find each classroom, and another week to be on time.

With the Room on the seventh floor, and the Slytherin common room in the dungeons, it took me between ten and fifteen minutes to get from one to the other. I ended up spending most of my time in the Room since I finally found the freedom to read and practice my spell casting. I continued to do my homework in the library, since Remus and I had an unspoken agreement to take our seats an hour before dinnertime, and throw balls of paper at one another. We had yet to get caught, and the two of us were searching for a way to message each other without the librarian seeing it and banning us.

I spent so much time in the Room I decided to move all of my stuff out of my dorm. I rarely entered the Slytherin common room, and Potions became my only reason for going into the dungeons. The only time I ever went in the dorms was for sleep, and after relocating I didn't have to go at all. The Slytherins probably celebrated.

The only places I went to were classes, the Kitchen, the library, and the Room of Requirement. I didn't need to go anywhere else. Luckily my trunk didn't disappear when I left the Room. Just being inside and needing the trunk made it appear. I didn't know where it went, but I didn't particularly care since nothing disappeared from inside.

My routine fell into place by the end of the first month. I had the luxury of waking up at 6:00 AM instead of 5:30 AM. I could shower for as long as I wanted, no longer wary of dorm mates taking advantage of my vulnerable state.

All I had to do after waking up was shower, brush my hair and teeth, then put on my uniform. Throughout the day I went to all my classes, the Kitchen for meal times, and the library before dinner. After dinner I went to the Room so I could put on comfy clothes, consisting of cotton shorts and a tank top.

Before going to bed I always practiced the spells taught during class. Practical work came fairly easy to me, but writing essays had never been my strong suit. I always hated essays, and they assigned one in every class for every spell.

After mastering the spells I would stop. Trying to work ahead didn't appeal to me because having a teacher explain what to do made it a lot easier, so I switched out my wand for a book to read. The Room could provide a library with the same content as the school library. I once found a book about the Deathly Hallows. It sent a shiver down my spine, because I knew those objects were real. Two of them were in the castle at that very moment. The third in the Gaunt shack.

I read a few books about Animagi, and how to discover my form. I would have to put a Mandrake leaf in my mouth for a month. As if talking wouldn't be hard enough, now I'd have to worry about talking around a leaf without anyone noticing. I decided to wait until summer. That would be three months of silence, one of which I can spend sucking on a leaf.

After that month I would finally know what my Animagus was. Just thinking about being able to turn into my soul animal made me want to do a happy dance. One problem with being an Animagus involved registration at the Ministry. If I didn't register, and someone found out, then I'd be sent to Azkaban. On the other hand it wasn't like I'd transform in the middle of Diagon Alley for everyone to see. Having an animal form to fall back on in a time of need would be super useful. Even more so if no one knew about it.

I wrote down a few things in the small, leather bound, black journal, that I bought with the intent to use as a planner. I wrote down: Mandrake leaf, Diary/ cup/ locket/ diadem/ snake?/ ring; fiendfyre?/ basilisk venom. As well as some spells I looked up to change robes different colors.

I kept the book in my trunk. That way it remained safe since nobody else knew where the Room of Requirement was, or that it even existed.

Unlike my little black book, I couldn't hide away forever.

Sirius found his opportunity for revenge against the day I kicked him in the library. He spelled my hair into a red and gold afro, and my robes turned bright red with gold "Gryffindor Rules!" flashing all over it. He laughed while I admired the spell work done to my robes.

"Let this be a lesson to you, snake. Don't mess with me."

I stared at him before bowing my head and saying softly, "I'm sorry for kicking you. Perhaps a slap would have been better, but I was rather angry."

Sirius looked at me like I was crazy. "You're sorry for kicking me?"

I nodded. "What would you have done if I tore up your homework the day before it was due?"

"I wouldn't kick you in the… you know!"

"Maybe not, considering I don't actually have a dick," I shrugged, marveling at the fact his eyes went round with surprise, "but you would have done something instead of letting me get away with it."

He continued to look at me strangely. "You don't care that I pranked you?"

"I wouldn't call this much of a prank. I'm actually wondering how you accomplished it since we haven't learned these spells."

Sirius crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why should I tell you? You'd probably turn me green."

I smirked. "I think Lucius would look wonderful in neon orange." My comment earned a strangled snort. No doubt he tried to hold it in since Slytherins were not supposed to be funny. "See you in class."

I made it halfway down the hall before he called back, "Say 'Gryffindor rules'!"

My eyebrows furrowed and I mumbled to myself, "Gryffindor rules?" My robes slowly changed back to black, and my hair went down to its usual soft, but frizzy, brown curls. I raised an arm to give him a thumbs up before turning a corner.

