July 29th, 2010, The Leaky Cauldron, London England, 10:00 AM BST

It was not actually fun. I'd been excited at first, but that waned pretty fast once we got into it. There was SO MUCH to sort through. I'd thought getting control of the Black family finances had been too easy, but I realized now that the first goblin just didn't want to deal with THIS bullshit. We spent hours sorting through the documents, and by the time we were done it was three in the morning and we just ended up heading back to the Leaky Cauldron to sleep.

Tom gave us a cozy room with two beds and we both flopped into them and passed out as soon as we got up to our accommodations. The next morning, I groaned and got up, showering and washing my face in the attached bathroom and changing into a new set of clothes from the small bag we'd brought.

I planned to buy more today, when we finally left Gringotts we'd done so with an expandable bag (bag of holding) with about a thousand of the large gold coins my mom had used to pay Tom. My holdings were pretty vast, so it barely made a dent (which was so cool to even think) but I was informed it was a nice chunk of change even so.

It was also about one hundredth of the money I'd had siphoned out of the Malfoy vault. Gorehew had been a greedy little bastard, but he was GOOD at his job. He'd gone over ever single withdrawal from my account or sale of assets with a fine tooth comb, and found about six different laws they'd broken to really jack up the fines for each one.

A hundred thousand galleons was apparently a nice chunk of the Malfoy wealth, and that was after the five percent commission Gorehew charged me. Stepping out of the bathroom I stretched, groaning loudly as I did before turning to see mom was awake and dressed already. Probably magic shit.

"Hey ma, you sleep ok?" I said cheerfully. Sure last night had been boring and tedious, but now I was rich and in a magic shopping district. I literally couldn't have designed a better day for myself.

She smirked at me. "I see lots of spending in your future. Don't get ahead of yourself though. First stop is obvious. We go and get your wand. Once that's done we'll stop and buy you a trunk so we can store the probably absurd amounts of things you'll buy. Are we coming back here after that? Or did you want to stay at one of the family properties?"

That was another thing. I had properties. Lots of them. Five in London, a villa in Tuscany, a chateau in Provence, a Ski Lodge in the alps, and a castle in the Carpathians (I was assured there had never been any vampires in habitation). I also owned an island in the mediterranean and a small port town in the Carribean, so I was set for real estate for pretty much ever.

"What about the Grimmauld Place property?" I asked tentatively. "Dad grew up there, didn't he?" I wasn't in the mood to sing kumbaya with my old man and forgive and forget him leaving, especially since he was dead and his portrait wouldn't remember it after a day or two, but he was still my dad. I was interested to see how he'd grown up.

She grimaced. "I'd advise against that. Reggie hated living there, the only part of it he seemed to like once Sirius left was his house elf, Kreacher. Unpleasant little shit. He tolerated me because he adored Reggie but was generally rude and spiteful most of the time."

I decided to wait to ask about a house elf, and to wait to bring up dad's offhand comment about his brother being innocent. I didn't know how wizard laws worked, but if they were anything like regular laws, it would take time and money to get a prison sentence repealed. I was playing that close to the vest until I could look into it.

"Sheffield Manor then. It's not too far" She shrugged, clearly not having an opinion other than 'NOT Grimmauld Place'. We headed down to the Cauldron, managing to catch the tail end of breakfast (oatmeal) and then we headed out into Diagon Alley again, this time in broad daylight.

Seeing all that in broad daylight was, in a word…amazing. There was even more casual magic, even more brightly colored clothing and interesting people. Sadly, we didn't engage with any of them, heading instead for the end of the Alley, turning down a small side alley to stop in front of a plain wooden shop front, the only wording on it being the name 'Ollivanders' written in spidery lettering on the sign above the door in gold.

I raised an eyebrow at my mom, but she brushed it off and strode purposefully inside. A bell rang unseen over the door as we entered. Once we got inside I looked around with interest to see…basically a shoe store. The boxes were more uniform and a bit slimmer, but they were all lined up neatly on shelves.

"Welcome, welcome." Called a croaking voice from the back of the shop. "Wait right there please, only putting some things away." There was lots of banging and thumping before I heard a slow, shuffling gait as an ancient, bent old man came stumping out from the back of the shop.

His hair was long and white, his face lined and drooping, but I could see sharp intelligence in his bright eyes. Aforementioned eyes locked onto my mother as soon as he saw her, and his lips pulled back into a gaptoothed smile. "Ah, Ms. Randall. Birch and Unicorn horn. Twelve inches, extra whippy. Excellent for charms work."

Mom laughed good naturedly. "Yes Mr. Ollivander, that was me. Here to get a wand for my boy. His first, as a matter of fact." She leaned towards me, murmuring. "Wands are kept out of the hands of children because they're dangerous, but the Pureblood families often keep spares for the children to learn on."

"Ridiculous custom." Spat Ollivander, his previously friendly face clouding. "A wand chooses it's master. Using a strange wand is like using someone else's tooth brush. It's disgusting and counter productive."

Mom smiled. "Well that's not something you need to worry about with Ryan. This is going to be the only wand he uses. I know I couldn't imagine using any wand but my baby." She cooed that last bit to her own wand, and I raised an eyebrow as Ollivander looked on with approval. It made me wonder if wands were sentient.

"Very well." Said Ollivander, sharp eyes snapping to me with a grin. "Let us see." He stepped forward, circling the counter and walking right up to me before yanking my arms up. I jumped as I felt something brush me. Looking down I realized it was a tape measure.

He smirked. "Apologies, it can be a bit…enthusiastic. Which hand is your wand hand?"

"I'm a lefty, if that's what you mean. Since I've never used a wand though, who knows." I had no clue why he would ask me that given what he'd been told, but I figured I might as well be clear. He seemed to ignore me, walking back to grab a few boxes.

"Now, go ahead and-" I reached out for a box as he spoke, and the box, wand and all, flew off the counter to avoid my hand. He blinked. "That's…odd. I've never seen that happen before. Try another, please."

