CHAPTER SIX
The Hall began contracting in the size of students as they finished dessert and filed out either for bed, or some down time together before bed in their common rooms. As for Harry, she had consumed a total of three treacle tarts and had some roast beef and baked potato over the course of dinner; she didn't want to be unnecessarily greedy so left it at that for dinner. She had quickly decided that she wanted to escape down to the Slytherin dungeons to try and acclimatise a bit.
Plus, Harry had wanted to do some reading before bed, and wanted to write a letter to Mr. Burke to tell him about her very eventful evening. After all, there was something off about her friend-employer and Harry was determined to find out what it could be. A mystery was dangled in front of her nose, and like a fish to the bait, Harry was on the hook. She hoped that if she could get Mr. Burke to open up a bit more, she would be able to figure it out.
After all, it had worked before in the past. True, Harry had taken Liquid Luck, which had helped quite a bit with getting Professor Slughorn to come to her to Hagrid's, and Hagrid had plied the Potions Professor with enough alcohol that it had loosened the professor's tongue, but it had been the story about Francis the fish that had given Harry the opportunity to convince Slughorn to hand over that memory of him telling Tom Riddle about Horcruxes.
This is all hypothetical, Tom, isn't it? All academic?
The shock and fear in the professor's voice sometimes still rang in Harry's head when she thought about it.
She shook herself out of that train of thought before it could potentially get her into trouble. Harry sighed deeply and got up from her seat, and was about to set off for the Slytherin dorms. Unfortunately, Harry had momentarily forgotten she was the whipping girl for the Fates. Nott, Rosier, Malfoy and Dolohov had gotten up to leave at the same time she did, and Riddle seemed to be in a mood to cause problems. For Harry, as usual.
The Head Boy had momentarily looked up from his discussion he was having with Avery, Mulciber and Lestrange. "Nott, take Harry back to the common room with you."
Nott stopped in his tracks for a moment and his brow furrowed in an instant. "Why? Druella and Black can do that."
"Yeah, we can," Druella agreed through gritted teeth as she and Orion got up from their seats in an instant, glowering at Riddle with undisguised disgust. "As if we would leave Harry with you or your little Knights of the Oval Table."
"Oh, chill, sis. We won't hurt her," Rosier shot back, glaring at Druella.
Druella scoffed at this and folded her arms. "No, dear brother, you'll just trick her into going the wrong way," she sneered. "Like you did with countless first years."
"Mordred's rusty armour, Druella, it was a joke!" Rosier snapped.
"No, Malfoy dancing in a field of poppies, that is a joke! Ensuring first years get lost and trapped inside a Boggart cupboard is not a joke!" Druella snarled.
Harry felt like the child in the middle of bickering parents, and frankly she wasn't the only one. Nott and Orion looked like just as trapped. Harry sighed in undisguised irritation, and promptly walked past the bickering Slytherins and out of the Great Hall. Druella, Orion, Nott, Rosier, Dolohov and Malfoy (yes, these two really surprised her as well) ran after her quite quickly, calling her back and to follow them.
Idiot, her inner Slytherin scolded her. You are supposed to be a home-schooled girl who doesn't know the layout of the castle.
Yes, that was rather impulsive, her inner Gryffindor agreed.
Harry, grumbling internally at her idiocy, allowed Druella, Orion, Nott and Riddle's friends to drag her in the correct direction when she accidentally-on purpose tried to go in the direction of the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room.
On the way, Harry took a moment to observe her new Housemates. Nott and Rosier were undeniably close, bickering away like an old married couple, which made her wonder why Rosier had not sat in their compartment during the journey. Orion was babbling on about random things, flitting between topics at startling speed, and getting scolded often by Druella. They seemed to know each other very well, much like siblings. Harry found this surprising; Sirius never once mentioned how close his father was to his aunt. What had changed? As for Dolohov and Malfoy, they walked quite closely to the group and only conversed politely, clearly in an unspoken alliance against the dunderheads of their dorm and House. Well, that was until they would catch wind of Nott and Rosier's conversation.
