This is the preview to the story that I've wanted to put on fanfiction for a while now. The Harry Potter fandom is a very intimidating place. There are so many good writers out there and so many diehard Harry Potter fans and I don't want to disappoint anyone. So I've finally worked up the courage to start posting this story and hopefully people enjoy what I've written.

I'd love to get some feedback just on the introduction before I post more of the story and make sure my OC Valerie isn't a Mary Sue. I know I don't have much in this first section, but I have 10,000 words ready to be posted once I do the final edits, additions, and hopefully get some feedback.

Thanks so much for visiting my story!

The Beginning

Her stomach curdled as she examined the faces of her friends, each word however made the smirk on her face grow to show her feigned excitement. They spoke about the war again, not too in-depth because after all it was the great hall, and she wasn't exactly apart of the inner sanctum.

"But I mean in all honesty I don't understand how Dumbledore can let all these mudbloods roam ours halls," spoke Mulciber. "I thought he was all for learning. How am I supposed to learn when they're around dirtying up the air?"

Valerie sighed, "Perhaps, so when we leave here we know what to watch out for."

"Heh, you mean aim for," Avery chuckled.

She examined her perfectly manicured nails, "exactly." And the conversation continued, she had put in her say, what she called the mudblood quota, and now allowed herself to remain quiet. Just say a few mean things a day about muggle borns and you're set, or in her case a little more than set. Lately Valerie found her self becoming unwillingly pulled into the inner circle of the Slytherin; a very dangerous place to be if you weren't truly meant to be there. The thought made her inwardly cringe, but her bored expression remained bolted to her face. Another rule she created to get by was to keep your face clear at all times. Emotions show weakness and weakness was disgusting. It was true she didn't exactly believe what everyone else preached, but she still wanted to uphold the Slytherin standards and the standards of her family. She was cunning, in control, smart, and of course she'd look out for one of her own, even it was just to keep her house from looking bad.

It hadn't used to be so hard. Last year it seemed almost easy. She had been dating Regulus Black and allowed herself to believe she had fallen in love. Though they were very young he gave her somewhere to escape to. When she felt insecure about what she believed he would hold her. He listened and didn't judge her, and more importantly didn't use her words against her. At least he hadn't at first. Her relationship with him was what initially put her on the social map. Bellatrix always took a personal interest in Regulus's relationships to make sure he was upholding the Black family values. After their messy breakup over the summer she overcompensated by verbally lashing out at muggle borns and Gryffindor's. She actively participated in conversations about the war. She was worried that her break-up would lower her social status to non-existent or worse make people suspect her as a blood traitor. After all their relationship had been over his obsession with the dark lord. Apparently she had gone a little overboard because not only had the break-up been forgotten, but also the most popular students in her house accepted her. Which was ironic because they too had been a reason she and the Regulus had parted ways.

However, she was no longer sad about the relationship. It took her the rest of the summer in her room to realize it, but what they had wasn't much of a relationship. She had been drowning in Slytherin and he had been the one to temporality pull her out of the water. The only regret she had was that now she was stuck more then ever pretending. Not to mention the constant fear that Regulus would rat her out for the fake she was.

Her family wasn't making things easier either. When she announced she was dating a Black they were overjoyed and began to focus on her for the first time in her life. Up until then they only had eyes for her brother Vincent. But when she told them of her break-up they seemed more upset then she did. Her mother had practically begged Valerie to go over to Regulus's house and stay there till he took her back. Her parents were determined marriage was the only way she would get somewhere in life. When she refused to comply with them she had been locked in her room for most of the summer. She now had their complete attention, but the catch was it was negative attention. She was a disappointment to them.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a fittingly uproarious laughter from the Gryffindor table. It generated from the most rambunctious troublemakers since the Prewitt twins roamed the halls, not that she had seen much them since she had only been in her first year, but she had heard the stories. It seemed that the four boys felt it necessary to try and start a food fight, though no one else appeared to be joining in. McGonagall made her way over to the table to give them detention and hopefully take house points; it was Slytherins year to take the House Cup.

She looked around, during her inner thoughts most of her friends had cleared out. Valerie was left with mostly younger students, Regulus included; the laughter at the Gryffindor table had drawn his attention, though for an entirely different reason. Last year she would've have comforted him and talked to him about his brother but instead she rose from her seat and decided to make her way back to the common room, hopefully she wouldn't run into any mudbloods, she was much to tired to come up with insults.

Her journey downstairs to the common room was uneventful as she had hoped, and now she lay comfortably in her silver sheets, curtains pulled closed. So far it was a decent start to the year. Her and Regulus were civilly ignoring one another and she was still on good terms with her roommates Katherine, Viola, and Alecto. She only hoped it would continue to be as quiet as tonight, there was only two years left no reason to introduce new conflict now.

Thank you for reading. Review if you liked it or if you have feedback on what I can work on!