Twisted Fascination

Breakfast and dinner were the only meals that I ate, and I only consumed what I needed to before going back to the room I had taken over. I poured over my old notes, completed my homework, and read over my new course textbooks while making notes so I'd be prepared for the first week or so of class.

During that time, no one disturbed me. They clearly didn't like a Dark Lord in the making in their midst, but they should have thought about that before inviting me in and getting comfortable around me.

I held in a heavy sigh as I heard Harry, Ron, and the twins messing around outside, throwing apples and the like while testing out each others' brooms. I looked out the window for a moment, and I felt a strong longing to join the others. I quickly caught myself, however, and labeled the traitorous thoughts as childish at best. I wasn't some toddler with attachment issues. I was a young man that could and would maintain my excellent grade, which meant I needed to get back to studying.

Once dinnertime came, everyone gathered at the kitchen.

I ate the shepard's pie without saying a thing, merely watching as everyone seemed sort of uncomfortable with my presence. I quickly finished my small serving before mumbling, "Please, excuse me." I then left behind the kitchen, retreating to my room so that the Gryffindors could be comfortable and enjoy their meal.

The next morning, I went down to retrieve my paper, and I carefully looked at the stocks. I held in a scowl as I stared down at the Cloudy Broomstick Corporation's hastily rising stocks. I kept my nose shoved into it, and I eventually became aware of another presence. I tried to ignore the way Mr. Weasley hesitated about entering his own kitchen. Finally, I grew impatient and folded my newspaper up. "I won't hurt you, you know."

Mr. Weasley realized he was caught, and he shuffled into the kitchen. "I never said you would."

I barely held back a sigh. "Sir, if you want me gone, all you have to do is ask. There's no need for you to feel so uncomfortable in your own home. I'm sure I'll make it if you drop me off at the Leaky Cauldron."

"There's no need to-"

I looked at him with a dull expression. "I know you guys aren't comfortable with me here anymore. I'm not ignorant to how you all stop talking when I approach. You don't trust me, so you keep me at an arm's length away from you."

"That's not-"

"Please," I said gently as I gave him a somewhat pained expression. "Just… be honest. It's easier that way for everyone."

The man made an expression like I had physically wounded him.

"I'm skipping breakfast," I informed the man before heading back up to my room, my newspaper held loosely in my grasp. I sat down at the desk before just staring into the abyss. If you stare long enough, eventually something will look back. Isn't that the muggle expression used for this scenario? I thought absentmindedly as I merely stared at the wall. I continued to gaze at the completely ordinary part of the Burrow for what felt like hours but it only could have been twenty minutes at the maximum.

"Um, Colton?"

"Yes?" I replied as I lazily turned my head in the direction of the door.

"May I come in?" Ginny of all people asked.

"It's your house," I pointed out as I nevertheless stood up and walked to the door. I opened it and looked down at the girl dully. "What may I do for you?"

"Um…" The girl flushed deeply. "W-well, I just wanted to say thank you."

My brow furrowed, not knowing why she would say such a thing. "Why are you thanking me? I have done nothing to warrant your appreciation."

"Well - um - you actually did," the redhead said as she fiddled with her fingers. "You stood up for me against Draco, and you stood up for my father when that jerk Lucius Malfoy came along…"

"Yes, and now my reputation in Slytherin will be that of a blood traitor," I mused, causing her to openly cringe.

"Well, they're not good people anyway-"

"I know," I interrupted, "But it's my House that I have to live with all school year. You'll surely be put in Gryffindor with the rest of your family and Harry."

At the mention of my twin, she flushed furiously. Quickly, she shifted the subject. "B-but what if I don't get into Gryffindor?"

"I'm certain you're brave enough to go there. You wouldn't be talking to me now if you weren't," I rejected right away. "I mean, the rest of your family is treating me like I have the plague."

Ginny grimaced before mumbling, "Well - yes - but…"

"But…?" I repeated as I motioned for her to continue.

