Corruption
Act 1: The Raven Queen of Slytherin
Chapter 3: Hogwarts inbound
Lilith was in a shared room with the girls, and she found out many things as they retired to their room. Pansy Parkinson had a collection of Lilith Potter kid's books; she bashfully asked her to sign for her. Lilith obliged because she felt like she has to given the company she was currently in. As all the girls were getting ready for bed, Bellatrix came by and took Delphine away, much to the confusion of Lilith, Daphne and Pansy, Ares just shook her head as she got ready for bed.
"Does that happen a lot?" Lilith asked her.
"Yes, Mother always takes Delphine away for an hour or so before we sleep for private lessons," Ares replied with a sigh.
"And you don't go?" She prompted.
"I'm not as… skilled as Delphine is, mother has always had high expectations of Delphine. In a way I resent her for having our mother's attention, but I also see the bruises she comes back with and healed cuts. We never speak about them though," Ares replied as she slid into her bed across from Lilith's own.
When Delphine returned, looking exhausted and definitely sporting injuries, everyone else was asleep, almost. Lilith had learned early on to be a light sleeper, but even she watched as Ares sat up quietly and retrieved something from her bag next to her bed.
"You shouldn't have to do this alone," Ares murmured quietly, Delphine scowled.
"You know I have to, mother expects me to," a small hiss then came from Delphine as Ares began to rub ointment on her twin.
"Will training continue at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, Lord Slytherin will still be training me at Hogwarts," Delphine mumbled and this news surprised Lilith, but she made no noise or anything.
"It really isn't fair," Ares frowned.
"I know, come on. Let's just sleep," Delphine said, Lilith would have raised an eyebrow, but Delphine didn't touch her bed instead opting to slide into the same bed as her twin. The two of them curled up together and soon were out cold, Ares's arms were wrapped around Delphine's in a protective hold.
Lilith rose early in the morning, everyone else was still asleep and the sun had yet to even start to rise. She slipped out of bed getting dressed for the day silently before leaving the room after locking her belongings in her trunk at the end of the bed. Hela joined her almost instantly.
"These humans are interesting, the girl, Delphine, seems to be the one being moulded into a weapon by her mother and Tom Riddle. Oh, you'd know him as Tom Marvolo Slytherin. His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle," Hela was amused.
"A weapon? At such a young age, perhaps we can use this," Lilith mused.
"Perhaps, Hogwarts will make things interesting. Delphine is to become a warrior, but her heart lies with her sister. Claim Ares and Delphine will follow," Hela suggested. Lilith had a thoughtful look on her face as she stretched her hands, this base form of Shadowmancy she could do without being noticed, she was using the shadows just to see sus out where everyone in the manor was.
Draco was fast sleep with the other boys in his room and the girls were all still asleep in their room. Lucius and Narcissa were asleep together as were Bellatrix and Rodolphus, the other lords had left to their own homes. However, Lord Slytherin was wide awake as was Nagini, it would seem that he was also an early riser. She paid him no mind much like she was sure he would only have a vague interest in her aside from her parselmouth ability. She would make certain he never knew about her Shadowmancy or Necromancy ability until she was ready. She had no doubt that as it was, he would kill her easily enough.
Making her way out into the back yard, Lilith found herself a suitable spot for her to sit down and organise her thoughts. It was secluded and covered in darkness, even more so than the rest of the manor. She felt him approach before he even spoke and could sense his caution and intrigue even as she paid him no mind.
"Occlumency is quite advanced for someone of your background," his silky voice said.
"I wouldn't know what that is, Lord Slytherin. I am simply doing my morning meditation," Lilith replied, eyes closed as she kept her breathing even.
"I see, mind if I join you?" He asked.
"Do as you wish, my Lord. I am in no means capable of telling you what you can and can't do," Lilith replied calmly, despite her instincts telling her to leave.
"You are an interesting one, Miss Potter."
That was how Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy found the two, Lord Slytherin was doing his occlumency exercises seated across from Lilith who was calmly breathing and immersed in her own mind.
