"I've read them" Emily informed him as she sat down next to him underneath the lone tree that stood on a hill overlooking the lake.
"All of them?" he asked without looking up from the tome on Advanced Charms.
"Yes. They were...illuminating." she finally said.
He hummed in thought. He had given her a small collection of ethics, political, social and philosophical books, all of them muggle, for her to read. She had been contemptuous but he withheld any further duels until she read them. 'These books will only help you Emily. You may hate muggles but you cannot deny the dangers of them nor can you deny that many of them are and were brilliant in their own rights. To ignore knowledge because of your personal dislike of their source is the height of folly and ignorance.' He had said and she hadn't liked it all. Given that she wasn't cursing him out, it can only mean that she truly found them useful.
"I had heard of Alexander the Great and Napoleon of course but I have never bothered to learn of their exploits in detail. Not that the orphanage had any books on the matter" she paused briefly before she stared at him. "Given that you gave me those books along with books about the Founding Fathers, Socrates and so on, your attempt to steer me away from conquest is quite adorable" she said a little mockingly as she turned towards him as she stared intently at him. She finally tilted her head "Alexander and Napoleon were excellent commanders of men, in nearly every way." She paused briefly before continuing "They rallied men to themselves by supporting a cause that the public supported in some way or another. Napoleon used his military successes expertly and leveraged that success into popularity which continued to grow through propaganda until the public were effectively clamouring for him to become Dictator and eventually Emperor." She paused briefly and Atticus saw grudging respect on her face before it disappeared and she continued "Right after the French Revolution which had been to remove the royalty from France. It was masterful. He might be known for his military genius but everything he's done militarily seems to me that he built himself a powerbase. Perhaps not to take over, to stage a military coup over the Royals but he certainly planned to have large amounts of influence in France." She looked thoughtful for a second before continuing
"Alexander was certainly impressive and in the end both of them have many things in common and one in particular; they had an enemy to fight. A cause." She said as she stared at him "If you're trying to influence me away from their routes, by exploiting the public to seize power, you're not doing a good job of it" she said tilting her head.
"Even your books on the Founding Fathers of Muggle America were about a cause about independence. They exploited the disillusioned public and whipped them up for independence. Even then, they exploited the people who mattered through different avenues. For those who had a stake in the tea industry, it was removal of the excessive taxes and being able to be influential in the new regime whilst the commoners were whipped up for the love of country, to deal with the British who were the other. You've only confirmed my beliefs on how to gain power." She plainly stated.
He laughed but nods "I have because exploiting the public will be necessary for any attempt to gain the power that you want." He said pursing his lips as his mind whirled on arranging his thoughts into words. "The books were for you to analyse both routes. Napoleon and Alexander are rightly remembered in History. They achieved great things in their short lives." He paused briefly "But in the end, their efforts were fractured if not outright destroyed. Napoleon lost everything because he hadn't known when to stop and to consolidate his power and it resulted in France being surrounded by enemies and ended up dying imprisoned. France in the end was reduced in status and in territory and his Legacy tarnished. Alexander similarly didn't know how to stop and it caused division in his ranks. He fell into delusion and self grandeur to the point that he believed he was a god" he scoffed "In the end after he died, his conquest fractured and his legacy ended in only a short amount of time." He shook his head.
"The point I'm trying to make is that gaining power is easy..." he said as he trailed off trying to put into words what he's trying to say "in comparison to keeping it which entirely a different prospective."
She scoffed "Power and fear will let me keep it. Of course, it isn't quite as simple as that but at the root, those two are the most important." She said intently as she narrowed her eyes in challenge.
He shook his head "Emily that is incredibly naive." A flash of anger came across her face until she schooled it and gave him a look to continue. "People followed Napoleon, Alexander and the Founding Fathers because they believed in the cause those people took up. Those people kept their power because their citizens believed in them. Liked them. Not merely the nobles, or merely the commoners. But both. From the lowest class to the highest." He paused briefly. He had considered giving her The Prince by Machiavelli but he hadn't wanted to risk her taking his ideals wholeheartedly rather than simply digest the information from an abstract point of view. He didn't want to a risk a nightmare Dumbledore Voldemort hybrid and he shuddered slightly and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at him but he ignored it and continued
"Napoleon lost his support due to the constant warfare he engaged in because he was unable or unwilling to come to the table and negotiate with his enemies when they were inclined to. For all of Napoleon's genius, his character flaws were his undoing as he ultimately believed himself to be superior. Hubris." He said calmly "Napoleon, Alexander and the Founding Fathers all had one thing in common; they had a definable enemy. An enemy that the public could support, moralistically, nationalistically and it was something that affected them. But among them, only the Founder Fathers had built something to last." He pursed his lips "They had a simple cause that everyone that had a stake in it could support. Of course, they were lucky that their war for independence happened during an era of turmoil in Europe but they exploited it as the opportunity presented itself. In any case, The Founding Fathers were a collective, some far more influential than others, but ultimately they seized power and in the aftermath built an institution that allowed them to keep it, ensuring that even the lowest had rights under the new regime. All of them came into the forefront during a time of strife and all of them had a saviour element to them." He paused briefly as he considered his words "Everyone, from the lowest class to the wealthy nobles had something to which they could identify with them. Love of country, nobility, wealth etcetera. People liked or loved them Emily" he said carefully. "It is better to be feared and loved by the public as it will help you keep your power" he said finally.
She hummed as she looked to the side before she looked at him "This is your roundabout way of influencing me away from blood purism. To not take up their cause as my own." She said plainly.
He nods carefully "It is. You're securing yourself a powerbase from wealthy pureblood families whose actions would fracture Magical Britain." He pursed his lips "Many of these families have...extremist views on what to do with the more...disdained portions of the magical world and would head the country into a path of civil war" he said thinning his lips as he recalled Rowling's HP universe. Voldemort might have been the leader of the pureblood cause but everything he has seen in this country suggested that in one way or another, strife would happen given the tensions and wildly different beliefs that permeated throughout the country.
She scowled lightly as she spoke "If you disregard blood purism for a moment, you will see that there are valid concerns that the darker families have, that I agree with" she said firmly as her eyes lit up in passion "The war on traditions, the constant legislations that bans whole branches of magic or restricts the use of magic" she sneered as she paused for a moment "The pro muggle legislations that the blood traitors constantly try to force through the Wizengamot" she said as she thinned her lips "You cannot seriously consider all those acceptable?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow.
He shook his head "I don't." He sighed. It was true. The light factions constantly and he assumed partially at the behest of Dumbledore, did much to antagonise the dark faction with their legislation that attacked much of their core beliefs and what their family used. Granted, there were some kinds of dark magic that shouldn't be used but the legislations were sweeping, careless. Thankfully, much of it was unsuccessful in trying to get passed but he could see that changing when Dumbledore came into power.
"I don't find them acceptable and it needs to be fought" he paused briefly "The problem you have, well what the dark faction has, is that the common folk and the more reasonable light families view the dark faction with mistrust and suspicion. With good reason." He thinned his lips "Appearances matter Emily. You are well aware of this. The Dark faction is considered to be...well dark. Not simply their magic but their intentions and with the way their heirs spout their nonsense about purity and their actions at Hogwarts, you cannot be surprised that the light faction is far more preferable." He said as he looked into the distance. "The concerns you do hold, that are reasonable and positive for the magical world will always get drowned out by the negatives. How can you gain the support of the people when the majority of your powerbase at best disdain half of the population and want them even more marginalised while at worst want to kill off or enslave half of the population." He shook his head before continuing "You have to separate purism from all those aspects that are positive for the magical world and present them as such. Ultimately many stances of the dark faction are destructive for Magical Britain with the way they hold onto things and similarly the light faction is not much better with their insane pro muggle stances." He paused briefly.
