Tales of Slytherin: Painted Black

"The Snake is a sleek, powerful beast, yet frequently misunderstood"

“Get up, Ivan!” Yelled my mother.

This is was my first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was nervous and I spent my first year at Durmstrang. I yawned and got up rubbing my eyes. I finished getting dressed and went downstairs quickly.

My father was downstairs reading the Daily Prophet.

“Hey, son, are you going to continue your school newspaper,” he said behind the newspaper.

“I guess not, seeing how I’m not in Durmstrang anymore,” I said taking a sip of my Orange Juice.

My father lowered his newspaper showing his thin brown beard and spectacles.

“You don’t have to call it the Durmstrang Daily, why not the Hogwarts Daily," he said staring at me.

I nodded, I didn’t want to start the newspaper in a strange place. I may or may not, I was just worried about will I fit in. I heard they have houses as Durmstrang did.

"Anything interesting in the newspaper," I asked looking at the back of the newspaper.

"Nah, they are still talking about that bloke named Sirius Black," responded my father now looking into the Quidditch Sports page.

My little brother ran downstairs and looked at me beaming. He sat down and waited for my mother to bring around his breakfast.

"I can't believe you're going to Hogwarts!" he said.

I smiled back at him and at my parents.

My Durmstrang house was Concinne, it was a house made up of Pure-bloods and most of us were wealthy and knew how to charm others. I still wore my Concinne gold and silver signet ring with the house symbol on it, A White Tiger.

On my other hand, I had my Family's signet ring with the crest on it.

My mother was a thin black-haired woman, and brown eyes.

“Is your owl, Noctua, ready yet,” she asked.

I nodded and began eating my toast.

"I can't believe it they are sending dementors at Hogwarts I do not like it one bit it's not Sirius Black will show up in a place guarded by skillful wizards and ran by the one He-who-must-not-be-named ever feared," said my Mom shaking her head.

I went back upstairs to my large room plastered with Quidditch team posters, My house symbol at Durmstrang, and other decorations. I looked at my Eagle Owl, hooting affectionately at me.

I looked into my trunk and I made sure my robes and books were packed. I looked at my wand in its case and I debated whether to put it in my trunk or not.

My wand was a 7-inch cherry wood with a Phoenix Feather core. It was specially made by Mykew Gregorovitch (Who went out of retirement to make it) who even engraved a Snow Leopard which was part of the Masovich house crest.

"Nothing is too good for the Masovich family," I remembered him saying to me presenting me with the newly engraved wand.

My fondest memory of Durmstrang was when a group of my friends and people who helped me with my newspaper we learned to become Animagus to get better scoops, sadly I didn't turn into something small I turned into a Siberian Tiger which didn't make it easy to get more stories but it is useful if I want to document animal life.

I decided to carry my wand on me, I went and got it out of the case and I put the case in my trunk and the wand in my pocket. I grabbed Noctua's cage and went downstairs with the trunk and cage.

"Morning, Master Ivan, I hope you have a great year at your new school!" said my house elf named Pokky.

Our House Elf wore a clean pure white pillowcase. We've offered him clothes but he has refused. He has bulging brown eyes.

"Thanks, Pokky," I said smiling and I continued down where my family was standing up waiting for me.

We got into a line ready to depart.

"Grab my hand, we are going to apparate near platform King's Cross Station," said my mother extending her hand.

My father grabbed my trunk then we joined hands and we apparated in an alley.

My father handed me my trunk back and we exited the alley and went down with my owl's cage on top of the trunk. When we entered King's Cross, we drew a lot of attention in my dad's ridiculous Muggle outfit but my mum knew some about muggle attire so she dressed me and my little brother convincingly.

Noctua and my signet rings were also drawing attention.

"So where is this Platform Nine and Three Quarters," asked my mum looking down at Dumbledore's note to my family.

I looked around King's Cross and I saw a family in ridiculous muggle attire and with an Owl and trunks and so I approached them.

"Excuse me, if it's not too forward, do you know where Platform Nine and Three Quarters is," I asked.

The woman smiled at me.

"Yes are you attending Hogwarts as well, you look a little older than a first year," she said.