Albus Dumbledore came out of the pensieve memory once again. This memory he had been provided by Minerva about her first meeting with the Girl-Who-Lived. There were many troubling things within the memory, first there was the orphanage, she was supposed to be with the Dursley's. This would mean he would have to investigate Vernon and Petunia Dursley and find out why they had shipped the girl off to the Orphanage. Secondly, the girl was cold and calculating, he could tell by her eyes and the way she scanned and seemed to analyse every single movement Minerva made in the place, not to mention the Matron and all the other children seemed terrified of her and were glad she was to be going to a boarding school.
Thirdly, the raven on her shoulder that never seemed to leave her alone. It was almost unheard of for a familiar connection to be made, the last he knew of was himself and Fawkes. Tom and his snake were a different case and despite having the man in the school as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, it was more so that he could keep an eye on his enemy. But for the girl to come with a familiar, it was plain to see, was something to be cautious of.
"Albus, the children are due to arrive in a few days. Are you sure about what we are doing here?" Minerva asked concerned.
"I am positive Minerva, there is no safer place than Hogwarts. Everyone will be warned away from the section. Now, don't you have some lesson plans to finish off?" Albus smiled his grandfatherly smile.
"Aye, Professor Slytherin has also submitted his finalised plans for each of the years. I've gone ahead and approved them, I think he has some good curriculum when it comes to the levels of education," Minerva informed, Albus nodded.
"That is very good Minerva, thank you for your hard work. You may go," Albus said, Minerva nodded and left him to his vices.
Albus shook his head, briefly thinking that perhaps the Philosopher's stone shouldn't be used as a trial for the girl. But he quickly reminded himself he had set up contingencies to guide her. Molly was instructing her youngest son who would be starting Hogwarts this year on how to approach and befriend Lilith. Perhaps her years as an orphan would allow her to make friends with the boy and follow him into Gryffindor. Then over the years he would force the girl to fall in love with the Weasley boy, upon her death stopping Tom and his horcrux's the Potter and Black wealth would go to Ronald and therefore he would have control of the powerful houses.
No, he had his plan, his pawns were in place and the stone would serve as a trial for the girl to face with guidance from her best friend, the Weasley boy. Molly would fill the role of mother for the girl seamlessly enough and Arthur would do whatever Molly wanted.
"It would seem, old friend, that the time is nearly upon us," Albus mused as Fawkes trilled serenely.
Breakfast was an odd affair as Marvolo Slytherin ate quietly across from Lilith Potter, no additional table had been set up and while Lucius had gone to take his spot as Marvolo's right hand, the man had told him to sit at the head of the table as it was an informal meal and instead chose to sit opposite their intriguing guest. Narcissa and Lucius had both been quite perplexed by their Lord's actions and Bellatrix and Rodolphus had almost questioned him vocally, but a single look had them silent.
"So, Lilith, how long have you been meditating like that for?" He asked.
"For the past few years, I find it helps me organise my thoughts and mentally prepare myself for the day," she replied.
"And do you organise your memories as well? Perhaps even put some defences on your mind?"
"I would not know how to do such a thing, Lord Slytherin."
"I will have Narcissa give you a book on the mind arts, perhaps there are things you've already done that you were unaware of."
"I would appreciate that; I am trying my best to catch up on the history of the wizarding world as well as its common practices and etiquette."
"That is good, I argued with the headmaster about the necessity of an introductory course for muggle-raised first years to learn about our world. Sadly, that was an argument I could not win."
"It would make sense, how can the muggle-raised be expected to know about customs, traditions and the like. Why would he not want to promote something like that?"
"Indeed, I am in much agreeance with you. Not many would be motivated to learn our customs. Then again as an heiress it would be expected of you."
Even when the other kids joined the breakfast table confused about the seating plan, Marvolo continued to speak with Lilith, the young girl engaging in conversation while the rest of the adults were unsure what to do. Lilith even caught the concerned looks of the Lestrange twins.
