I must admit I was very surprised when I saw I had actually gotten a review for this story - I thought it was for As Time Goes By like all the other ones I've gotten warnings about over mail, but it wasn't! So I'd like to thank ToLazyToTry for reviewing as the only one for the last two chapters! Thank you very much indeed. Glad I got one review!

I hope others will want to do the same for my next chapters as well, since it really does help a lot :) I decided to jump a bit ahead in my plans and ship them off to Hogwarts again since that's just a bit more interesting to read and write about. It's a slightly short chapter although it felt quite long when I wrote it ... Oh well!

So enjoy!


It's in our Blood

Chapter XXIX


With a face in deep creases from concentration, and slight boredom, Elana was burried behind several large, wobbling piles of books; after she had opened a few windows, dragged a table over into the shade and ordered a House-elf to prepare lunch, she had proceeded to gather all books, relevant or not at her seat. She never knew exactly where she might come across something useful. Heaving a sigh, the young witch leaned back in her chair and stared absently up onto the ceiling.

Her long hair tickled the back of her neck, so she quickly wrapped it up and fastened it by sticking her wand through the newly created bun. Then, pressing the mug with lukewarm tea against her lips, she stared at the paragraph in front of her. Elana had read it several times, again and again, but her mind felt blank: In spite of his fellow Founders' acceptance of muggle-borns into the school, Salazar Slytherin created a hidden chamber deep within Hogwarts, in hope that one day his true heir would unleash the monster within to purge all he deemed unworthy to study magic.

The task she had been to seemed far more dangerous than her first assessment. Finding the heir had proven to be quite easy, as he had suddenly appeared before her, but what came after was more than enough to give her a headache. Every time Elana stumbled over words desciping the monster within the Chamber of Secrets, she could not help but despair at the thought of possibly going head to head against it.

Because she would, if she ever hoped to step foot into the chamber.

Elana heaved a sigh in exasperation. Another book was laid out next to her. When she had earlier gone through a rather long list of magical beasts, she had managed to narrow it down to one, very likely, candidate; which did not exactly help on her mood. Exactly how did her parents expect her to handle this situation? Even a fully grown wizard would be in over his head ...

"So we send an eleven year old girl ...?" She mumbled, placing the mug back onto the table with a clack. Sometimes she wondered if her parents really wanted her dead. Resting her head in her hands she eyed the half-eaten chicken sandwich, her appetite completely gone. "Makes sense ..." Her ears perked up at the sound of a light chuckle; her head snapped in the direction of the noise, staring at Selwyn's relaxed figure as he leaned against the doorframe. When he stepped closer, Elana, as undetected as possible, closed the book to hide the chapter's title.

"Were you talking to yourself just then?" He asked, an amused grin warming his features. Her eyes followed his movements, but, in order to avoid the question, Elana took another sip of tea and very slowly pressed it to her lips. His eyebrow was partly raised as he dragged out a spare chair and took a seat next to her. "What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same," she responded, her attention flickering to the side to avoid his gaze.

The wizard leisurely leaned back while, hand deep into the pocket of his robes, pulled out a small, wrapped package and placed it in front of her. "You really think I had forgotten?" Perplexed, Elana gaped in a complete loss of words. Forgotten what? "Happy birthday – I should probably add it is actually from both me and Elliot, but you know how he is."

Elana carefully picked up her birthday present, feeling her ears sting in emberrassment; first she pulled the strings apart, then removed the rough paper and revealed a small, black box. With a nail digging in under the lid, she pried the box open to reveal a small, simple silver chain. Elana did receive birthday presents every year from her family, but she had never gotten something pretty before; books, quills, potion sets ... "Thank you," the witch said in return, trailing a finger over the necklace.

Selwyn shrugged. "I would say you have to thank your brother as well, though he would most likely deny knowing anything about it. So you are welcome – and I shall let him know, that you liked it. I assume you do?" Elana nodded in response, pulling out the chain; it reflected the sharp light of the sun as she twirled it gently between her fingers in front of her face.

"It is very pretty," she smiled. "I like it."

