Capítulo 5: Deadly Brawl
Chapter 5. Deadly Brawl
The newly sorted Slytherins followed the two fifth-year Prefects. They were led down a corridor beside the Grand Staircase.
After a little walk, they came to a halt when the corridor parted in two, forming a T. But instead of continuing in either direction, the Prefects stopped before the blank wall.
Looking around surreptitiously, the male Prefect muttered a word.
The next instant, an engraving of a snake appeared on the wall before a section of it slid down to reveal another narrow corridor.
The awed students climbed down the steps and hurried after the two Prefects.
Eventually, the corridor ended and a giant common room began. It was half as big as the Great Hall and just as grand.
Furthest from them, on the other side, was a glass wall curved outward that looked into the Black Lake.
Even from here, they could see various beasts swimming in the dark waters, unheeding the presence of the students.
The ceiling was high, and numerous candelabras hung from it, providing more than enough light for the vast chamber. But due to one wall of the room being transparent and in contact with the lake water, the room's appearance was tinged green.
In the centre of the common room, four dark green sofas faced each other with a low table between them. But that wasn't the only place to sit and relax, because many sofas and carved chairs were strewn around the expanse of the giant common room.
The first years were led to the right half of the room, where a single door opened behind them in the direction from which they just came. A big stairway spiralled into the right wall, leading to the upper levels. And mirroring it, there was another stairway on the left wall.
"Listen up, Madam Black will come out in a minute. Be respectful and give her a bow." The Prefect ordered them and hurried to the sofas that acted as the centrepiece of this ginormous chamber.
Once the other students began arriving, the seats were quickly taken. Though the sofas in the centre remained sparsely occupied. Apparently, only a select few were allowed to make use of them. He wondered why.
His musings were cut short when the door behind them creaked open and their head of house sauntered out. She walked around the group and came to stop before them.
Following everyone's example, he bowed briefly.
She was beautiful with her platinum blonde hair and sharp aristocratic features, but her beauty was marred by her cold, aloof look. Her deep blue eyes were icy, with nary a warmth to them.
She felt more like an artistic painting to be admired than a living person.
"As you know, I'm Narcissa Black. Your head of the house. I welcome you all to our great house. This house boasts many legendary witches and wizards who have immortalised their names. Our house has a rich history and culture, which we must respect. Which everyone should respect. Alas, our reputation makes others fearful. And fear often leads to disdain and attacks." She swept her gaze over them, staring at him for a second longer.
"But we must never falter in our beliefs. To protect our beliefs and culture, we must show a strong front. So the only rule that applies here is to remain united. Whatever grievances you have with each other, sort them out in this chamber. But outside, in front of others, you're Slytherins. Only Slytherins. Protect each other and act as one. The nail that sticks out will get hammered mercilessly. I repeat, act as one. Goodnight, children. I'll allow the Prefects to show you around." Giving her short speech, she curtsied and returned to the door.
Harry blinked. The fuck was that?
He wasn't given the time to think about it as the two Prefects came back and took them to the centre where six older students were seated on the dark green sofas.
The leaders, as he called them in his head, looked over at the first years critically, and then a brown-haired boy—almost a man—got onto his feet and approached them.
"I'm William Morris, a seventh-year student. I'm the head of the Closed Council. But before we begin, you must sign this magical contract. Worry not; it is checked by Madam Black herself. It is simply used as a safety precaution. By signing this, you agree not to share whatever you hear or see within these walls with outsiders," William said, swishing his wand and conjuring a table before putting the parchment over it.
"You must be confused by our paranoia. And that's expected. But the outside world has become rigid and narrow-minded in the last couple of years, and some of our forward-thinking students can get in trouble for their strongly worded opinions. And as Madam Black said, we must act as one and look out for each other. We're doing just that. Now, I'll call your name. And when I do, you'll come forward and sign on the parchment."
Harry stared around owlishly, but almost all the first-year students nodded, unbothered by it.
Fuck, he just wanted a personal room. He did not sign up for this shady cult thing.
"Daphne Greengrass."
A blonde-haired girl confidently walked forward and signed her name with relish.
"Draco Malfoy."
Then a rat-like-looking boy scurried forward and gave his sign.
One by one, the first-years signed their names.
"Harry Evans."
But when his turn came, he glared and shook his head. "What if I don't want to?"
William simply smiled and shrugged. "You're free to refrain. But you'll be branded as a pariah. And no Slytherins will be allowed to talk to or interact with you. In simple terms, you'll be considered untrustworthy and not a Slytherin by us. We will give you no help if you ever face any problems. You will end up being a Slytherin just in name."
