"It's a tradition for the firsties, I guess." Neville frowned, having similar thoughts as he clutched his best friend's hand tightly as if his life depended on it...which, kind of, was.
"So we will take the thestral carriages from next year?" Hadrianus asked quietly.
"What are thestral carriages?" Justin whispered nervously, as he walked beside Hadrianus and his friends. He hadn't left Devarsh's side ever since he found him, other than the five minutes he took to grab his Hogwarts robe from his old compartment. Even his compartment mates had followed him, all of them being muggle-borns.
"There's a horse-like creature that pulls the carriages...I'll show you later," Hadrianus whispered, glancing at the taller girl walking in front of them with her wand lit up, showing others the way. Hadrianus wondered how dark it would have been if his god mummy was not amongst them, disguised as a new student. They have three new transfer students this year, and all of them had lit up their wands to show them the way, even though it was not enough for almost fifty new students, judging by how they are huddled together. Hadrianus frowned at Hagrid, why was he only holding a lamp, instead of casting a Lumos? He is not a squib, is he? Hadrianus remembered Draco's gossip about how the groundskeeper was very poor at casting magic and wondered if it was true.
Whatever Justin was about to reply was drowned by loud 'Ooo' from their other classmates. Hadrianus' breath hitched as the narrow path opened to the great view of Hogwarts on top of a mountain, in her glory under the moonlight and starry sky, on the other side of the Black Lake. She looks...
"Gorgeous!" Neville breathed in awe, "I've been coming here for years, and she's been radiant every single time!" Hadrianus couldn't help but agree, even though he could feel the nervousness creeping inside his bones about the Sorting test. What if he fails? What if they say he's too weak for Hogwarts? He doesn't feel brave, loyal, intelligent or cunning, maybe if only there was a house for queasy boys with nerves made like the house of cards.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Hadrianus and Neville were followed into their boat by Theo and Zabini, Justin took the next boat with his compartment friend after ensuring they all would be together at the end. Harley got on a boat with other new students.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. Earning positive murmurs from the several tiny boats, he nodded to himself, "Right then, FORWARD!"
The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the huge black lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff, they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
They clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.
"Everyone here?"
Earning several polite murmurs of 'yes sir,' Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door swung open at once, revealing Madam McGee in her usual emerald robes and hat. No wait, she's Deputy Headmistress McGonagall from now on.
"The firs' years and new students, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was beautifully lit by the candles, and the magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. Hadrianus breathed when he felt the Castle's magic tighten around him, welcoming him.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Hadrianus could hear the rest of the school beyond the doorway to the right, though Professor McGonagall showed them into a small, empty chamber off the hall which was adorned with several wash basins with mirrors along the wall and a fireplace. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said the stern witch, her eyes involuntarily finding the skittish ward of hers. "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 that's how you will find the companions with similar traits that you're most compatible with. However, that doesn't mean the other houses can not be your friends. Inter-house friendship is encouraged and you can choose to spend your free time in either house common room or inter inter-house rooms, also known as the lounges. Note that tonight is the exception where you must sit at your House table, on other days you can sit anywhere with your friends."
"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. So even if you don't get along with some of the students, that doesn't mean the whole house doesn't deserve your respect." She warned sternly.
"While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
McGonagall looked around the tiny students, maintaining her gaze on them, making sure they understood her words. The crowd of tiny buggers is larger than even the last batch. According to her list, there are at least three or four students with creature blood and twice the amount of muggle-born than the last batch. Clearly, the new laws are working splendidly, leaving not a single magical to the mercy of muggle worlds under the excuse of parental consent or poor budget. Minerva was very satisfied with the progress, as no magical are safe to leave behind in the muggle world, even if their magic is bound with no memory of exposure to the magical world. She made a mental note to send another fruit basket of thanks to Lord Slytherin.
Speaking of which...her eyes found the big innocent eyes of Hadrianus, and she felt her heart melt just a little when she noticed a flock of nervous tiny muppets surrounding the child. It seems even they could detect the kindred spirit in him!
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up and wash your hands for your dinner while you are waiting. I will call the new students first, followed by the first years."
