"Hurry, all of you! We can't afford to be late!" Belay watched in amusement through a compartment window as plump, red-haired woman ushered her brood onto the train, except for a small girl that stood by her mother's side with a forlorn expression. All 4 boys boarded the train except for the pair of twins who bent low to whisper in their younger sister's ear. They were swatted at by their mother but merely laughed and climbed onto the Hogwarts Express.

Beside him, Draco waved to his parents who returned the gesture with cool smiles and Lucius inclined his head. The blonde boy smirked an sat down smugly and looked to the compartment eagerly. "I know some friends who are going to be joining us." He explained to an uninterested Belay. "They're most likely to end up in Slytherin as well." A few moments later the door slid open to reveal a thin Italian boy with chin length black hair and blue eyes. He stepped into the compartment and greeted Draco enthusiastically.

Belay could not help but why he himself could not be so excited as they were; this was a life changing experience and all did was wait plainly for it to come without any true impatience or joy. What was wrong with him?

"Belay," Draco said having stood up to meet his friend. "This is Blaise Zabini; a friend of mine since pre-school." Belay rose to his feet and shook the other boy's hand once. "Belay Riddle," He quietly stated, looking Blaise in the eye. Blaise nodded and both he and Draco sat across from him. The engine roared to life and he watched as the stragglers rushed to board the train, bidding their parents good bye and racing to get on. The whistle blew and the waving began all over again, teary mothers and fathers, siblings, even grandparents. A round faced boy struggled with his trunk and his mother rolled her eyes before swishing her wand and sending it onto the train.

The boy turned with a smile and Belay heard him rush down the aisle outside the compartment. The Hogwarts Express jolted forward, displacing a strand of Belay's hair. He quickly raised his hand to remove it from his face and a low hiss sounded from his arm. Blaise's head shot up and he looked directly at him.

Smirking, Belay hissed back. (I'm sorry, Peru. Did I disturb you?) The snake only grumbled a few incoherent words and poked his head out of Belays sleeve. (No, Master. I merely smell a new scent.)

He stuck his forked tongue out in Blaise's direction and both boy and snake stared at one another a moment. Blaise was pale and his expression that of awe as he listened to the smooth hisses from master and pet. Blue eyes met red and widened even more. Admiration and respect sparked in them.

Belay turned away and looked out the window at the passing farms. Cows and sheep grazed with one another, looking up only at the sound of the blowing whistle. It seemed peaceful out there, and he tried to imagine himself out side rather than on his way to a year of annoying children and loud dorm mates. Peru shifted again, this time curling around his arm more tightly, wishing to soak up all the warmth there was.

Realizing that the window was open, he stood and closed it, the whipping wind scraping against the side of the train seemed to disappear and the cool air was quickly warming back up inside the compartment. Heavy footfalls outsides were the only warning that Belay had before two giant figures entered. They weren't wearing a house badge meaning they could only be first years.

'Dear Merlin,' Belay thought weakly. 'What did their parents feed them?'

"Crabbe, Goyle!" Draco introduced swiftly. "This is Belay, his family and mine are on good terms." Both grunts looked at him gaped obviously at him. "Why's your hair so long?" One—Crabbe, he believed—asked. " Great subtlety," Belay muttered under his breath and Blaise smiled. How the boy heard him, he had no clue. "It's long because I like it that way. Do you have a problem with that?" He glowered at the two of them, doing his best to keep his eyes focused on their great flushed faces. The shook their heads quickly and squashed themselves into the seats.

For an hour or so Belay listened to them all talk about their summers. Blaise had visited France to see his cousins and then returned to Italy to spend some time on his family's beach. Crabbe and his younger sister had spent most of the summer with the Goyles, who hosted an extravagant summer ball—which everyone sans Belay had attended. Then Draco told them about how he had spent the first half of his summer in Russia, touring Wizarding Moscow.

Feeling, completely left out—though not at all surprised—Belay excused himself to the rest rooms. Travelling down the aisle he came across a rather lazy looking frog, sprawled in a patch of sun on the carpeting. His brow raised as he fought to keep a chuckle from leaving his lips.

He scooped up the frog in his left hand, away from Peru's already salivating jaws, and looked for some sort of identification. There was no reason for it to be on the train aside from being a pet, meaning someone was missing it. In his mind, he knew he would regret it, but he would have wanted Peru returned to him if the snake ever managed to get lost. The frog squirmed, not liking the hissing coming from Belay's other arm whatsoever.

