Dark Drama and Discussions

It was early in the morning and breakfast was just starting as you made your way back from the Owlery after sending Iago off with your order from the catalog that you had received last week. You still had a month until the winter holidays but it always helped to be prepared when it came to holiday shopping. This way there was less of a chance that the shops would run out of the items you selected since there was more time for the vendors to acquire them.

It was the final weekend in November and the cold of the Scottish highlands had now fully set in. You were bundled up in your cloak and had your green and silver Slytherin scarf wrapped around your neck. But that wasn’t the only thing around your neck, you also had your Omnioculars because later on the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Quidditch teams would face off on the Quidditch Pitch in the second match of the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup.

You made your way by the swinging pendulum as you entered the Clocktower Courtyard. It appeared to be empty as you bore left to go around the fountain and enter the castle again.

But suddenly Tracey Davis came around the corner going in the opposite direction. She yelped in surprise and nearly jumped backward. She looked like hadn’t expected to run into you - almost literally in that regard.

“Morning, Davis,” you greeted her. Like you, she was bundled up in her cloak and scarf. And as had become the norm, she was still wearing her somewhat new glasses.

“Gaunt,” she quietly replied.

Millicent had bought you a brief reprieve when she ruined Daphne and Tracey’s obvious observation experiment in the library. But by Monday they had gotten over whatever doubts that Millicent had unknowingly planted in their heads and were back to tailing you. To their credit, they were much more subtle about it than they were that first day. Initially, you hadn’t even noticed since you shared the same class schedule. But there were only so many times you could leave your room and find them both already seated in the common room in chairs that ‘coincidentally’ gave them a view of your door before you caught on. It never failed that when you left the Great Hall after dinner for the library - Daphne and Tracey would show up a few minutes later and either claim a table that also ‘coincidentally’ gave them a view of you, or - in cases where there wasn’t a free table - they’d take forever looking through a shelf for an elusive book that also ‘conveniently’ offered them a view of your table.

You weren’t sure what they were expecting to see. It wasn’t like you went around using your serpent’s gaze compulsion on everyone you saw. It seemed like a rare gift and you tried to keep it hidden lest students start thinking of you as a ‘Dark Wizard’. That was the infamous Gaunt Family reputation that you were trying to step away from. You’d been reckless using it three times on Daphne and Tracey which was why you were in this mess in the first place. That wasn’t a mistake you were keen on repeating.

So since the two girls had been basically stalking you all week, you weren’t overly surprised that Tracey had caught you coming back from the Owlery. But what was odd was that Daphne wasn’t at her friend’s side. That immediately put you on guard.

“Where’s your other half?” you inquired. “I can count the number of times I’ve seen you without Daphne on one hand and still have a couple of fingers left over.”

“Daphne said I could borrow her owl to send a letter,” Tracey replied as she bullet a parchment envelope out from her winter cloak. “She’s saving me a seat at breakfast.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you,” you prompted as you stepped aside and motioned her passed you.

Tracey started to walk by and you heard her mutter something almost under her breath, “Don’t ask about my knickers…”

“What?” you blurted out.

“What?” Tracey immediately repeated as she whirled around and stopped in place.

You remembered their obvious baiting from a week ago. ‘Knickers’ seemed to be the keyword where Daphne and Tracey’s investigation was concerned. So you were put even further on guard by Tracey saying it again. You were about seventy-five percent sure that this was some kind of trap but since this was a change of pace from the week of stalking you decide to play along and see where this was going. “What did you just say?”

Tracey looked down, “I said ‘please don’t ask about my knickers’…”

“Why would I ask about your knickers?” you asked.

“I don’t know!” Tracey exclaimed. “It’s not like I expected you to burst into my bedroom!”

“Okay, first of all,” you responded, “I wasn’t even thinking about your knickers until you brought them up. And second, I didn’t burst into your room. Daphne dragged me inside by the arm. Just like you did a week later.” You waited for a beat and then pressed on the attack, “And speaking of Daphne, did she put you up to this?”

You cast a quick glance around the empty courtyard but didn’t see Daphne anywhere. However, this was still feeling more and more like an arranged confrontation so you suspected that the dark-haired girl was watching from somewhere nearby.

“I’m not up to anything,” Tracey insisted. “You’re the one with a growing collection of girls’ underwear. How many do you have now? I know the answer’s at least four. I think I have a right to be concerned.” Granger’s were the only ones she didn’t know about. That made five.

