Inchworm

A/N: Written for Dragon MoonX's Crayola Color Challenge Prompt: Inchworm

Aria stood over her cauldron, letting the heat warm her chilled skin. She couldn't help but laugh as she mixed the wild blue yonders with the chocolate and cream. It smelled simply delectable. Just like her, it would be beautiful on the outside, but disastrous on the inside. It was almost as though she were sentencing Dumbledore to the same pain he had caused her. The wild blue yonders would just make him sick to his stomach at first, but then the flowers would show their true colors. If not treated in time, Dumbledore would melt from the inside out. Aria's skin crawled just thinking about it. She would have to thank Hagrid later for showing her the hidden greenhouse.

Once the wild blue yonders had melded with the chocolate, Aria carefully molded them into tiny brownies, sat them on a plate to cool, and summoned a house elf.

"Are you listening?" She asked the house elf. "This is very important."

"Yes mistress," the house elf answered obediently.

"At dinner, once dessert is served, this plate of brownies must be placed specifically in front of Dumbledore. I worked very hard to make them especially for him. It's important to me that they make it to him."

"Winky understands. Mistress is very sweet to make the headmaster some special treats. Winky will make sure to get them to him."

The house elf vanished with the plate of brownies.

Aria waved her wand over the cauldron, cleaning up after herself before leaving her rooms. She was a few minutes late to her class and decided it would be fun to scare the daylights out of them by bursting through the door like a hurricane. The winds she summoned around herself made papers blow around the room as she strode to the front of the classroom.

The children quaked with fear, probably more out of surprise than anything else. Aria wondered whether professors here usually displayed their true power for their students. She was going to regardless. She felt that was the quickest way to earn their respect. They might still underestimate her, but they wouldn't become as rowdy as they did for some of the other professors.

"Today, class, we are going to study, what?"

Only one hand shot up. It was the same one every time.

"Mr. Hedgewick?"

"Nifflers?" He asked confidently. His book was already open to the correct page. As he answered several of the students around him began quickly flipping through their books.

"Correct. I want a two page essay on their habits and habitats on my desk by start of class tomorrow. Anyone who doesn't hand one in will be restricted from our defensive wandwork lesson tomorrow." Aria instructed, casually sitting down behind her desk. "You may begin."

For a while everything was quiet. She watched as the students pulled parchment and quill and ink from their bags and set to work. Some whispered quietly together while others shielded their papers with their arms so that no one could copy whatever it is they were writing. Or maybe so they could get away with writing something else.

Then, just like that, the screaming began. The students in her class froze. Aria frowned and stood up from her desk. "Get back to work!" She snapped at them, even as she made her way to the door to peek out into the hallway. Three students had stopped in the middle of the hall, throwing up the color of inchworms.

Aria gasped, pressing her hand to her mouth. It couldn't be...then she saw the chocolates lying on the floor next to them.