"What's with Sal?" Hermione asked as she bit into a freshly buttered piece of toast.
Kevin turned his head toward the Slytherin table, "Doesn't it just look like he changed seats, what's so odd about that?"
Diana let out a laugh as she looked over, "It looks like he's already dethroned the upperclassman who was the current King of Slytherin, and now he holds the position himself."
As she was looking over, Sal looked up and nodded her way and she smiled in turn. Out of the corner of her eye she could barely see as Heir Malfoy's face turned sour.
"I wasn't expecting him to be accepted so soon though, he makes quick work."
Diana turned back to her friends, and got lost in discussions of their assignments.
She nearly jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder, and a breath upon her ear.
"How is Princess doing this morning?"
Kevin nearly choked on his bite of toast when he heard the nickname and Hermione glared at Sal suspecting him of teasing her friend.
"Really Sal? That's the nickname you decided on?"
Sal sat down beside her, his back to the table. His roguish grin looked odd on his eleven year old face, "It's fitting don't you think?"
"Oh really, Mr. Knight?"
He threw back his dark clad head and let out a loud laugh, while Diana pouted.
"I thought that would discourage you."
"Hah, with a name so fitting my station?"
"Oh really fitting your station, Your Majesty of Slytherin?" Diana shot her own comeback, and was irritated to only get a smirk from Sal in return.
"Call me as you wish, Princess."
"Ug! I'm going to class!" Diana left the table with a huff, leaving behind a laughing Sal and friends shooting him incredulous looks.
~Time Skip~
"Hey mudblood!"
Diana sighed and decided to ignore Heir Malfoy's voice, hoping he would tire quickly of his taunts. But it seemed it was not to be as she felt a stinging hex bounce off her Wyllt staff turned necklace made shield.
"Really, Heir Malfoy? Must you be so immature?" She tilted her head back his direction, before continuing toward Ravenclaw tower, hoping to make it out of the lower parts of Hogwarts before coming across more students.
"Hari!" The whiny voice of the youngest Weasley echoed down the hall.
"Oh dear magic, why is this my life?" Diana sighed and picked up her pace. Nearly trotting down the hallway, she took a quick turn only to smack into someone else.
"Whoa there, Princess." The humored voice of her self-proclaimed knight greeted her, as he grabbed a hold of her arms to steady her.
"Not now, Sal." Diana brushed off his hands, "I have some irritants following me and I'm losing my patience."
"Be more respectful to your betters, mudblood." An older Slytherin who stood beside Sal spoke up, looking down his nose at her.
Diana rolled her eyes before continuing her way, only to be drawn back by Sal's hand on her elbow. She sighed and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Aren't you going to say hello to me today, Princess?"
Diana closed her eyes counting to ten slowly to herself and took deep breaths.
"What do you want, Sal?"
"I said, be more respectful you dirty…" The older Slytherin was cut short as Sal flicked his wand towards him, causing the older classman's mouth to completely vanish. Several other Slytherins, who had been following Sal, shrunk backwards at the sight. Their eyes flicking nervously from Sal to the boy who was frantically touching his face in horror.
"What the hell happened here?" Draco Malfoy had just turned the corner to find the frightened students gazing at Sal.
Sal turned his head ever so briefly, barely acknowledging Heir Malfoy's presence, "Not now the adults are talking."
"Excuse me but I…"
Sal turned fully, his voice becoming icy, "Do I need to repeat myself Malfoy?" He gestured to the mouthless Slytherin, "Or would you like to end up like him?"
The blonde haired boy shook his head and walked past quickly, but hovered on the outskirts of the growing assembly of Slytherins.
With a sigh, Diana looked up into the face of the too-tall for an eleven year old ex-djinn.
"Good evening, Salazar. How have you been?"
His lips split open, his teeth almost glittered sharply. "Now that wasn't so hard was it." He bowed his head slightly toward her, "I have had an excellent set of classes today. I am actually glad that I came across you today."
It was Diana's turn to look at him curiously, before gasping in surprise as he spun her to face his entourage of Slytherins. He hugged her around the middle, lowering himself so that he could rest his head on her shoulder so that they were almost cheek to cheek.
"Let it be known to all those in Slytherin; this girl is to be protected. If someone so much as harms a hair on her head, they will answer to me. If you see someone from another house going to harm her physically or verbally and you do nothing about it, I will hold you responsible."
Diana looked around at all the wide eyed Slytherins, turning her head slightly in his directions, she exasperatingly whispered, "Sal, what are you doing?"
"Protecting you just as a knight should." His sly grin was the only warning she got before his lips brushed against her cheek.
