Blaise and I snickered as we waited in the Great Hall for Draco to walk in, leaving the rest of the group, Daphne, Theodore, and Tracey, to wonder in confusion as we impatiently waited at our table.

"What's got you two so excited?" Daphne asked.

"Just wait until you see what this brilliant man and I did," Blaise said, patting me on my shoulder as I sat next to him, staring at the door. "Let's just say that 'Little Draco' is getting a taste of his own medicine.

Already, I could hear muffled laughs from students outside the door. The amount of sniggers only increased with time until Blaise and I's previous target walked through the set of large, double doors.

When he finally walked through the set with his gang of pathetic lackeys, Blaise and I openly hollered. Draco's pale face grew red as we laughed, and more people noticed his head.

The blond hair that he was so proud of had been replaced with a mop of stringy green instead. It glimmered like grease in pockets as if Draco had made a mess of himself whilst he was gelling his hair this morning, causing him to look like a fool.

But unfortunately for our little snakelike prince, this was only the first part of my plan.

"Are you alright, Malfoy?" I called out, "You're looking a little green. Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey?"

I saw his two hands clench in anger as I teased him, and a foul face stretched itself, causing harsh lines to appear around his mouth, and on his forehead as he furrowed his mint-green eyebrows.

"Laugh it up, Gaunt, but I swear that my father will hear about this…"

"Hiding behind your father again? It's almost like you can't stand up for yourself. Laughably pitiful, wouldn't you say so, Blaise?"

"Pitiful indeed, friend." Blaise said, covering his mouth in a failing attempt to keep himself from cracking up any more.

Draco looked as if he was about to refute the two of us, or maybe even break out into straight-up aggression, but then three figures from the Gryffindor Table stood up, and pointed their wands at the struggling boy, and quickly muttered something.

In a near instant, Draco's robes had morphed into a green suit with a dark vest. The pants had stopped about halfway to his feet, leaving a pair of tight white leggings that ended in a pair of slick buckled shoes. To complete the ensemble, a mysterious green top hat had landed itself on his head.

As the laughs renewed themselves, and I gave a curt nod to my pranking assistants, the Weasley twins, and their friend, Jordan, I announced "Why, Malfoy, don't you know that St. Patrick's Day was months ago? I'm afraid you're a little too late."

At that, the blond boy had enough, and he turned around, marching (presumably) back to the Slytherin Common Rooms.

A small amount of cheers resounded across the Great Hall as I sat down. Since we started, Draco's become something of an annoyance to the older students, even in our own house, and a boogeyman to the other first years, and some of the second years.

Say what you will about the Heir to the Malfoy fortune, but he knows how to get under the skin of nearly everyone he comes across.

"Congratulations, Corvus, you've just made yourself a martyr." Daphne said, shutting her book. "What do you think Draco will do once he inevitably tells Professor Snape, and then his father what happened today? You're going to be punished."

"Of course I will." I admitted proudly, stabbing my scrambled eggs with my fork. "Draco is a coward, first and foremost. He'll tell the professor, and what's the worst that will happen then? I'll get detention for a few days?"

"He could get his father to expel you!" she said, staring aggressively towards me. "Did you know that Lucius Malfoy has a spot on the Hogwarts Board of Governors?"

I smiled in response.

"You-You did? How?"

I smirked, and put my head on my hand. "Besides having heard Draco brag about it multiple times, it is only natural to believe that he had support from a powerful figure. Nobody else in this school except for The-Boy-Who-LIved," My attention was drawn towards Potter who was laughing about the whole event with the worst Weasley. "could possibly get away with this many broken rules. At least Potter knows how to hide his little 'adventures'."

"What makes you say that Harry Potter has favoritism?" Tracey asked.

"He's the Boy-Who-Lived, Tracey, but I hardly think that's all that makes him so favored amongst the Hogwarts Staff. I think Professor Dumbledore personally has his eye on Potter."

"Why?" Blaise asked, his eye furrowed. Even Theodore seemed to be intrigued by the whole conversation.

