Lyra POV
The Great Hall fell silent as we approached the front, right in front of the Sorting Hat and the head table.
"Wait here, please," Professor McGonagall said, stepping aside. "Before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."
Dumbledore stood up from his seat, ready to deliver one of his usual speeches."I have a few start-of-term notices I wish to announce," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "First years, the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, would like to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds for those who don't want to die a painful death."
And just like that, he sat back down, as though death threats were a normal greeting.
"As I call your name, step forward, and I'll place the Sorting Hat on your head. It'll then decide your house," McGonagall explained, gesturing to the old, tattered hat sitting on a stool.
"Hermione Granger!"
I looked over at Hermione, giving her a nod. She seemed nervous, but confident, as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head.
After a long pause, the hat yelled out,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers as Hermione walked over with a proud smile.
"Draco Malfoy!"
Ah, the arrogant git. Draco sauntered up to the stool, his expression oozing with self-importance. The Sorting Hat barely touched his head before it cried,
"SLYTHERIN!"
Draco gave the Slytherin table a smug look as he strolled over, clearly pleased with himself.
"There's no wizard or witch who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin,"
I overheard some idiot muttering from across the hall.
Wow, prejudice much? And guess what? I'd bet anything that this kid probably thinks Slytherins are the prejudiced ones. Hypocrisy at its finest.
My eyes wandered over to the teachers' table as more names were called, finally landing on Professor Quirrell. His turban shifted slightly as he turned to speak to Dad, but it was the way his turban faced me that sent a strange chill down my spine.
Huh, weird.
"Zeta Lyrae Malfoy!"
The entire hall went quiet. Whispers filled the air, but I ignored them. After all, not many people knew the Malfoys had a daughter.
Great, now I had to endure all the stares.
I caught Draco's eye as the Sorting Hat was placed on my head, and he gave me a reassuring smile.
I could practically hear him saying, Slytherin, no doubt.
The hat covered my eyes, and I could hear its voice in my head, the usual murmuring it always did.
"Hmmm... Yes, you're determined, but prideful.
Intelligent, but malicious.
A problem-solver, but a rule-breaker.
Loyal, but sneaky.
Confident, but manipulative.
Oh, and just as difficult to sort as your brother. You're like her..."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
Who's 'her'?
The Sorting Hat continued, "Not this one..." it whispered, confusing me even more. Who the hell was it talking about? I only have one brother-Draco.
"SLYTHERIN!"
The hat shouted suddenly, breaking my thoughts.
The Slytherin table erupted in applause, louder than it had for Draco, which was saying something. I walked confidently over to my seat, flashing a quick smile at Draco as I sat beside Daphne and in front of Pansy Parkinson.
The other Slytherins started introducing themselves to me, and I returned their greetings with my usual charm. After the introductions, I caught Dumbledore's gaze across the room. He gave me a kind smile, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Took you long enough," Draco quipped from across the table. He was smirking, of course."
Charmed to make an entrance, I suppose," Vega quipped, her tone dripping with sarcastic humor. "You're welcome for making it exciting."
Blaise, ever the dramatic one, leaned in with a smirk of his own. "I thought you'd be dying in suspense. Must've been tough, huh?"
Vega's lips curled into a sly smile, and she glanced at Blaise. "Oh, I was absolutely on the edge of my seat. A whole five seconds of pure suspense." She tapped her fingers on the table in mock impatience. "I could hardly bear it."
The sorting continued, with Ron Weasley getting placed into Gryffindor along with Neville Longbottom and a few others.
I said, raising an eyebrow. "Now there's just one left to be sorted-the girl we shared the boat with. I'd hate to be the last one."
"Martha Robbins!"
McGonagall called.
Martha walked up to the stool, fiddling with her robe nervously, and took her seat. After a few tense moments, the hat yelled out,
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Yes!" I said under my breath, smiling at her as she walked over to us. She seemed nervous, unsure of where to sit, so I called out, "Hey, Martha, over here."
She smiled gratefully and joined us at the table, sitting next to me.
"Hi," she greeted, her voice still shaking a little. The food appeared on the table, and we all started filling our plates, the excitement of the sorting fading into the background as we dug into the feast."
"Martha Robbins," Blaise asked, "What do you think? Slytherin, eh?"
I looked over at Martha, my eyes scanning my new housemate. "I'm sure she'll do just fine," I replied dryly.
"After all, Slytherin isn't a house for the faint of heart. You've got to be tough to survive here. And if that means eating a few pesky Gryffindors for breakfast, well, I think we can make an exception."
Martha, to her credit, took the teasing in stride. "I've heard a lot about Slytherin," she said. "But I didn't expect the drama."
I chuckled darkly, a sharp glint with mischief in my eyes. "Oh, ma chérie, you've seen nothing yet."
Draco asked , "So pureblood?"
I kicked Draco under the table, and he shot me a glare.
Seriously every kid from the pureblood family has to work on their communication skills like what Draco is asking now is no different from Pansy.
"Yes, I'm a pure-blood. Neither of my parents went here, though. My dad went to Durmstrang, and my mom went to Beauxbatons," she explained. Her tone was firm, and she seemed to be getting a little annoyed.
Draco seemed relieved, and so did Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle.
I just rolled my eyes.
They were so predictable.
"Don't expect any favors," Draco muttered to Blaise, his eyes narrowing as he watched a group of Gryffindors making their way to the feast.
"In fact, don't expect anything from them.
"Blaise laughed softly, clearly enjoying the tension. "You do enjoy stirring the pot, don't you, Draco?"
Draco's lip curled into a smirk. "Only when it's worth it."
Both Draco and I shared an undeniable air of regality-one that commanded attention without saying a word. But where Draco was cold, calculating, and effortlessly intimidating, I was the perfect blend of wit, sarcasm, and composure, all while maintaining that air of haughty superiority that was unmistakably Malfoy.
The Malfoys had a reputation to uphold, and we'd do it in style. Afterall.
"You know," I mused, looking over at Draco with a hint of amusement , "I think we just might be the most interesting thing to happen to Hogwarts in ages."
Draco chuckled darkly, taking a sip from his goblet. "I'd say that's a given, wouldn't you?"
"Couldn't agree more," I said with a laugh. "But don't worry, Draco. We'll make sure they remember who runs the show around here. And trust me, it's not going to be any of those Gryffindors."
The feast was over.
"Alright, first years! Follow me!" called a prefect, leading us through the corridors.
I couldn't wait to see the Slytherin common room.
Dad had always told me it was the best, but I had no idea just how nice it would be.
We finally reached a large, dark wall.
"Serpentem Vectem,"
the prefect said, and the wall slid open, revealing the entrance.
Martha gasped, and I let out a low whistle. "Wow..."
Inside, the room was even better than I'd expected. The huge leather couches next to the fireplace were surrounded by polished wooden shelves lined with books and ornaments. A large circular table sat in the center, and windows along the walls let in the greenish light from the Black Lake.
"Alright, first years, listen up," the perfect continued.
"This is our common room. The password is 'Serpentem Vectem' for now, but it changes every fortnight. The new password will be posted on the notice board over there. On that board, you'll also find the times for Quidditch tryouts, practice, and games, as well as other events."
She pointed to a board on the wall, which was magically held up. "Don't let anyone from another house in. Trust me, you don't want them here."
The perfect smile, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"This is going to be interesting," I muttered under my breath as I looked at Draco who was already looking at me smirking.
I settled into one of the leather sofas, ready for whatever Hogwarts would throw at me next.
TO BE CONTINUED...