Thanks to Tina for beta-ing!
The night sky met the Hogwarts students like a cloud of mosquitoes. They were situated at a train station. The platform was paved with golden concrete and the train tracks were blue and glowing. There were rows of trees overhead and to one side there were rows and rows of carriages to carry older students to the castle. To the right there was a lake of black silk and armies of boats floating atop it. A giant man with a greying beard was signaling to the First Years wildly and waving his arms in the air. One arm was filled with a lantern of blue light from a candle.
"First Years over here!" The giant man shouted in a harsh cockney accent.
Harry shouted over to him, "Hagrid!" and ran up to the man giving him a hug. Blaise and the other First Years stood back for a minute before approaching and nodding at him.
Hagrid returned their nod and directed them to the boats that were being filled by the other First Years.
Splitting themselves up the children got in to the boats four in each. Blaise was in the boat with Harry, Ron, and Draco. As everyone had gotten a seat and Neville had stopped his toad Trevor from jumping overboard the ships began to move by themselves toward the castle.
The cloud of water began to be cut with ribbons of waves as they moved through. The sky above was scattered with lines and lines of stars that seemed to have shown up to greet the students on their first night. Draco gasped as they went under a bridge and a giant tentacle tried to reach up and grab a hold of Ron.
"That's the giant squid!" Neville exclaimed from the boat next to them on the right.
They inched closer and closer to the castle as it lit up with orange lights to welcome them. The wind began to pick up a little bit and flow through their hair. The boats reached shore and were suddenly floating off of the water and to the land.
Reaching the castle steps they hovered down the ground enough so everyone could get out. Blaise jumped out and landed on his feet and offered his hand to Ron and Harry while Draco preened over and fell in to the sand. Blaise laughed at him before helping him up and using his wand to clean off his face.
"How did you---" Draco asked.
"I'll tell you later," Blaise said giving him the shush sign.
Seeing the castle for the first time was like magic to Blaise. Instantly he felt that feeling of home from it and his face lit up with a smile. As the rest of the students got on to the dry land and approached the castle the large stone doors opened up and a middle-aged woman with a stern face and long black hair stood there waiting. On her head she wore a large black witch's hat and on her face a pair of small round spectacles.
Hagrid approached her and smiled. "Evening, Professor McGonagall, a bunch of First Years here for you."
"Thank you, Hagrid," she said calmly. "I will take them from now."
Blaise got the impression that this was a witch whom it would be very unwise to cross in the near future. She directed them to follow her and walked in to the large school doors.
They walked up the old stone steps slowly ambling forward in to the school.
The floors of the halls were covered in stone which was shiny although cracked in places. Overall it was cold inside and the walls had the essence of secrets spilling out from them. Suits of armor lined the halls and portraits hung above their heads as the witches and wizards inside them looked on in interest and some in annoyance at being disturbed this time of night. The walls were grey and made of stone as well and some places had the hint of being sunken in and not all there.
Professor McGonagall led them inside and when everyone had entered the doors to the castle closed by themselves. She looked over the new group of First Years disapprovingly as if judging them already and turned her back on them.
"I shall prepare the hall for The Sorting do not cause a disruption while I am gone or you shall regret it," she said warningly as she entered the Great Hall and closed the door behind her. The children ambled around talking amongst themselves discussing the task at hand.
"I once heard you have to wrestle a troll," Ron said smartly.
"Oh don't be silly, Ron," Hermione said rolling her eyes, "the school would never do that. Still I wish I knew what it was we had to do. Can you believe there was nothing about it in Hogwarts; A History? I suppose they keep it a secret for a reason; The Sorting."
"Maybe they will make us show our magical powers?" Draco questioned.
"No," Blaise said, "that would not be fair to the muggleborns or purebloods. No one really knows magic yet."
"Well look here," a thick and Irish voice said from behind them. "If it isn't Harry Potter! Funny I thought you would be taller."
"That's what I thought too," Ron said. "Sorry, Harry."
"No offense," Harry said to Ron. "And who are, you, exactly?"
"The name is Finnigan; Seamus Finnigan," the boy said with his hair slicked to one side and freckled face aghast. "And you might find that it doesn't do you good to be seen talking to the trash spawn of Death Eaters. You wouldn't want people to get the wrong impression would you?"
"I think I can decide who my friends are for myself thank you," Harry said.
"Yeah," Blaise said. "And, Seamus, I can stick this wand up somewhere that hasn't been stretched out yet if you make another insult about my family. Because first they were never Death Eaters."
"I think he meant me," Draco said tapping Blaise on the shoulder.
