"Relax," Heather said, when the boy paled even more than his usual fair skin tone. Clearly, the story had made its way around. She wondered, though, if whatever he'd heard was even accurate. "I don't make it a point of hurting children."
As expected, Malfoy bristled at being called a child.
"I am simply making a point that I don't take insults to my family lightly. Especially insults to my mother, just because of her roots. I don't know whether you have a legitimate reason for disliking muggleborns and muggles, or if you're just spewing the same nonsense your father does. Frankly, I don't care. I will not stand by idly as you besmirch my mother, just as you would not if your own family were the ones targeted. You should know how important family honour is. I would thank you to refrain from such slurs in the future."
"And your brother? I suppose you would like for me to bow to the Golden Boy's every whim like the rest of the world?" Malfoy scoffed in disgust.
Raising an eyebrow, she said, "Now, I never said that, did I? You've had your quarrel with Hadrian for years. I would not interfere with that. He can defend himself against whatever you choose to throw at him. My late parents however, I ask that you leave to rest. As for the Weasleys, I believe that is not my battle to fight. Fred and George have no compunctions about taking retribution from those younger than them."
The mention of whatever pranks the twins had planned for Malfoy made the boy look slightly fearful.
Believing she'd said enough, she stood from her seat. "I suggest you heed this warning, Malfoy. I don't dislike you and I don't want to have to back up my words with actions."
She paused by the door.
"If I were you, I would also carefully think what about your stance in the upcoming war is. Do you truly believe what your father says about those not of pure blood or are you simply parroting his ideals around the place? Look at Hermione, a muggleborn and one of the most brilliant minds of our generation. Dumbledore, a halfblood and arguably the most powerful wizard in Britain. With the way things are proceeding, we may very well meet on opposite sides of the battlefield and I wouldn't want you to be defeated while fighting for beliefs not even your own."
She left without a backwards glance to see Malfoy's reaction to her words.
~~~
Heather paused in writing her Transfiguration essay to answer a fourth year's question about boggarts. She liked to do her homework in the library because she could tutor others at the same time. With so many commitments on her shoulders, this allowed her to save a lot of time. Especially since Umbridge had taken the position, causing an exponential rise in DADA queries. She foresaw a record breaking low in Defence marks this academic year. Though hopefully not among those she was helping.
As she was going back to her own work, Heather felt him walk towards her table. She kept her head lowered, hiding her curiosity. He might not even be approaching her.
"May I have this seat?" was the question posed in that cultured tone she had come to expect from him.
Heather could feel the anticipation of the other students at the table, though she ignored them and nodded at the new arrival. "Of course, Malfoy." The fourth year beside her was practically vibrating with the urge to say something, but she was glad he refrained. She wondered what Malfoy was up to, coming to her after their chat the other night.
"Please, call me Draco. I believe I extended the invitation to you last year." The younger wizard smiled politely, though the intense look in his eye belied the casualness of his tone.
Ahh, right. The 'Hadrian Potter Stinks' badge incident. She hadn't thought he was serious about the offer, considering the circumstances. She hadn't returned the courtesy then, but perhaps she would now. It seemed like Ma- Draco was offering a truce. "Please call me Heather, then, Draco."
It startled her a little how eager he looked at her suggestion. "I believe I shall, Heather," he said with relish.
Well, no harm being friendly with the boy. "I hope we can put our earlier disagreement behind us, Draco. I am very protective my family, you understand."
A flash of irritation passed through his expression before he waved it off with a careless flick of his hand. "Yes, that. No need to worry, Heather."
Mouth tilting at the non-answer, she hummed something equally inconsequential and continued writing her essay.
When Draco showed up the next time, and then the next, Heather took it to mean that they had an accord. He had continued to jibe and needle at Hadrian, of course, but not a peep about their parents had crossed his lips. Well, that was good enough for her.
~~~
Hadrian clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. Students from all four houses were practicing spells like Oppugno, Dunamis and Bombarda. Since the first session, several more people had joined on the recommendation of their friends. They all stopped in their motions, though one remaining Bombarda was cast, destroying a dummy on the far side of the room.
"Okay, well done everyone! You're really getting the hang of these offence spells. Remember, in some cases, offence is the best defence! Now, this concludes the last DA session until of the school term. Hope you all have a good Yule break!"
Most of the group were lingered behind for a while, chatting excitedly about their holiday plans. Hadrian was immensely proud to see the students from different houses all chatting amiably with each other, even Slytherins.
He had eventually combined the Intermediate and Skilled groups once their levels equalised a little. This just made things easier to handle. Also, this way those more experienced could also act as teachers to the others, helping the whole group to learn faster. The Beginner group was still had a way to go, but that was to be expected for their age. They had already begun to improve by leaps and bounds.
