Without competition
"Open your spell books up to page 474. We will be discussing the properties of wit-sharpening potion today."
Slughorn's voice does very little to dull the chatter that fills the room, it is only when he clears his throat rather aggressively that some semblance of silence occurs.
Alexandra huffs loudly from her seat in the back of the classroom. Unlike the rest of her classmates, she hadn't spent the beginning of the lesson settling in, she'd spent it praying that the girl sitting in front of her wouldn't turn around.
Lily Evans, the redhead sitting in front of her, is flicking through her book with a self satisfied expression on her face. She'd gone through the material beforehand, something Alexandra hadn't gotten the chance to do. Meanwhile, Slughorn sweeps by each desk, lingering over some longer than he does others. Alexandra doesn't miss the way Lily's face lights up when he hands her a piece of parchment, nor does she miss the way he commends her for an apparent diligence she'd yet to see or notice. When the professor leaves her desk, albeit rather belatedly, he makes sure to sing his praises to anyone who would lend an ear to listen, (Alexandra truly believes his target audience is a certain James Potter)
Speaking of, said Idiot can be heard snickering even over the sound of about 30 students' chatter. She doesn't bother trying to eavesdrop, there's no need, she has no doubt that word would come to her through the mouth of one girl or another. You see, James Potter and his pathetic gang had a strange (frankly freakish) influence over the entirety of Hogwarts. It's gotten so bad lately ,that, for her to hear even a slither of bad news about him, she'd have to trek all the way over to the dungeons and consult the audience of a very specific brand of Slytherin. Something that, despite her hatred for him, she would never be caught dead doing.
Professor Slughorn gives the boy sitting next to her a brief talking to about the importance of keeping his grades up, before finally turning to her beaming.
"Well done Garnier!" He exclaims, and Alexandra has to fight down the warmth in her stomach. "Top of the class again!"
She cocks an eyebrow at the piece of parchment left on her desk, "These were numerically scored?" She asks, flipping her essay over to see just another blank sheet of paper.
Slughorn clears his throat, "No, Not exactly Ms Garnier bu-."
"Then how'd I get top of the class?"
The professor seems taken aback at the question. After all, it's not everyday a student argues the point of her perfect score. "It's more a personal opinion my dear." He eyes her blank expression warily, "I think I enjoyed reading your analysis of the Anti-ageing potion the most."
She hums in response to his answer, more concerned with the bristling figure of Lily Evans than anything else at the moment. "Thank you Professor."
Slughorn sends her another tentative but bright smile. He mutters a quick, "Good job!" before leaving her to move on to the next student.
She folds up her essay, lingering for a bit on the bold O in the top corner, before sliding it into the front of her textbook. She'd find a place to put it later, right now all she can do is wait until the lesson is over.
"Garnier." Alexandra frowns a little at the sound of Lily's voice, she was hoping she'd sound more agitated. "It's rude to ignore someone who's talking to you."
"What?" Alexandra hums, raising her head in a manner that could only imply she was surprised. "Sorry, I was reading over my essay. Must've forgotten you were talking."
Lily scoffs loudly, "Stop acting like we didn't get the same score Garnier. It's pathetic."
The Slytherin smirks slightly at her words. "But we didn't, did we?" She leans a little further forward in her stool. "I don't recall Slughorn saying your essay was his favourite to read. Or was I too distracted to hear that too."
Her lips are pursed when Lily mutters something about her being childish before turning around.
"What was that, Evans?" She asks dryly, though you could practically hear the fat smirk on her face. "Surely it can't be polite to all but ignore the person you're speaking to."
Alexandra is fairly surprised when Lily doesn't reply immediately the way she expects her to.
" Shhhh!" She says, placing her finger on her lips, before pointing to where the professor was standing near his desk. "Slughorn's trying to teach."
Alexandra, taken aback by the sudden change in behaviour, opens her mouth to argue but is ultimately quietened down by Slughorn's pointed glare from across the classroom. She should've expected that; trust a Gryffindor to be as immature as possible. Alexandra contemplates sending her a hex from underneath the table; she'd be willing to deal with the consequences if it meant that obnoxious smirk would be wiped away.
She's not always this moody. Most of the time it takes more than a sentence from a person to make her want to resort to violence. But Slughorn, as good natured as he may be, has been prattling on about the potion for more than half an hour, and her knee is getting restless as a result. She tries to ignore this and moves her eyes to follow him around the classroom, trying to pay attention to the billowing of the old wizards robes and not the suffocating silence the room is engulfed in. Why is it so quiet anyway? Surely somebody should have something to talk about?
She glances around the room quickly, though, her eyes fall on a specific band of Gryffindors. Why was it that they always had something to do? James and Sirius are leant over onto Remus' desk, whilst the latter scribbles down something that to be frank, looks nothing like the notes Slughorn is telling them to make.
