Nikki liked to think that she was a good friend. She liked to think that she was fair and unbiased towards any situation. She liked to think that she a hard-worker, a thinker, and a strategist. Most importantly, she liked to think that any situation can be solved with a talk and apology.
But last night's events left Nikki's beliefs suspended in mid-air. She couldn't see how anything could make this situation better.
The whole Gryffindor house was in a rage once they saw how little their hourglass held. When they found out that it was Hermione and Harry's fault it was that way, the house turned livid. Almost everyone was avoiding the two of them now. Gryffindors casted them glares in the halls, Hufflepuffs talked nasty things about them whenever they past, and Ravenclaws pretended the two of them didn't exist. The only people who seemed happy were the Slytherins, and they laughed at the Gryffindor's lost whenever the two houses encountered one another.
It seemed that only people who weren't against Harry and Hermione, were Hagrid, Liz, Ron, Neville, and Nikki.
Liz became more violent than ever before. She wasn't just attacking Slytherins now, she was attacking anyone she saw making her friends uncomfortable with guilt. Her violence made Ravenclaw lose a lot of points. And when her house had only shrugged off her fault in lowering their chances to win the house cup, Liz turned livid.
"Oh so if I lose the house points, no one's angry. But if Harry and Hermione loses them it's a problem!" she screeched at an older Ravenclaw when he brushed her off.
"That's not the same thing-"
"Of course it's the same thing! Everyone loses House points! It's done everyday! Is this school mad at Harry for losing the points or are you mad that Harry was involved in the incident? Cause me and Nikki were going to step in and take the blame for all of this before Harry stopped us! Are you blinded at the fact that your Golden Boy isn't who you want him to be? Or are you just a hypocrite like every other moron in this school? Smartest house my arse! You all are just sheep that can't decide what they want. A hero or a scapegoat."
Liz turned right on her heel and marched off to her dorms, leaving most of the house with wide eyes and dropped mouths. She found Nikki sitting on her bed with her arms pulling her knees to her chest. She sat besides her friend with a huff.
"Morons, all of them."
"What are we going to do, Liz?" Nikki asked quietly. "What can we do to help Harry and Hermione?"
Liz looked at her friend through the corner of her eye and sighed out, "I don't know, Nikki. I don't know."
The lighter raven laid back and put her hands on stomach. She said out loud, "We already apologized to them. They said it wasn't our fault and that nothing would change that. I can only fight with so many people. McGonagall already warned me that the next time I fight, I'm being sent to see the Headmaster."
"We need to take action, though!" Nikki retorted. She looked so confused and lost.
Liz shrugged slightly. "Well, it's not like we can get ourselves in detention with them."
Nikki blinked and her eyes widened as an idea came into her head. She let out an ear-splitting squeal and hug Liz the best she could.
"Of course! Liz, that's it! We'll get into detention with them! You're a genius!" she exclaimed.
Liz blinked. "What? You want to be in detention?"
"Of course!" Nikki's face was stern with determination. "I already have a plan at how to get in."
...oOo...
"What's Nikki doing standing on the table?"
"Trying to get detention."
"...Why?"
"She wants to make it up to your two for losing so much of your house points."
"Liz, I already told you-"
"Ssh, Lion. I want to see what'll happen."
"AND THIS IS WHY ALL HOUSES SHOULD BE HELPING SLYTHERIN WIN AND NOT PUSHING THEM DOWN FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT! SNAKES OVER ALL!"
"MS. COLLINS. I AM SO-"
"Ashamed? Disappointed? Really to throw in detention with the dogs?"
"-PROUD THAT YOU WOULD PERSONALLY STAND AND URGE ALL HOUSES TO PERFORM HOUSE UNITY! 10 POINTS FOR RAVENCLAW!"
"WHAT?!"
..oOo...
"So you want me to pour this into the cauldron and yell for help, before letting you push me to the ground and take the blame for it?"
"Yes."
"...Why?"
"Because then Snape will have no choice but to give me detention once I admit that I was trying to harm you. Violence is bad, Liz, and no one should suffer from it."
"...But I beat people everyday."
"...Just do it, Liz."
"Whatever...OH NO! MY HAND SLIPPED AND THE POTIONS OVERBOILING!"
"You're an awful actress...ahem, OUT OF THE WAY LIZ! PROFESSOR SNAPE!"
"Who did this?! Who added dust from a dragon's claw into the potion?"
"It was me, Professor-"
"But I handed her the item. I grabbed the dust instead of grinded root and pushed her out of the way once it overboiled."
