Chapter 2: Fraternity

It was definitely a funny way to see how things develop if you just let them. Without interference. Hogwarts has become living and dead proof all at the same time, or so Edenia thought.

Professor Lestrange's lesson turned out to be rather cruel. He walked around the students, glaring at them, not bothering to be likable. He kept his wand visible all the time, tapping it into the palm of his hand as though it was a baseball-bat while his wife Bellatrix Lestrange, as Edenia found out five minutes ago, lingered in the back of the room and didn't take her eyes off of Draco. None of them said a single word and the class carried on in this brutal way of choosing random students to demonstrate the Cruciatus curse. All students from all houses were picked, aside from one. Slytherin. None of the Slytherins were ever picked, not even asked to keep quiet when a couple of them broke out in sheer laughter at the misery of someone they despised. Crabbe and Goyle, especially, seemed to take great liking to the fact that other students were tortured. And Bellatrix Lestrange? She sat there, watched the victims in their anguish and even closed her eyes for a few seconds to intake the sounds, the momentum, the atmosphere while another one was yet tortured once more.

Edenia's mouth gapped open. Somebody had to say something. Somebody had to do something. Neville Longbottom, a fellow comrade from Gryffindor, was chosen next. Students started to whisper, one of them pleaded him not to go there as Bellatrix's eyes widened greatly and the darkest of smirks Edenia has ever seen grew on the witch's face.

"Longbottom…here we meet again. Why won't we watch as you meet the same fate your stupid parents met?"
"You won't break me…!" He growled out - and Bellatrix's eyes dismissed the previous joy that grew in them only to replace it with sheer spite. She raised herself from the chair that she sat on; her husband retreated to the back of the room instead while everyone watched the predator gliding toward its prey.
"He'll get it" Muttered Draco and grinned. Crabbe fiddled around with his hands excitedly while the other Gryffindors looked at Neville with worry. He, however, stood his man and tried not to shiver, which was proven to be rather unsuccessful in front of Bellatrix Lestrange. He gulped, twitched lightly, squeezed his eyes shut when he saw how she pulled out her dark and bent wand, aimed it at him and he crashed down on an instant when her words hit everyone's ears.
"Crucio."

How much she enjoyed it! How much she laughed, how often she eased the curse only to bring it back on him once more; how she loved to see him below her feet, withering in pain. But how less she expected the next thing to happen.

"STOP!" Edenia jumped up from her seat, shouting out to the curly haired witch. Bellatrix stopped Neville's torturing session, some people gasped, and then everyone was quiet again. Draco and Blaise looked up to Edenia with their eyes slightly widened.
"What are you doing!" Draco whispered, frantically looking back and forth as he pulled Edenia down again, forcing her to sit.

"Well, well, well. A Slytherin standing up for a Gryffindor..." Bellatrix cheered sarcastically as she tilted her head to the side, one hand on her hip, the other clutching her wand tightly that she rested close to her mouth. She bit her bottom lip but turned towards to Neville, hovered him up with a nonverbal spell and threw him across the room over to his house, where Ginny and the others caught him.

The lesson was over. Many followed. And one non-scheduled would follow as well but Edenia didn't yet know of that.

"What was that?!" Hissed Draco as the others joined and sat next to Edenia in the Great Hall during dinner.
"First you rescue Longbottom, then you help Weaselbee's sister at Dueling and…and then you even dare help that crazy blond girl from Ravenclaw down in the corridor! And not to mention those mudbloods you pulled away from several Death Eaters…Do you even have a single clue what you are doing, Edenia? Do you?"
"The right thing. That's what I'm doing." She responded coldly as she nipped on her Green Tea.
"Tsk…the right thing. The right thing is doing what keeps you out of trouble." Blaise retorted, eating some of his salad while Crabbe and Goyle helped themselves to large pieces of pie, nodding at whatever Draco said.

