AN: please read A/N at bottom!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

•~•~•~•

The results of the test came soon after.

TEST OF ABILITY, LOYALTY OR THE NOTEWORTHY I

(TALONs I)

NAME OF CANDIDATE: HARRY J. POTTER

AGE (as of 1st Sep 1990): 10

MAGICAL INSTITUTION: BPSMM

BlOOD STATUS: Halfblood

Passing grades:

Outstanding: O

Exceeding Expectations: E

Acceptable: A

Failing grades:

Poor: P

Dreadful: D

Troll: T

ABILITIES TEST RESULTS:

Wizarding Culture: E

Wizarding Traditions: E

Basic Wizarding History: O

Basic Wand Handling: O

Basic Magic: O

LOYALTY TEST RESULTS:

TESTED AND FOUND LOYAL, OATH TAKEN

Testers: Faustine H. Banks and Quentin Evanders

NOTEWORTHY LOYALTY AND ABILITIES IN MAGIC AND THEORY

DESIGNATED SCHOOL: HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Enclosed is the list of things needed for your education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry was exceptionally happy; he was going to Hogwarts! Harry glance over at Hermione's paper and saw that she too would be attending Hogwarts with him. Their happy moment was broken by the knowledge that none of their other friends would be joining them. Seamus and Justin had both been accepted into Aragane Institute, whilst Dean and Lavender had been put into Egladus School, which accepted mediocre ability and those with developing magical aptitude. Thankfully, none of them had been found to be disloyal to the Dark Lord. Harry shuddered thinking about the consequences. But once again, his thoughts went back to his acceptance.

He was finally going to Hogwarts!

•~•~•~•

Mrs Hogan had brought the two of them out to Diagon Alley in order to purchase the things needed for their first year at Hogwarts. After spending an inordinate amount of time at Flourish and Blotts, she had managed to drag them off the Ollivander's to get their new personal wands. After having used training wands for the past few years, they were both understandably extremely excited.

Mr Ollivander had appeared in his same unusual way, scaring the living daylights out of them both. And after his display of flying measuring tapes and all, he spoke, "well, Ms Granger, ladies first." After a while, Hermione stood happily at the side with her 10¾ inches vine wood wand with a dragon heartstring in its core.

Harry took a long time. Very long time.

"Ah, here we are, Mr Potter, holly, phoenix feather core, 11 inches precisely. Very curious…"

"Sorry, but what's curious?"

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr Potter. I remember your parents' wands, your caretaker's wand and even our very own Dark Lord's. It is curious, young Mr Potter, that the phoenix that gave your wand its feather, gave just one other. Yes, 13½ inches, yew, phoenix feather, the Dark Lord's wand. It is indeed curious that you are destined for its brother wand. Your destinies may very well be entwined." Harry couldn't bring himself to react and he was glad that Mrs Hogan and Hermione had chosen to wait outside the shop. He didn't know how they'd react to such news.

•~•~•~•

1st September had finally come after a much too long a wait, in Harry's opinion. But on that day, he was finally boarding the Hogwarts Express to his new school!

They quickly found an empty compartment and claimed it, putting their backpacks and trunks into the small room.

"What house do you think you'll be in Hermione?"

"Well, I really want to be in Slytherin; it's the Dark Lord's house you know! But I think I'm more suited to Ravenclaw."

"I want to be in Slytherin too!" Harry replied eagerly.

They discussed a little more about Hogwarts and all sorts of topic and not long after they had both fallen asleep, did an announcement ring out, "we will be arriving at Hogsmeade Station in 5 minutes, please leave your baggage on the train, it will be brought straight to your dorm."

When they got off the train, the first thing they heard was a male voice calling out, "First years, over here, please!"

When there was a group of about 25 students, the man led them towards the lake, where there were five rather large boats drifting on the water.

"No more than five to a boat, please. We don't want it to capsize." Hermione and Harry got onto one boat, which they shared with a pair twins and a boy.

