As the thestral drawn carriages drew nearer, the school had stood as imposing as ever.  Everything was as he remembered it, the towers, the hallways, the impressive Entrance Hall with its giant oak doors and the Great Hall with its long tables under gold, green, blue, and yellow banners, all of which sat below an enchanted sky that never ceased to give off a sense of childlike wonder and giddiness. The school was impervious to the happenings within its walls, a warmth uncaring to the cold tension present in the atmosphere. 

Throughout the first couple of weeks back at Hogwarts, wherever Perseus walked, wherever he turned his ears to, the students would talk in hushed fearful tones.

"Is it true?" they'd ask each other, an uncomfortable weight settling in their stomachs, "is he-who-must-not-be-named back?" 

Nobody could stop talking about what happened during the  night of the Quidditch World Cup. People spoke of their experiences as if they were telling war stories, exaggerating every moment as they spoke of the fear they felt and the shock of seeing death eaters and the Dark Lord's mark for the first time in their lives. As a result of the raid, the other houses gave the Slytherins an even wider berth, the general feeling of distrust towards the House of Snakes even greater than it has ever been in recent years. Those who were half-bloods or muggleborns were especially wary and the Gryffindors have taken to showing their scorn in even more idiotic ways. 

The students of green and silver never walked alone, always in groups of at least four with the first years often being watched over by the older students. In times like these there was nobody one could trust, a lesson that all of them knew very well.  In-house politics and drama may run rampant, it always has, but outside the common room walls? They all had to keep their heads up and show unity no matter what. Pride can be set aside, rivalries forgotten, all to keep the House image pristine. Your enemies can never see you falter, a sentiment shared by every single Slytherin, even those who thought themselves beyond silly school drama.

Of course, not all was doom and gloom. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was actually competent this time. Eccentric, sure, but competent nonetheless. Mad-eye Moody, as he was known and called throughout the Wizarding community, was a notorious ex-auror who carried his paranoia on a belt along with his ever present flask and who had an unsurprisingly unusual way of teaching. 

Perseus was well aware that more laid behind that unnerving blue eye that followed your every step and move. He was well aware that the man who came to teach them was not who he said he was. After all, it wouldn't do for the Dark Lord's son and heir to be left out of the loop of the plans that will eventually lead to the man's rise from the dead. However, for the safety of the operation and for the safety of his own identity, it had been decided in advance that Perseus would not attempt to even make contact with Barty and the other would not know of his existence. 

The knowledge that Lord Voldemort had adopted an heir was known to very little. The Malfoys and Snape, who had taken oaths of silence years ago, were the only ones to know of his true heritage and that wasn't going to change for a long time. Although Perseus was confident of his mental defences, and the mental defences of those who did know the truth, Dumbledore was still one of the most powerful legilimens alive today. In fact, the boy suspected that the only reason his occlumency shields have yet to be breached was because of his godly blood.

The other news to bring a newfound excitement was the Triwizard Tournament. When Dumbledore had announced that it was going to be brought back and that students from other schools were going to be coming at the end of October, the entire Hogwarts population was almost able to forget about the raid entirely. Who was going to be Hogwarts champion? What were the other students like? Did the Durmstrang students really practice dark magic and was Beauxbaton really filled with students who were part Veela? 

The most popular question of all however, was how do I get pass the age limit.. 

Unsurprisingly the this question was one that can be heard the most amongst the Gryffindors...

The Triwizard Tournament was something of no concern to Perseus. As his father had told him, drawing unnecessary attention to himself would be a rather stupid move (he was a Slytherin not a fucking Gryffindor). Instead, while his classmates were going to be busy 'oohing' and 'ahhing' about the whole damned thing Perseus would be making his moves behind the scenes. The arrival of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons marked the perfect moment for Perseus to assert himself amongst his peers.

As a house notorious for welcoming those who were ambitious and cunning, it should come to no surprise to anyone that there was a social hierarchy in place. The other houses may not have noticed, but it was there for one clever enough to see it. Generally, the closer you were to the Sacred Twenty-Eight or "original" pure-blood families the more respected you'd be. It's a simple formula really, the more powerful your family, the higher the others will regard you. However, that isn't to say your family name was the only thing influencing your position. 

Each year had an unspoken "leader" with a single "leader"  presiding over the entire house. The Student Head of House was always elected by a vote amongst the senior council, a council made up of students who were advisors to the previous Student Head. Clearly, this system was not an unbiased or fair one, nor is it really meant to be in the den of snakes. 