"But I won't!" She declared boldly. Her brown eyes looked at me with nothing short of determination as she said, "Y-you were nice, so I'll be nice, too!"

I couldn't help but feel amused by her statement that would surely be broken the second she stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express. "I see…"

She smiled brightly at me, clearly pleased with herself.

I waited for a moment before asking, "Is there anything else?"

Realizing she had just been smiling up at me dumbly, she flushed again. "Oh, no. I just - er -  I said what I wanted to. Bye." She quickly turned heel and headed down the stairs to the second floor.

I internally sighed before closing the door to my room. I then went back to my studies, deciding that my break had been long enough.

Time seemed to crawl by, and, eventually, the last night before the start of term arrived.

Mrs. Weasley made a dinner of all of Harry's favorite dishes, ending with a treacle pudding.

Once I ate dinner, I forwent dessert and headed back up to Charlie's old room.

Loud fireworks seemed to be set off downstairs, showing that the others were excited for the start of term. They all laughed and spoke loudly, though their words were indecipherable from two floors up.

I merely spent my time staring out the window, wondering if I should have transferred to Durmstrang when I had the chance. I named stars and planets as I looked out the window, hoping that my slightly distressed emotions would just shrivel up and die if I didn't pay them any mind.

They didn't, obviously.

In any case, I got up extra early the next morning, having a horrible night of sleep. I basically dragged myself down to the kitchen and saw that Mr. Weasley was already down there with his wife. I was just about to turn heel and go back upstairs when the two noticed me.

"Oh, Colton," Mr. Weasley said in a somewhat anxious tone, "Would you like a morning tea?"

"No, thank you," I replied honestly, not really preferring tea over coffee when it came to long mornings.

"Ah…" He remained silent for a moment, clearly hoping to find a different, yet equally as shallow, conversation.

"I've packed everything up, and I'm ready to leave," I said so he would stop staring at me. "Do you want me to bring my trunk down?"

"I can get it," he assured me.

I silently nodded once before asking, "Should I stay in my room until you're ready to go?"

"No!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed loudly, causing me to flinch slightly. "Sorry, Colton, I didn't mean to frighten you," he apologized right away.

I nodded once more in acknowledgement.

"How about you sit down? I'm waking up the others soon," Mrs. Weasley suggested as she motioned to the table.

I hesitated a moment before approaching the two and sitting at the table in my usual spot.

The woman gave a forced smile at me before turning her attention to the stove, which had food cooking.

Mr. Weasley, meanwhile, stood by his wife in a somewhat protective manner. He no longer trusted me, and he likely wouldn't ever again.

I looked down at the table, no longer feeling the slightest bit hungry.

"Um, Colton?" Mr. Weasley finally spoke up, causing me to look at him. "I had a question about your - erm - eyes."

"They did turn red," I confirmed, "I'm a parseltongue, and I'm not ashamed of it. However, I really doubt that I'm the next Dark Lord."

The man gave a singular, jerky nod.

I gave a heavy sigh as I sat back in my seat. "Next time, if you feel the need to extend a hand out to me, please don't. I actually have feelings, and it honestly hurts when you act like I'm going to curse your family when you and they have been nothing but kind to me."

Mr. Weasley had the decency to look cowed by my words.

Mrs. Weasley gave a deep frown before placing a plate of toast before me on the table. "Colton, dear… People are truly afraid of those things, especially after He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named…" She gave a heavy sigh herself. "I had two brothers-"

"Molly-"

She shook her head, cutting her husband off. "No, it's fine, really…" She took in a shuddering breath before looking at me with tears forming in her eyes. "I had two brothers, Fabian and Gideon, and they were murdered by You-Know-Who's Death Eaters."

I immediately understood their awkwardness around me, and I held in a rather large cringe.

"Many people are scared by those traits, Colton," Mr. Weasley said softly. "They remind them of the bad times, the times where You-Know-Who was a threat to everyone if they didn't believe in what he believed in."

