Chapter 10
"I noticed that your friends were upset about something this morning, Mr. Potter-Black," Albus said gently. "I wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Yeah, Ronnie got a letter from his dad, his mum was not happy about him being sorted into Slythie," Harley babbled. Severus rolled his eyes at the nickname. "And Draco noticed that somebody tried to rob Gringotts. Harrison I still want a dragon."
"No," Harrison said with finality, looking faintly exasperated. Albus chuckled. "Headmaster, we're fine. The robbery is none of our business and it doesn't affect us anyway."
"I'm afraid it might," Albus admitted. "The object the Dark wixen was trying to steal was removed by Hagrid earlier that day. You've met Hagrid?"
"We saw him at a distance," Harley chirped, "but he doesn't like Slythies, so we stay away. It's sad, Fred and George say he's really fun."
"Yes, those boys certainly know Hagrid more than most students," Albus said with mirth. "He spends half his time trying to keep Fred and George out of the Forbidden Forest."
"Why would the robbery affect Harley and I, headmaster?" Harrison interjected, expression blank but his eyes fixed on Albus' nose.
"The safest place in the world, besides Gringotts, is Hogwarts," Albus said carefully. "I can't explain further. You boys should be safe, but just in case, remain vigil."
"Hah, Vigil," Harley muttered, snickering.
Albus raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Vigil is our pet, a Western Ribbon Snake," Harrison explained. "Although Harley insists we call him a 'friend' rather than a 'pet.'"
"You bought a snake?" Albus repeated.
"Yes, Uncle Sevvy said that-"
"Do not call me that-"
"-the 'owl or a cat or a toad' was guidelines for Muggleborns," Harley continued, ignoring Severus, "that as long as your pet/friend is harmless, or at least house-trained, they can come to Hogwarts."
"Western Ribbon Snakes are venomless, and they only eat fish, lizards, frogs, or toads," Harrison said calmly. "He knows not to eat any pets, and he has a collar."
"How do you know he won't eat anyone's pet?" Albus asked, hiding his alarm. The boys shouldn't be able to speak Parseltongue yet!
"Through our mother we are descendants of Slytherin, and can speak to snakes, headmaster," Harrison said blankly.
"That's an... uncommon talent, Mr. Potter-Black," Albus said carefully. No one could know that the boys were Parselmouths, it would ruin the image Albus wanted them to have. "Most people associate it with evil."
"It's a bloody language!" Harley exclaimed. Harrison shot him a look, and Harley calmed down.
"I am aware," Albus said patiently. "Those known by history to speak Parseltongue used it for evil, the most well-known being Voldemort." Severus flinched, and Albus ignored him. "It might be best for your safety to keep that to yourselves."
"I didn't even want to tell you, headmaster," Harrison said sharply. "I don't trust you."
Yet, Albus promised himself.
"I will endeavor to prove that you can trust me, Mr. Potter-Black," Albus said kindly. "How is young Mr. Weasley doing?"
~Youngling, who have you brought?~ the gray-and-black python hissed, lifting her huge head to study the boy.
~He is a speaker, Nagini,~ the viper said excitedly.
"~Hi! You're gorgeous,~" the boy grinned.
The python preened. ~Thank you. What is your name?~
"~You sound more human than any snake I've met,~" the boy said in surprise. "~I'm Harlequin Potter-Black.~"
Nagini reared in surprise. ~You may leave, youngling,~ she ordered the viper. Obviously pouting, the viper left. ~I am a Maledictus,~ Nagini explained to Harlequin. ~I was once human, but was forced to transform into a snake many times, and finally became a snake permanently. I have met only one other Parselmouth.~
"~Moldyshorts?~" Harlequin guessed.
Nagini made several hissing noises, shaking. She was laughing. ~I have never heard him referred to like that,~ she responded. ~I know him as Tom Marvolo Riddle.
~Why have you come?~
"~I'm looking for Tommy boy,~" Harlequin grinned, his fractured eyes glowing with insanity. "~My brother Harrison wants to talk to him, figure out if he's enemy or ally.~"
~He is at Hogwarts, possessing a man,~ Nagini explained. ~I do not know his name. He was terrified of me,~ she added smugly.
