This chapter was supposed to include another important part with the reveal of Y/n's uncle and a moment with Kid I've been itching to write for a while. Unfortunately it was getting way too long and I decided to split the chapter in two. I may get to it right away though.

See the notes at the end of the chapter for more.

Also, sometimes I feel like this story has too many transitional dialogues – I need to know if you have the same feeling so I can work on improving. Thank you!

After the rush of adrenalin subsided, the image of that smiling little girl came back to bug your brain.

You followed the rest of the tournament from the bleachers, sitting between Perona and Killer. To be truthful though, many of the duels unfolded without you paying much attention.

Luffy easily defeated Niji while Drake had much more problems against Weevil and his raw power, but eventually made it to the next round.

Among the chaos and the flashing spells, your eyes scanned the arena to spot Law, now sitting in the shadow behind the Ravenclaw champions.

«Yeah, what on earth is wrong with Trafalgar?» Perona huffed, following your gaze between a match and the other «He was about to lose his mind there.»

You sighed.

«I may have... done something to his mind during the lock. Not on purpose.» you muttered.

Her dark eyes shifted on you.

«What?»

«Yeah, like... seeing some memory of his or something. I'm not sure. But he must have noticed and got upset over it.»

«You mean you read his freaking mind?!»

You winced.

«Don't make a big deal out of it. I'll talk to Professor Riku, she'll probably explain this.»

«Legilimency, then?»

You swiftly turned to Killer, who sipped at his soda from the straw. He didn't look particularly concerned.

«You know something?»

«Not much,» he shrugged «but I've read that it's possible to create a mental connection with another wizard during a lock, even by accident, then some images could leak. Maybe this is what happened.»

«You're kinda inclined for spells that mess with mind, emotions and stuff. And you do take Occlumency classes.» Perona observed.

«Those are just to avoid nightmares. But it's true about the spells, I tend to be better with those than ones based on strength or precision.»

«Maybe Trafalgar was upset and he unleashed his emotions in the lock. It definitely seemed so from here.» Killer nodded.

Yeah, he hates me, so it wouldn't be a surprise.

All your talking was cut short when Madame Sharlay announced the new match-up.

Vinsmoke Sanji VS Eustass Kid

«WRECK HIM, KID!»

Killer's sudden outburst had you and Perona jump in your seat.

After your heart went back to a human pace, a subtle smile tugged at your lips as you watched the usually collected Killer shouting for his friend, at least for a second. The moment Kid stepped on the arena, a moderate tension pumped through your veins, and you found yourself shouting from the audience as well.

«C'MON KID! DON'T YOU DARE LOSE!»

It was unlikely for the redhead to hear you in the chaos, a Slytherin vs. Gryffindor match always elicited the loudest reactions after all, but he seemed confident enough.

The match wasn't long, although Sanji did put up a fight.

You had to admit he was a smarter dueller than Kid, he relied on speed and perception while Kid continuously threw explosive hexes at him. You even had a fit of sympathy for his way of fighting: you could learn something from him, it seemed you both had to overcome the same issues when facing powerful wizards. It didn't last long though, you still wanted to see Kid gaining a crushing victory on him.

And so he did.

Kid had a natural talent for creating magic fields around him, his range could just expand wider than anyone you knew, and Sanji eventually fell victim of it.

«YESS!» you yelled, jumping up like many of your fellow Slytherins.

«Wow, he's really a beast.» Perona commented.

Kid turned to your side with that wicked grin of his and his fist raised. His amber eyes quickly spotted you and the rest of his crew, and his smile grew a little.

Unfortunately Cavendish lost the following duel against Hawkins, and with Sabo kicking Smoothie out of the competition, the round ended up with much less Slytherins than before.

Whitebeard closed the night with the usual congratulations and the crowd was dismissed.

You got up between the multitude of students starting to leave the hall and a few of your muscles spasmed in agony, pushing a groan out of your throat. You hadn't realized how messed up you were until that moment.

«Ready to go to bed?» Perona smirked, patting your arms.

Killer and the others had already disappeared to reach Kid.

«Hell yeah.» you grumbled, but your eyes fell on the arena, where champions and professors were moving towards the exits too in between the crowd.

«Just a second though, I want to ask when I can see Professor Riku.» you added as you saw Doflamingo heading to the doors.

