hey everyone, i hope you are all doing good out there and are doing everything you can to keep yourself and loved ones safe
between all the craziness out there in the world everything feels broken and unsafe but we will all be fine... things might take time and can get worse before they get better but no matter the cause of pain and suffering I am confident that when people do the right things and work together we can move mountains and erase all opticals in our paths
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Nathair walked into the great hall with Draco at his side, after a brief stop in the doorway Draco made his way to the Slytherin table while Nathair waited by the door for the sorting to start.
As McGonagall walked into the great hall with the group of first years following closely, she stopped next to Nathair.
"Mr. Thomson, I presume?"
"Yes."
"I was wondering where you had gone off to. Well come with me," and she started walking up between the tables towards the front of the hall where the hat sat as dirty and worn as ever on it's usual stool.
"A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known;
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head
The founders put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have to look inside your mind
And tell where you belong!"
As the hat finished its song Professor Mcgonagall pulled out a roll of parchment.
"Each one of you will come up here and be sorted when I call out your name. As we have a transfer student who will be joining our fourth year students, he will be going first. Nathair Tomson, please step forward and be sorted."
Nathair stepped onto the raised platform and up to the stool, sitting on it as Professor Mcgonagall placed the hat on his head.
"Back again . It is unusual for me to sort the same person more than once. You have been missed in your years away from us, for good reasons and bad. But I can see that you already know who you can and can't trust... I think I can help you. When I am not in use I sit on a shelf in the office of our headmaster, I hear many things when certain people think their dubious conversations are safe from prying ears."
"Thank you mister hat, I would call you by name but I have no idea if you even have one."
"I do . My name is Ancelm."
"How apropos, naming a hat, hat. Thank you for sharing your name with me."
"If you can come and see me, I might hear something of importance to your cause. Now let's get you sorted to where you belonged to the first time. SLYTHERIN."
Nathair pulled the hat from his head and headed to the Slytherin table where Draco had left him an open seat next to him. He was very aware of two sets of eyes from the head table following him as he walked to the Slytherin table, one belonged to his godfather, the other belonged to the headmaster.
Nathair didn't pay any attention to the rest of the sorting, he instead spent the time looking over the hall, for the true friends he knew he had to see if he thought he could still trust them. Neville was sitting far away from Ron and Hermione with Seamus and Dean. He looked different from the pudgy, nervous boy that seemed to be afraid of his own shadow. While looking at Neville he saw the glares and disgusted looks that most of the hall was shooting the duo, and Ron's sister Ginny as well. Who was sitting close to the two and they were all looking quite comfortable, despite the dislike that they obviously were receiving from their fellow students, though it looked like they were oblivious to the indignant stairs. It seemed to Nathair that in the years he had been gone Ron and Hermione hadn't been the most favorite people since Harry Potter's disappearance.
Draco had mentioned while spending the summers together, and then in his letters in the past two years of schooling. The three of them thought that despite no proof, and the article Dumbledore had published and the comments of the Daily Prophet also going against their arguments, that Harry Potter was just away. Sent to some secret location to receive special training for when Voldemort returned. They had gotten into more than one fight about the missing teen, each time they were never really punished for their actions, while the people on the other side of the arguments were giving detentions by the bucket full. Which encouraged them more and Ginny as well who would spout off any one who gave her a modicum of attention, that she would be the future Lady Potter when Harry Potter returned and defeated the Dark Lord.
"What are you looking for?" Asked Draco as he cut into the thick piece of roasted ham he had on his plate.
"Nothing in particular, just looking," said Nathair nonchalantly as he sipped from his goblet.
"What are you two whispering about now?" Demanded Pansy from across the table. "You too are always whispering nowadays."
"For good reason Pansy. But we were talking about nothing, right now at least."
"Sure," she drawled slowly as she stabbed a piece of carrot. "You too are always up to something."
"She's right, you two are up to something, and we all know better than to say anything. So all of you that I know are listening at this table, go back to your dinners," requested Blaise as he reached over and nonchalantly grabbed another dinner roll from the platter it sat in the middle of the table.
Around the four of them, not including Theo, you could see a few of the students that sat near them flinch slightly at the remark as they were suddenly very interested in their dinners.
