Dark November Experiment

It was around ten in the morning two Saturdays after the first Quidditch match and the Great Hall was nearly deserted. It was a Hogsmeade weekend which meant the vast majority of the older students had left to visit the village at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds. Only a select few students in third year and above that were permitted to go had opted to stay behind. Which was why the Great Hall was practically deserted with the only occupants being first years, second years, a couple of teachers and a rare upperclassman or two.

This was the second Hogsmeade visit of the school year. The first one had taken place the weekend before Halloween in October while the November Hogsmeade weekend was situated on a free weekend in between the first Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin and the second Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw - which was next weekend. The third visit of the year was scheduled to take place towards the end of December and, according to the older students you had asked, usually coincided with the end of the term. It served as a way for the older students to unwind and do their holiday shopping before winter break.

Flint hadn’t sprung any more surprise practices on the team so you were done with Quidditch until next term. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Quidditch teams had taken over the pitch in preparation for their upcoming match. This left your evenings and weekends blissfully free. Originally, Flint had said that as Reserves you and Draco would only have to attend one practice a week. But as the match with Gryffindor got closer, Flint seemed to realize that it was useful to have an extra player to pit the Chasers and Seeker against so you both found yourselves attending every practice. You kept your head down and took it in stride but Draco was very vocal about having to work as hard as the starting players while having nothing to show for it.

But now the Slytherin Quidditch practices were done for the year and you were able to turn your attention back to your studies. It was much easier to stay on top of your assignments when you had your nights free. The only assignment you had yet to complete was a winter star chart for Astronomy but that wasn’t due until class on Wednesday. Technically, it was Thursday since the class started at midnight.

Hermione Granger made a point to avoid you after your secret encounter in the abandoned classroom outside the library. But no professors had approached you about it so you could only assume that she’d kept quiet. Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom all glared at you whenever they saw you but they always did that so you really couldn’t tell if she had shared the full details of the embarrassing encounter with her friends. All four Gryffindors seemed to go out of their way to avoid you from that point forward. However, you shared so few classes with them that it took you nearly a full week to actually notice. In Astronomy, which was the one class that all four houses had at once, Professor Sinistra had her own seating chart and made a point to situate the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students in between the combustible Gryffindor and Slytherin students in order to avoid potential late-night problems. It wasn’t until Potions class that you finally noticed Granger’s new aversion to you as she had relocated from across the aisle from you at the front to across from Weasley and Longbottom at the back of the room.

Granger’s new spot in the classroom was a blessing in disguise. She and Potter were paired together in the back of the room with Longbottom and Weasley together next to them. Granger’s quick thinking had prevented the disastrous duo of Longbottom and Weasley from melting their cauldron and causing a massive spill. Any other professor probably would have rewarded Granger for preventing a disaster. Instead, Professor Snape took five points from the four Gryffindors for ‘causing a commotion’. But while Granger’s attention was split between her potion with Potter and preventing Weasley and Longbottom from causing a volatile meltdown, your focus was solely on your and Goyle’s potion which resulted in you turning in the best one. Professor Snape rewarded you with five points. That brought your total up to forty-eight. You were confident that you’d make it to fifty before the end of the term in December.

“Hey, Marvolo,” Millicent called out from where she was seated beside you. “You’ve got mail.”

You looked up and saw your ashen feathered barred owl come flying into the Great Hall. Your owl had developed a habit of hanging back to avoid the breakfast rush when it came to making his post deliveries, especially during weekends. The breakfast post delivery had already taken place before the older students had left for Hogsmeade which was why your owl was the only one currently flying over the Great Hall.

“Ah, Iago, how art thou?” you called out to your owl as he landed in front of you. You named your owl after your favorite character from the Shakespearean play Othello. There was no better example of an ambitious and cunning Slytherin than the devious Iago.

Your owl responded with a quiet hoot and presented you with his leg. A rolled up catalog was tied to it. You relieved Iago owl of his burden and thanked him, “I thank thee, good sir.”

Your owl gave you a hopeful look before he turned to eye the food Millicent was offering him. Since Millicent frequently borrowed your owl, this was a fairly common occurrence. But you had decided early on that it was unbecoming for your owl to disregard you when someone else offered him food. If your owl wasn’t loyal to you then how could you trust him with your important post? So you used your Serpent’s Gaze to impress upon your pet that he wasn’t to accept food or treats from anyone else without your permission.

