Erin was sitting next to Draco again. It was Double Potions. Erin
had been dreading it all week. Walking in and seeing that the only seat
left was next to Malfoy had just made it worse.
For the first half of Potions, Malfoy left her alone. Erin was just beginning to relax when Draco tipped her bottle of octopus ink over.
"Oh, sorry, Cooper."
Erin ignored him and began to mop up the spill.
"Snape got your tongue? Probably afraid to ever talk in his class again."
Don't listen, Erin told herself.
"You only got what you deserved. And here I am, nice enough to apologize for knocking your bottle over, and you don't even answer."
Draco suddenly turned his chair around, thrusting his face close to hers.
"Maybe somebody needs to teach you a lesson, Mudblood," he hissed in her ear.
Erin turned to face him, meeting his cold, grey eyes with her own. "Maybe somebody needs to teach you a lesson," she shot back.
"Think so, do you? All right. I challenge you to a duel."
Erin was too angry to be cautious. "When?"
"After your last detention. On top of the Astronomy Tower. No seconds - just us."
"Fine," said Erin, turning back to her potion.
The bell that rang an hour later couldn't have been more welcome. Erin left quickly and turned her footsteps to the library.
She had studying to do.
Why? thought Severus furiously. Why does Erin have to be so stubborn?
He'd protected her, helped her, and she'd picked a fight. And now she wouldn't even look at him.
And besides all of that, there were beginning to be rumors. That Voldemort had a child here at Hogwarts. If anybody found out about Erin -
Severus sighed and pushed the bed covers off. It was going to be another sleepless night.
Erin took the steps up to the Astronomy Tower two at a time. She was exhausted from detention, but she forced herself to be alert. She was going to need every bit of magic she had. And remember everything she had learned at the library.
Draco was already waiting for her.
"You took your sweet time," he sneered as Erin climbed out of the trapdoor. Erin did not answer. Instead, she glanced upward. Heavy clouds and a cold wind. It was going to rain.
Erin lowered her gaze and stared haughtily at Draco. "Come on," she said coldly, pulling out her wand. "I want to get this over with."
Severus ducked quickly behind a corner as Mrs. Norris walked past. Severus, of course, was allowed to be out at night, but he didn't particularly care for other teachers to know where he went.
Mrs. Norris vanished and Severus hurried onward to the Astronomy Tower. He needed fresh air.
Erin and Draco bowed to each other. They straightened and held out their wands. "One," said Draco, his pale eyes glinting. "Two. THREE!"
Why, Severus thought as he approached the top of the tower stairs, is the trapdoor open?
Draco leaped towards Erin. "Tarantellagra!" he yelled.
Erin ducked as the hot blast of magic seared past her. "Expelliarmus!" she cried out, returning fire. Above them, the heavens opened. Rain poured down fiercely.
Severus heard the duel above him. Merlin's beard, he thought desperately, what have I done?
Erin missed Draco. Before the boy could fire again, she lunged towards him, knocking him to the cold stone floor. Draco kicked at her, and Erin rolled away. When she came up again, Draco was pressed against the stone wall that bordered the tower.
He shouted a spell that was completely indecipherable in the howling wind. Erin didn't wait.
"Expelliarmus!" she cried out once more. The red flash shot from her wand and caught Draco full in the chest. Erin could see the startled look in his eyes as he was flung up and over the wall.
With only the slightest hesitation, Erin leapt up and threw herself on top of the wall. With one hand she grasped Draco's robes.
"Help," he gasped, dangling.
"Hold on!" Erin shouted above the rain. Erin's hand was slipping, so she grabbed Draco's outstretched hand with her other one. But with nothing to hold her to the wall, Erin herself was slipping - below her, she could see the ground three hundred feet away - they were about to fall -
Then a hand gripped the back of Erin's robe, pulling herself and Draco back over the wall. All three of them - Erin, Draco, and their rescuer - fell backward and lay sprawled on the wet floor, letting the rain pour onto them.
Their rescuer was getting up. Panting, he leaned against the wall. "What in blazes did you think you were doing?" he spat.
It was Snape.
Severus faced his students in the Slytherin common room. Even after sitting by a hot fire and downing two cups of chocolate each, all three of them were still shivering.
"That," Severus said slowly and deliberately, "was an incredibly stupid thing to do."
Draco was looking down at the floor, his shoulders slumped. Erin seemed to find the stone wall over Severus' shoulder extremely interesting.
"I would have expected more common sense from Slytherin's best students."
Erin's eyes flicked to Severus, wide with surprise. He ignored her reaction and continued.
"Thankfully, nobody else knows what happened. I will hold my tongue - if," Severus glared at them, "it does not happen again. Ever. Do you understand?"
Erin and Draco's heads bobbed.
"Now get to bed." Severus swept out of the common room. At the moment, he was incredibly relieved that his daughter and Draco were all right. He would handle the problem of the rumors about Erin later.
Back in the common room, Draco and Erin looked at each other.
