A shadow crossed over the pages of Euphemia's book from behind whilst she was reading it one early December morning, curled up in her large green sweater that she had stretched to cover her knees, that were drawn to her chest with her arms wrapped around her legs.

She was huddled up near the fire, trying to capture some warmth from the common room heat but was failing and she was in fact rather cold.

Her ice cold hands turned the pages almost numbly as she scanned over the words, getting so immersed in the story that the shadow behind her made her jump.

The eleven year old turned around slowly to see Walburga stood there and Mia immediately snapped the book shut, trying to disguise the fact that it was a book written by a Muggle author.

Luckily, Walburga didn't appear to notice, much to Euphemia's relief, but instead stood there with her arms crossed across her chest still.

"Can I help you?" Mia asked her politely, though she really wanted to tell her to bugger off so she could read her book in peace.

"Yes, you can, as a matter of fact," Walburga answered and her cousin then plonked herself down next to Euphemia, causing Mia to move up along the green leather sofa, her legs curling underneath her as she shuffled away from Walburga.

"I need to see what you'll be wearing to the Winter Ball so that I know not to wear the same dress or even colour or style as you. Because that would totally not look good," Walburga told Mia.

It wasn't a question of what she was wearing, more of a command to tell her and Euphemia instantly felt alarmed.

She hadn't even thought about the Winter Ball, that was a family tradition held in the ballroom of Mia's home, Black Manor, the one that sat on the hill overlooking the rest of London.

Euphemia had never liked dressing up in posh outfits but it was something she had had to get used to. When the two cousins were younger, Cassiopeia and her sister, Irma, used to dress Walburga and Euphemia in matching dresses because it was 'cute.'

After about nine years of always matching her cousin, Walburga had finally turned round to her mother (Mia's aunt) and refused to wear the same as Euphemia because it made her look like a 'loser.'

It was actually a blessing in disguise to Mia because she was then able to shake off the annoyance that was Walburga, even though she had been upset at the time because of being called a loser.

However, she had actually been called worse by her own mother when being lectured or punished so she soon got over it.

It had just hurt more, coming from her cousin who Euphemia considered close at the time and the two girls had soon drifted apart after that incident.

Which was exactly why Mia was so annoyed when Walburga kept bothering her at school.

"Uh...I can't say I was actually putting any thought into it?" Euphemia replied, wavering a little at the end of her answer so the statement started to sound more like a question.

Walburga looked like she had been smacked in the face and she gaped at Mia whilst the girl in question simply stared back with a rather sheepish expression.

"You haven't thought about what you're going to be wearing?" Walburga screeched, causing several of the students around them to glance over in the two girls' direction.

Mia wasn't aware it was such a crime and a shock that she hadn't even registered a single thought about some damned dress that she was going to wear - her mother would probably have gotten one of the house elves to fetch some possible outfits which, no doubt, would be waiting in Euphemia's wardrobe the second she got home.

Cassiopeia would probably also be organising what Mia would wear for every single day of the Christmas holidays. Euphemia couldn't help but groan at the mere thought.

"Is that a bad thing?" Euphemia asked as casually as she could whilst Walburga still stared at her with the same shocked expression as before and it actually took a while for her cousin to actually shut her mouth.

"Yes!" she gasped, looking rather like a fish which only made Mia giggle, but she hid it behind a slight cough.

"If you haven't decided, then I can't choose which colour to wear to the Winter Ball that your parents are hosting. It can't be the same colour nor design as yours. I thought you would've at least picked out a colour!" she said, looking rather offended and outraged as she stalked off, muttering underneath her breath about the "audacity of some people."

Smiling to herself in amusement, Euphemia turned back to the book she was reading before a thought sprung into her mind and she remembered that she hadn't actually written to her mother this week having failed to reply to the letter she had received at breakfast a few days ago.

Her mother had been inquiring about her friend choices rather mildly and Mia vaguely remembered panicking and throwing the letter into the depths of her bag, never to be seen again.

Sighing, she started rooting around in the bottom of her bag for the discarded letter and soon fished it out before grabbing her quill, ink pot and a scrap of parchment that was lying around the common room.

Euphemia placed her quill to her parchment and was about to write when it occurred to her that she actually had no idea what she was going to say to her mother.

Until words from Walburga repeated in her head from earlier and she suddenly smiled, knowing what she was going to write.

Cassiopeia Black
Black Manor
Claremont Square
Islington, London
N1 9LX

Dear Mother, 
                        Sorry for the delay in my response to your earlier letter, I have been rather busy with schoolwork and didn't get a chance to write a reply back to you, as much as I wanted to, of course.

I hope you are well and I cannot wait to see you again when the holidays come around - Hogwarts does look rather beautiful in the winter and I am positive that Christmas will be just as aesthetic as early December has been.

