Fragile

Her first mistake was heading back towards the Great Hall. 

Well, actually her first mistake had been letting her guard down long enough for Flint to capture her so maybe heading to the great hall after getting tossed out of Snape's office was the second mistake she’d made that day. After being kicked out of the Slytherin head of house’s office, Flint had doled out a simple nod to her before turning and heading off in a separate direction all the while mumbling to himself. Lissy didn’t feel the need to press him over what he was talking to himself about. The boy lived and breathed quidditch. Maybe this hadn’t been enough for him to leave her alone for good but at least she had a couple days to relax. Whatever scheme he was concocting now, she didn’t want to be a part of it. Her new found freedom had put her in a cheery mood as she was finally able to walk the halls without looking over her shoulder. Even the stares from the common passerby didn’t bother her as much although that may have come from the consistency of it all. It seemed as time went on, the staring and whispering was easier to ignore.

Originally Lissy had toyed with the idea of going to the library after their interaction with Snape but the ache in her stomach reminded her that perhaps it was time to actually eat. Hagrid’s attempt at food was genuine but it would take decades for her stomach to digest the concrete mixture he had conjured up in his hut. Did he even eat them? She doubted it. They were much better suited for weapons than tea time snacks. And what with Flint having already caught up with her too, it wasn’t as if she still had the looming threat of the boy on her heels anymore. It would be nice to sit with Pansy and her roommates again. With this, her feet began carrying her towards the Great Hall. She’d just passed the statue of Merlin sneezing when she heard two familiar boys arguing.

“As if, weaselbee,” Malfoy snorted. 

“You're only so tough because you got those two lugs at your beck and call,” Ron snapped and she wondered what Malfoy had done that had gotten the Gryffindor boy so angry. Usually he was easy going and when she’d been dragged away, Ron had been perfectly fine. They were in her sight now and Ron’s face was tight as his hand clenched his wand close to him. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were across from him, snickering and sneering.

“Wizard Duel then,” Malfoy told him smoothly and he looked elated as Lissy came towards them. It was almost amusing how excited he could get when he had an audience. Although she’d only known him for a short amount of time, Lissy could 100% guarantee that he loved being in the spotlight. A small part of her wished she still had the ball to toss at his head again.

“Fine. Who’s your second?”

Malfoy glanced between the two boys beside him, as if debating who had a better chance of holding their own. She wondered if he realized they were about as useful as her with a wand, maybe even less. Just yesterday she’d seen Goyle use the tip of his to scrape gum off his shoe during charms class.

“Crabbe.”

Crabbe’s eyes widened as he looked between Malfoy and Ron. Whatever this Wizard duel was, he didn’t seem to be very happy about being chosen as Malfoy’s ‘second’. The scrunched look on Goyle’s face seemed he agreed.

“And you? Hope it’s not Longbottom,” Malfoy sneered, straightening his robes as he did so and Lissy felt herself bristle at the way he began so casually slandering the other Gryffindor boy. Neville had done absolutely nothing towards him except just exist.

“She’s right here.” Ron jerked his thumb in Lissy’s direction as if she were some sort of trump card.

“Potter?” The shock in her eyes matched that of Malfoy’s as they both looked at the redhead in bewilderment. “Potter’s your second?”

“Yeah,” Ron nodded and Lissy couldn’t contain her surprise. His second? It seemed to be something somewhat important from the way they were both acting. She sort of felt a bit touched.

“Good luck with that,” Malfoy sneered before freezing. There was a stillness to him as his eyes ghosted over Lissy with a quickness that she didn’t know anybody was capable of. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle erupted into snickers but stopped immediately as Malfoy broke his statue state and whipped around to glare at them.

Lissy’s brows furrowed in confusion as the wording echoed in her brain. ‘Good luck with that?’ It was obvious he hadn’t meant it kindly. Of course she knew she wasn’t great with a wand but still - throwing it out there like that hurt. Especially because of just how much effort she’d been putting into catching up with everyone else. 

“What does that mean?” Ron snarled in her defense but Malfoy just ignored him, glancing away from the two and deliberately avoiding eye contact with her. Her eyes narrowed and her frown deepened. 

“We’ll meet you in the trophy room at midnight. Don’t chicken out.” And with that, Malfoy stalked off with the two other Slytherins bumbling behind him, attempting to match the rapid pace he set. Turning to meet her friend’s gaze, Lissy finally allowed the confusion to show on her face as she raised her brows.

