September 1st, 1889 — The Great Hall, Slytherin table

Clue leaned forward onto narrow elbows, pale slim fingers entwined as he took a better look at the new First Years waiting to be Sorted. They looked lost, small and bewildered — for some of them that would never change. Clue was living proof of that. But he was curious about them, as were his fellow Slytherins, though some were twitching for the Sorting Ceremony to be over so they could tuck into the feast.

Beneath the epic sunset in the star-studded sky of the Great Hall, Clue was not very hungry. Merely returning to Hogwarts — his only home — had quenched his every yearning. At least for now.

Irene Fudge

The following 1 user Likes Clue Leverett's post:1 user Likes Clue Leverett's post
   Irene Fudge (I)

---

Few memories were as perfect as her first dinner at Hogwarts. Being sorted into Slytherin, meeting the people who would later turn into long-time friends, and finding a place for herself among other students - all of it she dreamed with before taking off to school, only to realize reality could be a lot better. However, reality wasn’t nearly as good when she had to wait for food. It made her understand why some older people at her first year looked so impatience, and now she was one of them. Her stomach was hungry after the too-long trip, and those sweets she ate didn’t do enough to fill it. In fact, acting like a proper lady sucked when all she wanted was to let her belly rumble free and loud.

"I can’t believe she was sorted into Slytherin. Can’t you see? She’s almost tripped on the way here." Irene rolled her eyes and waited until the girl she pointed at settled at the table, before opening the fakest smile and welcoming her into their group alongside others. As a fourth year, she still sat close enough she could talk to the firstie, but not too close they would annoy her with their overly-excited blabbering. It was a shame she had to sit beside some strange fifth-years, including a blonde-haired one she couldn’t help but feel… pity. He was strange. Awkward. Mysterious, not on the 'I want to learn more' way. He scared her, even. "They should get us food already. Ugh!"

Clue Leverett

  

---

Clue blinked airily over at the impatient younger girl, who was all but twiddling her thumbs. She was gracious enough with her outward welcoming of the new First Years, but grace didn't matter much to Clue — and he got the impression it didn't actually matter to her either.

"Then why not eat the newcomer", he muttered tonelessly. "Solve both your problems in one." No more "trippy" new Slytherin, no more exasperating starvation.

The following 1 user Likes Clue Leverett's post:1 user Likes Clue Leverett's post
   Roberto Devine

---

Irene would have been happy if Clue Leverett of all people hadn't chosen that moment to direct words at her. After all, at that point of the Sorting Hat ceremony, they must be less than ten minutes away from their first dinner. Just a few more minutes of silence from one of the strangest people she knew, and all would be well. Of course, things didn't go her way. When did they? "Suit yourself, cannibal. I will do as a normal person, and wait for my food like it's expected of a human."

Clue Leverett

  

---

Used to startling people, Clue blinked from his blue-eyed House-mate to the next First Years to join them. When at last the Ceremony was over, and a new batch of young ones had an extra identity to call their own, Professor Black made his start-of-term speech which ended on —

Food.

The four House tables were soon creaking under the weight of platters filled with everything from smoked chicken to roast carrots. Clue was someone who ate very little (and who saved himself for pudding anyway), but he reached for the plate of buttered potatoes in front of Irene Fudge, only for his hand to hesitate over it. He frowned at the plate, and at the... tiny wormy thing on top. Was that... a rat's tail in the potatoes?!

  

---

Her clear remark directed at Clue, making it obvious she wanted no words from him, left a satisfying taste in Irene's mouth. Enough so she could concentrate on her food and the hungry stomach close to rumbling. A full plate always made her happiest, after all. And sh e would have enjoyed it very much if not for the... the.... "what have you done?" her voice pierced through every other at the Great Hall, eyes widening in shock as her mouth resorted to disgust. There was a rat. A rat, of all things! And it looked dirty, and weird, and not at all taken care of, so it must be nobody's.

"Clue Leverett just put a rat in our food! Look, look! A real one!" She yelled lout and clear, eyes fulminating at him. "Somebody please help taking away this... disgusting creature. " Both of them, it would be better, but unfortunately they couldn't expel him. No problem. Now the Slytherins knew what he was capable of.

