Kevin was the only family member happy to see me return from school. Natalie just gave me a tight smile when I walked through the front door while Brandon made awkward one-sided conversation. Neither adult seemed to know what to do with me now that I returned for three months.

I took care of that by hiding in my room and completing summer homework. For most of June I stayed up there, only coming out to eat or play with Kevin. Natalie watched me like a hawk when I was near him, but I ignored her. It was refreshing to be with someone who truly loved me. I wondered if he would still love me after finding out my magical nature.

At the end of June I received an owl with my school supply list, and the results of my finals. An Outstanding in Defense and Transfiguration, and Exceeds Expectations in everything else. All in all I thought I did pretty good.

I gave the parchments to Brandon, and looked at him expectantly.

He glanced over them and pursed his lips. "We can go shopping tomorrow. I don't have work."

I smiled brightly. That would be July 1st. I'd hoped we would go then, because I could buy the Mandrake leaves and keep track of when the month was up.

Natalie stayed home with Kevin while Brandon took me to Diagon Alley. That was his first time going to Dia gon, and my second. It blew me away just like the first time, living up to my memory, but I would forever cherish the look of complete awe that Brandon had. I wondered if I looked like that when Mcgonagall brought me.

Our first stop was Gringotts. I stopped him before we climbed the marble steps. He looked down at me questioningly and I did something I hadn't done for him in twelve years. I spoke.

"The tellers are goblins."

His eyes widened farther than when we entered Diagon, and his hands gripped my shoulders. "What did you say?"

"The tellers," I said slowly. "They're goblins, so try not to freak out."

Brandon laughed. "You… you talked to me!"

I huffed through my nose. While his reaction was entertaining I really wanted to start shopping. "I did." I spun out of his hold and headed for the large doors. Brandon stared for a few moments before jogging after me.

Once inside I pulled him in the line to wait for the main teller. He was looking at every goblin with wide eyes, and kept a protective hand on my shoulder. The action surprised me since he rarely ever touched me. It made my chest feel warm.

When our turn arrived Brandon hesitantly cleared his throat. "I need to, uh, get money for my daughter?"

The goblin ignored him, and I hummed before trying myself. "We need two-hundred-fifty pounds converted to Galleons."

The goblin didn't look up. "From cash or card?"

"Card."

I looked up at Brandon as a cue for him to hand over his card. He was looking at me with raised eyebrows, probably for talking, but also at the amount. "Two-fifty?"

I nodded. "I need new robes, too. Want to make sure we don't run out."

Brandon was not a poor man. We weren't considered upper-class, but we lived comfortably. That's why he didn't argue when handing over his card.

While the goblin made the transaction I looked at Brandon thoughtfully. "Did I have a college fund?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Yes."

"Could we take that and open an account here?"

Brandon pursed his lips. "I don't see why not," he mumbled thoughtfully. "You won't need it anymore, and it can be used to buy your school supplies. We can transfer it on another day."

The goblin handed over a pouch, and Brandon's card. "There is an Extension Charm on the pouch to hold your Galleons." I took the pouch while Brandon took the card. He quickly ushered me out of the building after I thanked the goblin.

"Where to?"

I spent the rest of the trip in relative silence. Brandon seemed a little disappointed with it, but I didn't see the big deal. We went to Madam Malkin's first to get fitted for my robes. Five black with the Slytherin crest, and five Slytherin colored ties. I also bought a pair of flats since I outgrew the last pair.

Next came the bookstore. I grabbed all the books from the list, then searched for any about Animagi. Brandon explored the shelves a little but didn't buy anything.

I briefly looked in the Quidditch Supplies store. In first year there was a flying class. It was absolutely amazing and I loved it, but I didn't have the courage to play a game hundreds of feet in the air with only a broom for support. The idea of real flying brooms amused Brandon to no end.

