Quick Note: Statements in italics separate scenes. These snippets apply to the canon universe, while relating to the the previous scene.

Ch. 1: In Which the Hat is Stubborn

They might have been friends, had the Hat been a bit more stubborn.

The girl sat stiffly upon the stool, utterly dignified beneath the raggedy, old Sorting Hat. A throaty voice echoed through her mind. "Hmmm, intelligent, but with no real interest in learning for learning's sake. Fairly brave and rather single-minded…"

"Put me in Gryffindor and I'll set you on fire," she whispered.

The Hat chuckled. "A Gryffindor temper if ever I've seen one. But that tactic was most certainly Slytherin."

The girl smiled. She was going to Slytherin. It was unquestionable. She was the perfect Pureblood, the perfect heir. Mother would be proud.

"And yet," said the Hat, "you only treasure your intelligence for the approval it earns you. You are only brave in the face of threats against your family and their ideals. You only hone your cunning in order to compete for their affection. You would throw yourself into any task that might help those who've earned your loyalty. Nothing can stop you once you've made up your mind. Yes, I know just where to put you."

The smile slipped from her face.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The girl stumbled off the stool and towards the cheering, yellow table. Her usual grace had abandoned her. She might as well have been hit with a Jelly-Legs Jinx. A few older students clapped her on the back and offered congratulations. She merely nodded.

She couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. She collapsed onto an empty seat, a good distance from the rest of her housemates.

Hufflepuff. What had she done to deserve this?

The girl could barely watch the Sorting, allowing her long, black hair to block the traitorous artifact from view. Still, it was impossible to ignore the Hat's shouts. RAVENCLAW! SLYTHERIN! GRYFFINDOR! The words swirled about the Great Hall, taunting her with missed opportunities.

More children filled the table, but she paid them no mind. They were only Puffs, after all. Naïve, useless, stupid little Puffs. Just like her.

"Are you okay?" the question jolted the girl out of her daze. A true Slytherin would never have let her guard down like that. A true Slytherin is always watchful, always focused. A true Slytherin would never be sorted into Hufflepuff.

Beside her, a redheaded girl was patiently waiting for an answer.

"No." The answer was honest, if a bit blunt.

"Are you sick? I'm sure one of the Prefects can show us the way to the Infirmary…"

"No." She couldn't muster up the energy to glare. For a moment, the other girl was silent.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Bloody Hufflepuffs.

She lethargically picked up a roll and nibbled on it. The redhead beamed at her apparent success. "I'm Molly Prewett. Who're you?"

A touch of pride colored the girl's voice as she declared, "Bellatrix Black."

There were so few Hufflepuffs that year. Many thought it strange. The Hat was silent as ever.

The owls arrived in a flurry of wings and gasps. Molly squealed as her family owl landed beside her plate.

"Hi, Tawny," she cooed, happily grabbing the box of homemade cookies from the creature's talons.

Across the table, Bellatrix greeted a looming, black owl, silently read its letter, and immediately stood. Molly followed her back to their dorm. For some unimaginable reason, the redhead had decided they were friends. She had the optimism and friendliness of a puppy. Bellatrix had always hated dogs.

The redhead tugged at Bellatrix's curtains. They were charmed shut. "Um, Bellatrix?"

"Go away, Prewett."

"Are you okay?"

"Bloody Hufflepuff," the girl murmured into her pillow.

Bellatrix could feel Molly's glare through the cheerful, yellow curtain. "There's nothing wrong with being a Hufflepuff!"

"Yes there is, and everyone knows it. I should have been a Slytherin, not some leftover." Bellatrix started to sniffle. She was nearly crying in front of a Puff. How humiliating. If only she had learned the Silencing Charm…

Molly's voice softened a bit. "I thought I'd be in Gryffindor. Both my brothers were, after all, and we were always together before they left for Hogwarts. It's going to be tough barely seeing them, but I trust the Hat. I'm a Hufflepuff and I'm going to do my House proud."

In spite of herself, Bellatrix began to open up. "I was supposed to go to Slytherin – the same as my parents – and set a good example for Andy and Cissy. I've let everyone down…Mother's furious."

Molly wasn't sure how to respond. She mumbled, "We're going to be late for our first class."

"We?"

"You don't think I'm just going to leave you here, do you? Either both of us go to class or neither of us do!"

"Really?" Bellatrix asked hesitantly.

"We're Hufflepuffs, remember? Badgers stick together."

