A/N: Wow! You guys... I love you! I was SO worried that it would get a terrible reaction and you guys totally blew my expectations out of the water. So for my loyal fans here is the second chapter! Keedra2173 cracked me up with her review...
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the cast of FF VII; Namura better watch his character designs. Even if I wave my wand, I will never own the heart-felt cast J.K. Rowling made nearly two decades ago. Damn you for being so awesome...
WARNING: If this ever gets a review, my Muses will be having SEX in later chapters. That is if I can poke my smut Muse out of his deep rest... Dunno where he's gone. Maybe if I poke around with Masamune? LOTS OF FLUFFY MOMENTS! Choke on it, it's good for ya. *smirk*
Ryder
P.S. READ ME FIRST! Major time skip to third year in this chapter. I will be skipping because I don't think this would work otherwise. I'm doing the year by year thing with IHWwF and I'm stuck, so not doing that again if I can help it. We'll see about NP. Oh, if you're confused about all of the abbreviations those are my OTHER stories/plunnies that have taken up residence in the black hole that is my mind for the moment. Review to see if the plunny comes back!
-Previously On...-
"They are the essence of all that is good and Light in this World. When one appears, things are in dire straits Mr. Riddle. Your friend is reputed to be extremely possessive of things he sees as his to protect and you seem to fall under it. Thus, when Ms. Bulstrode aimed her wand at you, he went into a protective mode. Had anyone else tried that particular trick again, I suppose the treatment would be the same. Detention, Ms. Bulstrode, for a month with Filch. You are dismissed as well, Horace. No contact-making tonight."
"Oh." he and Sephiroth shared a look that they would be discussing it in bed. "That actually explains a lot of the things he's done over the years."
"There is also the rumoured ability to be a practical Prophet."
"He does do that but not very often. Seph and I share a lot, sir."
-Lir'ar'adia-
Tom read his Defense assignment, his hand practicing the complex movement of the Riddikulus Charm used to repel Boggarts. Sephiroth's head was in his lap, the Lir'ar'adia fast asleep as the thick Potions book and a quill dangled from the slender fingers of his best mate.
"Seph?"
"Mmm-mmm. No."
"It's dinner time and Sluggy will have our heads on a platter if we don't get there on time." Sephiroth snorted as he snapped the Potions book shut, tucking the clean quill behind his ear the end of the soft feather frayed from where Seph had chewed it in agitation. Potions was his favorite and he was always jotting little notes down on the margins to make it better or shorten the brewing time. Tom was the best at Herbology and Defense.
"Why did he have us brew something the first years do? It doesn't make any sense, Tombs..."
"The War, Seph; Grindelwald has attacked Purebloods like Slughorn's family... and was successful." Silver brows furrowed at his somber remark. Nothing bothered Seph more than the current War.
"He's dangerous and even Dumbledore is getting antsy. We have to do something, Tombs."
"What? Send the bastard a letter?" A slow grin formed on Sephiroth's face, making his face look absolutely terrifying. "C'mon, it wouldn't actually work."
"It might if it were laced with Veritas Immobile."
"Icarus, English, not Potions."
"Immobile Truth. It forces the one to come in contact with it to tell the truth for a full 72 hours and they are completely frozen for that amount of time as well."
"Sephiroth, they made treacle tart!" Orion called from the portrait entrance, a wide grin splitting his face as Seph took off like a silver shot. "I knew that would catch his attent-Whoa! Yours too, for that matter..."
He sighed, leaning against Sephiroth as Professor Dippet cautioned them about Dark supporters for Grindelwald.
"Furthermore, any student caught receiving mail from Grindelwald will be expelled." Seph yawned and petted his hair as they were excused for the night.
"As if the students can't spot them already..."
"They wear the symbol with pride." he snorted back, motioning to several older students in all four Houses sporting the curious design. "I wonder what it really means?" His thoughts swirled as he trudged the familiar path back to the dungeons absently hissing the password in Parseltongue to Salazar their Houses' Founder. Much to his surprise, the portrait hissed back with what seemed to be obvious pleasure.
