Happy week ya'll!
I have a long weekend, wahoo! It was raining so I spent it inside listening to like three hours of OotP audiobook and have the rest of this figured out. It's crazy to think how close we are to the end of the second book of the Harry Potter series I've re-written. Thanks for being here with me and making this fun! 3
We are also coming up to the 100th CHAPTER! Can't even believe it tbh. How did I get here and where did these ideas come from? lol at this point, this fiction will end up being huuge by the time I get to the end, not that it already isn't! We will see if I break 1 million
Hogwarts buzzed with the same liveliness Penny remembered, students sharing stories from their holidays and showing off whatever they'd received for Christmas. It was disorientating for Penny, trying to pretend to go on with things as 'normal'. The masses of people often overwhelmed her senses and she found herself diving into cupboards for a moment of solitude to get herself under control. But this did little to ease her nerves, so Penny started avoiding halls at the busiest points in the day, which meant she would arrive to some classrooms obscenely early, and others she would inevitably be late, usually remaining in her classroom long after the others had left.
Thankfully her professors did not shoo her away nor mark her tardy, and Professor McGonagall went so far as to sit down with Penny at the desk she occupied with Harry, Ron and Hermione long after they'd left and speak to her about the holidays. Much to Penny's surprise, she apologized to Penny, something Penny tried to insist she did not need to do, but McGonagall refused to hear it, adopting an annoyed tone when she told Penny her aunt and uncle had done her and Harry a great disservice in the way that they'd treated them growing up, but that she, as a teacher and Head of Gryffindor house, took the safety of her students very seriously.
Penny blushed furiously listening to Professor McGonagall, feeling very moved by her concern and fury she harbored toward Dolores Umbridge for facilitating such an egregious infringement on Penny's personhood. By the end of it Professor McGonagall assured Penny she need not feel compelled to discuss the details, but if she required accommodations, she could rely on her to ensure she received them.
Finding the courage to dislodge the frog in her throat, Penny thanked her head of house and told her that regardless of what occurred that day, Penny thought Professor McGonagall had been a complete badass and Penny hoped to one day be as brave and talented. Looking amused and pleased with herself, Professor McGonagall sent Penny on her way, telling her if she really wanted that then she needed to study hard for her OWLs.
When people did happen upon Penny in the corridors they often pointed and muttered, Penny noticing many debating whether they should approach her and ask her if the stories were true or not. When this happened, she sped up her pace and avoided making eye contact, wishing very much that she had Harry, Ron and Hermione to walk to class with instead of wandering alone, but there was no chance in hell Harry could ever show up to potions late.
It was in potions class that Penny realized how screwed she was. In all the chaos and slow torture of Yaxley Penny had somehow managed not to realize that word would spread among the Death Eaters that Snape had asked the Dark Lord for Penny to be his bride, and that the children of those Death Eaters had returned home a day later to also discover this information, much to her horror.
"I think I've awoken in a parallel universe, tell me something only you and I would know," Penny said, taking her seat beside Malfoy ten minutes after the bell had rang, Snape glancing lazily up at her and then back to the paper he was grading when he saw it was her, eliciting many murmurs from her fellow Gryffindors.
"Can you not see I am busy? If you are having another crisis, it will need to wait."
"If I told you that you should definitely take that off the heat before it becomes a noxious gas would you have time?"
He looked sideways at her appearing as though he wanted very much to ignore her and prove her wrong, but he did as instructed, Penny dropping a small vial of purple liquid from her pile of ingredients into his hand. "3 drops if you'd like to salvage that."
"It was fine," he said, snatching the vial from her regardless. "Now what's your latest issue?"
"Last week I was headed into the Great Hall and Marcus Flint and those annoying friends of his were blocking the door, so I told him to move, and he made some vague threat before turning and seeing who I was, and when he did he apologized profusely."
"And?" Draco said, blinking several times.
" And they all ran away! Then just the other day Pansy Parkinson offered me her table at the library. And if that wasn't weird enough, your lover boy—"
"Which one?" he drawled.
