Riddle Me This

Chapter 10

Catherine's POV

The next day found us in Herbology with Professor Sprout. We were dealing with baby Mandrakes, and poor Neville fainted. Draco thought he'd put his finger in his Mandrakes mouth and it bit him, causing me to laugh as I cooed at mine before putting it in its new pot and covering it up.

Later at lunch, I may have brought it up.

"Oh Draco, you looked so adorable with your Mandrake, right up until it bit you." I giggled. He glared at me. "Shouldn't put your fingers in something's mouth if you aren't sure it won't bite you." I teased.

"Don't think I didn't see you cooing at yours like you do that bloody rat of yours." He snapped back. I glared.

"Sevy is a bat, you arse. Call her a rat again, and I'll jynx you to trip up every staircase in the castle for a week. And besides, I'm used to handling Mandrakes. My grandmother has a patch of them out back and brings them to the hospital for petrified patients." I explained. "A little bit a cooing calms them down sometimes. Or maybe that's just for Grandma." I shrugged. I heard a squawk and turned to see Ron's owl come in, before crashing into a bowl of crisps. I couldn't help the little giggle. I felt bad for the poor bird, really. But it was an interesting spectacle. And most of the room had laughed too, so if I'm horrible, so are they. I watched the color drain from Ron's face as he opened the letter, and then suddenly a voice came from the Gryffindor table, loud and absolutely livid.

Ron had gotten a howler for the flying car incident. It really wasn't his fault the invisibility booster didn't work. Though by how I heard it from Harry, Ron wasn't thinking, was panicking, and hadn't flipped it on before they left London in the first place. And I felt so bad for Ron too. I understood how it felt being threatened to be taken out of Hogwarts. It completely sucks.

And when Draco snickered, I gently reached over the table, and pushed his face into his plate.

"What was that for?" He hissed, but stopped sneering when he saw my glare.

"Being threatened to be pulled out of school isn't funny Draco." I snapped out quickly, turning back to Ron with a sympathetic frown.

"So you shove my face into my food?" I turned back to Draco with a glare.

"Next time it'll be the lake and I'll hang you by your pants in a tree." I bit out, finishing my food and waiting for Draco so I could bring his things to our next class. Which happened to be Defense Against the Dark Arts. I was happy to go, since I wouldn't be missing it this year, but almost retched when Professor Lockheart came out of his office and strutted down his wall of 'Lockheart', which made me feel worse. I poked Draco's back with my wand.

"If I get sick, I apologize in advance if any happens to hit you." He made a disgusted face, and then Lockheart began the 'lesson'. Which involved releasing Cornish Pixies, and then retreated to his office. I smacked one with my book, sending it into another, and thankfully, Hermione seemed to know a spell to deal with them. Once we had put them all back in their cage, I glared at the door.

"I would like to know why Professor Dumbledore allowed a git like him to teach here." I said as we headed out. Draco agreed.

"My father will be hearing about this." He said as we headed to Slytherin dorms.

"Good." I said firmly, and we continued our day.

That weekend, I was sitting in the courtyard with Ron and Hermione, talking about anything and everything since Harry was going to be at Quidditch practice. I saw the Slytherin team heading across the courtyard for the pitch, and the two stopped to find out what was going on. Hermione, Ron and I hurried over to find out Slytherin was using the pitch because they needed to train up their new seeker, which happened to be Draco. I smiled, but Hermione made a comment about how Gryffindors getting on the team with skill and not buying their way in, considering Lucius had bought the Slytherin team all new, Nimbus 2001 brooms.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood." Draco's words were cold, and sent a chill down my spine and made me want to be sick. Ron tried to send a 'Eat Slugs' curse at him, but it backfired, and Ron ended up hunched over, throwing up slugs. I helped Harry and Hermione get him to Hagrid's. As Hagrid handed Ron a bucket, to collect the slugs as we waited for the curse to wear off, he asked what had happened.

"Draco called Hermione a mudblood." I hissed, face probably conveying how much hate I was feeling at the moment. Hermione began to cry after having to explain to Harry what mudblood ment, and before Hagrid could do anything, I hugged Hermione. "I'm sorry to leave you so soon Hermione when you need me, but I have to go do something important." I squeezed her tight. "Remember that you are smarter than any pureblood I have ever met, and have more right to be here than anyone." I pulled back with a smile before leaving. I ran to the Quidditch pitch, panting as I saw the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, standing on the ground and watching. I ran over to him quickly, and when he saw me, he sneered.

"No non-players on the pitch, Riddle." He spat. What was with everyone calling me Riddle? I blew him off.

"I need to speak to Draco." I said in a slightly panicked voice. "It's important and could affect if he's able to continue to practice or not." Flint didn't look pleased, but called Draco down.

"What is it Smith?" He asked, seeming a bit werey. I huffed a bit.

"Well, I came to tell you to-" And I quickly drew my wand and pointed it at him. "-Eat Slugs." Draco got hit and flew back a bit before rolling onto his hands and knees and throwing up a slug. "I think that's what Ron was trying to do." I said as I put my wand away and the Slytherin team stared as I took measured steps towards Draco.

"Why'd you-" Draco was interrupted by the slug that filled his mouth.

"Well you see Draco." I said with a fake happy voice. I squatted next to him and pat his back and watched as another slug came up. "Hermione happens to be my best friend. And you insulted her." My voice had turned cold, and I made sure I had Draco's eyes focused on me. "If you EVER say that word in my presence again, I can promise a very similar fate. And I mean every time. So I suggest using something other than mudblood to describe muggle borns." I stood up and smiled coldly down to Draco. "Are we understood?" He nodded before throwing up another slug. "Good." I turned to the pitch and the Slytherins that had come to watch them practice.

"That goes for all of you!" I yelled, using a voice enhancement charm so that the ones farther away could hear me. "If anyone even mutters the word mudblood, you can expect yourself to have a mouth full of slug. Don't cross me." I turned then, removing the charm and picking Draco up so that his arm was slung over my shoulder. "Now let's get you to the Hospital wing to wait this out." And I hauled his arse to Madam Pomfrey, who took ten points from Slytherin when I told her I had cursed Draco, and then ten more when she found out that he had called Hermione a mudblood.

When I ran into Hermione a few hours before dinner, word about what I did to Draco and threatened the Slytherins had spread like wildfire. She smiled.

"Thank you, Cat. But you really didn't need to go curse Draco for it." She said.

"She really did though." Harry said, Ron nodding before making a disgusted face, turning to retch out the open window, only it was more phlegm than slug now.

"Draco crossed a line." I said simply. "And he now knows not to, at least with me around. But if any of you hear him, or any other Slytherin say it, I hope you'll tell me, so I can deal with it accordingly."

"Miss. Smith." A voice said behind me. "I don't believe you have any authority to discipline my house."

"Well it's not like you would have done anything Proffessor Snape." I said, not turning to properly address him. "So just hope that they smarten up. I already can't get into Slytherin house without needing someone else with me to say the password." Hermione and Harry looked confused as the curse seemed to finally wear off from Ron.

"Watch yourself, Smith. You don't want to make enemies of your friends." And he walked away after I gave a shrug in response.

"Should you really disrespect a teacher like that, Cat?" Hermione asked. I shrugged again.

"At this point, I really don't care. No one insults my friends. But realize that this also applies to you three too. I will curse you if you insult my Slytherin friends." Hermione nodded while Harry and Ron just seemed to roll their eyes.