Of Earth & Stars
Chapter 19: A Slytherin's Devotion
September 1991
"Hey guys, got a minute?" Gemma Farley, a fifth year and Slytherin Prefect smiled at Nate, Suri, and Mara who sat in the courtyard in the shadow of the clock tower.
"Always for you," Nate smiled charmingly.
"I'm glad," Gemma sounded cool, but the pink splotches on her pale complexion gave her away. "I actually have a bit of a favor to ask."
"Go for it."
"So you know tonight is the Welcome Speech and Sponsorship Ceremony for our first years, but we're running into a bit of a problem. Typically the first years are paired with fifth years and above, but we have a larger number of first years than upperclassmen willing to participate. We need five more people upperclassmen to help out. I'm working on a couple sixth years right now, but I was wondering if you three would be willing to step up? You're only in your fourth year, but you three have some Slytherin qualities that would be great examples for our new housemates."
"So we would hang out with little first years and tell them not to do," Mara asked.
"Not so much as tell them what to do, but to make them feel welcome or offer advice or homework help. You guys went through the program as first years, you know how it goes."
"I remember getting detention for my sponsor, Isabelle Yi, because she wanted to make a love potion," Suri mused. "Last I heard, she finally got the confidence to remove the love potion, and they're still going strong."
"See? Lifelong friendship!" Gemma clapped her hands together, smiling diplomatically at the trio. "So what do you guys say? Will you do it?"
"I'll do it," Mara said quickly, surprising Suri. Mara was always so calculated and slow to answer. Nate nudged her shoulder and Suri nodded to him. Their experiences with their sponsors had been less than amazing, but maybe, Suri thought, being on the other side would be different.
"Count us in," Nate answered for the both of them.
"Great! Thank you so much!" Gemma beamed at the trio and gave Nate a lingering look before she hurried away to catch up with her fifth year friends.
"Anything for you," Mara mocked Nate as soon as Gemma was out of earshot. "That was over the top."
"That'show a lady should be treated. Take notes, Mara, especially when you finally stop being interested in Marcus Flint who doesn't know the difference between a lady and a troll."
"Oh shut up, Marcus is...he's actually sort of decent!" Mara huffed and stormed off, leaving Nate and Suri behind.
"Wow," Suri observed, blinking after Mara. "I thought I was moody." She and Nate shook their heads after their friend. "But she has a point. Really, Nate? Gemma Farley?"
"I don't know. She's got a great smile." Nate admitted and he raked a hand through his hair. When he looked at Suri again, his expression was serious. "I was surprised when no one said anything about what happened between Michael Polley and me at the party last year. He did start avoiding me before his graduation. I expected that, though."
"He was a prick just because he thought he was such a good quidditch player. He wasn't even that great. It's a shame he didn't get to participate at the ceremony."
"I suspect you had something to do with all of that." Nate lifted an eyebrow curiously.
Suri shrugged, brushing her long hair off her shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb, Suri, everyone knowsit was you who jinxed him. Everyone says you attacked him out of nowhere."
"Don't be so self-centered, Nathaniel." Suri rolled her eyes. She laughed when Nate threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. Without Nate, Suri had no idea what'd she do in Slytherin. She probably wouldn't have come out of her shell.
"Thank you," Nate murmured against her hair. "Really, Suri, I mean it."
"You'd do the same for me." Suri shrugged, brushing off the compliment. "Let's go over our class schedule. Can you believe the amount of homework we have in Potions already? I thought Snape was supposed to favor us. By us, I mean Slytherin minus me. He still hates me this year, maybe even more this year if that were possible."
"It is a lot, but why are we studying in the courtyard instead of in the library," Nate frowned at the sudden subject change. It was the middle of September, but the biting autumn chill had already come to Hogwarts and Suri insisted they sit outside instead of the warmth of the castle. Being the perceptive person that he was, Nate looked around until he saw the last class of the day, a group of first year Slytherins and Gryffindors, spill out of a classroom.
"Ahh,that'swhy we're in the courtyard today instead of inside like normal people."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Suri sat up straighter, her eyes following Harry Potter while he walked with Ron Weasley, laughing at something the taller had boy said. A dull pang throbbed in her chest. She hadn't talked to Harry since he was sorted into Gryffindor. Not even the Weasley Twins' goading her about her loss of their bet could make her smile the night of the Welcome Feast a couple weeks ago.