Harlequin snickered. "~Do you want to stay here or come with me, Gorgeous?~"
~I wanted to come with Tom, but I was too conspicuous,~ Nagini explained, slithering up to the boy. ~I am very heavy, child. Do you think you can carry me?~
"~All I have to do is touch you, and I can Apparate you to Hogwarts,~" Harlequin explained. "~First I gotta talk to Harrison and find a place for you to stay that you won't be found. I'll be back in a sec.~" He disappeared before Nagini could respond.
~This child can already Apparate?~ Nagini muttered to herself. ~Merlin. Tom has his work cut out for him.~
Harlequin reappeared silently a few moments later, causing Nagini to jump. "~Harrison really wants to meet you, he's fascinated by Male Cactuses,~" the boy chirped. "~There's a haunted shack near the school, the Shrieking Shack, nobody goes there. Is that okay?~"
~That is fine, as long as I have access to prey,~ Nagini replied. Harlequin hugged her, and the two Disapparated.
"Potter-Black!"
Blaise tensed. Almost everyone else had gone to bed, leaving only Montague, his friends, Harrison, and Harlequin. He realized now why Harrison sent Ron and Draco up to bed without them; Blaise was the only one who knew Harrison was more than he seemed.
"Mr. Montague," Harrison said quietly, standing up and facing the boys. Blaise saw the gleeful menace in Harrison's eyes, then saw the same in Harley's, although Harrison's was more controlled and Harley's had more insanity.
"You're a disgrace to Slytherin!" Montague bellowed. "A filthy half-blood! The only one lower than you in this House is the Mudblood Davis! You'll both get a resort or I'll make you regret it!"
Harrison's response wasn't what Blaise expected. He started to laugh.
But there was no humor in the laugh, just cold disgust and incredulity. Powerful magic filled the common room.
Harley started laughing, too, maniacal and insane. The four older boys stepped back, horrified.
Harrison stopped laughing abruptly, and so did Harley. The blank mask was no longer on his face. The four boys could see the cold, menacing expression now.
"What color is your blood?"
Montague blinked. "What?"
"What. Color. Is. Your. Blood?" Harrison whispered.
"Uh..."
"It's a very simple question," Harrison purred. Harley grinned wider. "You believe that your blood is purer than mine. So clearly, your blood should be gold or silver, whereas mine should be dirty.
"Since you won't answer my question, we'll just have to see for ourselves. Harley."
In a split second, Montague was kneeling on the floor, arm extended, and Harley had knives in his hands. Both of them were transparent and silver, with intricate carvings of a lightning bolt on them. They were stained with old blood.
The three other boys cried out in alarm, trying to pull Montague away.
"No no no!" Harley cackled, stepping between them. "Monty needs to BLEED."
Harrison's magic froze the four boys in place. He then cast a spell on Montague, which Blaise recognized as a Silencing Charm.
Harley danced back around Montague, an expression of crazy delight on his face. He snatched Montague's hand and sliced deeply into the skin. Montague's mouth opened, an expression of agony on his face, but no noise came out. Dark red blood pooled from the cut, dripping on the floor.
"Hmm," Harrison said sleekly, studying the hand. "Your blood is red. Not so pure after all, are we? Harley, may I borrow a dagger?"
Harley immediately handed him one, and Harrison slit into the tip of his own pointer finger. A few drops spilled from the much smaller cut.
"Red," Harrison said lazily. He waved his hand, and both wounds disappeared, as well as the blood. Montague's mouth closed, tears spilling down his face. "What do you have to say now, Mr. Montague?" He removed the Silencing Charm.
"Y-you," Montague choked, "you c-can't get away w-with this."
Harrison laughed again, cold and confident. "Don't you feel the magic I've cast? None of you can reveal this little conversation in any way, shape, or form."
Blaise had recognized the Secrecy Ward, mixed in with Harrison's powerful, terrifying magic. The other boys did, too, because they went paler.
"Why are you with him?" one of Montague's friends demanded, staring at Blaise.
