Mattheo Riddle
The Hogwarts Express halted to a stop at Hogsmeade station when the sun had just set and the stars were bright enough to aluminate the sky.
Students immediately gathered in the corridors as they piled out of the train.
Having changed in the toilets already, the group emptied out of the compartment and onto the platform outside.
"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" Cassie looked to find the owner of the voice to belong to a giant of a man. His face was almost entirely hidden by a long shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard.
"Merlin that oaf needs to learn how to speak proper English," said Draco, fixing his robes, his eyebrows raised in disgust.
"It's probably not his first language," said Theo, shouting over the bubble of noise from their fellow students, "I heard his kind aren't native to England,"
"Well, we should still probably go over to him, I don't wanted to get lost on my first day," said Laurie.
"Knowing Laurie, he probably will do," Draco whispered to Cassie, grinning.
They made their way over to the small huddle of first years, shivering at the cold as it nipped at their backs.
Slipping and stumbling, they followed the man down a steep, narrow path. Once they had turned the corner, someone gasped.
"Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened onto a huge lake. There, overlooking the lake, they could see Hogwarts. It was a vast castle with many of turrets and towers, and a hundred windows that sparkled in the night sky.
Sitting in the water close to the shore was a little fleet of boats. Pointing to them, the man said, "No more'n four to a boat!"
Cassie, Pansy, Draco and Blaise helped themselves to their boat whist Theo and Laurie were followed into theirs by the boy from the train.
"This is it Cas," Draco whispered into Cassie's ear, as the boats began gliding across the water towards the castle. "This is Hogwarts."
_____
When they reached the shore, the first years began to climb out of the boats and started walking along the dimly lit path towards the main entrance.
As the man pushed open the doors and the students began to empty into the warm staircase, Cassie saw a tall witch in emerald green robes standing there.
"The firs' years, professor McGonagall," said the man.
"Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here." She said, cleared and throat and then spoke again.
"Attention first years! You are about to sorted into your Hogwarts house. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Whilst you are at Hogwarts, your house will become something like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.
The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on the round faced boy from the platform earlier's cloak, which was unfastened under his ear.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly,"
As they were waiting to get sorted, Cassie noticed who was standing in front of her, and nudged Draco.
"So you're Harry Potter then." Cassie spoke, her voice icy. The boy turned around, surprised, and Cassie saw his infamous lightning scar.
"It's true? What they were saying on the train? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts?"
Now other first years were starting to gather around them, as they whispered amongst themselves.
"Yes," Harry said. "I'm him. I mean I'm me."
I rolled my eyes at his embarrassment.
"Well I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." The redhead next him coughed, which was obviously masking a laugh.
Draco frowned. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to guess what your name is. My father's told me all about your family. Red hair, and a hand-me down robe, you must be a Weasley!" He spat.
Draco's father had come home from work at the ministry many a time when Cassie was round the Malfoy's house when she was younger, complaining about Arthur Weasley.
Draco's father often had spoke about Arthur Weasley when Cassie was at Malfoy Manor, often complaining 'He's a filthy little blood traitor. He's a disgrace to pure bloods. He has a lack of ambition, is in poverty and he has an unhealthy obsession with muggles.'
Draco turned away from Weasel to Potter again. "You'll soon find, Potter, that some wizarding families are better than others. I can help you there." He stuck out his hand for Potter to shake.
And Potter had the nerve to reject his offer. Once Draco had turned away, and McGonagall had entered the room once more ant began to speak, Cassie whispered to Potter,
"I'd watch your tone Potter. You may think that you're comfortable enough to speak to Draco like that, but you'll be six foot under like your mummy and daddy before you try to cross us. Once you come to your senses, you'll regret it."
She turned to Weasley next to him and looked him up and down. "By the way, Weasel, you have dirt on the side of your nose."
Once they had walked through the great hall and reached the sorting hat, Professor McGonagall started calling out the names of students, who one by one walked over to the stool, put on the hat and got selected their house.
The first student sorted into Slytherin was a girl with thick skin called Millicent Bulstrode, and she was followed by Vincent Crabbe, who Cassie knew was friends with Draco.
