(Beatris POV)
After that incident, we all just let go of the idea to brew some Polyjuice potion. It was a long shot from the beginning but after what we heard in the bathroom, we had lost the only place where we could have brewed the potion hidden from the eyes of the authorities. And now that was gone. I mean who knew that Ana knew Martel? She...…. Was just so nice. It had been some days since that occurrence. And at first, it felt weird when I thought about it. Not that it was not weird now but Ana was nowhere to be found. It might have been a coincidence or my imagination, but I think she was really angry at something. She was the calmest person I knew and nowadays I was seeing her angry more and more often. It was when that raven appeared. Out of the entire hall maybe I was the only one who looked at the siblings. And if I had to explain their expressions at that time...….. I would say.... Discomfort. And then she opened the letter and Nathan had opened his black and silver pocket watch that I had never seen in his hand before. It was really beautiful. Black with a symbol of a star on it. Probably depicting the family name. The Morningstars. Never mind that, I always get distracted. So…. After that, both of them immediately had a change in their emotions. Ana was clearly angry. And I am not talking angry like she was with us. No no no no. Not in the least. She was angry and I could almost see her emotions take a form in the air above her. And Nathan. He was not angry. More like shocked. But both of their faces were new to me. I had not seen those expressions on their faces before. And then Ana had left with Nathan in her tow, Bickering on something. I fought the urge to follow them and listen in to their conversation. Then there was that conversation that we had overheard the conversation in the bathroom. Seemed like she was going somewhere. But what I thought was how can she leave during the mid of the year like this? And now she was nowhere to be found. And not only that. Nathan was also extra cranky. I mean he was always cranky but nowadays he was even more cranky than he usually was and before this, I did not even know that being any more cranky than this was a possibility. But he was not doing anything. He just took the classes and then disappeared. No one knew where exactly he went but no one ever saw him in his free time. He would only appear to eat his food and then disappear. Something was definitely up. Well, it was none of my problems so, yeah.
"Now on your mark." Said Gilderoy.
Yeah, that was none of my problems but the situation I was in right now was definitely my problem.
"And fire your spells on three.... One...." I took my stance. "Two..." I was just getting ready to fire a spell when Malfoy who was in front of me did not wait for professor Gilderoy to say three and shouted his spell.
"Avertixfacium." A jet of silver light emitted from the end of his wand and hit me straight in the chest. I flew backward and fell on my back. So how did I get into this mess? Well..... It was professor Dumbledore's Idea to start a dueling club after another student had been petrified. And the head of the club was Gilderoy. I did not know why even gave him a job. No matter his achievements, the dude did not know a single thing. He had tried to demonstrate how to do a magical duel and had failed miserably. Snape mopped the floor with him. And for the student representatives, who would Gilderoy choose other than me? And of course, snape would choose Malfoy. Because even if I don't know the reason, I do know that Snape hates me. So, the pairing.
Anyhow, the world soon came to focus. The spell was not that harmful. But I can bet that if we were not restricted to the use of disarming spells only, he would have cast some lethal spell. I quickly got up and pointed my wand toward him.
"Rictusempra" I shouted and a golden stream left my wand and hit Malfoy in the stomach. He immediately Doubled up, wheezing. It was the tickling charm. I don't know what I was thinking back then. I should have attacked again while he was on the floor but for some reason, I thought that it was dishonorable. But this was a lesson for me. I remembered after it that there is no honor when you are fighting someone like Malfoy. He could barely move while laughing yet he still managed to point his wand at me and speak the spell "Tarantallegra" and the next second my legs started to jerk around.
(What the heck.)
With one hand I grabbed my leg and with the other, I pointed the wand toward him. At this point he was on the floor, rolling.
"Stop Stop." Spoke Gilderoy. Because there wasn't any other thing he could have done besides that.
"Please professor Gilderoy." I heard Snape talking and I could see the smirk on his face when he spoke, "You should not let yourself be concerned with such trivial things. It does not suit a wizard of your caliber." He raised his wand and chanted "finite incantatum." And immediately the effects of the jinxes on both of us vanished. I stood up and so did Malfoy his face twisted ugly in blinding rage. And then he once again pointed his want and shouted "Serpensortia." The end of his wand exploded and from it shot out a long jet-black snake. It fell heavily on the floor between the both of us. Even though I was a witch but still I was just in the second year of my schooling. I did not know many lethal spells.