"Blaise Zabinin," Penny replied with an eye-roll as she began expertly cutting her ingredients, Draco watching her progress intently before realizing he needed to put his own work back on the fire. "He ran into me in the third-floor corridor and knocked my books out of my hands and picked them up for me! Blaise!"
It was at this point, now that his potion was simmering happily that Draco turned to Penny to give her an incredulous look. "Penny. . .Penny, Penny. You are betrothed to Snape, Severus Snape. You're basically a Slytherin now, and even if Blaise doesn't like you, he doesn't have a death wish."
"Yeah but, none of them know that so why. . ." The silence prompted Penny to turn and find Draco giving Penny a look of the utmost pity. "They don't know, do they, Draco?"
Silence.
"How!" she hissed.
"What do you mean, how ? It's not a secret, there were like half a dozen witnesses!"
"No, no, no," Penny moaned, burying her face in her hands. "This can't be happening.I haven't told anyone. If they find out—if Harry learns I didn't tell him. "
"Can't blame you, I wouldn't willingly open myself up to the criticism of self-righteous, perfect Potter," Malfoy said, a distinct tone of dislike in his voice.
"Perfect Potter is my brother!" Penny said, extracting herself from her hands because she heard Snape's chair scrape across the floor, reminding her of the potion she was supposed to be brewing.
"I'll never understand my siblings. Can't they mind their own business?"
"He's a bit more than just a sibling, we lived in the womb together!"
"My condolences."
"I don't need those, I need you to make sure none of the Slytherins spread word of this," Penny said under her breath as Snape stepped up to Theodore Nott's table to inspect his work down his hooked nose.
"No you don't. Your fiancé already made sure of that."
'What?" Penny said, somewhat too loudly as she turned toward Malfoy, catching Snape's attention who stepped up to their table next, his dark eyes scrutinizing Penny a little too carefully, so she turned back down to her cauldron and began dumping.
"Is something the matter, Ms. Potter?" Snape said, delicately.
"No, sir," Penny lied, keeping her eyes fixed on her cauldron, her brain teeming as she tried to imagine what it was that Snape would have said to the Slytherins.
"Mr. Malfoy?" he said, turning on the blond-haired boy.
"It's nothing, sir, Penny just didn't know about our transfiguration homework," Draco said.
It took every effort for Penny not to turn and gape at Malfoy. He'd really lied to Snape for her? A Christmas gift and now this? Maybe they really were becoming friends. Snape seemed to suspect this, but did not press the issue and moved on, Penny sighing in relief when he did so.
"Tell me what he said," Penny said under her breath.
"Just the usual Snape stuff, if he heard of anyone uttering a word about it, they would regret their decision sorely."
"And the Slytherins didn't ask why?"
"Why would they need to? Snape and his student . It's quite the scandal. But evidently his love for you isn't worth his job," Draco smirked.
"It's not like that," Penny scowled.
"You might be able to lie to yourself, Penny, but you can't lie to me. But anyway, I need you to do something for me," he said, filling a vial with his finished product.
"Oh? And what's that?"
"I need you to put this in the next Hogwarts Howler," Draco replied, glancing around to ensure no one was watching them as he pulled something from his pocket and slid it toward Penny.
Curious, she picked it up, finding a photo of someone naked, and bent over in a very suggestive photo. "That can't be Marcus Flint."
"Your eyes do not deceive you," Draco replied, sounding smug.
"Do I even want to know how you got this?"
"I don't know, do you?" he said, his pretty grey eyes glittering when he looked at her.
"Draco, ew! But why?"
"That vermin thinks he can remove me from the Slytherin Quidditch team and replace me with his new toy, so I must teach him a lesson about why you don't double-cross a Malfoy."
"I'd hate to see what you'd do to me if I didn't say yes," she said, shaking her head in disbelief as she pocketed the photo.
