Chapter I : Chav
The Thoughtful, the Legilimens who knows everything at a glance,
Never forgets what you whisper to yourself.
He have, in addition to these precious hacking,
The knowledge and power needed to be a King.
Knowing everything, unsurprisingly, always marks the end of illusions.
It is uncommonly wise to know how to make a gift of this addition.
Still it is necessary for him to know how to wait,
Find the faults of others and learn them,
Reveal these wounds and understand the lame,
To always, be able to put them on retreat.
Imperceptibly he seduces, without caring.
When he seems friendly, it is always while he is hunting.
Note to the Gifts #1 of the Codex of Slytherin
March 1966.
"It had been years since we had seen each other, hadn't we, Edward?"
"It's Eddy."
Albus Dumbledore twisted his blue eyes on him. There was as much gentleness as firmness in the old man's electric blue gaze. Determined not to crack, Eddy supported him for a few moments before having to give up. So, he had the impression of being completely exposed. He looked down and waddled awkwardly in his seat.
"Very well, Eddy," said Dumbledore, playing quietly with two hairs of his long white beard. "You have grown tremendously. If I'm not mistaken, the last time we saw you didn't have your wand yet."
"For what use?" Eddy retorted angrily.
Hisses greeted his response. In the Hogwarts headmaster's office, the boards of formers headmasters scolded his disrespect with syrupy comments, simply shocked at his affront. Eddy glared at them as if staring at these smeared brushstrokes in the canvases he would succeed in erasing their occupants.
Dumbledore let out a small cough to focus his attention on him, so the teenager gritted his teeth and let him continue.
"After you were fired from Ilvermony, your former headmistress sent me your scholar file. Newt had already warned me, but your character is always so impetuous. I read there several evasions; numerous altercations with your former classmates, insolence, and degradation of school equipment… Should I continue?"
"No," Eddy muttered in a small voice, trying to shrivel up in his seat.
Every incidents on his record was more taxing to hear, as if hearing the trial report of some evil character. But no, it was just he, anger and shame vying for favour in his head as he thought about how disappointed Newt and Tina had been at his dismissal. But what else could they have expected from him?
"No, sir," Dumbledore corrected gently. "I am aware of your particularity and how difficult it is to understand it, nevertheless these mistakes made across the Atlantic cannot happen here if you wish to continue your education with us."
Eddy wasn't planning on going to school anywhere, really, but according to wizarding law he had to have a magical education for what little it served with him. Tina and Newt could not take him with them.
They had left for the Sea of Japan a few hours earlier after dropping him off on the Hogwarts Express -and making sure, he was inside when it started. His guardians since childhood had offered Hogwarts as a fall-back after his dismissal, and Eddy had complied willingly despite. He was tired of being a burden. Dumbledore seemed to guess his thoughts as he geared up:
"Now you have a new chance. I remember the little boy I left almost four years ago, he was a sad child, but good. That little boy is still there, despite that scowl on your face."
Eddy restrained himself to hide his ironic half-smile at the sound of those silly words, then seeing the serious look on Dumbledore's face, his ironic posture sagged.
"I…I don't want to cause any trouble," he finally whispered. "I will finish the year. I don't want to bother the Scamanders anymore, they already have so much to deal with..."
"Well, that's an established fact. Dinner should be soon, I'm going to take you right away to the Great Hall for your sorting. Newt told you about our house system, didn't he?"
Eddy nodded vaguely as Dumbledore delicately rose from the kind of golden throne that served as his directorial seat.
"I didn't ask you," Dumbledore realized, "what would you like to be called here? Eddy Scamander?"
"No. Eddy Lee", Eddy retorted a little more curtly than he intended. "It will be very well Eddy Lee, Professor Dumbledore."
The addition of elementary politeness cost him, but Dumbledore nodded happily and led him out of his office. Outside the sun had already set on the castle, the flames of the torches waving behind their iron grating gave a gloomy atmosphere to the long corridor they were crossing.
Students thronged the hallways giggling, some glancing at their curious duo and whispering among themselves. If this made Eddy uncomfortable, Dumbledore acted as if all this was perfectly normal and walked quietly, his hands clasped in front of his periwinkle robes.
After descending a few steps, they were in front of the Great Hall as the last stragglers hurried there, obviously hungry given their galloping demarche.
