So being clever is a sin now?

A/N: Hello all! This is the story of an OC WHO IS NOT A MARY-SUE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! whose name is… You know what, can't think of… Ooh I know! How about… Kayla? No… Sarah? No… Argh! This is infuriating! How about I just go to Google… Okay, how about Ida? Ida is nice. I like the name Ida. Okay, Ida it is. Oh, and call me Max. It's obviously not my real name, but I've always liked the name Max.

So, R&R! And this takes place during The Chamber of Secrets. I have a reason for this, I'm going to give little Ida a tough time … And this has canon pairings, except for one or two. No HarryxOC here.

And, sadly, I don't own Harry Potter. Lucky J. K. Rowling…

Ch. 1-

Ida pulled herself out of the grip of her mother. "Mom, I'll be fine! Really!" Her mom had been fretting over her ever since she found out that Voldemort-ahem, You-Know-Who had actually been at Hogwarts. Not all pure-blood families were Death Eaters-a stereotypical idea which was quite widely used in the Wizarding world. Ida just prayed that she wouldn't be placed in Slytherin-she didn't need yet another stain on her reputation.

"Mom, the train's leaving! I gotta go!" Ida yelped and ran towards the gleaming red train. "Be careful!" she heard her mom call. Ida rolled her eyes. Sheesh, she worries too much. What are the odds of something exciting happening in MY first year? God forbid that I be involved in something INTERESTING for once! Only later would Ida think back on this and realize that she really ought to be careful what she wished for…

xxx-At Hogwarts, Sorting-xxx

Ida mulled over what she had seen on the boat ride. While Hogwarts was spectacular, a flying car crashing into the Whomping Willow was certainly a bit more pizzazz-like…? She was brooding over it so deeply that her name had to be called multiple times before she heard it.

"Eakins, Ida? Eakins, Ida! EAKINS, IDA!" Ida snapped out of her little thought bubble and ran to the Sorting Hat, embarrassed. So much for becoming the new popular kid, not that she would have much choice with Harry Potter around…

A little crush, eh? A voice spoke in her mind.

Hey, don't surprise me like that! And I don't like Harry Potter! Ida whined.

The Sorting Hat chuckled. Believe what you want to believe. Now, let's see… You are a little smarter than the average person, but definitely not too wise. There is a big difference between the two.

Ida felt warmth rushing into her cheeks. The Sorting Hat wasn't much of a self-esteem booster, was it?

Not much bravery, either…

Ida was sure that everyone in the Great Hall could see her blushing.

You have loyalty, but it only goes so far. You're a bit lazy, too-always accomplishing what is needed, no more, no less.

Heck, people in California could probably see her blushing.

While you're not wise, you certainly are clever… Hmm, what's this? Well, you seem to be rather ambitious if you want to accomplish this, don't you? And you're a pureblood… Well, that settles it!

Oh no… Ida could see where this was going.

"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat barked out.

Ida slowly made her way over to the sea of black and green robes, trembling and trying to ignore the glares that the other houses were giving her. She was one of them now. A snake. A sneaky, conniving, lying Death-Eater-to-be. Whenever someone was sorted into one of the other houses, she looked at them longingly, wishing to be in their place. You don't know how lucky you are, she would think sourly. There was no way that she could be friends with Harry Potter now. It was well-known how he defeated You-Know-Who, how would he be associated with a house full of Dark witches and wizards?

The blonde boy in front of her turned around and smirked. "You're new, aren't you? My name's Draco, Draco Malfoy." He stuck out his hand to shake.

Ida's mom had always whispered into her ear to never trust a Malfoy. They were the poster boys and girls for Head Death Eater. Sirius Black, the known mass murderer, was related to the Malfoys. Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange were the Death Eaters closest to Voldemort when he was at large. Who was to say that Draco Malfoy wouldn't follow in his parents' footsteps? In fact, Ida thought while looking at the boy, Draco was perfect for playing the role of Death Eater mini-edition. Proud, arrogant… Smarmy little bloke. Draco's hand was still extended. "Well?" he said pompously.

On a sudden burst of bravery, Ida said coldly, "The Eakins does not associate with little gits like you." Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up for a moment. First, where did that fancy language come from? And flaunting her pureblood family status here would get her nowhere! The other houses would hate her-and think she was a Dark wizard too-, and so would Slytherin house for being part of a family that didn't care about being pureblood.

Draco's smirk turned quickly to a scowl. "You're one of them? Next, you're going to say that you're in love with Harry Potter."

Ida quickly glanced down to the picture of Harry Potter in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. It was in a red heart with stars all around it, and maybe smudges from… Um… Lips? Ida opened her mouth to spit back a witty retort. All that came out was "Ummmmm…"

Draco looked at the picture that Ida was holding and sneered. "Ugh. It's a pity to see how far the pureblood families have gone. Well, be consoled with the fact that you're not the lowest of the low. I mean, look at the Weasleys!" He said in disgust, gesturing to the Gryffindor table. There, several people with vibrant red hair were talking with each other: A girl that seemed around Ida's age, two identical teens, a pompous-looking prat, and…

"Huh," Draco said in slight surprise. "That Ron Weasley's gone. Good riddance. Hopefully, Potter's gone with him." Ignoring the blonde idiot, Ida began to eat some chicken, then dived into the food. Just because they were pure-blood didn't mean that they were rich; well, okay, they were rich. They lived in a mansion, yes, but as Ida's mother was all for civil liberties, there was no house-elf. And Ida's parents weren't exactly gourmet chefs. A chicken leg, a bowl of mashed potatoes, and a pile of green beans were history in moments.

As soon as Ida scraped her plate off and stuffed any remainder of food into her mouth, the plates became sparkling clean and on them appeared desserts of all kinds.

Ida immediately helped herself to a heaping mound of peppermint humbugs, suddenly aware of the strange looks she was getting from the others. She bit into one, chewed it, and swallowed it… And then noticed that quite a few of the other students in the other houses were looking at her like "What is she, a frog? A bat?" Ida shrunk down in her seat. This was going to be a long year for little Ida Eakins.

A/N: What do you guys think? If she still seems Mary-Sueish, I'll try my best to push Ida down her high-and-mighty pedestal. Tell me in a review, thanks for reading!

egummybear OUT!