A/N: Fun fact about this chapter (Chapter 16): I wrote it the same day I wrote Chapter 15 and decided to wait to post it because I didn't want to do two in one day, and just started writing Chapter 17. Fast forward to today, when I got ready to post Chapter 17 and realized HA I never posted Chapter 16 because I completely forgot about it! Anyway, here is late Chapter 16, and I'll post Chapter 17 on Tuesday night. (I'm really looking forward to what happens next chapter so stay tuned!)
Necessary disclaimer that I only do when I don't forget about it completely like Chapter 16: I own literally nothing in this chapter except Avalon, Lucy, and the couple of plot points in this story that aren't from the brilliant mind of JK Rowling, such as the scene you're about to read. However, all the other settings, characters, names, plots, etc. belong to her and I make no money from this story.
"Please don't take this the wrong way, Avalon, but as much as I would love to pretend that I have an interest in long boring stories about your personal life, it is much more preferable if you simply refrain from talking until we finish our research and you can speak with your friends. I am sure that they care more than I do, because I do not care at all."
Avalon snapped her mouth close at Padma's words, despite the fact that she had been in the middle of a sentence. Apparently Neville wasn't wrong about her being self-centered and only talking about herself for long periods of time.
"Sorry," she said.
The two girls were in the greenhouse, caring for and examining their branch of bowtruckles. It was already the beginning of December, and as much as Avalon wanted to focus on their project one hundred percent, she found herself thinking back to earlier in the week, when Professor McGonagall began to take names of students spending the winter holiday at the castle. The number of people remaining at school was strange to Avalon. It wasn't that many more than the previous year, but considering the fact that since the Halloween attack, the Heir of Slytherin had struck again, she would have thought more students would want to go home. This time, the victim was a first year Gryffindor boy called Colin who would often be seen around the castle with his camera. Theo's idea that Potter was the Heir was solidified by this new development, since it was common knowledge that the boy-who-lived was quite annoyed by the antics of the boy-who-would-not-leave-the-boy-who-lived-alone.
She hoped that Neville would be going home to his Gran over the break, because with less students than during term, the people staying during break often encountered each other more often, and having her ex-friend ignore her hurt more than she cared to admit.
"Are you listening to me, Avalon?" Padma put down her wand from the spell she had been performing, and glared at her partner. "I'm sure you remember what I told you when Professor Sprout assigned you as my partner. I said—"
"You told me that at no point would our partnership be anything less than equal and that you wouldn't do extra work to make up for my slacking. Then you threatened to squeal to Professor Sprout if I did so I would get a failing mark," Avalon said in a monotone voice. She sighed loudly. For one thing, Avalon felt like the fear of a 'troll' on an assignment was more terrifying for Padma than her, but she didn't say so or else Padma might up her threats.
"Exactly. Me not listening to your problems doesn't mean you can sit here and daydream about them instead. Now go fetch those herbs I planted two weeks ago and make it snappy."
With a firm nod, Avalon went to the back of the greenhouse and began looking under the work benches. Padma had shoved some potted plants under there so they'd be out of the professor's way, along with a glowing sun-like orb to help them grow. She just needed to remember where. While doing so, she slipped back into her own thoughts.
As far as Daphne, Theo, Blaise, and Draco knew, she stopped being sad about what had happened with Neville a month and a half ago, and she couldn't be bothered to correct them. After all, best person for Avalon to talk about her actual feelings with was the person who wanted to see her the least.
Well, there might be someone who wanted to see her less.
"Oi, Steele! All right? How have you been these days? I've been seeing less of ya lately, which I can't say I'm exactly complaining about!" She heard a familiar jeering voice with an obnoxious Irish lilt.
"Stuff it Finnigan. I'm not in the mood."
Finnigan and his partner, another Gryffindor and Padma's twin sister Parvati, stopped what they were doing to look down at her. Literally look down, because she was still stooped under their workstation.
Avalon stood up and brushed her hands together to dislodge the dirt on her gloves. Parvati looked from Finnigan to Avalon with a curious face, as if she was wondering what was about to happen. So was Avalon.
