I still don't own Harry Potter

Chapter Twenty Five

"Hermione! Hermione!" Maia ran after her, her school bag knocking against her back as she ran. "Hermione, will you stop and listen to me? For Merlin's sake!"

It had been weeks since the letter incident, as she and the others referred to it. It was mid-November now and the Christmas holidays were fast approaching. Her detentions were long behind her and Dumbledore was no longer watching her at meal times, as he had apparently lost interest in her now that he didn't think she was an evil blood purist, and wasn't checking to see that she wasn't gossiping about their 'little talk' or something to that effect.

Hermione spun round on her heel with her nose in the air. Weasley and Potter stopped beside her, each looking at the other warily. After a spree of hexes in the run-up to the last Quidditch match, both were reluctant to be within ten feet of a Slytherin.

"What do you want, Maia? Can't you see I'm busy?" She snapped.

Maia looked disdainfully at Weasley, "With who? Him?"

"These happen to be my friends."

"And watch your mouth, Black, or I'll hex you."

Maia turned to Weasely, "You wouldn't know how, and you know full well if you tried anything that I'd have the whole of Slytherin after you." She tossed her hair, "I happen to be quite the favourite at the moment." It was true. The teachers had been particularly free when it came to giving points to the quiet, polite young girl who had been so cruelly bullied by her Housemate. Whilst Parkinson could not get the time of day from most of Slytherin, Maia was welcome wherever she went.

Hermione grabbed Maia's arm and turned her back to face her, "Just say what you have to say, Black, and stop insulting my friends. You're as bad as Malfoy."

Maia reeled from the shock of Hermione reverting to surnames.

They'd never called each other by their surnames.

And who was Hermione to take the upper hand in their friendship? Of course she had a right to be upset, but she'd had plenty of time now. She ought to be over it. Maia had apologised ten times at least, this was the eleventh by her reckoning. And it was Maia who had first welcomed her into the wizarding world, that ought to count for something, surely? And who was Hermione to criticise Draco?

Maia looked her up and down, "I was coming to apologise for my aunt's letter, Granger, but I can see now the attempt is pointless. I'm sorry she offended you and I would like our friendship to continue. You know that I don't look down on you because of your family. I'm not a hypocrite, but there are only so many times I'm going to apologise. And don't you dare insult Draco, he's my cousin."

"I don't care if he's your cousin, he's horrid to Harry and Ron."

"They haven't been exactly lovely to him, from what I hear." Maia knew this wasn't entirely truthful, but she had to defend Draco, on principle. "Besides, they weren't nice to you before, were they? I know they saved you from a troll, and yes, it was very gallant and brave but that doesn't make them perfect, does it? I don't see why you have to stop being friends with me."

"Because I don't want to be friends with someone who hangs around with bigoted, stupid and prejudiced people. And because I don't want to be friends with someone who doesn't stand up for what is right, whatever the cost."

Maia seethed at the insults Hermione was throwing at her friends and family. It was just how Aunt Cassiopeia had explained muggles to her. Hermione might be a witch now, but she'd grown up as a muggle before. Loyalty and honesty meant nothing to them, they were fickle and jumped around and chopped and changed their friendships at the drop of a hat. And how could Hermione demand that she defy or even criticise her aunt? Did she know nothing of respect and deference? And her refusal to accept her apology was a clear mark of ill-breeding.

"Fine, I shan't waste my breath any longer." She turned to Weasley and Potter, partly in sincerity, and partly to underline the fact that she was the better person in all of this, and said, "I did mean what I said about the mountain troll, it was very brave, and you put on a good show in the Quidditch match, Potter. Though I do wish Slytherin had won, of course, but I can't help being biased." She smiled politely at both of them and left without another word.

She would wash her hands of the lot of them, if that was how they thought they could treat her. Who were they to insult her, to insult her friends and to insult her family? Who was Hermione to reject her repeated apologies? Who was Hermione to act as if she was somehow her superior, as if she was in some sort of position to pass judgement on them all? Did Hermione have no idea who she was? Who her family were? Who was she to pass judgement on who and what was right and wrong when she was still in school robes?

