A True Hufflepuff

Chapter 3 - Dirty Slytherin

The rest of the summer passed, for the most part, uneventfully. Susan's mother no longer made her spend her holiday cleaning, but allowed her to have fun. Mr. and Mrs. Finch-Fletchley were in awe of everything around them, from the garden gnomes to magically prepared meals. Susan's father spent most of his time at the office, but he managed to come home almost every day for dinner. Susan and Justin spent a lot of their time in Susan's garden talking about what the next year would be like.

"Do you think classes will still be split by Houses?" Justin asked. "I mean, how many people could have gotten an O in Potions? There can't be enough people taking it to have as many classes, right?"

"But that means we'd have to actually have all our classes with Slytherins!" Susan said. "And here I was hoping it was just the Gryffindors who were that lucky. Who do you think the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be? I'll bet Dumbledore is having trouble finding someone again. They say the job is cursed, you know."

"What they think Quirrell cursed it? That's stupid. He would have cursed himself! But yeah, I wonder if the Ministry will have to appoint someone again?"

Sometimes the two friends would venture out into the Muggle world. One day they took a taxi to London and visited some of the city's most haunted sites, but they were very disappointed. Neither saw anything even remotely ghostly. Susan never did get to spend some time with her Muggle friends, though.

It wasn't until August 25, Susan's sixteenth birthday that anything exciting happened. She, Justin, Hannah, and Ernie had chosen that day to meet at Gringotts to do their shopping for the coming year. Susan, Justin, and the four adults all travelled by Floo Powder. This time, Mr. and Mrs. Finch-Fletchley were a little more relaxed about stepping into a crackling fire. The six of them stepped (and fell) out of the hearth into Diagon Alley and immediately saw Hannah and Ernie waiting for them at the bottom of the white steps that led to Gringotts.

As soon as Hannah caught sight of Susan, she ran over. "Oh, I've missed you so much! Happy birthday!" she exclaimed, hugging Susan tightly.

"Thanks, I missed you, too, Hannah," Susan assured her. But her friend didn't let go. "Uh, Hannah, you can let go now. Hannah! I can't breathe!"

"Oh, sorry Susan," she said sheepishly. Then she turned to Justin. "Are you okay?" she asked in a panicky voice. "Susan said you had been searched, and then she said that your family would be staying at her house, but I can't image why you would be searched. I mean, what if they were looking for something? What if you had walked in on them?" Hannah talked faster and faster, until, finally, Justin cut her off.

"Hannah, it's okay. We're fine. Nothing bad happened," he said very slowly, as if trying to calm a rabid dog. Ernie rolled his eyes.

"Yes, happy birthday, Susan," he said jovially. "It's nice to see you're finally the same age as the rest of us!" Susan stuck out her tongue. It had always bothered Susan, in a small way, that she was almost a full year younger than some of her friends. And Ernie knew it all too well.

After waving goodbye to their parents, the four friends set out to buy their school supplies, and by lunch, they were weighted down by bags full of books, ink, parchment, quills, and everything they would need for the coming year. Susan and Ernie had by far the most books. It appeared Ernie's eight hours of studying per day (which he had actually managed somehow) had paid off, and he was taking as many subjects as he could. Hannah and Justin, though, had an easier course load and needed far fewer books.

Susan had glanced through some of her books as they waited for Ernie to select the perfect quill. Most of the spells didn't look too difficult, but the potions they would be learning were the most complex she had ever seen and the creatures they would be studying in Defence Against the Dark Arts sounded positively terrifying. Susan hoped she would never have to encounter any of them.

At the end of the day and with their moneybags considerably lighter, Susan, Ernie, Justin, and Hannah headed back to Gringotts to meet up with their parents. On the way, they passed a dark corner where, who should they see, but Professor Snape, talking to a very thin, pale man who was shielding his eyes from the small amount of sunlight which managed to penetrate the gloom. He was dressed in old-fashioned, dark clothes and constantly looking around nervously. Nearby was a girl with dark hair who looked about Susan's age, dressed like everyone else in Diagon Alley, who was obviously listening in on their conversation.

Suddenly, the pale man whirled around toward the girl. "What do you think you are doing?" he demanded loudly in an accent that Susan couldn't place. "Have you been listening to us?"

The girl backed away quickly, terror in her eyes. Everyone else seemed to have disappeared from the area. "No, sir! I would never! Please!" she begged in an everyday London accent. Suddenly she flew through the air and landed on her back in the middle of the street. The man glared at her menacingly but moved no closer.

"You will pay for this, Stacy. I promise you this." Stacy jumped to her feet and darted away.

