It was the morning after Halloween and Pinkie was munching merrily on her buttered toast. Mister Snurt turned out to be really nice once you got to know him and miss Snurt sure did love that chicken.
Even though she didn't do the scavenger hunt in the end. It was an exciting night anyway. And that's worth something too.
She was about to make a grab for the marmalade when Milly entered looking mighty cross.
“And where were you last night?!”
“Uhm, there was a troll...”
Milly crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
“I know there was a troll everybody was hiding out from it. Where were you?”
“With the troll. I-”
“Yeah right. What did you do? Bake it a cake? Threw a little party? Maybe gave it a foot massage?”
“No, just gave him some chicken. His name is mister Snu-”
“Save it Pinkie I don't wanna hear it! I thought you were different.”
With a disappointed scowl Milly grabbed some food from the table and stormed out of the great hall.
What was that all about?
Pinkie wanted to pursue but headmaster Dumbledore stood from his seat and cleared his throat demanding the attention of the people present.
Pinkie noticed that he was sporting a mighty shiner on his left eye and he looked a little tired. Professor Flitwicks arm was in a sling as well.
“Good morning everyone. I would like to start the day by making a few announcements of some import.”
The student body noticed the injuries as well and started paying attention. Especially since those kind of injuries could be easily healed.
“First of all, for her assistance in supplying a hungry troll with some nourishment and helping him find his way back home. I would like to award Pinkamena Pie fifty points.”
All the people present in the hall looked at her with a bit more respect but Pinkie didn't notice. She was staring towards the exit anxious to talk to Millicent.
“On to less happy news. It weighs on me to have to announce that professor Quirrel has decided to leave Hogwarts quoting personal reasons.”
There was a lot of confusion on the faces of students. No doubt there were a lot of questions.
“I'm sure we're all sad to see him go.”
The headmaster shook his head and sighed.
“In the interim the position of defence against the dark arts teacher shall be filled by myself. Please inform any students that are not present at this time.”
Pinkie started wiggling on her chair impatiently and looked to Dumbledore to hurry his speech along.
“If you have any questions you may direct them to your head of house. Thank you that is all.”
Before he even sat down properly Pinkie had already raced out of the great hall.
xxx
Manipulating Draco was easy. Daphne just had to play on his superiority complex and make Pinkie out as the worst kind of blood-traitor. Then Pansy would pick up the slack and keep on needling him that they should really do something to put her in her place.
Crabbe and Goyle would then follow without question as always.
Separating Millicent from her friend was not so easy.
She had to bring out all her tricks to get Millicent to believe that Pinkie was making up stories to get attention.
That she probably didn't organise the Slytherin party and just let the elves do it.
That she would probably lie and tell everyone that she slew the troll herself.
It was hard to tear down friendships like that. But Daphne was good. She got Millicent to believe it.
Now all she had to do was wait.
xxx
Pinkie was rushing towards the Slytherin common room to try and catch Milly before classes started. She stumbled upon Pansy who was snickering with Daphne.
She ignored them and ran towards the dormitories.
Pinkie searched but couldn't find Milly.
Maybe Milly was angry because Pinkie made friends with Gryffindors? Or maybe she was angry because she wanted to meet mister Snurt as well?
It was time to get into some deep thinking about this.
‘Did I forget a promise?’
‘I don’t think so me. I think I'm very thorough about promises.’
‘Hmm. Then what could it be...’
‘Maybe Pinkie sense knows?’
‘Pinkie sense. Status report.’
‘Strange itching above the butt Pinkie.’
‘That's a new one.’
‘...Everyme, I need the Pinkie sense manual stat!’
‘We can do this. We can figure this out Pinkies!’
‘Thanks motivational me!’
‘Here's the manual.’
‘Great!’
xxx
Pinkie was walking contemplatively towards the Slytherin common room.
The halls were abandoned. Everybody had gone to class.
She looked like she was ruminating on the meaning of life and didn't pay a lot of attention to her surroundings.
Suddenly something fell on her head, dizzying her and knocking her over.
“Owie.”
“Owie she says.” When Pinkie looked up from rubbing her head she found Draco looking at her with hatred in his eyes. “What are you five?”
“No I-”
He kicked her hard in the midriff.
