CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Poison

Pansy Parkinson hated everyone – for feeling so hopeless and for giving up. Though she knew perfectly well, it was her fault and nobody else's. Daphne made her feel better – meanwhile, Blaise was trying to motivate her, unsuccessfully. But her last talk with Draco still echoed in her head and left her feeling desperately hopeless.

The only thing that was quite enjoyable was Apparation lessons. She didn't manage to do more than split and leave her fingernail in a different place, but it was weirdly motivating, and it helped her clear her head. Everything would be great if Potter didn't snoop around again. She was sure that at the last lesson he went at the back of the room only to eavesdrop on Draco. And since he found out that Crabbe and Goyle were guarding something, knowing Potter he'd use his cloak or something else to spy on them.

If that wasn't the worst, there was the case of Crabbe and Goyle. Even they started asking questions, not only infuriating Draco but also making her feel worse and without hope. Talking strategy with Blaise over and over again made her feel even more desperate since she didn't have any ideas nor motivation.

'You're a Slytherin, for Salazar's sake, you can't just give up,' he told her for the thousandth time before their Charms lesson.

'I know,' she sighed heavily. 'I just have no idea what to do with it. After what I've heard... I just don't think we can persuade him in any way to tell us what's going on.'

Blaise looked at her closely but didn't comment. When they went into the classroom, they sat in the farthest corner, hoping they wouldn't be noticed or overheard there.

'Something happened between you two,' he noticed suddenly.

'Excuse me?'

'Well, you told me about the fight, but there's something else, isn't there?'

She glanced at him warningly.

'We were supposed to work together, remember?' he asked.

'Well, I'm not sharing every piece of my life with you,' she snapped.

'All right, but seeing as you've already told me, everyone is becoming more and more suspicious. What about Potter, then?'

'What about him?' she asked absent-mindedly.

'He's investigating him, isn't he, so –'

'He's doing what?' they heard a hiss behind them, just to see Nott sitting next to them with a furious look on his face.

'Er –' started Pansy.

'He might be… you know, looking into it?' suggested Blaise, apparently terrified of someone for the first time in his life.

'What do you mean Potter's investigating him, what is that supposed to mean? Does he know anything?'

'Well, he – um – I don't really know how he knows about it? But he suspects something and, so he'd heard his fight with Snape when Snape was trying to offer his help and well, he might've figured out that Draco took the Mark and that Snape is on his side,' urged Pansy breathlessly. 'Plus, he overheard Draco's and Crabbe's fight, and now he knows he's got Crabbe and Goyle guarding something for him.'

Nott definitely didn't resemble his old self. He looked purely enraged, but neither Pansy nor Blaise knew whether he was going to start shouting or storm out of the classroom, so they just stared at him, transfixed.

'That is not good,' he whispered finally, weirdly calm.

'Oh really –' started Blaise but Pansy kicked him in the shin under the table to shut him up.

It was not smart to infuriate Nott right now, especially since they didn't know this side of him. And that made him unpredictable.

'How much does he know?' he asked after a long while, in which professor Flitwick explained how important non-verbal spells were, especially during the real duel.

'I don't know,' sighed Pansy. 'I mean, he's got a Cloak of Invisibility –'

'He's got what now?' Theo hissed through the gritted teeth.

'That's how he sneaked up on Draco and Snape. I think he knows about the Mark and that he's got some kind of a task, and that Crabbe and Goyle are guarding something – I don't know if anything more,' explained Pansy. 'But… He's got Granger on his side.'

'It doesn't mean anything, yet,' reassured them Blaise. 'But we should watch out for them, Draco might not even realise this.'

'Yeah, and with the Weasel's hatred and temperament, it can get difficult,' added Pansy.

'Weasel won't be a problem for a while,' said Theodore ominously.

'What do you mean?' she asked, surprised. 'If you're thinking about him being constantly attached to Browns' face, I think they'll get bored of it sometime soon, I doubt any of the two will last longer than-'

'Haven't you heard?' Theo interrupted.

Both of them shook their heads, sharing surprised looks.

'He's been poisoned. And apparently, in Slughorn's office,' he explained. 'From one of the flasks that supposedly was for Slughorn himself.'

'You don't think...' Pansy started, terrified.

'He stopped talking to me, so I don't know what I think,' admitted Theo bitterly.

'The necklace...'

'Yeah, I suppose,' shrugged Nott.

'But why would he want to poison Slughorn?' asked Blaise, knowing that Nott could easily answer this. Theo, however, pretended to be focused on the lesson now, which made Pansy sigh irritably.

'Are you still doing this?' she asked.

'And you're still pushing? I told you. Not my secret to share. Probably Weasel is going to tell you more than I am,' Theo replied coolly.

'Anyway,' said Pansy determinedly, looking directly at Blaise. 'I'm back in the game –'

'Now, practice this spell where you're sitting, but please, do watch out for others while you're practising,' requested Flitwick with concern.

