Hi friends!
Hope your week is going well! I went to a beer festival and got way too hungover :( but writing is always a fun way to spend a hangover day! Sadly, next week I return to school! NOOO! I really just wish I could graduate already but, life is what it is. So naturally I will be returning to my usual updating schedule of once a week on the weekend (American time) :(:( But at least we made some good progress during this time! :D Hope to chat soon with ya'll xoxox
Even though Penny had retired to bed early the previous night she still woke after everyone had left the dormitory. She'd purposefully avoided the feast, not feeling the least bit interested in facing the room of chattering, excited students, most of whose summer remained completely unaffected by the loss of Cedric.
Scrambling to get ready, Penny raced for the Great Hall, her mind still too groggy to keep up with what she was doing and where her feet were taking her. It wasn't until hushed whispers met Penny's ears that she realized she was already standing inside the Great Hall. She glanced at the group of Slytherins looking at her, talking amongst themselves but she cared little for their sneers and her eyes moved past them to the Hufflepuff table that stood just beyond the Slytherins.
The breath caught in her chest as she looked at all the excited faces in their yellow and black robes. Penny remained fixed to the spot, uncertain how she should proceed. The Gryffindor table was at the other end of the room, so Penny had to pass the Hufflepuff table to get there, but the thought of walking past it felt like an impossible task, like an insult to Cedric's memory.
But he was no longer at that table; the friend's he used to sit with graduated. It was no longer the same place Penny had shared with him and yet she still wanted to hold onto it. Penny had expected this conflict, dreaded it even, the memory of her last morning with Cedric constantly on repeat, but now she was here and had to decide what to do.
She'd been standing in limbo for so long, blocking the way of several students that more people registered who she was and joined the whispering, some openly pointing at her and not bothering to keep their voices down. But she did not care, and the only thing that managed to take her eyes from the table was a hand wrapping its way around her arm and yanking her to the left. Startled, Penny found a head of sleek blond hair steering her to an empty space at the Slytherin table, his cool grey eyes looking Penny over.
"Don't give me that doe-eyed look of yours, I'm doing a community service. While I won't be so calloused to suggest you start dating again, but you had the summer. Honestly Penny, none of us want to be forced to look at your tragic self eating alone at the Hufflepuff table every morning, it's disgustingly poetic," he said, pushing her onto the bench and filling a plate for her.
"I don't care what you or anyone else thinks. Cedric-" Penny said, taken a-back but also annoyed, pushing the plate back at him.
"Of course you don't, because you can never let any of us forget you are a Potter," Malfoy said, the exasperation heavy in his tone. "But it has been made abundantly clear that none of those precious friends of yours had the balls to say this, so it falls on to me. Why must I always be the bad guy?" he went on, sounding convincingly conflicted as he buttered his crumpet. Penny might have believed he was sincere if she did not know him better. "It sounds harsh, but you need to move on, Penny. He's dead and we are only given a few good years to be cute, so I can't let you waste them pointlessly mourning," he went on, sounding less and less caring with each word that fell from his pretty lips.
"I'm not pointlessly mourning!"
"Oh? And what would going back to that table achieve?" he said, his eyelids heavy with scorn.
"I realize you find it easy to be detached, but some of us actually have feelings," Penny said, coldly.
"Don't try to acting like that brother of yours, we both know you aren't stupid enough to believe that self-righteous garbage," Draco said, his lip curling in disgust. "You cannot argue that pity and self interest aren't feelings just because they aren't pretty enough for you, and I feel both quite keenly. But this falls into neither of those categories, so pay close attention, Penny. All I am trying to do here is save you from condemning yourself to futility."
Penny made to respond, the indignation swelling in her chest, but Draco raised a pale hand of his to stop her. "I liked pretty boy and I like very few people, perhaps I'm becoming too sentimental, but because I liked him, I cannot let you continue this way. And before you try to argue, we all know there is nothing he'd hate more than seeing you carry on this way. If anyone appreciated that annoyingly chipper personality of yours, it's him, so it's a poor way to remember him, looking this sad all the time, it's really not that cute of a look." Draco said, gesturing to all of her and wrinkling his nose.
