Secret Santa Fic for Etch!
Jan 8, 2016 17:14:32 GMT -5
Post by Zebadiah Hayes on Jan 8, 2016 17:14:32 GMT -5
Counting to Fifteen*
“I heard she had to get Professor Averin to read her assignment for her in Potions.”
“Yeah well I swear she was reading a board book for babies in the Great Hall last week.”
“Seriously? I knew muggles were stupid, but I thought even they could read.”
The young Gryffindor kept her head down as she hurried to her next class, counting slowly to twenty over and over in her head what Professor Neville had told her. It was an exercise meant to calm her down. And although she didn’t really trust the old wizard, she figured it was worth trying if it would keep her out of detention. She couldn’t stand another late night of scrubbing the Great Hall or prefect’s bathrooms. But every time she reached twenty, she would overhear someone else mutter something about her and have to start the whole process over again.
Maybe because she was boiling inside, or maybe because she was hurrying, but suddenly she tripped over her shoelace, throwing her wand and books across the hallway as she fell in a tangle of robes and limbs, dragging down a few other students as she fell down.
“Look out where you’re going Mudblood!” the dark haired Slytherin student yelled as he jumped to his feet. Though Winter looked upset about the collision, he was also grinning a bit at the chance to use the vulgar term.
Josie also jumped to her feet, holding out her wand hand before realizing that there was no wand in it. So instead she curled her fingers into a fist. Pulling her arm back she glared at the boy as she prepared to punch him right in his stupid little grin.
“Josie wait!” Another boy yelled out and suddenly Gabriel and Kiara, two Hufflepuffs from her Herbology class who were actually nice to her, were there holding her arm back. Joise glared at them too. She didn’t really know the couple well and didn’t really care to be interrupted right now.
“What’s going on here?” Josie turned to see two older boys approaching the group. The one who had spoken had a serious face as he looked over the situation, his eyes going from Winter’s scowl to Josie’s fist and back again. She recognized him from the Gryffindor Quidditch team. But the blond boy linking arms with him was all smiles.
“A little scuffle? A wizard duel?” Nick, another Hufflepuff, asked, grinning and prodding his friend in the ribs and trying to get him to smile.
Josie was not enjoying all of this attention. All she wanted was to collect her things and get to class. And maybe smack Winter in the head as she walked by.
“She doesn’t even know what that is…she’s too stupid…mudblood,” Winter muttered. “I’d write you out instructions but how could you read them?”
Josie struggled to get at the boy, but Gabriel and Kiara continued to hold her back. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know what a duel was, she would gladly face this idiot if it meant getting her wand back in her fist.
“They’re too young to duel,” Trevor said, matter-of-factly. He wasn’t a prefect but sometimes he could sure act like one when it came to look after the younger Gryffindors. And while she might look back and appreciate it, right now she didn’t enjoy the feeling.
Still with all of the older students around Winter had backed off and started to walk away, shooting Josie a smirk over her shoulder as if he could read on her face just how much she hated having to have someone come to her aid.
“I don’t need you to fight my battles,” she yelled at the older boy. “Any of you.” She added to her other peers as she wrestled free from their grip. And she was going to just walk away, really she was. She had already started counting again as she bent to pick up her books.
And then…
“Why don’t you just leave your books there, not like you need them,” Winter called from down the hall.
So much for counting.
Josie took off down the hallway, the others trying to catch up to her before she reached the Slytherin. She forgot for a moment that she was a witch now and just smacked Winter over the head with her wand and punched him in the mouth with her other hand. Blood erupted between his teeth as he yelled out in surprise and pain.
And then the other students were pull them apart, even as Josie continued to struggle to pummel him.
“Mrs. Raines! Mr. Rowley! Mr. James! Mrs. Lilien! Mr. Cunningham! and Mr. Ward!” Professor Romanov yelled out. All six of the students jumped to attention. And even Nick lost the grin on his face. “Do I need to take points from every house? Or is someone going to explain all of this!”
And so much for an evening without detention, Josie though with a sign.
*((my apologizes to all characters in this story who I misrepresent or put in the wrong Houses))