I reached out again, and the next box flew off onto the floor, literally fleeing from my hand. Ollivander looked annoyed. He stomped off, snagging a bunch of boxes and bringing them near me, only to see them leap away before I could touch them. One box. Two boxes. Twenty. All fleeing from me like bats out of hell.

Stomping back out of the room, he came back with ANOTHER stack of boxes. I wondered what was happening, but the muttering gave me a slight clue. "Dragon heartstring, phoenix feather, Unicorn tail hair, all averse." I blinked as I realized what was happening. The wands had cores, my mom had told me hers came from a unicorn.

The cores were RUNNING from me. Presumably because I was a devil. I guessed that answered the question of wands being sentient. It also made me a bit worried about what was going to happen with my wand.

I reached out for the new boxes, and to my surprise, they didn't move. Ollivander made a curious humming noise. "Well. That's…interesting. These wands are more…exotic. The creatures that provided their cores are dangerous dark entities." He laid out the boxes, giving me a suspicious look. "They seem to have taken to you."

Which was true, the boxes weren't running away, they were slowly sliding toward me across the counter. Ollivander smacked the counter and they stopped. He pointed to them in order. "Ash and Lethifold tendril, ten inches. Hornbeam and Kelpie fin, twelve inches. African Blackwood and Ashwinder Venom, eight inches. Ebony and Oni tendon, thirteen inches."

I nodded, not knowing what any of those things were. Except the Kelpie. Those were evil water horses that drowned people and then ate them. Shrugging, I picked up the Kelpie wand first. Hornbeam was pretty stiff, but it was a thick wand, and I didn't hate the feeling. I swung it once and a flock of crows flew out and then burst into flame, disintegrating into ash.

Ollivander snatched the wand away. "No, no, definitely not." He set it gingerly back in the box and closed it. Then handed me the Ash wand. I took it and waved it a bit. A cloud of gnashing teeth flooded the space in front of me, another no as he snatched it back. Only two left. The Ashwinder wand did…nothing. It didn't even spark, like it was overwhelmed by my power.

I reached down and picked up the last wand, removing it from the box. It was long and dark, with a pointed tip and a conical shape that made me feel like I could stab someone with it. It felt…right, in my hand, and as I waved it, I felt my magic surge as a cloud of incandescent glasslike fire poured forth, shaping itself into a tiny winged humanoid that took a lap around the room.

The humanoid looked like me, and I felt the wand connect to me in a visceral way. Ollivander looked surprised. "Curious." He said with a furrowed brow. "Oni are ancient and powerful beasts. Supposedly the spawn of demons, they're prideful and nearly impossible to tame. This wand was an experiment of mine many years ago, but I never expected to find it an owner."

He took it back from me reverently. "I suspect you will do amazing things with this wand, Mr. Black. The Oni it came from was quite old, even by their standards. The others of his kind considered him a patriarch though how they decided his superiority I cannot say. He was certainly larger and fiercer than most."

And just like that, I could FEEL why it had accepted me. Demons. Oni were indeed demons. My wand had been searching for a master with demonic blood. A devil. The one it had come from must have had more demonic blood than most. It hummed in appreciation even from a few feet away as Ollivander loaded it into a small bag with a cleaning kit.

I reached for my pouch, but Ollivander held up a hand. "No payment necessary, Mr. Black. You've shown me something interesting, and that's worth more to an old man than all the galleons in Gringotts. Do stop by in the future, and tell me how my creation works out. I look forward to seeing what you can do." I had to remind myself he was old as shit and I was a demon, but it didn't really help. That comment sounded ominous as hell.

July 29th, 2010, The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, 11:00 AM BST

I was giddy, I admit it. I couldn't stop spinning the wand between my fingers. Every pass felt like a new charge of electricity surging through my veins, like I was pushing the plunger on a syringe of epinephrine that never ran out. My mom mentioned that my connection was unusually strong, and that it would fade soon enough, but for now I was just enjoying the high.

Magic. I could FEEL my magic. Not the slight awareness like before. My magic had been chaotic, ever present, but…muted. Like a hot tub, bubbling enough to keep it from settling but not enough for it to matter. This though, this felt like my hot tub was full of nitroglycerin. I wanted to cast a spell so damn badly.

I didn't know any though, so to take my mind off the spinning I set out to spend my new money. Mom hadn't steered me wrong, so our first stop. Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, which was a small hole in the wall shop that sold pretty much everything. Lots of telescopes, binoculars, astrolabes, solar system models, etc.

Stepping inside, the whole place smelled strongly of wood polish and spearmint, though I had no clue why. I strolled up to the counter confidently, so high on my new wand I felt like I could fight an army. "Hi there." I said with a wide grin to the adorable redhead behind the counter.

Her nametag said 'Belinda', which I was sure of because my eyes had been glued to her fairly ample chest since coming in. Belinda had, in the words of an old boss of mine 'a balcony you could do Shakespeare from'. She was pretty tiny otherwise, with blood red hair swept up into a ponytail.

The green eyes behind her glasses lit up as she saw us enter, and her full lips drew up into a wide smile. I'd put her at maybe twenty two, so a fourth year I guess? Anyway she seemed plenty happy to see us.

"Oh, customers!" She said in a crisp British accent. Most people I'd met talked more fancy british than the street British I'd seen on TV growing up. I didn't know the terms for that, but she made it sound good. "How can I help you?"

I pulled out my Hogwarts list. "Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm looking for a few things for my first year at Hogwarts, but I can only buy here if you have some trunks I can look at to store everything. Do you have anything like that?"

"Of course." She laughed happily. "Follow me." I did NOT stare at her ass as she walked away, mostly because her robes covered it, but I gave it enough of an attempt that my mom elbowed me in the ribs. I flushed and averted my eyes, the wand high was making me more brazen about this kind of thing.

"Alright." She said, leading us into a back room with stacks of trunks in it. "We have dozens of models, but we can narrow it down. What are you looking for?"