Hmm… if this was a trap, then Tracey probably wouldn’t let you leave. You decided to test that.

“Well, you can relax, Davis,” you replied. “I have no interest in your knickers.” You slowly turned away from her and began to continue on your previous path back into the castle.

“It’s just that they’re really embarrassing!” Tracey called after you. “I’d die if anyone saw them.”

Yeah. This was definitely a trap. But you were getting a little tired of the two girls constantly following you around so you decided to see what you could do to get them to back off.

You stopped and turned around, “Now why in the world would you actually admit that your knickers are embarrassing? And on that same line of thought, if they’re embarrassing then why even wear them?”

“Well… they’re embarrassing but they’re still my favorite,” Tracey admitted, “I don’t want you to see them or take them away from me.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s actually the case,” you said as you walked up to Tracey.

A sudden thought occurred to you. Last week at breakfast Daphne hadn’t been able to tell Pansy why she traded you her knickers. That meant she was still under your compulsion not to tell anyone - other than Tracey - what she had learned in your room. And if Daphne was still under her compulsion, that meant Tracey was likely still under hers too.

You weren’t exactly the tallest of the Slytherin first years. Gregory and Millicent were the tallest. Theodore was thin and stringy which gave him about a half an inch on you in height. You were slightly taller than Blaise and Draco while Vincent was more girth than height. Daphne was the tallest of the three remaining girls with Pansy behind her and Tracey left as the shortest first year Slytherins. That meant you had about two inches on the blonde half-blood and that became even more apparent as you stepped closer to her.

“You know,” you remarked, “when it comes to Slytherins - you can never really tell if they’re being honest. Almost anything they say can be a half-truth or an outright lie. But I’ve just realized that you probably are telling the truth about wearing embarrassing knickers. But despite them being embarrassing… you’re still out here offering them up as bait... all because Daphne asked you to. Because you don’t mind exposing yourself if it’s for her benefit, isn’t that right?”

Tracey’s cheeks flushed as she pointedly looked away from you as the familiar wording of the compulsion you’d used on her back at the beginning of the month rang in her ears.

Perfect. She was looking away. No, wait, you could do one better. You turned around and clasped your hands behind your head as you let out a sigh of exasperation while facing away from Tracey.

“Good grief. Why don’t you do us all a favor and just hand over your knickers? You don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be here either. But we both know that this annoying investigation of yours isn’t going to be dropped until Daphne’s satisfied. So, for her sake, why don’t you just give me your knickers so we can all move on with our lives?”

“You don’t mind exposing yourself if it’s for Daphne’s benefit.”

“Okay.”

You grinned and had to resist laughing knowing that you just turned Daphne’s investigation on its head. You turned around and watched as Tracey pulled her cloak open and hiked up her skirt. You caught a glimpse of teal green before she yanked her knickers down her legs which caused her skirt to drop down again. Tracey stepped out of her underwear and picked them up then shakily held them out to you.

Now, what was so embarrassing about these knickers? They were a combination of teal and light green and were decorated with simple orange flowers. In the middle over the crotch was a blue diamond with a gold outline and gold letters ‘SD’. Jinkies! This explained why the half-blood girl was so willing to go along with Daphne’s mystery obsession.

“GAUNT!” Speak of the devil. Daphne suddenly popped out from behind a column where she’d been using some decorative plants as cover and stormed over to you. “What did you do!?”

“Good morning, Daphne… what a surprise to see you here,” you dead-panned.

“Don’t play dumb!” Daphne demanded before she jabbed her finger at the knickers in your hand. “What did you do!? You weren't even looking at her! How did you get those!?”

“I have no earthly idea what you’re talking about,” you lied. “It’s called logic and reason, Daphne. Using that a person can be very persuasive. It was obvious that you put her up to this and weren’t going to let it drop until I had knickers in my hand… Tracey agreed to speed up the process so we can all move on with our lives.” You grinned cheekily and tossed Tracey’s embarrassing Scooby-Doo knickers to Daphne.

“...” Daphne caught them and silently glared at you.

“Now, if we’re done here,” you resolved, “There’s a Quidditch match today and I have things to do before it starts. Why don’t you do us all a favor, Daphne, and regroup with Velma here so you two meddling kids can investigate some other mystery?”

