Title: Slytherin's Other Heir
Rating for Story: T (violence, death, darkness, slash)
Rating for Chapter: T
Disclaimer: The characters from Harry Potter are not mine, but the original ones that I created are and so are some spells. This is slight Alternate Universe to some extent.
Chapter 3: A Confounded Beginning
Reviews to reviews
The Dark Lord's Most Faithful: I did not think my story would be loved so much.
fishlet: Thank you very much. You're the first to give me such encouragement! I will definitely consider your comments when writing my story.
meatofevil: Thanks!
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Summer, the time of sunscreen, lemonade and surfing and especially the holidays. In secondary school, Whiz particularly loved the holidays, though being a straight-A student. This gave his classmates a weapon for tormenting him. Weathering much torment, he was now indifferent and stone-cold to teasing, partly due to his "insufferable" pride as Mr. Dumontier (his Philosophy teacher) put it. He hated those days with relish and could not wait for some peace and quiet.
Whiz was born naturally shy and loved the loneliness. Unlike his cousins, who practically were the limelight at every party, Whiz on the contrary was a wallflower. This "insufferable" pride caused him to be teased by classmates and glared by teachers. They could not stand his haughty looks and one even suggested loudly that he should join the show "Diva on a Dime". The amount of stress was piling inevitably and he knew one day, he would crack under all that weight.
He practically took all the subjects in school from physics to geography. During his first two years he aced all the exams with flying colours. However, as the third year approached, his results declined. At first, he shrugged it off as stress and over-tension, but as the months aged, he finally drew to a conclusion. This particular reason was shamed in the Muggle world, a so-called abnormality. He would be disowned by his very parents and the thought of it scared him. He was going to let the secret die with him. He would and tried, though relapses occurred through the year. His grades tumbled like a bolder on a hill. He was merely averaging the subjects. Teachers sneered at him whilst students jeered. It had seemed committing suicide would be the answer. He tried to cut himself, jump out of the school building, but he just could not bring himself to. His mind was shrouded with thoughts of death and unhappiness. He just wanted to die.
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September 1st came and he waited silently on the porch. The sun had just risen and had thrown its crimson rays on the sleeping city. The city was basked in a ruby-liked glow, providing visual warmth. He had just kissed his mum and dad goodbye with them next rushing to work. However, sadness grew inside Whiz. He knew that nothing could ever change even if he went to this so called Hogwarts. He trembled at the thought of reliving all the pain and aguish. Slowly, he fell to his knees and his eye's watered. Little pearls fell from his cheeks.
Out of the blue, something gargantuan blurred out the sun. A little seizure of fear passed through his body. "Who is that?" he questioned himself. Slowly yet cautiously, he raised his head and saw a man, stout and tall. He was speechless, much to his amazement.
"Ged'up my boy, are you cry'in!" the man asked.
Whiz continued to be rooted in fear, speechless.
"My name's Hagrid, Gamekeeper at Hogwarts." the man said.
Whiz slowly rose to full height, barely up to Hagrid's chest.
"Let's go, we're late already."
For two hours, the pair trudged through the crowded pavements of London. Hagrid's stature was definitely a boost, although it attracted a countless number of stares. For Lunch, they settled for a Subway sandwich each. Being a wizard, Muggle money was one big headache.
First Hagrid tried to pay for the sandwiches in Galleons which resulted in an angry cashier and an impatient queue of customers. With many apologies, Whiz dug into his pocket and pulled out a wad of two dollar notes. Then, Hagrid kept complaining of the seat size and that the food was too little (unlike the infinite amount of food at Hogwarts). To cap of the day, Hagrid had wedged himself into two seats, causing Whiz a ketchup stained shirt as he tried to flee himself from the chairs.
"Sorr' out that Whiz. Can't understand Muggles meself, never took Muggle Studies yer know."
Whiz, being himself, remained mostly silent throughout the entire journey. He took things in stride and shrugged off the mishaps as accidents. He was used to such stuff, once having his whole class dump mustard into this uniform as a joke. His mum spent two whole days trying to get rid of the colour stains and him, an explanation to each and every teacher to why he smelled like a hot dog.
What was torture? A word describing pain and anguish most say, but to Whiz, it was nothing. As he strolled down the sidewalks of busy midday London, he recounted the various incidents that involved much displeasure and him. Last year, his class soaked his textbooks in water and the previous; they stuffed his locker with feathers. Detention was doled out for both incidents, but not to the mischievous pranksters, instead to Whiz for disruption. Parents were summoned and Whiz was forced to draft an apology letter to his whole class and teachers. Memories, these were just memories. He had sincerely hoped that Hogwarts had "tamed" students.
