Chapter 1: WELCOME TO HOGWARTS, FUCKING BRATS!

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It all felt like a dream. Everything was strange and wonderful and magical. From the train ride, to the unstable and unsafe boat ride across a lake with a giant squid living in it- among other things as he was later told - to the great hall filled with black-robed students and floating candles and a starry sky for a ceiling. Then, they took out a talking hat that would decide their future House and classmates for the next seven years.

Some would call it exciting, magical. Some would call it a dream come true.

For Sena though, it was a nightmare. He was scared out of his mind. He could feel his legs trembling, even though his new friend was clumsily trying to reassure him and he could feel Mamori smiling at him from the Ravenclaw table. He offered her a wobbly smile back.

The soon-to-be students kept disappearing from his side, being constantly called by the deputy headmaster and sorted into their respective Houses. Even Riku had already been called and sorted into Gryffindor. He had never had many friends growing up, but he had never felt so lonely and abandoned as he did at this very moment, with everyone he knew leaving him alone with his anxiety and fear.

"C'mon, Sena, relax a bit. There's no need to be so nervous. You just have to go there and sit, nothing can go wrong," his newly-made friend, Monta, tried to reassure him. "And anyway, even if it did, you can't do worse than that guy that went spinning on one leg. Crazy, that one."

He let out a nervous chuckle, remembering that particular sorting, but it did little to calm his nerves. Every name called made his breath hitch and he watched with as much nervousness as the sorted kids themselves how the Hat cried out their House's name.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"...HUFFLEPUFF!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"…SLYTHERIN!"

When Monta's name was called, he audibly gasped. He looked at his new friend with trepidation and fear.

"Don't worry, Sena. Even if we don't end up in the same House, we'll still be friends, right?" Monta told him with a grin and a thumbs-up, before confidently walking up to the chair. When the Hat was placed in his head, it didn't even need two seconds to shout, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The House clapped enthusiastically, welcoming the new housemate with shouts and whistles and pats on the back. Monta sat with the other first years and looked back at him with a big grin.

Sena swallowed with difficulty as he tried to smile back. The tremble in his legs worsened. He didn't know whose idea it had been to have eleven-year-old newbies wait for the moment when the rest of their lives would be decided, but it was clear that the person who did hadn't been very sympathetic. He looked at the people beside him, fewer by the moment. For the first time, he noticed a blonde girl looking just as nervous as he felt. When he finally caught her eyes, he sent a little smile her way, trying to be reassuring and failing completely, but at least he got another smile in return, even if it was as small and wobbly as his.

"Kobayakawa, Sena!" called Professor Longbottom.

He actually jumped at the call, and froze for several moments before remembering that he had to move. With a rigid body and trembling legs, he climbed onto the chair, thankful that he had managed to get there without tripping. The professor offered him a sympathetic look before placing the Hat on his head.

It was strange and terrifying, hearing the Hat talking in his mind. It started listing Sena's strong points and weaknesses, his personality traits and how they'd go with each House. He didn't care which House he ended up in –except Slytherin, they looked scary. He didn't really, but it would be great to end up in the same House as his new friend and his long-lost childhood friend, although he knew he'd never end up in Gryffindor. The Hat actually laughed at him at that, and with a last piece of advice about having more faith in himself, it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Sena just sat there for a moment, completely shell-shocked, while the red and golden table erupted in a new round of applause and cheering. Among the noise, he could still clearly hear Monta's shouting and Riku's laugh, and he let those familiar noises guide him to the table like an automaton. As soon as he was near, his new friend hooked an arm around his neck and pushed their heads together.

"Yeah, Sena! That's the way to go! Gryffindor MAX!" he shouted happily, pulling the small scaredy-cat boy into sitting down next to him.

Sena smiled, feeling relieved that the sorting was finally over. The rest of the Gryffindor first years congratulated him, some more politely than others, and Riku nodded at him. Sena's smile grew. He felt welcomed and at home.

