The Cleansing
In the days immediately following their first gathering in the Come-and-Go Room, the Ministry issued several policy edicts concerning Hogwarts. They came to the castle, both through announcements in the pages of the Daily Prophet and on handwritten documents framed in wood and glass. Those were hung in the Entry Hall so students could see them daily. Edelweiss stared at them one morning. Her face blanked, outwardly placid as she read them over. Most gathered around the newest announcement, which hung slightly crooked thanks to the jostling to read what it declared.
Edelweiss already had the words memorized, pondering over how she might use them against Umbridge should the worst miraculously come to pass.
ALL STUDENT GROUPS, HEREBY DEFINED AS ANY ORGANIZATION, CLUB, OR TEAM WITH THREE OR MORE MEMBERS, WHO GATHER AT REGULAR INTERVALS FOR A SET PURPOSE OUTSIDE OF STUDYING MINISTRY-APPROVED CURRICULUMS, MUST BE APPROVED BY THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC'S SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR.
The announcement, like those which preceded it, had been signed and approved by Minster Fudge, the fool heading the decrepit Department of Magical Education, and Professor Umbridge, named at the end.
Edelweiss glanced around and wondered why everyone else allowed themselves to be easily cowed by this newest proclamation. The worst were those who attended her defense group. Yes, their meeting had included some thirty students and they were explicitly going against the Ministry. But she had told them sessions would be held whenever they could be, not at the regular intervals explicitly mentioned by the declaration. The Ministry had a name for the announcement, but she ignored that. It did not matter in the grand scheme of things.
Hermione, though, seemed to think differently. In a low, hissed voice, she asked, "Why are you not worried about the decree? It—"
"—does not affect us," Edelweiss said, each word clipped and careful. Her brows furrowed as she pondered over how Hermione was not seeing straight through the obvious loophole. "They're concerned about groups who meet at regular intervals. Clubs, Quidditch. The like. This decree you're so worried about only concerns regular life at Hogwarts." She turned and headed into the Great Hall for breakfast. "It only allows the Ministry to interfere with that which already exists."
Ron was quicker to follow in her wake. He asked, almost sounding desperate, "What about Quidditch? Won't we be allowed to play?"
"Professor Umbridge would be foolish to ban a single team," said Edelweiss, as they crossed the threshold into the Great Hall. Umbridge sat at the High Table, speaking with Professor Flitwick with a look of veiled disgust. She had a golden badge pinned to her pink cardigan. "She might force Angelina to replace me, though don't count on McGonagall allowing that to happen. The best she can do is stall how long before we can return to practice. That will give Slytherin the edge for our game against them."
They came to the Gryffindor table, only half-filled with nervous students. Angelina rose from the table when she spotted them, a grin on her face. "I already got approval to keep the team intact," she said, looking between Ron and Edelweiss. Her grin slipped. "McGonagall helped us out, but because of her influence, we're only allowed to practice twice a week. At least until we play Slytherin on the Thirtieth."
Edelweiss sighed and nodded. "Let me know when you decide which days we'll use for practice. I already have the schedules for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, though I fear those will change as well." There were only a handful of Quidditch players from those two houses involved in their defense scheme. Yet their numbers were enough she had long decided safety could be found in organizing around practices instead of risking coming into conflict with Quidditch. She had a feeling most would choose their sport over her lessons.
"Will do." And with that, Angelina returned to her seat.
"I can't believe you're organizing around their schedules," grumbled Ron as they sat down. Food appeared before them. "What does it matter if they miss a practice or two?"
"We shouldn't dismiss people just because they play on the Quidditch teams for other houses." Edelweiss stabbed one of the sausages on the platter before her. "What matters is that Umbridge will manufacture any excuse to set into motion the expulsion of rebellious students—or worse, and it pains me to admit so, sack Dumbledore."
The man still has his uses here at Hogwarts. For now, at least.
"You think she'd try that?" Ron had barely loaded his plate, an odd sight given how ravenous he was every morning.
"It makes sense," admitted Hermione. She chewed at her lower lip, staring at the fruit and eggs she had plated. "The Ministry already got the Headmaster dismissed from his political posts. Removing him from Hogwarts would be the final step."
"And should they do that, Voldemort could sweep across all of Britain," continued Edelweiss, feeling disturbingly akin to a prophet. She huffed and shook her head. "Damn those two men," she whispered. "Making my life more difficult than it ever should have been."
