Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just love to play in this world

Slytherin or To Oneself

Chapter One

by darkportatreides

"Slytherin...," Nick mouthed. The word seems to roll on her tongue and it had put an odd taste to her mouth. The word was new to her but she was familiar to it or so she felt that it was. She scanned the old letter again and frowned at it. "This is very odd," she muttered to herself but then everything had always been odd to Nicole Mane. The fact that her parents and two siblings are raven-haired while she was blond-haired, always struck odd to her. It was odd too that once a woman shrieked when she saw Nick by the chocolate shop. She had looked at the woman and the old-aged, withered lady seemed to cower at her stare. Her brother, Nathan and Neal teased her about some hidden personality underneath her shy personality. She laughed at their jokes but she could not forget the real fear the woman's eyes had portrayed.

She folded the letter and shoved it to her pocket, standing up to stroll a bit. She was getting bored, having been left at home. Nathan had soccer practice and Neal went to his flute lessons. She puffed her cheeks ruefully as she watched a group of pre-teens play basketball and sighed, walking away unnoticed as she arrived. She wished she could play soccer again but she was forbidden by her mother. She said it was unladylike. Nathan had argued on her behalf but mum sometimes could be so set on her views that they had to conform. Her dad did not said anything but she knew he was behind all the sudden withdrawal of their consent. Having soccer lessons meant money to play in the camp. Her dad had always been against wasting money on her. He'd tell her that she'd have to prove that she was worth the effort. Their effort for earning the money. She'd always been the mediocre, he'd always bait her. She'd always stare at the floor and look away when he'd be in his most meanest moods.

But if there was one thing Nick had confidence it was her soccer skills. She was not good at talking to other people, especially in class recitations. She did not have a clue on the going ons of cooking much to her mother's dismay. On the art category... maybe her drumming skills but which were only the basics and nothing extraordinary at all. Soccer was the only one she acknowledged she was good at.

All her life, Nathan the oldest had always been in the limelight. The first honor, the scholar in a very posh private school, the captain of the soccer team, the well-sought in the male category, the everything, Nick thought with some uncomfortable envy. He was not you call handsome but he was charming with his warm brown eyes and ever smiling face. She sighed pathetically. She'd been doing that lately. Ever since she was forbidden to play soccer. Her energy was not being put to use, in any good use. Books and the garden are her only companions these days and her imagination seems to run from her every time she thinks. She needs to produce some better output. And with cheerful Neal constantly pestering her with playing dress up, she was bound to sulk and swim deep into her thoughts...

She contemplated on buying herself an ice cream. She seriously needed a boost, staring at her hazy reflection at the transparent glass. From the view of the casual the onlooker she was just a quiet passerby having some quiet time with herself but she was definitely depressed.

"What a poker-face you are Nick," Nathan would always say in his awed voice. "I reckon you'd be winning every card game," he would predictably continued.

"Don't be dotty." She would mutter, shooting him a mock glare at. "I don't care for card games. Besides gambling is a waste of time and a waste of money. I could save them to buy a couple of sensible books."

"You know what, Nick?! you are such a bookworm. It's a wonder I can stand you." Nathan would have replied with an exasperated expression. Nathan was always badgering her about extracurricular activities that were more people-oriented.

"Well, excuse me. I have such a narrow outlook that my interest are such minimal," she'd shoot him a raspberry then. He would get back to his homework with the resigned, amused face. She'd always thought of taking of picture of him at those time where he would wear his dorkish eyeglasses. He'd always wear contact lenses out of the house. He could be quite vain of his looks, amusing at times, irritating mostly, especially when he was about to go on a date.

She continued her stroll, passing the 24 hours convenience store, the usual beggar of the street and past the CD store. She turned to the corner, remembering to check the price of the book she'd been hungering for when she was pulled from behind. She was so shocked that she was pulled farther into the building before she could kick and struggle.

"What are you-?!", she sputtered, looking behind to look at her abductor. But her attacker was hidden behind a mask, a grossly carved masked of a demon. She grew fearful then. She have heard of these cults before but she'd never really believed their supposedly practices. Sacrificing newly-borns or virgins or raping them. She was a virgin and she could not risk even if this just a group of gangsters thinking of having some fun. She allowed herself to be pulled that her attacker's gripped somehow slackened that she was able to pull her arm. She was running when she bumped into someone hard and bigger than her original attacker. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and she gave a gasp as he pulled her by it.

