There was silence as Tom stared at Professor Grimm, completely frozen in shock despite the warm smile she was giving him. Her footsteps echoed slowly in the room as she approached him to give his shoulder a squeeze. She nodded, as if she could hear all the questions running through his mind.

"Yes Tom, I knew him. I used to work for him."

Tom's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, and she nodded again as she lead him to sit in a chair. The books he had been using for research were laid out in front of the two of them, all containing information on Hogwarts and wizard families within the ministry. She gestured to them, saying, "you weren't looking for him in the right place, I can see."

She slid into the chair across from him, leaning onto her elbows with her hands clasped in front of her as she inched forward.

"Your father is a muggle. That's why you never found him."

Tom's face looked more taken aback than anything else, and she asked, "why do you seem so surprised? It just means he's even more like you than you realized. I think with you being a Gaunt, you may forget there's others out there who live normal lives and are just as- if not- more successful than wizard families. Being a pureblood isn't everything, Tom. Despite what others in your house and others might say.

"Honestly, consider it a blessing. You've got the best of both worlds in the palms of your hands."

So what the Gaunt family told me is true... Tom thought, realizing that newspaper he had been shown was reporting something on his father. He looked back to Ignatia's sympathetic expression, deciding that it was a good time to pry more information out of her while she felt this way.

"What have you heard from students about me?" he asked, his voice strained as he tried to keep it calm.

"I haven't heard, per say-"

"You can read minds quite easily, can't you?" he asked, his expression darkening as he dropped his prefect facade. Professor Grimm's smile dropped a little, and she said, "you're a sharp one. Yes, it's not difficult for me and just happens sometimes. Much like your friend, Eleonora. Though my ability to read minds pale in comparison to hers."

Her expression became much more solemn, and she said, "there is jealousy among some students, particularly in your house. The boys who wanted the prefect position you now have are... threatened by you. It's no fault of your own, Slytherin families have a reputation of being petty and the fact that you're a half-blood but are far superior to them in every possible way..."

She gave an annoyed sigh, looking him in the eye as she said, "I'm sorry, Tom. But I'm telling the truth."

His eyes looked down to the deep brown wood of the table, and he heard her lean back in her chair.

"However, this isn't the first time Hogwarts has seen this. And probably won't be the last. I saw it myself when I was here-" she said, earning her a curious look from Tom as he perked up.

"Evander Lestrange."

"How do you know about-" Tom asked, and Ignatia chuckled a little.

"Oh, I sat next to Cornelius in a few classes. I was the closest thing to a friend he had. I just listened, never had anything to offer when he'd complain about something. I was merely there, but he for some reason seemed to trust me. I know Evander's mother was a beauty, and a stellar nurse from the war. However, she was a prostitute before in order for her family to survive, and that made Evander the 'bastard child' of the family- as Cornelius liked to call him. She was the perfect mother that Cornelius lacked. Lucien Lestrange tried his best to hide Evander, but he was far too brilliant. Top of his class, a gifted athlete, and a gentleman- it was hard for Cornelius to be outdone by his half-brother all this time. And that only motivated Evander to flourish, as I think it does for you."

"I hate it..." he murmured.

"Hm?" she went, and he coldly whispered, "I've done so much, and don't feel I have the respect I've earned."

"Tom, the student body respects you. Ignore the very few boys jealous of you. You got the position, fair and square. Not everyone will always respect it."

"They should," he said, his eyes flickering dangerously as the bottled tension began to seep out of him. She pursed her lips together in a slight frown, shrugging and saying, "you'll learn to deal with it. It's only your first year as a prefect. Slytherin aristocrat families can be very petty. They will eventually get over it, and move on."

"Professor Grimm, may I ask you something?" Tom asked, his voice much more controlled as if he hadn't been angry at all. She raised her eyebrows inquisitively, replying, "sure."

"What kind of man is my father? I'm assuming it's not anything good since you didn't hurry to tell me anything about him."

Ignatia sighed, nodding reluctantly as she said, "he's not the nicest, but he's a shrewd business man. I respected him as a boss."

"What did he do for work?"

