Tears of the Ages

The next morning the questions had died down considerably, but a few lingered. When Bella had heard the stories she had cracked up and then congratulated Silvia on a good stunner. The first year Slytherins had figured out that Silvia Colton was not someone to mess with unless you wanted to be hexed. She was easily annoyed by all the repetitive questions and just stopped answering them all together.

Silvia drank from her goblet of orange juice when she heard the flapping of wings sounding the arrival of the morning post. It was always pleasant to watch all of the owls soaring down from the rafters with letters, Daily Prophets, and other packages. Like most first years, she had received a package from home within her first week. It was mostly things her mother thought she needed, which in reality she didn't. Who really needed a shower cap? But that was her mother, always thinking of the impractical things.

It was surprising when an owl landed in front Silvia and stuck out its leg with a letter attached. Silvia took off the letter and gave the owl the crust off her toast. She unrolled the letter while taking a bite from her apple and began reading.

Dear Silvia,

You can't even imagine what the past couple of weeks have been like for me. I've made a bunch of new friends, but I can't talk to them like I can talk to you. I was thinking, maybe we could meet on Thursday night. Write me back and let me know when and where. I'd rather your new friends not know about it, if at all possible.

- Tadpole

Silvia re-read the letter before crumpling it up. She went on eating her breakfast like nothing happened, but planned what to write back to Aurelia in her head. Narcissa leaned over and asked what the letter was about. Silvia looked at her with a grin, answering, "Fan mail."

Once she got out of the Great Hall she found an empty classroom and took out a piece of parchment and ink intending to write a reply.

Dear Aurelia,

I think I know what you mean. I mean, the friends I've made are great, but it's just not the same as when I talk with you. Thursday would work fine. How about we meet in the empty charms classroom, say...six o'clock? Don't worry, I'd rather not have to deal with curious people getting in the way.

- Fire-top

She went up to the Owlery and attached the letter to a bird before running to catch her first class.

A half an hour later, Professor McGonagall was rapping her fingers on her desk where her head had fallen sometime during the lesson.

"Are you trying to inform me, Miss Colton, that my classes are not worth your time or that they are too boring to even make an effort to stay awake during?" she asked accusingly.

"Its not that they're boring--well, they are--but I prefer the more practical sessions of class," Silvia admitted, more bluntly then she intended to.

"Is that so? Well then perhaps you would like to give suggestions as to improve the quality of my class," McGonagall proposed stonily.

"Well," Silvia started, knowing nothing good would become of their conversation. "We don't need to know so much of the procedure. I mean Gryffindors might, but us Slytherins are a little quicker on the uptake. And--"

"Miss Colton I believe that if enough for now," McGonagall seethed.

"Of course, Professor."

"I would like you to see me after class, Miss Colton." McGonagall turned from Silvia's desk and walked towards the front of her classroom again.

"Yes, Professor." Silvia rolled her eyes.

Elizabeth leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Now you've done it."

Silvia gave her a smirk in return.

After class McGonagall told Silvia that she would be having detention on Thursday night at seven o'clock cleaning out the Transfiguration classrooms without the use of magic, so that she could maybe gain an appreciation for the subject. Silvia decided not to point out that she already liked the subject, she just didn't like the explanation. It didn't really matter that she caught on to spells quickly. She wouldn't tell the head of Gryffindor that. It was only after she left the classroom that she realized her detention was on Thursday.

- - - - -

"Detention! Tomorrow! How could she, that git!"

Aurelia was absolutely furious with Silvia, but hadn't realized she'd been yelling after she received her cousin's second letter that day. Lily walked into the room with her mouth half open as if to reprimand her roommate, but calmly asked, "What's wrong, Lia?"

"Oh," she said absentmindedly. She had no idea what to say to Lily and she cursed herself for making such a racket about changing the day of their meeting. Now she had to make something up. "I was just, uh, upset about...getting detention."

