The Dark Lord's Daughter Book 2: Secrets

Mudbloods, Traitors and Slags

The next morning Notte, Ron and Hermione were escorting Harry to Quidditch practice.
"Wood is obsessed with winning the Quidditch cup this year Harry-" Ron started to warn Harry about Woods near Quidditch fuelled breakdown when Wood appeared.
" I spent the summer devising a whole new Quidditch program. We are gonna train earlier, harder, and longer." Wood walked with Harry and the others down to the field where they spotted Marcus Flint and the rest of the Slytherin team. "What- I don't believe it! Where do you think you're goin', Flint?"
"Quidditch Practice." Flint said shortly.
"I booked the Quidditch pitch for Gryffindor today." Wood said starting to get in Flints face before Flint pulled out a piece of parchment.
"Easy, Wood. I've got a note." Flint handed the note to Wood.
"Uh oh, I smell trouble-" Ron whispered to Harry.
"I, Professor Severus Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practice today, owing to the need to train their new Seeker." You've got a new Seeker. Who?" Wood looked up at Flint and the Slytherin team parted to reveal none other than Draco Malfoy. Notte half stepped behind Harry- half wanting to run away and the other half wanting to punch his smirk in.
"Malfoy?" Harry glared at the blonde who grinned haughtily.
"That's right. And that's not all that new this year." Malfoy lifted up his sleek black broomstick.
"Those are Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones! How did you get those?" Ron's eyes were wide- fangirling over the newest model of broomstick.
"A gift from Draco's father." Flint said, and Ron's face went from awe to disgust.
"You see Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best." Malfoy sneered at Ron who turned pink. Notte clenched her fist and glared at Malfoy who tried to ignore her.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got it on pure talent." Hermione said proudly. Notte's stomach filled with dread.
"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood!" Notte saw red and lunged at Malfoy- luckily Harry put an arm put in front of her holding her back.
"Ooh- Potter get contol of your slag, or she'll cause you even more trouble." Malfoy taunted making Notte glare at him from behind Harry. Harry threw his hand into his robes to grab his wand. Notte held Harrys arm down.
Unluckily Notte didn't hold Ron back and Ron pointed his wand at Malfoy.
"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy. Eat slugs!" The hex rebounded from his broken wand and Ron was hit by a flash of green light. Malfoy and his team laughed at Ron as he doubled over. Hermione and Notte rushed to Ron.
"You okay, Ron? Say something!" Hermione said anxiously. Ron turned green-
"Hermione get back hes gonna-!" Notte stepped back bumping into Harry who grabbed her elbows to steady her. Ron threw up and the Slytherins roared with laughter when a fat slug plopped out of his mouth. Students in the courtyard gathered around the group of students watching Ron throw up slugs.
"Hey Harry! Can you turn him around!" They hear a familiar voice call and Notte winces when she sees Harrys fanboy Colin Creavy clicking away taking pictures.
"No, Colin! Get out of the way! Let's take him to Hagrid's." Harry parted the crowd and helped Ron to his feet leaving the Slytherins roaring in laughter. "He'll know what to do." Notte shot a glare back at Malfoy who was smirking at her.