She pushed him away, "Salazar Loki Locke!" Diana began to smack him with each word she said, "Never do that again!" Her fists clenched at her sides, she shouted one more time, "You...you..old pervert!"
Sal only let out a boisterous laugh as he watched her march angrily away, before he turned back to his Slytherins eyes narrowing.
~Time Skip~
It would seem that the Slytherins for the most part heeded their king's directions, that didn't stop them from throwing her the occasional glare and then the even rarer slightly fearful glance.
Diana just wished Sal never made the point towards his subjects. Before she felt she was ignored by the Slytherins, then the most recent week she got suspicious glances but after Sal's display she could feel their outright disdain and hatred for her. It was almost as if Sal wanted them to act out, Diana shook her head that couldn't be it. He had promised to protect her with his life.
The school year was ending soon and Diana couldn't wait for summer. She was tired of Hogwarts and its gossiping hordes.
After she sighed again at breakfast one of the mornings following the incident Hermione called her out on it.
"What's going on, Diana? That's the fifteenth sigh you've had since getting up this morning."
Diana glanced at Kevin whose nose was stuck in a book before glancing at Hermione's worried chocolate eyes. So she explained what happened, leaving out a couple details like Draco's insult and the fact that Sal had literally removed someone's mouth as discipline. She didn't need her friends to be terrified of him; healthily wary, sure, but terrified would be counterproductive.
Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin table where Sal was lounging back eating like a king.
"Maybe he is bored?"
Diana's eyes widened, "Why didn't I think of that? But why…" She stopped mid-sentence, "Oh." He wanted to discipline them. She knew he had a wicked streak through him, he was just waiting for someone to slip up. She shivered, "I am so glad he's on my side."
Hermione leaned forward, "Can you tell me yet?"
Diana leaned her head upon her hand, "How's your side project coming along?"
Hermione let out a huff, "It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I thought it would be simply mean organizing my thoughts but its more in depth than that."
Diana hummed underneath her breath, "What kind of mind palace do you have?"
Hermione blushed and looked down bashfully as she mumbled underneath her breath, "A library."
Diana let out a small well-humored laugh.
"Oh, but its not just any library. My uncle is a historian, specializing in 18th century Austrian literature. So last summer I spent a lot of time with him and was allowed to visit the Admont Abbey Library. It's absolutely beautiful, its smaller than other grand libraries but still so detailed and it holds so much information. It holds literature but also artifacts of history, so I thought it would be a good option for my mind palace; since I memorized every space in it. It's also not as well known as other places."
Diana was in awe, "That sounds amazing!"
Hermione blushed even brighter and dipped her head, fiddling with her fork and moving her food around her plate. "I still have a lot of work to do though. I am nearly done sorting my memories but I haven't even covered how to place them with occlumency shielding yet."
Diana reached out and placed her hand lightly upon her friend's just until she raised her head.
"You are doing amazingly. You are making faster progress than I did. It took me several years before mine was strong enough."
~Time Skip~
It seemed Sal's boredom was going to come to an end, for Heir Malfoy decided to do something mighty stupid after the final first year exams.
Ravenclaw and Slytherin had just finished Herbology and were heading back toward Hogwarts. Sal had been called away regarding something he needed to speak to his head of house for, but wouldn't say what it was.
Kevin and Hermione were chatting happily in front of her and had entered Hogwarts ahead of her when Diana was yanked away from the path to find herself face to face with Heir Malfoy.
It was at this moment that Diana wondered if it was her fate to always butt heads with idiots.
"Heir Malfoy, what can I do for you?"
"Stay away from Locke!"
Diana blinked, she hadn't been expecting that. She thought perhaps it was going to be him going on about what he had before break but not this.
"Any particular reason why?" She tilted her head at the icy haired boy.
"You'll only bring him down. Salazar Locke could become something great. Father says that all Slytherin royalty end up leading the wizarding world in some way."
Diana pursed her lips as she tried to stop the smile that was threatening to be unleashed.
"He is the one that decided to follow me, Heir Malfoy."
His grey eyes narrowed, "Don't encourage him."
Diana this time let her laugh out, once she started she bent over laughing. Pulling herself up straight she grinned at the Malfoy heir, a smile upon her lips as she tried to contain her giggles.
"Believe me, Heir Malfoy. I have tried to set him free numerous times, but he just keeps coming back." With a nod toward him, "Now, I really must head inside."
She had just made it to the door and had opened it, when her other arm was grabbed tightly from behind.
"Don't be a whore."
Diana looked back at the young boy, and blinked several times. She shook her head. "Such a strong word, coming from someone so young."
