-.-.- highlyflammable;; -.- ][uno'one] acro/aerophobia
fear of heights
fear of high places and objects
' for every fear she's ever had was in turn her secret solace '
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The wind rushed to greet her as she strolled atop the roof. A forest of mountainous trees stretched across the earth before them with a silvery aqua river serving as the train's company, swiftly running its course alongside the Hogwarts Express. " Mimi, are you sure this is safe? Goddrick, everything looks like one gigantic, wankin' blur!" The others stayed behind, their feet planted firmly on the floor inside, Ron's torso bent out the window and Harry's voice strained against the autumn breeze. She decided it would be best to get some air earlier, the compartments were stuffy and she liked her space.
" Go on inside, I'll be back in a while."
Ron quickly slammed the window closed not having to be told twice while Harry was already half way back to their seats. Hermione greeted them both with a curt smile and turned her attention back to her book. " She'll be alright, yeah? I mean its not the first time she's done this, besides we're almost there so…err, if she falls and cracks her head open…Madam Pomfrey won't be too far away?" "…Ron shut up will you." Harry was not amused. Several minutes passed, the Golden Trio sat silently in a slightly shaking compartment on the Hogwarts Express, waiting eagerly for it to arrive at its destination. The boy who lived let out a yawn, the red headed Weasley leaned against the doorframe slightly snoring and the bushy haired Head Girl lazily flipped a page of her no doubt 20lb text stifling a yawn herself.
What's this; yawning, snoozing and all around boredom? That's not right, where's the excitement and magical whimsy not to mention mischief. Harry blamed himself, as he should, he had previously managed to get the other two to agree not to speak of Voldemort, Death Eaters or any other sinister business until they at least settled into their Hogwarts dorms. They decided their 7th year would be one of happy memories, absolutely no death or bodily harm and educational accomplishment, the later being Hermione's wish. Unfortunately, the trio had come to realize that fighting evil and saving the magical world was the only thing that held their friendship together, or at least kept them from gouging their own eyes out from sheer boredom.
" Whacha readin 'Mione?" Harry being bored out of his skull thought he would pester her restlessly for the time being. " Oh, this?" she raised her head sleepily; surprised that anyone had said anything at all. " Just an optional course text for Ancient Ruins, it's all about Bulgarian magic, did you know they had their own unique way of combat called Zmey. Literally translated, it means dragon, fascinating right? Thought so, Magical Warfare of the 15th Century, Bulgarian Edition, you should really read it you know." Harry regretted ever opening his mouth as Hermione couldn't seem to shut hers. Ron groaned, " Fantastic 'Mione, really spectacular but if you don't mind I think I hear the trolley! Harry, join me will you?" The two of them sped off before Hermione could educate them further.
" Hello dears! My my, is this young Potter and Weasley? Oh you've grown, such tall and handsome men you are now, my word!"
" Yes, very."
" Tall. Handsome."
" Here's a gallon, can we have some sweets?"
Ron being as impatient as a toddler with ADD snatched up some chocolate frogs, candied apples and a handful of Bertie Bott's beans and swiftly disappeared back into their compartment. He had left Harry to the mercy of the kind and evidently lonely trolley lady whose name was never as important as the sweets she provided. She pinched his cheeks and scammed him out of 4 more gallons, quite the charmer.
Meanwhile, Hermione finished her explanation of her 20lb text yet again to the bored teen next to her not bothering to change the words or show any more enthusiasm. " Sorry? Didn't catch that." Hermione began again. " She's not listening you know that right 'Mione?" Ron decided it was his duty to spare her the time it would take to repeat her summary and also save his last hundred brain cells from committing sweet sweet suicide. Being sneaky as always, Harry finally managed to escape the trolley lady's grasp and sat himself down next to Ron. " Of course she's listening, right Mimi? Mimi?" she held back a tear once she realized her so-called friend was preoccupied with stealing Ron's sweets. " Mfpmfmmpm, uh? No one listens to you."
The train suddenly came to a lurching halt. Everyone inside managed to spill some beverage on them or have a girl pushed inappropriately onto their lap as a result of the train conductors reckless driving. Harry was unfortunate in that regard having Ron be the one pushed inappropriately onto his lap as Mimi laughed and snapped a shot at their expense. Hermione quickly swallowed her giggle.
" Ron. Your knickers are pink." Mimi commented. They peeked out from a large and quite comical tear in his brown corduroy pants. If they hadn't been otherwise preoccupied with the colour of his underpants, at least one of them would destroy his self esteem by questioning his fashion savvy or lack there of.
" I know that, it's laundry day!"
" I fully and completely and entirely trust you on that."
Harry took this opportunity to shove Ron off of his lap, being careful not to do ANYTHING homosexual as he would never stop hearing about it from that point on. Hermione glanced outside and announced they were finally at Hogwarts. " Oh bugger, we didn't change into our robes yet." Hermione looked down at herself, " Well you three didn't."
" Pshha, like we need to. I've got Dumbledore wrapped around my pinkie toe,"
" MIMI DON'T YOU TREAT DUMBLEDORE LIKE SOME SORT OF JOKE MAN TO BE LAUGHED AT WHEN PUT INTO YOUR LITTLE JOKES AND SUCH!"
" Harry put your pants back on, we don't need a fight."
" My pants were always on, I don't…understand this…" He looked down and sure enough his blue jeans were pooled around his feet exposing his also light salmon pink underpants.
" I vexed him so that every time he got angry, his pants would fall down, embarrassing him for the rest of his life. Or at least until he figures out the way to unjinx himself, which is near impossible to do, right Potter?" Mimi then began to laugh like a sinister warlock and presented Ron with his empty sweet wrappers. She then promptly left the compartment and headed for the door. The Golden Trio followed suit.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
A maze of puddles greeted the students as each of them swished out of the train in their most inconvenient, water absorbent robes, most wore caps and held umbrellas to keep dry. Harry, Ron and Hermione managed to forget to pack anything of the sort despite having checked off everything from their wands to extra shoe polish from the lists Hermione wrote and scented for them over the summer. They were unfortunately soaked by the buckets of rain falling from the sky by the time they ran into a small huddle of their old friends including Crabbe, Goyle, Zambini and of course Draco Malfoy.
" Can't even afford umbrellas Potter?" Draco sneered at the drenched, slightly sniffling trio, " Too bad your Mudblood and dirt poor Weasley are too stupid to conjure up one."
" Malfoy you bloody goddamn wanker!" Hermione already had her wand aimed at his throat with Ron and Harry advancing on the foul Slytherin. His eyes were blank but his smirk remained plastered on his face, Blaise stepped next to him with his wand raised, baring his teeth.
" Only two fucking minutes on the school grounds and you're practically begging me to kill you?"
" Harry, Ron enough." Mimi finally joined them. Actually she more like shoved them aside and joined Draco. " We'll be late if we don't get a fucking move on it, we're the only one's left. Even the train's leaving." The group took that moment to watch the gleaming vessel disappear into the foggy night, the crowd of students was gone and they found themselves seething at each other in the pouring rain.
Draco was under a large black umbrella while his friends chose to make use of the Praesidium charm that created a thin barrier the shape of a boulder sized bubble on which the rain fell. A useful charm for the dreary sort of weather they had, from the inside it was almost like watching rain hit a window only it was much more unnerving. Crabbe and Goyle left for the Great Hall immediately after given the curt nod of dismissal from Draco. Blaise stayed at his side a second longer, gave Harry another sneer then left as well.
" I want good seats." Mimi held out her hand to catch a few rain drops, her attention was never in her words or to whom she directed them towards.
Draco pulled Mimi aside, bringing her under the umbrella. The Golden Trio gave concerned looks but none the less began to leave.
" Mimi you're not sitting with those Gryffindor wankers are you? Pansy will bitch for hours again, and I'm nearly done with restraining myself around her. Seriously, I will kill her if you don't sit where you should."
" Well there's a reason not to." She stole his umbrella, yanking it successfully out of his grasp and she as well made her way to the castle. " I'll sit with you for most of it, but I get to eat my pudding with Fred and George."
