Slytherin At It's Finest (and Most Honest Form)
25th December 1992
It was Christmas day, and instead of celebrating, Harry, Ron and Hermione were doing a heist of sorts. After Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly-Headless Nick had been petrified, everyone had become terrified of walking around, and they’d also become afraid of Harry.
To prove that he really wasn’t the Heir, Harry, Ron and Hermione had decided to use the Polyjuice Potion Hermione had been brewing for months to sneak into the Slytherin common room and snoop until they found who the actual Heir was. To do so, they’d knocked out Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, the two easiest Slytherins to fool, and Hermione got a hair from Millicent Bulstrode’s robes during a study session of theirs (yes, the girls had actually become friends after their disastrous duel during duelling club) and had put her under a sleeping charm to make sure there aren’t two Millicents walking around.
But unfortunately, Hermione wasn’t able to join the two boys due to unforeseen circumstances, so Harry and Ron found themselves wondering the halls trying to locate the Slytherin common room. After asking a Ravenclaw and getting shouted at, they bumped into one Percy Weasley, which was quite suspicious.
“What’re you doing down here?” Ron asked in surprise.
Percy looked affronted.
“That,” he said stiffly, “is none of your business. It’s Crabbe, isn’t it?”
“Wh — oh, yeah,” Ron said in realisation.
“Well, get off to your dormitories,” Percy continued sternly. “It’s not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days.”
“You are,” Ron pointed out defiantly.
“I,” Percy started, drawing himself up and puffing out his chest, “am a prefect. Nothing’s about to attack me.”
A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling toward them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him.
“There you are.” He drawled, looking at them. “Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I’ve been looking for you; you’re about to be late.”
Malfoy then turned to Percy, watching him suspiciously.
“What are you doing here Weasley?”
“You want to show a bit more respect to a school prefect!” Percy exclaimed angrily. “I don’t like your attitude!”
Malfoy sneered and motioned for Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time. He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who was talking as they turned into the next passage.
“That Peter Weasley —”
“Percy,” Ron corrected him automatically.
“Whatever,” Malfoy said with a role of his eyes. “I’ve noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he’s up to. He thinks he’s going to catch Slytherin’s heir single-handed. Or maybe he’s meeting up with Flint. Honestly, I don’t know how they’re friends.”
He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks that the blond didn’t notice.
Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.
“What’s the new password again?” He asked to Harry.
“Er —” Harry stuttered, not knowing how to answer.
“Oh, yeah — Polyjuice!” Malfoy exclaimed, not even listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it, and Harry and Ron followed him. They tried not to think about the irony of it all or react to the password in any way.
The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish chandeliers were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them. A large number of Slytherins were gathered around, and more kept coming down from the stairs on either side of the mantelpiece. There seemed to be some kind of gathering happening, as the giant couches all around the common room kept filling up with people.
“Hey Dray.” A voice said from beside the three, and Harry turned to find Theodore Nott coming towards them with Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson on either side of him. Harry had never really talked to them; truthfully, he’d rarely interacted with any Slytherins in his year aside from Malfoy. The most recent time was during the Hogwarts Council meeting.
“Hey Theo. I found these two coming from the Great Hall and brought them here. They were going to be late.”
“Oh that would’ve been very bad.” Zabini said with a snicker.
“Hey! Where’s Millicent?” Parkinson asked, and Harry and Ron shared imperceptible panicked looks.
“She must’ve fallen asleep in the Library again.” Another voice said as Daphne Greengrass came into view. “I’d go get her but I’d be late.”
“Yeah. We can just tell her what happened later anyway.” Malfoy responded, shrugging. The group of second year Slytherins nodded in agreement. Harry breathed a soft sigh of relief. They hadn’t been caught.
At that point, a loud whistle sounded, and everyone turned to look at the wall opposite the stairs where a raised platform was. Standing on that platform was none other than Hadrian Black and Sebastian Nott.
