I watch coldly as Vernon Dursley starts seizing and foaming at the mouth. You would think that he would have learned a lesson when I killed his sister, but it looks like I need to make him suffer. Good thing he is so obese that it's not suspicious for him to have health problems: and his sister was the same way. I don't tolerate insubordination; if I say to jump, he better ask how high.
"You will take me to the train station so that I may go to school. Do not test my tolerance Vernon, as I am merely nice right now." I smirk as I let go of the wandless magic, Petunia rushing to his side to help him clean up. I happily skip up the stairs to my bedroom to finish packing. Tomorrow I'll be on a train headed to Scotland.
After going through the barrier at the platform, I quickly find an empty compartment, enjoying the quiet while it lasts. I pull out two of the books that I bought when I went back into the Alley, trying to decide on which one I wanted to read. I finally settle on Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes, hoping that I could learn some lost and unknown magic from it. After about 15 minutes, Adrian sticks his head in and sighs in relief; obviously, he had been looking for me.
"So what house do you think you will be in? I'm hoping for Ravenclaw! Just thinking of all the books that must be in that tower is enough to make me giddy. The people who raised me were in Hufflepuff and Slytherin, though. I never knew mum, well the woman who raised me, was a Slytherin until I asked her about what you had said when we first met. She then said that she would love to meet you and that she's displeased with Dumbledore for not allowing her to raise you too. You know I have an older sister who is in Hufflepuff, and I think she would have liked to have a little sister. I didn't find out you existed until Snape came and got me to meet you. I-"
"Adrian, you're rambling. Slow down." I sigh as I cut him off. I knew he was excited to see me again, but I didn't realize he would be so nervous about it. It's kind of endearing that he cares so much even if we barely met, and I'm thankful that I'm not the only one that felt a connection. I spent my whole life wishing that there was someone out there that would love and care for me, and now I have a brother that does that without even having to have known me for long.
Before Adrian even has the chance to start talking again, the compartment door opens, and a boy with platinum blond hair walks in; he is followed by two other boys that look dumb as rocks, just like Dudley. The blond boy looks like his family has money, and the other two boys seem to obey him, kind of like vassals did to lords back in the day.
"I didn't realize this compartment was occupied. My name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. These two behind me are Crabbe and Goyle. Who might you two be? I don't think I've seen you before." The pale blonde boy, Draco, says while carelessly pointing behind him when introducing the goons. I immediately recognize the boy as a rich snob like everybody else I hang out with when I have to socialize at parties.
"Hadria Potter-Black and the boy behind me is my twin brother Adrian. It's very nice to meet your acquaintance, Heir Malfoy." I stand and slightly curtsy before offering him my hand, and he reaches out to kiss the back of it.
"I see that you are the heiress to the Black family, but not the Potter. May I be presumptuous and ask why? Oh, and please, call me Draco." Draco asks his question, and I take a moment to decide if I should tell him.
"If I may call you Draco, then I extend the favor to you; you may call me Hadria. The way it was explained to me is that since Adrian was born first, he automatically assumed the heir position for the Potter family. My Godfather, Sirius Black, proclaimed me his heiress, but since I'm a female and will take the name of my husband, there is another heir. I'm hoping to be on good terms with said heir once I meet him." I explain to Draco; since he was raised in the wizarding world, he might know who the heir Black is.
"I believe my father mentioned something about an Altair Black being sorted into Slytherin a year ago, and there is a possibility that he is the one you share heirship with," Draco responds. I nod, thinking over the information I was given. Draco then turns his attention to my brother, and I start to feel guilty, I had forgotten he was even there.
"Heir Potter, you too may call me Draco."
"And you may call me Adrian." Adrian responds to Draco before returning to his book; he must have pulled it out during Draco and I's conversation. Draco and I soon follow in Adrian's footsteps; I open my book back up and continue from where I left off while Draco pulls out a book about potions. The compartment thankfully falls into silence, with only the sound of turning pages to disturb the air; both Crabbe and Goyle had left as soon as books were pulled out.
After what feels like minutes, but must have been hours, the train starts to slow. I casually wave my hand over my truck, shrinking it and sticking it in my robe pocket. After Dumbledore brought me back to the Dursley's and told me about how we are expected to leave the luggage on the train, I realized that I needed a decoy trunk. Since I had been to the Alley before, it was easy to pop into the alley and buy another trunk before popping back to Privet Drive. I remember what a place looks like and then in a pop; I'm there.
"You just did wandless and wordless magic!" Both Draco and Adrian gasp at the same time. I smirk slightly, Draco is rather cute when gaping like that. It makes me want to tease him relentlessly. My brother, on the other hand, is just annoying when he makes that expression, possibly because he seems never to have his composure.
"Well yeah, it's not that hard. Popping places is harder to do than that, and even then, that isn't hard either." I've been doing harder magic than this since I was six years old, although it took me some time before I could control it.