He stroked it's belly, calming it and the frog stopped struggling completely, only to lay in his hand limply as if put to sleep. He continued the massage as he went to the nearest compartment, he knocked lightly and pulled it open.

Immediately he was set on by a horde of giggling girls, all wearing Gryffindor and Hufflepuff badges on their robes. They dragged him in and all looked expectantly at him, eyelashes fluttering. Belay cleared his throat awkwardly. "Err, would any of you happen to be missing a pet toad?" He raised the frog up a little. The reaction was quite hilarious and he doubted he'd see another quite like it.

Some screamed and jumped back in horror, eyes bulging not unlike the frog's and ushered him out, still flapping their hands in disgust and panic. One girl squawked as it let out a low ribbet, sending all the other's into another round of shrieks. The compartment door opened then and a tall, studious red head looked at them all irately, asking, "What is going on here?" The girls pointed at the frog in Belay's hand and the red head pulled him out of the compartment, shutting the door loudly. The shrieking turned to giggles and more squawks, leading Belay to believe he had actual walked in on a bunch of old crows rather than girls.

"What on earth do you think you were doing?" The red head demanded, face flushed as stuck his chest out. He fiddled with a gold badge on his robes with an elegant 'P' stamped on it before pushing his glasses further up on his nose. "I should have you reported for disturbing the peace.

Belay's amusement disappeared and he narrowed his eyes at the boy. "I did no such thing," He stated clearly and with such authority that the red head seemed to jump; this firstie was both brave and stupid or completely arrogant. "Then explain to me," he drawled. "How it is you came to be in the midst of several older girls, holding out a toad as they shrieked madly?"

"Well," Belay started, grinding his teeth. " I found this frog in the aisle and decided to find its owner. The fact that they were afraid of a harmless amphibian is their own issue and that they all decided it necessary to blow their lungs out was their own choice. I was merely inquiring as to whether the frog belonged to any of them."

The red head gave him a scrutinizing glare. "Very well," He finally replied. "I won't write you up this time, but I suggest getting one of the older students to remove that glamour you have over your eyes-"

"Glamour!" Belay snarled, all composure gone. How dare this prat assume he was so childish as to place a glamour over himself! His eyes were a much respected trait that had been passed down through the Slytherin line for generations! "I most certainly am not wearing a glamour, and it is quite rude of you to simply assume!" The red head snorted, obviously not believing him. He turned and left Belay in the aisle.

Peru hissed at him under his sleeve (What is wrong master, has something happened? You smell infuriated.)

Belay hissed a negative and stormed off to the next compartment, suddenly feeling that his kindness was not at all worth it and simply wishing to be rid of the damn frog. Not bothering to knock this time, he siply wrenched the door open and was greeted by four first years.

This first was another red head, looking a bit shabbier than the one before but still had the same nose and shape of the eyes. He held a pale yellow rat in his arms that was munching on a few Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans while it tail twitched and froze. It seemed to sniff the air a bit before lumbering into the boys robes. Belay fought a smirk.

The girl next to him had bushy brown hair that laid past her shoulders, She looked up at him with intelligent hazel eyes and she was fingering a long yew wand excitedly. On the other side of the compartment was the round face boy he had seen on the platform, cheeks flushed cheerfully and bright eyes wandering from his own red ones to the floor shyly.

The boy next him made Belay freeze inside. Zaniel Potter. There was no mistaking the cherry blonde hair that shot up and out in every direction like his father's, or his mother's nose and lips. Here was his other half. Ignoring the pull of his wings under his skin, He asked in a slightly colder voice than necessary, "Would anyone in this compartment happen to be missing a frog?"

The pink faced boy started and looked around frantically. 'Oh, no' Belay thought pitifully. 'If this one's afraid of frogs too than I'm going to-'

"Trevor's gone!" The boy cried in panic, searching frantically through his robes. "He must have gotten lost at the station!" Turning to Belay with watery eyes he pleaded, "Have you seen him?"

Pulling the frog into view, Neville gasped and looked at it in horror. "You killed it!" the red haired boy yelped, and looked at him angrily. "What's wrong with you! Have you got some sort of problem with frogs? Maybe I should squeeze you to death!"

Patience running out, Belay hissed at him. "It's not dead, you moron." He tapped the frog lightly on the head and it jerked awake and struggled to be free again. The red headed boy flushed and sunk back into the seat, mumbling about it not being his fault for something. The other boy smiled joyfully and thanked him profusely, taking 'Trevor' into his own hands and struggling to keep the frog still. Zaniel then stood and introduced himself.