As she left, everyone made their way to the basin to wash their hands. Hadrianus looked around to find everyone except his god mummy Harley was terrified, fidgeting in worry. Theo was biting his nails, and Malfoy looked paler than ever. Even Zabini was repeatedly brushing his hands on his robes, looking tense. Hadrianus craned his neck further to find Jim who was trying to flatten his hair as the rest of them wondered how they would be sorted. Each presented one wild theory after another, which seems more unlikely, though, given Dumbledore, Hadrianus couldn't be too sure. Are they really going to let students fight a troll while others watch? Hadrianus is sure his father will never allow that! He glanced at his god mummy, a little worried, only to find her looking amused listening to others. Ugh, that bullheaded woman!
"Devarsh, is it too late to back off?" Justin asked him in worry, pulling him out of his own spiralling thoughts.
Hadrianus frowned, "Don't worry Justin, I'm pretty sure they won't make us fight something most of the adults can't handle. I think it's some sort of entrance examination." At least that's what Barty says, but he is not sure if he could trust Barty on this. Besides, there are so many muggle-borns with them, with no previous knowledge of magic. How are they going to take the entrance examination?
"You mean, test? Do we have to do some sort of magic in front of the whole school?" Someone asked, terrified, and Hadrianus could hear the Granger girl rapidly reciting all the spells from their spellbooks just as the ghosts appeared, discussing Peeves' latest miscreants. That earned an interesting reaction from all the muggle-borns.
The Deputy Headmistress appeared soon enough, shooing the ghosts away and demanding the first years to form a line in pairs behind the older students. Hadrianus got in line behind Theo and Zabini, with Neville as his partner and Justin on his back. and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Hadrianus smiled wider as he stepped into the Great Hall. No matter how many times he came to visit Hogwarts, it was as marvellous as ever. The whole Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.
Hadrianus tried to search for his Godmummy who was near the front of the line, but couldn't find her.
Unknown to him, Bella was busy watching everyone with complete focus, keeping eyes on the Flamel family and other teachers as well as the students. Her Lord has asked her to provide the memory of the event, focusing on the professor's reaction to her little godson and she will do her best to remember every single thing.
Deciding Hadrianus would meet her later, he looked up at the velvety black ceiling dotted with stars when he heard the Granger girl lecturing someone, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
Hadrianus ignored her and looked towards the professors' table, and caught the four huge, larger-than-bodies portraits of Founders watching them, with the golden nametag 'Custodes-De-Hogwarts' under their names. He couldn't help the smile on his face noticing how excited Aunt Helga looked as she waved merrily at him.
Hadrianus glanced at Deputy Headmistress McGonagall as she silently stared at a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, there was a pointed dirty and very old wizard's hat. Whose hat is that? Hadrianus wondered.
What are they waiting for? Hadrianus frowned, looking at the other students staring at the hat, but to his surprise, the hat started to sing a song about how he was an impressive hat and an important tool for sorting, earning the whole school's applause.
"Is that it? We just try the hat?" Hadrianus couldn't help but ask incredulously, exchanging an exasperated look with Neville. That's the huge secret the adults were hiding? Dear Loki, he is soo going to kill Barty for making him think they have to give an entrance examination! He stayed awake until midnight to memorise all the spells last night, until mum literally forced him to sleep!
The Deputy Headmistress now 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," she said. "Alves, Dewy for the fourth year."
An older brunette girl stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause, then, "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
Hadrianus sighed in relief. Now that's more like it, instead of the entrance examination someone was ranting about. At the reminder, Hadrianus sent a glare at the particular seat at the professor's table, earning a grin and toast of orange juice at his direction from his 'new' Defence professor.
Idly noticing how his god mummy went to Slytherin, then their year started where Justin went to Hufflepuff, Neville and the Granger girl to Gryffindor much to the chagrin of his, Theo to Slytherin. Sometimes, the hat took several minutes to sort many others. Now, it was time for Jim Potter to be sorted. He locked eyes with Jimmy as he passed, whispers breaking out like hissing little fires all over the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Jim Potter?"