“EEP!” Tracey let out a squeak and her face went bright red. Amusing. Your compulsion made it so she hadn’t been embarrassed by giving you her embarrassing knickers… however, she was embarrassed that you actually recognised that they were Scooby-Doo knickers. “How did--”

“Later, ladies!” you called out with a jaunty wave as you left the courtyard. You were just able to hear Daphne calling you an interesting combination of distinctly unladylike swear words as you rounded the corner and headed back into the castle.

You made it to the Great Hall and noticed that the student body had begun to gather. The other Slytherin first years were sitting at the far end of the Slytherin table near the Head Table. But midway down the table, you saw Gemma Farley sitting with her two fifth year friends Lysandra Yaxley and Evanora Rowle. The pretty auburn-haired seventeen-year-old and her friends had been very informative about the older Quidditch players during the last match and you hoped to get their insight while you were scouting the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams.

A quick finger comb through your hair and a deep calming breath later, you found yourself standing beside the Perfect Prefect midway down the Slytherin table. “Er… morning ladies! Excited for the Quidditch match?”

“Not particularly,” Lysandra was the first to respond. “The Slytherin vs Gryffindor match is the most volatile match of the year. But because of that the following Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff match almost always seems lackluster in comparison.”

“I’m rooting for Ravenclaw,” Gemma admitted as she turned her blue eyes towards you, “but that’s mainly because I enjoy seeing the Hufflepuffs lose.”

“Oh, do you have something against them?” you inquired.

“Not the whole team,” Evanora informed you. “It’s more like she’s got a vendetta against one of the Hufflepuff Chasers.”

“Oh,” you said. This wasn’t the direction you thought the conversation would go following what you thought was an innocent conversation starter. “Well, you clearly know those teams better than I do and that’s actually what I came here to talk to you about. I need to scout those teams for next year and was hoping you three could help me like you did for the last match.”

“Are you heading to the pitch early?” Gemma asked.

“Yeah,” you confirmed. “I’ll head out to the pitch with the other first years once we finish breakfast.”

Gemma nodded, “Save us three seats in the front of the same Slytherin section from last time and we’ll come and join you.”

“Okay, thanks,” you quickly replied. You hurried off and heard the distinct sound of older girls giggling as you left.

You found Draco, Pansy, Millicent, Blaise, Theodore, Vincent, and Gregory all sitting together at the end of the Slytherin table.

“There he is!” Millicent called out when she spotted you. She had saved you a seat which you quickly slipped into. You removed your cloak and laid it on the bench between you then began serving yourself breakfast from the plates on the table.

“I saw that, Marvolo,” Pansy teased you. “Stopping off to see your girlfriend?”

“She agreed to come and sit with us during the match if I save a seat at the front of the stands for her and her friends,” you explained.

“Why would you bother doing that?” Draco asked. “If they care that much about sitting in the front then they can get their early and claim those seats for themselves.”

“Quite the gentleman you are,” you remarked. “You weren’t there last time, Draco, but Gemma and her friends had a lot of insight about the older Gryffindor players. There are no first years on the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff team which means they consist entirely of older students. I think the best strategy is to learn about them from the students who have seen them play. Bring your fancy Omnioculars and you and I can both do some serious scouting for next year.”

“I still don’t see the point,” Draco insisted. “What would your prefect crush know that Flint and the other Slytherin players wouldn’t?”

You knew better than to publicly insult Marcus Flint’s intelligence. If word of it somehow got back to him, you’d NEVER get to play Keeper for Slytherin while he was still at school. So you settled for a neutral defense of Gemma. “You’d be surprised how much Gemma knows about Quidditch. She's a really good flyer and I guess there’s something to be gained from an outsider’s perspective.”

“Do what you want,” Draco stated with a dismissive shake of his head. “I’m not going out there extra early just so you can save seats for some fifth years.”

“Well, I think it’ll be worth it,” you resolved. “And if you don’t take too long getting out there maybe I’ll be able to save you a seat too. But if I have to choose between saving a seat for you or the three of them - it’s going to be them since it isn’t your perspective that I’m interested in.”

Your section of the table went quiet. You and Draco had had a number of disagreements over the last few months. When the two of you couldn’t see eye-to-eye on something, that usually meant you split the group so you could both do what you wanted which left the rest of the Slytherin first years to pick sides.

