Chapter Twenty-One...
The Serpent's Lair - Part 5!
(Hogwarts Express.)
1st of September - King's Cross Station:
It had been a week since Harry was caught by a naked Emma while reading her diary, and things had been busy for him since. When he wasn't with the Grangers, he was visiting Ember at the Weasleys, or working (fucking Charlotte) at The Abyss. Despite all the distractions, Harry couldn't keep his mind off Emma and how much he wanted to fuck her. As much as he liked Dan, and as much he cared for Hermione and Melody, he knew that the only way he could have Emma for himself was to kill Dan.
He knew that he'd have to be careful; should the Grangers find out he was behind Dan's death before he had full control of them, they would turn on him. Out of the three women, Melody was the closest to beinging fully his. Just a bit longer and there would be no questioning her dedication towards him.
Killing Dan would have to be all about timing. He couldn't do it while he was still in London; most wouldn't suspect him of being the killer because of his age, but the chance was still there. He decided he would have to wait a bit for the perfect opportunity to present itself.
The previous week had passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time for them to return to Hogwarts. With thirty minutes to spare, the party was making their way through King's Cross towards platform nine-and-three-quarters. They reached the portal only to find that they were unable to pass through it.
"Any idea what's going on?" Melody asked as she looked around to make sure no one had seen the three of them just walk into a pillar.
"No," Harry admitted to the young girl, "as far as I know, this sort of thing has never happened before. Hermione, have you heard of anything like this?"
"I think I read in Hogwarts: A History, that the portal to Merlin's Station has occasionally malfunctioned in the past." Hermione told Harry and her family after some thought.
"Is there another way to the station?" Emma asked her oldest daughter.
"Yes, mum," Hermione replied, "there's a small family bar for Magical Users and their families. There's an active Floo connection we can use to get to Merlin's Station."
As they reached the bar, unsurprisingly named Merlin's Bar, they found it was like any other family bar that the Grangers been to. High-top tables and chairs were arranged throughout the floor, and TVs adorned most walls. It was for all the world what one would expect of a bar aside from one decoration. A sign was mounted above the counter reading 'FLOO CONNECTION Ask at counter,' but Emma and Dan couldn't see it.
Harry spoke softly as they reached the counter, just in case there were those around who didn't know about the Wizarding World, "Excuse me, but me and my friends would like to use the Floo connection to get onto Merlin's Station."
"Of course, sir. Is there a problem with the main entrance?" asked the bartender.
"The barrier was stuck shut," Dan explained.
"Strange... I'll have someone go check on it and send the remaining passengers here," the barman told them, "now, are any of you non-magicals?"
"Only my wife and I," replied Dan.
"In that case, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here," he told Dan and Emma, "there's an anti-Muggle ward around the fireplace so non-magicals can't find it."
"Goodbye mum, dad. I love you. We'll see you see you at Christmas," Hermione said her farewells as she hugged her parents before Flooing to Merlin's Station, Melody followed at a much more sedate pace.
Once they were through, Harry said his goodbyes, as well. Emma surprised him with a sudden hug and a warm smile. "Don't think that wasn't meant for you, too. You're officially invited to stay at the Granger residence for Christmas."
Initially, she didn't want to ask and risk repeating what happened during the summer, but her daughters would ask why he wasn't allowed, and rather than telling them the truth - which she didn't want to - she had no reason not to invite him.
"Thanks, Emma. As long as nothing comes up, I'd be happy to come," Harry said with a happy smile.
"That's good to hear. Please look after our girls," Emma requested. Harry shook his head with a fond look.
"I hope you mean that rhetorically; you don't even need to ask," he said over his shoulder as he slipped through the Floo.
The remaining Grangers turned around and grabbed each other's hand, exchanging a loving look as they revelled in the fact that their daughters would be looked after by someone they trusted.
They were going to their car to do some shopping before returning home, when they were almost bowled over by a frenzied-looking ginger boy. They tried to follow him with their eyes, but quickly lost track of him. It turned out to be unnecessary, though. When they heard the meaty thump of a body slamming into a wall, it was easy to guess what had happened.
