Riding with the punches (literally)

After hardly a week, Jazlyn wished that she was at home with her Mother or being taught by her Uncle Remus. There were many times where she considered marching herself to McGonagall or even the headmaster, Dumbledore's, office and demand to be sent home. Her talk with McGonagall on the first night had helped for only a moment.

The rest of the week was awful. And it all started on the first day of classes.

The sun peeked through the edges of the Hogwarts grounds early Monday morning. Very few students and even teachers were awake. Jazlyn, having slept in the dorm of some seventh year girls and gotten hardly any sleep the night before, still rose with the sun. As quietly as she could she slipped out of the room before any of the seventh years woke up. She poked her head into her own room to make sure everyone was still asleep. Quickly she gathered her things, went to the bathroom and showered. She was finished and done with her small breakfast before any of the first years had shown up to the great hall. She was surprised by this fact as she had gotten lost several times before finally arriving at the right place.

She did, however, stay long enough to see Fred and George Weasley burst into the halls where they spotted her immediately and bounded over to sit on either side of her.

"Morning Procyon," Fred, who sat on her right, started to say. "Someone's eager to start the day."

"Don't call me that, Fred," she said emotionlessly. "And not really. Just an early riser."

"Uh uh uh," Fred tsked. "I'm George."

"Looks like someone owes us 5 sickles each," George smirked.

"More like someone's trying to cheat me out of a sickle, George," she scolded.

She held out her hands on both sides and cupped them. The twin sighed as they simultaneously reached into their pockets and plopped 5 sickles into each hand. (Although secretly they were both touched that she had bothered to remember their names.)

When she noticed Hermione Granger walk into the Great Hall a few minutes later she grabbed Fred who sat closest to the door and tried to hide behind him.

"What—" he started.

"Are you doing?" George continued for him.

"I have to get out of here," she replied. She peeped over Fred's shoulder and saw Hermione scanning the Gryffindor table for her.

"Hey isn't that your friend from yesterday?" George asked.

She grabbed his hand to stop him from calling out to her. Fred turned around to look at Jazlyn, still blocking her from view. He could see her trying to keep her expression emotionless. But she wasn't very good at it. Her face had paled and her eyes seemed nervous as they darted between the twins and Hermione.

"Are you alright?" He asked. It was odd for him to ask that. Usually George was the one who took notice of people's emotions before Fred did.

"The girls found out who my father was last night," Jazlyn asked. She was going to say more but it turned out that she didn't have too. With barely a glance at each other, the Weasley twins jumped into action. Fred grabbed Jazlyn and pulled her up from the table, using his tall body and large robes to block her from view. At the same time both he and George pulled something from each of their pockets and plopped into the goblets of the people that were sitting on the other side of them.

The goblets exploded, literally, large fireworks shout out from the cups and burst across the great hall. Jazlyn thought the explosion would have drawn too much attention in their direction, which it did, but the smoke covered her from really being seen as Fred rushed her away from the great hall covered by his cloak for extra protection.

"Is that why you were out of bed so late last night?" George asked.

"How'd you know about that?" She squinted her eyes up at them.

"We have our ways," Fred winked at her and dragged George away, leaving Jazlyn standing confused in the entrance hall.

Her first class wasn't hard to find since it was transfiguration with Professor mcGonagall. It was there that she found that McGonagall was as strict as her reputation preceded her. Jazlyn had to hold back a snicker as she watched Harry and his new friend Ron Weasley get scolded for being late.

"Told you we should hurry up and find the map," she muttered to Harry as he sat down.

"5 points from Gryffindor for talking, Miss Jazlyn," McGonagall said without even glancing in her direction.

Jazlyn, however, instead of being upset at losing points, smiled inwardly to herself as McGonagall didn't call her by her last name like she did everyone else. That smile grew wider throughout the lesson. They were tasked with changing matches into needles. By the end of the lesson only she and Hermione Granger had managed to make much difference to their matches. They both earned 20 points for their efforts.

