FAN FICTION AU AND TIME TRAVEL
Flipped
Summary
Female Harry Potter (Juniper) wins the war but the cost is too much so she performs a ritual and performs dimension travel after much research when she is 24. Her counterpart is Cordelia Faye Black, the daughter of Altair Black and Adelaide Malfoy. Has memories of both the worlds. Lives in France. When Juniper (Harry) seeps into consciousness, she is 14. Born on Beltane. Thus even though she is a girl, she has a high standing among the Blacks. Has gone to Beauxabatons for her first three years. Born on May 1, 1927. Start school in 1938. Goes to Hogwarts in 1942. Meets Tom Riddle. (Romance and power play)
Disclaimer: The characters and the world in the story belong to J.K. Rowling. I am not earning any profit from it.
Note: I have been a fanfiction reader for quite a lot of years before I gave this fic a shot, so if you see any ideas seeping in that I do not openly acknowledge, just let me know and I will add the credits. I have read too many to keep a track of them but I will try my best.
1) The idea of totems belongs to Catsarecool who is writing A Maurader's plan.
2) The basic idea of dimension travel comes from Hollow Thunder, Vital Lightning by Aariya07. You will see quite a few similarities in the first couple of chapters but it diverges after that.
3) Harry was born a girl as Juniper Anastasia Potter. Everything is as it is in canon except for her romances. This is not because I don't read slash or like it. You will see a lot of them in my favorites but because I don't think that I could do justice to that genre and because I want to do this. If you do not like such fics, do not read. Please do not flame. I will welcome criticisms, I know I am not perfect, just don't meaninglessly bash me for nothing
.
For your references
"Talk"
"Thought"
"Parseltongue"
Previously
Cordelia is hit with a stupefy maxima a few days before Christmas Holidays and since staircases were shifting, she fell down a few floors. Tom and her cousins watched it all but were unable to stop it. Her cousins froze and Tom was disarmed. Cordelia went into a magical coma.
The Blacks, Malfoys and Potters stormed the castle. Cordelia and others were taken home before the break. Tom broke down and Evelyn saw him. She told him about Renatus and he stormed off. Tom turned down the offer of Abraxas to go home with them like Cordelia and he had planned. He went back to the orphanage.
A day into the Christmas break, Cordelia came to the orphanage in the middle of night and sort of whisked him away. Next day, Tom got his lordship and met with the Blacks and Malfoy. Hyperion Malfoy and Cordelia sort of put Arcturus Black in a tight spot and he had to allow Tom as a guest to the Black manor where the Blacks and Malfoys have retreated for the break. Malfoy writes to Evelyn informing her of Cordelia's recovery.
Cordelia tells him about being a child of magic and what it entails (She is a magicae). Magic is dying and they need to strike out the balance between 'Light' and 'Dark'. Tom and Cordelia introduce the Hogwarts Court to her cousins. Cordelia retrieves the locket of Slytherin from Borgin & Burke, and obliviates Borgan of ever having the locket. She gives the locket to Tom. Tom also meets Cygnus Black but does not really like him much because he is envious of the attention Cordelia gives Cygnus.
Christmas morning: Tom gets a range of familiars from Cordelia as a present. Jormugandr (Jormy), a female apophis magical snake, two baby kneazles called Nyx and Lux and a snowy owl called Quetzalcoatl. Tom gifts her a rare healing tome in front of others but later, in private, he bestows her with the Slytherin locket and clasps it on her neck. It has various protective goblin enhancements on it now.
Time skip to first day back at Hogwarts: Tom and Cordelia find the Slytherin Chambers (not chamber of secrets but private quarters of Slytherin) attached to the Slytherin dorm. They clean it up and furnish it with the help of Hogwarts elf. At the end of night, Tom kisses Cordelia and both profess their love for each other. They formalize their courtship.
Chapter 27
The Aftershocks
Eve's POV
After seeing Tom and Cordelia at the King's Cross together and happy, I had thought that life at Hogwarts would return to normalcy.
It was wishful thinking.