"Popping places? Do you mean apparition?" Draco stutters out, his composure completely gone while Adrian continues to gape at me. Well, it appears that I'm still more powerful than my peers. I was starting to worry that my muggle upbringing would put me behind those who were raised here, but it appears that isn't the case. Now it seems as if I need to be careful in what I can do. I don't need to have Dumbledore more suspicious of me than he already is due to the way that I talk.
"Yeah sure, anyways we should get off the train, it's slowed to a stop now; also, I think it goes without saying to not broadcast the abilities you saw me perform." I say, heading towards the doors. As soon as we get off the train, I see a giant holding up a lantern calling for all the first years. Draco, Adrian, a bushy-haired girl, and I all get into a boat together, and I quickly identify the other girl as a muggle-born, and we instantly start a conversation. I learn that she is obsessed with books, but she wants to be in Gryffindor. I tell her that if she changes her mind and gets placed in Ravenclaw, then she'll already have a friend and housemate in my brother. From what I've heard of Gryffindors, a girl with her brain would be rejected and outcasted.
After arriving at the beautiful castle and being led into the great hall by a professor, an old hat is placed on a stool before opening its brim and burst into song:
"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!"
I clap along with everyone else, and then the sorting ceremony starts.
"Abbot, Hannah!" McGonagall calls from her list of people and I watch as a small girl with blonde pigtails gets sorted into Hufflepuff, a red-headed girl named Susan soon follows and the two girls immediately hug and start up a conversation.
Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw while Lavender Brown became a Gryffindor. Millicent Bulstrode, a chubby mean-faced girl, became the first Slytherin. Justin Finch-Fletchley became a Hufflepuff, Seamus Finnigan a Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, the girl I met on the boat, became a Ravenclaw and Neville Longbottom became a Gryffindor.
"Malfoy, Draco!" The hat sat on his head for quite a while before finally declaring him a Slytherin. From what information I gathered about Draco from our short meeting, the hat had to decide between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, both houses that Draco would fit spectacularly in. After Draco was sorted, I zoned out until I heard my brother's name.
"Potter, Adrian!" Adrian walked up to the stool amid the whispers and placed the hat on his head. It didn't take long for his house to be called out, not surprising me but obviously surprising most of the population in the hall.
"RAVENCLAW!"
He walked to the table that was politely clapping and sat down next to Hermione. They immediately started a conversation and I smiled at the sight. He would have an amazing friend in that girl, and she would make a great ally for me. It never hurts to have someone that can research efficiently on your side, especially someone that will be looked down upon by the supremacists that exist in the wizardry world.
"Potter, Hadria!"
I walk with grace up to the stool and sit down and the hat gets placed over my head, but I nearly visibly jump when a voice starts speaking inside my head.
"Interesting, very interesting. You are dark my child, but at the same time, you have the improvement of our world in your heart. The two sides are fighting against each other trying to overcome the other and eventually one will win. Hopefully, it will not be until you are older and have matured a little more, for you are still young and inexperienced. But you're not here for that, you just want to be sorted. You, like your brother, have a thirst for knowledge. The difference is that you want knowledge for the power that you can do with it and not just for knowledge sake. There's only one place for you: SLYTHERIN!" I take the hat off and walk over to the Slytherin table to sit in front of Draco. I look at the ring on the finger of the boy beside me and see the heir Black ring on it. I glance at Draco because there is no way that I just miraculously sat next to the boy I wanted to meet and he just winks at me, confirming my suspicions that he purposely saved the seat next to the other Black heir for me. I narrow my eyes at him because I know that he just did it so that I would owe him a favor.
"What is it that you want inreciprocation Malfoy?" I hiss out, making a few heads turn our way and successfully catching the attention of Altair Black. The ones listening in lean in a little closer, obviously trying to get information that they could use.
"I would relish you to become my betrothed, and later, Lady Malfoy." Draco smirks as a series of gasps and widening of eyes are seen over the first and second years, the elder students are far too composed to react to such a declaration. Altair just narrows his eyes at the younger boy.
"I think, Heir Malfoy, that the favor you gave me does not equal the stipulation you want in reciprocation, as I could have easily figured the information out myself; you just merely beat me to it. If you want my hand in marriage then you will work for it." I force myself to stay calm and rational, even as I want to cause harm to Draco's pretty face. He is the heir to a prominent family, I can't afford to have him as an enemy, but I will not subjugate myself to an unworthy husband. He must prove himself to me as I can not have a weak-minded fool standing by my side when I start my ascent to fix this world.
"Trust me Hadria, what a Malfoy wants, a Malfoy will get, and I've decided that I want you as my bride." Malfoy smirks again before starting up a conversation with the boy, Zabini, that had just sat down and was the last to be sorted. I ignore everything else and turn to Altair Black, easily starting up a conversation with him and becoming fast friends.