by Deirdre Blair
Disclaimer: Well, you know for a fact that I don't own Sailor Moon. It was created and is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, who is Japanese. I'm not Japanese. Though I wish I were. And if I owned Harry Potter, I'd be going insane, writing the sixth book. That's owned by J.K. Rowling. She's English, I'm not. I wish I were. I wish I were a Japanese/English person who lives in England and Japan. But I'm not. Well, I have English history...but my background's all European and not a single scrap of Asian. See my dilemma? So, could you please call off your lawyers?
Summary: Hotaru just keeps sinking into the quicksand of her new life. Was it really worth it? Maybe she should go back. Hell no, she came here and she's going to finish what she started. And for her sake, you better hope that Harry's the people-saver everyone makes him out to be.
Author's Note: Whew! Fourth chapter. These chapters are turning out to be very long. I usually don't write such long chapters. Heh, but that's a good thing, right? Anyway, I really appreciate that you guys are taking the time to review! Especially Damia--wow! That was some review. It makes me feel special to know that someone analysed my entire story thus far. And I can't tell you if you're right or wrong...or that would be a plot give-away. Right? Maybe, maybe not. But I can keep a secret.
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Harry/Hotaru, Ron/Hermione, Draco/Blaise
Genre: Drama/Romance
Warning: Male/Male slash between Draco and Blaise
by Deirdre Blair
Quicksand
Previously on Tragic Angel:
~"No, [Hotaru]'s not. Or at least, the Hotaru we knew wasn't. But she's changed, Usagi-chan. You can see it in her eyes. Something about her has changed. It might be too late to bring her back. She might be turned for good."~
~"It looks to me as if you're subtly preparing us for an all out war," Hotaru said coolly and frankly. "What of those of us who don't want to fight for your cause?"~
~"We need Hotaru. Setsuna said so. She said Saturn had an internal fighting mechanism that was placed in her, and only her, that could be unleashed and could destroy anything. We don't know how to trigger it, but the first step is getting her back. Please, Mako-chan...."~
~"Aerisevacuo!"
"Panicking only makes it worse. Finite Incantatum will only work if I give the command. Which I won't. Think, Potter. If this spell cuts off your oxygen, making your lungs empty, think of a spell that may bring it back." While saying this, Hotaru's face remained impassive, as if she were cold to the dying boy in front of her.
"Aerisimpleo!"~
~Harry shook his head. "She told me Finite Incantatum would only work if she cast it. Oh, and she can speak Parseltongue."~
~Setsuna sighed, leaning against her desk. "The myth that Ms. Tomoe had previously asked about is the most ancient type of myth, except for perhaps Greek and Roman. Or, as I should say, it's recording is just about as old as Greek and Roman myth. But in fact, those three myths have been circling each other for ages, even beyond the creation of the universe."~
~"Yeah," Hotaru said. "What luck. I know Snape. He's...interesting. There are some things about him, though, that I have a hard time believing."~
-
Hotaru's next class was Advanced Potions. Great, three teachers I already know in one day. Lady Luck's mocking me, she thought to herself as she walked with Draco and Blaise into the Potions classroom. She just hoped Snape would be smart enough as well not to blow her cover. He must know what she was there for.
Hotaru once again was absent-mindedly toying with the Ring of Laverna around her finger. Blaise's eyes happened to cast down upon that.
"Hey, what's that? It looks familiar."
Hotaru jumped, startled. "What looks familiar?"
"That ring."
Draco had stopped too, staring at her finger. "Oh, hey! I've seen that ring before. I think my father called it the Ring of Laverna. It's supposed to be some sort of instrument of deceit. He told me it was one of the Dark Lord's favourite possessions. Did you steal that?"
Hotaru hit him over the head, but not very hard. "You dolt, don't speak so frankly. No, he gave it to me."
Draco rubbed the spot where Hotaru had hitten him. "Why?"
"To fool the Sorting Hat. What are you, an idiot or something? I thought you were a Slytherin--smart and cunning."
Draco smirked. "You forgot devastatingly handsome."
Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Did I?"
Draco's mouth fell open. "Are you insinuating that I'm ugly?"
Hotaru sat down, Draco next to her, and Blaise next to him. "I didn't say that. You did."
Draco, clearly offended, looked to Blaise. "Blaise, tell me the truth. Am I...ugly?"
Blaise looked at him boredly, his eyelids softly drooping over his eyes. "No. You're hideous."
Draco fell into his folded arms on top of the table. "You guys are so mean to me."
Hotaru leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. "Karma. What goes around, comes around."
Draco slammed his fist on the table. "I'm not mean! I'm merely charming," he added with a sexy smirk.
"Like a baboon's--."
Someone cleared their throat very loudly at that very second. Draco, Blaise, and Hotaru immediately looked up to meet the cold, dark eyes of Professor Snape. "If you continue this conversation, despite the bell having been rung already, I will be forced to take off five points."
The three nodded and became quiet. Snape's eyes flickered a little longer on Hotaru, but other than that, he hardly acknowledged her presence. Hotaru smirked.
"Those of you that are in here, should know what class you have chosen. It's Advanced Potions, and it's called advanced for a reason. In here, there will be no tolerance for distruption, lack of punctuality, and lack of responsibility. That means you are pressured to do more than you did last year. You are going to have more homework, more complicated potions, and less leniency from me," Snape explained in the sharp tones he normally spoke in, when not drawling.
Hotaru knew the students other than the Slytherins that were in there wanted to say, "Since when did we get leniency?", but she was surprised that they were quiet.
"So, are you absolutely sure you want to continue this course, Mr. Potter?"
Hotaru jumped, and her head immediately jerked towards the direction of a very, very small cluster of Gryffindors. There was Harry Potter, a distinct determination on his face. It was the determination that said, "I'm not taking crap from you, and I'm here to prove you wrong." Hotaru almost admired him. Beside him, was a very studious-looking Hermione Granger. The only other Gryffindor in that class was Dean Thomas. Harry remained quiet, his glare unwavering.
Hotaru caught Snape sneering. She decided to butt in. "I don't know, Professor Snape. I think this course may be a bit too advanced for him. After all, isn't he currently in training for the defeat of a certain Evil Overlord? Wouldn't this course deter him from his true destiny?"
Both Snape and Harry's eyes flashed at the same time. "What are you saying, Tomoe?" Snape asked.
Hotaru shrugged. "I'm saying that maybe he'll be a bit too busy saving people to do his homework and devote all his time and energy into making it in this course."
Snape narrowed his eyes, understanding. "Yes, I see your point. Maybe I should give my reccomendation for less advanced courses."
Harry stood. "No!"
Both Hotaru and Snape looked at him. Snape was seething, and Hotaru had an amused little smile playing on her lips.
Harry sat. "I mean, no. I can do it. I promise. The least you can do is give me a chance. If I mess up once, you can give all of the reccommendations you want."
"Yeah, maybe you should give him a chance. After all, I could be wrong," Hotaru replied dismissively.
Snape sighed. "And maybe you're more trouble than you're worth..." he said very quietly, so that only a few people could hear--namely Hotaru.
Hotaru smirked, knowing then and there that Voldemort couldn't have known he was a spy. After all, he had told the Potions Master to keep an eye on her.
Hermione's eyes narrowed, glaring at Hotaru with a supreme disliking. Hotaru yawned, making Hermione all the more infuriated.
-
"That Hotaru Tomoe is nothing but trouble!" Hermione cried after Potions was over.
Harry sighed. "Hermione...come on... Will you please stop obsessing over the evilness of Hotaru Tomoe? We all know she's the spawn of Satan. It's not like you haven't told me that a hundred times."
Hermione seemed as if her feathers were a bit ruffled. "She's working with Voldemort, I just know it. We just have to find some way to prove it. And insinuating that all you do with your time is save damsels in distress! Honestly, I never--!"
"Hermione, you said the same thing last year. Or don't you remember? You said I had a 'people-saving thing'," Harry said with a friendly tone. "And maybe you're right." Harry got a very dark look upon him at that second, and Hermione knew he was thinking about Sirius.
