Diclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, or
anyone/anything from their universe. They all belong to J.K. Rowling, and
no money is being made off this story.
It was no secret that Scarlet liked boys.
She loved to bait them and date them and any such thing. She was skilled with the opposite sex, and she knew how to analyze any boy until she knew exactly what would make him fall for her. That's when she moved in for the kill. Scarlet had never met a boy or man that she couldn't hook, and she had never met a boy or man who made her feel anything but bodily attraction.
That was another thing about Scarlet D'Aubinge.
She knew not love but only desire. Love, she believed, was a silly fantasy that could only lead to major letdowns and broken hearts. However, there was nothing that killed desire more than a pathetically in love young man.
That's why Draco Malfoy seemed so perfect. He wouldn't be one of those crazy, romantic, clingy boys she so often dated. He was a male version of herself, driven by his passion for women.
And she desired him. Never had Scarlet desired a man like she desired Draco. Usually it was the other way around. When Stacy and she had gone back to their dormitory at lunch to touch up their makeup Stacy had commented on Scarlet's almost giddy state.
"We have Care of Magical Creatures next," she muttered, watching Scarlet paint on a bronze lipstick.
"I know that. Slytherin will be there. An excellent chance to get Draco Malfoy to ask me out. A few good snogs behind that big statue of Bruce the Burly on the third floor, and I'll be my normal old self again," Scarlet had replied.
Stacy had made a funny noise. "Oh, Scarl," she said dreamily. "Snogging will never cure what you have! Can't you see it? You actually care about this Draco guy."
Scarlet frowned and rolled her eyes. "Sure I do Stace," she said under her breath. "Come on, let's go! Damien wanted to go stalk that girl he talked to yesterday. He should be done by now, which means we can all head down to Care of Magical Creatures. I don't want to be late, and that's not just because Draco will be there. I don't want Harry to be partnered up with someone other than you."
When she saw the pissy look on Stacy's face she knew her comment about the famous 'Boy Who Lived' had hit home. No matter what Stacy told her Scarlet still thought that they had had a heavy make out session the night before. It was all in the gentle way Harry looked at Stacy. Whether they knew it or not, Scarlet thought to herself with a humorous smile, those two were totally besotted with one another.
***
"There she is Harry! Stacy Snape just got here!" Ron poked his best friend in the ribs and pointed to the blonde girl who had just arrived at Hagrid's hut.
"And she's alone!" Hermione noted.
Harry tried his best to ignore Ron and Hermione. He'd been trying all day to disregard their little comments about Stacy. If he had known the trouble saying hello to her that morning would cause then he never would have bothered. No one seemed to believe that he and Stacy were anything besides friends either. Both Ron and Hermione were under the impression that he and Stacy had shared a steamy snog down by the lake the night before.
"Well, Harry," Ron hissed, "go and say hi! You can't just leave your new 'friend' standing there all alone. Look! Now Malfoy's going to talk to her! He can't be getting in on your deal, can he? Go!" Ron gave a giant shove to Harry, and he had no choice but to obey his friend's commands. True enough Malfoy was talking in a hushed tone to Stacy. She was nodding, and, as Harry approached, he could have sworn he heard a giggle.
Just as he stepped into the eight-feet radius of Stacy Malfoy shoved a small note into her hand with a hissed, "You know what to do with it!"
Stacy giggled again and watched as Malfoy stalked off before she turned and saw Harry. After stashing the note down the front of her robe she gave Harry a small smile. "Have your friends been bothering you about this morning too?" she asked.
Harry nodded. "Oh, they've stopped all their whispering, but I can tell that they think we're having a torrid affair. Ron made me come over here to make sure Malfoy wasn't bothering you."
Stacy nodded and looked embarrassed. "Oh, he wasn't bothering me, Harry," she said quietly. "He was just, um, telling me something very important."
Harry frowned and tried to raise an eyebrow, but he failed miserably and ended up looking like a fool. "Eh?" he asked. "Something important?"
"Something important and private!" Stacy added, and she turned to wave to Scarlet and Damien, both of whom had just arrived.
Damien frowned and looked as if he'd like to give Harry a piece of his mind, but Harry saw Scarlet her right hand of Damien's arm, restraining him. A sudden thought struck Harry and he asked, "You know, with all the time those two seem to spend alone together, do you ever wonder if they're.you know?" Harry searched for the right word. "Involved?"
Stacy muffled an obvious snort. "Involved? Those two? Never!" Seeing the bashful look on Harry's face she added, "But don't feel dense, Harry. A lot of people think they're seeing each other on the sly. Once you get to know them, though, you understand why they'd never work out."
Harry risked a glance in Damien and Scarlet's direction only to find that they both had their eyes trained on Stacy and he. Scarlet's hand still rested on Damien's arm. "But they both seem so similar. I mean, the both love the opposite sex, they both seem outspoken, and they both seem so bold."