Jim sighed hearing them gossiping about him as if they hadn't seen him around Hogwarts before, before his vision was blocked with the dirty hat's inside. Jim quickly straightens up, as he has a reputation to keep. He couldn't lose it for anything. His birth-givers would kill him if he wasn't sorted in Gryffindor. He needs to do this properly. For Harry. He will do anything for his Harry, including tolerating some stupid lions.
"Interesting," a small voice whispered in his ear, and without any further prompt, Jim started thinking with all his might, "Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor..."
"Gryffindor, you say?"
"Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor..."
"Yes, but..."
"Gryffindor, Gryffindor..."
"But you are not..."
Jim gripped the edge of his tool, his focus only on his dead brother as he kept chanting in his mind as loud as he could, "Gryffindor, Gryffindor..."
"Fine, fine, you silly boy! If you insist, then gerroff me and run to...GRYFFINDOR!"
Jim hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer, as he took the hat off and walked shakily to the Gryffindor table and collapsed in the vacated seat beside one of the Weasley brothers he could care less about. He was so relieved, it was like half of his worry had been taken away. Now he could focus completely on learning everything and reviving his brother, no one would suspect a thing! Not his birth-givers, not Dumbledore! He could kiss the ground expressing his thanks to the sentient Castle for making his path a bit easier!
Maybe he should also thank Adrian, for passing him the important information about placing the Trace on his wand during Sorting via Milo. Jim felt naked without his loyal Aspen wand. Well, at least he has the new Fir wand with him.
Hadrianus frowned at the expression on Jim's face, wondering what it was about. Was Jimmy really that worried about not being in Gryffindor? He didn't take his ex-brother to really care about what house he would be in or what others thought about him. Then what happened? He made a mental note and focused on the Sorting for now.
After waiting for another few minutes, finally, the Deputy Headmistress called out, "Slytherin-Peverell, Hadrianus."
As Hadrianus stepped forward, he could hear another whisper breaking out around the hall, "It's the Slytherin boy!"
"Is he really the owner of Hogwarts?"
"Why is he Sorting? He will obviously be a Slytherin!"
The last thing Hadrianus saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. The next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage and intelligence, I see. A whole load of curiosity and incredibly loyal to the boot. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, Ah! my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... You fit in all four houses, little heir! But where do I put you?"
"Well, surprise me," Hadrianus whispered back, "Though if you ask me, I would prefer a place with a lot of privacy, where no one can find me unless I want them to find me."
"That sounds like Slytherin suite, but for that, you'll need to choose Slytherin House, little heir."
"Slytherin suite?"
"You will find it if you deserve it."
Hadrianus knew he had a split second to decide for the rest of his school life. Slytherin House would provide him with much-needed privacy and safety, but also with lots of adversaries, political dramas and power plays. Is it worth it?
Then again, what is life without a hint of drama and thrill?
"Alright, I'll find it, put me in Slytherin House then," Hadrianus said, resigned. It seems he can't break out of the stereotype, he kind of expected to find such a place in Ravenclaw!
"Don't be so put out, unlike what people expect you to become, you're choosing to be a SLYTHERIN!"
Hadrianus felt Sorting Hat shout the last word to the Hall, and then there was a deafening cheer from the Slytherin table, almost rivalling the Gryffindors' cheer for Jimmy. Hadrianus snorted in amusement as he handed over the Sorting Hat to the Deputy Headmistress and walked over to the Slytherin table, and sat beside a delighted Theo, Malfoy being opposite to him. There were eight more people after him, who were sorted rather quickly, the last one being Zabini who became a Slytherin.
Suddenly the Great Hall fell silent. Hadrianus looked up, finally noticing 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 all there. Hadrianus raised his eyebrow, as this was the first time he could see him since Jimmy and Neville's birthday party. That was like...a couple of years ago? But he looked like he had aged ten years more!
"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. Everybody clapped and cheered. Hadrianus felt his mouth open, wondering whether to laugh or not. What was that about?
Apparently, he asked that aloud as one of the older Slytherin smirked, "He's a bit mad, don't mind him. Someone pass the chicken."
