"I can finally try out for Quidditch and you best bet I'm going to be Slytherin's best Keeper!" Tracey announced to the Slytherin table determinedly. Eyes gleaming if there was anybody that ate, breathed and just thrived on Quidditch - besides that Gryffindor Oliver Wood - it was Tracey.
"You're totally going to make it Trace, we believe in you!" Her friends said to her encouragingly pumping her up.
"Yes, two you need to come work out with me in the mornings, so that I can get faster and stronger!"
This made both Nel and Theodore cringe. Waking up at dawn to run around the lake. Pass. That did not sound like a good time.
"Yes, you need to come work out with me so that I can get faster and stronger!"
"You're not going to make it," a shrill voice interrupted. "The Slytherin team is boys only, everybody knows that," an irritable voice spoke from a couple of seats next to them. Somebody that had obviously been eavesdropping. Three pairs of glaring eyes turned back to face Pansy Parkinson. Someone that Nel had definitely not missed.
"That's not written anywhere in parchment," Tracey shot back.
"So?" Elowen butted "If anything that's just another glass ceiling to break."
Davis gave her friend a thankful smile. Having been shut up. Parkinson leered at her with a scrunched-up nose of disgust when she looked down at Saintday's uniform.
"Is that last year's uniform?" She chortled looking at the Slytherin uniform that still looked brand new after just a year or use.
"Is that last year's overbite?" Nel bit back ruthlessly. Even making Daphne Greengrass snort into her chalice almost spilling out her pumpkin juice. Parkinson scowled and turned away pretending to be more interested in whatever some third-years next to her were talking about.
With a little smirk Nel chewed on her turkey thoughtfully making a mental note to buy some dung bombs and belch powder from the Weasley twins to torture Parkinson this year. Maybe even a biting teacup would do the trick.
"I know I'm going to make the Slytherin team," a cocky voice butted. Nel didn't even bother turning around to face Malfoy. "After all, I have been flying for years. It's only expected that Ibecome the youngest Seeker in Slytherin's history," Draco boasted from a couple of seats ago. Like Pansy it appeared he had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Not that anyone blamed him, it was probably more interesting than anything Crabbe or Goyle had to say.
Tracey rolled her eyes slightly, Theodore let out what looked like a humorous huff, yet no one acknowledged him. Maybe if they just ignored him he'd go away.
"I'll be at the try outs to cheer you on Draco!" Pansy piped in a dreamy tone.
He didn't seem to hear or care for anything she had to say.
"What do you think of that Saint-Nel?"
"My name's Saintday, not Saint-Nel. Malfoy," she turned irritated. The grip on her fork becoming tighter. "Also, only my friends can call me Nel. So don't let me hear my name coming from your filthy mouth!"
His gray eyes fixed on her upset expression. He didn't have a good reason for wanting to provoke her other than looking cool in front of the Quidditch team.
"Does it matter?" He scoffed. "It's not even a real name."
Scattered hooting and sniggering surrounded him. Parkinson laughing the loudest. The grip on Nel's utensils becoming tighter. She wanted nothing more than to stab him with her fork. Maybe throw the dull knife at him but he was too far from her reach.
"Yeah, Kennel Nel."
"Lonelily Nel."
"Snelly Nelly."
The third year Slytherin Quidditch players that were sitting around him all chided in. Each one of them laughing harder and louder at the horrible moniker they baptized her with.
Elowen remained silent, her jaw clenched tightly, face twisted into an angry expression, hands gripping her utensils tightly. Internally her temper was boiling and like a steaming teapot she was about to blow.
Greengrass's blue eyes darted from one side of the table to the other at the increasingly growing tension in the Slytherin table. Davis wanted to tell Nel to not let them get to her and to calm down but knew that it would be in vain. Nott braced himself for what was coming.
They didn't even see what hit them. The bullies were splashed by a colorful wave of flavors. One by one the large turkeys, the cherry pies, the cranberry sauces, gravy, apples, mashed potatoes, and chocolate fudge on the table exploded covering them in food from head to toe. Nobody moved, nobody said anything. Daphne looked like she was about to die her hair covered with chunks of fudge and mashed apple puree. Zabini sat completely still marinating in his anger as a string of pudding slid down his temple. Marcus Flint wiped some cranberry sauce off his eyes. Pansy and Millicent's jaws dropped as they sat still in shock. Draco wiped his face clean of any stuffing and licked the cherry pie filling off his lips. If anything, Crabbe and Goyle were the only ones that didn't seem to mind.
Mouths agape from the shock, it didn't take long for the rest of the Slytherin table and other students who had witnessed the explosion to burst out in loud laughter.
