Chapter 10: The humble servant

Summary:

Gemma shows the girls to their dorm.

She tries her luck with the heiress.

Hermione is not an easy target.

Pansy needs to learn to keep her hands to herself.

Draco and Blaise writes home.

Hermione is pestered.

Severus moment of peace and quiet did not last as long as he wished.

Salazar Slytherin motto of non life is "Well, well, well. If it's not the consequences of my actions."

Notes:

It's Wednesday my dudes :D

Hello my dear Darklings. Thank you for the patience.

This chapter has over 10k words, I'm so proud.

I hoped to post this chapter a long time ago, but my pc decided that it wouldn't start and it took forever to fix it.

Also also, thank you so much for all the kind comments, y'all are the best.

Kudos as always to ZeroSpirall to tolerate my shenanigans and keep us on track, Severus part? That's all her, I just stood back and cackled at it.

So buckle up, because this chapter is a ride, don't forget to hydrate and have fun.

Happy reading

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

With their Head of House retiring for the night, the rest of the Slytherin spread about the common room to mingle with each other and to keep out of the way of the prefects trying to do their jobs of introducing the first years to their dormitory.

Terrence Higgs immediately guided the boys under the balcony Professor Snape previously stood on. Where in the center of the wall beyond an elegant archway the Slytherin coat of arms was carved in the stone. As they walked closer, the apparent solid wall seemed to push itself back creating an alcove where on each side laid a staircase leading downwards to the dormitories, boys to the right and girls to the left. The girl's staircase was enchanted to sink any boy who would dare to try descend to their dormitories up to his waist by the fourth stair until a girl or Professor Snape pull the interloper back up from where he came from, any girl trying to aid the trespasser on his journey down would sink alongside with him, in that particular case only their Head of House would be able to pull them back.

Gemma waited somewhat patiently for Professor Slytherin to exchange a few final words with Miss Addams and the Bloody Baron. The ghost said something that elicited a scoff from the founder, which prompted the Baron's face to contort in a smug smirk as he passed through the painting, disrupting their founder that growled a ruffled 'Altair' in warning whilst a ghostly chuckle echoed seemingly from nowhere and everywhere. Salazar adjusted his robes after having them disarrayed by the Baron that came back through the wall. She supposed she would have to amend herself and start calling the ghost by his correct title of "Lord Addams" now that they knew his name, at least she assumed it was Lord Addams since Miss Addams was an apparent descendant. The brunette decided to ask the little witch soon, it was unbecoming to not use one's title even if one doesn't seem to care about the lack of use of it like the ghost gave the impression of.

By the time Miss Addams stepped forward in between the portrait and the spectre and waved a hand in front of their faces to pull their attention towards her, allegedly informing them that she was removing herself from their conversation, receiving a warm goodnight from the two in a brief cease fire that quickly dissipated once they turned back to each other and resumed their bickering. Gemma noticed with relief that some colour had been returned to Miss Bulstrode's cheeks and she no longer looked like she was ready to bolt or pass out at a moment's notice, though what had brought the girl to the edge was a mystery to the prefect. Analysing the rest of the girls, she noticed that Miss Caddick and Miss Davies were quietly conversing with each other and Miss Greengrass seemed content to remain a silent observant. Miss Parkinson on the other hand, was glaring at Miss Addams and seemed generally put out by the little witch who, to her credit, didn't even seem to notice Parkinson's hostility, deliberating not acknowledging her presence which in hindsight appears to irritate the brunette further.

Determined to execute her prefect duties despite the unusual situation of their founder being interested in a first year. Gemma decided to continue on as if everything was normal even if nothing on that day was proceeding as normal, she called for the girls and led them downstairs without dilly dallying longer than they already had. Admittedly their journey through the first flight of stairs wasn't much, 21 slightly circular steps and they were already facing a corridor with numerous doors that stretched under the common room. The end of the corridor opened to what looked like a mini common room with big windows looking out into the depths of the lake, the architecture and furnishing very much a facsimile from the common room above their heads.

"This is the sixth year's floor." Gemma explained, gesturing to the silver plaque on the wall that had a 6th engraved on it with a faint glow, she continued with a smirk. "At this point you probably realised that in Slytherin we have a hierarchy. There are five more floors under this one, and you are all at the bottom."

Honestly, despite Gemma paraphrasing her speech from the one she received in her own first year, she had to admit that it was fun to let the first years know that currently in Slytherin they were worth less than the second year half-bloods regardless of what families they hailed from. It was tradition to break the exalted egos of the new snakelings, no doubt their puffed out little chests were nurtured and encouraged by their parents, in all likelihood, leading them to believe that respect would come their way just because of their family name. And yet still most of them had a confident upwards tilt in their noses. Gemma wasn't worried, it would only be a matter of time until they would be knocked from those self-assured pedestals right on their pampered little posteriors. But for some, a defeated slump of shoulders appeared when they realised that she was not kidding. Miss Addams, however, looked almost bored listening to the prefect talk.

"During your first year, you will reside all together. I know that at home you have your own room and you don't have to share, but this is done to encourage alliances between you and to help you to learn to cohabitate, it strengthens your bonds to one another, incentivizing you to adhere to our first rule of a United front."

She had had the same reaction that Caddick, Davies, Parkinson and in some degree even Greengrass had on their faces, the slight annoyance of having to share a living space with people that you didn't know nor liked. Bulstrode seemed resigned to the fact and Addams was indifferent. Gemma decided to take pity on the firsties.

"Don't worry though, at the end of the year, Professor Snape will call you individually to his office and he will consider your opinion when he decides how to room you in your second year. Your group will be split in half and you'll remain within that number until you finish fifth year, you can change roommates if everybody agrees. During sixth year, you'll be able to move to an individual room of your own if you so desire."

Hermione didn't even start first year properly and was already looking forward to her sixth year. Parkinson's face was starting to annoy her already, the girl would sneer and glare at her as if she was intimidating in any way, shape or form. Well, Wednesday did tell her to let people know who they should fear and Hermione tended to listen to her more often than not. She resisted the urge to fidget with the dagger her sister slid up her left sleeve as a parting gift.