If only she could focus solely on her Sith studies. She was increasingly confident with her Force powers. Though they, like any power, would likely be further refined before she ever fought with them. What dominated her mind was the ritual Lord Salazar and Naga Sadow even now worked to devise. It would purge her of the wretched taint her hated enemy had left within her that night he first attempted to murder her.
And when she thought of it, Edelweiss realized she had no classes after Charms in the early afternoon. Today would be perfect for communing with the Sith lords and learning more of what they knew.
No doubt something monumental awaited her. She shivered, entertaining that thought, and knew it to be true.
Lord Salazar's holocron activated as Edelweiss swept into his solar, entrenched in the dark side. The ancient wizard's face was stern, a slight frown communicating more disapproval than words could ever do. She bowed a moment later. She had only knelt before Lady Bastila, and that was as much from necessity as from respect. Unless she met a Sith in the flesh worth apprenticing to, that would remain unchanged.
"We have been waiting for you, apprentice," said Lord Salazar. Naga Sadow appeared beside him, smaller in conjunction with the different sizes of their holocron. "Our cleansing ritual, designed for your purposes, has been completed. It waits only upon you to put it into motion. With it, your journey toward becoming a Sith Lord shall advance."
Edelweiss smiled. "What will it require and how soon can I see it through?"
The ancient Sith Lords exchanged a dark look, one that made her stiffen. She stared while waiting on them, wondering which would tell her the troubling news they had for her. It was Naga Sadow who bit the bullet, saying, "There is a substance native to your world required for the ritual. It is the venom of the basilisk. The required quantity is immense and would be most easily procured from a live beast over time. According to Lord Salazar, you slew the one he had bred and raised."
"Basilisk venom should not be an issue," Edelweiss admitted, trying to not preen at the reminder of what she accomplished at twelve. "I claimed most of the venom for personal use. I had no plans concerning how I would use it, so my stores have been unaffected since the corpse was rendered for parts."
"Do you possess enough venom to bathe in it, apprentice?"
She paused and considered how much that would require. The basilisk's corpse had produced five hundred liters, according to the goblins, though she couldn't recall whether their liter and a human liter were the same quantity. Lips pursed, she asked, "Do you know exactly how much would be required for this ritual? I have a great deal, though I do not know if it is enough to completely submerge in."
Lord Salazar hummed thoughtfully. "Should you have any stores within my Chamber, I should be able to detect them. Otherwise, we can move along in other ways. We have planned around insufficient quantities, though you will require other materials to bridge the gap created by your lack of basilisk venom."
"There are stores here," said Edelweiss. "Feel free to inspect them as you wish, Lord Salazar. Otherwise, is there training either of you have for me? I suspect until we can handle the matter of the venom, we cannot move forward with the ritual."
"It is time to instruct the girl in the ways of lightsaber combat," declared Naga Sadow before Lord Salazar could speak. He turned a harsh gaze upon her. "Your studies have focused on the Force and the powers you gain through mastery of the dark side. However, if a Jedi were to find you, you would not be prepared to kill them without ambush. They will revert to the lightsaber and seek to cut you down."
"A lightsaber," whispered Edelweiss, unable to restrain her desire. Lady Bastila had discussed training her with a double-bladed weapon. But that form had been unappealing to Edelweiss. She preferred a more traditional method. She glanced at the plethora of holocrons on the wall, her emerald eyes seeking out any possible lightsaber tutor. "Which would you recommend, my lords?"
"There is a Sith Lord from an era following when your master lived that I recommend. Though do not mention either your master or Lord Revan to him," said Lord Salazar. "One of their descendants was a powerful Jedi and she scarred him terribly while fighting on Alderaan in the Core. Lord Malgus is less than pleased by reminders of his many encounters with Grand Master Satele Shan."
Edelweiss wondered how terrible those encounters must have been to create animosity between a single man and an entire bloodline. She went to the wall of holocrons and found one labeled "Darth Malgus" among those on the shelf furthest from where she first found Lady Bastila's holocron. Given the animosity Lord Malgus possessed for her master's line, she would settle on only communing with him within Ziost Hangar. It would also be more suitable for lightsaber training than anywhere else. Lady Bastila's holocron had been returned to safekeeping in Gryffindor Tower, secured within her trunk. Her holocron was wrapped in one of the thick woolen socks Uncle Vernon had gotten her over the years. She nearly laughed, thinking of how he would react learning one of his gifts possessed utility. Perhaps she should repay the kindness with a clean, merciful death.
