Chapter two – THE FEAST
Chapter two – THE FEAST
Leighton didn’t go back to his wagon after the shift ended. Instead he ended up walking the trains corridors brooding. He knew towards what he was leaning. Potter seemed to be the only angle here. But how on earth would convince the boy of the sincerity behind him having changed sides. And that was what was going on. They were choosing sides. And everyone in Slytherin, if they wanted to or not, were automatically on the dark side. If you didn’t want to you had to go through the bother of declaring different alliances. Which he shouldn’t do while sharing his dorm with the likes of Higgs and Flint junior. The second was just as much of a brute as the older one.
So- He would need to wait for a moment where he could offer Potter a deal. That’s something a Gryffindor would believe. A Slytherin coming to bargain. Otherwise no one would ever believe he was truly about to change sides.
It was dark outside when the Hogwarts Express finally rolled in the Hogsmeade station. Doing his duty Leigh did his very best to make everyone get out orderly. No one listened. People were fighting their way out, elbows hitting left and right. He barely managed to slow down a falling down student.
“Arresto momentum.” He flicked his wand and the boy stopped mid-fall. Then he kept falling very slowly, because Leigh hadn’t perfected the spell yet. Instead of stopping his best was a slow motion fall. A girl pulled the boy up and nodded towards Leigh thankfully. In a far of corner a bunch of tiny students were standing close to each other. The half-giant was nowhere to be seen.
“Leighton.” Oretia held him by the sleeve of his robe. “Where were you?”
“Doing my rounds. Did you see the giant?”
“The- You mean the Oaf. No. I don’t think he’s here. He’s hard to miss.”
“Yes. You’re right.” He frowned at the crowned of students, sure he was missing some crucial information. “Let’s go and catch a carriage before they’re all gone.”
Arty was waving at them from a carriage in the very front, that was obviously about to start rolling. With long steps they quickly walked, as running is not the way proper purebloods behaved, and jumped into the vehicle.
“You made it!” The boy clapped Leigh hard on the back. With a lurge the wheels started turning and threw them into the seats.
“Obviously.” Leigh drawled and crossed his legs.
“Alright. Then you can explain why you didn’t warn us that that rat Malfoy is now a prefect. He came into our car and decided to flash his new pin. No respect for the elder.”
Leigh rolled his eyes. They were barely a year old than the blond prat but Arthur had the annoying tendency to put weight into their age.
“You’re three weeks younger than I am.” Eva grinned. “I hope you plan to respect that and to shut the hell up. Merlins beard. You can talk for hours. Don’t you ever get sick of hearing your own voice?”
“Never. Do you ever get sick of seeing your ugly mug in a mirror?”
“Just because you see a gorgon in a mirror doesn’t mean everyone else experiences the same you berk.”
They started arguing back and fourth. Leigh melted into the seat, rolling his eyes. He’s been on his feet the last few hours and wanted at least a moment of bloody silence.
“I hope their parents make a marriage contract. Would do them right to torture each other for eternity.” Oretia snickered. She was leaning into him hard. He shook her off with a tired movement and watched the trees around them. Hogwarts is beautiful. Every time he saw the castle appear he was enraptured in its beauty. It already stung that this was his second to last time seeing it.
They came to a stop by the steps and unlike his friends who just walked up to get to the great hall, he stayed behind to help guide the masses. Not that he was of much need there. People were piling through the doors loudly and without any care. Someone had seriously brought his heavy trunk along. How no one had stopped the tiny second year from doing that escaped Leighs understanding. He stopped the tiny Hufflepuff and explained that the trunks would be brought to his dorm. Just like the year before.
With a flick of his wand and a muttered ‘Pluma lux’ the trunk turned as light with a feather. With his wand he made the trunk hover and fly into a close by corner. It should be found by house elf there. After that was done it the rest went by smoothly. Some ‘don’t stand in the door’ and ‘please keep moving in an orderly fashion’ made the student behave.
Together with two more prefects he entered the great hall as one of the last students. His friends had left him a space close to the front. He swung his legs over and sat heavy on the bench. The hall looked just like it did every time the year started. The sky was reflected on the high ceiling and candles floated above them. Sometimes some wax would dribble down and disappear midway down. Where to Leighton had no idea.
“I’m so hungry.” Arthur whined next to him. The plates and cutlery was already there, lain out perfectly along the long table.
