Officially halfway there! Please leave reviews, I want to read your thoughts!
Selena, once again, pulls an allnighter. This time she is pouring over the documents Mr. Vamish sent her. She learns some very important information. From Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy, she knows that pretty much all purebloods are related in some complicated and distant way. Because of her status as Heiress for the House of Black, she knows that her closest relatives are the Blacks. From the bank statements, she learns there are only three Blacks left as each one has a sub-account in their name where they can access their inheritance. Now, Selena doesn't care about her relatives as they obviously hadn't cared for her and Harry, but one name stands out to her. Narcissa Malfoy née Black, obviously related to Draco and most likely his mother. Compared to Bellatrix Lestrange née Black and Sirius Black Selena finds Narcissa much more interesting, even with Sirius's account being suspiciously empty.
She doesn't know anything about Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy but the fact that the Black family is in some way, maybe insignificantly, responsible for the support of the matriarch gives her leverage over them. After all, a family of wealth and purity would not want any amount of their finances to be affected by a half-blood orphan. It's a matter of pride that all the pure-blood supremacist families undoubtedly share and with the Black family's money she will put them in line. Selena is tired of having to hide from her housemates and this is the information she needs to ensure fear among them. Once she gets that done then maybe she can finally start figuring out exactly how she came to be Heiress of the Black family.
On her way to breakfast, Selena takes a quick look at the notice pinned up on the wall by the entrance of the common room. Apparently they will be having flying lessons starting on Thursday with the Gryffindors. She can only hope that they will be as stiffly quiet as potions is. Ever since her little beat down on the first day no one has dared to speak, even Snape only speaks when he is giving lectures. She thinks that everytime he sees her he has to keep his anger in check. It highly amuses her.
At breakfast Blaise whispers to her, "There's been talk going around, mostly Malfoy, that you aren't as tough as you make yourself out to be. Hiding was good for a while because the rest of the Slytherins didn't really know what to think of you, but now with Malfoy not being able to keep his mouth shut they are starting to look down on you."
She smirks, "Good thing I'm tired of hiding. Don't worry, I've got something."
Blaise smirks back.
Selena looks at the Gryffindor table to see a commotion happen between Neville and Draco. It is swiftly dealt with by Professor McGonagall. Selena doesn't understand why Draco can't leave the poor boy alone.
Blaise and Selena arrive at the field where their flying lesson is being held with the other Slytherins. The whole trip there they had to listen to Draco rattle on and on about how great of a flier he is. Selena can't believe it's taken her this long to realize how annoying the boy is. The two friends are excited for the lesson. It's been awhile since Blaise has been on a broom and Selena never has. He promises to help her and she has never been more grateful to have him as a friend. It wouldn't help her current situation at all if she flew into a tree.
The Gryffindors arrive a bit later than them and when she sees her brother Selena waves to him in greeting. He grants her a wide smile. A woman with short gray hair and yellow hawk-like eyes comes. She instructs them to stand by one of the twenty broomsticks lying on the ground. "Stick out your right hand over your broom," yells Madame Hooch, "and say 'Up!'"
Harry's and Selena's brooms immediately jump into their hands. They look up at each other with proud and excited grins. Others aren't as lucky as them. Hermione's is just rolling over and Neville's hasn't moved. Ron's smacks him on the forehead. The twins snigger at their friend. The ginger glares at them both. He gets over it pretty quickly and chortle along with Harry, Selena, and Blaise when Madame Hooch tells Draco he's been griping his broom wrong for years.
"Now, when I blow my whistle you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle three, two-"
Neville pushes up off of the ground before Madame Hooch blows on the whistle. She yells at him to come back but Neville shoots up into the air screaming in fear. His scream gives Selena the impulse to jump on her broom and help him, so she does.
"Selena!" Harry yells at his sister but she's already out of his range.
She fights against the air as she pushes the broom all she can to reach Neville. She sees him begin to fall and somehow gets the old school broom to go even faster although it is vibrating violently in her hands. She manages to catch up to Neville and grab him by the waist. The momentum pushes them sideways and causes her to lose control. Selena sees that they are heading into one of the walls of the castle. Thinking quickly, she grabs her wand from her waist holster, points at the wall and yells, "SPONGIFY!"
They hit the wall and bounce off harmlessly. The landing to the floor would have been like getting knocked off her feet if Neville hadn't landed on top of Selena. She pushes him off with a groan. Neville quickly jumps to his feet to check if she is okay, "Selena! I-I'm so sorry! A-Are y-you alright?" He's sniffling and it's obvious that he is still in panic.
Selena smiles at him gently, "Don't ask me that when you're the one crying."
Suddenly, Neville is nudged to the side by her twin who kneels down to bring her into a fierce hug. "Moony!"
She pats his arm, "I'm fine! I'm fine! Honestly!"
Blaise also appears out of the blue, "You're fine because you're a menace with magic! But honestly, that was a stupid thing to do! You've never been on a broom before, you could have easily ended up like Longbottom!"
