The Four Shadows

Chapter 18

  It was night, and all the students were prepping for bed. It was rather quiet but the obnoxiously loud crack of Apparition echoed through the air of the Hogwarts. Helga and Rowena were sleepily talking in the Great Hall but perked up once they heard their friends arrive. Running out of the Great Hall and to the front courtyard, they saw James and Godric and an unfamiliar face standing in front of them.
  "That was fast" Helga smiled. "And we got a new student!" She said with exhilaration.
"Isla, this is Miss Hufflepuff" James said, gesturing to the Helga. "And this is Miss Ravenclaw", Gesturing to Rowena.
"Nice to meet you, Isla. Now, let's get you sorted" Rowena smiled. "Godric?" She looked at him, giving him the notion to get the sorting hat. He nodded, running off to his office. Rowena walked to James and pulled on his sleeve.
  "A word please?" She whispered. James nodded, and looked to Helga and mouthed, "look after her".
"What is it?" He asked when they were out of listening distance.
"She seems older. As in, not a first or second year. Do you think we should be starting the kids earlier? Our first years are thirteen. She looks, fifteen. So does that make her-"
"A third year?" James finished. "It works, I suppose. But she's the only third year..."

  Godric ran up the stairs and entered his office, looking for his Sorting Hat, but something caught him off guard.
"Good lord it's cold" he whispered to himself. Snatching the Hat off of a shelf, he looked around the room, before leaving and shutting the door.
 
  "...And this is the Great Hall. Where we eat and have meetings, etc. Were having a Mid-Term ball in three- well now two since it's midnight- days. So, apologies for the extravagant decorations." Helga said. Godric came running into the Great Hall with the Sorting Hat.
"And we hold the Sorting Ceremony here" James added.
"A what?" Isla asked.
"We have four Houses" Rowena started. "Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor.... and Slytherin."
  Isla seemed confused. "So then why do you have a hat?"
"To sort of course!" Helga said. "Go on, Godric" she motioned him to Isla.
"Do not worry my dear. It's only a talking hat" Godric said.
  "What?" Isla asked, getting nervous.
Godric placed the Hat on her head, its wrinkles creasing, forming a face.
"Hmmm. Oh my...." it said in a low tone. Isla's eyes widened in fear.
"Oh my god it's talking" she whispered.
"Ohhhh..... hmmm.... I see...." The Hat spoke.
"Better be.... GRYFFINPUFF!" The hat yelled. All four professors gaped in shock and confusion.
  "What?" Godric whispered.
"GRYFFINPUFF! Now take me off her head!" He yelled.
"No!" Godric yelled. "You can't be two houses!" He objected.
"She is neither one or the other. Heart of gold, but not obnoxious. Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes but it also comes in the form of kindness and heart." The Hat said, which nobody had followed.
Godric snatched the Hat off of Isla's head in anger.
"This doesn't make any sense" James said. "How is she two Houses? Where do we put her? What even-"
"It's simple" Rowena said. "She has both traits.  She belongs in both because if she's in one, she's not complete without the other, thus putting it in a loophole and an unending Sorting because she's both. You can't change it"  Rowena said, rubbing her eye.
"Liar" Isla muttered to James.
"Pardon?" He asked.
"You said I could fit in" Isla said sadly. "It's obvious I'm not fitting in. I'm two Houses and it seems like you've never had this problem" She said. Isla became more upset and disconsolate by the second.
"Godric what's that?" Helga pointed out, motioning to the tall window in front of them. The same purple veins began crawling across the glass out of nowhere, growing by the second. Godric noticed and panicked, putting a hand on Islas shoulder.
"You're special. Like we said. It's just something new. You still fit in here" Godric calmly said. The three professors watched the window, as the veins began to disappear when Godric comforted Isla.
"Now, you can have my chamber tonight. I say it's rather comfy. Come along now" Godric smiled. He took Isla and they left, leaving the rest of the professors in the Great Hall.
"Did you..." Helga started but trailed off.
"Did you know about that?" Rowena started up again.
"Yes. She showed us at the hospital. Thats magic, but it's dark. I haven't seen anything like it" James confessed. Rowena bit her lip and an unsettling thought came to mind and Helga noticed her expression.
"What's wrong?" Helga asked.
"What if Salazar finds out about Isla and takes her, manipulating her, and turning her against us because he knows she's more powerful than him and us four combined?" Rowena said.
"Nonsense" James breathed. "He won't do that" he said, lying through his teeth.

