He passed the morning quietly in the dorm room reading his books. He had gotten a few interest books but had already read them before school began. For now he was reading the prank book Sirius had encouraged him to buy simply because he hadn't bothered to read it in any depth over the summer. He would need to visit the library soon to avoid growing bored.
After the bell signalling the beginning of lunch rang he hurried into the shared bathroom and took the stall farthest from the doors. He waited in silence as he listened to Draco and Theodore complain about how tiring an hour of gardening was and the barbarity of denying them a shower right away when the class was over as they also entered the bathroom. He could hear his clone humming an agreement every so often but overall sounding rather bored. The fact they had to spend another hour while sweaty and dirt covered seemed to be unforgivable according to their rich heir sensibilities.
He had been training to be a shinobi since he was seven which meant a lot of outdoor classes in the forests training survival skills. He felt very strongly that wizards were for the most part too soft. Though he could admit he was uncomfortable about other people's filth. Natural dirt and grim were fine but other people's sweat or spit was more than uncomfortable.
Once he heard the other showers turn on the clone entered his stall and promptly disappeared. He dampened his hair under the spray from the shower as he waited for the clone's memories to assimilate with his own memories of the morning. With a sinking feeling he realized that the complaining about herbology in the morning had been going on for the last several hours with no sign of stopping. With a sigh he deemed himself sufficiently dampened and headed back into the dorm definitely not waiting for the others to finish their own showers.
His bag was dropped on the bed by his clone before he followed everyone into the showers. He was lucky that all the boys were taking a shower together as it meant they would all just assume he had finished his shower first. The dampness of his hair which he knew took a long time to dry would further disguise the fact he hadn't showered. The last thing he needed was more probing questions from the other Slytherins. He was a bit worried that they would mind him not waiting for them but he had agreed to meet Gaara before History of Magic that morning.
He hurried from the dorm making his way toward the Great Hall following the helpful snake carvings so he wouldn't lose time even though he was fairly confident he had the route memorized. He would need to eat quickly so he and Gaara could have as much time as possible to talk before class started. He saw Gaara enter the Great Hall ahead of him with a group of other Hufflepuffs surrounding him. At least one of them was definitely getting along with their housemates.
The Great Hall was just starting to fill up with students as he sat down. He hated that the unspoken hierarchy of Slytherin made him eat from the end of the table furthest from the doors. True to their word Vincent and Gregory had forgone a shower in favour of eating lunch. He nodded at them as he sat down but made no effort to speak to them. They were focused on lunch and barely acknowledged his presence. He quickly ate a couple of sandwiches the house elves had prepared. After he had finished he caught Gaara's eye as he left the great hall. He lurked in a shadowed corner next to the stairs that led to the higher levels of the castle. He was out of view of the stairs that led to the dungeons so he wouldn't have to worry about the other Slytherins seeing him leaning against the wall when they eventually made it to lunch themselves.
About five minutes later Gaara emerged alone from the Great Hall. He waved to get his attention as he made his way from the corner to the foot of the stairs. They started walking together but he let Gaara take the lead a bit as he didn't actually have any idea where History of Magic was. He glanced around subtly to make sure they weren't drawing any attention on their way to the classroom.
When they arrived the room was empty so they could sit anywhere they wanted. All the other students would still be enjoying their lunches. They made their way to the pair of desks in the back corner of the classroom next to the windows in order to give themselves privacy when the other students began to arrive from lunch. He took the seat furthest in the corner leaving Gaara as a buffer between him and the other desks. He also liked the idea of having walls at his back so he wouldn't need to worry about anyone appearing from his blind spots.
They sat in silence for a few moments pulling out their text book and note taking supplies so they'd be ready for when the class started. He figured it was probably up to him to begin the conversation given he was the one who had requested they speak alone. Faced with beginning the conversation however he found himself not knowing how to start, so he went for classic small talk.
"How was your first night in Hufflepuff?" he asked Gaara resting his head on his hand as he looked over at his friend.
The small talk felt awkward but Gaara didn't seem to mind.
"Friendly," Gaara had a small smile on his face.
"I'm glad for you," he said honestly.
Gaara frowned at him, "You aren't happy with Slytherin? I thought it was the house you wanted to be in."