«What, now?» Perona whined.

«Go on, I'll reach you in no time!» you shouted, already plunging through the tides of students.

It wasn't easy to get to Doflamingo in that swarm of people, you had to shrug away a number of students that called for your attention, either to congratulate or to insult you, but eventually you were able to catch up with him.

«Professor Donquixote! Professor!»

The tall wizard turned to you, his forehead twitching menacingly as students walked past. He was clearly not in his best mood, maybe because he watched many of his "hatchlings" lose. And you were one of them.

«L/n.» he grunted, his shielded eyes landing on you «You came to embarrass yourself a little more?»

You winced.

«You know, professor, you threw me out there without asking. I'm sorry I couldn't live up to the expectations.»

He fully turned to you and crossed his arms.

«Apologies accepted. Now, is there something else I can help you with?»

Jerk.

«Yes.» you grumbled, trying to swallow your irritation «I'd like to speak with Professor Riku. Do you know if she's around?»

A glimpse of curiosity seemed to meld into Doflamingo's annoyance.

«She only comes to the castle on assignment, you know it. Why do you need her?»

«It's just...»

You hesitated, glancing at the teacher's partially concealed expression, which only made him more interested.

«Does it have something to do with Trafalgar's outburst perhaps? You saw something you shouldn't have?»

Damn his wit.

You had an idea of what kind of person Doflamingo was, even more so than most of the students. Courtesy of your uncle, who had intel on him of course, and didn't find inappropriate to babble about it with you around.

Apparently the guy had been a big shot of the magic underworld, he still held a certain amount of power, probably. The Ministry had tried to convict him a number of times but they were always unsuccessful.

You weren't sure how he ended up being a teacher at Hogwarts, maybe he eventually had to take a deal, maybe it was a choice. Even if he was legit now, he always maintained that shady aura that reeked of black magic.

He was brusque with the students and had an inclination for sadistic mind games, but in all your years in Hogwarts, you had never seen him being overly mean to anybody. At times, he could even be slightly protective.

And he was still the head of your house.

Fine.

«Mm, yes, kind of.» you admitted in a sigh «I'm not sure what I saw, thought Miss Viola could clarify it.»

Doflamingo stayed silent for a moment, then he hinted to a lateral corridor and started walking towards it.

You frowned and hurried behind.

When you both turned the corner where the flow of students died out, he leaned with his back against the wall and motioned for you to talk.

«Tell me what you saw.»

You gave him a brief summary of what happened during the lock with Law and he nodded, crossing his arms again in thought.

«It's not so uncommon. Wizards, especially inexperienced ones, can inadvertently exchange raw thoughts and emotions during a lock.» he explained.

Just as Killer said.

«So I don't have to worry about it, right?» you muttered, shifting your weight from one leg to the other «Regular stuff.»

«...what is uncommon is how you saw such a clean, specific image.»

Oh, crap.

«Anyway, I'm not surprised.» he continued «You already showed an aptitude for Legilimency during your training with Violet.»

Violet? They must be fairly acquainted to each other.

«I wouldn't call it an aptitude.» you scoffed «She just said I was better suited for that rather than power-based spells.»

Doflamingo's forehead creased for a second before his usual smirk entered his features.

«Well, now you can call it an aptitude.» he stood from the wall «I'm sure Violet will explain you everything in your next session.»

You nibbled at your inner cheek.

«So you're saying... I'm a Legilimens?»

Doflamingo huffed, now bored by your stress.

«No, Miss L/n, you're not that special. All I'm saying is that you can train to become one. Probably.»

«Huh, okay.»

The professor observed you for a second and raised his brow.

«I can't help but notice you're acting like it's a bad thing.»

«I...!» you gritted your teeth «It's that this week I suddenly turned out to be a Parselmouth, now a Legilimens! Just how many other things am I that I'm unaware of?!»

The Heir of Slytherin maybe?

Your guts churned at the thought and you quickly averted your eyes.

Doflamingo frowned.

«First of all, you're not a Legilimens, as I've already said. Second of all, if you're seriously complaining about the universe gracing you with powerful talents, let me reassure you: many young wizards find out they have gifts, only to grow up into meaningless nobodies anyway. It happens all the time in the magic world. Does this make you feel better?»

