Well, I didn't get ten reviews, so I'm posting today, instead of yesterday :) I did, however get 7 (plus one new review for chapter one) and I'm so grateful!! Thanks so much. Anywha, here is chapter three, "To Lie and Tell the Truth" bum-bum-BAAA! lol Yay, so, enjoy!
-Niger walks in and turns on television, pops in a DVD and hits play- Scene selection: Act I scene 3! -Niger sits silently down and glares at Trinka- I've decided to make him my slave until further notice. He really does love it; he's just acting. Aren't you? -Niger glares- Yeah, so…on with the show! Act I scene 3
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He watched the rest of the sorting half-heartedly and was pleased to see that Ron Weasley was placed in Gryffindor, which seemed to relieve him. After the sorting finished, however, Niger felt disturbed. It hadn't taken ten minutes for anyone else. So, what was wrong with him?
He couldn't ignore what the hat had said and one thing kept running through his head. No longer a part of your life you say. Is that what you think? They weren't part of his life! His father told him they had gone off and left him and then gotten themselves killed. If Voldemort hadn't found him, he would have died too. They hadn't cared about him, and he refused to care about them.
Dumbledore stood and gave a few notices which none of the Slytherins seemed to listen to, and at length the feast appeared on the plates in front of them.
"Finally," growled Malfoy. "I thought he'd never stop talking." This being said, he dug in. Half the food in front of them promptly disappeared as Crabbe and Goyle began feeding themselves. Niger filled his plate and slowly emptied it, not wanting to make a spectacle of himself while eating like the boys surrounding him were.
As he was eating he began looking around. His eyes strayed to the head table. Dumbledore, who thankfully was not looking at him at the moment, was sitting with Professor McGonagall on his right and a very short stout man on his left. If Niger wasn't mistaken, it seemed the man on Dumbledore's left was sitting on a pile of books. On McGonagall's right was a woman with the appearance of a large bug who could only be the Divination's teacher – no other teacher would allow herself to look that strange. On the short man's left was a man who caught and kept Niger's attention. Tall with long dark hair, much like Niger's, his eyes often strayed to the Slytherin table with a slight smile.
He must be the head of Slytherin house.
"Who? Snape? Yeah, also the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said Malfoy following his gaze. Niger was a bit taken aback. He hadn't realized he'd spoken the question aloud. Control yourself! he berated himself.
"Do you know who the other teachers are?" asked Niger, trying to change the subject a bit.
"Nah. I only know Snape 'cause he and my father were friends for a while."
"For a while? What happened?"
"Well, my father went to join your father and Snape didn't. I don't think Snape even knew what my father was up to. Father says he hasn't seen him since Snape's last year at Hogwarts. He heard that he'd gotten the coveted job of Defense Teacher, though. That's how I know who he is." All this was said with an air of one handing out very valuable information. Niger rolled his eyes. Draco was going to get really irritating after a while if he didn't stop trying to impress Niger.
The feast was soon over and everyone began to migrate toward the doors, all the first years of each house in a huddle behind their prospective Prefects. The Slytherin Prefects led them down to the dungeons to a blank wall. "The password is Devils Snare." Hearing the password, a door opened in the wall, a door which reminded Niger very strongly of a giant toothy mouth. Into the belly of the beast, Niger thought with a sadistic grin.
Walking in to the common room, Niger suddenly felt very much at home. He could tell that his father had used this area of the school to inspire much of the decorum of the house they now lived in. Grey stone walls and rooms decorated in Green and Silver. Oh yes, Niger was going to enjoy being a Slytherin.
This thought, however, reminded him again of the sorting hat. Gryffindor may be the house for you. Niger felt himself shiver, and it had nothing to do with the chilliness of the dungeon room.
"First years," began the Prefect, pulling Niger's attention back, "are one floor down. The boys use this stair case, the girls, the one over there." One floor down? Niger thought. How far below the ground does this castle go, I wonder.
Turning to the left, Niger followed the stairway down one floor until he reached a door with 'First Years" engraved in a flowing script above it. He opened the door and walked in to a room of nothing but Green and Silver: the walls, the bed sheets, the hangings…the light fixture. How a black light fixture could give off that much light, Niger didn't know. It could only be by magic.
He found his trunk at the foot of a bed near the window. Window? Wait a second! On closer inspection, he saw out the window, not any scenery that would be found around Hogwarts, or even Hogsmeade, but a rolling countryside of purple Moore. The sun had set and Niger could just make out fireflies blinking in the distance. Rather cheerful for a Slytherin room, wasn't it?
Niger shrugged and yawned so wide it made his jaw crack. He needed sleep. That thought being made, he changed into his sleep clothes, tore back the covers and was asleep before the rest of the first year boys had even come in.
