Nightmares continued and they became more and more realistic. It seemed that there were a lot more details that Spinnard didn't know and Dumbledore kept to himself. It also seemed that Lillian was McGonagall's favorite student, going as far as having the best transfiguration skills in the school.
The nightmares also unveiled the relationship between Peverell and Lillian while in Hogwarts but none showed Lillian during the holidays or during the summer break. Ophelia considered it as a hint towards the person that was invading her mind by night.
Her day dreaming stopped when someone fell at her feet. She looked down and recognized the pale first year as Regulus Black. Ophelia looked up at the direction he came from and saw a few Gryffindors chuckling to themselves.
"I tripped, sorry!" He apologized as he got on his feet.
"And I believe you," she answered in the same tone, taking another glance of the first year Gryffindors, "Where are your friends when you need them? Aren't Slytherins loyal to each other?" Ophelia added, containing that tinge of sarcasm.
"Loyalty needs to be earned first. I haven't just yet." He mumbled, accepting her help when gathering his books. "Thanks. Will you still go to the after hours?"
"Excuse me?" She asked completely taken aback.
"The dark arts lessons. That's how everyone calls it nowadays. It seems Rabastan will take lead while his brother and Malfoy are one step closer to becoming Death Eaters." Regulus mumbled, glancing left and right suspiciously.
"Do you want to be a Death Eater too? Sirius would go crazy if that would happen."
"Sirius is different. He'll never understand what our family is about."
For an 11 years old he was talking as if he had the whole world on his shoulders.
"What is it about then?" She asked, curious what his answer will be.
"Heritage, tradition, status and many more. Our family's been influential for centuries and we cannot let ourselves be outrun by others." He said, his loyalty towards his family beaming off his skinny figure.
"You should concentrate on the present because from what I noticed, big words don't help if you're bullied." She adviced him, knowing she should do it too when meeting Mulciber.
"I'm not being bullied." He stated slowly.
"And I believe you 100 percent," she answered in the same manner, but this time she gave him a warm smile.
The day continued well, especially because Potter was boasting about something or another. Remus seemed a bit too silent but once she sat next to him during Transfiguration, he smiled.
"How is the smartest boy in school doing?" Ophelia asked.
"I'm not the smartest boy in school. That must be a Ravenclaw or something," he mumbled in return yet not able to turn his head to her.
"What happened?"
Ophelia was the kind of person that would always notice if something was wrong, skill that seemed to have grown with her. Remus sighed and pulled his collar only a few milimeters away, unveiling a huge scar on his neck. Ophelia's eyes widened, not expecting something so serious.
"Was it a hard Christmas?"
"I spent the holidays at school and so did some Slytherins. It's not exactly their fault, though!" He added quickly, seeing her eyes narrow. "It wasn't his fault."
"Whose fault wasn't it?" She asked slowly, wanting him to trust her instead of sneaking inside his mind.
"Just, no one's."
Remus looked down at his book and luckily professor McGonagal entered the classroom but that did not mean Ophelia was done with that subject.
It was better not to make a fuss about Remus and this person that supposedly hurt him but somehow, Ophelia couldn't let it go. He was such a nice human being that he didn't want to cause a scene or cause harm but that scar was haunting Ophelia's mind.
"I was thinking and we'll probably have our next Hogsmeade visit sometime in February, for you know, that." Potter started, his eyes scanning everyone around him. "Someone explain to badge what that is," he added sensing the confusion radiating from the brunette.
"Valentine's Day." Frank said quickly.
"And so, I was thinking that maybe that would be a good time to pull a bit of a prank on the majestic prick."
"That's Mulciber," Frank explained, throwing a short glance at Ophelia before turning his attention to his friend.
"Ah, right, did Mulciber spend Christmas here?" Ophelia asked, her eyes staring into Cissney's.
"No. Very few students stayed here and even fewer Slytherins."
"So it wasn't Mulciber..." she mumbled to herself, eyes shifting towards Remus.
It was after dinner when Ophelia found herself in the Astronomy Tower once again. She wrote a list and granted to Cissney's information, she already crossed a few names out.
"Again up here by yourself,"
Severus skipped the last few stairs and walked towards her. The Tower was large and there were a lot of things deposited against the walls. Ophelia raised an eyebrow and waited for her friend to reach her before asking.
"How do you always know where I am?"
It wasn't meant as a reproach but more as a curiosity.
"It's either here or the dungeons. I live in the dungeons so," he didn't have to continue for her to understand. "Anyway, what are you doing? What-why are my dorm mates on this list?" He asked, taking the paper from her.
"Someone hurt Remus and let an ugly scar on his neck. I just want to repay him,"
"With an ugly scar?" The boy asked sarcastically.
Ophelia's vengeful mind was not so weak as to stop at a scar but it was better not to tell her friend that.
"Sure. That works too," she answered and grabbed her list back. "So, who stayed at Hogwarts this Christmas?"
