Chapter Twenty-Three
The four Hufflepuff girls were in the common room after the feast. Ruth was lamenting about her sister being sorted into Slytherin. If it wasn't for Tom Riddle and his ability to scare the other students into submission, she wouldn't be so worked up. As it was Tom she had a problem with, not Slytherin itself. Lucy, Poppy and Victoria watched her pace around the room for a minute or so. Occasionally cursing Tom under her breath as she did so. Her only saving grace was her cousin Orford Umbridge, he promised to look after her in there. He seemed to be in somewhat good books with the Riddle gang without being as loathsome as them. Therefore he must have some good tips to give to Betty.
"She will be fine. She's a pure-blood with Slytherin parents and connections to one of the sacred twenty-eight families. Tom and his friends won't exactly do anything to upset her because she will write to daddy dearest, won't she?" Victoria asked, trying to make it seem better.
"Sacred twenty-eight?" Lucy questioned in confusion.
"It's like the wizard's version of the Burke's peerage" Poppy answered.
"You're right...I know you're right. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. She must have asked to be sorted there. Father made it clear to her he wouldn't be upset if she was sorted into Hufflepuff like me. He erm...He combined the Slytherin emblem with the Hufflepuff one at home" Victoria explained.
Making her friends look at her with awe. That was one of the sweetest things they ever heard and did prove that Betty must have chose Slytherin. She had no fear of being sorted into Hufflepuff.
"It doesn't mean anything...Maybe she just wanted to be in the same house as her parents and cousin. Not to mention that Horace Slughorn is good friends with your father, why wouldn't she want to be in there? She will be fine" Poppy tried to assure her.
"You're right...Tom Riddle isn't the be all and end all of Slytherin. He's just a bully who needs a good smack. He's going to upset the wrong person one day and it will all be over for him then" Ruth spoke in an unconvinced tone of voice.
"Right and wait until Severus Prince hears about his daughter's mistreatment. With both him and Irving Malfoy against him. His days are numbered" Poppy said with a nod.
The girls really believed that too. That's how most students saw Tom at this moment, just a bully whose getting too big for his boots. They thought it would simply blow over as more students came in and the years crept on. The power he would have could simply not be predicted in 1939. Not by his classmates or even most teachers.
"So what did you girls pick for your extra lessons?" Lucy asked.
"Care of magical creatures and muggle studies. My father allowed me to take muggle studies because of Charity Burbage being a Hufflepuff. We have to support teachers of our own house" Poppy answered first.
"I went for care of magical creatures too. I just had to...I love animals. I chose the study of ancient runes to go with it" Victoria spoke up next.
"Me three...magical creatures. I don't know many people who don't choose that subject. I picked divination too. I love that sort of stuff" Ruth said last.
Lucy only being in second-year nodded in response. She couldn't wait to choose care of magical creatures next year. Poppy making a slight face as she realized she was the only one who chose muggle studies in her friendship group. Though she gave a slight smile as she looked towards Lucy.
"If I get stuck on my homework...I can just ask Lucy" Poppy spoke up with a smug grin.
"No fair. That counts as cheating I'm sure" Victoria responded quickly.
"I'm not going to choose muggle studies next year. I got muggle parents, why do I need to study them?" Lucy asked rhetorically.
"Easy marks" the three girls responded; making her laugh.
...
Down in the hallways, the now twelve year old Argus Filch was walking around with a lantern in one hand and his ghost book in the other. As he began to chant a phase from the book as Peeves flew above him. The chant was suppose to rid the location of any evil spirits (written by muggles as those were the only books he could buy these days). Peeves laughing to himself as he followed the child down every hallway and through every door. Argus began to chant louder, Peeves briefly flew into the potions classroom as Argus entered the Slytherin corridor. The poltergeist came out with a potions glass as he dropped it on the floor inches away from the small squib. Making him jump as he dropped his book.
"Can't scare me away with words, silly squibby boy" Peeves suddenly spoke as the boy bent down to pick up his book.