"Each floor has a lounge room at the end of the corridor where you can relax, socialise or do your homework if you are not in the mood to climb all the way to the common room. The books on the shelves, different from the ones in the common room, are appropriate to your age group, so there won't be any advanced books there." The prefect explained. "Each room has a bathroom attached, its size corresponds with the number of inhabitants living there."

Gemma gestured to the door at the left of the bottom of the stairs they just came from, and unsurprisingly behind the door laid another staircase. She ushered the girls to go first. As she predicted, Parkinson and Greengrass went first, leading their little group, followed by Caddick and Davies, Bulstrode went next but kept a certain distance from the girls in front of her. And just like before, Addams hanged at the back of the group which worked perfectly for Gemma since she planned to talk to her without anybody's interference.

She was sure she was not the only one thinking on how to get close to the apparent heiress of Slytherin. Maybe she could sponsor the girl, take her under her wing and gain her trust. Become a sister in all but name, more than essential for her and in turn have a powerful connection, even if the girl unnerved her to no end. If she played her cards right and managed to befriend the little witch now without the interference of another, so many doors would open for her. She could even get an audience with Salazar Slytherin's portrait.

Gemma would have to be smart about this, the girl was not dumb, far from it, for all the lack of emotion in her expression, there was an undeniable vicious intelligence behind Addams' eyes. Her not so little power play in the common room was proof of it. Salazar Slytherin put her on the spot and by Merlin she rose to the challenge. Not only that, but the Bloody Baron's manic glee didn't phase her in the least, Gemma was sure she would have chills for the rest of the month thinking about the psychotic grin plastered on his face. Addams simply greeted him politely and called him 'uncle' and then called Salazar Slytherin 'uncle', as if it wasn't the most mind boggling thing Gemma has ever witnessed in her life.

She took a deep breath to calm down as they arrived briefly on the fifth year's floor and began their descent to the floor below. The first years in front of her didn't look like they knew what an immense asset their new roommate was, Parkinson in particular was not mature enough to realise how antagonising Addams was only going to bring her misery. Decided to take the most out of the chance of being the prefect that got to guide the apparent heiress of Slytherin during her first year, Gemma slowed down enough so she could be climbing down the stairs alongside the little witch.

"Addams, if I could have a moment of your time." A glance in her direction was all the acknowledgement she got from the dark haired girl, it was more than enough in her book.

"So the Bloody Baron is your uncle correct? Is he an actual Baron? Slytherin House has been calling him that epithet since before my time in Hogwarts, I never heard anybody calling him by another title."

As she felt herself being scrutinised thoroughly, she couldn't help but hold her breath unconsciously whilst she waited for the girl to finish looking for whatever she was looking for. When those black eyes resumed looking ahead- and not straight into her soul- she exhaled in relief as silently as possible. She thought she was going to be completely ignored since by the time they reached the third year's stairs, not a word had been uttered. And then those dark pits of eyes were back on her again.

"Tell me what method you employ to use your wand as an alarm."

Addams' voice was calm and controlled, her accent undeniably British, however it lilted in places that her own accent didn't and she couldn't figure out what could give that sort of musical bend to the words. Gemma felt as if Addams was doing her a favour by giving her some attention and letting her respond to the order, not a question, she noticed. If not for the neutral, almost bored, tone of voice, the prefect would think that the girl was incredibly arrogant, however that didn't seem to be the case, another riddle in the shroud of mystery that covered Hermione Addams. The command was unexpected since her own inquiry went unacknowledged, nevertheless, that was her chance to make roads with the witch.

"I hold my wand and push my will into it. There's no wand movements, just your will and your wand. Much like the Tempus spell that shows the time and date."

"Yes, I am aware of the Tempus charm. Incredibly simple. The reason is not amongst the first spells we are taught eludes me. Especially if the basic technique is as elementarily ordinary as you've implied."

'It's because you are not supposed to have enough control over your magic to produce and keep the stable flow necessary to form the image in mid air until you're in third year, you freak!' Gemma Farley raged inside her own mind by the dismissal, her rudimentary occlumency shields keeping her thoughts from showing on her face.

"Ordinary? Why? What do you do?" Her curiosity reared its ugly head and she asked on behalf of her third year self who struggled with the charm for over a week until she figured out how to adjust her magic to be constantly flowing instead of short bursts of power. As if she knew of her struggles in the past, Addams looked at her and smirked just long enough for her to see, she dug her nails in the palm of the hand opposite to Addams so she couldn't see she was trying to keep herself calm.

'You little brat!' She thought outraged before strangling the anger to keep her eye on the prize, she needed to befriend the heiress, having that connection would open so many doors.

She noticed the other girls surreptitiously trying to listen to her impromptu lesson, but that was alright, Addams was paying attention to her and that was what mattered. Deciding to not let the opportunity slip through her fingers, she reiterated the subject and took her wand from her inner pocket holding it loosely in her hand.

"Like you've pointed out, much like the Tempus charm, the alarm is easy to set. You visualise the time you want for the alarm to start in your head, let's say in ten seconds. Think of the type of noise or light or vibration you want your wand to produce in order to get your attention and say 'Evigilare'."

Surely enough, ten seconds later her wand lit up with a weak light and a faint 'ding' echoed out of it. The dark haired witch seemed to study her wand attentively, absorbing the information provided to her carefully. Gemma would like to say that she was not easily surprised, but Addams' next move definitely was not what she expected to happen.

"Bulstrode." She called out for the only roommate she had not only acknowledged but also decided to place as a second, completely undermining their model of hierarchy Slytherin has been following for years.

"Five seconds."

Gemma's confusion was brief, but it was enough to make her raise her eyebrows in disbelief when Bulstrode pulled her wand to cast the spell as requested without a question. Five seconds later she had her wand producing a soft whistle. Addams nodded in appreciation and after a beat, answered the previously ignored question.

"Altair Edgar Addams was a baron over 900 years ago, he used to be the lord of the area now known as Wiltshire. Since his demise, the family assumed his duties and minds all the properties bequeathed to him and his."

Gemma made a mental note to change how she referred to Lord Addams from now on, even in the privacy of her mind. She couldn't resist the impulse of asking about Professor Slytherin being the little witch's uncle as well. She received a slight narrow of eyes in her direction as a response, alongside with.

