The teasing from my friends wasn't something I could avoid forever, no matter how much I wanted to. I suffered through it for a week before I snapped at them to give it up. They laughed about it, a sign that they didn't find my anger surprising, but stopped for my sake. Unless Cedric was with me. He was learning to take the jabs from Adrian and Graham, but he wasn't used to navigating the traps set by snakes. It was a stark contrast to Cedric's friends' treatment of me. They were thorny at first, not setting verbal traps so much as just flat out interrogating me. He did attempt to placate them, but some of my answers did not please them in the end.
I didn't mind much. I might have preferred their liking me over disliking me, but I understood their hesitation. I was Severus Snape's daughter, a Slytherin, and one known for taking advantage of people where I could. I took no shame in it either. I would happily step on the backs of hundreds if it got me what I wanted, and I would crush a million more to keep what I had. As of right now, my goals in life revolved solely around being free from Dumbledore and saving my magic. Cedric could very well be a distraction from that, and I would drop him in a heartbeat if that's what he became, but I enjoyed his company and he made my heart flutter. This was what made it so easy for my friends to turn to teasing Cedric instead of interrogating him. They knew that if he became a problem to my goals they would need only show me that's what he was.
Unfortunately, he did catch on to the best method of winning their favor. Joining in on the teasing. So when he joined me at the Slytherin table for breakfast on Valentine's day, I did grow a little suspicious. There was little he could do that would catch me off guard, however, so I just accepted it when he took a bite of the bacon that was in my hand despite there being plenty on the table and on my plate. What I didn't accept, was when he gave me a very mischievous look after Lockhart made an announcement about fairies playing cupid all over the school.
I gave him two seconds to rethink the look he had, and when it didn't change I glared at him "Don't you dare, Diggory. I refuse to be followed around by fairies all day." He raised his hands in a placating manner, but the looks my friends exchanged meant I was in trouble. Harry wasn't any better off. He and Nott joined me in the library, showing me some weird diary they'd found on the floor near the girls' bathroom on the second floor. I only got to hear his complaints about the fairies since he'd had glitter tossed all over him, but it was brief and overshadowed by his declaration about the name on the diary.
My eyes rolled as he slid it over to me "Are you just trying to find trouble? Where's Granger anyway? She's normally talking sense for the two of you." I placed my hand on the book, flinching and ripping it away when it burned to touch "What the hell?"
It was perfect timing for Adrian and Cedric to join me. Graham was off with Myra to feed whatever creature they were learning about in Care of Magical Creatures. Adrian stared at my hand, frowning "What just happened?"
I shrugged, staring at the book in befuddlement "Would either of you know how to cast a revealing charm for dark magic?"
They both shook their heads as Harry spoke "Dark magic? But all it did was shock you, and it didn't affect me or Theo."
Adrian frowned "That wasn't a shock. You can't feel it yet, even I could barely feel it when it happened. Vanessa's always been a bit more in tune with her magical instincts than the rest of us."
I elbowed him harshly, taking some satisfaction from the grunt of pain he released. I glanced warily at Cedric, since I didn't want to do this in front of him when we'd only been dating a week, but also knowing Harry wouldn't leave it alone if I didn't prove there was dark magic surrounding the thing. A reluctant sigh escaped me, and Adrian immediately went digging through my bag for one of my potions "I really didn't want to do this."
Adrian cast a few privacy spells before uncorking the potion and handing it to me. I proceeded to drink two doses worth as he spoke "What you three are about see stays here. Not a word to anyone, not even Professor Snape."
I rolled my eyes and handed the phial back to him "Don't be so dramatic Adrian. No one will believe them even if they do tell anyone." The three of them looked confused, even with Adrian being thoroughly chastised "It's one spell anyway, it can't hurt that badly."
He narrowed his eyes at me "Famous last words, Vanessa."
I just ignored him, pulling my wand from my sleeve and taking a deep breath to steady myself. I didn't practice these spells very often, since they always caused me a tremendous amount of pain to use, but this was necessary if I wanted Harry to keep his nose clean. I moved my wand, bringing it up and to the right before striking diagonally to the left and aiming it at the book as I spoke "Vita Fyrir."
I let go of my wand the instant the spell started working, whatever magic was at play on the book lashing out and burning my wand hand. The book itself took on a faint, dark glow, reeking of dark magic. Adrian sniffed in disgust as a slimy feeling crept over all of us, and Harry physically recoiled from it. I'd only just slipped my wand back into my sleeve when the pain started to soak in, and I gripped at Cedric's arm to keep from yelling out.