Penny merely stared at him with her mouth agape. Malfoy was the last person she expected to speak to today. She all but figured their friendship was over after what had happened at the Malfoy Manor. And yet, here he was, speaking with her as though nothing had changed. He was a truly peculiar creature and even though she was offended, Penny appreciated the gesture, feeling it was his own strange way of caring for her.
"I appreciate the gesture, but I'll work it out myself," Penny said, making to get up from the table, but his soft hand grabbed hers.
"You owe me," he said, drawing small circles on the back of her hand before he looked up through his eyelashes at her. "And I intend to collect," he said so softly, it sent a flush up Penny's cheeks.
"Owe you for what?" Penny stuttered.
"We had a bargain, in exchange for getting Snape to agree to your quidditch games. I didn't want to have to do it this way, but you've forced my hand," he sighed.
Penny remained confused for only a moment before the memories came flooding back. They did not feel like they'd happened less than a year prior, they felt more like something foreign, perhaps from a movie she'd seen once. But it didn't feel to Penny like she'd actually lived that life, or perhaps she just couldn't remember what such a carefree life felt like.
"And what is it you want?" she said, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"I can't believe I'm about to waste it on this, but you will sit with me at the Slytherin table for the rest of year," he answered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, before turning back to her to scrutinize your appearance. "And you will brush your hair before arriving, I cannot be seen with anything that looks this drab," he added, smoothing out the hair on either side of her face. He pinched her cheeks several times and then reached in his bag to grab his chapstick which he moved to put on for her. Irritated, Penny snatched it from him and held his gaze, which was much too amused for her liking. Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, she put the chapstick on and then shoved it back at him before sitting back down and turning to her plate to begin eating.
"I find it interesting how hard you try to pretend you aren't a good person," Penny said between bites.
"Don't mistake pity for goodwill, it will screw you every time," he said, lazily.
"Did you think I pitied you that day?" Penny asked, her voice quieter.
They didn't look at each other, but she knew he was watching her from the corner of his eye. But he did not respond to her, Penny noting it was the first time she'd ever silenced Draco Malfoy.
"You're an idiot if you did. I sucker punched you for my own self-interest."
A soft chuckle followed her admission. He took a sip of his tea and considered her a moment before responding. "You're always an idiot Potter, but an idiot with good fortune."
"Or a good friend," Penny said, pointedly turning on Draco.
"Oh don't get sentimental on me, I'm eating," he said with an eye roll.
Penny snorted with laughter at this and reached for some pumpkin juice.
"But since we are the topic, don't waste my charity, I'm tired of this suicidal streak of yours. Life is not as tragic as you like to make it out to be, so try living a little," Draco admonished.
It was Penny's turn to eye roll. "I suppose you'll be helping me with that?"
"Only if you're good," he replied, taking a slow bite of his breakfast sausage, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
"I'll pass. I already had to endure Fred and George getting me high and then telling me they knew I was pregnant with Cedric's child," Penny said, shaking her head at the absurd memory.
"You aren't-" he breathed, looking down at her stomach.
"Not you too! We didn't even get that far," Penny said in an incredulous whisper.
"Penny. . . Penny, Penny, Penny!" he said, dropping the fork in my hand. "I was certain you were kinky-" he said, trailing off when someone cleared their throat behind them.
They'd been so lost in their conversation that they had not noticed when Snape had stopped behind them.
"Don't stop on my account," Snape said, looking over the two of them, eyebrow arched in condemnation as his eyes settled on Penny, who's cheeks were red with annoyance and mortification. She turned quickly away from him to focus intently on her plate, but she could feel his eyes on the back of her neck.
"We wouldn't want to take up any of your valuable time, sir," Draco said, smoothly.
"I heard congratulations are in order, Mr. Malfoy. I was just telling your father the other day that I expected you to be one of the few who make it into my NEWT class."
Penny tried hard to ignore the conversation between the two of them and focused on the food before her that she'd eaten very little of. She tried to force down some more hashbrowns but they only made her sick and Snape had no intention of letting her off so easily.
