So for the past year, life (that is school, classes, homework, determining my future, etc) has gotten in the way of writing. Scratch that, it has gotten in the way of updating because the first draft of this story was begun/finished last summer. I will be extremely surprised if anyone is still around to read the rest of this story, but that is perfectly okay because I wrote this for Nagini. Her story will be told no matter how many years it takes. That said, I am posting all of the chapters for her first year (granted, all these chapters are early drafts). And as of now, I will be on an official hiatus (as opposed to the nearly year-long hiatus I have been on). I don't know when the rest of her story will be written/posted, but I can promise that it will happen one day. [Perhaps at Christmas time if I choose to work on this for NanoWrimo. . . .]Some of you may still be around then; some of you won't. But like I said-I'm writing this story for Nagini and for me.
I hope you enjoy the 13 chapter update, and please send any constructive criticism my way. I will certainly keep it in mind when working on the rest of Nagini's story.
~Kasyntra
Disclaimer: All that is not JKR's is mine-and that mainly consists in the human character of Nagini and the influence she exerts on the magical world.
Chapter 15: Headaches
Nagini sat down by herself at the Slytherin table Saturday morning. There were few people in the Hall this early in the morning, and Nagini supposed they were all sleeping in. As she buttered a slice of toast, Nagini noticed a rolled-up paper lying on the table. Curious, she reached for it and began to read.
For the most part, there wasn't much that interested Nagini. She saw an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions and a ten-percent-off coupon for emotion-enhancing perfumes at a store called Bella Lilliana Beauty Potions. Impatient, Nagini turned to the cover, and her eyes widened. "Gringotts Break-In Latest" read the title. Gringotts, Nagini remembered, was the name of the wizarding bank in Diagon Alley. She hadn't gone inside, but according to Professor McGonagall, it was the safest place to keep something, except for Hogwarts.
Obviously, it's not that safe, Nagini mused, if someone could break-in. She scanned the rest of the article quickly. That''s strange, Nagini thought. Nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. Bad luck for the thief, all that work and then nothing to show for it.
"Why are you reading that, anyways?The Prophet's rubbish, and it''s not like any of the things in there actually affects us."
Nagini looked up. Draco Malfoy sat down next to her and was looking at the paper in her hand. She sighed. "Ignoring the point about it being rubbish, of course the stories in the paper affect us! There's a world outside of Hogwarts after all, and we belong to it.""
"There still isn't anything interesting in there. Except for the Quidditch Column, that is," Draco continued, ignoring Nagini. He reached over and grabbed the paper from her hands.
"Of course you can have it, Draco," muttered Nagini sarcastically. "It's not as if I was still reading it."
"Thanks," he said without looking at her, and Nagini rolled her eyes.
Just then, Theo came and sat on the other side of her. "Anything interesting in there?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Apparently, he had seen her exchange with Draco.
"Actually, yes," replied Nagini, choosing to ignore his irritating smirk and the maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Apparently someone broke into Gringotts, and they haven''t caught anyone yet."
Theo stared at her open-mouthed. "But that's impossible," he protested.
"Apparently not," responded Nagini, "but what I find interesting is the fact that nothing was taken. The article says the vault was emptied earlier that very same day." It was odd, thought Nagini, and as if to give credence to her words, the back of her head started to tingle as she continued to dwell on the break-in. The failed theft was important, she knew. She just didn''t know why. . .
As Nagini was leaving the Great Hall, she noticed Draco Malfoy stopping at the Gryffindor table, and she paused, curious. Draco snatched a crystal sphere out of Longbottom's hand, and Potter and Weasley (the faithful redhead sidekick of Potter's) jumped to their feet. In a blink of an eye, McGonagall had joined them. Nagini hadn't even seen her move. "What's going on?" she demanded, staring down at them.
"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor," whined Longbottom.
Scowling, Draco returned the Remembrall to Longbottom. "Just looking," he said before leaving with Crabbe and Goyle on his heels.
Nagini continued on her way, and Theo caught up with her. "What's a Remembrall?" she asked him.
"It's a glass sphere that's supposed to help you remember things." he told her. "If it turns red, it means you've forgotten something. The only problem is, it won't tell you what you've forgotten."
"That's helpful," remarked Nagini sarcastically, and Theo snorted.
"C'mon," he said, tugging her arm. "You said you''d come outside with us."
She resisted. "I have to study, homework to do."