"Don't worry Potter. I will get rid of it." Said Snape lazily. From the looks of it, he did not intend to help me at all. He was quiet actually smiling.
(I know that he is enjoying this. I would get bitten for all he cares.)
The whole of Slytherin started to giggle. The snake slowly started to crawl toward me and I started to back off.
(Think Beatris think. There must be a spell to get rid of this snake.)
I moved my head around to look for something that could help when my eye caught something.
(Huh???? IS that???)
In the far back corner of the room was no one other than the cold-hearted sadistic prince. Nathan. And he was standing in a weird pose. One of his hands was held high. As if he were holding something in his hand. But it was empty.
(What is he doing?)
For no reason, my attention was diverted from the snake. I looked at him for a second. He was not looking at me but at the snake. That was when I noticed something. His hand was not empty. There were tiny particles in his hands that were moving really fast. I had seen him do this kind of chant-less and wandless magic before. This was something that always intrigued me. How did he do it? As of right now, he was moving the wind in his hand.
(Does he plan to attack the snake with it?)
I wondered.
(Wait, the snake.)
I had completely forgotten about it. I instantly looked back towards it. It had gotten quite close to me. Uncomfortably close. I backed away again but that was when I noticed that I had reached the end of the stage. Snape was still not moving to do anything. And Gilderoy could not do anything. That was when he intervened. Nathan?????.... NO.... Ron.
"Don't you dare touch my Beatris?" He shouted.
(I appreciate the sentiment but, Ewe.)
The responded in kind and turned his face. I appreciated the fact that Ron was trying to try and be brave for my sake but that was all it took to shake him up and he immediately ran backward.
"S-s-s-s-s-s-stay away from me as w-w-well." He shuddered.
He may have chickened out but I was not going to leave a friend in peril.
"Stop" I shouted to the snake. And unexpectedly the snake turned away and looked at me.
"don't move. Don't you dare hurt him?" I spoke in anger. And the snake nodded.
(What?)
I was taken aback. But all the fear left my body. Though I did not know how, but one thing was for sure. I knew that the snake was not going to attack anyone. I felt it.
"W-w-w-what the hell w-was t-t-that." Ron's voice hit my ears. I turned and looked at him with pride in my eyes but what I saw was not gratitude at all. I scanned the whole room and everyone had most of the children had the same expression. Fear.
(Wha...…)
my mind was blank when Snape move towards the snake that was now coiling near my feet. He rose his wand and the snake simply vanished in a puff of smoke. He looked at me weirdly. A calculated look.
(What is going on.)
I looked back at the students, and they literally backed off.
"Beatris….?" Hermione was the only one who was not afraid. Well, not the only one...
"Amazing..." Nathan moved forward. His face twisted in a weird smile.
(Wow.... He looks beautiful when he smiles..... wait that's not my concern right now.)
"What amazing?" Something was weird and I did not know what.
"You are a Parselmouth, that is amazing." Nathans's eyes glittered and his smile grew even wider.
"I am a what?" but what he was saying was beyond.
"Why did you not tell me?" Hermione grabbed me from both sides.
"Why did I not tell you what?" I was still confused.
"That you can talk to snakes?" She shook me.
"No, it's not like I can talk to...….." (Wait what?) "Wait, what do you mean?" I was getting suspicious now.
"Seems as if you were not aware of it yourself." Nathan intervened.
"AWARE OF WHAT?" I SCREAMED.
"That you were talking in Parseltongue." He said still smiling.
"I was talking in WHAT?"
"It's the language of the snakes Beatris," Hermione explained to me.
"I was speaking a different language." I was flabbergasted.
"Yes, you were. And quiet fluently too." Nathan was being too comforting, and it felt.... Nice.... Weird..... weirdly nice.
"But why were they so scared of me? Isn't it like.... Something all wizards can do." I was still not understanding the gravity of the situation.
"No Beatris...… It's not common at all. It is a really rare gift." Nathan explained. "And..." then he fell quiet.
"And.... What?" I tilted my head.
"Aaaaaannnnnndddd..... you explain it to her Granger." He shooed her and moved back.
"EXPLAIN WHAT??" I was really annoyed.
"It is a specific ability of the Slytherins Beatris." She explained. After hearing that I was starting to understand the fear in everyone's eyes. I did not need any more explanation, but she continued. "The hair of Slytherin would most probably be a Parselmouth."
