The Misadventures of Cameron Deligure, SlytherinBy lionofstone
Part One
Cameron Deligure, aged eleven, is excited at the prospect of magic, and the idea that he is a Wizard. But things take a turn for the worse when he is sorted into Slytherin, where Janice Foster, a cruel, unofficial Queen has twisted the house into a blood-purist home. Cameron, the first muggleborn to be sorted there since her reign started, is faced with many troubles, from snakes in his bed, to his hair being blue, to a duel he is unprepared for.
On top of that, his Ravenclaw friends Clara, Oswin, and Kimmy, have uncovered a problem in the castle. Nicknamed 'The Mist' a strange magic is stealing things from paintings, preparing for an unknown battle. And really, no eleven year olds are equipped for something like that.
The Deligure's lived a simple life in a neighbourhood called Silverweed in a small town called Heather March. They lived in a white house with windows that were perfectly squared, and had a red front door. The front garden was always kept neat, with short grass and trimmed hedges. Mr. Deligure was in the army, and Mrs. Deligure was a hard working manager of a local flower shop. The both made sure that they were kept comfortable. The only thing that was in any way eccentric about this family was their son, Cameron.
Cameron's life started on November second. His mother woke up his father was screams, saying: "He's coming! He's coming! Our baby's coming!" She was driven to the hospital in a sunshine yellow bug, panting the whole while. The birthing process took seven hours, but when it was finally over, Mrs. Deligure was awarded with a healthy baby boy, whom she named Cameron.
As Cameron grew up, there was no denying he was an odd boy. He once came home from school with purple hair and no idea how it happened, and no one in the school had any dye. Another time, he'd grown half a foot in half an hour, which everyone knew was impossible. On and on the list went, the strange things this boy had done. The Deligures had no idea how to respond to these things, until, that is Cameron's eleventh birthday.
It was near noon, and the sun was high in sky, but the street was just as empty as five o'clock in the morning. It was because of this that no one noticed the old woman in green robes who appeared with a faint pop. The woman's hair was done up in a tight bun, and her features were sharp, and pointed, despite a sort of softness in her eyes. She shook herself slightly and gazed around the street, as though searching for something. Her eyes fell on house number seven, and she walked briskly towards it, attracting the stares of young Vanessa Rowley, who happened to glance out the window at just the right moment.
The woman stopped at the doorway of number seven, raised a wrinkled hand, and rang the bell. The door was answered by a small boy with brown hair and (the woman did a double take) mismatched eyes. One was brown, and the other was green. The woman knew immediately that this must be Cameron Deligure, the muggle-born.
"Hello," she greeted him warmly. "Is this the home of the Deligures?"
The boy nodded, still looking rather dazed. "Are you one of my father's foreign clients?"
Cameron had intuition, the woman noted. "I'm not a client, no. Are your parent's home? I'd like to speak with them."
Cameron nodded, and opened the door wider for the woman to enter. Once it was closed behind her, Cameron gazed up at her with his mismatched eyes, as though he had something he wanted to ask. After opening and closing his mouth multiple times, he finally said: "Would you like some tea?" which the woman suspected was not what he really wanted to ask her.
"Yes, thank you," said the woman, following Cameron to sitting room, where he told her to wait while he got his parents.
Shortly after the youngest Deligure left, his parents entered. After some introductions, Professor McGonagall (for that was the woman's name), advised the parents to sit down as she explained why she was here.
After she'd made a few brief statements, the Deligures were silent, and the only noises came from the kitchen, where Cameron was making the tea. "I know it's a lot to take in," Professor McGonagall said carefully.
Mr. Deligure shook his head slightly, saying "I always knew Cam was special, what with the tricks he can pull off, but I never thought he was a… a wizard!" and Mrs. Deligure nodded in agreement.
"Who's a wizard?" Cameron asked, entering the room with a tea tray filled with four cups and a plate of biscuits.
"You." Mrs. Deligure said, seemingly incapable of forming a full sentence. Cameron's mismatched eyes widened, and his grip on the tea tray faltered. It slipped from his hands and fell to the floor was crash. The plate and cups shattered and the tray split in half.
"Mum, I'm so sorry! Those were your best dishes! I didn't mean-" Cam apologized frantically, but he was cut off, watching as the tray and dishes floating into the air and reassembling themselves. The Deligures turned to look at McGonagall, eyes widened.
"Did- did you-?" Mr. Deligure stuttered, and the professor nodded.
