The Ventura Highway

Chapter Four

"Are you sure that's not just bad luck?" Hermione smiled at Ventura's mother's tale. Ventura shrugged and looked back down at her paper.

"Maybe. But I don't want to find out."

"You think Artemis will choose you?"

"Who knows." She hesitated for a moment and studied Hermione.

"Say, in that book you read-..." She paused not exactly knowing how to word her question as the cold and disgusted tone of Draco's voice uttering the word 'your species' dripped into her consciousness.

"What does it say about my species?"

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you mean, we're all from the same species." Hermione paused, and the corners of her red mouth twitched lightly as if threatening a frown. Ventura could tell she was scanning the encyclopedia of her mind to give her a polite explanation.

"Well... some like to mark your group off as an entirely different species- but the same goes for myself being a muggle born. Elitist have a tendency to want to stay exclusive."

"So what do they base it on?"

Hermione looked as though the seat she was sitting on was extremely uncomfortable, she shifted lightly before sighing.

"I suppose it's only because of how... reclusive you all are- but there's some theorists who believe your brain is smaller than that of a normal born wizard."

"Because of where I'm from?" Ventura asked a bit too sharply, but really the idea seemed bizarre to her.

"Anyone with sense knows it's not true- but... like I said there's people who will do anything to build up walls that differentiate them from those they deem... unsavory."

Ventura leaned back in her chair, she casted her eyes out over the student body that occupied the classroom, though Draco didn't have charms that hour.

He thinks I have a chicken brain!

Who else believes that too?

Ventura didn't like being made a fool of, it was incredibly insulting and something taken personally.
.
.
.
Ventura entered the classroom, she was a bit late- to which Snape made sure to chastise her greatly for the entertainment of the other students, before she found her seat beside Draco.

The class had already begun working on an assignment, and Draco dusted her half of the work over to her side with the feather of his quill.

Too dirty to even risk touching.

Ventura sat down and looked down at the paper. She pressed her lips together, the boy hadn't even greeted her.

She tapped her fingers lightly on the table, wondering how best to execute a revenge plot that didn't involve physical brute strength and strangling the snob with his own tie.

But then, an origami shaped butterfly fluttered onto her desk. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, before her face fell lightly as she remembered what the previous note she received contained.

She gently opened the note.

Slytherin party after the Quidditch game, I'll let you in VentU-R-A Way.

- Theo

Her eyebrows raised lightly as she read over the note, her eyes shifted up just as Draco's gray eyes flickered to his book. She pressed her lips together as she spotted the green tie that was skillfully tied around his collar.

How fitting a member of his own clan deemed her worthy of entering their common room.

But yet a delicious idea bloomed.