Rise of the Death Eaters [3]

Chapter 49: Easy Pray

I had to bite my tongue to not laugh openly as Umbridge opened the class with an overly sweet, "Good Morning, Class."

"Good Morning Headmistress."

We were all terribly excited to see the chaos unfold which made waiting unbearably long. Add exhaustion from poor sleep to the mix and you have the longest herbology class awaiting you.

While Professor Sprout went on and on about the various molds that are beneficial for healers in elixirs, the three of us: Ella, Sam and I were slowly slumbering off into that mid-day sleep period that made focusing on a boring subject tedious.

"If I hear about one more conjugation of fungi I may actively turn into sleeping beauty," Ella groaned through slumped shoulders over her textbook. Sprout was oblivious to us on the opposite side of the green house, watching a group of Hufflepuffs adding a mix of water and sugar to mold.

"I think that description is a bit too generous," Sam mumbled before sitting back to stretch her arms over her head like a cat. "Sleeping pretty, sure. But Beauty?"

"It's a muggle princess, stupid."

"There's a muggle princess named Sleeping Beauty?" Sam repeated in full judgement.

Neither Ella nor I had a chance to respond as Professor Sprout made her rounds by us, stating as she saw us slouched, "Come girls. Sleep time is for the evenings. Let's see how your fungi habitats grow, shall we?"

It wasn't until I was watching Sprout's retreating form pestering another group of students that I heard Ella mutter over Sam's yawn, "a firecracker would be a great alarm clock right about now. If those twins can just hurry their asses up-"

It wasn't often that Ella cursed, but when she did, it always lead to the rest of giving her grief for breaking her code, and ending in laughter.

It left me in such a good mood that I didn't feel as bad walking to potions by myself. As for my seating arrangements, since Snape seemes to hate me now, I see no reason why I shouldn't sit with Hermione. Cat's out of the bag after all.

I was nearing the end of the hallway toward the stairs when I heard it. Giggling.

This wouldn't be the first time I hear odd sounds in the castle. It's a castle after all.

But the giggling didn't sit well with me. I knew those voices.

I stilled. The giggling shushed.

And then I bolted.

But Pansy was expecting this.

She jumped out from the corner of a tapestry wall with Tracy and Daphne flanking her with their wands drawn.

"Stupefy"

I felt the spell land on my back before I tipped over and slammed to the ground face first.

"Nice one, Pansy" I heard Tracy say with another giggle as the other's foot falls came closer.

"It's the least she deserves," I heard Pansy say. A hand grabbed the back of my hair and pulled me up to my knees with a painful yank. I would have yelped if the spell had let off. But the girls seemed to have calculated this. "It' doesn't feel that brilliant falling to the ground like that, now does it Fountaine?" She hissed in my ear with another yank. My eyes watered but I said nothing.

"Quickly," Pansy clipped to her friends. "Let's get her to the lavatory. Astoria, quit watching and help!"

I felt the other's hands hoist me back to my feet and drag me back past the corridor stairs and to the girl's lavatory at the far end of the hall.