"Zaniel Potter," He said easily and stuck his hand out. Unsure of whether Zaniel would be able to sense him through touch, Belay nodded curtly. "Belay Riddle."

The red head choked a bit on his own laughter but immediately froze when Belay settled his red eyes on him sharply.

The bushy haired girl intervened swiftly. "Isn't Belay African for Superior?" She asked. Belay nodded and the red head rolled his eyes. "Oh great," he mumbled. "Bet he's going to be a right prat."

"So sorry," Belay said stonily to him. "that my father chose to name me something different. I deeply apologize." The sarcasm hung tensely in the air and Zaniel shot his friend a warning glance. Belay moved to leave the compartment and the round faced boy stopped him.

"Thank you!" he called. "I'm Neville Longbottom!" Belay inclined his head slightly and made to continue. "You could stay with us, if you like," Neville continued, a little less confident.

"I have to get back to my friends," Belay replied. Eyeing the red head once more with distaste, he was half way out the door when he hesitated. "To make the frog sleep just run a finger over it's belly and to wake it up tap it's head."

He closed the door to the compartment and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He smirked graced his lips as he rubbed the soap in his hands. If all of the students in his year were as simple minded as that red head and innocent as Neville Longbottom with his quivering blue eyes, than maybe it wouldn't be so bad hanging around with a bunch of brats his own age. Still smirking, he ran a hand through his hair, allowing the water droplets to soak into the obsidian strands and glide down to the curls nearer to his neck. One of the stalls behind him opened and in the mirror a buff looking Slytherin boy stalked out of the toilet.

Belay dropped his smirk quickly but it was too late to reverse the damage. The Slytherin had frozen after the first glance at Belay's reflection, after seeing that confident—and no doubt appealing—smirk. The black has clouded over with immediate lust and the boy seemed to unfreeze before sauntering up behind Belay. He cursed his luck.

"Aren't you just-" The Slytherin eyes him up sensual, making Belay shudder as a hand then stroked his back. "Delicious." He leaned over him easily and put his mouth beside Belay's ear and huskily asked, 'Would you like to find a compartment with me?" His hand slowly wrapped around Belay's front and settled near the clasp of his robes.

Instantly, Belay elbowed the Slytherin in the gut and ran out of the bathroom, knowing he would not be followed. Leaning against the door to Draco's compartment, he sighed wearily. He had slipped up, he should have paid attention to whether someone was in the stalls, and he would've seen that Slytherin's feet had he taken the time to look. He had nearly screwed himself over with that smirk.

Being a Dark angel entitled him to more than just a silky set of wings and a pretty face; Dark angels—or incubi—were born seducers. The simplest of gestures could be taken as sexually arousing for any human. Being only a third incubi—as his blood had mixed with his biological parents as well as his father's demon blood—he did not prey off humans, therefore didn't need to seduce them and in turn devour them. This incident had reminded him of exactly why he couldn't be like these children, these excitable, ecstatic children that were entranced with the very notion of finally attending a Wizarding school.

Every action Belay took, every emotion he showed and every thing he said was scrutinized and thought over before acted on, knowing that if made the slightest mistake he could find himself flat on his back being ravaged mercilessly. It didn't even matter if they were male or female, giving him no chance at friend ship here.

Only his father could withstand his allure, demonic blood making him immune. Only is his father and him; Zaniel Potter.

He pushed his left hand through his hair again, surprised that Peru hadn't hissed anything at him about the sudden movement he'd made. Shrugging it off, he composed himself and entered the compartment. Everyone had calmed done in his absence and Draco looked at him in surprise. "What took you so long?" He asked.

Belay shrugged. "Long line."

The blonde nodded, accepting the answer and returned to his conversation with Blaise. Moving to take his previous seat by the window, he found it now taken by a blonde haired girl who was looking out. She turned to him with icy blue eyes and stood. Hand sticking out towards him, she said coolly, "I'm Daphne Greengrass." She stared into his blood-like eyes and he saw an excite shiver run through her spine and the ice seemed to melt a little.

Taking the offered hand into his own he replied, "Belay Riddle." He quickly pulled his eyes from her own. Daphne sat back down and scooted over enough to allow him a seat beside her, once he was seated she immediately began to converse with him. He listened politely but was somewhat surprised when she expected him to contribute just as much as she did.

