Best enemies
Chapter 9
Halloween was only two days away and the castle looked like it was the set of some high budget Halloween muggle movie. Estella loved the castle at this time, the colours, with dark reds and bright oranges and a calming hue to it, as well as the leaves that fell on the ground and the small wind that picked up in the chilly air, it was her favourite time of the year.
Not to mention Halloween was her favourite holiday.
She was in the great hall with other students from her year and seven years too, all of which were studying for their exams coming up in June. She had heard enough about O.W.Ls to hate the very thought of them, and it seemed the seventh years where having a harder time listening to the Professors drone on about the importance of N.E.W.T.s.
She was still in her muggle clothes for classes and for anything else she could think of, she had gotten four detentions since, from teachers in classes or usually Sprout, whilst Slughorn and McGonagall where very annoyed with Theo, not only for disobeying the rules of the school but for getting Estella to do the same, they were entirely frustrated.
And at that, they wouldn't even let them explain as to why they were in their muggle clothes.
Her eyes kept finding Theo's who was across the hall with the seventh years, and whenever she looked up to stare at him, he always seemed to catch her, sending her smirks, or grins, or winks just before she'd snap her eyes away from him. He was having a good time entertaining her, his ego slightly inflating that her eyes kept finding his so much, but he knew truly that she was just as bored as he was and was looking for entertainment.
That's what he thought anyway.
In fact, she was very bored, but she was looking over at him just so she could stare at him, seeing the smile on his lips as he talked with some Slytherin's that she knew he'd finally get along with, ones like her, Halfbloods and Purebloods that weren't complete arses.
"You alright?" Estella's head snapped to the side, seeing Teresa with an odd smile on her lips and soon did Estella nod, "you've been completely zoned out for like three minutes."
"That's oddly specific," Estella giggled quietly, "did you set a timer?"
"Oh, you're funny, aren't you?" Teresa teased, nudging Estella's side, "what are you studying now?"
"Muggle Studies," she shrugged, "the easiest subject."
"And the oddest," Teresa shook her head, scoffing, "who really wants to learn about muggles."
"What do you mean?" asked Estella, her eyebrow raised, "it's actually really fascinating, the whole culture and technology that muggles have figured out on their own without magic, it's quite amazing."
"It's weird though," Teresa shrugged her shoulders, "...that it's such a big deal I suppose."
"Well there's a lot of muggleborn's in my class and it's their way of keeping in touch with their world," Estella frowned.
"Yes, but they're in our world now and they should respect that," Teresa shrugged, "maybe that's why no one likes them that much, because they think they can have it all."
"Excuse me?" Estella scoffed, "this is their world too, Teresa, and you sound incredibly insulting right now!"
"Oh, I do?" she looked hurt, "I wasn't trying to be insulting, I'm just stating fact!"
"You're acting like they're a horrible species, they're still witches and wizards, they still deserve our respect, you aren't any better than them because your parents are both wizards!" Estella was full on shouting at this point, so much that Theo could hear her at the other side of the hall.
Muggleborn's around the hall felt terribly embarrassed that the two were getting into a fight about their position in the wizarding world, but they couldn't deny that they were glad that Estella, a pureblood, was so set on sticking up for them.
"You're creating a scene, Estella!" Teresa huffed, "I'm just saying that muggleborn's aren't-"
"Aren't what, Teresa?!" Estella snapped, "you know who I think would love to hear you say this? What about Remus, the boy you fancy, the boy who has a muggle mother, do you really think he'd like you after he hears all this stuff you're saying!"
"Are you threatening me?" Teresa stood up, just like Estella had, she was glaring at the girl.
"Is this your true colours, Teresa?" asked Estella, "I've known you since first year and in no way, would I ever see you as someone who thought these vile thoughts. Especially when you have a brother like James, especially when you have parents that would never think like this!
You know how hard it was for Sirius to cope with his own family with those ideals and now you're hear saying that muggleborn's should respect this world but you don't even have the common decency to respect theirs?!" Estella shrieked.
"You're only acting like this because your new boyfriend is a mudblood from America!" Teresa screeched.
The hall became quiet when she uttered that word, Theo had stopped walking around when he heard that Estella's best friend, the most open-minded girl had such a close minded best friend. Muggleborn's around them clasped their hands over their mouths, so did halfbloods and purebloods who didn't follow the ideals of the dark lord.
Teresa regretted it as soon as it exited her mouth, but she said it, she thought of it and she could see the rage filling in Estella's eyes, she could see the anger, the hurt.
"Every single time that has been uttered around me...I like to deal with it the muggle way," Estella growled, "you are no exception."
Before Teresa could do anything, Estella had balled the girl's hair into her fist, she acted so fact, she couldn't care less about the gasps of students when she slammed Teresa's face into the wood of the table.
"Miss Pettigrew!" McGonagall screeched when she returned to the hall, but before she could even look at the teacher, most students in the hall where shouting their protests at the teacher.
"It wasn't her, Professor!"
"Don't punish her, Professor!"
"Professor it wasn't her fault!"
"She was doing the right thing Professor!"
Estella felt the hurt in her stomach, the anger and sadness, the disgust bubbling as she let go of Teresa's hair, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she tried to keep herself together, tried to blatantly ignore the fact that her best friend for five years had uttered something so insulting.
That she thought the ideals that Estella fought against.
The very reason that Estella had gotten multiple detentions for her clothes.
She felt arms wrap around her from behind, pulling her into the familiar embrace, and that was all it took to let her snap back to reality, to let the tears run freely down her face. She turned in Theo's arms, clutching onto his t-shirt whilst he rested his head on the top of hers.
Everything happened so quickly, the two girls were talking about their subjects, trying not to laugh too loudly, and then they were fighting. She hated what was to come, James' reaction to her hurting his big sister, having to tell him what had happened, what Teresa had said.
