“How can tell me how we control the heat under our cauldrons?” Professor Slughorn asked and he weaved between the work benches supervising. Bellatrix's hand shot in the air a second before Bobbi's did. “Ms Black if you please.” He offered with a sweep of his hand.

Bellatrix's mouth curved into a smile. “With our wands of course.” She stood up and brandished her wand as if she were about to take the stage in front of the Diagon Alley Philharmonic. “You use your wand as a dial turning to the left or the right to adjust the flame.” She demonstrated the proper technique and Rita's jealously flared up across her face. It wasn't right that someone so evil should be that good at magic at this stage.

A few quills were flying across parchment to take as many notes as possible. Rita sat and listened. She was never one for taking notes. Weird for someone who wanted to be a writer she knew, but it just wasn't one of her strong suits. Rita was sure she could remember what was being said anyways.

Slughorn clapped. Everyone followed his lead and clapped like Bellatrix had just saved a child for a rampaging hippogriff. Rita snorted. Pixie giggled under her breath. It made Rita smile.

“I think that Ms. Black will walk around and help me keep an eye on everyone and answer any questions.” He laid his hand on Bellatrix's shoulder and the girl grinned. Rita shivered. It was a menacing grin.

Wait, wouldn't be an oxymoron? Rita's face scrunched up as she tried to unravel that logic. It was futile as her brain was still fuzzy from the goblin rebellion on the History of Magic. Rita knew that was going to be a really bad idea in the long run, but Slughorn seemed to be in awe of Bellatrix.

Slughorn set them to the task of lighting their own cauldrons and starting the brewing process of their babbling beverage. Rita was grateful that Slughorn wasn't tasking them to do something horrendous or difficult on the first day. She rather hoped the first day would be like a orientation or something. She guessed only muggles did that.

Rita worked with Pixie as the other Hufflepuffs at the table had already paired off. The poor girl could barely see over the workbench even when she was sitting down at one of the stools. Rita was glad she wasn't that tiny. It didn't seem like a good idea to be small in Slytherin. Well maybe Hufflepuffs were nicer to their housemates. Rita was counting the number of stirs as she mixed the potion going clockwise in the cauldron. The recipe said if you over stirred the mixture you could kill someone with the beverage. Though Rita was sorely tempted to over stir and shove some of the liquid down Bobbi's throat. It would be a fitting end to the harpy. She got to her fifth stir when she heard a yelp and a crash.

Rita looked back to see Pixie picking herself up off the floor shaking her hand. She had a porcupine quill protruding from her finger.

Laughter rang out as Rita helped the girl to stand. “If you hold still I can get it out.” She explained. Pixie had fat crocodile tears pooling in her large eyes. “No need to cry,” she didn't scold her, but the girl was opening herself up to a life of bullying if she kept carrying on like that.

“Maybe you can read her a bedtime story and rock her to sleep when you're done,” Bobbi teased. A fresh round of laughter rewarded her. Even Slughorn's mouth was quirked up into a small smile.

Rita glared at the girl for a moment. Bellatrix's raised eyebrow was enough of a deterrent for Rita to back down. Rita turned her back on both of them and helped Pixie clean up her mess. Professor Slughorn went back to his fluttering around the classroom answering questions and doting on Bellatrix. You would have thought Bellatrix hung the moon or something.

If Rita were going to be honest, she rather thought Bellatrix would have hung the moon if someone had asked her too. She shook her head and got back to work on their potion. “Oh no,” she moaned looking at the muddy brown potion congealing in the bottom of her cauldron.

“Somebody forgot their powered scarab,” Bellatrix sang as she sashayed around Rita's table. “Nice try muggle but try adding that before you stir.” she gave her a wink before flouncing off to another table to bark at a Hufflepuff boy with a snotty nose. Professor Slughorn had declared Bellatrix his student helper like that was going to help anyone but her. It was some sort of sick joke if you asked Rita.

Her tiny hands were clinched into fists and her nostrils flared. Why were they taking so much pleasure in tormenting her?! Hot tears stung her eyes, but she was not going to let one tear fall. If she broke down and cried now she might as well go dig her own grave and roll over and die.

The rest of the class she concentrated so much on getting the potion perfect Pixie had wondered off to work with someone else. Rita felt bad about bullying her time with the potion, but she was tired of being the butt of jokes when she didn't remember doing anything wrong.

