Asher and Hermione left the library in the early afternoon. Asher was still trying to decide where to go. He wanted to throw a baseball with someone, but Millicent never played and might still be mad at him, Blaise would see it as 'too muggle', and Hermione already told him she didn't have an athletic bone in her body. Maybe he would grab his bat and some baseballs and just play alone for a while.
Would he have to avoid Millicent? She may still be in the common room. But the weather was nice, she would probably be outside. He couldn't decide which he would prefer.
He hoped she wouldn't stay mad at him. He liked Millicent. Even though her fuse was so short that looking at it too hard would set it off. He was pretty sure he was done being mad at her.
Hermione tapped him on the arm. He had to finally spell out to her how to get his attention. He was tired of catching only the ends of her sentences.
"I think Dean has played some sports in his muggle school, maybe he could play with you." Her face looked excited and hopeful. If it had not, Asher would have thought she was messing with him.
He shook his head and waved his hand back and forth. He knew Dean would not be interested in doing anything with someone like him. Seamus would never let him live it down if he did.
"I could join you. I mean, just so you're not alone," she offered.
He shook his head and smiled. It was a nice offer, but he could entertain himself.
"If you're sure—"
They turned the corner and two older year students jumped out of an alcove. They were wearing jeans and tee shirts, no robes. One of the boys was about Asher's height, the other had a couple centimeters on him. The two boys were grinning mischievously. "Look what we have here, Rick," the boy with straight, dark hair said.
"Looks like young love," Rick responded, stepping directly in front of Asher. He was taller than Asher with light brown hair and a little bit of stubble trying to grow out on his chin. His chest was broad, though Asher thought there was more padding than muscle on Rick's figure.
Asher stepped to the right and Rick mirrored his movement.
"Now, now," Rick said, still grinning, "No need to be rude. We are just saying hi."
Hermione, whose face was a light shade of pink, stepped sideways. Her movement placed her face and the faces of the two older boys in Asher's line of vision. She was a quick learner, Asher thought. "And we are just walking through. Excuse us."
"What a polite little Gryffindor," Rick's friend smiled broadly. "First year?"
Hermione nodded. She grabbed Asher's wrist and pulled him towards her, away from Rick. "Come on, Asher."
"I don't think so," Rick said, placing a hand on Asher's chest.
Asher smacked his hand away, angrily. He was not sure what was going on, but it was clear that something was off about these boys. It was something in the way the two of them looked at the first years that made Asher's hair stand on end.
"Wow," Rick mocked, "No need to be violent!"
Rick's friend had his wand drawn now. He leveled it at Asher. "Be careful who you pick on. Do you even know—"
"Asher!" Millicent waved an arm in an exaggerated greeting as she jogged towards them. Her smile of relief vanished when she saw who they were with.
"Why, if it isn't little Millie Bulstrode," Rick's sinister grin was back.
"Shut it, Finley," her eyes narrowed as she saw the wand. "And what do you think you're doing, Nguyen? Terrorizing first years seems a little below even you."
"I thought you were still in America, Millie. Rumor had it, you would be attending Ivermony," Rick Finley stepped away from Asher and towards Millicent.
"Obviously you had bad information. Wouldn't be the first time, would it?"
Rick's eye twitched. His smile was gone. "Careful, Millie. Not all of my information is wrong."
"Weren't you staying with squibs?" Nguyen asked. He was twirling his wand between his fingers absent-mindedly.
Rick smirked and offered his friend a high five, which was quickly performed. "One could lose their magic by spending time with squibs, isn't that right, K?"
"That's what I've heard." He turned to Millicent and sneered, "Did those dirty squibs siphon off some of your magic, Millie?"
Asher watched as Millicent's face went from annoyed to livid. Her wand was in her hand and Asher wondered if she would be able to use it effectively against these older boys. "My magic is just fine, you arse. Care for an example?"
"Language, Millie," Rick took another step towards the girl. "Your mother would be so disappointed."
A dark look passed over Millicent's face.
Rick's look also darkened, "And you wouldn't want to do anything else to upset her, would you?"
At that, Millicent lost it. She began cursing at the boy and shoved him backwards, forgetting her magic for a moment. K forced himself between Millicent and Rick and pushed both students away from each other. Rick stumbled backwards and grabbed his wand. He took two long strides and shoved the end of his wand into Millicent's neck.
"Don't you ever try to attack me again," he hissed.
Millicent sneered at him but kept her thoughts to herself. Probably a wise move, Asher thought.
Rick took a moment to enjoy her discomfort. "Now, why don't you run along and bother the people in your own house, slimy snake."
"Asher is in my house, you fu—"
You didn't need to be a lipreader to understand the rest of the words that Millicent was trying to scream at the boy, but Asher was the only one who didn't realize something had changed.
The older students laughed. "Good one, K!" Rick gave his friend another high five.
"I have always enjoyed that particular spell," K grinned.
Hermione's eyes were already huge and seemed to grow bigger. "You performed a Silencio on another student!"
K turned to her and grinned, "I did it on a Slytherin, that barely counts."
Asher clenched his fists. He knew these boys would have no problem hexing him too, but he wanted to shut them up the muggle way.
"So is he, if Millie wasn't lying," Rick pointed out. His arm was now pressing against Millicent's upper chest, at about shoulder level, pinning her to the wall. His wand was still at her throat.
K's wand now turned on Asher. "Is that what you are? A slimy Slytherin?"
Asher lifted his chin in a defiant motion.
"What are you doing with my little Gryffindor, Snake?" Rick asked him, still controlling Millicent.
"He's my friend," Hermione insisted. Her eyes were full of tears and Asher hoped she would keep them from spilling onto her cheeks. The bullies would have a field day with that. And he had a feeling they would take it out on himself or maybe Millicent.