"I… don't know much about his ways," I admitted slowly, "All I know is that he was a Slytherin that had red eyes and was a parseltongue. Nobody really talks about his other traits, be they physical or otherwise. I hope that I don't look like him, as it really would make people believe that I'm nothing more than some second-coming of him. I don't believe that I'm like him, as I'm not going to go around cursing and killing entire families like some barbarian."

"We don't know much about his physical appearance," Mr. Weasley said, honesty clear in his tone of voice. "However, you should know he was a cold and callous murderer. He killed people who stood against them and destroyed families over something as foolish as blood purity."

"I have heard that, yes," I confirmed, "A total farce, in my opinion. Granger is a muggleborn, but she's pretty much at the top of our class."

The two glanced at each other, probably knowing that I was truly the top dog.

"In any case," I said as I finally picked up a piece of toast, "I still believe that I made your family uncomfortable. I apologize, and I won't come back here again-"

"No, Colton," Mrs. Weasley said, clearly holding back a sigh, "It's us who should apologize. We shouldn't have even remotely compared you to him. You're just a child, not-" The woman cut herself off and shook her head. "In any case, please know that you're always welcome here."

I nodded once, giving a small smile to her. I then took a bite of my toast and allowed silence to fall across the room.

Mrs. Weasley put more toast on a plate before patting her hands together to get crumbs off them. "Well, I better get the others up. If I don't, they'll sleep in all day."

"Go ahead, Mollywobbles," Mr. Weasley said with a small smirk.

"Watch it, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said playfully, flashing her husband a wider smirk. She then headed out of the kitchen and to the stairs.

I nibbled on my toast and watched as Mr. Weasley went about making a cup of coffee.

The man walked the coffee over and placed it down in front of me. "Don't tell Molly I gave this to you."

I quickly nodded and began to drink it down as an owl delivered two newspapers.

Mr. Weasley grabbed one and handed the other over to me.

I opened my paper and read it over, not at all minding how chaos was sure to ensue in a few minutes.

Chaos, it was.

Everyone else seemed to be forgetting things, running up and down the stairs with toast in hand, half-dressed for the train.

Mrs. Weasley was in a particularly foul mood as she ran around looking for spare quills and extra pairs of socks.

Poor Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck as he carried out Ginny's trunk, tripping over a stray chicken.

I didn't see how nine people, seven large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia, even with the modifications to the seats. As I watched Mr. Weasley opened the trunk, I suddenly understood that the seating wasn't the only thing magically expanded.

"Not a word to Molly," Mr. Weasley whispered to Harry and I as he showed us just how expanded the trunk actually was. He then loaded up all the trunks, which fit quite easily, before everyone piled in with room to spare.

Percy, George, Fred, Ron, Harry, and I all sat in a row in the back while Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley sat in the front.

Mrs. Weasley smiled obliviously as she asked, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they? I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Before anyone could reply to her, Mr. Weasley started up the car.

We trundled out of the yard, and I felt a bit of myself harden up in preparation for the tough school year that was surely to come. Less than a minute later, we returned to fetch George's box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, we skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. We had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she had left behind her diary. By the time she clambered into the car, all of our tempers were running high, as we were all behind schedule.

Mr. Weasley constantly glanced at his watch before glancing around nervously. "Molly, dear-"

"Whatever you're thinking, no, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley cut off right away.

"No one would see!" He exclaimed defensively, "This little button that I installed here is an Invisibility Booster that I installed - then, we'd be up in the air-"

"Cars don't fly, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley gasped, clearly scandalized that her husband would tamper with a muggle car.

"We'd be there in ten minutes, and no one would be any the wiser-"

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight," Mrs. Weasley snapped, and the conversation ended just as abruptly as it started.

We reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven.

Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for us children, and after we got all of our trolleys loaded up, we sprinted to the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten.

"Percy first," Mrs. Weasley directed as she nervously glanced at the clock overhead, which showed that we only had five minutes to get to the proper platform and onto the train.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished.