The two walked away, unaware that adolescent wizard did not know about the bar or the Floo, and would end up stealing his dad's flying car and flying to Hogwarts, breaking the Statute at least a dozen times in the process. Just a few moments after, someone from Merlin's Bar came to direct magicals to the bar.
o0OoO0o
Merlin's Station:
Once they were in the underground station, they made their way to the Hogwarts Express, to search for an empty compartment for themselves and their friends. They decided on one at the end of the train, in the hopes that Malfoy wouldn't bother them.
They met up with Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, and Su Li on their way to the Hogwarts Express, and let them know where they were planning on sitting. Susan was being escorted by Kingsley Shacklebolt - a tall, bald, black Auror - by order of her Aunt Amelia. Hannah and Su were with their families, and they quickly greeted Harry before the crowd got a chance to recognize him. Before they could make it to the train, they were stopped by the Longbottoms.
Harry told the girls to go ahead and find them a compartment; he would find them as soon as he dealt with the Longbottoms. Hermione and Melody felt that they should stay and support their friend/master, but Harry insisted it was something he had to do alone. Seeing that Harry wasn't going to change his mind, they went off to find a compartment without him.
"How can I help you?" Harry asked with a bored tone.
"I was wondering if you had thought about what we talked about before the holidays?" Alice queried her godson.
"I have," Harry admitted to the group.
"And?" asked Frank Longbottom.
"I'm still not sure if I should bother with you lot," Harry told him. He went on before they could say anything, "Why should I when none of you bothered with me until I got to Hogwarts?"
What could they say to that? They had abandoned Harry when it was their job to look after him. They couldn't rightfully expect Harry to trust them, but Alice wasn't going to give up; Harry was the last link to her friend, Lily, and she had a lot to make up for. In an attempt to build bridges between Harry and her family, she said, "I know we don't deserve your forgiveness, but I would like to start mending the damage that we have caused. You don't have to see me or the others, outside of Neville during class, but could we exchange letters with each other? We'll see where we can go from there."
Harry thought about this as he looked her over. While he didn't want anything to do with the family, he did like the looks of Alice. He would like nothing more than to break her and make her pay for how she abandoned him all those years ago. Looking at her, Harry decided that writing her would be a good start to his plan for revenge. It would take time, but he would get his satisfaction.
"Fine," Harry said simply, "I'll send you a letter soon."
Without another word, Harry boarded the train and set off to find his friends. He found them at the very end of the train, talking to each other about what Melody could expect at Hogwarts. As the three were talking, there was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Susan, Hannah, and Su.
"Hi, guys!" The three girls greeted them with wide smiles, before looking towards the unknown girl with a questioning expression.
"This is my sister, Melody," Hermione introduced her sister to her friends, "Melody, this is Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, and Su Li."
"Nice to meet you, Melody," Susan said with a smile, "so how are you three? Did you have a good summer?"
"We're not too bad," Harry replied, summing up all three of their opinions, before telling the others about their summer. The three girls blushed at hearing what their friends did for the summer. Sure, they got letters from them saying that they were going to the nudist camp, but they thought their friends were pulling their legs. After talking for a bit, Harry asked, "So have you seen the others?"
"Cedric is with his friends," Hannah told them, "I saw Ember with a redheaded girl, I think it was the Weasley twins' sister - Ginny, I think her name was."
"Yeah, the two of them became friends over the summer while Ember stayed with the Weasleys," Harry told them, "Did you see the twins or the others?"
"I saw Fred and George talking to their friend, Lee," Susan explained to the group, "I think they were talking about pranks that they were planning for the year. We haven't seen Alicia, Angelina, nor Katie yet, but suspect they're around somewhere."
As the girls sat down, they felt the train lurch into motion. Not long after, Susan asked, "So, Melody, what do you think of the Wizarding World so far?"
Before Melody could say anything, there was a knock on the compartment door and the black-haired girl with the heart-shaped face from Rue de Lumière stepped in. Before Harry or the girls could greet her - or she them - Susan hissed, "Lestrange, what are you doing here?"
"Do you know each other?" Harry asked the two girls. He suspected that Hannah also knew of this girl, if the dark looks she was directing at their new arrival were anything to judge by.
"Not personally, no," Susan admitted, darkly, never taking her eyes off the other girl, "but I have seen her around with her mother, Bellatrix Lestrange."
