A/N: Hmmm, this is rather pathetically short of me now that I look at it. But if I were to combine it with chapter 4, it would be about 7500 words, which for my taste is too large for fanfiction chapters I think. But since it's so short, the next chapter will be uploaded in two days.

Thank you so so much for everyone's fabulous, helpful reviews!

Chapter 3: Life of a Slytherin

Feeling a particular aversion to food that night, Noraput notthing on her plate besides some chicken and vegetables. She avoided everyone at her table and everyone ignored her. When dinner vanished and dessert appeared, Nora just chose a treacle tart, eating it, but not really tasting it. Unfortunately, she finished well before everyone else and that left her to staring at her plate, concentrating on the crumbs the tart had left on it.

"So you're from Romania, are you?" Nora recognized the haughty voice and shifted her gaze from her plate to the pointed, cold features of Malfoy. She now plainly saw the mix of his parents in him. Mostly from his father, having the same indifferent, rigid gray/blue eyes. Though his face was longer, like his mother. He had left his seat and stood behind a girl Nora recognized from the train station, the girl Malfoy had been transfixed with. She sat across from Nora and a few seats down. She also had a prefect badge and a scowl to accompany it. What name had Hermione said? Parkinson was it?

"Yes, I am," She answered icily.

"Do they even have a school there?" Malfoy demanded to know, "Never heard of one."

"Yes, in Transylvania. I don't expect you to have known it. It's very small."

"And out-dated, I'd bet. Crusty old country like that one, it was in the backwoods I'm sure."

Norafelt the ever familiar rush of blood to her cheeks.She may not have been fond of her old school but now he was insulting her homeland. "Have you ever been to Romania?"

"No."

"Then I won't fault you for your ignorance on the matter. Old and remote my country is, but my people handled far worse creatures than your Lord Voldemort."

The kids in her immediate area grew silent and turned to her in surprise, some in shock at the mention of the tabooed name. To Nora's astonishment, an arrogant grin spread slowly across the boy's pale face. He came around the table to her and stuck out his hand.

"Draco Malfoy."

Nora stared at his hand with its well-trimmed nails like it was a brandished dagger. After a moment, she accepted the handshake, feeling her stomach drop hoping none of her Gryffindor friends were watching their exchange.

"Nora," she offered, her tone flat.

"Welcome to Slytherin," He said with a hint of mystery behind it as he dropped her hand.

When Malfoy returned to his seat, Nora leaned her crossed arms on the table, feeling much like a lost puppy. Bored and dejected she occupied herself with studying the teachers who satat the long table at the top wall of the Hall. She recognized most of them by the descriptions she'd been given and was amused and pleased to see how accurate they were. Pleased that is until she came to the unmistakable Professor Snape. The man was downright depressing to look at. Greasy black hair, black robes, and a sickly pale, disgruntled face. His abysmall, lifeless eyes peered at everyone over his goblet, eventually coming to her. Nora blinked and looked away. This man was her new Head of House, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she couldn't know for sure. But after observing all the restin her house, she didn't expect much better from Snape.

Nora suddenly felt an extreme cold near her face and she gave a sidelong glance to her right, shocked to see a cloudy white obscuring the large boy next to her. Looking up, a grumpy-looking ghost hovered next to her, not even paying attention to her. But one look at the silver blood on his clothes and Nora had a general idea of what he was in life. For a terrifying moment, she thought he might recognize his fellow kind, even if she was only half, they had a way of knowing when others were around. But he seemed to ignore her and moved swiftly past her to greet a ghost from the Ravenclaw table.

Soon after, the dessert disappeared and the plates were sparkling and clean. Professor Dumbledore stood again, his great white beard unfolding down his torso. He simplytalkedabout the prohibitions of entering the Forbidden Forest and news of Quidditch try-outs. The students were then dismissed, a hubbub of shuffling feet and benches creating quite the racket in the Great Hall as students filed out to their dormitories.

Malfoy, with a great show of boredom and irritation, called the Slytherin first years to him to be directed to Slytherin dorms. A sly voice came from directly behind Nora as the girl called Parkinson stood next to her.

"Magnificent, isn't he?" She motioned with her head to Malfoy, a whimsical look in her eye. Nora didn't answer, but the girl seemed to take this as a yes, for her face twisted in anger and she hissed, "Stay away from him, Kerensky. He's mine." With that, she stuck her nose in the air and joined him in leading the first years away.

Nora stood there for a moment, blinking in wonder. The girls were certainly territorial around here. Reminded of her Gryffindor friends, if they would even consider her a friend now, she peered around the room for them, finally spotting Harry alone, Ron and Hermione leading their first years past him toward the dormitories. Nora made her way over to Harry who didn't notice her until she stood next to him. He again gave her a look she couldn't identify. Something between confusion and distrust. Nora found she wasn't sure what to say and her mouth hung open stupidly. Harry spoke first.

