A/N;
thank you to those who left feedback on the last chapter.
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Chapter Title - "Welcome to the snake pit, Lovegood-Summers."
Buffy stood at the window in the owlery, breathing in the cool night air as she watched the Hogwarts' owl fly off over the forest, the letter grasped in its claws.
"When will it get there?" Buffy asked. The Scottish Highlands were a long way from Devon. A telephone was more convenient, and it would have been nice to hear her Mom's voice. "It's important."
"In the morning," replied Walburga. She sounded bored and still sulking that Buffy insisted on going to the owl tower when she'd wanted to go straight to the Common room. "It's late. The student curfew is at 10 o'clock and I have no intention of losing points or getting detention because you forgot to pack your favourite teddy bear."
"No! It's-, " Buffy's words trailed away as a strong recollection of a stuffed toy called Mr Gordo came to mind. "... I did have a toy pig once, but that's not what I owled Mom about."
Walburga didn't enquire further, and Buffy didn't volunteer any information. She hoped the older girl was right and the owl would make Devon by morning.
The two made their way through the castle, passing students loitering in the hallways before curfew One or two students eyed them with curiosity, but most were too busy catching up with friends to bother with them. Once they reached the main entrance hall, Walburga led Buffy over to a studded oak door and opened it, revealing steps beyond.
"The Potions classrooms lie that way as well as our common room," Walburga explained. "Professor Slughorn is both Potions Master and also the Head of Slytherin. You will find he is very accommodating to students from his house."
"Is he the fat, balding guy who sat with Dumbly during the feast?"
Walburga's shoulders tensed at the disrespect to their Housemaster. Resolving not to be provoked, she said, "Professor Slughorn was sat with Professor Dumbledore during dinner." She changed the subject and continued doggedly on, "You will find the Slytherin common room both tasteful and elegantly decorated. There are large windows that look out into the lake itself, sometimes we see the merpeople and the giant Squid swimming past the windows."
"Cool," Buffy replied cheerfully, looking around at the grim, monotonous, stone walls of the castle. Cool was the last word she would use to describe this place. 'How the hell had she managed to be sorted into the only House whose common room was in the dungeons?'
"Our House Ghost is the Bloody Baron," continued Walburga as if reciting a speech that she'd learned by heart. "He is easily recognised as he is the only ghost covered in bloodstains."
"His own blood or his victim's?" Buffy reached out with her senses, checking the immediate area for creepies. She could sense ghosts (none close by) and other things that were much closer... things that weren't human. They weren't only in the dungeons. Buffy had sensed them earlier as she'd walked through the castle. Whatever these were, they seemed to be living here and were paying her little heed. Buffy decided to ignore them – for now.
Walburga gave Buffy a toothy smile. "Ask him."
"Ask who?" Buffy asked, bewildered. Her mind still on the castle's creepies.
"Tsk! We were discussing the Bloody Baron!"
"Sorry, I had a case of mind-drift." Buffy gave the girl next to her a sharp look. "Why do I have the feeling, asking the Bloody Baron to explain his bloodstains is a bad idea?"
Walburga smirked. " You ARE a fast learner."
They went deeper below the castle. The flickering torches made their shadows large on the walls, the sound of their footsteps and Walburga's voice echoing down the long empty passageways. The older girl kept up her monologue, giving, what Buffy suspected, was the Slytherin welcome speech.
"You are exceptionally fortunate to have been sorted into this House. Ambition and leadership are two of the defining characteristics of Slytherin students. It is far more evident in the male students, but you will find that leaders rise amongst us and they inspire great loyalty in those who follow them."
"You mean they have gangs?" Buffy asked, quickly getting to the point.
Walburga's lip curled as if she'd tasted something bad. "Nothing so vulgar. There have been many Slytherins who went on to positions of greatness. In fact, it has been said that two of Hogwarts founders, Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, both sought the seeds of greatness when choosing their students. However, where Gryffindor accepted anyone into his house regardless of blood purity, Salazar Slytherin was far more selective. Sadly, the Sorting Hat lets in students who are –."
"Mongrels?" Buffy asked sweetly, as they headed down yet another flight of steps.
