Chapter 1: Change
Edenia remembers. Remembers the last time she walked into the school and felt protected. She remembers the last time she giggled with her friends as they strolled around during the corridors at night and she remembers, very clearly so, how much fun she had whenever she entered the Slytherin's common room and everyone was pleased to see her.
Now she didn't feel protected anymore. Her friends are gone, some were killed, or so she read in The Daily Prophet and not even ten minutes have passed since her new year, her final year, at Hogwarts started but she could already feel the change that lingered in the air and filled it with danger the second she got on the train. Almost none of the Slytherins, however, were to blame but furthermore the new situation: Severus Snape's takeover of Dumbledore's position and the gossiping that included that matter and, of course, the black robes that walked into the school and didn't seem to vanish, Death Eaters?
Edenia was young and quite a looker, according to other students, but she never cared much about that. She was easy to get along with, funny and understanding but nowhere as rude as others would say she was, merely for the reason of being one of them. A Slytherin. Now, being a Slytherin didn't seem to be enough anymore at this school. And school was all she had left. Home? There was no such place. It has always been here, right here. At Hogwarts. The Muggle world, where the other half of her belongs, was extremely risky to enter with all the crimes that happened there due to "coincidences".
Edenia took a deep breath when she swept into the great hall, where the others stood in line, like books in a book shelf. She added herself next to a fellow Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, who didn't look at her at all when he stared on ahead like all the eyes did towards the vanishing point in the back of the hall. Towards a person.
"A new year begins, however…" Said an oily voice, calm, yet dyed with malice. It was Severus Snape.
"…It sure reached your awareness that certain things will end." He continued; dark eyes glanced around the whole hall that remained quiet as he began to take controlled steps through the crowd separated into four groups. The silence was almost unbearable, the voice of his shoes echoed along with him.
"Some left, some will come. And you will stay." He cooed, turned around, his dark cloak flew up dramatically as he walked back but kept talking, adding more pace to his speech.
"From this day forth, none of you will ever leave Hogwarts again. Not for home, not for any other adventure. Being a Hogwarts student is, as for now, duty. Your parents have already been informed and the silliest of them will learn that keeping you away from here will be illegal and thus punished."
Gasping erupted.
Edenia glanced to the left and right. But she couldn't help herself but notice how jealous she was, for a single second, that anyone would worry for their sons and daughters but not for her. Her parents were gone, quite in fact, she didn't even get to know them but never made as much of a fuss about it as Harry Potter did, the boy who, according to some of the fellow Slytherins, was to blame for all the mess that happened in the magical world lately. She, however, never listened too much to what they said about him. They were okay. Didn't talk much but didn't hate each other. A quick glance up to Draco reminded her that not everyone shared the same tolerance towards Potter, so she kept to herself most of the times and was rather friendly with the other houses instead, that, surprisingly weren't less intolerant nor less tolerant towards Harry as the Slytherins were. Her train of thoughts was interrupted when Snape clapped, greeting a couple of new Professors with the action. A tall muscular man with a mean look stood next to a female version of himself, their arms crossed and lips curled into grins. Next to them was a woman dressed in black gowns, ferocious raven hair and deep black eyes. Her red lips didn't twitch for a second, merely her chin tilted up in the air as she let her eyes wander throughout the hall but she winked towards Edenia's direction. For a second, Edenia's heart stopped but she noticed how Draco reacted, he nudged his head up in a greeting motion and the corner of that woman's mouth formed into a halfway-smirk. Her heavy lidded eyes pierced right into Edenia's the next moment, her chin tilted up again, brows raised slightly but she adverted her gaze back to Severus Snape, for whom she had constant snorting in stock as he kept explaining about the things that would change.
The students were escorted back when the speech was over.
"Finally! Been waiting for this! Them mudbloods getting what they deserve…" Exclaimed Crabbe, one of Draco's friends, as he fell onto the black leather couch and took up most of the room for himself, however, made room when Edenia walked in, too.
"Edenia! Come on over here!" He whistled but she kept quiet and sat down on a single leather chair. She crossed her arms and just shook her head in disbelief, wanting to say something but couldn't find the words.
"It's about time this school is getting cleaned…" Draco murmured as he reached out for a glass of water that he took from the silver table in front of them and sat down. Edenia threw him a nasty glance, her eyes were narrowed and she contemplated getting up but Draco would pull her back down again.
"Don't you turn your back on us!" He hissed as he put the glass back on the table with a loud thud, anger rose through his body. Goyle, who had joined them by now, cackled and looked at Crabbe.
"Why would I listen to your pureblood-bullshit?" Edenia glowered at the pale blonde with her arms still crossed when she managed to pull away from Draco. He huffed slightly and shook his head.
"It's not bullshit and you know it."
