"What about this one?"
I groaned in frustration. I was tackling my schoolwork in the Slytherin common room when Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had interrupted my peace. They had kept annoyingly close to me ever since the Sorting and exploited every chance to get under my skin. I was not one to take their bullying docilely and we'd squabble incessantly to the point that even Professors knew better than to seat us anywhere within certain proximity of each other. Oddly enough the more I retaliated, the more Malfoy seemed to be enjoying himself.
Today Crabbe and Goyle had pestered me to help them with their schoolwork until I finally relented, hoping they'd leave me alone after. What I wasn't aware of was their definition of 'help' was rather different from mine.
"Are you going to ask for my answer for every question, Goyle?"
"But you said you'd help us"
"Exactly, I said help, not feed them to you"
"Can I borrow this?" Crabbe asked, holding up my Transfiguration essay.
"No" I said, snatching it out of his grasp. "Do you honestly think Professor McGonagall is daft not to notice if our essays were identical?"
"I could change it so she won't"
But you'd have to have brains to do that, I thought, rolling my eyes.
Fortunately Malfoy had refused any help with his and was managing on his own. Alas he wasn't the sort to remain quiet while doing so. He kept going on about how good he was at Quidditch and how he was looking forward to our first Flying Class with Gryffindor later in the day so he could show them how good he was.
Brilliant, now I am really looking forward to flying lessons, one can never get enough of Malfoy's self-absorption after all.
…
I greeted Ron, Harry and Hermione as we stood in line with the brooms at our feet.
Hermione and I had become rather good friends since we practically lived in the library, when I wasn't busy getting into trouble that is. Initially put off by my first impression of her know-it-all attitude and unnecessary enthusiasm to answer every question in class, I appreciated her unpretentious candour, sharing her love for books. Ron and Harry however, were still a little apprehensive of me. They haven't had the best impression of Slytherins after all.
"Up!" everyone shouted, our right hands stretched over our brooms as instructed by Madam Hooch.
My broom flew into my hand instantly, as did Harry's and Malfoy's though we were the few who did. I chuckled as Hermione's rolled about a little on the ground and she shot me a withering glare.
The class went on uneventfully after that until Neville lost control of his broom resulting in a broken wrist. Madam Hooch had gone off to take him to the hospital wing when it all started - Malfoy spotted Neville's Remembrall on the ground where it must've fallen out of his pocket and picked it up.
"Give that back here" Harry demanded and Malfoy flashed him a nasty smile in return.
I sighed. Here we go again.
We were barely two weeks into the year and already it was no secret that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy did not get along. They made my strife with Malfoy look like a walk in the park – though we bickered and fought, it always lacked the intense hatred I saw in the two.
"Harry, please don't start" I implored, coming to stand between the two boys who were still glaring at each other.
"I won't if he gives it back"
"Expect me to take orders from you now, Potter?"
"Malfoy, please just give it back" I asked cautiously less I set him off any more than he already was.
"You know, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect…" he said, ignoring me. "How about up a tree?" he suggested before flying off with it.
Despite our protests, Harry mounted his broom and flew after him. We watched as he caught the Remembrall rather spectacularly after Malfoy had thrown it into the air. However, he was swiftly reprimanded and carted off by Aunt Minerva upon landing safely on the ground.
It was later known that Harry had been made Seeker of the Gryffindor team which made Malfoy despise him even more.
…
Christmas was just around the corner and everyone was looking forward to going home for the holidays. Well, mostly everyone.
The last school-week before Christmas, a group of the them were gathered in the common room discussing their holiday plans, some like Pansy Parkinson were boasting about their Christmas presents and party invitations. I tuned them out, concentrating instead on a copy of 'The Monster Book of Monsters' I had in my lap which I had borrowed from Fred.
~ Flashback
I followed Harry, Ron and Hermione as we carefully made our way through the stands. They had gotten over their initial weariness of me and after the troll incident with Hermione they'd warmed up to her as well. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw match had yet to begin but the stands were already bursting with students from every House.
"Harry!" someone called out and I saw a boy waving us over. He had flaming red hair and resembled Ron a little and I could only guess that they were related. "Over here!" another boy hollered from beside him, a mirror image of the first.
We weaved towards them and sat down in the seats they had saved for us.
"Who's your friend, Ronniekins?" one of them asked, addressing Ron though his eyes were on me. When our eyes met he flashed me a charming grin.
"Yea, aren't you going to introduce us?" asked the other with an equally cheeky smile.
"Really now, Ronniekins"
"Where are your manners?"
"Mum would be livid"
"Disappointed"
"Were you planning on keeping her all to yourself now?"
"Clearly"
"We don't blame you, she's quite a looker"
"Yea, admit it, you think so too"
"Look at him turning all red, George"
"Couldn't deny it now even if he tri-"
"Shut it!" Ron shouted. The twins glanced at each other then burst out laughing at Ron's now rather red ears.
"Ariana Montaine, pleased to make your acquaintance. But please call me Ari, everyone does" I interrupted, coming to Ron's rescue.
"I'm Fred"
"And I'm George"
"Or maybe I'm George"
"Please don't do this to me" I pleaded, half-jokingly.
They laughed, taking pity on me and introduced themselves properly. I took the seat between Fred and Hermione while we waited for the match to start.
"You play?" he asked.
"A little, got my first broomstick last year. First-years aren't allowed our own brooms in school though so I haven't practiced much"
He nodded understandingly. "We played back home a lot, mostly Ron and our sister Ginny. Our brother Charlie used to be a Seeker but he's in Romania most of the time. George and I are Beaters. You?"
