Hey guys! I just wanted to say, I love you all and thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! (no this isn't a "I'm going to stop writing" message) I never thought that people would actually like this, and it means so much to that you do. So, I'm sorry if at times it seemed as if I got a little over excited, especially with the review count.
Oh, just a little FYI, if you're going to flame this story or me, please use your account. I respect you for telling me your opinion, but I do NOT respect cowards who leave rude messages with a Guest name. Please stop doing that.
Also, I ask my wonderful readers about what you think or want to happen, because I want to know. I don't talk about my stories with anyone in the real world, instead I talk to the ones who enjoy my story; you guys. It's brainstorming. No, I don't ask you guys about everything. Yes, I try to leave most of the plot as surprises.
If you have a problem with my authors notes, then DON'T READ THEM. They are bold and italicized, very different from the story itself.
Enjoy the Chapter!
As they walked off of the train and onto the platform, I could already begin to see the castle. It was beautiful from even this far away. I grabbed Draco's hand and we made our way over to Hagrid, who seemed to be in charge of the first years. I could tell already as we made our way onto the small and unsafe looking boats that yes, this was going to be a very, very wonderful year.
As we rode the boats to the castle, I looked around in wonder. It's so beautiful! And to think that I'm going to go to school here for 7 years! It almost looks too beautiful to be used as a school. We got off of the boats and followed Hagrid to what I assumed was the front door.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Draco whispered in my ear. I nodded as I looked around in awe.
The giant doors opened and revealed a stern looking woman. She seemed to be about as old as the castle.
"My name is Professor McGonagall, and you will address me as such," She said giving us a hard look. "Now come along. We haven't got all day."
We followed her down the corridors until we reached another set of tall doors.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards," Draco gave me a small nudge at that. We both thought of my father. She then continued to go about Hogwarts, but I had already read all of it in Hogwarts a History, so I tuned her out.
"I suggest you all smarten yourselves up while you are waiting." And with that she left us.
"I think that the sorting hurts a lot, but Fred could have been joking," It was the Weasley boy, talking to some of the other boys who clung onto his every word.
Draco, as well as some of the other friends I had made on the train laughed at the boys claims. Anybody who knew anything would realize that they weren't going to put eleven year olds through a painful test on the first night. But obviously this boy doesn't know anything. The Weasley boy looked as if he was going to say something to us, but at that moment everybody got distracted with the ghosts.
"Now form a line and follow me." Professor McGonagall had returned and was leading us into the Great Hall.
Hundreds of faces seemed to be looking straight at us as we entered; rows and rows of students, simply staring and whispering among themselves. It was slightly frightening, so I moved closer to Draco who then took hold of my waist, effectively pulling me closer.
I looked up and saw the ceiling which had been bewitched into looking like the night sky. One of the first year girls seemed to repeat my thoughts. It seems as if I wasn't the only one who did a bit of light reading before coming.
When we reached the front of the room the Sorting Hat was on a stool, almost looking as if it was waiting for us. Obviously there was no troll for the Weasley boy to fight, although that would have been nice. Then he would be dead and much less annoying. That is, assuming that he didn't come back as a ghost to annoy people to death.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." And so it began.
"Granger, Hermione!" Was the first one that seemed to take a while.
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.
"Longbottom, Neville!"
Shocking everyone the shat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"
"Malfoy, Draco!"
"Slytherin!" His seemed to have gone the fastest. No surprise there.
"Nott, Theodore!"
Again, he seemed to take a while, but eventually the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"
"Parkinson, Pansy!" Hers went just like Draco's.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Harry, Potter!" The entire Great Hall broke out into whispers at the sound of my name. Great, more unwanted, undeserved attention. As if I wasn't already extremely nervous. I know I want to go to Slytherin, but Lucius warned me that the Old Goat might have meddled with the Sorting Hat. I slowly walked up to the stool and placed the hat on my head.
"Hmm," said a small voice in my ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Not a bad mind. There's talent- my goodness, yes- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, not that's interesting… So where shall I put you?"
I began to think in my head, the house of my father, my father's house, my real father's house.
"So you know, eh?" Said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great you know, it's all in your head, and Gryffindor will help you on the way to greatness." Gryffindor is far from great. It is inferior. "No? Well, if your sure- better be SLYTHERIN!"
The final word echoed around the hall and was met with silence. The Slytherin table began to clap, but seemed to be very reserved and unsure of what to do. None of them had expected this. I sat next to Draco, who gave me a giant hug, and we continued to watch the sorting. Ronald Weasley was obviously sorted into Gryffindor with the rest of redheaded family while Blaise Zabini came over to the Slytherin table with us. I was sitting in front of Neville and began to think about the boy. He's quiet, shy, and timid, none of which are very Slytherin qualities. He's unlike Theo, because Theo seems to always be plotting something, and is always aware and ready for his surroundings. Neville however, seemed to jump at his own shadow. I wanted the boy to be in Slytherin with me, but I had thought it wouldn't happen. It seems that I was obviously mistaken.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them there. However, it was unnoticeable to the untrained mind, but there was a twinkle in his eye that screamed "Why do I have to do this". As if he was hiding his true purpose for being here.
"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are" Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat back down while the Gryffindors clapped and cheered. Everybody else seemed to look at his as if he were crazy, which I think he is. This is the man that has the wizarding world under his thumb?
