I stood beside my two best friends, Becky Rivers and Mitch Brustman, waiting with the other first years to be sorted.

"I'm nervous," I whispered to Becky. "What if I get separated from you guys?"

"Don't be Midge," she whispered back. "You'll be fine." I began chewing on my bottom lip.

"Stop that," Mitch said nudging me with his elbow. I looked up at him and sighed.

"Nervous habit," I muttered. Mitch smiled and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I know but there is nothing to be nervous about. We won't get split up." I nodded and watched as three people were put into Gryffindor. Among them was Harry Potter. Then a boy named Draco Malfoy was put into Slytherin. For some strange reason I couldn't keep my eyes off the boy. I knew his being in Slytherin meant he probably wasn't all that nice but he was so hot that I couldn't help myself. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my arm as Becky punched me.

"Ow!" I yelped softly. "What the hell was that for!?"

"He's in Slytherin," Becky said. "No wanting him."

"Too late Beckers," I said with a grin. Mitch poked me in the ribs harder than usual.

"He's trouble," he said. "He's not good for you." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay if you say so." Mitch grinned.

"Good." Just then Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, stepped forward and motioned for my friends and I to join him. We walked up to him and turned to face the rest of the students.

"Everyone, these three students are very special," he explained. "They come to us from America." The Great Hall erupted with whispers. No student had ever come all the way from America before. Dumbledore held up his hand for silence and the students slowly quieted.

"I am going to have the three of them tell you their names." Becky stepped forward.

"I'm Becky Rivers," she said grinning at everyone. Mitch was next and then it was my turn.

"Um...I'm...I'm Schyler Marcin," I said nervously.

"Well now that everyone knows you," Albus said. "Let's get you sorted then, shall we?" We nodded and he placed the Sorting Hat on Becky's head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Becky went over to the Gryffindor table and the hat was placed on Mitch's head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted again. Mitch went over to the table and then the hat was on my head. It had only been on my head for a second before it shouted the one thing I did not want to hear.

"SLYTHERIN!" I gasped and looked over at my best friends. They looked shocked. I walked numbly over to the Slytherin table trying to keep from bursting into tears. I slid into the seat next to Draco Malfoy.

"I knew you were one us," he said. I blinked and looked at him.

"One of you?" I asked feeling lost.

"A pureblood," he said. "I wasn't so sure since you were with those mudbloods but now I know."

"My friends are half-bloods," I said feeling even more confused.

"Yeah," Malfoy said. "Mudblood can mean that or muggle-born. See it means dirty blood. The kind you only get from having a muggle parent. The Sorting Hat must have known you were Slytherin material." I nodded and began to eat my dinner to stop myself from crying. I wanted to be with my friends. I also hated that word. My friends were not mudbloods!