A Legacy of Serpents

Chapter 5

Sorry about the delay this week! One thing I can't stand is an unfinished, unedited project, so I had to finish writing the last chapter before posting a new one. Enjoy!

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One thing Ominis disliked about the Great Hall was all the noise.

When all he had was his sense of touch and hearing to guide him, he felt all too blind and disoriented every time he entered the spacious room. Even his wand struggled to direct him through all the chaos of people and obstacles in his path.

He stopped for a moment and listened to the hundreds of excited voices lifting into the air and bouncing off the walls. The pop and flicker of candles echoed above him. The groaning and squeaking doors resounded on all sides of him, followed by nervous chatter likely belonging to first-year students.

As Ominis had arrived late, Professor Black had already started the sorting ceremony for the one hundred and fifty new students attending Hogwarts this year. He wasn't sure how many of them had already been sorted. But what he did know was that this part was tedious every year, and it was a good thing they had food to distract them.

Dizziness crashed into him when he slowly found it difficult to tell where he was amidst the chaos. Where was the Slytherin table? Where were his friends? Which of the seats weren't currently occupied?

Just as he thought he might collapse from the disorienting chaos, someone grabbed onto his elbow and pulled him forward before tapping the table in front of him to convey that there was an empty seat waiting for him. Of course, Sebastian's own excitement resounded through his voice.

"You'll never believe what I found."

Gratitude swelled within him for Sebastian's effortless help. His friend didn't even seem to think about offering his aid, as if it came naturally. It both saved his pride and solidified his trust in his oldest friend.

He took a seat on the long bench and felt forward to find an empty plate in front of him. He suspected bowls and plates piled with food lay on the table somewhere in front of him, but with so many people surrounding him, he couldn't figure it out. "I suspect you are going to tell me whether or not I want to hear it."

Books slammed on the table to his left, and he didn't need eyes to recognize the excitement in each of Sebastian's breaths nor the eagerness tucked within flipping pages of paper.

"I learned something that you must swear to never tell another soul." Little by little, Sebastian filled his plate for him, again doing it as if it were second nature. Usually he'd tell him where the food was located so he could do it himself, but his friend must have been in an excited hurry.

"Up to no good again, I see?" Ominis rested his chin on his fist, waiting to get dragged into the next awful adventure.

"All right," his best friend said, nudging him with his elbow. "So I did some sleuthing. This is what I turned up."

The crinkle of parchment indicated he handed over a piece of paper.

"I can't read," he scoffed, motioning a hand over his face. "Blind, remember?"

"I know, I know. You make it easy to forget." The paper crinkled again, and Sebastian lowered his voice. However, he was sure no one could overhear anyway when the hum of voices filled the Great Hall with a deafening roar. "It's about the new fifth-year student."

Ominis dropped his hand to the table and tipped his head to the side, offering his rapt attention. "What about her? Are you sure she even exists? There are plenty of rumors but no proof."

"She exists, I assure you." More crinkling paper. The sorting hat declared the next student to be sorted into Ravenclaw, and the entire table broke into cheers. "I learned from a rumor that she was tutored one-on-one with Professor Fig over the summer, so like anyone would do in my position, I snuck around the professor's classroom."

He groaned at the audacity. "You could have gotten caught."

Sebastian chuckled. "But I didn't. At first, I didn't find anything of note. But then I opened one of Fig's locked drawers."

"You didn't. Sebastian! You'll get expelled at this rate. And you'll find a way to get me expelled alongside you."

Unfortunately, his friend disregarded his warning. "You worry too much. Anyway, I found a stack of letters from Ariella Hart, who I've deduced is the elusive fifth-year student."

"And?"

"And you will not believe this. Apparently, Professor Fig is her birth father. Neither of them had any idea until last year, which is when he took her under his wing to tutor her in magic studies."

Shock coursed through Ominis's blood at the revelation. "Does anyone know?"

"No. Not that I can tell, at least. Even the other professors are unaware, as they've kept it a secret."

He ran his fingers through the neat strands of his hair. "What are you doing with the letters?" he hissed. "You'll be caught when they're discovered missing."

Sebastian nudged him in the ribs. "I wouldn't be so stupid as that. I made a copy and locked the originals away as if I never touched them." He chuckled under his breath. "How could I resist such delectable secrets!"

Crossing his arms, Ominis feigned indifference. But even the temptation of these delectable secrets was too much for even him to resist. "All right, so what do the rest say? Who's her mother?"

"Her birth mother was mentioned briefly in the first letter. Are you ready?" An irritatingly dramatic pause followed, and Ominis wanted to shake Sebastian's shoulders until he spilled.

"Just tell me already!"

The name was short, but it inspired another wave of shock and disbelief to crash over his head. "Lana Sutton."

Ominis tipped his head from one side to the other, listening to his surroundings to make sure no one overheard the spoken name. "Are you sure? She's descended from Merlin herself, one of the most powerful wizards to ever walk the earth."

"I'm sure. Lana died in childbirth, or so Ariella believed in the letters. She only found out her adoptive parents aren't her real parents a few years ago and has been searching for Fig this entire time."

"And an owl?" Some things didn't quite add up about Ariella's situation. "She should have received a letter to Hogwarts when she turned eleven years old just like the rest of us."

"I don't know. I'm unable to figure that one out—"

The enormous doors at the entrance of the Great Hall squeaked open, and the room fell into an immediate hush. Ominis made out the sound of sure, confident footsteps, followed by another squeak as the doors groaned shut. A burst of cold air entered the room, sweeping through his hair and cloak.

And then the whispering began.

"What is it?" Ominis turned toward his friend. "Who came in?"

"By all things magical and holy," Sebastian muttered.

"Tell me."

"Ariella Hart is breathtaking."