Thanks for showing me so much support! I really appreciate it and I love you all so much! Please rate and review!

Hadrian Black hated public spaces. Despised them, even. He much rather preferred the company of his parents and a few others, over hundreds of strangers he didn't know. But, he still had to go to Hogwarts, in fact, he wanted to go to Hogwarts, and to get there he had to go through a sea of people he didn't know.

With Samara wrapped around his torso and left arm, as well as Hedwig, his owl, who was resting on his right shoulder, Hadrian was ready. Wiping off the sweat that had started to build upon his forehead, Hadrian steeled his grip on his cart and made it to find his parents. They had wanted to meet up with his Aunt Narcissa, and they had left him with his familiars while he got ready.

"Hadrian, we love you so much and are so proud of you. You gave us a son, something we couldn't have, and you are the light of our world! Now, go have fun at Hogwarts! We'll find you before you leave, but we want to talk with your Aunt for a little bit." And with that, his mother hugged him and went to find his Aunt.

His father, who was not for heartfelt goodbyes or dramatics, simply hugged Hadrian, told him he loved him, and went to follow his wife.

Hedwig was a beautiful snowy owl who had flown down to him from a high perch in the owlery, and Hadrian had instantly taken a liking to her. According to the store owner, she, despite Hadrian saying otherwise, was a vicious bird who no one would ever want. But she had landed on his shoulder, nipped his ear with her beak, and then glared at the store owner.

Samara and Hedwig, despite differences in species and Samara's eyes, got along swimmingly, and the pair often liked to ride on Hadrian's shoulders, similar to what they were doing now, at Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

His parents, on behalf of a mind healer, had been trying to give him more independence, as well as giving him a way to shield off his emotions from others. They knew, from the Dursleys, that other people loved to prey on his unshielded emotions, so with his newly dubbed "pureblood" mask, he would give off the impression of a jaded, colder, and more icy persona than what he was. Hiding behind the persona, also made it easier to avoid people, for people tended to avoid him with it on.

The train itself was a bright red and was very long, had wheels and the like, and Hadrian thought it was rather boring. Taking a muggle train to a magical area! But at least he was going to Hogwarts…

The compartments on the train held around six people, had room for your trunks, and had blinds so it took no time at all for Hadrian to set up his compartment. With his trunk laying on the seats across from him, Hadrian was laying widthwise on the seats, with his legs propped up, and had the blinds down, covering people's view of his compartment, and Hadrian and Samara were basking in the sunlight, which was pouring in from the window.

Taking out a book he had bought in Diagon Alley, he adjusted his tie and began to read.

But it only took a few seconds for that precious silence to end.

The first person who entered was his mother, who smothered him in hugs and kisses, and he didn't mind that. Not at all, it was the people who now knew the Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black that bothered him. They all kissed up to his mother, tried to enter his compartment, and were raucous. All led him to have a foul mood, so after his mother left, he had words for them.

"Now, personally as I don't know any of you, at all, I see no need to offer any of my time to you all, so please, leave! You are causing a scene and being obnoxious, things I find very annoying and I'm losing patience. Leave!" The crowd, of around a dozen children, all left very quickly after that, and Hadrian went back to his compartment and cracked open his book.

Daphne Greengrass was a young girl, eleven to be exact, and had honey-blond hair that went down to the middle of her back. She had deep royal blue eyes that shone like ice when she was mad or when they reflected sunlight, and overall would one day become a very attractive woman when she grew up.

The eleven-year-old was an outgoing persona, one who liked adventure and living life on the edge, something that scared her parents no doubt, and she enjoyed being herself in the comfort of others. Being playful and outgoing, however, was something she would have thought she would have never forsaken until she got to the Hogwarts express.

