Harry Potter Oneshots

Bubbles (Cedric Diggory)

My lips tug upward into a small grin at my potion as it bubbles into the perfect green hue. Potions was always my favorite subject, despite the fact that Professor Snape was unnecessarily cruel most of the time. My desk partner, Irina, smiles at me with a huge grin on her face. "Professor," she calls out happily. "We're done." I look around the class to see a few Hufflepuffs giving me dirty looks, likely for the success. With a hardly repressed sigh, I look back down at the liquid in my cauldron.

I hated the fact that people didn't get along between houses. It wasn't right and quite honestly it wasn't fair. Despite the fact that I tried to be kind to everyone I met, I was labeled as a cruel girl just because I was a Slytherin and a Malfoy. Hufflepuffs were supposed to be the kind and accepting but here some of them are glaring at me as if I'd killed their grandmothers.

Professor Snape looks down at our potion and walks off, and I take his lack of criticism as success. I set about dumping the potion into the charmed disposal bag as Irina returns the ingredients to their proper places. With over half an hour left in the lesson, we sit down, I zoned out, lost in my thoughts.

Irina nudges me and I look up to see her confused gaze. "What's wrong?" She asks, tapping her fingers rhythmically against the desktop.

My mind flits back to what I was thinking about before I messed with my train of thought and I sigh. "Well, I guess I just wish we could get along with all the other houses."

Irina glances around as if just now noticing that we were getting dirty looks, her thin brows furrowing in confusion I understood; weren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be the kindest toward every house? It sure didn't feel that way right now. "I suppose. You're a prefect, though. Can't you change it if you want to?"

I sigh. "I wish it were that simple, Irina. The feuds go back decades; how am I supposed to reverse something like that?"

Irina thinks for a moment before shrugging; despite being Slytherin, it wasn't like we could tackle every problem with a cunning solution. Though, if you'd ask any of the other houses they'd say we've always got some sort of trick up our sleeves. And really, even if we did, was it honestly such a bad thing? To always have a solution hidden around the corner?

"I don't know how, but you're clever. The Slytherin Princess, as I've heard many have taken to calling you." A sly smirk dances on her lips, knowing how irritating I found that nickname.

I roll my eyes, brushing a wisp of light blonde hair back from my face. "As if." My family is royalty among the purebloods, much to the delight of my father and brother, which is probably why that label began in the first place. "I'm no princess."

Irina shrugs. "As it is, you should speak with the Head Boy and Girl or heads of houses. Maybe promote some kind of unity seminar or something?" She tugs on the end of her braid thoughtfully.

I sigh, knowing that it's already been attempted and has failed. "Perhaps I'll speak with Snape later," I say half-heartedly with no real intent. At the end of the lesson, I dart out of the room before Irina can try to hold me to my words.

Later that night, I'm bathing in the Prefect bathroom. It was odd that it was not separate for boys and girls, as everything else in this castle is, but I suppose that the prefects would not be titled as such if they had ever taken to fornicating in the bathroom. It had never happened in my knowledge of the history of the school and would not begin with me, anyway.

I sigh to myself, sinking into the bubbles. Why couldn't the houses just get along? I don't miss the glimmer of hatred in the Gryffindor's eyes when I stop them, the wary looks the Ravenclaws shoot me, or the fear in Hufflepuff's eyes. No, I don't miss any of it. My own house is despised by each of the other houses, yet we could offer and do much for the school. After all, with the cunning of Slytherin, knowledge of Ravenclaw, loyalty of Hufflepuff and the bravery of Gryffindor, who could stand in our way?