Immediately Nel shrunk her shoulders not because of guilt but because of the triggering anxiety that came whenever she accidentally destroyed something. This was the kind of thing that would get her locked up in the laundry room and punished back at Wool's.
"Malfoy, Saintday," Snape came sweeping down like the giant bat he was. An irritated expression on his face. First day of school and those two were already a headache. He had a feeling this would be a reappearing occurrence every first day of school "My office, now," he growled out in an irritated nasal drawl. He already had to deal with Potter and Weasley's flying car incident.
"This is all your fault," Malfoy glared as the two walked behind Snape trailing behind him to his office next to the potion's classroom.
Her face mirrored his. She considered correcting that this had actually all been his fault.
"You've got a cherry on your eyebrow," she smirked satisfied with the accidental damage she had done.
She wasn't sure if his ears turned red from the anger or if it they were that color because of the pie that stained most his pale features. He reached for it with a scowl and wiped it off. He paused and looked at his red hand pondering. Nel had her eyes fixed on the back of Snape's head as she wondered just what punishment he had in mind. She had a feeling that he'd evolve her punishment of cleaning cauldrons to something worse.
She felt something warm on her face and cringed when she realized it was Malfoy's hand smearing blended food contents that had been on his person on her face.
"Ugh!" She wiped it off. "Don't touch me!" She flickered them towards him. He didn't listen. Instead he wiped his hands on her robe dirtying it. "Quit it!" She scowled before elbowing him and trying to push him away.
The two children bickered loudly, elbowing and pulling at each other's hair. Making Snape's patience go from thin to nonexistent.
He turned and flicked his wand in between them making them be thrown apart. "I have had it with you two!" He snapped. "Both of you will polish every trophy in the trophy room until you lose all sensation and feeling in your hands. I'm sure Filch will be happy when he's through with the two of you."
"But Professor-!" Draco complained.
"Silencio!" Snape shushed him with the silencing spell. His lips moved but his whinny voice did not come out much to Saintday's amusement. Her satisfied leer twitched up in pleasure.
"Don't look so smug Saintday, you are walking a very thin tightrope," the professor threatened. Before opening the door to his office.
"Professor Snape, sir?" Nel paused thinking over what she had wanted to ask Snape earlier in the day. His threat going completely over her head. Wool had threatened her more times that she could count back at the orphanage. He really had to step up his game if he wanted to intimidate her. He walked around his desk not bothering to stop or acknowledge her.
"What are therstals?"
He froze and raised his head to look at her with what seemed to be an odd fascination. It almost seemed as if something had clicked in his mind.
"I-I can see them," she admitted. Her voice's pitch dropping as her voice was coated with an edge of fear.
There was something about being able to see these creatures that didn't sit well with her. Specially since she had never seen anyone die…
"Maybe you just don't remember," Theodore had suggested when they were still in the carriage.
She turned to look for Harry, if there was anybody else that could see them and not remember it would be him. However, Harry was nowhere to be seen, neither was Ron.
Snape flickered his wand removing the Silencio charm and dismissed Malfoy who shot the girl one last glare before exiting the room.
"Why, sir?" She asked once again taking a seat before his office desk.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that you can see them and that your own wand has been crafted from the heartstring of one of those filthy creatures," Snape began. "The only factual reassurance I can give you is that this is not a good omen Elowen." He was quiet for a moment gathering his thoughts. It seemed like he was about to continue when Filch barged into the office holding Harry and Ron by the arms tossing them in interrupting their conversation.
Snape gave her a knowing look before dismissing her.
They would continue this conversation later.
Snape never got back to her.
Eventually things for Nel only got worse. She eventually started hearing voices at night. Loud voices that only she seemed to hear that told her to kill.
Tracey didn't make the Slytherin Quidditch team and she found Malfoy taunting her in the Slytherin Common room. The only reason the insufferable prick had even gotten into the team was because his dad bought his way in for him.
"No congratulations?" He called from his seating. Why did he insist on interacting with her?
"Quit gloating Malfoy," she glared as they crossed the room.
"Don't worry Davis, the Slytherin Team needs cheerleaders too," he chortled making the Quidditch players around him laugh.
Nel let go of her friend and fished something out of her pocket.
"I can't wait to see you get your ass handed to you in the pitch Malfoy," she threatened. Stepping forward she looked down at all the Slytherin Quidditch players. "Tracey," she said to her friend without turning to face her. "Run!" She shouted before popping a dungbomb in their direction releasing the putrid smell to odor the common room.
Stunned David didn't react until her friend pulled her out by the hand laughing and running out of the room.
The day before her birthday something awful happened.
