A Different Life

The next morning, Beth wrote a letter each to her parents and Remus. In the one to her parents, she started by saying that she in Slytherin, then wrote, "Hahaha! Just kidding, Sirius. Get over your shock and rejoice, because I've been Sorted into Gryffindor." Then she went on to tell them that Hermione and Neville were in Gryffindor too, and they had become friends with Ron Weasley, also in Gryffindor. She ended with that she was excited about classes and then headed for the Owlery.

Percy told Beth the directions. When she got there, she saw that Susan Bones was also there, sending a letter to her parents or aunt. "Hi, Susan," said Beth, smiling.

"Hi, Beth," replied Susan, returning the smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Do you like being in Hufflepuff?"

"Yes, it's great," answered Susan, beaming. "I'm friends with Hannah Abbott, and I got to know Ernie Macmillian and Justin Finch-Fletchley last night. Oh, your cousin Julie, is terrific. She helped me find my way to the Owlery this morning, and told me that if I had questions or needed someone to talk to, I was to feel free to go to her."

"She's naturally a helpful and nice person," said Beth. "That and her good grades and behavior is the reason why she was made a prefect." Lily flew down from her perch and Beth tied the letters to her owl's leg. "Now, deliver the letters to my adoptive parents and Uncle Remus, all right, Lily?"

Lily hooted and gently nipped Beth's finger in reply before flying out the window. The two girls then made their way to the Great Hall, chatting about how they thought of Hogwarts so far.

After breakfast, classes officially began. Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall was interesting. She was quite strict, unlike the kind way she had been to Beth and Hermione when they visited. The first class she told everyone that Transfiguration was difficult and anyone who misbehaved would leave her class and not return. Then she transfigured her desk into a pig and back again. Everyone was very impressed, then disappointed when they found out they wouldn't be learning stuff like that.

After taking some complicated notes, each student was handed a match and given directions to turn it into a needle. Hermione was able to do this sucessfully in six tries. McGonagall was impressed. She showed the class how well Hermione had done and then awarded her five points and a rare smile. Ten tries later, Beth was also able to succeed. McGonagall awarded her one point and also showed the class how well Beth had done.

By the end of class, Ron had turned his match silvery, but it still had the thickness of a match. All Neville had managed was to make his match pointy and thickness fo a needle, but otherwise still looked and felt like a match. None of the other students had been able to turn their match into a needle like Hermione and Beth did.

Charms with Professor Flitwick was nice. He was the Head of Ravenclaw and so short that he had to stand on a pile of books just so he could see over his desk. He wasn't anywhere as strict as McGonagall and was a cheerful teacher. Three times a week, Herbology was held in the greenhouses. The teacher was Professor Sprout, who was also the Head of Hufflepuff. The class was taken with the Hufflepuffs and it was the one class Neville excelled in. To his surprise and delight, he won five points for Gryffindor for answering two questions correctly. After class, Beth, Hermione, and Ron made a point of praising Neville for it, because it would boost his confidence.

Astronomy class was held every Wednesday at midnight. Professor Sinistra was the teacher. History of Magic was a very boring class. The teacher, Professor Binns, was a ghost. He had been very old when he had fallen asleep by the staff fire and he he, or rather his ghost, had gotten up to teach as usual the next day, leaving his body behind. He droned on and on in a monotone voice and most students fell asleep in his class. Hermione was the only one that paid any attention at all to Binns. Beth spent class reading the textbook and taking notes, and Neville did the same. Ron sometimes did it as well, but other times he did homework or ended up falling asleep.

Defence Against the Dark Arts turned out to be a joke. Professor Quirrell stuttered heavily when he spoke. Apparently when he had gone to get first-hand experience, he had faced some things that had frightened him greatly. His room smelled of garlic, which was to ward off a vampire he had met and was afraid would one day go after him. His turban, he said, had been a gift from an African prince for getting rid of a troublesome zombie. Nobody was sure if they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus had asked eagerly how Quirrell had gotten rid of the zombie, the professor had turned pink and started talking about the weather. For another, there was a strange smell around the turban and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic so Quirrell would be protected wherever he went.