" The fucking Weasley twins? You bloody traitor."
" Down boy, they promised me some sweets."
She winked. Draco gave her a blank stare.
" Fuck you Malfoy, let's go."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Dumbledore took his seat after making his inspiring yet disturbingly frightening speech about academic achievement, magical wonder and of course how one would die a terrible, painful death if they took one step into the Forbidden Forest. There were cheers from every table, Slytherins clapped with less enthusiasm as always. Snape secretly beamed.
" Mmm, mashed potatoes. Pass the gravy Blaise…" a snort and a cough was his response as he choked on his lemon chicken. " FUCKING PASS THE GRAVY YOU DIPSHIT." Mimi paused, trying to sound charmingly British was difficult being from North America and every once in a while a naughty American swear slipped out. " Fuck it, Blaise. I'm going to kill you tonight."
" Here's your goddamn gravy, how the hell can you eat all this tripe without being the size of Goyle?" Draco drawled in her ear after taking a good long look at her plate. Her three gigantic plates, two gargantuan bowls and one very large tray with everything from spaghetti to spinach piled on them like mountains of savoury goodness rather.
" Shh, I am preoccupied." Mimi continued to gorge like a rhino on pot with an already intense addiction to food.
On the other side of the Great Hall, Ron was stuffing his face with less intensity but stuffing his face nevertheless.
" I don't get it Hermione, she's not even in a house. Why does she have to sit at Slytherin table?"
" No idea Harry, but she'll come here for dessert, she always does. Besides, I think Dumbledore will seriously consider putting her in a house this year."
" Isn't it odd that she isn't in one, I mean sure she missed first year but there has to be some rule against just floating from table to table; common room to common room." Ron had finally taken a breath of air and leaned back in his seat. He yawned and scratched his fully belly like a proper man then put his elbows back on the table. His heavy head rested on his hands as he fought away the sleepies. " Even that new student all the way from Australia got sorted, right into Hufflepuff. Don't see why she can't just be put in Gryffindor and call it a day."
" Ron, it's not just about sorting. Professor McGonagall told me the Sorting Hat couldn't figure out what she should be. They tried it in Dumbledore's office, but the hat kept saying ' Slytherin or Gryffindor? Slytherin or Gryffindor? ' until he drove himself and everyone in there with them nutters." She let out a small giggle, imagining Snape pulling out his hair or Flitwick stomping around begging the ancient hat to choose or shut up. " And apparently, the hat just refused to sort her after hours and hours of searching her mind. So Dumbledore decided to put half her things in the Gryffindor tower and half in the Slytherin dungeon. They planned to just have her try the Sorting Hat on again some other time; it was only supposed to be a temporary fix. No idea how it got so out of hand."
Harry blinked. Once, twice and by the third time he never wanted to open them again. The first day back at Hogwarts almost always ended with him falling asleep half way back to his bed, he figured it was something odd in the tarts. Ron began to snore slightly with his half eaten tart still in his hand, Harry's suspicion grew. Hermione unfortunately took his snoring as an insult and immediately began to plan his untimely demise.
Her scheming was cut short as Mimi sat herself down next to her, a bowl of pudding in her lap that could've easily been the size of Ron's head. She didn't know why she instantly thought of Ron's large head before her own bushy haired mess, perhaps it was all the tarts.
The strawberry tart next to her pinky finger felt deeply offended and as though his kind were being prosecuted for a conspiracy they did not conceive.
" Where's Fred and George? They own me sweets."
" Because the party sized bowl of pudding isn't enough?"
" Precisely."
She began to leave in search of the mischievous twins but was distracted by Dumbledore who stood and addressed the mass of students again.
" Attention please, may I have your attention for one moment." No one had ever heard two speeches on the first night back at Hogwarts before, Dumbledore did indeed have everyone's attention. " I would like to announce one more sorting before the evening is over." He looked over to Mimi who returned his gaze with an amused smirk.
Ron was shaken awake by both Hermione and Harry, it only took him a moment to realize what was about to happen next. Draco leaned back and waited expectedly for Dumbledore to continue what could only be one thing. " If you could please join me?" Dumbledore stepped down to the wooden stool set in front of the hundreds of curious students, he had in his hand the Sorting Hat. Mimi swiftly joined him.
" Finally." She let out a sigh, " Hope it works this time eh? Less trouble for you." Dumbledore chuckled lightly and placed the hat on her head.
-.-.- highlyflammable;; -.- ][dos'two] aero/agoraphobia
' fear of high places and heights '
' fear of open spaces '
' she would seek what she feared and drowned herself in it '
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
She sat there, on the wooden stool, in front of thousands of curious eyes. She didn't blink, there was this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her if she did they would leave her and she would be swallowed up by darkness. She took a second to glance at the enchanted ceiling; the sky was so magnificently frightening with its looming thunderclouds and candles lit like stars. It was still like frozen in time; it was unnerving. She looked back to the students. The faces became blurred into one horrifying mass, no longer could she pick out the familiar ones. Her senses were faltering like someone had rewired her brain and the circuits just didn't match up, the room began to spin. The colours blended into a sickening shade of grey, green and red.
She breathed it in. She loved it.
" We have long delayed this, we have failed to sort our lovely student Miss Nott for 5 years. Although we've tried in vain nonetheless." Dumbledore gave Mimi a wink and smiled warmly. " Let's give it another try."
The Gryffindors cheered, Mimi spotted Fred and George who snuck in unnoticed making use of their unrestricted apparating privileges and joined in, clapping and whistling louder than everyone else.
" Yeah baby come to Gryffindor, we've got all the Weasleys." Fred cat-called.
" And we've got the best common room, not to mention we've got all the Weasleys." George hollered.
The Slytherin table was unnaturally quiet, holding its breath. Every person there had anxious looks on their faces, Zambini stuffed his face with as many tarts as he could get his hands on. Draco spared a glance at his friend; a hopeless case and a nervous eater. Most Slytherins were, how they managed to stay lanky and thin was a mystery. His attention returned to Mimi, there was no expression on his face, calm and blank eyes glued on her and the Sorting Hat.
Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs already knew she wouldn't get sorted into their houses. The older students who remember her arriving in 3rd year and the Sorting Hat's droning about ' Slytherin or Gryffindor ' passed the knowledge down the table. She couldn't possibly be a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.
Dumbledore's smile widened at the student's actions, quickly surveying the room. He waited another minute for them to settle before he gingerly placed the Sorting Hat on Mimi's head, he thought perhaps a softer approach would do it this time. Immediately the hat sprung to life, but the large smirk on his woven face dissipated into a scowl as soon as he realized who's head he was on. The remaining students who were whispering bets hushed themselves and watched with baited breath.
" Oh dear, not Mimi Nott. Yet again! Must we go through this every year child, it's not my fault I didn't sort you. I can't sort a fool who doesn't know which house she wants to be in. Merlin's beard! Alright let's get this over with eh? Hmmm, right…right then…"
Dear god, fuck this hat. I'm going to burn you if you don't choose Gryffindor. Gryffindor or Slytherin, either one's fine. Well actually…I…no not either one, choose the right one. Choose Slytherin…or Gryffindor. Fuck.
" Ah, child. You still haven't decided have you? Perhaps I should simply place you in Ravenclaw? No no, Hufflepuff?"
Fuck you hat, I most definitely am going to burn you tonight.
" Alright. Gryffindor," the entire table held their breath, the first years wondering whether to cheer or not as everyone seemed to be waiting some more, " or Slytherin?" There was a resounding fuck from the Slytherin table. Blaise quietly continued stuffing his face, pretending he had not just cursed very audibly and that Snape was not giving him the eye no doubt planning some sort of sinister punishment.
Quit stalling hat. Choose already!
" Choose? It's not my choice Miss Nott. Oh I supposed you will never understand. Which is why you positively can't be in Ravenclaw. And you're just not Hufflepuff material. You won't be good for anything but Gryffindor and Slytherin, both equal matches. One is not better than the other, you must choose for yourself."
