Chapter One

T.W THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE LANGUAGE AND MURDER.Clarissa's POV I sat at the long table in the Great Hall, mesmerised by the magic that radiated from every corner. It wasn't that I hadn't been around magic. I was a witch and so were my adopted parents. I had been to Diagon Alley plenty of times and the ministry of magic too when Dad had emergency meetings. At those times I would just wonder around, watching the wizards and witches work on fascinating projects or sorting out some serious problems that I knew damn well I shouldn't be nosing into but I couldn't help myself.

The hall was large. Floating candles filled the enchanted ceiling that looked like the night sky. Stars sparkled like diamonds and I found myself staring at the different constellations. I couldn't quite put into words how stunning it was.

There was only one person I knew, Hermione. Well, I didn't really know her. We had met on the train on the way to this new school. But she was nice to me. Straight away she welcomed me into her friendship group and tried to introduce me to everyone. Not that I could remember any of their names. Nerves had taken over and all information had gone in one ear and out the other. I swear one of them was called Luna though and there may have been a Ginny.

Right now though, I felt tiny sitting amongst all the other students that were feasting on all the food that lined the tables. Everyone was excited to be with their friends again, chatting away, drinking, and eating. The professors at the front of the hall were also laughing and joking with each other, happy to be back with their school family. Although I was excited to finally be spending my last academic year here, I also felt slightly out of place.

"I'm certain you will get in to Gryffindor Clarissa." Hermione smiled at me reassuringly, as though she sensed my anxiety. "There are also some lovely people in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff too, so even if you get put in to one of those houses, it wouldn't exactly be a bad thing." She nodded towards the two tables behind me where blue and yellow flags hung above them and I looked back up at the red flags above us.

"Unless you get put into Slytherin, then we can't be friends anymore." The ginger haired boy grumbled through a mouth full of turkey leg, making the boy with glasses laugh beside him. I recognised that one but couldn't quite place where from.

Hermione levelled him with a look and he gulped as he lowered his gaze back to his plate. I gave a nervous chuckle but put my head down too. My red, curly hair fell over my face and I twisted a coil around my finger trying to distract myself from the nausea in my stomach.

My first day at Hogwarts and even though I was in the last year, I still felt like a first-year student. Nervously waiting to be selected. The only difference was that all the first years had already been assigned their houses and I had to patiently wait until we had all finished our meal. Having previously been homeschooled, this was all new to me. But my parents had agreed with Professor Dumbledore to send me to Hogwarts for the final year so I could prepare for my N.E.W.Ts (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test).

Once everyone had their fill of food, Professor Dumbledore stood from his seat at the front of the hall and waved his hand through the air. The plates and cups vanished from the tables, leaving everything clean and clear. A lot of gasps could be heard from the younger ones. I covered my smile, remembering what I had been like when I first saw dad do the same spell.

Dumbledore then went on to dismiss all year groups but asked year seven students to stay behind. I gulped down the bile that was rising, knowing what was coming. Why was I so nervous? I was 17. There was nothing to be worried about. Whatever house I was placed in didn't determine the kind of person I was. Well, I hoped not.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new student joining us. Clarissa Blackwood will be joining us for her final year of education. Clarissa, please come up to be sorted in to your house." He held out his hand, signalling for me to step forward to the front of the hall.

I stood up and made my way to him, aware of the whispers that were now circling around me. Most were muffled enough by hands that I couldn't hear them, but one comment was louder than the others. Almost uncaring if I heard or not.

"I thought she was a Weasley." A boy from the Slytherin table sniggered.

"Naa, she's too hot." Another replied.

Sitting on the stall beside Dumbledore, I felt everyone's eyes on me. Hermione was beaming across like she knew I was already a part of her great house and I longed so much to be sitting next to the students I had just started to get to know. Both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were also smiling up at me and I tried to smile back as my eyes grazed over them all, but anyone could tell it was fake.

