Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

4

The next day Eliza finds herself in the great hall and smugly sits down in the seat that used to be Malfoy's, the blonde and his court having been booted down the table as Eliza claimed her place as 'leader of the year group'

Of course first year Slytherin Politics were basically a warm up in comparison to what actually went on inside the house. Each year had its own 'small court' compromised of a leader and the 'best of the best' or a court so to speak, the spot Eliza had just usurped yesterday. From there, there was an underclassmen court and the upperclassmen court. The third year court had an obligation to rule over second and first years usually under direction of the upper year court, the seventh year 'king' or 'queen' who looked after the rest of Slytherin house. It was complicated yes but Eliza couldn't imagine how bored she would be in the one of the other houses without it.

Eliza started loading her plate with strawberries and looked up as someone cleared their throat next to her.

"Excuse me is this seat taken?" a boy with mousy brown hair and startling blue eyes asked beside her. Eliza glanced at him and his friend before shrugging her shoulders elegantly popping a strawberry in her mouth. Taking the reply for what it was the two boys slid into the empty seats next to her.

"I'm Theodore Nott heir to the house of Nott"

"And I'm Blaise Zabini, heir to the house of Zabini it's a pleasure to meet you" the other boy introduced himself with a charming smile on his face. Eliza raised her eyebrows in response waiting calmly for the two to make the first move.

"I'll cut to the chase because you seem like someone who doesn't care for beating around the bush" Nott said to her continuing when Eliza nodded her head in agreement. She enjoyed power plays but not at 8am in the morning when all she wanted was to finish her breakfast.

"We want to ally ourselves with you, it's obvious who has the power here and it's not Malfoy-

"My father will hear about this" Zabini mocked in an almost uncanny imitation of the boy. Eliza felt her lips twitch slightly before she turned back to observing the Nott boy.

"Why should I let you into my court?" Eliza questioned reaching out for another strawberry.

"Why shouldn't you?" Nott instantly responded with a grin.

"That's not the most encouraging response" Eliza commented drily. She wouldn't bother with most people, dull and irritating sheep, but these two seemed different. Eliza's instinct was screaming at her to keep these two around and so far her instinct had never led her wrong. It was rare Eliza found herself acting on a whim but in this case

"Why not? Welcome to the court" Eliza said and felt herself smiling as the other two boys visibly slumped in relief.

"Long May we reign" Zabini tacked on smirking and Eliza laughed before eating her last strawberry.

Long may they reign indeed.

It surprised Eliza how quickly the month of October passed but she supposed between keeping a careful eye on Malfoy and his potential grab for power and trying to read practically every book in the library on top of her actual school work she had been keeping busy.

It wasn't just her unquenchable thirst for knowledge that had been keeping her busy she thought looking to her side at Nott and Zabini, she now had obligations to her court. They weren't much of a court Eliza pondered as professor Flitwick took the register. Right now it was just the three of them but Eliza knew even now they were already a dangerous team. Not only did Nott and Zabini hold a lot of political sway as heirs to influential houses the more she had gotten to know them the more she realised how lucky she had been that they allied themselves with her. Even if she did detest relying on such a notion as luck.