Then what is the point of your existence?
" DUMBLEDORE, IT CANNOT BE DONE!"
There was a large exhale from the entire student body as they let our their breath. Most were disappointed as this was her final year and bets made way back when she first arrived would've finally been settled. Draco finished his pumpkin juice with an exasperated sigh, another year of Pansy's bickering and bitching in his ear during Potions, Herbology and an array of other classes. More worthless quarrels with the pathetic Gryffindors when simply trying to talk to Mimi in the hall, more eating pudding with Weasleys. " Bloody hat."
" Bloody hat." Harry was looking forward to midnight chess and muggle movies with Mimi not just on nights she happened to be in the Gryffindor tower, but every night. Ron on the other hand was slightly relieved knowing that he wouldn't have to stay up whole nights just to keep her entertained as she sometimes desperately needed and came specifically to him for. Hermione was upset but kept her face a neutral smile, Mimi and her would have long talks about potions and spells and books, honest to Goddrick, books. They would do work until daybreak and grab an early breakfast the next day almost every Wednesday and Thursday. She could never find that kind of friendship anywhere else, even with Harry or Ron. And now her hopes of having Mimi all to the three of them and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the Gryffindor house were dashed. " I hate that wankin' hat." Ron slurred sleepily.
Dumbledore nodded knowingly and took the hat off her head, quietly apologizing in her ear. She dismissed it with a casual wave of her hand, " Apparently I have to sort myself. Too bad there are rules against that, very contrary." She couldn't help but giggle as she saw Fred and George stood on their seats and she knew instantly what they were planning to do. They cleared their throats, glancing around the large hall, George pulled out a tuner as Fred hummed a note. " Right," and began to sing to her.
" WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF YOU WERE IN OUR HOUSE
WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND IF YOU WERE HERE
YOU COULD BE OUR FRIEND TILL THE END OF TIME
AND AFTER DARK YOU COULD BE MORE DEAR"
They winked simultaneously.
" WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF YOU WERE IN OUR HOUSE
WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND IF YOU WERE HERE
AND YOU EVEN LOOK LIKE A PROPER GRYFFINDOR
WHY NOT MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR?"
George stepped up onto the table, nudging the plates aside with his foot.
" WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF YOU WERE IN OUR HOUSE?"
Fred joined him as they sung at a glass shattering pitch.
" WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND,"
They kneeled.
.
" IF,"
And brought their hands to their hearts.
" YOU WERE,"
They took a lung full of air, pausing for effect.
" HERE!"
They blew a kiss, synchronized bows and stepped down. George grew pink and Fred bowed some more at the laughter and cheering from the rest of the house and each table but the Slytherin's. Even the professors were laughing, Snape was feeling generous and spared a smile.
Zambini made a move to jump on the Slytherin table but before he as well could sing his heart out Draco scuffed him by the collar and sat him forcefully down. " Slytherin's do not sing."
" Aww but Draco! Oh look, now Mimi's heading for the Weasley's. If I could just get one verse out-"
" No."
Dumbledore placed the Sorting Hat down on the staff's table and turned to the chair, waving his wand he transfigured it into another pale yellow candle which lit itself and flew up to join the others. " Well we had to try one last time, hmm?" he said to no one in particular.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Mimi sat with her pudding on her lap next to Hermione once again, this time with Fred and George across from her. Harry sat on her other side and Ron sat next to him, dozing off yet again. " I can't believe you're going to go through 5 years of Hogwarts not knowing what it would be like to be a brave and courageous Gryffindor." George gave her a disappointed look, " All the Weasley action in the world and you couldn't have just told the old rag to sort you right."
" Weasley action? I wonder is that action with your dangerously popular treats, which have gotten me out of class many times thank you, or the action with you?"
" Either way darling, it's with us." Fred winked while shoving four different flavoured tarts into his mouth, Hermione made a face of disgust and George followed suit; with the shoving of tarts, not the disgust. " Dinner is already done you know, dessert was supposed to have been finished fifteen minutes ago, can't you stop stuffing your faces. It's only the first day back!" Hermione tried not to sound too revolted at their pig-like table manners.
" 'Mione, we've been starving sweet makers in the lonely and harsh little Diagon Alley. Apparently no one can trust two sixteen year olds who dropped out of school enough to buy treats that are supposed to make them sweat green jelly or vomit slugs. Ridiculous isn't it?"
" We got the slug one from you Ronny-kins, thanks for that."
Ron snored particularly loudly at that.
" Mhmm, fantastic. Now back to your sweets, you owe me about a hundred ton-tongue twists and at least twenty skiving snackers. I'm planning on re-selling them back to some of the dafter Slytherins for a very high profit," she smirked evilly, " They don't have the kind of access to your special sweets like the Gryffindors. Crabbe and Goyle would pay through the nose for just one!"
" I don't think I quite like the idea of Slytherins getting out of class, they should suffer for their…err…Slytherin…y-ness." Fred's eyebrows knitted, " Just a year out of Hogwarts and I can barely speak like I'm literate!"
George shock his head with enthusiasm, " Gred, it's not all about literacy at Hogwarts."
" It's not Forge?"
" No, Gred. You have to be half decent with a wand too." He wiggled his eyebrows at the two females in front of them. Hermione wrinkled her nose and Mimi stuck out her tongue, " We should get going now. How is it we're always the last ones left?"
Harry shook Ron awake for the second time that evening, eventually he gave up and asked Fred and George to apparate him upstairs. They did so staving off the temptation to do the job improperly and surprise the three with only an arm and a leg of poor Ronald Weasley when they would return to the common room. Apparation can be very dangerous when learnt by the wrong people, or the most mischievous.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Draco sat on his chair; the only one in the entire Slytherin dungeon with a view of the sea.
The window it was facing situated itself precisely were the land dipped downwards, exposing only that miniscule stretch of common room. No one else sat in that chair, they knew better. The leather was softer than any other, the armrests were at the perfect height. He sat in it when he first arrived at Hogwarts marvelling at basically everything and simply had to take a break from standing with his eyes wide and mouth agape. He silently sat there when his father blackmailed Ministry officials to suspend Dumbledore from his post. In 3rd he was there, wondering exactly how Sirius Black would murder Pothead Potter.
All through the TriWizarding Tournament he stared out that window calculating to the hundred decimal point what his chances would have been if he some how got his name in the Goblet of Fire. His 5th year was humiliating, being Umbridge's lackey. Each time she would call him to catch one of Potter's chums he would return to that chair and think. Last year had been complete hell. He was only able to sit in his chair for one week before he locked himself in his dorm cutting classes and meals sporadically but often. And now he was back, his final year at Hogwarts, sitting in his chair on the first day.
Everybody knew; it was Draco's chair.
" Don't be such a prat."
She snuck up behind him with a jar of Bertie Bott's beans, having earlier picked out the unfortunately nasty ones. All he saw was her arm, snaking out to present him with the sweets; birthday cake icing, lemon pie, strawberry strudel, London-style cheesecake, New York-style cheesecake and many more appealing flavours. She stalked up next to him and sat cross-legged on an angle from his chair. She leaned her head back against the glass; it was low enough for her to put her arm up on the windowsill.
" Hmm," he spared her a glance, muddy violet locks in disarray and curiously eggshell white irises darted from his own eyes to his hands which were shuffling for a pecan sandy bean. " How were the Gryffindorks?"
She sniggered, " Gryffindorks? That was lame even for you."
" Shut it."
" Fred and George promised me twice what they owe me if I can wait another week, so I've decided that patience will be much more rewarding. I'll have to find something else to do until then, any ideas?"
" You can't wait one week with out exploiting your fellow Slytherins?" Draco almost caught himself but decided she visited their dungeon enough to be one of them.
" Naw, short attention span. Besides, I like to keep myself busy as to stay out of trouble."
