Seraphina POV
"Why did you tell Albus in such a roundabout way?" Hesper asked.
Honestly, I kind of wanted to send him on his own chase so that I can explore branches of Ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek magic without him realising, since they are classed as dark arts nowadays. It's not that I don't trust him not to report me, it's just that I don't want him to know about my interest in it. As bad as it sounds, I know Albus. He is an idealist. Too idealistic to realise it himself. This means that I will have to prepare for the worst case scenarios. I know what this world truly needs. It needs to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the modern age eventually. The Statue is a temporary solution, it needs to be torn down before it is shattered by the muggles. The war for this is inevitable. Sooner or later, we will have to fight for the betterment of our world.
A war which will cause Albus regrets.
And if Albus proves too weak to overcome his pain, he will fight me. As unlikely as it is. This is why I would never purposely make him go against his family or anyone he truly cares about. But nonetheless, I need precautions. I know in a fair fight, I can't possibly beat him. Even if I would never admit this out loud, Albus is more powerful in terms of sheer power. Even with Ambient Magic, he simply has a bigger reserve. And he is still growing. If I am going to continue to win, I need to have more tricks up my sleeve. I have been winning some of our duels by tactful planning and skills, things that Albus can and will pick up over time. I need darker, more powerful arts in my arsenal.
I need ways of defeating him when things go wrong.
Egyptians make their curses so much more powerful and…artfully than others, while the Greeks were amazing at divination and elemental magic while the Romans had all but perfected offensive spells and battle magic. They are perfect for my purpose. Not to mention that I know there are rumours floating around already, so I also can use this to make selected people at the school know that I am the Slytherin Queen, namely his brother Aberforth. Why? I want to see his reaction. Aberforth has always been so against me, I want to know how he would react if someone told him I took over Slytherin officially. Time to spin this to my court so that it sounds like I have an actual plan!
"So that there would be a rumour about a united Slytherin font, making the Slytherins look even more powerful." And for giggles.
Hesper and Athena nodded, considering my words.
"I need to meet up with Barnabus, he sent the note asking for advice on what to tell others if they ask about this." It was weird in two ways, one, he could have just asked me this morning during breakfast, the second, I know that like all purebloods, he has been dabbling in politics since before he could walk. Why on Earth would he ask me, especially when he should already be able to handle it perfectly?
Athena raised an eyebrow. "That's odd."
I shrugged. I mean, it's probably nothing life threatening, since I did not get a vision about it. I can Scry for it, but it seems a little excessive, not to mention that the meeting is in ten minutes in one of the empty classrooms near the one Albus and I claimed.
"I need to head back to grab Athena and my Art books, I'll join up with you in a bit." Hesper waved.
Athena POV
Seraphina and I walked down to the third floor in companionable silence. This whole meeting feels off to me, somehow. But I don't think Lestrange would be bold enough to try anything. Besides, Seraphina can definitely take care of herself.
We rounded the corner into the classroom, only to find it deserted.
"That's odd." Seraphina frowned. "The note sounded urgent."
Suddenly, a pink streak of spellfire slashed across the air, heading straight towards Seraphina, "Watch out!"
Seraphina ducked. Her crooked black wand was instantly in her hand. The pink spell hit the door, slamming it shut behind us. In front of us, a person with light brown hair in Gryffindor robes stood up, Aberforth Dumbledore. Around us, several Gryffindors and a few first year Slytherins slowly surrounded us, wands in their hands. I grabbed my wand from my robe pocket, my heart hammering in my chest.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Albus' baby brother." Seraphina drawled.
I glared levely at Dumbledore. Trying to calm my racing heart. Surely even this Gryffindor knows enough basic chivalry to not attack two ladies with a room full of men.
"You stole my brother from me! I will not stand as you take over the entire school and force people to bow down to you!" Aberforth shouted, casting a few charms at Seraphina.
Seraphina dodged the spells, and laughed. "Take your brother from you? Please. You pushed him away yourself! Tell me, Aberforth, if people find me a suitable leader, why should I not take the glorious burden thrusted upon me?"
The few Slytherins present shuffled their feet. Eyes darting nervously at Aberforth.
"Stay. You can have a fair chance at the Slytherin hierarchy once she is out of the picture." Aberforth commanded.
Seraphina turned to face the Slytherins, speaking in a low but commanding voice. "You are here because you wanted a chance to take over for yourselves, don't you? Here is one final chance for you to back out. You will regret it if you do not."