...

Maia turned the Tarot cards over.

She wasn't reading for anyone in particular. She wasn't even reading for herself. She was angry and miserable. The only thing that was really on her mind was Hogwarts. She had desperately wanted to make things up with Hermione, and this was not how she had imagined her year turning out. She thought that she would have friends in all the houses, but she was spending all her time either in the Slytherin Common Room or the library. She hardly ever saw Ernie anymore, except in passing. The Hufflepuffs avoided them, and although she had sat with Boot and Patil in the library a few times, she could hardly call the two Ravenclaws friends.

She looked down at the cards:

The Tower

The Devil

Death

They were all inverted.

Something terrible was going on inside Hogwarts, or something terrible was going to happen in general. A sickening feeling filled her stomach when she remembered glimpses of Parkinson's future.

"What's up, cousin?" She heard a thump and Draco jumped over the arm of the sofa and landed among the cushions. She shook herself and quickly turned the cards over so that Draco wouldn't see them. She was being silly. It wasn't even a real reading and nothing really bad was going on in Hogwarts, expect for the fact that that stupid old man was in charge.

"Not much, have you finished Snape's essay?"

Draco nodded, "It's two inches too short but I doubt he'll mind." Maia laughed, knowing that Draco could get away with murder in that class. In fact, if he bumped off a few Gryffindors, he might even win points for it.

"No, he won't care."

"Have you done it?"

"Finished it two days ago."

"Of course," Draco rolled his eyes, "you are sooo going to be a prefect."

"I hope so, I'd love to give you detention." She shot back, giving him a wicked grin. She forced the cards even further from her mind.

"Speaking of prefects, have you put any thought into pranking Nott? We did toss the idea round after the welcoming feast, you know."

Maia shook her head, "No, he was really good about Parkinson. We won't prank him." They both grinned thinking about Parkinson, who, in punishment for both bullying and lying, was still in detention and was cleaning toilets by hand right at that moment, supervised by Filch, "But I think we ought to do something about the Weasleys."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "All of them?"

"Yes, all of them." Declared Maia stoutly.

Draco grinned. "I knew there was a reason you were my favourite cousin."

Several more thumps followed this statement where the rest of their group sat on the leather sofas around them. Daphne tossed a copy of the Quibbler into the fire. "Some idiot Hufflepuff mudblood actually nagged me into taking this; they seemed to think that it was all true!" She said, with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

Maia laughed, "Which one?"

Maia didn't notice Draco looking at her, wondering why she didn't object to the M-word as she usually did. But he wasn't going to complain if she was starting to come round to blood ideas. It was about time, after all. He wasn't sure how much longer father would tolerate his friendship with Maia, as there were plenty of whispers at Malfoy Manor already that she was going to grow up to be a blood-traitor and a disgrace. He was sure she was only tolerated at the moment, by his father at least, because Aunt Cassiopeia made such a fuss of her. Of course, his mother genuinely liked her, but that was mother. He liked her too, he meant it when he said that she was his favourite cousin and best friend, but he would prefer it if they could agree on important things and if didn't have to feel like he was watching his words around her. It was bad enough out there in school, but he ought to be able to speak freely in his own Common Room.

Daphne chewed her lip, "Flit-Fetchley, Fit-Fitteley? Something like that?" She sat up a little straighter and tossed her long blonde hair back over her shoulder and shrugged delicately. She clearly thought his name was irrelevant to her existence.

Maia nodded, "I know, the blonde one. He is an idiot; asks the stupidest questions in DADA." She pretended to raise her hand and pulled a face, "Professor, Professor, sir? Are werewolves real? Is it true they're dangerous?"

"Oh Salazar, he does annoy me!" giggled Tracey. "I can't believe your cousin Ernie hangs around with him."

Draco nodded gravely, "Ernie does seem to be letting his standards drop, but still, he's family. Even if he is a muggle-loving Hufflepuff now..." Draco grimaced.

Maia coughed pointedly and Draco rolled his eyes, perhaps he had thought too soon...