Lily's surprise was genuine. First, her eyes widened and then she opened her mouth twice, producing only air. Finally she managed to get out, "What for?"

"Um, I--it was really stupid. Professor McGonagall--" Aurelia stumbled over her words.

"That's just awful," Lily said sympathetically, leaving Lia thankful she didn't actually have to explain. "Well, I have to get to my homework. If you want to do it together, I'll be by the fireplace."

"Sure, be down in a minute."

Lily smiled politely, grabbed her book bag and walked out the door. Aurelia sighed miserably. How the hell was she supposed to get herself a detention tomorrow?

- - - - -

The next day, Aurelia Colton had a plan. She was going to get a detention, specifically from McGonagall, and if it was the same one as Silvia's, more power to her. Her cousin didn't know about it yet, but she figured she couldn't have done much of anything to help.

Aurelia had woken up earlier then most students, but with the knowledge that there wouldn't be as many people in the Great Hall, which was exactly what she was aiming for. All she could do was hope that the key people had gotten up as early as she had. Walking into the Great Hall, she surveyed all who were inside and was pleased to see hardly any of her fellow first year housemates up--particularly Lily. Her eyes traveled over to the Slytherin table and she spotted Silvia sitting with the Black sisters. She looked back down the table towards her, trying to find the ideal target, and her gaze fell on the greasy head of Severus Snape. Perfect, she thought.

McGonagall was sitting at the staff table speaking loosely to Professor Flitwick. It would probably take a little loitering to get her full attention, but Lia didn't think she'd have any problems, especially with Slughorn watching.

She started to walk forward, ebbing closer to the Slytherin table as she made her way down the aisle. Severus was sitting about two feet down from Via and her group of friends. He was eating porridge for breakfast and to the side was set his Potions textbook.

When Aurelia had gotten close enough, she held up her nose and glared ahead of her. The moment she reached Severus, she pushed his greasy head straight into his bowl of porridge, making sure she felt his face hit the bottom. Immediately, she let her hand fall to her robes and wiped it across them several times, as if she had just dipped her hand into a bucket of oil. Severus lifted his head out of the bowl and inhaled deeply. His face was covered in gobs of chunky porridge that began running down his face onto his robes.

"Oh, gracious, Severus! Did I just do that?" Aurelia asked in mock concern. Then she gestured to his nose. "Shame I didn't break it. One would have figured, with its size and all..." But Snape wasn't listening. He was too busy trying to wipe off his face with napkins. There was laughter coming from all ends of the hall now. Out of the corner of her eye, Aurelia could see McGonagall and Slughorn arguing, giving her more time than she had use for. She grabbed the Potions book off the table and waved it at him fleetingly while saying, "You might think twice before stealing someone's book again."

"I never stole--" Severus started to protest, but he was cut short as Aurelia opened the book and turned to the first page.

"Oh drat!" she said in fake disappointment. "This was yours after all. Ah, well,"--she dropped the book back onto the table and smiled, knowing that McGonagall was heading strait for her--"it was worth it."

"Miss Colton!" came a clearly irritated voice to her right.

"Yes, Professor?" She glanced at Severus, cleaning up the porridge that had oozed out of the sides of the bowl and then turned her eyes to McGonagall.

"What just happened?"

"I pushed Severus' head into his breakfast, Professor," Lia answered casually.

"Why on earth would you do that?"

Aurelia turned her head to look towards the entrance to the Great Hall, then to Snape, and back to McGonagall, as if the teacher had just given her a riddle. She shrugged and replied, "Spur of the moment, Professor."

McGonagall did not look amused but Lia could hear the sniggers coming from the Gryffindor table. The professor glanced at Snape to see if he was all right and when he had passed for physically stable but emotionally damaged, she returned her attention to Lia once more.

"You may have noticed that at this school, we do not dunk our classmates' heads into their breakfasts simply because we've gotten bored. You Colton's are prone to stirring things up, aren't you?" Aurelia smirked, something that did not please McGonagall one bit. "You will be receiving detention tonight at seven o'clock in the Transfiguration classroom. And you will be serving your punishment with your cousin."