" So you cause mass chaos to keep yourself busy as to stay out of even more mass chaos, right bloody mad you are." He popped a chocolate mousse flavoured bean in to his mouth and rolled it around with his tongue before piecing straight through it with his left canine tooth. " Well if I don't keep myself entertained, there's no guessing what I'll do," she stood swiftly and leaned down to run her tongue on the length of his bottom lip. The sweet hint of chocolate lingered on the tip of her tongue; she crawled onto him straddling his lap and stole another lick, this time pushing him against the chair. She dug her nails into his robed shoulders lightly, her lips moved agonizingly slow and wet against his. He groaned lowly grasping her waist, she snaked her tongue into his mouth and swept the chocolate mousse bean into hers.
" Mmm, thanks."
She promptly stood and left, heading up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She passed a petrified Blaise along the way.
" Holy fuck."
Blaise stood with his mouth hanging open and eyes practically bulging from shock. He looked from Draco to the stairs to the jar of beans and back until his mouth was dry. " I-"
" Draco I can't believe you! I told you a hundred times, you can't go around snogging girls all night and risk the chance of Pansy spotting you! She'll castrate you. No, both of us! For Merlin's sake! And of course you had to snog Mimi! What does off-limits mean to you Draco?"
" But she-"
" You'd better hope Pansy hasn't set up her muggle tape recording set gizmo here again, she did it last year you know. And I caught her watching it in slow motion once at The Three Broomsticks under a table. You were brushing your teeth…in the middle of the day."
" I don't enjoy plaque."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
-.-.- highlyflammable;; -.- ][tres'three] ailuro/algophobia
' fear of cats '
' fear of pain '
' she's drawn to it like a moth to a flame "
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
-.-.-
It was twenty-eight degrees Celsius outside, the weather was bright and cheery on the first day of the school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The wildly uncut blades of grass covering the school grounds swayed softly in the breeze, birds chirped and all that was living breathed in and exhaled joy and serenity. Unfortunately, all that was living didn't include the nine Slytherins, eight Gryffindors, four Ravenclaws and five Hufflepuffs reciting N.E.W.T. Defence Against the Dark Arts class safety rules and procedures until, as Snape put it, they were clear and transfixed into their brains. All twenty-six students had their eyes glued to the chalkboard where everything was spelled out for them via Snape's enchanted chalk that although white as snow, had the sinister gloom and grey shadow trailing it just like Snape himself. They droned like zombies, quiet befittingly as each and every one of them had eyes sunken into their sockets, hair messy, face's amuck with or without Muggle concealer and unfocused pupils that strained to read the writing in front of them.
The first class on these lucky teens' first day was Defence Against the Dark Arts with their beloved prof. Severus Snape. Of course they would be better prepared if not for the late night parties in each dorm; some were raunchy and scandalous and others were simply friends catching up after a long and eventful summer. The one tidbit securing all varieties into the single category of party was the type of beverages served. Beverages such as firewhiskey, mead and well-known kiddie drink butterbeer. If memory served them correctly, each student in that dungeon can safely say they are currently suffering a gruesome hangover they rightly deserve. In the case of seven out of nine Slytherins, their hangovers were thankfully not proportionate to the amount of drinking they had done the previous night.
Mimi was the only one slouched over in her seat, arms out in front, hands dangling off the edge of her table and quite blatantly not reciting a word. Her wide, white irises lofted lazily from Hermione's Muggle wristwatch to her own open text, turned to the last chapter, book mark moved aside to reveal a ghastly picture of the Cruciatus Curse being used on a defenceless wizard. Her robe was discarded on top of her book bag; the skirt and dress shirt was stifling on their own. She looked at Hermione's bare legs next to hers; she contrasted greatly with her chocolate skin. She envied the pale skinned girl beside her secretly and silently.
" Mmnugh, Her-H-H…'Mione?"
Hermione didn't dare stop her chanting but motioned for Mimi to continue.
" It's been fifteen minutes, haven't you got it memorized by now? And why is everyone sitting like they got a pole stuck up their arse, Snape already figures they're hung over, no use hiding it for propriety or anything."
" If you haven't noticed, Snape's been much stricter since he started teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. He's gotten even more so now that he's teaching it for the second year in a row, maybe he's happy he made it father than the others we've had before and he wants to reward himself by seeing us suffer."
" That's likely." Mimi snorted.
" Miss Nott, is it difficult for you to read in the morning?" Snape interjected.
" No no, the morning is when I prefer to read actually. Out loud."
Snape sent her a foul sneer and swiftly strode over to the desk her and Hermione Granger was sharing, " You refuse do the task I set you? Perhaps detention on Saturday, 7 p.m. will straighten up that sarcasm of yours. If not, Sunday and Monday nights can always be freed."
" Easily, I'm sure. Pity you won't be doing anything else more productive than disciplining a sarcastic student, productive or social."
" Don't bring your wand with you on Saturday, just your toothbrush and a pale of manure. I've wanted to polish this floor for a long time."
" Fine by me, but why not use your own toothbrush." She let her eyes visibly flitter down to his snarling mouth and stared for a second at his yellowing teeth. " On second thought, I'll give you mine. Seems like you desperately need your own."
" The entire dungeon floor then, you can take all night and all of Sunday too if you wish. I will still expect you in class on Monday with your twenty-four inch long essay on medieval torture techniques and be glad professors at Hogwarts are no longer allowed to put them to use." His hand was twitching for his wand, but Mimi remained in her hunched position. She flipped a page back and began to read up on the Imperius curse.
" Professor Snape, sir. Is it possible we can stop reciting the rules and safety precautions for defence and rather get on with the lesson?"
" Yes mister Malfoy, we can. However I will not tolerate any more distractions…" Most of the class could finish his sentence for him, ' I will not tolerate any more distractions or else'. They kept quiet and despite her hatred for the pure-blooded bigot, Hermione was glad someone finally asked him to continue with the lesson. Mimi stirred and sat back in her chair, stretching her legs forward and slumped. She drew her wand and others followed.
Snape asked them to review their previous year's lessons on non-verbal spell casting and then practise for the remainder of the class while he filed some paperwork at his desk. Harry and Ron, who sat directly in front of Hermione and Mimi, turned their chairs sideways to practise immediately; their notes on non-verbal spell casting sat idly on their desks, ignored. They often stopped and chatted with the girls, confident in their non-verbal skills.
" Why d'you always have to aggravate him Mimi? He's completely serious about the toothbrush and manure you know, Harry had to polish some cauldrons for him way back in second year. Took him hours didn't it Harry?"
" Yeah, but I did manage to finish the last few with my wand. Would've been a bloody fool if I hadn't brought it." Harry shuddered remember the stench of manure on his robes and hands and face. He scrubbed for exactly thirty minutes in the shower until his skin was raw and arms exhausted.
" Mhmm…Snape's a fucking twit."
" How can you just sit there and act like he didn't just tell you to clean entire dungeon floor with horse dung and the instrument you use to brush your teeth with?" Hermione was revolted by the sheer thought of it. She faintly recalled the smell of horses and cows grazing in the field next to her great uncle's farm. She as well shuddered.
The class dragged on and the four of them whispered to each other for a good chunk of it despite Hermione's weak attempts to steer them back to their work. Mimi put several jinxes on Ron, without speaking, soon after he called them slow at spell casting and told them they should start practising if they ever wanted to reach Harry and his level of wizarding genius. Ronald wasn't able to speak until fifteen minutes later when Harry begged Mimi to reverse them so that he could arrange the Quidditch team try-outs while they had a bit of free time. Hermione discouraged the two of them and scolded Harry for thinking Defence Against the Dark Arts was 'free time'.
Draco leaned forward from the seats behind her. " Mimi, practise with me. Blaise is so hung over he can barely cast his spells with words." He had this annoying habit of drawling things lazily into her ear. It tickled too much for her and he enjoyed watching her squirm. Hermione gave her a look that could've been 'don't you dare' or 'just do it already'. Fortunately, Neville Longbottom, who sat with a Ravenclaw slightly snoring in the seats next to Hermione, offered to be her partner. Mimi muttered a thanks and dragged her chair, much to Snape's annoyance, closer to Draco's desk. Zambini had passed out next to him.
