The Ghost of His Smile

Chapter 3: The Prank

Chapter 3: The Prank.

Well this prank happened in three parts.

The first part; I still don't know how they got this stuff in to school considering I thought the students bags were checked for potentially 'dangerous' artefacts. Maybe they weren't considered dangerous. Anyway first of they swapped my shampoo with dye, hair dye. Well I am a natural blonde and it was orange, I think it was supposed to be red but because it didn't have enough time to set it turned out to be a horrible orange like a clown wig. Of cause I made it worse because the first time I didn't understand what had happened. I thought it was something to do with one of my roommates putting something in my hair brush because I didn't notice it until after I brushed my hair. I figured it was a small prank and that it would wash out. So as you probably guessed I went back in to our shared bathroom and washed my hair again. It went from a forgivable didn't look so terrible almost pretty orange to the colour I had described. It was not funny, or pleasant not that anyone else saw it that way. I didn't find out it wasn't one of my roommates. I wasn't pleased with their giggles though at least they did try to stifle them and comfort me when they saw my real distress.

The second part; again I don't know how they got this stuff in to school, or why they had it in the first place. Or especially how they got into the Hufflepuff dorms let alone up to my room in the girls dorm. But they did and after I had fallen asleep they snuck in and without waking any of us up managed to paint glowing symbols and words onto my skin. Quite a feat since I didn't wake up and I'm not a particularly heavy sleeper.

I could have dealt with both of them. Neither was permanent and I would eventually be able to get rid of them. It was a little embarrassing but if they had of left it there I could have dealt with it. Sadly they didn't leave it there.

Part three was the worst and most humiliating of the lot. It was the one that caused me to lose hope on the Weasley's and it was the one that stayed with me for an entire year, thankfully it had practically disappeared by the start of my third year. Well actually it stuck for more than that but only with a certain few people. Now everyone knows that the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables are as far away from each other as possible in the great hall, and everyone knows why. But few realise that Hufflepuff table and Ravenclaw table swap every year. It was our year to be closer to the Gryffindor's. So just before I left to go to my first class of the day History of Magic - could Professor Binns get anymore dull - one of the twins poured a drink in to my backpack. Now not only did this ruin all of my books, parchments and homework, but when it eventually soaked through all of that it soaked through the cotton fibres of the bag and started to create a damp spot on my bum. It looked as if I couldn't control my bladder and peed myself. I was completely embarrassed and became renowned as the second year Hufflepuff with the ugly orange hair and skin that glowed that peed herself.

At first I didn't know who to blame. I couldn't think of anyone who would want to intentionally hurt me like that. It wasn't like I was a complete bitch like some of the other pureblood only children. I wasn't standoffish or arrogant or even snobbish. I was polite to everyone. Even those who were always rude to me. I just didn't understand why I was targeted.

That was until the next day I received an owl that said "Now do you get it? We don't want to be associated with you. And know no one else will either." There was no signature but I vaguely recognised the handwriting, but I couldn't place it. And they were almost completely right. Over the cause of the day before almost everyone but my best friends Briar, Justin - both from my year and in Hufflepuff - and of cause Cedric deserted me and started to make fun at me. Don't get me wrong they thought the first two bits were hilarious and would tease me about that. But they agreed that the last bit was too far. And that was what everyone else teased me about.

I spent most of my spare time for the next few months in the library after that incident. I even ended up not going out for the Hufflepuff team - even though I had been practically living and training for it for the last two years - because I was explicitly told that they wouldn't take the likes of an orange haired pants wetting freak.

After they - the captain of the quidditch team and another chases, which is the position I play - told me this I held it together until I got to the fifth floor. I started pacing in an empty hallway trying not to cry. I just kept thinking that I needed somewhere I could go to be myself that no one could bother me, and a place that would make everything alright. Then suddenly there was a door that appeared out of nowhere. That frightened me, big time.

You see I was outside of the tapestry of Barabbas the Bawdy and I had found the Come and Go room.

I opened the door and inside, well as you can imagine it was perfect for what I needed. I went inside closed the door and sat on the couch in there and just cried.

I cried for the people I thought were my friends that had been tormenting me and ridiculing me for weeks, all because some mean first years pulled a few mean pranks on me.

I cried because I did not know how much more of the tormenting I could take. It was bad enough for strangers, but it was far worse from those I was once close to. What was worse was that they were adding fuel to the fire. Tell secrets I'd told to them in confidence and spreading rumours.

I cried because I was worried they break me, I feared that I would break down in front of them and that they would tease me even more. That I would finally snap under their pressure and dissolve in to a puddle of tears and screams.

But mostly I cried from the loss of almost everyone closest to me.

You see after the Weasley's had left after my mum had kicked them out over the incident – which by the way she fixed with a swish of her wand – we had a massive spat. And I mean massive. I went absolutely mental, I went of my nut at her over treating her friends and their kids like that, over treating my friends hell those people were a second family to me like that.

She didn't appreciate this at all. And since then we have barely spoken ten words together to each other. So in the space of a few months I lost not one but two families and all but a few of my friends.

To top it all off now almost the entire school teases and ridicules me as I walk through the corridors to get to class, not even the library was safe anymore. By this stage I'd also found out that it was Fred and George responsible for the entire debacle. That hurt more than I'm willing to admit to.

The only bright spot or silver lining I can find in this entire mess is that I am now the top student in my class, well year. Much to the shock and displeasure of all the Ravenclaw's.

Please let me know what you think. Reviews and Comments are appreciated. Thanks for sticking with me. I'll try and upload the next chapter ASAP!

Love Always,

Mistress XoX