Adrian frowned at my reaction "Did you take enough?"
I hissed even as Cedric drew me close in an attempt to comfort me "What's happening?"
Harry frowned at me "This happened with the troll last year too."
Another wave rolled over me, making me groan before I could respond to anyone "I took two doses worth this time, it should have been enough." Clearly it wasn't, but no one had to say it for me to know. I looked up at Cedric, pleading silently for him to let it go for now. His lips pursed, and he shook his head subtly, letting me know it was only for as long as I was in pain. I took what I could get, turning to address Harry next "Yeah, it did. Both spells come with a price for me. This is the price."
"Then why perform them at all? It seems rather like it's not worth it."
I rolled my eyes at Harry's best friend, letting Adrian give him the pointed look "If I didn't you two would just take Granger and keep messing with the thing. You three have a knack for-" I paused as another wave knocked the breath out of me "-getting into trouble. And that thing is dark."
Adrian nodded, using his own wand to move it to his bag "That it is, which means we'll be taking it to someone who will know what to do with it." Harry and Nott looked disappointed, making Adrian snort "Look, you two can't do much about it now, it's beyond any student's abilities."
"But what if it has something to do with the chamber?"
I snorted, relaxing enough with Cedric's comfort to speak again "If it's got anything to do with the chamber then that's even better reason to bring it to a teacher." I frowned, tensing from the pain again as I took in his expression "Harry, you're just a second year. Getting into things like this are a really good way to get you killed instead of helping anyone."
"But someone's got to do something and the teachers aren't!"
I sighed, holding back a chuckle at Cedric's expression, he wasn't used to Harry's antics yet. Adrian just crossed his arms, letting me be the voice of reason "There's not much the teachers can do. They've no way of knowing where the chamber entrance is or what the beast is, and they can't help the petrified students until the mandrakes are finished growing."
Harry just grew more upset "But that's the point. They don't know what's happening and I'm just trying to find out. That book is the only clue we've had other than that voice I've been hearing and-"
"What voice?"
Nott slapped a hand to his forehead, shaking his head "I thought Hermione and I told you, that's still not a good thing in the wizarding world."
Harry sighed "I've been hearing a voice in the walls since Halloween. Every time someone is petrified, actually."
I perked up, able to ignore the wave of pain now, leaning forward "Do you follow the voice every time you hear it?"
He nodded "I've found pretty much everyone who's been petrified except for Colin Creevey that way." He pondered on it for a moment "Then there's always spiders crawling away from the victims too."
I stood abruptly, giving Adrian a look that said to watch them "Wait here, I have an idea."
Cedric followed behind me, still not comfortable around my friends without me "Is it always like that with Harry?"
I nodded, ducking into the aisle that held the book I was looking for "Yeah, he tends to come to me whenever he wants advice on something. It's like he imprinted on me the first time he met me or something."
Cedric snorted, watching me intently "More like he considers you his big sister."
If I'd been walking anywhere I would have tripped over my own feet, instead I merely froze "No chance."
He smiled softly at me "Are you kidding? The kid wants your approval, it's obvious." I frowned, crouching to look at the books lower on the shelf as he continued "Would it really be so bad if he did? You sort of dote on him as if he were your little brother already."
I beamed when I found the book, blatantly ignoring what Cedric was saying about Harry and searching through the pages until I found the right one. I bounced up happily, practically shoving the page in his face "See, Ced, I knew I was on to something!"
His face grew a happy little smile as I kissed his cheek and dragged him back to the table with me. Adrian took one look at Cedric's face and his nose crinkled "Don't tell me you went off just for a snog."
My eyes rolled and I dropped the book in front of Harry and Nott "No, I was looking for that. I went digging through that book when I was ten, memorized half of it in a week. There's one kind of voice Harry can hear that the rest of us can't, and spiders flee from this particular one. It also happens to kill people with just one look in its eyes, but it petrifies if you see the reflection of its eyes."
Adrian leaned forward, impressed "A basilisk. It makes sense. Harry could hear it and the rest of us would just think he was mad."
Nott's brow furrowed "Yeah, but this says basilisks are huge. It would never be able to hide from the whole school."
I clicked my tongue when Cedric jumped in this time. He was learning quickly "If you're hearing it through the walls, then it's probably using the pipes. For a castle like this, they're probably big enough for a basilisk to fit through."
