Serpensortia
Chapter Three: Crossed Viper
The next day, Theodore spent some free time before lunch lounging in his favorite leather reading chair while playing a charmed wizarding chess game by himself. He could never find an opponent to match his skill anyways, he figured. Currently, a group of first years sat close to the fire while they chatted and studied together in the gleam of the firelight on enormous floor pillows made of green and silver velvet. It seems they hadn't gotten used to the chill of the dungeon yet as a few warmed their fingers near the fire. The first year girls would sneakily steal looks over at the only study table not swarmed with people. Draco Malfoy sat at a study table catching up on the work he'd missed while he had been recuperating in the infirmary from a condition he described as 'near death.' He had all his books and supplies claiming all the available space of the table, and his foul mood deterred anyone from encroaching on his territory. Pansy had learned the error of doing just that earlier when an attempt to fawn over him earned her a loud, embarrassing demand for personal space that had her slinking out of the Common Room with teary eyes.
Blaise Zabini came out of the large black marble door adorned with serpents that marked the entrance to the boys' side of the dormitories. Spotting Theo, Blaise sat in a matching armchair nearby and watched Theo's chess match with interest.
"It's scary how good you are this, mate," Blaise said after a few moments of silence.
"Strategy is an important skill to have in life." Theo remarked back, "I've been playing since I was little. Father insisted. It never did make him proud."
"Glad I was spared the burden of a father's expectations." Blaise said, "Though family expectations do seem to be the curse of this House. We aim for greatness, as they say, but our families are to blame for all of us valuing that above all else."
"They should beware the overreaching monsters they've molded." Theo softly said, as he checkmated on the charmed board and the pieces marched back to their original positions. Theo watched Blaise's face to see if there were any telltale signs that Theo's allusion at rebelling against his parentage had alarmed him. They both knew Theo was ambiguously referring to rebelling against everything his parents stood for: the Dark Lord and his war. Blaise mulled over whether he should consider his statement an invitation to band together in dissent or a threatening confession of the side he had chosen in this war to a dear friend. Slytherins were so apt to use doublespeak that it's often hard to know the true subtext at times.
The moment was interrupted by Draco Malfoy abandoning his worktable to conjure a chair that looked more like a throne at the other end of the wizarding chess board so he could sit down with them. To their surprise, he reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a polished silver flask. He offered it directly to Theo as he said, "Shall we cheers to making that a promise then? Between us cunning folks that achieve their own ends?"
He frowned at the flask and taunted, "Should you risk poisoning yourself again so soon after release?" Theo took a sip and passed the flask to Blaise. Blaise let out a snicker before checking the flask's contents and then taking a shot himself.
"I can't believe that happened in Potions. It's almost as if someone purposely poisoned you… As if someone was too stupid to know the proper amount of antidote per person was a tablespoon rather than a full bottle." Blaise pointed out, innocently. Draco didn't seem to get the hint.
"Don't be jealous, Blaise," Draco sneered, "Pansy apologized for the accident. She sat at my bedside practically the whole time. That's just Fire Whisky in there, but if you can't handle drinking it, I'm sure she'd nurse you back to health too if you just begged her to."
"She owes you an apology for throwing that potion deliberately right in your face. Pureblood women should exercise manners, after all." Blaise said, irritated. Theo watched the exchange pensively.
"What reason would she have to do that? That makes no sense!" Draco huffed before vacating the chair in anger and stomping out of the dungeons. A few giggling first year girls jumped up from their spots by the fire to discreetly follow Malfoy to the Great Hall for dinner a few paces behind him.
Blaise looked at Theo in exasperation and said, "There's always a penchant for dramatic exits in this House."
"Always room for you in Hufflepuff. I'm sure they always politely ask to take their leave." Theo began, grinning mischievously, "You know, between poisoning Draco with love potion antidote and being at his bedside, Pansy also shoved Granger yesterday. Threw her book down the hall. Yelled that her reading material was proof of her 'interest in famous Slytherins.'."