Clue Leverett

  

---

Rat was not something she had expected to hear yelled at the Start of Term feast. It wasn't something she would ever have considered. Hogwarts was just too... clean? Spelled? Fancy? She wasn't sure which word she wanted to use, but it was odd enough that it prompted her to turn around to the table beside her, a frown on her face.

It only took her a second to recognize Miss Fudge - she'd hadn't seen her yet, since their outing the past summer so it was nice to see her again, or at least it would have been if she wasn't scared for the safety of the rat. The boy she didn't know, though she was sure she'd probably seen him around once or twice the past two years.

It took her only another second to slip out of the bench and come over to the Slytherins, determinedly snatching the rat out the potatoes. Holding the shocked creature tightly in one hand, dogwood wand slipped out of the other pocket, quickly transfiguring the rat into a snuffbox. They'd technically learned the spell in first year for turning a mouse into a snuffbox, but she figured the two animals were similar enough that it shouldn't harm the rat. She would return him outside after the feast and restore him to his rightful self outside. The snuffbox and wand were then tucked back into her pocket, hoping that they'd avoided making a scene and that none of the professors or prefects had noticed her using magic outside of classwork.

"It was only a rat, Miss Fudge. I assure you, he was far more scared of you that you were of him. Poor little thing was probably lost and very confused. And I doubt Mr. Leverett put him there. He looks just as confused as you are. And he doesn't strike me as a good liar. No offense to you, Mr. Leverett."

  

---

look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Clue was used to being treated like this, and as such didn't bat an eyelash; but it wasn't often that young women made such an unsubtle show of their dislike for him. But then again, the dramatics were not all that unusual in this case; there was a rat in the potatoes, after all.

He might've saved the poor thing, and indeed made a twitch of movement to do so; but then it was gone, snatched up by a young girl who'd come over from the Hufflepuff table. "I'm not a good liar at all", he lied, his eyes now on the girl's pocket where sat the snuffbox that had once been a rat.

"What are you going to do with the rat?" he asked, this being, of course, the most important question of all.

  

---

"It's only a rat?"Irene had never heard something as... maddening, in her entire life! Only a rat? A rat that carried diseases and dirt, that's what it was. She had to keep her normal posture and not show so much of her annoyance, but that didn't keep the Slytherin from turning to Calla. "What would you think if this dear rat had decided to play with Ethel? It isn't only disgusting, my friend, you know it's also risky - we don't mix animals with food, especially not rats." Was she the only one who had some form of brain?

Finally, some form of good question out of the strange boy's mouth. "Please tell me you'll release it to the wild. I doubt any student would have... this.. as a pet."

Clue Leverett Calla Potts

  

---

"See, Miss Fudge, he says he isn't a good liar! That settles it, he didn't put the rat in the potatoes!" It was slightly hard to tell if Calla was just naive and would believe anything anyone told her or she was pretending. Honestly, it was likely the first. Calla was notorious for thinking the best of everyone until they proved themselves to be other wise.

"Yes, I'm planning on going outside to release it after the meal ends. Turning it into a snuff box simply keeps it from causing more trouble or getting lost. Would not want it to appear in someone else's potatoes."

She patted the newly turned snuffbox in her robe, a distinct lack of concern showing on her face. "I never said I would still eat the potatoes, Miss Fudge. I simply said it was just a rat. And no, I wouldn't want Ethel playing with it. But I don't think it deserves to be killed, either. Not when I can release it outside."

  

---

look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Clue was to society what a cobweb was to the seven seas. Absolutely nothing, and equipped with no power, no knowledge, no inkling of what to do next.

Large eyes looked from the Slytherin to the Hufflepuff to the rat — nay, the snuffbox — and in the midst of the argumentative tension he decided to do what he'd once seen one of the teachers do.

"Would anyone like a green bean." He held up the vegetable platter to nobody in particular.

And that, friends, was enough to end it. Or at least to cut Clue off from the discussion at hand, given his oddities, allowing him to grab a handful of green beans himself, and sidle off down the table to another chair.

And, probably, another set of problems.

-fade out!-

  

---