"You know, Nev and I were just talking about you," Finnigan said after a moment.
She couldn't hide the hopeful look on her face. "You were? What did he say?"
Finnigan's grin widened. "Actually… no wait. I got that one wrong, that's my bad. He wasn't talking about you. Or thinking about you. In fact, this is the happiest I've seen Neville Longbottom in a long time. He's finally purged his life of the soul-sucking dementor scum that is Avalon Steele. This could be the nicest thing you've ever done for him. If you'd stayed friends with him, he'd be a moping bloke who could never reach his true potential."
The tears were beginning to come back, but crying in front of Finnigan would only make her feel worse, and he could go back and tell Neville, which would look bad since he was thriving without her.
She had to do something to turn her sadness into anger, and she had to do it quickly.
Hex him. Hex him. Hex him.
Did she want to? Yes. Did she think about it? Also yes.
Avalon quickly flicked her eyes down to her robe pockets, but she had left her wand up at the front of the greenhouse with Padma, who was getting more and more impatient with each passing second. There would only be a few moments before the Ravenclaw girl would come back there and get the herbs herself while either snapping at Avalon for slacking or threatening to tell Professor Sprout to give her a failing grade. Again.
Finnigan's wand was sitting on the table next to their branch. Before either he or Parvati could react, Avalon grabbed it and pointed it at Finnigan. Quickly, he swiped Parvati's wand from her hand and pointed it back, shooting his housemate a quick apology.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't hex you right now," Avalon snarled. She tried to hide the fact that her hand was shaking from her opponent. Steady breathing, steady hand. In, out. In, out. You've got this.
Finnigan smirked. "What will Neville think if you do?"
That was the last straw. The events of the next few minutes were a blur. Avalon shouted "Stupefy!" at the same moment Finnigan yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" Parvati tried to jump out of the way of the amateur duel, and from the front of the greenhouse her sister took out her own wand and cried, "Expelliarmus!" trying to disarm both of them at the same time.
However, neither Avalon nor Finnigan was using their own wand, and the spells were going haywire. Neither student had hit their target, but they seemed to hit everything else. Light bounced off the walls, destroying pots and knocking leaves and arms off various plants. A window shattered. All four students ducked to the ground, but at the last minute, Avalon's stunning spell hit one of the bowtruckles in Seamus and Parvati's branch.
That simple spell, although it would have knocked Finnigan or Parvati or Padma unconscious, had a slightly different effect on the bowtruckle that had fallen victim to it. As Finnigan raised himself from the ground, his eyes widened in shock. "You've killed it!" he said.
"No, b-but I didn't… I didn't mean to."
"He's right," said Padma. She squinted at the lifeless creature who had fallen from the leaves of its tiny tree when Avalon's spell made contact. "It's definitely dead. What is Professor Sprout going to say?"
Avalon shook her head. "This is not my fault. If anything, it's yours. You provoked me, Finnigan. You were intentionally an arsehole."
"But I didn't cast the spell that killed the bowtruckle. Besides, you're the one using advanced magic," he answered. "You tried to knock me unconscious."
The argument was escalating, with Avalon and Finnigan each protesting their fault in the incident and Padma offering her two cents about how they were both equally responsible and deserved failing grades on the project, while she and Parvati ought to work together because anyone was more responsible than Avalon Steele and Seamus Finnigan.
Parvati was still watching the branch, and she back up towards her sister, partner, and the other girl. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Uhhh, guys?"
No one listened to her. They continued yelling and waving their arms about.
"You stupid lot, look at the branch!" She was now shouting at the top of her lungs. The argument halted and the other three students turned to follow her line of vision and were equally as frightened as Parvati.
"Uh-oh."
Professor Sprout had explained to the second years many times that bowtruckles were peaceful creatures. Unless, of course, something was to threaten the wand wood tree, a bowtruckle's branch, or itself. Unfortunately, a stunning spell gone wrong would fall under "threats to the bowtruckle's branch," and none of the four children could explain to the creatures that they meant them no harm. To the bowtruckles, this was war.