The snow has been splendid here, much better that the snow we get in London (if we get any, that is).

Walburga has just been to ask me what I shall be wearing to the Winter Ball and I thought I would check this with you so I can be utterly and totally prepared for whatever masterpiece dress you will present to me.

Whatever colour or design it is, I will wear it with pride as I should, being a lady of the Noble House of Black. (Just some preferences though - please no white as I always end up spilling something down it and I would rather not have yellow either, like last year as I did not feel it suited me. Baby blue or lilac would be nice?)

As for your inquiries about my friends, you do not need to worry about your dear daughter as I have found a great friend in Eileen Prince and I often hang around with Walburga and her two delightful friends Heather and Mary. I have dealings with other classmates of mine, of course, but I always check what their blood status is before befriending them - as you taught me. I always follow the rules, Mother. Always.

I must dash now, as I have lots of homework to do and I know you will want me to stay top of my classes so I must go study!

I hope you have a wonderful day and I can't wait to see you in a week's time! Please give my best wishes to Marius and Father and inform them their own letters should arrive shortly.

Lots of love from your dear daughter,
                                                                     Euphemia xo

Mia sighed the second she had finished blabbing onto her mother and sealed the envelope, addressing it and standing up to take it to the owlery.

She could've done with a walk and this was the perfect opportunity to get out of the common room without being followed or questioned as to why she was leaving the dratted place from Walburga or one of her cronies.

Euphemia didn't really enjoy being all fake with her mother but sometimes, it just had to be done and she had to be polite to Cassiopeia even though she was secretly irritated at the whole blood status talk and 'sorting the wrong sort from the right.'

She could tell the wrong sort for herself and she knew for a fact that Walburga was certainly a rotten apple and not one of the fresher, brighter fruits.

Mia didn't want to be associated with rotten apples, that was for sure.

Mia reached the steps of the owlery pretty quickly, having not noticed that she had gotten across the school so fast due to her being caught up in her own thoughts, her head in the clouds as she daydreamed.

She was still clutching the letter in one hand as she tried desperately not to crease it or harm the parchment in any way as she knew her mother would have a hissy fit if that happened.

She made her way up the stone steps rather slowly, choosing to take her time as they were very steep and extremely hard to walk up, especially for a small first year with little legs such as Euphemia.

The spiral staircase wound around and around, seeming to snake around every single corner and it was never ending, corner after corner after corner.

One step at a time, her eyes glued to her feet that plodded up each stone step one by one as she slowly became out of breath due to the steepness and the fact that she was just....completely unfit.

Panting, Mia eventually reached the top of the spiral staircase and reached for the doorknob, pushing it open with a sigh before she leaned against the first wall she saw upon entering the owlery, absolutely exhausted.

She would've sunk down onto the floor if it wasn't for the fact that it was covered in owl dung.

The entire room was covered in owl dung really, there were owls of every shape, size and colour perched on all the different wooden levels, hooting as their beady eyes twitched at the girl in their presence.

All their feathers ruffled, they all seemed to be puffing out their little feathery chests as if to say that they were the best, for Mia to pick them and no other owl.

The rows of school owls were all mostly barn owls and the ones that weren't hooting at Euphemia actually looked rather tired as their wings drooped and their heads were placed under there as they attempted to sleep.

Chuckling a little, Euphemia made her way over to the wide, stone windowsill, that held a window with quite a strong pane.

She always loved windows and the views out of them and the one from the top of the owlery was truly stunning and beautiful.

She could see the entire expanse of the Hogwarts grounds from up here, the sweeping lawns and the shimmering lake from afar, which was rippling in the distance, the strong gusts of wind unsettling the water's surface.

Mia seated herself on the stone windowsill, flinching a little at the sudden cold when the stone made contact with her bare legs.

There was a moment of calm for a few minutes as Euphemia just soaked in the wonderful view of the Hogwarts grounds and let the peace take over, as she closed her eyes and was able to actually imagine a non stressful life, where she could be friends with whoever she wanted to be with and she didn't have to care about people watching her, people judging her, people bothering her.

A world where everyone was free to have their own opinions and could just live...happily ever after. But it was merely a fantasy.

When she opened her eyes, Mia was brought back to the harsh reality of her present and she started to wish she didn't have to go back to that house where she was expected to be everything that she was not.

Here, at Hogwarts was where she had found her real peace. Yes, she might not have connected with everyone but there were moments like this, where she could sit alone, that she felt calm.

Hogwarts always made her felt welcome, no matter what hardship she was going through and she always felt at peace when at school.

Sighing, she jumped off the windowsill and grabbed her letter from where she had left it on the side.

Euphemia searched for a respectable looking owl that her mother would approve to come near the house and attached the letter to a snowy white one, giving her an owl treat whilst she was at it.

