House Points and Discussions

-A/N: Just so everyone knows, over the last week I went all the way back to my very first Slytherin chapter and updated the storyline so that the starting age for Hogwarts is the lucky age of thirteen. The characters are all born on the same day and year but in my branch the story doesn't begin until 1993. This will make all the characters two years older than they are in canon and will help me feel like less of a creep while attempting to write the upcoming romance. The characters' altered ages will be emphasized in bold and italics. So now, or after I post next week's chapter might be a good time to give the Slytherin thread another read-through to see what's changed.-

“Okay… now focus…” you instructed Millicent as the two of you stood in the Slytherin Common Room. It was early in the morning and there was a goblet that you had ‘stolen’ from the Great Hall set on a table in front of you. “Come on, Millie, you finally got it last night. It’s only been a few hours since then so I know you can do this. Just focus on the cup and the color in your mind. Tune out everything else. Heck, even tune me out.” You stepped around behind her and reached up to cover her ears in an attempt to help her drown out the sounds of the other Slytherins milling about the common room.

“COLOVARIA!” Millicent called out overly loudly, most likely so she could still hear her incantation through your hands. And before your very eyes, the golden goblet turned Slytherin silver.

“Yes! Atta girl!” you cheered. You took your hands off her ears and clapped them on her shoulders. “See? I knew you could do it!”

You’d been working with Millicent on the Colour Change Charm for nearly a week and it seemed like she was finally getting the hang of it. Most of your ‘training sessions’ consisted of short five minute periods before meals and after classes. Any longer than that and you noticed that Millicent would start to get frustrated at her last of success. Her confidence would take a hit and she’d be incapable of doing much of anything in that mindset. So you made sure to encourage her as much as possible at the beginning of each session. You wondered if this was why Millicent struggled in some of her classes.

“So… what do you think?” you prompted her. “Are you ready to show Professor Flitwick now and collect those house points?”

“Er… maybe we should practice it a couple more times,” Millicent suggested nervously.

And so you did. After one brief hiccup where she only managed a small splotch, Millicent managed to turn the silver goblet pitch black and then emerald green on two consecutive spells.

“I think you’re ready,” you resolved, “C’mon let’s head up to breakfast. The others will figure out where we are eventually.”

The two of you left the dungeon and made your way up to the Great Hall. It was still early and it was a Saturday morning, and - even though there was a Quidditch match later - the Great Hall was only a quarter full. Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout were the only teachers at the Head Table. Perhaps it was because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were the ones competing in the day’s match?

“Look, there’s Professor Flitwick,” you pointed out, “We can go show him now.”

“N-now!?” Millicent repeated. “I thought we were gonna show him in class… not in the middle of the Great Hall in front of everyone.”

“That’s not everyone,” you countered, “That’s only a quarter. Look, there’s only one Weasley at the Gryffindor table.” The Weasley in question was the eldest one - Percy. “Besides, the point is that people see you casting an advanced spell and earning points for it. It’ll be a huge boost to your reputation just like the troll thing was on Halloween.”

“Or, more likely, a quarter of the school will see me make a fool of myself,” Millicent argued. “And then the whole school will know about it by lunch.”

“Well, with that attitude you definitely won’t cast the spell,” you retorted. “Come on, you got it three times back in the common room. So now we both know you can do this. Those five house points are just floating right there in front of you. All you have to do is reach out and grab them. You’re a Slytherin for a reason. Show some ambition!”

”Okay, okay, fine,” Millicent relented, “I’ll show him the damn spell.”

You led Millicent all the way across the Great Hall to the Head Table and called out a greeting to Professor Flitwick - and Professor Sprout since she was sitting next to him - as you approached. “Good morning, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout… we have a spell to show you. Or rather, Millicent does…”

Professor Flitwick’s eyes lit up when he realized what this was about. “Oh? Already? It’s hardly been a week since I gave you that extra credit assignment. I wasn’t expecting you two to approach me until much closer to the end of term.”

“Well, we work fast when properly motivated,” you replied, “Do you mind if we borrow your cup?”

“By all means!” he agreed. He pushed his golden goblet closer to you. Although it admittedly wasn’t much closer on account of his short arms.

“It’s all you now, Millie,” you prompted as you stepped out of the way and motioned to the cup.

Millicent drew her wand and nervously fingered it before she pointed it at the goblet. “Colovaria!”

Nothing happened.

“Er… that’s probably just nerves,” you quickly interjected then quickly stepped behind Millicent for some coaching. “Don’t get frustrated. You can do this. You had it down fine back in the common room. Just focus on the cup and the color. Ignore everything else.”

You reached up and covered her ears since it seemed to help last time. Hopefully, your hands were enough to block out the sounds of students eating and chatting at the tables behind you.

