Chapter 2: Liars

Hogwarts, September 1, 1968

Alphe waited a few moments, braving a few shoves and elbows as the bulk of Slytherin filtered out of the Great Hall. He had sent his friends to the common room ahead of the rest of their house. Hoping they could avoid confrontation if they didn't lag. Alphe took the moment of seclusion in the bustling and boisterous hall to collect his thoughts. His calm blue eyes roved across the staff table. Slughorn seems desperate for Dumbeldore's attention this year. Hoping to string that man along like Dippet is a fool's errand. . Instead, it seemed that the Headmaster, although perfectly polite to the Potions Master, was far more engaged with Professor McGonagall. Dumbeldore is supposedly a genius at transfiguration and was allegedly a Gryfindor when he attended Hogwarts. As if those need any more preferential treatment. What caught his eye was the absence of Professor Hooknose of Defense Against the Dark Arts, or a replacement.

"Mudblood" an overly greasy blonde spat at him, breaking his thoughts.

As an especially smug Malfoy strolled out of the hall, Alphe stood up to begin leading the first years. Aetos was waiting for him with a blank expression at the far end of the table where the first years were sat.

"Slytherin House over here please" she called out, her voice barely above conversational volume. All of the first years were laser-focused on her. "I'm Cynthia Aetos, a fifth-year Prefect."

"And I'm Alphe Salvat, your other fifth-year Prefect, we'll be leading you all to the Slytherin common room so stay close," Alphe added with a smile, stepping into stride with Aetos as they veered towards the dungeons.

"You're looking awfully gib tonight Salvat." Alphe's aloof counterpart commented as they veered around the east wing.

"Glad to finally be back that's all."

"That's surprising Alphe." she drawled overly sweetly. "After that commotion with the Principles last year, I wouldn't think you'd be eager to return to the Snake's nest." her eyes locked ahead.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Aetos. Black and I had our differences but I had nothing to do with his, absence." Alphe retorted cooly, eyes wandering along the portraits.

"Of course not, all I'm saying is that it seems like you got lucky. The rest of us couldn't care what the Principles do to you, but we definitely don't like seeing another student shipped off to Saint Mungos. You had better tread carefully this year Salvat." she finished as they reached the dungeons. That persistent silence of theirs slid back into place.

"Listen up First Years. This is the entrance to our common room, The password changes every month, for now, it is Purity." She droned on about schedules and house rules until Alphe was obligated to contribute.

"You are all responsible for finding your way to meals at the appropriate times, to your classes, and for upholding our house's good standing. Our Head of House, Professor Slughorn, will certainly finish this talk with you all tonight." The glares tonight were surprising. Alphe couldn't remember ever being stared at with such disgust by children he had never meant. Years of orphanages had left him cold, but not so much that he missed the first year's reaction to his little speech. "If you have any questions or concerns both of us, and any other Prefects are here to help." He finished, eager to get away from the little buggers.

Elaine and Charlie were accustomed to being alert at Hogwarts. They were, at least individually, easy targets for their house's ire. Together, and especially with Alphe, they were far safer. But Alphe was preoccupied with marching a team of little pureblood brats to the common room, so the pair braved their first night back at Hogwarts without their best wand. They shared a companionable silence, both happy to stew in their own frustrations over their damned housemates, twice damned politics, and thrice damned Principles.

"Wands ready Elaine. I have a bad feeling about tonight." Charlie said quietly.

"Maybe. They know Alphe's preoccupied. But I doubt even they're dumb enough to start things again by cursing us in the common room." as she drew her light-toned yew wand from her sleeve. "On the off chance a few centuries of inbreeding has made them that dumb, you shield while I cast, and we get out as fast as possible. Charlie, you got that?" Elaine questioned again, looking for some understanding in Charlie's eyes.

"If they start something, we curse them till they stop. I told Alphe we wouldn't make some grand display and restart hostilities, but I'm sure as hell not going to let those pricks curse us first." Charlie spewed, his wand already drawn as they approached the final corridor to the common room.

"No, instead we'll both get cursed to oblivion! Get your head right Charlie! The two of us cannot take more than three of them on at once. It doesn't matter how angry you are, Nott and Selwyn are both better duelists than us. They will beat us bloody in front of the whole house if we give them a chance. Now listen here. You will shield Charlie." Elaine spoke with absolute patience and control, pausing to make sure Charlie was actually listening. "And I will counter curse till we are safe in the tower. They're going to be counting on Alphe being out of the picture. The Principles won't risk a fight with him this early. Please, Charlie, don't do something stupid tonight." she pleaded with her hot-headed friend.

