Staring at the pool of water from her place laying on the sofa, ignoring the Basilisk that wandered through the Chamber occasionally, she didn't move from the couch for quite a while.
Going over the memories of every family that had wanted to adopt her and then rejected her the second she was remotely herself with them, of Jack's lessons, of how as a little girl she'd always wanted a family- she pondered the thought of the Potters.
She liked Charles Potter- how could she not? He was a loyal-to-a-fault Hufflepuff with a bit of Gryffindor ridiculousness mixed in.
But…
There was a reason she'd stopped trying to get adopted by the time she'd turned six.
Because no one would understand her.
Jack was a lucky chance to have nearby, as he was understanding of her shortcomings, but the Potters…
They wouldn't understand her.
Not her cruel streak, not her inability to smile on command, and they definitely would not understand her odd interest in the Dark Lord.
She had all the family she needed in Jack and the Slytherins.
Mind made up, she spent the night in the Chamber, having the elves bring her food and reading books in the hidden library the Basilisk had shown her. Finally, in a place to stand up to the men, she wove her magic around Peter Pettegrew before placing him under a strong silencing and disillusionment spell.
Reviving him from his petrification, she pulled the net closed again and used her hands to control his movements, practicing until it was at least somewhat natural.
Taking the passage that led out near the Great Hall, she walked in, having the man march like a little toy soldier in front of her.
Dumbledore stood, eyes wide, but he must have seen her magic holding the man through his enchanted glasses because he stopped himself from his instinct of cursing Pettegrew on sight to defend the hall. His eyes darted to her quizzically. "…and what is this?"
"I brought you a present, old man." She tilted her head and smiled.
"H-Helena?" A woman with bright red hair and green eyes (that were dimmer and less unnerving than hers) stood from the Head Table, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. "Helena- oh- my baby, I can't believe you're here... alive and- and all grown!" The woman was crying now and starting to walk towards her, the hall whispering.
Releasing the disillusionment charm as the woman got closer, the hall was further sent into panic as Pettegrew came into view and the woman screamed, the teachers standing- all with their wands out.
Dumbledore raised a hand to the teachers, making them still. "My dear… why?"
Pulling at the strings, she made Pettigrew do a mock tap dance, watching Lily Potter's face turn white with a deep satisfaction considering she'd spent all night feeling vaguely sick over the choice she had to make. "And here I thought you'd like your gift..." Making Pettigrew twirl like an awkward ballerina and then letting go of his strings so he crumbled to the floor before pulling them tight again so he couldn't move, she tilted her head. "I had all the family I wanted in Jack and now I have the House of Slytherin. I don't want to be a Potter and since you declared 'Helena Potter' dead that night- then that's what she is. I'm not some stupid weak-willed child you can place claim over, and if anyone tries to do such a thing… they will find that I will not tolerate it."
Pulling one of the strings tight, the man started to suffocate and she watched blankly as he slowly turned purple from the lack of air.
"Dear girl… would Jack approve of your actions here?"
The string slipping from her finger when she twitched slightly, Pettegrew taking a labored gasp, she looked up to Dumbledore with emotionless eyes. "That's not fair and you know it."
Dumbledore watched her for a long moment. "You made your point Lena. No one will force you to be someone you don't want to be. You are not obligated to recognize the Potters in their claim."
Letting the strings go- Pettegrew crumpling to the ground- she put her hands in her pockets and nodded. "Thank you for your trust." Then she walked right past the woman so she could sit down next to Blaise.
"I forget how ruthless you are sometimes..." The boy watched her with unreadable eyes. "And yet you really do have a bad habit of worrying everyone."
She chuckled, but it was humorless. "Do you think your mom would really adopt me? Or at least stay over the summer? I really don't want to have to run into Potters and company should they 'accidentally' show up at the orphanage."
The boy grimaced. "I was going to tell you, but my mom's getting remarried and I don't think you should be around that. Honeymoon's usually a bit…" Shaking his head, the boy bumped his shoulder with hers. "We'll find you somewhere to stay over the summer, no need to worry."
Charlie was feeling as if he missed something.
Peter Pettegrew escaped from the Aurors and the staff was searching the castle, but Lena just smiled serenely at the two houses in the Common Room. "Pettigrew won't be coming back to Hogwarts." Her eyes drifted to where he sat, seeming to direct her next words to him. "You are safe."
"How can you be sure?" His whisper was soft but carried through the quiet room.
"How long?" It was Ginny that spoke up instead of the girl that was supposed to be his sister, the youngest Weasley's face slightly pale but her eyes determined as she looked at Lena. "How long… how long was he down there?"
Lena looked to the girl, eyes studying her. "You remember what happened then."
There was no explanation offered, but the rest of the Slytherins seemed to exchange looks at this as if they had an idea of the meaning behind the cryptic conversation.
Ginny nodded, lips pressed together tightly.
Lena smiled at the girl, but there was an aspect of vicious cruelty to it that surprised him. "He was down there for about four or five months as my… friend was very courteous with keeping him very very still when I wasn't trying to understand what his motives were." Waving her hand as if that admission meant nothing, she started for the opposite side of the Common Room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something important to do."