"Yes I can! Banish evil! Banish evil!" Argus shouted as he began to follow the laughing poltergeist through the hallways.
"Banish evil! Banish evil!" Peeves shouted as he began to chant with him in mockery.
Argus stopped chanting as he gave a frustrated groan. Peeves giving one loud laugh as he shouted "Banish evil! Banish evil!" into every classroom and room. Nearly Headless Nick walked right into Argus, giving him a sickly cold feeling; just to make his night shift that much worse. The echoes of 'Banish evil! Banish evil! were heard for the next hour or so. The clock chimed midnight by the time it stopped, Argus taking his lantern back into the caretaker's office as he went into the room in the back to sleep until morning (he sometimes spent longer up, depending on how drowsy he felt). He removed his shoes, jacket and jumper. Getting into his small dingy bed (Oakleigh Burton had his own room not far from the caretaker's office on the other side). He blew out the candle in his lantern before resting his head and getting ready to go asleep (where he could dream about flying a broomstick and using a wand). When a loud voice shouted in his ear...
"Banish evil! Banish evil!"
Before shooting out the room giggling, Argus nearly fell out of bed as he suddenly looked up towards the ceiling. The echoes of giggling and 'Banish evil!' was heard for the rest of night as Argus managed to get some broken sleep during this annoyance. He regretted even trying that method now as he could hear it, even as he dreamt. It was like a buzzing sound.
...
"You poor thing" Lucy was saying to Argus the following morning.
As the boy rested his head on her lap as she sat in the hallway with him. Argus was exhausted as sleep hardly came to him last night. He could have fell asleep right there as he used her lap as some sort of pillow. Lucy did feel slightly like a chair at times as he would always put his legs across her lap or his head. Depending on his feelings on the day. Due to not getting any affection from his mother at home, he had to get it all from his only friend at Hogwarts.
"Peeves mocked me all night. I was trying to use a special chant and he used it back on me. He's so awful...I doubt even the muggle mediums could get rid of him" Argus replied sadly.
"Perhaps the chant wasn't said right" Lucy suggested; ignoring the sniggering from the passing students.
"There were some Latin chants but I can't translate Latin...I can't do nothing"
"That's not true. You know more about ghosts than anybody I know. Peeves is just part of the furniture. I doubt even the more advanced wizard could get rid of him...Surely somebody would have done it by now if they could" Lucy tried to assure him, stroking his hair.
He gave a small shrug as he looked up at the ceiling, half-expecting to see him up there laughing. Lucy was starting to get annoyed at Peeves herself on his behalf by this point. Peeves seemed to really have it out for Argus, probably because he was a child and could be more easily mocked than Oakleigh Burton. Argus forced himself up with a sigh. He had work to do and Lucy had her first class to get to soon as the two had to part ways.
"Come and eat with me at dinner. I'll go through the book with you later" Lucy told him, making him nod with a small smile.
She gave him a hug before leaving. She was on her way to potions currently and the "person" on her mind flew over her. Peeves began to chant... "Banish evil! Banish evil!" above her head.
"This isn't fair, Peeves! Argus is so tired because of you, leave him in peace" Lucy pleaded.
"Ooh...witchy loves squibby...witchy loves squibby!"
Making her just shake her head as she tutted. You really couldn't reason with a poltergeist. He began to chant that over her head all the way down to the Slytherin corridor and into potions. She sat down besides Myrtle at the front as she faced away from the poltergeist. Peeves still chanting about how "witchy loves squibby!". Tom Riddle briefly looking at him.
"Out!" Slughorn shouted as he shot Peeves a glance; making him finally leave the classroom.
Lucy was barely able to look anyone in the eye after that. She did notice however that Eileen Prince was now sitting on her own. Avery had taken her place as he would now sit besides Tom for every lesson from now on. Slughorn breathed in slightly before writing on the blackboard about the objectives of what he expected in Year 2. The students writing it all down.
...
TBC