'I'm finally going,' Polly thought, 'I'm finally going to Hogwarts.' She's never been to any Wizarding School before. And her heart soared at the thought of finally attending one.

Her cousins, her parents, and most of her relatives all have gone to Hogwarts when they were 11. She had gotten her own letter yet she wasn't allowed to go. Not by her mother.

"Polaris," that was her real name and her mother had called her.

"Yes, Mother?"

"Remember, child. If you are not sorted into Slytherin- "

Polly cut her off, "I'd be an embarrassment to the Noble House of Blacks." She had been told this again and again. It started to lose it's meaning. And she started to not care about being sorted into any house at all.

Mrs. Black gave a sigh of disapproval. Polly would sometimes cut people off like than and her mother doesn't like it. She didn't grow up with her. Polly was sent away to a family friend, Mrs. Amelia Pitch, for home schooling. And was taught quite differently from what her mother really wanted. But it was necessary for her secret, special powers.

"Then you should be disowned immediately. Thrown out to the streets to live with those filthy muggles, where you'll starve to death. And then bye-bye to little Polly," Bellatrix chimed in.

Bella had graduated a few years ago and had come to see her off, for what she called 'encouragement'. She was not Polly's favorite relative, but she enjoyed her presence none the less. Her quirk for being maniacal may be terrifying for others but was comfortingly familiar to little Polaris.

Mrs. Black stared at her with her usual cold eyes. "I agree with Bellatrix, Polaris. You're 15 now. You should know and own your responsibilities," she said, "But you wouldn't be disowned. You're own progress with your powers already make me proud. And what would people say? Just don't disappoint me like..." she trailed off.

Polly knew who her mother was thinking of. Andromeda and Sirius. One not sorted into Slytherin but both a disappointment to the whole family.

"I won't, Mother," she said staring back at her. She scarcely see her mother before but now she had to live in their own family's house. Because of the accident... Polaris banned herself from thinking about the horrid event but it kept sneaking into her mind.

It was Mrs. Pitch, or, what others just called her, Amelia. An accident had befallen Polly's teacher and friend. She was told it was an accident but her kind of poisoning was hard to believe to be done because of carelessness. Amelia was an observant, caring, and powerful woman. She acted as Polly's own mama and loved her so. Just a few days before her death, she was visited by cloaked men at night. Polly asked her about it but she was just waved off. "Don't worry 'bout it," Amelia had said.

"It's time," her mother stated after checking the clock. She had thankfully pulled Polly away from the dreadful thoughts she was deeply thinking about. It was time for them to floo to Hogwarts. They had been permitted by Albus Dumbledore to make that trip for a quick drop off for the new student.

"Good luck, Pib," Bella waved as her mother led her to the fireplace.

"Oh, I wish you'd stop calling me that," Polly said annoyed but then she waved back at her with a smirk plastered on her face, "Bye, Trixie." A nickname Bellatrix hated since childhood.

"Hogwarts!" she said quickly yet clearly. Then immediately vanished with a green poof, but not after seeing Bellatrix's peeved look, which clearly said 'you won't get away next time'.

=O=

Her Mother had quickly left after a quick conversation with Dumbledore. Well... it was more of a one sided conversation, with her Mother subtly (well... not really) criticizing the professor and his works and beliefs. She had pridefully told Dumbledore about Polly's own powers and went on and on about how she deserved to be in Slytherin.

It impressed Polly to see the old man so calm during and after one of her mother's ridiculous speeches. She didn't quite trust him though.

It was dinner time at Hogwarts on November 26, 1976. A Friday. Every student she saw from outside the Great Hall seemed to be excited for the weekends. Polly tried to spot her best friends, Regulus Black and Victoria Snow, from the bustle of the crowd but it was no use.

Dumbledore began his speech. Polly didn't like speeches but listened intently anyway.

"We have a new student joining us this year," there were whispers around the room but Dumbledore only raised his hand to hush them all up, "Yes. She would be joining the fifth years and I hope that everyone would welcome her warmly into our school. Please welcome, Miss Polaris Black."

The Great Hall's giant door had swung wider for Polly. All eyes were on her. 'Another Black?' they seem to be whispering. She didn't care for them. Only looking at the front with her head high as she approached the stool with an old tattered hat. 'Let them think whatever they think,' she thought.

Polly turned to look at the whole room then sat on the stool. Everyone with judgement in their eyes. Professor McGonagall then place the Sorting Hat on top of her head. She knew who the professor was from one of Severus' stories, the one who they said is very partial to the Gryffindors, yet Polly didn't quite believe it as much after she saw her.

"Ah! Another Black then," the hat exclaimed inside her head.

"Uhm... Hello?" she thought back.

The tattered laughed. "Almost like your brother but not at all," he said, "Not really Hufflepuff. Possibly Ravenclaw. You've got quite the brains."

"I know," she replied haughtily. The mention of her brother made her annoyed, which seemed to surprised herself aswell.

"Hmm. Got some Gryffindor in you. But also some Slytherin," he rambled on for sometime about her characteristics and behaviors. She was brave yet cunning in what she does. There was a fine line between Gryffindors and Slytherins which no one had noticed, yet their ideals differ so much that the two houses disagreed alot. More than disagreed, if one can't help it. But still.

