In which spite plays a strong factor in the relationship. Happy Fourth of July!
When Vil heard a light tapping on the window, he did not expect an absolutely gorgeous snowy owl there with a letter. The only wizard he was even remotely had contact with was a cousin he wasn't particularly fond of, and that idiot had no reason to send him a letter. Besides, that didn't look like the owl they used.
Vil cautiously opened it, cast a spell for security reasons, and accepted the letter. The owl was not only beautiful (which appealed to him greatly), but remarkably well behaved. She had a regal aura that appealed to him greatly.
Unfurling the letter, Vil skimmed the contents and barely kept from snorting in dark amusement.
It seemed someone who openly disliked his idiot cousin had learned of his existence and that he was the other bane of that fool's life, and wanted some ammunition to make the spoiled brat miserable.
Well, the idea amused him, so he pulled out a clean piece of paper and began writing a response.
The owl patiently waited for him to finish and was rather polite about letting him tie the response onto their claws.
"What a polite bird," mused Vil.
He was pleasantly surprised when the owl returned a few weeks later, with a much longer letter.
Well, it seemed he had accidentally acquired a penpal who was all too happy to make his cousin's life miserable. Who was he to pass up on some petty revenge on that spoiled ponce?
In Hogwarts...
Regina wanted to giggle at some of the things Draco's cousin (on his dad's side, oddly enough) had to say about the ponce. While she had her own ammunition against the jerk, the second she found out he had a cousin via his father that he greatly disliked for being quote "prettier" than him and generally more popular, she had to send them a letter.
Vil, as it turned out, was all too happy to make Draco miserable and had all sorts of things she could use against him. Things only family would know or close friends.
For example, she didn't know Draco had a deep dislike of certain fish after an incident where another of their cousins had pushed him into a pond and he was given a black eye when he was eight by one of the pond's inhabitants.
Dobby was all too happy to insure his former master's son was served that exact fish, complete with eyeballs...by making everyone in Slytherin suffer with him.
Vil certainly appreciated the blackmail photos she happily shared with him against Draco.
"Enjoying your new pen pal?" said Hermione.
Draco certainly wasn't which was fine by the trio.
"He made a polite request that I send a picture so he knew what I looked like," said Regina.
"Is that why you asked Colin to take that photo last week?" asked Ron.
"Well Vil is far more polite than Draco ever was, so I didn't see why not. He did request that it not move though," said Regina.
Something about their letters made Regina want to give a good first impression, so she had fixed up her hair properly rather than let it stay in a messy ponytail and wore her better outfit. She also made a point to cover her scar, as she hated it.
Hedwig certainly appreciated the work out. A few days later, she got a reply.
She brightened up, as Vil was a far more interesting conversationalist than half her classmates were on a good day. Ron certainly couldn't fault her for sending him letters, not when he provided absolute gold against Malfoy that made his life miserable.
Regina had to blink when she read certain parts of the letter. Hermione, once Regina allowed her to borrow it, had to snort.
"Vil sounds like a bigger fashionista than Lavender or Parvati."
That caught the attention of said Gryffindors.
"What's that about fashionistas?" asked Lavender.
"My new pen pal had a few things to comment about the picture I sent him," said Regina.
Parvati thought about how to phrase this, before finally settling on "Well he's not wrong. To be fair, neither of you really take much of an interest in make-up or fashion."
"So who is it you've been writing to lately?" asked Lavender.
"His name is Vil. He's Malfoy's cousin on his father's side and he agrees that Draco is an utter ponce who needs to be knocked down several pegs," said Regina.
Neville frowned at that.
"Are you sure he's not using you to knock Malfoy's position as heir down?" he asked.
"Say what now?" said Hermione.
"If Draco is humiliated to the point it affects the reputation of the family as a whole, his cousin could potentially use that as a way to steal the position of heir away from him. He'd still be a Malfoy, but he wouldn't have nearly as much power as he does now," clarified Neville.
Regina...was already getting some parchment and taking notes.
"Care to elaborate?" she asked cheerfully.
To be fair, no one in Gryffindor liked Draco. Neville didn't even have to think twice before giving her a list of examples, and he knew the bare minimum because of his family and how they treated him. The only reason he was still the heir was due to his age and the fact that all other contenders were far too young.
When Hedwig returned, Regina waited a few days for her to recover before sending a rather...interesting...letter to Vil.
Vil looked at the letter, an odd expression on his face. While he had mostly replied to the letter because he disliked Draco immensely, it hadn't occurred to him that she was in the unique position to potentially cause Draco to lose his position as the Malfoy heir. And now that it had been brought to his attention, he found the idea very appealing.
The only reason Draco was the heir at all at this point was due to his father's machinations. His own personal reputation was doing the family zero favors, and honestly if the right push were given it would be child's play to become the next head.
Would serve those puffed up ponces right for dismissing him because of his hobbies.
He could only smirk as he read the rather amusing sentence that she would happily take 'suggestions' if it meant dropping Draco's reputation down several pegs to the point Vil could become heir.
