Chapter 31. Making Friends

I stared at the girl standing before me, her silver hair reflecting the sun’s gaze, helping her to shine. A stark contrast to her meager attitude, and worrisome expression. There was something about her that always felt familiar. A strange aura that made me think of myself, with nothing else to compare it to. She seemed nice, being thankful for help, much unlike Hermione that just glared at me. There was only one major problem. She was a Hufflepuff.

Slytherin’s, only conversed and remained close to ourselves. Pansy only sold to Slytherin’s, Draco only pranked other houses, and nobody I saw in our house ever so much as talked to another student in a different house without making fun of them in some way. Even if this girl was a pureblood, it wouldn’t matter. My mind immediately flashed back to the images of Merlin, scrapped from history by his peers. I glared at her while standing up, finished with this section of the library anyway. “No, and stay away from me in the future.” I said to her, leaving her behind while I went to search another section.

Chiara stood motionless for a few seconds, letting her mind process what just happened. “What rubbish! You don’t need to be friends with the likes of him anyway!” Chiara looked towards the voice, seeing it was her only friend, Hermione. She was scowling at the image of Lucas walking through the library, disappearing behind more shelves. Hermione then looked back at Chiara, her gaze much more gentle and caring. “I have other friends I can introduce you to… One’s that are actually good people.”

Chiara smiled at that idea, but inside she felt her stomach sink in fear of being known too much. She only needed to be closer to Lucas, she had to tell him what was being hidden from him by his parents. However she was too nervous, like stepping on glass, she didn’t know what might crack and shatter under her if she was callous with saying it. Her best idea was getting closer to him so she could break it to him slowly, but he didn’t want to be close to her.

Hermione stared at Chiara, waiting for her to finally speak her mind. After knowing Chiara, and becoming friends with her, she quickly realized that Chiara was the silent type, mostly because she really had a lot to say. Ironic as it was, Chiara had so much to express, but only one mouth to do it. Instead of speaking her mind, going a mile a minute, Chiara felt it was better to compile her thoughts before talking, but this took time. Making it seem she was empty in the head to others, or strange.

Chiara finally nodded with a smile she first had. Watching her think was a spectacle in and of itself. Her expression turned sweet to sour and back to sweet as she thought. “I’d like that…” She mumbled before taking a seat where Lucas was just at. Hermione raised an eyebrow in confusion as Chiara pulled out an old alumni book. “Would you like to meet them now? We are sitting right over there.” Hermione suggested, and waited for Chiara to go through her mind in thought.

However Chiara mumbled something, most likely having to do with a fortune she had made for herself. Chiara’s favorite subject was Astrology, making predictions of her own future almost everyday. Hermione had gotten used to her mumbling vague things about what just occurred, like it was a prediction of the past foretelling of the event. “Moon is waning gibbous… That’s six… Page six of…” She continued to mumble as she turned pages of the book towards one that made Hermione’s eyes widen in shock.

“Did Lucas do this!?” She yelled under her breath while leaning over the table to view the befoulment of this book. Chiara shook her head as they both stared at the scribbled student. “No… He didn’t…” Hermione believed Chiara, and at closer inspection this was the Slytherin portion of the alumni anyway. “Who is that?” She muttered while squinting her eyes at the ruined image. The only part that was unblemished was the letter M at the start of his name. ‘Well it isn’t Nicholas Flamel… That’s good, we know he isn’t working with Snape to steal the stone.’ She sighed in relief, but still wondered who was so hated in Slytherin to warrant such treatment by their own peers by the looks of it.

“M…” Hermione pondered while tapping her finger on the desk. “Ma… Mo… Mer…” She started mumbling the beginnings of names to try and think of who it could be, but her mind was still preoccupied with Nicholas Flamel. Suddenly Chiara jerked up in her chair, causing Hermione to stumble back. “Merlin.” Chiara said with conviction, sure she was correct.

Hermione sighed at the obvious answer right in front of her. “Right… Merlin was a Slytherin.” She grumbled, but Chiara didn’t bother to comment while she was still off in her own mind. “Follow the moon’s gaze...” She mumbled with a small smile of hope, nearly the same as when she first spoke to Hermione about being a friend of hers. What Hermione didn’t understand was why she was so happy about Lucas reading about Merlin, especially when he just hatefully turned her friendship away. “I… I’m ready to meet your friends… If you don’t mind.” Chiara suddenly changed the topic, but Hermione shrugged it away while leading her first female friend at school to her closer friends from her house. “Meet Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley.”

I kept walking around the library, looking for more history regarding Merlin. However much of what was written about him was vague at best. Only discussing Merlin being a grand Wizard, and that he was a master of Charms. However what wasn’t discussed was being friends with a Muggle. Almost like it was removed from any of the texts in the library. I frowned, my mind whispered of some place that might have something more about Merlin’s life. The Restricted Section.

I sighed, knowing that the term ‘Restricted’ wasn’t just for show. I glanced at the gated and padlocked section, knowing I wouldn’t be allowed to read any books that laid beyond their protected perimeter. “Lucas, there you are.” I glanced up at Pansy, taking the seat opposite of me. “You have to explain to me what you were riding.” Her eyes yearned to learn more, her studious attitude being rekindled before classes even began.

I smirked while turning a few pages of another book I had with me at the table. Flipping the book for her to see, she gasped at the ghastly image before her. “Thestral… Invisible to most, they are carnivorous, and scavengers by nature. Preferring to live off dead creatures, decomposing. Sort of like vultures.” Pansy studied the image, disbelief filling her gaze. “You can see them? Why?” I shrugged at her, not knowing the reason myself. “Apparently, only someone who has seen death can see them, but I don’t remember anything of the sort. Perhaps there are other ways not yet discovered...” I mumbled at my conjecture, and Pansy nodded while still studying the creature.

It was then, watching Pansy’s interested expression of the horrifying creature, no look of revulsion that I would assume would appear on most students, I spoke without thought. “How much do you know about Merlin?” Pansy, confused, looked up at me, and glanced at my history books. “I would assume you would know more considering.” She scoffed while I tidied my area.

However she looked off in her memory, speaking while deep in thought. “But… I have heard he was a powerful Wizard. Slytherin of course… Master of Charms…” She then sighed and shook her head. “Unfortunately, I don’t know much else.” I sighed, while nodding in thanks. I was getting ready to just wait till my second year to have a chance at some of the restricted section, until Pansy gasped. “Right! I think I remember seeing a painting of him near the main entrance.”

I snapped my head towards Pansy, excitement over perhaps hearing of him from the closest thing to himself I could imagine. “Can you show me the way?” I asked. Pansy nodded with a smile. “Now that you mention it, I would be interested in hearing more of the famous wizard.”

We both left the library, avoiding scornful gazes of a certain table with the strange Hufflepuff girl, Hermione, Weasley, and Potter. Mostly coming from Weasley and Hermione, while Hufflepuff girl and Potter looked on with interest more than anything.