Chapter 1

"Selwyn! Selwyn! What the bloody hell's wrong with the entrance to the common room?" demanded an irate-looking Miles Bletchley. He was standing in front of the damp stone wall along with a group of other Slytherin boys. All were tired and annoyed; they had been trying to get into the common room for over twenty minutes. Miles shifted his broom from one arm to the other. "We've been screaming Black Lake at it for ages, now! It won't bloody open!"

Vera Selwyn looked at the group of boys calmly. She was carrying a pile of books under one arm and her dark eyes narrowed at them. "That's because it's not Black Lake anymore. The password changed yesterday. The same way it has been changing every month on the 7th for the past five years."

Miles narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you calling me thick?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Vera quipped in return. The egoistic and brutish Slytherin boys of her year were Vera's last choice to pick a fight with. It was pointless to argue with internalized vanity. Besides, such an argument would be a waste of her efforts; these oafs were beneath her. Vera ignored them and calmly turned to face the stone wall. "Ancestry," she said calmly. The entrance to the common room opened, and Vera lugged her books inside, heading straight up to the girl's dormitory. She could hear the boys still grumbling behind her; they were probably muttering profanities.

Vera rolled her eyes.

She had long come to terms with the one thing universal truth that every Slytherin student surely knew, but which was never spoken aloud.

Deep down, we all hate each other.

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Vera stared up at Professor Snape dully. She had always been good at Potions; but taking the class with the Gryffindors was the worst. There was always a commotion. They never seemed to be able to get through a class without some sort of interruption or problem. Not to mention she was stuck with Percy Weasley as a Potions partner, which was an absolute nightmare.

Vera subtly shifted her chair a few inches further away from the Gryffindor boy beside her. She'd heard plenty about the Weasleys; blood traitors who lived in some sort of a hole. While Percy Weasley didn't appear to be quite as dirty as his family's reputation, he was still unbearable. But a group of rowdy Gryffindors had caused a few cauldrons to explode in the last class and as a result, Snape had declared that only people from different houses could pair up for Potions. And Vera had landed her year's Weasley.

"You should really grind those porcupine quills at an angle, it'll be much quicker-"

Vera shot Percy a sharp glare. "I know how to powder porcupine quills."

Percy Weasley blinked at her through his large glasses. Vera Selwyn certainly wasn't the worst Slytherin he could have received as a Potions partner. She wasn't as malicious as most of them, but she hated being told she was wrong. Percy took a deep breath. "I never said you didn't know. I was merely suggesting a way to move the process along."

"If you concentrate on your share of the moonstone, Weasley, I assure you the process will move along just fine," Vera replied calmly, without turning to look at him. Her fingers were neatly grinding the porcupine quills against the table. Percy Weasley frowned at her.

"Really, Selwyn, I would prefer if we maintained a positive and co-operative working relationship, considering that the OWLs are approaching and this potion is highly essential to the syllabus for-"

"Do you ever stop talking?" Vera demanded, turning to look at the red-head beside her in exasperation. She was tired of hearing his constant jabber and nagging beside her. It was barely a week since the new academic year had begun and she was already sick of him. Vera was resisting the urge to wring his freckled neck.

Percy Weasley looked offended. "There's no need to be rude! We have to work together for the rest of the year, the least we can do is co-operate! It would only be to mutual benefit!"

Vera ignored him and raised her hand. Professor Snape was peering into a cauldron a few desks away, but he came sweeping over when he spotted Vera's raised hand. He towered over the pair of them, looking down at them with a somewhat bored expression. "Yes, Miss Selwyn? You appear to be behind on your potion. Is there some sort of a problem?"

Vera lowered her hand. "Professor, I would like to request a different Potions partner."

Percy gaped at her. His spectacles slid down his nose slightly. Neither Vera nor Professor Snape blinked; both seemed perfectly calm and bored. Snape raised an eyebrow. "You find your current partner inadequate?" he drawled.

"I find Mr. Weasley insufferable," corrected Vera.

Percy shoved his glasses up his nose angrily and sat up. He certainly wasn't going to let this girl insult him when he'd done nothing wrong! "Professor, I must object! I was merely advising Miss. Selwyn of a more effective way to powder the porcupine quills when she took offense, I see no reason why she should be allowed to-"

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "I see exactly what you mean, Miss Selwyn," he replied, cutting Percy off. Snape whirled around with a slight swish of his robe and called out loudly to a table a few rows away in the dungeon. "Mr. Bletchley! Were you also not expressing some objections regarding your Potions partner?" he called out. Miles Bletchley blinked and nodded.

