Chapter 9: Dragons
Several weeks had passed since the attempt of an interview with Rita Skeeter. Peri was sitting in the Great Hall, enjoying her breakfast. Things had settled down for the past few weeks: no reporters trying to get a word from her or no one being overly annoyed she was an underaged champion for a school not even in line to compete. She had been enjoying the peace she was in until the morning owls flew in. An owl dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet before her, "May I?" Pansy asked to take the paper before Peri could answer. The two were still not on the best of terms and probably never would be, but they could have a respectable conversation most of the time without Peri wanting to hex her. "Ooo! Skeeter's article about the champions is out!"
Peri rolled her eyes, continuing progress on her porridge, "Peri!" Pansy gasped, turning the paper towards her.
Splashed across pages three through five was an entire segment titled The Truth Behind Peri King. The picture shown was a picture of her from her singular portrait from the photoshoot. She took the paper from Pansy reading over it with Draco leaning over from beside her to read along as she read the paper aloud to the group of listening ears
Periwinkle King or better known as Peri, comes from the daughter of Cassandra Banks, or as many may know her as, Cassandra Rice. Cassandra became a single mother to Peri at the young age of sixteen.
Peri looked up from the paper, "She was eighteen when she gave birth to me, not sixteen."
"Keep reading!" Pansy snapped.
She whisked herself off to America, where she married Mr. Richard Banks. A wealthy American wizard, considered to be almost royalty. She married him simply for his money as her parents had disowned her for having a child out of wedlock.
"My mother loves my stepfather!"
"Will you stop talking!" Pansy snapped again, taking the paper back from her, "I will read then…"
Much like her mother, she is finding herself in the arms of a wealthy pureblood wizard. Draco Malfoy is a fourth-year student in Slytherin house at Hogwarts. The young lovebirds are beginning to blossom between the two.
The following picture was the picture caught of her bumping into Draco after the 'interview', which easily made the two look to be in love with how their hands were placed upon one another and their eyes locked on the other. "We are not dating! I ran into Draco and he caught me, that is all," Peri informed everyone, but it was clear no one believed her except Draco.
"But Dra?" Pansy whined, "I thought…"
A random Slytherin student took the paper from her hands continuing to read.
Cassandra claims to never have known the father of Peri, but Peri's birth certificate says a different story.
The picture below showed a copy of Peri's birth certificate
Name: Periwinkle Elizabeth King Sex: Female
Maiden Name of Mother: Cassandra Rice Name of Father: Severus Snape
Date of Birth: 24 March 1979
Peri's breath hitched, the world entering a state of buzzing as everyone stared at her. Those at her table and around as they each were either listening in or had read the piece themselves. Blase took the paper back from the student and began folding it to put it away, but Pansy grabbed it back from him going back to reading aloud…
The students around Hogwarts have questioned, 'Why does she look familiar?'. The answer is clear, her father is one of their professors. Peri shares the same temper as her father, easily defensive.
She stood up, breathing heavily after snatching the paper from her, "Enough! You are now all aware of my family's secret! If I hear a single word about any of this I will make you wish you never walked this Earth!" With a snap of her finger, the paper caught fire burning in her hand before she stormed out of the Hall.
She walked the halls feeling the eyes staring her down as she walked. The entire school believed her mother to be a gold digger, they knew her true father's identity and believed she was in a relationship romantically with Draco. She turned a corner, panicked and anxiety running through her thoughts before she ran into someone, "I'm…" she looked up seeing the curly-haired blonde standing before her, "Holly…I can explain."
Her emerald eyes shone with tears, "How could you?"
"Holly, please. Allow me…"
"No! I trusted you! My sister…or should I even call you that now," she cried wiping tears from her eyes, "I love him!"
Peri closed her eyes, "It was a misunderstanding. You know…"
"Stop making excuses! I never want to speak to you again! Just go live with your dad, you are enough like him."
That made her take a step back, "I am going to let you calm down before you regret any other words you might speak."
She stepped around her heading for an open field near what was the Quidditch field, which had now been renovated for the competition that was coming Saturday. The empty field was smaller than what a traditional Quidditch field would be, but it was made to allow the students to have the ability to practice flying if they wished. It was used more often on the weekends or during free periods from classes not typically during breakfast before classes.
She approached the field seeing a redhead flying around on a broom tossing small fireworks into the air, making slight booms as they exploded. The closer she got the more the person came into view, she noticed it was George. She did not recognize him from afar typically he had Fred and Lee with him or at least Lee since Fred spent ninety-five percent of his time with Hallie, more than likely off snogging.
He flew down noticing her approaching, "Hey…" he spoke softly, almost unsure how to act around her.
