A new house

After the sorting ceremony, the feast finally appeared before us.

On the table were all kinds of food, from mashed potatoes to roasted turkeys to sweet-covered cakes, all in quantities that could have easily fed a small town for several days. I take a bit of everything while trying to make a more or less balanced meal. And everything on this table was delicious, as if the food had been enchanted to taste better. Maybe it was?

"Well, boy, you put quite a show there. I don't think I've ever seen someone annoy the sorting hat that much." The ghost of the bloody baron passed through Draco to sit next to me. Draco can't hold back a chill of disgust after his contact with the ghost.

"I just defended myself, the feeling of the consciousness of the sorting hat is the strangest I've ever encountered."

"Um, an occlumen? Don't repeat it on every roof. The ministry doesn't like the ability to be spread."

"Did you have a good holiday?" The ghost seems troubled by my question.

"You are the only first year who has ever asked me this question at his first banquet. they usually ask me what it feels like to be dead or how I died instead."

"I already know approximately how you died. That's why it would be rather insensitive of me to have you tell this story." The expression on the face of the baron reflects his immense sadness for a moment before he pull himself together.

"Excellent, Slytherin won the cup last year with a very good lead and for the sixth time! It made the other ghosts green with jealousy. Most of the time, I just go about my business in the castle and keep Peeves quiet."

So, Peeves also exists in this universe. I had a doubt because I know that he was present in books, but not in the films. I'm gonna have to be extra careful with him around.

"Do you know why he fears you so much? From what I know you are the only one to whom he obeys."

"I don't know, maybe it's my threatening look?"

Um, that's a good question. Is it just the ghostly blood on the baron's clothes or simply his character that allows him to control the non-being. Or is it something else that makes Peeves fear the Baron?

"By the way, my name is Draco Malfoy" Draco interrupts my conversation with the baron. That's kinda rude you know.

"Yes, I remember you. The boy who almost fought with Harry Potter in the middle of former Minister Bagnold's Yule party." Draco shows a big smile when he sees that I know who I'm dealing with. No doubt he thinks I will respect him because his family is powerful.

"And you are the boy that no one had seen before that party. My father did some research to find out who you were. The nephew of the head of the department of magical law enforcement and the heir to the Bones family. Your name is on two ministry's lists, parselmouth and metamorphmagi."

I am not even surprised that these lists exist. I knew there was one for animagi because they talk about it in the books, but I had never heard of the other two before today. The fact that I am listed on it is annoying but not that much, I would have preferred that less information about me is available.

"Pretty good, the person your father paid for doing his job well. There are some missing elements, but most of the information are there." He looks satisfied. I'm sure in his head, he thinks that he's smart. "However, nice to meet you." I extend a friendly hand that remains in suspense for a few seconds the time that Draco considers what kind of relationship he might have with me.

He finally shakes my hand and goes back to take care of his two gorillas. He probably sorted me as one of the people he couldn't control. I'm fine with that, I don't want to be directly involved in his fight with Harry.

"My name is Daphne Greengrass, and I warn you in advance that I don't want to be part of your silly little schemes. So make sure we don't lose points and everything will be fine between us." They don't talk about her much in the books. She is a pretty girl with a thin face, long, slightly wavy brown hair, and a small nose that points very slightly upwards. I can already say that she will become beautiful in a few years.

"Sean Bones. I don't want to get others involved in my business too. I have a number of things to do while I'm here. The rest doesn't matter."

"That's something I can understand." She goes back to her plate and completely ignores me.

I turn to the boy sitting in front of me. "What about you? What's your name?" I think I recognized him, but since he's younger than when he first appeared in the movies, I'm not sure.

He looks up at me and his gaze reflects his profound indifference. "Théodore Nott." He returns to his meal without a word. Maybe it's because this whole house thing has just started, but I think it will quite difficult to make friends here.

At the end of the meal, the headmaster speaks.

"Now that we have eaten, I would like to say a few words about the rules of the school. The first years should know that all students are prohibited from entering the forest surrounding the school. Mr Filch, our caretaker, also asked me to remind you that it is forbidden to do magic in the hallways between classes. And finally, access to the third floor corridor is strictly forbidden, unless you absolutely want to die in excruciating suffering."

But of course, there's nothing like banning a place for bunch of over-curious teenagers to make sure they don't set foot there. The headmaster has already lost a few points in my esteem.

All the others, then sang Hogwarts' song and then the director asked us to go to bed. We followed our prefect as well as Professor Snape into the common room of Slytherin, and as the older students were heading towards their rooms, we stayed with Rogue and the prefect.

"Welcome to Slytherin, do not expect congratulations and flattery, you will receive them from those who are inferior to us, never from any of us because your achievements are expected here as the bare minimum." It's unbelievable, if I didn't know he was a good guy, I'd swear he was the bad guy in the story.

"There is only one rule here, all united behind Slytherin. That means you are all responsible for the actions of others. If any of you are caught breaking the rules, you will all be punished further when you return to the common room. It also means that I expect you to be exemplary in your hygiene, impeccable in your dress code and punctuality. You must become the elite of this school, and at the same time of the wizarding world. " Rogue has clearly mastered the art of depressing his troops. But talking about becoming the elite of the school had its little effect on the pure bloods.

"Also know that the password change every two weeks, the current password will always be displayed on the blackboard you see on the wall. I am also available for questions in my office on Saturdays from ten to eleven. You can freely choose your room on the first floor and go to bed."

At the end of his speech, he turns his back and leaves the room, leaving us alone in the middle of the common room.

One student rushes to the stairs while many others follow him. I walk quietly to the stairs and end up finding a room that has not yet been taken in the middle of the corridor.

As I turn the door handle, I see that my luggage are already in the room. How did they know I was going to choose this room? Or did they appear as soon as I turned the knob?

I install Styx in his vivarium while I quickly store my clothes in the wardrobe before going to bed.