Chương 20: Slytherin Politics

Breakfast on Friday was unexciting. We got directions again and managed to find the Charms classroom without issue. As Hermione had said, Flitwick was starting us with Lumos. It was probably the easiest spell taught at Hogwarts, and most students succeeded with lighting their wands to different intensities by the end of class. Channeling magic to create Sparks was easier, but that was something necessary for the use of a wand, not a spell.

According to a comment Flitwick had made during his lecture, we should have learned Sparks in our first lesson. We hadn't. Potions was our first lesson, and all Snape did was bully students. It was Lockhart who had taught us. Probably because he couldn't teach much else, but the fact that he somehow proved himself a more willing teacher than Snape… had me worried. Worried enough that I was a little concerned about sharing this class with the Slytherins, but they kept to themselves.

I monitored the changes in their dynamics and internal rankings. Harper and Yarrow had ended up as subordinates to Nicholas Fawley, who therefore was currently the highest ranking of the Slytherin boys. The 'King' as it were. Three of the girls were vying for Queen. Ella Kilburn had pulled one of the remaining boys into her orbit, Hayley Morden had claimed another, and Nerys Orpington had gained the fealty of a less politically ambitious girl.

Since they all had one follower, they were stuck in a stalemate for the time being trying to appeal to the neutral members of their house without making concessions. It was only the second day of classes, so there was plenty of opportunity for things to change. True to what I'd told Ginny, I hung back at the end of class to talk about my plans with Flitwick.

"Lyra! Excellent job. You're a credit to Ravenclaw!" He slipped into a conspiratorial whisper, "Better watch Miss Rosewood though—she has that competitive spark in her, and she's neck and neck with you."

"Thank you sir, but I wanted to talk to you about starting a certain extracurricular activity."

"Oh? Interested in dueling already, are you?" He let out a chuckle.

"I never liked the ban myself. Darn Gryffindors and Slytherins ruining the sport for everyone else." He shook his head forlornly.

"Not dueling. No. Well actually, if it does start up again I would be interested in learning defensive spells. Even if they don't let us participate directly. But that's not what I wanted to discuss with you. I was actually thinking of starting a more organized betting pool for quidditch." Gambling wasn't against the rules at Hogwarts. Percy made a bet for ten galleons during a quidditch match against his girlfriend and fellow prefect Penelope in the third book.

He was too much of a stickler for policy to risk losing his badge. I pulled out the bracket and began to explain.

"There are 6 quidditch matches during the year, enough for each of the four houses to play each other once. My plan is to have a buy-in where everyone who wants to participate places their bets early for the whole season. 10 sickles to join, with the option to buy-in a total of 2 times if they want.

"The winnings would come entirely from the participants' bets. After each match, I will use the pool to pay out to the winners with 10% of the total. If there is a big upset the winners get paid more, and if you play safe—choosing the team everyone is betting on—you get a smaller return.

"After the final match, the 3 people who have both correctly named the cup winner, and had the closest recorded bet for the winning team's total points over the season receive the big payout from 30% of the total, divided 5% to 3rd, 10% to 2nd, and 15% to 1st.

"That accounts for 90% paid back to participants. If there is an uneven division of coin, payouts are rounded to the nearest knut using the remaining 10% that would overwise go to myself as the organizer.

"If something happens and a match gets canceled, the sum that would've been awarded to the winners gets split evenly among all participants." I finished, and waited expectantly for his reply.

"Hmm, you've put a lot of thought into this." It was a pretty simple and straightforward setup really, I'd done much the same thing as an assignment for one of my business classes.

'If it isn't broke, don't fix it'. This was a known successful setup for fantasy muggle sports. Being the organizer of a league was more work, but it came with a guaranteed payout. Rule 1 of gambling: The House always wins. If I really wanted to make money gambling, all I needed to do was become 'The House'. I would still use my advanced knowledge to participate in the pool and place other bets, but why leave money on the table? Professor Flitwick reviewed my sheets and notes.

"And you want me as some sort of enforcer for this?"

"No. I just want you to participate. I plan to make public all participants and bets, as well as the math for the payouts. Everyone—in every house—can look at the bracket and see exactly who should've won and what amount. I'll make myself available in the Great Hall after every match to provide payouts to the winners." Also, people would be far less willing to resort to mugging me if teachers know what's going on.

"AH! You—as a first-year—lack the trust necessary for the initial buy-in. You want someone everyone knows you wouldn't cheat to show trust in the system. Clever, very clever." He smiled genially at me.