“By all means, have at it,” you prompted.

Iago gave a grateful hoot and quickly accepted the treat from Millicent.

You unrolled the owl-order catalog that Iago had brought you. The winter holidays were still a month away but you weren’t going to have an opportunity to leave the castle so perhaps you should start picking out Christmas presents. Draco would never let you hear the end of it if you didn’t get him anything. Maybe there was something in the Quidditch section.

Two people sat down across from you and drew you out of your perusing. You looked up and were surprised to see that it was Daphne and Tracey. Much like Granger, the duo had mostly been avoiding you since the incident the day after the Quidditch match. But unlike with Granger, it was much more obvious with them that they were avoiding you since all your classes were together. Because of your compulsion where you’d sworn them to secrecy about your dealings with them on that day, they couldn’t actually tell anyone else what you had done only that they weren’t ready to deal with you at the moment. You occasionally caught the two of them staring in your direction and sometimes you spotted the duo researching something and quietly whispering together in the library. But for the most part, they’d been steering clear of you… until now.

“Done avoiding me then?” you asked.

“So it would seem,” Daphne replied then she gave you her best mysterious smirk.

They were both wearing glasses. Which was odd considering neither of them had shown that they had vision problems in the past two and a half months of school. Unlike Harry Potter’s old and previously broken glasses, the girls' new glasses were sleek and stylish. Daphne’s were oval shaped with dark frames that went with her dark hair while Tracey’s were larger and rounder with lighter silvery frames that suited the blonde.

“What’s with the glasses?” Millicent asked, saving you from having to ask yourself.

Daphne’s ‘mysterious smirk’ shifted into a wide grin as she leaned partially across the table and stared you directly in the eye while she answered, “It’s a secret.”

You raised an eyebrow and casually leaned back. Daphne’s intense stare was a little unsettling. She was still blinking but her icy blue eyes were locked on yours. You glanced to the side and saw that Tracey was staring at you too. Not as directly and obviously as Daphne but she was still clearly watching you.

Why would two girls with previously perfect vision need glasses? You were still looking in Tracey’s direction when you realized who you were dealing with. Despite your best efforts to catch up, the blonde half-blood was still the top student in your Charms class. She was always the first one to manage the new charm while you and Pansy regularly battled for second place. The obvious fact that they didn’t need the glasses to actually see combined with Tracey’s talent for charms told you that their new glasses were most likely charmed. But you weren’t entirely sure what their purpose was just yet.

You turned your attention back to Daphne, who immediately went back to staring you in the eye. You gave a casual shrug, “Doesn’t matter to me. Unlike you, I don’t feel the overwhelming need to nose into other people’s business.”

Daphne’s wide grin faded. She moved back and let out an annoyed huff then turned to Tracey and silently mouthed something to her best friend. Understanding silent girl conversations was not one of your skills so you had no idea what they were saying.

But then Daphne turned back to you with her wide grin in place again. “By the way, Marvolo, I’m wearing my favorite knickers today.” Once again, she leaned across the table and stared you directly in the eye as she whispered a challenge. “And there’s nothing you can do to get them.”

“...” You silently stared back at Daphne. You didn’t need to be a cunning Slytherin to realize that you were clearly being baited. But for what end? That’s where your Slytherin cunning came into play and the pieces fell into place. Daphne baiting you with the mention of her favorite knickers meant the opposite of what she’d said. There was something you could do to get them and she wanted you to do it. The way she was staring you directly in the eye told you that she and her sidekick were onto you when it came to your Serpent’s Gaze which you had used multiple times on both of them. And that finally explained the glasses. Since they knew about your special ability and were all but goading you into using it, Tracey had likely charmed their new glasses to either defend against your compulsion or at the very least detect the magic when you were using it against them.

One time during your Astronomy class, you had heard that muggleborn Hufflepuff boy ‘Finch’ mention some muggle device that was basically the opposite of a telescope. Instead of looking at big things that were far away, it was made to look at small things that were really close. It was called a ‘microscope’. Well, with the way Daphne and Tracey’s newly bespectacled gazes were locked on you, you couldn’t help but feel like one of those small things under a microscope. You and your serpent’s gaze were clearly the subjects of Daphne’s latest mystery obsession and the duo were conducting their first, very public, experiment on you.