Oddly enough, it does.

«O-Okay but... aren't these "gifts" like... common traits of past Dark Lords?»

Your voice almost came out like a squeak and you kept your gaze fixed to the floor the whole time.

There was a pause before Doflamingo spoke again.

«Do you want to become the next Dark Lord, Y/n?»

Your eyes flicked up.

«What?! No, of course not!»

«Then cut the bullshit. This has nothing to do with your talents. If you don't know who you are, that's on you.»

You gazed at him in shock.

He looked serious now, almost threatening.

It took a while before you found the strength to reply.

«Do you... do you know many sixteen-year old that know who they are?»

Doflamingo stared at you for a second, then he snickered.

«I have an assignment for you, Miss L/n.»

«Wait, did this thing led me to having more homewo--»

The wizard took a step forward and pressed his index finger on your forehead.

«In the next couple of days, I want you to think about whom you want to be.» he said «It was clear by your O.W.L. assay that you have no idea what to do with your future. Time to change that.»

«But--»

You stopped as the smile disappeared from his face and the veins on his temple throbbed.

«I believe what you mean is "yes, professor".»

You swallowed.

«Yes, professor.»

«Good.» he dropped his arms and smirked «Have a good night, miss L/n.»

The common room of Slytherin was in a celebrating atmosphere when you got back.

True, the house didn't perform very well, but everybody seemed willing to celebrate Katakuri and Kid for accessing the final round.

The Charlottes had formed a compact wall around their leader and were cheering at him. Most of the other people hang around, more focused on hyping Kid up.

He was currently standing by the fireplace, enjoying the attentions of his friends and a bunch of girls.

«Hi Y/n.»

Cavendish passed beside you and offered you a nod. He obviously wasn't in a mood for celebration.

«Aw, don't look so gloomy, Cav!» you forced a smile on your face and patted his arm «We stood our ground and didn't go down easy. We are already better than most people in this school!»

«I guess.» he huffed, swinging his long hair to the side with a curt tilt of his head «You're only being so positive because you didn't care from the beginning tho.»

«Guilty.» you chuckled «Come on, you'll get your chance to shine too.»

«Yeah, yeah.» he rolled his eyes then pointed at the small crew «Go celebrate Eustass. I hate to admit it, but he deserved that victory.»

«Sure.»

Doflamingo's words were still echoing in your head as you reached your friends.

It's true that I never seriously thought about my future, but do I really not know who I am?

«Oi, sprite!»

You blinked and raised your eyes on Kid.

He was holding a cup of Venom, the spiked "secret" drink that Slytherin students manufactured, and had a huge grin plastered on his face.

«I know you got your ass kicked, but don't you wanna congratulate the winner here?»

There was always a note of maliciousness in his smirk, and yet he just looked genuinely happy at the moment.

Your attention briefly wandered to the others: Killer, Heat, Wire, Perona (not the other girls, you hardly noticed them).

You rarely felt doubtful with your friends around.

A pure smile relaxed your lips and you turned back to Kid.

«I do. Congratulations Kid, that was amazing.»

The redhead stared at you in surprise and his grin fell a little. Then he cleared his voice and brusquely turned his back at you.

«Huh, well, of course it was!» he grumbled.

You blinked before an airy chuckle escaped your mouth.

He acts all high and mighty and then he can't even take a small compliment.

It was kinda cute, actually.

«Y/n, glass of Venom?» Wire asked, already holding one out for you «It's virgin.»

Lol, of course.

«Thanks.»

«That took quite long.» Perona pouted, stepping by your side while the boys resumed their cheers and laughter.

«Yeah, sorry. At least Doflamingo said I shouldn't worry about it.»

«Oh, good.»

You all stayed up late, drinking, eating cookies and going over the duels again and again.

Carina, Sadi and a couple of other girls tried to lean against Kid's sides a couple of times but he ignored them for the most part and eventually they left. It was weirdly satisfying.

They were soon replaced by Cavendish, Ulti and Page One, which, in your opinion, were a much better company.

Doflamingo's words still popped out in your head a couple of times, but being surrounded by your friends put you at ease almost immediately. You considered the new assignment for a moment.

