Every step that Kitty took on the way to the headmaster's office was a struggle. Kitty had always been the favorite child. She had never felt her mother's wrath, only observed it from a distance. But now she was terrified. She knew that her mother could be cruel, but she had never expected her mother to be cruel towards her.

Despite what Sirius had told her, Kitty knew that she could not stop hoping that Wallaburga would forgive her. She both loved and respected her mother, even if her mother didn't always love her back. Wallaburga had always struggled with showing love.

Kitty paused at the entrance to the headmaster's office. Didn't she need some sort of password?

"The password is salt-water taffy," said a voice from behind her. She whirled around, but there was no one there.

"Hello?" The word echoed through the vacant halls.

"No need to yell." Kitty jumped as a short, pudgy man appeared in front of her.

"You're a ghost." She said slowly. "Aren't you?"

"Poltergeist, actually."

Kitty gasped. "You're Peeves the Poltergeist, aren't you? My brothers warned me about you."

"They did?" Peeves looked sad. "I've been here for a thousand years and people are still scared of me."

Kitty softened. "I'm sorry, I-"

She gasped as a copious amount of syrup poured onto her head.

"HAH!" Peeves yelled, swinging onto the banister gleefully. He put his hands in his ears and wiggled his fingers at her.

"I'm going to tell the headmaster that you're eavesdropping on him!" Kitty yelled at the retreating poltergeist.

"No need, Miss Black." Kitty whirled around to see Dumbledore standing to her left. With a decisive flick of his wand, the syrup disappeared into thin air. He smiled pleasantly at her. "Now, I would much appreciate if you would let me escort you inside. Your mother is insisting-- quite loudly, I'm afraid-- that you must be summoned at once or she will remove you from school."

Kitty gulped nervously, worried. Seeing this, Dumbledore smiled again. "Have no fear, Miss Black. I have no intention of letting one of my students be removed from school, especially not a day into the term."

He didn't seem to expect a response; instead, he told the gargoyle "salt-water taffy" and led Kitty up the winding staircase.

"Do remind me to change that password later," Dumbledore said after a moment. "We certainly don't need Peeves wrecking more havoc, and I've never been fond of taffy anyway."

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore smiled serenely, as if he knew a secret. When they reached his door, the sound of loud yelling could be heard. "Inside if you please, Miss Black."

Kitty obliged to see a red-faced Wallaburga yelling at an annoyed Minerva McGonagall. "I've told you multiple times that Katherine is on her way!" McGonagall was yelling.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the two women stopped bickering and looked at him.

"I am going to return to my class, Albus," McGonagall said stiffly, brushing past Wallaburga with a wicked glare.

"Go ahead, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "I will discuss the situation with Mrs. Black."

"It's preposterous, that's what it is!" Wallaburga thundered as McGonagall slipped out of the room.

"I understand your opinion, Mrs. Black," Dumbledore said, not batting an eyelash. "What do you propose we do?"

"We put her in Slytherin; that's what we do!" Wallaburga's face was scrunched in anger. "That's where she belongs!"

Her eyes met Kitty's for the first time. Kitty looked at the ground.

"Are you suggesting that the Sorting Hat made a mistake, Mrs. Black?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting!"

"Then why don't we try it again?" Dumbledore suggested. "We will put the hat on Miss Black and ask it again."

"How are we supposed to know it's reliable, Dumbledore? I won't have my child in such a lowly House."

"I will try it on myself," Dumbledore said, reasonably. "And you yourself are welcome to do so as well."

"Humph." Wallaburga did not argue.

"Shall I fetch it, then?" Dumbledore did not wait for an answer. As soon as he left the room, Wallaburga faced Kitty.

"What on earth happened, Katherine?"

"I don't know." Kitty stuttered. "Maybe the hat was defective."

"You haven't talked to any mudbloods, have you?"

"No, mother. Of course not." Kitty tried not to think of Jack smiling at her during Potions.

