Hazel's first morning at Hogwarts didn't start brilliantly.

Despite her worries, it had been the best sleep of her life. It was like the bed had just refused to let her stay awake. It was a grey and overcast day, but it felt like nothing could spoil her excitement. This was it! After a whole year of waiting, she was finally learning how to be a witch!

There was plenty of time to let excitement and nerves build. Romilda had gotten to the bathroom first and was obviously in no rush. Ginny used the time to write in her diary but eventually even she'd had enough.

"Romilda!" Ginny banged on the door, "Have you moved into that room or what?"

"I'll not be much longer!"

Romilda's idea of 'not much longer' was wildly different from Hazel's as another half hour came and went. What could she possibly be doing in there? Surely there was only so much a girl could do to herself? Unless Romilda had decided to retile the bathroom while she was there.

"Should we wait for her?" She asked. It was already midway through breakfast.

"Let's just go," Ginny said, "Or we'll miss the whole thing. Theodora, are you coming?"

Theodora McLaggen still hadn't emerged from bed.

"I'll go down when I'm ready to," She snapped.

"Alright," Ginny said in an offended voice, "Sorry I asked."

The curtains were pulled back from the other bed in the room but there was no sign of Atia Malfoy. She must have already gone down to breakfast.

The common room was a lot quieter than last night. There were only a few students sitting drowsily in the armchairs near the fire with steaming mugs in hand.

Colin was waiting by the door.

"Morning Ginny! Morning Hazel! How'd you sleep? It's brilliant here, isn't it? My bed felt just like it does at home! Are you going to breakfast? Can I join you? Is it true that your brothers flew a flying car to school? Are they in trouble?"

Judging from Snape's expression last night, they were very much in trouble. She had no idea how Harry had avoided being expelled but right now, she was more worried about poor Mr Weasley. What would the Ministry do if they found out the car was his?

They then made the mistake of following Colin. He confidently led them to some corridor that was definitely not the Great Hall, not unless it had moved to the fifth floor overnight, and they ran into Peeves. He chased them screaming down three floors, pelting them with live frogs until they were rescued by Professor Flitwick. He then showed them how to get to the Great Hall.

"Are you glad you got to see Peeves for yourself?" Hazel said as she sat down and pulled frogspawn out of her hair. It was absolutely disgusting, "What do you think of Fred and George's opinion now?"

"Shut up," Ginny rubbed her eye where a frog had hit it.

Ron and Harry were already sitting and eating breakfast while Hermione had her nose buried in Voyages with Vampires. The table was filled with every possible breakfast dish she could think of; steaming pots of porridge and cereals, plates of eggs done every way possible, sizzling bacon and thick, fat sausages.

"Morning," Harry said with a smile, "Find your way to breakfast okay?"

"Fine," Hazel tried to wipe the frogspawn off with a napkin. Why was it so sticky? "No problem at all."

Ginny had gone very quiet, as if she was afraid of startling a baby deer.

"Morning Ginny," said Harry, "Did you know you've got slime in your hair?"

Her ears went scarlet, and she ducked out of sight.

"Hi Harry!" Colin's eyes were wide as dinner plates and he had gone even higher-pitched than normal, "I'm Colin Creevey! Is it true you flew a car to Hogwarts last night and you got expelled?"

"We didn't get expelled," Harry looked much more uncomfortable than he had last night.

"Why did you steal Mr-" She started to ask but Ron hissed like an angry snake and she stopped dead.

"We didn't steal the car," Harry whispered as he tried to block the eager Colin from the conversation, "The barrier blocked us off. We had to get to school somehow."

"Mr Weasley was trying to get back through to you, why didn't you wait for him?"

"We didn't know that! We were just trying to get to school before we got in trouble."

Hermione gave a loud snort from behind her book.

"Besides," Ron huffed, "It's not our fault the invisibility booster shorted out. Do you know how many times Fred and George flew that car without anything going wrong?"

"Did they fly it across the country too?"

"Well no, but-"

"Morning everyone!" Neville sat down beside them in a cheerful mood and ended the conversation, "Post should be arriving any moment. I think Gran's sending on a few things I've forgotten."