"Miss Selwyn, you may trade partners with Mr. Bletchley. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Wood, please change your seats accordingly," Professor Snape replied, before heading back to the front of the class. His robes swished again as he whirled around to stand behind his desk. "No further partner exchanges shall be entertained."

Vera smiled to herself in silent triumph as Percy began to pack up his belongings. Thank Merlin, Snape had been in a good mood and allowed it. The red-headed Weasley shot Vera a haughty glare before moving to his new seat. A few seconds later, Oliver Wood plopped down beside her, slamming his books on the table. He glanced at Vera with a frown.

"Why'd you ask to change your partner?" Wood asked curiously.

"He talked too much," Vera replied pointedly. Her eyes grazed over the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. No wonder Miles hadn't been able to work with Wood; the Quidditch rivalry was far too tense at the start of the year. Quidditch teams had just been formed and there were rumours that Gryffindor had a new Seeker; although none of that was known for sure. Vera glanced at Wood curiously. He didn't appear to be quite as haughty as Weasley, but no Gryffindor was ever a piece of cake.

"I see," Wood replied slowly. He wondered how the Slytherin girl beside him managed to keep her expression so perfectly blank. Vera's features were sharp and emotionless. Wood couldn't even tell if she was relieved to have him instead of Percy, or if she thought he was worse. "All right, then, no talking, I presume?"

"That's correct."

"All right," Wood replied. He looked at Vera once again before peering into the cauldron. It was bubbling slightly. "So, erm, what stage is the potion at? I'm not sure exactly what you're doing right now."

Vera swiftly set aside the small stone she had been using to powder the porcupine quills and added them to the potion in one fluid motion. Her dark eyes glanced at Wood critically. "I'll handle the potion. You only need to let me work in silence."

"You don't want me to do anything?" Wood asked in surprise.

"Do you need to repeat everything I say back to me in the form of a question, or do you simply do it to annoy me?" she snapped harshly. "No, you don't need to do any work. No, I don't want you to talk to me during class. If you have any more clarifications, spit them out right now."

Wood frowned. Her attitude was rubbing against his nerves; exactly what did this Slytherin girl think of herself? No wonder she and Percy Weasley hadn't been able to get along. Wood took a deep breath. But putting aside his pride for a moment… it wasn't often that one got a Slytherin partner who was willing to do all the work. If he could look past her snappiness and cold expressions, maybe she could be useful. Wood took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "You don't mind if I do some other work, then?" he clarified.

Vera gripped her wand tightly. "No," she replied through gritted teeth. "I don't care what you do. But if you speak again, then by Merlin's beard, I will smash your face in with a Bludger."

Wood blinked. He decided it was better to keep silent. As she had requested, he proceeded to ignore the girl who was now stirring the cauldron with her wand. Instead, he fished into his bag and pulled out a few sheets of parchment. He covered them partially with his Potions textbook and then began to scratch at them with his quill. There was complete silence between both of them.

Vera was relieved; even though Wood had asked more questions than necessary, he understood the meaning of complete silence. Once he had started scribbling on his piece of parchment, not a single peep came out of him. Only once when Snape passed near their desk did Wood quickly hide the parchment with his textbook. Then he resumed his work once the Professor had moved away. Vera sighed as she continued to brew the potion.

"That one's flawed."

Wood was startled when he heard Vera speak. Over twenty minutes had passed in complete silence, and he'd been so busy with his Quidditch strategies that he had almost forgotten he was in class. He glanced down at his parchment; it was filled with stick figures in brooms that were flying around in various formations. Wood looked up as Vera and blinked. "What?" he asked.

Vera frowned as she turned off the flame beneath the cauldron. She had just finished brewing the potion; and there was still two minutes left of class so she had chanced a look at what Wood was doing. She lazily jabbed her wand at a point on his parchment. "This formation is flawed. You've left a gap here. The Beater can slide in if he wants and your Chaser wouldn't have the time to react."

Wood blinked at her and then instantly shoved the parchment under his Potions textbook. His expression was hard. How could I be so stupid; she's a Slytherin! "You know about Quidditch strategies?" he asked her in disbelief.

Vera cracked a hint of a smile as she poured the potion into a small flask. "If you're going to plan your Quidditch practices in public, at least don't do them in front of the rival house. Or perhaps you thought that because I'm a girl, I wouldn't understand what you were doing anyway?"

