42 ~ The Concept of "Pure" Blood

Maybe this wasn't mature, but it was effective

     I was talking to Elizabeth, because she was often on her own. I had also run into her on my way to the Great Hall, since it was breakfast time. It was Monday and besides Charms I had Care of Magical Creatures on my timetable today. It had been two days since full moon and normal school routine continued, if one could call Hogwarts normal.     Just then Peeves flew past us cackling, and from behind us came shrieks from girls. He had startled them. So it was a completely normal morning.     From everywhere tired witches and wizards streamed in, looking more dead than alive, but at least they had made it out of bed on a Monday morning. I too had been awake early today, but in my case it had been because I had not been able to sleep.     So the girls had still been asleep when I had left the dormitory, and I had met Elizabeth, who oddly enough was an early riser. At first we had talked about our prank, but now the conversation had shifted to lessons.

A lesson I don’t want to attend today, I muttered tiredly in my thoughts.

     "With the subjects you’ve taken, what are you planning to do after Hogwarts? Open a plant shop?" the Slytherin asked me. I looked at her, then shrugged.     "You’re not very talkative in the morning, I have to say. I’d offer you a chocolate bar, but we’re almost at the Great Hall," her gaze moved ahead, "You know, if I could choose, I’d like to become an Auror," she said, her gaze drifting dreamily into the distance. We had already covered half the way to the Great Hall and were talking about the professions that existed, or rather Elizabeth was talking about them with my tired self.     "I know, a strange job for a Slytherin, but I’m good at magic. It probably won’t come to anything though. My parents certainly wouldn’t approve of me working for the Ministry. Dark families and the concept of fighting evil don’t exactly go together, ha, ha! Also, since Voldemort is currently gaining power, I don’t think I have to worry too much about my professional future."     I imagined that she sounded a little depressed, but I was probably interpreting it wrong. I was surprised, though, that Elizabeth spoke so openly about such things.     "Why are you looking at me like that?" the girl beside me laughed.          "Nothing," I tried, "I just think it’s-"     "-surprising that a Lestrange talks like that?"          I nodded, then Elizabeth laughed, but continued: "Talking about the obvious is normal for me. The Dark Forces are gaining power and all Slytherins are Death Eaters, ha, ha! If only it were that simple, Phil," she paused briefly, "I mean, many will become them, but I’m still undecided. In any case, most Slytherins are proud, don’t want to become blood traitors, neither do I..."     "Why is the thing with blood so important? I’ve never understood that..."          I really had no idea about any of it. I could have asked Black or Potter, since they both belonged to well-known pure-blood families, but as was known, I wasn’t getting along with the boys right now. I didn’t want to bother Alice with this topic, so that left me with a Lestrange.     Through everything Elizabeth had said in the last few seconds, I had no idea whether I was now talking to a future Death Eater or not. She was a strange girl who mixed facts and her own perception in her stories so much that I had no idea what she really thought.

Yes, strange, but it’s too early.

     "It’s clear that Muggles know nothing of the wizarding world, so they are inferior," she explained to me, "They have no place in our world, so mixing these worlds is a disgrace. That’s why families with long lineages are proud of their "pure" blood. The Blacks, Lestranges and Malfoys as examples. For ages they have been proud families, but with too much pride and always thinking about the family line, they are often not averse to the Dark Forces, like many other families. That’s the thing with blood, because the family line has to be carried on "cleanly". As an example of a blood traitor you can look at Black. He’s in Gryffindor. Yes, his friend Potter is a pure-blood and the Potters are proud in a different way, but open to change, which explains the difference best. Tradition versus an open mind. I can still remember when Black was sorted into Gryffindor, what an uproar that caused in the Great Hall, wow, it was funny. You should have seen the trembling among the first-years who hadn’t been sorted yet. Everyone who wanted Slytherin because of their families suddenly became afraid of ending up like Black," unconsciously Elizabeth touched her green and silver tie, "At eleven, I could already imagine how his parents would react when they heard about his house, the one with the wrong colours. Probably like mine: a bit of Crucio here, a bit of Crucio there."     Elizabeth made a sweeping hand movement, as if she were swinging her wand herself. It was one of those moments when I did not know what she really thought, what reality looked like. I also found it strange that Elizabeth spoke so much in my presence, even though she was otherwise a loner.

Is she a loner because she’s in Slytherin, but doesn’t want anything to do with this strange pride, just wants to live her life?I didn’t know.

     "But the whole thing with "pure" blood goes much deeper and is also tied to the Dark Forces, one would only have to take your father as an example if we wanted to continue the matter. Then we’d have to talk about the houses. I know I’m in Slytherin because the Hat sent me there, but how many have persuaded the Hat to be put into a different house? Perhaps another lie in society, but who am I to judge? I’m just looking forward to delicious fried eggs with buttered toast!" she called out and her seriousness was replaced by excitement.

Sometimes she changes her mood like underwear, I thought amused, and we stopped in front of the hall.

     Elizabeth turned to me, then said: "Are you going in, or waiting for your friends?"          I was about to answer when Elizabeth’s gaze went over my shoulder and her eyes narrowed, then she put on her Slytherin grin.     I turned around as well and spotted the Marauders heading to breakfast, with a certain Black fixing his eyes on Elizabeth.

This is going to be interesting...