Seeing the blank looks on her friend's face, who, unlike Hannah and Su, didn't seem to recognize the name, she went on to explain, "Bellatrix Lestrange was one of the most feared Death Eaters that followed the Dark Lord in the last war. They say that she was the most trusted and loyal Death Eater You-Know-Who ever had. The only reason that she didn't get sent to Azkaban was because she said she was under the Imperius curse and bribed a bunch of people."
"Like you know anything, Bones," Lestrange sneered at the girl, "there are things about my mother that you could never understand."
Before things devolved into a fight, Harry asked, "So, Anastasia, what can I do for you?"
"Just wanted to say hi and see if your friends got over Lockhart yet," Anastasia told Harry.
"Mostly we have," a red-faced Hermione said. Melody was also blushing, both girls embarrassed that they once had a crush on the fraud. If he was a fiction writer, things might be different, but to be honest, Lockhart's books were not well written at all compared to Muggle books. The Granger sisters had a crush on the main character - who the author was supposed to be but wasn't. They hoped that they wouldn't have to talk about it, but it appeared their friends weren't prepared to be so merciful.
"Lockhart?" asked Su, "What happened?"
Here, Anastasia explained with a playful smile what happened back at Rue de Lumière, and Harry explained how he helped them get over their crush by pointing out some of the things that didn't make sense. Despite Susan, Hannah, and Su's distrust of Anastasia Lestrange being there, they couldn't help but laugh at Hermione and Melody for having a crush on a fool like Lockhart.
"You're not being serious, are you?" Susan said with a giggle, "You two actually had a crush on Gilderoy Lockhart?"
"Well, to be fair, Susan, don't most witches and a few wizards have a crush on the fool?" Harry asked the redhead as Hermione and Melody covered their faces in embarrassment, "He does sell a good story, and says that it's real. You can't blame so many people for believing his lies."
"True," Anastasia had to admit, "So what were you lot talking about?"
Before the dissenters could respond, Harry answered, "Susan was asking Melody what she thought of the Wizarding World."
"So you're a Muggleborn?" Anastasia asked with interest.
"Is that a problem, Lestrange?" Susan sneered at the young girl, slightly surprising Harry with the venom behind it.
"No, none at all," Anastasia told them, shocking Susan, Hannah, and Su, "my mother taught me not only to fear Muggles and Muggleborns, but to also respect them."
Seeing the look of interest in Harry's eyes, she went on to explain, "My mum says we should fear them because of the changes some of them try to force upon our world. There are changes that need to be made, but most of the time they shouldn't be forced. Some things do need to be forced, though, like the clothes we wear."
"Oh?" Su inquired.
"Look at what we normally wear! Robes, for Merlin's sake," Anastasia exclaimed in exasperation, "I lived most of my life in the Muggle World, and I have to say that the best things that they have changed over the years are the clothes. They have a large range of clothing but the Wizarding World doesn't. Not only that, but Muggles have a wider range of foods and other things."
Susan, Hannah, and Su looked at the girl in shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. They thought that Anastasia would be as pro-Pureblood as her mother was rumoured to be.
"They have done a lot of things that we should respect them for, but we still need to be careful of them."
"Why is that?" Harry asked with interest.
"The wars," Anastasia told them darkly, "They go to war for the littlest things, like religion or politics. They go to war when one country has resources the others want and isn't sharing. They've even gone to war just because they thought it was their right to take what other people already had. The Wizarding World has only had two wars while the Muggle world has been to war countless times - many of them simply because they didn't like the guys on the other side of the fence."
"True, the Wizarding World does seem to have fewer wars than the Muggle world," Harry had to admit. Hermione and Melody nodded in agreement. He considered the added problems Muggles had, though. Magic helped ease a lot of the strain on resources, but witches and wizards no longer lived amongst Muggles. Ever since the Church started making people believe that magic was unholy, most had been killed or chased into hiding.
"But, like I said: Muggles should be respected, too," Anastasia told them, "They've done things that the Wizarding World hasn't even dreamed of. Things like going into space, or creating new kinds of food and clothing. They've made unbelievable advances in technology, medicine, and even entertainment. So I treat Muggles and Muggleborns with caution until they earn my trust."
