a/n: unedited. published 12/26/16
So, I've finally recurited the three SLytherin's that I represent as my "Golden Trio".... HOPE YOU LIKE AND THANKS FOR THE 800 READS OVMGMGM
I love you guys. <3 Can't tell you how much it inspires me to know someones reading my trash ;))
After a clean-cut description of Sirius's well-being and a crisp letter sent to her father, Darcy headed down to the Great Hall the next morning. Owls were filling up the ceilings, and she spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione at their tables.
Sitting herself down and taking a few pieces of bacon, Darcy took notice of the massive gray owl that was near Hermione. Then, four barn owls, a brown owl, and a tawny.
What's this? asked Darcy with her pad of paper, her eyes scrunching at the number of owls at the table.
"Hermione said she subscribed to the Daily Prophet," said Ron, his eyes bewildered as Hermione took in a few of the letters.
"How many subscriptions did you take out?" said Harry, seizing Hermione's goblet before it was knocked over by the cluster of owls, all of whom were jostling close to her, trying to deliver their own letter first.
"What on earth —?" Hermione said, taking the letter from the gray owl, opening it, and starting to read. "Oh really!" she sputtered, going rather red.
"What's up?" said Ron.
"It's — oh how ridiculous —"
She thrust the letter at Harry, who saw that it was not handwritten but composed from pasted letters that seemed to have been cut out of the Daily Prophet.
You are a WickEd giRL. HarRy PotTER desErves BeTteR. GO back wherE you cAMe from mUGgle.
That's absurd! Darcy took the letter. They're including her blood status!?
"They're all like it!" said Hermione desperately, opening one letter after another. "'Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you. .' 'You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn. .' Ouch!"
She had opened the last envelope, and yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol gushed over her hands, which began to erupt in large yellow boils.
"Undiluted bubotuber pus!" said Ron, picking up the envelope gingerly and sniffing it.
"Ow!" said Hermione, tears starting in her eyes as she tried to rub the pus off her hands with a napkin, but her fingers were now so thickly covered in painful sores that it looked as though she were wearing a pair of thick, knobbly gloves.
"You'd better get up to the hospital wing," said Harry as the owls around Hermione took flight. "We'll tell Professor Sprout where you've gone. . . "
Darcy placed an arm around Hermione's shoulders and squeezed, watching her as she left the Great Hall.
Darcy was about to scribble something on her pad, but a slight whoosh had made her stop. Two owls landed near her, placing one elegant letter...and...
"An Ilvermorny letter!" mouthed Darcy excitedly, her hands grabbing the letter in her hands and looking up happily at Harry and Ron.
"You got a letter from Ilvermorny?" said Ron. "Why would they want to contact you?"
I've sent out a letter to a friend of mine...but I received two letters back that were torn to bits...I think this is Pauline's letter!
"Is that the girl we saw at the Quidditch world cup?" asked Harry.
Darcy placed a finger over her lips.
Darcy!
I'm sorry to say that I did not receive your owl, the one I got from you was torn to drenched and drenched in water. I guess writing from abroad has gotten a bit harder, now? I sent this letter out through the floo network—but I had to work up my allowance to pay for it...
I just wanted to say that you are incredibly missed here. By me, mostly. Not a day goes by when I don't think about you're wonderful, long hair and how you used to always carry around that Curses Book like it was your life...
"You had that book since the first year?" laughed Ron.
Giving a look at him, she hunched away from the Red-Head. But, she didn't really care and placed the letter back down and let them read it with her.
And I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU! You finally were able to crack it! You can speak! I've told everyone in Pukwudgie that you can speak now. They seem to take more interest though...since you are Sirius Black's daughter.
By the way, how is it going on over there in the mother lode? Those Brits are probably way too celebratory! For Christmas, I got a Firebolt—can you believe that? My aunt actually got me a broom? And I'm not even the most important player, but now everyone wants to ride it!
"Cheers to her," commented Harry.
So, what have you gotten for Christmas? Anything interesting?
Missing you,
Pauli
Darcy smiled her heart warming. At least she got a letter back, and that's what mattered. Though, there was the matter of the other letter. Harry reminded her of the letter, but she refused to open it. Perhaps it could be a reader of the Daily Prophet.
. . .
Hagrid's Care of Magical Creature's lesson with the unicorns was done. Though, as Darcy walked alone to the hut, there were open crates at his feet. Around her, she heard talk of skrewts and grimaced at the name. Getting closer to the crates, Darcy found herself looking at some rather fluffy creatures with long snouts. They had front paws that were flat and were blinking up at Darcy.
Seeing as Darcy was the first to be there, along with Theodore Nott—the two took Arithmancy with a few other Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's—she took her notepad and pen out, readying herself to write. But, her shoulder was pushed aside and her pad dropped.