Stacy nodded. "Believe me, they are similar-too similar, in fact. I bet that if they ever did try and go out they'd always be cheating on each other and annoying each other with their 'outspokenness'."
"That's the same with Ron and Hermione," Harry said, jerking his head and motioning to his friends, both of whom were whispering and blatantly staring at Stacy and himself. "Everyone thinks they'd go wonderfully together, but they'd never work out because they'd always be fighting and disagreeing on everything." He didn't mention the fact that Ron was obviously-and unwisely-infatuated with Hermione.
Stacy nodded. "Yeah, well, thanks for saying hi. I appreciated it, but I think we should both go and soothe our better halves." She pointed to Scarlet and Damien and then to Ron and Hermione. With one last little wave she started off towards her brother and Scarlet, both of whom rushed up to meet her. Ron and Hermione were much the same. As soon as Harry was in earshot the questions began.
"What did Malfoy want?"
"What was on that note he gave to her?"
"Why did you two keep pointing to us?"
"Is she at all like her father?"
"What did she have to say about her friend Scarlet?"
Luckily all questions were cut off when Hagrid arrived. After the last few stragglers of the class had arrived, Hagrid led them all around a clump of trees to the paddock he had kept the Hippogriffs in their third year. There were no animals visible, but Harry knew that there had to be something hidden in the Forbidden Forest. Half-frightened whispers had broken out among the fifth years-mostly Slytherins, Harry noted-but Hagrid didn't seem to notice as he launched into his lesson. "This year yeh'll be takin' O.W.L.s. Instead o' given' yeh one big test at the end of the year I've decided ter choose one project for this year an' make it the test."
The class broke into cheers.
"Mind yeh, it's not goin' ter be all that easy. In fact, it'll be down right challenging, but it's nothin' fifth years couldn't accomplish if they didn't put their minds ter it." Neville gulped nervously. Hagrid smiled a little and patted him on the back. "Now, today begins the test. If yeh don' get this one thing accomplished then yeh'll fail the whole class. I must warn yeh, it'll be hard. But I'm sure yer all up ter it! Now let's get started!" He smiled brightly and opened the gate to the paddock and led them in. "Now yeh all wait here while I go and get the magical creatures." With a kind wink Hagrid started off towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, whistling merrily as he went along.
"Wonderful," Malfoy muttered the second the Hagrid was out of hearing range. "I wonder what sort of beasts he gotten for us now."
"Beasts?" Scarlet asked. "We're going to be dealing with beasts?" She frowned deeply and turned to Stacy. "You know, our mums both went to Beauxbatons. I wish we had been allowed to go there. Your grandmother and my grandfather were both French.I'm sure we would have been allowed in! At least there we wouldn't have been educated on-"
"Oh, would you just shut up?" Hermione asked, turning around and glaring at Scarlet. "We all wish you had gone to Beauxbatons, too!"
Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "God, what would you know?" she asked. "Lavender and Parvati happen to like me. After all," she purred, smiling a guilty looking Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, "we all believe in Divination."
Hermione snorted. "Don't tell me that you think you're a Seer too!" she said, chuckling softly. By now all the fifth year students were listening.
"Actually," Scarlet hissed, sneering disgustedly, "I am!"
"Oh, as if! I can't believe how foolish you are!" Hermione laughed.
Stacy and Damien were restraining Scarlet now, and Stacy called out to Harry, "Tell your friend to put a latch on it! Scarlet's a real hell cat when she's mad!"
Harry and Ron both nodded. "Calm down, Hermione," Ron whispered.
Thankfully, before Hermione could snap at Ron to back off, and before Scarlet could work loose from Stacy and Damien's death grip, Hagrid returned. Also thankfully, he was not, by any means, leading a heard of monsters. Instead, trotting to keep up with his long strides, were a heard of vibrantly colored colts. The girls-all save a steaming Scarlet and a furious Hermione-oohed and awed at the sight of apparently normal animals.
When Hagrid finally reached the class he motioned to the colts. "Now these," he told them, "are Pegasus. Who can tell me a bit about a Pegasus?"
Hermione's hand shot in the air. "Well, a Pegasus is a lot like a unicorn, only a Pegasus can be tamed. There are many different types of Pegasus, but among the most rare are the Moondishires, the Brandybucks, the Quick Silvers and the Sundrones." She finished with a knowing smile.
