Harry Potter and the Bucket List

Year 4 - 5

Beta: Cloudy

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

Upon returning to the Slytherin dorms I found that it exploded with cheers and yells again. There were mountains of cakes and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer on every surface; children were singing God Save the Queen; Iris had expanded out and people were on top of her raising toasts.

I helped myself to the food, joining in on the party in celebration. Theodore lifted me up and I was passed around the room like I'd seen done in movies which was awesome. A lot of the older students asked about the spell I used, but I brushed it off.

It wasn't something I planned to keep hidden forever, but I'd rather save it for people I could trust not to use it against me. Although I had made a lot of progress with my babeh snakes, it would be arrogant to claim my work had overridden their decade of ingrained prejudice. As long as Voldemort, and the political climate tipped in favor of their prejudice they would always be a risk. Once I had swept the Ministry clean of the Dark families the social normal would be in favor of the Light. My babeh snakes could be more publicly open to the idea of equality, and coupling that with my years of conditioning, the groundwork for future generations would be finished.

For example, Draco Malfoy would always hold a hidden disdain for Muggles and Muggleborn. But he could stay polite in their company, and acknowledge that they could be useful. By the time he would be ready to produce heirs of his own, it would prove beneficial for him to side with the Light and ergo he would. The next generation of Malfoys wouldn't have the same level of disdain, and over time it would deteriorate until the prejudice was entirely gone.

If I was fortunate, I would see it happen in my lifetime. If not, I could honestly say I did my best and I did what I could to lay the foundation for the future.

The talk did poke around the golden egg I had brought back with me, but I dismissed their questions. I didn't want to sour the mood by releasing what I knew to be an unpleasant scream.

Instead, I raised a toast and joined in the party.

It was a lovely, lovely night.

A shame Remus sent me another scathing letter reminding me that I was still EXTRA grounded no matter how well I did in the tournament or how much Sirius won from betting on me.

Oof.

At least I got a super cute baby Hungarian Horntail model to keep at my desk. I made it a little house and fed it some of Iris's food, much to her chagrin. Worth it.

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

The start of December brought wind and sleet to Hogwarts which tragically meant it was too chilly to continue my ongoing tennis match with the Whomping Willow. All the best, the madam preferred to hibernate in the winter.

I headed into the library early morning instead of tennis, intent on reviewing some homework in peace. I felt eyes upon me shortly upon entry and noticed a group of Beauxbaton boys and girls had seated themselves near the front of the library. They smiled at me, some with kindness and others with a bit more... heat.

Right. The Yule Ball.

I took a seat at one of the tables and a boy had approached me. He was certainly cute with curled hair and bright eyes. "Bonjour, comment vas tu aujourd'hui?"

"Charmante," I responded sweetly. "Puis-je vous aider?"

He gestured to my work. "Non, merci. Je suis venu vous offrir mon aide. Vous êtes en quatrième année?"