"Well, then, you can do it outside while the rest of us have fun."
Nagini rolled her eyes and sighed but yielded, not unreluctantly. Theo dragged her outside to a willow beside the lake where they were soon joined by Tracey and Blaise. True to her word, Nagini did study while the others chatted, Blaise daring Theo to jump into the lake, which he did.
Later that day, Nagini trudged down to the Quidditch pitch with the other Slytherin first years, all of which were much more excited than she was. They had their first flying lesson that afternoon. Nagini wasn't particularly looking forward to fly. She had some vague memories of soaring through a star-filled sky above a city of lights when she was younger, and she had flown in her dreams, but Nagini didn't like brooms. She didn't trust them to stay aloft, and if she fell, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself. After all, she didn't know how to fly; her father did.
With a heavy heart, she followed the other Slytherins out onto the Quidditch pitch where Madam Hooch was waiting with the Gryffindor first years. Great, Nagini thought sarcastically. It was bad enough that she'd have to deal with Parkinson. She wasn''t particularly looking forward to a bunch of Gryffindors mocking her for her lack of flying skills.
"Well, what are you all waiting for?" barked Madam Hooch. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up!" Nagini reluctantly went over and stood by a dilapidated-looking broomstick. The handle was a jumble of giant splinters, and the tail was quite ragged, the tail sticks jutting haphazardly out in all directions. Just the thought of flying on it made her head hurt. Next to her, Tracey looked just as enthusiastic as she felt. Strangely, this made Nagini feel slightly better—to know she was not the only one dreading the lesson.
"Lighten up!" whispered Theo from her other side, nudging her arm. "Flying's great. You'll love it!"
Raising her eyebrows, Nagini looked at him doubtfully. "I know I'll love flying—just not on a broomstick!"
"What, you're planning on sprouting wings?" asked Pansy snidely across from Nagini.
Nagini looked at her and raised her eyebrows haughtily. "Maybe."
Nagini knew there was no reason for it, no way to explain it. She just didn't trust a stick of wood to keep her up in the air. Call her crazy, but she'd much prefer to be able to fly on her own rather than with a broom between her legs.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch from up front, "and say 'Up.'"
Nagini looked down at the broom before her and sighed, but she did as she was told. Sticking her right hand above the broom, she called, "Up!" The broom didn't move. Nagini looked around. Draco's broom had shot into hand at the command, and the blond boy stood there looking very pleased with himself. Figures, thought Nagini, rolling her eyes. According to Draco, he had been flying around on a broom even before he could walk, and he had had numerous adventures escaping from Muggles in helicopters. Next to her, Theo's broom also flew smoothly into his hand, albeit on his second try.
He smirked at her. "Brooms don't like you I see," he commented.
"I assure you, the feeling's mutual," muttered Nagini. She scrunched her eyebrows and stared down at her broom. "Up!" she commanded. Again, the broom didn't move. To her right, Tracey kept saying 'Up, up,' and her broom twitched, but it never rose off the ground.
Nagini quickly glanced around. Madam Hooch was paying attention to a Gryffindor at the far end of the line, so Nagini quickly stooped and picked up her broom.
"Tut, tut," she heard as she straightened. She looked up in surprise to find Blaise smirking at her. "That would be cheating, Ms. Ferestael,"" he said. Nagini noticed that he was also already holding his own broom.
"Like it was ever going to listen to me, anyway," answered Nagini. Theo and Blaise laughed, and Nagini smiled in spite of herself.
Madam Hooch showed them how to properly hold their brooms and how to mount them. Nagini smirked when she heard her telling Draco he'd been doing it wrong for years, and she wondered again, how many, if any, of his stories about flying were true.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," continued Madam Hooch after a few moments. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle—three—two—"
At this point, Nagini's head was pounding in anticipation of what would come next, but before Madam Hooch could blow her whistle, Neville Longbottom, the small Gryffindor first year whose cauldron had exploded in Potions, had pushed off the ground and quickly rose above the ground.
"Come back, boy!" cried Madam Hooch, but it appeared that Longbottom had forgotten how to come back down. He rose higher and higher. When he was twenty feet off the ground, he panicked and slipped off his broom. He fell, landing with a loud thump and a crack, lying face down on the ground. Nagini winced. That's exactly why she didn't like brooms: they were too easy to slip off of; though, she supposed that the incident had something to do with the Gryffindor boy's clumsiness as well.