“Soon.” Leigh grinned and turned his attention forward. The giant had certainly been exchanged for Professor Grubbly-Plank. She sat at the teachers desk where the other teacher usually was. Leighton filed that information away for later. His gaze wandered. Dumbledore looked just as strange as he usually did. His robes were an atrocious shade of pink with what appeared to be yellow lacing. Leigh had a hard time not frowing at that. Snape on the other had looked the way a wizard should with his dark robes. Just uglier with his hair seemingly being even more oily. Nothing to do about that, as long as he was a decent teacher. At least to the Slytherins. Leighton needed that Newt dearly.
Then his gaze toppled over the worst insult to fashion and beauty he’d seen in years. The horror of any and every wizard ball he’d been to. Dolores Umbridge.
“Oh no.” He whispered and stared. His friends followed his line of sight.
“Is that?” Oretia whispered.
“That’s totally her.” Eva made a face like she’d just tasted a flubber worm. “She always holds those horrible speeches at the Christmas gala.”
“And the ministry one.” Leigh added.
As a child he had gone along with his family to some of the ministry event. Back when his grandmother had been alive. She made a big deal of things like that. He’d been dresses like the most proper seven year old wizard and then met Umbridge. Back then she hadn’t been secretary yet. Not to the minister at least. She’d been just some toad like woman holding up dinner with her meaningless speech. Now she was an older and certainly older looking garish pink nightmare waiting to attack.
“Five gallions she’s going to make a speech no one asked for.” Arthur offered.
“No one’s taking you up on that.” Eva grumbled. “I give you ten if she doesn’t cough three times before she gets attention.”
“Deal.”
The two of them shook hands. The doors of the great hall opened and a long line of little first years streamed in looking anxious. Professor McGonagall brought out a stool and put it in front of the row of waiting students then elegantly out the old and crumpled hat on top. The hat lay still like an ordinary object. Then without a sound it ripped open close to the brim. His mouth open it began to sing.
In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world’s best magic school
And pass along their learning.
“Together we will build and teach!”
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffndor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Huffepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, “We’ll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest.”
Said Ravenclaw, “We’ll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest.”
Said Gryffindor, “We’ll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,”
Said Hufflepujf, “I’ll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same.”
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A House in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepujf she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the Houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses Because that is what I’m for,
But this year I’ll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it’s wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we’ll crumble from within.
I have told you, I have warned you. . .
Let the Sorting now begin
It was silent for a second before everyone started to clap. It wasn’t close to as loud and boisterous as usual. There were murmur going all around.
“What was that?” Arthur asked, for the first time his face was very serious.
“A story.” Leigh answered as the clapping began to die down. “And a warning.”
A warning he would head. “For were there such friends anywhere As Slytherin and Gryffindor?”
“From external, deadly foes And we must unite inside her.”
The hat had spoken what he saw and for Leighton that was just the last piece. His decision cemented fully. This year he would have to find a way to survive.
“GRYFFINDOR!” The first child got sorted. The red and gold table broke into applause.
“He’s looks terribly frightened for a Gryffindor.” Oretia snickered as the boy stumbled down to the steps. “But considering they have the sorts of Longbottom in there I’m not surprised.”
“Oh, could we stop with the bashing for once?” Arthur rolled his eyes and looked longingly at the empty plates.
One student after the there got sorted until ‘Zeller, Rose’ jumped down and marched to the Hufflepuff table. McGonagall took the stool and now again still hat away. Instead Dumbledore stood up. The men in his garish clothes and almost unnaturally long bearded stood and began his speech.
“To our newcomers,” He stretched his arms out wide as if to hug the entire great hall. “welcome! To our old hands — welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!”
Food materialized in front of them at once. The hall broke out in happy chatter.
“She didn’t do it.” Eva gawked at the table. Her plate was still empty unlike Arthur who had seemingly just put a whole chicken dish over his own.
“There is still time.” Leigh offered while stacking his plate with mashed potatoes. “Remember Dumbledores end speech. No one has to told us yet that the forbidden forest is forbidden.”
Then he couldn’t say more as he stuffed his mouth. Nothing against his own home, but they didn’t have a houses elf since the last died and they didn’t have the funds for another one. So the meal generally fell out to be mediocre. Oretia, as always, had put pretty much only peas and some sort of sauce on her plate. But Leigh had seen her put some bread into her robe. She just liked to pretend that she ate like a bird.
“Oi, Fawley.” A smug voice came from the left. Leighton swallowed and turned his head. Malfoy was sitting in between his friends annoyingly close. Leighton made an effort to avoid the little slimeball most of the time. Malfoy was to rich and influential to antagonize but his irritating manner made being close to him suffocating.
“Yes Malfoy.” he gave a polite smile. Politics. All of it politics.
“I don’t think you noticed me earlier. I got my batch this year so I look forward to working together.” The blond flashed him his prefects badge like it was the order of merlin.