Hagrid nodded curtly. "Very good. Ten points for Gryffindor. Anyway, as Hermione here said, there are many different breeds of Pegasus-twenty-four ter be exact. Over there are one o' every breed o' Pegasus there is. And they're at a young stage, just old enough ter be away from its mother. Mind yeh, they're all wild. And they'll stay wild until yeh can slip one of these bridles on them. After that they'll be as tame as a mouse, with a little wild streak and as loyal as anything ter yeh." He grinned and pointed to some bridles hanging on the fence. "Yeh've got the whole period ter slip a bridle on one o' 'em. It's trickier than it sounds." Hagrid paused and whipped out a handkerchief from one of the pockets of his moleskin jacket. "Alright!" he cried. "On your mark, get set.GO!"
As he cried 'GO' he threw the handkerchief into the air and the entire class bolted to the fence. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were some of the first to get a bridle, and as soon as they touched one their names appeared in silver thread upon the rein. Harry set his sights on a gangly, all black colt-Hermione told him it was a Sundrone-and was chasing it about the paddock when he heard a terrible scream come from the other side of the enclosure.
"Bloody hell-what was that?" Ron asked under his breath.
"More specifically, who was that?" Hermione wondered.
Harry turned to look in the direction of the scream and saw Pansy Parkinson, a pug-faced Slytherin girl, standing up from a deep mud puddle. Stacy stood not far from her, a smug look of triumph upon her face.
"Are you mad?" Pansy screeched, wiping the slimy mud off her face and out of her eyes.
"Are you?" Stacy asked, though she kept her tone cool and commanding, much like her father's. Turning to Hagrid she said, "I caught her throwing small pebbles at that poor creature!" She pointed to a silvery-white Pegasus standing not far from all the commotion. "I told her to stop, and she told me to sod off! Then she said something terribly rude about my mum, so I shoved her into the puddle!"
Hagrid arched his eyebrows. "Is that so?" he asked.
Scarlet nodded. "I heard and saw the whole thing! That girl," she motioned to Pansy with her head, "was being horrible!"
Hagrid from and turned to Pansy. "Do yeh have anythin' ter say for yerself?"
Pansy nodded, her brown eyes filled with a hateful anger. "I sure do!" she cried. "Your mother is a gold digging whore and your father is a pathetic low life! Lord almighty, it's a wonder you all even turned out normal, with such loonies for parents!"
There were gasps from the onlookers as Stacy launched herself at Pansy. Pansy, caught off guard, gave a terrified shriek and fell to the ground as Stacy tackled her. The two rolled about in the muddy grass before Hagrid was able to reach them and pry them apart. By then Pansy was sporting a black eye and a bloody nose. Stacy was nursing a painful looking fat lip, and both girls glared angrily at each other.
Pansy, never one to learn from passed mistakes, felt that she was safe hiding behind Hagrid's large frame. "Your father is some kind of loser, too!" she cried, but instead of throwing herself at Pansy again Stacy contented herself with hurling various obscenities at her newfound enemy. She swung her arms out as well, but Hagrid rather wisely kept a firm grip on the back of her robe. Harry had always wondered what it would be like to watch a Snape loose their cool.
"What in heaven's name is going on here?" Stacy shut up immediately when she heard the stern voice of Prof. McGonagall ring throughout the paddock. McGonagall stared Stacy up and down. "I asked what was going on here!" she said. "There must be some explanation to as why you are using such vile language towards Ms. Parkinson!"
Stacy pointed to Pansy. "She called my father and mother loonies! And she said my father was pathetic and a loser!"
"And don't even get her started on what that girl called her mother," Scarlet added in a helpful tone.
McGonagall turned and frowned at Pansy, who was shrinking away, any confidence ever present within her gone. "Well, then! You'll just have to tell this to the Snape professors. I'm sure they'd just love to have your opinion." Turning to Stacy she said, "And you'll be serving detention with Ms. Parkinson tomorrow evening with your father! Eight-o-clock sharp, and twenty points from Slytherin and Gryffindor for such childish behavior! Now come along, Ms Parkinson!" McGonagall dragged Pansy up the lawn, muttering to herself under her breath.
As soon as all the ruckus of the class's happenings had died down the real catching began. Harry was able to get the bridle on his Pegasus with surprising ease, and the little black colt took an immediate liking to its master. Not all were as fortunate as Harry, though. Neville was dragged through the mud before he was able to get the bridle on his Pegasus properly, and even knowledgeable Hermione had to chase her chosen Pegasus around the paddock five times. In the end, though, nobody but Pansy had failed the class. Hagrid called for everybody to bring their newly harnessed Pegasus to the brand-new stable built down a little bit down the path, and all the fifth years started in the direction Hagrid was pointing. Harry took this chance to catch up to Stacy, who was walking alone at the head of the crowd. Scarlet and Damien were whispering with each other a ways back and staring at the heard of Slytherins in front of them.
"Hi, Stacy," Harry said, catching the young Gryffindor off her guard. Stacy whirled around and smiled in a relieved manner when she saw it was only him.
