Walking towards the headmaster’s office, I felt displeased. ‘I knew that’s just how all Slytherin’s see others… Why did I even get my hopes up?’ Some part of me hoped to have a kindred spirit here at school. I had spent all of my life hiding my beliefs from my parents, and wished to have a human friend that understood me. Pansy didn’t participate in all of the other Slytherin’s making fun of others, so I thought there might be a chance. However in just a few moments those hopes were dashed by her few words. I would be truly alone until I graduated.

Downhearted, I sighed while pausing in front of the door. I then knocked on the door, but when I did the door opened due to my knocking. I looked inside the office, seeing books piled around along with other assorted nick nacks. “Professor Dumbledore? You wanted to see me?” I asked while slowly heading inside. I looked towards the end of the office to see an empty desk. ‘Did I make him wait too long?’ I thought as I walked closer to the desk.

A sudden chirping noise directed my attention to my right, where a bird had been roosted on its perch. One that I recognized immediately. “Phoenix…” I mumbled under my breath as a smile formed at its beauty and elegance. The phoenix looked at me, making my smile even wider as I approached her. I held my hand out towards her letting her decide whether she felt comfortable enough to reach out the last bit towards me. She looked at me, her head tilted to the side in judgment. 

I took out my wand and placed the end of it on my forehead, focusing on the ringing it gave. “Hi, I’m Lucas. What’s your name?” I asked, making the Phoenix flap her wings once before spontaneously combusting into flame. I moved my hand back to stop from being caught up in it. I frowned, wondering how long it would take for her to re-emerge, and putting my wand away. “Fawkes is her name.” The sudden voice behind me startled me, making me jump in my shoes. I looked back to see the headmaster Dumbledore smiling benignly at me while sitting at his desk.

I walked over towards his desk in silence, sitting down in front of him before realizing something. “You speak parseltongue too?” I knew that he heard me so there was no reason to hide that I could speak it. ‘I heard that it has a bad reputation, but it’s too late to hide it from him.’ He nodded his head slowly at me. “Understand to be more accurate... Speaking is beyond me.” He chuckled, before getting down to business. “Besides that, how has your first day been?” He asked me while he studied me.

My first thoughts were of Quirrell, but I quickly thought of Pansy’s answer to my question. Then my thoughts changed to Abarrane and Val. I let out a sigh before talking. “Eventful…” Was all I could say in response to his question. Dumbledore hummed at me with a benign smile. “Of course it is a lot to take in at once.” He chuckled for a bit before continuing on, giving me folded parchment. “The main reason I asked you to talk today was to let you know we have a room for you.” I squinted at him with confusion, until I realized what he was talking about. “My father told you?” Part of my familial heritage had some of our bloodline have wizards build up their magical power every month before releasing it all in their sleep destructively. I vaguely remembered the first night it happened, but focused on Dumbledore again. He exhaled almost like a scoff before explaining. “Indeed. However I was unaware of you knowing Parseltongue.”

I frowned and squirmed in my chair. “Neither do they. I heard that it has stigma.” Dumbledore nodded understandably. “As with many things in this world, people fear the unknown.” I nodded from understanding how unsettling it was when my parents talked about me in hushed tones after that night. “I think I have a week before I may need the room.” Dumbledore nodded. “Of course. Wouldn’t want to leave your house every night.” That last part of his statement stung. Pansy’s answer did make me want to avoid everyone in the house, but I had to keep up my fake persona. “Of course. Slytherin’s are the best.”

Dumbledore chuckled again. “It is good to have pride in your house. Be sure to come to me or Snape if your heretical problem arises.” I nodded at him with thanks. It was in the back of my mind if I would have to keep Val outside my room on the nights I would accidentally destroy my room. Making sure that a special room would be used that I could destroy without any punishment was a boon. I stood up from my chair and looked back to see Fawkes perched above her ashes, preening her feathers before looking at me in my eyes. I smirked while holding my hand up to her. She tilted her head while glancing between me and my hand.

After some time thinking, Fawkes rubbed her head against my hand before quickly getting back to work cleaning herself. I scoffed and left Dumbledore’s office, unaware of his silent and well hidden shock. I went back to my house and found plenty of first year students hanging around the common area, working on their spells and conversing. “Hey, he’s back!” Draco yelled while pointing at me. He called me over, along with other first year students. “So how was it?” “Did he ask you to let the lower classes have a chance?” “Hahaha!”

Plenty of the students laughed and cheered by the end, but quieted down for me to answer. I placed on my snide mask, and scoffed before talking. “Many things were asked to be kept between us.” The first years looked a little downtrodden before I continued on. “However… There is one thing I can share…” They instantly turned back with interest, practically begging for me to continue. ‘I have to keep them pleased to make sure that my parents have good news about me. What can I say that would be good. All I got was a room for my condition.’ 

After a moment of pause I continued on. “The Headmaster is pleased with our progress as Slytherin’s! Our house points are far ahead of all other lower classes! We must continue to grow, and show our might is leagues above others!” After a second of silence, all the other students cheered and congratulated me on leading them to be the best. I had a large smile while giving pleasantries to the students like my father and mother taught me, but inside I felt sick. Everything they said was about how they were better than ‘lower classes’.

I made up an excuse to head off to my room, and quickly headed inside. “Hi Val.” I sighed while taking off my robe. Val splashed around in his small habitat happily. “Hi Lucas! I’m playing hide and seek!” I paused for a moment in confusion, but attributed it to him hunting some small insect or something that got in his tank. “You don’t look so good… Was the other teacher scary?” Valdemar asked worriedly as I continued to dress into my PJ’s. I shook my head as the memories of all the other students flashed in my mind. “No… It’s about everyone else.”

Val tilted his head, cutely asking me for more details. His bright blue eyes glowing in the darkness. “Everyone else in this house, I can’t be friends with. They all hate everyone they deem ‘lower’.” Val splashed around a bit more as his tail swished in thought. “You have me and Abarrane right?” Val asked, a little saddened. Guilt leapt through my chest and into my stomach, causing it to sink. I rushed over and pet his head a bit as I spoke in a warmer voice that I felt rusty doing. “Of course! And I’m glad I have you both! If I didn’t my life would be horrid here… I just had my hopes up that I found a human here that I could be friends with.”

A bumping sound made me glance at the door, but something that Val said scared me. “Found you! You’re under the bed!” His cheery attitude was a stark contrast to what the meaning of his words entailed. I dropped to the floor to check under my bed, and found Pansy looking at me with wide unblinking eyes that reflected the fear that I felt myself.