In the summer between second and third year after Nathair and Draco had more or less became friends Draco had introduced Nathair to his friends, the other Slytherins that were in their year. And well it was a shaky start; they grew close enough to trust each other and become friends. Well none of Draco's friends knew for sure who Nathair used to be. They had a good idea, in fact a few of them had everything but tangible proof. Not that that information bothered them, unlike the light side, the dark side was oddly better at trusting people that changed sides. And if that wasn't good enough reason to trust him they knew exactly who his father was and knew better than to cross the Dark Lord if they wanted to live.
The storm that had gathered just after Nathair arrived at the ancient castle was coming down in full force, flashes of lightning lit up the hall along with a tremendous downpour, as they seemed to pass from the storm to the enchanted ceiling as if the ceiling was part of the storm. By the time the desserts came the storm was almost shaking the stone hall with its ferocity and Nathair had looked over the hall many times, taking note of any odd behaviours and any strange looks during dinner. The flashes from the storm did nothing to help the new DADA teachers looks. The lightning enhanced his disfigured features to make him look particularly gruesome, frightening many of the younger students, and even gave some of the older ones the creeps.
Having studied his father's enemies, and all the members of Dumbledore's Order of the Flaming Flamingos Nathair knew from one look that the mangled man was all that was needed to know he was Auror Alastor Moody. With the curse on the DADA teaching position it seemed like Dumbledore was scraping the bottom of the barrel, the man was known to be manic, and highly paranoid.
Despite the man's presence Nathair wasn't that worried about him becoming disruptive to his and his father's plans, but Dumbledore was another story. Through most of dinner Nathair had noticed that Dumbledore had been giving him both discrete, and not so discreet looks. To anyone else the looks would have been nothing, but to the son of Dumbledore's worst enemy, there were no coincidences when it came to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
As dinner came to a finish Dumbledore got up and made his normal, weird, beginning of the year speech.
"I have a few more words now that we are all fed, I have a few start of term notices to give you. First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is just that forbidden, to all students. As is the village of Hogsmeade to all students under third years, and those without signed permission slips.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used in the corridors. As well as a few new items on the list of objects that are forbidden inside the castle this year to include screaming yo-yo's, fanged frisbees, and ever bashing boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, that I believe can be viewed outside of Mr. Filch's office.
"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Quidditch Cup, and the games will not be taking place this year."
The loud gasps, question of "WHAT'S" and, Oliver Wood even passed out from the shock of the statement. Many of the students both girls and boys alike had looks of shock and even horror as silence filled the air, most members of their house teams had even started to cry.
Coughing in the awkwardness that had filled the hall, Dumbledore continued with his speech.
"This is due to an important event that will be held at our school. It will begin in October and continue until the end of the year. I have the great pleasure of announcing that this year at Hogwarts we are to have the great honor of hosting a very exciting event that has not been held for over a century. We will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament here at Hogwarts this year.
"The Triwizard Tournament was first established around seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between Europe's major magical schools, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion is chosen from each school and they compete against each other through three magical tasks. Each school took turns hosting the tournament every few years, until the death toll reached an unacceptable number, and was subsequently disbanded."
Like with his announcement about Quidditch many students vocalized their outrage at the mention about the numerous deaths.
"You must be joking," yelled Fred and George Weasley simultaneously.
"I assure you, Mister's Weasley, that I am not joking," Dumbledore said as he looked over his half-moon glasses at the pair as they sat back down in their seats, each twin giving him a hard look.
"There have been several attempts to reinstate the tournament, none of the attempts have been successful, until now. However the Ministry, Department of International Magical Cooperation, and the Department of Magical Games and Sports have decided it's time for another try. They and each of the schools have worked very hard at finding ways to protect each champion to ensure their safety. Due to this a new rule has been chosen to add for this competition. Only students of age, over the age of seventeen, will be allowed to enter.
"The headmasters of both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and a small group of students that wish to compete will be arriving at the beginning of October and the selection of the champions will take place on Halloween night.
"Now it's late, and I know how important it is for you to get settled in and off to bed for the night. So chop, chop. Off to bed."
