Serpent's Plot
NADIA
Blank canvas. That’s what he had called her.
Moonlight lit the dark hallway. It was hauntingly quiet. No sign of living or ghostly nocturnal wanderers. Only portraits quietly eyed the Slytherin girl as she walked aimlessly. Nadia felt a growing pull pleading her to just spend the night in the hallway. She dreaded the moment she would enter the common room and be forced to endure the accusative glares. They already seemed to openly resent her for not joining their vengeful crusade against Gryffindors. Like it was her fault the Gryffindor idiots had planned yet another display of foolish nobility.
She wanted nothing to do with either side of this idiocy. But apparently, that made her a blank canvas.
Nadia stopped. Her feet had brought her to the entrance of the common room on their own. She could feel a headache forming in the back of her head. She took a long breath and whispered the password. A step inside the room made her sigh in relief. It was empty. The velvet sofas were unoccupied and the fire in the dark marble fireplace was dying out.
“Did you get lost on your way to the Gryffindor tower?”
Parkinson, of course. Nadia wondered if she just happened to be there or was she really petty enough to wait for her. Prudentia was successfully blocking her way to the dorm rooms. Had she waited for Nadia to come in just to torture her? Was a little privacy too much to ask?
“If you have something to say just say it.”
“Well, well, well. Somebody’s sharpened their claws”, Prudentia sneered.
Nadia’s head was pounding. It was ironic that she was the predator in Prudentia's scenario when Nadia was the one who felt like a trapped prey.
“Yes, Parkinson. And if you want to save your pretty face from scratches, move out of my way.”
“Such empty threats. We both know very well that you are as likely to come at me as you were to defend yourself from stupid Black’s insults. Never picking sides, are we, Rosier?”, Prudentia huffed. “Avery thinks that makes you lose your credibility as a Slytherin. My opinion is that it is actually very Slytherin of you. Self-preservation and all that, right?”
“Maybe neither of the sides are worth my time?”
Prudentia's lips curled into a smile. “Well, you better sort out who your loyalty lies with. Otherwise, you might find yourself in the crossfire.”
“Why, thank you for your kind advice. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”
“Anytime, darling”, Prudentia tilted her head before turning around to head into her room.
Nadia leaned to the wall to steady herself. She wished she could silence her head. She closed her eyes to pretend to be all alone. The only person in this whole castle. Was it wrong to wish all people would just disappear? People tended only to complicate things. It was so much easier to keep everyone out. She felt like the more people made their way into her life the more people had the power to hurt her. Nadia couldn’t handle the thought. So she preferred being detached and indifferent. It did build a cold front that was hard to break but it saved her from the aftermath of a breakdown.
Breathe in. Breathe out. The cold from the wall cut through her silent agony. Blank canvas. She doubted Sirius knew how close to the truth he was. As long as she remembered she had used an image of clean, white emptiness to paint over her disoriented thoughts. She pictured a white page without any stains to disturb. Nadia let the mental image wash over her. She hated not being in control, especially of her own mind.
She had run straight to the library and locked the door. Her head was shrieking from the pain. Every thought and memory still stirred around. Flashes from things she would rather not remember kept floating in front of her eyes. There were more of them than you would expect from a seven-year-old.
She leaned on the locked door to catch her breath. She felt the warm tears on her cheek. Her right pointer finger was still aching. Like small needles piercing her asking again and again. That stupid ring. She never should’ve touched it. She never should've listened to him. If she had just stayed out of that room, she would have avoided all this. Nadia could still hear the voice in your head.
“What have I said about touching things that are not yours, Nadia?”
She had been caught in her mother’s saloon going through a jewellery box. She had tried one of the rings for merely a second. It was a gold ring with emerald stone. Her mother's most beloved possession. And she had been agitated into thinking she could get away with taking it. As soon as she had placed it on her finger, a flashing flow of images and voices rushed through her head. The crushing pain had made her scream which had given her location immediately away. But when her mother had entered from the door, Nadia wished she had remained quiet. Alina Rosier's eyes had drilled in hers making the curse in the ring feel harmless.