"And why the fuck are we letting them decide when we cross wands with them ay?" Charlie huffed. "Last I checked the two of us are still better duelists than almost any of those pureblood pricks! We can take them El, and we have to!"

"It's bigger than that Charlie, think clearly for fucks sake. We might win a fight tonight," she paused, "if Nott and Selwyn don't intervene, but we'll be burning all the good standing we've built since last year. The tides are changing and mudblood scum like us aren't going to be stuck on the outside forever. Alphe sees that which is why he's not going in wand blazing and putting all the Principles in the dirt tonight. This year is going to be a hell of a lot more complicated than just cursing the cunts in the face You need to see that. This isn't about looking like we're in charge, it's making sure that we are. Elaine warned as they came to the hidden stone door "Now Charlie, keep your wand up, and shield only if someone throws something nasty at us."

"Hmph, I hate politics" Charlie huffed, wand dutifully in hand, as the door slid open.

Hogwarts, September 2, 1968

"Settle down now!" The small and energetic charms master called from his podium at the head of the classroom. "I hope you've all had a revitalizing summer as we have a great deal of material to work through this year. In fact, this will almost certainly be the most taxing year of your studies until those of you who choose to, sit your NEWT exams. Your OWLs are no small matter and will set you down a path for the rest of your years. I expect the utmost focus and dedication to your work this year. Now, today we begin a study of the summoning charm. An incredibly versatile and useful spell in everyday life. As well as a great benchmark for the average difficulty of the spells we will be learning this year." Fillius added with a jubilant smile.

"Master Salvat, would be so kind as to demonstrate the spell for your peers, please? Summon this apple, verbally please."

"Of course Professor," Alphe stood from his customary spot in the back row with his mates "Accio Apple" he intoned, carefully enunciating every sound. Two years of practice as Flitwick's "junior assistant" had made him quite a good teacher. Predictably the Apple flew gracefully into his open palm.

"Wonderful show Master Slavat, take 10 points to Slytherin for a masterful demonstration!" Flitwick cheered. Alphe sat down slowly, biting into the apple and watching the blank expressions on most of how classmates' faces. Most except for Yaxley and Malfoy who could never help but sneer when one-upped by a mudblood. "Now for the rest of you, you'll be practicing in pairs, take the apples on your table, and attempt to summon them from either end of the table. There's no particular wand motion as you certainly noticed from Mr. Salvat's showing, but beginners will find a gentile flick of their wand to be of great help. Begin!"

Alphe enjoyed watching his pompous housemates struggle aimlessly with a spell he had mastered in his third year. Most of them at least, Aetos, Selwyn, and Nott got it almost immediately, but the rest of the Principles… He took in the show in between readings from a massive tome on theoretical applications of interwoven wards and throwing tips at Charlie who was having little luck with the spell.

"What do you mean I need more intent? How "intent" can I be about having an apple sail at my face Alphe? I want it! Ok?" Charlie yelled, presumably at the apple.

"Just focus on the desire for it to come to you, you need to push that intent to the front of your mind. If that's not working try visualizing ok, it's a crutch but better you get a feel for the spell than keep shouting at an apple Charlie" Alphe responded, eyes still scanning the unruly tome.

"Git" Charlie muttered playfully, as he turned back to try summoning the apple from Elaine again. "Accio apple" he chirped, picturing the apple sailing into his hand as it did for Alphe. And so it did smacking into his palm.

"Hey hey, there it is, if only you'd told me ten minutes earlier Alphe-"

"Accio apple" Elaine cast, barely flicking her wand as the apple sailed back into her hand. "Let's do it again ay Charlie before we get too full of ourselves" smiling across the table at her swaggering partner. "Alphe, what will it take for you to teach me the banishing charm?" she asked sweetly."

"Nothing you can offer me dearest" Alphe retorted with a snort. "Unless you'd like to do my Rune's essay?"

"And why do you need me to write you an essay for your best class?" Elaine drawled back, only half listening as she leaned into her seat. Throwing silent summoning charms at the Lion's chairs.

"I rather focus on my personal studies, and I don't feel like writing" he retorted, stretching his hands and watching his best friend's antics.

"Fine, it's a de-aww" Elaine squealed as the empty air under her left her sprawling.

"Victory is sweet!" Charlie sighed, tucking his wand away as he threw his feet up on Elaine's former chair.