I bought more journals, one for each subject, loose parchment, more quills, then black and red ink. Brandon thought the idea of writing with quills was idiotic, and told me he would buy me pens back in the Muggle world, or at least one of those pens designed to look like a quill. The thought of not having to sharpen a quill was very appealing, so I put the quills back but kept the ink.

Our last stop was the apothecary. Brandon didn't like the dark shop with eyeballs stuffed in jars. I didn't enjoy it either, but I asked him to help me find Mandrake leaves. I wasn't going to ask the shop manager because I didn't want anyone magical knowing I had them. Brandon could know since he knew nothing about Animagi.

The jars of Mandrake ingredients were in the back left corner. I grabbed a jar, then grabbed a few other random ingredients to prevent suspicion. The cashier didn't bat an eye at my items, and I nonchalantly handed over the required amount of Galleons before scurrying out the door.

Brandon and I returned home, and I thought he looked a little disappointed to leave Diagon Alley. He seemed to be warming up to the idea of magic. At least he put an effort into it, unlike Natalie.

As soon as we got through the front door I ran upstairs to my room and dumped the bags onto my bed. I pulled out my trunk and emptied it out. My old robes no longer fit, so I had to get rid of those and replace them with the new ones. The ties I kept, but they were a bit shorter than the new ones I'd bought.

My trunk had a secret compartment on the lid. I just had to tap the area with my wand and a small ring would appear. When I pulled on it a rectangular section of the top lifted up to reveal the bottomless compartment. My black book was the only thing in there, but now I shoved my old books and journals in there until I could think of a better place to put them.

I put the potion ingredients in there as well. The shop keeper said the jars were shatterproof, so I didn't worry about that. With the jar of Mandrake leaves I unscrewed the top and grabbed a leaf with my middle and forefinger. Bringing it up to my nose I inhaled softly. It didn't smell like anything, so I popped it in my mouth.

Regret swept through my entire body. It took everything in me not to spit it right back out. My face scrunched up in disgust, and I pressed a hand to my chest as if it would help. There was dirt, that leaf taste, and something else. Something disgusting, and rank, and whatever other synonym for gross one could think of. No word could describe the flavor staining my mouth.

My face had a permanent grimace, but I continued sucking on the leaf while putting my new supplies into my trunk.

Going through the daily motions weren't too difficult. As long as I was careful I could at least hide the leaf under my tongue while I ate, to prevent chewing it up and swallowing it. Same with brushing my teeth. I just hid it under my tongue to keep it out of the way. In bed I flattened the leaf against the roof of my mouth until it stuck there, so I wouldn't swallow it while I slept.

Eventually the leaf started losing flavor and dexterity. While I was happy about the receding taste I found in my Animagi books that I would have to either charm the leaf to stay fresh or switch it out when they wore down. Unable to use magic outside of school I just switched it out. Thankfully I bought a jar full of them.

I grew antsy by the end of the month. Throughout the month I never swallowed any of the leaves. It reminded me of gum, just without the chewing. The idea helped prevent me from swallowing.

I didn't know what to expect when the month was up. Maybe I would be sitting around and get hit with a vision of my form. Perhaps a picture of it would suddenly appear in my mind. I waited all day with no sign or clue to what my Animagus was. Wondering if I needed to keep the leaf in my mouth longer I went to bed still sucking on a leaf, hoping something would happen in the morning.

My front paws rested beneath my jaw while my hind legs dangled on either side of the branch. My jaw opened wide with a yawn, and I licked my lips carefully to prevent my sharp teeth from hurting my tongue.

With fluid movements I jumped from the branch and landed on the dirt ground. At the base of the trunk was an animal carcass I'd eaten in the safety of the tree that morning.

The setting sun told me it would be dark soon. I felt no worry for this fact as I began scenting the forest around me. Grass, trees, dirt – a few squirrels were nearby, but I didn't want those.

The sound of a stream off to my left had me wandering in that direction. On my way there I continuously scented the ground and air around me until I finally discovered the familiar aroma of deer.

