DISCLAIMER
I do not own Harry Potter ... but if I did I would have kept Fluffy as a pet
__________<>__________
"Hermione, how did you know about my dad being a seeker?" Harry asked as the group of four reached the entrance to the moving staircases.
"I've read everything there is to know about Hogwarts. That includes quidditch history", Hermione admitted.
"I'm telling you, it's spooky. She knows more about you than you do", Ron said to Harry as they started up one of the stone staircases.
"There isn't any chance you saw my last name in one of your books, did you?" Bel asked Hermione as the two boys took off a few steps ahead of them.
"I'm sorry, Bel. I wasn't exactly taking note of every single name I saw. There's a chance Whitlock was mentioned somewhere, but nothing springs to mind", Hermione said with a sorrowful tone.
"That's okay. It was a long-shot anyway", Bel replied.
Suddenly, the staircase the four were stationed on started to move.
"What's happening?" Harry exclaimed as they all gripped onto the sides of the staircase for balance.
"The staircases change, remember?" Hermione replied.
"The question is where is it taking us?" Bel added.
"Let's go this way", Harry said as the staircase came to a halt.
"Before the staircase moves again", Ron added as the four legged it off the staircase and onto a stone platform.
Harry opened the wooden door at the top and it revealed a darkened hallway.
Statues were covered in cobwebs and there wasn't a single person or light in sight.
"Does anybody feel like we shouldn't be here?" Ron posed as the four walked into the darkened hallway.
"We're not supposed to be here. This is the third floor. It's forbidden", Hermione explained.
A stone pillar suddenly caught alight, and a flame accompanied the sound of a cat from behind them.
"It's Filch's cat!" Hermione said as the four slowly stepped away from the creature.
"If he catches us, we're dead", Bel said with a gulp.
"Run!" Harry yelled and the four set off down the darkened hallway.
As they ran, each stone pillar they passed lit up, giving them sight of a wooden door at the end of the hallway.
"Quick, let's hide through that door", Harry called back to the other three.
The glassed boy reached the door first and attempted to throw it open, but it wouldn't budge.
"It's locked!" Harry shouted in aggravation.
"That's it, we're done for", Ron said as he turned back to face the direction the cat was in.
"Bel do something", Harry said, turning to the small Hufflepuff.
"What? Why me?" Bel replied.
"You know ... your ... power. We haven't covered this in class yet, you need to open the door", Harry explained.
"I haven't covered it in class either! How am I supposed to know how to open a locked door?" Bel replied in a stern whisper as she kept thinking what would happen if Filch were to spot them.
You know because I know.
"What did you say?" Bel turned her attention onto the three Gryffindors around her.
"Nothing", they all replied.
"I heard one of you say something", Bel whispered.
"Bel, we didn't say anything", Hermione whispered back.
Another meow from a cat was heard down the hallway.
"What are we going to do?" Ron said in an oddly high-pitched squeal.
"For goodness sake, let me try something", Bel said as she pushed Harry and Ron out of the way of the door.
She felt the weird magnetic pull coming from her robe pocket as she reached in and pulled out her wand.
That's it.
The voice spoke again.
"Tell me what to do", Bel said out loud.
"We've covered this already; we have no idea what to do. Whatever you're planning be quick!" Harry exclaimed as he started to breath quickly.
"I wasn't talking to you", Bel snapped back, earning looks of confusion from the other three.
You were talking to me.
Bel decided from then on it would save a whole lot of confusion if she kept the conversation in her head.
Insane, perhaps.
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
I need to unlock the door. Bel thought in her mind.
You can explode it into pieces. That's one way to get in.
No, no explosions. I want to unlock it. Bel replied.
You're no fun. Didn't I say we would have fun?
Just tell me! Bel thought, getting annoyed at the voice's jokes.
They really didn't have time.
"Bel, we are running out of time. I can try something if need be but I'm not sure it'll work", Hermione said from behind her.
Before Bel could agree and step aside, the voice stopped her.
Wait! ... Alohomora. Say it and I'll guide you.
Bel pointed her wand at the door's handle.
"Alohomora", she whispered as she felt the magnetic pull of her wand in her hand once more.
It moved in a way that accompanied the spell.
She didn't move it, but it was also very much her doing it.
It was a very confusion and unnatural feeling.
The second the wand stopped in her hand, the door unlocked and swung open.
Bel quickly grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.
"Get in", she whispered back to the other three who had been watching her with total loss.
"I thought you said you didn't know how to unlock doors", Harry pointed out as the four walked through the door.
You know because I know.
"I guess I just ... forgot", Bel said as she silenced the voice and put her wand back inside of her robe pocket.
"Power", Ron whispered to Harry who nodded in agreement.
"Filch is gone", Hermione said as she removed her ear from the door.
"He thinks the doors locked", Ron said as he and Bel backed away from the door.
