Hooded Spellcaster is proud to present THE SECOND YEAR in her story 'SLYTHERIN PRIDE, HUFFLEPUFF PREJUDICE'.
A/N: At first I want to thank everyone who have read the first year, I love you all so much! This year won't be much different except that now Alistair, Ven, and the company are an year older than before. My babies are growing up so fast... I try to make this year about ten chapters long so once again tag along with me, mates.
Second Year Summary: Alistair and Ven are back for their second year. The Hufflepuffs' loyalty is put into the test when friends clash with each other. A mysterious new professor enters the castle but is he hiding his true intentions? And how will be the Valentine's Day at Hogwarts?
Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter or anything related to it. Recognizable characters and parts of Harry Potter storyline belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. respectively. I don't make any profit by writing this. Thank you.
Chapter 1. Summer
The summer 2018 was the hottest and sweatiest in recent memory. The temperature verged on 42 degrees and many wizards resorted to using cooling charms wherever they went. Of course for the magical folk the weather was easier to adapt – the muggles were struggling with sunscreens and ventilators where the wizards just by flicking a wand could have their own personal flurries.
Ana Nott kept sighing as she sat in the shadow at the parking lot near the King's Cross station. She waved at herself with her brimmed hat and once in a while she asked if Alistair had forgotten anything. Alistair sat on his trunk and watched his mother pacing back and worth.
"I have packed everything, mother", Alistair told her once again and smiled. "I'm being there only one week. And it's Holyhead. It's not like going to the continent or anything like that", he said. "I wouldn't need my passport or the tenth pair of socks, anyway."
"I'm just being worried", Ana said and huffed. She had been nervous about Alistair going to Holyhead with the Jones family.
"You don't need to worry", Alistair said and patted his mother's shoulder. "I'll be fine." Ana didn't look convinced. "I'm sure Mr and Mrs Jones will look after us", Alistair added firmly. "They even gave you their floo-address. You can call me if you want."
"It's just so weird to let you go with total strangers", Ana said. She hadn't met Mr and Mrs Jones before, just seen a glimpse last year at the Platform 9 ¾.
"They're my best friend's family", Alistair said strictly so that his mother wouldn't change her mind at the last minute. "And they won't be strangers any more when you meet them. But actually they're a bit late..."
Just then an old, bright red Volkswagen curved at the parking lot with a terribly high speed. Ana gasped, her eyes widening in shock. The front door opened and an elder man with a purple top hat came out from the car mumbling furiously.
"Damn these vehicles!" he said and kicked the front tyre. "Automatic transmission and cruise control..."
"Alistaaair!" Toby called from a car window before jumping out from the backseat. Alistair could see two other children in the car, a girl sitting on the front seat and looking slightly bored and a boy on the backseat, seeming not a single bit more interested than the girl. Toby grinned widely, his hair has been cut since they last time saw each other. "Nice to see you, Mrs N.", he said to Ana. "'Listair, you ready?"
Alistair nodded. "Yes", he said but glanced at the car suspiciously. He wasn't sure would Ana let him travel with them if the parking looked like that. And that was exactly what Ana was thinking.
"Excuse me, mister, you must be Tobias' father?" Ana asked the man sternly. She was going to say few words about safe driving. The addressed man laughed at her.
"Oh no, no!" he chuckled. "Toby here is my wife's nephew. Those two –" The man beckoned at the two raven haired children sitting in the car. "– are mine and Hestia's." The man took off his hat and bowed. "I'm Dedalus Diggle, at your service, ma'am."
Ana Nott blushed when Mr Diggle kissed her hand. "Oh my", she giggled, forgetting to say anything about the car. "I mean, is it completely okay that Alistair comes with you?" she asked. "I don't want him to be burden to you. Birthdays are meant to be celebrated with family and..."
"Nonsense!" Mr Diggle snorted and waved his hand. "Everything is completely fine, Mrs Nott. If Alistair wants to come with us we don't really have any problem here, do we?"
"I suppose not", Ana hesitantly admitted, glancing at her son. Alistair nodded.
"Brilliant!" Mr Diggle exclaimed and rolled up his sleeves. "Now let's get your trunk in the car, shall we?"
Soon Alistair was sitting on the Volkswagen's backseat between Toby and the younger raven haired boy with pink tinted cheeks. The boy glanced Alistair suspiciously.
"That's Ion", Toby told, gaining a glare from the little boy. "He's starting at Hogwarts this year." The girl, another raven, glanced at them with raised eyebrows. "And that's Nike", Toby added. "She's two years older than us."
Alistair nodded. "Nice to meet all of you", he said politely but only Mr Diggle replied.
"It's very nice to meet you, too, Alistair", he said brightly. "I hope you'll like your time with us at Holyhead. It's very beautiful at the time of year. Not so hot there than it's here in London."
