Chapter 2
"Also, Harry, there are other people on this train. And, that's a load of sugar. I don't want any of it. Most of it will be wasted and there's a Sorting Feast every year so there will be plenty of food to eat at dinner." Harry got one of everything with an apologetic look on his face.
...
"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," a girl with bushy hair said after opening the compartment door.
"No, but if I see it, I'll find Neville and give it to him after cutting its head off."
"That's not very funny," she said.
"Good because I wasn't joking."
"She really wasn't," Harry said and the girl gasped in horror, slammed the door shut and left. Weirdo.
...
"Hi," a brown-haired boy said as he opened the door to our compartment. "H- Have either o- Of you s- S- Seen a toad? I c- C- Can't f- F- Find Trevor." The boy reminds me of Pugsley just like Harry does. They're both two lost puppies in need of my guidance.
"Sit." The boy did as I told him. "What's your name? Mine is Cassiopeia Addams but you will call me Cassie," I demanded and the boy gulped before frantically nodding.
"I'm Harry Potter."
"N- Neville L- Longbottom," the boy stuttered.
"Your toad will show up. If he hasn't by the time we're Sorted, I'll get a Prefect to summon him for you."
...
After ignoring Harry, Neville and Daphne's conversation on the boats, Professor McGonagall's boring speech and Neville grabbing his toad from in front of Professor McGonagall, I started paying attention again as a blonde boy started talking. "It's true then, what they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." Everyone started whispering Harry's name. "This is Crabbe and Goyle," he said as he gestured to the two boys next to him. "And I'm Malfoy." The boy moved in front of Harry. "Draco Malfoy." This must be Narcissa and Lucius' son. The Weasley snickered from next to us and Draco looked at him. "Think my name's funny, do you? I've no need to ask yours. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley." I glared at the Weasley and he quickly hid himself in the crowd as Draco looked back at Harry. "You'll soon find out that some Wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Draco stuck his hand out and Harry looked at me. If I want Narcissa to be mine one day, I have to be on good terms with her son. I nodded to Harry and he looked back at Draco.
"Thanks. I don't need your help but I would love to be your friend." Harry and Draco shook hands and Professor McGonagall tapped Draco on his shoulder with a rolled-up bit of parchment. Daphne, Blaise, Draco, a brown-haired boy and a black-haired girl were giving me appraising looks at how Harry had obviously deferred to my decision on his friendship with Draco. They're probably trying to figure out why Harry had decided to be my friend and wondering why he thought my friendship was more important than friendship with a Malfoy. Usually, the only ones who could be considered more important than a Malfoy was a Greengrass or a Black. Draco is a Black on his Mother's side and a Malfoy on his Father's. No one should outrank him but Harry thought I did and that was giving them pause.
"We're ready for you now. Follow me," Professor McGonagall said and we followed her into the Great Hall. I ignored everything (other than a note to visit the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side and the Dark Forest as soon as possible) until the names were called. "Hannah Abbott." A red-haired girl walked over to the stool in front of the Professor's table and sat down on it facing the rest of the Hall. About a minute later, the Sorting Hat yelled out.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Cassiopeia Addams," Professor McGonagall called and some whispering from the older students started and a few teachers looked interested. From what I could find out about the teachers, the ones interested are Headmaster Dumbledore (who tried to use Legilimency on me but I blocked him out with my Occlumency), Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall and Professor Quirrell. Professor Snape was a Death Eater and knew my parents were Death Eaters and so did Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore as they fought the Death Eaters but why is Professor Quirrell so interested? I sat down on the stool and the Hat was placed on my head.
"Ah, difficult. Very difficult... Very brave. You'd do well in Gryffindor."
"I'd rather kill myself." The Hat chuckled in my mind.
"Very loyal to those you believe are worth it no matter how rare they are. Maybe Hufflepuff?"
"No. They are too social."
"Yes. Perhaps, for the safety of the others, not Hufflepuff... You're quite intelligent so Ravenclaw would be a good match but I don't think they could keep up with you. The Slytherins, however... For the safety of those you share a dorm with, maybe Slytherin is the best choice. SLYTHERIN!" I gave the Hat back to Professor McGonagall and walked over to the Slytherin table. The other Houses had a spare space for the first-years near the middle of their tables but Slytherin's first-years' space was at the end closest to the Professor's table. The Slytherins had a very clear hierarchy and the leaders of each year sat next to the year above on the side facing the rest of the Hall. Their second was next to them with their third opposite them and their fourth was opposite their second. I sat down in the spot for the first-year leader of Slytherin. If anyone wants to try to take it from me, they can try but they'll end up in the Hospital Wing or dead. I watched the others be Sorted in alphabetical order. The next to join Slytherin was Millicent Bulstrode. She sat at the far end on the side facing the Hall. After Millicent was Vincent Crabbe who sat next to her, Tracey Davis sat opposite Millicent and Gregory Goyle sat opposite Crabbe. Daphne was next to be Sorted into Slytherin and she sat with a gap between us.
"Well done," Daphne said and I smirked.
