Chapter 6

A Midnight Duel

It seemed word had gotten out that I was the newest member of the Slytherin Quidditch team. It seemed everywhere I went, people were giving me strange looks and staring at me.

Drosie had since gotten worse. She went past the whole "know-it-all" teasing and went for more scarring insults like "So, Potty, how're your parents doing?"

Two days after I was put on the team, I was eating dinner with Ivy (who had agreed reluctantly to sit with me at the Slytherin table with Draco when Drosie walked up with O'Neil and Vain.

"So, Potter," Drosie started, running a hand through her hair "It seems that being the Girl Who Lived that's in Slytherin wasn't enough…you had to be the youngest Chaser too, eh?"

Ivy stood up and glared at Drosie "Shut up. And last time we checked, you weren't invited into this conversation, Drosie." Ivy spat.

"Tut, tut, Duff," Drosie sneered "surely a proud Gryffindor like you shouldn't be eating with the Slytherins. They're nothing but pure blooded scum!"

Draco and I shot up out of our seats "Shut up, Drosie!" we said together.

"Oh, so Potty thinks she can take me? You are most likely nothing without your precious Dracie Poo, or Captain House Traitor here." Drosie implied, flashing Ivy a dirty look at the term "House Traitor."

"I could take you in anything, Drosie!" I shouted.

"Really, Potter?" Drosie sneered "So…how about tonight, at midnight, a wizard's duel? Oh, wait! You don't know what a wizard's duel is, do you?"

"Damn right, she does, Drosie!" Draco said "In fact, Ivy's her second, who's yours?"

"Malfoy!" Ivy hissed, pulling Draco to her by the tie "What the hell are you on!"

Drosie looked at O'Neil and Vain, seizing them up "Vain. All right, Potter. I will meet you at midnight…say…the Transfiguration corridor? McGonagall always keeps that unlocked." Drosie smirked, taking a small handheld mirror from her robe's pocket.

"You are so on!" I snapped waving my hand to motion her away "Now pardon the French, but you can piss off now, Drosie!"

Drosie looked taken aback at the fact that I told her to 'piss off'.

"Fine, Potter." she said after a while, stowing her mirror back in her back "I'll be seeing you at midnight if you think you're woman enough. Let's go, girls."

I scoffed, sitting back down to finish my dinner and turned to Draco.

"What did you mean-" I started, pausing to take a bit of steak "when you said Ivy was my second?" I asked swallowing and taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"A second-" Ivy explained glaring at Draco "is someone to take over for you if you die."

I gulped "But…" I stammered "Drosie couldn't possibly be able to kill me…right?"

"No way!" Draco said, taking my hand in his, earning a glare from Ivy "You and her are still young yet. The worst you can do is send sparks at each other."

I glanced down at the hand holding mine and turned a bright pink. We sat there in silence for a few minutes

Ivy was staring at Draco's and mine's intertwined hands "Malfoy," she started, taking a sip of pumpkin juice "take your bloody hand off of Hannah…now!"

We ripped our hands apart and stole a glance at each other.

I oh so wanted to kill Ivy for ruining the mood. But I had a lot on my plate at the moment…a duel at midnight…with my new worst enemy?

"So…" I said, starting to finish off my dinner "what happens if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Simple," Ivy said, taking her book bag in hand "you throw your wand to Draco, and I go and punch Drosie in the face!"

I laughed "Ivy, I love you!" I said, taking my book bag and getting up.

"Love you too."

"I hate to burst bubbles," Draco said, following Ivy and I out of the Hall "but I can't come to the duel. I have to do homework for Potions."

"Oh, I've finished that already." Ivy said with a smirk. "Hannah, I'll come and get you for the duel tonight at say…eleven thirty?"

"Sure, Ivy." I said smiling "See you then." I added, walking towards the dungeons with Draco.

That night, at eleven thirty, I was shaken awake. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and found myself looking at Pansy.

"Oh, hey." I said sleepily.

"Your friend Ivy's here." Pansy explained, crawling back into her bed.

"Thanks, Pancake." I said.

"Pancake," Pansy said drowsily "I like that nickname. Good luck in the duel." she finished as she went back to sleep.

I took my wand from the nightstand and walked out of the dorm quietly, so not to wake Pansy, Rose, Amelia, Monique and Lexi.

I snuck down the stairs and saw Ivy standing…in the common room!

"Hey!" I whispered, shocked "Where did you get the password to the dungeons?"

"I'll tell you later." Ivy whispered, waving her wand "Let's go! We have to get to the Transfiguration corridor." she added, taking hold of my pyjamas and steering me out the door.

We walked for what felt like ever when we ran into someone.

"Oh no!" I whispered "We're done for, Ivy!"

"Hannah?" the voice of my brother asked.

"Harry?" I asked taking out my wand "Lumos!"

My wand tip ignited, revealing the bespectacled face of my brother. "Holy crap, Harry!" I hissed "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Like you didn't scare the hell out of us!" Ron's voice hissed in the shadows as another wand tip ignited, this time revealing the redheaded face of Ron Weasley.

"How many people are breaking rules this evening! If we all get caught we will most likely be expelled!" the shrill bossy whine of Hermione Granger scorned all of us. A third wand tip ignited revealing her signature bushy brown hair and buck teeth.