"I must admit this does sound like fun, and 10 sickles isn't too much of an ask." He set down the sheet and rubbed his mustache.

"How long do I have to think it over?"

"I would like your name on the list as soon as possible to generate more interest. I have Transfiguration after this, and I'll be approaching Professor McGonagall as well. But you'd have until the Halloween Feast to finalize your bets. I'll be collecting this form here–" I pointed at one of the papers before him.

"During the feast. Anyone who hasn't paid the 10 sickles at that point will be kicked from the pool, and I'll get the bracket posted in every common room the following day."

"Hmm, are you approaching all the staff?"

"Not all, no. However, the Heads of Houses have the freedom to choose a favorite I think." I wouldn't approach Snape—any interaction with a Legilimens was too much of a risk—but Hagrid and Lockhart might want in.

"And who will you be betting on?" I smiled. There was only one appropriate answer to that.

"Ravenclaw, of course." Quidditch would be getting canceled before the end of the year anyway, so that final bet wouldn't matter.

"HA! Good girl. Well, I suppose there's no harm in a few extra stakes to the games, and I can't have one of my students place McGonagall's name above my own. Sign me up!" He reached out and signed his name. My grin only grew wider. Now I just needed to advertise. v^v^V^v^v As we entered Transfiguration, Riley pointed out a cat sitting on the teacher's desk.

"I always wanted a cat, but Da told me to wait a year to get to know my roommates before forcing one on them."

"Owls are more practical," Fiona commented.

"Bunnies are obviously better," Cordelia added.

"Bunnies are against the rules. Why were you even allowed one in the first place?"

"Jazzarath isn't a normal bunny. He's actually a dragon. A proper dragon! The last line of defence in case someone comes after me while I'm asleep and vulnerable to assassins."

"Dragons aren't just against school rules. They're entirely illegal to own as pets," Fiona said, rolling her eyes and turning back to the cat on McGonagall's desk in a way to shut Cordelia out of the conversation.

"You think it's related to Mrs Norris?" I tried to hold back a smile and failed miserably.

"Nah, she's too cute to be evil." I walked up to the teacher's desk, and slowly held out my hand near the cat in greeting. Not too close. Standard cat etiquette; let them smell your hand and interact with it before attempting to invade its personal space. Inu had alwa– I cut the thought off before the memory could affect me. Since this was most certainly not a typical cat, the gesture was less about not upsetting the cat and more about not getting detention, or having my arm transfigured in punishment.

McGonagall—because obviously that was who this was—didn't move an inch as her eyes tracked my hand. When I didn't move to actually pet her, she refocused on my face with an unimpressed glare. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"How do you even know it's a girl?" Riley asked.

"She's too cute not to be a girl."

"I don't know, it's kinda fat." Fiona said disdainfully. The cat slowly turned its head toward the girl. I also looked at Fiona in horror, then back to the cat.

"She didn't mean it." I said hurriedly, "You're beautiful just the way you are."

"It can't understand you Lyra, it's just a dumb cat."

"Weren't we just talking about magic giving mundane creatures higher intellect? I bet this cat is smarter than you."

"Bloody cat isn't smarter than Jazzarath," Cordelia muttered, annoyed at being left out of the conversation.

"Oh? Another bet Lyra? You jumped into the lake on the last one, and now you're doing that quidditch thing. I think you might have a problem."

"Of course I don't." I rolled my eyes.

"It's hardly a problem if I never lose." I had intended those initial words about betting as just a turn of phrase, but if she was going to push?

"So, what about it, want to compare your intellect to a cat and lose?" Fiona looked at the cat, then back to me in scorn.

"Okay fine. I'll join this farce, you prove the cat can understand human speech, and I'll one up it by using a toilet. When you lose, you're diving back into the lake."

"Deal, and when you lose, you have to get at least three other students—from the other houses—to join in my quidditch pool."

"Deal," Fiona said confidently. I turned eagerly back to the cat.

"Well!?" When she just stared at me in disapproval. I realized I was a bit close to the desk, so I took several pointed steps back.

"That better?" The bell rang. The cat sighed, stepped off the edge of the desk, and transformed into Professor McGonagall. I grinned over at Fiona, who had gone deathly pale.

"Three people, from other houses." I reminded her.

"Class has started." McGonagall stated disapprovingly.

"Get to your seats." v^v^V^v^v Transfiguration was more difficult than I anticipated. I glanced sideways at Riley's match as we were packing up. The strike of it had grown metallic and pointed. McGonagall had awarded Ravenclaw points for her partial success. Riley saw me peeking and grinned a challenge at me. My own match had become needle-shaped, but it was still unmistakably wood. I had a feeling Flitwick was right about her.