To be honest, I had known that the calm of Hogwarts would not last when I had first seen Cordelia at her sorting. I had known that she was a harbinger of change even when I had just heard about her in the train. I mean, the whole train had been abuzz the first day of our fourth year. Boys could not stop gushing about her beauty and women were just cursing their luck. I had been intrigued. I had seen quite a many pureblood women; they were beauties in their own right and if somebody could threaten the Queen of Beauty Lyra Greengrass, then things were bound to get interesting.
And they did.
On her very first night, her mannerisms had rattled the school. She was different than the purebloods that I had seen, so very courteous and considerate, not just to the crowd that would have benefitted her but to everybody. At first, I had thought that it was all an act, but her easy smile, her socializing with my friends in the library, her love for her cousins and her friendship with Tom Riddle, all of them together, convinced me that I had been unfair to her.
Sure, she was different and Hogwarts changed when she came but it was not malicious. Houses interacted more, there was less tension in the student groups and for the first time, Slytherin lost its coldness. We saw them as humans for the first time; perhaps they allowed their masks to fall. But that is just my guess.
On the night of sorting, she had come clad in a Hogwarts uniform but that did not hide her beauty. Perfect does not cover her. She was beautiful, ethereal, from her mannerisms to her face to her body to her dazzling but kind smile. And soon I would discover her prowess in magic, her impeccable wit and sheer intelligence. Frankly, I had never seen so much elegance in anybody but Tom Riddle, the elusive, but charming muggleborn in Slytherin.
Honestly, he did not seem like a muggleborn, sometimes. He knew stuff and was just too closely attuned to magic. I had not given him more thought than this. He was just a classmate. I paid him no mind usually, perhaps because of my guilt. Tom was an orphan and I was the daughter of a baron, a really rich man. Despite being a muggleborn, I was used to luxury and I knew my fair share of horror stories about the orphanages of Great Britain. There was low food, no accommodation and few supplies in light of the war. I guess Tom was lucky that he even had a roof over his head. As for me, in every vacation at my home, I was greeted with a five course meal, a feather bed with pillows and mink blankets. I had servants tending to my fire, dressing me up, bringing breakfast to my bed, doing every chore. But that thought did nothing for my guilt, but increase it.
Yet, he made a name for himself among the Professors. He was the highest rank holder of our batch and his scores had broken several records. Was I envious? Not really. Firstly, he was a male. Women had no business competing with men. (See Author note) Secondly, my guilt stopped me from thinking ill of him.
The least I could let him have was academic glory. But I was ambitious, perhaps not enough to qualify for Slytherin but I liked to achieve things. I was quiet but that did not stop me from being efficient at my work. And I detested that Tom did better than me. I did not hate him, no. I hated myself for not being better. There was this internal struggle within me.
So, to protect myself, I had quickly begun to pretend that he did not exist.
I never knew that I would no longer be allowed to ignore Tom. His story is so entwined with Cordelia's that no amount of force can separate the two. So, when Cordelia began to be nice to us and began joining our table for homework a few times, I began to take note of Tom again, mostly, the chemistry between the two prodigious kids of our year.
Tom had been in the circle of the purebloods, perhaps because of his prowess but his equation with Cordelia just took his relations with the other heirs on another level.
Did I fancy Tom? Not really. I mean, sure he was good looking and highly intelligent but I had spent the better part of my life at Hogwarts ignoring him. And then his equation with Cordelia, I knew that I held no candle to the Black Heiress. But even without Cordelia, I just never saw him that way.
No, I felt responsible for Tom. It was a platonic urge.
But at least with Tom, I understood what I felt. With Cordelia, it was just plainly bizarre. She made something rise within me, a rebel, a woman I rarely recognized as the lady raised by the Baron and Baroness Adler of the valley. She scared me, invigorated me and….
I had known that she was a storm; she was going to change things, change Hogwarts, and change the people within these walls.
But I had not expected to be included in that change.
The month after winter break, two-thirds of January had been chaotic. In fact, chaos was an understatement.
Cordelia's recovery and return was the talk of the school. Although, I got the impression that she would much rather forget it.
But the school was bathed in fresher, stronger wards. And the plight of the Heiress of House Black had been overshadowed by another announcement.
