A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Daphne Greengrass, 2nd Year Slytherin POV

That girl had tails.

Ears on top of her head too, but she had Nine tails swinging behind her. I counted them; there were nine.

And the Hat called out Slytherin.

Her name was Kunou Schweinorg? It sounded a tad Asian, but the last name... German? I feel like I've heard it before, but where? It's possible if she was sorted to Slytherin that she must have a pedigree of some sort... I'm sure the Sorting Hat wouldn't make that much of a mistake considering her... features.

I'm not looking forward to how the House is going to treat her. I only hope that my younger sister isn't caught up in it due to being a first-year just as well.

When was the last time Hogwarts had such an obvious half-breed among the students?

This girl is going to have a hard time.

She trotted over, and the Slytherin table awkwardly clapped to keep up appearances, but I could clearly see the majority of the older students react negatively.

The strange girl, however, didn't show any reaction as she trotted over to the table and plopped down near the other first years that had been sorted. However, the other first years also edged away from her.

Curious.

And why were they soaking wet?

Did it start raining as soon as we went inside?

I looked up, and every teacher was looking her way.

There was something going on beyond her being a half breed that drew attention. Professor McGonagall was giving her the stink eye, more than normal for a Slytherin. Which could mean nothing as she's the Head of Gryffindor, and it's no secret she doesn't particularly like our house.

But even Dumbledore was looking at her with a strange expression. And Professor Snape also had his expressionless eyes locked onto the strange girl.

And even... she was looking over this way.

"Is that her?" My best friend whispered into my ear. "Daph, is that you-know-who?"

I looked at Tracey. "Don't use that moniker; you know who it belongs to. But my father sent me a letter, and I think that's her." I straightened up as her eyes under her hood swept the Slytherin table.

Even the older kids were too nervous to meet her gaze.

However, fortune favors the bold.

As she looked at us, I met her gaze and smiled politely.

Just vaguely, I felt like she smiled back.

It was hard to tell with the hood over her head.

One of the Darkest Witches to ever live—who shouldn't be living—was sitting in one of the teacher seats.

It's all any of the noteworthy families could talk about in the few weeks leading up to the new school year when the newest teachers were revealed.

I was explicitly told to get into her good graces. Of course, I willingly signed up for her class, but Father was very adamant about trying my best to earn her attention.

And I'm sure that every predominant Witch of Wizard in the school received similar instructions.

It would be the goal of this year. I already had a plan, but I would need to keep watch on my fellow Slytherin members to see who I could trust to pull into my circle. One wrong move and any work I do this year could go up in flames.

Surprisingly, even Father said he would provide more support than normal, so my performance was important.

The animal girl is lucky that everyone will be more focused on the newest Teacher rather than her.

The sorting went on as normal, but I stopped caring as soon as Astoria was called and joined Slytherin. It would be difficult to keep an eye on her while I was dealing with everything else this year. Perhaps I could use this excuse to ask my father for additional support?

Though my lips thinned when I saw her hesitantly sit next to the animal girl, the latter of which smiled at my sister like they were old friends.

I would need to nip that soon; I can't have my sister sitting in any crossfire. At the very least, I will need to let everyone else know that my sister is off limits for any hazing.

"By the way, I haven't seen Draco. Usually, I hear him going off about his father by now." Tracey casually gossiped despite everyone being able to hear her. From a Pureblood family she is, but common sense she lacks some times.

I don't know how she ended up in Slytherin; it's not like all Pureblood families end up here, but if it weren't for me, she would have been eaten alive.

But Greengrasses protect their friends and family.

"You didn't hear, Davis?" Blaise Zabini spoke up with a cocksure smile. "Word is that dear Draco got beat up and was sent to the hospital wing."

"Beat up?" I turned to him because this was something not even I heard. This could be valuable information. "What do you know?"

"Really Greengrass? You know the game, information for information." He swished whatever was in his goblet.

I scowled, mulling it over. "Fine, what do you want?"

"I want what you have on our newest teacher." He replied.

"Fine." I huffed, but inwardly, I didn't care. It's already common knowledge, and Father hadn't sent me anything secretive. The only real secret I learned from him is that nobody knows anything. Perhaps it's more than Zabini knows, as his mother doesn't play much in England these past few years. "Tell me about Draco."

