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HRHL# CHAPTER 185
🕑 Added 2025-05-18 01:03:06 +0000 UTCAs Veratia stepped into the common room, the dozen or so Slytherin students rose in unison, their movements eerily synchronized.
A glint of amusement flickered in Veratiaâs eyes. She spared the Slytherins a fleeting glance before continuing toward the dormitory, unbothered.
âHold it, Grindelwald,â called the girl at the forefront.
It was Sylvia Melville, a seventh-year Slytherin.
âYes? Is there something you need?â Veratia asked, her voice soft and delicate.
She reached back to gather her hair, deliberately striking the pose of a naĂŻve, bookish scholar.
âYou know full well,â Sylvia said sternly, âthat Slytherins are not permitted to dine at other housesâ tables. Youâve been far too cozy with Gryffindor, Grindelwald.â
âI wasnât aware of such a rule,â Veratia replied, pursing her lips and speaking softly.
Sylvia and the others, observing Veratiaâs demeanor, grew increasingly convinced that this âGrindelwaldâ had no connection to that Grindelwald from the European continent. They had even sent letters home, and after thorough inquiries, confirmed that the Grindelwald family had no descendant named âVeratiaââin fact, the Grindelwald line had died out.
âThen weâll have to teach you the rule, Grindelwald,â Sylvia huffed. âRemember this: youâre bringing shame to Slytherin. You even fraternize with Gryffindorâs Mudbloods⌠Do you have any pride as a pure-blood?â
âOh,â Veratia said simply, tilting her head to look at Sylvia. âIs there anything else?â
âYouâre getting arrogant, Grindelwald!â Byron Miller barked.
Veratia smiled faintly and turned to him. âArrogant? I donât think so. I simply believe I should have the freedom to choose my friends. Donât you agree?â
âYouâre a Slytherin,â Sylvia snapped, stepping in front of Byron. âYou donât need me to remind you of that. Every word and action of yours represents Slytherin House. I wonât have you mingling with those Mudbloods!â
âItâs my freedom,â Veratia said timidly, clutching the book in her arms and taking a step back.
Diane Carter, a girl from their year, stepped forward and snatched the book from Veratiaâs grasp.
âA History of Industrial Technology?â Diane frowned, flipping through the pages before tossing it aside with a look of disgust. âYouâre reading Muggle books? Youâre not just fallen, Grindelwaldâyouâre pathetic.â
âThatâs none of your concern, miss,â Veratia said, lowering her gaze.
âOh, but it is my concern now,â Diane retorted, drawing her wand and pointing it at Veratia. âYou need to be taught a lesson. Not only are you cozying up to Mudbloods, but youâre reading their books. Your very existence is a disgrace to Slytherin.â
âSectumsempra!â Diane incanted.
The curse struck Veratia but rebounded, hitting Diane instead.
Dianeâs mouth gaped, her voice garbled as she wailed, âYou filthyâ! What did you do to me?!â
Seeing Dianeâs spell backfire, Sylvia sneered. âYou need to work on your charms, Diane. You canât even handle a transfer studentâŚâ
With a gesture, she signaled the others to step in.
âIs this what you call pure-blood honor?â Veratiaâs voice was soft but cutting. âTell me, Sylvia Melville, is this the quality you think Slytherin should embody? Donât you find it⌠pathetic?â
Sylvia looked up, meeting Veratiaâs scornful gaze.
âWhatâs that look?â Sylvia spat, enraged. âHow dare you look at me like that?â
âMy apologies, Miss Melville,â Veratia interrupted, her tone calm. âItâs not just you Iâm looking at. Iâm looking at all of youâand frankly, youâre all as worthless as garbage.â
Her words ignited Byronâs fury. He unleashed a purple curse.
âIs that all?â A flash of light shimmered before Veratia, deflecting Byronâs spell. She raised her hand, pointing at him. âAvada Kedavra!â
A jet of dark green light shot out, striking the ground beside Byron with terrifying speed.
At the sound of the Unforgivable Curse, someone slipped out of the room, no doubt to fetch Professor Severus Snape.
The conflict had escalated beyond control. A professor was needed to intervene.
Byron felt a chill race up his spine.
Who the hell is this girl?
All they wanted was to teach her a lesson. And she responded with the Killing Curse?
And where was her wand? She hadnât even drawn one!
Before he could process further, someone beside him raised their wand.
âDamn it, Titus!â Byron snarled. âWhat are you doing? Stop pointing that wand at me!â
But Titus didnât hesitate. He fired a red curse.
Byron dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the spell.
It wasnât just Byron. Sylvia and the others noticed their companions turning on them, casting curses in a frenzy of betrayal. No amount of shouting could stop themâthey were like puppets, utterly unresponsive.
Veratia, meanwhile, had settled into a chair in the common room, watching the Slytherins tear into each other with an air of detached amusement.
Beside her stood Miss Farley, her face etched with worry, clearly struggling to speak.
âMiss Grindelwald,â Farley said nervously, âusing an Unforgivable Curse in school⌠thatâs a one-way ticket to Azkaban.â
Veratia maintained her poised, ladylike posture, hands folded neatly in her lap. She smiled at Farleyâs words. âIt wasnât the Imperius Curse, Miss Farley. Youâre worrying too much.â
âThen⌠whatâs happening to them?â Farley asked, still incredulous.
âJust a Confundus Charm,â Veratia said lightly. âA more advanced application of it. If you study the Confundus Charm in greater depth, you might come across this level of mastery.â
âOh⌠oh,â Farley nodded, dazed, like a startled goose.