"He's a lawyer. I worked at the firm, as a secretary. I wanted a taste of a muggle life, and got myself a job."

Tom was silent for a moment, his expression blank as he tried to imagine the man. He still had one pressing question he needed to ask, and barely found the courage to do it.

"Does he know I exist?"

Ignatia sighed, looking off to the side before saying, "I don't know. He never discussed personal matters. To this day, I don't know if he was married, if his parents are alive, or if he has other children."

"Thank you, Professor Grimm. I'm not sure what you get out of speaking to me about this, but I appreciate it."

She looked at him thoughtfully, then gave him a sad half-grin as she said, "I never knew my father, so I understand. I thought I'd at least tell you what I know about yours."

Tom raised an eyebrow, offering her a perfected sympathetic frown, and she shrugged before standing up.

"It's alright, I turned out just fine, didn't I?" she asked with a smirk, and he stood with a polite nod, replying, "absolutely. I can already tell from one lesson that you'll be an excellent professor."

She laughed, sheepishly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she said, "well, thank you. I wasn't expecting to hear that. And speaking of that, I should get back to my job. There's another lecture beginning in 15 minutes and I'm guessing some students will begin arriving soon."

Tom nodded, and she walked over to a shelf with a set of old books about the castle, pulling one out.

"I recognized this, and think you might find it interesting. Give it a read if you're going to be studying in here."

She handed it to him, and he brushed his hand over the faded emerald cover with ornate silver text that read, "Slytherin." It was heavy, six inches thick, with yellowed pages. It felt delicate, and Tom shifted it carefully for a better grip as he studied the front of it.

"This is one of a set of four books. It's basically a guide to the houses, and I assumed you'd want the Slytherin one first. Feel free to read the others. I found them fascinating when I was here. They were written four hundred years ago."

Tom looked up at her in undeniable surprise, and said, "thank you, Professor Grimm. I would love to read them all."

"Just make sure you do my classwork first," she laughed as she headed to the exit.

"Of course, Professor. Have a good afternoon," Tom laughed, and he saw her exit with a wave of her hand.


Eleonora sat in the library, quietly working on a transfiguration assignment as heavy rain fell onto the window next to her. Without warning, Isidore walked up behind her to slam a book shut behind her head. She jumped with a cry, drawing a small line across her paper off of the letter "e" she had been writing.

"Isidore!" she barked as she heard him cackle. He slid into the chair across from her, leaning on his wrist with a smirk as she glared at him.

"You ass," she muttered with a small giggle, and he raised an eyebrow in response as she put down her quill. She stretched her arms out, her body quivering as she reached as far as possible, then she relaxed and rested her chin in her palms after placing her elbows on the table.

"What was that for?" she asked giving him a small pout, and he shrugged with a nonchalant, "I don't know. Just felt like it."

She rolled her eyes, and he leaned forward a bit to say, "I'm bored."

"I figured," she answered curtly, continuing to write out the rest of the sentence she had been working on. Not looking away from the paper, she asked, "have you finished everything due tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I for some reason thought that assignment was due today. So I already did it," Isidore said, leaning back in the chair, leaning his head back giving his neck a crack. He looked out the window for a moment, then back to Eleonora who had stopped writing. She was giving him a warm smile, and he blinked a few times before asking, "what is wrong with you?"

"You're lying to me," she said, and he shook his head.

"Look under the table," she said, and he did so seeing she had taken off her shoes and stockings. They were drenched with rain, and she had rested her bare feet on the ground.

"Your vitals gave you away," she said, tapping her feet to the ground twice. He heard her turn the paper over, and she said, "you finished it early so you could help Eva with it, right?"

"Huh-" he protested, and she said, "she told me you helped her with it last night. She thought it was considerate of you, and she learned a lot."

"It was convenient-" he argued, and Eleonora's knowing smile silenced him. She went back to her work, saying, "it's our secret."

"Don't you dare blackmail me with this, Ice Queen," he sneered with embarrassment. She simply smirked, and said, "I will if I feel like it."

"Oh! Thank God-" they heard William's voice cry out from the doorway about 20 feet away. He ran over to them, panting with James in his wake, saying, "help me, please."