"Alright. I refuse to join this cult. Feel free to ignore me. Now where's my room?"
William looked taken aback, but then he let out a low chuckle and pointed to the right stairway. "That's the boys dormitory. You'll find a door with your name on it. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Evans. I hope you won't come to regret sticking out and refusing to join this family."
"I won't," Harry said with narrowed eyes, and strolled away, indifferent to the glares and angry whispers.
'What do I choose between shackled but safe and free but unsafe? Was that even a choice at all?'
He wasn't naive enough to think there wouldn't be any repercussions for this. But he had many advantages. His mother was either a celebrated hero or a mass murderer, depending on who you ask. And his father was the Minister, the most powerful man in the wizarding world.
The Slytherins would be foolish to come after him. He didn't choose this perilous path on a whim but went with this option because he felt it was ironically safer.
Now let's see if his new room was worth going through all this trouble.
It was.
The room was moderately big and luxurious. He even checked the quality of the bed by bouncing on it repeatedly. And the quality of the mattress was far better than the one at home. The floor was also covered by thick rugs that tickled his soles when he walked barefoot on them. But the most interesting thing was the small window looking into the lake.
He pushed his desk under the window and dragged his chair too, knowing this would be his favourite spot. The way the green shadow of the water fell on the bench was almost fantastical. He could easily imagine himself as an explorer riding a submarine. The submarine being his room.
Unshrinking his trunk, he began sorting out his clothes and books. It took him only half an hour to put his things in their places. For a second, he contemplated visiting his mum. But he was extremely tired, and he didn't even know where her room was. So, flopping on the bed, he went to sleep.
~xXxXx~
In the morning, he was glad that his room had a bathroom and a toilet. Because the thought of mingling with his hostile housemates near a loo made him apprehensive.
After putting on the black, stuffy robes with green linings over his normal attire, he descended to the common room.
Instantly, everyone's eyes were on him.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room, climbing the stairs and stepping out of the secret door.
Remembering that he just needed to go straight to get to the Grand Staircase, he hurried forward, feeling progressively lighter the farther he went away from his housemates.
From there, it was easy to find his way back to the Great Hall. Though he might have to ask for a map. After all, he didn't know where the various classrooms were. And the chances of getting help from his housemates were near zero.
Once entering the Great Hall, he moved towards the Hufflepuff table instead of his own.
Professor Black, sitting at the head table, just smiled and didn't look angry. But even her smile was icy. Was she dead inside or something?
"Good morning, Susan. Good morning, Hannah." He plopped down beside his sister, who gave him a curious look.
The other Hufflepuffs looked wary and suspicious of having a Slytherin at their table. But once Susan kissed his cheek and greeted him back, they relaxed.
Well, that was the first time Susan showed such affection. And he wasn't sure if it was real or just a way to help his reputation. Either way, clever girl. This single move displayed that even if he didn't have the name Potter, he had the protection of it.
"Did you already muck up your chances with your housemates?" Hannah giggled, asking the important question of why he was here instead of there.
He slumped face first at the table and groaned. "Yes. I'm now an outcast. Don't ask why. Secret stuff and all that."
Harry could disclose about the magical contract thing. But he wasn't sure how bad it was. And he'd like to talk to his mum first before trying to dig himself a grave. Anyways, there was no need to make enemies where they were not needed. Unless the other Slytherins started targeting him, he'd keep his mouth shut and let them be.
"Don't worry, Harry. You can join us whenever you want. We, the Hufflepuffs, welcome everyone. Right?" Susan said, patting his back and looking pointedly at her housemates, who cheered and welcomed him.
Damn it, why couldn't he have been a Hufflepuff? Oh, right, because he was a greedy fucker.
~xXxXx~
"You alright?" His mum asked as they walked through the hallway.
He was not going to lie; when they bought their clothes in the summer, he thought the red robes would make his mum look funny. But here she was, looking nice and cool in them. The way the hem of the red robes trailed behind her made her seem like some fancy mage. Which she actually was, he thought dumbly.
"Yes. Though I have some interesting things to discuss. Will talk to you tonight," he said, glancing at his wrist watch. They didn't have enough time to tackle that topic right now.
She quirked her eyebrows but nodded. Then she pulled a parchment from her pocket and handed it to him. "It's a map of the castle. You'll need it for the first couple of weeks."
He smiled brightly and kissed her on the cheek, not caring that the other students saw that.
