Chapter 6
Carina:
By the time I told Daphne about everything that had transpired between Malfoy and me, I was beyond pissed. I was so far away from the pissed meter that I was calm. For the first time I realised what Daphne meant by 'Calm before the storm'. It was maddening. The fact that Malfoy could play with my weakness so easily made me want to rip his spleen out.
I guess it couldn't really hurt much if I don't get caught, and besides most of the school would probably worship the person who got rid of Malfoy.
But thoughts of a crazy person aside, I still had to get back at Malfoy.
So with an annoyed huff, I silently trudged down to Potions the next day, awaiting Daphne and most of the class to make their way back from Divination.
"You look happy." Daph muttered as she spilled her things on the table we were sharing, "Is there a reason we're at the back? I can almost hear the Gryffindors."
I shrugged, "I can't be trusted around Malfoy today." I told her, "It's my second day, don't subject me to more torture."
She rolled her eyes, "Maybe we can stop by the infirmary?"
I shrugged, noncommittally, ready to change the topic when Blaise's loud voice boomed around us.
"What are you guys doing back there?"
I stared at him blankly, like I was going to answer that question in front of the full class, so I shrugged at him too and Daphne shot back a just cause.
"So any leads on how to get back at him?" Daph asked, as we set our cauldrons boiling, another Potions lesson, underway.
I paused, pursing my lips as my eyes flashed to the back of a platinum blond, "Not yet." I muttered, "But soon."
A loud cry sounded from behind us then as we looked around to watch as Ron Weasley was backing away from his bubbling red potion.
"It's supposed to do that Mr. Weasley." Snape's cold voice came from the front as he walked nearer, "Stop acting like a toddler."
I giggled, throwing a few crushed frog legs into mine, before a groan filled the class, this time from a voice I knew too well, a smile made its way to my face as I watched Malfoy back away from his angry potion, waiting out the estimated time it took to settle down after we added the mint leaves to it.
In my own intense stare-down with Malfoy's back, I had completely forgotten that I had my hand poised to add the mint leaves into my potion and my original plan to back away as fast as I can after that went out the window as my mind went back to the Malfoy-induced hate-coma. So when an angry bubble popped just inches below my face, I stumbled back with a loud cry. Causing a fit of giggles and laughs to erupt around the class.
I rolled my eyes, swiping below my chin to make sure none of the potion touched me, "Did you leave your brain back in your dormitory?" Malfoy's teasing voice pierced through the class, making me meet his smirk and challenging eyes head on.
I worked on keeping my face blank, "Took a page right out of your book, Malfoy. You should know what it feels like to walk around without a functioning brain all day."
A few of our classmates rolled their, smiling slightly at the usual hostility they were used to from us. It was just widely understood that we never got along.
But Malfoy's eyes narrowed at me, the grey in them sparking, but before he could open his mouth to retaliate, my hand shot up, "Professor I think my potion is done."
Snape rolled his eyes, making his lazy way to us, he didn't usually care what we Slytherins did in class anyway. It was only after he was done that Malfoy sneered, "Didn't expect you to run away hiding behind a teacher, Hadley."
"Oh you would know all about that too, wouldn't you?"
"Malfoy! Hadley!" Snape's bored voice came from the front, "Stop acting like fools."
I rolled my eyes, ready to let this go as Malfoy turned back around and filled his flask with his now done potion. It wasn't until most of us were done and on our way back to our tables to clear everything when Malfoy sneered, "Be careful this year Hadley, you don't have Archer to hide behind anymore."
My head snapped up at him, annoyance filling every nerve. The mere mention of Archer brought back all the memories of King Cross, how Malfoy of all people knew about my situation and how he was doing everything in his power to use it against me.
Biting my tongue I decided to ignore his jab, bending under my cauldron to put out the flame, but as my eyes landed on Malfoy's now turned back from under my cauldron, the slight flames making my vision go red, my wand raised and I smirked.
'Levicorpus.' I thought, my wand carefully pointed at Malfoy's back from under the cauldron.
An almost feminine shriek filled the air as Malfoy lay suspended in air, looking like someone invisible was holding him upside down by his right ankle.
Laughter filled the class as Malfoy hung there, his robe hanging below him, and his school pants bunching around his knees. His face on the other had looked absolutely mortified.
All too soon, Malfoy was released, falling down with a painful thud, to reveal the angry face of Snape standing behind him, his wand held up.
The giggles ceased as every student looked at Snape I horror, "Detention, Hadley."
