Harry Potter and the Students of the School of the Sphinx

Harry Potter and the Students of the School of the Sphinx

By Angelina Johnson

Chapter 18- Quidditch, Questions Asked, Questions Answered and Questions Arriving

    "Interesting argument you had with Malfoy the other day in Potions. I personally think you should have slugged him. I doubt Julie would have minded," Harry said to Alex. It was three days later, and Harry and Alex were in the library. It was the first chance Harry had gotten to talk to his 'sister' alone since he had figured out that Alex was being inhabited by Helga Hufflepuff. Harry had been afraid to say anything in front of Ron, who still seemed content following Alex around. Harry had noticed over the past couple of weeks that Alex had less and less patience for Ron, but he doubted that Ron had noticed a thing.

    "Oh, that. It was nothing-Draco apologized for it," Alex said.

    "Malfoy APOLOGIZED?" Harry asked, shocked.

    "Yeah, he apologized. He's not as bad as you think he is, Harry. He's not the same guy that you've known for six years," Alex said.

    "You've only just met him, Lex, I highly doubt that he has changed a bit," Harry said.

    "You don't know-but I can't tell you. You'll know soon enough," Alex said.

    "I just don't understand how you can sit there and tell me that Draco Malfoy isn't such a bad guy when three days ago he was insulting you for having no family and saying that you were one of the worst possible partners he could have had?" Harry asked.

    "Look, Harry, I can't explain right now. You wouldn't understand. But Malfoy's not a bad guy, really, he just has a bad image. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Alex asked.

    "Oh, that. Alex, do you know anything about the legend of Mary Slytherin, or any of the prophecies that surround her and the Founding Four?" Harry asked.

    "Why, do you have to do a report on it or something?" Alex asked him.

    "No, I don't have to write a report on it, I was just asking," Harry said.

    "That's sort of a random thing to ask, don't you think?" Alex asked him.

    "Not really," Harry said.

    "What do you mean, not really? Harry-what's going on?" Alex asked him.

    "Well, the legends goes like this," Harry told her, opening 'Hogwarts-A History'.

    "Wait, Harry, before you tell me the bloody legend I should know who Mary Slytherin is," Alex said. Harry read her the passage.

    "Mary Slytherin was the younger half-sister of Salazar Slytherin. She was half-veela, and her brother was ashamed to call her his sister because she was born to his father and a veela woman while his parents were married. Salazar Slytherin preferred not to have anything to do with his sister, or her three best friends, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Godric Gryffindor. However, Salazar was forced to come into close contact with them at school, where he was in the same year as them. Mary was actually four years younger than the others. In her final year at school, Mary came up with an idea to found a school of magic with her three best friends. She confided her idea in her brother, who then took the idea to Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Without Mary, the four founded Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Mary Slytherin was angry with Salazar for stealing her idea, but she understood that her powers were not nearly as great as those of her brother and the other three, and she assumed that what had happened was for the best. However, once she graduated she joined the founders of Hogwarts and helped them in the early years of the school. However, arguments started to rise between Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin over the purity of blood of students. However, the argument was quickly settled, and Slytherin allowed the others to let Muggle-borns and half-bloods in, as long as they were not put into his house. However, Salazar Slytherin left the school briefly to join his dying mother, and while he was gone his younger sister was in charge of choosing the new students that were placed into Slytherin House. Mary Slytherin allowed Muggle-borns into the house that Salazar Slytherin prided on their purity of blood. When Salazar Slytherin returned, he was furious at his sister's 'softness,' and he threatened her with an ancient prophecy. Godric Gryffindor in particular defended Mary's actions, and he said that Mary had done the right thing and been open-minded. Slytherin was furious, and he used the Unforgivable Curses on his sister, and he controlled her mind. Salazar Slytherin forced his own sister to attack Rowena Ravenclaw, and then he refused to take the blame for Mary's actions. Salazar would have succeeded in forcing Mary to kill Rowena had it not been for Godric Gryffindor's intervention. Gryffindor threatened Mary, and said that if she ever returned to Hogwarts, he would kill her. Salazar Slytherin left shortly after his sister. The reasons why are unknown."

    "Wow. Salazar Slytherin was even loonier than I thought," Alex said. Harry nodded.

