Ascendancy

Chapter 5

Fury couldn't even begin to describe what Tom Riddle felt at his failure to evade Nikephoros's mind. He, up until now had never failed to evade the mind of someone who was of his age. Tom had never found it difficult to use legilimens even on those who were much older and experienced than him. His attempt to him seemed feeble and he hated himself for it. He had failed to even as much as slightly budge her brick like walls. He would often use his talent in legilimens to know the deepest and darkest secret of his peers, to know there fears and there weaknesses and use them for his own benefit, against them. At the age of sixteen he had managed to gain and do things that not even those who were double his age were capable of doing. Then how had this girl who seemed nothing but ordinary to him had managed to not only block him but be slightly intimated by him. No, he thought to himself, this girl who had blocked him out from her mind, to whom the centaurs had bowed was far from ordinary and he was going to find out who she truly was.

Nikephoros had decided to sit at the table at the farthest right corner of the great hall, the Gryffindor house table. The great hall was entirely empty except for her, the Slytherin student and the staff members. As she sat on the Gryffindor table, her eyes drifted towards the staff table where she nodded her head to Dumbledore and Dippet in acknowledgement. The banners of the house table greatly reminded her of her friend Godric Gryffindor and looking over at the other house tables, the memories that she had buried deep within resurfaced. She was once again reminded of how powerful and cruel time was. There was once a point in her life where the five friends were inseparable but how the time had played its cruel move almost stunned her. Her gaze slowly drifted towards the boy who had previously tried to elude her walls protecting her identity. She was amused that he had tried to do so in the first place. It was common courtesy to respect the privacy of others. Then again he had even tried to pry the conversation earlier that very day at the forest. Oh yes, she very well knew he was the same boy who had tried to pry. Perhaps it was years of experience or maybe something else but she always could tell even though she had only witnessed his eye. Nikephoros however knew one thing for sure, she had to be careful no.... very careful and wary around the said boy. She knew that he was already suspecting who she truly was.

The next morning had come quickly much to Nikephoros's relief. She couldn't sleep the previous night thinking of how she knew nothing of this time. Nikephoros had learned at a very young age to never become comfortable in an environment of which one had no knowledge. And today she would make sure to find whatever she can of this wizarding world. She had just finished another book from the shelf of the library, when a faint knock was heard. She stood up from the chair and walked towards the portrait, muttering the password that she had changed the previous night. The portrait door swung open and revealed the care taker, Rancorous. Rancorous was an old man with shoulder length auburn hair. His face had wrinkles spread all over his face showing his true age and had a prominent sneer upon his face all the time. Nikephoros couldn't blame the poor care-taker for his behaviour for she could only imagine how hard must it be on him to handle so many teenage hormonal students.

"Professor Dumbledore is waiting at the Hogwarts ground for trip to Diagon Alley." The care taker sneered bringing her back from her thoughts and waiting impatiently for her to get along.

"Hold on! Let me grab my.... stuff." Nikephoros calmly said going back inside to grab her wand and sword and checking once again the warding that she had place on the feather of destiny.

"Merlin! Is-is th-that a sw-sword?" came a voice that could only be Rancorous's. His face showed utter shock and dis-belief. Nikephoros was confused by the look of fear on his face.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Not if... not if the headmaster has none. No." He stammered and she could not understand why he would be so shocked to see a sword. During her days, not many wizards used to keep sword, yes, but it wasn't uncommon. Those who were too high inside there head regarding blood purity and supremacy which by the way were quite a many would disregard use of sword saying it to be a 'muggle weapon'. Her family, though believing in blood supremacy never thought of sword as a muggle weapon. During those days blood prejudice was quite common. There were families like hers who would only believe at certain notions and not the entire concept. However, Nikephoros completely repelled it. To her the muggles and magical folks were equal. In fact she admired how muggles were capable of doing everything without magic and this fascinated her.