"Not to mention, the crimes of Grindelwald will only harden people's stances on things that considered dark Emily. The light would be well positioned to capitalise on that hardened view and claim all sort of things as dark that is a threat to their world view. Blood purism is a cancerous element in society. It drives the wedge between people who might otherwise have much in common." He sighed before he eyed her.
"To remain in power, you must avoid the hatred of the people you intend to rule over. Your powerbase can never simply be the wealthy families. It has to be the public and the public is diverse."
"Power in this country is within the hands of a few families" she said narrowing her eyes. "They own the majority of the businesses in the country, they effectively influence the ministry in hugely disproportionate ways" she said plainly "The public has no real power" she finishes. "Why must I cater to them?" she said with a tilted head.
"Emily, the wealthy families remain wealthy and in power because the public allows them to" and she scoffed at that "Emily, history is littered with failed states because the regime was unable to win the public over. Conquests have failed, dictatorships have failed and many more have failed because the public refused those in power. Unless you want to rule over ashes, the public are critically important" He said thinning his lips "Even as we speak, countries that are under the yolk of Grindelwald have large populations that are rebelling in some way or another, waiting for the right opportunity to 'get their country back'. The public must always be on your side if you are to rule Emily and you can never get them on your side if you disenfranchise at best a large portion of the population. Your rule would be unstable and would unravel in the seams."
She scowled at this "The noble families know of the kinds of magic that the vast majority of the people have no access to. They are also far more powerful on average than the common magicals." She scoffed "The public will be kept in check through power and fear. For the most part, their lives would be unaffected and so they would have no cause to be...disruptive." she said plainly.
He remained silent for a moment. "I once said to you that people at their most fundamental want to be safe. That fear that you would seek to hold over them can so easily be turned into hatred." He paused briefly as he stared at her "You know the strength of hatred don't you?" he asked intently. She thinned her lips but said nothing and he continued "You would be so quickly labelled a Dark Lady if this is the route you intend to go on. You would be compared as a Dark Lady to the likes of Grindelwald and many other examples throughout history who are all universally hated bar their supporters, for their cruelty, the uncaring violence and the death they cause." He thinned his lips and snapped his fingers "Escalation will follow so quickly as the population gets riled up against you by your enemies and suddenly you have many recruits for their cause. If you're lucky, you have a regime that managed to survive but at a reduced state as your own forces are depleted just like theirs. But now you have family members of those your supporters have killed who have undying hatred for you and yours. You would have to kill them as well but they have friends who survived and they hold utter hatred for you. It is an unending cycle you've begun and the power you hold is slipping." He said as he took in her face and she was staring past him.
"You above all are a winner Emily. Going the route of Dark Lady or being branded a Dark Lady is something that will only cause you defeat" he shook his head "They never win. They have power, of course but it is fleeting. Just like Alexander the Great." He said finally.
"How would you go about then?" she said with narrowed eyes. "You're quick to criticise but you hardly ever provide alternatives" she said accusingly.
He sighed "I'm not trying to criticise, merely point things out. It's not my fault that you think I'm criticising" he said with twitching lips and she shot a glare and he turned serious "I would...first ensure to be known by the public. A person of interest. It also has to be for good reasons." He looked at her with a tilted head "You could establish magical orphanages" she narrowed at her eyes at him "You are an orphan Emily, own it. Have others know of it. Use it to your advantage and establish a magical orphanage that protects magicals from the 'harsh brutal muggle world where magicals are alone and are feared amongst the muggles for being different'" he states and she thinks it over "It would highlight...the inadequate environment for magicals amongst the muggles" she said slowly and he nods.
"It would. You could speak of your own experiences, on your own terms." He paused briefly "You can speak of the fear and hatred you experienced simply for something out of your control. You can speak of the fact that muggles hated you for being different even if they didn't know what it was."
Her eyes lit up in interest which dimmed as she thinned her lips "I do not want that kind of exposure." She said firmly "But I see the advantages. It would set sympathetic notions for me, as much as I hate it, and would allow me to be viewed positively. And that I'm building orphanages for others like me..." she said trailing off as her eyes lit up in understanding at his intentions. "You want muggles to be viewed as the enemy" she said plainly.
He pursed his lips "Not quite the enemy but the focus. The term enemy evokes emotions that can end up out of control. Shift the attentions of the magical world outward when it comes to dangers rather than inward." He shook his head as he returned to the subject at hand. "Back to the matter we were speaking on. Yes. It effectively raises public opinion of you. The orphan who cared about magicals. Given that the war is likely to make more orphans, it is something that is needed most likely and yet wouldn't be considered." He shook his head and returned to the subject.
"From there, you continue to build up your image as a positive for Magical Britain. You're a prodigy Emily" he said pausing briefly and he saw an appreciative glint in her eye "You will think of things many others might not be able to and if you invent things or whatever, added to your academic achievements, it would bolster your reputation. From there, you continue to build whilst working in the background to secure your position. Speak of things that are at the heart of the concerns of people, things that make sense to everyone regardless of blood status whilst also make it seem that you cater to specific groups but also ensure that you do not do anything that disenfranchises any specific peoples." He paused briefly as he searched her face and saw that she was listening raptly.
"It seems to me to be excessive effort to me" she said with thinned lips and Atticus laughed "Why do you think I don't want to rule" he said with mirth "To rule and to keep your position, it is excessive effort." He sighed as he rubbed his eyes
"While it is better to be feared than loved" he said glancing at her "when it comes to ruling, being loved and feared is better than any of the alternatives. Being feared isn't also anything to do with fear of you. Rather the fear of you acting against them in retribution." He said with thinning lips "Fear in this context means they respect you and are aware that to act against you means that they court death or defeat in some form or another rather than fear of you. Fear is a delicate balance Emily. Fear can be turned easily into hatred. The public must never fear you either. Fear should be reserved for your enemies and perhaps your allies." He sighed as he tired a little.
"The public must think you are a moral person. People do not think someone they fear to be a moral individual." He said finally.
"You were particularly keen on having me read those ethics and morality books." She said narrowing her eyes.
"Of course. Reading different ethics books will only help you refine your worldview which in turn will help your refine your ambitions. Those ethics books were intended to help you find who you are and what you believe in Emily." He said calmly.
He pursed his lips "You once said 'There is no good or evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it'. I wanted to help you understand the flawed nature of that belief."
She got up and sat direct opposite him and their eyes met. "Explain your reasoning. To me, it makes perfect sense. Power ultimately makes the subject of what's right and what's wrong nonexistent, just like good and evil do not exist in the face of power. It is how the world works, it is the reality of things, regardless of the form of power. Good and evil are fashioned by society, by religion that incites individuals to conform to correct and desirable social conventions and behaviours. It is simply notions that the weak believe without understanding that it is in actuality enforced by power. Power of social pressure, religious pressure, family pressure. There is no true moral structure." She sits up straighter and continues "Let's take purebloods for example...from the darker factions. Their sense of right and wrong, good and evil are substantially different than what mudb- muggleborns" she says as she corrects herself "and half bloods would consider good or evil, right and wrong. This is a simple example but it is what is repeatable countless times through history. It is all subjective and from an objective point of view, there never has been a good or evil." She finishes with intensity and passion.
