It was 4:30 in the morning when I woke up. I rolled over. Looking out the window. All I saw. Was a greenish black. I frowned. Getting out of bed. And walking to the window. As far as a could see out the window. I could only see the greenish black color. Until. Something came up to window. A giant eye. I jumped back a little. What the fuck was that? The eye stared at me for a sec. Before moving away. Tentacles following. I tilted my head in confusion. For a second. I forgot where I was. Then. I remembered. The Slytherin Dorm. I was so used to the Gryffindor Dorm. I had forgotten about Slytherin.
***
After taking a shower. It was only 5:17. I sighed. Grabbing my bag. I headed to the Common Room. It looked almost the same here. As it did in the '90's. Though. It was darker here. A lot more black than the '90's. My time had a lot more green. With even some silver mixed in. Here. It was mostly black. But. It still looked familiar. And it made me feel happy. I had missed seeing this place.
I walked over to my favorite leather chair. Sitting down, I took out a pad of paper. And started doing some drawing. It has been a long time since I drew. I think. This might be the first time I've drawn anything. Since I came to the '70's. Then again. I only drew when I was sitting in this chair. Never anywhere else. So. That makes sense.
***
It was about 6:04 when another person came out of the Dorms. And that person. Was Harley.
"Hi, Harley!" I called out the guy.
He made his way over to me. "Hey, Aspen. How was your first night in Slytherin?"
I shrugged. "It was alright. I forgot where I was. When I first woke up. You?"
"Ok, I also forgot where I was when I woke up to. I'm used to the Sun shining threw the window."
"Me too. It was even more weird when I had the Giant Squid's eye in the window."
Harley shivered at the thought. "That sounds scary first thing in the morning."
I hummed. Looking around the Slytherin Common Room. More people were coming out of the Dorms. "It must be very different here. Than the Hufflepuff Common Room."
"It is, for one thing, it's very bright there, black and yellow, with wooden chairs and tables, round doors and windows, where you can people's feet walking past outside, also lots of plants."
"Sounds cozy."
"It is. I miss it already. What's it like in the Gryffindor Common Room?"
"It's also bright. And red. Red everywhere. Circular. With comfy armchairs everywhere. Our dormitories are reached by climbing a winding mahogany staircase, decorated with crimson and gold. Lots of windows. Pictures of animals all around. It's amazing." I explained.
"Sounds amazing." Harley then looked around the Common Room. At all the people. Then turned to me. Lowering his voice. "Hey, can you do me a favor? If any of the Slytherins here ever ask you what my Blood Status is, can you please tell them I'm a Half-blood?"
I frowned. "Yeah. It's fine. I'll tell them that you're a Half-blood."
Harley looked relieved. "Thank you. Normally, I wouldn't care about stuff like that, but it's Slytherin."
I frowned even more. "Is that how Hufflepuff's view Slytherins? As people who only care if your Pure-blood or not?"
"Yeah, basically."
"What else do Hufflepuff's say about Slytherin?" I asked.
"That they're all basically Dark Wizards. Stuff like that. Some Hufflepuff's say that not every Slytherin is evil, but most do."
"What about you, Harley?" I asked. But. Before he could answer. Some of his new Dorm mates came. And Harley walked with them out of the Common Room.
I continued to frown. I hated how people described Slytherin. Saying that all of us were evil. It was still like that. Even twenty years from now.
"What's with the frown?" Someone asked me.
I looked next to me. Regulus. "I was just talking with Harley. The Hufflepuff. And he said that most Hufflepuff's view Slytherin's as evil and Dark Wizards. And only care about Blood Status. It kinda of bothers me that people think like that."
"Well, you got to admit, he's not technically wrong. Most Slytherin's usually turn Dark, and only care about how Pure your blood is." He explained.
"True. But even Hufflepuff has produced a Dark one."