Blaise broke out in a menacing smile in return. "You know what this means? We are going to have so much fun ridiculing Pansy to no end, Theo. She actually thinks Draco is in love with that swotty mudblood? This is the highlight of my year." Blaise laughed as he got out the chair, stretched, and surveyed the Common Room. Everyone had cleared out for lunch except them. Theo carefully put his chess board on a side table so pieces wouldn't get jostled. Blaise went over to Draco's study table where he'd left all his stuff laying around, grabbed a few homework parchments, and stuffed the stolen materials in his robe pockets. They set off for the Great Hall.
"Do you need any Transfiguration homework answers? I seemed to have just completed my assignment." Blaise asked, indicating his pocket.
"No thanks."
"Then don't complain to me when you don't get top marks on it. Draco's handiwork always gets me higher scores. Transfiguration is torture. He always scores second in that class somehow, but don't tell him I noticed."
"Bet I can beat both yours and Draco's Transfiguration assignment scores this week." Theo offered. "30 galleons on it?"
Blaise quickly shook Theo's hand in agreement as he scoffed, "Only person to beat Draco in scores will be Granger, mark my words, and I have concerns that she's a transfigured book parading as a human anyways. I'll probably even beat your assignment scores this week too, if I'm sneaky enough. Luckily, that bloke doesn't pick up after himself from years of being catered to by house-elves. You didn't say I couldn't cheat."
You didn't say I couldn't either, Theo laughed to himself. Granger completing my assignments for me this week just got that much more satisfying.
Defense against the Dark Arts was the most contentious class of the day for the rival houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hermione sat down at her desk and immediately gathered everything she'd need in front of her as Neville pulled out the seat next to her at the table. Harry and Ron sat by themselves at the table behind her, and she smiled at them whispering excitedly to each other about Quidditch strategies to try out at practice. They'd hush to softer tones as soon as any Slytherin came by, and Hermione was amused about how they suspicious they were about their top secret plans. A brief look at Neville Longbottom next to her confirmed he looked eager yet afraid as he did in most classes. She gave him a reassuring pat on the arm and smiled at him in hopes of cheering him up. All hopes of Neville's fear diminishing completely vanished when his least favorite teacher strolled in the door.
Snape slammed the door shut behind him and flicked a quick locking charm at it to prevent tardy students from entering. He hated tardiness. No excuses; No entry. Neville's pale face filled with horror at being stuck in the front row so close to one of his greatest fears.
"I will be filling the role of Defense against the Dark Arts Professor beginning today. It seems we will be graced with a Potions Professor from previous years, Horace Slughorn. He's come out of retirement after much persistence from our Headmaster, so treat the Professor with the respect he's due."
Hermione's hand shot up, and Snape had to restrain himself from sighing. "Yes, Miss Granger? I haven't begun the lesson yet, so what could you possibly have questions about?"
"What happened to the Professor that's has taught us so far? " she asked, but Snape announced, "The same thing that has happened to every professor who has occupied this position before now. Gone from this taxing position."
"What do you mean by 'gone'?"
"I mean it's none of the students' business." Snape ended personal questions by students with that blunt answer often, so Hermione didn't push further. Murmurs of "it's the jinx!" began to crop up to Snape's displeasure.
"All of you in this classroom are here because you earned at least an Exceeds Expectations on your O.W.L.s. That's what I expect of your scores in my class from here until the end of the year. If any of you produce work reminiscent of an OWL Poor, Dreadful, or Troll score, I'll dole out detentions. I'd ordinarily require an Outstanding in my class for you to advance to N.E.W.T lessons. Don't…disappoint…me" Snape said, scowling. "Today, we will begin by turning to page 493 in your book. Defensive spells should've been mastered by now, so we will pick up with Offensive spells. Binding curses. This particular curse is pronounced Incarcerous. Read the text carefully. Practice pronunciation of the curse then its counter curse which is on the next page before casting the spells with a partner." With that, Snape let them be. He sat at the front desk looking over notes and papers with periodic distrustful glances around the room.
