A/N: I'm just uploading what I've got.
Chapter 4: Red Letter
"Lestrange...if you'd come with me."
Crouch and Dolohov glared up at Gray, they despised the staff, mostly because they all happened to turn a blind eye whenever one of them was harassed. Carrow and Yaxley hid their heads in their books, while Lucifer didn't do much except wait.
I stood up, it seemed I would have to get used to my new name. Lestrange was a weird sound coming out of my lips, but not one I wasn't already accustomed to.
"Malfoy...you as well."
Lucifer grinned before standing up and I paled at the thought of him coming along. Why would Gray need him there?
People stared as we were led out of the Great Hall; the descendants of the crazed and the betrayer. I felt the hatred again and my head got heavy, it lowered without me even knowing it. I wondered how it was the weight didn't lift off as the door shut behind us.
Perhaps this entire place was filled with malevolence towards the Cursed.
My eyes wandered the halls as we slowly followed to what I was guessing to be Fredric Gray's office. For what I wasn't sure, but I had a guess.
"What did we do to sir?" Lucifer asked innocently.
I almost rolled my eyes, but settled for just ignoring him. Gray looked back.
"Oh you're not in trouble." He assured, "I just wanted to talk with you both is all."
"About what?" I sighed, really this entire thing was simply an annoyance.
"Come and have a seat so we can discuss things." Gray smiled and opened the office door, obviously ignoring my question.
I glared and Lucifer seemed to find this funny as he drew back to stand behind me. I could feel his hand go for my shoulder to speak to me and as if on instinct I spun and caught his arm in a breakable grip. I tried not to be thwarted by the face his smirking expression barely even faltered.
"Now now, I will not allow violence in my presence." Gray warned me.
My gripped tightened and my eyes narrowed, Lucifer still held his smirk all the while. A sneer. A challenge.
I was about to say a few choice words when Gray gently pulled my hand away from Lucifer's arm. I hoped I left a bruise for him to remember me by.
"I'll treasure it while it lasts." Lucifer stated, as if he'd read my mind, "Your attention span seems to stay only with things that hold your interest..."
Gray led me in, a scowl on his face though he handled me with care. Lucifer followed and shut the door behind us.
"...so I plan to be in your circle of concern as long as possible."
"That's enough Malfoy." Gray sighed as he sat behind his desk.
I looked around at the cluttered space. Hundreds of books littered the desk and the floors, making me wonder exactly what Gray studied in his free time when he wasn't watching out for students...well, excluding anyone with a black crest.
Soft candlelight added a calming ambience to the room that made me almost forcefully calm down. It wasn't that big, about the size of two modern day offices, except these drawers had spells cast on them to make them spacious. I wouldn't have been surprised if one of them led to China.
The chairs we sat in were made from some red polyester and rosewood. It gave a very classical magical feel. Lucifer seemed to see nothing out of the ordinary and I kept my thoughts to myself.
"Lestrange, the letter if you would." Gray held out his hands.
My eyes widened and I turned to Lucifer for a moment before looking back at Gray in confusion, "But why-"
"I'll explain soon enough. Now the letter." He almost demanded.
I glared at Gray slightly but pulled the crimson letter from my robes, handing it to him and growling slightly.
Gray put on his reading glasses and cleared his throat, I blanched.
"Ms. Damien Audire,
I am displeased to inform you that there are no available dorms for you when we finally received your request through your raven. However, seeing as you have exceeded expectations in terms of literature and reading I see it unfortunate to have such a student remain without admission.
I have a proposal. Though unorthodox it would result in your admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Perhaps, if possible, you could be referred to the male dorms...and also referring to the option of hiding your current gender as long as necessary.
I am merely suggesting it for your beneficial education. It would be my pleasure and in your best interest if we were to set up a meeting with your mother to discuss these plans and how we may be able to set up some safety line for you as you remain in the male dorms.
Fredric Gray, Head of Admissions."
I got a hold of myself and snorted as my eyes rolled to hide my panic. The only sign of my distress being the way I crossed my arms.
"Shortest damn letter Ive ever had the displeasure of reading..." I murmured, just low enough that Gray didn't hear me.
"Ah...so the truth comes out." Lucifer grinned and I narrowed my eyes at him. I figured that if I stared long enough he'd eventually burn.
"Malfoy, I chose you in the thought that you would be able to handle this respectfully towards Lestrange and seriously." Gray scolded, "Do not make me regret that decision."
Lucifer smiled, "Of course I will sir. Trust me, I will take care of her."
I couldn't help it, sometimes it felt like I had a switch inside me. However instead of turning on a light or a machine I found myself exploding. I leapt over him and pushed him to the ground, my hands on his throat for a moment before I stood up with a sneer. My voice wasn't like my own when someone flipped the switch.
"Let's see you beat me before we start deciding who needs to help who." I hissed.
"Ms. Audire! I do not want to have to tell you a third time. No violence!" Gray growled and I looked away angrily.
I hated this feeling. It was the pressure of eyes on your own burrowing into you and treating you like nothing more than shit.