"You wound me, Penny. Besides, we both know you could never deny me. Enjoy the alone time with your betrothed and remember to use protection," he said as the bell rang, tossing his bag over his shoulder and surprising Penny by leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.
"We're kissing now?" he said, slightly dumbstruck by the gesture.
"You are the Queen of Slytherin now, Penny, and the King always kisses his Queen," he said coolly before making his exit, Penny staring after him, confused. She was almost afraid to ask him what that meant, but shrugged it off, turning back to her cauldron, the room emptying around chatter from the hall outside floating inward as the students moved on to lunch, Penny not noticing when the door shut and the hallway fell silent. There was only the bubbling of her cauldron and the song she hummed, her brain desperately trying to hang onto it, afraid one day she would wake up and forget the tune.
"What are you doing, Potter?" came the intrusion of Snape's voice.
Jumping on the spot, Penny turned to him confused when she found him looking irritated.
"Finishing my potion, sir."
"I can see that."
"Then what—"
"Why are you incessantly humming only the chorus to that song? If you must be so disruptive, at least have the courtesy to—" he demanded.
"You know the song?" Penny interrupted, eyes wide.
"Of course I know it—"
"What's it called?" she said quickly, her voice almost pleading with desperation.
"You are humming a song you do not know the name of?"
"Erm, well, the person who taught it to me didn't get the chance to tell me," she said, glancing at the floor, begging Merlin to make Snape not ask who that person was because any mention of James Potter would likely make him vindictive and she'd never get the name.
She fidgeted beneath his gaze for a moment until he miraculously said, "The sound of silence," before turning to his desk where he waved his wand and a record player appeared, Penny watching in disbelief as he waved his wand again and the tune, that tune drifted upon the air to her ears, the words she didn't know, accompanying it.
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
Her legs moving against her will, Penny stood before the record, watching it spin, wanting almost to reach out and touch but knowing it would stop playing if she did so. Closing her eyes, Penny allowed herself to be transported back to that bridge, the strong arms of James Potter secured around her, and in that place, it was like it was him whose voice was singing softly to her, her soul absorbing every word.
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
A brave tear trickling down her cheek, Penny imagined a young James Potter listening to this record within these very walls, perhaps with her mother, Lily, just like she was now. And though the world kept spinning, Penny's life moving forward without him, the song linked them; it was a tangible remnant of him, a memory of him that was all her own. And for the time the song played, James made himself present—in the sound of silence, Penny wondering if she would ever get to thank him for this gift
When the song came to an end, she opened her eyes and realized that Snape was no longer standing at his desk but was stirring her cauldron as he set a timer and the song started again, Penny smiling because she knew he'd put it on repeat for her.
Returning to her work, Penny sang with the song this time, swaying from side-to-side, bumping into him as she did so. But he did not complain, just continued to chop her ingredients for her as she belted the song out with more vigor than was probably necessary, but she did not care, she wanted her dad to hear her. And when the song quieted and Penny slowed her sway, he peered at her through the corner of his eye as though worried something were the matter.
"It's funny to imagine a young you listening to this," she said, taking the ingredients he offered her and slowly adding them one at a time.
"Is that so."
"You have to wonder, would we have been friends or would you have snubbed me?"
"Ms. Potter, I'm confident you would have pestered me just as you do now, so I'd have little choice in the matter. Persistence is your vice."
"I quite think it's my virtue, thanks" she said, darkly.
"That does not make you correct."
"Yeah, well, you didn't list out all the reasons why you'd never be my friend, so I'll take this as an admission you'd have liked me."
"What lies you tell yourself are of no concern to me," Snape said, taking his knife and moving to the sink where he meticulously washed it and his hands. Penny watched him, eyes glued to the crips black robes and sleek black hair that hid his face, her wary heart wanting to make sure he did not sneak out while she wasn't paying attention. He inevitably gave her a quizzical look when he turned and found her shameless staring.
"There are times when I wish life had been different," she said, looking away from him to fill her vial. "But if it had been, would we have found each other?" she went on, holding the vial up against the light to check the color.