Hermione's eyes went wide. "Oh no! Harry, that wasn't your fault! It was Voldemort...he was sending those awful images to you. And because you love him so much, you had to go after him. Harry, don't you ever think it was your fault!"
Harry closed his eyes, mentally counting to ten. "Then why did he send them to me in the first place, Hermione? He knew that I had a 'people-saving thing' and knew I would come after him. And it cost Sirius his life."
The dead tones in which Harry was speaking in made Hermione begin to cry. "Oh, Harry..."
"I'm going for a walk. I need some air."
Hermione put a hand on his arm. "Do you want me to come with you?"
Harry shook his head. "I need some alone time." Then he walked away, leaving Hermione in the middle of the corridor between the Transfiguration and Charms classrooms.
Ron soon came up behind her, putting two large hands on her shoulders. "Is Harry okay?"
Hermione let out a surpressed sob, putting her hand to her face. "I don't know, Ron..."
Ron jumped, startled. "Hermione, don't cry..."
Hermione looked up at him, turning around. "He's out of our reach...he's lost to us. If only Sirius hadn't died...if only Cedric didn't die...if only he wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived!" Hermione threw herself into Ron's arms.
Ron akwardly held her, not knowing what to do. He wasn't used to crying girls in his arms. However, he soon got accustomed to it because it was Hermione. "Hey, don't say that..." he said in a soothing tone. "If Harry wasn't who he is, then he'd be some random guy who probably wouldn't be friends with us. It's like that saying...what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger."
Hermione looked up into Ron's almond brown eyes. She felt better for some reason, knowing Ron was right. His face was very comforting. It was so familiar, and she needed that. She needed the familiarity of Ron's face to get through not being able to reach Harry. And times like these, she was glad they were friends. She gave him a small smile. "Thanks Ron."
Ron blinked, caught off-guard. "You're welcome, but for what?"
Hermione's smile grew broader, and she buried herself in his shoulder, holding onto him longer. "For everything."
-
Harry walked slowly, sluggishly almost, out in the dark. It was dark already. He was amazed. He must've been walking a whole lot longer than he thought he was. He checked his watch, and was surprised to find it was nearly eight o'clock at night.
He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even see the sun going down. It didn't surprise him. He had gone on late night excursions at the Dursley's that summer, not reappearing until after midnight. It was usually that time before he realised how much he had walked. But he always walked, despite being grounded constantly.
Walking made Harry feel as if he could reflect with a clearer perception. It always felt as if someone was actually listening to him. Whether it be the wind, moon, stars, grass, trees, or what have you. Someone was always understanding. Actually understanding.
Understanding had become a sensitive spot for Harry with his two best friends. Ron and Hermione just didn't understand, couldn't understand him. He had gone through so much they hadn't. He was the one who was on the top priority hit list of the most evil man in existence. They weren't. They could never understand the sacrifices others made for him to live--just so he could live to kill the Dark Lord. He was like their puppet. An instrument that was supposed to kill a menace to society. And he didn't want to be that anymore.
He wanted freedom.
Then suddenly, a blood-curdling scream split through the air. Harry stopped dead in his tracks and looked around, his adrenaline suddenly pumping. He grabbed his wand instinctively. The scream ripped through the silence of the night once more, and Harry knew it was coming from the Forbidden Forest.
He ran without another thought, sprinting through the woods and trees to find the source of the ear-splitting scream. It came again and Harry followed it. He heard something moving close by, whispered "Lumos!" and ran closer.
The sight amazed him. A gigantic spider was tackling a young girl who looked very much like Hotaru Tomoe. "Tomoe?!"
"Harry!" Hotaru cried, tears running down her face. They were tears of pure terror.
Harry snapped out of his stupor and cried, "Impedimentia!" The spider flew back with the force of the spell, unmoving. Harry grabbed Hotaru and pulled her to safety, to the edge of the forest. Hotaru fell to her knees in the lush grass, shivvering and holding her arms.