"Half-bloods?"

"Infrequently, mother. When I have to." Yemi, the twins, and Rowan were all half-bloods.

"How many purebloods are there in your house?"

"Several, mother. My friend Tina is a Pureblood." That, at least, was true.

"What's the girl's surname?"

"Kites. Faustina Kites." Kitty crossed her fingers that the Kites were not blood traitors.

"I met Manuel Kites. Poor family, but polite. His wife was well-bred." Kitty sighed in relief. "But that does not change the fact that you are not in Slytherin, and you should be."

Albus Dumbledore chose this moment to conveniently return with the hat. "Shall I try it on, Mrs. Black?" To the hat, he said. "Do speak out loud, if you will."

"Right." The hat grumbled. "Well, I think you know the answer. Many years ago, I told you you had the cunning of a Slytherin, the bravery of a Gryffindor, and the intelligence of a Ravenclaw. You still do, of course. And I told you Gryffindor over Ravenclaw because you would do great things, and wasn't I right?"

Dumbledore swept the hat off his head. "Mrs. Black?" He was careful not to muss her curls as he set the hat on her head.

"Wallaburga Black. I remember you." The hat said. "And doubting me now. Shame on you. You were a Slytherin then, you're a Slytherin now, and you will be a Slytherin forever."

Wallaburga whipped the hat off. "Alright, let Kitty try it." She barked.

Kitty squirmed as the hat was set down on her head. "Ah, Miss Black. Did you know I considered putting you in Gryffindor? I hadn't thought of it before, but you began to argue with me in the manner that only a Gryffindor would. Bold, brash. But I believe your chivalrous nature comes from your loyalty. And your kindness. You are a Hufflepuff through and through, Katherine. They can move you to Gryffindor tower, and you'll fit in with the Gryffindors, but you won't be a Gryffindor. They can move you to Ravenclaw tower, and you'll keep up with the Ravenclaws, but you'll be confused by them. They can move you to Slytherin Dungeon, and you'll live the life you always expected to live, but that life isn't yours. No, you are a Hufflepuff."

Wallaburga's face was like stone. "She moves to Slytherin or she leaves." She hissed.

"Unfortunately, Mrs. Black, as you may remember from the Sorting of your son Sirius, I cannot let a student switch Houses," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Fine. Katherine, we're leaving. You'll be going to Durmstrang."

"No, Mother, please!"

"This isn't up for debate." Wallaburga's eyes held no love.

"Mother, Hogwarts is the finest wizarding school in the world. Besides, just because I'm in Hufflepuff doesn't mean that I can't talk to the Slytherins."

Her mother exhaled. "Do you swear to only speak to purebloods during your entire time at Hogwarts."

"Yes, of course."

"Swear it on the House of Black. If you break the vow you will be disowned."

Kitty gasped at the severity of the vow. "I swear."

"I expect letters from you every day."

Kitty bowed her head. "Yes, mother."

Suddenly, a knock echoed through Dumbledore's study. The wizard flicked his wand casually, causing the door to swing open. It was the Ravenclaw prefect from before. "I'm to escort Miss Black to Charms."

Wallaburga glanced at the girl with visible disgust. "Mudblood," she whispered, so that the prefect couldn't hear her.

Kitty didn't know how Wallaburga even knew that the girl had muggle descent. Mother had always had a talent for sniffing out a person's blood heritage. "Well," she said, trying to sound snobby. "I suppose I'd better go. Farewell, Mother."

Kitty inclined her head to Wallaburga. It may have been a lackluster goodbye, but she knew that it would please Wallaburga.

Blacks never showed emotion. Especially not in front of mudbloods. It didn't matter whether or not Kitty agreed that they should be shunned.

Her opinion didn't matter.

The only reason that Kitty was in any way significant was because she was a Black. And she wasn't going to risk her heritage for a few mudbloods.

No matter how nice they might be.