Another Parseltongue
The table with the two empty seats cheered and Willow walked over there but glanced at Felton, and found a sad frown on his face. Willow then remembered that there had always been rivalry between the two houses. Hogwarts: A History had recounted the many times the founders had disagreed.
Willow slipped into a seat and was glad that she could see Felton from her seat. She was sitting next to a boy with short brown hair. He shook her hand "Seamus Finnigan."
"Willow Spenkin. Please call me Willow."
"Ok Willow." He grinned at her before turning his head back toward the stool. The ceremony continued and then the final girl "Clara Zestia" was placed in Hufflepuff. Dumbledore stood up and spoke. "Before our feast, a few words for you to ponder. Copperhead, nettles, and citrus Thank you." He sat back down and then the table filled with food as everyone began to clap.
Willow began to talk to those around her, as she ate. The red-headed girl and turned out to be be a girl name Ginny Weasley. And apparently she was the younger sister of the two red-headed boys from earlier. She met Nearly Headless Nick, and he frowned at the food, licking his lips.
She noticed some movement from the corner of her eye and saw a dark haired man holding a cat enter from a door behind the High Table. He whispered something to Professor McGonagall and she frowned, put down her napkin and stood. She then spoke to Dumbledore before she and the dark haired man left through the door again.
She was going to ask Seamus Finnigan, when she noticed Professor Dumbledore standing and following the two. Willow turned to ask Seamus Finnigan about them leaving when the boy next to her started to talk to her. He introduced himself as Colin Creevey. He told her all about his first trip to Diagon Alley.
"I kept taking pictures of the whole place. I got some strange looks, but I just know that they will be good for keeping the memory. I just wish I could see more in them."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, when you look at a picture and want to see just around the edges."
"Can't you just ask the people in your pictures?"
"What?"
Creevey gave her such a look of confusion that Willow couldn't help giving it back. Willow thought for a moment. "Do you have one of the pictures with you, maybe I can ask."
"Sure!" He pulled out a picture that didn't move at all.
"Oh! I see what you mean. Did you know there is a potion to make this picture move? Then the people inside your picture could tell you what is around the corner."
"Really?"
Willow nodded her head and watched as he began to examine his picture with a delighted look. Then she heard a name in a conversation next to him. "...Harry Potter..."
Willow immediately turned to the conversation. She had heard of Harry Potter of course, but her father would never talk about him. "I heard he was in a flying car!" "He hit it into the Whomping Willow..." "Amazing!" "That's Harry for you." "Hope he doesn't get expelled!" Willow tuned them out, if Harry Potter was a no-good troublemaker she didn't like him.
After the feast was over and they had been led to the Gryffindor common room, Willow went to her room, leaving behind a large crowd of people waiting for Harry Potter to arrive. It was right as Willow was falling asleep that she heard the cheering. He must be back. She then fell into a dream about snakes.
3 days passed until Willow saw Felton again. They had Charms together and immediately sat next to each other. They got a few odd looks but they ignored them.
"Willow, how are you?"
"I'm good. How are you?"
"I am good." They smiled goofily at each other.
"So how are the classes you are taking?" Felton broke the silence.
"I love potions. But Professor Snape doesn't seem to like Gryffindor." Felton nodded his head. "Transfiguration looks to be the hardest. And yours?"
"I am the same, except Professor Snape seems to favor Slytherin." Willow nodded her head in agreement "But Defense Against the Dark Arts is a joke. Lockhart is an idiot."
"I don't know much about Defense Against the Dark Arts, but it doesn't sound like what he is saying real."
"Quiet quiet!" Professor Flitwick called out as he entered the room.
Felton grinned at her and Willow grinned back and they prepared to learn.
The days passed fairly peaceful after that. Willow would attend her classes, and despite the looks, whenever she and Felton had a class together they would sit together. They became fast friends.
Halloween came around, and the two of them ate and sent flying notes back and forth to each other of course hiding it from both teacher and prying eyes. Willow had noticed three seats empty at her table, but ignored them, as she still didn't' trust Harry Potter. Then the feast was over and they walked with each other until they came across a busy hallway.
Willow couldn't see anything, but she could hear the murmurs Argus Filch's cat had been attacked by Harry Potter. Apparently something was written in blood on the wall. Something about a chamber, and enemies of an heir. But when Dumbledore didn't take action against Harry Potter, Willow assumed that he must have not done anything. So she let it go.
Not long later, when the Dueling club was mentioned she and Felton went together and then practiced on each other. When Harry Potter, and the blonde haired boy (who turned out to be Draco Malfoy) went up to battle each other, she watched as the snake appeared. And when it nearly attacked a boy on the edge of the platform she watched as Harry Potter told it not to attack him. But then, the boy was upset and ran off. Willow turned to ask Felton what was wrong, he whispered to her that Harry Potter must have been the person who attacked Filch's cat.
"Why?"
"He is a Parselmouth." At Willow's confused glance he continued. "It means that he can talk to snakes. Only the heir of Slytherin would be able to." Willow choked back her words, that she had understood what Potter had said, and what the snake had said.
As the year continued, Willow continued to keep her ability to herself, after seeing how the famous Harry Potter was treated after the school learned about his ability. And as the days continued, only his two closest friends stayed on his side.
Willow tried to go through her days peacefully, but she could see that her fellow first year, Ginny Weasley was distraught about the situation. So much so that she would have nightmares every night. Willow did her best to comfort her, but the two were not great friends. Then every so often she heard voices in the walls, but she was still worried about being called the heir of Slytherin that she dared not mention it to anyone. Than one day Ginny Weasley just vanished.
That day were nearer to the end of the school year. Many people had been attacked, Quidditch had been canceled, and the school was threatened to close for good. She heard rumors that Hagrid had been taken to Azkaban, and that Dumbledore was gone. Willow did her best to cheer up those around her, but when Ginny Weasley disappeared she immediately knew something was wrong and went to Professor McGonagall. McGonagall had been rushing down the hall, and had begun to lecture Willow about being in the halls, but Willow quickly told her about Ginny. McGonagall's face went pale and she instructed Willow to go back to her dorm.
Willow tried to sleep, but nothing seemed to help. The empty bed near here seemed to scream her name. But she did eventually fall asleep, and when she went to McGonagall the next day, she found out that Ginny Weasley had been found. As the year ended, she found out that Harry Potter had gone into the Chamber of Secrets and had brought Ginny back. Willow thought that he couldn't be too bad if he would risk his life for another person's.
On the train ride home after the year had ended, Willow sat with Felton in a compartment and they talked about the year and decided to write to each other. At King's Cross they gave each other a quick hug and separated, though the summer was punctuated by letters to and from each other, and even one visit in London. Then the summer was over and Willow was back at King's Cross for her second year, and as she boarded the train she hoped this year would be less eventful than the last.
