Gemma's eyes flew wide at Theo's voice, and she very nearly toppled off the sill. Only her quick reflexes saved her.
"Theodore Ashbourne? Where did you come from—what did you see?!"
Theo spread his hands.
*"Senior, shouldn't I ask you that? I was here first.
"I came up to the eighth floor last night and never left. You're the one who showed up at some unknown hour and gave me a fright."*
Gemma blinked.
"You were here all night? Doing what?"
Theo chuckled and glanced at the climbing sun.
*"Have you ever seen Hogwarts at three in the morning? I have.
"Did you think my magic fell from the sky?"*
Awe flickered over Gemma's face, then softened into acceptance.
"So that's it. No one's that gifted without work. Every 'genius' is just carrying effort no one else sees."
Theo paused, then nodded with a slightly shameless sigh.
"Hard. Terribly hard."
Once started, Gemma couldn't stop—perhaps because it was just the two of them, and Theo felt safe to confide in.
*"Our family's still on the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but the old glory has faded. The last real name—my grandfather, Hector Fawley—served as Minister for Magic from 1925 to 1939.
"It was Grindelwald's rise. Grandfather could not arrest the tide and stepped down in disgrace.
"Since then, the Fawleys have dwindled—noble name, thinner means.
"I'm the hope of my generation. I studied without rest, became a shadow prefect first, built support piece by piece, and finally made proper prefect this year.
"If all goes well, I'll be Head Girl in seventh year, then into the Ministry—perhaps even Minister one day, to restore our house…"*
Her voice broke; tears glittered again.
*"But with the points so far gone, Slytherin will lose the House Cup. Without it, Head Girl slips away. Even if I reach the Ministry, I'll start lower—and Slytherin won't back me.
"Theodore Ashbourne—you wrecked my dream!"*
Theo winced.
*"That's… dramatic. Is it possible that even without me, you weren't winning the Cup this year?
"Or, look on the bright side—suppose Slytherin misses the Cup every year after this. Then every prefect after you is in the same boat."*
Gemma paused—then cried harder.
"People remember the tallest mountain—and they'll remember the first Slytherin prefect to lose the House Cup. Me. Gemma Farley!"
Theo swallowed a truer thought—no one remembers you in the original tale—and sighed instead.
"All right, aim for a narrower loss this year. Then in later years, be such an egregious 'saboteur' that Slytherin drops to Gryffindor… then Ravenclaw… then Hufflepuff. Eventually the alumni will realise: you were actually the best prefect Slytherin had in ages."
Gemma blinked, then brightened through her tears.
*"You should have been in Slytherin.
"Talking to you helps. Do you have a girlfriend? Consider marrying into House Fawley—Sacred Twenty-Eight still opens doors. A power match?"*
Theo choked on thin air as Gemma hopped lightly from the sill to the corridor, a sly smile curling her mouth.
"That's all I can say—prefect-mode resumes. Thank you, Theo. And do think about the proposal."
With a small smile, she hurried away.
Moments later, delicate, glowing script drifted back down the corridor and hovered before Theo:
Be careful in Flying Lessons. Some first-years are planning to make trouble.
Theo's brows rose. Surprise one: Gemma passing him a Slytherin warning. Surprise two: those first-years weren't finished?
Clearly the last lesson hadn't stuck. Another demonstration might be required.
In truth, hurting Theo wasn't on the table. Even dropped into the final battle of the original story, unless Avada Kedavra struck him repeatedly, he'd likely walk out without a speck of dust on his robes.
If first-year Slytherins could injure him, they should apply to be core Death Eaters.
The glowing letters winked out.
At the same moment, text scrolled across Theo's System pane:
[Outside the Jade Void Palace, you chance upon Maiden Gao Lanying; you meet as rivals and part as friends.]
[Maiden Gao Lanying is formidable in arms, keen of sight, and bears the legacy of the Sun-Piercing Needles. Befriending her confers benefit.]
[Acquaintance with Maiden Gao Lanying confers benefit.]
[Acquaintance: Talent Reward — Peerless in Arms. She masters the eighteen martial disciplines; among mortals, she has few equals.]
[Close Friend: Talent Reward — Eyes Like Lightning. The Sun-Piercing Needles blaze like the sun; for perfect aim one must temper the eyes daily. With time, one cultivates divine sight; daylight gaze upon the sun itself becomes possible.]
[Life-and-Death Brother/Sister: Artefact Method — Sun-Piercing Needles, Forging Method. These divine needles strike the eyes—swift and unheralded. Less precise than the Five-Colour Stones, but deadlier upon a hit!]
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