------------------------
(Nathan POV)
I was pissed angry and frustrated. Sister had left me to rot and went after Jacob to seal the crack. I tried to undo the seal once more and I got the formula wrong. I failed… AGAIN. This was eating my mind. And when I was told about the dueling club I did not expect that would see something this interesting. BEATRIS POTTER WAS A PARSELMOUTH. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?
At first, it was just plain boring. And then it slowly started to get interesting. Malfoy cast a spell and from his wand came out a snake.
(Damn, he trying to kill her.)
For a moment I thought that I should help her. I raised my hand and summoned the wind. It gathered on top of my palm, and I eyed the snake. But then it happened. Beatris opened her mouth to say something. But the sound that came out was a simple hiss.
(Oh my god. Was that Parseltoung.) I recalled my hand. She opened her mouth again and hissed like a snake another time.
(Yup that is for sure. She is a Parsulmouth.)
I was so intrigued that I could not stop grinning. But then what happened was totally in my calculations. All the kids moved away from her in fear.
(These idiots.)
So long story short now every muggle-born kid in the school was afraid of Beatris and other kids were always bad-mouthing her. I mean ... what the hell.
(Why would they even suspect her? I know that she was always present at the site of the crime but still. She does not have a motive nor the power to do so. These people are just all so full of crap.)
I was walking with these thoughts going through my head when suddenly someone bumped into me.
"Hey...." I said in an annoyed manner. But then I had to reconsider saying that. The person was half dead. She was pale and her cheeks sunken. She looked weak and malnourished and seemed as if she would fall any moment. "Are you okay" I grabbed her by the shoulders as she stumbled to stop her from falling.
(Deja vu??)
It felt like that...
"Let me go." She shook me away.
"Hey….." I let her go. "I was just trying to help you know." I shrugged my shoulders. But she did not even look back.
"I don't need your help." I heard that as she ran away.
(Ouch...….)
She was shorted than me. By a lot. Probably the first year. She had red hair and fair skin.
(Whoever was she and what the hell was her problem.)
I simply ignored her and went my way.
Follow her.....|
It had been some time since I heard that voice. Since the time I had made my defenses, he had never once called out to me. And even now it was not his voice. It seemed to be the other one. The beast. I did not know if my defenses affected him or not. But right now I had just heard him.
(Follow her...… why?)
I thought to myself. As I looked back, I could see her walking briskly in the opposite direction.
(No actually..... Where is she going?)
I wondered. The entirety of the school was in the great hall so why was she going in the opposite direction?
She is dangerous|
I heard him again.
(Dangerous..... her?)
I looked back and the girl was gone. She might have taken a turn.
Hey.| I tried to communicate but the thing was gone.
(Hmmm what should I do now? Should I follow or should I just let go?)
I thought for a moment and then stopped for the later one.
(What could she possibly do.) And I started to walk again.
only when I reached the great hall... did I know how much the things had escalated. Everyone was quiet and then I saw a girl with dark wavy hair run by me. I did not know why I reacted but I shouted.
"Hey Beatris... where are you....." It was the first time she had acted this way. She spoke in the mid of my sentence.
"What do you want…." Chewing every last of that word. I fell quiet.
"If there is nothing you want then just leave me alone." And with that, she was gone.
"Beatris, stop." And Granger went after.
I looked towards the hall and saw that every one of the students was looking toward us.
(Of for hell's sake.)
They had driven her to the edge.
-------------------------
(Augustine POV)
As much as the magical world was amazing, there were bullies here who hurt me. People did not understand me and if I tried to talk to them through the eyes, they called me a monster. It was not fair. Why was I the only one who was always alone? Well, I did have Anna. And she was the one who introduced me to the nice ghost lady. She was just like me. People also used to bully her. But now she was a ghost and lived in a toilet. She and I had become very good friends. And I was going towards her toilet right now. When I reached the door someone came out suddenly and bumped into me.
"I am sorry." She spoke in a panicked manner and then ran away.
(Wasn't that...…. Ginny Weasley.)
She was a girl from our year and ...….
I looked down and she had dropped something. If I could have talked, I would have called out to her.
(What is this now? I should pick it up and return it to her later.)
I bent down and picked it up.
(A diary?)
It was an old diary. Pretty dirty as well.
(I will return it to her later.)
But then something odd happened. The diary….. It was beautiful. And... It was calling out to me.
(Hmmm.... She did come to throw this.... I think. Maybe I will keep it with me.)
And I turned around, totally forgetting to meet moaning Martel who was waiting patiently in her toilet.