Hogwarts was Safe Before You Got Here
“Draco Lucius Malfoy!” I march into our nook, crossing the muffliato spell line.
“Oooooh! Dray’s in trouble!” The twins sing-song as the Slytherin gets out of his chair to avoid me.
“Now Eva, can’t we talk about this?” He tries to muffle his laughter but was failing miserably. Harry slaps a hand over his mouth when I glare at him for snickering. My icy sliver eyes return to glaring daggers at the Malfoy.
“George, can I borrow your wand?” I hold my hand out for the tool to be passed over, taking a hint of pride at how the blonde in front of me pales.
“Now now, León Beag,” A hand was placed in mine instead of the wand and I turn my glare at Pansy, “I need him alive.”
“He’ll live, if he tells me how to reverse the prank,” I threaten with a raised brow, an expression I spent too many hours in front of the mirror perfecting.
“I didn’t know you had a sibling, Draco,” Hermione greeted us.
“Ha ha, you are hilarious,” I roll my eyes, leaning into Pansy’s side when she tugged me down to sit on the couch.
“I don’t like this at all,” Fred hummed before flicking his wand. It felt like ice water was dripping down my spine and I steal the mirror out of Pansy’s bag to see what he did. I stare at the freckles covering my face in shock. I fall back to the couch with a huff as everyone laughs at my predicament for the next while.
“Aren’t you lot going to be late for class?” I casually point out, taking joy in how the majority of the group jumped up and scramble out of the library. I take my sweet time packing everything up and walking to Minnie’s class. She takes one look at me before waving her wand to reverse the spell that had been used, returning me back to my original appearance.
“Your friends need to stop practicing spells on you,” Minnie brushes her fingers through my hair.
“They have started a prank war and I have been caught in the crossfire,” I inform her as I start thinking of what I could do in retaliation.
“Try not to damage the school this time,” Minnie sighs before bringing the attention of her class back from their notes. With Halloween tomorrow, I decide to reuse the hair color spell that the twins and I had done last year, but this time the colors would be neon green and purple, bright orange, and a deep black for the holiday.
“I need to borrow a wand,” I corner Hermione and Pansy in Myrtle’s bathroom during lunch.
“What do you need a wand for?”
“Is that even allowed?”
“I want to set up a thing that requires magic. I promise that it is completely harmless,” I fold my hands together under my chin and give them my best puppy-dog-eyes.
“Okay,” Pansy hands her wand over without further explanation needed and I charm my hair to be a bubblegum pink with a mumbled spell. There was no resistance from the wand but I turn to the Gryffindor anyway just to compare their willingness. She only sighs and fishes her wand from her pocket. Changing my hair to a bright yellow revealed that both wands were of equal compliance to my use.
“You never answered my question,” Hermione folds her arms and I cancel the spells as I turn back to the two witches with me. Pocketing Pansy’s wand I give the other one back. I had a feeling that Hermione would feel anxious with her wand an accessory to my prank.
“It’s Hogwarts, you’re only not allowed to use magic outside of school.” I shrug, giving them both quick hugs before running out of the room. I pat my pocket to see if the Mauradurs map was still there and use the secret passages to avoid everyone on my way to the library. I grab the books needed for changing the spell used last time and hide in the back where there was a thin layer of dust coating the shelves. Sneaking out of my chambers that night and setting up the spell was easy, but fear filled my chest when someone leaned on the wall next to me, taking me completely by surprise.
“What did you do?” Pansy examined the door in front of us as I clutched my chest.
“Don’t do that!”
“Sorry. But still, what did you do? I haven’t felt anything this playful before,” Her admittance had my mind quickly scanning through everything that had to do with feeling magic, and I regard her with interest.
“That’s why no one is able to sneak up on you,” I finally think.
“Figure it out? Piscín said you would sooner or later,” Pansy turns to give me a smile, her eyes dancing with a knowing amusement.
“You can feel magic auras? Is that how you found me?” I tug her down the hall to a secret room that I had found. Behind a portrait of a poet, there was a set of stairs that lead up to a door that opened to reveal a small greenhouse that was brimming with plants.
“Yes,” Pansy answers my question as she looks around the room in wonder. “What is this place?”
“I found it my first full year here, took a bunch of cuttings from the Herbology class and some from the Lovegood family garden.” I let her explore, steering her away from the teething fanged pansies and the more dangerous plants.
“Impressive,” She comments.
“How does your ability work? Can you feel the intention of magic? Does each person feel different?” I tug her over to the chair I had in here for reading. I quickly transfigure the end table into another chair and wait impatiently for her to start talking.
“Yes and yes. I can’t tell what the spell is but I can feel if it is meant to harm or something like that. What does the spell on the Great Hall do? It was playful,” Pansy tucked her feet under her and it was then that I actually took in what she was wearing. A dark green long-sleeve shirt and a pair of purple muggle fleece pajama pants.