He looked over to the chair and saw the blonde girl getting sorted into Ravenclaw. He caught her gaze again and smiled. She smiled back at him, more happily this time, and gave him a little wave, which he returned.

Finally, the sorting ended and the students settled into their respective seats. The loud clapping and cheering became a steady murmur and laughing noise, which the professors' table allowed to go on for several minutes. Suddenly, a loud tinkling noise was made by the headmistress tapping her spoon against her glass. The student body and the professors fell silent, watching her imposing figure as she rose from her seat. The headmistress, a stern-looking older lady, clasped her hands in front of herself and swept her gaze along the whole Great Hall, trying to include each and every one of the young wizards.

"Dear students, welcome to Hogwarts!" she exclaimed with a small but warm smile on her elderly face. "We welcome you with open arms no matter if it's your first year or your last, if you are pureblood or muggleborn. Hogwarts is home for all of us.

"Now, before we begin our feast, let us revise some of the rules of this school, so that the new ears can take note of them, and some of the veterans can finally stop ignoring them." She ended with a frown, for some reason letting her gaze linger on the Slytherin table.

She took a deep breath and motioned to the grumpy, filthy-looking man by the door. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you - again-- that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.

"The forest on the grounds is, as its name well states, forbidden. And you all would do well to remember and respect that," she added in a stern tone, sweeping her gaze along the tables before continuing. " Quidditch tryouts will take place three weeks from now and you are all welcome to participate if you wish to. First years will take flying lessons with Madam Hooch starting next week, but you'll later be notified of the exact location and date of such lessons.

"Now, I believe this speech has gone on for long enough, for this has been a long day for all of you and you must be tired and hungry. So let us begin the feast!"

When the headmistress finished her speech, everyone politely clapped, some more effusively than others. She made a gesture with her hands and with the exclamation of, "Enjoy your meal!" enormous plates filled to the brim with delicious-looking food began to appear on the tables.

The student body began chatting animatedly, old friends reuniting and new people meeting each other. No plate of food was left untouched either, for the long trip and the nervousness of the sorting had left the young witches and wizards hungrier than they had realized.

The Hall was soon visited by the ghosts, who gave more than one heart attack to muggleborns, Sena among them. But once the shock had passed, Nearly Headless Nick seemed a nice enough fellow, much nicer than other ghosts he could see floating around. The novelty of their arrival passed, and everyone returned to their dinner and conversations.

The Gryffindor table was possibly the loudest one, but strangely, the first year's side was the quietest at the entire table. The girls were talking among theselves, looking quite happy and excited, especially a chirpy petite girl with dark hair. The boys though... Sena looked around nervously.

Monta was slurping down food at an alarming pace, periodically elbowing him to do the same.

Riku was maintaining a polite conversation with a boy that had a perpetual, sparkling smile on his face, the kind supermodels or movie stars flashed to the camera.

In the furthest corner, two rough-looking boys were angrily whispering among themselves, while throwing furtive glances at the Slytherin table. Anyone who tried to start a conversation with them, or even came too close to them when helping themselves to the food, was sneered at.

And lastly… had he said Slytherin was scary? Forget about them. They couldn't be more intimidating and terrifying than the guy sitting in front of Riku. Sena wasn't even sure of his age, but he certainly looked older. He was tall, really tall for an eleven-year-old. And really wide too, developing muscle mass noticeable even from under the student robes. And the longish black hair and the abnormally fast pace with which he was devouring all the meat dishes on the table only added to his savage and dangerous appearance. If he looked like this now, he was going to be a monster once he grew up.

Suddenly, the gigantic first year raised his gaze from his plate and caught him staring. Sena yelped, terrified, and nervously backed away as much as he could without falling from his seat. Instead of instantly killing him by throwing laser rays from his eyes or some equally absurd theories Sena's fear-driven brain had had the time to imagine, the savage-looking boy just lowered his gaze again and continued eating as if nothing had happened. Sena let out a relieved sigh, but the trembling in his legs wouldn't go away for some minutes.