Now that she's properly looking at it, she doesn't think a single person is doing what they're meant to be doing, save for a few Ravenclaws at the front of the room and Lily Evans. Of whom is now humming a quiet tune to herself as jots down sentences that Alexandra can't read from her seat at the back.
Fair enough, she thinks, at least Lily's trying to get ahead of her workload. Alexandra supposes she should try and get something done in the time she has left too and so she pulls out a piece of parchment and attempts to write something down.
10 minutes later she only has 3 words written on her page because 1) It's freezing in the dungeons and she hasn't got a clue how it is that she’s managed to live down here full time. 2) Lily Evans' humming has now become far too loud and she can't learn with the sound playing incessantly in her head. And 3) She's left her favourite quill back in her dorm and now she can't make notes because it just wouldn't be the same.
She doesn't know why she hasn't dropped potions yet. She's horrible at the theory part , with it taking up the vast majority of her Wednesday afternoons. She can barely sit through a lesson without wanting to strangle someone, herself, or both in the more dire of occasions.
And it was very unlikely her mother would let her go on to be a healer anyway, so taking potions at a NEWTs level is all but a waste of her very precious time.
Being a healer is not a suitable profession for a young lady of her calibre apparently. Neither is playing quidditch, laughing particularly loudly or eating large amounts of food at a time (and her mother wondered why she wouldn't invite her friends over for the holidays). But unlike most things,Alexandra wasn't willing to give up on this easily; she could give up pumpkin pasties or even social interaction for the rest of her life, but she was not prepared to give up on whatever it was she had at the moment. Surely it was far too restrictive to be called freedom.
She'd brought this up to Slughorn on more than one occasion and he had consistently told her he'd thought she'd be perfect for the job. Not that it mattered anyway, Elizabeth Garnier's words were alike to law and now Alexandra had 10m chains stopping her from doing whatever it is that she wanted to do.
Sometimes Alexandra feels as though she is talking to a brick wall, other times a brick wall with emotions.
Another moment passes in silence, and the back of the room erupts in giggles for the fourteenth time that lesson (she's been counting). If Potter and his crew were going to pull something they'd better hurry up; she could only busy herself with scribbling for very long. She leans down to grab another piece of parchment out of her bag, cringing slightly at the rustling sound.
"10 points to Slytherin!" Slughorn exclaims to her left and Alexandra has to hold onto the table leg to avoid toppling over. "I'm glad to see at least Ms Garnier is being productive!"
Productive?
The paper etched with random doodles stares blankly back up at her almost as though it's just as confused as she is.
She'd known Slughorn was losing his marbles but by merlin she hadn't expected it to come so quickly.
The boy beside her wakes up in a daze. He sniffs once, twice, three times before eventually coming to stare at her sheet.
Tyler Barlowe had been in all of her classes since the day she’d come to Hogwarts, and yet after six years shared, she can’t seem to recall a single trait he possesses. She supposes he’s a rather sleepy guy and perhaps that's why.
"Oh man, how much did i miss?" He groans and she just shrugs in response
"Nothing really. "
She's about to offer him her notes when a large bang erupts from the corner of the classroom, and as surprise would have it, the marauders sit cackling in their seats.
Honestly, she can't think of a more jarring noise.
The rest of the classroom,however,falls into an even deeper silence apparently grateful for the brazen disruption.
"This is pathetic."
Alexandra agrees with Lily for once. The way these boys behave is frankly barbaric.
William Hoodshell the ravenclaw prefect lays flat on his back cradling his nose in his hands, whilst the rest of his face alternates from an unnatural shade of orange to quite a lovely lilac colour.
Colour changing hex. Embarrassing.
"MR BLACK"
For a moment she can't decide whether Black and Potter have made targets out of the professor also. She doesn't recall his bald patch taking on such a shade naturally.
Sirius Black sits slumped in his chair (something she can't wrap her head around considering the stools have no back to lean on) as his entire body shakes with mirth. He attempts to speak coherent words but it seems to do very little but force Slughorn to get even more riled up. Alexandra can pick out a stray 'nice one james!' from amongst the mumbles.
Potter has the most obnoxious laugh of them all she thinks. At the moment he’s doubled over and slapping his knee comically almost as though he’s seen the funniest thing to remotely exist. Looking closer she can see his wand is drawn and lazily lain on his thigh. Apparently being head boy doesn't prevent you from being a toddler.
“Mr Black! How dare you interrupt my lesson so foolishly!”
Sirius, hair tied back, looks at Slughorn with the most horrifying smile she’s seen (the boy beside her makes sure to comment on the perfect shape of his teeth). “Me? I’m not the one changing colours in lessons, professor.”
Someone in the back screams in laughter and all but falls out of their chair at the joke.
