Upon the Hogwarts Express

Sirius strained to not burst out laughing as he and Edelweiss watched the Weasleys scurry about on the morning of September First. His goddaughter sat on her trunk, slowly sipping a cup of scalding breakfast tea as her emerald eyes, so much like Lily's, lazily watched the pandemonium filling his family's house. Had his mother been alive to witness this morning, it would have been enough to return her to her cold wretched grave. For now, he would take pleasure in knowing that a family of blood traitors disrespected everything his mother had lived and fought for during her miserable life.

"I wish this wouldn't happen every year," Edelweiss grumbled between sips. "Even the year when we stayed at the Cauldron, they fluttered about like lost birds unable to remember where their nest is." She sighed, a cup in one hand while she rubbed the bridge of her nose with the other. "You should just agree to some dueling practice this morning instead of forcing me to wait on them oh so pointlessly."

"You're the one who wanted to be ready to leave first thing," Sirius shot back with a smirk. "Anyways, you've already spent an hour locked in Buckbeak's room, doing whatever it is you're up to. Best you deal with the fact we're all heading to King's Cross together."

She glowered in response.

For all he cared for his goddaughter, Sirius increasingly found that he no longer understood her. There were days when the girl he expected shone through, but on most, he had to deal with a young woman slowly evolving into a woman that frightened him.

"You have been spending more time up there than with your friends or even with me."

Edelweiss looked away and muttered, "I guess you have a point. At least Hermione stopped grumbling about the library." She took a sip of her tea then.

Sirius huffed, just as he did when in his Padfoot form. The bushy-haired girl's moods had amused him after discovering that he would not grant her access to the Black family library. She mostly switched between pouting, brooding, and anger in the wake of his declaration. It did not even matter to her that he claimed to do so for her safety. Edelweiss, somehow, found her way in. To his immense relief, she only tried to read the books within once. Sirius had laughed, hearing her mulish tale of how she stumbled upon a centuries-old copy of The Arte of the Succubus. Unlike him and many other Blacks, she had not been disappointed that it lacked the sexual content expected for succubae texts.

Even so, he nursed a fear she might investigate the more illicit texts within the library, obsessed as she was with a looming, impending war. Instead, Edelweiss seemed content to spend her time away from the library.

"That's because we're heading back to Hogwarts," said Hermione Granger as she descended the stairs. "We'll finally be away from this wretched place." She approached with her trunk in tow, taking advantage of its featherweight charm. Sirius had seen the number of books the girl owned. She could have a library of her own, with the absurd size of her ever-growing collection. With a sigh, she whispered fondly, "I cannot wait to be back at Hogwarts."

"So you can hide away in the library?" teased Edelweiss with a crooked smile. "Don't tell me you read through everything your parents bought you this summer. They must have gotten you a dozen books."

Sirius roared with laughter when Hermione's cheeks went red. The girl shot him a glare. Her brandy brown eyes attempted to set him alight. Edelweiss hid her lips behind her cup. Sirius noticed how her cheeks bunched up against her eyes and grimaced. The expression reminded him, oddly, of Bellatrix, back when they were kids and her cruelty was good-natured and teasing. Back when they were close, pranking together.

Before she fell under You-Know-Who's sway.

"It's not like that!"

"Or is it because you're a prefect?" continued Edelweiss. "I never thought you would fall for the temptation of power." She took a long, noisy sip. Somewhere in the house, a loud bang echoed, followed by screaming and bellowing. She flinched, dropping her cup. Tea spread out from where the cup hit the floor, moving across the wood as his blood once had.

"Those twins," Hermione grumbled, turning to stare up the stairs. "Why must they make it harder for us to leave?"

"Because they think it's funny," Edelweiss said drolly. She rolled her eyes at Hermione's glower. "You know as well as I that they think chaos and mischief are more valuable than the order their mother seeks to impose on them. I would be surprised if they last the full year, especially since the Ministry will try to interfere at Hogwarts this year."

