A week or so later, Lynette was cleaning Flobberworm mucus from her hands as she stood in the September sunshine after a rather uninspiring Care of Magical Creatures lesson.
She'd picked the subject under many protestations from her mother, the argument being that far too much time outside was bad for the complexion, and messing about with unicorn dung and the like not fitting for a witch of Lynette's standing. On the other hand, Lynette's father had been uncharacteristically on his daughter's side, "let her study what she wants" he had snapped at his wife.
Of course, it didn't really matter what she studied, she wasn't going to be allowed to use her skills in any real or meaningful way.
The first year of N.E. had been spent under the tutelage of Professor Kettleburn, and Lynette had enjoyed it greatly, but with Draco now laying hospitalized thanks to what the Slytherins were saying was a rogue hippogriff and Hagrid's stupidity, it looked like she was going to have a very dull year of classes ahead.
It pained her in particular, as she'd been so looking forward to learning about the hippogriffs, the memory of Gaheris putting her on his back and pretending to fly her around the manor grounds as her own personal hippogriff was one of her few early memories of childhood when home life was somewhat happier.
Shaking the remaining drops of water from her hands she picked up her satchel and turned towards the castle but as she did, she spotted Hagrid outside his hut and an idea struck her.
He had seemed distracted all lesson and as she approached him, she took in how dejected he looked sitting on the doorstep.
"Professor?"
"Oh, hello, Travers, isn't it?" he asked looking up at her in surprise.
"That's right, I was wondering if I could see the hippogriffs, sir?"
"Why?" he asked his brow furrowing with suspicion.
Lynette shrugged with a small smile, "I'm interested in them."
Hagrid slowly pulled himself to his feet, still regarding her with misgivings, and then gestured for her to follow.
He led her through a thicket of trees to a small glen where inside the enclosure were several beautiful hippogriffs.
Hagrid let out a small yelp of warning as Lynette opened the gate and entered the paddock but she had already fallen into a bow in front of the closest hippogriff which returned the gesture.
In awe, she stepped forward and stroked the beautiful beast's head.
"You're Gaheris Travers' sister, aren' yeh? I've just realised," Hagrid said coming up behind her.
Lynette froze with uncertainty, wondering what crimes her brother might have been accused of doing to Hagrid or those he loved.
"That's right," she replied stiffly.
"He loved animals, he did, always sneaking into the forest looking for them," Hagrid chuckled as Lynette's demeanour softened in relief.
"He tried to keep a Chimaera pup in his bedroom," she replied with a small giggle, remembering the uproar when her father found out and how unrepentant Gaheris had been.
"Did he?" Hagrid chuckled again, his big face breaking into a huge smile, before frowning, "Fell in with a bad lot, didn't he? Couldn't believe it when I read about it, he was a nice boy for a Slyth…" Hagrid trailed off, probably realising that as a professor he really shouldn't be expressing a dislike of a whole house.
Lynette didn't reply but gave the hippogriff a final caress before bowing again and backing away until she was out of the gate.
"Thank you for showing me them, sir."
"What? Oh yeah, yeh welcome, anytime," Hagrid mumbled, "and er...ten points to Slytherin for yeh bein' so interested…and respectful," he added, his face flushing.
Lynette gave him another small smile and then made her way up to the castle.
"Oh, look, it's the future Mrs Snape!"
"Get lost, Weasley," Mabel growled, a week later, as one of the twins ran past laughing.
"Just leave it, they'll get bored if I don't react," Lynette murmured.
"I'm sorry, okay? I know it was my fault for saying it, I was angry and…" Mabel trailed off.
Mabel Blishwick didn't do well at apologising. The Blishwicks believed their superior blood status combined with the fact they weren't named in the twenty-eight meant that they couldn't show weakness of any sort. However, the two young witches had known each other far too long to hold grudges, and quite frankly the whole school thinking Lynette was crushing on Snape was a far superior option, in her opinion, than them knowing the real truth of who actually occupied her thoughts.
The two girls continued their journey in silence to the hospital wing.
Mabel had dragged her friend along to pay Draco a visit, and Lynette who had been schooled from birth by a formidable grandmother in proper etiquette clutched a box of Honeydukes best chocolates in her hand.
As they pushed open the doors to the wing the familiar scent filled Lynette's nostrils and a small pleasant shiver passed over her as she remembered how it felt when her fingers had brushed his on that first night of term.
Draco was laying back in state, supported by a mound of pillows, his arm in a bandage and holding court with his little group of followers that surrounded the bed.
Lynette inwardly groaned as they approached and she spotted the dark-haired girl who was hanging on his every word.