“What did you touch?”
Nadia had lifted her finger. Her mother hadn’t wasted a second on that.
“What did you see?”
She had shaken her head crying.
“WHAT DID YOU SEE?”, the voice had burst into her head, making Nadia scream again. The last minutes had started playing backwards like an invisible force was pulling her memories. Every pull had hurt like a claw was shredding her thoughts. The pain was very similar to the one the ring had caused. Nadia had sobbed and pleaded for help. No one had come. She didn’t know how long it carried on. At one point she had let her conscious mind slip away and just silently accepted the pain. She was left laying on the ground, tears dried on her cheeks.
“Keep your hands to yourself from now on.”, her mother whispered to her ear. “And learn to keep your pathetic mind in control.”
She heard the heels click on the marble as her mother walked away. Nadia laid there for minutes before he gained back the strength in her muscles to get up. She had run away straight to the library. The only place she knew no one would wander in.
Now she stood there. Head still spinning. The library was her favourite place in the house. It was a grand room with wall-high bookcases filled with old leather-bound books. No one seemed to care about them except Nadia. To her, the books held more interest than many humans ever did. She slid down the door and placed her arms around her knees. She played with the thick wool carpet just to distract herself from the pain in her finger. Her finger traced the pattern for the fourth time when a book suddenly dropped on the floor with a thud. It was one more reason why the library was so dear to her. It always knew what book the person needed the most.
Nadia reached for the heavy volume of Occlumency: Escape for serene minds. The cover was ornamented with strange patterns. She opened the book. It was chapter after chapter about building walls and clearing your mind. Most of it didn’t make sense to her. It was too advanced magic. But that didn't stop her from absorbing every word about keeping your thoughts in order and mind controlled. From that day every time she was chased away by her parents' rage she found solace in the book.
Little by little the pain of the voice drilling into her head became less painful. She never learned how to fully keep the voices out or avert them from her thoughts. But by picturing a blank page she managed to conceal her mind a little better. For every painful memory, she painted over with white blankness to hide it away. She arranged all the pages in empty books only she could read. That way even if her book fell open no one but her could decipher them. Sometimes it felt like she had lost the key to the code herself.
“Parkinson locked you out?”
She tore her eyes open. It was impossible to say how much time had passed in the darkness of the common room. The lake was muddy, black from the rain leaving the room in isolation. Nadia could see a silhouette against the tame, green torches. Zabini stared at her from a distance. Nadia had never talked to him. She wasn’t particularly keen to change that tonight, either.
“I’m positive I managed to lock myself out.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. Nadia studied his face. She didn’t know much about Zabini. Except for his rising popularity due to his prestigious family tree. Blythe seemed to be less interested in following the Slytherin agenda than the rest. Nadia remembered him being the one to end the pathetic hallway fight. She wasn’t sure if that indicated his sensibility or simply meant he wasn’t stupid enough to be caught fighting in the hallway. Did it mean he had other plans? But she couldn’t read his blank expression.
“Not to pry but why exactly are you so against picking a side when you already are immutably on one?”, he gestured around them. Shades of green and silver surrounded them to prove the message. Pick a side. People seemed to tell that quite often to her nowadays.
“Next time, can you and Parkinson coordinate these interrogations to save me from repeating myself?”
“I’ll make sure to schedule a meeting next time”, he smiled. Nadia realised he was the first Slytherin who had smiled at her.
Maybe he sensed her staring, he raised a brow. Nadia looked away. She watched the little crystals on the giant chandelier waver.
She wondered what picking a side would look like. It seemed unlikely that Slytherins would practice mercy and tolerance towards Gryffindors. No, they were too proud to let anyone step on their ego. We are too proud, Nadia reminded herself. For a person who never seemed to be Slytherin enough, she sometimes tended to be a textbook case of one. If not that, something that she certainly had in common with her house was how Gryffindors hit her nerves, But what would picking a side do for her? She was already considered a borderline house traitor for doing absolutely nothing. It was hard to see the benefit of picking a side that already had turned on her. They thought she was patronising with the enemy. The enemy thought she was a blank canvas Slytherins had managed to paint with their corrosive colours. It wasn’t particularly hard to see why she would rather stay out of it.
