~Chapter Fifteen: A Rare Ingredient~
The first week of the second semester was relatively uneventful. Lucius Malfoy had somehow advised and convinced Dumbledore to allow Draco to be excused from his classes ten minutes early in order to escort her around the castle, as opposed to him having to hustle to her classes just to meet her.
One sunny Saturday morning, as Alyona walked through the stone corridors with Draco, admiring the fresh snowfall through the archways to the courtyard.
Due to most students choosing to stay in their common rooms or within warmer parts of the castle, the pair had enjoyed a quiet and peaceful walk around the castle for the better part of an hour.
Both students were bundled up in their extravagant winter cloaks atop their lavish casual clothing, Both kids being dressed in rich and deep blacks and greens.
"I bet your voice would sound amazing with how echoey this corridor is," Draco complimented.
Despite his attempt at being subtle, the true meaning behind Draco's comment didn't go unnoticed by his girlfriend.
"Are you mad? I can't be that brazen, not here at least," Alyona responded, "Another male student or teacher could walk around the corner at any moment."
Draco smiled, clearly not understanding or caring about the rational concern that Alyona had brought up.
"I think I'm willing to take that risk~"
Alyona chuckled, "Well, I'm not. Maybe I'll sing for you later. If we can be sure that we're alone."
After a few more minutes of walking, the two Slytherins noticed a small group of boys huddled together near the wall of the corridor, looking as though they were plotting something.
The sound Alyona's high heeled boots clicking along the stone floor alerted the group consisting of Theodore Nott, along with Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle of the pair's presence.
"Oi, Malfoy!" Nott Called out, "Come 'ere for a second!"
Draco placed a gentle kiss upon Alyona's head before heading over to what his goons wanted, "I'll be right back."
Alyona smiled and nodded towards him before looking for a place to sit and wait for Draco to return.
Thinking that there would be a bench around the corner of the hallway, Alyona quickly peered around to see if it was available when she spotted Tracy Davis and Bradley Berringer Already occupying it. The two were quietly conversing as a few giggles escaped their lips here and there..
Before Alyona could retreat from Tracy's view, the older Slytherin girl spotted her and quickly shooed Bradley away.
Alyona swiveled back around the corner to see that Draco was still conversing with his school chums.
Alyona took a seat atop the waist-high stone wall that overlooked one of the courtyards when she heard the sound of tapping echoing down the hall.
The Blossom girl's eyes were met with a truly mind-boggling sight.
Pansy Parkinson came strutting down the hallway wearing a pink sweater, white pleated skirt, pink knee high socks, white high heels and bright pink bow headband.
"Hey, Drakie," Pansy flirted as she sauntered past the Malfoy heir. For her sake, Pansy thankfully looked away before spotting the sickened look plastered all over Draco and Theo's face.
Alyona gazed upon the pink monstrosity before her with vexation in her eyes.
Even though the Blossom's didn't own the color, and Pansy's outfit looked rather cheap in comparison to the exquisite attire that the Malfoys had gifted Alyona, seeing Pansy in the Blossoms well-known signature color when the Parkinson girl had never worn the hue before simply put a bad taste in Alyona's mouth.
"Oh, hey Blossom. I didn't see you there," Pansy said arrogantly as she passed by the blonde witch.
Just before Pansy could turn and continue down the hall, Alyona raised her wand, murmured the Incendio charm and sent a tiny flame down the hall, only for it to land on the trim of Pansy's skirt.
"You look hot, Parkinson!" Theo called out.
Unaware of the true meaning behind Theo's comment, Pansy showcased an accomplished smile as she turned to face the group of Slytherin boys.
"Oh, why thank y—"
Pansy stopped mid-sentence at the sight of the squad of boys chuckling to themselves.
"What? What's so funny?" Pansy asked, beginning to sound rather impatient due to not being let in on whatever was amusing the group.
After a moment, Pansy began to sense the smell of burning fabric. Eventually, she looked down to see the entire trim of her skirt had been set ablaze.
"Ahhhh! Oh my god!" Pansy cried as he frantically tried to figure out what to do.
Once Pansy used her wand to extinguish her skirt, she saw Alyona with her wand out, laughing hysterically at her dismay.
Pansy took a clean cast of Stupify at the laughing girl, knocking her back against a stone pillar and onto the ground.
Pansy was about to finish the job when Draco stepped in.
"I don't think so, Parkinson!" Malfoy shouted as he used his wand to stun Pansy.
Tracy gasped as she saw her schoolmate fly backwards and crash into the rough, solid wall.