The boats started moving and then, they saw it, Hogwarts' grandeur amazed even the aristocratic first years, and they oohed and ahhed. When they finally reached shore on the other side, they were led in through a ginormous entrance and into a magnificent hallway. It was there when the male that lead then there, spoke.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School. I am Professor Amycus Carrow and I will be your Magical Arts professor. In a moment, you will enter the Great Hall where you will be sorted into the four houses. They are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Your triumphs will earn you points, whilst any rule breaking will result in a deduction of points. Your house will be your family for seven years; I suggest you be on friendly terms with your housemates. Please wait here and make yourself presentable." He turned and strode off in the direction of the corridor.

"I cannot believe I have to attend a school with mudbloods. I should get Father to ban all of this filth from the school!" Exclaimed a blond boy imperiously. There were a few murmurs of agreement, and also a few wide-eyed stares, likely coming from the muggleborns.

"Silence," the room fell deafeningly silent, "follow me."

They were brought into the Great Hall where in the centre was a stool with a dirty hat sitting on it. It opened a seam and began singing.

(Adapted from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK. Rowling)

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty, But don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all. There's nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can't see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be. You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folks use any means To achieve their ends. So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands (though I have none) For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song.

"When I call your name, come forward and put the hat on. Abbott, Hannah!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" There was resounding applause from the table at the far left. After a while, it came, "Granger, Hermione!"

"RAVENCLAW!" A few more students were sorted.

"Malfoy, Draco!" The blond boy that called muggleborns mudbloods and wanted them banned sauntered forward confidently and before the hat even touched his head, it shouted out, "SLYTHERIN!" The table on the far right applauded brilliantly.

"Potter, Harry!" Harry walked up hesitantly and sat on the stool, the hat slowly lowered onto his head.

"Well, what do we have here? You're extremely loyal, that's for sure, Hufflepuff would suit you well. You have a thirst for learning and knowledge, You'll most definitely have friends in Ravenclaw house. You could fit Gryffindor as well, you're brave and willing to put your life on the line if it means accomplishing a greater good. But you do not want that, do you? You want to have gone to the same house as the Dark Lord himself, yet you do not like the blond boy, hmm? And you do not want to leave your friend either. Where to put you?"

Harry thought long. Did he want to be in the same house as someone like Draco Malfoy? Did he want to leave Hermione? But he knew he had plenty of ambition and cunning to spare and it was the house for him. Of course, the added bonus of being able to proclaim that he had gone to the same house as the ruler of Wizarding Britain…

"Slytherin eh? Never thought a Potter would want to be put in Slytherin! Well, if you're sure?"

'Yes,' Harry spoke in his head.

"SLYTHERIN!" There was applause from the Slytherin table while the rest of the school gave polite claps. Harry slipped in beside a boy called Theodore Nott, opposite one Pansy Parkinson.

Headmaster Snape stood up after everyone had finished their meal and gave a brief and curt speech, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. You will be warned that the Dark Forest is out-of-bounds to all students. Any rule-breaking will result in severe consequences, which I do not believe any of you will enjoy. Prefects, please lead your house back to the dormitories."

"First years, follow me!" They were led down corridors, down staircases, more corridors, pass many statues before they finally stopped at a blank wall.

"Alright, this is the entrance to our common room. The password is currently 'Belladonna', and it will change once every two weeks. Do be updated, there may not always be someone to save you should you be trapped outside."

They entered the common room, trailing after the two prefects.

"I'm Gemma Farley and this here is Graham Montague. We are your fifth year prefects. Our head of house is Professor Horace Slughorn and he teaches Potions. Allow me to remind you that our house is very prestigious, being the house of the Dark Lord, and we will not tolerate any embarrassment to Slytherin house. Remember that any problem within Slytherin house is to stay within the confines of the common room." Their eyes swept over the crowd of first years.

