Disclaimer: I do not own these people. Sadly.

Chapter 21: Why the Hell Didn't Malfoy Get Detention Too?!

A/N: Hehehe… I'm sorry. But on a side note, I hope you're all doing ok in this pandemic. Anyways, ONWARDS TO THE FANFIC!

The next day, we were back in class. I realized the Hufflepuffs were being unusually cold towards the Gryffindors, they probably didn't like that Harry took the spotlight away from that Cedric Digory guy. Professor Sprout was also being a little distant with us, but especially with Harry.

We had Care of Magical Creatures next and that meant seeing the Slytherins who would definitely be ruder than they already were, especially Malfoy.

Predictably, when he got to Hagrid's cabin, he wore that familiar sneer that made me want to smack him into oblivion.

"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion," he said to Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of Harry. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer. . . . Half the Triwizard champions have died… how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."

Crabb and Goyle laughed maniacally, but Malfoy couldn't continue his taunts because Hagrid had appeared from the back of his cabin carrying a tower of crates, each containing a very large Blast-Ended Skrewt. To the class's horror, Hagrid proceeded to explain that the reason the skrewts had been killing one another was an excess of pent-up energy, and that the solution would be for each student to fix a leash on a skrewt and take it for a short walk. The only good thing about this plan was that it distracted Malfoy completely.

"Take this thing for a walk?" he repeated in disgust, staring into one of the boxes. "And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end, or the sucker?"

"Roun' the middle," said Hagrid, demonstrating. "Er — yeh might want ter put on yer dragon-hide gloves, jus' as an extra precaution, like. Harry — you come here an' help me with this big one. . . ."

Clearly, Hagrid was trying to speak to Harry somewhere we wouldn't hear them.

Will and I each took a screwt. The class was widely scattered now, and all in great difficulty. The skrewts were now over three feet long, and extremely powerful. No longer shell-less and colorless, they had developed a kind of thick, grayish, shiny armor. They looked like a cross between giant scorpions and elongated crabs — but still without recognizable heads or eyes. They had become immensely strong and very hard to control.

When I had finally managed to get the leash on the skrewt, it's end exploded which caused it to shoot forward. I was not prepared to be pulled along with it. I yelled in surprise which caused Will to look over and start laughing.

When I was finally able to get on my feet again I turned around and glared at him. Not even a minute later, karma decided it would be fun to make his skrewt explode forward as well. I may or may not have laughed so hard I cried.

The next couple of days, I watched as everyone outside of the Gryffindor house was exceptionally rude to Harry, even Ron wouldn't talk to him.

The worst thing, however, was when we were going to Double potions with the Slytehrins. They were already waiting outside the dungeons with badges on the front of their robes. They said, in bright red letters, "support CEDRIC DIGGORY — the REAL Hogwarts champion!"

"Like them, Potter?" said Malfoy, when he and Hermione approached. "And this isn't all they do — look!" He pressed the badge into his chest, and the words vanished, only to be replaced by "POTTER STINKS".

All the Slytherins howled with laughter and started pressing their own badges until they all said POTTER STINKS. I could visibly see Harry getting angry.

"Oh very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing harder than anyone, "really witty."

"Want one, Granger?" said Malfoy, holding out a badge to Hermione. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."

I almost threw a punch at Malfoy, how could he say something like that, but I saw Harry pull his wand out and I instinctively wrapped my hand around my sword at my waist, under my robes.

Everyone stepped back and Hermione yelled, "Harry!"

"Go on, then, Potter," Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now — do it, if you've got the guts —"

Then, at the exact same time, they both acted.

"Furnunculus!" Harry yelled.

"Densaugeo!" screamed Malfoy.

Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles — Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up — Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.

"Hermione!"

Ron had hurried forward to see what was wrong with her. Will and I ran over as well, just in time to see Ron dragging Hermione's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth — already larger than average — were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, toward her chin — panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry.

"And what is all this noise about?" said a familiar voice.

Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain."

"Potter attacked me, sir —"

"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted.

"— and he hit Goyle — look —"

Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. "Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly.

"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!"

He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth — she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back.

Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."

Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight.

(A/N: I hate Snape. He's a bully and he shouldn't have gotten that "redemption arc". Draco Malfoy should've gotten it. If you don't agree, fight me.)

Again, I almost threw a punch at Snape. Harry and Ron both started yelling at him and, while I couldn't hear exactly what they were calling him because we were in a hallway and it was all echoing, we all got the idea.

"Let's see," he said, in his silkiest voice. "Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions."

The injustice of what had just happened made me want to curse Snape into a million tiny pieces. We all walked into the dungeon and sat down.

"Antidotes!" said Snape, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. "You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one. . . ."

Excuse me, what? Why the hell is this man going to try to feed us some potion that fourteen year olds made? He would end up poisoning us!

Suddenly, a knock on the dungeon door started us all. It was some kid — Colin Creevey, I think. He walked into the room and made his way to Snape's desk at the front of the room.

"Yes?" said Snape curtly.

"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs."

Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face.

"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete," said Snape coldly. "He will come upstairs when this class is finished."

Colin went pink.

"Sir — sir, Mr. Bagman wants him," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs. . . ."

"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. "Potter, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidote."

"Please, sir — he's got to take his things with him," squeaked Colin. "All the champions —"

"Very well !" said Snape. "Potter — take your bag and get out of my sight!"

I watched as Harry swung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the class with Creevey.

The rest of the class I was too distracted to pay any real attention to Snape, I was mostly worrying about how Harry and the other Champions would do in the tournament.

A/N: Alright, I am very sorry it took me like four months to write the next chapter. I am so sorry. Yeah, that's all I can say. I'm sorry. I won't make any promises because I'm not good at keeping my word, but I hope I can write more because of this quarantine.