"Oh, hello," drawled Draco looking up at the new arrivals and signalling for Crabbe and Goyle to make space for the two witches to sit nearest him.
Lynette took the chair closest, and as she glanced across, she found herself eye-level with Pansy, who looked even more like she had swallowed a wasp than usual. Lynette returned the glare with her most condescending smile, before turning to the invalid.
"Draco, Darling, how are you?" she cooed watching Pansy's reaction out of the corner of her eye, cruel she knew but if anyone deserved it Parkinson did.
"I'm... I'm alright," he replied seemingly confused but not unhappy at the unusual outpouring of affectionate concern. "It hurts a lot, but I'm managing," he added manfully.
Lynette leaned forward and gently patted his bandaged arm, suppressing a smile at the involuntary low hiss that emanated from Pansy's direction, "For you," she smiled at the boy as she placed the chocolates on the bedside cabinet before sitting back in her chair, duty done.
The others resumed their gossip, Mabel leading the chatter on how the whole school was talking about the accident.
Lynette sat, perfectly straight, a beatific smile plastered on her face, the one her grandmother had encouraged when she'd been forced to sit through endless tea parties with her aunts and other exalted callers. "If you do not wish to contribute anything to the conversation, Lynette, at least look like you are listening and set your expression to a pleasing one - remember manners maketh the witch".
However, the smile began to slip as the conversation shifted to Hagrid. Discomfort started to creep over her, far more so than it would have done before he'd spoken so warmly of Gaheris, and she physically bit her tongue as she tried to tune the others out by reciting the recipe for The Draught of the Living Death inside her head.
"Add the Infusion of Wormwood."
"Awful man, well not really a man, is he?" Pansy sneered, "I'm sure there is something less than human about him."
"Add the Powdered Root of Asphodel."
"And he's so hard to understand with his bumpkin accent."
"Stir twice clockwise," Lynette thought feeling herself growing hot with irritation.
"…and don't get me started on the other new appointment this year!"
"Father says this place is going to the dogs," Draco chimed in.
"Add the Sopophorous bean's juice...no that's not right, add the sloth brain before that..."
"I mean that new Professor Lupin, he dresses like a house-elf," Pansy continued, "looks like one too," she added with a peal of laughter.
"Oh, fuck off, Parkinson!"
They all turned in shock to stare at Lynette, and an awkward silence dragged on.
She gazed back at them, mortified. She didn't swear, Travers girls did not swear! She'd once said 'bloody' and her grandmother had blasted her across the knuckles in response.
"Miss Travers, such language! Five points from Slytherin," Madam Pomfrey cried turning scandalized from her position beside a neighbouring bed where a frightened first-year Ravenclaw was reclining with a thermometer in his mouth.
Lynette flushed deeper, her mortification growing.
"I'm sorry, I'm…I'm not feeling well," she stuttered, "I think I need to go to the hospital wing," she added jumping to her feet and running from the room.
"But you're already in it!" Draco called in confusion to her retreating back.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! She admonished herself, as she charged down the hallway. What would they think of her? What other possible conclusion could they draw from such an extreme reaction to Pansy's insult to him?
"Lynette! Wait!"
She stopped.
"What was all that about?" Mabel demanded catching up with her
"Oh...erm...Pansy's voice goes right through me, and it was so hot in there that I just got overwhelmed, and forgot myself."
"It wasn't hot at all," Mabel murmured giving her a curious look.
"Wasn't it? Ah, perhaps I really do need to go to the hospital wing. I think I'm sickening with something."
"Let's go back then."
"No!... I mean, I'd have to apologise to Pansy again and I really don't want to…I'm going to go and lay down in the dorm," and with that, Lynette rushed off back to the dungeons aware that Mabel was staring after her with concern.
That evening Lynette walked between the two young men as they accompanied her back from dinner. She wouldn't usually mind the escort, it was rather amusing listening to Marcus and Adrian banter and tease each other, but she had intended to spend the evening elsewhere...
"You don't have to walk me all the way to the Common Room, I'm not in any danger," Lynette protested.
She was hoping to go to the library via the second floor. There was a potions book Professor Snape had recommended and her planned route had nothing to do with the professor whose office was located along it, but if he did happen to step out...well there was no harm in stopping to ask him about the Vampire essay, was there? But her daydreams of having an excuse to gaze freely at Remus Lupin did not include being bookended by Marcus Flint and Adrian Pucey.
"Yes, we do," replied Adrian interrupting her musings, "I heard that one of the Weasleys shouted something at you earlier."
"Blood Traitors," spat Marcus in response.
"Do you think I really care what a fifth-year Gryffindor has to say?" Lynette replied lightly.
