Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.
Hailey didn't honestly think she had ever loathed another human being more than she loathed Draco Malfoy. Everything about him seemed to irritate her, from his arrogant smirk to the way he played with her emotions every time they met. At least with Theodore Nott, she knew where she stood with him. But with Malfoy, there were rare moments when he was almost decent which made the parts where he was awful even worse. It would have been easier for her if he was just awful all the time. He always seemed to know exactly how to infuriate her. Mercifully, she only had to endure Potions with the Slytherins. Or at least that was the case until they all read the notice hung in the Gryffindor common room. Flying lessons began on Thursday, and they would be learning with the Slytherins.
"Great," Hermione groaned. "I'll get to make a fool out of myself in front of Nott and Malfoy."
Ron read the notice and shrugged. "You don't know you'll make a food of yourself. They say that they're good at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."
The Slytherins certainly did talk about flying a lot. Malfoy complained loudly about first-years never getting in the house Quidditch team and told long, boastful and definitely fabricated stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggle helicopters. Nott tried to top that by saying he dodged a passenger plane (though she didn't think even the Slytherins believed him). Too bad neither of them decided to fly around a Foundation site, it might have given the Mobile Task Forces a bit of a laugh.
Though she had to be fair to the Slytherins, they weren't the only ones exchanging stories about their exploits on the broom. The way Lavender Brown talked you'd think she'd been flying through the forests around her family home her whole life. Even Ron would tell anybody who asked how he narrowly avoided being hit by a hang-glider on Charlie's old broom. Hailey herself couldn't resist a bit of boasting either, and told her friends the story of when she flew around the mountains of Alaska during a snowstorm, though she left out the Foundation drones that were following her. Neville, however, had no stories to tell. His grandmother had never let him near a broom his whole life. He had privately admitted to them he was very nervous about flying.
The only person anywhere near as nervous as Neville was Hermione. Hailey knew it infuriated her cousin to no end that you couldn't learn how to fly just from a book, though she had certainly tried. Over breakfast, Hermione had spent most of breakfast reciting tips on how to fly from to Neville from a book called Quidditch through the Ages, while Hailey and Ron tuned her out to discuss Quidditch. Hailey didn't honestly understand what was so impressive about British Quidditch. She'd debated endlessly with Ron over breakfast that American-rules Quidditch was a far better game, though he wasn't having any of it.
Ron tapped the table angrily. "How can you Americans even call that game Quidditch if it doesn't even have a seeker?"
"Why would you even want a seeker? Ending the game with a set time limit means you don't have to be disappointed by short games or wait weeks for one game to end!" Hailey said with an indignant huff, raising her arms in frustration.
"But that's part of the fun! Plus it gives teams more strategic options, like whether to focus on scoring points with the Quaffle or going after the Snitch. American-rules Quidditch is just British Quidditch if there were only chasers."
Hermione looked over the top of her book angrily at the bickering duo. "Is there any real difference between them?"
Ron and Hailey both gasped in shock. How could Hermione even compare British Quidditch to American Quidditch? They were obviously completely different!
"How can even say such a thing?" Ron cried, placing his hand over his chest with exaggerated outrage.
"They are completely different games! Here, I'll show you," Hailey said. She tore out a piece of paper from her notebooks and drew a small Quidditch field on the paper. "American Quidditch has 8 players and 2 Quaffles while British Quidditch has-"
Hermione groaned in frustration and buried her head in her arms to try and drown out all the Quidditch talk. Hailey droned on, completely oblivious to Hermione's disinterest. The arrival of the mail caused Hermione to smile widely for a small break in Hailey and Ron's lecture.
Owls swooped in through holes in the ceiling, dropping letters and small parcels onto the students. Hailey so far had only received one letter, the one from Hagrid the previous week. Nobody she knew back home trusted the wizarding system of delivering mail. She watched as a large barn owl swooped low over the Gryffindor table and dropped a small wrapped box into Neville's hands.
"Look, Neville's got a package!" Hermione said, desperate to shift the topic to something other than sport. Neville opened the small package and pulled out a glass ball that seemed to be full of white smoke.
"It's a Remembrall!" he said. "Gran knows I can be forgetful- this thing tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. If you hold it tight like this and it turns red - oh…" his face fell as the white smoke in the ball began to turn scarlet. "... you've forgotten something. But I can't remember what it is I've forgotten!"
Hailey had heard about this particular magical object. She once got to help the Foundation test these on SCP-055 but then… wait, what was she thinking about? Oh yeah, flying lessons later today.
After the final period of their lessons on Thursday, Hailey and Ron hurried down the front steps and onto the grounds, eager for their first flying lesson. For the first time ever, Hermione was the one left trailing behind with Neville. They were both less than enthusiastic about this lesson. It was an overcast day, the sky was dark grey and there was a cold wind blowing small droplets of water through their hair. Walking through the damp grass of the grounds left her shoes feeling wet and cold. In short, it was a beautiful day. At least according to Hailey.