She was just brilliant sometimes—most of the time, if he was being honest. He didn't even have to ask, and she already had a map ready for him.
"Hmm, tell me what I did that made you kiss me. You know, so I can keep doing that," she said, throwing her arm around his shoulders.
Before she could get embarrassingly cuddly, he weaved away from her. "I'll see you later, Professor Evans."
She made a face at the title as he disappeared into his classroom. Cheeky brat.
Harry was quite grateful that Muggle Studies was an elective in the third year, because that meant he could totally avoid it. And while he was curious to see his mum in teacher mode, he was not going to give her the chance to embarrass him in front of an entire class. Not that he'd need Muggle Studies anyway since he grew up in that world.
His first class was Charms.
He chose the first bench and took his seat, noticing the absence of the professor. As his fellow housemates began filing in, they ignored the seat beside him like a plague.
Rolling his eyes, he took out his books and wand, busying himself by reading the text. Though his reading was disrupted, and he flinched when a girl loudly crashed down between the spaces separating the two rows.
Books and quills spilled out of the various bags she'd been holding, creating a big mess.
"Tch! It wasn't that heavy, Tracey." Pansy grumbled condescendingly, glaring at the brown-haired girl who was rising from the floor with six bags laden over her thin arms.
The girl looked on the verge of tears as others laughed at her sorry state, her golden eyes seeming watery and large due to the thick, semi-round spectacles. But instead of letting it out, she bit back her tears and began picking up the books that had fallen on the floor.
"It's fine. I'll help her. You go get us seats," Daphne said, kneeling beside Tracey and murmuring gentle whispers in her ears.
Though he noticed that this Daphne girl was hiding an amused smile.
If his guess was correct, she must have used some sort of spell to make her fall, to humiliate her.
Harry refrained from butting in, remembering his mum's instructions. She had told him not to pry into others' matters or get entangled in some drama. And while he disliked bullying, it was, unfortunately, part of school life. If this Tracey was waiting for a saviour, then she'd have to wait a long time. He wasn't going to step in and risk the Slytherins' ire. He was already on thin ice with them.
She wasn't his responsibility.
Soon, Professor Flitwick walked in, and the class began.
As his mum had predicted, normal magic came easier to him because of his familiarity with Magiscape.
On his third try, he mastered the Levitation Charm, earning 10 points for Slytherin, as if it would do any good. Though when the professor praised him and compared him to his mum, he couldn't stop the proud smile that flashed over his face.
The remaining time was spent practising to be quicker and more accurate.
The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion. That was to say, sitting alone and learning new spells. Although there was one exception, the potion class, which was shared between Gryffindor and Slytherin. For that single class, he partnered up with Hermione instead of sitting alone.
In the DADA class, Professor Black didn't even spare him a glance, ignoring him like everyone else was doing. Though he noticed she was particularly attentive to one boy.
Draco Malfoy.
He wondered why. They looked a bit similar, but he couldn't determine their relationship. And since they didn't share a common last name, they wouldn't be closely related. Right?
When he was finally done with the classes, he hurried to his room and took off the annoying robes, glad to finally part with them.
After freshening up, he plopped down on the bed and groaned, feeling bored and miserable.
This couldn't go on any longer. He wasn't used to being alone. In his previous school, he had been the centre of attention and had many friends to keep him busy. He usually liked going to school. But the first day of Hogwarts made him dislike the notion of repeating this same routine every day.
Hoping to get some brilliant advice from his mum, he decided to go meet her.
As he climbed down to the common room, he found a couple of boys passing a bag between them while Tracey tried to jump around and grab it like a monkey.
She'd break soon, he realised looking at her teary eyes.
He shook his head, fighting the urge to go punch them.
This wasn't his problem.
He walked ahead without another glance, keeping his gaze firmly on the narrow corridor leading up to the secret door, disliking the way his heart twisted with guilt.
But fate had other plans that day.
"Where are you looking at, mudblood? That's Harry Evans. He won't come to save you. He has the blood of the demon summoner. Don't you know how his whore of a mother sacrificed hundreds of lives without breaking a sweat? He won't mind killing you for some esoteric ritual." A boy—who looked like the product of an union between an ugly hag and dumb troll—yelled at her, throwing the bag towards another boy.
Harry made a u-turn and changed his destination.
Instead of the stairs, he marched towards the older boy. His pace was unhurried, and his face had a small, carefree smile. He didn't run like a rageful bull, like he wanted to.
No, that would be counterproductive. He needed the element of surprise to even have any hope of winning this confrontation.
