Chapter One:

She had known before she had ever set foot on the Hogwarts Express, that the sorting hat would sing before the actual sorting began. But she hadn't been told how stale the song was going to be. She sighed and looked over at her brother, a sneer of contempt creeped onto his face.

"Draco." She said quietly. Draco rolled his eyes at her, but didn't bother to school his expression, why should he? She gave up and looked around the hall, surrounding her were her could be housemates. She recognized a few of them, others were complete mysterious. Were they pureblood, half-blood or muggleborns? She, herself, knew that she, deep down didn't care. They were all here to learn, same as her. The school song came to an end, and she raised her hands to clap, but her brother glared at her, his own hands folded across his chest. He refused to clap for that, so she followed his lead.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, in her hands she held a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and the hat shall be placed on your head and you shall be sorted." She said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, the hat was placed on her head and she sat down, the hat fell over her eyes. A moment's pause…

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted and the table on the far left burst into cheers. She saw Draco's lip curl and she could tell what he was thinking. Hufflepuff were branded the weak and the unwanted ones, she would rather be placed in Gryffindor then be in Hufflepuff.

The sorting carried one, with Bones, Susan also went to Hufflepuff, and Boot, Terry to Ravenclaw, as did Brocklehurst, Mandy. She smiled as her friend Bustrode, Millicent was sent to Slytherin, Millie was one of the few children, she was allowed to hang around with. While she'd been thinking, McGonagall had called out several more names, the next to be called with Granger, Hermione. She finally had a name to put the face of the annoying girl that had gone round the entire train looking for a toad. If she had to admit it, she knew she would have joined Hermione Granger to help look for the pet, but her brother took control of the situation and Granger had left the compartment almost in tears.

She raised her eyebrows as she heard the hat call out Gryffindor, she'd expected Ravenclaw for Granger. Finally, Morag MacDougal was sorted and finally it was Draco's turn.

"Malfoy, Draco" McGonagall called. Her brother strode confidently towards the stool, sat and then the hat was being placed on his head. It touched the tip of his head before the hat called out.

"SLYTHERIN!" Draco smirked, as if he had known all along that the hat would call out Slytherin. After Draco had taken his seat at the Slytherin table, her name was called out.

"Malfoy, Gemini."

Gemini stepped forward and forced herself to raise her head, she was putting on a confident air, after all Malfoy's never show fear. She sat down on the stool and McGonagall put the hat on her head. She waited, repeating the house Slytherin over and over in her head.

"Slytherin, hmmm?" The hat said. "That's where all Malfoy's want to be."

Of course Geminireplied in her head. It's the only honourable house in the school. She felt the hat chuckle at her statement, but it was laughing more out of mocking than amusement.

"The only honourable house?" questioned the hat. "Tell me what you really think of all the houses?" He asked.

Slytherin takes after the honourable Salazar Slytherin, only taking the purest of mind and blood, Ravenclaw is almost as good as Slytherin, where the those who seek knowledge go, but they have less ambition, less drive than Slytherins. Gryffindor is where the foolhardy, reckless and more often than not, stupid go and Hufflepuff…Hufflepuff is worse than Gryffindor, for that is where the cowards, weak ones and unwanted go. Gemini said, repeating what she had been told for many years. The hat chuckled mockingly once more.

"Gemini Malfoy, I see all in these young student's heads, tell me what you really think of the Houses" The hat asked.

I think that there is no good house, each house has it's good and bad points, Slytherin for example, it's great because people are ambitious, but it's got a bad reputation, which separates it from the rest of the school and the people in it don't do anything to help it.

Gemini said, she could feel herself shaking a little. If she had told anyone else her view point, her father would have cursed her.

"Gemini, I think Slytherin would do you no good. The house which actually suits you quite well is….

HUFFLEPUFF!"

You could hear a pin drop in the Great Hall, no one moved and there was certainly no applause. Gemini shook as she stood up.

"There must be some mistake!" Draco called from the Slytherin table. "She belongs in Slytherin, not with the cowardly weak Hufflepuffs!"

"Mister Malfoy." Said Professor McGonagall. "Please seat down and be quiet. Miss Malfoy, please go join your housemates at the Hufflepuff table. Gemini nodded and slowing began to walk over to the table. Suddenly someone started clapping. She looked up from the floor to see an older boy smiling at her, as he applauded, he nudged his friends into doing the same and gradually the whole of Hufflepuff was applauding. They all looked confused, but not hostile.

