Chapter 10
The morning Ron had been dreading had finally come. He was going to have to sing the song. He prayed Fred and George would forget, but it was not to be. As he trudged to the Great Hall with Harry and Hermione, he found Fred, George, and Ginny already waiting for them.
"It's time to make you a star!" said George.
Ron just glared at him.
"Hmm...now let's see...who to pick..." Fred mused.
Fred's eyes fell on Sophia sitting at the Ravenclaw table.
"Ah hah! See that blonde girl sitting at the Ravenclaw table? Her." Said Fred, pointing to her.
Ron glared at them some more and started to walk off.
"Oh, and Ron!" George called after him, "Remember to put some gusto into it!"
While George said that, Fred snuck up behind Ron and whispered, "Sonorous!" while pointing his wand at the back of Ron's throat. Ron approached her from behind and cleared his throat to get her attention. Ron startled Sophia, her friends, and himself when his voice boomed across the Hall. Everyone in the Hall soon became quiet to find out what was going on.
Oh no! I can't believe the whole Hall is going to hear this! Ron thought.
Now with everyone staring at him, he had no choice but to go on. In a flat, unenthusiastic voice, Ron began to sing.
"You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know how, how much I love you. Please don't take my Sunshine away."
When he finished, Ron slowly edged away from Sophia and then ran back to his seat. Everyone in the Great Hall was practically rolling on the ground with laughter.
As he sat back down in his seat, Fred pointed his wand at Ron's throat and said, "Quietus."
After much more laughing, the Great Hall finally quieted down.
"How could you put that spell on me too!?! It was bad enough by itself! This is officially worse than Draco and his teddy!!" Ron cried.
"Aww...buck up Ron...at least you weren't singing to Draco!" said George.
Ron just ate his breakfast quietly, not trusting himself to say anything else.
* * *
The Gryffindor Quidditch team went out to the pitch for the emergency meeting. Katie was waiting for them.
"Is everyone here? Good. Well I have some bad news for you all. Our first game won't be against Hufflepuff after all, it will be against Ravenclaw."
This sent the team into a huge uproar.
"Why?!" Violet cried.
"Because the idiot captain got into a leg locker curse mishap. Madam Pompfrey said there is nothing we can do except wait for it to heal, which is conveniently after the Quidditch game. We're going to have daily Quidditch practice to make up for lost time and a change of tactics because the game is in two weeks." Katie replied.
This was a huge set back for the team, but Fred and George were secretly a little glad. This would give them a chance to see Sophia again, if not talk to her, after the game. After they had a long, hard practice though, the team was glad just get their feet back on the ground. When they walked to their prep room, Violet went straight to her locker so that she could change and quickly get back to her dormitory so that she could study, but stopped abruptly when she found a white rose with a note attached to it waiting for her in front of the locker. As soon as she picked it up, it began to change colors. She looked at it in wonder for a minute and then she opened the note.
Dear Violet,
You really are an amazing person. I don't think I've ever met another
person like you...so smart and interesting...and pretty damn good at
Quidditch too! This rose is for you, though it hardly matches your
beauty.
Your Secret Admirer
Violet just read the note again and stared at the rose. It was so beautiful. Ginny finally noticed the rose and walked over.
"Wow, Violet! Who gave you that?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know...they just signed it as 'secret admirer'." Violet said.
Before anyone else could ask her about it, she tucked it carefully in her school bag. She wanted to find out who this person was herself.
* * *
"Are you ready to make that sleeping potion in Potions tomorrow, Hermione?" Violet asked, looking at her notes again.
"Oh yeah. I've actually made this before...but not for class..." Hermione said.
Hermione and Violet smiled at each other with an understanding that she did not do it for school at all.
"Ahh! Now I remember why Potions is my worst subject!" Violet said, going back to her notes once again.
Hermione laughed and said, "Well, I'm gong to sleep now...I've had enough of Potions as it is...After Potions tomorrow, all of us can help you find out about that scepter you mentioned. Good night, Violet."
"Good night." Violet replied.
When Violet was sure Hermione was asleep she pulled out the rose and the note from a drawer by her bed. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Hermione. Ginny knew about it only because she was there when Violet had gotten it, but Ginny hadn't asked her about it again, and for that Violet was grateful. She wanted to figure out who had given it to her on her own, with as little gossip as possible. As the rose continued to change colors, she considered all the possibilities.
It's too hard to figure out who could have given this to me...It could be from anyone! Violet thought, Well, at least I know that it's from a real admirer since this person didn't ask me to meet them in a secluded area in the middle of the night!
She picked up the note and read it again.
All I know is this person has seen me play Quidditch...That's great! This narrows the possibilities down to half the single male population at Hogwarts!
She thought about it some more, and found herself considering the guys she knew well.
Hmm...I really doubt it's from Harry...I know there is something going on with him and Hermione. I wonder if those two have admitted they like each other? I don't think so...they're both too shy when it comes to matters like this...but anyway...I really doubt it's from either Fred or George...I get along pretty well with the both of them, but I'm just an acquaintance to them really...
There was only one more guy left in the little group of males she knew well: Ron. This thought startled her. She had never thought of him in that way before.
Even if this definitely is not his handwriting, I bet he got someone else to write this for him...Ron is a really nice guy...fun to talk to about Quidditch or anything for that matter...and he's really funny, although sometimes he doesn't mean to be...
The thought made Violet smile. But then the implications hit her.
Do I really want this person to be Ron?
She pondered this question as she put the rose and note away, and finally went to bed.
* * *
Draco lay awake at night, considering what move he should make next concerning Violet. As he watched her, he noticed that she was rather close to Ron...a little to close for comfort.
She'd better not think the rose was from that poor idiot! I need to do something fast before all of that goes to waste...it needs to be something to prove it isn't Weasely.
As he thought about it, he made one clear decision. That truth spell was still on him, and he needed to make sure that it was during a time when no one else could ask him questions. He needed to find a way to get to talk to Violet alone, and for her to actually listen. If nothing more, he at least wanted to apologize for being such an ass to her. Then the idea hit him.
