Salazar Slytherin stood in the dusty courtyard. It was dark; the sun was hidden behind a grey cloud, just how he liked it. A gentle breeze whistled around the stone walls of the courtyard; it was the only noise apart from the strained grunts and the banging of spells colliding. In the centre of the courtyard, the dark, slightly hunched figure of Bellatrix Lestrange stood, her black locks dancing manically in the wind. Her eyes were wide, black pupils enlarged from the adrenaline. She pointed her walnut wand at the tired, panting man opposite her. Lucius Malfoy was a strong dueller but not strong enough for Bellatrix.
She shot a red jet of light at his chest, intending to stun him. In the nick of time, Lucius blocked the spell with a weak but effective Shield Charm. He was exhausted; Bellatrix knew this, and she knew it was the way to defeat her opponent. With a grunt, she fired another stunner at Lucius, this time more powerful. Lucius knew he had no chance of blocking it, not while he was this tired, so instead he nimbly dodged to the side before aiming a Disarming spell at her. With a lazy flick of the wrist, Bellatrix performed a perfect Shield Charm; Lucius' Expelliarmus deflected off the shield and flew back at the man. Lucius' wand shot out of his hand and landed on the floor with a resounding clatter. Bellatrix fired another Stunning Spell at the wandless man. It hit him directly in the chest and Lucius flew backwards where he crashed into the wall with a thud, unconscious. Bellatrix turned away from the crumpled body of Lucius Malfoy and smirked triumphantly at Salazar Slytherin who nodded in approval.
"Well done Bellatrix" he said in his raspy voice "You've beaten Lucius...again"
Salazar walked over to Lucius, muttered 'Rennervate' and Lucius' eyes opened again.
"You're really past your best Lucius" Bellatrix grinned manically.
"I used to be able to beat you hands down" Lucius said moodily as he stood up.
"Maybe when we were twelve" Bellatrix mocked "I don't know how you're going to manage fighting in a real war"
"I've fought in many wars, Bellatrix, more than you. I have served Lord Slytherin far –"
"– stop your mindless bickering" Salazar said "Both of you have given me your undying loyalty and shall be repaid"
Bellatrix bowed overdramatically. Lucius gave a short, stiff bow. When Bellatrix stood up again to face Slytherin, her eyes lit up enthusiastically and she smiled, gazing lustfully just over Salazar's shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see just what exactly the woman was looking at. To the surprise of neither Lucius nor Salazar, Tom Riddle had just arrived. From a set of stone steps not far away, Gelert Grindelwald, another of Slytherin's high-ranking officials had his eyes fixed on Riddle.
"Hello Tom" Bellatrix said, moving towards Riddle and running her pale hands through her thick black locks.
"Bellatrix" Tom nodded politely, before turning to Salazar, to the woman's dismay "Rowena Ravenclaw returned an owl giving us word of her allegiance to us"
A thin smile spread across Salazar's snakelike face.
"Send a reply to Ravenclaw saying that I wish to meet with her. That will do" Slytherin said.
Riddle turned away and made his way back into the castle. Tom looked distinctly annoyed, however hard he tried to hide it. Grindelwald did not fail to notice and approached him as Riddle began to walk.
"Is there a problem, Riddle?" Grindelwald said harshly. The two had never gotten on particularly well. Both skilled wizards, they often fought hard for the position of Slytherin's right-hand man.
"I'm tired of doing Salazar's secretarial work. He should give it to a less able wizard, not someone like me. Lucius, for example, would be much better suited to this type of work"
"Are you questioning the mighty Salazar Slytherin's word?" Grindelwald asked as the two entered the castle's main body.
"I wouldn't be doing the job if I was" Riddle said "I was merely commenting on the dullness of the job I have been set. What are you doing with me anyway? Don't you have your own work to do?"
"I don't trust you, you know" Grindelwald said.
"Yes, I am aware. What are you doing then, keeping an eye out on me?"
Grindelwald did not reply but instead looked forward and continued walking. Riddle stopped suddenly and Gelert did the same.
"Leave me alone, Grindelwald" Tom said quietly with a hint o malice in his tone.
"But why? I have no other work to be doing" Grindelwald said with a wry smile.
Tom Riddle knew he wasn't going to get anything out of Grindelwald, so instead decided to use a more subtle method of getting answers. Riddle was a skilled Legilimens and as powerful as Grindelwald was, he was too ignorant to waste his time with Occlumency. Riddle, who knew both wandless and wordless magic, entered Grindelwald's mind. He saw many things; strong emotions of anger and hate, spells Riddle had never heard of before and memories; it was these Riddle was looking for. It took him only a matter of moments to find the one he had been searching for; a conversation between Salazar Slytherin and Gelert Grindelwald.