Hadrianus looked down as there was a sudden assault of smell, noticing the dishes were filled with various food items, vegetables and meats alike. However, what made him grimace was the smell of too many spices and soaps on the dishes. He almost gagged at the strong smell. The food had too much spice, and he wasn't smelling a particle of soap. It was full-on soap. Did they use soap water instead of oil and butter?
"Are you not going to eat?" Asked Theo, as he pulled several dishes towards him. Feeling as if he was being stared at, Hadrianus glanced towards the other side of the Slytherin table, but no one was paying attention to him. He turned to the professor's table, where he suddenly noticed Barty was staring at him. As he caught his eyes, he saw his godfather pulling his wand and tapping it on his part of the table, giving him a significant look.
Oh right. While mingling with humans, Hadrianus forgot he was not human at all. He is an overly sensitive creature. With a deep sigh, Hadrianus pulled his new Elder wand out and cast the smell-dulling area spell that father taught him before. Finally, he could breathe better!
Unknown to Hadrianus, two pale eyes narrowed with hatred as they continued to watch him from a distance.
"Everything alright? You cast some area magic, I felt." Theo whispered as Hadrianus took a bite of his potatoes. Oh right, Theodore was born sensitive to magic.
"Just making it less stinky," Hadrianus replied, finally focusing on his dinner. Remembering mum's stern words, Hadrianus didn't forget to take a couple of helping of vegetables and fruits with the chicken, pork and lambs as Malfoy whined at the subpar quality food of Hogwarts.
It was a funny thing, trying to see Malfoy as a Slytherin. To Hadrianus, father was the epitome of what he thought a Slytherin should be. Arrogant yes, but also formidable, capable, intelligent, cunning, poised, well-mannered.
Malfoy might be a bit intelligent and a lot arrogant, but the rest of that seemed to pass him by. Unless running to his daddy counted as cunning. But Hadrianus didn't think it did.
He was already missing home. Missing dining with his father and mum, while debating over different subjects and topics, charms or spells that he read that day and their father smiling amused and correcting when needed. Miss the peaceful environment. No matter how prepared he was, he still felt agitated and his instincts extremely alert and on edge. He tightened his occlumency shield and focused on the topics being discussed at the table. But everything seems to move past him.
What was father doing right now? And mum? Did they miss him as much as Hadrianus was missing them? When would he be able to see them again? Why did Neville have to choose a different house? Why did Hogwarts have to be a boarding school? Why couldn't it be a simple day school? When is the next holiday? Do they have any holidays in September? Where is this Slytherin suite the Sorting Hat was talking about? What did the Hat mean by he would find it if he deserved it? What did he have to do? Could he find it by tonight, or does he have to wait until he does? Where was he going to sleep until then?
And most importantly, how was he going to survive Hogwarts alone?
Following the prefect, they soon entered the Slytherin common room. Hadrianus was surprised to find how similar it was to Slytherin Castle, with vintage pieces of furniture. It was a long, low underground room with stone walls and a ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in squishy armchairs. The room was warm, unlike the rest of the dungeons outside.
"Welcome, firsties," The prefect said in an imperious tone, "to the Slytherin House. Everyone else, welcome back. I'm Eddie Goldfinch and this is Grace Inkwood. We are fifth-year prefects. Our sixth-year prefects are Jay Fauns and Elsie Medlar. The Head of the House, Professor Snape will be here shortly to inform the firsties about the House rules, meanwhile, we will be informing you about the student-representative council of our House, The Slytherin Court. The role of this Court will be explained later. However, you should know that it consists of the Knights, the Barons, and the Prince. Knights and Barons are selected via anonymous vote, anyone above the third year could become a Count by challenging Knights and Barons. The prefects will automatically become Knights."
"Traditionally, the Heir of Slytherin automatically becomes the Prince of the Court, and the Lord Slytherin becomes the King. Unless the heir is absent, the Barons could compete amongst themselves to become the Count. The last actual Slytherin Prince's reign ended in 1945. After that year, the title became more of a reminder. They would be able to be Count, not Prince. The last Count is Malik Khan from the sixth year. However, we have an heir of Slytherin right here with us."
Hadrianus suppressed a groan as several heads turned to look at him at the remark. A guy with a short boxed beard and Slytherin green cap rose with a smirk, confidence oozing off him.