And then the letter was off, flying far away into the distance, the owl nothing more than a white speck in the clear winter sky.

~~~

"I'm going to miss you so much!" Minnie said, hugging Mia tight as the two friends said their goodbyes, whilst the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station.

"Write to me, okay? Just be careful of what you put in it," Euphemia made her closest companion promise and the Scottish girl nodded eagerly.

Mia then turned to embrace Florean, who gave her a squeeze and told her to stay safe (she had told him vaguely of the problems at home).

"Don't forget me!" Pomona squealed and tackled Mia into a hug before the Hufflepuff then detached her and went on to say goodbye to Minnie and Eugenia, who was stood to one side with a smile on her face, her blonde hair as effortlessly perfect as it always had been.

"Anyone would think we were never going to see each other again, it's only two weeks guys," Alastor commented gruffly and Charlus let out a bark of laughter before the two lads walked off, waving goodbye to the rest of the group.

Although Charlus couldn't seem to look directly in Mia's direction, instead moving his gaze somewhere else, rather awkwardly.

Filius had already gone, as he needed help to get off the train and so had to be one of the first students off the vehicle but Lyall was hanging about awkwardly and Mia gave him a quick wave and side hug before she rushed off to go and stand with Eileen, who had been keeping guard.

"Thanks for that," she said gratefully to the small girl, "I needed to say goodbye."

"Don't mention it," Eileen replied, rather stiffly but her tight smile was soon replaced by a look of happiness as Mia scooped her up into a hug before grabbing her trunk and starting to make her way off the train, manoeuvring through the crowd.

"Euphemia! Over here, sweetheart!" Mia vaguely heard her mother's voice over the crowd and managed to keep a tight hold onto her trunk before she turned her head to look for her parents.

And there they were. Cassiopeia and Arcturus Black were stood to one side, the latter giving some muggle woman a dirty look as his hand stayed on the shoulder of his son and Euphemia's brother, Marius.

Despite everything that had happened between them, Euphemia couldn't help but be happy to see her parents and Marius, having not seen them for a matter of months.

It seemed like ages and ages since she had left the house on the morning of September 1st and so much had happened since then that she had actually forgotten what her family was like.

"Mother! Father!" she cried out and ran over to embrace them, Cassiopeia hugging her daughter quickly before passing her over to her father, who gave her an even quicker hug before patting her on the head as if she was a dog.

Euphemia didn't let it bother her, it was what she was used to but when her younger brother Marius gave her a more tighter hug, she couldn't help but smile.

Within a flash, the family of four had disappeared from platform nine and three quarters, their departure hardly noticed due to the excessive amount of white steam that was emanating from the train.

Mia felt rather dizzy during the Side-Along Apparation as she clutched tightly onto her mother's hand, the wedding ring on Cassiopeia's finger digging into the soft palms of Euphemia.

Black Manor soon swam before Mia's vision and she was taken aback yet again by the sheer beauty of her home that overlooked Claremont Square in Islington, which was where Euphemia lived.

Black Manor resided on the large hill that shadowed over the streets of London and grew out of the manicured lawn like an infant castle.

The manor walls sprang from the soil like the very dirt insulted them. Such ornate sandstone was too pretty to touch the earth, indeed it was fancier than many a palace.

These nascent stone walls in question were a pale grey and were decorated with slightly tamed moss and ivy.

The moss and ivy that could not be tamed had been sheared off by magic as Cassiopeia could not stand the plants intertwining randomly all over her house.

If the moss and ivy had to be there, they had to be styled and that was something Euphemia had learnt at a very young age.

The main front door was a large oak door which was double wide and sheltered under a wide porch supported by stone pillars, with the motto of the Black Family engraved upon them - Toujours Pur.

The windows, that Euphemia liked to look out of so much, were oversized, mullioned and almost cathedral-like.

Inside the house, every room was bathed in daylight from the first kiss of dawn to the twilight hours, unless Cassiopeia closed the thick black curtains.

It was not a dark house by any standards, though there was always a lurking theme of dark magic everywhere.

By night, the oak floors and the antique furniture that Arcturus' ascendants had picked so specifically were always bathed in the flicker of yellow candlelight from the many candelabras that still hung there; to the eternal irritation of the house elf, Tibet as the old house elf detested bright lights.

Euphemia's parents began to lead both Marius and Mia inside the house, as Tibet came to retrieve Euphemia's trunk, taking it upstairs to the girl's bedroom.

The driveway that they walked up was grandiose, sweeping into a wide circle in front of the dwelling with an ornate fountain in the centre.

The water splashed from the fountain onto the gravelled ground and Euphemia had to resist the temptation to run her hand through the cooling water that ran in the gold base of the fountain.