The Head did not have to be a prefect or a House Boy or Girl, though it was generally agreed upon that they had to at least have started as a Year Leader (most often then not, once a Head was elected they would relegate their Year Leader position to their "right hand man") and was in the fifth year beyond. They simply had to have the most sway amongst their peers and amongst the general Hogwarts population. Academics were also something that was considered, you can't have a Head who was failing all their classes and was shit at magic. They'd have to be considered one of the most, if not the most, skilled witch or wizard in the House, and in fact, this is why a duel between prospective Student Heads have become a tradition with the victor getting a chance to go against the current Student Head.

The Student Head was the one to go to when there were issues within the house unable to be solved by respective Year Leaders or prefects who also look to the Head for instructions and guidance. Hell, even the whole nobody walks alone system that had older students paired with younger students was made on the decision of the current Student Head, a whip-smart 6th year student by the name of Arnold Abifort who had taken over the position when Jessica Arbitratrix, the very same witch who had been prefect during Perseus's first year and who since had clearly been able to climb up the ranks, had left the year before. 

Rumour had it that Abifort was leaving after the end of the year to finish his schooling elsewhere as his father, who was an influential figure in the magical arts dealer world, had decided to move the family back to their ancestral home in France. Having made acquaintances who were close to Abifort, Perseus had been able to confirm that the rumours were indeed true. 

The dark haired boy knew he needed to make it clear to all who was eyeing that top spot that he was the next in line. 

Although Perseus was technically a pureblood (his father was a god, how much purer can you get?), his cover story had him posing as the son of a half-blood descendent of the Peverell family and the last surviving member of the Olympus line since his mother died years ago. This made things more difficult if he were to pursue the Student Head position since he was technically a half-blood on paper and many Slytherins still very much cared about blood purity. However, since the Peverell family was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and had lines continued through the Gaunt and Slytherin blood, his blood line was certainly not something to be looked down on not even considering the fact that the Olympus name also had significant weight as the Olympus's were once one of the most powerful and wealthiest family in the western world.

Already, he was the unspoken Year Leader amongst the fourth years and none of his peers at this point dared to challenge him. In terms of competition, Malfoy was the most likely to become a second contender but Draco was loyal to Percy which which crossed him off the list. He was first in his year in terms of academics, were in friendly terms with the other Year Leaders as well as numerous people who he knew were close to the current Student Head, and had many social circles amongst the other students from other houses. 

He needed to expand his influence even more. He needed to make sure that, for the future to come, he would have allies behind his back that he could trust. Making friends with the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students would also allow him to expand his net beyond Hogwarts which was helpful if help was ever needed outside of Great Briton. 

All of this may sound silly, may seem like ridiculous little games teenagers made up. However, in the world they lived in the relationships formed and the allies one makes along the way follows students long after they graduate and is what makes the position so coveted. If one makes friends with just the right people, with just the right families, then you'd have a bright future ahead of you. This system have been in place for long since the Slytherin House was first founded and what can people expect really? Put a bunch of ambitious rich kids with the trust issues of their parents and with a knack for politics in one place and this is what you'd get. 

Interestingly enough it was a tradition, a a rite of passage really, that have always been recognized by the Slytherin Head of House though it made sense since they too were once pupils. However, Snape and others before him were tied to an understanding that no professors were allowed to step in, this was something entirely for students and they could only make sure that not too much blood was spilled (quite literally as sabotage, and once again duels, was a fan favorite). Then again, that didn't mean parents never stepped in. In fact, it was a common occurrence for pureblood families to manipulate certain factors so that their sons or daughters could become Student Head. Why? It made them look better amongst the other families as they showed off how skilled and talented their children and heirs was.

Perseus had none of that as his was not a name that was notorious in the Wizarding World (well, at least without the full context). He had no family to back him up other than a "mysterious" father who never showed up to any of the important social or political events that were attended to by the pureblood royalties of the world. Essentially, he was a nobody, a nobody that rose to the top of the food chain and who won't stop until he reached the very top. 

Hi! Has it really been more than five months?.. gee look at how time went by..

I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to get an update out! I'm unsure that I will be able to consistently update anymore as school is getting more serious :')

I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out! I tried really hard to make it so the hierarchy isn't too unnatural and  as I go I'm trying to cover up as many plot holes as I can :') I knew nothing about making things make sense when I started so there's a fuck ton of them akdjgakh i'm now even regretting giving percy the RIDDLE name of all things like what..

Honestly, at this point I'm disregarding a lot of things from the first and second book so please keep that in mind when you read! My young self was a dumbass.  

Anyway, thanks once again and have a good month :)

-ThatBookFanatic

Song of the Chapter: MAKE IT MINE/ REI AMI