Susan looked over at her friends, who were staring at the man with looks of horror and fear. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said quietly. But no one seemed to hear her. "Let's go!" she said, louder this time. None of her friends even blinked. They just stared, transfixed. Susan started to panic. She grabbed Justin by the shoulders and shook him as hard as she could. "Justin! Wake up! Justin? Come on! Wake up!"

"What happened?" he asked dazedly as he came to his senses. He looked around, confused. "What's with them?" He pointed to Hannah and Ernie.

"Let's just get out of here!" Susan said sharply. She grabbed Hannah and Justin grabbed Ernie, and they dragged their friends toward where the parents were waiting. Susan was able to explain what had happened along the way once they had woken up, and everyone was a bit shaken up by the time they got to the bank.

"You can't remember anything?" Susan asked for the fourth time after they got home. She and Justin were trying to have their conversation away from the adults, and so had to talk in the attic. Susan was pacing back and forth between the door and the pile of ancient trunks. "Nothing at all? Not even that you were standing there, staring at the creepy man with the funny accent who had just launched a girl across the street without even touching her or pulling out a wand!?" She was starting to sound panicked and even she knew it. "Surely you must remember that!"

"Susan, calm down," Justin said. It seemed Susan's pacing was beginning to drive him crazy. "If I want someone to lose their head and blow everything out of proportion, I talk to Hannah. If I want someone to act rationally, I talk to you." Susan started to breathe a little more normally and finally plopped down on a particularly old, dusty trunk. "And yes. I do remember that. Just nothing after that. The girl went flying, and I couldn't really believe it, so I looked over at the man to see what he could have done and then...nothing."

"Nothing? What do you mean nothing?" Susan asked, confused.

"I mean the next thing I know, you're shaking me and Hannah and Ernie are just staring," he told her plainly.

"Wait, staring at the man? Or Snape? Or just staring?" Susan suddenly had an idea.

"Um, at the man, I think. Why?" Justin wasn't following.

"What if he put some sort of spell on you? So that you'd be distracted until he could get away! I mean, somehow he got the street to empty out. If you were looking directly into his eyes, he'd be making eye contact with you! What's the first thing they taught us in Charms?"

"Um, Wingardium Leviosa?" he answered uncertainly.

"No! You have to maintain eye contact for most spells to work! That man put a spell on you! I didn't get hypnotised because I didn't look at him!" Susan was on her feet again.

A look of comprehension came over Justin's face as her words sunk in. "Oh, so you're saying that the man was a foreign wizard! And he was trying to cover up attacking that girl by hypnotising us so he could get away! That actually makes sense!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, thanks for the vote of confidence, Justin," Susan teased.

The last week of summer was spent, for the most part, outside. Susan knew that this was the last chance she'd have to spend all day under the sun, and wanted to make the most of it. Even Justin, who preferred winter, didn't want to spend the time indoors. And the weather was cooperating perfectly. Every day was calm, warm, and sunny.

September the first, however, was completely different. The sky was grey, rain falling almost horizontally, and the wind was snapping branches off trees. But that was nothing compared to the pandemonium inside.

"Dad, have you seen my Charms book?" Susan hollered down the stairs. For the first time since the end of fifth year, she had been unable to wake at sunrise and was now frantically trying to pack her things.

"It's here on the table!" came the reply from downstairs. Mr. Bones had tried until the last minute to get a Ministry car, but there were none to spare. They would all have to take a Muggle taxi.

"Susan, come eat some breakfast!" Mrs. Bones called cheerfully from the kitchen. "You'll need your strength for your big trip!"

"I'll eat when I've finished packing, Mum!" Susan shouted frantically. "Has anyone seen my spare quill?"

"Hurry up and find it or you'll have to buy a new one in Hogsmeade!" Mr. Bones shouted. "The taxis are here!"

Justin, who was the only one ready on time, hurried up the stairs to help her, but at that same moment, she came flying down. The collision sent them both flying and they landed in a heap in the kitchen.

"Honestly, Susan!" Mrs. Bones scolded. "Do try to be more careful. Would you like some toast?"

"Let's go!" Mr. Bones called from outside. "If we don't leave now, you'll miss the train!"

The short walk down to the street was almost disastrous. A gust of wind nearly wrenched Artemis' cage from Susan's hand, and Mrs. Finch-Fletchley was blown, shrieking, into a small patch of weeds which, unfortunately, contained a very young Devil's Snare. Mr. Bones managed to pull her out before she turned blue, though. Finally, the group made it to the taxis, shivering. The drivers took off, driving as though their lives depended on it, careening around corners and driving much faster than was legal. As she hung on for dear life, Susan had a feeling this trip wouldn't be good for Mrs. Finch-Fletchley's nerves.

