Tragic Angel

Previously on Tragic Angel:

~"Wear this and nobody will be able to see past your facade." Voldemort handed the ring over to Hotaru, who, with a trembling hand, took it from Voldemort's hand.~

~"I'm starting school at Hogwarts tomorrow morning."

Narcissa's eyes widened. "You're not serious?"~

~She was going in a new direction in her new life. She had relived the same past over and over. And now that everything was secure in that past, she could move onward.

And she was in the biggest hole of her entire life.~

-

Hotaru found a compartment on the Hogwarts Express with little difficulty. She sat in the empty area and examined her dark, mahogany wand. "Ten inches, mahogany, Augurey feather, blessed in Re'em blood. Custom made. A rare combination indeed." Hotaru's first wand hadn't been this one. It was an ordinary wand (Nine inches, beechwood, unicorn hair) that she got from Ollivanders when she was ten, pretending to go off to Hogwarts. Before then, she had never done wand magic. It was always potions, arithmancy, divination, and other such lessons that didn't involve a wand. But the wand she had now, was custom made by a dodgy fellow in a tavern. He, with his eye-patch and pure-silver hook for a hand, had told Hotaru that she possessed great power and that power could be channelled correctly into only one wand. He told her that their meeting was destiny and that Hotaru was fated to have the wand.

Of course, she instantly thought it was a load of rubbish, but when he revealed the wand to her, she had to have it. To touch it, to wield in her grasp; it felt like home. It felt like it belonged in her hands. She paid three galleons for it, and took off. She used her divination skills to really see if he had used Augurey feather and Re'em blood in making it. When it proved that he had, Hotaru felt a shiver run down her spine. The power this wand had enhanced her own power. With it, she could be unstoppable.

And now as she looked at it, she realised this was an incredible wand indeed. On the handle was the engraving of an acutal Augurey in flight. Hotaru knew it was to show it's contents. But she had never heard of a wand having that quality before. After all, her unicorn-hair-cored wand from before didn't show a unicorn on the handle. Nevertheless, Hotaru was in awe. She didn't tell Voldemort for some reason though. She didn't quite know if she could trust him not to use her for that.

Surprisingly, only two other people entered the compartment. Hotaru introduced herself as a sixth year transfer student and they introduced themselves as Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Of course, they went into their own little conversation about something Hotaru didn't even bother trying to figure out. Hotaru, instead, watched the scenery pass her by. She idly toyed with the white-gold Ring of Laverna around her finger and hoped to God that nobody really knew what it looked like.

The train ride lasted a while longer before finally stopping in Hogsmeade Station. Hotaru had already changed into her school robes and was well on her way to find out where she should be. Then she heard a rather gruff-looking giant shout, "Firs' Years and Transfers! This way!" Hotaru took this as her cue to follow him to the little boats that would go up to the castle.

Hotaru didn't speak with anyone as she rode across the lake. She didn't want to really make friends with anyone but Harry Potter, for that was part of her mission. She followed the first years up to the castle, up the many stairs, and upto what was known as the Great Hall. Hotaru was given an entire layout of every floor, every secret and not-so-secret entrance/exit, and every single room. She studied it carefully over the night and felt she had a pretty good idea of where to go. Besides, if the occasion called for it, she could just cast a spell and a tiny holographic map would appear from the tip of her wand.

A woman named Professor Minerva McGonagall walked up to them and gave them a short speech about what Houses were about and that they would be like family. McGongall's eyes settled upon Hotaru and she cocked her head to the side a bit, before leading the students into the Great Hall, past the tables, and upto the Sorting Hat.

Hotaru let her eyes wander over the students, looking for any familiarity. She noticed Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table right off the bat, including many of the other Death Eater's children: Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Theodore Nott, and various others. But then, she met eyes with a pair of striking emeralds. They kept their eyes glued to one another before Hotaru finally recognised him. She smirked and looked away, focusing on getting sorted.

Every last student had been sorted into their respective houses, and then Professor McGonagall made the announcement that they had a transfer student. She had been tutored privately by her guardian and was now ready to attend Hogwarts. "Tomoe, Hotaru," McGonagall called. Hotaru, with nerves of steel, walked up to the Sorting Hat. She locked eyes with Albus Dumbledore and narrowed them, before sitting on the stool to be Sorted.

"Oh my," the hat said aloud.

Hotaru twisted the ring on her finger, hoping with all her strength that it was truly the Ring of Laverna.

"You have such a cunning spirit, alive with bravery and courage as well. Manipulative in your own way," the hat replied.

Well, thanks for sharing that with the world, Hotaru thought to herself, hoping the hat didn't hear her.

"I'm not quite sure where to put you. Needless to say, you don't lack the skills of a Slytherin. And Slytherin could make you grow into something extraordinary!"