“Surprise for tomorrow. Are those Mia’s pants?” I tilt my head as soft pink blooms on her cheeks.
“They’re comfortable,” She defends herself. I hold my hands up in surrender before motioning for her to continue her explanation.
“Every person’s aura is different. Families feel similar to each other but each person has something unique.” She furrows her brow as she thinks, “Like the Weasleys. They all have a base like the heat from a fire, but Fred has little explosions that set him apart from his brothers. It’s kind of hard to put into words.”
“That’s really cool! What does mine feel like?” I sit forward in my seat eager to know.
“There’s something under your magic. It doesn’t feel dangerous,” I was fascinated as she closed her eyes and I felt that light brush of something. It had happened since meeting Pansy, and it was most likely her magic reaching out to those around her.
“How does the ability work?” I want to know everything.
“Some other time, it’s late.” Pansy pushes herself to her feet and I reluctantly let the subject drop. I return her chair to the end table and hand her back the wand as we leave the room.
“Good night, can’t wait to see your surprise tomorrow,” I melt into Pansy’s hug, not wanting to let go.
“Good night Pans,” I finally pull back and watch her disappear down the stairs to the dungeon before returning to my chamber where Akira was waiting for me in front of the portrait.
“I’m surprised Mamaidh doesn’t know about me sneaking out with that look you give me every time I do,” I sigh. The kneazle just meows at me and I kneel in front of her.
“You don’t have to follow me, but next time I will let you come with me if that will make Mamaidh feel better,” I promise, giving her scratches behind her ears.
“How do you even get out of the chambers?” I inquire as I open the door for her. All I get is meow in response before the kneazle brushes against my leg and enters Minnie’s room. With a shake of my head, I get ready for bed with a bounce in my step, anticipation running high for tomorrow.
I penned letters for Dora, Bill, and Charlie after waking up. After getting the letter from the soulmate pair telling me to open up to my soulmates, I told Charlie as well. He spent the first half of his letter laughing at me before giving advice similar to that of his brother. This letter though held the description of the prank I had set up for this morning and the events leading up to it. Dora had been thrilled when I had told her about being friends with Draco, but I bemoaned the fact that she had downplayed his penchant for mischief.
“Good morning,” George drawled as he and Fred slide up to bookend me on my way to the Great Hall.
“I have not forgotten your deceit,” I turn up my nose and walk a bit faster.
“Come on Pip! We just fixed what had already been done to you!” Fred slung his arm over my shoulders.
“Yes, because I looked so much better as a Weasley,” I roll my eyes, stopping just short of the Great Hall doors.
“Bloody hell,” I turn at the sound of Ron’s voice, he and Harry descending the staircase. His wide eyes were taking in the bright hair colors of the people already eating breakfast.
“Wicked,” Harry had a spark in his eye when he finally looked at me. I give him a wink before shoving the twins through the door and laughing as they get neon green and black hair.
“Oi!” they point to each other in shock before turning back to me.
“Why you little!” Fred lunges for my arm but I dodge with a quick hop backward. I bump into someone and turn to apologize as arms hoist me up off the ground.
“It’s not fair if you don’t participate!” Cedric’s voice stated as he carried me into the hall over his shoulder.
“Put me down!” I squirm in his hold, managing to knock him off balance so I could escape. I bolt into the Great Hall and duck through the students to avoid the three older boys. I giggle when I see a very amused Pansy and a disgruntled Draco.
“ I don’t know Dray,” I hum as I pop up behind the Slytherin, making him jump a bit, “I don’t think green is your color.”
“Excuse you? Green is my color! Just not whatever monstrosity this is,” He huffs as Pansy gently pats him on the shoulder. Pansy’s bright orange hair was a stark contrast to her usual black it looked weird to me.
“I don’t know, I think Draco should keep it like this to see if it grows on him,” Pansy snickered.
“Wait until my father hears about this! What kind of school allows its students to do this!” Draco puffs his chest and I roll my eyes at his act.
“Whatever,” I wave to them and go to my seat at the head table as I wave to the Gryffindor table where Hermione and Neville were laughing at everyone.
“Not one word,” Snape grinds out as I take my seat between him and Minnie. He had gotten neon purple while Minnie sat smugly with her black hair. My gut twists in a way that had me furrowing my brow and rubbing the offending area. Something bad was going to happen. I wait a few minutes before slipping out of my seat and sneaking out of the hall. I transverse the corridors to the third floor where Fluffy raises his heads as I approach.
