Harry woke up at dawn the next morning. He had Quidditch practice bright and early. Hermione and Ron were going with him to sit in the bleachers and watch. Hermione wanted to get a little early morning studying done anyway. They had already gone outside and were waiting on him to pass. He had to go and meet the rest of the team so they could all go out to the Quidditch pitch together.
"I've devised a whole new program," Oliver Wood was saying as they walked out to the field. "We're going to train earlier and harder." Suddenly silence overtook him. "Oh I don't believe it."
Harry looked in the direction Wood was turned and saw what the problem was. The Slytherin Quidditch team was heading out to the Quidditch Pitch too. He swallowed. This wasn't going to be pretty. He hadn't seen Oliver mad before, but he had heard his tantrums could be fierce. He looked a little to the left and saw Ron and Hermione sitting on the bench waiting. He nodded in their direction and they returned the gesture with grim expressions on their faces.
"Where do you think you're going, Flint?" Oliver asked. He was talking to the captain of the Slytherin team. "I booked the Pitch for Gryffindor today."
"Easy, Wood," Flint said. "I've got a note."
Oliver snatched it from his hand and read it. It was from Professor Snape. Harry was so busy trying to crane his neck to read it that he didn't notice that someone else had just happened upon their small confrontation. Alaina stared at the situation at hand. As long as no one aimed to injure, she would just be a silent bystander.
"Professor Snape. That figures. Says that you have a new Seeker. Who is it?"
Much to Harry's dismay, Draco Malfoy stepped forward. His mouth dropped open in shock. "Malfoy?"
"That's right," Draco said. "And that's not all that's new this year." He lifted his broom off the ground.
That's when Harry noticed not just his broom, but every one on their team had new ones. Ron and Hermione got up off the bench and came over to join their house team.
"I smell trouble," Ron said.
Hermione nodded. They stopped just off to the side.
Ron's eyes widened. "Those are Nimbus 2001's. Where did you get those?"
Flint flashed him a smug grin. "They were a gift from Draco's father."
Draco looked please with himself. "You see, Weasley, unlike some my father can afford the best."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."
He stepped forward. That comment had made him angry. "No one asked for your opinion. You filthy little mudblood."
Hermione's pain was palpable. His words had obviously hurt her. She looked like she was about ready to cry, but Harry had no idea why. Ron must have though. Harry had never seen him draw his wand so fast.
"Eat slugs!" Ron cried.
Before anyone could stop him, the curse hit Malfoy right in the chest. He flew backwards with a "green" look on his face. He sat upright and rolled over on the ground. Harry thought he was going to throw up, but a giant slug came out of his mouth instead. Alaina ran up to the crowd.
"What on Earth happened?" she asked.
Everyone froze when they realized a teacher was among them, everyone but Harry. He spilled out every detail.
"I saw what happened, but I couldn't hear what was being said," she told him.
Harry frowned. "Malfoy called Hermione a...well, I don't want to say it because I don't know what it means."
"Just tell me, Harry."
A tear rolled down Hermione's cheek. She was touched that Ron would take up for her. "He called me a Mudblood."
Alaina gasped.
"What does that mean?" Harry asked.
She wasn't sure, but she new Severus did. She swallowed. "We'll discuss it later. Right now, you get your team out of here, Flint. I'm going to take Draco here to the Hospital Wing. He'll join you later." She turned to Oliver. "You take your team back to your common room."
"Yes, ma'am."
Alaina got Draco up off the ground.
"My father is going to hear about this," he vowed. Another slug came from his mouth. He glared at Harry. "You and you Mudblood mother will be sorry."
Harry's eyes widened. He didn't know why it angered him, but just seeing Hermione's reaction, he knew it was an insult. He bunched his hand into a fist and punched Malfoy right in the nose.
"Harry!" Alaina exclaimed.
"I won't apologize, Professor. He shouldn't have called my mother that. Or my friend."
She pressed her lips together. She was extremely proud of him, but she couldn't let on like she was. "Detention, Mr. Potter. You too, Mr. Weasley. I'll leave it up to your Head of House as to the arrangements. You too, Mr. Malfoy. I will discuss your punishment with Professor Snape." She tightened her grip on him and steered him toward the Hospital Wing. "Go get Professor Snape, please," she called back.
