First Year Jitters

First Year Jitters

     WuFei Chang. His alias anyway. The slender but tall blonde Korean boy wandered the halls of the castle. This place was so large, he didn’t even know that he could find the great hall in time for the sorting, whatever that was. The boy had just finished getting into his oversized robes. His parents thought it would make him look more masculine; it really just made him trip more. Stumbling late into the hall, he tried not to draw attention as the blonde poofball was seated at the only remaining available spot. Near a couple of relatively nice looking people, but in front of him seemed to be a boy who nearly owned the school, and behind him was the most monstrous and gigantic, ragged and haggard looking boy…no, this had to be a man by now, maybe he had been held back? Either way, WuFei just took his seat and remained quiet, meek almost.
     As the ceremony started, and progressed, his slender fingers gripped at his robes, played with his hair, and his eyes darted from face to face, noting that he was almost invariably part of the smallest minority at this school. This only made him more nervous. His name was called. At first, he didn’t hear it, then slowly the boy stood up and wandered up to the hat. The hat actually refused, at first, to sit atop the boys head, on the grounds that the chemicals used to hold that ball of poof in its shape would have suffocated it. However, eventually the old hat was eased upon the boys head.
     A hearty laugh sounded from the leather adornment for quite a while. “Repressed and alone. The perfect candidate for shaping. Where to put you…” The hat, through its eyeless sight, spotted a grin upon the face of the one WuFei had sat across from. “Slytherin it is then, my good man.” Slytherin? What was this Slytherin? He had been the first chosen for this House, and had no idea of its implications. All he knew, was now, he was a green and silver speck, rather than a black and grey speck, and had to fit in with those other green and silver specks above all else.
     As he sat back in his place, a few of the nicer Slytherins gave half hearted cheers for him, but that one blonde just grinned. There was murmurs that Malfoy, whoever that was, would shape this one up well. And WuFei found the same thoughts within the blonde’s head. “So, you must be Malfoy.” he murmured meekly, his voice shockingly deep, for the stature of the child, and the age. There was a gasp around the table as all went silent, for them at least. The other blonde’s eyes narrowed a bit as if to ask ‘What of it?’ The only reply from WuFei was a sweet smile “I shall have to make friends with you quickly, then. My name is WuFei Chang and I am quite pleased to meet you.” Such fake confidence took a lot of practice, and my, did he have it. WuFei could fake just about anything; he was the perfect Liar, unless he didn’t want to be. To be honest, WuFei was nervous to the point of passing out right there in front of them all, but he seemed almost as if he were already quite close friends with this Malfoy character. “And…your name is Lucius, correct?” Now, had anyone known WuFei’s background, they would have recognized this as the feat it was, but in this crowd, Lucius Malfoy was quite the famous one.
     “Yes, I am almost insulted you had to ask.” He said with a little smirk. It was easy to see his little brain was working away at all the uses for this new arrival. Especially that he knew, full well, that WuFei couldn’t have known his name by chance. “Seeing as you are new here…I suppose, I could offer you some protection.” That smirk returned “A boy like you wouldn’t last long even in Hufflepuff. You can take the empty bed in my dormitory. At least there, you won’t be attacked.” The word ‘often’ was added in Lucius’s mind shortly after the statement, but being so naïve, WuFei didn’t know to believe it.
     “That is very kind of you, But I think I will be fine in my own room.” He said confidently, before laughs-a-million sounded, followed by everyone being shooed out of the room.
     Through the din Lucius called WuFei over “Chang, everyone has to share a room. There isn’t enough space to have a room for just you alone.” Lucius’s arm wrapped over the tall boys shoulders, easily keeping hold of his small frame. He didn’t want to lose the lad. “Go to the room they assigned you, and bring your stuff to room 217, we’ll get you all settled.” WuFei just nodded as he was let go and he waded up the stairs, the changing stairs, toward the Slytherin common room. Lucius watched the blonde poofball walk away. This one would be fun.