Eventually, most of the students left for their rooms. Hadrian waved his sister off, chuckling at the firsties tugging onto her robes as they followed her. They really looked like the ducklings his sister liked to call them.
He crossed behind the partition separating the room into two to check if there were any other students in the Beginner group left behind. That had happened to a second year the last time and he didn't want it to happen again.
Returning to the other side, he saw two more figures were left in the room. His mood brightened as he recognised one of them to be Cedric. He was just about to call out to his boyfriend when the unthinkable happened and the girl next to him dragged him down into a kiss.
Hurt flared in his chest and he staggered back a few steps. He must've made a sound, because Cedric pushed the girl away and turned around. The damned girl just clung onto his boyfriend's arm and said something he couldn't hear. Hadrian didn't care. His eyes sought the exit, dismayed to find that it was behind the couple (the word brought a fresh wave of hurt).
He made a break for the door, ignoring Cedric's cries for him to stop. As he made to leave, a thought occurred to him. Why should he run? He hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, it should be Cedric who should be running away, ashamed. Hadrian would stay here and damned well demand an explanation from the two-timing bastard. He was a Gryffindor. They never ran when things got tough.
He pivoted on his heel and leaned against the door, folding his arms. Cedric, running towards him faltered a little at his rapid about-face, but quickly reached him.
"Wait, Hadrian. I can explain! That wasn't what it looked like!" The Transfiguration apprentice grasped his forearms tightly, as if to prevent his escape.
Hadrian snorted incredulously. Did the man know what he sounded like? That was what everyone said when caught cheating on their partner. "Oh? Then tell me what it looks like when you see your boyfriend kissing another girl?" he drawled.
The girl, whom he noticed was the Ravenclaw seeker Cho Chang, gasped. He scowled at her, recognising her as Cedric's Yule Ball date. Had this thing been going on since before they got together?
"It wasn't me, I swear! Cho just suddenly sprang it on me!" Cedric shot a narrow-eyed look at the girl, frowning. "Tell him, Cho!"
Hadrian directed his unimpressed gaze to the red-faced girl. She was fidgeting with her sleeve nervously, biting her lip. Looking down, she murmured, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you two were together, honest! I've just liked Cedric for ages now. I saw the mistletoe and just thought it was the perfect time to go for it!" She finally lifted her head, showing the tears in her eyes. "I'm really sorry!" Then she pushed past him to open the door and ran off.
Awkward silence descended upon the two remaining. Guilt pricked at Hadrian when he recalled the tears threatening to spill over Cho's eyes. But there was also a part of him that felt viciously satisfied. Which compounded the guilt. He was a horrible person.
"Hadrian?"
"I'm sorry!" he blurted out. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that!"
Cedric shook his head, smiling self-deprecatingly. "It's alright. I can only imagine how compromising that looked to you. We were literally lip-locked."
Hadrian frowned, taking a step forward to close the gap between them. He grasped the other male's hands and tried to inject as much sincerity as he could into his expression. "I'm still sorry. I should have had more trust in you."
Cedric smiled tenderly, turning his palms so they could return the hold Hadrian had on them. Soon after, though, his smile turned wicked as he replied, "Well then, I'm sorry too for not being on guard enough against other people pulling me into kisses. Maybe I should wear a sign that says: Hadrian Potter's boyfriend, do not kiss!"
That startled a laugh out of Hadrian, breaking the serious atmosphere around them. An idea started to form in his mind when he spied something over his boyfriend's shoulder. A tiny tendril of magic easily summoned it over their heads. "You know, I'm a little miffed that someone else got to kiss my own boyfriend before I even got my first kiss." He peered up at his boyfriend from under his lashes, waiting for his reply.
Cedric gulped, looking up at the three snowy white berries remaining in the bunch. "I think we can remedy that." Then he leaned down.
~~~
Hadrian just about floated dazedly back to Gryffindor Tower, sighing out the password wistfully and entering. He was deaf to the Fat Lady's knowing giggles and blind to the looks his friends gave as he drifted into a seat.
The loud snap of fingers right in his face startled him out of his musings. The sight of Ron, Hermione and Ginny crouched in front of him came into focus. "Oh, hello there. It's such a beautiful night, isn't it?" he voiced out dreamily, voice not unlike a certain blonde Ravenclaw they knew.
"Err, mate? Are you okay?" Ron asked, disturbed by his odd behaviour.
"Oh, I'm absolutely perfect. Never better." Hadrian smiled softly to himself as a memory from earlier tonight played in his mind again.
Hermione crossed her arms, thinking. Suddenly, her eyes sparkled as she grabbed her friend's shoulders. "Hadrian! Did something happen with Cedric?" Ginny gasped, jumping up and down excitedly.
Frowning, Ron looked between his two best friends. Something seemed to click as he screwed his face up in disgust. "Okay, eww! I said no details!"
