"What an idiot," Lavender said with glee. She, Harry, Parvati, and more than a few others watched with satisfaction as Draco was shouted at by an irate Madame Rolanda Hooch. The flying instructor was currently taking Draco to task and the boy was being buried by the deluge of her scolding.
The Gryffindors and the Slytherins were meeting for their first flying class and it had started off in a spectacular disaster with Neville falling off his broom and breaking a wrist. Hooch took him to the Medical Wing, leaving the rest of the students with dire warnings of what would happen if she caught them in the air without her being there.
Draco clearly thought little of her warnings, taking Neville's Remembrall while mocking the poor boy. He had tried to goad several people into trying to take it back, including Harry.
Harry had nearly fallen for the taunts and while he was fine with ignoring Hermione saying that it was against the rules, stopped when Lavender and Parvati said how much trouble he would receive if caught and that it was not worth it.
Thankfully, that moment of indecision saved him and Hooch had come back out and saw Draco flying up in the air on his broom, tossing the Remembrall up and down. He had no way to talk himself out of the predicament, caught clearly and cleanly.
After some severe scolding, Hooch literally grounded Draco, making him sit out on the ground with a promise to stick him to the ground literally if he moved. The rest of the students resumed their flying lesson.
"You're good at flying," Parvati said as they flew about.
"Really?" Harry asked.
She nodded. "I have cousins who are big into Quidditch and flying and you look like you've been doing it forever."
"What's Quidditch?" Harry asked.
"A wizarding sport," Parvati said. "It's played on broomsticks. Every House has a team. And there's a school League and a huge League in the Wizarding World and all over the world."
"Huh. Guess I'll pay attention to it when the games happen here," Harry said. "I think I like flying. It's fun."
"I think it's kinda scary," Lavender laughed as she flew very slowly.
.....
Deep in the foundations of the castle, where the Slytherin common room and dormitories were, a girl looked up when the door opened. She frowned slightly, looking concerned at the hard-faced girl with dark hair that walked in. She waited for a few moments, waited for the door to their dorm room to close completely, and waited for the other girl to say something. She continued to wait while the second girl fell onto her bed, face down.
"What's wrong Pansy?" Millicent Bulstrode asked.
"Nothing," Pansy Parkinson muttered, voice muffled by her pillow.
"If you say so," Millicent said, unconvinced. She waited for a few moments before sitting beside Pansy on her bed. "Come on, you can tell me."
"He's so mean," Pansy whispered.
"Ah." Millicent rubbed Pansy's back gently.
"Why is he so mean?" Pansy whimpered.
Millicent said nothing for a while. "What did he do this time?"
Pansy rolled over, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "He said it was my fault he got in trouble today."
"Well that's just wrong," Millicent huffed. "You didn't tell him to fly when he shouldn't have. You told him not to, if I remember right."
"He said I didn't try hard enough to stop him," Pansy said angrily. "How is that my fault? It's not fair! And he keeps going on and on about Potter!"
"I don't get his obsession with Potter either," Millicent snorted. "I think he's got a crush."
"Bite your tongue!" Pansy shouted. She softened at Millicent's grin, her anger slowly dissolving. "You could get into a lot of trouble saying stuff like that about him."
The bigger girl shrugged. "I don't care, not really. He'll stomp his foot and say nasty things back and that'll be it. I don't care what he thinks of me. I know how he feels and thinks about me."
"He's been nicer to you," Pansy said weakly.
"Only because of you," Millicent snorted. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you sticking up for me. But he's always not liked me."
"It's not fair," Pansy repeated wanly.
"Nope. It's not like I want to be bigger than him, though I admit it's nice because he can't push me around." They lapsed into silence.
"I thought it would be better," Pansy whispered. "I thought once we started school together, he'd be better. Like he was before." She saw Millicent roll her eyes. "I did! He used to be really nice to me, really sweet."
"I don't doubt he was, to you," Millicent said slowly. "But he's always been rude to me. I only went to Malfoy Manor because my parents did or for you." She patted Pansy's back some more. "But you're right, he was really nice to you when we were younger."
"I really thought it would be like that again," Pansy sighed. "But he's always biting at me when he's upset now." She growled. "When he isn't, he's mooning over the other girls, trying to act like his father."
Millicent snickered. "It's really funny when the older girls ignore him like the firstie he is."
Pansy fought the smile away. After a half-hearted giggle, she faded back into misery. "It's not my fault, is it?"
"No, it isn't," Millicent said firmly. "He's being a prat and blaming you because he can. You shouldn't take it."
Pansy did not say anything.
"You don't deserve it," Millicent repeated firmly. "You really don't. Just ignore him."
"I'll try," Pansy said, not meaning it at all.
"That's good," Millicent sighed, knowing Pansy did not mean it but believing the lie anyway.
"Thanks, Millie," Pansy said, hugging Millicent about the middle. "Thanks for listening and for being here for me."
"What're friends for?" Millicent replied and hugged her back. "Let's eat some chocolate and do some homework, get that done and we can play some exploding snap after. Sound good?"
"I guess so," Pansy said.