What would happen if there was a slight change in the family tapestry of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black?
Specifically, four years before the birth of a certain Sirius Orion Black III, a little baby girl was welcomed into the world.
She wa...
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-------------------> LYRA HATED RETURNING TO SCHOOL after Easter break for multiple reasons.
A few of them were rather silly, such as the fact that she didn't want to leave her dear family and she didn't want to be once again loaded with homework and tests the day upon returning to Hogwarts.
Another reason she detested returning after Easter break this year, was because it meant that she was one step closer to having to write the dreaded O.W.L.S.
Did she mention that she had to get a perfect O in Transfigurations, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, Astronomy because it was useful for learning Potions and Arithmancy, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures in order to have a chance of becoming a healer?
The only subjects that she could have some leniency in would have been Ancient Runes and History of Magic, if not for the fact that her darling father had a Mastery in Ancient Runes and was expecting his beloved daughter to do well in the subject that he was so fond of, and she wouldn't dare get anything but an O in History of Magic because she feared that Lucius would never let her hear the end of it.
She also had to tutor many, many students; most of whom she doubted would get anything more than an lesser E even if Merlin himself blessed them with wisdom and knowledge.
Excluding anything related to studying and O.W.L.S, she also had her Silver Slytherin Queen duties to follow.
Typically, after Easter break was when they would begin training the successors of the Court.
Currently, they had four seventh years who would graduate that year, so they would have to be replaced.
Thankfully, there hadn't been any incompetent members this year, so the rest of the members would be able to stay.
Between the day they returned to Hogwarts after break, to the last academic day of school, the Replacement Members (also called the RM's) would be shadowing the members they were replacing in order to get a feeling of their workload, authority and behaviour.
Lucius and herself had already discussed the RM's during one of their Prefect patrols. The rest of the members of the Slytherin Court had no say in who the RM's were going to be, and this tedious selection process, on paper, rested solely on the shoulders of the King and Queen.
But reality was much different.
Considering that if there was ever a clash of opinions or choices between the Silver ruler and the Green ruler, the Silver ruler is obliged to get his or her way, you could say that the selection process of the RM's along with most other duties rested on the shoulders of the Silver ruler only.
It was during times like these did Lyra's increase for Atlas increase tremendously. It was not easy having the weight of the world on your shoulder, after all. She was exhausted after having the metaphorical meaning of the phrase itself, that she couldn't possibly imagine the literal one.
Anyway, the new Slytherin Court for the next academic year would include:
o.| Lyra Black ~ Silver Ruler (Year Six)
o.| Lucius Malfoy ~ Green Ruler (Year Six)
o.| Narcissa Black ~ Silver Second-in-Command (Year Five)
o.| Theodore Nott ~ Green Second-in-Command (Year Six)
o.| Dennis Yaxley ~ Silver Espionage and Networking (Year Six)
o.| Penelope Rowle ~ Green Espionage and Networking (Year Seven)
o.| Valarie Bulstroad ~ Silver Management and Organising (Year Seven)
o.| Septima Shafiq ~ Green Management and Organising (Year Four)
o.| Nathaniel Crabbe ~ Silver Strength and Muscle (Year Seven)
o.| George Goyle ~ Green Strength and Muscle (Year Seven)
o.| Katherine Fawley ~ Silver Education and Academia (Year Six)
o.| Harold Day ~ Green Education and Academia (Year Six)
o.| Leonard Rowle ~ Silver Sports and Fitness (Year Five)
o.| Patrick Parkinson ~ Green Sports and Fitness (Year Seven)
This meant that Narcissa would have to shadow Bellatrix while at the same time, Valarie would have to shadow Narcissa and Katherine would have to shadow Valarie.
Septima would have to shadow Cassandra Greengrass, Leonard Rowle would have to shadow Jonathan Flint while Patrick Parkinson would have to shadow Henry Flint and Harold Day would have to shadow Patrick.
It was confusing and a little hard, but this system had been working since the days of the founders, and it would continue to work long after they had turned to ashes and dust.
Lyra would gladly repeat the fact that the time after Easter break was truly horrid.
But-
There was one thing that she and all her fellow students eagerly awaited with anticipated glee.
Lyra loved traditions. Especially when they were fun, and this one certainly was.
You see, their esteemed founder, Lord Salazar of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin, was a kind man (no matter what those close-minded, muggle-loving idiots of the other houses said), one who well and truly understood the plea and minds of students like no other.
He realised that for students, facing the exams can be an extremely stressful thing, and so, he deciphered a way for students to release such tensions.
Hundreds of years later, when the concepts of OWLS and NEWTS were introduced, this tradition was both sadly and gladly confined to only those in their fifth years and their seventh years.
This tradition was honestly, the only reason she liked being a fifth-year.
Exactly two weeks after Easter sunday, the large and intimidating portrait of the Great Salazar Slytherin would fly open, revealing a secret passageway that would otherwise throughout the year be sealed with ancient, powerful magic.
Students of all years could enter this passageway and would soon find themself in a large arena that resembled the Roman Colosseum in both shape and structure.
Then, only students facing their OWLS and NEWTS (the fifth and seventh years) would stand inside the battle royale arena.
Fifth years versus Seventh years. Then, the winning year would pair with each other and duel until only two remained, and then those two would duel until a victor had emerged and by then, all their fears, doubts, hesitations, stress and tensions regarding their very important exams would have vanished.
There was just something satisfying about throwing dangerous, bodily-harming illegal curses at somebody in a semi-safe, secret environment that could compare to no other.