Sure enough, by the time the taxis came to a sudden halt in front of King's Cross, she was shaking like a leaf. Mr. Finch-Fletchley shot the driver a very nasty look as he half-dragged his wife out the door and onto the pavement. As they sprinted into the station, Susan could hear him muttering under his breath. "Crazy old man...could have killed us...ride that thing back..." She almost laughed.

There were no students pushing their way toward the barrier. In fact, there were a few parents coming back through. Susan's heart skipped a beat. Please don't let us have missed the train! she prayed furiously. After hurried goodbyes, Susan and Justin rushed through the barrier. To their relief, the Hogwarts Express hadn't left yet.

Susan and Justin climbed aboard just before it started to move. They quickly stowed their luggage and set off down the corridor to find Hannah and Ernie. As they checked each compartment, Susan couldn't help but notice how many younger students there were. When she pointed it out to Justin, though, he wasn't surprised.

"We're almost the oldest in the school now," he told her. "There aren't many people older than we are anymore."

"But they're all so little!" Susan protested. "We were never that little! I refuse to believe it!" Justin just laughed.

But all laughter stopped abruptly as they neared the next compartment. A sneering voice carried out into the corridor. "Nothing ruins the day like a Hufflepuff invasion, don't you think, Goyle?" The troll just grunted. "Why don't you invite our friends in for a visit?" The voice was dripping with venom. Susan tried to walk faster, but the corridor was suddenly blocked by a towering mass of Slytherin.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Malfoy demanded impatiently. "I haven't got all day!" Goyle all but dragged Susan and Justin inside the compartment.

"Oh, look, and it's the Mudblood, too!" Malfoy sneered gleefully. "How has your summer been, Mudblood?"

"Don't call him that!" Susan snapped through clenched teeth. Then the rest of what Malfoy had said sank in and her eyes narrowed. "What do you know about Justin's summer, Malfoy?"

But Malfoy chose not to answer her question. "I hear you've been living with your girlfriend here."

Susan caught Justin's eye briefly. His look of shock matched hers almost exactly. They both stared at Malfoy as though he was some kind of fascinating yet highly dangerous animal. As they continued to stare, silent, he began to look less sure of himself and the sneer seemed to slip off his face. It became rather amusing, and both Susan and Justin burst out laughing.

"Where on Earth...how could you..." But Susan was laughing too hard to get out a full sentence.

"You must be either blind or mental to think that I'm going out with Susan!" Justin managed to say. "No offence, of course," he added with a nod in her direction.

As the two Hufflepuffs struggled to get control of their laughter, what was left of Malfoy's mocking sneer became a look of rage.

"Watch your back, filth!" he spat. "I hear things could get a bit...nasty around Hogwarts this year. Although, your back isn't what you should be most worried about."

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy," Justin said almost good-naturedly. "You're just bitter because you were wrong. Although, I suppose I should be thanking you. I haven't laughed that hard in years!"

"Get out of my sight!" Malfoy snapped. "You disgust me." Susan and Justin walked away as quickly as they could, not wanting to press their luck.

They continued along the corridor, poking their heads into each compartment to check for Hannah and Ernie. It wasn't long after that they found Hannah and Ernie sitting in a compartment with Zacharias Smith and a small boy that Susan didn't know. Well, almost everyone was sitting. Hannah was pacing the floor anxiously, and when she saw them come in, she hurried over.

"Oh, I was so worried!" she exclaimed, hugging both Susan and Justin at the same time. "I didn't see you on the platform, and then you weren't on the train! I thought you had missed it! Where have you been? We've already been travelling an hour!" Hannah was almost in tears.

"We've been looking for you, silly!" Susan said, trying to cheer her up. "We just got on at the wrong end of the train. And we met that slime that calls himself a wizard, but that just gave us a good laugh." Zacharias looked confused.

"Malfoy thought that Susan and I are together," Justin smirked. "He wasn't too chuffed when we spent the next five minutes laughing in his face, though. Told us we'd better watch our backs. But what else is new?"

"What are you talking about?" Zacharias demanded.

"Malfoy's been dropping hints ever since second year," Ernie explained importantly. "He told Justin that Hogwarts was full of secrets and that year the Chamber was opened."

"And third year," Hannah joined excitedly, "he hinted that there was more about Sirius Black than Harry Potter knew. It turned out Black was the one who betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who." The friends soon settled into seats for the rest of the journey. It wasn't until after a few games of Exploding Snap that Susan realised she still didn't know who the other boy was.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," she said politely to him. "I'm Susan Bones, and this is Justin Fitch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, and Zacharias Smith."

