Orion passed me a note in Potions, the Blacks were having a meeting in the common room at seven. So after I had finished reading the third chapter of the mind arts book I had found in my bedroom I hurried down to the common room. I was the last one to arrive, feeling uncomfortable I checked my watch, still three minutes early. There was a seat left next to Cedrella, but I couldn't help but inwardly cringe and instead sat between Dorea and Alphard.
"Good evening, Poppy," Cassie said as I entered. The sofas and armchairs were arranged in an equal circle, but immediately all eyes locked to the eldest Black. looked about the room everyone looked to her to lead the meeting. Of course.
"I have received an owl from my brother," she stated, pulling out a sheet of parchment.
"To my dear sister," she read, in a strong, clear voice. "It has been decided that this year, the Blacks will go for Christmas at Black Manor. If agreeable to you all, you will travel by train to Kings Cross Station on the last day of term. You, Callidora and Lucretia will apparate home and elves will assist your younger cousins. All of you, will be staying at Black Manor for the entirety of the Christmas holidays before returning to Hogwarts in January. The rest of the family will join you once their professional engagements cease for the holiday season. Uncle Sirius has agreed that you may invite your school friends for a party on New Year's Eve, should you so wish. Please give the enclosed packages to my forgetful children. Irma and I send our love to all of you. Yours faithfully, Pollux Black."
She threw three small packages to Alphard, Cygnus and Walburga. Aphard, excitedly unwrapped his wand holster, Cygnus; his favourite Quidditch gloves and Walburga her preferred quill.
"Well, Christmas is going to be manic then," Lucretia concluded with a sigh. "But it does mean three weeks of beating you all at Quidditch!"
I laughed as the torrent of abuse which followed that statement filled the common room, the most polite of which was 'bugger off, you fly like a merman on a boulder', until Cassie put up a hand to silence then.
"I take it we are in agreement with their plans then," she deduced, shaking her head at their antics.
There was a round of shrugs and nodding.
"So it's settled, now on to New Year, what does everyone think about the party?" she asked.
"It has to be the best party Hogwarts has ever seen," Orion said firmly.
"It's a Black party, it has to be spectacular," Cedrella agreed.
"I vote we invite the entire upper school," Charis proposed.
"Hey!" Walburga shouted.
"Fine," Charis groaned, rolling her eyes. "And fourth year."
"All of them?" Cassie confirmed. "Are we sure we want everybody running amuck around Black Manor." I watched eagerly to see how this would pan out.
"Bloody hell, come on Cassie," Alphard scoffed. "We all know this whole inter-house rivalry is all bullshit." Cassie visibly paled.
"And besides," I laughed, trying to clear the tension in the air. "We can use it as an excuse to boast." Cassie gave me a small smile.
"It's settled then," she said breezily. "Everyone shall be invited." She considered Walburga, who was leaning forward, hands pressed forward in begging position, eyes wide with desperation.
"Even fourth year," she sighed eventually, her lips upturned into a grimace at the thought of Walburga and her friends running around the manor.
Ignoring Walburga's whoops of delight, Charis pressed on.
"We need a theme, everyone must dress up," she stated.
Cassie looked pensive for a moment.
"Everyone must dress up as a colour," she said. "Charm their hair, wear the right clothes. They must be completely one colour to get in."
"That's a surprisingly good idea," Cygnus said with a shrug. "I'm all for it."
Everyone agreed on the idea, but Orion was frowning.
"Pray, what is the matter Orion?" Cassie questioned impatiently.
"The Malfoys are spending Christmas in France this year," he explained. "And Abraxas didn't want to go see his ghastly distant relatives, so he is staying here at Hogwarts. He won't be able to come."
"And Tom will be at Hogwarts too," Cygnus pointed out. "And Raimond."
Cassie thought for a moment, she knew how much all of her family would miss the company on the three boys who were good friends to many of them.
"Very well," she said. "I will owl Uncle Sirius in the morning and ask him if we may have a few friends to stay for Christmas. I'm sure he will be more than happy to accept."
"Capital idea Cassie," Alphard said, clapping his hands together.
I guess it was settled then.
I had been pouring over my book for so long that I had missed dinner.
It was fascinating. So far I had read the principles of thought insertion and was eager to try it out. The idea of making someone have an idea or a feeling, and think it was their mind that came up with it, was enticing. It had taken me so long to read the first section because I had been visualising and practicing as I went. My mind was already conditioned for mind arts, so I hoped that after a few tries, it would come naturally. The next section was making people act voluntarily on those feelings.