“Don't argue with your betters!”
The pain was almost blinding. It felt like something moved that shouldn’t have been and she had trouble catching her breath.
“What’s this?”
Draco was attracted by something shiny hanging around her neck and hunched down to look at it.
“A key? How quaint. The key to your heart maybe?” He spit in her face and yanked the small chain from her neck. “I will give this to someone more suitable.”
xxx
Daphne looked on as they beat on her.
It should have felt like victory but with every dull thud and every scream that followed it... Reality set in.
It didn't.
She felt horrible. Destroying your enemies... Showing no weakness.... These used to be abstract concepts. Things became very clear in that moment.
Pansy was laughing like a hyena and Daphne had a lot of difficulty to keep her shock and disgust of her face.
Draco, Crabbe and Goyle never looked so small to her. Sweaty and gross as they beat on someone helpless.
The realisation that she was no different...
Great Merlin. Had they done something like this before?
Is this what it meant to be pureblood? Was this all that we were?
She felt sick.
It seemed like time slowed down as Draco finally came up to her and Pansy, and suggested they go to class. He gave Pansy a small rainbow coloured necklace and had the gall to pretend like he got it by performing some noble deed. She actually squealed in delight.
“Let’s leave the blood-traitor to it.” He said.
Daphne couldn't help herself and looked back as they left Pinkie behind. She knew that something deep within her had changed and it could never be changed back.
xxx
Her chest hurt with every breath so she could only cry quietly. She tried to get up but her leg hurt really bad and it wouldn’t move right.
“Why...Why did they...?”
Pinkie tried to crawl towards the exit but it seemed so far away.
“Hey!”
She heard someone shouting and running over.
Pinkie instinctively flinched but it turned out it was Blaise Zabini.
“Oh Pinkie...”
“Hey Blaise... Are we friends?”
“Yeah. Yeah of course we are. What happened to you?”
“...I fell down... some stairs.”
Blaise looked around the hall, he felt a strange urge to make sure, but there wasn't a stairwell in sight.
He wrapped her arm over his shoulder and lifted her up on her one good foot.
“Ow.”
“Sorry Pinkie. Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing yeah?”
“… yeah.”
Slowly they hobbled themselves there. Blaise let her quietly cry on his shoulder on the way there. He wished he could do more.
xxx
Millicent was sitting in the first defence class with Dumbledore. Apparently Quirrel got the axe.
This was just fine by her since the man was completely useless. Maybe he could start a new career as a garlic farmer. Merlin knows he smelled like one.
No, Millicent had other things on her mind. Draco and Pansy whispering loudly amongst themselves. They seemed a bit too happy. That was never good news.
Still it wouldn't worry Millicent overmuch if Daphne wasn't sitting so... fidgety as well. There was something very fishy going on.
Maybe she shouldn't have left Pinkie this morning.
Where was she anyway? She's never late.
Millicent supposed it didn't matter. It happened exactly like Daphne said it would. She made up some story about the troll.
...Ugh what about it though? So what if she did. Goofing around with Pinkie was fun. Maybe she shouldn't have been such a hothead.
Why can't people just be honest? This was getting so complicated!
Millicent rubbed her eyes with both hands. She would find Pinkie and see what's what.
xxx
Millicent had looked around half the castle but couldn’t find Pinkie. Her search had left her in the great hall.
Frustration was setting in when she noticed that the Slytherin hourglass had filled up considerably.
Millicent saw a group of older Ravenclaws girls sitting nearby studying. “Hey what happened here?” She pointed at the hourglass.
“Hm?" The girl looked up from her textbook. "Some girl wrestled a troll or something I dunno.”
“I heard she just gave it the evil eye and it went away.”
“Well I heard she sang it a lullaby and it went right to sleep.”
The groups started giggling. Millicent shook her head and left them to it. She crossed her arms and started thinking where Pinkie could be.
Obviously she wasn’t lying about the troll. She must’ve done something. It could be that there was some sort of troll follow-up procedure? She was busy doing that?
That sounded a bit ridiculous
“I should study up on trolls.” She mumbled
“Trying to figure out if you’re related?”
Millicent turned around and was about to deck someone when she noticed it was Blaise. He had his hands raised in surrender. Come to think of it he wasn’t in defence either.