"Hey, what's wrong, Sena?"

He turned his head to the side to see Monta giving him a puzzled look, still with some food in his mouth and filling his fork with more.

"Uh… ah… n-nothing! Just… not so hungry, you know?" he answered lamely, with a wobbly smile in place.

Monta looked around and his eyes fell on the terrifying big guy.

"Woah, scary fella, right?" he commented, looking a bit put off, but he soon recovered as a thoughtful expression came to his monkey-like features. "Wonder if he plays Quidditch? Damn! There's more competition than I thought there would be!"

Sena finally calmed down at hearing his friend's comment and offered him a small smile. "Don't worry, Monta. I'm sure you'll do fine in the tryouts. Although I've heard it's very difficult to succeed as a first year… but it doesn't matter, we have seven years ahead of us if you want to…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I couldn't help but listen to your conversation." They both turned to look at the perpetually smiling boy. "You said you wanted to enter the Quidditch team this year. Well, as it happens, I do too. Seems like we'll be rivals before teammates, for the tryouts at least."

They both watched with some trepidation as the smile became more serene and a kind of intimidating determination showed on the boy's features.

"Well, I was thinking of doing so, too," said Riku, challenging smirk in place. "It will be an interesting tryout."

The tall boy was smirking in return, and was about to answer when a guttural voice in front of them beat him to it.

"Funny. That makes five of us," spoke the gigantic boy, flashing them a feral grin.

"Five?" Riku wondered aloud, frowning until it dawned on him. "Sena! Are you planning on joining the tryouts too?"

Suddenly, Sena found four pair of eyes looking at him, two of them too intimidating for his liking.

"Wh-what!? Of course not! It'd be impossible, Riku! I don't even know how to fly a broom!" he answered nervously, eyes moving back and forth without looking at anyone in particular.

The gigantic boy chuckled as he continued with his meal. "Pity", they heard him murmur.

The dark-haired boy that had been talking to Riku smiled down at Sena. "Well, you certainly don't lose anything, so why not try anyway? If you like Quidditch, that is," he finished as an afterthought, taking in Sena's expression.

"N-no, you see, I'm muggleborn. So even though I have some wizard friends, I don't really know that much about it…"

"Oh, well. It's a really interesting sport. We'll be sure to teach you." His smile right then was the kindest the boy had shown all day, Sena thought.

After that, the tension seemed to dissipate a bit, at least between the four of them, as they began commenting on professional Quidditch teams and matches, and discussing the differences it had with some muggle sports.

Time flew without them noticing, and before they were aware of it, prefects had begun collecting first years.

"First years! Please follow us!" shouted the Gryffindor prefects, a beefy blond boy and an energetic brunette girl, gesturing for them to get up and follow them out of the Great Hall.

Prefects from other Houses were doing a similar job, and soon all eight marched from the Great Hall, followed by a more or less organized line of excited first years. The rest of the students hung back for a bit more, finishing their meal without hurry and some of them talking with people of other Houses.

Now, Sena might not be from a wizard family and he might not know a lot about the school, but he remembered Mamori explaining that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw's dorms were in towers, Slytherin's was in the dungeons and Hufflepuff's was near the kitchens. And no matter to which one of those you were heading, if your starting point was the Great Hall, you had to pass through the hall at the bottom of the moving staircases.

And just as the prefects were guiding their groups to said hall, some began to hesitate.

"What's the matter?" Sena overheard a Slytherin prefect ask her partner.

"Don't you remember last year? When the prefects and newbies got ambushed on their way to the common room? You think he will do it again this year?" her partner whispered back, making her tense and stop walking altogether.

The other prefects too had begun whispering hurriedly with their partners, and soon the first years started to murmur.

"What's wrong?"

"What do they mean 'they're gonna ambush us'!?"

"Maybe it'll be that poltergeist, Peeves? My brother told me about him."

