Elysia Riddle [A Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter Eighteen ~ Viperous

The next day, I found Viperous scrubbing trophies with non-magical rags in the Trophy room. Grinning, I began to spark up conversation once again, hoping to retrieve these tales that she hadn't been in the mood for recently. Leon waited patiently, giving me a curious glance every so often.

On my way, I had passed the hospital wing to see Colin, for no particular reason. Beside his bed was a large, very angry looking girl with an injured hand, which was supposedly due to Viperous. She didn't seem like a bad person, and judging by the size and brutish nature of the girl, I assumed she deserved it.

"I knew you'd be in here," I began, regaining her attention, "I saw that mean girl in the hospital wing with her hand. My... Uncle was telling Madame Pomfrey that you'd meddled with one of the potions."

"Yeah... She deserved it though!" said Viperous, her eyes flashing a brief red, before changing back to a murky green.

"So, do you want any help?" I asked, edging closer to a spare rag.

"Um, not that I'm not grateful - because I am - but, why are you helping me?” she questioned, her eyes changing to an inquisitive goldy yellow.

"My Uncle is... err... strict and never liked me being social... So, it gets kind of lonely... and I don't really talk to many people from my grade, except for a few." I replied, shaping my words precisely.

I realised suddenly, that it was true. Snape's strict rules on socialising had rubbed off on me, and I didn't like to talk to many people... My friends were all made through Sarah, excepting Neville of course...

"Oh... well, sorry to hear that. Is that why you never let that orange panda out at day?" she asked, once again being slightly rude.

"It's a red panda," I replied sternly, "and I would prefer it if you called him Leon. And, yeah, my Uncle never liked him much, he even tried to get rid of him once."

I wished that could stop talking about Snape with Viperous, but, for some reason, she dragged it out of me. I had never known his affects on me, and their extent, until now. It was kind of therapeutic...

I looked at Viperous, who was now scrubbing a small trophy with a ferocious intensity. Her eyes were a smouldering red, and she looked just about ready to destroy the trophy. Looking over her shoulder, I saw that it was an award for 'Special Services' given to T. M Riddle, my father.

Oh no! Voldemort must have killed her parents, or her family... or something... And now, she saw this trophy and was outraged. I backed away slightly, wondering if she would notice my last name, ever though I hadn't even told her.

Why was everybody getting so suspicious of the last name now?

"Is there something wrong?" I questioned, trying to calm her down.

"No... I'm fine." she replied in a highly strained voice.

"So," I said, grabbing a particularly cloudy trophy and beginning to polish it, "I'm to know why you're getting yourself so many detentions lately..?" I inquired, wanting to get my story out of her.

She grinned and shot off in to a fascinating tale about these forbidden books in Dumbledore's office that she wanted to steal, and how Fred and George were going to help her get a detention with Dumbledore so that she could steal them.

"You swear not to tell a soul?" she finished, giving me a stern look.

"I won't." I promised, giving her a trustworthy smile.

I couldn't help but feel a little bit torn. These books must be important to my Father, and it was probably my duty as his daughter to tell him of Viperous's plans... But there was something about Viperous that made me want to go out of my way for her.