The Slytherin

Chapter Five

On the next Thursday, Amelia and Larissa dragged their feet over to Great Hall thirty minutes late, just to see Draco bullying Neville.

They eavesdropped on the conversation. Amelia cracked her knuckles, which Larissa had no idea how to do. "Let me take him down."

"It's to early for violence." Larissa protested with a yawn. "Just ignore him. Besides, Charlotte would never let him..." Larissa looked around. "Amy? Where'd you go?"

As it happened, Larissa had to hurry to catch up with her but friend right before she gripped Draco Malfoy's arm and dragged him into the shadows. Goyle and Crabbe looked around stupidly, wondering where their leader had gone, while Larissa slipped next to her friend.

"Ow." Draco protested. "What?"

They were near the Ravenclaw table, but Amelia ignored the few students who actually noticed them. " 'Just looking' my arse." Amelia growled.

"Don't tell me you're standing up for Longbottom, Watson." Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I never thought you'd stoop so low."

Amelia trapped the front of his shirt and pulled him close, her eyes narrowed. "When I hear you say one more word against Neville, Malfoy, I'll send a cactus up your arse, do you understand me?"

Malfoy nodded, the condescension in his eyes softening and letting a glimpse of fear show. Amelia let him go, sending him skidding across the floor.

Her victory over Malfoy sent Amelia in a good mood all day. When they got to Flying, she had a spring in her step as she and Larissa positioned themselves on each side of Neville. A few people down was Harry Potter, to which Amelia offered a curt nod. And when they shouted "Up!" to their brooms, Larissa's was one of the few that lifted to their hand.

"You'll get it next time." Larissa assured Neville, whose assigned broom hadn't budged. "Mine only came to me because I've flown before."

Finally, they mounted their brooms. Madam Hooch corrected Amelia, Neville, and Larissa, before moving on. When she informed Draco that he'd apparently been doing it wrong for years, Amelia smirked.

And then came Neville's incident. Madam Hooch issued her command to stay firmly on the ground before guiding him to the hospital. Larissa was as white as a sheet - which wasn't very hard, since she was naturally pale anyways.

Once they disappeared inside the castle, Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?"

Some of the other Slytherins joined in, but Larissa just clenched her fists. However, Amelia spoke up.

"I have cacti on me, Malfoy." She threatened.

Larissa felt happy to have such a violent friend.

"Oh, shut up." Draco told her. Parvati April and Pansy Parkinson started arguing, which Amelia promptly ended with a punch to Pansy's face.

Then came a Potter/Malfoy flying standoff, which temporarily restored Amelia's faith in Harry and also broke the rules. But then Harry turned out to be a professional flier, which diminished her faith immediately.

"I won't accept him until I find his flaws." She told Larissa.

"Knowing you, that shouldn't be hard." Larissa responded, tearing her eyes off of the celebrity just as he plunged into a dive and caught the Remembrall. She joined the Gryffindors in cheering as he came to a stop.

Larissa tried to voice her protests to the Gryffindor Head of House, desperately trying to get him out of trouble while Amelia stayed stubbornly silent.

"Be quiet, Miss Patil-"

"It was all Malfoy-"

"That's quite enough, Miss Hamilton-"