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Hagrid turned into the Leaky Cauldron, a place where no two personalities matched. Whiz sworn he saw a Leprechaun and an overgrown rabbit play Blackjack. Jerking his head to the right, were bubbly foaming mugs of what was called Butterbeer. "Butter in beer, must try some." Whiz thought aloud. Suddenly, a sense of familiarity crept upon him. He body had gone cold and he shivers ran down his spine - something was amiss. However, just as they appeared, they vanished. "Must be some magic at work", Whiz thought, whilst shrugging off the feeling. He then thought no more of the strange encounter.
After Hagrid tapped three bricks, the barrier between the magical dimension and the Muggle world dissipated, revealing rows of shops. Whiz had never seen such a vast number of shops, let alone the goodies they held within.
Shop after shop, Hagrid made Whiz stock up on school supplies. From a pewter cauldron to a horrendous biting book, Whiz bought them all. Though he had expressed his wish to take every subject, Dumbledore was none the wiser (having seen Hermione in her third year). So Whiz enrolled for Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Care for Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes.
His last two stops were the pet and Madam Malkin's Robe shop. Hagrid had encouraged him to visit the Owl Emporium but Whiz declined. He wanted something more exotic. Scanning the area, he headed for Exotic Concoctions - a store with a welcome sign that read "Anything you want is here!". Giving Hagrid a lame excuse (seeing that only owls, rats and cats are allowed in Hogwarts), Whiz sneaked off to the store. As he entered, an elderly man, whose hair seemed to be of purest silk, greeted Whiz in a mystifying voice. Hastily, Whiz asked for a one of a kind exotic pet. Hagrid would soon realize that he was gone. The elderly man replied in a tone of unnatural calmness, "What about the Serpenteric Wyvern, a cross breed between a drake and a cobra.". Without much consideration, Whiz banged his galleons on the counter and gingerly held his pet in his arms. "I'll call you Serpy then."
Like a bolt from the blue, Whiz felt warmness within his fingers. It was unlike his the first experience of coldness and pain; this was a sense of dominance. The elderly man looked on in curiosity, what was that boy doing? Just then Whiz left the shop, leaving behind the continuous echoic of the door chime. "Did he, did he?" were the very questions that raced through the elderly man's head. He had sworn he heard a hiss.
With much caution, Whiz approached Hagrid. However, Hagrid took no slight notice of Serpy, which suited Whiz well. Jumping from the frying pan into the fire was not going happen and ruin this glorious day.
Finally, Whiz entered Madam Malkin's shop for school robes. The dressmaker, Madam Malkin, was a cheerful and friendly old lady, who instantly took measurements for Whiz. Then, she handed Whiz a couple of robes to try them on. Whiz pulled the curtains of the changing area tight; he was definitely not athletic and possessed a slim frame. Slipping on the robes - a perfect match. As he tried on the last of the bunch, the curtain slid open and a pair of emerald green eyes meet his. Instantaneously, a high pitched shriek filled the shop and ended with Madam Malkin rushing to the scene. Whiz quickly wore back his T-shirt and glared daggers and the "peeping tom". The "Peeping Tom" quickly apologized furiously, with Whiz huffing out of the shop with five sets of robes in a tow. He was literally fuming, "how dare someone outrage his modesty", tempers were surely rising. For the rest of the afternoon, Whiz could not get the image out of his mind, however, it soon dawned onto Whiz that the person was kind of cute. Those eyes and that seemingly well-structured physique were causing lots of vasodilatation. He was smiling, smiling for the first time.
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"Whiz, hurry the train's about to commence boarding", Hagrid yelled.
"Coming!" Whiz replied. He left Serpy on his shoulders, as still no one except him and that shop owner had been able to see him. "That must make Serpy special", Whiz chuckled.
Falling through the wall between platforms 9 and 10, a whole new world emerged. Hagrid bid Whiz farewell and assured him that he would see him later. Slowly, Whiz heaved his luggage onto the train.
The compartments were all full except one, which he quickly snapped up. Making himself comfortable, he began to read a book regarding Serpy's care. Just then, the door slide open and in fell in a girl. She had blonde hair and was engrossed in the magazine Quibbler upside down. Since she wasn't a nuisance, Whiz did not bother to chase her away. Soon, he heard distinct voice - one which sounded familiar. The compartment door slide open yet again and in strode in a stout boy, carrying a cactus and followed by him ,the "peeping tom".
"Why you…", Whiz was in rage again.
"Oh no", the boy replied.
Just then, a bushy brown haired girl and a flamed-red hair boy entered. Both had "Prefect Badges" proudly attached onto their robes.