"You read the paper?" she asked, noticing his distance from her.
"I heard from Hermione as she read Harry's piece. His piece spoke more lies…was any of yours a lie?"
She took a seat on the damp ground from the morning dew, "All of it except the part about my father…" She looked at the sky. She closed her eyes taking in a deep breath letting the cool, autumn breeze blow around her before reopening her eyes, "All of it was except my father. Professor Snape is my father…biologically that is."
He was silent for a brief moment, but to her, it felt like an eternity before he finally spoke. He took a seat next to her on the damp grass, he looked over at her. Her dark black hair pulled over her shoulder, she smelled strongly of raspberries with an undertone of chocolate. He did not know what this feeling formed in him. It was something new…perhaps this is the feeling Fred had felt all these years towards Hallie. "I do not believe you are like him."
"I am pleased…" she began turning to look at him, he was smiling at her. She paused her words, noticing she had never noticed before. She took a mental note of his smile as it had a curve on the top left and right part of the upper lip. His smile appeared crooked to someone truly looking at the details of his facial features. She remained quiet staring at his lips.
He oversaw her, "Peri?" He asked in hushed tones.
She looked up at him through her long lashes, "Yes…" she questioned looking into his almost caramel brown eyes.
George lost for words, took his slim face in his hands then leaned in placing a soft kiss on her lips. Her lips were smooth against his own, he tasted the orange from her juice. Pulling her closer to his body, she wrapped her hands into his shoulder-length ginger hair. She gave a slight tug, where he moved from kisses on her lips down her neck. He gave a gentle bite to the tender skin on her neck, she sucked in a breath.
He pulled away glancing at her neck, where a slight purple mark remained, "I…I left a mark," he looked her in the eyes.
She smirked at him, "I like marks."
He laughed, "Class?"
"Do we have to?"
He gave another laugh, "No, but I do not think it would look good for a champion to skip classes."
She shrugged, standing up, "You are right, although I do not want to go."
They started to head inside, "No one ever does."
The two stood in the courtyard where students were scattering to reach their classes, he glanced at her mark. "Should we…"
He stopped speaking when Hallie came up to them with an armful of books, "Peri…Hi George…Peri, I was told to give you these."
The books were shoved into Peri's arms, "Books? About…" she looked down at the first book, "Dragons?"
"I was just told to bring these to…Peri is that a hickey? Did you two?"
Peri turned bright pink, "So dragons?"
Hallie smirked then ran back inside finding the first person to spread the gossip to. Of course, the first person she found was Fred who was inside waiting to escort her to her class not caring if he was late for his own. "Not a word," she told George before walking inside herself.
She spent the next few days reading over the books, each book gave heavy details on dragons. There were also pages marked to certain dragons: Hungarian Horntail, Chinese Fireball, Common Welsh Green, Swedish Short-Snout, and Ukrainian Ironbelly are marked throughout each book. Giving heavy details on each dragon as well as ways of protecting yourself from each. She could not understand why these books would be of any real interest to her until Draco approached her in their common room, he flipped through one of the spare books stacked up next to her.
"Dragons?"
"Not studying you, Draco," she teased, not looking up from the book.
He chuckled, "Why the sudden interest in the species, especially these certain ones," he pointed to the page she was studying, "Unless you learned what the first task is about?"
She looked up from the book, "That's it! Draco you are a genius! The first task is dragons!" She slammed the book shut, "Excuse me!"
She ran from the common room and up to the Astronomy Tower, "Hallie!" She announced reaching the floor, Hallie was laid on the floor of the tower with Fred over her both of their lips red and swollen.
"Peri," she sat up, pushing Fred off of her, "What is it?"
"I need an outfit."
Hallie quickly moved to a standing position, "Hal, it is da…"
"Babe, hush. This is a fashion emergency!"
She pulled a magic tape measure from thin air and began taking measurements of her, "What are you looking for? Re-doing your uniform?"
Peri shook her head, "I need an outfit for my tournament."
"Already started. You will have it Saturday morning."
"You do not know what I need…"
Hallie giggled, stepping closer to her, "You forget I have a twin, who is a Gryffindor and I am close to Ida and Remy Noir, who are close to Fleur. They share the information they learn with me. Trust me you will be stylish and safe."
Peri raised a brow, "I'm trusting you…now no babies," she spoke the final bit at Fred who had come up behind Hallie nuzzling her neck.
"Same to you," he eyed her still visible mark with a smirk.
"Well, I am not sleeping with your sister."
He smirked at her playfully, "No…not maybe not my sister but my brother."
"Fred!" Hallie said with a slight giggle.
Peri took the opportunity to leave as heat filled her cheeks.