As much as the wizard-raised girls hated to admit, the Lestrange girl had a point. Muggles and Muggleborns were dangerous. Even if the rest of the Wizarding World tried to help Muggleborns fit in, some of their ideas could still be very dangerous. At least Lestrange didn't seem to outright hate Muggles and Muggleborns; she just regarded them with a healthy amount caution. It was something they had to think about, especially after Harry, Melody, and even Hermione begrudgingly agreed with her. Hermione didn't like to see the Muggle World in such a bad light, but knew it to be the truth.
"So what are your thoughts about the Wizarding World?" Anastasia asked Melody.
"It's not too bad from what I've seen so far, though I found out that I am what you lot consider a Mystic. Although, I think mages -" Melody explained until Su interrupted.
"Mages?"
"Mages are what I call wizards and witches," Melody explained to the group, "I don't know about you lot, but in the Muggle world, being called a witch is somewhat insulting, and I thought you should have a more general name that wasn't as insulting to us females who have magic."
"That is true," Anastasia admitted to the group, "In the Muggle world, 'witch' is often used more as an insult than as a title. It's like they're calling you a bitch. To be honest, I like the idea of being called mages. It feels better."
Melody smiled at the young witch for her support as she went on to say, "Not only do I dislike females being called witches, I also hate the term 'Muggle.' I prefer 'mundane' or 'non-magical,' as 'Muggle' sounds insulting. How would you lot feel if we call you something like 'wiggles' instead? I bet you'd want to do something about it."
Susan, Hannah, Su, and even Anastasia looked at Hermione and Harry, and they could see that the pair agreed with the younger girl. As they thought about it, they could see Melody's point of view, but to them, it was the way they were brought up. Although they agreed with her, it would be hard to change people's mind about such things.
Before anything else was said, the compartment door opened, and Malfoy and his two goons walked in, "Well, lads, look what we have here. Scarhead, a couple of half-blood sluts, a blood traitor, and a Mudblood," Draco said with a sneer.
The insult instantly angered the group, those not magically raised already familiar with the term "Mudblood."
"Bones, I thought even as a blood traitor, you would think more of yourself than to be around these kinds of people," He paused when he saw Melody and suddenly smirked. "Oh, and what do we have here? Another whore for Potter?"
"Leave my sister alone," Hermione snapped.
"Another Mudblood. Hogwarts really is going to the dogs," Draco scoffed, ignoring the bushy haired girl.
The girls were glaring at the youngest Malfoy, but Harry appeared far calmer. Under the calm facade, though, he felt an intense urge to kill Draco. He forced himself to resist, since the last thing he needed was to be arrested for homicide.
"I'm a Mystic, actually, but if you don't like that, you could use the term 'Newblood,'" Melody mused aloud.
"New-what, Mudblood?" Malfoy asked with a sneer. To him, a Mystic was just another Mudblood but with a fancy title; now this Mudblood was thinking of giving herself another one.
Anastasia was going to speak up, but she wanted to hear where Melody was going with this. This was getting interesting, and she wanted to see what would happen before she intervened.
"Newblood, you albino git," Melody answered, calmly, not rising to the bait. "Whilst I'm a Mystic, my sister and I are still first-generation magic users. If you can take pride in your old bloodlines and get a fancy title for it, why shouldn't we, the first generation of magic users, have a title too? At least my title is less insulting. Although I'm technically a Mystic, I take pride in being part of the first generation of mages in my family. It's odd, though. You take such pride in being 'pure,' but I'll bet if you looked back a few centuries, you'd find that your 'noble' family line was just another group of peasants - Mudbloods, if you prefer - just like everybody else."
Malfoy turned crimson as he pulled his wand out. The others, apart from Harry, who had his own wand aimed at Malfoy, looked at Melody in shock. Nobody - not even the most avid Muggle-supporters and anti-Malfoy factions - had ever told the Malfoys their family came from Mudbloods. "H-how dare you! You'll regret this! I'll-" Malfoy sputtered, indignantly, only to get cut off.
"You'll do nothing dear cousin," Anastasia cut in.
"Cousin?" Harry, Hermione, and Melody said together in shock.
"Sadly, yes, I am the fool's cousin," Anastasia admitted darkly, not liking the idea of being related to Malfoy, "something I don't like to think about. Anyway, Draco, you won't be doing anything."