Wood clenched his quill in his fist. "No. Some of the best players on my team are girls. But none of the Slytherin girls ever seem to play, so…" he trailed off, before he suddenly realized and cursed. "Merlins' beard. You're Flint's girlfriend, aren't you? Bloody hell, of course you understood-"

"My knowledge of quidditch has nothing to do with my boyfriend," Vera replied swiftly.

Wood blinked at her. He was still worried. Had she been peeking at his plans throughout class? How many of his strategies had she understood enough to tell Flint about? Oliver Wood swore at himself for being so careless, but Vera only seemed to find his predicament amusing.

"I'm not going to tell him, you know," she said after a long, tense silence. The bell rang and the class instantly moved into motion. There was the loud scraping of chairs and the slamming of books. Vera stood up herself, using her wand to clear up all the potions ingredients in one swift move. Then she looked down at Wood. "Marcus doesn't care much for strategy."

Wood scoffed. "Probably because he can't comprehend them."

He expected Vera to glare at him again or come up with some cool and snappy retort; but she merely cracked another of those slightly mysterious half-smiles of hers before hitching her bag up on her shoulder and walking out. She pushed past a few people and reached the exit to the dungeon, where a familiar face was waiting in the corridor.

"Hello, beautiful," Marcus Flint greeted her. He was giving her one of his crooked, large-toothed smiles. Vera walked up to him calmly, and allowed him to pull her closer while wrapping a muscular arm around her shoulders. With his other hand, Flint took her bag from her hands. "How was class?"

"Dreadful," she replied, just as Flint swooped down and placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth. He smelled of mud and broomstick polish; he always smelled like that somehow, even when he hadn't been on the pitch all day. Vera inhaled the familiar scent before looking up at him through her eyelashes. "What are you doing here, darling?" she asked sweetly, placing a hand on his shoulder to balance herself in his arms. She could feel the rippling muscles underneath.

"Had a free period; thought I'd walk back to lunch with you," Flint replied with a grin. He slung her bag over his shoulder and kept his other arm wrapped firmly around her; a few people were looking at them, but Vera was pretty sure that Flint wanted that. He tended towards subtle public displays of marking his territory. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Vera replied. She was about to turn and begin walking towards the Great Hall, but Flint didn't move. He was staring past her; his cheerful grin had morphed into a sneer. Vera whirled around and noticed Oliver Wood exiting the classroom among a throng of other students.

"Wood!" Flint called out loudly. The Gryffindor captain turned around. While he was by no means unfit, he looked rather small and insignificant beside Flint. "Been hearing rumors about your team lately," Flint continued.

Wood raised an eyebrow. He glanced briefly at Vera, who was pressed firmly into Flint's side, and then up at the taller boy. "Have you, Flint?"

"That's right. People are saying you've chosen the Potter boy as your new Seeker," Flint replied with a chuckle. "I saw him yesterday; he's even smaller than you, which I never thought was possible. Or perhaps that's why you picked him- so you wouldn't be the runt of the team anymore?" Flint mocked.

"Brute force is not the essence of Quidditch, Flint," Wood replied calmly.

Flint chuckled. "We'll see who's talking when ickle baby Potter goes home crying after the first match."

"Don't underestimate him. He's got talent, something you Slytherins fail to comprehend." Wood cracked a small smile and then glanced again at Vera. She looked bored. "But that's not the only thing you fail to comprehend, is it, Flint?"

Flint clenched his fist. "You filthy half-blooded-"

"Darling, is this going to take much longer?" Vera drawled. She was glancing at her watch and looked mildly irritated. "As entertaining as this display of pretentious male ego and puffed-up bravado is, I'm hungry and it's lunchtime."

Flint blinked down at her, his expression softening slightly. "Sorry darling," he apologized quickly. He slid his arm around Vera's back and began to lead her away. He glanced back at Oliver Wood and narrowed his eyes at him. "You watch yourself, Wood!" he called after him.

Wood stared after the disappearing couple, a little bewildered. Vera hadn't only insulted him; she'd also insulted her own boyfriend, or had Flint not realized that? That big oaf probably didn't understand a word that she had said. Vera Selwyn was graceful, pretty, and deceptively clever.

Which then begged the question- what exactly was she doing with that stupid troll?

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A/N – Hello, everyone! Thanks for choosing to read this! It's been so long since I've written a HP fanfiction that I feel completely out of touch. But I simply love Slytherin and so this is just me attempting to write another fanfic revolving around Slytherin lifestyle and drama. While I have an outline in mind, I haven't decided entirely where this story is going, I'm just kind of hoping to bust some of my stress through it. Any suggestions are welcome. Hope you enjoy!