Walking to our first class of the day took longer than I'd thought it would. The massive castle made navigating the seemingly neverending corridors difficult.

We met the infamous "Peeves" that even the ghosts hate because he gives them a bad name. Unlike the ghosts luckily I didn't have to worry about looking him in the eyes. Peeves is a Poltergeist which is a spiritual being born of pent-up emotions and magical energy. They have a magical body so Peeves can actually touch things.

In truth, Poltergeists aren't all bad because they always protect their home. Not that Hogwarts has really ever been attacked enough to require Peeves to take action, of course..

An obnoxious Blond boy interrupted my thoughts," Hey you're Ben Diggory right? I heard you are the youngest wizard in Hogwarts".

"So?" I questioned.

"Well, it's just you should have been in Slytherin but I think the sorting hat made a mistake or Dumbledore told it to put you there. Now you're hanging out with the wrong sort of crowd," Draco said glaring at Ron and Hermione.

I'd heard about Draco Malfoy and I knew about his father's willing service to the dark lord. I also knew about their bias against the wizards of mixed heritage or from Muggle parents. They also hate the Weasleys because they're poor even though they are one of the oldest pureblood families.

As much as I despise what the Malfoy's stand for, it would be unwise to pick a fight with them. Why make an unnecessary enemy when I don't have to? I can pretend neutrality and keep an enemy close while my friends know the true reason I'm doing it. Then, I can be in a position to acquire information from him. Youths often have loose lips after all. Unlike adults who typically have the emotional intelligence to avoid unnecessary conflict, as well as the experience and knowledge to do so.

"I don't care for which fraternity I am put in. Such distinctions are meaningless in the end," I reply.

Draco shook his head, "That's not true it's an ancient tradition!"

"Traditions are traditionally a silly thing," I shrugged with a nonchalant smile.

Draco just stared at me aghast for words. I had neither sided with him nor against him.

"Nice to meet you... Draco was it? As for my friends here we're already pretty close but that doesn't mean we can't look past our differences and be friends too. I don't care about where someone comes from or what their heritage is just so you know", I added.

"But you should though, " Draco protested like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Why? How does a non-pure blood witch or wizard minding their own business and living their own lives hurt me in any way?" I questioned knowing it was one of those questions that couldn't be answered.

"They'll taint wizard bloodlines until there's no magic anymore!" Draco argued.

"Will it? I've seen no evidence of this claim. We've had Albus Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Voldemort in recent history. Three of the most powerful wizards known are from this age and just because you live and let live doesn't mean everyone's going to intermarry one another. Those who believe as you do just won't marry or have children with someone who is not a pureblood." I lectured.

Draco was a little put off by my willingness to say the dark lord's name aloud, "I...hadn't thought about some of that but what if they have enough generations of magical children that we don't know whose pure or not?"

"Then does it matter? If they have had magic that long then it's a strong trait in their family and isn't not knowing that the case now? Not every pureblood family could have been that way since the beginning. It's just that they have been magical so long that we know a non-magically gifted child being born is rare."

"I'll need to do my own research so I can prove you wrong," Draco coughed.

"Then I will welcome the debate," I smiled. I do so enjoy conversing on the complexities of wizard society and pointing out the non-sensical things people sometimes believe in.

Having successfully avoiding a conflict with Draco, we had to hurry now to Herbology class. I had to explain to Hermione and Ron why I didn't just punch Draco in the face before. Children tend to try and solve their problems straightforwardly, while adults have to play peace games. Being truly ancient, I possess the maturity and wit to talk circles around a child especially one so... unfamiliar with how things really work.

We arrived at the Herbology class taught by Professor Sprout. Even in class, I had to continue convincing Hermione and Ron that I had no intention of abandoning them for Draco and his goons. I explained some minor details of why I avoiding outright conflict with him. Things such as school policy, not escalating conflicts, and an intention to convert him to our side or to at least utilize him as a resource.

Both of them seemed slightly skeptical but otherwise convinced. Hermione saw my point but believed someone so ingrained in the teaching of inequality, "Could never change". I personally have seen the opposite happen throughout history. Yes, it is far more rare than optimists would like to believe but it does happen and many times it was even father and son versus each other during a war. I'm not betting on such an outcome, but it would be nice if it turned out to be so easy.

Hermione and I knew all the plant's names and such that Professor Sprout's lessons are about. I felt there was a lot of information being left out about them in the school textbooks but decided to refrain from informing the Professor. I was getting more attention than I wanted: I know too much and it makes me appear to be a genius by just answering the simplest of questions.

Transfiguration was, even more, worrisome as I got Professor McGonigal's attention by succeeding in turning a match into a needle. Had I realized the expectation was a failure I wouldn't have let myself achieve this task so quickly. My great failing was my impatience... Had I done the task the way she wanted I couldn't have succeeded on the first try.

One thing most wizards and witches don't know is that it's way easier to transfigure an item into something you are familiar with. The better image and feel you have of that object or thing in your mind the better! The truth is I'm completely unfamiliar with sewing needles. So it should have been more difficult for me than everyone else but... I cheated. The Professor didn't say what kind of needle it needed to be. So I made the only one I knew well, a Chinese assassin's needle. A nine-inch-long ultra-thin and balanced tool of murder. The tip on such a needle is so fine the target doesn't even feel it pierce their flesh and the wound doesn't usually bleed. A perfect tool for slipping poison into a target. China had used this for thousands of years before the evolution of firearms. Ideally, this weapon would be made with pure gold but I lacked the power and knowledge to do so. So I transfigured it into simple brass instead.

McGonigal said a few negative things about its size, shape, and color but happy otherwise. The professor now wanted Hermione and me to attend advanced classes because were both gifted in transfiguration. This would bring a lot of unwanted attention in my direction. So much for maintaining a low profile...

The upside is that I can see a lot of potential uses in transfiguration. With such limitless magic, I could always be as tall as I need to reach something or as small as needed to slip through a hole in the wall. The useability is increased by the fact that I could potentially use this more efficiently without a wand than most other magics. Many wizards and witches are born as Metamorphmagus but everyone lacks the understanding of why they don't need wands to use this magical power.

It is the same as my methods of manifesting magic around my finger to give it shape. A skill that was created based on house Elf magic. Metamorphmagus just instinctively know how to form the patterns of magical energy in their body to allow them to change shape. Hogwarts teaches students that this power cannot be learned but that is false! Any skill can be learned if one possess the knowledge to do so. So given time and dedication, I too could learn this skill and be stronger as a result. The path to doing so shall be painful beyond belief, but will be worth it in the end. After all, Death comes in all shapes, sizes, and even from sources... Often unknown.