"Collins, you-"
"Committed a terrible crime that could of cost me the life of my friend. Yes Professor, I know and understand that I need to be punished."
"-have stopped almost everyone in the class from death. Had the potion gotten onto human skin, it would've caused damage to the body's nervous system without an antidote on board. 20 points to Ravenclaw. And Myers, clean up this mess."
"OH COME ON! I TRIED COMMITTING MURDER!"
"...YOU TRIED TO KILL ME?!"
"Uh, I plead the fifth. Hehe."
..oOo..
"Okay, so everyone knows the plan?"
"Just complain loudly that you're making a mess."
"Call the Librarian and say that you're keeping us from studying."
"And if you get into detention, then you'll give us sweets."
"Yes. Now are you ready my knights?"
"Nikki...why are you using Hufflepuff first years?"
"Liz! Where'd you come from?"
"I've been right here the whole time."
"Oh, well...ahem, SO THIS IS WHERE YOU THREE HAVE BEEN HIDING ALL ALONG, HM?"
"Ssh, Collins. We're trying to study for exams!"
"Yeah, we'll call the Librarian if you don't leave!"
"QUIET YOU THREE! YOU'RE ALREADY IN TROUBLE AS IT IS SO PACK UP AND LET'S GO."
"What is going on here?"
"Collins is keeping us from studying!"
"She's telling us, we're making a mess!"
"And she's distracting us from our personal time!"
"OH YOU THREE AREN'T INNOCENT. TRY HIDING IT ALL YOU LIKE, BUT THE BOOKS KNOW!"
"Ms. Collins-"
"You'll put me in detention for messing up the library. You'll throw me out?"
"-I'll award you 10 points for Ravenclaw for keeping an eye on troublesome students like these. I see why you were so upset, they were eating the entire time. How dare you, you mischievous children!"
"...You have got to be kidding me."
"Liz! Don't laugh at me! I'm serious! I'm all out of ideas!"
..oOo..
"Okay, this time it'll work for sure."
"Nikki, just let it go. You're embarrassing yourself."
"So?"
"You're embarrassing me too!"
"Oh, Liz. Sweet, naive Liz. This is war. I'm getting into detention. And if that means facing Theo and Pansy, then so be it. Bring it on!"
"Nikki, I think you're taking this too seriously."
"Quiet! Here they come...Oh Theo~"
"Nix. How are you?"
"Oh I'm perfectly fine. Pansy, your make-up!"
"What? What is it?"
"It so does not match your skin tone. Makes it seem like a mask."
"What?!"
"You should wear less of it. Make it lighter."
"Ms. Collins. Is that an insult I hear?"
"Of course, Professor Flitwick. I just loathe to see Pansy looking the way she does."
"Oh Nix, I was thinking the exact same thing. This makeup is too heavy. I was thinking of changing it, but these boys convinced me not to."
"Helping our a student from an opposite house? 10 points to Ravenclaw, Ms. Collins. What a amazing student you are."
"I hate to say it, but-"
"Don't."
"I told you so~"
"...I hate you, Liz."
...oOo...
"Nikki? Do you want any help?" Liz asked as they walked down the empty corridor toward the Great Hall.
"I'd like to see you try, Elizabeth!" Nikki said hotly, glaring at the smirking girl. Liz stopped and held a finger up before walking out on the courtyard. She jumped into a small muddy puddle, her shoes nearly completely covered and she walked back into the corridor, a trail of muddy footprints forming as she walked.
"And what will this do?" Nikki asked with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
"I'm not done," Liz answered then cleared her throat, "FILCH!!" she yelled so loud that Nikki had to cover her ears.
"What the.. Liz!"
"3...2...1.." Liz mumbled and a second later, Filch came grumbling over before gasping at the scene before him.
"You children think you can come in here and dirty the floors after I worked so hard on them! Detention, Myers!" Filch hollered and Nikki eyes were wide with shock.
"It was that easy?! Where were you the whole day, you no-magic-Squib!" Nikki yelled.
Filch's face turned red as he pointed a boney finger to her, "You think that you can talk down on me because you're a pureblood?! You have detention as well, Collins. Maybe doing actual work here will show you to respect others!"
Filch shuffled away, muttering under his breath and Liz sent Nikki a smirk, "I make it look easy, don't I?"
..oOo...
"And all that happened in the timespan of today?" Harry laughed. He was walking besides Nikki, Liz, and Hagrid in the dark Forbidden forest. Their detention was to help the groundskeeper find a wounded unicorn. Malfoy, Neville, Hermione, and Fang we're away looking through another part of the forest.
