The Forbidden Corridor
Double Potions with Gryffindors was an absolute disaster. If there were any doubts that Snape didn't like the Potters then it became clear to everyone. He hated the Potter twins. Especially Harry.
As soon as the class started, the Professor had started asking Harry questions about some plants Hayley had never heard before in her life. When Harry said he didn't know, Snape proceeded to take points out of Gryffindor.
He then turned to her asking the same, she also didn't know and she could feel her embarrassment showing on her face. Malfoy and his gang laughed behind their hands but Snape purposely ignored them. He didn't take points out of Slytherin though, however, he didn't hold back at insulting her either.
She had come to like her Head of House less and less over the course of the week. But the little respect that she had, vanished as Snape once again blamed Harry for something Neville Longbottom did.
How was it Harry's fault that Neville blew up his couldron? She seethed inwardly. Snape was absolutely vicious.
As she left the classroom with Harry and Ron, she was furious. Harry looked the same as well, his face red with anger. Ron tried to lighten their spirits by saying that Sanpe had always hated Gryffindors.
Alright. But what about her? She wasn't a Gryffindor. It was definitely something personal, she just knew it.
They ate lunch together and the twins were feeling much better now as they excitedly waited for three O'clock so that they could go and visit Hagrid.
"Why don't you come as well, Ron," Said Hayley as they left the Great Hall. Ron cheerfully nodded as they dashed through the school grounds towards Hagrid's cabin.
They knocked and Hagrid happily ushered them in.
"This is our friend, Ron." Harry said. And Ron waved at Hagrid.
"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid quipped as he observed his freckles. He offered them tea and rock cakes, that nearly broke their teeth.
"How's Charlie doing?" Hagrid asked. Meanwhile, Hayley had set upon exploring the hut. There was only one room where they were currently sitting, in the middle. There was huge bed by one corner of the room, various stuff laid around the floor and she was about to open an odd looking chest when Hagrid stopped her.
"Oh no. Better that remains close." Hagrid chuckled nervously not meeting her eyes. Not proding for answers, she took her seat again.
They had started to tell him about their week, and how much they had enjoyed some lesson and how much they hated Potions and Professor Snape. Hagrid tried to convince them the Professor didn't hate them.
But they weren't convinced at all. Then Harry saw the newspaper lying around and immediately started asking questions about it.
She must admit it couldn't be a mere coincidence that Hagrid emptied the vault right before it was meant to be stolen. As if Dumbledore somehow knew what was coming.
Hagrid again, acting suspiciously, didn't meet their eyes. Pockets heavy with rock cakes, they marched back to the castle after finishing their tea.
As the sun was already setting, she said goodbye to the boys and went back to her common room. As she stood before the dark, ordinary looking wall trying to pronounce that blasted password the Slytherins had come up with.
In the last five days, she had never been able to open the common room door on her own. She had always followed in behind a fellow Slytherin.
"Supentsia!" The wall remained intact.
"Surportia...?"
"Surpensertia?"
"Open up, you stupid door!" She bellowed and her voice echoed through the dark, cold dungeon.
"What are you going?" A haughty voice interrupted her bellowing. She found Pansy Parkinson making her way towards her, arms clutching a stack of books.
"I can't..." She stopped herself, not sure if she wanted to admit she couldn't access the common room. She felt so stupid right now.
"Nothing." She found herself saying. Pansy eyed her curiously.
She had thought she and Pansy were forming a bit of a friendship when the girl had saved her seats in couple of lessons at the start of the week but Pansy had grown cold towards her rather quickly.
She could bet her entire Gringotts vault that Draco Malfoy was the reason behind that. He had started to tease and sneer at Pansy when she sat with her or talked to her in a friendly tone.
"You can't say the password." Pansy correctly guessed her predicament and Hayley went red.
She waited for Pansy to make fun of her but she just turned to the wall and said, "Surpensortia!"
The wall turned to a door and it opened to let them in. "If you can't remember a smiple word like that then how can you expect to say complicated spells?"
Pansy's tone was haughty as ever, "It's a spell you know! Surpensortia. Maybe you should start reading books that might fill that empty head of yours!"
With that she left Hayley alone by the door. Well, she didn't know it was a spell. She entered her room and fell flat on her face in the bed. She was so tired. Today they only had Potions but that one class had drained all of her energy. Then Hagrid's rock cakes also didn't ease the tension.