“COLOVARIA!” Millicent called out - once again overly loudly.

But it worked. The golden goblet had turned green.

“Haha! Splendid! Well done!” Professor Flitwick cheered and gave a merry clap. “As agreed, both of you take five points for Slytherin.”

You looked to the side and grinned as you watched ten emeralds rain down into the bottom half of the Slytherin Hourglass. You stepped around Millicent and reached down to grab her hand which you gave a quick squeeze. “Like I said, I knew you could do it.”

“Yes, well done, Miss Bulstrode,” Professor Flitwick praised her. Millicent’s face had turned crimson. You guessed that it was most likely from the praise and attention she’d just garnered. “And you as well for helping her, Mr. Gaunt.” The Charms professor’s mustached mouth quirked into an eager smile, “And have you made any progress in the other task I set for you?”

“Er… not yet, sir,” you admitted, “Like you said, it’s only been a week and I’ve been mainly helping Millicent. But I do have the regular version down…” Eager to demonstrate, you let go of Millicent’s hand and drew your wand then pointed it at the goblet that Millicent had turned green. You glanced at the Head of Ravenclaw House and thought of the Ravenclaw House colors. With a special design firmly planted in your mind, you cast the spell, “Colovaria!”

You grinned when the solid green goblet turned blue and bronze.

“Oh! Two colors!” Professor Flitwick exclaimed, “Outstanding work, Mr. Gaunt, I think I’ll show some Ravenclaw spirit and leave it this way for the duration of the meal.” He looked over at Professor Sprout and grinned, “There is a Quidditch match today.”

You looked over at Professor Sprout and remembered your self-imposed goal to complete your game of ‘House Point Bingo’. “You know, Professor Sprout, this means you’re the only Head of House that I have yet to earn points from. Since Professor Snape stopped giving me points in Potions - expect me to do something about that real soon.”

BANG! A door slammed and you looked up to see that your own Head of House had come in through the door behind the Head Table. Had he been there long? Had he heard you? You weren’t too keen on sticking around to find out.

“And now I think it’s time to go!” you rapidly blurted out. “Good luck in the match today! Bye!”

You grabbed Millicent’s hand again and hightailed it the heck out of there. As you raced down between the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables you saw Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville entering the Great Hall.

“Gaunt!” You stopped short midway down the table and saw that Gemma Farley had called out to you. She was sitting with her fellow fifth years Lysandra Yaxley and Evanora Rowle. “Did you two just earn ten points from Professor Flitwick?”

You grinned and reached up to throw your arm over the considerably taller Millicent’s shoulder. “Yup. And that’s on top of the ten that Professor McGonagall gave us at Halloween. I guess you could say that me and Millie make a great team.”

“Not bad,” Lysandra remarked. “How many points does that put you at in total?”

“F-fifteen,” Millicent stammered. Her face was bright red again. You really needed to help her get used to receiving praise and attention from other people. She’d have to get used to it if she was going to spend the next seven years standing beside you. Because you, on the other hand, were reveling at the chance to boast in front of ‘the Perfect Prefect’ and her fellow fifth years. So when Millicent didn’t elaborate further you decided to tell the story of the remaining five points that she had earned.

“She got the final five from Professor Snape during yesterday’s Potions lesson. He finally noticed that Millie’s been doing a lot of Parkinson’s work for her and gave her five points for doing extra. Although, with the way that Parkinson tells the story she’d want you to believe it was all part of her plan. The girl refuses to get her hands dirty. She does the same thing to Greengrass in Herbology but Professor Sprout hasn’t given Daphne any points for extra work yet.”

“Fifteen in three months,” Gemma mused thoughtfully. “That’s not bad. Thanks partially to Professor Snape, most students are in the negative. It’s the outliers in each house that make up for them and help the most with the House Cup.”

“Speaking of overachieving outliers,” Lysandra said as she casually brushed back her long black hair, “You’re looking positively giddy, Gaunt. How many points have you earned?”

You grabbed Millicent’s wrist and tugged her along as you sat down on the bench beside Gemma then you beamed as you answered her friend’s query. “Take Millicent’s total and flip it.”

Forty-six plus five equals…

“FIFTY-ONE!?” Evanora blurted out. Beside her, Lysandra’s lidded eyes shot wide open. You turned to Gemma and saw that the auburn-haired girl’s sapphire blue eyes were wide in surprise.

Yup. She was totally impressed. All three of them were.

“Last I heard you were only in the thirties…” Gemma admitted.

“Well, I take issue with the term ‘overachiever’,” you stated, “I’m an openly ambitious Slytherin student. Being an overachiever comes with the territory and should go without saying. I’m the top Potions student in my year. Professor Snape used to give me points like they were sweets.”