The ten Slytherin students were already there, along with twenty broomsticks lying in neat little lines along the ground. Hailey waited patiently behind the line of brooms for their teacher to arrive, chatting amicably with her friends until the students suddenly gasped and pointed to the sky.
Madam Hooch was flying down from the tower on her broomstick like a hawk, swooping low over the trees and towers. She landed gracefully in front of them with a flourish and placed her broom gently on the ground. Some of the students cheered, but they were silenced by a stern look from the teacher.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand next to a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
She stood next to Ron, behind an old battered broom. It was clearly due for a touch of polish and some of the twigs stuck out at old angles.
"Stick your preferred hand over the broom and say 'up!'" Madam Hooch said.
Hailey placed her hand directly above her broom confidently. "Up!"
The broom leaped obediently into her hand immediately. Turning around, she realised that her broom was one of the few that was in the air. Hermione's broom had only rolled over on the ground and Neville's hadn't moved at all, but Ron's had leapt up a foot before falling back down. Over by the Slytherins, Malfoy smirked at her, eyes alight with mirth and a broom floating in his hands. They waited a few minutes for everyone's brooms to jump up into their hands before Madam Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end. She carefully examined each one of them to make sure their grips were correct.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," Madam Hooch instructed. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle - three- two -"
But Neville, nervous and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before Madam Hooch could blow the whistle. He floated upwards uncontrollably, clutching the broom tightly to his chest and screaming for help.
"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rapidly gaining height. He cried out in terror as his broom lurched to the side, hitting the castle walls hard and causing him to lose his grip. For Hailey, it was like Neville was falling in slow motion, though he was only a few seconds away from impacting the ground. His body was limb, falling like a ragdoll towards the hard ground below.
Time reasserted itself as Hailey leapt into the sky, followed closely by Ron. They managed to reach Neville before he hit the ground, catching his flailing hands with only a fraction of a second to spare. But the sudden weight pulled them down sharply, causing Ron's left shoulder to pop and twist in an odd direction. They managed to slow down their descent just enough, but they still hit the ground hard. Hailey fell to the side, landing roughly on her arm while Ron and Neville rolled across the ground with a nasty crack sound, coming to a stop on the wet grass. They all moaned in pain.
"Back, back away all of you!" Madam Hooch ordered. She bent over the trio, carefully checking them for injuries. Besides from a slight bruise on her shoulder, Hailey was uninjured. Ron and Neville were not so lucky.
"Broken wrist and a dislocated shoulder," their teacher muttered. "Come on, boys- up you get," she turned back to the rest of the class. "None of you are to move while I take these two to the hospital wing! You feet leave the ground and you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'!"
Ron gave her a half-hearted wave with his uninjured arm as he helped Neville climb the hill back to the school. No sooner was Madam Hooch out of earshot did the Slytherins begin to laugh.
"Did you see big one's face?" Malfoy sniggered, causing Pansy Parkinson to laugh hysterically.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Parvati snapped.
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy said. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Parvati."
I should feed her to SCP-682, Hailey thought darkly.
"Look!" Nott shouted, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbotton's gram sent him!"
He held the Remembrall high above his head triumphantly.
"Give it back, Nott. That's not yours," Hermione said, holding her hand out expectantly. Everybody had stopped talking now, and were observing Hermione and Nott intensely.
"You think I'm going to listen to you, Granger," Nott spat her name out like it was an insult. "I think I'll hide it somewhere for Neville to find, maybe the Whomping Willow?"
"Give it here!" Hailey yelled, but he had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. Nott hovered steadily on the topmost branches of the oak tree and called out to her, "How about you come get it, Potter!"
Hailey reached her hand out towards the row of brooms a few metres away. A few of the nearby students gasped as her broom leaped across the grounds and into her waiting hand. Malfoy was smirking at her in amusement, as if daring her to go up there and confront Nott.
"Don't do it Hailey," Hermione hissed at Hailey, tugging at her robe to get the smaller girl's attention. "Madam Hooch told us to not move, you'll get expelled!"
But Hailey wasn't listening. Blood was pounding in her ears and her vision had taken on a shade of red. She sent Nott a rude gesture with her hand and mounted her broom with confidence, kicking off hard against the ground and souring straight up towards him like a missile. Her green eyes burned in anger and the cold wind blew through her hair. Internally she smirked. Flying was something that came to her as naturally as breathing.
"Give it back!" she shouted, hovering lazily in the air with the ease of an expert.
"Or I'll knock you off that broom!"
"Try it, Potter!" he sneered, though he looked slightly worried. He clearly hadn't been expecting her to be so confident on a broomstick. Hailey gripped her broom with one hand and shot towards Nott like a javelin. He leapt out of the way, nearly letting go of his broom in an effort to avoid her blow. Turning sharply, Hailey hovered a metre above Nott, who was now clutching the broom tightly to regain his balance. Beneath them, the students were either clapping or booing.
