CHAPTER 1
Kurt had to learn very early into his life that the world wasn't sunshine and rainbows. He learnt that it was, in fact, quite the opposite.
He didn't have a childhood. Not really. Following the death of his mother shortly after his fourth birthday, his mothers family, the Vinsons, had taken him away from his father and into their care. His father had quickly been deemed 'unfit to raise a child' by the Vinsons lawyer, supported by Burt Hummel's own statement and agreement, and after a few short hours with only a few documents signed, Kurt had mourned the loss of his mother with his grandparents by his side, his father forgotten. Of course, Kurt knew it had been for the best. The Vinsons were a prestigious Wizarding family, with generations of pureblooded wizards behind them. And besides, he was far too young to remember his parents, really.
Kurt soon adopted the Vinson second name, forgoing 'Hummel' as soon as he was old enough to do so. With his family name behind him, he was virtually untouchable by anyone in the Wizarding community.
He grew up in the black-and-white walls of the Vinsons family mansion (or, well, one of the many). His free time was spent in the mansions library, learning about poetry and art and music, like his mother had wanted. His grandfather, Andrew Vinson, would much rather see him succeed in the Ministry Of Magic or as a Potions Master, like himself and the other Vinson men had done. However, Kurt was captured by the words on the parchments, written to elect such deep emotions and meaning that Kurt was far too young to comprehend. He fell in love with it, but of course, he'd never admit that to his grandfather.
Kurt grew up with everything he'd ever wanted and nothing missing. He'd had the best clothes, the best homeschooled education, and the best mother figure he could've asked for. His grandmother had been the supportive anchor in his life, someone he could turn to without fear of judgement. She supported him throughout his passion for arts, clapping and cheering when he'd sing for her. She even taught him how to play a non-enchanted piano.
There was no question that Kurt would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, only the most prestigious school for Wizards. In fact, the day his letter came wasn't a day of excitement, but rather a day of preparation. Most of Kurt's necessary belongings had already been packed in his large, expensive trunk, needing only his uniform and the remainder of his potions kit. They had everything ready for his first year in Hogwarts within the week, including his own beautiful trained blue owl by the name of 'Porcelain'.
Kurt's school life was stellar. Not only had he been sorted into Slytherin, the Vinson's preferred Hogwarts house, but he'd been at the top of his classes throughout his first five years. He'd made the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Seeker, and had maintained his position even going into his sixth year.
Which is where he was now; sat surrounded by his Slytherin friends on their table in the Great Hall, eating with their newly-sorted Slytherins as they celebrated the beginning of their sixth year. Kurt was on top of the world. He was a Prefect, he was a Seeker, and he was a Slytherin. People cowered under his family name, and Kurt made sure that people knew who he was, who his grandfather was.
Kurt was a Vinson, and no one could tell him he was anything less than that.
Kurt had surrounded himself with good people, too. Dignified people. Rachel Berry had been his best friend ever since he'd been sorted into Slytherin. She was a determined, fiery pureblooded witch with enough starpower to make a supernova feel intimidated. She sat diligently by his side at the Slytherin table, with Santana Lopez sat across from them, her back to the rest of the hall. Santana came from a long line of Latina witches, known for their somewhat-evil hexes and curses. Santana was powerful, and Kurt liked to think that the trio balanced each other out quite nicely.
Of course, Kurt had more than just two friends. Quinn Fabray, self-proclaimed Queen Bee of the school sat on the other side of him. She was cunning, and would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Across from her sat Jesse St. James, the ever-annoying Head Boy (and one of Rachel's many unattainable crushes). Although Jesse wasn't the most pleasant to be around, he was as determined as Rachel and as cunning as Quinn, and Kurt could appreciate that.
However, one person he could never appreciate was Sebastian Smythe, his only real competition. Sebastian was truly the poster child for Slytherin, because he was just plain, unadulterated evil. He'd been awarded the spot as captain of the Quidditch team this year, which was predictable from his third year when he had secured himself a life-long position as a Chaser. He was in the process of scaling their class ranks to obtain nearly as perfect of grades as Kurt did. He also had a tongue like a knife, only rivalled by Santana's own, and a stupid meerkat face that would often put Kurt off his dinner.
Nevertheless, Kurt was surrounded by good people. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were all Slytherins, because no one from Slytherin ever, ever fraternised with anyone from any other house. Thats why Slytherin had been winning the house cup for the last decade, undefeated.
"God, the first years look terrified," Rachel commented, pointing to the end of their table with her fork.
