Tormented

My back ached from sitting in the same wooden chair in the library for the last six hours, the sunset peering through the window to my right beckoned invitingly. Sadly my backside stayed firmly planted on the hard seat. I had been warned that if I moved before I managed to successfully transform the button in front of me back into a beetle, I would be put into time out. Unfortunately I just couldn’t visualize the beetle well enough to complete the transformation, and I could see my tutor growing impatient. It was, after all, almost half past eight in the evening.

“May I please see a picture of a beetle” I whispered, trying desperately to simultaneously sound sure of myself and contrite. It seemed however, that my luck for the day had run out. As at that exact moment *she* turned the corner.

I watched as my tutor Mr. Phlemmings shrunk in upon himself, I wished to do the same but I knew it would only lead to a harsher punishment. Her presence seemed to suck all the life out of the library. Not that there was much to begin with, it was obvious that neither of the primary occupants in the manor cared for the books. The tall shelves were dusty from unuse, the only place in the library that ever saw any action was the table I sat at now, during my daily lessons.

“Madam Rosier how nice of you to check in-” she ignored him entirely turning to me with a furious expression marring her already stern features.

“Girl! How have you not managed in six hours what other kids figure out in minutes! Your father may as well give you to the muggles with as much use as you’ll be! Stand up!” This went directly against what she had told me when she left the library earlier in the afternoon but direct noncompliance was much worse then any other transgression I could think of. So I slid out of my chair and stood in front of Vinda Rosier, my primary caretaker, awaiting my punishment.

“Time out. All night. And no dinner. Maybe you’ll spend enough time with the beetles down there that you’ll be able to figure out this simple assignment.” I had never received a time out for so long before, certainly never overnight, but this was also the first time I had truly failed to accomplish a task that I had been ordered to do.

My legs felt weighed down with each step I took causing me to trip a couple of times on the stairs. Shame at my inability to perform this simple task and fear at my punishment haunted me all the way down to the dungeon where I took my time outs.

“On the floor” I knew the routine by now, I lay upon the stone floor with my arms stretched out to my sides. “Immobulous! I think six times for the six hours you waisted today should be sufficient.” If I had been able to start shaking I would have, as it were all I was able to do was widen my eyes slightly.

“Crucio! One… two… three… four… five.” The third time I had been put into time out I had just finished reading “Adventures in Occlumency” by Percival Black. The book had described how some people were able to “escape” into their minds in order to avoid what their body might be experiencing. I had not yet perfected the art but I swore to myself the curse hurt less each time she performed it upon me, I hoped to prefect the art before I turned nine.

The rationale behind this specific punishment was that it would render me unable to speak and thus give away information if I was ever held under the cruciatas. Vinda would hold it on me for five seconds and then give me thirty seconds to catch my breath before starting again. The severity of my transgression effected the number of times I was subjected to the curse.

I was the left in the dungeon for a couple of hours in order for the after shocks to wear off. Sometimes they were violent enough that I would fall out of my bed, and Mr. Rosier would get distracted from his work if I was having an episode on the wood floor in my bedroom.

“Second time! Crucio! One.. two…

I woke up with a choked scream, very grateful I had had the foresight last night to attach silencing charms to my bed posts.

I knew I was not going to get anymore sleep for the night so I dressed, placed all of my books into my bag, and headed out to the common room to look at the books lining the walls without anyone watching me.

Occlumency may have been able to help me process or hide certain memories, but during the night my unconscious mind always brought them back. My tutor told me that unless I was able to be fully at peace with the memories the nightmares would persist. Luckily, I had perfected the art of thriving on low sleep.

It was around two hours before people began showing up in the common room, surprisingly the first person up was Riddle. He walked out of the boys hallway around quarter to six with a blank expression on his face. He seemed curious about my presence in the common room but did not comment on it.

I waited until I saw Melanie coming down the girls hallway to pack up the book I had taken out of my bag.

“Early riser?” she asked as I joined her on her way out of the common room.

“Oh yes, I had many early morning lessons when I was younger and I suppose it has just been ingrained into me.” This was not entirely untrue, I had often had lessons at sunrise with my combat instructor, but if I I had been able to, I would have slept in every morning.

We sat down for breakfast in the same arrangement as last night, the boys had arrived just before us and were already tucking in to fruits and pastries.

Just before classes were to start a portly Professor, whom I knew to be Professor Slughorn, came down the table handing out everyones schedules. He waited to give me mine last and as he handed it over he turned to Riddle.

“Tom I am entrusting you to make sure that Miss. Grey gets to all of her classes on time these first couple days. You both share a schedule so that should make the task exceptionally easy!” Turning to me he smiled and said “ I couldn’t think of a better introduction to Hogwarts than Tom here!” before he winked and walked back to the head table.

