Griffin Scholarly
And the Seven Silver Boarhounds
Chapter 1 - Tomes and Tempers
"Griffin! Psst! Over there! It's a bargain!" hissed a sleek and elegant, jet-black cat, perched on the shoulder of a girl of seventeen.
She had her blonde hair up in a messy ponytail (so she could concentrate on the task at hand) and brilliant green eyes that were searching in the direction the cat had indicated with his wet black nose.
"What? Where?" hissed Griffin back, squinting.
They were in Diagon Alley, trying to empty Griffin's heavy dragon skin pouch full of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts to purchase school books for the New Year (her seventh and final year) as well as a cauldron, quills, some new ink and anything else they could find that looked vaguely interesting.
She finally spotted what her cat, Slinket, had meant and frowned darkly. A row of brand new school Quidditch robes were hanging outside of Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. Slinket nuzzled his furry face into her neck but the disgusted look on her face didn't change.
"No chance Slinket. I told you to forget about that. I'm not going to play Quidditch. I'm not interested. Besides, they wouldn't want me on the team."
Slinket looked indignant.
"Of course they would! I've seen you out on your broom at Fire Pheasant Crescent. Why won't you at least try out for the team?" He asked in an exasperated voice. "They have a couple of empty spaces this year! You need some extracurricular activities, for heaven's sake girl!" But Griffin was too used to that tone from most people she knew to care very much.
"No. I don't play Quidditch. Now leave it, or I'll turn you into a dirty great rat."
Slinket eyed her suspiciously from his awkward position near her face. He knew she wouldn't really, but the girl did have quite a temper sometimes, and she was a natural at Transfiguration (if nothing else); so you could never be too sure…
"Well in any case, my dear Griffin," continued Slinket, "your school robes are so small, that I could fit in them! Now we must get new ones. It is your mother's strictest wishes that we do so."
Griffin shrugged. She knew that what Slinket said was, though exaggerated, true; and she wanted to get rid of some of her money as quickly as possible. For some reason it made her uncomfortable to have so much money all the time. She had never really even clearly understood how her parents had gotten so rich, but she knew it had something to do with the bloodlines.
Griffin turned her head to look at the cat on her shoulder. She took him off and held him in her arms.
"Alright," She said after thinking it over for a second, "But we'll go to Flourish and Blott's first to get my books."
Slinket murmured an Ok, but flicked his tail around irritably. Griffin never followed his wishes directly and this usually had the same effect as if she were to rub the fur on his back up the wrong way.
They crossed the wide cobblestone road and entered Flourish and Blott's, the wizarding bookshop. It was buzzing with all sorts of people, but mostly students from Hogwarts, both the older ones restocking their supplies and the excited faces of the younger ones who would be starting their first year at the famed school.
Griffin squeezed her way through a pair of screaming children and a rather large woman, to get to a pile of books no one was really interested in; the second hand books. She sorted through the large pile smiling at all the books with worn and dusty covers, scratched gold letters on their fronts shining out proudly as though desperate to inform the world that they were still top class. One little book even squeaked out to her that it could teach her the secrets of the worlds best love potions.
Slinket sneered at the pile.
"Must you always look here first?" He said, licking a paw elegantly, "What on earth is the point of having money if you don't intend to spend it properly?"
Griffin's eyes flashed and her jaw was suddenly set rigid.
"Not everything is about money, Slinket," She hissed, "Maybe you'll understand that one day."
Slinket paused his grooming and looked almost thoughtful for a moment.
"No, I doubt that," he said finally, "I'm a cat."
After that she spent more time than she actually needed looking through the dusty old tomes and volumes, just to annoy her cat, who eventually jumped out of her arms and began stalking around the shop on his own.
Once Griffin had chosen three books: a tattered, leather bound book with a silver owl on the front titled Understanding Animagi, by Herbert Trimorph, a heavy, hard cover book called Charms for the Crafty and Curious by Emily Flitwick and the little love potions book, just for fun, she tore herself away from the pile to find Slinket.
Or the books she actually needed for the curriculum, whichever turned up first really.
However it was neither cats nor books that Griffin bumped into when she whirled around, but a pale young man, who looked about sixteen, with longish silver blonde hair that greatly annoyed Griffin for some reason. His eyes were cold and grey and his features were sharp.
"Good morning Scholarly," Drawled the boy, eyeing Griffin up and down, "Shopping are we? I saw your cat back there and thought I'd come and say hello."
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes like a normal smile should. They remained cold and Griffin had a sudden urge to hit him over the head with one of her books, preferably the heaviest one. She restrained however and smiled as politely as she could, gritting her teeth.
"Hello Malfoy." She said quickly.
She turned away from him and strode off with a quick pace. He followed her, matching her pace, and when she stopped to look for one of the books she needed, Transfiguration for the Advanced by Belinda Trimorph, he rested an arm on the shelf and leaned over.
"Malfoy is what they call my father Griffin, you know that. I prefer Lucius. So, has your mother told you about the plans for her and Father?" He asked, trying again and obviously either not picking up on Griffin's hints, or else simply ignoring them. Griffin's back stiffened and she kept her eyes on the rows of books, picking out the ones she needed for her classes every now and then. She said nothing.
Lucius Malfoy's mouth curled into a creepy smile and a proud look came into his eyes.
"Yes. Things are happening now for your parents and my parents. The greatest and… cleanest, wizarding families are working together now." His voice was soft and dangerous and Griffin felt her heart beating faster. She checked inside the cover of a book, Herbology and its Benefits by Arthur Squidge, concentrating furiously on the list of contents.