"Follow me, please Eddy."
With a sigh, the teenager complied following Dumbledore like his shadow as they entered the Great Hall. Eddy then had a hard time hiding his admiration at the sight that was presented to him.
The Great Hall at Hogwarts must have been well over twice the size of the dining hall at Ilvermony. Its high windows, its enchanted ceiling to imitate the starry sky, and the thousands of floating candles gave the room an air of pure magic. Eddy had to force himself to keep his mouth shut as it persisted in opening his jaws astonished by the majesty of the place.
He did not realize right away that Professor Dumbledore had stopped walking and Eddy slammed into his back. The Great Hall erupted in unanimous laughter, some of the teachers at their table were smiling and even Dumbledore chuckled.
Eddy, mortified with shame at the sneers of other teenagers, felt himself turn brick red and stared at his feet with the powerful urge to run away from the Great Hall at full speed and maybe even from Hogwarts. Yet even before he made the slightest move to shy away, Dumbledore put a firm hand on his shoulder and cleared his throat to dampen the sniggers of the students.
"Dear students, dear teachers. It is with great joy that I announce the arrival of a new resident in our wonderful school. Mr Lee, just transferred from Ilvermony, will complete his third year with us."
A more curious hubbub this time replaced the sneers. Eddy lowered his head more and more uncomfortably. He hated being the centre of attention. Dumbledore raised his wand; a stool and a patched pointed hat appeared on the dais. As Dumbledore sat down in his seat, another professor stood up, taking care to walk around the Headmaster.
This man was quite young; maybe around forty or a little less, he was tall, dark and slender. His pale, sunken face wore an odd expression when he looked at Eddy, an odd mixture of curiosity and contempt. He raised his hat, Eddy watched him, bewildered. He felt the gazes of his future classmates on his neck, and again the urge to run around his neck became even more ferocious. Maybe if he sped off at full speed and plunged into the forbidden forest he had seen when he arrived, no one would ever find him. He would be quiet and wouldn't be a problem for Tina and Newt anymore?
"Would you like to sit on this chair?" hissed the brown professor in an exasperated voice. "We don't have all night."
Again, he heard some laughter but less numerous this times. Eddy, refraining from rolling his eyes at the sky, complied and the other professor bluntly shoved the patched fabric on his skull.
"Here…here," he heard the Hat whisper in his ear. "A new little wizard in the middle of the school year. It's not common. The choice is difficult, very difficult… A particular little chav, very particular even."
"You… you speak Romani," Eddy stammered in the same language, too taken aback to play the strong head.
"Do you think you're the first roma to have studied within these walls, my boy?" replied the Sorting Hat in a gravelly voice in Romani. "You are the first of your kind, I recognize that. You have a loyalty of your own that would suit in Hufflepuff, a strong Gryffindor's head… but I think the right path would be… SLYTHERIN."
Some dry applause was given at the announcement of the Sorting Hat. The dark-haired professor was removing the patched cloth from his head with a strange expression in his dark eyes again. Eddy did not consider it; he walked around the professor and went to sit at the greens and silver table where he received looks between curiosity and animosity. Eddy walked past those looks like as through a summer mist, heavily and with sweat. The things The Sorting Hat had told him echoed in his head. He was not the first Romani wizard to move on to Hogwarts. Perhaps among these illustrious names...
"Oh? Are you listening to me?"
A snap snapped him out of his trance, a boy next to him desperately trying to get his attention. Eddy glared at him more automatically than out of real malice, but the boy took it for himself and wore a smug look.
"I am Percival Rosier, your prefect and captain of the Slytherin team. I'm supposed to help you find your way around Hogwarts, but if it's to get that kind of look, thank you very much. I'll pass."
This guy did not please him with his ruddy and reddish face, but as he felt that he was the focus of his table, he made sure to smooth the angles.
"You surprised me, that's all. I'm not very awake, jet lag is complicated."
This excuse was bogus, but Percival seemed to accept it. He held out a rough hand which Eddy shook. Dumbledore from his seat seemed to be watching their exchange as he sipped his glass of pumpkin juice and seemed to approve. The sorting hat and the stool had disappeared and the dark-haired professor returned to his place next to a short, round wizard with a big walrus mustache.
