Hunted AIAOY 3

Chapter 16

The dungeons were especially cold and unwelcoming the next morning to the Potter Twins.  Rebecca woke with the teasing of a headache, the slight discomfort behind her eyes threatened to give way to a much pain issue but refused to inch pass merely an irritation.  

Plus, after such a late night with a professor who not only treated them kindly, but offered the hope of hearing about their parents, Snape's animosity was a stark contrast.

"Nothing to say today Potter One?  Potter Two?"  

Rebecca had learned it was best to just sit silently in Potions.  Sometimes she sat next to Ron, other times Hermione.  Rarely did she sit next to Harry as it seemed to encourage Snape's bullying, but he'd asked her to and Rebecca couldn't say no.

She wished she had said no, however, since Snape seemed especially in the mood for a row.

"Or, rather, has the sole brain cell shared between the two of you gone on holiday?"

Rebecca stifled a sigh.  He'd said that one before.

"Are we going to be crafting this potion today or are we going to play twenty questions all class?"  Draco's snide voice rang out from the back of the class where the Slytherin students freely misbehaved.  

"Mister...Malfoy."  Rage washed off Snape in waves.  "How kind of you to redirect my teaching.  I was unaware of your licensure."

The students around Draco sniggered while Draco himself remained stoic, nearly bored.  Snape launched into another tirade, wasting the rest of class on it.  When the hour finally ended, Rebecca watched for Draco to thank him, and found that he never joined the rest of the exiting students.

Shouldering her bag and saying that she'd meet up with the others later, Rebecca turned back towards the Potions classroom.

"I think you'll find life quite miserable if you disrespect me like this again."  As if Snape's tone wasn't threatening enough, the man continued.  "I would hate for word of your insolence to reach your father.  Do I make myself clear?"  Snape's voice, while in its usual drone, had a menacing edge that warned it was not to be messed with.

"Crystal."  Draco answered casually.  "May I go now?"

Rebecca tried to make it look as if she hadn't heard anything, that she had been walking back to the classroom still.

Draco marched down the hall without even giving her a second look, that is, except for the moment he slammed his shoulder into hers.  

"I was just going to say thank you!"  Rebecca called after him, not letting him anger her.

Draco stopped abruptly, not expecting that.  He'd already heard her voice in his head telling him not to fight the battles she could, something pretentious and righteous and perfectly Potter-like.  He hadn't expected a thank you.

"Don't."  

That was all Draco said before he continued out of the dungeons, onto wherever it was he was off to next.

Rebecca wondered about what exactly he had been referring to long after the morning had passed.

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"Slytherin's beaten Ravenclaw...Slytherin's beaten Ravenclaw..."  Oliver had his back to the team and his eyes turned up to the board with the scores from every match of the season so far.  "If Slytherin's beaten Ravenclaw..."

"Heard Snape was particularly foul today."  Fred mentioned, swinging a leg over the bench next to Rebecca, who was sitting behind Harry.

"Not particularly, I don't think."  Harry answered plainly.