After this, Draco and Theo rushed over to Alyona, who was sitting on the floor, still dazed from Pansy's spell.
"Darling?! Are you alright?!" Draco asked as he and Theodore hoisted her to be feet.
The blonde witch still had some fight left in her as she locked her angry eyes on the Parkinson girl, who was just getting to her feet as well.
"Like wearing pink, do you?!" Alyona yelled, "Here, have some more!"
Alyona casted a bright flash of glittering magenta light that hit Pansy square in the face and knocking her off her feet once more.
Pansy slowly steadied herself as she stood and looked down at her hands.
The black haired girl shrieked upon seeing the vibrant pink hue of her palms. Pansy flipped her hands over to see the backs of them, then slid up to sleeve of her dress to see that the skin in those areas also matched.
"What did you do to me?!" Pansy screamed in anger.
She then turned her head in the direction of a faint laughter. Around the corner of the hall, Tracy Davis chuckled to herself at the sight before her.
"What are you doing just sitting there laughing!? Pansy shouted, "Get over here and help me!"
With a look of embarrassment, Tracy stood up, withdrew her wand and ran over to aid her friend in need.
"You're in for it now, Blossom!" Pansy declared as she raised her wand menacingly toward Alyona.
While this was happening, Theodore discreetly casted a spell Pansy's way that collided with her perfectly.
Pansy began to laughed uncontrollably as Theo had hit her with the Rictusempra charm.
Pansy fell down to the floor, giggling hysterically as Tracy remained the only one on her side left standing.
"I guess you could say she's tickled pink" Theo joked as he and the other Slytherins took pleasure in Pansy's merciless condition.
Tracy attempt to aim her next attack at Alyona when she was hit with the blonde witch's counter attack.
Alyona turned Tracy's chocolate brown locks into sentient strands that instantly grew to four times their original length and grabbed on to her hands.
Tracy dropped her wand as she was bound by her own hair and fell to her knees.
"Let me go!!" Tracy cried out as she struggled against her bindings.
"What the devil is going on over here?!" Snape demanded as he rounded the corner of the corridor.
All Draco wanted to do was to grab Alyona and run, but her knew it was too late.
"Professor, it was them!" Draco cried as he pointed at the two incapacitated girls, "They started it!"
Snape took out his wand and released the Pansy and Tracy from their magical predicaments and glared at them.
"Is this true?"
Pansy looked upon her Professor earnestly, while Tracy shot daggers with her eyes toward the rest of the Slytherins.
"I was just walking down the hall, minding my own business when Blossom set me on fire!"
"Oh don't be so dramatic," Theo said, "It was just a tiny flame."
"Silence!" Snape hissed," Miss Parkinson, miss Davis, and miss Blossom, I shall see you all in detention this Monday evening at seven o'clock sharp."
This declaration didn't sit well with Draco, not one bit.
"That's not fair! Alyona didn't do anything! It was those two!"
"I shall see you there as well, mister Malfoy—"
Draco hung his head in defeat as he walked back over to his beloved.
"Now, I suggest you all part ways if you can't all get along and behave yourselves," Snape said as he stomped away down the corridor.
"Let's go, Love," Draco said. He placed his hand on Alyona's back to guide her away from the conflict they were currently in and the pair swiftly walked off down the corridor and away from the spiteful Slytherin girls.
"So, anyway, what did Theo and the others have to talk to you about?" Alyona asked.
Draco chuckled a bit, "Nott has the idea that he wants to execute during one of the next Gryffindor quidditch matches. He wants to dress up as dementors as scare Potter to throw him off his game."
Alyona giggled, "Now that would be something to see."
~ooOOOoo~
Monday evening had came way to fast for the four Slytherins who were designated to be present in Professor Snape's classroom to serve one of his awful detentions.
It was six fifty-nine when Professor Snape swung open his door at the sound of someone knocking.
"Ah yes, how nice to see you all, "Snape said in his usual monotone voice. "Right this way."
Pansy Parkinson, Tracy Davis, Alyona Blossom and Draco Malfoy all entered the room with frowns on their faces as the all gathered around one of the tables in snapes classroom that looked to have ingredients resting on it.
"During your time here this evening, I will be having you four brew a set of potions that I require to be stocked within my inventory," Snape said.
The four Slytherins were relieved to hear this, as they knew that Snape's punishments were much more severe when it came to students from the other three houses.
"Wigginweld, sleeping draught, beautification potion, and the cure for boils. All of the ingredients have been laid out before you," Snape informed them, "You shall work in pairs. I expect these potions to be finished by ten o'clock this evening."