"It's a long way down, Nott," she said, flying in circles a few metres above like a vulture above a dying animal. "How about you hand over the ball before I introduce your face to the ground?"
"How about you catch it?" Nott snarled, throwing the glass ball high into the air and streaking back to the ground to avoid another blow.
The Remembrall could just be made out against the grey sky. Hailey strained her eyes to follow the object flying across the sky, seeing it rise as if it were in slow motion. She shot off towards it like a bullet, pulling her broom into a steep ascent. Rain and wind whistled through her hair and robes as she gained speed, only fueling her drive to succeed. Just as she was about to catch the ball, a black blur shot across her vision, forcing her to sharply turn away to avoid hitting it. Spinning back around, Hailey saw Malfoy rolling the Remembrall between his fingers, looking at her with his grey eyes and classic arrogant smirk.
"That looked like fun, mind if I join in?"
"Give it, Malfoy," Hailey demanded.
He paused, as if carefully considering her offer, though she knew he was just delaying to annoy her. He gave her a brilliant smile and raised his hands as if surrendering, still somehow keeping his broom steady.
"Ok, you win," he said, drawing out every word. He let the Remembrall fall from his raised hands and darted back to the ground, laughing all the way down. Hailey dived down in close persuit, racing against gravity to catch the ball before it landed. The students all screamed as she stretched out her hand, pulling up steeply when she felt the smooth surface of her target only a metre above the ground. She grabbed it and pulled up sharply, narrowly avoiding hitting the ground and landing gracefully before the group of students, the Remembrall held triumphantly above her head.
"HAILEY POTTER!"
Her bubble of euphoria popped instantly. She spun around to see Professor McGonagall running up towards them, a furious expression on her face.
"Never- in all my time at Hogwarts -" Professor McGonagall stuttered, almost speechless with shock and anger. "- how dare you - might have broken your neck"
"It wasn't her fault, Professor -"
"Be quiet, Miss Patil -"
"But Nott and Malfoy-"
"That's enough, Miss Granger. Potter, follow me. Now." she ordered.
As she followed Professor McGonagall glumly, she heard some of the Slytherins sniggering. Malfoy was just staring at her with an unreadable expression while Hermione was pale and worried. She turned away from them all glumly and followed her teacher into the castle.
If she got expelled, Achilles would understand. But the Foundation might deem her too unstable to be allowed out of containment. They would ship her back to Site 19 and never let her out again. She'd really blown it this time. And for what, some easily replaceable ball? She clenched her teeth in anger. A part of her wanted to put Nott in Lawrence's femur breaker while Malfoy watched, that'd wipe the smirk from their faces. But no, this was her fault. She had taken their bait.
Hailey trailed miserably behind Professor McGonagall through the twisting corridors. In the back of her mind she was mapping out the path they took, realising that she wasn't being taken to Professor Dumbledore's office or her common room. Did Hogwarts have some other way to expel students?
They stopped in front of a classroom. Professor McGonagall knocked politely on the door and poked her head inside and asked Professor Flitwick for Wood. Was that some kind of cane McGonagall was going to hit her with? She was relieved when Wood turned out to simply be the name of a fifth year student.
""Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood- I think I've found you a seeker."
"Are you serious, Professor?" Wood shouted, his puzzled expression changing to delight and then to embarrassment when he realised who he was shouting at. But Professor McGonagall didn't seem to notice.
"Absolutely. The girl's a natural. She caught that ball in her hand after a fifty foot dive. Didn't even scratch herself. Don't think Charlie Weasley could have pulled that off," she told him proudly. Hailey tilted her head in confusion, eyes darting from the 5th year boy and the Professor. Were they really giving her a position on the Quidditch team?
Wood was now looking at her with an awed expression, making Hailey slightly uncomfortable.
"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked.
"Only some American Quidditch League games."
"Bah! We'll get you playing proper Quidditch soon enough"
"Oliver Wood is the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team," Professor McGonagall explained. "I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can bend the first-year rule. Make no mistake, Miss Potter, I am very disappointed in you. But Gryffindor needs a better team desperately. I couldn't look at Professor Snape for weeks…" she stared down at Hailey sternly over he glassed. "You'll also be seeing me in my office every Friday afternoon for the next three weeks, you did break school rules after all. But I want to see you training hard, otherwise I might change my mind about being so lenient."
Professor McGonagall turned to leave, walking down the corridor in her stiff but graceful manner before she turned back around. Hailey could've sworn there was a ghost of a smile on her face.
"Your father would have been very proud. He was an excellent Quidditch player."
"Ridiculous!" Hermione shouted. "McGonagall gave you a position on the Quidditch team for breaking school rules?