I couldn't help my giddy grin "Honestly that's just so cool. A basilisk in Hogwarts. Of course Slytherin would have picked it to defend the school, only he could control it. Anyone who found it wouldn't be able to stop it."
Cedric looked appalled "This thing is petrifying students with the intent of actually killing them, and you think it's cool?"
Adrian frowned, looking at me "Admittedly, he has a point. People are being hurt by this thing."
My face fell "It's not like that. I can find it cool and still not like what it's doing." They continued to frown at me, making me sigh "Look, I'm not about to defend it or pretend that nothing's wrong. Someone set that thing on people and it's awful and I will gladly help put an end to it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to act like I don't find the creature fascinating. It's ancient, it's been alive since the time of Hogwarts' foundation, its venom is one of the most potent in the world, and its skin is as thick as a dragon's. That also means it's a monster of a fight."
Cedric seemed wary as he spoke "So you wouldn't try to protect it if the teachers took care of it?"
I scoffed, shaking my head "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. The thing would kill me faster than I could blink." I gave them all a reassuring look "If anything I'm just going to ask to study it after it's dead. It's more use to me that way. Left alive it would just be a hassle."
Adrian released a breath, prompting the same from the two second years "As long as you talk about it like that, I can believe you'd strike the killing blow to it."
Cedric still looked a little sick, sitting down to process things. I waited patiently, even if I was a little scared of his reaction. After another moment, he looked up at me "I'm going to have to get used to you talking about things like they're only for your own gain, aren't I?"
Adrian laughed at that "Diggory, no one is welcomed in her life for very long if they can't do anything for her, except for maybe her father." My eyes rolled in response, making him shrug "It's the truth. You barely acknowledged anyone but me until Graham pointed out that Slytherin house looks out for you." I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued on before I could "And it took me all of first year and a good chunk of the first half of second year to get you to call me a friend. I'm pretty sure you barely realized I was there during first year."
I scowled at him, stumped at the truth of it. I didn't notice his efforts during first year, and the only reason I noticed in second year was because I had people asking me for help left and right. He was the only one who spoke to me regularly without any other motive. Harry was probably the only person who I didn't look at as either a distraction or someone useful, and that was because he was my little brother. Adrian was kind enough not to point that out. Everything was a transaction to me. Everyone was an aid or a hindrance. And somehow, everyone in my life was okay with that. Cedric was the first person to ever point it out to me or question it, but he was also the first person close to me who wasn't a snake.
I looked over to him then, worry taking over at the look on his face. This wasn't something he or his friends liked. To them, this wasn't how you were meant to look at the world. People weren't things to be bought or thrown away. People's values weren't determined by how much use they were. His outlook on life was drastically different than mine, for more than one reason. He could handle my negotiating things about dates or what we spent our time studying together on, those were all things that weren't a big deal to negotiate. But negotiating his potential worth with me? That wasn't right to him.
And I found myself suddenly scared that he couldn't accept this part of me. That he wouldn't want to be with me over this. I wanted him in my life. He made me smile and laugh, made my heart flutter, and he gave me a new perspective on things. He was a distraction for me. He could very easily turn into the absolute worst distraction. But he gave me a reprieve from having to constantly worry about Dumbledore over my shoulder, or thinking about how I could lose all ability to wield magic, or how Harry Potter was my little brother. I didn't want to lose that just yet. The benefit outweighed the cost at the moment. And who knew? If I could trust him enough in the future, he might even help me.
Harry sighed, looking annoyed with Adrian "Congrats, you've broken her with a revelation about herself again."
Cedric released a surprised laugh "Are you saying she doesn't even realize these things about herself?"
Nott shrugged as Harry nodded "It's interesting to watch her thought process play out sometimes. Most of the time she doesn't mind it." His brow furrowed as he looked closer at me "You look a little sick right now though, Vanessa."
Adrian and Cedric both eyed me a little more closely, the former letting out a snicker "You're completely smitten with him, aren't you?" My eyes darted to his in a panic, sobering his smile in an instant "Oi, Vanessa, it's alright to feel that way. It's quite normal to like your boyfriend." This only increased my panic, and he placed a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me "What the hell is going through your head right now?"
Cedric stood, making me flinch when the idea of him just walking away ran through my head. It shouldn't bother me that much. We've only been dating for a week, the idea of him walking away from me shouldn't make me sad. But it did. I was worried he would want nothing to do with me if he knew any of my deep secrets. Merlin that was the dumbest thing for me to worry about at this point. Was I that starved of attention when I was Amelia Potter? Or did I just want to be the one who ended things? I took a deep breath at that thought. That made sense. I hated when things didn't end on my terms. Of course it would extend to this too.