They leaped from their tree into the air, scurrying across the floor and beginning to climb up the legs of the four students. Their twig-like fingers were sharp and pinchy, and hurt through the students' robes. But they knew that when the bowtruckles reached their faces, their eyes could be seriously damaged. It was hard to pull the bowtruckles off without allowing more to climb up their arms and legs, but—
Padma screamed.
They all turned despite the pain.
The bowtruckles attacking her had passed her neck, and were trying to pull her hands away from her eyes. It was getting harder and harder for her to fight them off because her face was wet from the tears.
"Arresto momentum!"
Professor Sprout's voice filled the greenhouse. Her slowing spell caused the movements of the creatures to decrease immensely, and the students were able to pull the now snail-like bowtruckles off their bodies. Their teacher briskly walked over to them, her usually kind face red with anger as she conjured a glass box with breathing holes and put the bowtruckles inside. Once this was done, she turned to the students, still livid. "Look at this mess! What were you all thinking? What happened?"
The four began talking over each other in an attempt to explain their own sides to the story. Their teacher waved her hands to cut them off. "One at a time! Who's responsible?"
They all looked at one another.
"I am, Professor," Avalon said after a moment, unable to meet the woman's eyes. "I tried to shoot Finni… err… Seamus with a stunning spell and I missed. It hit the one of the bowtruckles and it died. So they got really upset."
Professor Sprout shook her head. "Never in all my years as a teacher have I seen such recklessness. You'll be spending every evening for the next month in detention with me. I'll also write a letter to your parents. Don't think you'll be watching any Quidditch games either. If you were old enough to visit Hogsmeade, I'd take that privilege away too. And I'll be taking one hundred points from Slytherin."
"Yes, Professor." The tears were back, but this time she decided to let them fall .
"Now help me clean up this mess."
Professor Sprout handed Avalon a broom and dust pan to sweep up the dirt and shattered ceramic pots, while the woman pulled out her wand and began repairing the broken window shards that were on the ground. After a few moments of watching the cleaning, Finnigan, Padma and Parvati started to leave. The girls made their way back to the castle, probably on their way to the Hospital Wing, but as he reached the door, the boy hesitated. "Wait. It's not just Avalon's fault. I'm responsible too, Professor," Finnigan said quietly.
Both Professor Sprout and Avalon looked up from the dirt, pottery, and glass that they were working on in surprise. "Is that so?"
"I provoked her. Avalon was just trying to work on her project, and I started taunting her about something I knew she'd have a reaction to. I deserved that stunning spell, and I tried to but a full body-bind on her as well. If you're going to punish anyone… punish me."
Avalon was confused. Why was Finnigan defending her?
"Well, Seamus, you can join Avalon for a month of detention with no Quidditch game privileges. However, instead of taking one hundred points from Slytherin, I will take fifty from each of your houses. Sound fair?"
"Yes, Professor," they chorused.
"Good," Sprout continued. "Now, I would like both of you to give me your wands. You can clean the rest of this mess the old fashioned way while I go and fill out some paperwork about this before the angry parent Howlers start to pour in. Please, don't destroy anything else."
With that she was gone.
Avalon knelt down again, sweeping up more soil. Why had Finnigan helped her? Was he feeling remorseful for destroying her friendship with Neville? Had he changed into a kinder version of himself?
"Thank you," Avalon muttered quietly.
"Don't mention it," the boy responded. "And don't flatter yourself. I hate unfairness. I would have done it for anyone."
Never mind.
Same old arse.
A/N: Cristy here with another update! I've been planning this little arc for a while, and there is going to be something big and exciting in the next chapter! Can anyone guess what it is? Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter, not even remotely. The closest to owning Harry Potter I've come is owning a HP funko and other HP merchandise. So no, I'm not making any money off this story. Obviously. Anyway, enjoy, favorite, follow, leave a review. Or don't. Or do.