The Slytherins looked at each other uncertainly, yet staying exactly where they were. Seraphina tilted her head.
"Attack!" Aberforth yelled.
"As you wish."
What happened afterwards was pure chaos. Spells were flying everywhere from every direction. I dodged most of the spells sent towards me, my heart racing like a drum, every now and then, a shield would spring up around me as Seraphina shielded me from another spell that I missed.
I am not much of a fighter! My talent lies in charms! I have never duelled anyone before! Suddenly, a hand appeared over my shoulder as Seraphina reached over, conjuring a pale blue shield into existence, just in time to block the angry red spell in front of me. Shielding me just in time. I blinked, hurriedly pointing my wand in the direction of the caster, and sent out a petrifying charm, the first spell I could think of. He was so surprised that he dropped to the floor like a log. I focused on sending hexes to our opponents. They are pretty well trained for third years and first years, managing to dodge most spells I send.
But they were no match for Seraphina.
Seraphina was fighting so elegantly it was like watching a deadly dance. Each move was smooth and executed with deadly precision, most of her spells too fast for me to track at all. She gradually batted aside all the opponents like they were nothing but flies until only Aberforth remained standing. He was casting fast and furiously, shouting most spells, forcing Seraphina to dodge and shield almost every moment, barely giving her a chance to curse him back. I knocked out the one person starting to stir on the floor with a stunner, manoeuvring myself until I was behind a Seraphina to watch the duel. It would not do to get in her way, especially with how fiercely the two were fighting. As Aberforth briefly paused to look at his squad, Seraphina sent a pair of spells to either side of Aberforth, forcing him to tuck his arms in and to stand still to avoid them. Before Aberforth could cast another spell against her, Seraphina caught Aberforth in the chin with a stunner and an incarcerous.
"What do you want to do with them?" I asked.
Seraphina considered my question. "I think we need to get the Slytherins out of here to stop our house from suffering from the fallout. We should also be more on guard in case they have a backup plan."
I nodded.
"Wingardium leviosa." Waving my wand, I gathered the knocked out or petrified Slytherins in front of us. It was not a pretty sight, they were barely recognisable, with swollen patches and multicoloured skin. A few had boils all over his body and another had no teeth, having melted into a white seal over his mouth.
Seraphina walked towards one who was the least injured, he was only petrified, with dolphin fins for hands, a blotch of sealed skin instead of a mouth and a gash across his forehead. She grabbed his chin holding him still, ignoring the look of panic in his eyes, as if she was inspecting his injuries. A few seconds later, she waved her wand over him and stepped back, leaving the Slytherin alone.
"Let's head back to our dorm now, I have had enough of this for today." She said, tucking her wand into her pocket.
We walked through a hidden passage, luckily not running into anyone in our journey back to the common room. It would have been hard to explain, seeing how we have a few students floating behind us. Finally, we arrived at the safety of our common room. At Seraphina's nod, I dropped the Slytherins unceremoniously. They hit the ground with a crash. The entire Slytherin common room instantly became deathly silent. You could hear a pin drop. Seraphina pulled out her wand from her pocket.
"Finite incantatem, renervate." Seraphina cast on the group.
They scrambled to get up. Seeing their change in location, a few cowered before us. Rightfully so, how dare they try to attack Seraphina!
"Tell me, what do we do to traitors who try to usurp the Slytherin throne in their first year?" Seraphina asked, while pacing around them. They gulped, and cowered further into themselves. "I would understand if my politics harmed you, but why do you seek to dethrone me before even getting to know me? Because of Aberforth? Are you nothing but pawns who cannot think for themselves?"
One of the Slytherins broke down crying and begging. "Please! We…we didn't know what we were doing! Please! Forgive us!"
Seraphina looked at them long and hard. The entire Slytherin common room held their breath, waiting for her judgement. Finally, she spoke in a low voice.
"I do not forgive traitors, but you were misled and uninformed." She raised her wand level to their eyes. "Here is your punishment. For your attempts to destabilise Slytherin, you will be excommunicated for three years. None shall come to your aid when you call." The group whimpered as she cast a spell on them when she finished.
A white light flashed, I felt suddenly anxious and cautious like I was dangerously close to a dragon. In my mind, I can only think that I needed to get as far away from that group as possible. I saw a few people backing away from us. Seraphina ignored them and walked towards her dorm, I trailed behind her.