The youngest Weasley's face was hard with certainty when she looked to Charles after Lena had disappeared toward the dorms. "Rest assured. Pettigrew will not come back. He'll have run as far away as he can."
"Why?" Diggory looked between him and the girl, the same question on Charlie's lips.
Ginny looked to where Lena had gone, smiling grimly. "Because that's what I would have done if I hadn't had the promise of being safe. There is a monster in this castle…" The Hufflepuffs shifted slightly at the girl's tone, but then a grin came across Ginny's face, eyes glinting with something dark. "And she goes by the name of Lena Farland."
"Ginevra." The fire illuminated the sharp planes of a group of faces, each looking inhuman as if they were made of marble and a type of cold wrath that had the hair on the back of his neck tingling. Blaize Zabini's eyes reminded him of poison in the light as he bared his teeth at the girl slowly. "Do not let me hear you say such things again."
"As much as we Slytherins think that there is nothing wrong with accepting every single aspect of a person… Lena has to come to that mindset on her own and she would not appreciate that moniker." Theodore Nott didn't look up from where he was cleaning out his nails with the tip of a quill, something threatening in the entirely still way he sat.
Daphne Greengrass smiled sharply at the girl from where she was leaning on Nott's seat, her eyes like shards of ice, fingernails looking a bit too much like claws in the flickering light of the fire. "Soon, my dear. Soon she will understand... and we will be there when she does."
Dipping her head, Ginny sat back down but smiled as if she had a secret. "I will wait then."
The Hufflepuffs all exchanged glances when all the Slytherins nodded solemnly.
The House of Badgers were all reminded that though these kids had seemed so harmless in their unrelenting consumption of chocolate and reading muggle books, they were still Slytherins, and like Sirius always said: If a Slytherin is carrying a sword, there will always be blood on the blade.
Lena sat down in front of Riddle, holding out her hands, and when he took them, changed the scenery to a table in the public library she'd been many times before. "I got to talk to Pettigrew."
"How?" He looked her over as if searching for wounds.
"The basilisk paralyzed him for me." She shook her head. "That's not the reason I came to see you… He said the other version of you wanted death to all dark creatures, Muggles, and even magicals without pure blood."
The hands holding hers clenched tightly, nails sinking into her skin.
Looking down at their hands, she frowned slightly. "Either let go or loosen your grip. If you keep on like that, you'll bruise my hands, and I don't want to find out if that will translate to my real body."
Instantly letting go and pulling back, the man looked away from her, clenching his fists tightly into balls. The grey bar scenery returned. "Apologies..." It was quiet, his hands still clenched. "But I'm going to ask for you to destroy my consciousness. Light the diadem on fire and when it gets red hot... I'll be gone."
"Are you sure?"
Riddle looked back to her, hands slowly unclenching, and he gave her a roguish grin. "My dear, I would not ask this of you if I wasn't. We must be sure that I never turn into that- that thing ever again… but I am certain that I will see you again."
"There are more?" She raised an eyebrow when the man just smiled. "How many?"
"Three more."
Huffing, she stood. "Fine. Into the fire you go." As she turned to leave, she was turned around and pulled back into a hug, the taller figure smiling down at her widely when she blinked up at him.
"For good luck." Rolling her eyes and putting her arms up lightly, she was let go after a long moment, the man waving mockingly as he sat back down. "See you soon!"
Lena rolled her eyes, heading for the door of the bar, waking up in her bed, and pulling the Diadem off. The blue jewels seemed to glint in the light and she thought she could see red eyes watching her for a moment before they were gone. Strolling into the Common Room, where the Slytherins were all being casual but the Hufflepuffs seemed unusually stiff, she walked over to the fire and tossed the diadem in.
"What… what are you doing?"
"Destroying a spirit that was possessing an innocent object. Again. They just don't know when to quit." Not looking back even when Ginny said 'What?' in a slightly strangled tone, she waited until the diadem got an angry orange-red color, before flicking her hand and levitating it from the fire. Looking into the blue gems, she hummed when no red eyes were looking back at her. "Well, that was… uneventful compared to the diary."
Ginny moved to her side, looking at the diadem in equal parts horror and fascination. "He-… Something was possessing this one too?"
Lena glanced at the girl, nodding. "Though I liked this one better. Less murderous." Seeing the diadem had cooled, she poked it and at finding it was cool to the touch, she put it on. Turning to Daphne, she grinned. "How's this for the 'Ice Queen' aesthetics?"
"Lena… where did you find Ravenclaw's lost Diadem?" Daphne's voice was slightly defeated as if almost expecting this turn of events.
Blinking, she took the diadem off and studied it. Huh. "Stumbled across it. Why? It's quite pretty… do you think I have to give it back to Dumbles? I'd rather keep it." She grinned at the girl. "You did say I needed to wear more jewelry."
"Ten galleons that you won't wear it to the End-of-the-Year feast and knock the socks off the Great Hall!"