"Graham Pritchard," the boy said quickly. He was a small, thin boy with longish dark brown hair and dark eyes, and seemed to be timid, even a little nervous.

"You look a little old to be a first year," Ernie observed. "How come I've never met you?"

"I'm a third year," he said. "And I'm in Slytherin."

"Oh," seemed to be all anyone could say. The silence in the compartment seemed almost tangible. No one wanted to say anything in front of this boy, because Slytherins had a tendency to twist words into weapons. Then Hannah spoke up cautiously.

"Um, why aren't you sitting with the other Slytherins?"

"Because they hate me," Graham said bluntly. "Most of them won't even talk to me, so they're definitely not going to let me into their compartment. I travel alone, eat alone, and work alone. And usually I wake up hexed. I think I probably know every counter-spell and anti-jinx out there."

"Jeez, what did you do?" Zacharias asked incredulously.

"I was born," Graham shot, sounding irritated.

"Sorry about him," Justin said, gesturing toward Zacharias. "He can be a bit of a prat sometimes." Zacharias glared at him. "So, what, your parents aren't Death Eaters?"

"Worse. They're Muggles."

"Ah, yes, well, that would do it," Ernie said.

"If they have to speak to me, they usually just say 'Hey, you,' and if they have to talk about me, they call me the 'dirty Slytherin.' Dirty blood and all that." Graham was understandably bitter. Susan thought anyone would be.

"Don't pay any attention to them," Justin told him angrily. "I'm a Muggle-born, and I have no more trouble than anyone else. And have you ever heard of Hermione Granger?" Graham shook his head. "Well, she's top of the class in everything. And she's a Muggle-born." That seemed to make Graham feel a bit better.

"What the heck was the Sorting Hat thinking, putting a Muggle-born in Slytherin?" Susan demanded. "That's a death sentence! I know that it was Godric Gryffindor's hat and all, and everyone says it doesn't make mistakes, but it does tend to screw up peoples' lives."

"Oh, Susan, your family isn't still mad at you, are they?" Hannah asked sympathetically. "We're glad you're in Hufflepuff, even if they aren't!"

"Thanks, Hannah. I'm glad I'm in Hufflepuff, too."

"You have to admit, Susan, you are well-suited for it," Justin told her. "Yes, you are smart, but you'd never let down a friend, and you always treat others better than they deserve."

"You know what they say, 'Fair and loyal.' I personally like to think we make the best friends," Ernie told Graham. "You're lucky you sat with us. A Gryffindor would have thrown you out and asked questions later."

"I know. I found that out last year. Hexed me and then pushed me out into the corridor." Hannah gasped. "You're not going to hex me, then?"

"Of course not!" Ernie said, as though it should have been obvious.

"Like Ernie said, we're Hufflepuffs," Justin assured the younger boy. "We tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. Hey, we've still got a few hours until we get there. Wonder where the lunch cart is."

"Oh, it came before you got here," Hannah said. "But we've got plenty of food left." She pointed to a seat in the corner which was piled high with Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "We thought you'd be hungry once you got here."

"Thank you so much, Hannah!" Justin said as he dove at the pile of food. He tossed a Chocolate Frog and Cauldron Cake at Susan, and grabbed a few for himself. "Anybody else want anything while I'm here?" Susan glanced at her Chocolate Frog Card as Justin distributed the sweets.

"Hey, Hannah, Ernie, I've got Circe again. You want him?"

"Nah, I've already got a few of him," Ernie said. "What I really need is Paracelsus and Agrippa."

"Oh, here, I've got a Paracelsus!" Graham said, digging through his trunk. Ernie's eyes went huge. He held the card like it was a priceless gem.

"Th-Thank you. I'd kiss you, but that would just be weird and gross. How can I ever repay you?"

"Um, the not kissing me thing sounds good," Graham suggested. Everyone laughed. The trip to Hogwarts had quickly become one of the best in six years. Every so often someone would poke their head through the door to say hello. They saw a few Gryffindors, a few Ravenclaws, and even Daphne Greengrass, the one sixth year Slytherin who spoke with them, but only when no one else was around.

After the train stopped, the five Hufflepuffs and Graham climbed into one of the carriages. Susan had heard from friends in Care of Magical Creatures that the carriages were pulled by thestrals. She had always assumed they were bewitched to move on their own, since she had never seen anyone die. She had to admit, it unnerved her a bit, but nothing bad had ever happened on the trip up to the school.

As Graham broke away to sit at the Slytherin table, Hannah said, "We'll see you later, Graham!"

"Yeah," Justin added, "come find us if you need anything!"