"It's Tom Riddle; I don't trust him"
"A wise judgement, my Lord Slytherin, for neither do I trust that man"
"He wants power, and I know it. I can tell from his manner. He tires of doing my dirty work. He would rather rule this clan for himself than fight for me any longer"
"What must we do about him?"
"Nothing. We will not act yet. If he makes a move, then we will have to stop him"
"Very well my Lord"
"For now, I want you to trail him. Everywhere he goes, I want you to know what he's doing. But don't make yourself obvious. He's a cunning man. He picks up on little details"
"I'll do it, Lord Slytherin. You can trust me"
"I would hope so. I'm hardly sure who to trust these days"
Tom Riddle smiled and walked away; leaving one very confused Grindelwald standing alone in a cold corridor.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
The four teenagers stood in the training area together, wands gripped tightly in their hands, listening intently to every word that Nymphadora Tonks was saying.
"Today I'll be teaching you a fairly simple spell which is an absolute essential on the battlefield. The Stunning Spell is used, as the name suggests, to stun your enemy and knock them unconscious. The effect of the stunning spell can depend on a number of things. If your spell is weak and inaccurate, the stunner could backfire in your face. Literally. If it's extremely powerful and strikes your enemy in a weak spot, such as the temple or right in the heart, it can kill"
Justin, Ernie, Hannah and Susan gasped quietly. Killing. They had all signed up to fight for Hufflepuff but they had never put much thought into killing. They only hoped it wouldn't come down to that. After Nymphadora explained the process of stunning, the four teenagers began to practice on wooden dummies.
"I don't know if I can do this" Hannah Abbott said as she raised her wand at the target.
"The spell is easy enough" Justin said pompously, as he shot a jet of red light in the direction of his dummy. It missed and flew through a wooden fence.
"I don't mean the spell" Hannah said, shooting a stunner and actually hitting the target "I can do that fine. I mean the war that's coming"
"You're not thinking of backing out, are you?" Ernie Macmillan said, hitting the dummy squarely in the chest, to Nymphadora's pleasure.
"No, of course not. I just don't know if I'll be any use in a battle"
"The more people we have, the better" Tonks said as she walked past "Honestly, I don't know if we'll have enough soldiers. We're going to have to rope in some of Hufflepuff's Muggles"
"But they won't stand a chance!" Susan Bones said indignantly as her stunning spell flew over the head of her dummy.
"That's the problem" Tonks muttered "I'm glad the four of you volunteered"
"My whole family is fighting" Ernie said smugly.
"Well your family are all magical. Mine are Muggles" Justin Finch-Fletchley said sadly "I don't know what they're doing"
"I know your Aunt is fighting, Susan. Amelia Bones; great woman" Tonks said.
Suddenly a small brown owl fluttered down onto Tonks' shoulder with a piece of parchment in its talon. She opened it, frowning.
"It's from Helga. I have to leave; keep practicing you lot"
And with that she took off sprinting.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Rowena Ravenclaw stood alone in her tower, awaiting an owl from Salazar Slytherin. She had to admit, at first she had been apprehensive about siding with him but in the end she realised it was the only way of her clan coming out on top. Rowena played with her wand nervously. She just hoped Flitwick was going to be wrong about what he said. Filius didn't agree with Rowena's decision to fight alongside Slytherin and with good reason. He was a slippery man, was Salazar Slytherin. Power wasn't the only reason she wanted to fight with Slytherin. She wanted to get one up on both Godric and Helga. Godric Gryffindor, for a start, had beaten her army the last time they had done battle and she wanted revenge. And Helga Hufflepuff; honestly, Rowena couldn't stand the woman. She was always on moral high ground and talked about goodness and ethics. Rowena would show her just how useless her morality was when her army was destroyed and her city was burnt down to the ground.
Rowena snapped out of her little daydream of domination when the enormous eagle owl swooped through the long window of the tower. Rowena snapped up the letter and unfolded it eagerly.
Rowena Ravenclaw,
I wish to meet with you in person to discuss important matters concerning our newfound alliance. We shall meet precisely one week from today. I will send you a parcel which will help get you to the intended destination. Come alone.
