"Slytherin!"

Ochako stood, handing the sorting hat to Professor Yamada and turned towards the table of green and silver.

She wasn't really surprised to be where she was. Her ambitions to make something of herself, so that she could help her parents...well she'd always been very goal oriented. Very cunning and ambitious about it.

Of course, she hadn't expected magic to be a thing. She was what this world called muggleborn, a witch born to non-magical parents.

It…certainly explained some of the strange incidents of her childhood at any rate. Like the time she erased gravity for her room and everything just went...everywhere. (That actually seemed to be a common result of her losing control of her magic. It happened often whenever her temper was tested enough.)

Her parents had put up with every accidental burst of magic Ochako had used as a kid, had never turned against her, never called her unnatural, or a freak, They'd never loved her any less for being different, they were her everything, and she'd burn the world for them.

Finding out she had magic? She could help her parents so much with magic. All she had to do was learn. And if she could make something of herself while she was here? Well- the goblins exchanged currency all the time- she'd seen it herself when she went to get the wizarding world money for her supplies.

(She'd had a silent heart attack when she realized the coins were made out of actual precious metals. That she was holding real literal gold in her hands. Gold, silver and bronze.)

It would be simple to exchange some of her magical money for money her parents could use. She knew better than to test the goblins by trying to sell of the precious metals they had made into money.

She held her head high as she slid into place at her table, her eyes drifting up to the head table, meeting the black eyes of her head of house- Aizawa Shouta- and nodding at him. He looked sleepy, but his eyes were sharp, and he nodded back.

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Katsuki wasn't surprised that Izumi had ended up in Hufflepuff. He rolled his eyes. His mom was never going to shut up about this, she'd joked about "Slyther-Puff" friendships over their childhood all the time. Now that she was 'being proved right'? She'd be insufferable.

(He ignored the voice in his head that sounded much like his childhood friend, that said he would do the same in her place.)

He'd been looking forward to this since he was four and had taken his mom's wand for the first time, felt his magic rising in his core. He'd been excited for Hogwarts even before that-watching magic be used around his home. Izumi had been excited too, and the both of them had talked about magical theory for ages.

Even before they had understood what they were doing, they had liked to talk about magic and how it worked, how it could be made better.

He looked over his fellow first years, wondering what this first year at Hogwarts would be like, and who of this group would be worth it.

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Ochako had a thing about bullies. Namely, she tended to fight them. She'd spent most of her childhood needing to be very, very careful with family money. Meaning she'd needed to wear secondhand clothing, did without a lot of luxuries most people considered a given now, was used to using worn and older models or clothes.

She'd had her fair share of bullies, and had learned to stand up to them.

Which is why she'd gotten between the other first years, and a set of third years. It didn't matter that they were more experienced with magic, and kami knew what they could or would do to her. It mattered that someone was messing with the first year Hufflepuff girl, and Ochako wasn't going to let it happen in front of her.

"Hey! Back off!"

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Ochako sat still as Healer Chiyo worked on healing the bruises on her face, listening as the older woman lectured her about picking her battles.

She didn't regret it, and smiled at the other girl who sat in the bed across from her, having already been lectured and healed.

Her name was Midoriya Izumi, and she hadn't taken the attack from the older Ravenclaws laying down. She'd defended herself, and when Ochako had gotten involved, had backed her up without hesitation instead of running off.

As the ache of the bruise on her cheek faded, Ochako's smile widened.

It had been worth it, especially if it ended with a new friend!

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Midoriya Izumi- she'd told Ochako to call her Deku, that all her friend's did- dragged her over to the Slytherin table, and then over to a blonde boy in her House, calling "Kacchan!"

Ochako blinked when she realized that it was Bakugou Katsuki, and that Deku had called him Kacchan. That he had allowed it, and responded to it.

He turned, and his eyes narrowed and his head tilted just the slightest bit when he saw her.

"Oi, Deku, Who's the round face?"

ROUND FACE?

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Ochako wasn't...exactly sure when it had started.

Bakugo was loud, and obnoxious, and proud. He was ambitious and focused. He was brash, and determined.

And he was kind, in his own way, and extremely loyal.

(Deku liked to joke he had gotten it from growing up with her Mother and herself, both Puffs all the way through)

She wasn't sure when she had gone from 'Deku's round face friend' to 'one of mine' in Bakugou's head, but she had. She had, and the viciousness with which Bakugou lashed out at the Claws (the same three upper years who Izumi and she had thrashed, out for revenge) that had attacked her proved it.

"DIE you stupid motherfucking halfwits! I'll fucking end you, what the actual FUCK?"

Ochako shuddered on the ground, trying to work through whatever curse had been flung at her. It had hurt, whatever it was.

A lot.

Bakugou- Katsuki?- hadn't taken it well.

At all.

She hoped these idiots hadn't done anything to Izumi.

(She would later find out that they had, and that Kirishima- another Hufflepuff, and good friends with all of them- hadn't taken it well either.)

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Ochako fidgeted in place, tugging on the sundress she was wearing. It was white with pink cherry blossoms charmed to blow across the dress in pretty patterns. It had been a gift from Deku, who had gotten it when she saw how enchanted Ochako had been with her first piece of magical clothing.

Izumi had also been the one to share the secret to the Hogwarts kitchens, so that Ochako could thank Katsuki- and it was Katsuki, he'd given her permission after the whole mess- for coming to her aid with the upper years.

She was nervous.

Which was stupid, it was only Katsuki.

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Their year at Hogwarts came to an end, and Ochako was sad to see it go. But she was thrilled to be going back home to her parents, and her friends had promised to send her letters, and possibly call her if they could get away it. They'd promised to meet up over the summer too.

It was nice to have good friends like this.

She pet the white feathers of the owl Katsuki had shoved at her for her birthday, muttering that it's 'roundness had reminded him of her'.

She'd named the owl- in fact very rounded looking thanks to her feathers- Mochi, and absolutely adored her.

As she headed for the Hogwarts Express, she couldn't help but wonder what their next years at Hogwarts would be like.