An American at Hogwarts

Me Versus Malfoy

The next couple weeks were spent more or less the same way the few before break had been. A bit more studying this time, since exams seemed to be getting ever closer and Hermione insisted on getting us all to start revision early. We still spent most of our free time looking for Flamel, albeit slightly less enthusiastically. We were beginning to wonder if he even existed at all. Late one evening, me, Marie, Hermione, and Ron were staying in the common room waiting for Harry to return from quidditch practice.

Ron let out a groan. "Honestly Hermione, the exams are months away! Give us one night off, please!"

"You can take the night off if you want to, Ron, but I'm studying. I think Y/N and Marie feel the same."

I gave Ron a sympathetic smile but nodded. "I don't mind studying, at least when its something I enjoy. Which most of what we do here is, so..."

Before I could finish my thought the door opened and Harry walked in with a very grim expression on his face. Ron ran up to him.

"Bloody hell mate, you look like you're half dead! What happened?"

Harry walked over to us and sat down. "Snape is refereeing the next match."

Our eyes went wide.

I went first. "Say you can't play."

"Pretend to be ill!" Said Marie.

"Pretend to break your leg!" Offered Hermione.

"Really break your leg." Said Ron, earning him a glare from the rest of us.

Harry sighed. "No, I have to. If I don't play we'd just forfeit the match. I can't do that."

"Why does he even want to do that? He's never even cared for quidditch before!" Said Ron, angrily.

Hermione huffed. "It's rather obvious Ron. He wants to finish what he started last time. You can't play, Harry, he'll kill you!"

I frowned. "Surely he wouldn't try something like that in front of the whole school? It would be much more obvious if he was the ref and tried anything, no?"

Before anyone could answer, the door to the common room opened again, and in hopped Neville. Wait, hopped?

His legs were stuck together as if he was in an invisible potato sack, and he was breathing heavily. Hermione shot up.

"What happened Neville? Who did this to you?"

"Malfoy. He used the leg-locker curse on me."

My mind went blank for a second with rage before I was able to calm myself down slightly. "You have to go to someone about this Neville. If we just keep letting him do this he will never stop."

Neville started tearing up a bit as Hermione began muttering the counter curse. "No, everyone already thinks me a coward, I can't. I don't need another reminder that I'm not brave enough for Gryffindor."

Ron sighed. "You have to stand up for yourself mate."

"And you're plenty brave for Gryffindor, Neville." Offered Harry, with a slight smile.

Neville finally stood up properly and began to calm down slightly as Harry offered him a chocolate frog.

"You want the card? I know you collect them Harry."

Harry nodded appreciatively. "Sure mate! Ah, another Dumbledore, I've already got..." his eyes went wide mid sentence.

"I KNEW I'D SEEN HIS NAME BEFORE!" Shouted Harry, rushing over to me, Ron, and Marie, Hermione quickly joining us.

"Look! Dumbledore is primarily known for his defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel."

Hermione slapped herself in the face and ran off to her room, quickly returning with an old book. "I knew I'd seen his name before! I took this book out a couple months ago for some light reading..."

"That's light?" Interjected Ron.

"Oh shush, look! Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone."

My eyes went wide. "Of course!"

Ron, Harry, and Marie frowned. "The what?"

I sighed. "Oh come on guys? The all-powerful stone that can turn anything into gold and make you immortal? How can you not have come across that in your reading?"

Harry's eyes went wide. "That's what the dog is guarding! No wonder Snape wants to get past it so bad!"

As the four of them talked excitedly, I turned back to Neville. "Where was Malfoy?"

"Down by the Great Hall."

I nodded and went off, shouting back to my friends that I'd be right back. I made my way down to the Great Hall and found Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle laughing near the bathrooms. Malfoy waved them off and went inside. I smirked and waited for them to head off before I followed him inside. As I entered, I pulled my wand out and aimed it at the door.

Colloportus. Silencio.

I wandered over to the sinks and waited for Malfoy to exit the stall. As he did, I shot him a glare.

"What are you doing here, L/N?"

"Waiting for you."

"What for? You here to cry more about your sister?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "No. To warn you. One more comment like that about my sister or another attack on my friends like you did tonight with Neville, and I will make you regret it, consequences be damned."

Malfoy huffed. "And what, exactly, do you plan on doing? I can defend myself, you know?"

I saw him begin to draw his wand but I didn't show it. I was hoping he'd try something. It would make my point that more striking. He quickly whipped it the rest of the way out and leveled it at me.

Vermillious!

Protego!

The spell bounced ineffectively off my shield and ricocheted into a mirror, cracking it slightly.

"As can I. Now, why don't I give you a demonstration?"

I aimed my wand at the mirror he had already cracked.

Expulso!

I'd been practicing it for a while, thinking that it could help a bit with the blasting curse. I wasn't particularly good with it, and would certainly not rely on it in a proper duel, but against an already cracked mirror I was fairly confident it would work as intended. Sure enough, the mirror shattered, sending glass flying, but fortunately landing far away from me or Malfoy. I wasn't planning on hurting him, at least tonight.

"Now, imagine that mirror was your ankle. Off you go! Sleep tight!"

I pointed my wand at the door and dispelled the charms I had placed on it as Malfoy skittered out of the bathroom, much to my amusement. I quickly cast the mending charm on the mirror, which I was fortunately rather good at, leaving no clear trace of anything having gone down in that bathroom. As I wandered back to the Gryffindor dorms, I had a wild smirk on my face. Maybe, just maybe, I was starting to fulfill that promise I had made to myself all those years back.