“Happy Christmas everyone!” Hadrian started with a small smile. “I know we all wanted to go home for the holidays this year, but unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures, and the castle cannot be left unattended during the holidays.
“Bloody Dumbledore.” Harry heard someone that sounded suspiciously like Flint say among the crowd and a lot of students nodded in agreement.
“It’s not just Dumbledore’s fault, the Heir of Slytherin is quite elusive, and has put the castle in danger.” Sebastian said calmly, his voice betraying nothing of what he was feeling.
“But if Dumbledore had actually done his job and caught the Heir….” Someone else said sarcastically, trailing off at the end as others muttered quietly.
“Yes, well, that can’t be changed, so we just have to adapt. Now, here is this week’s patrol schedule.” Hadrian said, and then proceeded to explain an elaborate schedule involving fourth to seventh years that Harry didn’t understand at all but everyone else seemed to follow. He did focus on other things, like what people were muttering, and the way Hadrian and Sebastian seemed to elicit respect from everyone in the meeting, even though most of them were arrogant pureblood heirs. Weirdly enough, Hadrian wasn’t dressed in wizard’s robes like Harry expected, but was still wearing the muggle clothes he seemed to favour, and even Sebastian was matching him. Sebastian was wearing a purple shirt tucked into white trousers while Hadrian was wearing a black jacket that was buttoned all the way with a V-neck and black trousers. His hair was a bright orange that attracted everyone’s attention, but no one had the guts to comment on.
Every time Harry saw his friend in a position of power, he couldn’t help feeling in awe of how natural leadership comes to him. This got Harry thinking about how the two had bonded in the first place.
It was weird, Harry felt like he’d known the boy his whole life, not just for two years. They had a bond that was very deep, and Harry never doubted that Hadrian cared about him, or that he’d have his back when needed. He didn’t even have that level of trust in Ron or Hermione, but Hadrian brought it out of him. It was like Harry had a reliable older brother to lean on, and it felt good.
“Now, onto the next topic at hand. The Slytherin Heir. We still don’t know who it is.”
“It isn’t Potter?” Someone asked, and Harry’s breath hitched.
“Oh Merlin, is that person stupid?” He heard beside him, and he turned to find Malfoy of all people scowling on his behalf. “It’s obviously not Potter.”
“Can’t they read a bloody lineage book?” Nott said sarcastically, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
“Or a Magical Bloodlines book. I mean come on, if it was Potter, how could the Dark Lord have attacked him?” Greengrass replied angrily, and Harry furrowed his eyes in confusion. What did that have to do with anything?
“What?” He heard Ron/Crabbe ask, and Harry almost smacked him for being so obvious.
“Oh don’t tell me you don’t know this Crabbe?” Zabini asked in shock. “I mean, every self-respecting dark magical knows this.”
“Well….” Ron started, but the conversation was interrupted by Hadrian speaking up. Looking towards the older boy, Harry couldn’t help shivering slightly as he made direct eye contact with him. Had Hadrian found out about what they’d done?
“Ah, I believe a little explanation is needed. If Harry Potter was, as you say, the Heir of Slytherin, then that would mean he was either directly or indirectly related to the Dark Lord, who’d claimed on multiple occasions to be the direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin through the House of Gaunt. That would mean that he couldn’t have attacked Harry that Halloween night all those years ago, as people of the same bloodline cannot endanger each other, especially Lord and Heir. It is a binding waved into the literal blood of the Ancient lines. Since Harry was attacked that night, and the Dark Lord had been vanquished, then that means that the House of Potter is completely unrelated to the House of Slytherin.”
“But that would mean that whoever the Heir is must be related to You-Know-Who.” A female voice said, and Hadrian nodded in agreement.
“Yes, Melanie, that is exactly what this means. Which is why finding the heir is so vital.”
“They could literally restart the Dark Lord’s plans.” Sebastian cautioned, and Harry was surprised to hear that a lot of people were horrified by that thought. He would’ve thought they’d want this to happen.
