Nothing has changed in regards to ownership sadly.
Feeling inspired, so have another early update while I have computer access!
-YDHP-
"Hmm, another Dracula? You are special indeed young Vladimir."
Vlad was very confused, they'd said the hat was intelligent but it knew his name!
"Yes, I'm a very special hat. You do not belong to the darkness you were born to, so Slytherin will not suit you as it does your sister. Not that she's dark herself, but she fits in well there. Hufflepuff may suit you, you have a loyal heart. You seem studious, so Ravenclaw could even work. However, I see your bravery, courage and power inside you. With that said, I place you in... GRYFFINDOR!"
The table beneath red and gold banners cheered, so Vlad stumbled over to them. It became apparent the hat only declared the house it had chosen to the hall, so Vlad wasn't so nervous anymore. Several of the red-haired boys brothers, he assumed, were congratulating him, though a few older students (that seemed to match descriptions Ingrid had noted down) were giving him speculative looks. Turning back to the sorting, a small blonde boy with an air of grandeur and old money was being called "Malfoy, Draco". The boy looked fairly confident, until the hat took a moment before it shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!". A gasp sounded through the hall, and the young Draco Malfoy looked crushed.
Clearly, he was expecting to be placed elsewhere.
Professor McGonogall had to physically 'encourage' the boy off the stool and towards the table. Vlad made sure to shuffle over to give the boy space away from the exuberant "Weasleys", since it looked like he'd need time to accept this placement.
Draco Malfoy fell heavily into the seat next to him and stared down at the table. Vlad had to be sure to ask Ingrid about what was so important some time, her information on the houses had been useful but evidently he was missing something. By the time he turned back "Potter, Harry" was being called and every eye in the room was on him. The hat seemed to take a while to decide, and Vlad imagined the hat asking Harry where he wanted to be.
Harry looked to be a little scared by whatever was said, but visibly relaxed as he too was declared a Gryffindor. Harry sat opposite Vlad and all the Weasleys were cheering happily, a pair of identical freckled ginger twins chanting "We got Potter!" Harry was smiling, and as they returned to the sorting, "Weasley, Ronald" was being called. The Weasley brothers all watched with bated breath, a few tense, silent moments in the hall passing. That crushed look on Draco Malfoy's face was echoed in Ron's as he was declared a "SLYTHERIN!".
The brothers all looked utterly perplexed, and Ron looked like he was about to cry. Vlad met Ingrid's eyes across the hall and she gave him a small smile and nod, so Vlad hoped she understood that the boy was scared he wouldn't belong - like she had been, and to keep an eye out. He may not like the boy, but nobody should look so terrified of where they were to spend the next seven years.
Harry had never been so relieved to hear the word Gryffindor, as the hat seemed to consider putting him in Slytherin. All Harry knew about that house was that was where Voldemort had been, so that was a no-no for him. As he scrambled off the stool towards the chanting, cheering Weasley brothers, Harry saw Vlad sat next to the very scared looking Draco Malfoy.
Hoping his 'celebrity' would help, Harry stood up and got the blond boys attention. Holding out his hand, Harry introduced himself.
"I'm Harry Potter, nice to meet you."
Draco Malfoy looked at the hand held out for a moment, then some kind of etiquette seemed to kick in, and his shoulders straightened as he stood to return the grip.
"Draco Malfoy"
Vlad seemed to smile out of the corner of his eye at the exchange, and they all turned in time to see Ron get sorted into Slytherin. Even Harry felt surprised, Ron looked crushed and his brothers were stunned. Ron carefully headed over to the green and silver table, and Vlad was looking at a pale girl with dark hair. If Harry squinted, he thought he could see a resemblance in the line of their cheekbones, and they both had bright blue eyes. This must be the Slytherin sister he mentioned. As the sorting wrapped up, a man Harry already knew by reputation - Albus Dumbledore - stood up at the head table.
"I have a few words for you all. Nitwit. Blubber. Oddment. Tweak."
The first years shared confused looks, but the older students seemed relatively unfazed. Maybe Dumbledore was always like that.
"Before you become too befuddled by our excellent feast, I must tell you the forbidden forest is strictly forbidden to all students. I think our older students may need reminding."
Harry was sure that look was directed at the Weasley twins.
"Also, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you. Now let us eat!"
Food seemed to materialize from thin air, every kind of food Harry could ever have dreamed about blossoming on plates. Vlad was quite reserved, choosing simple food and a glass of pumpkin juice. Draco Malfoy carefully selected some lean cuts of meat and various vegetables. Having never had so much freedom of choice, Harry took a little bit of everything - except the mint humbugs - and started eating.
