Sorry for the late update - Enjoy!
Maya woke in a room covered in white. Too much white. She groaned as she sat up.
Draco?
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes blearily as the world came into focus.
"Oh! You're awake!" Madam Pomfrey bustled over, carrying many clinking vials of potion. "Drink all this up dearie" Maya gagged as the potions went down.
"What happened?" Maya rasped out, accepting the cup of water from the nurse and sighing as the cool water went down her throat.
"Your magical core was severely depleted. I don't know what Severus did to you, but you were at the brink of death! You have been unconscious for a day. Today is Sunday." Madam Pomfrey informed her, producing a clicking noise when she mentioned Professor Snape. Obviously she thought he was not suitable to teach children. But before Maya could defend the potions professor, Ginny, Blaise and the professors McGonagall and Snape came in.
"Maya!" Ginny cried as she rushed over to her friend, hugging her before pushing her away and looking at her sternly.
"You have got to stop collapsing on me – it's terrifying! Stop it!" Ginny scolded before Blaise dragged her backwards.
"You will find, Ms Weasley that Ms Longbottom has never been a particular follower of rules and does not care about the consequences as long as her Gryffindor conscience thinks it is right." Snape drawled as he walked over. "It is good to see you awake Maya. I am sorry for your state of health right now. It would not have happened if I had not pushed you to your limits." Maya shook her head.
"I forgive you." She whispered softly and the potions master let out a small smile. "Where's Draco?" Maya asked, looking around frantically as her heart started to thump erratically in her chest.
"Right here." A voice croaked out. It was Draco. His hair was tussled from being in bed for so long and his eyes were half-closed but he seemed happy as Maya ran towards him as fast as she could and hugged him tight.
"Back into bed, both of you! Honestly, what were you thinking, walking around in your delicate state!"
Maya glared at the matron. "I am not delicate! In fact, I must insist-"
She was stopped by Draco, who had put a hand over her mouth as she continued to make indignant muffled squeaks, glaring at her boyfriend. "You'll find Ms Longbottom," He whispered in that silky voice of his. "That you'll find being delicate is quite fun once I'm done with you." He purred suggestively into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"Gross." Ginny muttered.
"Oh! Professor, what about Seamus and Ron?" Maya gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.
"They have been punished Ms Longbottom." The headmistress reassured her. "You will find that they are more than willing to be your friend again."
Maya groaned. "What did you do?" Draco asked curiously.
"Nothing too bad, I assure you." McGonagall said, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"You look a lot like Dumbledore when you do that." Draco remarked grumpily.
"You'll find I have picked up a great many things from the previous headmasters Mr Malfoy." Professor McGonagall told him, ignoring him when Draco muttered "Including his annoying habit of meddling in other people's lives".
"Mr Finnegan and Mr Weasley have been subjected to a ban from Quidditch, detentions with Mr Filch and Professor Snape every day until summer and a permanent black mark on their records." McGonagall informed them, pursing her lips. "Even with Mr Weasley's status, I assure you it will be difficult for him to find a job with this kind of attacking in their profiles."
Maya nodded and they fell silent before Madam Pomfrey ushered everyone out so the two could recover better despite everyone's protests.
After much pleading and flattering, Maya and Draco were released by lunchtime. As they neared the Great Hall, Draco sighed in relief and dramatically fanned his face with his hand.
"Ah, fresh air! Oh, how good it is to be free of the monstrous matron breathing down my face!" He cried, grinning when Maya giggled and slapped his shoulder.
"There you are!" Ginny cried, rushing to them with Blaise following close behind. "We still up for that session in the library?"
Before Maya could reply, Draco and Blaise both looked at each other and beat her to it.
"Of course we are," They both said, managing to sound offended that Ginny would even ask.
"We've got lots to do! I have to finish my Arithmancy essay and study for charms and then do our essay on wandless magic! I've got too much work to skive our session! According to a History of magic, wandless magic is only taught to those of great power and skill – the last time it was taught was to Shelby Florence in 1890, so we should be honored the Professor even thought to ask us! We can't let him down!"