Right on cue, there was a screeching from high above them.

"Wow!" Colin dropped his spoon as dozens of owls swooped into the Hall. They circled the tables, diving in to drop packages and envelopes into the laps of the waiting students. This was how post was delivered in the wizarding world? It beat a letterbox, that was for sure!

Hazel barely had time to register a huge owl dropping a big package on Neville's head as something immediately landed in Hermione's milk jug. There were yelps and shouts as they were soaked in milk and feathers. Great! First the frogspawn and now her robes were drenched!

"Errol!" Ron lifted the milky owl out by his feet and tried to prop him up. He tipped over like he was made of wood, "Oh no!"

"It's alright, he's still alive," Hermione examined Errol while trying to dry her book.

"It's not that!" Charming, "It's that!"

He was pointing at a red envelope that had fallen onto the table. It looked like a perfectly ordinary letter. If anything, it looked quite nice. It was a nice change from the normal white or yellow, "She's sent me a howler."

Ginny reappeared in a flash.

"You'd better open it Ron," Neville whispered. He had the look of someone face-to-face with a particularly bad-tempered dinosaur, "My Gran sent me one once. It was horrible."

Ron peeled back the lip with a trembling hand. Honestly, what was everyone so worried about? How bad could a letter possibly be?

She had her answer instantly.

"STEALING THE CAR! I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU! YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU! I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE-"

Mrs Weasley's voice, magnified a hundred times, filled the hall. Everyone was looking at the Gryffindor table. Everyone. Ron had sunk so low in his chair that only his flaming red hair and glowing forehead were visible. Hazel's ears were throbbing even with her hands covering them.

"-LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME! WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS! YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED-"

She had thought Mrs Weasley was angry the night they had arrived at the Burrow but that was nothing, a drop of water next to this waterfall. Even though it wasn't shouting at her, Hazel still felt that familiar chill, that old fear. She could picture Uncle Vernon towering over her, his face purple and his temple throbbing. All she wanted to do was shrink up, make herself smaller, protect herself from the rage.

"-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME!"

The letter burst into flames and fell into Neville's cereal.

The silence rang in the hall after the deafening voice. Then there was a scattering of laughter, and everyone started chatting again.

"Well," Hermione closed Voyages with a Vampire with a snap, "I think-"

"Don't," Ron's teeth were gritted and his forehead was the colour of beetroot, "Tell me I deserved it."

Ginny had gone very pale, and Hazel's insides squirmed with horrible guilt at the sight. Mr Weasley was facing an inquiry at work? What was going to happen to him? Was he going to lose his job? He wouldn't go to jail surely? It was only yesterday morning she'd stood and looked into that same car bonnet with him. Now the car was gone, stolen by her brother. She couldn't bear to think about it.

Harry was looking down at his plate, poking at his breakfast with a fork. At least he had the decency to feel bad about what he'd done now, rather than basking in it.

"Good morning," Hazel jumped as Romilda sat down beside them. She'd obviously finished refurbishing the bathroom. She looked great, brown curls shining in the morning light and her skin was utterly flawless. Hazel was suddenly very aware of the slime still sticking her hair together. It had never shone like that. She could feel every little imperfection in her skin, every little cut and scrape. Right now, they felt like craters on the moon.

"Nice start to someone's day," Romilda said as she piled slice apple and orange onto her plate, "Getting a howler like that."

"You heard it?" Colin asked.

"From two floors up. I'd be so embarrassed if my mum had sent me one on my first day," Romilda was so busy with her breakfast that she didn't notice the glares from Ron and Ginny, "Who was it for anyway? I didn't hear the start."

"It was Ron!" said Colin. He had been sitting in shock but there was a bit of colour in his cheeks, "It was his mum!"

"Oh dear. After a stealing a car and being seen by all those muggles, it's probably the least you deserve."

"You think?" Ron scowled as he stood up, "Come on."

He stormed from the hall. Harry gave Hazel an apologetic look and hurried after him.

"See you at lunch," Hermione put her book in her bag with a deep sigh and followed.

"What did you do that for?" Ginny snapped at Romilda when Hermione had left.