"So that's the Old Goat?" Blaise Zabini asked as he served his plate.
Draco nodded. "Yep, I've seen him several times here at the castle. Father's one of the School Governors." I rolled my eyes at Draco's haughty tone. Hopefully he'll grow out of it, because I don't like it when he gets like that.
"So Neville," I started while the other kids were busy with Draco. "Are you happy you're with us? I think we're going to be the bestest of friends." And I meant it too.
There was something about Neville that told me I could rely on him. He might be quiet and shy now, but there's something underneath all that, and I plan on finding out.
Neville looked up from his plate of food and nodded slightly. "Yeah, you guys don't seem like crazy future dark lords."
Someone laughed at that. I looked over to see Draco unsuccessfully hiding his laughter. Little did Neville know, I was in line to be the next Dark Lord. I nudged Draco to keep him quiet. Most of the people here are very perceptive, and I'd rather them not figure things out before I'm ready to reveal them.
"Well, not yet we aren't," I said with a cheeky grin.
And with that Neville was accepted into our little group. Instead of sitting awkwardly with us he was being asked his opinion and he offered it. Sure it was quite timidly, and you had to lean in close to hear him, but he was welcomed. I could tell that while I was immediately accepted into Draco's group of friends, the rest of the Slytherins were very wary of me. And they have every right to be. I did supposedly kill their lord. I'm just going to have to prove that I am not someone they can mess with. Just by looking down the table, I could tell that several of the older students had a few jinxes in mind for me.
The rest of the night was spent talking and laughing in the Slytherin Common Room. It was quite comfortable for a place in the dungeons. Eventually we had to make our way to bed, or risk sleeping in on the first day of classes. While the rest of the school has to share rooms with the rest of their gender in their grade, Slytherins share rooms with one other person of their choosing. Since there are an odd number of boys in our year, Theo, Blaise and Neville are sharing a room while Draco and I get our own. Pansy rooming with some girl named Daphne. She seems okay, but a little stuck up, like Draco sometimes gets. I think it's a pureblood thing.
When Draco and I went into our room, we were met with the site of two king sized beds, two desks, two walk in closets and a private bathroom. While Draco went to go check his hair (I swear he loves it more than anything else), I went to work. The room was done in shades of dark brown and dark green, effectively making the room seem very gloomy. Since we are now members of the prestigious Slytherin house, I added hints of silver here and there, such as on the beds and drapes. Next I made the walls a lovely shade of cream. We don't want the room to be too obnoxious. My final touch was moving the beds together. It seems like Draco's spoiling me because I refuse to sleep alone anymore.
Draco did not react as I expected to the changes. "Harry. Harry did you get one of the house elves to fix all this for you?"
"No, I did it myself. Why? Is it bad? I can change it if you want. I just thought the room looked really gloomy so-"
"No, no. The room looks fine. Perfect, really. But, where did you learn the spells to do all of this?" Draco was looking at me as if I'd grown a third head. It made me feel uncomfortable, like I did something wrong.
"I just, I was reading some of the books Lucius bought me and it was talking about the basics of magic and how you just have to want it and visualize it to happen. So that's what I did. I pictured it in my head, and then it happened here. See." I effectively turned the walls pink.
"Change it back!"
"Okay." I changed it back to the pretty cream color.
"Harry, I'm going to tell you something. So, I know that you are the son of the Dark Lord, and you're expected to be powerful, but only really really powerful wizards, like Merlin, are able to to magic by will alone." He gave me a moment to let that sink in. Only wizards like Merlin can do what I can? That doesn't make sense. Magic listens to you, and-. "But, this isn't a bad thing, Harry. Actually, I'm really jealous, because you're going to have it easier in practical than I will." I giggled at that. I was better than Draco at something! "But, we're not going to tell anybody. It's going to be a secret, just like who your real father is. Okay?"
I nodded. Lucius had told us at the Manor that until my father says that it's okay, we can't talk about it.
Draco smiled when he saw that the two giant beds were pushed together and climbed in. I climbed in after him and buried my head in his chest. This was perfect. I wish nothing would ever change.
Meanwhile in Albania…
"My Lord, I'm so happy to see you alive and well. Hadrian, he-"
A man looking around the age of 34 that goes by the name of Voldemort stood from where he was kneeling at a grave. "He's alive," A sad little smile crossed his face. "My son is alive. I expect that you have been taking him under your care, Lucius."
"Yes, of course Tom. When Draco found him at Madam Malkins, I thought that it couldn't be, but it was. He has your old eyes, and your lips, my Lord."
"Does he have Reg's nose? I always thought that his nose looked like Regulus'."
Lucius smiled, remembering the old days when Tom and Regulus were so proud of their baby boy. "Yes, I believe that he does. However, there is a mild glamor on him that I was unable to take off. It is the work of Dumbledore, and causes Hadrian's features to look slightly more like James Potter than you. However, I believe that you my Lord, as a blood family member, will be able to take it off."
"Well, it seems as if I have much work to do back in Britain. But first, I would like to see my son."
You like? I'll explain more about Voldy and Lucius in the next chapter, I promise! Yes, Hermione is a Ravenclaw, and she's gotten like 2 mentions the whole story, but I think you're going to like her.
Let me know about:
What is Dumbles going to do about Harry being a Slytherin?
Thoughts on Neville?
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