"It was locked", Bel replied.
"And for good reason", Harry said from where he was standing, frozen in place.
Bel took her own place to his left, Hermione to her side and Ron next to Hermione.
She followed Harry's eyeline and saw a gigantic dog with three heads lying asleep on the floor in front of them.
The group of four all stood frozen in total fear as the three heads slowly started to open their eyes and lift up off the floor.
Bel could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.
Each one of the dogs' eyes met the four small pairs of eyes staring up at them.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Bel, Harry, Hermione, and Ron all screamed at the top of their lungs.
The dogs all started to growl at the disturbance and Harry was the first to turn on his heel towards the door, grabbing Bel's right arm and dragging her with him.
The four ran out of the room as the dog moved closer to the door.
They turned around and struggled against one of the barking heads until finally, the door closed, and Hermione reached for the lock, sealing it shut.
"Let's get out of here", Bel said as she caught her breath back.
The three Gryffindors and one Hufflepuff immediately ran back down the hallway towards the moving staircase.
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron exclaimed.
"You don't use your eyes, do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Hermione said as they climbed one of the staircases.
"I wasn't looking at its feet! I was a bit preoccupied with its heads. Or maybe you didn't notice. There were three!" Ron snapped back.
"It was standing on a trap door. It wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something", Hermione explained.
"Guarding something?" Harry repeated.
"Hermione's right, I saw it too. Whatever is in there is important. And whoever put it there doesn't want it to be touched", Bel chimed in as they reached the top of the staircase.
"Maybe you could ask Dumbledore?" Harry said.
Amidst almost getting killed by a three headed dog, Bel had completely forgotten about her lesson.
A lesson which she was extremely late for.
"Dumbledore ...", Bel trailed off as she ran down the hallway towards his office, leaving the three Gryffindors alone and even more confused than before.
__________<>__________
On a piece of paper, Dumbledore had given her the password for his office along with her textbooks.
So Bel had no issue getting into his office.
When she reached the entrance, she knocked twice on the wooden door.
There was no answer.
She knocked again and the door swung open to reveal an empty room.
It was covered in beautiful artifacts, books and paintings.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Bel asked out loud as she slowly walked into the middle of the office.
"Look who it is", a voice called out.
Bel jumped back, startled by the sudden noise, and saw that no one was there. Her fear hadn't yet vanished from her earlier near-death experience.
It was different to the voice of her wand, so someone else was in the room with her.
But Dumbledore was still nowhere to be seen.
"Who's there?" Bel called out.
"Up here, stupid girl", the voice called out again.
Bel glanced upwards to see the sorting hat sat on one of the bookshelves.
"Oh, it's you", she said, relief washing over her that the mysterious person was just a hat.
"Look at you in your Hufflepuff robes. I'm glad to have sorted you well", the hat said.
"It took you long enough to do it. Everyone in the school keeps talking about what you said during the ceremony", Bel replied, slightly annoyed at the object that had already put her in an uncomfortable position at her new school.
She had always been an outcast.
She was told she wouldn't be at Hogwarts.
And yet, she was.
And it was the hats' fault.
"Every word was the truth. That is my job, to sort through the facts I see and sort you accordingly", the hat replied.
"The truth. I have some questions about that ..." Bel started before a third voice cut her off.
"Questions that will be answered another day".
Bel once again jumped out of her skin and turned around to see Dumbledore standing on the opposite side of the room.
"Professor! I'm so sorry I'm late. You see there was this ...", Bel started before realizing the truth wasn't the preferred way to excuse herself. "I got lost. Again".
"I see", Dumbledore said in a way that told Bel he didn't believe her, but luckily, he decided not to press the subject.
"You were having a nice catch up with the sorting hat before I so rudely interrupted, I apologise", he added as he walked around to his desk which sat on a raised platform in the centre of the office.
"That's alright, sir. I was just waiting for you to arrive", Bel explained.
"Arrive? I was always here, little one. Didn't you see me?" Dumbledore said.
Bel furrowed her eyebrows and looked around the room as she had done earlier.
He certainly wasn't there to begin with.
Bel opened her mouth to ask, but Dumbledore got there first.
"Our first lesson. How exciting. I must ask you one thing first. What do you think we will be doing in these lessons, Bel?"
"I'm not sure, sir", Bel confessed.
"Well, allow me to explain", Dumbledore said as he gestured to one of the seats opposite himself at his desk.
Bel walked up towards the chair and lowered herself into it. It was extremely comfortable, so much so that if she were to close her eyes she would fall asleep then and there.
"You recall what I told you on the platform when we last spoke?" Dumbledore asked.
"That I am a powerful witch. And my wand is my equal", Bel reiterated the two things she had been replaying in her mind since that day.
"Quite right. I will be right in saying that my earlier statement was reinforced by what the sorting hat said during your ceremony."