     "Mutt, I’m not your reflection, you don’t need to stare at me like an idiot!" Elizabeth called out to Black in annoyance, and then it began. Black, who had just been about to walk into the hall unfazed, had caught the scent, because he turned towards the Slytherin and strutted over, which his friends commented on with an eye roll.     "Sorry for looking at you, but you know, it’s very hard to look away from 'accidents'," Sirius Black grinned, "Besides, we still have something to settle, Lestrange."          "Then enlighten me, all-knowing Black, because I can’t keep up with your stupid head, I’d have to bang it against a wall a few times first."     The Gryffindor breathed out his aggression, then said: "You were the one with the itching powder."          "Me?" she laughed and theatrically placed a hand on her left chest, "If it had been me, I’d have worn it like a medal. You four were said to have screamed like girls, ah, delightful! Although, wait, I saw it with my own eyes, ha, ha, ha!"     Black looked like he was about to explode. "It was you anyway, one can smell your lie! Only you would do something like that," he shot back and stepped closer to her. Elizabeth crossed her arms in front of her chest, then shrugged unconcernedly.          "You’re right, Black."     His face froze as she continued: "Yes, only I would do it, what are you going to do now, cry?"     And as I noticed that the two of them were only just getting started with their argument, I walked past the other Marauders. They seemed less shocked than Black and followed me to breakfast.

     In the Great Hall, however, I realised that the girls were not there yet. Potter noticed that as well.     "You’re sitting with us, Phil," he said and pushed me onto a bench. I was too surprised to react, because suddenly I was sitting at the Gryffindor table. Remus sat down beside me, unconcerned, as if Potter’s action had been completely normal.     I caught Remus’ gaze while Potter and Pettigrew walked around the table.          "Otherwise you’d have to eat alone," Remus explained calmly.     I could curse myself inwardly that I no longer hated him. His green eyes met mine and all I could do was shrug, accept my fate.     The night in the hospital wing had brought us closer. I still had Pomfrey’s bandages, and under Remus’ eyes I could still see dark circles, but we had to live with this curse.

We will have to live with this curse forever...

     Those thoughts were too dark for an interesting morning. Interesting, because Potter immediately brought up the prank as soon as he sat down in front of us: "Padfoot was actually right that it was Lestrange." he grabbed a piece of toast and spread butter on it. Remus, however, looked away from me and shrugged.     Pettigrew, on the other hand, said: "Who else could it have been?"          "Yeah, still," Potter replied, then his gaze fell on me, "Why do you look so startled?"     "Phil is just deciding whether she still doesn’t like us," Remus said calmly, provocatively, as he poured himself tea.     My gaze snapped to him. Potter, on the other hand, began to snicker so much that he almost choked on his toast, but unfortunately Remus was right.          "I don’t have to think about it; I still don’t like you, thank you," I replied dryly.     I reached for Remus’ cup, which he had just filled with tea. His face fell and Potter’s snickering turned into laughter. Remus, however, reached for a new cup and filled it with tea. I, meanwhile, spread honey on a piece of bread. Potter stopped laughing.     "Well, Phil seems to have a dark side if she’s already stealing other people’s tea," the bespectacled boy remarked cheerfully. I shrugged.     "Everyone has a dark side. I have to say, I liked Elizabeth’s prank. But can someone explain magical itching powder to me?" I played dumb and it worked.     "It was on sale at Zonko’s for a while," Remus explained, "but when its effect turned out to be far too strong, it was taken out of the range. Lestrange seems to still have some. It spreads rapidly and jumps onto other people like fleas. The itching also turns into burning and you get blisters."     For a moment I had to bite the inside of my cheek as I thought about how much itching powder Elizabeth had put into Black’s underwear.

The blisters must have been unbearable there...

     "So a nasty prank then?" I raised an eyebrow.          Potter confirmed it: "Quite nasty, actually."     But we could not continue our conversation, because behind me a voice sounded: "Phil, what are you doing here?"          I turned around and spotted Lily, who looked at me questioningly. She knew that I did not like the boys at the moment.     "Waiting for you to arrive," I answered and saw that the girls were already sitting at the other end of the table. Then I stood up, holding my plate in one hand and the tea in the other.     "Oh, and Lestrange and Black are shouting at each other outside, in case his friends are interested?"          "It’ll be fine," Remus said calmly.     "Yeah, probably-" James Potter began, but was interrupted by a bang outside the hall. Then McGonagall’s voice could be heard: "Lestrange, Black! What is going on in your heads, you young people, one does not fire spells at others and I do not care who started it!"     Everyone present in the Great Hall had fallen silent, even the professors at the staff table had paused their breakfast. Dumbledore had stopped mid-motion while eating a sausage, but he simply shrugged and continued eating, as McGonagall had everything under control.

Yes, a great headmaster, I thought amused.

     "I’ll be bold and say that Sirius won’t be joining our picnic by the lake today, Evans." Potter looked at the redhead.          "There is no picnic by the lake!" Lily shook her head.     "I know," James took a sip of his water, "but there could be one if you wanted?"          "Ugh!" Lily exclaimed, "Let’s go, Phil."     "Wait," I replied and looked at the three of them, then said calmly: "Would you do me a favour and tell your friend, Sirius Black, that he wears nice black underwear, thank you."     With those words I achieved what I wanted, because the boys’ faces changed their emotions. From amusement at the whole situation, to confusion, to realisation.          "No..." Remus muttered in disbelief.     "Yes, and I thank you for the compliment that the prank was a nasty one." I turned around completely, the boys staring after me speechless.      Lily also stood there stunned for a moment, but then caught up with me and I had to confirm to her in clear words that Elizabeth and I had tricked the boys. When we reached the girls, I had to tell them as well. It sweetened all of our morning.