Title: The Firebrand Chronicles Book Two: After Dark
Summary: No one knew what awaited them upon returning to Hogwarts that year. No one expected a monster to attack the students, and certainly no one expected anyone to assume that Harry Potter was the party responsible. Blaise Zabini certainly didn't. This is his story. Book Two
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter any of its characters or events. They belong to J.K. Rowling
A.N.:Thank you to pkp033 for the review.
Firebrand Chronicles
Book Two: After Dark
Chapter IV
Breakfast the next morning was interrupted by a howler. A roaring woman's voice filled the room and it was so loud that I hand to lift my plate and goblet from the table top as it shook to prevent their contents from spilling into my lap. It was immediately obvious that Mrs. Weasley was not happy with her child.
"YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED!" seemed to reverberate off the walls despite that the woman's voice was still screaming. I could see various students around the hall hands acting as earmuffs against the din.
I looked over at Draco and Pansy both of whom were smothering their laughter when silence finally fell a few minutes later leaving a ringing behind in our ears. I put my food back on the table and continued my meal as though nothing had happened. Talk picked up around the room as most other people did the same, though from several conversations I could hear a good half of them were talking about the howler themselves meaning the incident would not soon be forgotten.
Our first class the following day was transfiguration where we had to turn beetles into coat buttons and I was extremely pleased when I finally managed to imprint the pattern onto my beetle's shell. It was the furthest I had ever gotten during a first lesson on any transfiguration spell and even Professor McGonagall seemed a bit impressed with me though a full half of the class had managed the full transformation of their beetle by the time the bell rang. At the very least I wasn't scolded for improper incantation, not holding my wand properly, or any other of my usual mistakes.
Herbology followed in which Professor Sprout had us finish repotting mandrakes. I earned ten points for knowing what they were and Draco nearly lost his finger when he stuck it intentionally in the young plants mouth near the end of class.
"How dare you!" Professor Sprout roared at him, "I have never seen such irresponsible behavior - you are supposed to be caring for them not antagonizing them! The willows in a sling as it is - I do not need my green house full of tantrum throwing mandrakes" she took a deep breath in an attempt to cool the anger that was preventing her from speaking properly. ". . . five points!"
"I was just having a bit of fun" he grumbled once we were out of her hearing as we headed for lunch.
"Great fun," Theo mumbled so only I could hear, "I've always wanted to get my finger bitten off by a mandrake!" Tracy sniggered as she walked up behind us and looped her arms through both of our own so that the three of us were linked in a chain.
"I don't know," she grinned. "The loss of a finger might do him some good. At least he might learn some common sense." She continued to grin widely at us obviously enjoying her first day back. "At the very least it at least promises to be an interesting year!"
The meal was followed by History of Magic which was just as boring as ever though Draco and I did have a bit of an interesting side conversation as Professor Binns droned on and on about the wizards of ancient Greece.
"I caught Potter giving out signed photos earlier," he hissed from his seat at the desk behind me his bitten finger wrapped in a bit of bandage. Obviously he thought this bit of information was supposed to make up for his loosing half the points I had earned at the beginning of Herbology. Wondering why I should care I never-the-less decided to play along.
"Really?" I whispered trying not to be too obvious about leaning back in my chair in order to hear him better. Not that Professor Binns was paying me enough attention to notice anyway. "That's going a bit far don't you think?"
"Agreed. That Creevey mudblood was snapping photos with his little mudblood camera and Potter agreed to sign it."
"How did a Muggleborn find out enough about him to want a photo anyway." I asked refraining from pointing out that one, I had no idea who he was talking about, and two, that though the kid was muggleborn Draco had bothered to find out both the kid's lineage and name.
"He's probably been bragging the Gryffindor common room, and with the car incident and all the whole school has been discussing him as usual," Draco sneered.
"Great." I grumbled. "He's had enough press as it is. Last year the Daily Prophet was all over the return of 'the boy who lived,' and a few weeks ago it was all 'Lockhart and Potter golden team' what's next!"
"Nothing" Draco hushed me quickly before I could really get going. "I've got a plan, I just need to make Seeker that's all. Higgs graduated so the spots open."
"Long as I don't actually have to fly, let me know if you need help."
"Boys," Professor Binn's voice finally cut through our conversation, "is there something you would like to share?"
"No, sir," Draco answered promptly and I winced as the smugness in his tone though the Professor apparently didn't notice.
"Then perhaps you can tell me who fist invented the basilisk?" even his scolding tone was the same monotonous drone.
"That would be Herpo the fowl sir." I answered glad I had read ahead in the text book.
"Good, Now in ancient Greece Herpo the fowl was a . . ."
We didn't have defense against the dark arts until the next day but by then most of us had figured out that these lessons were going to be something of a joke. At least those of us who weren't fawning over him. Pansy and Tracey both seemed to be drooling over their class schedules. Theo took one look at the pair of them and mouthed at m, "we have to do something." I could only shrug. If the man was even half the fool Grandfather had made him out to be they'd figure it out soon enough. Or so I hoped. Fortunately it was the Gryffindor class that bore the brunt of his idiocy. The man, apparently, had no idea how to even handle Cornish pixies.
The story of the pixies had spread from the Gryffindor class all over the school and as much as I would have enjoyed seeing idiot Longbottom being hung from a chandelier I was a bit worried about what the Professor might decide to do next. Lockhart, fortunately, made other plans, the pixies having taught him a much deserved lesson. At least in my opinion.
