Professor Nice, ever composed, merely waved her wand to clean herself.
"Detention, Miss Potter? I believe that will be in order after this… incident. Miss Milner, please return to your dorm. There is an emergency that is being dealt with, and it would be best for you to stay out of the way, unless needed. Thank you."
I groan. Not again. My father was going to kill me if my mother didn't first. I started to walk behind Alex to head to my room, but Professor Nice stopped me.
"A word, Miss Potter?" She gestured with her hand, turning toward her office door and walking with a brisk pace. I followed her quickly, not wanting to upset her any more than was necessary.
"You aren't really in trouble, dear. Though I would ask you to refrain from placing the contents of your stomach on my head in the future. I needed to ask you something important."
She sat down at her desk, her elegant fingers adorned with a variety of rings. A strangely exotic thing for a woman who otherwise dressed so plainly.
"Yes, Professor Nice?"
"Where were you, at ten o'clock this morning?"
I thought back, struggling to remember what had been happening then. The days, even this close to the beginning of the year, were already beginning to mesh together into a lumpy stew of memories with no real timetable.
"I believe I was at my first hour class, Transfiguration?" I gave Professor Nice a small smile of reassurance. I didn't want her to think I was lying.
"That's what I thought, too. Thank you, Lily. You may return to your dorm now. We had an incident and we needed to make sure you were where you should have been. Send Alex into me next, would you? And you do still have detention. See me tomorrow, as soon as you finish the evening meal."
My gut twisted. I thought she had said I wasn't in trouble? Yet here I was. Oh well. I let myself out and walked back to the dorm, already dreading the next evening.
"Alex, get your butt to Professor Nice's office. She wants to talk to you." I slumped onto my bed, exhausted. I heard Alex groan.
"I knew I wasn't going to get away scot-free from this whole thing. Why didn't you lie for me? Say it was all your fault?"
I rolled over to shoot her a stare.
"She didn't even ask me, you squib. Get to her office before I get into any more trouble today."
Alex swept out of the room with the bumbling grace only she could manage. Eventually, sleep overcame me.
X_X
"Why do we have a test in our second week? I can barely remember how to read, let alone take a test. I mean, who does she think she is? Who does she think I am? Scorpius Malfoy? I don't think so. Do I look like a genius to you? No. I'm not."
"Maybe if you quit complaining and actually opened your book, you would be somewhat prepared," I suggested, flipping through the heavy tome that depicted various plant care. "I mean, it's only about how to re-pot a mandrake. We did that in, like, second year."
"You think I can remember second year?"
We both looked at each other. Alex made her signature stupid face. I rolled my eyes.
"No!" We both laughed in unison. Alex closed my book and slid it to the floor.
"Come on. Let's go do something fun for once. Broomstick race? They have an open field tonight, starting in…" She glanced down at her wrist, which was devoid of any time telling device.
"I'm expecting both of you to be down at the field tonight, ladies." I turned to face the most beautiful person I had ever laid eyes on. Casimiro Zambini. He was two years older than Alex and I, a 6th year who was also captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team.
"Oh, don't worry. We will." Alex winked very obviously at me. I blushed in embarrassment. She had no filter, sometimes.
Casimiro just laughed and walked away, his friends flocking around him as seamlessly as a flock of birds, or a school of fish.
"He's so beautiful," Alex drooled.
"Also incredibly unattainable,"I reminded her, heading to my room to pack a duffel for the field.
"But, like, we need to promise ourselves that if the opportunity arises, there will be no hard feelings if-"
"Yeah, yeah. I promise and stuff. Are you bringing gear?" I tossed a practice shirt into the duffle.
"Just my gloves. We aren't actually supposed to be playing any games, it's just an open field." She replied, shoving a few articles of clothing haphazardly into her bag.
The walk down to the field took forever since there was a huge detour along the route they normally took. Peeves seemed to have obtained a large amount of fireworks and was periodically letting them off in the halls, aiming at the students passing by.
"That was from Molly, I bet. I went to her room yesterday to steal a shirt and she had her duffle full of fireworks. Whether or not she gave them over willingly, that's the question." A voice said. The owner of the voice, Rose Weasley, came up behind them and laughed. Her hands were clutching onto a huge stack of books. The 6th year smiled at them, tossing her red hair behind her head.
"Are you sure you aren't an athlete, Rose?" I jokingly gave her a slap on the back. She hip checked me with enough force to make me stumble, all the while keeping her books perfectly stacked in her arms.
"Positive," She grinned. Then her faced flushed dark for a moment. "Have you seen Scorpius today? I know he's in your house."