"You know. I'll just do what makes me sleep at night. And you can go on doing whatever makes you sleep at night. I don't force you to agree with me." Edenia said and Blaise glared. Draco wanted to answer but his friend was quicker.
"You have a rather big mouth for someone who's only a half-blood, you know?! While one side of you is entitled to do whatever you want, you better want to keep the other side out of their way. And that means…be quiet, enjoy the fact that you're in Slytherin and…do as expected from you!"
"So you're saying that watching people being tortured is definitely one of the things a Slytherin must do?"
"Well, you don't have to look at them! Look away, if you must. Look away. But keep your cute lips shut, will you?"
"No. No, I won't. Have a good night." Said Edenia and got up. Draco and Blaise stared at each other before their eyes followed Edenia when she left the Great Hall and wasn't to be seen until the early morning, until Professor Lestrange's class was up again.

Draco was the first one to spot her, wanted to sit close to her but Edenia chose to sit next to Luna Lovegood instead. The classroom filled quite soon, nobody wanted to be late for these lessons as most of them knew they would regret it. Neville was missing but it was clear he was in the hospital wing, a fact that caused Bellatrix Lestrange to smirk once she seemed to realize. Edenia didn't regret anything, though. She ignored the glares that she received from across the room, Blaise and Draco shook their heads at her, mumbling things she couldn't understand but she saw their lips moving and she knew for sure that it had to be something invidious, judging by their narrowed eyes. It didn't take five more minutes until the next person was tortured, this time some guy from Hufflepuff that Edenia didn't know but she just couldn't understand why this had to happen.
"You're sick!" She shouted out at Professor Lestrange. He let the Hufflepuff drop down instantly; the poor guy ran back to his friends and fearfully watched his tormentor walking over to Edenia.

"Have you not been taught to keep quiet?" Professor Lestrange hissed over to her, aiming his wand at the girl. She held up her hands slightly, startled for the moment, her mouth gapped open.
"I just-"
"I said QUIET." He growled again and took a stance. Draco grinned lowly but didn't say anything to help the situation at all. Instead, his smirk grew wider and wider when he saw how stressed Edenia grew to be at the fact that Professor Lestrange walked closer with heavy and loud footsteps.

"Do you need me to make it clearer for you to keep quiet during my lessons?" He asked with his low and grumpy voice and leaned forward to stare into Edenia's eyes deeply. She drew her body back, pressed her very self into the seat with the distance he leaned in and responded in a low but clearly audible tone.

"No." She stated but Blaise grinned as he suddenly said out loud.

"I think she needs you to make it clearer, Professor Lestrange."
Edenia's eyes widened as she stared up to Blaise, students started to protest but were silenced when Bellatrix got up symbolically, then sat back down.

Edenia's eyes wandered to the witch, then back to Draco, Crabbe and Goyle who all kept trying to suppress themselves from exploding with laughter. She couldn't understand it. What had gotten into them?

"You know what, Zabini, I think you are right." Said Professor Lestrange and stepped backwards while he asked.
"What's your name, girl?"
"Edenia."
"Come on over here, Edenia. To the front. We want the class to see something."

Edenia gulped and got up, turned her head around to glare at Blaise who blew her a kiss and didn't stop grinning mischievously. Professor Lestrange looked over to his wife and she looked back as her lips ran along the tip of her wand playfully. Edenia noticed this but didn't keep her eyes there as it made her even more anxious. Bellatrix grinned and rested back, it seemed like she just wanted to enjoy the scene but instead, she pushed herself up from the chair and walked on over to the girl, forcing her chin up with the very tip of her wand as she asked.

"Well, Edenia. You are in Slytherin, correct?"
"Right…"
Bellatrix smirked even more and pursed her lips; her coarse voice rang in Edenia's ears.
"Then I won't be too harsh. Don't want our pretty Slytherins to be mistreated, do we?"
"A pretty Slytherin that stands up for mudbloods?" Shouted out Blaise and a bit of laughter erupted from where he and Draco were. Edenia couldn't believe her ears. Her eyes widened even more while those of Bellatrix narrowed slightly when she growled through gritted teeth; it was enough to light the dangerous fire burning in her and it all happened way too fast to stop it.