I still need to serve that detention that Nightshade had given me...now all I have to do is get Violet in trouble, without her knowing it was me, so that we can get detention together...That would be the perfect chance to talk to her undisturbed.
He thought the plan out carefully in his head.
Now all I need is some powdered essence of mandrake from Nightshade's private stores...that should do the trick...
He carefully snuck out of the Slytherin dormitory and set out to get the powdered essence of mandrake before anyone woke up in the morning.
* * *
Violet sat in the Potions class room before class started, frantically trying to memorize the way to make the sleeping potion they were working on in class for the quiz. She had tried to do this last night, but her attention was severely divided because of the rose. Nightshade was already waiting at the front of the classroom for class to begin. When the bells had rung, she asked everyone to take their seats and put away all of their notes. Violet reluctantly put hers away, not confident she would do so well without them. Nightshade passed out all the necessary ingredients for the potion, informed them they had exactly four5 minutes to complete the potion, and asked them to begin. Violet nervously began to make the potion. Much to Draco's luck, he sat at the table right beside Violet's. It was time to put his plan into action. When Violet's attention was devoted to finely chopping her sleeper worms, Draco casually walked by and sprinkled the powdered essence of mandrake at the bottom of her cauldron. He did not know what this would do to her potion, but one thing he was sure of was that it would be something bad. Soon the four5 minutes were up and it was time to test everyone's potions out. The whole class divided into pairs and took a small sample from their cauldron for their partner to taste.
"Okay. One person will drink the potion, and their partner will stand behind them to catch them when they fall asleep. Then I will go around the classroom and sprinkle the antidote on them so they can repeat the exercise with the person who went first." Nightshade explained.
Everyone's partners slowly began to fall asleep. Some took longer than others, depending how concentrated their potion ended up. Ron and Violet had partnered up, and Violet had tried Ron's potion first. She felt herself slipping into a pleasant sleep, and Ron caught her as she fell. He looked at her and smiled.
Wow...she actually looks kinda peaceful when she's asleep...he thought.
Suddenly a loud thud startled everyone in the room. Goyle was snoring on the floor. Draco was his partner, and he had not bothered to catch him when he fell asleep.
"Malfoy! Why didn't you catch Goyle when he fell asleep?! He could have hurt himself!" Nightshade asked with a touch of annoyance.
"Well, Goyle is just too heavy to catch, so I just didn't bother. And even if he hit his head, it's not like he's got a lot of brains to lose..." Draco replied.
The whole class erupted into laughter as Draco put his head in his hands to hide his embarrassment.
Why didn't she just yell at me?! Why'd she actually have to ask me a question?!? Draco thought wistfully.
"I am getting sick of your smartness. One more comment like that, and I'm going to send you straight to the headmaster." Nightshade said coolly.
Nightshade then noted down how long each person took to fall asleep, and then she woke everyone up. It was now their partner's turn to try out their potion. Once again everyone began to fall asleep as their partner caught them.
Violet handed the small goblet her potion was in to Ron and said, "I really hope this turned out okay...I'm really not that good at potions..."
"I'm sure everything turned out fine." Ron said with a smile.
Ron then took the goblet to his lips and swallowed some of the liquid. He held it in his mouth a few seconds and then abruptly spit it out.
Oh, gross! That is some of the worst stuff I've ever tasted! I don't think the potion was supposed to taste this way... Ron thought.
Some of the potion that he had spit out dribbled down his chin onto his robes.
Ron turned to Violet and said, "Ewww, Violet! What did you do with this thing?!?"
Violet was about answer him, but suddenly her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.
"Ron! Your robes!" Violet said as she pointed.
Ron looked down and nearly screamed. A hole was slowly forming as the potion burned through his robes. He stepped backward blindly, and accidentally knocked over Violet's cauldron and fell into the puddle the remaining potion in it made. Now all of his robes were quickly dissolving away. Ron started running frantically around the room trying to make it stop. Nightshade was trying to keep the class in order and calm Ron down enough to stop his clothes from disappearing. Hermione frantically waved her hand in the air until Nightshade called on her.
"Professor Nightshade! I think we should throw some water on him! It will stop his clothes from dissolving!" Hermione yelled over the ruckus of the class.
"Yes. Miss Granger, go to the back of my storage room, and there should be a large bucket of water back there." Nightshade replied.
When Hermione hurried out with the bucket, Ron was already down to his underwear. She quickly doused him before those disappeared, because that would be much too horrible to imagine. Finally, with his underwear intact, Ron stood in front of the classroom soaking wet.
Nightshade took one look at Ron, almost smiled, and said, "Potter. Go with Weasely to get him some spare robes, seeing as the ones he was wearing are no more."
As Harry left the room, he did the best he could to shield Ron as they left the classroom, seeing as Ron had gone as red as it was possible for human skin to get. The class's laughter followed Harry and Ron out of the room.
"Alright! The next one who talks gets a zero on this potion." Nightshade said.
The class quieted down in a second.
"Who was Weasley's partner?" Nightshade asked in a dangerously quiet manner.
With much hesitation, Violet raised her hand and whispered, "It was me..."
"Meet me after class, Miss Black. Alright, now I'll finish giving the rest of you scores for your potions and after I am done, you may leave." Nightshade said, finishing her rounds around the classroom.
Soon she finished and everyone began to leave. Draco stole a glance at Violet as he passed her desk. He felt a bit guilty for having to get her in trouble, but this really was the only way he could get a chance to talk to her alone. But he kept his face forward and his expression neutral. There was no need to invite anyone to ask any questions, because this had gotten him in enough trouble as it was. Hermione was the last one to leave, trying to give Violet a vote of confidence before she went to see Professor Nightshade.
"Just tell her the truth. That would probably be the best option...I don't know what could have happened to make your potion do that! I have a feeling that someone sabotaged it. Probably – " Hermione started.
"Miss Granger. You may talk to Miss Black when we are done." Nightshade cut her off.
"Meet Ron, Harry, and me in the library when you are done." Hermione said quickly before walking out.
The tension in the room rose considerably now that Violet and Professor Nightshade were in it alone.