The Weasley brothers introduced themselves - the eldest still here was Percy, the twins Fred and George. Though nobody could tell them apart. Percy was a bit pompous, his prefect badge highly polished. Looking around at the other first years, Harry noticed their robes had gained house colours. Must be magic.
He hadn't noticed, but Harry now realised the brown haired girl Hermione had joined Gryffindor too. She came across a little over the top, but she had fixed his glasses for him and she seemed nice enough - she'd been helping Neville look for his toad after all.
Resolving to make opinions about her as time went on, Harry turned to the other three boys sorted into their year. Neville Longbottom, looking utterly terrified and eating one handed while his other was presumably clutching the escape artist toad in his pocket. Then there was a dark-skinned boy named Dean Thomas who was muggle born and entranced with Vlad's surname, and an Irish boy named Seamus Finnegan who chattered wildly about his family with his thick accent.
"I'm half and half, me dads a muggle and me mams a witch. Bit of a shock for him when he found out."
That comment made Neville laugh, and it warmed Harry to see some of the anxieties melt.
Vlad felt mildly scared when they asked about his parentage, keeping Ingrid's story at the forefront of his mind.
"My parents aren't magical but my sister is. Our family is 'supposedly' descended from vampires though, my dad is big on family history stuff. I had no idea until about a month ago that this is where Ingrid went to school."
Seamus, a boy with a thick irish accent and a constantly running mouth asked who Ingrid was. Vlad pointed her out and a whistle went through half the boys.
"Damn, she really rocks that pale and interesting look."
Vlad hid a smirk in his drink, Ingrid would have them for breakfast before she'd even got her fangs.
"She's only thirteen, and you're only eleven, don't be disgusting." was directed at a new Ravenclaw boy, who had made a painfully obvious innuendo when Vlad pointed out his sister.
They returned to eating, and he noticed Harry seemed particularly in awe of all the food in front of him, and Vlad remembered his slight frame hidden under baggy clothes. While really hungry, Vlad had always been raised to eat well around others - though that was with leeches and worms rather than chicken legs and roast potatoes, but manners were manners. The pumpkin juice was growing on him, and Vlad knew he'd miss it when he was home again.
Dinner melted away to heavy puddings, cakes and jellies. Selecting a slice of cake that wouldn't contain pepper or pigs blood just because, Vlad grabbed an apple to stash in his pocket for later and tucked into his cake and jelly. Harry, who looked pretty full already, was looking joyously happy with ice cream smudged across his cheek.
Vlad tossed a napkin at him and pointed out the sticky substance on his skin. Draco Malfoy laughed next to him then, and made a cutting remark about manners before lapsing back into silence. Vlad hoped the young boy would come out of his shell eventually, or at least explain why he was so terrified of the house he'd been placed in.
Harry mopped up the ice cream from his now flaming cheeks, and they'd all settled into content silence with full stomachs. Sipping at some more pumpkin juice, Vlad remembered he had a bottle stashed in his trunk and wondered if he'd be able to refill it at breakfast or dinner the next day.
Shrugging to himself, he suddenly found everyone standing around them. Percy Weasley was calling the Gryffindor first years to lead them to their dormitories, his twin brothers pulling silly faces behind him and Vlad chuckled. He noticed some of the older students giving both he and the young Malfoy a wide berth, and he wondered if it was him or the boy he was stood next to. Following the other red and gold decked students out of the cavernous hall, Vlad was met with the sight of moving staircases.
"The staircases like to change, but this is the most direct path to the dormitories. Gryffindor are on the seventh floor, so keep heading up and you'll find your way eventually."
They all trudged along, and Vlad noticed that unlike his fathers stiff jokes about moving pictures and tv, the paintings here did actually move. It was quickly clear who was from a magical family and who wasn't. Vlad, Harry and a dark skinned boy named Dean Thomas were all staring at the talking pictures in awe, while the others just waved or nodded and continued up.
Vlad wondered if Harry regretted eating so much as they climbed up, and up, and up. They finally made it to the top floor, book cases along the walls and a few classrooms scattered around. A painting of a large woman in a pink dress was apparently their destination.
"Your house prefects will always know the passwords if and when they change, and you will need the password to enter the common room. Through the common room are the dormitories. The password is currently Caput Draconis."
The painting swung forward, revealing a large hole in the wall. The taller students could step over the divide, but smaller ones like Vlad and Harry had to scramble over it carefully.