James was one of the nicest people, a bit of an idiot with the pranks he pulled but his ideals where the exact same as Estella's, the exact same as Remus' and Sirius', knowing his best friend had grown up in an abusive household that thought those ideal's, he knew better, she hated having to be the one to tell him that his sister didn't know better.
If Remus did like her, she couldn't fathom having to tell him what she did, what she had said, that his mother was a muggle and Teresa spoke so lowly of them, it would crush his heart. It would crush him to know that the girl he liked thought those very thoughts and he didn't have any idea of it.
Teresa and Sirius where close, not as close as Estella and Sirius, but close enough that she knew Sirius would be broken to know that the girl thought the same as his family, that the bright bubbly Potter that he shared a house with over summer was blinded by the ideals set by the dark lord, that just like his parents, she had little - no, she had no respect for muggleborn's, or for muggle's.
"Miss Pettigrew, will you take Miss Potter to the hospital wing?" asked McGonagall, thinking that the least she could do for the girl she hurt was take her to get checked.
"No," Estella shook her head, glaring at Teresa who was clutching her nose. Estella would be lying if she wasn't refraining herself from doing more, "I'm not going near her."
"Why not?"
"She called me a mudblood, Professor," Theo spoke up, still holding onto Estella. She wasn't one for conflict, especially with someone so close to her, and her frustration had gotten the better of her, allowing the tears to roll down her cheeks.
McGonagall was entirely taken aback, hearing the word roll off Theo's tongue, and soon did she look down at the girl sitting on the desk, begging for some attention, some sympathy but no one was giving her it.
"Very well," McGonagall spoke coldly, "Miss Potter, I trust you know where the hospital wing is, once you get cleaned up, I'll send someone to take you to Professor Dumbledore's office."
Estella and Theo shared a look, he wasn't letting go of her. He had heard the word tumble from plenty of people's mouth, but the fact that Estella had to realise that her best friend thought the same as the dark lord's ideals, she was shaken up about it. Estella hated that she had to be the one getting comforted when the word was about Theo, and he wasn't in the slightest phased by it.
The fact that she had hurt her best friend - ex best friend, was something she wouldn't get over for a while but she wasn't worried about her, she was worried about the reaction of her brother, of Remus, of Sirius, even Peter who was somewhat close to the girl just like everyone else was.
"You two, come with me," McGonagall eyed the two of them, gesturing for them to follow her, and quickly did Estella grab her things, allowing Theo to take her hand and intertwine their fingers as they walked out of the great hall behind McGonagall.
"Now I don't know what you two are doing with the whole fashion statement," McGonagall spoke as she entered her classroom, gesturing to the muggle clothes adorned on the two teenagers.
"I think we look pretty good, Professor," Theo shrugged, "Estella does anyway."
Estella nudged him roughly, trying her best to ignore her flushed cheeks whilst the smirk widened on his lips, and Estella soon shook her head.
"Sorry, Professor," Estella sighed, taking a step forward, "we aren't doing this to get into trouble, even though that's what seemed to be happening, we do have a point to this."
"Very well, we'll get back to that," McGonagall nodded, looking at them over her rounded glasses, "as much as this school doesn't, in the slightest, tolerate the prejudices against muggle's and muggleborn's alike, Estella that doesn't mean that you can resort to violence each time someone utters that vile word!"
"Yes, well, Professor, when people think stuff like that, the only way to get it into their head that they're wrong is smashing it against a wall...or table." It was at that moment that Theo was sure he was a slightly bad influence on the girl, seeing her hands on her waist, she wasn't backing down from the stern gaze the professor was giving her.
"Miss Pettigrew, I am on your side, I am on both of your sides," McGonagall sighed, "but when you use violence, you're going to end up in a lot of trouble from angry parents."
"Teresa's parents will be nothing but angry, with her, Professor," Estella frowned, "I-I know them well."
"I know, Estella, I'm sorry," she tutted, "I will make sure her parents know the truth of what happened before they hear her side of it."
Estella nodded, she respected the Potters, she loved them like second parents, but she knew how heartbroken they would be that their daughter thought the same twisted thoughts as the dark lord, as the cruel purebloods.
"Now, this," McGonagall gestured to the muggle clothing.
"We-"
"I'll handle it," Estella chuckled, patting Theo's chest, who in turn just smirked, raising his hands in surrender and allowing her to talk.
"I live in a muggle village, Professor, and I wear muggle clothing because its much cheaper, Theo wear's muggle clothing because he is a muggleborn. I noticed before, but Theo opened my eyes that pureblood's - the ones who think they're better than everyone else, look down upon me, and upon him and upon most who wear muggle clothing at weekends, and when Theo first came to this school dressed in something opposite of robes, they acted as though it was a horrible sight.
And I mean come on," she was smirking as she gestured to a grinning Theo, "it's not exactly a horrible sight."
"Miss Pettigrew, you can compliment your boyfriend later, get to the point," McGonagall sighed.
"Oh he's not my boyfr-" she cut herself off when McGonagall raised her eyebrow, "anyway! We are wearing these as a statement, Professor, that even though these clothes are muggle clothes, worn and made by muggles, that doesn't make us any less magical, that doesn't make me any less a witch, and him any less a wizard, it's not to do with me in the slightest, I'm just helping out.
Theo is a muggleborn, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be here, he's smart, and highly skilled and in muggle clothes or not, he can still perform in classes excellently!"
McGonagall thought for a few moments, staring between the two students in front of her, and with her shoulders slumped, she finally spoke, "very well, but you two better keep out of trouble or I'll have no choice but to give you more detentions."
"Thank you, Professor!" Estella grinned, bidding the professor a goodbye and quickly grabbing Theo's hand before McGonagall could possibly change her mind.