↳ ❝ Salazar Slytherin ¡! ❞
❝the first lesson i ever learned was to never wait for a man's rescue❞
꒰ 🌊 ꒱ؘ ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
"Hah! One down, two to go" Clia crowed happily as she signed her essay with a flourish. "Trust Snape to assign three four foot essays when all the other teachers only assign one"
"That's Severus for you. He wants to make sure that only those who are really interested in Potions select his NEWT class" Draco said with amusement, looking up from his book.
"Figures! Ummm, Draco... would you mind looking through my essay? I'd like a second opinion before submitting it to Snape in case I've made some horrific blunder" Clia asked with what her friends and brother called her "baby seal eyes", holding the essay out for the boy to take.
Draco snorted but accepted the scroll. He was impressed after reading it. He himself couldn't have done a better job of arguing the pros and cons of using the horn of the unicorn versus the horn of the darcorn in healing potions.
"This is bloody brilliant!" he said, handing back the scroll. "Couldn't have done better myself. But where in Salazar's name did you find a copy of Light Versus Dark When Healing? It is rumoured that there are only three copies left in the world, but if anyone has one, they aren't telling. Father and Severus have been trying to find a copy for years. According to them, there should be a potion mentioned in it that cpuld be used to remove the Dark Mark"
Clia got a pensive look on her face, but before she could say anything, the door opened and Dumbledore walked in.
"There you are, my child, and already hard at work" he beamed, "Lemon drop?"
"No, thank you. May I aks what you are doing here?" Clia asked through gritted teeth.
She had thought the adults had put up measures that would avoid precisely this kind of situation.
"Why, I came to check up on the two of you, of course. Wouldn't want you to be fighting or some such, now would we?"
"Of course, not" Clia drawled darkly
" I also wanted to tell you, Cliantha, to start making plans for that little club of yours"
Dumbledore ignore the way she bristled at having the DA brushed aside as a 'little club'.
"Lucius has graciously agree to supervise you, so I have made the DA available to the entire school - third year and up. I announced it at lunch and by the looks of it, there will be quite a crowd at your first meeting which I told the students would be held sometime next week. I expect you to let the student body know the exact date within the next few days. You will have to change the name, of course. We can't continue to call it 'Dumbledore's Army', no matter how flattering it is"
Clia was by now furious and wild magic was crackling around her.
'Dumbledore's Army? Excuse you, it stand for Defense Association' she thought
"You really need to learn how to control that temper of yours, Cliantha. Occlumency would be of great assistance to you, I'm sure, and since I refuse to make the same mistake twice, I won't ask you to learn it from Severus. I will teach you myself. Our first lesson will be tomorrow night at eight, please try and be on time" Dumbledore said as if he was bestowing a grand and generous gift.
He then swiftly decided it was time to leave, as the things around them started to shake a little. That little shake had been the only warning of some spectacular explosions this past summer, and he had no wish to be caught in another one.
Clia slowly counted to one hundred once the door had close behind the Headmaster before leaping to her feet.
"That's it!" she seethed, marching towards the door with Draco hot on her heels.
Once outside, Clia glared at the knight and demanded, "How did the Headmaster get in? I thought the password had been changed!"
"It was" the knight cheerfully said, "But that was the Headmaster of this school"
"So?"
"When he asked me for the new password, I told him. You cannot deny the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Especially since the Headmaster is the grand and wonderful Albus Dumbledore. Why, just the other week when I–"
Clia didn't bother to hear what the knight had to say, she was too busy steaming. So the great Albus Dumbledore had the portraits on his side, did he?
No wonder the wards had failed. If the pompous meddler had to do was ask for the bloody password to have it delivered on a silver platter.
But there was at least one portrait the Headmaster would have difficulty sweet talking, and Cliantha knew exactly where to find it.
"Umm, Clia? Where are we going?" Draco asked, having to hurry to keep up with the girl.
Clia might be shorter by three inches, but she could move swiftly if she was motivated. And right now, she was motivated.
"We are going to find a portrait that isn't an idiot!" Clia fumed, turning around a corner.
