The Great Hall was already excited even before the first years entered the hall.
Hundreds of candles floated high in the air, their flames flickering gently beneath the enchanted ceiling that mirrored the night sky outside. The stars above Hogwarts glittered softly through the magical illusion, giving the hall the appearance of dining beneath an endless heavens.
Students filled the four long house tables.
Scarlet for Gryffindor.
Green for Slytherin.
Blue for Ravenclaw.
Yellow for Hufflepuff.
At the far end of the hall, the professors sat behind the long high table.
There was a low hum of conversation across the room.
First years were coming.
But honestly, most students didn't care very much.
Only a few people were truly interested in the Sorting Ceremony itself.
Those who had younger siblings joining Hogwarts that year leaned forward with excitement, whispering and craning their necks toward the doors.
But most of the hall had other priorities.
Food.
The Hogwarts welcome feast was legendary.
And after a long train journey, everyone was hungry.
Very hungry.
Students were also exhausted.
The excitement of returning to school had slowly been replaced by the simple desire to eat and go to bed.
At the Gryffindor table, conversations about summer holidays filled the air.
Comac McLagan leaned back in his seat.
"I swear, Mum made me de-gnome the garden every single day."
Katie Bell raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds productive."
Comac groaned.
"You try wrestling magical garden pests for six hours."
At the Ravenclaw table, older students debated Quidditch teams.
At Slytherin, whispers about Ministry politics were already circulating.
Then—
The doors of the Great Hall opened.
The noise in the room softened slightly.
This part was routine.
Every year Professor Minerva McGonagall led the first years into the hall.
Students expected the sight of nervous eleven-year-olds staring wide-eyed at the enormous chamber.
But this time—
The reaction was very different.
Because the first years were not alone.
Walking among them was a taller figure.
Older.
Broad-shouldered.
A boy who clearly did not belong among the tiny nervous children.
For a moment, the entire hall stared.
Then recognition spread like wildfire.
Not because they had met him before.
But because they had seen his face.
For two straight weeks.
On the front page of the Daily Prophet.
Rose Potter's mysterious boyfriend.
Students began whispering immediately.
"That's him."
"The boy from the newspaper!"
"I knew it!"
Heads turned across the hall.
Eyes shifted between the mysterious boy—
And Rose Potter.
At the Gryffindor table, Ron nearly choked.
Fred leaned forward eagerly.
"Oh this going to be exciting."
George grinned.
"Front-row entertainment."
Rose, sitting stiffly at the Gryffindor table, felt every pair of eyes in the room suddenly land on her.
Her ears burned slightly.
She avoided looking at Helios.
That only made the whispers louder.
Across the hall, even some professors were watching carefully.
At the high table, Albus Dumbledore sat quietly with his fingers steepled together.
His blue eyes twinkled faintly behind half-moon glasses.
But his attention was fixed firmly on one person.
Helios Black.
He watched the boy closely.
Helios walked calmly beside the first years as though the entire hall staring at him meant absolutely nothing.
Which, in truth, it didn't.
He had already faced far more intimidating situations than a room full of teenagers.
Still—
The tension in the room was undeniable.
Even the Slytherin table was leaning forward with curiosity.
Draco Malfoy whispered to Crabbe.
"That's him."
Crabbe nodded slowly.
At the front of the hall, Professor McGonagall placed the three-legged stool before the students.
On top of it sat the old patched wizard's hat.
The Sorting Hat.
For a moment, the hall was completely silent.
Then—
The hat's brim opened like a mouth.
And it began to sing.
Its voice echoed through the chamber, ancient and theatrical, filling the Great Hall with the traditional Sorting song that welcomed each new generation of Hogwarts students.
While it sang, students continued whispering quietly.
Most of them weren't really listening.
They were still watching Helios Black.
The Sorting Hat finished its song, and the hall slowly returned to its usual murmur.
Professor Minerva McGonagall unrolled the long parchment in her hand.
The Sorting Ceremony began.
One by one, the nervous first years stepped forward when their names were called.
A small boy shuffled forward, his shoes squeaking nervously against the stone floor.
The hat barely touched his head.
"Hufflepuff!"
Cheers erupted from the yellow table.
Another student followed.
Then another.
Each child approached the stool trembling slightly, sat down, and waited while the ancient hat whispered inside their mind before shouting the house that would shape the next seven years of their life.
