House of Snakes (for Monk2024)

[Lita]

It was late evening in Hogwarts Castle for the Magically Gifted. It was after hours, and all dutiful young wizards and witches were tucked up in their dormitories, safe as could be, untroubled. Their only worries being the lessons ahead. There was something that a young witch or wizard must always watch out for, however…

One simple fact.

It was never a wise choice: to cross a Slytherin.

For they were cunning, devious, brilliant... though some serpents were young. Very young, after a settling of scores, and that made them much more harmless and foolish than their elders.

Tonight, they didn't quite slither in silence within the shadow of the dark, dusky chamber, several halls away from their own common room, but rather almost scampered, their whispers far too excited and raised. These were not first-rate Slytherin geniuses, no; rather they were first-year Slytherin brats. As they passed a window, the silhouette of an owl cast itself across the moon, and immediately all three gasped and clutched to the wall, wide eyes glimmering in the darkness. After a few moments, a few shrill sniggers issued in the still, and they started off again.

At the front slipped a small boy with a head of tightly gelled, platinum hair, and icy blue eyes that shimmered with mischief. Pansy Parkinson followed behind him, her blue eyes and nymph-like fair skin contrasting starkly with her neat bob, silky smooth and dark as night. She almost couldn't contain her glee at being able to follow such a wonderful pureblood wizard as Draco Malfoy - and into such a fun prank against those idiot Gryffindors, too! Behind them was a pretty little thing, with delicate features more suited for a tender-natured Hufflepuff than a cold and calculating Slytherin, was Scarlett Lympshod. Her red hair was long and thick, cascaded down her back as lovely as silk, yet ended in defiant ringlets. It was only her brown eyes, which held the same playful wickedness as her two friends that gave her away.

"Draco, are we nearly there?" Pansy whined softly after a short while. She was beginning to get frightened... hearing noises everywhere. She could've sworn that she'd seen a dirty old rat scurry across the floor, too!

"I'm sure we are!" the boy said firmly, though he wasn't. After a moment, he frowned, "This bloody castle is a maze! My father always says that it's poorly structured…"

"Well, at least we're not going through the Gryffindolt's common room... I've already had my bath today," Scarlett offered sweetly, making Pansy giggle.

"No, I'll fly up to Potter's room window with my broom, when we get outside," Malfoy whispered, smirking.

Pansy held on to the back of Draco's robe, smiling vibrantly, "Then you'll put our Laxi Dandelion potion to good use, won't you?" the girl's blue eyes brightened, "...It says in the back of our textbooks that even a drop can go right through you in less than an hour..."

The youngest of the Malfoys grinned, "Then they'll be leaking like old gits all the way through breakfast tomorrow..."

"Aaah, that's disgusting!" Scarlett and Pansy gasped together.

"The Boy Who Lived will just be plain old Potty,"

The two Slytherin girls seemed to be trembling with the effort of holding their laughter inside as the three scampered to do their ghastly deed after hours.

[monk2024]

A shadow slipped silently from alcove, a true snake had found and followed the little brats, dark eyes narrowed and lips thinned to near invisibility as he listened to the little snakes blurting out their plans to any who might hear them.

"I think I have found a flaw in your grand plan." Professor Snape said looming over the three of them out of the darkness.

[Lita]

The two girls let out shrill cries at the deep, sultry voice, and they rushed forward, only to trip on the robes of the young snake in front. Scarlett ran into Pansy, and Pansy ran into Draco, and Draco-- well, he only had air to run into. So; he went tumbling forward and fell flat on his face, "OW! Mind where you're going you si--!!" he looked up, Pansy and Scarlett too, at the ominous shadow above them, mouths nipped shut.

Draco, however, seemed to visibly relax a bit. It was Severus Snape, the Slytherin house master. He was on their side, after all. He had been a bit scared at first - it could have been Professor McGonagall, or that putrid old idiot Filch and his pathetic excuse for a cat. Draco stood up cautiously, holding out a palm each for the two girls, who took them gladly. The boy was putting on quite the show. But after all, why wouldn't he? Surely to put those Gryffindor idiots and mudbloods in their place was something to be praised, right?

