Elena,
You were right. I'm in Slytherin. I think you were the only one who guessed it. It caused quite an upset in the Great Hall. I definitely made an entrance.
Daphne Greengrass, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis, and Leah Rowle are also in Slytherin. Parkinson's awfully racist, and horrible, but she goes after Davis more than me. Malfoy and Greengrass seem to hold the most social status; the others listen to them, even Parkinson. Zabini's an outlier; he doesn't seem to give a shit about politics, blood or otherwise. He has some degree of control over Parkinson, but I can't figure out what.
Rowle is unsettling. She still defers to Malfoy and Greengrass visibly, but there's an edge to her that I don't like. She feels dangerous, and is always watching me.
Something strange happened at the feast last night; my forehead - more specifically my scar - flared up. That's never happened to such a degree before. Do you think it's just a coincidence?
Classes start today. I'll update you when you've responded.
Hadrian
He folded the letter and tucked it into the front of his bag before pulling out a fresh roll of parchment and beginning a second.
Hero,
I miss all of you so much. Hogwarts is so different than home. It's magnificent, really - an ancient castle of stone, filled with suits of armour and golden goblets and living oil paintings. I was sorted into Slytherin, and my housemates are… interesting. I'm holding my own though. Classes start today; I'm nervous, but I'm sure I'll do fine.
How's everything at home? I'm sorry I'm not able to help out, but I'll send the occasional gift when I can. Tell everyone I love them.
Love Sin
He replaced his quill and inkwell back into his bag and rummaged around; he figured if he wasn't able to bring in money the usual way, he would send what he could. His brows furrowed as his fingers met his books, and his potion equipment, but not the spoon he had snuck out of the Great Hall last night. He had been sure it was solid gold, and Stickler would be able to do something with it. However, as hard as he looked, he couldn't find it in his bag, on the floor, or in his robes; interesting. Perhaps he had been naive to assume Hogwarts had such a lacking security system. He'd have to try harder.
Hadrian was surprised to see Nott was already up and dressed, curtains drawn, reading a book cross-legged on his bed. He looked up at Hadrian when the shorter boy pulled on his outer robe.
"Morning, Potter," he said, before gesturing to the rest of the beds. "I'm surprised you didn't wake anyone else up with the incessant scratching of that quill. Missing your parents already? Oh, nevermind… I don't suppose they'd be able to receive any letters."
He trailed off still looking at Hadrian, clearly expecting a reaction, but Hadrian ignored him. If Nott wanted to think that being teased about his parents was a weakness of Hadrian's, he certainly wasn't going to correct him.
"I don't blame you, being quiet. Must feel like an outsider. Why, coming to Hogwarts after living among muggles all your life… it's a wonder their stench hasn't permanently stuck to you."
"If you're going to be such a twat, Nott," Hadrian responded dryly, "at least try to be creative with your insults. You're starting to sound like Parkinson."
Nott scoffed. "You even speak like them. You'll have to wash that filth from your mouth, Potter, or you'll never be able to pretend you're anything but a mudblood."
Hadrian rolled his eyes and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Not that this hasn't been a pleasant conversation," he said, "but I've places to be."
He left Nott alone with the rest of the sleeping dorm and retrieved his schedule, along with a map of the school, from the noticeboard in the common room. The map was quite confusing, but eventually he managed to find his way to the Owlery.
He spent longer convincing a tawny barn owl to take his letters than he'd expected, so by the time he arrived in the Great Hall it was already relatively busy; only Tracey, Malfoy and his two goons were absent from the Slytherin table. Hadrian slid into a seat next to Greengrass, who gave him a once-over with a raised eyebrow and then ignored him.
"So," started Nott, buttering a piece of toast, "we have Charms first, with the Hufflepuffs. That'll be interesting."
Parkinson snorted. "Please. I doubt any of them will be able to actually use a spell properly. They're as good as squibs."
"My godmother was a Hufflepuff, and she's one of the strongest spellcaster's the Hit Wizards have ever seen," Bulstrode said, causing Parkinson to scoff.
"Well of course there have to be some exceptions, but you can't tell me Hufflepuffs are renowned for their magical strength and spell-casting prowess."
Malfoy slid in next to her just as she finished and wasted no time in adding, "well, of course they're all magically weak. They have even more mudbloods than Gryffindor." Hadrian noticed Tracey shrink into herself slightly, and he bit his cheek to keep from commenting. He knew it wouldn't do well to get into an argument with Malfoy on his first day, especially on the subject of blood status, on behalf of anonymous Gryffindors.
"I don't even know why they allow that sort of riffraff into Hogwarts," Malfoy continued, "but I'm glad they herd all the mudbloods into the other houses. Unfortunately," he added, turning his gaze to Hadrian and then Tracey, "some do seem to slip through the cracks." Hadrian almost smiled. Now that it was a direct insult to him, he could respond in kind.
"Malfoy," he said lazily, "I'm assuming your blustering insults are an attempt to provide a smokescreen for today, when our magical skill will be shown to each other for the first time. However, I'm not quite sure why. Are you afraid of revealing your ineptitude, or afraid that you'll be outshined by a muggleborn?" He knew it would come off as foolish and weak if Draco managed to outshine him in their lessons today, but he was confident enough in his magic. He'd been practicing wandless magic for over a year, and had even managed to perform a few jinxes and hexes with his wand. He wasn't worried.