She heard someone clear their throat so she lifted her head and found Pansy looking at her.
"What?" She asked flatly.
"Here." Pansy gave her a book but she made no effort to take it, she just left it at her bed, "It's a guide to Latin for beginners."
When she lifted her eyebrows at her, the black haired girl just muttered so quietly she barely heard her, "I thought you could use some help."
She sat up and grabbed the book. Pandy was already at the door when Hayley called out, "Thanks."
Honestly, what's the deal with her?
She opened the book and it was a guide to learn Latin since almost all of the spells were in Latin. She was so immersed in the book that she nearly missed dinner. She hurried up to the Great Hall and sat down with the Slytherins. She ate silently until she heard Malfoy bragging about how good he was at flying.
"What are you guys talking sbout?" She found herself asking.
"Wouldn't you want to know? Potter! I bet you would fall flat on your face before you could even make it up to 5 feet." Draco sneered.
Ignoring him, she turned to Theo and Blaise. Lifting her eyebrows in question, she asked, "Well?"
"Flying lessons. Thursday with Gryffindors." Theo grinned at her, looking excited as ever. "Oh. This is going to be fun. I can't wait."
Draco gave him a glare but Theo just stuck his tongue out at him. She bit her bottom lip to suppress a grin.
Theo and Blaise were the only first year Slytherins who weren't afraid of Draco and did whatever they pleased, even when it came to teasing him.
Draco also didn't mind much to their antics. It was like he was used to it. She had overhead Theo teasing Draco about something he did when they nine so she guessed they were childhood friends.
The rest of the dinner went without much talks.
—•••—
The day finally came for flying lessons and the twins were both nervous and excited. She made her way to the lawn with Harry and Ron.
Ron had told them about his little experience with the broomsticks and that somehow calmed her nerves. Then Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins arrived.
Again the pale brat started bragging.
God! Her ears were going to bleed any second if he didn't stop.
"Yeah. Yeah. We get it!" She couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore. "You can fly really good. Now will you please shut up?"
Draco's face flushed furiously and before he could say anything, Madam Hooch whistled to gain their attention.
Following her directions they came to stand beside their brooms. Malfoy came by her side and said in a bitter tone, "You'll regret that."
Then all the students were shouting, "Up!"
Giving him a last glare, she concentrated on her broom. "Up. Up. Up!"
Harry's broom instantly raced to his hand and he grinned, looking at her with delight. She beamed at him and started shouting very firmly.
Finally, her broom shot to her hand. She grinned in triumph.
Hermione and Neville were struggling with their brooms, Ron however had succeeded in calling his broom to his hand. Most of the Slytherins also succeeded as well. Pansy looked disdainfully at her broom as if she would rather be anywhere but here.
The most satisfying part was when Madam Hooch told Malfoy he was holding his broom incorrectly. She couldn't help the snort that escaped her.
Then Hooch instructed them to mount their brooms and wait for her countdown. But Neville lifted off the ground before she could sound the whistle and crashed to the ground with a sickening thud. She winced.
Madam Hooch rushed him to the hospital wing and threatened to expell anyone who flew without her permission.
Yeah. Right. Like that's going to stop the excited kids.
And sure enough, Draco was clutching some odd glass ball in his hand, teasing Neville which angered Harry.
Taunting her brother, Draco took off on his broom. Hermione Granger tried to stop Harry but he mounted his broom and flew.
Hayley's mouth dropped open. Harry was flying! On a broomstick!
She cheered her brother as he followed Malfoy like a pro. "Yes Harry! Knock him off his broom!"
Okay... She was too excited. Calm down girl.
Draco threw the ball in the air, and it made its way to the ground. Harry dashed forward and plummeted after the ball before steadying himself.
For a moment, she thought Harry was going to crash! She nearly had a heart attack! She ran to him as he landed, clutching the ball in his hand and grinning stupidly.
"I told you to knock him off his broom not to dive for the ground for a suicide attempt!" She scolded Harry but she still couldn't contain the huge smile that formed onto her face.
"Sorry. Sorry." Harry said, still smiling broadly, not sounding sorry at all. "But that was amazing, Hayley! I have never felt something like that before!"
"You idiot." She scolded weakly.
But their smiles vanished when Professor McGonagall came up to them, stern faced and whisked Harry away.