They were all sitting around the table for dinner. Hailey had just finished recounting to Hermione what happened after she left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Hermione was spluttering incoherently. Professor McGonagall was by far Hermione's favourite teacher, and she was having a hard time believing that she would reward Hailey for breaking rules. She was torn between her disbelief in her teacher's actions and happiness that Hailey wasn't going to be expelled.
"I mean, all I did was fly. In retrospect, I think Madam Hooch was just exaggerating," Hailey reasoned. "If that was all it took to get expelled, do you really think the Weasley Twins would still be here?"
"Not a chance, firsties!" Fred and George shouted from further down the table. They were tinkering with what looked like extremely dangerous or cool fireworks. Knowing them, it was probably both. "Oh, and Wood told us what happened with McGonagall and the flying lessons. We're the beaters for the Gryffindor team, so we get all the news," George explained. "Well done, Hailey. Wood couldn't stop talking about you. We haven't won since Charlie left, with you on our team we might finally win a game!"
"Thanks guys," Hailey yelled over to them then turned back to Hermione and shrugged. "See what I mean?"
"Oh but- well- ...I'm just glad you're OK!" Hermione admitted, pulling Hailey into a bone-breaking hug. "Don't do anything like that again!"
"Alright alright, I'm sorry," Hailey yielded. "But you have to admit, it was pretty funny."
"What was pretty funny?"
They spun around to see Ron walking towards them, his arm hung in a sling.
"Ron! You're here! How's the arm?" Hailey asked. She helped him into the table, making sure to be careful of his injury, but Ron waved her off.
"It's fine. Madam Pomfrey is bloody brilliant, she says we'll be back in the common room before curfew. Neville's hurt worse though, I'm just here to bring him back some dinner."
"That's really kind of you Ron," Hermione commended him. Ron's face flushed slightly at her praise and he turned his head bashfully, breaking eye contact with her.
"Do you think you could give this?" Hailey asked, pulling the Remembrall from her pocket. "You would not believe what I had to do to get that."
"Oh? Is that what you two were laughing about earlier? Ron chuckled as he filled up his plate and beckoned for Hailey to continue. "This should be a good story."
"I agree, Weasley. Because it ends with your little friend here getting expelled," Theodore Nott interrupted from behind them. He was striding confidently towards the Gryffindor table, flanked by Crabbe, Goyle and a large black-haired Slytherin girl none of them could remember the name of. Nott was looking down at Hailey, smirking triumphantly. "Enjoying your last meal before being shipped back to America, Potter? I doubt Ilvermorny will accept Hogwarts rejects!"
"She's not getting expelled. In fact, Professor McGonagall offered her a position on the Quidditch team," Hermione bragged, enjoying the look of shock and anger on the faces of the Slytherins.
Ron's jaw dropped open and he glanced briefly at Hailey with an awed and excited expression. 'Later' Hailey mouthed to him. He nodded and turned back to the Slytherins.
"Did he ask you to speak, Granger?" the Slytherin girl spat at Hermione. The girl took another step closer and sneered down at the smaller witch. Hailey moved in quickly to divert attention away from Hermione.
"You're looking confident, Nott. Where was all this confidence when I nearly knocked you out of the sky?" Hailey goaded, causing his face to turn red.
"You wish, Potter," he scoffed. "I could have beaten you easily."
Hailey giggled and shook her head, causing Nott's teeth to clench violently. "Oh really? How about you go get your broom and I'll give you another go?"
"I've got a better idea. I challenge you to a Wizard's duel! Wands only - no contact. And this time McGonagall won't be around to protect you."
"Fine. Give me a time and a venue. We'll see if you still have that smirk on your face after I'm down with you," Hailey said. She turned back to Ron and Hermione who were both staring at her with shocked expressions. "Either of you want to be my second?"
"I'll do it," Ron offered. "I'll be out of this sling by midnight."
"Hailey!" Hermione hissed, trying to get her attention. "You'll get into trouble again!"
"Fine," Nott said, ignoring Hermione's pleas. "Bulstrode is my second. Be at the trophy room at midnight… or the whole school is going to know that the 'girl who lived' is nothing but a coward."
The Slytherins strode away, leaving Hailey, Ron and Hermione to their dinners. They finished quickly, Hailey amusing Ron with the story about how she had beaten Nott earlier today. Hermione all but pushed them out of the Great Hall, causing Ron to nearly drop the food he was carrying for Neville. She waited until they had left the hall before laying into Hailey.
"What were you thinking?" Hermione demanded. "You accepted a challenge to a duel after curfew! This is breaking so many school rules! You could get yourself killed!"
Ron shook his head. "She's not going to get killed, neither of them know enough magic for that. At best, they'll be shooting sparks at each other, he'll give Hailey a few glares and maybe try hitting her. Which is why I'm there. If he tries to hit her I'll punch him in the nose."
"Well thanks for having my back." Hailey smiled..