'Shall we investigate Weasel, then?' asked Zabini as they took the wands out.

'I suggest Slughorn,' she smiled deviously.

'Now you're making sense. Welcome back.'

'Okay, I'll try asking again. Just stop digging,' said Theo tensely.

'Nott is getting more and more uneasy, so we're getting closer,' noted Blaise, ignoring a thunderous look Theodore shot at him.

'Well, I guess we should do it quickly, then? This week, but we should wait a couple of days so that Slughorn wouldn't expect that kind of questions in case he didn't want to say anything,' decided Pansy.

'I agree,' said Blaise, much to her surprise.

'I can see this teamwork is working for you, Blaise, you're almost unrecognisable right now.'

'Maybe he's just winning you over so you could do his bidding later on,' noticed Theo, and the other two almost sighed with relief.

'Welcome back, again,' smiled Pansy.

'Are you suggesting I haven't been here all the time?'

'Miss Parkinson, could you show me a non-verbal spell of your choosing?' asked Flitwick nicely, moving to their table.

'Er – sure – I mean, of course, professor,' she said, looking around frantically and wondering what she could do. She decided on a silent Accio and Wingardium Leviosa, hoping it would be enough. She couldn't do anything harder since she wasn't focused and – to be honest – didn't really listen to what the professor was saying during the lesson. Flitwick seemed satisfied with her demonstration, though, because he nodded enthusiastically and continued his walk through the desks.

'Wow, you could almost compete with Potter now,' jeered Blaise.

'If you don't shut up, I'll just use silent Avada.'

'Please, that'd be way too normal for him,' sneered Theo. 'He'd prefer, I don't know, get stung by a Blast-Ended Skrewt. In a spectacular fight, of course. He'd only survive to find out – five years later – that because of it, he now has a new fatal disease, which makes him the only person on Earth to have it.'

Pansy laughed, but Blaise didn't seem amused. He just seized them up and didn't comment.

'On his funeral, of course, there would have to be Blast-Ended Skrewts dancing to the –'

'Nott, you really have to learn when to shut up,' said Blaise with a warning look.

'A few seconds ago you were over the moon that I'm not whining and am back to my usual, cheerful self,' he said with a nasty smile which, as usual, didn't quite reach his eyes.

'If your usual cheerful self knows when to shut up I have nothing against it,' growled Zabini.

'If he did, he wouldn't be cheerful,' Theo fired back, exactly when the bell rang.

'Okay, as fun as it is, I'm going to leave you boys to your bickering. I'm going to talk to the only sane person in this classroom,' said Pansy confidently and caught Daphne alone before she could leave the classroom.

'Hi,' she said sheepishly.

She still couldn't get her head around the fact that Daphne took care of her while she was having nightmares. She was very grateful, but for some reason, also felt exposed at the same time. She didn't like when people knew her weak points, and now the older Greengrass did.

'Hi,' Daphne replied. 'Something happened?'

'Oh, no, I just wanted to ask you whether you've heard about Weasel and if you knew anything,' admitted Pansy truthfully.

'Gossiping again, are we, Parkinson?' she mocked.

Pansy smiled apologetically.

'I just thought you would've heard something.'

'Of course I did,' said Daphne, smirking. 'From what I know, Potter and Weasley went to Slughorn. Apparently, Weasley got stuffed with some love potion, some people think it was even Amortentia since he was going absolutely crazy!'

'What was he doing?'

'The gossips say he literally punched Potter in the face-'

'No way!'

'Yes! And then, Slughorn gave him something to drink, he was fine. But then he got something else that turned out to be a poison. Potter, as our new – er – potions master – allegedly saved Weasley's life,' she explained, smiling wickedly throughout the story. 'So, in conclusion, Potter gets to be the hero again, and Weasley is his usual, loser, self.'

'Who stuffed him with the love potion, though?' asked Pansy curiously.

'No idea, unfortunately. I mean, I've heard some people wondering if he hadn't eaten something Romilda Vane gave to Potter... Because apparently, she tried that a while ago, and well, Weasley is known for his… hasty eating. But those are far-fetched theories, so I'm not sure.'

'And why did Slughorn have this poison? I mean, he is a potions master, isn't he, so he… well… shouldn't he recognise it?'

'That's the mystery behind this all,' Daphne said conspiratorially. 'He had to get it from somewhere, right? We know he didn't do it, that'd be stupid, and he was a Slytherin, after all. And, well, he wouldn't work here anymore, would he?'

'So you say someone must have given it to him?' asked Pansy with a blank voice.

'I think so. I don't know who or why, but it seems to me like there was no other way. Maybe it was some kind of present? For Christmas?' shrugged Daphne.

'But I guess we won't find out, either way,' added Pansy and the blond witch nodded sadly.

'No, gossips come and go, and you know that better than anyone,' she said, winked at her and left towards the Great Hall.

Now, she only had to figure out how to force Slughorn into talking. She didn't worry about it, though. Pansy Parkinson always had a plan.