Chapter Text
"Slytherin," the sorting hat states confidently.
The far left side erupts into cheering, with head of house Snape giving me a sneer as well as ushering me towards my new seat. Gryffindor mockingly booes as I find a seat next to a rather skinny girl. She looks familiar. Maybe I'd met her at one of my parent's gatherings for purebloods.
"...Pansy?" I hesitantly ask.
She whips her head around to face me, and now I'm certain I recognize her.
"What?" She snaps. "Do I know you?"
"I think our parents met at ah, a party. I'm pureblood as well."
"Oh," she said, "at least you're civilized then."
Something about this feels wrong. I mean, other than the blatant attitude against mudbloods.
"Ezra Elliot," I say, extending my hand. She takes it, which at first surprises me, but it's made very clear her intentions as I pull my hand back.
A chocolate frog leaps out at me. "Ow!" I startle. It doesn't actually hurt, but I decide to play into it. "Oh...oh you got me, I'm done for, ohhh, I haven't ever been to one Quidditch match, oh, woe is me..."
The frog has leaped away by now, but I don't mind because Pansy Parkinson is laughing.
Suddenly she looks over at a blonde boy, straightens her robe, blushes, and clears her throat.
"Draco, we're keeping this one," she calls over. The boy smiles and nods, tossing an unopened frog at me.
It's about to hit me square in the face but I reach up just in time to intercept.
"Sorry about him," Pansy rolls her eyes. "We all went to nursery school together. He's an absolute twat."
"It's fine," I say, already stuffing my face with the chocolate. "Merlin, this is amazing cocoa."
"Hey, I think you got a new card. Can I see?"
"Oh, I don't collect the cards. I just like the candy," I shrug, handing her the box.
"'Hermione Granger, Minister of Magic.' Holy shit. Elliot, I think you got the rare card. Literally. No one's found this yet." Her eyes flickered with mischief. "We could use this."
"For bargaining power?" I ask, wiping the chocolate from my mouth.
Pansy grins and raises her eyebrows. "Dude. We're gonna be the most powerful first years Hogwarts has ever seen." She pockets the card, holding out her free hand. I eagerly shake it.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Pansy." I say in my best pureblood voice.
The two of us spend the rest of dinner first marvelling over the seemingle endless food. The feast tonight is unlike anything I've ever had, even as a pureblood raised in a fairly wealthy family. Food just keeps coming and coming, even as plates are grasped at by all of my fellow classmates, they are refilled.
As dessert comes, we get to talking about how much trouble we can get Gryffindors into for this card. Draco overhears eventually and can't help but pitch in to the plotting.
I think I'm going to like it here.
By the time I climb into bed, I'm already stuffed and half asleep. As I stare up at the constellation painted across the ceiling, the chill of the dungeons get to me and I pull the covers over my head.
I blink.
A chill runs up my spine.
I think I fall asleep.