"Bugger!" Blaise shouted. "I knew who he meant. I was just utilizing a chance to threaten someone; in public too."
"Boys," Millicent said to Hermione, rolling her eyes.
"Well, Potter, it looks like you just made a mistake," Seamus said glaring at him evilly.
"Yes," Blaise said. "We know, you, in all your eleven years of wisdom will enact your enormous wrath upon him. Now go away somewhere be gone. Be gone!"
Seamus walked over to another boy who had warm brown skin and dark eyes and they glowered over at Harry.
Something cold went down Blaise's back and he shivered turning around rapidly and staring through a sheet of white flesh. A ghost was standing in him or rather he was standing in a ghost. Looking up he saw stains of what he assumed was blood on the coat of the man and the face was long and angular with a mustache and old styled pirate hat.
"Hello," Blaise said waving his hand around inside of the ghost. "I'm Blaise Zabini and you are?"
"Charmed to meet you," the man said looking down at Blaise. "I would be the Bloody Baron The Ghost of Slytherin."
Just then a loud murmur of excitement rose from the students and Blaise looked up the ghosts of the school had strolled through amidst conversation. Each house at Hogwarts had a ghost that represented it and the Bloody Baron was Slytherin's ghost.
"I say," a particularly stout and short man said floating above the air with a peach tint around him. "Who are you?"
"First Years I assume," another ghost who was tall and lanky and had what looked to be lacerations around his neck said. "Hope to see you in my house… Gryffindor!"
"I don't think they know that we're really aliens come to study wizard traditions," Harry said whispering to Draco.
"What the hell is an alien?" Draco said giving Harry a serious look of confusion.
"No, dears," a woman with what could be assumed rosy cheeks said. "Aim for Hufflepuff and we will get along just fine."
This caused a bit of a riff between the ghosts as they began to argue about which house was better and why the students should pick it.
"Well if that's how you feel," The Bloody Baron said to the lady after she had muttered off something particularly cruel about Slytherin. "Then you can stick Peeves the Poltergeist right up your dusty---"
"That will be all," a voice called from the doorway. Professor McGonagall was back.
"She's not even the bloody ghost of Hufflepuff!" he said.
"That will be all," McGonagall repeated after clearing her throat this time.
The ghosts gave her a look and sauntered in to the Great Hall floating through the stone wall.
"First Years this way," she said motioning them towards the Great Hall.
Inside the Hall was magnificent. The ceiling had been bewitched to look like the night sky and was filled with a cloud of stars all shinning brightly. There were four tables in the center of the room with a small walk way between each one. Each table was filled with students looking towards the First Years in wonder as they awaited the sorting. Blaise looked over at the Gryffindors under the table that had a red and gold banner hanging over it. They looked like a group of self-important baboons to him.
Professor McGonagall had them stand in two lines by alphabetical order as she stopped them in front of an old and battered hat on a wooden stool.
"When I call your name," she said looking down at them sternly. "You will proceed up to the stool and place the hat on your head. Once it has had a chance to evaluate you, you will be sorted and will join your new house at their table. I expect this to run smoothly this year and that means no problems or else they will be dealt with."
Ron gulped audibly and looked over at Blaise with a look of nervousness on his face. Ron of course would be going close to last while Blaise himself would be dead last. They could laud and look on as the rest of the students got to go through this first; just incase it was dangerous or anything.
Hannah Abbott was the first to be called and she was visibly shaking as she approached the stool and sat down with the hat on her head. It had barely touched her blonde hairs before it shouted out "Hufflepuff!" and sent her on her way as another student took her place.
As the sorting proceeded to go on there were many shocks along the night. The first of course was when Hermione Granger put on the hat. She had it on for a total of twelve minutes, Blaise counted, before it shouted out "Slytherin!" and she walked over to the table and sat down. Draco's mind must have been reeling; she was probably the first muggleborn to be sorted there. Speaking of Draco he got sent to Slytherin as well.
The second shock was when Harry Potter was sent to Slytherin and their whole table stood up and applauded. The rest of the sorting went normal and silent as usual. The roar of a house when a member was accepted was the only interruption and soon it was Blaise's turn to be sorted.
He walked up to the stool with an air of calm approaching and looking directly at it. He picked up the black tattered hat. It smelt like moldy potatoes and he cringed as he sat down on the rickety stool. Glancing crossly at the hat he put it on his head silently hoping he would not get lice or some other hair infection from the thing.
Ah! a voice said in his head.
"Ah what?" Blaise asked.