Harry, very quickly, found out something fascinating. For some unexplainable reason, Dolohov really couldn't stand Nott. Whenever Nott opened up his mouth, Dolohov looked disgusted and agitated, with a snide comment on his tongue that he would voice if Rosier did not speak up first. Druella and Orion were completely ignored by him, as though they were nothing but pests under his foot. He didn't even look in Harry's direction, which meant she was on the level of those two in importance to him. But, whenever Rosier spoke, Dolohov would listen with interest and offer insightful or useful comments almost immediately. It was … odd to say the least.
It was almost an odd kind of love triangle, Harry thought, which made her want to chuckle but she bit her lip quite hard to ensure that it didn't escape. She really didn't fancy voicing that out loud. Plus, the 1940s were not kind to people who were gay, lesbian or bisexual. It was even illegal still, according to Muggle law. Harry wanted some time to see if the wizarding world was as … closed minded.
As for Draco's grandfather, he was also fascinating, but for an entirely different reason to Dolohov. Harry had expected Abraxas to swan around in the same manner as Lucius or Draco, but he was in fact like a lone wolf as the edge of the pack. It was almost as though Malfoy didn't want to associate with anyone who wasn't Tom bloody Riddle. They were simply not worth his time. It was a stark contrast to Draco, who used those he deemed lesser as bodyguards or fans. Draco wanted attention and adoration, and Abraxas could not care less. Plus there was a guard up that Harry had not seen in any of the Malfoys she had to deal with. Draco and Lucius lost their tempers quite easily and showed their true colours; Abraxas was as stoic as you could get. He didn't react to anything: not Nott's bluntness, nor Orion's exuberant babbling. Not even the cackling of Peeves the poltergeist in the distance.
Harry hated to admit it to herself, but she found herself interested in seeing what would happen if she tried to strike up a conversation with this peculiar Malfoy. However, even that plan was foiled.
"So, the Hat wanted to put you in Ravenclaw." Nott had slowed his pace so that he could converse with Harry, Rosier mimicking him perfectly. Dolohov was not too far behind. Great.
Harry smiled a little at the triumphant but eager look in Nott's eyes. "Yes, it did."
"I knew it. Those books of yours and you writing so much before school; it just said Ravenclaw immediately," Nott looked even more pleased with himself. "I lost a good 20 Galleons to Heron."
"It still surprises me," Dolohov sneered. "Gryffindor suits you more than Ravenclaw. Your temperament isn't mellow enough for the Eagles."
Harry's eyes flared silver for a moment. "I think the Hat knows what it is doing," she replied crisply. "I love riddles and mysteries. I can't help but solve them. My uncles once said that curiosity may kill me before my illness does."
And it almost did. Several times.
"What kind of riddles or mysteries?" Orion asked eagerly. "I love-"
"Black, shut up," Rosier advised before the Black Heir could begin yet another one of his ramblings. Harry, who didn't like his tone, gave him a pointed look before turning her attention back onto Nott.
"Elaborate ones," Harry replied truthfully. "Who-done-its are my favourites."
Technically true, thanks to Dumbledore, the Philosopher's Stone and the damn Chamber.
"Well, we have no recent deaths for you to solve, I'm afraid," Druella stated, causing Dolohov and Malfoy to flinch for some odd reason.
"We don't need a murder. There is a way to test this," Nott stated with a putting a finger in the air as though he was feeling the direction of the wind. Harry had never wanted to zap someone on purpose so badly.
"Merlin, save me," Harry muttered.
"Oh, Morgana. Nott, I swear if you-" Druella began.
Nott huffed. "Chill, Dru! Just trust me for once, would you? We give her a riddle to solve."
"Great idea!" Orion exclaimed, clapping his hands together.
"That is your grand plan? We test her with a stupid riddle?! Are you kidding me?" Dolohov fumed.
Malfoy let out a long, sad whistle, shaking his head. "I hate to agree with Caius on anything, but that was rather anticlimactic," he commented dryly.
