CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES WAS the one subject Colin took that Ophelia didn't. While she started to walk off in the direction of her Ancient Runes class, Colin had insisted he'd walk her to class, and joined her not even a few seconds later she began walking.

It was as if he knew that some students would give her trouble by saying horrid stuff about her parents. Colin, since he'd grown much taller, and slightly muscular, seemed to ward off any hard stares and cold glares people sent her way.

They were in the corridor, only two doors away from her Ancient Runes class, when they found their path blocked by a gang of Slytherins; one of them had platinum blonde hair, and a sour expression on his lips.

"So, dating a mudblood?" Draco clicked his tongue. Crabbe and Goyle stood on either side of him looking like two boulders. 

Ophelia scoffed. "I'm not dating him. We're just friends," she rolled her eyes. "Can't you see? Or do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Don't test my patience, Ophelia," Draco warns. 

Ophelia makes a face and mocks him, repeating his words. "Don't test my patience, Ophelia," she says in a high-pitched voice, laughing right after. "As if you have any patience to test."

Before Draco could speak, however, someone else did.

"Look who had a major glow up," remarks Blaise, emerging from behind Draco, smirking at Colin. "Damn, Malfoy, I don't blame you. Even if you were dating him, it's understandable," he sent a wink to Ophelia. "Creevey does indeed look yummy."

Ophelia silenced him with a glare.

"We're not dating!" Ophelia exclaimed harshly. "And even if we were, it's none of your damn business."

Besides Blaise, Theodore Nott scoffed. "So you've stooped even lower now?" he drawled. "That you'd consider going out with such filth?"

Ophelia just then noticed him, after his icy words cut through the air like a sharp knife. He had changed over the summer. His hair was longer, messier, and his tie was slightly askew. 

Jaw clenched, his dark eyes stared at her, as if she were the only person on the room. He had gotten a whole load more muscular over the summer, and she wouldn't deny it, very good looking too. 

But all her thoughts disappeared when he spoke, filling her insides with hatred and dislike for him. 

"The only filth I see here, is you," Ophelia snarled. Shoving her middle finger in his face, she grabbed Colin, and stormed away from them angrily, ignoring her brother's calls for her.

"Ophelia Narcissa Malfoy!" Draco said loudly, his voice echoing through the stone walls that lined the corridors. "Don't walk away from me! Come back here you—"

"Fuck you, my dearest brother!" Ophelia yelled over her shoulder, before completely disappearing out of her brother's sight, briskly marching towards the Ancient Runes class, pulling Colin by his arm, and only stopping once she reached the door to her classroom.

They were just beside the door, when Colin laughed breathlessly. "That was so brilliant!" he exclaimed, clutching his stomach. "You—should—have seen his—face," he laughed between breaths. "Didn't know you knew any curse words," he teased, poking her in her shoulder.

"Oh, grow up!" Ophelia rolled her eyes. "I know plenty, I just save their usage for my brother and his friends."

That only made Colin laugh harder. "Someone grew up over the summer," he joked. "If not physically, then mentally! Tiny, but with a big mouth, full of bad words—"

Ophelia scowled, and swatted her hand in his direction, but he dodged, and grabbed her hand instead, before his other hand reached downwards and tickled her stomach. 

She yelped, and finally wriggled out of his grasp. Glaring at him, she stole his camera from his hand, and narrowed her eyes. "Do that again, and I will smash this thing to pieces." 

"Right, sorry," Colin said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Erm— I think I'd better get going. Grubbly Plank does not excuse tardiness."

"Bye," she said softly, before reaching forward to give him a hug. 

"See you," Colin gave her a small smile, before patting her shoulder, and stalling off down the corridor.

It was only when he was out of sight, and inside the Ancient Runes classroom that Ophelia realized she still had his camera.

A wicked grin made its way across her lips. She now had leverage over him.

Colin would do anything for his camera.

Oh boy, this would be fun.

"So, anyway—" Colin began, setting his bag on the floor as he sat down next to Ophelia, where she finished her last bite of grilled fish, which happened to be today's lunch. "How was your day so far?"

"Uninteresting," Ophelia droned, dabbing the corner of her lips with her napkin. "Yours?"

"The same," Colin waved his hand. "Anyway, guess where I was?"

Ophelia raised a brow. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Yes, duh!" Colin rolled his eyes. "Why else would I ask?"