She set the bloodthirsty thought aside. There was time aplenty to consider how she might handle the Dursleys. Edelweiss had no reason to accelerate her nebulous plans concerning them. If this year progressed as she increasingly expected, a great reckoning would come to pass in June. She suspected she would once more clash with Voldemort—and by slaying him, she would achieve her ascension and become Darth Gladiolus in truth. Edelweiss grew excited at the prospect of facing her foe. She would be empowered by the dark side when they clashed next. Would he be able to counter her new Sith powers? Or would he be powerless before them?
"I would recommend you take Lord Malgus's holocron to the dueling hall on the far side of the hangar," advised Lord Salazar. Edelweiss looked away from the holocron and to the Sith Lord. "I had once intended to take on a Sith apprentice. By the time I was ready for that task, my powers had waned. Soon after, my former allies expelled me from Hogwarts castle. They knew not of this place, nor my unique powers. They only thought me a wizard from another world. 'The Warlock' they called me in secret."
Edelweiss nodded, unfazed by how he referred to the other Founders. She would have been surprised if he still considered them friends—hers were increasingly utilitarian, or so she reminded herself. But allies? That explained the relation between the founders—and thus the Houses within Hogwarts—very well. Some days she was surprised the school had not been restructured to remove their degrading influence.
Perhaps she could improve Hogwarts by rendering the House system moot.
She bowed her head, took Lord Malgus's holocron, and departed the solar. Edelweiss made her way to the lower level of Ziost Hangar using a stairwell she stumbled upon instead of taking one of the strange elevators. She walked past the strange black ship, glancing at its curved black form and dark mechanical underbelly as he went. Had she known anything of muggle craft, she could have attempted to identify all she saw. However, she knew naught of their planes and cars, and thus she was left to stare at something she was ignorant about.
I should learn how that works, and how to maintain it. Certainly, it shall have use one day.
It would be useful, possessing that knowledge. When the day came to step out into the galaxy beyond, Edelweiss would need to know how to maintain that ship. How else could she ensure she reached other worlds?
Civilized worlds.
Until then, she would focus on the tasks set before her. She had an opportunity to learn how to wield a lightsaber from a Sith Lord who must have been one of the greats. Or so she assumed. There was no reason Lord Salazar would lead her astray.
Edelweiss entered the dueling chamber, a long, narrow room that reminded her of the Come-and-Go Room. There was a pedestal to her left designed to accept a holocron. She set Lord Malgus's holocron on it and tightly grasped her ever-present anger.
A massive man, tall and broad, appeared at the chamber's center. He was bald with a thick ring of metal around the lower half of his head. The hollow of his eyes was set in a permanent scowl, burn embers deep within.
"Who are you to seek my knowledge?" he asked. His voice was slightly mechanized and terrible.
"Edelweiss, a Sith apprentice of a backwater world unexposed to our ancient enemies, the Jedi."
Lord Malgus frowned as he crossed his arms. She struggled to not swallow as he accidentally attempted to intimidate her.
"For what purpose have you sought me out?"
"I wish to be trained with a lightsaber. Two of the Sith Masters I commune with recommended you for that purpose."
"And which form do you seek to learn?"
"…form? Like a style?"
He laughed, dark and mocking. "So, they send me a child? Find another fool to teach you the basics. Once you can prove mastery over the first form, then—and only then!—shall I teach you."
And with that, his holocron deactivated. Edelweiss felt her stomach churn as disappointment brewed in her bones. Where Lord Salazar and Lady Bastila and even Naga Sadow had understood she required time and guidance to develop her powers as a Sith, Lord Malgus rejected her solely because she had yet to reach the level of ability he desired. Her hands clenched as burning fury bubbled in her veins. She would show him. She would learn, faster than he could ever imagine, and return to him before Christmas.
She would repurpose that subterranean dueling chamber Sirius had shown her beneath Grimmauld Place for lightsaber dueling, and Lord Malgus would be the one to instruct her.
Edelweiss returned to Lord Salazar's solar, fuming over Lord Malgus's rejection. She would show him. She would prove herself worthy of his teaching and instruction. And once he became her lightsaber instructor, she would seek to surpass him.
