Hello all, and welcome to my latest story, Alice in Dracoland. This chapter is sort of a test to see whether people like it or not, and to get more ideas on whether or not I should add more or not. The character's name is in the summary, so if you're wondering what her name is...you should probably check that out. I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own any of the characters that I didn't make up myself. I hope that this story exceeds my other stories so that I will be able to truly write what I see in this tale, and perhaps end it with over twenty chapters. I hope that you, the reader, will read and review with meaning. This story is supposed to take off during Half-Blood Prince, and may contain some similar things throughout the story. :3

I was just about to ring my neck at the end of last year. There was an incessant buzzing around me, constantly, and it was driving me absolutely mad. Then came the three months of summer, a time I could truly look forward to since I always spent it with the most pleasant people on the planet...well, there's one exception to that statement.

I grew up without a father, mainly because he was hospitalized after my younger sister's birth. He was a muggle-born man whose family had a history of schizophrenia. Whilst he was a wizard, he was also insane, and it pained my family so. He ended up being hit by a train in a panicked suicide the day we were to visit him. He didn't recognize us.

My mother took the hit rather hard, for he had been the love of her life, ever since they'd met in Hogwarts first year. I took it rather hard, as well, and have had anxiety about going on trains for years. For Matilda...she wasn't old enough to fully understand the circumstances, but I believe that deep down inside, she knew. I just hope that, to this day, she knows that it wasn't her fault. It would break my heart if her smiles were all lies.

About a year later, we had several new family members. Mum's sister, Renée, moved in to help her cope with the loss, and six months later, she'd remarried. In all honesty, I am not very fond of my stepfather. I don't trust him. He most certainly is not my father. And he's done only things to prove me right. Although I know that he is a terrible man, I simply cannot let my mother suffer another heartbreak. Matilda is rather lucky she's the favorite. But I'm very worried that, someday, he might strike her as well.

There's a bit of a strangeness within my family. It's really rather odd. While everyone in my household has been sorted into Gryffindor at some point, I, myself, had been placed in Slytherin. The only other exception in the house was Steven, our stepfather, who was a former Ravenclaw. Perhaps the reason he hates me so much is because I'm in the house that no one likes, the house that only power-hungry Death Eaters are sorted into. I, however, believe the hat made a mistake. A rather terrible mistake.

I don't belong in Slytherin. It's a fact. I know it, they know it, everyone knows it. And they've put me on their radar for the past four and a half years. Only because of one small, trivial matter. I turned down the great Draco Malfoy. To them, he was a god. To me, he was a demon. A demon who never got over being dumped in public. What a wuss. And to my dismay, the infamous Pansy Parkinson who was always glued to his face these days, had led the witch hunt.

I'd been subjected to many pranks and violent attacks, although I'm thankful not to receive them daily. These days, the girls are afraid. They've been scared by many of the odd things that have been going on around the school, rumors of Dementors and Death Eaters roaming the grounds to eat their precious youth...if only that were true. So I was lucky to get a break from the obsessive catfights they so insisted on having from month to month. And with the school upgrading its magical shielding protection for this year, maybe I'll be free for two to three months at a time. Unless I'd been assigned to the same room as Pansy this time. Hopefully, not again. I didn't enjoy seeing her snogging most all the guys in the house all throughout the night, many times the partner being Malfoy. Yech.

As we unboarded the Hogwarts Express (which the time I spent with my nose in a book), the level of security and constant worry intensified. I grimaced as I felt the familiar chill of Dementors sweeping the skies above. As long as they aren't allowed inside the school...

A group of unsorted first years shoved past me, dragging me from my thought. Although it was true that I had been in the way, I wasn't about to let them treat an upperclassmen with disrespect. I confronted them easily, grabbing the nearest little boy by the hood of his cloak. He let out a surprisingly high-pitched cry as the other two turned to see what the ruckus was about. I stared at them apathetically, watching them cower under my gaze. The one on the right, a red-haired little bugger with freckles decorating his cheeks, decided to speak out against me oh-so-confidently.

"Wh-what're you doing, huh? Let 'im go!" he squeaked.

I chuckled, amused by his fail attempt to be demanding.

"No."

The expressions on their faces turned rather sour, becoming a mix of shock, fear, and false confidence. They nearly questioned me with their wide eyes.

"Not until you apologize to me for being disrespectful."

The three of them looked at each other with incredulous expressions. The boy to the left smirked. He seemed to forget that his friend was still in my clutches, and that I was a much older and far more experienced student than him. It certainly didn't take much to figure out where his head was as he looked me up and down, the red-head following his gaze. God, this is why I despise first years. I was nowhere nearly as disgusting and stupid as these kids were.

I yanked the prisoner farther away from them and drew my wand. I wasn't about to get my ass in trouble with the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore at a time like this, but I figured a few threats would do the trick. The kid I was holding on to didn't do much but whimper the entire time, which pissed me off to no end. I pointed my wand at his neck, giving his two companions a terrifying glare.

"Apologize now, or the kid gets hurt. If you're alright with that, then I'll hex you until you cry for your mummies to come change your drawers."

The two kids did the unimaginable: they ran. I cursed angrily, shoving the kid in my possession away.

"Looks like you need better friends." I stated, glancing at the child who cowered in fear before me. "Oh, Jesus what a wimp. No wonder they abandoned you. Go on, get out of here."

Once the kid skedaddled, I noticed the time. The platform was nearly empty, and there were few self pulling carriages left. "Shoot," I muttered under my breath. I began to move forward when someone shoved right past me, knocking me a few steps forward. I wasn't looking forward to scaring another round of underclassmen, but I turned to confront either way.

To my surprise, it was none other than the spiteful Draco Malfoy, who looked rather foul this lovely night. He scowled as he scanned my face, rolled his eyes, and then forcefully knocked his shoulder into mine, again forcing my feet to move unwillingly.

Aghast, and completely annoyed, I called out to him. Rather loudly, too.

"Malfoy, what's your malfunction? Did someone forget to bring your pacifier? Is that why you're having a fit?"

Sure, there was no fit that I had seen, but his attitude certainly clarified my point. He turned back to me briefly, shooting me a deadly glare I was sure to regret, and briskly continued his stomping as he turned around the corner. Remembering that I, myself, had somewhere to go, I quickly ran after him, passing a woman as I leaped into the nearest carriage and headed off to the castle atop the mountain.

Again, I would like to note that this is a test/first chapter, just to see what I can do to improve. :3 Read and review meaningfully, please.