New Beginnings
As the feast wound to a close, the headmaster stood up again.
"I have a few start of term notices to give you all, now that we've had our lovely dinner. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is off limits to all students unless accompanied by a teacher, due to a long-standing infestation of acromantula. So long as we leave them be, they will not leave the forest or harm us.
"Mr. Filch has requested you be sternly reminded that using magic in the corridors between classes is against our school policy, and a punishable offense. As is possessing any of the considerable list of banned items, which Mr. Filch has posted on his office door for your convenience. Quidditch trials will be held next week, contact Madam Hooch for details.
"Lastly, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is restricted for dragon training exercises, and I must emphasize that under no circumstances are students to approach that area unless accompanied by myself, the gamekeeper, or at the specific direction of the Care of Magical Creatures teacher until I inform you otherwise. Thank you."
Whispers erupted across the great hall.
"Did he say dragon training?"
"Want to sneak up there and take a look?"
"Now I wish I'd taken Care of Magical Creatures, it always sounded so dull."
"Hogwarts never had a dragon before!"
"This is going to be the best year ever!"
"Now," the Headmaster's voice cut across the chatter, bringing the hall to silence again, "let us sing the Hogwarts School Song. Everyone pick a tune and sing it loud!"
He waved his wand, causing the lyrics to appear hovering in the air over the head table, then started everyone off by singing to a syncopated tune which did not fit the words at all. A few first years tried to follow his example, but then the whole rest of the school was bellowing it out to different tunes, at different speeds.
Harry froze for a moment, as Pansy sang along to a bouncing melody which may have been beautiful if performed by a better singer, but the cacophony was too joyous and enthusiastic for him not to join in. He stood and sang the inane words to a tune he made up as he went along, but found himself grinning and laughing as he finished. As though the song had leeched out his last remaining uncertainty and fear, leaving him freer than ever before.
Then it was over, a few holdouts singing to a slow funeral chant which Dumbledore conducted with his wand, a tear in his twinkling eye.
"Ah, music," the headmaster said. "True magic, that requires no wand to cast. Thank you all. Prefects, please lead the first-years to your houses. Everyone else, off to bed with you. Sleep well!"
He cheerfully shooed at the assembled students, waving them toward the doors.
Pansy took Harry's arm and they joined the pack of first-years following the Slytherin prefects through the halls and down to a blank wall in the dungeons.
"Hydra," the prefect declared, and the wall parted like a curtain, stone rippling and flowing away to reveal a wide archway. Harry and Pansy followed the older students into a curving hallway, then down another flight of steps.
The common room itself was six-sided, a long irregular hexagon with the entry archway at one end and a white-gold blazing fire at the other in a heavily ornamented fireplace. Above the fireplace hung the Slytherin banner, emblazoned with the words written in a language Harry couldn't read. Two smaller fires with the same gold-white flames were spaced about midway on the near sides, while additional archways filled the two far sides making an even division.
The walls were heavy stone, much like the rest of the dungeons, but that was where any similarity with the rest of the castle ended. All around the room were heavy tapestries and flowing gossamer draperies, different shades of green and silver. Between the ornamental fabrics hung portraits of notable Slytherin alumni, several of which nodded in greeting to the newcomers.
Warm green light shone from lanterns hanging from the ceiling - no, the window. The ceiling was made of six massive sections of glass that curved gently up to peak directly over the center of the room. The lantern globes didn't seem to actually connect to the vast window, shining threads of silver fading before quite reaching it.
Harry gasped aloud as everyone turned to stare up at the dim lakewater moving above them, illuminated from below by the lights of their room. A man with a fish's tail swam past overhead, paused to give a stern nod of greeting to those staring up at him, then continued away with his long dark hair rippling out behind him.
"That. . . that. . ." Harry said in a whisper, unable to form his thoughts into coherence.
"Merman," Pansy confirmed, and he heard his own awe reflected in her voice. "I've never seen one before either."
Most of the other first-years seemed equally impressed, as they stared up and around at the room.
"First years and prefects, this way," called the oldest female prefect, waving them forward. "Everyone else, get on to bed. No complaining, you can sit around another time."
Harry followed Pansy forward until they were about centered in the room, the older students disappearing through the other two archways.
"Welcome to Slytherin. I'm Gemma Farley. This is Kyle, Raymond, over there is Amelia, and our newest prefects Zubeida and Michael." Gemma indicated the prefects by turn, standing beside her in a semi-arc. Harry heard Pansy scribbling notes beside him, but he could hardly keep up. Was Kyle the brown-haired one?
