Chapter 30. Why Slytherin Is Not an Option
After finishing our shopping, we helped Coraline settle into her new home, finding ourselves a little surprised at what an energetic girl she turned out to be. Moreover, we were struck by how easily she let go of her past, though that did raise some thoughts for us. But, to be honest, the existence of even one reincarnator is already unimaginable, and for there to be a second one right under our noses? No, that would be some sort of fanfiction.
With such thoughts, we pushed aside our suspicions and simply enjoyed the fact that the girl caused us fewer problems than she might have: she calmly studied books and magic, getting along well with us and even starting to call us brother and sister. In general, it was the very picture of a little family idyll, achieved in quite a short time. At least, that's what we thought, until one day…
"SLYTHERIN!" came the loud cry of the Sorting Hat.
"Please, I'm sorry," followed a teen girl's trembling, tearful voice.
"Avada Kedavra!" immediately rang out in an overly confident voice, and it was as if a flash of green light blinded us.
"Brother, are you alright?" Coraline asked, looking at Regulus with a strange gaze as he just emerged from his trance.
"Sorry, what was that you said about the houses?" we asked through Regulus, hoping that, given the sudden, deliberately foggy vision, it was just our imagination.
"I said I want to be sorted into Slytherin."
"Erm, let's sit down and talk about this properly first, okay?" Regulus said cautiously. After all, even though the vision was rather blurry, given who triggered it, it wasn't hard to guess it was a warning.
"Is there even anything to discuss? The Blacks have been in Slytherin for centuries, and besides, I like green," the girl shot back defensively, clearly ready to stand her ground.
"Sit down first, and then we'll talk," Regulus said seriously, looking at her.
"...Fine," the girl sighed, puffing her cheeks a little but agreeing nonetheless, and Regulus led her to the living room, where Andromeda was already sitting on the sofa waiting.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" the girl asked, apparently already knowing we wouldn't like her idea.
"Let's start with what you heard while I was in a trance," we began through Regulus.
"In a trance?" Coraline asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Yes, both of us have our own versions of the prophetic gift, and at that moment, I had a vision. That's why I want to know, did I say anything during it? The vision itself was rather foggy."
"No, you didn't say anything," the girl replied, her face suddenly curious. "Has this happened to you before?"
"Yes, three times. The first time, we saved our governess from death; the second, we saw our enemy finding a new minion; and the third time, we saw the death of our friend Harry Potter's parents."
"Wow," the girl said in awe, and it was as if realization flickered in her eyes, and she seemed to relax a little. "So, what did you see?"
"Erm, well, that's not so important yet, because, as far as I can tell, it's one of those visions you can prevent. For now, let us share our reasons why you shouldn't go to Slytherin."
"Just because He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was in Slytherin doesn't mean the house is bad!" the girl blurted out immediately—it seemed she'd planned to say exactly that as soon as the subject came up.
"We're not saying Slytherin as a house is bad," we didn't deny it. "But there are some significant BUTs."
"And what are they?" the girl huffed.
"Since you know about Voldemort, you must also know about the Death Eaters and the blood purity politics. Right?"
"Yeah," she confirmed uncertainly, a flicker of anxiety in her eyes.
"Let me start with the first argument. Slytherin is, undeniably, just a house, so it can't be bad in itself. However, each house is a miniature society, and as part of it, like it or not, you'll have to follow its rules. Right now, most of Slytherin is made up of Death Eaters' children and their sympathizers. There are a few exceptions, but even those are mostly neutral. Now tell me—can you really support a policy of hatred towards Muggle-borns and blood purity ideals?"
"You yourself said there are neutral Slytherins. Why can't I just be neutral too?"
"Let's suppose you can," Regulus nodded. "Let's move to the second argument. Apart from the Death Eaters' children, Draco Malfoy is in Slytherin, and in recent years, the Malfoys have been actively 'removing' all recently discovered Blacks to eliminate competition for our family's inheritance. That means it will be very easy to catch you in that house, maybe even send you through a portal straight to your death."
"Then how did you survive?" the girl asked, clearly not believing us and now seeming rather less like a ten-year-old.
"We were lucky. Our father was Regulus Black, so Kreacher helped us escape the orphanage. That's also how we managed to save you."
"I still don't believe an eleven-year-old boy would help commit murder. So that fear is just silly," she continued to argue, still stubborn though less certain.
"Alright... In that case, we have one last argument, and only a suicidal person would ignore it," we said through Andromeda, mentally cursing hardcore Slytherin fans—by now, we were almost sure our new little sister was one of them.
"W-What is this argument?" Coraline asked, suddenly nervous as she saw our grave expression.
"You wanted to know what I saw in my vision? Well, I saw that if you get sorted into Slytherin, Voldemort will kill you. And honestly, if he returns, we don't see a single way to save you if you're constantly surrounded by his followers."
"But why would he want to kill me? I'm a Black."
"Because your father is Voldemort's sworn enemy. And besides, we've recently done some things that'll make him go to any lengths for revenge. So, I'm sorry, but the only reason you could choose Slytherin now is if you have a death wish. In that case, better say it now, before we get too attached to you, so we can cut ties immediately."
"That's way too cynical!" the girl protested at once.
"Maybe so," we agreed. "But if you're not going to consider your family's feelings or the consequences for us, then we have no choice but to be cynical."
"Alright, I get it! Besides, I like other houses too," Coraline sighed.
"Good," we said with satisfaction. "How about sending Kreacher for some ice cream?"
"Then I dibs pistachio," the girl perked up immediately.
"Alright. You heard her, Kreacher. As for us, you know what flavors we like."
"It will be done."