Harry Potter

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/7541962.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply,
Rape/Non-Con
Category: F/M, M/M
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Relationship: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter,
Seamus Finnigan/Original Female Character(s)
Character: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Hermione
Granger, Ron Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Severus
Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore
Additional Tags: Rape/Non-con Elements, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Sexual
Assault, Eating Disorders, Depression, Self-Harm
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2016-07-20 Chapters: 13/13 Words: 10690

Harry Potter
by moderatemalfoy (jenism)

Summary

I've caught a HP bug and I've written a whole mess of shorts. Some have potential and some
are just me writing my pent up emotions. I'm 100% not done with any of them. I just want
them out where people can give me feedback instead of me re-reading them into oblivion.
 HP Short 1

I was walking through the courtyard only to see Draco, once again, tormenting Harry Potter and his
friends under a tree. I rolled my eyes when I saw Harry step forward and Draco duck away in
complete fear.

"Wow Draco so brave and courageous. Teach me your ways," I deadpanned as I passed the little
group. I heard a few snickers and kept the smirk that was creeping up off my face.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, mudblood. My father will hear about this," Draco shot at me. I
whipped around, wand in hand. I walked towards quickly, backing him into the tree.

"NEVER call me that again. Otherwise I'll have you throwing up slugs for the rest of your life," I
poked my wand at him for effect and he flinched. "You are such a fucking crybaby and you
literally make me sick. I cannot stand you and I don't understand how anyone else does." I
finished. He was sniveling and I couldn't help but make a face at him. I started to back up, my
wand still pointed at him, and he scrambled to stand tall again. I turned and right before I walked
out of the shade of the tree I turned again. "By the way, I'm not scared of your father. Are you?"
With that I turned and walked away, smiling to myself.
 HP Short 2

"Who is that?"

"I don't know I've never seen her."

"Is she dead?"

"What's happened?"

People gathered around the courtyard, staring and whispering about the girl laying on the ground.
Her blonde hair was splayed out, her leg looked bent in a painfully wrong way, and there was a
trickle of blood trailing from her mouth.

McGonagall and Snape pushed their way through the crowd of students, McGonagall kneeling
down by the girl. She looked up at Snape with wide eyes.

"We need to take this girl to Madame Pomfrey, now," McGonagall said and Snape wordlessly
picked her up, starting towards the hospital wing. The students started, curiously, after them but
McGonagall put a hand up. "Everyone move on about your day, do not follow Professor Snape and
if I catch anyone trying to sneak a peek they will have dentition," she said and the crowd dispersed.
She saw a familiar trio of students lingering and shook her head, smiling.

"You should've died"

"Stupid bitch can't even die"

"No one wants you here, next time, do a flip"

"You're so worthless"

She woke up silently and the thoughts came flooding back. She looked around and realized she
was still very much alive and the tears rushed out before she could do anything. The sobs racked
her body and she frantically wiped at her eyes, trying to stop before Pomfrey came back. She took
some deep breaths and looked around, seeing no one. She got up and started towards the door very
aware of the limp she was sporting, but ignored it. She peeked around the door, making sure no one
was around, and started running in the direction of the Astronomy Tower. She fully intended to
jump off the tower to make sure it worked this time. What she didn't expect was to run, quite
literally, into Neville Longbottom.

She was knocked down due to the fact that she was already extremely weak, and Neville was quite
tall. He stumbled a bit and was about to apologize when he noticed who it was.

"I am so sor- aren't you that girl who fell off a balcony into the courtyard?" he asked. She struggled
to get up and as he said that her eyes teared a little at the reminder of her failed attempt. "Wait a
second. What are you doing out of the hospital wing?" he asked getting suspicious. Her eyes went
wide. She started scrambling to get away and finally got her feet under her and started backing
away from him.

"Please don't tell anyone. Please just let me die. I can't go back. I can't stay," she pleaded and took a
step towards her. Tears started flowing and a look dawned on Neville's face. He started towards her
quickly and made to grab her but she started running.
"GET BACK HERE," he yelled but she kept running. In her frantic get away she ran right into a
courtyard full of students. "Somebody stop her!" Neville yelled and everyone looked at him. She
turned around to see everyone finding her and looking with confusion. She watched as recognition
seemed register on people's faces and she started sweating. She took off without a word and
ignored the searing pain in her leg. She ran all the way to the tower and thought she'd make it but
ran into someone else. She started to scramble to her feet when she caught the person's face.

Draco Malfoy.

He was the one reason she ever doubted suicide.

More tears slid down her cheeks and he looked at her with a blank face.

"He'll never love you, let alone like you"

"He hates you"

"You're nothing to him, see? He doesn't even know who you are"

"Just walk right past him and jump, we want a show"

"GRAB HER," a voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She turned back to see Neville along with
Professor McGonagall and a crowd of students behind them coming towards her. She knew Draco
didn't care about anyone other than himself so she thought she'd be free.

She vaguely heard someone yell "SHE'S GONNA KILL HERSELF" but she pushed past him and
ran up the stairs as fast as her limp let her anyways. As she put her right foot on the landing a hand
caught her left ankle. The action pulled her down but she started crawling away. She shook her
ankle free and somehow got to her feet.

She thought that was it.

But then as she neared the edge a hand grabbed her arm.

"NO," she yelled as she got yanked away from the railing. "PLEASE LET ME DIE," she sobbed.
The hand turned into an arm across her chest from behind which turned into two arms pulling her
against a chest. She sank to the ground but the person just sat with her. "JUST LET ME GO," she
cried as the person held onto her, making her attempts to crawl away futile. "Please just let me die,"
she stopped trying and let the person hold her close to their chest while rocking them back and
forth. She sobbed as they shushed her gently, running their hand through her hair countless times.

Neville wasn't the only confused person in the room. McGonagall, Snape, Harry, Ron, and
Hermione were also watching the strange scene in front of them. Draco Malfoy showing emotion,
especially towards a very distraught Gryffindor, was unfathomable. But there they were, watching
him be as gentle as ever and calm the poor girl from hysteria to dull cries. It was quite
extraordinary. They realized the girl was no longer making any sound and figured she was asleep.

"Malfoy, that girl needs to go back to the hospital wing," McGonagall said finally and he looked
for the first since they'd sat down. He seemed to realize where they were and almost shoved her
away from him. Pomfrey had gotten there by then and she laid her gently on the ground. Draco got
up quickly and cast his gaze over everyone before stalking out of the tower.