“Ah- Yes of course. To a fruitful cooperation.” Leighton held up his goblet like you would with a toast and took a sip. He thought that would stop the conversation. It seemed finished after all.
“Yes. About the night patroll. I thought we might do that one together.”
Leighton eyebrow twitched. Spending hours two times a week with Malfoy? Circe, no.
“That’s out of my hand. The head boy and girl make the plans.”
“Yes of course, but I thought I might ask for them to consider putting us together.” So, Leighton assumed, Malfoy was willing to give well financed arguments to get what he wanted. As always. Leigh was still sour about that seeker position Malfoy had bought when he was in his second year. Leighton had planned to become seeker. He had been the best option. But no. Malfoy just had to get daddy to pay to spite Potter.
“It’s up to you. Can we discuss this later?” Meaning hopefully never. “I’m quiet hungry.”
“Yes, yes.” Malfoy turned away to his friends to start telling some sort of story. Oretia leaned close to Leigh and whispered.
“He’s been at it for two years now. You think he fancies you?”
“Absolutely not. It also wouldn’t matter. He can’t do anything with his father looming over him.”
That was true. All of it. In Leighs fourth year Malfoy had started to talk to him. Out of nowhere. And often for that matter. It might be some interest but Leighton sure hoped it wasn’t. To many problems were connected to Malfoy.
It didn’t take much longer afterwards to fill everyones stomach. Full and satisfied Leighton sat and looked up, when Dumbledore finally decided to stand up and hold his final speech.
“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,” said Dumbledore. “First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students — and a few of our older students ought to know by now too. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch’s office door. “We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Art”
Dumbledore made a gesture towards them. Politely and not very enthusiastically Leighton began to clap. Most were about as interested in this as he was. Though some Slytherins were smirking and putting a bit more effort into the clapping.
Dumbledore continued, “Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the —”
A sound. A small cough. Nothing special. Dumbledore had stopped.
“Oh, she’s gonna do it.” Arthur leaned forward in his seat. “Once.”
“Ehm-Ehm.”
“Twice” Eva whispered, both of them looking at Umbridge. She had stood up which wasn’t very impressive because the chair had made her look taller than she was. Now she just stood like a slightly taller goblin. She waddled in her pink shoes around the teachers table. Dumbledore who managed to hide his surprise made some space for her on the podest. The other teachers looked scandalized by the interruption.
“Thank you, Headmaster,” Professor Umbridge simpered, “for those kind words of welcome.
Her voice was grating and in no way sincere. She was the one cube o sugar that was to much in a tea, the hotting call of a off tune songbird, the screech when a gramophones nail slide the wrong way on a recording. Just as he had as a child, Leigh felt the instant disgust towards her.
She gave another throaty cough. ‘Ehm-ehm.’
“Three.” Eva grinned a made an insulting gesture towards Arthur, almost like a a ‘suck it’.
“Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. “And to see such happy little faces looking back at me! I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!”
“Over my dead body.” Oretia groaned. It was a total lie. The moment her notes depended on the pink nightmare she’d change her tune.
The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.” Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members. No one seemed compelled to return the gesture.
“Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation . . .”
People were getting bored. Fed and happy as they were, they weren’t made to listen to a long speech. Someone took out a book. No idea why they even brought one. The Ravenclaw table seemed to have a debate going on. Umbridges face contorted into a wolfish grin, which looked exceptionally strange on such a toadish face.
“. . . because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Leigh whispered. Eva nodded. She had st through more dinners with Umbridge than he had as her father was very engaged in the ministry.
Umbridge sat down and Dumbledore began clapping. He was the only one until the teacher and some students joined in. Leighton clapped aswell if only to gather positive attention from the teacher. Just in case he would need her at some point.
“Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating,” he said, bowing to her. “Now — as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held in the first three weeks. The information will be for the houses in the common room on the blackboards. If interested, please keep checking it.” Dumbledore kept going for a bit until dismissing them with a happy wave.
The entire hall moved like one big wave, everyone clambering to get out and into bed. The first years at the very beginning of the table looked around confused.
“Malfoy.” Leighton grabbed the pureblood by the sleeve. “The first years.”
It was tradition that the fifth year prefects were in charge of the first years. Leighton had done it the year before. Now it was Malfoys and Parkinsons job. The blond looked up at Leighton. They were almost the same hight but not quiet yet.
“Yes. Sure.” He walked past Leigh and gathered the first years. At least he seemed to take that serious. How he’d gotten prefect was a marvel. Sure his grades were alright and he wasn’t as brain damaged as Crabbe and Goyle. But he had a severe lack of human compassion and no nurturing streak.
