Hello! Thank you to the people who review my chapters, it's greatly appreciated! Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, I was in Quebec for a while without computer access. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

The Wall of Snakes

Snape's dislike for Maria seemed to grow over the next couple of weeks; Snape seemed to view Maria in the same light as her sister, and he loathed Hermione so much that it was only natural that he loathes Maria as well.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said one evening while Maria was bitterly completing an essay that Snape had set only her, because her Juvenile Truth Potion (a much less powerful truth potion than Veritaserum that is only good for one question) had not turned the precise shade of green that was expected. However, Maria believed that she had it easier than Harry, who was obviously the student most loathed by Snape.

"Last year, he actually vanished my potions if they weren't exact." Harry explained. "I think Dumbledore spoke with him this year, though, because he hasn't given me no marks yet."

"At least he doesn't vanish my potions," Maria said. "Yet." She added, bitterly.

She definitely enjoyed sitting around the warm fireplace during the late nights with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, cursing Snape and inventing creative revenge schemes, like concocting a potion that causes the drinker to become naked, and giving the potion to Snape during the Halloween Feast.

"I'm not sure I'd want to see that." Ron managed to say after a fit of laughter, trying to not envision a naked Snape.

Hermione looked rather stern; as much as she disliked Professor Snape, she still believed that as a prefect's neither she nor Ron should be insulting a Hogwarts professor. "I'm tired, I think I'm going to go to sleep."

"Yeah, me too." Ron agreed. "All of Binn's work is making me drowsy. Harry?" Ron asked, indicating their dormitories.

"Yes, I think I'll come too. Goodnight, Maria." Harry said politely.

Everyone else said their goodnights to her before disappearing into their dormitories, leaving Maria alone in the deserted Gryffindor Tower. She too was extremely drowsy; her focus kept coming and leaving, and she was having difficult concentrating on her essay. However, she knew she had to get it done; otherwise, the consequences would be severe.

"Still working?" A voice asked.

Startled, Maria looked up to see a boy framed in the doorway to the boys' dormitories. "Aiden!"

"Hey," Aiden smiled. "Shouldn't you get some sleep?"

"I have to finish this stupid essay for Snape." Maria answered, resentfully. All of a sudden, her expression became suspicious as she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Can't sleep." Aiden answered, coolly. He plopped himself down on the couch nearest to the fireplace and gazed into the dancing flames.

Maria returned to her essay. What did I do wrong? She asked herself. Perhaps the spine of lionfish was not fresh enough, or-

"Dashing through the snow, on a one horse open sleigh," Aiden sang.

"Do you mind-" Maria began.

"Over the fields we go, laughing all the way ha ha ha!"

"Aiden!" Maria exclaimed. "I'm trying to work!"

"Don't you love Christmas?" Aiden asked. He sighed. "Best time of the year if you ask me."

Maria briefly reminisced about her past Christmas and how amazing it had been…

"Yeah." She agreed. "But quiet down a little, I need to finish this."

"Sure thing-"

CRASH!

A sudden crash on the far side of the common room caused Maria to shriek and Aiden to give a small jump. 

"What was that?" Maria whispered.

"I'm not sure. Let me check it out." Aiden got up from where he was sitting and slowly walked over to the other side of the room; crouching behind a comfy arm chair was a small creature, with bat-like ears and eyes the size of tennis balls, though Maria could not see them because he was cowering behind the chair, both hands covering his face.

"Bad Dobby, bad Dobby," he repeated continuously.

"Who's Dobby?" Maria asked.

The creature gave a big start and stared up at her with those wide, bright eyes. "I is Dobby, miss. Dobby the house-elf."

"Oh." Maria said. "Hello, Dobby. What are you doing in the common room?"

Dobby let out a loud cry and began to bang his head against the scarlet armchair.

"What's wrong?" Aiden asked, alarmed.

"Dobby is not knowing why he is here!" Dobby cried. "Dobby is in the kitchens preparing for tomorrow's breakfast, and then Dobby is here. Dobby isn't knowing where here even is!"

"You're in the Gryffindor common room!" Aiden explained. "And you're fine!"

"Oh, I've heard of you!" Maria suddenly said, a light clicking on in her brain. "You're Harry's friend!"

"You is knowing Harry Potter?" Dobby asked, his eyes widening. "Harry Potter is thinking of Dobby as a friend? Dobby is honored, miss!"

"I'm Hermione's sister." Maria said, kindly.

"Miss's sister is very kind to Dobby." Dobby continued. "Though Miss's sister should not visit the kitchens, the other house-elves do not like her very much."

"Because of spew?" Maria teased.

"Oh, no miss." Dobby corrected. "SPEW."

Aiden laughed. "What's that?"

"The Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare of something like that." Maria rolled her eyes. "Hermione is obsessed with freeing the house-elves."

Dobby's eyes widened. "Dobby must return to the kitchens! But Dobby is confused. Dobby feels lightheaded. Dobby is not knowing where the kitchens are."

"I'm not quite sure either-" Maria began.

"I know where they are." Aiden said. "I'll take you."

Maria glared at Aiden, then said, "We'll take you."