Mr. Weasley went next, followed by Fred and George.

"I'll take Ginny, and you three come right after us," Mrs. Weasley directed before quickly heading through the barrier with Ginny.

"Let's go together," Ron said as he looked at Harry, "We've only got a minute." He then quickly headed forward toward the barrier, Harry hot on his heels.

I waited patiently for them to phase through, only for my stomach to drop as they crashed into the barrier. I looked at the clock, only to see we still had time. I quickly abandoned my trunk as I hurried over to pick up Hedwig, who was squawking loudly in her cage.

"What in blazes d'you think you're doing?!" A nearby guard yelled at the three of us.

I quickly picked up Hedwig and made a sheepish expression. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. We were racing, and they seemed to lose control of their trolleys."

The guard huffed angrily. "You aren't supposed to be running in the station, especially not with the trolleys!"

"We're really sorry, sir. We're just so excited to see our cousin before we head to boarding school," I lied as naturally as I breathed.

The guard grumbled a profanity or two under his breath before saying, "I'm letting you off easy this time. No more running, you understand lads?"

"Yes, sir," I replied as I nodded, "Thank you, sir." I quickly turned heel and looked at the two boys expectantly.

Ron shrugged as Harry tried to covertly push the trolley against the barrier, only for the barrier to remain as solid as it did before.

I closed my eyes for a moment before walking back to the trolleys. I quickly put the trunks back on the trolleys before handing Hedwig back to Harry, who quickly began to calm the indignant owl down.

"It's gone," Ron gasped as he looked at the clock, looking completely and utterly shocked. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any muggle money?"

Harry gave a hollow laugh. "The Dursley haven't given me pocket money for about six years."

"Let's go back outside and regroup," I said, forcing myself to remain calm on the outside, "I doubt your father will just leave his car in muggle London."

Ron immediately brightened up. "Right! The car!"

Harry looked confused as he asked, "What about it?"

"We can fly the-"

"No," I interrupted sharply, earning a glare from Ron. "Let's wait by the car for your father. He'll be able to contact the right officials to get us to Hogwarts without breaking laws-"

"It's an emergency-"

"No, it's not," I said through my gritted teeth. "We're not dying, so it's not an emergency."

"What would you know?" Ron snapped at me. "Section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy-"

"But how will your mum and dad get home?" Harry interjected hesitantly.

The boy rolled his brown eyes. "They don't need the car. They can apparate. You know, just vanish and reappear at home. They only bother with Floo powder-"

My eyes flashed in a sharp realization. "Floo powder." I quickly leaned toward the two and said, "There's surely a Floo at Hogwarts. Why not go to the Leaky Cauldron and Floo to Hogwarts from there?"

"Do you know how long that will take?" Ron asked.

"Do you know how long it will take to get there by car?" I retorted, "Do you even know how to work a muggle car?"

Ron looked at me like I had just insulted his dead uncles. "Of course I do. If Fred and George can do it, it can't be that hard."

"What's the clutch for?" I asked right away, earning a vacant stare from Ron. I then gave a pompous smirk as I asked, "See?"

"If you're so smart, why don't you do it?" Ron growled, his face turning as red as his hair.

"Why?" I repeated incredulously, "Because I don't want to get expelled, you imbecile."

Ron shoved me harshly, causing me to stumble back.

I immediately categorized that as an insult and stepped toward the offending boy. "How dare-"

Harry quickly stepped between us. "Um, let's just go out to the car!" He quickly put Hedwig onto his trolley, the owl no longer screeching, and he began to push his trolley along.

I realized just how much attention we had earned with our altercation, and I knew that I didn't want to get in any more trouble. I nodded once at Ron and pushed my trolley after Harry.

Ron quickly fell in line, and the three of us headed out to the side road where the Ford Anglia was parked. Once there, Ron unlocked the trunk with a series of taps with his wand.

"You're both fools," I noted aloud as they struggled to put their luggage into the trunk. "You're going to get expelled, and I want no part of it."

