OH LOOK AT THAT, phoenix

[abby]

The Potter girl sat with her back to the wall. She had in front of her like so many times before, a big book. It was large and covered with leather and had silver writings on the spine. She had it open to the middle with pictures of snakes. It was a book about different magical abilities. She just was interested in what more there could be about her ability she did not know. It was actually quite interesting. She did not know a lot of the language, but when her emotions get wilded up, then the language would just slip. Not to mention that Lily always had a good friendship with her gardensnakes and can be caught talking to one. Though no one has been able to catch her.

It actually explained a lot. She pushed her thick framed glasses up her nose and continued to read. Whenever she would get hurt and curse, it usually was hissing instead of words. Or the fact that she was drawn to them. And let us not forget her patronus. It was a spell she took to herself to learn since her father had learned it in his third year. Oh yeah, she knew all his stories. She'd make him tell everything before she went to bed, it was their little tradition. The slight red headed girl tucked a hair behind her ear and arrived at the last page of parslemouth. She sighed and wished there was more to it and did not finished with an "incredibly rare ability."

She went back a couple of pages and looked at the list of known speakers. One was Slytherin, Salazar. He was, from what the book said, corrupted. Then there was Voldemort. Another evil being. There were a few more that she did not know the names and one that shouted at her. Her father's name. He wasn't a bad man, he was a bloody good one. Except the only reason why he had it was because of Voldemort. She shook her head and closed the book. She was definately not telling anyone about this. It was her secret alone. She ran a hand through her highlighted pink hair before standing up and walking back to the isle she took the book from.

That was when she ran into someone and dropped the large book. She could not help the string of hisses coming out of her mouth. The book had landed right on her foot. "Bloody hell!" she finally said in English before looking up at who she ran into. It was definately someone she did not know. "Oh." she muttered. It was her shyness showing. "I am really sorry!." she got out before kneeling down to pick up the book.

[PHOENIX THOMAS LESTRANGE]

hogwarts used to seem so magical to a younger tom riddle. he had gazed upon the castle with sparkles in his eyes, and had loved every moment of his school life up until his seventh year. at hogwarts, he hadn't been a stupid kid, he had been a powerful wizard. but now, being at the school for a second time around, he simply felt trapped. this time around, hogwarts made him feel like a stupid kid. if he was on the outside in the wizard world, he would be the dark lord. hogwarts was stifling the power he could have. he had to hide the degree of power he had, messing up simple spells so he would seem like a regular sixteen year old, and couldn't speak parseltongue, the language he had become much more comfortable with than english. he would rather be speaking to snakes than the idiots at this school, student and teacher alike.

there was one thing that bothered him more than the fact that he couldn't speak to snakes here, or the dumb people, and that was homework. it felt so pointless, because he wasn't going to be applying for jobs outside of hogwarts. he was going to become the dark lord, again. and this time he wasn't going to fail, because this time harry potter was not connected to him. harry had killed the only advantage he had had against him when he killed the horcrux inside himself. but if he failed all his classes, and didn't do his homework, then professors would want to talk to him. phoenix had no interest in speaking to any of them.

so he was sitting at a table in the library, a massive book in front of him on charms. all he needed was one more answer, but he couldn't find it in the three pages about the spell he was learning. he had read it over and over for the past twenty-five minutes, searching. what did the latin translate to? eventually, he found it sitting right under the name on the first of the three pages, and angrily shut the book. finally, he was done. now he could get on with his pathetic life as a high school student.

he stood to go return the book, and walked through a few aisles. he was in the correct aisle and was about to reach and put the book in its proper spot when something...someone collided with him. he was about to let a few foul words and possible a curse at the person, when he heard the hisses escape the other student. there was another female paselmouth at hogwarts, besides marsallia? he took a step back, looking over the girl. she was young, and unfamiliar. probably nothing interesting. but if she could speak the language, then there had to be something special about her. it's perfectly fine." he responded in parseltongue, testing her. there was a possibilty he had misheard her, and she had just been hissing in pain, not speaking the language of snakes. now, he would find out.