“What is a second?”

The grimace on Ron’s face didn’t seem encouraging. 

———————

When she woke up later that night, it was in a quiet room. All of the girls had fallen fast asleep and the only noise was Daphne’s soft snores that she could only just make out. Pushing herself up off the bed, Lissy sighed as she glanced down at her pajamas. Maybe they were too casual for a duel to the death. If she were to die, shouldn’t she do so in something more stylish? The last thing the first year wanted was to haunt the halls in polka dots. Nobody would take her ghost seriously. Brushing the curtain aside, Lissy moved to the end of her bed and fiddled with her trunk, pulling out a plain green slytherin sweater she’d received a week after sorting and a pair of black sweats she’d inherited from Dudley when she turned 8.

“Where are you going?” Pansy’s voice asked her. Through the darkness that covered their room, Lissy was able to make out her tired face poking through the emerald bed curtains. Her hair was braided with a pink silk scarf and her tired eyes were blinking away any possible remnants of sleep. Even just upon waking up, she was very pretty. It was almost unnerving.

“A duel to the death,” Lissy answered honestly as she finished pulling the green sweater over her white camisole.

“What?” 

“I’ll be back,” Lissy told her as she sat down on the bed and pulled on a pair of old but sturdy trainers. If Ron couldn’t defeat Malfoy, she was sure a punch straight to his nose would do the trick. Crabbe and Goyle didn’t seem too hard to outrun either.

“A duel to the death?” Pansy repeated aloud, her blonde brows raised high on her forehead. Lissy glanced at her and then the other girls in the room who were thankfully still dead to the world.

“Malfoy and Ron are having a w-wizard duel. I’m his second,” she told Pansy before glancing around her bed for anything that might come in use. The only possibly helpful item was a smooth rock that she’d picked up when taking a walk around the grounds with Hagrid at one point. Lissy pocketed it anyways. Maybe she’d throw it at the blonde boy’s head.

“Do you even know how to duel?” Pansy was staring at her in disbelief and Lissy shrugged. “You’ll get in trouble if you go out in the middle of the night.” 

“I’ll b-be okay,” She explained. And she truly believed it. During the short time she’d been here, the castle had become more familiar and easier to make sense of. If there were hiding spots, Lissy probably knew them all from her impromptu game of cat and mouse with Flint. Combining that with the fact that she used to have to sneak around in the Dursley house, the ravenette was sure that she’d be able to not get caught. Grabbing her wand, Lissy walked briskly and quietly to the door. Her hand had just reached the knob when Pansy suddenly whispered something unexpected.

“Wait,” she told the girl. “I’ll- I’ll go with you.” As the words left her mouth, Pansy’s face turned to complete shock and disbelief. Apparently she’d not known what she was going to say either. Still, the other Slytherin girl quickly changed into a black skirt and a matching green sweater. They made their way quietly out of the common room, glancing left and right to avoid any unfortunate run-ins.

“We should be careful of Peeves,” Pansy whispered to Lissy quietly.

“He comes out this late at night?” She was surprised at the new information.

“Filch patrols the halls at night and annoying Filch is one of Peeve’s favorite pastimes,” Pansy told her quietly as they softly padded their way down the empty corridors, peeking around cautiously as if saying the poltergeist’s name would summon him.

“He and the twins seem to have a lot in common,” Lissy responded with an amused smile before her face froze as she glanced at the girl next to her. She still had reservations over talking about the Weasleys to any of her Slytherin classmates. The last thing she wanted to hear was another snide comment about their bloodline or their lack of wealth. Especially from someone she felt she could call a friend which was exactly what Pansy was.

“The day they team up will be the end of him,” Pansy told her ruefully, looking quite serious and Lissy laughed silently at just how grave she sounded. The very slight quirk of her pale pink lips was the only clue that she’d been joking. They shared a quick moment as both of them giggled but the cheer stopped as soon as they heard the sound of a sharp and low dragging noise. Pansy looked at her with wide eyes but Lissy had already pulled them against the wall behind a suit of armor, nestling them into a tight crevice as best as she could. She listened closely, straining her ears to hear over the pounding of her heart.