Salazar Slytherin
Rowena read the letter several times. So Salazar wanted to meet with her? Something struck her as suspicious but nonetheless, she would go. She was unhappy that they were meeting on Salazar's terms; come alone? Rowena doubted Salazar would meet her without someone with him. She would bring Flitwick and Kingsley Shacklebolt, a top advisor. Both were skilled fighters and would be able to help her out of any sticky situation.
She drew out her quill and dabbed it in ink before scripting her reply.
Salazar Slytherin,
I agree to meet with you in one week's time. I am intrigued as to what this mysterious package is and I will be anxiously awaiting the day of our meeting. I trust you also will be coming alone?
Rowena Ravenclaw
Rowena attached the letter to the leg of the owl and sent it off through the window. She watched as the bird became a dark speck in the distance as it disappeared through the hills and mountains. Rowena turned from the window and swept out of her chamber. She strode through the castle with grace and elegance, head held high proudly, nodding politely at anybody she passed on her way. Swiftly, Rowena made her way down the magnificent marble staircase which a pair of witches were scrubbing clean with magical utensils. She burst through a pair of golden doors which lead to Ravenclaw Palace's school. Only the sons and daughters of the richest and most powerful people were permitted to study here. It was a small school with one class and one professor, Filius Flitwick. At the moment Rowena walked in, he was lecturing them on the uses of Flobberworm Mucus in potions.
"And so the mucus of the creature is the perfect thickener for – ah, my Lady Ravenclaw, how may I be of assistance?" Flitwick said as he noticed her arrival. All eyes in the room fixed on her, including those of her own daughter, Helena and her best friend Luna Lovegood.
"If you wouldn't mind stepping outside with me a moment, Professor Flitwick" she said firmly and the tiny man jumped down from his little wooden stool and shuffled out of the classroom.
When they were outside the golden door, Flitwick asked "What is it, my Lady? Have you sent the message to Slytherin?"
"The owl has been sent. We're on Slytherin's side"
Flitwick let out a small sigh.
"Very well, Lady Ravenclaw"
"That is not all. Salazar Slytherin himself has requested I meet with him a week from now. He asked I come alone"
"You can't surely be planning on going on your own?" Flitwick said.
"Of course I'm not, Filius. I will be taking you and Shacklebolt along with me" she said.
"Has it not occurred to you that this may be a trap of some sort?"
"I'll admit it's crossed my mind but I'm more than certain it'll be a genuine meeting. I doubt Slytherin will be alone. If trouble does in fact break out, we should be able to fight our way out and escae away"
"Let's hope no such situation arises"
"Indeed"
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Sirius Black sat around the humble little table beside Remus Lupin and opposite James and Lily Potter. At one head of the table sat their fifteen year old son Harry Potter; at the other was the small, balding man by the name of Peter Pettigrew. The little wooden table was nothing much – neither was the rest of Lupin's house – but Sirius much preferred living in its homely comforts to the darkness of Slytherin castle. In the short number of weeks Sirius had been living in Gryffindor, he had become firm friends with Remus, James, Peter and Lily. He also got on unusually well with the Potter's son Harry whom he treated like a friend. Sirius had no house of his own and so was permitted to live with Remus, who had invited his friends round for a meal. Lupin waved his wand and the food zoomed out of the kitchen and onto the table.
"Ooh bread and cheese...you've really gone out of your way this time, Remus!" James said jokingly as he helped himself to some food.
"It's all I've got I'm afraid. Couldn't buy any grain" Remus mumbled, biting into a piece of cheese.
"It's just fine Remus" Lily said comfortingly "Thank you for inviting us round"
"Mmm, delicious" Sirius said, his voice thick with heavy sarcasm "I just love some stale bread! And the mouldy cheese just compliments it perfectly!"
"Oh shut it, you. At least I actually have a job and earn some actual money" Remus said.
"Hey, Godric promised me a job doing all the guard stuff you lot do. He just hasn't given it to me yet" Sirius said.
"Well he's got more important things on his mind right now doesn't he? Like, uh, a war?" James interjected "You lot all ready to fight?"
"I want to fight!" Harry said with enthusiasm.
"It'll be dangerous, Harry. Anyway we might not need to fight" Lily said.
"Trust me, we will. I've lived enough years in that castle to know what Slytherin is up to" Sirius told the others.
"What about you, Peter? You'll be fighting when the time comes, right?" Remus asked.
"Oh...uh, yeah, of course!" Peter said with little conviction.
"Good man" James grinned, patting him on the back.