A silence fell over the two, while Elana placed the jewelry back into its box and Selwyn directed his attention to the books; he picked up the nearest one for closer inspection and his brow furrowed. "What were you doing?"

With both hands resting on top of the box, a finger absentmindedly running over the rim, Elana responded blankly: "Self-study."

"Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy? I had expected you knew this book from beginning to end already."

She shot him a look. "Of course I do," but her answer merely made him raise an eyebrow further. Elana briefly considered the situation; would it harm asking the older wizard about her suspicion? She assumed the older boy could possibly know more of it than her. "Though I could possibly have missed something ... Have you ever heard of the name Marvolo before?"

"Marvolo?"

"Yes."

"Is that a first or last name?"

"It could be either, I believe."

He hummed lowly. "You are not making it easy for me ... But Marvolo is quite a peculiar name – it sounds old – so I would remember hearing it before if I had." Her face fell; the owner of the name really did its best to elude her scrutiny. "Do you want me to ask around about it? It is possibly–"

She waved off his proposal of help. "It is fine, there is no need to trouble you with such trifling matters. I will figure it out."

At least Elana hoped she would.


Tom pulled his trunk after him, weaving in and out between wizards and witches on the bustling platform as he cut through the crowd to find a familiar face. Time had passed excruciatingly slow, but at least Tom had managed to pass his summer Holiday locked inside his room in the Orphanage and away from all the other children; now he felt eager to return to Hogwarts.

The air, heavy from steam billowing fro the gleaming scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express, was filled with voices – laughter, chatter and farewells – as parents and family members once more had to say their goodbyes to their children, sending them off for another school year. A pair of light blue eyes caught his attention and his gaze was locked briefly with the Gryffindor girl's; her face lit up in a small smile, which Tom did not return. He passed the witch and her family quickly, but could not stop himself from checking whether he could find another witch in the group.

But of course Fowl would never associate with Muggles, even if the girl was a friend.

He finally decided, rather than trying to find his fellow Slytherins in the large crowd, to get an empty compartment and change to his robes. After struggling to get the heavy trunk up the step, he walked further down towards the end of the train most compartments were bursting with students already and Tom regretted leaving the orphanage as late as he had.

Tom paused in his steps. Just as he glanced over his shoulder, a head popped out of the compartment behind and Avery greeted him with a wave: "You just walked past me, Tom! That's harsh of you." The wizard held the door open, while Tom dragged the heavy trunk inside; from gathered effords it did not take long before it was stuffed away above them and the two Slytherins took a seat across of each other. "Had a nice Holiday?"

"It could have been worse," he responded dryly and scanned the crowd outside, his attention flickering towards the golden clock. At least he had managed to make the Holiday slightly less unbearable. The train would be departing soon. "How about yours?"

"Awful," Avery snorted and waved off the question. "Family gathered to argue just for the sake of arguing ... came and went for about a month. It drove me up the wall in the end, so glad to be going back now." Tom felt rather curious as to what the topic of discussion had been, but if it had been enough to annoy Avery – who was more than fond of quarrelling – then perhaps it was safer not to ask. "I even did some studying just to get away from it ... It really was awful."

A shrill whistle blew.

The noise outside rose to a new level, a panic spread across the families still stuck on the platform and both Tom and Avery watched as students, both young and old, attempted to board the train. Tom felt rather relieved to be able to skip those sentimental partings; it was an immense waste of time. With a loud rumble, the wheels of the train started to move and the platform outside vanished from view, leaving behind waving and shouting relatives; the Hogwarts Express cut through London in a haze of steam.

The compartment door slid open.

"Room for more?" A familiar voice asked, although neither of the two wizards had a chance to answer before the witch stepped inside. Fowl, Tom noted, was not alone. A young boy, about the same height as the witch, half-hid behind her and peered towards them shyly. She ignored Avery's 'Too bad, thought you had missed the train.' and in stead ushered the boy further into the compartment. "Oh, and hello to the both of you."

"Hello," Tom spoke but his attention was on the boy.