You were saved from their scrutiny by the most unexpected of heroes.

“What’s going on over here?” You had never been so glad to see Pansy Parkinson in your life. Actually, you had never been glad to see Pansy Parkinson. But the ‘Queen Bee’ of the first year Slytherin girls had come over to investigate and was staring down her upturned nose at you.

Millicent, the only one of you four who didn’t actually know what was going on, got her roommate caught up.“Daphne just told Marvolo that she’s wearing her favorite knickers today and now I think they’re having some kind of staring contest.”

Pansy looked over at Daphne, “Why would Gaunt care about your knickers?”

Daphne finally looked away from you. “Good question. But a better one is why does he already have a pair of them?”

And suddenly all four girls were staring at you.

“Why do you have a pair of Daphne’s knickers?” Pansy demanded.

Training as the Reserve Keeper for the Slytherin Quidditch team had given you the rather useful talent of deflecting things. Usually, you were deflecting the Quaffle but in this instance, you were deflecting Pansy’s suspicion and building hostility. “Well, since the charms on your doors make it impossible for me to enter your rooms without one of you opening the door for me, I’d say it’s fairly obvious that she gave them to me.”

“Why would she give you her knickers?” Millicent wondered.

“Oh, good grief!” Pansy exclaimed as she drew her own conclusion. “Daphne, it’s been obvious to all of us that you have a thing for Gaunt since you jumped on his back at Halloween. But giving a boy your knickers is no way to get his attention!”

Daphne’s icy eyes went wide behind her new glasses and her pale face flushed bright red. “I don’t have a thing for him!” she protested. “I had to…” But then her voice trailed off while her mouth flapped silently as she tried and failed to defend herself by explaining the situation you’d sworn her to secrecy about. “Damn it!”

You smiled and were momentarily thankful for Pansy’s general unpleasantness. But then she turned her attention towards you.

“Gaunt, did you finish the essay that Professor Snape assigned yesterday?”

Ah, Slytherins. You should’ve known that Parkinson had an ulterior motive for ‘helping’ you. “Yes. I finished it last night. I have loads more time now that I’m done with Quidditch practice.”

“Good, then you can help me with mine,” she decided. “In our last class, Professor Snape saw fit to inform me that some of the Gryffindors - other than Granger - outscored me on the last exam. I need something to boost my grade or Patil and Brown could pass me in the class rankings.”

It was well documented amongst the first year Slytherins that Pansy was at the very bottom of the Slytherin standings in Potions class. You and Draco were basically holding Crabbe and Goyle’s hands to get them through and that resulted in them getting decent marks. But Pansy’s continued refusal to handle any of the ingredients that were ‘icky’ was now having some serious consequences on her marks. Millicent, Pansy’s usual Potions partner, was also having a hard time as a direct result so you always made a point to help her with her Potions homework so that she at least got by with the theoretical aspect of the class while Pansy continued to sabotage her in the practical.

“I haven’t finished mine yet either,” Millicent quietly admitted.

“I suppose I didn’t have anything else to do today,” you mused and glanced down at your empty plate. “I’m done eating. Let’s go to the library. It’ll probably be even emptier than the Great Hall.”

You got up and turned to leave but couldn’t help smirking at Daphne’s annoyed expression from seeing the subject of her experiment get up and walk away.

Pansy led the way out of the Great Hall. But since you didn’t like the idea of her telling you what to do so you stopped short of the stairs and turned to Millicent.

“Do you need to get your things?” you asked. Your friend had left the common room empty handed.

“Yeah, everything’s back in my room,” Millicent admitted.

“Go get your stuff,” you instructed, “We’ll wait for you here.”

“Why bother?” Pansy questioned. “We can go ahead and get a table in the library.”

“Are you really in that much of a hurry?” you countered. “I just told you that the library is going to be empty. We can spare two minutes for Millicent to run back to the common room.”

“Thanks, Marvolo,” Millicent said before she darted down the nearby staircase to the dungeons.

Pansy let out a huff and folded her arms across her chest. You could tell from her expression that she thought this brief two-minute detour was a horrible inconvenience to her.

But then her expression changed and she smirked. “Knickers Gaunt? Really?”