"Well, it's better than sitting around twiddling our thumbs," Ron snapped like the ignorant plebeian he was.

I rolled my eyes at him. "It would be faster to wait for your father and have him apparate us to the train station by Hogwarts."

"How can you be so sure he'll even come out of there?" Ron challenged.

"Is he not a competent worker of the Ministry?" I retorted, causing the boy to flush a bit. "Exactly. Besides, your parents have surely noticed how we didn't make it through the barrier and onto the train."

"Well, fine, but how do you know they'll be able to bring us to Hogwarts?" Ron pressed.

I gave him a look like he was truly stupid, which he was. "If you honestly think the train is the only way to Hogwarts, you're wrong. How would the Professors get there before us? It's not economical to have them ride the train when they couldn't even fill up one car."

"Colton had a point," Harry finally piped up, nervously at that.

I felt smug as Ron finally gave in.

"Oh, fine," he snapped, "We'll wait for five more minutes, and then we fly."

"Deal," I agreed right away before looking down at Ron's watch. "Five minutes will be at 11:15."

Harry seemed anxious as we slowly waited for time to pass by.

I merely leaned against the car, folding my arms over my chest in anticipation for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to return to their car.

Ron was just impatiently shifting and glancing down at his watch every five seconds. Finally, he said, "Come on. We should just fly."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "Oh, for the love of-"

"Boys!"

The three of us twelve-year-olds looked at Mrs. Weasley as she quickly strode over, Mr. Weasley right on her heels.

"Oh, thank Merlin," I muttered under my breath as I finally stood up properly.

"What happened?!" The woman asked loudly, sounding exasperated as she got close to us.

"The barrier wouldn't let us through!" Ron exclaimed right away.

"What do you mean it wouldn't let you through?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sounding dumbfounded by the mere suggestion.

"It's true," I said, "Harry and Ron crashed into the barrier, and the muggles started paying attention to us, so we came outside to wait for you here. Is there a Floo connected to Hogwarts we could use to get there instead?"

"I believe there is," Mr. Weasley said as he rubbed his chin. "In the meantime, we should owl Dumbledore to let him know the situation."

I immediately nodded once. "Should we go to the Leaky Cauldron first so we can get out of the middle of the street?"

"We're already nearby," Mr. Weasley mused before nodding to himself. "Yes, let's. There's a Floo there we could use."

We put my luggage in the trunk before piling into the car. We drove over to the Leaky Cauldron, and Mr. Weasley wrote a quick letter to Dumbledore explaining the situation. After giving the letter to Hedwig, we decided to wait inside the Leaky Cauldron, getting ourselves lunch as we did so.

It took a while, but we were rewarded around three o'clock with Professor McGonagall showing up. The stern woman exchanged a few words with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley before Harry, Ron, and I were off to school with our trunks via the Floo.

Dumbledore was there to greet us in his office, looking like some kindly old man.

I remained passive as I looked at him, but Ron and Harry seemed to hold great respect the man.

"Dear boys, how did you miss the train?" Dumbledore asked us after dismissing McGonagall from his office.

"The barrier wouldn't let us through!" Ron exclaimed right away. "It was like we ran into a brick wall!"

"How curious," Dumbledore said as his blue eyes twinkled.

"Um, sir, we're not in trouble, are we?" Harry asked nervously.

"Of course not," Dumbledore said gently, "You did what you were supposed to in that situation. You waited and told a trusted adult that could help you."

I felt smug as Ron flushed a bit upon, probably thinking about how he wanted to fly a car to school.

"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered as he motioned to the bowl of candy he had on his desk.

Both Ron and Harry stepped right up to grab some candy, but I didn't.

"Colton, would you like one?" Dumbledore asked as he looked at me.

"No, thank you," I replied politely, "I want to make sure I have an appetite for the feast tonight."

He chuckled as if amused. "Very well. I'll send you boys down to the Great Hall to wait for the others to arrive."