“No matter if you stay unbiased or not, you do realise both sides are not ceasing the fire?”, his eyes flickered, “So, if you ever feel like checking in your house pride, we could use your charms skills for our little retaliation.”
It didn’t surprise her that they were planning a revenge. Mercy and forgiveness definitely weren’t very Slytherin. What surprised her was them asking help from her. She had kept her distance from the rest. And before she knew she had been successfully ostracized from her own house. It didn’t necessarily bother her. Nadia was used to the familiar, invisible wall between her and everyone else. It was like she lacked the ability for empty pleasantries and careless conversations. Sometimes she wasn’t sure if it was her own choice or if she was trapped in her own frailty.
But if she already was a blank canvas to everyone, maybe it was time to stain it.
“Let me know when and where”, she offered a smile. Surprise widened Zabini’s eyes before he slowly returned a smile.
Nadia turned to enter the door to the dormitory. Her hands brushed the silver doorknob with hesitation. Everyone surely would be asleep by now? She turned the knob and entered. It was an oval, arched hallway lit by green torches. At the end of the hall, a wall-length diamond window opened to a pitch-black body of water. A staircase led upstairs to other Slytherin girls’ dorms. The first floor was for the first-years. The hall, large enough to qualify as a drawing-room, was filled with thick, old-fashioned carpet. There were green velvet sofas and armchairs placed around a fireplace. Several dresser tables with opening mirrors were set around the room. The odd number of custom-made dragon leather shoes and high-end clothes laid on the floor and chairs. Nadia had heard many rumours about Slytherin accommodations. Most people believed it to be a dark, gloomy room under the lake. They talked about spider webs and horrid beasts outside the window. It proceeded to prove how little people knew about Slytherins. The house was filled with snobby children of obnoxiously rich elitists. No Slytherin would settle for shared rooms second-class quality.
There were four doors down the hall. Enchanted to cater to new students every year. Nadia opened her slightly creaking door. It opened to a spacious room, decorated with a palette of dark green, black marble, mahogany antiques, and shiny silver details. Oval window with emerald green drapes. A small walk-in closet and a writing table. Armchair and footstool by the window. A queen-sized four-poster bed. Nadia laid down on the soft bedding. She sighed. The voice echoed slightly. For all its luxuries, the room never ceased to suffocate her. She had habituated herself with the isolation and life in the dungeons. But in the dark, quiet room, suddenly she was painfully aware of the lake above. If the pressure grew to be too much - one tiny crack on the ceiling and they would all drown.
Nadia imagined a brush painting over her vision. She let the blankness wash her over. With every stroke, the thoughts and doubts in her head disappeared under a thick layer of blankness.
People thought that she was not Slytherin enough or too much of a Slytherin. If that was the problem, she could show just how Slytherin she could be. Aut inveniam viam aut faciam. The old Rosier family motto ringed in her ears. Her father would repeat it like an incantation, making her memorise the Latin words as soon as she could talk. If you cannot find a path, make one. When all the paths were dead-end, she would make her own.
~*~
“Common room. Tonight at 11 o’clock.”
A couple of days had passed without much interaction with her housemates. Now Zabini sat down in front of him at the Great Hall. He took a big bite out of a toast and grinned at her. In daylight, Nadia hadn’t been sure if their conversation from the night of the Astronomy class had actually happened. Sitting in front of him. He seemed to be dead-serious. His eyes flickered as if he was thinking of a million ways he could use Nadia in the plan he was brooding. She had agreed to play the game but now she hoped she wouldn’t end up as a piece on his board.
“What’s the plan?”, she asked, making sure her voice remained calm.
“Come and find out”, Zabini answered, refusing to defog the mystery around the Slytherins’ plan.
There definitely was a plan in the works. Almost everyone at their table seemed to move with a certain determination. Like they all had a secret, a common agenda. It was demonstrated in a way no enraged glares were shot at the Gryffindor table. Matter of fact, no one seemed to pay any attention to the red and golden table. Complete indifference was more off-putting than the usual sneers and hatred.