"What?"

"Make him feel like an idiot in front of everyone?"

"Excuse me, he's the one who got the howler. If he didn't want everyone to hear it, he shouldn't have opened it in the hall."

"You didn't need to make him feel worse about it!"

"I hope you're not arguing on your first day," Professor McGonagall had appeared behind them with her eyes narrowed.

"No, Professor," Ginny and Romilda said together even as they glared at one another.

Professor McGonagall eyed them suspiciously and waved her wand. Pieces of parchment flew from the pile in her hand and landed in front of each of them.

"Your timetables. I expect you to be outside your classrooms at least five minutes beforehand. If you can't find a room, ask a prefect, teacher or ghost and they will show you the way."

Hazel studied the timetable without really looking at it. She was still thinking about Mr Weasley. Was there something they could do to help? It was entirely their fault he was in trouble.

"Oh look!" Colin showed his timetable to the girls, "We have astronomy at midnight on Wednesday!"

"Brilliant," Ginny groaned.

Romilda squealed suddenly, loudly and right in Hazel's ear. Great, it had only just stopped throbbing from the howler.

"We have double Defence Against the Dark Arts on Friday!" She held the timetable to her chest and sighed happily.

Ginny shook her head, "Uh oh. First potions class on Thursday. Oh great, and we're with the Slytherins. Typical."

Hazel gulped and tried not to think about the unpleasant that would be waiting her from Snape. She had plenty of classes before now and then, there was enough for her to be worried about as it was.

As it turned out, the other classes were more than enough to keep her mind off Snape. Their first Transfiguration gave her a headache; there were so many notes to take, and everything was incredibly complicated. Charms was more wand-based and very fiddly; every flick, every swish had to be just right, or a charm to light a wand-tip would instead spew black smoke that smelt of fish and filled the classroom. They took Herbology in the green houses with the Hufflepuffs and it was just like the gardening Aunt Petunia would do in the summer, only if the plants kept fighting back to keep things interesting. Astronomy was split in two with the Ravenclaws, a class in the afternoon where they noted down charts and moons and then the practical class Colin had been so eager for at midnight. That one was spent looking through their telescopes and trying to match their notes to the night sky. It sounded easy in the classroom but even through a telescope, all the dots in the night sky looked the same. Then there was the trying to stay awake.

The following morning found Hazel in the Great Hall, head propped in her hand as she slowly stirred her breakfast. Her eyes were so heavy.

"Morning," Harry next to her. Ginny had been reading the sports section of the Daily Prophet but promptly knocked her orange juice all over Lee Jordan.

Harry didn't seem to notice. He was watching Hazel.

"If you keep stirring that porridge, it's going to turn into wallpaper paste."

"Maybe I like paste," She answered drowsily.

"First Astronomy Practical?"

Hazel yawned long and loud in response and Harry laughed.

"You'll get used to it. Maybe if you lay in once in a while, you'd be in better form now."

"Maybe if we went stargazing in the morning, it wouldn't be a problem."

Harry was about to answer but then he ducked so suddenly that Hazel flinched, instantly wide awake. She whipped around to see what he was avoiding but there was no dagger flying towards them, no bolt of lightning. It was too early for the post so it couldn't even be Errol.

"What?" She asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Harry hissed, "Pretend I'm not here!"

"You're not making it easy."

"Shut up. Is he gone?"

"Who?" She looked for Malfoy automatically, but he wasn't at the Slytherin table.

"Lockhart!"

"He's sitting at the staff table if that's what you mean."

Harry emerged with a sigh of relief, "Just got away with it."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Just fine," Harry ate his toast without taking his eyes from the top table. Lockhart was looking as handsome as ever, flashing his brilliant teeth at Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy Department, "We've had a few chats is all."

"Oh," How lucky was Harry, having Lockhart share his experience with him? "What about?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I need to get to Charms, what's your first class today?"

"Potions," Hazel gulped, and Harry winched.

"Good luck. Just remember, Snape's a git but it's just because he hated dad. It's his problem, not yours."

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

"You'll be fine. Can I borrow this?" He asked Ginny, who was still apologising to Lee. She went bright scarlet and nodded, "Thanks."