"Yes, and she was steaming by the end of it. I think she got us 50 points in all today. Impressive and bloody pathetic at the same time." Liz commented with a shrug.
"I'm right here, you know," Nikki said bitterly besides them.
Liz turned to her and opened her mouth to reply back (probably with something sarcastic) when Hagrid suddenly roared, "Get into that tree, you three!"
Nikki wrapped her fingers around Liz's wrist and pulled her into the safety of a nearby tree, Harry squeezing in besides them with wide eyes.
"What? What is it, Hagrid?" He asked in worry.
The giant man said nothing as he raised his crossbow and aimed at an open field. He stayed in that position for what seemed like ages, waiting to see if something would jump out. His concentration was broken when Liz noticed something in the night sky.
"Hagrid!" She called out as she pointed upwards, "Look! Red sparks!"
Nikki gasped and her fingers on Liz's wrist tightened. Red sparks. They were told to send up red sparks if they found the unicorn or something went wrong.
Her mind immediately flew to Hermione and Draco. Her friend was still clueless to many of the creatures found around here, and her cousin was useless in every way. If either of them had been hurt, she wouldn't know what to do. (And absently, she wondered if forgetting about Neville and Fang made her a bad person...she'd mention it to Liz later).
"Stay here!" Hagrid barked as he flew towards the other group. Nikki stayed in her position, one hand clasped around Liz's wrist and another wrapped around the tree trunk, shaking. Her friend laid a firm hand on her shoulder and commented, "Calm down, Nikki. You're going to have a panic attack if you keep breathing like that."
"Breathing? Like what? I'm not panicking or breathing oddly. I'm perfectly fine. Stuck in a tree while my cousin and friend are probably getting mauled to death by a werewolf or something. Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm the perfect embodiment of fine. Haha."
"Yes, because you rambling like that means you're perfectly fine."
"Don't argue with me right now, Myers!"
"Oh so we're on last name basis now, huh?"
"Myers!"
"Collins!"
"Quiet!" Harry's hissed voice had the two girls turning towards him. Their eyes widened when they saw him slowly making his way out or the tree and onto the ground.
"Well, you two coming? I can hear Hagrid." He said looking up at them both. His brilliant green eyes seemed to glow eerily in the dark.
Now that he had brought it to their attention, the two ravens could hear heavy footsteps and loud voices coming their way. They got out of the tree and joined Harry on the ground.
Hagrid pushes through the last bit of undergrowth and walked towards them with Hermione, Neville, Malfoy, and Fang on his tail. Nikki was happy to see that none of them were injured, just looking bitter.
"What happened to you lot?" Liz asked with crossed arms.
"Malfoy happened." Hermione spat bitterly.
"Sneak up behind Neville and scared him rough to send up red sparks. Hermione here was looking for the unicorn with Fang. Found her scolding him." Said Hagrid in an angered tone.
The giant man hugged a sigh before announcing, "Alright, group change. Fang, Neville, and Hermione are with me. Harry, Liz, and Nikki can go with Malfoy."
The students switched places and Hagrid muttered to the trio before they passed, "You three have a stronger chance with that boy. He doesn't scare you."
It wasn't long before Malfoy and Liz got into an argument. The lighter raven was tired and annoyed by Malfoy's continuous whining of not having to do this.
"My father will-"
"Your father doesn't have to hold your hand for every little thing, Malfoy! I don't care what he'll do and won't do! Shut up!"
"Of course you wouldn't care, Huntress. Jealous much?"
"Why I 'outta-"
Meanwhile, Nikki and Harry searches the undergrowth for any hint of the wounded unicorn. They stayed close together, Nikki too afraid of something happening to stray far. Something glinted in the moonlight, and she pulled harshly on Harry's robe sleeve.
"Look!" She hissed as she pointed it out to him.
Harry lightly touched it and pulled back before muttering, "Unicorn blood. Just like Hagrid said."
"It must be somewhere through here." Nikki commented.
The group of four walked in that direction, Liz and Malfoy quieting down once they took in the almost silently forest.
Harry pushed a final branch of leaves out the way and Nikki gasped. "The unicorn, there it is."
"But what's besides it?" Liz asked in a harsh whisper.
The boys of the group stayed silent and pale, looking at each other. For once, Harry and Malfoy were in agreement with one another. This figure dressed in black was unknown and dangerous. Protect the girls at all cost.
"It's looking up." Nikki whimpered as she practically melting into Harry's side with fear.
"And the unicorn's dead." Liz's face was pale and she unconsciously leaned towards Malfoy for comfort.