Both girls flashed scowls at one another, but when the professor marched back to the staff table, they had to turn away to hide their grins.

She was greeted with great enthusiasm as she sat down at the Gryffindor table, even receiving a few compliments and pats on the back. The excitement had even made her forget about how angry she was at Via. They were still meeting at nine tonight, after all. They'd just need to bring a few dust cloths. And somehow, dunking Snape's head in made her feel extremely happy.

- - - - -

Silvia had watched with suspicion and curiosity as her cousin walked over to the Slytherin table. What was Aurelia thinking? But it all became clear as she drenched Severus's head in his porridge. She had to bite down hard on her lip to stop herself from laughing. She nearly fell out of her seat because of it. Noticing Snape's head emerge she wondered idly if anything could get the grease from his hair.

Slytherins watched as Aurelia was confronted by McGonagall much the way Silvia had been the previous day. Except this Colton had been looking for trouble because of the other. When McGonagall told them they'd have detention together she gave the scowl that was expected but was rejoicing inside. Apparently Aurelia hadn't lost her scheming streak.

After the visitors dissipated from their table the rest of the occupants went back to eating. Except for one Severus Snape, who looked completely livid. Not over his appearance, but his Potions book. Apparently some of the porridge had dripped down his long nose and straight onto the pages of the book. Now he was muttering under his breath. Silvia was able to catch some of it.

"Dirty little Gryffindor...jealous of...brilliance..."

Silvia tried not to laugh again but a few chuckles escaped her and she did fall out of her chair this time. The Black sisters looked down on her, curious and confused at her actions. Via simply covered it up with a believable cough she had perfected on her mother. She stood up and wiped her hands on her robes before resuming her seat, thinking about how much brighter detention was going to be tonight.

- - - - -

Lily was furious with her. She hadn't seen the incident in the Great Hall, nor had she asked when it had happened, but clearly she didn't care. Aurelia had never seen her soft-spoken friend so irate. In fact, she had never seen Lily angry at all. It was almost scary to listen to the premature prefect chastise her for picking on Severus, but Lia had to stifle laughter twice because of some things Lily said about him. In the end, Lily stopped talking to her and ignored her the entire day.

At ten to nine, Aurelia wandered down the hallways, taking her time to get to the Transfiguration room. She hadn't seen Mr. Woldrum until she'd collided with his massive form.

"Hey, watch--wait a moment, what are you doing, roaming the corridors?" said Woldrum skeptically, his right eye twitching.

"I've got detention with Professor McGonagall," she stated brazenly.

Woldrum snorted and told her to be on her way. She glared at him angrily and began walking down the hall again.

When she reached the classroom, McGonagall was already waiting for her. Silvia hadn't showed up yet.

"I guess you'll just have to start without her then," said McGonagall, unconcerned. "Take a rag--here--and there are several more on that desk. Well, don't just stand there. Clean!"

Silvia chose at that moment to come bursting into the classroom. She stopped just short of the door and re-arranged her clothes from her sprint. "Sorry I'm late, Professor. I ran into Peeves along the way."

McGonagall gave her a stern look and pointed to the rags. Nodding, Silvia walked over, picked one up and went to the opposite side of the room from Aurelia, sending her glares whenever she could. Aurelia remained as stony-faced as her cousin.

The professor sat at her desk grading rolls of parchment from the fifth years as she watched the two cousins deliver nasty looks to one another. It was a wonder two children so young could have such abhorrence for one another, she thought. Shaking her head she went back to the parchment. That was until Mr. Woldrum ran in.

"Professor! I'm glad I caught you. Peeves is causing a ruckus in the library--of all places!" he spit out, gasping for air.

"I've told Albus to talk to that poltergeist," McGonagall declared, quite annoyed. She looked back on the two glaring girls. "If I come back to find this room still unclean and you two fighting, you will both receive an extra detention."