Her chair was now perpendicular to his desk so that she faced Draco but could twist her body around to whisper to Hermione or chat with Harry. She dangled her wand arm over the backrest and stretched her legs in front of her. They bumped awkwardly with his. She giggled as his eye twitched, she knew he didn't like playing footsies so she stomped lightly on his feet until he kicked her in the shin. She pretended he hadn't just done that and instead turned his eyebrows wild and fuzzy and wiggling without saying a word. He remedied it silently as well, daring her to continue.
Mimi smirked and turned his hair pink; he immediately crossed her eyes and simultaneously returned his hair to its pale platinum shade. She took a second to try and focus her pupils but the hex was too strong, she reversed it and blinked madly. She hated being cross-eyed outside of her own accord. She made him hiccup bubbles. He turned her tongue to jelly. She made him grow whiskers. He made her green. She made him bite his lip. He made her hair strangle her. She lit his eyelashes on fire. He made a cut on her neck.
She paused.
Draco healed it and stared at her. The same blank look he always had on his face, she couldn't tell what he was thinking but she had an inkling. He said nothing; another cut appeared on her cheek. Her mocha coloured skin quivered, another cut and another appeared on her neck and collarbone. He blinked, her wrists cut open, cuts up her arms. She didn't move. Her eyes darted from his wand to his lips.
There was panic in her eggshell white eyes. Two more cuts ripped open on her ribs, her dress shirt soaked up the minimal amount of blood. Another appeared under one of her anxious eyes. " Stop." He didn't.
Snape glanced up to quickly survey his class spotting Mimi with her back turned, arm lax against her side and her wand hanging loosely in her grip. Two long, deep gashes bled thickly on her back. Snape blinked and it was gone. He blinked again.
Her back was fine. Not a scratch. Snape returned to his filing.
" You mother fucker." She was more than angry at him, but her lip tugged up into a half hearted smirk. She took a second to look down at her hands, no blood, no scars. She sighed.
Draco reached his hand to her neck and traced where the place he had left a cut only a second ago. She jerked away, his skin on hers was like the first spiral of cream that would appear in a cup of coffee before stirred. He leaned forward and reached again, like lightning. Long fingers grasped the wrist that loosely held her wand; she jerked away. He's so pale. She couldn't stand having that ivory skin near her own; she couldn't stamp out the voice telling her that she was too dark. That stupid, infuriating voice telling her that his skin didn't match with hers.
His lipped tugged upward into a malicious grin; he knew exactly what she was thinking. For a third time his hands reached over, he placed it next to hers. It was twitching on his desk, fighting the urge to rake her nails down his pale features and draw his pure blood. White. Bleached. Her eyes were transfixed on his skin.
" What's wrong?" A sickeningly sweet smile graced his face. " You look pale."
She stood and left.
Grabbing her book bag and robe and stowing her wand underneath her belt, she left the dungeon. Snape stood exactly thirty seconds later dismissing the rest of the class. Everyone sleepily packed and began to file out. Draco was stopped seconds after he strolled out the large mahogany doors, he had a firm grasp on Blaise' collar and was steering him towards the stairs.
" What did you bloody say to her, Malfoy?" Ron was furious, Mimi was to walk with him to Transfiguration next and now he had to find the class all by himself. Draco muttered something incomprehensible before dragging Zambini's half asleep arse with him on their way to Charms.
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Mimi was already in her seat when Ron appeared at the doors; breathing heavily like he had just ran a marathon and sweating profusely. She giggled and snapped a shot. It was her four-year-old Muggle camera with manual lenses and manual light adjustment, nothing automatic about it. The film inside was bought for Hogwarts exclusively, to capture the moments that would otherwise slip her memory. Hermione would later help her bewitch them to move, a select few were to remain frozen as any movement would destroy the simply hilarious pose or expression on a face.
" Found the room just fine, without any help!" Ron announced to no one in particular.
" Yes, thank you Mr Weasley." Thirty-one faces stared at him, he shifted uncomfortably. Mimi shot another classic photo of Ronald's shame. She had about two hundred and eighty-nine. " Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get on with the lesson." McGonagall began to write a few basic notes on her large chalkboard; the students copied it hurriedly as she was known to erase notes almost as soon as she finished writing them.
" Nice Ron, very nice." Mimi poked him in the ribs after he settled down next to her.
" It's not my fault, Harry told me the fourth floor, Hermione said fifth."
" So you listened to Pothead then realized Hermione was right?" Pothead Potter, Slytherin jokes stuck too easily to her for her liking.
" Right well, 'Mione's not always looking out for my best interest. I supposed it's because of that chocolate frog I slipped down her robe yesterday. She made a bloody fool out of herself jumpin' around trying to get it out. Did you see the look on George's face?"
" How is George? In love with our Granger yet?"
" Hah, like anyone could love that work-horse. But he understands that she likes him, I duno if he likes her back." Although he didn't notice, a faint tint of blush spread on his face. His eyebrows furrowed and he gripped his quill tighter. " It's odd though, my brother and my one of my best friends."
" Best friend, sure. You've got the hots for her don't even deny it."
" I DO NOT!"
" Mr Weasley?"
" Uh, yes professor?"
" What exactly do you not understand about 12th century alchemy?"
" Well actually, just uh the concept is slightly…um just somewhat err…confusing?"
" Whatever they conjured was not created out of thin air like we have in the present, without wands these nomad tribes survived on alchemy alone."
" Right."
" Particle balance, basic physics and chemistry."
" Right, basic. I'm sure." Ron struggled to actually pay attention from that point onward. McGonagall continued her lesson for the next two hours or so without any more interruptions. Eventually she turned to face the class and dismissed them after congratulating them on not talking through most of it. She promised the next few lessons would involve less note taking and history but instead practising actual transfiguring spells and incantations. Ron was grateful, Mimi remained passive.
Mimi and Ron both had Charms next with prof. Flitwick who was one of their favourite teachers at Hogwarts. His tiny stature and mediocre jokes were good for cheap shits and giggles but each student made sure not to make a sound, it was only too easy to get on his bad side. Underneath the warm, kind exterior Flitwick was an evil mastermind. Draco once had detention with him, only once. He never told anyone what happened but he made sure never to cross the miniature professor again.
The two lazily took notes and practised spells, both were counting down the seconds until class ended and they could go for lunch. The upside to being in N.E.W.T level Charms was that they almost always learned a new spell every week. This week's spell was the Incarcerous spell, which called forth ropes out of thin air to wrap around the chosen victim and bind them tightly enough to lightly suffocate them.
Mimi had enjoyed this spell too much at Ron's expense. It took him until the end of class to forgive her for binding him to an unsuspecting Hufflepuff close by. She was frightened and let out a shrill scream in his ear, he promised to sue Mimi if his hearing did not return.
Eventually, Charms ended and the students filed out into the hallway while Flitwick erased his illiterate scribbles from the chalkboard and began a new set for his next class. Only a few Gryffindors scuttled away to more classes including Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas, they were unfortunately taking extra Herbology classes and had a later lunch.
Harry and Hermione were already seated in their usual spots at the Gryffindor table. Each had a plate of grilled-cheese sandwiches with a dollop of ketchup on the side and pumpkin juice in a golden goblet. Harry was hurriedly stuffing his face in hopes of getting seconds, maybe thirds, while Hermione was taking neat bites in between her excessive studying.
" It's bad enough you ignore my sweet love but to put Potions before her, you are an evil human being." Mimi gave her a light shove and took her uneaten sandwich half. Soon after she spat it back out in her napkin and place it gingerly back on Hermione's plate. " You sicken me, low fat." Ron offered her a rack of ribs from his plate and she gladly accepted.
" How was Charms?"
" Fantastic, but I prefer Transfiguration. McGonagall is so much better at hurting Ron's feelings and making him feel stupid than Flitwick."
" Nneh-ha ha ha, at least I won't be swimming in manure come Saturday while everyone else in my year spends a day out in Hogsmeade." Ron choked on his water.
