Penny awoke the next morning, her mouth feeling like the Sahara. Reaching groggily for her wand, Penny lifted the covers, shutting her eyes with a grunt as the brightness made her head pound. After a brief retreat Penny reached for her wand, summoning a glass. Sitting up slightly Penny noticed the dormitory was deserted; the girls must have gone down to breakfast.
"Aguamenti" She muttered, cursing as the glass shattered. Repairing it with an irritated flick, Penny frowned in painful concentration as she repeated the complex water charm. This time water filled the glass from the tip of her wand. Taking a small mouthful Penny whined in appreciation as she swirled the content, wetting the inside of her cheeks. Swallowing Penny muttered a Refilling Charm before dragging the duvet back over her head. A few seconds later she felt a weight increasing on her lap, Juno sticking her head under the duvet.
"Good morning Mistress." Juno hissed quietly, Penny made a non-committal noise. "You can understand me now?" Juno questioned making Penny frown in puzzlement.
"What do you mean?" Penny replied, Juno's limited features appearing pleased as she spoke Parseltongue.
"It appears you cannot comprehend Parseltongue when you are intoxicated." Juno answered, Penny making a noise of acknowledgement before pushing her face into her pillow. Juno seemed to know she was not interested in further conversation and simply slithered in beside her and remained silent.
After a while Penny heard voices and tentative steps entering the dormitory.
"Penny?" Penny heard Heather say quietly. As Penny grunted in acknowledgment Heather went on. "I brought you some chocolate spread on toast." Penny's eyes snapped open and she gingerly sat up, Juno moving further into the covers, and accepted the slices with a murmur of thanks. "Professor Snape wants to see you." Heather said carefully as Penny groaned through the bite of toast. Chewing, she wondered whether her kiss with Harry, her drunken state or her fisticuffs with Ginny was the reason for her summoning. Heather watched as Penny ate in silence, the dishevelled girl ignoring Heather's obvious burning questions. Rising unsteadily Penny made her way to the nearest bathroom, the corridors anti-climatically quiet following Christmas, before undressing in a shower cubicle. Leaning against the back wall of the shower Penny shut her eyes under the hot flow of the shower. Redressing Penny dried her hair before reluctantly making her way to Snape's office. With a sigh Penny raised her fist and knocked.
"Enter." A silky voice spoke from within. As Penny entered Snape sat at his desk, closing a book wordlessly as he regarded her. "Take a seat, Miss Black." He watched as she sat, her expression wary. "Your behaviour last night was unacceptable." He stated bluntly. Although Penny's eyes narrowed she said nothing, waiting for him to clarify. "Who gave you the alcohol?" Snape asked quietly, his black eyes boarding into Penny's bluey green ones. She felt a slightly intrusive presence in her mind, a stab of anger as she recognised what he was doing.
"Get out of my head." Penny said through gritted teeth, ice in every syllable. She felt his mental touch retreat and an amused curl appeared on his lips as she glowered at him. He leant on his fingertips, regarding her silently before he spoke again.
"Your advanced abilities continue to surprise me, Miss Black" He said softly "I think even you are yet to truly understand your power." He went on thoughtfully. "Regardless, as your Head of House I am responsible for your punishment." He continued. He had already written to Narcissa, Penny found out to her dismay, plus he deducted ten points from Slytherin and gave her detention. Her detention was to be the following day, carving out sloth brains for the N.E.W.T lessons. Could have been worse, she mused, though she did not look forward to her aunt's wrath. As the day progressed Penny's irritation at the stares that followed her increased. Perhaps it was her imagination but not all the looks seemed negative. Ursula had done her job very well after all, Penny thought as she smirked. Harry had approached her nervously in the Great Hall, hoovering as she looked up at him.
"Er…want to, um, walk with me?" Harry asked timidly, blushing as people nearby jeered and wolf whistled. Draco's grey eyes scowled at Harry, making a noise of disgust as Penny nodded. Walked with her along the corridors, Harry hesitated before speaking. "Draco is very protective of you." He stated, Penny raised an eyebrow at his tone, his brilliantly green eyes wary. "He really didn't like that you…that you…er…kissed me" He finished rapidly, looking away as he went red again.
"So?" Penny asked, having a feeling she knew where this was going, and trying hard not to laugh.
"You aren't…I mean, you are cousins…It would be wrong" Harry said delicately, frowning as Penny's face broke and she giggled uncontrollably. Harry scowled silently, silently waiting for her to stop laughing.
"No. It's not like that." Penny eventually, still sniggering. Harry looked relieved but didn't seem totally convinced.
"The way you were dancing…" He said uncertainly. Penny shrugged unconcerned.
"We are both good dancers, so we dance well together" She said nonchalantly "He is like a brother to me. Annoying, overprotective, and a bit of a dick" Penny added as an afterthought making Harry smirk. "And he doesn't view me that way I can assure you" Penny said giggling again at the thought of Draco's face if he heard what Harry was implying. "So you can stop being so jealous." Penny added teasingly, a Cheshire cat grin spreading across her face as Harry looked startled.