She knew, as the Heiress to a wealthy pureblood family, that people would have an interest in her, especially for marriage, but she didn't expect everyone from Draco Malfoy to Terry Boot to take interest in her. They were eleven for crying out loud! But they did, so a few weeks before school, multiple letters came in, each bragging about how they had so much wealth and so many things to offer and blah blah blah. Each one was tailored for the groom, not her, and basically would allow her to be a housewife and nothing more. A trophy wife, to be shown off at parties and to have heirs.

Daphne hated that. A lot.

So when Draco Malfoy, a coy pompous git, approached her and called her his "betrothed", he was left with a pair of bruised family jewels and a black eye. People didn't approach her after that.

Except for Tracey, her best friend.

Tracey Davis was a shorter brunette and had a pair of warm brown eyes, which she had inherited from her mother. Her father was Lord Calum Davis nee Whitlock and was a muggle. He was also technically a Viscount, due to his heritage, and had met his wife, Melinda Davis, Tracey's mother. Melinda had gone to Hogwarts at the same time Daphne's mother, Aubrey, did, and the two had been very close friends.

So when one of the pair of families needed a break from being parents, or some time to themselves, Daphne or Tracey would go to the other family's home. The two had been raised together and were inseparable. So when Daphne had defended Tracey at a party where Malfoy called her a mudblood, she had practically alienated herself and Tracey from the other pureblood children that would be going with them to Hogwarts.

On one hand, she didn't care. She had never been particularly friendly with any of them, maybe Pansy at one time, but she wasn't distraught at their loss of friendship. But on the other hand, she knew that her and Tracey's life would be alike to hell if they were sorted into Slytherin. Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy would be the bane of their Hogwarts existence, and she knew they would try their hardest to do so. The five had always been popular, with Malfoy as their ringleader, and they would most likely get influence in Slytherin, which they would use to alienate the pair, due to Tracey's heritage.

With Daphne in the lead, the two of them went to find a compartment, having already said goodbye to their families and we're pleased to find one with only one person in it. They opened the door to the compartment and came across the sight of a taller boy, one with stylish black hair and had a snake as well as an owl laying on him.

The boy had an open book laying on his chest, with his head lolled slightly over to the right, his head leaning against the side of the compartment. He was laying on the seat, with his legs extended, and had his mouth slightly open.

He was snoring.

The snake was massive and had its body coiled around the young boy's body, and was very beautiful. Its head was laid on his shoulder and seemed to be asleep. The owl, however, was not asleep. It was perched on the other boy's shoulder, and its amber eyes were locked on to Daphne and Tracey. She waited as the owl eyed her up, and then she crept into the compartment, slowly, and when the owl nodded, they relaxed.

It seemed the owl was rather intelligent.

The two lifted their trunks to the rack above their seats and sat down. Tracey started rambling about god knows what in a rather hushed tone, but Daphne's gaze was locked onto the slumbering boy in their compartment. He seemed rich, or at least richer than most, but he didn't flaunt it. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans, and a pair of dragon hide boots, but he was wearing a white button up shirt with a green tie, one that seemed to be made of a nicer material. He also had on a few bracelets, as well as a ring that she had a hard time looking at, but it seemed-

"Are you done staring at me?"

Daphne, who had been trying to eye the boy's ring, brought her gaze up to the boy's eyes, which were a unique shade of aquamarine with silver highlights, and fought a blush that was rising in her cheeks. The boy saw this and chuckled, and her blush deepened.

"I wasn't staring at you. Merely trying to figure out who you are without being rude about it. Your owl is very pretty by the way. My name is Daphne Greengrass, Heiress to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Greengrass, it's a pleasure to meet you." She finished her introduction by sticking out her hand, and the boy closed his book and sat up.

"My name is Hadrian Black, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, it is also a pleasure to meet you." Ignoring Daphne's fearful look, he took her hand and kissed her knuckle, pureblood etiquette and all, and then moved his gaze to Tracey.

"Uh… I'm… I'm Tracey Davis." Daphne, who knew about the Black's reputation, was prepared to take action to defend her friend's honor, was surprised when he simply nodded and did the same to her, kissing her knuckles and introducing himself. She felt herself relax at his actions and was glad to have found someone who didn't hate Tracey because of her blood.

