Prologue: Late Night Meetings

 1988 

The castle was quiet this late as Orion walked through it on his Prefect rounds. He wondered how he had gotten the badge this year in the first place. He didn't do anything special to get it, sure he did his homework on time, didn't get detention or got points taken away from his house, but still, he wondered why him. As he walked down the hallway looking for students out of bed he wondered why it always had to be so cold in the castle. Shivering slightly he pulled his cloak tighter around him. Of course, Peeves often haunted this floor on late nights like these so the chance of finding anyone was slim. The person to be stupid enough to go up here this late would only be stupid once. Orion studied the paintings as he walked along the hallway. The Lumos from his wand surrounded them in soft light as he passed. Most of them were asleep but some studied him with mild interest as he walked by. However, he was wearing the Prefect badge so none of them said anything.

Then something caught his attention on a windowsill at least two meters above him. Someone was sitting there, covered in a dark-coloured blanket. Orion was sure that it was a person and not a ghost, why would a ghost need a blanket? But how did someone get up there? He brightened the Lumos and walked closer.

"Hello? Students should be in bed now. It's after curfew, you know?" The person turned their head to look down at him in an almost lazy way. Like they hadn't really heard him. Orion knitted his eyebrows together in a frown.

"Didn't you hear me? It's past curfew, what house are you in? I have to take points from your house for catching you. How did you even get up there? Did Peeves put you there?" Of course, it had to be Peeves, this poor student probably got jumped by him and got put up there as a joke and was now unable to get down. Orion was thinking of ways to get the person down when he suddenly heard laughter. It was airy in a sense and at the same time cold like it was the castle itself that laughed. Confused, he looked up and down the hallway before turning his attention back to the windowsill. The light of the moon had shifted and he could see the general shape of what had to be a girl. She had dark hair that flowed over her shoulders and she had removed some of the blanket. It was her that had started to laugh.

"Are you alright up there?" He was getting annoyed now, and the cold was seeping through his cloak which didn't really make matters better. The girl stopped laughing and looked at him with an amused look. Like she knew something he didn't, and it made him even more irritated.

"Yes, I am perfectly fine up here Mr Prefect. I went up here on my own accord, Peeves had nothing to do with it. Well, not this time at least." She giggled a little while she said the last part. Her voice sounded tired like she hadn't slept in a year, Orion noted. It was airy but at the same time cold, just like her laugh. It sounded like the castle was speaking to him through her and it sent chills down his spine.

"Well, you have to go back to your dorm now, like I've been saying it is past curfew. What is your name? I need to put it in the report I give to the teachers after my round." She just gave him a tired smile.

"Tell me Mr Prefect, why would I give you my name when it will only bring me trouble?" Orion could swear that her eyes glinted gold somehow, but the next moment it was gone. He shook his head, she had a point of course. The younger students were easy to scare into telling him, and often they wore some sort of hint about what house they were in. But the older students were a different matter, they knew better. This girl was no exception, she wore nothing from what Orion could see that would reveal her house or age for that matter. The only thing was the blanket which he now could see was a dark green thanks to the light from the moon, however, anyone could own a green blanket. He coughed as he looked up at her.

"Fair point I suppose… So how lucky am I by you just telling me?" She laughed again, then suddenly turned deadly quiet. She looked down the hall to her left in amusement then she looked at him and put a finger up to her lips signalling him to stay quiet. Frowning, he was about to say something when he heard the familiar song that Peeves sang across the hallways. As if on cue Orion froze like a statue. He did not want to deal with Peeves now he was annoying enough normally but at night he became even worse. Part of being a ghost he supposed. Peeves came flying down the hall at a high speed but instead of going straight for him as Orion was expecting he simply ignored him and flew straight past him. Instead, he flew up to the girl on the windowsill laughing maniacally as he usually did.

"Oh, Little Demon! There you are! Learned to get up here by yourself now, heh? Tell me have you seen some students walking around? That silly Professor Snape has scared all of them away from the dungeons. It is so BORING here tonight! So tell me! Seen anyone?" Peeves spun around in the air as he talked and looked at her upside down with the usual wide grin.

"Hello Peeves, sorry I haven't seen anyone come this way. Seems like Mr Prefect has scared them all away as well. Maybe try over at the Ravenclaw Tower? You know they feel so smart when they manage to sneak out unnoticed. Imagine their faces when you catch them." If she was bothered by Peeves she didn't show it, and only looked at him with what could only be described as utter boredom. Like this was something that happened every night.

"AHA! That is an excellent plan Little Demon, I will go over there posthaste! You should not sit for too long, would not want the little King to catch you now, would we? Toodles!" Peeves sang the last part on an annoyingly high note as he started flying towards the Ravenclaw tower, still oblivious to the fact that Orion was standing right there below him.

"You can move again now." Orion looked up at her with confusion evidently on his face as she started to giggle at him.

"What just happened? How did he not see me? Why did he call you a little demon?" She was looking at him now with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

"Seems like you are a curious type Mr Prefect." She smirked at him.

"I could tell you, but only if you pretended to not see me." He scowled back at her. This was getting ridiculous, he should be in bed by now not stand here and be ridiculed by some unknown student in the cold. Sighing, he looked up at her.