The minute we were no longer within talking distance to the group, the feeling of anxiousness left my mind. That must have been the spell Seraphina cast. Now, the Slytherins will literally have to go against their instinct and self-preservation to even talk to those four.
"Wait." Seraphina stopped me as I prepared to walk into our dorm. She opened the door with wandless magic.
I looked up, instantly jumping back with shock. Oh no! Our room was a mess! In front of us, Hesper hung upside down, blood threatened to drip from a cut on her forehead down to her blond hair, a patch of which was already gelled and dyed red. Her eyes were closed, a noose was tied around her foot, holding her upside down in the air.
"Homenum Revelio. Molliare." Seraphina cast.
The room gave no reaction. Her eyes darted from Hesper around the room, as she began pacing. Suddenly she slashed her wand downward. Instantly, Hesper dropped down from the ceiling. I quickly ran towards her.
"Rennervate!"
To my relief, Hesper's eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked disoriented but not injured, other than the single cut.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I…I came to your dorm to get your art book, but I barely made it past the door when suddenly, suddenly, something grabbed my leg from behind, yanking me back. I think I hit my head on your dresser, because I don't remember anything else." She sobbed, hugging me.
I rocked her back and forth, trying to sooth her. It was unfair. If I had walked into my room first, it would have been me who was in her place. I would have been so scared…
"A snare. Someone boobytrapped our room, the minute Hesper opened the door all the way, the counterweight began falling. Hesper stepped into the snare that was meant for me. Not to mention they ransacked this place." Seraphina murmured in a sober tone.
Seraphina POV
I looked around the room while Hesper sobbed out her story to Athena. I knew from the kid's memory that they planned something else in our dorm. I just did not know what. Ironically, Barnabus is completely uninvolved in this business, I am pretty sure he will try to hex them as soon as he realised that they tried to use his name in the ambush. I did not 'accidentally' drop the note in the middle of the common room for no reason at all. The fear compulsion I cast on them should be enough to push people away from them. I had considered doing more, but I don't want to completely destroy their lives for one mistake they made at eleven. It would be counterproductive to push them too far, considering how a few of them had actual potential for duelling. Besides, that would be horrible for my reputation for being sane and logical. Now, they will see me as a bit ruthless, but not unreasonable. Good enough.
I had cast the cushioning charm the second the presence revealing spell returned with only Hesper. There was a chance that there was another trap, and I can't let Hesper fall and snap her neck because of me. Tracing the rope was easy enough. What irks me is that they used books and rocks as the counterweight. Don't they know that books are precious and should not be shoved haphazardly in a sack with sharp rocks?
I looked at the items scattered around the room. What a mess. They ransacked the place. Athena's clothes, books and makeup was literally tossed everywhere. So were my books, clothes and quills. I am just glad that my trunk had its own lock that they can't break. Speaking of which, I should learn how to ward my bed. I am not risking this happening again.
"A snare. Someone boobytrapped our room, the minute Hesper opened the door all the way, the counterweight began falling. Hesper stepped into the snare that was meant for me. Not to mention they ransacked this place." I stated.
I should pay more attention to my instincts. I did not get a vision about this, probably because I have never thought about it happening, or that it would have been a threat. I need to be more on guard. This slip has caused Hesper a scar and a trauma, one that was so…unnecessary. If my friends get traumatised, it should be for a worthy cause, not a petty prank.
I walked over to Hesper. Gently touching my wand to her forehead.
"Consano." I murmured. Her skin knitted back together, the blood vanishing in the process. That's why I love this spell more than the typical Episkey, it is considered dark, but it heals better and sanitises the area, making things a lot easier to see.
Hesper reached out to touch her forehead. There was nothing left except for a tiny pink line, it would fade in a few hours. Not something one could see unless they were looking for it.
"Thank you."
The two of them got up, Athena picking up Hesper's bag and her Art book from the chaos. Before looking at me uncertainly.
"Go on, I can handle this, you will be late for Art."