He pulled her face towards him. She could hear his breathing so near their faces were. She could feel his eyes roaming her face. She could see his shadowed eyes through the mask and their stares locked. She connected her knee to his groin hard then. An ex-soccer player's kick was bound to hurt pretty badly that he instantly doubled over, making a hissing sound. She turned ready for any attacks and she was not disappointed, half a dozen men was circling her which successfully helped recede the red blotches on her cheeks caused by the sudden adrenaline rush.

She quickly grabbed something from the ground. A very hard stick she'd found, which she could use to poke anyone who come too near. It was better than fighting this unfair fight barehanded.

"What do you want from me," she shouted raspyingly, her breathing shallow. This seemed to freeze the entire group who was slowly backing away from her. She was puzzled by this but was grateful for this peculiar reaction.

"I don't know what you want, but I won't tell what you did if you'd just let me go," she said, her voice growing confident as her eyes hastily tried to catch a glimpse of escape. Nobody made a move after they put some distance from her, distance that were not much far, her thoughts registered panicking. She took out the mask of the one she kicked and memorized his blue eyes, the aristocratic nose and the brown hair. When one made a step forward, she raised the stick higher, pointing it at the cloaked figure. And to her silent astonishment, he froze. She then slowly backed away though the door, twenty steps more to get there, she thought. Her eyes looking at them sharply, now that she somehow understood the power she help over them. five more steps, she thought grimly. She saw one jumped towards her intending to tackle her down, she screamed as her stick pointed at the attacker automatically.

It was as if it was was in slow motion. The man was up in the air, his hands, positioned like claws, a stick in his hand, then a light was shooting from her stick, a reddish light that sparked and hit the man on his shoulder. He was blasted to the other side of the room. The others just stared at her, not minding their bloodied companions. There was sunlight and she dashed. She was running pass the Cd store, the beggar, the convenience store. She passed the park court, the boys are still playing vigorous basketball. She was almost hit by a truck due to her haste but miracle of miracles she quickly averted it and was soon at the front porch. She quickly took out her keys, fumbling with it in her panicky state, her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't fit the key to the keyhole. At last she unlocked it and hastily entered the house, slammed the door shut and scanned the house for any intruders. She quickly double bolted the door and ran upstairs, pass the her parent's room, pass Nathan's, pass Neal's until she reached into her own room.

She quickly grabbed her own walking cane, a cane given by her father in case of emergency and hid in her closet. Burying herself with as much stuffed toys as she can, she prayed that her parents would come home soon. The stick was still clasped at her right hand.

CLCLCL

Shouts can be heard from outside, but Nick shut her eyes determinedly. She was sleepy and tired, she wanted to sleep. She was also uncomfortable she thought grumpily as she irritably brushed off the tickling whiskers of a seventh birthday rabbit gift off her cheeks. I kept this one in the closet before. Neal must have been meddling with my stuff again, she thought, snuggling to her familiar pink teddy bear with the lopsided christmas hat. Just like this one...this was supposedly in the cabinet..., she thought sleepily when her eyes flew open.

There she was in her closet, Jack , from the Nightmare before Christmas movie, grinning at her maniacally. She had made a fuss when Chelsea, her best friend, had given her that for a Christmas gift. She remembered she had not talked to her for a week for giving her that demented skeleton. She tensed when she heard some shuffling going on about outside the cabinet. "Where did she put her color pens?" she heard an ever familiar voice.

"Nathan!," she burst, flinging the doors of the cabinet opened. She saw him spun around as she was falling to the ground.

"What the-?! Nick!" Nathan stared at her sprawled figure on the floor. "What have you been doing?" he demanded, glaring at her, patting his chest.

"Would you mind helping me?" she asked, pulling her leg in an attempt to knock off whatever it was that tangled with her foot. Nathan was muttering about heart attacks and surprises, while pulled off the scarf of a bear from around her foot. She stood up slowly, and winced in pain, not anticipating the pain of an apparently twisted foot.

"Care to tell me what have you been doing?," Nathan asked again, although less heatedly as he led her to the bedside. He helped remove her sneakers and socks as so that he could massage it. Since being in sports Neal had always been knowledgeable on massaging. But the way some of his friends would comment and the way some girls would look at him, always made her wonder what else he knew about massaging.

"I've been attacked," she said simply.

"Okay," he said unblinkingly, "where?", massaging her foot.

"The store between the bookstore and the Cd store. Someone dragged me into it, they were 6 of them, i think," she replied, wincing slightly as she felt the pain.

He looked at her quietly then said, "but there is nothing between the bookstore and the the Cd store, unless you count the wall partitioning the former store from the other."

"But...but it's true," she said blushing slightly, a bit embarrassed that he would think that she was just making this up, " one attacked me and i was about to escape when another blocked my way. He grabbed my hair then..." she trailed off, seeing the doubt in her eyes. She shut herself up. Nathan sat down beside her.

