"What on earth were you thinking?" McGonagall demanded.
Clementine was sat in McGonagall's office, mopping up her nose and ignoring Draco, who was sat beside her. Prowling around behind McGonagall was Snape, looking livid.
She didn't know what to say. She could hardly say that she thought Draco had set Pansy and her friends on her; she'd get into so much trouble for attacking them on top of starting a fight with Draco. Sadly, trouble seemed to be lurking on her horizon for the time being.
"Malfoy, what happened?" Snape asked in a soft voice.
"I don't know, sir." Draco shot a malevolent look at Clementine. "I think it might have something to do with the fact that I know who the real culprit behind the trifle incident was." He pointed at her with his thumb.
McGonagall stared at Clementine. "Surely it wasn't you, Miss Aldermaston?"
Clementine sighed. There was no point in getting Crabbe and Goyle into trouble when they'd just laughed; hadn't everybody that evening? "Yeah, it was. Those two won't leave me alone, so I thought I'd get my own back."
"But how?" McGonagall asked, sitting back in her seat, flabbergasted.
"I stole Harry's-" Clementine began, then stopped. She wasn't sure that many knew of the existence of Harry's invisibility cloak and didn't want to risk having it confiscated from him. Snape was staring at her; it was incredibly unnerving.
"Well never mind how, you've admitted to it now. We don't tolerate any bullying behaviour at this school. You will have detention every Saturday morning for a month. Professor Snape, kindly let Crabbe and Goyle know that they will no longer be punished. And as for this fighting malarkey-" McGonagall surveyed both of them severely over her glasses "-you both get a week's detention. I am also taking thirty points from Gryffindor."
Clementine glared at McGonagall until the two of them were dismissed, even though she knew the punishment was fair enough.
Outside, Draco turned to her, and for one moment Clementine seriously thought he was going to throw another punch at her. Instead, he smirked.
"You're not too bad a fighter, considering you're a girl," Draco told her, before heading off up the corridor. Clementine stared after him, still cross. Then she began to wonder whether he really had set the girls on her. There was only one way to find out.
"OI! Draco!" She ran after him and he spun round, frowning.
"What?"
"It wasn't you, was it? You didn't make Pansy come after me?"
"What?" Draco repeated. "No, of course not. What happened?" He looked slightly protective of her again, like he had done when Judith was stalking her. All of a sudden, the anger seemed to ebb away.
"Oh, it's fine," Clementine said airily. "I took care of her. Anyway, I'm sorry for starting a fight."
Draco stared at her. "I'm sorry for punching you in the face," he said grudgingly. "And making your nose bleed."
"Ah well," Clementine shrugged. "It was a good punch." She grinned, and he did too. Then they set off down the corridor together for their next lesson.
~~~(O.O)~~~
After lessons ended, Skylar and Clementine talked, for a long time. They talked about their lives, their problems and also the gossip they'd somehow missed out on.
"Ron and Lavender broke up," Skylar informed Clementine.
"Good," she replied straight away. "Is Hermione pleased?"
"Never seen her happier," Skylar said with a grin. "Not even when she's in the library."
Clementine bit her lip, wondering if she should say what she wanted to say. "I have a confession to make," she admitted, and grinned.
"Yeah?"
"Okay," Clementine said, and took a deep breath. "I was the Phantom Trifle Shover-"
"HA!" Skylar yelled, causing those closest to look at her. "That is brilliant! You are the best."
"Cheers," Clementine grinned. "I'm not really though, because I'm in detention all week starting tonight – I've got to go in a minute actually – and on every Saturday morning until April."
"Damn," Skylar said, her face falling. "I guess it's to be expected, eh?"
Even detention couldn't ruin Clementine's mood though, not really. She had her best friend back, she had Fred, his friends, the trio, Draco and the rest of the Gryffindors... The loss of George was still painful, but with her other friends, Clementine could cope. For the first time, things seemed to be improving slowly.
~~~(O.O)~~~
During that week, Clementine kept her head down. She tried hard in lessons, she went along to detention and didn't complain, then she walked back with Draco and did her homework in the common room. Hermione had never been more proud of her. She was positively glowing these days, even though Lavender kept sniffling and looking tragic wherever Ron was.