Harry left the Great Hall like he was late for a bus, the Daily Prophet held up to cover his face. If he was trying to show the whole Hall yesterday's quidditch results, he was doing great. If he was trying to be inconspicuous? Not so much.

"Hey!" Colin landed on the bench and made the whole table rattle, "Has Harry been?"

"You just missed him," Ginny had finished saying sorry to Lee, "Why?"

"I was hoping he would sign the photograph I took of him and Lockhart! I wanted to send it back to my dad today."

"Why do you want him to sign a photograph?" Hazel asked.

"He's famous," Colin said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I've never met a real, famous person before! Lockhart signed one for me, but Harry wouldn't in front of everyone."

"It's not really his thing," At least, she thought it wasn't. She had noticed the glances and whispers as Harry walked through the school, the awe-struck looks, the pointing fingers. Hagrid had said Harry was famous, but to actually see it was so weird. He was still just Harry, but somehow that made him a magical superstar.

"Ready for potions?" Ginny asked.

"No," Hazel said. She was trying not to think of the scowling Snape from the feast. Was he always like that?

"Yeah!" Colin said, "I've heard it's brilliant!"

"Who on earth said that?" Ginny snorted.

"Hermione told me!"

"Of course she did. Come on, we don't want to be late for our first class."

Potions was held down in the dungeons and it was instantly the least pleasant place Hazel had been so far. It was dark and grotty and there was a horrible smell of damp. It felt like there were still people being tortured down here. Why did Hogwarts have dungeons anyway?

Hazel shivered fiercely and moved closer to Ginny. Why hadn't she brought a coat? Probably because she hadn't expected to need one in a classroom! She would bring it next time, maybe another jumper too, and another shirt. Maybe she'd just wear her entire wardrobe. And Ginny's once it came to winter.

The rest of the class was already waiting outside the potions classroom. Including the Slytherins.

"Well, well, look who it is," sneered a gaunt girl with long, white hair. The two girls with her laughed.

They were looking right at her, and Hazel felt a chill that had nothing to do with the dungeon. Then a sullen voice spoke from behind her that made her jump.

"Clear off, Tallow," Atia Malfoy was standing with her potions book held in her arms, scowling unpleasantly. Her eyes were red and baggy.

"Oooh," Tallow put a hand over her mouth in mock terror, "Hear the little lion roar! What are you going to do, hmm? Are you going to tell all your muggle friends about me?"

"I said clear off!" Atia pushed painfully past Hazel.

"You should hear your brother talking about you," Tallow drawled while the girls behind her sniggered, "Poor Draco. The perfect wizard and then he gets stuck with you as a sister, the blood traitor!"

"I didn't ask the Hat to put me in this stupid house!"

"You clearly weren't worthy of Slytherin," Tallow rolled her eyes, "And it was right. I mean, look at you."

She slapped Atia's book out of her arms. It landed with a splash in a puddle, soaking her and Hazel's shoes with icy cold water.

"You're pathetic," Tallow soaked up the laughter from the Slytherins as the door opened. The class began shuffling in.

Atia knelt to pick up her book and Hazel knelt with her, the girls' cruel teasing still ringing in her ear. No one deserved that.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Leave me alone!" Atia snarled so fiercely that Hazel flinched back, "I don't need help from the likes of you!"

She swept into the classroom without a backwards glance.

"Charming," Ginny helped Hazel back to her feet, "She doesn't help herself much."

She didn't, that was true, but it was so hard not to feel sorry for her.

They sat with Colin in front of their cauldrons. Romilda was sitting nearby with Theodora and Michael Smith and tugging at her hair.
"Imagine having a class in a dungeon," She hissed, "The humidity is ruining my ends!"

The door swung open violently behind them and in swept Snape. He was taller than she expected, and his cape billowed as he walked so he looked like an oversized bat. Up close, his skin was sallow and pale, and his narrow face was made narrower by the curtains of greasy, black hair. His eyes swept the room as he took in each new student.

Wait, had he stared at her a little longer than everyone else? Was he already starting? Was she getting paranoid?

