This story will turn pretty dark later even if the OC will keep her sarcastic side until the very end. Be prepared.
I don't know yet if the ending will be good or bad.
I didn't announce any pairing because there will be no romance in this story, but I still have to warn you it's more or less OC/Tom with a bit of OC/Orion (not confirmed yet.) There will be mature content though.
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The sound of melodious bells pulls her from the world of dreams. It is a difficult and painful transition to bear, but her body is already waking up without her consent. She takes a peak at reality, only to stare at the magical alarm flying above her head. She curses lowly, waves a hand towards the ringing item that instantly freezes in the air. Less ruckus, more sleep.
That's what she is thinking as she lies down again and wraps herself in the velvet green blanket.
The satisfaction is short-lived because as soon as she is about to give herself up to Morpheus' embrace, the curtains of her bed are violently ripped open.
"Get up."
No, she won't. There is no way she would just separate from the charming, comfortable cocoon she's engulfed in just because the universe says so.
"Eileen I swear to Merlin, if you do not leave the bed in the next ten seconds, I'm summoning a bucket of iced water over your brainless head."
She wouldn't do that.
...would she?
"M'wake," she growls in her pillow. Unfortunately, it will take more than this to convince Sadell who has already starting the countdown.
"Six, seven, eight..."
"I'm awake!" Eileen pushes the cover aside with extrem reluctance, cursing under her breath as she gets off the bed.
The light coming from the entire room attacks her retinas mercilessely when she pushes the curtains completely aside. Two other girls are rummaging through their suitcases so early in the morning, already dressed for the day like Sadell who runs in the bathroom with a dangerous warning:
"You better be ready when I finish my make-up."
The door slams behind her. Atheis and Elizabeth impregnate the room with more perfume for a last time and patiently sit on their respective bed, waiting for their comrade in the bathroom. Very slowly, Eileen stands on her feet and gets rid of her night clothes to put the traditional uniform on. She is barely awake, thoughts engulfed by a cloud of sleepiness that keeps persisting even when she nearly hits the night table.
"Are you not going to wash your face?"
That almost sound as an outrage. Not that Eileen doesn't like being clean and proper, but she actually hasn't much time left right now. Plus, the tone Atheis took as though she just committed a real crime against humanity slightly gets on her nerves. It is so fucking early in the morning and Eileen has no patience for pompous princesses that had a say at every little of her business.
Licking her fingers, she smears the saliva to the side of her eyes to clean the rest of morning mucus under the disgusted indignation of her roommates.
"Ew!"
"I hate you for making me see this, Eileen. Don't ever do it again."
"What's wrong? I'm ready now, in less than two minutes on top of that."
"Sometimes I wonder why Sadell still bothers with you, really. No wonder you remain single everyday."
Eileen grins, "As I should be."
The quiet scrunity of the two dormmates is suddenly interrupted by the door opening without warning. Sadell is unrecognizabled now that her face is painted with all sort of line colors around her eyes and the powder making her cheeks blushing unnaturally. She is absolutely magnificent, even without all that paint over her skin, Eileen thinks. But now Sadell enters the role of the most popular Slytherin girl of Hogwarts. She has to be perfect anytime from the moment she opens her eyes at dawn to the time she goes back to bed at night.
"You all ready? Let's go."
Rolling her eyes behind the group of witches, Eileen grabs her bag and follows them closely outside the dorm. They ascend in the huge common room where some other Slytherins were also about to leave the House so early in the morning.
It is something that Eileen can never understand since the day she joined the snakes. Most of the Slytherins insisted on waking up earlier than everyone else just to be seen on their best behaviour in the eyes of the whole castle. The House is far too proud to let others show more dignity than they could. They had to be first everywhere.
Indeed, when the group arrives in the Great Hall, most of the students present there are part of Slytherins. Still half asleep, Eileen is dragged by Sadell who sits at their usual spot of the table. That is, next to a Slytherin boys group consisting of the most popular people among the snakes. All of them come from great wizarding families known across the magical world, often making them the next in line for the head position of their name. They are highly important here. Or at least, they love thinking they are above everyone else, and instead of considering it repulsive Eileen finds their demesured ego rather funny.
They barely pay the girls attention except for a slight nod before returning to their previous discussion. But Sadell isn't undeterred like every morning since year two. She loves having her presence noticed. So instead of keeping her head low and huching back to the shadows like Eileen and her roommates, Sadell sinks invisible claws into their unfocused attention.
