Nicolette was born on a cool June night in 1980. Her family hoped she would grow to be a witch, as they were pure-bloods, but she was such a gift that she would be treasured even if she did turn out a squib.

When she was born, though, her parents quickly banished any imaginations of their daughter not being magical. Within seconds, it became clear that she was an metamorphmagus. Her hair had changed from light brown to light blue and back within minutes of her birth. She never cried, instead she giggled at every coo from her mother and every charm that her father performed in front of her. Her hair steadily stayed brown, sometimes light and sometimes dark. Unless she played a game or got startled, it never changed drastically.

As a child, she mingled with other pure-blood families. Even some half-blood children found themselves as her playmate.

Lily Evans was a friend of her mother, so she became acquainted with their son.Harry became a friend. Being less than two months apart, they grew up most of their first year of life together, progressing at the same time. They both rode toy brooms together, and enjoyed the same fairy tales. On his first birthday, though, she got sick with an unexplained disease-or curse-and couldn't even get out of bed for nearly 4 months. Since Harry's parents had been murdered at 3 months after his birthday, he had to live with his aunt from his muggle mother's side, she could no longer play with him. Nevertheless, she never forgot her playmate, and made new ones until the eventual day she vowed that she would find him again.

She constantly played dress-up with the two Greengrass girls from when she turned 8 months up until her third birthday, though she only started playing with them regularly when she was one and a half. Daphne got into a large fight with her on her birthday, which she is to young to remember, though-something about an illness and Astoria, the same illness from Harry's first birthday-and stopped playing with the girls altogether.

She met Pansy Parkinson in July of 1983, and the two 3 year old girls became immediate friends. Pansy had nicknamed her 'Colette' and she nicknamed Pansy 'Parks', and they hadn't called each other by anything else since.

The two girls loved obsessing over their hair together. Colette grew hers out long and wavy while Parks kept hers at a straight lob. Every year on Easter, they'd cut each other's bangs in whichever style they thought newest and best. They typically ended up with uneven bangs that took until July to grow out. It became a sort of tradition between the both of them.

At first, their parents warned against it, but after 3 years even they stopped scolding and merely laughed at the hairstyles and assisting in fixing them.

The girls bonded over their love for nature. Parks loved swimming while Colette loved flowers. They found a small lake near Colette's family manor, and built a small fort and garden along its edge. They spent most of their nights there.

Because Colette grew listening to Lily's muggle music, the girls charmed a record player and swam while listening to music. They grew into fashion at 7 together, and more often than not could be found playing with dresses as well outdoors.

When they were both 9, they started having sleepovers in their fort. One night, during a now-regular sleepover, Colette woke in the middle of the night. She saw a woman who would later be revealed to her as Sybill Trewalney. That night, a prophecy was predicted. 

The woman fled after, feeling woozy and desperate to get home. Colette's hair turned a sheet white that night, and though her parents found her crying in that spot early the next morning and obliviated her memory of its events, that color it remained.

The girls found fun in wearing bold colors with their hair as they contrasted with white and black. Colette spent more time outside in the day, as she was no longer permitted after sunset, and became a deep tan, while Parks, who remembered what happened to Colette, stayed inside besides the occasional swimming outing that included their families, grew pale.

They both grew a strong love for flower-centered fashion, and spent hours designing and sewing dresses for each other. Colette started singing, while Parks started painting. They started spending more time together doing these selective activities whenever they ran low on fabric, thread, or dress style inspiration.

When July of 1991 came around, they both eagerly awaited their Hogwarts acceptance letters. Colette knew that Astoria Greengrass wouldn't be going to Hogwarts that year, she hoped that Harry would be attending. She spent hours singing softly and stargazing, imagining what the school year would bring once the letter arrived. 

Parks began spending time at Malfoy Manor with Lucius and Narcissa's son, while Colette began imagining which house she would be in and what friends she would make. She wished that she had remained friends with Daphne, who had already been going to the school for quite some time now. But she had to accept the fact that she would be going in only knowing Parks and vaguely remembering Harry.

She hadn't seen the latter in a decade, yet somehow knew he wouldn't get along with her only other friend. While it was never a problem between the two, she knew the Parkinson family were pure-blood supremacists, and she remembered Harry to be only a half-blood. She knew Harry was famous, but Parks' father lost some of his reputation with the demise of Voldemort, so Parks wouldn't like him for his fame.

Colette knew nothing about Harry's personality, but she felt Parks would have enough reasons to dislike him already to care to grow and like it. 

She was going in to school with one, possibly two, friends that were sure to dislike each other. No siblings or older friends, possibly with one older enemy, and no idea of what to expect.

She got into a fight with Parks the day of the Diagon Alley trip to pick up school supplies that she only went to Ollivanders alone to get a wand, then Madam Malkins for new robes while her parents got her books, an owl, and other supplies before Apparating home holding their hands and going to her room for the day.

When Parks didn't respond to her letter of apology sent by Colette's new owl, her hair turned a temporary raven black. She watched the stars that night alone by the lake, unaware of Parks watching her and painting the scene. (The picture at the top of the chapter)

The painting was sent to Colette the day before the trip on the Hogwarts express. It came with a short note of apology from Parks. She packed the painting into her trunk while her hair faded back to white.