"Great. So everyone here except me is going to fight against Slytherin" Harry said moodily "Apart from Mum, of course"
"Oh I'll be out on that battlefield for sure" Lily said which raised Harry's eyebrows "I couldn't just sit back and do nothing"
"Great, Now I am really the only one..." Harry said "Can I go now? I said I'd meet Ron and Hermione by the stables at eight"
"All right but don't be back late" Lily warned.
"I'll be fine Mum. What's the worst that could happen?" Harry said, leaving the table. He said a quick goodbye to everybody before leaving Remus' house.
Harry was to meet his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger outside Hagrid's stables. Ron Weasley was the sixth child of Arthur and Molly; the Weasleys were one of the biggest wizarding families in Gryffindor clan. Molly was a stay-at-home mother who had a part time job at the local Apothecary. Arthur worked closely with Godric himself, and was in charge of sorting out the Muggles in the clan. Wilbert and Helen Granger, parents to Hermione, were two such Muggles. They had joined Gryffindor clan because of Godric's good reputation with Muggles. Despite having two non-magical parents, Hermione was very much a witch, and a very good one at that. On his way to the stables, Harry stopped back at his own house to collect his broomstick. After a short walk, he arrived outside the stables where red-haired Ron and buck-toothed Hermione stood waiting.
"About time mate, we've been waiting for ages!" Ron said indignantly.
"Oh stop complaining Ron, it's only been five minutes" Hermione said "It's nice to see you Harry"
"Brought your broom, I see" Harry said to Ron.
"Yeah, Hermione doesn't have one though" Ron explained, before turning to the girl "I can't understand why you hate flying!"
"Frankly, it's dangerous. Anyway, you know how useless I am on a broom" Hermione told them.
"Come on Hermione, you've gotta have a go!" Harry said "Let's see if we can get you a broom"
Hermione thought it over for a minute.
"Okay then, I'll have a go. It's getting dark, though, so I don't want to fly for long" Hermione said.
"Yeah, whatever" Ron said "Look, Hagrid's left his broom lying around. Sure he won't mind us borrowing it for a bit"
"Why does Hagrid have a broom?" Hermione asked, as Harry fetched it from the stables "He's much too big to fly on that little thing"
"Apparently his dad gave it to him when he was little" Ron said "Since he can't fly it he uses it to sweep out the hippogriff dung"
"Harry passed the broom to Hermione who looked at it like it was some sort of poisonous creature.
"It's just a broom, Hermione, you'll be fine" Harry said as they all mounted their rides.
Harry and Ron both took off into the air confidently. It was, as Hermione had said, getting dark and it was a fair bit windier than Harry had realised but that would not prevent him from his favourite pastime.
"You all right down there?" Ron yelled over the whistle of the wind as he saw Hermione ascend slowly and unsurely.
"I'm okay" she said, sounding thoroughly not okay. Harry and Ron stayed hovering in the air waiting for Hermione to reach their height. When her bushy head appeared into view it had just started raining slightly from the dark grey clouds overhead.
"Wanna go higher?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Yeah, 'course!" Harry said and the two boys zoomed upwards on their brooms.
Hermione sighed and ascended cautiously once again. She got a little higher into the air when she realised that she couldn't see the boys any more. They must've disappeared into one of the lower-down clouds, Hermione thought to herself. She decided that now she was alone, she could probably just get her feet back on the ground where she preferred them. It was then that a fierce crack of lightning flashed in the sky, a torrent of rain burst from the clouds and a ferocious gust of wind knocked Hermione off course and sent her broom flying away. She gripped on as tightly as she could but the downpour of rain made her grip slippery and increasingly harder to hold onto.
"Hermione!" Ron shouted, seeing her being carried away by the wind. He and Harry had appeared from nowhere and were both flying towards her desperately; however, the powerful gale was making their job difficult. The wind took Hermione spinning out of control and right over the wall surrounding Gryffindor clan.
"We need to help Hermione!" Harry shouted to Ron who was flying alongside him "How about we land and get help from –"
"-no time! Keep flying!" Ron interrupted.
They too soared over the wall of Gryffindor clan and kept following the dark shape of Hermione clinging helplessly to her broom. They were out of Gryffindor; out of the safe hands of their parents and, as they saw Hermione's broom plummeting to the ground, almost out of time.
A/N. Hello to anyone who has read this chapter! :) I hope you enjoyed it. As I have said before, this story is sort of an experiment but I'm enjoying writing it thus far so I will likely continue further. Thanks for reading and (maybe) reviewing!