"That is a very basic spell; Cameron will be able to do things like that very quickly."
Cameron stared at the professor, and suddenly it was like floodgates opened. "So all the stuff I can do, it's magic? Will I have to go to a special school? What will I learn about? Are you a witch or are you called a wizard too?"
McGonagall smiled. Usually it took much more than this to convince the Muggles of the existence of magic, but this family seemed to accept it from the start. "Yes, what you can do is magic. As for the school, I am actually here to extend an invitation to Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. There, you will learn a variety of different things, such as Transfiguration and Potions. I am called a witch."
Cameron gazed towards his parents. "Can I go?"
His parents grinned at him. "Just let us get a few questions answered, and then we'll see."
Professor McGonagall smiled. "Hogwarts is a boarding school," she informed them. "But he will be allowed to return home for the Christmas holidays as well as during the summer."
The parents nodded, and the conversation continued this way until, "Where will he get his supplies? I don't think wizards get pens and calculators."
"There's a place hidden from non-magic view, called the Leaky Cauldron. We will be meeting you, along with a few other muggle parents, on August Twentieth, should you wish Cameron to attend. Here are instructions on how to get there." She handed them a slip of parchment. "And here is your supply list." She handed Cameron an envelope.
"Now," she said, standing. "I really must go. We will send you an owl- owls carry our post- closer to when the school year starts with some more information." And with that, she turned on her heel and vanished.
"Magic…" Cam sighed dreamily.
On August twentieth, Cam and his parents braved the streets of London and ended up inside a shabby looking pub. "The muggle-borns, eh?" said the barman, Tom. "Yep, Prof. McGonagall will be here soon. Can I interest you in a drink?"
They politely turned down his offer, and Cameron scurried off to look around. The pub was a dreary and shabby as Cameron had originally thought, but it was filled with some amazing items and artefacts. A shining silver horn, claiming to be from a unicorn, hung on one wall. A snow-globe shaped object contained a moving model of the solar system sat on a low table.
And then, quite apart from the items were the people themselves. A person (Cameron couldn't decide if they were male or female) was wrapped head to toe in purple shawls. A young boy in a top hat kept leaning over to sip his father's drink. A witch dressed in black had a crooked nose and a large wart on her cheek was reading a book entitled 'Magical Me: Extended Edition'.
Suddenly Cameron's attention was torn away from these people, and towards a different group that had just entered the pub, and was headed by Professor McGonagall. "Hello, my name is Professor McGonagall, and I am the Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts. With me are Professors Snape, and Flitwick. We will be your guides through Diagon Ally today. Professor Flitwick, please guide the Monroe's, I will show the Keep's, and Professor Snape, you can lead the Deligure's."
The hook-nosed greasy-haired teacher sneered at them, and Cameron was privately reminded of a hawk.
Shortly after this, they split off into their groups, and Snape approached them. "Follow me," he said by way of introduction.
Cameron and his parents stayed close to their guide, none of them daring to speak until Snape rounded on Cameron and asked: "What do you know about magic, Mr. Deligure?"
"Not much, sir, only what Professor McGonagall told us about earlier this month." He answered. "She talked about Transfiguration, which sounds complicated, and Charms, which sounds mildly entertaining, truth be told. But what sounded the most interesting to me was potions." Cameron realized he was rambling, and added a hasty: "Sir,"
"Hmm," Snape responded, turning back around, and side stepping to reveal the magical wonders of Diagon Ally. Cameron's jaw almost dropped. There were shops selling cauldrons, shops selling robes, and one shop boasted a sign that read: "Pickled Beetle Eyes- 2 jars for the price of 1!"
At the very end of the street was a huge marble building, with huge pillars and glass doors. Snape saw where Cameron's mismatched eyes were looked and informed him that: "That's Gringotts, finest wizarding bank in all of the UK. We'll be going there first."
They wandered toward the bank, Cameron and his parents looking around in wonder. "Glad I'm on leave for a few more months," Cameron heard his father mutter to himself.
Snape stopped at the front door of the bank to explain how the changing of the money worked. Cameron, who didn't much care about that, stared at the doorman, who had knobby skin, a long misshapen nose, floppy ears and was only about Cameron's height. If he'd had to wager a guess as to what it was, he'd say-
"Goblin, yes, now let's go in!" Snape snapped. "We haven't all day, you know."
Cameron scrambled into the building, only to be greeted by more goblins. As his parents went off to greet one and exchange their money, Cameron and Snape were left alone. "Mr. Deligure," Snape drawled. "Are you aware that I am the potions professor?"