“Used to?” Evanora repeated. The short-haired blonde was rather sharp.

You looked down sheepishly, “Er… he caught me doing something really stupid after Quidditch practice a couple weeks ago.” You looked over at Millicent, “You remember, right? That was the night you practically had to carry me up to the Hospital Wing.”

“Yeah,” Millicent said with a nod. You looked passed Gemma at the Head Table and saw that Professor Snape had decided to sit with Professors Flitwick and Sprout instead of his usual spot. You didn’t have to be a genius to guess what - or who - the Heads of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin were discussing.

“Anyway,” you continued, “Professor Snape took five points from me for being an idiot. I’ve tried to earn them back but he’s since stopped giving me points in Potions class so I think he might still be punishing me. I realised that I’d have to earn points from someone else to keep up my ‘overachieving’ ways. Professor Flitwick presented us with that opportunity when he caught us doing an experiment in the courtyard last weekend. He said he’d give us each five points if Millicent and I could learn the Colour Change Charm by the end of term.” You turned and smirked at Millicent, “We did it in a week.”

Millicent shook her head, “He’s boasting for your benefit but at the same time he’s actually being modest for mine. Professor Flitwick gave Marvolo five points then and there for managing to cast the Colour Change Charm on his third try. The five points he got just now were for helping me learn it in a week.”

You tilted your head a bit at Millicent’s addition to your story then you turned back to the three older girls, “He’s also offered me an additional fifteen points if I can manage to cast the Colour Change Charm on a liquid before we cover the charm in class next term.”

“Fifteen points is nothing to turn your nose up at,” Gemma commented. “I assume you’re staying at Hogwarts for the holidays?”

You nodded in response. You’d received a letter from one of your Ministry minders the other day saying that they weren’t going to expend the extra resources to feed, house, and supervise you over the holidays when your Hogwarts tuition was already paying for the magic school to do that. You had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it meant that the Ministry saw looking after you as a financial burden that they could cut to save money. While on the other, it meant you could spend Christmas in a castle instead of a shack. So yeah… silver linings.

“Gaunt!” Gemma calling your name drew you out of your thoughts. “I said since you’ll be here and can do magic then you can start working on it during the holidays and I’ll help you the rest of the way once the new term starts. Casting Colour Change on a liquid is an O.W.L. level spell so it might take us a bit.”

“You’ve got until the end of February,” Evanora informed you. “At least that’s when we learned it.”

“So aside from Flitwick challenging you to learn spells far beyond your level - how else did you rack up fifty-one points?” Lysandra inquired.

“Er… well, as you know, I got ten from Professor Flitwick,” you said as you thought back to the log you’d been keeping of your House Points, “Five from Professor McGonagall for troll slaying, five from Madam Hooch for risking my neck for Longbottom, one from Professor Quirrell for learning an advanced spell, and the rest are from Professor Snape.” Gemma had been nodding along with your recap so it seemed that only the most recent points were a surprise to her. “Also, while I was at the Head Table, I put Professor Sprout on notice and pointed out that she’s the only Head of House that I haven’t gotten points from and that I’ll be looking to fix that soon.”

“I think we’ve found our answer to that Granger girl,” Lysandra remarked. “After her, Gaunt’s probably the top earner in first year.”

“He is,” Gemma said with a knowing smirk. “I’m supposed to keep an eye on the firsties so I check the House Point ledgers during the meetings the prefects have at the end of every month with the Head Boy and Head Girl.” That explained how she seemed up to date on your House Point earnings except for the most recent ones.

“Wait, how many points did Potter get in the last Quidditch match?” Millicent asked. “Quidditch counts towards the House Cup, doesn’t it? Isn’t the Snitch worth a hundred fifty points?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Evanora scoffed. “Can you imagine if catching a ball was worth the full one hundred fifty points in the House Cup that it is in a match? That would completely overshadow any academic achievement even the most scholarly student could hope to earn.”

“Every ten points in a match is worth one in the House Cup,” Gemma explained. “So each goal the Chasers score is worth one point regardless of whether they win or lose the match and the Seeker who catches the Snitch gets fifteen points.”

“I guess that makes sense,” you reasoned then you remembered another reason you were hoping to see Gemma and her friends at breakfast, “Speaking of Quidditch… who’s your pick to win today’s match?”

“Ravenclaw,” Gemma immediately replied, “But that’s because I always root against Hufflepuff.”

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

“Not the whole team,” Evanora supplied, “Gemma’s got a vendetta against one of the Chasers.”

“Really? Which one?” you questioned.

Gemma scowled and practically spat out the name, “Tammy Apples.”

“That’s only what Gemma calls her,” Lysandra informed you, “Her real name’s Tamsin Applebee. She’s a muggleborn in our year. I’d imagine their relationship is comparable to yours with that Granger girl.”