Next time she woke up, the first thing she saw was Ron Weasley. The memories came rushing
back and she groaned, refusing to cry. She'd failed again except this time Draco was there and that
only made it worse. He saw her at rock bottom, he saw her at her worst and she hated that.

"She's awake guys," Ron said and she looked over to see Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and
Neville Longbottom. She was confused, to say the least. No one at the school had paid her any
attention during all her years there leading up to this and now suddenly the golden trio was at her
bedside like they knew who she was. She rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, at least then she
was conscious about what she did. But then Pomfrey was tending to her, she fixed her leg, and
apparently had already fixed broken ribs from when she jumped into courtyard. Once she was
deemed physically healthy enough she was being sent to Dumbledore's office with the golden trio
plus Neville following her. She started at her hands on the way there, students stated as she walked
past, and she felt even more like an outcast. Once she was in Dumbledore's office Harry and his
friends left, reluctantly. She immediately downplayed it to them wanting to see what they were
going to do with such a freak. McGonagall and Snape were in the office too and they were
discussing her as she sat quietly off to the side.

"I don't trust her to stay safe on her own," McGonagall said.

"What do we do then?" Dumbledore asked.

"You could have Potter watch over her. Seems fitting with the way he acts," Snape drawled.

"But Pomfrey said she had self-harm marks, how can Harry watch over her if he's a boy?"
McGonagall asked.

"Granger is a girl," he responded.

"Do they room together?" McGonagall asked Dumbledore. He shook his head.
 HP Short 3

She woke up to an empty room. She looked around for any sign of the time and noticed the other
three beds were made. She jumped out of bed, hopping around trying to get dressed as quickly as
possible. She figured breakfast was almost over since that was usually when she woke up. She was
running out of steam by the time she was brushing her teeth and grabbing her books. She sat down
to calm her fast beating heart and the door opened. She stood up as Hermione Granger walked in, to
grab her books no doubt.

"Hi Josie, I see you missed breakfast again," she said with a tinge of concern at the edge of her
voice.

"Yeah, you know me; I love my sleep," Josie said with an awkward laugh. She hurried out of the
room before Hermione could say anything else and practically ran down the stairs. She was
breathing heavily by the time she reached the bottom and internally groaned.

1 week.

She was a week in and she couldn't cave now. Even though it was taking a physical toll on her, she
loved the feeling of an empty stomach. Especially when she was only putting one low-intake day in
between week long fasts.

Plus the weight was just dripping off of her.

But of course, it wasn't enough.

She exited the stairwell, slightly woozy. A few people looked at her and her hands started sweating
and she couldn't see straight. She hoped and prayed that she got out of the common room looking
normal and started towards her class. She realized she was going to be late, considering the fact
that even walking slowly was becoming a laborious task. She sagged against the wall, sweat
trickling down her back.

Why did she take potions, which is in the dungeons, in the morning?

Once her vision seemed to clear a little she pushed herself off the cool stone wall and kept moving.
Once she made it she took a few deep breaths and opened the door, bracing herself for the stares
and the detention from Snape.

"You're late, Mackenzie. Detention and five points from Gryffindor," he said and she gazed back at
him with an unimpressed look that almost rivaled his. She looked around and saw the only seat left
was next to Seamus Finnigan. She tentatively sat down and focused on her breathing for a moment
before it seemed under control. She looked up to see plenty of notes on the board and rolled her
eyes.

"She stood up to leave once class was over and started seeing black dots. She tried to ignore it but
as she went to step away from the desk she almost fell over.

"Hey are you okay?" Seamus asked, although she couldn't tell where he was. The dots were
clearing away but she was still dizzy, the room spinning.

"Yeah... I'm fine," she said but it came out as more of a whisper. She made to grab her books but
her arms betrayed her, proving too weak to do much anymore.
"Are you sure?" he asked, looking apprehensive. She nodded and managed to pick up her books,
stepping away from where she was leaning against the desk. The black dots were back and she
heard a loud voice before the dots took over.

"Josie?"

"Hello?"

"What happened?"

"I don't know, she just fainted I guess."

She opened her eyes to Seamus and Snape closest; Hermione, Harry, and Ron along with most of
the class were standing behind them.

"Do you remember what happened?" Snape asked her.

She nodded, feeling embarrassed and a little confused on how she attracted the attention of the
golden trio.

"Are you alright?" Snape asked, looking her over for any injuries.

She nodded once again and went to get up, focusing hard on not stumbling. She gathered her books
and turned to see everyone staring at her.

"I'm okay," she spoke quietly. Snape narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing. She turned and
hurried out of the room, not missing a certain blond standing in the back with his cronies. Once she
was out she turned the corner away from the rest of the school, and found herself in what she
thought was a secluded hallway. She leaned against the wall and took deep breaths, keeping the
tears at bay. Footsteps grew closer and she whipped her head up when she heard them. She wiped
at her eyes and started walking out of the corridor.

"I wouldn't fuck her even for a million galleons," a voice said. She looked up to see Marcus Flint
along with two other Slytherins walking down the corridor. She looked at the ground, hoping to be
invisible to them.

But of course, the universe was always against her.

"What are you doing down here, Gryffindor?" Marcus asked with a nasty grin on his face. She
ignored him, hoping no response would make him continue on. "Hey I'm talking to you," he said
stepping in front of her, forcing her to stop.

"Just leave me alone, please," she swallowed, her face hot with anxiety.

"Umm, no. I don't want to," he responded with a snigger. His two friends laughed darkly and they
moved around to block her from being able to leave.

"Harry show me the map, Josie hasn't been seen since potions and it's worrying me," Hermione
said. Harry got out the map, opening it up to find "Josie Mackenzie".

"There... What is she doing still down in the dungeons?" Ron said, pointing out her name.

"Wait, look," Harry said pointing at three names. Marcus Flint along with two other Slytherins
were making their way towards Josie and then they stopped, surrounding Josie.

"That can't be good, come on we have to go help her," Hermione said and Harry and Ron
complied. The three of them got up and started towards the dungeons.

Tears pricked her eyes as they backed her against the wall.

"Aw don't cry, it'll spoil the fun," Marcus said devilishly. He reached out a hand, placing it on her
face. She flinched but he didn't waver. He wiped the tear she hadn't known had fallen away with
his thumb. "She's a good one, aye boys," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, perfect one to add to the list," the kid on the right said. Her eyes widened at that.