Perhaps he had been a bit too honest if Gaara was able to pick up on his insecurities so easily from his expression.
"It is the house I want to be in, but I think I might have overestimated the," he paused trying to find the right word but unable to, "They are a clique, they have history that I do not share. I can't tell them about where we come from either which prevents them from being able to trust me. Allies without trust between them are a failed mission waiting to happen."
Gaara nodded his understanding looking thoughtful. Hufflepuff from the outside seemed like a house filled with the types of people who would respect Gaara's privacy. He would be able to make friends without needing to divulge too much of his past. It also helped that unlike him Gaara was unknown and there was no reason for anyone to demand answers about his past. There were likely several muggleborns in Hufflepuff who were just as unknown to the magic raised children as he was.
"My housemates won't push or demand answers but I don't want our history hanging over any new friendships that I make. We should decide how much we are willing to tell those who ask," Gaara offered.
He sighed in relief, "Thank you."
"It's fine for me whatever we tell others. I don't intend to ever go back but I also wouldn't want to be responsible for ending the secrecy of the elemental nations. It wouldn't just effect the shinobi but also all of the civilians," Gaara explained.
"I suppose we could present the elemental nations and shinobi way of life as a version of the Statute of Secrecy. We tell them we are from a reclusive country but don't tell them anything too specific that they could use to find it. They could probably understand that without trying to dig further given how familiar they are with the wizarding world's need for secrecy," he felt they would have to be complete hypocrites to push further.
"It isn't like we know where the elemental nations are in relation to here anyway," Gaara pointed out.
He laughed because that was true. Even if he wanted to he couldn't tell anyone exactly where he was from due to the fact they had arrived by port key rather than over land.
"That is true. Did anyone try to search your trunk last night?" he asked changing the topic.
"No, I've kept it in my pocket so no one would ask questions about all the sand inside," Gaara told him, "Why?"
He told Gaara about his earlier conversation with Snape where he had all but demanded to search his trunk, "Of course I didn't let him because I know about the wards preventing dangerous magical artifacts. It would be a huge invasion of my privacy. I checked before we came to Hogwarts, there is no rule anywhere that says I have to have my trunk searched."
He hadn't realized he was so angry about the whole conversation until he recounted it to Gaara.
"You said your head of house didn't ask to search your trunk?" he confirmed.
"No," Gaara confirmed.
So it was only him then. He knew it likely had something to do with his fame. They were probably trying to find out where he was from, what he knew, how best to use him for their own goals. He could feel his anger like poison in his brain spreading to infect his thoughts. He had to try to remember that not everyone was against him even if it sometimes felt that way.
"I was surprised to see you eating lunch alone," Gaara changed the topic, knocking him from his brooding.
"Really?" he played dumb.
"You said they weren't able to trust you, what made you think that?" Gaara pressed.
He sighed, "Can we just not talk about it?"
"No," Gaara's tone was firm allowing for no argument.
He sighed again but told Gaara all about the conversation he had overheard earlier. Gaara's face stayed calm beneath his shinobi mask taking in the information. He knew when Gaara did respond he would have a well thought out comment. Once he had recounted the whole conversation in detail he waited to hear what Gaara would think of it. Gaara's opinion was one of the only opinions that mattered to him almost as much as his own did.
"I think our agreement regarding how much we are willing to share will help to ease some of the tensions but your avoidance of your housemates at lunch today has probably made things worse. I imagine if they think anything like you do they will be suspicious of your sudden disappearance. They probably are confused about why you are ditching them, especially Draco, he seems fond of you. They aren't going to like it when they realize you were speaking to another house. You are right when you say that Slytherin is a clique. They are well known for it," Gaara said.
"Were we part of the Hufflepuff welcome speech?" he smiled.
"We were advised to be wary," Gaara said with the same amount of amusement.
He chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. It felt like one problem was halfway to being solved which was a nice feeling.
"Do you think you could send a letter to Sirius about the sorting?"
"Why? Don't you have Hedwig?" Gaara eyed him suspiciously.
"Firstly, I know you are just as aware of Sirius' hatred for anything remotely related to Slytherin, so I'm sure he would rather not get the letter from me. Second, Hedwig is busy I wrote to my imprisoned Father to test the waters a bit," he shrugged.