"Are we going by a car all the way?" Alistair asked curiously. Toby snorted at the comment like it had been something completely ridiculous.
"Bloody no", he said. "We'll use a Portkey when we get to Maidenhead. Some relatives live there. My cousin and..."
"Your second cousin Vesta", Nike corrected blankly from the front seat. "And Uncle Englewood with his new wife."
"Yeah, those", Toby agreed and held back a grimace. "Vesta will come with us to Holyhead."
"Ah, yes, charming young Vesta", Mr Diggle hummed and tapped his finger on the steering wheel. "Reminds her aunt greatly."
"He's talking about his wife, Aunt Hestia", Toby whispered. "They still act like they've just fallen in love. It's sick."
"I think it's cute", Alistair told with a blush when Mr Diggle started humming the wedding march. "Quite romantic, actually."
Toby frowned but didn't complain. Ion had fallen asleep and was resting his head on the car window. Nike was reading a book which sparked Alistair's attention.
"What're you reading?" he asked the girl.
Nike grinned. "Advanced transfiguration", she said. "Mostly about animagi."
"What's animagi?" Alistair asked, simply curious. He hadn't heard about those before. Nike's grin widened as Toby instead looked like he wanted to jump out the moving car.
"Just great", Toby groaned sourly. "Now she won't shut up before we're at Vesta's place..."
Nike babbled about the animagi for almost half an hour before they reached Maidenhead from where they would continue to Holyhead. Vesta was a small, owl-like woman with big bulging eyes and pitch black hair which stuck out ridiculously. Nike didn't seem to like her very much. She tried hiding before her father, poorly succeeding in it.
"Niike", Vesta whined, seeing how Nike looked at her. "Why you're frowniing? You'll get wriinkles!"
Alistair cringed. Vesta had a horrible habit to drawl her speech. It was pain for ears.
"If I ever learn to become an animagi I'll bite her head off in her sleep and make it look like some beast did it", Nike hissed when only Alistair and Toby could hear.
The portkey that was supposed to send Mr Diggle, Nike, Ion, Toby, Alistair, and Vesta to Holyhead was an old picnic basket. In a matter of seconds, that felt like being stuck in a blender for a small eternity, they weren't anymore at the yard in Maidenhead but on a hill close to a grand manor surrounded by the smaller houses. It looked like a small village.
"Welcome to the Jones estate", Toby said with a grin when they walked down the hill, towards the main house.
"It's amazing", Alistair whispered, looking at the manor. "I've never been in a place this big."
"But you're from an old pureblood family?" Toby snorted as they reached the double doors. "Of course the Nott family's mansion is bigger than this. More luxurious and all."
Alistair shook his head. "We don't have a mansion", he stated. "My father sold it after the war. I don't think he wanted to live there alone."
"Oh, sorry", Toby said and let go of the door handle. "I just always thought you lived in a mansion." He looked slightly guilty. "You being a Nott and all. Where do you live then?"
"In a four room house in Bexley", Alistair told. Toby couldn't control himself. He almost choked on his laughter. "What's so funny?" Alistair asked, being a little hurt but also a little amused by his friend's reaction.
"I just can't see you living in a regular house without house elves and riches", Toby replied and opened the doors to the hall.
"We do have a house elf", Alistair corrected when they finally stepped inside the manor. "Her name's Courty. But she doesn't really like me."
"What? Have you kicked her or something?" Toby asked, though he couldn't actually believe Alistair would have kicked a house elf.
"No, she's just a little conservative", Alistair said, ashamed. "I'm not a pureblood, you see. That's why she only likes to serve my father."
"I always thought you're a pureblood", Toby admitted. "So your mom is a...?"
"Half-blood", Alistair said. His mother was a half-blood and so were he.
Toby grinned. "I thought you're the only pureblood in our class but now suddenly there's none", he said. "But well, being a pure-blooded is overrated."
"Is this house fully magical?" Alistair asked, changing the subject. "Or is there electricity?"
"Electricity?" Toby snorted, once again sounding like Alistair had stated something completely ridiculous. "Why would we have electricity? We're wizards!"
Alistair shrugged awkwardly. It was 2018 for Merlin's sake whether they were wizards or not! He had a laptop and a PlayStation5 at home and he had even packed his iPad but there he couldn't even recharge it if the battery runs out. Maybe he would show it to Toby later, though. He has probably never seen one.
Alistair hadn't been in a place with such many wizards and witches if he didn't count Hogwarts. Toby's family included his parents, his grandparents, his several aunts and uncles and other relatives.
"We didn't even invite other than the closest relatives because this is justa birthday party", Toby explained on their way through the lounge. "You should have seen this place at Christmas! I didn't even know half of those people!"
Alistair was told that the actual party would be after couple of days when he met Toby's mother for the first time.
