"You broke Malfoy's nose?"
Rapunzel laughed nervously, anxiously fiddling with a stray lock of hair from one of her braids. "Uh, maybe? Sort of?"
Hermione raised a brow at her impatiently, arms folded in front of her chest. Despite this, her eyes were red-rimmed and watery from crying, and she would let out small sniffles.
"...yes, I broke his nose."
"You shouldn't have done that, you could get detention!" Hermione exclaimed frantically, wringing her hands, anxiety replacing any previous frustration.
"It's not like he didn't deserve it, he was making fun of you, so I punched him!" Rapunzel shot back, arms beginning to wave wildly as she spoke.
Hermione sighed, turning away briefly, trying to hide her still-teary eyes. Not as if it would do anything, Rapunzel had already seen them, and even if she hadn't she would still know.
"I don't want you getting in trouble for me, it's not like he hasn't made fun of me before."
"Maybe not, but today he crossed a line. He called you that word, 'Mione." Rapunzel frowned, coming up to stand beside her. "No one gets to call my friends mean names."
Hermione gave a watery smile as she looked at Rapunzel over her shoulder. "He'll tell his father, you know," she sniffled
"Yes, and I'm sure he'll pitch a fit and demand I'm expelled. Either way, I stand by the fact I broke his son's nose." Rapunzel grinned, coaxing a full smile from Hermione this time.
"Once Ron feels better he'd love for you to tell him all about it."
"Oh! How is Ron?" Rapunzel asked, grimacing at the mental image of him puking up slugs.
"Spell hasn't worn off, he's exhausted." Hermione sighed, running a hand down her tired face. She had accompanied him for most of his sick spell, until she pulled Rapunzel aside following a very quickly-spreading rumour that she had outright decked Malfoy.
"Poor guy–"
"Miss Lupin!"
Both Rapunzel and Hermione froze, slowly turning around to see Professor McGonagall standing at the end of the hall; lips pursed.
"Uh oh," Rapunzel muttered.
"Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you in his office." McGonagall said curtly, hands clasped before her as she gazed at Rapunzel expectantly.
Rapunzel glanced back at Hermione, whose eyes were wide as saucers and she was anxiously chewing her lip.
"Maybe it won't be so bad?"
~*~
Rapunzel sat in the chair placed in front of Dumbledore's desk, hands folded in her lap. She couldn't look up to meet Dumbledore's eyes, watching her with a strange glimmer. He had not spoken since she had gotten there, and she was expecting the dam to break and for him to begin shouting any minute.
Fawkes seemed to have taken notice of Rapunzel, watching her. More innocent curiosity than hunting its prey, it seemed; but Rapunzel was overwhelmed by all the eyes on her.
"Sherbert Lemon?"
Rapunzel glanced up upon hearing Dumbledore speak, blinking at the sight of a lemon candy in his outstretched palm.
"Yes please," she said softly, carefully taking the candy from his hand and nodding gratefully.
"Why don't you tell me what happened?"
Rapunzel stared at her headmaster for a moment, not expecting him to willingly listen to her side of the story. She didn't doubt he had already gotten an earful from Malfoy's father about expelling her.
Yet, he watched her patiently and earnestly all the same, waiting for her to speak.
"Well..." Rapunzel trailed off, not sure where to start, the sherbert lemon still laying in her palm.
"Gryffindor had a training day, and I was going to watch. But Slytherin had gotten Snape's permission to use the quidditch pitch. Turns out they wanted to test their fancy new brooms."
"Ah, yes, the new nimbus. I've heard quite a bit about that one. If Minerva still played Qudditch she'd be all over it, I suspect." He joked, smiling warmly as he urged her to continue.
"Slytherin started rubbing it in, how they could afford fancy stuff. Malfoy especially, he'd used the brooms to buy his way into seeker. Or his dad did, I guess."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Well Hermione stood up for Ron and the Gryffindor team, since Malfoy's jokes were mostly directed towards Ron. He's always liked to make fun of Ron's wealth, it's cruel."
"The Malfoy's were born into wealth, an unchecked child will make sure to flaunt it."
"Uh huh. Malfoy got angry at Hermione for standing up to him, and he called her a...you know." Rapunzel fidgeted uncomfortably, not wanting to say it.
"A mudblood?"
"Yeah, that."
"I assume," Dumbledore started, shifting in his seat, "this is when Mister Weasley tried to cast eat slugs on Mister Malfoy in retaliation."
Crap. He knew about that. She didn't want Ron in trouble, he was already puking up slugs by the dozen.
"Actually, professor, that was me." Rapunzel sighed, deciding to take the blame. She was already in trouble, might as well seal the deal.
"You?" Dumbledore raised a brow.
"Yes. I've never used that spell before, I thought I could do it. I tried to cast it and it bounced back, but instead of hitting me it hit Ron. It's my fault, professor. Malfoy kept making fun of him, and I got so angry that I punched Malfoy. If anyone should be in trouble it's me."
Dumbledore watched Rapunzel with a look she didn't recognize, she felt scrutinized under his gaze and shrunk back into her seat.
"You understand this cannot go unpunished, Miss Lupin." Dumbledore said with a frown.
"Yes sir."
"I have no choice but to..."
Rapunzel grimaced, waiting to be told that she'd be expelled or sentenced to a month's worth of detention.
"—request that you not to punch Mister Malfoy again, lest we face the wrath of his father."
Rapunzel's head snapped up and she stared at Dumbledore with wide eyes, gaping at him. That was it? No detention, suspension, expulsion?
"Now I believe your friends are waiting for you. Don't want to keep them, do you?" Dumbledore smiled cheekily.
"Oh, right, yes. Thank you, Professor." Rapunzel couldn't help the equally relieved and giddy smile that graced her face as she rushed out of his office, finally eating her sherbert lemon.
"Stay out of trouble, Miss Lupin."
"I'll do my best, Professor!"
YOU ARE READING
LUCKY FLOWER||FRED WEASLEY {REWRITING/MOVED}
Fanfic"Wait, your name is Rapunzel? Like-" "The fairytale princess, yes." Rapunzel was named after a storybook princess, and for good reason. Born with the ability to heal those with her own hair that grew very long very quickly, it's no surprise her pare...
