Cursing her bad luck under her breath, Hydrus Lestrange left the library and was just about to Apparate back to the dormitory when she suddenly noticed a familiar figure on the first floor, sneaking along the wall.
Draco Malfoy?
Hydrus immediately followed him. After all, he was her cousin—if he got caught by Filch on the very first day of term, that would be a mess.
But after turning left and right through several corridors, Draco actually made his way to Filch's office.
What was this idiot trying to do?
Was he afraid he wouldn't get detention, so he decided to storm the dragon's lair directly?
Hydrus was thoroughly puzzled.
Whatever. She'd keep watch for him. If Filch suddenly came back, she could at least stall for time.
Standing in the corridor, Hydrus's thoughts drifted. Running into Voldemort this early was completely beyond her expectations.
Report it to Dumbledore?
Only an idiot would do that. When she'd chatted with Dumbledore before, she had only mentioned that there was a strong Dark Magic presence on Quirrell's head—she hadn't exposed Voldemort himself.
She'd even maneuvered things so that Dumbledore told her not to get involved, which was the best possible outcome.
But if she exposed Voldemort now, how would that be any different from openly siding against him together with the old bee?
What she wanted was neutrality. Neutrality! Helping neither side and staying far away from the whirlpool.
While she was thinking, Draco crept out of Filch's office, looking guilty as hell.
This kid—if he weren't a Malfoy, he'd absolutely be a Gryffindor.
Sneaking into Filch's office to steal something.
I hereby dub you Hogwarts' Sixth Brave.
...
The second day of the new term.
Hydrus arrived at the Great Hall looking dejected.
After returning last night, she had carefully studied several locations where ancient magical echoes remained.
Although her memory of the library records wasn't complete, it was close enough. After comparing them, she realized she had no way to determine which magical line was responsible for repelling ghosts.
Because Hogwarts' magical circuits were about as orderly as the mess of cables behind a hardcore engineer's computer.
Trying to identify a specific functional block through comparison alone was basically impossible.
"Good morning, Hydrus!"
Hydrus looked up and saw Iselin. "Morning, Iselin."
Iselin sat down three seats away from Hydrus—there was no helping it, the area around Hydrus was simply far too cold thanks to the ghosts.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Iselin asked. "First night in a Hogwarts bed—no problems, right?"
"No problem at all. I don't have trouble sleeping in new places."
"..."
Breakfast was lightly seasoned, so it hadn't yet been tainted by ghostly influence. Hydrus at least managed to eat a hot meal.
Last night, Dumbledore had already summoned the four house ghosts and expressed his hope that they would stay away from Miss Hydrus Lestrange.
Unfortunately, the pure magical power constantly radiating from Hydrus was more tempting to them than drugs to an addict.
How could they possibly give up such enjoyment just because of a few words from that old bastard?
It was clearly September, yet Hydrus felt as if she'd arrived in the depths of winter three months early.
She let out a deep sigh. It seemed she'd have to eat all future meals in her dormitory—she'd just have to trouble Momo to bring the food over.
More and more students entered the Great Hall, and soon most of them had arrived.
At that moment, Quirinus Quirrell began pacing between the four long house tables.
"Th-this… this is a n-new ex-exorcism ritual I l-learned, f-from a J-Japanese magic ac-academy…"
As he spoke, he continued walking around. The strong smell of garlic forced students to cover their noses—it completely ruined their appetites.
Thankfully, Professor Quirrell only made two rounds before returning to the staff table, prompting a collective sigh of relief from the students.
Hydrus didn't even glance at Quirrell. She trusted that a Metamorphmagus disguise couldn't fool Voldemort's perception—after all, he'd recognized her yesterday even when she was invisible.
It didn't matter. Exposing Hydrus's identity to Voldemort was no different from exposing Hydruss's identity to Dumbledore.
Anyway, in three years, she was running for it.
...
After finishing his meal, Quirrell hurried back to his office.