Sirius frowned as he said, "You think Fudge would try that?"

His goddaughter scoffed and her nose wrinkled. "I had a brief run-in with him after speaking with Madam Bones. Between that and what Dumbledore has mentioned to me, I'd be shocked if Fudge doesn't attempt to meddle with Hogwarts. He already got Dumbledore stripped of his titles in London and Avignon. Being the Headmaster of Hogwarts is more important and certainly more influential; that's half the reason Dumbledore has held onto that over the other two. Until his legacy is secured, the Minister will lash out at any threats."

"Legacy?"

Edelweiss turned to Hermione, a strange, wry smirk upon her face. "Fudge has governed over a decade of peace and prosperity. The outbreak of war, especially the same war he governed over the aftermath of, will upset the careful balance he has tried to maintain. Given that Lucius Malfoy can pull Fudge's strings with his gold, only his ousting from the office of Minister of Magic will rally the Ministry to oppose Voldemort."

"And that would require You-Know-Who to be undeniably revealed," Sirius added, recalling lessons on politics he received from his mother and James's father.

"Both will come within hours of each other," Edelweiss said as if those events had already come to pass. "One must only wait, my dear Dogfather. Once they come to pass, well, who knows what other legal battles may be won."

And then she smiled, pleased and prim as any proper pureblood heiress would manage after boasting of a successful plot. Something dark twinkled in her emerald eyes, and once more Sirius's treacherous mind compared his goddaughter not to Lily or James, but to his cursed kin.

At twenty minutes to ten, a dozen mages stepped out of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. It was technically thirteen, but Edelweiss's godfather could not go as Padfoot. His true self, Sirius Black, remained at large in the muggle and magical worlds.

It was a curious, oddly boisterous group that set out for King's Cross. Edelweiss lingered at the back with Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. She briefly considered speaking with one of the aurors. A Death Eater had replaced the former the prior year. Said Death Eater had done a remarkable job of not only pretending to be the auror in question but also teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was her favorite professor for that particular subject, if only by a narrow margin. She would never tell Lupin, who was at the front with Mrs. Weasley. But then she doubted any of her current company would appreciate any fondness for a Death Eater, regardless of her reason.

Few muggles paid attention to their passing. To them, their group appeared to be a group of posh schoolchildren already dressed in their old-fashioned uniforms. Some may think their robes dubious, but with the growing foreign population in London, their dress technically existed within the confines of polite British society.

They loaded their trunks onto trolleys when they reached King's Cross, then headed to Platforms Nine and Ten. Edelweiss remained at the rear, allowing Mad-Eye to walk by her side.

They only had five minutes before the Hogwarts Express was set to depart.

"Albus has been frustrated by your independent spirit this summer," Mad-Eye said, surprising her with a hint of amusement. "It does make protecting you difficult. But I almost prefer a moving target than an easily protected one."

She nearly scoffed. "If he wishes to assign me a guard, he could bloody ask. I wouldn't mind you—or perhaps that Tonks girl—but most of the Order are too sycophantic for my tastes."

Mad-Eye snorted. "That he would hate to hear."

"Sounds like someone needs to tell him, then. I'm the one who should be acting like a wearied savior with the weight of the world upon their shoulders, not him."

Mad-Eye hummed. "And where does Albus fit in this story of yours, girlie?"

Edelweiss glanced at him, then forward towards the brick barrier onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. "The mentor who perishes before the end. The one whose final lesson is drawn from their inevitable death."

"Surprised you accept him as a mentor."

"It is the story the public expects," Edelweiss said as Mrs. Weasley and Ginny passed through the barrier. "Fudge has perpetuated the narrative that I am Dumbledore's good little acolyte. Once Voldemort makes himself known…"

"You can use him to get the public to look to you as their savior," finished Mad-Eye. "If you weren't on our side, I would be worried about what you might become in the future, girlie."