"Um… Yeah. I have. Why?"
"I need you to do some sleuthing work for me, okay?"
"What are you gonna pay me?"
Rose flashed me an unamused look. Her nose crinkled.
"See, that's why you are in Slytherin and I'm not. I'll take you shopping this Christmas and let you buy any book you desire, deal?"
"Deal," I grinned. He frown lifted in amusement.
"Anyways, I was hoping you could find out what his project for the potions fair this year is going to be. I need to beat him to be top of the class this year. I think I have all of my other classes knocked out but he always has better ideas for potions and it really isn't fair and-"
She stopped, rolling her eyes.
"Anyways, do that for me? Please?"
I nodded, playing with my wand in my hand as I did so. I didn't want her to know that I had no idea how I would extract that information.
X_X
"HEY! WATCH IT JACKASS! I'M TRYING TO FLY HERE!"
I winced as Alex ran into yet another person, then told them in detail how she would wreck them. There were so many people all over the field that it really wasn't worth flying, but knowing when to give up had never been Alex's strong suit.
"I could see her as a beater this year."
Behind me, Jeffrey Ahearn stood. He sat down onto the bench beside me, swaddled in Ravenclaw apparel.
"Yeah, she might actually make the team this year," I agreed, watching her bash an unfortunate Hufflepuff with her elbow. I winced as he fell a solid 40 feet to the ground, almost making contact but being levitated out of the way at the last minute.
"Do you think you are going out this year?" His green eyes caught mine.
"I don't know. After missing last year, I don't know if I can-"
"Oh please." He kicked at my leg. I punched him in the arm as he continued. "You are a great -ouch!- keeper. At least see if you make reserve-"
"WHO IS LETTING THESE BOOKWORMS FLY AROUND? GET OFF THE FIELD RAVENCLAW!"
I rolled my eyes. Alex was insulting the intellectuals, and as usual she was outnumbered three to one.
"Perhaps I should intervene before she gets murdered?" I suggested, standing to mount the lopsided broom I had been given.
Jeffrey pulled me back down to my seat.
"Let her fend for herself. She needs to learn not to shoot her mouth so much."
We watched as she got into it with Sam Blickry, the Ravenclaw seeker. We also watched as she told Professor Glary that he was the bane of her existence, and a laughable toad who masqueraded as a teacher. It was only minutes into the argument that she was given detention every Monday night for the next month. Soon afterwards the open field was closed for the night, and we were sent back to our dorms. It was an hour early, and I had a feeling that Alex's fight had been the cause of the early dismissal.
"Well, see you in Transfiguration tomorrow," I told Jeffrey as I grabbed my broom to bring it back to the practice shed.
"Of course," he said, waving goodbye as he went to go speak with Sam about the incident.
It was a short walk to the practice shed, which had been crammed full of old brooms used precisely for these sort of dingy practices. It was difficult getting the door open, and eventually I forced it open with a spell.
"Leave it open, will you? I have all of these to put in there."
I would recognise the lazy drawl of Scorpius Malfoy anywhere, and this was no exception. I turned around to look at the grey-eyed sixth year, who had somehow been stuck bringing six brooms back to the shed.
"Do you need help with that, at all?" I asked, opening the door further so he could lug the equipment in.
"No, but thanks for the door." He dropped the brooms in a hasty pile on the floor. A cloud of dust rose from the floor. He turned to give me an amused glance. "Does this school know how to clean anything?"
I shook my head.
"Of course not," I replied. "What would kids do for detention if the school wasn't a mess all the time?"
"No joke," he snorted. We were heading back to the school entrance now. "My father once told me that they used to do things like send kids into the forbidden forest when he was a kid. I suppose I'll clean the trophies instead."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
He raised an eyebrow. "You would rather go into the forbidden forest?"
I shrugged. "It would be a change of pace, you know. Instead of just taking tests on things all the time. Maybe actually see something cool and applicable. My dad says that school was a lot more hands on when he was a kid."
It was his turn to shrug. He pulled a green apple from his pocket and took a huge bite from it as he walked away. He didn't say anything, just waved goodbye and returned to his gaggle of friends. I couldn't help thinking that betraying a fellow Slytherin to Rose may be harder than I had anticipated.
So, I would like to point out that this update was slow because I've been getting back into the hectic swing of school. Now that I am settled, things should start updating fast. Maybe. I may just put things off more. Oh well.
Any questions or anything, put them in a review and I will reply if I can. Feel free to also just leave a review and tell me what you think/anticipate. :3