"Thank you for the pleasant conversation, Lilith, I will be heading back to my home for the rest of the weekend. I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts, I believe you have a bright future as a Witch," Marvolo said once breakfast was over.
"I look forward to your lessons Lord Slytherin," Lilith replied with a nod.
Once he vacated the premises everyone let out a collective breath they were holding, Bellatrix was looking at Lilith with keen interest now and a smirk. Narcissa just looked at Lilith with a bit of concern but also that of motherly affection, affection Lucius saw, and he would mention what Marvolo had told him to do to her later.
The rest of the weekend was pretty tame and mundane, Daphne and Pansy had gone home that Saturday evening while Theodore 'call me Theo', Crabb and Goyle also left. Blaise remained as his mother was off doing who knows what. The Lestrange's also all stayed at the manor, it seemed that this was like a second home for them anyways. Lilith had spent her time with Draco, Blaise and the twins mostly just talking about what they think Hogwarts would be like and Lilith even managed to get Draco and Blaise to open their textbooks and start their education early, something that Narcissa and Bellatrix had even praised her on.
True to his word, Narcissa had handed Lilith a basic book about mind arts which Lilith had eagerly devoured, learning about the basics of Occlumency and Ligilimency. It was unlikely she would ever find herself specialising in the mind arts, but extra mental defences certainly had their merits.
Monday finally rolled around, and it was time to head to the Hogwarts express, everything was packed and ready to go, Lilith was already prepared while Draco had his house elves do it for him and the Lestrange twins already had their things pack from their manor. Floo travel was much like apparition to Lilith, she would much prefer to shadow walk to the train station instead of stumble out of a floo trying to catch herself only to be caught by Ares Lestrange who smiled warmly and laughed a little as Lilith righted herself.
"I swear if floo travel doesn't get easier I am going to destroy the whole system," Lilith muttered.
"I'll help you," it turns out, Delphine herself wasn't exactly a friend to the floo network as she picked herself up off the ground and dusted off her dress.
"Still having trouble with the floo Del?" Bellatrix asked walking through effortlessly.
"I swear mother, the floo and I are cursed to never get along," Delphine replied.
What followed was Lilith awkwardly standing around while Draco said his goodbyes to the Malfoy's and the twins had their semi-emotional goodbye to Bellatrix and Rodolphus. As Lilith turned to get onto the train once they were done a hand stopped her and she turned back to look at Narcissa with a slight questioning look.
"Have a good time at Hogwarts, I'll invite you to stay with us during the breaks and don't be afraid to write me for anything you need," Narcissa said gently, and pulled Lilith into a hug.
Lilith returned the hug awkwardly, not overly used to affection but the sentiment Narcissa was giving her made her smile. Perhaps, within her plans, she could find a place for Narcissa, Lucius and Draco. While her 2nd cousin was annoying, he was a good friend and welcomed her, unlike any of the kids in the orphanage or Dudley's friends. And Narcissa was treating her like family should, she had felt my love from Narcissa in a week than she ever had in her years with the Dursley's.
"Thanks Aunt Cissy, I will keep that in mind and will be glad to accept any invites to stay with you," Lilith replied.
"I look forward to hearing from you," Narcissa gave one tighter hug, then, after a few moments of pausing, leaned down and gently kissed Lilith's forehead, Lilith froze, not sure what to make of the affection.
She stiffly boarded the train and only calmed down after the train had departed and she was sitting with Draco, Blaise and the Lestrange twins. Hela had been cooing softly in her ear the entire time until she relaxed and watched her… friends. Could she really call them that? Probably not, but she liked to think potentially they could be friends. Why can't she satisfy her weird need for social interaction with them while also deciding on which of them would be useful for her future plans.
Daphne, Theo, Pansy, Crabb, Goyle and two other new girls, Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis joined the group. Tracey had gawked at Lilith while Millicent was more stoic and quieter, she was also big bodied, something Lilith noted casually while Tracey was honey blonde and relatively… mundane, but a friend of Daphne's despite being a half-blood.
"Has any body seen Lilith Potter?" their train ride was interrupted by a red-haired boy slamming their door open and glaring in.