"Why would I waste my time pondering an awful thing like that. Now get to lunch, Ms. Potter, or I'll give you a zero for the day."
Smiling inwardly, she grabbed her beg, humming her way toward the door where she paused. "There is no life you could live that I wouldn't search for you."
"And how would you know I was missing?" he replied with an impatient eye-roll.
"Wouldn't you notice if a piece of your soul were missing?" she said, cocking her head and observing him for a moment.
The knife slipped from his hand and he bent quickly to pick it up, but Penny didn't miss the way his eyes had widened in surprise, the lines around his mouth softening as her words swam over him. Grinning as she watched him straighten awkwardly back up, she turned, figuring she should let him mull over the thought on his own. He had been lovely enough to listen to music and brew potions with her, so she could give him this.
His company, even as he stood in silence beside her, had left her heart lighter, and for that she was thankful. Things were complicated and life was awful, but no one could take this from them.
With all the homework that their Professors had piled on the fifth years, Penny barely noticed when January became February. She had little time for much else other than her wand work which she was practicing with none other than Neville Longbottom, who took their DA meetings very seriously. It worked out well for both of them, and Penny enjoyed Neville, who was slowly gaining confidence, blushing less often when he caught himself giving her advice during their practices together.
News of ten death eaters escaping Azkaban seemed to make Neville more intent upon practice, Penny knowing that Bellatrix Lestrange, the witch who had tortured Neville's parents into insanity were named among them. Penny wanted to bring up the topic with him, but she had not been there when Harry, Ron and Hermione had seen Neville visiting his parents at Saint Mungo's and thought perhaps he would think they'd been talking behind his back, so she did not mention it and just encouraged the boy instead.
News of the break out naturally irritated Umbridge, especially because most people remained unconvinced by the cover story. But that did not stop her from passing Educational Degree #26 which banned teachers from "giving information unrelated to their subject to students." Something that turned into a nightmare for her as many students, mostly Gryffindors, like to tell her that that she could not tell them not to loiter, talk in class, or set off stink bombs in the corridors because it was 'not related to defense against the dark arts.' Because of this, Umbridge remained busy with people serving detention so often, she started to look exhausted and therefore had little energy to spare for Penny.
Penny was not sorry about this, having the urge to hex the woman every time she was near and was finding resisting much more difficult. Oddly, it was Harry who helped Penny through those moments, knocking at the door to her mind whenever he saw her hands clench, the two of them often spending Umbridge's class not bothering to do any of the work and instead, mull over the latest thing obsessing Harry's thoughts.
Lately, it was a realization he'd gained during Occlumency lessons with Snape, learning the door he had been dreaming about led to the Department of Mysteries. He, Ron and Hermione worked out that whatever secret weapon Voldemort was after must be hidden there. However, Harry tread carefully on the topic these days after the three of them had so carelessly pondered out loud, in front of Penny about what was in the Department of Mysteries, Hermione turning to Penny in horror when she and the other two remembered Penny was sitting with them and was all to intimately familiar with the place. Penny let it go, but did not have much to offer other than she definitely felt the Unspeakables were capable of harboring a weapon of mass destruction.
By the time February came around, Professor Trelawney and Hagrid were on probation and Harry had a date with Cho Chang on Valentines day, much to Penny's irritation, but she said nothing to Harry, who tip-toed around the subject. Penny had really hoped his crush would have died off by now, but Cho was a persistent girl, persistently annoying.
Having a great dislike for Valentine's Day, and even more so since Cedric passed, Penny did not go to Hogsmeade, feeling it would only anger her to see all the festivities and happy couples milling about. The thought of it made her so stressed out that by three pm she was in desperate need for a smoke, a habit she'd continued in secret. Mundungus Fletcher having helped her stock her supply.