She found Lord Salazar speaking with Naga Sadow as she entered the solar. She had thought their holocrons deactivated when she departed with Lord Malgus's holocron, but it appeared she was amiss.
They paused and turned to her with odd looks. Had they expected she would still be with the bald Sith Lord, practicing the basics of lightsaber forms under his careful watch? They must have. That was the sole explanation she could think of. Then again, it was foolish attempting to learn how to wield a lightsaber when she did not possess one.
Then I will need to figure out where practice weapons are stored. Lord Salazar must have a few lying around somewhere.
"Ah, apprentice," drawled Naga Sadow. "You have returned sooner than we expected."
She nodded, jaw clenched. Edelweiss had to breathe in and out several times before she could speak. "Lord Malgus was displeased I lacked training with a lightsaber. He has decreed that I learn and master the first form before he will instruct me."
Lord Salazar grimaced, seemingly displeased, while Naga Sadow grinned maliciously. "We should have expected it would be so," Lord Salazar confessed. "All I knew of Lord Malgus when I filched his holocron for my growing collection. Though given the praise for his dueling ability, I am no longer surprised by his rejection. No doubt he meant that holocron for someone already accustomed to the art of lightsaber combat."
Edelweiss nodded, seeking to mask her frustration. "Since I have returned," she said, seeking another topic, "I wish to know if the quantity of venom stored in the Chamber of Secrets is satisfactory for the ritual, or if I will be required to smuggle extra vats into the castle."
"What you possess is only three-quarters of what will be required," said Lord Salazar.
She blinked, almost surprised. She had hoped the 200 liters stored within would be aplenty. She would need to write the goblins, and that would be after she did the math to determine how much that final quarter was.
"However, there is more work to be done," Lord Salazar continued. "You will need to locate a proper site for your ritual. I do not recommend the Chamber of Secrets, for there are warding schemes set around it that could interfere. Other parts of the castle may be suitable, though."
"A proper chamber…" murmured Edelweiss, a hand pressed to her lips. "Is there a place within the castle that would be ideal, Lord Salazar? I know that it has changed since your time. But certainly, there must be a location known to you perfect for this ritual. Perhaps in the abandoned parts of the castle."
Lord Salazar made a spitting noise. "Damn the fools who allow my greatest achievement to sit empty!" He paused before huffing loudly. "There is no need for a special chamber, apprentice. Any classroom will do. You must only see it through to the end." He leaned forward, face drawing into a dark scowl. "Do you possess the proper courage, Edelweiss Potter?"
"I am a Gryffindor," she replied with boiling blood. Lord Salazar was fortunate he was long dead, for she would have done the deed herself. She did not possess the Sith title her master promised. But it would be hers. That was certain. She had sworn herself to this path, and she would see it through to the bitter end. Blackened would be her soul, for that would ensure Voldemort and Dumbledore were cast down, their followers scattered upon the wind as ash and dust.
"Will you face our cleansing ritual? Will you embrace your fear and anger, to allow the dark side to work through you?"
"Aye, I will, Lord Salazar. I will cleanse myself of the taint my foe left within me. I will destroy the key to his immortality, and ensure his destruction by my hand."
They smiled and nodded. Edelweiss tried not to preen under the approval of these Sith Lords. She wanted to bask in their praise, to soak in all she could from them. One day, she would surpass them. Edelweiss found disappointment in the fact they were already dead. Her strength would be proven by killing other men.
For an hour, Edelweiss took notes and asked questions about the ritual. The Sith Lords made her verbally repeat the steps back to them several times to ensure she would not forget them, despite every one being written down. Everything necessary—materials, runic scheme, and the Sith Code in that old, terrible language of the Sith race—were both written down and committed to memory.
Life at Hogwarts grew annoyingly hectic as the first Quidditch game of the year approached. Edelweiss increasingly regretted that she had not sought to resign from the team. Between preparations for her ritual, scheduling and planning defense meetings, and studying for both her OWL examinations and her ascension to the rank of Sith Lord, she was awash with work. And given Angelica's determination to increase practices after their first game of the year, Edelweiss's fealty to the Gryffindor team had plummeted to an all-time low.
At least their first match of the year was against Slytherin, as usual. Edelweiss would enjoy making a fool of Draco Malfoy. Not that it was difficult. She thanked whoever designed the Quidditch schedule, for there was only a single way to open every season, with Gryffindor crushing their ancient rival. The match was excellently timed as well, for she desired to use the high of victory over Slytherin to fuel her cleansing ritual.
