The Badger and the Snakes || A Poppy Sweeting Love Story

Chapter 5

The familiar morning green hue from the black lake spilled into the dorm of the three boys, slowly waking Alfie from his deep sleep. He opened his sapphire eyes to the view of a dozen fishes swimming outside the window which reminded him that he was no longer in his modest East London townhome.

He was up much earlier than he needed to be and was careful not to wake his dorm mates as he got ready. 

Alfie climbed the narrow spiral staircase leading up to the Great Hall, where the scent of breakfast grew stronger with each step. As he approached, he noticed that there weren't many people in attendance, a sharp contrast to the crowded scene of the previous night. Only a handful of students had made it to the Hall at this hour.

Among the sparse attendees, Alfie's eyes fell on Poppy Sweeting, who was engrossed in the latest issue of the Daily Prophet at one of the tables.

"Fancy seeing you here this early in the morning. May I join you?" Alfie asked rhetorically, knowing she'd oblige and took a seat across from her. 

Poppy looked up from the newspaper, and grinned at Alfie. "Mmmm…. No," she teased.

"That's too bad," Alfie replied with a charming smile. "What's got your attention this morning?" He loaded his plate up with eggs, bacon, and fruit as he tried to glance over what she was reading. 

"I've been reading about heightened poacher activity and it's concerning, to say the least. Aurors rescued thousands of puffskeins and mooncalfs on their way from Britain to France just the other day." Poppy explained. 

"Thousands? What do you suppose they're shipping thousands of beasts for?" 

"The emerging wizard luxury market would be my best guess. Puffskein fur caps and mooncalf purses have been all the rage." Poppy shuddered at the thought.

"That is quite concerning," Alfie replied somberly. He was naive to think their poaching fighting days were over.

"What's strange is the large scale in which they're operating. This isn't like a normal ragtag group of poachers to gather this many beasts and transport them en masse. This seems like an entire organization of them."

As she spoke, Alfie couldn't help but notice a familiar gleam in her chestnut eyes that always seemed to appear when she spoke with such fervor. 

"Are you insinuating that all these tribes of poachers are banding together?" Alfie inquired. 

Poppy nodded. "It's only a theory. It would be unusual for poachers to operate like this, so I hesitate to assume it but I guess it's safer to assume the worst and stay vigilant."

"Agreed. I'll keep my eyes and ears open. We'll stop whatever these damned poachers are up to."

Poppy giggled, "We should have been placed into Gryffindor house. We always seem to be putting ourselves in danger for some noble cause."

"Perhaps," replied Alfie with a chuckle. 

A lot of the time, he didn't feel like he fit the stereotype of a Slytherin. Being a Muggle-born from humble beginnings, he often felt like an outsider in the house. However, upon reflection of the choices he had made since discovering he was a wizard, he couldn't help but wonder if he was more similar to his Slytherin peers than he thought.

Poppy, however, was a Hufflepuff through and through. She loved all living things, even more so than humans. For Alfie, it was a joy to watch her in her element, caring for the creatures that most people would shy away from.

Poppy continued to poke at her breakfast as she read while Alfie scarfed down his. 

"We've about an hour until beasts class. Care for a stroll around the castle grounds?" Alfie asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Poppy looked up and nodded with a smile. "Sure, that sounds lovely."

The two friends left the Great Hall and made their way outside to the courtyard, their footsteps echoing in the quiet morning. 

Alfie spotted a group of first-year students huddled near a tree. They appeared to be trying to catch something, and Alfie couldn't help but be curious. He and Poppy made their way over to the group, and as they got closer, Alfie saw that they were terrorizing a baby Jobberknoll.

Poppy scowled disapprovingly at the first years. "How dare you! Stop it this instant!" The first years merely laughed and mocked her, underestimating the petite and unassuming girl. Poppy was clearly frustrated, but she knew there was not much she could do.

Alfie clenched his fists. If only they knew what Poppy could do
to them if they weren't just pesky little first years. He knelt down beside the group and gently scooped up the bird in his hands.

"You little shits! Scurry along before I hex you!" The Slytherin boy hissed at the first years who began to cower in fear at his threatening tone and ran off.

Alfie turned his attention to the baby Jobberknoll. "It's okay little one," he cooed softly. "You're safe now."

Alfie carefully set the blue speckled bird down on a nearby branch, and it chirped gratefully before flying away. 

Alfie noticed that Poppy still seemed upset. "Are you okay?"

Poppy responded, defeated, "No, not really. Not much has changed after all this time."

Alfie was perplexed. "What do you mean?"

Poppy brought up the memory of when they first met the year before and the incident with Persephone's whiskers. Alfie smiled as he reminisced, "How could I forget?" He remembered how fiery and passionate she looked back then, just like she did now.

"The attitudes of most students towards creatures hasn't changed," Poppy explained. "And on top of that, you had to stand up for me just like when we first met. Poachers I can handle but when it comes to other students, no one seems to take me seriously and it's not like I can pulverize them with a good bombarda to prove my point."

Alfie shrugged and smirked,"Sure you can."

Poppy sighed and shook her head. "Not without causing a ruckus and getting detention or possibly expelled."

"I guess so," he grinned. He noticed that Poppy's shoulders were still tense from the previous interaction, and he placed his hands gently on her shoulders to help calm her. As he did so, he felt her body begin to relax slightly.

Alfie attempted to comfort the sad Hufflepuff girl as her eyes remained fixated on the ground. "Hey, don't worry about the others. If they only knew what you could do, they wouldn't underestimate you so easily. I know even I wouldn't dare to get on your bad side. You'd surely kick my arse!" 

Poppy's hazel eyes met Alfie's blue ones and he could feel her tense up again. She quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly as she responded, "I suppose so," without meeting his gaze.

Alfie crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, lost in thought. "I've got it! Let's show everyone what Poppy Sweeting is truly capable of!" He exclaimed with excitement as he paced back and forth.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Poppy inquired.

"It's an unsanctioned and secret club of sorts that's invite only, so I can't say quite yet. But once you've proven yourself, everyone will think twice about crossing you. I'll send you an owl once I've made all the arrangements." Alfie answered cryptically. 

Poppy regarded the tall brown-haired boy with a hint of skepticism. "I'm not sure what you have in mind, Alfie, but I'm willing to give it a try as long as you're there with me," she said. Poppy wasn't particularly fond of student clubs or social events, but she felt more at ease when Alfie was around.

"Right then," Alfie said, his face painted with determination. 

"We should get going to class now. I don't think Professor Howin would be too happy with us if we showed up late the first day," Poppy said.

Alfie nodded in agreement and the two friends made their way to their first class of the day as the crisp morning breeze whipped their robes behind them as they walked.