It was amazing what one could accomplish if you had enough spite for someone.
Vil began writing down a list of suggestions and happily fed the polite owl...Hedwig, as it turned out...before the bird flew off. He would have to talk to Sam about acquiring a two-way diary or a set of mirrors...it would be fun to hear about the results in real time, as Hogwarts sadly didn't have cell reception.
Back at Hogwarts...
Regina honestly wanted to kiss Vil. His suggestions were downright evil and her Marauder side was happily implementing them for maximum effect. Best of all, regardless of how much Draco complained he couldn't honestly prove the accidents were deliberate because there was no way Snape would take his 'complaints' about the matter seriously when they looked like accidents. Draco had complained about her for years, and by this point most people dismissed it out of hand.
Honestly, compared to that whatever Dumbledore was insisting was important sounded boring. Especially if she had to learn more about Voldemort as a bratty teenager.
Seeing Hedwig fly her way, she took the letter and skimmed it.
"Hmm...something rare enough that he can use it to make a potion that Draco wouldn't have the skill level for, but also rare enough that most people wouldn't have the chance to brew it without spending serious money..."
She didn't even have to think twice, but first went to make sure she was suitably equipped for what she had planned.
Two weeks later, Vil sent a letter profusely thanking her for the rather impressive fang she had sent...and for the considerate warning that he wear gloves before handling it. It wasn't just anyone who would hand over a thousand-year-old basilisk fang complete with venom sack. Or enough hide that one could make a proper battle armor out of it.
The gift created enough favor that Vil was planning a surprise for Christmas. What it was, she wasn't sure, but she knew it would drive Draco insane.
Regina was in Hogsmeade when she saw Hedwig flying her way. She frowned, because she had wondered where her owl was as she was overdue with one of Vil's replies.
"Hedwig! You certainly took time coming back," said Regina.
"That would be my fault," said a cultured voice. "I wanted to be sure I found you before that idiot cousin of mine learns I'm here."
Regina's eyes widened, as she turned. There, standing smugly but radiating the sort of beauty Draco only wished he could pull off considering the amount of hair product he used, was the most beautiful male she had ever met in her life.
His make-up was perfect and highlighted his natural features, not a single strand of his pale blond hair was out of place and she idly noted the purple accents at the tips. It was done up in an elegant braid that only accentuated his features. He wore an fashionable, but warm set of robes that only emphasized his natural physique and showed off his model-like figure. He was tan, but not to the point that it looked unhealthy.
Regina could see the resemblance the male had towards Draco and Lucius...and yet at the same time he had the sort of noble grace they only wished they could pull off.
"...Are you Vil?" she asked cautiously.
"I am. My name is Vil Schoenheit," he replied, then he took her hand in a gentlemanly manner and lightly kissed the top of it. She blushed bright red, because no one had ever done that before. "And may I say it's a pleasure to finally meet your properly, even if I still don't know your name."
Regina thought back to all those ridiculous shows Petunia watched and did her best to curtsy.
"Regina Potter. Sorry if I never told you my name, but considering the number of idiots I have had to deal with since being brought back to the magical world, I didn't want to ruin the fun I was having making that idiot miserable."
Vil's smile was full of wickedness. It made her heart flop.
"Oh believe me, I understand completely. I have to deal with that nonsense regularly and it's not just because my father produces the magical equivalent of movies," he replied. "That being said I do find it somewhat amusing that his cousin from Narcissa's side is the one who's setting him up for a fall."
Regina laughed at that.
"I honestly prefer not to think about that...being related to him is horrible enough," she replied.
"Agreed," said Vil.
"So what brought you here to England?"
"I wanted to personally thank you for the basilisk parts, especially the venom. But mostly I wanted to see if you were willing to push that fool even further into an incoherent rage because you're one-upping him."
Regina's eyes gleamed at that.
"I'm all ears," she said wickedly, and Vil's smirk only deepened.
Elsewhere in Hogsmeade...
Lavender and Parvati were having tea at Madam Puddlefoot's when they saw...him.
It took them several moments to register who he was heading towards and amicably talking to, before it suddenly clicked in Lavender's head and her jaw dropped.
"Oh my Merlin... the guy Regina's been chatting with for months to make Draco's life hell was him?" said Lavender, drooling.
Parvati's eyes landed on him as well and her jaw was on the floor.
"We have got to get his autograph," said Parvati after she recovered. Lavender nodded profusely.
Who would have expected that the 'Queen' of the magical fashion industry, Vil Schoenheit, was the guy Potter had been talking to this entire time? Suddenly Draco's knowledge of beauty potions made entirely too much sense.
Their suspicions on who Regina was talking to was all but confirmed when she came back from Hogsmeade with new clothes and armed with some quality make-up. Lavender and Parvati were all too happy to assist her in the long overdue make-over, especially if it meant possibly coming into contact with him. If he approved of their work, then their names were sure to reach higher places than they could have even dreamed of.
