Chapter Two:

Charlotte walked quietly with the other children. She knew she was older than most of them, even if she didn't look it. Charlotte hung her head and sighed quietly.

"What's wrong young'un?" Charlotte spooked by the thundering voice and looked up, wide eyed. She quickly gained her composure and nodded and answered the large man, "Nothing, sir." She said politely. She cursed herself when she realized she was too used to falling into the habit of being scared of adults, but who could really blame her? She spent her whole life hiding away from adults that could hurt her.

Before long Charlotte found herself standing in front of the large oak doors of the Great Hall. Her heart was beating in her throat, but she wouldn't admit it to anyone that she was nervous. She took a great deep breath and looked up at the approaching professor. She didn't pay attention to what she was actually saying but she got the gist of it all. When her name was called she'd go up and get sorted.

Charlotte walked with her head hung, into the Great Hall. Only when the sound of irritated hungry Hogwarts students reached her ears did she look up. She looked around and her eyes fell on the person she was waiting to see. It was Billy and he was smiling reassuringly at her. She nodded back at him and thanked merlin that at least one person was kind enough to be nice to her.

Charlotte stood behind pretty much everyone of the new students and listened for her name to be called. Nearly half the starting first years were called before she heard her name being called.

"Malfoy, Charlotte." Charlotte looked over at Aimee to find her mouth hanging open as she slowly stepped away from her. Charlotte wanted to scream at her for acting the way she did, but nothing hurt her more than finding Billy sitting at the Gryffindor table, no longer smiling. His face was showing only disappointment. What was with everyone?

"Malfoy, Charlotte," The professor called again. Charlotte looked up with sad eyes and made her way to the front of the line and walked up to the stool. She sat down and stared out at the Great Hall and watched the faces of students as they watched her.

'Hmm,' she heard the sorting hat say. 'A Malfoy.' Charlotte shook her head. 'You'd do well where your family has been, but there is something else.' Charlotte listened to what the hat had to say, but never thought anything. She just hoped it would make the right choice. It took nearly five minutes before it finally called out her house name.

"Slytherin!" Charlotte pulled off the hat and jumped of the stool. She stood rooted in the same spot with wide eyes. Everyone was now looking at her and waiting for her to go sit at her appropriate table.

"Miss Malfoy please take your seat," Professor McGonagall said calmly. Charlotte looked up at her professor and nodded. She walked down the steps to her table, but instead of sitting down at the table she ran out of the Great Hall. "Will someone go get the girl and bring her back in here." All of the prefects waited for someone else to get her so they didn't have to so finally Bill stood up with a frown.

"And you people call yourselves prefects. I'll go get her." Billy left his seat and walked to the great hall doors and then left the room completely. "Charlotte?" Billy called. He heard a small sigh from behind one of the statues outside the doors and walked over to it. Sure enough Charlotte was sitting behind it with her knees pulled tightly against her chest.

"Why did you run out like that?" Billy asked as he kneel down beside her.

"They are going to eat me alive in there. I don't fit in with them," She told him quietly.

"You just need some confidence. They aren't allowed to put a finger on you. Will you come back in?"

"No," She said plainly and hugged her knees closer to her body.

"Okay, how about we make a deal?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I am a prefect here and that means I have some amount a power. So I am suggest that while I am around I could be some what of a body guard?" Charlotte nodded for him to continue. "I would keep those nasty slytherins from bothering you when I am around and when I am not you can come tell me and I will take it into my own hands. Does that sound nice?"

Charlotte looked up at him once again and waited. It did sound nice, but there had to be a catch. "Yes it does sound nice."

"You have to do one thing for me though," Charlotte knew there had to be catch.

"And that would be?"

"You have to stop clamming up and make some friends." Billy smiled at her and extended his hand to her. "It's quite easy and I think you can do it."

"All right."

"Okay, lets get back in there." He grabbed her hand and helped her up and walked with her back into the Great Hall. From there he walked her over to the Slytherin table, ignoring the yells of insults at him and waited until he got a seat and then with a nod, he walked back to his own table for the rest of the evening.