     That corridor seemed ever so long now, yet it was still not long enough for WuFei…He’d spent all day hearing about Lucius’s legacy, his power, arrogance, and total lack of any kind feeling, save toward VERY few people. He was scared out of his mind. He would be used, he was told, however that English blonde saw fit. ANY way he saw fit. ‘A boy like you wouldn’t last long even in Hufflepuff. You can take the empty bed in my dormitory. At least there, you won’t be attacked.’ That phrase, however comforting it had been, was now, inescapably horrifying. And he had to get to this room before he was caught in the halls, and that blasted cat found him again.
     “Chang!” The blonde’s voice rang out through the halls “Get your ass in here before Filch nails you!” Of course, the hooded puffball ran fast as he could, lets he anger the man who was now, practically, his owner. Lucius knew it too. Soon as the boy was in the common room, Lucius shooed his goons away, leaving him alone with the ‘fresh meat’. “So, how was your day?” He asked in such a forced politeness, it was frightening. “No one tried to pick on you, did they?”
     “No.” His ability to lie was waning. He had been picked on, a lot, but then all first years were he supposed, no need to make his new master think he was weak. “Classes were rather boring. No one even spoke to me.” He forced a smile at being pulled closer to Lucius’s side by that strong arm.
     “That’s good to hear.” It seemed he was glad in his pupil’s show of strength, even if there wasn’t really any there. “I had your stuff moved to my room; you are taking some other first years place. He was rather sad to switch actually.” Also a lie, though the boy didn’t refuse by any means, he wanted out of there.
     “I’ll just go get ready for bed then…” WuFei just wanted to sleep. Forget his class work. He’d already done what he couldn’t finish in lunch tomorrow. For now he just wanted a nights rest and some peace. He knew he wouldn’t get it though.
     “So early?” Lucius held onto WuFei tightly, not letting him leave just yet. “The nights just begun. There is nothing big tomorrow.” The question in Lucius’s mind was loud and clear to WuFei. ‘Won’t you keep me company?’ Damned if he could figure out why he heard peoples thoughts, but he did.
     “I…I suppose I could stay…” WuFei had to bow to his master’s wishes. At least this is how he felt. Lucius could have put him in the infirmary for god knows how long, with his level of skill.
     “That’s a good boy.” Lucius smirked a little “After classes tomorrow, I’ll take you out to get you some better fitting clothes…These seem so awkward on you.” WuFei blushed a little, but nodded, and Lucius continued “Could you do me a favor?”
     “What?” the fear was almost apparent in his voice, the way he snapped the question out. Eyes widened for a split second, but retracted immediately as he caught himself. He was clutching the center of his robe amazingly hard.
     “Take of your robes.” He said simply, nearly falling over from laughter at the blush he gained in response from WuFei. “I said robes, boy, not clothes. I just want to see why you hide behind that tent all day.”
     “O-oh…alright…” He solely uncurled his fingers from the opening of his robe. As his arms fell, the ghastly large thing fell from his body into a heap on the floor. He refused, absolutely refused, to wear the rest of the uniform. Rather, he wore an opulent Key Lime colored, billowy silk top, even with its many extra folds it showed off his frame excellently. The green and silver Slytherin issue tie hunk loosely around his neck, accenting the lopsided design of his outfit. From his narrow hips hung a pair of loose leg black silk trousers. He rarely wore black as a rule, but he couldn’t get away with any other color, the robes didn’t hide it well enough.
     “Why do you hide that?” Lucius asked through a smirk, caused simply by the boy’s willingness to boldly break one of the most heavily enforced rules. “Why, you could get anything you wanted with a body like that. I can’t believe that you are 11. You’re already so tall.”
     “I used to be a model…and I'm 14…” WuFei was blushing a lot now. That white skin of his showed everything. Of course, he had this odd ability to hide them, but there were many scars beneath that soft perfect skin.
     “A model? For how long?” The look of amazement in Lucius’s face astounded the younger blond for a moment.
     “4 years, and a few months…” He was a bit embarrassed about it “Well, I was more a drummer, but most of the money came from the photo shoots…”
     “You are telling me…you were in a band since you were ten…and actually…” Lucius couldn’t word it. It wasn’t that he was jealous or didn’t believe it; it was just so odd to him. Before he could finish though, WuFei cut him off.