The mystic fainting had stopped gradually. Some had just decided to get it over with by just triggering the potion on their own before Madam Pomfrey could prepare the antidote. Some fourth-year boys had used it to get out of the Transfiguration class. They had been revived to see McGonagall handing them a detention notice. Slytherins had had a hard time swallowing the fact that they had been tricked. The causation and consequence of the trick were disturbingly irrelevant for the most. They had retired from the usual mockery and switched to complete apathy. The only thing they had set their minds to was paying back tenfold when the timing was right.
It worked. The anticipation was killing the Gryffindors. They kept looking over their shoulders. As if Slytherins would declare war in the middle of the breakfast.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you think Black regrets ending up in his house right now?”, Zabini laughed.
Nadia followed his gaze behind her shoulder. Sirius was staring at them, face twisted with resentment. He caught Nadia’s eye. She refused to look away first.
“Zero. He’s too dumb to know any better”, she said still not breaking the eye contact. Neither did Sirius. His fingers moved to turn a page on a book he was reading. Nadia’s mouth twitched. She found it surprising his entirety of two brain cells had enough of an attention span to attempt to read.
“Gryffindor is perfect for him, then. I guess the Sorting Hat knows what it’s doing.”
Nadia forced out a laugh and turned back to Zabini.
“Parkinson would have something to say about that. She’s convinced I am tragically missorted.”
“I disagree”, Zabini looked at her eyes without a trace of playfulness remaining in his voice.
Why did Blythe suddenly decide to be her friend? Maybe it was to get to her before Gryffindors could? In that case, they heavily overestimated her. There was barely a Gryffindor she could hold a whole conversation with. If not that, maybe they wanted revenge on her passivity against Gryffindors? To trick her in before turning on her. Whatever it was, Nadia was convinced it was a trap.
“I'm not trying to manipulate you”, Zabini said in between bites. A cold shiver passed through Nadia’s spine. It was a groundless thought. No 11-year old could be capable of Legilimency, right? Seeing her expression, Zabini’s lips curled, “That's what you’re thinking, right? Don’t worry, we’re on the same side.”
Nadia huffed. “Why did you want me to pick a side if you already knew we’re on the same?”
“We knew that. But you needed a reminder.”
She looked around. People were in different states of awake, grabbing excessive amounts of food and drinks before heading to their classes. Prudentia was clinging on to her newest devotee, Annabel Nott. The frightened girl didn’t seem to have the heart to get rid of Parkinson. On their right, Snape, Avery, and Mulciber were in the middle of a heated debate over some Quidditch game. Some older students were chiming in with their own takes on the matter. On the other end of the table, prefect Narcissa Black was smiling contently like a proud hostess. By the look of her, one would think she was hosting a formal dinner not eating breakfast at school. Next to her, her sisters seemed to be arguing about something in whispers. They only paused when one of them stopped to scold some Ravenclaw second-years for supposedly eavesdropping.
Nadia hadn’t seen the Black sisters in years. Nothing seemed to have changed in their dynamics. The eldest daughter, Bellatrix, had always been her least favourite Black, including Sirius. Even when they were kids, she was a frightening sight. Bellatrix was always the one to tell on them if they disobeyed any of the absurd rules forced upon them by their parents. She seemed to obsessively enjoy it when other people got in trouble. Andromeda was the wild child, a true inspiration for Sirius. Half of the time Nadia had spent with the Blacks, Andromeda had been nowhere to be found after sneaking out somewhere without anyone noticing. Wherever she went, she would always bring back Muggle candy for the children. Narcissa fell somewhere in between her siblings. Usually, she tended to keep out of their constant bickering as if she was too good for her sisters’ childishness. Her new commitment to the blonde hairstyle seemed like an attempt to further prove her message that she wanted to stand out from the other Black daughters.
Overall, no one at the table seemed to be paying any attention to her. No one seemed to pick her as the odd one out.
Nadia left Zabini and the hauntingly nonchalant bunch of Slytherins at the table.