"I'm transferring from Durmstrang to Hogwarts," I said nodding my head.

My family approached me.

"Okay dear, my son here, Henry, is in his fourth year, and my two daughters are starting this year," she continued.

She stepped back and Henry broke into a run and he was running at a wall separating Platform Nine and Ten but instead of a crash he went right through it.

"Glad to see Hogwarts, has some impressive magical feats," I mumbled to myself.

"Now you, dear," said the woman.

I backed up and put my cart ahead of me. I started to run towards it and I went through it and onto a platform with a sign saying, "Platform Nine and Three Quarters,". My family appeared behind me and soon the rest of Henry's family appeared behind him.

I looked at a Beautiful Red Steam Engine and on the front said, 'The Hogwarts Express'.

"Not bad," I said.

I looked around at the crowd of people all in Muggle clothes chatting with each other.

"Just be yourself and be good," said my mum.

I nodded quietly looking at the groups of friends.

I sighed and boarded the train. I looked through the compartments most of them were occupied until I found one which was unoccupied.

I sat down and waited for the train to leave. The boy named Henry saw me and entered my compartment. He sat across from me and looked out the window.

Henry was a muscular tall boy with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was also wearing the most ridiculous muggle outfit ever. He wore a nice and button-up shirt with a jacket suit on it but he also wore Muggle Soccer shorts.

The train started rolling out we all looked out the window and started to wave towards our families until we turned a corner and we couldn't see them each other.

"What's your owl's name," asked Henry.

"Oh, her name is Noctua," I responded.

"What about yours," I asked looking at the Tawny Owl.

"Archimedes," said Henry.

After a long time of silence, the train stopped.

"What? We're not at Hogwarts we couldn't be!" said Henry confused.

I suddenly felt cold and felt all of my horrible and worst memories came flooding into me. I felt like I would never be happy again. I looked towards the compartment door and I saw a tall hooded figure hovering over the floor.

Henry screamed and ran out of the compartment over his head with his hands over his head shielding it from the hooded figure. I clenched the seat hard until my knuckles turned white.

The hooded figure raised a hand. But the hand didn't seem alive, it seemed dead and decayed. It was grey and scabbed. It just sat there for a while then moved on down the train.

Henry came back breathing and I saw the figure move on slowly and terrifying down the train, hearing screams and cries from people.

"What was that?" I asked a breathless Henry.

"Dementor a guard of the wizard prison of Azkaban," he said.

"Wasn't that the place Sirius Black escaped?" I asked.

Henry nodded sitting down and catching his breathe.

After a long period of silence, Henry seemed to think we were near Hogwarts.

"We should go get changed into our school robes," Henry said.

I quickly took off my muggle clothes and searched my trunk for my black robes and uniform. Since this was my first year at Hogwarts I had to start out with what first years wore. Most of it was the same but not all of it.

My uniform consisted of grey or black pants, a black tie, a long sleeve grey sweater. and Black robes.

I looked at Henry, who wore black and green robes, with an emblem that had a silver snake and a green crest surrounding it. Their sweater also had some green on it and his tie was green, black, and silver.

I sat back down and waited until we started to slow down. The train stopped at an area and I could see Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry it looked just as impressive as Durmstrang maybe even more impressive.

I couldn't help but gasp at the size of the castle. I saw Carriages were getting pulled by skeletal looking horses, and I saw all of the 2nd years and up were climbing up into them.

I saw a giant man almost twice the size of any other man. I walked up to him a little nervous.

"Excuse me, sir," I said.

The giant-like man looked down at me.

"I'm the student who transferred here from Durmstrang. Do I go in the carriages, or do what first years do," I asked nervously.

"You'll go on the boats like the fir' years but after that, ye be treated like a second' year," said the man smiling widely.

"Thank you," I responded.

I followed the huge man and the first years. I got into a boat alone, that rowed by itself towards Hogwarts.

We continued to row over the Lake and I saw a Giant squid peek its head up. I jumped slightly rocking the boat. I wasn't the only one who was startled by the squid.

We docked down at a place and Hagrid showed us the way up to the castle.