The day Hydra Valente boarded the Hogwarts express was a day that really happened.

It started in the morning, as most days tend to do. Her mother roused her at eight, then, shoving a neatly folded dress into her hands, thrust her into the bathroom and turned the shower on. After spluttering at the sudden, unexpected arrival of water, Hydra sloshed Healer Harriet's Special Shampoo and Conditioner over her hair, then after it was all rinsed off, she dried herself, dressed, and looked in the mirror. A startlingly pale being stared back at her. Bottom-rib length brown hair fell in straight lines down her back, finishing in perfectly curled ringlets at the ends. Large grey eyes stared out of a small, pointed face as her ivory hands nervously plucked at the hem of her dress. Swathes of a deep blue velvet reached just below her knees, with long sleeves ending in sliver buttons. Taking a deep breath, she picked up a silver backed hairbrush and began to comb out the knots her hair.

When this was done, she opened the door, and padded downstairs, flinching, as usual, at the stuffed house elves heads encased in glass boxes that lined the staircase. The house was at least nine stories high, each floor containing more gruesome artefacts than the rest. She opened the door to the dining room, to be met with all three members of her family seated at the engraved mahogany table. Kooky, the house elf, had just begun laying out plated of bacon and eggs for her sister Marianne.

"Your late." barked her mother, as way of greeting. Hydra slid into her seat, and swapped ghosts of smiles with Marianne. This didn't matter how annoyed her parents were with her today, because today she would be leaving. She would be going to Hogwarts. A bowel of pasty grey stuff was plonked in front of her. Hydra wrinkled her nose.

"What's this?"She asked, face screwed up at the smell.

"Porridge," her mother replied curtly "You've got a big day ahead of you, and I don't want you being sick and embarrassing the family." Hydra grimaced. She felt as though she could have eaten twenty fried breakfasts, but instead, she ignored her spoon, and tried to figure how to slip a sausage or two from Marianne's plate. Her mother ignored her daughter's obvious disgust, and turned to her husband.

"Such a shame Madam Malkin didn't stock first year Slytherin robes. It would make such a statement, Hydra arriving to school like that before even getting sorted. Show we have our priorities right."

Oh right. Slytherin.

Of course she would be in Slytherin. That had been clear her whole life. Hydra shut her eyes and pictured the common room, with its windows gazing into glittering green waters. She smiled.

After her full plate and her family's empty ones had been cleared away, she walked upstairs to get her trunk, humming to herself the whole way through. Soon she would be gone from this gloomy hallway. This gloomy house. This gloomy life. After giving a quick review of her room, she heaved her luggage downstairs and grabbed her mother's hand ready for side-along apparition. A quick, lung-flattening squeeze and the family were standing five metres away from platform 9¾ quarter of an hour before the train was due. Hydra took a deep breath and charged at the barrier between 9 and 10. Her mother soon followed and, hissing in her ear about how running will show the family up, steered her further along the platform, trolley squeaking and spinning out behind. Marianne and her father soon followed and, after a quick hug from her sister, Hydra tried to lift her trunk onto the train with little success. Her father waved to an acquaintance, and soon a fifteen year old boy was helping her lift her luggage onto the train.

"Hydra Valente right?"he asked, holding out his hand for her to shake it "The name's Howard Shrewman. We met at a Christmas do last year remember? Anyway, nice to meet a fellow Slytherin!" and with that, he gave her a quick grin and walked off.

What was that, Hydra wondered. She knew her family was about as prestigious as you can get, but she was still only a first year. And that comment about being in Slytherin. Even though her being part of the snakes was as black and white in the truth as you can get, it still bothered her in a way she didn't understand. Settling down, and looking out onto the platform, she tried to suppress a grin. She was going to Hogwarts! She was going to learn spells and potions and magic! She was going to find secret passageways and make new friends! Hydra had never had any friends before, Marianne aside. Most of her childhood had been spent exploring the fields and woods near her home on the outskirts of Cambridgeshire, playing with her collection of china dolls, or else attending some dull convention of strictly pureblood families arranged by her mother. Now was her time to shine! She had already read every magical book she could lay her hands on, hoping this wasn't enough to get her sorted into Ravenclaw. It would bring utmost shame on her family for her to be sorted into any another house aside from Slytherin.

The door opened and a first year boy walked in. He had deep brown waves over his head, an impish expression on his otherwise pale face and bright blue eyes. He was followed by a slightly smaller boy, equally impish, but with a head full of copper coloured hair and warm brown eyes. Hydra liked the friendly look of these people and wondered if they could be friends.

"Hi," the first one said "can we sit here?" Hydra nodded and smiled at them.

"My name's Edmund Laurel and this is Charles Brigeman." The copper-haired one said, returning her simile.

Hydra laughed. "First years too? Isn't this exciting?" she grinned. The others nodded enthusiastically. "My name's Hydra. Hydra Valente."

The boys' grins immediately disappeared to become scowls. They turned to face her coldly. Hydra began to feel nervous. Had she said something wrong already?

"Ah yes," Charles sneered "It would seem, Edmund, that we are sharing a compartment with a Slytherin."

"Should have noticed the, ah, aristocratic, look." Replied Edmund, coldly.

"Well I'm not going to move compartments for a Slytherin," said Charles "either she leaves, or she has to put up with the company of decent people."

Hydra gulped and turned to face the window, tears stinging her eyes. She'd had no idea her surname would cause her any trouble, but it would seem it already had. Sharply, she told herself that crying would only embarrass her, and taint the family name. Instead, she concentrated on watching the families outside, wondering which of those would be prejudiced against her, or attempt to become friends to increase their status. She heard angry mutterings from the boys behind her, which soon turned into an increase and heated debate on Quidditch. Soon the clock reached eleven, and the whistle blew. The train chugged out of the station, gathering speed until the platform was a blur and all they would see was rolling countryside. Hydra got out one of her school books and pretended to read, all the time listening out to the conversation next to her. The topic had turned to houses.

"Oh I'd much rather be in Gryffindor," Charles was exclaiming "I'd think I'd die of embarrassment if the hat put me in Hufflepuff! Or Slytherin." He added, glaring at Hydra, would quickly went back to staring at her book. Edmund nodded enthusiastically.

"Gryffindor; where dwell the brave at heart. Not cowards, like you know what." he replied, also glaring at Hydra, who remained seemingly impassive, although she was seething on the inside.

"Far better noble and brave than stuck up and stupid." Said Charles, grinning sideways at her in an annoying fashion.

Why don't you go to Slytherin then, Hydra wanted to scream then you can put people down slyly all you like.

The compartment door slid open, revealing a stout witch pushing a huge trolley ladled with sweets. Charles and Edmund leapt up happily, while Hydra fingered the empty insides of her velvet pockets, glumly reflecting on the fact her parents never gave her pocket money. She had always gotten the impression they preferred Marianne, backed up by the fact Marianne was allowed ten sickles a week, compared to Hydra's dismal nothing.

The boys returned ladled with sweets, muttering something about vain blood elitists on stupid diets. The rest of the journey passed with much chocolate frog card swapping between the boys, and Hydra still staring out the window as the sun got closer and closer to the tips of the Scottish hills. Near the end of the journey, she slipped her robes over her dress, checked her wand was in place and waited expectantly for the platform to be in sight. Soon a booming voice echoed over the train.

"Hogwarts station coming up. Please leave your bags to be collected."

She was so nearly there, she could feel it.