"Yes. I have a lot of questions about many of things it said."
"I'm sure you do. But they won't all be answered tonight, I'm afraid. Some will by chance. You will just have to put two and two together yourself with the information that is presented to you."
Bel held her tongue and nodded.
"I have another question for you. Have you been communicating with your wand? Or shall I say has your wand been communicating with you in any way? Perhaps a connection towards it that you can't quite explain?" Dumbledore asked.
"How did you know about that?"
"There are many things I know about that wand, Bel. And those are all things you are required to learn too. I've decided that it is unwise to sugar-coat the central issue to you. Your wand ... is dangerous".
Bel felt her throat dry up and her heart start racing.
It was dangerous?
How?
"The power that it holds is strong. One that even the most experienced wizard has struggled to control in the past. It's my unfortune to reveal to you that this burden has fallen to you", Dumbledore continued.
"A burden?" Bel asked in a small, shaking voice.
"Yes. You see, the power it holds is not only strong, but it is evil. Your wand has a history behind it. A long and treacherous one that will take me far too long to explain in detail, but I can summarize it for you. Each owner before you used it for nefarious means. Dark magic. It came to be in their possession in ways that are unnatural to this world. That is, until you.
"I managed to get a hold of this wand myself, and in an attempt to keep the world protected from its power and reset it, I placed it in the safe hands of Ollivander. I always knew that a new owner would soon come to pass and when that owner arrived, I would be able to help guide them through controlling the new power they possessed.
"When that wand chose you, Bel Whitlock, it sensed your own power. It sensed a strong witch who would be its equal."
Bel was taking in every word that the wizard spoke with caution.
"So, what you're saying is I have an evil wand in my pocket that will cause me to spiral out of control and turn into a dark wizard like the one that killed Harry's parents?" Bel said with a shake in her voice.
"Power does strange things to people, Bel. But you are no ordinary person. The sorting hat saw that in you. You are different to the previous owners as you have a pure heart. You are kind and your nature turns you away from wrongdoing. What this means is that you are in a battle of sorts. Your wand will try and control you, and in return you must try and control it".
"But I can't battle against an ancient wand of dark magic. I only found out magic existed less than a week ago!" Bel exclaimed.
"Hence the reason for these lessons. I will help you through this to the best of my ability, little one. But the hard work and the struggle that will come with it is down solely to you."
"But why me? Can't I just give the wand to someone else? Why can't you take it back?"
"The wand chooses the wizard, Miss Whitlock. Your wand also holds a certain enhanced trait. Loyalty. This particular wand only separates from its owner when there is no other choice."
"You mean ... I can only get rid of it if I ... die?"
Dumbledore nodded his head as he wore a pitiful expression.
"I will say this. I wish only for your safety and happiness, as I do with all my students here at Hogwarts. If it was your wish to walk away from this task, I would not stop you. But even if there was a way, I would try and convince you to stay.
"Whilst you may be the equal to that wand of yours, you are also it's complete opposite. You have the innate ability to battle against its darkness. I have not yet seen someone so naturally born for the task. It would scare me to think of another person taking hold of its power. Someone with only a fraction of the moral compass you have. Someone who would be easily swayed by its taunts and temptations. But you are different, Bel Whitlock. I fully trust that, with my help, you will be able to control this power and use it to help the world, not hurt it."
"The hat said I was to become a saviour or a curse. A blessing or a burden. That outcome depends on whether I keep control over the wand, doesn't it?" Bel asked.
"Correct."
"What happens if you're wrong. What happens if it manages to control me?"
"That is not a possibility, Bel. I can promise you that", Dumbledore said with such certainty that Bel almost felt all of her nerves disappear.
"I think it's already started. Earlier today it told me that whatever it knows, I know. It tried to get me to do something worse than what I needed", Bel explained.
"And what did you do?"
"I told it what I wanted, and it obliged."
"Then you are already on your way to succeeding", Dumbledore said with a smile.
Bel could feel her brain processing all of this information. It hurt.
And Dumbledore could tell.
"I think that's enough for today. How about you get some well-deserved rest, and we can pick back up later this week", he offered.
Bel nodded and slowly stood up out of the chair.
"Sir, what exactly will I be doing in these lessons? What will I be doing to control it?" she asked just before she opened the door.
"I'll see you on Friday", was all Dumbledore replied.
And with that, Bel left his office with her perception of this new world turned upside down.
The wizarding world was not the colourful, cheery place she thought it was.
It was dangerous and frightening,
And so as she tried to drift off to sleep, she had a thought she never believed she would ever have.
That she would have been better off staying in the orphanage.
======\_(._.)_/======
TEA
I'm so excited to reveal more and more about Bel and her part in this story
I hope shit makes sense lol
I also want to point out that for the plots sake I'll be switching up locations and timelines sometimes so just bear with me cause otherwise stuff won't make sense <3