Chapter Text
After potions Harry and Ron went to Hagrid’s, where they were served tea and consolation about Professor Snape.
Harry wasn’t sure if he believed Hagrid that he was thinking too much into it, but let it go as the man seemed so resolute on his belief. What surprised him more was the article he found in the Daily Prophet about that vault he’d been to with Hagrid. It made him tell Ron and together they wondered what it was that the crook wanted, but could go little un their guesses as they only knew it was small by the time Hagrid had gone to retrieve it. This made them sullenly frown.
Harry's mood rose as their next class was Flying, something he’d wanted to try the most. He and Ron made their way to the sunny field with the other Gryffindors and nervous energy started filling him when he caught something green in his vision. It was not the green of the grass or the leaves - no - it was the first year Slytherins that came their way from the castle.
“Don’t tell me we have flying with them”, Harry muttered to Ron, who looked equally repulsed.
“I’m afraid we do”, the boy only said.
Mariyah
After potions Draco had been more friendly to her, seeking her company and eventually asking what Potter, Harry, had wanted. She’d evaded the question and the blonde had scowled but kept silent about it.
She’d known the raven haired boy would speak to her. She’d known but hadn’t known what to do about it. It was easier to hate someone when that someone was but a mere thought. Now, though, he was a living, breathing, kind boy her age that wanted to be her friend.
She didn’t know what to do.
She had no one to ask.
Would she ask Draco, he’d scowl at her even harder and call her blood traitor or something similar even for thinking about befriending Potter.
Would she ask Quirrell ,he’d.. she didn’t know what he’d do but reckoned it wouldn’t be in the way to improve their relationship. Evidently Quirrell was of the same mind as her mother.
Now she followed silently next to Daphne as they made their way to the Flying lesson. The air around them was relaxed and jovial, but she couldn’t stop scowling. The day of the potions class had left a bad taste in her mouth. The only good thing of the day had been Hermione, who she’d found fascinating for her knowledge. Few here knew all the things she did but the Gryffindor witch was one to take in any and every knowledge coming her way.
Mariyah found it challenging because her mother and later Quirrell had taught her many things not for first years. Currently she was trying to go as a normal first year and deepen the knowledge she had. Hermione helped in it, because she had read all their books from cover to cover. She was different from Daphne who was quiet and kind in public, the type to watch people or Pansy who wanted attention by being nosy and important.
Maybe she would have done well in Gryffindor. Even the thought made Mariyah smirk mischievously. She would have.. but it wouldn’t have been her house.
The grassy field opened before them and colored almost blindingly yellow in the sunshine. She saw spots of red coming for them and blanched.
Gryffindors.
The devil came when mentioned.
Draco sneered before her and watched them come. “Bet Potter cannot even ride a broom”, he smirked and Crabbe and Goyle laughed darkly by the side. The others had varying expressions, Pansy enthralled, Daphne resigned, Blaise had a small half smile on his lips and Theo ignored the conversation entirely. Mariyah frowned at them. She didn’t like how the others, Draco and Pansy especially were the epitome of bullies. She was in no position to change it though. She herself was trying her best to hate Potter.
Madam Hooch came barreling to the field right when the two groups were about to meet and started instructing them to stand next to their brooms. Mariyah wasn’t too sure how well she would do. Flying was the one thing she wasn’t taught how to do - with a broom at least.
She went to stand next to the old, weathered broom and stared at it hard. It stayed on the ground without moving.
Unsure what to do she turned to look at the others and saw Hermione with a similar frown to her own, if even more unsure and also scared. Mariyah wasn’t scared. She knew she’d do anything and survive it.
Next she looked to Draco, who bragged under his breath to whoever listened, Theo right now, it seemed.
Mariyah’s gaze went to all the others next, to those did not know yet: nervous, scared, excited.
And then there was Harry, Potter! not Harry, and he was looking at his broom with a mixture of everything but mostly yearning. At that moment she knew he’d fly like he belonged on top of a broom. It practically flowed from him, the familiarity, the skill. She knew it as she’d know when.. The thought stopped and she returned her senses to Madam Hooch who told them to hold their hand above the broom and yell ‘up!’. She did, but also looked to Harry to test her intuition.
Mariyah was right of course and a smile rose on her lips. Harry’s broom shot up at the slightest sound coming from the boy’s mouth. Mariyah saw his delighted laugh and how it relaxed the face she now realised was mostly blank or in a frown - at least when she was around. It was beautiful. How those emerald green eyes sparkled and.. turned to hers.