"Ms. Potter, since you seem unable to locate your own table, your head of house asked me to give this to you," an icy voice said, demanding her attention.
Without looking at him, Penny reached for the schedule, but Snape did not release it. She tugged a few times before she realized he was holding it hostage on purpose. Suppressing a gulp, she turned and looked into the dark features.
"Is there a reason you are suddenly unable to make it across the room?" he said, not blinking, telling Penny he was going to steal the answer from her either way, so she decided to refuse him the satisfaction of doing so.
"As a matter of fact there is. Not sure you remember, but my dead boyfriend was a Hufflepuff and I find walking past the spot where we used to sit together every morning difficult. . .emotionally. I assume there is no rule barring me from eating at this table?"
Draco took the curling of Snape's lips as his cue to turn away from the both of them and engage someone to his left in conversation. Snape glanced at him momentarily, deciding he was well enough preoccupied before turning back on Penny, the both of them still clutching her schedule.
"You are correct, there is nothing prohibiting it, but you would be wise to remember red will never belong in a sea of green,"
"Right," Penny said, a grin spreading across her face. "That's a new way of reminding me how much you hate Christmas, but personally I feel red and green quite belong together, they're complimentary," she continued with a smirk, freeing her schedule from him and looking down at it.
"Oh! We have double potions today, she said, turning brightly back to him."
"Unfortunately," he said in a bored tone.
"What are we doing?"
"Brewing potions."
"Which potion?" Penny said, ignoring his snark.
"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise,"
"Oh, c'mon! Did you not see my schedule, I have to suffer through history of magic before potions," she whined, getting to her feet and shoving her schedule into his face, but he ensnared her wrist before she made it anywhere near.
"You say that like I have an inclination to care."
"Shall I incline you then," Penny winked with a mischievous grin.
The grip on her wrist tightened in warning, his eyes narrowing just slightly, but Penny saw how his eyes glinted, the man loved a challenge.
"Must I remind you again that the term has started?" he said, Penny knowing the threat was only there to bait her into an argument, an argument she too wanted very much to have.
"Is something wrong, Professor Snape?" A squeaky voice said, stealing Penny's chance from her.
Recognizing it as the voice of the absurd woman, Professor Umbridge, Penny suppressed her groan and followed Snape's gaze to the toad-like woman who was wearing all pink just like she had the day prior.
"I don't know, is there, Dolores?" Snape said with a sneer.
"How is it you arrived in this altercation with Miss Potter here, is my assistance required?" she said in a absurdly sweet voice, turning to Penny with a smile that should only ever appear on a possessed doll in a horror movie.
"I'm afraid it appears you do not know the meaning of the word, Dolores, there is no altercation, but if there were, I can assure you with15 years of experience, I am quite capable of handling students on my own. But of course I can forgive the error on your part, seeing as you lack any relevant experience of your own." Snape said, silkily.
"Oh, but Professor Snape, it seems you misunderstand me," she giggled, sending a vein throbbing in Snape's neck. "It was Penny here I was concerned for, as I have been told some of your methods are a bit unorthodox. With the other students I can appreciate the need for a firm hand, but you'll understand why I must ask you to keep your hands off the Ministry's property in the future," the girlish voice said, her eyes crinkling with false sincerity.
Snape's eyes darted to Penny, who's anger at being referred to as the property of the Ministry burst forth from her. For a moment she forgot herself, that she was standing in the Great Hall, in Hogwarts, before her Professor who was also a Ministry official. But Snape's foot smashing down on hers stopped her before the furious words tumbled from her mouth.
"Ouch!" she said instead, her eyes watering more from fury than pain.
"My dear, are you alright?" Umbridge asked, turning her attention back on Penny.
Glowering beneath the gaze of both professors, Penny cleared her throat,
"Oh yes, Professor. My watch just stabs me whenever I am going to be late for class. That's why Professor Snape here took a hold of my wrist, because you know, he's really a big softie inside and wanted me to remove it, " Penny said in the highest and most annoying voice she could muster.
"That is very good of Professor Snape, there are much better methods for producing results, perhaps you can choose one that does not evoke injury next time, we want you in tip-top shape."