She asked what his favorite color was; he replied black. He asked her what she liked to do in her spare time; she enjoyed ballroom dancing and the practicing her viola. That caught his attention. Belay's father hadn't wanted him to engage in anything too time consuming as he expected Belay to be studying and learning more about the world rather than taking up an instrument that, in the long run, would really never serve any purpose or aid him in anyway. Belay had accepted this—father knew best, after all—but he never did get over his desire to learn after attending a social gathering with the man. He had been very young, but the music had drawn him in, perhaps more so than the others in attendance as he had rarely heard any before. Music was an unnecessary form of entertainment to the Dark Lord Voldemort. The only purpose it could possibly hold for him would be to fill in awkward silences and draw his followers together under the guise of eager patrons to the business.

Daphne was surprised by his interest but indulged him, promising to show him a little of the basics in playing. The rest of trip was almost, dare he think it, pleasant for Belay. A lady stopped by with a trolley of snacks and candies as night began to fall and he bought something to ensure he would not be left out in at lease one act that night.

Crabbe and Goyle had purchased mounds of food; from cauldron cakes to acid pops and jelly slugs. They ate ravenously while Daphne daintily pinched bits off of her pumpkin muffin. Draco and Blaise were sharing a decent sized pile of Bertie Botts and pigmy bites. Belay idly sucked on his blood pop.

"How can you stand those things?" Draco asked, nose scrunched in distaste. The others soon realized what he was sucking on and all watched as he licked it. Their eyes seemed to glaze a bit but Belay knew they weren't old enough to really be affected; he had until puberty settled in to worry about that.

"I enjoy them," he drawled easily. The metallic taste of blood soothed him. A good blood pop had always relaxed both his demon and dark angel instincts. Demons—in general—lived off of blood and were quite fond of eatring humans as well so that explained itself, however, the dark angel bit of him was also quite fond of it, purring at the taste and smell of it's main food source's 'elixir of life'.

Draco, still frowning, chose to forget the entire incident. Belay, however, would not. He found himself quite pleased that he had bought so many blood pops; he may need their calming influence later.

A half of an hour later, Daphne had fallen asleep against his shoulder, leaving him feeling very uncomfortable as the other boys teased him. "Got a girlfriend already, Riddle?" Belay forced the flush that threatened to rise in his face away and responded quite calmly that this was an isolated incident; they all burst into childish giggles.

The train began to slow, the wheels screeching loudly until the train jerked to a stop. Nudging Daphne awake, Belay stood pet Peru through his sleeve, successfully waking the snake from his sleep. He promised his companion dinner soon and any complaints about to be made were immediately silenced.

They climbed out of the car and into the crowd, Belay pointedly avoiding Zaniel's searching eyes. He idly wondered if his twin had ever been told about his heritage.

"First Years!" A booming voices sounded over the students heads, "First years over here!" A giant of a man—or perhaps just a giant—hovered over by an enormous lake. Fighting his way over, Daphne following him, he waited by the man. Belay didn't know where most of the other students had gone but as the horde of people thinned, he realized just how few students would be in his year. Only fifty boys and girls; in his father's time there had been at least a hundred new arrivals every September.

"A'right nah," the giant said with a heavy accent. "'Tis four to a boat, an don't lean over ta sides either."

Belay ended up sharing with Daphne, the bushy haired girl and a gangly boy. Belay was more worried about the boy than the girl, he could be one of those early pubescent ones…

"Hello Belay," The girl said, smiling at him through large front teeth. "I never got the chance to introduce myself; I'm Hermione Granger. It's a pleasure make your acquaintance." Daphne sniffed at her and face forward in the boat. Belay reached backwards and shook her hand. The boy didn't pay them a bit of attention, instead he was leaning rather dangerously over the edge to talk to a friend of his in another boat.

'Another to look out for,' Belay thought, eyeing the acne ridden face of the boy. 'He probably turned eleven around November, just missing last year's batch.'

Belay made a conscious decision to lean a bit in the opposite direction in order to keep the boat from tilting. Unfortunately, that made him lean into Daphne, who blushed a little and fluttered her eyes. Up ahead, the giant called, "Yull be getting' yer first glimpse of ta school jus' round thisere bend!"

Belay looked up and the boy jolted away from the edge of the boat, sending it rocking madly. Hermione shrieked, being sent sideways over the boat's rim and almost fell headfirst into the water when Belay over to grasp her hand. With a rough tug, she was safely inside the boat—though it continued to rock. She sent him grateful glance and glared at the boy next to her who was apologizing rapidly. She huffed, face bright red with embarrassment. The tips of her bushy mane were dripping onto her robes.