"First, may we change into our school uniforms?" I inquired.

"If you wish," the old man replied, "You may go to your dormitory and change."

"Thank you," I said as I bowed my head a bit.

"You may leave now," Dumbledore said.

The three of us boys took our leave. Ron and Harry didn't bother heading over to their common room to get changed, but I did. I soon returned to the Great Hall with my school robes on, where both Ron and Harry were playing wizard's chess. I sat next to Harry, Ron on the other side of the table, and watched Harry get crushed by Ron.

"You really are good at wizard's chess," Harry said, and Ron smirked.

"I did beat McGonagall's giant chess board last year," Ron said smugly.

"May I play against you?" I requested, and Ron eyed me suspiciously.

"Fine," he eventually said, causing Harry to shift over.

"You may go first," I said as the pieces on the board shifted back to their proper positions.

Ron moved first, and I followed.

I'll give Ron credit where credit was due. He was an excellent opponent at chess, meaning he could create very careful strategies on the spot, especially when I moved in unorthodox manners. Regardless of his strategies, he still ended up losing against me.

"Wow," Harry commented after the match. "You two are both really good."

I looked at Ron carefully as he frowned deeply. "You were excellent, actually. I haven't had a match like that ever."

Ron nodded once, seeingly irritable. "Yeah, I guess."

I decided that he was too irritated, so I shifted conversation topics. "Do you think the others are worried?"

Ron shrugged as if he didn't know. "I'm sure they'll figure out we're fine."

I felt quite dubious about that, but I didn't voice my opinion.

"I'm kind of hungry," Ron said as he looked around as if expecting a meal to appear out of nowhere.

"It has been a little while," Harry mused as he, too, gazed around the Great Hall.

It was at that moment that someone entered the Great Hall. Smiling like some fool was Gilderoy Lockhart. He noticed us almost right away, and his smile brightened. The blonde approached the three of us, and Harry was clearly holding back a cringe. "Well, well! What are you three doing here so early, hm?"

"We missed the train," Harry answered, and Lockhart tutted.

"Now, now, boys," Lockhart said as he put his hands on his hips. "You really should be more careful! If I made a mistake like that in Romania." The man chuckled as if amused by his own words. "Well, I won't get into that. Just know that you should always be careful and punctual."

"It wasn't our fault the barrier closed early," Ron grumbled in annoyance.

"The barrier closed early, you say?" Lockhart asked before shaking his head. "It isn't good to lie like that-"

"It's true!" Ron exclaimed, clearly outraged that Lockhart would even suggest that he was being dishonest.

"There's no need to raise your voice at me," Lockhart said defensively.

"Professor," I finally said, "It is true that we missed the train, which you may see as irresponsible, but the barrier did close before we could enter. Instead of scolding us, perhaps you should praise us for showing up at Hogwarts without causing a scene, which surely would have happened if we were truly irresponsible."

Lockhart thought my words over, but he never got to reply, as the Great Hall's doors opened, revealing a rather irritated Snape.

The Head of Slytherin's House didn't even bother with pleasantries as he approached our little group. "Have you forgotten about the staff meeting going on right now?"

Lockhart quickly cast a quick Tempus to check the time, and it was clearly past time for him to go to the staff meeting if Snape had been sent to retrieve him. "Oh, dear me! Well, boys, duty calls." He gave us a grin that would have been seen as charming if we were Neanderthals before heading off with Snape in tow.

As they left, Ron leaned closer to Harry and muttered, "Can you believe that guy?"

"He's a hypocrite if I've ever seen one," I grumbled in annoyance, "For him to lecture us on time management when he, himself, can't manage to remember a simple meeting is disgusting."

For once in his life, Ron agreed with me. "Isn't it?"

Harry seemed amused, if his small smirk was anything to go by.

"Well, I'm going to the Slytherin table," I said as I stood up. "I would suggest getting changed before the train arrives. Merlin knows Granger will lecture you if you don't."