"What's wrong?!" Eleonora asked, and James rolled his eyes saying, "he's being dramatic."

"I am not," William snapped in such a way that Isidore and Eleonora tried their best not to laugh. He seemed so offended by James's comment, and had an unusual amount of sass in the way he glared at him and turned to face him.

"Seriously, what happened?" Isidore asked, and William looked around to make sure no librarians could overhear. He then leaned down, with Eleonora and Isidore exchanging a worried look. They leaned toward him, and heard the three dreaded words they wished never to hear again.

"The niffler's missing."


Evander sat at his desk, grading exams from the morning of his fourth years students. He squinted in the dim lighting of the potions room, then flicked his wand to the candle nearby to enlarge the flame. Sometimes, he loved coziness of the dark classroom, and other times, it annoyed him to not have an upper floor classroom with more natural light. Or rather, with what little light could come in was usually dimmed through Scotland's frequent rainfall.

Hearing a knock at his door, he lifted his head as he said, "come in."

Theodora poked her head in with a smile, and he stood with a grin spreading across his face. She scurried in, shutting the door behind her, rushing over to him as he said, "I'm guessing you have good news."

"It went well. As it turns out, Professor... what was the flying professor's name again?" She began, cringing a little realizing she never asked him for his name.

"Professor Rosewood-" he answered, and she nodded with conviction as she exclaimed, "right! Professor Rosewood. He happened to be complaining to Headmaster Dippet that he could really use some help with the workload."

She raised a eyebrow at Evander's smirk, saying, "I thought the same thing. He teaches flying. But apparently, the students are extremely hyper this year and exhausting to deal with. So, he practically begged for me to take over the Quidditch department."

"And?"

"And Headmaster Dippet agreed. He said that he couldn't refuse after seeing the way I played against you since he was our own headmaster. And, of course, the fact that I don't have a criminal record because of the curse means I'm free to teach."

Evander grinned as she gave him a giddy giggle, then he hugged her tightly. She held onto him tightly, almost as if she was afraid to let go with a wide smile, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Congratulations, you're back," he said, and she backed up so she could cup her hands on his jaw. He gave her a shy lopsided grin, and she said, "we'll have to tell our kids. Thanks for keeping my interview a secret."

"I understand you didn't want them to get their hopes up. But I'm grateful you let me in on it," Evander replied, to which she nodded. She looked at him for a moment, smiling sweetly, tracing a thumb over his jaw saying, "dammit Lestrange, I love you so much."

"Gaunt, you know I love you more," he replied with the utmost sentiment in his voice. He gave her a chuckle, leaning down as she pulled him closer to her. She stood on her toes, her eyes drifting shut with a gentle smile as she leaned into him.

Just as they were merely inches away from each other, they heard two cries followed by a crashing sound. They jumped away from each other, scurrying out the door into the hallway. Their jaws dropped in surprise as they saw Eleonora laying on top of Isidore, pressed face down on his chest as he laid on his back. He let out a groan, and she said, "almost got him-"

"Uh- what-" Theodora said as Evander quickly strode over to them with a shocked scowl.

"Eleonora, ouch-" Isidore cried, Eleonora pinning him down.

"Hold still!" she yelled, sitting up with her back turned to them. Her knees rested on the ground on either side of his hips as she sat on him, and Theodora let out a shriek as she saw Eleonora slam an arm down toward him. Eleonora turned, then let out a scream as she fidgeted her arms in front of her.

"Who just-" Isidore grunted, lifting his head then turning white as his parents marched over to them.

"Isidore-" Eleonora went, spinning around as his arms reached forward. With her back turned to the professors, the situation was getting worse for all of them.

"What in the hell are you two-" Evander snarled, then they saw Eleonora slam her hands over to where a black blur appeared on the ground. She pulled it up, and they saw a familiar niffler thrashing its little arms and legs as she held it in the air.

"Finally," Isidore sighed, laying his head on the stone beneath him as the two of them panted for air.

"Oh," Evander went with visible relief, standing over the two of them.

"Mom? You're- here-" Isidore panted, and she said, "I'll explain later."

"Lester? Again?" Evander asked, and the two exhausted Slytherin students nodded as they held the niffler between them.