I grinned conspiratorially. "What's the trunk you'd buy if money was no object? If you could just waltz in here and say 'that one', what's the trunk you'd be most excited to get."

She blushed a bit at my intensity, and possibly the accent, I knew some British girls liked that. "Well…The Maximus Alacrity Steamer is dreadfully fancy. It has a permanent weightlessness charm on it that only functions for the owner. A series of locking enchantments that prevent unlocking charms from affecting it, and an auto sort function." She pointed at the key holes on the front. "And there's no size enhancement, but it has five different compartments the full size of the trunk."

I whistled. That did sound swanky. "Alright. I'll take two." I gestured at my mom. "My mom is a pack rat, so I figure it won't hurt to have one around." She could also use it to move the stuff from the house over to the new place once I went to school.

She didn't argue, though she rolled her eyes so hard I worried she might break them. I managed to get about half my school stuff from that one shop too, which was nice. After saying goodbye to Belinda, who was stammering a thank you because she worked commission (two hundred galleons was apparently a lot, though not a ripoff considering mom let me spend it without complaint) we headed back out into the alley.

We stopped at a bunch of places. A potion supplier, a cauldron store, Flourish and Blotts, I spent less at all of them put together than the first shop, but to be fair, I also bought a lot less. Finally we came to the last shop on the list. Twilfit and Tattings. I needed to get new clothes.

Stepping inside, the bell rang and I inhaled the strong scent of premium fabric and potpourri. I had my trunk at my side, carrying it easily due to the lack of weight, and I had to turn sideways to get it through the door. Mom mentioned that I needed to learn the shrinking charm, but didn't bother to show it to me.

I considered just brute forcing it with intent now that I had my wand. I bet I could force it to shrink if I tried hard enough. Sadly I wasn't totally sure I could FIX that if I did it, and I didn't want to break my hundred galleon trunk experimenting, so I waited.

"Welcome, welcome." Said a friendly voice. A tall, thin man with pale skin and slicked back hair strode out into the shop. His pencil mustache and thin lips made him stand out about as much as his beady dark eyes, and his french accent was a first for me since getting here, though he spoke english clear enough to be easily understandable.

"I am Henri." He said officiously. He pronounced it like en-ree, as the French tend to do, and I just nodded. "Hi, I'm here to get fitted with my Hogwarts robes? I also want to pick up a few extra things for daily wear. Do you guys do pants and shirts too? Or just robes?"

He sneered at me, which from what I'd heard was pretty much standard French behavior, so I didn't take it personally. "Oui." He said curtly. "We make many types of clothes. We do not simply make ROBES." He said the last word with a faux-American drawl. I decided I didn't like Henri, and I kind of wanted to kick him in the dick.

I did NOT kick him in the dick, as much as he deserved it, because it would have been unnecessary trouble, and because my mom stepped forward to smile at him engagingly. "I'm sorry, my son doesn't know how things work over here." She said in her British accent. "We've only recently come back home from an extended period living in the colonies."

Did people in magical Britain still CALL the US that? Jesus, that was so out of touch. Whatever though, I let her play politics as I wandered away to look around. I came across another customer, slumped over a fancy looking couch looking unspeakably bored.

"Hey man." I said, slumping onto the opposite couch. "This place seems like a drag. You come here often?"

It was a basic question, but I figured it would be a decent icebreaker. He raised a brow, his shaved head coming up off the couch so he could look at me. "Interesting." He said crisply. "I admit, normally I'd shun an American dressed like you, but this is an expensive shop. You must have money to be in here. I suppose I'm bored enough to entertain. Who are you?"

I shrugged, figuring I'd answer. "Ryan Black." I shrugged. "Or Orion I guess. But no one calls me that except my mom when she's angry." And the portrait of my dead dad I guess. "How about you. What's your name? And why are you just sitting here?"

He snorted. "Blaise. Zabini. A Black, eh? Not many of you left. As for why I'm here, well…" He shrugged. "My dear mother decided to drag me in here so she could try on dresses. She insists that the scandalous amount of skin she shows will inure me to the charms of women my own age and give me the upper hand in matters of romance. I suspect she just likes to make me carry her bags."

I admit, he caught my interest with the whole scandalous amount of skin thing, but I kept my face blank. I could see him looking for a reaction. I was pretty sure his mom got hit on with him around A LOT. And he wanted to see if I'd do it. I decided to mix things up. I had better things to think about than women right now.

He nodded approvingly when my head didn't immediately swivel toward the changing rooms. "So, you're heading for Hogwarts this year I take it?" I said, hoping to change the subject before I gave into temptation and looked around.

"Of course." He said with a pleased grin. "Finally. My mother was a Potioneer, and she trained me in her craft from a young age, but she always stirred my potions for me. No training wands for me sadly. She insists they bias the magic, make your spells slower when you find your own." I wondered if that was true, it would fit with what Ollivander was complaining about, though he'd never stated it like that.

Still, that wasn't bad. It meant all the actual wand classes would be completely new to him. I nodded along. There was no reason to reveal my weaknesses to someone I'd just met. If he asked I'd tell him the same thing. It was technically true. "You thinking of going for a potions major yourself?"

He shrugged. "Mother would be elated, but honestly I don't want to lock anything in so early. I'll try all the classes and see where my talents lie. I suspect potions will be a favorite though, since Professor Snape is head of Slytherin and he tends to favor them above all others. I'll end up there most likely, almost everyone in the family has."

I raised an eyebrow. "Slytherin?" I blinked as the second part of that rant hit me. "Wait…the potions master's name is Snape?" My mom had mentioned being in school with a potion maker named Snape who shared the top three with her and her friend Lily.

"Severus Snape." He confirmed. "And Slytherin? The house? Hogwarts students are sorted into four houses, and Slytherin is one of the best. You can make connections with all the best families, you get preferential treatment, and the dungeons have the least supervision after curfew."