Harry put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay...we're safe."
Hotaru looked up at him, tears still falling from her eyes. "Y-you saved me."
Harry bit his lip, giving a lop-sided grin afterwards. "Yeah, I guess I did. Are you okay? What were you doing in there?"
Hotaru looked away. "I'm fine I guess...I was just going for a walk. That forest intrigued me. At home, I would walk through dense forests and reflect. I was doing that here...but then that huge spider attacked me...and I couldn't move. I was so scared...I couldn't even grab my wand. Then you came..."
"You're lucky I was walking close to the forest. Don't you realise it's called the 'Forbidden Forest' for a reason?!" he cried, sounding very worried.
Hotaru frowned, wiping her tears from her face. "I don't need a lecture, Potter. I already know not to go back into that forest."
Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't realised he was lecturing her just then. For some reason, he was very worried that she could've gotten hurt or worse--killed. But how? Didn't he hate her? "I-I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me."
"Apology accepted," Hotaru murmured. "Maybe I should go back to the dormitory. Someone's bound to worry."
Harry felt himself laugh shortly. "Miss you? I was under the impression that you weren't very popular."
Hotaru glared. "Who needs to be popular? But I do have friends. It's not unheard of, you know. Although, I understand you thinking I couldn't make friends. Your personal choise of friends is rather...odd," Hotaru replied in an airy voice.
"Hey! They're good people. You don't even know them, so how can you insult them?" Harry was becoming rather angry with her again. She was like Draco almost, ruining possible moments for kindness with snide comments.
Hotaru smirked. "You're loyal, I'll give you that. You defend your friends even when you're so angry at them that you could just scream."
Harry blinked, caught off-guard. "Don't you?"
Hotaru looked away again, a dark look crossing her features, making her look distant and cold. "Yeah, and they do the same for me. They definitely don't talk about me behind my back...saying less-than-kind things about me...using me for their own personal gain. They're above that."
Harry gave her a curious look, knowing her tone was very sarcastic. "You're not just talking about Zabini and Malfoy, are you?"
Hotaru's eyes flashed and she quickly looked at him. "And what makes you think I'm not?"
Harry shrugged, noticing that his hand was still on her shoulder, and that they were still sitting in wet grass, on the edge of a very dangerous forest. He also noticed that it was way past eight now. "I don't know. It was just a feeling."
Hotaru smirked uneasily. "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to act upon feelings? Or think upon them? It's dangerous."
"And since when are you worried about my safety?"
She furrowed her brow. "Me? Concerned about your safety? No, you completely misunderstood the intention of that comment. I was insulting your thought process."
Harry felt compelled to laugh, and he did.
Hotaru frowned. "What's funny?"
Harry shook his head and stood. "Well, a lot of people are probably not worried about you coming in safely, but I know I'll be missed."
Hotaru blinked. "You're leaving me here? When those spiders could come out any second and kidnap me, take me into their lair, then maybe even rape me for their own sacreligous reasons, and then offer me to their gods? That's not right!"
Harry chuckled. "That's ridiculous. Spiders don't have the...equipment to rape you."
Hotaru stood on her feet quickly. "That's not true.... Besides, they might have some sort of mutation that makes it possible. You never know. Spiders that size aren't normal to begin with...what makes you think they've stopped at growing at impossible sizes? What makes you think a genetic defect isn't possible?"
"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you have an over-active imagination?"
Hotaru felt like sticking out her tongue. Didn't. "Better than having an under-active brain."
Once again, Harry chuckled.
"Once again, you misunderstand the intention behind my comments. I'm trying to insult you, you dolt."
By now they had reached the inside of the castle, nearing the split between the Gryffindor tower and Slytherin dungeons. "Trying, but failing."
Hotaru crossed her arms. "You're impossible. No wonder you're on the Dark Lord's hit list. If you annoy him half as much as you annoy me, I'm surprised you're not already dead."
Harry's eyes went wide, his face unreadable. Hotaru looked at him, a bit shocked. "What?"