You glanced around and realised that you were alone. Actually, this was probably the first time all year that you and Pansy Parkinson had been alone together. You usually interacted with her as part of a group. Her trying personality was probably why you hadn’t exactly been jumping to spend extra time with the unpleasant girl.

She had surprised you in the Great Hall by ‘defending you’ when Daphne brought up that you had her knickers. Or rather, she’d used the conversation as an opportunity to embarrass Daphne. You knew that Pansy could have just as easily used that information against you. The only thing that had saved you was that she needed your help with her Potions essay and was trying to stay in your good graces until she got what she needed.

But since you were alone - and she was staring you right in the eye - this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do some damage control.

You cast another quick glance around you. No other students, no professors, no portraits. The only things around you were some suits of armor. You locked eyes with Pansy and pushed the magical compulsion through your eyes. “It’s normal for girls to give me their knickers in exchange for a favor. But there’s no need to talk about it unless you**’**re asked directly.”

Pansy blinked as your newest compulsion sank in. “Of course it is. I suppose this means you want mine in exchange for help with the Potions essay?”

“I’m a Slytherin,” you reminded her, “Do you really expect me to help you out of the sheer goodness in my heart? Or does it seem much more practical for me to want something in return for my services?”

The girl scrunched up her face in an aggravated scowl that was likely the inspiration for other students calling her ‘pug-faced’ behind her back. She let out another huff, “Fine. It’s a deal then.”

Pansy glanced around to ensure the coast was clear then reached up under her skirt and rather unceremoniously tugged her knickers down. You were able to see a glint of pink as she rolled knickers down her thighs and then let them drop down around her ankles.

She stepped out of them and carefully bent at the knees to pick them up when a sudden voice cut through the silence.

“Damn it!”

Both your heads whipped in the side as you turned to look in the direction of the Great Hall. There stood Daphne and Tracey. Daphne looked furious and when you strained your ears you were able to hear Tracey whisper something along the lines of ‘we missed it’ to Daphne.

“Too little too late, girls,” you thought to yourself as Pansy stood up and stuffed the bundle of pink into your hand. She didn’t show the slightest hint of embarrassment at being caught giving away her underwear. Because why would she? You had told her in your compulsion that it was normal. No one would be embarrassed at getting caught doing something they thought was normal.

You took a moment to admire - for the sake of alliteration - Pansy Parkinson’s pretty pink panties while Daphne and Tracey stormed over to you. Pansy would likely be mortified if you told her that her panties were almost the exact same shade of pink as Hermione Granger’s. But that was where the similarities ended. Granger’s knickers had a simple design and were made of pink cotton. You hadn’t seen the cut of Pansy’s knickers but the feel of the higher quality fabric and the lacy fringe told you that the thirteen-year-old pureblood’s knickers were much fancier and likely much more expensive than Granger’s much simpler ones.

“What’re you doing?” Daphne demanded once she reached you.

Because she had been asked directly about her normal action, the other half of your compulsion compelled Pansy to answer, “I traded Marvolo my knickers in exchange for a favor… just like you did.” Daphne scowled. You knew that it was likely directed at you over not being able to catch you in the act but Pansy seemed to think it was directed at her. “I’m not apologising for what I said in the Great Hall.”

Pansy tilted her head back and turned up her nose. But since her nose was naturally somewhat upturned this meant it was pointing up near the ceiling.

You quickly sought to change the subject, “If you would just do your share of the work in Potions instead of passing everything off on Millie then you wouldn’t need my help at all.”

Pansy lowered her head and glared at you, “Like you don’t do the same thing with Gregory.”

“No, there’s a distinct difference,” you insisted, “Goyle enjoys crushing and mutilating things and Professor Snape knows that I can do all that already, so I let him do the part that he enjoys. The trick is ensuring that he knows when an ingredient needs to be chopped, diced or minced. Under my tutelage, he’s become one of the best brewers in class. His ingredients are always perfectly prepared.”

“Whatever,” Pansy scoffed as she folded her arms over her chest. “I expect you to use whatever Potions-teaching talent you have to help me get a decent mark.”

You turned to survey Daphne and Tracey, “I take it this means you’re coming to the library with us?”

“Yes, it does,” Daphne confirmed. “You need to be supervised.”

