Needle in a Haystack Finished

"Oh, she's one of the most famous Muggle borns," Anastasia told the other girl as they walked towards the shelf. "She was Minister of Magic for 6 years, and helped with the downfall of You-Know-Who. Are you a Muggle born?"

"Yeah I am" she replied eagerly. Knowing that this witch Hermione was so amazing and muggle-born gave her a sense of confidence that she wasn't going to be an outcast after all. "The downfall of You-Know-Who" Odessa ran that sentence through her mind as she wondered what that could possibly mean. "I suppose if it's important, it'll be in the book" she thought to herself and decided not to press on it. She decided to as a follow up question instead. "What about you? Are you muggle-born too? I mean, I hope that you don't mind me asking you." she said. She didn't want to come off as nosy to the girl. She got a sense that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. It made her more interested in learning more about the girl.

"What about you? Are you muggle-born too?"

Anastasia coughed a little and laughed. As if! The girl hadn't meant it as an insult, but Anastasia could already hear what her father would have to say about that. Not even a day into it, and you've been sorted into Gryffindor of all places and now you've been mistaken for a Muggle born? What would grandfather have to say about this? What about your grandmother? She was an amazingly powerful witch, and she would be so disappointed in you. Anytime she did anything wrong, it was always What would your grandmother think, never mind the fact that her grandmother was a Death Eater and had died in prison. "No, of course not, I'm a Pure-Blood," she said, just a little too quickly. "Not that there's anything wrong with being a Muggle born, it's just I couldn't imagine not growing up with magic." They reached the shelves and Anastasia began to look for the book. "Here we go!" She pulled it out, and handed it to the other girl. "I absolutely loved it and Hermione Granger is just inspiring anyways!" Her father had never much like the witch, but Anastasia absolutely worshiped her. She was so much more than a sidekick, and Anastasia did savor the fact that she was in the same house as her.

Odessa noticed the girl laugh slightly at the question and as a reaction began to feel slightly defensive. "What's laughable about being muggle-born" she thought to herself.

"No, of course not, I'm a Pure-Blood," she said, just a little too quickly. "Not that there's anything wrong with being a Muggle born, it's just I couldn't imagine not growing up with magic."

"Oh, she's just not used to that type of lifestyle" Odessa thought to herself, feeling a little ashamed of immediately getting defensive. After all, she can't fully blame someone for how they were brought up. If she isn't used to meeting muggle-borns, it might strike her as odd to be mistaken as one. She sensed that maybe she had offended the girl and offered an apology. "Sorry, I was just wondering is all". She didn't want to press the matter much longer. She realized that they had reached the shelves as the girl had stopped and picked up a book.

"Here we go!" She pulled it out, and handed it to the other girl. "I absolutely loved it and Hermione Granger is just inspiring anyways!"

Odessa grabbed the book from Anastasia and looked at it smiling. "Thank you so much!" she said smiling at the girl. "I can't wait to read about her, I know that I'll be inspired" Odessa said more to herself than the girl. "Oh..." Odessa paused. "By the way, what house are you in? I'm in Ravenclaw." she said to the girl curious.

"Sorry, I was just wondering is all".

Anastasia smiled at her to show there were not hard feelings or anything. Mentally, Anastasia was comparing this girl to her father's descriptions of Muggle borns, and it wasn't making much sense. This girl might be a little confused about things, but she didn't seem like she was trying to destroy the entire Wizarding World and everything and everyone in it. Maybe it was like the way that not all Slytherins were Death Eaters, although that was a poor example, seeing as both of her grandparents on the Beckett side were Death Eaters, and she suspected her father rather wanted to be one. No point puzzling over that right now, since she wasn't neither a Death Eater nor a Slytherin, and this girl didn't seem to be criminally insane or anything.

"Thank you so much!" she said smiling at the girl. "I can't wait to read about her, I know that I'll be inspired" Odessa said more to herself than the girl. "Oh..." Odessa paused. "By the way, what house are you in? I'm in Ravenclaw." she said to the girl curious.

Anastasia certainly recognized the excitement at a new book and possible new friend. When she was younger, that had been the way she'd reacted nearly every time she found a new book. At least before her parents had stomped that habit out of her. It was improper, they said, not the way a Beckett girl should behave. That described most of her childhood - Dearest, that's rather improper. Dearest, a Beckett girl shouldn't behave that way. Focusing back in on the girl, she caught her last few sentences. "Oh, I'm a Gryffindor," she said, smiling proudly. That was the probably the first time she'd felt really happy to be a Gryffindor. She hoped this girl would be a friend. She already could picture her letter to her parents. Dearest Mother and Father - I got sorted into Gryffindor, and made a muggle born friend. How's that for not how a Beckett girl behaves? Well, maybe she wouldn't say it quite like that.

"Oh, I'm a Gryffindor," she said, smiling proudly.

"oh okay!" Odessa replied kindly to the girl. The girl seemed excited to be a Gryffindor. "Say..I'd be ecstatic to be a Gryffindor if such a great witch came from that house" she said to the girl. Odessa clutched the book happily to her chest and smiled. She really liked this girl that had helped her. She seemed really kind. "This is my chance to solidify the friendship" she thought to herself. "Maybe I should ask her if she wants to have a chat somewhere else" she thought to herself. Finally she built up the courage. "Hey, um..thanks for finding this book for me...I was wondering if maybe you'd like to have a bite to eat or chat with me sometime. You seem like a really cool person that I'd love to be friends with". She smiled after speaking because she knew that she might have made her first friend at Hogwarts.

"Hey, um..thanks for finding this book for me...I was wondering if maybe you'd like to have a bite to eat or chat with me sometime. You seem like a really cool person that I'd love to be friends with".

"Oh, of course," Anastasia said, glad that the girl had said what she had been thinking. Her parents didn't exactly believe in "making friends". They always said that your real friends were already there because of who you were, and any additional acquaintances were just allies for a purpose. Maybe they were not completely and utterly right about everything. "Let me know how you like the book!" she added as she turned to get her Gryffindor book from earlier. "Well, it was lovely to meet you, and I hope to see you around." She had finally gotten the courage to write her parents about how things were going thus far, and she wanted to strike while the iron was hot. She felt for certain that she would lose the nerve she had managed to work up if she waited too long. She waved to the other girl and made her way to librarian's desk to check her book out. Well, her first experience with a Muggle born had been nothing like she was expecting. The girl seemed nice enough, and Anastasia frankly found her more amicable than some of the purebloods she had grown up with.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you, and I hope to see you around."

Odessa smiled and waved. "I'll let you know ofcourse! Thanks again and see you around!". Odessa clutched the book and turned around and began to leave the library. She was excited at how well the library trip had went. She hadn't expected to make a new friend but who knows, maybe making friends would be that easy at Hogwarts with so many witches and wizards walking around. She hoped to see the girl around soon so that she could get to know her more since she knew the girl was probably very interesting being that she grew up around magic, she could probably teach Odessa some things about magic. "Now to go to my new dormitory and meet my roomates!" Odessa thought to herself happily.


She wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she got to her dormitory. After all, she was an only child so she wasn’t exactly used to rooming with other girls. She wondered whether they would be nice like the Gryfindor girl she had just met, or would they be tougher. “They’re in the same dorm Odessa, they can’t be but so different” she thought to herself. “Only one way to find out” she thought again as she walked.