"It's… just a hunch. I'll tell you all later."

And truth be told, it is just a hunch… For now. Something about this whole situation is highly suspicious. I've seen the way the old man's eyes follow Potter, because I've also been a victim of his gaze. I can't dig into his head just yet, but sometimes, I get inklings of what he's thinking.

"Well, I've got-"

"It was you, wasn't it?" some boy asked, approaching us. Two more followed behind him, a boy, and a girl, but they all bore the familiar colors of yellow and black, the colors of Hufflepuff. "You were the one who pranked Draco Malfoy?"

I recognized this boy - his name's Justin Finch-Fletchley if I remember correctly. And then, the two behind him were… Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott.

"We just wanted-"

"If you're here to give me thanks, I don't want it, nor need it." I admitted, turning back to my plate. "So with that out of the way, bugger off."

The three stuck around for whatever reason, but I could hear them uneasily shuffling behind me.

"I believe I told you three to go away." I said, standing up. Even at this age, I almost towered over the three. "I am a Slytherin, which makes us natural enemies."

Hannah took a step back, and then grabbed one of her pigtails, possibly as some sort of method of comforting herself. Justin Finch-Fletchley looked just as intimidated, but strangely, Ernie Macmillan looked blankly at me, and then stepped forward.

"We want to help you the next time you prank Draco." the boy said, standing straight up.

"Look at this, little piggie wants to help the big boys." Blaise said, to which I snapped, and Theo clasped his mouth shut to let us talk.

"Draco's been bullying us ever since we started school. Worse, he's started to make sure Crabbe and Goyle harass Justin and Hannah because they aren't purebloods. We want in, no matter what it takes."

I couldn't help but feel a grin growing on my face. These three, they couldn't possibly hope to represent Slytherin the way it deserves to be represented. Ernie's packing almost as much fat in his cheeks as Goyle, Hannah looks as though she's about to wet herself, and Justin, well, he's a muggle. Even so, they've taken this opportunity to cling to someone more powerful than themselves to repay those who have wronged them. I suppose that's as Slytherin as these Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors can get.

I took a step forward, and clasped the boy on his shoulders before gently brushing off any dust that accumulated. "Listen, the reason I took this chance to prank Draco was to provide an example to anyone who bullies those who can't defend themselves. To those who tarnish the proud Slytherin name. This, why this is only the beginning. Things are going to escalate, and to make sure I come out on top, I will need allies."

I took a cursory glance over the small group as I observed their faces. For once, their fear had dissipated as they intently listened.

"Do you three think you can do that? You may be caught in the crossfire, but if you join me, that means you will be under my protection. Anyone who bothers you will now be an enemy of mine, er, within reason of course. Do we have a deal?"

Justin looked as though he was hesitating, but Hannah and Ernie quickly agreed.

"Sure, anything you need, Corvus."

"That's Gaunt," I corrected, "We're not on a first-name basis, yet. Maybe we'll get there by the end of the year, yeah?"

I looked at Hannah, who had a strange look of excitement on her face, and winked at her, causing her cheeks to grow a tinge of red on them.

"So, our final piece of business is getting in contact with someone who's a little more… experienced. Know anyone like that?"

"Sure! Cedric Diggory is really good at Transfiguration and Charms. Is he going to be important?" Hannah asked, to which I shrugged.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Anyways, tell him I would like to meet personally, without anyone interfering. Can you do that?"

They nodded once more, and I reached into my back pocket before pulling out three galleons, and pressing one into each of their hands.

"This is the beginning of a wonderful relationship, don't you agree?"

The three of them nodded as their gaze scanned the gold coin, and then I nudged them away.

"Remember, get Cedric for me!" I called out, and then I sat down.

The group of five looked at me with a mixture of amusement and intrigue. Blaise looked most excited about the situation, whilst Daphne looked at me with conniving eyes.

"Your Cause?" she asked.

I nodded, and then Blaise said "Corvus and I have been working on it for a while now. We have crafted an excellent plan for our end-goal."

"And that is?"