“Sorry bad joke. I get mean when I’m...I don’t know what you call this. Shocked?”
“Why would you be shocked?”
Blaise rubbed his neck. “Found Pinkie outside the Slytherin commons in a bad way. I had to take her to the hospital wing.”
Millicent felt something cold and deeply unpleasant settle in the pit of her stomach “What happened?”
“No idea. She said that she fell down some stairs.”
People often told her that she wasn’t the crispest cookie in the tin, but even Millicent could put two and two together.
No! She shouldn’t just jump to conclusions. Not again. She needed to investigate and find out what really happened. Find out all the facts.
With speed you wouldn’t think of a girl her size she ran towards the hospital wing.
xxx
Madam Pomfrey was reading a medical textbook behind her desk and taking notes. She looked to be concentrating so Millicent was able to walk right in without being noticed.
She found Pinkie asleep and looking pale. Her leg was in a cast and raised high above her head.
Millicent tried to be quiet but it seemed that Pinkie woke up anyway.
“Milly! You’re here!”
“Shh. I’m not supposed to-”
“I’M SO SORRY!” She bellowed right in Millicent’s ear. “I don’t know what I did but I’m sorry! Please don’t be mad at me any more. I think you’re really cool and-”
Her ravings were stopped by Millicent finger. She noticed that Pinkies speech was a little bit slurred. She seemed strange and out of it.
“I'm the one who's sorry Pinkie. I should've never believed Daphne. I... I don't know why I believed her.” Millicent sighed and looked away. “I guess I thought you were too good to be true. …I've never had a real friend before.”
Pouring her heart out made her feel lighter but when she turned back to look Pinkie in the eye she found that Pinkie was a little bit distracted by her hand.
“Wow. So veiny.” She said in complete fascination.
“She's had an adverse reaction to the calming draught.”
Millicent turned around and found madam Pomfrey behind her looking stern with her arms in her sides.
“I was trying to find out if I got a bad batch or if it was something else only to find you disturbing my patient.”
“MILLY IS COOL! Weeee.”
“Thank you Pinkie.”
She needn't have bothered to thank her. Pinkie was already fascinated with the ceiling. "The ceiling is tadpoles."
"..."
"..."
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Madam Pomfrey looked her deep in the eye. “She said she fell down the stairs.”
She looked at her like she was waiting for something from Millicent.
“What do you think of that story?”
Millicent had a couple of thoughts about that story but she was no snitch. Snitches end up in ditches.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there. I only just heard about it.” If madam Pomfrey could just buzz off maybe she could ask Pinkie about what happened.
“Last time you were here you were at each others throats.”
“It wasn’t like that! And we’re friends now.”
“SPACE MUFFINS!… Mumble mumble….”
“Yeah, space muffins for life.”
That last outburst seemed to have sapped Pinkie of her energy because she quickly fell asleep soon after.
“Look... Can I just stay here for little while? Please? I’ll be quiet.”
Madam Pomfrey looked at her for a long time but then sighed.
“...Alright you can stay but I’m keeping my eye on you.” She turned around and got back to her studying.
Millicent grabbed hold of Pinkies hand and waited. She was trying to gauge how long it would take for madam Pomfrey to be thoroughly absorbed back in her work.
She had a thought that getting through to Pinkie was more a matter of asking the right questions.
Looking behind her and making sure that madam Pomfrey was busy she started whispering in Pinkie’s ear.
“What happened to you Pinkie?”
“Hm… fell down some...stairs.”
Shoot, no dice.
But then she had a thought.
“How many stairs were there?”
“Hm… Three… Maybe four.”
“Blond?”
“One of ‘em… Sure....Hm...They took my key.”
Millicent was confused by that last bit. Maybe her dreams were interfering.
“What about the others?”
“...Big...didn’t really see… Mm.”
She got a lot of information here still she needed one more piece.
“Boy stairs?”
“Uh huh… Big boy stairs and... A hyena.”
So… That was it then. If she got this right Draco and his two muppet buddies beat up Pinkie this morning. Millicent wondered what Daphne’s part was in all this. It was she that fed her all those lies yesterday. Probably to separate her from Pinkie she realised.
And if Daphne and Draco were plotting Pansy wasn’t far behind. A hyena… Right. She should recognised that laugh anywhere.
