To be a Slytherin

Part 18

"Can you believe that she nearly beat Professor Haugen in Combat Training?"

"I wouldn't dare cross her. She's terrifying."

"That she is."

"Do their whispers not bother you, Heiress?" Ivalio's voice broke Hecate out of her reverie. The girl rolled her eyes at the notion of such a trivial thing bothering her.

"Absolutely not. That is absurd. I don't care what they have to say. People will always talk. At least they are afraid of me. It is better to be feared than to be loved. Unless you can have both."

"I see..." the boy said uncertainly.

***

Classes flew by in a flash. Soon, it was Halloween. Or what would be Halloween in the muggle world. At Durmstrang, and throughout the Wizarding World, it was referred to as Samhain.

Hecate's new parents had done their best to ensure that the girl was prepared for one of the most important holidays in the Wizarding World. Samhain was one of the few days per year that magic went wild, allowing typically weak witches and wizards to be more powerful. It was an unpopular holiday from the light side of magic, but Hecate thought it was quite interesting.

Some rituals dated back centuries that she was just dying to test out. Ritual practices were often considered dark magic, but the heiress thought that was hogwash. Rituals weren't typically light or dark. They were aimed towards opening yourself up to the raw magic in the area.

It was also a good time to reach out to your lost loved ones. Hecate knew that was the Light's main problem with it. She also knew that she would be contacting her dead parents in a private ritual.

All students were exempt from all of their classes, with the exception of combat training. Enemies didn't break for Samhain, so neither would they. Instead of their usual broken-up classes, however, there was just one large group training.

As Hecate approached the training room that they would be using, she heard the sounds of people sparring. Good. That meant that she could burn off some steam. Fighting people had always been a release for her, and that only grew once she had taken over the entire grade of ten-year-olds.

She didn't mind it, though. Fighting was something she enjoyed. Landing a solid punch, hitting someone with a strong hex (they wouldn't learn any curses until the next year, which was indeed a pity), or even just hitting something, in general, made her happy.

Upon entering the room, she immediately took note of Viktor fighting Lokial off to one side. "Come on Varniski, is that the best you've got?" Krum's jeers were obviously getting under the younger boy's skin.

Lokial's punches became sloppier as his rage toward Viktor grew. Hecate could already tell that her partner/mentor was going to win. It was clear as day.

"5...4...3...2...1," she murmured under her breath. As she finished counting, Viktor threw the punch that ended the fight. Lokial fell to the ground defeated. "Well done, Viktor. You did a good job of using your enemy's emotions against them. Heir Varniski, you need to learn to ignore what people say to you while you're fighting. They want to throw you off your game, don't let them."

"Ah, Hecate, it is good to see you. You are looking well this morning," Viktor's words brought a small smile to the girl's face.

"I'm glad you think so. Neither of you looks the worse off from fighting each other," the Heiress replied.

Viktor grinned and threw an arm around Lokial. "Of course we do not fight each other with our full strength. That would be hurtful to both of us."

Hecate smirked. A couple of seconds went by. Ivet, Ivalio, and Connor, who had come from the orphanage, entered the room. "I suggest that we work on strategies against more powerful opponents while we wait for everyone else to arrive."

The three other first years paled as they heard her words. Even Lokial seemed disturbed by the idea. Viktor, however, seemed pleased. "That sounds like great fun, Hecate, shall we try our swords against yours?"

"Indeed, you shall."

A.N. Something you all have been waiting for has finally arrived.... Hecate's schedule! The classes may not be what you expected, but there is reasoning behind all of it. It will be posted at the top of the next chapter, so keep an eye out for updates!