Kid was standing in front of the couch you were sitting on with Perona and Heat, waving his arms around to mimic how he was going to annihilate his next opponent. Heat's imposing presence felt warm and relaxing beside you as he quietly listened to him. Perona was continuously rolling her eyes but even she couldn't choke a stray giggle from time to time. Killer was sitting on the armrest of another sofa by Kid's side, drink in his hand and a quiet smile on his face, although his gaze was covered by the thick bangs. Wire stood too, refilling the glasses that were empty but not noticing Ulti tugging at his uniform to get her own drink. She was short-tempered but that didn't seem to help. You caught Page One silently snickering at his sister's misfortune. Cavendish, on the other hand, still kept his outraged attitude but was starting to relax glass by glass. Of course you had warned Wire to make sure his drinks were virgin too (Miss Viola always said he shouldn't lower his inhibitions) but he didn't need to know it.

Your eyes returned to Kid and you laughed at his impressions.

Maybe this is where I should start from.

The day after, Reiju found you in the library after lunch, bent over a long parchment scroll.

You still had to catch up on your (real) homework, after all.

«Hi.» she whispered, taking a seat in front of you.

You barely raised your eyes from your work.

«Hi.»

«Are you going to give me the cold shoulder for much longer?»

You puckered your lips.

«Not sure.»

She sighed.

«Fine. I came to tell you that tonight's mission is cancelled. At least I think so. I don't know what happened during your duel with Trafalgar exactly, but he won't speak to me.»

You frowned, irises flicking up once again.

«Butthurt much? And he's the one who won the match.»

«I know. He's acting like you murdered his family.»

You grimaced and she immediately bit down her lip.

«Oh. Poor choice of words, since his family was actually murdered.» she murmured, pushing her bangs back with a hand «Sorry. I guess sometimes my genes catch up with me.»

You frowned.

It was rare for Reiju to slip in such a way. Maybe the situation was really stressing her out.

You let out a huff and resumed scribbling on your scroll.

«Genes or not, you're still the best Vinsmoke.» you muttered.

Her eyes darted on you and her expression relaxed a little.

«Thank you. But to be fair, Sanji is the best Vinsmoke.»

«Well, maybe, but I don't know him that well.»

You finally put down the quill and leaned back on your chair.

«So, no dance with the basilisk tonight then?»

Reiju quickly took a look around to make sure that the other students were at a decent distance. You were speaking at a very low volume anyway.

«No, I guess it's postponed to when Trafalgar will be able to bear being in the same room with you again, if ever.»

You shrugged.

«Well, we have Charms with Ravenclaw on Monday, so I hope he'll get over it by then.»

«Unlikely. I think Drake managed to talk to him but he didn't tell me anything afterwards.»

«His problem then. Look, Rei, I'll tell you if I see anything... Heir-related happening around me. Until then, you just have to trust me that I would never hurt anyone just because their blood is not "pure" enough or some bullshit like that.»

She chuckled quietly.

«I know. And I trust you.»

The two of you exchanged a timid smile but your attention was caught by the echoing of heels tapping against the ancient floor.

Whitey Bay, Whitebeard's personal secretary, marched straight to your desk among male glances from the other study groups.

«Miss L/n?» she swiftly asked «Your presence is required to the principal's office.»

«What?» you gaped at her «Listen, if this is because of the gnomes in Miss Giolla's office, I swear it has nothing to do with me!»

Whitey Bay's eyebrow flicked up in irritation.

«I beg your pardon? That's not it, although you do seem jumpy about it. Come along now, I don't have all day.»

Reiju sent a knowing look at you and you realized this could be about your Parseltongue test.

Like there was still any doubt.

You threw your stuff in the bag with a sigh and hurried behind Miss Bay.

«Would you believe me if I told you all I want is a quiet, ordinary day?» you asked to her back once you exited the library.

The witch sent a rapid glance at you over her shoulder.

«No.»

«Y/n, do you know what a scan is?»

You frowned in confusion.

«I don't.»

It wasn't the first time you were in Whitebeard's office. To be honest, you had probably visited every professor's office by now.

Unlike many others though, Principal Edward never yelled at you throughout the years. Still, standing in front of his desk was when your stomach contracted the worst.