While she knew it was a bad habit, especially if she had to hide it to others, it was the only form of release Penny had, and she found she often look forward to those late afternoons where she snuck away for a smoke, walking that empty path to the astronomy tower, and enjoying the solitude as she remembered the times she'd snuck to the place with Cedric. Seeing it, being there without him, it no longer brought her pain, but gave her a strange sense of comfort.
Making it to the stop of the stairs, she tucked her head against the blistering wind, moving toward the wall where she had to work obscenely hard to get her cigarette lit. At last she succeeded, taking a long drag as she closed her eyes, holding it and them until she released it, eyes realizing suddenly she was not as alone as she thought she was.
Standing on the opposite of the tower, leaning against the wall was Snape, having apparently come up the opposite stairs. His dark eyes narrowed as she moved toward him, a cigarette pressed between his own lips.
"Smoking is against school rules, Potter."
"Can you at least wait for me to finish this before you give me detention?" Penny asked, adding "It's Valentine's day," when he looked unmoved.
"Shouldn't you be in Hogsmeade with that girlfriend of yours." he said, looking away from her to light a second cigarette.
"We broke up," Penny said, simply, glancing at him as he tried hopelessly to light it against the wind. "Let me," she said, reaching toward him.
He turned reluctantly, bowing his head to press the tip against the lit end of the one she held out. Their eyes met as he gave several small huffs until the cigarette took, Snape pulling back slightly, but his eyes not moving from her face.
"Here," he said, breaking the silence and reaching into his pocket and placing a key into her hand.
"What is it to?" she said, mildly curious.
"Spinners end," Snape said taking a deep breath and looking up to blow the smoke toward the sky.
"You made me a key to your house?" Penny said stupidly.
"Our," he corrected lazily, "So long as you leave the mongrel outside," he went on, his lip curling at the thought of Fleamont.
"Aren't you worried I'll show up when you have girls over and kill your game?"
"No, are you?" he said challenged, eyebrow arched.
"Worried? No. Very curious, yes. What kind of women does Severus Snape invite home," she pondered, her hand closing around the key as she turned away from him again to watch the sky and take another drag of a cigarette.
"I hardly think that is a conversation that concerns you."
"I disagree!" Penny said incredulously. "Not only did you tell all your friends and the Dark Lord that you wanted to marry me, you just gave me a key to your house, that's like, the next step. "
"I was forced—"
"So! I can't have you tarnishing my good name if you're cheating on me with some hussy. No, if you're going to sleep around during this engagement, she has to be at least ten times hotter than me, and funny," Penny said with such seriousness, that Snape's cheeks burned red when she turned on him, demanding agreement.
"I'll be sure to vet any hopefuls with you beforehand," he said sardonically when he'd collected himself. "And I suppose this goes both ways," he pressed, when Penny looked a little too smug.
"I don't even want to think about who you'd choose, probably a monk. But seeing as I won't be dating anyone for the next eternity, your good name remains safe," she said with more bitterness to her voice than she intended.
"If there had been another way—" said Snape, his voice strangled as he dropped the cigarette from his mouth and put it out with his foot.
"There wasn't," Penny said, stopping him before he went on. "I don't blame you for it. But I guess you're stuck with me, just don't go and finally get yourself together and leave me behind for someone else and we'll call it even," she said, taking a last huff from her cigarette too and putting it before finally turning to him, finding that he was watching her with an intensity she did not expect. It caught her off guard, Penny worried perhaps he'd taken the words to heart, which made her smile sadly.
The pair of them stood, far above the world they had always lived in but never been a part of, the wind whipping at their hair, only the sky to judge them. Two damned people who had nothing but the other, and yet fate tried so hard to pull them apart. For a long moment, neither moved, green eyes trying to understand what hid behind the black wells, the black wells too fearful to look away, certain the wind would carry her off with it.
Reaching in her own pocket, Penny tossed him a heart-shaped chocolate.
"Do me a favor and don't break it," she said, turning and making her way back into the castle before the hoard of students returning from Hogsmeade showed up.
