A/N: Ooooh, I just read through the last chapter and winced all the way. Please, for the love of Saint Bridget, tell me when I screw up like that! *cries* I really need a beta....
During the break between classes, Alla and Charley collapsed in a torchlit alcove near the dungeon stairway. Loleta followed suit, finally realising how tired she was as she sat down heavily.
"I could kill Hagrid," said Charley fervently. "That bloody book, who in their right mind?"
"Darling, you're making the mistake of thinking that Hagrid is anywhere near in his right mind. He probably traded his common sense for a winged leopard," said Alla, massaging her temples.
"They make winged leopards?" asked Loleta, checking her schedule to see if their next class was labor-intensive. History of Magic. She sighed with relief inwardly. The way the other two told it, History of Magic just required a hand to hold a quill and a vacant expression.
"Not legally," replied Alla wryly. "But they're a sight less sensitive than Hippogriffs."
I'd believe it, thought Loleta, noticing a head of vividly red hair coming down the hall. Ginny Weasley slowed down and locked eyes with Loleta, who beckoned her over. Ginny seemed heartened by the invitation and practically skipped over. It disturbed Loleta a little to notice that she had been surrounded by her chattering classmates, but no one even noticed her leave.
"Hi," she said, looking curiously at Alla and Charley.
"Hey, Gin. Sit down. Scoot over, you two," replied Loleta, shepherding the others out of the way. "This is Alla, the blond one, and that's Charley."
"Fellow redhead," said Charley, acknowledging Ginny.
"Well!" proclaimed Alla smoothly. "The youngest Weasley. Your brothers have been a plague to our existence at merry old Hogwarts for five years now. But they're not here right now, and you must be sick of being chalked up to them."
"No I don't really mind..." began Ginny, then she thought for a second. "Oh, who am I kidding?! Of course I am!" She looked surprised at her own outburst.
"I thought as much." Alla was surprised; idle family-related small-talk usually didn't turn into minor epiphanies. Then again, she wasn't used to the candid ways of Gryffindors. One thing was clear to her, though; Ginny Weasley needed a lot more attention than she was getting. The intense scrutiny caused Ginny to fidget slightly, so Charley broke the silence.
"Since you're here, love, talk to us. We know everything about your brothers, but no one really knows much about you, except that you're the seventh Weasley kid. And that doesn't tell us much."
By habit and experience, Ginny was wary of opening up to anyone. Then again, she could see very well where these three kept their brains, even if she couldn't always tell how and why the wheels were turning. Besides, Slytherin or no, they had shown more interest than anyone outside her mother....and a certain black diary, but she wasn't going there. She just had to make sure that she didn't tell them anything that personal.
"My name is Virginia Josephine Weasley. I am twelve years old. I like puzzles, figs, and Potions. I have six older brothers who between themselves know more about the layout of the school than Filch, but they don't ever share."
"Mmmmm, figs," said Loleta distractedly. Everyone else looked at her. "What, I've lived in France for half of my life!" she said indignantly. "If that doesn't make you love food, I don't know what will."
Ginny smiled. This beat tagging along after all her siblings by a long shot. She sat there, talking about whatever came up quite happily for the duration of the break. When she got up to leave, she noticed Ron and Harry looking at her very intently. The little leap of joy at getting some attention was swatted down when she noticed that he didn't look happy. Loleta and Charley didn't seem to see the familial tension building, but Alla glanced out of the corner of her eye at Ginny, with a tiny wink. Ginny imagined that she was Alla for a second and did her best to imitate the cool mien of the older girl.
"What?" she snapped at Ron, who looked stung. Harry just looked mildly surprised.
"How can you just say 'what?' You know what, Virginia Weasley!" Ron tried to sound stern, but just ended up sputtering ineffectually. Ginny cheered herself on inwardly.
"Well, since it's obviously bothering you much more than me, then I feel I can safely assume that this 'what?' is not my problem." Ouch, Gin, she thought to herself, wondering if just a short talk with the Slytherins had rubbed off on her already. She wasn't going to question it just now. She was on a roll.
"Ginny Weasley, I am your brother. I know you better than you know yourself, and you'd better listen to me-" Ginny rolled her eyes. Usually she would just let him continue this lecture, but she'd had enough. She drew herself up even taller, even though she would never reach Ron's height, and dropped her bag on the floor, and let some of Alla's froideur go in lieu of her own anger.
"You KNOW me? Who are my friends, Ron, hmm? What classes am I doing well in? Who do I fancy? What's my favorite food, you prat?" Satisfied with his shocked expression, Ginny stormed off to class. Ron stammered for a minute or so, and Harry looked after her bemusedly.
"Doesn't she fancy you?" he asked Harry. Harry shrugged.
"Dunno. We ought to get to class though."
"Class. Right."
Ginny spent the next class in a happy daze. She felt completely liberated. She resolved to ask Alla, Charley, and Loleta if putting people in their place like that always felt so good, and had a shiver of excitement. Even thinking 'the next time I see them' gave her a wonderful feeling of being interesting to people. She wondered if maybe she shouldn't have been a Slytherin after all...