“Hey, Marvolo,” Pansy spoke up to break the silence, “Did you see Daphne and Tracey on your way back from the Owlery?” She probably noticed that there weren’t enough people present to give Draco a clear majority.

“Yes, we crossed paths in the Clocktower Courtyard,” you replied. “Tracey said she had to send a letter and was borrowing Daphne’s owl.”

“I see,” she said simply. The eight of you settled in and had a mostly silent breakfast. Daphne and Tracey never showed up. You weren’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Either you had finally gotten rid of them or Daphne had already come up with a new theory about your abilities and had dragged Tracey off to the library to research it.

Once you were done with your meal and saw that the others - aside from Crabbe and Goyle - were finished too, you stood up and donned your cloak again.

“Well, I’m off to the pitch,” you prompted, “Anyone want to come with?”

“I’ll come with you, Marvolo,” your best friend dutifully agreed, once again earning the ‘one in a million’ nickname you’d given her. "But I need to stop off at the common room first to get my cloak."

“I’ll go too,” Blaise said as he stood up. Draco shot him an annoyed look. “What? Gaunt knows how to treat a lady. Mother would be pleased.”

“Er… right… that’s nice,” you remarked. To be perfectly honest, Circe Zabini kind of terrified you.

And then you settled your eyes on Theodore Nott. Three months into the school year and you still had yet to hear the near-silent boy utter anything that wasn’t a quiet incantation for the spell you were learning in class. Back in September, when the professors still called on him, he’d simply sit there silently and refuse to answer which would effectively drag the lesson to a screeching halt. He’d lost fifteen points during that first month but it had seemingly been worth it because the professors had given up calling on him. It wasn’t like he was a bad student. Quite the opposite, he was incredibly studious and an avid reader. He was always paying attention in class, he completed all his assignments, and - from what you had seen - he got decent marks on his exams. He simply refused to speak beyond what was absolutely necessary for casting spells. You still weren’t exactly sure why he didn’t like talking and Theodore obviously wasn’t going to come out and explain it. Even Daphne had given up on that particular mystery. Or maybe she moved on because you seemed like a more tempting one?

“You can bring a book if you like,” you suggested to the silent boy. “Since this isn’t a Slytherin match, none of us will be offended if you spend the whole time reading. But there are only six Quidditch matches a year. They’re not exactly something you’ll want to miss.”

“...” Theodore nodded thoughtfully then gave a casual shrug as if to say, ‘Sure, why not’.

That was the one thing you had discovered about Nott over the last few months. He had a highly logical mind and, unlike Draco who was as stubborn as a mule, he could be reasoned with.

You departed from the Slytherin table with Millicent, Blaise, and Theodore in tow. Draco was left with Pansy, Vincent, and Gregory. That made it a fifty-fifty split which was probably the best you could’ve hoped for.

After a quick detour at the Slytherin common room where the others grabbed their cloaks, and in Theodore’s case - his book, the four of you made your way out onto the castle grounds and headed for the Quidditch pitch. As expected, you were some of the first students to arrive in the stands so you had no problem claiming the front row in the Slytherin section you’d sat in earlier that month.

You had watched the saved scenes of Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Hermione Granger giving you her knickers one last time the night before and were now prepared to replace them with scenes of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff players in today’s match. You scanned the stands with your magical binoculars and saw that there were about a dozen other early bird students. Amusingly, most of those ‘early birds’ were Ravenclaws who were obviously excited and couldn’t wait for their house’s first Quidditch match of the year. You spotted Michael Corner, Kevin Entwhistle and Lisa Turpin from your year in one of the Ravenclaw sections.

“It’s bloody cold out here,” Millicent complained as she rubbed her hands together. You grinned as you thought of the mittens you’d ordered for her. They weren’t just any mittens. They were white mittens designed to look like cat paws. Thus they were Mittens mittens. You also purchased a ‘matching’ black beanie with cat ears sewn onto it.

“Not that I’m admitting to anything,” you informed her, “But if you can hold out for another month, you might get something that’ll make the cold easier to tolerate.”

“Huh?” Millicent asked.

“A month from now is Christmas,” Blaise stated. “I think Marvolo was just hinting at what he got you.”

“Oh,” Millicent said, “Er… thanks, Marvolo.”

