𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐄𝐋 ; h.potter

four ; the boggart

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's Shrivelfig," Snape said, giving Harry the look of loathing he always reserved just for him.

Harry took Malfoy's Shrivelfig as Ron set about trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry quickly skinned the Shrivelfig and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked us quietly.

"None of your business," Ron said jerkily, without looking up.

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," Malfoy said in a tone of mock sorrow. "Father's not very happy about my injury —"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," Ron snarled.

"— he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this —" he gave a huge, fake sigh, "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"You really had to go and cry to Daddy, didn't you, Malfoy?" I said mockingly. "It's just too hard to stick up for yourself on your own, isn't it? People are just too scary."

"Shut up, Areli," Malfoy snapped, and I was pleased to see that his face had turned slightly pink out of embarrassment. "You're lucky I don't tell Father to get your parents sacked."

I let out a laugh at his attempt to intimidate me. "The Ministry would never do that. My parents are too valuable, they actually do their jobs well." I pushed my hair back over my shoulder and turned to face him. "Can't say the same about yours."

"Why you little . . ."

"Little what?" I questioned. "Come on, Malfoy, if you're going to insult me, at least try and come up with something clever."

He didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought," I said, setting my knife down on the table calmly, though on the inside I was cheering.

I looked up to see Harry and Ron trying to hide their laughter, and I bit my lip to hide my own smile.

A few cauldrons away, though, Neville was in trouble. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned —

"Orange, Longbottom," Snape said, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

I glared at the greasy Potions teacher when I saw that Neville was pink and trembling, and looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Please, sir," Hermione said, "please, I could help Neville put it right —"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," Snape said coldly, making Hermione go as pink as Neville. I angrily clenched my fists under the table. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."

Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear. How could he just get away with blatantly bullying a student like that?

"Help me," Neville moaned to Hermione.

"Hey, Harry," Seamus said, leaning over to borrow Harry's brass scales, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning — they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."

"Where?" Harry and Ron asked in unison. On the other side of the table, I could see Malfoy look up to listen in.

"Not too far from here," Seamus said, looking excited. "It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she 'phoned the telephone hotline. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."