I first tried it out, when I was on my way down to the kitchens; it was not yet curfew and a trio of Hufflepuff first years passed me on the way to their common room.
Carefully I tried to plant a feeling in the closest one's mind and was extremely satisfied when I heard the quiet chuckle he gave.
"What's so funny Gavin?" another asked.
"Oh, I was just remembering something," he replied vaguely. "I hardly know."
Almost gleefully, I descended to the kitchens.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Tom," I commented as I stepped through the painting of the fruit bowl.
"I missed dinner," he said disinterestedly. "I was practicing."
"I'll have a plate of dinner made up," I said to the nearest house elf, which was looking up with large, awaiting eyes.
"Yes Miss Poppy," the elf replied, scampering off.
"Any luck with it then?"
"I've been practicing what you said, and I think I have the motion worked out, but it's a lot harder with someone else in your mind. It's like you don't have enough space, to think about what to do next," he explained, stabbing his pork chop with irritation.
"It will come with practice," I told him. "Besides, you are very good, easily the second best student here." Tom sent me a dark look as he chewed his pork chop, I grinned.
"Do you want me to try again?" I asked. "Gently, to check your movements are correct."
He nodded once and I entered his mind. Sure enough, when I probed gently, I was greeted with nondescript memories of little importance. I pulled out quickly.
"That was very good," I complimented, accepting the plate of food from the elf. "You have perfected the movement, that's quite an achievement in such a short time. "
"Don't patronise me, Poppy," he snapped, his dark eye aflame. I frowned, surprised by his sudden outburst.
"You know I didn't mean it like that," I said calmly.
"Of course you didn't," he snarled. "You just love to prove that you're better at me at something. To flaunt what cheap legillimency tricks you know."
My anger flared.
"How dare you?" I demanded. "Do you think I would just let you prance about trying to read people's minds until one day you caught a good one and they did unimaginably gruesome things to you from the inside."
"Telling me would have sufficed," he snarled. "You're just dying to prove you are as accomplished as every other fucking Black in this school. You have to have something which defines you as better than them, because their blood is pure and you don't know about yours."
My jaw dropped. It was as if Tom had slapped me across the face.
"And I suppose never knowing my mother is something to be laughed at, isn't it," I said in a low voice. "The fact my parents aren't together is my crime, the fact my mother is dead and that I have a loving family who took me in regardless of how they feel about my father's choices is something that I must be punished for."
"Do you truly believe that if we come from questionable beginnings, that we cannot rise above them?" I asked, tone clipped, one eyebrow raised in challenge. "Next time you ask for my help, I'll be sure to remember to ignore it," I said finally, turning to an elf. "I will eat this in Ravenclaw tower, please collect the plate in half an hour."
The incessant rage was still bubbling within me, and I fully blame that for what I did next.
"Goodnight Tom," I said icily, before turning, so I could not be accused of sharing eye contact. I pushed the image of us kissing into his mind, hot and angry and passionate. It was not a simple peck, but a sinfully fervent and lustful kiss, that would torment him for hours. I left the kitchens without a second look, smirking at the delicious torture I had just inflicted.
Later, I sat in bed and wondered what in Merlin's name I had hoped to achieve with that.
I went for an extra-long and early run that morning, by the time Abraxas joined me, I had already ran one lap of the lake. He greeted me, but I kept pace, my eyes focussed. Of course, Abraxas kept up with me easily this time, but I was determined and kept a steady pace until the end.
Abraxas, who had run with me all the way round, had not said a word other than his original greeting. Though usually, he was a little dense when it came to emotional matters which should be dealt with tact. Even he could sense the hostile air I must have radiated, the clench of my jaw and the steely set of my eyes, he must have thought that someone had upset me. They hadn't.
Someone had enraged me, incensed me beyond his own understanding.
When we reached the Entrance Hall, I still had not uttered a single word. He respected this and did not push instead he just gave my hand a brief squeeze and silently made his way back to the Slytherin dorms.
I didn't even notice really, my mind was on someone else entirely.
I want to talk to you –T
I scrunched the scrap of parchment into a ball and carried on writing what Professor Binns was dictating, it seemed I was the only one doing so.
Poppy, I mean it –T
I sighed and with more than a little aggravation, scribbled a note myself before flicking across the room with the snap of a finger.
You said enough last night –P
I wanted to apologize -T
Of course he did. I rolled my eyes and went back to my class notes.
Poppy, I'm exhausted from all this practicing, I wasn't in the right frame of mind at all. Forgive me, I should never had said such a thing –T
But it is how you feel, nonetheless. We have nothing more to say to each other –P
Meet me in the library at five- T
"You're late," Tom commented casually, shutting his book.