The whispers and murmurs were soon interrupted by several banging noises and smoke filling the hall. The students shouted in shock and Sena heard the Gryffindor prefect boy whisper, "Oh no…", before an incorporeal loud voice was heard.

"YAAAAAAAAAAA~ HAAAAAAAAA~!" The shout reverberated all around the hall, accompanied by more explosions of light and smoke. The first years began yelling and shouting, until someone pointed at the shadowy figure standing on the balustrade of the stairs. "WELCOME TO HOGWARTS, FUCKING BRATS!"

The smoke dissipated a bit, just enough to let them see the scary prankster's figure. He was lanky, with bright blond, spiky hair, and a terrifyingly sharp and malevolent grin on his face. He addressed them with a raspy yet booming voice, showing off all of his sharp fangs for a more spooky effect.

"I hope you enjoyed the meal, 'cause it could well be your last." He made a dramatic pause, watching them squirm under his gaze with unadulterated glee. "Hogwarts is a dangerous place, more than you can imagine. Make sure to keep an eye out for all of its dangers."

"HEY, YOU!" yelled the tall, sleek-haired Slytherin prefect. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!? COME DOWN THIS INST-" He was swiftly silenced by a spell that made his tongue as large as a cow's. He started screaming inarticulately and then began moaning, his partner worriedly hovering by his side.

"I'm not finished, fucking gel-head," the extravagant boy commented in a light voice, before addressing the first years again. "You heard the headmistress, didn't you? The forest outside could have you killed as soon as you took three steps in. In the yard, there's a willow with a boxer complex that will attack anything that approaches it. There are vengeful spirits lurking inside the castle's walls, magic passages that could lock you in and never let you go, dark artifacts waiting for a young, naïve soul to touch them to be able to take over their mind. Hogwarts is certainly a fucking dangerous place."

Even as enraptured by the terrifying boy's speech as they were, it was impossible not to hear the bang of the Great Hall's door hurriedly closing itself and the sound of several thunderous footsteps coming their way.

"But don't forget, fucking brats, that the most dangerous thing in Hogwarts is me," the boy finished with a dark tilt in his tone and a widening of his malevolent grin, giving him a much more terrifying and supernatural appearance. In that very instant, Sena had the ridiculous sensation that his penetrating eyes were staring directly at him, making him tremble uncontrollably.

Just as the speech was finished, they heard the unmistakable voice of the headmistress shouting, sounding nearer with each passing second. "Mr. Hiruma! I swear to Merlin that if you are terrorizing the first years again…!"

Suddenly, the dark oppressive atmosphere the menacing speech had brought dissipated, and the boy apparently called 'Hiruma' turned his malevolent grin into a funny smile.

"Well, that's my cue to leave," he said in a light, almost singsong voice, readying his wand and saluting them. "Oh! And don't forget to try out for Quidditch, fucking brats! Kekeke."

With that weirdly high-pitched and scary cackle, he flicked his wand towards his feet, disappearing in a big cloud of smoke just as the headmistress and some professors arrived.

"That bloody boy…!" muttered the elderly woman, pinching the bridge of her nose from above her glasses. She turned to them and spread her arms a bit, readying herself to speak.

"Please, calm down. Whatever he has told you, just remember that he is a student just like you. He may like theatrics, but he is absolutely harmless." She shared a sidelong glance with a tall, brooding, dark man at that, before addressing the prefects. "Please, Mr. Foster, Ms. Rosier, take your first years to the Ravenclaw tower. Mr. Stump, Ms. Hatake, take yours to the Hufflepuff rooms. Mr. Kirke, Ms. McKenzie, take yours to the Gryffindor tower. Ms. Torrington, Professor Flitwick will accompany you and Mr. Marwood to the infirmary, although I'm sure it's nothing serious."

While the diminutive professor helped the hexed student- Marwood- to the infirmary, his partner trailing behind, the rest of the prefects snapped to attention and began signalling for the first years to follow them. Before they left, Sena heard the headmistress speaking again.