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Niger stood in a dark room whose only light radiated from a fireplace in the corner. A voice spoke, high pitched and chilling.
"Niger," it spoke sternly.
"Yes, father," Niger turned toward his father's voice. He was sitting in a chair, the only piece of furniture in the room, and his eyes were on his son.
"How did it go?" Lord Voldemort asked in a whisper.
"Just fine, father. I was placed in Slytherin, and have already made friends with Lucius' son and his two clones – friends! – Crabbe and Goyle." Niger's face paled a bit and he hoped his father would not punish him for the slip-up.
Voldemort smiled a very chilly smile at his son. "What do you think of them? Lucius speaks often of Draco and his desire to join us."
Niger swallowed and in the quiet room, the sound echoed. "Well, father…I find the Malfoy boy rather irritating in his persistence to show off, and Crabbe and Goyle are about as stupid as they are ugly." He always found it best to tell his father the truth. Even without Legimency, he seemed very apt to know when Niger was lying…Niger was a very bad liar.
Niger shivered as his father chuckled, but he kept his face passive. Showing any emotion in front of his father was a good way to get badly punished.
"Well, I will keep that bit of information from Lucius. I'm sure he is aware of his son's defect, but he would not enjoy having it pointed out." This sounded like a strangely tame response from his father, but he decided not to press his luck. "Are there any others you've made friends with?"
This was it. Come on Niger, you can't be that bad at lying Not even lying. You haven't really made friends with the Weasley boy...you're just planning on it. "No father. None…so far, that is," he added hastily. His father's face hardened slightly, and Niger knew he had called his bluff. But he said nothing.
Niger was nervous. His father had never let Niger get away with lying to him in the slightest. Something was going on. But what? He didn't have to wait long to find out.
"I'm going to be conducting some business over the next several weeks, so I won't be contacting you like this, and I want you to close your mind off before you sleep. I don't want you to worry about what's going on here while you're gone. I'll get a message to you if we need to talk. Is that understood?"
Niger didn't trust his voice, so he just nodded.
"Well, since everything seems to be going well, I will let you get back to your sleep. You have a long year ahead of you."
Niger nodded again, and the room around him dissolved.
His eyes opened and he peered into the darkness of the boys' dormitory. Though his father had told him to sleep, he couldn't possibly do so right now. What business could his father conduct himself in that would require secrecy from his son? Niger knew his father kept secrets from him. Voldemort was the most powerful wizard there ever was, and Niger was just a boy; of course there were things kept from him. But his father had never outright told him that he would be keeping something from him.
Either way, though, it was best to do as his father told him. Clearing his mind of all thoughts – all emotions – Niger closed his eyes again and regulated his breathing. Right before he fell into a dreamless sleep, he shot up from his bed with a cry.
His scar had begun to burn.
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Ooooh! Hehehe Thanks to my reviewers:
Chips Challenge: rotfl Ohmagosh, a howler from Voldemort. That would be frightening. I'm not sure I'd live through that. Though, Niger might, he's a strong little boy -Niger glares again, trying not to look pleased by the compliment- hehehe
Hermione HP: Well, until the chapters run out, I'll probably post every three to four days, as long as I don't forget –blushes- that has been known to happen. Well, I hope you continue to think that they get better. I certainly enjoy them more as they go along!
Tarawen: Yay! I'm on your favorite authors list?? I'm so honored! Thank you!
Spaced Out Space Cadet: Yes, I love Draco in these first couple of chapters, while he tries to decide how to act. hehehe I love making Draco awkward…I do the same thing in Draco Duckling, don't I? -winks- Fun fun :)
BlackDiva: Thanks so much!
Guava-juice: Yes, Niger Noctum actually means "black night," though, if I remember correctly, I may have fudged the Noctum part, but Niger means black and Noctum (or some word very similar to it) means night in latin. Great fun. I got the idea from one of my friends who always says "Carpe Noctum": seize the night. lol Yes well, I couldn't very well make "dark Harry" a Mary Sue, but I also couldn't make someone so naturally nice completely evil. I suspect this will kind of turn into a nature vs. nurture thing. hehehe
sami1010220: Yeah, actually, I kind of got this idea from a girl that I was beta-ing for. She was fine with me using the idea, and she was kind of turning him into a Sue, so I wanted to do something similar and make him not perfect. –grins- I'm glad you like it.
Okay, and, my incentive for next update…if I get ten reviews I'll make both Niger and Draco my slaves! -Niger looks horrified and tries to run away- On second thought…if I get ten reviews, I'll make Draco work for Niger for the day. Oooh. I like that. I hope I get ten reviews, 'cause I could have fun with that. I'm sure Niger would too. -Niger smiles evilly-