"What list?" her own voice surprised her, it being so small she was confused on how anything
came out at all.

"Oh it's nothing really. Just a list of girls I've caught in... unsuspecting positions, who can't really
tell me no," he explained and she couldn't help but swallow with fear. He reached out with his
other hand, sliding it around her waist, gripping her ass. She jerked away but he smacked her
cheek, then grabbing her ass again.

"Please just leave me alone," her voice quivered.

"I think you already asked that and I already said no. Try again sweetheart," he said leaning down.
She screwed her eyes shut, hoping he wasn't about to do what she thought he was about to do.
When the impact never came she opened her eyes only to find he was hovering over her neck. He
latched onto the space between her collarbone and her neck and she whimpered, trying to pull
away. His right hand squeezed her ass and his left grabbed her right boob, kneading it in a slow
rhythm. Tears welled in her eyes and she hoped something would work in her favor for once and
make it stop. Marcus was kissing and sucking and biting at her neck and she was feeling sick.

Sick at the fact that Marcus Flint was currently sexually assaulting her.

Sick that she hadn't eaten in a week and now wanted to throw up.

Sick that he had apparently done that to other girls.

Sick that he had friends that actually helped him with that.

Sick that she was actually feeling aroused.

She tried to push him away but he just pushed back on her boob, holding her against the wall. She
cursed his Quidditch build but kept trying to push him off.

"Stop, please," she pleaded. He chuckled against her neck and a small wave of heat rolled through
her belly. She remembered her legs and immediately jerked her leg up, hoping it hit somewhere
important. Marcus pulled his hands away to cup his groin and groaned. She scrambled to the side
but one of the kids was in her way. She must've not kneed him hard enough because Marcus
grabbed her arm and pulled her back, slamming her against the wall. Her books fell to the ground
and he glared down at her.

"I didn't appreciate that. Guess I'll have to teach you some manners," he growled and leaned down,
roughly kissing her lips. Tears fell freely as he bit her bottom lip to force access. He let go of her
arms but they were pinned down a moment later by his friends. He used his hands to grip her hips,
shoving them against the wall also. He moved on from her mouth and Josie was starting to give up
he weak attempts to escape when she heard rushed footsteps.

"STUPIFY," she heard and all three of the Slytherins were blasted away. She looked to the right
and saw the golden trio running towards her. She slid down the wall, full sobs racking her body.

"Are you alright?" She heard but couldn't respond. She felt an arm around her, pulling her into a
chest and sobbed into it.
 HP Short 4

A piercing shriek floated through a good portion of the castle. The whole Gryffindor tower heard it
and they all looked at each other in confusion.

"MALFOY," a girl's voice screamed and everyone looked even more confused, considering the
fact that the only people Malfoy messed with were all in the common room. Fast angry footsteps
were heard on the stairs and a fuming girl came stalking into the common room.

People recognized her as Josie Mackenzie. She made her way out the door quickly, wand gripped
tightly in her hand. She glared at everyone who past her so harshly that she could've been mistaken
for a Slytherin. She spotted Crabbe and Goyle and grabbed them both by their collars, shoving
them against the wall.

"Where's Malfoy?" she asked, strangely calm. They looked at each other but didn't answer.
"Answer me!" she yelled, shoving them again. They both flinched and started stuttering.

"Th-the Great Hall," Goyle spit out. She let them go and started towards the Great Hall. She
stopped in the doorway and searched for a moment before finding Malfoy at the opposite end of
the room at the Slytherin table.

"Stupefy," she shouted, knocking him off the bench. Blaise and Pansy looked at Malfoy to Josie
and scrambled away. Malfoy groaned and started to get up. By the time she reached him she had
blasted him three more times and grabbed him, hauling him off the floor.

"I take it you got my present?" Malfoy said smirking.

"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU," she yelled and raised her wand.

She heard someone yell "EXPELLIARMUS," and her wand was knocked out of her hand. Malfoy
smirked and she saw red. She tackled him to the ground, punching and scratching. Moments later
she was being pulled off a bloody Malfoy and he was moaning and groaning.

"I'm dead, I'm dead! She's killed me!" he was crying.

"Oh shut the fuck up asshole! You're such a fucking coward! You're all talk! I hate you!" Josie
screamed from where she was being held. She was being lead away as Malfoy was being helped
up. "I HATE YOU," she screamed and let herself be guided out of the Great Hall, tears starting to
fall. Before she knew it she was in Dumbledore's office along with McGonagall and Snape.

"Can you please enlighten us on why you attacked Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked calmly. She
huffed and wiped her eyes.

"He wrote 'mudblood' on the wall next to my bed, put snakes in my bed, stole all my bras and
underwear, had those for about three days, made sure I was alone in all my classes, he still has my
rat, after he stole him three weeks ago, hell he even put pine needles in my shoes and switched all
my drinks to pumpkin juice cause I guess somehow he figured out I don't like it. He tries to slip me
sleeping potions all the time but I've been avoiding them pretty well after the first time, I'm pretty
sure he's trying to make the whole school hate me, he just simply teases me in not the nicest ways
in the corridors, he-"

"Okay I think that's enough," Dumbledore cut her off. He picked up his wand and opened the door
to reveal Malfoy standing there, somehow already staring at her with a smirk on his face. He
walked into the room with confidence that made Josie sick.

"Careful Malfoy, your ego is choking everyone in the room," she said before she could stop
herself.

"Well your dirty blood is choking me, mudblood," he retorted. Her eyes went wide.

"You little-"

"Enough," Dumbledore said and she reigned herself in. "I think you both need to learn about each
other," he continued and they both immediately started to protest. He held his hand up. "I think
you'll find that you've been misjudging each other," he said. "Each of you will write about yourself.
It does not matter how long it is or how well you write it. Just talk about yourself and then the
other will read it. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape will read over them before you
trade," Dumbledore said and Josie took on a disgusted look. "That's that and now if you'll excuse
me, I'm going to go get myself some lemon drops," he said and Josie stifled a laugh.

Just before he was gone he turned to them, "Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid I have to agree with Miss
Mackenzie here. Your ego is a bit stifling." Josie clapped a hand over her mouth and Malfoy's eyes
hardened.

"Alright Josie, Mr. Malfoy. I expect you to be done with these papers by tomorrow morning,"
McGonagall said and dismissed them. They walked out in silence.

"This should be easy for you," Josie bit as soon as they got out of the office.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Malfoy asked. She smirked.