Turning to face forward, Belay almost gasped, along with everyone else as Hogwarts came into view. An enormous castle, discernable only by it's outline cast by the still darkening sky and the thousands upon thousands of lit windows. The four largest—that they could seen anyway—were beacons of light to the many first years. It seemed to act as a calming agent for those that were terrified stiff by the upcoming sorting.

The enchanted boats slowly cam ashore on the lake's coast and they were drawn up a flight of stone steps to an alcove. Just as the first few children reached the top of the steps, a graying woman opened the door and ushered them inside.

The Hall was bedecked with brightly flickering candles on stone walls and if one looked closely into the marble floor, they could see their own reflection staring right back. There was a long walk, passing many other halls and several dozen doors as well as portraits, before they reached an enormous set of wooden doors.

"Welcome," the witch said, turning to them. "I am Professor McGonagall. I am the Head of Gryffindor house and I will be your transfiguration teacher for the next few years." She paused a moment, making sure she had their attention. "In just a few minutes, you will be allowed through these doors and be sorted into one of the school's houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin." Nearby, Belay saw Draco and some others smirk at one another.

The witch left them then, saying she would return for them in just bit. To Belay's great displeasure, Zaniel lost no time in rushing up to him. "Hey," he said. Belay forced back the urge to roll his eyes. "Hey," he shot back, almost mockingly. The red head popped up beside Zaniel and began to ramble nervously.

"My brother's told me that we'd have to face a troll or something horrible like that. What if it's something real dangerous? But then again, it was Fred and George and they always love to pull my leg-but who knows maybe they're right-"

"Well if it isn't a Weasel!" Draco had managed to sneak up on them and was smirking gleefully. "I'd recognize that Weasley hair and shoddy clothes anywhere!" The Weasley boy turned a shade of purple and turned on Draco angrily, all his jitters gone. Zaniel glared at him. "Watch your mouth! Who do you think you are anyway?"

Draco's smirk widened as he shot back, "I'm Draco Malfoy. Who are you?" Zaniel seemed to bristle at Draco's haughty behavior. "I'm Zaniel Potter." Draco sneered. "Of course, should have known by your hair. Every heard of a brush, Potter?" This incensed Zaniel which, in turn, delighted Draco even more.

Belay did roll his eyes this time. It seemed Draco had found a new form of entertainment; Prod the Potter. Before Zaniel could get too riled up. Professor McGonagall returned. She eyed the two suspiciously and sniffed. First impressions were everything, and it seemed her first impressions of Draco and Zaniel were troublemakers. She turned to the door and gave it a good push, sending the doors wide open.

Leading them through them, they were set upon by a hundreds of eyes. Even Belay began to feel a bit uncomfortable. He ended up side by side with Zaniel, and he had to make sure that they didn't touch—just in case. Behind him, he heard Hermion rapidly paraphrasing, Hogwarts; a History, to an uninterested Daphne. They came to a stop and he heard McGonagall speak.

"I will call your name and place this hat on your head. You will remain seated on the stool until you're house is announced and you will join your House at their table. There is Slytherin-" the table to the far right of the enormous dining hall applauded loudly. "Gryffindor-" The table beside Slytherin erupted as well. "Ravenclaw-" Now the table to Belay's right clapped appreciatively. "And Hufflepuff." The table to the far right cheered merrily.

Belay could just see, over the other's heads, enough to watch Professor McGonagall place the hat on the stool. She then stood and waited. Just as Belay began to wonder what was up, a torn seam split and opened wide to-

"Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me."

-sing. Belay wanted cry. This was absolutely ridiculous! How could they rely on a senile, dirty old hat. Looking just beyond said singing object, he saw an old man with a bushy white beard smiling enthusiastically over his crescent moon glasses and tapping his fingers to the rhythm. 'That must be Dumbledore,' Belay realized. 'Well, that explains everything then…'

Finally, the hat seemed satisfied with itself and ended its song. Now McGonagall unraveled a thick scroll of parchment and began to read off names.

"Abbot, Hannah."

'Damn,' Belay cursed, 'surnames.'

It would take an age and a half to get through everyone to him. One by one, students around him and Zaniel were called up and sorted. Terry Boot, the boy that nearly tipped his boat, was sorted into Ravenclaw; leading Belay to seriously doubt the accuracy of that hat. Hermione Granger was sorted into Gryffindor after a rather long time of sitting on the stool, followed by Daphne who made up time by quickly being sorted into Slytherin. Neville rushed to sit with the Gryffindors.

A moment later, Draco was seated between Crabbe and Goyle. The blonde smirked at him as if to say, "I told you so!" Next up was a set of twins who ended up separated; one went to Gryffindor near tears. Zaniel was called up after her and he too was sent to the lions den.