"Explain yourself." Nightshade said to Violet in a stern tone.
"I really don't know what happened Professor! I just followed all of your directions and this is what happened!" Violet said.
"I find this hard to believe. None of the ingredients available for you to use could create such an effect, even if added in the wrong amounts. Let me see the remnants of the potion in your cauldron." Nightshade said.
Violet brought her cauldron to the front of the classroom. Nightshade examined the contents very closely. Without saying a word, Nightshade quickly walked back to her potions store room. Before Violet had too long to puzzle over where she had gone or why, Nightshade quickly walked back.
"I knew there was something else up here." Nightshade said.
Violet wondered what she was talking about. Then she realized the Professor was holding a small empty bottle in her hand. The label on it said it used to contain Powdered Essence of Mandrake.
I wonder why she brought that empty bottle out...What does it have to do with me? Violet thought.
But then it hit her. Nightshade thought that she took the powdered essence of mandrake!
"But Professor! I didn't take any of that, honest!" Violet said frantically.
Nightshade took a moment to consider the truth of her words. Violet did not seem the type of student to pull a prank like this. Although she was not the best potions student, she never seemed to cause disruptions in class and always did the best work she could.
"Well, Miss Black, due to my opinion of you up to this point, I am inclined to believe you..." Nightshade started.
Violet felt a sense of elation and thought, Wow! I didn't think that I would get off with no punishment at all!
"But, as it is, the evidence stands against you. This comes from my personal stores, and it is no where near any of the student cupboards. How it got into your potion, anyone can guess. In any case, I will still give you detention." Nightshade finished.
What!? But that's not fair! I didn't even do anything! Violet thought indignantly.
"You will serve detention with Mr. Malfoy tonight. You may go now." Nightshade said.
Violet had to keep from shouting her disagreement. She was in enough trouble as it was.
I haven't even been at this school long, and I'm already in trouble! If I ever find out who put that stuff into my cauldron, they are dead! Violet thought furiously.
She quickly left the Dungeon and went to the library to meet Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
* * *
Ron walked with Harry to the library after he had gotten his spare robes.
"So Ron...what exactly happened again?!" Harry asked when Ron explained what had happened in Potions.
"I'm serious! Violet just gave me some of her potion, and when I spit it out, it started burning through my clothes!" Ron exclaimed.
Harry started to laugh uncontrollably.
"Maybe she might have planned it all...it was pretty funny..." Harry said.
"Aww, Harry, shut up!" Ron said with more annoyance than he intended, "I really think that someone set this all up! There is no way Violet would do that on purpose!"
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Quite intent on defending Violet I see..." he said while smiling suggestively, "I sense there is a romance afoot."
"Me?!? Violet?!? You think she actually likes me too?? Uhh...I mean, likes me? Because...umm...I was just kinda...curious..." Ron said, stumbling slightly over his words.
Aww man! I didn't mean for my crush on Violet to slip out! Oh well...now since it is out, I guess I can ask Harry's advise... Ron thought.
"So...uhh...do you think I have a chance?" Ron asked.
"Well I think you should just tell her and see what happens." Harry replied.
Ron stayed silent a moment, and Harry took this as him considering the idea. But Ron actually had other things on his mind.
"Well, while we're on this subject, what do you think of Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Hermione? What do you mean?" Harry said, uncomfortable at the direction the conversation was now going in.
"Well...do you like her?" Ron said frankly.
Jeez...I think he's on to me now! But if I tell him that I do, it will make things between us so awkward, or even worse, Ron may try to play matchmaker! That would just be awful! I'm not going to lie, but I'll just pretend to be innocent... Harry thought.
"Of course I like her, she is our best friend – " Harry said.
"Come off it Harry. Don't play dumb." Ron cut him off.
"But – " Harry started.
"Look. All I have to say is that you need to take your own advice." Ron said.
With that, the two silently made their way to the library, each lost in their own thoughts.
* * *
Violet hurried to the library. When she got inside, she saw Hermione was absorbed in a book. Hermione looked up and waved to Violet.
When Violet walked over, Hermione said, "So what happened? I hope you didn't get into a lot of trouble..."
"I got detention with Malfoy." Violet said with a look of disgust on her face.
"That's horrible enough as it is..." said Hermione.
Violet really didn't want to think about it, so she turned her mind to the task at hand.
"So what have you found?" asked Violet.
"Well I've looked through two books already, and there was no mention of the Scepter at all. But I brought down a stack of books that would most probably have it in there somewhere."
Hermione pointed to a very large stack of books to her left. Violet sighed as she sat down next to Hermione and picked up a particularly heavy book.
"Oh! Weren't you telling me something before Nightshade asked you to leave?" Violet asked.
"Oh yeah! I think I know who sabotaged your potion! Would Draco Malfoy have any reason to hate you, aside from being in Gryffindor? I was suspecting he was up to no good because I always see him looking at you during our classes, and I've seen him hanging around the Quidditch Pitch during Gryffindor practices." Hermione said.
"Malfoy? Why would he - ?" Violet started.
Then she remembered her truth telling spell.
"Well actually...I guess he does...I kinda put this truth telling spell on him, so whenever you ask him a question, he has to tell the truth." Said Violet.
"A truth telling spell?!? That's really advanced magic! How did you learn it?" said Hermione in surprise.
"Well my Charms teacher back at Notalans was really good. She pushed us to learn everything we could, even the really hard stuff." Violet replied.
"Wow! Well, anyway...don't tell me you put that spell on Draco just for fun..." Hermione said, with a slightly scoffing tone.
"Look, Hermione. He insulted my family. I probably was a bit too harsh with the truth telling spell, but I wasn't going to just stand by and let him think it was okay to go and do that." Violet said very seriously.
Hermione knew exactly how Violet felt, also being at the wrong end of Draco's taunting before. She was about to reply, but right then Harry and Ron walked up.
"Sorry we took so long, but it took forever to find robes that fit Ron right." Said Harry, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the grin that crept on his face as he remembered the potion incidence.
