Hannah and Susan were always attached at the hip, but during the next few days they separated, Hannah with me and Susan with Ivy. Not because they were taking sides, but because they wanted to steer us away from each other. Our anger was palpable, and fell like heavy smog over anyone who was near us. Each time I looked over at her the fire in my stomach would light, and I couldn't keep from scowling.
I was acutely aware that Ivy had hit a nerve in me. I knew that I was appreciative of my friends, of the people at the mansion, and yet I could not recall a time since coming back that I had thanked my friends. I did however, think she was being unreasonable, that by me not sharing the event with her I had somehow hidden away myself from her. It wasn't just her. It was everyone, it was everything. How unfair to be angry that I didn't want to share this with her.
We went the whole of Thursday without speaking, but by the end of the day I was feeling remorseful, and yet I didn't want to be the person to say sorry first. So the day faded into the next, and I was thankful that the day was Friday, that the next I would be able to spend it in dull loneliness while everyone else was out in Hogsmede.
The First class went relatively well, I was able to focus on the new charm we were learning, and Ivy even corrected both Hannah and I. Hannah wasn't very confident in herself and often said things like "Oh, without you I wouldn't have been able to understand it at all!" And such things, so when Hannah spoke next she said, "Oh, thank you Ivy, sometimes I can't make sense of these hand motions!"
"And that is how you show appreciation." Ivy retorted over at me.
"Well, thank you Ivy for showing us. And thank you for all the things you do for your friends, it is most gracious of you." I sarcastically bit back.
"You are so welcome." She chided at me before sitting in her seat.
Despite the attitude, it did seem like a step forward. Minutes later the class ended and we were headed out of the Charms classroom when I heard Pansy calling out behind us.
"Not all is well in Paradise it looks like, did little Miss Weed have a tussle with her fwend?" She mocked, and I met Ivy's eyes before turning around.
"Oh goodness Pansy, has no one told you the pronunciation is 'F-r-i-e-n-d'?" I asked sympathetically, but was stopped in my retort, noticing her rubbing the Thunderbird feather all over her face.
She looked so smug, her chin held high and closing her eyes as she said, "Oh this? I found it lying around, it is so soft, you really must feel it," but as she leaned in to touch my face with it I dropped my bag and grabbed her wrist.
"You will give that back to me Pansy. I am not asking." My demeanour change seemed to have rattled her a bit, before she looked around her her possy of girls I neither cared to know nor looked at. I continued to bore a hole into her as I refused to let her out of my sight.
She smirked, "Or what?"
I pulled her wrist towards me, catching her off guard, and said just loud enough for her to hear me, "Or I will lay you out here and now, and take it from you." Her smirk faded to a half smile.
"Try me."
She stepped away and with a quick turn she had passed the feather to her other hand and drew her wand.
"Expelliarmus!" She called out.
I had my wand tucked away in a pocket in space, as I usually did, so there was nothing for her to take from me. I was ready to counter with wind, when I saw something I had not noticed before: lines of Energy, small, minute even, but unstable. I realized what I was seeing was the spell, not just the burst of light from her wand but the outer edges of it, the energy it produced, and the wavelengths that made it up. They ran horizontally and so I put my hands together and turned them to match. I closed my eyes and thrust them between the waves and conjured wind to spread in both directions when I spread my hands. The spell was gone.
Shaken but not finished, I could hear the other Slytherins calling out for Pansy to win and to "Finish her off!" But I also heard from behind me the sure and strong voices of my classmates, "Enough is enough!" "Take her down Ellie!"
"Everte Statum!" She called with power behind her voice, she intended to not only embarrass me but hurt me. I pulled wind around me and being able to see the edge of the spell I quickly evaded it.
"Enough Pansy!" I called out up reaching the ground, "You will return to me what you took. You had no right!"
"Diffindo!" To which gasps erupted from the crowd. It was time to take more than a defensive stance. The Severing Charm was meant for objects, not people.
Instead of waiting for the charm to reach me, I sped ahead, wind on my heels. I spread my arms out the same way as before but instead of wind I used fire to dispel her attempt. I shot through the flames, which singed the hair on my arms and legs, before landing on the ground and continuing the advance towards Pansy.