"Well, there isn't much to tell. His two idiotic bodyguards let slip that some First Year beat him up, like a muggle." He leaned in, whispering. "They said he was crying to the nurse and wouldn't stop talking about how his father was going to get revenge for him."

I held a hand in front of my face to hide my smile at the thought. Tracey had less impulse control and let out a full laugh at his expense.

It will be hard for Malfoy to come back from an embarrassment like this. It's the perfect opportunity to usurp his spot as the 'head' of our year politically.

"I'll compile what I know and send a parchment to you later, Zabini."

"A pleasure doing business as always, Greengrass." He smiled smoothly.

"Hey Zabini, do you know anything about the new girl with the tails?" Tracey asked rather bluntly. "You seem to know everything important."

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Zabini raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I do; maybe I don't. But why should I tell you, Davis?"

"Oh, don't be like that, Blaise." Tracey huffed. "I'll owe you a small favor, okay?"

I wanted to chide Tracey for offering a favor so easily, but I couldn't do that without making her look bad in front of the whole table, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Well, I don't know much. It's news to me, but it's not like I keep up with first years. If you want my speculation, I know a few random bits. Like, I think she's some kind of 'demon' from the east? I'm not very familiar with the magical creatures they have over there, so you'd have to look it up by yourself. And I think her family name is familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere."

Him too?

Then it must be something, but I decided not to voice that out loud.

"Students!" Dumbledore's voice boomed over all the gossip happening, silencing everyone. "With the sorting finished, let's give a warm Hogwarts welcome to our newest students." He gave a moment for everyone to politely clap to welcome them. "And now, we have a few new teachers this year, so let us begin with their introductions." He gestured to someone everyone was familiar with who had been here at least a year. "Due to some circumstances, Hagrid here is going to be taking over the Care for Magical Creatures class this year."

Gryffindor was the loudest in clapping and welcoming him.

He was….nice.

My fellow Slytherin didn't particularly like that a Half Breed would be teaching, despite the fact that they all know and respected Flitwick as the Charms Professor, and he's a Half Goblin.

"Next, let's welcome our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart!" Dumbledore announced. "He's -"

"Now now, Headmaster, why don't you let me introduce myself?" The professor stood up.

I recognized him; I think everyone recognized him.

If it weren't for her appearing, I think everyone would be talking about him. But in comparison... well, his boots were popular, or so I've heard. Father said to not read the rubbish despite them being mandatory for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year.

Gilderoy Lockhart walked up in front of everyone with an admittedly charming smile. I could see why quite a few of the girls, and a handful of boys, were swooning over him.

Even Tracey sighed warmly at his appearance.

"I don't believe I have to introduce myself, but it's only polite." He gave a small laugh. "As you may know, I'm Gilderoy Lockhart, and you may have read one of my many books about my adventures." He flourished his wand, turning it into a bouquet of flowers, and threw them up, letting them rain down on several girls that were only a hair's breath away from running up at him for an autograph. "Of course I'm the great." His voice cut off, even though his mouth continued to move.

Everyone started looking around because Lockhart didn't seem to notice how his arms continued to waive about.

Out of the corner of my eye, I think I briefly saw a flash of something purple coming from the side. She held a finger pointed down at the table and did something.

I think she noticed me staring too because she looked back at me, and slowly, her lips curled up into a smile, and she raised her finger to her lips.

I certainly wouldn't complain.

No one seemed keen on telling Lockhart that we couldn't hear him. And it was only until he stood there, as if waiting for everyone to react, that Dumbledore spoke up. "Yes, yes, wonderful speech from Professor Lockhart." He started a clap that the students followed in.

Lockhart performed a bow, oblivious to the fact that no one heard anything he said.

"Now, let's move on to your new Muggle Studies professor. I'm happy to introduce Mr. Kuzuki Souichirou, coming all the way from Japan. And as a special thanks, please welcome him as our first Muggle teacher." Dumbledore started the clap, but I think quite a few of us were taken off guard by the admission of his status.

The Stern-looking man wearing a Muggle suit was in fact a Muggle.

That's never been done before, obviously. I wanted to rebuke it, but at the same time, it was Muggle Studies. That was...fine, I suppose? It made sense—a Muggle teaching Muggle studies. Though I'm not sure how the others will react.

Just looking around, they all seemed confused on how to handle this.