    "Yeah, definitely a nutter. But the prophecies about them-the prophecies are even weirder," Harry said.

    "What does an ancient prophecy have to do with us, Harry?" Alex demanded.

    "Just listen," Harry assured her.

    "The one will come. She will be of veela and demon, and she will be the sibling of a monster. She will be the one pure thing in a family of unclean. However, the monster will corrupt her, and the pure one will be deflowered by the lion before the coming of age. He will take down all of her barriers, and she will be weak and vulnerable. Her brother, angry by her happiness, will seek to destroy her happiness and her reputation. The monster will force her to become what he is, and she will harm one of the others. The lion will force her to leave their midst, and she will go to form another school. She will teach all kinds of creatures, and because of her downfall, a monster will rise. She allows the serpent, the monster, to live on, and a new, greater monster will come."

    "That's the prophecy?" Alex asked. Harry nodded.

    "And it meant Mary Slytherin?" Harry nodded again.

    "Voldemort. It all comes down to Voldemort, right?" Alex asked.

    "Of course," Harry said.

    "I still don't see why this has anything to do with us. Well, aside from the fact that Voldemort is around because Mary Slytherin didn't kill some snake," Alex said.

    "Her brother was the snake," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

    "Oh! That makes much more sense, then," Alex said.

    "Right. I thought they said you were supposed to be brilliant," Harry said.

    "Oh, shut up and tell me what the hell this has to do with us," Alex said in an almost hiss.

    "So far, it doesn't really have anything to do with us. But all of that-leads to this," Harry said, and he read the final prophecy.

    "They live again, they live in us. It is only a matter of time before they show themselves. The time will come, and all.... All will be lost."

    "So? That doesn't have to mean us," Alex said, "And besides, there are ways around prophecies-loopholes and such. That could mean that all will be lost for evil."

    "Well, there was an easy way out, but that's already gone," Harry said.

    "What do you mean, it's already gone? How could things have been easy?" Alex demanded.

    "History is going to repeat itself, Lex. The founders are reliving their lives-through us. And don't argue, because I heard you call Malfoy Salazar the other day, and I saw you go all nice on him just because Helga Hufflepuff was in you," Harry said.

    "Get to the damn point, Harry," Alex said.

    "There's a reason your school was destroyed. There was something inside it. Or rather, someone. Someone's soul," Harry said.

    "Mary Slytherin," Alex said.

    "Oh, damn, I was hoping I was wrong. You mean to say that you're Gryffindor then? Why can't anything go right?" Alex asked.

    "What are you ranting about now? You mean to say you've already figured all this out?" Harry asked her.

    "Harry, it was my school. I'm just as nosy as you or Ron or Hermione. I did some research. I found some things out. And that wasn't the first time that Draco has called me Helga, or I've called him Salazar," Alex said.

    "Seems as though you were further along than I was, then. I only knew that Ginny and Hermione had both called me Godric, and that I've slipped and called them Mary and Rowena," Harry said.

    "So that's the five then? You're Gryffindor, I'm Hufflepuff, Hermione's Ravenclaw, and Draco and Ginny are Mary and Salazar Slytherin? And you're sure that's all you know?" Alex asked.

    "Pretty much," Harry said.

    "Harry, I need to know everything that you do-there isn't much time!" Alex said.

    "What do you mean, there isn't much time?" Harry asked.

    "We have maybe a month, tops, until history tries to repeat itself. We need all the hints we can get," Alex said.

    "Well, Godric talked to me," Harry admitted.

    "But he didn't say anything of use, did he?" Alex said. Harry shook his head.

    "How did you know?" Harry asked her.

    "Helga never says anything useful, either. She says when the time is right Ill just know. So nothing else? No visions, no anything?" Alex asked.

    "You've had visions?" Harry asked.

    "Only images. A centaur. A shadow. A body. Voldemort. And the sounds-'Trust me,' the centaur says, 'I will do no wrong.' The shadow, swallowing everything, the wind, whispering 'Caminiti.' I don't even know what Caminiti is. And that's not the worst of it. The body-and someone chanting over and over, 'Mary. Mary.' It's eerie. And then the laugh. The green light, the cold, cruel laugh, the 'bow to me." Alex shivered as she finished speaking.