"Boys dormitories are upstairs and to the left, girls the same over on the right. You'll find it labelled first-years and all your things are already up there. As term doesn't start until the first monday, you'll recieve your timetables then. If you have any further questions, the older students will be happy to assist. Good night first years."
Bats alive, ePercy Weasley definitely liked the sound of his own voice Vlad thought. They all wandered up the spiral staircase, finding a door labelled 'first years' and the six boys found six four poster beds, each with a trunk at the end. Phantom's carrier was resting on top of Vlad's trunk, his familiar still snoozing inside. Harry's trunk had his owl cage on, and Harry hastened to unlock the cage and open the window. The snowy owl hooted in thanks before hopping out, stretching her wings and flying out into the night. Thankful the owl was out, Vlad closed the window and let Phantom out - she could tell him if he should worry about any of his new bunk mates. As he looked up, Seamus Finnegan was towering over Draco Malfoy.
"You belong in Slytherin like the rest of your family Malfoy."
They hadn't been here five minutes, and already Vlad was irked by this house attitude.
"My sister is in Slytherin, and the hat said I couldn't belong there if I tried! If he's as bad as your face suggests you think, then Phantom will know."
The Irish boy turned on him then, eyes challenging.
"Phantom?"
Vlad nodded, holding up his furball of a pet.
"This is my familiar, according to Hermione she's a Bastion familiar. Something to do with Egypt, very rare and protects against dark spirits. If her eyes flash red, green or blue near someone you should worry. Her eyes stay red around me, to warn me she's on alert but they go brighter if something evil is around. Draco, would you mind holding her?"
The blonde boy looked like he was about to protest, and Vlad would have bet blood and garlic it was because he didn't want cat hair on his robes. Phantom wasn't a cat but still. He nodded, holding out both hands and Vlad deposited his familiar into them. Phantom promptly leapt onto Draco's shoulders and purred, eyes clear and happy. Draco visibly relaxed at the positive reaction.
"Anything else Seamus? Would you like to hold my familiar?"
Vlad was cringing with nerves internally, but after years of being told he should be evil when he wasn't, he couldn't watch Draco Malfoy suffer the same when he had done nothing but sit and eat his dinner quietly. Seamus looked a bit put-out but he likely knew what Vlad's pet could do better than he did, if he'd heard of Bastion before. Vlad made a mental note to ask the librarian (Ingrid's book had mentioned she was a scary woman but knew everything) if there were books on Phantom.
They each held the familiar in turn, none of them getting a reaction other than Harry and Draco both winning purrs and nuzzles from her.
"I think Phantom approves of you all, so can we leave any unpleasantness for if one of us actually does something wrong, and just get along like normal people?"
Vlad could taste the lie, he wasn't normal but didn't want trouble brewing already. A noise of agreement ran around the room, so Vlad resumed rummaging through his trunk to pull out pyjamas.
"What's that Vlad?"
Eyeline following to look to what Harry was pointing at, he saw the notebook Ingrid had given him.
"It's my sister Ingrid's, she gave me a pile of notes she made in first year. I'm planning to add my own to it so it can help someone else in the future. After I put my pyjamas on, maybe you guys can help me? I know very little about this world."
Neville, Dean, Harry and even Draco all nodded happily, Seamus still looking slightly annoyed but agreeing. Vlad dashed into the bathroom, enjoying the first privacy his father couldn't interrupt as he changed into pyjamas. The others had all changed when he returned, and most of them had pooled their leftover snacks from the train journey into a pile in the middle of the floor. Draco produced flasks of pumpkin juice and explained his parents were frequent party hosts, so he'd learned how to always be a consumate host. Smiling brightly at the other boys, Vlad picked up his quill, ink and book and started noting down what the other boys said. It was nice to have normal friends for once.
Harry was pleasantly surprised to see the quiet boy stand up for Draco Malfoy, especially when they were all but strangers. Vlad's familiar purred and cuddled at him affectionately, so Harry guessed he was alright. As they each took turns with "Phantom" Harry felt somewhat relaxed as the cat-like creature failed to react badly to any of them, before she leapt onto Vlad's bed and curled up in the middle. Vlad seemed shy enough to change in the other room, the other boys all turning away from each other to change into pyjamas, then each volunteering their own 'stash' of junk food when they agreed to help Vlad fill out his strange notebook.