"Chaser, but I've tried for Seeker a couple of times too"
"You any good? Cause we only let the good ones play with us" he quipped.
"You'll have to wait and see I suppose. We might even play against each other one day"
"May the better team win"
"Then we'd lose for sure"
He laughed heartily at that. "So what's a decent girl like you doing in Slytherin?"
"You have something against Slytherins?"
"Usually I'd say yes in a heartbeat, but I'm willing to make an exception in your case" he said brazenly winking at me.
"You wouldn't happen to be flirting with me now would you, Fred Weasley?" I gasped overdramatically in mock incredulity.
"Only if you want me to" was his audacious reply.
"Shame on you, preying on eleven year olds" I admonished.
"Never too young to start I'd say" he said with another cheeky grin and I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. I must've had a funny expression on my face because he broke into a fit of laughter. I laughed along, feeling lighter than I had in days.
~ End of flashback
Impressed with my knowledge of the castle's hidden passageways and secret workings - I grew up in the castle after all and dare say I knew it as well as Filch did, if not better, they had recruited me into their little team. We've been best friends ever since, it almost felt like I had grown up with them all along, pulling pranks and creating a great load of mischief much to Aunt Minerva's chagrin. I smiled to myself at the memory of some of them until a familiar voice snapped me out of my reverie.
"I feel sorry for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home" Malfoy said.
"Er… Wh- what about you, Ari?" Miles Bletchley stuttered, blushing furiously when I looked up at the sound of my name and made eye contact with him.
"I happen to be one of those unwanted people staying for Christmas actually" I said, looking pointedly at Malfoy.
Daphne Greengrass turned pale, Theodore Nott started rubbing his forehead like he had a headache coming on and Blaise Zabini groaned softly while the rest fell silent. They knew the beginning of a Malfoy-Montaine fight when they saw one and nobody wanted to get caught in the crossfire. Parkinson had tried to interfere once, taking Malfoy's side of course -it had not been pretty.
"Well you'll have Saint Potter and those blood-traitor Weasleys so you lot can create your own happy family here" he mocked.
"And it'll be more of a family than you'll ever know"
"Because we wouldn't have such riffraff in our family"
"Pure-blood titles, a fancy manor and wealthy parents who spoil you rotten does not necessarily make it a family" I countered.
"Do NOT insult my family!" he shouted, jumping up from his seat and stalking angrily towards me.
Now anyone with any real sense would have apologized and left it at that, especially knowing who his family was but then again I'd never been a stickler for that sort of thing, pricks were pricks whether they were pure-blooded or otherwise and needed to be put in their place, in my opinion.
"I never said it was your family now, did I? It could've been any rich old pure-blood family" I said smugly, well aware that I was playing with fire.
"Get out" he bit out to our audience though his eyes never left mine. Nobody moved, arrested by their curiosity and riveted with our argument to heed the fury underlying in his tone.
"I said OUT!" he roared. They scrambled over each other out of the dungeons quickly, leaving us to ourselves.
"You will not insult my family ever again, ESPECIALLY in front of an audience. Do I make myself clear?" he said in a dangerously quiet voice.
"It's not like I specifically mentioned it was YOUR family per se"
"Don't give me cheek, it was implied and you know it! Think you're so clever do you? Well, what do you know about family since you've never had one!"
I froze at his words and the colour drained from my face which he took as a sign to forge on.
"I did some snooping of my own, see, Father is a school governor. What were you, eight, when your parents were killed? That's why you're staying for Christmas aren't you? You've got nowhere else to go" he said with a twisted smile.
No. That's not true. Hogwarts is my home. Aunt Minerva and Uncle Albus, the portraits in the hallways, the ghosts, they are my family.
They didn't have any choice but to take you in, not after what happened with your parents.
That's not true.
Leaving you with any other wizarding family would have put them in danger too. Look what happened to your parents.
I was mildly aware that Malfoy was still speaking but the voices in my head seemed to drown out any insults he was hurling my way.
Stop it.
Don't you remember how they looked like as the life left their eyes? Don't you feel guilty? Do you think they would allow it to happen to anyone else?
It wasn't my fault.
If it wasn't because of you, the Grindelwalds wouldn't have come for them…
It's not my fault.
…wouldn't have tortured them. They'd still be alive now.
Please, stop.
If you had not wavered, you could have saved one of them.
No, he would've killed them both either way.
Who is to say for sure? Sometimes the sacrifice of one has to be made for the betterment of many. He was right when he said your hesitation will cost you. You have no one to blame but yourself.
"Shut up!"
Draco Malfoy flinched in surprise at her outburst. The vase on the mantelpiece shattered and the fireplace flared, fire licked out from the metal grating in a wave. Then as quickly as it had happened, the fire flowed backwards into the hearth as if sucked back by an invisible wind. A pregnant silence fell upon them.
What the bloody hell just happened?
He glanced nervously at the fireplace which was now crackling tamely.
Did she do that?
He stared at the slightly trembling girl before him. The firelight caught in her liquid gold eyes shining with unshed tears and he found that he could not tear his eyes away.
"You don't know what you're talking about" she whispered. "So don't you dare speak as if you do, there are some lines that even you do not cross, Draco Malfoy"
A tear slid down her cheek and she swiped it away fiercely with the back of her hand, turning on her heel and headed to the girls' dormitories. He watched her go, feeling an unfamiliar pang of guilt but snuffed it out vehemently.