Tom had come out as the Lord of Slytherin. I had always thought that there was more to him than his muggleborn status. He always held himself with such…. I don't have words. He had this mysterious vibe that told people that he knew a lot more than he let on.
Slughorn had died of glee. He looked really ecstatic. For some reason, last term had seen no get together of his infamous slug club. I was pretty sure that now Tom had come out as the Heir and Cordelia as the Heiress, there would be a 'get together' of his jewels soon enough.
Too bad that he would not be able to flaunt Tom to his jewels already out of school; Tom had called out the Silence oath. Nobody in the castle could utter one word about his lordship to anyone not belonging in the castle. He did not want Hogwarts to become a target of Grindelwald because of him. I was pretty sure that some of that forethought had come from Cordelia.
Dumbledore had stomped his feet and walked out of the Great Hall in one of his tantrums at the news. No, he really had not but according to the students who could see his face, he had really wanted to. I did not know what to think.
Merrythought had looked unaffected. Dippet looked confused but amenable. The other faculty had a mixed a reaction. They were shocked but they did not want to let it on. There was also the fact that both Tom and Cordelia were really liked by all of them, well apart from Dumbledore.
Tom and Cordelia had not antagonized him further, at least not intentionally. Those two were inseparable now, even more so than last term. So much that people were beginning to refer to them as a collective. If Cordelia was involved, Tom was involved too and vice versa. Rumors about their romance and courtship were afloat.
The idea was not far-fetched, for they were spending an awful lot of time together but people were being juvenile about it. There were bets placed on their first kiss and people tried to sneakily follow them around to get evidence for their love for each other. It was really getting outrageous, especially because a few professors were in on it.
The entire school owed it to Slytherin that the news about these shenanigans had still not reached Tom and Cordelia. The house members were discreetly funneling the information or rumor mill that reached the duo.
The truth of the matter was that those closest to the duo were keenly awaiting the day both Tom and Cordelia realized that there was more to their 'friendship'. However, it did not mean that they did not disapprove of the keen interest of the school.
The second shocking thing after the break had been the call for a Hogwarts Court. It was a forgotten tradition in light of the school appointed prefects and heads' positions but apparently once the court had served as the official mediator between the Professors and the students. Despite being as old as the Founders, the system was semi-democratic.
But since Cordelia and Tom were behind it, I was not overly concerned with the structure of the government. I mean I myself came from old money and Tom and Cordelia were fair, very fair.
I mean despite facing backlash, Cordelia was adamant about having muggleborns in the court. Tom had whole heartedly backed her. And her cousins had followed.
It was clear that even though most of the court resembled the Wizangomot in making with purebloods taking maximum seats, there were representatives of half-bloods and muggleborns. Right now, the number was small but Cordelia had given her word that it would expand once muggleborns became more familiar with the wizarding politics.
I was personally not a courtier. No, that honor had gone to two fifth year muggleborns. But I was a member or Knight of Inquest. Cordelia had personally taken me aside and apologized. I was not very representative of a general muggleborn because of my affluent status. But she had hinted that I will probably be a courtier in future. I thought it was perhaps because of my father's influence in the muggle world.
She had made a face when I had voiced out the last bit. She said that I had astute observations and they may extend to politics since I was brought up in a household where the running of a country was a normal, conversational topic. That was why I might get an invite to the court a few months later.
The truth was that my father had trained me in the art of politics. I was his only child and I was doted on. I was trained to be a lady but I could hold my own against any conversation that any gentleman could come up with.
I had learned everything that my father had taught me even though I did not think I would end up using half of those skills. I preferred to remain a lady though (See Author Note).
But I am losing the track. The court was historical not just because it was the first in a couple of centuries but because instead of one ruler, there were two. Tom and Cordelia were leading it together. Both had equal authority. For two people to share the metaphorical throne, people were left wondering.
Tom had apparently been Slytherin King for quite some time and he had made room for Cordelia in running the court when she had displayed aptitude. Now, they wanted to expand the base. This bit was not well known. I only knew this because Cordelia had insisted that I share a few meals with her and spend more time with her. We were friends now, after all. Her trust in me still shone.