Birthdays weren't usually a big deal at the orphanage. Before Lucy would usually sneak off and get her a cupcake. Nel would usually go to the general store and guilt trip the old man into giving her a candy bar despite the many times she had brought trouble to him. He always said no and kicked her out.
Wool would simply announce it with bitterness during dinner. Some of the kids at the home that owed her favors would usually write cards or give her little details whether it be coins, candy and once a ribbon.
"I'm not big on birthdays," she shrugged. "I'd be happy with a day off"
Or for Malfoy to stop pulling on my hair while we're in Charms class.
Seriously he was so irritating.
"But you must want something," Tracey insisted.
Definitely. There were more than a thousand things that she wanted, that she'd never have.
"Maybe a nap? She laughed. Business had been going well as of the lately which kept her more than occupied writing parchments for Crabbe, Goyle and other students well into the night.
Suddenly hearing the killing voice again Nel excused herself and returned to the dormitory feeling sick.
"What's wrong Saintday? Run out of clever responses?" Malfoy taunted after he had probably interrupted their conversation to butt in with something terribly obnoxious.
"Nel?" Nott shook her shoulder lightly.
"It's nothing..." She said more to herself a lost look on her face. "I have to go," she said returning to the dormitory and burying her head under a pillow trying to mellow the voice out. The next day she found out that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and that all Mudblood students in the castle had been threatened to be killed by the Heir of Slytherin.
Being of questionable descent she was on edge living in fear like other students that the Heir of Slytherin would come for her. After setting a bomb off in the common room, making everyone's meals explode on their faces and refusing to wear the uniform she wasn't making herself any favors with her peers.
Things only took a turn for the worse when she realized she could talk to snakes during an unfortunate encounter with one during Herbology.
Students looked horrified and marveled at her as she spoke to a snake that had been hiding behind a Mandrake pot in class seeking refuge from the December cold. She hadn't even realized what she had done until she was confronted by it back in the Slytherin common room.
"You're a Parselmouth?" Malfoy asked surprised.
The entire Slytherin House seemed to be gathered in the sofas to ogle her some with a newfound respect, almost with admiration others with contempt.
"A what?" She stopped in her tracks when she realized all eyes were on her.
"You speak Parseltongue, the language of serpents" Nott answered for her bearing a grim expression on his face. Even Tracey looked disturbed.
"Yeah?" She answered absentmindedly. "I've always been able to do it. Sometimes they come to me, whisper things," she answered with that same tone of indifference. Didn't a lot of Wizards speak to snakes?
The students whispered amongst each gravely flashing her wide-eyed looks.
"What? Can't you?" She tossed at no one in particular before trying to make way upstairs to the dormitory.
"No," Daphne answered softly. "Nobody can," Her eyes scanned the room. "Nobody except," her brows furrowed up in what seemed to be distress. "Salazar Slytherin and his descendants."
No.
The murmuring got louder in the room.
"That's impossible," She laughed uneasily, almost dryly. "He lived hundreds of years ago," she said recalling that parchment that Snape had made her write last year. "But his last descendant didn't." Zabini added. "You-Know-Who."
Nel left the room. Heart pounding against her chest. She felt nauseous. So nauseous she went into a restroom in the corridor outside of the Great Hall to find some peace. She almost felt faint. It couldn't be true. She denied it but the thought lingered in the back of her mind. It made sense now, the reason why the hat had not hesitated in sorting her into Slytherin last year. If she was a descendant of Slytherin himself that meant that Vold- It meant that, that dark wizard, could be related to her. The thought of him potentially being her father was enough to make her retch.
The shock was so much that she developed a terrible fever. When Snape found her in the restroom, he didn't hesitate in sending her to Madame Pomfrey for rest.
She awoke one afternoon from a feverish dream and opened her blurry vision and saw a white blur next to her bed. Blinking twice she groaned and rubbed her vision only to see Malfoy crouching next to her bed. He appeared to be fidgeting with something on her bedside table.
What kind of horrible nightmare was this?
"Malfoy?" She spoke hoarsely.
Malfoy looked as if he had been caught red handed in a terrible act. She couldn't help but see his slimy hands holding a box of Lemon pastries next to her bed.
"Are you stealing my gifts?" She glowered, immediately sitting up. His face pink as he dropped whatever he had been holding and stood up to look at her. It looked as if he hadn't been expected to be caught visiting in the infirmary.
"As if I'd steal! And from you, out of all people!" He scoffed at the accusation recuperating from the embarrassment.
Her eyes wondered to candies and cards that were next to her bed. There was even a bouquet of yellow daisies.
'They're scared of me…' She thought to herself with a terrible gut wretched feeling. Why else would so many people even bother sending her get better cards and all of those nice details?
She rubbed her tired face and looked at the countless of gifts. It was probably more than she had ever had in her life.
