The Mudblood

Chapter 38 : Year 3

"So, Mudblood," Melody prompted the next morning as we got ready for breakfast. "Tell me more about these toffees you've been handing out."

Usually, Melody and Astoria slept in on weekends, but because of the Goblet of Fire, everyone wanted to get to the Great Hall early to see who would put their name in. Melody was already dressed, while I was putting my clothes on and Astoria was doing her makeup in front of her vanity.

"Um—I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered after slipping on a sweater. I wiped my hair out of my face to see that Melody was giving me a crafty grin.

"Everyone knows it was you, Mudblood," Melody drawled as she picked up a book from her bookshelf. "Who else would sabotage Slytherin instead of Gryffindor?"

"You're just lucky I didn't eat one of those candies," Astoria said as she sprayed a massive amount of hairspray onto her hair. "How embarrassing would it be if one of the Durmstrang hunkies saw me with an enlarged tongue?"

"So, Mudblood, do you have any other types of toffees?" Melody asked curiously. "Any that—oh, I don't know—kill people?"

My face contorted into a grimace of confusion. "Um—no, definitely not."

"I don't care what they do, as long as you use them all on Adrian," Ashley said as she hopped out of bed. "I will never let his huge tongue go—if only his eyebrows were still shaved—can you imagine!"

As we walked out of the Slytherin common room, many of my fellow Housemates were sending me nasty glares, particularly those who had eaten the toffees. I noticed that the candy dishes I'd set up had been smashed on the ground, and I saw a large heap of toffees in the nearest trashcan. I almost went to go retrieve them, but too many eyes were on me.

Astoria continued to gush about the Durmstrang boys as we left the common room, but I completely tuned her out as soon as I spotted the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan sneaking out of the potions classroom. None of the three Slytherin girls seemed to notice when I simply walked away.

"What are you boys doing?" I questioned, eyeing them skeptically as Lee nearly jumped at the sight of me.

"Not so loud, Lainey," George hissed.

"We've just stolen an Aging Potion from Snape," Fred told me mischievously.

I rolled my eyes dramatically at the three Gryffindors. "Mad, all of you. Dumbledore will never let you three put your names in, even if you've been aged."

"Hush up, Fitz," Fred teased, holding up the small vial of Aging Potion. "Ready, you two? Reckon we'll need about one drop each."

"Oh, I can't watch this," I said as I covered my eyes. "I don't want to be an accomplice—"

When I looked back up, I saw that Fred had apparently just taken a sip, a beaming grin on his lips. "You want a go, Fitz? I'm sure you'd win if you were chosen—"

"No bloody way! I'm thirteen. I'd need a bit more than a drop to be seventeen," I insisted as George let a small drop of the Aging Potion drip onto his tongue.

"Your loss," George said, handing the vial over to Lee, who gladly took a sip. I shook my head as the four of us made our way up toward the Great Hall.

"I can't wait to see Dumbledore's face when one of our names gets pulled out," Lee mused as we walked through the entrance hall.

"What—pure anger? I think I can wait to see that face, thanks," I retorted, my lips curved slightly. Fred glanced over at me with a wink before we swaggered into the Great Hall. I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing over by the Gryffindor table as the entire Hall waited eagerly for someone to approach the Goblet.