"That kind of information is way more expensive than a simple charm to help you rise in the morning. Are you willing to pay the price for it?"

Point taken. The girl knew very well what she was trying to do and wasn't willing to let it happen. However, that short interaction told Gemma many things. First, Bulstrode was under Addams' protection, messing with her meant you would be on Addams' bad side and she was not keen in finding out how that side would be if the neutral side she was getting this whole time was telling something. Secondly, Addams didn't trust anybody, Bulstrode included, the half blood was under her protection currently but that did not mean she wasn't expendable. Gemma provided an unknown spell and Addams delegated a second to test it, both to check if the information provided was true and if it was not, delegating it to check if it was harmful thus avoiding direct hit in case the charm has any other effect than the one provided. Which said a lot about the little witch's willingness to take things at face value. And last and more importantly, Addams was more ruthless and cunning than Farley previously anticipated, knowledge is power and she wielded it like a sharp blade. No information was free. Her question was only answered after the information she provided was verified. In conclusion, she did not want to provoke the girl to react negatively nor she wished to owe anything to her, Merlin knows what she would be asked to do if she ever owe the girl a favour.

Wisely she backed off and rescinded her question. To her relief, it didn't take long for them to arrive at the first year's floor and she had a reason to put some distance between herself and Addams without looking like she was rushing away from the girl. Walking up towards the front of the group she pointed out how even though their floor looked smaller, the room they would all occupy together had plenty of space for them to live in.

"The claim of the beds is pretty straightforward, you touch the bed you chose and declare aloud 'this is my bed'." Farley shrugged before smirking. "Of course the first night of term is the most important when it comes to claiming the beds, just because you declared that a particular bed is yours, doesn't mean it can't be taken from you."

Gemma couldn't deny that the nervous shuffling some of the firsties were doing didn't amuse her infinitely. Slytherin was a totally different beast from the other houses and their hierarchy didn't start at the common room. If you can't defend your own bed, how can you defend a position of leadership? The fights over what bed was who's were always something fun to watch. A flash of the memory of her roommates rolling on the floor pulling each other's hair whilst almost fist fighting for the claim to the bigger bed- clearly the head bed- flashed behind her eyes, pulling a humorous grin on her face.

"If you succeed in spending the whole night in your bed without anyone forcing you out of it, your claim will be permanent…Well, at least until next term." She chuckled unkindly, it was always fun to watch the first years miserably trudging their way out of the dormitories on their first morning in the castle with circles around their eyes from staying up all night defending their beds.

Her due diligence now done, she extended her arm in invitation for the girls to open the door of their shared room and claim their beds. Parkinson was the first to move and opened the door, entering without waiting to see if the others would follow her, which they hurriedly did, all of them wanted a good bed, meanwhile Addams strolled calmly into the room. Gemma couldn't wait to see who would get the head bed and how. She swore to herself that she would separate any fights…after a fashion…if necessary.

The room had an octagonal orientation, with a furnace in the dead center of it to keep it warm and comfortable. The floor was littered with rugs comfortable enough that one could walk barefoot and never feel the cold stone beneath, armchairs and tea tables could be seen spread about the room. The beds, made of African Padauk wood, were organised around the furnace beginning from behind the entrance door. Every bed had a wardrobe on the right, a writing desk on the left and once claimed, the student's trunk would appear at the foot that if they so desired, could be changed to a chest. On the left side of the room there were three beds, on the right side there were two beds and the door to the bathroom, and at the back of the room sat the head bed. Even though all beds were four posters, the head bed was clearly bigger, where all the other beds were twin size, the head bed was a queen size. Parkinson made a beeline to it.

Pansy felt a sting on her left cheekbone before she saw the dagger stuck on the post of the bed she was about to claim, mere 2 inches from her outstretched hand. The dagger was pretty in a lethal way that Pansy could not explain, the double edged hell thrower was about 6 inches long made entirely of what appeared to be silver, the light dancing on it as it reflected on the blade. Confused, she brought her hand to her face when she felt something warm running down her cheek and with wide eyes saw red on her fingertips when she pulled them back in front of her line of vision. She gasped after she realised it was her own blood, breaking the silence that fell over the room. Spinning around with an indignant cry, she looked for the culprit as her left hand held her cheek. Noticing everybody looking warily at Addams who stood calmly- with her hands loosely by her sides- in the doorway, the prefect had her back pressed against the door trying to create some distance between her and the firstie, the door stopped in its advance towards the wall by the wardrobe next to Cadick's bed. It was Addams that spoke first.

"That…is my bed." She said in a bored tone of someone who had to repeat basic common knowledge many times over to someone who refused to grasp the conception. Facts that regardless of the person's belief weren't less true just because they wish it were. The sun is a star, water is wet; that is Hermione Addams' bed.

Still in a shocked daze they turned back to the bed when they heard the wood groan ever so softly, that if the room wasn't awash with deafening silence, nobody would've been able to hear it. From the tip of the dagger still sunken into the bedpost, the wood began to stain. It started slowly, the deep warm red became tainted by the darkness that bled from the blade in tendrils that quickly spread throughout all the structure, steadily the African Padauk wood was devoured and in its place jet black Ebony emerged. The emerald green from the curtains tied around the bedposts began to flake off to give way to dark grey. Suddenly the pace picked up and the metamorphosis rushed to meet at the center of the headboard where it revolved around itself until the carving of an elegant calligraphic uppercase 'A' inside a crest emerged. The final result was just as eerie and unnerving as the one who claimed that bed, it felt as if the fourposter itself was challenging the others to try and steal it from its true owner.

Despondent, Pansy stretched her right hand to pry off the dagger from the now dark wood, only to gasp, and step away whilst cradling her arm against her chest when it produced a tendril of electricity that much like a snake launched a strike against her hand and shocked her. Hermione sauntered towards the bed and pulled out the blade leaving a small crevice behind showing how the wood had changed completely down to its center, twirling the blade around her fingers with practice ease that made the Korean girl feel queasy.