As the day passed nervous energy seized her. She barely heard a word of what Professor Binns said about the Werewolf Code of Conduct. The threat of werewolves was not on her list of priorities. It's not like a werewolf would be looming around the corner. Her thoughts were more occupied with anxious suspense for the Slytherin plan. She caught herself tapping her quill against the bottle of ink. Ravenclaw girl, Emmaline Vance, kept shooting angry glares at her until Nadia stopped. When Binns dismissed the class, Nadia was the first one to hurry out. It was the last lesson of the day.
Considering her options, she chose to try to get ahead of her homework at the library. It was quite empty. It was a sunny November afternoon and students were flooding outside to enjoy the last days of sunshine before the snow would lock them indoors for the cold, dark winter. Madam Pince was patrolling around the bookshelves chasing non-existent dust. Nadia headed towards her regular table at the back. It was already occupied. Remus was buried behind books, going through them with rushing speed. Nadia stopped hesitantly. She hadn’t talked to Remus since the incident. They had previously been on an incipient stage of what could have been a friendship. But now they both caught themselves on different sides of what was turning into a house war. A sudden sadness tugged her heart. Who would’ve thought she would genuinely miss the Gryffindor boy’s company? Remus was still flipping through the pages hastily. It wasn’t like him to leave any school work for the last minute. What was he trying to find out so urgently?
Madame Pince cleared her throat provocatively while she passed Nadia. She stepped out of her feather duster’s way. Remus must’ve noticed her presence by now, but she didn’t turn back to check. She fled out of the library. She had run out of places to go. Except for the library, she didn’t have any places to shelter if she wanted to avoid the dungeons. Wandering around with no purpose she had nothing but her own thoughts to keep her company. This might be why she didn’t notice the footsteps following her before a hand reached to stop her.
“Avoiding me, are you?”
Remus looked nervous. His brows knit together trying to read Nadia’s expression. Despite her avoiding the boy in the library, he had caught up with her in the end. He looked tired. It looked like constant shenanigans had worn him out. She looked away, not knowing how to react to his composed behaviour. Were they to pretend nothing had happened?
“Depends, are you going to lace my drink today?”, she tried not to strain her voice with bitterness. She wasn’t exactly offended by what the potion had caused. Some of the victims had truly deserved to be brought closer to the ground. But Remus’ involvement felt personal. It was probably unfair for her to demand loyalty from him. She wasn’t even sure if they were friends.
At least Remus knew to look shameful. “I should’ve warned you first”, he eyed her pained with guilt, “but you didn’t...did you?”. He played with a button on his shirt absent-mindedly.
Nadia gave a jaded laugh. “No, I don’t go around saying offensive slurs, thank you for asking, though.”
Remus noticeably cheered up. He offered an apologetic smile. “That’s what I thought. Think you can come back to the library now?”
“I think I’m going to pay a visit to the owlery. Persephone tends to get offended if I ignore her for too long.”
“Your owl? Mind if I join you?”
Nadia shrugged. Persephone might be less hostile if she brought back-up.
They walked across the castle to the West Tower. After getting stuck on the moving stairs for two full rounds, they ended up in the right hallway. Step after step they went up the stairs. They ended up in a circular room, with wide-open windows. The open windows brought in the crisp autumn air. The sky was clear and blue. A bunch of students were scattered around the grounds making the most of the pleasant weather. The Great Lake shimmered in the sunlight. A group of Hufflepuffs were throwing pieces of toast in the lake for the Giant Squid to catch.
The straw-filled floor smelled like hay. By a rough count, a hundred owls were sleeping on the ceiling rails. Nadia glanced up to look for her long-eared owl. She was at the stand closest to the roof, deliberately ignoring Nadia. Nadia Accio-ed out a bag of treats from Eeylops Owl Emporium. The owl eyed her suspiciously before finally bothering to fly down. Nadia stroked her soft feathers. It was a tradition to get a child their first owl when they got the acceptance letter from Hogwarts. However, Nadia had gotten Persephone when she was seven. When she was 7 years old, her family had suddenly retracted from the Sacred Twenty-Eight. She had had a hard time adapting to their new isolation. Finally, her parents had given in and got her a new pet. A prime example of how Rosier tended to solve problems.