"Ugh, I know," Ron said with a roll of his eyes. "It's like she thinks she's our Mum."

I held back a snort of amusement as I left the two behind, heading over to the Slytherin table. I sat in my normal spot and watched as Harry and Ron headed for the entrance of the Great Hall, all while carrying their chess set. They soon left, allowing me a moment to think of how I would proceed during the school year.

It would be no secret that I was with the Weasleys this summer, especially if Draco Malfoy's loose lips were anything to go by. How the Slytherin House would react to that was still something that needed to be thought over. Surely there would be a great few who sneered down at me, and there would also be those that felt I was incompetent as a Slytherin wizard.

I was most concerned about the likes of Nott, especially considering what he did last year. I would either be scrutinized, or I would be outcasted entirely. I tapped the table irritably as I thought about what to do in response to the upcoming problems. I could just do what I did last year and remain a loner, but I figured that I would be stepped all over if I took such a path. I despised that thought, and I wanted nothing to do with any sort of elementary grudges that carried over from adult to child.

There was really only one option left for me at that point.

I needed to squash all and any uprisings against me underneath my heel. I felt my lips curl up at the thought of dueling once again and crushing those who felt superior to me underneath my heel. I quickly put on an expression of boredom, however, when the two Gryffindors came back into the Great Hall.

They were wearing their robes this time, and they were chatting amicably about the House Quidditch team.

I internally rolled my eyes at the thought of that sport and instead sat back in my seat, not at all interested in waiting around for the others to show up.

It was then that the plates, goblets, silverware, and napkins suddenly appeared on the various tables.

I tilted my head to the side a bit, wondering what, exactly, had triggered the event. I quickly waved my thoughts aside as many of the professors entered the Great Hall and took their normal seats at the high table.

Of course, Professor McGonagall was absent, probably getting ready to collect the students from Hagrid for Sorting.

I sat back in my seat, made sure my posture and robes were good, and proceeded to wait for the inevitable problems to walk through the door.

After about fifteen minutes or so, students began to pour into the Great Hall, everyone chatting away about truly unimportant things such as their breaks and the Quidditch World Cup that happened.

I forced myself not to roll my eyes as several Slytherins came over and sneered at me, looking disgusted with my presence. I ignored them, merely gazing around at the other students.

"Hey, Potter," Flint said as he basically strutted over, "I heard you stayed with the blood traitors."

"I imagine Malfoy told you that," I said in a drawl.

"Was he lying?" The Slytherin Quidditch Team Captain pressed.

"It was either that or stay with my muggle relatives," I said as bluntly as possible.

Flint's nose scrunched up as if disgusted.

"Exactly," I said, "It's not a hard choice when push comes to shove."

"Is it true you stuck up for the Weasleys?" Pucey, a fourth year student, asked.

"It was more of a mutual spat with the Malfoys," I admitted, "Draco insulted me first, and things escalated after his father decided to get involved."

"Draco said you called his father a coward for joining the Dark Lord," Flint stated.

I just about rolled my eyes at the sheer stupidity. "I said Lord Malfoy was a coward for crawling back to the Ministry after the Dark Lord fell. He should have accepted his punishment like a man instead of cowering like a dog behind a flimsy excuse for the actions he willingly went through with."

The students in the upper years exchanged glances, clearly not knowing how to reply to my viewpoint.

"The Dementors should be feared," Farley finally spoke up, "I believe Lord Malfoy was smart to not only fool the Ministry, but also remain working behind the scenes in case the Dark Lord returns."

"But he didn't fool the Ministry," I pointed out, "There are those who still believe his defense was just an excuse, but they couldn't prove it."

"If they can't prove it, didn't Lord Malfoy technically get away with his crimes?" Wellington inquired.

"Ah, but that's just the thinking that will get him in trouble in the future," I said as I gave a lazy grin, "You, just like I, know he committed crimes. Others in the Ministry also know that. The question is this: Just how badly do they want to get Lord Malfoy imprisoned?"