The dishes that had appeared were fragrant but Eddy wasn't really hungry. He was tweaking his chicken thigh with the tip of the fork, biting his lip. He was at Hogwarts in England on the land of his ancestors without being able to really rejoice because he knew that the worst was to come tomorrow with his first lessons.
"It's no big deal," resumed Percival. "You are lucky to have come with us. We are the best house, as you will quickly notice."
"Then I take your word for it," Eddy replied with an irony that Rosier didn't notice.
"Are you Pure-Blood?" demanded imperiously a young girl of his age seated three seats away with larges violets eyes and brown hair curled around her aristocratic face. "I don't know of a pureblood named Lee in the United States."
"Oh, but the United States are vast, you know," Eddy retorted nonchalantly. "And you are?"
"Bellatrix Black," she retorted in an angry soprano before whispering in the ear of her classmate, a bespectacled, square-jawed blonde.
What they said to each other must have concerned him because meeting his gaze the two girls stifled a laugh in their hands. A girl with olive skin followed the exchange and played with a lock of her long brown hair.
"Don't pay attention to the Gorgons Sisters, they're real pests," whispered a chubby boy sitting next to him after witnessing the exchange. "Keep a low profile in front of them and you will be quiet. Gwendal Pettigrew", he introduced himself.
"Great." Eddy said, not meaning a word of it. "The Gorgons Sisters, what is this ridiculous nickname?"
"If you get too close to them you'll know it's not an undeserved nickname", Pettigrew said quietly. "I am also in third year, like them, so we have to stick together. Black, Skeeter and Riddle can give you a lot of trouble if you mess with them."
Eddy said to himself that this new prohibition seemed very exciting to transgress, what did he have to do with a trio of capricious little girls?
"He is not wrong," resumed Percival in a low voice. Do you see the teacher who put the Sorting Hat on you? It is Professor Riddle, who teaches Defences Against the Dark Arts and the deputy headmaster of the school. He has two children in Slytherin, Medusa whom you saw next to Black", he pointed to the dark-haired girl who had turned to shout at another student, "and Salazar…"
"And Salazar would like to have a quiet meal, Rosier," a dark-haired boy answered softly behind a little blond witch.
This boy was the spitting image of Professor Riddle, the same meagre physique and the same fine features, but he had a little less pale skin and above all exceptional blue eyes.
In all his life, Eddy had never seen such; they looked like two translucent glass balls that pierced them silently for peace. Salazar Riddle after this exchange of glances plunged back into his plate —or rather into the small notebook on which he scribbled strange shapes, without another word. Gwendal Pettigrew stifled a small, reassured sigh as the desserts arrived in light little pops.
As sugar had always been his sin, his stomach reminded him. Eddy helped himself to a slice of molasses pie, which he gulped down happily. The sugar calmed his apprehensions better than all the words Tina had spoken that morning while hugging him in her little old woman's arms. He chewed on his piece of pie and let his gaze wander around the Great Hall, indifferent to the conversations around him. Gwendal was trying to talk to him about something but his gaze drifted to the staff table.
Dumbledore was in the middle of a conversation with a woman in a tight bun and triangular glasses and was not paying attention to him for the moment. Another look caught his attention, which were Professor Riddle's eyes. The Deputy Director didn't let go of his dark eyes with an expressionless face. When their eyes met, he quivered into a smile before he turns on the fat wizard -with the walrus moustache- sitting next to him.
This teacher caused a strange impression on him, so Eddy suppressed a shiver. He noticed not far from there that Salazar Riddle had not missed any of the exchange of glances between his father and him. He was silent, pensive, a spoonful of flan in his hand. He hadn't even noticed that the contents of his spoon had spilled onto his neighbour at the table and when he noticed it he returned to his notebook with a shrug of the shoulders under the cries of the girl.
.
The meal was over. Some had already risen at the greens and silvers table. Percival Rosier called him to lead him to his common room. Eddy let him, tired and weary. He couldn't wait for this damn day to end, but he wasn't ready for tomorrow's to begin. Arrived in the dungeons, Percival showed him a section of stalls:
"Blood Descent is the password. Don't forget that otherwise you'll find yourself stuck outside. It changes regularly."