"Lawrence Bankcroft," Professor McGonagall said, and Laurie walked up to the podium and put on the hat. After a minute of consideration, the hat shouted, "Slytherin!"
Cassie and her friends clapped for Laurie, along with the rest of the school. Then it was Draco's and Theo's turns. Theo took a few seconds with the hat, before it declared him a Slytherin whist Draco barely had put it on before the hat screeched out "Slytherin!"
After Pansy was sorted into the same house, it was Cassie's turn.
"Cassiopeia Peverell!" Professor McGonagall called out. She climbed onto the platform, ignoring the whispers and chatter that filled the hall as soon as her name was announced. She managed to overhear a few students exclaim to their friends though.
"Did McGonagall just say Peverell?"
"I think that's the girl who's related to Salazar Slytherin!"
Cassie placed the hat onto her head and sat on the stool, staring down at the school like she was sitting on a throne. Everyone fell silent suddenly.
"Aaah," said the hat. "What a surprise! Another Peverell! I haven't had one since your father! Yes, hmmm, you have an exceptional mind, really really exceptional. Goodness, child your potential! I hope you live up to your family's reputation. Well, there really is no question about where to place you. I think you'll do spectacular in Slytherin!" He called out, and she was given more applause than anyone else so far.
Whist the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws clapped politely, you could see that they were disappointed that Cassie was not in their own houses. However amongst the Gryffindors, people were shaking their heads and muttering to each other.
Cassie rolled her eyes to herself as she joined Laurie, Draco, Theo and Pansy at the Slytherin table. She sat next to Draco, who squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Congratulations! You're not going to get disowned!" Cassie said to Draco and he laughed.
Then the school erupted into whispers once again as Harry Potter was called to be sorted. "Gryffindor!" The hat shouted. Cassie almost laughed. Of course their saint was in a house full of pricks and prats, as Blaise called them on the train.
A few more people were called, and Cassie's stomach was rumbling. As if he was reading her mind, Theo said, "I wonder how long it is until the feast starts?"
Cassie was about to reply, when Professor McGonagall read out another name. "Mattheo Riddle!"
The school was silent. Utterly silent. No one dared to say a word. The small crowd of first years left to be sorted parted as the boy from the corner of the compartment walked up onto the stadium.
What? What? What in Merlin's beard? Mattheo Riddle? Riddle? Cassie was actually going to laugh.
He was Voldemorts son. He had to be. She remembered briefly her mother saying that around the time Cassie was born, Lord Voldemort had a huge cover up and every death eater was called to an urgent meeting.
Rumours had then spread about the dark lord fathering a boy, but that was all they were; rumours. Cassie had no idea that they were true.
She understood the fear that flashed through the students. One of the most powerful wizards of the age was his father. A man who had destroyed countless lives and killed countless people. Everyone in Hogwarts probably knew someone who had been killed by The dark lord and his followers.
The boy turned to face the school as he put on the hat. He looked nervous, but he did well not to show it.
The hat spent at least five whole minutes deciding on his house, before the hat shouted out, "Slytherin!"
No one clapped. No one cheered. No one said or did anything as Mattheo walked up to the Slytherin table and took his seat opposite Pansy. He stared at the table, obviously uncomfortable with how the whole school was still staring at him.
However, the sorting carried on. "Poor Blaise," said Pansy, "He's the last one left," as Blaise too was sorted into Slytherin and took his place next to Pansy.
Professor Dumbledore said a brief introduction to the first years, and went over some things, before introduced the house heads. She recognised Severus Snape as the Slytherin head of house, and she almost smiled. If they had Snape, then the Gryffindors had better run.
Then the feast appeared. Piles upon piles of food lying on plates and heaped up onto towers lined the tables. There was beef and lamb and about a million other meats, along with random chipolata sausages. There were towers of mashed potatoes and roasted ones, with trays full of peas, broccoli and carrots.
Helping himself to a Yorkshire pudding, Blaise complained, "Why did my mother make me keep her maiden name? I was stood there for hours,"
"Probably because she couldn't work out who your dad was mate," Theo said and we laughed.
"At least my father-" Blaise began, before Draco interrupted.
