The Mudblood

Chapter 60 : Year 4

At five o'clock that evening, I was still in the Slytherin common room rather than in Dolores Umbridge's office. I'd chosen to "forget" about detention, though Draco Malfoy made sure to foil my plans of skipping.

"Mudblood!" he barked as he, Crabbe, and Goyle swaggered into the common room. I was currently playing Catch the Ferret with Vince Anderson, a game we'd invented in which we tossed Smellfoy back and forth with obstacles between us, such as the couch, the table, and a very large statue (which was what we were attempting at the moment). Essentially it's a cruel game, though when Anderson came up with the idea, I insisted that we include a "Saver" that would magically halt Smellfoy from smacking into the ground if we failed to catch him, therefore the poor little ferret couldn't really get hurt. At the moment, Ryan Harper was our Saver, and he'd only let Smellfoy fall once so far. He landed on the couch, of course, so he was fine...

"What do you think you're doing?" Malfoy demanded as he stalked over to us.

"Playing Catch the Ferret—care to join?" I asked, surveying the best way to chuck little Smellfoy over this large statue, where Anderson stood on the other side. "If not, can you please remove yourself from the premises? I can't concentrate when you're seething in my face—"

Malfoy violently wrenched Smellfoy out of my hands, clutching the poor ferret quite ruthlessly in his hand. "I should have killed this blasted ferret a long time ago! As Prefect, I believe I have the authority. I won't allow this dumb 'House pet' to exist in our common room—"

"What's going on over there?" Anderson asked as he peered his head out from behind the statue. "Oh—Malfoy wants to join? That's unexpected. Here, you gotta toss Smellfoy over this statue—"

Malfoy ignored him as he callously chucked Smellfoy to the side. Luckily, Anderson dove just in time to catch the little critter, though poor Smellfoy was now trembling tremendously.

"You're vile!" I spat hotly, pointing my finger in Malfoy's face.

"Yeah, and you're late for detention," he retorted, grabbing the hand which I'd thrust in his face. "As Prefect, I believe it's my duty to get you there."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I insisted, trying to rip my hand away from his as he proceeded to drag me toward the exit of the common room. "I don't have detention!"

"You're delusional, Mudblood," he grunted, exhorting a decent amount of force to stop me from running away as we waited for the large stone wall to slide out of the way.

"Don't be so rough with her, Mal!" Harper called after us. I was still trying to wrench myself away from Malfoy, who had both of his hands wrapped tightly around my arm. "She's your precious gem!"

I was too angry to even grunt at the insanity of his comment. Anderson, on the other hand, was literally rolling on the floor laughing with Smellfoy wrapped up in his arms. As the entranceway finally cleared, Malfoy violently tugged me out into the corridor, leaving the common room behind with only Anderson's echoing cackles to follow us. 

"Why should I respect that woman?" I questioned indignantly. "She's delusional! She knows Harry's not lying but she punishes him anyway—"

"She's punishing Potter for his incessant need for attention," he snarled as he struggled to yank me down the dingy dungeon hall. "If she hadn't done it, I would have—Would you stop? I'm trying to save your ass, Fitzroy—"

I stopped grappling with him, halting all motion completely as I stared at him through the dim light of the corridor. "Why would you want to save me, hm? Afraid Umbridge will give me a life's worth of detention and you won't get the chance to give me one yourself?"