Nott flushed a little bit pink with embarrassment. "You didn't let me finish! We ask her to guess the password to the common room. It's a riddle for her because she doesn't know it!"
There was a brief moment where everyone just blinked at Nott as though this was the first time they truly saw him as anything but a bungling idiot. Rosier's features were lit up by the enchanting smile that drew itself over his countenance. "That is not a bad idea, Altair!"
"That does sound entertaining," Malfoy grinned. Harry wasn't sure if a grinning Malfoy was ever a good thing. It also didn't help that Dolohov looked begrudgingly impressed. So no help from him either.
Druella simply shook her head and Orion looked set to jump through the castle roof with excitement.
"Brilliant," Harry muttered. "How in the name of Hungarian Horntail dung am I supposed to figure out a password? Or how they are chosen? Is there even a password selection process or does someone pull something out of thin air and decide 'yes this password is difficult enough for students to potentially forget, hahahah'?"
"You have to deducing it, of course!" Nott exclaimed. "And yes there is a process but only Professor Slughorn knows it as our Head of House."
Harry looked at him pointedly. "Deduce it? That definitely explains it – not! From what exactly?"
Nott grinned. "Why, Slytherin, of course!"
"Wow, that clarifies everything," Harry drawled, her voice dripping with snark and sarcasm as they group came to a halt in front of the familiar entrance of the Slytherin common room. "That could be family lineage, favourite horse, how many undergarments he owned, whether the rumour between him and Gryffindor was true. Could you be a little more specific because there is a lot that I could go for there. You know what, maybe I should have been in Ravenclaw because I hear they have the exact same process with their passwords. Riddles!"
"Fine, we will give you one clue," Rosier relented.
"It has to do with Salazar Slytherin's favourite animal," Orion stated immediately. Many of the group shot him not-so-subtle glares.
Harry frowned as she turned towards the familiar door that she and Ron had followed Malfoy through during their second year. "His favourite animal? That would be the snake," she mused.
Snake … Parseltongue? No. It wouldn't be something so on the nose. The fact Slytherin was able to speak the language of the snakes was too well-known. Anyone would be able to get into the common room. Plus, she was dealing with some very high-born elitist pricks.
"No … no, it is not snake," she thought out loud and began pacing back and forth, allowing herself to tap into her inner Sherlock Holmes, "you lot would never just call it a snake. Snake, no, no. It is too common for you. Using Latin, Ancient Greek or Welsh names would be too obvious because most magical people know that Slytherin was fluent in those languages." This got several looks from the watching Slytherins. "However, this is not Ravenclaw so it is on the nose but not too on the noise." Harry did another twirl on her heels. "Besides, Slytherin is known for having a Basilisk, if the stories are to be believed, and was thought to have built a secret chamber in this place … a Basilisk …. His familiar … His wand!"
Of course! Wasn't that what Slytherin's wand was made from? A …
"Basilisk's horn!" Harry abruptly stopped, and addressed the giant door.
The door began to roll on its side into the wall, revealing a narrow corridor that led down into the common room ahead. Nott and Orion clapped, Druella sighed a sigh of relief, Rosier nodded with an impressed look while Malfoy and Dolohov rolled their eyes.
"That was too easy," Dolohov commented.
"You heard her mutter. None of the dunderhead Gryffindors could have guessed that," Malfoy begrudgingly pointed out.
"For once Malfoy's right! She was a Hat Stall for a reason," Orion shot back. "Besides she loves history!"
Orion wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her down the corridor to the common room, with Druella close behind. Nott, Rosier, Dolohov and Malfoy were hot on their heels.
The common room was exactly as Harry remembered when she and Ron had managed to use Polyjuice Potion to transform into Daphne Greengrass and Vincent Crabbe in order to interrogate Draco during their second year. It had that exclusive feeling to it, one that was embedded in tradition and money. The high granite walls were carved into a Gothic style, with a subtle hint of the French manner. The walls were covered in images of medieval Slytherins and their achievements. The pointed arches that reached two thirds of the way were carved with designs of Thestrals, dragons, pixies, selkies, kelpies and other magical creatures. The giant fireplace was still carved with snake and dragon like gargoyles. The kind Athenaïs could easily blend in with. Ornate carvings in wood of snakes slithered around the room; they almost appeared sentient..