His office was the biggest, with wide glass windows that took over almost an entire wall, letting the sun soak the room and play around the numerous crystals and planetary models hanging from the ceiling. Libraries packed with ancient tomes lined the whole perimeter and relics were on display all around.

But the thing that mostly draw attention were the pictures. They were all over the place, crowding every corner of the walls that was not covered in books, with witches and wizards smiling and waving from them, some alone, some in groups. Whitebeard was frequently occupying a good portion of the frame with his imposing figure, and he was surrounded by younger people.

Despite the initial anxiety, there were times in the past you had grown bored of the principal's reprimand, and had let your eyes wonder the pictures. You could even make out a young Prof. Fushichō here and there, with the childish enthusiastic grin of a newly-sorted student.

But those cute details couldn't be farthest from your mind now and the old wizard in front of you had your full attention.

Maybe it was because Doflamingo was facing you as well, standing beside Whitebeard's desk, so whatever you had shared with him apparently turned out to be much more serious than you were led to believe.

Principal Whitebeard pointed his elbows on his desk and leaned forward.

«A scan is a kind of arcane examination. It's mainly performed to find marks of dark magic.»

Your heart dropped to your guts.

«Miss Hancock agreed to test you for Parseltongue on Tuesday night, and since you were involved in a number of... peculiar circumstances in the past, we believe it's a good idea to scan you as well.»

You felt your core tremble and it soon radiated to your arms and fingers, so you ducked them between the chair and your thighs.

The wizard read your horrified face so he immediately waved a dismissing hand in front of you.

«No need to pale like that, lass. This is just a precaution and I want to make one thing very clear:» he stared at you with serious eyes «No one here believes you're evil, Y/n. You're a little troublemaker, yes, but you're also too transparent for your own good. Nobody with a brain would doubt you have a pure heart, and I like to believe my professors are not complete idiots, guararararara!»

Doflamingo scoffed quietly.

You swallowed, a little colour returning to your cheeks at his words but still feeling too shaken to unseal your lips.

«We need the signature of a caretaker to perform the exam, so we notified your uncle.» the principal continued «He wasn't easy to reach and he took his damn time to reply, guarara! But here, a owl came this morning.»

Whitebeard pushed a parchment in front of you and there it was, your uncle's lazy signature at the bottom of the paper.

A dark eyebrow furrowed on the principal's wrinkly forehead.

«I take he hasn't talked to you then?»

«No.» you flatly said, eyes dropping on your knees.

He and Doflamingo exchanged a quick look before turning to you again.

«Anyway, we're doing it Tuesday night, we'll let you know the details.»

«How does it work?» you finally managed to ask with thin voice.

«We'll hypnotize you, so you'll be in a sort of trance as we pass a magic field through your mind. This field will react to any sign of dark magic that may have been placed or performed on you.»

«So if you ever had something to do with the Dark Arts, you better tell us now.» Doflamingo added.

You shot a glare at him.

You're the one to talk.

«Well, I, huh...» you squinted in an effort to remember all the weird stuff you went through «I was exposed to ghosts, trolls, centauries, the Lost Ark, I fell in a puddle of unicorn's blood in the Forbidden Forest, Catarina Devon chased me through the dungeons, I think a banshee cursed me once, Basil Hawkins always says I'm a bad omen, a vampire refused to drink my blood when I was a kid, we made the Polyjuice once but I swear it was just for fun and--»

«Ah-hem, okay, that's quite enough.» Whitebeard interrupted with a grimace «None of this counts as practicing Dark Arts, now breathe.»

You tried.

At least, if I AM the Heir of Slytherin, they will find out.

«Any question?»

«Yes.» your eyes slowly rose to his «What do you expect to find?»

Whitebeard sighed and leaned back against his chair.

«Honestly child, I'm not sure. Maybe some lesser curse. What I can tell you is that I'm not particularly worried. We live in peaceful times, at least in this part of the world. But we oughta make sure.»

You frowned, unsatisfied.

«Okay then, what's the worst that you could find?»

Whitebeard frowned as well.

He didn't like the question, but he wasn't one to sugar-coat things with lies.

«The worst case scenario for a scan? I would say uncover a Horcrux. In your case, though, it's extremely unlikely.»

Good, because you felt your blood had gone dry again.

