In the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner, the young first-years gathered around their House Prefect, named Mark Hedgestone, who was giving them a grand tour of their new home.

"Upstairs to the right, boys, you'll find your dormitories. Girls, you'll be on the left. No sneaking out after dark, but feel free to stay up until curfew in the Common Room.

"Gryffindor Tower is quite warm and comfortable. We have soft seats and a big fire. Winters here are the best. We get to see the whole grounds from the tower windows.

"Any questions before I leave you on your own before bed?"

James raised his hand.

"Are girls and boys allowed in each other's dorms?"

"Would you like to find out?" Mark asked. "Go on up the girls stairs."

James shrugged and made his way over. He sent a look back to Vidalia and Sirius before he started to climb. A second later, the stairs disappeared and he came sliding down.

Vidalia and Sirius laughed as James quickly stood up, whirling around to see what had happened to the stairs. By the time he did so, the stairs were back like nothing had happened.

"Boys aren't allowed up in the girls' dorms," Mark grinned as the students kept giggling. James, now red-faced, returned to his friends.

"I was only curious," he stated simply.

"Have a good night, new Gryffindors. Remember not to stay up late as you all start classes tomorrow morning. Make sure to wake up early so you get in a good breakfast. Best of luck."

With a friendly wave, Mark left the new students to go off and join his friends in the corner of the room.

Vidalia took a good look around: the walls were covered in Gryffindor tapestries and Wizards that she did not recognize. In the center of the room were squashy armchairs, all of them positioned in front of the fire. There were a few tables dotted around, some students playing Wizards Chess at a few and gossiping at others.

"This is so homey," Vidalia said, turning to look at her new friends. "I feel right at home here."

"That's good because you belong here," said James with a wide grin.

Vidalia spotted Lily Evans in the corner, chatting with another new Gryffindor girl. Before Vidalia could break away from the boys to go and say hi, James had caught her attention, pointing to two boys sitting by themselves in the corner of the room, both of them silent but seemingly enjoying each other's company.

"Let's go," James said with a sly grin. Potter led the way to the two other boys. "Hello!" he greeted.

One boy was tall and slim with brown hair and striking blue eyes. He had scars on his face, but seemed friendly enough.

The other boy was quite mousy with dirty blonde hair and squinting beady eyes. He had a round nose and buck teeth and was quite short and round.

"Hello," the taller boy greeted.

"I'm James. Nice to meet your acquaintance. Isn't it great being in Gryffindor?"

The boys both seemed unsure as if they'd expected to be in completely different houses.

"I suppose so," the taller boy nodded at last. "Not what I expected, but I'm not going to complain. I'm Remus, by the way. Remus Lupin."

Remus Lupin was very soft-spoken, I like James and Sirius, or even Vidalia, whose voice was sharp and daring.

"I'm Sirius Black," said Sirius.

"Vidalia Strange," the girl said. Spur was still sitting on her shoulder, peering at each of the boys curiously. "And this is Spur."

All the students turned to the remaining boy and he peered at each one of them as if he were scared of them.

"P-Peter," the boy said. "Pettigrew."

"Well," said James as he took a seat on the floor across from Remus and Peter. "Now that we're all best friends, how about we take turns telling each other an interesting fact about ourselves?"

"Good idea, mate," Sirius said as he took a seat, too. Vidalia remained standing, unsure if she should part from the boys or not.

"Are you gonna sit down, or what?" Sirius asked, peering up at her.

"I'm—"

"'Course she is!" James shouted before grabbing her wrist and yanking her down. Vidalia fell to the floor.

"There are kinder ways of making people sit, you blockhead."

James only grinned at the girl. He ruffled his hair and turned back to the group, each of them waiting expectantly on the ringleader to start.

"Well, I love Quidditch," James said. "I'm really good. I'm gonna try out for the team next year!"

Vidalia let out a groan.

"What?" James challenged.

"Quidditch?" Vidalia asked. "Quidditch is so lame."

"How dare you call yourself my friend and say Quidditch is lame!"