Lucifer seemed to have not qualms towards me, in fact, it looked like he was going to try even harder now. Was this guy a masochist? He grinned wider and I swore he was laughing. It took most of my energy to keep from strangling him at that moment.
"Behave yourselves. In your situation you do not want to bring unwanted attention upon yourselves." Gray warned.
Lucifer snorted and I turned to him with curious silver eyes. His blue irises burned with that same overwhelming emotion I couldn't identify. Though now I could easily see what it was.
He truly hated this man.
"Maybe you should have thought of that before pushing all of the Cursed blood away! What did we do to deserve your discrimination? Becoming born? We've had unwanted attention on us since a few moments ago when we were sitting under that damned hat!"
Gray turned red with indignation, "That hat sorts you into your houses, neither McGonnagal or I-"
"You are wrong." I spoke up.
His eyes turned to me and back to Lucifer as he realized he was being ganged up on.
"The Sorting Hat only places children in houses already set up within the Hogwarts School. Traditionally these houses have been Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin." I stated bluntly, "Never has there been another house until now, one you yourselves had created. The hat only spoke the truth. We are of Cursed blood. Though Cursed can be defined within the eyes of the beholder."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Gray demanded.
"Hogwarts Works. Old Edition." Lucifer spouted.
I looked at him with newfound interest.
'Would you look at that, He READS.' I thought, 'Wonders never cease.'
"The hat only divides people into the original four houses. When a fifth table was added the hat magically programmed the genotype, phenotype, and spiritual references to the people you first sat at that table. In other words, if you had sat anyone down at the new table the hat would've taken their backgrounds and personalities and storing it away into memory. That's how the sorting hat works, McGonnagal knows this, it's how she knows who apparently has 'potential' for becoming the next evil wizard." I ended it with a lower voice.
Gray was as red as a tomato before clearing his throat, and perhaps his head as well. He kept his cool.
"Besides that, you're probably wondering why I've informed Malfoy about your small secret."
"That WOULD be the point of coming here sir." Lucifer pointed out.
Gray ignored him, "He will be your bodyguard for as long as is needed, basically making sure nobody comes inside while your changing and such."
I nodded. It seemed to be pretty straight forward and if Lucifer tried anything funny it wouldn't be that hard to put him on his knees. I tended to get aggressive around other people without them trying to stalk me.
"Glad there's an understanding. Now Im sure your prefect Dolohov would like to show you to your dorms, so both of you are excused." Gray waved them off.
I nodded and walked out the door after Lucifer, I ignored the whispered apologies that weren't supposed to be heard outside of closed doors.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Im Dolohov, while you're here you can just call me Dolly." Dolohov spoke in a low voice that shook the halls as he led us downward towards the bowels of Hogwarts.
I blinked at how Dolohov-ahem-DOLLY was close to if not a perfect example of an oxymoron.
"Crouch, you can open the door." Dolly sighed, seemingly exhausted from their trip to the dorms.
Really, in truth they couldn't put us any farther away from the rest of the school. We were in what was considered the 'Old School' half of Hogwarts. Old objects could be found scattered about and empty classrooms no longer in use served as storage rooms for many things, mostly the dangerous things McGonnagal wanted locked away.
I watched carefully with Yaxely and Carrow, they'd attached themselves to me for some reason, while Pettigrew munched on something that could've been an apple...or a rather large chicken wing. It kind of irritated me the way the slurping sound of Pettigrew smacking his lips echoed through the tunnels and stairways. My mind wandered to Judy and I wondered briefly how my other friendly neighborhood stalker was faring.
Crouch seemed a bit depressed as he approached the door. I wasn't in the least surprised to the reason why as we followed him and I saw what portrait we had on the wall.
Tom Riddle's blue eyes glared back at our own. Black hair curled around his face, a sinister sneer firmly in place. I waited for it to move, and I found myself relieved when it did not.
This also made me furious.
We had absolutely no association with Voldemort, our ancestors did, yet they continued to harass and discriminate the children of the Death Eaters as if we weren't people at all; first the silent hatred, then the ridiculousness of Gray. Now even when they were by themselves this picture would serve as a reminder, as if to say, 'look what you did, aren't you ashamed?'.
I could ask the very same question of them.
Crouch closed his eyes and turned the key. We didn't even get a password like the other houses, just a simple iron key. They expected that to hold a barrier between us and the ones who despised us?
As I suspected, a bucket of water hit our heads as we stepped through the door. I thought that was the last of it, but as I looked around the room, chairs had been turned over and stacked impossibly, the fire had gone cold, all the windows were open to allow a freezing wind to pass around the room, I could see all of our sheets already bundled into small little wrinkled balls strewn across the floor. Nobody moved, expecting something even worse to happen.
That was their game, you see, get us as scared as they had been. The victims of Voldemort's crimes had suffered dearly, and now it was clear that the Death Eater's children had their own era of darkness ahead of them.
Dolly stepped forward towards the fireplace, "Incendio."
The fire burst to life, bringing a gentle orange glow to the room. I could feel slightly more alive now in this place.
Following suit I picked up the sheets and unfolded them, passing the first one to Yaxely.
"Let's all get some sleep. Day one starts tomorrow."