Around the hall, students clapped politely.
But the energy in the room had changed.
Everyone knew something unusual was about to happen.
Every few seconds, students glanced toward the end of the line.
Where Helios stood.
Tall.
Calm.
Waiting.
Eventually the list of first years ended.
Only one student remained standing before the stool.
A strange silence settled over the hall.
Then slowly, Albus Dumbledore rose from his chair at the high table.
His voice carried easily across the hall.
"Before we conclude tonight's Sorting Ceremony," he said gently, "we have one more student to welcome."
Students leaned forward.
"This year, Hogwarts has the pleasure of receiving an older student joining us for the first time."
He gestured toward Helios.
"He have been homeschooled until now."
Soft murmurs spread through the hall.
Dumbledore continued calmly.
"As such, Hogwarts may take some time to become familiar to him."
His blue eyes twinkled faintly.
"I trust you will all help him adjust to life within our school."
Then he smiled warmly.
"Please welcome… Helios Black."
The reaction was immediate.
Gasps.
Whispers.
The name had weight.
Black.
Among the pure-blood families, that surname carried centuries of history.
At the Slytherin table, several students exchanged quick glances.
But not everyone looked surprised.
Draco Malfoy leaned back slightly, watching Helios with a calculating expression.
Crabbe whispered quietly beside him.
Their fathers had already told them the story.
The graveyard.
The duel.
The mysterious boy who had fought the Dark Lord and lived.
Lucius Malfoy had given Draco one very specific instruction.
If you ever encounter the boy…
Do not fight him.
Make him your friend.
Helios walked calmly toward the stool.
The whispers followed him like wind through tall grass.
At the Gryffindor table, Rose stared at him.
Hermione frowned thoughtfully.
Helios sat down on the stool.
Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head.
The hall held its breath.
Inside the darkness beneath the hat, a dry voice spoke.
"Well, well, well…"
"Now this is interesting."
The hat sounded amused.
"What do we have here… Mr. Potter?"
Helios froze.
Don't tell anyone.
The thought came instantly.
The hat chuckled softly.
"Oh, don't worry."
"I never reveal the secrets of students."
"My duty is to the school."
There was a pause.
Then the hat spoke again, more thoughtfully.
"Hmmm…"
"Very complicated mind."
"Courage."
"Loyalty."
"Intelligence."
"Ambition."
It hummed softly.
"Quite a fascinating mixture."
Helios thought quickly.
Put me in Gryffindor.
The hat laughed quietly inside his head.
"Ah yes."
"You said something similar before."
Helios frowned.
"Yes," the hat replied.
"Perhaps not to me personally."
"But to another version of me."
The hat sounded amused.
"You convinced him otherwise."
"But not this time."
Helios tried again.
I need to be in Gryffindor.
I have to protect Rose.
The hat considered this.
"Admirable motivation."
"But protection is not limited to one house."
Its tone shifted slightly.
"And you know it."
Another pause.
Then the hat spoke firmly.
"You would achieve great things in Slytherin."
Helios sighed internally.
He had expected this possibility.
Then suddenly—
The hat's voice rang aloud across the Great Hall.
"SLYTHERIN!"
The word echoed through the chamber.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the Slytherin table erupted into applause.
Students clapped loudly.
Some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined politely.
But the loudest reaction came from the Slytherin house itself.
Older pure-blood students recognized the significance immediately.
The heir of House Black joining Slytherin was almost symbolic.
Helios removed the hat calmly and handed it back to Professor McGonagall.
Then he turned.
And walked toward the Slytherin table.
Draco Malfoy was already standing.
Smiling slightly.
But across the hall—
The reaction was very different.
At the Gryffindor table, Rose stared at Helios as though she had been struck.
Confusion.
Shock.
Because none of them had expected this.
Not even remotely.
Helios Black—
Is now a Slytherin.
Helios followed the Slytherin prefect through the winding corridors beneath Hogwarts.
The stone walls grew colder as they descended deeper into the castle. Torches flickered along the damp passages, their light reflecting faintly on the greenish stone that seemed permanently touched by the lake above.
Helios walked calmly behind the prefect, his expression neutral.
Inside his mind, however, he was doing something far more difficult.
He was pretending.
Pretending that he had never been here before.
Pretending that Hogwarts was unfamiliar.