"They look like they could use a drink," Santana agreed, taking a sip from her (hopefully) non-alcoholic tea, "Maybe we should initiate them with a game of strip-poker."
"That breaks, like, forty five different Hogwarts rules, not to mention legal ones," Kurt frowned, playing with the peas in his plate with his fork.
"And besides, none of us have firewhiskey," Rachel corrected Santana, "We can't get them wasted for their first day-"
"Wow Rachel," Santana gasped, "I completely forgot how much I didn't miss your annoying, whiney voice. In fact, I strongly suggest you stay mute for the rest of the school year. And the next."
Rachel opened her mouth, but her words fell short as her gaze gravitated to the doors of the Great Hall, which were opened just enough to let a boy slip through. Her words died as a gasp made its way out of her mouth, her hand flying to cover her shocked expression.
"Did you actually hex her?!" Kurt asked Santana incredulously, but was interrupted by Rachel's sharp hiss of "Look!".
Kurt and Santana turned to look at the entrance of the Great Hall, Kurt instantly gasping at the sight.
He wasn't sure what the boy's name was, but he recognised him as the Hufflepuff team's Beater. He had gelled back dark hair, with triangular eyebrows perfectly matching. The yellow Hufflepuff emblem and yellow tie were stark against his slightly tanned skin and dark uniform. However, that wasn't what caught everyones eye.
What caught their eye was the large, dark bruise that had formed on the boys left cheek, just below his eye.
The majority of the Hogwarts students were staring now, the loud conversations turned into hushed whispers as the boy made his way through the hall towards the Hufflepuff table, a dark expression on his face. Another Hufflepuff boy, who Kurt recognised as the prefect Sam Evans, stood from his seat to make room for the boy. No one took their eyes off him as they watched him sit on the bench, glaring at his plate while Sam whispered to him.
"That's Blaine Anderson," Quinn supplied to the trio, forcing Kurt to take his eyes off the boy, "He was in our Ancient Runes class last year. I swear he's like, the most Hufflepuff of them all."
"Surely Madame Pillsbury could just magic the bruise away?" Rachel questioned, referring to their newly appointed School Nurse and Councillor, also known as the head of the Ravenclaw house, "I mean, theres no need to make a scene on the first day."
"You literally got bangs just to make a scene, Rachel," Santana pointed out, Rachel self-consciously covering her newly cut bangs.
"It's a fashion statement," Rachel protested, "For him to walk into the first day dinner like that means he wants people to see it. To know that he's been in a fight."
"Or he fell as he was getting off the Hogwarts express and hasn't had time to magic it away," Kurt pointed out.
Santana scoffed, "Oh please, he so wanted people to see it."
Kurt rolled his eyes, stabbing his food with his fork once again before snapping, "Why are we even talking about this?"
Quinn shrugged, turning away to resume her conversation with Jesse. Santana occupied herself with her food, while Rachel pulled out a brand-new Divination textbook, trying to get ahead of class. Kurt tried to avert his eyes away from the Hufflepuff table, but curiosity got the best of him. He looked up, watching as the boy, Blaine, still stared at his empty plate blankly. Even Sam Evans seemed to have given up, turning to make conversation with a fourth-year Hufflepuff.
Something strummed inside Kurt. That boy was… Different. It was a miracle Kurt hadn't noticed him before. Kurt had an eye for interesting people, I mean, look at his friends. But the idea that Blaine Anderson, a Hufflepuff, had gotten into a fight… Well, it made Kurt curious to say the least.
"Dude, I swear it's not, like, that bad," Sam tried to reason with his best friend as they stared into their shared dorms mirror.
"It looks horrible," Blaine sighed, turning away from the mirror and letting himself fall back onto his bed, "I don't understand why it won't go away. Madame Pillsbury tried everything she had."
Sam shrugged, sitting on the edge of his bed, just opposite of Blaine's, "Even if you can't magic it away, I'm sure it'll fade in like, a week?"
"This is so bad," Blaine complained, rubbing his face in frustration and hissing when his palm connected to the bruise, "Everyone saw it Sam. Literally every student and teacher in Hogwarts was there."
"You know what they say; start your Sixth year with a bang," Sam joked, dodging the pillow Blaine threw in reiteration, "But seriously dude, are you okay? Because-"
"I don't want to talk about it," Blaine instantly snapped, taking a deep breath, "But yes, I'm fine. Thanks Sam."
"No problem dude, but I'm here if you wanna talk," Sam smiled as he stood up, patting Blaine's leg, "I'm going to go show the first years the kitchens, you want to come?"