"So, you're afraid of rejection from the first parental figure you've ever had and the most appropriate response you could think of was to avoid him while preparing a plan B?" Gaara summarized bluntly sounding disapproving.
"Better to be safe than sorry," he said with a shrug.
Gaara sighed, "I don't think Sirius will reject you when he just got you back."
"Agree to disagree. Will you write the letter?" he asked.
Gaara slowly and reluctantly nodded his agreement.
"Great," the sound of the classroom door opening as the other students filed in drew his attention.
He was grateful it was just the Hufflepuffs and not the Slytherins or he would have needed to be concerned about them eavesdropping on their conversation. He smiled at the Hufflepuffs as they approached. They seemed to be happy to see Gaara but were unable to hide their weariness of him.
"Hey Gaara," a girl with copper hair smiled as she visibly worked up her courage and took the seat beside Gaara.
"Hello Susan," Gaara greeted her with a small smile, "Have you met Hadrian yet?"
It was obvious she wouldn't have but it was the perfect opportunity to branch out. He had never lied when he talked about how valuable Hufflepuff traits could be in an ally.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," he held out his hand for her to shake.
"Gaara speaks about you, you saved his life?" she asks accepting his hand with a hesitant smile.
He glances at Gaara with his eyebrows raised wondering what he had told them. Gaara had the grace to look embarrassed though he did an admirable job of hiding it under his shinobi mask. How long someone could go on with an insane tanuki keeping them awake constantly was anyones guess so in a way he had saved him from a miserable life if not from death. He just hoped he was keeping the details vague enough to avoid unwanted questions.
"You could say that," he shrugged.
"Either you did or you didn't," a somewhat pompous boy interjected from the seat in front of him.
He glanced at the boy who had held out his hand, "Justin Finch-Fletchley."
"Hadrian," he said taking the offered hand, "We were both going through a rough time, I helped him to overcome his problems by telling him about how I overcame mine."
Being abandoned by Kurama still hurt. He could only hope that it was worth it for Kurama because he wasn't sure he could ever forgive him.
The rest of the Slytherins came in and sat on the other side of the room. He noticed their confused looks in his direction but he wasn't going to change his seat. He continued to speak with Gaara and the other Hufflepuffs as the ghost who would be teaching them entered the classroom through the chalkboard.
An hour later he blinked himself awake from the light doze he had been drifting off in. He glanced at Gaara to find him completely asleep next to him. With a small smile he kicked his ankle to wake him up. He woke tensing up for a fight before relaxing as he remembered where they were. He left the classroom with the Hufflepuffs who also shared the next class, transfiguration, with Slytherin.
Transfiguration was challenging but he felt it was worth learning. It was like a longer lasting transformation jutsu that wouldn't break even if it took a hit. If he could use transfiguration to disguise a scroll he was protecting as a rock then even if the enemy got the rock and slammed it onto the ground it wouldn't change back into a scroll. It would give him an advantage because he could collect it later to turn back into a scroll and complete the mission. It would also make him invaluable as no other shinobi could do what he could. Without him the scroll would stay as a rock.
He left the classroom happier than he had been all day. It helped that he was one of the few in the class to make progress turning his match into a needle. It wasn't perfect but he had the colour and shape down, all he needed to work on now was changing it from wood to metal.
He walked with Gaara to the library which was just as he had hoped it would be. Books lining the walls, bookshelves filling the room, tables to study at in large groups or alone. It was great. He couldn't wait to check out books to help him navigate the world of magic more easily. So far transfiguration and, he suspected, potions were both useful to him as a shinobi. He really wanted to see what other types of magic could be adapted to be used while he was working as a shinobi.
He and Gaara found a quiet table in the back of the library. Since they shared the same classes in the afternoon they got to work on the history and transfiguration homework together which was again mostly just reading for the next class as it was only the first day of classes.
"What do you think about training with me in the mornings?" He asked Gaara as he came back with a stack of books that seemed interesting since he had already read all of his textbooks.
"I'm not going back to the elemental nations," Gaara told him firmly.