"Hey, I got dragged here," she said.

"So what do you like then, huh?"

Vidalia thought for a moment. "Astronomy," she said. "I study the moon and its phases."

"How come?" asked Remus, sounding surprised.

Vidalia shrugged. "Always have. I just like the way the moon works. Quite interesting, really."

"What about you, then, Remus?" Asked Sirius, turning from Vidalia to the boy with a bright smile.

"I suppose I like reading," Remus shrugged.

"Man, who knew we'd make friends with a bunch of nerds," James teased, but he was grinning.

"Well, you're a Quidditch nerd. I suppose you know everything there is to know about it, eh?" Vidalia fired back.

Sirius smirked. "She's not wrong, mate."

James pouted. "What about you, Peter? What do you like?"

"Oh, uhm, perhaps Quidditch too?" he said, sounding unsure. It seemed as though he were trying to impress James and Sirius.

"Really?" James asked, clearly shocked. "What team?"

"Th-the Chudley Canons?"

"The Chudley Canons!" James practically yelled. "Mate, we've got to introduce you to some quality teams, let me tell you. You'll definitely want to be an Irish fan. They're the greatest."

Vidalia rolled her eyes, much to the amusement of Remus and Sirius. While James went on about Quidditch to Peter, the rest of the boys watched as Vidalia made faces to mock James.

James heard Sirius snicker and whipped around to see what was going on. "What are you doing over there?"

"Nothing, mate. Just having a grand time."

James ignored them and jumped right back into his one-sided conversation with Peter. Sirius winked at Vidalia and she grinned cheekily.

When curfew rolled around, the group hardly noticed. A Prefect had to come down and usher the kids to bed right away.

Vidalia waved to the boys before disappearing upstairs to her own dorm. She slipped inside the room for first years and found her luggage was laid out nicely next to her bed, all of her robes now adorning Gryffindor crests and colors. Vidalia smiled, happy she'd been sorted into Gryffindor.

As Vidalia slept, she couldn't stop the nightmares that had plagued her every day since she was five.

These dreams were always red, every single figure covered in blood and grasping on to their last few threads of life. There was a dark aura, someone Vidalia was terrified of, but she could never see.

She knew whatever it was was going to try and hurt her and everyone she knew. For what reasons, she didn't know.

Vidalia woke with a start early the next morning, long before anyone else was even due to start waking up. The girl got up, knowing there was no way she could possibly go back to sleep. She padded down the corridor to the toilets where she washed her face and did her morning routine.

Once she returned, she immediately dressed in her school uniform. In her state of utter exhaustion, she completely forgot about poor Spur, who had made a nest right at the top of Vidalia's hair.

The girl made her way down to the Common Room with her school bag and sat down on one of the sofas. She leaned her head against her hand and enjoyed the warmth the fire brought.

These visions always haunted her at nighttime when she was sleeping. Vidalia had yet to have a proper day vision. Maybe it was the moon that strengthened these night visions? Or perhaps Vidalia was so distracted during the day that she couldn't possibly be able to sit down and form a coherent vision.

Her mother had told her once that you can't control when your visions happen.

Vidalia was terrified of her friends finding out. Surely they would think that she was some kind of freak. They would never want to be friends with a girl who can see the future.

Vidalia sat in silence, alone, and let her own thoughts tear her apart.

Spur stirred in his sleep and Vidalia finally noticed him.

"Oh, Spur," she said. "You can't come to class."

Spur looked confused. He made a move to crawl toward where Vidalia's pockets usually were, but the girl stopped him, much to his annoyance.

"Spur, you have to stay here. No one else is allowed to bring their pets to class." Spur crosses his arms and glared daggers at his human. "For the love of—"

"Who are you talking to?" a voice asked and Vidalia knew at once that it was Sirius.

"Spur. He's being a pain in the arse," Vidalia huffed irritably.

"I'm surprised you're awake," Sirius told her, now taking a seat beside her. "Hi, Spur."

Spur stuck his tongue out at Sirius.