"The LeStrange's too. And the Black's," He continued, "They're helping; such a fine family. If only that ragged beast of a boy they've had to board for the past sixteen years had not been born, or perhaps left to die, they might be as good as mine, or yours. Although I must say, his sister, Narcissa is quite the beauty…"
Griffin's hands were shaking and she swallowed as she picked up a book that was on her list, not taking much notice of the title.
"Sirius Black is the best thing that ever happened to that family." Griffin said coolly. Malfoy's eye twitched slightly and his smile vanished.
"No, Scholarly," he hissed, "He is nothing more than a trouble maker who doesn't deserve such a life. I think his family should chuck him out to rot in the streets where he belongs. He may as well be a mudblood, the way he-"
But Lucius didn't get to finish his sentence. Griffin whipped out her wand and had it pointed at his bare, pale neck.
"Don't you dare, ever talk about Sirius like that!" She hissed venomously.
Lucius' eyes widened in surprise, but he tried to keep his calm, a firm grip on his own wand.
"So, I see you've finally realised that to call one a mudblood is an insult. Have you started your training from you parents yet?" He asked, his tone sarcastic, though strained.
Griffin's eyes glinted fiercely.
"It's an insult to anybody! I'll never start training for… for that! And Sirius is ten times the man you'll ever be Lucius! I don't give a damn what filthy work my parents, or your parents or anyone's parents get up to in their spare time. It's bad enough that I have to live on the blood money of others, but to have to associate with spoilt prats like you all the time is torture. And nobody cares what you think either."
She let go, and her eyes flashed dangerously at him. He put a hand to his throat as if scared she might've damaged it in some way and glared at Griffin, his cheeks flushing furiously.
"How dare you…" He whispered, narrowing his eyes at her. "I'll be telling father about this, and if you ever try to talk to me again, you'll be sorry!"
Griffin looked as though this announcement couldn't have worried her less. Malfoy was taller and older than her, but she didn't care. Anger was surging through her veins like poison and she was finding it took every ounce of her concentration to control her hands, which had formed into fists by her side.
"That's right. You go and tell Daddy," She sneered, "But I don't think he'll be too pleased that you're trying to cause a rift between the Malfoys and the Scholarlys."
Lucius' lip curled back into the terrible smile.
"Oh. I don't think they'll mind as much as they did five years ago. You know, as soon as you got into Gryffindor, I think most of us pureblood families saw there must be something wrong with the Scholarlys," he spat, "even if you only got in through process of elimination."
Griffin glared at him and clenched her left hand around her wand inside her pocket.
"Yes. That's right, isn't it, Scholarly. It's not like you're actually brave enough for Gryffindor, is it? But then, you're not humble enough for Hufflepuff. Not smart enough for Ravenclaw now, are you? And to not get into Slytherin? What a shame your poor parents had to endure, all those whispers and rumors of how their daughter must not be normal. Just like what happened to the Blacks. The only reason your family is still respected, Scholarly, is because they're so rich. But that money won't last forever, and your family will tumble down the ladder. All because of you." He finished slowly, savoring each word. He smiled victoriously at Griffin who slowly let go of her wand and took a deep breath.
"Well now, Lucius" She said in a calm voice, "It'll be a real pity never talk to you again. But I think I'd be doing my family a big favor anyway. Now if you don't mind, I've got some things to buy here. Surprising as it may seem to that big head of yours there, I didn't come to chat with you, so get out of my way."
She smiled at him politely and he roared, swirling around in a whirl of velvet cloaks. He stomped off in the other direction before exiting the bookshop. Griffin's faux smile faded and she bent down to pick up her books then stood up to find Slinket. She found him toying with a mouse in a bored fashion in one of the corners of the room.
"Oh dear, Griffin," He said looking up at her scowling figure with large, reproachful, yellow eyes. He let go of the small rodent's tail and the mouse scampered off in terror, "That was not the smartest thing to do with Mr. Malfoy over there."
Griffin swore.
"You saw that?"
Slinket made a tutting sound and shook his head.
"My dear, half the shop couldn't help noticing you strangling the boy."
Griffin scowled at him. "You can't defend him Slinket. You're the family cat! You must have heard what he said about our family. And anyway, I didn't strangle him. It's just the way he talks about this whole… Thing! It's disgusting. And he insulted Sirius!" She added.
Slinket arched his back slightly at the sound of Sirius's name. He had been the giver of many criticisms to that boy, and over time, the receiver of many pranks.
"Yes, yes. He insulted you, maybe even the family, but you really must learn to control your temper this year. It's not doing you any favours like that, and you could get hur-"
She picked up Slinket around the middle in mid sentence, glowering, and walked to the counter to pay for her supplies. At the counter she came face to face with the manager. She lay her books down on the counter and put the slightly winded and definitely more silent Slinket on her shoulders again.
"Ahh, Griffin Scholarly," Said the manager. Griffin nodded and wondered if he'd seen her fight, but he didn't say anything more.
"Err… I'll have those three goose feather quills over there and a new bottle of ink as well, thanks." She said quickly.
The manager nodded and collected all her things into a parcel. Griffin put her money on the bench and took the parcel, hurrying out of the shop.
"Thanks." She called back, shutting the door with a tinkle of the bell.
"No trouble my dear," Whispered the manager in a voice sprinkled with pity to her vanishing figure, "No trouble at all…"