Title: Behind The Green Curtains
Rating: PG-13
Author: The Girl Who Loved
Genre: Drama/ Adventure
Summary: Virginia Wilson, daughter of Carl Wilson, Hogwarts school governor, is about to start her first year at Hogwarts. She will make friends, make enemies, and rock the Slytherin house with her passion for life. *Set during Philosopher's Stone*
Disclaimer: I own pretty much anything in here that you don't recognize. Jo, Lacey, and Molly own themselves. I am only borrowing their collective consciousnesses for this ficcy. Also, the 'Gods' reference comes from J.L. Matthew's "Slytherin Rising".
A/N: WARNING: Be scared. Be very scared. This fic will delve deep into the hearts and minds of the world's least favorite house, Slytherin.
The fact that it is the most hated is something that I am trying my hardest to change; along with several other authors.
Chapter 1: Wandless Magic?
"Father, please? Please, please, please, please, please?" I was standing in the den of my home in Baggary-on-Thames, with an invitation to stay with my friend Josephine for a few weeks during the summer in my hands. Josephine was my best friend in the entire world - my only true friend to be honest - and I hadn't seen her since she was accepted to Hogwarts last year. "We don't even know if I've been accepted yet, Daddy. And if I haven't, and I don't go now, I won't get to see her until next summer!" I said this as if it were the worst thing in the world... and in a way, it was.
"Oh, you've been accepted. Hogwarts can't afford not to accept one of its governor's children. That's not what I'm worried about." He began to pace the length of the den, while I stood, near the doorway, and fumed inwardly. I hated it when people paced around me. It was just one of my pet peeves. I couldn't stand it. Finally, after one excruciatingly long minute, he turned towards me, and continued talking. "With the Terrible Twosome together again? It's Hogsmeade I'm scared for." It was then that I saw the smile in his eyes. 'Oh, are we playing that game?' I thought, happily. I played acting games with my father quite often. It was a battle of wills, and the best actor would win. "I'm not quite sure Hogsmeade is ready for the both of you."
"Well I am quite sure that I don't have to stand here and take this from you." I said huffily. Thinking quickly, I added, "from my own father", and sniffed loudly, for dramatic effect. I could almost have sworn that I saw a smile cross his lips; but, if I did, it was gone as fast as it had appeared.
"I mean, it would be horrible if you were to do something big in Hogsmeade, like, raid the Shrieking Shack, or rust the wheels on the Hogwarts Express, for instance." Yeah, right. He'd love it if I were to do that. 'Note to self, play HUGE prank while in Hogsmeade.' "It would bring shame to the Wilson family name." He looked so serious that I almost believed him. Almost. But I didn't think of that, for he'd just given me the opening I needed.
"And what if I were to go to Hogwarts, and tell the Sorting Hat that I want to be in Hufflepuff?" I heard him gasp behind me, and my grin finally reached my eyes. Personally, I abhorred the very idea, but it was fun to dangle it in front of him; food for thought.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"That's blackmail!"
"And quite good if I do say so myself."
"Why you devious, sly, little - "
"Oh, Daddy. Don't talk about yourself that way." I whispered, my voice breaking on the last word. I then started to cry, quite the little actress I was. "I'm sorry, daddy-"
* sob *
"But-"
* blubber *
"I just really... this means so much to me, and..." I trailed off, pulling in the bait. And the big softie took it.
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry. Don't cry, please? Here." He handed me a tissue, and I dried my eyes, before turning around to face him, all smiles.
"Thank you. I would like to accept this award for 'Best Dramatic Performance' on behalf of the Academy- OOF!" I fell backwards as one of our fluffy pearl couch pillows hit me in the face. I looked from my father, to the pillow, and back.
My father was tall. Like, 6'3". He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and the warmest smile in the world, and he spoilt me rotten. Oh, sure, he looked like a giant teddy bear now, but when he was mad, not even the devil himself could look him in the eyes.
"So?" I asked hopefully, refraining through sheer force of my will from tossing the pillow back at him. He sighed dramatically.
"Yes. You can go, you little wretch." He was smiling, and I smiled back. I'd been called worse in my life. Not by him, but he was positively glowing, so I didn't take offence. After all, he was a bit of a sore loser. "You go pack, I'll owl a reply to Karen, but only this once, hear?" Karen Chambers was Jo's mum. She ran a bookstore in Hogsmeade, where she and her four children currently live.
"Thank you, Daddy!" I squealed as I kissed his cheek. He nodded, and I ran out of the room, only to backtrack three seconds later and stick my head in again. "Oh, by the way, the Sorting Hat threat still stands." I had the pleasure of seeing his jaw hit the floor before I ran off to pack. Being an eleven year old girl with a father like mine was quite fun.
"Look, Jo! Honeydukes!" I called, pointing to one of the many stores before me. "I didn't know they had a Hogsmeade location."
"I did. I - "
"Live here." I finished for her. "I know. But there isn't a Honeydukes branch in Baggary-on-Thames yet. Indulge me here, will you? I'm buying."
"Your buying." we said together, and both started laughing. Jo and I could have been twins, though you'd never know it from our looks. I was slightly heavyset; while Jo was the same size she had been in third grade. We both had reddish brown hair; mine was a mahogany shade, while hers was a bright cherry. She had blue eyes; I had brown. She was an inch shorter than I was, and yet a year older than me. But we thought the same way. We had the same hobbies, favorite things, and pet peeves. We could finish each other's sentences without a thought, and we both knew exactly why the other would act the way they did in various situations.