She knew he saw her smiling at him. She knew he knew she smiled because of him. She cleared her throat and commanded the broom to go “Up!”
It did, if not as eagerly as Harry’s had. She smiled at it and braved a look at Harry. He was still looking at her. She blushed and realised then what she’d done and paled.
Hastily Mariyah turned to her house mates and saw Draco looking at her, broom already in hand. He wasn’t smiling.
“Now when I give permission, mount your broom and hover gently over the ground for a few seconds and then land back down. Now ready - Mr Longbottom! Come down this instance! Down I said! Longbottom!” Madam Hooch was first instructing and then yelling for Neville Longbottom, a boy from Gryffindor, had disobeyed and started flying up towards the sky, definitely not controlling his broom as it tried to shoo the boy of.
Longbottom was trying his best to stay afloat not crashing painfully to the ground that sneered evilly at him every time the broomstick almost hurled him to brutally kiss it. But finally, as it was evidently going to happen, he fell down in a crash and everyone gasped in horror. Luckily at the time he fell he wasn’t that high anymore. Still, he was holding his wrist in the other hand and whimpering painfully.
Madam Hooch hurried to him and demanded they stay on the ground as she take the boy to see Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. Chatter arose immediatedly at her retreat, but suddenly it all became quiet as only Draco Malfoy’s voice reverberated in the air and Mariyah turned to look at him as did everyone else.
She recoiled as she noticed the atmosphere. Had she missed something?
The houses were glaring at each other like blood rivals.
"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."
A reddish ball glittered in the sun as the blonde held it up over his head, in plain view to the stiff Gryffindors.
"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly and everyone stopped talking to watch the spectackle unfold. Malfoy smiled nastily at the raven haired boy opposote him and did an experimental catching of the small ball.
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find -- how about -- up a tree?" he suggested, leisurely drawing out the words.
"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"
Harry grabbed his broom, ready to go, too.
"No!" shouted Hermione Granger, "Madam Hooch told us not to move -- you'll get us all into trouble."
But Harry ignored her, as Mariyah somehow knew he’d do. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him - Mariyah smiled again, more brightly as she saw the enthralled joy on Harry’s face as he soared higher easily, screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron trailing his skilled flying. He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair - Malfoy who looked quite stunned.
"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"
"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.
They were quite high and the voices were muffled but Mariyah sure saw when Draco sneered and suddenly threw the ball through the air. Harry waited but a second before he dived down to catch it, going lower and lower, almost kissing the ground as he skillfully caught the ball and descended to the cheers from the Gryffindors. Mariyah released the air she’d been holding and smiled with the Gryffindors until a voice sounded strictly from the castle: "HARRY POTTER!”
She turned to see Professor McGonagall striding towards Harry and ignoring everyone and everything else as she demanded the boy follow her. Harry went, looking pale and scared of being expelled.
Draco descended next to her on the ground and sneered: “Potter’s gonna go now. Expelled after one week. Poor boy.” Some Slytherins snickered at this but she couldn’t. She was supposed to be the one to hate him the most but.. she couldn’t.
Maybe it was because of her wand. It was pear, which meant she never could be evil. She’d resented her wand for it at a time, which was more than silly and unlike her to add.
Or maybe it was her. The wand chooses a wizard as Ollivanders had said.
Either way she couldn’t bring herself to sneer at Harry Potter as the boy might make his way out of Hogwarts. She knew she would have been devastated in the same situation.
Dinner came and there were no news of Harry. Mariyah followed Draco to the Great Hall and saw him walk towards the Gryffindor table with Crabbe and Goyle in tow. She stealthily followed and saw them stop at Ron Weasley and - Harry Potter. She sighed relieved and listen in on them.
"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" Draco asked confidently.
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl, of which Mariyah was grateful for. She was starting to understand why Draco kept the two around.
"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said the Slytherin. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only -- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around, "I'm his second, who's yours?"
Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.
"Crabbe," he said, "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." The boys promised and the trio turned around to stand in front of her. She frowned at Draco and asked: “Are you really going?”
She got the feeling he wasn’t. He wasn’t the type to go to such events when nothing was certain. As expected, he sneered and glanced at the Gryffindor table.
“Potter and Weasley will get the surprise of a lifetime. If that won’t get them expelled I don’t know what”, he laughed lightly and gestured for her to follow, “Come along, little snake. The food looks appetising today.”
Mariyah stifly did while schooling her expression into neutrality as it threatened to become a scowl at the endearment. It was for no one to use, she growled inside and tried not to hex Malfoy in front of the whole student body and the high table of teachers.
It would surely get her expelled.