The brown haired boy's interest peeked. "No, I didn't know that, sir."
"Yes, potions," Snape said with the ghost of what might've been a smile. "There's nothing quite like a simmering cauldron."
"What sort of potions is there, sir?" Cameron asked eagerly.
"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and put a stopper on love, if you're clever enough."
"Wow," Cameron breathed. "That's amazing!"
"Yes. Do you have any question about Hogwarts?"
Cameron realized that if got Snape talking, he was much more likely to be friendly. "Er… yes sir. At one of the other secondary schools I looked at, before I knew I was magic, they sorted people into Houses by some sort of aptitude test. Do you do something like that at Hogwarts?"
Snape nodded. "Something like that, yes. The houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each one has its own unique history and background. Gryffindor's are known for being brave. Slytherin's for ambition. Ravenclaw's are set apart by their cleverness and Hufflepuff's for being friendly."
Cameron felt a knot form in his stomach; he didn't feel like any of those things. Instead of replying, he just nodded and waited for his parents to return.
After Gringotts, the first place they went was the Apothecary, to buy potions ingredients. Cameron was enamoured with the many different magical items that were used. Unicorn tail hairs (three galleons a bunch), beetle eyes (seven sickles a scoop), and dragons blood (seventeen galleons a pint) lined the shelves, or were stacked in barrels. Snape helped him chose a good cauldron and a nice set of scales.
"You'll want an owl to carry your post," Snape announced after leaving Madam Malkin's and headed towards Eeylops Owl Emporium.
The shop, as par its name, was filled with owls. Despite this, it didn't take long for a fully black owl with yellow eyes to catch Cameron's attention. He approached the bird, who tipped its head to the side. "Pickett," Cameron decided. "Pickett is a good name for you."
The Deligures, and Snape, suddenly appeared at his side. "It this the one you want, honey?" asked Mrs. Deligure.
"Yes, Mum. Her name is Pickett." Cameron said, grinning.
"Good name, son." said his father, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "Now let's pay and get out of here."
Laden down with packages, the party, led by Snape, walked down the street towards Ollivanders. "A wand," Snape said. "Is the most important tool for a wizard to have. You will perform spells, learn to defend yourself, and even complete potions with your wand."
Ollivanders was an odd shop, with only one rickety stool and a small desk. The adults waited outside as Cameron went in on his own. "I don't believe I've had the honour of serving your family, young man," said a voice. "What is your name?"
"C-Cameron," He answered, suddenly nervous. "Cameron Deligure."
A man with white hair came out from behind the desk and grinned oddly at Cameron. "No, no. I haven't served a Deligure in all my time working here. You must be a muggle-born."
"Yes, sir,"
"Come, closer my boy. I don't bite. Here, try this wand." Mr. Ollivander handed Cameron a short brown wand. "Pine, with unicorn tail hair-"
Cameron tried, but Ollivander took it away rather quickly. "No, no, now this one-"
On and on it went, until (as Cameron was good with numbers, he knew this) the forty second wand. "Here," said Mr. Ollivander. "It's sycamore with dragon heartstring, thirteen inches, and unbending."
The minute Cameron touched the wand; he knew it was the one. He raised it above his head and brought it down in a shower of green sparks.
"Beautiful," Mr. Ollivander sighed, and Cameron payed eight galleons for his wand.
After stopping for a quick bite at the Leaky Cauldron, the Deligures headed home, chatting about the amazing magical things they had seen, and Cameron waiting almost desperately for September the first.
Authors Note:
I've always found it interesting how little we were allowed to look into the life of a Slytherin. I highly doubted that all of them were muggle-hating evil-doers, and so was born Cameron Deligure. I thought it would be interesting to explore the life of a muggleborn Slytherin, as well as take a closer look at Slytherin's themselves.
Some warnings before you go on: there will be some minor bullying in his first year, and some much worse stuff in his fourth. Offensive language may appear as the main characters grow up. Cameron's romance will always be with other OCs, but there will be other characters who have relationships with canon characters. He is one year older than Harry Potter and Crew.
This is a side story to Veritaserum-Girl 's wonderful story I Know Something You Don't, which I highly recommend you read. Cameron does come into that story, but not until his fourth year.
If I was JK Rowling, or anyone asscioted with the Harry Potter Frachise, do you really think I'd been sitting here writing fanfiction?
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
LJ x