"Sure," Blaine sighed, sitting up, "Just- Give me a minute?"
"I'll be outside," Sam nodded, making his way to the oak door of their dormitory.
As Sam shut the door behind him, Blaine let himself stand up and look into the mirror once more.
He knew he'd been lying to both himself and Sam; he wasn't ok. The bruise was big and blotchy, having turned from an angry red to a deep, ugly eggplant purple. It was unmissable, he knew, but he was hoping that most of his house would at least stop staring at it. He wasn't ready to tell Sam how he got it. Really, he wasn't ready to tell anyone. Instead, he slipped into his slippers, tying his fluffy mustard robe around his pyjamas before giving himself a reassuring smile.
He could do this.
"All clear?" Kurt called to Santana from the centre of the common room, surrounded by all years of Slytherin seated in various places around the common room.
Santana, who'd been standing guard by the entrance of their common room, nodded. She shut the dungeon door with a click before casting a muffling spell on the door. With another nod, she walked to the group, pushing a second-year girl off the ledge of the sofa so she could sit comfortably, her legs crossed daintily.
"Welcome everyone!" Rachel announced in a quiet voice, "To Slytherin."
"Some of you might be disheartened that you're here, with the evil ones," Jesse continued dramatically, leaning against the lit fireplace, the only light in the whole common room, "But rest assured; being a Slytherin is much more than just evil schemes and bribery, like other houses may make you believe."
"In Slytherin, we value ambition, cunning and resourcefulness," Rachel continued, glancing at Kurt with a smile, "You'll make real friends in Slytherin, ones that match your level of ambition. Slytherin is known to produce successful, no-nonsense people, who will stop at nothing to get what they want."
"We value Slytherin solidarity," Kurt continued, "Which is why, First Years, your initiation will be performed alongside the rest of the house."
"As your Prefects, we are here to help you with anything you need," Jesse continued, gesturing to the few Prefects standing in front of the crowd, "So, if at any point during the night you'd like to be brought back to your dormitory, we will happily escort you."
Kurt turned to the large metal clock, smirking as he saw it turn precisely to 2:30am, "It's time."
Blaine and Sam loved initiation week.
They got to sneak the first years out of their dorms, and into the kitchens, teaching them how to tickle the painting to unlock the door just right. No one but Hufflepuffs knew about the kitchens, mostly because they were right next door to the Hufflepuff common room. Blaine loved the secrecy of it all, and Sam loved the kids. He loved watching their wonder-filled eyes as they watched various bowls of cookies fly through the air. The House Elves were kind enough to let them continue this tradition for years, and even prepared them a midnight feast to celebrate the beginning of the year.
The night was drawing to a close for the Hufflepuffs, intent on leaving by 3am latest. Blaine had been snacking on a rather large chocolate chip cookie when he heard the sound of several pounding footsteps rush past the kitchen door, a few giggles heard alongside.
Blaine frowned at Sam, who'd also heard the noise, before moving to the kitchen door. He silently unlocked it, peering his head out into the corridor, and-
As expected, a group of first-year Slytherin students were running through the corridors, lead by Quinn Fabray, giggling with them as they all padded through the school in their pyjamas. Blaine frowned at that, confused. He'd always assumed the Slytherin initiation had something to do with the dungeons, but they were definitely not heading for the dungeons…
"Slytherins?" Sam asked in confusion, "I thought they were too up themselves to have initiations."
"Clearly not," Blaine muttered, turning to Sam, "Come on; we still have to finish the last stack of cookies.
Kurt had been leading his group of Slytherins through the castle, shushing them whenever he heard so much as creek in the floor. Their head of house would surely let them continue their initiation, but if anyone else caught them, he didn't dare imagine what they'd do.
They'd snuck past a group of Ravenclaws heading for the library, undetected. Kurt was quite proud of himself, actually. Last year, his group had nearly been caught by Mr Schuester, the head of the Gryffindor house. He wasn't about to let the initiation be ruined by silly slip-ups. Tonight was for the first-years to feel part of something, to feel magical.
"This way," Kurt hissed, during under a stone arch as they made their way into one of the many courtyards of the school.
"Where are we going?" one of the first years, Jake, asked as they tip-toed along the stone path.
"It's a surprise," Kurt winked, peering around a corner before hurrying the group over a stone fence.
Kurt muttered a quiet 'Lumos' to his wand, emitting a low light from his wand. He lead the way through the grass that surrounded the castle, hiding under the stone structures whenever they heard any noise. He didn't miss how the first years looked terrified, but smiled as the students from the other years comforted them, promising them that there was nothing to fear.