"Well you're just so proud. I'm sure you just love talking about yourself," she explained. "It'll be
great to read about your death eater family and how you're one too," she smiled darkly and his eyes
went wide then narrowed. He moved forward and suddenly he was pushing her against the wall.

"I am NOT a death eater," he said angrily. But she wasn't listening. She was trying to catch her
breath while staring at his lips. She blinked once, twice, three times when she realized they weren't
moving anymore. As she was coming back to reality his hand shifted on her upper arm and all her
attention was there. A tiny wave of uneasy heat passed through her. She realized he was still very
close to her and pushed him off of herself. He looked at her, a little confused, and she sneered at
him.
"Fuck you," she whispered and practically ran back to her room.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. It's not enough. You need to dig deeper. Write about your favorite memory and your biggest
fears," McGonagall said. Josie narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah so he can use it all against me," she muttered. McGonagall either didn't hear her or chose to
ignore it.

"Tell him everything," she said. Josie looked at her for a moment before she realized what she was
telling her to do. As she left McGonagall's office her hands started to shake.

She sat back, cracking her knuckles and yawning. She had decided to do as McGonagall said and
wrote about everything.
 HP Short 5

"Everyone form a line! Aaannnd, begin!" Professor Lupin said as he started the music. She wasn't
paying much attention, only to the fact that she was standing right in front of Draco Malfoy, the
most annoying asshole Hogwarts has probably ever seen; besides You-Know-Who of course.
Before she knew it she was two people away from the front. Her heart was beating so fast she
thought it was going to jump out of her chest. She kept trying to think which fear of her's was going
to show its face but couldn't pinpoint which was the worst.

"Alright miss Mackenzie, step up, step up," Lupin said. She swallowed, took a few steps forward
and took a deep breath. The boggart swirled around for a moment and then standing right in front
of her was herself. Her eyes widened a bit and she took a step back. She swallowed and tried to bite
back the tears that threatened to fall.
The boggart started to pull its sleeves up and she raised her trembling hand, "riddikulus."

Somehow it worked and she put a hand to her chest as her heart beat out of it. Professor Lupin put
the boggart back in the cupboard and calmly told the class they were dismissed. She quickly hid
herself within the crowd and left along with everyone else. She ran up to moaning Myrtle's
bathroom and sat down against the wall, crying. She heard her above her, sitting on the window
ledge, crying softly also.

By the time dinner rolled around, everyone knew. People stared at her and whispered about how
"she's afraid of herself". She, as usual, skipped dinner and hid in her room. When she knew people
would start getting back she left to go to Myrtle's bathroom. As she sat there she started thinking
about what happened. A cruel thought popped into her head.

What do you bet Draco thinks you're a freak now?

He's probably always thought you're a freak.

No cause he's never noticed you even exist before.

Josie put her hands over her ears as if that would make them stop. But it didn't work.

It never worked.

You know what to do.

Only one thing makes it stop.

She got up and locked herself in a cubicle, sitting on the toilet lid. She brought out her wand and
rolled it in her hands. Having a wand made it easier. She didn't have to wash it or worry about
someone finding it. She knew that shouldn't make her feel better, she knew it should scare her if
anything. But it gave her a sense of relief along with a wave of nausea.
 HP Short 6

She stood tall, listening to her parents like the good child she was.

Or at least that's what they practiced.

Her parents quietly told her how much of a disappointment she was and how much they hated her.

But for the sake of appearances, she stood there and took it. She couldn't make a scene.

They pulled her in for a hug, awkward for them, normal for everyone else. She blinked back the
tears that threatened to fall and got on the train. She found an empty compartment and pulled her
legs up onto the seat. The train lurched forward and she allowed a few tears to slip out. She wiped
at her eyes but they just kept coming.

Footsteps were coming close to her compartment and she looked up, desperately wiping away her
tears so no one would know. Three boys appeared, looking in then sliding the door open. She
recognized them as Slytherins, considering the fact that they already had their robes on. She picked
up her phone, silently sighing in relief that she had muggle parents so she could have a distraction.
She was in the process of plugging in her headphones when someone cleared their throat. She
looked up to see all three boys looking at her. She knew if she started talking she'd probably start
crying again so she went back to opening her music.

"Who are you, mudblood?" the blond boy asked. She stiffened at the name and looked up to see
him smirking.

"And who are you, you stuck-up piece of shit?" she but back before she could stop herself. His face
dropped and she flinched, muttering an apology before she realized he wasn't going to hit her.

"I asked you first," the blond boy said hesitantly. He squinted at her and she felt herself going red.

"I'm Josie Mackenzie," she said quietly.

"Draco Malfoy," he responded. "And this is Crabbe and that's Goyle," he pointed out his friends
and she just nodded, feeling the familiar sting in her eyes. "Have you been crying?" Draco asked
when he noticed the unusual redness around her eyes. She shook her head violently and put her
earbuds in, turning on her music. The three boys were all on the other bench so she scooted down
and laid out, letting G-Eazy lull her to sleep.

She woke up to the train stopping and her falling off the seat. She hit the floor before she could
stop herself and a string of cuss words and groans were immediately emitted from her mouth. She
slowly pushed herself up to see the three boys still there, looking rather amused.

"Oh go fuck yourselves," she spat then mumbled "sorry," reaching up to rub her face. She felt
something wet and pulled her hands back to see glistening tears on her fingers. She stared in utter
betrayal, then wiped them away with her sleeve. She realized she was still in her street clothes, a
light tan distressed sweatshirt and black skinny jeans littered with holes and her worn out black
high top vans.

"I have to change..." she trailed off, cheeks burning up as she unplugged her headphones and put
them away. The three boys smirked but didn't move. "GO," she said loudly but they stayed still.
"I'm not afraid to punch you," she threatened. They kept still and she huffed. She looked down
dejectedly for a moment then suddenly punched Draco in the face. He immediately jumped up
while yelling. He opened the door and his friends followed him out.
 HP Short 7

Or the one where Draco and Harry seem to be catching the other's eye a lot and they both expect
the other to say something soon.

"Every fucking time I even look in his direction we make eye contact," Harry grumbled at lunch,
glaring at his food.

"I don't think that sandwich has anything to do with it, mate," Ron said with sincerity. Hermione
stifled a laugh.

