Chapter 36: The one where I become Bane.

Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.

Chapter 35

"It's in two days Ky! Two days, 48 hours, 2880 minutes…well not exactly, it starts at 8pm and its 9 now so, oh gosh Ky its less than two days!"

I washed my hands off the Sleekeazy's Hair potion and looked at Mi through the cracked mirror. She was pitching the same argument that she had been pitching for days, the only thing that I got from it though is that Mi can multiply by 60 easily.

"Mi it's just not my thing. I don't know how to dance, and I loathe dressing up. You know I bet I could come up with a more long-lasting version of this Sleekeazy potion." I sniffed at my hands, "I can smell Moly…I bet if I swapped it with a diluted Alihotsy-"

"You don't have to dance, and you don't have to dress up. Well don't wear jeans, but I have a dress that is simple, and you can alter it and you'll look amazing in it. You'll be the only fourth year not there. Just take up Ron-"

"For the last time, I am not going with Ron."

I gave her a look that meant this was not up for discussion. She can't blame me, after what Harry said, or should I say what Harry didn't say to Ginny. Going with Ron means having to be in the presence of Harry and that goes against all my wishes at the present time. Plus, I knew Mi wanted Ron to ask her ever since this blasted Ball came up, but of course Ron was clueless. I was seconds away from grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and pushing his face into the facts he was just not seeing…then I remembered that I should be the last person giving any sort of romantic advice.

I wiped my hands and turned around, giving her a sceptical look. She got off the stool we had conjured for this experiment session. Mi wanted to have a 'run through' with her hairstyle for the ball and didn't want the other girls to judge her if it was a flop, so that's how we ended up in the second-floor girls' bathroom which belonged to Moaning Myrtle, who thankfully seemed to be haunting elsewhere. Mi sighed,

"Fine, I know that whole 'you'll be the only one not there' argument is quite null and void…the truth is...I'm scared…everybody is going to gossip and whisper when I walk in with Viktor, and I've never been on a date before and what if everything goes wrong! I mean look at me…I'm not a model! Do you know he dated one back home, Dilyana Popova, she's probably twice my height, half my weight and-"

"-a brain capacity one millionth your size. Let's not forget your personality which is equivalent to hers to the power of eleventy billion."

"You haven't met her to know that… she could be lovely."

"Neither have you, she could be one of those big models for fat feeder fetishes, or a ramp model who is practically a walking hanger. But I do know you. Look Mi, for somebody so incredibly intelligent you can be a total airhead when it comes to your own self-worth. This school may look at you and see Hermione Granger, brainiac with a tendency of shouting, 'free the elves, join SPEW' in random corridors. But this school also thinks that Anna what's-her-face is pregnant with Christopher-whatever-his-name's baby and they've both eloped to America. Whilst I'm pretty sure they don't even know each other considering she's a fifth year Puff and he was a seventh year Claw and their families both relocated to places nowhere near America. They'll gossip about anything. I know you; you're caring to the point of crazy, smart to the point of brilliance and loyal to the point…to the point that almost moved me to tears. Almost."

She smiled, knowing that I was talking about what happened in the corridor the other day. "And Sleekeazy potion or not, you look beautiful. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your friend, I am skilled in the art of woman rating, schooled by the two grand masters themselves."

She touched her hair quietly and looked contemplatively at the mirror, "I must say, we did well on this charm."

I rolled my eyes; of course, she would ignore all the compliments. "Well, it's expected…it was performed by us. So, are you satisfied? Can we get out of here, this bathroom gives me the creeps and I have to head for my detention. And apparently see Zio Fil about alteration charms."

She turned around with a blinding smile on her face, gave out a very un-Mi like squeal and engulfed me in a hug, "Oh Ky, that's great, I'm sure I can ask Viktor tomorrow to see if one of his friends are-"

"Woah, impediment the freak up. I am only coming so I can be there if your date goes south, and you need me to disfigure Krum's already less than perfect nose. There will be no dates, no dancing and definitely no dancing with Durmstrang dates."

"Still…thanks Ky…this really means-"

"Yes, I know, I am the best. No arguments there."

We walked to the end of the corridor, and she stopped. I looked at her and tried to work out what her flustered look meant, and then I saw it…Cedric stepping out of a portrait holding Chang's hand like a dog on a leash. She blushed at us as he muttered the password to close the entrance to wherever they had come from. He turned and our eyes met for a second, he quickly moved along though, tugging the blushing bitch with him. Fine…I had a slight case of sour grapes, I'm only human. I turned to walk but Mi stopped me,

"Godric, Ky I completely forgot. I'm such a horrid friend. You don't have to come to the ball. I'll be fine on my own. Oh, heavens I'm so-"

"Shush Mi. You're not horrible, just neurotic, but that's fine, it's part of your charm. Don't worry about that, I'm fine."