Oh nothing. I was just analyzing you, Mr. Zabini. A very complex boy you are oh yes! I see a touch of anger, a cup of wisdom, and a plethora of magical talent! Why you could be a model Gryffindor if you wanted to.
"But that's the problem," Blaise said grinning in an evil manner. "I don't want to."
Oh I don't know about that; Gryffindors have been known to break the rules when it suits them too but if you insist. Well then how about Ravenclaw? You've certainly got the brains for it and if intellectual conversations are your forte you will be well versed there.
"Ravenclaw? And spend all my time talking to boring book snobs? No thanks! Besides, I know they like to learn but it's their work ethic I'm concerned about."
Oh damn! You are not trying to make this easy are you? Well then if work is your way of life how about good old Hufflepuff? You'll sure to be finding friends there. Loyalty is put first and if hard work is good to you well there's no rhyme to complete this particular verse.
"No, I'm not fond of Hufflepuff. I had a cousin in there once I am not to apt to repeat history."
Not Hufflepuff either? Merlin! We only have one choice left. In Slytherin where the sneaky and ambitious lay? I have a feeling this year will be filled with all sorts of things for you to remember and in Slytherin it's for sure that one day you will be great! Remember to come back and see the old smelly sorting hat when you're rich and famous. So off with you then boy time for the party! Slytherin!
The last word was shouted out with a rude and gruff voice and Blaise stood up and placed the hat gingerly on the stool. The Slytherin table was filled with applause and claps as Blaise walked over to it and Professor McGonagall folded up her scroll of names and magicked the stool and hat away. Blaise grinned as he took a seat between Hermione and Draco and waved at everyone.
Just as he had gotten situated on the bench a magnificent course of food appeared in front of them on the table. There were hundreds of choices from drinks, meats, potatoes, pies, and even more foreign fare such as exotic animals and hamburgers. Gazing around at the spread Blaise took a simple piece of roast and some potatoes for his plate and a roll or two. Across from him Ron had already began digging in and was filling his mouth with all sorts of foods and drinks, Neville and Millicent were doing the same. Draco and Blaise exchanged a look from their charm school upbringing and stifled laughs as they looked at their friends eating habits. Hermione was a bit pickish in her eating and Blaise gave her a small smile as he tucked in to his own plate. Next to him Draco was having an interesting argument with a third year boy about Quidditch teams which Ron had seemed to get involved with as well as coins had come out and he heard the distinct whispers of illegal betting going on; only at Hogwarts!
Blaise was about to say something about Hogwarts, A History to Hermione when the distinct aroma of blood sausage hooked his nostrils. It was his favorite food. Checking to see if anyone else was looking he quickly scooped the whole container out on to his copper plate and began stuffing his mouth in a still-dignified way.
"Blaise," Harry said from next to Ron. "Who is that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?"
"That's Professor Snape, Harry," Blaise said.
"Hey!" Ron said, "How did you know that?"
"Well," Blaise said. "Because he has a big name tag on his robes that says Professor Snape, dumbass."
"He has a tag on his robes that reads 'Professor Snape; Dumbass'?" Ron asked smartly.
"Shut up!" Blaise said smacking him upside the head.
As the last of the dessert course disappeared the Headmaster, Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat for silence. Everyone turned in his direction and gave their full attention; even the Slytherins. Dumbledore began his speech about the coming year droning on and on and on. Blaise's eyelids were beginning to get very heavy and he had resorted to pinching himself under the table to continue listening to the man's lament. Looking around at everyone else it was a shock to him when the whole school began to sing and he mumbled the school song along with them barely moving his lips. He smiled as Dumbledore winked at him and finished. The Weasley twins were the last to stop singing as they sung the tune to a funeral march and Dumbledore even conducted the last few lines with his wand.
Dumbledore dismissed the students to bed, after all they had busy days ahead of them, and ambled out himself. A Prefect or two waited for the First Years by the door, and showed them the way to the common room. Blaise walked with Neville, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Millicent, and Harry, which made the hallways crowded and tight as they turned to go downstairs to the dungeons.
"Yes," a boy with green hair and grey eyes said showing them the way. "Now this is the way to the common room never forget it or else you will be sleeping in the hallway until you find another Slytherin to show you how to get in."
They walked through the dungeons careful not to get lost. The path to the common room was a maze and they turned hallways three times left and two right to get to a portrait of an Indian lady with long auburn hair and dark haunting eyes.
She was wearing a long green dress that was made of satin and was lose fitting for what Blaise assumed to be comfort. She perked up as the group of students arrived and said "Password?" in a sophisticated accent.