Suddenly stepping up into Parkinson's personal space, she smirked and a spark of malicious glee flared in her eyes causing Pansy to involuntarily take a step back, trying to create a distance between them that the other witch did not allow to happen, stepping forwards with her.

It was as if all of them were stuck to the ground, forced to watch Addams lazily whirl the knife around her left hand slowly getting closer to Parkinson who cornered herself against the post of the bed behind her,only to be forced to step forward with a yelp, when this time the bed gave a shock of electricity against her back. The feeling was stronger than the one that lashed at her hand. She squeaked in distress when there was nowhere to run and yet, her eyes did not leave the blade on the other witch's hand. When the dagger was finally still, Pansy looked up, finding herself almost nose to nose with an Addams who was smiling calmly at her.

"Next time you try to claim my spot, I won't miss on purpose. Are we understood?"

"Y-yes." Pansy croaked trying to hold back her tears.

"Good. We will not be committing that kind of faux pas in the future once again, non?" She eyed Daphne, letting the smile bleed out of her face and spun the dagger on her hand in warning when they made eye contact. The blonde nodded quickly in agreement, Davies and Caddick following Greengrass' example when Hermione looked at them over her shoulder. The dagger disappeared up her sleeve just as quickly as it had appeared as Hermione stepped away and turned towards her bed, where her trunk rested on top of it since her chest with a keyless lock appeared at the foot.

Pansy shakily exhaled and tried to will her hands to stop shaking. Turning around she could see the other girls watching the scene with wide eyes as if they couldn't believe that that just happened. She couldn't lose face, showing how affected Addams left her would throw her down her place in the hierarchy chain. She raised her chin as if nothing had happened and made her way to the bed to the right of the head bed, when she raised her hand to claim that one she heard Addams tsking behind her, looking over her shoulder in trepidation she saw the witch that had just threatened her with a knife glaring at her. Immediately she snapped her hand back and went to the other side of the room, claiming the bed next to Caddick- located just by the side of the bathroom door- who had already claimed the bed to Addams' left.

Silently, Addams offered the bed to her right for Bulstrode with a wave of her hand. The half blood did not waste any time by claiming the indicated furniture. Greengrass had already claimed the one by Millie's side and the next one was claimed by Davies. Both Caddick and Davies were relieved for being ignored completely by Hermione.

Gemma finally snapped out of her fright of watching a first year hurl a dagger at a classmate and was currently internally debating if she should berate or fear the girl. She never thought that having younger siblings that liked to throw whatever they had in hand towards the first unsuspected person who would cross the threshold of their playroom would come in handy, even as her reflexes were delayed, they've kicked in gear when Addams moved faster than her eyes could accompany throwing the blade- that Gemma had no idea where it came from- underhand. Thinking in her self preservation first, she decided to not provoke the firstie to turn the dagger in her direction and gave a final warning about what time she would be waiting for them to guide them to the Great Hall for breakfast next morning, quickly wishing good night to the first years she excused herself.

After the prefect hasty retreat, they thought they would be able to relax a bit, to their dismay a faint pop and a loud war cry came from the ceiling. When they all simultaneously looked up, a tiny house elf descended rapidly over Addams holding a kitchen knife almost as big as themselves with both hands.

Hermione's blade slid back into her hand from her sleeve fluidly, she then raised the dagger in almost the same movement and parried the blade coming at her. Spinning to her right she guided both the kitchen knife and the creature away from her body. The elf, surprisingly landing lightly on their feet, quickly turned around and launched another straight stab against the girl that stepped back, moving out of the way of their blade and keeping herself on the outside of their shoulder. Before they could adjust their grip on the knife to make a sweep movement against the witch, she grabbed their wrists and taking advantage of the inertia of their attack, pulled them forward, disturbing their balance more. At the same time her left elbow connected to their face and with a kick to the back of their ankles, the elf dropped the knife- that slid away- and their back hit the ground with enough force to rob the air right out of their lungs. A knee landed on their sternum to keep them down and a blade was shoved under their jaw, nicking the skin of their neck in warning.

To the bewilderment of all in the room, when the elf finally managed to breathe somewhat normally again, they beamed at Addams with the biggest smile anybody had ever seen on a house elf, showing off the abundance of sharp teeth that should not have any business doing in the mouth of a being whose existence was dedicated to serve others in exchange for magic.

"It's you!" They exclaimed excitedly grabbing on her sleeve as relieved tears ran down their face completely oblivious to the blade to their neck. "My beloved Addams mistress."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the surprisingly strong creature pinned under her that held her arm in place tighter than her mother's African Strangler, Cleopatra, held someone that somehow displeased her. A chorus of incredulous 'WHAT?' echoed across the dormitory.

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Meanwhile in the boy's dormitory, Terrence Higgs did not have any difficulty in guiding his firsties to their room. There were no fights nor disputes, not even a discussion about who would get the claim of the head bed. Malfoy confidently claimed that bed, and as always nothing peculiar happened, not that it should, it remained as identical as the day Higgs saw in his first year, just like every other bed present in any room in Slytherin House. Theodore Nott silently laid on the bed to Malfoy's right, Goyle to Malfoy's left with Crabbe taking the one by the bathroom's door. Wendell got the bed by Theodore's right and Zabini claimed the one behind the door, as far away from the Malfoy heir as he could.

There wasn't much conversation besides Malfoy complaining under his breath about how his father would hear about the mudblood called Addams who didn't know her place before sitting at his desk and writing a letter that he sent off the moment he was finished.

Blaise watched the Malfoy heir grumbling whilst writing his letter and thought that although Draco was an idiot, he got the right idea, a letter would have to be sent post haste to home with news of being in the same house as an Addams. Sitting at the desk by his bed, he fished some parchment and his favourite quill from his belongings and pondered about one of the most important letters of his life up to that point. He opted to write in his capacity of heir Zabini, it was, after all, House business.

"Dear Contessa Zabini

As we have predicted in our many conversations over tea, I've been sorted into Slytherin. The sorting was absurdly simple, a talking hat was deposited on my head and it decided what House suited me best.