Rumours were flying, but not about her. Supposedly George and Rosalie's relationship was strained; they were seen to be having huge arguments on a regular basis, usually ending with Rosalie running off crying. Clementine herself had witnessed George barging some little first year boys out of his way after a particularly vicious verbal battle between the two of them.
As time went on, it seemed to hurt less. If she did feel sad, Clementine thought about the lyrics to her favourite Avril Lavigne song Together and realised that they were true, very true and explained how she felt at that point.
When I'm alone I feel so much better, and when I'm around you, I don't feel like... Together, doesn't feel right at all, together, holding hands we'll fall
Clearly she and George just weren't right for each other. But Clementine couldn't focus on this now. She focussed on being with her friends, though she never really did anything anymore except go to lessons, the common room, detention and the Great Hall. She and Fred had a walk after her Saturday detention once, but that was it.
Unfortunately, Rosalie wasn't content with this – this was evident one Monday evening in the common room, when Clementine was enjoying a detention-free time period.
"That ex of yours is a bitch!" shrieked a familiar voice. Clementine sighed.
"I wonder what I've done now," she joked.
"That Rosalie is a vile little bitch," Hermione said in a low voice. How dare she act like this?"
"Why's she in our common room anyway?" Ron said angrily, chest swelling with Gryffindor pride. "She's a bloody Slytherin!"
Rosalie rushed in through the portrait hole, tripping slightly as the hole began closing up to keep the Slytherin out.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" she screamed, causing everybody to jump, stop what they were doing and watch her.
"Sitting here, with my friends. Until you came in screaming, of course," Clementine said innocently, a small smile on her face.
"Very funny, slut. You've been impersonating me so you can tear me and George apart, haven't you?"
Clementine was aware of George stood in the background, watching passively. She must have been staring, because Rosalie growled and slapped her. Fred, Ron and Harry all stood up menacingly and Hermione pulled her wand out. Clementine had never used her Metamorphmagus powers for evil, until now; she grew her short, anxiously bitten nails into great claws and scratched three long gashes in Rosalie's sneering face. She screamed, and at once the short nails were back. Clementine smiled sweetly.
"I'd never impersonate somebody as ugly as you, plus my friends can tell you that I've only been here, to my lessons and to detention."
"And the Great Hall with us," Ron added.
"Who were you walking with when you were in the school grounds then?" Rosalie demanded.
"She was with me, you thick cow, who the hell do you think you are waltzing in her and questioning us like this?" Fred said angrily.
"You're such a slut, oh my God. First George, now Fred. Who next, Ron?" Rosalie mocked.
"Get out!" Hermione snarled, standing up with her wand pointed at her forehead.
"It's not my fault you two are incompatible!" Clementine pointed out, and for the first time, Rosalie's face fell. George's didn't, surprisingly. She swore she saw him nod ever so slightly, but ignored this. "Wait, I saw that change in expression, Rosalie. You're trying to blame me for the fact that you two are arguing. Fan-bloody-tastic. Perhaps you two better bugger off and make up, and leave us here in peace."
"How dare you talk to me like that-" Rosalie began furiously, but George grabbed her arm.
"Leave her be. C'mon, let's talk about things, see if we can resolve this."
"Now you're listening to her?" Rosalie screeched. Some of the younger kids put their hands over their ears. "I thought you hated her!"
"Whoa, Rosalie, I've never hated Clem," George pointed out. Rosalie began to cry, and everyone in the room rolled their eyes at the fake tears.
"That must mean you still want to be with her then! I knew it! I knew you preferred her!" Rosalie turned and fled the common room, tripping as she went. George sighed and rubbed his head wearily as Seamus laughed.
"Hope you like your choice," Fred said from his chair. George looked slightly haunted for a second, before leaving, presumably to find Rosalie.
"Okay, now that was definitely the face of a man who regrets his choice of girlfriend," Angelina said, and Alicia nodded vigorously beside her. Clementine stared after them at the portrait hole, unsure of what to think.