A distinct metal clink could be heard from the hallway that connected to theirs. It was similar to the creak of a dog dragging their chain leash across the pavement except these chains seemed to carry an awful ringing noise from grinding against one another that only seemed to get louder every second that passed by. Whatever it was coming from was making its way closer to them. Pansy gripped Lissy’s arm tightly, eyes attempting to meet hers. She was mouthing something but there was such little light that she couldn’t make out what it was. Leaning forward, Lissy offered her ear and Pansy whispered softly in a shaky tone, “The Bloody Baron.”

Her blood ran cold. 

Swallowing, Lissy turned her gaze back to the hall as attempted to control her breathing. For the first time, she wondered whether sneaking out in the middle of the night was worth the possibility of smacking Malfoy around a bit. With bated breath, Lissy watched the hallway in front of her - eyes searching as she waited for him to make his appearance. Her heart was in her ears by the time the ghost finally wandered into view. In the moonlight that shone through the open windows, the Bloody Baron was lit up in a silver glow that only emphasized the stains across his old weathered clothes. They were aged but intact. Most certainly nothing from this century or even 3 prior. The Bloody Baron’s jacket was long, ending at a bit below his knees. There were ruffles along the collar and sleeves and beneath both the jacket and the chains, he wore a dirty tunic where the stains seemed the most concentrated around his upper chest, close to his heart. 

Something in her head clicked. Lissy’s mouth ran dry as she realized that the stains she had been so casually staring at were reminiscent of blood. Her stomach curled and she swallowed thickly. There was a cold feeling that sat at the bottom of her stomach.

The Bloody Baron took no notice of them whatsoever. Instead he gazed up at the moon as he passed by the open windows. His feet were no longer touching the ground but he didn’t float quite as high as she’d seen the other ghosts go. Part of her wondered if the chains dragged him down. He was gone soon enough yet neither girl made a move to leave their hiding spot until a minute or two after the sound of his chains had left earshot. Across from her Pansy let out a breath of air, one that she’d been holding tight to her chest. She pressed her hand against her heart, staring at the last spot they’d seen the Baron and Lissy wondered whether she was regretting coming along yet. 

Part of her felt bad about the fact that Pansy had gotten dragged into this. It wasn’t as if she had been forced to be a part of the Wizards Duel. The other part of her (one Lissy couldn't help feeling guilty for) was glad that she didn’t have to come alone.

“Still want to go?” Pansy looked at her with raised brows. Lissy nodded.

“I w-wouldn’t blame you i-if you go back,” She tried to let Pansy know that it honestly wouldn’t offend her but also hoped that the girl wouldn’t take the bait. Just because Lissy had been ready to wander the halls alone didn’t mean that she wanted to. Especially not after catching such a gruesome sight of the Bloody Baron. A shiver ran down her spine at the memory of his chest and the trail of silver blood that ran down it.

“I’m starting to think….” Pansy began before pursing her lips as she paused. She glanced at the floor before back up at Lissy who was waiting nervously. “Nevermind.” She shook her head. “Let’s go.” They stuck close to the walls as they continued, communicating through the softest of whispers as the two crept closer and closer to the trophy room.

“Lissy,” Pansy broke the silence. “What if it’s a set up?” The black haired girl froze as she turned around to meet eyes with Pansy. A set up?

“I wouldn’t p-put it past him,” Lissy agreed after a long pause. She glanced down at her hands, contemplating. Malfoy was certainly conniving enough to pull something like this. It would be a perfect plan after all. Bait Ron and her out to a duel only for them to walk right into a teacher. Would he send Snape? Her chest tightened and she took in a shaky breath. 

The last thing she needed right now was to give Snape more ammo to hate her. 

Something in her wanted to turn back before she could find out but then Lissy thought of Ron with his earnest big blue eyes and wide grin. If this indeed was a set up, she couldn’t leave him alone to get in trouble. They needed a way to make sure.

Ron would be coming down from Gryffindor tower. The quickest way to the trophy room would be the moving staircase unless he decided to take the long way around which was 3 corridors and 5 flights of stairs. She knew for a fact he would take the shortcut. The other pathway lacked proper lighting and they’d heard from Fred and George themselves that it was one of the Baron’s favorite halls due to the privacy. If the two Slytherin moved quickly, they would be able to meet him before he reached the trophy room.

“Okay, let’s hurry,” Lissy finally said as she fastened her pace. Pansy followed en-suite and they quietly dashed through the halls, ducking around corners and listening keenly to any slight disturbance or footstep. Ron was right where she thought she’d find him but next to him was someone she hadn’t been expecting. 

