Kitty woke up happy and refreshed. The Hufflepuff dorms were ridiculously comfortable, maybe even more comfortable than her bed at home.

Kitty may have had doubts about Hufflepuff, but the people were nice and the common room and the dormitories were wonderful.

Yemi was the next one to wake, smiling at Kitty from across the room. In her cloud patterned pajamas, she looked less like an Indian princess and more like a regular student, but she was still strikingly pretty.

It wasn't long before everyone had woken, dressed, and they had headed off to the Great Hall together. Kitty again sat next to Yemi and across from Jack, with Aludra and Taya on her other side and Tina and Rowen on the other side of the table.

Yemi wasn't wearing her jewelry today. "It's against dress code, thank goodness." She said. "My mom wanted to show my heritage, but gosh those were heavy!"

Jack, meanwhile, was wearing a dark grey and yellow Hufflepuff sweater, his black and yellow Hufflepuff scarf, and a canary yellow vest. "I was cold!" He protested when Tina, who was sitting to his right, giggles and asked why he wasn't wearing his robes.

Kitty laughed along with them, but her smile faded when an owl dropped a letter on the table. She had forgotten what the plant of prophecy had told her, and if it was correct, this was a howler. Yemi looked at her, worried. "You should run with it." She told Kitty. "You don't want it yelling at you in here."

The letter had already begun to smoke. Quickly, Kitty picked it up and dashed out of the Great Hall. She had only made it into the hallway when the letter burst open and Wallaburga's voice echoed through the room.

How dare you bring shame to the House of Black! Regulus informed us as soon as it happened! I simply cannot believe that you would not demand the sorting hat placed you otherwise! I shall be coming to discuss this situation with the headmaster immediately. Until then, you are in utter disgrace. And if you fraternize with any mudbloods while you are in that house, I will pull you out of school! Do not disappoint me again, you foolish, insolent girl!

The letter disintegrated and Kitty fell on her knees, sobbing. Her brother had gone behind her back, her mother was ashamed of her.

"Kitty..." It was Regulus. He was standing there, helplessly. "Kitty, I had to. You must had understand."

"Get out!" She screamed. "Leave me alone!"

She heard his footsteps disappear down the hall, and she thought she was alone. Seconds later, a hand touched her shoulder. She lashed out, hitting the hand away.

It was Sirius. He looked at her with hollow eyes, missing their usual vigor. "I know what it's like, Kitty."

"You know nothing!" She yelled. "You betrayed us all and you left me alone."

"I left you? You left me, Kitty! I asked you for help and you went to Mother."

"I'm sorry," Kitty sobbed. Her emotions were swirling like a merry-go-round out of control.

"It wasn't your fault. But you've got to let go of her. She called you worthless, didn't she? A shame on the family. She doesn't care about you. She only cares about the Noble House of Black."

Wiping tears away, she reached up to hug her older brother. "You know I can't do that." She whispered.

Sirius let go of her and stepped away. He studied her eyes. "Yes, I know." He said finally. "Not yet. But you will, eventually. You have to."

***

Kitty walked into the hall with dry eyes, smiling bravely at her classmates. "Are you okay?" Yemi asked, her eyes worried.

"I'm fine," Kitty assured her. "What class do we have first today?"

"Potions with the Ravenclaws," Aludra reported. "Professor Slughorn's supposed to be nice, but he has his favorites."

"My brother says he has this club, the Slug Club," Jack told them.

Yemi wrinkled her nose. "What d'you do, discuss slugs? Perform scientific experiments on them?"

"I think you just talk and eat dinner," Jack said. "He only invites the special people though."

People everywhere were starting to stand up, indicating that breakfast was over. Kitty wasn't quite done yet, but she didn't want to keep everyone waiting, so she too stood. Hufflepuffs may have been patient, but she didn't want to test her friends' patience on the first real day of school.

Yemi grabbed Rowen's wheelchair, jarring and startling him. Instead of apologizing, she tossed her hair. "It really is a curse being so beautiful. Everyone is always so startled to see me."

Kitty started laughing and the others joined in, as a group of passing Ravenclaws looked at them with raised eyebrows. "C'mon," she said, stifling a chuckle. "Let's not be late on our first day."

Navigating the castle was difficult, but the Hufflepuffs luckily ran into a group of friendly Slytherin fifth years who directed them to Potions.

"Thank you!" Kitty called after them.

Due to the shortcut the Slytherins had told them about, they made it there right on time. A rather round man who Kitty assumed was Professor Slughorn was rummaging around in a cabinet near the front of the room. "Take a seat, take a seat; two to a table."

Kitty turned to Yemi. "Partners?"

Yemi grimaced. "I'm sorry, Kitty, but I can't. I didn't mean to-"

"I already asked her," Rowen interrupted, smiling in an embarrassed way. "Sorry, Kitty."

"I'm sorry too," Yemi's eyes were genuinely regretful.

"Nah, that's okay," Kitty waved her hand. "After all," she called over her shoulder, "I don't think you'll mind being Rowen's partner too much."

Both Rowen and Yemi turned bright red, and Kitty laughed.

"Hey, Kitty." A voice said to her right. She turned to see Jack standing in front of her. "You want to be partners?"

"Sure," she decided. "Where d'you want to sit?"

"Maybe a bit closer to the front. Let's hurry."

Quickly, they claimed a table before any of the other Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws could sit there. Kitty got out her quill and parchment immediately, but when it was finally time to begin, Professor Slughorn began the lesson by saying "Please put all materials away."

Kitty, as well as a few Hufflepuffs and most of the Ravenclaws, quickly complied.

"Now," Professor Slughorn was saying, "You ought to be able to identify a few potions. I've started every year with the same challenge every year, and I plan to do it fifty years from now. Who can tell me what potion this is?" He gestured to a small pot.

Jack raised his hand. "Yes, Mr..."

"DiGievo, sir. Jack DiGievo."

"Very well Mr. DiGievo; can you tell me what this potion is?"

"It's polyjuice potion, sir."

"Very good, very good." Slughorn looked pleased. "And how can you tell?"

"From its texture, I suppose. And its colour."

"Very well done. Can anyone identify this potion?"

The potion he was indicating was a very pretty potion that seemed to smell of many different things at once. Kitty raised her hand.

"Miss Black?"

"It's amortenia, sir."

"And so it is. How can you tell?"

"Its sheen. And the swirls raising from it. And the smell- it smells of many different things to every person. I smell warm earth and flowers, and people that I care about. Like I smell my mother's perfume and my brother's coat."

"Wonderful, wonderful. Five points to Hufflepuff for identifying the polyjuice and ten for amortenia. Most students aren't willing to tell the class what they smell, but I find it a wonderful learning experience. For example, I smell parchment and chocolate and my former wife's cherry blossom perfume."

One of the Ravenclaws giggled.

"Miss Travis, is it?" Slughorn said, wheeling to face her. "Could you identify this potion for me?"

"It's Felix Felicis, sir." She said brightly. "It's liquid luck!"

"Excellent, five points to Ravenclaw. During each of my first lessons, I offer one of these to the student who brews the best potion. The potion varies by year of course; the seventh years have to brew a rather difficult potion to win this, but as you have most likely not studied potions before, you will be assigned a rather simple potion."

Slughorn cleared his throat. "Whoever brews me the best potion to cure boils will win this vial of Felix Felicis. Remember-- you can't use it in organized competition. Got it? Good, you may start brewing."

Kitty feverishly searched for the potion in her book. She needed that potion for Winter Break.

Maybe then she could be accepted back into the Noble House of Black.