"What happened?" Theodora asked, taking the niffler from them. Eleonora lugged herself off of Isidore, laying down next to him as she wiped her forehead with her wrist. He loosened his tie and collar as she fanned her neck with her shirt, clearly exhausted from running all over the castle.

"That little spawn of Satan-" Isidore hissed, feeling Eleonora whack his shoulder and bark, "be nice-"

"Oh please, you agree with me-" he spat with a sigh, and she reluctantly nodded with a mumbled, "maybe a little."

"He decided it would be fun to run around with William's watch. The one his grandfather handed down to him-" Isidore continued as Evander reached into Lester's pouch to pull it out.

"We chased him for at least ten minutes, and I ran into Isidore in this hallway. Lester was trying to escape him, then he jumped out of his arms."

"Eleonora wasn't going to let that happen, so she launched at us to grab him and took us down, then the two of us were struggling to hold him which is when you guys walked in."

"Thank God," Theodora and Evander breathed, to which Eleonora and Isidore gave them confused stares.

"How is this a good thing?" Isidore pondered with annoyance, then Evander and Theodora exchanged a look.

"From where we were standing, it didn't look..." he began as Theodora scrunched her nose.

"Right?" she offered, and Evander immediately said, "sure, let's go with that."

Isidore and Eleonora immediately realized what they must've thought, turning bright red. Theodora then added, "then it looked like she was pulverizing you."

"How embarrassing," Eleonora whispered as she covered her face with her hands. She turned onto her right side, her back now to Isidore as she faced away from them all. Evander and Theodora burst out laughing, resulting in Isidore to roll his eyes before giving the ceiling above him a deadpan stare.

"Will- I found them!" they heard Eva's voice shout from down the hall. Isidore perked up a little, and Eleonora rolled over onto her back. Evander hurriedly handed Isidore the niffler, making him scowl for a moment at his father. He stopped when he saw Evander wink, laying his head back down as he clutched the niffler to his abdomen.

"Look, Isidore found him!" Eva announced, kneeling down next to Isidore with a smile. She bent over him a little with her usual bright grin, her blond curls hanging over him with the nearby window's sunlight turning them a shiny gold. He swallowed hard, clearing this throat nervously with a small nod, not knowing what to say.

"Does he like her?" Theodora whispered to Evander who nodded ever so slightly.

"Poor thing, he's so nervous that he looks angry at her- he has no idea what to do!" she said with a heartfelt smile as she placed a hand over her chest.

"As you can see, Eva's used to it," Evander said, nodding to Eva as she tucked some hair behind her left ear, her smile never wavering despite his intense expression.

"Oh my goodness, our son is adorable!" Theodora whispered, making the two of them snort with laughter. They watched William and James catch up to Eva, standing over Isidore and Eleonora with grins.

"There's my favorite glare," William said, making Isidore redden as mentally kicked himself for handling his shyness terribly.

"I think it's sweet," Eva argued to the boys, seeing Isidore had moved the niffler up to his chest like he was ready to hide behind it.

"Yeah, don't you guys realize that's not his angry glare? That's the happy glare," Eleonora quipped, and William raised two hands in surrender saying, "my mistake. I was thinking it was his angry glare or hungry glare because I'd be annoyed and famished if I was in his shoes."

"I don't glare all the time!" Isidore protested, and James shrugged while shaking his head no, replying, "eh, you kind of do."

"Smile!" William cried, and Isidore went, "don't put me on the spot like that!"

"Eleonora, smile!" William said, turning to her with a snicker after noticing she had closed her eyes to rest.

"No," she bellowed flatly, making everyone laugh. Eva smirked, reaching slowly toward Eleonora's ribs, stopping short as Eleonora said, "Eva, if you dare try to tickle me just to make me smile I will scream so loudly that all Hogesmeade will hear me."

"Her eyes weren't even open!" William whispered to James in surprise as Eva quickly folded her hands into her lap.

"She scares me a little," James whispered quietly, making Eleonora cackle and yell, "good!"

"There's no need to be afraid of her-" Eva replied, and William said, "Eva, her patronus is a giant fire-breathing dragon."