The furnishings were as expensive as you could get. Even the desk and chairs were off a ridiculously high quality. The sofas were mostly chesterfield and had blankets of brocade patterns lying on them. Through the windows came the dim green light of the Black Lake, and Harry found herself quite mesmerised by the aquatic silhouettes on the walls of the Slytherin common room. Now and again, merpeople could be seen swimming by, peering in. A couple of kelpies swam past as well to take a look inside before quickly making themselves scarce. Compared to the warm and cosy feeling of Gryffindor Tower, Slytherin was cold and formal. But at the same time, there was a majesty to it that Harry could appreciate.
"Welcome home, Harry," Orion stated, smiling at her awed expression. "This is where we spend most of our evenings: reading, talking, playing the odd game of Exploding Snap and of course doing homework. Slughorn would have us hanging by our ankles if we get bad grades. Let's check out the notice board. There are some important stuff there."
Harry let Orion drag her over to the oak board on the wall. The notice board was as formal as the rest of the room. 'Slytherin Notice Board' was written in early medieval calligraphy in silver ink, and was covered by notices of study groups, Quidditch practise and try-outs, extra-curricular activities and the schedules for every year group. Harry missed the stupid chess club pamphlet Ron had pinned to the Gryffindor notice board, and that talent show in the girls dorms. Harry had come third with her fiddle and her crappy song.
Harry doubted she would be able to do something similar with the Slytherins.
"This board is updated on a weekly basis," Druella informed. "So keep a close eye on it."
Harry nodded a little absentmindedly as she read the club list. Music, art, choir, magical crafting, dancing, even a debate club … why was none of this offered during her time?!
"Why did I let my mother convince me to take Herbology?" Nott grumbled from next to Harry. "The teacher is a daisy."
"He is a Herbology professor, not a battle-hardened Auror," Malfoy pointed out.
"I think Herbology fits Nott perfectly," Dolohov commented snarkily. "Those delicate hands need to be made dirty once in a while."
"Oh shut up, Dolohov!" Nott flushed angrily.
"What? You have never worked in a garden nor seen combat," Dolohov pointed out maliciously. "I'm only stating facts."
As Nott looked set to hex Dolohov into next week, Harry decided to cool the fires. Frankly she was tired, and didn't have the energy to listen to any more of Dolohov and Nott's bickering.
"I don't see why you're so against it. Herbology is an important subject," Harry replied as she drew back from examining the board. When everyone looked at her incredulously with a look of are-you-kidding-me-right-now?, Harry rolled her eyes. "Everyone keeps harping on about how important Potions is, which is beyond dispute. But, who do you think provides potioneers with all their ingredients? It's the ingredients that make the potions more than the potioneers, you know. Without Herbology, we would not be able to brew properly or create working medicines. Some potions needs specifically fresh herbs and plants, and that is what herbologists supply. Remember that the next time one of you drink a Pepper-Me Up Potion or have to attend Potions class."
This one is for you, Neville.
There was a stunned silence for a moment.
Nott's face lit up and he looked rather smug at Dolohov's put-out expression. Rosier grinned as well. "Harry's right," he stated in a manner that was akin to a referee deciding the winner of a match.
"Of course, she's right!" Orion exclaimed happily, his eyes dancing with gratitude. "She was almost a Ravenclaw."
Druella rolled her eyes. "I also know plenty of idiots who ended up in Ravenclaw, so that doesn't say anything. Come on, Harry. Let's go to our dorm. You're rooming with me, and the ones in Slytherin that I can tolerate. We don't want to be here when the crowd of first years come."
Harry bade Orion good night – and was thanked for it with a tight hug that almost snapped her spine. She also said good night to Nott, Rosier and the two more aloof Slytherins with them. Nott and Rosier answered pleasantly, while Dolohov and Malfoy ignored her. Druella then promptly dragged her down into the corridor that led to the seventh year girl dormitories.