She stared up at him, meeting his mismatched eyes. One was dark and beady, while the other was electric blue, spinning and whirling about. "Oh? What do you fear I might become?"

He glowered at her simpering tone. "A dark lord."

Edelweiss huffed and shook her head. In a way, that was her destiny. The Twins had just passed through the barrier. Only half their party remained on the muggle side.

"A dark lord?" she murmured with amusement. "I would be a dark lady, terrible and beautiful like the sea," Edelweiss declared. She gazed at Mad-Eye through her eyelashes. His face betrayed nothing. She turned her attention back to the barrier before them. "All would bow before me, thankful and worshipful that I brought down the terrible Dark Lord whose name they would never dare speak aloud. They will love me, no matter what I do."

Ron and Hermione passed through the barrier. Now it was only Edelweiss, her guards, and Padfoot.

"I'm only kidding, naturally," she added after a few seconds. "We should follow before anyone becomes curious about why we're delayed."

Mad-Eye watched her, yet said nothing as they strode forward to the barrier. She crossed through with ease, long since accustomed to driving her trolley into a brick wall. They arrived on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the crimson Hogwarts Express waiting at her standard berth.

Edelweiss looked up and down the platform, searching for her friends and the others who guided them to King's Cross. She spotted Ginny following Ron and Hermione as they boarded the second to last car. They usually rode in the back of the train, so it was unsurprising. Yet Edelweiss found she was not interested in sitting with her friends. Memories of June flooded back to her. She had been bored by their presence and their conversation.

More so, she felt herself drifting away from them. They had not shared the misery of cleaning Grimmauld Place. Yes, Edelweiss had aided them in part. But on most days, she had escaped the drudgery Mrs. Weasley forced them into. And that ignored her frustration with them over the few lackluster letters they wrote.

That was enough for her. She started for the train's center. Edelweiss lifted her trunk from the trolley she had used. While she had kept the battered thing she received during her very first trip to Diagon Alley, she had it modified during the summer before her third year. It bore a featherweight charm and a minor expansion charm to hold her growing collection of magical objects.

And maybe with time, it will take on the holocrons most necessary to my path forward.

She barely made it five steps before something tugged at her robe. Edelweiss turned and found Padfoot, staring up at her with large, begging eyes. With a sigh, she kneeled and hugged her godfather, disguised as a dog. "Get home safe," she murmured into his fur.

Padfoot huffed. She could almost hear his voice: "Don't worry about me, Edie. Watch out for yourself."

She stood straight and turned to Mad-Eye. "See to it that my dog returns to the safehouse. I would be pained to hear he ran into some trouble." She glanced about, searching for anyone daring enough to eavesdrop on her conversation. Edelweiss then leaned in close and whispered, "Let Albus know I remain angry my pet cannot come to Hogwarts. A vicious beastie like him would keep me safe where he cannot."

There was an amused gleam in Mad-Eye's small, beady eye as Edelweiss drew back. "Aye, girl. I'll tell Albus." He turned to Padfoot. "Come along, mutt. You've had your walk. Need to take you home."

Padfoot whined but followed Mad-Eye back toward the exit without issue. Edelweiss watched them go, hoping nobody could tell from her expression just whom she was seeing off. The Death Eaters might know of Sirius's animagus form, thanks to Wormtail. That should have been enough to keep him at arm's length. Yet she could not deny him minutes more in her presence. Sirius had helped her train this summer, even if their time together had been truncated thanks to her choice to speak with Madam Bones. And yet, part of her wondered if she would ever use those skills in combat. From her lessons with Lady Bastila, she had come to understand that few Sith wielded magic as a witch would. While there was Sith alchemy and sorcery, they were not necessary for every Sith Lord to learn.