"Riddle, Belay."

The Headmaster's eyes snapped to attention, and the smile slid off his face. Keeping a mask cold indifference, Belay moved the remaining bunch of students. He could bet the old man's twinkling eyes had shifted to a dark, calculating blue.

He sat on the wooden stool, his confidence starting to flow away from him as all those eyes stared at him from all sides—especially the ones just seven feet behind him, burning a deep, bloody hole in the back of his head.

Professor McGonagall slowly placed the hat over his head and it slid down to cover his eyes. At least he wouldn't have to stare back.

Oh! Very interesting! Hmmm…Very interesting indeed!

Belay nearly jumped in surprise.

Now, now, dear boy. Don't startle yourself too much—I might fall off.

So you aren't exactly the most sociable of children are you? No, not at all. You rater like being on your own and focusing on what needs to get done. Responsible and mature for your age, understandable of course.

But where to put you? You respect knowledge and enjoy learning but only when it's compatible with your own goals. So you're ambitious…clever, too. You are most capable of getting yourself out of tricky situations. I guess I'd have to say-

"SLYTHERIN!"

The hat was popped off his head, and he blinked his eyes a moment to adjust to the change light and quickly stood to join the Slytherin table. They were clapping politely and more than one winced as they made contact with his red eyes. So many of their own were blue. Taking a seat beside Daphne near the end of the table, he was congratulated by several of his year.

Finally, the very last person was called up. "You know he'll be a Slytherin," Draco said knowingly. "It's in his family as well." Sure enough, the hat shouted out the house within moments. Gliding over to the table. Blaise Zabini took the seat beside Belay and turned to him smiling.

"Well, this will be a good year, no?" It was the first time that the Italian boy had addressed him personally. Something about those black eyes put Belay on edge. He was distracted, however, as the Headmaster stood.

"I welcome all of you," He began, voice echoing off the massive stone walls and around the candles that lit the Hall as they danced around in the air above the tables. "-New comers and those who are returning, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He allowed a polite applause before continuing, "I know you are all hungry from your summer sojourn, so I will say only three things; Blubber, Oddement and Tweak!" With that, the man sat down again, a fake grin spread across his face as he glance over the tables of students and landing on Belay.

Belay removed his eyes from the man as the table lit up with dishes upon dishes of food. Crabbe and Goyle began to salivate, like great, big, bulldogs that had been kept waiting for their dinners. Then again, Belay supposed that was quite accurate.

Just as he was ladling gravy onto his mashed potatoes, a swarm of ghosts burst through the wall opposite the staff table, a few shrieks sounded through the hall but there was more laughter and greetings. An apparition in blood soaked clothes swept across their table menacingly and glided back to where most of the first years sat. He looked them over, eyeing Belay in interest.

"You've got my eyes." Was all he said before sliding through the table. Several students muttered in surprise, though most had not noticed the ghost's interest. Draco looked up at him across the table, pale and shocked. "You're related to the Bloody Baron?" Belay shrugged. How was he to know?

Beside him, Blaise was slowly eating his rice and vegetables. He didn't say a word, but the confident glance he sent him was enough. Zabini knew something that Zabini should not and Zabini and he would be having a chat before the night was over.

"Look at the Weasel," Draco laughed. "Looks like he's more of a pig!" Turning slowly, Belay caught the nauseating sight of Ron stuffing himself with an ear of corn in one hand and a chicken leg in the other. He turned away, somewhat sickened. He looked at his own corn and had to push his utensils down; he had lost his appetite.

However, Peru most certainty had not and was soon poking his head from Belay's sleeve and hissing expectantly. Belay had to promise to prink him something for the dorm room rather than allow him to eat in the hall; it would be rather difficult to carry him around his arms if there was a giant lump in his stomach. So he had to wrap the least greasy chicken leg he could find in several napkins before stashing it into his robes. Draco merely watched him amusedly on the other side of the table.

He chatted with Daphne most of the dinner; she had some rather unflattering things to say about Pansy Parkinson and she didn't try to keep her voice down. The pug-face blonde—sitting only a few seats away—glowered at her and snarled an equally unpleasant insult back at her. Daphne seemed quite keen on 'putting that brat in her place' but Belay put a hand on her shoulder, telling her to hold it for when they were away from the public eye.

She considered this and agreed. However, it did not stop her from mentioning how tacky Parkinson's hair clips looked.