Seeing his confident approach, everyone present in the common room stopped what they were doing and prepared for some entertainment.
William, who was sitting with his mates on the sofas in the centre, frowned but didn't get up to break the upcoming fight. He wanted to see how the mudblood would answer this direct challenge. And if something bad happened, he would simply sacrifice Marcus.
The half-troll grinned and shoved Tracey away, unholstering his wand and pointing it at him. "Is the little halfblood angry now? Is he going to sacrifice me like his mum sacrificed an entire village? Do you know how unfair it is that your whore of a mother roams free after murdering hundreds, while our fathers, the last great generation, rot away in Azkaban?"
There was no cruel humour in his tone, but just plain rage at the injustice. His wand hand trembled as he waited for the boy to take out his wand so justice could be served.
But Harry kept walking, not stopping even when he passed the duelling range.
"Take out your wand, boy! Or are you going to brawl like filthy muggles?" Marcus snapped.
Just when Harry was seven feet away, he used his trick and leapt, allowing magic to fill his body and provide him with that intoxicating burning feeling.
In a single move, he appeared in the air before Marcus.
…
The time seemed to stop.
There stood Marcus, pointing his wand forward, while Harry was six feet in the air before him with his fist cocked back, a dark, angry look taking over his green eyes.
"Wha—"
Harry didn't give Marcus' surprised look any attention and punched him right on the nose.
Crunch!
"Arrrgh!" Marcus screamed, cupping his nose and stumbling back, blood spurting out of his nostrils while tears spilled down his cheeks.
But that wasn't enough punishment, in Harry's opinion.
He swept him off his feet and jumped on his stomach, knee first, making the older boy heave and groan in pain. Taking a seat on the violated stomach, he began punching him systematically.
One on the right cheek. Punch!
One on the left cheek. Punch!
One on the nose. Punch!
And repeat.
One on the right cheek. Punch!
One on the left cheek. Punch!
One on the nose. Punch!
And repeat.
One on the right cheek. Punch!
One on the left cheek. Punch!
One on the nose. Punch!
He forgot to stop and got lost in this trance where he knew nothing other than hitting furiously.
Marcus already fainted after that second punch on his nose, but this wasn't enough for Harry.
So he kept punching with a manic glint in his eyes while his lips pulled back in an animalistic snarl.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he should be stopping soon if he didn't want to do permanent damage. But the voice of reason was so far away that it felt like a fleeting whisper. It felt unimportant.
"Petrificus Totalus!" The spell slammed into him from behind, and he went slack, tumbling sideways on the floor, his cheek pressing against the stone.
The last thing he heard was the sudden uproar as many students ran towards him. Their angry screams were followed by a flurry of heavy blows. On his legs. On his arms. On his back. And when someone kicked him in the head, he lost consciousness.
~xXxXx~
William waved his wand, and all four quidditch boys were thrown away, leaving the half-blood alone.
He nodded at his second in command, who quickly ran to inform Madam Black about this mess.
The Evans boy looked thoroughly beaten. His face was swollen and unrecognisable. He might even have swallowed some of his broken teeth. And blood trickled out freely from his swollen mouth and nose. Red bruises also began forming on his arms and legs.
"Get away, girl!" He snapped at the mudblood, who was sobbing beside the boy. He still couldn't understand why a muggleborn was sorted into their great house. Whatever, he didn't have time to think about that when the Minister's son lay there half-dead.
He levitated the boy and hurried out of the common room, and he could only curse his luck that it was evening and many students were out, looking at him with various expressions. He just hoped he wouldn't lose his position due to this skirmish. While he wasn't involved, it was his duty as a Head Boy to implement the rules and keep everyone safe.
In the dungeon, when Narcissa heard what happened, she took a deep breath and called forward the four boys who'd taken the opportunity to beat the problematic child.
Giving them a chilling look, she announced. "Pack your bags. You might get expelled today for this."
"What? No!"
"It's not fair."
"He started it!"
"Silence, fools! Just pray that getting expelled remains the worst punishment. If Lily Evans has her way, you'll be dead. And I can't say I'll miss you. If attacking directly is all you know without thinking of the consequences, then this great house doesn't need you. Now pack your bags and wait for the headmaster to summon you. I'll try to save you, but I can't make any promises," Narcissa said in an angry but measured tone.
She levitated Marcus and started for the Hospital Wing.
In just a single day, Harry Evans had destroyed all her peace. She cursed the moment he got sorted into her house.