"Ouch. He's in a mood, isn't he?"

"He's mad at me. He got it in his head that he would be attending classes with me and now I've just told him he has to stay here."

"You know, I would be slightly heartbroken, too," Sirius teased.

"Oh, don't encourage him!" Vidalia exclaimed.

"So what are you doing up this early, anyway?"

"I'm usually up early."

"How come? Strict mum?"

"Nah. My body just likes getting up for some reason." Vidalia's eyes were spacey and looking quite like she was focused on something else.

"You're very quiet," Sirius said. "Compared to last night on the train, anyway."

Vidalia shrugged. "Mornings are hard."

•••

The students all crowded in the Great Hall for breakfast. The smell of bacon and toast and porridge greeted Vidalia and she couldn't help but quicken her pace toward the Gryffindor table.

"Hungry, are we?" Sirius teased as the boys all trailed behind the girl.

"Starving," Vidalia stated as if she hadn't eaten in weeks.

She sat down and immediately reached for the fried ham and eggs before piling beans onto a slice of toast.

"Are they starving you at home?" James asked, watching in amusement as she stuffed her mouth. Sirius stared, too, not at all used to girls with hardly any table manners.

"Mum's cooking is amazing," Vidalia said. "I'm just extremely hungry. Must be a new moon coming." Her last comment was added subconsciously and all four boys stared in shock at her.

Because Vidalia drew a lot of energy from the moon for her "Eye", the less moon there was, the more she had to eat. It was a constant cycle. On days where the moon was full or bigger than normal, like a harvest moon, she barely ate a thing.

"You're strange," James said after a long, awkward silence.

"Yes, that's my name," the girl said awkwardly.

About that time, McGonagall was passing out times tables for classes. When the young Gryffindors received theirs, they immediately began comparing schedules.

"We have all the same classes."

"Well, we won't have different classes until third year when we get to pick electives," said Remus.

"What are you going to take, Remmy?" James asked, to which Remus made a face.

"Mm, I don't know," he said, sounding nervous. "Haven't really thought about it. Might take Ancient Runes or Muggle Studies."

"Ugh, that's so boring!"

Vidalia and Remus shared a look while James went into an animated conversation with no one in particular about how he was going to be the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team by fifth year.

"Merlin, help us," Vidalia muttered into her pumpkin juice. Remus grinned in amusement as he and Peter watched James flail his arms around, almost as if he was trying to fly. Sirius rested his chin in his hands, pretending like he was listening to every word James was saying. Vidalia knew he wasn't. She could barely understand him herself. How could someone possibly be this hyperactive before eight in the morning?

When the group of new Gryffindors finished their breakfast, they pushed themselves away from the table and filed out of the Great Hall in search of Transfiguration, which was taught by Professor McGonagall.

"I'm kind of excited about this class," Sirius was telling Vidalia as James kept rambling to the other two boys about Quidditch.

"Really? You strike me as more of a Charms kind of guy," Vidalia said.

"Well, I am pretty charming," Sirius replied in his best attempt at an imitation of James. Vidalia let out a giggle.

"Hey, I heard that," James said, pouting.

"Come on, mate. I'm only joking."

"That is totally something I would say, though," James muttered, but he was grinning, almost as if he was proud of Sirius.

The group of first-years entered Professor McGonagall's classroom, which they were sharing with Ravenclaw.

Vidalia stared at the students in blue robes, thinking about how her mother had wanted her to be in Ravenclaw as well, despite how many times Vidalia had insisted she'd be sorted into Gryffindor.

Vidalia took a seat between Peter and Sirius, leaving James and Remus to sit with another Gryffindor girl at the table in front of them.

"Hopefully Remus can keep James quiet for an hour," Vidalia muttered to Peter and Sirius, making them both grin.

"Good morning, class," McGonagall greeted, her mouth pulled firm and her eyes serious. "In order to succeed in Transfiguration, you must pay close attention. There will be no roughhousing. Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back.

"You have been warned."

