Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

It was close to midnight, and I was stuck in the North Tower, and it was too late by now to leave. If anyone found me wandering the corridors at this hour, I would be in great trouble, probably experiencing pain beyond imagination, so I decided to spend my night here. Luckily it wasn’t so bad. Even without any lamps or candles, I had magic at my call and could continue reading while holding my brightly shining wand above the pages. The books that Draco borrowed for me turned out to be precisely what I needed. Especially the one that was without a clear cover and seemed to be a hand-written codex.

It had an extensive list of known Parselmouths, born with the gift of being able to talk with snakes. Unsurprisingly, they all carried the blood and name of the Gaunt family. Even better, it had bloodlines traced from the early medieval ages right up to the end of the XIXth century. That was not all because what was even more fascinating was the fact it recorded those who were married OUT of the Gaunts.

“Their names were expunged from the family records and forced to abandon them, and they were forbidden to mention their heritage to anyone,” I murmured, writing their names down to try and find their new identities later on and connect them to other possible families that are still among us. “No family can maintain 100% purity, can it? It is just not possible.” I chuckled as I learned quickly enough from my Father that being pure meant nothing when put under scrutiny.

Take HIM, for example… our current leader… our ‘Minister,’ was not even ‘pure.’ But… it was best not to think about it; I don’t know how strong he is for real, but Father was sure he could know if someone was talking about HIM. Well, it was not my place to start criticizing and pointing out the hypocrisy, especially if I wanted to remain amongst the living. After reading the books through multiple times, I ended up with a list of twelve names. Twelve members of the Family of Gaunt who were sent away married into other wizarding families because of something they did or because they were the worst of all; squibs.

After I got my name from Draco’s books, I cross-referenced it with Quincy’s, and to my surprise, one name showed up on both lists. They were, by the dates, a few centuries apart but had the exact same name. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe it was a signal between the families? A silent agreement? The Blacks took in an outcast from the Gaunts, and later on, from that same line, someone special was born, being sent back to them? Maybe… or I was just looking into it too deeply. Whatever the case may have been, I circled the name, and I was going to first look into that specific line. See if they had an offshoot branch or something that I can track down.

My thoughts were full of elaborate stories, how members of the illustrious, old but essential dead family may still live on, with members not even knowing about it. I wonder… how much HE knows about it? Did HE ever look it up? Did HE ever bring it up? Or did HE let it go completely? I remember Father spoke about it once… and… it was weird. I don’t remember when it happened, but as I fell asleep, lying on the bed made of cushions, I slipped back in time for a few years. I was back in my Father’s study, learning about ancient families and the old lore of our world.

“Does HE know about it?” My voice asked, but it was as if I looked on from the sides, observing my Father and me, having a discussion in his study.

“Of course!” He smiled, looking at me. “But not as much as us!” He smirked. Wait… did he smirk? Really… But it was not time to reminisce about it as my dream continued without waiting for me.

“How can that be? That does not make sense, Father!”

“It does. HE made sure all information, at least publicly, is stricken from the records and buried deep under multiple layers of lies.” As he was explaining it to me, I was now much more sure, looking at my Father’s face, that he was smirking. That was not the gentle smile that I remembered. Pairing it with the look in his eyes, I saw it as if he was mocking HIM.

“But…”

“The Family of Gaunt was not what HE was proud of!” Father interrupted me, “He only cared for their connection to Salazar Slytherin! After confirming HIS mother’s origin, HE no longer needed the family’s name or history. HE was connected to Slytherin himself. HE was the heir! That was what mattered. Acting as if Slytherin was not an ancient ancestor but HIS direct Father! Do you get it now? The Gaunts no longer mattered. HIS Father was nobody else but Slytherin himself. HE ensured that anyone looking into it could only see that simple but all-in-all false truth. He has a sliver of Slytherin in HIM, but he is not his son.”