He raised his head, chin up. Seeing this, Pansy and Scarlett followed suit. Malfoy would know what to say! He was... well... a Malfoy, after all!

However, the chins soon fell, as the three Slytherin students grew more and more fearful of the look in their teacher's dark, narrowed eyes. Neither one dared speak, and they suddenly found Snape's flawlessly polished black shoes very interesting.

[monk2024]

"Follow me." Snape commanded turning on his heels and stalking back towards the common room "And try not to let the rest of the castle hear you." He called silkily over his shoulder, of all the infantile stunts, he could just about tolerate the idea of his slytherins doing something so childish as to slip a potion to their class rivals to make them wet the bed, he might have thought of such a thing as a student himself after all but their sheer idiotacy in making so much noise and discussing their whole plan in the open and laughing, it would not to be tolerated.

[Lita]

They followed obediently, though they were already beginning to break apart in their ranks. Pansy glared over at the red-headed girl, and Scarlett huffed and flicked her long, luscious hair at the other girl, whose glare only grew more and more livid. It was because you laughed so loud!" both wayward young witches glared in silent accusation of each other. Draco clutched the potion vial in his trouser pocket, frownly hotly, thinking of that foolish Potter and Weaselby, and all those other lowly sorts. He'd wanted to get him back so desperately! ...After the other boy had been chosen for house Seeker, too...!! He'd... he'd...!! The blond young Slytherin only flared furiously, wrapped up in his own sulking, to be truly frightened. Just as the girls were too busy fighting between themselves.

The young serpents were in trouble, but were too foolish to see it.

[monk2024]

Snape led them into his office and locked the door "Give it to me." Snape told Malfoy his dark eyes glittering in the half light as he held out his pale hand.

[Lita]

The blond child looked up at the Potions Master with raised eyebrows, looking briefly over his shoulder at Pansy and Scarlett who looked back fearfully. He played with the bottle in his pocket for a while longer, pursing his lips in annoyance, staring at Snape's outstretched palm. Really! All this over some stupid Gryffindors!!

Slowly but surely, his hand came out with the small bottle, and he put it into the older wizard's waiting grasp. The youngest of the Malfoys noticed then, his cheeks flushing a bit, how small his hand looked as it hovered over Snape's much larger one. He snatched it back, hiding it back in his pocket.

Draco's lips were set into a childish frown of frustration, blue eyes actually giving a fair glare as his cheeks grew rosy. He'd been getting away with his impudent gestures ever since he first set foot on Hogwart ground, and didn't really fear using them in the slightest.

[monk2024]

Professor Snape held the potion up to the light and sneered, he threw the vial in the fire and gave Draco his best glare "Mr Malfoy I have tolerated your impertence up to this point because you managed to not get caught in major misbehaviour till now."

[Lita]

"I-" Draco swallowed, struggling to find words, his heart hammering in his chest, "I..I...I--" he stammered, not used to anyone raising a voice or hand to him but his own father.

He then began to step back in line with the girls, and feeling them there, he put up a defense, "S-Sir! We didn't get caught! We were just going to help Potter--" he thought about it, shifted his feet, suddenly becoming alarmed as the fire crackled and popped with the potion ooze.

"It was a little game we were all playing~!" Pansy offered, "the mudb-I mean, we are taking it in turns with the Gryffindors... to see who can play the best magic tricks, sir!"

Draco blinked for a moment, and suddenly, he brightened, "Yes! It was just a little fun, a joke really!" the boy laughed nervously, blue eyes sparkling.

"And... and we made a potion from your homework parchment, sir," Scarlett found her voice, looking sweet and innocent as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt, brown eyes large and endearing.

[monk2024]

"You three dunderheads explained your whole out there in the corridor where I found you, you dare to lie to me about which potion it was you carried." Snape was furious at them for the attempted deception "Girls wait outside until I summon you and do not move from that bench or you will wish you had never been borne." Snape told them in a chilly tone.