The next day at breakfast, Chloe took a seat next to Draco. She looked much less confident and stylish than she had yesterday on the train. She had brushed her hair out of her experimental ponytails, and now it hung in her customary plait down her back. She was wearing tights, her shirt was nicely pressed and her skirt was a school skirt, not one of her own. Her tie was tied tightly, and her eyes were vaguely downcast. She looked defeated, but forced a wavering smile onto her face.

"Good morning, all. Pass the marmalade?" 

Pansy Parkinson, a third year girl with a bitter expression, handed over the pot of marmalade. "Aren't you the one who punched Flint yesterday on the train?"

Chloe faked a laugh. "I don't know what came over me then. I do feel bad about any harm I may have caused."

Pansy Parkinson snickered. "Well, if there wasn't a Hufflepuff at our table." The table full of Slytherins roared with laughter, and Chloe felt her body tense.

"I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake," chimed in the boy from the train. He had a bandage over his nose, which was purple and swollen. 

"Shows what happens when your dad marries a Mudblood," Pansy finished with a smirk.

Chloe's eyes filled with tears, and she raced out of the Great Hall at top speed.