"Fine. It's a deal." She looked at him surprised, however, he was sure he saw a gold hint in her eyes again.

"Magic of course." She smiled at him, while Orion scowled back at her.

"Magic? Really?" Sarcasm was clearly dripping from the two words when he spoke.

"Yes, you didn't ask for specifics after all. So magic is the answer." He was sure her eyes were glowing gold at him this time and they looked amused. He let out a huff.

"Very funny… but a deal is a deal I suppose. So I'll leave you alone." However, his thoughts returned to how she was going to get down on her own. She claimed that she had gotten up there by her own accord but he was still sceptic as to how.

"Answer me this then, how will you get down?" She snickered.

"I did say that I got up here on my own right? Don't worry Mr Prefect I am perfectly capable of getting down on my own as well." He studied her for a bit, it did seem like she was telling the truth. He shook his head.

"Very well Miss. I'll be on my way. Good night." He drew his cloak closer around himself and started to walk down the hall towards the dungeons, as he walked past the girl he could hear her saying 'Good night' in a soft voice behind him.

 Breakfast

The Great Hall was bustling with noise from students who were arriving to sit down for breakfast the next morning. As usual, the tables were filled with everything you might desire, from the standard English breakfast staples to a wide selection of cereals. Orion picked at his eggs, he was too busy studying every student that went into the hall that morning. If he was lucky he could spot the girl that he had met the night before. Not that he had a lot to go by as he hadn't really gotten a good look at her face. But he figured that if he at least saw someone similar he could at least make a mental note of what house they were in.

"Heeeyyyyyy, Earth to Silver… Heelloooooo?" A hand was waving in front of his face. He snapped out of what he was doing a second to look to his left, Zacharias Zabini was sitting there with an amused smirk on his face.

"What do you want Zacharias?" He smirked back. His friend hated it when someone called him his full name. The dark boy had said that his mother had cursed him for giving him a name that was so complicated to say. Zacharias' smirk dropped from his face as he huffed.

"What has gotten into you this morning King? You've been studying the door as if it was a fascinating potion." Orion ignored the use of the nickname 'King' as he had gotten used to it by now. He looked at the other side of the table where Cyril Thompson and Septimus Zouch were seated. Both were looking at him with curious expressions. He was unsure if he was going to tell them what had happened last night but as the curiosity switched to worry he decided he didn't have a choice. He leaned closer towards them all and told them in a quiet whisper what had happened. Cyril sat back with a curious expression on his face.

"So you're saying that you found a girl sitting on a windowsill?"

"Aha."

"At least two meters up on the wall?"

"Mhm."

"And somehow she managed to make it so that Peeves didn't spot you?"

"Yup."

"And then you just left her alone?"

"Sounded fair at the time."

"So now you are studying everyone coming through the doors trying to find her so you can do what exactly?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet." Orion studied his friends' faces, they were all looking at him now with fascination and more worry. Zacharias sighed.

"I should have gone with you on your rounds. You have finally lost your marbles, King." Zacharias had been his friend since the first year and looked at himself like the group's bodyguard. However, the dark boy did have immense talents in Defence Against the Dark Arts and mastered the class with ease. Not that the other boys could not protect themselves or that they needed to often for that matter but Zacharias had insisted upon it. Seeing the others had mental strength someone had to take the role of the brute. This was also the reason for him nagging Orion constantly about coming with him on the Prefect rounds. Just to make sure he came back safe and sound. Honourable, sure, but still annoying.

"So what have you got then? What does she look like? I can get one of my informants to look for her perhaps." Septimus said. His sky-blue eyes were shining at the challenge. If you needed to find something or someone you went to Septimus. Already from first grade, he had started building an information network within the school. He had students from every house and grade in it and if Septimus wanted to know something about anyone it would usually take him less than a day to get the information. Orion frowned.

"Dark hair and she might be short? She was sitting so I don't really know, but she looked small up there. Her voice is the most recognisable. It was cold and airy, like the castle itself and… I swear I saw a pair of golden eyes but that must have been my imagination." Looking at Septimus with the frown still on his face he now realised how hard finding someone with that description was going to be and by the look on his friend's faces, they thought the same thing.

"Golden eyes? Not a lot to go on, I suppose, but we would know if someone like that was in Slytherin, so it must be one of the other houses." Septimus took out a little black book from his pocket and started to write something down. Cyril shrugged as he looked around at the different house tables.

"We could also infiltrate the other houses I suppose…" On the other side of the coin, there was Cyril, he was the one you went to if you needed to hide. He carried invisibility potions with him wherever he went and could make a glamour that even some of the teachers had trouble seeing through. He had many looks and many names to go by, but his auburn-coloured hair and ocean-blue eyes were the real him. The four boys sat in silence for the rest of the meal while looking around the Great Hall. Orion could not spot anyone who seemed close to the person he had seen last night, and at this point, he wasn't sure that it was even real. He could have simply dreamt it all. It didn't seem unlikely. A nudge from Zacharias brought him back from his thoughts.

"Time to head to Potions. Won't let Snape wait, heh? Maybe if we are lucky we will spot your girl on the way there." The dark wizard grinned at Orion as he picked up his school bag and went towards the doors. Orion quickly followed, at least potions class could get his mind on something else for a while.