"Don't be shy and come forward, Slytherin." Jay Fauns, the sixth-year Prefect barked. "Meet Count Khan, if you wish to take your throne."
Oh, Loki! He's dead! He's dead tonight, that's for sure! Hadrianus is not his father, all he knows is some useless levitation charms, animation and some basic transfiguration, that too mostly cast through wishes; while his opponent has six years of Hogwarts education. What, he, a firstie, can do about it?
Dear Hogwarts, Hadrianus prayed with his heart, doing his best to keep his composure, please don't let me get hurt by them, please, my lady! Lady Hecate, Magic, Fate...whoever you are...please save me tonight!
As if sensing his hesitation and nervousness, Azure came out of the cocoon and flew to his shoulder, snarling at everyone daring to look at Hadrianus, making them gasp and take a step back in fear.
Recognising the panic starting to creep in, Hadrianus breathed and tightened his shield, as his classmates moved away, making a space for him and pushing him forward. Those traitors! Occlumency shields contained most of his negative feelings like self-doubt and fear, giving him the chance to scrutinise his opponent.
"Slytherin, don't hide behind your friends. I want you to challenge for the Prince title! Let's see if a firstie is worthy of that title!" Khan barked and Hadrianus narrowed his eyes, not liking the tone. That one is certainly a bully if what the twins told him was true! Khan actually has the nerve to glare at him, intent on putting fear in what he must think is simply a meek first year with a swooping evil familiar and a title. But he is nothing in front of his father. If Hadrianus can survive his father hurling spell after spell at him to help him master the art of deflection, then he can survive a sixth year throwing a temper tantrum!
A movement in the corner of his eyes caught Hadrianus' attention, who turned to find the Lestrange twins restraining Harley while glaring at Khan. He felt his confidence returning, knowing the twins are here, his god mummy is here. They won't let him get hurt. Not while they're still breathing.
"The privileges and responsibilities that came with the title Count are nothing in front of Slytherin Prince." Reylan snarled out, keeping an eye on his twin who was holding a silenced and enraged Bella under a petrified spell.
"Yes," Reynaldo was doing his best to not sick Bella on that stupid cunt. He knew he should have gone for the Count position, but Reylan and Severus talked him out of it. Thank Merlin he had already alerted the Little Prince about Khan. "All Count and Countess bow down to Slytherin Prince, not challenge him."
Khan scoffed. "There's no way I'd bow down to a firstie, a foreigner, at that! I wish to challenge the boy for the title of Slytherin Prince."
Obviously, he thought if he challenged the untrained and naive firstie he could win this title. Hadrianus knew there would be people who would never accept him, and challenge him at every step. It looks like he finally found a face for it. Hadrianus remembered what father used to say: 'Show them how ruthless you can be, only then will they appreciate your kindness and mercy. Even so, don't give too much, lest they forget their first lesson and take you for granted again.' He remembered father telling him how they were terrible to him because he was a supposed 'mudblood' in Slytherin, it took them two years to stop antagonising him openly and another year to realise his power. Looks like this guy would need to learn his place. Hadrianus would do his best, just to make certain that he wouldn't challenge him again!
Slytherins bow to only powerful - father had said.
Powerful, huh? Well, Hadrianus could do powerful. He could make something as mundane as a levitation charm look powerful. He has enough practice in that particular spell, thanks to Wormtail!
The upper years started whispering among themselves, looking with slight worry at Hadrianus. Hadrianus was in no way ready for this challenge. But he couldn't back away now, that would insult his father. He would rather die than that.
"Alright, I accept." Is mum going to be too sad if he dies tonight? I'm so sorry mum, I couldn't keep myself out of trouble - Hadrianus thought, sending a silent prayer to his mum, hoping it would reach him before his last breath.
"I will be his second!" Suddenly a voice announced, and Hadrianus turned in surprise to find Theo approaching him and standing by him, his posture tensed but confident, despite the nervousness he obviously felt.
"Theo," Hadrianus whispered urgently, "You don't have to do that!"
"Of course I do, you're my friend!" Theo said in a duh tone.