I hadn't really picked up on it at the time, but she chose to sit away from me after I did better than her in Potions. She'd gotten over it after proving herself better in Flying and Herbology, but I could tell she was going to treat me as a rival for all our classes. Along with the Slytherins, I was getting a fairly good map of my fellow roommates' level of focus and capabilities. Riley was the smartest. My main competition for overall academic success.

Luna was a wild card, who could either be far more knowledgeable, or more innocent than anyone else at random. Fiona and Cordelia were more interested in seeming correct than actually being correct. And Eliza was too quiet to appropriately gauge at this point. Cordelia in particular stood out to me in lessons in the way she continued to shy away from erratic behavior with teachers. I suspected she knew on some level she was acting strange, but couldn't stop herself. A girl's voice from the side caused me to turn.

"Aww, is the wet puppy all sad because she isn't the best in the class?" Ella Kilburn, one of the Slytherins. Along with her tag-along Cassian Vale hovering behind her. Interesting. Kilburn had been there when we'd ganged up on Harper. She'd had several days since then to observe, think, and adjust. That meant one of two things: either she was an idiot, or she had a different objective in trying essentially the same tactic. I saw Riley open her mouth to defend me, so I kicked her—gently—under the desk.

Best to assume enemies were competent until proven otherwise, which means taking a different approach than they anticipate. I wasn't going to let the Slytherins dictate the tempo of these interactions. I shifted my expression into one of overwhelmingly innocent joy, "You think I'm cute!"

"I– What?"

"You said it! I look like a puppy!" I clasped my hands together.

"I think you're very pretty too Ella." I turned shyly, tilted my head, and fluttered lashes. Her face flushed red.

"I'm trying to insult you," she snapped.

"You… idiot."

"I know!" I said brightly." And even then you're complimenting me!" I faced her again, wide-eyed and adoring.

"No I'm not!" Behind her, Vale had his lips pressed together, shoulders shaking as he fought laughter. Dissension? If he was going to stay out of it, all the better for me.

"You started off by implying I should be the top in each subject. Thank you by the way." I added a bit of mischief into my smile, "You've been watching me closely."

"I– NO– I was–""It's alright. I don't mind if you were. I'm glad you came to talk to me though. I could use more friends."

"I don't want to be your friend!" I gasped.

"You want to be besties? Already? That– This is a bit fast."

"I didn't–" I stood—cutting her off—and began walking over to her. She held her ground. There was even a glint of satisfaction in her expression. I was right; she wanted us to fight back. A flick of her eyes toward McGonagall told me her plan. It was to keep things looking mostly innocent on her end, while trusting us to escalate. To cross a serious line like what Fiona had done against Harper. She wanted us to push too far with a teacher still in the room, ready to respond.

Well, it wasn't going to go the way she wanted.

"It's okay Ella," I said as I approached, "I know how hard it is to ask for something like this. To reach out a hand and hope." I reached out and gently took her hand in mine. Pulling it close to my chest and cradling it close with both hands. She tensed when I did so. Expecting me to shove her. Or hit her. Or grab her arm aggressively. Anything that would validate the narrative she'd come prepared with. But she had completely lost control of the situation.

"I accept, Ella," I said warmly, beaming at her.

"We'll always have each other's backs from now on." I tilted my head again.

"I've been watching you too. You can help me in Transfiguration, and I'll help you in Charms." A minor dig, she had been one of the few who failed to cast Lumos. Her face turned scarlet. She pulled her hand free and looked off in the direction of McGonagall's desk.

"I don't need anyone else's help!" she hissed.

"Me either! As long as I have you, Ella." Cassian failed to suppress his latest laugh. She flinched. I could see the calculation pass her eyes; she was losing ground the longer this was going. Moreover, she was losing her composure and I wasn't. She backed away.

"This isn't over," she growled.

"I'll be back. Don't think you've won. Puppy."

"Of course. I'll wait for you as long as it takes, Kitten." I winked at her and waved a bit as she stomped off to the other end of the room. I walked back to Riley.

"Wow Lyra~ what was that? I mean, how did it work?" she asked, a bit awed.

"I noticed it first with Luna," I replied levelly.

"She mentioned that she's only ever visited the Weasley house twice, and they live practically next door. Ginny's the same, she's barely talked to anyone outside her own family.

"Purebloods seem to follow the idea of the social debut. I won't say it's bad or good, but it does mean they have less experience in social interaction than someone who attended a muggle school. It's countered slightly by the confidence they have from growing up in this world."