"I never agreed to be here," I said coldly, sitting straight up in the hard wooden chair. Tom ignored my comment, flicking his wand to erect privacy wards.
"Accept my apology Poppy," he said.
"You haven't given me one," I retorted, arms crossed. He sighed and looked to the ceiling, as if looking for divine guidance.
"I am sorry for talking to you in such a manner," he said, as if it pained him to do so. "It was out of order."
"Okay," I replied in a small voice, not meeting his eyes. "I understand that practicing must have put you under a lot of strain."
"You must understand, I …admire your distinctions and I appreciate you showing me your abilities, it was most enlightening." I was silent. "I don't know why I said those things to you in the kitchens. It was as though my mind was an elastic band, and it was finally stretched until it snapped. I assure you it will not happen again."
I nodded once.
"I can sympathize," I grudgingly admitted.
"Forgive me Poppy," he instructed, his voice was softly persuasive, his eyes imploring. Or manipulative.
"I forgive you."
A pleasant smile spread across his face. I ripped my eyes away from his lips.
"So you'll still practice with me?" he prompted. I was silent for a while.
"No Tom," I answered eventually, shaking my head. "I have my own practicing to do."
"Don't be like that," he said, tempting her. "I'll make it worth it your while."
"You have nothing that I want," I said, bristling.
"Come on Poppy, you know I can give you everything you have ever desired," his voice was low, enticing; I couldn't help but be drawn to it. "What do you want? I can find out who your mother is."
"It does not matter who my mother is," I said firmly. "My mother left when I was a baby and then she died. Her identity is of no importance to me. She is better of left in the past."
Tom looked surprised, but only momentarily. He hid it well.
"I will help you," I continued. "But I will call in my repayment in the future." I smirked and he gave a small laugh and nodded.
"I can't do this anymore," Tom sighed, leaning back in his chair and massaging his temples.
"You said we were going to practice all night," I pointed out, grinning slightly at his surrender.
"If you recall I never said what at," he countered. Immediately my mind skipped to something, highly inappropriate, though his tone had implied nothing of the sort, I silently scolded myself. Thankfully he noticed nothing peculiar.
"Right then," I said swiftly. "We'll practice something else." I conjured six colourful juggling balls into my hands, swiftly launching three at Tom, who caught them with ease.
"Are you going to tell me what the purpose of learning to juggle is?" he asked.
"It's meant to help with Occulmency," I said with a noncommittal shrug. "Or so I've read, because it gets different parts of the brain working."
Tom frowned, but picked up the balls nonetheless.
"Can you juggle?" he asked.
"I have never tried," I admitted. "But I've read the basic steps of getting started."
Twenty minutes later, I was watching Tom with amusement, for a beginner, he was actually very good and picking up the steps well. I on the other hand, was hopeless and my mind had quickly wandered to the other things I was learning.
I focussed on Tom, who looked completely immersed in the learning of such a trivial, muggle skill. Trying desperately to ignore the almost sweet look of concentration he had, I gently pushed an emotion into his mind.
"You know," he said suddenly, looking up with a bright smile. "I think I'm getting the hang of this."
"You are definitely better than me," I said, smiling back. I had manipulated the emotions of someone who was not a first year.
"Well you must be used to that," he teased, his voice was jovial, something I savoured. I didn't get to hear that tone from him often after all.
Giving him a disapproving look, but supressing a smile, I threw a juggling ball at his head. He caught it, a mere inch before his nose.
"Poppy, did you just try to assault me?" he questioned, fixing me with his burning gaze, yet his lips, upturned at the corners gave him a roughish expression.
"Purely accidental," I purred. "You know I would never do anything to compromise your safety."
"As if you could," he scoffed.
"You've never seen me duel," I said fairly, taunting him to react, but with my assistance, he was in too good a mood to retaliate.
"I look forward to it," he said, before looking pensive. "Would you like a drink?"
"A drink?" I repeated, almost stunned.
"Tea, coffee, wine, juice…" he listed, counting them off on his fingers. I gave him a strange look. It was as if I had just arrived to have a conversation with someone with social skills.
Real, functional social skills.
How much exactly, had I addled his mind?
"I think I'll need a glass of wine," I muttered weakly. Tom was obliging, and conjured us both goblets of a deep red wine.
An hour later, after an interesting debate about Ancient Runes, Tom walked me back to Ravenclaw tower and was even cordial in saying goodnight. I admit I did discreetly pinch myself at one point, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming about this kind of drastic and disconcerting change.
I wasn't sure whether it was too unnerving to guide his emotions again.