   It was midnight and Poveglia Patson waited impatiently in front of the chamber holding the Basilisk. She tapped her foot, sighing and huffing, waiting for her friends.
Once she heard footsteps and low chatter, she looked down the long corridor and saw them coming down the stairs. Once they got closer, she started to scold them.
"You lot are slow. And that's saying something. If you didn't come any faster I would've gotten in trouble" Poveglia pointed.
"Oh come on Pove, we're all probably gonna get in trouble" Lithos rolled his eyes. Poveglia squinted her eyes at Lithos and ignored him.
"Whatever. Anyways, everyone have their wands out?" She asked. The group of friends all pulled their wands out without hesitation.
"Wait" Lithos said, putting his wand away. "This is crazy!" He objected.
  "And now is the time to finally side with the truth?" Simon asked sarcastically.
"No, shut it Simon. But we can't do this. It's 2 days before the Ball and what if we literally unleash a giant serpent and fail to kill it? Let it run around the castle without a doubt in the world? Let it murder innocent half and muggle blood?" Lithos tried to reason with his friend. Everyone stayed silent and but their heads down. He sighed and his shoulders sagged.
"Come on! We can't do this. Thanks Pove, for the attempting Killing Curse lesson, but we're not doing this. I've changed my mind" Lithos said before he turned away, but he stopped dead in his tracks.
  The Quidditch room door opened, revealing an unwelcome stranger.
Salazar Slytherin walked in the groups secret meeting and stared at them with a dealthy glare.
"Now I know you are not sneaking out past curfew and planning to kill a giant snake" Salazar said, softly closing the Quidditch room door, letting the click of the close echo. All of the friends were stunned and frozen in their spots, too scared to move.
"Okay.... Mr. Slytherin I can explain" Lithos said, discreetly pocketing his wand.
"You damn well should-"
"STUPEFY!" Poveglia yelled. Her blast from her wand hit her Professor as he stumbled and fall backwards, slamming his head onto the concrete floor. Everyone's mouths hung open and they turned to Poveglia.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Lithos yelled.
"You just killed a teacher!" Cairo said. Poveglia seemed frozen from her own actions herself. Cairo slid to the floor and put fingers on Salazars neck. Breathing with ease, he turned around to his friends.
"He's alive" Cairo confirmed. Lithos, who was fueled by anger, spun back around to Poveglia and smacked her across the face.
Gasps emerged from everyone, frozen with fear. Poveglia held her cheek and pushed her brown hair out of her face. Looking back up and Lithos, she reconsidered her friendship.
Charging, she clenched a fist and punched him. Yelling in pain, Lithos grabbed his face but hadn't had time to recover. Poveglia took another shot and kicked him square in the stomach, sending him stumbling backwards into the wall.
  "I just saved your damn lives. You're upset because I hurt your favorite teacher" Poveglia mocked Lithos. "Because you wanted to dig deeper. I can guarantee you that you just wanted to stall and get everyone else killed!" She barked with hatred. "Now excuse me" she said, turning on her heels.
  Kneeling down to her Professor, she pointed her wand at him.
  "Obliviate" she said. Poveglia pocketed her wand and took her Professors unconscious body and yanked him.
"P-p-Poveglia do you need help?" Cairo asked.
"No!" She barked.
Heaving her Professor up from the ground, she slung him over her shoulder. She went and opened the Quidditch room door, walking in and putting him propped up against a wall in the broom closet. She walked out, breathily heavily and dusting her hands off. She closed the door looked at her friends who were shocked and rather frightened.
"He won't remember anything. Now go. I'm going to do a reverse spell, waking him up." Poveglia said. Nobody said anything, but mouths gaping.
"Go!" She ordered. Everyone scrambled and left, running out of the basements and into their Common Rooms. Lithos however halted and glared at Poveglia for a second before walking off.
  Opening the door a crack and pointing her wand in the closet, she muttered an incantation. It hit Salazar, who woke up immediately. Poveglia closed the door quietly and snuck off into the night.