"This is a waste of time. I've been able to cast this curse since I was 7. NEWT level, my arse." came Draco's drawl from the back of the room at his desk surrounded by his Slytherin peers.
"Not everyone is as talented as you, Draco. Look at Longbottom over there. It'll take him all school year just to read the page let alone cast the spell right. His family lineage suffered from inbreeding, I suspect. " Pansy cooed. Hermione turned in her seat from her task of pointing out important parts of the text to Neville to level a warning glare at Pansy.
"Have your laugh, Parkinson. It's not as if you're top of the class."
"I don't need to prove myself as a witch by getting good grades like you do. Everyone knows I'm more of a witch than you are."
"Then why don't you cast this spell and prove it if you're so magical?" Hermione challenged, standing up and gripping her wand. She put her arms out in an inviting gesture. "I already know the countercurse, so have at me if you can manage it." Pansy went to get out of her chair, but Draco was quickly out of his seat and gently shoving her back. He pulled his wand casually out of his robe before loftily flipping it into the ready position in his hand.
"Pans, you sit back. I'll be glad to handle this." he said with a grin over his shoulder at Pansy, who looked about to swoon in her seat at the gallantry. Harry and Ron looked ready to spring from their seats, but Hermione's stern look stopped them. They knew from experience there was no point getting in her way when she had that determined twinkle in her eye.
"How gentlemanly of you to save her the embarrassment." Hermione mocked, holding her own wand at the ready.
"I'm only a gentleman to ladies, Granger. I can't tell what creature you are underneath that giant curly mess you call hair." Fellow Slytherins laughed and clapped in delight at this comeback, and Draco's smug smirk grew.
"I'll clap when I'm impressed." she deadpanned, impatiently.
"Incarcerous!" Draco shouted, light erupting from his wand. Hermione wordlessly flicked her wand in an arch and the spell stopped short of reaching her. Shocked faces and silence took over the room. The only reaction Hermione cared to witness was Draco Malfoy's as his smug face slowly transformed into bafflement.
"Nonverbal magic! We're not even to that section yet! Is that even in the book?" Neville exclaimed, alarmed, as he flipped further in the textbook.
"I'd advise against further spell demonstration." Snape warned, testily, from the teacher's desk in the front of the room. "Detentions will be forthcoming. Wands away and take your seats now, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger."
Ron looked delighted and whispered to Hermione as she sat down, "You should've gotten at least 100 House points for that. That was bloody brilliant!" She was proud that she'd stuck up for a friend and herself, and her face was lit by a small smile the rest of the class as she continued to coach Neville on his spell pronunciation and technique. Neville even seemed grateful that she'd stepped up to his defense, and he studied more resolutely in thanks for her encouragement.
When the period ended, Hermione began packing up in her meticulous way. Most of the students rushed out of this class as fast as possible as it was the last period before dinner. She'd waved Harry and Ron on since they were impatient to tell the whole Gryffindor table of their elaborate Quidditch plans. She'd rather miss that conversation anyways. Hermione was making sure her notes books were orderly in her bag so she wouldn't get to the library with ink spilling and crumpled parchments everywhere. She was used to being the last one out of class. She'd just pulled the strap of her heavy school bag over her shoulder and reached the threshold of the classroom door when the resounding claps reached her ears. She turned around. Draco Malfoy, who'd yet to move from his seat, sat there loudly applauding her with a strangely pleased look.
"What's this about, Malfoy?" She was certain this was a prelude to some sort of prank.
"Well," he said, "I'm impressed." Hermione had no idea what to say, so she left the classroom before her expression could give away her discomfort at receiving praise for the first time from her most earnest rival.
A/N: Thanks again for reading Serpensortia! I'm really enjoying how this story is shaping up. I hope you are too! Keep slithering on, sneks!