Ginny shoved her brother aside. "Ignore this idiot. I want the details!"
Hadrian couldn't help the way his smile grew larger and brighter. "We had our first kiss." And then the second. And third. And fourth, because who cared about the number of berries left on the mistletoe?
The girls squealed excitedly, launching into questions that were vaguely intrusive.
"Was he a good kisser? I bet he was!"
"How did it feel?"
"Did he use tongue? Did you?"
Slamming his hands over his ears, Ron shouted, "La la la lalalalala! I can't hear you!"
"Oh grow up Ron!" Ginny sniped. "If you don't want to listen, then go back to your room!"
By this time, Hadrian had been snapped out of his stupor by Ginny and Hermione's terrifying enthusiasm. He jerked out of his seat, faking a yawn. He said quickly, "You know what? That's a great idea! Come on, Ron, I'm knackered. See you tomorrow Ginny, Hermione!" With that, he passed Ron by to climb the stairs to their room. His friend needed little encouragement to follow after him.
"Spoilsports!" the girls called after them.
The common room was soon silent, with only the crackling of the fire to be heard. Hermione looked at Ginny, who was staring where the two boys once stood, a peculiar expression on her face.
"Are you okay?" she asked the younger girl worriedly. She nodded slowly, not turning her gaze away. Hermione's eyes widened in realisation and she patted the younger girl's back sympathetically. "Sorry, you used to have a crush on Hadrian, didn't you? It must be hard to see him with someone else." She wanted to hit herself for being so insensitive and forgetting that tiny fact.
Ginny blinked, thawing from her frozen pose. "Mmh. I guess so. He's more like another brother to me now, but you never forget your first you know?" Something like regret passed through her eyes before they gained a wicked gleam. "But I never stood a chance anyway. The boy's clearly queerer than a bronze Galleon! Did you see how red and swollen his lips were? First kiss?" She snorted sceptically. "More like first snog."
Hermione giggled along. She was just glad Ginny was taking it so well.
~~~
With a tiny crook of her finger, the floating stars of light (part indulgence, part training method) in the room extinguished themselves, plunging the room into darkness. Ensconced comfortably in her bed, Heather sighed, rotating her shoulders to get rid of the stiffness of sitting in one position for too long. She had meant to go to bed an hour ago, but The Spellweavers' Compendium had offered precious insights on her latest collaboration with Fred and George.
It was a new idea they had come up with for the DA. Tentatively named 'Spellballs', they hoped to create little orbs that would release a spell of choice when thrown. This would be excellent for the littlest ones who didn't have enough magic for certain offensive spells. This way, they might be able to distract opponents long enough to escape or, ideally, to incapacitate them.
The trouble was in determining how to store fully-formed spells in an inert state. Thus, Heather had dived into books upon books of spell theory. This particular tome was especially comprehensive and she hoped to come up with an idea through the concepts presented in it.
Now, though, was time for sleep. Way past, in fact. Not that it mattered much. This wouldn't be the first time she got less sleep than was healthy, even by her standards. Sliding into a supine position under the coverlet, she felt through a familiar spell thread, as was her nightly habit. She expected it to lead straight to Gryffindor Tower and her brother's bed, since even his night time wanderings would have ended at this late (or was that early?) hour.
Heather was understandably alarmed to find her tracking spell directing her towards the Headmaster's office. She leapt out of bed, a robe flying into her arms. Only the fact that no danger signals were coming from her brother allowed her to relax enough to put on an outer robe at all. Otherwise, she had no compunctions about running out clad in only a thin nightdress.
She spared a tiny thought for the alert spells on the common room door before yanking it open and leaving. As far as she was concerned, Professor Snape could give her all the detentions he wanted after she checked on her brother.
Sure enough, the moment she turned the corner, there her Head of House was, in all his fuming glory. He looked livid, probably because his sleep had been disrupted by what he believed was a Slytherin sneaking out to meet a paramour in the Astronomy Tower. Taking little notice of the apparent danger, she continued down the hallway, which brought her closer to the man.
"This had better be an emergency," Severus Snape growled threateningly, "or I swear-" He turned to catch the offender in their tracks, ready to put the fear in Salazar in them, only to stop short at the sight of the least (or most, depending on how one looked at it) trouble-making student in his house. "Hea- Miss Potter? What the devil are you doing out of bed at three in the bloody morning?!" The early hour had him less controlled than usual, allowing the expletive to slip past his lips unhindered.
When had been forcefully awakened minutes ago by the spell he had on the Slytherin common room door, he had expected to encounter an amorous student on their way to a rendezvous. Not a deliciously ruffled Heather who looked like she had just rolled out of bed.
'She obviously has just come from her bed, Severus,' a voice retorted sneeringly. A vexatious thought crossed his mind. What if Heather was the amorous student?
