The Blood within our veins (Ominis Gaunt)

Chapter One

The rumors that circulated at her arrival didn't exactly make the transition to Hogwarts go down like pumpkin juice. Gianna knew that something would be said when she arrived First and foremost because of her notorious connection to the minister of magic and Secondly her arrival most curiously in her fifth year. What she wasn't prepared for was everything that followed Professor Fig's arrival to the villa and the carriage ride to Hogwarts. Merlin, she thought. Dragon's, Goblin's and Ancient Magic? No witch or wizard had seen a more exciting arrival to Hogwarts.

But it grew wearisome listening to people make up rumors before speaking to her. Everywhere she looked it seemed like someone was looking at her making some kind of notion about her in their heads. The bold ones came asking if the rumors were true. The fiercer ones had the tenacity to act as although she had somehow fortified them herself. As if a student joining their fifth year needed to do so to gain attention.

Her only sense of peace she had during the day was out by the Black lake. Gianna would lay a blanket down on the grounds taking in the heat of the sun rays that peeked through the overcast. Often times she'd do her schoolwork as she watched the owls and the jobberknolls fly over the castle. It was relaxing and no one asked any prying questions. Although Gianna had no trouble keeping her adventure with Professor Fig a secret it was more than annoying to stick to it. Rumors fly like a Dadelian key I suppose.

When the sun set over the hill Gianna trotted back inside the castle towards the Slytherin common room. It came as no surprise to her that she would be sorted there considering her family's legacy and title. But the hat teetered from Hufflepuff to Slytherin for what felt like a VERY lengthy two and a half minutes.  "I know you.." came the hat when it had sorted her. "Your father was quite the forthcoming Slytherin when he was here. Always in the wrong place...at the wrong time." The hat paused and stirred. "But I can tell you.. have something to prove. It's taken a lot of hard work to get you here. Maybe you ought to be in hufflepuff instead." The Hat considered. "But you value ambition and achievement and proving others wrong.." The Hat continued. "Better be..Slytherin!" Gianna remembers hearing the loud deafening cheers from the Slytherin table and her thoughts trailed off when she reached the common room door.

She pushed her way past the entrance and towards a comfortable looking armchair by the fireplace. She sat down with a huff and opened her satchel bag to remove one of her favorite books from home. The spine had been worn down over the years; and the ink rubbed off some of the pages. The title was still readable although smudged. "Tales of the Beedle and the Bard."

"Is someone there?" Came a voice from one of the adjacent arm chairs. Oops. Gianna hadn't bothered to check if anyone else had been in the common room before settling in. She really didn't want to make small talk with one of the other Slytherins right now.

"I can hear you. If you think it's funny to ignore me just because I can't see you. I swear on Merlin's name I'll hex you senseless." The Slytherin heckled her. Gianna frowned. The visitor wasn't exactly the welcoming type. "Oh piss off. I'm not bothering you." Gianna retorted looking up at her unfriendly visitor. "Do you heckle all the students who read in the common room?" Gianna asked him rhetorically.
The Slytherin was a boy around her age with pale skin decorated with moles on his cheek, his eyes were cloudy and icy grey that had a striking element to them, and his face was gaunt and with sharp features. His high cheekbones were illuminated in the light of the fireplace and she can faintly make out his neatly kept hair as a chestnut blonde color.

The voice of her schoolmate faultered. "My apologies. I thought you were someone else." His tone was genuinely apologetic. "I don't recognize your voice.. are you the new 5th year everyone keeps talking about?" The Slytherin questioned her causing Gianna to roll her eyes. "The very same. " She replied bluntly returning her eyes to the book in her lap. The boy continued to stand there and there was a silence in which she cocked her head back to look at him. "Yes?" She mused. "Did you have anymore questions?" Gianna asked rather curtly. The boy shifted clearly caught off guard by her tone. "Questions? No. Well- I do have one." The Slytherin boy answered between hesitation. "Go on." She prodded again with some irritation in her voice. How hard is it to read a damn book in my own damn common room?

"You're in my seat." The boy retorted pointedly clearly beginning to get frustrated with her tone. Gianna frowned. "Your seat?" She pointed to the futon across from her. "There's one right there. Just sit there instead." She fussed at him.

"No." He said simply. "This is my spot. It's the quietest in the common room because the crackle of the fireplace drowns out the chatter amongst the other students. I want it back." He spat. Gianna took note of the fact that although she noticed his growing annoyance with her he still spoke very cordially.

"Maybe that's why I picked it. "She opened her book and put her feet on the table as if to show him that she wasn't moving. "You'll just have to learn how to share." Gianna insisted. This caused the boy to grumble and sit down opposite of her. He opened up a book of his own and silently read to himself. Gianna watched him take his finger along the pages and take out his wand to help him read. He didn't protest further but he didn't open his mouth or much look in her direction to acknowledge her presence either.

Gianna rolled her eyes. Such a stereotypical Slytherin to act so pompous like he OWNED part of the common room like that. It was kinds like him that took away from the good of the house. To promote dedicated and ambitious witches and wizards.

An hour had passed in silence as Gianna thumbed through her story book with her neck relaxed on the cushy armchair's headrest. "Must you breathe so loud." The boy chastised her again groaning at her as though she was interrupting him from doing something pertinent. How insufferable. Gianna thought scowling at the boy her face twisted into something sour. "You're pleasant." She said when she did speak again her voice indicated she thought exactly the opposite.

This seemed to both annoy and amuse him. He scoffed but his face curled into a bit of a smirk. "You have no idea who you are talking to." The Slytherin boy bit back coldly. His expression made Gianna think as if he thought her actions were child's play.

"Nor do you." Gianna instigated making sure to breath a bit louder after that. Which seemed to work because thirty minutes later he wondered off to his own room muttering something under his breath about her.

Feeling triumphant she decided she had had enough and went off to bed tucking her book back into her bag. As she went up around the stairs she didn't seem to hear the footsteps of the boy coming back to claim his spot in-front of the fireplace now that she had left.

"Finally, some peace and quiet."