Wands and Wings

Chapter 18 : Consequences

Maia lounged comfortably on a couch in front of the fireplace, engrossed in her book, while awaiting Harry and Hermione's return. Her sharp eyes caught a shadow attempting to tiptoe toward the portrait hole. The person hadn't noticed her presence, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Neville, what are you doing?" she inquired, her tone laced with curiosity.

"N-nothing," he squeaked, clearly flustered. Maia sighed, already sensing what was on his mind.

"Neville, Harry doesn't have a dragon. If anyone's going to be in trouble, it'll be Malfoy," she reassured him.

With Maia's persuasive words, Neville reluctantly retreated to his dormitory.

Around two in the morning, Harry and Hermione finally trudged in, looking utterly defeated. Maia leaped up from her spot on the couch, her eyes immediately catching Harry's glum expression and Hermione's teary-eyed face. A quick glance at Harry's hand confirmed her suspicions. 

She sighed heavily. "Go to bed. Both of you," she ordered, her disappointment palpable.

"Aren't you going to ask what happened?" Harry inquired, his voice a mix of frustration and dejection.

"I don't really need to ask?" she said fiercely, her eyes boring into his.

In the following days, the news of Gryffindor's sudden loss of a hundred points spread like wildfire. Everywhere Harry went, fingers were pointed, and voices were raised in insults. The Slytherins, on the other hand, celebrated the setback, expressing their gratitude to Harry openly.

Maia grew increasingly frustrated with the relentless ridicule and began standing up to anyone who dared to mock them, regardless of their year. When Draco Malfoy dared to comment snidely one day, she finally snapped.

"Hundred points? Tut tut. Serves you right, eh Potter?" Malfoy sneered, blocking their path in a crowded corridor.

"Shut it, Malfoy," Maia snapped, her patience wearing thin. "You've got detention too."

Malfoy, however, continued to smirk, unfazed by her words. Maia closed her eyes in exasperation, her hand inching towards her wand. "Sod off, Malfoy," she said sharply before walking away, refusing to let his taunts get the best of her.

In Potions class, Malfoy continued his tirade, disparaging Muggle-borns and their lineage. Maia clenched her jaw, trying to ignore him, but his comments grew increasingly offensive.

"Muggles," he sneered, "they are simply disgusting. Like cockroaches, don't you think so, Crabbe?"

Crabbe grunted his agreement, and Malfoy continued his vile rhetoric.

"Ugh, how can the Muggle-borns bear it?" he scoffed.

Maia sighed, attempting to focus on her potion, but Malfoy's remarks grated on her nerves. Finally, she reached her limit. She grabbed her dagger and slammed it close to Malfoy's fingers. Malfoy froze in mid-sentence, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at her.

"One more word," she hissed, her voice dangerously low. "I dare you. One more word."

Then, as though nothing had happened, she returned to her potion, consulting her book as though she did this every day. Malfoy gave a small hiccup, his eyes glued to her, utterly horrified. Nearby, Snape observed the entire exchange, but he didn't intervene, choosing instead to focus on Neville, who was trembling under Snape's scrutinizing gaze.

The incident left Malfoy shaken, and Maia's satisfaction at wiping that smirk off his face almost made up for the trouble she knew she would face later. The next day, Harry shared a note he had received at breakfast. 'Just in case,' it read, in the familiar cursive handwriting Maia recognized as Dumbledore's.

"It was pinned with the Invisibility Cloak," Harry whispered, his voice tinged with awe.

"Who do you think it was?" Ron asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.