Snakes and Ladders (Fem!HPxLM) (DISCONTINUED)

Nefelibata

Humanity is a role-modelling mammal. We learn most by observing, imitating, practising, and mastering, as such a character comes so much from what we observe in others. This we can change with our own choices. Who should our role models be? What do we want to see? Who do we want to be more similar to? Whom do we respect the most?

Hyacinth had once observed so much of others in herself that she lost herself in them. In herself, she saw Ron's confidence, Hermione's bookishness, the twin's mischievousness, Neville's love of all things herbology, and Luna's quirky love of the world.

She had concluded that in sitting alone with herself, she couldn't look at herself and see a person she wanted to be ten, twenty, thirty years from now and, as such, decided she needed to carve out a new person from herself. One that was better, stronger than what stood before her now. But in observing that in herself, she also failed to find anything purely hers.

When one is not fed love from a silver spoon, one learns to lick it off of knives, and that was precisely what she had been doing since the moment she could walk. Walking on eggshells to not anger her supposed relatives and accepting Ron and Hermione's selfish brand of friendship because that was all she believed she deserved. 

Hyacinth read over the passage of text in the old tombe she had pulled from the library; "The Wonders of a Witch" Narcissa had taken one glance at it from her vantage point on the wall and gasped in delight.

With her eyes still stuck to the words in the book Hyacinth asked a question that had been on her mind since she saw Narcissa's reaction to the book.

"Why did you gasp when you saw the book?" She asked, finally dragging her eyes away from the subject of her question to look at Narcissa, who sat on a chaise longue, a painted glass of wine in a delicately painted hand. Narcissa looked up from her glass, smiling serenely across her flawlessly painted face. It struck Hyacinth how a magical portrait could work so much like a Horcrux and yet be so different, for a magical portrait needed a piece of the subject's soul to work and yet would only work once the subject had crossed the veil.

"It has been so long since a girl resided within these walls, Hyacinth. Centuries even. I was the first woman ever to set foot in the manor since Lucius' mother died. Abraxas practically forbade it after Medusa's death until Lucius married me, and even then, we had to wait for Abraxas' passing before I moved into the manor. I was still living with my parents the first two years of our marriage." Narcissa rolled her eyes but still spoke of the past with a soft sort of fondness.

"I brought that book with me when I moved in, at last," The last part was said as a sarcastic afterthought that had Hyacinth hiding a giggle behind her hand. "But I was taught the ways of a pureblood witch with that book, as were my sisters, with the aid of an etiquette teacher. Ms Astor was a colossal bitch let me tell you, but.. she did a damn good job" Hyacinth openly laughed now, shocked at the upstanding witch's use of such a frowned-upon word.

Hyacinth thought Narcissa's words for a while before she asked her next question, treading lightly with her words as if approaching an angry bear. Why she was so hesitant, she didn't know; perhaps it had something to do with her upbringing.

"Could you teach me?" came the hesitant question. At Narcissa's questioning look, she elaborated. "Could you teach me the ways of a pureblood witch?" She rushed out an explanation before Narcissa turned her down, failing to notice the soft smile on the painting's face. "I know I'm not a pureblood witch, but I'd like to learn how to be more Pureblood in the eyes of those that don't know me, if that makes sense. People have looked at me all my life, and all they saw was their saviour, something that Dumbledore turned me into. Now I'm no longer that person. I'm Hyacinth Iris Riddle-Snape. I'm no longer Hazel Potter, the wizarding world's saviour, and I want to become something more befitting of my name and my family."

Her words were rushed and clumsy, and Hyacinth cringed slightly, turning her face away and hiding behind her hair. Her eyes snapped back to Narcissa once she heard her soft chuckling.

"I would be honoured, Hyacinth" Narcissa's hands were clutched at the centre of her chest above her heart, and Hyacinth could've sworn she saw Narcissa's eyes swimming with tears.

a/n: It's with a heavy heart that I must talk of Robbie Coltrane's untimely passing. He was and forever will be our Hagrid, someone we grew up watching. He is always going to be a huge part of our childhoods. This chapter is dedicated to him. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones in these difficult times.