"Oh, hi Harry," she said, halting her silvery-white Pegasus-the very same one that Pansy Parkinson had been throwing rocks at-and waited for him to catch up. "I guess I lost it back there with Pansy Parkinson, huh?" She smiled in a goofy, crooked manner that didn't suit Harry's profile of a Snape. "I just see red when people talk bad about my mum. She made so many sacrifices back when my dad wasn't around, so I have a great deal of respect for her." Stacy trailed off and glanced over at Harry. "I really hate it when people pity my mum. I've only been back here for a day, but I've already heard plenty of people talking about their marriage like it was arranged or something."
Harry kept his eyes trained on the ground. Only this morning, in Potions, had he sat privy to Dean Thomas's slandering of the Snapes' marriage. Indeed, most everyone thought it had been arranged. "Pardon me for saying," he was able to mumble, "but your father has never been the easiest fellow to get along with."
Stacy rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I know! I think Damien's a mini, less groomed version of my father. He's probably a little cruder and a little less brainy, but correct me if I'm wrong-biased, testy, and such?" When Harry nodded Stacy gave him a half smile. "Don't get me wrong, though. Damien has his good sides too. He can be a real gentleman at times."
By then the two friends had reached the newly erected stable. Surprisingly, most certainly by magic, each stall had a nameplate hung above it. "Cider?" Harry asked as he watched Stacy lead her Pegasus into its stall. "Yours is named Cider?"
Stacy nodded and grinned at the nameplate over Harry's Pegasus's stall. "It's no better than Titan, is it?" she asked.
Harry dropped his gaze though he couldn't help but grin. He felt a strange sort of pride in knowing that he had made Stacy grin like that. He rather liked the eldest Snape girl. She was such a near perfect blend of her parents that it was easy-and Hermione would have killed him if he said it out loud-to see why Lisa was ignored so much. It was such a pity that Hermione held such a strong grudge against Stacy for her little sister's meekness.
"Harry? Are you even listening to me?" Harry's thoughts were cut abruptly short when Stacy's hand made contact with the side of his head. "Earth to Harry! I was talking to you!"
Harry rubbed his head. "Really? What were you saying?" he asked. Stacy had started for the door to the stables, though, and Harry had to sprint to catch up to her. "Stacy! Stacy! Wait-don't leave! What were you saying? I swear I'll listen this time!"
Stacy paused and shot Harry a cool, collected look, very much like the expression her father always wore. "All right," she said. "I was wondering if you'd walk me to the dungeons. I want to talk to my father alone before we begin our training, and I think that being accompanied by someone would give me a little confidence. I'd ask Damien, but he's got Arithmancy, and Scarlet has an important.date."
As much as he despised the thought of facing Snape on his own free will, Harry gave in to Stacy's pleading blue eyes. "Sure, Stacy," he said, bowing and letting her walk through the stable door in front of him. "What are friends for?"
***
"Scarlet, wait up! I want to talk to you!"
Scarlet stopped trudging up the expansive, flat lawn that led up to the castle and turned to see Draco jogging towards her. With an inward grin, Scarlet waved and waited for Draco to catch up.
'Finally,' she thought to herself, 'some company!'
As soon as class was over Stacy had rushed off with some boy-probably Harry Potter-and Damien had charmed a Slytherin girl-Millicent Bul-something-into leading his Pegasus to the stable. This, of course, had left Scarlet all alone. Though Lavender and Parvati had both offered to walk with her up to the common room, Scarlet had declined. As nice as those girls had been to her, they were both extremely giggly and annoying. And, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, she had been hoping that Draco would catch up with her.
Once he was in hearing range Scarlet put on a flirty look and asked, "Aren't you breaking some rule by talking civilly to me? After all, Draco, I am a Gryffindor."
Draco stopped running-he was a bit out of breath, it seemed-and gave Scarlet the trademark Malfoy smirk. "Any rule can be broken when a girl's pretty enough," he said, waggling his eyebrows up and down in a devilishly alluring manner.
"Well, you sure know how to win a girl over! Flattery is always the best way to get to one's heart!" Scarlet flashed Draco her mega-watt smile, as fake as it obviously was.
Draco straitened up to his full height then, finished catching his breath, and crossed his arms. "I suppose you received my note. The Snape girl-"
"Call her Stacy."
"Yes, well, Stacy said she'd get it to you. Have you read it?"
Scarlet nodded, a small grin creeping on to her face. "I thought it was a lovely poem, Draco. A lovely poem."
Draco coughed into a bunched up fist, and Scarlet could have sworn she saw him blush. "Does that mean you'll let me treat you to a night on the town next time we go to Hogsmeade?" he asked.
Scarlet grinned and crossed her arms as well. "Sure, I'll go!" she said, flipping her hair in a way she had been told drove the boys mad. "But promise me one thing, Draco. Promise me you won't fall in love."