He tilts his head slightly and nods "I agree. There is no good or evil from an objective point of view." He said as he pursed his lips and she smiles slightly in triumph "Good and evil are inherently constructed by society. Morality is a social construct, a social contract that only exists because most by and large adhere to the rules and norms set by society. It is also largely only advantageous to those who construct it. For example dark magic is demonised and disapproved off if not outright banned today. Families who rely on the dark arts find themselves considered in a negative light in society. Those who decry, like Dumbledore" he scoffed "are viewed positively." He began to murmur "A thousand years ago, the definition of dark magic would be by and large be significantly different and a thousand years from now, if things are heading the way I see it, unimpeded, it will result in only the basest of magic being taught." He paused briefly as he composed his thoughts returning to the subject at hand.
"Power...is similar to the notions of good and evil" he began slowly as his mind ticked over.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked confused.
"Power is subjective." He began calmly and she quirked her eyebrow "What is power but merely a concept Emily?" he asked intently.
"My magic isn't a concept" she said with furrowed eyebrows "It is real, tangible." She said finally.
He shook his head "No, you ascribed power to your magic. Your magic simply is, simply exists as a force. Power only comes into existence when it is subjected, when it is inflicted, when it is carried out. Power is control and control is power. And control is just as much fiction as good and evil are from an objective reality. Power is subjective just as good and evil are. Power, just like what is right and what is wrong, is defined by society, accepted by society. A King or Queen has power over their subjects as agreed by society, by the commoners and the nobles." He waved dismissively "The degree is irrelevant." He said offhandedly.
"Magical power isn't subjective, it is a reality from an objective point of view." Emily retorts "There is nothing anyone can do if one is far more powerful magically than another. Power rules over the weak" she says.
Atticus nods "Only because everyone agrees that attacking you is bad as injury or death is considered bad. From an objective point of view, attacking you or not is neither good nor bad and your power doesn't exist except when it subjective to the individuals." He said with a thoughtful expression.
She furrowed her eyebrows "Is this what you mean with my belief being flawed?" she asked with a tilted head and he nods slowly.
"Yes. Power is a human construct just as morality is. There are those who are powerless and then there are those who are powerful. In the objective reality neither state of power exists beyond their perceptions, beyond their understanding and acceptance of what society told them what power was just as good and bad do not exist. Subjectively however..." he trailed off.
"Power is given definition by people, by society." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming.
He peered up towards the sky "We are inherently subjective creatures Emily. Individualistic, community or socially, we view things, we view the universe, at its most basic in dualities if we strip things from its complexities. Good or Bad. Light or Dark. Right or Wrong. Day and Night. Rain or Drought. Rain can provide nourishment and it can also flood. For a farmer a flooding would be bad but for you, someone without a stake, it's neither good nor bad. You cannot live life from an objective point of view. Ultimately, balance is dependent on you. Following the social construct of morality is in my opinion 'anti-natural' as Nietzsche once labelled." His lips twitched for a moment before he spoke "You are well ahead of most of your peers by coming into your own beliefs even if it requires more thought." He sighed as he searched her face. She was contemplative which was good he supposed.
"Your life has been dictated by your experiences at the orphanage" she tensed as he mentioned her life at the orphanage but he carries on "This continued in the magical world where the powerful dictated everything" he paused briefly to watch her and saw her lips thinning "All of this, the way people...others treated you...it is only natural that you discarded their notions of good and bad and so on but I think you need more time to refine your thinking. It will only damage you if you viewed the world in a broken mirror." He sighed.
"You've discarded much of what society views as good or bad but you are imbalanced in some ways and Hogwarts definitely doesn't help" he said thinning his lips.
"You're referring to the house system." She simply states as she ignored his observations of her.
He nods "Yes. Each student in each house becomes more and more like the traits that the houses value. Slytherins value cunning and ambition and through warping it ends up in cunning becomes traitorous or to see who can be the cruellest and ambition becomes unnecessary ruthlessness. In Gryffindor bravery becomes recklessness and in Hufflepuff loyalty becomes blind loyalty" He said as he gazes at her. "Artificial notions become ingrained in the individual, just as society's accepted notions of good and bad is ingrained into the public, to the point that society is unable to function beyond thinking on the lines 'oh you're just a Gryffindor'" he said mockingly but then turned serious
"This reductionism means that many people will never break away from mindless conformity. Whether it is to subjective rules outlined by society or traits enforced by the house system." He tilted his head.
"Do you understand now?" he asked inquisitively.
She thinned her lips as she turned away.
"I do" she said quietly "I need to determine my own morality. My own good and bad. Beyond the notion that power is everything." She sighed as she glanced for a second to glare at him. "You are annoying" she breathed out in frustration.
'Cute' he mused bemused as he ignored her last comment. He hummed in approval at her self-evaluation "You do. You will be able to develop your own independent identity with your own morality that is natural to you." He said as she turned to him. He smiled at her "I look forward to meeting you" he said with a cheesy grin and she scoffed and Atticus yelped as he is hit by stinging hex "Idiot" she murmured without any heat.
"Rude" he said mock offended before smiling and she returned a small smile.
They remain quiet for a moment.
"What do you believe in?" Emily finally breaks the silence.
He pursed his lips as he thought it over. It was a good question. What did he believe in?
"Senseless murder is illogical to me" he began slowly. "Killing people based on blood, skin colour, gender or sexuality doesn't make sense to me and I consider it bad." He said slowly as he considered his words "Killing innocents never is necessary and a waste that must not be done. I include primarily children in this. Adults are rarely innocent but I'd consider it senseless murder in their case" he shrugged as he continued to think "Torture is fine if it has a purpose" at this she arched an eyebrow as her lips twitched in amusement.
"Torture is fine?" she asked amused and with gleaming eyes. 'Of course she picks up on that' he thought as he rolled his eyes internally.
"Of course. Not really for information gathering" he mused "More in the lines if someone did me and mine wrong and killing them isn't an option or the crime didn't fit the punishment of death." He said calmly.
She nodded sagely "Understandable."
He continued "Rape is a big no. It is a cruelty that I could never accept" he said firmly before continuing "Discrimination based on blood, skin colour and so on is something that makes no sense to me. Competency and ability trumps everything" he said firmly.
"Other than that...my morality is pretty fluid." He shrugged.
"You're not opposed to killing?" she asked curiously.
"Killing can be necessary. Mortal enemies rarely become a non threat if left alone" he shrugged "Especially in the magical world where ridiculous notions of honour, pride and so on are hold in high esteem, even if most of them are some of the most honourless cowardly curs around" he scoffed and she laughed melodiously "I know. I have to deal with these people all the time. They talk about family honour and so on and yet the next minute ambush some first year mud- muggleborn." She shook her head in exasperation.
He smiled amused "The magical is full of ridiculous contradiction that border on the extreme" he shook his head.
"Why are you so interested in the muggle world?" she asked plainly. "You are perhaps the shining beacon of what people see as pureblood superiority and yet you freely peruse muggle literature and science books. You know more than me about the muggle world and I grew up there!" she scowled as she narrowed her eyes as she looked at him intensely "I want to understand why." She said as she focused her fierce gaze on him.