Hermione Granger.

Her bushy hair was in pig tails and she’d obviously not been ready for this adventure if her state of dress meant anything. She wore a grey cardigan over a long pink nightgown and slippers with bows atop the foot. Lissy held back a smile at the outfit, not wanting to embarrass the already very pink girl.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Hermione hissed angrily as she looked between Lissy and Ron.

“I agree,” Pansy nodded and Hermione looked shocked at the agreement. 

“It’s possibly a set up,” Lissy explained, glancing at Pansy who nodded in confirmation and Ron’s brows furrowed.

“A set up? But Malfoy is the one who-“

“That’s the point,” Pansy interrupted with a shake of her head. “Malfoy knew he could get you to agree. Think about it - you show up for a duel and instead find yourself walking in on Filch who got an ‘anonymous tip’ that there would be 2 first years out of bed messing about the trophy room.” She looked at Ron imploringly and his nose scrunched in distaste at the idea.

“But-“ he suddenly looked hesitant. “What if it’s not a set up and he’s actually there?”

Lissy and Pansy glanced at one another.

“Then we make him w-wait in the cold like a l-loser?” Lissy suggested with a shrug, remembering the nasty comment he’d made towards her earlier in the day. It would serve him right to wait alone in the dark by himself. Ron cracked a smile.

“Does that mean we can leave now?” Hermione hissed as she rotated her head in each direction, surveying their surroundings. Pansy glanced at Lissy and they shared a look before she turned to Ron who still looked hesitant.

“Maybe- maybe we ought to check?” He asked weakly and Lissy let out a sigh. 

“Did you not hear us-,” Pansy went to question him but a noise down the hall stopped them. Lissy held her breath and the group all looked at one another in fright as they listened closely. There was a muttering that grew nearer and louder the more that time passed. Whoever it was was growing closer. 

“-around here somewhere,” Lissy heard a deep gravelly voice mutter accompanied by a soft ‘meow’. “I heard them.”

“It’s Filch!” Hermione gasped quietly before she turned quickly on her heels and waved them along. “Hurry up, we have to move!” 

“So it was a set up,” Pansy muttered from in front of Lissy, sounding a bit triumphant. Her and Hermione were in the lead, matching step for step as they ran up the staircase. Ron huffed, a scowl set deep onto his face as he ran alongside Lissy. 

“That slimy weasel!” He spat angrily and Lissy felt a burn of ire in her own chest. Bloody Malfoy, she thought to herself with clenched fists, ignoring the prickling feeling that was building up. Malfoy knew how much Snape disliked her. He’d seen it firsthand!  And yet- the blonde still pulled something like this. Still endangered her. She’d known they weren’t friends but thought maybe he’d have some sort of loyalty through having a shared house. Part of her wished he had shown up tonight solely out of a strong need to punch him right in the nose. Oh, he made her so angry! 

There was a crash to the next of them and 4 heads whipped around to catch sight of Peeves with a cheery grin. Unlike the ghosts, Peeves was much more opaque in his form. He was a stout little man with an obnoxiously loud taste in clothes. The purple and orange suit he wore was drowning in splotchy pink polkadots and atop his black hair he had a bell-covered hat that didn’t make a single chime. In the poltergeist's arms were multiple vases and ceramic pots, a couple looking quite old and a bit expensive. None of them had been any she had seen before. 

Lissy glanced behind, catching sight of Filch through the darkness near the bottom corridor. Her gaze flitted between the two, heart pounding. Her palms which had been prickling earlier were now itchy and she rubbed them against her pants.

“Well well well! What haves we got here?” Peeves cooed in excitement, legs kicking in the air. “Ickle firsties out of bed?” His voice was soft as he spoke to them but Lissy could tell it was only a matter of time. He was enjoying their panic and the power he had. Apparently she wasn’t the only one. 

“Peeves,” Hermione pleaded quietly. “Please.”

“Peeves please, Peeves please! Ickle firsties can’t even make a good tongue twister!” He cackled in a shriek and then went to throw a double handled pink vase covered in roses in his arms at the ground. A lot happened all at once quite quickly. The vase left his hands, thrown to the ground with purpose but Lissy had thrown up her hands in a panic. She wasn’t sure what she had wanted to happen. There was no way that she’d have been able to grab it. The distance was just far too great and her arms too short but nonetheless, she still threw out her arms and then suddenly Peeves was across the hall looking bewildered and cross. In front of them, the vase sat on the floor in a pile of ashes. Only small pink shards remained, minuscule and scattered. The itching in her palms was gone and now replaced with a burning ache. Squinting in the dark, Lissy attempted to look them over but the lack of light was working against her. She’d have about just as much luck in a broom closet. 

