p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki walked with Hermione down to breakfast. They had just finished getting ready for classes. The final classes of today would end an hour early, since the start had been delayed about an hour./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, I can't believe you did that." Hermione sighed. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Did what?" Niki asked as she skipped slightly ahead of Hermione. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You pranked the entire school, let it keep going, weren't remotely sorry, and blatantly disobeyed Dumbledore when he told you to apologize!" Hermione exclaimed. "All in your very first day!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, well, Sirius and Remus should have gotten Dumbledore's letter about it. Apparently Dumbledore wrote to Mrs. Weasley about it, too. I bet we both get a howler." Niki said, quite cheerfully. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Come on, lets go get a seat." Hermione said, rolling her eyes./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The pair sat down next to a first year girl in their dormitory, whose name they didn't know yet. She was very pretty, with her red hair against her pale skin./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hi! My name is Nicole, but if you call me that I'll hex you. Call me Niki. What's your name?" Niki asked./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""My name is Lily." the girl said, looking shyly to the ground. "I know who you are. You're Nicole Potter, who prefers to be called Niki. You and your brother are famous." /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, I know." Niki sighed, not looking remotely happy about it. "This is my best friend, by the way." Niki indicated Hermione./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""My name is Hermione Granger." Hermione said, holding out her hand. Lily shook it. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well." Niki said. "I guess we're best friends now." Lily and Hermione laughed. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"After breakfast, Niki, Lily, and Hermione left the Great Hall and headed to Transfiguration. Once they got there, Professor McGonagall did not seem happy to see that her first class contained both Potters and a Weasley./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Listen up. I will not tolerate any fooling around in this class. You will do your schoolwork, and you will do it quietly, unless I instruct you otherwise. If you fail to abide by any of my rules, you shall leave and not return. You have been warned."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki heard Hermione gulp beside her. She had to admit, even she was a little nervous. She, in particular, would find it hard to stay quiet unless she was using an incantation. She was a little chatty. She was, however, excited to start, especially once she saw McGonagall turn her desk into a pig and back. Niki was, therefor, disappointed when they were handed a match and told to turn it into a needle./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;" By the end of the class, however, Niki learned that she was very good at Transfiguration. She had managed to turn her match all the way into a needle. Even Hermione's had only gone slightly silver and pointy. This made Niki very proud./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"After Transfiguration was Potions. Niki was very excited for this class. Especially because of all the stories of Professor Snape she'd heard from Sirius and Remus. She couldn't wait to meet the "slimey git" she'd heard so much about, so she skipped down to the dungeons. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Snape let them in, and silence fell immediately once the door banged shut./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Snape began his class by taking roll. He got to Harry, and paused./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new, celebrity." Niki was already disliking this guy./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Nicole Potter." Snape snapped, looking up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Here." Niki said. Snape located her, and froze. His mouth opened slightly, then closed. He moved on with the roll./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Once he had finished the roll, he waved his wand, and writing appeared on the blackboard. "The instructions are on the board, begin."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"At the end of the class, Niki had figured out that Snape hated Harry, yet favored her and he Slytherins. She was pleased to see, however, that she had made the potion prefectly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well done, Lily!" Snape said, his hand on her shoulder./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I'm not Lily. My name is Niki." Niki said, looking up at him./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh, of course." Snape said. To cover his lapse, Snape walked over to Neville, who's potion had exploded. Soon, everyone was standing on their chairs, as the potion was burning through their shoes. Neville, who had been covered in the potion, whimpered in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over him./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hospital wing, Longbottom." Snape snapped. Then he rounded on Harry. "You, Potter, why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he messed up? that's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him under the table and muttered something Niki couldn't hear./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hey! He was focused on his own potion! Besides, what did Harry and Neville do to you to make you hate them? You're being completely unfair and mean!" Niki burst out./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Come to my office after the lesson, Ms. Potter." Snape said, sweeping away./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Niki, I can't believe you did that." Hermione sighed. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Did what?" Niki asked as she skipped slightly ahead of Hermione. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You pranked the entire school, let it keep going, weren't remotely sorry, and blatantly disobeyed Dumbledore when he told you to apologize!" Hermione exclaimed. "All in your very first day!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, well, Sirius and Remus should have gotten Dumbledore's letter about it. Apparently Dumbledore wrote to Mrs. Weasley about it, too. I bet we both get a howler." Niki said, quite cheerfully. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Come on, lets go get a seat." Hermione said, rolling her eyes./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The pair sat down next to a first year girl in their dormitory, whose name they didn't know yet. She was very pretty, with her red hair against her pale skin./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hi! My name is Nicole, but if you call me that I'll hex you. Call me Niki. What's your name?" Niki asked./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""My name is Lily." the girl said, looking shyly to the ground. "I know who you are. You're Nicole Potter, who prefers to be called Niki. You and your brother are famous." /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Yeah, I know." Niki sighed, not looking remotely happy about it. "This is my best friend, by the way." Niki indicated Hermione./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""My name is Hermione Granger." Hermione said, holding out her hand. Lily shook it. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well." Niki said. "I guess we're best friends now." Lily and Hermione laughed. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"After breakfast, Niki, Lily, and Hermione left the Great Hall and headed to Transfiguration. Once they got there, Professor McGonagall did not seem happy to see that her first class contained both Potters and a Weasley./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Listen up. I will not tolerate any fooling around in this class. You will do your schoolwork, and you will do it quietly, unless I instruct you otherwise. If you fail to abide by any of my rules, you shall leave and not return. You have been warned."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Niki heard Hermione gulp beside her. She had to admit, even she was a little nervous. She, in particular, would find it hard to stay quiet unless she was using an incantation. She was a little chatty. She was, however, excited to start, especially once she saw McGonagall turn her desk into a pig and back. Niki was, therefor, disappointed when they were handed a match and told to turn it into a needle./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;" By the end of the class, however, Niki learned that she was very good at Transfiguration. She had managed to turn her match all the way into a needle. Even Hermione's had only gone slightly silver and pointy. This made Niki very proud./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"After Transfiguration was Potions. Niki was very excited for this class. Especially because of all the stories of Professor Snape she'd heard from Sirius and Remus. She couldn't wait to meet the "slimey git" she'd heard so much about, so she skipped down to the dungeons. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Snape let them in, and silence fell immediately once the door banged shut./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Snape began his class by taking roll. He got to Harry, and paused./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new, celebrity." Niki was already disliking this guy./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Nicole Potter." Snape snapped, looking up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Here." Niki said. Snape located her, and froze. His mouth opened slightly, then closed. He moved on with the roll./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Once he had finished the roll, he waved his wand, and writing appeared on the blackboard. "The instructions are on the board, begin."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"At the end of the class, Niki had figured out that Snape hated Harry, yet favored her and he Slytherins. She was pleased to see, however, that she had made the potion prefectly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Well done, Lily!" Snape said, his hand on her shoulder./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I'm not Lily. My name is Niki." Niki said, looking up at him./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Oh, of course." Snape said. To cover his lapse, Snape walked over to Neville, who's potion had exploded. Soon, everyone was standing on their chairs, as the potion was burning through their shoes. Neville, who had been covered in the potion, whimpered in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over him./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hospital wing, Longbottom." Snape snapped. Then he rounded on Harry. "You, Potter, why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he messed up? that's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him under the table and muttered something Niki couldn't hear./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Hey! He was focused on his own potion! Besides, what did Harry and Neville do to you to make you hate them? You're being completely unfair and mean!" Niki burst out./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Come to my office after the lesson, Ms. Potter." Snape said, sweeping away./p