Still… Five people were a bit much for Millicent. She needed to come up with a plan. The thought to go to one of the teachers didn’t even enter her mind. She didn’t want them to get away with it by doing lines or a slap on the wrist.
She wanted revenge. She wanted blood.
xxx
The music room was eerily quiet. Millicent sat in front of a little desk with a bit of scrap parchment idly doodling.
Coming up with a plan is hard. Usually Pinkie did the planning. Then again Pinkie would probably try to talk her her out of it. She would probably say something like they should just try to get along.
…But Pinkie wasn’t here.
‘Millicent you can’t falter now! You need to find a way to even the odds.’
“Come on think.” She rubbed her eyes and bonked her forehead on the desk three times. “Even the odds… Even the odds...Even the odds.”
PLINK PLONK!
The noise was so loud in the completely silent room that she jumped up in fright and knocked her desk over.
“W-What was that!” She shouted to no one in particular. No response. The room was completely silent once more.
She went to investigate the sound and saw two brass instruments laying on the ground.
If they were musical instruments Millicent didn’t recognise them. They had four holes each. One for each finger she guessed, if you didn’t count the thumb, and when she put them on they felt strange.
They wouldn’t go very far up like a ring would. Instead they lingered on the highest joint of her fingers.
She had no idea how such a thing could make music.
Tentatively she tried to hit a nearby drum with them. She didn’t apply much force but she punched right through the drum head anyway.
Millicent looked at her new toy and smiled.
xxx
“I need to talk to you.”
Blaise was sitting in the library catching up on the defence lesson he'd missed.
“What about?”
Millicent didn’t respond. She just indicated with her head to follow him.
Once Millicent and Blaise were alone she gave Blaise one of the brass instruments. “Pinkie was ambushed by Draco and his mingebag friends.”
Blaise looked at the tool he was given in shock. He’d never think that the little shit would actually do something that heinous. From experience he knew that Draco was a coward.
“Why would he do something like that?”
“The usual blood-traitor tripe.” Millicent was tapping her foot impatiently. “Look, do you want to help out or not? I know you’re not that close to her or me for that matter, but I know where they are right now and that window is closing.”
Blaise stared at the tool he was given. “What happened to her…If I didn’t do something now I could never show my face to my family again…”
He nodded to Millicent. “I always wanted to have a go at the little ponce.” He dropped the brass knuckles in his pocket.
She smiled. “So did I.”
xxx
Draco had a good day. He put a blood-traitor in her place. He gave a girl a lovely gift that would surely help him when it was time to arrange marriages and he got an acceptable for defence this morning.
Yes life was pretty sweet. He slicked his hair back, made a kissy face and winked in the mirror. Outside the bathroom Crabbe and Goyle were waiting.
They left three astride only to be stopped by Millicent when they rounded the corner.
“I suppose you thought you were being very Slytherin.”
Draco’s smug expression made her want to vomit.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“… That’s it? That’s all you’ve got? You assaulted a girl with the three of you, put her in the hospital wing and that’s all you have to say for yourself?”
“Nobody can prove anything and my father will no doubt cover-”
“Yes we all know about your father. I can’t believe that after all the time I’ve known you you still have the ability to impress me with your cuntish ways.”
Draco pulled his wand and shoved it in her face. “Bet you’re not so tough now. I could show you your place just as easily as I could that gaudy slag.”
“What are you going to do with that? You’re a first year you numpty. You barely know which end to hold. Are you going to poke me with it?”
“My mother taught-”
Millicent slapped Draco’s wand out of his hand. There was a beat of silence as Draco stared dumbly at it as it rolled away.
Getting right up in his face and looking dangerous Millicent quietly put on the brass instrument in her pocket.
“Now listen to me very carefully Draco.” He was starting to look scared and was listening to every word. He never saw anybody this livid before.
“Fuck your father, right? He’s an albino looking twat with delusions of grandeur. Fuck your mother, I’ve never seen her do anything except lift a wine glass, and fuck your two nancy boyfriends here as well.”
Crabbe and Goyle looked a lot more threatening after that.
They didn’t get time to come up with a clever response.