"He was drinking it's blood."
The figure looked up at the group with agonizing slowness. The robe's hood exposes only the creamy skin of the man's nose and mouth. Silver blood still leaked from its lips.
All at once, sounds erupted and movement began.
Harry screamed in bloodcurdling pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his scar. Nikki screamed out his name and fell to the ground besides him, one hand grabbing into him and the other reaching for her wand. Malfoy yelled in terror and made to grab for his cousin before running away as fast as he could without looking back. And Liz starred in wide eyed terror at the horrifying scene as she was ruthlessly dragged away from, her mouth open in a silent scream.
The forest swallowed up the fallen duo quickly. Eventually, Malfoy stopped running and let go of the unresponsive girl, hands placed on his knees as he panted. His voice was strangely soft with concern and worry as he asked, "Are you alright, Nix?"
The question was enough to jerk Liz out of her fogged mind. She started and her face clouded in fury. Anger trembled with every word as she said, "You bloody arse. HOW DARE YOU LEAVE NIKKI AND HARRY BACK THERE ALONE?!"
Malfoy's head spun so fast around that Liz was sure he had whiplash. His shocked expression cooled to one of annoyance when he saw her face. "Oh, it's you. I grabbed the wrong one."
"WRONG ONE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU SHOULDN'T BE WORRIED ABOUT ONE PERSON, YOU SHOULD CARE EVERYONE! GOD, YOUR SELFISHNESS IS GOING TO COST US EVERYTHING! NIKKI-"
The shouting was cut off when Liz let out a silent sob. She squeezed her eyes tight and fell to the ground, her arms pulling her knees against her chest. Her face was buried out of sight. Her shoulder shook with her repressed urge to cry.
Liz wasn't entirely sure what just happened. She was afraid, and angry, and concerned. Nikki and Harry were left behind by that - that monster. Hagrid, Hermione, and Neville were nowhere to be found. And she left with Malfoy in the middle of a forest that had creatures of all kinds prepared to devour her. She wanted to go to bed and pretend none of this happened. She wanted sit down and cry her heart out. Liz wasn't an emotional person, but she was still a child. A child that could only take so much in one night.
While Liz went through this breakdown, Malfoy was silently watching her. His voice was emotionless and his eyes rock cold. Yet, he seemed to be thinking something before raising his wand and shooting up red sparks.
He walked over to the fallen raven and knelt besides her, his hand slowly coming to rest on her shoulder. Liz flinched but did nothing to push it off.
Apparently, Malfoy took this as a nonverbal plea to continue. He shifted to sit besides her and wrapped his entire arm around her shoulders, drawing her to his side. He said nothing, but kept his eyes on the area around him, wand held tightly in his hands.
Liz breathed in deeply as the lump in her throat faded. She blinked her eyes and wiped away the treacherous tears that fell.
Loud resounding footsteps and voices were heard not that far away. Malfoy got to his feet, and Liz followed. She wiped fiercely at her face to get rid of anything evidence of her crying. Malfoy still stood close to her, wand raised and prepared to attack.
"Liz! Nikki! Harry!" Hermione voice was heard only seconds before she exploded through thicket. Her arms wrapped around Liz tightly and squeezed as though the raven would disappear at any second.
"What happened? What were the sparks about?" Hagrid grunted. "And where are the others?"
"We found the unicorn over there," Malfoy pointed behind him. "Dead. Someone was with it, drinking it's blood. I don't know about the other two, but I grabbed Liz and dragged here away."
Hagrid swore under his breath while Neville looked as though he would dissolve into tears at any second. Hermione, though, looked complex. She mouthed silently, "Liz?"
"Come on, you three. We need to find the others and you all need to stay safe." Hagrid made to stalk back in the direction of the horrifying scene, but stopped once something large bursted from the darkened forest.
A centaur with crimson hair and crystal blue eyes that could be seen even from far away stopped before them. On his back, gripping onto each other tightly, was none other than Nikki and Harry. Besides seeming shaken, the girl looked perfectly fine. Harry had a stream of red leaking down his face from his scar, but didn't seem to notice. They were both smiling.
"Liz! Dragon!" Nikki called with laughter in her voice. She leapt down from her spot and ran to them both, wrapping her arms around their necks. "Missed me?"
"More than you know." She heard her cousin whispered into her ear. A light squeeze told her that Liz heard none of that. Nikki absently wondered what happened between the two when they were alone. Fighting and arguing to the death most likely.
She pulled away and looked at Liz seriously, the smile on her face turned into a thin line. "I have so much tell you, Liz. And none of it is pleasant."