Harry looked away, his hands in his pockets. "Nothing. It's just...you're the first person to speak so frankly with me...you know, without being vicious about it."
Hotaru's arms remained cross. "What are you talking about, you sentimental idiot? I'm being very vicious. You should be cowering with fear at my sheer cruelty."
Harry smiled and shook his head. "Right."
Hotaru rolled her eyes. "I go this way. Thanks for saving my life and all. See you tomorrow, unfortunately." She left abruptly, heading quickly towards the dungeons.
Harry blinked. He was going to invite her to...somewhere. He wasn't sure where, but he was going to ask her to come. Why the sudden departure? Was she actually meaning to be cruel? Was he just reading the signals wrong? He shook his head, not understanding. At least she made him forget about his problems...for a moment anyway. He brooded all the way up to the Gryffindor, past Hermione and Ron, and to his dormitory.
Hotaru sighed, half smirking. It had worked. She had agitated the spider, getting it to attack her. Unfortunately, it had attacked her far longer than she had planned. She lifted her cloak, standing against the dungeon wall, and examined the deep gash on her abdomen. It smarted a lot. She tenderly touched it with her fingers, wincing each time. Damn Potter, he just had to take his sweet little time, didn't he? Luckily, the plan went accordingly. They had shared a premeditated moment, and she knew Potter was beginning to at least question his lack of liking of her.
However, she needed medical attention quickly or she would probably collapsed from blood loss eventually. She looked around the dungeon corridor, making absolutely sure that nobody was in sight. When there was nobody around, she hovered her palm over the deep wound. Instantly, a purple light spilled out and into the wound, making it shimmer until nothing was left. The tear in her clothing was still there, but the gash was gone.
With a self-satisfied smirk, she covered herself in her robes again. Using her powers on herself still made her very tired and weary. She had to used the wall to hold herself up until she disappeared behind the wall guarding the Slytherin entrance.
When she got in, however, she could no longer hold herself up. She fell to her knees, gasping for air. The feeling was so familiar--back when she had Mistress Nine in her...back when she didn't have an ounce of strength...back when she had seizures...back when she was weak, she thought with a grimace.
Blaise immediately came to her rescue, lifting her up and placing her on the couch. She lay there, staring at the drab, almost sad grey ceiling above her. "What happened?"
Hotaru then looked at him. "I don't know. I just...I just felt weak. Anyway, my plan worked. He's every much the people-saver everyone makes him out to be."
Draco frowned. "We know that, but how do you?"
Hotaru smirked. "Well, I got myself attacked by a giant spider, that's how. And I can let out a pretty loud scream. How can the Boy-Who-Lived let such an opportunity of playing hero slip away? So, he saved me. Then we had a nice exchange of wits...I won. But I think he's beginning to warm up to me."
Blaise's eyebrows rose. "But you could've gotten killed. You realise that, don't you?"
Hotaru frowned. "Now you're sounding like Potter. I know I could've gotten killed. That was half the adventure. I was in full control the entire time, however. You forget who trained me, personally."
Draco and Blaise exchanged glances, said nothing, and nodded. Hotaru nodded as well. "I'm glad we're clear. But I should be getting to work. That little incident cost me some precious homework time. And I have Advanced Potions again tomorrow. I need to do my homework."
-
As she lay awake in her dormitory that night, Hotaru reflected on her entire day.
Harry Potter had been in all of her classes. That wasn't coincidence. She had heard Potter's reputation in Potions, and knew that it was terrible. She understood the Mythology part. That was pure coincidence. But Advanced Potions? Someone, she didn't know who, must've encouraged it. She knew he couldn't have done it on his own accord. He hated Snape, that she knew very well.
And that person was a danger to her mission--to her entire identity. That person knew of Hotaru's association with the Dark Lord. They knew that she was coming this year, and knew of her mission. But she knew this person was working against her. She ran through a list of suspects.
Dumbledore was first on her list. It was very possible that he encouraged Potter to take Advanced Potions. But would he do that to his Golden Boy? Would he inadvertantly place him in danger? Yeah, that was an easy one. He had done it so many times before, what made this one any different?