"Don't play dumb with me, Rosier-Black. You've been fixated on the Boy Who Livedjust like everyone else," Nate sneered.
"I'm not," Suri snapped and rose from the bench she shared with Nate, tossing her knapsack over a shoulder. She started to walk away, toward the castle, and in a few quick strides, Nate paced beside her.
"There's that moodiness I know and love." When Suri ignored him, Nate sighed heavily. "I was thinking, for the boy who supposedly defeated the Dark Lord, he's rather small and skinny. I was expecting someone…mighty.Potter looks like he could be defeated by a semi-plump housecat."
"We can't all have quidditch-ready bodies, Nate." Suri wasn't the only one visited by puberty this summer. Nate had grown a few inches taller and his voice dropped.
"I completely agree with you. Not all of us can look as good as Oliver Wood." Nate laughed at the glare Suri fixed on him. Her wild, ink-black waves tousled around her grey-blue eyes made her look especially fierce.
"I am soclose to throwing the first jinx that comes to my mind at you."
"Okay, joking aside," Nate held up his hands in surrender. "Ever since Potter started at Hogwarts, you've done whatever it takes to make sure you can cross paths with him, and not in a way that let's you talk to him. You just watch him, which is a little odd. He doesn't seem to notice, though. He's too dazed by everything around him. It's like he's never seen magic before."
"He was raised by muggles." Suri held her breath, waiting for Nate to question how much she knew about Harry. She hadn't told anyone about who Harry was to her-definitely not Mara, not Granna in a letter, and not Nate.
Nate's eyebrows shot up. "Muggles? Well, that certainly explains his clothing. Are you going to tell me about your fascination with him or do I have to keep guessing? I've got some good guesses too. One those guesses includes some weird scrapbook-"
"Nate!" Suri grabbed Nate's arm, stopping him mid-sentence. They were halfway back to the Slytherin Dungeons by now. Looking around, Suri locked eyes with her friend and pushed him behind a large pillar even if the hallway was mostly empty. "Nate. I just need you to trust me right now that I can't really talk about Harry Potter with you. I'm sure I will at some point, but right now I just can't."
Calculation shone in Nate's shrewd hazel eyes.
"Okay," he finally agreed without deceit or sarcasm. "You'll tell me when you're ready."
Suri smiled gratefully and they continued to their Common Room. "I promise I'll tone down my interest in Harry. I suppose you're right, it is weird."
"Good," said Nate, "I'm looking forward to things getting back to normal around here."
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"To our old friends: welcome back. And to our new friends: welcome to Slytherin! I hope your two weeks settling in has been smooth and you haven't gotten too turned around on those changing staircases. I'm Gemma Farley, one of your fifth year prefects." Gemma Farley paused for the few chuckles across the Common Room. Everyone in Slytherin knew who Gema was-she made it a point to introduce herself to every person in the house and have at least one conversation a month with everyone. Suri smiled as she noticed Gemma's eyes find Nate in the crowd and she shyly returned the smile he had only for her.
"By now, a lot of you have probably heard about the negative attributes associated with our house, but I want to encourage you: one, don't believe everything you hear, the other houses aren't without their flaws too. After all, how horrible can a house be if the greatest wizard who ever lived—Merlin himself—was a Slytherin? Two, I like to focus on our better qualities like leadership, ambition, cunning, and fraternity. By being in Slytherin, you are destined for greatness. We stand out from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor because we always protect our own, no matter what."
"Unless you're cursing someone to vomit during graduation for no reason," someone near Suri muttered. She turned to see two sixth year girls giggling behind her. When the noticed her glare, one of the girls nudged the other and together they offered her tight-lipped smiles before pointedly ignoring her. Suri responded by tilting her chin upward, pretending people talking about her hardly phased her.
It was all for Nate, she reminded herself. I would jinx Michael Polley again or anyone that hurt my friends. It was worth it.
"First years, when I call your name I will also be calling the name of an upperclassmen who has agreed to be your sponsor to show you the ropes. Our Sponsorship program is unique to Slytherins and has been carried out for centuries. It is a show of fraternity and dedication to our own. Sponsors will be your friend and ally for the ins and outs of navigating Hogwarts. Many pairs end up being friends for life. So, without further question, I'll start calling out the pairs." Gemma unfolded a bit of parchment, cleared her throat and continued.
