Chapter Four
A/N: Thanks to my only reviewer for the last chapter, Riding-Lover-17.
Meri and Ginny walked arm in arm all the way to their first lesson, laughing and talking together as if they had known each other for years. Once they had decended the staircase leading to the dungeons, they were greeted with a sight they really did not want to see.
Three older Slytherin boys were swaggering around towards a girl from the year below, taunting her and sniggering. Beside Meri, Ginny seemed to start fuming. Unable to contain her anger, the elder girl stormed over to them, stepping right between the boys and the Ravenclaw girl.
"Oi, Slytherins! Leave her alone." she stated fiercely. The hallway merely erupted with laughter.
"Oh, yeah? Well, what're you going to do about it, Weasley?" asked a tall blonde boy with a pale, pointed face.
"Just do it! Leave her alone!" Meri yelled, bringing the boys' attention to her. Their laughs intensified.
"So, you're the new girl, are you?" asked the blonde boy, beginning to swagger towards her, his cronies following him, while Ginny and the Ravenclaw looked on in worry.
"So what if I am?" replied Meri, staring the boy straight in the eye, not letting her nerves get the better of her.
"Ooh, fighting talk!" laughed one of the blonde boy's cronies, a short, stocky boy with a pie in his hand.
"What're you going to do to us, you stupid little Blood Traitor?!" cried the blonde boy, laughing along with the others, while Merida's face glowed a bright fuchsia in her anger.
"I'm not stupid, I'm not little and I'm not a Blood Traitor, because I'm not a Pureblood and I'm proud that I'm not, because the Pureblood families who believe in Blood Traitors are the stupid ones. They're vile, cruel and pathetic." she finished, a little venom creeping into her voice. The blonde boy raised his wand to her chest and promptly sent a Stunning spell flying toward her, which she just managed to avoid by jumping out of the way. She retailiated by sending a well-aimed Bat Bogey Hex at his face. He didn't have as quick reactions as she did and the three girls were laughing uncontrollably at the result when the classroom door opened and a dark-haired man with a hook nose strode into the corridor.
"What is going on here?" he demanded, staring from the Gryffindor girls to the Slytherin boys, the middle of which had miniature bats shooting from his nose.
"It was them!" cried the boy with a fresh pie in his hand, as he had finished three while the blonde was speaking to the girls. "Those Gryffindors cursed him!"
The man turned to face the two redheads, the elder of whom had her arm around the shaking Ravenclaw, a stormy glare sweeping across his face.
"Is there truth in this accusation?" he asked, every syllable striking their fear to a higher pitch. Both girls remained silent.
"Well?!" he pressed on, his voice becoming harsher by the second.
"Professor, it was my fault. I attacked him, not Ginny. She was just trying to protect her friend." admitted Merida, her gaze directed to the floor.
"I appreciate your honestly, Miss Ross." replied the professor, his voice barely softening at all, while the Slytherins all sniggered a little behind him. "However, it does not change the fact that you attacked another student, Miss Ross, so I shall ask both yourself and Miss Weasley to accompany me to the Headmaster's office."
"Yes, Professor." sighed the two girls, sharing a guilty glance before following the hook-nosed professor up the dungeon steps. They walked in silence behind the man, sharing quick glances every so often, until the golden gargoyle appeared in front of them. Whispering with venom two words which sounded like 'flying saucers', the hook-nosed man pushed the girls onto the staircase, stepping onto a step a bit below them as the staircase began to twist and move upwards. A few moments later, when the trio had reached the top, the man stopped the pair of them.
"Your Head of House shall be arriving momentarily. Miss Weasley, please wait outside the door. Miss Ross, could you please accompany me into the office?" Even though his words were in question form, Merida could tell that she had no choice in the matter and so stepped inside Professor Dumbledore's office, sharing one last sympathetic glance with Ginny as she walked.
The white-haired man sitting at the desk raised his glance from the paper strewn across it, looking over his half moon spectacles to see the professor marching Merida into the office.
"Professor Snape?" questioned Dumbledore, rising from his desk, though not stepping around it.
"Headmaster." greeted the man Merida now knew to be the fiendish Professor Snape.
"Why have you brought Miss Ross to my office today?" the Headmaster asked, looking directly at Merida, who was now standing about a metre from the desk.
"Headmaster, Miss Ross attacked Mr. Malfoy in the corridor outside my Potions classroom. She aimed a Bat-Bogey Hex at the boy for no apparant reason and caused him a great amount of pain. I believe that she should be severely punished for this, as it is a blatant disregard for the rules of this school, so I have brought her to you, for you to pass judgement on her." Merida hung her head in shame, her neck bending more and more with every few words.
"Miss Ross, is this true?" Dumbledore questioned, removing his glasses and placing them down on the table.
"Actually, it isn't entirely, Professor. It wasn't for no reason. He was bullying a Ravenclaw girl, so Ginny went over to help her, then I went to help her, he started insulting me and... well, I sort of lost it, to be honest."
"So, you were not unprovoked, but the rest of Professor Snape's summary was correct?"
"Yes, Professor. I did attack Mr. Malfoy."
"You did what?" came a voice from the doorway. Merida froze in fear as she heard it, turning her head gingerly over her shoulder to see her mother walking slowly across the room.
"Well?" she demanded, rounding on her daughter.
"I attacked Malfoy in the corridor." Merida spoke in a quiet voice, avoiding her mother's eyeline. An exasperated sigh from the Scottish professor followed soon after, prompting Merida's eyes to squeeze closed in embarrassment.
"Oh, Merida! What have I told you right from the beginning? Do not retaliate to anyone!"
"But-"
"No matter what! I have had enough of it, Meri! When this Christmas holiday comes around, you are going home."
"What?!" Merida cried, her head snapping up to stare at her mother.
"You heard me. You are going to your grandmother's, you are not staying here under any circumstances."
"Oh, I get it. You don't want me here, then fine. I'll go home, to Vevi and Granny and Uncle Malcolm, you know, all the people who actually care about me."
"Meri, don't twist this-"
"No! I'm not twisting anything! Every single year you have been too busy for Christmas. You have never had enough time for family, never had enough time for me! I thought this year might be different, but no, you've let me down again, just like always!" Merida seized her satchel and made for the door.
"Merida!" Minerva began to yell.
"No! I'm done with this, Mum! I'm done with you." Merida finished quietly, running through the door and shutting it firmly behind her. She collapsed down on the staircase a moment later, resting her head in her lap. It was then that another redheaded Gryffindor girl sat down beside her on the steps.
"Mum?" asked Ginny.
A/N: Next chapter up soon, fingers crossed. Also, a romance is on the brew, wonder if anyone can guess. Review!