He repeated the facts like they were a mantra, and I filed them away. Nice to know more about things. I didn't want to ask about the other facts and draw attention to my ignorance though. Luckily, the conversation came to a halt as a woman prowled out of changing rooms in a clingy silk party dress.

Her body was….ridiculous. All soft curves poured into an hourglass in her dress. "Blaise." She purred, her accent more Italian than British. "You've made a new friend. How lovely. Introduce us darling."

"I don't think that'll be necessary Izzy." Spat a crisp accent I knew much better, even if it was new to me. My mother set her hands on my shoulders. "My son has to go. He needs fitted for his robes you know." The caramel skinned goddess quirked her pink lips into a pout but shrugged, which did…very nice things to her enormous rack.

"Oh well." She said cheerfully. "I'm sure we can see each other again sometime. Such a handsome young man. Good bye Sylvie. It's so lovely to see an old friend." She turned and strolled out, hips swaying. Blaise grimaced and gave me a nod before following her out, and I barely caught it. My mom pinched me. "Come on." She said over my yelp. "Let's go get your fitting done." I hoped they worked on my shirt first. I didn't want anyone messing with my pants right now.

August 10th, 2010, Sheffield Manor, London, England 12:00 PM BST

I hit the ground of the ballroom with a thud, blown off my feet by my mother, who was looking at me scathingly. "That was pathetic. I told you, the shield charm requires you to focus your intent. You're barely putting any intent in at all, and it's shattering like glass."

Groaning, I rolled up to my feet. "Yes, I know. But I can't just…intend harder. My magic is chaotic. It needs to learn. I can feel it adapting to the spell, but it's like training a dog. The wand acts as a focus and makes the casting easier, but the magic itself needs to learn to shape itself in that way."

She blew out an annoyed breath. "I know. It's frustrating. Your magic doesn't work like it's supposed to. The booklet says you're supposed to be able to learn magic more easily than normal wizards. This isn't easy."

I shook my head. "Two things to keep in mind. One, my magic is also adapting to adapting, it learns faster as I go, and two, I'm not learning a wanded spell. Once I learn this spell I CAN cast it. Wand or no wand. Are you sure I really need it though?"

"Yes." She said forcefully. "You can go without most magical education, but defense is key. You need to be able to shield before you start classes. You're the heir to a massive fortune, that's going to attract sycophants, but also enemies. You have to be ready."

Nodding, I blew out a breath of my own. "Ok. Fine. I get it. We'll keep working. How long is the list of spells you want me to learn before start of term anyway?"

We'd finished shopping in Diagon Alley and made our way to Sheffield Manor. The place was sparkling clean, thankfully, with a kind old house elf (super weird looking things) named Daisy. The little creature was adorable and incredibly fussy, and I kind of loved her already.

Mom had immediately started me on training, cramming my head full of as much magical bullshit as possible. My devil memory and apparent gift for languages made memorizing and finding books a snap, but actually learning magic was proving to be kind of tough.

"Only four or five. But I thought it would be easy." She huffed. "Your magic is entirely intent based, isn't it? This should be twice the progress with half the effort."

"Except the way wizards use magic and the way devils do isn't even remotely the same." I said, having already discovered this for myself firsthand. "Wizard magic is based on consistency. Doing the same thing and getting the same result. The booklet gave me a crash course in devil magic, and if I lean into that it'll make my magic MORE uncontrolled."

I held up my hand, focusing and picturing a dome of glowing blue energy forming around me. Protego, the shield charm. A weak periwinkle dome of translucent light appeared in front of me. "This is what happens when I train my magic. It learns. Devil magic IS intent based, but there's no real limit or control on it. The more I progress in that, the more my magic follows my every whim. I'll light shit on fire just by wanting it. No, this is slower, but ultimately more effective."

She nodded. "Ah. So you're basically training your intent to obey. That's…complicated, but you're right. Random wild bursts of magic aren't a good thing. If you keep learning this slow you'll never be a decent wizard though. You're sure it'll speed up?"

"Yes." I said bluntly. "It already is, actually. I can feel myself improving faster. Like I said, my magic isn't just learning the spell, it's learning how to learn. The wand is helping a ton too. It harmonizes with my power and augments the spell, believe it or not. My magic is essentially getting a treat every time it behaves. Positive reinforcement."

Of course, it was fighting me so damned hard the result was still fucking laughable, but that was because the wild magic was slippery and only a small amount of it was going into the actual spell. The rest just kind of evaporated. I was lucky I had so damned much of it or I'd never manage extended training."

Speaking of which, I'd been at it for a while tonight. Mom saw me sweating and took pity on me. "Get some rest. Go for a walk or something. We still have the rest of the month. Don't forget potions practice before bed, I'll be checking your results in the morning. And FOLLOW the instructions, Ryan. Twelve stirs clockwise MEANS clockwise."

"Yes mother." I intoned obediently. She rolled her eyes but headed to the kitchen to check on lunch. Daisy was a sweetheart and a great cook, but the dotty old elf had a terrible memory. She could and would forget a conversation an hour after having it, so it was best to monitor her.

I headed out of the house. I was getting stronger. Slowly, and very frustratingly, but it was happening. I should have my magic tamed enough to learn new spells in a reasonable timeframe once I got to school at this rate.

Still, it was frustrating having my power fight me like this. I didn't know how to deal with it. Part of me wanted to just give in and become a devil wizard, but the last thing I needed were random bursts of fire when I got mad.

Heading out of the manor, I decided to go out on a walk. It was a nice day, a bit cloudy, but I liked that. The manor was downtown, so walking out of my place (which weirdly most people couldn't see) took me right out onto the main road. I walked down the sidewalk, smiling at people as I walked by, enjoying the sunshine.

Stopping at the corner, I grinned down at the blue clad figure. "Traffic duty again, huh? Don't they have better uses for your talents?"

The very tiny, very busty blonde cop with the pixie cut glared up at me from under her cute little bowler. "I suspect my talents lie in different areas than you might think, Mr. Black, given where your eyes linger when we speak." Her crisp british accent could cut glass, but there wasn't much malice behind it, at least not toward me.