I smirked, and bent my head down slightly, and looked her in the eyes. "Get Draco removed from Hogwarts."

"You… Can't be serious?"

"He is. Dead Serious. As am I." Blaise said, backing me up. "Theo's on board, too."

"Theo? Are you really going along with this nonsense?"

Theodore didn't say anything, as usual, but he gave a more enthusiastic grunt than usual.

"I think it's time for you two girls to decide; are you in, or not?" I said.

"I'm in!" Tracey cried out, raising her hands into the air.

Daphne, however, looked unconvinced. Her eyes furrowed as she delved into her own mind, weighing her options. All the potential outcomes, if this goes wrong, I could very easily be suspended, or worse, expelled, but if we get Draco removed, then it would be like cutting the head off of the snake. We could stop the useless bigotry of the pure bloods, and reforge Slytherin from the ground up.

"So?" I asked.

Daphne's face grew dark, but then she finally looked up at me, and nodded. "I'm in. What do I have to do?"

"Nothing… yet." I responded. "We'll get to that when-"

"Corvus Gaunt, I'm afraid I'll have to take you to Professor Snape. Say goodbye to your little friends."

I looked up at the voice, and saw the familiar face of Prefect Farley. Her sharp gaze was kept still on me. I noticed her hand had been drawn to her side, as if she was anticipating for me to resist her schoolyard arrest.

"Prefect Farley, I don't think paralyzing me, or immobilizing me will be necessary. I'll come willingly."

Her hand seemed to falter a bit, and I took a deep breath as I pulled out six galleons, and placed them on the table.

"Get these to the Weasley twins." I whispered to Blaise. "Their loyalty could prove extremely useful in the future."

"Alright, Mr. Gaunt, it's time to come with me." the Prefect stated, nearly pulling on my robe.

I began walking out of the Great Hall, and we began making our way to the potions classroom, and thusly, to what could possibly be my biggest obstacle in my attempt to slyly remove the root of corruption for House Slytherin.

As the two of us entered the room, I took in the musty scent of herbs and potion ingredients. The stale smell of books filled with parchment, and the ink that students took their notes on.

"Professor, I've brought Mr. Gaunt."

"That will be all, Ms. Farley. I will call for you if I need you." he responded in a cold manner.

"Yes, sir." she said obediently.

Professor Snape had been bent over his papers, writing down contents which I couldn't possibly know without reading his mind, or snooping over him (both of which could prove to lead to extremely unfortunate consequences).

The chair opposite of his desk seemed to scooch back, as if through magic, and the long-nosed professor muttered "Sit. Now."

I inevitably gave into his command, and sat down in the chair. As he continued writing down on his papers, I scanned the potions room for the sight of something interesting, but I gave up as soon as he began talking.

"I've received quite the report from Mr. Malfoy. He seems to believe that you are responsible for his… 'accident', among others. Is that true?'

"Yes, sir." I responded.

For once, he faltered, and his head was risen as he intimidatingly looked into my eyes, and gave a foul frown.

"What were you thinking, Gaunt? What could possibly have driven you to send such an insult to not only Draco Malfoy, but also Slytherin itself? Do you not have loyalty towards your own house?"

I weighed my own options, but it was a clear choice as to how I would respond. I saw Draco as a poison in Slytherin, and while Professor Snape may condemn me for it, I trust he will want to keep this an isolated incident.

"Of course I am loyal to Slytherin, Professor, but I have… concerns as to how Draco has been acting. Ask any of the first years who aren't pure-bloods, and I'm sure they will say the same thing: Draco is a bully, and unfortunately for him, not a very brave one."

"How so, Gaunt?"

I smiled as I replied "It's simple. He always hides behind his father. The way he goes about it is against everything Slytherin stands for; ambition, cunning, even resourcefulness. If he uses any tool, it's those two lunkheads who follow him around everywhere."

Professor Snape scoffed at my response. "Even if that were true, all you've done is divide Slytherin. All sense of loyalty has been split down. If you continue this retaliation, you will cause a civil war in your own house? Is that what you want?"