Crabbe and Goyle were just about to fill their plates with a fourth course when the food disappeared. They were only disappointed for a few moments, however, as the dishes were replaced with all sorts of desserts. Belay eyed a rather large bowl of blood pops sitting right in front of him. He subtly looked around the hall and didn't see them on any other table. In fact, there was only the bunch right in front of him on his own table.

Belay decided to take this as a sign. He seized them, three at a time, through the rest of the dessert time. He did not, however miss out on the treacle tart that was not too far away. Blaise had stocked his own plate with several types of sugar cookies and settle for wrapping them in a napkin and storing them in his own pocket as well. Daphne remained unaware of it all, savoring her large slice of key lime pie.

Once the desserts disappeared and all that was left were their goblets of pumpkin juice, Dumbledore rose again. "Now that are stomachs are full, there are a few school announcements that must be made." He looked around at the droopy eyed students and the twinkle was back.

"First of all, the third floor corridor as well as the Forbidden Forest remain forbidden to all students unless they are with a teacher or have the permission of a teacher.

Also, Mister Filch, our caretaker has put an updated list of items not allowed in the halls on his office door—please make sure to see it." He glance across the hall to the Gryffindor table and the pair of red headed twins gestured moronically, 'who, me?'

"I'd like to welcome Professor Quirrel back as our Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher and congratulate him on his successful adventures in Albania." A dark haired, slightly nervous, man nodded his head.

"And lastly, all students, aside from prefects and the Head Boy and Girl are to abide by the curfew; makes sure to be in your dorms from ten o'clock in the evening to six o'clock in the morning. I wish you all good luck in your first day of classes tomorrow, and bid you all good night."

A weak applause was followed by utter chaos. The students rose as one to their feet and shouts of, "Follow me," rang through the air around each table. Looking around, Belay made eye contact with several different people, mostly meeting shades of blue with an occasional brown. Yet, the brown eyes all seemed black from afar.

"Slytherin first years!" A somewhat familiar voice shouted over the tumultuous crowd. "Slytherin first years, follow me!" It was to Belay horror, to find himself face to face with the boy that he had elbowed in the stomach on the train. A great golden badge gleamed on his chest mockingly. The boy leered down at him and Belay grew uncomfortable. "Isn't this a surprise," He growled at him, eyes narrowed. Belay forced his face straight and didn't reply.

Daphne then grabbed onto him, pulling him to follow another Slytherin that was already ushering several of the first years out of the hall.

"Hurry up Flint!" the brunnette called over her shoulder, black-ish eyes smoldering in impatience. The boy lumbered past Belay with one last look-over and up next to the girl. Once out of the Great Hall, the Slytherins went in the opposite direction of the other houses. Belay felt a small sense of relief. They were finally away from the student body with all of its black and blue.

They were led deep into the dungeons and Belay began to wonder if he'd remember how to get back to the hall in the morning. Once in front of a portrait of a sly looking man with a thin black mustache and elegant silken robes, the girl up front said to them all, "This year's password is Serpent's Scepter. Don't mention it to any of the other houses and if you forget, just wait until someone else comes by."

The portrait had swung inward, allowing them entrance to a large stone room. The draft from the corridor was replaced by a warmth as an enormous fire place sate before a long black sofa and several plush armchairs. In the corner of the room were four desks lined up under a hanging lantern that lit up the who area. The sitting area by the fire was on a lower platform than the desks and a thin carpet ran down the steps and under the furniture.

On either side of the entrance were two corkboards: the on the right displaying a large map of the school for every floor, and the one on the left had club notices. Directly across from them on the other side of the room were two spiral staircases both leading up and down.

"This is the Slytherin common room." Flint said, moving to the center of the room. "No one is to sleep on the sofa and clean up any messes you make. I suggest memorizing the maps-" he pointed at the cork board on the right, " before you leave for breakfast in the morning. The alarm clocks are already set so we expect everyone to be on time tomorrow." He glowered at them. The girl stepped forward. "Breakfast starts at six and ends at seven, lunch begins at noon and ends at one, and dinner is from six to seven in the evening." Pointing to the stair cases, "First year boys go down the left stair case until you find your dorm—girls, the same but on the right staircase."

The of older students left them to their own devices. Some of the older students had chosen to stay up rather than get to sleep, and they greeted the first years mockingly. Belay heard snickers of 'little firsties!' through out the room. Taking the initiative, he stalked away from the group and headed down the left staircase, feeling comforted by the fact he'd seen Flint go up. Several of the boys followed him, and he caught a glimpse of Daphne leading the girls to their own dorm.