"What are you doing Ron? Don't encourage her!" Hermione shouted at the red haired boy.
"Mardas! Can I have a word?" a haughty voice said from behind them. Malfoy was standing at the bottom of the stairs to the great hall, staring at them imperiously.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hailey scowled down at the boy. Had he come to bicker with her again?
"I'm just here to talk with you," Malfoy assured them, giving her his infuriating smirk.
"Whatever it is you have to say, you can say it to all of us."
"It makes no difference," Malfoy shrugged. "I came here to tell you that Nott isn't planning to come to your little duel. He's going to tell Filch where you plan to meet."
"Why should we believe you?" Hermione said, looking at Malfoy accusingly.
"What would I stand to gain from lying?" Malfoy said. He looked over the trio's suspicious faces and sighed. "Let's just say it would benefit the both of us if Theodore's plan didn't succeed. Successfully striking a blow against the girl who lived would earn Theodore a lot of influence. Influence I would rather he didn't have. And I'm sure you would rather not be caught breaking curfew."
"And if we choose to go anyway?" Hailey quips.
"Then the Gryffindors are going to wake up tomorrow wondering where all their points went."
"Very well. We'll heed your advice," Ron said before Hailey or Hermione could say anything else.
Malfoy didn't bother to acknowledge Ron's words. He turned away from them and strode down the stairs to the dungeons while the Gryffindor trio shared confused looks with each other.
"By the way, what stops us from telling the Slytherins you warned us?" Hailey shouted after him, just before he disappeared from view. Malfoy paused and looked over his shoulder to address her.
"Who would ever believe I helped you?" Malfoy scoffed, before disappearing around a corner.
The three Gryffindors walked further up the stairs, waiting until they were sure they were far enough to not be overheard before talking again.
"Why did you believe him, Ron?" Hermione hissed at him. "I'd have thought you especially wouldn't have believed anything that came out of Malfoy's mouth. You hate him!"
"It makes sense, OK? Don't get me wrong, Malfoy's a git. But his reasons for helping us make sense," Ron explained. He gestured for the girls to sit on one of the nearby benches with him. "Bill always told me that Slytherins, while they may appear united, compete with each other for dominance over the house. Malfoy and Nott come from old and powerful magical families, they are both contenders for being the ruler of Slytherin house."
Both Hailey and Hermione were listening intently to Ron's every word. The Foundation certainly provided them both with the facts and figures of wizarding Britain, but Ron knew stuff you could only know being raised in it.
"Now in the eyes of Slytherin house, Hailey is our equivalent of Malfoy or Nott. You are a talented witch, come from an old and powerful family and already have an impressive reputation by being the girl who lived and now from humiliating Nott earlier today. As far as they are concerned, you either already are or will become the ruler of Gryffindor. And it would do a lot for a Slytherin's reputation if they struck a blow against the leader of their rival house. So if Nott managed to trick us into getting into trouble, it would boost his standing and chances of being the ruler of Slytherin house."
Hailey stared at Ron with her mouth open in shock. She knew that he was strategically minded, but this analysis was far beyond anything she knew him to be capable of. If Ron had the inclination or ambition, he would make a frighteningly good Slytherin.
"I'm not sure exactly what you're saying," Hermione admitted. "Malfoy clearly hates us, would it not also please him to get us into trouble?"
She looked slightly embarrassed about having to ask Ron for clarification, but Hailey knew that Hermione's drive for understanding would outweigh her embarrassment. Hermione was still learning how to properly read and interact with people, this subtle game of politics went over her head. Even Hailey, who was raised in the secretive SCP Foundation struggled to follow what Ron was saying.
Ron shook his head at Hermione. "Think of it like this: Malfoy and Nott are the two Seekers in a game of Quidditch. Hailey is the Snitch. They both want the Snitch to be caught, but each would rather they caught the Snitch instead of the other person. For Malfoy, not having the Snitch caught is better than the Snitch being caught by Nott because it means that Nott doesn't win 150 points for his 'team'. Malfoy still wants the Snitch to be caught, but only if it's him doing it."
"So the only reason Malfoy warned us is because he wants to be ruler of Slytherin house more than he wants to see us punished?" Hermione finished for him.
"Yeah that's basically it. And if there is one thing you can trust about a Slytherin, it's their ambition. So I think, at least for now, we can trust Malfoy's warning."
"But that means that Malfoy likely has his own plots against us," Hailey pointed out.
"Probably. Malfoy's still a git, and he wants the credit of beating you at something. We're going to have to be cautious around him in the future."