"So, did you hear about Lascus Barren's new wife?" she seizes the jug of hot coffee and pours it in a cup. "They married yesterday. The poor sweetheart already has a teenage son. How long do you think it will last this time? I don't believe he will have the energy to get rid of both his money source and the witch's spawn at once."
"As always, you like gossiping far too much, Eldwins. You're so noisy this early in the morning that you make my ears bleed from inside."
"It's a pleasure to torture your poor self, Ezekiel."
"It's Nott for you." But there is no animosity in this sentence. Only a bored, usual nonchalance they are both used to exchange since long now. Sadell sips on the black liquid.
"I could call you by other less pleasant terms, so you should be glad I'm staying polite with you Ezekiel."
Eileen hears him sigh but Nott doesn't talk back to regain the avantage for this ridiculous battle of words and honour. He is not a man of fight, and tends to avoid any conflict he can unless there is something valuable to gain from it. That is what Eileen finds particularly interesting in the guy who gets back to the fabulous breakfast going on around the table.
The boy next to him, Mulciber, has followed the short conversation until the end. It's quite funny how the crunched nose and the malicious wrinkles on his forehead can easily speaks for himself. And right now his expression shows his clear interest in the Barren's subject. He eyes Sadell like a hyena, putting down the cup of hot tea smelling like ginger mixed with curcuma.
"He won't get rid of them any time soon, trust me."
"How so?" Eileen's friend doesn't fake the surprise that takes her at Mulciber's words.
"Because," the brown haired wizard begins, "That witch has a solid throne in the Wizengamott. Her ex-husband was also a very powerful lawyer with strong connections around the Ministry. Killing her would seem pretty difficult. Killing her and her son will bring out too much suspicion over the guy."
"You forget Barren also has a lot of allies from the higher-ups."
"What is worth getting on the wrong side of the press and loosing ties with those allies when he can have both a wealthy life plus an healthy little heir in prime?"
He sips on his tea before smiling. "Barren's unfortunate wifes' mysterious deaths will end with this marriage. I bet anything you want on it."
The rest of the discussion, Eileen doesn't hear it because she's already bored with the subject. She is not interested on political gossips. It's been years since she's known Sadell Eldwins and the others, so her friend used to drag Eileen with her everywhere from the day the other girl made her her crony- because, yes, Eileen had had absolutely no choice in the matter. Not that she is complaining. Not really. But every now and then, she was forced to sit early at her table and listen to nonsense about politics, scandals, treachery or even evil schemes toward a lousy Gryffindor.
"Eldwins," a bariton voice says and grabbed everyone's attention with elegance, "As virulent as always in the little gossip hunt I see. I'm starting to believe normal food can no longer sustain you, and only scandals are able to satiate the devilish witch you are."
Ah, Eileen thinks, finally. The star of the Slytherin house has stepped in the spotlight at last. She'd found it weird not to have heard him speak since their arrival. Tom Riddle is not really what we call a morning conversationalist but he enjoys being noticed at every opportunity. Instead of being put off by the discreet sarcasm underlying the statment, Sadell's smile widens. And here starts the slytherin talk full of hypocrisy and false pretense Eileen is so fed off even though she can't help but observe the calculated exchange with interest.
She must have dozed off sometime in the sweet buzzing of the Great Hall because she nearly jumps when Sadell suddenly gets up.
"Elizabeth, Atheis, Eileen. Let's go."
The formers obeys instantly without a word and stand graciously from their seats unlike the latter who hesitates before the unfinished pudding in her plate. But one glare from the girl and she is right on her feet.
"Later girls" taunts Reinhard Lestrange without much a look at the departing quartet party.
It is weird to think that Lestrange, who was one of the perpetrators of her bullying barely a year ago is now waving her goodbye like a common acquaintance. Although Eileen keeps suspecting it's addressed to the others, not her. Like the rest of Riddle's little group, actually. She still remembers the pain in her ankle when Logan Mulciber and Orion Black have thrown a tripping hex at her last year, and looking back at the gruesome memory she knows she should feel anger and resentment toward them. Except that Eileen doesn't feel a thing anymore.