" Incar-"
" No NO, I'm sorry! Dear Goddrick, I'm sorry!" He ducked and looked to Harry and Hermione for protection. Harry stifled a yawn and continued to gorge on more grilled-cheese. Hermione couldn't be bothered but proceeded to pat Mimi on the back who let out a belch from behind her hand. " Thanks."
Their lunch was extra long as professor Slughorn declared himself to be ill with Dragon Pox and cancelled all Potions lessons for the entire week. A fact Ron, Harry and Mimi couldn't be happier about made Hermione pull out her hair in clumps. " We really can't allow ourselves to fall behind in Potions just because Slughorn doesn't want to start the school year yet. Potions is so important now that we're 7th years."
Harry looked slightly green from all the cheese. " He should be in St Mungos if he actually had Dragon Pox. But I really am relieved we won't have to deal with Potion's until next week. Defence Against the Dark Arts is already so bloody annoying with Snape. Imagine Slughorn with his ' Every one of my students is famous now', ' Every one loves me', ' Join my fucking fantastic amazingly spectacular Slug Club'. The stupid wanker." All three of them turned to look at Harry, " I didn't know you hated him so much Harry."
" I don't, I just hate having to be forced to be a suck up."
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She sat herself down silently next to Draco and dunked a pinkie in his strawberry ice cream. Slowly she sucked on it until he audibly swallowed, she then extracted her pinkie with a slight pop.
" How was Transfiguration?"
" Uneventful."
" Charms?"
" I think Flitwick is a closet hardcore S&M fan. He taught us some a new binding spell. Incarcerous." Thin, black ropes materialized at his hands and bound them to the bench they were sitting on. He kept his back straight and gave her a questioning look, eyebrow quirked slightly.
She leaned across him to stretch for the fruit basket on his far left. She grabbed a banana, his posture visibly stiffened. She smirked.
" Banana's are healthier." As she spoke those words she tapped the fruit with her wand transfiguring it into a banana shaped chocolate bar. She proceeded to suck on the tip until it melted on her lips.
" Mimi."
" Mmm?" Her tongue darted onto her lips and swept the chocolate into her mouth then her attention returned to the banana.
Draco's mouth was slightly agape, his eyes glazed over and his hands fought against the ropes that bound him. He was staring straight at her, watching her sinful lips in action. " There are about a hundred people in here." " Your point?" " Let's go to the common room, a much better place to practise your S&M Charms homework."
She stuck out her tongue, unbound him and left. He didn't trust himself to follow her immediately but decided it was worth whatever trick she had in mind to try. Evidently she was heading for the Slytherin dungeons.
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highlyflammable;; -.- ][quatro'four] androphobia
' fear of men '
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The cold stone was uncomfortable against her skin. Draco wasted no time and attacked her lips with what would have been desperate need if it had been any other person. He didn't need her; they both knew it. " Stop."
He pinned her hips to the wall with his hands, his wand strewn carelessly to the floor. She sucked his bottom lip and bit down lightly. He groaned and she purred. She took great satisfaction as she bruised his tongue and lips. A rusty, raw tang dripped into her mouth, pure blood. She growled impatiently against his ear, his shirt was ripped off. She raked her nails up his sinewy back, he bit the skin thinly stretched over the veins on her neck getting his revenge. Her blood was like a dozen liquefied pennies trickling into his mouth.
" Incarcerous."
Her hands were bound, thin black ropes held her wrists to the dungeon wall.
Draco lifted her off the ground and forced her legs around his waist, her shirt shredded itself to pieces. He licked and bit his way down from her neck past her collarbone. " Stop." She rocked her hips deliciously slow against him and arched her back straight off the wall. " No."
She resisted his touch, struggling for freedom against her restraints. " Undo it." His sharp laugh echoed through the empty common room. " Fucking pr-" He silenced her; his lips moved like silk against hers. Agonizing, intoxicating.
Her soft mewls and moans drove him into a state of madness, he tore her skirt off with minimal effort and made quick work of her bra. It was sky blue as were her knickers.
" Get off."
His buckle disintegrated and his pants pooled at his ankles of their own accord. He ground against her releasing an animalistic grunt, a tangible layer of pressure settled on them. She feverishly rocked her hips against his, her head pressed against the wall, face turned to the side, eyes shut tight and bottom lip between her teeth.
" Fuck." In a second, the last layers of cloth between them melted off their skin and in another second he soundlessly slipped into her, hips moving deliberately slow. " Mmm, Draco." It was like a whisper, he barely heard her over their thundering heartbeats and heavy breathing. She broke free from the ropes and began scratching the nape of his neck, arching her back and pressing her warm, soft, off-white body against his. He groaned into the crock of her neck, pumping deeply, their hips met with every push. " Stop."
He wouldn't, it was too late. Nothing registered any more, not her words or the way she would try and shove him off between thrusts or how she spat his name like it was poison. " Holy fuck." He couldn't think straight, she was so warm and wet and tight. Every part of her like a vice, gripping his shoulders; nails piercing his skin, legs wrapped tightly around his waist.
There was nothing human the way they fucked, each thrust hard and careless. No attention was paid to how her head got slammed plenty of times into the wall or how many times her nails broke the skin on his back or biceps. They were a couple of animals drowning in a wave of heat and irrationality. Nothing about the two of them made any sense.
" Fuck you, Draco."
" Shh," he let out a feral growl, " I'm preoccupied."
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She straightened her skirt one last time and stepped outside the Slytherin common room, the portrait swung shut loudly behind her. When she reached the stairs, Draco appeared at the threshold looking much less tidy. His hair was dishevelled, shirt untucked, a few buttons loose off the top, belt missing and of course hickies scattered everywhere on his neck. They weren't precisely what a normal human being would call a hicky, they were more like large purple bruises with vampire-like bite marks. She had exactly three more than he did; her lips were battered far worse as well.
Mimi swiftly made her way to Herbology, the only class other than D.A.D.A. where she could chat with Harry and Ron, not fail with Hermione and laugh at Blaise just by turning her chair around. She was five minutes late but managed to sneak up beside Harry and steal Ron's seat while he chatted away with Lavender Brown at her table. " Why're you wearing a scarf Mimi? It's boiling in here!" She paused, translucent eyes wide and dodgy. " I'm cold." When Ron returned, he was forced to sit with Hermione and despite his rather irritating complaints, he scootched his chair closer to hers. He claimed it was easier to read her textbook that way as he left his in his trunk back in the Gryffindor tower.
" Sure Ronald, and Harry's scar isn't frightfully disappointing in person."
" Hey, it's lightning shaped. How many lightning shaped scars do you see everyday?"
" It doesn't do anything, you'd think because it is lightning shaped it would at least shock someone if they touched your or something but…disappointing Harry…frightfully so." Mimi snapped a shot with her Muggle camera; it was quite rare to see the boy-who-lived turn cherry tomato red with anger. He spat into her large bucket of Alihotsy, the leaves of which cause hysteria when ingested, she flicked him in the ear.
" Alright class, now Alihotsy is a quite useless plant to be honest." Most of the class peered at professor Sprout with weary eyes, their first day back at Hogwarts was proving to be unusually long. " They are very commonly used in potions brewed to temporarily remedy insomnia and, quite contrary to that, concoctions used to keep oneself awake. However they're often replaced by a few sprigs of the Nettle plant." Blaise let out a yawn, prof. Sprout turned to him and glared.
He quickly muttered an apology before belching extremely loudly, " Uh sorry professor, these leaves make me gassy I suppose." He punched Draco, who sat silently shaking with laughter next to him; dare Blaise Zabini to eat something for a sickle and he won't hesitate for a second. Draco had previously slid into his seat undetected over the noise of the chatting students, grumbling Mandrakes muted greatly by the excessive amounts of soil they were drowned in, and of course the sounds from outside leaking in from the open windows of the greenhouse.