Remus sat on the windowsill. Nadia joined her with the owl on her arm. They sat there for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet of the afternoon. Owls cooed around them lightly. Echoes of laughter travelled through the castle grounds. The sunlight felt purifying on her face. Nadia tried to absorb the warmness that would soon be gone for the darkest months of the year. She had learned to fear the sunny days and anticipate them to only lead to disappointment. However, Hogwarts had won her over. The sunshine here felt like a warm embrace.
Despite the sunlight, Remus seemed paler than ever. He looked drained as he rested his head on the stone wall. There was a scar on his right hand that Nadia hadn’t noticed before. Noticing Nadia’s gaze he pulled his sleeve to hide the scar. It suddenly occurred to Nadia that she didn’t really know anything about him. She had never bothered to ask any questions. After all, she knew how agonising those intrusive questions could be. So, she didn’t pressure him to tell her anything more than he wanted. But unlike most other people she had met, Remus was someone Nadia genuinely wanted to get to know. In spite of finding themselves on the opposite sides of an inter-house dispute, Remus was the closest thing to a friend she had.
“So, how are Slytherins going to avenge?”, Remus grinned suddenly with a raised brow.
“Don’t tell me you followed me just to get information”, Nadia squinted her eyes at him.
He laughed tiredly. “Guilty. I was sent to spy on you.”
She rolled her eyes. “How did we end up in the middle of this?”
“Tell me about it. I just came here for quality education.”
Nadia gave a genuine laugh. “You should steer away from your little Marauders then.”
His crooked smile spread. “You’re the one to talk! Your house is filled with snobs and blood supremacists.”
Nadia winced at the last word. She couldn’t deny it. She was born and raised in the middle of the pureblood society. Before it had been easy to disregard it as outdated nonsense adults wrapped themselves in to cope with the world changing around them. That was before Hogwarts. Before she hadn’t seen the ideology put into action. She had seen the toll it took on actual people, like Remus or even Lily Evans.
She knew she wasn’t a saint. Since coming to Hogwarts, she had caught herself looking through the world with her parents' eyes. It was the only way she was ever taught. She remembered how she had cast Remus as a non-pureblood the minute they met by just glancing at him. Nadia grimaced at the thought. It puzzled her how no one seemed to question their worldview. It seemed like the next generation had seamlessly picked up where their parents had left. Would she be any different if she wasn’t so set on not becoming her parents?
Remus seemed to sense the tension. He smiled slightly,
“You know what? Let’s make a pact. No matter what those idiots come up with”, he said. Nadia assumed that by them he meant both Gryffindors and Slytherin. “The two of us should agree to a truce?”
Nadia smiled as she took his extended hand. She noticed another scar on Remus’ hand but the boy retracted his hand quickly so she didn’t have a chance to ask about it.
“Truce”, she nodded. She hoped she never had to revoke her words.
At that moment a big barn owl flew in the owlery, straight towards Remus. He had to duck out of its way. The owl dropped a small bundle on his arms. It circled the room once before flying out again.
“What’s with the mystery parcel?”, she tilted her head. Remus opened it and inside there was a book. Nadia didn’t recognise it. It was written by a Muggle, judging by the non-moving cover. It portrayed soldiers emerging from what looked like a wooden horse.
“Gift for Sirius' birthday!”, he sounded delighted, “I was afraid it wouldn’t make it on time.”
Nadia had forgotten his birthday. A dozen pictures of shared birthday cakes and gifted toy brooms swam before her eyes. She looked at the book suspiciously. “I’m still truly surprised he can read.”
Remus flashed a smile. “I’m just as amazed. He stole a book I brought from home. I thought I should get him his own copy since he keeps folding dog-ears on mine.”
“Typical Black”, she huffed. Only he would have the audacity to demolish books he didn’t even own.
Remus looked at her curiously. “How do you know each other again? Neither of you has told me. Although, both of you were too busy insulting each other, so there’s that.”