On the night before the game, Edelweiss found herself unable to sleep. In the late hours of the night, she spirited away from her bed and to the Come-and-Go Room, Lady Bastila's holocron and a practice lightsaber she had found in her pocket. Her practice weapon was cool to the touch, thicker than her wand but just as long. She her thumb over the emitter, wondering how such a weapon could resist the heat its blade produced. It should always be warm, and yet it was not.
She paced before the tapestry and slipped inside the door that appeared. A chamber almost identical to Ziost Hangar's dueling chamber had come into being. When she set her master's holocron upon that perch she used for Lord Malgus's down in Ziost Hangar, Lady Bastila appeared.
"How fascinating," her master drawled. "This place…. I can feel its power." Her gaze returned to Edelweiss, dropping to what her apprentice held. "I see you finally begun your training with a lightsaber."
"That I have," said Edelweiss, holding her practice lightsaber in a hand. She kneeled before the projection. "I wish to learn the first form of lightsaber combat from you. I have found another Sith Lord to instruct me, but he insists I master the first form before he instructs me further."
Lady Bastila hummed dangerously. "Only the first form? There is much I can teach you…. But if you are certain, apprentice, then I will accept your wishes. I know it was Lord Salazar who suggested you seek another to instruct you in the ways of combat." Edelweiss stiffened. Her master's tone suddenly changed, lighter, almost amused. "A wise decision, despite the poor choice of tutor."
Edelweiss blinked as she leaned back onto her heels. "You are not angry, master?"
"I am incensed, but not against you, apprentice. Remember that I am the one you call 'master'. Not Salazar nor Naga Sadow, nor whatever duelist they guided you to."
"Of course, master." Edelweiss rose to her feet and began to stretch her limbs. She had quietly dressed in her Quidditch tights and jersey before leaving the dormitory. These were the clothes best suited to lightsaber training she could explain away, should she somehow be caught out of bounds. "I am ready to begin."
"Are you?" her master asked maliciously. "Then let us see, apprentice."
Edelweiss limped to the Gryffindor table the next morning, struggling to hide a pained grimace. She wondered why she thought learning Shii-Cho, the first form, had been wise before a Quidditch match. Her body ached. Muscles left untrained by Quidditch twitched with pain. Not even sleep and the Force cleansed her of those pains. Had they a reserve seeker, she would beg off playing. She might even consider being truthful with Angelina when explaining why she could not play. She'd omit the nature of the blade she was learning, but otherwise, it would be the truth.
Angelina could learn to live with disappointment.
It's not like Edelweiss cared. Quidditch was an afterthought these days. The defense meetings and her Sith studies were what stroked her passions. Magic, some days, was almost treated the same as Quidditch: an afterthought. She considered pawning off the business of planning defense meetings on to Hermione. But then Edelweiss would worry over what measly, ineffective ideas would be thrust upon her. She had her ideas for what was and was not useful.
Edelweiss sighed, thinking of the defense group. They were scheduled to meet in three days. Tuesdays, oddly, were the most convenient day of the week. But she could not choose them with any notable pattern.
She sat in the first open seat she found. Edelweiss had to swallow a whine as a bruise she had not known of on a thigh pressed against the edge of the bench. She breathed in and out slowly, channeling that pain toward something productive. It was a simple task, thanks to her Sith training. Turning pain into power was meant to be second nature to a Sith Lord. All her masters claimed so.
I'm not there yet, she thought with a slight pinched feeling.
Months existed between the present and when she would reach her full Sith powers. She would become their equal. She would be the Dark Lord of the Sith, master of all sworn to the dark side of the Force. She had little proficiency with the lightsaber, and she had a feeling none of her Sith masters—not even Lady Bastila—would think her worthy of the name of Darth Gladiolus until she achieved mastery over that tool.
Edelweiss slathered her plate with rashers and toast. She eyed a plate of cooked eggs but held back from raiding it. If she remained hungry, she could eat more. As she ate, her thoughts turned to her training, and to what her master had said of Shii-Cho and its relation to other forms.