Why bother? It's not like they were going to feel compassionate if her emotions showed up all of sudden- were she to have any in regard of the situation. Besides, now that Sadell « adopted » Eileen they were rather resolved to ignore the little now-not-so outcast of the snake House. Life was better today and she is satisfied with the turn of events.
—
Keeping track on the knowledge flowing out of the Rune's teacher proves to be the most difficult mission of the year. She keeps yawning and collapsing on the desk when no one was looking, gravely thinking of sneaking in the Potion's back storage to grab a Pepper-up concoction. Last night has been full of noise and firewhisky as the Slytherins celebrated their first quidditch victory versus Gryffindors. Eileen admits she might have loosened up a bit too much with the drinks but rare were the times she could have a little fun. Well…. the fun here only results in getting softer glares from her peers and a bit of conversation here and there with other people than Sadell's clique.
It has been refreshing.
The end of the lesson is a salvating blessing. Eileen isn't even sure if she got the homework right in the corner of her sheet. Might as well be some sort of indecipherable doddles but she could ask Sadell in exchange of a service later. Speaking of which, the latter is calling her out from behind but Eileen can only dash in the ocean of students to reach the Potion classroom before the next class begins. If Eldwins knows of her little stunt there is a possibility the pureblood heiress would want to shorten the leash she thinks she has on Eileen. Sadell doesn't take insuboordination very well, and although the retribution is not comparable to Riddle's it doesn't mean the outcome is more enjoyable.
Once in the dark classroom she doesn't hesitate to go for the storage at the back. A simple alohomora allows her access in the storage room. Finding what she went all the little trouble for takes only two seconds before she pours the entire viale in her mouth. The effects are immediate. The fatigue disappears in a whirlwind of energy that shakes her to the core, and Eileen can't keep a revigored gasp slipping through her lips at the pleasant feeling.
"Nice," she beamed.
Lingering any longer would attract trouble. Quickly, Eileen replaces the viale on the shelf and swiftly gets out before someone catches her in the act. She smiles as she starts to walk to Runes class, wondering how the slytherins would react if the house points won in the previous match were suddenly nullyfied because of her little mischief. Oh, in that case Eileen would have to run away from Hogwarts- hell, run away from Britain, even! Ha.
"...alone now, are we?"
Eileen stops on her tracks when voices could be heard at the end of the enormous corridor. She fears someone had followed her but as soon as she sees the group of students talking to someone else in the middle of the path, she automatically relaxes. Well— Not for long.
"To think a little viper got lost away from his pit..." a burly guy croones evilly at a much smaller boy he is pushing against the wall.
And suddenly, Eileen isn't relaxed anymore. They are three older students circling a trembling first year who seems ready to merge with the wall at any moment. And- wait. Isn't he wearing a slytherin uniform? Seeing as the other three are in red outfits, it doesn't take a genius decades to figure out what was going on. Sometimes Eileen forgets the eternal feud Gryffindors and Slytherins have against each other. She was either too busy making people forgetting her existence or too busy being bullied by her own housemates, so...
"You and your little friends are too damn cocky since your victory yesterday. It gets on my nerves everytime I look at you laughing snakes. Just because of some dumb luck you allow yourselves to brag in front of us."
"P-Please..."
Oh Merlin. Why so cliché! The scene is too cringe for her not to feel ashamed in the gryffindors pricks' stead. Eileen knows she can't stay here any longer. They hadn't seen her yet but it is only a question of time before one of them notices the silhouette standing in the middle of the corridor. However, this is the only path to the Runes classroom, unless she takes a detour that would surely cost her a detention for arriving late in class. Urgh.
"Hold him, guys. I'll show the little viper how to stay in his place."
They muffle the first year and hold his wrists firmly so that the burly gryffindor has access to his face and every other parts of the soon-to-be beaten body without much struggle. The smaller slytherin has hot tears flowing on his cheeks now, and the desperate expression only fuels the grown boys' excitment more.
"Stop crying like a baby. I promise I'll be gentle... or let's say, violently gentle."
They cackle like madmen at the most stupid and haredbrain joke ever heard. Okay. She has seen enough. Inwardly sighing, Eileen steps forward and let herself be noticed by the lions clique.
"Harvey! Pray Circe, you're here! I was searching for you everywhere, I thought you were lost in the castle!"
Everyone stills and turn to the brunet who keeps running to them until the younger boy is in her reach. They all look startled at the sudden appearance, especially the terrified first year whose mouth is now free.