It was no secret that Scarlet liked boys.
She loved to bait them and date them and any such thing. She was skilled with the opposite sex, and she knew how to analyze any boy until she knew exactly what would make him fall for her. That's when she moved in for the kill. Scarlet had never met a boy or man that she couldn't hook, and she had never met a boy or man who made her feel anything but bodily attraction.
That was another thing about Scarlet D'Aubinge.
She knew not love but only desire. Love, she believed, was a silly fantasy that could only lead to major letdowns and broken hearts. However, there was nothing that killed desire more than a pathetically in love young man.
That's why Draco Malfoy seemed so perfect. He wouldn't be one of those crazy, romantic, clingy boys she so often dated. He was a male version of herself, driven by his passion for women.
And she desired him. Never had Scarlet desired a man like she desired Draco. Usually it was the other way around. When Stacy and she had gone back to their dormitory at lunch to touch up their makeup Stacy had commented on Scarlet's almost giddy state.
"We have Care of Magical Creatures next," she muttered, watching Scarlet paint on a bronze lipstick.
"I know that. Slytherin will be there. An excellent chance to get Draco Malfoy to ask me out. A few good snogs behind that big statue of Bruce the Burly on the third floor, and I'll be my normal old self again," Scarlet had replied.
Stacy had made a funny noise. "Oh, Scarl," she said dreamily. "Snogging will never cure what you have! Can't you see it? You actually care about this Draco guy."
Scarlet frowned and rolled her eyes. "Sure I do Stace," she said under her breath. "Come on, let's go! Damien wanted to go stalk that girl he talked to yesterday. He should be done by now, which means we can all head down to Care of Magical Creatures. I don't want to be late, and that's not just because Draco will be there. I don't want Harry to be partnered up with someone other than you."
When she saw the pissy look on Stacy's face she knew her comment about the famous 'Boy Who Lived' had hit home. No matter what Stacy told her Scarlet still thought that they had had a heavy make out session the night before. It was all in the gentle way Harry looked at Stacy. Whether they knew it or not, Scarlet thought to herself with a humorous smile, those two were totally besotted with one another.
***
"There she is Harry! Stacy Snape just got here!" Ron poked his best friend in the ribs and pointed to the blonde girl who had just arrived at Hagrid's hut.
"And she's alone!" Hermione noted.
Harry tried his best to ignore Ron and Hermione. He'd been trying all day to disregard their little comments about Stacy. If he had known the trouble saying hello to her that morning would cause then he never would have bothered. No one seemed to believe that he and Stacy were anything besides friends either. Both Ron and Hermione were under the impression that he and Stacy had shared a steamy snog down by the lake the night before.
"Well, Harry," Ron hissed, "go and say hi! You can't just leave your new 'friend' standing there all alone. Look! Now Malfoy's going to talk to her! He can't be getting in on your deal, can he? Go!" Ron gave a giant shove to Harry, and he had no choice but to obey his friend's commands. True enough Malfoy was talking in a hushed tone to Stacy. She was nodding, and, as Harry approached, he could have sworn he heard a giggle.
Just as he stepped into the eight-feet radius of Stacy Malfoy shoved a small note into her hand with a hissed, "You know what to do with it!"
Stacy giggled again and watched as Malfoy stalked off before she turned and saw Harry. After stashing the note down the front of her robe she gave Harry a small smile. "Have your friends been bothering you about this morning too?" she asked.
Harry nodded. "Oh, they've stopped all their whispering, but I can tell that they think we're having a torrid affair. Ron made me come over here to make sure Malfoy wasn't bothering you."
Stacy nodded and looked embarrassed. "Oh, he wasn't bothering me, Harry," she said quietly. "He was just, um, telling me something very important."
Harry frowned and tried to raise an eyebrow, but he failed miserably and ended up looking like a fool. "Eh?" he asked. "Something important?"
"Something important and private!" Stacy added, and she turned to wave to Scarlet and Damien, both of whom had just arrived.
Damien frowned and looked as if he'd like to give Harry a piece of his mind, but Harry saw Scarlet her right hand of Damien's arm, restraining him. A sudden thought struck Harry and he asked, "You know, with all the time those two seem to spend alone together, do you ever wonder if they're.you know?" Harry searched for the right word. "Involved?"
Stacy muffled an obvious snort. "Involved? Those two? Never!" Seeing the bashful look on Harry's face she added, "But don't feel dense, Harry. A lot of people think they're seeing each other on the sly. Once you get to know them, though, you understand why they'd never work out."
Harry risked a glance in Damien and Scarlet's direction only to find that they both had their eyes trained on Stacy and he. Scarlet's hand still rested on Damien's arm. "But they both seem so similar. I mean, the both love the opposite sex, they both seem outspoken, and they both seem so bold."