"There's so much to do", Mrs Jones – a little plump woman with sun kissed skin and warm eyes – said and hurried to kitchen with Vesta and couple other women who Alistair didn't know by name.
"Aunts Hestia and Diana", Toby said, answering the unasked question. "Come, I'll show you where we sleep", he added but when Alistair didn't follow him but stared at the moving pictures of famous Quidditch players and several brooms located in glass shelves. Toby rolled his eyes and sighed. "Stop spacing out, 'Listair. You'll get enough of those during the week", he said.
"This place is wonderful", Alistair stated. "I've never been in a place like this. It's so... lively."
"You can say that to Aunt Gwenog", Toby told with a grin. "She owns this place."
They walked through the house till they ended up in the second floor corridor. Alistair had tried to memorize all corners and corridors so he wouldn't get lost later but it seemed an impossible task.
"They make us share a room", Toby explained. "I hope you don't mind."
Alistair shook his head. "It's alright", he said. "We share a dorm at Hogwarts. It's not very different."
Toby grinned and opened the door with the name 'Tobias' in it. "Nike has to share her room, too", he said. "With Iris. Iris is Hestia's godfather's grandchild or something. She graduated couple years back."
"What house was she in?" Alistair asked.
"Ravenclaw", Toby snorted. "Just like Nike, and most of her family, anyway. I won't be surprised when Ion will end up in Ravenclaw, too. He's a bookworm like his sister."
"Nike's nice", Alistair said with a smile.
"Yeah, she is", Toby agreed snidely. "For a Ravenclaw."
"Is there any Slytherins in your family?" Alistair asked suddenly. Toby looked perplexed for a moment.
"Slytherins?" he repeated. "I guess so but I don't know any."
The heat limit was exceeded also in the South West England even though the temperature was much lower than it was in Italy where Ven usually spend his summers. The Zabini manor was magically cooled down but Blaise was boiling with anger. Maria Amell had sent the divorce papers to him in the beginning of July. Ven tried his best to not think about his mother who had ran to Italy while he had been in Hogwarts. She hadn't even bothered to leave a single note.
It had been the first Saturday of August when Blaise received a visitor more welcome than the lawyer Maria had sent from Italy. The visiting woman had thin lips and calculating grey eyes, her dark hair being cut short. She had an expensive muggle suit on and a briefcase in her hand. Blaise led her to the living room where Ven was doing his homework. The woman sat down and sighed.
"I heard about Amell", she said, holding her free hand over her chest and sighing again, this time more dramatically. "I'm so sorry, Blaise", she said but in Ven's ears she didn't sound sorry at all.
"Brash", Ven hissed, masking it with a cough.
When noticing Ven the woman pursed her lips. "Your son?" she crooned at Blaise, looking at Ven under her eyelashes.
"Yes", Blaise said. "Ven, would you…?"
Ven gritted his teeth but nodded and exited the living room, closing the door behind himself. His father had dismissed him. Blaise never did that when he had visitors earlier. Ven glared at the door. That woman was what made him furious. She had even dared to sit on Maria's chair.
It took two and half hours before Blaise escorted the woman to the hall. Ven grimaced when he saw how she kissed both of Blaise's cheeks and smiled ingratiatingly.
"Have a good day, Blaise", she said like Ven hadn't been in the room at all. "We'll see at work."
Ven waited few seconds until he was sure the woman had apparated away.
"Who was her?" he asked. Blaise raised a brow.
"Tracey Davis", he replied shortly. "An old friend."
"From the Ministry?" Ven snorted. "She looked more than just a friend."
"Don't even start that", Blaise stated. There was a warning in his words but Ven didn't care this time. After Maria had moved away Blaise had been away from the manor even more than before and Ven had begun having suspicions about his father's motives.
"She didn't wear a ring", Ven said, crossing his arms. "Neither do you, though. How long have you two been meeting like that? Weeks?" he asked. "Or months? Did mother know?"
"Ventus", Blaise warned.
"It's not my business, anyway", Ven continued coldly, looking at his father. "It's you who's having lipstick on the collar", he spat. He wasn't used to talking his father like that but the adrenaline in his blood helped to verbalize what he truly wanted to say.
"True, it's not your business", Blaise stated as coldly. "Tabby!" he called and the house elf appeared at the spot.
"Yes, Master", Tabby said. "What does Master want Tabby to do?"
"I'll eat out today", Blaise said. "Serve the dinner only for one."
Tabby nodded slowly, not eagerly at all. She liked to cook for three but since Maria wasn't living at the manor anymore she had to learn how to cook only for two. But cooking for one… Oh, how she disliked it.
"Anything else, Master?" Tabby asked uneasily.
"No. That was all, Tabby", Blaise said and the house elf disapparated from the hall. Blaise sighed and looked at Ven who hadn't moved an inch but was still glaring at his father. Blaise turned his eyes away.
Ven huffed and left to his room. This was going to be a long month.