“Let’s just say I was forced to spend enough time with him to know that 3-year-old Sirius wasn’t any less entitled and arrogant than now.”
He chuckled in response. “I would’ve loved to meet him as a toddler.”
“You’re not missing much. He’s still practically on the same level of intelligence.”
“Yes, I noticed. If he wants to copy my homework, he follows me around the dorm until I give him what he wants.”
That wasn’t out of character at all. She remembered all the eccentric ways he sought attention. He had always been annoyingly self-confident and cocky. Always managed to say the right things to persuade anyone to virtually hand him everything he wanted without even asking. He had been the polar opposite of Nadia. No wonder they despised one another.
It was a good thing they had oathed to avoid each other. Sirius Black had already caused him enough trouble for a lifetime.
The sun had crossed the sky and was setting now. The last, warm rays painted the owlery bright orange. Slowly the sunset turned into a dark blue night. Persephone flew out to the night sky. They left the tower soon after. Remus headed to the Great Hall for dinner. He stopped to wait for her at the door.
“Want to join us? James’ mother sent a cake for the birthday celebration and everything.”
Nadia smiled at the idea of her joining them on the Gryffindor table. She would love to see Parkinson’s face when that happened. She glanced at the Gryffindor table. Sirius was wearing a Zonko’s flammable birthday crown. Bright, red flames danced on his forehead shadowing his face dramatically. The three boys were sharing an enormous cake. They were busy informing everyone who’d listen about Sirius’ birthday. The birthday boy himself basked in the continuous congratulations without even bothering to act bashful. No matter how much he loathed him at the moment, she was still glad he had people to spend the day with
They were still lingering at the entrance.
“Go”, she urged Remus, “It’s fine.”
Remus smiled apologetically and turned away. She watched him go. He sat down with his friends and was greeted with a loud cheer.
Nadia wasn’t particularly feeling like eating. Now that she was alone and the night was approaching, nervous energy filled her. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into when she had promised to aid Slytherins. She only hoped the promise wouldn’t cross the one he had made Remus.
She descended stairs after another. First into the dungeons and then in the common room. She locked into her dorm room. Slowly the common room started filling with people. Voices echoed in the dungeons. After a few hours, the noise faded out. At exactly 11 o’clock, she left the room. She whispered a quiet Lumos, so she could see her way out of the maze of stuff Prudentia had scattered around the sitting room. She managed to find her way out. At the door, she stopped to listen. She couldn’t hear anything. She wished she knew the noise-enhancing spell so she could have ensured she wasn’t walking into a trap.
Not finding another way out, she turned the knob and walked out.
A group of first-years were gathered around a fireplace in front of the serpent-shaped mantle.
“Look who decided to join us!”, Parkinson exclaimed. She was sitting on a sofa next to Zabini, her legs over the armrest.
“Couldn’t deny me your delightful company”, Nadia responded without a beat.
“Play nice”, the corner of Zabini’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t clear who he addressed his words to.
Both girls looked at each other as if to shift the blame to one another.
Nadia sat down on one of the big, velvet armchairs. Avery scowled at her from the floor where he sat between Snape and Mulciber. Parkinson had dragged Nott with her. She was sitting on the edge of her chair, looking restless.
She wondered if in any other house first-years would get away with late-night revenge scheming sessions. It was very fortunate for them that Professor Slughorn wouldn’t bother checking on them to not risk his night’s sleep. Even the Head Boy, a platinum-haired Slytherin boy with a grim face, only winked at them on his way to the dorms.
“So, what exactly is your plan?”, Snape said with a bored tone.
Zabini cleared his throat. “Glad you asked. I think we all agree that we have to do something to stop Gryffindors.”
Mulciber nodded to this eagerly. “We have to make them regret messing with Slytherins!”
Everyone seemed to nod in agreement. The Slytherin pride was a deep sense of entitlement to remain untouchable. Public humiliation was not taken lightly.
Snape disregarded Mulciber’s enthusiasm. “That doesn’t sound like a plan to me yet.”