She must not have hidden her relief, for Hadrian commented on it. "I don't have any opinion of Halfbloods. And those who look down on them are stupid bigots who don't know how magic works. My other relatives, though, and not my immediate family, definitely will hate you for your parent's blood, it's a shame. You seem nice enough."

Tracey seemed to relax at this, and Daphne gave the boy a curious glance. He was different from the other pureblood boys, one that didn't immediately try to stake a claim on her and he also wasn't a dunderhead who went around boasting about his family or his blood status. He was honestly rather quiet, a bit timid, but overall seemed nice.

The trio then made small talk for the rest of the train ride. Although most of the conversation was back and forth with Tracey and herself, Hadrian had made a few comments then and there. It was nice. It was the first time she had enjoyed herself in another male pureblood's company, even if he was a little indifferent.

The tranquility, however, was not about to last.

The compartment door whipped open, and a boy, who spotted a head of red hair and a dirty face, barged in. He stumbled a bit on the door frame, and looked around the compartment, seemingly looking for someone. He eyed the girls first, giving them a look of disdain, then looked where Hadrian was resting.

The girls looked on in contempt when he went to grab Hadrian's shoulder, and the pair almost bursted out laughing when Hadrian grabbed the boy's wrist and pushed him into the door. "Do you make a habit of grabbing and awaking strangers?" The boy looked frightened for a minute, but then seemed to act like he and Hadrian were old friends. He tried to give Hadrian a hug, but the boy ended up with a wand sticking into his throat and a snake hissing threateningly at him. The boy practically sprinted out of the compartment after that, and Hadrian made a disgusted noise before sitting back down. He didn't think anything of it until he looked up, and saw the shocked looks on the girl's faces.

"What?"

"Are… are you sure you won't get in trouble?" Tracey asked, in a meek voice. "If he tells a teacher I'd imagine you'd get in a lot of trouble…" Hadrian snorted at this, and responded in kind. "I doubt he'd tell a teacher, considering how he barged into our compartment and then almost manhandled me, but if he does, I can just claim defense." Hadrian then went back to his book, and began to read.

Daphne, however, was the one who broke the ice. "What House do you think you will be sorted into?"

"Hmm… Probably Slytherin. I'm ambitious and would like to make an actual future of my life. I have goals I want to achieve, and also my parents both went into Slytherin." The pair of girls nodded in understanding and responded with similar answers. Daphne's parents had also been in Slytherin, and Tracey was cunning enough that she would get into Slytherin, Hadrian thought. She had goals, and she wanted to prove herself to the rest of her peers.

The train ride continued on in a similar fashion. With each of the trio asking the others questions, they were largely uninterrupted, except for a bushy-haired girl and a chubby boy. The boy had lost his frog. But no one else had bothered them.

When they had arrived at Hogwarts, Hadrian left his compartment to allow the girls to change, and patiently waited for them outside of the express. Wearing a school uniform may have been a con for some, Hadrian preferred to wear fancier clothes, since they were marginally better than the rags he had to wear with his Uncle and Aunt. So there Hadrian waited, with Hedwig on his left shoulder and Samara wrapped around his body under his shirt, with a black tie and a pair of black dress pants. The girls came out eventually, and they were dressed in a typical school uniform outfit. The trio then made their way to the caretaker, who's name was Hagrid and was also a half giant, and then went onto the boats which would lead them to their new home during the school year.

Now, Hadrian's parents had described what it was like seeing Hogwarts for the first time, but Hadrian found himself almost giddy with excitement as the castle came into view. It truly was magnificent. The girls shared the same enthusiasm with Hadrian, and were glad to be coming to Hogwarts.

The castle itself was quite massive, and after the boats carrying the first years had docked, the fourty or so children walked around half a mile to the great hall. They were greeted by the Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall. She then went on to rant about how they were going to be sorted into their houses blah blah blah, how your houses were your family blah blah blah. Honestly, Hadrian couldn't be bothered.