"No, but we care what scum like that say about our women," growled Marcus.
Lynette was about to respond when the three of them came to a halt.
Blocking their path was Snape who had emerged from his office and was watching them with an inscrutable expression.
"Miss Travers, in here, now, please," the man intoned gesturing towards the door.
Lynette hesitated with momentary confusion before stepping past her Head of House and into his study.
"That's not going to help dispel the rumour," Adrian muttered behind her.
"Shut up, Pucey!" Marcus hissed.
Snape ignored the two boys shutting the door on them and coming around to sit at his desk facing the girl who had already taken the chair on the other side.
"What has happened, sir?" she asked breaking the silence.
Snape gazed back at her, his expression still unreadable, "I understand you lost house points today."
"Are you going to write and tell my parents?" Lynette murmured, a familiar feeling of guilt slipping over her, the idea that somehow she had shamed the family name by a lapse in proper behaviour.
"For losing five points?" Snape asked raising an eyebrow, "Lynette, if I wrote to the families of every student who was heard swearing since the start of term the school's owls would have expired weeks ago."
Lynette's brow furrowed in confusion, "Then why am I here, sir? I've never lost house points before."
"Exactly...I am curious to know what caused you to lose your normally impeccable poise so spectacularly."
Lynette flushed, "It wasn't that spectacular, I just swore at Pansy."
"I am aware of what you said, I already asked Miss Blishwick to enlighten me when she came to see me earlier, she was also surprised and concerned by your uncharacteristic behaviour."
Lynette grew redder still, "I didn't like the way Pansy was talking about Professor Hagrid."
"Professor...Hagrid?" Snape asked looking back at her meaningfully.
"Yes."
"I was under the impression that it was the turn of conversation towards another party that caused your outburst," replied Snape coolly.
"No," Lynette stated, raising her chin and gazing blankly back at him, the way she had been taught.
"Blink once, Lynette, but no more, if you blink too much they will know you are lying and if you don't blink at all they will suspect, now show me!" Her father's instructions came back to her. Of course, he'd been teaching her how to fool the Ministry officials who had questioned the family after Gaheris' arrest but it had served her well on many occasions since.
Snape sighed, his dark eyes still fixed on her, "Very well, you may go," he intoned.
She exited the office, somewhat mystified and unsettled by Snape's line of questioning - did he suspect she had feelings for Professor Lupin? and if so, was it not somewhat beneath him to care about something so ridiculous as a schoolgirl crush?
"Where's Adrian?" she asked finding Marcus waiting for her alone.
Marcus grinned, "He lost a bet to me last week and I called in my winnings, which was for him to piss off."
"Why did you want him to leave?"
"Because I wanted to spend time alone with my future wife."
She tutted and rolled her eyes.
"What? We'd be good together, Travers," declared Marcus, "I'd be very nice to you, why are you so resistant to my charms? You waiting for Draco?"
"Merlin, no!" Lynette replied in disgust, "why would you think that?"
"I heard about you stroking his arm in the hospital wing and you said something very shocking to his girlfriend."
Lynette glanced at Snape's door hoping that their voices weren't carrying through to the other side, "I don't like her and I was trying to annoy her... not very nice I know."
"Wow, Travers, how devious and naughty of you," teased Marcus, "and I thought you were such a good girl!"
She grimaced at him and moved off, suddenly anxious to get out of the potential hearing range of their Head of House.
Marcus fell into step beside her, "The Hogsmeade weekend is coming up."
"I'm aware."
"Will you go with me, I'll take you for tea in Madam Puddifoot's... you owe me, Travers."
"For what?!" she asked in bewilderment.
"Fondling another boy's arm and the rumour going around that you fancy Snape, totally embarrassing for me!"
Lynette came to a stop outside the common room entrance wall and glared at him, "I already explained about Draco and I don't fancy Professor Snape! And furthermore, I don't owe you anything, Marcus, we are not a couple!"
"Calm down! I was joking...I'm sorry, just come with me anyway," Marcus wheedled, "I promise I'll behave and it will shut up the ones teasing you if we are seen there together."
"I'll think about it," she conceded with a sigh,
He grinned widely, "You know it makes sense! I've got to get to Quidditch practice, I'll see you later."
She nodded and watched him saunter away. He was right she supposed, it would put a stop to the rumours and yet she'd planned to stay at the school instead of going to Hogsmeade, it was guaranteed to be quiet which would give her time to be alone and daydream, an opportunity far too rare in Hogwarts.
With another sigh, she turned to the entrance, "Pantherophis," she murmured stepping through the wall as it gave way.