Harry nodded. Once she was out of sight and out of earshot, he chuckled.
"Why are you laughing?" Ron demanded. "Your mum just gave us detention."
"It was the adult thing to do, Ron," Hermione said. "Did you not see the remorse in her expression?"
"Who cares?"
"Harry, that punch was amazing."
He grinned. "Thanks, Hermione." He sighed. "Now will somebody please explain to me what a Mudblood is?"
Hermione was happy to. "Mudblood is a really foul name for someone with non-magic parents, someone like me. It means dirty blood. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation."
Harry got angry all over again. "So Malfoy was saying that you and my mum has dirty blood?"
"Yes."
"That git!"
"That's why I cursed him," Ron said with a grin.
Harry gave him a high-five. "Too bad I didn't curse him too."
They all grinned.
"Well, you better go get Snape, Harry," Ron said. "Hermione and I will see you in class."
He nodded in agreement. "Okay."
Harry hurried away with his friends. They departed once they got inside. He descended the Dungeon stairs in a hurry. He went to the Potions classroom first, but there was no one there. Then he went straight to Snape's office. He knocked on the door and waited for a reply. It was a few seconds before the door opened.
Severus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What brings you to my door so early, Mr. Potter?"
"Mum asked me to come and get you. She's in the Hospital Wing."
"What? Is she hurt?"
Harry frowned. "No. Ron cursed Malfoy."
He pursed his lips. "Oh."
"She took him to the Hospital Wing and gave him detention. Ron got detention too." He paused to study his reaction, but as usual, there wasn't one. "I got detention too for punching Malfoy."
"You punched him?"
Harry nodded. "He shouldn't have said it."
"What did he say, Potter that made you feel you had to take such a drastic action?"
He swallowed. He really wanted to see the professor's reaction to what he was about to tell him. "He called Mum a Mudblood. Hermione too."
Suddenly the color drained from Severus's face. "How did she react?"
"She didn't really," Harry told him. He didn't see her show any emotion at all that he could recall.
He sighed. "Go to Gryffindor tower or to your first class. I'm going to go deal with this problem."
"Yes, sir."
Severus swept past him and up the stairs. If his mind didn't change, Mr. Draco Malfoy would be scrubbing pots with a toothbrush for his detention tonight.
Alaina was waiting patiently outside the Hospital Wing doors when Severus arrived. Her back was turned to him. He walked quietly up to her and laid his hand on her shoulder. The gesture startled her and she whirled around. He could see that there were tears in her eyes. She wiped them away immediately.
"Harry told me what happened," Severus whispered. "I hope you're not thinking on what that little brat has said."
Alaina smiled. "I'm not even sure what it means."
"It means dirty blood. It's a really vile name for someone who is muggle-born. I plan on giving that boy a good tongue-lashing when I get him alone."
"That's not necessary."
"He'll be lucky if I don't curse him again."
She chuckled. "I'm glad you care so much. I just can't believe that Harry punched him."
"I can't believe you gave him detention for it."
She frowned. "How did you-"
Severus smiled. "He told me everything." He looked around to make sure they were still alone. "And I'm glad that Potter punched him in the face for it. He's lucky I wasn't there."
Alaina was beyond touched. Severus placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a brief hug, only holding her close for a second.
"Thanks," she told him. "I needed that."
"You looked like you might." He cleared his throat. "Okay now. Excuse me while I go in and talk to Mr. Malfoy about what he'll be doing in his detention tonight."
"Yeah, and I have to go talk to Minerva about Harry and Ron. See you at lunch?"
He smiled. "Same time and place as yesterday."
"Sounds great."
Alaina waited until Severus went inside the Hospital Wing before she made her way down to McGonagall's office. She told Minerva everything that happened and that she had given all three of them detention for what they had done.
"Very good," Minerva commented. "I will inform them of their destinations after their classes are over. Thank you for taking care of the problem, Alaina."
"Always happy to."
She sighed. She really hadn't wanted to punish Harry or Ron. She would love to rare back and punch that kid herself sometimes. He was snobby and obnoxious just like his father Lucius. Some people just deserve exactly what they get and in her opinion, Draco Malfoy was one of them. She walked out of the office shaking her head. What a way to start the day.