The class ended and Rita snatched up her things and was the first one out the door. The rest of the day went by in a blur that Rita was sure she was never going to remember. Not even her flying class kept her interest. Though how she managed to stay on her broom was a wonder to her. Lunch was just food shoveled in her mouth and then potions was just as horrid as the first half. Professor McGonagall was firm but she was fair. The only bright spot was her explaining to Bellatrix just how not important she really was in the grand scheme of things.

It was dinner time and she just didn't fancy sitting through another meal, so instead of heading toward the Great Hall she made her weary way out the door in the waning sunlight. The air was just beginning adopt a crisp chill, but it wasn't cold enough for a cloak and a scarf yet. And the winter solstice hand;t occurred so they weren't on daylight savings time. The sun would stay up a little longer for her solitary walk.

She followed the path around to the side of the castle not really watching where she was going. It was just nice to be away from the rest of her housemates for a moment. She spotted the quidditch stadium and thats where she headed. Rita could see a few brooms zooming around the pitch.

“Rita!” she nearly slipped on a patch of uneven ground as someone shouted her name and scared the daylights out of her. She turned to find Hiccup running after her.

He threw his arms around her when he finally made it to her side. “This is the most fantastic thing ever.” he said breathlessly as she pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. “how are your classes going? Did you see the tub in the bathroom. Did you see the house elves bringing in breakfast?” Rita's head started to throb as he kept firing off questions at her. They relaxed into a familiar pace as they walked around the grounds. Rita never realized how much of a friend she considered Hiccup. Well to be blunt he was her only friend and she didn't know how much she missed him. Though it had only been one day since they had been separated.

Hiccup was like a kid on Christmas morning, but Rita let him babble. It was good falling back into the pace of things with him. They must have walked around the castle at least twice before the sun finally sank below the skyline as they were plunged into a cold darkness.

Neither of them were wearing cloaks so it was either stay outside and freeze or head back. Rita was loathed to return, she rather fancied a slow death by freezing but Hiccup was as happy as a clam to get back to his common room. He was actually having a good time. Gryffindor it seemed was one big happy family that liked to play around the fire before bedtime. Rita wished now that she had been sorted into Gryffindor, but there was nothing to be done now.

They hugged each other before parting in front of the Great Hall. Hiccup headed up the stairs and Rita headed down. Everyone was still at dinner as she trudged down to the common room. She was glad that she was going to be the first back. She could be alone and grab one of the nice chairs in front of the fire before once of the seventh years kicked her out.

The panel slide open and Rita walked in with a smile on her face and spotting the chair empty. She threw herself into one and snuggled down. “Parker would have your head on a plate if she saw you.” Rita froze. Lucius slithered into the seat across from her.

Did he have to look so smug all the time, Rita thought as she tried to keep from glaring at him. “She won't see me.” she managed to get out through gritted teeth.

Lucius blue eyes danced with mirth as she picked a piece of imaginary lint off his robes. “However did a little slice of country pie like yourself end up in Slytherin?” Once he was sure his outfit was a neat as it could possible be he looked up at her. Never never met a boy that cared so much about his appearance.

“My family doesn't have gobs of gold to spend on fancy robes and cloaks. We don't live in a big manor home with houseelves to wipe our bums when we get off the pot, but that doesn't make me scum.” She jumped out of her chair. “And I am really tired of the lot of you treating me that way.” Then she stamped her foot.

Lucius gave her little speech a lazy applaud, “Well bully for you. You're a poor slice of country pie. Get over it. As long as its a sour spot for you it will be a source of entertainment for the rest of us.” He crossed his legs and regarded Rita. “You see Slytherins are ambitious. To a terrible fault I might add, but everyone has weaknesses. But what makes us better than the other houses it that we learn to be strong through our weaknesses. We fight past the things that make us weak. And in the end we show no weakness. Ever.” He started to pick at his nails. Which were perfectly buffed and shined with a faint polish. “Never show weakness. Every time you do someone is going to exploit it. Especially the girls. I don't know why they are so vicious with each other.” He shrugged. It was something worth pondeirng about when he was alone.

Once he was satisfied that his nails were perfect he stood up. “They only pick on you because you let them. You think being quite will make them leave you alone. It doesn't. Stop being the little slice of country pie. Be the snake.” He ruffled her crop of blonde hair before she swept out of the common room.

Rita watched him go. She was furious at his flippant manner of trying to help her, but his words were a welcome helping hand. No one had ever given her permission to be naughty before. Well he wasn't telling her to start punching people, but he was telling her to stop bowing down and taking her licks like a good little girl.

A slow smile spread across her face. Margarita Skeeter was going to become the snake. A snake indeed.