"Your Head of House, Professor Snape, will accompany you to your common room and make the necessary explanations." Sena watched from the corner of his eye as the tall, gloomy man made the Slytherin students go in the opposite direction from the Gryffindors.

"Severus?" When the headmistress called his name, the Head of Slytherin paused walking for a moment and turned around to look at her.

"I'll make sure to have a word with him once the first years are settled," he spoke in a low, monotone voice.

The headmistress nodded and the Slytherins followed their path, but the Gryffindors rounded a corner so Sena was unable to watch anymore. There were some beats of silence before the petite girl from dinner chirped, "So what was that about, huh? Is that a normal occurrence? Who was the scary guy?"

When a barrage of questions followed hers, the prefects slowed down while nervously looking at each other.

"C'mon! Who was that fella!?" asked one of the rough-looking boys Sena had seen at dinner, the dark-haired one.

The male prefect, Kirke as it seemed, took a deep breath and turned to smile at them. "Well, you see, that was Peeves! The poltergeist that is so much trouble for the students!" Only his smile was falser than his words, and even Sena caught on to that.

"Don't lie to them," complained his partner, McKenzie, elbowing him in the ribs. "You know that Peeves never stirs up as much trouble as Hiruma does."

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Later that night, after meeting some older years in Gryffindor common room and listening to all the explanations of why their House was so much better than the others, Sena laid awake in his bed. He stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, nerves churning in his stomach and not letting him sleep. Tomorrow would be the newbies' official first day at Hogwarts and he couldn't be more nervous. He wasn't totally convinced of the Hat's decision to sort him into Gryffindor, and the prefects' speeches about fame, bravery and greatness just separated him more from the rest, in his opinion. Their adding how they expected many things from the new Gryffindor generation hadn't helped decrease his anxiousness in the matter the tiniest bit, either.

He sighed and rolled over, listening to the irregular snores coming from the bed beside his, Monta's, and the deafening ones from further into the room. Gaou's, he thought wryly. Still, the usually annoying sounds were keeping him grounded, not letting his mind wander off into unrealistic and apocalyptic visions of his first day at school.

Monta's sleepy muttering about Quidditch brought a small smile to his face, and suddenly his anxiety and insecurities melted into the background of his mind. He wasn't alone this time. He had Monta and Mamori, and even Riku. He also had his new roommates, although he wasn't sure he'd get along with all of them, and there were still a lot of people from other Houses. He might not have a friend in all of them, but for the first time in forever, he wasn't the odd one out. He wasn't a freak anymore, because he was in a school of sorcery. For the first time in a long while, he felt confident enough to let his worries go.

He didn't even notice when his eyes closed or when he finally left the land of the waking, lulled to sleep by the sounds of his sleeping roommates.

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Marco was happy to be sorted into Slytherin. Not because he was a blood purist or because of some family tradition, but because the House of the Snake would help him achieve his goals best. Also, it meant that his ambition was strong enough to be considered by an outside source as one of his most important traits and that filled him with pride.

He knew and accepted that life inside Salazar Slytherin's House wasn't the easiest. Hierarchy was strong, more present than in any of the other Houses. The more powerful and rich your family was, the higher up you were in the food chain. One's grade was a usual symbol of power among Slytherins too, and the youngest ought to respect the eldest, for they were more experienced and powerful.

Marco's family was quite powerful and rich, but he was just a first year, so he'd be nowhere near the top. Yet.

He wasn't in any kind of hurry, though. He had seven long years to climb up the hierarchy if he so wished. Right now, he only wanted to enjoy the feeling of freedom and independence that could only be felt by being away from family. Oh, he loved his parents very much indeed, but being away on his own for the first time in his life sent a thrill down his spine. It was his opportunity to grow strong on his own, to live his own adventures without parental influence. It made him go giddy with all the possibilities.