"Did you enjoy the feast?" He asked with false enthusiasm. He seemed to also notice the lack of sincerity in his own voice and lowered his eyes in shame. It seemed he was at a loss for words as well.

"Harry, I—I didn't expect to be put in Slytherin," she murmured truthfully, "It was the farthest from what I wanted."

Harry fixed his concentration on a painting that was having an argument with its partner in the frame. "I have to say, I didn't expect it. You seem too...nice."

Nora supposed she could take that as a compliment. She was fairly certain why she was placed in Slytherin. Her blood spoke volumes.

"But you know," Harry halted, almost reluctant to continue, "I—when I was sorted, the hat wanted to put me...you know...there."

Nora blinked, giving Harry a once-over. He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I was kinda shocked at first. But I just kept thinking, 'not Slytherin' over and over. The hat told me I'd be powerful there, but decided to put me in Gryffindor instead, obviously."

"Hey, Kerensky!"

Nora jolted and shot her head around to see Malfoy, whose eyes shot daggers at Harry. "You should come with us," He spoke to her, but his eyes remained on
Harry, "So you know where the dormitories are."

Nora nodded slightly at Malfoy, turning to Harry. "I should go. I'll see you around?" She asked hopefully. Harry bobbed his head yes, bidding her goodnight.

Malfoy didn't say anything to her about talking to Harry, but she got a sense he didn't like it one bit. He shot annoyed glances at her during their walk to Slytherin quarters, which, toNora's mildl surprise, wasa bare, stone wall.

"Snake venom." Malfoy muttered.

A stone door, completely undetectable to anyone passing, slid open revealing a dark tunnel. Malfoy and Parkinson led the way with Nora and the first years trailing behind them. The tunnel opened up into the Slytherin common room. It was somewhat depressing, heavy forest-green curtains hung at tall, Gothic windows which looked out to nothing. Large greenish lamps hung from the ceiling, casting the room into an odd glow. The impressive fireplace offered a warm blaze with several overstuffed chairs surrounding it, some older years already occupying them. A few portraits had some disgruntled figures in them who regarded the first years with upturned noses. All in all, the room was plain dreary. No one else seemed to mind.

Malfoy pointed out the girls' and boys' dorms then harshly ordered the first years to bed. Nora looked about for anything interesting to do. Friends chatted with each other, a pair had started a game of wizard's chess. It was only about nine-thirty, but with nothing to do, and the company lacking, Nora decided to turn in.

"Going off already?"

Nora turned from the dark doorway to see Malfoy coming up to her, his two meaty, goonish friends behind him. "It's been a long day."

Malfoy elbowed the fattest of the two friends and that apparently was a signal for them to leave. Now alone, he then crossed his arms, closing the space between them a little tighter than she would have liked. His expression gave away nothing, except a slight twitch in the muscle above his eyebrow. "I saw you talking to Potter," he spat, giving particular venom to the boy's name, "Become a fan, have you?"

Nora raised a delicate, dark brow. "What does it matter if I spoke to him?"

Malfoy recoiled like someone had slapped him. "What does it matter?" He hissed. His voice was low, but it made no secret of his fury, "He's a prat! Relishes in his fame when he's done nothing to earn it!"

Nora batted her eyes innocently. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. From what I've heard, he's accomplished quite a bit here the past few years."

Wanting the conversation to end, she turned to leave, but she was jerked back when an iron grip snatched her wrist. She moved to twist out of it, but the thin boy was surprisingly strong. She looked up at his face, which was now disturbingly close, their noses nearly touching. She gave a glance to the room, but they were in a darkened corner and everyone was occupied. Nora looked back to Malfoy, noticing his expression had darkened from arrogance to plain rage.

"I'm going to give you a break since you're new and foreign," though his tone suggested anything but mercy, "But just remember, to be a Slytherin means having certain allies and certain enemies. Do not let me catch you fraternizing with that bastard unless you're giving him a good tongue-lashing."

Her lips tightened into a thin line and she nodded stiffly, tugging at her wrist. He blinked and glanced down before slinking his eyes back to her in that lurid way she'd despised earlier. "Sweet dreams," he breathed. He let her wrist go, turning smoothly and heading to the center of the room. He flopped down on the couch next to Parkinson who practically shoved away the friend she'd been talking with to latch onto his arm and grin in sick delight.

Nora massaged her wrist, looking down and making out, even in the shadows, the red marks where his hand had gripped her. Rubbing her wrist, she turned, pushing the heavy door open and taking the spiral staircase down to the girls' dorms.

---

Reviews, especially helpful ones, are very much appreciated!