Nathair stood and followed Draco and their small group to the Slytherin dorms in the dungeons. Even though it was the beginning of September the dungeons already had a chill, thought that could have had a lot to do with the heavy rain that was still falling from the sky.
After what looked like they were headed down several dead ends, they came to an actual dead end.
"Watch carefully," spoke Draco as he ran his hand down the grout around the bricks that made up the wall. After he made a large S in the wall, the wall next to them moved, revealing a portrait.
"Password," asked the woman who was obviously a mermaid in the portrait, as she floated in a lake and you could see other mermaids swimming underneath the water around her.
"Belladonna."
As the portrait opened they made their way inside. Unlike the rest of the dungeons the common room was warm, and had multiple fireplaces around the room, each giving off heat to ward off the chill. The room, like Gryffindor's, was decorated with the houses colors, but unlike the tower there was more space and so there were more couches, chairs, and even a section off to the side that had tables and a small library.
Sitting down in a section of the room, the prefects came in with the new first year students.
"Welcome to Slytherin House, unlike the other houses we have certain rules, we protect each other and our house," prefect Andrew Kirke said as he stood in front of the group of children. "Because of history and other Slytherin's that have been sorted into this house in the past we have been seen in a negative light, and many use our placement in this house as an excuse to treat us as if we matter less than anyone else. Be prepared to be seen as bad or even evil, simply because you have been sorted into Slytherin, but do not let this discourage you. You have been sorted here because you are smart, ambitious, because we have true goals, most of them personal.
"So any arguments, problems, petty or otherwise, you have with each other, with anyone, are to be kept private. Everyone out there is already against us, we don't need to give them any help. And don't expect much help from any other teacher than Professor Snape, the head of our house. They may care to a certain extent, or seem to treat us equally to the rest of the students but they, like the rest of the world, are biased against us.
"Girls dormitories are next to the library, boys next to the bulletin board. The board is where anything important will be posted. Try to check it at least once a day for new information, such as the new password, which changes once a month. Or for study groups, and when finals arrive, mandatory study schedules, to make sure that you are well prepared for the upcoming finals. Also once a week, usually saturdays, Professor Snape spends several hours here in the common room with us. He helps us with homework, listens to personal problems, and helps settle disputes. Each of you will have a personal room, the door will have a plaque with your name on it. We feel that unlike the other houses that there is no need to make you share a room with your year mates, you will be spending enough time together in the coming months, let alone seven whole years.
"First years have a nine o'clock bedtime, second years as well, third and four have a ten o'clock', six and seven an eleven o'clock, these are an hour later on Friday and Saturday nights, and for those of you who stay during the holidays it's midnight for everyone. If anyone needs help with school or anything at all come to myself or one of the other prefects, or if you need to speak to Professor Snape right away. Now even though tomorrow is a Sunday, we all need to get settled in, so good night to you all."
Draco walked with Nathair down the long, winding hallway, passing many doors with plaques along the way. The end of the hall culminated in a small circular room with doors spaced out every two feet, next to Draco's door was one with Nathair's name on it, it was the furthest from the entrance to the hallway, protected on each side by the other boy's rooms.
"I'm right next door if you need anything, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast."
Nathair simply nodded in response to Draco's words as he walked up to his door. Nathair slipped into the room, and came face to face with a rather bland room, bed, small desk, night table, wardrobe, and a door. Which upon further examination lead to a small, fully furnished bathroom, complete with toilet, sink, bath, and shower. Overall the room and attached bathroom had the same green and silver color scheme, though it had different shades than the common room, mostly darker shades of grey and lighter greens.
Unshrinking his trunk, after taking it out of his pocket, Nathair waved his wand and had all his clothes put themselves away in the wardrobe, spare parchment, ink, and quills to the desk, and a nice pair of pajamas on the bed for bed. Taking his time Nathair took a long hot shower before slipping his night clothes on and crawling into bed, where he meditated to strengthen his occlumency shields. His father had taught him not long after they left Hogwarts, and though he had practiced, his father wanted him to do it as long as he thought necessary. Tom wanted to allow them to strengthen, to protect Nathair as best they could, with more practice came better knowledge, more control.