They passed the fourth, third, and second dorms on the way down before reaching rock bottom at a a door with a silver plaque with 'First Years' engraved in a fine script on it. Pushing the door open, they were met with a finely furnished, extended room. To the left were six four poster beds with six nightstands and six windows. Belay sighed mentally.

666

Just great. There was a trunk in front of each bed, and he recognized his own dark, silvers embossed one sitting in front of the first bed. He approached it with mild interest, feeling the emerald curtain's thickness as he pulled them back to reveal silver sheets and a black blanket. He pulled his sleeve back to allow Peru onto his the mattress and fished out the chicken leg. He laid it and the napkin on the bed for the snake to feast upon while Belay got ready for bed.

It turned out that Draco's bed was directly beside his and Blaise was on the very end, making it difficult to find a way to talk with out the rest suspecting something was up. Grabbing his toiletries from his trunk, he was first to reach the bathroom. There were three sinks, three stalls and three showers all squashed into the tiny room.

Looking in the mirror, Belay noted how tired he looked. He supposed most of his energy had been spent keep his wings folded into his back but shrugged it off as a stressful day. Brushing his teeth, he was soon joined by Thomas and Draco. Spitting out his toothpaste, he left the bathroom.

Returning to his trunk he pulled out a pair of pajamas and checked on Peru. The snake had devoured the chicken leg and now had a lump in its stomach. Gently lifting the drowsy cobra, he found the basket he had brought along and place him on top of the soft material and put the lid down.

He emptied his pockets into the nightstand's drawer and he wasn't too surprised to realize he had completely filled it with blood pops.

Belay climbed onto the bed and pulled the curtains shut to change—there was no way he could trust the boys enough to actually strip down in front of them! Once ready for bed, Belay peered around, searching for Blaise. The boy was on his own bed, staring at him patiently. Forcing back the scowl that threatened to mar his face, Belay left the safety of his mattress and moved to the perilous world that awaited him behind Blaise's curtains.

Once settled facing the Italian boy, he drew the curtains around them as not to be seen. "Well," Belay drawled quietly, hearing the others leave the bathroom to climb into their own beds. "What have you been so smug about, Mister Zabini?" Blaise only smirked at him a moment.

"I have many things to be smug about," be started. "-But I suppose you would be referring to what I know about you." Belay needn't bother to answer. "I happen to know, Belay Riddle, for a fact that you are-" Belay tensed; the boy really did know what he was. He would undoubtedly try to hold it over him—any real Slytherin would.

"-the heir to the Dark Lord." Belay blinked a moment, nerves ebbing away. That was it?

"Really now," he replied evenly, keeping the relief tucked safely away; no need to let the boy know there were other secrets to be known. "What makes you think that?" Blaise smirk deepened as though he thought he had won a game with some spectacular prize.

"You're a parslemouth and you've got glowing red eyes, it's not hard to figure out."

Belay nodded, uncaringly. "And what is it that you wish to do with this information?"

"I would very much like to have the opportunity to become your confidant, of course."

Now that was a surprise. Belay looked into the glittering black eyes. Had this simply been a way of saying 'I know a secret of yours, but I'm going to tell you that I know and hope you trust me'? Perhaps… There was no deceit in those eyes.

"Very well," Belay agreed, slowly nodding his head. He quickly climbed out of the bed and zipped passed the other beds; keeping to the shadows as not be seen by the other boys. Climbing into bed, he considered this development.

Blaise Zabini wished to be his confidant in return for keeping quiet about his identity. He did not really need to hide his identity from Slytherin, most—he knew—had parents that followed his father and he had even fought beside them once or twice. Dumbledore already knew as well, there was little doubt in the expression the old man had given him.

So, he had gained Blaise's allegiance for free. Not a bad bargain at all. He knew it was not feigned the immediate interest the boy had shown on the train had been plenty obvious to him.

As Belay drifted asleep, he considered just how much these students had changed since they sat down at Slytherin table. Gone were the childish boys and girls on the Hogwarts Express, they had been replaced with clever deviants, already seeking their own places within their house.

That night his dreams consisted of sitting alone as thousands of blue and black eyes blinked at him from the surrounding darkness.

A/N

IMPORTANT

I have put up a poll on my profile concerning the pairing, please check it out and vote!

I spent all day writing this painfully long chapter just for you guys, so please review! I don't think I've ever typed so much in one sitting as one chapter before…The story alone is over 7000 words! (Overwhelming pride here).

And no folks, I do not have a beta. I really should…and I did just find this account again….