9 Lilac and Gooseberry

A few days passed as I grew more familiar with my year-mates. The so-called 'interview' of Slughohrn had been just like Gilbert a Perfect in my Hause described: nothing more than questionnaires and pretests, most of which I was certain I'd failed. The fact that half the questions looked like made-up words only motivated me to learn everything I could, from what I understood from the words of the painting in my dream, my time is limited only to this year to pass his test... Meanwhile, Professor Slughorn never brought up the scuffle between me and my roommates. I wondered if the joyful professor even knew about it.

From what I saw from Draco, he was not someone who would easily forgive and forget.

Astronomy was a Thursday night activity with Professor Sinistra. We studied the night skies and learned the names of the stars and the movements of the planets...To be honest, astronomy didn't attract me that much, it was more tiring and it was very difficult to stay awake and concentrate... because of that I thought when I got back to the bedrooms I would fall asleep quickly... but unfortunately I was knackered when another strange dream of a woman I didn't know appeared in front of me.. she had lots of curly, icy blonde hair, falling in a cascade of curls on the shapely shoulders. Her face was very pale, triangular in shape showing a slightly receded chin...I could even smell a perfume of lilac and gooseberry, coming from her, but unfortunately, I couldn't see her face that well...only those eyes, those violet eyes like orchids... when she saw me she smiled, she started to speak, but I couldn't hear her...I tried, but unfortunately, I didn't have a chance because I woke up...it's like the signal was broken... And so my day began, it was Thursday morning. I tiredly dressed and stared out the open window. I watched the sunrise and then carried my schoolbag, inside was my father's potion book, it had instructions that made making a potion easier, I know that because I tried it back at the mansion.

And so my day began, it was Thursday morning. I got dressed still tired...thinking about the dream I had earlier...I couldn't help but wonder if this will happen often. strange dreams on top of strange dreams, but at least this dream wasn't as bad as the other one...I took my backpack on my back, inside was my father's potion book, it had his methods that made it easier to prepare a potion, I know this because I tried it back at the mansion...and some different books about some subjects that interest me...

Taking a seat in the same corner I had grown to like, I waved to the female selkie who was often in the common room at this time of the morning, I believe she was keeping me company, and I had learned a bit more about the mermaids from a book called, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them a gift I got from my aunt from Flourish and Blotts for my hard work... Selkies weren't as cute as mermaids... sometimes she whistled or hummed a beautiful sound through the window near me. I tried to talk to her, but she didn't seem to understand what I was saying, and I didn't understand her bubbling words either, in time I understood that her name was 'Rah-ee-atria. Even though we couldn't communicate directly, my selkie friend would sometimes bring strange plants or water animals to show me, and in return, I showed her some fantastic illustrations of land flora from my Herbology textbook. It was a very peaceful friendship, which is why I was puzzled that selkies chose to call themselves Beast and not Beings when they were so obviously sentient. Scamander, the author of the book, had not explained why...

Pressing my back to the glass with a hum, I cracked open Magical Draughts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger. I understood that the author had been trying to connect the reader of magical persuasion to familiar subjects, not leave them perplexed. Begrudgingly, I inwardly admitted that Professor Slughohrn's extra reading assignments had come in handy.

In the second chapter, I learned a lot of interesting things like bezoar was a stone harvested from the stomach of a goat that was a powerful antidote to most poisons, something every person should have if you ask me...and so I began to wonder if the passwords until now had been ingredients for potions.

Hearing the screams of the alarms, Rah-ee greeted me and left, apparently she doesn't like to be seen by anyone... I wonder why she likes my company... a question I will ask her when I learn to speak her language...

After a few moments

Many more Slytherins were downstairs by the time the clocks screamed.

"You ready to go, Arthur?" It was Nott.

I packed up my potion book. "Ready when you are," I said

We made it to the Great Hall and sat at the mostly empty Slytherin table. I thought it was because many of the Slytherins were night owls. I poured sugar on my porridge while Theodore helped himself to some eggs and ham on toast. We ate without talking.

The rest of the Slytherins trudged in and took their seats on the bench. And In another fifteen minutes, the Great Hall was packed.

Just then the mail arrived. I had gotten used to this by now, watching the owls circle the tables and drop letters and packages into students' laps.

I haven't received a letter from an owl so far, but today seems to be different an owl flew in and dropped a letter in my lap. It nibbled playfully on my ear and lightly squawked while I read the received Letter.

Dear Arthur

I want to meet you as soon as possible.

When you are ready, say when you have the letter in your hand,

"ostende mihi viam"

Yours sincerely

Iris Black nee Prince

I gave the Owl a bit of toast, so he would stop nipping my ear. I tore off a piece of a scroll and quickly penned a reply. I held it out to the Owl, and he grabbed it with his talons. With a squawk, he flew off to deliver the note.

"Your Aunt? What does the director want to talk to you about?" Nott asked.

Arthur: "Nothing important, just to talk."

"Ah," Nott murmured, slightly puzzled. the other Slytherin didn't ask whatever had piqued his curiosity.

Thursday morning until noon was study time, where first and second-year Slytherins were expected to sit quietly and work on their classwork with a prefect watching over them. When I asked if I could quit because I had finished my homework, Prefect Pitts handed me two very thick scrolls. "From Professor Slughorn," she had said, and my face immediately fell. is this Karma because of what I did to Malfoy and his goons? If it was, it was perhaps the most impersonal form of punishment I had ever received. Usually, the responsible adult would at least confront him first…

"You may spend the rest of the study period in the library," she added, a tad too cheerfully when I lingered too long. "Miss Perks!"

Perks squeaked in surprise.

"Please escort Mr. Prince to the library."

"Yes, Prefect Pitts," the first-year murmured packing her bag.