"He's gonna think I'm like staring at him or something," Harry continued to complain lowly. He
looked up, just trying to look up at Ron and Hermione - honest - and glanced at the Slytherin table.
He looked just in time to see his head turn and green eyes met grey ones. Harry looked away
quickly and cursed. "It literally just happened again," Harry said, clearly distraught over the fact
that him and Malfoy keep acknowledging each other on accident.

"Don't think on it mate. It's just a few coincidences," Ron said.

"Ron's right, for once. It's not a big deal," Hermione said, a little shocked.

"Yeah you guys are probably right," Harry mumbled and took a bitter bite out of his sandwich.

"I swear we make eye contact every time I look in his direction," Draco complained to Blaise and
Pansy. He was too annoyed and weirded out to eat.

"I don't think it means as much as you seem to think it does," Pansy said with a slight laugh.

"I have to agree with Pansy mate," Blaise said. Draco scowled. He glanced up and looked across to
the Gryffindor table. He saw Potter already looking and watched him snap his head away, saying
something.

"It just happened again. What the fuck? Why? Why the fuck does this keep happening?" Draco
said frustrated at the fact that him and Potter kept making eye contact. He hated him.

"Just let it go Draco. If you don't then of course it'll keep happening cause you're expecting it,"
Pansy said taking a drink.

"Again, gotta agree with Pansy. And why does it bother you so much?" Blaise asked, simply
curious - honest. Draco narrowed his eyes at him.

"Because I can't stand the bloody git," he said and Blaise and Pansy looked skeptical.

"Alright, whatever you say," Blaise said with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco asked. Blaise didn't answer. In fact, he and Pansy got up to
leave the Great Hall. "Guys..." he trailed off. They bolted away and Draco jumped up. "Guys!
What does that mean?" he called running after them, ignoring the stares. Especially the familiar
green eyes that followed him out.
 HP Short 8

Josie woke up on something cold and hard. Once realizing it was a floor she shot up, rubbing her
eyes and bumping her glasses. She tried to stand up but as soon as she moved her feet there was a
clanking noise of metal on metal. She looked down to see metal cuffs around her ankles with
chains leading to the wall where they disappeared into the wall. Panic spread through her as she
shuffled her feet to pull the chains out. In her panic, she realized she was in her pajamas, which
comprised a t-shirt that stopped at about mid-thigh, no bra, and underwear. Once she realized this,
she panicked even more. She looked around the room only to realize she was in a dungeon of some
sort. Her hair fell over her face and she raked it back, blinking back tears. She heard footsteps and
backed into the corner, trying to become invisible.
“Hey she’s awake!” a boy’s voice echoed through the cell and her head snapped up to see Marcus
Flint and some Slytherin cronies behind him. They were laughing as Flint unlocked the door and
they all stepped inside. She figured she must’ve still been in Hogwarts if the boys had their
uniforms on so her anxiety settled a little. “Now what should we do with you?” Flint said walking
towards her. She wanted to ask so many questions but her voice wouldn’t come out.
“Does she talk?” one of the other Slytherin’s asked. Josie said nothing, her cheeks just burned red,
and she looked at the ground.
“Doesn’t seem like it. Maybe she’ll be quiet enough for the original plan then eh?” another boy
said with a laugh. They all cracked up and Flint kneeled in front of her, looking her up and down.
He reached out and tried to lift her shirt but she smacked his hands away, a horrified look on her
face.
“Well, boys she may not be a talker but she’s a fighter. Although she ain’t got much clothes on, to
begin with so it should be easy,” Flint laughed. Her face grew hot, and she tried to scoot back
farther but there was no more room. He grinned evilly at her. “Now,” he said, and the others came
forward, grabbing her arms and legs, pushing her into a lying position. She struggled but
considering the fact that they were burly, heavy guys and she was a weak girl it was futile. Flint
hooked his fingers on the edge of her underwear and pulled. Josie broke her left leg free and tried to
pull them back up but it got caught again.
“Please stop,” she forced out, tears welling in her eyes.
“Oh, she speaks! And I was so enjoying the silence,” Flint said merely brushing off her protest.
“Just leave me alone!” she said louder, and he smacked her in the face. She was quiet until he
undid his pants. “Don’t, please don’t,” she pleaded, trying to tug her arms away, but it was in vain.
“Shut up. I liked when you weren’t saying anything,” Flint said in a dangerously low voice as he
slid on a condom. He put rough hands on her hips and thrust in with no type of warning. She
screamed, but a hand quickly muffled it. He continued on like that, rough and hard, as Josie cried
into his hand. He hit his climax and pulled out, ripping the condom off and throwing it in another
corner. The other boys were looking hungrily at her.
“Do we get turns or…?” one asked.
“Yeah I guess so,” Flint shrugged as if answering about broomstick rides.
Josie didn’t know how long it was. It had to have been at least an hour before everyone finished, a
small pile of used condoms in the other corner. Her body ached and felt like it was on fire, the tears
had barely stopped coming. Once the last boy finished they let her go, but she didn’t move,
anyway. She could tell she was laying in a puddle of something. They walked out of the cell
laughing and joking about, leaving her to her tears and pain. She mustered up enough strength to
move out of the puddle and looked at it. It was a mixture of red and white and another round of
tears came.

She woke up on something cold and hard. She shot up and looked around, hoping it had all been a
dream, but she was still in the cell and she was still half naked and she was still in pain.
They took her innocence.
They took her privacy.
They took her freedom.
They took her willpower.
She wanted to die. Her worry and fear were at their all-time high and her emotions were weaving
their way into the situation, explaining it all from their point of view. Josie wondered how long
she’d been down there. Suddenly a thought popped into her head. It was from the darker part of her
twisted mind, the darker illness she had.
At least you won’t be eating all the time.
At least no one can see how fat you are.
At least you can lose a little weight, fatass.
At least you can get closer to your goal.
She felt herself relax a little and that terrified her. Feeling exhausted she laid down and closed her
eyes, thinking of a world where none of this was happening.