The dormitory was quite rectangular in shape and screamed luxury just as much as the common room did, if not more. Lit torches were fastened onto the wall. Tapestries were hung on the wall, depicting the actions of great witches. One was clearly of Morgana and the dragon Aithusa. The five four-poster beds were covered in green eiderdowns with snake and vine patterns sewn into them. There were four great windows looking out into the lake, bathing the dormitory in the same aquatic silhouettes as the common room. Great green and silver velvet curtains framed the windows. The school trunks were at the foot of each bed, with mahogany dresser and chair next to the beds. A bookstand was also adjacent to the bed, with a board above it for personalisation. The walls and the floor were all made of the same granite as the common room, and there was a small, beautiful font in the middle of the room, with an elegant, tiny dragon statue in the middle of it.
There were already three girls awaiting them. One of them was clearly Walburga Black: the onyx eyes and the long curly hair that looked almost the exact same texture as Orion's hair told Harry as much. Plus, there was something in the eyes that reminded Harry of the screaming portrait in Grimmauld Place. The young version of Sirius' mother looked as deadly as a panther and carried herself in a very stiff manner, like most of the pureblood girls Harry encountered aside from Pansy Parkinson.
The second girl was strawberry blonde and had bright sapphire eyes. She was unbelievably pale; not even Sanguini the vampire had been as pale as this girl. Harry almost wondered if the girl had a skin condition, but the fact there was no direct light in the dorm also didn't help. The girl didn't look as dangerous as Walburga but something in her eyes told Harry she wasn't to be messed with.
The third girl had silvery hair that curled at the tips. Her eyes were a mixture of blue and green with amber flecks in them. She was utterly mesmerising to look at, and Harry had to be whacked once on the head by Druella to stop herself from gawking. The girl didn't seem to mind too much; in fact, she looked rather bored by it.
"Harry Evans, meet our fellow misfit seventh year girls," Druella announced with a dramatic flourish of her arms. "My best friend Walburga Black. She is Orion's fiancée, as you know."
"Hello," Harry greeted politely once she managed to find her ability to speak again.
"Charmed," Walburga purred.
"Next to her is Ophelia Rowle. She is our resident Charms expert, so if you ever run into problems with McCullagh's homework just ask Ophelia for help. Not sure if you have heard of the Rowle family but I envy you if you don't. Everyone speculates if her family will marry her off to Dolohov or Mulciber."
Ophelia dipped a small curtsey, which made Harry smile.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Ophelia greeted formally.
"Likewise," Harry responded, not even feeling like she was forcing the answer.
Druella turned to the final dormmate. "And finally, Ygraine White. Yes, from that White family. The one who has Veela and Fae heritage," Druella informed when she saw Harry's eyes widen. "So the very fact you went a bit ga-ga just now, isn't too surprising."
"I am used to it," Ygraine White grumbled. "It is exhausting. Welcome to Slytherin, Hera. I am sorry for your loss."
Harry bowed her head to Ygraine. "Thank you. Please, call me Harry. I hate my birth name."
"Pity," Walburga stated silkily. "I rather think it suits you, especially considering the display you put on at dinner. I am pretty sure Dumbledore will not forget that in a hurry."
Harry flushed with embarrassment.
The girls then all got back to their unpacking. Harry found that she had been put into the bed in between Ophelia and Druella, just opposite both the entrance to the bathroom and the entrance to their dorm room. Her trunk plus Athenaïs had arrived. The young Gargouille had found a perch to sit and lie down on, right between Harry's bed and Druella's, looking like an extra carving the architect had placed there for fun. Athenaïs looked rather pleased with herself. Harry chuckled.
Harry bent down slightly and patted her familiar on the head gently. "Hey, girl. You made yourself at home already?"