I held up my hands. "Sorry Vicky. I promise I don't mean anything by it. I'll look you right in the eye from now on." I did so. "Oh wow, that's a VERY pretty shade of blue."

She snorted. "That would be a bigger compliment if it hadn't taken you a week to notice. And don't call me Vicky. It's Officer Victoria. My mother warned me about pretty boys who like to pay compliments, and I'm having none of it."

Her declaration was somewhat undercut by the blush, and I gave her a charming smile. "Oh come on, Vicky. Don't be mad. You're my only real friend in jolly old london. I'd miss our talks terribly. And I thought I told you to call me Ryan. I promise I'll take a more genuine interest. How are your parents? They still upset with your decision to become a cop?"

She huffed out an annoyed breath. "My da, insists it's not women's work. My mum, bless her heart, believes his nonsense far too easily. They want me to be more ladylike, grow my hair out, marry a nice boy and pop out some sprogs. 'Criminals are dangerous.'" She mimicked in a high pitch voice. " 'What sort of life is that for a young lady?' Honestly. You'd think it was nineteen ten."

I hissed in sympathy. "Well I personally think it's badass that you're spending so much time focused on your career. As a man abhorrent of authority I think you could have picked a better field, but as a man with an interest in letting you handcuff me, I support your choice whole heartedly."

She rolled her eyes. "And you wonder why I keep you at arms length. You spend all your time trying to talk your way into my knickers."

"Because you're bored, Vicky." I said with a smile. "And my flirting amuses you. Which is why you haven't asked me to stop. Unless I'm bothering you, Officer Victoria, then I can just go. I don't want to impose."

Another huff (she really liked doing that, though I wasn't complaining given the view) "You're a dreadful man. Can't you even let a woman have her polite fictions?"

"Mea culpa." I laughed, hands up. "Don't be so down. I'll bring you some of those Jaffa Cakes you like so much as an apology. I'm sorry about your folks though, really. How about your coworkers, do they at least take you seriously?" I glanced down at her traffic uniform. "I mean aside from." I gestured at her expansively, "This."

"This." She spat. "Is something ALL officers need to do. It's a rite of passage. An important part of the job. It's…" Her face crumpled. "Who am I kidding, I look bloody ridiculous. What color is this vest? Neon?" She pulled sharply at her extremely vibrant vest. "This is hazing, plain and simple. Stick the bimbo with traffic duty." Her eyes watered slightly. "I hate it."

I held out my arms. She looked at me suspiciously. "I'm not a total scumbag." I said with affront. "No ulterior motives. You clearly need a hug. They're assholes. You're a smart girl, and tough as nails. You've certainly put me on my best behavior."

She stepped in to put her arms around me, sniffling. "If you grab my bum I'll club you and dump you in an alley."

"Noted." I said in amusement. "Feel a bit better." She nuzzled into my chest a bit, then pulled back, flushing.

Clearing her throat, she wiped her eyes discretely. "Sorry. That was…unprofessional. I suppose after a week of flirting and talking I consider you a mate. Don't read too much into it. I'm a very huggy person."

Vicky was a really sweet girl, and our talks really were the highlight of my day. Honestly as much as I loved magic, being a normal guy flirting with a pretty girl on vacation for a few minutes was a nice break from getting my ass kicked by my own mother.

"I'm sure you'll get a chance to do more serious work soon." I said encouragingly. "Like you said before. Gotta pay your dues. You're the new girl, a bit of hazing is inevitable. I'm sure they don't think you're a bimbo."

She snorted. "That would be more comforting if I hadn't met them. At least you looked me in the eye eventually. I don't think any one of them could tell you what color they are. Cept the ladies, and they hate me for other reasons."

I winced. "I'm…know that was a joke right? I knew what color your eyes were. I'm not THAT bad."

That got me a wan smile. "I know. If I thought you were a pervert I wouldn't talk to you. Plus you're cute. I've certainly been eyeing up your bum when you walk away. We aren't coworkers or anything so it's not the same." She blushed a bit after admitting that. "Anyway, you know I can't stop work for too long and I've got crossers coming."

"Alright." I said with a smile. "Tomorrow then? These meetings are my favorite part of the day." I'd clearly touched a nerve asking about work, and I wanted to make sure she wasn't still upset.

She blushed harder. "Yeah. I like em' too. Tomorrow is fine, just don't forget the Jaffa cakes." She paused. "Ryan." I grinned and turned to walk away, but I was stopped by a voice from behind as she called out to me. "And quit calling me Victoria, yeah? It's my last name. My friends call me Seras." I filed that away for later. What an unusual name.

September 1st, 2010, King's Crossing London, England 9:00 AM BST

"And you're sure you have everything?" My mother asked me worriedly. "You packed everything in your trunk? Because I know you had your potions ingredients out last ni-"

"I have everything." I said with a smirk, cutting off her worried babbling. "I double checked, ma. It's fine. I doubt anyone will be able to cause me any trouble anyway." She'd warned me to watch out for Narcissa's son Draco, but I wasn't scared of some punk ass rich kid.

Although, I guess I was a punk ass rich kid now. I was also an unholy abomination against nature, and she'd spent the whole last month training me up. I'd officially mastered the shield charm, and was actually still improving, even past the strongest shield my mom had ever seen, not to mention she'd taught me the disarming charm and the stunning spell too.

It wasn't exactly an expansive catalogue of magical might, but I could cast them all wandless, which was bound to be a surprise to anyone messing with me, plus I was REALLY strong now. Like…stronger than most people.

Now we were at platform nine and three quarters and I was about to board the Hogwarts Express. The crimson steamer was a pretty interesting train, and I was fascinated to see what kind of magical shit might be on board. All the cute girls getting onboard didn't hurt either, but mostly I was just excited to start my journey.

My wand was equally psyched, apparently, because I could feel it nearly humming with excitement as I spun it between my fingers. My mom closed her blue eyes, took a deep breath, then breathed out with a smile. "Right. Sorry. I'm just worried. Just…be careful when you're there."

I pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight before I let go and stepped back. I grabbed my trunk (still weightless) and swung it up over my shoulder, careful not to hit anyone. "I'm always careful. Except when I'm drunk. Or there are women involved. Or when I forget." I paused. "I may have some issues with being careful."

She glared at me and brandished her wand threateningly, but didn't cast. "Don't sass me, boy. Just because you're almost a half a foot taller than me doesn't mean I can't turn you into a houseplant."

"We're in England now, mother." I said innocently. "We're supposed to use meters."

Rolling her eyes, she turned her back to me. "I'm heading back to the house. Pick up an owl in Hogsmeade when you can, I don't like the school owls, they shed." I saw her shoulders tense, and ignored how her voice was suspiciously thick. My mother didn't like people to see her crying. "Love you, have fun."

She vanished into the crowd and I smiled after her. I'd told her it might be better not to come, she hated goodbyes, but she insisted on seeing me off. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of the nearby train, then climbed aboard, shifting slightly so my trunk would fit.

Following the corridor down, I looked around for a room to go into, and was taken by surprise when I heard a familiar voice. "Oi! Black! Ryan, over here." I stopped, scanning the corridor until I found an open compartment.

The dark skinned guy from Twilfit and Tattings, the one with the smokeshow cougar for a mom, waved from a nearby door. Since I knew literally no one else I made my way down to the door, nodding to him as I slipped in. "Hey, Blaise right? Zabini?" I didn't know if people here used last names, no one back home did, but that was how he addressed me.

Sliding my trunk up onto one of the racks, I looked around the room, noting more faces than I had expected. A cute blonde with big blue eyes and her hair in pigtails sitting next to an adorable redhead, and another blonde I'd have to describe as regal, whose eyes were more of an icy color than the first.

Blaise grinned at me. "Right you are mate. Take a seat." He seemed much less…stoic and smarmy. He seemed to notice my surprise because he grinned sheepishly at me. "Sorry about the attitude before, mum likes me to play the lordling in public, but she isn't here so I don't have to act like a git."

I shrugged. "It's cool. Not like it hurt me any. Introduce your friends?" I gestured to the three girls. The pigtailed blonde looked on challengingly, while the redhead averted her eyes. The regal looking blonde, who looked like a fucking supermodel, was studying me with cold, detached eyes.

"Friends." He snorted. "This is Susan, Bones. We've been seeing each other around at galas and dinner parties for years. The one with the tails is Abbott, didn't catch a first name, and the reptile with the cheekbones is Daphne Greengrass."

Pigtails rolled her eyes. "Hannah. My name is Hannah. Nice to meet you. Ryan was it? I love your accent, where are you from?"

Grinning at her, I raised an eyebrow. "I think you'll find I have no accent. This is how everyone sounds in the US, you guys are the ones who talk funny. It's kind of cute on you though." The blonde rolled her eyes, clearly not charmed, while her friend smothered a soft giggle and tried her hardest to blend into the seat when we looked at her.

Daphne scoffed. "Lovely, another flirtatious braggart. I suppose I could hardly luck into a proper conversational partner."

I winked at her. "Oh you don't want a conversation partner. Think of how all that talking would interrupt your sneering time."

Blaise grinned at me. "I knew I was going to like you. Regardless, you owe me for dragging you in here. We've got a compartment with the three fittest girls in the express, not counting the blonde with the enormous knockers. I think that was the Brown girl, but she's grown up a fair bit since I last saw so who knows. Shame. Browns always end up in Gryffindor. "

"I assume Gryffindor is one of those houses you mentioned?" I asked, figuring embarrassment was a better look than showing up at school know fuck all about what was going on.

Daphne snorted delicately. "Obviously. And the worst of the lot. Headstrong morons with no sense of decorum. Always charging around and sticking their noses where they don't belong. Not a Gryffindor alive doesn't think they're better than everyone else by virtue of being in the 'house of the brave'."

"But no hard feelings or anything." I said dryly. "I take it you have a preference going in?"

Ice blue eyes rolled artfully. Man, she must practice that shit in the mirror. "Of course. Slytherin. Anyone with any ambition ends up in Slytherin. Doesn't hurt most people of proper stock are sorted there as well."

Hannah cleared her throat. "Excuse me. I'm half blood you know? Do I count as proper stock to you, princess?"

Daphne just shrugged. "Not especially. It's not like I'm going out attacking muggles or anything. But good breeding isn't a matter of opinion. You've got the blood or you don't. My parents are pure six plus generations on each side. That's just a fact."

"My mom is muggle born." I said calmly. I knew that was a big deal, people didn't know about it, or my former squib status, though mom said they would soon. It would have shown on the family tapestry, which meant Narcissa and Bellatrix knew, and Draco through them. My second cousin was bound to be pissed about the money I took from his dad, I didn't expect it to be secret long.

That got a lot of stares, from Daphne, Susan, and Hannah. Blaise didn't react, which made sense since his mom presumably knew from her time in school with mine. "Really?" Asked the ice eyed blonde incredulously. "That's…shocking. The Black Family is notorious for purity. I imagine your relatives weren't pleased."

"Well, they thought I was a squib at the time." I said casually. "Apparently my magic came in late, and pretty damned strong. By the time it did, everyone who would have given a shit was dead or in prison."

I expected some kind of recoiling at that declaration, disgust or something. Squibs were…not looked upon fondly. Daphne looked impressed though. "A late bloomer? I've heard they can be strong. I have a third cousin who didn't get his until he was fifteen. International dueling champion."

Susan nodded animatedly, finally feeling up to joining the conversation. "My Auntie said my dad was one. Got his magic at sixteen. The later it comes in the stronger apparently. When did you get yours?"