Valentine's day turned out to hold more surprises than Penny could have imagined. First, Harry had blundered his date with Cho beyond Penny's wildest imaginations, and she could not help but be secretly happy about this, but did her duty as a sister and gave him words of comfort, while letting Hermione tell him what he did wrong. And secondly, apparently Harry had given an exclusive interview with Rita Skeeter that Hermione had set up that was going to be published in the Quibbler.
Seeing the opportunity to get some folks to listen to Harry's side with the public being so upset about the Ministry's handling of Death Eaters, Hermione had concocted the plan and managed to get Luna Lovegood to get her father, who was the editor of the Quibbler, to agree. Penny found herself impressed with Harry for agreeing to do such a thing, and really hoped it paid off for him because he had suffered enough from the Daily Prophet's attack on his integrity and sanity. Though Penny wondered if Rita Skeeter was capable of writing anything that made anyone come off in a favorable light.
As it turned out, she'd kept her word, Penny marveling at the power Hermione held over the woman. Penny reading it in the girls bathroom, where someone had left their copy disguised as a quidditch manual, seeing as Umbridge had promptly banned the Quibbler, an action that had ensured that every single student had not only read the article, but spoke of nothing else, many running up in the corridors to whisper to Harry they believed him.
It was the much needed bit of good news March needed because not only had the weather become horrid and wet, their Professors continued to increase the workload, resulting in most fifth years being up until midnight every night studying, the anxiety beginning to take its toll on them. Penny was called by Snape to help him brew several calming draughts while he grilled her on various topics that might come on her potions OWL. Which she appreciated at first, but then It got to the point that Penny told him he either shut up or he would be brewing double the amount of the calming draught to deal with her new generalized anxiety.
Halfway through March and to no surprise to anyone, Professor Umbridge attempted to sack Professor Trelwney, but Professor Dumbledore intervened, insisting that Trelawney remain at Hogwarts, and offering Firenze as a replacement to her position, something that infuriated Umbridge, but was well received by students, who found Firenze to be an excellent divination teacher and not nearly as weird as Professor Trelwney. It was a development Penny paid little attention too, having opted for Arithmancy with Hermione instead of Divination,
Strangely, since Firenze's arrival, and more frequently than Penny cared to admit, she would find herself in the hall to his classroom not understanding how she got there. There was an odd vibration coming from it that called to Penny, and more often than not when this happened, Fleamont would appear from nowhere and almost try to coax her to his door. But seeing as she was not a student of his, and feeling slightly disturbed by the occurrences, Penny never did go inside.
On the last DA meeting before the Easter Holidays, Harry, to the glee of the group, had finally made it to patronuses. Penny was in a foul mood, standing with Fred and George, watching Cho giggle as Harry praised her. Of course the girl had made up with Harry following his article. It wasn't about him, it was his fame. No part of Penny could ever be convinced she liked Harry, but Penny could not say this to her brother, so she raged in a hushed voice to Fred and George.
"All that pent up anger, it isn't healthy, mate," George chided.
"Better in than out, I always say," Fred winked, tossing his arm around Penny and smiling at her. "I'm thinking a showdown. You can finally challenge her, but not with wands."
"Yes, perhaps in the mud, and the pair of you show up in bikinis," added George
"We'll make a killing," Fred said, clearly lost in the fantasy of it.
"You'll be the natural victor of course, look at these biceps," said George, admiring Penny's arm.
"You both are absurd," Penny said, but she couldn't help but smile. "C'mon, we better start. I can't let her produce a patronus before me."
"Oh, alright," the twins said in unison, casting theirs with ease.
Trying to clear her mind of irritation, Penny followed suit. Having learned the charm from Lupin in her third year, she was not too worried about it, but when she cast it this time, something different happened. Her wand gave a small shudder, and for a brief moment, the eccentric toucan she knew and loved appeared, gave a single flap of its wings and then seemed to melt, becoming a ball that started swirling and shifting, as though trying to reform.
"I didn't know patronuses could be so, abstract," Fred admired.
"Maybe it's a larva," suggested George.