"Your trunks and everything you've brought have already been placed inside your dormitories. I suggest you all get some sleep, your classes start tomorrow."

•~•~•~•

Harry didn't know what he had expected, entering a house with reputation to spare. A house that has been said was exclusively for purebloods.

He didn't know why he hadn't expected problems to arise, with the knowledge of his halfblood status.

From the beginning, the first year Slytherins had already formed into different cliques: Draco Malfoy leading a band of select children with associations with the Dark Lord or Death Eaters. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini and of course, who could forget, Pansy Parkinson, the leech that Malfoy could not get rid of. She has, from what Harry could see, some sort of delusion that they are going to get married some day.

Theodore Nott was a curiosity; he did not join any of the gangs formed, he was a loner, floating around from group to group. He was even cordial with Harry, whom as a halfblood, was considered beneath him. There was nothing beyond the polite but meaningless nods of acknowledgement or the occasional smile in greeting, for he too could not afford to be alienating himself from Malfoy's clique; his father was the Dark Lord's right-hand man after all.

Then there was the girls' group, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis and Millicent Bulstrode. And no matter how desperate things got, Harry will refuse to hang around them. He's a boy, after all.

And thus, Harry was a loner. Not by choice, but rather a lack of options. Of course, Harry still had Hermione, but could he count on Ravenclaw and Slytherin house being joined in every single one of his classes? He, after all, already knows that they only three share classes, namely Magical Arts, Flying and Transfiguration.

However, the worst of it did not come until until three weeks into the school year. Malfoy's gang had not done anything outwardly hostile to Harry, but one could sense the animosity radiating from the group of five. however , the thinly-veiled hatred between them was shattered and the loathing came spewing out one day.

It was after Potions class, they were learning how to concoct a Forgetfulness Potion. Harry worked fast and efficiently, for he knew that all his class grades would contribute to whether he will be able to continue in Hogwarts after his second year. He already had quite a bit of favour with Professor Slughorn for having managed to answer any questions he had asked him in class, despite having been raised by muggles.

Harry ignored Malfoy's pompous boasting of the fact that he had been tutored in Potions by Headmaster Snape, and when Professor Slughorn had exclaimed at his desk, "Oh, well done, Mr Potter for having such a well-brewed potion! 20 points to Slytherin!" whilst having simply said, "Not bad, Mr Malfoy," for the blond scion. Understandably, Malfoy was seething at Harry.

Upon having returned to their common room after lunch, Harry found the group lounging on the black couches scattered in the middle of common room. The fireplace casted an eerie glow on the room and normally, Harry would have walked past them without much mind, but with five pairs of eyes fixated on his every move, his instincts told him to stop. Seeing that he had Harry's attention, Malfoy stood up and glared at Harry.

"Do you know who I am, Potter?" He drawled with a practiced ease. Harry didn't answer.

"Since you're unable to answer such a simple question, let me make it plain as day for you, Potter. I am a Malfoy. And thus, in our ruler's favour. Do not cross us. Clear?"

Harry wanted to argue. Why is it that as a halfblood, he was below them? Not as good as the purebloods? He has seen Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson's work and performance in classes before and he can conclusively state that they were far worse than he. Regardless, his few weeks in a Slytherin environment has taught him self-preservation, and he nodded mutely. Malfoy seemed satisfied with his silent admission that they were better than him, and gestured for the rest to leave for the Transfiguration classroom.

Harry groaned in frustration the second the entrance became a blank wall once more. Perhaps he should have gone to Ravenclaw instead. At least Hermione did not seem miserable. He quickly gathered his things and made his way out the common room. He had a class to attend and he was going to be late.

•~•~•~•

AN: I probably won't be able to update so quickly again, I had half of it done when I uploaded the first chapter. But do let me know if you prefer quicker updates but shorter chapters or slower updates with longer chapters, and also feel free to note down any questions or feedback or mistakes you've spotted in a review/pm! Thanks for reading! ~kuvyyra