Stacy nodded. "Believe me, they are similar-too similar, in fact. I bet that if they ever did try and go out they'd always be cheating on each other and annoying each other with their 'outspokenness'."
"That's the same with Ron and Hermione," Harry said, jerking his head and motioning to his friends, both of whom were whispering and blatantly staring at Stacy and himself. "Everyone thinks they'd go wonderfully together, but they'd never work out because they'd always be fighting and disagreeing on everything." He didn't mention the fact that Ron was obviously-and unwisely-infatuated with Hermione.
Stacy nodded. "Yeah, well, thanks for saying hi. I appreciated it, but I think we should both go and soothe our better halves." She pointed to Scarlet and Damien and then to Ron and Hermione. With one last little wave she started off towards her brother and Scarlet, both of whom rushed up to meet her. Ron and Hermione were much the same. As soon as Harry was in earshot the questions began.
"What did Malfoy want?"
"What was on that note he gave to her?"
"Why did you two keep pointing to us?"
"Is she at all like her father?"
"What did she have to say about her friend Scarlet?"
Luckily all questions were cut off when Hagrid arrived. After the last few stragglers of the class had arrived, Hagrid led them all around a clump of trees to the paddock he had kept the Hippogriffs in their third year. There were no animals visible, but Harry knew that there had to be something hidden in the Forbidden Forest. Half-frightened whispers had broken out among the fifth years-mostly Slytherins, Harry noted-but Hagrid didn't seem to notice as he launched into his lesson. "This year yeh'll be takin' O.W.L.s. Instead o' given' yeh one big test at the end of the year I've decided ter choose one project for this year an' make it the test."
The class broke into cheers.
"Mind yeh, it's not goin' ter be all that easy. In fact, it'll be down right challenging, but it's nothin' fifth years couldn't accomplish if they didn't put their minds ter it." Neville gulped nervously. Hagrid smiled a little and patted him on the back. "Now, today begins the test. If yeh don' get this one thing accomplished then yeh'll fail the whole class. I must warn yeh, it'll be hard. But I'm sure yer all up ter it! Now let's get started!" He smiled brightly and opened the gate to the paddock and led them in. "Now yeh all wait here while I go and get the magical creatures." With a kind wink Hagrid started off towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, whistling merrily as he went along.
"Wonderful," Malfoy muttered the second the Hagrid was out of hearing range. "I wonder what sort of beasts he gotten for us now."
"Beasts?" Scarlet asked. "We're going to be dealing with beasts?" She frowned deeply and turned to Stacy. "You know, our mums both went to Beauxbatons. I wish we had been allowed to go there. Your grandmother and my grandfather were both French.I'm sure we would have been allowed in! At least there we wouldn't have been educated on-"
"Oh, would you just shut up?" Hermione asked, turning around and glaring at Scarlet. "We all wish you had gone to Beauxbatons, too!"
Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "God, what would you know?" she asked. "Lavender and Parvati happen to like me. After all," she purred, smiling a guilty looking Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, "we all believe in Divination."
Hermione snorted. "Don't tell me that you think you're a Seer too!" she said, chuckling softly. By now all the fifth year students were listening.
"Actually," Scarlet hissed, sneering disgustedly, "I am!"
"Oh, as if! I can't believe how foolish you are!" Hermione laughed.
Stacy and Damien were restraining Scarlet now, and Stacy called out to Harry, "Tell your friend to put a latch on it! Scarlet's a real hell cat when she's mad!"
Harry and Ron both nodded. "Calm down, Hermione," Ron whispered.
Thankfully, before Hermione could snap at Ron to back off, and before Scarlet could work loose from Stacy and Damien's death grip, Hagrid returned. Also thankfully, he was not, by any means, leading a heard of monsters. Instead, trotting to keep up with his long strides, were a heard of vibrantly colored colts. The girls-all save a steaming Scarlet and a furious Hermione-oohed and awed at the sight of apparently normal animals.
When Hagrid finally reached the class he motioned to the colts. "Now these," he told them, "are Pegasus. Who can tell me a bit about a Pegasus?"
Hermione's hand shot in the air. "Well, a Pegasus is a lot like a unicorn, only a Pegasus can be tamed. There are many different types of Pegasus, but among the most rare are the Moondishires, the Brandybucks, the Quick Silvers and the Sundrones." She finished with a knowing smile.