 Potion Class

Orion was surprised to see Gryffindors outside the Potions classroom as they were usually paired up with the Ravenclaws. He looked at Septimus at his left with a raised eyebrow who just shrugged in return. If the dark blond didn't know what was going on this had to be something that had been decided suddenly. Some of the Gryffindor girls had started to wave and giggle in their direction.

"Always the popular one, hm Orion?" Cyril was chuckling at the display. Orion was not stupid and was aware that his looks attracted attention. The white-blond hair and ice-blue eyes stood out among most people which had gotten him popular with girls and boys alike. He was not as frivolous as Zacharias, however, and kept his affairs more tasteful. That was just some of the reason he had been crowned the King of Slytherin back in the third year.

Orion had stood up against some older students who were being an eyesore to the Slytherin house and together with his friends they had managed to teach them a lesson. From then on he was known as the King and respected throughout the school, even the other houses had started to call him King. His close friends had also gotten similar nicknames, Zacharias was the 'Queen', Cyril was the 'Jack' and Septimus had become the 'Ace'. It had annoyed Orion to no end in the beginning but as the years had gone by it had become a habit so now even the four Slytherin boys used the nicknames among themselves.

When he saw who specifically was among the Gryffindor girls who had waved at him, he had to try his best to hide his disgust. Vanessa Burns. Self-crowned Queen of Gryffindor. How she had ended up in that house in the first place was beyond him, she was the vilest person he knew. This coming from the King of the vile house itself. There were rumours going around that she was bullying the younger students into doing her bidding but if it was true or not Orion didn't know. The blond settled on giving her a polite nod in return, this was going to be a long class.

 ~𓅃~

Finally, Professor Snape opened the doors to the classroom and motioned for them to enter and sit down. Orion and Zacharias took a seat in the middle far left, with Cyril and Septimus in front of them. Septimus leaned back on his chair and whispered.

"Seems like Snape is, even more, irritated today than usual." Snape walked stiffly up to his desk and waited for them all to sit. After everyone was seated did he speak up.

"There has been a mishap in this month's lesson plan it seems so as of today the Gryffindors will be having potions with Slytherin instead of the Ravenclaws. Therefore the assignment that you all got last week has been nullified seeing as you cannot finish them with the current partner setup." That explained why the Professor looked annoyed. It was common knowledge that when something didn't go his way it always got him into a fouler mood than usual. The older wizard was looking around the classroom as he spoke. Orion could swear his eyes lingered a little longer on something behind him but didn't dare turn around at that moment in fear of being on the other end of his wrath. Snape let out an annoyed sigh, as he continued.

"Seeing as I did not get notified before the last minute I have not had time to put you into new groups therefore you will be working alone today. Therefore you will be making the Wound-Cleaning Potion. Should be simple enough for the most of you. Now, begin!" The chalkboard behind Snape flipped around with the ingredients list already written down on it and the sound of students writing down what they needed from the cupboard filled the classroom.

"How boring…" Zacharias mumbled next to him before he suddenly tapped Orion on the shoulder.

"Hey, a Gryffindor is sitting behind us. That's a first." The blond looked behind him in confusion. It really was the first time someone other than a Slytherin had sat down behind them. What was more surprising was that it was a girl. Orion studied her in the corner of his eye, her shoulder-length dark brown hair was loose and hanging over her face. From what he could tell her eyes were a dark chocolate brown and it looked like she hadn't slept the night before. He also noted that her hands were covered in band-aids and he could make out what looked like bandages over both her wrists under the cuffs of her shirt. There was something off about this girl and it was gnawing at him for some reason.

"Oh, wow there is a Gryffindor sitting here today, what a surprise!" Cyril was standing next to their desk with ingredients in hand. The girl flinched slightly and looked up at him.

"Ah… I… I can move if I am in the way." Orion froze in his chair, that voice. There was no mistaking it, it was the same voice he had heard last night. Cyril frowned slightly.

"What for? It was just unusual. That is all. But I'm sorry for being rude. I am Cyril Thompson, you probably know me as the 'Jack' of Slytherin house." The auburn-haired wizard smiled sweetly at her and Orion had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Cyril never missed an opportunity to be sweet to a girl. However, he was often more picky than Zacharias or himself. More than once had he commented on how Orion had bothered going out with someone he personally wouldn't. Septimus had found his ingredients to now and had stepped up to their desk to see what was going on.

"Hello, I am Septimus Zouch, the 'Ace' of Slytherin. This is Zacharias Zabini better known as the 'Queen' better not touch him however, there is a high chance he could get you pregnant." That got him a hit on the shoulder from Zacharias which almost made him lose some of the ingredients he was holding. Orion took a deep breath before he turned around fully.

"I am Orion Silver. The 'King' of Slytherin. Nice meeting you and you are?" She looked at them like they all had grown multiple heads each. After a few seconds, Cyril looked at her concerned.

"Miss? Everything alright?"

"Ah! I… I'm sorry, I am Artemis Blackmoore. A pleasure to meet you all. You just took me by surprise by introducing yourselves to me that is all. I guess Slytherins aren't as bad as they say. Ah sorry!" She flushed a little and looked at them apologetically. Septimus laughed.

