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Tom was absolutely seething. Of that, Abraxas was absolutely sure. To anyone else watching, the teenager looked indifferent and calm. Eyes steady and back straight as girls and some guys swooned and fluttered around him. Basically, he was just as he always acted. But, a tiny twitch of Tom's left hand, his wand hand, was all that indicated otherwise. That, and Abraxas could feel the subtle fluctuations of his magic, the constant pulse pounding into the air. Tom would, most likely, want him to relieve all of the tension that the young Dark Lord was feeling. He didn't know how but the other Slytherin would definitely use him in some sort of way. Whether for target practice or in his bed.
What had set Tom off in the first place. He seemed perfectly fine and arrogant on the train. Was it that awful failure of a pureblood, Harold Faerwindle? The blond stiffen as Tom locked eyes with him. Grey eyes, wary and cautious, meeting shadowed brown. It was like chilled water ran down his body. He felt like a predator was the one he was making eye contact with. Those eyes were filled with dark promises, horrible yet tempting promises.
A loud groan from creaking wood finally broke the stare off that Abraxas and Tom were having. The blond turned. Frowning when he saw something odd. It was Faerwindle being followed by what had to be one of the largest people that Abraxas had ever seen. The Hufflepuff was already shorter than average now he appeared tiny, so breakable. To be honest, the very thought sent faint arousal throughout not only Tom and Abraxas but also a couple of others inside the Great hall. Faerwindle wasn't ugly after all, so a night with him wouldn't be a pain nor would it matter much considering his family, while pure blooded, didn't have any high standing in Wizarding society.
"Hrm, urm," a stout man wearing mustard yellow robes, the Headmaster Dippet, cleared his throat as he stood up from his chair at the teacher's table. "Now that we are all here. Let the sorting commence!"
With a swish of his wand a small stool appeared, where another teacher swiftly placed the familiar Sorting Hat. Harry quickly lead Rubeus to the Hufflepuff table and took a seat nearest to the entrance. He looked around the hall, waving at Harie when he spotted her at the Ravenclaw table. Frowning when she ignored him.
"I wonder what's up with her." muttered Harry, his voice soft so not the disturb the roll call for the sorting.
"Who?"
"My sister," Harry smiled at Rubeus. "Its probably nothing."
"Oh." Rubeus looked down, his face pensive. "I 'ope I gets inta Huffle'uff. We's can be betta friends."
"Rubeus, I'll be friends with you no matter what." he reassured, yet again. Harry was beginning to think that this Hagrid had an inferiority complex.
"Gangly, Gimly." yelled the teacher, a student next to Harry mentioned her name was Acalia Mopsus, putting an end to the conversation.
"Gryffindor!" The hat had barely touched the boy.
"Goyle, Heliaxus." Now that was a Goyle, thought Harry as he watched an unusually muscled 11 year old boy strut up and take a seat on the stool.
"Slytherin!"
"Hagrid, Rubeus."
Unlike when the other students were called, you could hear a slight distaste in the tone that she used. As Rubeus slowly walked up to the stool, chatter started to buzz. The faculty were doing the same thing. The atmosphere in the room changed into something almost hostel and Harry didn't like it one bit.
"They let a half-breed in here!" yelped a girl from Ravenclaw.
"Dangerous.." another mumbled.
"Atrocious!" hissed a male Slytherin.
"How revolting!" added a girl wearing a prefect badge.
"Maybe he's just big from his age." suggested a Hufflepuff.
"Hahaha, bet the guy's got pure rocks for brains." snickered a Gryffindor to his friend.
"Shut it you." a girl sitting across from the Gryffindor slapped the top of his head. "You are the one failing most of the core classes."
By the time he reached the Hat, poor Rubeus was red faced and slouching defensively. Harry immediately worried when he saw Rubeus's shoulders shake slightly. The black haired boy glared at Professor Mopsus when she held out the Sorting Hat, extending her arms as far as they would go as if she didn't want to even risk accidentally touching Rubeus.
Minutes flew by without so much as a peep from the Hat. Students and even some of the faculty began to whisper that maybe he wasn't meant to be in Hogwarts and so the Sorting Hat didn't want to sort him. The malicious commentary grated at Harry's rapidly breaking temper. Merlin! How can people be so narrow minded! It was worse than the prejudice against the Slytherins after the war.
"Gryffindor!"
The sudden shout startled many a person. Rubeus shuffled awkwardly to the Gryffindor table, glancing at Harry before hesitatingly sitting down. None of the students surrounding him tried to talk to the blue haired boy. Most of them merely acted as if he didn't exists causing Rubeus to silently fix his gaze at a burning torch on the opposite wall.
"Gits." Harry growled, appalled. The Hufflepuff sitting next to him looked over, his face one of surprise because in the years of being housemates Harry had never once insulted nor confronted anyone.
"Um, Harry?" the boy paused when Harry glanced at him. He was startled at the intense emotions in the other boy's usually dead eyes.
"Yes?" asked Harry, keeping his voice light and polite. He couldn't break from character yet again. Someone would get suspicious, eventually.
"Why did you come in with the...that first year," said the Hufflepuff.
"We're friends." Harry answered, eyebrow quirking up, "He's good company."
"But!"
"Oh, knock it off Finn." a girl said, "let Harry make friends with the Gryffindor."