"Er..? I'm sorry, I guess. Well not really, I mean, you saw how fast he was falling and he sounded really scared. Besides, he's my friend, I needed to help him."
"Ms. Potter! Mr. Longbottom!" Madame Hooch comes running with the rest of the class behind her. She quickly checks on both of them to see if they had harmed anything. She's satisfied that they have no injuries but she will be sending them to Madame Pomfrey just to be safe. "That was a foolish thing to do Ms. Potter, a very foolish thing...but it was also incredibly brave of you and I don't think I've ever witnessed such quick thinking in my life. Twenty-five points to Slytherin and I highly recommend you try out for Chaser next year Ms. Potter, that was quite the catch."
"Thank you Madame Hooch," Selena says with surprise. She tries to get up from the ground but grows woozy and faints. Harry and Blaise manage to catch her before she can hit the ground.
"Oh dear, she could have a concussion." Madame Hooch brings the older twin into her arms, "None of you is to move while I take Ms. Potter and Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say Quidditch." She looks at Neville who is still shaking, "Come on dear."
As soon as they leave Malfoy sneers, "Of course filthy half-blood Potter would help that great lump." The other Slytherins nod in agreement with Draco, angry scowls on their face.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Blaise snaps.
"Got a crush, Blaise?" Pansy Parkinson smirks, "Or are you after her money? Even your mother never stooped so low for galleons."
Before Blaise can reply back Malfoy snatches something from the floor, "Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." In his hand he is holding a glass marble that is filled with white smoke, known as a remembrall because the smoke changes color when the holder has forgotten something.
"Give that here, Malfoy." Harry says with gritted teeth, still seething over what the pale blonde said about his twin.
Draco smiles nastily, "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about up a tree?"
Harry calls for Draco to hand the remembrall but he's already in the air. By the top branches of a large oak tree, Malfoy calls out Harry to come after him. Harry jumps onto the broom, paying no mind to Hermione who tries to tell him he will get in trouble. Like his twin, flying comes to Harry naturally. The feeling of the wind whipping his hair and robes gives him a rush. He pulls the broomstick to go up higher and turns it sharply so that he is facing Draco. The heir is stunned. "Give it here or I'll knock you of your broom!" Harry yells.
Harry tries to get the remembrall back from Draco, with movements his body does naturally, but Malfoy dodges. The youngest Potter twin taunts Draco saying that he has no body guards up in the air with him. In response, the Malfoy heir throws the glass ball into the air and flies back to the ground. Harry gathers speed and shoots of toward the remembrall in a steep dive. With the wind and screams of spectators whistling in his ears, he stretches his arm forward, dangerously close to the ground, and manages to catch it. He pulls the broom up and falls off gently from the broomstick with Neville's gift safely in his hand.
"HARRY POTTER!" Harry's heart sinks when he sees Professor McGonagall rushing to where he landed with a furious look on her face.
Around dinner time, Selena wakes up to see Blaise sitted in a chair next to her. "Hey," she manages a weak smile, still rather dizzy.
Blaise turns to face a woman with greying hair and kind blue eyes who is standing at the foot of Selena's bed, "Will she be alright?"
"She's a little disoriented still but with some more rest she will be fine. I'll have some food brought down here for you two so that you both can get some nutrients in you. This boy has been in here since the end of classes. I could not get him to leave," Madam Pomfrey says with a bit of annoyance that is heavily outweighed by her worry.
Blaise blushes the tiniest bit and Selena says thank you to him with a dimpled smile. It is apparent to her that Blaise is with her while her twin brother is not- Neville had been discharged long ago. They eat while Blaise tells Selena what happened after she was taken to the hospital wing, "I can't believe you both end up doing almost exactly the same thing. I mean, I know your twins but this is just ridiculous. And that skill you have on the broom?! Madame Hooch was right, you should try out for chaser next year. Your brother is more of a seeker, unlike you he's a bit of a twig. You have more muscle on you so that position is much better for you. We'll definitely win with you on the team next year."
"Blaise, I don't even know how to play quidditch."
"Well lucky for you I am an excellent teacher."
Madame Pomfrey allows Selena to leave the hospital wing around eleven at night. When Blaise and Selena enter the common room they hear Draco bragging loudly, "...So I challenged Potter to a wizard's duel tonight at midnight and of course he chose blood traitor Weasley as his second. Unlike Potter, I'm not stupid enough to show up so I tipped Filch off." The Slytherins surrounding Malfoy chuckle at his plan.
Before anyone realizes, Selena has Draco pushed up against a wall of the common room. Nobody moves, too astonished by the outburst. "Now listen here Malfoy," she sneers while holding her wand to his neck, "I'm quite tired of you talking shit behind my back and this one-sided rivalry you have with my brother. I know it must have been completely embarrassing for you, a pureblood, to get rejected by halfblood boy wonder Harry Potter but really do you have to be so pathetic? I wanted to have a peaceful coexistence with you but I change my mind. Your forgetting exactly who I am and I think you need a reminder. You all need a reminder. So listen up Slytherins!"