"Yes, Professor," both girls chorused.

Silvia, who was closest to the door, stuck her head out of the doorway and watched the professor walk away down the corridor. "Finally! I thought she'd never leave."

"What are you talking about?" Aurelia put her rag down and walked near her cousin.

"You know how I said I ran into Peeves on the way here?" Silvia started with a mischievous smile. "Well, I might have suggested there would be quite a few students in the library who wouldn't be expecting anyone to pull any pranks on them there."

"Honestly, Via, is there anything you can't think up?"

"I never would've thought to dunk Severus! That was brilliant!"

"I was just lucky he was there, is all," she said modestly. "I've wanted to smash his face in since his comment about Remus during flying lessons. It wasn't difficult to do once I spotted the opportunity," she stated proudly, and then a couple seconds later realized just where she was and what she was doing and added sourly, "no thanks to you."

And in return she received laughter. Silvia had clearly decided against upholding a certain academic standard for herself and Lia doubted she would get astounding grades for the sake of her parents.

"I know this is your first blemish on anything school-related--"

"Got that right."

"--but if your parents find out--"

"When my parents find out..."

"--it won't be half as bad as it looks right now."

"Easy for you to say."

"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that. Keep your spirits high and your dust rags dirty! Actually, skip the last," said Silvia, grinning as she worked out something in her head. "With McGonagall being gone and all...do you mind if I skive off a bit to wrangle up a few house elves? Why should we be punished for giving teachers lesson advice and releasing our anger, which just happened to be on another student?"

Aurelia sighed. "And if McGonagall comes back? What am I supposed to tell her?"

"You won't have to tell her a thing," Silvia said, already heading out the door. "Peeves isn't in any mind to let a teacher scare him away from his mischief-making. Be back in a flash!"

Silvia had returned twelve minutes later with three house elves. Aurelia handed her rag to one of them and jumped up on the counter, watching as Via slid into the chair behind Professor McGonagall's desk. They talked about their first weeks at Hogwarts and the new friends they'd made, each disagreeing with the other about those friends. They talked for what seemed like hours while those poor house elves worked their hands sore cleaning the classroom and just as eight o'clock rolled around the corner, the girls could hear footsteps coming down the corridor. At once, Aurelia thanked the house elves and one by one they vanished from sight. She grabbed two dust rags, threw one at Silvia who instantly began wiping a plaque on the back wall. Lia twirled around to find McGonagall coming through the door.

"Good evening, professor," Aurelia said in a forced morose tone.

"I see you've made use of your time," she said somberly, walking up and down the aisles of student desks and running her fingers across the counters. "I assume fighting was kept at a minimum since I don't spot any cuts or bruises on either one of you."

"Of course, Professor," Silvia replied with a barely noticeable smirk.

"Well, it looks clean enough."

"Oh, yes, Professor," Via said dramatically. "I feel like I've worked as hard as a house elf dusting in here."

Aurelia had to turn her head slightly away from McGonagall before her grin was obvious.

"I assume you've learned your lesson now that you've experienced consequences for your actions," said McGonagall, picking up the rags and shoving them into a drawer in her desk, "and I expect better behavior in future...from both of you. You may return to your dormitories."

They were halfway down the hall when Silvia turned to her cousin and said, "If detention is that easy all the time, Hogwarts is going to be the best seven years of my life."

Silvia went back to the Slytherin Common Room after her first and definitely not last detention with Aurelia and McGonagall. She found Bellatrix, Narcissa, Lucius and the meatheads otherwise known as Crabbe and Goyle (Silvia had previously established that they were too stupid for her to remember their first names), waiting up for her.

"So, how was your first detention?" Bella asked wickedly.

Silvia had an indifferent look on her face. "Piece o' cake." The rest of the group's expressions changed to that of confusion and surprise.

"Piece of cake? It was with McGonagall; she never gives easy punishments," Lucius pointed out, unbelievingly.