Harry, knowing very little himself sat near Vlad and watched the boy write elegantly across the page. His sisters handwriting was neater and flowed better, but Vlad's small hands still traced an elegant script across the page. They started with houses, and it became clear fast how vicious this could turn easily. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were fairly neutral, but the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin had existed since the time the school was founded apparently, and was seen as something of a good vs evil battle.
Vlad defended his sister again then, clearly unhappy at the assumption Ingrid was evil because of where she was placed. Draco was evidently surprised by the admission Vlad and his sister had non-magical parents - the blonde boy was a veritable fountain of knowledge on Slytherin as he'd expected to follow his family and end up there - as 'Salazar Slytherin' himself had been a blood supremacist who felt only magical families should be allowed to study magic.
"Not all Slytherins are dark or believe that way exactly, but you don't end up there by accident. They were all surprised to see that Weasley boy end up there. The Weasleys are pure bloods, though I doubt it's a conscious thought and more luck, but they aren't a wealthy family nor a political one. I don't know how well he's going to do there."
Harry was worried about Ron, but Vlad said his sister would probably keep an eye on him as she knew what it meant for the others to make you feel out of place, and Ingrid was doing just fine in Slytherin. As they each sipped at the pumpkin juice the young Malfoy had offered and munched through the shared sweets, Harry could almost feel the beginnings of friendship between them, even if Seamus was resistant to Draco because of his family.
Vlad didn't talk in depth of his parents other than to say his mother wasn't around much, and Harry had briefly explained about his parents death for the sakes of Dean and Vlad, who weren't raised to know his life story. Vlad was scribbling down a lot of what was said about houses and Voldemort, uncaring of saying the name like so many others shied from.
Conversation turned to wands, and they each pulled out their length of wood. Most of them had fairly straight wands, but Vlad's was intriguing with its dark and twisted shape. He hadn't volunteered the information of it's core easily but mumbled "unicorn hair" eventually. Given that Harry had found out the phoenix in his wand had also given the feather of the wand that killed his parents, Harry didn't feel he had the right to pry. Draco's wand was elegant, sleek and black and suited his demeanour well.
Neville, evidently the shyest of the bunch, had to be encouraged to take a chocolate frog and some pumpkin juice. His voice stammered on occasion and he wouldn't look any of them in the eye but eventually he started talking.
"My grandmother raised me, my parents are... aren't around."
Something in Draco Malfoy's face made Harry wonder if he knew more, but Neville clearly didn't want to talk about that so they moved on.
"My family weren't even sure I had magic, it took me ages to show anything accidental but one day my uncle Algie was hanging me out the window by my ankles."
There was a sort of dramatic gasp, all of them horrified at the very idea.
"He'd done loads of stuff like that, he pushed me off a pier once in the hopes I'd show some magic. I nearly drowned. Anyway, he was hanging me out the window and my aunt asked if he wanted a biscuit. He must have forgotten he was holding me because he dropped me to take a biscuit. I screamed all the way down, but then I bounced down the garden path, and got up completely unhurt. After that they knew I had magic, but I've always been a little slow and pretty clumsy, I've no idea how I ended up in Gryffindor."
Harry clapped the nervous boy on the shoulder then, hoping to cheer him up.
"The hat saw bravery and chivalry in your heart Neville, don't underestimate yourself."
Neville smiled weakly at him then, and Dean mentioned the late hour.
The reminder seemed to make them all yawn loudly and Vlad scrambled to put away his notebook carefully, shifting his familiar onto the end of his bed and climbing in. Harry knew Hedwig could go to the owlery if she wanted somewhere to sleep before morning, and Phantom could hardly be trusted not to jump out of the seventh floor tower window, so he took off his glasses and lay down.
The bed was luxurious, soft and warm. The whole place was decked out in red and gold colours, which made both Vlad and Draco look even paler. Nobody seemed quite out of place in here, especially according to Phantom. A murmur of 'goodnights' echoed through the room and the small fireplace in their dormitory room had simmered down to embers by then. Full stomach and surrounded by people he didn't think would try and beat him up, Harry sank into a peaceful sleep and hoped he didn't wake up back in his cupboard.
-YDHP-
So, Slytherin Ron and Gryffindor Draco Malfoy. Please don't hurt me, this story is hardly canon given the whole Vlad thing so I thought I'd explore the darker and lighter aspects of both of those boys.
Draco isn't about to turn into a softie and Ron isn't going to be the next Voldemort, that isn't what I meant though.
As for the rest, next chapter will be the first weekend and the one after will probably be the start of lessons.
To the people following and favouriting, thank you!
Reviews/messages appreciated highly! Bat biscuits or cauldron cakes for you guys!