“Hey boy,” I take a bit to give each head the attention they deserve before looking around the corridor to see if there was anything out of place. Nothing was amiss so I give him a few last pets before leaving the corridor to invade the potions lab for the day, the color fading from my hair as the spell wears off. I sit with Hermione as she works, laying my head on the table as I grow drowsy. The Gryffindor would scratch at my head when she had time between steps of her potion, the motion putting me even further into that in-between place of sleep and consciousness.
“It’s not horrible,” Snape sneered at Hermione as he passed our table, and I open my eye to raise a brow at him, making him give her ten points for a flawless potion under his breath so only I could hear him.
“Eva,” I wake up with a jolt, almost falling off my stool at Snape’s quiet voice. I look around at the empty classroom and rub at my eyes. I wasn’t aware of falling asleep, but I let Snape usher me behind his desk, where he transfigures a small cot for me to take a nap on.
“Thanks, Uncle Sev,” I mumble right before falling back asleep. I woke up with a stretch, finding a seat neat next to Cedric as he brewed his potion.
“What time is it?” I mutter as I lean on his non-stirring arm.
“Lunch is after this,” He informs me, being careful not to move his arm. I follow him to lunch after the class ends and search the crowd for brown bushy hair only to find it absent. I roll my eyes thinking that she was skipping lunch to study. I smile at Pansy as I eat with Cedric before leaving early to go to find the missing bookworm, a sandwich carefully tucked into my bag.
I go to the library in search of the bookworm, frowning in confusion when I didn’t see any sign of her. I leave to look in her next class’s room only to find it empty. My search eventually brings me to the dungeon's bathroom where I hear quiet sniffling.
“Mia?” I softly request, following the now muffled sniffles to a closed stall door. I gently knock when she doesn’t say anything. There was a sigh before the door opens and I step in to give her a hug.
“What happened?” I ask into her hair as she starts crying into my shoulder.
“Ron,” Was all she uttered and I tighten my grip on her to keep myself from leaving her here alone to go kill the youngest Weasley.
“He doesn’t deserve your tears,” I whisper, slipping her wand out of her pocket to transfigure the toilet into a chair for us to sit on.
“But it still hurts,” She leaned on me and I start braiding a small section of her hair, “I was only trying to help him but then he goes and mocks me for it. Maybe he’s right, I am just a bloody know-it-all with no friends.”
“No,” I growl, “You are smart and kind enough to try and share that knowledge to help others. And you have friends, I’m one and you have the Twins, Cedric, Draco, and Harry. Not to mention you have a wonderful soulmate in Pansy who is probably worried about you missing class at this point.” I remind her and she sinks even further into my shoulder.
“I can’t face him, not yet.” She whispers and I just hold her tighter in response. We stay there for the rest of the classes, Hermione finally eating the sandwich I brought her after much pleading. I pulled my sketchbook out of my bag and start to explain all the creatures I had drawn in it. We stay until my stomach let out a grumble of protest and Hermione finally decides that she was ready to face the rest of the Gryffindor house for dinner. She hands me her wand and I turn the chair back into a toilet, hearing a curious click, before following her out of the stall only to bump into her back.
“What?” I question before following her gaze and paling at the sight of the troll standing over us. I yank Hermione back into the stall as she screams. I pull her to the ground as the stall we were in gets shattered by the troll's club. I freeze for a second when I feel a burst of pain when a piece of wood hits Hermione’s shoulder, before shaking it off in favor of focusing on the troll.
“Come on!” I yell as I pull the terrified bookworm over to the line of sinks. I push her under the cover they provided before leaping in the other direction to avoid the club.
“Hermione!” I glance over to see Harry and Ron run in and gain its attention. I slink around the room as Harry grabs onto the club and gets hoisted onto the troll's shoulders. It swings around trying to find him and in the commotion, Harry’s wand gets shoved up the troll's nose. Harry topples off the troll and I shove Harry out of the way as it reaches for him. I yelp in surprise when my leg was grabbed and I was hoisted into the air.
“Do something!” Hermione screams at the boys and I catch a glimpse of her scouring the floor looking for something.
“What?” Ron answers and I do a sit-up to avoid the club.
“Anything!” I gasp, not knowing how long I can keep this up.
“Wingardium Leviosa!” Ron shouts and I feel relief wash through my aching body when the club doesn’t hit me. The troll drops me and I lose my breath when I hit the floor, scurrying over to Hermione who pulls me into a fierce hug as the troll falls.
“Don’t do that!” Her voice shook as she held me tight before releasing me as we examine the downed troll.
“Ew, troll boogers,” Ron makes a face as Harry pulls his wand from the troll’s nose.
“Is it dead?” Harry questions.
“Tolls are very resilient creatures, I’m sure it’s just knocked out.” I have enough sense to remember what I had learned about trolls in books. I freeze as hurried footsteps approach the room and Minnie runs in with Quirrell and Snape behind her. Minnie pales so fast at the sight of the four of us that I was worried she would pass out. Even Snape’s eyes widen at the destruction.