"Rhetorically?" Ophelia quizzed. "But my guess is that you were with Potter, your hero."

Colin's grin faltered. "Ho—how did you know?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Ophelia smirked. "Because I can think of—" she calculated something on her fingers, tilting her head and winking half-way— "a hundred and forty-two—"

"Okay, I get it," Colin cut her off briskly. "He said Angelina Johnson was made Quidditch captain this year. Y'know, that seventh year chaser—"

"Yes, I know her," Ophelia nodded. 

"Tryouts are on Friday, five o' clock," Colin reported. "Don't be late. I'll be there to cheer you on."

A wide grin took over Ophelia's glossed lips, her grey eyes sparkling. "Thank you so much!" she beamed. "Honestly, what would I do without you?"

"Probably sit alone, reading alone, eating alone, sleeping alone, and dying alone," Colin answered smartly, until Ophelia scowled at swatted his arm. 

"Arrogant—"

Colin clapped a hand over her mouth before she could say the rest, muffling the rest of her words. "Let's save the vulgarities for the Slytherins, shall we?"

Ophelia narrowed her eyes at him and scowled, after he took his hand off her mouth.

"Urgh, I hate you," she muttered.

"No you don't," Colin shook his head. "Oh, Colin, thank you so much!" Colin mocked, his voice high pitched as he squealed like a girl. "Honestly, what would I do without you?" he imitated her, sounding nothing like she did.

"I do NOT sound like that!" gasped Ophelia, offended, her jaw dropping.

"Yes, you doooo," sung Colin, in the same, high-pitched tone. 

"Creevey," she warned. "Zip it!"

"Creevey, Zip—" Colin began to imitate her again.

Ophelia only had to take out the camera from her bag for him to completely shut up.

She smirked triumphantly.

They had potions after lunch, and the last lesson of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Umbridge. Since Ophelia had Quidditch tryouts at the end of the week, she had already decided that she would start practicing in order to make sure that this time, she would be on the team.

They were assigned to brew a wit-sharpening potion in pairs, for the start of potions class. Ophelia was paired up with Mariana, much to her unfortunate disappointment. 

Ginny was paired up with one of the Gryffindor boys in her year, and they seemed to make a fine team.

Except, Mariana kept turning around to talk to Ginny.

Ophelia, meanwhile, had gotten to the store cupboard first, and retrieved all the ingredients she would need.

While she was stirring in the ginger root to a shade of lime green, Mariana had turned around and was whispering and giggling with Ginny.

"So wait, he asked you to be his girlfriend?" Mariana whispered.

Ophelia added her Armadillo Bile, and began stirring.

"Oh no," Ginny whispered. "He asked me on a date," she corrected. "I mean, we've only been exchanging letters all summer..."

Her potion turned blue.

"Oh Gin, this is so exciting," Mariana gushed. "Did he say where he's taking you?"

"No, it's actually a surprise," Ginny said slightly louder. "He just told me to meet him at the common room entrance five minutes before curfew. Oh, and he told me to wear something cute."

"Oh. My. God!" Mariana squealed. "Who knew Michael Corner could be so romantic?"

"I mean, he is an older guy," Ginny reasoned. "And rather good-looking too—"

"Would you two just shut up?" Ophelia snarled, turning around. "You're giving me a headache."

Colin, who was sitting a few seats ahead, have Ophelia an apologetic glance.

"Mari, did you hear that?" Ginny remarked, as she started brewing her potion. "Sounded a lot like an icy wind."

Mariana giggled. "Oh, Gin, that is so true. Such a smart diss."

"Well to me, it sounded like bitch," Ophelia drawled. "And not one, but two."

"Watch your mouth, you filthy—"

"Filthy what?" Ophelia smirked. "Blood traitor? Well, if that was what you wanted to say, then you should look in the mirror and say it."

Mariana gasped, placing her hand at her chest. "Rude!"

"Who you?" Ophelia said cattily. "Yes, I agree."

Ophelia stirred in the last of her ginger root into the potion, and once it turned dark green, she blew out the flame, bottled it, and left it on Professor Snape's desk.

"Only one managed to brew it perfectly," Snape droned. "Ten points to Miss Malfoy. I would have given ten to Miss Cooper as well, but according to what Miss Malfoy has written in her report and observations, Cooper has been too busy discussing and gossiping Weasley's love life to care about potions," Snape read off. "I shall instead, give both Miss Cooper and Miss Weasley detention."