"Most of us are polite when we need to. Nice meeting you Miss Blackmoore. Let's have a good classroom relationship from now." The dark blond placed one of the jars he was holding on Orion's desk so that he got a hand free. He reached it out for her to shake while he smiled at her. She stared at his hand for a long time until she eventually took it and smiled back at him. Orion was sure now, it was the same voice from yesterday. So this was the girl that had somehow gotten up on that windowsill.

"Right, well it has been a pleasure talking to you but we should get started on the potion…" Artemis gave them all a polite nod as she struggled to get out of her chair. It was evident that she was wounded somewhere as she winced slightly when she got to a standing position. Neither of the boys commented on it as they stepped out of her way. Cyril looked at Orion with a frown and he leaned over his shoulder to whisper to him.

"Sorry King but did you see the bandages on her writs? The way she got up too... could this be a sign of abuse?" The blond shook his head saying he did not know.

"Let's just get the potions started for now." Cyril nodded and went back to his cauldron next to Septimus.

 ~𓅃~

Orion went over to the storage room to find what he needed. It was a simple enough potion to make, even if it was in the advanced section of the book. The blond didn't understand why Snape had picked this potion in particular but then again it might have been the first potion that popped into the Potions Master's head when he had learned that the project they were supposed to do wasn't happening. It mattered little to Orion if they made this or something else. It was at least a helpful potion to have lying around the dorm in case something happened. Going all the way to the Hospital Wing from the dungeons could be a pain. Especially for something so little as a scrape or cut that could be easily healed.

The girl he now knew was called Artemis was still in there trying to reach a jar on one of the higher shelves. Now that they were both standing Orion noted that he had been right in the fact that she was short. At least a head shorter than himself, probably even more. But then again he was one of the taller boys in his year so this didn't really surprise him.

He looked upon the shelf that she was trying to reach and wondered why she just didn't use magic. It would be easy enough just to levitate that jar down. The thought of her being muggleborn struck him as he had heard of them sometimes forgetting that there was magic that could solve problems like this. Without thinking more about it he stood behind her and reached for the jar and held it up in front of her face.

"This is it right?" He had said it in a teasing tone which he could not help. He was a Slytherin after all. She took the jar from him and turned around quickly.

"Y… yes thank you Ki— Mr Silver." He didn't comment on the nickname almost slipping out and simply smirked.

"No problem, you could just have levitated it down you know? You are a witch aren't you?" She mumbled something under her breath that he didn't catch then quickly looked up at him.

"Well if I did that then you tall boys would never save a damsel in distress would you now?" She raised her eyebrow while she grinned at him. "Maybe I simply let you take it down for me so you could show off some of that manliness. Or maybe I was testing to see if the King of Slytherin is the perfect gentleman that everyone keeps saying." Her eyes were full of mischief now like they were challenging him. He also noted that she had not stepped away from him and was still standing right in front of him back turned to the shelves. Yes, definitely a challenge. Before he got to say anything else, however, the sound of someone clearing their throat filled the storage room. Orion looked towards the entrance and tried his best not to scowl. Vanessa Burns was standing in the doorframe looking at them with an indescribable expression on her face.

"Oh my! I am not interrupting something am I?" Her voice was sickly sweet, like thick syrup on a pancake at breakfast. It made him sick. He took a step away from Artemis as he smiled sweetly back at Burns.

"Oh no of course not, simply chatting about ingredients to use right Miss Blackmoore?" Artemis didn't answer him and simply stared at Burns with a look that screamed of fear. It was like she had been caught stealing from Gringotts with the evidence clearly in her hands. Orion was about to ask her if something was wrong when she simply ran past Burns and back into the classroom.

"My word! This rude girl!" Burns frowned while she was looking in Artemis' direction.

"I have to apologise for Artemis' sake, my King. She can be quite rude at times. I hope she didn't insult you in any way?" There it was again, that sickly sweet voice. The blond hated it more for every word that came out of the woman's mouth.

"No, not at all, if you'll excuse me I have to get back to my seat." Before he moved he simply Accioed everything he needed then put up his best full-blood smile and walked past her to the classroom. He looked for Artemis and saw her back at her desk, already working on her potion. Cyril was looking at him with a question on his face. He walked over to them casually while casting a wandless Muffliato.

 ~𓅃~

"Ace, dig up some info on Vanessa Burns, there is something not right here." Septimus turned around in his chair to look at Orion as he sat down.

"So you believe it is abuse after all?" Orion nodded.

"When Burns came into the storage room she looked terrified. The Gryffindors are hiding something, look around you. They are all clustered together, Blackmoore is the only one sitting on this side of the classroom. It's like they are keeping their distance." The dark blond swept the classroom and took out his little black book again. Carefully, he put it next to his potion notes and started to write something down. Every few seconds he looked up to watch out for Snape. Cyril had turned around now too and was frowning.

"You are right. She would rather be in the snake pit than the lions' den…" Zacharias next to him shook his head in disbelief.

"Why though? I thought Gryffindors stayed together. Loyalty and all that." Orion gave him a shrug in return. It was the same question that was nagging him as well.

The boys studied their surroundings while they worked on the potions, making mental notes about how the Gryffindors behaved. Snape walked rounds around the classroom as per usual. He went passed the Slytherin boys and stopped at Artemis' table. Orion had his ears peeled for what was being said just in case.