How, one may ask, would Potter be in danger if he took Advanced Potions with Hotaru? Well, the answer was simple. It gave her more opportunity to gain his trust then betray him in a very cruel way. The less classes Harry had with her, the safer he'd be. But no, he was in a lot more classes of hers than she had thought.
Professor McGonagall was a likely candidate as well. He'd listen to her judgement, and would feel competant to even take it. But she wasn't high on Hotaru's list. Somehow, she didn't quite make sense in that position.
Maybe Sirius Black before he died? But how would Black figure out that she would be coming? He was very smart, she knew that, but how much did he actually know? No, Black wasn't the one.
Remus Lupin, perhaps? But Remus probably knew about as much as Black knew about her and her objective. He wasn't a likely suspect.
Then, she came up with a rather crazy idea. Professor Snape? Why hadn't she thought of him before? He was a spy, after all, for the Light. He could have told Potter he'd never be able to do it, but meanwhile reccommending it. And he'd most definitely place Potter in such danger. But that would also mean he knew Hotaru's true intentions. She shook her head. She didn't want to think of that.
After all, Voldemort was a very good Legilimens.
Voldemort! That's right, he had a letter for her under her pillow. She drew the curtains around her bed, pretending to be going to bed. She reached under her pillow and found the space to be completely empty. She frowned. It should be there. Xavier wasn't likely to be joking with her. This was a serious mission.
Then she suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that someone had beaten her to the letter. The only person who could've known...she just had to make sure. Closing her eyes, concentrating really hard, she pressed her palm on the mattress. Every magical being left a trace of pure, concentrated magic energy on everything they touched. If she could just concentrate, she'd be able to figure out exactly who had taken her letter.
Briefly, the dark symbol of Pluto flashed in her mind. She nearly snarled at Setsuna's betrayal, got out of her four-poster bed, and got dressed into a pair of black pajama pants, a black short-sleeve shirt, and a pair of trainers. She got out her wand and exited the dormitory, and eventually the entire dungeon. Setsuna's office wasn't too far from the dungeons, so she could have taken it at any time. In fact, Hotaru wouldn't be surprised if she knew all of the passwords to get in beforehand. This was just great.
Hotaru safely got into the classroom. She crept slowly towards the office door, whispered a spell so that anything making noise in that room would be amplified enough so that Hotaru could hear a mouse breathing. And only she would be able to hear it. She didn't hear anything. Nothing, not even the scurrying of a mouse. She whispered, "Alohomora!", and walked into the room.
Immediately, she put proximity charms on the entire area around her and went to work, searching for the letter. All she had to do was stand still, completely still, and concentrate on the magical energy that radiated from Voldemort. It was a familiar energy, cold and dark. It was an energy that made the happiness get sucked out of you, making you feel dreadful. It made you shivver, made you hollow, made you depressed and angry, and made you want to kill yourself. In that respect, it was very much like the magical energy Hotaru possessed. But it didn't make you feel any emotion, nothing but cold impassiveness.
Ah! There it was. How inconspicuous. It was on the top of Setsuna's desk. You know what they say, the perfect place to hide something is in plain sight, Hotaru thought as she approached it. She grabbed the letter, clasped it firmly in her hands, and crept out of the office and eventually the classroom. She then felt Setsuna approaching, and she made a beeline for the dungeons, and then the common room, and then her bed.
She shut herself in her curtains, tearing open the letter and reading it.
On this, you can write anything and it won't be seen by anyone else. I have made a spell so that it can only be seen by you and me.
Hotaru nodded. Well let's hope the Mistress of Time can't see it either, she thought dreadingly. Without hesitation, she reached for her quill and ink, and began writing.
Everything so far has been going according to plan. Blaise Zabini is being very helpful, as well as the others. They should be congratulated. They haven't spoken a word of incrimination towards me yet. The ring worked splendidly and I hope to continue using it as I fear there are more Legilimens here. Although I am highly trained in Occulmency, I wish for extra protection.