Edelweiss boarded the Hogwarts Express just as a pair of Gryffindors two years younger than her went to board. They stared at her as she passed, bug-eyed and nervous. She had to bite back a groan. She had a feeling the coming year would be frustrating. Their reactions to her presence were worse than what she experienced in both her second and fourth years, and that had come only after some disaster haunted Hogwarts. The papers had been in full swing over the summer, slandering her good name on the Minister's order. The sole recourse available to her would come following Voldemort's inevitable reveal. Perhaps she could find a way to engineer events in her favor. But history proved their clash would be by his reckoning.

And if past years were to judge, their confrontation would come in June.

Upon finding an empty compartment, Edelweiss opened the door and stepped inside. She closed the door behind her and then put her trunk in the empty racks above before slumping into a seat, oriented so she could stare out the window of the compartment door. With the Force, she drew the curtain down and blocked the ability for any to peer through.

The Hogwarts Express departed shortly after she had gotten comfortable. Nobody had come and tried the door. Edelweiss glanced up at her trunk, considering whether or not she could remove anything and remain. Had she a guarantee of privacy and secrecy, she would extract Lady Bastila's holocron and commune with her master. She had not spoken with her since the day after she met with Madam Bones, for Edelweiss had been too distracted with preparations for the return to Hogwarts to make time for anything more than meditation. The holocron had already been secured within her trunk when she meditated that morning.

But without those guarantees, she could not risk bringing her master's holocron out into the open. She would return it to the Chamber of Secrets the moment she could. Following that, she would make Ziost Hangar her secret place of learning. A citadel for the Sith arts.

In the end, she knew anything productive needed to wait until she returned to Hogwarts. Removing her cloak and turning it around, Edelweiss snuggled beneath the cloth as if it were a proper blanket. All the while, she pressed into the corner near the window. She closed her eyes, drew in a few slow, deep breaths, and slipped into an easy sleep.

"—ou'll wake her up!" a voice hissed. It was vaguely familiar to Edelweiss. But her mind remained hazy with sleep.

"Oh, come off it," someone else replied. Her accent—and it was a she—reminded Edelweiss of Welsh presenters on the telly. "Potter is out cold. She didn't even snort or shift when you prodded her face."

"Still…" the first voice began, fading with nerves. "I don't want to be here when she finally wakes."

"Does it matter?" asked a third. His voice cracked, squeaking slightly. Edelweiss heard muffled snickers and giggles before he added, "Weasley and Granger didn't look our way when they were storming up and down the train looking for Potter. If they didn't think to look here, then perhaps she doesn't want to be around them."

"Wouldn't blame her," the Welsh girl said. "Granger is a menace and Weasley is cruel to anyone not in Gryffindor. I'm surprised Potter dares talk with those in her house, let alone the other houses."

"I hear she doesn't," the first speaker said. Her voice reminded Edelweiss of the posh BBC radio hosts. "Then again, the Hufflepuffs have been at odds with Potter twice since we started at Hogwarts. I doubt she takes kindly to anyone even vaguely rude to her."

"Rude Hufflepuffs," the boy muttered. He sighed before continuing. "She's ruined Hogwarts. Sometimes I think Draco is right about the school going to the dogs. But then he mentions his father and Dumbledore in the same breath and I'm reminded he's an idiot."

The girls giggled.

Edelweiss opened her eyes slowly, all the while maintaining her even breathing. Three others had joined her in the compartment. Two sat on the bench across from her and one sat beside her. The one on her bench was a weedy boy with brown hair that flopped over his ears and face. In the back, it tried to reach the base of his neck but looked to be an inch short. The exposed skin was sunburnt.

Across from them was a pair of girls. One was willowy with soft green eyes and warm, auburn hair. She had drawn her hair up into a braid that wrapped around her head like a crown, and her brow and cheeks possessed a soft sprinkle of freckles across them. The other girl bore a strong tan, her hazel eyes brightened by her warm skin. Her hair was like a field of wheat, with darker shades of brown hidden under the golden tops.

They were all in her year, and they were all Slytherins. Edelweiss was surprised, especially as they continued speaking.