“For what?” you responded curtly, “I specifically said that I wasn’t admitting to anything.” You searched for a convenient change of subject. “So… Theodore, what book did you bring?”

“...” He answered by lifting his book and showing you the cover which read. ‘Creating Life: Inanimate to Animate Transfiguration’. Your Transfiguration class had finally finished the lesson on transfiguring rodents to matchboxes. That was animate to inanimate Transfiguration. But it seemed that Nott already had his eye on the opposite type of Transfiguration, turning an inanimate object into a ‘living’ creature.

“Ah, I suppose that’s not a surprise,” you remarked.

Being the quiet studious boy that he was, Theodore Nott had remained at the top of the class in Transfiguration. He really seemed to have a knack for the branch of magic that relied the heaviest on focus and discipline and was the very first to transfigure his mouse into a matchbox. The fact that he almost always produced near-perfect Transfiguration was the only reason Professor McGonagall tolerated his insistent silence.

“Can I be honest for a moment, though?” you requested. “We’ve nearly finished our first term and I’m still struggling to see the practical use of the spells we’re learning. Why would I ever need to turn a match into a needle? And for that matter, what use is there for turning a mouse into a matchbox?”

“Well, you could stab someone with the needle,” Blaise suggested.

You rolled your eyes at the predictably morbid practical use he’d come up with. “Not much of a point to that. If I’ve already got my wand in my hand then why would I bother getting close and stabbing them when I could keep my distance and hit them with a Stinging Jinx instead?”

“...” Theodore held his hand out in front of him and slowly raised it up in the air.

“Er…” Blaise said after a moment, “I think what he’s trying to say is that we have to start simple before working our way up to the more complicated stuff. It’s like building a foundation.”

Nott gave a nod of confirmation then opened his book and pointed to something at the back.

“Inanimate to animate transfiguration can be used practically in a battle,” Zabini read from Nott's book. “You turn something nearby into an animal and that can either attack your opponent or defend you.”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be ages before we do something like that,” you argued. “Meanwhile, the Charms we’re learning in class now have loads of practical uses. And the reason I’m top of our year in Potions is because I have found practical uses for the healing potions we’re learning. Quirrell’s not a fantastic teacher but the spells we learn in Defense Against the Dark Arts could save your life one day.”

“Well, your lack of appreciation for the subject is probably why you’re struggling with it in class,” Blaise retorted. “You already know that Transfiguration relies heavily on discipline. Having a lack of patience isn’t going to help you.”

“Hmph, whatever,” you grunted. You didn’t exactly like discussing your short-comings. And Transfiguration definitely wasn’t one of your best subjects. Naturally, you were first in your year in Potions and you excelled in Charms as well. You’d found an appreciation for Herbology since many of the plants you used in that class were ingredients in the Potions you brewed. Professor Sinistra had just started a new unit on how the phases of the moon affect the brewing of potions so you were now paying much more attention in Astronomy.

But meanwhile, Professor Binns was still as dull as ever, even when discussing violent battles and bloody rebellions, so you were still relying on Crabbe and Goyle to get through that class. Professor Quirrell was so committed to convincing everyone that he was a stuttering buffoon that his class was considered a joke. You still applied yourself and focused as best as you could on his stutter-filled lectures in order to avoid bringing any extra attention from the terrifying two-faced man onto yourself. And then, of course, there was Transfiguration. You worked hard and completed all your assignments. But your building frustration with the class’ lack of practical progress was clearly having a negative impact on your performance.

“Hey, who won the Tornados vs Magpies match last week?” Millicent interjected. You knew that she didn’t like discussing academics and she seemed to sense that you didn’t like where the conversation was going so she’d been nice enough to offer up a new one.

“The Tornados won,” you informed her. “That brought them to the top of the League standings. They won the League last season thanks to their new Seeker Blythe Parkin and if she keeps up her momentum they’ll win it again this year. That woman is the breath of fresh air that the Tornados have been needing since Plumpton retired.”

“Oh, yeah, Blythe Parkin is smoking hot,” Blaise agreed.

“Yeah, she…” you trailed off as you processed what he said, “Wait a minute, by ‘smoking hot’ do you mean attractive or on a roll?”

“Both!” the usually morbid but thirteen-year-old boy happily replied. “If you want to know what to get me for Christmas, I’d be happy with a Blythe Parkin poster for my wall.”