"There is no time to play with your friends now, Harvey! Come with me." Eileen continues playing her character without batting an eye, enjoying the role and the bullies' dumb stare a bit too much.
"W-who is Harv–"
She is fast to pull him from the other boy's grip, earning a surprised yelp from him. "The headmaster sent me to fetch you. Wanted to talk to you about your marks or something- anyway, it seems to be urgent so we better make it to Dippet's office before he gets a bit tipsy-"
"Oï, what do you think you're doing?!"
Aah, crap. They've regained their senses sooner than planned.
"Oh, Parker. Didn't see ya there! How you doin'?" With a little luck they will drop interest fast with her involvment.
Alas, luck was never on her side. As soon as she takes a step in the opposite direction hoping to make a run, the trio has already surrounded them like birds of prey.
"What the fuck is the slytherin's bitch doing here?"
Charming.
"What do you think? I'm taking Harvey to Headmaster Dippet."
"You're not going anywhere!"
Yeah, sure.
"Oh?" Eileen adopted a dumb face full of naive innocence. "Uh, okay. So what do I say to the Headmaster then?"
"What?"
"We're going to be very late after you're done with us. We can't simply tell him we were lost because as a fifth year I would be suspicious... Ah! Once you've beaten us up we will be covered with bruises and blood! We don't know how to treat injuries, so unless you've got a spell to do so I don't know how we can cover up the incident... Mmmh. Let me think..."
She closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, pretending to ruminate earnestly. From the corner of her eyes she watches as the three idiots begin to reconsider their move with as much effort as their brain could allow them to.
"Right. Let's stop here for now," Parker says with fake confidence. "You two are lucky today. But next time won't be the same, got it? Now scram!"
Although he's said it, Parker is first to turn around and walks away followed by his croonies who send them one last warning glare.
"See you never, morons~" Eileen sings.
"Um... excuse me?"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot." She turns to the boy and grabs his shoulders. "What were you thinking? Wandering around alone as a first year slytherin is a big no-no! No one has told you? You're lucky it was that dumbass Parker, it could've been harder to get away otherwise..."
"I-I'm a third year!" he shouts, clearly offended. His tears threaten to come out again.
"Huh? Seriously?" He was way smaller than the other freshmen!
"And my name is not Harvey."
"I'm aware."
"And I only wanted to go to the bathroom, I never thought I'd be running into them in the first place..."
Ah. Yeah, she can relate to this kind of incident. A wrong turn to the hallway, a tardiness, a little trip to the bathroom at the wrong time and one could find oneself in the hospital wing for the rest of the day. She sighs.
"I understand. What is your class right now?"
"T-Transfiguration."
"Will you be able to go without running into lion brutes again? I can accompany you if needed."
"No, it's fine. Thanks."
Eileen was glad because it means she could still run into class in time. She waves Not-Harvey a goodbye and departs before the boy can speak. She would have forgotten his face after tomorrow anyway.
When she reaches the classroom everyone has already sit and Professor Klutzin has just started summarizing the previous lesson. The man shoots her a wordless scowl conveying the order to take a sit and shut up until the end of class.
Eileen just does that.
The library is definitely one of her favorite part of the castle. She decided on that the very first time she has come to the big, beautiful place of knowledge. The smell of old pages apeases her, and she finds the gloomy-cosy atmosphere rather soothing when students aren't violating the number one rule to keep quiet. She isn't particulary fond of thick encyclopedia dealing with ancient laws and the thousand and one ways to trace runes for healing purpose. No, her daily routine there is purely ludic and more simple than the hundred shelves of indecipherable volumes. It consists of novels.
Novels of all genres. Romance, action, fantasy, even some muggle ones when it relates on science-fiction. Without forgetting the BL section, as small as it can be amongst all the other books far more sophisticated than this. The wizarding community being sadly poor when it comes to imagination, the only science-fiction books Eileen could find were muggle ones. And if she has to be honest... she finds them incredible.
"I don't understand. What does pixie's tears have to do with weeping willow bark?"
Avery's voice pulls Eileen from her daydreaming. Avery, Malfoy, Nott, Mulciber, Lestrange, Riddle, Black, Eldwins and Elizabeth were gathered in the same dark corner in the library and have passed the last hour doing nothing but homework. It is the most reclused area near the restricted section where the sunlight has difficulty to spread in. By far the corner Eileen hates the most but hey, she wasn't going to complain especially in the presence of Riddle.
