A Fight (or Two)


September 10
th, 1936

Charis was determined to continue as usual. If the treachery of her sister hadn't worried her, then neither would the insults of a certain Head Boy. Of course, this was all very well in theory, but putting it into practice was somewhat harder.

Lucille and Octavia cornered her the next day, at lunchtime. She was surprised it had taken them that long to hear the gossip.

"Is it true?" asked Lucille taking a seat beside her on the Slytherin table.

"Is what true?"

Lucille rolled her eyes at Octavia, who was seated on Charis' left.

"That you yelled at Charlus Potter in front of half the school."

"No, of course not," replied Charis calmly.

"Oh," said Octavia, disappointed. Lucille wasn't so easily tricked.

"Then what did happen?"

"Nothing," said Charis. A glare from Lucille forced her to change her mind. "Alright. He called me a stupid gossiper, and I said he was too high and mighty for his own good. And we were in the library, so clearly it wasn't half the school. Although it may have been all of Ravenclaw. But it's not important anyway." Charis resumed sipping at her pumpkin juice.

"What nerve!" said Octavia, outraged on behalf of her friend.

"Did he really call you that?" asked Lucille, with a strange look of fascination on her face.

"Well, no," admitted Charis. "But he implied it. Which is just as bad. He is the rudest, most arrogant boy I have ever met."

Neither of the girls agreed with her, but they didn't contradict her either. Slytherins stick together, regardless of past differences.

"Who is the rudest, most arrogant boy you have ever met?" asked a smooth voice behind Charis.

She turned to find Abraxus Malfoy and his three friends standing rather threateningly behind her.

"Couldn't be you she was talking about, Malfoy?" said William Slater in mock horror.

"Surely not," said Malfoy, raising an eyebrow at Charis.

"No. Because I would have had to add slimy somewhere in there too," said Charis, not phased.

"How rude," was all Malfoy said, but she could tell he was amused.

"Pray tell then, Miss Black, who was it you were complimenting so highly?" asked Rupert Longbottom from Malfoy's other side.

"Charlus Potter," she said grimly.

"Surely not our esteemed Head Boy?" Malfoy, grinned as his friends laughed. A fight had been brewing between Malfoy and Potter ever since Abraxus had been passed over for Head Boy. Not that Charlus could help it, but Malfoy was hardly likely to pick a fight with the Headmaster.

"That's the one," said Charis.

"He called her a stupid little gossiper," said Lucille, choosing to ignore the fact that Charis had already denied this.

"Did he now?" Malfoy's expression was now slightly more menacing.

"Humiliated her in front of half the school," said Lucille.

"Rude indeed," said Slater.

"Well, we can't have that," said Malfoy, and the others nodded, seeming to know exactly what he was thinking. Horace Slughorn was even grinding his knuckles suggestively.

"No," said Charis in a sudden panic. "Pleas don't. Not for my sake anyway."

"Don't worry, Miss Black," said Longbottom, "We'll do it on behalf of all young ladies at Hogwarts."

And with that they strolled off towards the Ravenclaw house table. Charis groaned. So much for staying out of the spotlight.

It took three professors and two well-directed shield charms to keep the fight from becoming an all-out brawl. As it was, Charlus was given a black eye, and three other Ravenclaws along with Slughorn were sent to the hospital wing. Slater boasted later they'd all been given detentions for three weeks, and Malfoy had almost had his prefectship taken away from him. Charlus had escaped punishment because his classmates had managed to hold him back before he could take a swing at Malfoy.

Charis was glad that the fight had redirected the school's attention towards Malfoy and his friends, rather than her. Potter, however, seemed to know exactly who was to blame for the escalating rumours.

He cornered her after their double Charms class.

"Are you happy now?" he asked, his handsome features marred by the anger on his face. "Got what you want?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Charis, managing to keep her mild shock from expressing itself.

"Of course you do, Black." Clearly they were no longer on first name terms. "The whole school now thinks I insulted you, what I actually called you changes every minute, and thanks to your Slytherin lackeys I'm now apparently a coward into the bargain because I refused their offer of a midnight duel!"

Charis hadn't heard that yet. She was surprised Malfoy was taking it so far. Or perhaps he'd known Charlus would refuse. Head Boys don't usually go around stunning people every night.

"I have no control over the thoughts of the whole school," replied Charis, "And I also was not aware that I had any lackeys. Although if Ravenclaws continue to corner me in Charms classrooms, perhaps I should hire some." Charlus took a step back, apparently realising how close to her he was.

"Thank-you," said Charis, and attempted to manoeuvre her way past him. But he wasn't letting her go quite so easily.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" he asked, blocking her escape.

"No, that would be you, Mister-walking-advertisement-for-Ravenclaw."

He ignored her. "I'm not fooled. Nobody loses their sister the way you did and doesn't feel any emotion whatsoever. You can pretend to everybody else that you don't care, but you can't pretend to me, Black."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, aware that it was far from a clever retort. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have an Arithmancy class to attend."

"One day you'll regret it, Black," he said, stepping aside to let her pass. "One day you'll wish you'd acted like a normal human being."

"I'll be sure to send you an owl when I do," she called over her shoulder, wondering how the conversation had turned to her sister so quickly. And why out of all the people who could have seen past her pretence, it had to have been him.