Hermione and Hailey mulled over what Ron had told them as they walked back to the common room, Ron having left them to return to the hospital wing and deliver food back to Neville. Neither of the girls had any idea that there was such a complex web of political rivalries and alliances. Hailey had trouble believing that the Slytherins were already making bids for influence over each other, but now that Ron had laid out his reasoning it all lined up with what she'd seen of the house and the interactions between Nott and Malfoy, though that didn't help with her disbelief. They were all 11, why were Malfoy and Nott already trying to play politician? God, no wonder the Foundation was always so manipulative in the political landscape. If this was what school was like, she didn't want to imagine what people had to deal with in the actual government.
But if this was how Hogwarts operated, Hailey could play that game. The Sorting Hat thought she could thrive in Slytherin, maybe it was time to show the world why.
"Could we use this to our advantage?" Hailey pondered, breaking the silence of the hall.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
Hailey gestured vaguely in the direction of the dungeons.
"The competition between Nott and Malfoy. Could we use it to our advantage?" she repeated. "We've already benefited from their competition. If we could perpetuate this rivalry, make sure that neither of them get a lead over the other, it could allow us to continue to exploit the divide between them. Maintaining the status quo in Slytherin house leaves them leaderless and fighting amongst themselves."
"Now you're starting to sound like Ron," Hermione accused. "Don't start playing this game with the Slytherins, you'll just get us and the house into trouble."
"Alright 'Mione, I'll put that idea into the 'maybe' category."
"That's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?" Hermione sighed. "Whatever you're going to do Hailey, just stay safe, OK? You're my cousin and my closest friend, I care about you. I don't want to see you hurt because you're fighting duels or political battles with the Slytherins."
"Thanks for caring, you're a good friend," Hailey smiled. "And I'm not going to get myself hurt. You'd miss me too much!"
They laughed with each other as they walked into the common room.
Hailey sat silently on the couch furthest from the fireplace, facing the common room entrance with her legs crossed, still dressed in her school uniform. The cooling embers of the fire and dim starlight shining through the windows cast long shadows in the dark room. The other students had long since gone to bed, leaving Hailey alone in the darkness.
"They should have been here an hour ago."
"Hailey? What are you still doing up?" a voice whispered behind her. Hailey turned to see Hermione standing in the entrance to the girl's dormitories in a pink dressing gown, illuminated by the light of an oil lamp. Apparently Hailey wasn't as alone as she thought.
"Ron and Neville were supposed to have arrived back from the hospital wing before curfew. It's 11:30 now."
"Madam Pomfrey probably just changed her mind and made them stay overnight."
"Maybe, but something tells me they're in danger. Ron would tell us if he had to stay behind with Neville, especially with Nott and Malfoy out for our blood," Hailey paused. "I… I think I might go looking for him."
"Hailey! You can't do that, it's past curfew!" Hermione said.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to. But I'm going. I need to make sure they're OK."
Hailey grabbed her wand out of her pocket and tip-toed quietly to the portrait hole. Just as she had laid her hand on the door handle, Hermione hurried across the room.
"Wait!" she hissed. "I'm coming too, somebody has to watch your back."
"Thanks Hermione," Hailey said, her smile just able to be made out in the gloom. She pushed the portrait hole open and climbed out into the castle. Hermione inhaled deeply before she stepped outside, exhaling when she stepped out into the empty corridor.
"We should follow the most direct path to the hospital wing. If Ron and Neville ran into trouble on the way, we might be able to find them there," Hermione said, pointing down the stairs. But Hailey wasn't listening
"Shush, did you hear that?" Hailey whispered. Both of them strained their ears to hear a faint sniffling.
"Mrs Norris?" breathed Hermione, squinting through the dark for the familiar form of the much hated cat. Instead of a cat, Hermione found a Neville, curled up in a tight ball on the floor, fast asleep. He jerked awake as she reached for him and stumbled to his feet.
"Hermione! Thank goodness you found me! I forgot the password and couldn't-" Before he could finish, Neville was silenced by a hand placed over his mouth.
"It's nice to see you too Neville," Hailey whispered from behind him. "But you have to be quiet. It's past curfew."
"Sorry Hailey."
"Now, have you seen Ron anywhere?" Hermione asked.
Neville tilted his head in confusion. "He's not in the common room?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, we haven't seen him since he left for the hospital wing with your dinner."
"Well, after he came back Madam Pomfrey checked his shoulder and sent him back up to the common room. I thought he would be here with you two?"
"He's not here and he's not in the hospital wing." Hailey whispered. "There is no other place he could realistically be, so that means he must have run into some trouble on the way here."
"We should go see Professor McGonagall," Hermione suggested. "A student is missing, this is a situation that requires a teacher."
Hailey nodded in agreement. "Her office is on the way to the hospital wing, we can search along the way. Neville, would you like to come with us? Fair warning, it could be dangerous."
Neville seemed to shrink in on himself as two pairs of expectant eyes turned towards him. He wrestled between his fear and his loyalty to their missing friend.
"I'll go," he said after a moment of deliberation, clenching his teeth in grim determination . "Ron is my friend too. I want to help find him."
