Heiress to Slytherin's Legacy
Author's note: I'm back! And I must say I am very excited to see what you think of this chapter. Also, I truly wanted to thank those who have reviewed, liked and/or followed the story, genuinely, it warms my heart to see that you are enjoying it. That being said, enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think. :)
PS. If you get a notification of a preface being posted, I'll just let you know that it is exactly the same preface I wrote from the start which I foolishly delated at some point a few weeks back.
-M
DISCLAIMER. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the OC belongs to me.
Chapter 3
Loraleen looked around as everyone reached for the steaming dishes and started serving themselves. Her peers' silver plates quickly filling to their hearts content as the main dishes magically refilled themselves. Across from her, on the Slytherin table, Loraleen spotted Regulus and Snape as they chatted with the other Slytherins, nodding in agreement to whatever was being said. As if feeling her eyes on him, Regulus glanced her way, giving her a faint smile and a nod of the head upon meeting her eyes. Elated over the fact that their tentative relationship had not been affected by the Sorting, Loraleen smiled in return and watched him refocus on the conversation he was having.
"-roast chicken?"
Loraleen heard the end of Lupin's question and faced the boy hoping to gain some context. He was holding a fork in one hand and a knife in the other, looking at her expectantly, probably waiting for her answer.
"Sorry, what did you ask?" replied Loraleen sheepishly.
"Already spacing out, Ollerton?" teased her Black as he reached for the boiled vegetables, his mischievous tone back in place. "I know my presence can be distracting, but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying the feast."
Loraleen rolled her eyes but decided to ignore him as Lupin asked again, "Would you like some roast chicken?"
"Ah, yes, thank you," answered the witch, passing him her plate.
"So, Ollerton," started Potter with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Do you happen to be related to Bill Ollerton?"
Loraleen sighed good naturedly, she really should have seen that question coming.
"I am," answered the witch extending her hand to take her plate back from Lupin and reached for the boiled potatoes as she continued, "In fact, he is my grandfather."
"Wicked!" exclaimed Black. "You must be a natural on a broom."
Loraleen shrugged but did not elaborate.
"Who is Bill Ollerton?" inquired Marlene after taking a sip from her goblet.
Both boys looked at her like she had just asked why the sky was blue, Loraleen smiled at their expressions and started to answer while raising her fork.
"He is-," her words were interrupted by Black.
"The founder of the Cleansweep Broom Company!" exclaimed the aforementioned boy with excitement. "They produce some of the best brooms for Quidditch."
"Exactly," agreed Loraleen, slightly miffed at his interruption. "Hold on," the witch faced him with fake outrage, "Some of the best?"
"Don't listen to him," intervened Marlene. "I've always owned Cleansweeps and they are the best, in fact, I learned how to fly on one," stated the witch proudly.
"Now, how would you know they are the best if you haven't tried the other brands?" asked Lupin with a smirk.
Loraleen laughed at his sass, not expecting it from him. Marlene on the other hand frowned and proceeded to go on rant about how it wasn't necessary for her to try other brands when she had already found her perfect match.
"It's still not objective," concluded Lupin.
Ignoring him, Marlene addressed her, "Do you fly, Loraleen?"
Loraleen swallowed her food and brought her napkin to her lips to wipe them off.
"Yes, I do. I have been testing brooms since I was in nappies. It's second nature by now."
"Are you any good at Quidditch, though?" inquired Potter, sizing her up.
"I'll have you know; I am nothing short of exceptional," said the witch confidently. "I can hold my ground like any proficient player."
"You wouldn't mind if we made a little wager then," insinuated Potter, setting his fork down and lacing his hands under his chin.
"She just arrived James, seriously?" said Lupin rolling his eyes, disapproving.
Loraleen knew what he meant, however, she was enjoying the important-personal-details-free conversation and wanted to keep it going, besides, she did like to fly.
"I am all ears," said Loraleen, setting her fork down as well and mimicking his position.
"Your team vs mine, the loser has to do whatever the winner demands."
Loraleen pondered his bet, it was awfully unspecific. She knew he was most likely considering this as a harmless bet, a means to get her to do something embarrassing while she, on the other hand, was thinking about the impact this would have on far more relevant matters. Accepting would give her an excuse to mingle about and even if she lost it would be a win in her book. Now, if she won, well, that was even better.