"Oh, but I would have thought you'd agree with the method, seeing as you know Mr. Yaxley, and he was always adamant that torture was the only way to produce results," Penny said, feigning bewilderment, her eyes wide with confusion.
Umbridge's face darkened ever so slightly, her ugly eyes scanning Penny, searching for the malice in her, but apparently she could find no evidence, so she widened her slack mouth even further, making herself look like a deranged aunt who was trying very hard not to hit a wayward child.
Beside Penny, Snape avoided Umbridge's gaze, the corners of his mouth twitching, which almost broke Penny, but the many years she spent in the Hogwarts drama club and her loathing of this woman allowed her to remain composed.
"I think it's time Penny got to class, don't you Professor Snape?"
"Indeed," Snape said, softly, pulling Penny with him as he made for the Entrance hall.
"Tell me, Potter, do you know how to keep your mouth shut!" drawled Snape, rounding on her when they were safely down a corridor.
"Don't lecture me! I don't see you watching your tongue around her, in fact it was pretty obvious you were going out of your to piss her off," Penny countered, incredulously.
"I, unlike you, am a Professor which allows me to enjoy many luxuries you will never know, and I, unlike you, am not a person of interest to the Ministry."
"Or to anyone," she grumbled, ignoring his warning. "She's evil, can you feel it? She can't stay at Hogwarts, she needs to go and I know just how to make her do it."
"You will do nothing except nod your head and shut up," Snape said in an icy voice.
"Where's the fun in that? I needed something to distract me, this will do perfectly," Penny said, just as the end of breakfast bell rang.
"Potter!" Snape hissed, glancing to his left where the rush of students were making their way toward them. "Need I impress upon you what will happen if you are caught crossing Dolores Umbridge," he continued bending down so only she could hear him. He was so close, he sprayed her with spit, something that was mildly disgusting but she was used to by now.
"No, just help me not get caught," she said with a smile. And then she bonked his nose with her pointer finger, turned on her heel and allowed herself to be swept away with the flood of students.
History of Magic was as boring as Penny knew it would be. Harry found her at the back of the room, he, Ron and Hermione all accosting her about what happened the previous day. Penny explained the details of the morning, leaving out the incident with the psycho object that nearly strangled her.
Hermione was the only one who paid attention in class and she shot the three of them dirty looks as they discussed Dolores Umbridge, who Harry relayed had been present at his hearing. He, like Penny, got a weird vibe from her, especially after the weird speech she'd given the night before at Feast, which to Penny, sounded a lot worse than she'd initially anticipated.
"Honestly, Penny I thought you would have at least pretended to pay attention," Hermione huffed when the bell rang and they made their way to Potions.
"We already took the exam on that Goblin rebellion and I'm certain there will be like 90 more before the end of term, so I feel validated in not wasting my effort."
Ron enthusiastically agreed which prompted Hermione to pick a fight with him which caused Harry to start making the annoyed face that meant he was about to get moody again, so Penny made her great escape. Unfortunately, Potions did little to improve Harry's mood because Snape, who was still annoyed with Penny, opted for torturing Harry as a method to make her behave.
Even Penny had to admit Snape went out of his way to be cruel today. He went so low as to toss out Harry's potion and given him a zero for the day, which sent Penny into such a rage that when his back was turned, she snuck to his desk chair and dumped the entire contents of quager goop, which was basically the consistency of snot, onto his chair.
Draco shook his head at her, knowing exactly what she'd done, but he did not out her when Snape demanded to know who had done it, his anger so high, his voice was barely audible. Goyle outed Penny instead, a stupidly smug look on his face when Snape turned on Penny with icy fury. Needless to say he did not believe her when she denied it and gave her detention, which put Penny in a foul mood.
Things did not get much better in DADA where the hag of a woman proceeded to introduce what would be a wandless class. According to Umbridge, the Ministry did not want students actually using magic in class and the first time they would do any of the spells they learned would be during their OWL's. Naturally, the class devolved once the information was realized, Penny groaning when Harry got into one of his rampages, not caring it was a professor he was taking on.