It had been at least four days. Josie gauged from the visits from Flint and his cronies and when
they brought her water, she figured it had been four days. Her body was feeling the lack of
nutrition mixed with all the physical abuse.
People can do week-long fasts so if you complain then you’re weak.
She shook her head and tried to ignore it. Her stomach rumbled, but she pretended she didn’t hear
it. She hoped if she ignored it, the hunger would go away.
“Hey, you look bloody awful. Anyways, here,” Flint said walking over to her while holding out an
apple. His cronies snickered. She stared at the apple, feeling nauseous at the sight of it but wanting
to eat so badly. “Okay, suit yourself,” he said handing it back to one of the Slytherins and snapped
his fingers. Once again the boys swarmed her, holding her down. Flint had taken to kissing her
after the second time. He shoved his tongue in her mouth and worked his hand up her shirt,
grabbing her right boob tightly. The very familiar tears formed in her eyes and she squeezed them
shut. He pulled down Josie’s underwear with his left hand and shoved his fingers in. She had
stopped trying to fight just the day before. The tears streamed down her face, her body burning.

On the sixth day, she watched them leave with blurry vision. Her body had yet to have time to heal
and relax since she woke up that first day and she was aching. Even her fingers hurt. She had
bruises all along her arms and legs, her ankles were bloody from the cuffs rubbing at her skin. She
could only imagine what her face looked like from all the slaps and punches she’s taken. She felt
weak and wanted death to consume her already. She hated being a toy to the Slytherins. A thought
was burning in the back of her mind.
Obviously, no one cares about you because no one has come looking for you yet.
It’s almost been a week and you’re still here.
You belong here.
No one has even noticed that you’re gone.
She shook her head as tears slid down her face. Her eyes burned. Suddenly there were footsteps,
and she felt the now familiar fear in her chest; it was Flint. Then she heard the voices.
“I still don’t think we should be down here. How do you know the map was right?” a girl’s voice
echoed.
“The map never lies Hermione. Sirius and Remus told us that, remember?” a boy’s voice replied.
Hermione?
“It’s creepy down here,” another boy’s voice sounded.
“You’ve said that three times now Ronald. Will you stop?” the girl’s voice -Hermione- said.
Shadows appeared on the wall and she cowered anyways.
It could be Flint messing with me.
Three people walked into sight and they walked up to the door, one was looking down at a large
piece of parchment.
“It says she’s here,” he said.
“Oh my god,” the girl -Hermione- said. Josie looked up and tears started falling again.
“Alohomora,” she exclaimed and threw open the door. They came into view and she recognized
Harry Potter and realized who they all were. But then her thought from earlier came back.
It could still be Flint messing with me. Making me think I’ll get free but then rape me again.
“Josie? Josie Mackenzie?” Hermione said tentatively. She flinched away as she got closer and
didn’t say anything.
“It’s her. We have to get her out of here and to Madame Pomfrey,” Hermione said.
“Look,” Ron said pointing at her ankles. They all followed the chains to the wall where they
disappeared.
“Reducto,” Harry said blasting the chains off the wall. Josie flinched at the noise and the tears fell
harder. She didn’t know whether to trust the situation or not and it was tearing up her insides. She
didn’t know what to do.
“Guys she’s freaking out. I think she’s having a panic attack,” Hermione said as her arms fell to her
lap and her sobs were no longer controlled. The room was spinning and she couldn’t feel her face.
“Ron, help me pick h….”

Josie woke up on something warm and soft. She shot up in confusion and looked around
frantically, hoping it had all been an intense dream. She realized she was in the hospital wing and
cringed. Her body was sore. A door opened, and she flinched, looking to her left and saw Madame
Pomfrey bustling in. She came right over, checking her and performing a few spells.
“I can’t believe… Our own students… You poor girl…” she muttered as she worked. Josie just
stared at the bed. “I’ll let people visit today but not for too long,” she said eventually. Josie just
nodded slowly. She left for a moment and then the door opened again and a group of Gryffindors
came rushing over. She recognized the golden trio along with Neville Longbottom, Seamus
Finnigan, and Dean Thomas. She flinched slightly but tried to hide it with a smile. It was quiet for
a few moments and Josie could feel the awkwardness.
“They got expelled,” Ron finally offered, and she looked at him with big eyes.
“Really?” she said with a small voice.
“Definitely!” Hermione confirmed.
“I didn’t realize people like them got punished,” she said nervously biting a fingernail. They all
looked at her confused. “I mean, they’re older, Slytherin purebloods. I didn’t think their actions
had consequences. Especially with people like me,” she mumbled the last part and pulled her legs
up to wrap her arms around them, the blanket falling. There was a collective gasp, and she looked
down. Her legs practically discolored all over, looked even skinnier. She realized she was still
in the dirty t-shirt and involuntarily cringed.
“Of course they do. R-rape and abuse aren’t dealt with lightly,” Harry said concernedly. She bit her
lip.
“I heard that even other Slytherin’s are disgusted with them. I overheard some Ravenclaws talking,
and they said Draco Malfoy exploded on them,” Dean said. She looked at him with doubt.
“Draco Malfoy?” she repeated. He nodded. “No. There’s no way,” she said firmly.
“I swear that’s what I heard,” Dean said.
“He doesn’t care about anything. Why would he care about this?” she asked sounding rushed. Her
hands were getting sweaty and her heart was beating too fast.
“Hey, hey, hey, you know what you’re right. Malfoy is a complete git and those Ravenclaws
must’ve been wrong. Why don’t we talk about something else, yeah?” Seamus said giving them all
a warning look. They told her she’d been in the hospital wing for three days in an induced coma so
Madame Pomfrey could get nutrition back in her system. They told her all the stuff she’d missed
out on and how classes were. They were in the middle of telling her a funny story when Madame
Pomfrey came back.
“Alright it’s been long enough, she needs sleep,” she shooed them.
 HP Short 9

Or the one where we finally get an explanation as to why Seamus blows everything up.

Everyone knew that Seamus Finnigan had a knack for blowing things up. No one knew why. Even
Seamus himself said he didn't understand why. But we've done our research and we've figured out
a reoccurring situation. Let us explain.

First Year

The first time Seamus Finnigan expressed signs of problematic pyrotechnics, he was sitting in his
charms lesson on Halloween where he tried to levitate a feather. While no one paid any attention to
him before he blew it up, we did. Right before he said the spell he had been looking across the
room. His stare was directed towards a young girl named Josie Mackenzie. She was sitting with her
chin on her hand and was nodding off. Once he tore his gaze away he poked the feather impatiently
and it blew up. This woke Josie who, in turn, giggled at his blackened face.
 HP Short 10

"I bet you couldn't last a week in the muggle world," she snapped.

"Why would I want to?" he replied with a disgusted look on his face.

"Exactly. So I fucking dare you to talk about me again. Besides, not everyone is as adapting as
muggles. In fact I think Ron is the only pureblood I know that could make it in the muggle world,"
she said with a smirk and started to walk away.