«Honestly, Y/n, if you were a Horcrux, Violet would have noticed already.» Doflamingo continued before a malicious grin spread to his features «Plus, whoever thought about making you into a Horcrux would have really bad luck, considering the amount of time you risked to get yourself killed.»

Yeah... this is not really helping.

«B-But what... how would you deal with it then? If you find something, what... will happen to me?» you murmured.

No matter how bad you could squeeze your hands under your legs, they still felt frozen.

«Nothing, child, this is not the Potter age.» Whitebeard answered, a softer note in his voice «If it's a curse or a Hex, chances are we'll be able to remove it. Worst case, which is not gonna happen, you'll have to put on seals that will numb your magic and get checked every now and then. Your skills would be affected a little, but you'd still have a perfectly normal life. Either way, we will guide you through it and be there for you.» he bent forward to place his warm hand on your head «We're doing this to protect you, Y/n, and I'll do everything in my power so you can be safe.»

An incipit of tears stung the corners of your eyes and you pressed your lips together.

«Okay.»

He sat back.

«Any other doubt?»

«One.» your eyes dropped again «Will it... will it hurt?»

There was a pause and your face flicked up.

«It may be a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn't be painful.» the principal said «I'm positive you've been through worse. Even your duelling season is worse than that.»

You sighed and nodded.

«Okay.»

«You can have a trusted adult accompany you, so feel free to reach out to your uncle... or whomever you prefer. And don't hesitate to approach me or professor Donquixote for any question.»

«Okay.»

You stood up, collected your bag and greeted them weakly before heading to the door.

«Y/n?»

You looked back to Doflamingo.

«You're working on the assignment I gave you, aren't you?»

Another pause.

«Sure.»

Then you left.

It took a few seconds before Doflamingo moved from beside the desk.

«I really hope this is worth it.» he spat, facing the principal.

Whitebeard pressed his thumbs on his eyes and grunted.

«Oh, you do, Donquixote? You hope we find something horrible in that girl?»

«Whatever it is, it's part of her!» the blond wizard hissed, pointing to the door «So I hope you're happy when your sick curiosity is satiated and you send her back to class with a clean conscience!»

The old man banged his ponderous fists on the table and rose.

«Enough.»

That startled even a wizard like Doflamingo, although he recomposed himself immediately.

He glared back at him before shaking his head.

«See you at the scan, principal.»

You speed-walked down the stairs and then along the porch with your head down, hoping the hair would shield your sulk and nobody would meet your eyes.

Clumps of students were scattered all over the halls and corridors, many hanging out around the porch to enjoy the pale sun.

A couple of familiar voices reached you and you caught a glimpse of Gryffindor scarves.

«Oi, Y/n!» Sabo's voice «Can you come here a sec?»

«Yeah, we need help to decide something.» and Sanji.

«We don't need another opinion! No one will install a freaking compass in my brain!» Zoro barked.

You ducked your head in between your shoulders and ran. Literally, ran.

«Sorry, I'm in a hurry!» you shouted, not looking at them for a second.

Bartolomeo had to actively dodge you.

«Oi, soap-girl...!»

They watched you disappear into the castle.

«What was that?» Zoro asked.

A wrinkle settled between Sabo's brows.

«I'm not sure.»

You also bumped into someone while hurrying up the stairs and dropped your bag.

Worst timing ever, since you were about to burst.

All you wanted now was your bed.

«Fuck, sorry.» you coughed, still looking away while clumsily collecting your stuff from the ground.

«It's fine, but... are you okay?»

Drake. Great.

«Yes.»

You grabbed your bag and ran again. Only this time you didn't slow down, not breaking through a group of girls, not to spit the password to enter Slytherin quarters, not to check who was in the common room, not before entering your dorm until you could finally toss the bag into a corner and dive onto the bed.

You buried your face in the pillow and started crying.

You didn't know how long you had been crying when you heard the door creaking open and soft steps entering the room. Your fingers crumbled the sheets.

«Y/n?»

Thank god.

The mattress sank lightly when Perona sat beside you.

«What are you doing? Diez Drake found me and said I should come and check on you, what's that about?»

You swallowed and took a deep breath, then slowly pulled yourself up.

She gasped when she saw your face.

«What happened?!»

Her first reaction was pulling your hair away from your sticky cheeks with gentle fingers. Which only made you cry more.