But unlike me, Hogwarts was filled with gossip mongers. King and Queen of Hogwarts could have no moment of piece. Those weren't the official titles but the use had still spread like fire. Cordelia called her and Tom the Ruling Council. But to be honest, she was the only one who used it. Tom was above these small bits (He simply called them 'us' or 'we' and people understood) and the rest of the courtiers agreed that King and Queen was way easier than the mouthful Cordelia had put forth.
There was a hierarchy even among the courtiers (different than the one between the courtiers and Knights in general) but it was unspoken.
Needless to say, it was natural that Tom and Cordelia had their preferences. For instance, Cordelia was much closer to Anastius Zabini than she was to Heir Zabini or Heir Nott.
Tom and Cordelia were close friends with some of the court members and they were the inner circle. That's what Tom called it.
Admittedly, I had been spending quite a lot of time with him too because as I said, he and Cordelia were practically inseparable.
I think Tom had taken the attack on Cordelia very personally. Even when he was not close to her in proximity, he always had his hawk like gaze on her. He had gotten very protective and stringent on security.
But he had been nothing but polite and courteous to me. In fact, he was a very good conversationalist when he found a topic of interest and a person who could stimulate his interest, which honestly, was mostly Cordelia.
But he got on well with Abraxas Malfoy, Dorea Black and surprisingly Charles Potter. In fact, he seemed to prefer them over Orion and Alphard at the very least.
Since I am mentioning Malfoy, I should perhaps shed a little light on the note that he had sent to me over the break.
I was grateful, really grateful and I had wanted to express it. A note back could have caused trouble so I had not written. Oh, who am I fooling? I was a craven; I did not know what to write to a young pureblood heir that I had never spoken to. I was a maiden and I was not sure if I could write directly. I was a little shy, I guess. So, I just skipped it. I am fairly sure that it was blatantly rude of me to ignore it like that, but I did not think that I mattered in the scheme of things for the Malfoy heir and I was sure that by the time we would return from the break, he would have forgotten about me.
And I had been curious, so very curious about why he had bothered to write to me. Being a Ravenclaw, it just came in heaps but I squished in my melodrama of protocol and what not's.
And things had been fine upon return, simply because as I predicted, I did not catch his eye.
But one day I was sitting with Cordelia and he plopped down. He had greeted me with a polite, "Ms. Adler," and went on to speak to Cordelia briefly before kissing her cheek and leaving with a nod towards me.
Why did he care about my existence? The confusion had shone on my face because Dorea had chimed from the other side, "He is trying to be more polite to muggleborns."
"Yeah, he has never interacted with them before so he is not quite sure how to behave like they are normal people without offending them. He was quite confused. In wizarding pureblood world, men usually don't talk to women they are not related to or courting; but it is stupid. So, I asked men to engage women in conversations after making their platonic intentions clear but so far, not much luck. " Cordelia also poked fun.
She did not know anything about the note.
It was my little secret; tucked in the pages of my journal, the calligraphy of Heir Malfoy was safe.
"When did you ask him to do that?" I asked, curiosity laced in my mind at the prospect of an explanation.
"After the first court meeting. Anastius tried to engage in conversation but only ended up flirting and offending one Hufflepuff with his innuendoes. I swear, those Zabinis. I mean Cassius just about drools at my sight." Cordelia replied with a shake of her head.
'After the court meeting' still did not explain the note.
"I mean how uncouth can he be?" Dorea also chimed her bit about Cassius, distracting me temporarily from my quest.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust, remembering his salivating expressions.
I had fit in nicely with the Black sisters. Lucretia was really kind and Dorea was very welcoming. Walburga had first looked at like I smelled like an ogre but she, at least, no longer made faces at my presence.
"Work in progress." Lucretia had whispered apologetically to me.
And I did not mind, I could not expect the blood purists to change their attitude in one day; it would be just a superficial change.
But I was glad and proud of Cordelia; she had made a person like Walburga consider muggleborns as part of Hogwarts and not a waste space.
That told so much about the sway she held for the masses.
Tom was no less. His mere eyes could make people squabble. I wondered how I had missed his control for over 4 years but I guess, he was that good at keeping up appearances. But there were differences in the way they handled things.