His master's fury was too intense—he could barely endure it.
He rushed inside, shut the door, and activated a soundproofing charm.
Voldemort's enraged voice immediately filled the room.
"Damn the Grays! Damn the Grays!"
His voice was so vicious it seemed capable of destroying everything. "That is my daughter! A pure-blood daughter! And you dared force her into the Muggle world to become a street singer!"
Under Voldemort's orders, Quirrell had wandered the Great Hall earlier specifically to find Hydrus.
Because among all the students in the school, there was no one named Hydrus Lestrange.
Although Voldemort didn't know how Hydrus had deceived the Book of Admittance, she clearly hadn't used her true name.
So he wanted to confirm which student Hydrus had disguised herself as.
What he hadn't expected was that the sixteen-year-old Muggle singer was actually his daughter.
The thought was unbearable.
His daughter—the daughter of the great Dark Lord—singing in the Muggle world!
The Gray family, who had caused all this, had to die.
"Master, Master," Quirrell said cautiously. "Right now, we should prioritize obtaining the Philosopher's Stone…"
He continued carefully, "Once you have the Stone and restore your body, the Gray family's fate will be decided with a single word from you."
"No. No!" Voldemort's rage showed no sign of subsiding. "This weekend! This very weekend, I want the Gray family erased from history!"
"All of the Grays must die!"
...
Draco Malfoy was starting to regret everything.
How had he let his blood rush to his head and listened to Miss Rorl's suggestion?
Giving Hydrus a love potion and making her pursue the old, ugly Filch would indeed destroy her reputation.
[The original canon never explains how a love potion precisely makes someone fall for a specific person. There are many theories online; in this story, a method similar to Polyjuice Potion is used, adding a part of the beloved target's body to achieve precise targeting.]
Yes—he had added one of Filch's hairs to the love potion.
With a wandering gaze and hesitant steps, Draco walked up to Hydrus, his voice barely audible.
"Astrea… no, Hydrus. I said the wrong thing the other day," he said, handing her a bottle of juice. "This is my apology. Top-quality Snakescale Fruit juice. Please take it—and forgive me."
Snakescale Fruit was extremely rare, found only in what used to be the territory of the Swamp Crone Trio. It was prized by wizards for its sweet flavor and its ability to clear the mind.
Hydrus smiled faintly. "You're quite thoughtful."
She'd eaten Snakescale Fruit as a child—courtesy of Mr. Voldemort. The taste really was excellent.
She opened the bottle and sniffed.
Hm?
Why did this juice smell like Galleons?
Juice that smelled like Galleons?
Do Galleons even have a smell?
Hydrus Lestrange, who had slept on piles of Galleons for five years, could tell you: yes, they do.
Having self-studied potions for ten years, a name immediately popped into her mind.
Love Potion.
A love potion's scent varied from person to person; whoever smelled it would only smell what they liked most.
For example, Harry smelled the warm scent he associated with the Burrow—actually Ginny's floral fragrance. Hermione smelled parchment, freshly cut grass, and Ron's hair.
Good grief. My own cousin is trying to screw me over.
And I even helped keep watch for you last night!
Wait. Last night.
Draco Malfoy had gone into Filch's office last night.
What the hell.
What the hell!
What the absolute hell!
Merlin's great-grandmother!
Malfoy, you absolute bastard!
Imagining herself madly pursuing Filch, Hydrus instantly broke out in goosebumps.
Her expression turned icy—just as cold as the ghostly air-conditioning Draco was currently enjoying beside her.
It was the kind of cold that drenched you head to toe in ice water.
Draco Malfoy was only a first-year. The odds of him carrying a love potion on him were almost zero.
Which meant someone had put him up to it.
In all of Slytherin, only one person openly opposed her.
Hydrus glanced toward the Slytherin table. Aronia Rorl was indeed watching them closely.
Heh. So getting your teeth knocked out didn't teach you a lesson?
Fine. Then I'll return the favor in kind.