“Lets go.” The blond called. “Come along first years. I’m your prefect Draco Malfoy.”
Leigh stopped listening afterwards. For once he just followed along with his friends uncaring of his position. There were others to pick up the slag. He needed a people pause. Any would be good. He piled down into the dungeons with his friends, making longs steps to get there first.
“Hey. How we’ll get in.” Arthur asked strolling along. His overly trained personal didn’t tire at all, while the small Eva barely kept up.
“Don’t be stupid.” Leigh rolled his eyes. “I know the password.”
They stopped in front of just another inconspicuous wall. There were of course snakes at the sides of it but there were snakes everywhere in the dungeon.
“Vincat purus sanguis.“
A giant snake appeared out of the ground and found it’s way into a grand entry. Underneath it the wall was open to let them pass. It barely took a second for all that to happen. They stepped through and the snake unwound. The entryway disappeared.
“What did it mean? Vincat purus sanguis.“
„Victory to the pureblooded. Not my choose but I rather have that then just pure again. I’m afraid someone might just guess it at this point. We have it like every second month.”
“It’s because it’s easy. I hate remembering another password every other week.” Arty whined.
“It’s because you’re stupid.” Eva said with such a dead pan it was hard to take it as a joke. She was mostly like that.
“That was uncalled for.” Arthur pulled at Leighs sleeve. “Dock her point. Give her detention Mr. Prefect.”
Leigh freed himself with a hard tug and rolled his eyes.
“I am going to sleep. Keep bickering by yourself if you wanna. I need an early start tomorrow. Good night.”
With that he strut away. He quiet liked the Slytherin common room. It was wide and specious. One long wall was purely out of magic and glass, open to the late. A giant terrarium where he’d seem the giant squid once in his third year. And someone saw the mermaids pass by. They usually didn’t swim by that close. The nicest were the flowing lights in the water that turned alight together with the rise of the sun. It wasn’t the same as a sky view but it made it easier to tell when the day begins.
A bright green fire with orange tips was burning in the fireplace. Around stood many black leather couches and tons of long and ornate desks to study at. Behind a column stood multiple book cases. One was full with books that Slytherin himself had recommended to his students a long time ago. Though because of Dumbledores restrictions there were a few gabs now. The old coot got rid of anything to dark. Other book cases were full over school book overviews. Nothing as specific as the library could give, but there was a copy of every school book from every year. Just in case you forgot something from the last year.
The dormitories were to the right. Two doors. One leading down into the girls dormitories. Leigh couldn’t go there as they had an invisible wall that stopped boys from passing through. The other door had a staircase going up. Leigh took two steps at a time up. He stopped before the long corridor. Each foor lead to another dorm. His was the fourth door to the left. Their names were engraved in a silver plaque. The walls were stone up to the middle and decorated with a dark wallpaper with silver winding and moving snakes on the upper half.
Leigh entered his dorm. It was a lot cozier and bigger than the space should allow. Against the believe of many students, the rich Slytherin kids didn’t have a room for themselves. The room was hexagon shaped and wide. Each big wall had one wall protruding, closing the person off on the left. Against that wall stood the high canopy beds with the dark green fabric. Only the one wall was an exception as it held the door to the outside and the door to the bathroom.
Leighs bed was the furthest from everyone. He let himself fall on the soft cushions and sighed. The room was cozy warm with the heated oven in the middle. Above it was an open window to the lake that got lighter when the day came. With the flick of his wand he closed it.
He threw his shoes off and let them drop on the carpet. He leaned over the bed and flicked his trunk open. He forfeits unpacking. With a simple ‘accio’ he called his night ware to him. He undressed and threw the uniform on a close by chair. Then he fell into bed.
The nice thing about the bed was the wardrobe you could just pull from the wall. It shifted out seamlessly from the wall. Then it closed the open space of the bed, closing Leigh in. You didn’t have to do that but gave some privacy. And it he a few nucks that worked as a night table. He put his wand there. Usually he had a clock, a few books and some extra stuff in there. Not yet though.
The door opened and someone entered the dormitory. Arty lived in there with Leigh. And three other boys. Joshua Higgs who was a bit of a pushover. Allon Yiender with the sand hair and permanent frown and of course Flint Jr. Hyperius Flint, called after his grandfather. Not his father. His teeth were almost as bad as his brother, though he wasn’t build as muscular as the older Flint.
It was them. So loud and obnoxious as the speech was it could only be them. Leigh didn’t feel like talking to them. With a simple cleaning charm he brushed his teeth and with a whispered ‘silencio sphera’ the room turned silent. It would hold until he fell asleep.
Leigh turned to the side and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he promised himself, tomorrow he would hatch a plan.