DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters of Harry Potter. I do, in fact, own Paige and the other characters that you don't recognize. I made up most of this cuz this is, as you all know, a fanfiction and I can do whatever I please because I control it! Muwahahaha! Boy this is a long disclaimer…

Everyone who had attended the movie party was sleeping silently on the floors in the Gryffindor common room. They were all sprawled across the floor, some holding pillows, some blankets, and some each other. The white screen was still up, but the projector had shut off on its own when the movie had ended. The students spent most of the time scoffing at the movie; it was full of stupid people making illogical choices. But most of them had forgotten that it was a muggle movie, and that there was no magic involved whatsoever.

I slowly stirred as the soft morning sunlight hit my eyes. My eyes blinked open sluggishly and squinted painfully at the light. I turned onto my other side to avoid the light and saw, to my surprise, Neville, noticeably close to me. He was breathing peaceful, and looked so sweet and innocent. I looked at his arm, and it was draped across my stomach protectively, either on purpose or unintentionally. I smiled at him, knowing that he wouldn't see it, and thought about what Hermione had said the other night about me being selfish. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Neville and Draco both did like me, and being friends with both of them just makes the decision harder. But I love them both, just in different ways. Neville, as a best friend. Draco, as something...more. I don't know quite how to explain it yet, but these two boys were different to me. I would have to set the record straight with both of them at some point.

I gradually slipped out from underneath Neville's arm and tiptoed my way upstairs to the girl's dorms to retrieve my Halloween costume from the night before. Hermione was the only girl in there, and I swallowed the urge to stick my tongue out at her. I knew I was going to have to tell Dumbledore about what happened at some point, and I knew I had to tell Draco about my previous encounter with the Freak. Just thinking about him made me shiver.

I returned to Neville and knelt in front of his sleeping form. I leaned down and kissed his cheek, then headed down a short hallway that led to a door and I pushed it open. My hunch had been correct; it was the door that led to the Grand Staircase. I closed my eyes and tried my best to run down the stairs without looking at my surroundings; I didn't want to know where the Gryffindor common room was.

I finally made it to the dungeons without being caught by any teachers whatsoever, but narrowly missing Peeves on the third floor. I whispered the password to the wall, and it opened so that I could sneak inside. When I reached the Slytherin common room, so much colder and darker than the Gryffindor one, I found Draco asleep on the black leather couch. He was still wearing his Halloween costume, and his black top hat had tilted over his face, covering most of his peaceful features. I chuckled softly, and his eyes slowly opened. He noticed me standing there, watching him, and hurried up into a sitting position. Draco crossed his arms and looked at me disapprovingly.

"Where were you?" he asked, almost sounding like a father.

I smirked and sat onto my hip.

"Partying with the Gryffindors," I told him honestly, folding my arms and letting my costume hanging over.

"Why were you with them?" he inquired, sneering.

"I was invited by Neville," I answered, rolling my eyes at his immaturity. "I was just there to watch a movie."

"I bet you were getting cozy with that, Potter," he snarled, standing up and stepping right in front of me. His grey eyes were piercing into mine.

I snorted, holding back a laugh. He was just being jealous.

"Actually, I hadn't seen him the whole night," I informed him, trying to step around him to continue to the girl's dorms.

But it never was that easy, was it? He stepped right into my path once again, his expression still lingering on his pale face.

"Let me pass, Draco," I growled at him dangerously, getting irritated. "Stop being a jealous jackass and let me go change."

"No," he refused, grabbing my arms as I tried to escape again. "I don't want you going out alone anymore, not with that, creep out there, looking for you."

I stopped struggling with him, and smiled. He wasn't being jealous, he was just worried. His face flushed as he saw realization dawn on me. He threw my arms down and backtracked.

"B-Besides," he stumbled, realizing his mistake. "Gryffindors are the enemies. You're not supposed to be hanging out with those losers."

"I can hang out with whoever I want to, thank you very much," I retorted, tilting my face higher into the air.

"No, not when you're mine," he snarled, looking more fierce than I had ever seen him in his life, which is saying lot considering he always looks angry, making me think that that scowl stuck to his face was permanent.