Athenaïs gave a toothy grin and let out a mystic, melodic howl in affirmative, clearly happy with her spot and the pats. Harry chuckled further as she straightened and threw her blazer over her desk chair. Unfortunately, none of the other three girls had noticed that they had been in the presence of Harry's familiar the entire time.
"Morgana and Morgause, it's alive!" Walburga exclaimed, her face paling further and a hand flying to her mouth in shock. Walburga had initially noticed the creature, but had dismissed it as an odd statue; the fact it wasn't made her lose her countenance.
While Sirius' mother looked set to faint – Harry made a mental note to make sure she never forgot it in case she ever returned to her own time – Ophelia was rather in awe.
"Your familiar is beautiful," the Rowle heiress complimented as she approached carefully. "A little strange though. A Gargouille with a growth defect, if I am not mistaken. It is rare to see but they are usually cast out from their chapel for it, you know."
Walburga had done a double-take and studied Athenaïs from a safe distance while Ygraine had approached to, carefully, take a closer look at the odd creature she had seen when she first entered the room but dismissed as decoration she never noticed before.
"Really?" Harry frowned, looking to Athenaïs who was preening under the attention. "Chapel?"
"That is what a group of Gargouilles are known as," Ophelia explained with a smile. Athenaïs jumped lithely onto Harry's bed and began sniffing at the girl. "They are some of the most docile dragon species out there, but are not normally chosen to be bred as familiars."
"Athenaïs wasn't," Harry informed as she watched her familiar nudge Ophelia's hand, asking for pats. "She was apparently left with the guy who sold her to me after being rescued."
"And she decided to adopt you," Ophelia guessed as she began patting the Gargouille's head gently. When Harry nodded, the Rowle girl chuckled. "Thought as much. She would not listen to you or be this mellow otherwise."
Harry cocked her head at her new dorm mate. "I don't mean to be rude, but how do you know?"
Ophelia grinned. "My mother is mad about magical creatures. She breeds familiars, so I pick up little tit-bits of information from her."
"That is pretty cool," Harry answered with a smile in return. She looked to the Russian blue sleeping on the chair next to Ophelia's bed. "Your familiar is quite a looker too."
"She is a haughty kitty," Ophelia replied fondly, looking back at the feline as well. "I do feel obliged to warn you; if Sigyn doesn't like you, she will let you know."
"Yes, by trying to claw your face off," Druella sniffed indignantly as she continued to unpack.
"Druella is still a little hurt that Sigyn doesn't like her," Walburga informed Harry with a sliver of a smile and an amused look in her eyes. She gestured towards the bed-shaped basket and the sleeping white feline in it. "My own darling Seraphina took time to get used to her."
"Your cat is a right madam!" Druella protested. "You spoilt her too much; I mean, which cat needs her own luxury bed for Morgana's mud-stained petticoat?!"
Harry bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Druella's familiar wasn't in the room, nor was the familiar of Ygraine White. This made her frown slightly. "Where is your familiar, Druella? White?"
"Ygraine and I both have owls," Druella answered with a grin. "Ygraine has a snowy owl and I have an Eagle owl. His name is Endor. They live in the owlery of Hogwarts."
Like Hedwig once did. Harry nodded absent-mindedly and decided to distract herself with unlocking the fifteen different locking spells she put on her trunk. She was aware of at least two pairs of eyes from her new roommates watching her every movement carefully. Harry tried her best to ignore them; once her trunk had flown open, Harry began sorting the mini library she had packed into the bookcase besides her bed. Merlin, she really was turning into Hermione.
She heard a whistle from next to her. "Morgana, Evans! You really must be an avid reader to bring that many books next to your school books. And some of those are really old and fancy too! I have only seen stuff like that in private collections," Ophelia gushed, coming around to study the spines of some of Harry's Peverell inherited books up close. "Where did you get them?"
"I inherited them," Harry responded quietly. Athenaïs nuzzled her gently in comfort, to which she was most grateful.
Ophelia's face dropped quite quickly. "Oh Avalon, how could I be so thoughtless? I am so sorry."
"It's OK. I just need to learn to talk about it a bit more," Harry reassured quickly with a small smile.