Millicent gave you a very pointed look and you fought very hard to keep from making a face. The three older girls clearly didn’t know about the cordial and borderline friendly relationship you had with Hermione Granger.

“She’s here in the Great Hall,” Gemma stated. “Look over at the end of the Hufflepuff table. You should be able to spot the Hufflepuff Quidditch team easily enough. They always eat breakfast together on the day of a match. They’re Puffs so I think it’s to show team spirit and solidarity.”

You looked over your shoulder and didn’t have much trouble spotting the seven members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team since they were already wearing their canary yellow Quidditch robes. It was odd that you hadn’t noticed them before but they might’ve come in at some point while you were talking. Five of the Hufflepuff players were boys so you focused on the two girls who were fortunately facing you.

Both girls had pale skin and short brown hair. Even though they were sitting you could easily tell that they were vastly different heights.

“Er… there are two girls over there,” you reported back to Gemma. “Which one is she?”

“The gangly looking one with her hair cut short like a boy,” Gemma replied with a hint of venom.

‘Gangly’ probably wasn’t the right word to describe the newly identified ‘Tammy Apples’. She was tall and thin with hair that was cut much shorter than most of the girls you’d seen in Hogwarts. Since she was in the same year as Gemma that meant she was either seventeen or eighteen. Her hair was darker than the other girl’s and had a sort of sheen to it that made her brown locks look vaguely reddish. It wasn’t auburn like Gemma’s redder hair but it was somewhat similar. One of the longest of the short shorn locks on top of the tall girl’s head hung down on her forehead. Tamsin laughed at something one of her teammates said but then seemed to sense your gaze because she suddenly looked up and her brown eyes locked with yours.

Uh oh. Busted. Tamsin’s brown-eyed gaze drifted to the side towards Gemma and a frown formed on the previously happy Hufflepuff’s face. She leaned slightly to the side and whispered something to the shorter girl sitting next to her.

“Her ‘partner in crime’ over there is Heidi Macavoy,” Gemma continued. “And you’ll likely see in today’s match that the two of then together are the bane of any Keeper’s existence.”

Heidi Macavoy was notably shorter than Tamsin Applebee and while she also had a thin athletic frame, there was a bit more curviness to her. Her sandy brown hair was also fairly short but it at least went down to the bottom of her neck much like Evanora’s or Pansy Parkinson’s. She also had a short fringe of light brown hair that covered her forehead but stopped short of her hazel eyes… which you just noticed were now also locked on you. Both Hufflepuff Chasers were frowning so you decided that was a good time to look away.

“They caught me looking,” you informed the Slytherin girls.

“Well, obviously,” Lysandra retorted. “You were practically gawking at them.”

“So ‘Applebee’, huh?” you said in an attempt to move the subject away from your less than stealthy surveillance of ‘the enemy’. “Do you suppose she’s an Appleby Arrows fan?”

Evanora and Lysandra’s eyes both widened in alarm, “Uh-oh…”

You felt a prickling at the back of your neck and turned to see that Gemma was outright glaring at you which, combined with her friends’ reaction, told you you’d just said something stupid. “Er… I’m sorry?”

“I was the Arrows fan,” Gemma hissed. It wasn’t Parseltongue but it was close. “I’ve followed Quidditch all my life. I flew on my first training broom when I was four years old. And back then I remember proudly telling my father that one day I was going to play for the Appleby Arrows.”

“So... you’re actually an Arrows fan?” The Appleby Arrows didn’t exactly have a stellar record. They were better than the Chudley Cannons but not by much. And much like being a Cannons fan, only a true diehard Arrows fan would actually admit to it.

“I was four,” Gemma snapped. “I don’t live in West Country and the Arrows are the only English team not from there. So yeah, they were my team. Growing up I told anyone who would listen that I was going to be the one who finally turned the Arrows around and that I’d launch them to their first League Championship.”

You found it odd that Gemma was from England. Her auburn hair combined with the surname ‘Farley’ made you think that she was Irish. But you’d already earned her ire when you mentioned the Appleby Arrows so you kept your mouth shut to avoid putting your foot in it again.

“She’d back it up too,” Evanora added, “You should’ve seen her during our Flying Lessons in first year. She flew circles around everyone. The only one even close to keeping up with her was Oliver Wood.”

You’d seen Gemma fly first hand and knew that she was very good.

Gemma scowled, “Meanwhile, Tammy Apples came to Hogwarts not even knowing what Quidditch was. The lanky oaf could barely fly straight. But she suddenly decided that since she and the Arrows ‘shared a name’ that they were her team.” Gemma grabbed her fork and rather viciously stabbed one of the sausages on her plate. “I guess you can say that I soured on those apples. And now I cheer for their bitter rivals - the Wimbourne Wasps.”