Which didn't mean he didn't have to talk to his parents at least twice a week – mum's orders- , or that they hadn't sent him a letter just before going to bed, not even twelve hours after they had last seen him. He hadn't wanted to open it in his room though, even if their beds had curtains to keep privacy. His parents were quite the eccentric couple, who usually didn't give a toss about social norms or customs. He didn't dare open the letter in case it was enchanted to read itself with his parents' voices, letting his roommates know all about his dad's out-of-the-norm job or his parents' eccentric ways.

That is why late at night, once everyone was asleep in their beds, he carefully slid out of his four-poster still fully clothed, and made his way across the room towards the door. Closing it behind him, he sighed in relief and, clutching his parents' letter to his chest, walked down the corridor that led to the common room. Surely it would be empty at this hour and he would be able to listen to the letter without anyone poking their nose into his business. With those thoughts in mind, he strode confidently into the silver and green-clad room, opening the envelope and taking the letter out.

Which is why he did a double-take when he saw a student sitting in one of the armchairs, feet obnoxiously kicked up on the coffee table. Rooted in place, Marco could only thank Merlin that his parents had decided a written letter would be more fitting than an enchanted one, or else this upperclassman would have heard his parents' no doubt embarrassing speech.

The student hadn't lifted his gaze from his book yet, even though Marco had the feeling that he was aware of him just fine. Swallowing a bit nervously, he straightened his shoulders and, as confidently as he could, waltzed to the sofa opposite the upperclassman. He sat down, eyes expectantly fixed on the other boy, who had yet to acknowledge him. He couldn't help but think the boy looked familiar, even with his face somewhat obscured by his reading position.

He unfolded the letter and began reading. Apparently, his family had decided it was a good time to leave everything behind and travel to Italy – Italy of all places! – to visit friends and get a 'well-deserved' vacation. Aside from that, they wished him a great first day and they hoped he was enjoying himself and bla bla bla.

Unable to help himself, he lifted his gaze in a hopefully inconspicuous manner to stare at the boy in front of him. He was blond – a quite unusual shade of it, to be honest-, spiky-haired and lanky, dressed with just the bare minimum of Slytherin colours in his uniform…

He gasped when it dawned on him. Wasn't this the guy that had ambushed the first years on the stairs just a few hours earlier? It seemed surreal, but he had been a Slytherin student after all.

If he was, he certainly looked different from the terrifying prankster standing on the banister. The basic appearance was the same, but without the anxiety and shock – and a bit of fear- that the smoke and explosions had brought, Marco could see him more clearly. Without the terrifying grins and the spooky cackling, he didn't look too intimidating. He wasn't exceptionally tall, although it was surprising how skinny he was, noticeable even under the uniform. He also had curiously long ears adorned with black hoops and his hair wasn't as spiky as it had been in the evening, meaning he had used some kind of spell or substance to keep it that way.

All in all, he looked like any other student now that he sported a serious expression on his face while reading from the book in his lap. Nothing like the spooky apparition in the hallway, which is probably what allowed Marco to gather enough courage to smile as confidently and calmly as he could manage – the kind of smile that looked so cool- and to address him.

"You are the one who ambushed us this evening, aren't you?" he asked in an even tone, not sharp enough to scare off possible allies nor soft enough to be taken lightly by enemies, just as Dad had taught him.

The boy lazily lifted his gaze and Marco was pinned to the spot by penetrating green eyes. The upperclassman stared at him for some seconds, but returned his eyes to his book.

"And what if I am?" the boy drawled, turning the page nonchalantly.

Marco's smile wavered for a moment. So maybe this guy wasn't like your average student after all. He recovered quickly though, and attempted to recover his previous calm and suave aura. "Oh, I was just wondering. A neat trick, that one. Is this what everyday life will be at Hogwarts?"

Green eyes met his own again, this time with an arched eyebrow. Marco tried his hardest for his smile not to turn wobbly as a slow grin appeared on the upperclassman's pale face. "Oh, didn't you know? It's gonna be hell."