It seemed an eternity until a pale face poked out from between the daisy-yellow curtains. "I guess we'd better get going then, huh?"

Molly beamed.

Mrs. Weasley sent Howler after Howler to her mischievous children, each screaming louder than the last. It never occurred to her that a few silent, spidery lines could cut far deeper than mere embarrassment.

"You don't like Quidditch?"

Molly shrugged. "Not really…Why do you look so surprised?"

"You're so giggly and bouncy and enthusiastic and Hufflepuff."

Molly muttered, "Why do you always have to say that like it's an insult?"

Bellatrix continued, "Don't you get caught up in the excitement? The action? That moment when the Seeker dives and the whole crowd holds their breath…"

"But so many people get hurt! They get their skulls cracked by bludgers or get sick from playing in the rain, and all over some silly game. Fabian broke his arms last year. Both of them! Mum had a fit."

Bellatrix smirked. "You're such a bleeding heart, Prewett. It's not like Pomfrey doesn't fix them up in a couple hours, anyway. It's your loss, though. I guess I'll see you after the match."

"After? I'm coming with you."

"But you said…"

The redhead seemed to stand a little taller. "I may not like Quidditch, but I'm not going for the game. I'm going to support Hufflepuff." With that, Molly grabbed her surprised roommate's arm and led her towards the Quidditch pitch.

Bellatrix Black was one of the better Slytherin Chasers. No one but Madam Pomfrey seemed to care that, during her three years on the team, she never dodged a single bludger.

The two Quidditch players towered over the girls. One was tall with bright auburn hair, just a shade less intense than Molly's. The other was a few inches shorter, his eyes a bright blue and hair as brown as the earth beneath his feet.

"Molly, oh how we've missed you!" declared the taller of the two, gesturing wildly with his red-clad arm, "Why, just the other day, dear Fabian was asking me, 'Where is our beloved sister? Has she abandoned us? Why doesn't she ever go to our Quidditch games?' I just didn't know what to say, for I, too, had wondered the same things as my innocent younger brother."

Ignoring the other boy's dramatic speech, Molly turned to the brunette, "Hi Fabian."

"Hi Molls, how's Hogwarts treating you?"

Her eyes lit up, "Wonderful! Professor Slughorn says I'm the best in my class for potions and the Giant Squid really is gigantic and all the Prefects are so nice and-"

Fabian laughed and ruffled her hair. "Breathe, Molls. I'm glad you love it as much as Giddy and I do."

"How're things up in Gryffindor?"

"Same as ever. You really should visit sometime, might stop Gideon from whining for a few minutes."

The taller boy's monologue continued, "Now, at long last, I lay eyes upon my precious sister, only to find her cheering on our opponents. Truly, the cruelty of fate knows no bounds."

Bellatrix's mouth twitched upward as she fought off a very Hufflepuff urge to giggle. Gideon noticed her and grinned.

"Oh? What's this? Has our baby sister made herself a friend?" – the boy flung an arm around Bellatrix's shoulders – "Just who might you be?"

Molly sighed. "Bellatrix, these are my brothers. The one hanging off you is Gideon and the sane one is Fabian."

Smiling softly, the brunette held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Bellatrix."

The blushing Hufflepuff shook it.

"Now, we'd better get going before we're late," Fabian said.

"Wouldn't want to upset the Captain," agreed Gideon, letting go of the girl's shoulders.

"Bye!" they called out in unison as they raced towards their teammates.

Shaking her head, Molly turned back to her best friend. "Sorry, they're a little…You're blushing. Oh Circe! You have a crush on my brothers, don't you?"

"What?! No."

"Thank Merlin," Molly sighed.

"I only have a crush on Fabian. I do have some taste, you know."

In early October, 1981, two blood traitors died – one sliced open by a red Reducto and the other splashed in Avada Kedavra green. Bellatrix Lestrange simply laughed. Christmas had come early, after all!

A/N: While loyalty is in no short abundance in canon, the house of loyalty is. About a year ago, I started to wonder what the world would be like with just a couple more Hufflepuffs and began this fic. Last week, I rediscovered and finished it. It's eleven chapters long (the scenes should improve somewhat in length and, hopefully, quality). I'll try to update every couple of days.

Remember, reviews are beloved, critiques cherished, and any mentioned typos will be attacked with unnerving enthusiasm. I don't have a beta, at the moment, so you folks are my main source of feedback.