"That Weasel could never beat me. I'll take you up on that bet. If you win, I'll never bother any
mudblood again. If I win, you have to do my bidding from the first day back until Christmas," he
said devilishly. She turned to face him, face rigid.

"You're on," she said. "Where ya gonna stay?" she asked.

"Well since you brought this up why don't I just stay with you?" he said smirking.

"Fine," she whispered and stormed away.

"SOMEONE PUNCH ME," she yelled walking into the common room. Everyone turned to look at
her knowingly. She got herself into, unpleasant, situations a lot.

"What happened this time?" Harry asked from the couch in front of the fireplace. She walked over
and plopped onto it, groaning. Harry sat up.

"I just made a bet with Draco fucking Malfoy. I bet Ron against him," she cried. Ron whipped his
head up.

"What?! What did you do Josie?" he asked frantically.

"I bet that he couldn't make it in the muggle world longer than you. I said you're the only
pureblood I know that could make it. So he's staying at my house this summer. You guys gotta stay
too. Please, I don't want it to just be me and him," she begged.

"What's on the line?" Hermione asked.

"If I win then he'll leave all the muggleborn's alone. But if he wins then I have to... I have to do his
bidding from the first day back until Christmas," she told them. It was silent for a moment.

"I'll do it. I'm not letting that git boss you around," Ron spoke up.

"Harry and I will come too, right Harry?" Hermione said. Harry nodded, sliding down again to
prop his feet on the table.

"I owe all of you," she said scooting down to lay her head on Harry's stomach. She looked at him
and he looked back and raised an eyebrow. She smiled and buried her face in his stomach, "thank
you," she mumbled. He laughed and pat her on the head.

"I hate myself," Josie said flopping on her bed. She had just finished packing.

"I don't have words to make you feel better. All I have is, 'Harry, Ron, and I will be there',"
Hermione said and they both laughed.

"I guess that'll do for now," Josie said getting up. They went down to the common room. "I swear
to god if he tries to sit with us on the train I'm punching him in the face," Josie said once they met
up with Harry and Ron.

"I don't think he will, he's too proud to put this out in the open," Ron replied laughing.

"True," Josie said. "Oh by the way, Ron you need muggle money," then she remembered how the
Weasley family barely even had wizard money. "Eh I got you," she said waving off whatever he
was about to say.

Luckily Ron was right and Malfoy didn't even come close to their compartment on the train.
 HP Short 11

Or the one where we see what the golden trio's friends get up to.

"Hi, I'm Seamus Finnigan and this is Dean Thomas," the boy held out his hand and she tentatively
shook it.

"I'm Josie Mackenzie," she responded quietly. It was quiet for a moment and Josie just wanted to
get back to the book she was reading but the boys weren't leaving and she didn't know what to d—
deep breaths.

Josie Mackenzie was currently in the common room, the girls from her room had essentially kicked
her out so they could talk without extra ears. So here she was, in the noisy common room, just
trying to read a book on one of the big chairs and there were these boys talking to her. Josie was a
small girl of only 5'5 with strawberry blonde hair and vividly blue eyes, some freckles lightly
dusting her nose. To say she was intimidated easily when alone was an understatement. The boys
sat down on the couch across from her and started talking to each other about something called
"Quidditch" and she rolled her eyes, getting back into her book.

"Hey you should sit with us at dinner," Seamus said slinging an arm around her neck as they
walked out of the Great Hall; lunch had just finished.

"Okay," she said not planning on doing so at all. She tried to ignore the two boys but they seemed
to be everywhere. They were in most of her classes and not to mention her house. They talked to
her like they'd known her forever and it was causing her walls to crumble. She kept rolling her eyes
at them and laughing at the stupid things they did. But every time she realized what she was doing
she'd quickly stop, opening up was just a bad thing to do. One thing they seemed to talk about a lot
was how they roomed with The-Boy-Who-Lived.

She ended up sitting with them at dinner because Seamus and Dean had found her beforehand and
directed her to the middle of the table where they sat.

"What are you doing for Halloween?" Seamus asked plopping down next to her in the Gryffindor
common room. She sighed, looking up from her book.

"Must you interrupt me everyday?" she asked lightheartedly.

"Uh, duh. Bothering you is our favorite hobby," Dean said sitting down on the floor in front of her.
She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"I thought you guys would be hanging out with Harry and them," she said waving her hand around.

"Nah," Seamus said and nudged her. "So what book is it this time?" he asked peeking at the pages.

"House of Hades," she held up the book to show them the cover.

"That's the Heroes of Olympus series right?" Dean asked. She nodded. "Well anyways, we're
hanging out on Halloween and you can't get out of it," Dean said. She just laughed.

"Okay," she said, amused.

Once Halloween rolled around— it was only a week later— Josie was actually looking forward to
hanging out with the guys. She'd finally warmed up to them. She was sitting in her usual spot in the
common room, reading yet another new book, when Seamus and Dean came out of nowhere,
sitting in their, now, usual spots.

"Do you guys want to go to the Astronomy tower tonight?" Seamus asked. Dean was resting his
arms and chin on Josie's outstretched legs, her feet on the table holding them up.

"Sure," Josie said still not looking up from her book. Suddenly it was taken from her hands and she
looked up to see Seamus at the other end of the couch, holding it but not losing her spot. He'd
learned not to.

"But guys, we're still only first years. We'd get caught so easily," Dean said.

"So? The worst to happen would be that we get some points taken off the house," Josie said
reaching for her book. Seamus kept it out of her reach and she crawled towards him. He laughed as
he held it out over the arm of the couch. She huffed and stood up, causing him to hold it over the
back of the couch. "Seaaaamusss," she whined going around to the back as he brought it back
around in front of him. "You're not helping," she said to Dean who was laughing at them. Seamus
laughed and she quickly went around and grabbed her book, hopping out of Seamus' reach.
 HP Short 12

Shift, shift, fidget, stretch, shift.

Fidget, shift, stretch, crack joints, shift, pull hair behind back.

Bounce knee, concentrate on paying attention, fidget, shift, shift, stretch, fidg—

"Will you stop moving?" Seamus hissed at her. She looked at him, face slightly burning.

"I can't. I'm restless," she hissed back clenching her fists on the table. He shook his head. She
twisted in her seat, cracking her back, and her eyes quickly roamed over the faces in the room. She
caught sight of white-blond hair and squinted grey eyes. Her face started burning — who knows
why — and she turned back around, hoping he didn't notice her looking.