"A few months ago." I hadn't known about this bit of urban legend, but it explained why my mom thought me being a former squib would hide any of the strangeness of my demonic nature. Though chances were some people wouldn't be so sanguine about it. "I don't know much about magic honestly. I'm a bit worried I won't be able to keep up." Which was a lie, I was well past any muggleborn at this point, but it didn't hurt to sound humble.

The pretty redhead shook her head quickly. "Oh no, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'd be happy to help you out with studying if you like." She blushed heavily, her porcelain cheeks staining light red. "I mean. If that's ok. I liked helping." I heard Daphne mutter something that sounded like 'cocoa puffs' which made no godsdamned sense, but I ignored it.

"I'd love that Susan, thank you." I shot her a dazzling smile, and internally gloated a bit as she seemed to melt. Look. I'm not vain. Ok that's a lie, I'm very vain. But I'm also, to borrow a phrase, 'really really ridiculously good looking' and that was BEFORE I became a devil. The devilization process put me through the physical equivalent of an airbrush makeover, and I was even hotter now.

Of course, based on what I'd seen magical people seemed to be hotter in general, but they were like…hollywood hot. I was next level hot, and I knew it. Hannah rolled her eyes, clearly having none of it, and Daphne just looked annoyed, but I started talking to Susan a bit about details she could give me on living in the magical world.

Blaise jumped in, not seemingly trying to pick up any of the girls in the compartment, just happy to have someone to talk to without having to sound like a pretentious dick. They were both actually lots of fun, and once Suzie (her face almost turned into a tomato when I called her that, but I think she liked it) came out of her shell a bit, she was actually a blast.

Hannah joined in once her friend started becoming social, and even stuck up Daphne would fire a quick verbal barb relevant to the conversation now and then. When the trolley came by, I bought one of everything for us all to split, and no one batted an eye at my casual wasting of money.

Apparently it was common for children of purebloods to blow lots of cash, and everyone in here qualified. Even half-blood Hannah had a rich pureblood daddy. It felt kind of nice not to be a huge deal for a while, just chatting with new friends and learning about my new world.

Sadly, all good things must end, and the train started to slow down. Daphne kicked Blaise and I out so the three girls could change, being almost protective of the other two in her female solidarity. Not that I tried to stay behind and peek or anything, but I was a little offended by the insinuation.

Finally we disembarked, everyone carrying their stuff, and we met up with an absolutely massive man standing at the shore of a colossal lake. I was distracted by the gigantic castle looming in the distance, light by hundreds of tiny flickering lights. Hogwarts University. I'd arrived. And I was pretty sure nothing would ever be the same for me again.

September 1st, 2010, Hogwarts, Scotland 8:00 PM BST

I headed up to the castle with Susan, Daphne, Hannah, and Blaise, all of whom had decided to stick with me out of some sense of solidarity after our train ride, except Suzie who I was pretty sure just had a huge crush on me. Which I didn't mind, she was gorgeous, and she really filled out that uniform.

We took a series of creaky wooden boats across a huge lake, which apparently contained an actual squid, the dark waves licked up around the edges of the boats, splashing up onto our robes as the clear dark sky opened up above us like an endless abyss of stars, as the castle got closer, I was in awe of the sheer size of the sprawling stone building, and I felt the others staring at it right along with me.

When we reached the other side of the lake we all walked silently up the path to the front of the castle, where the massive wooden doors stood open and inviting. They led us inside to another huge door, where the big man passed us off to a stern looking woman in glasses with a tightly pulled back bun. "Greetings." She said primly. "I am Professor Minerva McGonnagall, Deputy Headmistress, Transfigurations Teacher, and head of Gryffindor house."

Her accent wasn't British like everyone else I'd met, but Scottish, with a thick brogue I associated with Shawn Connery and people in kilts. She gave us a stern but relatively reassuring smile. "Now, I'm sure you're all anxious to enter and join the feast, but as first years, your first day will begin with a school tradition. You will be sorted into houses."

A bushy haired girl shoved a hand in the air and the Professor pointed to her. "Apologies, Professor. My name is Hermione Granger. But I think some of the Muggleborn students may be confused about the houses. I read about them in Hogwarts: A History, but if we're going to be sorted…"

The Professor looked more amused than annoyed. "Quite, Miss. Granger. Very well. There are four houses at Hogwarts. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Gryffindor is the house of the brave, Slytherin the ambitious and the cunning, Hufflepuff the house of the loyal, and Ravenclaw the house of the learned and intelligent."

It was nice to know which houses were which now at least. "Now. Announced the scotswoman. "You will remain here while I take my seat, and then we will call you in one at a time. You will sit on a stool at the front of the great hall and place the Sorting Hat upon your head, and it will peer into your mind to find the place you best belong." A bunch of people started muttering, but she held up a hand. "Fear not, the hat reveals none of what it sees. Your private thoughts will remain private. It seeks only to weigh your inner self to find where you are meant to be."

Nodding, she turned and strode calmly into the 'great hall' (which was, from what I could see, a big ass stone room lined with tables full of people), leaving us behind to wait. I could hear a short speech from the insanely old guy up at the top of the high table at the front of the room, though I got the impression no one else could. Devil hearing. Then a voice bellowed loudly "Abbot, Hannah!" Hannah, who had been waiting nervously, jumped and gave us a nod before hurrying in.

I turned to Blaise. "Damn you. You're going to be last." My tentative friend just grinned at me, but I saw Suzie looking a bit worried and patted her shoulder with a smile. "Hey, don't sweat it. I'm up first, I'll feel things out so you know it's all good." I gave her a dazzling smile, and she flushed, smiling at me shyly.

"Thanks Ryan." She said softly. "I'm not usually so…I don't know…nervous? But this is all really overwhelming." Hannah was sorted into Hufflepuff, hopping off the stool and heading over to a heartily cheering table that welcomed her with open arms. In one case literally, though the girl sitting next to that guy smacked him upside the head and made him sit down.

When she was done, there was a shout of 'Black, Orion!' And I gave my two companions a wink. "Seems like it's my time to shine. Don't miss me too much while I'm gone, Suzie." She smiled back at me, clearly happy to be distracted from her troubles and I sauntered out into the great hall cheerfully.