After the second class, Hermione complained that they weren't learning much in Defence, spell-wise. She decided that it would be best to form a study group and Beth seconded the idea. She suggested that it be open to all first years and they could find an empty classroom or another room where they could all meet. They could work on spells and help each other with homework.

Beth and Hermione brought the matter to Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall and they thought it a splendid idea. McGonagall suggested that they make the study group open to older students as well, because then they could tutor the younger students if necessary. Dumbledore then found a portrait of the Hogwarts Founders in an out-of-way corridor that concealed the entrance to a room large enough to accomodate up to two hundred students. He saw to it that it was furnished with long tables and chairs for people to study at and cleared a space where people could practice spells. He added some cushions and installed bookshelves filled with books.

Notices were pinned up in the bulletin boards of each common room and outside the Great Hall informing everyone about the new study group and that the first meeting would be held next Monday evening. It went on to add that there would be meetings every weekday evening, but you didn't have to attend if you had Quidditch practice, detention, or something else that would prevent you from showing up. Anyone wishing to join the study group would have to contact the portrait of the Founders, who would tell you the password.

On Tuesday morning, at breakfast, Draco Malfoy received a Howler. Beth clapped her hands over her ears when it was opened, but she still heard the voice of Lucius Malfoy shout, "DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY, YOU ARE AN UTTER DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY! THE MALFOY FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN SLYTHERIN, BUT YOU END UP IN RAVENCLAW! IT MIGHT NOT BE AS TERRIBLE AS BEING IN GRYFFINDOR OR HUFFLEPUFF, BUT IT IS STILL A DISAPPOINTMENT! I AM MOST DISPLEASED WITH YOU AND WILL FIND A SUITABLE PUINISHMENT FOR YOU WHEN YOU RETURN HOME. I SUGGEST YOU SPEAK TO PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE ABOUT A RESORTING, IN CASE THE SORTING HAT MADE A MISTAKE ABOUT YOU."

When it ended, Beth removed her hands and looked over at the Ravenclaw table. Draco was red and looked as if he wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. She jumped up and went over to him. "Hello, Draco," she said pleasantly.

Draco looked up at her. "Oh, it's you, Beth," he said dully. "Hello."

"You're not a disgrace to your family, Draco," she said, sitting down next to him. "You know the reputation your family has of being into the Dark Arts, and you can change it. Your being in Ravenclaw will be good for you."

Draco managed a small smile. "I guess, Beth. But maybe I should just ask to be resorted. Maybe my father is right about Mud-Muggleborns and I should just -"

"Don't you dare!" exclaimed Beth. "You're a good person, if you can just get over what your father told you. I don't want you acting the way you did on the Hogwarts Express, when you insulted my friends."

He paused, for he sincerely wanted to be friends, or at least on friendly terms, with Beth. That wan't going to happen if he acted like a stuck-up person convinced in pureblood supremency. And he wasn't convinced about pureblood supremency at the moment. One of his dormmates, Terry Boot, was Muggleborn, and he had done very well so far in classes. So obviously those from wizarding families weren't better than those from Muggle ones.

"Okay, Beth," said Draco, smiling. "I know my father isn't right about Muggleborns, anyway. I'm remaining in Ravenclaw and my father will just have to deal with it. And I'm sure my mother can talk my father around. She loves me no matter what." Then he frowned. "But what if I get pulled out from Hogwarts? My father wanted to send me to Durmstrang, because he knows the headmaster there and it's a school into the Dark Arts. But my mother didn't want me going so far away, so I ended up at Hogwarts after all. But now that I'm in Ravenclaw, Father could decide to send me to Durmstrang for real."

"Maybe if you spin it to your father that you're clever and intelligent and the Sorting Hat saw it as taking precedence over ambition and cunning, he'll accept it and not think about sending you to Durmstrang," suggested Beth. "Oh, and you might want to give your father the impression that you still think like him."