[abby]

Parselmouth was indeed an interesting ability. But Lily never heard it until it left her mouth. Her father never spoke it and she was quite oblivious to if her brothers had it or not. It was normal for Lily not to recognize the language the guy in front of her spoke in. It sounded like English to her. She understood it perfectly and did not need a second to register the translation. "Are you quite sure? I did run into you after all." The girl picked up the book she had dropped and brushed her hand over the cover of it. She had such respect for the books, it held so much for her to learn and get lost in.

She was definatly lost when she finally registered that the guy in front of her spoke parseltongue. It blew her mind and caught her off guard. It just basically hit her. It took her a lot of strength not to drop the book a second time. There was another? And in Hogwarts? It was unusual to have one, but two. It made her wonder how many were actually out there. She suddenly had many questions and an interest in the boy. "I'm going mad!" she finally blurted out. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and looked at him, making eye contact. Lily was one not to fear someone else. She had that thanks to her father.

But she had to be going mad. She was just imagining things. She looked him up and down and then lifted her glasses a bit. Yes he was real and in front of her. But was he really speaking like that. No there couldn't be. But then again. She was a holder of the language and she was here and kicking. The girl moved a strand of pink hair behind her ear before looking around. She then lowered her voice, "Did you just speak..." she looked around. She was not good with communication. "I mean do you know..." Lily was finding it harder and harder to get the words to come out correctly. It was all crazy for her.

"Who are you?" she finally asked. It was not everyday someone with this ability was found, let alone two. All the information she had just read entered her head. She had an explanation to why she spoke, and why her father did too. But now she wondered what was his connection. The girl finally realized the weight in her arms and quickly found the empty space where "Abilities of the Wizarding World and more" fit comfortabley. She then turned around and looked at the brunette. Lily was an absolute mess now, she was completely blindsided.

[PHOENIX THOMAS LESTRANGE]

as he waited a response from the young girl in front of him, phoenix reached about her head and placed the book back on its shelf. what if he had been wrong? he may have just spilled his secret to some random girl, and then where did that leave him? in trouble, that was where he was. in deep, deep trouble. if she was a part of the paper angels, she would know that the reincarnations of salazar slytherin and lord voldemort were on the loose. and she would most likely connect him to one of the two. then, she would run off and tell her 'oh fearless leader.' everything would be ruined. he better not have imagined those hissing noises escaping the girls mouth. if he had, he was done for.

even though she did not react to the parseltongue, her response immediately told him he had not been wrong. he let out a sign of relief, quietly. that could have gone so wrong, so fast. he wondered if she had even realized he had spoken to her in the other language, or if she just didn't care. he bet on the former. meeting another parseltongue was fairly rare. even he was intrigued by this seemingly unimportant girl because of the ability. "no, it's absolutely fine. no harm done." he needed to be kind to this girl, until he learned more about her. she could be another descendant of salazar that had gotten lost through the years. or, she could have some connection to him. either way, they could use her in the wicked wands. they could talk business right in front of the members, without them even knowing what they were saying. it was a very good opportunity to get someone on his side, and not marsallia's.

her confusion when it finally registered was amusing. did he let her flail about, trying to figure out what had just happened? it would be quite entertaining to watch, that was for sure. but, if he told her outright, that could be a way to gain her trust. so he smiled at her, an action that phoenix lestrange rarely did, and lord voldemort had close to never done. "yes, i did. and yes, i do." her next question did not take him by surprise. he was quite curious as to who she was as well. now, did he tell her he was a lesstrange? that could certainly turn some people off. the lestrange family was feared in the wizard world.

but if he lied, she may catch him in it. both sides had risk. but he could play the lestrange that wasn't crazy and evil, and that he was put in slytherin simply because of his family. it was easier than coming up with a lie. "phoenix lestrange, pleasure to meet you...err..." he said, urging her to say her name. who the hell was this girl and why could she speak the language of his family? had morfin some how breeded? or had there been another descendant of slytherin that he didn't know about?