Cordelia was softer, gentler. I guess that came with being a woman. We could not be as calculated as men. We were taught to care, nurture. (See Author note)
That is not to say that Cordelia was a foolish sentimentalist.
The way she brutally took down heirs in verbal battles was evidence alone that she had the ability to be as cold as the Slytherin facade was. She just chose to be smiling and cheery.
And Tom could be tender. Tom was charming and nice in public but I was not referring to that tenderness. I was referring to his real feelings not the act. I had seen it first hand, the way his eyes softened around Cordelia, affection surged in them at her mere sight.
And I think it was not just limited to Cordelia. Sure, he was the most affectionate towards her but he was gentler with Dorea and Abraxas and even Alphard. He got annoyed by the last one but he was patient like I had not seen him with a lot of people. In fact, I would say that Charles Potter and Abraxas Malfoy were two of his closest friends. I am not counting Cordelia because she meant more to him, clearly.
The court and other departments had found a rhythm. Inter House interaction was at its best since ages. All things were not at their best but they were getting better because apart from the school rules, the King and Queen had laid down laws too.
The most stellar rule was no discrimination on the basis of anything, specifically Hogwarts houses, blood and gender. The gender bit of the law had been difficult to understand and I was sure that I was not the only one struggling with it. Right now, the elaboration of the law was simple: Do not underestimate women. They would be a part of the court and the departments and you will not give them lighter work or mundane work just because they were women. "We value capability and we will respect willingness or the lack of it." Tom had said in his soft but form voice, eyeing the crowd with a challenge.
Because honestly, there were challenges. People liked Cordelia as a person, I mean they might want to court her or be a fan of how she flew or whatever but a lot of men did not understand how a woman could be equipped to lead the court.
It had taken some convincing and a lot of monologues from Tom and Cordelia and a lot of debates before every man had stumped and accepted that Cordelia was very astute in politics and very powerful with her magical power.
I saw firsthand how adept she was at healing when I saw her heal the men she had cursed in her duels without breaking a sweat.
There was at least one female from every house in the court and all of them had graciously accepted their roles. Some had been startled by the offer but they had all taken up the roles with grace once Tom and Cordelia talked to them personally.
The court and the honor duels had gotten some flak from the Professors. For instance, Dumbledore insisted that what Tom and Cordelia were doing was barbaric.
But the truth was that men always chose to duel instead of another option: intellectual test. They claimed that she had an unfair advantage because she was smart.
"Isn't that the point of the intellectual test?" Abraxas Malfoy had raised his brows.
Most of them had chosen not to answer that. Only Cassius Zabini had chosen to take the intellectual test. He had been so sure that with his Ravenclaw roots and higher year, he would be able to beat her but it was for naught. But he had not been malicious in his comments; lecherous in his gestures a few times after that but not really malicious (See Author Note).
It was not just men but women too questioned Cordelia's capabilities, Aimee Parkinson for one. Renatus Lestrange had been her champion in an honor duel against Cordelia because women do not fight duels. It was not proper.
Tom had merely raised a brow and given Renatus a look.
Lestrange had strangely been quiet in the beginning of this year; almost subdued. But his ire had risen when he was not included in the court.
"It would put the sanctity of the court in jeopardy if we include you." Cordelia had said with a classic beam.
He had fought Cordelia twice because strangely, Cordelia had not wanted Tom to fight the duel when Lestrange challenged the authority of the court.
"He should just be grateful that he is alive." Tom had muttered very lightly about it later in the library, his eyes getting dark as he glanced protectively and heatedly at Cordelia.
Since I knew of his murderous intentions from before the break, I was able to piece things together over the confused state of the rest of the table.
Cordelia seemed unconcerned by Tom's comment. That and her reluctance to let Tom and Lestrange duel led me to indicate that she knew about Tom's murderous intentions too. She did not seem to mind the intentions because she did not reprimand him like she usually did when she found something in bad taste. But I guess she did not want a public altercation between them either. It would have certainly been a big hit to diplomacy if Tom damaged Heir Lestrange permanently.
