Starbeam - A Wizarding World Story - ON HIATUS

Chapter 19

Damn It Cedric! Did You Have To Sacrifice The Poor Dog?

It took Claire a few days (and a fair bit of convincing from Cedric) to finally be semi-alright with her brother being the champion. Okay, that sounds a little overdramatic. And maybe she was being overdramatic, but Claire didn't give one iota of shite about that. (a/n Knives Out anyone? No? Just me? Okay.....) She just wanted her brother to, you know, not die in the tournament, like he did in the books. Of course, Pansy, Hannah, Ellie and Marnie were all great help in getting her to smile again.

Claire visited Hagrid's hut quite a few times throughout the week, and this helped her cope too. The half-giant was glad to chat with the Hufflepuff about anything that came to their minds. He talked to her about how Buckbeak, who was now called Witherwings, and how he was doing, and she talked to him about her classes and the constant presence of Daphne Greengrass. The Slytherin girl kept following Claire to all her classes, calling her mean names and just making fun of her in general. Pansy was around as often as she could to keep the other girl away, but for the few classes that Pansy couldn't accompany, Daphne was right next to Claire in an instant, derogatory words falling out of her mouth like Niagara Falls. Apparently, according to Pansy, Daphne had been hoping to catch Draco's attention by being mean to Claire, the girl he very obviously liked. ("I swear, something is wrong with her head." Pansy had remarked about Daphne.)

This behavior shown by the blonde-haired blue-eyed Slytherin girl was soon, thankfully, put to a stop by the one and only Draco Malfoy. He confronted her, right outside the Transfiguration classroom. The interaction went something like this:

"Hey Mudblood! Go back to where you came from, the dirt!" Daphne taunted. Claire internally rolled her eyes but kept walking. The Slytherin girl yanked at the Hufflepuff's hair. 

"C'mon, Greengrass. You can come up with more creative insults than that." Claire replied in a slightly patronizing tone, a tone that went straight over the other blonde's head. Daphne scoffed.  

"Don't backtalk me, you're the scum of the earth. You don't deserve to even be near me." She snapped. Claire turned to look at the other blonde. 

"If that's true, then why are you all up in my personal space?" She shot back. Daphne was at a lost for words. That was when Draco arrived to the scene. Daphne, bolstered by the sight of the attractive boy, sneered at Claire.

"Nobody asked you for your opinion, Mudbîtch. Scram before I hex you to resemble the vermin you really are." The blonde Slytherin girl snarled, yanking out her wand from her robes. What she hadn't expected, though, was for Draco to step in front of Claire. Daphne's menacing expression melted into a innocently sweet one.

"Oh, Draco Darling! I didn't see you! Tell me, why are you standing in front of this vile trash when you should be standing next to me, love?" She cooed. Draco raised an unamused eyebrow. 

"Drop the wand, Greengrass, and leave Claire alone. If you even think rude thoughts about her, I will hear, and I will make you regret even setting eyes on the goddess of a girl behind me." He threatened, the glare he kept specially preserved for Gryffindors on his face. Daphne gulped, eyes wide. This was not how she imagined this encounter to go, not even close. The blonde blue-eyed Slytherin turned and fled. Claire imagined that if she was a dog, her tail would be tucked between her hind legs. 

Draco turned to face the blonde Hufflepuff, his hand raised to cup her cheek. 

"She didn't physically harm you, did she?" He asked, his voice soft. Claire shook her head. 

"No, I wouldn't've let her if she tried. I can defend myself, you know." She said. He chuckled quietly.

"I know you can, but that doesn't mean I don't want to do it for you." She leaned into his hand a little as he replied. His breath was minty, like he had just brushed his teeth, and it washed over her face. She smiled.