The other Slytherins looked a bit contemplative.

"Well, do you want to get him imprisoned?" Farley asked hesitantly.

"No," I answered honestly, and my lazy grin turned a bit sharper. "However, a little scare won't hurt him."

The others eyed me carefully, clearly wondering what I'd do in retaliation.

I merely looked toward the entrance of the Great Hall as the other second-years endered and approached.

Malfoy in particular strutted over, and his smirk was overwhelmingly cocky as he approached. "Missed the train, Potter?"

"Did someone have to explain that to you?" I asked with a pleasant smile, "Or perhaps were you hoping to meet up with me on the train? I must be blunt when I say I'm not too interested in you in that manner."

Nott snorted loudly as he sat down across from me.

"Shut up, Nott," Malfoy snapped as he begrudgingly sat down at the table. He glared at me as he said, "You'll regret standing against me."

"Am I supposed to find that intimidating?" I asked with a raised brow. "I've seen Hufflepuffs glare better than that."

Nott kept his lips sealed shut, but his shoulders shook from containing his laughter as other Slytherin second-years sat down.

The blonde immediately scowled. "Not everyone can be a freak like you with red eyes."

"Oh? Does that mean you consider the Dark Lord's red eyes freakish, too?" I asked, and the boy immediately backtracked.

"I didn't say that," he said quickly.

"You implied it," I pointed out. "Does that mean you also find Parseltongues to be freakish? I find that quite insulting, as snakes are often much better conversationalists than mere pests with inflated egos."

"Are you calling me a pest?" Malfoy asked in surprise.

"With an inflated ego, yes," I confirmed as the Bloody Baron took a spot beside me.

Other ghosts similarly went around the Hall to watch the Sorting.

The heir to the Malfoy Lordship scowled deeply. "You-"

Before the boy could bicker with me more, the doors to the Great Hall opened, revealing McGonagall and a group of about forty first years.

Of the forty, I recognized one - Ginny Weasley - who looked incredibly pale amongst the group.

McGonagall began the Sorting of the first years, which took a long while.

Ginny was the last of her year to be called up to the stool, where the Sorting Hat was placed on her head.

The Sorting Hat contemplated for a long moment before deciding, "Gryffindor!"

I expected the outcome, so it came to me as slightly suspicious when she shook her head a bit.

The girl quickly got up and handed the hat over to McGonagall before heading off to her House's table. She sat away from the other first years and the rest of her house, clearly feeling out of place there.

"You're looking quite serious," Zabini muttered from where he sat on my right side.

I didn't reply, instead turning my focus toward Dumbledore.

The headmaster of Hogwarts stood up while smiling. He welcomed us to the school before sitting back down, allowing us to eat to our hearts' content.

As the feast appeared, those at Slytherin began to pass around the food in a polite manner.

I quickly fell back into practice of being polite at the dining table.

Once we had eaten both dinner and dessert, Dumbledore stood up once more. He cleared his threat, and everyone fell silent. "Just a few more words now that we're all fed and watered. I would like to welcome the newest member of our staff - Gilderoy Lockhart!" He motioned over to the man, who stood up and gave everyone a charming grin.

"It's good to be here, teaching all of you delightful students!" Lockhart spoke up loudly as there was an applause for him.

I internally sighed, having no interest in the man at all.

"Now, a few start-of-term notices…" Dumbledore stroked his beard as he said, "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch to remind you that there should be no magic used in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House should contact Madam Hooch." He allowed that to sink in for a moment before smiling brightly at us all. "Now, before we go to bed, allow us to sing the school song!"

I barely held back a roll of my eyes.

After hearing that horrific cacophony of noise, we were sent off to bed.

I was grateful as I walked down to the Slytherin common room with the others.

The room was the same as last year, and the two new fifth year prefects gave the first years a brief lecture on the rules of Slytherin, none of them bothering with the speech that Farley gave last year. From there, we all went to bed for the night.