Slytherin, huh? I suppose it wouldn't be too bad. I'll be with people like me, in the very least. However, it'll be tougher for Potter to trust me this way, she reasoned. "Yes, Slytherin sounds like a good house. However, what of Gryffindor?"

Both the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables stiffened, the eyes of the students wide with either shock, or fury, or both.

"Gryffindor?" asked the hat. "You're brave, I'll give you that. A bit too brave for your own good. However, Gryffindor won't suit you or your needs."

"Ravenclaw?" asked Hotaru, feeling out for her perfect house. Not to be arrogant, but Hotaru knew her faults and strengths and she would have no trouble selecting her own house. Besides, as long as she wasn't in Slytherin, she would be able to make friends with Potter easily.

"Hm...Ravenclaw suits your intellect. However, your personality is far from that of a Ravenclaw. Your cunning mind and ambition would not be rewarded in the house of Ravenclaw."

The students were shell-shocked. This girl was actually having a conversation with the Hat! It was unbelievable.

"And Hufflepuff?"

"Ha!" the hat scoffed. "For one to be in Hufflepuff, he or she would have to possess a certain degree of loyalty and carefree innocence. You, my dear, have neither."

Hotaru visably frowned. "So my options are: Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin, home. Am I hearing you correctly?"

"SLYTHERIN!!!" the Hat shouted for a reply.

Hotaru sighed, jumped from the stool, and joined her housemates at the Slytherin table. Some were put off by her attitude during the Sorting. However, one boy brightened up to her immediately--well, brightened by Slytherin standards anyway.

Before Hotaru could catch the dashing boy's name, Dumbledore interrupted them to make the usual announcements. After they were done, he told them he had one additional announcement.

"Following in the tradition since the start of Harry Potter's years here, we now have a replacement for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position," the old man said. Everyone sniggered a little bit at the comment, but Harry didn't take it offensively. But he didn't smile either. "Everyone, I'd like to welcome Ms. Makoto Kino from Japan."

Hotaru did a double take as she saw Makoto stand up, bow, and sit back down again. What was Makoto doing here? She was supposed to be back "home", protecting the princess from all sorts of horrific torture. Makoto locked eyes with Hotaru, a knowing currant of emerald sea flowing through her eyes. Hotaru's own violet orbs narrowed suspiciously.

The feast had begun, and Hotaru returned to her conversation with the handsome black-haired, blue-eyed boy from before.

"I'm sorry, but what's your name?" she asked, knowing who he could be already.

The name came as no surprise: Blaise Zabini. He looked identical to his father, though a little more good-looking. Same coal-black hair, same sparkling-blue eyes, and same olive complexion. He had his mother's perfect lips, however. It was a good thing, Hotaru thought. His father had no lips at all it seemed like. Hotaru realised that he turned out to be very intelligent too. He didn't once mention that he had dark parentage.

"So, what classes do you take?" Hotaru asked conversationally.

Blaise seemed to think about them as he swallowed some chicken. "Arithmancy, Advanced Potions, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Astronomy, Herbology, Ancient Runes, and History of Magic. And you?"

Hotaru tried to remember as accurately as she could. "Well, I've already completed my training in Arithmancy, Potions, History of Magic, Divination, and Herbology. However, I'm taking Advanced Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy, Mythology, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination (again), and Ancient Runes. So, it looks as if we'll be in a lot of the same classes."

Blaise smiled charmingly. "Looks that way."

Hotaru felt several gazes prickling the back of her neck. She turned inconspicuously towards the teachers. She saw Severus Snape lock eyes with her, but he said nothing. He continued to eat his meal. Hotaru's gaze then swiftly caught the eyes of Makoto Kino. Once again, Hotaru narrowed her eyes in suspicion. However, she turned abruptly and caught Harry Potter staring idly at her. She smirked inwardly.

"Will you excuse me, Zabini-san?" she asked. But before waiting for his answer, Hotaru took the napkin from her lap and put it on the table, stood up, and walked over to the Gryffindor table.

As Hotaru neared, she saw that Harry had adverted his attention to his friends and had engaged in a quick conversation with them. That didn't deter Hotaru, and she tapped him gently on his shoulder.

Harry didn't seem startled at all, and turned slowly. He came face-to-face with Hotaru Tomoe, looking rather curious.

"May I help you?" he asked, taking on the normal tone he used with all Slytherins.

Hotaru crossed her arms, but stood perfectly still. "I'd like to ask you the same. What's your name?" she asked quickly after her statement, so that Harry could be caught off-guard.

Harry blinked. "U-um...Harry Potter. And this is...Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley," he introduced.