"I'll try that," said Draco. "Thanks, Beth."

"No problem, Draco," said Beth. She shook his hand and then returned to the Gryffindor table.

"Has Draco really changed?" asked Neville.

"It seems like it," responded Beth. "He was very polite and he said that he knows his father isn't right about Muggleborns. At least one of Draco's dormmates has to be Muggleborn and that must have had an affect on him."

"Well, even families with a reputation for being evil will have some members that turn out different," said Hermione.

"Well, Draco being in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin must be an indication that he's changed," said Ron slowly. "I thought he was a stuck-up git on the Hogwarts Express, but now he's acting normal." Beth nodded and finished her breakfast.

Friday morning, Beth got a note from Hagrid, inviting her and her friends over for tea that afternoon. She accepted and then opened the letter and parcel from her parents. The parcel contained a box of chocolate chip and vanilla cookies, plus a few prank items that she was sure Sirius had slipped in unbeknownst to Natalia. Beth shared the cookies with her friends, and gave a few to Draco and some more to Susan and Hannah Abbott. She then read the letter. Sirius had spent a full moon night with Remus a couple of days ago. Natalia had also been promoted at work and was now working directly under Amelia Bones. She had also discovered something, but she wasn't going to tell Beth until the Christmas holidays.

Beth frowned. "What would have Mum discovered that she doesn't want to tell me yet?" she wondered out loud.

"Maybe you're going to have a little brother or sister," suggested Hermione.

Beth dropped the letter and stared at Hermione. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, your mother discovered something, but she doesn't want to tell you yet," said Hermione. "It could be that she discovered she's pregnant, but she wants to wait to tell you."

"I guess," said Beth, considering. Well, it was possible. After all, Sirius and Natalia had been married for three years and it was inevitable that a baby could result.

That day was the first Potions class, taken with the Slytherins. Professor Snape took a roll call the way Flitwick did. When he reached Beth's name, he paused and said, "Ah, yes, Bethany Potter-Black, our new celebrity." Pansy and Tracey stifled giggles. Beth didn't saw anything, because she knew that Snape didn't mean what he said and was merely putting on an act.

The roll call continued and then Snape proceeded to give a speech on the art and science of Potions. After that, he turned to a Slytherin girl and barked, "Miss Greengrass, where would you look if I told you to find me a beozar?"

"In the stomach of a goat, sir," replied Daphne.

Snape didn't show any reaction other than to say the answer was react and then turned to Beth. "Miss Potter-Black, what do an infusion of wormwood and asphodel make?"

"A powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death, Professor," answered Beth.

"Correct. Mr. Longbottom, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Neville jumped, then relaized that he had been asked a question that he could actually answer. "There is no difference, sir. It's the same plant, also known as aconite."

Snape nodded. "Correct. Maybe this class isn't as full of dunderheads as I thought. Five points to Slytherin, Miss Greengrass. And two points to Gryffindor."

After that, the class was put in pairs and began making an easy potion to cure boils. Beth was partnered with Neville, who was good at the theoretical part of Potions because of the connection with Herbolgy, but he wasn't very good at the practical part. She managed to stop him from adding the porcupine quills to early just in time. In the end, Neville did all the work of preparing the ingredients and Beth did the work of adding them and following all the directions.

At three that afternoon, they went to visit Hagrid, who was happy to be introduced to Ron and Neville. He poured tea and set out rock cakes. However, none of them touched the cakes. Beth and Hermione had experience with Hagrid's cooking before and his baking wasn't that great, except for birthday cakes.

Hagrid asked about their classes and complimented them on the idea of a study group. It would be a good way to bring the houses together, even if most of the Slytherins weren't interested. The only Slytherins that had signed up so far were Daniel, Daphne Greengrass, a third-year girl that Daniel was friends with, and a fourth-year boy.

After two hours, the four bid Hagrid good-bye and returned to the castle for supper.