Seeing this, Hermione started laughing. Violet would have laughed also, but it was her potion that did that to Ron. Ron started glaring at Harry and Hermione.
"Would you two move on please!?" Ron said, very annoyed and embarrassed.
"Ron, I'm really sorry about that...Hermione and I think that someone probably sabotaged the potion...when I find the ba– " Violet started.
"Violet! Watch your language!!" Hermione chastised.
Harry and Ron just laughed.
"In any case, we think it might have been Draco that did it because Violet had put a truth telling spell on him, and this was probably revenge for that." said Hermione.
"A truth telling spell?" asked Ron, incredulously.
"Yeah...well, this is what happened..." Violet said, explaining the whole incident.
When Violet finished her recount, Ron looked extremely angry.
"I'm going to find him right now and get him acquainted with my friend, concrete floor." Ron said, ready to erase Draco Malfoy from existence.
Harry and Violet had to hold him back.
"We don't have time! We have to help Violet find out about that scepter!" said Harry.
In a few seconds Ron calmed down. They each took a couple of books from the large stack Hermione had pulled down from the shelves and started looking. Minutes turned into hours until it was finally evening. Hermione happened to glance down at her watch, and she gasped.
"You guys! You're going to be late for Quidditch practice!" Hermione said urgently.
"Katie's going to kill us if we're late! This is our last practice before our first game!!" said Violet.
"Hermione! Why didn't you tell us earlier?!" said Ron, exasperated.
Hermione was about to snap back at Ron, but Harry cut her off.
"Look guys, this isn't the best time to fight. Both of you can argue later. If we run, maybe we can still save our necks." Harry said.
Violet, Ron, and Harry began to leave, but Hermione called out to Violet. Harry and Ron left while Violet went back to see what she wanted.
"I think you need to be extra careful if Malfoy has it out for you. Who knows what he and his crones could cook up." Hermione warned.
"Alright. Well I'll see you later tonight then." Violet replied.
Violet ran out of the library to the Gryffindor dorms to change into her Quidditch robes. But in her hurry to get there, she ran headlong into someone and dropped all her things.
"Oh, I'm really sorry, that's the second time I've done that here! I'm such a klutz – " Violet suddenly broke off when she saw who she bumped into.
It was Draco Malfoy. He bent to help pick up her things, but she stopped him.
"Look Malfoy. I don't want your slimy hands all over my things. It's bad enough I have to do detention with you tonight. Don't make things worse for me." Violet said in a disgusted tone.
Violet then realized that Draco was actually trying to help her. That caused her to suddenly notice that there was something very different about his demeanor since the last she had seen him face to face. That snobbish air about him was gone and he had almost a kind expression on his face. This startled her so much that she unwittingly took a step backward. She did not watch where she was stepping and stepped between a crack in the stone tiles of the hall. She started to fall, but Draco quickly stepped forward and caught her.
When she had finally regained her balance he let her go. Then he bent down, picked up all of her things, put them back into her bag, and handed it to her.
Then he said, "See you tonight, Black."
With that, he walked off. Violet could just stare after him. Then she remembered Quidditch practice.
Oh man, I'm so dead! Violet thought as she ran to change.
* * *
"Violet! What took you so long?!" said Ron as the Quidditch team kicked off into the air.
"I, uh...bumped into someone..." Violet replied distractedly, not offering Ron any more information.
Ron gave her a quizzical look, but he could say nothing else because he had to take his place at the goal posts. Violet soared high in the air trying to stay out of everyone else's way. She just couldn't get the way Draco had acted out of her head, and this was seriously interfering with her ability to play.
Why would Draco be acting this way?! He was actually nice! I don't understand this at all! Even after the whole truth telling spell incident...The effect of that would probably be wearing off soon...I'm surprised he hasn't cooked up some sort of plan of revenge yet! I'm sure that's the reason he got me in detention with him, so that he could get his real revenge on me there. But that doesn't explain how he was just acting though at all! I was actually expecting him to step on my things or something, not pick them up and hand them back to me! Violet thought.
But the thing she just could not get out of her head was the look on Draco's face.
Draco's changed so much since the last time I saw him! That snobbish and aloof air about him is gone...and despite my better judgment, I actually think he was trying to be nice to me with no ulterior motives! Violet thought.
This led Violet to a new train of thought.
How strange he looked when he wasn't acting like a snot...Well now that I think about it...Draco isn't too bad looking when he doesn't have his nose in the air...she thought as she remembered the pleasant shiver that went up her body when he had caught her.
Violet abruptly shook her head.
What am I thinking?!?! These are such disturbing thoughts...Maybe I should just think about Quidditch...that's so much easier to understand...
Finally the Quidditch practice was over, and it was almost time for Violet's detention with Draco. She found herself getting anxious. Ron called her over before she left for the dressing room. As she approached him, she noticed that he seemed extremely nervous.
"So our game against Ravenclaw is next week. Do you think we are ready for this?" asked Ron.
"Well, this is the first time I've ever been on a Quidditch team, and I've never seen any of the other house teams play, but I think we have a pretty good shot at winning. All of us are pretty good." Violet said with a smile.
"Umm...well...after the game...we don't have any classes or anything...so, I was uhh...wondering if you'd...umm...like to hang out with me then. Like, just me...just the two of us." Ron said very hesitantly, starting to get red.
Violet just looked back and thought, Is Ron asking me out on a date?! Well, he is really fun to talk to...I guess I can give it a try...It'll help me forget my disturbing and disgusting thoughts about Draco...
Violet then smiled and said, "Yeah, sure."
Ron suddenly stopped being nervous and a big smile crept on his face.
"Well I guess I'll see you after you change!" said Ron happily.
"Oh actually, I'll have to leave right away. I have to go serve my detention for the whole potion thing with Malfoy." Violet said avoiding his eyes because she was still embarrassed.
Ron put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, don't worry about the potion thing...I know it was Malfoy that sabotaged it. And I'm sure he won't try to pull anything else on you especially after that truth telling spell...I don't think he'd want more things out on his teddy!"
Violet and Ron laughed.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then!" said Violet as she ran to the dressing room to change.
