Prologue: Hogwarts of a Halfbreed
"Well, well, well, what is this?" The cool whisper was not a question. Two teenagers stood alone in a hallway. The taller, older of the two, Tylandraes Windguard-Zauval, was the one who had spoken. Her silver hair glinted in the torchlight as her black school-issued cloak fluttered in the draft.
"You heard me," the shorter, younger of the two retorted. Tylia was particularly fond of this newest of her 'Breezes,' her informants. The first year's name was Frank Longbottom the Second, and he was good at getting interesting tidbits of information without attracting attention. He was also utterly unafraid and unintimidated by her. It made for a nice change, now and then.
"Frank!" a voice echoed through the empty, drafty corridor.
"I've made my report, I need to go," Frank said, looking away from Tylia for a moment, and then glancing back to her. Another lovely thing about Frank was that he was polite. He always waited for her dismissal.
"Frank!" The voice called again. Tylia recognized it as Rose Weasley's voice. "Where'd you get to? Your dad's looking for you!"
"You're one of my best, Frank," Tylia replied to the boy, a rare compliment. "Go, then."
"I know I am," Frank called as he trotted down the hall. Tylia slipped into a secret passage just as he called out again, this time to Rose. "I'm here, Rose! What's Dad want?"
Concealed, Tylia watched as the 11 year old rounded the corner. Sighing, she leaned against the wall of her hiding place.
"So the elder Potter has taken offense at young Master Scorpius, has he?" Tylia mused, closing her emerald eyes so that she could summon an image of the hazel-eyed, black haired sixth year Gryffindor and the storm-gray eyes and pale blond hair of the youngest of the Malfoy clan.
James, the Potter boy, hadn't held Tylia's interest for very long. He was a jokester, but his pranks were nothing when compared to those of his sister, Lily, who was four years younger than he. But Scorpius, now Scorpius was interesting. He made very interesting choices, was absolutely fascinated by magical cultures and was a year below her in Hogwarts.
"What do you care?" asked a voice in the darkness of the secret passage. Tylia's excellent memory processed it as the voice of Lily Potter.
"Lumos," Tylia murmured, slipping her wand from her pocket. Lily seemed to be in a bad mood, and, rumor had it, she had inherited her mother's skill with minor curses.
Her wand tip flared and lit up a very annoyed looking 3rd year Gryffindor with red hair, pale green eyes and more than her fair share of freckles.
"Well?" Lily demanded, hands on hips. Tylia struggled between being annoyed that she had allowed this human to sneak up on her, or amused that Lily had managed it. She decided to be amused. It generally served her purposes better.
"Your brother's exploits interest me, Miss Potter," Tylia replied truthfully. The taller, older Ravenclaw saw no reason to lie to the compact, wiry young woman before her. "As do those of young Master Malfoy."
"Why?" Lily demanded again, her annoyance lessening slightly as interest replaced it.
"Because he is an interesting individual." Tylia shrugged elegantly. Not entirely the truth; it was Scorpius more than James that interested her, but that was alright.
"Yeah, James is, at that," Lily agreed easily, nodding her assent. Then her eyes lit up, a spark of mischief in them. "Though if you're going for 'interesting,' Albus might suit you better. Ever met him? I could introduce you."
"Some other time, perhaps," Tylia replied with a light bow, though she never took her eyes from Lily's face. She would not tell Lily that Albus, too, was on her list of Interests. "I prefer to watch for now."
"Suit yourself," Lily shrugged as well, turning and retreating down the steps. "See you."
She paused before she went entirely out of sight, something having occurred to her.
"Wait a minute," she called up the stairs as she turned back around. "What's your—"
She stopped speaking suddenly because the silver-haired girl had vanished, the tapestry fluttering slightly in her wake.