Vidalia glanced at James, who, for the first time since she met him, was sitting entirely still in his seat.

Good, she thought. He needs to calm down a little.

"I'm sure you all have A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, which you were required to buy for my class. If you'll please take those out, we can begin our first lesson."

The students all took out their books and flipped to the page McGonagall had written on her chalkboard. As soon as McGonagall's back was turned, Vidalia felt a tap on her back. She turned and was immediately face-to-face with one of the children from her village.

"How's the moon phase tonight, freak?" he giggled in a quiet tone. It wasn't quiet enough because Sirius was turned around in an instant, his eyes dark with anger and his hair falling over his face.

"Why don't you ask the stars you're about to see if you don't be quiet?" Black said.

"Mr. Black," McGonagall announced. "What could possibly be going on at the very start of your first class?"

Sirius turned toward the professor. "He was trying to harass Vidalia," he said.

"Is this true, Mr. Gripmore?"

"No," Gripmore said. "He's just making stuff up."

McGonagall glared at both students. "Ten points from each house. And if there are any more disruptions, I will not hesitate to hand out detentions. Am I clear?" Taking the silence as a 'yes', Professor McGonagall got right back to the lesson.

Embarrassed, Vidalia sank down in her seat, making herself small and trying her hardest to hide her blushing face from Sirius. She felt James try to get her attention, but he quickly gave up after almost being caught by McGonagall.

After class, Vidalia was the first to grab up all her things and flee the room, intent on getting to Charms before the boys could question her about what had happened with Gripmore. If they found out her secret, there was no way they'd ever want to be friends with her.

It was times like these where Vidalia desperately wished to be normal.

"'Dalia! 'Dalia, please wait up!" James called as he and the others tried desperately to catch up to her. Somehow, Remus was able to finally catch her and he spun her around, forcing her to face the four boys who had seemingly adopted her.

"Vidalia, what's going on?"

She attempted to hide behind her thick, curly hair, but Remus forced her to look at him. The tall blond boy looked at her with such a look it almost seemed as though he knew exactly what she was going through.

"I'm a freak," Vidalia said, tears brimming her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"If I could tell you, I would. But I'm afraid you'll all make fun of me like that kid in Transfiguration, like all the kids in my village."

"Why would we do that?" Peter asked sheepishly.

Just then, Dumbledore rounded the corner.

"Shouldn't you all be getting to class?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"Um,  yes, sir," Remus started. "But, Vidalia, she—"

"—will be joining me in my office for a talk. Why don't you four get on to class. And let Professor Flitwick know I have Miss Strange in my care."

The boys nodded and, reluctantly, turned to leave. Remus stayed for a minute longer to give his friend a reassuring smile, one that seemed to help dry Vidalia's tears a little quicker.

"We'll save you a seat," Remus said before turning to head to class.

"Come, Miss Strange."

Vidalia followed Dumbledore down several corridors before they found themselves at a large gargoyle statue. Dumbledore gave it the password and the statue moved to reveal a stairwell. Vidalia followed Dumbledore up the stairs. Once at the top, they were met by a huge door. The Headmaster led Vidalia into the large room and she quickly realized this was his office.

"Miss Strange," Dumbledore said, his twinkling eyes watching as the young girl approached the Phoenix sitting on his perch in the corner.

Vidalia looked to her Headmaster, nervous to hear what he was going to say.

"Miss Strange, I feared, before you attended school, that you might have a hard time fitting in."

"Then why did you let me come here? I could be at home now with my mum, away from all these kids who have lived to bully me."

"Because I knew that once I'd seen you among brand new faces that you would find a place here. You belong here just as much as any other witch or wizard. Just because you have special abilities does not mean you are any less worthy of becoming a powerful being.

"These four boys you have made friends with will accept you for who you are."

"How do you know?" she challenged. "What if they turn their backs on me?"

"Oh, I have ways of knowing," Dumbledore said, that same twinkle in his eyes. "Perhaps you'll do well to take Divination your third year. You could really tune that Eye of yours."