“Sure, Daphne,” Pansy sneered, “Be more obvious.”

“He does!” Daphne exclaimed as her cheeks flushed, “Someone has to keep an eye on him.”

“And that someone conveniently happens to be you,” Pansy felt the need to point out.

Any defense that Daphne could come up with was interrupted by the arrival of Millicent as she came bounding back up the steps. She had her school bag slung over her shoulder but was panting and her hair was a mess. It looked like the poor thing had literally run all the way down to the Slytherin Common Room and back. She smiled and looked both relieved and pleased that you had waited for her.

“Alright there, Millie?” you asked with concern.

“Good grief, girl, fix your hair!” Pansy scolded her roommate.

Millie hastily reached up and tried to flatten her messy hair with her hands and fingers.

“Seriously? You’re a witch, aren’t you?” Pansy berated her. “I taught you that Hair Care Charm for a reason.” She drew her wand and pointed it at Millicent’s head then gave it a flick. You watched as the grooming charm straightened Millicent’s messy brown hair and made it lay flat.

Millicent reached up and gave her hair a tentative pat, “Uh… thanks, Pansy.”

Pansy gave a curt nod, “I can’t walk around with you looking like a mess. It would reflect poorly on me.”

Ah, you should’ve known better. Pansy had done a nice thing in helping Millie with her hair but it was ultimately self-serving.

“If anyone could use a good Hair Care Charm it’s Granger and Potter,” Pansy changed the subject with one of her usual catty comments. “If Hogwarts had a ‘worst hair’ competition they’d be the winner and runner-up.”

Millicent, Daphne, and Tracey gave their customary giggle and acted as if Pansy had told a particularly funny joke. You doubted that the giggles were genuine on account that Pansy had recently berated Millicent for her messy hair and teased Daphne about her ‘interest’ in you. But they seemed to satisfy the ‘Queen Bee’ so you gave a casual shrug at your quick glimpse into the power structure of the first year Slytherin girls and shifted focus back to the matter at hand.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s head to the library,” you resolved. “If we push back lunch a little bit we should be able to finish your essays in one sitting.”

You turned and began to head up the main staircase to the library. Pansy almost predictably materialised at your side and walked up the portrait-lined main staircase beside you while Millicent hurried to catch up and walked on your other side. Pansy sent an accusatory glance over her shoulder at Daphne and Tracey who were walking behind her then warily eyed all the watching portraits and made a point to pin down her skirt.

After reaching the top of the stairs, you turned before the Grand Staircase and continued down the corridor towards the library. The doors were open and when you entered the library you weren’t overly surprised when you spotted a familiar Gryffindor quartet camped out on a table in the back.

“What are they doing here?” Pansy wondered when she spotted Potter, Granger, Longbottom, and Weasley at their table.

“They’ve been here a lot over the last two weeks,” you answered. “They’re doing some kind of extracurricular research project. But what’s surprising is the fact that Potter’s the main driving **** behind it.”

“What do you suppose it is?” Pansy inquired curiously.

“Haven’t the faintest,” you admitted, “They’re remarkably tight-lipped about it. Especially when they notice that I’m within earshot. But from what I’ve seen, they haven’t even resorted to asking Madam Pince for help in their research. Granted, she never really helps anyone but it almost seems like they don’t want anyone to know what they’re trying to research.” You looked back behind you and grinned at Daphne, “Doesn’t that sound mysterious?”

“I find it best to focus on one mystery at a time,” Daphne replied. “If I split my attention then there’s a chance that I could miss something vital.”

You gave a casual shrug, “Suit yourself. Here I was trying to point you towards something you might have a hope of solving.”

Potter, Granger, Longbottom, and Weasley appeared to be the only occupants of the library other than Madam Pince. That left every other table free. You stopped and eyed the four chairs that were situated around the first empty table then took a second to survey the four girls standing around you. You quickly went to the next table and retrieved a chair then brought it back to the first table and set it on the end.

You sat down in the seat you had procured and then motioned for Pansy and Millicent to sit in the two seats nearest to your end. “Since you’re the ones I’m here to help, it makes sense for me to be sitting in between you. Those two can have the other two seats and can keep staring at me from there.”

“The staring doesn’t bother you?” Millicent asked as she took the indicated seat.