The two boys chorused, smirking when Ginny dissolved into a fit of giggles that quickly led to mass hysteria outside the Great Hall. Many people glanced their way but quickly moved on, all except one.
"Gosh, you both are such swots." Maya declared, narrowing her eyes suspiciously when the two of them traded smirks.
"Wait, were you copying me?" Their wide grins told her all she needed to know.
"Oh Merlin, I sincerely apologize to everyone who had to listen to me when I was younger. Gosh, I was such a know-it-all!" Maya exclaimed, sending the rest of the quartet into a fit of laughter
"You-mean-you aren't-one now?" Ginny asked, gasping for breath.
"Well yes, I'm still a know it all," Maya admitted, "But at least I don't sound like that anymore, do I?" Maya asked worriedly. Her anxious face sent them all into another laughing fit.
"Oh no, I've spilt all my ink on my parchment!" Draco mimicked, "I'm going to get a zero on this essay, even though it's due after the Christmas Holidays and I've got plenty of time to get new parchment and ink!" He fretted, sending the quartet into another fit of laughter that quickly stopped when someone came up to them. Or some people.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Ron smirked, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan trailing behind.
"Careful Weasel," Draco drawled, "Don't want to get into anymore detentions do we?" He asked, lips curling into a sneer. "Aren't two detentions every night except for Thursday and a ban from Quidditch enough for you?" Ron scowled and looked at his sister.
"Ginny, come with us, then you don't have to hang out with these death eaters." Ron said, beckoning her and pulling her close to him. She twisted away from his grasp and pointed her wand at the middle of his eyes.
"Now Ronald, don't be hasty, these death eaters are my friends," She said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. The other three copied Ginny, raising their wands into the three's faces. Ron made a move to grab his wand when Draco tutted.
"Now Weasel, play nice, bring your wand out and we'll hex the lot of you."
"You can't do that! I'm one of the Golden Trio!" Ron spluttered indignantly.
"So am I." Maya piped up, levelling her wand at his face as Ron turned his glare on her. "You." He snarled, features twisting into a sneer.
"Very good Ronald Bilius." Maya fake praised. "You've learnt how to distinguish faces. Wait, no, let me rephrase that for your unintelligent little brain," Maya sweetly said, features lighting up in mock-concern as Ron grew redder and redder. "I meant, you've learnt how to recognize faces, well done!" She cried, smirking as Ronald turned into a beetroot.
Draco pulled her closer to him and she laid her head on his shoulder, lazily pointing her wand at her target.
"Now dear," He emphasized, getting satisfaction in watching Ronald turn even redder, "There's no need to be too smart. Judging by the look on his face, you've just humiliated him darling," He drawled, smirking as Ron flushed and pulled out his wand.
"There's no need for violence," Blaise drawled before lowering his voice dangerously. "Take your wand out and you'll never see your mum again. Well, you might, but she certainly won't see you." He added as an afterthought. "Same goes with you two." Ginny added, glaring at the other two.
"How can you stand by my ignorant excuse of a brother? He's an idiot." Ginny said angrily before kicking Ron in the shins. She turned and linked her arms with Maya, turning to give Blaise a peck on the cheek. "Now if you excuse us, we have some food to be eating. I'm famished." Ginny added.
Seeing the murderous look on her brother's face, Ginny stood still, communicating with Blaise before pressing her lips to his for at least a minute. Wow. She really knows how to push his buttons. Draco commented dryly in her mind. Maya had to bite her tongue to stop her laughter as the red-headed Weasley struggled against his friends, who were holding him back. Well, in that case, would you like to push his buttons too? Maya asked before smushing their lips together in a heated embrace. Only a tap on the shoulder caused them to break apart.
"While our snogs have been great and all," Ginny said, smirking at Ron as he turned even redder, "I meant it when I said I'm famished. Let's go eat." They all headed into the Great Hall.