"Anastasia, what are you doing here with Scarhead and his sluts?" Draco asked his cousin in shock.
"What do you think I'm doing?" sneered Anastasia, "Trying to make allies in other houses. Didn't your father teach you anything?"
"But they're nothing more than Mudbloods and blood traitors," he argued back.
"No, they're possible allies, at least one of whom is a Mystic," Anastasia told her cousin, and Harry had her correct herself, "Okay, make that two Mystics, one of which is also the Boy-Who-Lived. And one of those so-called blood traitors is the niece of Madam Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Whilst we might not be best friends, that doesn't mean that we can't be allies."
"But the Dark Lord -" began Draco, but was stopped as Anastasia said, "Was a fool. He underestimated Muggles, Muggleborns, and the Mystics. If they wanted to, they could easily wipe our kind out and where would you be? Mum and I learned over the years to work with them - rather than against them - and ally ourselves with others to stay safe."
"You blood traitor," Draco sneered in disgust at his cousin's actions, "How could you betray our family like this?"
"Oh, please. I'm not betraying the family; Mum and I are just changing with the times," Anastasia told Draco, "You may not like to hear this, dear cousin, but like it or not, the so-called 'Pureblood Society' is slowly coming to an end. Unless we change our ways and work with - as Melody called them - the Newbloods, our family name will die off."
"How dare you say that, Lestrange…" Draco began darkly, hate evident in his eyes. Before he finished his thought, Harry stepped up to him.
"I think you better leave, Malfoy," Harry responded with flames in his eyes, "before you and your goons get hurt. Unless you've been stricken blind since we last met, there are only three of you and six of us - seven if your cousin wants to help kick some sense into you, too. And those brainless lumps that follow you around are only good for looking ugly. By my count, each one of us is worth at least twelve of you. The math isn't looking very good," he finished with a cocky smirk, knowing it would get under Draco's skin.
As much as Draco hated to admit it, Potter was right. He was outmanned and out powered; should something happen, it was sure to not go his way. For once, he used his Slytherin side: when things are not going your way, retreat, regather and plan so that the next time does go your way. Before turning to leave, Draco sneered as he said, "You should watch out, Potter. It's not going to be the same as last year… you and your Mudblood whores won't be safe."
"Whatever, Malfoy," Harry said, dismissively, "You're all bark and no bite."
"We'll see about that," Malfoy said with a smirk. He turned to his cousin before leaving, "This isn't over, Lestrange."
With Malfoy gone, Susan looked at Anastasia in shock, "Why did you stand up for us? I thought the Malfoys and the Lestranges were allies."
"In the past, they might have been, but me and my mother doesn't like the Malfoys too much. Other than my mother's sister, that is," Anastasia admitted to them, "And I hate Draco even more. His father has some skill and cunning, but Draco's all talk, always relying on his father to get him out of trouble or get him what he wants. But as I said: I want to be allies with you lot, possibly even friends."
"Won't he make trouble for you?" Melody asked the young girl.
"He can try, but he's nothing without his father around. Not only that, but both of the Malfoy males are afraid of my mother," Anastasia told them with a smirk, "Anyway, it is good to see you three again, and I hope to see you all around school. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Draco."
With that, the young Lestrange left the compartment. Susan spoke up not long after.
"I still don't trust her, and neither should you, Harry."
"Why?" asked Harry.
"I don't care what she says, her whole family's not to be trusted," Susan told him and the two Granger girls, "I don't know what, but she's up to something. The Lestranges, Malfoys, and Blacks, her mother's family," Susan added seeing the confused looks, "have either been Death Eaters or silent supporters of the Dark Lord. You can't trust any of them."
Harry made a mental note of this so he could look more into these families.
"Susan let me ask you something, are we at war?" he asked.
"No, we're not. So what?" replied Susan.
It was Su Li that came up with the answer, "She really might want to become allies."
"Exactly," Harry said with a smile, "As she said, she and her mother are trying to adjust to a world with so many Mystics and Muggleborns, or as Mel calls them, Newbloods. They realized that going against them would be a bad move, and so both of them are trying to change so that they don't get left behind with the rest of the Purebloods. So I say unless she does something, we let her be and see where things go."