"Malfoy is a fool, not an idiot," muttered Daphne Greengrass. Her green eyes narrowed before she added, almost sullenly, "It's quite unfortunate he shall be a menace this year. His father has more influence than ever, and we all know the truth of what occurred in June. That will give him enough sway to get away with whatever he wishes."

"No need to remind me about June," growled Theodore Nott. Edelweiss realized she had heard two men called Nott. She wondered what the relation was between the three. "I'm thankful we never had to host the Dark Lord this summer."

"Shhh! You cannot speak of him as if Potter is right!" Greengrass said. She glanced at Edelweiss, then back to Nott. "Do you think she will do nothing when she can waltz into the Mini—"

Greengrass's voice squeezed out into a squawk as she noticed that Edelweiss had woken. The girl blanched, her freckles standing out clearly. The other two merely stared. After a moment, the Welsh girl—Tracey Davis, Edelweiss somehow recalled—slunk back into her seat, as if she could vanish into the cushions of the bench behind her. Nott, meanwhile, appeared ready to draw his wand and test himself against the girl who had faced the Dark Lord four times and emerged alive four times.

"When I can waltz where, Greengrass?" asked Edelweiss through a curling smirk.

Greengrass glanced at the compartment door, closed her eyes, and then swallowed thickly. "I heard about your recent visit to the Ministry," she said, finally daring to meet Edelweiss's gaze. "They say you blew off the Minister while meeting with someone at the DMLE."

"Oh, yes. I remember that quite well." Edelweiss glanced out the window. The grey of London and the green fields of England were long gone, replaced with the rising hills of Scotland. Some light remained outside. Soon the sun would set and night would come. They had an hour before they reached Hogwarts. Maybe a half hour more or somewhere in between. Dark clouds loomed in the sky, helping to blot out the setting sun. "I did see the Minister when I met with Madam Bones."

"Whatever for?" asked Nott. He flinched slightly when she met his gaze. Edelweiss suspected one of the Notts Voldemort named was Theodore's father. The other, then, was either an uncle or his grandfather. Definitely a blood relative, given his reaction.

"I've long wanted to meet the woman leading the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You can certainly understand why."

"Do you want to be an auror?" he asked, taking her comment at face value.

"And deal with paperwork?" She scoffed, shaking her head with a smile. "I would be a fool to reveal any plan or ambition of mine to you, Nott." Edelweiss glanced at the two girls, then back to him. An amused thought struck her. "But I can let you in on this little secret: the Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. I begged for anything else since Malfoy left me with a terrible impression."

The three Slytherins exchanged confused, skeptical looks. Edelweiss reached out carefully with the Force. She sensed how their emotions swirled, the doubt and confusion that underlain their impulse to deny her revelation without any evidence to the contrary. Amusement flooded her, sensing how easily they were manipulated into doubt. She wondered, if only for a heartbeat, whether or not she could use the dark side of the Force, here and now, to bend them to her will.

Edelweiss held back, though. It would be a sign of weakness if she had to rely upon compelling people to be loyal. Better they come willingly, to witness now which way the winds of war would blow.

Ironically, that happened to be the moment she felt one of them decide Edelweiss had spoken the truth.

"We should tell Malfoy," Davis said with a cheeky grin. "Imagine his reaction when he hears we didn't get Potter because of his ego."

"Serves the prat right," grumbled Greengrass. "I still cannot believe Pansy likes him."

Edelweiss coughed to cover up a laugh. The houses at Hogwarts all operated on a kind of loyalty that led to ranks forming around any scorned or attacked member. Only a select handful escaped that treatment; she happened to be one of those unlucky few. Twice her fellow Gryffindors had turned on her, and twice she had been the wronged party. She doubted the Slytherins would have been that loyal, though perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps they would have seen her presence among them as cause to change their ways.

But most likely, they would act like the rest of Hogwarts.