Slytherin's rules are also quite simple, but I suppose complicated rules would go over the heads of many of my housemates. The boys in my year are also quite underwhelming, Draco Malfoy especially has started his Hogwarts career making enemies and the worst part is that he doesn't even realise it, what an idiotic boy. He is especially prone to running his mouth and then hiding behind his father, pointing fingers at those who he perceives as wronging him.

On that note we have reached the crux of this letter. Initially this letter would have been written in the capacity of your son Blaise, however extenuating circumstances forced me to write as heir Zabini. I thought Hogwarts would serve me to further ingratiate our family into Britain by befriending the heirs of pureblood families and playing well my part in high society. Imagine my surprise when instead of furthering our interests suddenly my experience at this school became one of duty.

This year, to everyone's surprise, brought back an unexpected family back into Britain's magical side to level out the playing field. They've been absent from Hogwarts for far too long, people like Malfoy have grown complacent and arrogant. But from what I witnessed tonight, they are in for a rude awakening.

The House of Zabini have sworn generations ago to answer the call when they feel it. Tonight, the call resonated throughout my entire being, humbling me as I looked the abyss in its eyes.

An Addams stalks Hogwarts' halls once again, courting chaos from the moment they've stepped into the grounds, dragging the arrogant fools kicking and screaming to eat their share of humble pie. Ever since Duchessa Bianca Zabini vowed to Lord Dante Addams that our House would be loyal to his clan, a Zabini has always been by an Addams side.

I am honoured that my call is finally here.

The House of Zabini will serve again.

Love and loyalty,

Heir Zabini, humble servant."

Blaise would never forget the day his mother sat him down to tell him about the family responsibilities when he was six. His mother was not a woman to be trifled with. She, despite being married many times, refused to change her name to appease any male ego.

'I am a Zabini and nobody will ever tell me otherwise.' She would say with her chest puffed up in pride.

Anathema Zabini was his role model. She raised him with all the love and respect he could ever ask for and more. She taught him how to be cunning, she taught him how to be subtle, she taught him how to be ruthless, how to bring someone into a false sense of security and reveal all their secrets, and how to use those secrets against them without them ever knowing it was him. But above all, she taught him how to be loyal.

'I need you to pay attention now, il mio tesoro.(my treasure)' Her voice, ever so gentle with him, had a serious tone. She had told him about all he would be expected to know and she would teach him, but his mother's voice was never as serious as it was at that moment.

'You know most of the stories of our ancestors, you know about their struggles and conquests. Zabinis are masters of themselves and many times entrusted to be masters of others; be that leading a group through danger or being the Lord of a village.' Blaise, much like his mother, was incredibly proud of being a Zabini, he listened in rapt attention, eager to learn more.

'Alas, there are those who are above us, and they are the only ones that a Zabini will ever serve.' The Italian boy was on the edge of his seat, who could be so powerful that would make a servant out of a Zabini?

'Do not worry, mio piccolino, we serve for honour and not because we are forced to, we serve because we want to serve them, they saved our family generations ago and if not for them, the Zabini line would have been wiped out of existence by our enemies. Since that day, our family decided to swear loyalty to their clan.(my little one)' Little Blaise was practically vibrating in curiosity.

'Who, mami? What clan does the Zabini serve?(mummy)' Anathema smiled softly at her eager little boy and offered her hand to guide him towards the library.

'Come, il mio tesoro, it's time you learn about the Addams.(my treasure)'

That day Blaise learned about Duchess Bianca Alessia Zabini and how Lord Dante Salvatore Addams saved her and the entire Zabini line from extinction.

Blaise sealed his letter and tied it to his owl's leg. Quasimodo took flight, quickly disappearing on the rafters of his room; how the owl would manage to reach outside to deliver his letter from inside of the castle was a mystery to him, but just like an Addams, Hogwarts would find a way to do the impossible.

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Every once in a while the girls would look at the sight of Addams writing a letter at her desk with an eager house elf sat on their heels next to her on the floor, looking at her in admiration and adoration. Hermione's initial refusal of the creature becoming her servant was both startling and somewhat funny. The house elf promptly bursted into tears and threw themselves at her feet grabbing her robes, begging to be accepted. When Hermione ignored them, the elf sniffed and seemed like all the hope had been drained from them, lying face down on the floor. Then, one of their big ears moved as if they were hearing something, suddenly they were on their feet nodding in determination and said they refused her refusal, sitting on their heels by her desk and every two minutes would repeat the request.

"Please, be this one's mistress. This one will be the best house elf mistress could ever ask for."

Only to be rebuffed with a bored.

"No. Stop pestering me."

And so their battle of will and stubbornness would resume, the elf would pout, sit in silence for a while, become impatient and start wiggling in place until they couldn't wait anymore and ask again. This went on and on until Hermione had finished her letter, she slid a tiny snake sculpted in silver with purple sapphires for eyes into the envelope with her letter before sealing the envelope with black and purple wax and stamped it with the Addams crest. Her mother would be so pleased with her gift, and undoubtedly amused with its origin.

Millicent watched Hermione deposit the letter on the center of the desk and turn around to stare at the tiny elf at her feet, turning her back to her desk and obscuring the line of sight to her correspondence.

The elf and the witch stared at each other's eyes until the elf broke the silence.

"Please be this one's mistress."

This time, instead of instant refusal, Addams observed the elf for a few minutes.

"For how long will you pester me?"

The house elf smiled wickedly, once again showing all their teeth and with a gleam in their eyes, they answered in a gleeful voice.

"Until this one can serve their beloved mistress."

At this point, Pansy was sick of their back and forth, groaning, she interrupted.

"If you want to serve someone so badly, you can serve me."

The wicked smile disappeared and a cold glare took its place in the elf's eyes, all the warmth bled out from their expression being replaced with a scowl.

"This one was especially chosen by mistress Ophelia to serve an Addams. You are not worthy of this one. Too weak, this one would eat you alive."

The smile was back, more vicious than before. Pansy never once thought she would be scared of a house elf before. House elves were stupid, pathetic, weak creatures that she would kick if they were in her way and they would rejoice that their mistress gave them any kind of recognition. This elf however would make her take several steps back if she wasn't already sitting on her bed.

"Aunt Ophelia picked you for me?"