Ophelia smiled back and turned back around to read the spines of the Peverell books. "The Rituals and Rites of Samhain, Basic and Intermediate Spell Creation, The Guide to the Secrets of Weather Magic and The Secrets and Magic of the Aes Sidhe. Damn! You shouldn't show these to just anyone, or they will call you a Dark witch."
Harry frowned and scoffed. "Dark witch! I am anything but."
"We know that," Ygraine was very quick on the draw with her reassurance, smiling a little. Said smile vanished quite quickly and was replaced by a very serious look. "But there are others, such as in Gryffindor, who do not see things that way."
Judging from the expressions around the room, Harry knew exactly who Ygraine was referring to.
"You mean Dumbledore, don't you?"
The looks Druella, Ophelia, Ygraine and Walburga exchanged confirmed Harry's suspicions.
"Is that why you hate him so much?" Harry dared to pry.
"Hate is a strong word, dear Harry," Walburga stated silkily as she ran her brush through her hair.
"And yet, it is the word I decided to use," Harry pointed out. "I saw your faces when he approached the Slytherin table. You acted in the same way you would do to an enemy in your territory."
There was another exchange of glances between the dormmates before they seemed to decide Harry had the right to know. Druella sat down on her bed. "Dumbledore fancies himself a detective, Harry. He sticks his nose in business that doesn't concern him. He views us Slytherins with a suspicion; he tries to figure us out, even when we haven't done anything. If something bad happens, especially to a Gryffindor, he jumps very easily to conclusions that a Slytherin just had to be involved."
"He will do the same to you," Ophelia warned. "You are one of us; he will see you as a new pet project or a new threat. The fact he helped you is strange to us, and – no offence intended – it just makes us think he has another motive up his sleeve. I also advise you never to let him see Athenaïs. The very fact any familiar can come to Hogwarts is something Dumbledore wants to change, and a Gargouille could be used to strengthen his argument."
So nothing has changed there then, Harry thought.
"You just need to be very careful around that old codger," Ygraine advised with a smile. "And don't let him know what kind of books you have inherited, no matter what."
"Oh, trust me. I wasn't planning on telling him anything," Harry reassured with a humourless laugh.
"Good," Druella grinned. "So, are we going to fight over the shower or are we going to sort this out like proper ladies?"
That was when the race for the shower room occurred. Harry continued with her unpacking, laughing away at the antics of these supposedly stoic and rigid pureblood heiresses. Even Athenaïs laughed – or something close to it – at the silly humans she was now living with. Once everything was in place, Harry sat down at her desk and began penning a letter to Mr. Burke. She had almost chickened out completely, but then remembered that he had told her he didn't mind if she wrote to him.
Dear Mr. Burke,
Well I am safe and sound at Hogwarts. The journey on the Hogwarts Express was interesting at least. I think I made at least two people who could become my friends – Orion Black and Druella Rosier. Not sure if you have heard of their families, but they come from some of the most important pureblood families. They are the odd balls of Slytherin, and I can see why. Orion is like a puppy and Druella is one scolding away from turning into a full mother at seventeen. Then again, she is engaged to Orion's cousin and is supposed to marry him after she graduates.
So, yes. I have been Sorted into Slytherin. Must be my Peverell blood. I am fortunately in a dormitory with Druella. My other roommates are quite nice, for a bunch of pureblood heiresses. They have warned me about Professor Dumbledore – that he fancies himself a magical Sherlock Holmes. I will just try to avoid the man as much as possible.
By the way, I love the books you gave me. The one on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy is a big hit with Orion. He is obsessed with the two subjects and is taking them for his electives. I am almost regretting going for the self-study option as I would have liked to share a few more classes with my new … friends. Athenaïs, my Gargouille, is settling quite well. So far, no one has run away from her for the hills!
Sorry that I am waffling on. I have no one else to write to. I will stop while I am still ahead.
Harry.