Draco, Ronald is going to hex us from behind. Link hands with me and prepare to silently cast an Expelliarmus. Okay?
"Reduct-"
Expelliarmus!
Ronald's wand went flying out of his grasp as he tumbled to the floor. Draco deliberately missed the wand, causing it to fly around the Great Hall and straight into the swords hanging around, being sliced clean into two. Ron could only stare at it in horror.
The tension in the Hall was thick until the headmistress stood up.
"Mr Weasley how dare you try and cast a spell at four students while their back is turned?" She yelled angrily. Ron frantically looked around, glancing around the hall, his eyes begging anyone to save him from the headmistress' wrath. No one did.
"But they're death eaters! They deserve pain for what they did! Everyone here wants to curse them! I just did it for everyone's good! I should get a reward for what I did in the war!"
"Technically," Luna butted in, "So should Harry and Maya then. Harry should get an even bigger award that anyone, since he defeated the dark lord." Maya could swear she heard Luna spit out Harry's name in hatred, but it was probably nothing. How could sweet, innocent little Luna hate Harry for killing the person who was responsible for her imprisonment for so many weeks?
"That does not give you the right to try and curse them behind their backs Mr Weasley." McGonagall said, lips thinning into an even straighter line. "They have been declared innocent by the Wizengamot." McGonagall said firmly as she dragged him out by the ear. Silence filled the Great Hall, the tension in the air thick and palpable until Snape stood up and told them all to eat or leave. Soon after, talk began to circulate the Great Hall, and everything was back to normal again. Almost.
Maya and Ginny accompanied the two boys to the Slytherin table, where they sat down and began to put food on their plates.
"What's the mudblood doing here?" Pansy shrieked quietly, squeaking when she found a wand pointed at her throat. She stared into the eyes of a fiery witch.
"I'll have you know Parkinson," Maya said in a dangerously low voice, "That my blood is as pure as yours. You do not want to cross the witch who played a major part in defeating one of the world's most powerful wizards, do you?" Maya hated using her fame to get something, but sometimes she just couldn't help it. Pansy made a small "eek!" and shook her head quickly. Maya smiled in triumph.
"Good!" She said, glaring at the rest of the Slytherin table. "Anyone else have any problems with me and Ginny sitting here?" The whole table was silent for a moment before a younger boy stood up. "Why should Salazar's house let blood traitors into our midst" He sneered, only to find two wands pointed at his face.
"Did you know that Tom Riddle, a half blood bastard coined that term?" Maya said conversationally, "He used it to bully his enemies like the Longbottoms, the Weasleys, the Potters…" Maya's voice turned into a threatening growl. "After all that has been said and done in the past year, are you really going to hang onto some stupid ideas that got so many killed?"
"Say that one more time Elan and maybe we can see just how pure your blood is" Ginny threatened softly. The boy turned pale and nodded shakily before running out of the Great Hall as fast as his legs could carry him. Ginny took a bite of her sandwich and swallowed.
"Merlin, that sandwich was delicious!" She cried, only to spot the faces around her. "What? Did we do something wrong?" She asked Maya, who was spooning rice into her mouth. She shook her head, puzzled.
"No, we just dealt with something and started eating. I don't think we did anything wrong." Maya replied, pretending to be confused.
"How very Slytherin of you." A girl with blonde curly hair reaching just past her shoulders stuck her hand out. "Hi. I'm Tracy. Tracy Davis. Welcome to the Snake pit."
"Thanks." Maya smiled at the girl before turning back to her food. "I know I sound like Weasel right now, but honestly; this food is delicious!" She exclaimed, causing laughter to erupt from the Slytherin table, breaking the ice. Conversation flowed from after that. Maya and Ginny made two more new Slytherin friends – Millicent Bulstrode, a girl from Maya's year and Emma Rogers, a half-blood from Ginny's.
Please review, follow and like!