"Who are you trying to convince? Speak for yourself."
"I'm not trying to convince anybody! I thought as a Slytherin, it should be clear where your loyalties are!"
"My loyalty! Lies! Where! I am accepted for what I am, Malfoy!" Edenia spluttered out and gestured wildly with her arms, causing Draco to back away slightly.
"Tsk…there are plenty of half-bloods. Look at Snape, he-"Mumbled Goyle and Draco nodded in agreement as he stood upright again.
"I. Don't. Care." Responded Edenia coldly when she decided that this discussion was pointless. She aimed on ahead but Draco seized her wrist once more to pull her back to his level, staring into her eyes deeply and for a long time. The common room was quiet, the atmosphere tense and even more so when he let go of Edenia, not taking his concentrated gaze off of her until she vanished into the girl's area. No, Draco wouldn't be gentle and coward no more.
Things would change indeed.
The next morning was unpleasant as the day started. At the breakfast table, Edenia sat down a little off but Draco wouldn't agree to this. He merely grabbed his plate and shoved it to where she was, sat down and ate quietly but seemed slightly amused about this, much less than Edenia, who glanced at him unbelievingly.
"What is it…?" She asked and poked around her plate, not exactly eating anymore. He shrugged and ate bits and pieces, then asked back.
"I could ask you the same. What's with you and that behaviour? What kind of elf walked over you throughout the summer holidays, huh?"
Edenia put her fork down and inhaled deeply. She glanced over towards Severus Snape, who sat there in the middle of the chairs, next to the other Professors and the new ones that she didn't yet know.
"I was asking a question" Draco reminded her with an annoyed tone to his voice, his nostrils flared slightly as he turned his face away only to search for her eyes once more.
"What kind of elf walked over me…?" Edenia repeated, breathing heavily, eyes concentrated on him. Her voice seemed to dry out, she shook her head.
"Cynthia, Esther…Robin! The Daily Prophet wrote that houses were set on fire by natural catastrophes, so said the muggle reporters, one of them drowned near a lake, they said, the other one fell down a cliff. Coincidences, said the Daily Prophet, coincidences they said in the muggle world…" She gritted her teeth and shook her head. Draco glanced at her but he didn't show the least bit of compassion.
"Coincidences happen. Sadly." Responded the blonde coolly as he sipped on his last bit of pumpkin juice, not looking at Edenia whose eyes almost fell out of her face, no words left to say. She merely got up and muttered a "see you in class…" as she stalked away from the great hall.
The classroom filled with students. One by one came in and Edenia couldn't help but wonder why there were so many. Nearly all of the seventh years must have been here by now, and indeed, the classroom reminded her of a hall rather than an actual room; auditorium-like.
She checked her schedule again and shrugged. Whoever Professor Lestrange would be, he or she would teach them Defence against the Dark Arts now.
Draco spotted Edenia a few seconds later and walked on over to her, whispering slightly into her ear.
"Don't want to escape from me, do you?"
"I'm not very talkative…" She sighed softly and hid her wrist under her hand. Draco's attention went there; he saw a slight hint of blue around the tender skin. Did he have such a firm grip yesterday evening? He looked at once more and for some strange reason, he liked it.
His thoughts were interrupted when the lecture hall turned dead silent; there it was. All the heads spun towards the door that opened magically, a wand raised to close the door again with a loud thud. Click. Click. Click. Heels walked towards the very center of the room. That woman again. Edenia's eyes went to the curly hair, to the black dress. She saw her somewhere before, even before yesterday. But where? Starting to feel slightly uncomfortable, she huddled down into her seat a bit more and crossed her arms. Sheer danger radiated from the raven head below. Another person walked on inside. This time, a rather muscular man with dark hair and a short beard strode over to the woman who sat down a little in the distance. Edenia can't remember seeing him yesterday evening, in the great hall. Was the woman no Professor, as expected? Was she just there to watch?
"Up." Growled the man and almost on an instant, everyone shot up. Edenia took a few seconds more to understand but she was being pulled up by Draco anyway. Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other while Blaise, another friend of Draco, stared on ahead, then whispered to Draco.
"Is that her husband?"
"Yup."
"I'll not teach you to defend yourself against the Dark Arts. The Dark Arts will be your very tool." He cooed, almost as much as Snape did, just less oily but grumpier. His voice was raspier than Snape's and fuller, it vibrated throughout the whole hall. Edenia glanced around, the woman's gaze was plastered at Draco again and Edenia couldn't help but notice how nervous she got because of that. Couldn't she look somewhere else? What did Draco have to do with her anyways? She just had to ask.
"Draco, why is she looking over at us all the time?" Edenia whispered.
"Bellatrix? She's my aunt." He said and things started to make sense. Slowly. But surely.