Walburga's nostrils flared, her jaw clenched, and a tic played under her left eye. However, she continued gamely on. "One famous Slytherin wizard that I am sure you will have heard of, is Merlin. He was one of the most powerful wizards who has ever lived. Think about it. Who's house would you prefer to be in? The house of the most illustrious and powerful wizard in history or go into Hufflepuff, who produced the inventor of the Self-Soaping dishcloth?"
"Isn't the Hufflepuff common room near the kitchen?" Buffy asked. "Maybe that's where he got the idea from. He could have gone in, and done the dishes with his... enchanted mops." She'd used the Self-Soaping dish mop at her uncle's house and thought it was a great invention. It had been fun to wave her wand at the mop and watch the dishes cleaning themselves.
The older girl made a choking sound in her throat and fell silent. It seemed the 'Welcome to Slytherin' speech had finally foundered on the jagged rocks of Buffy-snark.
"How far is the Common room?" Buffy asked, eyeing the thick layer of dust lying on the floor. "I'm becoming kinda worried, in case you took a wrong turning back there."
"Close."
They stopped in front of a length of blank wall in an unremarkable, dimly lit passageway.
Walburga gnawed her bottom lip, her eyes on the wall as she turned something over inside her mind. Finally, she came to a decision. "Aren't you going to ask about my betrothal to Orion?"
"It isn't my business," Buffy replied guardedly. "As long as it's legal, it's nothing to do with anyone else who you marry."
"So you really aren't interested?"
It was difficult to tell with Walburga since her face always seemed to teeter between a scowl and a sneer, but Buffy thought she looked disappointed at the lack of interest. It was late. All Buffy wanted to do was roll into a soft bed and sleep. She didn't want the job of guidance counsellor but felt forced to ask, "Um, do you wanna talk about it?"
"NO!" The word echoed in the empty corridor and the flames in the lit torches flared sideways as if seeking sanctuary.
Walburga glowered. "Father showed me that Orion was the right choice for my future husband. The boy is a traditionalist and is very like me, in many ways. I am confident that we both made the right decision and that I would have come to the same conclusion myself - even without father's insistence."
"Sure," Buffy agreed, thinking the more Walburga spoke the more uncertain she sounded. "Whatever you say."
"Don't think you have learned any of our family secrets," Walburga warned her. "Everyone knows we were destined to marry. Of course, the marriage won't happen for a long time," Buffy thought she sounded relieved, "... maybe, over a decade."
"Uh-huh. That makes sense," Buffy replied, "With him being twelve." All the time she'd been listening to Walburga, she'd been scanning the wall in front of them. The older girl had stopped here for a reason. Was there a secret entrance along here somewhere?
Walburga gave her a dark look. "To an outsider like yourself, marrying your twelve-year-old cousin may seem odd. However, arranged marriages in pure-blood families have always been very common. There is a necessity to keep the line pure and some families claiming pure-blood status have had their line sullied by Muggles at some point or other. Even those who don't have arranged marriages often find their future life partners whilst studying at Hogwarts. Perhaps even you will find someone who –."
"Not Rigel," Buffy said quickly. "I prefer older guys. At least my own age and up."
"I would not champion that match, no matter how much Rigel pleads with me." Walburga grimaced. "I have no desire to be related to the daughter of a Squib and a Muggle. Nor have my brother blasted from the tree for defiling it."
Buffy opened her mouth to argue.
"Shush!" Walburga pointed at the blank stretch of wall in front of them. "Beyond there lies the Slytherin Common room and dormitories. It is opened by a password, one that changes every two weeks. You must NEVER bring a non-Slytherin in here. No one except a Slytherin has stepped foot there for almost seven hundred years." She looked over at Buffy, "Who is the founder of our House?"
Wondering if this was going to be a test on the 'Welcome to Slytherin talk' she'd been given, Buffy replied, "Salazar Slytherin."
No sooner had the name left her mouth than a stone door, previously concealed in the stonework, slid open to reveal the entrance hall to the Slytherin Common room.
Walburga strode forward, a smug expression on her face. "The first password needs to be easy so that the first-years can remember it." When Buffy didn't move, she called over her shoulder. "Stop gaping like a confounded Muggle and let me introduce you to some of your Housemates."
