Animo tugged on the sleeves of her sweater anxiously, gazing at her reflection in the mirror with a hint of disbelief. The school uniform was a bit different from the ones in the future, with a longer skirt and thicker wool, but besides that, she looked every bit the student she had dreamed of being. A dark green ribbon twisted through the braid over her shoulder while she gave her cloak a last pat, the Slytherin emblem on her chest glittering in the torchlight. She had spent the past twenty-four hours with little sleep, decorating and redecorating her room until her walls were covered with tapestries of her favourite books and moving images of places she had yet to see. A large world map shone above her bed, waves of blue tossing wherever an ocean lay.
She fiddled with the clasp around her wrist once more, her neck feeling bare without the comforting reassurance of the Time Turner. Animo had buried the relic deep within her trunk underneath an enormous assortment of protective spells and enchantments. With the dark characters she was due to encounter, she couldn't risk any chance of such a powerful object landing in the wrong hands. Running a finger over her arm upon which the Dark Mark was emblazoned, Animo pulled up her other sleeve.
Along her bicep was slashed a crude mark of the Death Hallows, the triangle positioned at a harsh angle to her elbow. Gellert had cut the mark into her skin not long before Ariana had died to make sure the strange men he had dealings with knew not to lay a finger on Animo. Unless they wanted to meet a grotesque end. Animo shuddered as she traced the thin lines, remembering her brother's detachment in the last months they had lived together. In his own twisted reasoning, she knew that he had seen Animo's mark as a form of protection, bearing one of his own upon his chest.
Her gaze caught on her reflection before she strode out the door. Ever since her encounter with Albus, Animo had charmed her eyes to a murky brown and it made her do a doubletake every time she looked in the mirror. Still, here she couldn't afford to be traced to Gellert. Anyone who had met her brother would take one glance at her violet gaze and instantly label her a Grindelwald.
With that thought, Animo leapt down the stairs, her usual clumsiness forgotten as she darted through the Slytherin Common Room and jumped onto the leather sofa for good measure. If she timed her entrance right, she could follow the crowd and find a seat unnoticed. For her plans to work, she needed to keep a low profile. Or one just inconspicuous enough that no one would ever guess that she was out of time.
To her relief, the corridors hummed with activity while the shadows of the torchlight flickered on the stone walls, crackling merrily in time with the shouts of students. Animo eyed the driverless cart beside her with envy, stacked with a mountain of luggage that appeared ready to topple at any moment. She had always wanted to ride the Hogwarts Express.
Following her nose, Animo ducked behind a pair of Hufflepuff girls, both with their hair rolled back in near identical styles and matching lipstick.
"You haven't seen Peeves have you, Cilla?" the girl on the right cast a glance over her shoulder fearfully. "I'm afraid—" she trailed off when she realized that Animo was standing awkwardly behind them. "Oh hello!" her hazel eyes brightened. "You must be new."
"Cilla!" the raven-haired student on the left stiffened and tilted just enough that Animo got a glimpse of her side profile. The pair had to be twins. Their tan skin and freckled noses were identical. The only difference was this girl had her bangs trimmed to brush over the tops of her eyes. "Do you not see her tie?"
Her sister sent her a reproachful look. "Cel, she can hear you." Cilla turned around and Animo caught sight of a Head Girl badge proudly pinned to the left of her badger crest. "I'm Priscilla Suzuki. But call me Cilla." She wrinkled her forehead in disgust. "My name's dreadful."
Animo snorted, holding out her hand, which Cilla accepted immediately, although Animo didn't miss the faint gleam of surprise in her eyes. "Annie Wallis."
Cilla nodded towards her twin with a playful glimmer in her eye. "And this toad is Celene. Bit of a blast-ended skrewt until you defrost her a bit."
Tilting her head more politely, Animo smiled towards the rather defensive Hufflepuff. "Pleasure to meet you." When the girl only puckered her lips further, Animo let her shoulders slacken before taking a deep breath of air. "I can smell pumpkin pasties." Her eyes shimmered with amusement. "If you'll excuse me, there's a plate with my name on it."
Cilla gave a small laugh and stepped aside to let Animo pass, her head tilted in curiosity. Despite her skin prickling with discomfort, Animo pressed her cheeks into a last smile before she wedged herself between the throng of students. She was unused to so many bodies in her immediate vicinity. Outside of Death Eater meetings, her closest companions had been the various creatures about Hogwarts grounds, as Albus was often away.
The sight before her made her heart swell with joy and Animo was sure her jaw was about the break from the number of times she gaped, staring at the glittering Great Hall.