I think even Dumbledore knew it was going to take time for everyone to warm up to the idea, if they ever did. Because I saw him looking around as everyone whispered among themselves.

"I assure everyone that Mr. Souichirou is a very acclaimed teacher and has years of teaching experience." Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Lastly, I would like to introduce our new Magical Theory teacher, Miss Medea." He gestured to the one everyone was waiting for.

The woman in question finally pulled down her hood, and everyone went silent.

Was that shade of hair color natural?

She was breathtakingly beautiful, but most importantly, my eyes were drawn to her ears.

Was she not fully human?

Those were not human ears.

She gave a polite smile and wave but didn't say anything.

It wasn't just me; everyone else was drinking in everything they saw. I would need to be quick to send this new information to my father so he doesn't hear it from someone else first.

"Now that this is out of the way, let's talk about the new school year." Dumbledore continued on. "We have an updated list of banned items; you can find it on Filch's door, and it's subject to change throughout the year. I remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is in fact Forbidden. If I hear the excuse that someone wasn't explicitly told this one more time, I'm afraid that I will have to start assigning detentions. First a few of our professors have something to say, Professor Flitwick, you had an announcement." He handed over the proverbial floor.

"Thank you, Headmaster." The Half-Goblin Professor hopped off his seat and made his way in front of everyone. "Hello students, and for our first years, I'm Professor Filius Flitwick, and I'm both the Charm Professor and Head of the Ravenclaw House. I'm excited to announce that the Dueling Club is making a return!" He paused, letting the commotion peak and some cheering resound within the hall. "We will be reviewing DADA spells and Dark Creatures in combat situations, watching old duels and analyzing the fighters, and of course, I will be teaching everyone how to duel, and we will be holding our own duels with a tournament held in the second half of the school year with a prize in points and perhaps something special!"

Interesting.

Perhaps it's worth joining. Professor Flitwick is a known figure in the dueling circuit, being a previous World Champion duelist himself.

"Yes, yes. It's exciting; I can't wait to see all the many faces. But let me hand off to our Deputy Headmistress for some important announcements." Flitwick took his seat as Professor McGonagall walked forward.

"Students. And for our first years, I am Deputy Head Mistress Minerva McGonagall, or Professor McGonagall if you prefer. I am also the Transfiguration Professor and Head of Gryffindor." She sternly looked out across the crowd, and her tone made everyone hush themselves. "I am going to speak about some very important things that I hope you all take to heart. You are all wonderful children of Hogwarts; you represent not just yourselves but the school, such that I expect model behavior. And no, I am not talking about the occasional detention or prank." Her eyes landed on the Weasley twins, but they didn't make a joke in the situation. "I am talking about the foul topics that usually aren't discussed. I will speak plainly; I want to remind every student that another person's body is not for your own enjoyment. Something you believe benign could in fact be quite inappropriate in the worst ways. This is a reminder that just because a student is different than what you are used to, it does not give you the right to touch them because of your curiosity."

I glanced at the strange girl sitting with the other first-year Slytherins.

Maybe the boys were too stupid to understand what the professor was insinuating, or the younger boys, but I think the majority of the girls knew based on the talks our own mums had with us over the years.

"Inappropriate and unwanted touching will be met with the harshest punishments we can provide. Expulsion is not off the table, so I advise you to uphold the standard of Hogwarts in your hearts. That is all." She went back to her seat, leaving the room quiet.

"Very good, thank you, Minerva." Dumbledore retook his spot at the podium. "Now that all of that is out of the way, let us feast!"

Food appeared all throughout the table; one of the best times of the year was both the starting and ending feasts as the House Elves in the kitchens really out do themselves.

@***@

"Students, especially First Years, follow your Head of House to your rooms. I don't want to catch anyone wandering the castle tonight." Professor McGonagall called out as the feast ended. There was some groaning, but the professor was quick to quell that. "None of that; you know the rules. First night, you go to your rooms early with the first years. Get to it; don't you dare let me catch you out of your dorms; that goes double for you, George and Fred."

I ignored them and filed behind the other Slytherin students as Snape silently led us all away.

I made sure to keep an eye on Astoria the entire time as we made our way down into the Dungeons.

"Watch and listen closely, because I will only be showing you all once. If you forget the password, pray that another member of your house will take pity." Our Head of House drawled as he approached the Portrait of the Serpent. "Pure-Blood." He spoke, and the serpent in the painting hissed as it clicked and swung open. "Come inside; I don't have all night."