I was outraged at this comment, and he knew it, too. He bit his lip worriedly as he saw my face starting to grow red.

"How many times have we discussed that I am not yours?" I shouted back at him, taking a step towards him, forcing him to fall backwards onto the couch in surprise. "The only reason you like me is because of the way I look! Not because of who I really am!"

"Tha-tha-that's not true!" Draco stumbled, trying to regain his composure. He tried to get back up off the couch, but I pushed him back down.

"Yes it is," I screamed, so utterly pissed off that I couldn't think straight. He was just being silly before, but now he had crossed the line. "Then how come you despised me the past three years? Huh? It was because I wasn't 'Slytherin material'!" I used air quotes to help prove my point at how stupid the whole idea was. "I wasn't good-looking enough, I wasn't skinny enough, I wasn't mean enough! This whole thing is just a popularity contest and I hate it!"

It seemed that my true feelings had finally got to him. He gazed at me sadly, but didn't show any sign that he was going to move, not even to comfort me, which I was surprisingly happy about. I really didn't need his sympathy right now.

"You didn't even care that you were hurting me," I sobbed, tears spilling out and my voice cracking.

I looked up, and through my tear streaked eyes, I managed to catch the eyes of many startled Slytherins coming to watch the show. I had been so angry with him that I hadn't even noticed that there was a small crowd surrounding us, like we were some kind of sideshow at a circus.

Without saying another word, I charged upstairs to the girl's dorms and slammed the door behind me. I went to lock it, but remembered too late that there were no locks on these doors. I cursed quietly under my breath and made my way over to the bed and, most importantly, my pillow. I buried my head into the white material and just cried my eyes out, hoping that no one who wanted to live would enter this room.

He doesn't love me. He just wants me as arm candy.

But didn't you know this was going to happen?

Well, yes and no. I was kind of hoping that he was a good guy on the inside and actually like me for me, not my looks.

He is a Slytherin.

Aren't I a Slytherin as well? Why did I end up in this house? What was that stupid Sorting Hat thinking? I am not a Slytherin. I can't be.

Why not ask it yourself when you go up to see Dumbledore about the whole Freak incident?

Hm. You are one smart brain.

Thanks.

********

I tapped slightly on Professor McGonagle's door, and bit my lip nervously. I really didn't want to talk about the events with the Freak to anyone, really, and telling it to Dumbledore was going to be awkward and uncomfortable. I almost talked myself out of doing it, and went to turn away when the door slowly creaked open.

McGonagle's bespectacled face peered out curiously, yet with authority.

"Yes, Ms. Hollands?" she asked roughly, clearly irritated that I had interrupted…whatever she had been doing.

"Er, professor." My voice cracked, and I had to clear my throat and start over. Damn nerves. "Professor, I need to speak with Professor Dumbledore immediately. I, er, think someone has broken into the castle."

"Excuse me? Broken in?" she repeated dangerously, narrowing her eyes on me.

I nodded my head slowly and continued. "He has a-attacked me twice now, but keeps disappearing."

"Why did you not inform us sooner, Ms. Hollands?" she asked sternly, throwing open the door fully and storming out.

"I thought it was just a student, but...I don't know anymore," I told her somewhat honestly, my face flushing.

"Come with me," she told me sternly, and headed towards the seventh floor, to a statue of a gargoyle. "Cockroach Clusters."

I looked at her as if she were nuts. Why is she talking about candy at a time like this? But that thought was cut off when the gargoyle jumped to the side, revealing set of moving staircases reeling upwards like an escalator. She indicated for me to go on ahead of her, and I cautiously stepped onto it, and it slowly carried me up towards a door. I knocked on the door apprehensively, followed by a calm, quiet, "Enter," that obviously belonged to the Headmaster himself.

I did as he said and sent him a weak smile. I had never been inside of Dumbledore's office, but never really thought about it until last night when I had decided to tell Dumbledore. I had imagined the unimaginable, as contradictory as that sounds. Hundreds of books, multiple wands, magic mirrors or windows, and so on. What I saw was not quite what I expected. It was a simple room, decorated with many portraits of people I did not recognized, but assumed them to be previous Headmasters, based on the grandeur of them all.