"That's a bet, Bletchley." She smirked and put the diadem back on, sitting back in her chair. "Now peasants… who wants to play Monopoly? She grinned as half the Slytherins ran from the common room in fear of the muggle game, the Hufflepuffs looking more than a bit unnerved.
The possessed muggle that was more Tom Riddle than Lord Voldemort jolted slightly as a memory came to him of a time spent traveling across the wide stretches of the world- of a girl with long silken black hair leaning against his side in peaceful slumber, beautiful and warm, as if she was a star fallen to earth.
Ah. So his little Queen was playing with his fate yet again, making plans and running around charming the masses…
Smirking, the man with red eyes that were hidden by sunglasses stood from where he'd been sitting in a small coffee shop and started out the door.
Why not put his piece on the board then- make some plans too and see where they met? Plus, Bertha Jorkins had been too big a help to waste her knowledge.
Letting go of his possession of the muggle's body, the smoke-like form rose into the air, flying over London and heading for Little Hangeton.
He'd collect the ring… and then head for the Malfoy Manor, as they were loyal and could get in touch with the people he needed to put his plans into action.
He would see his Queen again, sooner rather than later.
Walking into the Great Hall for the feast with Ravenclaw's diadem on would have been much more satisfying if Charles Potter hadn't stepped into her path, face a mess of guilt. "Helena… I know you're alone. I know that it must have been hard without us, but we- but I'm your family. Your twin." He reached out for her with hope in his eyes.
"Touch me and I swear I'll never look at you again." She could see him freeze, the hurt in his eyes, but the cold anger had been building up in her chest for years and she needed to let some of it out. "You think you know anything about me? About what my life was like while you were basking in your fame, with your happy family and big house? I was locked in a cellar, starving, and crying myself to sleep!"
Charlie flinched but seemed determined to press on like some stupid Gryffindor. "You don't have to go back Helena, we'll-"
"Lena. My name is Lena ." Her voice was a hiss. "And while you were grieving your hero of a father in your castle of gifts from admirers without a care in the world, I was being beaten because I let my dad die. You don't know a single thing about me… I can name your favorite color, what your least favorite subject is, and every name of all of your friends and family- and I bet you don't even know the name of the man that raised me or what my favorite food is."
"Jack Farland. Peppermints and chocolate." The boy raised his chin just slightly, eyes determined. "And James Potter was your father."
Daphne put a hand on her shoulder and she only then realized she was shaking in rage, a trail of tears running down the left side of her face, the girl's voice a soft mutter in her ear. "You don't have to do this Lena."
Taking a shaky breath to steady herself back into her blank mask, feeling her heart freeze over with nothing but apathy, she wiped her cheek slowly. "Chocolate I carry because I'm head of Slytherin house. Peppermints are a reminder that I went through hell and lived. And Jackson Farland was my father."
A soft sob came from up on the dais where Lily Potter was sat.
"Can't you see reason? You're going to reject a family because we haven't even gotten the chance to know you?" Sirius Black stormed towards her, looking furious. "What kind of ungrateful-"
"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!"
The man froze mid-step.
Dumbledore's eyes were cold blue, standing with his hands clenched. When his voice came out again, it was calm but held a weight that she knew was the true voice of the man that had been made into a weapon of war. "You and the Potters made their claim and it was rejected by Miss Farland, who has already been accepted by magic as Jackson Farland's daughter. Should you try to force her hand, not I nor anyone but yourself will not be responsible for your fate." His gaze swept to where she was shaking slightly with adrenaline. "Lena, my dear, if you would please forgive his behavior and release your frightening amount of magic…"
She imagined it was a sight to see from the dais, the sharp blades of magic hovering in a sphere around Black, waiting for the barest exhale of a sign she was in danger from the man.
Slowly letting it melt to the floor and back into her core, she took off the diadem and moved past Charles without even a glance, shoving the artifact at Black as she passed him. "Maybe this will help you figure it out. You have no right to me. I'm not Helena Potter and no amount of threatening will make me be her."
Then she sat down and cast multiple privacy spells and silencing charms around the Slytherin table so she didn't have to hide the fact she had started to cry again.
Weak.
"Whatever that thought that just crossed your head was- kill it." Blaise put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his chest. "You've seen all of us cry at one point or another… I think you deserve to be a bit upset over this."
Theo snorted softly. "There's no way we'd judge you for crying Lena Bean. Not when Dumbledore practically told us you were seconds away from killing Black."
Lena sniffed slightly, voice slightly choked. "I would have gotten away with it too… if it weren't for you miserable brats."
From down the table, Ginny burst into laughter, making her smile despite herself as the rest of the court just shared exasperated looks. Daphne rolled her eyes. "I sometimes hate not understanding your muggle inside jokes- it's not fair."
"Worth it though… I wonder when Black will see he's holding Ravenclaw's diadem?"
A shout was muffled by the charms around the table, but still audible.
The corner of her lips turned up just the slightest bit. "There it is. Bletchly? You owe me."
The boy down the table groaned slightly, but there was a grin on his face.