Then judging that he had correctly acquitted himself of his task as prefect, Rosier entered the common room without further word. Eddy followed him, then spotted Pettigrew coming up the stairs to the dormitory, that must be where he was going to sleep.
The dormitory was like the common room, icy and greenish, the windows overlooking the black lake showed a few smalls fishes and other algae swaying near the lattice panes.
Since his dispatch, his belongings had been moved near his bed. Charm the old ginger Kneazle Newt had given him was snoring on his suitcase. Reassured to see that friendly face, Eddy leaned down to stroke it. Charm on recognizing him gave a small meow of contentment, barely opening her apple green eyes.
"Nice cat," said a black boy with a shaved head. "Kheiron Shafiq", he introduced himself.
"He's a Kneazle," Eddy and Riddle, who had just arrived, replied in unison.
"It's got cat ears, cat whiskers, a cat tail, the size of a cat, it's a damn cat," Shafiq retorted stung before locking himself behind the drapes of his four-poster bed.
Annoyed at having offended this boy for no reason, Eddy undressed and put on his pyjamas as the last boy in their room arrived. Tony Flint had been vaguely introduced to him during dinner, he didn't seem to want to appear sympathetic and he too locked himself behind the emerald curtains of his bunk. As he went to bed followed by Charm, the animal retraced his steps. He inspected the bed where the young Riddle was lying with interest then jumped on it, demanding hugs from him while snubbing Eddy.
This increased his resentment. Eddy was about to get up to retrieve Charm but Riddle interrupted him.
"It does not bother me. He wants to be with me."
So the teenager simply pulled one end of his curtain and lay down on his side and Charm delicately came to curl up there, purring with pleasure. At this Gwendal only shrugged as he went to his bed. Jalous and furious, Eddy kicked an invisible rock, muttering an insult in Romani before going to bed. He felt lonely, desperate and angry and even worse he felt his magic crackle. Paralyzed with terror, he began to mentally recite the tale of Babbitty Rabbitty that Tatina read to him when he was little. At those comforting words, his magic and fear slowly waned and he fell asleep.
.
.
.
When he woke up the next day, it was a good thing, because Charm jumped on him with a long, hoarse meow.
"You're going to be late, Lee!" Gwendal shouted at him, quickly finishing his shoes. "I tried to call you, you sleep like a mountain ogre!"
And he scrambled away, taking his bag. Eddy regretfully left his soft sheets and dressed in a hurry. He went to wash his face in the bathroom, trying to make his features blurry with fatigue more or less presentable. He was still true to himself, with his coppery skin, his curly red hair falling in front of his face, his somewhat flat nose and thick lips and dark eyes.
Tina said to tease him that later he was going to break many hearts, but he had broken vials, pots, windows, and doors without ever breaking the slightest throbbing little heart. He did well enough damage in his path. Eddy swallowed his potion, —which he had a hard time swallowing due to the bitterness of its taste, and put the vial back in his toiletry bag. He stormed down; grabbing the timetable Dumbledore had sent him.
He started with potion. This was precisely a subject that did not require a wand. But after several skipped lessons at Ilvermony, Eddy doubted he was up to standard. He only had five minutes left to join his class.
He still had to know where to go. Riddle, Shafiq and Flint were gone like Gwendal. There were a few seventh years busy studying, but Eddy was loath to ask them for help. He let alone Percival Rosier polishing his prefect's badge with an evocative gesture in front of a poor disillusioned girl.
He snatched a chocolate frog left on a coffee table, stuffed it in his mouth, and rushed out of the common room, Charm on his heels.
"Well… from what I understand here the potions classes are in the dungeons so technically we shouldn't be far. Can you help me pal?
Charm ogled him, and with a forked tail gesture, invited him to follow. They wandered in the dark alcoves until he finally recognized some faces of his fellow classmate waiting for their teacher to arrive in front of the potions room. Eddy thanked Charm with a good dose of caress, promising to take breaded fish for him if there was any for lunch. The Kneazle left in a satisfied tail movement and Eddy entered the classroom following his comrades.
Professor Slughorn, as his name appeared on his timetable, was a pot-bellied wizard with a smooth baldhead and a thick walrus moustache. Yet the way he looked at some students passing in front of him to join their cauldron, Eddy had the impression of seeing a big slimy slug. He settled down near Gwendal who had left him a free place on his desk.