The class was temporarily disrupted by Blaise once again, a few minutes later, who was rushed to the hospital wing for Madame Pomfrey to treat. He had begun to foam at the mouth, twitching almost spastically and shaking with what seemed to be pure, intense excitement. He had also begun to announce to the entire Herbology class his suspicions of a gigantic conspiracy at Hogwarts involving Snape and McGonagall trying to harvest their souls to feed to Dementors. " This is precisely why you do NOT eat anything we deal with in class, Alihotsy causes hysteria for those idiotic enough to stuff their faces with it."
Blaise's seat was taken by Pansy Parkinson who immediately began to crone over Draco and question his absence at lunch. Her pestering increased tenfold when she spotted the bite marks on his neck, her whispers were shrill and threatening but she managed to be quiet enough to keep from getting in trouble. A dark frown etched its way onto his face and remained there until the end of class.
Mimi and Harry hurriedly began to prune the plant in front of them before the words even left prof. Sprout's lips. Whenever they had a moderately boring and useless species of plant in class it meant they needed to extract whatever could be useful and bottle it to be used in Potions classes. The pair made sure to be first to finish as they would get rewarded with ten points to Gryffindor each as well as a jar of Jobberknoll feathers. The pair of them used these, with tons of help from Hermione, to make the Forgetfulness potion to use on Filch whenever they were caught out of bed past midnight.
" 'Mione, how do you do that without splitting the thing in half?" Ron was having no luck with his half of the stalk of Alihotsy the two shared. Each time he bent down to cut a leaf off, it would tear itself in two rendering it even more useless than it would be whole according to prof. Sprout. " Just snip it at the end Ron, the end!" Hermione already had two bottles of the emerald green leafs and was starting on her third when she decided she should help Ron out.
Harry sniggered at the pair in front of him and with a wave of his wand forced Ron to bump head with Hermione. " Ouch, Ronald!" Hermione whipped a hand to her forehead as if afraid she had lost some of her brain cells in the collision which wasn't unlikely seeing as Ron's head was the size of a quaffle and as hard as a bludger. " Sorry 'Mione, sorry." Mimi thought it was quite endearing the way he didn't argue but made sure he didn't crack her skull open with his. She turned to Harry mouthing: " Isn't that adorable?"
By the end of class, Hermione managed to help Ron fill three bottles of the dratted leaves and Harry and Mimi finished the quota of seven full bottles winning themselves two jars of Jobberknoll feathers. They cackled evilly and received strange looks from the Hufflepuffs sitting on either side of them. Draco and Pansy came in close second and would've won if not for his lack of involvement. He simply didn't care enough to lift a finger and instead focused on sabotaging his partner by yawning and accidentally shoving her bottles to the floor. The leaves being incredibly fragile practically shattered along with the glass, Pansy was furious but she kept her mouth shut.
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" So your first day back was a complete and total bust?"
" Pretty much, at least our hangovers are long gone though."
" Oh Harry Potter, the boy-who-drank-way-to-much-and-ruined-the-whole-night-by-dancing-to-Genie-In-A-Bottle-on-top-of-the-table-for-the-whole-Gryffindor-house-to-see!" George was indulging in a pint of firewhiskey himself as he scolded Harry; he was sitting next to Hermione who couldn't seem to keep her face one colour. When he looked her way she turned pink as her face overheated, when he said suggestive things to her she turned green as she got dizzy and when he innocently put his hand on her knee she turned blue. Blue because she stopped breathing and all the book smarts in the world couldn't make her understand she needed air to live.
" That's his full name too, would have put it on his notebooks too but it just couldn't possibly fit." Fred apparated into the room with a loud pop and sat on the other side of Hermione. She turned a violent shade of purple before Mimi snuck up behind her and slapped her in the back forcing the bushy haired genius to swallow large gulps of air. " Bloody hell."
" The girl loves her oxygen?"
" That's likely, want me to take you to Madame Pomfrey? You look ill."
" Ron, she's fine. Just overworked, it's all the Potions she's been reading up on." Mimi gave Ron a stern look, her eyes warned him of impossibly painful or embarrassing jinxes if he continued to pester Hermione. She sat beside him and whispered into his ear, hand covering her mouth and eyes dodgy, void of any discreetness. " If you're not going to snatch her up, at least let her enjoy George's company! She's a pretty little thing, don't hold her back." Ron grumbled and sat back into the scarlet red couch, he sent evil glares at Hermione and George for the rest of the evening.
" Are you sure you haven't eaten one of our special sweets 'Mione?"
" Yeah, we specifically made them to look like regular ones you know, like our chocolate craniums. Gives you a full hour of mental stimulation for study and what not and looks exactly like a chocolate frog! Not as popular as our puking pastilles though!"
" Does she look like she's going to be sick or mentally stimulated?" George took another swig of his drink and gave her a look over. She had stopped hyperventilating and managed to settle back into the brilliant gold couch, somehow she managed to conjure a Transfiguration textbook and tried to hide behind it pretending to read. " Not mentallystimulated." Mimi snickered and Harry choked on his spit.
George leaned closer and saw her visibly stiffen, he reached over and snatched her book clean from her hands. She covered her blush from his close proximity with anger and proceeded to lightly smack him on the shoulder until he gave in and returned her book.
Harry decided to distract Ron with their Herbology homework which was due the next Monday but he had nothing else up his sleeve. Hermione tried her best to focus on her Transfiguration but she couldn't help but laugh at George's jokes and the faces he and his twin made back and forth from either side of her. Mimi sat cross-legged, back against the brick of the fireplace and remained silent. Now and then she would pop a Bertie Bott's bean into her mouth; chocolate mousse.
" Look at them! Shameless, and right in front of me!" Ron's whispers were angry and sharp in Harry's ear.
" Well why not, you two are just friends right?"
" Shove off Harry."
Hermione and George continued to innocently flirt for the remainder of the night much to Ron's dismay and obvious disapproval.
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A week had passed just as slowly as the first day had and Mimi found her self staring down at a large, crusty bucket of manure and her own toothbrush sticking out from the centre. She had her wand tucked loosely under her belt now proving to be more useless than a pair of gloves riddled with holes as Snape casted an anti-magic field in each of the dungeon rooms prior to her arrival. " Fucking douche nozzle."
She rolled up the sleeves of her annoyingly thin dress shirt, she muttered curses at herself for not bringing her sweater. Half way into her work she paused and acknowledged her subconsciously genius brain for choosing said thin dress shirt as a sweater would've soaked up half the manure she scrubbed into the floor. " Urgh, fucking urgh!" It smelled like rotten fruit and burnt grass and that sickening odour one would find wafting heavily from a sweaty, obese,sweaty man who simply did not believe in basic hygiene.
The bristles on her toothbrush were falling off by the stroke; she planned Snape's death to be a horribly humiliating one, perhaps falling off his chair into a pit of ravenous baby dragons. Or maybe lock him in a room with Hagrid's brother Grawp.
" Mother-bloody-fucking prat. AH!" She had accidentally flicked a speck of manure onto her face; it landed dangerously close to her mouth. She spent the next five minutes viciously kicking the bucket around, covering every inch of the floor and most of the desks and cauldrons with slimy, gooey tripe. Afterwards she focused on scrubbing her face clean in one of the large, metallic basins managing make the tap work after whacking it into submission.
Eventually she left the room in an upheaval of searing anger, giving the bucket one last kick and over turning a few desks. Before she headed out the door she turned back and took a gander at the havoc she created. Chairs broken, splinters scattered everywhere hidden under layers of rotting manure, the chalkboard was split in two and lay sadly over Snape's desk and her dirty, ruined toothbrush lay on his clean stack of parchment. The words FUCK YOUR FLOORS were written in manure on the wall and a messy drawing of Snape in a hangman's noose was done beside it.
When Snape saw what she had done he set out immediately to find her and gut her like a fish. He torn Hogwarts apart in his search even calling Filch to his side for help but eventually admitted defeat and returned to his quarters to cry himself to sleep. At three in the morning he sat up right in his bed, drenched in cold sweat, he realized he had forgotten to tear apart the one place she would be almost guaranteed to be raising hell in; Hogsmeade.