He already knew, from his parents, how the sorting worked and he knew he was more than likely to enter Slytherin house. Considering his familiar, who was wrapped around his arms and waist, as well as his reclusive nature, Hadrian was quite confident he would enter the House of Snakes.

McGonagall seemed biased, at least from what his parents had told him, and he knew Dumbledore was the supposed "Leader of the Light", but he tried to remain objective in his judgment of the teachers of Hogwarts before he even got in.

He knew that he shouldn't flaunt Samara around, since it was technically illegal to have her, but he knew she would eventually become too big to hide in the sleeves of his robes. But that would be much later.

Hadrian was broken out of his thoughts when the two massive bronze doors opened and McGonagall started walking forward into the great hall. It was truly magnificent. With four tables that were the length of the entire room, and a starry sky ceiling, the Great Hall was truly one of the coolest things he had ever seen. He had read about it of course, and his parents had also told him of the hall, but it was another thing to see it in person.

The rest of the first years continued walking until they reached McGonagall who was patiently waiting for them. The professor was holding a list of what Hadrian assumed to be names in her hand and she was standing next to a wooden bench. But what drew Hadrian's interest was the roughed up pointy hat that sat on the stool.

"Hannah, Abbott!"

And thus, the sorting had begun.

It was dreadfully boring, Hadrian thought. Waiting for idiotic eleven year old children to be sorted in their "families" was something that Hadrian never wanted to sit through again. However, it wasn't entirely useless. Hadrian was able to identify potential allies and people of general interest throughout the sorting. And Tracey and Daphne had been sorted into Syltherin.

His thoughts wandered to the pair of girls he had met on the train. Tracey, he thought, was more suited for a Ravenclaw. She wore her emotions too much on her sleeve but had genuine intelligence and a passion for academics. Daphne, however, fit Slytherin to a tee. She definitely had ambitions and was cunning, he had seen that on the train, and also had a mean streak that would ward anyone away from her friends and loved ones. She was also resourceful, and seemed to be overall-

"Harry Potter…"

Hadrian hated many things in his life. His past relatives, weakness, vulnerability, but he abhorred his old name. Sure, his real parents had given it to him, but they weren't there when he was beaten black and blue and tossed into his cupboard. Or chased with cries of "Freak" and "Harrikins" and then beaten into the ground by Dudley and his thugs.

So when McGonagall had replied with his old name, instead of the one he had respectively asked to he called as in his letter, he didn't respond. At least verbally. He clenched his fists and mentally cursed in his head but otherwise didn't do anything.

Around Hadrian, muttering and gasps about the "great Harry Potter" were going around the entirety of the great hall but no student came. No one moved. After this, even more whispering and chattering echoed throughout the great hall until it took the headmaster himself to silence the rest of the students. Looking around the first years, Dumbledore was starting to get anxious before McGonagall muttered and said a name that would haunt him forever.

"My apologies, Hadrian Black!"

Dumbledore eyes widened for a split second before he came across the sight of a boy with stylish black hair, that eerily reminded him of a Sirius Black, as well as bright aquamarine-grey eyes that stared back at him in what seemed like disdain. The boy looked at McGonagall and he was surprised when she gave him a look of what seemed like embarrassment, but quickly shook it off when the boy slipped the sorting hat upon his head.

When the hell did Regulus have a kid? He knew, or at least he thought he knew, that his wife was infertile and barren, but the boy before him said otherwise. He definitely had her cheek bones as well as his fathers looks, and all in all he seemed to be Regulus's clone.

And where was Harry Potter? The boy, as he had last checked, was still at his relatives house but this boy was not the product of his relatives' household. This boy was a pureblood heir through and through and was not the golden boy he had tried to produce from his relatives' household.

"Slytherin!" The Hat shouted.

Somehow, based off of the coy look the boy had on his face, Dumbledore knew he had messed up.