"What..I.." He stuttered his words, before tripping over his own feet as he stared at Penny's twinkling eyes, clearly distracted. His Quidditch reflexes evidently kicked in and he grabbed the nearest thing: Penny. Caught off guard Penny too lost her balance and the two of them landed in an undignified tangled heap on the floor. "Sorry" Harry began apologising profusely as he sat up and tried to untangle them. Penny however, roared with laughter on the floor, her cackles echoing round the corridor. Harry watched her as she too sat up, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. His face cracked into a smile, soon joining in laughing as Penny's laugh became infectious.
As their laughter subsided he clambered to his feet, offering Penny a hand. Penny regarded him as he pulled her to feet with a surprisingly strong grip. Just then there was movement behind them and a group of older Hufflepuffs headed down the corridor they were in. Up the front was Cedric, hand in hand with Cho, who looked put out staring at the two of them, her eyes wandering down. Harry and Penny followed her gaze and the moment Harry realised they were still stood hand in hand, he released Penny's hand like it had burnt him. Penny grinned widely as she watched Harry's obvious discomfort. As the group past them Penny saw Cho looking back over her shoulder and gave her a beaming smile.
"She definitely likes you." Penny said as Harry looked sour.
"Yes, clearly" He said, bitterness in every word. "So much she keeps trailing round with the stupid Pretty Boy" Penny snorted at that comment.
"Well we definitely succeeded in making her jealous didn't we?" Penny said with a smile, but was met with a cold look.
"And did you succeed in making Ginny jealous?" Harry challenged, Penny's smile vanishing in an instant.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Penny said coldly, green eyes watching her disbelievingly.
"I know you two had a fight." Harry said quietly. "Is that the only reason you asked to go with me? To upset your best friend?" Harry pressed her. Penny bristled as she drew herself up to her full height, her eyes a small fraction above Harry's.
"Ginerva could have asked you to the Ball. But she didn't." Penny said sharply, jutting her chin up proudly. "Instead she agreed to go with Longbottom. That was her choice." Penny snapped, only partly succeeding in hiding the hurt in her voice. Harry's forehead wrinkled as he tried to unravel her unspoken words. "But, if you want to believe that, FINE." Penny said, turning on her heel and going to storm off. Looking alarmed it took Harry a split second to gather his wits before he started after her.
"Penny!" He called, his uncanny speed closing the gap between them almost instantly. "Penny, wait, I'm sorry." He said quickly. Penny turned and looked at him, her arms folded. Harry hesitated. "There is a Hogsmeade trip the third weekend of term." He began, running his hand through his hair nervously as Penny quirked an eyebrow. "Do you…er..fancy going to the Three Broomsticks?" He finished hurriedly, taking a sudden interest in his feet. Penny smiled raising a hand to her chin.
"Well" She said pausing dramatically, gripping her chin in mock thought as Harry's eyes flickered to her nervously. "I guess so." Penny said eventually to his relief.
"Ok. Great." He said heartedly, shifting awkwardly on the spot. "I guess I will see you later." He said as the bell rang.
"See you later." Penny replied, smiling as she walked down the corridor, an extra sway in her hips.
The next morning was less pleasant when a red envelope was dropped on Penny's lap by the Draco's eagle owl, Artemis. Narcissa's voice echoed off the walls as she screeched about the shame Persephone had brought on the family as she sank as far down as her seat would allow, her hands firmly clamped over her ears, doing little to drown out her aunt's voice. Juno had slithered away from the noise hissing unhappily. Even Draco had patted her shoulder sympathetically after his mother's letter had shrivelled into ash. If that had been bad though, it was nothing compared to the first day of the new term. Penny had sat at breakfast, scooping her porridge groggily into her mouth when the usual screech announced the arrival of the post. Artemis landed swooped gracefully overhead, dropping first a newspaper from her beak, then a large bag of sweets to Draco, and a considerably smaller bag to Penny. Narcissa still hadn't forgotten the Ball yet, Penny noted through her foggy brain. A strange buzz had started spreading around the Hall making Penny look up sharply, and was met with many eyes staring at her, fearful and angry, all with papers opened in front of them. Looking round Draco had his paper unfolded too, his face white as a sheet. Snatching it from his hands Penny was greeted with a large picture of herself, staring haughtily into the camera lens as she entered the Ball with Harry, a smaller Azkaban mugshot of her mother, and a picture of her father beside it, below read:
"Persephone Black: The Daughter of Darkness
Daily Prophet's reporter Rita Skeeter Special Correspondent can exclusively reveal that Hogwarts student Persephone Black,13, is the daughter of notorious dark wizard He Who Must Not Be Named, and his faithful supporter Bellatrix Lestrange née Black. Whilst You Know Who is legendary in his murderous crimes, it is the atrocity committed by Persephone's mother Bellatrix, whom she shares an uncanny resemblance to, which has been referred to as many by the most horrendous act of the twentieth century. I refer to, of course, to the kidnap and prolonged torture of Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom, who permanently reside in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries as a direct result of the trauma they endured. Persephone, it seems, is following in the footsteps of her mother as it has come to light that the young witch has already shown a sadistic attitude to Muggles, as Muggle Howard Jones, former resident of Hackney, London, discovered to his peril. The defenceless man was left permanently brain damaged following his encounter with the young sorceress, and is currently receiving treatment at St. Mungo's, in the ward ironically adjacent to her mother's victims. This young witch has already shown to share her mother's ferocious temper, starting violent fights with anyone that crosses her, including former close friend Ginevra Weasley, whom over the Christmas period Persephone viciously beat the smaller witch to a bloody pulp during a Muggle duel.