Hermione asked almost in surprised awe, the affable elf was back the moment they turned around to the witch they were determined to serve. Enthusiastically they nodded making their big ears flop ungainly.

"Yes." They gushed. "This one was personally picked and instructed by mistress Ophelia to serve the living Addams in the castle."

Daphne had so many questions about Addams at this point. She saw how the Longbottom heir clinged to Hermione Addams since they interacted in the train when they both passed by their compartment wondering about a missing toad. Addams had unnerved her from the moment she laid eyes on her, the witch reminded her of the time her father took her with him to negotiate expanding one of their farms, the owner of the acres her father wanted to buy had a graphorn wandering his property and forgot to warn them about it. When both men walked inside to discuss the contract, Daphne stayed outside looking at pretty flowers to bring to her little sister that was sick at home. The Greengrass heiress heard heavy steps heading in her direction and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Quickly she turned around, just to see the enormous Graphorn rapidly closing the distance between them. Her father was with her the moment he heard her scream and stupefied the creature. Even if the creature was incapacitated, Daphne couldn't stop feeling cautious as if the beast would suddenly spring up and lunge at her again at a moment's notice.

Addams made her feel like she was 6 years old again, picking flowers for Astoria and being watched by a predator that could pounce on her on a whim. And after that demonstration with Parkinson in the head bed debacle, Daphne didn't feel like her fears were unfounded.

"Very well then, follow me."

Hermione, who had a thoughtful look for a while, nodded to herself determinedly and got up from her chair, making her way to the door, leaving behind a clean desk that moments earlier had an unsent letter resting on top of it. Millie puzzled over the disappearance of the correspondence as the tiny house elf practically skipped after their soon to be mistress. She saw house elves that tiny only once before, when a couple of wizards were exchanging young house elves that had never been bound in Knockturn. Once they've been sold and bounded they grew a bit, but not enough to be considered adults yet, she wondered how long Addams' elf would take to be an adult elf's size. If they didn't grow, she'd be surprised if the elf lasted to the holidays, with it being so small and scrawny.

~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~

Hermione guided the elf to the end of the corridor and into the duplicate of the common room on the first year's floor. She stopped in front of the window that offered a view of the Black Lake and since they were so deep underwater, barely any light was able to penetrate the dark waters, the torch by the window was the only source of light in the room, the glow from the fire reflected off the glass making the witch look like a painting.

The elf looked at their beloved mistress waiting for them. It was finally here, the day they've been dreaming for years since they were picked as the best match for the next Addams who would come to Hogwarts. They knew they were extremely lucky, as the witch in front of them would be their first and forever bond, mistress Ophelia guaranteed. They would never be alone again, never shunned and shooed away from the presence of the other elves, they would have their mistress, the best mistress, an Addams mistress.

With a determined look in their eyes, the elf marched themselves up to their mistress and took her right hand to deposit it on their head so they could swear their loyalty to her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Apparently that was not what their mistress was planning. With tears threatening to spill over their hold loosened and they answered.

"B-bonding with you, mistress."

When the witch frowned and pulled her hand from their grasp, the elf remembered in a flash all the horror stories they were told by other elves about bad masters and mistresses that would hurt their elves by the slightest mistake or even for fun. When the dagger the witch used to parry their attack slid into her hand, the elf feared she was just like the stories they heard and was going to hurt them. Even though they were trembling in fear, they decided that they wouldn't take the punishment meekly, so with eyes closed tightly, they raised their head and prepared for the pain, if they were to be punished then they would be a proud elf and take their punishment standing up and not like a coward.

But the pain never came, after standing for a while in silence the elf opened one eye to spy why the witch hadn't struck them, what they saw made them gasp and have their large eyes open wide. The witch had one knee on the floor, bringing herself down to the elf's level so she could look in their eyes.

She offered the dagger handle first for them with her right hand, her left hand had a cut opening the palm where blood was pooling on the center of it. They felt so honoured, witches and wizards don't simply kneel to anyone, certainly not to a lowly house elf. Like a lightning crossing the storm, one of their lessons about bonding with an Addams light up their mind. Of course, Addams didn't bond with servants like anyone else, they didn't remain passive as a servant swore their life away at their feet.

The elf quickly grabbed the dagger before the witch could change her mind and swiftly cut their left palm and extended their hand that their mistress gently took within her own. Remembering their lessons, they recited simultaneously with their mistress.

"You are mine and I am yours."

"You will never cry in hunger for I will feed you. You will never suffer the whims of the weather for you are welcome in any place I choose to reside." Hermione promised.

"I will serve and obey you. I will protect and defend you." Responded the elf.

"I offer my blood and magic to share with you a bond for life." Said Hermione.

"I offer my blood and magic to share with you a bond for life." Echoed the elf.

They let go of each other's hands and Hermione rested her bloodied hand over the elf's heart, with the creature mirroring her, with their hand over her heart.

"I am yours, from this day until my last day. So mote it be." They've avowed together.

The elf felt a surge of magic rush into their being through their chest, healing whatever little cuts and bruises they had acquired throughout their life, filling up the emptiness they didn't know was there. They felt their mistress' magic as an extent of themselves, it was there, almost physically extending towards them and engulfing them in embrace like they were floating on a stream of ancient magic that felt just as old as it was young. They felt all that it had been, all that it was and all that it could be; and suddenly, just like that, the bond snapped into place, and they let out the air they didn't notice they were holding. Their world was completely different than it was a second ago. They felt complete now, felt more grounded than they've ever been. They finally had a home, for the first time in their life they felt whole.

Hermione watched the previous awe that was present on the creature's eyes before, being multiplied tenfold. She waited patiently until the elf was more present with her than lost in her magic. She had felt when their magic latched onto hers, like a parasite burrowing into her core but instead of it trying to drain her until nothing else was left, it settled, as if sighing in relief for having a safe place to go back to. She could feel the elf's magic feeding her core with its own magic at the same rate as it fed itself from hers in a perfect symbiotic relationship.

Removing her hand from the elf's chest, completely healed with not one trace of blood left behind, Hermione retrieved the dagger from their limp grasp and slid back into its holster under her sleeve. It took a while, but the creature's eyes were finally able to focus on her enough for a conversation.

"So, what is your name?"