Eventually, the group arrived at their desired destination; the Great Lake. Everyone else had already arrived, save for Quinn's group, who arrived shortly after Kurt had. All the Prefects had illuminated wands, smiling reassuringly.
"Ready for a dip?" Jesse teased, "Just make sure you don't go past where your feet can reach. This shore of the lake is safe, but no one truly knows what goes on down there."
Without thinking twice, a large group of second, third and fourth year Slytherins ran to the shore, jumping in with a few splashes and giggles. The first years looked scared, but Kurt was fast to dismiss the fear.
"I promise it's not deep at all," Kurt smiled, kneeling down next to a particularly terrified girl, "Do you want to go with me?"
"What about our pyjamas?" Jake, the first year from Kurt's group, asked.
"We have magic," Santana informed him quite sassily, "We can dry you off."
"Come on," Kurt smiled, grabbing the girls hand as the two ran into the cold water.
Yes, it was cold. Very cold, as Kurt had predicted, but that was quickly forgotten when the other Slytherins joined them, water fights and giggles erupting almost instantly. This was Kurt's favourite part of being a Slytherin, times when they could all just let go and enjoy themselves together. Kurt jumped back as Rachel attempted to splash him, Kurt ducking under the water to grab her legs, topping her backwards into the cold water.
"Bring it!" Kurt had shouted, laughing when Rachel dunked him back underwater. Santana joined in, dunking Rachel underwater as Quinn jumped on her back, soaking them both to the bone as they both toppled into the water.
Kurt's sides hurt from laughing as he sat in the shallow part of the water, watching his friends. Sebastian and Jesse had taken it upon themselves to teach the first years how to tackle someone underwater, most of their wands firmly planted in the dry sand on the edge of the shore, illuminating the water like candles. Everyone seemed to be having fun, even the few skittish first-years, who were now splashing water at each other, laughing as if they'd known each other forever.
Kurt's thoughts were interrupted by a ball of water heading straight his way. It exploded in his face, soaking his hair even more. He looked up with a glare to find Santana twirling her wand idly, a smirk on her face.
"Oops," Santana mocked as Rachel and Quinn giggled behind her.
Kurt pulled his own wand out of his pyjama pants pocket, twirling it idly before pointing it at Santana, "Aguamenti!"
A powerful jet of cold water sprung from the tip of his wand, soaking all three girls and pushing them back to fall into the water. The girls laughed, with begs of 'Kurt stop!' and 'Please!'. The charm soon ran out, leaving the first years transfixed at yet another display of magic.
"Oh, it's on," Santana laughed, and the two erupted in their annual water-fight, no survivors.
The majority of the Prefects had taken it upon themselves to escort the first years back into the Hufflepuff common room, leaving Blaine and Sam to clean up. Sure, they could've just used a spell, but they decided to take the time to clean up as a way for them to catch up.
"So yeah, that was my summer," Sam concluded, having just told Blaine the tale of his music internship in the Muggle world, "How about you?"
Blaine bit his tongue, "Oh you know, the usual; studying, helping dad in the office…"
"And getting beaten up."
"Can you drop it? Please?" Blaine begged, "I'm fine, seriously. I just don't want to talk about it and have my first week back tainted with it."
"Fine," Sam grumbled, "I'll drop it. For now."
Blaine sighed, nodding in Sam's direction as he moved to pull the curtains of the kitchen windows closed. However, just as he was about to drape the heaving fabric over the glas, he caught sight of something moving in the near distance.
"Do you see that?" Blaine asked Sam, pointing to the slightly illuminated edge of the Great Lake.
Sam furrowed his eyebrows, standing and moving next to Blaine, peering through the ancient glass, "The glass is too warped to see what it is, but yeah. There's definitely something there."
"Initiation?" Blaine guessed, thinking back to the group of Slytherins he'd seen earlier.
"Probably," Sam shrugged, pushing the final chair back in its rightful place, "Come on; we both need sleep."
Blaine sighed and nodded, feeling a little tired himself. They gave the kitchens one final check before making their way through the fruit bowl painting and out of the kitchens.
Blaine didn't know how he felt about his sixth year. On one hand, he knew rumours about him were spreading like wildfire, but on the other hand, he couldn't wait to get his head back into the books. He wasn't going to get distracted this year, because this year, he was going to prove to everyone that he could do it.
Little did he know, Hogwarts had a different path laid out for him.