"Fine, I'll give her a chance. But until I see otherwise, I won't trust her or her mother. I've heard too many things about her mother," Susan told them. Su and Hannah nodded in agreement.
"That's all I ask. Give her a chance and see what happens," Harry said with a smile. The compartment was quiet for a few moment as everyone considered all that had just happened.
"Harry, why are you so dismissive of Draco?" Melody wondered.
"As I said, he's all bark and no bite. As much as he would like to make it out that he's all powerful and someone nobody messes with, he never gets his hands dirty," Harry said dryly. Many of the others nodded in agreement - even Hermione.
"Whenever something doesn't go his way," Harry continued, "he goes to Snape, or threatens to bring his father into it, but he never does anything himself."
Harry paused as he rummaged through his bag, searching for a book to occupy the rest of his ride. "Let's just forget about him, relax, and have some fun. He's just a waste of time."
Apparently Harry chose a book just in time as the girls took his words as cue to start whispering amongst themselves.
o0OoO0o
Anastasia entered Draco's compartment, and immediately used her force powers to knock out Draco's supposed bodyguards before pressing him against the wall with enough pressure to to hear the metal creak behind him.
"What the fuck, Lestrange?" Draco groaned.
"Shut it, you dunce. Do you have any idea what you nearly did back there?" she hissed at the young boy before showing him her thumb and forefinger spaced a hair's-width apart, "You came this close to ruining my plans for Potter."
"So you're only making friends so you can get to Potter?" Draco asked his cousin, "You don't really want to be friends with Mudbloods and blood traitors after all?"
"I meant every bloody word, you idiot," Anastasia snapped, "I've already told you. As much as you might hate it, sooner or later, the Purebloods are going to lose control. And it's likely to be sooner if fools like you keep pissing off the Muggleborns and Mystics."
"Oh, please. The Mystics are nothing more than cannon fodder," sneered Draco, "when the Dark Lord returns, he'll get rid of them and Potter."
"You truly are an idiot," Anastasia sighed, "Mystics are much more powerful than any wand-user out there, and they could wipe the floor with the so-called Dark Lord should they want to. They also don't have to worry about being separated from their powers during battle since they don't depend on wands," Draco just scoffed at this, but didn't say a word, "As for Potter, he could squish you with ease."
"Oh please, Potter is nothing more than a weak fool," he sneered once again, believing that the Boy-Who-Lived was little more than a jump-up little brat.
"You wish," she scoffed in return, "I've felt his power, and he's stronger than anyone I've ever met, including my own mother. That's why I want to try and get him, and hopefully use him for my plans."
"Your plans?" Draco asked.
"You don't need to know what they are," Anya told him, "The only thing you need to know is that, should you get in my way again, I will make you disappear. And a bit of a warning, dear cousin: leave Potter alone. You might not think so, but he'll crush you like a bug if you bother him too much."
She released her hold on him and watched in disgust as he stumbled and fell. Plans for her next move occupied her mind as she left to get something to eat. Unknown to her though, there was one other person who had plans for Harry Potter.
o0OoO0o
"Are you sure about this?" Blaise Zabini asked of his friend, Daphne Greengrass. He was a tall boy for his age; a dark-skinned young man with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes that put a chill in the air, almost covered by his black hair. His Italian descent was evident is his faint accent, "We're already outcasts in Slytherin for not bowing down to Malfoy. But doing as you say and publicly siding with Potter will make us even bigger targets than we are now, and some of the more… aggressive factions of the school will make our lives hell. The Weasley twins don't pull any punches when it comes to Draco 'My Father' Malfoy and his cronies, and they might see us as no different."
"I have to agree with Blaise, Daph." Tracey voiced her support. She had brown, shoulder-length hair; soft, sky-blue eyes; blemish-free tan skin; and supple lips. She was a beautiful girl, but felt ordinary at times compared to her two friends. "If we do this, we'll be looking over our shoulders more than we normally do."
"I know that," Daphne sighed. She had blonde hair that fell over her shoulder, contrasting nicely with her light-green eyes. Her skin was silky, her lips soft, and her curves were already developing and showed no signs of slowing down; overall, she was stunningly beautiful, and would likely only become more so. Many of the girls her own age - especially those in Slytherin - would kill for looks like hers, "It has been hard for us - especially you - two for following me. But you said it yourself: Draco is a fool, and following him would make us bigger fools ourselves."