"Miss and Sir are too nice to Dobby!" Dobby began to cry. "But Miss and Sir should not be caught-"

"Well, technically you're free, aren't you Dobby?" Maria asked. "So you can use your magic and perform some sort of Invisibility spell, can't you?"

"Miss is very smart!" Dobby gushed. He snapped his extremely long fingers and Aiden disappeared. Once Maria looked down at herself, she realized her body had disappeared as well.

Dobby climbed through the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, followed by Maria and Aiden. Aiden lead them down to the kitchens, and Dobby was very grateful.

"What can Dobby do for Miss and Sir?" Dobby cried.

"Oh, nothing-" Maria blushed.

"Dobby will get you food for you journey back!"

"Dobby, it's only a few floors-" Maria began, but Dobby had vanished into the kitchens and returned a few moments later followed by three other house-elves, all carrying plates of sweets and pies for the two Gryffindor's.

"Wow, thanks Dobby!" Aiden cried, stuffing the pies and sweets into his pockets.

"Dobby is very grateful, and will visit Sir and Miss in the Gryffindor common room if they don't mind." Dobby asked.

"Oh, of course," Maria nodded. "Anytime."

So, Maria and Aiden said their farewells and headed back to the common room. However, halfway through their silent journey, the invisibility spell that Dobby had performed began to wear off.

"Oh, crap!" Aiden cursed.

"Filch!" Maria hissed. "He could be along any moment-"   

As though someone had been reading her mind, Mrs Norris appeared at their feet.

"We have to run!" Maria whispered.

"Just let me kick it-" Aiden said, glaring menacingly at Mrs Norris.

"NOW!" Maria screamed. Together, they took off down the hall and as far away from Mrs Norris as possible. They continued to run until they reached a large, polished oak door. Aiden pulled it open and hurried inside, Maria in his wake. They closed the door quietly and noticed that the room was a tiny broom cupboard.

"Wonderful." Aiden said. "I couldn't sleep so instead I embark on a crazy adventure. Brilliant."  

Maria giggled.

"What?" Aiden asked.

"Nothing." Maria replied quickly.

They sat in silence inside the small broom cupboard for quite some time.

"Filch must be gone-" Maria started.

"Shh!" Aiden hissed. He heard two voices, and Maria began to hear them too.

"He said it was just over here-" The first voice said. It sounded like a slick, older boy.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this." The second voice said. This one was a younger girl. "I mean, right under the nose of Dum-"

"Shut up!" The first voice whispered, forebodingly. "Do you like living, Dru?"

Maria's eyes widened. She suddenly realized who the two voices were: Dru and Draco Malfoy.

"Of course I do." Dru replied, frightened.

"Then shut up and just do as he says." Malfoy ordered.

"There's the line!" Dru cried.

Much to Aiden's dismay, Maria gently opened the door so she could see through a small crack. She saw Dru and Malfoy, both in their nightgowns. And then she saw a thick, green line lining the floor in front of the two Slytherin's. This line seemed to be encircling a large portion of the north side of the castle.

"Now we wait." Malfoy said.

Suddenly, a hushed, cold voice drawled, "Imperius!" The voice did not seem to be coming from within the castle, and yet Maria heard it's menacing tone so clearly it was almost as though the owner of the voice was standing right next to her.

Malfoy became stiff and rigid for not even a second before he returned to normal. Dru looked horrified. Malfoy retrieved his wand from inside his robes and cried, "Partitius!" His voice was deep and so unlike him. He must be under the Imperius curse, Maria thought. Immediately, long, slithering objects that looked like snakes rose up from the green line. Maria realized that they actually were snakes. The snakes grew larger and larger, and so many formed from the line that they created a high, towering wall of snakes, completely blocking off the north side of the castle.

Once more, Malfoy became stiff for less than a second before he was back to normal. Obviously, the Imperius curse had been lifted. Malfoy collapsed to the ground, appearing to have fainted.

"I guess that's why I'm here." Dru said to herself. She muttered a charm that lifted Malfoy into the air, then carefully made her way back to the Slytherin common room.

Maria was too preoccupied watching Dru and Malfoy disappear from sight that she did not even notice what the wall of snakes were doing. She continued to gaze in the direction of the Slytherin common room until Aiden jabbed her hard in the ribs.

"What?" She asked, annoyed. She glanced over at him and saw that his eyes were wide open; his jaw was dropped and he looked horrified. Maria was just about to ask him what was wrong when she finally turned and glimpsed the wall of snakes. Her face immediately took on the same expression as Aiden's. There appeared to be over a thousand huge snakes, and each snake was emitting puffs of green clouds.

"It's poison!" Maria cried. "We need to go!"

"No!" Aiden said. "The only way out is past the poisonous gas, and I doubt we will be able to make it though without serious consequences."

"Then what can we-" Maria began. But a drowsy, sick feeling took over her. The poisonous gas seemed to be slowly reaching them, and she felt she could no longer move, let alone try to escape. Aiden began to feel the same way, but he was smart enough to pull the door closed and put his arm tightly around Maria, pulling her as far back into the broom cupboard as they could go. Then, with nothing left to do but wait, they both fell unconscious.

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