DISCLAIMER I don't own JK Rowling's characters. They are hers and she has license to do whatever she wants with them…like, KILL THEM! *sob* I'm still a little upset about Book 5…

Thanks as always to Em and Lauren…yay Beta Readers!

Diana was not happy. That much Michelle could see. The older girl kept staring at her sister in utter shock from Gryffindor's table. Her stare fell heavily on Michelle, who tried her best to ignore it. Instead she decided to make friends with her fellow Slytherins including, if possible, the blonde boy.

There was another first year sitting beside her. Michelle turned to her. "Hello."

"Hi." The girl seemed shy and a little wary of the other students.

"I'm Michelle!"

"Miranda Harris." They shook hands. "I don't recognize your last name. Are you from a Wizarding family?"

Michelle froze for a minute. Of course she was from a Wizard family…but a Gryffindor family. But she couldn't say no; Slytherins hated Muggle-borns, too. "Uh…"

Just then, the Bloody Baron, Slytherin's resident ghost, came swooping down over the students. He cackled as his bloody sword swished past their heads.

"Wow!" Miranda said. "Mum used to tell me about him! She was in Slytherin, too. She told me why he's covered in blood, too. But I forget."

"No one knows. It's our house mystery. Your mother must have made it up."

Michelle turned to see the white-blonde boy who had apparently moved and was now sitting across from them. "Hello," she said shyly.

"Hi!" Miranda added, batting her eyelashes a little.

The boy rolled his eyes and turned to Michelle. "I remember you from Diagon Alley. What's your name then?"

Heart racing a mile a minute, Michelle replied, "Michelle Standish."

His face changed just slightly. "That's a French name. Why aren't you at Beauxbatons?"

"Some of my mother's ancestors are French. My parents wanted to honor her heritage. But I'm British. I'm from Canterbury."

"Oh." The boy seemed satisfied with this. "Good."

"I'm Miranda!" the other girl piped up, desperate to be included. "I'm from Tintern Abbey!"

The boy didn't even acknowledge her this time. He seemed focused entirely on Michelle, which was fine with her. "I'm a Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

There. She finally had his name! But… "Doesn't that mean Dragon?"

"Mmhmm, in Latin." He smiled smugly. "Very good."

"Why would your parents name you that?"

He cocked an eyebrow and leered at her slightly. "Do you really want to know?"

She stuttered, "N-no."

Draco just laughed. "Well," he said, coldness creeping into his voice. "Let me know if you ever get curious." Then he was up and gone.

"He was mean," Miranda complained. "He didn't even look at me!"

"Uh-huh," Michelle replied absently. She kept replaying everything he'd said to her. He talked to her!

Her fantasies were off and running. There was no denying it. Michelle had a full-blown crush.

*****

As the year began, Michelle started to learn more about her classmates and school. She found that she had a knack for Charms and Professor Flitwick often asked her to help the other first-years. This began to earn her a place of respect among other Slytherin first-year students.

Miranda and Michelle became good friends after the first feast. She was a giggly, flighty girl who had the knack of always turning attention or a conversation onto her. Overall, she and Michelle became close friends because Michelle didn't want to talk about herself and Miranda talked about herself nonstop.

Draco, however, turned out to be less than her fantasy. He was cold, distant, even somewhat cruel to people outside his close group of friends. She was at a loss as to how to get close to him. Everyone warned her to just stay away from him, so she tried her best.

The head of her house, Professor Snape, taught Potions. If felt wrong to Michelle to be favored in class because the Professor was the head of Slytherin, but no one else seemed to question it.

Michelle tried to forget the fact that her family didn't approve of her life at Hogwarts. Diana owled her every once and a while and thankfully seemed to get over her initial shock.

One day during lunch, her family's owl swooped into the Great Hall. Diana watched it expectantly, waiting for the letter probably for her. To both sisters' surprise, the letter was dropped in front of Michelle.

With a quick homework excuse, Michelle left the Great Hall and ran for the dungeon. By sheer luck, the other first-year Slytherin girls were all out of the dorm. Michelle read her letter in peaceful silence.

Dear Michelle,

I just received a letter from your sister, explaining your current situation at school. There is nothing I can say except that I am VERY disappointed in you. I don't know what happened during the Sorting Ceremony but I cannot believe you did not live up to the standard of Gryffindor. It is a disgrace to our family name!

You are a Standish. This means that you have the traits of a Gryffindor. If you let that horrible, corrupted house taint you, I will no longer be able to have you in my household.

I don't mean to sound heartless, Michelle, I just can't stand the thought of my daughter becoming a true Slytherin. You are strong Michelle, and you must resist them.

Love,

Your Father

John Standish, Gryffindor

Michelle just sat on her bed, the letter in her lap. She felt like she'd been slapped in the face. Moona climbed up on the bed, mewing questioningly at the girl. Michelle looked at the kitten in a daze, not saying anything.

Voices floated through the open door. Michelle snapped out of her shock and, grabbing her letter and the envelop, shoved them both into an inside pocket of her robes.

"Hey Michelle!" Miranda and her other roommates greeted her.

"Hello. What you all so excited about?"

"Transfiguration was cancelled!" her roommate Sarah said happily. No one knew why, but it was a nice day and no one really cared. The first-year girls spent their newly found free day in the September sun, watching Quidditch practices and enjoying the days of Fall. Michelle managed to push the letter completely from her mind.

AUTHOR'S NOTE Quick explanation: Miranda is from Tintern Abbey cuz I had to read "Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" by William Wadsworth in AP English last year and have less than fond memories of it and I really don't like her character. You'll see why eventually. Michelle is from Canterbury cuz that's where Orlando Bloom is from…*grin*

Opal.star Yeah, I'm a fan of non-slash Draco as well. Well, I like slash Draco, but only to a certain point.

Casey Thanks! Unfortunately…the cuteness only goes so far.