"Hey, Alla?" whispered Loleta, looking nervously at Professor Binns to see if he'd notice. The ghost kept on with his monotonic lecture.
"Yeah?"
"How did you do that? Get Ginny to just talk like that?"
"We all have our own techniques in this house. Malfoy threatens and whines, Charley flirts, Snape does the sarcasm and intimidation and I just work the pop psych."
"Would you-"
"No, I won't share my secrets. Learn by doing there. Besides, I think I know what would work better on you." Alla checked over her shoulder to make sure that Binns was still oblivious. "You should work the 'worship-me-and-tell-me-everything-you-know' angle, especially since-" Alla was interuppted by a parchment ball hitting her head. She glared toward the direction it came from to see Will grinning at them and mouthing 'read it!' Alla glared again and opened it.
What's this I hear about worshiping Loleta? New extra-curricular club, perhaps? Can I be president?
Alla laughed quietly and passed the note to Loleta, who read it and chuckled in turn. She grabbed a quill and wrote her reply.
Nothing official, but it's a free country. Adulation never discouraged. Wondering also how you managed to pick up a conversation from all the way over there. Share your secret, and maybe I'll declare you my acolyte in my capacity as goddess.
Loleta folded it neatly and whispered a charm to make the two halves flutter like wings and levitated it across the room. Will read it and smirked. Alla watched amusedly, as did Charley, who had just noticed the exchange. The reply was soon sent back over.
Share your secrets first, love. What doesn't Filch know about?
Loleta scribbled her reply and threw it over his way:
Nice try. Maybe I'll let you come along blindfolded if you're a good acolyte.
Will was about to lob the note back over when class was dismissed. He came up to Loleta. Alla and Charley smiled wisely and moved ahead to the next class.
"Blindfold, eh? Intriguing. It seems that two Weasleys wish an audience with your grace, shall I ask them what they want?"
"As you will, Mr. McKellar." Will nodded and approached the Weasley twins, who had been eyeing Loleta with uncannily identical expressions of frustration.
"So, what are you two wishing to say to this fine lady?" Fred and George didn't answer him.
"How are things settling in?" asked Fred politely. The politeness put Loleta on her guard. The (in)famous Weasley twins were not to be underestimated or trusted, as she understood it.
"Fine, why ask?"
"Just wondering," chimed in George. "We figured we'd talk to you, as you've been very nice to our family so far and we have the next class together. So, what d'you know about Ginny's newfound attitude?"
I refuse to go into this, thought Loleta. Then she smiled, she had an idea.
"Look, if you want to talk to someone about your attitude problem towards Ginny, because it's not the other way around, talk to Alla." Loleta beckoned to Will, and they walked brusquely away.
"She might be mad at having to deal with them, you know," said Will. Loleta shrugged.
"Better her than me becomes any sort of wriggling animal."
"Aye, I suppose that's the general attitude towards Weasley Twin/Slytherin relations."
Later that night, Alla stormed into the dormitory.
"Ugh, Loleta, next time you saddle me with the Weasley twins, warn me or something."
"Why, did you eat anything they gave you?" asked Charley, applying a violently purple face masque.
"No, but they kept trying anyway. They were prattling on about Ginny yelling at Ron earlier. I only managed to get them away by saying that Filch was looking for them earlier."
"What have they done to Filch today?" asked Loleta. Alla smiled and shrugged.
"Couldn't tell you. But obviously something, because they practically sprinted away." She laughed. "If there's one thing you can count on with them, it's that they're up to something, or they're laying low because they've already done it."
"Do you ever need to ask anyone anything, or can you just read minds?" wondered Charley aloud, not for the first time in the five years she'd known Alla.
"Judging by what I know of your character and the events of the day, including the impromptu song and dance, I'd say that you're considering the benefits of an illicit affair with Professor Lupin," Alla retorted, unbraiding her complicated hairdo and letting it fall down around her shoulders. Charley smiled in a rather strained way, cracking her purple face mask.
"Alla, what makes you think I would even consider such a thing?" Even Viola, curled up on Loleta's pillow looked at Charley sarcastically.
"Charley, I've known you less than 72 hours and I have to say; Your love for the male of the species makes Catherine the Great look like a nun," said Loleta earnestly. Charley nodded for a second.
"Yeah, that's fair. But at least I'm not the one going 'I'm not shopping for a boyfriend' then making eyes at Will McKellar," argued Charley with a good imitation of Loleta's accent.
"We never said anything about 'boyfriend.' I may not be wanting the romance and gossip, but I wouldn't say no to a snog on a cold night with a good-looking boy like that," said Loleta, who grinned at Charley's smirk and Alla's bemused half-smile.
After Alla had fallen asleep two hours later, Charley spoke up again.
"Hey, Loleta?"
"Yeah?"
"About what you said."
"What?"
"What's the point in pulling someone as fawned-over as Will McKellar if you don't get to gloat in public?"
Loleta laughed into her pillow. "Go to sleep, you silly girl. Life's not all about getting what you want and rubbing it in everyone's face. Sometimes it's just getting what you want."