"Miss Blackmoore, good job as always. Good to see at least one Gryffindor are not completely incompetent." Orion peeked over his shoulder at her potion curiously, it did indeed look like it was the perfect colour. He noticed that Snape was frowning at something nonetheless.

"Miss Blackmoore, what did you do to your hands this time? Clumsiness only goes so far…" So the Professor had noticed, and from what it sounded this wasn't the first time she had come to class this way.

"Oh… um… I… I was helping a friend in the greenhouse Sir, you know some of those plants can be vicious." Something caught the blond's eye then. Burns was looking directly at Artemis while she was talking to Snape, and the blond-haired Gryffindor was casually waving her wand in front of her face. Obviously, in a threatening manner. He reached in front of him and touched Cyril on the shoulder and when the auburn-haired wizard turned around he simply motioned over to Burns. Cyril looked over with the corner of his eye and frowned, he then whispered something in Septimus' ear. Zacharias had also noticed as he tapped two fingers on the desk, a sign they had that meant that he understood the situation. After Snape had gotten to the other side of the room and was occupied with someone else Zacharias turned around and smiled at Artemis.

"That must be the first time I've heard anyone get a compliment from Snape, you a potion genius or something? What grade are ya getting?" Artemis was blushing and didn't answer. Zacharias grinned wide.

"Aw, she is blushing! Look, King! The Gryffindor is blushing!" Orion just looked at Zacharias with a glint in his eye, time to put on a show. He sighed loudly.

"Zacharias don't be rude to the girl. You have no business about her grade. Especially when you yourself are failing miserably." He heard Artemis chuckling softly behind him.

"Hey! I am not failing! I am getting an Acceptable you know." Orion smirked.

"Aha, so a Dreadful then? You know maybe if you ask nicely Miss Blackmoore can tutor you, hm? Imagine, asking a Gryffindor for help. You are supposed to be the 'Queen' of Slytherin you know." Orion tried his best not to laugh at Zacharias' face. They had played this game many times over their seven years in school and it was always too much fun not to tease Zacharias when Orion got the chance. Besides if Zacharias got insulted for real, it made for a much better performance. He heard laughter behind him and looked over his shoulder. Artemis was trying hard not to laugh out loud but some sound was escaping anyway. It was like it was a different person laughing compared to the night before. This laugh was more bubbly and easily contagious, he couldn't help himself and started to laugh himself.

"It's not that funny..." Zacharias mumbled next to him but Orion saw that he had a glint of humour in his eye.

"It seems the Lady found the thought of teaching you to humorous it seems Zacharias. You better try harder hm?" Zacharias just rolled his eyes. Orion turned to Artemis who had stopped laughing.

"I am sorry for my friend's behaviour, sometimes he has a hard time remembering his manners. A bad trait for a Full blood really. It's good he has his looks or he would not be as popular as he is." He patted Zacharias on the shoulder to try and raise a reaction but all he got this time was a huff. He smiled at Artemis who smiled back at him. He looked at her potion: it was a clear purple and looked to be the correct consistency.

"But I have to agree with him, it is impressive to get a compliment from Snape. Your potion looks perfectly made. Congratulations." She was blushing again at the compliment and shook her head.

"Thank you, Mr Silver. But I am not even near your level in potions. I know you are one of the best in the subjects in the school. So a compliment from you means a lot as well. So thank you again. Oh and Mr Zabini?" Zacharias turned around confused at the mention of his name.

"Huh? Yes?" Artemis smiled at him.

"My grade is E and I don't think I have the time to tutor you I am afraid, but seeing as one of your friends is the best one in the class you should probably ask him nicely hm?" For the first time in his life, he got to see Zacharias speechless, he just sat there blinking owlishly at her until snapping out of it and turning around while mumbling something incoherent. The sight sent Orion over the edge and he could not control his laughter anymore. The whole class was turning over to look at him and wondering what happened. Snape frowned at him.

"Mr Silver, what could possibly be so funny? Quiet down please." Orion was trying to catch his breath.

"I… I'm sorry, Sir. I'll be quiet Sir." He was still snickering but Snape must have accepted it since he didn't comment more on it.

A loud explosion was suddenly set off from the other side of the room. Orion looked up quickly to take a look at who it was that had blown their cauldron up and then grinned when he saw who it was. Seems like Burns didn't really have any talent in potions. Snape was over there in the blink of an eye and vanished the content of the cauldron. He did not look surprised, so this seemed to be a recurring thing.

"Miss Burns. Care to tell me how you managed to make this into a disaster this time? Who are at fault this time? A ghost perhaps?" His eyebrow was raised and he was not amused in the slightest. The whole class was looking at them holding their breath to what she had to say.

"Professor Snape, I swear I was doing everything correctly! I was following the book exactly as it says, Sir! Here, look!" She turned his book to him in a desperate attempt to redeem herself. Snape looked even more disappointed if that even was possible and sighed.

"Miss Burns, you do have eyes do you not? This-" He pointed to the book. "Is not the right page." She looked panic-stricken, and then her eyes turned hard as stone and looked straight at where Artemis was sitting.

"It was her, Professor!" Orion looked over at Artemis, she was sitting still like a statue and just stared in front of her. She did not confirm or deny what was being said against her. He frowned at Burns.