Crouching low I swiftly tracked the scent until I found a lone doe munching on a bush. It's ear swiveled around in vain attempts to listen for nearby predators.

My belly dragged against the ground as I circled to the opposite side of the bush. I settled back on my haunches, flexed my paws, and my sharp claws scratched at the dirt beneath them. The muscles in my hind legs bunched in preparation. My entire body went stock still. Not even my tail flicked around.

When the deer continued to eat, completely clueless to the predator directly in front of it, I pounced.

My body landed on the floor at the end of my bed with a thump. I startled awake before groaning in pain. No doubt the impact would bruise my elbow.

Pushing myself up I looked outside to see the sun barely up. I grunted in aggravation, and scratched behind my ear. I didn't have to wake up for hours, but I felt wide awake.

Rolling my tongue unstuck the Mandrake leaf from the roof of my mouth. I vaguely wondered if today would be the day I got a vision, when my strange dream pushed to the front of my mind.

I scrambled over to my trunk to open the secret compartment. With my black book in hand I closed the compartment then opened the whole trunk to grab a random inkwell. I took out the quill pen Brandon bought me – just like a regular quill except made of steel, and had a fancy green feather – and wrote down everything that I remembered from my dream to the last detail.

With all of it written down I could sort out the facts. It had an amazing sense of hearing and smell. Didn't mind the dark, so probably had night vision. Had four legs, paws, a tail, and sharp teeth; lived in forests and could climb trees; a carnivore who ate in trees for safety.

I ruled out dogs since they didn't climb trees. The tail had been only a foot shorter in length than my body, so it wasn't a bear. I wrote down "large cat" as a possibility. They had long tails, sharp claws and teeth, ate meat. As cats they could no doubt climb a tree, but I needed to know what species willingly climbed trees, and ate their meals there.

Laptops had yet to be invented, and the only computer I knew of would be in the library. I had to wait hours before it opened. Since this day and age was looser about lone children I could walk there on my own.

The dinosaur I found in the library took ages to use. These people thought it was the fastest search engine, but it still took several minutes to load a page. In the end I managed to narrow it down to jaguars and leopards. More so with leopards. Jaguars used sight and hearing for hunting, but in my dream I used smell and hearing. Two very strong senses used by leopards.

I looked up some habits and personalities of leopards. They were independent, cunning, and not overly social. I thought it fit me rather well. Now certain my Animagus was a leopard I ran home and burned the Mandrake leaf, stashing the half-full jar inside my trunk. Hopefully I would never have to put those horrid things in my mouth again, but if I did at least I knew what to expect.

Before trying to transform I needed to know everything about leopards. From what their claws were made of, bone structure, how their senses worked, and where their organs were situated in their body.

I told Brandon I needed books about leopards for a project at Hogwarts. He seemed skeptical until I told him about the Muggle Studies class. Only third years and above took those classes, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

We bought a whole stack of books. Each one specified a different topic: bones, nerves, organs, their senses, the process of cubs growing up. Basically anything I could get my hands on. When we got home I poured over each book vigorously. After a while I started getting bored of leopards, and I had to remind myself I would be able to turn into this animal so I would keep reading.

September 1st came too quickly. I made sure everything was packed before Brandon and I left for the station. Like last year Natalie opted to stay home with Kevin, despite the fact Kevin could have come with. I didn't see much of Natalie nowadays. It hurt in some ways, but I knew this was a problem I created by being distant, so I did what I did best and ignored it.

Brandon sent me through the wall with a wave goodbye. I waved back before he disappeared, and was replaced by the bustling crowd on Platform 9 3/4. I ignored everybody around me and boarded the train to search for a compartment. This time I sat in the back of the train, and Remus never joined me. No doubt busy catching up with the other Marauders.