Remus continued to be the only Marauder I talked to. It was why I noticed him growing so pale and sickly. I thought nothing of it, but when the same thing happened in November, then again in December, it clicked. Just to make sure, I checked the moon those nights to see it was full.

I felt so bad for him. Wolfsbane wouldn't be invented for several more years. Sirius, James, and Peter didn't become Animagi until fifth year. He was out there all alone and in pain. I thought of going out there with him but discarded it. Not only would he rip me to shreds, but I would have to explain to him that I knew his biggest secret. I would tell him eventually, just not so soon. He would be suspicious because nobody could find out about a werewolf after a few months.

December meant midterms and winter break. I sent a school owl to Natalie and Brandon, asking if I should go home for break or stay at Hogwarts. The owl came back with one present, and a letter in Natalie's handwriting saying I should stay. I wondered if she even asked Brandon about it.

I had to venture into the Slytherin common room to sign my name on the form for students who stayed behind for break. Severus was the only other name on there.

A seventh year tried to cornered me on my way out. "We thought you learned your place, mudblood. You're not allowed in here."

I gave him a blank stare. "Considering I'm a Slytherin I am very much allowed to be in here. I just got tired of smelling your bullshit."

He sneered at me, and I quickly strode out of the room before he could pull his wand on me. If that happened I wouldn't get out unscathed, if at all. Dueling practice was added to my little black book.

Christmas morning I opened the present to reveal a baggy sweater from Natalie and Brandon, then a package of chocolate from Remus. That was one more present than I got last year. "Santa" stopped giving me presents a few years previous. I didn't get anything on my birthday because they always combined it with Christmas.

I didn't care about the presents. A sweatshirt and chocolate were the only things I could think of wanting, so I didn't mind the visual lack of love between me and my parents.

School quickly restarted and the days for sleeping-in vanished. I went to classes, and the library, then hid for the rest of the day. One moment in the library I asked Remus when his birthday was.

The first week of March I found myself slaving away in the Kitchens to practice my baking skills. The elves were horrified and kept trying to take over, but I was adamant on doing it by myself. I did ask for their advice on how to make it. I wasn't satisfied until I came out with the absolute perfect chocolate cake.

On March 10th I spent my dinner making that cake. Two tiers with white chocolate filling. Then chocolate buttercream frosting to cover the entire outside. It smelled so good, but I forced myself to write "Happy Birthday!", in the same frosting I used for the filling. I gave it to the elves to send off with the rest of the desserts. Making sure to tell them it was for Remus Lupin only. They knew who he was because the four boys became rather popular. They still hadn't received the Marauder name, and I wondered where it came from.

In the library the next day I asked him if he liked his cake. He gave me an odd look. "How did you know about that? You weren't even in the Great Hall!"

"I made it."

His eyes widened, and I swore I saw little hearts in the hazel depths. "Can I have another one?"

I snorted and shook my head negatively. I loved baking, but I loved practicing magic even more. No matter how many times I transfigured an object into something else it always amazed me.

Spring break came in early April. This time I told Natalie and Brandon I wouldn't be coming. There was no reason for me to go without a holiday to celebrate with them. Even with a holiday Natalie preferred I stay away.

I spent my break in the Room, asking Taffy to bring me my meals. Every afternoon I left to meet up with Remus. We could finally talk to each other face to face without worrying about housemates reprimanding us, or fear the librarian seeing us throwing paper.

I realized how sad it was that Remus was the only human being I ever talked to. Even then he technically wasn't all human, but that didn't matter. Remus was enough of a friend for me. My first one in this life. I was annoyed when break ended, and all the students came back. The hallways were so loud, I didn't want to imagine the Great Hall. The noise level was probably worse to Remus' heightened werewolf senses.

The rest of the year finished smoothly for me. I evaded the Marauders pranks only by hiding away all the time. I definitely saw their work during the day. A lot of clothes and hair color changing. One time an entire corridor was filled with dungbombs. While I didn't see it, I smelt it. Some people had shoes that spontaneously tripped them. Thankfully nobody fell down the stairs. One prank I was sad to miss was a rumor about Severus serenading Mcgonagall.

Their pranks continued even during finals week. I did my best to study, but I was never good at it. All I did was skim through my books before getting out my wand and casting the spells.

For the first time since September 2nd I joined the rest of the school in the Great Hall for the end of the year feast. Dumbledore gave a small farewell speech for everyone in general, then another for the graduating seventh years. While quietly eating my dinner I wondered what I would do when I graduated, then I slipped away to the Room after dessert.

The next morning I climbed onto the Hogwarts express with a depressed sigh. One year down and six more to go. Hopefully those would be a little more relaxing.