Jazlyn's joy soon faded as the day went on. For each lesson she would have to correct the Professor with her name, begging them not to call her Black. Most of them gave her understanding looks and would comply but she hated the way the other students would mutter about her each time she did. She tried her best to hold her head high and act like it didn't bother her. She made sure she was the last to enter every class and the first to leave so that she could avoid talking to Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati. And to especially avoid Sally-Ann Perks who glared at her at every opportunity.

Harry, ever the loyal god-brother and cousin, would sit by her in lessons and kept trying to ask her what was wrong. He must have been either very oblivious or socially inept as the whispers followed her everywhere.

"Sirius Black's daughter, I heard she grew up with Harry Potter."

"Is the minister insane? How could they allow that."

"The boy who lived living with a Black!?"

"That family must've confounded him."

"Did you hear she got into a fight on the train?"

"I heard she attacked one of her dorm mates last night."

"I would hate to have to share a room with her."

The day only got worse when, during lunch period, Fred and George Weasley approached her. Jazlyn was sitting against the window of the same secluded corner in the Gryffindor common room from the night before. She had decided to skip lunch to avoid the stares and whispers.

They handed her a sandwich and a folded up piece of parchment with instructions to go and see Professor McGonagall at once. The Weasley twins offered to show her the way but she insisted that she already knew. She pushed past them, shoving the uneaten sandwich back into a slightly confused and concerned Fred's hand.

She had been hoping that everyone was still in lunch to avoid them but luck just wasn't on her side. Halfway to McGonagall's office she spotted Sally-Ann Perks stomping in her direction. Jazlyn attempted to side-step around the other girl but Perks apparently had other plans. She intercepted Jazlyn and grabbed her by the shoulders roughly.

"You tattle tale, Black," she shouted.

"What?" Jazlyn asked.

"Go crying to the Head of House because you can't cry to your dear old daddy?" Perks growled. She slapped Jazlyn across the face.

"I didn't go crying to her. She found me out of bed last night because you kicked me out," Jazlyn tried to step away. "If McGonogall talked to you about it, it's really your fault."

She resisted the urge to slap the girl back and regretted not doing so hardly a second later because Perks clearly didn't like that response. She growled and tried to punch Jazlyn in the stomach. But Jazzy was quicker this time and caught the other girl's fist. But then Perks smirked and swept her leg under Jazlyn's legs effectively knocking her over.

Unable to catch herself as her arms had been twisted from intercepting punches and hits she fell to the floor with a thump. Her chin collided with the hard stone floor. She saw stars and for once they didn't give her comfort. She also began to feel a hard pain in her side. She turned to see Perks's leg poised to kick her a second time. Jazlyn quickly fumbled for her wand and dazedly aimed for the other girl.

"Locomotor Mortis," she groaned.

Instantly Perks's legs snapped together. The spell caught her mid kick causing the girl to fall backwards. But Jazlyn didn't hear a loud thud like when she had fallen. Instead she heard vague shouting and a pair of arms lifting her up.

"The hell!?" Fred Weasley shouted. (Or was it George?) For once she couldn't tell.

She looked over and saw the other Weasley twin roughly picking up Perks by the collar. Perks immediately burst into tears that Jazlyn was sure were fake, even in her own still slightly dazed state. The arms that held her faced her towards their chest and put their arms protectively around her.

"Thank goodness you're here, Black tried to attack me." Perks sobbed.

"Nice try," the twin (who Jazlyn thought was Fred) growled. He was still holding Perks by the collar.

"We saw enough to know that's not true," the one holding her, maybe George, said.

His grip subconsciously tightened around Jazlyn. She grunted in pain. He looked down at her and almost winced at the sight. Her chin was already bruising, there was a red mark the size of a small hand on her cheek, and her eyes were going in and out of focus streaking with tears that he wasn't even sure if she knew were falling.

"Come on," George said softly. "Let's take you to the hospital wing."

