The Slytherin Ghost

Travers kept grumbling as he walked, loudly promising to teach that Mudblood a lesson. Rosier, at his side, could only chime in agreement, though inwardly she despised him.

Once they were back inside the castle, both of them had caught colds, unsurprisingly. They hadn't even made it into the Common Room before Professor Slughorn, passing by, hauled them off to the Hospital Wing.

Meanwhile, the Quidditch Match on the Quidditch field was still going. The score had reached 290 to 410. If Slytherin caught the Golden Snitch, the extra 150 points would put them ahead, but the players on both teams were so exhausted they could barely catch their breath. Neither side was willing to end the game by mutual agreement, and Slytherin's Seeker was so tired that he had sat down right on the grass.

The spectators couldn't take it anymore. Eight or nine out of every ten had already left, and most of those who remained were just there to watch the spectacle.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch once again went to the center of the field to suggest that the teams end the game, but Slytherin still refused. Even though the players on both sides had turned into grounded chickens, Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch could only exchange a helpless glance and continue watching the endless match.

None of this had anything to do with Anduin anymore. He was full and comfortable, reading the latest issue of Centuries of Charms in his room. Every so often, he thought of that day's Quidditch Match and wondered if it had ended yet.

"So the Slytherin Seeker, who'd turned into a grounded chicken, just happened to catch the Golden Snitch—and Slytherin actually won?" Anduin asked over breakfast the next morning, as Vivian told him how the Quidditch Match had ended the night before.

"Yeah! You have no idea—the match went on until late at night. By then, none of the players had the strength to fly anymore, and somehow the Golden Snitch just flew right over to Viren Higgs. He caught it without breaking a sweat." Vivian described the legendary match to Anduin in vivid detail. Of course, it was only the length of the match that was truly legendary. She hadn't seen the final moment herself; she'd left as soon as it got dark. She'd heard the rest that morning in the Common Room.

Anduin went out to exercise early every morning. When he left, he rarely saw anyone in the Common Room—or anywhere else in Hogwarts, for that matter.

Just then, cheers erupted from Slytherin. The hero of the previous day's match, Viren Higgs, had arrived in the Great Hall.

Anduin turned to study the Quidditch Seeker. Viren Higgs was a third-year student with short black hair and a fairly sturdy build. Higgs politely returned the greetings of everyone who spoke to him. When he noticed Anduin looking his way, he smiled and nodded. Anduin smiled and nodded back.

So not everyone in Slytherin was all that unpleasant. The longer Anduin spent in Slytherin, the better he understood the House. Its qualities included ambition, cunning, resourcefulness, leadership, and self-preservation.

Anduin had read a history book that described Slytherin's founder. When choosing students, Salazar Slytherin had particularly valued intelligence, ingenuity, determination, and "a certain disregard for rules and regulations."

In a way, Anduin fit Slytherin's standards quite well, so he no longer had much resentment about being placed in the House. The exception, of course, was the members who believed in Pure-blood supremacy.

Time passed quickly. Just before Christmas, Anduin had brought nearly all the basic spells for his year to the introductory stage. A few spells were difficult to practice alone or hard to master, such as the Shield Charm, Patronus Charm, Apparition, Disillusionment Charm, Legilimency, and Occlumency. Anduin had tried casting the Shield Charm and Disillusionment Charm, but neither had worked well. He was sure he'd said the incantations correctly, yet he still couldn't meet the standard for casting them.

"Phew... I'll put the next part of my plan off until after Christmas. Rosier hasn't made a move lately, either. It was only a precaution I'd set up while I had time, so I'll leave it to fate." With his plans for what came next in mind, Anduin prepared to go find Hagrid and unwind.

There were a lot of people in the Common Room just then. When Sampur Travers saw Anduin come out, he glared at him resentfully. Ever since he'd been taught a lesson, he'd spent a whole week in the Hospital Wing. He'd also discovered that the money pouch on him was gone, which made him even angrier.

Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't get the chance to bother Anduin today. Head of House Slughorn was there, recording the names of students staying at Hogwarts over Christmas. Anduin had already made plans with Sirius, so he wasn't staying. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the professor, he left the Common Room without looking back.

By the time Anduin reached Clock Square, he realized that fine snowflakes were already drifting down from the sky. A thin white carpet seemed to cover the ground.

"It's snowing." At the sight, the corners of Anduin's mouth lifted slightly.

"Yes, it is." A calm female voice came from beside him.

Anduin turned and saw a girl who looked familiar. After thinking for a moment, he remembered that she was the girl who'd shared his boat on his first trip to Hogwarts. She'd later been sorted into Ravenclaw.

"You're... Orianna, right?" Anduin thought back for a moment and recalled her name.

"Well, how rare. The Slytherin Ghost actually remembers my name." Orianna chuckled, her breath misting in the cold as she teased him.

"The Slytherin Ghost? You mean me? Slytherin's ghost is the Bloody Baron. Have you got something mixed up?" Anduin asked, puzzled by the strange name Orianna had used for him.

"That's the nickname our First Years gave you. Not every House has lessons together, but we still see each other around. Yet some students haven't seen you once in the past month or two, and a lot of them have started wondering if you even exist. Someone started a rumor that you aren't human at all, but a ghost. So they nicknamed you 'the Slytherin Ghost.' Isn't that funny?" Orianna explained with a giggle.

I'm not human? This was the second time Anduin had heard someone describe him that way. Only then did he realize he'd been keeping to himself for so long that people had begun to wonder if he even existed.