The first day at Hogwarts dawned steel grey and cold. Rita woke up in a foul mood and her hair was in right foul mood. It twisted and snaked around her head in angry knots and clumps and nothing Rita did would make it cooperate. And she never paid enough attention to what her mother did to untangle it.

She grunted as her comb got stuck in a nasty knot next to her ear. This was not going to be a good day, she just knew it.

Rita heard a chilling snicker behind her back and she didn't bother to turn around. “My, my you are going to go bald if you keep that up.” Bellatrix simpered as she sidled up to the sink to primp her curtain of dark hair. Her comb slide easily through her hair which hung straight and thick around her pale face. Bellatrix's dark eyes traveled over the mirror to check her reflection. “Want me to fix your hair for you?” Bellatrix asked tucking her comb into her bag and turning on the faucet to wash her hands.

Rita turned to look at her. “Do you think I'm that stupid?” She didn't really want to know the answer to that, but it escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

Bellatrix smiled like a cat who had just caught a fat mouse in its paws. “What I think of your capacity to learn is a nil point.” She stopped and dried her hands “I am only trying to be nice. A peace offering for my teasing last night.” She batted her thick eyelashes at Rita.

“A peace offering?” she asked. Her hair was in a right state and she didn't want to go around looking like she got into a fight with a brush and lost miserably.

Bellatrix smiled and nodded, “Of course. We Slytherins have to stick together you know. Look out after each other. I do you this favor and later you do me a favor.” She pulled out her wand and rapped Rita on top of her head.

“Ouch!” she cried but she stood still while her hair untangled itself and fell across her shoulders and back in a golden cascades. “Ohhhh.” Her mother had never gotten her hair to lay flat like that. Rita went from a gangly little eleven year old to a confident twelve year old.

Bellatrix stood behind her, “Now that's a Slytherin.” she winked and flounced out of the bathroom, her hair swinging behind her.

Rita couldn't believe her whole day had turned around with a tap of a wand. She was going to have to learn how to do that. She went back to her room to change into her Slytherin robes for class. She didn't want to be late so she could pick the perfect seat in class. That could make the difference between being the teacher's pet, a dreaded label if you asked her, and the teacher's dunce, never a good thing for an ambitious girl like Rita either. You had to find that perfect balance. Far enough from the front to not get called onto hand out books and control the class while the teacher is gone and run the risk of being a large spit ball target. But not too far into the back that you can grown your own soybeans in the soil that has moved in because the light doesn't reach that far back.

“What in Merlin's name are you wearing?” Bobbi Kim asked as Rita was pulling on her robes. Rita looked down at her Hogwarts uniform.

“I'm wearing the same thing you are.” she pointed out.

“On your feet.” she pointed a manicured finger, really an eleven year old with a manicure, down to Rita's sparkly red mary janes. “You do know silver and green are Slytherin colors right?” Bobi Kim flipped her cloud of ginger hair over her shoulder.

“Is there some sort of book I should be reading?” Rita popped her hands on her hips. “I'm getting really tired of everyone telling me what to do and what to wear. I don't remember Professor McGonagal telling me that was a house activity.” It wasn't like she was going to class with underwear on her head or anything.

“Maybe we should write a book so we can ban those shoes. Honestly Rita did you get those things in the trash?” she giggled and bent over to strap herself into her real leather mary janes with her pale silver socks.

Rita wasn't going to change out of her shoes. They were her favorite. Just like the shoes the Little Red Witch wore in her favorite fairy tale. They were the only birthday gift that her parents had ever given her that she actually asked for. She squared her shoulders and gave Bobbi a cold stare. Bobbi wasn't paying her a bit of attention however as she pulled a piece of lint from her Slytherin tie.

“Line up!” The command blared up from the common room and Rita nearly jumped out of her skin at the bark. All the girls went into hyper mode getting ready for class. Rita was the last one down into the common room.

Lucius, and Parker Leslie, Slytherin's female prefect were standing in front of two rows of all the underclassmen. Parker turned her emerald green eyes on Rita and she stopped in her tracks. “I see we have a first year who can't tell time.” A few snickers floated around the common room. Her head whipped around toward the sound and it cut off as quickly as it started. She jerked her head toward the line and Rita scrambled to stand next to Bellatrix. Lucius was lounging against the wall looking gorgeous and bored all at the same time. Parker walked up and down the line looking at everyone. She stopped in front of a willowy girl with thick brown hair held back from her face by a sparkly hair clip in the shape of a crescent moon. “What is this a knockoff Penni Blossom.” she scoffed. The second year girl snatched off the hair pin and stowed it in her pocket. “We have standards to maintain here people.” she snapped. There was some more shuffling as people pulled things off. “The sorting hat may have put you in Slytherin but we get to determine if you belong and wearing knock off jewelery and sickle store tap shoes isn't going to cut it.” Parker sneered as she walked over and stood in front of Rita.

Rita was not taking her shoes off. She loved them more than she loved her parents. She looked up at Parker and the older girl glared down at her. “Oh, the little ragamuffin has some spunk. Isn't that cute.” She reached to pull her wand out of its holster at her hip.

Lucius stopped her hand. “Oh Parker normally your dramatics would amuse me to no end, but I'm hungry.” Parker snatched her hand back from Lucius' and glared up at him. At 15 he was easily 6' 2 already. “Alright everyone Slytherin Theater will resume later. Head up to breakfast.” He yawned in Parker's face and lead the way out of the common room.

Rita went to follow, but Parker blocked her path. Lucius was already out the door, “Shape up Margarita you don't want to be on my bad side.” she gave her a wink and flounced out of the common room. Was flouncing the standard Slytherin walk?

Rita sighed and pulled on her robes and clicked her shoes three times before heading up to breakfast. Honestly, she just wanted to go to school.