"Oh, well, the punishment was meant to be hard, cleaning the bloody Transfiguration room. But it turns out a few house elves are a more effective cleaning force than two girls. Surprising huh, luv?" Silvia tilted her head slightly as if she was interested in something.

"How did you get house elves to clean the room while McGonagall was there?" Narcissa was never one to miss the important details.

It was then that Severus Snape walked into the common room completely drenched. Apparently his bag, textbooks, parchment, ink, quills, not to mention himself, had been hit with a few well-aimed water balloons. He was muttering under his breath again, "Stupid poltergeist...when I get my hands...die again...painful."

That worked out better than I thought, Silvia thought, holding in a laugh. The others had heard Snape's ranted mutter also and it dawned on them.

"Peeves? He listened to you?" Bella seemed slightly amazed. Peeves only listened to the Bloody Baron and Dumbledore.

"It's more of an unspoken agreement, really."

"Merlin, you are a Slytherin. She's going to easily beat us all and it's only her first year!" Bella seemed excited by the prospect.

It was later that night that Silvia wrote a letter to Aurelia, reminding herself to send it in the morning. "I've got a better place to catch up on times then detention. Plus I promised we'd visit. Fire-top," Silvia muttered the last lines of her letter out loud. "That should be good."

- - - - -

The next morning, Aurelia woke up to a completely empty room and realized she'd slept in. Because of detention, she had needed to stay up later than usual to finish an essay on wormwood for Potions. She wasn't sure how late it was, but bustled out of bed, running around the dormitory, half-dressed, gathering her necessities for the day. As she swept through the Common Room and out of the portrait hole, she snagged her robes on a nail sticking out of the wall and heard a loud ripping sound as the threads split. She cursed at her bad luck, but continued on her way to the entrance hall.

Once she reached the giant double doors and saw that many students were still busily gorging themselves, she turned around and pointed her wand at the tear in her robes and whispered, "Reparo!" She watched as the threads sewed themselves together again.

Slightly out of breath, Aurelia sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Emily and a large fourth year whose name she hadn't caught. Emily asked her why she was so late, but Lia didn't have time to answer. She contemplated filling a bowl with grits before she snagged an apple from the middle of the table. Students were beginning to leave the Great Hall and she needed something quick to eat before class started. Professor Flitwick wouldn't allow food during lessons.

Just when she was about to head out herself, a hand pushed her back into her seat and Romey sat down beside her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a note of recently obtained authority in his voice.

"To Charms, if you don't mind." Aurelia tried to stand again but her brother held her down firmly. "Romey!" she pleaded.

He had no intention, however, of releasing her before he got his point across. "First of all, I'd like to know why you haven't said hello to your big brother, Lia. It's been a long time since I've talked to you and we're in the same House. Now tell me, does that make much sense to you?"

"Oh, please," she replied sourly. "Like you wanted to talk to your little sister around your friends."

"Never said that," Romey admitted. "And also, I was wondering why that bloody owl of yours is carrying notes from a certain Fire-top. As I recall, there's a--"

Before he could finish, Aurelia had flung her hands over her brother's mouth and muffled his voice so the rest of his sentence came out as "fwin whine pween svithinan phoo." The Gryffindors at the table all stopped eating to stare at the two siblings. Aurelia laughed nervously and turned around to face her brother.

"I'd rather not discuss that here," she said through clenched teeth. "I'll meet you in the entrance hall before lunch."

With that, she stood up, made for the doors and didn't look back. She could only hope that Romey wouldn't tell anyone. They had been stupid to use their childhood nicknames. But what had Romey been doing reading her mail anyway?

Charms passed quickly. They were still practicing the Levitation Charm. Throughout the entire period, all that went through Aurelia's ears was "Wingardium Leviosa!" and Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice as he was pelted with spare textbooks and quills. When the class had finally ended, she headed off to the dungeons where she handed in her wormwood essay to a beaming Professor Slughorn. As she pondered the reasons as to why he was so jubilant, he had began walking towards the door and greeted someone with a firm handshake.

