So I realize that I spelled Ginny wrong in the last chapter, I apologize and promise it won't happen again. Honestly I didn't care much about the actual characters when reading so I had to even look up Hermoine while writing. I always really only like two character Snape, and Draco, which is why Snape is not working for Albus in this. Please forgive me for my terrible mistake.
"Alright, what's your schedule look like?" Draco asked me. We were sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast. It was a lot less noisy and the ceiling was no longer charmed. The castle looked a bit more like what I was expecting than the grandeur from the night before. Draco was currently looking over my schedule while I at a piece of toast. My eyes were boring into the Gryffindor table. "Hey, are you paying attention?" My friend said, waving the paper in front of my face. "You are going to end up being too distracted to do what you actually came here to do, all you're supposed to do with Potter is observe and report."
I sighed. "I don't need a lecture from you Malfoy, I know what I'm doing." I said. "Did you figure out where all my classes are?" I asked him.
"You and I have, Transfiguration, Charms, DADA, Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic, charms and Potions together, those are all Slytherin classes. We have Herbology, Astronomy and History of Magic with Ravenclaw: Potions, DADA and Transfiguration with Gryffindor: and finally Charms with Hufflepuff." I sighed, too many classes with Gryffindore for my liking, I would never admit it but the boy was right, Potter was distracting me from what I really needed to be doing. The muggle raised brat and his filthy friends weren't worth my time, but there was just something drawing me in about them, in a negative way of course. "Gross, you're taking Arithmacy and Study of Ancient Runes? I'm not taking either one of those, you're going to be in classes filled with Ravenclaws!"
I took a drink of my pumpkin juice and grabbed my books, it was getting close to time to head for our first class. "Well, I already have been around most magical creatures, I have a natural sense for divination, and of course I'm not taking Muggle Studies! Not to mention, father picked them out for me." The last part was almost a grumble, and I felt a sharp pain in my head. The result of Tom scolding me from a distance. While he certainly could cause me a lot of pain, at least I wouldn't receive a howler. "Now, where do we go first?"
"Charms, Flitwicks class is close to the Hufflepuff common room, which is near the kitchen." Draco said walking in front of me and leading the way. I was about to find out which was more annoying, Gryffindore Hufflepuff, or the instructors. It wasn't a long walk to the lecture hall where Flitwick was teaching charms for the fifth years. Me and Draco were a couple minutes early so we found a place next to a few other Slytherins and got settled. "You'll need your wand, and stuff to take notes with." Malfoy whispered to me.
I pulled out my scroll and magical quill, along with grabbing my wand out of my cloak. "Wow, now that's a wand!" A boy behind me said. I looked up at my housemate. "What's it made out of, did you get it from Ollivander's?" I rolled my eyes at the old coot's name.
"No, it was custom made for me, it's Willow infused with a unicorn hair." I said holding it up. "It's about eleven inches long, rather short, but I got it at an unusually young age, so it worked out for the better." I summarized. At that point I had also gained the attention of the few Hufflepuff's that were already in the classroom also. While they weren't as respectable as Ravenclaw, they weren't nearly as awful as the Gryffindors had already proved themselves.
"An unusual age?" A pudgy boy wearing the purple and black robe asked me. "I thought it was against the law to own a wand any younger than eleven. You Slytherins are always breaking the rules." He grumbled, leaning back in his seat. "Yet, you never get caught for anything, unless the Gryffindors say something." He said pointedly to Draco. The blond shot him a glare.
"Are you trying to cause trouble?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. "Because, none of your foolish brave friends are here to protect you." It was quite alarming how quickly i was getting wrapped up in the house feuds. Although it had less to do with the houses themselves, but rather the wizards, and families that resided in them. Hufflepuffs were all cowards, Gryffindors were full of the foolish light followers, and Ravenclaws only really cared about learning, not putting the knowledge to use.
Just as the boy was going to send a retort my way, Flitwick entered the classroom, and I noticed that the seats were virtually all full at this point. There was a clear divide in the classroom between the two houses, and I wondered if there was ever any mingling. Probably not, with all of the competition the headmaster implemented it left no room to befriend people outside of your house. That was probably how he kept Harry and his friends in line, they weren't ever allowed to see it any other way. I was distracted by these thoughts all through the class, but it was all the same because the class was only just going through basics. The professor wanted to test each students skills to that level, his excuse to see where an exchange student would be, I easily charmed the pudgy Hufflepuff's cloak to tighten around him like a snake. However, I was forced to lift the charm rather quickly. It was a good display of my skills though, the cloaks had certain magical properties to make them more resistant to accidental screw ups at the school.