"I asked him, firstie," K said, his wand tip now pressed to Asher's chest. He glanced at Hermione, "But since you are part of our house, allow me to teach you an important lesson. Slytherins are dangerous. They are not your friends. They are evil."
Millicent's mouth was moving, but no words were coming out. Asher couldn't focus on her long enough to see what she was saying. K was half a meter from his face and was looking at him with hatred and revulsion. "What kind of game are you playing?"
"Leave him alone!" Hermione yelled. She pulled her own wand out and pointed it at K.
"Watch out, K, the firstie is going to get you," Rick laughed.
K flicked his wand at her and said, "Expelliarmus." Hermione's wand went flying out of her hand before she was able to utter the spell on her lips.
He turned his attention back to Asher but was too late. Asher took advantage of boy's distraction and swung a fist into the side of his jaw.
Asher pushed K away from him and ran towards Rick. Rick had been startled by the sudden attack but was able to whip his wand around and yell, "Locomotor mortis!"
The curse hit Asher full-blast. His legs suddenly locked together and he fell to the ground, catching himself in a push-up position only centimeters from Rick's shoes.
K came up behind him and began punching him in his back and sides. Asher twisted himself around, now laying on his back. Another punch from K was aimed at Asher's face, but Asher was able to raise his arms to protect himself. He caught a glimpse of Hermione screaming. K pulled his arm back for another hit but paused with a quick glance upwards.
Asher instinctively jerked his upper body to the side, avoiding being kicking in the head. The kick instead landed on his shoulder. He winced in pain but returned his attention to K, who was now straddling his body. K pulled back for another punch and Asher brought both knees (still stuck together) upwards towards his chest. They connected with K's backside with a fair amount of force. K cried out and fell head-long over Asher's shoulder.
It just so happened that Rick had prepared another kick for Asher's head and was not able to stop his momentum before he connected with his friend's nose. Blood spurted onto the floor. Asher squirmed out from under K in time to see Millicent shove Rick, who tripped over his bleeding friend and fell on top of him.
Millicent grabbed Asher's arm and pulled him away from the boys, helping him to stand. He looked for Hermione, but she was gone.
"—on Asher!" Millicent urged, her face full of fear. Asher did not realize that she still made no noise.
They made it two steps (or hops for Asher) before noticing an irate Professor McGonagall rushing towards them. "What is the meaning of this?" She demanded.
The scene in front of her was shocking, to say the least. Two of her sixth-year boys were on the floor, one on top of the other, and the boy on the bottom was bleeding profusely from the nose. Two Slytherin students were hobbling away from the boys, one hopping with his legs together.
McGonagall aimed her wand at Asher and performed the counter curse to unlock his legs. He stumbled and regained his balance. He was relieved to have his legs back.
Millicent made gestures towards her own throat. McGonagall looked at her, confused, until Hermione spoke up. "They hit her with Silencio."
Asher thought that the Professor was already at her maximum anger, but she turned it up a notch with that revelation. She waved her wand again, this time to Millicent. Almost shaking with rage, she demanded, "All of you, in my office. Now!"
The sixth-year boys were on their feet again, looking slightly embarrassed. Asher watched them warily. He did not want to walk in front of them. He did not trust either of them to hold a truce just because the teacher broke them up. Millicent stood beside him as Rick and K walked past them.
"You're going to get it now, Millie," Rick sneered.
"You wish," she growled back.
"Who is McGonagall going to believe? Two upstanding students from her own house? Or a couple of slithering reptiles?"
Professor McGonagall turned around and looked at the four of them sternly. "There is no need for talking." She whipped her head back around and strode off at a brisk pace.
Rick drew a finger across his neck while looking at Millicent. She replied with an obscene hand gesture of her own. They waited until the Gryffindors passed them and then fell into step behind the group.
Asher felt nervous. He knew they hadn't done anything wrong, but he also knew that Rick was right. They were Slytherins, McGonagall was a Gryffindor. She may believe them over him just for that reason.
"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Millicent asked him.
Asher shrugged. Yes, he thought they might be.
"I wish Snape was here," Millicent whispered.
Hermione waited for them, allowing the older boys to pass her with nothing more than a dirty look. "Is Snape here?" She asked.
Millicent shook her head. "I don't know where he would be, but I'd feel way more comfortable if he was here."
"Really?" Hermione asked with a slight shudder. "Professor Snape scares me. I think he'd only make it worse."
"It already is worse," Millicent groaned.
They turned a corner and McGonagall paused. Asher turned to follow her gaze up the hallway.
"Is there a problem, Minerva?" Professor Snape asked, walking at them quick enough to billow his robes behind him.
Asher could not see what she said in response. Snape glanced at the group of students and he narrowed his eyes. "What exactly has happened here?" Asher breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the professor's presence in his mind.
There was a long pause in which Asher assumed McGonagall answered. She must have given a long answer because the silence felt like forever.
"I will accompany you," Snape said.
McGonagall shook her head. Asher assumed she kept talking as Snape appeared to be listening. He couldn't see the professor's face, but he was not going to get any closer to Rick or K in order to get a better look.
"The students involved are from both our houses and I can help you more easily communicate with Mr. Green."
Rick and K gave each other significant looks at that comment. They both stared back at Asher, likely wondering what was wrong with the boy that needed help communicating.
McGonagall turned towards the group of students, "Very well, then. Come along, students."
Asher looked at Professor Snape, hoping to find reassurance. The man looked back at him with a steely glare, not quite accusing, but certainly not comforting. Asher's stomach clenched as he followed the Gryffindors towards McGonagall's office.