"The poor mute girl," chuckled Pansy. She walked by along with Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy. "You spill your heart out about your past, Black? Just like your boyfriend, Saint Potter?"
Flushing red with anger, Darcy lifted her hand up and pointed the middle finger at Pansy. As she couldn't speak, she thought a gesture would be nice.
Pansy scoffed, along with Malfoy.
"Use your words mime," Malfoy sneered. "Would you believe that I'm related to that half-blood filth? Thank god my aunt cursed her."
Darcy was a little hurt by the comment but refrained from giving them any more satisfaction. Looking around, Darcy saw that her pen and paper were gone from the ground.
Well, there goes my money.
"You dropped these," a voice—Theodore Nott, said.
She turned her head to see that he held her notepad and pen up to her. Darcy took the artifacts, scribbling a thank you along with a meek smile on her face.
"No problem," Theodore said, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his coat.
They stood there awkwardly. Darcy peeked a little into his mind, sifting through anything but the personal stuff. She felt that he was rather calm this moment...Darcy picked up a little hum of happiness as well.
A few of the girls from her dorm, Tracey Davis, and Richmond, had walked by. Tracey gave a light wave to Theo and Darcy but was a little confused as to why they were together.
Pansy mocked Harry just like she did to Darcy when he came down to the hut. He just gave a hearty smile at Darcy and passed by over to the rest of the Gryffindors.
Darcy was a little dishearten that he didn't stay next to her. She remembered the Daily Prophet's rumors that caused mayhem. Also, Theodore stood close by and Harry tended to veer from people that hung around Malfoy.
"These're nifflers," said Hagrid, when the class had gathered around. "Yeh find 'em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff. . . There yeh go, look."
One of the nifflers had suddenly leapt up and attempted to bite Pansy Parkinson's watch off her wrist. She shrieked and jumped backward.
(And Darcy could've sworn she heard Theodore snicker beside her.)
"Useful little treasure detectors," said Hagrid happily. "Thought we'd have some fun with 'em today. See over there?" He pointed at the large patch of freshly turned earth Harry had watched him digging from the Owlery window. "I've buried some gold coins. I've got a prize fer whoever picks the niffler that digs up most. Jus' take off all yer valuables, an' choose a niffler, an' get ready ter set 'em loose."
Darcy didn't like to admit that she felt very exposed without anything around her neck. It was as though the celestial rock was a piece of clothing. She liked the feeling of something around her neck and taking off the necklace that Sirius gave her was like shedding her skin off. The necklace had practically predicted that she was endangered before she got knocked out. Nonetheless, the
Have you seen Gemma? Darcy wrote to Theodore as his niffler went out to the dirt to get some coins.
Shocked, Theodore shook his head. "No, I haven't seen her since morning classes," he quipped quietly.
A pound amount of gold coins had appeared in front of Darcy's legs. Her niffler was sniffing around, pointing its nose around her feet, searching for more.
Darcy smiled at the niffler and picked up the creature. It was the cutest thing she's ever dealt with in this class...
"You and Gemma are pretty close, though?" Theodore asked. He had his niffler in his hands too, as did the rest of the class.
Writing messily on her pad of paper—it was very hard to do this with a niffler in her hand— it said yeah, we have. She's a wonderful girl.
Theodore stayed silent.
The game had ended—Ron getting the most gold coins. When the class was dismissed, Darcy was at a crossroads, wondering if she should stay behind with Harry and Ron or walk with Theodore, since he seemed so lonely most of the times.
She shook her head, making her way to Harry, Ron, and Hagrid.
Tell Hermione that I wish her well, okay? I'm just going over to the owlery...catch up with a few things. She wrote onto her pad.
Harry smiled but it seemed forced. He saw that Theodore Nott was with her, and was rather defensive. He kept think, what was it now that people are starting to notice Darcy?
"We will," Ron said, though he looked glumly as he put away the niffler he held.
Nodding, Darcy began to run up the backway of the hill where Theodore went. She caught up to him, her breath heaving as she penned mind if I walk with you?
Theodore glanced around the Hogwarts grounds skeptically but nodded.
So where are you heading? The great hall?
"Oh, no, actually. I was going back to the common rooms. Studying for the DADA hexes."
Darcy nodded, her smile wide. She liked that he was speaking. She never really spoke to him last Christmas, when she came, mostly because she didn't want to associate herself with the house. But, opinions changed. People changed.
The two made it to the Slytherin common rooms quietly. It stayed like that for a while when they sat down at the farthest table from the sixth years. Darcy pulled out her Legilimens book that was tightly wrapped in a paper bag cover.
She didn't mind the silence. Every now and then, Theodore would mumble about a certain hex he didn't really understand, thinking no one was listening. But she helped him, and in return he gave her a grateful and shy smile.
No, Darcy thought, I don't mind the silence as long as there's someone with me.