Violet Summer: Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter 6: Insufferable

 The news of Draco's incident with Buckbeak weighed heavily on the minds of Toni, Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Hagrid had informed them that Draco's exaggerated response had led to a demand from Lucius Malfoy for him to answer to the Ministry of Magic regarding Buckbeak.

On Thursday, Draco finally emerged from the hospital wing, much to the disinterest of the four Gryffindors. They listened as he droned on about his alleged pain and the possibility of losing his arm. Toni found his behavior insufferable, knowing that he was deliberately trying to further implicate Hagrid and his creature. To make matters worse, Toni had agreed to attend the Slytherin party the following night, a decision she was starting to regret after witnessing Draco's lack of personal growth.

Draco's reappearance began in Potions class, where he put on a ghastly display, seeking the help of Ron and Harry to complete his work. Snape, of course, was aware of Draco's tactics but cared little, assigning Ron to assist him with ingredient preparation. It was difficult for Toni to watch, so she chose to ignore it and instead focused on Hermione, Neville, and Theodore.

However, as the class progressed, Toni noticed the peculiar color and bubbling of Neville's potion.

"Ah, Neville," Toni began, her voice filled with concern as she examined the concoction. Neville had always struggled in Potions, and his fear of Snape only worsened his performance.

"That doesn't look right," Hermione commented, her voice lowering, not wanting to draw too much attention as she observed Neville's expression.

"Oh, blast!" Neville whispered in a panic. "If Snape sees this, he'll kill me!"

Theodore glanced over, his eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Switch it with mine," Toni whispered to Neville. He looked at her, shocked.

"I can't do that—"

"You can. Snape knows I'm not particularly skilled in Potions either. Let's switch," she insisted, reaching out to grab the cauldron. However, before she could, Theodore swiftly grasped the handle first. He shot her a sharp look and exchanged his cauldron with Neville's.

"What are you doing, Theodore?" Neville asked, bewildered.

"Theodore! You shouldn't do that. You have a high grade in Potions!" Hermione hissed, scolding him.

"I can handle it. Give it here," Toni said, extending her hand to take the cauldron. But Theodore firmly caught her hand and his gaze locked onto hers, silently protesting.

"Snape won't be as hard on me as he would be on either of you. He's the head of Slytherin House. I have a better chance," Theodore explained. Toni slowly withdrew her hand and gave him a warm, grateful smile.

Theodore's plan had proven successful, and Snape had shown a surprising level of leniency, expressing his disappointment but ultimately giving only a minor reprimand. Neville was overflowing with gratitude after the incident, a reaction that Toni could clearly see, causing Theodore to feel a tinge of regret. He was not accustomed to receiving attention and had often admitted to having few friends. Toni knew he considered her his only true friend, but she also noticed his growing fondness for Harry, Ron, and Neville. Hermione, however, occupied an ambiguous place in his mind. Coming from a pure-blood family, Theodore struggled to fully acknowledge her, even though he was not actively cruel towards her.

Toni had chosen not to address this issue directly, understanding that deeply ingrained traditions and biases cannot be easily eradicated overnight. She was grateful that Theodore had not gone out of his way to be unkind to Hermione, and surprisingly, Hermione seemed unfazed by his indifference. Theodore's quiet nature gave no indication that he was disinterested in Hermione's conversations, which seemed to work for the time being. Toni hoped that with time, Theodore might come to accept Hermione and recognize her intelligence, kindness, and friendship. However, she acknowledged that it could be wishful thinking on her part.