"He's a half breed, Meggie!" Finn yelped, "My mum says that they are horribly unstable and have really short tempers and kill for fun!"
Both of the Hufflepuffs stiffen and watched, with no small amount of shock, as Harry stood and walked briskly over to where Rubeus was seated. The blue haired newly sorted Gryffindor was pretty much isolated. None of his housemates were talking or looking at him, preferring to ignore the elephant in the room. This meant that the seats surrounding him were empty until Harry plopped down into one.
"So, you got into Gryffindor?" said Harry, trying to start conversation and break Rubeus self pitying shell. Incredulous glaces and gaping were fixed on the pair of them. The teachers and the Headmaster didn't seem to know what to do. It was probably the first time that any member of a house sat in any but their own. "That's great. It's where the brave go, you know."
"Huff'puff wou'da been betta."
"Maybe, but there is no use crying over spilled milk."
"Milk?"
"It's a muggle saying." Harry clarified. "Basically it means that what is done is done and no amount of tears or bitching will change it."
"Ya know 'bout muggles?" Rubeus asked, surprised. "Lots of magic folk don'ta. Ya know 'bout muggle creatures too?"
"Animals? Yes, a bit."
The rest of the feast went on without any trouble. Harry and Rubeus talked and ate, ignoring the disapproving looks and the heated whispering that happened around them. When it was time to retreat to their own dorms, Harry noticed that Rubeus was included with the introducing of the location and password of the Gryffindor tower but the rest of the Gryffindors moved too quickly for Rubeus to be able to follow so Harry took it upon himself to show his the way. He made a point to teach him as much of the little 'tricks' to getting around Hogwarts as he could remember. From the vanishing step and moving stair cases to making friends with the portraits, who could be relied on to help him find his classes.
Laying on his bed, Harry contemplated about many things. Mostly on how he could keep an eye on both Harie and Rubeus, he was sure that some of the other students were planing to prank or bully him.
Having already checked, he knew that Death hadn't in the least tried to put helpful things into his trunk. He had a vial of Basilisk blood(not the venom, why? Because Harry gave away the last of it to a research team trying to find a 'universal cure'), his dragon skin boots(Charley really went all out getting the best ones made for him), a photo album that contained not only pictures of his friends and Sirius and Remus but also of his mother and father, Dommy(a plush doll that Harry had grown fond of because it reminded him of Dobby), his private collection of daggers(a hobby that Harry took up when Bill gave him a silver one that was charmed to only cut enemies), a small book filled with notes by Ollivander(the old man died and left it to him), and a cane(he was awarded it after the war, it was made to hold his wand inside). Death, unfortunately, forgot some important items though. Such as the Marauders Map and Finis(a sword, also awarded to him, that was enchanted to be able to cut through anything). It seemed as if Death just randomly threw stuff in and called it a day. Not that he wasn't grateful, especially for the photo album, but a bit more thought in the actual helpfulness of the object would have been appreciated.
"Harry?" mumbled Finn, standing beside Harry's bed. "Your sister is at the entrance to the common room and wants to speak to you."
Harie paced back and forth in front of the large tapestry that was the hidden entrance to Hufflepuff. She was worried. Very worried. Her new brother had gone and gotten himself involved with that monster. The poor kid probably didn't know what he was doing. Everyone knew that half-breeds and dark creatures like Vampires, Werewolves, and Giants were bad news.
Twirling a strand of her hair, Harie sighed. There was so many things that Harry shouldn't be doing or shouldn't have done. He had even upset a prefect! Tom Riddle had personally come to find her on the Hogwarts Express to ask her to teach her twin how to be thankful when he was saved from a beating instead of attacking his savior.
"It's almost curfew." said Harry as he stepped into the corridor. The teen was dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a shirt that Harie had never seen before.
"Yes, it is. But I needed to speak with you," agreed Harie, her tone frosty. "Why in the world did you hit Riddle!"
"I only hit that snakeface in self defense." Harry held his temper firm. He couldn't get angry at Harie. It was likely that Tom had fed her some story instead of the truth.
"Self defense? Riddle is the politest student in our year, it is highly unlikely that he would even consider hurting someone. Even the teachers the highly of him."
"Look like the innocent flower," Harry quoted. "but be the serpent underneath it."
"What!?" Harie hissed through clenched teeth.
"He is doing exactly what Lady Macbeth told her husband to do."
"Harry! Stop speaking nonsense. And who is Lady Macbeth!"
"She's a character in Macbeth, a play written by Shakespeare, a muggle."
"A muggle. You are slandering Tom Riddle, a wizard and a prefect, with the idiotic rambling of a filthy muggle!."
"What's wrong with muggles!"
"They are filthy, uncivilized barbarians. Just like that half-breed you stupidly befriended."
"Hey! Don't insult Rubeus."
"I am merely saying the truth. Every pureblood knows that half-breed are nothing but brainless abominations of sinful unions! A blemish of our society that we have to cover up."
Harry gaped at her. Speechless. She sounded just like Draco used to. His anger and disgust towards her have never bee higher. He knew that if he continues the argument he would do or say something that he would surely regret. So he turned around and went back into the Hufflepuff common room, stomped up to his dorm, then put a silencing spell around his bed and a sticking charm on his curtains and fell asleep.
Outside Harie stared at the spot where her brother had stood. Her thoughts jumbled and a small amount of remorse panged at her heart.
Fin
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