I feigned innocence for the first time tonight. "Of course not, sir! I only mean to humble Draco a little. This will be the first, and last time, I promise you that."

If this were a saturday morning cartoon, I would've had my fingers tied.

The Professor grunted as he responded "Good. Then next comes the identities of your accomplices. Reveal them, now!"

I shook my head in a confused manner. "I'm afraid I didn't have any accomplices. While I did dye his hair, I did nothing to transfigure his clothing into that of a leprechauns."

Professor Snape looked me in the eyes, asking "Do you take me for a gullible fool, like that oaf, Quirrell? That may work on a first year teacher, but I've worked here for more than a decade now. Tell me your accomplices, or I shall have to extend your punishment."

"I swear to you, I didn't have contact with anyone about my prank on Draco."

He glowered, and then his barrage began…

'This is going to take forever.' I thought, putting my head in my hand.

I knocked on the door of the classroom, and quickly heard the shuffling of feet beyond the entrance to the DADA classroom.

"Ah! Mr. Gaunt! I had heard you were going to serve your detention with me." Professor Quirrell said, opening the door. "Well then, shall we get started?"

He almost pulled me into the classroom before pushing me down into a chair, and then pulling out two orange… pumpkins?

"I must admit, I was quite intrigued when a student of mine told me that you had pulled a prank on Mr. Malfoy, and more so when Professor Snape had told me that I was going to supervise your detention, but since it is so close to Halloween, I thought we could postpone your normal lessons."

He placed the two pumpkins on his desk as he asked "How do you feel about carving pumpkins?"

I couldn't help but smile. "I'm not the greatest with art, but I do enjoy carving them."

"G-Great!" the Professor exclaimed, picking up, and then placing a pumpkin on my desk.

"W-When I was l-living in R-Romania to seek out the v-vampires," Professor Quirrell seemed to shrug as he thought about the bloodsuckers, "I used to hit a crucifex, and garlic in the carved pumpkins to w-ward them off."

"But, Professor," I interjected, "don't you have to invite vampires in for them to actually get you inside your home?"

"A-ah, yes, b-but, it never h-hurts to be prepared!"

"I guess so." I responded.

He pulled up a metal tray with his wand, and I noticed two carving tools had been placed down on them.

"Now, w-would you like to tell me w-why you pranked Mr. M-Malfoy?"

I couldn't help but chuckle as the memories of what happened this morning replayed in my mind. For any other teacher, even Professor Snape, I wouldn't tell them anything but the surface level information as to why I pranked him, but I can't help but trust Professor Quirrell. Something about the trembling, barely-competent man made me comfortable around him.

"He's a plague on Slytherin." I said, to which the Professor went agape. "HIs goals vary widely from my own. He blindly believes in blood purity, something I don't have any real opinion on, but worse that that, he seeks unworthy opponents. People who can't defend themselves, muggle-borns who have only started to learn about the magical world, anyone of the sort. He's a disgrace to Slytherin."

"M-My, what a h-honorable goal." the Professor replied. "I wish I h-had someone like you w-when I started school!"

"It's worse than that," I spat out, picking up the knife, and plunging it into the flesh of the pumpkin, "he's started to spread his beliefs around, like a plague. The beliefs of most Slytherins were bad to begin with, but he has them believing that they can begin to openly harass everyone who's not a Slytherin.

"And you don't agree with that?" the Professor said in a clear tone.

'He's doing it again,' I thought, 'He's switched from stuttering to talking like he never had it in the first place. Not to mention, it always seems to turn that way when it involved him learning more about me.'

"No, I don't." I responded. "Play pranks on others, hell, even bully them, I couldn't care less, but we need to show ourselves as united, or at least hide our primary goals. We should be cunning, not cowardly."

"How interesting. You are quite different from most children I've met. You could do without the honor, I believe, but you believe in presenting yourself as an idol. Am I wrong?"

I thought about what the Professor said, and for the first time in a long time, I hesitated to respond.