"I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Something must have gone wrong!" Pansy scolded Theo the morning before we were to have class.
"I'm sure it was as simple as his having grabbed the wrong end of his wand." Theo managed with a perfectly straight face.
"Be polite. He's a professor," Tracey scolded as she walked past slapping Theo upside the head.
During class Lockhart gave us thirty minutes to take a quiz on what we already knew and when I saw my exam paper I suddenly knew why Grandfather disliked him. The questions were absolute nonsense and by number twenty five "what would Gilderoy Lockhart's ideal vacation be?" I was thoroughly fed up. If I was ever going to intentionally fail a class it would be this one. I started make up answers, the more sarcastic I could phrase them the better.
Question twenty seven, what does Gilderoy Lockhart like to eat for breakfast? received an answer of chocolate pudding, and thirty two, what member of the animal kingdom is Gilderoy Lockhart most like? was answered an ostrich with its head in the ground. Surprisingly chocolate pudding turned out to be correct.
"Ninety-eight percent Miss Parkinson very well done!" he said rifling through our papers when the test was over. "Though Mr. Zabini needs to actually open my books. Only one? I was under the impression that you were one of the star pupils." He put the stack of tests down and picked up a book. "Now with the rest of class we are going to discuss the first book on your reading list, Year with the Yeti. Isn't that a wonderful picture on the cover?" the fuchsia robed photographed Lockhart winked at the class. I groaned and let my head hit the desk.
My promise to Draco was not forgotten. I met him on the Quidditch pitch every night that week using the one charm I knew that allowed me to keep my feet on through ground and still keep things moving high enough and fast enough for him to chase. It was something I had discovered the previous year, in a book lent to me by Professor Flitwick, that I used primarily to make Bandit's toy ball zoom around the common room. When I shared the idea, Draco was a bit disbelieving at first. But after chasing Bandit's ball around the field and two thirds of his catches being successful the first night, he was grinning ear to ear.
"You know, Draco" Pansy giggled as she watched from the stands, "you have Seeker in the bag."
Tryouts being Friday afternoon, and evenings after dinner being the only time the pitch was free for us to practice, Draco kept me out late Thursday night. Almost too late because an hour after the others would have gone to bed Professor Snape came out to find us.
"What are you two doing?" he demanded, though there was a smile quirking at the edge of his lips as if he already knew the answer.
I turned around in surprise dropping my wand to my side as I did so. Unfortunately the ball was following the path my wand's tip created for it. Draco was forced into a steep dive if he wanted to catch it. Seeing him actually attempt the dive out of the corner of my eye, I remembered just in time to level out the ball's flight path and Draco did manage to catch it falling off his broom at Professor Snape's feet.
"Sorry Professor," he said scrambling to his feet and dusting himself off. "Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow and Zabini was doing me a favor." He tossed me Bandit's ball which I stowed safely away in my pocket.
"I see," Professor Snape stated, though the slight smile was still there. "Back to the common room, boys, its past curfew."
Friday brought nothing but anxiety for Draco who had so much trouble concentrating that he became fidgety and refused to sit still. Casting a tickling charm on him during Flitwick's lessons proved all but impossible because he wouldn't stay in one place long enough for the spell to hit him.
Directly after lessons Draco ran out to the pitch to get ready, but planning on being only a spectator I knew I had some time. Usually I took a side passage to avoid Peeves the poltergeist who liked to haut the main corridors and catch students unaware. But with so much happening that afternoon I completely forgot about the menace. Not exactly an easy thing to do.
Before I knew it he had stolen my book bag and was hovering near the ceiling waving it around in an attempt to box my ears.
"Give it back!" I growled at him thinking wildly on every possible way I knew to liberate my belongings.
"Does the ikle second year want his bag," Peeves cackled evilly, "then the inkle second year has to catch his bag first!"
Thinking quickly I took Bandit's ball (and Draco's practice snitch) out of my pocket. "Asendere!" the ball zoomed into the air following my wand tip and I began attempting to use it to knock my things out of Peeves's hands. Unfortunately he was very good at dodging.
"Missed me missed me and you'll never get me!" he chanted taking out one of my books and chucking it at my head.
"What do you mean we don't have a Snitch?" Professor Snape's cold voice came floating down the hall as I aimed another blow at Peeves and simultaneously dodged another thrown school book. I jumped, magic was forbidden in the corridors. Did I have time . . .
"Severus I'm sorry but the Hufflepuff team had practice earlier and I'm afraid they lost it. I can't let you use one of our game snitches, they've never been caught, and I'm afraid the spare was pilfered sometime Monday afternoon." And with those words Madam Hooch preceded my head of house around the corner before I could undo my charm.
"Caught doing magic you are!" Peeves laughed.
"Now if you can wait I can procure a new one by Tuesday" Hooch continued, "Mr. Zabini, what are you doing?"
"Ikle secondi can't make me give back his bag!" Peeves answered for me.
"Drop it!" Snape snapped. Peeves did, on my head.
"Ouch," I grumbled trying to rub my head, undo my charm work, and pick up my various scattered items all at the same time.
"Hooch, I think I've found my solution." My head of house stated summoning several of my text books from down the hall where they had gone after Peeves had chucked them at me.
Madam Hooch clapped me on the shoulder as she walked by, off to be about her own business. Professor Snape smiled. I wasn't too sure I liked that smile.
"Change into something comfortable Mr. Zabini, that charm of yours is going to provide a replacement Snitch for our Quidditch team!"