The trio left Charms in high spirits. Lingering at the back of the blob of Slytherin fifth years embarking to Defense.

"Did you guys see Professor Hooknose at breakfast, he wasn't at the feast last night?" Alphe looked back and asked.

"No, he could be ill. Maybe predisposed. Maybe McGonagal is covering today." Charlie shivered.

"I hope Dumbledore didn't sack him. He's already running things very differently than Dipept did." Alphe demured, "All us Prefects met with him after curfew, big group introduction. He's an odd man."

"Seems like he's doing a good job of it." Elaine returned, "I know you had Dippet wrapped around your finger Alphe, but the rest of us were not quite good enough to make up for our birth. Dumbledore at least seems more progressive. And before you lot start, McGonnogal has always been completely fair to us. Slughorn only tolerates us because we're reflecting well on "his" house." Elaine ranted, pulling ahead of her friends.

"Come on, you have to admit that having him running the school the past few years has been fun. He's always eager to remind the Huffelpuffs of their place."

"I can't imagine how he was selected to be Deputy Headmaster, seniority aside McGonnogal is obviously the best choice," Elaine called back.

"Not for me mate, she's scary." Charlie made to check behind him "and she's bloody everywhere, I bet you she'll have us in detention for everything last year if Dumbeldore picks her."

"I doubt it. Dumbeldore, for all the ass-kissing he's getting, doesn't seem interested in helping the Principles. He made a point of mentioning how happy he was 'To see the diversity of Magical Britain so wonderfully represented in our Cohort of Prefects."" Alphe said still staring out the galleries as the trio approached their Defence classroom. "Either way, I don't think we have to worry about staff catching on to the ass beating we gave them. Black was released from St. Mungos over the summer and is bouncing around the continent shopping for a more "traditional" education from what I hear." Alphe grimaced, thinking about just how dark a "traditional" education could be in the eyes of the Principles. Hunting muggles was a rather traditional sport after all. "We might have to remind the rest of them not to slide into old habits, but as long as we move on Selwyn and Nott before Yule, I think the message will sink in permanently this time."

"I still think that we should curse them bloody in the common room. There are ways we can play to be defending ourselves" Charlie huffed, kicking at the back of Alphe's shoes. Never willing to turn down a chance to curse purebloods.

"For heaven's sake Charlie, why does it matter if you curse them in the common room or in an abandoned classroom, they're getting theirs either way?" Elaine groaned. "There's no need to be a barbarian."

"They need to be humiliated," Charlie said quietly, stopping the group, suddenly very serious. "They need to understand that they're nothing more than us and that everyone knows that. They need to be seen as losing to us. Otherwise, this never ends and we don't really win."

Elaine had her hands on her temple, tired of going back and forth over this. "So what if it never ends Charlie? They're hardly the last of the Purebloods. What are you going to do after we beat them? Start crushing all the other Purebloods who look down on you? What about all the ones who think you're scrum but are too polite to call you a mudblood in the halls? What about the Inbred Huffelpuffs that still think their family tree entitles them to a country, but one where you get a fancy badge and title? Are you gonna curse Bones and Smith in the Ministry Atrium?"

"Drop it," Alphe whispered, as a tall man he'd never seen before, in flowing grey robes turned the corner.

"Children, if you would," the dark-haired stranger called to the group. "I believe we're running late."

Alphe, Elaine, and Charlie were staring at the approaching mam in shared confusion.

"I believe you're supposed to be attending Defence now, no? Prefects are expected to be role models Mr. Salvat, and being dragged to class, friends in tow by your Professor hardly makes for a good example." the somber looking man, apparently Professor, lectured them with no expression on his well-tanned face. "Now follow me, we won't be wasting any more time in the hall." He started around the corner to his class, the students dutifully following. They followed into the already seated class and squeezed into the front row, all three sharing a table.

"Good afternoon everyone. I am Professor Delrid." the blue-eyed professor finally revealed. "I apologize for my tardiness but this just so happens to be my first class. Nonetheless, I'm looking quite forward to getting to know you all." Delrid smiled, though it didn't seem to reach his eyes. "I'm afraid this is going to be a rather packed year. With your OWLs being sat in June, we'll have to take a rather special approach to class in order to have you all prepared. Now I've heard that this class is further ahead than most of Hooknose's others. That doesn't mean much as far as I'm concerned. Hooknose was my Defence Against the Dark Arts professor when I attended, and I'm quite certain that the quality of his lessons hasn't improved in the past twenty-ish years. And so we'll be spending the next month or so revising his previous lessons." Professor Delrid lectured, with something like a scowl on his face. "From there on till June I will be drilling each of you heavily in the different magics that Dark wizards are so eager to use on you. For today, we'll be having more philosophical discussions to set the class. And to open it up, I ask you all. What is Dark Magic? Take a few moments to discuss." He commanded, settling down at his massive desk with his eyes roving the class of Slytherins and Ravenclaws.