Though as she considered the merits of being in Slytherin, Edelweiss wondered about the merits of cultivating bonds among the other houses. It was clear now the confines of Gryffindor Tower held her back. Every day she drew closer to war, she was reminded she lacked a faction to call hers. All she had were Dumbledore supporters who might willing fight beside her, yet would act on behalf of the Headmaster against her if they believed it to be for the greater good.

Edelweiss's gaze wandered from face to face. Each Slytherin tensed as her emerald eyes lingered upon them. "I've been wondering… How does Draco maintain control in Slytherin, beyond using his father's influence and money? I doubt a boy whose father grovels like a dog at the feet of a halfblooded maniac is that—"

"Halfblood?" squeaked Greengrass, something horrified or merely strained reflected upon her face. "Are you claiming that the Dark Lord is not a pureblood?"

Edelweiss blinked. Her lips twitched. She had to hold in a laugh. She had known Voldemort's blood status for years. To hear others be shocked by the truth reminded her of the ignorance of magical Britain, and how easy it would be to bring her entire society to heel.

"He told me himself," Edelweiss confessed. "His father was a muggle. A man he detested for abandoning him and his witch mother." She glanced at the compartment door with its drawn curtain. "It is quite fascinating how my blood is technically purer than his. My mother may not come from an old lineage, but she was a witch in her own right."

"Why tell us?" asked Theodore Nott. His tone suggested he suspected every word of hers to have three meanings. To him, they very well might be so complex. "You must know where my family's loyalty lies. You were there when he returned." He glanced at the other two, who had done a remarkable job to hide all hint of emotion from their faces. "Their families will remain neutral as they did last time. Only once they're certain of the outcome will they make a decision."

"How foolish," remarked Edelweiss, unable to help her sneer. "Though I do not plan to give them time to remain on the sidelines forever. As to your question, Nott, know this: my grand ambition cannot come to pass while Voldemort and Dumbledore live." They flinched when she uttered Voldemort's name, and none more than Nott. "The old men of the past must be brushed aside and relegated to history before they can destroy all that has been built. If need be, I will do away with them myself."

"You're mad," Davis whispered sickly. "Mad."

"Maybe I am, Davis. But it has to be done. This war cannot be fought by those following two madmen."

"And so you throw yourself into the conflict," muttered Greengrass, sickened and awestruck. "You want to fight them both, don't you?" She nearly chuckled, though it sounded too sickly to be true amusement. "I'd agree with Trace and call you mad, but I fear you'll succeed."

"I plan to do more than succeed, Greengrass."

She nodded, rubbing her arms awkwardly as she considered Edelweiss's swift reply. "Don't you fear what might happen if we tell others about what you've said, Potter?" asked Greengrass. "The wrong word to the wrong person could undo all of the plans you have in mind. You can't think the Dark Lord will let you act freely."

"I do not mind Voldemort learning. Let him think his enemies are at odds. He will convince himself it is true, and thus will make his conquest easier." Edelweiss leaned against the window as a vicious, toothy grin formed. "His error will be his downfall."

Nott stared at nothing, his face pale and grim. His lips pressed into a line so thin Edelweiss could barely make them out. His gaze wavered and eventually came to rest just past her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow, guiding his gaze back to her. "Should I tell my father what you have said, Potter?" His voice wavered. "That will guarantee the Dark Lord learns what you want him to know."

Edelweiss blinked as she realized loyalty to Voldemort might not be born of blood, but came from belief in his cause or fear of his power. She sought a crack in Nott's façade, one she could pry and prod, a means to draw him away from the foolish loyalty that would destroy his family.

She would enjoy destroying those loyal to Voldemort, before and after his death. And she would enjoy turning those loyal to him into her own pawns, should they live long enough.

"Go ahead," she replied, reaching out for the Force. It swelled within her, wondrous and powerful as always. With it, Edelweiss brushed against Nott's mind and touched the very thoughts and ideas she was comfortable with him sharing with his father, and through him to Voldemort.