I turned and started walking to the staircase. Well Cedric must have really liked me; it took him all but a few days to transfer his affection to a better model. I was right for not sacrificing a friendship for a romantic relationship. Even if said friendship was one huge farce. At least Harry was trying to make amends; he sought me out straight after the whole ordeal and explained he did trust me and that he was just trying to placate Ginny. I told him it was OK and that I believed him. Of course, I didn't, but I wasn't going to fall to pieces over a boy.

Not again.

I think Harry realised that I didn't believe him, considering I started spending time with the twins more than them. He didn't mention it though, and our relationship regressed to one of polite greetings in the morning. Cedric didn't even have the decency to let me know that he asked Chang to the Ball, just as a courtesy considering we were friends before we were…whatever we were. I had to find out from Mi.

I looked at her, "Well I better go down for detention. Sev adds an hour to every minute I'm late. He's trying to teach me punctuality. Not enough hours in the day to implement the skill using his logic though. See you later."

She nodded sadly at me and ascended the stairs as I turned and walked down to the dungeons.

"I can't believe you're making me do this. Again."

"Well, you and Mr Malfoy made a bigger mess than the original, you two will have this room sorted out or I'll make you stay the holidays."

"I am staying over the holidays Sensei. Ugh this isn't fair. Do you not remember the Lamian Leave sap I gave to you the other day?"

His black eyes softened slightly, "I do. And do you remember what I told you. No more potion making until you've served all your detentions. You get more than those red-haired devil twins; I don't know why you have to be such a Gryffindor about things."

"He called Mi a mudblood and he tried hitting her with a tripping jinx at the top of the seventh-floor staircase!"

"That does not give you the right to disfigure Blishwick's face with a jinx that not even Madam Pomfrey knew how to undo. We had to send him to St Mungo's. Do you know how much paperwork and arse kissing I had to do to make sure the Blishwick's didn't push for your expulsion! You should have reported the incident to a teacher, when things like that happen, come to me. Don't act like an oaf."

"Yes, because you always are so keen on disciplining your precious Slytherin's. Don't think I have forgotten about that whole Mi's teeth fiasco."

"It really didn't look different to me." He didn't even look up when he said it, scribbling on some parchment. The events of the past few days seemed to have grouped up and pushed me over the edge.

"Of course, it didn't because you're always taking those insipid psychopaths' side! You know Harry was telling the truth, Malfoy really did call her a mudblood! In front of everybody! If Ron didn't hold me back, I would have done more than just disfigure his face! The whole lot of them need to learn that their no better than the shit of the flies that sit on the shit that comes out a mad cow's arse! And you! You're the worse-"

"Fifty points from Gryffindor and five more detentions Miss Thornton. Please don't confuse my leniency at our witty banter for an invitation to insult my students. Would you speak about the Ravenclaws like that to Flitwick. Would you? You have no respect, and your attitude is not only deplorable, but it disappoints me. Go, serve your detention, and do not forget who I am."

I looked at his steely black eyes for a moment, then turned around and ran out of the room. I felt the wetness on my shirt before I felt it on my face.

He was right. I wasn't some special case. I was a student that he spent a lot of time with because I kept getting detention. He didn't choose to spend time with me. All this time I was being a fool, hoping that I could melt his cold heart and hoping that he would be something I always wanted. A paternal figure of some sort. No matter how dysfunctional our relationship was, I always hoped he was voluntarily in it.

Even if he moaned and groaned about it, I thought it was because he just was insecure to come out and say, 'I did this because I wanted to, not because your grandfather writes my paycheck.'

He took all those pompous asses' sides, not mine…Cedric and Cho…Harry took Ginny's side. It can't be them…it must be me. I was like poison; I was literally Bane. I screwed up things with Cedric for a friendship with Harry that wasn't even real. And Sev…Snape…I miss Linus and I miss Lenzo. I wiped my eyes roughly as I heard footsteps approach and didn't bother even looking up when I was doused in a dark shadow, knowing the scent to belong to only one person.

A/N: This is definitely not Ky's week. She definitely overreacted but it's been a hellish time, and I wanted to acknowledge that she is not completely blind to the fact that Snape condones prejudice towards Hermione. What do you think about his reaction to her ?

Kalina