"For what? Like there was ever any doubt," I said despite knowing I beat Professor McGonagall's record for Hogwarts' longest Hatstall. A few more were Sorted and now it's Neville's turn. He sat down on the stool and I nodded to reassure him before the Hat was placed on his head. I used my Natural Legilimency to listen in.
"Hm, interesting. You want to be a Gryffindor but your ambition and determination to prove your family wrong about you being a Squib makes your placement clear. SLYTHERIN!" Neville walked over and sat down opposite me to the quiet clapping of the Slytherin students. A couple more were Sorted and now it's Draco's turn. The Hat barely touched Draco's head before it Sorted him into Slytherin. He walked over and looked at the seat next to Neville's seat. He looked at me and I nodded and Draco sat down opposite the gap between me and Daphne. Draco has yet to earn the position of my fourth, however, until he proves himself unworthy or someone else proves themselves more worthy, he can be my fourth because I want to get in his Mother's good books. There's no reason not to start early on my plan to make Narcissa mine.
Theodore Nott was Sorted into Slytherin and sat next to Draco and Pansy Parkinson sat between Daphne and Goyle. After a set of twins were Sorted (one in Ravenclaw and one in Gryffindor), it was Harry's turn. Everyone whispered as his name was called out and he sat down on the stool. Dumbledore seemed to take more interest in Harry's Sorting than anyone who was Sorted before. Harry seemed to notice this too as his eyes hardened. He looked at me and I nodded at him before the Hat was placed on his head. I used my Natural Legilimency to hear the conversation as I had with Neville.
"Hm, difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh, yes. And a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?"
"Not Gryffindor, not Gryffindor."
"Not Gryffindor, eh? Are you sure? What about Slytherin? You could be great, you know? It's all here, in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that, no?"
"Slytherin's fine."
"Well, if you're sure. Better be... SLYTHERIN!" The entire Great Hall was silent until I started to clap and the rest of the Slytherin first-years joined in. This caused the rest of Slytherin House and the Professors to clap as Harry walked over and sat next to me.
"Well done, Harry," I whispered and he grinned. The only person who was Sorted into Slytherin after Harry was Blaise. He sat between Theodore and Crabbe and opposite Pansy. It seems the current hierarchy for Slytherin's first year is me at the top with Harry as my second and Neville as my third. Draco is my fourth and is followed by Daphne, Theodore, Pansy, Blaise, Goyle, Crabbe and Millicent. And Tracey is at the very bottom as she's the only half-blood (other than me) in our year. I'm looking forward to seeing how this hierarchy will change over the year.
...
We walked into the Slytherin Common Room. The walls were green and the ceiling showed underneath the lake. There were black leather chairs and sofas around the large room and a few fireplaces. There were many dark brown wooden tables and chairs and quite a few bookcases filled with books. There were also a few cauldrons with Potions ingredients on shelves in one of the corners of the room.
"Come on, Harry, Neville," I said as the others started to talk. I grabbed their arms and pulled them over to the bookshelves. The titles were intriguing.
"Cassie, the titles on these books," Harry said.
"'Basic Potions for Poisoning Your Enemy', 'Curses To Mortally Wound Your Enemy', '101 Ways To Kill Without Being Detected', 'How To Attack Your Enemy Undetected', 'How To Act Around Your Enemy', 'How to Act At A Ball', 'How To Act At A Dinner Party', 'Basic Pureblood Etiquette', 'Basic Gift Guide For Purebloods'," I read out.
"Look at this one, Cassie," Neville showed me a book he'd picked up off of one of the shelves.
"'How To Shape-Change - Volume 3: Dragons, Mermaids and Snakes'. Cool!"
"I wonder what Volume 1 and Volume 2 are about," Harry curiously wondered. "Wait, here they are. 'How To Shape-Change - Volume 1: Trolls, Giants and Veela' and then 'How To Shape-Change - Volume 2: Centaurs, Acromantula and Hippogriffs'."
"Damn... Maybe that's what the cauldrons over there are for. To help with Potions homework officially but they're actually for making the Potions in these books without getting into trouble," I suggested.
"Probably," Harry said. Harry, Neville, Draco, Theo (as Theodore had told me to call him), Blaise, Pansy, Daphne, Crabbe, Goyle, Tracey and Millie (as Millicent had told me to call her) made our way to the bedrooms. They all looked at me. I guess I get to pick who goes where. There are three rooms for the boys and two for the girls. One of the boys' rooms and one of the girls' rooms are for three people and the others are for two. "Millie and Tracey take the double room for the girls and Pansy, Daphne and I will take the other room. Harry and Neville, you two share one of the doubles and Crabbe and Goyle can share the other double with Blaise, Theo and Draco taking the last room. Everyone okay with that?" They all nodded and went into their rooms.
...
Professor Snape burst into the room, left the door open behind him and immediately walked over to his desk and turned to face us as he spoke. "There will be no foolish Wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is Potion-making. However, for those... Select few..." He glanced at Draco and Draco gave a small smile. "Who possess... The predisposition..." He crossed his arms. "I can teach you how to bewitch the mind..."