The young witch contemplated the pros and cons as she took a sip from her goblet. If she decided to move forth with this bet, she knew she wouldn't just be creating a Quidditch team. No, she would be creating something more everlasting, what some would call an inner circle if you may, and that meant that those on her team would have to be trustworthy and carefully selected, not only for their Quidditch potential but for their potential to become some of her most trusted friends and allies.
Loraleen eyed Potter carefully, reaching her decision, "It's on, Potter. However, I don't know anyone here, so I propose we hold this match halfway through term, that way I'll have a fair chance at forming a decent team."
"Wise request," mumbled Lupin, nodding his agreement at her petition.
"And," added the witch, hearing no complain on her first request. "Whatever it is the winner demands it cannot pose a danger to either the loser or anyone else, nor cause their expulsion or any life ruining consequences," continued Loraleen.
Potter smiled brightly, "Agreed, it is set. We'll define the date once the Quidditch schedule is announced," declared the boy picking his fork once again to continue his dinner, seeming quite pleased with himself. "I don't know if I failed to mention it, but I am part of our House's team and well, I cannot miss a match," said the boy smugly.
His halfhearted attempt at intimidating her caused a grin to grace her lips for a second. She adored a good challenge, and this would prove to be a good cover for her plans as well as something to write about to her parents when they inevitably asked if she was getting along with her peers. Granted, they probably didn't have a bet in mind when they said that they wanted her to distract herself from her responsibilities, but it would have to do for now.
"Only you would place a bet with a relative stranger Potter," chuckled Marlene. "You didn't even try to measure her up first on the field. For all we know, she is a prodigy and you just gave her the chance to publicly kick your ass."
"What can I say? I am confident in our team's excellence."
"Cocky much?" teased Loraleen.
"When you are great you get the right to brag," said Black with a shrug, supporting his friend.
Loraleen stayed quiet, deciding to let the comment pass and focused on finishing her dinner. Her mind was going a mile a minute thinking about the match and the potential this bet held.
So many possibilities, thought the witch to herself.
"So, Ollerton," prompted Black after a few minutes. "What brings you here?"
Loraleen took a second to answer, she knew they would eventually ask but she was hopping they would let it slide, at least for tonight. It was no secret among those who knew her that the young witch despised lies, but with time she had also learned that sometimes they were a necessary evil and when needed the best way to make them believable was by keeping them as close to the truth as possible.
"Well," the witch said, "My parents felt it was time for us to settle down and stop moving so much. You see, my father was in charge of handling business in America for the company so my mother and I would always travel with him wherever he went. Last year, they decided to pass along the responsibility to someone else and come back to London."
"That certainly explains your accent."
Loraleen sniggered, "I know what you mean, it's not American but not quite British either, I guess all the traveling back and forth had a weird impact on it."
"It's nice, though," said Lupin. "I have been trying to figure out where it is from since you joined our table, but I couldn't quite place it."
"It does sound lovely," agreed Marlene, pushing her empty plate away from her.
"If your traveled so much and were constantly moving," started Evans, rejoining our conversation now that we had moved on to a different topic. "Why didn't they enroll you at Hogwarts from first year?"
To make sure I would be prepared, thought Loraleen somberly but to the outward world she only smirked.
"My mother is an exceptional witch." answered Loraleen as justification.
Evans frowned slightly, not seeing what that had to do with anything and proceeded to voice her thoughts.
With a laugh, Loraleen explained, "My mother started teaching me the fundamentals of magic as soon as I had my first burst of accidental magic. By the time my Hogwarts letter arrived I already knew 95% of the coursework for first years. They figured it would be good for me to not only learn magic but also culture, and so we left."
"But what about meeting people you own age? Wouldn't traveling with them keep you away from developing social skills?"
Loraleen laughed whole-heartedly at the implications and watched as the main courses disappeared to be replaced with dessert, her eyes immediately landing on the chocolate pudding.
"It's not like I was trapped in a dungeon or a tower," replied the witch with honest mirth in her eyes. "My mother is a friend of Ilvermorny's Headmistress, so I was always invited to watch the Quodpot matches, so long as we were around Massachusetts that is," justified Loraleen waving a hand and helping herself to the pudding. "Besides, there are more young witches and wizards who are homeschooled than you might think, so even though I didn't enroll to a school I still grew up knowing a lot of people from different ages and diverse backgrounds."
Evans opened her mouth to further their conversation, seemingly interested in the American school, but was beat by Pettigrew.