The class started, they had to make a potion against Splash Eruptions within an hour and a half, but Eddy had never made such a potion, nor seen this kind of ingredient. Classes at Hogwarts were radically different from those at Ilvermony. Gwendal also seemed in pain, trying to follow the instructions on the board. They shared the tasks, Eddy would cut the ingredients when Gwendal would take care of everything that would have near or far appealed to magic.
After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and the face of Salazar Riddle appeared. He was scruffy, with leaves and pine needles in his hair. He wore a completely neutral air and went to sit most naturally on the pallet in the front row alongside his sister.
"Where have you been Mr Riddle? Class started fifteen minutes ago."
"I was outside," replied the boy, quietly unpacking his things.
Eddy noticed that the students had shifted their focus from their potion to focus on the discussion between their teacher and the young Riddle with an amused face, as if that sort of thing happened frequently.
"I see you were outside, but you have class."
"And now, I'm here."
Slughorn opened his mouth like a big carp trying to find some air. The scene was so funny that Eddy couldn't suppress a chuckle. He had never known someone so insolent in his life.
Medusa Riddle turned and glared at him. He had only caught a glimpse of her so far at dinner, but Eddy told himself that she really was a pretty girl, with the same delicate features as her brother, her long hair styled with a ribbon in a demure headband. She ignored him to clean her twin while telling him the potion to make.
Slughorn seemed to recover as he admonished the boy to be more punctual, while a chorus of protest arose from the Gryffindors with whom they shared their lesson. Eddy didn't know the rules of Hogwarts very well but it was obvious that such an attitude should normally have been punished if there had not been favouritism on the part of the professor. Slughorn attempted to restore order to his class. Gwendal leaned towards him and whispered:
"Don't mind, that's normal with Riddle. He's got bats in his head. The two Riddles are freakish, stay away from them."
Eddy noticed certain stiffness in the so-called freakish, and he was sure Riddle had heard what Pettigrew had just whispered at the other end of the class. He wouldn't normally have heard it from this far away, Eddy thought. However, he couldn't question himself any further because the potion against the Splatter which would normally have taken on a bright red colour was black and had a vague consistency of paraffin oil.
Gwendal squinted at the board trying to guess where they went wrong as Slughorn moved closer to their bench.
The old potions professor inspected the contents of their potion with a vague disdainful expression, then his gaze fell on Eddy, whom he greedily eyed.
"Mr Lee, you must know that it is a pleasure to have a transfer student among us. I hope you do not miss Ilvermony too much?"
"Not at all," replied Eddy, unsure of what to do in the face of this huge, curious slug.
"Which house were you in there? I don't think Professor Binns has discussed this with you yet, but dear students, Ilvermony was founded on the Hogwarts house system by a descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself."
Embarrassed to be the center of attention onc3 again, Eddy barely noticed Medusa and Salazar exchanging a look.
"I was in Thunderbird House, Professor" he answered in a small voice.
"The house of the hotheads," the blonde girl shouted next to Bellatrix Black. "'Second hand Gryffindors, as mother told me."
"Ooooh Miss Skeeter, don't be so harsh. It's true that your mother, Catalina Skeeter-Song, studied there before starting the musical career that we know her for..."
The rest were lost as Slughorn walked away to boast to Skeeter and Black.
"You were lucky, one more minute in Slughorn's talons and you would have become a new addition to his little Slug club. He looooves curiosities, Gwendal murmured, mimicking in a low voice the tone their professor had taken in front of a beaming Skeeter.
"Slug's club, what's that again?"
"An evening where he invites all his little favourites with former students to build relationships. Pray you never go there or get stuck by Slughorn or you'll be doing service there", the chubby boy retorted. "Okay now how do we fix this damn potion?"
Gwendal put bat wing, valerian roots in an uncertain order, waving his wand to change the heat of the fire.
"There is no such thing in the book or on the board."
"I know, but damn for damn, I'll do anything. I tell myself that a on a misunderstanding, it can pass."
And on a misunderstanding, it did not pass. Their potion quickly became as hard and thick as cement. At the end of the hour, they couldn't even get a bottle out to present to the professor, who gave them a masterful zero under the giggles of some Gryffindors. Eddy thought wryly that things weren't changing all that much. The other students were leaving after cleaning their cauldron, but Slughorn called out to him.