Going to the library was Eldwins's idea and Eileen had been eager to join as she thought she could enjoy more of her favorite reading while her housemates were torturing themselves into research and essays- But noooo. They had to run across Riddle's group this day because life is such a bitch. Then Sadell had to invite herself at their table because fate was a stupid shithead, and now Eileen has to pretend being studious too because even though Sadell doesn't care about her school achievements and reading hobby, she cares enough when Riddle was here.
"Well," Malfoy drawls like he knows everything in the world, "Pixies are known for their erratic magic capable of putting a dragon to sleep if used with the right ingredients. Plants are, if you bothered paying attention in Herbology class last year, generally used for medical purpose since eons. Even muggles know that. Now try to combine those two components into a draught and you get what we've been studying on since the last hour."
Well said, Eileen wants to praise but instead keeps herself hidden behind the book she pretends to be interested in since the beginning.
Avery isn't pleased with the comeback.
"Don't insult me Malfoy. What I was asking was why merge magical and non-magical ingredients? I find it weird to rely on common elements for something supposed to be powerful."
"You would fair better by asking where is the logic in magic," Riddle advises without looking up from his parchment. "Some things are just without answers, or with anwers that the universe itself wouldn't comprehend."
"It's like you're saying wizards are illogical beings," Sadell intervened.
Oh, no. Are they going go start another philosophical dialogue? Rumbling mentally, Eileen tries to focus on anything but the discussion that takes place next to her.
"It depends on how you're looking at it. Wizards like us are used to the eccentricity of magic since we're born, so there are things beyond interrogating in some point of view. But we also happen to act or think irrationally. The simplest example would be: magic allows us to create spells, right?" Eileen could practically hear the nods they give without looking. "And yet, some spell gifted by our own magic, even though they exist, are banned from use because they're either dangerous or unethical.
"Another example: the squibs. They are born from magical parents. They have magical cores like all of us and they bathe in it everyday of their lives. But they can't use it. How? Why?"
By now even Eileen couldn't help but give an ear to the perceptive words flowing out of Riddle's mouth. They are astute, almost soothing in the way he takes his time in order to let everyone intercept the knowledge at their paces.
"If I have to take a last illustration, let's talk about dark and light magic. To put it simply we each have different cores that align themselves towards two sorts of magic. One is destructive, the other defensive. They are as many light cores as dark ones and in spite of that, people continue to claim the immorality of being one instead of the other even though both parties are able to cause death and chaos. We've decided to divide ourselves when we were supposed to be united against those muggles devoid of core and just as much capable of destruction as we are."
It makes sense. Well, there is a logic in the illogical explanation Riddle shared to his peers. When was the last time the little genius weren't right in everything he said? Eileen's head were heavy due to the passionate speech everyone seems so mesmerized by. One of them replies but Eileen is already bored with the subject. She reads the same line for the hundred fifty fifth times, something about a war between goblins and mermaid folks in a time the universe wasn't even standing yet, and does her very best to stay awake.
And she would have failed if it weren't for the sudden commotion happening in the other side of the bookshelf. A high pitch cry echoes through the entire library and startles Eileen awake.
"What is it?" Eldwins frowns and stands up.
But before she goes take a look, there is a sound of a chair scraping the floor and a feminine silhouette runs off to the door covering her face with her hands. Then they hear a burst of laugher next to them, the sound cruel and mocking.
Everyone looks shocked for a minute but Malfoy is quick to recover.
"Ah. Warren again."
"Seriously," Sadell sneers, "This is becoming embarrassing for us as for her. When is she going to grow a backbone for Merlin's sake?"
Nott snorted. "You're too harsh Eldwins. We're talking about Warren here and you know how horrible Hornby can be with this kind of people."
"Even so, her pathetic tears and whining are a real bother. I can't stand it."
Yeah, the real thing was a real case of embarassement for Eileen as well. It isn't the first time Hornby was not privy to the roasting of the poor Warren in public. And altough Eileen wants to have no part in this, she can't help but watch the Ravenclaw girl from afar with a feeling akin to unease and dread.
It isn't her business and still... It feels like a countdown before the day of the tragedy. Because Eileen is very well aware that Myrtle Warren has not so much of months to live.
The story was simply repeating itself.