The stares of the other students started to make her uncomfortable. She realized that no one had been sorted quite as long as she had and was ready to tell the hat off when it suddenly spoke directly to her.

"Well then, young lady, you may be courageous yet your courage comes because of your slyness and cunning tactics. A true born leader like you better be..."

Polly braced herself.

"SLYTHERIN!!"

The whole Slytherin house cheered. None of the other houses did. She had heard that the other houses didn't like Slytherins and it made her frown. When the hat was removed she had spotted her friends, her squad. Regulus and Victoria had stood up. Victoria was waving at her joyously. An expression not all the other houses was used to.

Polly ran up to them with a huge smile and tackled Regulus into a fierce hug. "Reggie!" she exclaimed. "I missed you."

Regulus smiled back. It was a small, reserved smile. But she knew why he was like that at the moment. For his reputation. "Hello, Little Bear." That's what he called her. 'Little Bear'. It was because 'Polaris' is a star that comes from the constellation Ursa Minor which means 'Little Bear'.

Victoria, or Tori, the usually scowling girl with an upturned pig-like nose, grabbed her shoulders then hugged her as fiercely as she had hugged Regulus. "You didn't tell us you were coming," she playfully glared at her when they pulled apart. "What happened, Polly? Did you start to get bored of home schooling with the old witch?"

It was a playful question but Polly's heart ached still. Her friends had seen her grimace a bit and so they didn't ask her anymore questions. They all sat down at their table while ignoring the looks of the other students from the different houses. They weren't used to see the other Slytherins so gleeful, other than when they're beating them up in Quidditch.

There was their whole squad. The 6th years: Severus Snape, the Potions loving half-blood, and Persues "Percy" Parkinson, named after his quite famous ancestor and Tori's boyfriend. The 5th years: Regulus Black, Victoria Snow, and Polaris. The 4th year: Barty Crouch Jr., Regulus' close friend. Then a tag along 1st year, Rabastan Lestrange.

"Rab, shouldn't you be with the other first years?" Polly inquired, "Making acquaintances or friends and stuff?"

"He wanted to see you," Sev rolled his eyes.

"Of course he did," and she was glad. Glad to be with them. Glad to be sorted into Slytherin. And just... glad to be away from her old home.

They laughed and talked about everything and nothing like they used to. To others, they didn't know who she was. But it was obvious she was well known by the Slytherins. And then one by one, people started to turned to Sirius.

=O=

Sirius Black raised his eyebrows when the new girl entered the Great Hall. She was definitely a Black. Definitely. The air around her feels superior, like his own. But she wore it not as playfully as he does.

She looked like Bella, but with the beauty of Cissy. But something kept nudging Sirius that she looked so familiar yet he cannot pin point it. She's a Black. That's for sure. With her lustrous black hair and gray eyes.

"SLYTHERIN!!" the hat had shouted. He wasn't the least bit of shocked at that. But her running toward his brother and giving him a nice, tight hug was what startled him. 'It seems like they've known each other for so long,' Sirius thought.

"Who is she?" James, his best mate, asked, "Polaris Black?"

"Never heard of her," he started, "Definitely not Uncle Alphard's. May be another of Uncle Cygnus'. Or some other Black. Our family's too 'ancient' to know how related someone is to who."

"And it's full of incest?"

Sirius shivered in disgust, "Yeah. That too." He hated that his Mother and Father was so closely related. And that Regulus was not just his brother, but also his third cousin or something. Just for the sake of being pure-blooded, they tainted themselves that way.

Peter nodded in agreement. He always nodded in agreement. "Yeah. And she's a... snake," he whispered.

"That's expected. I'm the special one," Sirius boasted while puffing his chest childishly while pointing at himself proudly.

James rolled his eyes. "And the most modest one too," he sarcastically, patting his best mate at the back.

"Very!" he exclaimed, now cheering up and trying to forget about the new girl. He hated not knowing things he liked to know. James and Peter chuckled at friend.

But Remus was still deep in thought. "A distant relative maybe?"

"Maybe. But I don't care," Sirius waves him off with his hands. James followed, "Yeah. It doesn't matter who she is."

"What I care about is some other important things. Like what me and Prongs have been planning about. It's a prank that will knock all our other pranks of the planet," he swatted his arms around wildly while taking. "Well?" he inquired when Remus looked at him weirdly.

Remus sighed then added in a sing-song voice, "'Prongs and I', Sirius".

Sirius pouted and whined, "Mooonnyyy..." He was the only one who could always make Sirius feel insecure with himself. Though he seldom lets others see how insecure it makes him.

"Yes. Snuffles?" replied Remus innocently.

Sirius scoffs, "That's unacceptable, Mr. Lupin! Anywho..." he started explaining the plan. The prank. There would be a few complications. And it always seems too plain. And as Marauders, they needed something more. More. A big bang to blow everything up.

Peter had kept nodding as Sirius discussed a plan with himself. But James kept looking at the Slytherin's table where most of the usually unpleasant looking ones where delightfully smiling with the beautiful yet mysterious new girl at the center of it all.