Hotaru's eyes didn't even wander towards Hermione or Ron, but kept locked with Harry's. "Charmed," she murmured. "And you're a Gryffindor, no less. Can't say that I'm at all surprised."

"Have you been living under a rock or something? Everyone knows that Harry is a Gryffindor!" Ron said, exasperated.

This time, Hotaru's violet gaze locked with Ron's brown, sparkling with violet electricity and flames. "For your information, I have been living in a secluded life, studying for hours upon hours about magic and such. The only other activities I have participated in are eating, sleeping, and flying."

Ron stuffed mashed potatoes in his mouth and said something that only half-resembled, "Well that explains the lack of personality."

Hotaru glared menacingly at him, mercilessly trying to stab every inch of his body with enormous swords--mentally, of course. She shook her head and returned to looking at Harry, staring him directly in his eyes. "Tell me, why is it that the Boy-Who-Lived hangs around with..." As Hotaru searched for the appropriate word, she looked at his two best friends disdainfully. "...a crowd that is rather low on the totem pole? A Mudblood and a Weasley...really, you ought to pick your friends better."

"That's enough," said a firm voice behind Hotaru.

"Is it?" Hotaru asked, not even bothering to turn around to see Makoto standing behind her, glaring. Harry had stood up, ready to yell her ear off. Hotaru smirked at Harry. "I'll be seeing you, Potter-san."

As Hotaru walked off, Harry watched her with a look of complete distaste on his face. "Slytherins," he muttered. "They're all alike."

Makoto's own eyes narrowed.

When Hotaru returned to her table, she was met with some curious looks from her fellow Slytherins. "What was that all about?" Blaise asked her, quite shocked.

Hotaru sipped at her pumpkin juice. "Potter was staring at me. Then, I decided I should ask why he is friends with a Mudblood and a Weasley. Before he could rise to my bait, that damned professor got in my way," she replied rather calmly. It was almost unsettling.

Blaise casually stirred his soup. "You know, it doesn't help in the long run to go and make enemies with such important people," he said cryptically.

Hotaru looked at him, as if saying, "So you do know?"

Blaise returned the look.

Hotaru smirked, took a long drink from her pumpkin juice, and said: "It'll all work out in the end, I assure you. I've been making friends for a long time."

Shortly after their encounter, Harry and Hotaru went with their houses to the common rooms. Hotaru caught Harry staring at her with a mix of curiosity and utter revulsion. She smiled and waved, just to spite him. Harry nearly snarled and hurried off.

-

In the Slytherin Common Room that night, Hotaru sat alone with a rather boring book on the War of 1340 which involved an army of trolls, an army of dwarves, and an argument over a gold sword. With a furrowed brow, Hotaru closed the book and brought out her parchment and quill. She dipped the quill in the ink and wrote on her parchment: In conclusion, the War of 1340 was an outright idiotic battle over a golden sword which, in fact, had no value whatsoever. Rune scientists now believe that the sword, which was supposedly made out of real gold, was in fact made of steel and gold-plated paint. And all of this bloodshed could have been avoided if they had just been smart enough to concoct a Detection Potion and a Metal Classification Serum. But it has been proven that while they succeed in brute strength, dwarves and trolls are known for incredible stupidity.

With a sigh, she let the ink dry and rolled the parchment up, tied it with a black ribbon, and stuck it in her schoolbag. She took out another tome and flipped to the middle where her bookmark had been placed. This was a more enthralling novel, filled with fantasy and adventure. She had always enjoyed such books. However, she still heard the whispers around the room.

"I swear, it's her! Just look! She looks exactly like what my parents described!"

"Oh, you're hallucinating. Surely the Dark Lord wouldn't send her here! She's most likely off in some daring adventure, killing a bunch of Aurors or something."

"Then how do you explain her name? My mum told me that her name was Hotaru Tomoe."

"Maybe we should just ask her."

"Are you insane? Remember what I told you? Ruthless and cruel--raised by the Dark Lord himself. She'll kill us for even mentioning it."

"Oh no, I think she heard us. She's looking this way."

"Not just looking...coming.... Act natural!"

Hotaru stopped in front of the group of gossiping Slytherins. Two were boys, three were girls. Of course, she recognised each of them at once. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, and Erica Kinsley--all children of Death Eaters. "It'd be wise not to whisper about me behind my back. Especially if you are discussing my identity. The walls do have ears you know. And not all of your fellow housemates have your ideals." With that said, Hotaru walked all the way to the other side of the common room where she could read her book in peace. However, Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy sat near her. Blaise on the same sofa, and Draco on a very comfortable-looking chair.

"Pretty thick, aren't they? Sometimes I wonder how in the world they even got into Slytherin," said Blaise, referring to the group whispering about Hotaru--who had resumed their whispering.