"Alright then, that seems like enough time," Delrid announced after forty minutes of decidedly immaterial conversation. Alphe couldn't help but think that this man was a game of some kind.

"The question I posed to you all was very complex." Delrid began walking through the columns of students, "And although it seems unfair to expect fifth years to understand the deeper philosophical and existential issues arising from the notion of specific "dark" magics. I do hope that some of you are capable of providing me with more than "evil" and demonstrating your mastery in Ministry boot licking. Tirmis! Let's start with you!" the professor turned on the short Ravenclaw boy.

"Yes sir, I uh, well, we," he gestured to his reddening partner "considered that magics cast with the intent to harm could be classified as dark. Sir." he stammered out. Was that supposed to actually mean something? He certainly is a Ravenclaw. Alphe thought.

"Very good Mr. Tirmis. Dark Magic can indeed harm others. 3 Three points to Ravenclaw." he congratulated sweetly. "And let's consider that every magic can indeed hurt someone. That for most spells, even many of those that each and every one of you would consider "dark", once one achieves a certain mastery over magic, the intent to harm is entirely unnecessary. Thus since for most magics, the intent of casting cannot be discerned, either by a third body or even necessarily the caster themselves, all magics are dark, and not dark at once. The natural consequence of half-hearted wordplay from half-brained brats. Twenty points from Ravenclaw for half-assed bullshit Mr. Tirmis! If you wish to play word games you would do well not to try them with me."

"Yes, yes, sir." Tirmis whimpered, properly humiliated. Delridge went on, absolutely calm,

"Dark Magic is misused as a term, it is an entirely arbitrary classification. A crutch that we in civilized societies use to distinguish the boundaries of fair play. I do not want my students to leave my class, senselessly following the dogmas of others. That practice has played out for the past several decades and the costs have mounted to a continent, to date. Each and every one of you will be expected to understand that although these abstract and rather, politicized, ideas are arbitrary. They are necessary. They are what allows us to sit in this room, and engage one another peacefully." he smirked. "Now, I will be releasing you all early. You will be expected to deliver me 12 inches by the end of the month on the reasoning behind the classification of and field of supposedly "dark magics". You will present the arguments from legal and historical sources, and your own philosophical reasoning as to why they or any other reason holds true. I expect at least one counterargument in each of your essays, not meaningless dribble from the textbooks you've consumed. Dismissed."

"That was certainly refreshing, wasn't it?" Elaine asked cheerfully as the group nestled into their favorite nook of the library

"Refreshing is definitely one word for it" Alphe snapped back, rummaging through his bag "but who the hell does he think he is trying to teach us philosophy and to "question everything?""

"Ho ho, what do we have here? Does Mr. Perfect Prefect challenge a professor? And pray tell, why is it you hate him, he seems like he'd be just your type?" Charlie smirked.

"I don't trust the man, ok? Nor Dumbeldore for that matter. And before you start El, yes I realize he's a half-blood and probably the only person in the school that can make a difference for us. But remember he was also Grindelwald's right hand. I don't believe for a moment he left a storied career of mass murder because he suddenly found his consciousness. His appointment to be the bloody Headmastership of Hogwarts is probably the best evidence out there for pureblood deficiencies!" he snapped, buried in a particularly nasty-looking book of rather nasty wards and barriers.

"I understand Grindelwald's atrocities better than you Alphe. I live with them every day." She hissed, shaming both the boys. Taking a moment to recompose Elaine started with a deep breath "He made you, a mudblood, Prefect of Slytherin. It's entirely possible that Dumbeldore had nothing to do with that monster's atrocities in the East. All we really know is that he was involved in some research projects from the beginning, and left before Lublin. I checked Alphe."

"And none of that proves anything about his personal beliefs. Not every half-blood is trying to tie themselves to the cause of muggleborns El." He hesitated, catching Charlie's eye. "I just don't think it's safe to put our faith in him, we need to take charge for ourselves." Alphe offered, not wanting to disagree any further with his friend. Charlie took the opening,

"And how are we doing that Prefect Salvat" he scoffed, do you want to give them detentions or is there going to be some actual action this year?