All eyes instantly swerved to me, "What?" I said, disbelief clouding my tone, how the fuck would he know I did it! It was non-verbal!
"I do not want a repeat of this again." Snape said coldly just a Malfoy stood up, his face red with anger.
"HADLEY!" he all but bellowed, I narrowed my eyes at him, before turning to look at Snape.
"Sir I did not do-"
"Double detention." Snape cut me short.
My mouth fell open, "I did-"
"On Saturday and Sunday morning." Snape beat me to it again.
I gasped, ready to argue back when Snape took over again, "Do not make me dock points from my own house, Hadley."
My mouth snapped shut, Malfoy hating me was fine, but was I ready to face the wrath of the entire Slytherin house?
I'm pretty sure no matter what Snape was, he would dock a considerable amount of points for this.
But if I accept this it will be admitting I did it.
There is no proof!
"I don't need proof." Snape said coldly, watching my face, "There are very few people who can do that."
"And I'm one of-"
"Shut up." Daphne's hissed in my ear, cutting my retort off, I turned to her in disbelief, she was supposed to side me!
"You're kidding right?" I asked Daphne, momentarily forgetting about Snape.
"I'm not." Daphne hissed, viciously, a thing she rarely did with me, so I shut up, looking down at my feet as Snape dismissed the class.
It wasn't long before Daphne was pulling me away, almost running down the hallway, I went along almost blindingly, she was running that fast. Only for her to skid to a halt just before we reached the one that led to the entrance hall, I was so confused and off balance with her abrupt stopping that I crashed into the person standing right in front of us, pulling them down with me.
Landing with disgruntled 'Oofs' my eyes widened as they met the molten silver of Draco Malfoy.
He glared back at me, throwing me off as he stood up, "How fucking dare you?!" he seethed.
I gulped down whatever little fear his angry voice had instilled in me, putting on a sweet smile I got up, brushing off dirt from my clothes, "I don't know what you're talking about." I levelled.
He scoffed, "You made me out to be a laughing stock," he hissed, stepping close to me, "Do you know what this means?"
I met his glare, my face twisting with hatred, "I told you last night, Malfoy. Ceasefire is over."
He smirked at my words, "Oh you're in for it Hadley, I would watch my back if I were you."
"I'm not scared of you." I shot back, stepping away from me, but he just stepped right in front of me again, almost cornering me into a wall.
"You should be." He said, the threat evident in his voice as he turned around walking away from me, his posse in tow.
*
It was strange, going to the Great Hall for lunch that day, the incident was the talk of the school well before I had reached the doors.
My eyes briefly scanned the Slytherin table looking for the platinum blond, but my search came back useless, of course he wouldn't want to show his humiliated face.
It made me smile, a few people even went as far as to look up at me and flash me thumbs-ups. I smirked at them in return.
But I think the cherry on the cake was probably the Gryffindor table whistling and clapping at me as I entered, not only catching me off-guard but the entire hall.
The smile that took over my face threatened to break my lips, Daphne elbowed me then, urging me on to the Slytherin table where the reactions were mixed at best. But even she couldn't hide the proud look on her face.
"Hey!" A loud voice said.
"You!" Another said.
I looked up to see two identical red-heads making their merry way to us, hands holding what I assumed to be sweets?
"I'm Gred." One of them said.
"And I'm Forge." The other finished.
"I know you." I dryly replied who didn't know the infamous Weasley twins? Personally I think they're the only saving grace of their family. Such a shame, so many people in it and only two seem to be cool.
"That's great." Gred replied.
And Forge held out a large bunch of sweets, "These are or you."
I raised an eyebrow, "What are these?"
But their reply was cut off by Daphne urgently murmuring, "I'll see you at the Slytherin table."
I nodded at her, turning my attention back to the twins.
"These are Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." They proudly announced in sync.
I nodded slowly, accepting it with reluctant hands, "And why are you giving me these?"
They smiled simultaneously, "These aren't normal sweets," Gred said.
"These are puking pasties, nosebleed nougats-"
"Wait what?!"
"They're not fully tested yet." Gred quickly replied scratching the back of his head, "So just don't use them on your friends..."
I turned to him with an incredulous expression, I knew they were pranksters, but this?
Them inventing this!
That's just pure genius!
"We'll have the lesson-skivvying snack-boxes ready soon!" Forge said, reassuringly.
