At least for that moment, all the stress and sadness that Kurumi had been feeling in the past 24 hours and gone out the window and was somewhere lurking at the bottom of the Black Lake – perhaps even playing with the giant squid.

She felt her eyes tear up as Patroclus spoke, and a few did trickle down her face when Simon chimed in as well.

Growing up, she had always strove to be the best academically in her classes. It was the only way she had to prove to the others that she had value. It was the only way for her to show herself that she wasn’t worthless. Yet, despite all her efforts, those around her had always called her a “freak” or a “half-breed” based solely on her heritage. More specifically, that her father wasn’t Japanese.

When she received her letter from Hogwarts, her mother had refused to look at her for days. Even when she did, Kurumi knew she wasn’t really looking at her, but through her.

Now, here she was with her housemates who not only were willing to call her their friend, but that were recognizing her for who she was and not what she wasn’t.

Kurumi no longer could contain the joy that course through her body and she felt like a light bulb whose wattage was more than its capacity and would soon explode in a flash of bright light.

Perhaps with the largest smile on her face that she had ever had, she flung her small arms around whatever part of the boys that she could get a hold on and cried tears of joy.

For the first time ever, she felt comfortable with who she was.