    "Caminiti is the centaur," Harry told her.

    "Have you met her?" Alex asked, her voice quavering.

    "Yeah, So have you and Malfoy," Harry said.

    "Harry, you've gone nuts. I've never met a centaur at all, much less the one in my dream," Alex said.

    "Oh, I haven't truly met her, either. But we will. I saw us meet her. She gave us a warning," Harry said.

    "What kind of a warning?" Alex demanded.

    "Voldemort. She told us to leave the body, because we would have to face Voldemort if we continued on," Harry said.

    "Face Voldemort? No way, we're leaving Hermione!" Alex said.

    "Hermione?" Harry asked.

    "The body. Didn't you see it? It's Hermione. And now that makes sense. If Hermione is Ravenclaw, then there's no other way," Alex said.

    "You mean Salazar-Malfoy-is going to force Mary-Ginny-to attack Ravenclaw-Hermione-again?" Harry asked.

    "It says that history will repeat itself, Harry, what did you think was going to happen, we were all going to sit around and feed flowers to bunnies?" Alex asked.

    "No, but I didn't think about that happening," Harry said.

    "You're dense. There's no way around it. It's inevitable," Alex said.

    "Well, we'll just have to stop the inevitable from happening, then, won't we?" Harry said.

    Over the next couple of days, Harry had similar conversations with both Ginny and Hermione. They both seemed frightened, especially Ginny. She was now in fear that she was going to lose control of herself and do something awful to Hermione. Harry prayed for a distraction, and luckily it came just a few days later.

    There was a large notice on the Bulletin Board stating that the next Hogsmeade weekend was coming up. Harry was glad for an excuse to get out of the castle. He made plans to take Ginny to lunch and then just a stroll around the village. He knew he didn't want to take Ginny to Madam Puddifoot's, though-his last trip there had been an utter disaster and he thought that the Three Broomsticks would do just fine.

    Ron seemed to have a similar idea, and he came up to Harry after he had seen the notice.

    "I want to ask Alex to go to Hogsmeade with me. What do you think-should I go for it?" Ron asked.

    "Erm-sure, mate," Harry said. He didn't want to hurt Ron's feelings by saying that Alex obviously wasn't interested in him as more than a friend. Sometimes Harry wasn't even sure that Alex wanted to be Ron's friend. He could remember more than one occasion when Alex had told him that she found Ron quite annoying. Harry was sure that if telling Ron that didn't hurt his feelings it would make him mad. He could just picture Ron blowing up at him, saying that he, Harry, was just jealous and that he didn't want Ron to steal Alex from him. Ron would have claimed that Harry wanted to keep his 'sister' all to himself, and that he didn't want Ron to be happy.

    "You think she'll say yes?" Ron asked.

    "It can't hurt to ask," Harry said, trying to sound reassuring.

    "All right, well, I'm going to go ask her now," Ron said, and he trotted out of the common rooms.

    When Ron reappeared about ten minutes later, though, he looked extremely angry and unhappy.

    "What happened?" Harry asked him.

    "She.... She....." Ron stuttered.

    "Did she say no, mate?" Harry asked.

    "Didn't ask her...." Ron said, in shock.

    "Then what's wrong? If she didn't say no, then why are you stuttering like a complete and total moron?" Harry asked.

    "She was.... It was awful!" Ron managed.

    "What bloody happened, Ron! Spit it out already!" Harry demanded.

    "She was snogging Malfoy," Ron stuttered in complete disgust.

    "She was snogging WHO?" Harry said, nearly shouting.

    "Malfoy," Ron repeated.

    "I'm hearing things, right? You didn't say Malfoy," Harry said, trying to convince himself.

    "Yes, Malfoy!" Ron said.

    "But-why?" Harry asked.

    "You think I know?" Ron said.

    "But-where? Did she see you?" Harry asked.

    "They were in the bloody library, for the whole world to see. But I don't think she noticed me," Ron said.

    "Are you sure it was Malfoy?" Harry demanded again.

    "Who else is a greasy little blond git like that?" Ron demanded.

    "Malfoy?" Harry said again.

    "Your sister and Malfoy," Ron confirmed.