Blaise glanced at Harrison, quietly asking for permission to answer. When he nodded, Blaise said dryly, "I think it would be worse for me to be his enemy. And I respect him."
Harley snickered. Harrison handed the dagger back to his brother, and the two weapons disappeared immediately. Harley skipped back to his seat and plopped down, picking up his book again.
"As long as you stay away from me and not cause me any problems, I will leave you be," Harrison told them sleekly. "I don't harm children unless absolutely necessary, and I heal them afterward."
Harrison's magic disappeared from the room, and the boys fled.
When they were out of earshot, and Harrison had sat down and started reading Potions Theory again, Blaise asked quietly and reverently, "What do you consider 'absolutely necessary?'"
"Bullies," Harley chirped. His expression had relaxed, but Blaise could still see the insanity in the boy's eyes.
Harrison wasn't wearing his blank mask again, but it was patient and calm. "And only if I know they won't stop with words, or speaking to an authority figure."
"Whose blood...?"
"A pedophile's," Harrison said very, very quietly, a look of dark fury on his face. Blaise went green. "We were eight."
"It was fun getting rid of him!" Harley said in glee, cackling again. He pouted. "I wanna stab something again."
"Go hunt for Nagini and Vigil, then," Harrison drawled. Harley grinned maniacally and headed upstairs.
"Am I allowed to ask who Nagini is?" Blaise asked.
"Yes, but I have to be vague for now," Harrison replied. "She's a friend of Voldemort's."
Blaise stared at him.
"I need to make sure whether he's an ally or enemy," Harrison said sleekly. He looked up at Blaise, eyes flashing with fire. "You've had to deal with a pedophile."
"Three," Blaise corrected flatly. "My mother killed them. She enacted vampire and siren law on them, to be exact. They're highly protective of their young, especially since sirens have a sort of... Veela allure that they can't control until they're of age."
"Are you okay?" Harrison said softly. His expression was still mostly angry, but Blaise saw sincere protectiveness in them.
"I'm not one hundred percent, but I'm a lot better," Blaise responded as honestly as he could. "It was a long time ago."
"What is a Veela?" Harrison asked after a pause.
Blaise's lips twitched. "They're cousins to sirens, but with fire instead of water."
"You enjoy letting me find things out for myself," Harrison said dryly.
"Partially because there wouldn't be any fun in telling you everything," Blaise grinned. He lost the grin and added quietly, "And partially because it's hard for people like us to trust."
"I trust you," Harrison said after a pause.
"I figured, since..." Blaise gestured at the floor where Montague had been standing.
"You don't have a problem with torture," Harrison noted.
"I suppose a better description of what my mother did to those shits would be 'slaughtering,'" Blaise admitted. "The Zabinis are 'rumored' to come from a long line of assassins."
Harrison cocked his head.
"I took my mother's name," Blaise explained. "My father's family were... not exactly good. He escaped from them, fell in love with my mother, and took her name. But his father tracked him down and..."
"How old were you when he died?" Harrison asked. Blaise saw sympathy but not empathy in his face; probably because Harrison didn't remember his parents, and therefore, didn't feel anything with their deaths.
"I was six," Blaise said softly. "I don't remember a lot about him, but I do remember that I felt safe and happy with him."
"Did your mother remarry?" Harrison asked curiously.
"Six times so far," Blaise said, wincing. "Not out of love. They were 'arranged marriages.' They died soon after."
Harrison caught the message; his mother had been assigned to assassinate them, and as she was a siren....
"They hurt you," Harrison guessed.
"Three of them hurt me by insulting me and neglecting me," Blaise said. "The other three you know about."
Harrison's eyes flashed with anger. "Ah."
"It's not so bad," Blaise grinned. "They were all rich as fuck, and they all willed their money to Mum. Their families are also well-respected, so I have my pick of jobs."
"What job to you want?"
"The same one as my mother," Blaise admitted. "She's already taught me a few things." He met Harrison's eyes, expressing exactly who he wanted his boss to be.
Harrison smiled, a dark light in his eyes. "You will get along very well with Harley."
Blaise laughed. "Not as much as he'll get along with the Demon twins, if what I've heard is true."
Harrison snorted. "He already does."