The common room of the Slytherin House was beautiful. Hermione could see some shelves full of books, some comfortable couches next to a hearth and some tables with some drinks and snacks. One of the prefects led them to the couches and told them that their head of the house would arrive soon for the welcome speech. Draco, Harry, Daphne, Theo, Blaize sat close to her. A very nervous Lily Moon, sat between Draco and Daphne. Professor Snape entered the common room and walked to the middle of the room.
"I want to welcome you to a new year. I know that you will do everything to ensure that Slytherin will win the cup again!" Professor Snape said. "For the ones starting this year, I want to welcome you to our den. You can rely on the older students or prefects. Also, the head girl, Sarah Leloir from Slytherin or the head boy, Robert Emerson from Ravenclaw will help you."
Hermione could see that Lily was shivering, but Daphne took her hand to comfort the girl. She knew that Lily was worried about being the first muggleborn being sorted in Slytherin.
"Miss Moon, I want to congratulate you for being the first muggleborn of our den. The hat must have seen something special in you to put it in our house." Professor Snape told Lily. "Your house mates will introduce you to our traditions and help you through the politics of the houses. Also, my door is always open to you."
"Sir, with Robert, we decided to have some open classes to teach traditions to the muggleborns and halfbloods who were not raised in the wizarding world. Also, some prefects will help us to teach muggle culture to everybody willing from the pureblood and halfblood raised only in the wizarding world." A tall girl said, and Professor Snape nodded.
"A good idea, Miss Leloir, 100 points to all the houses helping in the project. I will leave you now, but I suggest you go to bed soon. Tomorrow it will be a trying day."
Milly, Tracey, Daphne, Pansy, Lily, and Hermione followed a prefect to their dorm. The room was big with six beds, their trunks on the side and some vanities for each of them. A door led to a comfortable bathroom with a shower and a bath. Hermione could see some special made-to-order shampoos and creams for different skins and hair types, but she could not see the potioner.
When Hermione arrived next to her bed, she saw a letter and she opened quickly.
"Hermione,
I hope that your first night on the dungeons is what you were expecting it to be. I was not able to congratulate you for being sorted in our house, but I wanted to leave you a little present. I brew the shampoos and creams for you, please let me know if you need a refill.
I will apologize in advance because I will have to be cold with you during the classes, but we will have time to study together as we did during the break.
Have nice dreams,
Your friend."
Hermione was reading the letter with a little smile on her face, and soon she ranged into her bag on her trunk. Her godfather had put an undetectable extension charm so she could carry everything she would need with her. Also, during the last years, he had taught her parsel tongue and told he how to enter the Secret chamber. He only asked that this would be a secret between them. Hermione just needed a moment alone to go to the chamber and take care of the big basilisk who after so many years alone should be lonely.
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After a healthy breakfast, the first-year group walked to their first class of the year, Potions. The Gryffindor were muttering about the stories the oldest lions had told them about Professor Snape while the eagles were reading some notes and the badgers were looking around. The snakes were confidents as they already had read the lesson and were ready for questions.
Hermine sat with Draco, waiting for the professor to arrive. The door opened and Severus walked to his desk, before turning around and looking at the students. He looked annoyed and glared at some lions who were still talking.
"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death. Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention!" Severus said glaring at the read hairy boy. "Weasley, I had five of you siblings on my class and none of them was so brainless to not pay attention when I am lecturing the class. It seems that Gryffindor just lost five points. Today, you will be reading how to brew a cure for boils that you will brew next class." Professor Snape said.
After a long hour, the entire class moved to DADA class. Professor Lupin was waiting for them while reading a parchment. He signaled them to sit and started the lecture. Thay would be practicing on the next class.
After a nice lunch, the first year moved to the Herbology class, where the teacher taught them how to take care of the tools that they would be using during the year and gave them some homework.
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Hermione used a disillusionment charm that her godfather showed her during the days before the start of the year. She arrived at the second-floor girl's bathroom and could see the annoying ghost muttering about her death. Hermione approached to the lavatory and muttered the order to open the entrance.
"Who is here? You are not going to kill me again." Myrtle yelled leaving the bathroom through the toilet.
Hermione smirked and jumped int the hole as her uncle told her to do. After a long walk in a dirty corridor, she arrived at the circular door with the snakes warding it.