"Mr Lee, I would like to talk to you for a moment.
Eddy vaguely brushed against Salazar who ducked behind Gwendal and waited for his teacher to finish putting the vials away in his little drawer. When the last student had left and when the door slammed, Slughorn turned to him and a slightly strained smile tugged his walrus moustache:
"I have been informed by Albus of your little 'problem'. Given your condition, I would be your potion referent for your care. Here are your potions for the week. If you feel any change from the recipe you are used to, please let me know. We don't want an incident, do we?"
"No sir, thank you sir," Eddy muttered, trying to hide his anger.
He retrieved the vials and slipped them into his robe pocket, cursing Dumbledore. While his approach to informing Slughorn to ensure his care was well-meaning, one too many people already knew his secret. When he opened the door, he was surprised to not find the corridor empty. Medusa Riddle, Bellatrix Black and Skeeter were waiting for him with big smiles.
Gwendal had warned him of his warning of these three girls so without helping himself he cringed. The smile they wore reminded him of Charm's gluttonous look when he was about to swoop down on his prey.
"I didn't introduce myself at the dinner last night, you seemed a bit grumpy, I preferred to wait. Medusa Riddle, enchanted."
"I'm Rita. Rita Skeeter, welcome to Hogwarts."
"Eddy," he mumbled as he walked down the hall.
The three girls followed his footsteps, always with the same smile on their faces. Medusa toyed with the ribbon in her hair, Rita chewed her gum, —her wide jaw cracking with every movement. Bellatrix moved closer until she laid an all-too-familiar hand on his shoulder. Soon Bellatrix's arm was totally pinned against his neck as she walked beside him. The more he tried to pull away, the harder the Slytherin's grip became, like a boa constrictor. He had rarely seen such a muscular girl in his life.
"The boys weren't very kind to leave you without a guide in Hogwarts," Bellatrix trumpeted. "We will accompany you to the Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Between Slytherins we stick together, you must know the rivalries between the houses where you come from, right?"
Eddy wanted to say something sharp, but it was Medusa's hand that gripped his free arm, like dangerous raptor's claws. She turned her pretty face towards him before asking in an innocent voice:
"What did good old Sluggy want with you? Invite you to his club?"
"Y-yes," Eddy lied. "I refused."
Medusa's expression told him she didn't believe it and his instincts told him to look down and not say anything more.
They arrived at the main staircase. Or rather, the crazy staircase as Newt had warned him when he told him how many times he had almost broken his leg between the unpredictable steps. As he climbed into the Gorgon Sisters' noose, Eddy wondered if they were planning to throw him off the top of the steps.
"Eddy? Can I call you Eddy? Why were you transferred to Hogwarts? Ilvermony is not well?" Medusa asked in a honeyed little girl voice.
"Ye-yes… very well indeed. I wanted to get closer… to my family." he eluded, hoping that this half-truth would satisfy the three harpies.
"I heard a rumour," purred Skeeter. And I love rumours and scoops. I have sources in the United States, and they didn't tell me that...they said you got kicked out of Ilvermony."
"Your sources aren't very reliable," Eddy retorted, feeling his anger begin to rise. "Never become a journalist if it is to tell so much nonsense."
The pike looked like it hit Skeeter because her face turned brick red. They had arrived on the second floor where the Defence Against the Dark Arts class was. Gwendal and Shafiq looked about to suffocate when they saw him in the clutches of the three harpies but did nothing to help him. They contemplated this spectacle with a heartbroken air but Skeeter planted herself in front of him, having lost none of her splendour:
"For your information, I'm a junior columnist in Hogwarts Illustrated, our weekly newspaper. Next year I will be Editor!
"That all sounds exciting," Eddy sneered. "Are you doing the squashed rat column or the best acne tips? Considering the big bottom bottles you wear to hide your pimples, I think I have my answer."
Bellatrix chuckled, Medusa smiled as his dorm mates seemed torn between having a heart attack or a stroke. It was silly, he knew it, but Rita's gossip had pissed him off and having been around Ilvermony-like comrades, he knew that often biting harder than the other is the best defence. Rita was just a red dot of fury as he strode into the classroom. Since Medusa had not let go of him, as an act of defiance, he went to sit in the chair next to her desk instead of trying to break free."