Persephone also appears to enjoy hurting and manipulating those closest to her, as she has dug her claws into friend Hermione Granger's boyfriend Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, stealing the vulnerable boy's heart. Young and troubled Harry seems to have been to have fallen under Persephone's spell, attending the Yule Ball with the devious young witch. Is the Champion aware of his love interest's dark history? Will he be too blinded by the young witch's dark allure to see the brewing malevolence beneath the enchanting exterior? Only time will tell, and Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent, will be keeping readers updated on the young witch's misdeeds."
Penny looked up, blood drained from her face, a vein throbbing in her temple as anger flooded through her system. Hands shaking, she lowered the newspaper back onto the table, the angry buzz now all across the Hall as people finished reading the article. Penny could see Dennis Creevey stood on a stall to see her over the heads of the staring crowd. Several wands were drawn along the other tables.
"Evil bitch!" Came the first shout. "Slut!" Many other shouts followed, heckling the dark haired witch.
A rumble echoed as she stood, the enchanted ceiling suddenly forking with lightening above them. The Slytherin table began shaking violently, she turned and stormed towards the door. Goblets shattered and overturned as she walked, the jeers following her. She saw Harry rise from the Gryffindor table calling her name as he ran in her direction.
"Penny!" He shouted as he ran.
"Don't!" She snarled but he grabbed her wrist anyway as he reached her. "I SAID DON'T!" She shouted, a blast from her wand sending the spectacled boy high over the House tables, crashing heavily at the far end of the Great Hall. Penny paused momentarily, a flash of guilt went across Penny's face as she lowered her wand. Taking a tentative half step after Harry, Penny saw a rounder shape rising from the Gryffindor table before she turned on her heel and marched out the Hall.
Reaching the Entrance Hall Penny hesitated, considering where to go, before a bellow erupted from the Great Hall.
"BLACK!" The voice roared, making Penny jump. Hissing angrily, Penny made to go up the staircase as the Longbottom boy burst from the Great Hall, his round face bright red and distorted with rage. Pointing his wand at her Penny carelessly deflected his hex, continuing to climb as he chased her, panting as he did so.
"Fight me you coward!" He shouted as they rounded into a first floor corridor. Penny blocked his next string of curses with ease, barely turning towards him. "Fight back!" He yelled as she finally whirled round to face him.
"Why?" She yelled back, flicking curses to the older boy's sides, making him flinch as they cracked harmlessly at his feet. "So you can prove I am the same as my mother? As my father?" Penny roared, flicking her wand, causing the fat boy to dangle helplessly upside down as she approached, a clunking noise faintly audible in the distant. Being at her mercy didn't seem to dampen Neville's rage as he continue to thrash manically mid-air, trying to twist his body to aim his wand at her. Penny jabbed her wand upwards, disarming him effortlessly.
"My parents are worse than dead because of her" Neville snarled his eyes dripping tears onto the floor beneath him. Penny looked up at him, a stab of pity and slight disgust as the boy's powerfully painful emotions poured off him.
"You think I wanted that? You think I wanted any of this?!" She shouted up at him as the clunking noise grew louder. "To be defined by a legacy of murder, of torture and terror, of crimes committed before I was born by parents I never knew?" She snarled as the source of the clunking noise rounded the corner; Moody.
"Let him down." His gravelly voice growled as he took in the scene, his magic eye whizzing between the flushed but uninjured boy, and the fuming witch beneath him.
"I'm not hurting him." Penny muttered moodily as she let the fat boy fall with an unglamorous crash. Neville didn't even attempt to sit up, instead simply sobbed on the floor at Penny's feet, who watched him with revulsion. She had always hated seeing people cry, comfort was not exactly her forte. "At least you have parents you can be proud of." Penny said quietly to the bundle at her feet before sweeping away down the corridor.
…
Hi guys, sorry for the slow update, hope it was worth the wait.
As for who the final pair up will be, why on earth would I tell you that and ruin the surprise lol?
But no DEFINITELY NOT DRACO. Anyway let me know thoughts, they do make me smile.