and we'll do it too
if you're smart

ϟ

Perry was confused at first by Pansy's retort, but as soon as she reached her dorm room she saw that her and Pansy's bed had been switched. The mouse hole was now behind Perry's bed instead of Pansy's, but Perry didn't mind.

That night Perry had grabbed the radio out of her trunk and placed a silencing charm over her curtains. She listened to the music and drew with her ink & quill until she fell asleep.

The following day felt off to Perry as soon as she woke. She had hoped that everything that had occurred the night before was just a dream, but when she awoke in Fred's now bloody jumper she knew it wasn't her mind playing a trick on her.

When Perry walked into the Great Hall everyone was looking at her. It seemed the word that she had punched Malfoy got out fast. Viktorija ran up to her and looped her arm around Perry's.

"You are the coolest person I am ever going to meet in Slytherin," she said, "So I've decided to keep you."

That was the first day of Viktorija and Persephone's friendship. It was also the first time Perry had ever been called to Dumbledores office.

Perry shook with fear as a few of her professors glared down at her, including Professor Dumbledore. They each reprimanded her for her behavior.

Snape originally decided to give her a weeks worth of detention, but after consideration by the other professors, mainly McGonagall, she ended up with a months worth of detention. The professors wanted to make sure no student thought it okay to have fights.

Harry felt horrible that she had detention all because she stood up for him, but she explained to him that it's not his fault and there were other reasons why she'd done what she did. Fred and George couldn't have been more proud of Persephone. Perry expected Fred to be mad that she got blood all over his jumper, but he found it so funny he refused to let it be washed.

The other Slytherins had finally felt that she earned some of their respect. She wasn't as much of a pushover as they thought she was. Perry was happy that she felt a little more accepted by the people she was constantly surrounded by, but none of that could have compared to the disappointment she felt when she first saw Cedric and Alana after the punch.

They both disapproved of the way Perry handled herself in the situation, and they made sure she knew. They brought it up one time when they were helping Perry catch up on her school work. Other than the small reprimands they randomly fit into the conversation, Perry hadn't had to deal with it too much.

Perry had gotten so behind on her work because of all the detentions that she ended up going to Alana and Cedric for assistance. They were both more than happy to offer her help, well, Cedric more than Alana. Sometimes Cedric ended up doing her homework for her.

Tonight was Perry's very last detention and then the next day would be the start of the holidays. Hogwarts was now covered in snow and the castle was freezing, especially the dungeons. Snape's classroom had to be the coldest place in the entire school.

"Don't make me go," Perry said with her head on the library table.

"You have too," Cedric said putting her books in her bag.

"No," she drawled out. She tilted her head up to look at him. "Please, no."

"Seph," Cedric sighed, "It can't be that bad-"

"I've told you how McGonagall made me clean up slug snot from her second year transfiguration class that went wrong—"

"Okay, okay," he said, "But if you don't go you might end up with more detention. Maybe even over break."

Perry's eyes widened and she sat up as fast as she could.

"Oh, I gotta go," Perry said standing up and running over to Cedric to get her bag. She ran up to Cedric and stopped right in front of him. At the same time he moved to hand her the bag and they bumped into each other.

"Sorry, Ced." Perry grabbed the bag from his arms, turned around, and ran out of the library. "See ya!"

Cedric shook his head while smiling as the rest of the library chorused, "Shhhh!"

ϟ

Perry hustled her way down the corridor in order to make it to Snape's classroom on time. Her steps echoed through the dark, chilly hallway. She pushed through the door and took a few deep breaths of air.

"On time, Miss Periwinkle," Snape said.

Persephone nodded as she waited a few seconds for instructions. If she had the breath she would have corrected him on her name. Moments later two other Slytherin students walked through the door.

"Professor Snape!" Malfoy screeched, "What is she doing here?"

"Miss Periwinkle is finishing up her last day of detention before Holidays," Snape said. "Just as Mr. Pucey and you yourself, Mr. Malfoy, are doing."

Draco quieted down and sat himself in one of the seats quite grumpily. The third year student, Adrian Pucey, looked bored out of his mind as he glanced around the classroom. Perry slouched down in the seat she had taken.