Marco stared for a few seconds, letting out a soft, nervous laugh. 'Is this guy for real?' he thought to himself in disbelief. He was just thinking of what to say when the boy snapped his book closed.

"It's late though. Good children like ourselves ought to be in bed by now, " he said in an almost singsong voice, mocking grin in place. "Right, fucking eyelashes?"

Marco had been thinking of huffing in disbelief, but the last comment just left him blinking.

"What did you call me?" he asked in shock. He couldn't have heard right. What was wrong with his eyelashes anyway?

The upperclassman just ignored him, making the book disappear somewhere inside his robe as he stood up. Marco unthinkingly did the same, clutching his parents' letter in one hand. The blond shot him a disturbingly amused look and headed for the dorms. After some hesitation, the first year did the same. There was no reason to stay anyway, as he had already finished reading the letter.

The boy suddenly stopped walking just as they were about to enter the corridor. He looked at Marco from above his shoulder with a funny grin. "Oh~! And don't forget to try out for Quidditch! The team could use someone as keen-eyed as you, Reiji Maruko."

He just blinked and only had the time to automatically correct the use of his full name, for the boy was already laughing his way to his dorm's door and closing it behind him.

He stood there in silence for some time, before coming to his senses again and making his way to his room as quietly as he could. He silently put his PJs on and laid down on his bed, covering himself up to his chin.

'Well, tonight I've learnt something,' he thought with an uneasy smile. 'That's one guy I'm going to stay away from as much as I can.'

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Over the years, Hogwarts students had become accustomed to the strangest of things. These things varied from magical objects and creatures to extravagant professors and students. That is why no Hufflepuff student above first year batted an eyelash when they went out of their dorms into their common room to find a blond Slytherin student sitting on one of their comfy sofas like he owned the place, chatting distractedly with two of their housemates while showing them a book.

The Hufflepuff first years, however, did more than bat an eyelash.

"What is a Slytherin doing here?"

"Is he gonna pull a mean prank on us?"

"How did he even enter? No one but us knows the knocking pattern!"

They whispered among themselves, huddled at the end of the corridor that led to the common room, hopefully out of sight.

They each commented on their own theories, wisely ignoring Taki's, "Aha~ha! I'm sure he came to see me, having heard of my greatness~!"

"Maaa~ How interesting! A Slytherin in our dorm! You think he'll teach us some cool spells?" exclaimed Mizumachi, gesticulating towards the green and silver-clad student.

"Fugo!" said Komusubi, although no one understood what he meant.

"Hey, isn't he the one that ambushed us yesterday?" asked a petite, blonde girl nervously.

The chatting abruptly stopped and they all stared at the Slytherin with laughable intensity.

"Oh my god! He is! He is going to hex us all!" a pudgy boy exclaimed fearfully.

"That's great! I wanted to learn the hex he used on that prefect anyway!" said Mizumachi with a grin. He was about to step into the room -to loudly make his presence known- while the rest of the first years tried their mightiest to stop him by bodily restraining him.

This was the spectacle Osamu Kobanzame stepped into. He paused and blinked. "What are you guys doing?"

The newbies stopped their struggles and began animatedly whispering to let the sixth year in on the loop.

"There's a Slytherin in our common room!"

"Not any Slytherin either! The infamous Hiruma!"

"Help us, please! I'm afraid to go in there!"

"Kobanzame! You know him? Can I talk to him? Will he teach me hexes?" Mizumachi's excited questions were heard even over the furious whispering of his classmates.

Kobanzame listened in confused silence and finally raised his arms with a nervous smile to make them stop. "Now, now. Don't talk all together, please! A Slytherin, you say?" With a raised eyebrow, he poked his head into the common room and looked around until he spotted the sitting trio. "Oh. Oh!"

He turned to them with a somewhat nervous smile. "That's Hiruma, yes. I heard what he did yesterday. He did it last year too…" He scratched his temple, but widened his smile, trying to look reassuring. "Don't worry though, he won't do anything bad or mean while he's here. He's friends with Kurita and Musashi, you see, so it's quite the common sight to see the three of them here."