Daphne turned to Maia, "What was going on with you and Granger earlier?" She looked concerned, "I saw you arguing on the staircase. She's not being mean, is she?"

Draco leant over, "You know you can tell us if she is."

Maia shook her head, "No, not really. She's still being funny about the letter though."

"Has she still not dropped that?" said Draco.

Blaise frowned, "She really ought to have gotten over it by now. It's not your fault and you've apologised enough times." Blaise looked at her with clear concern; he was surprisingly sensitive for an eleven year old boy, "You shouldn't let her upset you, you know. You still have all of us."

Maia nodded, "I know, but she keeps saying that I shouldn't be friends with all of you. She seems to think you're all bad news or something. I don't get it, she acts like you're all evil, when you're one of the nicest people I know, Blaise. You're always making sure we're all happy and cheering people up when they're grumpy or homesick or something."

Blaise shrugged and smiled sheepishly, "Well, I didn't know anyone my own age before I got here, I can hardly be mean to you all can I? Then where would I be?" He paused and added rather awkwardly, "Besides, I get lonely at home, mum's never around, and I don't want to be lonely here as well and I don't like it when other people are lonely. I know how it feels."

Tracey shook his arm warmly and Maia turned to her, "And you too, you and Daphne would never hurt a fly, unless you wanted to give it a make-over." And then she turned to Draco, "And I know you're completely stuck-up and arrogant, but you're still my cousin and my best friend."

Draco laughed, "And your partner in crime and the leader of us all?"

Maia stuck out her tongue, "Why do you get to be the leader?"

Blaise rolled his eyes, "I get the impression Draco has always been, and always will be, the leader, regardless of what we want."

Draco laughed and leant forwards, "Good, now that we've got that settled, as leader, I have something to put to you all, that Maia and I were discussing before you turned up and started talking about random mudbloods. We're going to get the Weasleys..."

He rubbed his hands with glee and Tracey and Daphne shared a cruel smirk. Blaise rolled his eyes but leant forwards to listen anyway, while Maia sat back in her armchair and tucked her legs up under her. The warmth of the fire was comforting and she felt truly happy, for the first time in days, now that she was surrounded by her friends. She'd put Granger behind her. She wasn't worth her trouble.

...

In the end, it was a co-ordinated effort. They all learnt hair-dye charms, but as there were seven of them and only four Weasleys Vincent, Gregory and Blaise acted as look outs because they were the weakest at casting the spells. The rest of them, having plotted and tracked the morning movements of each of the four Weasleys, lay in wait the following Monday before breakfast. Tracey and Daphne hid together and hit each of the twins as they left the boys toilets of the first floor. Draco was waiting in a windowsill next to the library, and got Percy the prefect as he left after some early morning studying. Maia was waiting by the double doors that led into the Great Hall and got Ron from behind.

So, it was only when the four red-heads entered the hall, and when they were greeted with peals of laughter, that they realised their hair was Slytherin green.

The spells were so strong that Madam Pomfrey had to Vanish all their hair and make them take hair-replenishing potion, in order their normal hair colour to return.

It was the perfect prank.

They weren't even caught.

They weren't even suspected.

Who would have expected such skill from a bunch of snooty, stuck-up Slytherin first-years?

...

Thank you for all the reviews – I can't believe that I've passed sixty!

Thank you to the very kind people who've reviewed every chapter (you know who you are!) and I'm sorry that I didn't answer the question about the troll and friendship, but I didn't know how to answer without giving the game away. Sorry if this wasn't the result you wanted, but I want any friendships formed to be convincing. Character development is going to be a long game in this story... : ) I hope you don't mind my missing out the Halloween Dinner, but as the Slytherins were separate from the Gryffindors at the time, it was a bit of a non-event for Maia, and I wanted to keep it moving towards the exciting stuff that's going to happen later!

Also, thank you to the person who leaves lovely long reviews. I'm so pleased to know that you feel I've got the characters right. I can't promise you much Neville in the near future, but he's going to get much more of a look-in later than he did in the books.