"Sorry Miss Burns but I can assure you that Miss Blackmoore has been at her desk the entire time during class. You must have turned the page at one point and not turned it back again." Snape watched the exchange between the two students in silence. The air in the classroom was so thick you would have to use a cutting charm to get through it. Orion was looking at Burns with disdain, this really did confirm his suspicions. Blackmoore really was a target for Burns bullying it seemed, why she would put the blame on her when she herself was on the other side of the classroom was totally ridiculous in Orion's mind. In the end, Snape let out an annoyed huff.

"10 points from Gryffindor for yet again, ruining a cauldron. I will tell your Head of House about this Miss Burns. Again. Everyone else sample your potions and give them at the front, you are free to go after that." Snape turned around and returned to sit at his desk waiting for everyone to deliver their potions. Orion started to bottle up his own when he heard some Gryffindors whispering as they walked by him.

"Blackmoore is never gonna get away with this right? Vanessa will have her head this time as well. I almost feel sorry for the girl at this point."

"Shhhhh! Do you want Vanessa to hear you? She will get you to you know!" He didn't hear any more than that, but that was all he really needed to hear. His magic felt like it was going to burst through his core and blood was boiling in his veins. He was wondering why he was reacting so strongly to this, strictly speaking, he didn't even know Blackmoore. Of course, bullying was struck hard upon in the Slytherin house, he was strongly against it. But that was his own house and people he got to know. Blackmoore was a stranger. Zacharias put his hand on his shoulder, he had heard the whispering himself.

"Your magic is crackling around you Orion, calm down a bit, take a breath yeah?" Orion took a deep breath and calmed down slightly. Cyril was looking at him with worried eyes.

"It's not like you to react like this King." Orion shook his head.

"Don't look at me like that. You are just as worried yourself. I can tell Jack." Cyril just scowled at him.

The classroom was emptying now as people were delivering their potions to Snape's desk. Artemis walked passed them hurriedly and placed her potion vial on the Professor's desk. He studied it carefully then nodded. Surprisingly he gave her the vial back and told her something that the boys could not hear, she nodded and turned around to leave. As she passed the boys she smiled politely to them and left without saying anything.

"Are you four just going to stand there or are you going to give me your finished products to grade?" Snape was looking at them with annoyance as he had looked all day. The cauldron blowing up didn't seem to help his mood.

"Sorry Professor, right away." Septimus took their vials and placed them on the teacher's desk with a smile. Snape only grunted and studied the potions in front of him.

"They all look fine, you are dismissed." He waved his hand at them all.

Orion bit his lip in frustration and he wondered if Snape knew something about Artemis' situation. This was the perfect time to ask him seeing it was a little while to their next class. He motioned to his friends to go ahead of him and they all nodded in understanding and then left. The blond walked over to where Snape was seated.

"Professor? I have a question, Sir." Snape looked up at him with little interest.

"What can I help you with, Mr Silver?" Orion took a deep breath.

"Sir, are you aware that Miss Blackmoore is most likely getting bullied by Miss Burns?" Snape's face did not show any emotions so if he was surprised he did not show it. He simply leaned back in his chair and studied him.

"That is a serious accusation, Mr Silver. Do you have any proof of this?"

"The bandages on her fingers and on her wrists Sir, they are clear abuse signs and she seemed downright terrified of Burns. Plus the fact that Burns was quick to try and put the blame on Miss Blackmoore and all the rumours of Burns-" Snape held up his hand in the air to stop him.

"I am sorry Mr Silver but this is not proof. Miss Blackmoore is a clumsy girl, she gets cuts and scrapes all the time. Believe me, this is not the first time she looks like that. Now, if she looked 'Terrified' or not I do not know but that on its own is probably you just making a mistake. Lastly, the rumours you are referring to are certainly fake, Miss Burns is not doing any of the sorts. I have personally asked Professor McGonagall about this myself and she has denied all the rumours. So, Mr Silver, I can assure you that nothing is going on of that sort of nature." He looked at Orion with a strict look. It was no use to discuss with the Professor on the matter.

"However, if you were to find evidence of a student being bullied please come to me with it and I will take it to the Headmaster." Orion looked at his teacher puzzled before he understood. Snape was telling him what he knew of the matter, not necessarily that what Orion said was wrong. This was Hogwarts after all and the walls had ears. He nodded.

"Understood Sir. I apologise for accusing someone without evidence. I'll take my leave." He turned around and walked out of the classroom. His friends were waiting outside patiently.

"So? What did he say?" Orion ignored Zacharias' question and looked at Septimus.

"Ace, I need you to get your network to dig up information on Burns and Blackmoore. Snape more or less confirmed that something is amiss in his own way." Septimus nodded.

"I'm on it." He waved them goodbye and walked towards the stairs that led out of the dungeons. They still had time before their next class and Orion decided to go back to the common room and think. Thoughts of what had happened in class and the night before were swimming in his head and he could feel a headache coming.