"Shut up you, two," Penny said irritably, trying to cast the charm for a second and third time, but by the third her toucan no longer appeared and the swirling orb merely hung there, as though it were waiting for instructions from her.
Intrigued, Ginny and Neville joined them, Neville tilting his head sideways. "Is it a frog?" he asked, sounding too hopeful for Penny to snap at him in irritation.
"Er, no. Something seems to have gone wrong," said Penny.
"Why do you say that?" asked Ginny.
"Because my patronus is a toucan," replied Penny with a frown.
"Was," Ginny corrected.
It was at this point they all turned to stare at Ginny, who sighed impatiently.
"Patronuses can change, you know."
"No, we didn't know," Fred said, looking impressed with his sister.
"Why would it do that?" asked Penny, "and what is it now?"
"It's in transition," Ginny said, wisely.
"How do you figure that," George said, eyeing the patronus suspiciously.
"Because I know I am a good enough friend of Penny to know the details of her personal life, and it's clear she's in the midst of a big change. Once you settle, so will the patronus," Ginny answered, becoming distracted by commotion from the other side of the room.
"How dare you, Penny was ours first," Fred said in mock indignation.
But no one was listening, becoming preoccupied with whatever was going on at the other side of the room,, Penny finding Harry struggling with Dobby who was trying to hurt himself. Dread filling her gut, Harry yelled to everyone, "Go! Get out of here!" right after Dobby said "She knows Harry Potter, she knows!"
Without hesitation they darted for the door, students before them bolting off in every direction. Deciding it was better to stick with Fred and George because they knew all the secret passages, Penny did her best to keep up with them, finding them much faster than she suspected they would be. Several corridors were empty, but they could hear the yells of their classmates, and turning down the next corridor, George assuring them they were close to a passageway, they found three Slytherin boys waiting for them.
"Go, I'll distract them!" Penny yelled, darting straight towards them, the others reluctantly taking a sharp right and yelling good luck.
"She thinks she can take all of us," Theodore Nott mocked, waiting too long to pull out his wand and giving Penny the chance to pile drive him to the floor, Blaise Zabini and Terrence Higgs laughing heartily as they watched Theodore struggle against Penny. She managed to elbow him in the nose, sending blood everywhere before he overpowered her and rolled her over, pinning her to the floor.
"You stupid slut," he spat.
"Oh c'mon Nott, you saw her running straight for us, if you hadn't realized the girl is a pain in the ass by now, that's on you," said Blaise, wiping his eyes.
"You should have seen how dumbed you looked," Terrence Higgs said, breaking into another fit of laughter.
"Get off me, Nott, and maybe you'll get off easy," Penny said through gritted teeth.
"Me get off?" he laughed, wiping his nose on his shoulder. "It's you who should be asking me for mercy from me. We got you now, Umbridge knows, not even your fiancé can help you—"
"Can't he?" a cold voice said, sending the two laughing boys whirling around.
"Sir!" they said, bowing their head, Nott looking around stupidly.
"Get up, Nott," Snape said in a dangerous voice as he stepped into view.
"Professor Umbridge—" Nott protested,
"I do not care what that hag said, if you make me repeat myself you will find yourself having a very unpleasant holiday," Snape breathed furiously.
Giving Penny one last scathing look, Nott got off Penny, Snape reaching down and pulling her to her feet.
"None of you will say a word," said Snape.
The three boys nodded before taking their leave to find more lingering students, muttering to themselves as they went.
"Come, Potter, we need to move," he said, pushing her in the direction he deemed okay to travel in.
"I would have been expelled," Penny said weakly, her feet refusing to move.
"I am well aware," he sneered. "But we will discuss your stupidity later," he pressed, taking her hand in his hand when he became impatient, dragging her after him, stopping only when some footsteps caught their attention.
Snape pulled Penny behind a statue, gesturing for her to keep quiet, Penny just barely making out the ugly bow of Umbridge's and a hair of messy hair. Seeing her twin caught in the clutches of that vile woman, Penny couldn't help but make for him, but Snape held her in place.