“What were you four thinking?!” I shrink a bit at the anger in Minnie’s voice, especially when her eyes landed on me. “You’re lucky you weren’t killed! Why aren’t you in your dormitory?”
“It was me,” I try to pull Hermione back but she put herself in front of me as if acting as a shield for Minnie’s anger.
“Miss Granger!” Minnie looked shocked at the admission but Hermione continued talking.
“I went looking for the troll since I - I had read all about them so I thought I could deal with it - on my own.” Hermione fibbed and I stare at her in shock. Hermione lying? To a teacher no less!
“Harry, Ron, and Eva showed up in time to save me. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Eva and Ron distracted it before Ron knocked it out with its own club. There wasn’t time to get a teacher, I would be dead if it wasn’t for them.” Hermione lowers her head and I grab the back of her robes as I take a step closer to her, my mind racing.
“Well - in that case…” Minnie looked over the four of us, “Miss Granger how could you do something so dimwitted as tackling a mountain troll on your own?”
Hermione shrunk more into herself and I felt the need to protest that it wasn’t our fault! It was Ron’s fault for being mean to Hermione and making her feel the need to hide!
“Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your actions tonight Miss Granger. If you’re not hurt at all you may return to Gryffindor Tower, dinner is being finished in your common room.” Minnie spoke before I could and I tighten my grip on Hermione’s robes to keep her in place.
“I saw her get hit by pieces of wood Mamaidh,” I stare at Minnie, hoping she would take my word for it.
“Take her to the hospital wing then Eva, and then off to bed with you two.” Minnie dismissed us and I take notice of Snape’s leg when we pass. That bite looked like it came from Fluffy.
“I’m sorry for getting you in trouble,” Hermione whispered after we turned a few corridors.
“Not your fault,” I grumble the past five minutes playing through my mind as I rested a hand on my aching abdomen. “It's Ron’s.”
“Eva,” Hermione tried to stop me but I shook my head and opened the door to the hospital wing for her. Pomfrey just shook her head when she saw us and instructed us to a bed to sit on. We both had a series of spells cast on us before being given a potion to help with the pain.
“The bruises will have to heal on their own,” Madame Pomfrey dismissed us before long and I refused to say anything the entire trip until we had to split and go our separate ways. I give Hermione one last crushing hug before running down the hall and pausing in front of the Lioness and her cubs. I heave a deep sigh and whispered the password entering to see Minnie hadn’t gotten back yet, but there was food on the table for me.
I was staring at my serving when Minnie walked in. I don’t look up from the food as I waited for her to start yelling at me. I flinch as I was pulled into a hug by the older witch, not expecting it.
“Please don’t do that to me again,” Minnie whispered into my hair. I nod into her shoulder and return the hug, shivers racing through my body as Hermione almost getting hit by that club replayed in my mind with the pain I felt when she got hurt. We stay like that for a few more minutes before we ate and got into our pajamas to read on the couch. I got distracted by ink crawling up my hand from my soulmates.
Sorry. A troll thought it could destroy the bathroom I was in Hermione apologized.
Why was there a troll loose in your school? Flower questioned and I thought that it was a valid point.
More importantly why weren’t you at dinner to hear the announcement to go back to our common rooms? Dove was the next to ask a question and it hit me that if Hermione was my soulmate then Pansy was also my soulmate.
I had been there for the last half of the day with my friend, and someone said something that upset me and I didn’t want to be found. But she found me anyway and stayed to keep me company. I think I got her in trouble with her guardian. I frown at the guilt Hermione was showing for what happened.
Did you set the troll loose in the school? I write and wait for the negative response from Hermione before continuing Then it isn’t your fault. How were you supposed to know there was a troll?
But what if she gets in trouble for helping in fighting the troll? I knew I could just say I’m not mad but something stopped me from saying that. I let my mind wander as I thought about why I didn’t want them to know. It all boiled down to the fact that I was scared. What if after this Minnie left me, not wanting to put up with my trouble anymore? What if Hermione and Pansy realize I’m not worth all my baggage? I refocus on my arm and see that the others had comforted Kitten enough that I could clear things up with her tomorrow.
Wait! When the troll dropped me did Hermione feel me hitting the ground? Does she know that I’m her soulmate? I start to panic a bit before Minnie’s hand in my hair brings me back out of my head.
“What are you thinking about leòmhann beag?” Minnie softly spoke and I shrug my shoulders before gathering a bit of courage.
“Why do you let me stay with you? I’ve caused so many problems.” I asked
“When I first met you, I felt a pull to you that I cannot explain. And because of this pull, I was able to get to know the incredible person that you are. I would not trade you for anything in the world, my wee warrior,” I bury my face into her shoulder and we stay like that long into the night, falling asleep on the couch.