* * *
The morning Ron had been dreading had finally come. He was going to have to sing the song. He prayed Fred and George would forget, but it was not to be. As he trudged to the Great Hall with Harry and Hermione, he found Fred, George, and Ginny already waiting for them.
"It's time to make you a star!" said George.
Ron just glared at him.
"Hmm...now let's see...who to pick..." Fred mused.
Fred's eyes fell on Sophia sitting at the Ravenclaw table.
"Ah hah! See that blonde girl sitting at the Ravenclaw table? Her." Said Fred, pointing to her.
Ron glared at them some more and started to walk off.
"Oh, and Ron!" George called after him, "Remember to put some gusto into it!"
While George said that, Fred snuck up behind Ron and whispered, "Sonorous!" while pointing his wand at the back of Ron's throat. Ron approached her from behind and cleared his throat to get her attention. Ron startled Sophia, her friends, and himself when his voice boomed across the Hall. Everyone in the Hall soon became quiet to find out what was going on.
Oh no! I can't believe the whole Hall is going to hear this! Ron thought.
Now with everyone staring at him, he had no choice but to go on. In a flat, unenthusiastic voice, Ron began to sing.
"You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know how, how much I love you. Please don't take my Sunshine away."
When he finished, Ron slowly edged away from Sophia and then ran back to his seat. Everyone in the Great Hall was practically rolling on the ground with laughter.
As he sat back down in his seat, Fred pointed his wand at Ron's throat and said, "Quietus."
After much more laughing, the Great Hall finally quieted down.
"How could you put that spell on me too!?! It was bad enough by itself! This is officially worse than Draco and his teddy!!" Ron cried.
"Aww...buck up Ron...at least you weren't singing to Draco!" said George.
Ron just ate his breakfast quietly, not trusting himself to say anything else.
* * *
The Gryffindor Quidditch team went out to the pitch for the emergency meeting. Katie was waiting for them.
"Is everyone here? Good. Well I have some bad news for you all. Our first game won't be against Hufflepuff after all, it will be against Ravenclaw."
This sent the team into a huge uproar.
"Why?!" Violet cried.
"Because the idiot captain got into a leg locker curse mishap. Madam Pompfrey said there is nothing we can do except wait for it to heal, which is conveniently after the Quidditch game. We're going to have daily Quidditch practice to make up for lost time and a change of tactics because the game is in two weeks." Katie replied.
This was a huge set back for the team, but Fred and George were secretly a little glad. This would give them a chance to see Sophia again, if not talk to her, after the game. After they had a long, hard practice though, the team was glad just get their feet back on the ground. When they walked to their prep room, Violet went straight to her locker so that she could change and quickly get back to her dormitory so that she could study, but stopped abruptly when she found a white rose with a note attached to it waiting for her in front of the locker. As soon as she picked it up, it began to change colors. She looked at it in wonder for a minute and then she opened the note.
Dear Violet,
You really are an amazing person. I don't think I've ever met another
person like you...so smart and interesting...and pretty damn good at
Quidditch too! This rose is for you, though it hardly matches your
beauty.
Your Secret Admirer
Violet just read the note again and stared at the rose. It was so beautiful. Ginny finally noticed the rose and walked over.
"Wow, Violet! Who gave you that?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know...they just signed it as 'secret admirer'." Violet said.
Before anyone else could ask her about it, she tucked it carefully in her school bag. She wanted to find out who this person was herself.
* * *
"Are you ready to make that sleeping potion in Potions tomorrow, Hermione?" Violet asked, looking at her notes again.
"Oh yeah. I've actually made this before...but not for class..." Hermione said.
Hermione and Violet smiled at each other with an understanding that she did not do it for school at all.
"Ahh! Now I remember why Potions is my worst subject!" Violet said, going back to her notes once again.
Hermione laughed and said, "Well, I'm gong to sleep now...I've had enough of Potions as it is...After Potions tomorrow, all of us can help you find out about that scepter you mentioned. Good night, Violet."
"Good night." Violet replied.
When Violet was sure Hermione was asleep she pulled out the rose and the note from a drawer by her bed. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Hermione. Ginny knew about it only because she was there when Violet had gotten it, but Ginny hadn't asked her about it again, and for that Violet was grateful. She wanted to figure out who had given it to her on her own, with as little gossip as possible. As the rose continued to change colors, she considered all the possibilities.
It's too hard to figure out who could have given this to me...It could be from anyone! Violet thought, Well, at least I know that it's from a real admirer since this person didn't ask me to meet them in a secluded area in the middle of the night!
She picked up the note and read it again.
All I know is this person has seen me play Quidditch...That's great! This narrows the possibilities down to half the single male population at Hogwarts!
She thought about it some more, and found herself considering the guys she knew well.
Hmm...I really doubt it's from Harry...I know there is something going on with him and Hermione. I wonder if those two have admitted they like each other? I don't think so...they're both too shy when it comes to matters like this...but anyway...I really doubt it's from either Fred or George...I get along pretty well with the both of them, but I'm just an acquaintance to them really...
There was only one more guy left in the little group of males she knew well: Ron. This thought startled her. She had never thought of him in that way before.
Even if this definitely is not his handwriting, I bet he got someone else to write this for him...Ron is a really nice guy...fun to talk to about Quidditch or anything for that matter...and he's really funny, although sometimes he doesn't mean to be...
The thought made Violet smile. But then the implications hit her.
Do I really want this person to be Ron?
She pondered this question as she put the rose and note away, and finally went to bed.
* * *
Draco lay awake at night, considering what move he should make next concerning Violet. As he watched her, he noticed that she was rather close to Ron...a little to close for comfort.
She'd better not think the rose was from that poor idiot! I need to do something fast before all of that goes to waste...it needs to be something to prove it isn't Weasely.
As he thought about it, he made one clear decision. That truth spell was still on him, and he needed to make sure that it was during a time when no one else could ask him questions. He needed to find a way to get to talk to Violet alone, and for her to actually listen. If nothing more, he at least wanted to apologize for being such an ass to her. Then the idea hit him.