Harry finished her letter, folded it up, put it into an envelope and licked it shut. She penned the address onto the front and sat there for a moment. She had no owl to deliver it this time, and she knew a Gargouille would not be too happy to be used as a courier.
That was when Druella came to her rescue. "If you need a letter delivered, I can have my owl deliver it for you," she offered.
Harry beamed at her. "Thank you."
"Who did you write to?" Druella asked curiously as Harry passed her the letter.
"My employer," Harry answered truthfully. "He has kind of taken up the mantle of keeping an eye on me for my parents."
"He knows they're … gone?" Ophelia, who had just entered from the bathroom, running a towel through her damp hair, questioned tactfully.
"Yes. It is the reason he allowed me to help in his shop this summer," Harry smiled brightly. "The book shop is stunning! The books there are one of a kind."
"Isn't he distantly related to the Mr. Burke of Knockturn Alley?" Ygraine enquired.
"I have no idea. I didn't really think to ask," Harry admitted.
"Wouldn't be surprised if that is the case. Burke is a wizarding name that isn't just flung around willy-nilly," Walburga stated with a haughty tone.
Harry shrugged and stood up to have her turn under the shower. The warm water came as a much needed distraction. It allowed her to have a good, private think about everything that has happened. The baby Death Eaters had a mixed reaction to her. Riddle had neither been hostile, nor entirely friendly. Orion was clearly nothing like Sirius had described him. Young Walburga does not scream like a banshee but does have a temper. It was … disconcerting.
Afterwards, changed into a nightgown of black cotton, she settled behind her curtains with two of her History books. Athenaïs had settled in her cove and was already asleep. Now and again, Harry listened in on the conversations happening outside her four-poster. Druella and Walburga were gossiping about and poking fun at Cygnus and Orion's family – Harry supposed wives of the Blacks had to stick together. Ophelia and Ygraine were talking about boys and Quidditch. It was all eerily normal. There were no talks of Dark magic being used, or torturing of Muggles.
The young versions and the older versions, they were entirely different people and they seemed to like her instead of hate her. It made Harry think about her ability to make friends in the wizarding world. Harry always thought that people only wanted to be around her for being the Girl-Who-Lived, as Ron and Draco seemed to indicate to her. And Ginny. Harry did love the Weasleys to pieces, but always thought that if she had indeed been put into Slytherin during her own time, things would have gone very different. Hermione probably even wouldn't consider even saying as much as a 'hello' to Harry. House alliances had mattered more in her time than loyalty to friends. That idea stung more than Harry liked. Come to think of it, the only people who didn't care about Harry's Girl-Who-Lived status were Luna and Neville. Two of Harry's most neglected friends.
No, Harry would test her ability to make friends on her own merits, and not because of her damn epithets or titles. Starting with Orion and Druella, and it seemed she was already making decent headway there. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could work her way all the way to Tom Riddle himself.
Redeeming the one of the most feared Dark Lord of the 20th century. Harry had truly lost her mind. How was she going to win this egotistical little shit over to her? He had already split his soul, but he still appeared reasonable. For now. What if Riddle did not want to be her friend, and wanted her to be another Knight of Walpurgis? Another little follower?
Well, then, Harry had to come up with something else. What she would do … was find a way to weaken Riddle's hold over Slytherin. Or better yet – take it away from him.
Usurping the Heir of Slytherin. Merlin, Harry really was going in deep.
When the words on the pages of her book began swimming in front of her eyes, Harry decided to put the usual Silencing Charms around her bed and it was time to call it a day. She had school to go to in the morning and something told her she would need as much strength as she could muster.
##################
So, there are already alliances and tensions inside Riddle's ranks it seems. Let's see how Harry will react or use this to her advantage? Will her Gryffindor spontaneity win or will she bide her time like the Snakes?
The characters and world belong to JK Rowling except for Athenaïs. The story of Merlin that is believed by my version of this Wizarding World is the one shown by BBC's Adventures of Merlin. All rights are reserved there as well.
I hope you have all enjoyed reading further and will stay tuned as the story continues!
Kingmaker'sUmbreon