Pariah: The Other Malfoy

Chapter 2: A Gryffindor?

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat yelled and the hall went silent. I felt like I was going to be sick as an explosion of whispers began and the Hat was taken off of my head. No, it couldn't be real.

I locked eyes with my brother who was sitting at the Slytherin table, his mouth was hanging open in shock. What was going on? Was I really getting sent to the house that believed in the opposite of me? That went against all of my beliefs?

Nobody welcomed me when I sat down, though I figured I didn't look particularly happy to be there. Once the whispering died down, McGonagall continued with the sorting, but I just sat staring at the table with a frown on my face. This couldn't be real, I belonged in Slytherin.

I barely even noticed when Potter was sorted into my house, my brain too busy swimming with thoughts about what the hell had just happened. How was I a Gryffindor?

I was still in a trance as we were led to the common room, having not touched any food during the whole meal. It had to have been a mistake, I wasn't a Gryffindor! I'd just speak to Professor Snape and get it sorted later, the Hat had to have made a mistake!

I sneered as I looked over the members of my house, finding myself in the common room with them. Mudbloods, blood traitors. I didn't belong here, I belonged in Slytherin with the rest of the real wizards.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger," a girl with bushy brown hair smiled at me, blocking my view.

"Don't touch me, mudblood," I hissed, pulling away sharply.

"Watch your mouth, Malfoy," a crop of ginger hair appeared in my peripherals. A Weasley.

"Oh, yeah, Weasley? As if you're much better, blood traitor," I snarled, "This house is a joke. Why I've been put in here, I have no idea."

"It's not like we want you anyway, with that attitude," another Weasley, god help me, "Gryffindor isn't a place for those with a blood purity complex. So either sit down and shut up, or we'll have to do something about it."

I clenched my fists but bit my tongue. My mother always said not to retaliate, and I had no intention of giving them the satisfaction. They were beneath me, I didn't need to bother myself with them.

I simply marched up to my room, pulling the curtains around my bed and collapsing. I'd get it sorted tomorrow, I just had to suck it up for one night and one night only. Snape would know what to do!

The next morning at breakfast, I watched as Draco collected the package from the family owl, Ares, and waited for it to come to me. It didn't, causing me to frown. Maybe Draco had taken mine and was going to deliver it? Maybe two packages was too much for Ares, and another would be coming?

He didn't, he only had one package and opened it happily himself. What was going on? Maybe mine had got lost, I was sure nothing was meant by it. Things would be back to normal soon anyway, I had Snape for Potions class first, I'd catch him at the end and sort things out!

As I walked into his class, Snape stared intently at me. I offered him a small smile, but he just turned away after waving his hand at me, signifying he'd talk afterwards. I sighed slightly at his dismissal, collapsing down at a bench beside Neville Longbottom. He wasn't exactly my first choice, but none of the Slytherins would let me sit with them, and he was better than a mudblood or a Weasley.

He was also, as I discovered quickly, a complete disaster. I spent much of the lesson angled as far away from his cauldron as possible, praying that whatever he concocted would not come to life and attack me and that I was out of the blast zone.