"How dare you?!" I howled as my nose scrunched up in pure rage, the heat from the fire I used coursing through my veins, heating the palms of my hands and my back as the spell disintegrated behind me.
I pulled my wand from it's place and yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" But she managed to evade me, rolling away from where she had been, as I threw my wand back into it's hiding place.
I decided that despite everything, Pansy was no more than a bully and a child, one who did not hold the weight of the world as I did, and so I tried to rein in my attacks to be less detrimental to her health. I used what little I could of plant magic to make vines grow from the floor and wrap around her legs, still coming at her quickly, and closing the gap.
The vines were not tight or well formed, and they barely held on to her. "Diffindo!" She called out again, but this time pointing it at the vines that had tripped her to the ground. Immediately she screamed out "Incendio!" Casting a fire to burst upon my robes, by my shoulder. It caught my face and I let out an animalistic cry. I had to stop in my approach to unbutton it from my chest, letting it fall beside me, the burn on my cheek blistering instantly. Still I did not remove my eyes from her. I stood next to my flaming robe, breathing through the pain, numbing it in favour of fury. My chest was heaving, and I could feel pressure from behind my eyes, I was waiting for her.
"Enough the both of you!" I heard Professor Flitwick call out, his wand at the ready should any more fighting take place.
"You will return it to me Pansy!" I called out, "And never again will you take what is mine."
"Twenty points from both houses!" Squeaked the Professor as he attempted to calm the situation. I turned my hand at my side as if I was holding a ball and the fire consuming my robes faded.
"Good, now the rest of you be on your way!" The professor called out to the remaining students, "And Miss Reed, Miss Parkinson, I will see you IMMEDIATELY!" Pansy let down her wand, and I turned my eyes to the professor whose face had turned an unimaginable shade of purply red and his cheeks were full. He looked as if he was about to burst.
I picked up the smouldering remains of my robes, and went to pick up my bag my classmates looking at me with shock and fear about my fate, when I could hear from behind me, "Furnunculus!".
I turned to see a spell flying from Pansy's wand, but not straight at me, it was veering to the left of me. I followed the trajectory to Ivy, who at this point was just turning to see where the spell was coming from. Before I knew what was happening I had dropped everything in my hands, and was running. I used the wind to propel me forward and turned to face the spell, throwing my arms together to shield my face. The impact threw me further backward and into Ivy, both of us falling to the floor. Immediately boils began to grow and burst on my arms in rapid succession, and I screamed out in pain. Within seconds, the bursting stopped and instead hot, pulsing boils were left covering my arms from my elbow to the tips of my fingers. Involuntary tears ran hot down my cheeks, as I felt someone grab my head.
"You are such an moron!" Ivy said through tear filled eyes.
I chuckled, and with raspy air replied, "Had to show my appreciation somehow."
She smiled, and put her head on mine, "I'm sorry."
"Me too, I'm sorry…and more."
The professor was soon at our side, tsking, "She did an awful bit of work on you, Miss Reed. There will still be a punishment of twenty points from your house and detention, but I suggest you head up to the infirmary to see Madam Pomfrey. What was it that Miss Parkinson took from you?"
"She stole her satchel, dumped her books in the lake, took and destroyed the mirror she uses to contact her Aunt, and a feather." Ivy adamantly affirmed.
"From a youth thunderbird I saved two months ago…"
"When you were sent home?"
I nodded, and he shook his head, his expression grave, "I will deal with this. Miss Hartness, you can accompany Miss Reed."
Ivy helped me to my feet, careful not to touch my arms or face, wrapping her arm around my waist. I grunted the whole way, and was met by Mato heading to the Infirmary.
"Who did this?" He was livid.
"Pansy Parkinson, she handled it, it is fine." Ivy shot at him.
"Not fine. After dinner we will speak, you, me and Jacy."
I scoffed, "Might as well call Auntie, as well, get his over with."
"Very well, I will send a message to her. Tonight, then." He turned to go, one leg on the step below him. I felt something in Ivy's stance change.
Once he was gone she said, "He's becoming quite handsome you know." And I laughed until my cheek stretched too far and then moaned in pain.
And we were left to travel to the infirmary on our own, grunting and moaning in pain the whole way.