 Divination

Orion was sitting in the back of the divination classroom and thankful that the class was close to ending, Professor Trelawney was teaching the students about tea leaves readings for what felt like the 20th time this week alone. On the count that the Runes study was too full, some students had been forced to take Divination instead, sadly Orion was one of them. Zacharias had been laughing all the way down the hall after they split their ways on the day the classes had been set. After some classes and getting used to Trelawney's ramblings, however, the class itself was fascinating in its own right, not that he was ever going to let anyone know that.

"Well, the class is sadly over dearies! I will see you all next week and remember to practise tea leaves readings for next time!" Professor Trelawney was looking at all the students and waving goodbye to each of them as they passed her out the door as she usually did but as Orion was passing the Professor he was suddenly stopped by her grabbing his shoulder tightly and turning him towards her.

"A monster is calling for help in the dark! Blood will be spilt if nothing is done to help the creature to the light. It will rip and tear through flesh if it does not find its way back home! It needs light!" Trelawney's eyes were unusually big behind her glasses and her voice didn't sound like it belonged to her at all. She was gripping his shoulder tightly, but as soon as she was done speaking she let go and stood there looking at him confused.

"Oh hello, Mr Silver! Did you need something?" Orion quickly replaced his surprised expression with a neutral one and shook his head.

"No Professor I was just saying goodbye, thank you for an interesting class." She gave him a big smile and waved him out the door.

"Oh thank you, dear! See you next week." He nodded in response and went out the door.

The second the door was closed his mind started to go into overdrive. That was clearly a prediction of some kind, but what it meant the blond wasn't sure of. He started to think of the different magical creatures they had been taught of but a type that needed help to get out of the dark didn't trigger his memory.

Suddenly the memory of Peeves calling Blackmoore the 'Little Demon' came popping into his head. He thought it was a strange thing to be called that night but had forgotten about it. However, if there was a connection Orion had to investigate it. He looked at his clock, it was almost time for dinner. If something were to happen before a meal nobody would find her for maybe hours and if they were too late. He bit the inside of his cheek and wondered where he should start looking. Finding somewhere dark at Hogwarts was not hard, the hard part was finding the correct spot. Then again there was no telling when this prophecy was even happening, it could happen in a few minutes or a few months. That was always the hard part about fortune telling, time was irrelevant. Orion set off in a full sprint down the stairs of the tower, he needed to find his friends and tell them what had happened. Hopefully, Septimus had some information to share at dinner.

 ~𓅃~

When the blond entered the Great Hall he scanned the Gryffindor table but there we no sign of Artemis anywhere. Burns and her normal posse of girls were also nowhere to be seen.

"Shit." He walked quickly over to his own table and spotted Zacharias right away.

"Hey mate what took you so long? Why are you breathing so hard, did you run all the way here?" Zacharias looked at him like he had grown another head.

"Listen something might be happening soon." Orion told what Trelawney had told him on the way out of the classroom after sitting down.

"Bloody hell… yeah we need to find them. Cyril and Septimus should be here soon, I hope." The dark wizard looked over to the door, and as it was commanded both boys walked in. Orion waved at them to come to the table and sit down.

"Hey, King what is going on you are all out of breath?" Cyril tilted his head to the side with a confused look. Orion quickly explained what was happening.

"That is indeed not good news. I'll get some of my investigators to run around and start asking questions." Septimus looked down the table and waved at a second-year sitting further down the table. The boy quickly got out of his seat and ran over.

"You wanted to see me, Ace?" The boy stood with big round eyes patiently waiting for his task.

"Yes, you need to ask around after a Gryffindor girl that is missing. Try to pry some information from the Gryffindors especially. If they are not willing to answer ask the Hufflepuffs. Her name is Blackmoore. Take some of the other guys with you. You have until dinner is done. Understood?" The boy nodded so hard that his head almost seemed to fall off.

"Got it!" He ran back to where he was sitting previously and talked to a group of boys sitting around. They all got up, and while some ran out of the hall some ran over to the Gryffindor table and started asking around. Septimus took out his wand and cast a Muffliato, you never knew who could be listening in on them.

"Right, I found out some rather chilling facts about Miss Burns. Seems the rumours about her are indeed true. The whole of Gryffindor's house is her little made-up kingdom it seems. The younger students are frightened into doing her bidding by threats of being beaten up or thrown out of school for crimes they did not commit. Of course, Miss Burns does not do this herself so her hands are kept clean. The one doing the dirty work is none other than Samuel MacCasfield, the Gryffindor quidditch team beater. Fitting, in a macabre way." Orion had some meetings with MacCasfield in the past. He looked to the Slytherin house as his personal enemies and played especially rough against them on the field. He had sent Slytherin players to the hospital wing on more than one occasion. Cyril was included as he was on the team for a few years.

"Why is no one doing anything? Someone must have reported this to a teacher!" Zacharias asked shocked. Septimus looked over to the teacher's table and leaned closer to the others.

"That is where Miss Blackmoore comes in. She reported to Professor McGonagall what was happening but she ignored her. Saying she was lying and just gave her detention for spreading false rumours. Miss Burns is now making her pay for it. According to some of the students that were questioned she is beaten regularly but she never fights back." The boys looked at Septimus in shock.

"She just takes it? Bloody hell, why?" Cyril stabbed his potatoes with his fork in frustration while Septimus looked defeated for a second.