It was a shy elf- that was completely the antithesis of the abrasive elf from the previous ten minutes or so- that answered her whilst playing with hem of their pillow case.

"This one has never been bonded with anyone but mistress. So this one has no name, mistress can choose whatever name pleases her."

Hermione frowned.

"I cannot name you, it will be your name. Names are important, they carry wishes and hopes, it represents what you embody and what you are capable of. A name gives you power over yourself, it's what differentiates you from anybody else. The sound of your name will cut through all the noise, it will make you proud of being called so. I cannot take the right of being able to name yourself from you. From now on you are an Addams, now tell me what will the family call you?"

The elf pondered for a few minutes in silence, their mistress refusing to get off the floor until they reached a decision. They mulled over what their mistress said, their name should be something that would bring them pride and it also represents what they were and what they were capable of. Suddenly an incredible idea appeared in their mind, it was perfect and they could barely contain their excitement practically vibrating in happiness.

"So, have you decided?" Their impossibly kind mistress asked.

"Yes. It represents this one perfectly. In fact, it was mistress herself that named this one."

The mischievous cheeky smile formed on the elf's face without their 's brow furrowed in confusion. What could she have possibly said to them for the elf to think she inadvertently named them? She was hesitant to ask.

"Go on then."

"This one chooses Pest."

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, she did indeed ask for how long they would pester her. Looking at the elf that was giggling to themselves over their mischief and dancing on the spot, she had to agree.

"Very well, you are correct, it does suit you." The elf puffed out their chest in pride.

"Welcome to the Addams family, Pest Addams."

And Pest beamed at their wonderful, gentle, kind, glorious, dark, brave, bold, creative, beautiful, impossible young brilliant mistress.

~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~

In his personal living quarters, Severus sat on his sofa, with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands, letting out an exhausted sigh as he reviewed his day mentally. It was just September 1st and it was already a disaster. He thought Harry Potter would be his greatest source of problems and headaches. Dumbledore even took pleasure in alluding to him that the boy looked so much like his father, that seeing the boy would be like James Potter walking through the hallways all over again, just to get a rise out of him.

He could not deny that the headmaster was correct, Potter looked like the spitting image of his father, but it was the eyes and the look of awe in them that gave him pause. No matter how much the boy looked like his school bully, the eyes were purely that of Lily Evans, even the wonder over seeing the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall for the first was so much like his mother's.

However, his concerns about Potter were thrown out the window the moment he heard the name 'Addams' being called for sorting. Like an optimistic fool he had hoped that he was just being overzealous by wishing that the Addams in question was just a muggleborn that happened to be named Adams, like that boy, Oliver Adams, who was sorted into Hufflepuff and had graduated in the previous poor boy was given the surprise of his life on his first night. A tiny house elf came out of nowhere and attacked the boy. Would have had a wicked scar across his chest if Pomona Sprout was not there. The boy was forever scared of house elves and taunted mercilessly by his slytherins and some of the other houses as well. To this day nobody knows where the elf came from nor where did they go.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Hermione Addams was the real deal, as Addams as they come, barely inside the castle and already courting chaos and causing problems. Disrupting Slytherin's hierarchy by snatching the leader seat, staring down her yearmates until they coward away, somehow being descendant of both the Bloody Baron and Salazar Slytherin himself, and worst of all, she dared to stand proudly in front of the portrait and openly defying anybody to challenge her for the position she sank her little claws in and refuse to let go, like a Lynx protecting what they presume as theirs.

Without looking, Severus raised his hand and silently summoned a headache draught. His relief was palpable when the potion smacked into his hand, with no hesitation he uncorked the vial and drank it like one would drink a shot of vodka. He reclined back and rested his head over the backrest, letting out a sigh, grateful for the silence and possibly one of the few moments of peace he would get before the chaotic storm these next seven years would be.

Only for his whatever small moment of peace to be had, was shattered in seconds as a neon green flash lit up his living room and out of his roaring fireplace stormed a tall platinum-blond man, clearly dressed for a lavish night out to an outrageous overly priced extravagant restaurant. With not a single fabric or hair out of place, the man's aristocratic features would impose respect anywhere, had it not been distorted by the sheer and utter panic on his face. His eyes were blown wide in fear, while his teeth were clenched in an attempt to keep himself together, as his lips twisted in a grimace by the force he was exerting on his jaw.

"Severus, is the boy okay!?"

"Lucius, what-" He started asking what on earth the wizard thought he was doing invading his quarters but was interrupted just as abruptly as the arrival of the man.

Lucius marched towards him holding tightly a letter that already showed the wrinkles of being grasped forcefully, waving it about in front of his face as if it was definite proof something sacrilegious happened.

"I just received the boy's letter. Tell me it's not true."

Severus had the letter thrust upon him and he quickly skimmed over the contents. His godson made sure to highlight his quick sorting and complain about 'the Addams mudblood that doesn't know her place.'. Not one mention about Salazar Slytherin claiming the girl, nor how she shut him down after they were all sitting down for the feast.

"I'm afraid that it is true. I've interacted with the clan long enough to recognise that she is the real deal."

And now he had Lucius Malfoy pacing in his living room. If Lucius was anybody else, Severus was sure he would be running his hands through his hair in distress. Since this was a Malfoy, Lucius would rather be tortured before he would have his hair in disarray. That was a fact, he was there when the blond was tortured by the dark lord and managed to get up with his hair perfectly in place, he was trembling, but his hair was as if he had just brushed it.

"If I had known. I would have warned the boy. I would have taught him. But it's been centuries since they…" He abruptly cut himself off, quickly scanning the dark corners of the professor's living space as if a figure would suddenly emerge from the shadows and jump him. "...graced…the British wizarding world. How was I supposed to know!?"

"Lucius-" Severus started only to be interrupted again.

"I was going to start teaching the boy about them after his O.W.L.s. I'd never even dream he would need to know immediately. Now he's in the same year at school and is even in the same house as one of THEM!"

"Lucius." He was steamrolled over again, now that Malfoy was in a row.

