"You know what? I think you need a nickname," declared Rosier.
The first month in the wizarding world was rather uneventful for Josephine, except for the few encounters she had with either of the Black brothers. Regulus was tolerable; he didn't interfere with her business except for some cruel comments he made about her obliviousness to magic or her clueless questions in class.
Josephine wasn't taking that too well. Every time Regulus Black said something like, "Are you sure you even have magic in you?" or "You don't even deserve to be here," it put her off her work and class, trying to convince herself that she did deserve to be here just like everyone else. But that actually helped her progress. She knew she was lacking and still had a lot to learn, so now she didn't hesitate to spend nights reading and practicing to catch up with everyone else. And she was progressing, so the comments became less frequent.
Regulus didn't often tag along with them, and when he did, he was discreet. Rosier said it probably would take some time to gain his trust, knowing the family he came from, it was normal.
But Sirius was on a whole different level. He always had his three friends around him, ready to back him up and raise his ego at every breathing moment. That pissed Josephine off. He was slowly becoming a bully when no one was around. He didn't hesitate to throw things at her or shout mean and childish comments. It was becoming a problem. She knew if she asked her parents, the only reaction she would get was a small scoff from his father and her mother's advice on being patient. So she didn't bother; she kept the discomfort to herself.
"But why?" snapped Meadows, snapping Josephine back from her trance. She may have been sorted into Ravenclaw, but Rosier somehow convinced her to be a part of their group. She often joined them after breakfast or dinner and even sat with them in some classes.
They were now sitting inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, waiting for class to start. They were one of the few people there at the moment, and as usual, Rosier felt the need to share his absurd ideas with the group.
"No, he actually has a point. We can't even pronounce Dubouc or Dubort or whatever her name is, and Josephine is just too elegant," added Crouch. He wasn't wrong. Everyone referred to one another by their last name, except for Crouch and Rosier, which was normal since they were childhood friends. However, after a few weeks, Josephine noticed how they were avoiding calling her by her last name, even referring to her as "you," "hey!" and even "French girlie."
When Josephine asked Crouch why, he finally admitted that they just couldn't pronounce the name. That secretly made Josephine laugh, and she assured them that they could call her Josephine. The group was shocked by her words. Under her cold demeanor, she really did appreciate them. Maybe she too needed time to trust them completely.
"What about Jose?" Crouch continued his phrase.
"No, that sounds too Spanish," commented Rosier.
"Yeah, probably because it is, you uneducated dummies," intervened Meadows. She had a point; Jose seemed like a Spanish name and even a guy's name to Josephine's ears. But she did not open her mouth, curious as to where the conversation would go.
"My vote is on Jo."
"No, Meadows, that's dumber," his speech was getting more serious, he even started using exaggerated hand movements while his friends were secretly laughing at him.
"Can you look at this exquisite and French woman and just like call her Jo? And besides, Jo is a brunette name; she has actually yellow hair," he further proved his point.
"I agree. I hate the idea of Jo," Josephine supported the argument.
"Thank you!" shouted Rosier, capturing the attention of the whole class, and specifically a certain someone.
"What about a nuisance? It seems to be fitting," came the voice of Regulus Black from the back of the class. Josephine's laughter came to a halt as her piercing eyes met Regulus's at eye level, where they were met with the same expression.
"Well, that was uncalled for," Crouch reassured Josephine before turning back to his friend.
"Hey, be nice," warning him calmly. Regulus only shrugged, no longer engaging with them. Meadows put her hand on her back, not really understanding the negative obsession he had with Josephine. If only she knew he had his reasons.
''Ah, Josephine Dubois, how nice to see you,'' it was the older brother this time. He and his friends walked over to her, interrupting her peace. "Shit," muttered Josephine under her breath. They had been bothering her since she came, but this was the first time they were willing to humiliate her in front of everyone.
Josephine also noticed that his friends didn't seem to agree much with his moves, or at least, why he was bothering with all that just to bully a first year, not like they were much older themselves.
''So, how's Hogwarts treating you right now?'' There it was again, those mocking eyes and tone, practically making fun of her. Did he gather the whole hall's attention just to make small talk?
''It's okay,'' she replied swiftly and resumed her pace to escape the awkward situation.
''Hop, not so fast.'' Great.
''I didn't think you would last this long without your mommy telling you what to do.'' That hit a little too close to home for Josephine, and even his friends seemed a little bit surprised. It seemed he didn't give much context to his friends either. Just why was this boy doing this?
''Black, are you really having fun bullying first years?'' Rosier had come to her rescue. Josephine didn't know if she should have been grateful for that or rather be anxious of a fight starting. At his words, Sirius's friend, who was obviously also confused as to why their friend was doing this no matter the cost, took a step ahead.
''Seems like you made a friend, interesting...'' He was about to go on when his taller friend with chestnut hair warned him calmly.
''Sirius, just let it go.'' He chuckled and pleaded innocence, lifting his arms and turning back to go back to his seat when he realized he had the whole school's attention.
Josephine had to admit he was definitely going to be a problem for her. But she simply could not deny that he was nice to look at. He was only one year older, but he had such a mature look to him. Josephine was in denial of her small crush on her future husband. What did the muggle call it Stockholm syndrome?
''What the hell was that, honestly,'' Rosier stated the obvious. Many of the Slytherin uppergrades were intrigued by Josephine's place in the Black business. Why was Sirius Black, who was constantly the talk of the school even if he was only a second year, showing special interest in Josephine?
''He must be mentally unstable,'' said Josephine, hiding her shaking hands under the table to keep her cool façade.
''Actually, I've seen him hit you with those paper bird things on the courtyard the other day. He seemed to be truly enjoying himself,'' Josephine looked around, searching for the intrusive person's face, only to find a girl, seemingly older.
''I am Emma Vanity, pleasure to meet you,'' she smiled and reached her hand out for Josephine to shake. She was hesitant to put her hand up, scared of showing the entirety of her house her weakness and embarrassment, but after a few awkward moments of silence, she shook Emma's hand.
''You know, looking at him, with all his proud 'Gryffindorness', sometimes I think he is more cunning than us all combined,'' she explained mockingly with air quotes. Josephine was curious to know what other people thought about Sirius.
''It must run in the family then,'' one of Regulus's friends stated, elbowing the former. He was only joking, of course, everybody knew that. But the guy, who Josephine had no idea who he was, faced a look that could rival a full-fledged death threat, however. The tension in the air got thick, but only for a moment before the whole table erupted into laughter, loud, free, and unapologetic laughter.
Only one thing was left scratching Josephine's mind: if her parents were all normal Slytherin students like she was now, what happened that turned them into such cruel people?