15 First Night at Hogwarts

1st September 1991, Hogwarts

Our group of little snakes was following the duo of fifth-year Prefects. All the older Slytherins have already gone ahead of our group. The Prefects led us down into the dark dungeons that were illuminated by the light of flaming torches on the stony walls. While we walked the path full of forks and turns I was wondering how the rest of the little snakes would even find their way to the Great Hall tomorrow morning. I had my perfect memory so I was safe.

But really, which of the Founders had the idea of making the castle into a labyrinth? Not to mention the moving staircases. They must have been drunk when they build the castle. Or they wanted to humor themselves at the sight of students failing to find their way around and getting lost. Don't know if I find something on this theme in the Hogwarts Library.

Along the path, I thought about the choices I have before me. I could try to become the Slytherin Queen, but that's too much work and I will make a big target of myself and that will be a bother. I can become a member of some of the Slytherin gangs, but that is unlikely as from their point of view I am just a filthy muggle-born. And being a subordinate is not my style so no. Lastly, I can become a loner, bullied, avoided, or feared loner. The thought of me being bullied is absurd so I can cross out this one. Hmm, let's see how the first day will end up like first.

We stopped before a stretch of the damp stone wall. The male Prefect said the password and the concealed stone doors slide aside leaving a rectangular hole leading to the Slytherin common room. When I heard the password I scoffed internally. The password was 'Greatest of four'. Where was the cunning? This password is among the firsts I would try if I wanted to get into the Slytherin common room. I really wonder who decides the passwords.

The Slytherin common room looked like it was made for dark wizards. The walls of the room were made in gothic architecture and a lot of the decoration around was in gothic style too. The rest was in victorian style. The color scheme of the room was mainly in green, silver, and black colors. As we were in dungeons under the black lake, the round windows showed us an underwater view. It was a night out, so there wasn't much to see right now.

The common room was warmed up by a big fireplace with a roaring green fire. There were some classy-looking leather couches around. The common room looked really nice. There was no one aside from us so the other Slytherins have probably gone to their dorms.

The female Prefect, a tall blond-haired witch, who introduced herself as Gemma Farley, stood before our group and said. "Alright. You all were deemed worthy enough to become members of Slytherin. The very best and noblest House of Hogwarts. That means that you should have either cunning, ambition, resourcefulness, or all of them. You all shall act as proper Slytherin and take pride in being one. There is a lot of prejudice against your House so we have to show a united front on the outside. Any conflict that you have with your fellow Slytherins will be resolved behind the dungeon's walls, away from any prying eyes." She eyed us sternly, she paused when her eyes fell on me. There was conflict and pity in her eyes, unlike the scorn, disgust, or apathy that I have seen in the eyes of most of the Slytherins so far. So, there were some good people in Slytherin after all. Maybe, I shouldn't put a Curse on the whole House if they somehow manage to anger me enough. Shame.

"The Head of Slytherin House is Professor Snape. He teaches Potions and is an accomplished Potion Master. So, no Slytherin should get a failing grade from Potions, or it will be an embarrassment for both our Head of House and Slytherin as a whole. He has office hours every Saturday after breakfast until lunch." Prefect Farley continued and said some further rules and pointed us to our dormitories. The girls' dormitory is above a staircase to the left and is enchanted in a way that no boy could get inside. If it's the same 'stairs turn into a slide' enchantment as in Gryffindor's common room then everyone smart can get inside the dorms. They could get there using a broom for example.

"That's everything I had to say. I recommend going to your dorms and going to bed right away as school starts tomorrow. If you ever have any questions or problems you can come to me or my fellow Prefect for help." She finished her talk and walked away after she gave me subtle look. She visibly feels sorry for me but she still left me with the rest of first-year Slytherin without doing anything. Well, self-preservation is another trait of Slytherin after all. And this year is full of heirs of important and powerful families.

As I walked to the stairs leading to the girls' dorms, I had to dodge a hex targeting my back. I turned around and faced the slimy white-blond wizard with his wand pointing at me. He sneered and said. "Now, where do you think you are going? It's time for you to know your place you filthy mudblood. Filth like you doesn't belong into noble Slytherin. Flipendo!" He fired a Knock-back Jinx at me and I simply dodged again. Malfoy reddened in both anger and embarrassment from seeing me easily dodging his spell while being seen by other first-year Slytherins.

Before the ferret could fire another spell at me and embarrass himself even further, not that I give a d*mn, I brandished my beautiful white wand. from its end fired a white light beam that stuck Malfoy before he could even blink and his robes changed into a whole-body straitjacket. The white-blond wizard fell onto the green carpet and wriggled like a worm. I coldly, looked down at him as his face turned redder than a tomato from the humiliation he received and shouted some profanities at me that I tuned out.