"It hasn't been two days Charlie, for heaven's sake let's slow down for a minute and see if we need to do anything with the Principles." Elaine jumped, "I'm as angry as you are but-"

"We will." Alphe added absently, now buried into some colossal tome on 16th-century charms. He leaned against the shelf slightly, lowering the cinder brick of quaint charms just low enough to meet their eyes. "They're not going to accept our position in the house after a summer of having their egos massaged. Mudbloods cannot be seen to stand anywhere near equals in the house as far as they're concerned. And that's never going to change."

"So, you, you want to kill them?" Charlie sputtered quietly, suddenly checking to make sure that no one had approached their little nook.

"What? No! Emric's eye, Charlie what the hell! This is a school, not a damned… Look we just need to see them expelled by the headmaster." Alphe had abandoned his book now, staring into Charlie's wide eyes. Elaine on the other hand seemed unperturbed by the allusion to murdering a dozen classmates, some even younger than them.

"The issue is that, as you said, we don't actually know the Headmaster's political affiliations. Dippet's personal ties to the Principles kept their spawn safe from the consequences of everything they did. Betting on Dumbeldore to treat them fairly is a dumb plan."

"We're not counting on his fairness, and this isn't going to be a one-time frame job, or the only plot we can put into motion. We're going to rile the bastards up, hit them from the corners, and keep them off balance until we decide to give them a target, and in a position that the Professors can't brush under the rug."

"We can try throwing them out under McGonnogal, she won't be going easy on them," Charlie added, no longer shifting in his seat now that murder was not their primary tool.

"It's a start, and I think Dumbeldore likes her so that'll help. But its going to have to be a lot more than beating up a classmate to see the heirs and heiresses of the Board expelled." Alphe explained, nestling his chin in his hands.

"It should be a pureblood." Elaine decided. "Neither of us are going to be brutalized by the Principles, and I don't quite feel comfortable putting any of my half blood friends from other houses into the line of fire. And we need to make sure that there's real pressure from the victim's family to see cunts expelled."

"Yes," Alphee agreed passively still in thought. But who, there are only a handful of purebloods we could use without making more enemies in the process. His eyes tracked a certain grey-eyed Slytherin taking their customary seat in the back of the library.

"Makes sense," Charlie added with noticeably less gusto,

"Well we have the next few weeks before yule to at least pick our diversion," Elaine whispered,

'Our sacrificial lamb' Charlier thought to himself,

"Until then I think we ought to start planning our opening salvo." She smirked sweetly

"That is something worth doing." Charlie chorused, a genuine smile washing away his worries.

"It'll be a good time" Alphe smirked back, staring out the window and still deep in thought, coming closer and closer to one name.

Hogwarts, 3:50 September 16, 1968

Elaine was buried in a tower of parchments and open books that put the measly towers of Hogwarts to shame.

"Do you ever sleep, woman?" Charlie groaned as he trudged out of the boy's dormitories. Shoes missing and robes entangled.

"I'm above sleep, boy, that's for parasites of your breeding" she drawled in the silky arrogance of a pureblood.

"Ha! A little more practice and you might be able to net a Malfoy" snickered Charlier, throwing himself into the couch by her side, and shaking everything in the common room.

Everything except for her seemingly sturdy turret of paper. "Hello, anyone there?" Charlie waved around the tower, still unwilling to abandon his new, impromptu bed. "Alphe asked me to meet you guys here last night. Actually, do you think he can give me a copy of the Prefect's schedules? It would make my nighttime adventures a helluva a lot easier." he thought out loud.

"Ugh, abuse his privileges for better than insecure and lonely Ravenclaws please," the tower retorted with audible disgust.

"And while he's wandering around the castle scaring firsties, you're doing homework through the night. What did I do to deserve friends like you?" Charlie simpered, sinking deeper into the plush green couch.

"Born with the wrong blood I suppose. The real question is what I did to deserve hearing about your nighttime escapades with Sarah McGillian."

"Oh, I actually haven't seen Sarah much this year. I've been chatting up Brown." Charlie corrected from inside the couch.

"Fourth-year Hufflepuff, Brown?" Elaine gawked as her tower collapsed around her head.

"What can I say, she's a rather diligent student, and I like to teach" Charlie smirked in the darkness of his second bed.

"If only they had a house for pigs like you. Alphe wouldn't need to.."