I still need to serve that detention that Nightshade had given me...now all I have to do is get Violet in trouble, without her knowing it was me, so that we can get detention together...That would be the perfect chance to talk to her undisturbed.
He thought the plan out carefully in his head.
Now all I need is some powdered essence of mandrake from Nightshade's private stores...that should do the trick...
He carefully snuck out of the Slytherin dormitory and set out to get the powdered essence of mandrake before anyone woke up in the morning.
* * *
Violet sat in the Potions class room before class started, frantically trying to memorize the way to make the sleeping potion they were working on in class for the quiz. She had tried to do this last night, but her attention was severely divided because of the rose. Nightshade was already waiting at the front of the classroom for class to begin. When the bells had rung, she asked everyone to take their seats and put away all of their notes. Violet reluctantly put hers away, not confident she would do so well without them. Nightshade passed out all the necessary ingredients for the potion, informed them they had exactly four5 minutes to complete the potion, and asked them to begin. Violet nervously began to make the potion. Much to Draco's luck, he sat at the table right beside Violet's. It was time to put his plan into action. When Violet's attention was devoted to finely chopping her sleeper worms, Draco casually walked by and sprinkled the powdered essence of mandrake at the bottom of her cauldron. He did not know what this would do to her potion, but one thing he was sure of was that it would be something bad. Soon the four5 minutes were up and it was time to test everyone's potions out. The whole class divided into pairs and took a small sample from their cauldron for their partner to taste.
"Okay. One person will drink the potion, and their partner will stand behind them to catch them when they fall asleep. Then I will go around the classroom and sprinkle the antidote on them so they can repeat the exercise with the person who went first." Nightshade explained.
Everyone's partners slowly began to fall asleep. Some took longer than others, depending how concentrated their potion ended up. Ron and Violet had partnered up, and Violet had tried Ron's potion first. She felt herself slipping into a pleasant sleep, and Ron caught her as she fell. He looked at her and smiled.
Wow...she actually looks kinda peaceful when she's asleep...he thought.
Suddenly a loud thud startled everyone in the room. Goyle was snoring on the floor. Draco was his partner, and he had not bothered to catch him when he fell asleep.
"Malfoy! Why didn't you catch Goyle when he fell asleep?! He could have hurt himself!" Nightshade asked with a touch of annoyance.
"Well, Goyle is just too heavy to catch, so I just didn't bother. And even if he hit his head, it's not like he's got a lot of brains to lose..." Draco replied.
The whole class erupted into laughter as Draco put his head in his hands to hide his embarrassment.
Why didn't she just yell at me?! Why'd she actually have to ask me a question?!? Draco thought wistfully.
"I am getting sick of your smartness. One more comment like that, and I'm going to send you straight to the headmaster." Nightshade said coolly.
Nightshade then noted down how long each person took to fall asleep, and then she woke everyone up. It was now their partner's turn to try out their potion. Once again everyone began to fall asleep as their partner caught them.
Violet handed the small goblet her potion was in to Ron and said, "I really hope this turned out okay...I'm really not that good at potions..."
"I'm sure everything turned out fine." Ron said with a smile.
Ron then took the goblet to his lips and swallowed some of the liquid. He held it in his mouth a few seconds and then abruptly spit it out.
Oh, gross! That is some of the worst stuff I've ever tasted! I don't think the potion was supposed to taste this way... Ron thought.
Some of the potion that he had spit out dribbled down his chin onto his robes.
Ron turned to Violet and said, "Ewww, Violet! What did you do with this thing?!?"
Violet was about answer him, but suddenly her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.
"Ron! Your robes!" Violet said as she pointed.
Ron looked down and nearly screamed. A hole was slowly forming as the potion burned through his robes. He stepped backward blindly, and accidentally knocked over Violet's cauldron and fell into the puddle the remaining potion in it made. Now all of his robes were quickly dissolving away. Ron started running frantically around the room trying to make it stop. Nightshade was trying to keep the class in order and calm Ron down enough to stop his clothes from disappearing. Hermione frantically waved her hand in the air until Nightshade called on her.
"Professor Nightshade! I think we should throw some water on him! It will stop his clothes from dissolving!" Hermione yelled over the ruckus of the class.
"Yes. Miss Granger, go to the back of my storage room, and there should be a large bucket of water back there." Nightshade replied.
When Hermione hurried out with the bucket, Ron was already down to his underwear. She quickly doused him before those disappeared, because that would be much too horrible to imagine. Finally, with his underwear intact, Ron stood in front of the classroom soaking wet.
Nightshade took one look at Ron, almost smiled, and said, "Potter. Go with Weasely to get him some spare robes, seeing as the ones he was wearing are no more."
As Harry left the room, he did the best he could to shield Ron as they left the classroom, seeing as Ron had gone as red as it was possible for human skin to get. The class's laughter followed Harry and Ron out of the room.
"Alright! The next one who talks gets a zero on this potion." Nightshade said.
The class quieted down in a second.
"Who was Weasley's partner?" Nightshade asked in a dangerously quiet manner.
With much hesitation, Violet raised her hand and whispered, "It was me..."
"Meet me after class, Miss Black. Alright, now I'll finish giving the rest of you scores for your potions and after I am done, you may leave." Nightshade said, finishing her rounds around the classroom.
Soon she finished and everyone began to leave. Draco stole a glance at Violet as he passed her desk. He felt a bit guilty for having to get her in trouble, but this really was the only way he could get a chance to talk to her alone. But he kept his face forward and his expression neutral. There was no need to invite anyone to ask any questions, because this had gotten him in enough trouble as it was. Hermione was the last one to leave, trying to give Violet a vote of confidence before she went to see Professor Nightshade.
"Just tell her the truth. That would probably be the best option...I don't know what could have happened to make your potion do that! I have a feeling that someone sabotaged it. Probably – " Hermione started.
"Miss Granger. You may talk to Miss Black when we are done." Nightshade cut her off.
"Meet Ron, Harry, and me in the library when you are done." Hermione said quickly before walking out.
The tension in the room rose considerably now that Violet and Professor Nightshade were in it alone.