“...” Theodore rolled his eyes and didn’t seem too thrilled with that idea.

“I’ll see what I can do,” you said. “From what I read, the Tornados ‘swept her up’ as a free agent right out of Hogwarts. She caused a ton of drama because everyone thought she’d join the Wigtown Wanderers like the rest of her family. She took a few years to adjust to playing on a professional level but now she’s led the Tornados to their first League Cup in years.”

Blaise nodded, “If she manages it again this season she’s a shoo-in to play Seeker for England in the next Quidditch World Cup.”

“Is that how it works?” Millicent inquired with a look of confusion. “The best players in the League get picked for the National Team?”

“Not exactly,” you said, “It has more to do with what part of the UK the player is from. You don’t have to be English to play on an English team in the League. But obviously, you do have to be English to represent England and play for the National Team. Blythe Parkin is actually the perfect example here. She was born in Scotland like the rest of the Parkins. But when she came to England to play for the Tornados, she didn’t just join the team instead she moved to England and became a full citizen. And since she’s never played for Scotland in a World Cup that means she's now eligible to play for England. And if she does that - she’ll be the first Parkin to ever do that. She’s forging her own legacy.”

That was what you were looking to do. You wanted to set yourself apart from the dark stigma of degenerate madness that your grandfather Morfin and your great grandfather Marvolo had created for the Gaunt Family and create your own legend. The less said about your infamous 'cousin' the better.

“You sound like a fan too,” Blaise commented, “I’ll tell you what, if you get me a Blythe Parkin poster for Christmas then I’ll get you one too.”

“You’ve got a deal,” you agreed as your reached across Millicent to shake Blaise’s hand.

Millicent shook her head, “You two do realize that could just buy your own posters, right?”

“Obviously,” Blaise said, “But it will mean more the other way because it will be a gift from a fellow fan. Besides, Christmas is about giving.”

“Hold on, someone alert the Prophet!” you blurted out then pointed accusingly at Blaise. “You just said something that wasn’t dark, depressing or morbid! Actually, this whole Quidditch conversation has been surprisingly upbeat.”

You were interrupted by the sound of clapping and saw that Theodore had looked up from his book and was applauding the conversation that had made the morbid Blaise sound cheerful.

“Quiet you!” Blaise scolded him. The irony of someone actually shushing Theodore Nott caused Millicent to burst out laughing and you weren’t far behind.

Gemma and her friends eventually showed up to claim the seats you’d saved for them. “There they are. Hello, firsties. There aren’t as many of you as last time.”

“Oh, well, Draco didn’t want to come out early to claim a seat so it looks like he and the other three are taking their chances in the other section.”

“Good luck with that,” Gemma muttered as she sat down next to you. “Marcus Flint likes to sit in the front row of the other Slytherin section when he isn’t playing. The action might take place in the air but he’s a nightmare to see passed. And if this match ends the way I think it will... that's the last place you'll want to be. So in order to avoid him, we usually save ourselves the trouble and sit in this section.” The Perfect Prefect reached out and ruffled your hair. “I guess that means you’ve got good taste.”

Lysandra and Evanora laughed and seemed to find Gemma’s comment about your ‘taste’ very funny.

“But those four weren’t actually here last time,” Gemma pointed out. “I meant the other two.”

“Oh, er, I haven’t seen Daphne and Tracey since this morning,” you admitted.

“Isn’t that them back there?” Lysandra asked.

You turned around and scanned the raised rows behind you that had filled with other Slytherin students. All the way at the top, you spotted the much shorter duo of familiar first year girls.

“Huh… I guess they came after all,” you noted. “Maybe they’re avoiding me?”

Millicent cast a quick glance back then turned to you, “What did you do this time?”

“The usual,” you replied with a casual shrug. “They were getting on my case and I turned their little trap on its head.”

“A trap?” Gemma repeated then lowered her voice to a whisper, “Does this have anything to do with you having Greengrass’ knickers?”

“No!” you immediately denied. “Well… er… it might be distantly related...”

“Wait… you know about that?” Millicent hissed.

“I went to investigate after Greengrass chased him all the way back to the castle following the last Quidditch match,” Gemma recounted. “I found him back in his room with Greengrass’ green knickers clutched tightly in his little hand.” The older girl shook her head. “You’re only thirteen. I should’ve known you were too young to handle the drama that comes with that sort of thing.”