The Aurors had been unable to find anything. Hogwarts had just too many magical signatures and even though a trace of the signature of the stunning spell had been found on Cordelia, it had been insufficient to pinpoint a person.
All the Blacks and their other cousins had come from home laced in protective enchantments. The Floo fireplaces had been opened to students mandatorily so that they could contact Auror Department on their own without relying on the Professors.
Dumbledore had gotten a sort of notice. He was being closely watched by the School board of Governors. The Blacks had blamed him for the attack. The claim was that if he had not been so daft about the attack on Charles Potter, the perpetrator would not have had the chance to attack Cordelia.
Most of the school agreed. Gryffindor was sort of divided between those who thought Dumbledore had made a silly mistake and those who felt that his views were downright dangerous to the security of the students. There were a few people in between too.
Minerva Mcgonagall was among the conflicted ones. She was sort of Dumbeldore's Protégé, what with wanting to pursue mastery in Transfiguration.
But she was close friends with Charles Potter and as someone who cared about his wellbeing; her views and loyalty were a bit divided.
She agreed that the attack on Charles and Cordelia had been nefarious but she vouched that Dumbeldore was just doing his best.
In fact, she had turned down the offer to join the Hogwarts Court; she had cited that in light of NEWTs and her Quidditch captaincy, she could not take more responsibilities.
Cordelia and Tom had not been disappointed. In fact, the glint in Cordelia's eyes told me that she had been expecting the rejection.
Charles Potter had not been happy with Minerva. They had in fact, exchanged a few heated words since then. Cordelia had to intervene and reprimand Potter for imposing his choices on Mcgonagall before the situation got out of hand.
"But she is making the wrong choice!" Charles had sputtered indignantly.
"Why do you think you know better?" Cordelia had asked him.
"Because…" Charles had not completed his uncollected thoughts that Cordelia had interrupted, "Because you are a man."
"No…"He vehemently denied.
"Charlie, you cannot make choices for her. She might be your friend but she has not extended that right to you. You can negotiate or convince her once or twice but when she repeatedly says no, you should just drop it. She is smart. She can make wise choices for herself. Politics is not for everyone, not just because of their capability but also because of their personal inclinations. She can do good via politics but she can do good through other avenues too. What makes your choices better than hers? It is very relative."
Charles had left Minerva alone after that. That incident had also resulted in another incidental thing; Cordelia now had the grudging respect of Minerva Mcgonagall.
Also, when others had seen that Tom and Cordelia were not being forceful about joining or favoring the court, people had been more open to the idea of a court in place.
"It is very simple. People do not like being forced into things. They would have been against it by default. By giving them a choice, we are making them more open to this idea." Tom had shrugged when Orion had expressed his confusion.
"And we are not trying to be dictators Oree. Yes, you might call us King and queen (even though I disapprove of the titles) and we expect a certain decorum and following of rules but it is not meant to be oppressive. In fact, the idea of a court is to be more inclusive." Cordelia had gently informed.
Some people had questioned Tom's integrity on the muggleborn and mixed blood issue.
Some radical Slytherins and purebloods from other houses had accused him of maligning Slytherin's legacy by allowing mixed blood in the court, in Hogwarts.
Some skeptical people from other houses had refused to believe that Slytherins could want inclusivity for the sake of inclusivity. They thought there was some underhanded purpose or intention behind the whole set up.
The former were corrected and shot down by Tom and Cordelia. If Tom was besmirching Slytherin's name, then the Slytherin magic would not have accepted him.
That was the first time I saw the totem of any family. And the Slytherin totem was huge and intimidating. It was some sort of a really large snake with really big fangs.
It had come out of nowhere and after hissing threateningly at the complainers, it had made its way to Tom and had coiled itself protectively, but not just around him, around Cordelia as well.
For the latter skeptics, they had just produced the public archives of the House of Slytherin from the library. Apparently, Slytherin did have muggleborns and half-bloods. (See Author note 2). Turns out that Merlin himself had been a muggleborn, and let me just say that he was the most prized jewel of the Slytherin alumni.
"So, we are just honoring what was forgotten." Tom said.
