Hello readers! I am so sorry this took so long! My new job is rather time consuming. I promise never to take three months to post a new chapter again! As always, reviews are much appreciated! Thanks!
Christmas had come and gone in the blink of an eye, and before she knew it, Persephone was back at Hogwarts. "What does Draco's bedroom look like?" Astoria questioned over breakfast one morning
"Green." Persephone answered between bites of toast.
"Is that all?" Astoria replied, exasperated, "Does he have a Quidditch poster? He must! What team does he follow? Persephone, please! Tell me everything!"
"Oh, come off it Astoria!" Gabriel chided, "He's only human, why don't you just ask him?" and then to her horror, he did just that. "Hey, Draco! What's your Quidditch team? Astoria wants to know." Gabriel shouted to the other side of the Slytherin table.
A blond head then popped up to look their way. "Bulgaria!" Said Drako. Astoria nearly fell off her seat, but grabbed the sleeve of Persephone's robes just in time to right herself. Astoria promptly turned the color of a ripe tomato and grinned foolishly at Draco. He shook his head, before going on to say "Haven't you heard of Victor Krum? He's only 17 and he's the most Brilliant seeker alive! Makes Potter look like flying flubber worm!" He waited a moment, giving Astoria the opportunity to respond, but she just continued to grin in that dreamy, mindless way. "How about you? Don't you think Krum's the greatest seeker alive?"
Astoria could not stop herself. As soon as the words escaped her lips, she knew she sounded like an idiot, but speak them she did "You're the greatest seeker, Draco!" Gabriel made a disgusted grunt and Persephone groaned and looked away. And Astoria? She didn't know what to do, so she just stared at Draco grinning that awful grin.
"Um… thanks." Draco said before leaving the table, Crab and Goyle trailing behind him, laughing hysterically.
"You-" Persephone began, but Astoria cut her off.
"Don't." she said, glowering at her friends, face still red and blotchy, "Just don't."
A days worth of classes did not soften Astoria's dark mood.
"Why did I say that?" she mustered to herself in the back of the Slytherin common room. Their favorite seats by the fire were occupied by none other than Draco and his gang. "Why, why did I say that? Why did you say that?" she said, turning on Gabriel. "You just had to embarrass me, 'Draco, what's your Quidditch team? Astoria wants to know'" she said in in a mock innocent voice.
Gabriel looked up from his charms homework, "I said I'm sorry, would you stop your moping?"
"What's your Quidditch team?" She mimicked again.
"Can we please talk about something other than Quidditch?" Gabriel said, standing up, annoyed.
Astoria looked at him, just as irritated, "Oh I forgot, your still sore about not making the Slytherin house team." Standing up from her seat she continued, "You know they always say good things come in small packages, but I guess Flint didn't think so."
Persephone then stood and put herself between them. "That's enough, Astoria! That's uncalled for!"
"Oh fine, take his side!" Astoria shouted before bolting down the spiral staircase leading to the girl's dormitory.
Persephone sat down first, Gabriel looked at her before saying "Thanks" and sitting beside her.
"Don't thank me," she said, "you shouldn't make a fool of her in front of Draco either!"
"I know, I know" Gabriel said happily, "and I said I was sorry, I really am sorry. It won't happen again. But she didn't need me to make a fool out of her, she did a job of that on her own" he said laughing
Persephone raised her eyebrows at him, then cracked a grin that quickly turned into full laugh. "I can't believe she said that!" she said, out of breath from laughing.
"You're the best seeker, Draco!" Gabriel imitated, doubled over with laughter.
They didn't notice the large figure leering over them. Marcus Flint cleared his throat to make his presence known. "What's so funny? Did the pint size chaser hit a miniature quaffle into a teeny tiny ring?" a group of gigantic house players laughed from behind Flint.
"Bugger off, Flint!" Gabriel said, standing up and inadvertently displaying his size.
"Ooh, the ickle chaser's angry!"
Gabriel's eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry, Flint, are you having trouble understanding me? Let me try it in Troll!" Gabriel then proceeded to make a series of grunting noises, to the great amusement of the Slytherin beaters, Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, who snorted with laughter.
"Shut up you two!" Flint said. Not being the brightest, he had trouble coming up with a witty quip. Instead, he lifted Gabriel by the back of his robes, and dangled him above his seat.
Persephone felt her blood pressure rising. Who does this idiot think he is? Before she could think, she felt herself pulling her wand out of her robes and shouting "Oppungo!"
Every quill in the room, whether it be in use, or lying stagnant, flew into the air and jutted toward Flint who stood stupidly as he was repeatedly poked by points and tickled by feathers.
He dropped Gabriel immediately as the quills forced him to the ground. Laughing and crying all at once, he thrashed on the floor.
Gabriel looked at Persephone, who seemed to be surprised at what she had done. He began to laugh at the pathetic Flint. Others crowded around, pointing and laughing at the ridiculous sight.
Persephone felt something bubbling up inside her. Something powerful, pleasant, but slightly frightening. Suddenly it erupted from within her and burst from her mouth. A high pitched, derisive, almost insane, laugh.
It felt so good! Electricity ran from her arm through her wand and her whole body tingled with the sheer joy of causing this fool pain and humiliation! He deserved it after all.
Everyone was crowding around; the entire common room was clustered around the writhing idiot on the floor, laughing at him. But Persephone's cackle cut through the others. She couldn't stop it, in fact, she felt completely out of control.
Suddenly she felt a hand tighten over hers, firmly, but not aggressively. "That's enough, Persephone." Said Draco, lowering her wand for her.
A flood of emotions rushed over Persephone. First anger. Why did he stop me? Then shock. Why couldn't I stop myself? Finally she felt relief. Its over, she thought.
"I don't know what came over me, Draco." She said in a low voice so only he could hear. The others were still laughing at Flint as he pulled himself up from the ground.
"I think you should go bed, Persephone. You look exhausted." he replied, concern written all over his face.
She felt exhausted. Drained of all energy. "Yes, I think I will." And she slipped away unnoticed. Before falling asleep she wrote her mother another letter, relaying the nights experience and the strange joy she felt in causing Flint pain. Her mother was said to enjoy torturing others. Did this make her like her mother? Persephone felt terrible.