*It hass been many yearss ssince I have come acrosss another Sspeaker.* Sephiroth shook his head and merely leaned against the wall, making sure his wings didn't get accidentally crushed by his weight. *A Lir'ar'adia? Thingss musst be wrong if I am sseeing correctly.*
"They sseem to be, Lord Sslytherin. The Goblinss and the Centaurss have already approached Ssephiroth as they have asked him to sset thingss right."
*Your name, young Sspeaker?*
"My full name?"
*Yess.*
"Tom Marvalo Riddle."
*Marvalo? That wass my sson's name... You are likely my lasst Heir. Have you been to the Manor?*
"I...No. No I have yet to come of age."
*You sshould have already sseen it. All of the Sslytherin line hass lead their offspring there... Your Mother would know.*
Tom grimaced at that and confessed in a hush hiss, "My Mother died upon the sstairss of an orphanage. Sshe sstayed conciouss long enough to name me." Salazar's cobalt eyes, so much like his own, widened at that news before the portrait sighed heavily.
"Your upbringing has lead for much to be desired, Mr. Riddle. I shall give you the password to my Chamber and we may talk where the walls do not have ears." The portrait of what seemed to be his Pureblood ancestor hissed the last part to him. *Through wisdom, cunning, courage and strength we obtain; only this may lead you to that which you gain. Do not forget this password as it is the same in English for your friend.*
"Thank you, Lord-"
"Please, just Sal will do."
"Thank you Salazar Slytherin. Might we rest?" Sephiroth hummed softly as the portrait opened silently. What neither of them expected was the common room full of shocked Slytherins.
-PoV-
Sephiroth shifted from foot-to-foot, the Unspeakables interviewing Tombs not making him feel safe in the least. He snapped out his wings and enfolded Tom in them as soon as those fools released him from Dippet's office.
"Hey."
"I 'ate be' in th' lim'ight." He chuckled softly as he mentally translated muffled chest speech. I hate being in the limelight. The Unspeakable in the navy blue robes looked him over and he rose an eyebrow at the interested grunt. "Go 'way."
"Tombs, they're Unspeakables. I don't think they're going away anytime soon."
"I feel like I'm a freak." that was at a level that no human or Wizard could hear and Sephiroth soothed the fear he heard with a soft croon.
"Shhh. No, you're special, mate and I think your ability's wicked. Don't pay attention to Dipstick One and Two, yeah?"
"Alright, Icarus. Promise me you won't break anymore hands-"
"I'll break all of it next time. She was a first-class bint."
"Seph!" Tom's admonishing tone made him laugh. There was his Tombs, super-hero and all. "Ms. Cole would soap your mouth if she heard that!"
"Only if I get caught." he muttered back, leading them both away from the Headmaster's office and down to lunch in the Great Hall. The whole room was silent for a long moment before Professor Dippet tapped his glass gently with a spoon.
"Please retain a sense of decorum around Messr.s Riddle and Crescent. Messr. Riddle possesses a rare magical talent known as Parseltongue, meaning he can speak to snakes. It is merely that and no more Dark than a Levitation Charm is. Sit, enjoy your meal." The Hall burst into chatter as they sat in their accustomed seats next to Orion and Eileen. Eileen was the only girl in their group, having been Seph's Potions partner before his best mate realized she was sitting alone at their House table; she had become an irreplaceable part of their 'adventures.'
"Hiya, Tom!" Orion was nicknamed the Puppy due to his flighty attention span and knack of getting into trouble that was not his own.
"Puppy."
"Aww, c'mon! It was once and I promised not to do it again..." Big grey eyes begged for forgiveness from him as the other teen had accidentally turned his hair the same shade as Seph's for a full three weeks.
"I forgive you, Orion. Just... Watch where you aim next time and hit Malfoy instead?" Eileen was laughing silently into her steak-n-kidney pie and Sephiroth was shaking his head in amusement.
"I think Malfoy would scream like a banshee if his perfect hair ever got changed." Eileen sniggered as she polished off her pie. "I mean, really, who uses a whole bottle of shampoo when it isn't even necessary?" Sephiroth rolled his eyes at that; trust Malfoy to copy him even when they had new dorms that had half the number from first year. "At least Seph has an excuse..."
"It is not an excuse, I just like the way it feels." Seph retorted with no bite to his words. "Isn't that the standard girl's answer?"
"Prat."
"Thanks."