Hadrianus felt his inside melt a little at the declaration. What did he do to earn such loyalty? He would repay the loyalty with everything he got, Hadrianus vowed inwardly, as he turned to look at his opponent. Khan was eyeing Theo like he was his next meal. Hadrianus resisted the urge to step in front of Theo to hide the shorter boy from the view.
"Don't kill the brats, there might be an inquest." Some of the older Slytherin told Khan, seemingly amused. The Knights and Barons had every student back off, leaving a space for the upcoming duel. The older students were all cheering for Khan, except for only his classmates and many of the older students, including the Lestrange twins and Bella.
"Duly noted." Khan was amused too, sneering at Hadrianus. "Don't worry, boy, I'll go easy on you."
Boy?
Vernon used to call him boy.
Hadrianus took a deep breath, rage coursing through his blood. His previous concern and worry had long forgotten. Magic thrummed around him, restrained barely under his skin, waiting to be released. Hadrianus was surprised to see the hollow emptiness he had been filling since the Creature Binding Ritual was slowly refilling as he let his core flow his magic freely in his veins. He could feel Hogwarts tightening her magic around him, as if supporting him and giving him an extra boost of energy.
He could smell Uncle Batman nearby, he was probably hidden in the shadows and keeping an eye on the ongoing process. He would stop anyone from harming Hadrianus, or contain any damage, Hadrianus knew.
The older boy stood straight and confident, his wand pointed at Hadrianus, but he was not worried about it anymore. He will not go down without a fight, whether he has any training or not.
Jay Fauns volunteered to be the referee. "Alright, the official duel between current Count Khan and Adrian Slytherin for the position of Slytherin Prince starts..." he pointed his wand at the ceiling, emitting a loud bang sound, finishing with, "Now!"
"Expelliarmus!" Khan shouted, his wand pointed at Hadrianus making huge movements for the spell. A big mistake, and he was too slow. Hadrianus smirked, why was he afraid of this big bad bully again?
Hadrianus grinned wide as the thin thread of the red spell shot at him and dissolved even before touching him, "You do realise I have no wand out, right?"
The students laughed, and Khan started to turn an interesting shade of purple. "You bloody..." He snarled out another curse, "Bombarda!"
Hadrianus immediately did a double cartwheel and moved out of the way long before the curse hit its mark. The Slytherins gasped and openly gawked at him for the unexpected parkour, watching as Hadrianus stood with the grace of an ancient feline, smirking while dusting off imaginary specks of dust.
Hadrianus did a mere cursory glance at the destroyed part of the common room, before focusing on Khan again. "My turn," He announced, thrusting his hand out, his fingers dancing elegantly, doing his best to channel his inner Marvolo Slytherin in the most dramatic way he could imagine.
Magic burst forth his finger, and Khan dropped his wand screaming in terror as he was dragged mercilessly across the floor and slammed against the wall, earning a scream of agony. Hadrianus wiggled his fingers, just for the show and Khan was further dragged upward against the wall, higher and higher.
Father had shown him this trick, to keep his magic at the tip of his finger when faced with a threatening situation, so he can have access to raw magical power within a moment's notice, it will throw out adversaries and give him the moment needed to draw his wand and cast any spell for next attack.
It always works, Hadrianus has tested it. Even if his opponent has a shield in front of them, it always works. Shields are for spells, they can't hold back magic.
"Yes! That's my baby! That's my Little Prince!" A high-pitched voice that sounded like his godmummy screamed, and Hadrianus looked down to find Harley doing a happy wiggle dance in the middle of the common room earning weird eyes from the onlookers, with the twins laughing and high-fiving each other. Theo was cheering too, jumping up and down and shouting childishly, "Up! Up!" Hadrianus laughed, giving in to his adorable friend's demand and dragging Khan two feet higher than before.
Suddenly, it was as if they were back to Slytherin Castle, and he was playing with Wormtail.
"What do you say? Should I keep him there for the night?" Hadrianus asked them, grinning widely. Maybe he should ask mum for her opinion on this!
"Yes! Do it!" Theo cheered, and Hadrianus was surprised to find the bloodthirstiness in the usually shy boy.