"It is the foundation of all forms," the Lady Bastila stated. "One who cannot master the first form will not master any other. Whichever duelist Lord Salazar found for you—"
"You're eating heavy." Edelweiss blinked, startled from her thoughts, and turned to find Angelina hovering over her. Worry radiated off the seventh year. "I had been worried you might not eat this morning, since that's how you normally are at the beginning of the season."
"This year is different," grumbled Edelweiss. She nearly turned back to her breakfast when her thoughts from earlier came back. "Oh. Angelina. If we lose, I am going to resign from the team. I've been very busy and I can live with cutting Quidditch."
Angelina glared and crossed her arms.
"You don't need to worry about me purposefully losing, though," said Edelweiss. "Worry about Ron. This is his first game. We've both seen from practice that he's more susceptible to pressure than he lets on." Edelweiss thought of their first year and the Mirror of Erised. "His brothers have achieved a lot during their times at Hogwarts… and being my friend has not helped him in that regard."
"I'll talk with him," said Angelina before stalking off. Edelweiss could only hope it was enough. She had a feeling it would not.
"WEASLEY IS OUR KING! WEASLEY IS OUR KING!" bellowed the Slytherins with malicious glee. "HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN! WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"
"You like our song, Potter?" asked Draco Malfoy, floating nearby. He had given up on singing after the first few renditions of their song. "We didn't have enough time to—"
"It's childish," Edelweiss remarked as she watched Ron at the Gryffindor hoops. Two Slytherin chasers charged his way. One suddenly broke off, flying first in front of Alicia and then Katie. Both were cut off from their attack angles. The other chaser pressed forward, nearing the rings. He chucked the quaffle, and it went into the ring furthest away from Ron—who had lunged the wrong way. She sighed and added, "And it's working." She turned back to Malfoy, who stared at her as if she were someone else. "How long did the lyrics take you? A month? Two?"
Malfoy was slow to answer. They floated there for a minute or so before he said, "When did you grow up, Potter?"
"Over the summer." She turned back to the pitch. The sooner she caught the snitch, the sooner the game would be over. Ron could use the help, anyway. His frustration clouded his mind and the pitch. Edelweiss suspected she was the only one affected by it. "I realized there were more important things than petty squabbles."
"Like what?"
Edelweiss gave him a side-eyed look before smirking. The dark side cloaked her like an old friend. She poured a touch of that power into her gaze. "Like power," she drawled, "and the willingness to use it."
His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Shock rippled off him. Malfoy must have spent enough time around Voldemort that summer to recognize the words she uttered. The Dark Lord had uttered them to her so many years ago. She had challenged him on the matter of good and evil, and he had dismissed those ideas. It was unsurprising that a man who basked in his vices would dismiss good and evil.
She had discovered that while good and evil were real, they were also a matter of perspective. Power allowed good to vanquish evil, and for evil to triumph over good.
Edelweiss had come to terms with the truth she would commit evil to ensure the good of herself. She would stain her soul, as Dumbledore would declare. But it mattered not to her. In the end, the price paid would be worth the cost. She would be free.
And the world would be forever changed.
A flash of gold caught her eyes. With a careful yet swift glance, she confirmed she had spotted the golden snitch. Amusingly, it hovered about twenty feet from the ground near the Gryffindor goalposts. Edelweiss spent some time floating around Malfoy, who had joined in on another raucous round of "Weasley Is Our King". The score reached 170-40. If she waited too long, Slytherin would cross the 150-point threshold catching the snitch granted and they would be victorious.
Her pride and Sith learning demanded victory regardless of the truth losing would free her from Quidditch.
Once Edelweiss had several feet of separation from Malfoy, she leaned forward and zoomed toward the posts. She could just hear Lee Jordan's commentary over the roar of the wind and the Gryffindor crowd as he screamed bloody murder at her spotting the snitch. They all knew the game would end in their favor unless Slytherin got extremely lucky. Of all the seekers she had dueled in the past, Draco Malfoy could not claim to have ever beaten her. She had fond memories of their matches, especially the first one with the rogue bludger and their zooming race through the wooden support structure around the pitch.
That kind of flying was what she wanted. Being seeker was mostly floating around and looking for a shining ball barely larger than the eye. It was tiresome and demeaning, especially with her growing Force powers. She longed to race brooms and for the victor to be decided by a mix of raw speed and talent.
Being seeker was as close as she could come to that thrill while playing Quidditch. A shame that the chase would be over before it could begin in earnest.
