The Big Dipper

Halloween

As the weeks flew by, Ursula settled into a comfortable routine at Hogwarts. The clock in her dorm was set to wake them up in the morning, and as soon as one of them got up the lights came on. She would shove the four or so textbooks that she needed for the day into her bag, along with any homework that was due and a quill and ink bottle from where she left them on her desk after finishing an essay the night before. If Gemma was ready they would head up to breakfast together. If not, Ursula would head up alone or with one of the other first years.

She and Gemma had become more frenemies as the weeks passed. Perhaps academic rivals was a better way to describe their relationship. They still got along fine when not discussing schoolwork, but were insanely competitive when it came to tests and in-class demonstrations. Both made excellent partners to study with, however.

Ursula and Vanessa, on the other hand, were as close as ever. Vanessa excelled in Charms but struggled in Potions, so that was where Ursula helped her. Vanessa adhered more to the beliefs they had both been raised with and had so far not warmed up to the Weasley twins at all, but she never outright insulted anyone. She remained one of Ursula's best friends.

Ursula's other best friend was Lilian. She was confident, outgoing, and outspoken, and not afraid to call out people like Jacob Selwyn who believed their blood status elevated them above others. She worked hard on the classes she enjoyed and was generally very motivated to do so. That said, she couldn't stay awake in History of Magic to save her life. Every class, without fail, she managed to fall asleep, even if it was for a light doze. If she was particularly sound asleep, Ursula and the boys in front of them, Adrian and Cassius, would try and stack things on her until they either fell off or she woke up. Lilian always tried to copy Ursula's notes, but ended up just summarizing them and doing her best to pass tests.

Speaking of Adrian and Cassius, Ursula got on great with them. Having had similar upbringings (Lilian was the only person she told about Nymphadora) they understood what growing up in a strict household with traditional pureblood views was like, and had the unfortunate shared experience of sharing a governess with Jacob. They were both funny and quick witted and complemented each other well. Adrian was the more studious of the two, while Cassius was the more outgoing. That said, Adrian was terrible at Charms. He could do the spells alright, but the theory behind them always escaped him, meaning he did poorly on assignments even if he did well in class. Cassius, on the other hand, was fairly consistent in all of his classes, with grades that weren't anything spectacular but not terrible either. He didn't care about his grades as much as Ursula and Adrian did, and could often be found playing Exploding Snap with Alexander Yorke or Edward Barnes instead of doing his homework.

Outside of Slytherin, she had managed to make a few friends. She was closest to Blossom Ash, who she sat next to in Charms and who could always be counted on to be friendly. The best word Ursula could use to describe her was bubbly. Blossom was always hard working and ready to help others if they needed it, but she had a hard time asking for help herself. Ursula offered to help her study in Transfiguration should she ever need it, as that was the class she worked hardest in and only because it was the one she struggled with the most. Just being around Blossom was nice because her smile could light up a room. People were naturally drawn to her and her helpful and friendly nature made Ursula worry someone would take advantage of her kindness.

Another friend she had made outside of Slytherin was Ivy Lewis, her Herbology partner and the girl who sat behind her in History of Magic. Ivy was creative, intelligent, and passionate, and had no qualms about standing up for what she believed in. She never let anyone get away with prejudiced comments, which had created some friction with some of her fellow students. Aside from when she was standing up for herself or others, Ivy was generally quiet and reserved. She worked hard on projects she cared about but often neglected those she didn't, and always asked questions in class.