"Euphemia! Move along now!" her mother snapped at her and Mia immediately scuttled inside her house, wiping her shoes on the large doormat and allowing one of the assistant house elves to take her shoes off to one side as well as her coat, that was rushed off to be hung up.

Euphemia did quite like the whole notion of being treated like a princess but she did feel sorry for the poor house elves that had to endure the slavery forced upon them.

Plus, she had had a taste of being independent at Hogwarts and she rather enjoyed it.

Sliding across the marble floor in her tights when Cassiopeia was not looking, Euphemia giggled a little and let out her long braid so that her hair could run free down her back like a shimmering waterfall.

"Don't get too relaxed, Euphemia. We have the Winter Ball tonight, remember," her mother reminded her and Mia immediately span around, suppressing the urge to groan at the words issued.

"What?! But I thought it was next week!" she exclaimed, dismayed and Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow at her, "No, it has been moved forward this year to accommodate your Aunt Belvina, who will not be here when it was originally planned to be held. I did tell you in that letter I sent you a few weeks ago."

Guiltily, Mia remembered that that had been the very letter she had forgotten to read the end of, having discarded of it when she panicked about her mother asking about her friends.

"I better go get ready then," Mia grumbled underneath her breath and Cassiopeia replied with something along the lines of 'yes you better' but Euphemia failed to hear her due to the fact that she had stormed up the large, spiral staircase with a huff and a puff.

Once she had reached the third floor, she entered her bedroom and immediately flopped onto her newly made bed with a sigh.

She had wanted the week to prepare herself for seeing Walburga's ugly mug again but now was being forced to see her again, after thinking she had seen the back of her cousin for a week or so.

Euphemia's bedroom was another representation of just how wealthy the Blacks actually were and that Arcturus Black, Mia's father, was the eldest son and so got the most money and also was the heir of the manor.

Mia had grown up in luxury, not that she had ever been bothered by it or changed by it - she was pampered like a princess throughout her childhood but she didn't act like a spoiled brat either.

The bed that she was lying on was a double bed with silk curtains around it that could be drawn, like the ones she had at school.

Her bedding, cushions and comforters on the bed were all themed with the colour purple - it was one of Mia's favourite colours.

She had deep purple covers emblazoned with stars and sparkles with a matching pillow case that covered her luxury feather pillows that she could sink into, as soft as a marshmallow.

The cushions that lined her bed were patterned with different shades of purple, some were more decorative or lavished in several designs and some were simple, comfy cushions that were fluffy.

Talking of fluffy items, Euphemia had several stuffed animals that littered her duvet, though they had been tidied up in her absence.

They all had to look perfect and 'fit for a princess' so any tattered old teddies and dolls had to be thrown out, no matter how precious they were to the girl.

Which was why Mia hid her favourite 'past it's prime' stuffed animals under her bed in a special box so that her mother would not get rid of them.

The wall behind her elaborate headboard was the simple quote of the Black Family motto "Toujours Pur" which was permanently stuck on her wall which slightly irritated Mia.

One side of her room held her desk, that had all her stationary that she hadn't taken to school neatly stacked up in a pot as some letter writing equipment and a few spare quills lay out on her pretty bare desk.

Her diary and other items would soon be placed back on there but Euphemia was nowhere near unpacking yet. She had to get dolled up for the ball, much to her distaste.

An extremely large bookshelf stood to the other side of her desk, directly next to it. The bookshelf held many of Mia's favourite novels, that were thumbed and marked by the hands of herself when she had flicked through them more than once and there were also an expanse of books that her mother had stuck on there, dusty old textbooks hating on muggles and ones about the ancestry of the Black Family. Not that Euphemia actually cared.

A vanity set and mirror was on the other side of her bed, way up against the other wall and the mirror was patterned with butterflies, butterflies that also were stuck on the wall, charmed to beat their silver wings every so often.

Mia never used her vanity desk and she only used her mirror to brush her hair really but Cassiopeia had insisted upon it.

Her massive walk in wardrobe was next to it though, leading off into a closet full of so many wonderful clothes and dresses that Euphemia would probably never wear.

An en suite bathroom was also another door that led off, one that was currently open which drew Mia's attention.

Once she had checked that her bathroom was definitely still the same, Euphemia sat on her vanity desk chair to twirl around in, spinning about as she didn't really know what she was meant to be doing.

Well she was meant to be getting dressed for the ball but she has no idea what she was doing in that category.

So it was some kind of relief when Cassiopeia burst through the door and announced she was going to help Mia get ready.

Euphemia couldn't help but sigh even though her mother was a saving grace as she was clueless in the dress industry.

It was to be pampered and pretend to be the perfect princess that Mia knew she really wasn't inside...

Fun fact: Euphemia's bedroom is loosely based on my own!