She throws Draco onto the nearest armchair and faces the crowd of snakes, "I am Selena Alice Potter, Heiress of the House of Potter and the Noble House of Black. Not only have I, a halfblood, inherited two pureblood names, I also inherited their wealth. You thought that the Potter and Black fortunes were just collecting dust over the years? You thought wrong, my ancestors made sure that investments would always be made and every share that could benefit the family's hold on a company would be bought. For the Potter family these are mainly muggle and what you call 'blood traitor' companies, but for the Black family? Their ideals extended to their business practices too, so what does that mean? I hold a significant amount of shares in almost every business your families own. And because my parents are dead and there is currently no Head of the House of Black I can control where investments can be made. Write that to your parents and see what they say. You try to get rid of me? There's Harry and he'll pull out investments immediately, he's not as forgiving as I am. You try to get rid of Harry? I'll leave it in my will that if anything suspicious happens to Harry all investments will be pulled and the Black and Potter family will die out with us. Either way your family wealth is screwed and I'm untouchable."
"As for you, Draco," Selena turns her head in the direction of the pale blonde, "any harm that happens to Harry will end with your mom being disowned. Her branch of the Black account will be automatically emptied out and there goes any chance of you or any of your descendants from inheriting the Black name and wealth. I'll forgive this incident but next time I'll keep my word. Daddy dearest wouldn't want that now would he?"
Blaise has the urge to whistle in appreciation of his friend, but decides that it would likely ruin the moment. She storms off almost immediately after her declaration, leaving her dark skinned friend to appreciate the blanched faces on his own. He is definitely sure that he never wants to make Selena angry at him and that making friends with her was a good idea.
Blaise's initial intention to become friends with Selena wasn't out of a need for friendship. But rather because it was either her or Draco, and everybody knows where the Malfoys true loyalty lied during the war. His mother and her family managed to stay neutral last time but they often claim they were just lucky. While it may seem ridiculous to others, his mother always expresses fear of Voldemort returning and says that until she sees Voldemort's body she won't believe he's dead. If that were to happen, Blaise doesn't fancy becoming a Death Eater and unlike her brother Selena doesn't seem inclined to join Dumbledore. She's far too independent. Even so, he actually enjoys her company and is surprised to find himself caring about her. Growing up, his reserved nature kept him isolated and he had never minded that but now he can confidently call Selena Potter a friend.
Elsewhere, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville are running from the caretaker, Filch. They run into an door and attempt to hide in it only to find it to be locked.
"Oh move over!" Hermione pushes Ron out of the way. She grabs Harry's wand and points it at the knob, "Alohamora," she whispers. The door unlocks and they quickly jump into the room, closing the door behind them.
Peeves, more for the sake of annoying Filch than to help, leads the caretaker away from their hiding spot. Harry takes a sigh of relief and turns around. Suddenly, he'd rather be caught by Filch. It turns out that the four children didn't jump into a room but rather the forbidden third corridor. Looking into the mad eyes of a three headed dog the size of the room gives him a clear understanding of why the corridor is forbidden. At first their appearance had taken the monstrous dog by surprise, now it is baring it's sharp yellow fangs at them and Harry is frantically attempting to open the door again so that they can escape.
They run out of the corridor, somehow remembering to shut the door, and don't stop running until they reach the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor. Panting, Harry tells her the password and she opens up to allow them entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The rooms is decorated in red and gold with a cozy fireplace, stuffed armchairs, and golden chandeliers casting a warm inviting glow. It brings great comfort to the shaken lions. Although Neville just streamlines to his dormitory.
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron says as he lays on an armchair trying to catch his breathe. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."
"You don't use your eyes, do you?" Hermione snaps. "Didn't you see it was standing on something?"
"I wasn't looking at it's feet, I was a little busy with it's heads," Harry snarks.
"Or didn't you notice? There was three of them!" Ron adds.
"It was standing on a trapdoor. It's guarding something," Hermione tells them with annoyance. She stands up and glares at them, "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. Before you do something else that can get us killed, or worse, expelled."
"No, we don't mind!" Ron says back to Hermione. "You'd think we dragged her along, and really? 'Or worse, expelled.' She's got to sort out her priorities...Er...You going to tell Selena about this?" The poor ginger sounds a bit frightened at the thought.
Harry pales, "I didn't run from a three headed dog just to get killed by my twin!"
While in bed, all Harry can think about is what Hermione said. The dog is guarding something. According to Hagrid, Gringotts is heavily protected by dragons and enchantments. And Harry remembers Professor McGonagall saying Hogwarts was one of the only safe places during the war. Harry suspects that he accidentally found out the location of the grubby little package Hagrid took out of vault seven hundred and thirteen.