“We can’t let that happen.”
“Not again.”
“Dear Merlin….”
“Please calm down everyone!” Hadrian called out, stopping the panicked muttering. “We’ll try our best to stop that from happening, so please, continue lurking around Muggle-borns to protect them and stay vigilant. Who know, you might see the Heir yourself.”
“Now, let’s discuss last week’s Wizengamot meeting.”
The meeting continued from there, everyone giving their opinion and discussing various political and cultural topics. Before Harry knew it, the hour had passed, and glancing at Ron told him that their disguises were disappearing. Taking the opportunity of the Slytherin second-years being distracted, the two slipped out of the common room, but not before Harry saw Hadrian’s knowing smile and twinkling eyes.
Oh god, he was so dead. Hadrian is going to kill him for this stunt.
The two walked hurriedly, trying their hardest not to bump into anyone while the potion was wearing off.
They started talking as soon as they reached the abandoned bathroom.
“Hermione, come out, we’ve got loads to tell you —”
“Go away!” Hermione squeaked. They skidded to halt when they found themselves face to face with, not Hermione, but a very mad Wilhelmina Prince.
“Crabbe and Goyle? Really?” She said in a deadpan voice, giving the two boys an irritated look.
“Uh… Hi Mina….” Harry said, using the fact he’d gotten permission to call her by her nickname to his advantage.
“Funny story….” Ron trailed off, laughing awkwardly.
“Don’t worry. Hermione already told me about your stupid plan, and how her potion malfunctioned. Did you at least find sneaking around useful?”
“Umm… not really.” Harry said sheepishly, taking off his glasses to wipe them down using his way oversized robes.
“I wonder why….” Wilhelmina said sarcastically. “Could it be because there was a meeting today, and they were talking about not knowing the heir too?”
“Yes.” Ron squeaked out, and Wilhelmina just rolled her eyes.
“I think Hadrian will want to talk to Harry about this, and maybe you too Ron. For now, I’ll take Hermione to the Hospital Wing and get her sorted out while you two change and head back to the tower.”
“What? Why?” Ron asked.
“Yeah. What happened to Hermione?”
“It was a c-cat hair!” Hermione howled, finally speaking up behind the stall door. “M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn’t supposed to be used for animal transformations!”
“No it isn’t. The polyjuice potion is only supposed to come in contact with human hair. Anything else will have some… different consequences.” Wilhelmina explained, and Ron and Harry shared panicked looks. “But don’t worry, I’ll take her to Madame Pomfrey and even come up with an excuse as to why Hermione looked like… that. In the meantime, off you go, it’s almost curfew and Percy’s been roaming the halls a lot more this year.”
“But… shouldn’t we….”
“Help or something.”
“No thank you!” Hermione shouted, startling the two boys. “Mina will take me to the Hospital Wing, you two can go!”
“If you’re sure….”
“I am!”
The two Gryffindors shared a look before leaving, and the last thing they heard was Hermione’s wailing, Wilhelmina trying to calm her down and Moaning Myrtle’s cackling.
This was not how they thought Christmas would go.
December 26th 1992
Hermione was truly embarrassed. How could she have mistaken cat hair for human hair?! Why did she have to be found by none other than Wilhelmina Prince, the girl she’s looked up to and admired since her first year?
God…. For all her perceived intelligence, she could be so stupid sometimes!
As she sat on the hospital bed, she couldn’t help thinking through their plan. It truly wasn’t the smartest thing, and Hermione could admit to herself that she hadn’t agreed because she’d wanted to find the Heir of Slytherin – she’d always known they wouldn’t find out anything by infiltrating the snake pit – but to test her potions skills and see if she could successfully brew the Polyjuice Potion.
And she had succeeded, but at what cost? Her dignity was completely gone, and she had fur. And a tail! She wondered how many classes she’d have to miss until she recovered. Merlin that was a bleak number. They had potions tomorrow, and Harry and Ron were horrible at writing notes and then….