I turned my gaze to Slytherin. They were all huddled together, whispering and then glancing at me, grinning. One boy wasn't joining in with their conversation but that didn't mean his attention wasn't on me. I caught his eye and he maintained contact. There was no expression on his face as he just continued to stare. His glare was almost suffocating, probably inciting fear into many. The darkness of his eyes made me want to look away but I couldn't. There was a scar going through his right eyebrow, narrowly missing his eye, and stopping at his high cheek bone. That didn't subtract from how attractive he was, if anything it made him more intriguing. That and the thick, dark curls that fell slightly over his forehead.

I tore my eyes away, trying to calm my nerves and forcing myself to breathe in and out slowly. Looking at him had only made me more nervous.

Another professor stepped up to me, holding the old sorting hat in her hands and began lowering it down on to my head. Before the thing could even touch my flyaway curls, it screamed out one word.

"SLYTHERIN!!"

The room was quiet. So quiet I was certain they could hear the banging of my heart against my ribs. Everyone looked at me shocked. I glanced at the Slytherin table and could see them all still grinning albeit slightly confused. The only one that didn't look to impressed was the boy with the dark eyes. His glare narrowed somewhat but when he blinked, whatever he was thinking vanished from his face completely.

Dumbledore cleared his throat beside me, making me jump. "Well Miss Blackwood, I'm sure you will be a valued member of your new house. Please go with your peers and they will show you to where you need to be."

I stood without a word and walked towards the Slytherin table, looking at Hermione and her friends as I passed. They watched me, just as shocked as I was, then bowed their heads, avoiding my eye.

"Now, before you retire to your dorms, I would like to repeat something I have said before." Dumbledore continued speaking, "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light." I watched as his eyes flickered over the Slytherin table while all the other students looked at each other mildly confused. He then waved his hand, dismissing us all.

Silently, I followed the six students to the dungeons, trying to take in my surroundings for when I would have to do it alone. I wasn't sure if they would help me again after tonight. From some reactions towards Slytherins, they weren't known for their helpfulness. 

The blonde-haired girl at the front of our small group muttered the password (pureblood) to a large black door and I watched as a snake slithered, unlocking the mechanism.

Still in silence we walked into the common room. It was quite a spacious area. All the walls were black and so was the tiled floor. There was a green feature wall at the far end with a grand fireplace and a small table in front. A couple of black leather sofas surrounded it with a few matching armchairs scattered in-between them.

There was a small number of other students in the room already but as soon as the older group entered they made their way to their dorms. The group walked over to the seating area, each taking a seat. I stood quietly, looking around the room. Was I meant to sit down or go straight to my bedroom, where ever that was. I was about to open my mouth to ask when the dark-haired girl spoke up.

"So, Clarissa... what's your story?"

"Huh?" My brows creased in confusion.

"Well, I think we would all like to know why the hat didn't even touch your head before putting you in Slytherin?" She patted the empty seat beside her and smiled up at me.

Everyone watched while I crossed the room, waiting for my answer.

"I really don't know." I sighed and sat down.

"I'm Pansy by the way. That's Draco and Darcy, the twins." She pointed at the two with white, blonde hair. Draco nodded and Darcy smiled. "Apart from looking alike, they are nothing alike."

"We don't look alike." Draco scoffed. "I'm much better looking."

"You look like a ferret, shut up." Darcy retaliated.

Draco glared at his sister muttering something along the lines of "Fucking Leo," but nothing else was said. Sore subject I guessed.

"This sexy piece of meat here is called Blaise." A dark-skinned lad said, referring to himself, while running his hands over his body and causing me to chuckle.

Pansy rolled her eyes at him before continuing with her introductions. "And over there is Reid," She pointed to the boy standing beside a chair then to the one sitting in it. "And Mattheo."

I smiled over at Reid and he gave me a lop sided smirk while doing a two finger salute with his hand. Mattheo leaned back in the chair and pulled out a cigarette packet from inside his trouser pocket. He took one out and placed it between his parted lips. Not once had his intense gaze left mine as he lit the cigarette and inhaled.

My stomach did that stupid thing that happens when nerves take over your body. Why he had that effect on me, I had no idea but I wished it would stop. I blamed the intensity of his stare. But I had to quickly look away before he knew that he made me nervous. Something told me that wouldn't be good for me.

