Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and if you haven't realized that by now, I think you have some serious issues.
A/N: The reviews went down, and that makes me sad. There's just one thing I don't get, you guys. On this story I have almost 1000 hits and just 7 reviews and 4 (well, now 5) chapters. On my Hannah Montana story, When I'm With You, I have only 200 hits, but somehow 6 reviews – and I only have 2 chapters on that one! What gives?
Please, please, everyone who reads this story, leave a review – you can totally leave them anonymously, you know – I made it so you guys could do that.
Anyhoo ... here's chapter five, cinco, numero five-o ... sorry, I got a little carried away there.
Chapter Five: Of Duels and Detentions
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"Three-and-a-half weeks of detention, I think, for the both of you."
"But Professor –" Adrienne complains.
"No buts, Ms. Wilkes; I am headmaster and my decision is final. You will both be able to compete in the upcoming Quidditch Match, as well as go to Hogsmeade; however, your detention will be three hours a day, or rather night, and you will not be able to attend Quidditch practices until you serve all 25 days of your detention."
Three-and-a-half weeks of detention. Thank God I can still go to the first quidditch match of the season against Slytherin, except that I'm going to miss so much practice, what's the point? 25 days. Three hours each day.
Mum's gonna kill me.
I bet Dad will be proud, though he'll pretend to be mad when Mum's around.
This has got to be at the top of the list of stupidest things I've ever done. But I'd do it again, if I had to. I'd almost be glad to.
-- (FLASHBACK)
Oh my god, it wasn't Scorpius, was it?
Would that explain his strange behavior the other day?
I shook my head to clear its irrational thinking. It couldn't be him. It just couldn't.
Before I could change my mind, I stood up and hurried over to the Slytherin table, receiving a rude glare from Adrienne Wilkes. As usual, I ignore her.
"'Sup Albus," I say, sliding in next to him and glancing at Scorpius discreetly. He just sits there, eating his food, and I wonder if it maybe isn't him.
Albus sighs. "How many times do I have to tell you Rose? Don't come over here; it's a death sentence."
I glance around the table. Okay, so maybe some people are glaring at me. But who cares, right?
"Your cousin's right," comes a nasty sneer, and I turn around to see Adrienne behind me. Of course it's her, although she usually tries not to talk to me.
"I can be here if I want. It's a free," I pause "well, castle." I finish lamely.
"A free castle," she mimicks rudely, "We don't live in America, Weasel."
I roll my eyes. "I know we don't, because unlike you, I actually passed History of Magic."
She sneers. Again. "I don't really care. And you shouldn't be over here; you're contaminating our table. Go back home to be with your filthy Mudblood mother."
Instantly, my stare turns to hate and I stand up, nostrils flaring, a bad Weasley habit. "No one," I say, "And I mean no one insults my mother."
Adrienne looks smug. "I just did."
"Rose, don't do this," Albus warns, but I choose to ignore him.
"Obviously you're Mum and Dad didn't teach you any manners; probably too busy finishing Voldemort's dirty work with the rest of their little Death Eater friends."
Her eyes flash dangerously. "Care to take this into the outside, Weasel?"
"Rose, don't," Albus warns again.
"I'd be glad to." I march out of the hall with Adrienne hot on my heels. We walk far out onto the grounds, near the forest, and away from prying teacher eyes, followed by a few students. Among them, Albus, Scorpius, Charlie, and a few other Gryffindor and Slytherins. In total there's about fifteen of us. A Slytherin whom I don't recognize steps forward to take charge of the duel.
"Back to back you two," he says.
We oblige, and Adrienne smirks at me. "Good luck Weasel – you'll need it."
"On my mark," the Slytherin begins, and we start taking steps backward, wands at ready, "One ..." and we're facing each other, "Two –"
"Impedimenta!" Adrienne screams, sending me flying backwards. I can hear the Gryffindors' (And Albus, whose yell of 'bloody hell!' is hard to miss) screaming about unfairness.
The second I hit the ground, I fire back. "Levicorpus!" Adrienne shrieks, dangling from her ankle, and I use the time to stand up.
"Liberacorpus," someone mutters at her, and she falls to the ground, yet lands on her feet.
"Incarcerous!" She screams at me.
"Protego!" I shout back, and she barely manages to duck her spell as it comes back at her.
The next one, however, catches me off guard. "Locomotor Rose!" And I'm flying in the air at her will. This really can't be good.
I try to fire spells at her, but she's moving me around too much for me to get proper aim.
"Let her down!" Albus yells.
She turns to smile sweetly at him, and opens her mouth to answer, but I take advantage of her obliviousness.
"Furnuncular!" I yell, and she shrieks, instantly covered in boils.
She's pointing her wand at me when McGonagall starts walking towards us. The other students scatter, leaving me in the air, and Adrienne covered in boils.
"Put down your wand now, Ms. Wilkes." Adrienne obliges. Instantly, I come crashing down, and before anyone can raise a wand, I land on my arm very, very hard. I let out a cry of pain.
McGonagall rushes to me. "Oh dear, right now I'm getting you to the Hospital Wing, but come with me, Ms. Wilkes, because once Ms. Weasley is situated, and your boils have been cleared, we will all discuss both of your punishments."
-- (END FLASHBACK)
And that is how I ended up in the Hospital Wing with 25 days of detention.
Soon after, Adrienne leaves, boil-free I am sad to say, and Madam Pomfrey tells me that I will have to stay overnight while my bones are mended and my bruises tended too. Brilliant.
"Hey Rose," Constance says coming in, followed by Morgan. "How're you doing?"
I pull myself up. "Okay, I guess. How many people know?" I ask.
Morgan winces. "The whole school, practically."
I roll my eyes. "And Adrienne isn't helping this any, is she?"
Constance shakes her head. "I'm afraid not. She's already telling people about how she creamed you."
I snort. "If anybody creamed anyone, it was me creaming her. She cheated, too."
"I know, Albus told us," Morgan says, "He's waiting outside to see you. You want us to go now so he can come in?"
While I loved my friends, Albus was my cousin and knew me a lot better. Especially since Ava wasn't here anymore. "Yes, please," I requested, "If you don't mind."
"Of course not," Constance said, getting up, "Bye Rose." Morgan echoes her good-bye and the two of them leave the Hospital Wing.
Albus comes in, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"That wasn't a bad duel for a girl," he says, sitting down on the edge of my bed and grabbing a licorice wand from the pile of sweets Constance and Morgan left me.
I hit his shoulder playfully. "It wasn't that bad!"
He grins. "You're right – you were bloody brilliant, even with her cheating and all. Blimey, though, when your Mum finds out ..." he shudders, then continues. "Anyways, how much detention do you have?"
I sigh. "Three-and-a-half weeks. But don't worry, I'll still be there to kick your ass at Quidditch in the first match."
He grins. "Don't count on it. We won the House Cup last year."
"Yet we won it the year before. And the year before that."
He sticks out his tongue out at me. "And the year before that we –"
"No, Ravenclaw won it that year."
Albus stares at me. "Did they really?" he asks, and I nod. He sits there, probably trying to remember it, and then a look of realization dawns across his face.
"I remember now!" He exclaims, "That was not a good Quidditch Year."
"As long as Hufflepuff didn't win," I say, and he grins again, pulling me in for a one-armed hug.
--
A/N: Not as long as the last one, but who knows, if I get lots of reviews, maybe the chapters will be longer. Just an idea.
P.S. Thank you tons to the people who have reviewed consistently, or even at all. But for those who haven't ... well, just review now, please.
Love, love, love,
Paige