I wasn't alone, however. The boy who allowed me to sit with him had the black tie of a first year. He had black hair long enough for him to put up with a green ribbon. His grey eyes were so similar to Sirius Black's. The only thing missing was the spark of arrogance and mischief.

"What year are you?"

I glanced up from my charms book. "Second." I went back to reading my book and heard him hum.

"You made it into the noblest of all the houses."

My lips thinned at hearing my housemates being called noble. "I did." I noticed his voice was deeper than Sirius' had been at that age.

"I don't recognize you."

I took a deep breath and looked up from my book to meet his grey gaze with my green. "That's because I, as the Slytherins like to call me, am a mudblood."

His eyebrows shot up before his face blanked, and a cold look settled over his features. It amazed me to see what had once been a polite look turn into disdain, all because I had non-magical parents.

"Did you trick your way into the Slytherin House? It's no place for your kind." He sneered at me.

"You are absolutely right. An eleven year old girl with no magical experience cheated her way into a House just for those people to spit on the ground she walked on." I held his gaze with a frosty glare. After a few moments I lost the glare and looked at him calmly. "I don't really care about what you or anyone else thinks about 'my kind'. I don't think you should care either because magic is magic."

He lost his sneer but started glaring at me. "Mudblood's shouldn't be allowed to have magic."

"Why not? We bring new magic and new blood into the Wizarding World. Muggle-borns make up most of the magical population. Without us you would be a dwindling society because the inbreeding between pure-bloods is causing a high squib count. Not to mention insanity for some families."

The boys had furrowed eyebrows and seemed to think over what I've said.

"Of course," I looked back down at my book while he watched me from the corner of his eye, "it's just a theory." A theory I thought of based on what I read in various books. "What house do you want to be in?"

"I thought about Slytherin," he admitted. "But now with you there tainting it's pure name – "

I cut him off. "I don't even stay in the dorms, kid." I didn't know his name, and since I was physically and mentally older I used "kid". "You might see me in the hallways, but otherwise I'm elsewhere."

"Doing what?" He scoffed.

"Spending my time wisely where my fellow Housemates won't bother me," I replied vaguely.

The intercom system warned everybody on the train of the five minutes left before reaching the station.

"If you don't want Slytherin I'm sure you would make a wonderful Gryffindor." I looked at him with amusement in my eyes while I packed away my book. My comment had his eyes widening in horror, and I barely refrained from laughing.

"Mother would kill me. Sirius already ruined our name by going into the mudblood-loving house."

"So you're Sirius' brother then?" I had thought so.

He narrowed his eyes. "You know my brother?"

"Everybody knows your brother," I scoffed.

"I meant you're friends with him." He sounded impatient.

"No."

Now he looked confused. "Then why did you call him by his first name?"

"That's his name, isn't it?" I asked sassily.

The boy stared blankly. Our conversation ended when the train pulled to a stop. We left our bags on the overhead shelf, and quickly stepped into the hallway where everybody else was shoving their way through to get off the train.

I walked towards the carriages while the boy joined the other first years by Hagrid. I couldn't see the thestrals, but I knew they were there. Just to make sure I cautiously stuck out my hand before it met resistance in the sleek texture of a bony body. Inside the carriage were two upper year Ravenclaws. I ignored them while they talked about their summer break.

Up at the castle I sat at the Slytherin table for the welcoming feast. As was usual I had an open space on either side of me, and one across from me. Severus sat diagonal from my left. We sometimes locked eyes, and on the third time I nodded almost imperceptibly in hello. He returned the gesture, and we never made eye contact again.

During the sorting I kept an eye out for the boy I'd been sitting with. I learned his name was Regulus Black when McGonagall called his name, and he took his seat on the stool. Everyone silently wondered if he would be like his brother, and rebel against his family, but the Hat called, "Slytherin!"

Regulus made his way towards the table beneath the snake banners. His eye caught mine, and I winked before focusing on my plate and waiting for the feast to begin.