Malfoy reddened. "Defending mudbloods are we? Merlin, what is this house coming to?"
Hadrian rolled his eyes and simply cut into his omelet as Bulstrode said, "anyway, what else have we got on today?"
"History of Magic, and then Potions, with the Gryffindors" answered Greengrass.
Malfoy grinned, and seemed to move on from Hadrian's slight. "Excellent. I've already brewed a few things at home, and I can't wait to see Professor Snape chew out all those ridiculous Gryffindors," he said, eyeing the Gryffindor table. Hadrian suppressed another eyeroll. It was sure to be an interesting first day.
The Slytherins shuffled into the classroom as a group. Malfoy sat between Crabbe and Goyle, Greengrass between Nott and Rowle, and Zabini with Bulstrode and Parkinson. Hadrian wasn't naive enough to believe it was a coincidence that Davis was forced to sit next to him, but he didn't think she minded; she'd been using him as a buffer the whole morning. He felt for the girl, but her situation wasn't going to get any better if she refused to defend herself.
He smiled but said nothing as she unpacked her copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 onto the desk next to him. She returned one weakly. He heard Parkinson snicker as an old man half his height appeared from behind the front desk.
"Welcome, welcome, class!" He squeaked, clapping his hands together. "My name is Professor Flitwick. I hope you all managed to find my classroom well enough, I know the castle can be quite difficult to reason with; she makes it difficult to navigate, but you've all arrived and that's what matters. Now, how many of you have read chapter one of your textbook?" Everyone but Crabbe, Goyle, and one Hufflepuff boy put their hands up. "Excellent, most of you; for those that haven't, please try to do so by next class. Now today, I thought we'd start with one of the most simple yet useful spells a young witch or wizard can know; the Lumos Charm. Can someone tell me what it does?"
Several tentative hands went up, and Flitwick gestured towards Daphne. "The Lumos Charm illuminates the tip of the caster's wand," she said matter-of-factly.
Flitwick nodded. "Excellent, five points to Slytherin! Now, as this is a relatively simple charm, there isn't much wand movement to it - in fact, it is easiest to perform if you simply hold the wand still, especially for beginners. Now, for most of you, this will be the first time you are performing any spell; don't be discouraged if you can't get it on your first try. Now I want you to remember to speak clearly, and concentrate, magic is no simple feat. Lumos!" He said plainly, brandishing his wand so the class could see, and the tip of it lit up brightly. Hadrian couldn't help but grin. "Good, now you try; we'll practice a bit and I'll move around the classroom."
Hadrian drew his wand confidently, glancing around the room. Most of the class hadn't produced anything on their first try; a few Hufflepuffs managed small glimmers of light. However, to Hadrian's chagrin and slight uneasiness, most of the Slytherins seemed to have mastered the charm already. Only Davis and Crabbe weren't able to produce anything; even Goyle managed to get an on-and-off flicker. The rest of his house, however, managed with ease; they even looked bored.
Hadrian cleared his throat quietly, confident in his own skills. If he could manage proper jinxes, then a simple Lumos Charm should be a breeze.
"Lumos," he uttered quietly. Nothing happened. He heard Malfoy and Nott snicker.
"What's the matter, Potter? Figuring out the hard way you're a squib?" Asked Parkinson, chuckling.
Hadrian furrowed his brow, before pulling gently at that well of power at the back of his consciousness. He drew a drop of that swirling vortex and said clearly, "Lumos."
There were several shouts as a blinding white light filled the classroom. Hadrian shut his eyes tight before pulling back on the magic, trying to shove it back wandlessly. He opened his eyes and the light was gone, although he could still see an aura from the intensity. He blinked several times, and when his vision cleared he noticed the smirks adorning the faces of his housemates.
"Well well well, Mr Potter!" Crowed Professor Flitwick. "That was certainly a powerful display, but work on control! Charms is a delicate subject, and remember class: a wizard is only as good as his precision and control!"
Hadrian gritted his teeth as Malfoy sniggered. He didn't understand; he had managed jinxes and hexes of second-year level, but he couldn't produce a working Lumos charm? Perhaps it took a different type of mastery. Elena had been so focused on teaching him dueling that she had forgone any other spells; now, he realized it was a mistake. He looked like a fool, and he could not afford to do so. Not when Goyle was doing better than him.
When the others finally turned away, Davis murmured quietly, "I made the same mistake at first. It's not a jinx. You need your magic to flow slow and steady, not in a quick burst."
Hadrian turned his head to stare at her. "No offence," he said slowly, "but you haven't managed it either. How do you know that?"
She blushed and dipped her head slightly, but raised her wand and intoned, "Lumos." The tip of her wand lit up brightly. Hadrian fought to keep his eyebrows from raising; perhaps there was more to Davis than he initially thought. Interesting.
Wary of the gaze of his housemates, Hadrian raised his wand once again. This time, instead of pulling on his magic, he merely felt the wriggling feeling; not ignoring it but not activey using it.