"H-H-Hannah's here?" the nervous voice of Neville Longbottom whispered as Harry's face left mine and turned to Neville's terrified one.

"Yes, Neville!" Ivy mouthed "And me. Now we have to go and find Drosie."

"She challenged me to a duel in the Transfiguration corridor." I explained twirling my wand around in my fingers, causing the light to move in a circular motion.

"Malfoy challenged me to a duel, too!" Harry said, awestruck "Except he said in the Charms corridor!"

"Ok, let's go to the Transfiguration corridor with Hannah, mate. Then we can defend her if Drosie gets violent." Ron suggested.

"Let's go to the Charms wing first. Then I'll give Draco a piece of my mind about duelling my brother!" I suggested.

"Agreed." Hermione Granger said "We'll teach him to break rules!"

"No one asked you!" Ron spat, spinning around to face her "You're only here to keep us out of trouble."

Hermione Granger rolled her eyes and walked to my side. "I'm with Hannah…Neville?"

Neville gulped as I turned my gaze to him "Yeah, I-I'm with Hannah too!" he said finally.

"Ok, ok, fine!" Ron said, defeated "We'll go to the Charms corridor first. It's just about midnight anyways."

Ron, Hermione Granger, Neville, Harry, Ivy and I went down to the Charms corridor to wait for Draco, but minutes passed after midnight and he never showed up.

"Little prat!" Harry hissed, tucking his wand in his pocket "He probably didn't even plan on showing up. Let's go find Drosie in the Transfiguration corridor."

Our large posse made our way to the Transfiguration corridor, where yet again, it was empty.

"The little git!" Ivy spat, tucking her wand in her pocket "She probably didn't even bother to show up! Let's get Hannah back to the dungeons before she gets busted."

We all started towards the dungeons when the figure of Peeves the Poltergeist swooped past.

"Well, ickle firsties out of bed?" he asked tauntingly, swooping down over my head "Should go tell Filch, I should."

I gulped. Filch, the caretaker and his cat, Mrs Norris were always a thorn in my side since I tried to gain access to the forbidden third floor corridor, mistaking it for a corridor to my next class.

"Leave us alone, Peeves!" Ivy hissed, making a run at the ghost.

Let's just say Ivy made a huge mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves shouted once he got high enough "STUDENTS IN THE CORRIDOR!"

"Let's get out of here!" I whispered, tugging Harry to a locked classroom.

"Oh, no! Oh no! No, no, no!" I panicked trying to wrench the door open as I heard rushed footsteps coming our way.

"Oh, Han. Out of the way!" Ivy ordered, pushing me out of her way and pointing her wand at the door. "Alohomora." she said prodding the doorknob, which clicked.

"There." she said, pulling the door open "You're all welcome." she added, pushing us all in as Filch's wheezing voice spoke.

"Where are they, Peeves?" Filch demanded.

"Where's are who?" Peeves said, I almost heard the smirk on his face.

"The students you claimed were out of bed! Tell me which way they went!"

"Say please. Shan't say anything unless you say please!" Peeves taunted.

"Fine. Please tell me which way they went!" Filch rasped.

"NOTHING!" Peeves shouted. I heard a loud raspberry sound. "HA HA!"

Filch swore and I heard his footsteps retreating.

"Well," I started turning towards the group "At least we're not in- HOLY SKINNER!" I yelled when I saw what everyone was paralyzed in fear about.

A large, black three headed dog was growling at me. Neville and Hermione started to scream and run out the door, followed right after by me, Harry and Ron.

"Guys," Harry started, wiping the sweat from his forehead "I think I know why the third floor corridor was blocked."

"Good, then I'm going to bed!" Hermione snapped "Before you can think of another brilliant way to get us killed…or worse…expelled!" she added, stalking off.

"Ok, I'm going back to bed too, see you guys." I said, walking off towards the dungeons.

Once I slipped into the common room, I lit up my wand tip and saw someone leaning against the mantle of the fireplace. It was a seventh year boy.

"Well, hello, Potter." he said with a smirk "What are you doing out of bed?"

I gasped when I saw what the boy really looked like. His shaggy brown hair fell into his green eyes, and he looked as if he could take me down with one strike.

"Uh…I…um." I stammered, starting to back away to my dorms "I was just heading back to bed."

"So soon?" the boy said, grasping my upper arm. I gulped when I felt his hot breath on my neck as he leaned down to whisper in my ear "Because you and me could have some fun in the Head Boy dorms."

I struggled to break out of his grip "Let go of me, you pervert!" I snapped.

He gagged me and pulled me flush against him. "But then, how fun would that be for me?" he asked smoothly.

I whimpered, knowing I was trapped and was going to fall victim for whatever this boy had planned. I thought I was doomed until:

"Preficticus Totalus!" someone's voice said in the shadows.

The boy let go of me and I fell to the ground due to the great height. I looked up and saw my saviour.

It was Draco, his wand was in his left hand and was peering at the boy's frozen body.

"You ok?" Draco asked as he stowed his wand back in his robes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a bit of a scare. Thanks for saving my ass and all." I said as I dusted myself off.

"Well, now we're even for when you saved my ass." Draco said with a smirk "Now go back to bed! We have lessons tomorrow."

"Good call." I said with a yawn "Night." I said, kissing his cheek and heading upstairs.