At this point, Potter is beginning to take a liking to me. Phase one is complete. In case you haven't already heard, phase one was me being attack by a giant spider, then him coming to my rescue. It worked magnificently. However, I am rather concerned. Someone knows of my identity here, besides the usual. Whoever that person is, they encouraged Potter to take a lot of the classes I'm taking--including Advanced Potions. This is an advantage to us, but this also means somebody knows.
I will keep you updated weekly. My first day went well and only a few people are suspicious. But those people are also the two people Potter hangs out with. They're Gryffindors and are going to be suspicious of a Slytherin regardless of their intentions.
She folded the letter, sealed it in an envelope, and placed it inside her pillow case so that she could take it to the Owlry the next morning.
-
As usual, Hotaru did not get a lick of sleep that night. She had closed her eyes, but there was no sleep. "I'm either going to have to get sleeping pills, a whole case of alcohol, or someone to knock me cold every night. Because otherwise, I'm never going to get sleep," she mentioned that morning at breakfast to a listening Blaise Zabini.
"I'll knock you cold every night and get you the alcohol...but only if you share," he offered.
Hotaru glared. "Thanks, but no. I don't want you to become an alcoholic. I've seen both your and Malfoy's father when drunk. It's not a pretty picture. They make complete asses out of themselves. Your two families cannot hold hard liquour for your life."
Draco frowned. "That's not true. My family can hold hard liquour very well."
"Wine and champagne are not considered 'hard liquour'. I'm talking about whiskey, rum, scotch...the stuff that lets me sleep at nights," Hotaru informed. "Not something that is considered an aphrodisiac."
"Although both are rather tempting," Blaise comment off-handedly.
"You sick pervert," Hotaru spat, only half serious.
"Well, what do we all have today?" Draco asked, obviously talking to himself. He was looking over his own schedule.
Hotaru did the same. "Transfiguration with Ravenclaw, Care of Magical Creatures, and then another wonderful double period of Advanced Potions," she said aloud, but in a quiet voice.
"Ah yes, but while you all are at Care of Magical Creatures, I'll be in my History of Magic class," Blaise informed, sipping at his hot tea. "While the teacher is dull, I find the subject fascinating."
Hotaru nodded. "History is fascinating, so long as it's on an interesting subject. Take the War of 1340 for example. I just finished doing a report on it for my guardian. The most boring battle in history. When you get to it, I'll let you borrow my notes." Hotaru looked over at Draco. "So, you've completed your History of Magic training then?"
"Yes, I have," Draco replied rather grumpily. Hotaru had just realised that they weren't serving coffee that morning due to abrupt shortage. She suspected Blaise had something to do with that, as he had nearly spit out his tea when they were all informed. "History of Magic from now on is completely optional...what with me getting superior marks in that subject anyway. Dumbledore practically forced me to give up the subject. Said if I studied it anymore, I'd know more history than Professor Binns--who is history."
Hotaru narrowed her eyes, knowing it was an exaggeration. "Right." Suddenly, Hotaru felt the chilling feeling she got whenever someone was looking at her intently. She turned around completely, but didn't even see Potter at his table. Then she turned to her other side and saw a pair of glaring brown eyes that belonged to one Pansy Parkinson. Hotaru glared back, but then caught Draco's eye. "What's she glaring at me for?"
Draco sighed, taking a break from trying to change the tea into coffee. It just wasn't working out. (Hotaru secretly wondered if Blaise had hexed Draco's cup from any transfiguration spells.) "She's jealous, of course. You've stolen me, she said. I told her you've done nothing of the sort. But she won't listen, the wench. I told her she could sit with us, but she's scared."
Hotaru blinked. "Scared?" That was a familiar feeling. Everyone, always, had been afraid of her.
Blaise nodded. "Yeah, or don't you know your own reputation? You're one of the scariest people I know. Personality wise, too."
Hotaru raised her eyebrows. "Oh? So why do we always seem to be hanging out as of late?"
Blaise grinned. "I like scary people. Why do you think I hang out with Draco? Companionship?" Blaise laughed as Draco sent a biscuit flying at his face.