"Please let's not talk about our fathers on our first night here. That's a long conversation,"
Cassie laughed. "No father talk," she agreed, and she took a swig of her pumpkin juice. Mattheo let out a hasty breath, and muttered something. Then they looked at him.
"That's how you knew so much about him, Riddle? Isn't it? On the train? How you knew he was related to Slytherin, and why you didn't tell us your name. Because he's your father," Pansy didn't ask it as a question, but rather a statement.
Mattheo looked up, surprised that she had directed a question to him, and his eyes locked on Cassie's. She was staring at him curiously, and didn't say anything.
He cleared his throat. "I didn't know what he did. I was brought up away from the wizarding world. He wanted to hide me. I never knew him," he explained.
Laurie rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. He's dead."
They all stared at him, as if they couldn't work out what was wrong with him.
"I don't think you understand how threatening you are, and what power you hold over this castle," said Blaise.
He scoffed. "Believe me, I know. My father murdered half these people's families. Besides I think Peverell will be more threatening than I could ever be," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Probably right," Draco agreed.
"Shouldn't you lot be afraid of me then?" Mattheo asked them.
"Believe me they are," Cassie spoke on her friend's behalf.
"And you aren't?" His eyebrows raised.
Cassie crossed her arms. "I'm afraid of few things, Riddle. You are certainly not one one of them."
"Why didn't you tell us your name on the train?" Blaise asked Mattheo.
"We would've found out anyway," Draco agreed.
Mattheo brushed a hand through his dark brown hair. "I was savouring the last few minutes of being normal,"
"We won't ever be normal again. I hope you did savour it." Cassie said, folding her arms.
"You say you didn't know anything?" Theo asked as he leaned in.
Mattheo sighed. "Not really. I mean my parents are both dead, aren't they? Or at least that's what they said at the orphanage. When I got my letter, that guy that took us on the boats turned up and started explaining things."
"I think you're decent," said Blaise, nodding his head.
"I like you," said Laurie, "I think you're nice. Unless you turn out like your dad, and kill everyone, but I'd like to think you're not a daddy's boy. But of course hopefully you won't die, like your dad. Because that would be unfortunate. Unless you kill everyone. Like your dad did. Then I don't mind if you die."
Everyone looked at Laurie again. Cassie was actually contemplating if he had brain damage.
"Laurie you don't say that to someone," said Draco. "It's impolite."
___
Once the feast was over, they got to enter the Slytherin common room. They were led down an elegant black staircase into the dungeons, and then they stopped at a round door with seven snakes twisted across the middle.
"liberans anguis," the prefect said to the door, and it swung open to reveal a large common room with vaulting ceilings and elegant emerald green furniture scattered around the room. It had a green glow to it, and there was a burning fireplace on the left of the room.
The boys got split up from Cassie and Pansy, taking the staircase on the right instead of the left. Cassie walked up the staircase until the female prefect assigned her and Pansy to their own dormitory.
Their dorm had stone walls and wooden floors. The windows and beds had green curtains framing them, and there was a green and silver carpet with the house crest painted on the centre of it laying in the middle of the room.
"I call dibs on this one!" Said Pansy, immediately beginning to dive onto the bed to the left. Cassie laughed as she took the bed next to her.
"Seems like they already knew which bed we would pick," said Cassie, recognising her trunk laying besides the bed she had chosen.
She had her own wardrobe and chest of draws, along with a large mirror. She saw her robes laying on a chair next to the bed as well.
There was only one other bed in dormitory; usually there were five beds to a room, but Cassie's mother had paid extra to make sure that they had a better dorm.
Long after their roommate had fallen asleep, and the sound of Pansy's heavy breaths filled the room, Cassie sat by the window closest to the her bed. Though there wasn't an actual a view as they were still in the dungeons underneath the school, but it had been transfigured into looking out onto the black lake.
She thought about what the hat said, pondering his words over and over again in her brain. I hope you live up to your family's reputation. Merlin now even a hat was expecting her to do great things. She was curious to see what Hogwarts would be like for her. She was famous, after all.
Cassie didn't know it, but there were two other Hogwarts first years staring out of their window at the exact same time, thinking the exact same thing.
Both of them famous too.