White Heather for Protection

All's Fair

Heather tried her best to ignore the couples around her as she ate her breakfast. Even the Slytherins were caught up in the passion, albeit in a subtler manner than their peers. Focussed as she was on ignoring the world, the call of her name almost caused her to jolt in surprise. She looked up to see her housemate, Adrian Pucey. While they were in the same year and house, she had barely spoken five sentences to him, mostly during Quidditch practice years ago. She wondered what he wanted.

"Miss Potter, may I have the honour of escorting you to the Yule Ball?" the Prefect asked formally.

Stunned, she blinked rapidly as she tried to process the statement. Now that she was paying attention, she realised that most of Slytherin house was watching them. She gathered her wits enough to give a polite response. Somehow, she didn't think 'thanks, but no thanks' would cut it.

"My apologies, but I shall have to respectfully decline."

Disappointment flashed in the boy's eyes before he masked it. "Of course, thank you for your time." With an elegant nod, he walked off, paying no heed to the sudden whispering that stole across the table.

Well, that was bizarre.

~~~

For not the first time, Heather cursed Adrian Pucey. It wouldn't be the last time, either. His request seemed to have triggered an unending cascade. Some other Slyths in her year had asked her after Pucey. Then Slyths in other years. Finally, boys from the other houses tried as well.

It was extremely confusing to Heather, who hadn't even spoken to most of those boys before. Besides Rian and the Weasleys, the only males she had contact with were the younger years she mentored and the Professors.

Heck, even Draco Malfoy had asked her to the ball. She had given him the same answer she gave every single one of the other boys. The look on his face had made her feel a little guilty, but not enough to retract her refusal.

What she hated most were those who didn't want to take no for an answer. The scenes they'd made would have made a cranky toddler proud.

Like this Gryffindor.

"What do you mean no!?" The boy's face was an unattractive shade of red. "Do you know who I am?" People could say what they wanted about Slytherins, but they at least knew how to take a refusal graciously. (Well, most of them, that was, she amended, thinking of Rian's story about Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express in his first year.)

"Actually, no I don't," Heather answered honestly. All she knew was that he wasn't in Hadrian's year.

He sputtered in shock. Clearly, he'd meant it as a rhetorical question. Once he'd gotten over it, his rage returned. He advanced threateningly, trying to back her into the wall. He had a large build, towering over her easily. (Well, most people did, what with her diminutive stature.)

Most girls in her situation would have been afraid. Here she was, alone with a large, angry male. Heather wasn't most girls. Instead of feeling scared, she was furious.

The scenario reminded her painfully of Vernon.

Gathering her magic to blast the great brute into next week, she was reasonably startled by the third voice that cut in sharply.

"McLaggen! 100 points for harassment of a fellow student and two weeks' detention with me!"

They both turned towards the Professor. Heather was mildly disappointed that she didn't get to unleash her magic on the newly-identified McLaggen, but she comforted herself with the fact that he would suffer his detention with her Head of House. He was really in for it now. Professor Snape was notoriously protective of his snakes. The boy seemed to realise that as well, since he fled soon after.