"No." She muttered. "McGonagall s'waiting. 'M fine. Why are there four of you?"

"Ok let's go," Fred called or was it George? Or was it both Fred and George?

"No McGonagall first," she insisted, detached herself from George and walked on her own. He stayed close to catch her if she stumbled.

Across from them, the other Weasley twin was dragging the girl back towards McGonagall's

Office. Luck of course was not on their side. Just as they were nearing the first floor corridor near by Professor McGonagall's office, Percy Weasley, the prefect and the Twin's older brother, intercepted them.

"Fred! George!" He yelled at the sight of them dragging the two first years. "What did you do to them!"

"They helped Black attack me!" Sally-Ann Perks screeched before the third year boys could say anything.

"You were supposed to bring Black to McGonagall not help her attack a first year," Percy scolded them. He reached for Perks.

"Get out of the way, Percy," Fred said as he shoved Perks to shut her up.

"We are taking them to McGonagall," George rolled his eyes and tried to push Percy back.

"Not attacking them," Fred added.

"That's a lie!" Perks yelled as she struggled against Fred. "They helped Black attack me!"

"That's not true!" Jazlyn protested. "She's the one that attacked me! Fred and Feorge were just l helping—"

"Like I'm going to believe a Black," the older Weasley prefect hissed.

"OI!" Fred and George shouted together.

"Sod of you prick," Fred glared at him.

"She's a kid," George added with a glare of his own.

Jazlyn, however, sighed. As much as she appreciated the two defended she knew it would be no use. After not even a full day at Hogwarts she knew that it didn't matter who her mother was or who her cousin was, she was the daughter of Sirius Black. It didn't matter that she hated that fact as much as everyone else did. She was his meant she was Hogwarts's public enemy number 1.

"Forget it," she muttered. "Let's just go."

"You're not going anywhere," Percy said stiffly. He reached forward and yanked Sally-Ann out of the twins' grasp. "You're all coming with me to McGonagall's."

"As if that wasn't where we were going anyways." The twins mutter under their breath.

Upon arriving at McGonagall's office, the group of five Gryffindors were surprised to find every single first year Gryffindor girl sitting outside.

"Jazlyn!" Hermione said standing up as soon as she spotted them rounding the corner. "Where have you been! And did you get into another fight!?"

Immediately the hall erupted into chaos, the Weasley twins and Jazlyn shouting one thing and Percy and Sally-Ann saying another. As well as the other first year girls all asking and demanding questions.

"That's enough!" McGonagall came out of the office with yet another first year Gryffindor girl.

Minerva McGonagall was not at all surprised to find Jazlyn marched into the office by half the Weasley boys looking like she had just gotten into a fight. She was, yet again, reminded of the girl's father's first year, he too had gotten into a fight on the very first day.

She was impressed and once again not all surprised by the first year girl's ability to use magic so accurately and with such great control. Had the girl been raised by her father, she might not have been as surprised. But she knew that the girl's mother was not the type to train her children before Hogwarts.

She was also surprised to find the Weasley twins so adamantly defensive on Jazlyn Black's behalf.

"Mr. Weasley please escort Miss Jazlyn to the hospital wing." McGonagall looked at the twins who both reached for her and at Percy Weasley who looked as if he wanted to protest such a command. She decided to clarify. "Fred Weasley. You take her. The rest of you explain."

After her very brief visit in the hospital wing where the school nurse, madame pomfrey, fussed over her a little too much (in Jazlyn's opinion). She reported to McGonagall's office again. McGonagall informed her that Sally-Ann Perks would no longer be in her dorm. Instead, Kellah Morris, volunteered to share the dorm with her, Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati.

Jazlyn was also reprimanded by McGonagall for dueling in the hallways, however, she was lucky. She was only given one detention and 10 points taken off. It was later when she finally returned to her dormitory that she found out that Sally-Ann had been given 50 points taken off and a months worth of detention for attacking a student (on top of the already one weeks detention she was given from the incident the night before). It was both the most points lost and most detentions given to any student on the first day according to Hermione Granger.