The Slytherin Common room was a long chamber with a low ceiling and a series of arches set into the walls providing semi-private study nooks. On the far side, a log fire crackled in the hearth and a painting of an immense bad-tempered snake stared down onto the students in the room. On either side of the fireplace, tall windows looked directly into the lake. Strands of weed, blown by the lake's currents, moved against the glass. A shoal of small silver fish came into view, pecking at the weeds before darting past. It was like being inside a shipwreck and was the coolest thing Buffy had seen so far.
She pulled her eyes from the windows to look at the brightly coloured tapestries depicting wizards in battle hanging from the walls. The cold stone flagged floor was covered in deep rugs, and all around the room, dotted in conversational groups were armchairs and sofas. Buffy saw that many of her housemates had enjoyed a snack before bedtime judging by the amount of discarded mugs and plates littering the small side tables.
As it was the first day back, most of the Slytherins had retired for the night, leaving only a few students remained in the room. Buffy spotted Cornelius Travers sat in one of the alcoves, several books lying open in front of him. He looked up, his expression was wary.
"It appears most already in bed." Walburga appeared to have taken it personally. "I shall introduce you to those who remain." She towed Buffy across to the fireplace, neatly avoiding being bitten by one of the snakes that were carved into the stone fire surround.
"In here, you need to watch out for the carved snakes," Walburga explained in a low voice."They have a nasty habit of striking when you least expect it." Stepping forward, she raised her voice, "Fellow Slytherins, let me introduce you to our new fifth-year transfer student, Buffy Lovegood-Summers."
The eyes of the students fell on Buffy. Silently assessing her face, styling of clothes, her figure, and mentally debating whether she was from a rich or powerful family or not. Most of them looked less than impressed. Buffy put it down to her having a difficult day. It was hard to impress when it was a crazy Tuesday.
Walburga continued, "I'm sure you all know the wizarding name the Lovegoods." The words 'Pure-blood family' was left unsaid but implied. "Buffy and her mother have recently returned to England from America. They were caught up in a Grindelwald attack – a case of bad timing rather than involvement." She paused, allowing the group to process that titbit of information before adding, "I have already explained to Buffy that the Slytherin House is the best house in Hogwarts and we Slytherins look after our own."
Over in the alcove, Travers stood up and began to gather his books. It seemed he found Walburga's voice irritating, Buffy knew the feeling.
"Now, who should I introduce first?" Walburga pondered those in the room. "We are a little thin of company. A pity the prefects have left to patrol or else I could have introduced you to them."
Buffy was glad. That meant no introduction to Tom Riddle, his shiny prefect badge, and see his sudden aversion to her.
"Ah, Corban Yaxley who is a sixth former," said Walburga She gestured to a nearby sofa where a boy with dark blonde hair swept back from his face sat between two girls. "Say hello to your new housemate, and play nice, Yaxley.
The boy jerked his head and rolled his eyes at her remark. He drawled, "But Walburga, I always play nice." Several Slytherins chuckled, others did not. Yaxley's eyes flicked over Buffy's face. "Welcome to the snake pit, Lovegood-SUMMERS."
Buffy noticed his emphasis on the name Summers. It was not accidental, and she made a mental note to watch out for Yaxley. Most likely, he'd spotted the Muggle name and suspected her father's origins. He was probably one of those Pure-blood elitists her Uncle Peregrine had warned her about.
"And next to Yaxley," Walburga nodded to the two girls, "we have Dorothea and Penelope Parkinson. Cousins, 6th year and 5th year respectively. Very good families"
The girls looked at Buffy, exchanged looks and burst into a fit of giggles. One of them Buffy recognised from the feast. Penelope Parkinson was the girl who'd held Tom's hand across the table and who'd insisted that Buffy looked like a war refugee. Buffy's stare hardened, and she felt her magic stir angrily inside her.
A black-haired boy distracted her by rising from an armchair. Casting the Parkinson girls an impatient look, he circled their sofa and made his way to Buffy and Walburga. Surprised that Walburga hadn't called out an introduction, Buffy shot a look at Walburga and was shocked to see her simpering coyly. Buffy turned back to the boy, eyeing him narrowly. With his dark good looks and expressive brown eyes, Buffy could see why Walburga was so taken with him.