     “Oh no, I was in a band since I was 7.” He scratched the back of his head a little “It takes a while to get famous in Korea, we never made it to stardom, but we got damn close…” ‘So, I’ve got a beautiful star drummer on my hands eh?’ “Actually, I sang backup and played piano and guitar too.” He was only trying to get the facts straight for the older blond
     “What band was this?” His eyes were curious, though he was getting more used to his questions being answered before he asked them.
     “The Trax. Technically were still together, but some of the members are having troubles, so we wont be back jamming for a while.” WuFei was actually very proud of how well his band had done. They were all children, like he was, but none of them looked their age. They all really looked to be old enough to teach their own classes, and most were smart enough as well, though WuFei was a bit behind.
     “……” Lucius thought for a moment, then smirked “I see. That’s why you go by WuFei, huh?” WuFei nodded, then opened his mouth to explain the name, but was cut off “No Min Woo, that is your real name right?”
     “Yes, but no one can say it right, and I got tired of just being called No all the time.” He adjusted his top nervously. “WuFei is my fathers name…” Lucius, however, didn’t seem to notice the change in WuFei’s demeanor. He instead, began on the topic of the band.
     “So, the Rose of Korea is gracing me with his presence…I’m actually honored.” He gave a soft laugh. “I should have recognized you. I normally never forget a face. Especially one so pretty as yours.” Again, WuFei blushed. “It’s a shame we didn’t meet sooner…”
     “Why do you say that?”
     “You wouldn’t believe what a fan boy I was.” WuFei looked surprised he would admit to something like that. Lucius’s arms closed around the boy. This wasn’t casual anymore, though the way Lucius acted, it still seemed like it should be. When WuFei seemed to be showing some of his fear, Lucius quickly hid whatever it was he felt rising up inside him. “You alright?”
     WuFei didn’t hear though. He was back in his doll state, muttering. “Not him, not him, not him, he’s gone, not him…” He didn’t know he was clinging almost in sheer dread to the one he so feared.
     “….Chang?” Lucius dropped his disguise. He wouldn’t risk breaking the boy for his fun…besides, he really worried for him. Something he rarely did. He shook him a little. “Chang snap out of it….Chang, come on…” He shook him again, harder. “No!” It wasn’t so much loud, as just urgent. He was afraid.
     WuFei clung tighter to him at that moment “Please don’t! Not again!” His voice sounded broken as he called it out, face buried in Lucius’s robes. “Daddy please…not tonight…”
     A shocked and disgusted look came over Lucius’s face as he figured this out finally. In one of his rare moments of kindness, he held tightly on to WuFei, stroked his fingers though his hair slowly, and whispered “I’m not your father, No…” Why did he care so much? He barely knew the blonde headed Asian boy. It hurt him to think of WuFei going through something like that, hurt him deeply. “I won’t let anyone hurt you…” The words just came out. They sounded so foreign to him.
     WuFei just held onto him, slowly calming down. Once he came to his senses, he realized he was clinging desperately to a set of soaking wet robes. There were arms around him. “Chou?” he asked stupidly, thinking it was his brother. He knew better after a few more moments. He pushed away from Lucius as best he could, turning away to hide his deep red blush. “S…sorry…”
     Lucius started to aggressively pull him back. No one shoved him away like that. The apology though, it grabbed his attention. WuFei wasn’t someone he could rough around like that…he didn’t have it in him. Instead, unsure of what he should do, he took WuFei’s hand and for a moment, staying silent, before he stood and pulled WuFei with him “Its getting late…we should get to bed…”
     He just nodded, keeping close, though defensive, as he walked up to the dorm with him. He wondered if Lucius might try something, feeling bad for thinking that. The man just let him cry on him…or maybe he had caused him to cry. They got up to the dorm and Lucius walked WuFei over to his bed. WuFei would only sit on it though, sticking out like a sore thumb in the dark. He waited until Lucius didn’t seem to be watching before getting ready and hiding himself under the covers.
     This was going to be a long year…but somehow he felt that it would turn out to be worth it.