"Yes, Ms. Hollands?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully, despite his current situation with Harry and the tournament. He was sitting in an enormous chair, the dark wood complimenting his purple robes and his eyes twinkling underneath his half-moon spectacles.

I was a little surprised that he knew my name, considering I was a nobody until this year.

"I was, er, attacked," I began bluntly, looking down at the stone ground.

I told him everything that had happened to me, the jewelry, and the two attacks. His mood didn't change which surprised me. It was as if this was a walk in the park for him.

"It sounds to me," he began, standing up in his chair and walking towards his window that overlooked the quidditch pitch. "That you simply have an admirer."

"But sir, he threatened my parents!" I nearly shouted, outraged at how lightly he was taking this.

"It seemed like an empty threat to me." He continued to stare out of the window, and that's when I saw it. The Sorting Hat. It was resting upon one of his bookshelves, and appeared to be just a normal hat. But I knew better.

Dumbledore caught my gaze and followed it. He smiled slightly, and seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.

"Am I right to assume that you are also here for another reason?"

I nodded my head slowly.

"You are wondering why the Sorting Hat put you in Slytherin, are you not?" he asked, and placed himself gently into his chair once again.

Once I again, I nodded, but my features didn't change at all.

"I believe that it is safe to assume," he began calmly, resting his wrinkled hands on his lap. "That he knew your deepest desire. To fit in. Be popular. Be…" He paused, and I glanced at him quickly. "Liked. Especially by a certain Slytherin."

I guess everyone could tell that I liked Draco; even the Headmaster. Quite embarrassing, actually. I could feel my face turning red.

"I am almost certain that the hat could feel your ambition and potential. I don't believe you are like the rest, which is not necessarily a bad thing."

"If I am different than the rest of them, sir," I began politely, glancing at him for a moment. "Then shouldn't that mean that I am in the wrong house?"

"There happened to be another student who had the same problem that you have right now, Ms. Holland." Dumbledore folded his hands together and smiled. "He thought that he belonged in a different house because of the similarities between himself and a certain, dark wizard. A situation, somewhat like yours, but quite the opposite. He even asked the Sorting Hat the very same question you were thinking."

"What did it tell him?" I urged him to go on, dying to hear his answer.

"It told him that he would have done well in Slytherin," he said lamely. "But it was Harry's choice, and his choice alone that he became a Gryffindor."

"Harry Potter thought he belonged in Slytherin?" I asked incredulously.

Hm. Draco always made him out to be the bad guy, and full of himself. But even Harry Potter doubted himself. Strange.

I left, soon after that, but I still didn't feel safe. I knew Dumbledore was wrong, and this guy was a real threat to me. But I couldn't worry about that now; I still had loads of homework to do and there was a prince that was very upset with me, or who now understands exactly how I feel.

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A/N: So how did you guys like it? I know it took me forever to get out, but I've had such a fun summer, doing loads of stuff, and doing summer homework. Woohoo! I've actually had this written for awhile, and have just been editing away with it. Gone editing crazy, actually. But thank you for being patient!

I hope you guys noticed the connection between Paige and Harry going on here. Aren't I just so...clever?

Tell me what you thought! Leave a review! I do love it when I get reviews.

Oh, oh, oh! One more thing: what did you guys think of HBP? I want to hear your opinions on it, because I absolutely positively hated it. THE worst HP movie yet. It was more like a bloody teen romantic-comedy/chick flick. Awful. I don't even think Yate TRIED to stick to the book. The only good part was the Felix part. I got a good laugh out of that. But everything else was plain awful. Even the very beginning pissed me off. The whole subway thing where Harry's flirting with a girl and then POOF! Dumbledore's there, coming to take Harry somewhere that he doesn't' know and then POOF! Off to the Burrow where Harry realizes for the first time that he's in love with Ginny. Just randomly, out of the blue. I can rant about this movie for hours, so tell me what you liked/hated about this movie. Cheers!