Mudblood | Pansy Parkinson

Second Year~ Chapter 14

The halls were packed with people going to their next classes. It was hard to squeeze passed them and it was even harder to look out for Professor's, or worse Prefects.
And there isn't a prefect worse than Percy Weasley.

It wasn't long before the crowds became less and less. They managed to reach the courtyards unnoticed. It was colder than it was in the morning and the clouds seemed darker and the wind nibbled at their noses.
Percy Weasley was in the centre of the courtyard along with another prefect, a Ravenclaw, Penelope Clearwater.

Manuel and Bridget stopped in their tracks.
"They might not notice us," Manuel whispered.

They were deep in conversation, their faces and bodies close together they were whispering.

"You go round that way and I'll go round this way."

They split up, that way they were less likely to be called out. It would seem as if they were just on their way to class or the bathroom, well that's what Manuel thought anyway.

"Slater!" Percy's voice rang out across the empty courtyard, his voice echoing across the stone walls. Bridget ducked down behind a wall. "What are you doing wondering about?"

"I'm going to the toilet."

Percy crossed his arms "well hurry along now, and next time I see you wondering about the halls again I'll take points from you. Don't make this year the same as last year."

"Yes Percy."

Bridget hadn't realised that Manuel had many run ins with Percy last year. He never really spoke about it.
Manuel ran towards the corridor and Bridget crawled along beside the low wall.
She got up when she reached the opening into the castle and stumbled in.

"Quick!" Manuel said and ran down to the corridor towards the doors to the black lake. He turned the corner out of sight.

"Wait up!" Bridget called after him.

When she turned the corner she collided with someone. 
"Sorry-" her eyes locked with those terrific brown eyes. She could feel her face burn under Pansy's gaze. "Oh. It's you." 
She forced her voice to be harsh. 

"Bridget please-"

"I really don't want to hear it, what you did was unforgivable!" That wasn't true, in fact Bridget was sure she had already forgiven her, she just could not forget. 

"Bridget hurry!" Manuel said as he came back around the corner, he stopped in his tracks and wiped his wand out from his pocket "Back. Off. Parkinson! I'm warning you!"

Pansy's eyes pleaded with Bridget's but Bridget forced herself to look away from her. 
Pansy's heart dropped. She watched Bridget hurry down the hallway leaving her soft scent in her wake. Pansy felt like crying, she didn't mean to hurt Bridget the way she had it just all happened so fast and now there was nothing she could do to fix it. There was a conflict within her, one crying out to befriend Bridget the other screaming to break the mudblood for being weak and feeble. Only time will tell which side would win. 

Bridget and Manuel sat by the lake on the cold damp grass. At least this would be better than a lesson with Lockhart. Neither one of them could bare him bragging on and on. It was only the first day and they knew that Lockhart's vainity would get pretty old pretty fast, how Dumbledore could have employed him was astonishing to Manuel. 

"I didn't know you and Percy had a lot of runins last year?" Bridget said as she picked at the grass. 

"Oh, well, he's not that bad actually, he scared off a fourth year Slytherin from jinxing me one tine. He just wants to be perfect. It's sad really but that is who he is." 

"Do you think we will be caught?" 

Bridget looked up from the grass, looming over Manuel was a dark figure, his shoulder length dark greasy hair covered his eyes but Bridget could sense the expression on his face. 
"Oh." 

"Oh indeed Miss Jenkins!" Snape snarled "I thought I saw the pair of you sneaking off. That's you earned another months worth of detection. And you Mr Slater, I will see to it that you and Filch spend a month  together cleaning the trophy room!"

Bridget sighed. 

"Now get up!" Snape slapped the both on the back of their heads. 

"OUCH!" Manuel cried out loudly for dramatic effect, rubbing the back of his head.

Snape escorted the both of them back to Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was true, the Gruffidnors lesson had been bedlam, the Hufflepuffs were gievn the task of cleaning the mess that had been made. 
"I caught these two love birds sneaking off," Snape snarled pushing both Bridget and Manuel forward. 

"Love birds?" the pair asked, the looked at each other disgusted, then Manuel began to laugh. Bridget had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing along with him.

"Oh, thank you Professor Snape I was just about to send Miss Abbott after them." Lockhart said. 

"You didn't even notice that they were gone!" Justin cried

"Right," Snape sneered "Well I have issued the punishments."

"Thank you Professor Snape but I am more than-"

"I must be going now, I have ingredients to get." Snape looked the pair up and down "Don't let me catch either of you stepping out if line again." 

He stalked off out of the classroom. 
"Right you two get to work!"

•••

The group was sat in the common room after dinner, Manuel was getting ready for Quidditch try-outs. 

"SLATER!" 
The seventh year prefect, a beautiful tall girl with long black hair in braids that reached her hips hurried towards them. Her hair swinging behind her. 

"Merlins beard is she beautufil-" his jaw dropped as she stopped before him, towering over him. 

Her soft features twisted into a scowl "if you lose anymore points for this house in this month you will regret it!" 

He just nodded. His jaw still on the floor. 

"your lucky we're letting you even try-out for Quidditch but Diggory says he's seen you on a broom and you're good, let's hope for our sake your as good as he says you are." then her features relaxed into a smile before she turned on her heels and joined her friends. 

"I have no idea what she just said to me but I think I'm in love." Manuel whispered to Bridget. She shook her head at him, she knew he would now go out his way to lose points just to interact with her again. She could tell by that sly grin creeping its way onto his lips. 

"You better be going then!" Susan said, clapping him on the back, waking him up from his trance.

"Right, I will see you later then."

Bridget sat down to do some studying, if she were to avoid another year of detentions with Snape she would best start studying now. But she couldn't concentrate. That look on Pansy's face. The look in her eyes.  Strange emotions overcame Bridget. Emotions she still couldn't understand. It made her ache. Maybe Pansy had changed? Or maybe she was deceiving me? 
Bridget wasn't certain. But one thing she did know, she couldn't get her out of her head.