The rivalry between the Appleby Arrows and the Wimbourne Wasps was the stuff of Quidditch legends. It all started back in the seventh century when one of the Wasps’ Beaters batted a live wasps’ nest at the Arrows’ Seeker. Forget costing them the match, the angry wasps stung the opposing Seeker so badly that he had to retire.

“Well, they may wear Hufflepuff colors but being a Stinger is at least more respectable than being a Fletchling,” you commented in an attempt to bring the conversation somewhere more lighthearted.

“Oh, and what’s your team, smartass?” Gemma challenged you.

“Well… I like the Tutshill Tornados,” you replied.

“Tsk, bandwagon jumper,” Gemma scoffed.

“Am not!” you argued. “I’ve been following them since Blythe Parkin became their Seeker. I admire how she was willing to stand apart from her family and forge her own legacy. It’s not my fault she led the Tornados to their first League Championship since Plumpton retired.”

“Got a problem with your family legacy, do you, Gaunt?” Lysandra asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not all of it,” you said, “I’m proud to say that I can trace my family line back to Salazar Slytherin. I’m glad that I was sorted into his house. But my most recent relatives left my family with a rather poor reputation. I’m in Slytherin because I want to build the Gaunt Family Legacy back up and make it respectable again.”

Lysandra glanced at Evanora and the two girls nodded and seemed satisfied with your response. It wasn’t lost on you that both girls were purebloods from the Rowle and Yaxley families - both of which were members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

“So where does Blythe Parkin fit into that?” Millicent inquired.

“The Parkins are basically Quidditch royalty,” Gemma explained. “The seven children of Walter Parkin founded the Wigtown Wanderers back in the fourteen hundreds. Since then loads of Parkins have played for the Wanderers and the Scottish National Team. Blythe’s father Ethan played for Scotland in the four hundred twenty-first Quidditch World Cup last year. They narrowly lost to Canada in the finals. But Blythe caused quite the stir a few years ago when she signed with the Tornados - an English Team - instead of her family’s Scottish Team after graduating from Hogwarts.”

“Not only that,” you were quick to add when it came to the legacy of your favorite pro Quidditch player, “But when she signed to play for the Tornados she fully committed and relocated to England. And since she’s never played for Scotland in a World Cup, she’s probably in line to play Seeker for England in the next Quidditch World Cup. They won the British and Irish Quidditch League Cup last year and their win over the Magpies last weekend brought them to the top of the standings for this season too!”

“Not bad, Gaunt,” Gemma remarked. She - the diehard Quidditch fan - seemed satisfied with that response. “You know, if you’re interested in the Parkin family, you should pay particular attention to the Ravenclaw team during today’s match.”

You were prevented from asking what she meant by that due to the arrival of Draco and the other Slytherin first years.

“There they are!” Pansy Parkinson called out as she hurried over and took a seat next to Evanora and across from you. “Oh look, Marvolo’s sitting with Prefect Farley. How wonderful for him.” You didn’t like the way Parkinson was smiling at you.

“They got here early so they could earn some extra House Points from Flitwick,” Gemma coolly replied. “There are ten extra emeralds in the Slytherin Hourglass now because of them. Tell me, Parkinson, how many House Points have you earned so far this term?”

You looked down and smirked to yourself as you filled your plate. Gemma had mentioned earlier that as a prefect she had access to the House Point ledgers so you knew full well that she already knew how many points Pansy - and most likely all of the other Slytherin first years - had earned. One of the things you really liked about Gemma Farley was that there was no one better in Hogwarts when it came to putting down Parkinson. Pansy’s face paled at being put on the spot while the other first years took their seats nearby.

“Snape gave me three points last week for ‘not dying’,” Blaise was happy to impart.

“I wasn’t asking you, Zabini,” Gemma warned him.

“I know,” he responded, “But I still like mentioning it whenever I get the chance.”

“I helped Millicent earn five points from Professor Snape in Potions yesterday,” Pansy finally answered.

“Oh yes, we heard about that,” Lysandra replied as she quickly picked up Gemma's attack on Parkinson. “But those points were awarded to Bulstrode for her efforts. Between Snape, Flitwick, and McGonagall she’s up to fifteen points. But now we ask again, how many have you earned?”

“Er… none yet…” Pansy reluctantly confessed. “But Flitwick’s always stingy when it comes to Slytherins. I do everything perfectly in Charms class and he still hasn’t given me any points!” She pointed accusingly at you and Millicent and demanded. “How did you get extra points from him!?”