"Broken wrist," murmured Madam Hooch leaning over Longbottom and examining him. "Come on, boy—it's all right, up you get." Turning to the rest of them, she added, "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on dear."
Madam Hooch turned and led the boy back to the castle. Nagini sighed in relief. The stars smiled upon her—the inevitable broomstick fiasco that was sure to befall her was delayed for just a bit longer.
"It's really not that bad," said Theo, hearing her sigh. Nagini chose to ignore him while Tracey looked at him skeptically, her face white as a ghost.
They were distracted then by laughter farther down the group. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" asked Draco. Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and her gang burst into laughter. Nagini, for one, didn't feel like laughing. She could only imagine how scared Longbottom would be the next time he faced a broom. Just watching him flail on his broomstick had strengthened Nagini's resolve to avoid brooms as soon as these lessons had ended.
"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped a Gryffindor girl. She was Indian with dark hair and olive skin. Nagini was pretty sure her name was Parvati Patil.
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" shrieked Pansy. Nagini cringed at the sound of her voice. Shut up, Parkinson, she thought. None of us particularly want to hear what you have to say. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati." Nagini crossed her arms and tried to ignore the confrontation, but she turned at the sound of Draco's voice.
"Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." He darted forward and picked up a clear sphere from the grass. He was right; it was the Remembrall. Nagini wondered again how the thing was supposed to be helpful. Sure, you knew you'd forgotten something, but what did that matter if you couldn't remember what you'd forgotten?
"Give that here, Malfoy," said Potter quietly. Nagini, like all the others, watched silently.
Draco smirked, knowing he held the upper hand. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find—how about—up a tree?"
"Give it here!" shouted Potter, but Draco had already jumped on his broomstick and soared out of reach. Nagini had to give him credit; at least part of his stories was true—he could fly.
"Come and get it, Potter!" cried Draco gleeful as several Slytherins, namely his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, and Pansy and her loyal sidekicks, Daphne and Millicent, shrieked in excitement. Nagini, Tracey, Theo, and Blaise stood together, watching silently. They turned in unison to watch Potter's reaction. The boy grabbed his own broom and mounted it.
"No!" cried Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move—you''ll get us all in trouble." Of course, thought Nagini nastily, a know-it-all and a stickler for rules. The girl was wrong, though; they wouldn't all get in trouble—only Potter and Draco. Potter, however, ignored her and kicked off the ground, rising several yards to face Draco, who was now looking a little unnerved. He obviously didn't expect Potter to come after him, much less be able to control his broom.
"Give it here," called Potter, "or I'll knock you off that broom!""
"Oh, yeah?" answered Draco, trying to sneer, but Nagini detected a slight tremor in his voice. Nagini knew, though, that no matter what happened, Draco would not give it to Potter, especially not with everyone watching. The blond was too proud, and he utterly despised the Gryffindor boy.
Just then, Potter shot toward Draco, who jerked out of the way without a second to spare. "No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," called Potter.
"Good point," muttered Theo under his breath. "Draco doesn't go anywhere, much less intimidate anyone, without those two to back him up." Blaise nodded absentmindedly.
Draco seemed to realize the same thing. "Catch it if you can then!" he shouted and threw the Remembrall high into the air. The all watched as Potter flew past Draco like a blur and shot after the falling crystal sphere. Feet away from the ground, he caught it in his outstretched palm and recovered from his dive. Nagini stared in shock like everyone else. She had been so sure he would crash into the ground, giving her yet another reason to avoid broomsticks like the plague.
"HARRY POTTER!" They all turned; Professor McGonagall had arrived. "Never—in all my time at Hogwarts—how dare you—might have broken your neck—"
"It wasn't his fault, Professor—"
"Be quiet, Miss Patil—"
"But Malfoy—"
"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now.""
Nagini rolled her eyes. Draco may have stolen the Remembrall, but Potter made his own choice to go after him even though Madam Hooch had told them all to remain on the ground. It was his own fault he was caught.
The Slytherins and Gryffindors slowly trudged back to the castle behind McGonagall and Potter. "Remember what Madam Hooch said?" asked Draco gleefully.
"What?" asked Pansy eagerly.
"Anyone who so much as touched their broom would be out of Hogwarts faster than they could say 'Quidditch,'" quoted Draco with a grin. Many of the Slytherins laughed appreciatively. Nagini just shook her head at them. While Draco seemed especially pleased that Potter was in trouble, Nagini couldn't care less. She was just glad that she wouldn't have to fly on a broom that day after all.