"We're here to help and guide you through your year," Gemma continued, "so if you have questions, don't hesitate to come to one of us. Zubeida and Michael are entering their OWLs year, so if you could be considerate of their time. I'm only taking three NEWTs, so I'll be available more than the rest."
Gemma paused, glancing over the students. "Now, there are some important things you should know about Slytherin. First, hands up, anyone who knew what the houses were before getting their letter."
Pansy raised hers. Harry wasn't sure what to do, hesitated, but abstained.
"Any of you have relatives in Slytherin?"
Pansy kept her hand raised. Draco, Vincent, and Goyle snickered among themselves, their hands remaining up as well.
"Most of you, good. Hands down, thank you. Listen carefully, all of you," Gemma said, her voice firm. "There is a lot said about us, a heavy reputation that has built around Slytherin these past few decades. How we only practice Dark magic, or how your family has to be completely Pureblood since the age of Merlin if you want to get anywhere. This is not true. We simply understand that there is no such thing as Dark magic, all magic is guided by ourselves and our intentions. Many of the simple jinxes that students casually fling at one another in the halls now would have been considered Dark a hundred years ago.
"This is the house of the ambitious. Those who will succeed at all cost. You are here because you have that spark of greatness within you, whether you know it or not, regardless of who you are and where you come from. And this is where we are better than the other houses, and they don't even know it. We always stick together. We know we're the best, we know you are the best, the elite. Slytherin means strength, Slytherin means victory. There's a reason we've won the House Cup the past six years running and it's not because I'm good on a broom."
Several students laughed, but Harry didn't understand why.
"We snakes cover each other's backs, compensate for each other's weaknesses. And, of course, point those weaknesses out so you can learn to cover them for yourself. Making you stronger, making me stronger, it all makes us stronger. Everything you can do for yourself, or for your fellow Slytherins, all contributes to our house's supremacy.
"You may see others far ahead of you and assume you'll never reach 'that' level. You may see others far behind you and know they'll never reach your level. But the destination isn't the same for all of us, and the true battle is progress. I doubt anything I do in my lifetime will ever match up to Harry Potter, or Albus Dumbledore. But I know that what I accomplish will be my victory, our victory."
Harry shifted uncomfortably, but Gemma continued talking without noticing.
"And you don't need to be born great. You may be born with an advantage, but everyone has an advantage over someone. All that matters is what you choose to do with what you have."
Gemma stepped back and the oldest male prefect, the one she'd called Kyle, stepped forward to address them.
"Now, in the immediate future, you'll be confronted with those from other houses who believe we're all a bunch of evil gits and that gives them the right to trample on your dreams and put you down. You are welcome to fulfill their expectations if it makes you happy, I can't deny a certain pleasure in crushing Gryffindor's hopes for victory year after year, but always remember two things: delayed victory is still victory, and reputation can be more powerful than direct action.
"Slytherin is the house of the cunning. We understand that it takes more than bravery to win, more than friendship to succeed, and more than intelligence to prosper. So if you find it expedient to engage in direct conflict with those who don't care to understand our strengths, do so with correct preparation and some friends to back you up.
"And remember, you really don't need to always hex that Gryffindor even if he's asking for it, or outsmart that Ravenclaw who just twists your words around on you. Sometimes the knowledge that we're going to beat them again this year, and the year after that, and the year after that, is enough."
Kyle chuckled. "Then again, it can be incredibly cathartic to have it out with someone like that. Or wait until they think you're an easy target, then prove just how wrong they are. Just remember, don't get caught breaking any rules. We have a house cup to hold onto."
He stepped back and Gemma resumed with a smile.
"I know it's late and you're all tired. We're nearly done here, just a few more things. The Bloody Baron is our house ghost, and he can sometimes be convinced to help you out if you want someone intimidated. Just be polite and don't ask prying questions about his past or especially his death.
"Our password changes twice a month, keep an eye on the noticeboard. And this is very important. You must never tell anyone from another house where our entry is or what our password is. You must never bring anyone from another house here, even if it's your best most trusted friend or twin brother, I don't care. We haven't had an outsider disturb the sanctity of this house in over seven hundred years and we're not going to start now. Understood?"
"Understood," Harry and Pansy echoed back, along with the other first-years.
"Alright!" Gemma said cheerily. "That's everything for now." She gestured to the archways behind her. "Girls, on the right, boys on the left. You'll find your luggage in one of the rooms marked '1st year'. Congratulations to you all! I know you'll have an incredible year."
Author's Note: July 31, 2018 Slight edit to fix unfinished sentence.