The Greedy Frog
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HP: The Salazar's Heir Chapter 52
🕑 Added 2024-03-30 17:22:56 +0000 UTCChapter 52: A Deal of a Tourney
"Would this suffice to demonstrate my capabilities?" Sebastian asked, his formal smile unwavering. "Or shall I show you something better?"
Blaise Zanini, Luna Lovegood, and Seamus Finnigun were all amazed to see that the person in question was Sebastian, someone with whom they had almost never spoken.
The trio, however, knew him quite well. After all, not a day went by without someone mentioning the heir of Slytherin on Hogwarts' campus.
"Slytherin..." Seamus stared at the boy, curious about why he decided to accept such a position. "I didn't expect you to be an aide."
For some reason, Seamus Finnigan believed it was due to some perk or deal he had made. He knew it was his father's businessman blood in him that made him sniff for reasons.
"I enjoy learning new things and helping others discover something new as well," Sebastian threw out a half-truth. "But I do hope the three of you are fine with me being an aide instead of a senior?"
The truth was that both Blaise and Seamus felt awkward having to learn from someone who was the same age as them, maybe even embarrassed by Sebastian's role as an aide, granting him the authority to order them around, however little.
However, they wanted to maintain the favor shown by Flitwick and had no intention of ruining said favor by rejecting Sebastian as their aide.
"I hope I didn't interrupt you during a busy hour, Sebastian," Flitwick walked beside him with a warm smile, "Although I heard you were at Snape's office."
Sebastian knew that most were aware Snape regarded him favorably, pardoning him for many things an average student wouldn't.
It was only the professors and those familiar with Sebastian's abilities who understood that being a student at Hogwarts was more than most could ask for. As the sole survivor of one of Britain's most noble and ancient houses, the boy had more to worry about than toys.
"Professor Snape asked me to assist him with a few tasks, so I was delayed," Sebastian explained. "I hope that didn't cause you too much trouble, sir?"
Flitwick laughed. "Ah, no. I was merely curious about what had kept you occupied." The old man approached closer and, in a softer, lower voice, added, "I also heard that you have to leave for a while. Don't worry about classes; I will provide you with the notes and materials."
Flitwick was one of the nicest professors Sebastian encountered at Hogwarts, and the old man definitely had a soft spot for the boy. The magic, the knowledge, the intent to learn and improve—Flitwick found all these qualities in Sebastian very commendable.
"You don't have much to do today," the professor explained. "Perhaps we can take the opportunity to get to know each other a little better.”
Sebastian agreed with the man, recognizing the importance of getting to know the people he would be teaching alongside through a basic introduction.
"That was my idea as well," the boy said. "But well, once again, I am Sebastian Slytherin."
The heir walked towards them. "The heir of House Slytherin, your classmate, and an aide for Professor Flitwick."
Of course, Flitwick was pleased that the boy was willing to assist him and his classmates, but the professor also understood the arrangement he had made for this.
As for the trio, they had no idea.
"I am Blaise Zanini," the tallest of the trio stepped forward. "While not comparable to your house, I also take pride in my family."
Sebastian appreciated that the boy valued his family's reputation while also not being overly prideful.
"My name is Seamus, Seamus Finnigan, and my mother is a witch.”
Sebastian noticed how the boy avoided mentioning his father, which gave him an idea about the boy’s blood status.
‘Must have been quite a rough journey till here,’ Sebastian mused, aware that being a half-blood was frowned upon even to this day.
As for the final person, the lone girl in the group, she had a blank expression.
"And I believe you are Luna Lovegood?" Sebastian asked, looking at the pale-haired girl before turning to the boys. "And I already know all of your names. We might belong to different Hogwarts houses, but we are in the same year, so we are classmates."
The girl looked at Sebastian for a few moments before nodding. "I am Luna. And I am…"
She paused, her silence drawing the attention of everyone around her.
"I am a pure-blood," she nodded. "I think so."
"You... think so?" Sebastian was amused. 'How can she be uncertain about her heritage?’
"Well, since you have all introduced yourselves, we can move on to the topics we will be covering in these classes," Flitwick added as Sebastian wondered about the Lovegood family.
What they were going to learn was simple: advanced spellcasting, Occlumency, and Legilimency. Sebastian thought it was a great way to test out the things he learns as well. It was a win-win situation, mostly because he was getting a deal out of being an aide.
And twenty minutes were not that long; hence, Sebastian didn't even realize when the time passed with just the introductions.
"We won’t be doing much today, so I believe the introductions would suffice for now," Flitwick said. "You three focus on the basics that I talked about today."
"Yes, sir!" the two boys affirmed strongly while the girl nodded meekly.
"And Sebastian, I believe you and I have something to talk about."
"We do, Professor," the boy nodded. "But for now, I hope everyone is fine with me being the one to help you with your spells?"
They expected a little bit of protest, but surprisingly there was none. He thought maybe it was his name, maybe it was his display, but in the end, it did not matter.
What mattered was that everyone accepted him as their guide — not that they had any other choice to begin with.
…
…
[Flitwick’s Office]
The amount of books, pictures, and broken wands across Flitwick’s room never stopped Sebastian from being amazed. But at the moment, he was rather interested in the discussion at hand.
"So, I heard you are also working under Snape," Flitwick spoke rather impassively, but Sebastian noticed no anger or disappointment in the man’s voice.
"Similar to charms, I also love working with potions," Sebastian explained. "And Professor Snape was impressed by my potion samples, so he asked me to work alongside him."
Flitwick noticed how the boy said ‘alongside’ and not ‘under.’
"I am not certain what to be more surprised about," Flitwick chuckled. "Snape recruiting a helper or the helper being a first year."
Sebastian shrugged while Flitwick laughed harder.
"Then again, I am doing the same thing," the man sighed and looked at Sebastian. "Not for free though."
"I hope I am not imposing too much on you, sir," the heir said, feeling a tad bit sorry for the professor. However, the professor seemingly did not mind.
"I did worry at first, but seeing how much control you have over your spells and charms, I have to admit that you can take on opponents much older than you," Flitwick said.
This made Sebastian hopeful. "So you mean…"
The short man nodded. "Yes. I believe I can help you with it." He showed a confident smile. "It won't be easy, but I can help you take part in the dueling championships."
And finally, Sebastian had the thing he needed from the professor of charms: the grant to duel wizards officially. A grand way to restore the name and fame of House Slytherin.
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[[A/N: More of an introduction to the trio for future plot.]]