The two of them nodded and left. I waved my wand, the objects in the room flew back to their original places. A glance told me that nothing was missing. A few torn essays was all the damage I sustained. They fixed themselves after a quick repareo. I am so glad I hid all my important books, potions and my violin in my trunk, because that would be discriminating evidence considering that most of the books were banned. Banned books were common, kind of happens when less than ten percent of all knowledge had been censored since the last Wizarding Rebellion. It was ridiculous, they were mostly on Ancient Egyptian magic, those people are really good with curses, almost making it an artform, and learning to speak Ancient Egyptian and read Hieroglyphs is a fun challenge. I really do not want the file Holmes gave me to become public knowledge either. It's not the fact that I am a halfblood that I am trying to hide, quite the contrary, I am literally flaunting it in their faces. But I don't really want it to get out that my mother killed my father, this will discredit my sanity. Just look at the Gaunts. Not to mention the dimensional magic stuff, there's a reason why so few people study it, because not only is it dangerous, many sorcerers who do soon become famously known as stark-raving mad.
What I really need to do now, is to get into warding.
A few days later
I walked out of the library, heading straight from the restricted section. I know there is stuff on warding in the non-restricted section, but I went through the two thin books on it already. They were not that useful anyway. Just a brief introduction to what warding is and how to hire a ward master to ward your home. Disappointing, really.
I had just started on Practical Warding for beginners in the abandoned classroom. When Albus appeared.
"Good morning." I greeted.
"Why didn't you tell me that my brother ambushed you?" He asked, concerned while dropping his bag and taking out his wand.
I shrugged, closing my book and taking out my wand. "It's not too much of a concern, besides, I had more important stuff to take care of." I replied, holding up the warding book before I tucked it into my bag.
Albus frowned as he sent a stunning charm in my direction. "He is getting meaner, I should talk to him about that."
I snorted and dodged, casting a tickling jinx in return. "Please. The two of you avoid each other like the plague, it's like he is afraid of being associated with you."
Albus shielded and sighed. What I said was true, Aberforth had given up on trying to talk to Albus since first year. Even before then, they have only been seen together during the first few days of term. Now, I am pretty sure that I am closer to 99% of Slytherins than Albus is to his brother.
"Wards? That sounds fun." Albus remarked, gesturing towards my bag.
"Yeah, the few Slytherins Aberforth managed to hire ransacked my dorm. I am just taking precautions, in case it happens again." I took the opportunity to cast a few atmosphere affecting spells, setting up for a large bombarda.
Albus nodded, as he casually flicked one of the spells back in my direction. The two of us went back to a companionable silence as we duelled. Before long, I was knocked back against the wall when my instincts screamed at me to dodge and jump to avoid both the bombarda and the three cutting hexes and the blast of water at the same time, there was simply too much on my mind.
Albus stuck out his hand and pulled me up. "You were right, elemental magic is very useful."
Four months later.
…Really?
I had walked back to my dorm, I had cast a basic anti-thief ward on my stuff as a test a few weeks ago. It is funny, because warding was basically the permanent transfiguration of a person's magic into power, which was charged into the runestone, the intent of the spells being shaped by runes, it is basically an elaborate computer programme, except for the pre-established rules are more like guidelines, and each rune can have multiple different meanings. I even tested my warding skills by sending Albus a belated Christmas present of a pair of woollen socks which freezes him whenever he puts them on. Too bad that I couldn't see his face when he got stuck in his own room.
It was very interesting, seeing how all transfiguration textbooks only mention the transfiguration of physical objects, alchemy messed a bit with energy, but from my talks with Albus, he has not stumbled upon direct energy transfiguration in alchemy either. It is interesting because whoever invented wards and runestones obviously knew about the energy transfiguration, but in the books, they only talk about the one method to do it, not the reason behind it, if I had to guess, I would say it is like wandless magic, the technique is lost, and therefore the large amount of mysticism towards it. I was going to try and get my books and head up to the abandoned classroom to try warding something again. But now?
In front of me was Aberforth, his hands stuck on my trunk while a foul smelling bag of goat dung hung from a pouch on his belt.
He stared at me while I stared back. I knew he was going to try something. But where on Earth did he even get goat dung? Sighing, I vanished the pile of dung, and unstuck his hands. Hexing his face so that painful boils erupted all over and a pair of goat horns sprung up on top of his head. It seems oddly fitting, considering that he was trying to use goat dung on my possessions. I have a feeling he was working with one of the excommunicated Slytherins.
Seeing how the common room was empty, I just dragged him out and tossed him out of the dorm, sticking him upside down on the wall outside the wall, just beyond the reach of the giant squid. Making a mental note to hex a certain annoyance into next Thursday as soon as possible.
I guess it's time to up my wards on my possessions. Maybe blood tying them to me is a good idea…