The plan in question was Daphne's bid to take Draco's power over the Slytherin house for themselves. Tracey was a half-blood, and had a less-than-good family name. It was only because she was friends with Daphne - and Blaise, to a lesser extent - that she was protected from the rest of the house. If she didn't have their protection, she would be nothing more than a fuck toy for the rest of her time in Slytherin.
The problem was that there was only so much they could do to help her. Although Blaise came from money and a good family name, he still had problems of his own. Despite his family's power, he lost the respect of his peers for liking boys; his name barely gave him protection from the beatings. Daphne being the heiress of the Greengrass family was the only thing stopping Tracey from being a plaything for the Slytherins, and likely the only reason Blaise's beatings haven't been as severe as they had for past students.
From this, Daphne derived the idea of taking Slytherin house for themselves; they would finally have power and protection. Daphne was unofficially their leader, as not only was it her idea, but there was a reason people were beginning to call her the Ice Queen of Slytherin: she was an Ice Mystic. As a child, she taught herself to use ice and water to defend her family and herself.
While this could be the edge they needed in order to take control of the Slytherin house, their problem was that there were only three of them in the group, and the upper years had more power and more knowledge. A few even knew some darker magic, which would make it difficult for them to get far if those students resisted. Daphne had bigger plans, though. Plans in which taking control of Slytherin House was key, and would serve as a first step in taking over the British Wizarding World for herself.
She was coming to realize that she needed more power in order for her plans to see fruition. After seeing Potter in action at the end of last year, she knew that she needed him at her side for her plans to work. She would use potions, spells, or any other ways necessary to gain control over him, but the first thing she needed to do was to get close to him and his friends. That's what she was aiming to do now, but she needed her friends on board, first.
"We've tried to get support from the other Slytherin's over the past year, but with no luck," Daphne told them with sigh, "As I'm sure you've seen, Nott, Malfoy, and his bint, Parkinson, can do whatever they want because of who their families are. I hate to admit it, but our current plan to take over the Slytherin house isn't very likely to work, so we need a new one. Without a better family name involved, we're all screwed in more ways than one. That's where Potter comes in."
"But why Potter?" Blaise wondered, "I'll give it to you that he's powerful, and that he's both the Boy-Who-Lived alongside being the Potter Heir, which I would like to point out he doesn't wear his heir ring, so he might not even know about that, but that's not enough. Potter alone won't be able to help us unless you know something that we don't. I say we're better by ourselves."
"I agree with Blaise, Daph," Tracey supported her friend with a sigh, "Unless you've got an ace up your sleeve, we're better by ourselves."
"Do you think I would suggest this if I didn't have something planned? I'm a Slytherin, after all," Daphne feigned being wounded by her friends' lack of faith, "Blaise, I think you're right when you guessed that Potter is ignorant of his position... or should I say positions," her friends raised an eyebrow at this revelation, "Yes, plural, as in 'more than one.' Do you think I wouldn't do my research before deciding to side with Potter? He was raised by Muggles - if the stories are to be believed - so it's very possible he's unwillingly ignorant. He couldn't have known to ask about the Potter heir ring, let alone the other rings."
Her friends nodded, picking up her train of thought, and realizing it would explain a lot of Potter's actions.
"Anyway," Daphne continued, "from what I found out, his father's mother was none other than Dorea Potter nee Black, from the main Black family line. So unless Sirius Black, Potter's godfather, has a son soon, Potter will become the next Lord Black - not Malfoy, despite what he keeps telling people. The way I see it, unless Black gets out of Azkaban, which is very unlikely, and has a son in the next few years - if the Dementor exposure didn't make him sterile after this long, as it's known to happen - Potter will become the next Lord Black. So, being Lord Potter AND Black, he'll have enough power to protect us from people like Malfoy completely." She saw her friends smile at this, the Potters and the Blacks were two of the most powerful families, dating all the way back to the Founders. Not even Malfoy could claim that.
When they looked at Daphne once again, they saw a smirk that said that she decided to save the best for last. "Okay, what's that smirk about?" Tracey demanded, "It's that damnable 'I know something you don't' look."
