A Secretive Smile From a Sneering Slytherin

Full Summary: Maria Flint lives a double life. One side of her life, she's the younger sister of Marcus Flint, typical pureblood, Slytherin seventh year, daughter of a Death Eater, studying lazily for NEWTs, just waiting to be betrothed to a suitable pureblood husband. But her true side is completely different. Studious, intelligent, polite and respectful with dreams of being an Auror, this side of herself she keeps hidden. Her life is a whirlwind of confusion...

Chapter 1: To Be Loved Once

Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

--

Maria opened her eyes, looking around at the small decrepit room she lived in. She winced as she got up, still sore from the beatings of the previous day. She crept quietly into the kitchen, careful not to disturb her master, and sat down gently on a slightly wobbly chair. Her fingers felt the small contours and patterns of the wood, reveling in her small moment of peace.

Heaving a sigh, she lifted herself up, willing herself to start the grueling work that she knew the day would bring. She walked gingerly over to the dirty sink and sighed again at the sight of the multitude of dirty dishes and plates. Maria picked up a towel and begun to scrub.

While Maria cleaned, her mind fled elsewhere. To the beautiful house she used to live in. To her previous life, where she was the crown jewel to whom she belonged to. Her hands still diligently working on the plates, piling up on the counter, sparkling in the small ray of sunlight that filtered through the grimy window.

Maria remembered her brother, an over-protective, pompous arse, but she still remembered him with a smile. She missed him so, the features of his face, his voice. Everything that had happened then washed over her, the usual expressionless face replacing the brief, wistful smile.

Maria returned her eyes to her work. The dishes were all neatly stacked and clean. She began carefully putting the plates into cabinets above her head, never breaking or chipping one. The cups she returned to their proper places on the table and pouring in each exactly half a cup of milk.

She gazed longingly outside the window, where the vast mountains lay. She sometimes wondered if she could have escaped to them, lived off nature's resources there and living in peace. But then she was reminded of her pitiful state and waved the fanciful idea away.

Her early morning chores done, Maria stowed the towel under the sink and once again, seated herself on the same chair. Her hand caressed the cool feeling of the wood, her head leaning back, black hair falling lightly on to the back of the chair. Her beautiful, green eyes fell upon the table, the impossibly perfect little table which she had so painstakingly set up to her master's needs.

Once again, was Maria reminded of how much she had lost.

--

I used to be well treated, well known, and above all, respected. I never knew that I could fall from so high to a place far below anything I had ever witnessed. Everything I had was gone. My world had crumbled around me, leaving me with nothing but myself.

Sometimes I wonder whether it could have been different. If I had only done something different, would I be in a better situation. Would my life still be intact? But in the end, it does nothing. I am still the same.

I never thought I would end up leading this life. An outcast in exile. Shunned by society and the world I once lived in. All for the sake of a boy. A man. This is my story.

--

A/N: I hope you liked the story so far! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Seth