"Did you say Quodpot?" asked the boy, "Don't you mean Quidditch?"
Loraleen looked his way slightly surprised. He had not asked her anything at all as dinner progressed. In fact, she didn't think she had heard him speak at all before now.
"Yes," she said, snapping out of her shock and smiling warmly. "Never heard of it?"
The boy denied with his head.
"I have heard of it," added Black. "Although it beats me why anyone would prefer it over Quidditch."
Loraleen hummed, "I guess it is not for everyone, but you have to admit it is pretty exciting."
"How so?" asked Evans, not recognizing the game they were talking about.
"Well, in Quidditch you have a lot going on, I mean, you have the quaffle, the bludggers, the snitch and so the team members divide to handle the three balls. On the other hand, in Quodpot, you only have a ball, the Quod, and to score the team has to get the ball across the field to the pot before it explodes."
"Before it explodes?!" exclaimed Evans, taken aback.
"Not going to lie, the idea of a ball exploding on the Slytherin's captain face does have its appeal," cackled Potter.
Loraleen laughed as well and licked her spoon clean with a contented sigh.
"Is Ilvermorny similar to Hogwarts?" asked Lupin, curious.
"Well, as far as I can tell the system is similar. The students get sorted into Houses but are not divided into common rooms according to the Sorting, so they get to spend time with each other regardless of their House. Academically speaking, I can't really compare seeing as I haven't taken any classes neither here nor there. I did sit through a Potion's class at Ilvermorny once but that's hardly enough to judge, from what I remember though, they seem to have different options regarding advanced classes."
Marlene hummed, "Did you ever consider enrolling there?"
"I suppose I did consider it at some point, but I have always enjoyed the freedom my private classes provided, so I never truly set my mind on it."
"Why made you change your mind?" asked Evans.
Loraleen frowned, not following, "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, what made you enroll at Hogwarts? You just said you liked being homeschooled so why the change of heart?"
Loraleen thought for a minute about how to phrase her answer and then said, "I figured it would be nice to get the whole academic experience and well, given my parents and I are finally settling down I felt it was only right to make some friends here."
Evans nodded at the same time the leftover's desserts disappeared. Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat and cleared his throat, claiming everyone's attention; all chatter ceased, and the hall went silent at once.
"I hope everyone has enjoyed the feast," started the Headmaster. "Before you retire for the night though, I have a few notices to give you. For those who are just joining us, do note, the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students."
His eyes wandered around the hall, focusing on the first years and a few of the older students.
"Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you that magic should not be performed between classes in the corridors, please, heed his warning. On a different matter entirely, Quidditch trials will be held during the second week of term as per usual, those interested should contact Madam Hooch.
It goes without saying that I expect everyone to give a warm welcome to our new first years as well as Miss. Ollerton, who will be joining the 6th years."
Loraleen felt the piercing stares of her classmates as the last words were uttered and wondered if it was really necessary to point her out.
"That being said," continued Dumbledore. "You are dismissed, have a pleasant night."
Loraleen swiveled around and saw Evans and Lupin already standing and heading in the direction of the first years, Evans' voice instructing them to gather around.
"She is a natural, isn't she?" asked Marlene, following her gaze. "Lily has always had a charm for leading people and getting them to listen. We always knew she would end up as a prefect."
Loraleen nodded, not really knowing how to answer.
"Boring," said Black elongating the o. "She cares too much about rules, which brings the question forth, do you play by the rules, Ollerton?" asked the wizard with a suggestive smirk.
Loraleen returned the smirk and thought about the last few years.
"You will have to wait and see," replied the witch vaguely, if mischievously.
With that, she rose from her seat, folding her cloak on her arm and following Marleen and the boys out of the Great Hall. They led the way up the wide marble staircase she had spotted upon her arrival and barely paid attention as her companions made idle chat about the start of term. Loraleen stayed quiet, opting to look around and familiarize herself with her new home.
The main marble staircase opened into a rectangular space with another staircase leading to the second floor. Loraleen looked up and saw stairs parallel to every wall, going on and on as far as her eyes could reach. A few sets of stairs were perpendicular, connecting opposite ends and to her surprise, they were moving every few seconds to reach different landings. The walls, in contrast to the ones in the Entrance Hall, were anything but bare, every visible inch was covered with portraits, which she made note, were chatting happily while they observed the students fill the stairs once more.