"And that translates to her shutting down when you take her insults as compliments?"

"It's more the unexpected nature of it. It's easy to predict the response to aggression will be more aggression. She doesn't have the experience yet to anticipate unconventional tactics."

"Adjusting to a strange social situation in real time is harder than people expect before being faced with it. They tend to throw people off balance and often cause them to just shut down while their brain tries to catch up to what's happening. In that respect, she didn't do too horribly." From my observations, Ella seemed to approach social situations similarly to me. We were people who liked to plan our actions ahead of time. Aggressively cheerful optimism and friendliness isn't something people plan for.

Not until they've experienced it themselves for the first time. The greatest downside to 'planning for every possibility' is the complete impossibility to do so. This technique had a name.

'Obfuscating Gregariousness', and it covered any number of variations in presenting an outgoing personality that is typically associated with a lower intelligence to hide the user's true intentions. The best defense—as far as I knew—was to play into it and put the facade at odds with something of critical importance to the person. A rather difficult thing to do considering the 'Obfuscating' part of the name.

"But she came over to bully you, and McGonagall is right over there." She pointed at the desk where the woman in question was still reviewing papers. McGonagall had definitely been watching, but she didn't intercede. How much had she heard? Was she ready to jump in, but held back since Kilburn had approached us and was the only one who seemed pressured?

"No, she wasn't. Not like Harper tried during the feast."

"You mean she wasn't targeting you over the lake or being an orphan?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure if you noticed—she did pretty well here in Transfiguration—but she was one of the Slytherins that had trouble casting Lumos. I think she was trying to lower our standing before McGonagall so she could be the best at the subject." I thought it over for a second, then added, "It might also be similar to what Malfoy did last year with Potter. By establishing herself as the rival of the most notable names of the year, she could gain power and influence from the association.

Push herself up the Slytherin Hierarchy. Add to that, her family isn't very well off—I heard Orpington calling her poor—and she's moderately desperate for an early win before she loses all influence in her house." I was less sure about that. She was still a pre-teen; how politically minded could she be? Did Malfoy even intend to use his relationship with Potter for political power?

'Poor' was also pretty relative. Kilburn didn't have anything I could identify as secondhand, so her family couldn't be anywhere near as destitute as the Weasleys.

"That sounds… way too complicated. What do you mean the Slytherins have a hierarchy?"

"The Ravenclaws have their own hierarchy based on grades." I pointed out.

"The Gryffindors have a less formal system based on successfully doing notable things without losing house points. I'm sure Hufflepuff has its own thing as well. Don't forget that the main point of a house system like what Hogwarts has, is to self-regulate; so that the teachers don't have to intercede as often." Ravenclaw's hierarchy being based on grades was very convenient for me.

I wasn't a slouch as a college student, and this largely cleared the path for me to focus on work over maintaining a political platform like the Slytherins. So long as I didn't abuse my position at the top, I could reasonably be the one the others in my dorm look to for guidance; allowing me to influence their decisions towards beneficial outcomes. Riley was looking a bit overwhelmed by my explanation. Maybe I was going a bit too in-depth.

"It doesn't really matter," I said after a short pause.

"If she starts causing problems for you, feel free to ask me for help. Just know that openly fighting her is what she's currently after. It might be best to retreat and come back when she isn't choosing the time and place."

"Okay." I sighed. Then grabbed my stuff and walked over to McGonagall.

"Professor!" She gave me a disapproving look. My initial intent to copy Hermione had unquestionably failed at this point. Where had I gone wrong?

"Miss Parish."

"Um, could you please refer to me as Lyra? Parish comes off a bit threatening. Not through your tone, but through the homophone." She glared at me and thought it over.

"Very well, Miss Lyra, did you have a question about the lesson, or is this about your interaction with Miss Kilburn?" Come to think about it, her last name is also pretty unfortunate. Maybe I should just keep calling her Ella?

"Actually, I wanted to ask how you feel about quidditch." I had to hold back my grin as I saw her interest pique. Just last year, McGonagall used her own money and influence to buy Harry an expensive broomstick, then place him on her house's team. It was probably a very controversial action among the staff. The thing that had led to her taking 150 points from Harry for being caught out at night later that year; to avoid accusations of favoritism and humble him.

The current situation with the Malfoy buying a full set of top-of-the-line broomsticks for the Slytherins was a direct response to her actions. She was the one who set the current precedent at Hogwarts for 'pay-to-win' in quidditch. If I couldn't get her to place a bet on her own house, I might as well drop the whole betting pool.