My first Harry Potter fan fic! hope you enjoy :)

Chapter One

My trunk was packed, my owl, Fortuna, was in her cage, and I was ready to go. Contemplating my new life, I started thinking about my past…

I had been transferred from the Salem Witch Institute of New York City to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The only problem was these two schools were separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

After my parents died in a very mysterious "accident" that nobody seemed to want to investigate, I had no other choice but to move to my godmother's – she lived in London and used to be a good friend of my mother's, but I hadn't met her until after my parents were dead, when I was fifteen.

I spent the summer of my sixteenth birthday with old Betty Charles. She was a cranky woman, not very patient with me – or anybody else, for that matter.

So it came as a relief when I received my annual letter from school telling me what new books I'd need.

Except that it wasn't coming from the same school.

I was positively dreading that first day at Hogwarts. I was hoping against hope that the kids there would like me; I also hoped that I would be accepted, that I would have real friends. All the friends I'd had in the past weren't exactly what you'd consider "friends." They used me for personal gain, and when they somehow found out that I was a witch, they deserted me like I had a bad case of spattergroit.

Betty tapped me on the shoulder, snapping me out of my reverie. She pointed at the clock – it was ten to eleven.

"You had better get on platform nine and three quarters," she told me. "Wherever that is…"

I grinned at her. "That's for me to know, and hopefully for you to never find out."

And with that, I strode over to the invisible boundary between platforms nine and ten at King's Cross Station. I leaned against the brick wall and fell over the other side onto platform nine and three quarters.

The scarlet red Hogwarts Express was sitting there, waiting for me. Taking a deep breath, I boarded it. Finding an empty compartment, I put my trunk on the luggage rack and set Fortuna's cage on the seat next to me. Leaning my head back against the leather, I closed my eyes. Well, this is it.

A sudden rap on the door made me jump. A girl with golden blonde hair was mouthing "Can I come in?" You could definitely say she had her hands full – she had a long-haired black cat in her arms; it was hissing irritably, struggling against her grip.

I nodded and got up to open the compartment door. Sighing gratefully, she entered and slid the door behind her, setting her viciously struggling cat down. It shook its fur and jumped up on the seat next to the girl.

"Thanks a lot," she said. "My name's Daphne, Daphne Greengrass. I have a younger sister – her name's Astoria - that goes to Hogwarts, too. We're in Slytherin House. I don't think I've ever seen you before. What's your name?"

She said all this quite fast.

"Regina Gorge," I replied. "And no, you haven't seen me before. I transferred here from a school in the U.S., Salem Witch Institute."

"That explains a lot. Why did you transfer? Oh, I shouldn't have asked – I don't mean to be nosy, really!"

I shook my head. "You're not being nosy. For right now, let's just say that I transferred for personal reasons. I don't really want to think about it right now."

"That's fine! And really, thanks for letting me in. Serena is being a brat," she said, annoyed, glancing at the cat that was currently sleeping with her head between her paws.

I laughed. "Don't worry about it."

We talked for a while – tons of different topics came up. Daphne asked me how they taught in the U.S., and when I finished she seemed fascinated. It was only when she asked me what my blood status was that I started to panic.

I was Muggle-born, meaning that my parents were non-magical people. I started showing signs of magical ability at the age of seven, and my parents were rather alarmed. When I was eleven, Salem's headmistress came to explain everything to my parents, who accepted my future completely.

Although, most of the students at Salem were pure-blood, meaning that their parents and grandparents and so on were all of magical descent. They teased me about it constantly – I had been called "Mudblood" so many times I had lost count.

"Um…" I wasn't sure how to answer her. I wanted to be honest with her, but if I told her, would she shun me? Daphne was the closest to a real friend I'd ever gotten. "I'm…" I decided to just take the plunge and get it over with. "I'm Muggle-born."

Her eyes widened. "Oh."

"You don't… hold it against me or anything, do you?" I asked hesitantly.

She shook her head. "No, of course not. But if my parents heard me say that, they'd kick my ass."

"So you're pureblood?"

Daphne nodded. "Yeah."

Just then, there was another rap on the door, and through the glass I seen a girl with short black hair and a face that slightly resembled a pug.

Daphne groaned quietly. "That's Pansy Parkinson, my friend." Her tone sorely contradicted her words. "Gotta go, sorry. It was nice talking to you, by the way." She smiled.

I smiled back. "Thanks."

Daphne gathered up her cat and opened the compartment door.

"Daphne, there you are!" Pansy said in a nasal voice. She glanced at me. "Who's this?"

"My name's Regina, Regina Gorge. Nice meeting you," I said, keeping my tone light and casual.

"Gorge… hmm. Are you pure-blood?" she asked automatically.

"No. I'm Muggle-born," I said curtly, hoping she would take the hint and leave it at that.

But she wasn't about to let it drop.

"Muggle-born?" she scoffed. "Hmph, well, fine then. See you at school."

And motioning for Daphne to follow her, she started walking off down the hall. Daphne hung back, however.

"Don't worry about Pansy, she's just a bitch. She hates Muggle-borns – typical pure-blood."

I shook my head. "I'm not worried about her. I just hate people like that."

Daphne grimaced. "Yeah, me too. See you soon."

I waved. "Yeah. Bye."

She slid the compartment door shut and walked off after Pansy.

It was fifteen minutes later when I was bothered again.

I had apparently fallen asleep with my head against the window, because when the person tapped on the door rather loudly, I jumped and banged my head against the glass.

"Damn," I muttered, getting up. I slid the door open slightly and stuck my head out. "What?" I asked, not meaning to be rude.

The boy standing in front of me took a step back. God, the look on my face can't be that bad, can it?

I tried to take on a less fierce expression. "Sorry about that. I've never taken well to being woken up out of a dead sleep."

He smirked. "I know what you mean. I just came to tell you that we're almost there – better change into your robes. Oh, and by the way, my name is Draco Malfoy. You're Regina Gorge, the… Muggle-born… transfer student?"

It seemed like he was trying really hard not to say "Mudblood." Not missing this, I scowled a little. "Yeah, I am. Got a problem with it?" I wasn't referring to my being a transfer student.

He must have realized this, because he sneered; it was the kind of expression you'd wear when looking down upon a lesser being, a look of prime superiority. "Maybe I do, Mudblood," he spat. "While we're at school, stay away from me."

I glared. "Oh, don't worry. You won't be bothered." With that, I slammed the door shut and reached for my trunk so I could change, dreading the next seven months.