"You know that's not what I meant." she sighed before going back to her spiced potatoes.
"I know."
-PoV-
Sephiroth sighed as Tom hissed out the password to the entrance of the Chamber, sliding down the tube with little fanfare.
"Gross... I bet this is his pet snake's entrance to the castle, Tombs." He spelled off the goop and followed Tom to the massive Chamber. Wall sconces flared to life as they walked along the highly polished black marble hallway. He stiffened as he heard the slithering of a rather large serpent. "Uh, Tombs, you might want start talking snake." Tom spoke softly in Parseltongue making Sephiroth shiver as the words washed over him in a pleasant haze.
"Hassskarrrsss." The huge snake snorted, the warm breath directly above them. "Ssessshhaa Ssalazar? Isshkkaa hursshass jassen." A surprised rumble escaped the, he was sure it was a Basilisk, familiar as it lowered itself down to eye-level. "Elsshariss?"
"Yess, though I do not sssee why, Masster Tom."
"It is because I do not speak the snake tongue, Mistress." he answered the decidedly feminine voice.
"Ah. Masster Tom, you mentioned something of my former Masster's... chasserac?"
"Yes, I was looking for his chambers." Tom hummed as he stroked the massive beast's head easily.
"They are beyond my den, Masster. Sspeak our tongue, Equality before prejudice, humbleness before pride." His best mate nodded and spoke with conviction. "Masster hass taken the time to explain your circumsstancess. He offerss the casstle as a ssanctuary for thosse mosst targeted." Sephiroth was hard-pressed not to shout for joy. A Founder's request always popped up on the Headmaster's desk and would not go away until signed by the Headmaster, Head of House and Deputy Headmaster or Headmistress. "Thiss pleasses the Lir'ar'adia?"
"A home is all we have ever dreamed of, Mistress."
"Nonssensse on thiss Misstresss bussiness. My name iss Ississ."
"After the goddess of rainbows... Not to mention beauty and wisdom personified, yes?" he murmured, reaching out a hand for the thickly-scaled nose. She pressed against his hand with gentle strength, the golden eyes hidden by a thick membrane. "Thank you."
"It iss I who sshould be thanking you. Many yearss have passed ssince I have sspoken to another... Masster, keep thiss one and make good nesstlings." Tom squawked indignantly and pushed away from Isis.
"We're too young!" Hissing laughter rumbled from Isis, suggesting her remark had been in jest only.
"Laugh it up; I'll feed you mice for the rest of our time here!"
"Sss-aa young Masster, I hunt in the Foresst mosst dayss. T'wass only in jest."
"...If you say so."
The Founder's request had actually popped up in the middle of dinner, flashing into existence with a brilliant green light, signaling that this was Salazar's House business. Professor Dippet read it over before smiling at them over his goblet. Sephiroth muffled his laughter as he saw Orion carefully aim his wand at Malfoy's hair. He nudged Tom as well as Eileen and they watched as the vaunted blond locks turned a shade of scarlet and gold so bright it almost hurt to look at.
The entire Slytherin table bit their lips as the color finished working its way down the shoulder-length locks. Malfoy shrieked like someone had killed his precious pet and fled the Great Hall, not to be seen for the next few days. At that he couldn't hold it in anymore; Tom joined him in laughing uproariously at Malfoy's plight. Slughorn sent them disapproving looks from his place at the Head Table while they wiped away tears of absolute joy.
"Oh, Merlin, his face..."
"Hilarious. You have to teach me that one, Orion." he whispered as Slughorn waddled toward them.
"Messr. Crescent, did you curse Messr. Malfoy?"
"Me sir? Never."
"I wish to see your wand." He handed it over without so much as a peep. "Priori Incantantum." His entire wand showed was a mild cleaning charm and a drying charm. Innocent of all supposed-wrongdoing. His wand was handed back and Slughorn checked Tom's next. The yew wand spat sparks as ol' Sluggy touched it, not allowing him to cast Priori.
"Sir, Tom's wand is rather possessive. Maybe if I held it instead?" The Potions Professor readily agreed to his suggestion, managing to get off the spell. Tom's wand showed Riddikulus and the faint silver mist of the Patronus, which they weren't supposed to study until sixth year. His best mate looked unfazed as his wand was handed back. The Professor skipped right over Eileen and looked at Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's minions. The Professor left the table, scratching his thinning hair as they dissolved into quiet, helpless giggles.