"I say he has learned his lesson, now leave him and claim your Prince's throne." Reylan winked, and Hadrianus blinked. Oh right, he was in Hogwarts, and mum is not here anymore.
Hadrianus looked around to see his housemates were now watching him with respect and awe, glancing between him and Khan who was still screaming and thrashing against the wall, clawing the invisible hands that were holding him hostage. Hadrianus looked back at Khan, wondering if he had gone too far for the first time.
But… he was also the same guy who used his position as Count to force physical intimacy with many half-bloods and a couple of muggle-borns that were sorted in Slytherin...according to the rumours that Lestrange twins heard.
Hadrianus doesn't know if the rumours are true, he will find them out later. However, if that's true, Hadrianus knows the punishment for that sin. Let's see if his position would save him now. After all, Fauns didn't put up any restrictions for the duel.
Hadrianus pulled his magic back, letting Khan fall freely from at least fifteen feet height. But just as he was about to hit the ground rather brutally, he was stopped abruptly. Smelling Uncle Batman, Hadrianus turned to find him standing behind, with his wand out, finally stepping out of the shadows.
"A month's detention with me, Fauns. Are you too dumb to remember that I repeatedly asked you to use the restriction of no permanent or grave injury during duels? Next time, you will be stripped of your position." His quiet voice filled the silence of the room.
"Yes sir," Fauns murmured, sufficiently cowed.
"Now run along and get him a Calming Draught from Infirmary." He dismissed Fauns and turned to Hadrianus. If Slytherins were anticipating Hadrianus would be in trouble after daring to hurt the Count, they were in for the shock of their life as all Professor Snape did was wave an impatient hand at Hadrianus, "Well, what are you waiting for, a welcoming committee? Take your golden throne so we can move on with other agendas of the night." He drawled in his typical tone.
The Prince Throne, yeah, right. The reason he had to go through such a shit show. Hadrianus smiled coldly, doing his best to channel his inner Marvolo Slytherin, "But of course, sir, since, my adversaries are not in a position to stop me from claiming my throne."
Everyone looked at the scene silently, and no one dared to stop him after this. They did not know what happened and they refused to replace him. The pale eyes from before were now burning with hatred and promise of pain as they watched him from amongst the crowd.
Hadrianus turned towards the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. His grandpa's portrait smirked back, then tapped the side of his portrait at the same time Hadrianus called forth his magic and touched the wall beside the fireplace. However, as soon as his hand came in touch with the wall, it became stuck to it.
Hadrianus felt a moment of panic when he couldn't pull his hand away. What was happening? After a couple of useless tugging, he shielded his mind to contain his panic and started to think. Pulling is not working, he has to think of another way to tug his hand free.
Just as he thought so, he felt a stinging sensation on his hand, then the stone flashed brightly momentarily, and his hand was free. Infused with his magic, the wall melted away to reveal the Slytherin Prince's throne, just beside the fireplace. The seat looked exactly the same as the one in Grand-aunt's memory of his father, beautifully decorated with gold, infused with magical runes and comfortable padding, surrounded by a seat for his Familia Regium, and a Princess. Hadrianus knew this seat was one of the four direct links to the Hogwarts ward stone. He couldn't let anyone else have that much power over Hogwarts, she didn't deserve anyone trying to rule her!
Without wasting a second, Hadrianus walked forward and claimed his seat. The seat flashed again for a moment before adjusting to his size. Hadrianus felt Hogwarts hugging him, as if expressing her gratitude after understanding his intentions. He smiled, feeling her happiness and excitement coursing through the castle, stroking the handle of the seat lovingly as if to caress her.
"I declare Theodore Nott, Sybella Harleen Black, Reylan and Renaldo Lestrange as my Familia Regium, with room for more in future." Hadrianus declared, promising the vacant seats for more deserving people in future. Bella was a Slytherin Countess at her time, but she refused to do so this time. 'Too much work' she says. The twins simply wanted to mess around and enjoy their second chance at schooling, so it was Hadrianus' responsibility to make sure it happened.
Harley put on the brightest grin on her face as they all took their seats after magic procured for them. Theo was surprised to be included in Familia Regium, but accepted the honour with pride. Grandfather would be so proud of him when he tells him that! And his little brother will express his undying love for the Slytherin Prince when he hears it, he has been one of his biggest fans since they met.
