A Darker Shade of Red

Spells and Potions

(the following is by Shadow Rise)

The welcoming feast had ended and at the moment Gin, Cole, and Laura were saying their goodnights to T.J.

"Hey Teej?" Cole said.

"Yeah C?"

"Sneak into the boy's dorm and turn their pants see-through for me? Pwease?"

Gin, Laura, and T.J. laughed.

"You're such a perv." Ginevra said, still slightly giggling.

"Well g'night guys I gots to go." T.J. said.

"Night."

Gin and Laura awoke in the morning to the sound of Cole's snores.

Good goddess girl, Gin thought, have you ever heard of nasil spray?

"You shake her awake and I'll laugh." Gin muttered.

She walked over to Cole's bed and ripped open the hangings to see-

"A ferret?" Gin yawned, "What the fuck?"

Where's Cole? she thought.

There lie a little blonde ferret. It was running in its sleep, terrified. Laura had walked over next to Gin and was doubled up with laughter.

"Oh gods I forgot about him!" she laughed.

Gin stared quizzically. "Meaning?"

"Oh weeeell, Ginevra dearest, last night I found this ferret in the Hall and snuck it into my pocket and up here." Laura said, "It turns out this is your little friend, Draco Malfoy."

Gin laughed outright. "Oh my gods!" Then she remembered, "Then where's Cole?"

Laura shrugged.

As they entered the Great Hall for breakfasst Gin was still unsure as to where Cole was. This was just bloody strange.

"Hey Gin, Laura!" Cole and T.J. came bounding into veiw.

"My gods girl where you been?" Laura asked Cole, "Mornin' by the way."

"Right back at you, luv," Cole said, "And I was hangin' with Teejy, here."

Gin smirked. "Well check this out," she said, "Show 'em Laura."

Laura a pulled Draco out of her pocket and handed him to Cole.

"Awww, look at the cute little rodent!" Cole teased, petting his chin with her finger.

"Don't get too comfy," she said, "That's Draco Malfoy."

"Well, he makes a really cute rodent," The ferret smirked and Cole added, "For a smarmy git."

Gin smirked and turned on her heel to walk away but smacked right into some one. Ron Weasley to be exact. "Oh watch where you're going you great lump!" she exclaimed.

He glared down at his sister.

"Oh do shut up."

"Yes Ginny, please do." Great, Granger.

"Hey, you look here, Hairbrush," Cole said, "No one talks to our Gin that way."

"Yeah, no one." Laura interjected.

T.J. stepped forward. "So piss off."

Wealsey stepped toward Cole. "Listen here, you, this is my sister and I'll talk to her anyway I bloody well please."

Gin grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "First of all Ronald Mardola Weasley I am NOT your sister."

The other three exploded with laughter as did the ferret in Cole's hands. "Mardola!" T.J. giggled, "What the hell kind of name is that?"

Weasley glared. "It-It's a family name!"

Gin smirked. "It is not."

"Oh shut up you bloody slut!" he exclaimed, "Go back to the bordello you came from."

Cole, and everyone else in the Hall, was silent. She gave Malfoy to Laura and stepped up to Ron.

"I told you, Carrot top, no one talks to our Gin like that." She reared back her fist and decked him. Weasley's head went back with a force and he smacked into Hermione and Harry.

"You!" she said pointing one of her delicate, slender fingers at Harry, "You broke her heart, you man-whore. And you,-" She turned to Hermione with an icey stare "-you had better watch your back."

She took Malfoy from Laura and set him on the floor. She pulled out her wand and muttered something. There was a noise like the cracking of a whip and standing before her was a tall 7th year Slytherin with metalic-blonde hair the hung loosly in his blue-gray eyes.

"Thanks." he said simply before turning on his heel and leaving.

"C'mon guys let's get breakfast." Gin seemed a bit pissed as she stalked over to Gryffindor Table.

Cole and Laura waved to T.J., telling her they would see her in Potions, and followed Ginevra.

Many a person began to stare at the foursome.

"Oh fuck this!" the readhead exclaimed and jumped up, "I'll see you later guys."

Gin walked out of the Hall and upstairs to Gryffindor Tower. I can't take it anymore. she thought, Even if Cole decks him I don't feel any better.

"Nargle Grim." she barked at the Fat Lady.

She ran upstairs and into the bathroom. She pulled the pocket knife out of the counter drawer.

"One for the pain," she whispered, "Just once."

She pressed the blade to the soft, slighty scarred skin on her wrist and moved it across, pressing down slightly. The crimson ooz dripped off her wrist and into the floor, forming a tiny scarlet puddle.

Gin slid into the seat next to Laura in Potions.

"Sorry I'm late." she whispered, "Couldn't find my books."

Cole, who was sitting on Laura's opposite side, nodded that it was okay. T.J. smiled in agreement.

"Well," the Potion's Master swept into the Dungeon classroom, "If you could possibly tear yourselves away from your intelligent converse, You will notice there are questions to be answered."

He smirked running his eyes over the back row. "Ah, Miss Keith," he said, "Tell me: What do you get when adding Erisid drops to roots of Devil's Snare?"

"Well, professor, it depends upon how many roots there are." Cole said, "If there are 1-3 its a revenge draught; 3-6 it is a waste of time; and 6-8 is a potion to cure pimples."

Everyone, even Snape, stared at her.

What the hell? Gin thought.

"Um- correct 3 points to Grytffindor." Snape said, "Let's see if you're so lucky as to get it right twice.-" Nutter, Gin thought."- What is was difference in Rose Wood and Worm Wood?"

Cole smiled... Innocently?

"Worm Wood has moss growing on it."

"Three points to Gryffindor." Snape gritted his teeth, "Weasley!"

"Yes, sir?" she asked.

"Name the other two names of Aconite."

"Monkshould and Wolfsbane, sir."

"5 points." he muttered, "Potter! Why do most Wizarding Nurses use ferret fur in their wands?"

"Ferret's have good memory, sir."

Snape looked as though about to explode if someone didn't get a wrong answer, and soon. "5 points."

End Chapter