There was a knock on the compartment door before she could do anything more with the Force. Edelweiss glanced at the door with its lowered curtains, then to the others. Davis sprung to her feet a moment later. She opened the compartment door after another knock. On the other side of the threshold stood a familiar trio of unpleasant faces.

"Potter. Now this is a surprise. Have you grown tired of that mudblood and the blood traitors?" sneered Draco Malfoy. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle stood to each side of Draco, trying to look intimidating. Once their bulk might have worried her; now it was pathetic. "Up and down the train, all anyone can talk about is where you are." He smirked as he took in Edelweiss's companions. "At least you are with decent folk, even if one of them drags down her house."

Davis wilted. Greengrass looked ready to jump in on her behalf

"Must you always be a noxious prat?" asked Edelweiss. She flexed her hands, itchy to draw her wand. She reached for the dark side, channeling a thread of that power through her and toward him. Draco's face went splotchy. She suddenly wondered why she had ever treated him as a threat in the past. "We were having a most pleasant conversation before you so rudely interrupted us. Be off, Malfoy, and find someone else to annoy."

She waved a hand before he could reply. The door slammed shut. Edelweiss then twisted her raised hand. A sharp, metallic click echoed as the door locked shut. Pleased with herself, she turned her attention back to the three Slytherins. They acted awkwardly, glancing between her and their group. Odds were they thought she had just wielded wandless magic, for they did not know the Force.

Malfoy banged on the door; the Slytherins still with Edelweiss jumped.

"Oh stop your foolishness," grumbled Edelweiss. "Draco isn't even that great of a threat. I doubt he could seriously face any of you in a duel, never mind how worthless those two lugs backing him up would be."

"It's… Being in Slytherin is different from other houses," said Greengrass. She flinched when the door rattled once more. "We aren't supposed to go against each other when not within our house. Draco leverages that to keep people in line. He's too vocal to be properly silenced now."

"Given the times my own house has turned against me, loyalty like that would be appreciated," Edelweiss said, watching Greengrass closely. The girl's jaw clenched slightly. "Should he make trouble for you, let me know. I have become tired of the moods of the student body and how they worsen life at Hogwarts. I would enjoy the challenge of spreading my influence into your common room—and bringing Malfoy to heel."

Edelweiss still remembered the route to the Slytherin common room. Factor in the Marauder's Map and her parseltongue ability and there was no reason she should be barred entry.

That assumed Salazar Slytherin had always been egotistical. He was a Sith Lord, one who abandoned the galaxy to pursue a personal matter on Earth. She could not fathom the other Founders driving him out for solely that reason, nor did she trust the official histories. They knew little of Lord Salazar, after all.

"As if," said Davis. Yet her voice wavered. Her hands tightly clenched, though she had enough control to not shake. "Your protection would go away the moment we enter our common room."

"It's still behind that wall across from a painting of a frigate caught in a storm, yes?" asked Edelweiss as she peered out the window. The sky was almost pitch black now. She guessed they would arrive within the hour, if not sooner. When she turned back to the Slytherins, they had all paused, surprise and alarm hastily hidden. "I will assume from your shocked reactions that the answer is 'yes'."

"You still need the password."

She rolled her eyes. "§How can the hallowed halls of Salazar Slytherin be safe from me?§"

Nott's eyes bulged while the girls stiffened. Edelweiss smiled primly. Internally, she cackled at their reaction.

"I had forgotten you were a parselmouth," Nott muttered. "If… If my grandfather's stories hold up, you won't have any trouble entering."

"Good."

Her word was final, resolute. Edelweiss leaned back and stared out the window. After a time, the Slytherins began whispering among themselves. She paid little heed to their words as she waited, with ever-growing disappointment, for her friends to come and search this compartment.

But by the time they finally arrived at Hogsmeade Station, neither Hermione nor Ron had troubled to track her down.