"Lumos," he said quietly. A light flickered and went out. His teeth grinded. "Lumos," he repeated. Nothing. Frustrated, his left hand dug into the edge of his desk. "Lumos."
This time, an intense heat engulfed the grip of his wand, and he dropped it with a hissed expletive.
"Better," muttered Davis, "but you're still treating it like a hex. Intent is all well and good, but charms are about finesse. Lumos," she said, once again perfectly executing the charm. Hadrian bit his cheek to keep from snapping at her. He was frustrated, but lucky she was even bothering to try and help him.
"Having a difficult time there Potter?" Malfoy called out snidely. "Looks like you really are a mudblood. It's a wonder you even got your Hogwarts letter, if you can't control the most simple of charms."
Hadrian didn't gratify the boy with a response. Instead he merely cleared his throat and tried again, sending out a tiny wire of magic through his wand. "Lumos." A small light flickered at the end of his wand before winking out, but Hadrian breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.
"Now it's just practice," Davis said under her breath. Hadrian glanced over and noted that while Davis's eyes were still on her own wand, she had a small, proud smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. Hadrian found himself rethinking his earlier appraisal of the girl.
By the end of the class Hadrian had finally managed to hold a steady Lumos Charm. However, and sense of achievement he felt was squashed when be noticed how his housemates were looking at him. Nott, Parkinson and Malfoy and his two goons were all sniggering behind his back, and Greengrass was watching him with such a disdainful glance he felt as though he were a particularly nasty-looking insect.
He said nothing on the way to History of Magic, but he noticed Davis kept him between her and the rest of the year. He couldn't quite figure her out.
When they finally arrived, after traversing half the castle, Hadrian sat next to Davis on purpose. It wouldn't make him particularly popular with the rest of the house, but he needed an ally and soon. Davis seemed to be his only hope so far.
History of Magic was both fascinating and extremely dull. The actualy information was fascinating; it was a completely new history Hadrian had been completely blind to. He was incredibly grateful Elena had made him read the first few chapters of all his coursebooks, otherwise he'd be completely lost. He still was, mostly; when Professor Binns would reference an event or a person, most of the class would nod in immediate understanding, but Hadrian didn't have a clue what was happening. Not growing up in this world had consequences, he was realizing. He'd need to study up.
It was dull because Professor Binns, who happened to be a ghost, had the most boring voice Hadrian had ever listened to. He was trying to keep copious notes, but the professor's voice kept lulling him into a stupor. He never actually fell asleep, but he certainly had a few close calls.
To his immense disappointment, Defense Against the Dark Arts was just as bad, if not worse. Professor Quirrel could barely get through a few sentences of his introduction to the course without a terrified pause, as if he was afraid he would speak a vampire into existence. Hadrian was half tempted to ask Elena to drop by, just to see what the professor would do. Hadrian had a headache the whole class, which the professor's constant stuttering didn't help.
That night, Hadrian waited in his bed until he was certain everyone else had gone to sleep. Praying that none of the upper-years were up late this early in the year, he crept down into the common room. Fortunately, he was alone. He set his copies of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration on one of the tables by the fireplace and opened the latter to it's first spell; turning a match into a needle. Clearing his throat, and preparing for a long night, he began to practice.
It took him three hours, well past fourin the morning, but he finally managed to every spell in the first chapter of each tome. He collapsed into a squashy green armchair to rest, an array of silver needles and other small objects littering the surface of the desk. There were quite a few singe-marks, but he hoped they wouldn't be too noticeable. He was sure that the furniture must have some sort of repairing charms; they couldn't survive long in a student common room otherwise. He couldn't be the first student to try practicing like this.
He was just gathering up his mess when he heard footsteps. He froze, eyes searching the room for somewhere to hide - but it wasn't a prefect. It was Rowle. Their gaze met, and Rowle's lips were twisted into a smirk.
"Potter," she greeted, an undercurrent of amusement running through her voice. "I had expected it would be you who was awake. I'd be disappointed if you weren't trying to make up for that horrifically embarressing show you put up in class today."
Hadrian grit his teeth. "A small mishap, Rowle," he replied smoothly. "But tomorrow I'll more than make up for my… lapse." He licked his lips. "What are you doing up so late, then?" Hadrian asked, not liking how weighted the conversation was.
She merely smiled. "Some people are just most productive at night. You as well, apparently."
"What, not just homesick?" Hadrian asked with a grin. Rowle's expression didn't change, but something behind her eyes flickered.
"Cute." Her tone was clipped. "I left my copy of Magical Drafts and Potions down here earlier." She retrieved a small book from one of the velvet sofas. "If I were you, Potter," she said as she ascended the first stair back up to the dorms, "I'd be careful. You may be trying desperately to hide it, but it's clear you're new to this game. You're playing with fire when you barely understand heat. Watch your step."
Hadrian bristled. "Is that a threat, Rowle?" He asked stiffly, her fingers curling slighly around his wand. Rowle only chuckled.
"Not at all, Potter. Merely a friendly warning." She winked at him as she climbed to the top of the staircase. "Sweet dreams."