Alexandra has to admit she’s impressed. Not only had Pettigrew managed to pass his OWLS successfully enough to make it into NEWTS level potions, but he’d also managed to dent the floor with the sheer size of his fat arse.
Now, the girl can count on one hand the number of times she’s seen Slughorn lose composure, he is a slytherin afterall, so when he does it’s always a show, even if most times she’s inclined to throw tomatoes and boo the actors off stage.
Most people seem to register this, including a James Potter who, seeing his life at potential danger, proceeds to go on and say, “But sir! Don’t you think the pink suits old Hoodshell’s ey-”
“OUT! 50 POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR! GET OUT!”
Alexandra flinches as a wad of spit flies from the professor's mouth and onto the forehead of an unlucky William Hoodshell whose skin is still deciding on what colour to take. As a result, half of his face is dyed a hot pink whilst his nasal area takes a more majestic blue. At least it matches his robes, she thinks.
Lily notices this too, she raises her hand in that annoying way she does and doesn’t even bother waiting for permission to speak before exclaiming (seriously what was with Gryffindors and lacking basic decency) “Professor, somebody should take William to the hospital wing. I think his body’s rejecting the hex!”
Obviously
Alexandra rolls her eyes.
“Ah yes, Ms evans.” Slughorn sighs wearily, “I suppose you’re right.”
“Sir i can take-”
“Ms Garnier, since you’ve been working so diligently i suppose it should be you i grant the reward of being let out a few minutes early.”
Lily visibly bristles and Alexandra wants to slap her into reality. As if she wants to be the one to take prickly Hoodshell to the Hospital wing. She’d rather snog Slughorn for Merlin’s Sake!
Ok, perhaps snogging slughorn would be slightly more revolting, but that made no difference, she would not be going.
She opens her mouth to object but the professor is already dismissing her with a mumbled. “As helpful as your parents Garnier, 10 points to Slytherin!”
William mumbles an uneasy sentence from the floor. She doesn't bother asking him to repeat himself..
“Get up.” She says as she makes her way out of the classroom. She doesn't miss the glare Evans shoots her from her seat, nor does she miss the way Black points her out to James before they inevitably fall into a fit of extended laughter. Remus shares a bored smile that vanishes when he notices her glare.
“Guys,” he mutters, “shush”
-——————————
There are three reasons Alexandra contemplates pitching herself out of a window as she walks down the empty corridors.
- She doesn't want to be seen with a half blood much less a purple one
- She doesn't want to be seen helping a half blood much less a purple one
- She doesnt want said half blood to think she wants to be seen with or helping him despite his being purple.
She makes sure to put an extra spring in her step to avoid said list.
Now she has no reason to hate William Hoodshell, she hardly knows him. She does know however that he's not overly fond of her-something about hexing him in first year charms.It's frankly immature to still be complaining about it six years later if you ask her.
“Oi! Aren't you supposed to be helping me.”
Ah yes, and the urge to hex him returns.
“I am helping you.” She says dryly, taking a book out of her bag, “I’m taking you to the hospital wing.”
William attempts to snort at her response, but as his lips are so swollen it comes out as a choked cry. Alexandra makes a face and turns back to look at him.
“And stop trying to talk. Merlin, it's annoying.”
Being the sixth most irritating individual she knows (the top spots are filled with the likes of the marauders and Mulciber) William does not stop speaking. Instead he takes to screaming obnoxiously at the top of his lungs-something about not being able to breathe. It’s not too bad at first, she can tune him out mostly and the corridors are particularly empty at this time of day-he can scream all he wants, nobody’s here to save him.
That goes,of course, without counting the paintings decorating the walls, that have now, as a result of the incessant noise, woken up in a fury. “Shut the boy up!” One screams
“My ears are bleeding boy!” The other adds.
Alexandra shoots them a glare before spelling his mouth shut. For the second time in a couple of minutes she contemplates throwing herself out of a window, only this time she contemplates taking half of Hogwarts with her. As if prickly Hoodshell wasn’t bad enough, now she has to deal with prying portraits.
“Why is the boy blue?” One portrait, violet, she recognises, wants to know. “That can’t be natural.”
“He’s been hexed.” Alexandra replies before grabbing William with one hand, “The screaming is just a side effect of his annoying personality though.”
Hoodshell squirms out of her grasp in protest, “ MM MMMH”
“Shut. Up!” She hisses and the portrait beside her giggles. “Why do you have to be so annoying.”
She pauses for a moment waiting for a reply when she realises, oh he can't speak. “If you want me to let you talk you have to promise to shut up, ok?”
William looks at her, almost deciding whether speaking is worth giving in. After about four minutes of waiting, he nods vigorously in response.
Alexandra seems to have changed her mind though, “I said promise.” She shakes her head as though upset for him. “If you can’t verbally confirm, I'm afraid I can't let you talk.”