The first years started whispering again, awed and offended at the same time by the news of the strange inter-House friendship.

"And is it okay for him to be here?" asked a short boy, sounding scared.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll get used to him being here soon enough. The problem is that no matter how many times we change the knocking pattern, he manages to slip in anyway, even though his friends swear they haven't told him anything."

While some still looked doubtful, others took the opportunity of older students walking into the common room to slip in themselves too.

"Oh, hey!" Kobanzame called after them. "Remember that he is harmless in here, but if you meet him in the corridor, RUN!" Not sure if they had heard him or not, he sighed and turned to the young Hufflepuffs still there.

"Well, come on, let's go have breakfast," he said, smiling gently at them. "I'll lead you there if you want."

Slowly, the common room that had been filled by students began to empty when they began heading for the Great Hall, where breakfast was served. The unusual trio of friends stood up and followed after the rest too, chatting quietly among themselves, leaving an empty room behind.

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Sena hurried along the corridors with Monta on his heels. They were going to be late. On their very first day. That was a whole new level of bad luck.

'Why do these things always happen to me?' he wondered pitifully.

The day had started okay. They had all woken up on time – more or less – and headed to the Great Hall to have breakfast. After they had all finished eating, their Head of House - Professor Longbottom – had handed over their timetable. They had spent some minutes talking it over, commenting on which subjects they were looking forward to the most and the least.

Afterwards, one of the prefects—McKenzie- had come by saying she was going to lead them to their assigned classroom. It was all going perfectly fine until both Monta and he had felt the need to pee. As Monta assured him that he remembered the toilets were close by, they had slipped off the group, unnoticed.

He should have known that afterwards their group wouldn't be anywhere in sight, no matter how fast they were, and that they wouldn't have the tiniest idea of where to find their classroom. To make things worse, rumours said that their professor was the most severe in the whole school.

Thank goodness they had met the janitor, who, after yelling at them thinking they were slacking off, had grudgingly pointed them in the right direction. Now they were running along the dungeons' corridors, trying to find the correct door. Why were their classes down there anyway? It was scarier than the House of Terrors in the travelling funfair.

"Ah, Sena! We made it max!" yelled Monta beside him.

They had finally arrived, and miraculously, the door was still open. Sena had just allowed himself to smile in relief when a dark figure began closing the door, his back to them.

"No!" he whimpered unconsciously, running faster.

The dark figure turned around at the sound, hand still on the doorknob. The man, dressed all in black, was glaring at them down his generous nose. Sena remembered him from yesterday: the Head of the Slytherin House. An epitome of dark and intimidating if he ever saw one.

"I-I… S-s-sorry, P-p-profe-" he began, stammering uncontrollably , wobbly smile frozen on his face.

"Sorry, professor, but we got lost on the way here," Monta finished for him, for which he was hugely grateful.

The man eyed them up and down with clear distaste. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he snapped, clearly irritated. "Get inside!"

They both thanked him quickly as they dashed inside and headed to the only free spot at the back of the class, but not before hearing him mutter something along the lines of, "They had to be Gryffindors…". They sat down, took their books out and hung their heads low as the professor waltzed to the front of the class, robe billowing behind him.

As he began his speech, Suzuna – who was sitting just before them - subtly turned around to wink at them both.

"That was a close one, guys," she whispered, quickly turning back around to avoid being caught.

Sena sighed tiredly, but shared a smile with Monta anyway. Even after his rocky start, he was kind of excited to start his new life at Hogwarts. Trying to keep his thoughts positive, he began writing down a list of things the professor was drawling about, even if he didn't really know how to use a quill. Not two lines later, his text looked more like a black patch than anything else. Thank goodness he had all the parchment he needed and that the most important words were magically appearing on the blackboard.

As he tried to write the items of the list again, this time at an agonizingly slow pace, he dared to hope the next class would be an easier one.

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END OF CHAPTER ONE.