She jumped up and held Draco tightly as she bit into his cheek hard. With blood dribbling down her chin she spit out a chunk and pushed him backwards. He was screaming the entire time.
The other two boys were startled and didn’t react immediately to the sudden brutal violence. It gave her enough time to get a good swing in on Crabbe on the left.
A dull thud and teeth exploded out of his face in a gory mess. He sagged to the ground and did not get up again.
Goyle grabbed her side and worked her to the ground. He started wailing on her but she was able to protect her face. One good hit went through, busted a tooth through her lip and started bleeding profusely.
Behind them Blaise had punched Draco hard in the kidney when he tried to flee and he had crumbled like a deflating flan.
He lay there whimpering quietly in a puddle of his own creation.
Blaise saw the pickle Millicent was in and clocked Goyle from behind right on his jaw. He could feel the bone give as the metal rearranged his face.
Goyle was spitting teeth as well when he fell off of Millicent and on to the floor.
A helping hand from Blaise put Millicent back on her feet.
“Thanks.” She said as they both turned their sights towards Draco who was trying to crawl away.
He hadn't gotten far.
Draco's ankle couldn't withstand the pressure when Millicent jumped on it with her full weight.
A loud crack resonated through the halls and Draco screamed.
Blaise winced when he heard it but he knew this place was deserted this time of day so he didn't give it further thought. He pulled Draco on his feet and held him against the wall.
“Say: I fell down some stairs.”
Confused by the non-sequitur Draco opened his eyes. “What?”
Millicent punched him in the side hitting his other kidney. “Say: I fell down some stairs!”
“...I fell down some stairs.”
“That’s right. You did, and you sadly pulled your faggoty friends with you.”
“...”
They let the whimpering wretch slump back down as Millicent gave him one more kick and spit in his face.
Blaise removed his brass knuckle and gave it back to Millicent. Together they went into the nearest bathroom to change their clothes and to wash away the blood.
“You know they couldn’t have thought of this themselves.”
“Yeah I know.”
“Theo?”
“Nah, this was Daphne, and Pansy as well I suppose.”
Taken aback Blaise’s couldn’t hide his surprise. “Really? Why?”
“We saw something we shouldn’t.”
“I shudder to think what would need all this.”
“We caught her playing muggle music.”
“...That’s it? That girl really needs to de-clench her anus.”
That made Millicent laugh.
“I can’t help you with them. My mother would kill me if she found out I manhandled a bunch of girls.”
“I know. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a plan.”
xxx
It wasn’t a very good plan.
She was going to knock on their door. That was about it really. If the Slytherins in the common room cared about her busted lip they gave no indication of doing so. It was possible that they just didn’t see it since she passed so quickly.
Still the apathy in the house of the cunning was truly a sight to behold.
The dormitories themselves were relatively quiet. It was still early, though some did prefer the quiet of their own dorm to study.
Millicent knocked on the door and waited.
“Who is it?” Pansy shouted through the door. Millicent didn’t respond. She just knocked on the door again.
“Alright, alright hold you horses.”
When Pansy opened the door she had the pleasure to experience what is colloquially known as a ‘cunt punt.’
She shrieked but not for long. Millicent put her hand over her mouth, pushed her inside and closed the door. Pansy got thrown on the bed opposite a very cold looking Millicent.
“Where is Daphne?”
“You can’t do this! They’ll come for you. Draco will protect me.”
“Draco is currently lying in his own piss. Where is Daphne?”
Even though the very idea seemed preposterous she instinctively knew that Bullstrode wasn’t lying. She could tell that something about her had changed.
“I won’t tell you! You’re a pig! A vulgar, barbaric-”
“Yes, yes... Barbaric. That’s what you used to say when you thought I couldn’t hear it.”
She stood up from the bed and slowly inched closer towards the bed. Clenching and unclenching her hands in anticipation.
“But I did hear it. Over and over again. Well guess what Pansy? Today is the day you get to find out exactly by how much.”
“W-what are you going to do to me?”
“Something barbaric.”
xxx
“I don’t know! I Swear! I don’t know where she is! I haven’t seen her since defence!”
xxx
So Daphne’s done a runner. That’s interesting. She never seemed the running type. Perhaps she was plotting something with the older students?
It was going to have to wait.
When she saw her bed she was unconscious before she hit the pillow.