He sighed inaudibly. It was to be expected in truth. He cast his face up into the sky as his eyes focused on the clouds above him. He remained silent for a moment as he deliberates on how to respond.
"I can't stand ignorance" he finally begins "The magical world is filled with ignorance." He scoffed as he scowled and turned towards Emily "You hate the muggles, it is understandable and to some degree I even agree with you" he said as his lips thinned.
"But your hatred is borne from personal experience. From their inability to tolerate magic, to tolerate what is different from them." He smiled a little bitterly as he returned his gaze skyward "The magical world has hated the muggles, at least wizards and witches, for a long time now and it isn't without reason. We had to hide from them Emily" as he turned his gaze towards her.
"A muggle can't stand against a magical" she said dismissively.
His eyes gleamed "It all depends on the circumstances Emily. With the element of surprise, a muggle can kill a wizard with ease. Bullets are faster than wand incantations Emily" he said with a dry chuckle as he took in Emily's distaste on her face.
"Only an incompetent witch or wizard would die at the hands of a muggle" she sneered.
He shrugged "Muggles have been killing magicals for a long time Emily. It still happens to this day. There are many magicals in the world, in the undeveloped world where being magical is an automatic death sentence" he said with real anger. He hated the sheer mindlessness of their deaths.
He schooled his face as he looked at Emily who looked at him curiously "Witches and wizards, people in general tend to overestimate themselves or underestimate others"
She thinned her lips for a moment before she nods "I won't contest that muggles can be dangerous but they're still inferior." She said firmly as she tilted her head in challenge and Atticus laughed and nods "I agree. We are superior...or at least have the potential to be far superior." He sighed
"That brings me back to your question. We had to hide from them because they were hunting us. And now that we are hidden, the majority of our kind barely knows anything of the muggle world or the rate they are accelerating" he said exasperated "They are incredibly ignorant to the point that it is dangerous Emily. Even you, who has been brought up in the muggle world still think so lowly of them, so focus on your personal power that you do not consider the sheer difference between our numbers and theirs. Not to mention the sheer brutality they are capable of" He paused momentarily.
"One to one? One to a dozen? I'd say magicals would win. But a thousand to one? Only the very best, the very powerful would stand a chance against those odds. Muggles have millions of soldiers in each country!" he said furiously "We have barely more than a million people Emily. We have forces of numbering only in the thousands and training magicals for combat takes years as opposed to muggles who simply have to carry a gun." He whispered.
"And the pureblood fools want to fracture our world even more with this insane blood purism" he near hissed out as he finally vented out what he kept to himself for so long. "So many of them pride themselves over blood" he sneered "Yet they are fucking parasites who contribute almost nothing to the magical world and sit on their accumulated wealth and their comfortable positions as the world burns around them" he said in anger.
"Idiotic restrictions on muggleborns and half bloods that makes them disillusioned and resentful are left in place when they should instead be focused on fully integrating them into our society, our culture, our beliefs about magic and the world." He sneered. "The pro muggle morons aren't any better than the dark faction. They consider them to be harmless, akin to almost pets in the way they view them in their ignorance." He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He didn't care if he was admitted far too much to her at this moment in juncture.
Silence fell among them until she broke it
"How did you become interested in the first place?" she asked pointedly.
"I told you I hate ignorance" he said as he glared lightly at her. "My lessons were...insufficient on the matters of muggles so I simply sought the information out. The more I knew, the more I questioned, the more I understood that I along with the vast majority of the magical world vastly underestimated and didn't comprehend the muggle world." He paused as Emily digested that.
"Is that why you treat muggleborns so well?" she said with a tilted head "As...equals?" she said with mild disapproval though it was clear she was fascinated in his explanations.
"Emily, muggleborns are a major security risk. I view people through the lens of competence and ability." He shook his head but continued "The fact that purebloods treat them so reprehensibly is shocking. It only takes one brutalised muggleborn, at the wrong time, at the worst time, who hates the magical world to betray it even if it means that they themselves would fall under the yoke of the muggles along with us...if we are lucky and not killed off" he shook his head.
"You truly believe the muggles are capable of wiping out the magical world?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
He nodded gravely. "Emily...this war has only gone on for less than a year and millions of muggles are already dead. That is in Europe alone. In Asia, the Japanese are waging war against the Chinese where the death tolls already exceed the European one. Muggles are perpetually at war or preparing for war in some way or another. Their weapons are improving at insane rates as their sciences improve. They spend insane amounts of money on improving weapons, improving ways to kill, improve ways to spy. They have cameras that has moving pictures. Soon enough that will turn smaller and smaller and better and better, just like their bombs." He breathed in deeply.
"They have no power...no personal power of their own but they have millions of intelligent people, many of them geniuses who all contribute to their progress in science. They scramble for power, for territory and fight wars for nationalistic pride, or some other ridiculous reasons that ends up killing millions of them and it barely puts a dent in their populations. All of this fuels their development. If they find out about our world..." he shook his head.
"I can imagine everything falling apart in a century if not less. Already there are an estimated two billion muggles. The way they reproduce...four billion in three decades? Six billion in six decades?" he paused as he watched her digest this information.
He wanted her to understand the dangers of muggles, to focus on them to shift away from the poisonous beliefs her associates have. Emily was always going to be a fulcrum...a lightning rod of change, for better or worse and he was determined to have her be better. It would allow him to shift full time into creating Illos, his flying island.
She remained silent as she stared at him which he returned.
"Why aren't you interested in politics...in ruling?" she asked intently. "Your concerns...you could change the direction if you went into politics" she narrowed her eyes "and yet you refuse to consider changing things yourself" she accused.
She continued "You have the magical power, the intelligence, the cunning and most importantly the family background to put in real change. Yet, you continue to state you don't want to rule yet you know all this, keep on learning...For what purpose Atticus" she pressed.
"I don't want to go into politics..." he sighed "I don't have to disposition to deal with the idiocy and the sheer amount of time and effort to convince others of the truthfulness of my concerns." He thinned his lips as he stared at her.
"Is that why you keep on unsubtly trying to influence my way of thinking, of helping me?" she said pointedly as she pinned him with a fierce gaze.
He nods slowly "Partially. To help you understand better, to get rid of your anger and hate that would poison you and ultimately cause damage. Your associates are influential Emily but they also carry notions that are so small" he breathed out.
"Grindelwald isn't wrong Emily. The muggles are dangerous and in all honesty, he is about... a hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty years too late. If we had prepared...we could have likely forced them down and secured our future rather than this...uneasy state we're in which will only worsen in the future. Ironically, had we gone to war instead of enact the statue, we might have been able to win outright if we prepared for war for decades." He shook his head.
She eyed him critically "You agree with Grindelwald about the dangers but not tearing down the statute?" she asked shrewdly.
He nods "The Statute is what is protecting us Emily. Any war with the muggles...we'd lose even if we win" he whispered "which I only put down to perhaps...3%. Our numbers would be reduced drastically to the point that we'd go slowly into extinction. Grindelwald is a fool and his war is killing thousands of our kind, thousands we can't spare. Magical blood is precious." He shook his head before he met her eyes.