Things hardly improved after that, sure Hermione (and the other girls in her dormitory) had made it clear to her that she didn't care who her father was, but the same could not be said for the rest of the school.

"There, next to the girl with bushy hair."

"That's Black?"

"She cursed a girl."

"And McGonagall gave the girl she cursed a detention."

"Maybe she put McGonagall's under a confundus charm."

"If her father could kill 13 people. I wouldn't be surprised if she could curse a professor as a first year."

Hermione would always start talking louder, whenever she heard people whispering about Jazlyn. Or sometimes she would tug Jazlyn in the other direction. Jazlyn appreciated her new friends efforts and soon enough the whispers didn't bother her as much.

Then came Thursday. Flying lessons with the Slytherins. Both her and Harry were excited about it. Really it was all anything the first years could talk about. Ron Weasley would tell anyone and everyone about how he had taken one of his brothers' brooms and flew so high he almost hit one of those muggle paragliders. Seamus Finnigan talked about how he would fly around the Irish countryside. Even Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil who weren't the most excited about a Quidditch (other than talking about how cute the players were) talked about the few times they've flown a broom.

"Maybe I can knock Malfoy off his broom," Harry said at the Gryffindor table that morning after hearing Draco Malfoy brag loudly, again, about how he was such a good flier.

"Honestly, why would they put Slythern and Gryffindor together for flying? That's asking for a disaster," Jazlyn said.

They would soon find out what a disaster it would indeed be. After classes they went out to a field on the grounds near the Forbidden Forest where they met Madame Hooch. She was a short lady with spiky gray hair and somewhat reminded Jazlyn of hawk with her beady eyes and stern expression. She instructed the group of first years to stand on either side of the brooms laid out in neat rows before them. The Slytherins were already there. She then instructed them to call their brooms up to them. Jazlyn thought this was rather odd seeing as she could simply just pick up her broom without calling to it. But she followed the directions anyway.

"Up," she commanded confidently and casually.

Immediately the broom lept into her hand. She looked around and found that only one other student had managed to get their broom up on the first try, and that was her cousin Harry Potter. He smirked over at her.

"I got it first," he mouthed. Jazlyn just rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him.

Once each student picked up their brooms she gave instructions to lift off lightly on the count of three and then lean forward to land again. Neville, whose grandmother had never allowed him on a broom and who had only ridden one on a rare few occasions at the Cameliard Estate when Jazlyn's mother was there to supervise, kicked off too early and couldn't come back down. Jazlyn swung her legs over the broom and kicked off immediately after her friend.

"Longbottom! Black!" Madame Hooch cried. "Come back here at once!"

"I'm trying to help him," Jazlyn cried out over her shoulder.

The rickety old school broom gave a sudden lurch and she scrabbled to hold on tighter. The Weasley Twins had warned her that the school brooms wouldn't listen to their riders and often tried to send students flying off their brooms. But Jazlyn had simply shook them off, sure that they were just trying to scare her. Turns out they were right.

"Miss Black if you don't come down right now it'll be a detention!" Madame Hooch demanded. "Mr. Longbottom, I understand, clearly has no control, you on the other seem perfectly capable of following directions."

Jazlyn ignored her as Neville's broom shot straight up like a muggle rocket. She leaned back on the broom and tried to speed up towards him.

"Nev! Don't look down!" She cried nearing him but it was too late. He looked down and gave a startled gasp and slid sideways off his broom. She swooped under him just in time to catch him on her own broom. She had to let go to twist around to try and steady him. The broom got confused with the sudden shift and additional weight. It flipped backwards and sent them both flying off like a bull. Jazlyn somersaulted in the air and reached up to try and catch herself on the broom but it all happened much too fast. Suddenly she hit the ground with a loud and painful crunch.

"JAZZY!" She heard a distant and familiar cry.

She decided that she hated Hogwarts.