Once Beth arrived in the common room to grab her books, she only had eight minutes to get to Potions. She ran in a flurry to grab her books and make it down eight flights of stair cases, so as not to be late. Hopping down two steps at a time, she kept running into people casually walking to Divination. There weren't many people in the corridors as she got further down, making it a lot easier to run. She checked her watch as she passed the Great Hall, a minute and a half. I'm gonna make it, she thought happily as she slowed her pace a little, No use looking completely flustered when I walk in. It might give the wrong impression.
She walked in to the dungeon and checked her watch, right on time. Beth walked over to her seat right next to Jen. "You will be seated on time Ms. Howard's."
Beth groaned, "Sorry, Professor." The Hufflepuffs in the front of the room sniggered, and Beth was pretty sure some Ravenclaws did, also. She sat down next to Jen who turned ever so slightly, enough to tell her she was still upset at Beth for jeopardizing their friend's career. Beth turned her attention to the board where Snape was writing about Strengthening Solution. The class sat in silence, writing the notes. About twenty minutes later they started on their potions. It was very awkward for Beth, trying to communicate what to do when her partner merely nodded or mumbled something barely audible. The girls were just finishing up the last bit they had to do before they had to let it mature, before the bell rang.
"Your potions, if done right, will be matured properly over the weekend. I want a two foot long essay on the use and history of the Strengthening Solution, due next lesson." Snape barked as he dismissed the hungry students.
"Double Potions is not the best way to start off the week, huh?" Beth tried to start off a conversation, but failed horribly awkwardly. She couldn't believe that it was only this morning that Jen had woken her up, grinning and happy to find her. Now, she wouldn't even talk to her, even though this mishap might not have even been her fault. Beth's loss of appetite was back, and she headed to the common room to start on Snape's homework.
She was walking up the stairs in the entrance hall, when she passed none other than Blondie himself. The distraught Ravenclaw gasped and turned her head, even though he never saw her face.
"…Draco how are you going to talk you dad into this?" said the shorter of his goons, with a hint of worry.
"Oh, please, Crabbe. Do you always have to be so daft? There will be no convincing, my father will be proud." Draco replied in a somewhat hushed- and proud- tone. The taller one snorted at his friend's insult. The boys and their voices drifted as they got farther away.
Beth continued toward Ravenclaw Tower, trying not to get caught up on blondie- or Draco, as she now knew- and his goons, she had more important things to worry about. She made it to the common room, sat in a chair near the window and started her Potions essay. It was pretty easy, all she had to do was elaborate the notes they were given. She was measuring parchment when the door swung open. Roger walked into the common room.
He was halfway through the common room before he realized Beth was sitting there. He grunted and nodded to her awkwardly. She sat there her face clueless, not knowing how to react in their situation. Roger hurried up the stairs to the boys dormitory. Beth tried her best to redirect her attention to her almost completed homework. Roger came back downstairs and paused at the foot of the steps. He walked over and sat across from Beth.
"How you holding up?" he asked with sincere concern for his friend.
"I'm doing okay." she lied. She knew he would have it worse, not from his classmates, but from his coach and teams.
"Liar, you're getting grief from the whole school, I'm only getting it from about sixteen people." Beth smiled half-heartedly.
"Yeah, but, I don't have a career on the line. Of course you would pick the team with the most respectable players." They laughed quietly.
"Beth , I did want to ask you though. Who did you tell?" The conversation was took a serious turn.
Beth knew exactly what he was getting at. "I only told Jen. Absolutely no one else."
Roger considered this, and finally concluded that Jen wouldn't tell anyone. "Well could anyone have heard you talking about it?" Beth was kind of annoyed that he thought she could have been so careless, but then again, she was drunk.
"I doubt it. They would have to have been invisible." Roger's eyes lit up with realization. Beth looked at him curiously.
"The first week back, I managed to stumble upon Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, unfortunately. She started coming on to me," Beth sniggered, and he continued, "she managed to let it slip, that Potter snuck into the prefect's bathroom with an invisibility cloak." Beth gasped.
"But, why would Potter be eavesdropping on my conversation?"
"I dunno, but he's the only plausible explanation at the moment." He said. Beth smiled at him, she was so glad that he had known she would not spread this around the school. Roger hugged her, he was so warm.
"Thanks. I needed that." He smiled. Beth contemplated asking him and finally decided: "Roger? What do you know about a boy named Draco?"
Roger's eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"
"Err…" Beth didn't know the answer. She didn't know what Draco was up to and had no idea. "I heard someone talking about him in the hallway."
"Bloody hell, Beth. I can't believe you don't know about him already. He- um…he's a pureblood, comes from an old, rich, wizarding family. His dad works for the ministry, very high- uh- quality, I guess can be the word. Word has it his mum and dad were in You-Know-Who's inner circle, claim to have been under the Imperius curse. I, personally, doubt it."
"Oh ." was all Beth said, the gears in her mind turning rapidly.
"Look, Beth. I don't want you to get mixed up with that lot. It could be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt." She was warmed by his concern. He had always cared about her, ever since her second year when they met. Roger kissed her lightly.
"Come on," he offered her his hand, "I think I might have a way to get people off of our backs." He led her out of the common room and down to the Great Hall.
The hall was a little less quiet than that morning, less people equaled less noise. Though nothing could stop the hall bursting with whispers as the two Ravenclaws walked down the aisle hand in hand. Beth couldn't help but blushing, it was much better whispering than previously that day. The couple sat down near Roger's quidditch team, who were, as of that moment, no longer ignoring him.
"Hiya, Rogie! How's it going?" Duncan Ingleby asked enthusiastically. "Hey, Beth."
"Hi Duncan." Beth replied smiling.
"Doing just fine, mate. Yourself?" Roger replied winking at Beth, who in turn giggled.
"Ah you know me, a little of this a little of that, right?"
"Uh, know, I haven't got a clue what you just said. What about you, Samuels? You having a fair day so far?" Roger asked trying to create a large conversation to test everyone's outlook.
Jason Samuels grumbled a yes, though it was normal for Jason, he wasn't always in the best of moods. Grant, Randolf, and Jeremy all checked and seemed everything was back in order on the Ravenclaw team.
"I have to tell you, mate. We were happy when we saw you two together. Thought you just had some meaningless shagging with some whore- no offense Beth." Jeremy added, seeing Beth's eyes widen. "That's why we were worried."
"It's alright." Roger forgave. "Let's hope this doesn't ruin our concentration in the game against Hufflepuff. Where's Cho?" he asked noticing the lack of their seeker.
"Off with the girls. You can't expect her to hang with us guys, especially when we were talking about you. You know, she didn't believe you would do that." Beth was happy, Cho always trusted her. Beth then remembered she had to find her friends. That lot has the attention span of a toad, they wouldn't be mad at me for long. She searched the Great Hall not seeing them, but scanning the Gryffindor table she saw Potter and his friends bent close in a discussion. Roger saw her and followed her eyes to where the trio was now standing and gathering books for their next class.
"Well, I best be off, I have Care of Magical Creatures." Beth stood up. Roger threw her a warning glance, knowing she might go off to investigate, which Beth just shrug off reassuringly. They kissed goodbye and she hurried down the row, blushing a little.
It seemed as though her day was getting better. Students were chattering happily on their way to class, Fred and George Weasley were setting off Filibuster Fireworks on their way to their free period, and no one was staring at Beth like they were this morning. It's odd how drastically a whole student body can change their mind in a half an hour.