Fidget, shift, shift, pull hair behind back, fidget, bounce knee, shift, crack joints, fidg—

"Josie I swear t-" Seamus was cut off by the Professor dismissing them. Josie jumped up, happy to
get out of there.

"I hate school. Doesn't even matter that we're learning about magic and shit. I hate it," she
complained as they left the room. The group started laughing, making jokes about how Josie
would sleep forever if she could.

"It doesn't help that we have to go to school with Death Eaters either," Ron said and the rest
agreed. Josie had gotten jostled to the back of the group like always and she got quiet.

"Yeah like Malfoy! He shouldn't even be here," Seamus added and Josie looked away, somehow
finding the blond in the crowd. His face was rigid and slightly downcast.

"He's not a Death Eater," she whispered. No one heard her of course. She ended up in the common
room with everyone else, but she was so lost in her thoughts she ran into the couch. They all
laughed and her cheeks burned as she steadied herself.

"I'm going to put my books in my room," she said to no one in particular and practically ran up the
stairs. She set down her books and stared longingly at her bed — she was so tired — before
deciding to go back down to sit with her friends that rarely notice her. The first spot she saw
happened to be next to Seamus. She sat down, kicking her shoes off and pulling her legs up and
curling into a ball because she was so tired.

"Hey Josie, did you get any sleep last night? Or were you reading all night?" Ron asked laughing.
She raised her head and nodded.

"I slept all night," she said quietly as if she didn't understand why she was still so tired. She was
uncomfortable, to say the least. Her body was cramped, being tucked into such a small spot. She
mustered up every ounce of her courage and shifted and laid out across Seamus' lap, stretching,
then snuggling down into the couch. Her stomach was laid across Seamus' legs, his hands resting
on her back since they had nowhere else to go. As she started drifting in and out of consciousness,
there was a tickling sensation on her back. She realized it was Seamus tracing random patterns on
her back. Her eyelids got heavier and her breath evened out and she started hearing less and less
until — nothing.

All too soon was she pulled back into reality.

 HP Short 13

"This is all your fault. I fucking hate you," she hissed at him.

"Don't blame me, this is your fault," he whispered back. She clenched her fists but didn't say
anything. "What? Cat got your tongue?" he taunted. She sucked in a deep breath but still didn't say
anything. "You really are just a filthy little mudbl—"

She whipped around, "I swear to fucking god if you finish that sentence I will hurt you. Now shut
the fuck up because Snape said no talking and you're annoying me." She turned back around and
glared at the parchment in front of her. Malfoy didn't say anything else and Josie was thankful.
Snape came back and dismissed them with a blank stare and Josie practically ran out of the room.

"What's the rush?" Malfoy said walking out behind her.

"I. Do not. Want to be. Near you," she growled at him. There was a flicker of something close to
fear that passed over his face.

"Good cause I don't want to be near a mudblood," he replied. She stood still for a moment then
suddenly stepped forward and punched him. He staggered back, crying out.

"No one, no one, likes you. Just cut the pureblood supremacist shit, 'cause there is no way you hate
muggleborns as much as we hate you," she seethed. She stalked off, shaking her hand a little once
she turned the corner.

"No please don't. I can't work with him, I just can't," she pleaded. Professor McGonagall sighed.

"Miss Mackenzie, you are not doing well at all in any of your classes. You need a tutor and he gets
near perfect marks," she said.

"Why can't Hermione tutor me? I don't have to tell you she's brilliant," she countered, crossing her
fingers.

"Miss Granger is a bit preoccupied with other things, however, Mister Malfoy is not," McGonagall
said almost sorrowfully. Josie sighed. "You will have sessions in the library every night until I
say," she continued. Josie looked up but didn't say anything, knowing that fighting it wasn't
helping.

"Okay," she sighed.

"You start tonight," McGonagall said. Josie just nodded— of course we do — and turned to leave.

"This changed nothing," Malfoy said, dropping books onto the table.

"You really think I thought it did? You really think I thought this meant we were gonna be all
'buddie buddie' now? Hell no," she huffed, looking angrily at a bookshelf to her left.

"Here, I need to assess where your dimwitted mind stands with the material we're learning right
now," he said after a moment and put a packet of parchment in front of her. She groaned and
banged her head on the table. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You need all the brain cells you can
get," he mocked. She flipped him off and started on the test.
After about 20 minutes she finished and slid it across the table to Malfoy for him to look over.

"I don't understand," he said after a minute.

"Yeah me either," she said.

"No. I mean, I don't understand why you have such terrible grades and need to be tutored. You got
just about every one of these questions right," he said holding up her test. She furrowed her
eyebrows.

"What?" she asked confused.

"So then what's your problem?" Malfoy asked, ignoring her.

She was silent for a moment. "I don't know man," she groaned, taking off her glasses and rubbing
her face.

"Stop being so dramatic," he huffed. She looked at him and snorted.

"You're telling me to stop being dramatic? Have you met yourself?" she laughed, putting her
glasses back on causing the scowl on his face to sharpen.

"So I take it you don't do your homework and you don't actually try," he said suddenly. She looked
at him strangely but her cheeks flared up all the same.

"I try! It's just hard," she mumbled, focusing hard on the strings of her joggers.

"Then how did you get all these right?" Malfoy asked, exasperated.

"I don't know okay!" she said looking up at him. Flashbacks from before Hogwarts were popping
up and her eyes were tearing up.

"So your worst class seems to potions then transfiguration..." Malfoy kept talking but she wasn't
listening. She was trying to push the memories out of her mind. Memories of her parents yelling for
hours at her for her grades, memories of doctors diagnosing her with ADHD and ADD and putting
her on all kinds of medicine. Memories of the summer after her first year at Hogwarts, how her
parents didn't understand the grading system but the fact that McGonagall had written "terrible" at
the bottom of the parchment was enough for them to know she was continuing to fail. Memories of
punishments.

"Are you even listening?" Malfoy snapped his fingers in front her face and she looked at him.

"No not really," she said truthfully. He rolled his eyes.

"You're not going to get better grades unless you actually tr—"

"I already told you that I do try. I just don't understand it. I never have," she started loudly but
faded, remembering they're in a library.

"The only class you do even slightly well in is muggle studies," he said.

"Oh huh, I wonder why," she said, her words drenched in sarcasm. He sneered at her.

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