[abby]

Lily had a huge grin. She was completely excited. He could maybe answer a lot of her questions that a book could not help her with. She now looked at the boy with admiration, but she did not trust him the least bit. There had to be a reason for his ability like she had of hers. The girl looked at Phoenix questionably. "And here I thought I was alone." she had a relief when she said it. The girl looked around again making sure no one was around. She honestly did not need the same reaction her father had when he was in his second year. Lily then looked at him. He had introduced himself and was waiting for her.

But she knew the name so well. His family was pure enemies with hers. It tested her. Would it be safe to tell him who she was. It was hard to decided and it sort of got her at a stand still. Maybe he wasn't like his family. But she had heard so many stories that would point misfortune with the name. She looked at him once more before offering her hand. "Lily Potter." she said finally smiling. Lily had no clue who she was actually speaking to. But thanks to history her name would hit a lightbulb for Phoenix. She was named after her grandmother, one of the people who stood up against Voldemort to save her only son. The girl admired the woman, because of her she was here.

Lily looked at Phoenix with a smile. Her blue eyes shown through her glasses. Lily supposed that was one of the traits she was upset about gaining. Glasses have been trouble for her in many situations. But without them she was almost blind. She could not wait for her fifteenth birthday, her father promised her contacts, a muggle invention that replaced the glasses. She honestly needed them very badly. At this point. Lily did not know what to say to Phoenix. Most of what was going on through her head were questions she hoped he could answer. Lily ran her hand through her hair and let her eyes fall to the ground. She was still the little shy gullible girl from years ago.

She played with her hands a bit before finally thought of something to say. "Do you know much about parselmouth?" Her books told her some things, but she still had some confusion. She was like a baby ready to learn at this moment. She wanted to know why someone had it. And why it was specifically aimed at snakes. Lily also wanted some control over it. She also wanted to find someone who did not mind the "bad" quality. It seemed like the ability was looked down on. Lily did not want to be looked down on. She wanted to be looked up to like her father was.

[PHOENIX THOMAS LESTRANGE]

so the girl had no idea about the other parselmouths in the school. it was probably because she hid her power, and didn't want anyone to find out. sometimes, parselmouths were not looked on well. it was a fantastic ability, and people who had it were very special. however, many people associated it with evil because it originated from the slytherin family. not to mention, he had it and he was the darkest wizarding the world had ever dealt with. so this girl, who was most likely a ravenclaw judging by the size of her book, probably didn't want anyone to find out for fear that they would end up turning on her and thinking she was evil. or, thinking she was a reincarnation of salzar or himself. wouldn't that be funny?

the girl seemed to trust him, which was good. she was smiling, something that wasn't very common for people from his house. but he forced himself to smile back, because he needed this girl on his side. unlike most of the other girls he wanted, he wouldn't be able to seduce her and sleep with her. she was too young for that. it was a bit gross to even think about. even though, when he thought about it, he was in his eighties if he counted the years he was still tom riddle. now THAT was awkward to think about. he pushed it out of his mind. he wasn't going to seduce this girl. but maybe he could induce a little school girl crush? "well, you aren't." he said, with the most genuine looking smile he could fake.

phoenix hadn't even comprehended that she could be the daughter of harry potter. but not that she told him, he could see the resemblance to the boy who lived, and that bitch weasley he married. did he want to go through with this? it could be hard to corrupt this girl, and if he did one thing wrong, she would be able to find him out. but the accomplishment it would be, to corrupt the daughter of harry potter. it would be worth it. it would all be worth it. "lily...that's a pretty name. of course, i've heard of your family. the parseltongue makes sense now."

phoenix probably knew more about parselmouth more than any living person, except for marsallia. but of course, she couldn't know that. he was going to play the confused teenage boy. then there would be no hints of who he was. "not too much, only what i learned from books. i honestly don't even know why i can speak it. i mean, my mom was a lestrange, and i don't know who my dad was. i guess i got it from him, whoever the hell he was."