She took a seat at the end of the table, next to Susan Bones. She felt tears prick at her eyes, what would her parents say? She looked over at Draco, who had a funny expression on his face, it was a mixture of contempt and sadness. She looked over at the sorting hat, as Harry Potter, famous Harry Potter, she could hear her brother say in her head, be sorted into Gryffindor.

A stab of jealousy and anger ripped through her as she saw Blaise Zabini be sorted into Slytherin. She wanted to cry out at the unfairness of it all. Zabini wasn't ambitious or cunning and yet, he got into Slytherin, so why not her? She took a deep breath and looked up at the headmaster. Well, there was nothing she could do about it now.

"Welcome!" Called out Headmaster Dumbledore. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and here they are Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

The headmaster took his seat as the hall applauded. Gemini did slowly. She looked up to see Hannah Abbott, who had been sitting in front of her, to be replaced by an older student, she bore the prefect badge.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"No. I don't know" Gemini said. The girl nodded and now looked sympathetic.

"I've heard about the Malfoy family, my father works for the ministry, so he's met your father a few times. I understand Malfoy, that Hufflepuff wouldn't have been your first choice, it wasn't mine. But you'll find friends, like I did. I'm Eloise, Eloise Boot." Eloise held out her hand and Gemini gingerly took it. Eloise looked pleased as she drew back her hand. Gemini barely listened to the other first years around him. She had been looking over at the Slytherin table, wishing that she was there, with her brother next to her, where she was supposed to be.

As the food disappeared at last, Professor Dumbledore stood again. The hall felt silent.

"Ahem…just a few more words now that we are all fed. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. A few of our older students would do well to remember that. I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

"Quidditch trials shall be held in the second week of term, anyone interested in playing for their team, should contact Madame Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Several people laughed at this and Gemini looked around, her brother looked serious. This would be reported back to their father.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore said. At the staff table, the teacher was smiling, but it looked forced. Gemini glanced around at the Hufflepuffs, and saw that most of them were smiling. Dumbledore gave his wand a flick and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the table and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. "Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore. "And off we go!"

Gemini's hand flew up to her ears as the sound of the school singing off key reached her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the racket would stop. No one was singing the sae tune, or at the same pace. Beneath the table, someone nudged his foot, Gemini looked up to see Eloise nodding towards the banner. Gemini shook her head and looked down. Eloise shrugged and carried on bellowing out the school song.

"Ah, music," said Dumbledore as it finally came to an end. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The students and staff rose and at each table, the older students were calling out follow me and leading the younger ones out of the hall towards their house dormitories. Gemini followed the tide of Hufflepuff students. She followed them down the stair in the opposite direction of the dungeons, where Gemini knew the Slytherin house was. She grimaced a little as she saw the common room, it was done in a very bright yellow with dark black edging it. Gemini watched as everyone stay in the armchairs, couches or on the floor around her. She took a seat on the floor, it was done in a soft black colour and was very comfortable. A few moments later, the door to the common room opened again and in came Professor Sprout, the head of house for Hufflepuff.

"Well, hello Hufflepuffs!" She said excitedly. "I just wanted to give you the basics tonight, because I know you're all probably very tired. Boys' and girls' dormitories are separated and there is one dorm for each year within that. You'll shall be receiving your timetables tomorrow at breakfast. Please obey Professor Dumbledore's instructions regarding the off limits area."

"Beyond that, I've only got two more things to say; as your head of house. I hope that you will feel free to come to be with any problems you should encounter, I am here for you no matter what. Now last but not least, Hufflepuff is often side-lined as a house, but we have an advantage few realize exist. It's true Hufflepuff 'took the rest' as the Sorting Hat says, but that does not mean that Hufflepuff consists of mediocre witches and wizards—instead it means that here in this house we combine the traits of all the other three. Our house's founder strove for unity, I want you all to remember that and do the same. Strive every day to embody the qualities of all the houses of Hogwarts; and it will make the best witch or wizard out of you that you can possibly be.

Gemini did not owl her father immediately that night, for she didn't know what to say. She sighed as she saw the other four of her female classmates' chatter into the night. She rolled over and looked out the enchanted window. Maybe Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad.

Word Count: 1998

AN: Hey, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, as I did reading it. This original story came from the idea of a student who hated his house. I decided that Hufflepuff isn't a house that many people like, although I think it's a brilliant house. So I chose it to be that one.

Anyway please follow favourite and review if you want and I hope to see you here next time I upload a chapter.