"Nobody knows why. However one of my interrogators found out that she is rarely seen using magic outside of classes. She does everything by hand it seems. Something that is weird even for a muggleborn." Orion thought back to when he had seen her try and take down the jar from the high shelf without magic.

"It also seems that we were correct that they are all ignoring her, some even seem scared of her." Septimus continued. "The peculiar thing is that none could answer why they were scared of her, a lot doesn't make sense with this girl it seems." Zacharias held up his hand like a student waiting his turn to say something, Septimus looked at him.

"Backtrack there, Ace. You said that McGonagall just gave her detention for spreading false rumours? Why in Salazar's name didn't she do something? I mean if we went to Snape with all that info he would surely crack down on it immediately. Any teacher would! Right?" He looked confused at his friends. Septimus sighed.

"Apparently Miss Burns's father works high up in the Ministry. So he must have some sort of power of the Gryffindor Head of House." Orion's glass of water suddenly shattered in front of him. The other boys jumped in surprise and looked at him with wide eyes. After a few seconds of silence passed Cyril patted his shoulder while he took out his wand and cast a quick Reparo. As in slow motion, the pieces that were lying across the table made their way to each other. They collected themselves and melted together until a perfect glass was standing in front of the blond. A mug soon floated over to it and filled it with water again as if nothing had happened at all. Orion breathed deeply through his nose while he looked up at the teachers' table. His eyes met Professor Snape who looked at him with an eyebrow raised. The blond shook his head and looked back at his friends. Cyril handed him the glass of water without saying a word. After finishing it he placed it carefully down on the table and took another deep breath.

"I'm fine." None of the other boys questioned it even though they all knew that he clearly wasn't. Just then the boys that Septimus had sent out came running towards them, one of them stopped in front of them breathing hard.

"A… Ace… We… we" He took a deep breath. "We found something! Some Hufflepuff kids said that they saw a group of Gryffindors go up to the sixth floor right before dinner. But they don't know what they are doing up there though." Another boy stepped up then.

"They said that it looked like one of the girls they had with them didn't want to go with them! There was this huge boy with them too!" Orion clenched his fists, that had to be them. Septimus smiled at the boys.

"Good work guys as always, we will take it from here." The younger boys smiled wide at the praise they received and sat down at the table to eat something before dinner was over. Septimus looked at Orion.

"Alright, so what is the plan?" Orion stood up from his seat and looked at all of his friends in turn.

"We are going. Now." The blond calmly left the table like everything was normal but the second he was far enough away from the big doors of the Great Hall he started a full sprint towards the moving staircase. He could hear his friends running right behind him as he came to a halt on the stairs. This was one time that he hated the fact that they moved on their own accord. None of the stairs lined up as they should and it felt like it took forever to get to the sixth floor.

 ~𓅃~

Orion's stomach was in knots when they finally reached the landing on the sixth floor. The problem now was to know where to begin searching. But as a blessing, he heard the familiar cackling of Peeves down the hall. That had to mean something.

"What is Peeves doing up here at this hour?" Septimus questioned.

"I don't know but that might be a clue. Let's carefully approach him." The blond motioned the others to follow behind him and if they ended up in trouble the last in line would have time to run for it. He peeked around the first corner, empty. But Peeve's horrible singing could be heard even louder than before so he had to be around the next corner at the end of the hallway. They quietly walked further down the hall when suddenly Peeves showed up right in front of Orion's face making him stumble into Cyril who was right behind him. The ghost cackled in delight.

"Oh lookie here! A royal party of snakes are Slytherin around!" He laughed maniacally at his own joke while spinning around in the air.

"Let me guess you are looking for a little pretty demon riiiiiight?" He dragged out the last word knowingly. How the ghost knew that they were looking for Artemis was beyond Orion but he didn't care. He stood up straight and looked directly at the grinning ghost.

"So what if we are? Have you seen her?" Peeves grinned even wider if that was possible and started laughing again.

"Hmmm have I? Maybe I haven't! Oh, but maybe I don't even know who it is you are looking for. I have been dead for so long my memory slips all the time." Orion frowned, he didn't have time for the ghost's antics.

"So if I went to get the Baron to ask you then you wouldn't know then?" He smirked at the ghost. Peeve's face fell into a slightly scared expression at the mention of the Baron.

"Hmph! Rude boy, no need to get the old Baron up here.. Fine! I have seen her. But do you really want to find her? You might regret it." Peeves were smirking at them with a knowing smile.

"Spit it out Peeves." Orion said between gritted teeth. The ghost did a few spins in the air and simply started to float down the hall beckoning them to follow him. They followed Peeves down a few more hallways and at this point, Orion was unsure of where they even were anymore. Hopefully, Peeves was leading them in the right direction and not just taking them for a ride. The thought had barely crossed his mind before Peeves stopped in mid-air and pointed to a tapestry at the end of the hall.

It was a dead end. His eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

"Peeves what is the meaning of this?" The ghost didn't answer and put his hand over his mouth to show them they had to be quiet. Slowly he floated towards the tapestry and ever so slightly moved it. Orion could just make out a door behind the tapestry as it moved. Of course, a hidden room. Peeves floated silently over so he was right next to Orion's head and whispered in his ear.

"Don't regret it now and don't show fear." The blond was about to ask Peeves what he meant by it but the ghost had already vanished.