Both Mariana and Ginny glared daggers at Ophelia, who flipped them off sweetly with a flying kiss and a fake smile.

"Class dismissed."

Ophelia waited at the door for Colin to join her, and side by side, they walked out of the dungeons.

"....Can you imagine?" Ophelia could hear Mariana whisper from behind her.

"Please, she's just jealous she doesn't have a boyfriend," Ginny said loudly. "Or perhaps that she's so stuck up that nobody wants her because of her heart of ice." 

"Don't listen to them," Colin whispered into Ophelia's ear. "It's not true."

"I wonder what Creevey sees in her anyway," Mariana agreed. "I mean, he did get good looking over the summer, I really wish he'd ask me out—"

Ophelia looked up at Colin's expression. His cheeks seemed to have flushed a light shade of pink, and he cleared his throat, looking slightly to the side to his his face.

Ophelia giggled at his expression, slowly nudging him. "Go on, ask her out," she mouthed.

Colin scowled. "In your dreams," he mouthed back.

".... Seriously though her whole family is bad blood. I mean, Colin's a muggleborn," Ginny emphasized. "Her brother's always calling Hermione mudblood. Think her father's a death eater."

Mariana gasped. "Seriously?"

"Yep. Part of You-Know-Who's inner circle," Ginny said loudly, causing the others, who were listening on to their conversation, glance at Ophelia with widened eyes. 

"Imagine how he must feel that his daughter is friends with a muggleborn," Mariana said sympathetically.

Ophelia tensed, and Colin gently took her hand, trying to calm her down. "Breathe," she whispered.

In. Hold for seven seconds. Out.

In. Hold for seven seconds. Out.

In. Hold for seve—

"Please, do you think scum like her will befriend a muggleborn?" Ginny scoffed. "No way. She's either gotten him under a spell, or potion. Or her father has told her to get close to him, since he's so close to Potter, and then reporting to You Know Who. In fact, she's probably feeding her bastard of a father news—"

Ophelia whirled around. "Shut. Your. Fucking. Mouth!" she snarled, whipping out her wand and shoving it harshly under Ginny's chin. "At least my father can afford the best for me. Unlike yours, who has you wearing his great grandmother's clothes."

Her grey eyes blazed with fury, and she glared at the Weasley girl with hatred in her eyes. Waving her wand in a complicated motion, Ophelia pointed her wand straight at Ginny, muttering a spell that none of the watching fourth-years had ever heard of..

A flash of purple smoke erupted from the tip of the blonde's wand.

For a moment, it seemed that nothing had happened, and everyone was fully prepared to laugh.

But when Ginny Weasley opened her mouth to speak, and tell Ophelia that her spell didn't work, she couldn't.

For instead of a mouth, and two lips, there was nothing but emptiness.

Ginny's mouth was gone, and it was replaced by skin.

"What did you do to her, you freak?" shrieked Mariana shrilly, waving her hands in pandemonium. "Her mouth is gone!"

"What she deserved," Ophelia said coolly. "Would anyone like to have a go?"

Mariana quickly shook her head and mumbled something incoherent under her breath, before sending Ginny a dirty look and heading off to the hospital wing. The few students from potions quickly dissipated, all sending scared looks in Ophelia's direction.

"What on earth were you thinking?" whispered Colin, as they made their way to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "You know she was trying to provoke you."

"I couldn't stand her saying those things about my father," Ophelia admitted. "At least this way she can't spread any more lies."

Colin fought to hide his smile. "You could get detention for that, you know."

"Yes, except nobody would dare snitch on me," Ophelia said confidently.

"And you're sure of that because—?" Colin prompted.

Ophelia's lips curved upwards into a wicked smirk.

"Snitches get stitches."

{ i disappear for a day and we're already at 10k. guys— one. day. we were at 7k. thank you so much. sorry for the late update, my mom was in hospital, and i was with her. stayed overnight, in the same clothes for three days. she's much better than yesterday, but she's still in pain. please pray for her. anyway, i hope you liked this chapter, follow me to get updates, vote, and spam me with comments please :) don't forget to share this story if you like it :P
favorite flower?
mine are lilies, jasmines, and roses :) baby's breath too.
take care luvs. love, jasmine. }

{MAR 29. 2023}