"You shall be no blood traitor! A lesson should do it…CRUCIO!"

Edenia's shrill screaming seemed to echo through the whole castle. Tears of agony streamed down her face when she struggled and kicked in her attempts to break free from the spell. Everything in her head started to turn and rotate by this point and she couldn't make out the moment when her body told her that it was enough and that she couldn't take it any longer. Slowly, her eyes rolled back and she was close to pass out but didn't. Instead, the curse was eased by Lestrange, leaving a broken girl on the ground. Edenia sat up and stared to the class. Bellatrix's husband aimed his wand towards the Gryffindors, daring them to do anything about it. Some of the other students had their heads turned away and hands folded over their eyes or mouths and some, like Draco and his friends, watched with great interest and no sign of regret. Sudden aggression took over her Edenia's body. She sprang to her feet and ran as fast as she could out of the classroom and all that was audible was Bellatrix's hysterical laughter when Edenia vanished from the scene.

She was devastated. How could they? What had gotten into Blaise and Draco – and the rest? What were they thinking? She ran downstairs into the dungeon, into the common room and cried bitterly as she moved towards the girl's dormitory. Could she dare trying to break free? No. She couldn't. It was impossible. She couldn't leave; she had to put up with it. If those people were only half as bad as they seemed to be, and this was her second day, they surely could be worse once they had a real reason. And she didn't want to give them a reason to hurt her friends in the muggle world. They mustn't find out.

Her tears dried on her rosy cheeks and her body cuddled down the comfortable bed. She needed the energy for the next class, in hope that potions with Professor Slughorn wouldn't be as bad. Luckily it turned out that it wasn't.

When the lessons for the day were over, Draco, the others and she had not spoken a single word. Quite in fact, she didn't talk to anyone today and didn't want to, especially as she sat down with the Ravenclaws in the Great Hall, hoping none of the Slytherins would spot here there. People have tried making conversations with her, a couple of people from the Gryffindor table even came over to ask how she was feeling but she just shook her head and forced a smile, not wanting to bother them while they had to bother enough fearing for Harry's life that was endangered. Pamphlets about him and muggle-baiting prospects were spread all around the school and here and there she could hear single screams coming from classrooms or areas she didn't even know existed. And so, the rest of the day went on, hiding and avoiding Draco and his gang. Of course this was only successful until the second she had entered the common room again late in the evening. The blonde was already there, sitting on the black leathery couch, waiting. He jumped up when Edenia walked on inside, Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise stood to each direction, just in case she wanted to flee.

"What! What is it! What do you want? Why did you do that, Blaise, why?"
Blaise chuckled and shook his head, starting to play with Edenia's hair, twirling it around his fingers. Crabbe and Goyle merely grinned as they had their arms crossed, standing there like bodyguards. Draco kept quiet for a brief moment, inhaled deeply and shook his head when thick droplets of tears seemed to leak out of Edenia's eyes. Was everyone crazy? Out of their mind? Draco brushed his hand along her cheek gently while Blaise kept playing with her hair with that smirk painted on his face that couldn't have been washed off even if somebody tried.

"Look, Edenia." Draco started all too nonchalantly before he continued.
"That's what you get. Turning your back on us, tsk…hanging out with the others all the time, ignoring us…feeling sorry for mudbloods… No fellow Slytherin turns their back on other Slytherins! Remember this, Edenia, remember. Or else, we will always be there to remember you. If you don't want to be one of us, you'll be treated like the others. Better keep it in that pretty head of yours…"
"Fraternity…!" Mumbled Goyle and Crabbe nodded; Blaise pulled Edenia to his face with a firm grip on her hair, repeating the last words.
"Fraternity."