There were a magnificent army of candles floating in the night sky above, their flames strong amongst the glow of the "starry" expanse across the ceiling. Not a cloud was in sight and the only distraction from the bewitched twilight were four enormous banners that unfurled from above, seeming to sway to a rhythm all of their own. The golden lion to her right parted its jaws in a soundless roar with its canines glinting in the reflection of flame.
"Oi, watch it!"
Animo stumbled as a rowdy-looking boy shoved past her shoulder, the collar of his robes untucked and revealing a rather poorly knotted crimson tie. The Gryffindor jerked his neck back as if to scold Animo once more before his gaze fell on her uniform and his cheeks paled. Gaping, the boy stumbled off without another word.
Brilliant. I've scared someone off already.
Shaking her head, Amino shrugged and readjusted the hem of her robes before she headed towards the left, where a sea of emerald was slowly growing. Her stomach grumbled at the smell of roasted pig. At the very least, she could fill her plate to entertain herself.
Ducking beside a pair of giggling second-years, or so they looked, Animo began to pile a rather generous helping of mashed yams into a bowl, the smell of cinnamon and butter wafting about her nose. Briefly, she closed her eyes and let the steam soothe the anxiety pooling in her chest. Perhaps she should have taken some sort of "reentering society" course.
She sat down slowly, spooning a mouthful of potato between her lips and wincing at the temperature on the roof of her mouth. Blowing harshly, she did a slow scan of the table.
On the furthest end, which seemed occupied by the outcasts of the house, she thought she recognized a few facial structures. Perhaps a relative of Oliver Wood? Animo had spent a fair majority of her adolescence watching the Gryffindor Keeper from a distance. Not that she'd ever admit it.
Then, her gaze began to flicker inwards towards the centre of the long table, with undoubtedly held some of Hogwart's most desirable. Silken locks shimmered down the back of whom Animo instantly knew as Walburga Black's. In her last days in the future, she had scoured the records in Albus's personal library to gather tabs on her classmates. The girl's ember eyes were haughty as she turned up her nose, wrinkled her lips in distaste at something the Slytherin next to her whispered.
To her right was seated Orion Black, whose full cheeks betrayed the youth hidden beneath his gelled curls. Animo raised a skeptical eyebrow. She had never met Sirius Black, but his parents were absolutely atrocious. Not to mention, second cousins. She shuddered.
A loud bark cut across the table as a dark-haired student leaned his head forwards, an unpleasant sneer twisting his nose as he nodded to the ginger across from him. Animo couldn't place his face among her mental roster, but she was sure the redhead was Julian Rosier. A painful shiver wracked her spine as she recalled the spectrum of his future son's array of dark curses. Evan Rosier was no stranger to the younger Death Eaters and often used them in his "experiments".
Then, a smile split her cheeks, despite the oppressive memories prior. At nearly the middle of the table sat a gleaming head of white hair, brushed to a perfection that rivaled even the girls. The Malfoys never failed in their devotion to appearance.
Animo gave her own pale braid a quick pat, hoping the resemblance wasn't too striking. The last thing she needed was to be compared to Abraxas Malfoy. The Slytherin slouched over the group of purebloods, his chin jutting forward as if crowing above them all. It was an uncanny resemblance to the hideous albino peacocks that strutted the meadows of Malfoy Manor. But the proud boy was overshadowed by the Slytherin next to him. Animo swallowed thickly.
Tom Riddle's features were nearly eschewed behind the book in his hands, the lettering so faded that it was impossible to read. Animo was sure this had been done on purpose as she observed the malevolent air that surrounded at least a meter beyond his shoulders. Abraxas paled to nothing more than an irritating tick when Tom reached forward, grabbing an apple from the bowl to his left and revealing deathly pale hands. All this was done without a movement of his head and Animo wondered if the boy had developed some sort of vision to see through books. It would not surprise her.
Gulping once more, Animo tore her gaze way, feeling strangely unsettled. She felt no fear at Tom, but she hadn't expected the unease that crept into her chest at being in such close proximity. That boy had destroyed the future and now, it was still in the making. She slid down the bench towards a pair of solemn-looking children, unsure of what to do.
"Hullo," she greeted, offering a bright smile.
The boy on the left simply raised his brow, his forehead shadowed behind his thick onyx curls. "You seem unbearably friendly." To his right, a slender dark-skinned girl gave a loud snort.
Animo noticed her mouth had fallen open and she shut her jew instantly, feeling exceedingly irritated. Perhaps socializing wasn't as pleasant as she thought. "I'm Annie Wallis," she held out a hand and narrowed her gaze, making it clear that she wasn't going to retract the offer. The boy eyed her fingers with disgust, but clasped them between his own after a slight pause before wiping them on the bib of his robes. "And you are?"
