The Rise of Harry Potter

The hat felt it and chuckled lowly in his head. 'Of course, it is against my abilities to inform anyone of our exchange. A useful thing, ah yes, but you already know this. You thirst for more information, but you hold back.'

Adrian neither confirmed nor denied the hat, simply awaiting its decision.

'Ironic, isn't it, Mr. Riddle? Your entire situation, your life now... Your motivation and your goals, oh very cunning indeed... They may conflict with my own personal beliefs and judgement, although they are commendable. You show remarkable bravery, perhaps I should sort you into-'

'Don't. Don't you dare,' Adrian threatened, trying to quell the rising wave of panic at such a prospect.

'No no, of course not. It is humorous that your mind bears such resemblance to your father's.'

'I am nothing like Potter.'

'James Potter is not your father, Mr. Riddle. And because of this and the struggles you have overcome, it shall be-'

"Slytherin!"

It took Adrian a moment to realise that this last part had been shouted out loud.

The tables clapped politely as Adrian stepped down and walked over to the table. Draco had cleared a spot for him nearest a girl with the surname Greengrass. He spotted Calum at the Ravenclaw table, looking inexplicably relieved.

The feast finished very quickly afterwards, the only announcement which stood out in Adrian's mind was Dumbledore's strange statement that the third floor corridor was out of bounds and only then to anybody who didn't want to suffer a very painful death.

At the end of the feast the large group that was Slytherin moved, rising and filtering out of the Great Hall before taking a sharp left to descend into the dungeons where apparently the Slytherin common room and dormitories were located.

The hallways were dark and muggy, the air stiflingly thick and almost too moist, the consequence of all that torchlight and the castle being so close to the lake no doubt. Adrian felt uncomfortably with the close quarters, yet almost as quickly as they pressed in they opened to more pleasant stone hallways, forking to the left and then to the right.

The Slytherin Prefects led the way, directing everyone to a specific lantern stand with a well engraved snake curled around the mount.

"Hello First Years," The Seventh Year Prefect announced, looking very pleased with the selection. "This is the entryway to the Slytherin Common Rooms. The password is Dragon Eye. Keep updated, as the password will be changed by the end of the week."

At the password, the snake shifted, wriggling free from the stone and working as a latch in itself. The wall around the torch fell and curled in on itself. It rolled, sliding out of the way with a silent flare of light. The Prefect ducked inside without waiting for the baffled First Years to get their bearings.

The room opened up into a large domed cavern. The ceiling was supported by archaic iron archways, the very very top was dark black, although it shifted ever so slightly with colour. Adrian assumed it was charmed like the great hall.

An older girl with short hair stepped forward. This was the other Seventh Year Prefect. "The rooms are divided by Years. Unlike the other Houses, we have plenty of individual bedrooms. Depending on your Year, your room is located in different hallways or locations. Each room generally has two students to it, however you can swap roommates at any time, just take your name plaque with you." She pointed at the staircase alongside her own. The other instead of ascending, descended to a hallway lit by green torches. "First Years are down the stairs. Second and Third Years are to the right, Fourth and Fifth are to the left. Sixth and Seventh are up the stairs. Us Prefects are also up the stairs."

"If House drama comes up," The male Prefect took over. "Don't fight it out outside of here. We're Slytherin, I don't care if you're having problems. Outside of this room we stand together."

He noticed a few First Years looking uncomfortable, and he wondered just who was already picking sides or trying to influence the Slytherin hierarchy.

"Good!" The female exclaimed, clapping suddenly and looking amused as everyone startled to attention. "Go find your rooms. Professor Snape, our Head of House will be here soon to discuss rules and other pertinent information."

With that, they were dismissed and allowed to file down the narrow staircase, peering down, looking for their names among the silver name plaques.

That's how Adrian found his room as well as the name of his roommate. He'd hoped for a single, but he wasn't too worried; he knew at some point of time he could likely weed out the others and manage to get a room of his own. For now he just had to deal with whoever this stranger was.

"You're Selwyn?" Another boy grunted, eying up Adrian critically. Adrian did the same, noticing the sharp, aristocratic features and the slanting eyes.

"And you must be Zabini." Adrian nodded, looking at the boy who only wrinkled his nose slightly. Zabini would probably be popular for his appearance in the future, Adrian thought.

Zabini pushed past carefully and opened the room.

....

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