Severus shook away all thoughts of a rumpled Heather and her bed, finally taking notice of the distress she exuded. A nightmare, perhaps, about that revolting man Dursley? He had offered to be her confidant in such situations, but she had never taken him up on it. He was unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed about that fact.
His thoughts were derailed, however, when the witch walked straight past him.
"Miss Potter! What is the meaning of this!" He went after her, his long strides overtaking her in a matter of seconds.
"Hadrian's in trouble," she stated tersely, hurrying her steps.
If there had been any remnants of sleep in his eyes, they were swept away by that one line. Had the boy been attacked? How had they gotten to him in Hogwarts?
Heather answered his unasked questions. "He's not in danger that I can sense, but he's currently in the Headmaster's office. Something must have happened."
Right, that tracking charm she had on the boy. She had mentioned it during that disastrous third task. Tightening his jaw, he abruptly walked off course towards a subtly placed gargoyle. "Follow me," he snapped. He laid a hand on the stone head, tapping his finger in a seemingly-nonsensical pattern as he hummed under his breath. Merlin forbid he be caught singing. Curse Albus and his predilection for inane passwords. The sweets had been bad enough. He ignored the look Heather was giving him and waited for ten seconds before knocking on the wall. The granite crumbled soundlessly to reveal a passageway, which he quickly dragged Heather through.
Behind them, the wall reformed seamlessly, as though undisturbed. He didn't turn around to look, though he was certain his companion would. He could feel the expectant gaze boring in between his shoulder-blades as they treaded the secret path within the castle walls. If Heather were any less fretful, he knew she would be bombarding him with questions about the passageway.
Severus came to a stop in front of a stretch of wall, bare save for a subtle etching in one of the stones, indiscernible to those not actively looking for it. He repeated his earlier actions to the gargoyle, getting the same result. Across the hallway from where the wall opened up was the Headmaster's office. What would have been a solid 15-minute walk had been reduced to 4.
He quickly gave the exclusive password for Heads of House, sweeping into the office when the door swung ajar. Albus looked up in surprise at his entry, though not so much as the three children present.
"Severus! What excellent timing. I had just been about to call you. Could you perchance fetch Miss Potter?"
Just as those words had left his mouth, Heather walked in after him.
"Ahh, I see there is no need for that. Come, my girl, take a seat. I am afraid that a spot of trouble has occurred."
Severus raised a sardonic brow. His employer truly was a master of understatement. 'A spot of trouble' indeed. Certainly, a mere prank gone wrong or some such rot would not necessitate the two youngest Weasleys and both Potter siblings to be summoned before the crack of dawn.
The old wizard prompted the Potter boy to explain his odd dream about Arthur being attacked by a snake. Surely enough, it evoked that damnable overprotective instinct in Heather. Putting aside the strangeness of such an occurrence, Severus was himself more concerned for Arthur's sake. While they were not bosom buddies even on the best of days, he considered the older man a comrade of sorts.
"Will Mr Weasley be okay?" Heather asked worriedly. She reached out to wrap an arm around the youngest Weasley girl, who looked to be on the verge of tears.
Severus grimaced. If the boy was to be believed, Arthur had been bitten by the snake belonging to the Dark Lord. It was not a species he was familiar with, likely having been corrupted by its master's foul magicks. Which also likely meant that its venom was highly toxic and had no specific cure at present.
~~~
No one put up a fuss when they were herded to Grimmauld Place as if they were mindless sheep. Their thoughts were all devoted to Mr Weasley and his current condition. Heather hugged Ginny tighter to her side, feeling tiny tremors wrack her frame. It suddenly brought home to her how devastatingly young the girl was, despite being but three years her senior. In terms of pure physical age, that was.
Heather had to make sure that Mr Weasley would pull through. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing. She couldn't bear it if her friends were tainted by the darkness of losing a parent too, not when she knew how gut-wrenching it was.
"Headmaster," she called out softly, disengaging from Ginny. The old wizard turned from where he had just been about to floo to St Mungo's. "Has Mr Weasley been administered the antivenin?"
The man's eyes dulled over. Heather knew his answer before he even opened his mouth. "There is no antivenin available for this particular snake. Even if we knew its species, Voldemort's magic has twisted it into something new entirely."
Icy fear gripped her heart as she realised the implications of this. Without the antivenin, the only treatment option was to try to manage the symptoms and wait for Mr Weasley's magic to purge the venom. The chance of survival was exponentially lower.
She wracked her brain for a solution, any solution. What was the use of learning Medimagic if she couldn't save the people she cared about? Suddenly, a glimmer of an idea formed in her mind. Yes, if she hurried right now, she could probably just make it.
"Headmaster, please, I need to go into the Chamber of Secrets!"