“Hermione?” A voice called out, interrupting her spiral of education-related thoughts. “It’s Valerian.”
Oh dear, oh no…. Valerian Malfoy of all people can’t see her like this. It was enough Wilhelmina had to help her, now Valerian – whom she was starting to admire a bit too much by her standards – was checking up on her!
“Please don’t open the curtain!” Hermione called out in a desperate tone, and Valerian made a small panicked sound.
“Of course not! I just heard you were in the Hospital wing and came to check up on you. Are you alright?”
“Uh yeah, just uncomfortable.”
“What happened anyway? All Mina told me was that it was a potions mishap.”
“Uh yeah, I added the wrong ingredient and it kind of blew up in my face.” Hermione explained vaguely, laughing awkwardly at the end.
“Oh…. Well I hope you’re alright. I just wanted to come see how you were doing.” Valerian said softly, and Hermione could detect the smile in his voice. How can a Malfoy be this nice?
“Thank you so much for checking up on me.”
“Of course! I hope you get well soon Hermione.” She could hear as he put something on the table next to her and then left. As soon as she heard the door close, she pulled the curtain open and peered at the table, her heart hammering and cheeks flushing at what was there. There, looking as inconspicuous as ever, was a small bouquet of carnations and her favourite caramel chocolates (the ones Valerian himself had given her from the box his mother sent him every week). It was so sweet and nice and Hermione couldn’t help blushing at the kind gesture.
Beside these gifts was a small card.
‘Dear Hermione,
Hope you get well soon and that Christmas isn’t so dreadful. I’ll try to find my old notes to get you so you can study while in the hospital wing, as I know Harry and Ron aren’t as diligent as you hope they’d be with their studies. Already looking forward to our study and reading sessions.
From your reading companion, Valerian.’
Hermione squealed at the lovely letter and clutched it to her chest. Could Valerian really be as fond of her as she was of him?
She hoped so.
February 14th 1993
“His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he’s really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.”
Hadrian joined the cackling crowd, some of whom were crying tears of pure mirth at the sappy romantic letter directed at – to the surprise of literally no one – his unlucky God-brother Harry, who was red in the face and trying to play along to not seem too embarrassed. Percy Weasley was trying to dispel the crowd while muffling his own laughter.
“Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now,” The prefect said, shooing some of the younger students away. “And you, Malfoy —”
Hadrian glanced over and saw Draco stoop and snatch up something. Leering, he showed it to Crabbe and Goyle, but Hadrian couldn’t get a good look at it until he stepped closer.
“Give that back,” Harry said quietly, but Hadrian could still hear it.
“Wonder what Potter’s written in this?” Draco mocked smugly. Hadrian just sighed in exasperation at the interaction. Truly, some things never change.
A hush fell over the onlookers. Ginny Weasley, who was among the crowd of onlookers, was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified. Curious. What could she be so afraid of?
“Hand it over, Malfoy.” Percy ordered sternly.
“When I’ve had a look first.” Draco said, waving the diary tauntingly at Harry.
Percy continued his tirade, “As a school prefect —” but Harry had lost his temper. Ah. The famous Evans temper. Uncle Remus had warned him about that. He pulled out his wand and shouted, “Expelliarmus!” and just as Snape had disarmed Lockhart in the Duelling club, so did Draco find the diary shooting out of his hand into the air.
Ron, grinning broadly, caught the thin black book. As the book flew in the air, Hadrian finally caught a part of what was written on it. Instead of H Potter like he expected, there was a simple golden signature of an unfamiliar name. T. M. Riddle. It couldn’t be…. Could it?
“Harry!” Percy called loudly. “No magic in the corridors. I’ll have to report this, you know!”
But Hadrian wasn’t interested in the interaction anymore. He was much more interested in the diary that seemed to be in Harry’s possession.
It seemed he had a letter to write.