"Today you will be polishing pari crystals in lux water," Snape drawled out.

The two boys scrunched up their noses, knowing not a word of what he meant. Perry nodded her head.

"You are not to use magic," Snape continued. "You are to use these three obice cloths and only these obice clothes. Touching any one of these crystals with your skin will result in a very unpleasant consequence. Touching these crystals to anything besides these cloths or the chests from which they come will also result in an unpleasant consequence. Follow the instructions on the table and you will be unharmed. I will know if you use magic, as it drains power from the crystals. If I find that you have used magic I will give each of you another month of detention."

"Professor!" Pucey said, "We're your own house!"

"And you are the only three students with a detention before break. If I could have it my way I would make any student from another house do this, but as it is, there's isn't anyone, so you three are the only option."

Snape put the cloths on the table next to the several boxes.

"This is unfair! My father will hear of this."

"Save it, Malfoy," Perry said getting up.

"Thank you, Miss Periwinkle ," Snape said moving towards the door.

"—Persephone," Perry mumbled.

"You may leave when you finish."

With that he left. Perry got up and picked up one of the obice cloths. The other two students moved after her. Malfoy pulled out his wand.

"Did you not hear Snape?" Perry asked crossing her arms.

"I did," Malfoy responded, "But it's not like he'll actually notice."

"I think he will when he goes to use them and their shavings are useless."

"You don't-"

"Do it the right way, Malfoy," Adrian said sternly, "I don't want another detention with either of you, especially not when we get back into the quidditch season."

"Ditto," Perry sassed, "Except the quidditch part. I don't care about that."

"What," both the boys said dropping their rags.

"What?"

"You don't care about Quidditch?" Adrian asked like he had never felt so offended.

"Nope," she said, "Not unless Harry's playing."

Malfoy scoffed. "Not unless your boyfriend's playing."

"Want me to punch you again?" Perry asked balling up her fist in front of his face.

Adrian let out a laugh while polishing one of the red crystals. "We were wrong about you, Persephone. None of us thought you belonged in Slytherin, but you've proven yourself to be... quite surprising."

"Thank you?"

Adrian nodded and went back to dipping the pari crystals into the lux water. The three of them worked with speed, as all of them wanted this to be over with.

Perry couldn't stop thinking about if she wanted to be liked by the Slytherins or not. One of them? She wasn't really one of them. All she did was punch Malfoy. She punched one of their own. The only thing she had proven is that she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself.
That's all it was. She convinced herself she wasn't what Adrian said she is.

They continued to work relatively in silence. There were certain times where Perry made an effort to make small talk, but both boys didn't make it last long.

In an hour they had completed four of the nine chests. It would take them roughly over an hour to finish if they kept moving at the same pace.

"I can't believe this is how I'm spending my last day at Hogwarts before I return home," Malfoy muttered.

"Could be worse," Perry said.

"Snape could've made us clean the toilets like he does Hufflepuffs," Adrian said.

"That's not quite fair," Perry frowned.

"That's the fun of it," Draco sneered. "You wouldn't understand."

"Thankfully," Perry shrugged.

Malfoy sighed, "You really are annoying. More so than dreadful Pansy."

"Pansy? Really? I thought you liked her?"

"I love the attention, she's just a bit excessive," he said.

She looked at him with wide eyes and an agape mouth. "Today is just full of surprises."

"Really? What other surprises have you received today?" he taunted with a smirk. "Your guardians decided they wanted you home for a Christmas after all? Oh wait, even better, your long lost parents finally sent you an owl? Or-"

"Shut it, Malfoy," Adrian reprimanded while slamming the top of the fifth chest closed.

Malfoy was taken back. Nobody at Hogwarts beside Perry and teachers ever snapped at him, especially not a student of the upper class.

"My father will-"

"I don't really care what your father hears about," Adrian said, "Now shut your damned mouth and continue polishing these crystals."

Perry looked at him in astonishment. She knew that Adrian wasn't her friend, but the fact he stood up for her made her feel so settled inside. Nobody besides Harry had stood up for her yet against Malfoy. She could barely believe it. She grabbed her peri crystal and continued to polish it in the lux water.