[abby]

It was good to have company in a world she was not understanding. Lily now had someone to be with her. She could speak to him in parseltongue and everything. It completely excited her. It was a big adventure for her now. The girl had to calm herself down mentally. She was jumping from one thing to another, which always lead to her being a babbling idiot. She began to count from a hundred backwards to keep her mind working right.

Honestly Lily was not expecting a compliment. She had been analysing him and she guessed he was a Slytherin, most parselmouths are, except her father, but he had a different connection from the heir. Lily's cheeks took a bit of a red color. She was not good with boys, especially ones who were so nice. She was like her father in that way. A complete mess with the opposite sex. Lily laughed so much when her mother would explain her father's love life. Harry did not like it that much, but Ginny was one to tell the truth, while her father wanted to make a good impression on his kid. He wanted to be their super hero. And of course Lily was daddy's girl. Lily nodded at Phoenix. Everyone knew Harry Potter could talk to snakes, he sort of was outted.

The gir, having forgotten to say thank you, continued to fiddle with her fingers as this meeting began to turn out as a bonus for her. But soon it came crashing down. He began to explain to her that he didn't know more than herself. That was a bit of a disappointment for her. She guessed she could get something else from him, maybe a friendship. She loved having friends, especially ones who knew who she was and didn't care. Phoenix seemed not to care. Lily smiled at that thought and thought over this. Maybe he didn't know much but he could help her with speaking it. After all her speech was basically connected to her anger, it was quite clear.

Lily looked back up at the guy with her blue eyes. "This may seem a bit silly but.." she looked back down at her hands. She was nervous as usual and sort of at a lost. Actually that was lily, a lost puppy dog. She needed guidence and someone to show her the way, even if it could end up being the wrong way. "I was wondering if you could maybe.." she paused again. Yes that was her. She was not confident or brave like her other family members and when dealing with people, it required patience. "Could help me you know, speak it?" she then looked back up at him, he was quite taller than herself, "I mean I do have no control over it... you probably noticed..." she finally closed her mouth and looked back down.

[PHOENIX THOMAS LESTRANGE]

phoenix was imagining how shocked marsallia would be when she discovered that he had corrupted a potter to their side. he had already tried with albus potter, and gotten horrible results. he had thought that because the boy was a slytherin, there would be something different about him. but he had fought phoenix, and refused to talk to him. so now, this was his second chance. lily potter would be much easier to corrupt. he could make her think they had a whole forbidden love thing going on. make her crush on him, and make her think he liked her too. he would do little things for her that would make her think he cared. and then he would get her to do things for him too, things he couldn't do without triggering suspicion. he was going to use lily potter just like he had used her mother.

phoenix had never actually told a girl he cared about her. not once in his two lives had he ever understood love. it was a weakness, something that only set people behind and ruined their chances of being anything big. so how would he show her that he liked her? and was it too soon after meeting her to turn on that fake charm? he didn't want to chase her off. this was too good of an opportunity. he couldn't blow it.

why couldn't she speak? she kept starting a sentence, and then trailing off and starting another one. he desperately just wanted to tell her to spit it out, but that wouldn't be too good for his nice guy act. how was she even believing this bullshit? he was a lestrange, and there were some rumors going around the school that he was a manwhore who only used girls for sex, which was true. she was pretty naive and immature. how young was she anyway? she couldn't be any older than fifteen. probably younger. maybe a third year?

"of course i could" he answered with a smile. that shouldn't be too difficult. all you really had to do to speak parseltongue at will is to picture a snake. if you pretend you are talking to a serpent, you will speak in their language. "or, at least i could try. i'm not sure how good i'd be at teaching. but i don't think it should be too difficult. you just need an imagination. i'm sure you have one of those. you look like a creative girl."