"What did you say your last name was Clarissa?" Draco asked, running his fingers through his blonde hair as he leaned forward.

"Call me Clary, everyone else does. And it's Blackwood." I answered, smiling.

"Hmm, any relation to the old crazy headmaster?" He carried on questioning.

I shrugged. "No idea. I was adopted and that was my adopted parents' family name."

"Do you know who your real parents are?" Darcy probed, now also curious.

I shook my head, not really knowing anything about my birth parents. I had never really been too interested. I probably should have been but there was a reason I was adopted and I wasn't sure I was ready to find out.

"So you might not even be a pureblood?" Pansy grimaced. She still tried to smile through the disgust though so I appreciated that.

"Of course she is," Blaise shot up out of his chair and sat on the arm of the sofa beside me. "There was no hesitation putting her in Slytherin."

"Mattheo is a half-blood and in Slytherin." Darcy grinned at Blaise, like she had proved a point.

"That's because he's our Dark Lords son and a fucking psychopath."

"Your Voldemort's son?" My attention shot to him again and he raised a brow, clearly impressed I had used his father's name. A smirk formed on his face with the cigarette still hanging out of his mouth. Everyone was quiet, looking between us both. He leaned forward, not taking his eyes away from mine. I could feel my heart rate accelerate and warmth grow in my cheeks. I had definitely said something wrong. My dad had warned me not to say his name but I never saw the point of beating around the bush. Sitting before his son though, maybe I should have thought before opening my mouth.

"I am." He paused, inhaling more smoke then removing the cigarette from his lips. "And I'm not a psychopath," He breathed out the smoke through his nose and leant back in his seat again. "I'm a sociopath, there is a difference."

I breathed out slowly too, finally feeling the weight lift of my chest. I hadn't offended him. Yet.

"What's the difference?" Draco wondered, looking between him and Blaise.

"Psychopaths are more manipulative and charming. Sociopaths are more erratic and rage prone. They tend to feel a tiny bit of remorse." I answered quietly but still loud enough for the group to hear.

"Fuck me, you're a mixture of both then, Mattheo." Reid laughed, causing the group of laugh too. Mattheo didn't laugh though. He just continued to look at me through his long eyelashes, smiling like I was going to be his next victim.

I really hoped they had locks on the bedroom doors. Dying on my first night didn't seem that appealing.

The rest of the evening went by quickly with us all laughing and joking. Pansy and Darcy were really trying to make me feel welcomed and it was working. All of them, bar one, made me feel at home and included me into their conversations like I had never not been part of the group.

Mattheo and Reid disappeared for an hour or so but apparently that wasn't anything new and when they returned to the common room they looked angry.

"Hey, we are having a party tomorrow to welcome Clary properly." Pansy called after them. Mattheo kept walking towards the boys' dorms, ignoring her but Reid stopped and smiled.

"I'll be on alcohol duty." He grinned and jumped over the back of the sofa to be seated next to Darcy.

"Nothing big, just a small gathering." Pansy scowled at him and I assumed that him being on alcohol duty meant it was going to be a lot rowdier than she hoped.

"Yeah, small gathering." Draco repeated, rolling his eyes. He shared a look with Reid and gave him a sly wink that Reid grinned to in response.

"We'll go to Hogsmead tomorrow and find new outfits." Darcy said, getting excited. "Come on Clary, I'll show you to our room." She stood up and so did I.

"I'm going too." Pansy yawned and followed. We all waved goodbye to the boys and the two girls led the way to our dorm.

The dorm was quite big with three beds spaced out respectively and a little shared bathroom. There were three sets of wardrobes plus bedside tables and chests of drawers. Everything that was needed in a simple bedroom was there.

"This one is yours." Darcy said, flinging herself onto the middle bed. I chuckled and followed suit. My cases were placed at the front of my bed, neatly stacked on top of each other. Getting out my wand, I muttered a little charm and all my belongings started unpacking themselves. The girls looked at me in awe.

"Not going to lie, I thought because you were homeschooled you would be thick as shit." Pansy joked.