"Theodore Nott and Nathaniel Avery. Vincent Crabbe and Marcus Flint. Millicent Bulstrode and Colin Bledsoe. Draco Malfoy and Suri Rosier-Black. Greggory Goyle and Mara Selwyn…"
While Gemma continued down the list, Suri looked at the group of first-years huddled together and found Draco. His pale features reminded her of Mara. Draco had fair skin and the whitest blond hair Suri had ever seen—ever whiter than Mara's. He had an arrogant expression in his grey eyes and pointed facial features.
"Alright everyone," Gemma concluded, "refreshments are in the corner, and I suggest you use this time to get to know each other. Have fun!"
Suri refilled her goblet with fresh pumpkin juice, appreciating Slytherin's fondness for extravagance even during the smallest events before she joining Draco. He occupied one of two arm chairs nestled against one of the Common Room's walls.
"So," said Suri, crossing her legs as she sat in the dark leather chair across from him. "I'm your sponsor. Truth be told, I always thought the term "sponsor" sounded ridiculous. I think friendis good enough. Unless you'd like us to be strictly professional. If that's the case we can meet once a month over tea and I'll answer any obligatory questions you might have."
"Friends are exactly what I'm looking for." Draco said, some of his nervous energy dispelling at Suri's candor and kind smile. From his robes he pulled out a white rectangular box. "This is for you. It's, er, from my mum-the Malfoy family, actually."
Placing her goblet on a side table, Suri leaned forward to accept the box. "What's this for?"
"It's a tradition in the Malfoy family to give a gift to the person who's assigned to be my sponsor, which I suppose is you."
"Oh, thank you." Suri carefully removed the lid of the box to reveal, nestled upon grey felt, a beautiful black quill. It was made of feathers so black they shone blue, and the writing nib was tipped with real gold. "Oh, this is beautiful."
"I think my family would be glad knowing the quill went to a friend, especially another one of us." Draco looked around the common room and his face scrunched judgmentally. "When I was sorted into Slytherin, I expected the house to be more...pure."
"What do you mean," Suri asked, her voice tightly controlled.
"You know," Malfoy glanced around. "People like us. But I guess we're lucky not to have any mudbloods in this house. We're lucky we don't have to put up with that teacher's pet in Gryffindor. That girl with an annoying voice."
Suri immediately felt disdain wash over her. The obsession with blood purity was one of the lesser qualities she cared for. She took her time returning the quill to the box, using the few seconds to manage her temper. When she looked up, she offered Draco a polite smile, masking her irritation. She didn't even need to use legilimency to look into Draco's mind. His narrow views on people were clear as day in his words and actions.
"Well, there's more than meets the eye here. And if it's friends you want, I can help show you the exact people you'll get along with."
She looked around the Common Room, and her eyes landed on the one person who she felt Draco was good enough to be friends with. Maybe it was possible for Draco to change in time, but for now, Suri had no patience for people like him.
"Hey Flint," Suri called. Marcus Flint, a fifth year boy and her captain of their quidditch team looked up from filling his plate with food. His first year student, Vincent Crabbe was at his side.
Flint and Crabbe joined Suri and Draco. Rising from the armchair, Suri offered her seat to Marcus to continue the conversation for the rest of the evening.
"Have you met Draco Malfoy? I think you two have a lot in common."
Author's Note:
Quick note for anyone who's confused about Slytherin's "Sponsorship program". If you've been following along since Thorns, then it'll be familiar to you! It's an original idea introduced there, and since Suri is part of the next generation of Slytherins, it only makes sense that it still exists. Essentially it's a buddy program all the first years are required to participate in because I strongly believe Slytherins are loyal af and would create this program to take care of their own because really, no one else at Hogwarts would have their backs.
***ALSOOO, if you remember the very first chapter of the story, I eluded to potentially triggering themes. Currently, this story is rated T. Would you still read if I changed it to M? DO I need to change it to M just in case? Shoot me your thoughts!
At last...Two chapters in such a short span of time?! I must really like my readers (or I really like writing…)! Don't be fooled though, come the next few weeks, until after July 10th, updates will be slow and sporadic. After the tenth, I'll try to get on a regular updating schedule.
In the meantime, I'm so glad you're here.
Reviews are love.
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