Black and Gold

Chapter 10 - Tutoring

Karina kept her promise and didn't tell any of our other friends about what had happened during my interaction with Dumbledore. When they asked after we returned to the library, I simply told them about Dumbledore asking specifics of what happened with the Sorting Hat and him giving me my dad's compass, which I promptly showed them.

They all had theories of what it was meant for, but I didn't have the energy to test any of them. To be honest, all I could think about was telling Cedric about all of this. I loved Karina, but I knew if I revealed how anxious this thing with my dad made me, she'd become anxious too. She had helped me a lot, but I knew Cedric was always the one who noticed my overthinking and helped me calm my nerves.

Back on the Tuesday of the second week, the eve before our first Charms test, I was a mess in the common room. He found me hunched over my textbook and notes and managed to convince me to take a break. We went over to the kitchens and got some pastries from the house elves and went up to the Astrology Tower, talking and eating our sweets.

I needed that right now. No, I told myself. Maybe it was possible for me to forgive him for everything that happened with Francesca if he offered an apology. However, I couldn't stop replaying how he had said, 'well, she is a Slytherin,' in an attempt to defend Dominic. If he found out about my Slytherin relatives and my dad's past, there would be no doubt how he would react. It wasn't worth getting hurt all over again.

My friends were chatting excitedly about the first Quidditch match coming up in a few weeks. I didn't have much to add, and I felt drained from the past hour, so I told them that I would get some rest and meet them tomorrow for breakfast. On my way to my dormitory, I ran into Francesca.

"Hi!" I said excitedly.

She had a bag slung over her shoulder and tucked her Transfiguration textbook under her arm. She had probably been studying too. "Hey, it's good to see you, Lilah," she said with a smile.

"How's everything?"

Her lips turned down. "Normal." I knew her definition of normal must be different than everyone else in our grade. "You?"

I realized that Francesca might be one of the only people who could understand what I was going through, as she was a Slytherin. "Do you have a minute?"

She knit her eyebrows together, "Sure, what's happened?"

I took her into an empty classroom so I could explain everything that had happened with my conversation with Dumbledore.

Her mouth hung open by the end. "You come from a Slytherin family?"

It was still odd to hear that and know it was true. "That's what I've been told."

She smiled and shook her head. "You realize you have more Slytherin blood than I do, and it's my House."

She was right. That was weird to consider. "I guess so, but even after finding out, I don't feel any more Slytherin. I mean, the Sorting Hat literally considered every House at Hogwarts except for Slytherin."

Francesca turned towards me."You know I was almost put into Hufflepuff?" That was a surprise. She had never mentioned it before but considering her sweet personality, it made sense. "The Sorting Hat thought of it, and I asked to go there myself. In the end, it felt that I had stronger personality traits that belonged in Slytherin."

That was odd. I couldn't think of any Slytherin-like traits in Francesca. "To be honest, I'm still very confused by that placement. I don't really see you with any of the same qualities as the other Slytherins."

"Yeah, I know," she agreed. "I feel like I don't, and I have the rest of my House to remind me constantly."

I placed my hand on her arm. "I'm sorry. You should come have lunch with my friends and me some time."