You couldn’t help grinning, “By doing extra work and learning a new spell outside of class.” But then you smirked and decided to twist the knife further. “Wait a minute, Parkinson, didn’t Professor Flitwick take points from you a few weeks ago when he overheard you calling that Hufflepuff a mud…” You cut yourself off to keep from repeating the slur. “And that’s on top of that time back in September when he heard you call him - what was it? ‘An annoying little gnome’?”

“He’s so short it’s hard to keep track of him when he wanders around the room!” she ‘defended’ herself. “He should wear a bell.”

“You see, Parkinson,” Gemma cut in. “Bulstrode’s at fifteen points while Marvolo is up to fifty-one. He’s second only to Granger for points earned as a first year.”

“He’s also Professor Snape’s favorite,” Draco couldn’t help chiming in. “He’s my godfather and I’ve only gotten ten points from him.”

“And how many points have you lost for running your mouth where a professor could hear you?” Gemma countered. That immediately silenced the Malfoy heir.

“My guess is more than ten,” Evanora chimed in with a rather wicked sneer.

Wow. Girls could be very vicious. Gemma and her friends had just shut down both Malfoy and Parkinson. And from the looks of things, 'the Perfect Prefect’ wasn’t done yet.

“I have no problem with those of you who haven’t earned any House Points yet,” Gemma admitted. “I know first hand how difficult it can be to earn points from a professor who isn’t your Head of House. You may not have won any points but at least you’re not dragging the rest of us down.” The fifth year prefect paused and took a moment to give both Parkinson and Malfoy a long hard look. “As for those of you in the negatives, the brutally honest truth is — you’re currently a burden on Slytherin House. As your prefect, I’m obligated to tolerate your existence but I strongly suggest you do something about that.” Gemma paused again and glanced further down the table. “And, yes Nott, I’m talking to you too. I saw how many points you lost back in September for refusing to speak up in class.”

“...” the thin, silent boy looked down and seemed suitably chastised. He still refused to speak unless absolutely necessary. The only time you ever heard his voice was when he quietly whispered the incantation for spells in class. You could still remember the spectacle from back in September when teachers would call on him and he’d just sit there silently. He never raised his hand in those instances but he was always paying attention in class and was always reading in his free time so you suspected that he knew the answer but for whatever reason refused to say it. After spending a month taking points from him and watching the lesson screech to halt every time they called on him, the professors had eventually stopped doing it.

“Yeah, Nott, what do you have to say for yourself?” Daphne prodded. The sometimes annoyingly curious girl seemed to find Nott’s silence ‘mysterious’ because she was constantly trying to goad the near silent boy into speaking. Daphne and her sidekick Davis had even taken to following Nott around in some hairbrained attempt at catching him talking.

“...” You could tell that Theodore found this highly annoying as he glared silently back at Greengrass. Better him than you.

“In his defense,” you spoke up, “He’s likely playing the long game. He lost quite a few points during that first month but I think that was so they wouldn’t call on him for the next six and a half years. If that’s not a show of Slytherin cunning then I don’t know what is. Besides, it’s not like he’s a bad student. Quite the opposite actually. I know that Professor McGonagall only agreed to leave him alone because he’s always the first in our class to transfigure whatever we’re working on.”

“...” Theodore looked your way and gave you a very clear and deliberate nod.

“Speaking up for Nott, are you, Gaunt?” Lysandra asked.

You turned back to the older girls and gave a casual shrug. “He wasn’t going to do it himself so I figured someone should. And I pride myself on being rather… articulate.”

“I have been meaning to ask about that,” Gemma admitted, “When you talk you usually sound way older than a regular thirteen-year-old.”

“Sounds like a posh pansy most of the time to me,” Crabbe grumbled. Pansy turned and glared at him. She seemed to find the comment more insulting than you did.

“I can’t even understand him most of the time,” Goyle admitted, “So I always figured he was speakin’ Parseltongue “ So that was why he’d stop and stare blankly at you so often in Potions class.

“I had a strict Ministry-appointed tutor while I was growing up,” you explained. “She’d whack me across the knuckles with her cane whenever I said something unintelligent.” You glanced down at your knuckles and felt a phantom sting. When you were eight you came to the conclusion that the nasty old squib used whatever excuse she could to hit you and get away with it. “She had very high standards for what was or wasn’t intelligent so I... cultivated a particularly extensive vocabulary out of necessity.”

“There, right there!” Gregory exclaimed. “I couldn’t understand a word o’ that! Are you sure he isn’t speakin’ in tongues?”

Blaise smirked, “I’m pretty sure he was just to messing with you and Crabbe for calling him a pansy.”

“I didn’t call ‘im a pansy!” Goyle defended himself. “Vince did.”

“How about both of you just stop using that term entirely?” Pansy politely suggested. And by that, you meant outright demanded.