"You...Emily...You have the capabilities to convince them of the dangers of the muggle world far better than I could. I'm a...creator, not a politician" he smiled slightly before turning serious "That is why I am trying to help you with your ambitions as much as I can whilst also trying to have you modify it so that you aren't sucked into the insanity of blood purism." He shook his head "There's nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage, I'm proud of my own but theirs...is destructive and disruptive." He hesitates for a moment before he looks at her "I...I don't want you to go on a path of violence when you could be far better and greater" he said a little quietly.
She broke the silence "Do you think so lowly of me that my associates would use me instead of the other way around?" she asked a little annoyed.
He quirked an eyebrow "I don't think lowly of you Emily but you have to admit, you adopted their purism nonsense for your own advantage. At what point does it become you adopting their ideology for your advantage before it becomes your ideology" he asked pointedly with a raised eyebrow.
She glared at him angrily before she relented "I admit...I might have transferred some of my hatred for muggles to muggleborns" before she hardened her eyes "But it's not as if they don't deserve some of that hatred" she said harshly before continuing "Your concerns...and the talks have been insightful." She said thinning her lips but didn't elaborate any further.
That was fine. As long as she wasn't unmoved.
"I agree...Muggleborns still believe themselves to be muggleborns rather than witches and wizards. They consider themselves British first instead of witches and wizards. That is a mindset that I put partly on them being exposed at eleven rather than say six years old. Something to consider" he hummed to himself.
They fell into silence.
"What actually is your ambition?" she asked finally and Atticus laughed and a mischievous glint was in his eye.
"I'll show you one day" he said with a full blown grin "You'll love it, I promise but you will have to wait" he said with a shit eating grin.
She came closer to him, almost face to face "Are you sure you can't tell me?" she whispered softly as he could see the blue in her eyes. She didn't wear any perfume but he could smell her anyway. She smelled sweet as her breath touched his lips.
"You know mine Atticus" she said softly as she enunciated his name in such an alluring way.
"Tell me yours" she said as she came closer. Her knees touched his thighs as she came close enough that their noses nearly touched. He saw that her cheeks gain some colour.
'If she was older, more refined, more experienced, she likely would have flustered him' he thought to himself.
"No." He simple said as he broke into a smirk and she exhaled in annoyance but he saw a bit of amusement on her face.
"You're getting better though" he remarked at which she glared "Do you think I even practice this?" she almost complained.
"Well, you can practice on me all you like. A beautiful girl like yourself trying to seduce me? I see no disadvantages to it." He grinned wildly at her and that got her to flushed to the point he saw her neck and cheeks redden and he laughed as he got up and she sent a number of stinging hexes at him some of which hit him "Ow! Woman, cease your hexing!" he said in between yelps.
"I'm only trying to seduce you. You did say I could practice" she laughed loudly.
"Merlin! Damn Slytherin and your twisting of words!" he bemoaned as he began to flick balls of water he lifted from the lake at her and one of them drenched her and he froze as he took in her appearance. She was shocked and almost gaped at him.
It was priceless.
Until she got that look of anger. He began to run.
-Break-
Soon it was time to return to Hogwarts. He, his parents and Emily arrived early at the station which was quite empty on the muggle side.
The bombings were still sporadic though it was seemed like it would pick up.
"Have a good year children" his mother said warmly as she came forth to hug him goodbye. She turned to Emily and hesitated slightly. It made sense. Emily didn't initiate contact and it was obvious to see that she hated contact in any capacity. He had been courtin- tempting danger when he grabbed her hand earlier in the year. He quickly squashed down any errant thoughts.
"Emily" his mother began warmly. "It was a pleasure to host you. If you need to come again, especially with the turmoil in the muggle world, you are more than welcome to" she said happily before she turned mischievous "I quite enjoyed you charming those people when they met you." She said with near twinkling eyes "It was the most fun I've had ever since I became Lady Sayre. You make it bearable" she laughed a little.
Emily let of a small smile "Thank you both Lord and Lady Sayre for hosting me. It made my summer markedly more...pleasant and for that I can only thank you." She said smoothly.
'Progress' he thought bemusedly. He was quite gratified that she was showing far more positive emotions.
After a quick goodbye he and Emily made their way towards the train.
"You know, I think my mother might actually be beginning to like you more than she likes me" he murmured mock annoyance. In truth he was quite pleased. Creating genuine bonds with people other than him would be satisfactory and desirable.
She turned towards him with an amused look and twitching lips "You don't have to be worried Atticus" she said stepping closer to him as they walked "I won't take your mother away from you" she said tilting her head. 'She has no idea what that kind of sentence meant knowing what he knew of her' he thought darkly. "You're still mother's little boy" she said with an amused mocking tone as she moved away quickening her pace.
He grimaced. His mother still enjoyed to embarrass him though she never saw it as that, even in the presence of Riddle. Had he been a normal teenager, he'd have been truly mortified. But then if he was a normal teenager, he wouldn't have gotten involved with the clusterfuck that is Riddle and planning to deal with Grindelwald he mused.
"Low blow" he murmured as he caught up to her pace and he glanced at her "I hope that never makes the rumour mill?" he asked pointedly. He did not need that embarrassment. He make students have little accidents of course in retaliation should he be mocked for it but he'd rather nip it in the bud.
They climbed into the train and he glanced at her and saw that she was blank faced "Emily..." he said lowly and in warning.
She turned to him with a raised eyebrow "I cannot promise that, dear Atticus" she said nonchalantly in an almost sing song voice as they walked through the train. "I might slip accidentally and you couldn't wouldn't blame me for it could you?" she asked innocently and he growled in light frustration. He's built up a reputation of a mysterious erudite powerhouse that is beyond most people and it would all come crashing down if that little moniker was leaked.
Her lips twitched in amusement and he knew she was messing with him. "Funny" he deadpanned. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Isn't it? Your reputation would be in tatters as you would be ridiculed for being a mother's boy" she said milking the entire thing. He scoffed "I could turn it around. I could make it out to be that I'm a person that values family just like the rest of the family does" he hedged though it was weak and they both knew it.
Her red lips turned into a full blown smirk as her eyes danced in amusement "Really?" she asked in mirth.
She must've seen the sour look on his face as she began to giggle. 'Wasn't that an odd thing' he mused to himself.
"Don't worry Atticus, I won't reveal your little nickname" she said as peered at him "For a price of course" she said smirking.
He wanted to scoff and highlight to her that his family had been a lot to help her but to use that on an orphan would make him lose whatever high ground he was on, if he was on a high ground. He pursed his lips and decided to at least entertain whatever thing she would ask of him.
"What do you want?" he said a little impatient even if he was curious as he stared at her. It didn't affect her. "During the year...academic year, if I ask, you'll have to do the one thing I ask of you" she said calmly.
He stared at her and pursed his lips "No." He said immediately. He'd rather suffer a little embarrassment than deal with whatever nutty thing she'd ask of him.
She stepped closer as she peered up at him "Are you willing to risk me...accidentally mentioning something? I know how important your reputation is." she said goading him.
"It might be important but I'd rather not give you carte blanche to ask anything of me. In the grand scheme of things a little embarrassment is fine in comparison to whatever you would squeeze out of me" he said with thinned lips. She only reaffirmed that she couldn't be trusted with anything important. He was thankful in a way. She might not be an insane Dark Lady but the core of Voldemort still existed in her thirteen year old self. Whatever attachment she might have to him, it was superficial, he was certain of it.
She met his stare before she broke it with a smirk on her face and approval shone in her eyes "Good." She said tilting her head. "The real price is that if I ask you to do something that nothing nefarious, dangerous or compromising you'll do it. Only once." She said calmly as he gazed at him unflinchingly.