“Have I mentioned my mother is on the Board of Governors? She could just appeal with the staff to expel the pricks.”, Avery sat more straight, lifting his chin.
Zabini shook his head, “Dumbledore would never let that happen.”
Snape agreed for once. Avery didn’t contest. Everyone looked at Zabini to continue. Nadia wondered if it was his prestigious background or natural confidence that made everyone silently but unanimously follow his lead.
“What Gryffindors pulled was just dumb prank”, Parkinson interrupted, “I’m not in the slightest interested in stupid tricks. If we’re going to do something we should make it count”. She stretched the last word with a sneer.
“That’s what I’m saying! Let’s do something that will make them scared of us for good.”, Mulciber added.
It was terribly ambitious of them but what could you expect from a bunch of Slytherins.
Zabini grinned. “I invited all of you for that exact reason. Every single one you will be a valuable asset in this mission.”, he looked at everyone, “Avery, you got someone on the Board. Snape, you know potions better than anyone. Prudie, no one is better at talking people into things like you…”
Zabini’s tactics worked. Avery smiled smugly. Even Snape seemed less stony. Prudentia offered a saccharine smile. Then her eyes landed on Nadia.
“And what’s her purpose? To sell us out to her dear Gryffindors?”, she flung her legs back to the ground and leered at her.
“Nadia is the only one of us who has gotten every spell right in Charms. If we plan to actually use magic on this, she is essential.”
They stared at her. Nadia had kept quiet, trying to estimate what was up against. It was worse than she had thought. They were now channelling their blatant aggression to actions.
She tilted her head, “You told me to pick. Be careful what you ask for” Parkinson only glared at her silently.
“Yes, we got the team. Now, we need to come up with an exquisite mission.”
Mulciber opened his mouth about to offer his ideas.
“No rush”, Zabini didn’t let Mulciber finish his thought, fortunately. “We have time, we can wait. I would rather come up with the right thing than let them go too easy.”
“So we do nothing? That’s your big plan?”, Avery snapped.
But Zabini got unexpected support from Snape. “No, we should wait. Everyone’s got their eyes on us right now. McGonagall monitors our every move”, he said vexed, his mouth distort.
“So we wait. Strike when they least expect it?”, Nadia raised a brow.
Zabini nodded, finally smiling. “Exactly.”
How cunning. They would let everyone, including the teachers, fall into a false sense of security before pulling out the ace up their sleeves.
Parkinson’s lips curled to a smile. Avery almost rubbed his palms together. Snape's eyes looked distant as if he was already contemplating all the ways he would make Gryffindors pay.
Proud. Ambitious. Cunning.
For the first time, Nadia realised how dangerous a combination it could be. But the serpent’s plot was already in the works.
One by one they left to their rooms. Nadia lingered to give Prudentia a head start. She didn’t feel like repeating the previous incident and end up listening to any snarky comments.
When she got to her room, she noticed she wasn’t alone. An unfamiliar owl was standing on the back of her chair. It was chillingly still. There was a parcel on the table. Nadia reached to open it but the owl scratched her hand. She noticed a letter tied to its leg. She struggled to untie it with the bird trying to peck her. Finally, she managed to untangle a letter addressed to her. She didn’t recognise the handwriting.
Nadia,
I apologise for not responding sooner. I had to wait till Mother and Father left for Diagon Alley to send this. They have completely lost it this time. They think Sirius personally refused to be a Slytherin to insult them. This is the third time they went to Gringotts to try to get Sirius out of the will for good. I doubt the goblins will agree to remove him from the bloodline for solely being in the wrong house, though. Besides, we all should have seen this coming, when has Sirius ever done what people expect him to?
I hope Sirius isn’t too mad at me for not replying to him. Will you wish him a happy birthday from me? I sent a gift, too. But tell him not to write to me back. Mother burns everything he sends. I overheard her say she would send back as many Howlers as needed…
Anyway, it was nice to hear from you. Promise to keep an eye on Sirius for me?
Yours,
Regulus
Nadia read the letter with a heavy heart. Promises were piling up on her at an alarming rate. How many of them would she have to break in the end?