"Hehe," they heard Eleonora giggle, and Eva frowned in surrender.

"Anyway, I'll take Lester off your hands," William said, reaching to Isidore who handed him the niffler.

"Thanks for catching him, again," William said, offering Isidore and Eleonora his hands. They both took them, and he helped them stand. The two of them began adjusting their robes, with Eleonora saying, "no problem."

"We may have to start charging you, though," Isidore muttered with a smirk, and Eleonora said, "we should start a business."

"Professional niffler catchers? You know, I could definitely add those skills to my resume," Isidore jested, making Eleonora snort with laughter as she brushed off the back of her robes.

"Let's get him back to Hagrid," William said, lightly shaking Lester upside down as some coins fell out of his pouch. He found the missing watch among the pouch's contents, then strapped it back on with a relieved smile.

"I'll get this money taken care of, I'm sure it belongs to Gryffindor students so I'll bring it to the head of the house," Evander said, with Theodora nodding.

"We'll go find Hagrid, see you two later!" Eva said to them, and everyone exchanged goodbyes.

The four students walked to the staircases, heading toward the Gryffindor common room in hopes of seeing Hagrid nearby. To their surprise, Tom was walking down a flight of stairs with Hagrid, and William called out to them. The two of them caught up with the group, and William held out Lester for Hagrid.

"Where'd 'ya find him?!" Hagrid cried, taking the small niffler into his giant hands.

"We found him in the great hall. Caught him near the potions classroom," Isidore answered, and Eleonora nodded.

"Sorry 'bout that," Hagrid said sheepishly, looking down to the ground.

"It's alright, we're just glad we found him," Eleonora said with a smile as Isidore nodded.

"It's quite alright. Rubeus and I were just talking, and I found out he has quite the array of magical creatures he cares for," Tom added with a polite nod to the giant next to him.

"He does! He even tamed an Acromantula!" William said, making Eleonora jump in place a few times with an uncomfortable squeal.

"Bless your heart," she cried with a strained voice.

"She's trying to be nice, but she has a fear of spiders," James said, and Hagrid let out a hardy laugh.

"Wow," Eva said politely, her smile strained as her arachnophobia showed.

"It's alright. Not everyone'll love 'em. It's why I took him in. His name's Aragog," he said.

"Really?! That's kind of you!" Eva said, making him smile proudly.

"I thought so too. Not many people would be able to do it," Tom said politely, making Hagrid say, "thanks, Tom," with pat him on the back with more force than he meant to use. Tom stumbled forward a few steps into Eleonora, with Hagrid profusely apologizing as he cried, "Ah I'm sorry, Tom! I didn't mean to-"

Eleonora had caught Tom in her arms, and he moved his head from her shoulder to look back down to her.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?" he asked quietly, and she nodded as her face reddened. She could smell fresh cologne off of him, and felt flustered from how close he was as she clutched his arms. Despite the fact that he fell into her, the way he was standing now made her feel like he was the one who was protecting her. Though it didn't last long, as he let go of her and turned to Hagrid.

"I forget that I'm- well, I'm a giant- and I-" Hagrid quickly said, and Tom offered him a calm smile.

"It's alright, it was an accident. Just try to mind the force you use on someone my size," he replied, silencing Hagrid as his shoulders relaxed.

"Hagrid has an afternoon class, so we should let him be on his way now," Tom added, and Hagrid jumped with a start making Lester flinch in surprise.

"Oh, blimey! I'm late already-" he said, turning to head toward the Gryffindor common room entrance. He began scurrying up the stairs, calling out, "thanks again!"

Everyone called out goodbyes, then headed down to the library to continue their group studying.

That was ridiculous, Eleonora thought. She looked at her friends in front of her, seeing Eva talking to Isidore with a big grin on her face, and William showing James and Tom the watch that had been stolen. Eva reached out, pulling Isidore's cheeks into a smile, making her laugh. Eleonora couldn't help but admit to herself that their lives were crazy and unpredictable, and it made her smile a little as she concluded how she really felt about it.

But I love it.


Sorry it's been so long, I've been busy and have had writer's block. But I'm working on it!

Thanks so much for reading!