~xXxXx~
Lily was calm, at least externally, as she stared at the injured body of her son. "Who did this?"
Dumbledore rubbed his face, slumped in a chair. Narcissa stood behind him, hoping not to be noticed. Still, being silent now would mean certain doom.
"It was a brawl. Marcus Flint said something that sent Harry Evans into a fit of rage. Then Harry beat the older boy, almost killing him. Marcus' friends tried to pull him away, but that just made the scuffle worse. And in the heat of the moment, Marcus' friends went too far. Strict actions will be taken; remain assured. The four boys who took part in this will be disqualified from the quidditch team. And they will also be given detentions until they graduate," Narcissa said with a bowed head.
That was why she didn't see the punch coming.
She grunted and flew back, slamming against the hospital bed.
"Lily!" Dumbledore jumped to his feet and bound her with ropes, looking over his shoulder at Narcissa, who was getting up with a wand in her hand. "Both of you, snap out of it! I won't have my staff fighting like children."
Narcissa blanked her face and holstered back her wand, wiping the blood from her split lips. "Then you should have hired a better teacher than an uncultured ape."
"Come here, bitch. I'll show you ape! Detentions? Disqualifications? Are you out of your fucking mind? They almost killed my boy! They simply die. There is no other option. They will either die legally or I'll hunt them and their families to extinction." Lily snarled as the headmaster pushed her into a chair.
"Your son did the same to Marcus Flint! What about that?" The blonde snarled back. "No student of mine will die for this schoolyard fight; I promise you that."
Before Lily could retort, James stepped into the room. Noticing Harry's condition, a grave look came over his face. "What happened?"
Once Narcissa was done repeating the story, he nodded reluctantly. "Narcissa is right. This is a schoolyard fight. We don't need to blow it out of proportion."
Lily bristled, still bound in the chair.
But before she could tell him where he could stuff this opinion, he addressed her harshly. "Listen to reason, Lily. If we expel them, the entire country will cry foul. Besides, Harry did the same to Flint. He started the fight. The reason doesn't matter. They have the excuse of self-defence. We'll look like arrogant parents fighting their children's battles. And your reputation is just starting to improve. Don't you want our son to live a peaceful and happy life in this wizarding world? He won't get that if everyone thinks he abuses his power and connections. Let it be. The only thing you can do is teach him to fight better so he doesn't lose the next time."
She calmed the volcano inside her, trying to be rational, trying to listen. But the word 'kill' kept popping into her head. No one was allowed to harm her Harry. Her first instinct was to find those four and kill them painfully.
Still, James was right.
How long could they keep on hiding? This was their bloody home. How long would they remain on the run and away from their true home?
…
The answer was that it didn't matter.
Home was where they were together.
Closing her eyes, she did a countdown to soothe her bubbling rage.
Once Harry wakes up, she'd ask him if he wanted to remain here or if he wanted to return to the muggle world.
It would be his decision that would determine their course.
"Fine. Now remove this rope before I make you a noose."
Dumbledore vanished the rope, but remained prepared in case she pounced on someone.
She didn't.
~xXxXx~
In the dungeon, every Slytherin was present in the common room, nervous and scared. They knew they were a minority. They knew they were powerless if James bloody Potter came after them. But they didn't want to lose their four housemates. While most of them didn't approve of their ganging up on a first-year, they could understand their irrational response when Harry Evans prepared to deliver a death blow.
"Hereby, I declare not to engage with Harry Evans in any way, whether it be direct or indirect. In our eyes, he won't exist. We won't see him, we won't hear him, and we won't talk to him. This is the decision we, the Closed Council, came to after careful consideration. And it will be enforced strictly. Anyone found talking to him will suffer serious punishment." William announced, standing in the centre of the four sofas.
He smiled as everyone chorused a 'yes'. There was power in controlling an entire mass of people with just words. He loved it. But his self-appreciation was interrupted when the only muggleborn in their midst rose up.
She kept a brave face and navigated through the other students. When she stopped before him, her tone was steady and loud. "I want to remove my name from the contract."
As everyone yelled and cursed the mudblood for daring to go against them, William raised his hand. And everyone shut their mouths in an instant.
"Sure. We don't need a mudblood anyway." He sneered and took out the parchment before crossing her name.
He hadn't expected a wide smile to grace her lips.
She turned around and hurried out of the common room.
"Was that a wise decision?" Elisabeth asked him once he sat back down.
"It's fine. Now that the two mudbloods are out of our way, we can resume our lives. Don't mind them."
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