Oh no. He's in big trouble. She thought worryingly. She exchanged a look with Ron and he felt the same.
—•••—
"Seeker?" Ron exclaimed, shoving a piece of kidney pie into his mouth.
Harry had just finished telling them about him being selected as the Seeker for the Gryffindor house team. He explained Quidditch to her rather enthusiastically as if he was already a fan.
"You know what, Hayley?" Harry said, smiling brightly, "Dad was a Seeker too!"
"Really?" She perked up. They rarely got any information about their parents, of course they were mentioned in the books but most of it was about their deaths. She'd checked.
So learning that their father was also a Seeker was like having a glimpse at their dad.
"Maybe I'll try for the seeker position as well!"
Then Malfoy turned up, flanked by his brainless sidekicks.
The smug look slid right off his face when he learned Harry wasn't being expelled. He challenged him to Wizard's duel with Ron volunteering as Harry's second and Crabbe as Draco's.
She had no idea what the hell was going on.
Then Ron explained the rules of a Wizard's duel. Apparently people can die in duels.
"But don't worry. That only happens with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real
damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."
"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" Harry asked.
"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. She laughed.
"That's a very good idea. Harry, make sure to do exactly that."
Harry grinned.
"Excuse me."
They looked up to find was Hermione Granger.
"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.
She had heard about the duel and was now convincing Harry and Ron to call if off but they weren't having it.
Ron and Harry seemed to dislike Hermione more as the days went by.
—•••—
She laid in her bed, wide awake waiting for the right time. Checking her new watch, she saw it was 11:30 now. She climbed out of bed and went to the common room.
She froze when smug and haughty laugh she recognised too well echoed through the empty common room as Malfoy snickered.
"That'll teach those Gryffindors the right lesson. Filch will have their necks this time."
Draco and Crabbe were the only people in the room, lounging by the fire on a sofa.
What? Why were they still here? What about the duel.
She gasped as she realised Malfoy played them. He lied about the duel. He was never going in the first place and now he'd tipped off Filch.
She must go and warn them. There's still some time. But before...
She came out of her hiding place and pulled out her wand.
"Pertificus Totalus!"
The spell hit Malfoy and he went as rigid as a stone, toppling over. Before Crabbe could pull out his wand, she had done the same to him as well.
Bending down, she smiled at them wickedly, "Have a comfortable night!"
With that, she dashed out of the common room and out the dungeons. She ran towards the trophy room, hoping Filch hadn't caught them yet when someone collided with her chest and they both fell to the ground.
She instantly pulled out her wand, and her heart gave a flip.
Please don't be Filch, please don't be Filch.
It wasn't him. It was Hermione Granger.
She heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted Harry and Ron behind her as well. Neville was also with them.
"Hayley!" Harry looked at her with shock. She opened her mouth to tell him about Malfoy when Ron groaned.
"Hurry! Up! Up!" He helped Hermione up as Harry helped her and they were running down the corridor once again.
"What's going on? Is it Filch?" She asked as she ran after them.
"Who else could it be?" Ron snapped and finally they found themselves in an empty classroom.
"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering. She caught her breath and coughed, her mouth and throat dry as a parchment.
I-- told -you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I-- told -- you."
"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "as quickly as possible."
"What the hell are you doing here, Hayley?" Harry was angry as he snapped.
"I came to warn you guys! Malfoy tricked you. He never planned to show up in the first place. He also told Filch about you."
"But still... How could you sneak around like that? What if you got caught?"
Now it was her turn to be angry, "Well, you are one to talk! You are also sneaking around aren't you!?"
"Now is not the time for this, guys," Ron warned them.
"I knew it! I told you!" Hermione wheezed, still clutching her chest.
"Let's go."
It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.
It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.
"Shut up, Peeves -- please -- you'll get us thrown out."
Peeves cackled.
"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."
"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."
"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly.
"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR"
Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door but it was locked.
"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!" They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.
She pulled out her wand to perform the unlocking charm but Hermione beat her to it.
"Alohomora!"
The door slid open and they quickly scrambled in, listening carefully. Neville let out a gasp in horror. She turned to see if he was okay when her eyes fell upon the monstrosity in front of her.
She didn't know how she stopped herself from screaming as she came face to face with a giant dog. And not just any dog.
A bloody three-headed dog!