The incident with Malfoy had them watching the fuming blond. Everyone knew you didn't get away with messing with a Malfoy, but that was if you weren't a Black. Orion had covered his tracks well with a Family-specific spell.
"Crabbe, get Nott to find out which of those fools did it."
"Uh, I saw Black doin' it. He was grinnin' and laughin' with the rest of 'em."
"Well I shall have to plan my revenge for all of them."
"Malfoy's terrible at keeping secrets, Tombs. Wanna plot a counter-attack?"
"No. We only have another month before we get to stay here. Let him plot... We'll just avoid whatever it is." Tom muttered absently as he wrote notes into the margins of his Defense book and drew the plant they were taking care of in his Herbology sketchbook with the proper inks. A jet of red light came streaking across the room and Sephiroth threw the Protego shield they'd been working on in Defense up, the light bouncing harmlessly off the shimmery shield and back in the direction it had come.
"Oh. That's what he meant when you had to mean the spell..."
"Duh, Icarus. I told you that too, you just weren't listening."
"Hey... Irks the hell out of me when people fire spells at you and I was listening. I always listen to you." he huffed as he nibbled on his quill again as the Potion they were working on now was a mild pain Potion. No, two anti-clockwise stirs would put the Potion into stasis lock... What were the people who wrote this thinking? Such an elementary mistake that Sephiroth almost scribbled out the instructions to replace them with his own. Ugh, no wonder Wizards left the making of Potions to Masters! He wrote out how he would prepare the Potion and stuck it into his book as the clock struck eleven.
He decided after double-Potions with the Gryffindors that he would find a tutor for himself, a Master of some renown and not Slughorn. The man wouldn't know a Boil-Cure solution if it bit him on the nose!
"Ugh, I have hadit with Slughorn! I'm not learning anything I find useful..." Eileen nodded emphatically with his hissed remark and Tom shook his head.
"My Father knows a good Potions Master."
"Go on." Now that had his interest, he thought as he wrapped a wing around Tom to shield him from the worst of the winds buffeting the school in late March.
"His name is Professor Gast and he teaches at Wizarding University. Maybe he can teach us when you can come over to the Manor?"
"Does your Father realize you are friends with the first Lir'ar'adia to come back to the Wizarding World and a Half-Blood?"
"Father understands that blood Purity is all well and good in supposed 'politics' but it's just not practical. As any Slytherin worth their salt, he employs Half-Bloods, Muggle-born and Squibs as a precautionary measure." she answered swiftly as they collected Orion from the common room. "Orion's family has house-elves."
"Bloody elf is evil, I tell you."
"He left you a dead rat again?"
"Pffft, yeah. 'You is breaking Mistress's heart associating with Creatures and their ilk.' Like I give a damn. I'm going to be married off to a distant cousin anyway, Walburga, I think." Sephiroth sighed; some creatures seemed to not like him very much. The house-elves at Hogwarts adored him but those attached to Dark Families despised him something fierce. "Potions again? I heard your rant."
"I am being driven nuts by his simpering and ingrating tones. Ugh. Give me Malfoy any day over sycophantic Professors..."
"Tell me about it. He's sidled up to those he think will rise to 'greatness'; I've been forced to the 'Slug Parties' because he wants contact with my Father. It's horrible." Malfoy walked over and sat on the couch, for once not even looking at any of them, head braced on the heels of his palms.
"Malfoy?" he asked, prodding the other teen's boot with the tip of his. "You must be really out of it if you're sitting next to us."
"Hardly, Crescent. I happen to-I cannot believe I am about to say this-agree with you on Slughorn. That man hounds me like a dog on a scent, always asking about my Father and when can he contact him. I am thoroughly sick of having to watch my back. Will you help me get rid of him and install Master Gast as our teacher?"
"What'd you have in mind, Malfoy? We're all ears..."
Ending A/N: Oh, voluntarily speaking with Malfoy! Nothing like a common enemy to pull people together that hate each other... Will their plan work? Review and find out! I love how this came out. I needed some humor as I haven't written any FLUFF in a while. Enjoy and I hope this brightens your day!