I missed the common room; it had a certain charm to it.

Everyone gathered around as Professor Snape looked at everyone, his eyes briefly scanning the strange girl, but he oddly didn't sneer or say something meanspirited her way. "This is the Slytherin Common Room. You are not allowed to share the password with anyone outside of Slytherin. If you're found out, you will be most harshly punished. As long as you are within the common room, I do not care what you get up to as long as no one is dead or dying or... other unseemly activities are involved. If I am forced to come in here, someone will be punished. I expect you all to behave like proper Slytherin Snakes. We show absolute unity outside, regardless of personal vendettas or hatred. If you have a problem with another Slytherin, it will be solved behind closed doors. A list of rules and the password—if it is ever changed—will be noted on the board near the entrance. I do not baby you all, so I hand things over to your prefects. He swung his robe as it bellowed, and he stomped away.

"Congratulations! I'm Prefect Gemma Farley, and I'm delighted to welcome you to Slytherin House. Our emblem is the serpent, the wisest of creatures; our house colors are emerald green and silver, and our common room lies behind a concealed entrance down in the dungeons. As you all see, its windows look out into the depths of the Hogwarts lake. We often see the giant squid swooshing by—and sometimes more interesting creatures. We like to feel that our hangout has the aura of a mysterious, underwater shipwreck." Farley started quickly with a smile.

Though that smile wasn't fooling anyone. He was already eyeing the first years for anyone suitable to take under his proverbial wing as he essentially ran the Slytherin House.

Even his fellow Perfect, Mary Marbles, was silent because she wasn't given permission to speak over him.

He was a very staunch Pureblood supporter, so I was anxious about what he would pull.

Why did the first years panic at the mention of a giant squid? I didn't notice until I glanced at Astoria.

"First things first. Like our Head of House said, I expect all problems to not make it outside these walls or at least to be handled privately. If I hear about two Slytherins getting into it in front of the school, well, you won't like the consequences."

Despite his mild smile, there was a rather stern gaze held in his eyes. Father warned me that his own father was a Death Eater and he was more than willing to follow in his steps.

Of course he never was overtly aggressive around me; the Greengrass name was strong enough to dissuade someone like him from a reputable but not noteworthy house like mine.

However, I'm no longer a first-year. It's an unspoken rule that first-year students are given a little bit of leeway as the older students don't provoke them intentionally. This year will be different, but I'm prepared to carve out my own spot in the House.

"Most of the rules can be found on the board. And normally, I would dismiss everyone to go to their assigned rooms—girls on the left, boys on the right." He said in practiced rehearsal. "But there's one oddity I think we need to address. You, the girl with the tails."

"Me?" She pointed at herself.

"Who else has Tails but you?" He scoffed as everyone else pushed away from her, leaving room for Farley to walk up to her. "I don't know what the teachers are thinking, letting actual animals here. And that wasn't good enough, but into Slytherin? This house is supposed to mean something. Not even a mudblood, but some kind of half-breed animal."

She tilted her head. "I'm a Youkai."

Finley scrunched his nose. "I didn't ask, nor do I care."

"That's rude." She spoke with a frown.

Finley went silent, clearly displeased with her flippant attitude when he was trying to intimidate her.

She was strange. But there must be some reason she's acting this way. She's completely unafraid; she must have backing of some kind. Just from her not reacting like a 'normal' kid her age, she must have been prepared. I know Astoria would be cowering with an older boy hovering over her like what was happening here.

Let's see what she does and what tricks she has to get out of this situation. If she can navigate this minefield with coming out unscathed, it might be worth approaching her, depending. Is she going to hide behind the school rules? That will make her look weak, but she won't get hurt. Will she threaten him back? If she has powerful enough connections, Finley won't be able to touch her. Maybe something else—some kind of dirt on him specifically—is that why she's not intimidated? Her response needs to be measured and precise to get out from under Finley's palm right now.

"You stupid animal, do you think—gughk!?"

I blink as I process what just happened. Finley fell to the ground.

It was so fast that I almost didn't catch it.

Did... did she just punch him in the throat?

@***@

A/N

Kunou's side story adventure comes again. Was doing a bit of a time skip here, so figured it was a good place to put one.

If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone

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