"Ok." I said, as we hurried into the shop. When we walked in, we were immediately surrounded with tantalizing aromas. "A piece of Honeydukes chocolate is a piece of Heaven on Earth," I had once told Daniel. Thinking of him made me wince, and so I pushed him from my mind, and placed my thoughts on the candy. Jo and I parted to pick our treats. I dawdled among the hard candy while Jo went straight for the chocolate. She didn't seem affected at all by this. But I hadn't seen this much candy in one place since my third birthday. Eventually, we got our respective chocolates, orange flavored for us both.
We left the store, and were walking down Main St. when I bumped into somebody. They fell to the ground. I didn't. I saw the platinum blonde hair and tensed up.
"Malfoy? What are you doing in Hogsmeade?" He stood, brushing his robes off, and apparently not noticing that I didn't offer to help him up.
"Father's in at the Governor's Meeting. Surely you remember that he was just elected Head Governor of Hogwarts." That sneer, and that voice... Gods, I just wanted to slap him upside the face. Besides, that reference to the election was as close to an insult as he'd come without provocation. Mr. Malfoy had run against my father in the election, and had blackmailed the other governors into voting for him. Not that I could prove anything.
"Watch your step, Malfoy." I said softly. "I don't take insults to my family lightly."
"Oh, well I thought you'd be used to it, what with your Mum rotting in a cell in Azkaban, and your estranged brother who - "
"Take. That. Back." I was reacting on instinct, and I balled my fists, my fingernails biting into the palm of my hand.
"What?" He asked, trying in vain to look innocent. He was the most stuck up, arrogant, annoying little…
"My Mother is not in Azkaban, and my brother is still speaking to me. Take it back!"
"Whatever you say, Wilson." The sneer was back, in place of the innocent look. I liked the sneer better; it made him easier to dislike.
"TAKE IT BACK!" I shouted, and, somehow, Draco found himself slumped against the wall of Three Broomsticks pub – or, would have, had he been conscious - about 100 feet from where he had been standing. I was breathing heavily, and shaking, unable to think of anything but the mocking tone with which he had addressed my family. Not just this time, but in our countless meetings before, ever since my father started bringing me to Hogwarts for the meetings.
And I dwelled on that, allowing my loathing of him to grow into hate. All he had ever done was try to manipulate me, to hurt me. I wanted him to pay. I promised myself that he would.
And then, even though Draco was unconscious, his head began to bang itself against the wall; over, and over, and over. I smiled, and with each dull thud my smile grew larger, and more genuine. I did have power. I could control others. Make them do my bidding, my will.
It was exactly what Draco would do. And that bothered me. Somewhere, deep down, past my impulsive mind, it hurt me. I was not like Draco. I shouldn't be doing this... but try as I might, I could not stop. The power wouldn't let me. And then, everything went black.
" - saw. Malfoy had passed out. He wasn't doing that of his own violation."
"I agree, Jo, but wandless magic? And the Imperius Curse to boot."
"It is possible, when one considers a witch's power during her adolescent years."
"I just want Malfoy to be ok. The last thing we need is Lucius pressing charges."
"Are you sure she'll be ok, Madame Pomphrey? I slapped her pretty hard, trying to get her out of it."
"She should be fine, Josephine."
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Voices, most of which I knew, some I did not, and they were all giving me a migraine. I sat up, but at least six pairs of hands pushed me back into bed. When I looked around, I saw Jo, Bobby, Alicia, and John, as well as Karen. My father was there too, and Professor Dumbledore. The red haired witch with Dumbledore checked her pulse, and I guessed she must have been Madame Pomphrey.
There was an odd tension in the room, of which I was painfully aware. Everyone was staring at me, looking a cross between awed and angry.
"What did I do?" I asked my father, sitting up again. He looked at me with eyes that were so empty it scared me. There was no emotion, no feeling. It was almost as if he had been given the Dementor's Kiss. "I tried to stop, I swear I did, Dad. But I couldn't. The power wouldn't let me. And then I blacked out." Josephine squirmed uncomfortably.
"I... um... I slapped you. You were scaring me. I mean, I know Malfoy's an ugly git and all, but- what Mum? It's true." Jo said defensively at a warning glance from her mother. "Anyway. I didn't want to see him die!"
"What did I do?" I asked again, slightly more urgently. This was beginning to frighten me.
"It seems you've preformed a bit of wandless magic, Virginia." Dumbledore said, his manner calming me somewhat. "I must say, I'm quite impressed that an untrained, eleven year old wandless witch was able to perform the Imperius Curse."
"The Imperius curse? But... I- I never..."
"No one is holding you responsible, child. It was just a fit of anger gone too far. I've seen magic be preformed before that way, but only under extreme stress." 'Well, it wasn't stress this time.' I thought wryly, 'It was hatred.'
"I think we should leave Miss Wilson to her rest now, Headmaster. She should be fine in twenty-four hours, but now she needs to rest." Madame Pomphrey ushered everyone out of the room, my father leaving without a word, and then she returned to me, taking a flask of potion off of the table beside the bed I was in. "Take some of this dear. It'll help you sleep." I took a drink, and my eyelids got heavy. I barely managed a heavily slurred "Thanks" before my head hit the pillow, and I fell asleep.
A/N: WOW! This chapter took over four typed pages to write! I'm impressed with myself.
Oh, and yes, I am aware that Virginia is sort of a bitch. She's supposed to be. I know what I'm doing.
Ok, more next chapter ("Letters From 'Friends'"): Virginia gets two school acceptance letters. One from Hogwarts - and one from Durmstrang?!? And her father gets a letter from some old 'friends' of his. But what could it mean?
Luv,
~ The Girl Who Loved