A Confundus Charm?
In her mind, she was screaming like a frantic marmot, though she kept her outward composure serene.
Merlinâs beard, a Confundus CharmâŚ
A mass Confundus Charm, cast in an instantâŚ
Youâre not a Grindelwaldâyou must be Grindelwaldâs older sister! Farley thought, silently roasting Veratia.
And, in a way, she wasnât entirely wrong.
âBut that Killing Curse earlierâŚâ Farley pressed, still uneasy.
âOh, that was just a variation of Lumos,â Veratia said casually. She reached for Farleyâs wand and pointed it at the ceiling. âLumos!â
A standard orb of light shot from the wandâs tip, illuminating the ceiling.
âSee, like thisâŚâ Veratia continued. âIf you picture green in your mind, it becomesâŚâ
As she spoke, a ghostly green light emanated from Farleyâs wand.
âThere,â Veratia said softly. âDoesnât that look like the curse? Now, pair it with the incantation⌠Avada Kedavra!â
Farley let out a squeak of dismay.
My dear sisterâŚ
Youâre using my wand!
If the professors used Prior Incantato and traced this wand, how was she supposed to explain herself?
âOh, sorry, Professor, I just slipped and cast that spell. It wasnât intentionalâŚâ
Would they believe her?
âTry Prior Incantato,â Veratia suggested. A shimmer of Protego flashed around her, and from somewhere, a Stupefy struck the caster of another spell.
Farley hesitantly took her wand, trembling as she cast the spell.
She exhaled in relief.
It was indeed Lumos.
âMerlin, youâre a genius,â Farley said, genuinely awestruck.
Veratia chuckled softly. âJust a bit of hard work, Miss Farley. Nothing worth praising.â
She glanced up. The chaos had subsided, leaving a dozen students battered and bruised. Some sported boils, others had gaping mouths, and a few were covered in pustulesâgrotesque and pitiful.
âIt seems weâre done here,â Veratia said with a smile, strolling over to Sylvia, who was panting heavily.
âI believe you mentioned something about teaching me a lesson?â Veratia asked, her tone gentle. âIt seems our lesson went rather well, but Iâm not tired yet⌠Shall we continue todayâs curriculum?â
Sylvia shook her head frantically, terrified of this monstrous transfer student.
Seriously, sisterâŚ
Youâre this powerful, so why were you playing the innocent little flower earlier?
Sylvia finally understood. This Grindelwald girl was playing the pig to eat the tigerâpretending to be a delicate damsel to lure them into her trap.
âYouâre a Melville, arenât you?â Veratia said softly. âThat surname⌠Do you know why your family still clings to its prestige, its so-called pure-blood pride?â
Sylvia shook her head rapidly.
âYour great-grandfatherâor rather, your grandfatherâs grandfather, Glantis Melville,â Veratia began, her smile gleaming with mischief. âIt was 1859, a stormy, snowy night. Your great-grandfather was destitute, but he had a pretty face. Do you know how he restored your familyâs glory?â
Sylviaâs mind raced to a horrifying possibility, but she shook her head, refusing to believe it.
âOh, he seduced a wealthy Muggle dowagerâsome duchess, I believeâbecoming her âkept man.â But that wasnât enough. He shamelessly courted her daughter as well, and thatâs how your great-grandfather, Randall Melville, came to be.â
Veratiaâs eyes sparkled with glee as she unraveled the Melville familyâs dirty laundry.
It was one of her few hobbiesâcollecting juicy gossip. This particular tidbit about the Melvilles had come from her aunt.
The court, after all, was a hotbed of scandal, especially when it involved a duchessâs household.
Veratia had heard it as idle amusement back then, never imagining it would prove useful now.
âImpossible! Absolutely impossible!â Sylvia was on the verge of breaking down. âMy great-grandfather would neverâŚâ
âOh, really?â Veratia said lightly. âWhy donât you ask his portrait when you get home? Iâm sure heâd love to regale you with tales of his youthful exploits, Miss Melville⌠or should I say, Miss Mudblood?â
Ignoring Sylviaâs collapse, Veratia turned to the next target.
âByron Miller, yes?â Veratia said with a radiant smile. âOh, I do recall⌠your great-grandfather, Marcus Miller, wasnât it?â
Byron swallowed hard, Veratiaâs smile as menacing as a devilâs grin.
âS-So⌠did my great-grandfather also marry a Muggle dowager?â he stammered.
âOh, no,â Veratia said with mock regret. âIf only it were that tame. He was entangled with a prominent Muggle figure⌠as his âparamour.ââ
Byron felt the world crumble beneath him. He leapt to his feet, shouting, âImpossible! Utterly impossible! Youâre making this up to trick us! Merlin, you wicked GrindelwaldâŚâ
Veratia smiled. âIâm merely stating facts. If you doubt me, go home and ask your ancestorsâ portraits. Surely, as a pure-blood family, you have those, donât you?â
Byron fell silent, choked by her words.
âAnd you, Titus MitchamâŚâ
Veratia proceeded to dismantle each studentâs lineage, exposing their ancestorsâ scandals with precision and equality.
Every family had its skeletons. Even the Malfoys had an ancestor who once proposed to a Muggle queen.
T/N: If you find any typos or incorrect names, please leave a comment. Thanks, and enjoy reading!
Comments
Sean T
I kind of forgot but Veratia no longer lost her magic right? Like the whole Harry needs to hug her thing was a trick sheâs pulling after they reached the Flammels (she somehow dyed her hair after gaining her powers back) or maybe it started from the beginning?