"Decent of him," said Draco awkwardly.
"Yeah," said Erin.
They got up and went to their dorms.
For the first half of Potions, Malfoy left her alone. Erin was just beginning to relax when Draco tipped her bottle of octopus ink over.
"Oh, sorry, Cooper."
Erin ignored him and began to mop up the spill.
"Snape got your tongue? Probably afraid to ever talk in his class again."
Don't listen, Erin told herself.
"You only got what you deserved. And here I am, nice enough to apologize for knocking your bottle over, and you don't even answer."
Draco suddenly turned his chair around, thrusting his face close to hers.
"Maybe somebody needs to teach you a lesson, Mudblood," he hissed in her ear.
Erin turned to face him, meeting his cold, grey eyes with her own. "Maybe somebody needs to teach you a lesson," she shot back.
"Think so, do you? All right. I challenge you to a duel."
Erin was too angry to be cautious. "When?"
"After your last detention. On top of the Astronomy Tower. No seconds - just us."
"Fine," said Erin, turning back to her potion.
The bell that rang an hour later couldn't have been more welcome. Erin left quickly and turned her footsteps to the library.
She had studying to do.
Why? thought Severus furiously. Why does Erin have to be so stubborn?
He'd protected her, helped her, and she'd picked a fight. And now she wouldn't even look at him.
And besides all of that, there were beginning to be rumors. That Voldemort had a child here at Hogwarts. If anybody found out about Erin -
Severus sighed and pushed the bed covers off. It was going to be another sleepless night.
Erin took the steps up to the Astronomy Tower two at a time. She was exhausted from detention, but she forced herself to be alert. She was going to need every bit of magic she had. And remember everything she had learned at the library.
Draco was already waiting for her.
"You took your sweet time," he sneered as Erin climbed out of the trapdoor. Erin did not answer. Instead, she glanced upward. Heavy clouds and a cold wind. It was going to rain.
Erin lowered her gaze and stared haughtily at Draco. "Come on," she said coldly, pulling out her wand. "I want to get this over with."
Severus ducked quickly behind a corner as Mrs. Norris walked past. Severus, of course, was allowed to be out at night, but he didn't particularly care for other teachers to know where he went.
Mrs. Norris vanished and Severus hurried onward to the Astronomy Tower. He needed fresh air.
Erin and Draco bowed to each other. They straightened and held out their wands. "One," said Draco, his pale eyes glinting. "Two. THREE!"
Why, Severus thought as he approached the top of the tower stairs, is the trapdoor open?
Draco leaped towards Erin. "Tarantellagra!" he yelled.
Erin ducked as the hot blast of magic seared past her. "Expelliarmus!" she cried out, returning fire. Above them, the heavens opened. Rain poured down fiercely.
Severus heard the duel above him. Merlin's beard, he thought desperately, what have I done?
Erin missed Draco. Before the boy could fire again, she lunged towards him, knocking him to the cold stone floor. Draco kicked at her, and Erin rolled away. When she came up again, Draco was pressed against the stone wall that bordered the tower.
He shouted a spell that was completely indecipherable in the howling wind. Erin didn't wait.
"Expelliarmus!" she cried out once more. The red flash shot from her wand and caught Draco full in the chest. Erin could see the startled look in his eyes as he was flung up and over the wall.
With only the slightest hesitation, Erin leapt up and threw herself on top of the wall. With one hand she grasped Draco's robes.
"Help," he gasped, dangling.
"Hold on!" Erin shouted above the rain. Erin's hand was slipping, so she grabbed Draco's outstretched hand with her other one. But with nothing to hold her to the wall, Erin herself was slipping - below her, she could see the ground three hundred feet away - they were about to fall -
Then a hand gripped the back of Erin's robe, pulling herself and Draco back over the wall. All three of them - Erin, Draco, and their rescuer - fell backward and lay sprawled on the wet floor, letting the rain pour onto them.
Their rescuer was getting up. Panting, he leaned against the wall. "What in blazes did you think you were doing?" he spat.
It was Snape.
Severus faced his students in the Slytherin common room. Even after sitting by a hot fire and downing two cups of chocolate each, all three of them were still shivering.
"That," Severus said slowly and deliberately, "was an incredibly stupid thing to do."
Draco was looking down at the floor, his shoulders slumped. Erin seemed to find the stone wall over Severus' shoulder extremely interesting.
"I would have expected more common sense from Slytherin's best students."
Erin's eyes flicked to Severus, wide with surprise. He ignored her reaction and continued.
"Thankfully, nobody else knows what happened. I will hold my tongue - if," Severus glared at them, "it does not happen again. Ever. Do you understand?"
Erin and Draco's heads bobbed.
"Now get to bed." Severus swept out of the common room. At the moment, he was incredibly relieved that his daughter and Draco were all right. He would handle the problem of the rumors about Erin later.
Back in the common room, Draco and Erin looked at each other.
"Decent of him," said Draco awkwardly.
"Yeah," said Erin.
They got up and went to their dorms.