"What's it to you Weasley?" Draco snarked out.
"Malfoy figured a slimy snake like you would be in the company of those just as vile. Whatever, I'm looking for Lilith Potter," the Weasley boy sneered in response.
"I haven't seen her," Lilith said, silencing the rest of the carriage, Pansy looked like she was going to speak up but a single glare from Lilith had her pausing.
"Whatever, see you in class Malfoy, your dad can't protect you forever," the red head snapped as he closed the door.
"Lilith why did you…?" Ares began.
"Is there a reflection in this carriage?" Lilith asked abruptly, everyone looked around, no reflection, not even on the window.
"Then I was in fact, truthful. If I can't see my reflection then I have indeed, not seen Lilith Potter," she replied simply, understanding slowly came across their faces before Blaise started laughing.
"Oh. My. God… that is insane!" He cackled.
The rest of the train ride was fairly uneventful, Lilith had watched the interactions of the people in the carriage with mild interest. Millicent was quiet, Tracey and Pansy spoke too much, and Daphne was more reserved while the twins minded their own business most of the time, though they were speaking quietly across from her. Draco, Blaise, Theo and Crabb and Goyle were playing some kind of game, gobstones?
When the time came for everyone to change into their Hogwarts robes, the boys all left to change in the bathrooms while the girls changed together. Lilith pulled her clothes off like normal only to hear a collection of gasps. She turned a head over her shoulder to see the horrified looks of the girls, even Millicent looked horrified despite her usual stoic nature.
"What happened?" Ares asked, her voice a trembled whisper.
"My birth mother's sister and husband weren't the kindest muggles. These are scars I obtained in their 'care' before the orphanage," Lilith replied, her voice void of any emotion.
"That's horrible," Daphne said, Tracey and Pansy could only nod.
"What happened to the muggles?" Delphine asked, her voice was still shaking but something that looked like rage was on her face.
"They died, tragically," Lilith could stop herself from the malicious smirk that crept on her face and the aura of darkness that fluctuated around her.
All of the girls shivered and looked at Lilith with shock, her expression made it clear she had a hand in their deaths if not directly being responsible for it. They said nothing more as they continued to change, though Lilith could tell all of the girls were concerned for her if Delphine and Ares sticking close to her was anything to tell. They didn't look at her with pity, but, instead with understanding. Perhaps she would have to look further into Delphine's training sessions…
Hogsmeade station was covered in darkness as they arrived, only the stairs, moon and a series of old lanterns illuminated their path. Lilith got off with the others, surrounded by the girls, Draco and his group they made their way.
"First years! First years this way!" A booming voice was calling, Lilith recognised the half-giant Hagrid.
She said nothing to him as he led them to the shores of the Black Lake where rowboats were waiting for them. Four to a boat, was their instruction. Lilith got into a boat with Draco and the Lestrange twins while the others made their own smaller groups. Theo, Blaise, Crabb and Goyle in one. Pansy, Millicent, Tracey and Daphne in another. The site of Hogwarts acting like a shining beacon across the Black Lake was one that had many of the students entranced, Lilith was impressed even as she gently ran her fingers through Hela's plumage.
The halls of Hogwarts was just as impressive as the outside and the grounds, it was truly a castle of many wonderous things, secrets Lilith couldn't wait to discover. She had so many plans and Hogwarts had factored into them, but now, seeing how beautiful the place was and feeling the ancient magic and power that surrounded it. That it could connect to other worlds through its powerful lay lines, she knew that Hogwarts was going to become special to her. Her fingers danced on the edge of the boat, darkness gathered between them just touching the surface of the water, Lilith didn't notice that Ares had looked over at her during that moment and had seen what her hands were doing.
A/N: As Always, Pat. r30N is a fair few chapters ahead. I will be uploading chapters on fanfiction as I upload a new chapter on Pat. This way I continue to cycle new chapters through and as noted on "This is War" my best writing method is to write multiple stories at the same time so hopefully you enjoy all of them! If you do wish to follow Pat. it's /zyrakenzi