I laughed and carried on watching my shirts arrange themselves in the drawer. I probably knew a lot of spells that they didn't through being homeschooled but they probably knew a lot of stuff I didn't about the wizarding world. I had lived a semi sheltered life.

Picking out a pair of shorts and little tank top, I went to the bathroom to get changed for bed. Quickly, I brushed my teeth and washed my face then got dressed. It was chilly in the dorm so I instantly regretted picking shorts to wear but as soon as I got back to my bed and wrapped the blanket around me, I warmed up. The girls continued chatting amongst themselves as I laid my head on the pillow, listening to them going on about the boys.

"Mattheo's looking even hotter this year." Pansy sighed.

Darcy laughed, throwing a cushion at her friend. "You say that every year Panz but never do anything about it."

"That's because I don't fancy dying." She threw the cushion back. "Anyway, I have my eye on someone else... but I think we can all appreciate that fine arse on Mattheo."

I smiled to myself. I had never really experienced girl banter after being kept away from most people my own age by my parents, but this was really nice. It was new and I was loving it so far.

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"Clary, wake up," I heard Pansy shrieking as she jumped on my bed. I groaned and put the pillow over my head. "Come on, you need to get ready so we can go shopping." Her whiney voice put a smile on my face.

I felt her get off the bed and slowly slid the pillow away.

"I've got you a croissant." As I yawned, I felt the pastry being shoved in to my mouth. My eyes flew open and Darcy grinned down at me whilst Pansy stood beside her laughing. Sitting up, I spat it back on to the plate but couldn't help myself from grinning at my two new crazy friends.

Unfurling from the blanket, I made my way to the shower. The warm water felt good, falling down my body and I wanted to stay in there for ever but I also wanted to go shopping as I had not yet experienced a girly day out and I was certain Pansy and Darcy were going to make it fun.

After I finished washing, I wrapped a towel around my body and made my way to my drawers. I put on some dark denim shorts with a little black crop top and chucked an oversized black jumper over it all. Nothing too extreme for a day out I didn't think. Using a simple charm, I dried my hair, letting the curls fall down my back. I applied a light coating of mascara and lip balm and stuck a pair of knee length socks on with my ankle boots.

"How the fuck do you look so good just for a shopping trip?" Darcy smiled sweetly. She looked cute with her hair in a messy low bun, a pastel yellow summer dress and a denim jacket.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes at her whilst laughing. "You look amazing."

"Oh this," She twirled on the spot then pouted her lips as she posed. "Just something I threw together."

We both chuckled. She was making my first morning here so easy.

"Come on, the boys are meeting us in the Hogs Head for lunch. If we don't leave soon, we won't have a lot of time to get what we need." Pansy moaned, poking her head around the door.

"I'm so glad we finally have another girl in our group... the boys were getting a little too annoying." Darcy almost sneered while she linked her arm through mine and dragged me out the door.

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There weren't many shops in Hogsmead but there was everything that we needed to have an amazing outfit. I managed to get myself a gorgeous black skater style dress, simple yet beautiful. Darcy purchased a pastel pink silk slip dress and Pansy bought the same style in three other colours because she couldn't decide what one suited her best, despite our help.

All three of us were pretty hungry as we made our way to The Hogs Head. It was quite an old looking pub but also had a charm about it. The boys were already seated when we entered and each had a pint of beer in their hands. Darcy went to the seat next to her brother and Pansy took the seat the other side leaving me to take the only other empty one.

Next to Mattheo.

"What can I get you dears?" A lady with wild blonde curly hair asked, standing behind me.

"A round of butterbeers for everyone." Reid replied, looking around the group to see if anyone wanted anything else.

"And three loads of chips." Darcy added.

"Thank you." I said quickly, turning to face the lady and she smiled down at me warmly.

"So, you girls all shopped out now?" Draco asked, draping his arm over Pansy's shoulders, causing a pink tinge to rise to her cheeks. I immediately got the impression that he was the boy that she mentioned the night before.

"Yeah, we're going to look so hot tonight." Darcy winked at me and I chuckled as the lady placed our drinks and food on the table.