Riddle and I made eye contact over the table before he stood and gestured for me to follow. We had ancient runes first, not a popular elective especially at newt level, meaning that the only other Slytherin in the class was Benjamin Nott, whom I hadn’t heard speak once.

Walking besides Riddle in the halls was much like walking into a meeting at my fathers side, with a healthy added dose of teenage hormones and significantly less blatant terror. People parted for him like he was merlin, girls blushed, I even once caught a few trying to follow us around.

The difficulty was I couldn't entirely blame everyone for their behavior. I had never met a more charming man in my entire life. If I hadn't been trained to act with just the same amount of false sincerity I may have also fallen for his act. Unfortunately for him, I had in fact actually trained to spot this kind of deception, and was able to catch the slight tensing of his fists whenever the girls around him prevented him from moving through the halls at the speed of light like he preferred, or the way he clenched his teeth whenever a guy clapped him on the shoulder.

He had the ability to make it feel like he cared about only you with just a glance, it was truly masterful work.

However in the same way I had been analyzing his performance around the halls, I was quite certain he too was slowly working out my tells. That he was trying to puzzle the real me out from under the rather reserved homeschooled persona I worked. He had definitely noticed by the third day that he was not the only person that could make people blush with a smile, and that he was no longer the only person people were watching walk by in the halls.

After my third dinner in the great hall I decided I could no longer stand to see Walburga in my throne. The common room was calm that night, no one really expected anyone to challenge the Queen, and certainly no one was challenging the King. Walburga was born into the perfect blend of money and status that allowed her to have absolutely no redeeming qualities, but have no contest to her right as queen. She truly had terrible manners, no intelligence, and no clue on how to dress. I thought often that if her breasts hung out anymore they would prevent her from being able to properly move her arm when casting spells.

I closed the book I had been reading on warding with a snap, causing all of my dorm mates to look up from where they surrounded me on the couches. I put the book on the low table in front of me before standing up and making my way to the thrones, as they were called in Slytherin. I sunk into a low curtsy in front of the two of them before turning to Walburga.

“Miss. Black” I looked up sweetly at Walburga from my curtsy “I fear that you are in my seat.”

Walburga had obviously not been expecting this turn of events if the rapid purple color overtaking her cheeks was any indication. “This is my rightful seat.” She hissed at me. “I am a Black I deserve to be here, there is no way you can take it from me!” Her voice rose steadily throughout her tirade until she had caught the attention of the entire common room.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that Miss. Black” the smirk on my face seemed to unnerve her “If you do not get up from this seat I will remove you from it” I whispered up at her.

“I refuse to give up my seat to the likes of you! You are a trumped up bitch who has never been taught her rightful place” She was spitting at this point. Her face and all the breast she had on display and ugly shade of puce.

“I am a lady of equal if not higher standing than you, further more I refuse to lower myself to an imbecile.” I stood up sharply.

At the same moment she attempted to whip out her wand and cast upon me. Unfortunately for her the Black family clearly did not prioritize training their ladies to duel. She had not even finished pulling her wand out before I had thrown her from her seat into a bookcase close by. I stalked over to her where she was attempting still to stand and cast at me. I summoned her wand from her hand before leaning over her to whisper in her ear “If you try anything against me or those I will be protecting, the rest of your fingers will cry out in agony.” Then I flicked my wand snapping her first finger on her wand hand into three pieces.

She shrieked loud enough I was sure the Gryffindors must have been able to hear from their tower but I was already walking away to my throne.

Before sitting I looked over to Riddle locked eyes and curtsied way lower than I had earlier. “My King” I murmured.

I looked up just as Walburga was managing to stand and called out to her “Oh and Walburga darling, ladies do not cross their legs at the knee when in a skirt, how terribly uncouth” I watched out of the corner of my eye as many of the younger girls around the room hastily rearranged their leg positioning. I smirked once more before finally taking a seat on my throne.

The second I touched the chair identical panels behind both my chair and Riddles glowed bright green. They were easy for us to see but practically invisible to the rest of the room, hidden away in the alcove we were sitting in. In the same moment the frozen portrait of Salazar Slytherin that sat between us waved to both of us in greeting before disappearing from the frame entirely.

Riddle and I made eye contact before looking back towards the crowd of people who appeared to have seen nothing.

“We should discuss our goals for the house this year” I said quietly.

“I think that would be prudent, how about tonight when we have a moment to ourselves?” His velvet tone made the innocent question sound like he was attempting to proposition me.

“That sounds lovely” I replied with a rather coy smile before summoning the book on warding I had read earlier to the my new throne.