"I don't know what's going on in your mind, Nick. But this is too much." Nathan said looking at her in the eye, his mature self showing, " You are already sixteen, not eight, the time when you'd always make up stories to make you interesting."

"But I'm not that person anymore. I'm sixteen as you've said. I'm telling you the truth." she said silently furious that he was accusing her of lies.

"This is not the only way for attention, Nick, you know. You could try better grades, for instance. Dr. Seamur said this is just a phase you would outgrown but that has been seven years pass, Nick. Give mum and dad some slack will you. I know you've been deprived of attention because of Nathan, I know that feeling. But you're almost legal now, two more years. you've got to mature, alright?" Nathan impressing to her the most understanding and mature side of him and she wanted nothing more than to slap him.

"Alright." she said tightly.

"Alright." He said patting her knee affectionately. "C'mon let's cook some dinner. That will surprise mum and dad. Times are hard you know, you can tell by mum and dad's worried faces," he steeled her towards the door, they were in a slow pace as Nick was reluctant to exert much effort to her newly-righted foot. Her eyes found the stick and she knew that all of it happened. She knew she was right and she would not get out of the house without her cane.

CLCLCL

"Nicole, your very quiet today," her mother asked her concernedly. "Are you feeling alright, you look a bit pale." Nick let out a slight smile which she knew would pronounced into a grimace as she felt a heavy lead in her heart.

"I'm alright mum, just needed a bit sleep. Been reading overnight." She took a bit of the fish fillet, tartar sauce then smeared the corners of her mouth.

"You've been reading what?!", her father demanded a bit," Not those cheesy romantic novels, they'd rot your mind more than pot. I hope your not reading that," glaring at her. He'd always been over-reacting over little things.

"No, dad. Been reading Dragons. Chelsea lent it to me...," staring at her half-empty plate, frowning a bit, she drank some juice to cover it. Her eyes travelled toward Nathan who wolfing down his own share of the dinner course.

"Dad, George and I are planning to go to the Photo Expo. It's quite awesome. There would be seminars and exhibits. I was wondering if I could go?"

"Sure as long as homeworks are done."

"Mum can I go to?? I've always wanted to go to one one of those?" Neal said in his usual cheerful voice. Nick could see her mum soften at the lovely, adorable face next to Nick, she could almost barf. "Off course, love. Is the seminar free, Nathan?" their mother turning to their pride, the eldest.

"Unfortunately not, there's a five pounds fee."

"Mum can I just borrow the money?" Neal interrupted, his brown eyes brightening. Their mother took the bait.

"No need to borrow love, you can have it. You've earned it."

Nick knew what was coming next.

"Why don't you go with them, Nick?" why was it always with a booming voice, she thought resentfully. "Go with your brothers. You could always use some new sights."

her father looked at her, grinning, but his eyes were cold. They were always cold, cold hazel eyes, scrutinizing her, always scrutinizing her.

She winced inwardly as she knew what was coming next. "No thanks. I don't feel like it."

The next thing she knew spoon was flying and had smacked her on the cheek squarely. She stared on the table cloth stonily. "You ingrateful. Go to bed right now. You don't have any consideration to others, do you? Can't even say yes to any outings at all." She still stared at the table cloth, fighting back the dread, fears and tears from showing. "That's what I've been telling you Aileen, this ingrateful daughter of yours. Inconsiderate. Chelsea's been teaching you this, isn't she? Teaching you to be cold and unattached to people, isn't she!"

"No, she isn't," she muttered almost inaudibly.

"What did you say?," their father warned.

"No, she isn't father," she repeated.

"Go to your bed right now!," his father ordered.

"Yes, father," She took off without looking anyone in the eye, her eyes determinedly on the ground, her lips set in a grim line. She entered the room quietly and closed the door as quietly as possible. She shuffled across the room and laid on the bed, without changing into her pajamas. She stared at the ceiling. She blinked then and remembered the letter she received earlier. She unfolded it slowly, almost afraid that she'd look at it she would be convinced. She read the letter again through the light coming outside from the lamp posts.

We are waiting for your return

-Slytherin

Author: Thanks for reading! Please Review! This story had been badgering me for months now so it's no wonder that it had evolved into like this. If you have any ideas or you'd like to make a story about Snape/Hermoine or Lily/James, you can tell me. I wanted to write about them but haven't the any clue on any concept yet so been playing with OCs. hehehehe. happy days! (although in my school it's going to be a hell week, finals and project and stuff). I've got some nerve writing fanfic when I have loads of projects to finish. Anyway, happy day and please read a review.