He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. What was she playing at?
She rolled her eyes "Can you really not trust me?" she asked pointedly and he looked at in disbelief and a pointed look as he thinned his lips "You are blackmailing me." He said with a deadpan.
She smirked "I am. But I've outlined the price and it is exactly as I've said. I won't ask you do anything you won't approve of, if I even call upon it." She said with a tilted head.
He sighed and warily glanced at her "If I deem it to be unacceptable, if it damages me in any capacity, I can refuse" he said glaring at her. She thought it over and nodded "Agreed" she said winningly.
They continued walking and they quickly approached his normal compartment.
"Are we sharing a compartment" he asked curiously and she shook her head "No, I need to speak to my...associates" she said with thinned lips and he nodded. It was to be expected. She hadn't seen most of them during the break. She met a few of them at a few gatherings, namely the Blacks. That had been amusing to see them stiffen as they saw her. Thankfully none of the adults had noticed.
The adult Blacks had been...courteous enough given that she was being hosted by the Sayre family. It was enough to ensure none of them disparaged her ancestry.
Fortunately, she was utterly charming and managed to get them to view her very positively. She was far too capable at politics, it was almost unnatural how good she was at it. It was why he was trying to nurture her. 'Are you sure that is the only reason...' an errant thought ran through his mind which he dismissed annoyed.
"I understand" He said carefully. He tilted his head "Well, I suppose we'll keep on meeting?" he asked curiously.
She glanced at him and nodded slowly "I wouldn't want to give up the productive sessions." She said calmly "Though..." she said with a gleam in her eye "Will we add duelling?" she asked with an excited glint in her eye even if her voice was even.
He chuckled "If you wish." He paused for a moment as he pursed his lips "Given that you just blackmailed me, I would be in my rights to simply refuse meeting you in the first place" he baited her as he searched her face. Her eyes flickered for a brief second but he wasn't sure what he saw.
"You could" she said evenly before she narrowed her eyes "But I'm far too interesting for you to cancel. You would be bored" she said calmly.
"I have my friends." He retorted.
She scoffed lightly and stared at him "They are not interesting. They're only your acquaintances." She said calmly and he thinned his lips "They are not simply acquaintances" he says firmly.
"Oh?" she tilted her head "Are they privy to your secrets? Friends share some of them, don't they?" she said with a raised eyebrow with an amused look "I'm quite certain they know far less about you than I do and I've only known you since earlier this year whilst they've known you for years" she said a little bit triumphantly.
"You really want to push when you need something from me?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"Alright" she says "I won't push any more. But yes, I would like to continue, I apologize" she said calmly.
He shook his head "See you later Emily." He said as he walked into the compartment.
She was far too exhausting.
He shook his head and he unshrunk his trunk and placed it on the rack. He sighed as he took a seat and took out a tome whilst he waited for his friends to arrive.
He'd been deep in his reading when he noticed his compartment open. "Ah here you are, Master" A familiar slightly irritating voice exclaimed. He turned towards the voice and saw Theodore with a shit eating grin. "Oh Master how was your summer?" Theodore said as he plonked down opposite him whilst he kept that stupid grin on his face. Atticus let off a long suffering sigh as he struggled to keep his lips from twitching. "Theodore" he said evenly in greeting not willing to engage the boy at his idiocy at which Theodore sat up straight and took on a formal posture, the kind all purebloods were taught "Master" he intoned dutifully.
Atticus slumped in his chair and grabbed the bridge of his nose "You're going to milk the entire thing aren't you?" he said defeated as he put his hands down "Only you would find a way to make fun of such an achievement" he said with his lips twitching until they turned into a smile and Theodore grinned "Correct." Theodore brought out a bag of sweets from his pocket and extended it to Atticus "Blood pop?" he offered and Atticus reached in the bag and put the blood pop in mouth.
"Congratulations by the way" Theodore says and Atticus nods in gratitude. "So how was your summer?" he asks as he settles in his chair and listens as Theodore dramatically regales his stories of the summer. They were friends. Not merely acquaintances.
Emily POV
She crossed her legs once she sat down and gazed through the window. That talk with dear Atticus was amusing. It had been a useful distraction from what bothered her.
She would find out her parentage, courtesy of Lord Sayre likely by the time of Yule. She wasn't pleased her heritage would be known by others before her but it had been the hand she was dealt. At the very least it was a family that she was least wary of.
She yearned to know her heritage. She felt anticipation but also a sense of apprehension.
She was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin she knew that for certain thanks to her being a parselmouth. She suspected that she was a likely descendant of House Gaunt but every single genealogy book she managed to get her hands on hadn't indicated anything that gave her a distinctive link. Some of the genealogy books were self updating; the book was linked to ministry records and would record those from prominent families once they received Hogwarts letters. For House Gaunt, in the last twenty years, there were only Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt, the latter having died some years ago whilst Morfin Gaunt still lived.
Her mother's name appeared nowhere in the genealogy books and it made sense to her. Her mother was weak and no witch would have died as pathetically as she did. It meant that her father must be somehow related to House Gaunt but she had no clue how.
If she was a Gaunt, her prospective future whilst easier given that she finally had a wizarding heritage would also be simultaneously quite difficult. The Gaunts were a fallen house in every way possible. They are destitute, incredibly inbred to the point that it sickened her and they were known for being mentally unstable. The last known scion of House Gaunt, Morfin Gaunt, was a prime example.
The Gaunt's fall begun a century and half ago. They had been exceedingly prominent then but they were known to be of similar disposition to the Blacks; purists, dark and of questionable mental stability. It hadn't been until Corvinus Gaunt that their wealth started being squandered. He fell into debt as he tried to exert his influence through the ministry and by the end of his son's lifetime, the Gaunt family had to sell off the majority of their assets and it brought them into a downward spiral they had been unable to stop to the point that they became a family to avoid due to their inherent instability.
It rankled her to think that the noble blood of Slytherin had devolved to such a pathetic, pitifully loathsome state. The reputation of House Gaunt was in tatters and it would take substantial amount of effort for her to erase the stigma attached to the family name which may well never end. Magicals had long memories.
The Gaunt's had only on rare occasions held the permanent seat for House Slytherin once the main line died off; Aldrich Gaunt, the father of Corvinus, in the early 18th Century was the last man to hold it. Many Most Ancient families had some kind of requirement of their heirs for them to be able to access their family magic and to ascend to the head of house position. It was obvious that the latter generations of Gaunts were...deficient in some manner.
House Gaunt lost their noble elected seat many decades ago and she wasn't inclined to seek to have it returned. She suspected that she would face large amounts of opposition if she tried, from all sides. The light would be utterly against a House known for pureblood supremacy and descendents of Slytherin from returning whilst the Blacks would be...hesitant to welcome back a House that may well split the dark faction.
No, her eyes were not on House Gaunt. It was on House Slytherin. If she was a member of House Gaunt then that meant she was in line for the title. Frustratingly, there were no insights as to what the requirements were for her to gain her title.
Gringotts was the path she had to take. The goblins for a substantial amount of galleons would give her a heritage test. She had researched it; it would not give her the names of her family and how exactly she was related to the families but it would give her which families she was descended from. That would give her the rights to try and enter the Slytherin vault if she was an heir if not the heir of Slytherin.