He met Gaara's eyes to convey his sincerity, "I know, I would never ask you to, but I will and I don't want to be a year or more out of practise when I do."
Gaara nodded his agreement, "Where do you want to meet?"
"Aside from the common room the dungeons are mostly empty. We could probably find an empty room around that would allow us to train in peace."
"I'll meet you at four in the morning at the bottom of the stairs, we can look for a place then," Gaara agreed.
"Perfect," he said passing over a copied alarm spell that would wake them up in the morning.
He also passed over a book on basic warding which would help them find a way to keep people out of whatever room they chose.
He heard voices approaching their corner so he bent back over his books looking like he was busy. He felt Gaara's foot tap against his leg and glanced up to see the other first year Slytherins looking at him strangely. Once they saw him looking they quickly turned around and fled the library. He narrowed his eyes at their retreating backs.
"If they try to stop us studying together for our shared classes I'm not even going to pretend to like them any more," he told Gaara feeling annoyed at his fellow students.
"I don't mind if you invite them to join us when we study," Gaara offered.
He smiled at him putting his books aside to check out, "You can invite your Hufflepuffs too."
He finished packing his stuff away having finished his homework for the day, "I will see you in the morning. For now I need to go talk to some Slytherins."
"See you tomorrow," Gaara said also packing up his things.
He nodded as he left. It was about time for dinner so he decided to make his way to the Great Hall to speak with the other Slytherins.
"Where were you?" Draco asked as soon as he sat down at the table.
"I was in the library, remember? I just saw you all there," he challenged.
"You were with a Hufflepuff," Draco pouted.
He eyed Draco sharply, "I was with Gaara, who has been like a brother to me and that I have known since before I came to this country. If you think I am going to give up a loyal, honest, hardworking friend in order to earn your favour, you thought wrong."
He wanted to make it clear to Draco that he felt strongly on the matter. He didn't want to alienate him completely as he still saw the possibility of friendship developing between them provided they could learn to trust each other. If Draco wanted to confront him about spending time with his other friends in order to prevent him from forming a support network of his own then he would need to give up Draco because in the larger picture he had to surround himself with people he could rely on.
"After I returned from Professor Snape's office this morning. I happened to overhear an interesting conversation taking place right in the middle of the very public common room," he started, "I wonder what makes you think you have the right to question the time I spend with those I consider like family when you aren't even sure my friendship is something you want."
"I do want to be friends but you have to admit it is suspicious that you won't tell anyone about where you're from," Draco defended, "We've all known each other for years while you are a new and unknown variable."
Very well. He could give a little, only the bare minimum as he and Gaara agreed.
"Where I come from trust isn't something that is easy to come by. And you definitely do not ask for it, you earn it. But as you have already asked I will tell you that Wizards are not the only people who keep separate from the rest of the world. My Mother's people, my people, have remained apart for centuries. Our separation predates your statute of secrecy by over a hundred years. That is all you need to know and all I will say on the subject," he let his eyes wander the table seeing it was not just the first years who were listening.
He could see some students looking at him coldly while others had a speculative gleam in their eyes. It made him nervous even though he had not given away anything that could be used to find out about shinobi. It was also true he hadn't successfully endeared the other Slytherins to him. Perhaps it would be the appropriate time to make a statement of power to keep the rest of the house from turning on him or fishing for information, but then second guessed himself. While true that revealing that he is descended from Slytherin would earn him respect maybe even fear it would be shallow. It would not be truly earned or strong enough to withstand plots against him.
He looked back to Draco who cleared his throat awkwardly, "Thank you for telling us what you could."
He nodded his head to acknowledge the truce being offered. The other first years were also looking awkward about their conversation being overheard.
"Did you finish studying with the Hufflepuff?" Daphne sniffed.
He had finished studying but decided to take the opportunity that was being offered, "Only History and Transfiguration."
"Great you can help us then," Pansy said sitting straighter on the bench.
"You know, you can join Gaara and I when we study. He wouldn't mind and the Hufflepuffs are also being invited. It would be a good chance to network," he offered an olive branch of his own.
"We'll consider it," Draco said not looking overly enthused by the offer.
The rest of dinner is mostly quiet but most of the tension had leached out of the group for now but he would still keep his guard up.