"And we'll find a way to make them full proof too!" Gred replied, "These are basically so you can take one nosebleed nougat, get a nosebleed, get out of class, but instead of going to Pomfrey, can just eat the antidote and be free to use the rest of your time doing funnier things!"
I nodded, my head slowy, a smile overtaking my features, "That's-"
"Incredible?"
"Fantastic?"
"Genius." I said, and they just shrugged abashedly. "But" I continued, "Why are you giving me these?"
Forge looked at me like I was crazy, "Only the best for the person who showed Malfoy his place!"
I laughed and thanked them for their incredible gifts, promising to use them on him, but just as I turned to walk away, Potter and his sidekicks made their way to us.
"That was brilliant!" Potter and Weasley said in unison.
I shrugged, smirking, Hermione just shook her head, but smiled a bit anyway.
"Are those your sweets?" Ron's voice smashed through my happy glow then, his eyes bouncing between the sweets and the twins.
"Yes they are!" they proudly replied.
"You never give me any!" Ron whined.
"Seriously?" Hermione shot up, "You're distributing these to other houses now! Students can get sick!"
I looked at her weirdly.
"Relax Hermione." Gred said easily, "We're working on the antidotes."
But Hermione already had her hands stretched out to take my sweets away, "You don't need to take these." She said, but I yanked them back, looking at her in shock.
"Hell no." I said, "I want them." My eyes widening.
"What no!" She said, yanking a few out of my hands, with me protesting, but by then all of us were fighting with each other. Hermione with me, Ron with Gred and Forge and Potter trying to keep us all down.
When I had finally yanked hard on my sweets, filling them inside my bag and giving Hermione a glare, I turned to the red-heads, "Weasel." I said, my eyes zeroing on Ronald Weasley, making them all turn to me, "You're just mad that your brothers thought I was cooler. Don't be jealous, it looked ridiculous, green isn't your colour."
Ron's face went as red as his hair, Potter and Granger looked at me shocked expressions, Gred and Forge just slunk back to the table, laughing a bit.
"Don't talk to him that way!" Potter shot back, indignant.
I looked at him with an unimpressed face, "You sound like a broken cassette, Potter."
That's what he's always saying to me anyway, it's not my fault, Ron's slow.
Hermione just looked at me like she usually did when I insulted them, annoyed. I figures this was why she never told them I was good friends with her. As long as she didn't make me apologize I was cool anyway.
As if on his slomo-meter cue, Ron shot, "I'm not jealous."
I rolled my eyes, "Sure." I said, strutting away to the Slytherin table to be greeted by pats on my back and frowns for my class accomplishment.
*
"Granger." I said, as I slumped next to her that evening after dinner in the library.
Hermione turned to me with a disapproving expression, "It's not even been a week since school started and you're already at war with Malfoy?"
I shrugged, "What can I say?" I murmured, getting my books out, "He brings out the worst in me."
"He brings out the worst in everyone." She scoffed. "And, you can't use the sweets Fred and George gave you."
"What!" I asked, whisper-yelling, "Why?!"
"Because they are dangerous!" she answered, looking at me like I had lost my head.
I shrugged, "Won't use them on you then."
"That's not what I'm saying-"
"You don't like Malfoy either!" I said, exasperated, "How does it matter to you?"
"He's a prefect!" she hissed, "He'll make your life worse!"
"By giving me lines?" I scoffed, taking out fresh new parchment, hearing Hermione sigh, I looked up at her with a tired expression, "Just chill out okay? I won't use them till I absolutely have to."
She looked unconvinced but let it go and we worked in silence the rest of the hour, finishing our essays with just a few pointers here and there.
In retrospect I should've expected what happened next, it happened every time, "So..." Hermione begin as she packed her thing inside slowly.
I sealed my ink bottle before looking at her with a 'Get on with it' expression, she sighed.
"Why did you say that to Ron?"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Because now he's moaning about it all the time!" she cried.
I rolled my eyes, it's the same thing every time I say something scathing to Weasley or Potter. Why can't she let it go? Levelling her with a hard gaze I said, "You're just annoyed with it because you like him."
"I do not like him!" Hermione countered at once, too soon actually. I smirked.
"Sure." I said, "Keep telling yourself that."
She huffed, "I do not like Ron Weasley!"
I couldn't help it, I laughed, so loud that I didn't even hear multiple footsteps coming towards us in the back. Hermione just looked so peeved and red that she didn't even look away from my face as she protested feebly to my laughter.
All until we heard a loud throat clear, and my laugher abruptly stopped.
**