I suspected that Pitts enjoyed being bossy, which was why she got so cheerful. I gathered my things, ignoring the smirks from Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. They likely knew I was in trouble. I walked out of the classroom.

What I didn't say was that I was rather excited. I had never been to a library before, besides the very small one in the Muggle school that I had gone to before Hogwarts, though that hardly counted.

Soon, Sally-Anne Perks came out of the classroom behind me with a small rolled scroll, her ears were a little pink.

"Did you get into trouble too?"

She blinked at me. "Er, no. I, well." She tucked the scroll under her arm. "My magical tutors apparently didn't teach me everything I needed to know before coming to Hogwarts." Perks cleared her throat, striding confidently down the corridor. "This way."

It wasn't long before we entered the massive room. I was astonished by the general bigness of Hogwarts Library. There were shelves upon shelves of books everywhere. The tall windows on each side provided plenty of light.

A tall woman with a tense face greeted them with a finger over her lips. The library was silently packed with students. Many of them noticed me right away, but hardly let a whisper fall from their lips though they stared.

Only one table was open. There was a Gryffindor with bushy hair who had piles of books around her.

"Hullo, Hermione," I said quietly as I put my things down and took a seat across from her.

"SHHH!" The librarian said clearly from the other side of the room.

Perks shot me a warning look, put her bag down, and opened her scroll.

The Gryffindor smiled at me before going back to her book.

I couldn't help smiling back. I tried breaking the wax seal on the scroll and frowned at it before Perks picked up the other thick scroll and opened it easily.

I frowned more with confusion. She slid a hastily written note over. You have to finish the questions in this one before the other one can be opened, I read, hearing her voice in the words...

"Oh," I breathed out. The outer sheet fell away and a pile of parchment sheets sat in front of me...this is going to take longer than I would like...

Sometime later, By the time I finished the sheet of questions, I looked at the next page.

It listed numerous books and pages to read along with a list of short questions. Recognizing the nonsensical questions from one of the quizzes, I groaned.

I looked beside me but Perks was nowhere to be seen, so I couldn't ask her for help...I sighed.

A note with lovely handwriting dropped in front of me. 'Do you need help?'

I looked up at the Gryffindor. 'Would you mind? I need to find these books.' I wrote back...

After reading the note, Hermione Granger beamed at me and silently held out a hand for the list of titles and authors. Soon we were walking up and down aisles as she pulled off books. "I really should read some of these. They look fascinating," she whispered conspiratorially. Tales of Beedle the Bard and Enchanted Stories, Quidditch through the Ages, and many other books with thin spines were placed in my hands. "Madam Pince is strict about borrowing so many books, but if you show her that a professor wants you to read them I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all."

I could only grin at her. "Thanks. I was afraid you'd treat me differently."

"Whatever for?" She said just as quietly.

Well, none of the other Gryffindors smiled at me if I passed them in the hallway...Then again, it might have had more to do with Malfoy. He liked insulting others just because they were a little poorer than others...

"Because I'm in Slytherin," I answered.

"Nonsense," she scoffed, returning his list back to me. "Just because you're there, doesn't make you evil," she said as if she'd had to say it a thousand times already. "And why would you be in the cahoots with someone your father killed? "

Hermione had struck right at the heart of the matter...

"It's a load of rubbish and a waste of time to wildly speculate about it anyway. Besides, I've noticed that you don't hang around Draco Malfoy between classes anymore, and you can always learn about a person by the company they keep." She smiled cheekily.

"Thank you, to be honest, I needed to hear this..." I said

"no problem,...and I'm glad I could help you find the books you need...not everyone has the help of a ghost," she said

"A ghost, what are you referring to?" I asked

"In Ravenclaw, there is a Ghost that helps students, especially in studies, don't get me wrong, every ghost is good in their own way at something, but this one I heard knows a lot of things, and that gives an advantage to those who are part of Ravenclaw," she said

"Maybe you can tell me the name of this ghost?"

I think this Gost can help me further, in my test

"Ah, if I recall from hearsay, the name of the ghost is the Grey Lady, she only talks to people in her house," she said

well, this means only one thing, it seems that I need to make friends with a person from that house... how hard can it be...

"If you want we can.." Hermoine was interrupted by a loud whisper...

"Prince," I could hear Perks whisper tightly. When I looked at her, she was glancing furtively at the tables of other students...

"Sorry Hermione, looks like it's my signal to leave, see ya later," I said.

"See you at Potions tomorrow, Arthur." The Gryffindor turned to the massive wall of books and plucked another small book off the shelf.

I went back to the table where Sally-Anne Perks was pushing things into her bag. When she saw me, she deliberately looked at the clock and then at the long queue of students who wanted to borrow books from the Library.

We had fifteen minutes before the lunch bell would ring. I carried my books to the queue which had shortened significantly when I wasn't looking.

Madam Pince spent no time at all on Perks' stack of books and looked disapprovingly at me. "You may only borrow three books at a time, Mr. Prince."

I dug out the list of books I needed and showed it to her. "Professor Slughorn has given me extra work to do."

Without another complaint, the librarian sniffed and took the books, waving her wand over them. A quill was frantically writing down the titles and authors into a thick ledger.

"There you are, dear," she said crisply.

I put them into his already heavy school sack, just as a lunch bell tolled.

I s left the library together with Perks.

Not long after, we walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall and took a seat. Today, the prefects were sitting with their mates instead of by the first years. An engaging conversation happened all around me, and I was glad not to be the center of attention yet again...I'm glad that after this I can go to rest, and this time I hope it will be without any strange dreams, although... I wouldn't mind if I could see that girl one more time... lilac and gooseberry...who would have thought it smells so good...