"Explain yourself." Nightshade said to Violet in a stern tone.
"I really don't know what happened Professor! I just followed all of your directions and this is what happened!" Violet said.
"I find this hard to believe. None of the ingredients available for you to use could create such an effect, even if added in the wrong amounts. Let me see the remnants of the potion in your cauldron." Nightshade said.
Violet brought her cauldron to the front of the classroom. Nightshade examined the contents very closely. Without saying a word, Nightshade quickly walked back to her potions store room. Before Violet had too long to puzzle over where she had gone or why, Nightshade quickly walked back.
"I knew there was something else up here." Nightshade said.
Violet wondered what she was talking about. Then she realized the Professor was holding a small empty bottle in her hand. The label on it said it used to contain Powdered Essence of Mandrake.
I wonder why she brought that empty bottle out...What does it have to do with me? Violet thought.
But then it hit her. Nightshade thought that she took the powdered essence of mandrake!
"But Professor! I didn't take any of that, honest!" Violet said frantically.
Nightshade took a moment to consider the truth of her words. Violet did not seem the type of student to pull a prank like this. Although she was not the best potions student, she never seemed to cause disruptions in class and always did the best work she could.
"Well, Miss Black, due to my opinion of you up to this point, I am inclined to believe you..." Nightshade started.
Violet felt a sense of elation and thought, Wow! I didn't think that I would get off with no punishment at all!
"But, as it is, the evidence stands against you. This comes from my personal stores, and it is no where near any of the student cupboards. How it got into your potion, anyone can guess. In any case, I will still give you detention." Nightshade finished.
What!? But that's not fair! I didn't even do anything! Violet thought indignantly.
"You will serve detention with Mr. Malfoy tonight. You may go now." Nightshade said.
Violet had to keep from shouting her disagreement. She was in enough trouble as it was.
I haven't even been at this school long, and I'm already in trouble! If I ever find out who put that stuff into my cauldron, they are dead! Violet thought furiously.
She quickly left the Dungeon and went to the library to meet Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
* * *
Ron walked with Harry to the library after he had gotten his spare robes.
"So Ron...what exactly happened again?!" Harry asked when Ron explained what had happened in Potions.
"I'm serious! Violet just gave me some of her potion, and when I spit it out, it started burning through my clothes!" Ron exclaimed.
Harry started to laugh uncontrollably.
"Maybe she might have planned it all...it was pretty funny..." Harry said.
"Aww, Harry, shut up!" Ron said with more annoyance than he intended, "I really think that someone set this all up! There is no way Violet would do that on purpose!"
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Quite intent on defending Violet I see..." he said while smiling suggestively, "I sense there is a romance afoot."
"Me?!? Violet?!? You think she actually likes me too?? Uhh...I mean, likes me? Because...umm...I was just kinda...curious..." Ron said, stumbling slightly over his words.
Aww man! I didn't mean for my crush on Violet to slip out! Oh well...now since it is out, I guess I can ask Harry's advise... Ron thought.
"So...uhh...do you think I have a chance?" Ron asked.
"Well I think you should just tell her and see what happens." Harry replied.
Ron stayed silent a moment, and Harry took this as him considering the idea. But Ron actually had other things on his mind.
"Well, while we're on this subject, what do you think of Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Hermione? What do you mean?" Harry said, uncomfortable at the direction the conversation was now going in.
"Well...do you like her?" Ron said frankly.
Jeez...I think he's on to me now! But if I tell him that I do, it will make things between us so awkward, or even worse, Ron may try to play matchmaker! That would just be awful! I'm not going to lie, but I'll just pretend to be innocent... Harry thought.
"Of course I like her, she is our best friend – " Harry said.
"Come off it Harry. Don't play dumb." Ron cut him off.
"But – " Harry started.
"Look. All I have to say is that you need to take your own advice." Ron said.
With that, the two silently made their way to the library, each lost in their own thoughts.
* * *
Violet hurried to the library. When she got inside, she saw Hermione was absorbed in a book. Hermione looked up and waved to Violet.
When Violet walked over, Hermione said, "So what happened? I hope you didn't get into a lot of trouble..."
"I got detention with Malfoy." Violet said with a look of disgust on her face.
"That's horrible enough as it is..." said Hermione.
Violet really didn't want to think about it, so she turned her mind to the task at hand.
"So what have you found?" asked Violet.
"Well I've looked through two books already, and there was no mention of the Scepter at all. But I brought down a stack of books that would most probably have it in there somewhere."
Hermione pointed to a very large stack of books to her left. Violet sighed as she sat down next to Hermione and picked up a particularly heavy book.
"Oh! Weren't you telling me something before Nightshade asked you to leave?" Violet asked.
"Oh yeah! I think I know who sabotaged your potion! Would Draco Malfoy have any reason to hate you, aside from being in Gryffindor? I was suspecting he was up to no good because I always see him looking at you during our classes, and I've seen him hanging around the Quidditch Pitch during Gryffindor practices." Hermione said.
"Malfoy? Why would he - ?" Violet started.
Then she remembered her truth telling spell.
"Well actually...I guess he does...I kinda put this truth telling spell on him, so whenever you ask him a question, he has to tell the truth." Said Violet.
"A truth telling spell?!? That's really advanced magic! How did you learn it?" said Hermione in surprise.
"Well my Charms teacher back at Notalans was really good. She pushed us to learn everything we could, even the really hard stuff." Violet replied.
"Wow! Well, anyway...don't tell me you put that spell on Draco just for fun..." Hermione said, with a slightly scoffing tone.
"Look, Hermione. He insulted my family. I probably was a bit too harsh with the truth telling spell, but I wasn't going to just stand by and let him think it was okay to go and do that." Violet said very seriously.
Hermione knew exactly how Violet felt, also being at the wrong end of Draco's taunting before. She was about to reply, but right then Harry and Ron walked up.
"Sorry we took so long, but it took forever to find robes that fit Ron right." Said Harry, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the grin that crept on his face as he remembered the potion incidence.