Bellatrix and Rita whispered behind them while Gwendal clearly looked disapproving at the back of the room. The room gradually filling up and Eddy took the opportunity to inspect these strange places.
It was a large, gloomy mezzanine room whose wide windows had the curtains drawn, only a huge moon-like globe giving an eerie bluish glow to the place. In the darkness, there were motley metal instruments that gleamed faintly in the dim light. There was an impression of intense coldness in this room, as if life outside had stopped. In a large aquarium, there was a strange aquatic creature that Eddy had already encountered with Newt and Tina, a Grindylows.
Silence fell when Professor Riddle appeared in the doorway of his office. Beneath the bluish glow, as he descended the mezzanine steps to his desk, his enlarged shadow stood out like that of some kind of poltergeist. His pale face, blued by the globe, made him look like a gloomy ghost. It was like no more students were even breathed, religiously waiting for the beginning of the class.
It was at this moment that Salazar Riddle chose to arrive, —sweating like he had run a long-drawn-out. Professor Riddle didn't deign to give him a look, his eyes fixed on a page of his book. Medusa at his side tensed:
"Get out, change seats," she whispered so quietly he thought he had misheard.
Salazar Riddle stood in front of him, darting his impassive blue eyes. He was motionless in deep thought.
"That's my seat."
"There are others, aren't there? Eddy retorted.
If there were indeed others, Riddle didn't seem to understand as he just stood there staring at him without a word. Medusa froze as Professor Riddle raised an eyebrow in annoyance.
"That's my seat," Salazar Riddle repeated laconically with some kind of despair.
It was too much for Eddy, after this bad start to the day, his accumulated fatigue and all the rest, he jumped up, ready to face Salazar. However, his magic was even stronger than his anger.
BANG.
Without being able to contain it, his magic exploded towards the twin Riddle, but what followed surprised him even more. The violent filament he had sent towards Salazar simply bounced off him and Eddy took his own full force attack. He was simply expelled to the other end of the class under the shouting of the others. Eddy smashed his nose against a table and felt a very distinct crack.
He stifled a cry of pain as snickers took over the room. Salazar had sat in the place he had occupied earlier and lowered his head while Professor Riddle's expression could have scared away the dementors of Azkaban.
"He broke my nose," Eddy swore, holding his injured appendage.
"So it's something you'll get over very easily, Mr Lee. I take ten points from Slytherin. And you will be in detention all weekend so that such an outburst will never again take place in my classroom. Was I clear? Now sit down."
The order cracked like a whip, Eddy sat down crestfallen, feeling like an obedient mutt. The laughter of the others had made his rage wane. His nose continued to bleed, staining his desk with blood. He wiped it off with the back of his sleeve as the professor began the lesson on the Grindylow.
For once he knew something, Eddy would have liked to participate, but he was paralyzed with rage and shame. Medusa answered a question posed, regaining the points he had lost minutes earlier. Salazar Riddle still had his head lowered.
"Take it"
A small hand patted his shoulder. Eddy turned around. Behind him, a small witch with brown hair tied in a pink pompom bow was handing him a small pinkish pocket-handkerchief decorated with embroidery of kittens. Eddy takes it clumsily. A kind of smile stretched the soft mouth of the little witch who whispered:
"Can't you cast an Episkey? At this rate you're going to pass out."
"Miss Umbridge, any remarks to share with your classmates?" Professor Riddle asked smoothly.
The little witch blushed and shrivelled in place, while the Defence professor resumed. Eddy didn't even have the heart to listen to him anymore. A ball of paper emerged from behind him to land between his inkwell and his quill. Professor Riddle had his back turned, so slowly, – fearing to be seen and heard-, he unfolded the paper.
"My name is Dolores. Pay no attention to the Riddle twins. They are vipers. Do you want to have lunch with me and my friends?"
Eddy almost felt Dolores tense behind him waiting for his answer, so he nodded.
.
So if you've gotten this far, it's pretty much readable. I hope so, lol.
The story will unfold around this decade and follow the three OC you have met. The Golden Trio will not be included. Tom on the other hand, will be very much present but not really pleasant as you'll see.
Thanks for clicking on this story, hope you enjoyed it. See you next week for the next chapter.