Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

13: what happens in the common stays in the common room I

No one was expecting Eliza Potter, the girl who lived, to be sorted into Slytherin, that was apart from Potter herself. She sat at the end of the table with her head held high, shoulders straight and brushing of Malfoy's murmured insults without batting an eye. She held herself like a pureblood would, she held herself like she's something dangerous.

Theo knew before he had even stepped a foot into Hogwarts that he would always be at Malfoy's beck and call. Sure their fathers were both death eaters but Theo's was in Azkaban which meant Draco 'my father will hear about this' Malfoy had a lot more status than he did. A fact that he resented. But looking down the table at Potter made Theo think some things were going to start shifting. Theo had always been brilliant at chess, he could predict moves, uses strategies and set traps like no other and he thinks that no one is prepared for a player like Potter.

~

The weeks go on, lessons were boring but at least he has Blaise to keep his company. Blaise was also another odd one. He and Theo had always known each other, all purebloods did on some level, but Theo didn't expect to spark such a friendship with the Italian boy. Blaise was loud and charismatic, the exact opposite of Theo's quiet and studious nature but they balanced each other out quite nicely.

It was a nice feeling, finally having a friend.

Aside from Blaise, Potter was the only other form of entertainment he gets these days. She's intelligent, wickedly smart with the magical power to boot. And she also seemed to take great pleasure in mocking Parkinson and Malfoy, a hobby he can get behind. He watched her curiously as she strides away from the quidditch pitch, obviously intending to hole herself back up in the library.

He has the oddest sensation that they were nearing a check mate.

~

That night Potter humiliates Malfoy in front of the entire house, the control she executes was formidable and she has Malfoy lying at her feet with a few basic first year spells.

The next day he and Blaise approached her with offers of an alliance on their lips and a hope to join her court and Theo doesn't think he'll ever meet another person like Eliza Potter ever again. She's certainly one of the most entertaining. It seemed she couldn't resist causing chaos in Snape's classroom and Theo was positive she pretended to be clumsy just so she had an excuse to drop things and create a ruckus. Charms was no different. Her reign of terror didn't end with the wingardium leviosa and Theo found himself subjected to more and more to her ridiculous version of charms practice.

He didn't really mind that much. He was relatively new to this whole friendship thing but he found he quite liked it.

Of course they're still hesitant around each other, she may be a Slytherin but she's still the Girl Who Lived. She had to know where at least Theo stood by now but it still wasn't mentioned. That is until of course Samhain. Potter doesn't know anything about Samhain because of course she doesn't, and a troll is in the dungeons because of course it is and he's the one who's left to explain everything to her because of course he is. But amazingly she doesn't even seem fazed by talk of dark magic or even the dark lord himself.

And then she asks Flint how she could actually perform the Olde Rituals and Theo knew he has never been more right about anything than he had been about Eliza Potter.

That girl doesn't just bend the rules. She changes the game.

~

Blaise never expected to be jumped by a stupid Gryffindor when he walked the castle alone. He walked away with a black eye, a busted lip and a bruised ego and when he stumbled into the common room all he wanted to do was go to sleep. Instead Potter stood up and if Blaise didn't know any better he would say he could see the flames of hell in her eyes when she demanded a name from him.