"I guess? No… maybe… I'm not sure." I said, unsure of myself. It's strange, this stuttering man has drawn more out me than anybody else has. "Listen, Professor, what I want is to make Slytherins proud of their house without seeking out people who aren't worth it. Competition is friendly, but right now, it's not a competition. It's seeking out people who are already down on the ground, and starting to kick them."

"And this isn't about power?" he asked.

"…"

I heard the clacking of the carving knife as the Professor placed it on the tray next to him, and walked out into the most spacious area of the DADA room. With a quick swish of his wand, he summoned something that looked like a cabinet.

"Set here," he said, pointing at the ground.

I followed his command, and walked over to the spot he indicated towards as he continued.

"Do you know what a Boggart is, Mr. Gaunt?"

I shook my head.

"A Boggart is a dark creature that changes shape to reflect its observer's worst fear. If you don't mind, I would like to see what your worst fear is. Do you mind?"

I shuddered a little, but then nodded. "It's fine."

Professor Quirrell looked at me for a moment more before finally opening the cabinet.

Truth be told, I was interested in seeing my own worst fear. I had never thought much about it, but this may give some insight into my own mind.

As a thick black fog crawled out form the opened cabinet, the lights to the room dimmed. I felt my heart beat faster and faster as I anticipated what I could see. But then, it began warping.

A shape, no, a grave appeared. One labeling my name "Corvus Antares Gaunt", and below that "1980 - xxxx". Strangely enough, it seemed my death year had been carved away, or maybe even scratched up enough so that it was unintelligible.

"I see, so you are afraid of death."

As I stared at the dark grave, I couldn't help but feel that something was off. There should've been something more, but all it was was a name, and some useless dates. The rest of it was blank stone.

"Riddikulus."

And then, a skeleton rose out of the grave began dancing back into the cabinet, and closed the door.

"There are many who are afraid of death, my boy, but there are ways to prevail against it."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I know many who are exceptionally powerful. One even more so than Dumbledore himself."

I stared blankly at the man with the purple turban, waiting for anything else, but then he abruptly stated "Alright! Let's get back to carving!"

And we did, but it didn't allay my fears at all. No, not fears, confusion.

"So, you saw your own grave."

"Yes," I responded to Gellert. "Professor Quirrell said that my worst fear may be death."

After I left the DADA classroom, and went to bed, I found the familiar blue phoenix, and immediately knew Gellert was nearby. It wasn't too much longer until we were back together on the hill overlooking the castle once more.

"And what about your epitaph?" Gellert asked, looking inquisitively at me. His dull eye seemed to peer into my soul as he continued "Surely someone like you must have something written on the grave. Something of note, a marriage, maybe fatherhood. Something."

"No, nothing." I responded. I placed my head on my knees, and warmed myself up on the cold Fall night.

"Then, perhaps your worst fear isn't death, per se," as he said that, my head quickly turned towards him, and I scanned his nearly youthful face. "but rather, not having any accomplishments. Your worst fear isn't death, but not having achieved anything in life. You are frightened of dying a nobody."

And then it clicked. He was right. The reason I do anything is that I want to prove to everyone that I am more than an orphan. More than a name. Even this 'civil war' is just an attempt at making my mark on history. I want my life to amount to something.

"I hope that gives you some insight onto yourself." he said, looking back at the castle. "It is oftentimes our own minds that prove to be the largest mysteries in our lives."

"Yes." I responded. "I think you are right. I'll just have to make sure my life amounts to something unachievable for anyone else."

Gellert chuckled as he placed his hand on my back, and began to reassuringly rub. "I'm sure you will, Corvus. There's truly nobody else like you on this planet, and there never will be."

Here we go! The Next Chapter! Sorry for the extremely long delay (personal issues). I hope you guys enjoy this one. It was honestly really fun to write. Corvus's insecurities, his goals, all of them are starting to build up. What happens when they overrun the dam? And how will both Gellert and Corvus's Father influence his life? Well, if you want to know, I guess you'll just have to read more ;) Until next time - CStrain