“Oh, right, that reminds me,” Gemma said, “while I can’t say this hasn’t been an interesting turn… back to my original point… House Points. I’m a prefect so I read the ledgers at the end of every month. Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson - you’re all in the red and until that changes you’re a burden on Slytherin House that I only tolerate because I have to. Crabbe, Davis, Goyle, Greengrass - you four haven’t earned any points but you haven’t lost us any either. So that at least tells me that you usually know when to keep your mouths shut.” She said that last bit while looking right at Crabbe and Goyle. “Bulstrode and also Zabini - you’re both in the black now so that means you’re earners and that you’re in my good graces.”

Gemma stood up and moved over behind you so she could place her hands on your shoulders. She also leaned forward just enough so that the seventeen-year-old's chest rested against the back of your head.

“Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Do. Not. Blush.” You mentally chanted to yourself.

“Now, as we discussed, this cheeky little monkey has earned fifty-one points and that’s after Snape took five from him,” Gemma recounted. “If any of you ever find yourself wondering why he’s my favorite out of the lot of you… that’s why. He’s proven to be worth my time. And that’s why he can sit with us whenever he likes.” You doubled your efforts not to blush from Gemma’s praise. “Speaking of which, Gaunt, you’re welcome to join us for the Quidditch match later. Same spot as last time. I’ll save you a seat.” Gemma took a couple seconds to ruffle your hair then turned to leave. Lysandra and Evanora stood up and filed out after Gemma.

Pansy glowered at you from the other side of the table. “I bet this is this the happiest day of your life, isn't it, Gaunt?” she nearly snarled. “Hope your head doesn’t explode from all the swelling.”

You casually shrugged. You knew full well that Parkinson was trying to salvage some of her dignity after Gemma had torn her to shreds. “It’s still early. Breakfast hasn’t even ended yet. There’s no telling what could happen at the match today so my day could still stand to get better.”

“Speaking of which,” Gemma said as she came back and placed her hands on Malfoy’s shoulder. You idly noted that she didn't lean forward so that her chest pressed into his head like she usually did with you. “I’m not inviting you to join us but, because I’m not completely heartless, I’ll give you this friendly piece of advice… avoid sitting in the other Slytherin section at all costs.” Draco opened his mouth to ask why but Gemma kept going and didn’t let him get that one word in. “You see, Marcus Flint likes to sit over there in the front row when he’s not playing. And if the match ends the way I think it’s gonna end — that’s the last place you’ll want to be.”

“And how do you think it’s going to end?” Draco asked hotly. Much like Parkinson, he was looking to regain some of his dignity after the fifth year prefect had called him a burden on the house.

“With Ravenclaw in first place for the Quidditch Cup and Slytherin in last,” Gemma answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Draco scoffed, “Tsk, don’t bet on that.”

Gemma raised an eyebrow, “Oh? How much? I’m not afraid to back up my claims. I can put my money where my mouth is. Can you?”

“Should a respectable prefect like you really be encouraging first years to gamble?” Pansy sniped. Somehow she managed to make the word ‘respectable’ sound like an insult. “Shouldn’t you be setting a good example?”

“I’m teaching him a valuable lesson,” Gemma replied. She waved Parkinson’s petty dig off like it was a waste of hot air.

“What’s that? How to lose your money?” Draco retorted. “I’m not afraid. You’re not as smart as you think you are. I’ll wager five galleons that you’re wrong.” That was a lot of money to bet on a school Quidditch match. “Then we’ll see who’s the earner.” Yup. He was definitely taking Gemma words about being a ‘burden’ from earlier very personally.

“Well, I don’t have five galleons,” Gemma admitted. She turned and called down the table to her friends. “Sandra! Nora! Spot me five galleons! I’ll have it back to you by lunch.”

The two pureblood girls glanced at each other then nodded before Evanora responded. “Alright. Between the two of us, we should be able to come up with five galleons.”

You glanced around and saw that Gemma calling to her friends across the Great Hall had garnered a fair bit of attention. You looked over at the Hufflepuff table and saw that Applebee and Macavoy were both watching. Heidi was frowning and Tamsin looked vaguely disgusted.

“Alright, I’ve got five galleons now,” Gemma resolved. “And I’ll make this easy for you, Malfoy. The match is going to end with Ravenclaw in first place, Gryffindor in second, Hufflepuff in third, and Slytherin in last. If I’m wrong in any way… you win.” She held out her hand towards Draco.

“Draco… you don’t have to do this,” you tried to warn your roommate, “You can still back out.”

But your warning had the opposite effect. Draco squared his pointed jaw and shook Gemma’s hand. “Fine. It’s a bet.”

“Fantastic,” Gemma replied, “In that case, why don’t you tag along with Gaunt and come watch the match with us? I wouldn’t want you welching on me once it’s over.” She gave you a little wave then turned and walked off. She briefly paused at the end of the Hufflepuff Table to glare at Tamsin Applebee before she walked out of the Great Hall with her friends.