Pretending that every corridor, every stairway, every hidden passageway was new to him.
In truth, during his previous life at Hogwarts he had explored the castle more thoroughly than most students ever would.
Day.
Night.
Hidden tunnels.
Secret rooms.
But now he had to act like a newcomer.
And that required discipline.
The prefect walking ahead of him was a tall Slytherin seventh-year named Cassian Rowle.
Rowle spoke as they walked.
"First years usually stay in the dormitories," he explained casually.
"But older transfers get private rooms."
Helios nodded politely.
Behind them, a few Slytherin students walked along the corridor as well.
Most of them were staring.
Some curious.
Some cautious.
Some calculating.
One boy finally spoke.
"So… you're Helios Black?"
Helios glanced back.
"Yes."
The boy smiled.
"I'm Adrian Flint."
He hesitated slightly.
"Your family… is from the Black line?"
Helios answered simply.
"Yes."
Immediately several students became more interested.
A girl stepped closer.
"Are you really dating Rose Potter?"
Several students leaned forward immediately.
Helios sighed quietly.
"Apparently the entire wizarding world believes that."
"That's not what I asked," the girl said with a smirk.
Helios simply shrugged.
"That's the only answer you're getting."
The prefect stopped walking.
They had reached a section of blank stone wall deep beneath the castle.
Cassian Rowle turned toward the students.
"The entrance."
He spoke clearly.
"Password."
"Salazar."
The wall trembled slightly.
Then slowly it slid aside.
The entrance to the Slytherin Common Room revealed itself.
Students began repeating the password quietly.
"Salazar."
Inside, the common room glowed with soft green light. Tall windows looked directly into the depths of the Black Lake, dark water pressing silently against the enchanted glass.
The room itself felt elegant.
Ancient.
Stone pillars carved with serpents supported the ceiling.
Silver lamps illuminated dark green furniture arranged around a large fireplace.
Helios stepped inside.
The prefect gestured toward a narrow corridor branching off from the main chamber.
"Your room."
Helios followed him.
The private room was simple.
A bed.
A small desk.
A chair.
A wardrobe.
Nothing extravagant.
Helios placed his hand in his pocket briefly, feeling the tiny matchbox-sized trunk resting there.
He didn't bother enlarging it yet.
Instead he turned and walked back toward the common room.
A gathering had already begun.
All Slytherin students stood quietly in the center of the chamber.
They were waiting.
Their Head of House had arrived.
Professor Severus Snape stood before them, robes billowing slightly as he turned toward the assembled students.
His dark eyes swept across the room.
When his gaze reached Helios, it lingered for half a second longer than necessary.
But his expression revealed nothing.
Snape spoke smoothly.
"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts."
His voice echoed softly in the stone chamber.
"Slytherin House has always held itself to standards higher than the rest of the school."
Several students straightened instinctively.
"Our traditions are… complex."
Snape's gaze moved slowly through the crowd.
"Slytherin is not merely a house."
"It is a structure."
"A society."
"There are customs."
"Expectations."
"Politics."
"You will learn them with time."
His tone carried quiet authority.
"But understand this."
"Slytherin rewards intelligence."
"Ambition."
"Discipline."
"And loyalty to one's own."
His eyes flicked briefly toward Helios again.
Then returned to the rest of the students.
"You will find that the rules written by Hogwarts are only a fraction of the rules that govern this house."
The older students exchanged knowing looks.
Snape continued.
"Learn quickly."
"Or fall behind."
Silence followed his words.
Then Snape turned toward the exit.
"Good evening."
Without another word, he left the common room.
The moment the door closed behind him, the atmosphere changed.
Students began speaking quietly again.
Helios remained where he stood.
Because both of them knew.
Snape had already recognized him.
They had met before.
Snape also understood something most others had not yet realized.
Rose Potter had changed a lot during the summer.
The girl who had faced the Wizengamot with calm legal arguments… was not the same girl from previous years.
Snape had been observing closely.
Helios Black was the reason.
A true Slytherin.
Ambitious.
Fearless.
Cunning.
The type of student Salazar himself might have admired.
And Helios knew something else.
Slytherin House held secrets.
Customs and alliances that never reached the outside world.
Even gossip rarely escaped its walls.
And that made it the perfect place to operate unnoticed.
Author's Note:
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