Hotaru shook her head, a small grin on her face. "You're insane. I think that if you killed someone right now, you could claim mental insanity and actually get away with it."
Both Draco and Blaise's faces brightened somewhat. "Is that so?" Draco asked. Immediately, he began looking around. "Where's that sod Potter?"
Blaise chuckled.
Hotaru groaned. "Then again...maybe you're just idiots."
-
It was Transfiguration first with Ravenclaw. McGonagall was surprised by the lack of interruption. It seemed as if the Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses both got along with each other quite well as long as a Gryffindor wasn't in the room. Mix one Harry Potter and you'd have a bloodbath.
And despite having Makoto tell her to be watchful of Hotaru Tomoe, McGonagall found the girl to be quite intelligent, attentive, charming, and very friendly. She even kept Draco Malfoy from mouthing off about having to transfigure a snake into a kitten. Although, she did allow him to say that it was demeening and a hit below the belt.
Hotaru had been very much amused.
When the class had ended, she found that Hotaru was also quite talented. She had transfigured the snake into a kitten the first try. However, when McGonagall had examined it, she found that the cat possessed snake-like qualities. While McGonagall was very good with cats, the cat had tried to attack her repeatedly. It was as if Hotaru hadn't changed it's personality at all. When asked, Hotaru said, "Well, I didn't think it was fair to completely change such a majestic creature into something so cute and cuddly. I wanted you to see that while it's shape has changed, the true beast still resides in it."
That statement sent chills down McGonagall's spine.
-
"Did you see the look on old McGonagall's face when Tomoe explained why she hadn't completely transfigured the snake?" Draco asked, delighted. "It was like her favourite uncle had died and left her no fortune whatsoever! Brilliant, Tomoe. I applaud you for freaking out the Transfiguration teacher."
Blaise applauded as well.
Hotaru held up a hand. "Please, please. It wasn't that big of a deal, okay? I can just as easily freak Snape out. McGonagall was no challenge. She hasn't seen enough to be callous to the sort of stuff I can say."
Draco and Blaise exchanged a look, and then clapped harder.
"What is this, an awards ceremony? Would you like a speech?" Hotaru asked, half joking.
"We'd love one. But you'll have to save it for later," Blaise replied. When they gave him inquiring looks, he held up his History of Magic book. "I take History of Magic, remember? This should be wonderful. I'm expecting the class size to be very small."
While Hotaru and Draco went outside, Blaise veered left and they separated. Hotaru was forced to listen to Draco mercilessly complain about the hippogriff incident. "I don't even know why I take this class anymore. That giant is set on killing me, I just know it. He's had it in for me since my first year. I can see it in his eyes. Pure lust for blood, for destruction."
Hotaru quirked an eyebrow. "Don't you think maybe you're being a bit over-dramatic? Paranoid? Perhaps even dellusional?"
Draco shook his head fervently. "No, no, no...wait until you see. You'll see the total capacity for a killing machine. A killing machine that has been programmed to tear me limb from limb. Probably by that sod, Potter."
Hotaru laughed, knowing Potter had no desire to tear Draco limb from limb. Well, at least, it wasn't his top priority anyway...
"What's funny?"
Hotaru shook her head. "Nothing, let's just hurry up. That tortoise is beating us."
TBC...
Author's Note: Ah, chapter four. Wow...these chapters are just so long for me! I mean, I never expected them to be so long. *fights of giggles of excitement* And the story is paced rather nicely, I hope. I don't want it going to fast. I want there to be at least twenty or more chapters. Don't know if that's going to happen. But when it's done, I hope to put it up on either Schnoogle or The Dark Arts or Astronomy Tower. What do you think? We'll just see when we get there. I hope you liked this chapter. Please review! I love reviews. They make me inspired to write more chapters. Next chapter: Hotaru goes to Care of Magical Creatures class. Poor Hagrid. I pity the bloke at times. But, I am an author. And I need to write interesting scenes to keep my audience attentive! *wishes this chapter could've been better*
-Deirdre Blair