“That was stupid, Draco,” you scolded your roommate. “Gemma really knows her Quidditch. You haven’t even seen the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch Teams play yet.”

“Shut up, Gaunt!” Malfoy snapped back, “You may worship the ground that Farley walks on but she’s not that great.”

“I heard that she’s not even a proper pureblood,” Parkinson imparted. “Her grandmother was a muggleborn. That badge of hers makes her think she’s above her station.”

You frowned and spoke up to defend the girl who had been praising your hard work earlier, “I think that’s actually quite telling. Lysandra Yaxley and Evanora Rowle both seem to be rather intelligent and their blood’s as pure as any of ours. But Gemma Farley’s the one wearing the prefect badge. What does that tell you?”

“That she’s a manipulative bitch.”

You glared at Parkinson… but she wasn’t the one who had said it. She was silently staring at something behind you… and also quite a bit above you too. You whipped around and found yourself staring at a canary yellow stomach then you looked up and up and up until your eyes once again locked with the brown ones belonging to Tamsin Applebee. The tall, muggleborn fifth year was standing behind you with Heidi Macavoy at her side. Behind them, you saw that the rest of the Hufflepuff Team had gotten up and were saying goodbye to the last of their Hufflepuff wellwishers before heading out to the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch.

Tamsin’s arms were folded under her chest which you idly noted that she wasn’t as big as Gemma’s, or Lysandra’s… or Macavoy’s next to her… or even Angelina Johnson’s.

“What was that?” you bit back.

“You heard me,” Tamsin replied. “That girl is rotten to the core.”

You slapped the table and pushed yourself up so you could stand up on the bench. Now you were at least a little bit higher and could look the Hufflepuff fifth year in the eyes properly.

“I’m sure you’d know all about rotting cores, Apples,” you retorted. “But Gemma Farley has been nothing but nice to me. Don’t insult her in front of - or behind - me.”

Applebee shook her head, “You poor fool. She’s already got her claws in you. You know she’s using you, right? There’s not a thing that girl does that isn’t self serving. We all saw how she goaded your little friend into that sucker bet.”

“That ‘sucker bet’ was five galleons on you losing the match today,” you retorted. You thought back to your first one-on-one encounter with Gemma Farley where she taught you the Knockback Jinx… on the condition that you told everyone she was the one who taught you. “She’s a Slytherin. That’s what we do. If you can show me a Slytherin that doesn’t act in their own self-interest then I’ll show you a bad Slytherin.”

“And what did she tell you about me?” Tamsin asked. “That I’m some lucky muggleborn who wandered onto the pitch during tryouts and miraculously landed a spot on the team? Do you think I didn’t work hard to get where I am? I’m a Hufflepuff. Hard work is what we’re all about.”

Gemma had called her gangly and had said that the ‘lanky oaf’ couldn’t fly straight during their Flying Lessons. Gemma’s biggest grievance seemed to be the Appleby Arrows thing but she never actually said why she hated Tamsin.

“That… did not come up,” you replied. “She said you stole her Quidditch Team. But it’s only the Appleby Arrows so I won’t hold that against you.”

The Arrows fan rolled her eyes at your dig towards her team. “Right, because according to her, it’s a crime to like the same team as someone.” The tall, muggleborn girl shook her head. “Whatever. Cling to your delusions. But remember, I tried to do the right thing and warn you.”

Applebee turned to leave and that’s when Macavoy spoke up… with a Scottish brogue. “One day ye’ll see ‘er fer the jealous manipulative shrew tha’ she is an’ I just hope we’ll be there t’ say ‘We told ye so’.”

You folded your arms across your chest, “Well, after meeting you two, I think I’ll follow Gemma’s lead and root for Ravenclaw today.”

Tamsin scoffed, “Go ahead, shrimp. It’ll help get you used to the disappointment that you’re sure to face if you keep following Gemma Farley.” The two Hufflepuff Chasers left and followed the rest of their team out of the Great Hall.

“Gaunt!” Damien Perriss, the other fifth year Slytherin prefect, called out from down the table, “Get down from there or I’ll take points!”

You climbed down off the bench and sat down to finish your breakfast. But before you did, you picked up your fork and pointed it first at Parkinson then at all the other first years who had just silently watched as you confronted the two Hufflepuff fifth years, “And that goes for the rest of you too. I don’t care who you are. No one insults Gemma Farley in front of me.”

The so-called anti-climatic match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff was shaping up to be much more interesting than you had initially anticipated.

Marvolo Gaunt House Point LedgerFilius Flitwick: +5

Current Total: +51

Points awarded by: SS, RH, QQ, MM, FF