Given that none had access to the Slytherin vault since Aldrich Gaunt who seemed to be the last competent Gaunt and equally the last worthy of the Slytherin title, it should mean the vault wouldn't be empty. She was gleeful at the prospects of priceless tomes and artefacts that might be in the vault. In any case, it all paled to the benefits of having the right to bear the Slytherin name through legitimate means.
If she managed to claim the Slytherin title, many of her problems would...perhaps not go away but considerably reduced once she was of age. She would have a family name that is revered by large portions of society and her status in society would be catapulted to the upper echelons. Her blood status would not matter a single bit if she were a genuine Slytherin. Dumbledore and his allies would have to tread carefully.
It by no means meant that she was secure. As she was now, she was a no name orphan that most suspected to be a half blood that was more powerful than any student at Hogwarts bar one. Dumbledore was the only one who knew of her background and for the moment he was not actively moving against her. She viewed his pathetic attempts to force her to remain in the muggle world as the first move against her to ensure her influence was limited. He knew that she was an heir of Slytherin thanks to her naive act when he had taken her to Diagon Alley. That had set him against her from the very beginning and she knew instinctively it would last until one of them was dead.
They were diametrically opposed. Everything she knew of him and from what Atticus had told her, gave her the impression of someone who wanted to establish control over people, to limit them, to limit magic. She was against this notion fanatically. Magic was power and to limit magicals to the point of making them weak was a crime that was unforgivable to her.
Power had given him the influence to see about his warped sense of the world. He was a hypocrite of the highest order and ironically enough one of the most avid followers of her mantra; there is no good or evil, there only power and those too weak to seek it.
Atticus has said that he believed that Dumbledore views good or bad as merely terminologies for his own purposes. Atticus believed that Dumbledore had unwavering conviction that he was the moral compass of the wizarding world and that nothing was more dangerous than a zealot.
She understood zealots and their hatred. She knew them very well from her time in the orphanage. If Dumbledore was anything like Christian zealots, he would never stop try to subjugate her at best or kill her at worst. She was nothing like what he would want in his magical world and he would oppose at every turn.
If she was managed to claim the title, she would no longer be able to move...as freely as she could now. Anonymity would be gone and she would have to move into the spotlight. The light faction would instantly turn into her enemies, no doubt at the prompting of Dumbledore, no matter how well reasoned her arguments would be. She would be exposed in ways she could not foresee all the time and it frightened her. Her desire for control was partially stemmed from her fear of death.
The Slytherin title had many connotations and much of it was dark in nature. She would have a difficult time working with the fools of the light. She had no doubt that some might even try to kill her if only to stop her from enacting her plans. Death terrified her and she never wanted to die. She didn't want to ever end. Magic was capable of many things and preventing death was not impossible. The Flamels were capable of it and she believed she would be too. She would search for a way to ensure she could never die. She had four years of schooling left and she would try and find something that would remove this weakness from her.
The key to total success was Atticus. She was certain of this. She had gotten to know Atticus far better in the last few months, credit to living with him. Her understanding of the boy had grown along with the fact that the boy held far more secrets than she had initially thought. Even his family wasn't privy to any of it beyond a certain point.
The discussions they had only confirmed the astute awareness he held that she would need to secure her power.
She wanted to know all of it, to know what he knew, for him to share everything with her. It was hypocritical. She hadn't shared everything with him even if she shared more about her goals in life than with anyone else.
The rumours regarding Lord Sayre with other important Lords were true and she knew in her bones that Atticus had something to do with the evacuation of London. The bombs were starting to rain down on London and she knew how close she was to living under the threat of those bombs at the orphanage. It had only clicked with her when she met with the Blacks during one of the gatherings. Orion had mentioned it and she got the notion that he must have known about it and had his father convince the ministry. He also got her to stay with him, safe in his ancestral home. He knew that she hated the orphanage and she thought that had been the reason for his offer but she just had an instinctive feeling that he knew more than what was going on.
At the time, she reconsidered everything she knew of him. Prodigy, incredible intellect from an early age, powerful, could be charming when he bothered, treated her in ways no one ever had or dared to.
She had come to a startling conclusion that she still was uncertain about. She knew it was the flimsiest connection but she was rarely wrong about these things. Was he a Seer? It might explain his early development and how he knew things.
She pondered his actions with her. He had always indicated that he knew things about her. Did he know things about her through rumours or was it something he had already known courtesy of his Seeing abilities?
Their political, social and philosophical arguments whilst stimulating were always centred on him making her use him as a whetstone. He was rather unsubtly trying to influence her away from her more...extreme methods. He brought to her numerous books, a mixture of muggle ethics, philosophy and historical books on notable individuals and magical history books 'Blindness comes in many forms Emily' he stated as he tried to initially convince her of validity of the books.
Atticus was important in many ways to her amended plans. For one, his family name and resources along with his own brilliance...and her own interest in him made him a natural ally that she wanted. With House Slytherin and Sayre, they would make for a powerful alliance.
She sighed before twirled a lock of her hair as she leaned back in her chair. She gazed outside of the window and saw more students trickling into the station. He was hers. The connection they had...the way his magic made her feel...they gravitated to each other. There was no other for either of them. They were meant to be the closest of allies, the most special witch and wizard of their kind. They though in similar ways even if he was far more...soft in his own way but he was by no means weak.
The problem was, there was only one way she knew that make certain he would remain hers and hers alone. The thought of some other girl binding herself to him was something that sent her into anger. She was possessive and she was selfish and would do anything to ensure she got what she wanted. But...she didn't know exactly what that was. Did she want a relationship with him? Was she even capable of it? She never intended to be physical with anyone but the thought with him...she flushed at the thoughts. She never thought she would ever be in this situation.
She shook her head and she reflected back on the notion that he might be a Seer.
He also often spoke about ruling, leading her towards avenues that challenged her ideas and notions. He often said he didn't care for ruling, always trying to assuage her of this fact, making himself non threatening to her whilst also trying to ensure she grasped alternative ideas of how to rule rather than through fear and death and through legitimate ways. She had found it amusing when she didn't think about the waste it was considering his magical power but now...she was seeing it from a different perspective.
Was he trying to lead her away because her actions in the future were going to unsuccessful or was it simply an understanding he had that he wanted to make clear to her? It had gnawed at her and half the time she wanted to pry open his mind and take what he knew whilst the other half she simply wanted him to trust her.
It was a maddening duality. She was thankful she came to this theory only just before Hogwarts rather than at the start as she wasn't sure she wouldn't try and figure it out, tipping him off. She had a feeling that he would effectively shut her out and she did not want that.
Above all else, she wouldn't jeopardise him. His attempts to manipulate her were amusing in truth. She would have been far more irritating if she had thought he had ill intentions. It was seemingly all for her own benefit and she hadn't found anything to oppose that. She closed her eyes as she recalled the feeling of his magic when it washed over her. She sighed shuddering in contentment as she opened her dark eyes. She might have blackmailed him momentarily ago but it wasn't malicious, far from it. She shook her head.
He hasn't made too many mistakes, at least obvious ones but they were enough for her to clue things together. Most came from his conduct with her and the evacuation of London which his father, who is normally only in Wizengamot sessions, was instrumental for. She suspected if Atticus was indeed a Seer, then Dumbledore might be able to piece it together if he hadn't already. Atticus was an anomaly, a great one and a man like Dumbledore was someone that liked to exert control wouldn't like anomalies especially one as powerful as Atticus.
