Damaged (A Marauders Era story)

First Year, Part 23 (The Other Passageway)

The boy didn't look hurt, just mad. "I'll remember that, Aileen."

"Let's hope you do," Aileen turned again and began to walk away from them. "If you forget, I'll be sure to remind you."

The whole group of Slytherins were looking at us with hatred in their eyes, and it made my heart sink. I hadn't even done anything to them. What could make them look at us that way?

The last thing I wanted to do was turn my back to them. But, I figured if they were going to do anything, they would've already done it by now. There were five of them, so they had nothing to worry about from two first years.

I turned around and quickly caught up with Aileen, who had walked a few paces ahead. I heard them mutter something I couldn't quite catch and then snigger behind our backs. I tried to walk quickly down the corridor, but Aileen wouldn't take the hint to hurry up, instead choosing to walk at a leisurely pace until we reached the end, turning left and out of the group's eyesight.

I let out a sigh of relief, letting go of my wand that I had unknowingly been grasping tightly in my robes. "What was that all about?" I spoke in a low voice, even though I knew we were too far away for them to hear us anymore. "Are all Slytherins like that?"

Aileen snorted. "Ha, I wish that was all most Slytherins were like. Most of them are a lot worse. Sadistic, even. That lot is harmless, really. They're just pureblood snobs. All words and no show. I bet they'll be just as bad as the rest once they get a bit older, though." Aileen didn't seem in the least bit worried about what had just happened as if it was perfectly normal for her.

"So, they're not going to get you later? Ambush you and cast hexes on you or something? They didn't seem that harmless."

"No," Aileen had stopped once we had reached the other corridor and she had pulled out her wand from her robe pockets. She crouched down low on the floor, peeking her head out from behind the wall. "They're too scared to. A bunch of cowards. They know I can handle myself, and they know what happens when they mess with me. They learned that pretty early on. As long as they fear you, you've got nothing to worry about."

"You're a first year," I said. "Why would they fear you?"

"I know a few nasty hexes," Aileen was now pointing her wand at the group down the corridor "And I have a mind for cruel pranks. Let's just say they don't want to be a target of mine. I only prank them if they do something to me first. And I've become quite skilled at it."

"What are you doing?" I ducked down beside Aileen, poking my head out as well.

"Getting rid of them, of course," Aileen gave her wand a whirl and whispered some spell under her breath, her wand pointed at the group of Slytherins, all of which had their backs turned to us.

At first, nothing happened. I was about to point this out to Aileen, and ask her what she was trying to do, when suddenly the group of Slytherins began to jump up and down frantically, a few of them swatting at their clothes and hair. The two girl's let out terrified shrieks and sprinted down the corridor, far away from where they had been standing. The boys were quick to follow, one of them yelling something about grasshoppers. They glanced back once, fear evident on their face, but they didn't seem to notice our heads peaking out up ahead.

"What just happened?" I stared after them in amazement.

"That," Aileen put the wand back in her robe pockets, a satisfied look on her face. "is a fun little hex I learned just last week. I knew it would come in handy."

"But, what was it? Why did they run like that?"

"They thought they were seeing insects crawling out of the walls. I don't know what kind of insects they saw, the book said they would see the types that they most feared."