When the wizard noticed the gaze, a blush formed across his cheeks immediately. "Elana–" Tom's eyebrow scurried up at the familiarity between the two."–is it all right for me to be here with you?"

The witch sighed in return. "Yes. Now stop complaining and help me with the trunks already." Shortly after Fowl had taken a seat next to Tom, her usual smile gracing her features as she folded her hands in her lap. The boy tipped slightly back and forth in his feet, unsure of what to do next but was saved from an unusual front.

"You're Alphard, aren't you? Alphard Black?" Avery had silently observed the situation until then. The other meekly nodded. "I did not know you were already old enough to attend Hogwarts, but I guess I was wrong." He looked towards Fowl. "Shouldn't you rather introduce us?"

"Very well," she smiled. "Alphard Black, meet Peter Avery and Tom Riddle."

The boy gave a polite nod at both the older wizards before finally taking a seat. "It is nice to meet you."

"I'm wondering ..." Avery ran a hand through his hair, pointing at the two. "It is an unusual combination, I must admit."

"Aphard's older sister, Walburga, left him on his own since she apparently found it below her to watch out for him during the trip. So, while she decided to join her friends in stead, I took pity on him." Fowl seemed to end the conversation as she in stead directed her attention to the pockets of her robes. Avery shot her a dirty look, but in the end slung an arm around the younger boy's shoulders.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here, Alphard! Right, Tom?"

"Yes," Tom responded half-hearted, more concerned about what exactly the witch was rummaging around for. He could have expected a lot of things, but when the witch shortly after opened a box of sweets, it just felt rather absurd. Observing in silence, he watched the witch shake the box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans until finally, after a long pause, she decided upon a dark blue bean; suspiciously chewing it, Fowl shrugged and then offered the box towards Tom:

"Want one?"

At first he merely stared at the box in disbelief. But, as she continued to stretch the sweets towards him, even going as far as rattling the box once more, Tom felt obliged to take one. She was rather persistent. "Thank you," he said, now eyeing the greyish white bean, stuck between his fingers with distaste. Perhaps he could discard it when the witch was not looking? But in the end he still popped it into his mouth.

... Soap.

It was then that Tom swore he would never touch them again.

"Yuck ... bogey," at least he was not the only one that had picked wrong. In slight amusement he watched as Avery, more than unhappy at his own choice, stared at the witch in distaste. "I bet you did that on purpose!"

"Exactly how would I even do that? And anyways, why do you know what that tastes like?"

And as usual, the pair began bickering.

Tom held back a sigh and turned his attention to the passing landscape outside the train, catching glimpses of the sun between a heavy curtain of rain clouds; it had been a wet summer, raining almost more than not and Tom hoped the bad weather would pass, before they got to Hogsmeade station or they would possibly have to enjoy the Start-of-Term Feast soaked to the bones.

As the train rattled along, the argument had seemed to die out – Avery apparently running out of breath. Looking into the reflection of the glass, he saw how the two wizards had started talking comfortably, while Fowl was picking through the beans, once in a while settling for a pretty looking colour to taste. The corner of his mouth twisted upwards as her face turned sour for a split second.

A pleasent stillness fell over the compartment.

But, as always, the peace was short-lived, interrupted when the compartment door was loudly pushed open. Tom almost did not feel like turning around – not when Avery's reaction had been what it was – and, not surprisingly, the Slytherin trio appeared in his sight when he did. "What do you want?" The blond pureblood boy asked, his face pulled back into a scowl.

"What? We just came to greet you all, and then possibly safe poor Alphard from your company." Lestrange responded, taking a step further into the compartment as he scanned the gathered. "Surely there are better people to associate with rather than–" He sneered, cold eyes landing on the only witch. "–others." With her usual smile in place, the girl rose and came face to face with the pureblood wizard. Tom noticed how the boy had grown over the summer – and was most likely well aware of the fact, as he satisfied loomed above the other.

