Chapter 2

He is a snake and snakes use their vile deception to get what they need from you before they toss you aside. Luthor is a muggle like me, but he is also a snake. Luthor has uncanny abilities with magic that I'm deeply curious about, but he is still just a snake. Luthor was excited about the dementors too—no! I will not become friends with a snake, Hermione thought.

"Hermione?!" Ron cried out. "Are you coming, Hermione?!"

Hermione blinked a few times and found her feet planted in place. Harry and Ron were calling out for her. She shook her head and caught up with her friends.

Harry sighed. "You been looking down for a few days now," he said, "ever since the sorting ceremony."

"Hey, you're right, Harry!" Ron said. "Hermione has been in a foul mood after that ceremony. Say—you did seem rather interested in that one Slytherin boy. What's his name? Lenold-something or other?"

"Luthor," Hermione said. Seeing that both Harry and Ron both shot her look, she added, "I met him on the Hogwarts Express. He defeated two dementors using a spell he cast without words or a wand."

"How is that even possible?" Ron asked. "Maybe this guy is working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"No!" Hermione said. She took a deep breath and added, "I don't think he's bad or anything."

"Not bad?" Ron asked. "He's a Slytherin. That makes him bad enough." He slapped his forehead. "I don't even know why I'm explaining this to you right now."

"Are you thinking of speaking to him again, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Of course not," Hermione said. "He's a snake. I don't deal with snakes." She paused for a bit before she asked, "Though you were going to be sorted into Slytherin too right, Harry?"

"Yeah, but I asked to be sorted into Gryffindor and Dumbledore says my choice makes all the difference," Harry said.

Ron's eyes widened as he asked, "Hermione, you're not thinking of becoming friends with someone from the same house as Draco Malfoy? Do you have a fever or something?"

"You don't need to worry, Ron," Hermione replied. "I'm not sick." She waved goodbye to Harry and Ron and rushed off to her class before either of them could say anything more. I want something, anything to take my mind off that boy, she thought. As she rounded a corner of the hallway, she dodged back behind the wall when she saw Draco talking to Luthor.

I'm going to take another path, she thought, but before she could walk away, she heard Luthor say, "Sure, I can show you the spell I used against the dementors."

"I can't believe Harry fainted when he saw a dementor, but you can't expect from someone with his bloodline."

I need to leave now, Hermione thought. Otherwise, I'm going to do something—

"Aren't muggles just about as weak as they come?" said Luthor, which made Draco laugh so hard that he clutched his stomach.

"That's why we call them mudbloods," Draco said as Luthor narrowed his eyes. "It suits their filthy heritage."

Hermione rolled up her sleeves and clenched her hands into fists, but suddenly Luthor materialized in front of her, looking her in the eye. "Leave that ignorant, little boy to me," he said. He looked at her for a bit more before saying, "You were right. I was going to be in Gryffindor."

Hermione's mouth dropped and she sputtered, "Then why?"

"I chose to be in Slytherin," Luthor said as he turned, peered over the corner where he stood with Hermione, and waved Draco over.

Draco came running when he saw Luthor again. "You just apparated without a wand!" he said. "How did you do that? And why," his voice became more sinister as he pointed at Hermione," are you with her?"

Apparated, Luthor thought. So that's what they call teleportation here.

"This one was spying on us," Luthor said as he nodded over to Hermione who was still stunned at what she just found out about Luthor.

"Spying like the rat you are. I ought to—" Draco started to raise his hand before Luthor grabbed onto his wrist with a firm grip.

"Leave it, Draco," Luthor said. "She's not worth our time and effort."

Draco looked stunned for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, let's go."

After they left, Hermione rubbed her eyes and then her ears. Then she rubbed her forehead, but she wasn't able to rub away the onset of a headache or the furrows in her brow. And she wasn't able to push away the nagging feeling of excitement in her heart caused by looking too deeply into the violet pools of the unknown. This feeling intensified her headache.

Luthor sat on a leather sofa in the middle of the Slytherin Common Room, legs crossed, listening to Draco tell their tale to other Slytherin purebloods who hung on his every word. This one thinks he's a leader, Luthor thought.

"My first thought was anger at the despicable action of the filthy girl, but after Luthor had spoken, I realized the truth," Draco said as he patted Luthor on the back. "My time is precious and it can't be wasted on insignificant specks of garbage. Welcome to the Slytherins, Luthor Timecrest. You understand the value of who we are. You truly are one of us."

Luthor curled the corner of his lips into a smile as he looked at Draco, but he noticed his index finger tapping on the arm of the sofa. He was annoyed. He could read himself, but he allowed himself this simple gesture because the people in this room were so far away from knowing who he really was.