"Harry, stop!" Penny hissed several times, but it did not help, Harry getting to his feet and looking ready to hex Umbridge.
"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory died of his own accord, did he?" he said, his voice shaking.
The class took in a collective gasp, all of them looking between Umbridge and Harry, evidently eager to hear the details of that cursed night they'd never heard. Penny however, wanted nothing more than to make him stop, her insides going cold inside of her.
"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," Umbridge said coldly.
"It was murder!" came Harry's response.
By this time, Penny was shaking uncontrollably, the world around her tipping on it's side.
"Voldemort killed him and you know it!"
The world around Penny was shrinking, Harry was packing his stuff, Umbridge giving him a letter, the door slamming behind him. Hermione was before Penny, her mouth moving, but Penny did not hear the words that escaped her lips. Others were clustering around her, but Penny could not focus on them, she was trying to banish the pain in her chest and the darkness flitting across her vision, but it was no use. She saw Umbridge's grotesque features hovering before her just before everything went black.
Fainting on the first day back to classes was, in Penny's opinion, the worst way to start the term because it meant she was a prisoner of Madam Pomfrey who was convinced Penny had a weak constitution and needed to be babied. Penny did not have the energy to correct her and did not much fancy explaining to her that the reason she fainted had to do with the murder of her boyfriend and not some ailment brought on by the lack of having a mother and adequate nourishment as a child.
Penny dreaded what the rest of the school would be saying on the subject and hoped that they would be too preoccupied with Harry's outburst to care about Penny, but she knew better and fully expected the following day to be terrible. But at least they hadn't seen her crying. When they'd come to visit her, Fred and George had told Penny that Cho Chang made a show of crying in corridors any chance she got, apparently telling everyone that her and Cedric had been very 'close' for a long time, and that losing her 'best friend' had made the summer impossible.
This infuriated Penny, who wanted very much to hex Cho, the image of her kissing Cedric playing on repeat while Penny was trapped in the Hospital Wing. Harry was very apologetic when he pressed into Penny's mind, but Penny told him not to be, at some point she had to stop being triggered by unexpectedly hearing Cedric's name or manner of his death. Unfortunately, Umbridge had given Harry detention, which prevented him from visiting her in the Hospital Wing and meant Penny had to whittle away the hours alone.
As it turned out, fainting was not enough to get her out of her own detention with Snape, who arrived just after dinner to free her from the clutches of her guard, only to inform her that she would be accompanying him to the edge of the forest to help him collect some elusive ingredient that only appears in early autumn.
Feeling particularly vindictive, he did not allow Penny to run upstairs to change and grab another cloak, or get dinner. He forced her out into the chilly night and onto her bare knees in search of an ingredient she was certain he'd made up.
"You know there are laws against child labor," Penny grumbled as Snape stood above her, forcing her to dig into the underbrush with her bare hands.
"None of which I have violated. Now shut up and focus, I'd prefer not to do this until midnight."
"You know it's ridiculously hard to dig into the hard ground with just one's finger nails, if you'd allow me to use magic, this would go a lot faster," said Penny, lobbing a rock over her head and hoping it would hit Snape.
"If it's sympathy you are looking for, you will receive none from me," he said, squatting down and inspecting her hole with his lit wand. "You're not even near being far enough down," he chastised.
"Then let me conjure a shovel," Penny said, thoroughly irritated as she clutched his wand in her hand.
Eyebrow arched, he turned to her and gave her dirty hand a disgusted look.
"Just a shovel," she said, her eyes pleading.
"That would ruin the point of the exercise," he said, a cruel smile twisting his thin lips.
"They shouldn't let sadists become teachers," Penny said, letting go of his wand. "And would it have killed you to let me wear some pants?"
"I'm sure you've spent plenty of time on your knees," he said with a smirk.
"Can't say I have, I'm not like you," Penny said, scathingly. "I don't make my living sucking the-"
"I advise," he he said softly, his long thin hand grabbing her chin unkindly, dark eyes looking over her face as he paused, making certain he had her full attention, "you not to finish that sentence," he continued his voice edging into the low and threating zone. "I will not tolerate any more of your insolence. Now, dig," Snape finished, pushing her from himself as he got up, sending Penny sideways into the hole she'd dug.
