It was already late and even supper had already started. Since Herbology, there was no sign of Tashia. She had run out the door, and hadn't surfaced since. The news of what had happened to Amera had already got through the school, and in every version Pansy was to blame, even though she denied it all with a story that she was in the fourth floor bathroom. The Great Hall was filling up, and Pansy was sitting at the Slytherin table, with no sign of Draco near her.
"I wonder why Pansy hurt Amera? Do you think Tashia is going to do anything bad to her?" Ron asked.
Harry and Hermione watched her, and it seemed that she had not yet been reprimanded for her actions yet, as there was no proof she did it.
"Tashia might look friendly, but she has got one hell of a temper." said Harry, poking his food with a fork.
None of them had been let in to see Amera yet, and they wondered why. If they had only known what had happened to her, then they wouldn't be so anxious.
They heard a bang and turned around, to see Tashia standing at the Great Hall doors. She looked angry and stomped over to the Slytherin table, right up to behind Pansy. She was talking to one of her Slytherin friends when the table fell silent around her; she turned around and saw Tashia standing behind her.
"Hello Pansy."
Pansy got up and jumped over the bench, and started running towards the staff table. But Tashia leant forward before Pansy was too far away and grabbed her by the back of her robes.
"If you're not guilty like you keep on saying, then why run?" Tashia pulled Pansy back and made her turn around.
"I didn't…"
Before Pansy could even finish her last word, there was a gush of blood and a scream. Pansy was lying on the floor, clutching her nose and wailing. Tashia was standing over her, with a bloody fist, and then delved into her robes. Teachers started coming down the walkway, and Tashia whipped out her wand.
"I know exactly what spell you used on her…" Tashia looked up to the teachers, who were now jogging towards her.
"Astapion!"
Before her words were even out, a hand grabbed her and threw her hand up, sending the curse at the ceiling. The ceiling turned black, and then hail started falling down towards the students. Another jinx was sent up, returning the ceiling back to normal. Tashia turned around, and saw Professor McGonagall holding her hand, with her own wand out.
"What in the world was that about?" Professor McGonagall half shouted at her.
"She ran professor! It was HER! SHE DID IT!" Tashia shouted.
Professor McGonagall looked down at her, and pushed her glasses higher up onto her nose.
"You go straight to my office. I'll be there shortly."
Tashia looked at Pansy, having her nose repaired by Professor Snape, and turned to leave. She walked all the way to Professor McGonagall's office, and opened the door. There was a fire going in the grate, and yet it was so cold in her office. Tashia shivered and sat down in one of the empty chairs in front of the desk. As soon as she sat, the room warmed up and she heard the door close. She turned to see Professor McGonagall standing at the door, expressionless.
"Where did you learn that curse?" McGonagall asked.
Tashia turned in her chair, and stared at the opposite wall.
"I…uhm…read it somewhere."
She heard Professor McGonagall move around the office, and stopped right next to her.
"You know as well as I that spell isn't in any book. It's an old curse, one that's only passed down by hearsay, and one students shouldn't be using."
"Professor! Pansy used it! I know what it does, and that is what happened to Amera!"
"And you know this how?"
"Hermione said she went cold and grey, and stopped breathing. That's a few things what it does."
Professor McGonagall sat down in front of Tashia, and conjured a plate of sandwiches.
"Eat something. I'll let you off, and investigate your accusations. But you are not to go back to the Great Hall tonight or tell anyone what that curse does. Understood?"
Tashia nodded, but at the same time she wanted to tell everyone to use that jinx on Pansy.
"Good. Now eat and I will go back to the Great Hall. Goodnight Tashia."
Professor McGonagall left, leaving Tashia to eat some of the sandwiches on the silver platter.
"That was not all Pansy deserved." Tashia thought angrily and took a sandwich.
Draco was sitting next to the Black Lake, where he had been since half past eight. He had missed dinner, and hadn't spoken to anyone the whole day, because he was thinking about what he was going to say to Amera. It was now half past nine, and he had been waiting for an hour. He paced under the tree where he first realised he liked Amera, and thought clearly about what he was going to say.
"I'm sorry for being a jerk all the time, no, I'm nice to her out of school. "I'm sorry that I'm so horrible to you at school. Maybe…"
Draco stopped immediately when heard someone running down the lawns shouting for him.
"What are you going around shouting like a prat for?" Draco shouted when the person stopped next to him.
"I'm not shouting like a prat. I just thought you might like to know before you spend the whole night waiting for her."
Draco went wide-eyed, and put on a straight face.
"What in the world are you talking about? I'm only getting some fresh air."
"Oh please, fool some other prat."
The boy looked up, and Draco saw it was Justin, the only person he told about him and Amera so he could back off from her.
"Wait for her? What do you mean?" Draco asked, all of a sudden going into a cold sweat.
"She's not coming anytime soon…"
"What do you mean?" Draco fumed, and grabbed Justin by his shirt, almost throttling him.
"Haven't you heard? Pansy got to her. She's in the hospital wing."
Draco dropped Justin, and stood still.
"Can I go…see her? What did Pansy do to her?" Draco asked, almost frozen with cold shock.
"I don't know about seeing her, but Pansy used some old Dark Magic on her. I took her to the hospital wing during Charms."
Draco stood frozen, he couldn't move. How could he have been so reckless? He should've been more careful and not so spontaneous. Pansy was going to learn the hard way for her actions.
"And what is Professor Snape doing about this?" Draco asked.
"Nothing as far as I know. He says no one can prove it."
Draco snapped. Not even Snape could pretend to be so blind to any Slytherin's fault.
"What? Does he just think Amera jinxed herself? That stupid git!"
Draco stormed off, straight towards Snape's office. No one could possibly be so stupid. Pansy had done this before, and everyone knew it, even Snape. He went straight to the dungeons, to Snape's office and banged on the door.
"Professor!" he shouted while banging on the door.
Snape whipped the door open, and looked at Draco.
"Yes…"
"You're letting Pansy get away with this? You know very well that she has done this before, but this…you can't let her off so easily, even if she is Slytherin!" Draco shouted his last words, and yet at the same time he felt like he couldn't shout at Snape enough.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about! The whole school is talking about it! She did it and you can't deny it!"
Snape didn't reply, just looked down at Draco and smiled.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you had feelings for that Genesse girl." said Snape with a curled lip.
"And what if I do? You can't change that, and neither can Pansy!"
Snape smiled again, looking down at Draco.
"You're falling for a Gryffindor?"
"I don't care! She's the best damn thing that's ever happened to me! I don't care if she's Gryffindor, it's got nothing to do with the way I feel about her!"
Snape looked as if he had just been petrified. He stood still, hand still on his door handle.
"Here. Give this to Madam Pomfrey…" Snape handed Draco a small bottle with glowing yellow liquid.
"And this note."
Draco took the envelope, and the bottle, and looked at Professor Snape.
"Why are you doing this for me?"
"I was going to walk there myself, but you're just the perfect person to send for the errand. Goodnight Draco."
Snape closed his door, and left Draco in the doorway. He was surprised that Snape just did that for him, and was so nice.