Hagrid nodded curtly. "Very good. Ten points for Gryffindor. Anyway, as Hermione here said, there are many different breeds of Pegasus-twenty-four ter be exact. Over there are one o' every breed o' Pegasus there is. And they're at a young stage, just old enough ter be away from its mother. Mind yeh, they're all wild. And they'll stay wild until yeh can slip one of these bridles on them. After that they'll be as tame as a mouse, with a little wild streak and as loyal as anything ter yeh." He grinned and pointed to some bridles hanging on the fence. "Yeh've got the whole period ter slip a bridle on one o' 'em. It's trickier than it sounds." Hagrid paused and whipped out a handkerchief from one of the pockets of his moleskin jacket. "Alright!" he cried. "On your mark, get set.GO!"
As he cried 'GO' he threw the handkerchief into the air and the entire class bolted to the fence. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were some of the first to get a bridle, and as soon as they touched one their names appeared in silver thread upon the rein. Harry set his sights on a gangly, all black colt-Hermione told him it was a Sundrone-and was chasing it about the paddock when he heard a terrible scream come from the other side of the enclosure.
"Bloody hell-what was that?" Ron asked under his breath.
"More specifically, who was that?" Hermione wondered.
Harry turned to look in the direction of the scream and saw Pansy Parkinson, a pug-faced Slytherin girl, standing up from a deep mud puddle. Stacy stood not far from her, a smug look of triumph upon her face.
"Are you mad?" Pansy screeched, wiping the slimy mud off her face and out of her eyes.
"Are you?" Stacy asked, though she kept her tone cool and commanding, much like her father's. Turning to Hagrid she said, "I caught her throwing small pebbles at that poor creature!" She pointed to a silvery-white Pegasus standing not far from all the commotion. "I told her to stop, and she told me to sod off! Then she said something terribly rude about my mum, so I shoved her into the puddle!"
Hagrid arched his eyebrows. "Is that so?" he asked.
Scarlet nodded. "I heard and saw the whole thing! That girl," she motioned to Pansy with her head, "was being horrible!"
Hagrid from and turned to Pansy. "Do yeh have anythin' ter say for yerself?"
Pansy nodded, her brown eyes filled with a hateful anger. "I sure do!" she cried. "Your mother is a gold digging whore and your father is a pathetic low life! Lord almighty, it's a wonder you all even turned out normal, with such loonies for parents!"
There were gasps from the onlookers as Stacy launched herself at Pansy. Pansy, caught off guard, gave a terrified shriek and fell to the ground as Stacy tackled her. The two rolled about in the muddy grass before Hagrid was able to reach them and pry them apart. By then Pansy was sporting a black eye and a bloody nose. Stacy was nursing a painful looking fat lip, and both girls glared angrily at each other.
Pansy, never one to learn from passed mistakes, felt that she was safe hiding behind Hagrid's large frame. "Your father is some kind of loser, too!" she cried, but instead of throwing herself at Pansy again Stacy contented herself with hurling various obscenities at her newfound enemy. She swung her arms out as well, but Hagrid rather wisely kept a firm grip on the back of her robe. Harry had always wondered what it would be like to watch a Snape loose their cool.
"What in heaven's name is going on here?" Stacy shut up immediately when she heard the stern voice of Prof. McGonagall ring throughout the paddock. McGonagall stared Stacy up and down. "I asked what was going on here!" she said. "There must be some explanation to as why you are using such vile language towards Ms. Parkinson!"
Stacy pointed to Pansy. "She called my father and mother loonies! And she said my father was pathetic and a loser!"
"And don't even get her started on what that girl called her mother," Scarlet added in a helpful tone.
McGonagall turned and frowned at Pansy, who was shrinking away, any confidence ever present within her gone. "Well, then! You'll just have to tell this to the Snape professors. I'm sure they'd just love to have your opinion." Turning to Stacy she said, "And you'll be serving detention with Ms. Parkinson tomorrow evening with your father! Eight-o-clock sharp, and twenty points from Slytherin and Gryffindor for such childish behavior! Now come along, Ms Parkinson!" McGonagall dragged Pansy up the lawn, muttering to herself under her breath.
As soon as all the ruckus of the class's happenings had died down the real catching began. Harry was able to get the bridle on his Pegasus with surprising ease, and the little black colt took an immediate liking to its master. Not all were as fortunate as Harry, though. Neville was dragged through the mud before he was able to get the bridle on his Pegasus properly, and even knowledgeable Hermione had to chase her chosen Pegasus around the paddock five times. In the end, though, nobody but Pansy had failed the class. Hagrid called for everybody to bring their newly harnessed Pegasus to the brand-new stable built down a little bit down the path, and all the fifth years started in the direction Hagrid was pointing. Harry took this chance to catch up to Stacy, who was walking alone at the head of the crowd. Scarlet and Damien were whispering with each other a ways back and staring at the heard of Slytherins in front of them.
"Hi, Stacy," Harry said, catching the young Gryffindor off her guard. Stacy whirled around and smiled in a relieved manner when she saw it was only him.
