White Heather for Protection

Of Spoilt Brats and Dungeon Bats

Heather quickly found out the drawbacks of revealing what she had to the Headmaster and Professor Snape. In fact, it was during breakfast the very next morning, on the first day of classes, that she noticed the difference. Surrounding her usual place at the Slytherin tables were platters of her favoured breakfast foods. The serving spoons seemed to dole out larger portions than she intended completely of their own volition and the pitchers of juice floating around didn't move on until her glass was refilled. Chancing a glance at the Headmaster, she looked quickly away. She didn't do so again. She didn't think her restraint could handle another pitying stare.

At least Professor Snape seemed outwardly unaffected, though she wasn't foolish enough to believe the front he put up. No matter the treatment she had had to endure with her Slyth peers, she was very glad to have been a snake. She shuddered at how Professor McGonagall or, Merlin forbid, Professor Sprout would have reacted to such information. Unfortunately, she was well aware that her annual mandatory check-up with Madam Pomfrey was in a week. That was if her Head of House hadn't moved it up.

She rolled her eyes as the spatula scooped up a serving of treacle tart for her. Beside her, a girl in Rian's year looked at the utensil oddly. "Are you doing that Heather?" Daphne Greengrass asked curiously.

Heather sighed and wondered how she should respond. She didn't think 'Professor Dumbledore is attempting to ease his guilt by attending to my forcibly malnourished form,' would be appropriate. "Just practising a spell," she lied.

"Oh, could you teach it to me?" the younger Slytherin requested. Normally, those in her house avoided asking favours from anyone, even housemates. However, Heather had tutored Daphne and her sister, Astoria, in various subjects before. For some reason, many of the younger years, even from other houses, sought her out when she was browsing the library for that very purpose. She almost wished for the times when everyone outright avoided her.

"Sure, tomorrow in the library at four?" If Heather wasn't mistaken, the twins had detention then. (How they had gotten detention so quickly was beyond her.) The blonde witch nodded in agreement and turned to her friends on her other side, presumedly to inform them of the meeting. Heather would be expecting a veritable mass of Slytherin third years later.

Now she had to go find the actual food-serving charm Headmaster Dumbledore had used.

~~~

"Okay everyone, read up on pages 10 to 20 before your next lesson. I'll be giving a quiz, so no slacking off," Professor Lupin announced, to the dread of most of the class. Heather, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised to have actually enjoyed the lesson. The new DADA Professor was clear in his explanations and proficient with his spells. He was also friendly but firm with his students, so there was little fooling around. Professor Dumbledore might finally have struck gold with this one.

So Heather did what she had never done before - she asked the DADA Professor for help with some questions. Usually, she made do with the resources she could find in the library. Very occasionally, she also asked Professor Snape. However, this Professor was actually competent, for a change, so Heather took advantage.

Professor Lupin was very obliging, answering her questions thoroughly. He still looked completely knackered, albeit not as bad as on the train, so she cut the impromptu meeting short. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere, though.

~~~

"Miss Potter, your appointment with Madam Pomfrey has been changed," Professor Snape said as she was packing up her cauldron at the end of the lesson. Oh, she had totally called it.