Violet the portrait gasps, taken aback. “Oh my!”
William is also visibly shocked, but Alexandra doesn’t give him enough time to reply or start screaming again. She takes her book out and makes her way down the corridor. She supposes she may as well get some good out of a bad situation and catch up on her reading.
—————————————————————————————————————————
James Potter contemplates going three for three and hexing Professor Slughorn. Sirius on his left seems to have the same idea, except his hands are already itching towards his wand.
James does not want to be suspended from Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry so he shoots Sirius a glare.
Don't hex him mate, we can prank him later.
Sirius wiggles his eyebrows in disagreement, he signals
I say sluggy would look better purple anyway
James snorts in agreement and is about to give the green light when Remus decides to step in. Now, despite being a member of the dishonourable and mischievous brotherhood of the marauders, Remus Lupin has not yet tapped into the silent art of eyebrow communication. Therefore he has no idea what it is his friends are talking about, but he decides it can’t be good.
Sirius drops his wand with a loud clatter and a yelp. A purplish bruise forms where Remus pinched him.
“Bloody hell Moony!”
James bites his lip to avoid chuckling too loudly, whilst Remus merely yawns and slumps further into his chair. Professor Slughorn, furiously scribbling away at their detention slips, looks up and shoots a suspicious glance at the four boys.
“Mr Black. Is there an issue?”
Sirius has a half a mind to tell him yes. To say that his best friend, the one he thought would die before harming him, had just attacked him in cold blood leaving his perfect skin tarnished for a lifetime.
Instead he chooses, “No Professor, just thought I saw a rat scurrying around that's all.”
Peter Pettigrew, zoned out and extremely upset now at the thought of missing dinner, pouts at sirius. “Hey! What’s wrong with rats?”
Sirius opens his mouth to reply, “Nothing they’re just disg-”
“Mr Black! I would have thought you’d learnt to stay silent by now!” Sirius just shrugs and moves to continue his conversation with pettigrew.
“As i was sayi-”
“You will be moved.” Slughorn continues, almost as though he knows the impact his words will have on the boys, particularly a certain James potter. Surprisingly it takes him a while to register exactly what has been said, considering who this is though, the silence only lasts for so long.
“MOVED? PLEASE PROFESSOR DON’T TAKE PADFOOT FROM ME!” He screams at a volume that was far too loud for the man sitting opposite him. James doesn’t seem to care though, he finds whatever earache the professor wakes up with will be nothing compared to the hole being torn out of his heart. Move Sirius? How cruel.
Sirius also stands in a fit of outrage and Remus finds himself concerned that the boys will in fact jump the potions master, that being said however, he doesn’t think he’ll stop them should they do.
Professor Slughorn rubs his eyes for what certainly feels like the umpteenth time. “Mr Potter, you will control yourself!” He yells, and James just pouts. “Since Mr Black can obviously not be trusted in your presence, I have no choice but to seat him elsewhere.”
“Hey! I can very much be trust-”
“This is not up for negotiation, you will be seated next to Ms Garnier for the rest of this term, should i feel that your behaviour has improved i will be inclined to move you back, if not i will request for you to be removed out of my class. Is that understood Mr Black.”
Sirius sits there in a horrified silence, and the boys can’t seem to recall a time where their friend has truly been left speechless-it’s frankly concerning if you ask them.
Garnier? He had to be joking.
“Mr Black i asked if you understo-”
It’s Sirius’ turn to object, he sits up in his seat before running an annoyed hand through his hair. “I don’t want to sit next to that, pick someone else.”
Remus flinches at his tone. How it was that Garnier managed to get under his friend’s skin without even being present was beyond him. “Sirius-”
“No, I won't do it.”
Clearly tired and pushed to his wits end Professor Slughorn stands up and straightens his robes. “This is non-negotiable Mr Black. The girl is the brightest in the year, perhaps she will do you some good.”
Some good? Sirius almost snorts out loud. What could an arrogant, blood supremacist, pompous toad possibly do for him? He’d much rather just drop potions entirely.
He’s about to suggest this when Remus sends a glare his way. Now, the boy may not be well versed in the act of eyebrow talking, but he was damn near fluent in giving looks, particularly ones that screamed;
Shut up Sirius, don’t do something you’ll regret.
Now Sirius Black may deem himself a garçon rebelle, but he’s also not stupid. The last thing he needs is to be moved from NEWTS potions and thrown into history of magic.
Merlin, he has no choice but to kill himself.
“Fine. But I can't be blamed for anything that happens.”
Professor Slughorn takes this as a win, he moves out of his desk, hands each boy their detention slip and walks out of the room, “If you say so Mr Black.”
Sirius picks up his wand, Slughorn definitely deserves to be purple.