“They’re free to stare at whoever they like,” you replied with a casual shrug. “And people have been staring at me ever since my heritage was leaked over the summer. I’ve become a fairly public figure so I guess you can say I’m used to stares by now.”

Pansy and Millicent set their bags on the table. Pansy took out her blank roll of parchment while Millicent had a roll with her half-complete essay. It was only then that Pansy finally realized that you hadn’t brought anything to the library with you. “Where’s your essay, Gaunt?”

“Didn’t bring it,” you answered simply.

“Then what am I supposed to copy?” she demanded.

You shook your head. “That was never the plan. I put a lot of effort into my Potions assignments and Professor Snape knows that. He’d notice right away if you turned in an essay that was just like mine. I’m here to help you write your own essay. This way you’ll know the information and you’ll be able to answer questions correctly if they appear on an exam.”

Pansy glowered at you, “I paid you for this favor, Gaunt! If I don’t get top marks on this essay, so help me, I’ll --”

“You paid him for his help?” Millicent interrupted.

“Pansy gave Marvolo her knickers,” Daphne was all too happy to inform her.

Millicent’s eyes went wide in surprise as she stared at Pansy and then at you and then at Daphne and then back at you and then back to Pansy. “Ooooh…” she said as she turned back to Daphne, “So that’s why you gave him your knickers.”

“It’s not the same,” Daphne protested as her cheeks went pink.

“Isn’t it though?” you countered. “You wanted something, I gave it to you, and you gave me something in exchange for my services. It seems like a fairly straight-forward process to me.”

Daphne opened her mouth to argue that her situation was different but couldn’t say anything because of your lingering compulsion. She let out an annoyed huff and folded her arms on the table in front of her. She leaned forward and set her chin on her folded arms and pouted as she stared down the table at you. Maybe it was the inclusion of her new glasses but you couldn’t help finding Daphne’s exasperated pout kind of cute.

A familiar shadow fell over you. “What’s going on here?”

You twisted in your seat and looked back at Madam Pince. “Good morning, Madam Pince. We’re taking advantage of the nearly empty library so I can help Pansy and Millicent with their Potions essays.”

“And you two?” the librarian asked as she turned her attention to Daphne and Tracey.

“Research,” Tracey blurted out. “We’re here to research. I was about to get the books." You leaned back in your chair and watched as the blonde half-blood got up and, almost predictably, headed straight for the Charms section.

Madam Pince seemed satisfied with all your explanations and left you to your own devices.

But as you continued to lean back in your chair, you noticed that your reclined position gave you a decent view under the table… and that Pansy legs were parted… and then you remembered that Pansy’s knickers were still currently in your pocket... which meant there was nothing under her skirt.

You did your best to act casual as you peeked under the table. Unfortunately, the skirts for a Hogwarts uniform were a conservative length so while you saw a bit more of Pansy’s thigh you weren’t able to see much further up the thirteen-year-old witch’s skirt.

Suddenly, Pansy’s legs snapped closed. You looked up and saw Pansy staring at you with flushed cheeks.

Oops. Busted.

Pansy’s lips thinned into a straight line and she squirmed in her seat as she was reminded that she wasn’t wearing any knickers. But she notably didn't tell you off for trying to look up her skirt. Most likely because she still needed your help with her essay. Millicent was caught up in rereading her essay and hadn’t noticed you peeking under the table and Tracey wasn’t back from the Charms section yet but Daphne’s bespectacled gaze was still locked on you. She silently mouthed a quick two syllable word at you. You still weren’t the best at reading silent girl language but if you had to guess, the word was most likely ‘pervert’.

“Right, let’s get started, shall we?” you prompted Pansy. “Get out your Potions and Herbology books and I’ll show you where you can find some information to start you off.

Tracey eventually came back and she and Daphne each cracked open a Charms book and pretended to read it while they continued their obvious observation of you.

Millicent actually had a decent portion of her essay completed but had gotten stuck about halfway through. You helped her work passed her block and she was soon writing the rest of her essay all on her own. The rest of your time in the library was dedicated to helping Pansy write her Potions essay. She hadn’t even started and got distracted easily so it took close to three hours. A number of those distractions came from her squirming in her chair due to her lack of knickers which made the lengthy task at least a little bit amusing to you.