“What… oh bloody hell!” Ron hissed as Peeves yanked another vase from his arms. Ron sped in the opposite direction and they ran after him, jumping in fright as the loud crack of ceramic against the stone floor echoed through the quiet castle. A ferocious yell from Filch followed immediately after and they darted around the corner as Peeves was momentarily stopped, distracted. 

“Where’d they go!” Filch hissed angrily at the poltergeist. Even with all the running they were doing, Lissy could still hear the amused cackle Peeves let out in response.

“There!” Hermione gasped. Her hand was pointing towards a door and they crowded around it, desperately yanking on the lock in a weak attempt to remove it.

“We’re in for it now,” Ron groaned and Hermione let out an annoyed huff as she pushed them out the way.

“Move over!” She demanded urgently, whipping out her wand and waving it at the lock with an air of concentration. “Alohomora,” Hermione said as she pointed at it and there was a soft ‘click’ as the metal was released. Swiflty, she’d taken the lock off and shoved it in her pocket whilst Pansy pushed the door open. They fell in as quickly as possible and Lissy shut it with practiced caution. 

“Alohomora?” Ron was the first to say something. He was looking at Hermione in astonishment. 

“Th-that was brilliant,” Lissy added, Pansy nodding in approval next to her. The compliments were enough to make the brunette flush.

“Standard book of spells, chapter 3,” Hermione told them almost shyly. There was soft strumming underneath their voices and Lissy turned around to investigate where the beautiful noise was coming from only to feel her heart drop. They’d gotten away from Filch, sure. But now the four were stuck in a room with what looked like a monument of an animal. It had 3 heads all resembling something akin to a pitbull with paws the size of dinner tables. 

“What is that,” Ron squeaked out and Lissy didn’t respond, eyes stuck on its form for any slight movement. Her heart felt tight and her throat dry as she stared. Fang was nothing compared to this giant beast. The only sound was of heavy breathing and that twinkling harp which was slowly getting quieter and quieter by the minute. Their options were limited. Outside the door was Filch but inside was- whatever this thing was. 

“We- we need to do something,” Hermione whispered quietly, her hand clenching her wand at her side. 

“Do what?” Pansy murmured back softly and Lissy could hear the tremble in her voice as she spoke. She reached out and grabbed Pansy’s hand, holding it tightly. 

“Our options are either expulsion or death,” Ron said weakly. “I do like having all my limbs,” he added. Nobody responded.

“W-w- we’ll back away s-slowly.” Lissy finally spoke up and glanced around to see if there was any disagreement but all mouths remained shut and all eyes remained wide open. Hermione was the first to move and Ron followed behind, then Lissy and then Pansy. They shuffled softly and as quietly as possible, attempting to get there before the harp completely stopped.

It wasn’t enough.

The last note rang before a heavy silence spread across the room. One head shifted, ears twitching as it adjusted to the newfound silence and they watched with bated breath. The second began to shift a bit too and Lissy whipped her head back to gesture at Hermione to keep moving. The third would be starting to wake up soon too and Lissy didn’t want to stay past her welcome (something she was sure they’d already been doing). A leg shifted, extending out across the wooden floor as the beast stretched its muscles with a groan. In doing so, it knocked against a wooden table which had been holding a vase that looked very antique and breakable onto the ground. Whether it was the wooden clunk or the table hitting the floor or the sound of shattering china, Lissy did not know, but it was awake now.

All 3 head’s eyes opened at once, gazes immediately focusing on their little group and there was a shriek before panic broke out. The barking was instantaneous. It was loud and reverated off the walls, filling the room with so much noise it made Lissy’s head spin. With that, the four of them abandoned all the caution and stealth they’d been so focused on earlier and scrambled towards the door, narrowly missing a couple of jaw snaps from the one farthest to the right. It was only when all four were outside that Lissy was able to finally take in a heaving breath.

“I’m going to kill him,” Ron hissed aloud weakly, breaking their silence and the rest just nodded in agreement.