"Open" Hermione hissed, and the big stone slowly glide to the side, giving her place to pass through.
The room was beautiful, she could see water on the side, like twin lakes, and the face of Salazar Slytherin carved on the stone. Hermione knew the words she needed to say to summon the guardian of the chambers.
"Hear me guardian of Lord Slytherin's treasures! Hear my call and come take your place as the guardian of our school." Hermione spoke, using the ancient tongue of the snakes.
A noise was heard on the chamber and the mouth of Salazar Slytherin opened, showing a dark body moving outside of the dark tunnel. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to relax. She hoped that the snake would give her time to explain.
Hermione felt the snake breathing on her face and hair, sniffling, searching for a scent that the basilisk would always recognize.
"Master send you. Why did he never return to me?" The basilisk asked.
"He was hiding, he is still hiding from an old enemy." Hermione spoke. "You have a name?"
"Master Salazar called me Aldus. The old teacher is still bothering Master?" Aldus asked.
"Yes, he tries to start a war, and he is making everybody believes that your master is the dark lord of the moment." Hermione explained.
"Master is the heir of Slytherin, he will always want more power." Aldus just said.
"Are you hungry? Do you need something?" Hermione asked.
"First, you can open your eyes, I have a second set of eyelids, so I am not a danger for you." Aldus said. "I want to go outside."
"How?" Hermione asked.
"I can reduce my size and be a familiar for you" Aldus said.
"You need to be nice with my cat, I call him Crooks." Hermione remarked.
"I will parlay with you cat, and we will arrive to a deal." Aldus said, starting to reduce her size. "Next time I will show you the library; if Master sent you, you must love to read as much as he does."
When Aldus was small enough, Hermione put him on her neck and started to walk to the secondary entrance. She remembered that her godfather had told her that it would lead her to the dungeons, near the common room. As she was nearing the dorms, Hermione heard some steps behind her.
"Miss Lestrange, should I be worried about the heiress of an ancient house doing mischief?" Professor Snape asked.
"No, Sir. I was discovering some parts of the castle, so I don't get lost." Hermione answered.
"So, the basilisk hiding on your neck is an illusion?" Professor Snape said, smirking. "Somehow I feel that your godfather has something to do with it."
"Godfather asked me to take care of Aldus. He needs to socialize, or he would get aggressive," Hermione explained.
"Do you think he will be able to live with your cat?" Professor Snape questioned.
"Aldus said that he will parlay with Crooks," Hermione explained, caressing Aldus.
"Go to great Hall, dinning will be starting soon, I guess you friends are waiting for you," Professor Snape told her while he started to go away.
Hermione walked slowly to the Great Hall, Aldus was asleep and tickling her neck with her soft tongue. When she arrived to the Slytherin table, all her friends were already waiting for the food to appeared on the plates. She sat next to Draco who started to tell her the last gossips of the houses. It seemed that the Weasley twins just pranked their baby brother who was sporting pinks dots and purple hair. The oldest Weasley around, Percival, took points from his brothers so he was not so popular with the lions. Some of the older Ravenclaws were starting a beauty tricks club, and they invited the Slytherin girls who just nodded and signed in all the girls on the house. Hermione groaned and shook her head.
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During Astronomy, Professor Sinistra taught them how to use the telescope, asking to find several stars and constellations. Hermione loved to see the milky way and tried to sketch it on a parchment.
"This is a good idea, Miss Lestrange. Drawing the constellations will help you to learn about their location and it will be easier to study." Professor Sinistra said smiling.
"Bloody know it all," Weasley muttered, and Hermione just shrugged. Tom had told her that usually the smartest ones could be bullied by the thickest of the class.
"Will you let me see that chart later, I'm not good at drawing," Harry said, and Hermione nodded. "Thanks"
"Do we have homework for this week?" Teo asked while they walked to the dungeon.
"We have potions and DADA for Wednesday. Herbology and Astronomy are for next week," Hermione said.
"We could start this tomorrow as I'm sure that we will have Charms and Transfiguration for Thursday," Daphna said, and Blaise sighed.
"It could be nice to have a free homework weekend, at east the first one," Draco said, and everybody nodded.
"We can meet in the library, tomorrow after lunch," Hermione said before waving and starting to climb the stairs to her dorm.