"Trelawney is bonkers," the prefect said laughing to the woman. She nodded and bid them a good night as the wall her portrait was posted on slid over into the next one and an opening appeared. "Night, Esmeralda," the prefect said as the new Slytherins all entered in hurriedly. The wall swung shut behind the prefect, as he was the last to enter.
Several First Years gasped as they looked around the common room. Everything was decorated in a warm emerald and silver motif. The fireplace was burning and the fire had even been charmed to look green; which gave the silver bricks an interesting glow. The room was warm in temperature and almost made them sleepy. To the right was a platform and on it was a whole bookcase filled with advanced magical tomes and such. In the center there were armchairs after armchairs and couches for students to sit and talk or read. To the back of the common room were a few rows of tables for studying. The left held a hallway that was filled with doors; these were the dormitories. The ceiling was painted with a portrait of Salazar Slytherin surrounded by the students who had graduated each year since the inception of the school.
"Right," the prefect said as he made his way to the center of the room. "Its kind of late so we should all be going to sleep. In the morning at breakfast you will get your schedules and I will show you how to get to each of your classes or another prefect depending on how busy we are. Dormitories are simple down the hallway with the doors. The first door on the left is for boys and the first on the right is for girls. You cannot enter the girls' dormitory but girls can enter the guys'. Do not do it either way. Well, goodnight."
And with that he bid them adieu and went to his own dormitory as the First Years shuffled in to theirs. The boys said goodnight to the girls as they yawned and entered their own dormitory. Inside their luggage was by the bed picked for them. The dormitory was decorated with emerald and green bed posters and sheets to go with the wooden walls; the floors were carpeted which was strange for a wizarding institution. A window had been conjured on one wall with a view of the Astronomy Tower so all the first year boys could see any late night purveyors. To the back of the dormitory were the bathroom and showers; each boy had his own private facility so as to provide some area of privacy. Also strange was that each bed had a magical curtain that could be pulled around it to make it like a private room for one. Blaise was assigned the last 'room' on the right and Harry across from him.
Blaise walked over to his bed and flopped down, yawning. He was tired, and today had given him a lot to think about and write over. Gaining a sudden burst of creativity and energy Blaise hobbled off the bed and went to his trunk on the floor. It was a nice onyx trunk with an endless amount of space. He fetched inside and found his journal; the red one with the pen inside. He took it and layback on his bed and opened the red journal as the black pen fell out. It was his guilty pleasure; to use pens. He thought it rather remedial that the Wizarding world still used quills and he was going to change it one day too. Taking the pen he wrote down all that had happened that day before listening in on the conversation the other boys were having.
"Yes, Harry," Ron said. "In the wizarding world some people do believe blood is more important than power. And they are just overcompensating for their lack of it."
"I can see you saying that, Weasley," Draco said, "but it does matter. I mean we will not get in to power but it shows that you can stay the cause and want to help our line survive."
"Yes well," Neville said. "If it were not for Muggleborns I reckon we would have died out. No?"
"Okay," Blaise said. "Can we do this in the morning? Right now I am too tired to prove you all wrong which I can do and I need my beauty rest. Well I don't need it I just need to rest. Besides we have a very busy day tomorrow and I do not want to the one to fall asleep in class and get detention. Do you?"
"No, you're right, Blaise," Harry said turning over in his bed and getting under the covers.
"Oh, bugger," Blaise said, "I have to pee now."
Blaise got up and went to his bathroom and came back a few minutes later relieved. He got back in to his bed and under his own covers. Taking his wand from the nightstand in to his hand he said "Nox!" and the lights all turned out. He groped around and placed his wand back in the previous spot.
"Night," Blaise said to everyone. "See you in the morning!"
"If anyone in here has a habit of sleep walking, tell me now," Harry said, "that is a seriously wonky habit and I will be forced to use my muggle chorus training against you to let out a feminine scream of rage."
"And," Draco said, "nobody fart either. I hate when a group of people are sleeping in the room together and someone randomly does that in the middle of the night. It's bloody annoying and it stinks. If someone does that I am going to stick my foot up their arse. Especially you, Weasley, don't want any flatulence from you! A child might pop out or something."
"I bet you will be the one to fart, Draco," Neville said, "from now on we're going to call you the phantom wind."
"Hah good one," Ron said. "What was that? Oh, the Phantom Wind. Spreading gas throughout the land." Draco threw his shoe at Ron, and rolled over.
They all settled down after laughing at Ron and eventually fell asleep. They had found out Slytherin was a normal house just like any other…