For a little while, we all spoke and joked over a couple more drinks. Even Mattheo joined in occasionally. I could feel him staring at me at times though. Not constantly, but if someone wasn't talking about something that interested him, he would set his attention on me. If anything, it was beginning to get annoying. Like, what was his problem? He would never speak to me, not directly anyway. But he had no problem watching me. Even when I looked back at him he wouldn't look away like a normal person would do. No, he just stared me out until it was too much and I ended up averting my eyes.

After a couple of hours Darcy stood up. "We should get ready. We only have a couple of hours till the party."

"Oh no, you will be hideous because of lack of time." Draco gasped, mockingly horrified.

Darcy slapped him on the arm hard and picked up her bags. Pansy did the same, minus the hitting of Draco, and then I stood up. Bending over to pick up my bag, a hand grabbed hold of my bum making me spin around.

A man who must have been in his forty's at least, stood in front of me, licking his lips. His eyes were glazed over in his drunken stupor. Someone obviously couldn't handle their drink.

"Mate, sit down before we knock you down." I heard Reid say as he came to stand beside me. Everyone else had stood, ready to defend my honour it seemed. All but Mattheo, who remained seated with that blank expression on his face, staring at the man.

"Just leave it." I said quietly to Reid as he started moving forward towards the man.

Pressing my hand on his chest, I pushed him back softly. He stopped and looked down at me.

"It's fine."

Reid sat down again, still glaring at the man. Draco and Blaise sat back in their seats too and I breathed a sigh of relief. They were really about to fight a man for a girl that they didn't even know that well. Part of me appreciated it and the other part was still slightly in shock.

"Let's just go." I smiled to the girls and walked out the building with them following me.

Mattheo's POV

I watched as she walked away then looked at the man that had just assaulted her, watching him sulk off to the bathroom. Pushing my chair out, I placed my drink on the table and stood, then rolled up my shirt sleeves. The boys looked at me but didn't say anything. They knew not to. They just carried on their conversation allowing me to do what I wanted. Not that they would be able to stop me.

Following him into the bathroom, I locked the door and muttered a silencing charm. Being able to do magic without a wand was one of the little gifts from my mother that I loved. It was the least she owed me.

He stood at the sink with his back towards me. The bloke was that drunk he hadn't noticed I was even there. I shook my head at the poor excuse of a wizard. He probably had a wife at home. She was probably waiting for him to come back after a few drinks with his friends and then expecting him to take out the bins or some mundane shit like that. What she doesn't know is that her husband won't be coming home because he made a fatal mistake today.

I grabbed the back of his head and smashed it down onto the sink, then into the mirror in front of us so he could see my reflection. I wanted to see his fear and for him to see my face to know exactly who was doing this to him. I watched his blood smear against the glass and felt no shame with the satisfaction it gave me. He looked terrified but that just fed my need to keep going.

Throwing him to the floor, I straddled his chest, wanting to hurt him more for placing his dirty hands on the girl. As I dug my thumbs into his eyes, I could hear his screams echo around the tiny room. Blood pooled in the sockets as I dug deeper. Lifting his head, I smashed it back down in to the tiled floor, repeating until the screaming had stopped and the tiles had cracked from the force. His blood spread around us and I watched for a moment, pure enjoyment making me smile again.

It was clear he was dead. I was finished. Standing up, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. His blood had splattered across my face and over my shirt. Fucks sake, this was one of my favourites. I wiped my hands on the little towel the pub had so graciously provided not for this reason. Leaning back against the sink, I looked at the dead body in front of me.

There was no telling why I just did what I did. I could use the excuse that I was bored. That would seem more plausible than the actual reason. It was because he touched her and something just switched inside me. I didn't like it. What pissed me off more is that I didn't know why it had riled me up so much. And that was his fault for making me question myself when it came to her.

Stepping over his body, I unlocked the door and walked out. Someone would find his body soon and I had to be gone before they did. Getting expelled from Hogwarts was not a part of my fathers plan.

The boys looked at me when I walked back over to the table but none said anything about the blood that still covered me. I picked up my jacket, finished my drink and turned to the exit.

"Let's go."