Mimi was indeed traversing the quaint magical town of Hogsmeade and soon ran into Blaise Zabini who had returned from the Hospital Wing a few days earlier and was finally back to his old state. This included constant paranoia, hundreds of conspiracy accusations and of course a bit of foaming at the mouth. " Blaise did they treat you or just bathe you and gave you some new clothes?" She was seated next to him in the Three Broomsticks, a mug of butterbeer in front of her with his arm slung casually over her shoulder.
" They gave me some chocolate and told me to sleep."
" Yeah I thought you smelled pretty shitty to have been bathed."
" Ridiculous!" He leaned his heavy head on hers which barely reached his chin even when she was sitting. " You're short you know?"
" I didn't like milk as a child…that and I was lactose intolerant."
She couldn't help but relax into Blaise's strong arms, his chocolate skin on hers was acceptable, it matches. Fuck off. Stay away from that pale skinned one.Shut up. I'm only looking out for you. Stupid fucking-he's talking to you, answer him.
" FUCK OFF."
" Mimi?"
" Mhmm?"
" You're uh…mutterin some nonsense to yourself again. Have you been taking your medication? Fuck it, where's the bottle?"
" No idea, back on the train maybe."
She snapped a shot of Blaise with his jaw dropped, eyes bulging and face overheating from anger. " Just kidding 'Bini, it's in the Slytherin common room…or err, the Gryffindor one. Maybe even Ravenclaws."
" How could it be in the Ravenclaws?"
" Remember Clearwater, Percy's old girl? Her little brother has a crush on me and I often take advantage of him."
" Evil you are." Mimi smirked, " But really you should start taking it regularly now, I'm a bit worried about you." A moment of silence passed the two of them, Mimi chugged down half of her butterbear and sighed. " Don't tell me what to do." He let it be at the time, realizing that whatever he had to say wouldn't be taken into consideration.
" Have you seen Draco around lately? I only sat with him a couple times for Defence Against the Dark Arts and Herbology and he runs off to his other classes before I could even get a word." Blaise's words were muted slightly by the buzz created by the crowds of students relaxing with a drink inside the popular bar. She stole his shot of frosted vodka that contained a dozen drops of tequila.
" I'm happy you're buddies with the bartender, it's a large part of why I love you darling." Eggshell white eyes glinted, she shaded her face with an arm; the light though dim still bothered her especially after slaving for hours down in the dungeons. She giggled slightly, down in the dungeons.
" You're avoiding my question."
" Shh." She slipped out of his grip and lay down; legs sprawled on the cushy seat in their secluded booth. " I'm tierd." Unfortunately for her and Blaise, Pansy Parkinson took that moment to invade.
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-.-.- highlyflammable;; -.- ][cinco'five] acoustico/achluophobia
' fear of noise '
' fear of the dark '
' it was her addiction'
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Pansy Parkinson sat herself down next to Blaise, lightly setting down her mug of butterbeer on a pink, laced and heavily scented coaster she pulled out from the book bag slung on her shoulder. Gently, with the pads of her fingers as to not ruin her fresh manicure, she lifted it back up for sip.
" Draco's just at the bar getting us some real drinks."
Pansy always had an air about her that seemed to tick off any living being within a ten foot radius. She had on her usual attire consisting of a scandalously short snakeskin skirt, low cut emerald green v-neck shirt accompanied with matching stilettos. Her hair was glossy and reeked of the salon styling gels and sprays, it was pin straight and dark brown. The scent of strawberry twizzlers and cotton candy wafting from her homemade coaster gave both Mimi and Blaise wild fantasies about gnawing the lace off of it.
" Spectacular! Mimi just finished mine, the guy's always got good timing."
" Not for you Blaise, for him and I. He took me out to Yulanda's salon today, then he wanted to have a drink probably thought I was thirsty." She let out a dainty giggle then inspected her nails.
" Which translates into; your fat ass dragging his sad ass all around Hogsmeade until he realized he might as well preoccupy your enormous air head with a cheap hair cut and varnish on those ghastly stubs you call nails. Until of course he finally had to have a shot of tequila, even though he'd much rather have a shot of cold, hard bullet driven into his skull, after spending a few hours with you. Waste of a perfectly good Saturday." A smug grin crept onto Blaise's face as he watched her fight the urge to attack him; she twitched madly, spilling the frothy drink which was still clasped in her claws.
" YOU SON OF-''
" Pansy, enough."
" Don't start with me Mimi, I saw those marks on his neck that day and they match with some one else's. There were scratches on his arms too, don't think I don't know what went on during that lunch."
" Marks? Scratches?" Blaise gave Mimi a questioning look.
" Haven't the foggiest." Mimi kept her position on the other side of Blaise; bent at an angle, stuffed into the corner, limbs sprawled haphazardly on the pumpkin orange plush and face hidden underneath the jet-black bowler hat she stole from Fred.
" Oh please, where did Draco's favourite belt disappear to? I haven't seen it in a week, it's not even in his drawers!"
" You search my drawers?"
Draco made himself comfortable on the opposite side of their dimly lit booth, far away from Pansy's arms which waited ten more seconds outstretched for a hug. He shook his head slowly until she clued in. Blaise was excited to see Draco in person after almost a week of him running the other way when they bumped into each other.
" So why exactly has he been avoiding you lately hmm?" Pansy directed her gaze towards Mimi.
" He's been avoiding us, Mimi?" Blaise was distraught.
" Err, suppose I wasn't a good lay?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm but the glint in her eye was enough proof for Pansy.
" Lay?" Blaise blinked madly and looked back and forth from the two girls with bewildered, cocoa eyes.
" No nothing compared to me of course," her eyes fluttered to Draco and gave him a needlessly obvious wink.
" Then it's too bad he's never been drunk enough to settle." Mimi quipped.
" WAIT!"
" What 'Bini?"
" What's all this rubbish about you shagging Draco? You told me you ate lunch with Pothead and Weasel that day!" Blaise was outraged, he wanted to murder Draco for tainting his best friend. How dare that weasel touch her.
" And Bookworm Bushhair, don't forget her!"
" Mimi get serious! You didn't really shag him did you?"
She looked nervously to Hermione's Muggle watch she swiped from her prefect's dorm, it was strapped dangerously loose to her petit wrist and she had to twist the front right way round to actually tell the time.
" The time's flown by hasn't it, off to bed for me and my old bones, got to get my beauty sle-"
She sat upright and attempted to crawl over the table after Blaise barred her escape route with a long leg. She decided she didn't like being cornered off in a booth as small as theirs and chose over instead of under the dingy, unwashed table.
" Off to sleep right, like I wouldn't know you're a stark raving mad insomniac by now!" Blaise scuffed her by the collar and forcefully sat her down. " Ah! My tailbone, you wanker!" She squeaked and scuffled as far away from the surprisingly strong boy.
" Nothing happened between us, I was shagging Abby Swarts from our Charms class, remember her Blaise?" Draco questioned, his gaze never leaving his drink. " Fab-ass-Abby? You sodding wanker, you did not!" Draco nodded solemly, " And if you must know, her ass was fantastic," he let a smirk slip and for a fraction of a second he glanced at Mimi.
" Give me that," taking Draco's shot of veela vodka Mimi sneered at him and drained it in one gulp. " Oh yeah, I missed the hard stuff, drinking night ladies and gents?"
Blaise turned to face her with a gigantic smirk, taking his butterbeer in one hand and a lemon wedge in the other. " Mhmm?" He too drained his drink and finished with a squirt of lemon. " Drinking night it is!"
3 Hours Later
" D-d-drrrrakey poo, let's go back to the common room, I want to climb on top of you and make you scream my name…"
" PANSY GET OFF! How bout that?" He snarled at her to drive his point home, he was in no mood to have Pansy all over him in his current state. Four shots of veela vodka each, 3 butter beers for him and Mimi and 2 firewhiskey on the rocks for him, Mimi and Blaise should've knocked them unconscious. Mimi secretly thanked some sort of cosmic being for magic as she cast a sobering up charm on Blaise so that he could fly the three of them back to the castle. He never minded being the designated driver, which she greatly appreciated when it came to nights like these.