But Fowl seemed unfazed. "You may hate me, Mr. Lestrange, but is there really a reason to take it out on Avery – or anyone else present for that matter?" She asked, shaking her head as she smiled politely to the three purebloods. "Silly boys." But, much to her – and Tom's – surprise, the fourth boy of the argument stood up, anger written across his features.

"I am tired of your behavior. Have you ever considered who was hurt the most? Who was actually the victim? Come back when you know the answer, morons." Tom watched them all in silence, not sure of the topic of the conversation; Fowl on the other hand stared at Avery in disbelief. And so did the others, but, rather reluctantly Lestrange allowed himself to be dragged out by Mulciber; as the boys left, the witch finally spoke:

"You took my side?"

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

"... How did you jump to that conclusion?" She chuckled.

"Oh, shut it."


Darkness had settled over the platform when they finally arrived; the air was damp from the earlier rain, but the dark blue, starry sky above them was clear. Tom and Avery waited as Fowl, apparently taking the role of babysitting – as Avery called it – quite seriously, helped the boy towards the other first years. Her black hair reappeared in the crowd shortly after and without a word, the witch fell into pace next to Tom.

The three Slytherins followed the older students towards a different path than last year's.

Apparently they were not crossing the lake.

They walked onto a rough mud track, past the red buildings at the station, where several hundred carriages awaited them. Tom paused to take in the sight before him; the coaches sat off on their own every time they were filled with students, bumping and swaying down the roughened path towards the castle. Whether they were controlled by magic on their own or pulled by invisible horses, Tom had no idea; at his side, the two purebloods' faces were pale in the faint light of moon, but, when he looked closer, the witch seemed oddly on edge.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, not out of actual concern but rather curiosity, for he had never seen that expression before. It was a mixture of discomfort and ... delight? The witch tugged a strand of hair behind her ear as she returned his question with a smile. Then, with a shake of the head, she in stead took a step forward as a carriage rattled to a halt in front of them.

"Not at all," she spoke.

Avery opened the carriage door, lingering halfway up the small step but neither of his friends seemed to move. With his attention completely fastened upon the witch, he watched as she reached out hesitantly and then, as if it came into contact with something, Fowl ran her fingers over air. "What are you two up to? Let's get going," the pureblood wizard called impatiently.

She laughed.

Tom could not see what she saw. He took a step closer and placed his hand near hers, and then he felt it as well; he could feel the beating pulse of a heart through the smooth, slippery skin and the bones roughly defined through the thinness of the coat. Avery called out again. "What are these?" Tom asked, running his hand further up the invisible creature's body and felt soft hair tickle his knuckles.

"A Thestral they are almost like winged horses, but look ... different," she finished tamely, but from what Tom could feel between his fingers he knew any explanation would be unjust towards the animal in front of them.

A thought stuck him. "How come you can see them?"

The weird look returned to her face. "They are only visible to those that have witnessed death," she patted the Thestral fondly before pulling away. "Avery is right; we should get going." The witch disappeared into the carriage along with the other wizard, and Tom thoughtfully followed the hairline of the creature's mane before he, too, followed them.

The air inside smelled of mold and straws. As Tom closed the door behind him, the carriage started to move; slowly at first, rustling as it passed through a pair of magnificent iron gates, flanked by stone columns topped with winged boars. But as they passed the gates, the carriage picked up speed down a long slope to the castle; Tom could faintly see the many Towers in the distance, the illuminated windows and the grand facade of Hogwarts. They were finally back.

Swaying to a halt, the carriage pulled up at the entrance; Avery was the first to step off, followed by Tom and finally Fowl. The three Slytherins followed the other students up the stone steps to the castle and further in; the enchanted ceiling was black and cloudless as the sky outside, the air warm and the Great Hall filled with black clad students weaving in and out around each other in an attempt to get to their appropriate Houses.

Slipping down onto an empty seat at the Slytherin table, he barely noticed the witch before she excused herself to in stead join her brother, further down the line. Tom remembered how they still had to keep a low profile in public, well aware that the Fowl brother was more than dissatisfied with him. And then the Start-of-Term Feast began, heralding the beginning of Tom's second year at Hogwarts.