Regulus chuckled. "Can't argue with that." He paused. "Besides, the only one's you really have to watch out for here, is the group over there." He pointed to some Slytherins in a corner. All with their heads bent. Every now and again. One of them would raise their head. Look around. Then back down again.
"Why?" I asked. Even through I already knew the answer. That was the group that was going to become Death Eaters. Once they got out of school. Some of them. Might even be Death Eaters now.
"Well, don't tell anyone else this, but those are the kids that are going to join You-Know-Who, once they graduate." Regulus explained.
I saw Severus among the group of soon-to-be Death Eaters.
"I can see that." I commented. I looked at Regulus. "How come you know about them?"
"They may or may not be trying to convince me to join their Death Eater gang." He looked at the look on my face. "I haven't accepted, if that's you're wondering. I don't want to be a Death Eater." I nodded.
"But you do become one. In a couple years." I thought.
"Well." I said. Standing up. And grabbing my bag. "I'm going down to breakfast. Wanna come with?"
Regulus shrugged. "Sure." And then we began our way to the Great Hall.
***
"It feels a little weird. Sitting here. And not at the Gryffindor Table." I stated. Once Reg and I sat down at the Slytherin Table.
"I bet. You must miss it, not being over there." Reg replied.
I shrugged. "Eh. A bit. Though. It is a lot quieter here. Than it is at the Gryffindor Table." I paused. Looking at Reg. "Also. I get a little break from being around James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius for a bit. That will be a plus for me being a Slytherin for two weeks."
Reg stiffened. When I mentioned Sirius. "I bet it will. You'll still have to deal with them in classes though."
"I know. I kind of wish I was in Fifth Year. Then I could just stick with Slytherins. But." I shrugged. "I don't really care." I paused. "Another thing to be positive about. I can enjoy the look on their faces. For being in Slytherin. It'll be fun. I bet it's torturing them."
"You know you'll be apart of their pranks that they pull on us?" Reg raised an eyebrow.
I groaned. "Didn't think of that."
Reg chuckled. "I guess not. I feel kind of bad for O'Neil though, staying with those four in their Dorm."
I smirked. "I bet. I kind of wish I was there to see it."
Just then. The Marauders walked in to the Great Hall. Laughing.
"That's never a good sign." I jerked my head to the four boys.
"No, it's not." Regulus agreed.
"Hey, Aspen!" Lily called. From over at the Ravenclaw Table. Which was right next to the Slytherin one.
"Hey, Lily! How's Ravenclaw?" I asked.
"Amazing, I love it there! How's Slytherin?"
"I like it." I answered. Smirking.
Lily laughed. "I'll see you in Defense, yeah?"
"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit." I replied. And then. She walked out of the Great Hall. With a couple of the Ravenclaws in our Year. One of those people. Being . It was weird. Seeing him. I had to keep telling myself. That he was innocent right now. But it was still hard.
***
I was walking to Defense. Which was my first class of the day. Regulus as walking with me. He had Charms. We were just talking. He was easy to talk to. I was becoming good friends with him.
"Oo! Looks like Reggie has a girlfriend!" I heard a voice call. I didn't need to turn around. To know who it was. Sirius.
I leaned towards Reg. "I don't think he knows that I'm the one talking to you."
"I don't either." Reg agreed. Rolling his eyes.
I smirked. Turning around. And crossing my arms. Shaking my head. All four boys stopped. Looking between me and Regulus. Their mouths. Opening and closing. I saw Reg shaking his head also.
"I'll see you later, Aspen." Reg said.
"See you later, Regulus." I replied. Still looking at the Gryffindor boys.
Once Regulus left. That's when I turned around. And began my way to the Defense classroom.
"Wait! Aspen!" James and Sirius called out. I could hear their footsteps running to catch up with me.
"What were doing with Regulus?" James asked.
"Talking." I replied.
"Why?" Sirius asked. Scrunching his nose.
"Cause I wanted to. I was talking to him during breakfast. And we continued the conversation as we were walking. He has Charms. So he was going the same way as me." I paused. "We're just friends. By the way."
