Frenemies

Disclaimers. This is a work of fanfiction. Which is obviously not being written for profit as per definition of fan fiction.

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Lilith Moon considered how much she hated Pansy as she pulled out her wand and readied herself, the words of a jinx on her lips.

It was high time someone took Pansy down; she'd been thinking that since their first meeting.

x

"A ginger Mick in Slytherin? With hair like that are you sure you're not a Weasley?"

At that point Pansy was already hanging off Draco, self appointed king or at least heir apparent of Slytherin. Only Millicent had laughed, Daphne had turned away from the confrontation and Tracy watched Pansy with narrowed eyes.

The boys had left them to their own devices; they had their own power games to play. Although only Nott stood a chance of dethroning Draco, Blaise stood to one side allowing it all to play out.

She had tried to do the same but Pansy's power base was less sure and so Pansy pushed more. Everyone knew the Malfoy's and they knew just how much power and wealth they had, which with Fudge in government was the same thing. No one with any ambition was going to do anything permanent to Draco. Not if they wanted to work, or for their family to have a home, not if they wanted to live.

Pansy got her power from Draco. Draco stole Neville's remembrall then Pansy mocked Parvati when she stood up for him. Draco was injured and Pansy doted on him. She was his feminine shadow. Ready to cheer him on or shout down those he hated. Within Slytherin it was the same. Tracy and Lilith didn't fit. Tracy was a half-blood and she was the Mick.

Tracy was blond and skinny. She had stalled the hat when sorted, she had told Lilith in private the hat was trying to choose between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. She wanted to make something of herself and wasn't afraid of hard work. Her ambition won out over her willingness to work hard.

x

Tracy's arm raised next to Lilith her wand pointed unwavering alongside hers. The two girls had actually become friends despite the warnings to never trust anyone in the house.

x

"Welcome to Slytherin." Professor Snape stood before the group of first years. "The house of Ambition. You are here because you want to be the best you can be. This takes courage and hard work and intelligence, characteristics the other houses believe are their own. To be the best you need all these qualities but you need ambition and drive more. You need ambition to be the best and that is what I demand from my house. We are not Ravenclaw's who just want to know things or Gryffindor's who rush in without thinking. Neither are we Hufflepuff's who want everyone to be friends. We wish to be the best, a place only one person can stand. If you wish to be the best potion master in the country, I commend your ambition but know this, you will fail. It is not a position I wish to give up. Look around at your housemates, know that to be the best you will have to be better than those you stand beside.

However while we struggle in completion with each other, we struggle as a house to be the best in this school. This means we stand together outside this house. Whatever we think of each other if we turn our back on each other in these corridors we allow those who stand against us to pick us off one by one. By allowing one of this house to fall you have guaranteed your own failure. "

They had glanced around each other seeing rivals not friends. It was not a place that encouraged friendship but she had formed one with Tracy, the halfblood girl in the house of blood purity.

x

The note had gone up about the start of flying lessons. The first years read it over together.

"Have you ever been on a broom?" Tracy asked quietly but not quietly enough.

"Merlin, Davies, you're practically a mudblood the things you don't know. How did you ever get sorted into Slytherin? "

Lilith stepped closer to Pansy. "She's here because she wants to be better than you. The only thing you're beating her on is laughing at Draco's jokes. That only proves she has a better sense of humour."

"Trust the Weasley lookalike to stand up for the halfblood, they're all muggle loving fools too. Although not as much a fool as a Mick, why don't you go kiss a leprechaun and stay out of things you don't understand?"

Lilith sensed rather than saw Tracy pull her wand out. She stopped her that time, stepping back and pulling Tracy with her into their bedrooms.

The two sat on Lilith's bed, curtains drawn talking in whispers.

"Why did you stop me?" I could have jinxed her."

Lilith just raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well I'm sure I could have done something to her. "

"We've only been here a week, unless you've had private tutors like Draco I doubt you could have done anything, not that she doesn't deserve a good hexing. One day, once I've studied and I see her alone, I'll wait but she will get something off me."

"Hopefully you won't be alone. I'll help in case you run out of spells to try on her."

x

The two girls stood together and readied themselves to cast their spells.

x

They spent most of their time together inside the house. Outside, all Slytherin's tended to travel as a group. They knew their reputation, they weren't popular with the rest of the school. They watched Draco reinforce this position, his continued baiting of Harry Potter and his friends kept the reputation of their house as one for Dark wizards. So they continued to huddle together for safety.

Fifth year Pansy was in her element, the tide of public opinion turned away from Potter and Dumbledore, Umbridge made Pansy think she was untouchable her jibes grew sharper and her voice shriller. She found that Umbridge's protection didn't extend everywhere and once the Weasley twins had left the school it seemed to be open season on the Inquisitor squad and by association all Slytherins.

They stood in the corridor watching Pansy. She had seen Weasley and started into a chorus of Weasley is our king. The boy had turned his wand pointed straight at Pansy. Lilith responded first her wand pointed back and Tracy stood beside her.

One day Lilith knew she would hex the girl it was what she deserved but until then she found herself protecting her house mate. As the professor said, it was only self-interest. Certainly not friendship.

A.N.

Writers had one week to write a tale of between 1000-2500 words on the theme of frenemies.