"Eh Harry have you seen…" the red-haired boy begun, only to stop on glancing at Whiz.
"Who are you, ickly first year."
"Ron, that no way to treat someone," the bushy haired girl retorted.
"Aww Hermione."
Whiz stood up and introduced himself.
"I'm Whiz Higgs, though I am taking fifth year this semester, it's my first year here."
"Really, which magical school did you transfer from?" Hermione answered.
"I studied in a secondary school in London, just that I received an invitation letter to join this school earlier this year."
"So you are Muggle-born?" Ron questioned eagerly.
"Yeah."
All this time the emerald eyed boy remained silent.
"Hey Harry, meet Whiz" Hermione offered.
"So the 'Peeping Tom's' name is Harry." Whiz coldly replied.
"Are you related to Malfoy and what's about his Tom." Ron asked.
"I don't know any Malfoy your information, your friend, Harry (Whiz injected a coldness into Harry's name), saw me changing clothes."
"So what, as if you body's made of gold." Ron laughed.
Harry sensed trouble and immediately stood up and strangely enough, shook Whiz's hand with a plausible "Hi".
That sent Whiz into much joy again and he giggled. Next, he rushed out of the compartment in a flash, saying he needed to use the bathroom.
"That guy has a serious crush on you Harry." Luna announced in her usual dreamy voice.
The Golden trio was left standing in both shock and awe.
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It was only after several moments later that Whiz reappeared in the compartment. Both Harry and Ron were snacking on cauldron cakes that Harry had purchased, much to the dismay of Hermione who disapproved of Ron not finishing his mother's sandwich. As soon as Whiz entered, his eyes met Harry's but he quickly swerved his head aside. Flopping on the train seat, he decided to remain silent for the rest of the journey. The only problem was that Ron kept throwing dirty glances at him.
Around 5p.m., Hermione suddenly yelped and instantly rose from here seat. She had obviously forgotten that they were assigned for patrol duty in the midst of all the excitement. Concurrently, Ron leapt from his seat as well, but the reason was of a painful nip on his left leg.
"Ouch! What was that?" exclaimed a confused Ron. He then knelt to the ground and begun searching for his attacker, but to no avail.
Hermione wasn't going to take all this nonsense and stormed furiously out of the door with a swearing Ron in tow. All that was left after that were angry voices echoing down the hall, issued from an exasperated Ron and a glaring Hermione.
Harry turned to Whiz and cocked his eyebrow. He knew Ron's misfortune must be somehow linked to him. Whiz blushed furiously and tried to avoid Harry but the truth was inevitable. Harry exited the compartment and gestured to Whiz to follow him. They arrive just few feet from the toilet when Harry pleasant composure turned into a stern demeanor.
"Tell me what you did!" Harry bellowed softly.
"Erm… I … did …not." Whiz stammered. Confrontations were not his cup of tea.
Harry face assumed the colour of beetroot and it seemed as if that smoking was issuing out his nostrils. His eyes were affixed onto Whiz's and they revealed both anger and disappointment. Just as the situation looked as if it was turning into a fist fight, Harry noticed something slinking up Whiz's back. "Was it what that had bitten Ron?", he questioned silently. True enough, it was Serpy that had taken a liking to Ron, too much in fact. Serpy was a baby Wyvern and curiosity was one of its biggest traits. Biting was part of the gesture, "I love you!", though it will not bite its parents (in this case, it thinks its mother is Whiz).
Whiz soon realized that Harry was focused on Serpy, but how? Everyone including Hermione and Ron could not see him, but how could Harry? Chaos and fear raced through Whiz's mind, this was the end, the end of him. His knees were turning into jelly and he felt himself slumping against the wall. Little crystalline-like beads were issuing from his almond eyes and soon they became a torrent of tears. He felt bad; he had broken the school rules on his very first day. The feeling of weakness pervaded him. The world had come to an end.
Harry stood there dumbstruck and speechless. This was the first time someone had cried so hard in front of him; he felt helpless and not too heroic at what he had just accomplished. This was not Malfoy or any Slytherin; it was just someone who was new. Judging by the looks, Whiz was to enter any of the other houses, so why was he forcing Whiz like a gangster. He outstretched his hand to a broken Whiz, and apologized into Whiz's ear. Whiz looked up and accepted the gesture. The ice had been broken.