"You're just going to be bored the whole year." Parkinson said as Draco, her, and I all walked down the hallway. We were headed down to the dungeons for Potions, a class I was actually looking forward to. I knew that I was still more advanced in the class, but Severus would find ways to challenge me. While I was here on mostly political reasons, I was also here to learn as much as I could. Learn about Harry and his weaknesses, about Albus, the school, and expand my knowledge as much as the instructors could provide. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine were already sitting at tables in the potions lab. Me, Draco, and Parkinson sat down at a table just across from them.
"Hello again Harry." I said giving a smirk. "I wonder if the Boy Who Lived is as talented as they all claim." I said with an absent minded tone.
"You'll have the favor of Snape because you're a Slytherin everyone knows that." Hermoine said indignantly. "It seems no matter how successful I am in his class he always finds something to ridicule, and all he does is praise Malfoy."
"Careful you dirty mudblood, I get praised because I don't use my skills obnoxious like you!" Draco snapped back, he was reaching for his wand and I gave him a dark look. I was beginning to realize why his parents thought that he was a screw up. It seemed he lost his temper over every little issue.
"Leave Moine, they don't listen anyways." Harry told his friend, and went back to glancing at his potions book. Ron huffed beside him and glared at me. The effect was lost though, the bumbling redhead wasn't a threat to any of the Slytherins let alone me or Draco.
"I will have none of that bickering this year, students!" Snape said as he billowed dramatically into the classroom. "Now, we're going to jump straight into a potion so I can assess exactly what knowledge that slipped right through your brains during the summer." He tapped his finger on his own work station. "Let's see, what is a suitable potion to start out with, something that really test how much you've retained." I knew it was an act, Severus had probably chosen what potion weeks ago. He was definitely one for the dramatics. "How about the Wit-Sharpening Potion, those who make a successful brew will be allowed to use it during out mid-term exam." He said, and looked on at the class for a solid moment. "Well, start brewing! You will get no help from me, this should be review!"
"A Wit-Sharpening Potion? This should be easy!" Draco said. "I'll go get the supplies!" As he walked away I started to heat the cauldron, checking the temp of the metal every few moments. It wasn't a necessary thing to do, but help give a more exact temperature once you started adding ingredients. I was in the middle of using my wand to check the temp for the third time, when I heard Dean Thomas I believe, speak up.
"Barmy, Riddle!" He shouted, I tried to ignore him, and focus on the information I was extracting from my wand. "You know it's the actual potion you're supposed to have at a certain temp, not the pot!" I rolled my eyes at him. "You don't even have anything in there yet, do you?" Just as he said this Malfoy returned with an armful of ingredients.
"Slytherin are a bunch of nuts! Talented my ass, brainless Death Eaters are all they are. Bloody hell, Thomas, you know this!" It was Ron Weasley. I was certainly not about to take any insults from one of those obnoxious gingers.
"Ah, yes, and Gryffindors, foul mouthed, brainless fools." I said absent mindedly, the pot was finally at the right temperature and I could help Draco prepare the ingredients. My statement caused the rest of the nearby brave idiots riled up. As I sat silently working, they went into an uproar. My fellow house members began to retaliate, but well placed look kept most of their mouths shut.
"That is enough!" Severus finally said after a few moments. "I will have enough of this! Twenty points from Gryffindore!" As we went to go back to his paperwork the Boy Who Lived spoke up.
"But, professor, Riddle insulted us also!" Harry spoke up. I gripped my wand so tight I thought I'd break it. It was obvious by the boy's behavior that he hadn't felt the cruciatus curse nearly enough in his lifetime. Ah, maybe one day me and Bella could take turns torturing the boy. A good bone breaking hex to the ribs would be quite fun to try.
"Rylah, is this true?" Snape asked me.
"Yes, sir, however my house was insulted and I was nearly standing up for myself." It was the truth, I didn't go out of my way to say spiteful things. It was childish to poke fun and call names. "I wouldn't have said anything if not provoked, you should know this." It was the truth the potions master knew better than most about my habits and social behaviors.
"Is that a good enough explanation?" Snape asked Harry. The black headed boy just glared at me and went back to working. As me and Draco resumed our potion Hermoine was giving me a strange look, and whispering to her friends. Subtly, I cast an eavesdropping spell, and allowed Malfoy to pick up some of the slack. Ah, so she had noticed my comment, it wouldn't be long now until the whole school realized me and Severus were quite close. It wasn't like we were trying to keep it hidden, it just wasn't something either wanted to exactly broadcast.
"Are you okay?" Draco leaned over and asked me. I forced a smile back up at him. "That smile says it all, don't worry, the students here will hate you either way." He said gave me a wink. I chuckled and shook my head. "They are such children here, most don't know what's going on in the world, and those who do, don't understand the severity of it."