"Hogwarts was supposed to be relatively safe and he was to keep his head down, but how is he supposed to relax and enjoy his school years with Dumbledore looming over him? And the Potter boy, he was supposed to befriend the boy and instead the boy disrespected him. And now on top of it all we have a DAMNED…"

Once again, he managed to bring his rant into an abrupt halt as he remembered where he was. The school had ears and eyes everywhere. It did not become a more secure place with an Addams roaming about, quite the opposite, nothing was out of the realm of impossibility with one of them in the castle. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Lucius straightened his posture whilst adjusting his clothing, he brushed his long silky platinum locks and breathed out the name 'Addams' as if saying the name out loud would summon one.

Just the sound of the name made a shiver run down his spine. Be it because it was a cursed name, be it the history between the Malfoy family and the Addams clan, or be it the strength it held. It mattered not, the name affected him all the same.

"...an Addams is here and the boy is not prepared. He doesn't know how to talk his way out of an owlery, let alone how to not throw himself head first on the bad side of that…family."

He finally lost the wind under his sails and had to sit down on one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Severus looked at him with a bored expression that showed everything that he thought about the man's rant.

"If you are quite done with the theatrics Malfoy. Draco is fine…so far. He hasn't lost any limbs yet and I dare say he has been taken down a few pegs…alongside others that sided with him."

"How could this have happened?" The blond's expression was contorted in a grimace, Lucius leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees and interlacing his fingers in front of him.

Severus cradled his head and muttered into his hands. "I don't know."

After a beat of silence Lucius started talking again.

"Last I heard of the main branch of the family, they had settled in the Colonies a few centuries ago. Have they come back?"

Severus' response was the same. "I don't know."

Malfoy continued on as if he was talking to himself at this point.

"Do you know what their return would do to the economy? Let alone the wizarding world and its traditions. Last time they settled here, half of Europe was up in flames." He mirrored his friend's position. "And not only that, the Dark Lord won't be pleased when he hears about this."

A shudder ran down their spines. If the rumours were correct, Voldemort's shadow was looming over them all. The dark lord himself told them that not even death could stop him. But no hair, nor hide of the dark lord had made an appearance since that night ten years ago. They didn't know how to proceed, it was not clear if they should believe in whispers about his return or admit that the dream of pureblood supremacy was all but lost.

Severus wished for Voldemort to have perished that night and never to come back. But alas, Dumbledore believed that the dark bastard had yet to bid his final adieu and so Snape was forced to continue teaching and be an errand boy for the headmaster, all because he was a fool that got drunk and woke up with a mark on his arm.

Unlike Lucius, Severus never believed in the pureblood rhetorica, he thought it sounded so much like his father screaming his lungs out about how he wouldn't house a freak of a son that just waved around a stick and did nothing helpful for his drunken arse. Whilst Severus thought he was dumb for getting black out drunk and waking up sworn to the dark lord, he thought himself the stupidest fool on the planet when he once again got drunk at the Hog's head and overheard the first half of the prophecy before he was ultimately caught tripping over his own feet and tossed out without hearing the rest of that damn vision. In all his stupid alcoholic idiocy, he thought it would be a grand idea to tell Voldemort what he heard.

If regret could kill. And for him it had. It was after the death of his best friend and the disappearance of her son that he swore to himself to never drink again. He had the same empty bottle of firewhiskey he had woken up with, from that fateful night he was too late to save her, sitting on the high shelf in direct line of sight of the desk where he did his grading, to remind himself why he should never drink again and become a bigger buffoon than his past self. A reminder of what all it had cost him.

After a while, Lucius got up and made his way to the fireplace to return to his home, he said he would write to him later, on the weekend, and then he was gone. There was only one thing running through both men's minds, they hoped against hope, that the Dark Lord, either alive or dead, was ignorant of the Addams clan. Because if Voldemort provokes the only force on this earth, not even death could or would intervene when the Addam's clan came to collect their due. They would not hesitate to put him down like the psychopath that he was, then the Addams would come for all his followers as well, and what a massacre it would be for all involved.

~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~0~~~

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, with both the new and old students settling down on their beds for their first night of the scholar year at Hogwarts.

Salazar Slytherin hummed happily in his portrait, after so long an Addams had graced the castle's halls once again. Altair Addams watched the founder with an amused smile adorning his face, Salazar looked way too pleased with himself. He could not deny that helping drag his relative into the spotlight was a great prank. Many thought Salazar Slytherin was a stoic man that rarely smirked let alone smiled, couldn't be farther from the truth. Of course, no Addams would take that on the chin passively and let it rest, Altair could barely contain his laughter as he waited for his old professor to realise what happened.

Salazar turned to look affectionately at his favourite silver snake that decorated his portrait, this one was special since its eyes were a gift of perfect purple sapphires. However his glee turned into confusion at seeing the spot empty, then it became acknowledgement, that yes, his eyes were not deceiving him, the space the adornment previously occupied was empty. Then it became righteous anger, he knew exactly who would dare to steal from him, let alone been close enough to do so, it was that brat that stole from him, but damned if he didn't know how.

For the first time ever, Altair saw a portrait's face change colours, it was fascinating, he didn't know that that could happen. Salazar's countenance turned purple in rage and the portrait roared in anger louder than he had ever shouted in life.

"ADDAMS!"

Altair could hear the echoes of Salazar Slytherin's yelling reverberating throughout the connected paintings in the castle that most people were not aware of. Waking up everyone and everything in the range of the portraits with his fury.

The ghost finally lost the fight against his laughter, it boomed across the common room. There was a living Addams in the castle and she was ready to shake its foundations to the core.

Notes:

Poor Uncle Salazar, got outsmarted by an 11 year old. Well, I reckon now he realised that an Addams is an Addams no matter the age.

Gemma showed us why she's Slytherin, what a snake. Sad noises for her, Hermione was onto her.

Writing that scene with Pansy brought me so much joy.

What do you guys think of my favourite character? Pest has been a central feature of Zero's and I's conversations since before the first chapter. I absolute love them.

Lucius freaking out was so bloody funny. I can imagine him getting up from the floor after Moldyshorts held him under Crucio, with his hair perfectly in place lol. Thank you AEdmo13 for the inspiration.

I hope the wait was worth it. See you next chapter, my dear Darklings.