While the other baby snakes looked surprised or amused at the turn of events, Malfoy's two little gorillas charged at me with their big fists raised. I quirked my eyebrows at that and simply fired two Knock-back Jinxes at them.

They are wizards that should fight from a distance, but they charged at me, wanting to fight in close combat. What a pair of noobs. They should firstly class up into Grand Caster if they want to fight with fists.

I turned around and walked into the dormitory while thinking of asking Snape if he could teach me the charm he uses to make his robes billow for a better dramatic effect.

{You went really easy on them.}

'Well, they are still kids.' If someone from the older-years attacks me, I will gladly use some of my nastier curses. But I will make sure no one can put blame on me. I should act as a proper snake.

I climbed the stairs and arrived at a long wide corridor with multiple doors on both sides. I had to walk to the end of the corridor where the dorms of first-years are located. I found the door with my name along with two others. Looks like I have two roommates.

Behind the door was a lavish room with three king-sized four-poster beds with pastel green curtains. Next to each bed was a small closet. There were also three round underwater windows and a door leading to a gothic-styled bathroom with a shower and huge tub. My things were before the bed to the left that was nearest to the bathroom door. I noticed that Yuki's silver cage was empty and I couldn't see her anywhere. I hurried to the cage and found a small note on it.

[Little Slytherin miss, your owl was safely placed into the Hogwarts Owl Tower as your room is located in the underwater dungeons.

Binbly ]

I sighed in relief. So, Yuki was currently in the Owlery with a bunch of other owls, placed there by some Hogwarts house-elf. I will give her a visit tomorrow after classes and bring her some snacks.

I heard the door opening and looked at the blond and brunette that come inside. We looked at each other until Tracey sighed with a fake resigned expression. "For Merlin's sake, why do I have to share the room with two stone-faced emos?" She said while shaking her head.

"Your name is Suou right? I am Tracey and that iceberg over there is Daphne. That was a nice show of magic you did. Where did you learn that interesting Transfiguration spell that you used on Malfoy's robes? Good work embarrassing that git by the way."

{I like this one.} Agony said.

"Do you even know what you just did?" Daphne voiced out and I looked at her. She still has the frosty look on her face. "You just made an enemy of an heir of a powerful Dark family. He will not take this lying down." She said seriously.

"Okay."

It's not like that ferret could do something to me. And it was Malfoy who antagonized someone he shouldn't, not the other way around.

From the slight twitch of her eye, the blonde witch wasn't amused by my carefree answer. "Sigh. I don't know if you are fearless or if you are just daft." She said and went to her bed, but stopped midway too look back at me. "If you can't deal with the other Slytherins, you can come to me for help. I don't want to share a room with a sobbing and depressed mess that couldn't deal with bullying."

"Okay."

The twitching of her eye intensified and I slightly smirked.

"I am going to sleep." She said and went to her bed that was on the right side of the room and started changing into her nightwear.

"Well, I am going to sleep too." Said Tracey and looked at me with her light brown eyes. "Hope we can be friends. My family isn't prejudiced against Muggle-borns as my father married one. So I am a Half-blood. Oh and don't mind Daphne's cold attitude, she is nice. She is just from a really strict family and has her problems." She said as she too started to change.

The problems that she mentioned should be about the Blood Malediction Curse that torments her younger sister Astoria.

I went to sleep too. I will take a stroll through the castle at night tomorrow. I changed into my nightwear, which consisted of comfy cotton shorts and a loose cotton shirt. All in black color. It was a stark contrast to the fancy silk nightgowns in white color that the other two wore.

We said goodnight to each other and soon fell asleep.

...

I found myself floating in boundless darkness with numerous shimmering stars shining in various colors from a far distance.

I looked at myself. I was in my birthday suit.

Suddenly I could see an outline of a colossal tree with countless twisting branches and roots. It was impossible to tell what was what so the three could even be upside down. But what shocked me the most was a large number of ominously glowing purple eyes on its dark bark.

I found myself unable to move under its gaze.

Without warning, one of its branches penetrated my head, and pieces of information flooded into my mind.

...

(3rd Person POV)

The young red-haired witch was peacefully sleeping on her king-sized bed. When suddenly, a pitch-black haze-like aura surrounded her body. The dark malevolent aura made the space itself twist like tree branches around her.

The red-haired witch opened her eyes. They had abyss-like pupils, shining pale green irises, and black sclera.

The young witch opened her small mouth and voiced out. "What a bother."

Suou closed her eyes and the black haze-like aura around her disappeared, as if it was newer there. She again fell asleep.