Her plans would be changed. Those books he had given her made it apparent of the...follies of certain ways to gain power. She sighed as she rested her head on the back of the seat. She no longer had a desire to only capitalise on purist beliefs. It was her easiest route to gather followers, wealthy followers when she capitalised on her Slytherin blood.
But if her efforts were doomed...his attempts to change her path were clear and his desire to ensure that she 'didn't ruin herself' was something that flashed through her mind this past week. She needed to completely re-evaluate her stances and plans. She had no intention to change her ideas on muggles however and from everything he had told her, he truly believed that muggles were even more dangerous than she herself thought. She hated them but she knew personally and through her readings of how dangerous they were. They were an existential threat to the magical world.
She intended to go into politics. It had always been her plan to become minister of magic force through changes but new ideas formed in her mind on how to go about it. It didn't go unnoticed to her that Atticus himself was becoming prominent thanks to his exploits. He is becoming well known, almost the same as Dumbledore. She pursed her lips. If she hadn't known his sincerity in his aversion to rule... he was setting himself up as a prominent figure in society and she just knew that it was connected to his ambitions even if she didn't know what they were...yet.
Given his worries about muggles and the way magic would end up restricted, she knew he had plans of his own. She ached to know what they were. But she could wait to know. Her lips twitched in fondness as she recalled the wandless duel they had that day by the lake. She shook her head and returned her thoughts to the matter at hand.
Whilst she may no longer deem muggleborns in the same manner as filthy muggles, she believed that the purebloods had valid grievances regarding mudbloods and their infection of the magical world with their muggle ideas and their unwillingness to integrate.
It was something that infuriated her. They dared to come into the magical world and cling on to their muggle values and beliefs? The same beliefs that would decry them as devil spawn, hell spawn?
Mudbloods were an insane security risk the magical world to a degree that she could only see massive fracture in the Statute if not collapse in the near future. She agreed with some of Grindelwald's policies and beliefs, that muggles couldn't be trusted with the safety of the world and that their kind was superior to them. She however did not agree with his notions of tearing down the Statute. She wanted the opposite, to utterly cut off the muggle world from the magical world.
Her associates wanted to put mudbloods and muggles in their place...her more extreme associates wanted to put them down at the end of a wand. They were fools who placed ridiculous amounts of importance on blood to the point that nearly all of them were closely related in some fashion. At the very least the noble families were.
She shook her head. It was a problem she wasn't sure how to tackle...how to keep her associates and their allies close to her, to continue to follow her. Her Slytherin title would be key in ensuring that she had time to sway her to line of thinking...once she had a clear plan.
The magical world needed her to rule in truth. The magical world was ruled by fools and men like Dumbledore wanted to capitalise on it to force through their pro muggle stance and the weakening of magic. She was well aware of the kinds of allies Dumbledore had courtesy of Atticus, Malfoy and her own readings. They decried dark magic and were often heard speaking for restricting the use of magic.
She dreaded to think what would happen after Grindelwald. She knew from history that the period after a war was often when hysteria was high and reactionary policies were enacted to prevent another dark lord when in actuality they would be antagonising purebloods who wanted to keep practicing their family magic and simply give rise to unrest to the point of the possibility of a dark lord rising.
They would turn the magical world into the muggle world and it was something she could never accept.
Her thoughts were disrupted by the opening of the door and she saw Malfoy step in.
"Riddle" Malfoy greeted. "Malfoy" she returned and soon enough her compartment was filled with her associates.
"How was staying at the Sayres?" Orion asked once the compartment had settled down.
She tilted her head as she was in thought and turned to him with half lidded eyes "It was an accommodating stay" she mused "The Sayres were graceful hosts and I am...thankful for their generosity" she said calmly.
"It was your first time in a magical home wasn't it?" Parkinson asked.
Emily nodded "It was. It made my summer quite pleasant for once" she said with her lips curling as she gazed at Parkinson.
Orion scoffed "I should think so. Finally away from the filthy muggles as you should be." He paused as he looked at her shrewdly "Will it be permanent?" he asked curiously and she saw the eyes of the compartment light up in equal interest.
She hummed "I have an open invitation to spend my breaks there." She said as she tilted her head "I have left quite the impression." She said with the slightest upturn of her lips.
Janette Travers, who she had seen and spoken to some of the events she attended with Lady Sayre and who skirted around the edges of her circle piped up "That's wonderful!" she said approvingly "You made quite an impression on my mother when you came to the Shafiq Event. She had endlessly asked me about you." She complained before speaking up quickly "I haven't told her much though!" as she realised who she was talking too.
It was amusing and pleasing to see such placating. "That's good to hear. Your mother was quite interesting to talk to" she said smoothly. She wasn't. She had been a bore.
Janette beamed at her and nodded "She'll be happy to hear that!"
Orion spoke up next "You didn't mention you went to the Shafiq Event when we met." He said as he eyed her curiously.
Her eyes hardened "I wasn't aware...that I needed to mention anything to you...Orion." she said softly with threatening intent to her tone.
His eyes widened and he sat back in his chair cautiously "I didn't mean anything by it..." he said carefully.
After letting a little bit of tension build up she spoke "It merely escaped my notice" she said nonchalantly "I had...a productive and eventful summer." She shrugged lightly.
"Did you spend it often with Atticus Sayre?" Parkinson said as she ran her motorboat mouth of hers. "He's now a master of Transfiguration" she gushed and it annoyed her. "Incredibly handsome, powerful and so so smart" she said quite happily and it raised her ire.
Malfoy hummed "Yes, the Sayre heir is just continuing to show the validity of pureblood superiority" he said quite approvingly before he eyed her in a strange way but he didn't say anything. She pursed her lips at that but she returned her attentions to Parkinson's idiotic question "I lived at his ancestral manor for two and a half months." She said tilting her head "It would have been...odd...if I didn't spent any time with him." She said calmly.
Parkinson seemed to struggle what she wanted to ask but thought better of it. Emily knew that it wouldn't be the first time nor the last that her situation with Atticus would...gain curious eyes.
"Are you going to continue to meet with him like you did last year?" Malfoy asked. She narrowed her eyes as he seemed to suggest more but hadn't dared to ask. Good.
"Of course. We've developed...a camaraderie of sorts" she said plainly as she crossed her legs.
Malfoy narrowed his eyes as he began to think on it "Is he...amenable to our goals?" he asked intently.
She thinned her lips as she considered how to approach the question. It wasn't the first time Malfoy asked the question. She had deflected it then but now...she wouldn't be able to deflect it without making it apparent. She would bring doubt to herself in some ways given that he is known not to care about blood purity in certain ways. He had been shrewd. He treated everyone the same but never said anything to detract or encourage the notion of blood purity.
"Our camaraderie is merely intellectual" she began calmly "He isn't interested in anything politics related. His focus is purely on magic" she shrugged slightly
Malfoy hummed "It is expected I suppose" he said finally.
Rockwood spoke "So the Slytherin Hierarchy will be open for new individuals" he spoke for the first time.
Emily smiled viciously as her eyes turned cold. Malfoy and the rest eyed her warily but were as excited as she was. It would be the first step to control Slytherin house.
"Yes..." she said softly but with anticipation "We are in for an interesting year, ladies and gentlemen" she said as she eyed Orion who looked as excited as her to win his seat.