"You're right, Trace. I looked more into Potter family history to see if there is anything else that could be useful. It seems that Potter is related to one of the very first known wizards in England - the Peverells."
"You're kidding me!" said Blaise and Tracey together in shock.
Their shock was understandable; the Peverell line was thought to have been lost centuries ago with the passing of the last known Peverell who, despite his long life, had no known heirs.
"I was shocked when I found out about this myself," Daphne admitted to her friends, "but with all these titles, no one would dare touch him or those under his protection. Going to him is the wisest idea we have as long as we can teach him what he needs to know, which isn't much of a price to pay."
"Alright, I'll admit, I'm sold on this plan," Blaise said, raising his hands in surrender, "I just don't like the idea of going to a Gryffindor for help... So how are we going to confront Potter? After what Malfoy and the other Slytherins have done and said to him, I can't imagine he'll be too eager to trust us."
"It'll be hard, that much is obvious," Daphne admitted, "But I think we can do it. Like you said, he doesn't have his heir rings on, so I think we can get to him through that. We can tell him about it, and teach him the things he would need to get along in our world."
"So when are you planning to talk to him?" Tracey asked.
"I don't know, Trace. Hopefully soon," Daphne stated. Tracey clapped her hands together, as if to dispel the somber mood.
"Well, as a last resort, we can always just ask to join that study group of his, though it seems a bit… pedestrian. That aside," Tracey grinned mischievously, "Blaise, any hits on the old gaydar recently?"
Blaise smirked, "More than you'd expect. Shame the majority are Pureblood. I have standards!" he exclaimed with a haughty look and a sniff, eliciting giggles from his friends. Topics were much less grim for the rest of the ride.
To be Continued!
Author's Note: Here ends the fifth part of The Serpent's Lair Saga, I would like to thank you once again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and take a few moments to review. I also hope you read all of this note, as I would like your feedback on some things to help me out in the story.
Once again, I would like to admit right now that this wasn't how I wanted the chapter. This time it wasn't because of how I wrote the chapter. but this time it was because I felt that there should be more to this chapter. I couldn't think of anything else to add, so I ended it where I did.
Just so you know, this will be the last chapter of Vulcan for a while; after I complete the next chapter of my new story, The Dragon Overlord, I'll be working on two other stories: one or two chapters of Animagus Mishap, a few chapters of Harrison Slytherin and the Dark Desires. After that, I'll be working to catch the side-story for Vulcan up to this story and proceed to where the Abyss is destroyed, so if you want to learn more about the Mystics, please read the side-story, as it'll explain their purpose and origins better than the main story.
A few question I would like your thoughts on:
Should I have the basilisk killed at the end of the saga or not? I say it is more useful to kill it for the money, but I would like to hear your thoughts about it. I'll go with the most outspoken thoughts. (Poll is up so you can vote on my profile and in reviews. I'll leave the poll up for about two/three chapters before I post the results.)
During second year, what pranks should Harry and the twins pull? I hope you can help with this, as I'm looking for ideas for both magical and non-magical ones. Right now, I'm looking for a prank that the Weasley Twins could pull on Harry to start a prank war between the three of them. Any ideas would be appreciated.
It might be early, but I would like to ask for a new title for the third year saga, it needs to be eighteen characters or less, including spaces. I hope that you can help me. It'll be the year that not only does Sirius escape Azkaban, but Lucy is 'born' and Harry goes to the Overlord's Tower.
Just as a reminder, flame reviews from guests that aren't helpful will be removed. If they point out a problem that needs to be fixed, or ideas that I could use to make the story better, I'll keep them, but keep it constructive. Please consider this when reviewing, as I don't want you to waste your time (or mine) on unhelpful flame reviews.
I would like to announce (for those that don't have alerts for my new stories) that I have posted a new story. This one is a Fairy Tail/Overlord story where Natsu is the Overlord. I won't say much, as I want you to read it for yourself, but it is an Evil/Harem/Powerful/Natsu. 'll be working on it's latest chapter next as I wait for ideas.
That said, I would like to thank you once again for reading and I hope you spare a few minutes to leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter. Feel free to offer up any ideas you might have for future chapters, and any powers you would like to see used in the story.
Next on Rise of Overlord Vulcan: In the next chapter, we'll witness the sorting ceremony!