You dropped on her chest and sobbed. Her thin arms wrapped around you.

«Okay, you're scaring me. What happened? Did somebody die?»

You shook your head.

«What then?!»

And so you told her. Everything.

Talking about it helped a lot.

Perona was outraged by what happened to you, maybe even hurt a little because you didn't share all that stuff before but, ultimately, she couldn't hide how fascinated she was with the possibility of you baring some dark magic inside, or even being the Heir of Slytherin (you only avoided to mention Drake was a Parseltongue too).

Oddly enough, her reaction comforted you. It was like she gave a new spin on the whole scan thing, one that wasn't completely bad.

She also suggested you had Kid and the others screwing Trafalgar up, but you decided to pass on the advice and she promised to keep everything to herself.

Overall, you felt much better when you woke up on Sunday. You still didn't feel like hanging out and opted to spend the day flying instead (of course you checked the weather forecast first).

Being in the air helped clear up your mind, and by the time you got down for dinner, you had decided to tell Kid and his crew as well, everything except the Heir story. You struggled to admit it, but you felt the need of something like Killer and Heat's quiet support. Maybe even Kid's, although that might have been too much to hope for.

You approached them after dinner (while dodging Sabo's looks in your direction) and Killer suggested using their dorm to talk since they didn't care about kicking out the other guys for some time. Apparently they did that whenever they wanted.

You had been in their room before, especially when you and Killer dragged Kid out of bed on Christmas morning and forced him to celebrate with you. He always used to sit for lunch with his arms crossed and scowl the whole time.

They let you take a seat on Killer's bed, since it was the neatest, and clustered around you as you talked. Perona joined too.

You felt flustered being the centre of attention, and focused your gaze on the black duvet but eventually made it through.

«So you're a Parseltongue? Cool!» Kid laughed, leaning against the beam of the bunk bed.

«Yeah, I guess.» you muttered.

«Say something in snaketongue!»

You raised an eyebrow.

«I can't now, I hardly distinguish it from normal talking anyway.»

He seemed disappointed at that.

«They do think it's Legilimency then.» Killer mumbled, crossing his legs in front of you «Maybe it's because of your classes with Prof. Riku.»

«Maybe it's linked to the nightmares.» Wire added.

Ugh.

«Whatever, that's some cool shit, Y/n.» Kid grinned.

You clicked your tongue and fumbled with your fingers.

«Yes but... what if they do find something during this scan thing?»

The redhead shrugged.

«So? That only means you've some more dope stuff you can do compared to extras.»

You glanced at him.

«Some dope stuff... you mean dark magic?»

Kid shot you a challenging smirk.

«What if I do?»

«I don't want to get involved with the Dark Arts!» you blurted.

«Why? Just because everybody says it's "baaad"?» he mimicked the quote marks with his fingers and the smile disappeared from his face.

Killer turned to him.

«Kid.»

«What?!» the redhead barked, pushing himself away from the bed and nervously walking around the room «They label as "Dark Arts" whatever they don't fucking understand!»

His fiery eyes darted on you.

«Did you know any Pagan ritual is now considered borderline "dark"? They made themselves the standard and condemn anything different!»

It wasn't his usual snapping, you could read it in his features. There was a more ancient rage buried into his expression now.

A random memory popped in your mind.

"The Eustass were once great, and now he's the last heir of a downfallen family"

Heat, Wire and Perona remained silent. Killer sighed.

«I didn't know that.» you murmured «Although I don't think that's what they're after.»

Kid scoffed and pointed a menacing finger right in your face.

«Whatever they find, don't you let them putting any fucking restrain on you!»

And with that, he turned away and slammed the door behind his back.

Guys, believe me, you're going to get disappointed by who the uncle is (reveal next chapter). I'm afraid that everyone feels like he's an epic character, while he's really not. I even toyed with the idea of changing my original plan and make him Vegapunk, but I've decided to stay faithful to what I imagined first.

I want to write the next chapter right away and I may do it because I have a couple of days off. Unfortunately I may get sick tomorrow since I've had the first shot of covid vaccine today (YAYYY!), and apparently it's a common reaction. ^^" We'll see I guess. I'm still very grateful that I had the opportunity to get vaccinated already.

Hope you all have a great day and thank you for all the support!