Hailey smiled at the fearful boy. She knew it took a lot of courage for him to agree to come with them, and was proud that he was learning to be brave and face his fears. He was in Gryffindor, there had to be some bravery under his shy exterior.
"Thanks Neville. I know this is difficult for you, but I appreciate that you've agreed to come with us. Now we should be going, I don't want to wait here for something to find us."
They crept through the corridors, guided by the light of the moon from the high windows and Hailey's anomalous sense of direction. Hailey stalked from shadow to shadow, sweeping each room, corridor and staircase for anything that could help her find her friend. An object on the ground caught her attention. She moved closer to examine it. The object was… a pastry?
"Ron took some pastries with him from the hospital wing!" Neville hissed to her.
"Hailey, those stairs, to your left. They lead to the trophy room," Hermione whispered, her face suddenly pale. Hailey swore and pointed her wand up the staircase.
"Then that's where we'll go next. If Nott's hurt our friend, I'll hex him within an inch of his life," she said, scowling up at the location of the trophy room.
"But what about McGonagall?"
"There's no time Hermione. If we get caught, we can tell the truth. I'm sure she'll understand."
They tiptoed up the staircase, careful to make as little noise as possible to avoid alerting anybody who might be inside. Hailey leaned against the archway of the door leading into the trophy room, wand held at the ready. She silently gestured for Hermione to be ready to go in after her. Counting down the seconds, Hailey prepared to burst into the room and curse anything within.
She spun around the arch, with the words of a spell already on her lips, and lined her wand up with her target. Time seemed to slow down as she scanned the room. Four people. Two at the back wall, two on the left. Malfoy was a damned liar, she thought quietly to herself.
"Flipendo!" Hailey whispered, sending a burst of kinetic energy towards an unsuspecting Theodore Nott. He cried out in shock and lurched backwards when the force of her spell hit, collapsing onto Millicent Bulstrode. Hailey didn't wait for either of them to recover and sent more spells towards the two Slytherins, causing Nott and Bulstrode to collapse against the back wall with a sickening crunch. She was forced to duck behind a trophy case when Crabbe and Goyle finally reacted and started sending spells towards her.
"Diffindo!" Crabbe shouted from the side of the room. The Severing Charm narrowly missed her head and cut through the corner of the stone arch.
Hermione jumped out from behind the arch to cover her and sent an Incendio at Goyle, causing his sleeve to catch fire. He ran screaming out the back door. Crabbe, now outnumbered, panicked and stumbled out after Goyle, leaving Nott and Bulstrode alone in the trophy room.
But Nott had recovered from the Hailey's spellfire. He leapt to his feat, glaring at the Gryffindors murderously and pointing his wand to Hailey.
"Diffindo!" he shouted. The Severing Charm streaked across the room, lined up directly with her chest. Hailey prepared to teleport out of the way, but Neville tugged on her arm before she could and pulled her out of the way just before the spell could make contact. They collapsed onto the ground in a heap.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione shouted before Nott could fire another spell. He went rigid and collapsed back onto Bulstrode's unconscious body. Hermione surveyed the room, making sure that it was completely empty before rushing over to where Neville and Hailey were waiting.
"Are you two alright? Did you get hit? Are you hurt?"
Hailey patted herself down for injuries and helped Neville stand up. "We're fine. Are you hurt?"
"No. Why were they here? I thought Malfoy said that Nott wasn't going to show up?"
"Because Malfoy lied to us," Hailey said. "Ron must have overestimated his ambition."
"I think I hear something!" Neville whispered. They all fell silent and strained their ears for any noise. A pained moan broke the silence of the trophy room, emanating from a wooden cupboard in the corner of the room. Hailey gestured for Neville and Hermione to follow her quietly and tiptoed to the cupboard, wand at the ready.
Hailey and Hermione crouched on either side of the cupboard, each with a hand on one of the handles. They yanked both the doors wide open, spinning ground to point their wands at any threat that might come out.
The Gryffindor trio all exhaled with relief when instead of another Slytherin waiting to ambush them, they were met with the sight of Ron Weasley bound on the floor. He cried out in fear through a gag in his mouth when he saw the wands pointed at him but relaxed when he saw who were holding them. Hailey let her wand hand fall limply to her side and sighed.
Hermione sent a Severing Charm at the ropes binding their friend, allowing him to wiggle out of the cupboard with their help and remove the gag from his mouth.
"Thanks for finding me. Those snakes ambushed me while I was heading back to the common room and shoved me in the cupboard. They wanted to lure you here and overwhelm you, I heard them talking while I was in here. Cowards," he spat. "Nott would have made you face the four of them at once. How'd you beat them?"
"I had the element of surprise. Hermione and I managed to get off a couple of spells before they reacted. But I'm glad you're alright Ron, I got worried after you didn't show up to the common room," Hailey said and helped him to his feet. "Now be quiet, we have to sneak back to the common room before Filch finds us. I say we leave Nott and Bulstrode for Filch to find and go back the way we came."