"Antonin Dolohov, a seventh year student," Walburga said to Buffy. "Dolohov, did you have a good summer?"
"It would have been much better if I'd spent it with two delightful ladies such as yourselves," he answered smoothly.
From anyone else the compliment would have come across as being cheesy, yet when Dolohov's soulful eyes were on you it came over as being perfectly sincere. Buffy smiled up at him, already pink-cheeked and enamoured until a memory that had been buried deep within stirred. Somewhere in her past, there'd been another sweet-talking boy who'd spoken soft words and instilled a desire to live for the moment... She felt a warning, took note, and the memory faded.
Dolohov lifted Buffy's hand to his mouth and brushed it with a light kiss. "The Slytherin common room is all the brighter for your company, Miss Lovegood-Summers."
'Liar!' thought Buffy. His magic flowed over her like a blanket – one of the smothering types a kidnapper put over your head right before they knocked you unconscious. The Slayer inside her twitched and Buffy repressed the urge to shudder. She was aware of the Parkinson girls giggling and whispering, of Yaxley's smug expression, and Walburga looking besotted by this dark boy.
"Um, yeah." She winced at the gauche reply. She might not like him, but she could still be polite. Tugging her hand from his, she said, "It's nice to meet you, Antonin."
"Dolohov," corrected Walburga sharply. "In this school, the boys call each other by their surnames. The girls pay them the same respect unless we are related or have been given express permission to use their first name."
"I'd love to hear the name Antonin on your lips," Dolohov replied sweetly, he cast a burning look at Walburga.
The suffocating magical blanket of Dolohov's charisma had moved from Buffy onto the older girl. Walburga actually blushed.
"Pay Dolohov's flattery no heed," a boy whispered to Buffy's right. It was Alphard Black, who'd come over to be introduced. "It's just his way."
Walburga blinked owlishly. "Alphard! Where did you spring from? Buffy, this is my darling brother, Alphard. As you can see he is very like Rigel and only marginally less silly."
"Thanks, Sis." Alphard ignored Walburga's scowl of disapproval and turned a full blast of the Black charm onto Buffy. "Welcome to Slytherin, Miss Lovegood-Summers. I wanted to say thank you for saving the life of my little brother. He's a horror, but life without his antics and constantly dogging my footsteps would be very dull."
Buffy realised that Alphard Black's charm and magic was very different to Dolohov's. Dolohov's was tainted with a darkness that wanted to choke the life from you. Black's was warm and genuine, just like his gratitude for saving his brother.
She relaxed and smiled back. "No problem. If I had a little brother or sister, I'd want someone to look out for them when I wasn't around." The world tilted and the room faded from sight.
~Buffy stood on a high tower, the wind blowing her hair, and a magical vortex swirled around her. There were waves of anguish coming from the young girl in front of her and Buffy felt chilled – knowing that she'd failed. She'd been too late. They'd never see each other again. But there was one last thing that she could do... she would jump in her stead. It was all about the blood. And then, she was falling...~
Buffy staggered as she landed back in the Slytherin common room and Alphard put out a hand to steady her. His touch and magic felt kind and considerate like Lovell's. Buffy took a deep breath and leaned into Alphard.
"Are you alright?" he asked, grey eyes filled with worry. "Are you going to faint? I think you need to sit."
"I'm fine. It's been a long day and I'm tired. Does anyone know where my room is?" She didn't want a fuss or asking about the strange scenes that kept playing in her mind. All she wanted to was to check on Spikey, find her bed, and sleep a long, dreamless sleep.
Walburga checked the room. "There's no one left worth introducing you to." She ignored Travers who was walking past the group on his way to a doorway marked 'Boy's Dormitories 1-7'.
"I shall find out which bedroom they've put you in." The older girl disappeared through a door marked Girl's Dormitories 1-7'.
"Are you sure you are well, Miss Lovegood-Summers?" Alphard asked again. "Is there nothing I can get you? You look peaky."
"Call me Buffy and no thanks. I'll feel better after a good night's sleep."
"Then I wish you a goodnight." He gave her a warm look and headed off to the boy's dormitories. Buffy watched him until he'd gone from sight, wishing he'd been the one who'd wanted to take her under his wing and not his sister. He seemed much nicer.