"If you go you'll just be expelled too," he hissed in her ear.
"I don't care!"
"Let Dumbledore handle it, he will ensure his precious Potter remains safe."
Against her will, Penny did not follow after them and was rather dragged after Snape, almost falling over herself to keep up with his pace as he made his way to the Gryffindor tower. When they finally arrived, he rounded on her.
"What would possess you to do something so utterly foolish!" Snape raged.
"She isn't teaching us anything! And aren't you the guy who has been badgering me about the importance of my OWLS. I would have failed if we didn't—"
"Don't lie to me, Potter! This was about feeling you were above the rules, it's the doing of that loathsome godfather! He wouldn't mind if you were expelled," he seethed.
"Why can't you just listen to me instead of blaming everything on him!" Penny said, avoiding Sirius' name in case anyone was listening.
"What is a 14-year old going to teach you!"
"15," Penny said, as though the year made all the difference. "And loads!"
"Like what?" he demanded.
"Today I learned patronuses change and mine is in transition," Penny said snobbishly, grasping at the first example that came to her mind.
"What did you say. . ."Snape said in a low voice. "Your patronus is a toucan, and is as ridiculous as the rest of you."
"It was . Today the toucan disappeared and an orb replaced it."
"Show me."
"What?"
"Show me the patronus!" he repeated, his voice becoming steadily lower.
"Right here?"
"Now, Potter!" he bellowed, causing the paintings to huff angrily at being woken up.
Feeling he could have asked in a more polite manner, Penny begrudgingly cast her patronus, the bizarre thing hovering between them, Snape looking at it in annoyed disbelief.
"What is the memory you think of when you cast it," he finally said.
"That's a bit personal," Penny said, incredulously, her cheeks turning pink at the thought of sharing it with him of all people.
"You've hardly lived enough to have anything that could shock me."
"Then tell me yours first," Penny said, defiantly.
"Excuse me?"
"If it's not big deal, then tell me the memory you think of—"
"That is none of your concern, Po—"
"Exactly!"
Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Snape took a deep, shaking breath before responding. "When it takes its new form, you will come to me at once, do I make myself plain, Potter?"
"Why? It has nothing to do—"
"POTTER!" he yelled.
"Fine," she mumbled.
"Good. Now get to bed."
"Aren't you going to wish me a good night?"
"Nothing could possess me to—"
"I can't go to sleep like this, you can't leave on bad terms," Penny said, crossing her arms.
It was at this point Penny realized she'd pushed him too far, he lost all control, reaching for her more quickly than she could escape. Dragging her by the neck of her robes, he turned to the fat lady. "OPEN!"
"Why I never—no password or no entry," she huffed.
He gave Penny one good threatening shake and she choked out the password, the Fat Lady opening despite herself, Snape tossing Penny through.
He stood there for a moment watching her as she rolled over, surprised to find him there, having expected him to storm off. She greatly regretted annoying him, but in her defense she had been sincere when she said she wished he would not part in anger. And yet he stood there, his anger long abated, face hidden in shadow as he watched her.
"If you would ask me to not leave you behind, then I would ask you to stop trying to leave. Goodnight. . .Penny," he said, his voice softer, and barely louder than a whisper now. But it was enough to send a prickling sensation up her spine which spiraled through all her limbs, her heart skipping a beat as she held her breath.
And with a soft thud, he closed the portrait and Penny was left alone in the dark common room, plopping backwards, she sighed. When would she stop being such an idiot?
Reaching into her pocket, her hand wrapped around the key he'd given her, eyes closing as she clung to it as though it had somehow heard their exchange and would do what she knew was likely impossible.
Anyone have any guesses what Penny's patronus will be? I'm curious what ya'll think and can't wait ti reveal it! But we are officially in April so not much left to go :( I really don't want to write what comes next, I want hide in these nice scenes! Alright, hope you all are well!