It was my third year in Hogwarts, and for the seventh time in two weeks I sat in detention for Professor McGonagall. Apparently starting a bettering pool in the Great Hall on the fate of this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is not something the school permits. I had to give back all the money I had made from the bets, which I was quite disappointed about because I made a hefty profit.
'You may go,' McGonagall ordered. She was quite angry with me, but I assumed in a few days she'd cool off. At least until I did something she didn't like. I stood from the chair and took my notebook, quill and inkpot with me and waltzed down the hallways. It was dark outside the castle and I could hear the chatter of people making their way to their dorms.
'Erin!' someone called. I turned and flicked my blonde hair from my eyes. It was Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff Prefect, who was once again warning me about getting into trouble. Hufflepuffs weren't bad. But I had gotten a few lectures from some of them, telling me I couldn't tell the first years they were going to be attacked by bees because of the colours of their house.
'Yes Mister Diggory?' I asked with a cheeky grin.
'Professor McGonagall said to warn you that you should go back to your dorm,' Diggory instructed.
'Would I go anywhere else?' I teased. He gave me a short smile before walking off and leaving me in the corridor by myself.
'Erin! Could you imagine being out there right now!' I sighed to myself, falling on the window of the corridor and gazing out at the Forbidden Forest. 'Oh to hear a howl of a werewolf and then to see one with my own eyes. Perhaps even capture one and bring it to the castle!'
I opened my notebook and began sketching a werewolf next to my notes of them. Large and hairy with great jaws that could chomp down on the next of fully grown man. Ten feet tall and hunched over with long arms and claws dragging along the ground. Giant feet and-
A shadow appeared over my shoulder and blotted out the light. I shut my notebook and looked around to see who was watching me.
'Quite a detailed drawing,' Lupin told me.
'Thank you Professor,' I said.
'You should probably finish it in your dorm Miss Bane,' he told me.
'I quite like this corridor, I think I might bring a bedroll down here instead,' I told him with a smirk before walking down to the dungeons. I stood in front of the stretch of damp stone wall and uttered the password in a proud voice.
'Pureblood.'
Even though I was actually muggle-born I didn't mind. The blood-status was not an issue to me as it was to most of my fellow classmates in my house. I found making jokes with muggle references were of the utmost hilarity because the purebloods never understood.
'Evening ladies,' I said, plopping myself down onto the green velvet couch beside Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson and Terence Higgs. Draco sent me a glare and Terence barely noticed.
'Back from detention Bane?' Pansy smirked.
'No, I'm still sitting in front of McGonagall, twiddling my thumbs,' I said, opening up my notebook again and setting it down on the table in the centre. I set the quill down and opened the pot of ink, sprawling my legs across the couch I waved my finger at it and began talking to myself.
'Vampires. They're usually pale with sharp fangs, capable of ripping through leather, used for puncturing the throat in order to feast upon blood,' I began.
'Are you ill?' Pansy spat at me, standing to her feet and storming away.
'Was it something I said?' I asked.
'Don't walk in here and start your usual ramblings Bane,' Draco warned.
'If you don't want to hear it, Draco dearest, then I don't recall strapping you down to that chair. Although I wouldn't mind doing that and I don't think you would have much of a problem with it either,' I said giving him a devilish grin and a flirtatious wink. He looked away uncomfortably and shifted in his chair. I smirked at him and sat up on the couch.
'Don't pretend you didn't notice the,' I paused, 'raw sexual tension between us.' I gave him a smirk and grinned at the way I made him feel awkward.
'Shut up Erin,' he growled. I sat back into the couch and waved my finger again.
'Vampires have an aversion to garlic and you can keep them at bay by using this. One can also use ones lips to scare Draco Malfoy away because he's afraid of people knowing that he secretly enjoys my luscious red lips,' I continued.
Draco slapped the notebook shut, crushing my quill and breaking the spell.
'You're just no fun sometimes,' I told him, pouting and crossing my arms. 'At least Higgs can take a joke.'
'Erin, our house has no points left because you've been getting into trouble since the start of the year. And we're not even back three weeks!' Draco scolded.
'Because you care so much about the House Cup and you try so hard to be a good little boy and win all the green sand in the hourglass!' I teased.
'Go to bed wolfs-bane,' he said, standing up from the chair.
'Only if you're waiting when I get up there,' I teased. He ignored me and disappeared through the common room with Higgs.
'Wolfs-bane,' I repeated with a smile. I laughed lightly and stared up at the glass roof, looking up into the greenish water of the Black Lake and watched as the creatures swam past, passing no remarks on the people below.
'Imagine being a fish. Or better! A mermaid! Scales and fins and webbed hands and a beautiful voice to lure their victims in,' I whispered to myself. 'Maybe a siren so I could be beautiful.'