"This is Romey Colton," Slughorn announced to the class. "He's the Gryffindor Quidditch Keeper, a member of the Slug Club and the symbol of a successful future." Romey was smiling proudly at the flattering speech. "Miss Colton," the professor addressed, turning to face Aurelia. "Your brother would like a word."

Lia's eyebrows shot up, but she slid off her chair and walked out the door, Romey trailing behind with his head held high.

"Skipping classes because you're curious about my pen pals, Romey?"

The question took him off guard and his pleasant smile turned upside down. "Thought you'd be happy to get out of a few minutes of Potions--"

"Well, you were wrong," Aurelia replied flatly.

"All right, fine, I'll get straight to the point." He looked down the hallway and glanced at the Potion's door to make sure it was closed, and then his eyes fled back to his sister. "Silvia may have been your best friend a few months ago, but now--she's a Slytherin. Do you know why Slytherins have such a retched reputation? They've got evil inside them. Every single one of them."

"Even your precious Slughorn?" Lia retorted, a look of hatred crossing her face.

"Even Slughorn," Romey said indifferently. At this, Aurelia's eyes shifted to her feet. "She may seem like the Silvia she always was. Or she could have changed over the time she's spent at Hogwarts and hang around people she ought not to hang around with. She is a first year and they're usually ignored, but tell me, who are Silvia's new friends? Does she have any housemates that are particularly closer to her?"

Aurelia had gone pale. She knew the reputations of Silvia's closest Slytherin buddies and there was not a chance that a fifth year didn't know them as well. Lia held her breath and then said, "Bellatrix and Narcissa Black."

Romey heaved one hot, tempered breath and stood in silence. Aurelia wasn't sure if he'd heard, so she started to say it again.

"I heard you the first time!" Romey's voice was cold. "Listen to me, Lia. If I ever catch you with Silvia or writing letters to Fire-top again, you will regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

"You can't expect me to break up an eleven-year-old friendship just because you say to!"

"Yes, I do expect it! Silvia is a horrible influence on you now! She's already gotten a detention, which I heard from a couple third years, she dragged you along with her!" Aurelia opened her mouth but Romey continued with his lecture. "I won't have my sister hanging around with Slytherins! Maybe you don't know this, but Blacks are the worst sort of people to befriend--"

"You can't say that, because I'm friends with a Black!" said Aurelia fiercely.

"WHAT?" Romey realized how loud he had become and lowered his voice to a seething whisper. "I can't believe you would--after what everyone says about them..."

"He's in Gryffindor," said Lia, her eyes narrow.

"Oh." Romey's tone had suddenly warmed up. "Well, that's all right then."

"Really? 'All Blacks are dangerous, they're all evil! Except if they're a Gryffindor! Then it's just peachy'," said Aurelia mockingly.

"The whole Black family has been in Slytherin for centuries. There's only a select few who've been in anything else. How was I supposed to know which House he'd been sorted into?"

"How about," Lia began, icily, "you judge someone by their character and not by their House."

"Silvia's already showed me her character. I know who she is and I've tolerated it this long. I forbid you from seeing her again."

"Or you'll--"

She was interrupted by Slughorn, who had opened the door to the Potion's classroom and told Romey she was need inside.

"Promise me," he said, grabbing her upper arm tightly and crouching down to meet her eye to eye. "And it's not a negotiation."

Aurelia almost snarled in her brother's face before she was aware it wouldn't help her situation at all. She looked right into Romey's eyes and said, "I promise."

This seemed to satisfy him, because he released her arm and straighten himself to his full height, which was quite impressive for a fifth year. He gave her one last cautionary glance and headed off down the hall. Aurelia turned on her heels, rubbing her arm gingerly and walked towards her classroom.

Overall, she was feeling rather rebellious about what had just happened. Her promise meant nothing to her. She had no intention whatsoever of standing by it.