I focused on that thought, calming myself soon enough. Harry gave me a curious smile "Are you good now?"
I nodded, trying not to look at Cedric as I spoke "Okay, to answer your question Diggory, yes. If you stay with me, you'll have to get used to me talking about the usefulness of everything in my life." I continued on, addressing Harry "Adrian and I will take that book to my father, and we'll let him know about the basilisk as well. You and your friends need to stay out of trouble. Seriously Harry, this is beyond all of us combined. Just keep your nose clean, alright?"
He nodded, turning and leaving with Nott after giving us all a goodbye. I still couldn't look Cedric in the eye, but I could see the smirk on his face "He definitely looks at you as an older sister."
Adrian's laughter rang through my ears, and I turned to glare at him. He was hunched over the table, shaking horribly "Oh, that's just classic." He took one look at my face before doubling over again "Oh, that hurts. That's gold. I'm so telling Graham he said that."
My arms crossed over my chest impatiently "Do you have to laugh?" He didn't stop, so I rolled my eyes and grabbed his bag "Come on, Diggory. We've got to pay a visit to my father."
He seemed hesitant but followed me out of the library, Adrian still laughing as he fell into step with us. Cedric looked back at him warily "Why is he laughing at that?"
I glanced back at my best friend, annoyed that he wouldn't stop "He clearly hasn't had enough of a laugh at my expense in a long time." One look at Cedric's face told me he wanted an actual answer, so I gave him one "It's probably the idea that my being anyone's sister, even if it's not in blood, means that my father would have more than one child." That was a bold faced lie, but I didn't have much of a choice.
Cedric did smile a little at the prospect, accepting my answer. At this time of day my father was normally in his office, so that's where I went to look first. He called out for us to enter, to which I dropped Adrian's bag on the floor in front of his desk. He raised in eyebrow at me expectantly "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
I ignored the calculating sneer he sent Cedric's way "Adrian, do me a favor and stop laughing long enough to get that book out of your bag." He sobered quickly, taking his wand out and casting the levitation spell. The book floated up into the air, and he moved it so my father could inspect it more closely "I wouldn't touch it if I were you. The thing is soaked in dark magic."
My father nodded, standing from his seat as he did "Yes, I can sense it. Where did you find this?"
"Harry found it outside the girls' bathroom on the second floor. He said something about flooding and following it, but then they found this. Apparently, he and his little gang think it's got something to do with the chamber."
I watched as my father's eyes rolled, not nearly surprised enough to do anything else "It would be Mr. Potter who goes looking for trouble." He sighed, taking the book from the air with his own wand and dropping it on his desk "I'll look into it and see just how dark the thing is."
Adrian let out a breath of relief when we were out of earshot, Cedric close behind him. I, on the other hand, hoped my father would let me know. The three of us went to get lunch, where Cedric joined me at the Slytherin table again. The tradeoff was that I was forced to eat dinner with the Hufflepuffs then, but I wasn't bothered by that. I was bothered, however, when a fairy started singing some love song I'd never heard to me. Unfortunately, my friends' and Cedric's reaction told me this hadn't been any of them, and that meant someone actually thought they could win me over with it.
I was even more appalled when Harry and his friends sat down near us, Granger exclaiming excitedly "I know this song! My mum listens to it on the radio all the time!"
Now that was really bad luck for me, because that meant I definitely didn't know who sent this to me. Alexandra and Granger were the only people I spoke to often that knew anything about the muggle world. All I could do was hope they wouldn't come up to me, because that was only going to end in embarrassment for them. He did. Some fifth year Ravenclaw approached me shortly after the fairy was done singing, stammering away about wanting a chance. His face went beet red when I turned him away, likely finding my blunt tone the worst part about it. I tried to be nice about it, but I really wasn't cut out for giving anyone news they didn't like.
That happened four more times before dinner, and the fifth time no one came near me after. By then people had heard how harsh I was when I turned someone down, and now my friends were blatantly laughing at them. It only earned me more hostility when I sat down for dinner at the Hufflepuff table. This time it did bother me, serving as a reminder of just how many bad sides of me Cedric had seen today. I tried to enjoy the time despite the glares, but I knew the smile on my face was strained and fake. I went to bed drowning in my thoughts, and my last thought before I fell asleep was that I forgot to tell my father about the basilisk.