Draco smirked. "Usually, I'd go over there and join them. You know, captivate them with rumours of your supposed adventures. But I decided that I'd rather hear it from the horse's mouth."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "You are too much like your father, you know that? Always meddling in things that really aren't any of your business to begin with. I suppose the saying is true. 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'" She book marked her book again, realising that she wasn't going to get any peace while still in the common room.

Draco seemed to take that as an extreme compliment. "Why, thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment, you dolt. I don't like your father in the least. He's a completely despicable man. But somehow, I can't seem to gather enough strength to get rid of the bloke either. It's strange."

Draco snarled. "You obviously hardly know my father!"

Hotaru's eyes didn't even flash with temper. Draco would most likely be very mild compared to an upset Lucius. "I've known your father for my entire life. Of course, he's never told you about me. I wouldn't expect him to. But he's told me all about you--how unforgivably loud-mouthed you are. You might as well tell the entire world what your father is. Lord knows you've told at least half of the school. Bragging about it like it's something to boast of.... You sicken me." That being said, Hotaru grabbed her book and walked out of the room with a smile on her face. You're welcome, Narcissa-chan.

Draco and Blaise just stared after her. "What does she know anyway?" asked Draco, fuming. "I'll bet she just made everything up."

Blaise raised his eyebrows. "She's right, Draco. You do go around boasting of your father. Maybe you should try not telling everyone the intimate details of your life, hm?"

Draco glared and grumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Blaise chuckled lightly before getting up, patting Draco on the shoulder in a friendly manner, and retreating to his dormitory.

-

Hermione let out a sigh that always alerted Ron and Harry to her thinking on something extra hard.

Harry looked up from the chessboard. "What?" he asked before she had to do it again to get their attention.

Hermione put down her book and cradled her chin in the palm of one hand, resting on the arm of the chair. "I find it rather peculiar that Tomoe attacked us indirectly before she even knew who we were. How did she know that I was Muggle-born?" she asked, not daring to use the word Hotaru had. "I mean, it's not as if my name gave it away. There could be a wizarding family with the surname of 'Granger' somewhere in the world. And I don't think the word 'Muggle-born' is written on my forehead with a permanent marker."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe one of the other Slytherins told her."

"Perhaps. However, there's another thing that bothers me. Why did she go out of her way just to tell you that your friend-choosing habits aren't very good? She could've gone up to any other Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff and done the same. But she chose you."

Ron sighed. "Well he is Harry Potter, after all. And who knows? Maybe she's got a long-standing friendship with Draco Malfoy and she's just been itching to have a few words with our Harry? Give it a rest, Hermione."

"All right, but I have a final question."

Harry and Ron both looked at Hermione, curious but all the same frustrated. "Yes?" they asked in unison.

"Didn't it seem to you as if Professor Kino and Tomoe knew each other?"

-

Makoto Kino stood in front of a door that led to the Potions classroom. She seemed to think upon something before deciding to finally knock on the door. It wasn't very confident, however, and almost hesitant.

"Who is it?" drawled the Potions Master.

"Makoto Kino," replied the Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor.

"Come in."

Makoto walked in and was immediately hit with a strong scent of Veritaserum. "Veritaserum? What for?"

Snape looked up from his potion, regarded her with a hard stare, and looked back down at his work. "That isn't any of your business, Ms. Kino. Now what is it that you want? It had better be damned important. I'm very busy."

Makoto nodded and walked over to the side of the table opposite to him. "It's about the new transfer student, Hotaru Tomoe. I was wondering if you sensed something amiss with her...or if you perhaps know anything about her...know her even?"

"What would make you think that I would know anything about her, Ms. Kino?" he asked carefully.

Makoto shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. But did you notice something a little off about her?"

Snape sighed in frustration, realising quickly that he wasn't going to be able to complete his work at that moment. He put down his quill and looked at her. "As a matter of fact, she did set off a few red flags. Why is it important? A lot of students in this school set off red flags in my mind...like Potter for example."

"Oh yeah, Harry Potter's a real bad egg..." Makoto said sarcastically, in which Snape sneered in reply. "Anyway, I just wanted to confer with you. She is in your house after all. Could you do me a favour, though? Could you keep your ears and eyes open for anything unusual that has anything to do with her? I'd greatly appreciate it."

Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And why is this so important to you?"

Makoto remained silent for a moment. "Because...well, not to sound like Trelawny or anything, but the air around her has a very negative charge...she means nothing but trouble. And don't you dare laugh at me. I'm dead serious." She met eyes with the Potions Master for a quick moment before walking off.

However, before she got out the door, Snape said: "You almost speak as if you know her."

Makoto shut the door, closed her eyes, and sighed. "I thought I did," she whispered.

TBC...