"Rosier. His family's been having muggle problems so they decided to take care of them instead. Katie and Evan remained at Hogwarts so Dumbledore wouldn't get suspicious." Severus explained in the same manner the weather man informs people of the forecast. "Did you think that maybe your classmate just fell? Why does it have to be a Slytherin behind every injured Gryffindor? Sometimes it happens the other way around."
"Like Regulus? Is he being bullied by Gryffindors?" She boldly asked, taking Severus by surprise.
"Yes, he is. Why? You'll actually help a first year Slytherin instead of your own house?"
He didn't want to sound so rude but his personality wasn't exactly the kindest either. But the tone of his voice and the position he was in, the way he was looking at her as if she was both the enemy and a friend, it reminded her so much of Spinnard.
To Snape's surprise, Ophelia did follow her plan and she started to do what she's always done when interested in something: gather information and follow around. It was Wednesday morning and Severus shook his head when he noticed the brunette stare as Regulus entered the Great Hall.
"I was thinking, we should use the next Hogsmeade visit to our advantage for the Quidditch match in March." Avery started.
"Me too, but not particularly for Quidditch. I still have unfinished bussiness with one Gryffindor," Mulciber mumbled, an awful scowl on his face as he threw a glare towards the brunette.
Nott looked up at Ophelia and sighed. Except him, no one in their year knew that she spent Christmas with Malfoy. It was so strange how she could act in front of her friends while behind their backs she was learning dark arts.
"She's a hypocrite. Lying to everyone, showing loyalty when the truth is that she is far worse than a blood traitor." Nott added his own point of view, quite randomly since they already moved onto other subjects.
"Hogsmeade will be fun this winter. Besides, with so many chocolates and love potions handed from one person to another, nobody will know it was us." Avery added, chuckling darkly before he took a bite from his toast.
Severus paid attention to Nott in particular, seeing him glance at Ophelia even afterwards. They had Potions which was a great opportunity for Slytherins to act.
But none did. For the first time in a long time, Ophelia could concentrate on her potion without having Severus look over her shoulder. It didn't look half bad and even Slughorn was surprised by her achievement.
"Well, Molley, you may actually be able to pass the exam with a modest grade this year," the professor commented when he passed by her cauldron.
"Thanks, professor," she replied, her face brightening.
"That wasn't a compliment nor an encouragement," whispered Severus, feeling embarrassed for her.
By the time the class was over, nothing out of ordinary happened and even Sirius and James were curious what made Slytherins so calm.
"They're planning something. They've been too silent," Sirius mumbled on the way to lunch. Ophelia had Occlumency next which gave Sirius another bright idea, "Why don't you wander around their minds? Just a bit, not enough to notice."
Ophelia raised an eyebrow, seemingly appaled by such an action. It wouldn't be the first time she reacts against her classmates' expectations.
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe they just found something better to do?" Lily asked, mostly taking her friend's side than a boy that could see conspiracies everywhere.
"You mean another target," the dark haired boy retorted, making Lily roll her eyes.
"Why am I even trying anymore? You'll do whatever you please anyway,"
"Blimey, Evans finally got it!" Sirius exclaimed sarcastically, turning to James and Frank.
"No, Sirius is right. They usually throw glances in the corridor or go around saying stuff behind our backs. Ever since we came back, Slytherins have been odd." Potter took his best mate's side, naturally.
Ophelia glanced over her shoulder at a few Slytherins and noticed Regulus once again sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, glaring at a few Gryffindors. Maybe it was payback for all the trouble between the houses.
"Hey! You there! Are you first years?!"
It was even more surprising to have Potter yell at the same subjects Ophelia was looking at. Everyone turned and Sirius' eyes widened when he saw his brother. Regulus jumped on his feet faster than expected and left the scene with Sirius on his tail. On the other side, Potter looked angry.
"Let me make something clear: Gryffindors are not bullies. I don't care what you have heard of Slytherins but someone smart said once that if you get taunted, you never give in and attack. Remember that." The glasses boy said with such a rare strict tone. The boys looked down and nodded before they ran off.
"What did we just wittness?" Cissney asked Alice who in return shook her head in astonishment.
"Did you just go all professor McGonagall on them?" Ophelia asked bemusedly. It seemed that relaxed the boy a bit and he shrugged.
"Sometimes I'm McGonagall and sometimes I'm Slughorn."
That translated meant he was either too affected and perceptive or avoiding trouble by turning a blind eye. Ophelia was happy to see that Potter was growing up.
"Maybe Cissney is right and there's a lot of potential in you too, James. Not bad," she mumbled before she patted him on his shoulder awkwardly and turned to Remus instead.
Potter remained like a statue and blushed, seeing a badge that he hasn't seen before; one whose eyes weren't hiding anything, whose smile was genuine.
"That's an interesting twist ..." Cissney mumbled to herself, watching the interaction between the two with curiosity.