"Don't get your hopes up in that direction, Lovegood. He plays Chaser for the other team."
"What?" Buffy asked. She'd forgotten Dolohov was still here.
The blonde boy tapped a finger to the side of his nose. "He isn't out in the open about it, but we all know why he doesn't date girls." Dolohov stretched and yawned. "I'm going to turn in, as well." The wave of heavy magic hit her again as he gave her a roguish smile. "If you ever feel lonely, you know where to find me." He winked, leaving her to meet up with Yaxley, and the two walked off up the dormitory corridor together.
Deciding that she wasn't going to remain in the same room as the two sniggering Parkinson girls, Buffy headed for the door marked girl's dormitories. She was about to turn when from out of the corridor something large, wearing a pink quilted housecoat and oversized furry slippers, collided into her. Buffy was knocked back and landed in a heap on the floor. She looked up, to find a girl of around her age looking down on her.
"I'm so sorry!" the girl apologised. She put out a hand and helped Buffy to her feet. "I haven't hurt you have I? I was rushing and didn't see you, with wiv you being so small."
On the sofa, the Parkinson girls were squealing with laughter and the girl in the pink wrap went redder and redder.
"I'm fine," said Buffy, brushing herself off. "See? I'm good to go."
"Um, I'm s-sorry." the girl looking mortified. She glanced over Buffy's head at the laughing girls and pushed a lock of lank brown her behind her ear. "My name is Uma Crabbe and you're sharing a room wiv me and Fiona Goyle."
Behind her, Buffy heard the Parkinson girls laughing so hard they sounded like braying donkeys.
"Aww, look! They put all the pathetic ones in together!" shrieked Penelope. "I'm so glad that I'm not sharing with those rejects!"
Uma Crabbe flushed again. Embarrassed she turned sharply, stumbled over the bottom of her robe and tumbled forward, losing her slipper. From behind them, came another round of honking laughter.
"She's like a massive Erumpent!" laughed one.
An explosion of laughter and, "She makes a mountain Troll look graceful!"
The gibes were making Uma even clumsier. Buffy helped by retrieving the fluffy slipper and handing it to the large girl. Uma kept her head down as she struggled to squeeze her foot back into the slipper, and Buffy could see her eyes were filled with tears.
"Look! Her foot is that big it won't fit into the slipper." There were more squeals of laughter. "It's bigger than a man's!"
Buffy had heard enough. "Just ignore them, Uma," she spoke loudly so that the laughing girls could hear. "They're a pair of jack asses without a brain cell between them."
Uma Crabbe shot Buffy a surprised look, and the mocking laughter stopped.
"Who does that new girl think she is, interfering with our fun?" Dorothea scoffed. "She's a nobody."
"She's badly in need of a lesson on how to act around her betters," Penelope snarled. "Maybe, we should make her into our next project. She'll be begging us to leave her alone in a week or two."
Buffy turned slowly to face them, a cold smile on her lips and a hardness in her eyes that made them pause. "Good luck with that, girls. Because, believe me, I've dealt with far worse monsters than the pair of you."
She waited to see if the girls came back with a retort and when they didn't, she turned back to Uma. "C'mon. Let's go see if they've delivered my luggage to the right room. After my totally crazy day, I wouldn't be surprised if it's gone missing." She stopped dead, eyes wide. "Oh, crap. Did I just jinx myself?"
Uma Crabbe frowned. "I dunno," she said, "but your trunk is by your bed. It's got your name on it and everything. There were strange noises coming from it before, but they've stopped."
"Strange noises that stop are for the good," Buffy replied, wondering what Spikey had been up to and conscious of the Parkinson girls listening to their conversation. "Tell me about, erm, your wrap. It's such a lovely colour. Where did you get it from?"
And they left the Common room discussing Diagon Alley shops, which Buffy thought was a much safer topic than trunks that went bump in the middle of the night.
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I hope you liked the new chapter and Buffy's new roomies. The Parkinsons are not nice and neither is Dolohov, all have plans for Buffy.
Next, Buffy will be starting lessons and finding her feet in Hogwarts. Oh, and we have Mr Tom Riddle lingering around in the background.
Once again, don't forget to leave a comment! And if you like it, don't forget to recommend this story to friends or on groups. Thank you.