He raised his head haughtily, which only revealed a bit of ketchup beneath his chin. Animo bit back a grin. "Alphard Black." He jerked his hand towards the girl, who had her hair twisted back into a row of delicate braids. "And this is Avril Zabini."
The Slytherin returned Animo's gesture with a curt nod, although her golden gaze never left Animo's face. She felt as though she were being examined from the inside out. Zabini. Animo paused, recalling one of Draco's friends. The boy had largely stuck to Death Eater dinner parties, but she could faintly hear the echo of his laugh.
"Pleasure to meet you," she took another bite of her mash, trying to ignore the call of the fudge in front of her. The students of this time must have been much more restrained. If Albus had ever allowed dessert to be served with the meal? Pomfrey would have had her hands full. "I'm new here and—"
"Well, that was obvious," Alphard interrupted rather rudely whilst cutting the steak in front of him into perfectly sized cubes. "I'll save us the small talk. Considering your last name, I would recommend sitting somewhere over there," he waved his hand at the far end of the table, nearly buried in the shadows, "and next time, don't smile. Someone here will curse it off."
The potatoes stuck uncomfortably to the back of Animo's throat and she reached over for a goblet of pumpkin juice, trying to suppress her choking. "And.." she coughed, holding her hand over her lips, "how old are you exactly?"
Alphard rolled his eyes while Avril turned away, decidedly more interested in the rings about her fingers. "We're fourth years. My sister," he jerked his head in the direction of Walburga, "is a seventh year. Should have graduated, but she stayed behind for Orion," Animo didn't miss the flash of discomfort in his eyes. "He's a fifth year. Don't mess with them either."
Humming, Animo twirled her braid between her fingers, scanning the Black family once more. She eyed the girl next to Walburga, noting the resemblance of their narrow noses. "And I assume the woman to her left is also part of your family?" Just how many ruddy Blacks were there?
Alphard's brow wrinkled in distaste. "That would be Lucretia, Orion's elder sister. Don't bother with her. She just speaks of fashion." He spat the word like it was a disease.
"Don't pretend you don't have your own quirks." Avril spoke up for the first time, although she was so quiet that Animo had to strain to hear her. "Blacks are all freaks."
Her companion scowled darkly. "Do you want to go back to sitting by yourself, Zabini?"
Feeling rather horrified at his scornful tone, Animo was surprised to see that Avril just shrugged, singing some tune under her breath as she returned her attention to the stained glass behind them. "The ghosts will be arriving soon."
Animo grimaced. She had not been a fan of the Bloody Baron at the best of times, although her heart lifted considerably at the thought of the Grey Lady. She and Helena had established a peculiar sort of friendship in the future, both being prisoners of the castle. Perhaps they could connect once more. "As long as it's not Peeves," she muttered absently, looking up to see the fourth-years eyeing her with slight suspicion. "One of the girls mentioned it coming in," Animo covered instantly, cursing herself. If she slipped now, however was she supposed to fool Tom?
"Right," Alphard shoved a distasteful amount of meat into his mouth, chewing furiously. "Stay out of his way and you'll be fine. He's rather fond of us Slytherins. Lestrange even pranks with him on occasion," the Black nodded towards the middle of the table, which was slowly beginning to clear.
Her heart lurched in her chest as Animo examined the crazed eyes of Rabier Lestrange, their gleam disturbingly familiar. No matter the time, all those who bore the last name were verifiably insane. The long scar beneath her throat burned and Animo instinctively reached up a hand, making sure her collarbone was covered beneath her blouse. Her body appeared to hold the memories of the Slytherin's descendants better than she did.
"Are you alright?"
She looked up to see Avril watching her once more with that piercing stare. "Yes," she murmured, dropping her fingers quickly. "Just doesn't seem the pleasant sort."
The golden blaze of Avril's eyes cooled to a dull yellow. "He's not." Pushing her plate away, the girl stood with agile movements, her twists bouncing in rhythm with her shoulders. "I'm heading to bed, see you later Alphard."
Animo watched her lithe form slink from the wall, melting into the shadows cast by the overhanging tapestries. "It's not even ten."
Alphard shrugged, seeming remarkably unbothered. "She's always like that. Best to give her space." Despite his casual words, there was a faint hint of worry in his brown gaze.
Scanning him curiously, Animo wondered if there was more to the boy than met the eye.
"What?" the scowl had returned to Alphard's face as he wiped the gravy from his chin with the back of his sleeve. "I'm not a circus animal, quit staring."
Animo sighed as the Slytherin pushed away from the table, stalking towards the entrance grumpily. Still, his use of words struck her as odd. She twisted her fork between her fingers, lost in contemplation. Since when were these purebloods familiar with a Muggle circus?