"But despite the selective 'history' that we know, we value inclusivity. There were places when Slytherin went wrong, just as any other founder. The mistakes of others are not just as highly publicized as others. We are also trying to correct the past faults in running of our school and celebrating certain new things. It will be our intention and effort to bridge the gaps created by years of discord so that we can all come together as one institution and learn the best ways to practice magic. But schools are not just for learning, we build communities, we forge friendships, there is learning and engagement beyond academics. We hope that in years to come, we can rise about the differences in the houses and work together because truly, if a Griff, Slyth, Puff and Raven work together, they will be an unstoppable team. We all need moderation, something to balance us out. We hope we can achieve this camaraderie. Of course, you can see it and be a part of it over time. " Cordelia had addressed the crowd.
Not everybody had believed her, but a lot of people did, a lot of people wanted to, and at least a lot of people left the meeting much less skeptical than they had arrived.
Both she and Tom had a certain command over people. Maybe it was their charisma, but when both of them talked, people listened.
And the thing was when they talked; things suddenly seemed more sensible or logical. They just had this way with words.
Anyway, the first task that the court had taken up officially was the change in faculty for History.
Apparently, the court of Slytherin had already made a lot of progress and just about finished the work but there were some fine tunings left and the school court took that up.
Binns was not the only one under scrutiny. There was a feedback system for classes and Professors, from everything related to course content to their biases to grading preferences, everything was being surveyed and recorded.
Discreetly, of course. Cordelia did not want to lose the favor of most Professors just yet.
When I recall my days, all I remember is bustling and busy schedules as everyone tried to squabble to their court departments, as everyone poured in more and more ideas to make this a success.
I was not the only one inspired at the thought of change.
And I was not the only one who was excited or scared or almost giddy at the start of my days.
"Eve, you alright?" A voice interrupted my train of thoughts.
I turned to look at the person sitting across me. Cordelia's slightly concerned face stood out in the backdrop of the shelves of library.
"I am fine." I said automatically.
"Are you sure? You have been staring off the space for quite some while. Somebody say anything." It was the silky voice of Tom that responded to me.
When did he join us?
"I…" I began.
I was saved from saying anything as Alphard took the seat beside me and took over the conversation, "Hear what? I have heard that Dumbledore….." He was very enthusiastic.
And just like that, Tom and Cordelia's attention wavered.
A loud bang startled me out of my thoughts again. Dorea had hit Alphard on the back of his head loudly, "You interrupted them. They were talking to Evelyn."
"Ouch…I was…I was just…" Alphard began rubbing his head almost petulantly.
"Being overenthusiastic," Tom finished for him with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile.
"C'mon Affy, I have told you to not eat too much candy. You are worse than a toddler on sugar rush at times." Cordelia reprimanded softly.
"I only ate 10…" He mumbled as Cordelia rolled her eyes.
"Enough of your antics. Apologize to Evelyn, you can speak to Tom and Cordelia in the evening in common room." Dorea strictly instructed.
"Jormy scares me. I swear she does not like me." He mumbled again.
"She scares everybody. That is like her go to thing to entertain herself. You should get along well with her Affy, she bothers people for fun." Cordelia said pointedly.
"She is my familiar…" Tom lightly informed me when he saw my confusion.
"We have not brought her out of the Slytherin common room because of her temperament and people's reaction. Let them get used to Tom's lordship before we drop any more surprises…" Cordelia said in amusement. I just shook my head with a smile.
"I apologize Evelyn. I was out of line…" Alphard said to me abruptly and I froze. I swear that I can't deal with men giving me any attention. God knows that it took a week before I responded normally to Tom.
"It is no matter." I managed to produce without stuttering. But I know my flustered self was on full display to Tom and Cordelia.
"Now leave, we will see you later. Dory, tell Charlie that if he values his safety, he will return my notes on the Protean Charm by tonight or I am sending Anastius after him. He can irritate Charlie to death for the next week and see how annoying life can get when people do not listen to you because Anastius won't stop when Charlie asks him to." Cordelia said.
"He has not returned them?" Dorea exclaimed.