"I wouldn't need to what?" Alphe asked, obnoxiously chipper for the hour. Charlie was half risen from his sunken bed and avoiding Elaine's piercing stare. "God I hate being perfect, these first years are as least bold as we were. Though I don't remember ever trying to hex a Prefect."

"One of the little bugs tried to hex you?" Charlie roared with laughter, "Tell me you jinxed them silly."

"To be fair, I was disillusioned. And I'm sure he and his mates thought they were alone in the trophy room before I called them out," he responded throwing up a verifiable fortress of wards and privacy charms.

"You're not answering the question Alphe." Charlie laughed "Did you or did not the hex the little prats"

"I'm a Prefect Charlie what do you think?" Alphe retorted becoming annoyed, as he cleared an adjacent seat of Elaine's discarded drafts.

"Yes Alphe, but at the time you were an invisible Prefect, so please just answer his question." Elaine drawled, scribbling furiously on the ruined foundations.

"Yes, I hexed the boys to bits and left them none the wiser. Satisfied?" he said dropping into the velvety green chair.

"Yes."

"Yes." They sat in silence for a moment.

"It must be rewarding to best firsties and even walk away unscathed Prefect Salvat." Charlie howled, now fully risen. "Do you think you could banish the bogart in my favorite broom closet, I don't want to ask too much of you, but, please!" he quipped

"Can we please just discuss whatever it is you needed us to stay up till the crack of dawn for?" Elaine groaned scratching out another line.

"I think I've narrowed our list, and picked a good first target." Alphe shared, his friends coming to attention, "We should hit Yaxley first. She's an easy target and the rest of the Principles will consider us attacking one of their girls especially provocative."

"That sounds good for me, we can hit her when she's coming from Divination."

"Since when do you know her schedule?" asked Elaine.

"Just something I've noted."

"Right? Because you know the boy's schedules too." she continued incredulously

"Nott, Malfoy, and Selwyn have Runes and Arithmancy with you two. Yaxley, Carrow, and Rosier have Creatures Monday and Wednesday, but Carrow, Rosier, and Travers take dueling on Tuesdays and Thursdays." Charlie responded, serious but visibly smug.

"Fine, maybe you do have some redeeming qualities you hormonal ape," Elaine huffed, "What are we going to do to her?"

"Nothing permanent, and we can't let her know who cursed her."

"Are you sure we have to take it easy?" Charlie pled, "They're going to assume it's us anyways. As long as we don't get caught by a teacher, and,"

"No, she cannot see us!" Alphe insisted "Trust me on this we need to keep our involvement as ambiguous as possible."

"Some part of the plan you're not sharing with us Alphe?" Elaine retorted suspiciously.

"Yes, but only because I don't have the energy to explain it all right now. The point is we need to pick a time and bloody her up a bit, not go all out and launch into an open duel. Just have her be seen being hurt and humiliated. This is going to be a slow burn and we can't rush to beat the life out of these bastards. Please just get some rest and we'll finalize everything at breakfast, yeah?" Alphe rushed, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Sure, sure." Charlie returned "Wake me up in the dead night to tell me to beat a Principle princess up, but not too bad. Make her afraid, but not of me. Why don't you just tell me to be disappointed and skip the waking up part, ay?" Charlie complained as he dragged himself back to their dormitory. Alphe waited till he was down the hall to their dormitory before taking a seat on the Charlie-shaped couch and turning his attention to his oldest friend.

"And how do you feel about this?" he queried, focused on her icy blue eyes.

"I don't like being kept in the dark and I don't like you trying to maneuver me like I'm a child." she sighed "And for the record, Charlie didn't buy your excuse either. He's just too tired to ask any more questions."

They sat for minutes as Alphe absorbed what she said, only the sound of quill on paper breaking the comfortable silence.

"Well, do you trust me?" He finally asked

"We both do Alphe, please don't bother me with some insecure cry for companionship and validation. Charlie can find you a Hufflepuff for that. Just promise me that this plan of yours is going to put us in a place to move up, not just brush our egos."

"I'm not Charlie. I'm not fighting to feel good about myself. Earning our space in Slytherin, the begrudging respect of our less conservative housemates, is going to set us up for more when we leave Hogwarts Elaine."

"I don't want their respect Alphe," she stressed "I want to know we'll be set up for more than kissing pureblood boots forever!"

"We will." Alphe promised solemnly, "This is the year we're going to take our place."

"Good. Now bugger off, I have three more inches to write for Riddles essay tomorrow."

"Ok, ok, goodnight El."

"Good night Alphe" she whispered with a smile.