Trouvaille - something lovely discovered by chance
A Slytherin and a Gryffindor are sworn enemies. Families, friendships, relationships, all are infected by house rivalry.
So are James Potter, proud and brave Gryffindor, and Aquila Black, cunning a...
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In a time of war where one would expect the 'bad' house to be slinging hexes left and right, the situation was slightly twisted.
Where the 'bad' house had become the prey, and the 'good' houses, the predators.
Last week, a month after the twins had caught Snape loitering around the Hospital Wing, Sirius had apparently told Snape how to gain access to Remus' 'secret werewolf chambers' (as James put it), and James had, with great risk to his own life, saved Snape's.
Now, the news was rolling around. While nobody knew the full details of the story, people knew that Snape had been about to do something against Lupin with harm to his own life, and James had taken the higher road and saved both Lupin and Snape, nearly getting himself killed in the process.
The rumour mill had no whisper of Sirius being involved, and if they noticed the Marauders being on the outs with Sirius, nobody certainly said anything.
And so, because of the 'true Slytherin face finally showing itself', bad times had come. Younger Slytherins were being bullied everywhere just for being sorted into Slytherin, as if it was their fault. Older Slytherins found it difficult to walk in the corridors without having to shield themselves or dodging a hex. Everywhere you went, you found Slytherins roaming in groups with Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and even kind, trusting Hufflepuffs glaring at them left and right. A lot of the younger students had been advised an earlier curfew by the Slytherin house prefects, and everyone was ushered into the dungeons before teachers went and the duels started.
A lot of the older Gryffindors were quite enthusiastic about this new initiative of theirs, holding meetings to encourage others to stand up to the Slytherins and diminish their desire to act on anything by attacking them first.
"Roll up your sleeves, then, Bagman!" Amos Diggory sneered at the Stupefied second year lying in front of them, fingers twitching.
Regulus and Aquila rushed toward them while Rowan and Adrian took care of Diggory and his friends.
"Why, training future Death Eaters seems to be your forte, Slytherins," someone called out.
Aquila turned around, flushed. "He's just a boy!"
Rowan and Adrian worked with efficiency and soon enough, all four boys were on the ground, stunned.
Aquila stepped closer to them. "Two Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor," she wrinkled her nose in distaste. "What a lovely united effort you all are putting up, innit, Ro?"
"Absolutely, Aqi. Wonder what we should do about this?" Rowan mused as a terrible cold expression came over Aquila's face.
"Four against one? Not a smart move, darlings," she flicked her hand and the four of them struggled under their bonds even more as they tightened. "Can you feel the ropes digging into your skin?" she snarled. "Then you will do well to remember that the next time you lift your wand to bully a younger student," her eyes flashed red and one of the guys whimpered. "Owen," she beckoned the older Bagman brother over to them who had been returned to a normal state by Regulus and had a pallid complexion now. "Would you like to make them suffer the consequences of their actions, love?" Owen lifted his chin and shook his head. "I don't want to be like them."
Diggory had the audacity to scoff, and Aquila dug the heel of her shoe into his chest enough to elicit a groan. "Anything you want to say?" she said through gritted teeth.
"Miss Black!" McGonagall said, appalled. She rushed from the other end of the corridor. "What is this? Mr. Black, Mr. Mulciber, Mr. Avery and Mr. Bagman? Why are these four students on the floor? And Miss Black, please remove your foot from his chest!" McGonagall said sternly, waving her arms to remove the ropes from the four and to un-stun them.
"What an absolutely fortunate timing, Professor! It's shocking, isn't it, that nobody arrives when a second year Slytherin is being bullied by four older students but the moment we arrive to defend one of our own, you appear out of thin air!" Aquila snarled at the older woman. Regulus held her back by her arm, tugging on it to tell her to shut up and this is not the way you speak to a Professor.
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "Is this true, Mr. Diggory, Mr. Dearborn, Mr. Patil and Mr. Bennett?"
Diggory flushed. "Absolutely not, Professor! Did you not see the way this rabid animal was stepping on us? Bagman cornered us, Professor, we were merely defending ourselves!"
Regulus laughed shortly. "Oh, you bread mould of a person."
McGonagall shook her head. "Blacks, Mulciber, Avery and Bagman, you come with me. Rest of you, detention for Saturday."
"Oh, of course, how can we expect justice from you, of all people?" Rowan said, laughing humourlessly.
"I will not be spoken to that way, Mr. Mulciber," McGonagall said sternly, her eyes flashing with warning.
"Professor, you must really not believe your students capabilities if you think they were cornered by a second year boy struggling to pass Defense," Aquila said haughtily. This was not the time for anger. This was the time for twisted words.
"My students' abilities are judged by criteria confidential to me, Miss Black," McGonagall said, peering at the girl over her glasses.
"And is Owen Bagman not your student, then?" Regulus asked, tilting his head.
Aquila crossed her arms and the four Slytherins stood together in the formation that they had practiced numerous times. "Oh, didn't you hear, Reg? Nobody stands up for scum like Slytherins, especially not the Gryffindor Head of House."
"Enough from all of you!" McGonagall said.
"Why, Professor? Are we wrong? Are we?" Adrian wondered, looking at her closely.
"If we are, then why is it that we're being taken to the Headmaster, and the other blameless students are serving detention for one night?" Rowan asked innocently.
"If we are, then why has no action been taken for the Slytherin students who come in every day with bloody noses and different effects on jinxes?" Regulus wondered, looking at her with wide eyes.
McGonagall remained silent.
"Then I suppose we're not wrong, Professor. If we aren't, we'll just keep this conversation in mind and take our punishments happily," Aquila said, with all the innocence of a ten year old girl in pigtails.
"Owen Bagman and the four of you are as much my students as any other child attending this school. Messrs Dearborn, Diggory, Patil and Bennett will also be facing punishment suitable to their mistakes," McGonagall said sternly.
"Oh, of course. Mistakes," Rowan said, widening his eyes for effect.
"They only make mistakes. We, on the other hand, can only do crimes," Adrian added.
McGonagall opened her mouth to speak, but Regulus interrupted. "Let's not pretend anything, Professor. They'll serve detention for one night, and we'll serve it for a month and a letter will be sent to our parents. Slytherins will never be equal in anyone's eyes."