No sooner had the words left her mouth did they hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the room. They all froze in fear as Filch rounded the corner into the trophy room.
"Sniff around, my sweet. They might be lurking in the corner."
They Gryffindors fell to the ground and crept silently around the edge of the room, crouched down low behind the shelves lined with golden trophies and suits of armour and moving silently towards the door at the back of the room. Hailey was only a few metres from escaping when a loud clanging noise shattered the tense silence. They spun around to see Neville's pale face next to a fallen suit of armour.
"RUN!" Hermione shouted. The four of them sprinted down the galley and out into the corridor, Filch in close pursuit. They bolted down corridors and staircases, Hailey leading them with no idea where they were going besides away from the trophy room. She could figure out how to get back to the common room later, now they just needed to put as much distance between them and Filch as possible.
Ron shoved open a door, pulling them into a dark and dusty corridor illuminated by dim torches. There was only one other exit: a large wooden door lined with metal reinforcements that loomed over the first years. Hailey tugged against the door experimentally, but it didn't budge.
"It's locked!" Hailey hissed. "Should we turn back?"
The sound of running footsteps echoing through the corridor made the decision for them.
"Move over!" Hermione said. She tapped the lock and whispered, "Alohamora!"
The locked clicked open and they flew into the room, closing the door behind them. The sound of footsteps faded as Filch passed by the door. They each heaved a sigh of relief when they could no longer hear him.
"I think we've lost him," Hailey whispered. "Now, let's just wait here for a few minutes and - what is it Neville?"
Neville had been tugging on her robes, his eyes transfixed on something behind them. He didn't reply, just raised a trembling hand to point to a looming black creature that was stirring in the dark corner of the room.
The sinking feeling dread filled Hailey as the massive yellow eyes of the monster before them opened. A quick scan of the gravitation waves of the castle confirmed her suspicions. They were in the forbidden third floor corridor.
Three pairs of eyes fixed themselves onto the quartet. A giant three-headed dog bared its three pairs of razor-sharp yellow fangs and snarled at them, spitting strings of saliva along the floor.
"Get us out of here!" Ron shouted at Hermione. In a choice between Filch and death, they'd take Filch.
"I can't! There isn't a door handle on this side!" Hermione cried, panic in her voice. Ron and Neville pushed futilely against the door, hoping they might be able to get it open.
Staring into the teeth-filled mouth of the beast before them, Hailey made a split second decision. She turned and ran towards her friends, leaping at them with her arms spread wide and tackling them to the ground. In the brief moment they were floating in the air, Hailey focused her mind on the area just behind the door, feeling space flow through her and twist itself into a knot, tearing them out of existence. The open maw of the dog snapped shut over the group of students. But instead of meat and bone, the fangs sank into a burst of blue light.
The four students landed hard against the cold stone of the dusty corridor in a heap, moaning in pain. Hailey rolled off the pile limply, clutching her head tightly like it was going to split open while the other three untangled themselves from each other.
Neville and Ron looked around at their surroundings in disbelief. The heavy wooden door they had been trying to force their way through only moments ago shuddered as the three-headed dog pounded on the other side in fury. The eyes of the two boys finally laid on the limp form of Hailey, whose head was resting in Hermione's soft hands. Her eyes were only partially open and looking back at them weakly.
Ron turned to the shuddering wooden door and then back to the waiting eyes of his friend.
"Hailey, what did you just do?"
A/N: So Hailey might have a little bit of explaining to do next chapter.
Because the characters of the SCP Universe are stronger than characters of the Harry Potter Universe on average, I'm going to try and make the Harry Potter characters stronger in a way that makes sense (both villains and heroes). Hailey has her anomalous abilities and the support of the SCP Foundation. Hermione's researcher personality can now be further cultivated by learning under her uncle. Ron's ability to make strategic and practical decisions with the context of having been raised in the wizarding world (as opposed to Hailey being an outside observer and Hermione being somebody who learnt everything from books) will also come up more often. Neville is going to be forced to stand up for himself and his friends earlier, like how he chooses to go with them to find Ron instead of being forced to because they were locked out of the common room because the Fat Lady left. For the antagonists, Draco is going to be more subtle and cunning like a Slytherin is supposed to be, especially after the extent of his plan to rule Slytherin is revealed next chapter.
Hoodedgenius98: Glad you understand.
Kaore Ryu: Oh yeah, SCP-106 will be a nightmare for any magical to deal with. And for reasons that will be revealed in the next book, 106 has a very strong reason to want a particular wizard dead.
If you don't mind me asking, what made you dubious about this story? I'm still learning how to write properly, this is actually my first attempt at writing something with multiple chapters, so I'm still trying to figure out if I'm doing anything bad.
pinks99: Evidently, not very long.