Edelweiss reached the golden snitch before it could drift more than a few feet from where she first spotted it. She snatched it from the air and held the golden, confused ball tightly in her fist. The score, as best she knew, was 190-170 Gryffindor. Their victory was her victory.
She grinned upon realization. Edelweiss would remain on the team, yet she would have the power to dictate her schedule. They needed her more than she needed them. She would use remaining on the team to keep the other members in her defense group. And their presence there would add them to her growing power.
Edelweiss landed and slipped off her broom. She watched others in red and green descend from the sky. Her observation was cut short when she felt something roar her way. She tossed aside her Firebolt while dodging the other way, drawing her wand as she rolled into a kneeling stance. A bludger bounced off the turf and ricocheted back into the sky. One Weasley Twin raced after it while the other pelted the other bludger at the large Slytherin beater who targeted her after the whistle.
"Idiots and fools," grumbled Edelweiss, shaking her head. She did not need them defending her honor, though she appreciated their support. They would make for excellent minions after she fully embraced what it meant to be the Dark Lord of the Sith. She would repay the Slytherin beater for their attempt on her life eventually; they were too low on her priorities list to deal with in the present.
She went to the locker room while entertaining thoughts of the torture she would inflict upon that foolish beater. Edelweiss grinned at that thought before remembering she would eventually need to rejoin her teammates. Somehow she would need to depart Gryffindor Tower during the partying this night. The thrill of victory in her veins would fuel her cleansing ritual with great power. She had the entire process memorized, Sith runes and all. There was basilisk venom aplenty within Hogwarts now, thanks to the goblins and their discretion.
On this night, she would purge Voldemort's foul taint from her body. On this night, she would be freed from his influence. On this night, she would bring ruin upon Voldemort's method of immortality. Lord Salazar promised it would happen, and Edelweiss had double-checked his and Naga Sadow's work as best she could. She believed enough in their claim to not doubt it.
And her mind happened to be too addled by pumping adrenaline to think beyond the ritual and all it would achieve.
Edelweiss entered their empty locker room. By the time she showered and dressed in the black robes she would sacrifice to her ritual, none of her teammates had returned. Not even Ron, who she almost expected to emulate Oliver Wood and attempt to drown himself in the showers. She smiled, recalling that old memory. That had been when she loved Quidditch, and not merely the thrill of flying.
Still, the absence of the team troubled her. No reason existed why they should not be present. Not unless something awful happened on the pitch after she left, severe enough to impede the team from stepping off the pitch.
"Shite," hissed Edelweiss. She rushed out of the locker room and nearly bulldozed Umbridge in her haste. She stumbled backward, shocked to find the squat, pink witch seemingly waiting on her.
"There you are!" the woman shouted, the strange girlyness of her voice absent. "Your teammates just hospitalized Mister Malfoy fighting like muggles! Muggles!"
Edelweiss blinked. She then sighed and rubbed her face., already envisioning what had transpired in her absence. "Let me guess. They got in a tuffle over that last-minute bludger. Malfoy said something terrible about… say, their mother, and so either Fred or George gave him a beating."
"That is not what happened. Those two boys, the older Weasley ones, laid hands on Mister Malfoy without provocation!"
She bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood. She gained nothing by contradicting Umbridge. Edelweiss knew Malfoy and the Weasley Twins too well to believe the assault occurred without due cause. Malfoy had never shied away from insults and slander. Part of her suspected he spoke those words to provoke a violent reaction against him. Certainly, that had to be his aim if he had been publically assaulted. Odds were making him a prefect only made it worse. Then again, her focus on her Sith studies and her defense group meant she barely interacted with Malfoy outside of the classes she did the bare minimum for.
"Is that so? I was not there, as you know. I only assumed he said something, based upon how Malfoy has behaved in the past."
Something predatory glimmered in Professor Umbridge's eyes as if Edelweiss had said something she wanted to hear. "Oh? And how has Mister Malfoy behaved in the past?"
"Like a spoilt child," Edelweiss said as flatly as she could. "And I would know about spoilt children. My cousin—a muggle, mind you—behaves almost the exact same way. Fits, when he doesn't get what he wants. Leverages others to bully those who slight him for whichever reason his little mind contrives. I assumed he mocked the Weasley family because of the enmity between Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy." She smirked as she added, "I once watched them brawl in Diagon Alley like muggles. It was almost hilarious, seeing two pureblooded men go at it with their fists."