"No…" Tom laughed, "In fact, he has been using Sebastian to divert Lia's attention from him. The tactic failed but they tried."
"It is so annoying. I am trying to improve communication mirrors using runes and I need to use a variation of that charm to create a link. I am missing something and I know it is in my notes and he is being an annoying prick and…." Cordelia began complaining without taking a breath.
"OUT…"
I jumped and looked to my left side. There by the shelf was our doom.
Madame's Hopkirk's tight set of lips bristled out in rage as she looked at all of us.
Her glaring eyes looked frightening from behind her glasses as she glared at no one in particular.
We, wordlessly got up, Tom waved his wand about as his and Cordelia's books collected in a neat organized pile mid air and began following the couple out of the library through a mix of a levitation and hovering charm.
As soon as we were out, we sorta took a breather.
"Sorry, she hates me." Cordelia said apologetically to all of us.
"That is just because you corrected her about the editions of the Magical theory books and the rattles off the laws of library from Hogwarts charter to make your point about allowance of beverages in library. Not your fault! " Tom consoled her, rubbing her back gently.
Alphard had already made his way somewhere way ahead, away from the four of us.
'But she kicked us out. She is so mean." Cordelia made a pitiful face, 'That is not fair. I was not even that loud. I was whisper yelling."
Tom gently pulled her back in his arms, placed a kiss on her hair and said lightly, "We can start looking for her replacement."
"We can't just fire people who do not like us." Cordelia mumbled.
'Who says we can't?" Tom shrugged with superiority.
Dorea stood beside me, took a heavy sigh with a regretful expression and said very softly, "One of these days, I hope these two recognize their equation. They are just adorable together."
I gave Dorea a look.
"An elder sister can hope, Evelyn. Isn't their affection for each other really obvious?" She looked at me hopefully.
'It is…I just do not think it is my business…" I trailed off lightly.
Dorea smiled at my protest, "Cordelia told me how proper you insist on being."
I opened my mouth to protest again but Dorea beat my speech, "C'mon, those two are going to take their sweet time. Let us give them privacy and head down to Great hall. It is almost time for dinner."
I silently followed her lead.
Author Note 1:
These opinions are not true and do not reflect my views. Evelyn is a woman based in 1940s and as such has set views about how men and women should behave. This particular characterization is to reiterate the fact that women can act as agents of patriarchy as well, and sometimes they do it unwittingly without realization of their deeds.
Truly, women can compete with men. Women deserve equality and equity. Men do not need to be masculine. Being lecherous in not the same as being malicious, but if your advances are unwelcome, it is as bad as malice. Men can nurture too and women can be cold. Yada Yada...Go Feminism!
Author Note 2: My fic ignores the song of Sorting Hat in HP's 5th year where the Hat says that Slytherin valued pureblood ancestry. As per my fic's universe, the requirements for Slytherin are cunning, resourcefulness and ambition and not the blood. The house currently lacks muggleborns because of the stigma and false propaganda about the house. They fear Slytherin so much that Hat doesn't put them there.
Author Note 3:
Dear Readers,
My Heartiest apologies, for taking a month longer than I promised.
Thank you for your support to the fic and me personally, in my online absence. The reviews were reminders of all the good things in life.
As some of you guessed in your recent reviews, I am not doing very well with my migraines. I am certainly better, but as I am very aware of my migraine cycle, the better days usually don't last that long. It is a chronic, incurable but benign disorder. It is certainly treatable, but it is usually very hit and trial than actual therapeutic effects. I am not gonna die but I am in a lot of pain on most days.
Which is why I got delayed in my update schedule. I am sorry, again.
As this chapter signals, I am back on as a writer. However, there is a little catch. I cannot update as frequently as I did. This story is very important to me and I would like to complete it on my own terms with some quality work. That is no longer possible with the weekly schedule. I have decided to update monthly between 20 to 25th of the month. This schedule might get revisited if I am able to write more quickly or feel better, whichever. But until then, this is , the average chapter length will increase slightly to 5000-7000 words instead of the usual 4000.
Until Next Time,
Katoptris
(THIS WILL BE COMPLETED, rest assured.)
Please review. :) Pretty Please!