"Now we are over the drama, let's focus on a more important matter," Severus scowled at them. "Welcome, first years. I am Potions Master Severus Snape, Head of the House of Slytherin." He drawled in a tone as if he could bother less, but Hadrianus knew how much he cared for all the students. "We will be meeting here on the Thursday of every week. Between now and October's meeting, I expect all first-years to meet with me individually to discuss house expectations and rules. I will be meeting with seventh and fifth years over the next two months to discuss NEWT and OWL studies, but if anyone else wants to meet individually they can see the house notice board for my availability and sign up for a time slot."
"In Slytherin, we have a few unofficial rules which I expect everyone to follow."
"First rule: Never leave a fellow Slytherin in danger. If you see them getting attacked or being bullied - use your God-given wits to help them. It means either getting involved, distracting the perpetrator, or simply calling for a prefect or professor. But you will help."
"Second, you will never deliberately get a fellow Slytherin into trouble or embarrass them in public. If you have some problem, either solve it or leave it in the Common Room, but beyond that door, we Slytherins shall hold a United Front. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," murmured all the Slytherins. Professor Snape nodded and produced a tray filled with several tiny lanyards with retractable badge reels with clips.
"These tokens are charmed to be unseen by anyone not Slytherin. It is a House secret for our privacy and you all will swear not to reveal the secret of the token to anyone outside the house, not even if they're siblings or cousins. You may meet them in The Lounges if you wish, but no dunderheads undeserving of Slytherin House are allowed in the common room. You may transfigure it as a ring or locket as well, a prefect will show you how. Everyone will keep it hidden in their robes or bags with this clip. Without it, you will not find the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room after tonight."
Hadrianus widened his eyes as he accepted his own lanyard, which, after he grabbed it, flashed and was now showing the name 'Adrian S-P-E-G, Slytherin, first year'. Now that was a brilliant piece of magic, he thought as he attached it to the inside of his robe.
"Everyone will participate in at least one extracurricular activity club, as it will hold an Inter House competition near the end of the term. You will be judged by the Entire House and will earn points and House Privileges. At the end of the term, a party will be catered by them and for every delicious meal, you will earn points and rewards if you win."
"Hogwarts has started to hold multiple guest lecturers on different topics. At least ten of you attend those classes each year. You all will be rewarded if more than ten students per batch sign up for them."
Hadrianus raised his arms, and Professor nodded at him, allowing him to speak up, "What are the rewards?" He wanted to know if there were any other interesting rewards than getting points for the House. If not, it was going to be very boring.
"Rewards include various kinds of passes. There are several types of passes, which sometimes change according to the year you are studying. But many of them stay the same. For example, the pass for assignments in Potions. It didn't matter which one it was, all that mattered was that the pass was the equivalent of an Outstanding grade. At any point during their entire seven years at the school, you could hand in the pass in exchange for one assignment, and get an automatic O for it. There are other passes, like Floo allowance, visit to the home, arrangement to learn or practise a skill of their choice, hourly access to a restricted section of the library, prefect bathroom, quidditch field, skip certain classes etc. First years could also get passes to ride broom under the supervision of older students or any representative from the Court. However, the highest pass will always be an allowance to leave Hogwarts for a day under supervision and responsibilities of the Court, though you must be present for the after-curfew attendance."
Several first years including Hadrianus perked up at the promise of such passes. They seem really interesting, and helpful in making their life much better. However, Professor Snape had one last thing to add.
"Keep in mind that the common rooms aren't meant for studying. When you wish to study, you must either use your rooms, or the year's study rooms, which are adjacent to the common room. Good night, everyone."
With that, Professor Snape turned abruptly, his robes billowing behind him, and left the common room. As he left, all the eyes fell on Hadrianus, as if waiting for further instruction. Hadrianus smiled thinly, his face showing no trace of all the inner turmoils, regrets and heaviness he felt when he realised they truly were going to behave like his subjects, instead of a common housemate, "Well, good night. See you all tomorrow."
One by one all his housemates left, leaving only his Familia Regium behind.