The students quickly began to start on their assigned potions as snape worked with a cauldron himself.
For the first hour, everything was going smoothly until Pansy thought it would be rather funny to sabotage Alyona.
While Draco had added in the lady's mantle and stirred the mixture, Alyona watched attentively as Pansy leaned over to them.
Alyona had turned her head just in time to see Pansy quietly blow the single strand on unicorn hair off of the table top.
Alyona gasped as she tried to catch it, but it was no use.
"What seems to be the issue, miss Blossom?" Snape asked sounding annoyed.
"Nothing, Professor," Alyona responded.
Thinking that Snape would be more upset about her losing an ingredient rather than messing up a potion, which was a much more common occurrence amongst students, Alyona discreetly reached to the back of her head and pulled out one of her own hairs.
"Alright, it's time for the unicorn hair," Draco said.
Alyona nodded and lifted her strand of hair over the small cauldron that rested on the table top.
Alyona waited for Snape to look at her before placing her hair into the potion so as to make sure that he could see that she was continuing to follow the recipe. She hoped Snape wouldn't notice the blonde tint of her strand vs the stark white color that was unicorn hair.
She dropped the piece of hair into the hot mixture as she silently wished for there not to be some sort of aweful reaction.
Pansy and Tracy had already added in their unicorn hair, turning their beautification potion into a light green shade, as Alyona's strand of hair hit the mixture, her and Draco's potion turned a bright aquamarine shade that glowed and radiated light.
Snape ceased brewing his own potion as Pansy and Tracy looked over to see where all of the sudden light was coming from as well.
The Professor quickly walked over to the glowing cauldron and stared in awe for what felt like an eternity.
"That's all for today," Snape murmured, "Everyone out."
The four Slytherins being enthusiastic to leave, quickly gathered their belongings and began to head out.
Everyone accept you, miss Blossom," Snape corrected himself.
As Pansy and Tracy made their exit, Draco looked back from the doorway with concern.
"Is there something you need, mister Malfoy?"
Draco shook his head and looked over to Alyona, "I'll be waiting right outside for you."
Alyona gulped as she knew why she was being asked to stay behind. As Snape further investigated the potion that sat before them he turned to the young girl with suspicion in his eyes.
Snape picked up the potions book and flipped through the pages until he landed on the information he was searching for.
"Beautification potion has two alternative brews. Both of which are difficult to source the special ingredients for."
Alyona nodded to signal to him that she was listening as he continued to speak.
"One is able to make a much for concentrated and better performing potion should one substitute unicorn hair for either Veela hair or Siren hair. Veela hair turning the potion into a lavender shade, and Siren hair turning it into a bright aquamarine."
Upon saying this, Snape gestured to the oceanic shade that resided within Alyona's cauldron.
"Tell me, where did you get it?" Snape asked, "I don't possess such a rare ingredient in my inventory."
"I—I don't know, I just used the hair that was placed with the rest of the ingredients…" Alyona insisted.
Snape looked down at Alyona accusatorially as he stepped back to his own potion. He added the items necessary to catch up his mixture before adding in his unicorn hair.
Snape then slowly walked back over to Alyona and brought her over to his cauldron.
"Place one of your hairs in it."
With fear in her eyes, Alyona looked at Snape, silently begging him not to make her do it.
"Now, miss Blossom."
Alyona plucked out one of her flaxen strands and nervously hung it over the cauldron. She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves before dropping the strand into the cauldron.
To no one's surprise, the liquid within Snape's cauldron turned a vibrant aquamarine.
Snape turned to the girl, a subtle look of astonishment on his pale face.
"How peculiar," Professor Snape said.
The look of panic on Alyona's face grew more and more noticeable with each passing second.
"Sir, please, please don't tell anyone about this. My father will be furious if he finds out people know our secret!" She begged.
"No need to worry, I have no use for telling anyone about this," Snape said, "That is, as long as you would be so kind as to donate a few of your stands to my inventory?"
Alyona nodded without hesitation, "How many?"
"Just a few," Snape replied as he went to fetch a container and a cloth napkin.
Alyona plucked a few hairs and placed the strands into Snape's cloth covered hand.
"Pleasure doing business with you, miss Blossom. Now, away with you." Snape said coldly.
Alyona rushed out of the room, feeling great relief that Snape had been so kind in agreeing to keep this information to himself.
"What did he want to talk to you about?" Draco asked.
"I'll tell you when we get back to the common room," Alyona replied as she and Draco quickly made their way back to their Slytherin quarters.
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