As soon as you finished, Pansy packed up her things and strode out of the library. “Thanks for your help, Marvolo. I’d better get a good mark with this essay. Now I’m off to lunch. And don’t let me catch you looking up my skirt again.”

You weren’t overly concerned at the looks that were sent your way from Pansy publicly calling you out. One of those annoyed looks came from a certain Gryffindor girl who you had completely forgotten about but was still in the library three hours later. You shook off the stares and idly smirked to yourself. A student in any other house would’ve taken Pansy's words as a threat not to look up her skirt. But as a Slytherin, you realized that she hadn’t actually said not to do it. To your cunning and ambitious Slytherin mind, her wording of ‘don’t let me catch you’ sounded more like a challenge than a threat.

“Welcome to my world,” Millicent mumbled as she shifted in her seat. “Pansy uses people. And she moves on as soon as she’s gotten what she wants. But if you don’t give her what she wants then that’s when she gets really unpleasant.”

“...” Daphne and Tracey didn’t say anything. But it was worth noting that they didn’t disagree with anything that Millicent had said about her roommate.

“Well, she did have one point,” you reasoned, “After doing all that work, I’m in the mood for a nice relaxing lunch.” You looked over at Daphne and Tracey, “I’d invite you two along, but I suspect that’s an unnecessary formality since you’d probably follow us down to the Great Hall even if I didn’t invite you.”

Daphne let out a huff and flipped her hair while Tracey gathered up the decoy books that she got for herself and Daphne to ‘read’ while the observed you and dashed off to return them. Millicent ducked down under the table to retrieve the school bag she placed there and began to pack up her things.

“Here…” Millicent said in a low whisper as she stuffed a bunch of white fabric into your hand.

Your eyes went wide and your jaw dropped as you stared down at the cottony material bunched up in your hand. “Are these your…”

Millicent’s face flushed bright red, “You said that Pansy gave you her knickers for your services. You helped me too… so those are mine.”

You blinked in surprise then looked across the table at Daphne who was staring at you with a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression that likely mirrored yours from a couple of seconds ago.

“Um… Millie…” you protested, “You didn’t have to… I barely helped you.”

“You’ve been helping me all year,” Millicent pointed out. Her face fell, “you don’t want my knickers?”

You noticed Millicent’s sullen expression and knew how surprisingly sensitive she was so you didn’t want to upset her by refusing her knickers. Especially given how clearly embarrassed she was at giving them to you.

“I mean, I’m not going to refuse,” you quickly amended your statement as you slipped Millicent’s white knickers into your pocket along with Pansy’s pink ones. “I’m just surprised you’d pay me such a steep price for such a small favor.”

Tracey came back a couple of seconds later and could instantly tell that something big had happened. “What did I miss?”

“Millicent just gave Marvolo her knickers,” Daphne bluntly stated, which caused Millicent to let out a high-pitched embarrassed squeak.

“Keep it down, will ya?” you complained on behalf of your red-faced friend.

“What did he do?” Tracey asked.

“Nothing!” Daphne blurted out in exasperation. “I was watching the whole time. He didn’t even ask for them. She gave them to him all on her own!”

Millicent looked like she wanted to be anywhere than at that table in the library, so you quickly stood up and lightly grabbed her arm. “This is only going to get worse. Let’s get out of here.” Millicent practically jumped up out of her seat and you had to hurry to keep up with her as she all but ran out of the library.

But a thought crossed your mind and you couldn’t help smirking as you looked back and saw Daphne and Tracey still seated at the library table in the midst of a heated discussion. Millicent had unknowingly turned their whole experiment on its head by giving you her knickers without you using the compulsion that Daphne and Tracey had both been keeping an eye out for.

“What was that all about?” Millicent quietly inquired as you both walked away from the library.

“Er…” you stalled as you quickly thought of a halfway honest explanation for your friend who had just unknowingly saved your arse. “I guess Daphne and Tracey are having second thoughts about trading me their knickers and are convinced that I used some kind of magic to trick them into doing it. I suspect those new glasses of theirs are charmed for their protection. And back in the library you ruined their experiment by giving me yours all on your own.”

“Well… Pansy and Daphne said they gave you theirs...” Millicent explained, “I thought it was an expected thing that I somehow missed out on." She was quiet for a moment then she spoke up once she replayed the beginning of your explanation in her mind. "Wait… you said ‘their’... does that mean you have Tracey’s too?”