It was surprisingly quiet when I came out, which made sense, since the Black name was kind of infamous. That happens when your last two notable relatives were in wizard prison for torture and treason. I sat down on the stool and plopped the hat on my head, wondering if having my mind read would feel weird.

Which didn't end up being a problem as I felt the peculiar sensation of claws scrabbling at stone. I closed my eyes, and saw a shape in my mind's eye. Myself, inside of a giant red crystal King. A storm of dust roared outside it, and I had to actively focus on letting some of it through before it could penetrate. I wondered if I had to worry about the thing outing me as a devil out of spite.

'You don't.' Said a low, rasping voice in my head. 'Though I have to admit, you're certainly…interesting. I have a clear enough idea where to put you, unless you have other plans?No? Very well. You'd do well enough in Gryffindor, but I think we both know you belong in….SLYTHERIN!'

To my surprise, I actually got a decent level of enthusiasm from the table in the green and silver ties. I walked over and sat down, getting a pat on the back from a big rough featured guy. "Good to have ya, Black." He said, baring a set of relatively poorly cared for teeth.

I nodded back, focusing on the sorting again. Next up was Suzie, who went Hufflepuff with Hannah, and some kid named Terry Boot, who ended up in Ravenclaw. Corner, Dunbar, Finnegan,Malfoy, one name after another came and went. Daphne ended up with me, and deigned to sit next to me and grace me with her presence as we waited for things to shake out.

Finally, the last of the sortings came, Blaise. Lucky bastard. I'd always been jealous of people whose names ended in Z. By the time he came along everyone had mostly stopped caring, their interest having peaked when some anemic looking guy named Harry Potter got sorted. I tried asking Daphne why anyone gave a shit, but she just kind of sneered at me.

Blaise ended up coming over to us, and I made space for him between Daphne and I. He grinned at me. "Thank Merlin." He groaned as he plopped down. "My mother would have strangled me in my sleep if I ended up anywhere else."

I grinned at him. "That would be terrible. I've seen your mother. I'd want to be wide awake if she strangled me."

He shot me a two fingered gesture that looked like a peace sign, one I'd learned from Seras was like the middle finger for Brits. I stuck with my American gesture, just as an extra layer of fuck you, and he laughed. "Ok, you get one. Please don't make it a habit. It gets old mate, you have no idea." He paused. "Actually, I saw your mum. You probably do."

I put both hands up placatingly. "Shit. Truce. I won't do it again. You're right. It DOES get old." A LOT of the guys who grew up near me hit on my mom. Maybe I should have sympathized with Blaise more to begin with.

Daphne snorted. "Animals, the lot of you. I swear, I must have done something horrible in a past life to wind up stuck with slavering dogs for housemates."

Grinning, I pointed down the row. "You could always go sit with my cousin down there. He looks like he's having a grand old time." He didn't. The platinum blond twit was pointing furiously at me, hissing to everyone he could engage in conversation what I could just barely hear was every negative thing he knew about me and a dozen or so he made up.

She looked horrified. "Pass. Look at his hair. I don't spend that much time on my hair in the mornings and I'm a witch. I bet you a galleon he never talks about anything but himself." She glanced at me. "Do you even comb yours?"

I ran a hand through my black locks. "Styled by pillow. And you'd lose that bet, he's talking about me right now. He's understandably pissed because I made his daddy cough up a hundred thousand galleons for misuse of funds while I was…indisposed."

If my voice carried a little more than was necessary, it was hardly my fault in such a loud hall, but Malfoy definitely heard, flashing me an enraged snarl as several other people at the table smirked or snickered.

Even Daphne grinned sedately. "Merlin, that's no small fee. I'm ever so glad that you've received proper remuneration for your hardships, Lord Black." She ALSO made sure her voice carried, and batted her eyelashes fetchingly at me as she said it, though her sickly sweet tone made it clear she was just playing it up for the drama.

Blaise chuckled, shaking his head. "Bloody hell, you two are vicious. Remind me not to get on your bad side. A hundred thousand?" I just shrugged, digging into the Prime Rib on my plate. A lot of this stuff was weird British Food I didn't recognize, puddings and shit that didn't seem like it should be called pudding even though it was.

Prime Rib seemed safe, so that's what I asked for, since the magic plates could hear us. The drinks were pumpkin juice apparently, which I'd never had, but didn't HATE. It was pretty sweet, which was nice, but it still tasted weird. I kind of wished I could just ask for a root beer or something, but the glass didn't register the request.

Finally we finished eating, and the old man wizard with the kickass beard (Headmaster Dumbledore apparently) gave another speech, this one less brief, to cover our welcome and warn us about a forest that was forbidden and a corridor on the third floor (why didn't they just say hallway?) that would kill us if we went in.

Once that was done we all got up, and followed our 'prefects' to our house common rooms. Ours was in the dungeons, which was kind of neat, and when we got there Daphne followed the female prefect to her side of the dormitories, while we followed the male, some guy named Felix Rosier to ours.

The dormitories were pretty nice, honestly. A long stone hallway of doors to single rooms. Blaise took the one next to mine, and as we put our hands on the doors our names engraved themselves on the wooden plaques above them, burning themselves into the light colored wood with a rolling wave of green flame.

Rosier gave us a brief speech on the enchantments protecting the doors, warning us that anyone trying to breach them would suffer for it, and passed us our class schedules. Once that was done he turned and walked off, clearly not caring what we did now that we weren't his problem.

I said goodnight to Blaise and headed into my room, finding my trunk has already made it in here, and slumped onto my bed. My mind was racing and I was way too wired to sleep. I couldn't stop grinning. I was at a fucking magic school. This was going to be a total blast, and I couldn't wait to learn everything I could.

As usual pat-reon has the advance chapters at that site /malcolmtent hope everyone enjoys. Also as of this moment the story is NOT a Hellsing cross, Seras is an expy