The crystals were extravagant and beautiful. Each of them resembled something of a stake. The different chests held different colored crystals, each with their own use. The change in them from before they were polished to after they were polished was beautiful.

They started off almost stone like, but once dipped in the lux water, which is a glowing blue watery substance, they all came out like glowing glass. They each are beautiful, but if not treated with caution very dangerous. Persephone had read all about them in the library.

The only material that can be used to touch them is the obice cloths they were using. The inside of the chests are made out of obice cloth as well. Fairies, the creators of the crystals, are allowed to touch them with their bare skin, but any other creature who touches it can suffer serious injuries.

The three students were back at work for about 30 minutes before the expected occurred. Draco's crystal went falling to the ground and Perry quickly caught it with her cloth.

Draco tossed himself from side to side as an icy patch of scales appeared on his right arm. His cries echoed off the walls of the classroom and the other two students stoped and stared down at him.

"We've got to get him to the Infirmary," Adrian said reaching down and grabbing him by one of his arms. "Well, get the other." He looked at Perry and nodded down to Draco's other arm.

"No don't touch me," Draco whimpered between cry's.

"Well, would you rather Pucey drag you all the way to the the third floor corridor, or let me help him carry you there? With maybe a little dragging..."

He whimpered and let his head swing down low. Perry grabbed his arm and hoisted it over her shoulder. Adrian was holding almost all of Draco's weight so it didn't hurt her in the slightest.

"I'm dying," Draco mumbled as they began their walk to the infirmary. "I'm going to die. It's over."

"Dramatic much," Perry sassed.

It was a horrible ten minute trudge to the third floor corridor. It was filled with Malfoy's over dramatic cries and Perry's well though out retorts. Not to mention Adrians quiet grunts as he carried all of Malfoy's weight up the stairs. By the time they made it to the third floor Perry was walking beside Adrian who had hoisted Draco on his back.

"Why couldn't we just use magic?" Perry's asked. "I'm quite good at the spell-"

"Quidditch- weight- training," Adrian said between grunts.

"Mhm," Perry hummed nodding as she furrowed her eyebrows at him.

Madam Pomfrey was in quite a frazzle when she saw the three students enter. It was the last day before holiday and all students were at the feast that had begun moments ago. She had no intention of taking care of a student. 

"Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey screeched, "Dear, Merlin what did you three get yourselves into!"

"We were serving detention for Professor Snape, Madam Pomfrey," Adrain said.

She bombarded the two students with questions about their detention and what led up to this moment. They answered the questions, sometimes bending the truth so it seemed as if they were all getting along.

"—She did it," Malfoy cried as he flopped down into a hospital bed.

"Miss Persephone!"

"What! I didn't do anything!" Perry screamed.

"Miss Persephone—"

"No, really, Madam Pomfrey," Adrian said, "She didn't do anything. Malfoy went against directions. Persephone didn't do anything."

Madam Pomfrey stared at the two with piercing eyes. "Don't you have a detention you need to finish?"

Adrian smiled and they both said goodbye and turned to leave the Hospital wing. Perry cast one last look over her shoulder to see Madam Pomfrey close the curtains around Draco as she said, "This may burn a little."

The two walked down the moving staircases in silence. With each echoing step the awkward tension rose, although Perry was sure it was only her feeling it, as Adrian seemed so calm.
When Perry had had enough of it she broke the ice.

"Thank you," she said. "For- For standing up for me."

"I abide to a lot of the crap Malfoy says, hell, some of it I agree with, but what he was saying about you— well, that isn't right in any world."

"Well thank you."

Adrian nodded as they continued their walk. "You know I think you'd be a decent chaser if
you tried, although a female hasn't played on the Slytherin team in.. well ever."

"Really? That's stupid," she said. "I mean, the female not playing thing not the chaser. Also how would you even think I'd be a good chaser?"

"Your instincts to catch that crystal were on point. I know talent when I see it, but since your not interested in quidditch—"

"—I'm not," she said.

"Your loss," he said putting his hands up in mock surrender.

They approached the potions classroom and he said, "This doesn't make us friends, you know."

"I wasn't expecting anything more than that," she said pushing her way past him and into the classroom to finish her detention.