Huffing in irritation, she continued digging until her fingers were numb and some bleeding, mind drifting off in thought until the sound of footsteps right beside her jolted her back to reality. Cricking her neck, she whirled sideways to see what was there, knowing all too well that the Forbidden Forest contained many creatures she did not want sneaking up on her. Her eye's fell on exactly the kind of creature she dreaded. If she he had had to give it a name, she supposed she would have called it a horse, though there was something reptilian about it, too. It were completely fleshless, its black coats clinging to its skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Its head were dragonish, and its pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither — vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in silent forest, the creature looked eerie and sinister.
With a yell, Penny fell backwards onto her butt in an attempt to scramble away, her eyes darting to Snape who looked unperturbed. He was leaning against a nearby tree, his arms crossed, watching her as though she was some imbecile and that the grotesque monster was not advancing on them.
"Professor!" Penny said, breathlessly.
"Settle down, Ms. Potter, it is merely a thestral," he said in a bored tone.
"What the hell is a thestral and why would should that put me at ease!" Penny demanded as the creature stopped not but a foot from her and extended its long, dragon-like face toward her, fixing her with it's sightless eyes.
"You are being ridiculous, when have they ever harmed you before," he said, striding over and pulling her from the ground.
"I've never even seen one before, so obviously it's never had the chance!" Penny said, putting as much distance between her and the thestral as she could.
"They pull the Hogwarts carriages, of course you've seen one," Snape said, clearly annoyed now.
Pulling her gaze from the creature, Penny turned on Snape in utter-bewilderment. "What are you talking about, nothing pulls the carriages."
"If you think you are being funny," he said in a low voice, his eyes narrowed.
"I think I would have noticed if that! pulled the carriages!" Penny exclaimed, trying hard not to gag when she looked back at the thestral.
"Are you telling me you have never seen this creature before tonight?"
Penny merely nodded as she watched, transfixed while the thestral made its way back into the forest. Suddenly, cold, hard hands were upon her, Snape shaking her violently, his features contorted with rage.
"Were you stupid enough to look, even after I warned you!" he all but yelled, looking deranged.
"What are you talking about?" Penny said, trying to pull herself from his grip.
"Over the summer! Tell me now, did you look!" he continued, grabbing her face again, his dark eyes boring into her mind.
Penny wasn't prepared, so she couldn't stop Snape from forcing his way into her memories. He did not tread gently like he had the time before, instead, he demanded forth the memories from the summer, where the two of them had remained hidden in the cupboard while Amycus Carrow had done unspeakable things. Snape sifted through her memories of Draco, searching for the image of the girl, an image he did not find because Draco had stopped Penny from looking.
When he finally left her mind he did not seem any calmer and Penny was even more frightened, her chest heaving in an attempt to keep up with her thumping heart. Snape looked down on her, still not releasing her, his eyes calculating, his features rigid.
"I don't understand," Penny stammered, wanting very much for him to release her.
"Nor do I," he finally said, letting her go. "We're finished for the night," and without the slightest effort to explain himself he led her back to the castle, utterly confused, body aching and fingers numb and bleeding.
When they reached the Entrance Hall he made to dust her off, but Penny flinched away from him, still shaken by the encounter in the forest. Only this motion seemed to bring him back to the present, his eyes finally searching her, dark shadows replacing the angry stiffness on his face. Fury became a helpless regret as he looked at Penny with a look she normally saw on Malfoy-pity. Without so much as a goodnight, he turned on his heel and left her to her thoughts. She did not understand what had happened or why Snape had been so angry, but it was clear he wasn't going to explain anything to her, which meant Penny could only find her answer by discovering exactly what a thestral was and what it meant to be able to see one.
Note* the outburst between Harry and Umbridge is from the book as is the description of the thestrals! SO NOT MINE!
PENNNNNY WHO DID YOU SEE DIE? And omg I've missed writing Malfoy. _ ALSO this chapter gets us to 250k words :O! Wanna take bets on how many it will take to get to the effing end? lmao