Listening to my Father’s lesson and watching his face, I felt lost. I… I did not remember that he was like this. Why did I feel as if he was oozing with scorn? Speaking about HIM in a pitying yet condescending voice? Was my mind playing tricks on me?

“Or is it showing what you failed to notice back then?” I heard another hissing voice speak to my ears, and before I could fight back, a big, dark, amethyst-colored snake wrapped itself around my body, binding me in place.

“AH!” I woke with a panicked yelp, gasping for air. It was still dark, and I was back in the North Tower, sitting on the cushions, the same where I had fallen asleep previously. “Damn, it…” I moaned, wiping my forehead, trying to push back my rapidly beating heart into my chest from my throat. That snake again! Since Professor Toad-face cursed me, I barely had a good-night sleep… If this keeps up, I may genuinely go mad.

“But… Was that dream correct? Do I really miss it? Or… I just failed to pick up on it because I was younger…? Tsk…”

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“You need to rest…” Quincy said to me as we were leaving our potions class the next day. “It shows under your eyes, and you completely butchered today’s potion! I had never seen the Professor so dismissive before! It was as if he did not even notice you!”

“I wouldn’t blame him.” Draco said, walking up to us from behind, “Conrad’s concoction blew up so spectacularly it created a little mushroom cloud!” He laughed, and I couldn’t help but shrug as he was absolutely right.

“At least no detention or deducted house points!” I said, trying to find the positives in today’s abysmal first half. I could not sleep, and I was feeling horrible. I was tired, and I found it extra hard to focus.

“Of course! He is the Head of our House!” Draco snorted, “He wouldn’t sabotage us because of one slacking idiot!”

“He is not an idiot!” Quincy protested in my stead.

“Yeah, yeah, says his little girlfriend,” Draco added, sneering, making Quincy blush before snorting and ignoring him completely.

“Stop it… please…” I moaned, holding my head that was still stinging as the potion’s fumes made me fall unconscious, and I managed to headbutt the stove while collapsing. “My head hurts enough already. Let’s just get to the Dark Arts class, survive that, and be done with today!”

“What about the afternoon class? We have herbology! You want to skip it?” Quincy asked, already drawing conclusions without thinking.

“No. I’m not skipping.” I shrugged, looking at her through my fingers and holding my head. “Being in nature is relaxing. So, in fact, I am looking forward to it!”

“By the way,” Draco asked, dialing back the strength of his voice, “Are you this worn out because of… reading?”

“Yep.” I nodded as we headed upstairs from the dungeon. “I found clues. Big ones at that!” As I said and watched their faces change, I couldn’t help but smile proudly. “So, I look like this because I couldn’t sleep from excitement.” Well… it was partially true. “And thank you for your concerns,” I turned towards Quincy, trying to be as honest as possible as it truly felt good hearing her say that, “But I can manage it! After herbology, I intend to go straight to the Library and do so on the weekends and next weekends and all the time until I find what I want!”

“What if you don’t find it?” They asked in unison, which surprised them just as much as me.

“Don’t be pessimistic. Okay? I’ll find it!”

Our Dark Arts class did not help with my headache. We were learning the red and green sparks spells, and the constant flashing lights, loud buzzings, and flares being thrown around made me dizzy. I was seeing bright lights by the end of class, and I managed to land myself in the infirmary after I collapsed. I won’t lie; it may be the thing I needed the most, as I could sleep after being put under a spell. It came with the effects of not having to dream, and when I woke up, I was stunned to realize it was already the next day.

“Huh… I was really in need of this, eh?” I smiled at myself, thanking Madam Pomfrey, one of the nicest teachers around. Well… she wasn’t teaching per se, but she ran the hospital wing to the best of her abilities. Somehow… she gave off the feeling that this castle wing was a sanctuary, a different world from the rest. Or I was still delirious from my exhaustion. “No…” I reassured myself, looking at the rising sun. “I feel fully energized!”

And with that, I headed straight for the Library to get in some research before breakfast.