Entering into the Great Hall and seeing the hundreds of students and staff staring at him, was unnerving to say the least. The walls dotted with flaming torches and giant stained-glass widows that appeared to be... moving? The mere sight of it was enough to shock Dudley, however he didn't get the chance to be frozen in place as someone behind him bumped into him pushing him ceiling in here was impossible. 'How could the outside sky be inside unless there was no roof to this room?' Not much time passed after he thought this, his friend Hermione mentioned it's a charm to one of the other first years, answering his silent query.

Once they were assembled at the front, one girl screamed as a haunting of ghosts appeared out of the walls. Pale white and yet transparent. Dudley could see they were saying something yet the commotion around him prevented him from being able to hear anything. After the commotion had ended the old lady from outside placed a stool in the middle and on that stool a hat was placed, looking ancient and tattered, and a tear among the seam began to open up and the hat sang?

After the hat finished singing the lady from outside started talking.
"I will call your name from this list and one by one you will come up to be sorted.". Dudley wished he had listened to her name as it seemed pretty important now.

"Abbott, Hannah"
"Hufflepuff."
Said girl hurried over to a table with a bunch of students with yellow on their uniform.

"Bones, Susan"
"Hufflepuff."
This carried on for a few minutes with Dudley not paying attention. Not until he heard his name called out.

"Dursley, Dudley"
He made his way towards the stool feeling every eye on him. His face was sweating and his legs shook with every step and as he sat on the stool all sound vanished and suddenly he was alone.

"You're used to getting your way, aren't you?" The Hat asked in his head.

"Urm how are you doing this and can everyone hear you?"

"Relax dear boy this conversation as well as the contents of your head will remain inside your head. Now let me look... my my, you do have quite a violent side, dont you? Academia doesn't seem to interest you... your loyalty is to yourself... I see it now you will find a place in SLYTHERIN!" The hat bellowed out that last word and with it Dudley rose and went to sit down in his new house. Little did he know how difficult things were about to become.

*******

The first day of the year was when Professor Snape gave his unofficial orientation meeting. Telling the first years what he expected of them and reminding the older years of the contents of his speech.

"I am pleased to gain so many... wonderful new students in my house. I am Professor Snape your Head of House, you are to come to me if you have any issues. I assure you I would be 'delighted' to help." His facial expression and tone of voice said just how "delighted" he would be.
"Any issues or fights with fellow house members aren't to leave the common room. We are to present a united front to the rest of the school. So, if I hear of any fighting in the halls rest assured my punishment will be worse than the Professor who catches you will assign. You may come to me if you believe a teacher is being unfair with their punishment, however, if you are discovered trying to get out of a just punishment, the consequences will be... unfortunate. Now all of you to bed, lessons begin first thing in the morning and I won't have any of you late on your first day. Am I clear?" He finished quietly yet still commanding the attention of the whole room.
"Yes, Professor Snape." The room chorused and the dour man left.

Almost immediately after the Professor left the blonde lad from earlier, Draco, decided he wanted to continue his conversation from earlier.
"Hello again Potter, thought you could get away with insulting my father earlier did you?" He begun with little to no hesitation.
"Not many people around here would dare do that." He finished with a challenge in his voice and a sneer on his face.

"Oh yeah, what makes you think I'm scared of Daddy? I know all about him, it's amazing how much information you can find looking through old newspapers." Harry retorted not even bothering to look at Draco.
"Imperius was it? See I find that hard to believe. Not because I think Lucius has any semblance of will power. No, it's because why would someone waste any brain power on controlling a worthless coward like him?"

Everything went silent at that. Nobody knew how to react. Dudley suddenly felt very uncomfortable being so close to what looked like the build up to a fight.

"You dare insult my family honour in such a way, do you even know how powerful my father is? Even though it may have been against his will my father has enough power to rise to one of You-Know-Who's greatest lieutenants."
Draco replied with fury flavouring his voice.
"I demand a wizard's duel right here and now. Crabbe will be my second, who is yours?"

Dudley knew this was becoming a fight and the thought made him both excited and scared. This was going to hopefully be a good chance for him to observe some magic and maybe learn some spells. He saw Harry glance around the room before locking eyes with Dudley. When he didn't look away after a couple of seconds Dudley got worried. Then, when Harrys arm raised to point at him, he was terrified.

"He will be my second, Dudley I believe your name was, If I heard old McGonagall right. I want you to be my second", Harry informed the room as he lowered his hand. Knowing that he would have to agree, or he would look like a coward, Dudley slowly nodded and walked towards the raven-haired boy whose face shone with glee and malice.