In Hagrids hut, Hagrid gives Ron an old rusted bucket.
"Wo, this calls for a specialist's equipment. Nothin' to do but wait'll it stops, I'm afraid." Hagrid and the others grimmace as Ron throws up another slug.
"Better out than in. Who's Ron tryin' to curse, anyway?" Hagrid looked at the other three.
"Malfoy. He called Hermione, ...um, well, I don't- I don't know exactly what it means." Harry said and Notte stayed quiet sitting next to Ron.
"He called me a Mudblood." Hermione said quietly and Notte scowled at the word.
"He did not!" Hagrid looked shocked and disgusted.
"What's a Mudblood?" Harry asked nervously looking at Hagrid and Notte let out an angry breath.
"It means "dirty blood." Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born. Someone with non-magic parents. Someone like me. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation." Hermione says lightly but Notte can hear the bitterness in her voice.
"See, the thing is, Harry, there're some wizards, like the Malfoy family, who think they're better'n everyone else because they're what people call "pure blood."" Hagrid looked pained making Notte wonder for just a moment how Hagrid was such a large man.
"That's horrible!" Harry looked at Hermione sympathetically.
"Its digusting." Ron said through throwing up slugs. "Malfoy called Notte, Harry's 'slag' too." Ron threw up another slug before he finished.
"Like he was trying to pick a fight." Ron looked up at Hagrid before throwing up another slug.
Hagrid looked at Hermione.
"It's codswallop, to boot. "Dirty blood." Why, there isn't a wizard alive today that's not half blood or less. More ter the point, they've yet to think of a spell that our Hermione can' do. Come here... Don't you think on it, Hermione. Don't you think on it for one minute... eh?" Hagrid hugged Hermione as she cried into his oversized coat.
"You alright there Notte?" Hagrid asked, knowing there wasn't much he could say to make Notte feel better.
"I'll be fine- I think Harry and Ron were more upset about it than me really. What he called Hermione was what really set me off." Notte said sitting up straighter, pretending it didn't bother her in the slightest.
But it did. Harry looked at her knowingly as Ron threw up another slug and Hermione wiped her tears. Notte felt like Hermione's hurt was much greater than hers right now- and she needed comforting more.
And besides- they called her Harry's and no matter what dirty name they called her, that felt like it made up for it.
By the time they were ready to head back up to the castle it was past curfew. They all recieved detentions from Snape who looked down at them triumphantly and dragged them to his office.
"Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley- it seems Professor Lockhart has requested two students from dentention tomorrow night." Snape almost laughed knowing how much Notte and Harry detested Lockhart, and wanting Notte as far away from him as possible.
"Miss Granger, I need assistance tomorrow night with shredding boomslang skin- you seem the most competant out of the selection unfortunately. And Mr. Weasley-" Ron threw up a slug into a wastebasket,
"I believe Mr. Filch needs assistance polishing in the trophy room." Snape dismissed the four and they muttered angrily all the way back to the commons in between Ron throwing up a slug.
"For Merlin's sake! That slimey git put us with Lockhart just so he watch us squirm!" Notte said to Harry as soon as they stepped throught the portrait hole.
"Could be worse-" Harry stared pointedly at Ron throwing up yet another slug.
"Maybe McGonagall would let us switch." Notte said quietly collapsing onto the sofa infront of the fireplace. Hermione stayed quiet and went up solemnly to the dorm.
"D'you reckon she'll be alright?" Ron asked Notte who looked up from her spot.
"Yeah- I bet she'll realize real soon that Snape just called her the smartest out of all of us and she'll cheer up a bit." Ron nodded and suddenly turned green and ran up to the Boys dorm.
"Well-" Notte said watching him run out of the room.
"Notte-" Harry hesitated for a moment.
"Harry." Notte looked up at Harry who was rather pink.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked sitting down on the floor in front of the fireplace.
"Yeah- I mean its just a word." Notte said looking away from Harry.
"Well I mean he called you my ...- I thought that would've made you angrier." Harry said thoughtfully and Notte blushed and hid her face.
"Not really- but it looked like it bugged you." Notte snuck a peak at Harry. He was looking away his face pink, his hands were behind him holding him up. He was looking out the window- in one of his infamous day dreams.
"You know- for someone who's defeated the greatest evil known to Wizard-kind, you sure are an airhead."Notte said propping her head up with her hand and Harry looked back feigning hurt.
"I resent that Weasley- you've got the worlds worst temper! But you sure have a sore spot for cute things- I remember" Harry mimicked her from their first transfigurations class,
"Here kitty, here kitty!" Harry made kissy faces at her. Notte smirked,
"Careful Potter or people are going to think we're dating-" Harry turned pink realizing what he was doing and looked away embarrassed.
Notte's stomach did a flip as she realized that other than the death threats- she wouldn't actually mind that so much. Harry glanced at Notte and said goodnight quickly.
Notte flopped back on her back and grimmaced. Harry ran up the stairs and leaned against the wall next to the dorm door.
"Well I sure messed that up." They said at the same time quietly to themselves not knowing exactly what went wrong. Or even what they wanted to happen.