New Snippet of Pet Project
I’m hoping to send the new chapter off to the betas before Christmas (yes, in two days). However, as it is the holiday season, I’m not expecting the betas to do anything with it until they are done with their own celebrating or they are locked in a back room hiding out from the relatives. -Caeria
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When Hermione reached the Room of Requirement for that day’s potion revision class, Agnes Worth was waiting in the corridor.
Hermione gave her a quick smile and then paced the required three times, thinking about what she needed the Room to provide her in way of the class. When the door appeared, she gestured Agnes inside.
After the two of them had settled their belonging, Hermione wandered over to the other girl’s desk. “Worth, why are you here?”
Agnes gave her a somewhat startled look before starting to pull her ingredients out of her bag. “I’m here to practice, same as anybody.”
“I’ve seen your work.” Hermione said. “You don’t need the revision time.”
“Maybe I’m here to spy on you.”
Hermione couldn’t hold back her snort of amusement at the other girl’s slyly calculating tone. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m not that interesting.”
“Some might think you are. Muggle-born, clever, friend of Harry Potter. Some might think you’re very interesting.”
Hermione thought on this a moment while she watched Agnes set up her desk top. Slytherin words games: riddles within riddles. “Is that a warning or a threat, Agnes?” she asked, deliberately using the younger girl’s first name, against convention.
That earned her a quick grin. “Do you think all Slytherins are evil, Granger?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Funny thing, I don’t think all Gryffindors are stupid.” Agnes gave another quick grin. “Well, not fundamentally stupid. Holding this class, amongst all the houses, that’s kind of stupid.”
Hermione gave a grin of her own. “I prefer to think of it as brave and the right thing to do.”
Agnes shrugged. “Stupid . . . brave. You still end up dead in the end.”
“Which brings us back to why are you here, Agnes Worth of the House of Slytherin?”
“Could just as easily been Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff . . . or even Gryffindor. Worths are old and as pureblooded as they come but we don’t breed true like most families. Sorting Hat doesn’t lie.” She shrugged again. “And I don’t bow to anyone.”
“Sounds brave.”
Agnes rolled her eyes, but a grin teased around her lips when she said, “Sounds stupid to me.”
“And somebody had to be first.” Hermione studied Agnes a moment longer. “How are your Defense skills and would you be interested in another revision class?”
A slow and rather sinister smile spread across Agnes’ face. “Now, we’re talking.”
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That's all. -C