"Oh, hi Harry," she said, halting her silvery-white Pegasus-the very same one that Pansy Parkinson had been throwing rocks at-and waited for him to catch up. "I guess I lost it back there with Pansy Parkinson, huh?" She smiled in a goofy, crooked manner that didn't suit Harry's profile of a Snape. "I just see red when people talk bad about my mum. She made so many sacrifices back when my dad wasn't around, so I have a great deal of respect for her." Stacy trailed off and glanced over at Harry. "I really hate it when people pity my mum. I've only been back here for a day, but I've already heard plenty of people talking about their marriage like it was arranged or something."
Harry kept his eyes trained on the ground. Only this morning, in Potions, had he sat privy to Dean Thomas's slandering of the Snapes' marriage. Indeed, most everyone thought it had been arranged. "Pardon me for saying," he was able to mumble, "but your father has never been the easiest fellow to get along with."
Stacy rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I know! I think Damien's a mini, less groomed version of my father. He's probably a little cruder and a little less brainy, but correct me if I'm wrong-biased, testy, and such?" When Harry nodded Stacy gave him a half smile. "Don't get me wrong, though. Damien has his good sides too. He can be a real gentleman at times."
By then the two friends had reached the newly erected stable. Surprisingly, most certainly by magic, each stall had a nameplate hung above it. "Cider?" Harry asked as he watched Stacy lead her Pegasus into its stall. "Yours is named Cider?"
Stacy nodded and grinned at the nameplate over Harry's Pegasus's stall. "It's no better than Titan, is it?" she asked.
Harry dropped his gaze though he couldn't help but grin. He felt a strange sort of pride in knowing that he had made Stacy grin like that. He rather liked the eldest Snape girl. She was such a near perfect blend of her parents that it was easy-and Hermione would have killed him if he said it out loud-to see why Lisa was ignored so much. It was such a pity that Hermione held such a strong grudge against Stacy for her little sister's meekness.
"Harry? Are you even listening to me?" Harry's thoughts were cut abruptly short when Stacy's hand made contact with the side of his head. "Earth to Harry! I was talking to you!"
Harry rubbed his head. "Really? What were you saying?" he asked. Stacy had started for the door to the stables, though, and Harry had to sprint to catch up to her. "Stacy! Stacy! Wait-don't leave! What were you saying? I swear I'll listen this time!"
Stacy paused and shot Harry a cool, collected look, very much like the expression her father always wore. "All right," she said. "I was wondering if you'd walk me to the dungeons. I want to talk to my father alone before we begin our training, and I think that being accompanied by someone would give me a little confidence. I'd ask Damien, but he's got Arithmancy, and Scarlet has an important.date."
As much as he despised the thought of facing Snape on his own free will, Harry gave in to Stacy's pleading blue eyes. "Sure, Stacy," he said, bowing and letting her walk through the stable door in front of him. "What are friends for?"
***
"Scarlet, wait up! I want to talk to you!"
Scarlet stopped trudging up the expansive, flat lawn that led up to the castle and turned to see Draco jogging towards her. With an inward grin, Scarlet waved and waited for Draco to catch up.
'Finally,' she thought to herself, 'some company!'
As soon as class was over Stacy had rushed off with some boy-probably Harry Potter-and Damien had charmed a Slytherin girl-Millicent Bul-something-into leading his Pegasus to the stable. This, of course, had left Scarlet all alone. Though Lavender and Parvati had both offered to walk with her up to the common room, Scarlet had declined. As nice as those girls had been to her, they were both extremely giggly and annoying. And, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, she had been hoping that Draco would catch up with her.
Once he was in hearing range Scarlet put on a flirty look and asked, "Aren't you breaking some rule by talking civilly to me? After all, Draco, I am a Gryffindor."
Draco stopped running-he was a bit out of breath, it seemed-and gave Scarlet the trademark Malfoy smirk. "Any rule can be broken when a girl's pretty enough," he said, waggling his eyebrows up and down in a devilishly alluring manner.
"Well, you sure know how to win a girl over! Flattery is always the best way to get to one's heart!" Scarlet flashed Draco her mega-watt smile, as fake as it obviously was.
Draco straitened up to his full height then, finished catching his breath, and crossed his arms. "I suppose you received my note. The Snape girl-"
"Call her Stacy."
"Yes, well, Stacy said she'd get it to you. Have you read it?"
Scarlet nodded, a small grin creeping on to her face. "I thought it was a lovely poem, Draco. A lovely poem."
Draco coughed into a bunched up fist, and Scarlet could have sworn she saw him blush. "Does that mean you'll let me treat you to a night on the town next time we go to Hogsmeade?" he asked.
Scarlet grinned and crossed her arms as well. "Sure, I'll go!" she said, flipping her hair in a way she had been told drove the boys mad. "But promise me one thing, Draco. Promise me you won't fall in love."