"Wands away," He said in a drawling voice, "In this classroom you will not need them. What you will undertake within these walls is the most challenging of magic known to wizard-kind. A magic of logic and intuition, where a single extra stir of a cauldron can make the difference between beauty and horrors you cannot imagine. What I will teach you will grant you responsibility no other magic can equal; the power to heal, curse, save or condemn. Assuming it penetrates your thick skulls at all, that is."

He looked at Romilda, "Vane, what is the main ingredient of a simple sleeping draft?"

Romilda shrugged carelessly.

"Oh dear," He sneered, "I see this year's Gryffindors are to their usual standard."

The Slytherins sniggered.

"Let's try again; Weasley, when is the Firebeard at its most potent?" Ginny was silent but her ears had gone a little pink, "No? Not even a guess? Disappointing."

His grey eyes fell on Hazel, and she gulped loudly. This was it.

It's his problem, not mine. It's his problem, not mine…

No question came. His gaze lingered on her before he turned to Colin.

"Creevey; the first of Stoyskovic's Laws; go."

"Who's Stoyskovic?" Colin asked.

Snape sighed and looked to the ceiling as if appealing for patience. The Slytherins sniggered even louder.

"Seeing as not one Gryffindor thought it prudent to open a book before they arrived; the main ingredient of a sleeping draft is valerian, though I would have accepted lavender as their quantities are similar. Fire-beard, also known as Lingua Ignis, is most potent after a solar eclipse but can be picked at any time depending on the strength required by the recipe and Stoyskovic's first law is that a potion cannot be greater in volume than the sum total of its ingredients." He looked around the room, "Why are none of you writing this down?"

There was a scramble for ink and parchment.

"Let's see," Snape smiled unpleasantly, "Let's take two points from Gryffindor for each question unanswered and an extra two from you, Creevey, for not even knowing who Stoyskovic was."

"That's so unfair!" Romilda hissed under her breath.

"And another point from Gryffindor, Vane," Snape said from the front of the class, "For talking in my class!"

That was nine points already! If he kept this up all year, Gryffindor were going to be in negative points by next week!

They started on a simple potion to cure boils and Hazel felt a relief. This was just like the cooking in Privet Drive! This was something she could actually do! The hardest part was having Snape hovering over their shoulders as he skulked around the dungeon.

Hazel's potion was looking a little thin compared to the book and she checked the steps again; two and a quarter turns to thicken. Maybe another quarter turn? There we go, it was looking a little better now. Not perfect, but better than before.

Snape swept over to check their potions and Hazel held her breath. Did he think she was cheating? Or was he just looking for something to complain about? Ginny's potion on one side was a little light and Colin's was a little thick. Maybe he just wanted to pick on her, in front of everyone.

"Another point from Gryffindor," he said at last.

"Why?" Ginny asked angrily.

"Because, Miss Weasley, that cauldron is not fit to hold water, let alone a potion brewed in my classroom."

"But Sir-"

"Do not," He lowered his voice, dangerously, "Talk back to me."

It was very tense as Snape finally ordered them to pack up. Atia Malfoy was out the door before Hazel had even packed her bag.

"That was unbelievable!" Romilda snarled when they were safely out of the dungeon, "How many points did he take from us? It's not enough for him to have that appalling haircut, he has to make his classes miserable as well!"

"Does he want us to know our potions book?" Colin asked nervously, "I looked at my mine but it's huge."

"No Colin," Ginny shook her head, "He's just being a bully because he can. Any excuse to take points from Gryffindor."

"I don't get why he didn't bully you though," Ginny said once Colin had gone on, "He never misses a chance to humiliate Harry. Why did you leave you alone?"

She had been asking herself the same question. Rather than feeling relieved, she just felt confused. Snape knew she and Harry shared the same dad, didn't he? And he had plenty to say to Ginny so it wasn't like he was above picking on girls. He hadn't even asked her a question. Was he playing some sort of game? Waiting for a better chance to properly embarrass her? Maybe if her potion had been worse, he'd have dropped a ton of bricks on her.

It didn't change that the class she was best at was the one she had been dreading the most.

Hogwarts was full of surprises, that was for sure.