"Oh. Good." Sirius said. I raised an eyebrow at him.
***
We all walked to the Defense classroom together. Once we got there. We looked around. The desks were all pushed to the back of the room. Leaving a lot of space open. In the middle of the room. Was the stand. From when we had that Dueling Club. Back in my Second Year. Professor Kilgore was standing on the stage.
"Good, now that's everybody." He jumped off. "Now, as I said in our first class together, the second half of this Year, we will learning about Spells, mostly, Non-Verbal Spells. Can anyone tell me what a Non-Verbal Spell is, and what the use of them are?" I raised my hand. "Miss Wolfe?"
"Non-verbal spells are those typically performed with a wand, but without saying the incantation out loud. The advantage, is that those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. But it's a feat that requires enormous concentration and mind power, with the spell-caster having to summon the spell in their mind, rather than out loud."
"Correct. Ten points to Gryffi-" Kilgore started. Before I motioned to the Snake emblem on my black cardigan. Smirking. Kilgore chuckled. "Yes, sorry. Ten points to Slytherin."
"That's not fair!" Sirius whisper-yelled at me. I just stuck my tongue out at him.
"Right, so today, we will begin our journey to learning Non-Verbal Spells. I would like two volunteers to come up to this stage and have a little Non-Verbal Duel, though I don't expect you to get it right away." Kilgore paused. "Then again, you have been using Non-Verbal in Charms and Transfiguration, so maybe you will. Any volunteers?" He looked around at everyone. "How about Miss Wolfe and Mr. Lupin?"
I smirked at Remus. Who smirked back. And then the two of us made our way to the stand. Stage. Thing. I don't know what to call it.
Once on. Kilgore started speaking again. "Ok, I want you to walk to each other, bow, turn around, walk forward five steps, then turn around and cast your Spells. Non-Verbally, of course." The rest of class. Crowded around. Eagerly.
Remus and I walked to each other. Still smirking. Once we met. We bowed.
"Good luck. You'll need it." I told him.
"Good luck to you too." Remus grinned.
We then turned around. And started walking away. I counted five steps in my head. I already knew which Spell I was going to use.
At the fifth step. I turned around quickly. Wand out in front me. Thinking of the Spell for the Tripping Jinx. I flicked my wand. Before Remus had even fully turned around. He fell on his face. I. Along with the rest of the class. Laughed. As Remus was getting up. He flicked his wand at me. But. I blocked it. Sending another Tripping Jinx his way. Making him fall again. He glared.
"I told you, you would need luck." I called out to him. I let him get up fully. Before sending the Tickling Charm at him. But. He blocked it. I opened my mouth. I heard James and Sirius cheering. I shook my head. Blocking a Spell Remus sent.
***
This went on for a few minutes. Us sending Spells at each other. Or blocking them. Remus still couldn't get a Spell to hit me. I was too fast. And I was enjoying every minute of it.
"Alright. I'll stop blocking the Spells. I'll let you get one on me." I told Remus. Smirking. Putting my wand at my side.
Remus raised an eyebrow at me. But. Nonetheless. Shot a Spell at me. But. I quickly cast a Shield Charm. From where my wand was at my side. Remus opened his mouth. In shock. He realized I tricked him.
"I thought you said you weren't going to block them." He said.
"I lied." I replied. Still smirking. He just shook my head.
"Well, I think that's enough Dueling." Kilgore told us. Clapping his hands. "Twenty five points for both of you."
Remus and I walked up to each other. I was still smirking. He was just shaking his head. I shook his hand. Once we met.
"You did good. Even if you did lose." I smirked at him.
Remus just rolled his eyes. "You did good too."
***
The rest of the day went by good. Teachers kept messing up which House I was now in. But I always reminded them. It was fun. I liked being a Slytherin again. I felt a little bit like my old self again. I missed it. I could feel myself slipping into the Slytherin that I used to be. Being in Gryffindor. Really did change me a bit.