Pansy watched Lucas as he investigated a strange part of the room. She had stayed behind to explore the new dorm common room where she would be living for the next several years, but her eyes were drawn to the boy she had spoken with earlier. She found him odd. Most of the other students were already forming friend groups. She herself had been close to the Malfoys and was childhood acquaintances with Draco. However, she had never heard of Lucas from the Peterson family. They had kept him under wraps.
She had been in the boat beside him when he reemerged from the water. When he did, she noticed something moving beneath his sleeve and heard a faint noise—a soft humming—for just a second while he hacked water from his lungs. Then, the Sorting Hat had taken just as long with him as it had with the legendary Boy Who Lived. That meant something was special about him—something the hat had to sort out.
Now, he was staring off into the darkness beyond the windows with a look of purpose in his eyes. Pansy kept watching, hoping to catch anything that might shed light on his mystery, but she jumped back when a massive cracking sound echoed from his direction. The other students looked around in confusion, and several who had already retreated to their rooms came rushing back out to investigate the noise. All eyes locked onto one person: Lucas, who was gazing out of the cracked window with freakishly calm eyes.
The light inside the room revealed the cause of the crack—a single, fin-shaped tentacle suctioned to the window. However, what truly terrified Pansy was the presence behind it. Through the glass, she saw a massive, glowing yellow eye with a square pupil, its gaze seemingly piercing through Lucas and staring directly into her. She realized she was standing right behind him in the corner of the room, where no one else dared to venture. The other students remained frozen, too afraid to move any closer.
Pansy's legs weakened, and she collapsed to the floor. Yet, as her breath quickened, she heard something else—hissing. It was faint, barely audible over the murmuring of the other students, but she was close enough to hear it clearly. Her eyes remained fixed on both the glowing eye and the boy standing unshaken before it.
"Can you tell her that I'll bring her more tomorrow?" I asked Valdemar, who was peeking at the Giant Squid through my collar.
"No… I need to be in the water too, to talk to her," he replied solemnly, sounding disappointed. I gently patted his head, then reached for my wand with my free hand. Pressing the tip against my forehead, I silently pleaded, 'Please, let her know.'
I focused on the familiar warmth of magic coursing through me, then pressed the wand to the glass beside my hand and her tendril. A faint ringing noise began, and I felt the vibrations on the glass as I poured my thoughts into the sound, hoping she could understand my message.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that she had moved closer, filling the window with her enormous yellow eye. She stared into me, assessing me. I smiled softly, sensing a connection pass between us in that moment. Slowly, she closed her eye and disappeared without a sound.
I exhaled deeply, a wide smile spreading across my face as I stared through the cracked glass into the dark depths of the lake.
"She's nice. I like her!" Val cheered, his tail flicking happily.
"Maybe you two will be friends," I whispered back.
"What was that!?"
My smile vanished as I spun around, finding every Slytherin staring at me with wide eyes and open mouths.
'Crap! Okay… Just play it off. This is fixable.'
I quickly plastered on a sneer—the same one I had seen my father use when speaking to the "lower classes."
"That was the monster that tried to kill me tonight!" I declared, my voice dripping with disdain. "It wants to scare me, to make me yield under its gaze! But I—a proud Slytherin—will not bow to a lowly beast!"
I ended with a haughty smirk, the same arrogant expression I had seen so many of my father's peers wear. The dorm erupted into cheers for the Slytherin name, students rushing forward to congratulate me for my supposed bravery.
"That was awesome!"
"I can't believe you beat that thing!"
"Only a Pure Blood could do that!"
Even the upperclassmen patted my back with admiration. My stomach sank, knowing that any hope of living in obscurity was now impossible.
Pansy, however, was not among those cheering. She remained silent, her eyes locked onto Lucas. Unlike the others, she had seen his reflection in the glass. She had witnessed the genuine, elated smile he wore when the monster vanished. It was a smile of familiarity and warmth, not fear. Now, as she watched him bask in the praise, she saw the practiced smirk of a Pure Blood aristocrat—the same one she herself had worn many times. But she knew it was a façade.
The speech didn't fit. She was sure of it now. 'He must have some connection to that monster. Did he do all this to increase his influence?'
The thought made her stomach churn. As she looked around the room, she realized with dismay that Lucas now had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand—even Draco, her childhood acquaintance, was offering his approval. That worried her.
But Pansy was smart. She knew not to strike too soon. She had learned enough about politics from her parents to know that patience was key. First, she would lay low. She would watch him, learn his secrets, and strike with precision when the time was right.
'I will find out what you're hiding, Lucas Peterson… and I'll show them who you really are.'
I yawned as I returned to my room, thankful to have my own space. I glanced at my school supplies, wondering what the classes would be like. My gaze fell on the cauldron. Val was slithering around the room, inspecting everything with curious eyes, but he seemed especially drawn to the cauldron filled with water.
'I need to make more food for her and Val,' I thought. 'But using a potion cauldron for cooking? That doesn't sound safe…'
I debated the idea for a moment before deciding to give it a try.
"Nalby!" I called into the empty room.
For a moment, nothing happened. I sighed and turned back to the cauldron, assuming he hadn't heard me.
"Yes, Master!?"
I spun around to see Nalby appearing with a happy smile. My face lit up, and I quickly hugged him.
"Good to see you, Nalby!"
"Of course, Master! I'm always happy to serve you!"
I let go with a sigh, suppressing the guilt that gnawed at me for treating him like a servant. I handed him a list of ingredients, and he vanished with a pop, only to return moments later with everything I had requested.
"Thanks for everything, Nalby," I said sincerely as I moved the pot over a small magical burner.
"Of course, Master!" Nalby gave a cheerful bow before vanishing again.
I spent the next hour carefully preparing food, making enough to last several days. I didn't want to call for Nalby too often.
Finally, I ended the day by reading about magical creatures to Val as he slithered around and eventually curled up to sleep. I gazed out the window at the dark lake, wondering if I could truly survive at this school.