Nagini woke up with a start and looked around, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was sitting at a table in the library, which was currently dark and empty. Nagini groaned. She must have fallen asleep while writing the Charms essay. It was to be expected, though, she thought. There were only so many ways you could describe how to perform the Levitation spell and give examples of its usefulness.
Nagini stood up and stretched. She quickly gathered her things and exited the library, hoping no one would catch her out of bed after hours because that would definitely not fit into the plan of not sticking out too much. Nagini yawned as she crept down the stairs to the ground floor. She turned a corner and was about to go down the flight of stairs leading to the dungeons when she collided with someone. The other person was crouched on the stairs, and Nagini tripped over him, landing on the steps below. "Ow," she moaned, rubbing her head as she sat up. "Who—?""
"Shh," someone whispered crawling over to her. "Are you alright, Nagini?" It was Draco.
Nagini sighed in frustration. "Yes," she replied in an undertone. "What are you doing out here?"
"I might ask you the same question," he answered. Nagini gritted her teeth. Infuriating, arrogant boy, she thought. Though she couldn''t see him, she knew he must be raising his eyebrow and smirking at her.
"I fell asleep in the library," Nagini told him. "I woke up and decided I'd like to spend the rest of the night in my bed rather than on a hard chair. I didn't realize, however, that in order to return to the common room, I had to trip over someone hiding on the stairs and fall on my head, which brings us back to the question—what are you doing?""
"Merlin," he said laughing. "Calm down. As for what I'm doing, why I'm waiting, of course," he told her then paused.
Nagini sighed again. "For what?" she asked.
"Potter and Weasley are going to get caught out of bed by Filch," he told her gleefully. "If he didn't get expelled because of what happened at Flying lessons, he will because of this."
"Won't you get in trouble, too, Draco?" Nagini asked slowly. "After all, you were also out of bed, so you could tell Filch where they'd be."
He was shaking his head at her. "I slipped a note under Filch's door after dinner," he informed her. "Now, I'm just waiting for the show. Potter and Weasley just got here, along with Granger and Longbottom. You just missed them." Nagini thanked whatever stars were watching over her. If she had woken up a few minutes earlier. . . .
"Filch should be here soon," continued Draco, but Nagini slapped her hand over his mouth to quiet him. She had heard footsteps, and they were getting closer. Draco watched with wide eyes, and Nagini removed her hand, certain he wasn''t foolish enough to say anything. They both crouched frozen on the stairs, listening and waiting.
"We'll catch them, my pretty," they heard Filch the caretaker murmur to his cat, Mrs. Norris, who was trailing along behind him. ""Students out of bed. They need to learn to respect the rules, but we'll catch them, you'll see." Nagini and Draco watched as caretaker and cat crossed the entryway in front of them and entered a room to the left of the Great Hall. "Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner," Filch continued. "They're in here somewhere. Probably hiding."
Just then they heard a racket coming from inside the room. It sounded like a dozen suits of armor suddenly crashing to the floor. They heard pounding footsteps that quickly receded into the distance. Nagini let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and turned to Draco. "Come on," she said. "Let's go back to the common room before anyone catches us out of bed."
Draco nodded and got to his feet. For a few minutes the two of them walked silently back to the common room. Then Nagini asked, "Incidentally, why were they out of bed to begin with? And how did you know about it?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Nagini saw Draco smirk. "I tricked them into coming to the trophy room for a wizard's duel. Don't know what Granger and Longbottom were doing, though. It was only supposed to be Potter and Weasley."
"So you challenge him to a duel and then don't show up?" Nagini asked.
Draco shrugged, slightly uncomfortable.
"Scared Potter would beat you? That he might be better at dueling than you?" Nagini asked. It was a low blow, Nagini knew, especially considering Draco's feelings towards Potter, but Nagini's head still hurt, and she wasn't feeling particularly charitable to the person responsible for tripping her.
Draco scoffed. "Of course not. I'm simply more cunning; I'm a Slytherin after all, and he wasn't smart enough to prepare for a trick. Not even Granger expected it," he boasted.
"Whatever," Nagini muttered rubbing her head again. She just wanted to return to her dorm and go back to sleep. She really didn't want to hear about the rivalry that was growing between Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, especially not in the middle of the night.
~Kasyntra