Turning away once more she opened the door wider, only to still as she saw who was in front of her. A boy with eyes like the Forbidden Forest dark and deep stood staring past her at the Malfoy behind her. Glancing behind she saw that the boy had lost any remaining pigment in his face as his eyes held a 'deer caught in the headlights' look. Looking back at Sal, Diana knew that Heir Malfoy would not be escaping any punishment. What a bother the whole thing was.
"Sal, I need to speak with you for a moment." After trying to draw him away from the now slightly trembling first year, "...please." She was able to get him away.
"Sal, he's just a stupid boy. Boys will say stupid things."
Salazar shifted his focus back to Diana, "I do not go back on my promises, nor do I go back on my threats."
Diana sighed, throwing her head she took a deep calming breath. When would this school year end already?
"Ok, if you are going ahead with this. I have some conditions."
His gaze hardened, "I don't say anything about how you treat your housemates. Don't interfere with mine."
Diana pressed her lips together as she saw the ageless being behind the young boy's eyes, "Please just listen."
His jaw tightened, and he nodded once before making eye contact with her.
"One, he is the only heir of his family and like many purebloods I don't think his family can have another. So please don't do anything that will jeopardize the possibilities of future generations of Malfoys." Diana sighed, "I might not like him, but I rather liked his mother. So please don't do anything that is irreversibly going to maim him. Third, please don't do something that you can get caught for, expelled for or sent to Azkaban for."
"That rather limits me on what I can do, Princess." His jaw was still tight, but Diana felt relief at seeing that he was no longer as tense. "I'll see what I can do."
He went to leave, but Diana caught his arm once more. He looked at her with an exasperated look.
She smiled slightly, "Be careful."
~Time Skip~
It was dinnertime, and as soon as Diana sat at the Ravenclaw table she was faced with a worried Hermione.
"Have you seen Kevin since Potions?"
Diana shook her head. Diana leaned to her right and called to one of Kevin's roommates, "Hey Anthony, have you seen Kevin?"
The blonde shook his head before continuing eating his meal.
"Michael, what about you?" Hermione questioned the other boy who was in Kevin's dorm.
Michael shook his head, "I haven't seen him since Potions."
Diana swirled her head to the head table noticing the Headmaster was not there and neither was Professor Quirrell. She felt like a heavy stone had suddenly been dropped into the pit of her stomach.
Standing from the table, Diana turned back briefly, "I'm going to go check the library."
Hermione stood as well, "I'll check the infirmary."
Both girls parted ways after agreeing that they would meet back up at the common room.
Kevin was nowhere in the library, and she knew he wasn't there for a fact because Ms Pince had decided to help look. She always liked the trio since they always put the books back where they belonged, treated them with respect and obeyed all her library rules.
As she made her way to Ravenclaw tower, Diana fiddled with her Turul eye necklace. Hermione joined her by her side as they made their way into the tower. He wasn't anywhere in the common room, and after a quick jog to the boys' room he wasn't there either.
"I'm getting scared, Diana."
Diana went down the stairs of the tower and made her way straight to Professor Flitwick's office; knocking quickly hoping he was back from dinner. His 'enter' came quickly and both girls rushed through.
As Hermione spoke to Professor Flitwick, Diana took a deep breath before bringing the grey eye up to her own.
At first she could only see a kaleidoscope of colors, but then they settled. Kevin was somewhere with a dimly lit stone ceiling, probably lying on his back. So that meant he was either unconscious or bound, or both. Worrying her lip, her view seemed to shake and suddenly she could see the room he was in and a figure in front, as they stepped back Diana sucked in a deep breath her free hand tightening into a fist. A whisper coming from her, "Quirrell."
"What was that Diana?" Professor Flitwick was looking at her with worried eyes.
"I think I know where he is, but I need to know where exactly." Diana pursed her lips, "Professor I need a map of the lower levels of Hogwarts specifically below the third corridor."
Hermione gasped to the side.
"I knew it all was a bad idea." Flitwick mumbled as he pulled a key from a secret pocket in his robe, before opening a drawer and taking out a parchment and passing it to Diana. Her eyes narrowed as she traced the pathways, closing her eyes she focused her magic and opened them. Her Head of House gasped, no doubt from her glowing eyes.
"I'll be back with Kevin, do not inform anyone else of what's happening. If I'm not back in…"
Professor Flitwick interrupted, his eyes held fierce determination within them, "You already informed me of procedures in case of an emergency."
"I did?" Diana's brow furrowed.
"Yes, just this afternoon you came by."
Diana was confused before her eyes widened and she whispered, "Stupid loopholes in wishes."
Straightening her back she stood tall, eyes meeting briefly with both Hermione and her Head of House, "I'll be back."
Focusing on her magic, she pictured in her mind's eye where she needed to be. Her magic swirled around her like a gail of wind then settled, her feet now upon hard stone.