Up and up they went and Loraleen was just thinking about asking just how far their Common Room was, when they finally reached the seventh floor. They walked further down the hall until they reached a landing with a portrait of an overweight lady wearing a pink dress.
Marlene saw her confused expression and elaborated, "That's the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, to go in, you have to tell the Fat Lady the password otherwise you will be stranded outside until someone either comes out, or says the right password to go in."
"How often does the password change?" asked Loraleen eyeing the portrait with newfound interest.
"Weekly, the new password is always posted on the notice board, I'll point it out when we go in."
"Legendary," said Potter after greeting the Fat Lady.
The portrait swung open, revealing the secret archway hidden behind it. Mesmerized at the prospect of secret rooms similarly hidden throughout the castle, Loraleen stepped through. Decked in red, gold and varying shades of those two, Gryffindor Common Room oozed warmth, comfort and familiarity. The ample space was furnished with armchairs and couches, both strategically placed near the roaring stone fireplace and the high windows. Loraleen raised an eyebrow with amusement as she spotted the books and parchment already laying on the worktables on the opposite side of the room and wondered who in their right mind had left them there on their first night back. To the furthest end from where she stood, two spiral staircases led off in different directions, most likely, the dormitories.
"Cozy, right?" asked Black, letting himself plop down in the closest armchair, closely followed by the others.
"Cozy, indeed," replied the witch fighting a yawn.
"Come on, sleepyhead," said Marlene. "I'll show you to our dorm."
Loraleen nodded and bid the boys a pleasant night, laughing as they complained over the fact it was too early to go to bed. She followed Marlene up the flight of stairs and stopped upon reaching a wooden door with a golden plate engraved with the words "6th Years". The witch swung the door open and stepped aside to let Loraleen through.
The dormitory was composed of four poster beds made of dark mahogany wood. Deep red curtains surrounded each bed, matching the dark duvets and making contrast with the cream sheets and pillows, whose golden lining glimmered under the light. Next to each bed, a mahogany nightstand provided space for important personal objects and by its size, it also acted as a drawer of sorts. Floor to ceiling windows were embedded into the stone walls between each bed, framed by heavy curtains. Loraleen spotted her trunk, lying closed at the bottom of one of the beds and reached for it, walking over the fluffy carpet as she did.
"The bathroom is through that door, we are fortunate enough to share one between the four of us," explained Marlene pointing to the door. "I am going to head back down and wait for Lily and Alice to show up, make yourself at home!" exclaimed the read head leaving Loraleen to her devices.
Loraleen smiled at Marlene's thoughtfulness, it was obvious to her that the witch was giving her some space to settle down and Loraleen wholeheartedly appreciated it. The young witch took a deep breath and walked to the window next to her bed, drawing back the curtain Loraleen admired the view from the top of the tower, the moon shone brightly on the sky, illuminating the treetops of the so-called Forbidden Forest. She saw from afar the outline of an owl, making its way to the tower, and recognized it immediately as her own.
"Enjoying the night sky, Fuzzwick?" asked the witch as the tawny owl landed on the windowsill, hooting in apparent agreement.
Loraleen smiled fondly in his direction, remembering her mother presenting it her a few years back.
Thinking about her mother, Loraleen retraced her steps back to her trunk, taking out a piece of parchment and a quill she leaned on her desk to write just one word. The witch rejoined the owl by the window and blew on the parchment, impatiently waiting for the ink to dry. Written in her loopy writing, the word Gryffindor remained solitary in the otherwise blank page, but as she rolled it up and tied it to Fizzwick's leg, she knew her mother would be able to see the underlying message she was trying to convey.
"Take it to my mother," instructed the witch. "Don't wait for an answer."
The tawny owl hooted and took flight, disappearing in the night as Loraleen thought about the Sorting.
"The Sorting in Hogwarts has a flaw the Founders didn't seem to consider when they came up with the system," Loraleen's mother had told her once while leaving Ilvermorny's grounds on a particularly uneventful evening. "Once you get Sorted, you House becomes everything, and rivalry undermines potential friendships with the other Houses. It's a shame that the Sorting has come to symbolize a division instead of unity, our world would be better if the Houses didn't set expectations on who its members should consider worthy of companionship."
Loraleen closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air, carefully considering her mother's words before dismissing her jumbled thoughts in favor of unpacking. She would have time to analyze the dynamics tomorrow, for now, she was calling it a day. With a decisive nod, she turned and started emptying her trunk on her bed.