Professor Umbridge sniffed. "Those sound like lies, Miss Potter. Do you need more detentions as a reminder of what counts as appropriate behavior and morals?" She pointedly glanced at Edelweiss's right hand. It had long healed over, though Umbridge would not know. The woman operated under the assumption Edelweiss had been present for detentions following the first debasement. "Or should I punish you another way? Misters Fred and George Weasley have been banned from playing Quidditch ever again after what they did."
"Were they? Well, that is one way to punish their behaviors. Curious to see if it works, though I would be surprised if it does." Umbridge blinked at Edelweiss's daring words. "Unless you have anything else to say, I believe it is time for me to leave, Professor. To ensure they do not get into further trouble."
"Go on, then," Umbridge said. "Do not let me see you out of bounds, Miss Potter." Wrath rolled off her in waves, for Edelweiss had avoided the trap laid out for her. Chances were the woman believed the Prophet's propaganda. Edelweiss had learned from September. Soon, Umbridge would have no power over her but that she was deluded into believing she possessed.
"Of course, Professor. Have a good day."
Edelweiss went straight to Gryffindor Tower, working her wrath and fury like banking the coals of an ember-spewing fire. Her anger was directed toward Fred and George. They were fools to act publicly as they did, no matter what provoked them. Malfoy's power was only that which others granted him. Visions of tortures and punishments flashed in her mind, suitable ways to make them cower before her power and might.
Yet upon reaching the Fat Lady, Edelweiss realized almost all of what she envisioned could not be done yet. Those visions spawned from her Force powers and she had sworn to hide them until the proper time arrived. She paused at the entry to the common room and stared at the snoozing portrait. After several seconds, she turned away. She had an important task for this night, and handling the egos of shortsighted children impeded that task.
The time for her ritual was at hand. Tonight was vital toward her future ascension. Edelweiss headed for the chamber she had set aside for her cleansing.
Midnight approached as Edelweiss concluded the preparations for her ritual. She had chosen a secluded room on the fourth floor near the large room used for History of Magic lessons. The dark side of the Force had inevitably led her to that chamber. A paste of blood and basilisk venom, thickened with honey, was slathered in sharp, whooshing shapes across her face and body. She was nude, for any cloth would interfere with the cleansing ritual Lord Salazar and Naga Sadow had constructed on her behalf. She projected her gratitude for their mentorship at them before turning her attention to the Sith letters written on the floor with the same substance that coated her body. Encircling the capstone of her ritual, she had written with the same substance a single platitude three times:
The Force shall free me.
WONOKSH QYÂSIK NUN.
Her capstone was a large basin—a bathtub, frankly—carved from a single block of quartz. Rowena Ravenclaw had made it for her experiments during her life and hid it somewhere where only those who knew the Founders could find it. Edelweiss had tasked Dobby with moving the basin, but only after getting the elf to swear to never tell Dumbledore about any tasks he completed on her behalf.
It was wise to not inform Dobby what my purpose is, Edelweiss thought as she approached the basin. Though it would have been simpler to use Kreacher, instead.
The way Dobby had explained it when she asked, the only elves bound to the castle or staff members were allowed to enter Hogwarts. Dobby, as Lucius Malfoy's elf, had been considered the equivalent of a staff member's elf by the wards. The school governors had many privileges, despite their limited involvement in the running of the school.
She began muttering the Sith Code in the Sith tongue as she slipped a foot into the basin's contents. Most of the venom stores within the castle had been carefully poured into the basin. Had she not enough, she would have been forced to brew several cauldrons of a special potion of Lord Salazar's devising.
She had only needed to brew one, and she had consumed it before she began. The potion sat coolly in her stomach, waiting for when the ritual would begin.
Edelweiss put her other foot into the venom bath and then sat down. The paste on her submerged body ached, already reacting. She uttered the Sith Code again, this time in English. Upon her third repetition—this time in parseltongue—she submerged herself into the bath. The fluid seeped into her skin, raced up her nose, and slithered through pressed lips. She gasped as a sudden weight pressed down on her chest. She swallowed a mouthful and felt the ritual activate. Her body alighted with pain, yet she could not scream.
The last Edelweiss recalled was the sensation of her skin burning in streaks and swirls; and a strange, high-pitched voice screaming, and screaming, and SCREAMING.
The Force shall free me, indeed.