“Am not!” you ‘maturely’ objected to her slight about you being immature. “I can handle it just fine. It’s only mildly annoying.”

“If you say so,” Gemma responded with a small grin that told you she was just humoring you. “Here I am, an older girl well-versed in girl drama, offering to help you with your girl drama…”

Well… when she put it that way…

“Er… how well-versed?” you inquired.

“Oh no, you’ve already made your stance quite clear,” Gemma stated. “You’re the little Potions prodigy… perhaps I’ll let you stew for a bit. Come see me again when your situation with Greengrass and Davis graduates from mildly annoying to worryingly bothersome.”

Oh bugger… maybe groveling would work?

“Wait, no! I’m sorry!” you blurted. “It isn’t just mildly annoying. It’s already worryingly bothersome! They’re practically stalking me! Please!”

The older girls laughed. You weren’t sure how much Gemma’s friends knew about your situation with Greengrass. You at least hoped that Gemma hadn’t told them about Greengrass’ knickers. But they all seemed to find you getting worked up highly amusing.

Blaise snorted and chimed in, “There’s no ‘practically’ about it, mate. I might not stick to your side the way Millicent does but even I’ve noticed those two following you around the last few weeks.”

Theodore leaned passed Blaise and gave you a very pointed nod that seemed to say that he’d noticed too. Or maybe he’d noticed that Daphne and Tracey weren’t following him anymore.

“Fine, I’ll admit it… I’m in over my head here,” you confessed as you turned back to the seventeen-year-old seated beside you. “You’re a girl and a prefect… you have to have some advice that you can give me!”

“That’s more like it,” Gemma said with a grin. “Come here…” She reached out and put her arm around your shoulders and pulled you close to her. You certainly weren’t complaining about being pressed into the fifth year girl’s soft curvy side. “Here’s what you need to do, Gaunt… it’s really quite simple…” Your position against her meant you felt her take a deep breath while she pointedly paused to build up your anticipation. “...stop antagonizing them.”

“What!” you immediately protested, “I am not…”

“Now, now, Gaunt, no lying,” Prefect Farley admonished you as her grip on your shoulder tightened. “I was sitting right here when you gloated to Bulstrode about how you turned Greengrass’ trap on its head. If that’s ‘the usual’ for you then you know exactly why they won’t leave you alone.”

Well… now that you were put on the spot and took a couple of seconds to think about it… maybe you didn’t have to trick Davis into giving you her embarrassing Scooby-Doo knickers...

“Ah, there it is,” Gemma noted when she saw your expression change, “You know what you did.” Her grip loosened and she gave you a pat on the shoulder. “That Greengrass girl is a tenacious little thing. So I want you to pretend that she and her friend Davis are a pair of starving dogs. If you had ignored them… they would’ve eventually moved on and went to find food elsewhere. But instead, you’ve been throwing them scraps. Now that they know they can get food from you… they’re going to keep coming back. It may not seem like they’re a life-threatening problem just yet...” Her grip on your shoulder tightened again and her voice lowered to an almost ominous tone, “...but if you keep pushing and taunting them… those starving dogs are eventually going to snap. And when they do they’ll chase you down, pin you to the ground, and devour you!”

“...” your throat went dry and you felt yourself go pale as you imagined yourself being torn to shreds by a pair of ravenous hounds.

You felt yourself jump when Blaise started to applaud, “Damn! That’s a powerful visual.”

“So glad you approve, Zabini,” Gemma replied then she leaned in and practically whispered in your ear. “Quit messing with Greengrass and Davis, got it?”

“Yes…” you squeaked as the horrifying visual lingered in your mind.

Gemma gave your shoulder another pat and continued in the same quiet whisper, “Or at the very least, wait a couple years until you push Greengrass past her breaking point. Maybe then you’ll actually enjoy it when she finally snaps.”

What sort of crazy person would actually enjoy that? It sounded bloody terrifying! You had used your Serpent’s Gaze recklessly and now the two girls were onto you. You hadn’t been taking them seriously before. In fact, you had been teasing them. But after picturing the horribly disturbing visual of yourself being torn apart and eaten by a pair of dogs… the mere knowledge that the two girls were sitting behind you in the stands made you very nervous.