You shrugged, “Do you really think Daphne would be involved in something without Tracey?”

“That’s a fair point,” Millicent admitted as you rounded the corner to the main staircase. She hesitated for a moment and briefly squeezed her legs together before she tentatively extended a leg and began making her way down the stairs. “Do you realise this means you have…” She trailed off when she noticed the portraits that were lining the staircase. “Er… them from every first year Slytherin girl?”

You sheepishly rubbed the back of your head, “I hadn’t thought of that until you pointed it out. It wasn’t intentional or anything. But it looks like you not only helped clear my good name but also helped finish my full set.” This probably wasn’t the time to mention that you also had Hermione Granger’s. “So… thanks.”

“Um… can we stop by the common room before going to lunch?” Millicent requested as she continued to awkwardly pin down her skirt while eying the watching and listening portraits. “I don’t like going down stairs like this...”

“Oh, of course,” you were quick to agree. “I have some… stuff… to put away in my room.”

You reached the bottom of the staircase and made your way to the passage down to the dungeons. Millicent insisted on going down behind you so you could shield her in case you came across anyone coming up the other way.

“Er… I’m not sure how to ask this…” Millicent admitted as you descended the stairs to the dungeon. This stairwell was thankfully devoid of eavesdropping portraits. “But why knickers?”

“That is the ten galleon question, isn’t it?” you remarked. “But the truth is, I’m not even really sure. I’m thirteen - maybe I’m developing some of those dreaded hormones that the older students sometimes mention. I’ve got money. I could easily buy knickers if I wanted them so I guess it has more to do with the witch wearing them than anything else. I could say that girls have different parts than boys and that I’m curious but I don’t think that’s really it. When it started with Daphne and Tracey, I didn’t expect them to agree to it. Daphne chased me from the Quidditch pitch all the way back to the common room and then the next morning I found Tracey lying in wait outside my bedroom. It was meant to be an outrageous demand that they’d never agree to. But I guess I underestimated them because they agreed to it. But now it seems that they’re questioning their decision and are blaming me for tricking them.”

“And Pansy?” Millicent prodded.

“Oh, well, she annoys me,” you replied. “I knew if I was going to be spending the rest of the morning helping her with her essay that I wanted to at least get something out of the ordeal. And that was before you told me that she was a user. She seemed to enjoy embarrassing Daphne about giving me her knickers at breakfast so I found it only fitting that she should do the same.” You jumped down the final two steps and turned to face Millicent as she came down behind you. “And as for you, you’re my friend. I’m happy to help you whenever you need it. Free of charge.”

Millicent looked down but there was no mistaking the smile on her face. You grinned in return then turned around and led the way towards the common room entrance.

“I hear that all great wizards are at least a little wonky,” Millicent commented. “Look at all the weird crap that Dumbledore gets away with. I suppose an odd collection isn’t all that bad in comparison.”

You blinked as you processed what she just said. She’d said ‘all great wizards’ like it referred to you and then went on to compare you to Dumbledore. You stopped outside the entrance to the common room and turned to look at her. “All great wizards, eh?”

Millicent’s face went pink and she averted her eyes. “Well… that’s why you’re in Slytherin, right? You want to restore the Gaunt family name and live up to the legacy of Salazar Slytherin. In order to do all that… you have to be a great wizard. That’s ambition. The Sorting Hat saw that and put you in the best house for you to achieve that greatness. And if I have to donate some of my knickers to the cause along the way… so be it. I few moments of embarrassment are a small price to pay to help someone towards a lifetime of greatness.”

You weren’t sure how to respond to such unfiltered admiration. So you hugged her. She hugged back and you tried to think of something that was one-millionth as encouraging as what Millicent had just told you. Wait… million… Millicent... Got it.

“Thanks, Millicent, you’re one in a million,” you responded. “From now on, anytime that I call you ‘Millie’ - that’s what I’ll be thinking.” When you broke the hug, you both had matching blushes and matching smiles.

You hissed at the wall and entered the common room with your best friend at your side.

Marvolo Gaunt House Point Ledger

Severus Snape: +5

Current Total: +48

Points awarded by: SS, RH, QQ