"Most of them are from your clients," Draco answered seeing as her attention was focused on the items next to her bed. "Some are from Davis, Nott and others."
"Took your sweet time looking through my stuff, didn't you? You little weasel." She narrowed her eyes at him at the invasion of privacy. Again, he flushed looking irritated. "If you're not here to steal my stuff, to what do I owe the honor of being graced with your visit?" She shot sarcastically.
"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't come to visit you. I came to ask you something," He said defensively crossing his arms over his chest, turning away from her.
It sounded like a lie. And it couldn't wait?
"Spit it out." She demanded impatiently.
He hummed for a moment. Thinking over the question, crafting his very unclever lie.
"Are you it?"
"Am I what?" She arched an eyebrow.
"The Heir of Slytherin?" He asked bluntly.
"Why, you want to put in a request?" She laughed weakly. He did not seem amused by her joke.
"Are you?" He asked again, this time more seriously. "No, and if I was, I wouldn't tell you," she glowered. "Why do you even want to know? So, you can be the first one to go and tell all of your little friends you found out who it was? So, you can volunteer to take out muggle-born witches and wizards?" She scoffed. "I'm sure it'd be your wet dream."
He stood next to her bed dumb struck unsure of what to say next. He looked conflicted. Torn between two emotions.
"You really think I would do something so despicable?"
She looked around warily at some of the other students that had been petrified. Even Filches cat for Merlin's sake.
"No," He admitted. "Even you lived in fear of the Heir of Slytherin didn't you?"
She flinched a little. He was right, she had been anxiously fidgeting around the castle this whole year living in fear that something horrid might happen to her.
"Consider yourself lucky," he hummed casually alluding to the fact that she was now no longer considered a mudblood as she had heard the horrible slur being tossed around the common room carelessly. One that once even earned Malfoy a ounch to the nose when he called someone in front of Nel a mudblood.
"Wait," She paused narrowing her eyes. Why was he really here?
Oh, she knew what she wanted now. "You're not here to ask me questions," She glared.
He looked caught.
"You're here because you want to collect me as your friend. You want to be friends with Salazar Slytherin's descendant." She felt her blood boiling in anger. After years of taunting and insulting each other, he stretched out an olive branch now? Out of all times. The weasel was using this for his convenience not hers.
He was about to protest her accusation before she kicked him out.
"Get out of my sight Malfoy!" She shouted at him. "I don't want to see you here and I will not be a part of your menagerie of idiots you call friends!"
"Fine!" He started to walk away. "But you know what?" he returned to her bed. "This is even worse than being a mudblood, this makes you a blood traitor," he said lowly before retreating.
He scowled at her before retreating. On the way out he bumped into Harry, Ron and Hermione who were walking in. The three shared a tense moment of eye contact with him as they made way to visit the Slytherin girl.
"I know why you're here," she said bitterly. "And no, I'm not the one doing all of these atrocious things."
"That's not why we're here," Harry said taking a seat next to her bed.
"We sent you flowers, heard you've been very ill," Hermione said kindly pointing to the yellow daisies that were on her nightstand.
"We know you didn't do it," Ron added reassuringly.
"Do you know?" She arched an eyebrow her mischievous nature taking over. Testing them. She had a feeling this was exactly the reason why they were here.
"You couldn't have having realized you're not muggle-born recently" Hermione added. Her analysis was correct as expected.
"Then why are you here?" She demanded getting to the point. Her social battery having been drained by Malfoy.
"We wanted to see if you could tell us anything about the heir of Slytherin?" Granger added.
"I'm afraid I know as much as you do," She wrinkled her nose.
"Is it Malfoy?" Harry asked.
She couldn't help but let out an obnoxious snort. "Draco Malfoy, Heir of Slytherin, please," she rolled her eyes dramatically. "If Draco was the heir of Slytherin you would've known by now. He would've obnoxiously boasted it in some dramatic gesture and what not."
"Is petrifying students not dramatic enough?" Ron butted incredulously.
Nel rolled her eyes. "Trust me, it's not him. It's not me. I've also wondered. Kept a close eye on my house, haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary."
Not that she noticed but Hermione plucked a hair off her clothes casually. The girl thought nothing about it at the moment.
That had been it for the better half of her second year. The year in which she found the first clue to the mystery behind just who her parents were or could've been. For one, one of them had probably been a witch or a wizard. Second this individual had been a descendant of Salazar Slytherin meaning the person was probably a student at Hogwarts at some point and had most likely been sorted into Slytherin.
This piked her curiosity and she wondered just who the person could've been. Why she had been left alone. Why she had been abandoned during that Halloween night all those years ago?
End of Year 2