Draco decided to wait and see what would happen as they went deeper and deeper into a part of the castle where he had never been before.
By the look of it, not many had been here lately, considering the thick layers of dust and the copious amount of spider webs that decorate the corners.
"Aha! There you are! Was it necessary to move to the deepest, darkest corner you could find?" Clia complained, coming to a halt in front of a large portrait.
"But of course, young speaker" a pleasant and cheerful voice said, "How else will I be able to keep in touch with that which does not walk in the light?"
Draco did his best to suppress a shudder. By the sound of it, Clia had found a new Hagrid.
Where did that girl find all her weird friends? Why couldn't she have normal friends like everyone else?
"I see you have brought a friend. Care to introduce me?"
"My apologies. Salazar, meet Draco Malfoy. Draco, I want you to meet a friend of mine, Salazar Slytherin"
"A Malfoy, eh? How delightful! I haven't had a conversation with a Malfoy in centuries. You always were the best conversationalist, you and the Princes. Such dry wit and humor. You simply must come and visit me often, young sir" Slytherin stated with enthusiasm.
"Er, thank you. I will" Draco said, completely thrown.
After all, it wasn't everyday you were face to face, so to speak, with the founder of your House.
"Actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about, Zar. Draco here is a Veela and apparently, I'm his mate — I only found out yesterday, don't give me that look. Anyway, we have been given our own rooms but the airhead that is guarding our door is giving out the password to any idiot that's asking. Would you consider becoming our guardian instead?" Clia asked, giving the founder a pleading look.
"But of course! It will be an honour, young lady, and rest assured, only those approved by you will be granted entrance to your sacred sanctuary. That is the true work of a guardian. Although, some seem to have forgotten that fact" Salazar said. His face darkening as he remembered something.
"Thank you, kind sir" Clia said with a heartfelt sigh.
She then adopt a more formal air as she ask, "Do I have thy permission to move thee to thine new home?"
"I grant thee permission, my young lady. Take care not to scruff the frame. The last idiot that moved me damaged it something dreadful"
"I promise to be careful"
Clia turn to Draco as she pulled out her wand, asking whether he could cancel the Sticking Charm while she levitate the frame.
Together they got the painting off the wall and back to their quarters without any mishaps.
Removing the knight proved to be tricker, but in the end they manage to put Salazar in his place together.
"Thank you. Now, what do you wish the new password to be?"
Salazar walked around his portrait to make sure that his potion lab hadn't been too damaged by the move.
Clia thought for a while but her mind went completely blank. With a sigh, she turn to the Veela beside her.
"What do you suggest, Draco?"
"How about dragons and... pearls?"
Clia grinned, her eyes shone bright at the association of sea in their quarter's password.
Draco, on the other hand, was pleased in himself for making his mate happy.
Going back to the task, Clia instructed "Since it's only me and Draco resides in there, the only other ones that have access are Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. If anyone else should try and enter, whether they have the password or not, please deny them"
"It will be my pleasure" Salazar said with a glint in his eyes, and Clia almost wished she'd be present the next time Dumbledore tried to force his way inside.
Being one of the founders, Salazar still had the ability to access the magic of Hogwarts, making it possible for him to hex those that bothered him in spite of 'only' being a painting.
"Thank you. I knew I could count on you, Zar"
"What are we going to do with this idiot?" Draco nudge their old guard gently with his foot. "We can't leave him on the floor like this"
Clia thought for a moment before her sea-green eyes lit up with mischief swirling through them.
"Hey, I know. Help me get it over to that door over there" she said, rushing over to the door to an old classroom not far from their quarter.
A few quick charms had the door looking like a wall and together, the two manage to stick their old guard to the false wall.
"Wouldn't you just love to see the look on Dumbledore's face the next time he tries to sneak in on us?" Clia laughed as she walk back to their room.
"I bet you no one beside Snape had ever tried to keep him out before and succeeded" she added.
A giggle manage to slip out of Draco's mount, "I wonder if it is possible to mount a camera to document the historical moment"
"Hey, not a bad idea"
Bluish grey met sea-green and that was it. They both collapsed to the floor holding their aching sides as they broke down into laughter.