Seeing this, Hermione started laughing. Violet would have laughed also, but it was her potion that did that to Ron. Ron started glaring at Harry and Hermione.
"Would you two move on please!?" Ron said, very annoyed and embarrassed.
"Ron, I'm really sorry about that...Hermione and I think that someone probably sabotaged the potion...when I find the ba– " Violet started.
"Violet! Watch your language!!" Hermione chastised.
Harry and Ron just laughed.
"In any case, we think it might have been Draco that did it because Violet had put a truth telling spell on him, and this was probably revenge for that." said Hermione.
"A truth telling spell?" asked Ron, incredulously.
"Yeah...well, this is what happened..." Violet said, explaining the whole incident.
When Violet finished her recount, Ron looked extremely angry.
"I'm going to find him right now and get him acquainted with my friend, concrete floor." Ron said, ready to erase Draco Malfoy from existence.
Harry and Violet had to hold him back.
"We don't have time! We have to help Violet find out about that scepter!" said Harry.
In a few seconds Ron calmed down. They each took a couple of books from the large stack Hermione had pulled down from the shelves and started looking. Minutes turned into hours until it was finally evening. Hermione happened to glance down at her watch, and she gasped.
"You guys! You're going to be late for Quidditch practice!" Hermione said urgently.
"Katie's going to kill us if we're late! This is our last practice before our first game!!" said Violet.
"Hermione! Why didn't you tell us earlier?!" said Ron, exasperated.
Hermione was about to snap back at Ron, but Harry cut her off.
"Look guys, this isn't the best time to fight. Both of you can argue later. If we run, maybe we can still save our necks." Harry said.
Violet, Ron, and Harry began to leave, but Hermione called out to Violet. Harry and Ron left while Violet went back to see what she wanted.
"I think you need to be extra careful if Malfoy has it out for you. Who knows what he and his crones could cook up." Hermione warned.
"Alright. Well I'll see you later tonight then." Violet replied.
Violet ran out of the library to the Gryffindor dorms to change into her Quidditch robes. But in her hurry to get there, she ran headlong into someone and dropped all her things.
"Oh, I'm really sorry, that's the second time I've done that here! I'm such a klutz – " Violet suddenly broke off when she saw who she bumped into.
It was Draco Malfoy. He bent to help pick up her things, but she stopped him.
"Look Malfoy. I don't want your slimy hands all over my things. It's bad enough I have to do detention with you tonight. Don't make things worse for me." Violet said in a disgusted tone.
Violet then realized that Draco was actually trying to help her. That caused her to suddenly notice that there was something very different about his demeanor since the last she had seen him face to face. That snobbish air about him was gone and he had almost a kind expression on his face. This startled her so much that she unwittingly took a step backward. She did not watch where she was stepping and stepped between a crack in the stone tiles of the hall. She started to fall, but Draco quickly stepped forward and caught her.
When she had finally regained her balance he let her go. Then he bent down, picked up all of her things, put them back into her bag, and handed it to her.
Then he said, "See you tonight, Black."
With that, he walked off. Violet could just stare after him. Then she remembered Quidditch practice.
Oh man, I'm so dead! Violet thought as she ran to change.
* * *
"Violet! What took you so long?!" said Ron as the Quidditch team kicked off into the air.
"I, uh...bumped into someone..." Violet replied distractedly, not offering Ron any more information.
Ron gave her a quizzical look, but he could say nothing else because he had to take his place at the goal posts. Violet soared high in the air trying to stay out of everyone else's way. She just couldn't get the way Draco had acted out of her head, and this was seriously interfering with her ability to play.
Why would Draco be acting this way?! He was actually nice! I don't understand this at all! Even after the whole truth telling spell incident...The effect of that would probably be wearing off soon...I'm surprised he hasn't cooked up some sort of plan of revenge yet! I'm sure that's the reason he got me in detention with him, so that he could get his real revenge on me there. But that doesn't explain how he was just acting though at all! I was actually expecting him to step on my things or something, not pick them up and hand them back to me! Violet thought.
But the thing she just could not get out of her head was the look on Draco's face.
Draco's changed so much since the last time I saw him! That snobbish and aloof air about him is gone...and despite my better judgment, I actually think he was trying to be nice to me with no ulterior motives! Violet thought.
This led Violet to a new train of thought.
How strange he looked when he wasn't acting like a snot...Well now that I think about it...Draco isn't too bad looking when he doesn't have his nose in the air...she thought as she remembered the pleasant shiver that went up her body when he had caught her.
Violet abruptly shook her head.
What am I thinking?!?! These are such disturbing thoughts...Maybe I should just think about Quidditch...that's so much easier to understand...
Finally the Quidditch practice was over, and it was almost time for Violet's detention with Draco. She found herself getting anxious. Ron called her over before she left for the dressing room. As she approached him, she noticed that he seemed extremely nervous.
"So our game against Ravenclaw is next week. Do you think we are ready for this?" asked Ron.
"Well, this is the first time I've ever been on a Quidditch team, and I've never seen any of the other house teams play, but I think we have a pretty good shot at winning. All of us are pretty good." Violet said with a smile.
"Umm...well...after the game...we don't have any classes or anything...so, I was uhh...wondering if you'd...umm...like to hang out with me then. Like, just me...just the two of us." Ron said very hesitantly, starting to get red.
Violet just looked back and thought, Is Ron asking me out on a date?! Well, he is really fun to talk to...I guess I can give it a try...It'll help me forget my disturbing and disgusting thoughts about Draco...
Violet then smiled and said, "Yeah, sure."
Ron suddenly stopped being nervous and a big smile crept on his face.
"Well I guess I'll see you after you change!" said Ron happily.
"Oh actually, I'll have to leave right away. I have to go serve my detention for the whole potion thing with Malfoy." Violet said avoiding his eyes because she was still embarrassed.
Ron put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, don't worry about the potion thing...I know it was Malfoy that sabotaged it. And I'm sure he won't try to pull anything else on you especially after that truth telling spell...I don't think he'd want more things out on his teddy!"
Violet and Ron laughed.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then!" said Violet as she ran to the dressing room to change.
* * *