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Between sobs, Whiz told Harry that the incident had brought about fond memories of his grandmother. She was killed during a road accident, when Whiz's puppy had escaped from his clutches and ran towards the road. Screaming loudly, his grandmother rushed to his aid. With only her walking stick as support, she hobbled down the pavement and onto the road in search of the pup. Finally, she spotted the dog, but much to her dismay, a speeding motorist was headed her way. Whiz saw his grandmother collide head on, somersault through the air and flop to the ground. Blood poured in torrents from her fractured skull; her glasses askew. Whiz immediately rushed towards her. Though her arm had been dislocated, she mustered her strength to lift a finger and in a feeble voice, "Whiz, your puppy is there…". Then, she began to close her heavy eyelids, her spirit drifting off from this plane. The physical blow was too enormous for an 85 year old to handle and she was pronounced dead on the spot. He was a jinks, he had killed his grandmother.
Whiz related to Harry about his unpleasant childhood, the torment he received in the schools he attended. Pushed, shoved, beaten by his classmates, Whiz was walloped by his classmates. He was the official "Punch bag". As Whiz entered secondary school, the older schoolmates took advantage of his size. At first, they demanded him to carry their stuff and perform menial tasks. But as he advanced, those that were older demanded something more. Something more disgusting, more privatized that anyone could ever imagine in a school. While his classmates were leading good lives, he was abused both physically and sexually. Though he returned home with bruises and scars, he never dared to tell his parents, fearing the worst would descend upon him at school if word every leaked out. Soon, as his grades improved, the teachers began to dislike his pompous attitude. He had to maintain the facade, for he did not want any of his secrets to be revealed. The elder boys took advantage of this and forced him even more. Everyday, he was a personal slave of one boy and they would rotate him amongst themselves. Everyday he wished he would perish but somehow his pleas when unheard. He already had received STD's countless number of times, though he rejoiced that it wasn't Aids. His life was in a mess.
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Ron and Hermione only returned before the train docked at Hogsmeade. Both Harry and Whiz were sitting quietly, listening to Luna comment on how Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans were made by pixies. Neville was still stroking his crooning cactus. Once the train stopped, they exited the train promptly and went in separate directions. Whiz had to join the first years.
Harry, Hermione and Ron quickly snagged a caravan pulled by a Therestral. Then, Harry began to explain Whiz's predicament to both his friends. Ron huffed at Harry, partly due to his leg was bitten by Serpy (which Harry swore that he would not report Whiz for) which earned him a slap from Hermione. She sympathized with Whiz for he was strong even though from a broken background. She was going to stand by him.
As the horse carriages pulled over, the trio entered the Great Hall, taking their places at Gryffindor's table. He spotted Malfoy and his goon at the Slytherin's table and they were secretly whispering to one another. His concentration broke when Dumbledore began his yearly speech.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to Hogwarts after one eventful year. It is my pleasure to announce that Quidditch matches will be reinstated this year…"
The whole Great Hall erupted in applause, having witnessed a rather emotionally painful year with the Triwizards Tournament.
Dumbledore continued, "This year, it is my pleasure to introduce a few additions to our school cohort. First, joining as our Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge. Next, we have two new students who are being enrolled into the Fifth Year course. One of them will be in Gryffindor and the other in Slytherin…"
Suddenly, the whole hall became of a deathly silence. Tension built up in the air as the two rival houses awaited their new members.
"I knew Whiz would be in Gryffindor" Harry whispered in exclamation.
This earned him a stare from Ron which was countered by a pinch by Hermione.
"Yeow…" screamed Ron silently.
"It is now time for the students to be sorted into their Houses. I present you Whiz Stellerion Higgs and Lucarious Draconian Malfoy. Gentlemen please take your places next to the Sorting Hat." Dumbledore continued.
"Not another Malfoy! That's the last thing the school needs." Ron groaned.
However Harry was too busy eying Draco Malfoy who was boasting that their Lucarious was his cousin from Dumstrung.
"At least now Whiz will be in Gryffindor. That cute unblemished face!" Harry dreamily thought.
Suddenly, it hit him. "No, what he meant was that slim physique, erm… no. Yes, how studious Whiz is." He hastily corrected himself. Did he just fall for Whiz?
He turned and faced the teachers table. The ceremony was about to begin.
Whiz had already yanked on the hat and in a few seconds the Hat was to say "Gryffindor!"
"Whiz Stellerion Higgs, Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat yelled.
"Lucarious Draconian Malfoy, Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat yelled again after another minute.
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Author's note: I would like to apologize as I don't have a beta (and clueless how to get one) for the spelling mistakes. I will try to patch the other two up as soon as I can.
Please review, thanks in advance.
Ya have one now! Hi I'm the beta, meatofevil, and its real good so far. In other words flame/badly review and I will find you. And fill your inbox with mindless drivel.