Silver and Bronze: TCOTS Chapter eleven

Dumbledore said nothing to either Pansy or Susan the whole way to the office. Susan initially wondered how the headmaster himself would know about this when there are thousands of students... until she realised that there was a crowd heading back to their classes. "I can't believe that people would actually chant for a third year to fight a first year. Seems pretty lopsided to me," said Ernie Macmillan to his friend, Justin Finch-Fletchley on their way to their classes.

This had to be the longest, most uncomfortable walk Susan had taken. Her entire body was sweating. She was certain that she'd be expelled. When they got to the Headmaster's Tower, Susan felt like she was going to faint. Suddenly, a stone gargoyle looked at the three. "Password?" asked the creature. "Knotbutckets," Dumbledore replied. Once they got into the office, they were met by a very angry McGonagall and a perhaps equally angry Snape, but then again, it was too hard to tell because of his emotionlessness. "I've informed your heads of house that you will have detention with them for an entire month. Do not expect me to be this kind in the future. I am very disappointed in you both," said Dumbledore in a very stern voice. "Well, come along, Susan," McGonagall said in a snappy voice. "You should be ashamed of yourself for spoiling Gryffindor's victory, you ruffian sailor-mouth!" Susan rolled her eyes and looked over at Pansy, who had a smirk on her face. "Come along, Miss Parkinson," said Snape directly. Naturally, he was going to let Pansy off easy because she was a Slytherin. McGonagall would do no such thing for Susan. "How could you do such a thing? Do you know how long women have been trying to get away from the stereotype of cat fights? Do you have any idea how people are going to see you because of this?" McGonagall asked angrily. "I'm sorry..." Susan mumbled. "Well the damage is done. Your detention starts tomorrow. Good day, Miss Henkel," said McGonagall before striding off whilst still fuming.

Feeling somewhat disappointed in herself, Susan went up to the tower to think things over. "Password?" asked the Fat Lady. "Hey. I'm sorry i called you fat..." Susan said tearfully."Oh, it's all right, don't cry. Oh, hey. Here comes your friend right now," said the Fat Lady comfortingly. "Hi Susan... erm... D-do you still wanna find your cat?" asked Neville bashfully. "Of course," Susan said, wiping her tears. "A cat?" asked the Fat Lady curiously. Susan nodded. "You seen him?" she asked. "The other portraits keep talking about a ginger cat that keeps wandering around the second floor girls room." Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Neville's neck went straight up. "Th-that's where... Moaning Myrtle... Sh-she haunts that bathroom!" Susan rolled up her sleeves. "Well no stupid ghost is gonna spirit my cat away!" she yelled.  "Come on! Let's go get him!" Before Neville could even protest going to the bathroom with Moaning Myrtle, Susan dashed down the moving staircase, nearly falling while doing so.

Approaching the second floor, Susan saw two very familiar faces. "Parkinson!" she yelled angrily, her hair colour changing from ginger, which she had done to lure her cat, to a fiery red. "I hope Snape gives you the toilets!" Suddenly the girl hid behind the other familiar face. "This isn't Pansy," the girl said in a completely disinterested tone. It was very clear she didn't care much for drama. "Hey! I know who you are!" Susan said, making a heel-turn from angry to joyous, even changing her hair colour to a hot pink. "You take Alchemic Studies in my mum's class, right?" Susan asked giddily, to which the girl nodded. "I'm Susan. Susan Henkel," Susan said holding out her hand. "Name's Kempley Vititious. Nice to meet you, Susan," she said, not seeming nearly as friendly as Susan was. Susan then turned to the other girl. "I'm sorry I jumped at you. What's your name?" she asked. The answer to this was very unclear and every time Susan asked her to repeat herself, she got quieter. "Dringy? Is that your name?" Susan asked for confirmation. It was hard to get a clear answer, because anything she said sounded like squeaking at that point. "Her name is Drenchie," said Kempley. Drenchie. What an odd name. "Why aren't you in Hogsmeade?" asked Neville curiously to Kemley. "Why aren't you?" she replied, knowing exactly what happened. She couldn't ignore the howler. It was far too loud. "Anyway, what are you up to?" she asked after an awkward silence. "Susan lost her cat and I'm helping her find it...." Neville said bashfully. "Wanna help?" Susan asked, looking hopefully at the two. "Sure... Why not? Not like I have anything better to do," Kempley said in a half-hearted way. "You in, Drench?" she asked. Drenchie shuffled uncomfortably and twiddled her thumbs before giving a slight nod. "Uhh... sure..." With that Susan leapt for joy and shouted, "To Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom!" The four made their way there with mixed expressions ranging from terrified to excited top confused and even to disinterested entirely.

Once they entered the bathroom, they were immediately met by the ghost. "What do you want?" she asked tearfully. "My name is Susan Henkel and I'm looking for a cat named Marty," Susan said, looking hopefully at Myrtle. "A cat? Well I saw a cat and it hissed at me and tried to pounce me!" Myrtle exclaimed tearfully. "Oh that horrible orange furball!" Before anyone could react, a loud shriek was heard not 30 seconds away from the bathroom. "A rat!" Romilda shouted in a disgusted manner. She was dangling from a lamp post, and was barely holding on at that. "Scabbers!" Susan shouted. "H-how do you know it's really Scabbers and not just some regular rat? R-ron said Scabbers was eaten," Neville said with a look of utter shock. Susan picked the rat up by his tail. "See his hand? Scabbers is missing a finger. I've been hunting him long enough to know that. Oh boy! This is a great day! I get to find my cat AND kill Scabbers! I think I'll smash him onto the ground! What difference does it make if Ron already thinks he's dead, right?" Susan asked with a twisted smile. "Put him down, kid," Kempley said with a somewhat stern look as Susan raised a panicking Scabbers above her head. But before she could even do anything, an orange mass pounced on Susan, causing her to fall over. Scabbers managed to free himself with what Susan identified as Crookshanks in pursuit. "That's the cat that pounced me!" Myrtle cried. Well it certainly couldn't have been Marty, seeing as how Crookshanks is possibly ten times his size. "Sorry to bother you..." Susan said in disappointment. "Hey kid, you should probably get down from there," Kempley said to Romilda, who was still clutching to the lamp post. "Damn it!" Susan yelled in frustration. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" she yelled, now in tears. "Marty is dead isn't he?" she asked tearfully. "We'll find him," Neville said, trying to comfort the girl before she sprinted off.

Susan made it to the other side of the castle where she cried for about a half hour before being rudely interrupted. "AHEM!" Susan turned around and saw the very last person she wanted to see in this moment; Snape. "Does this disgusting whelp belong to you?" he asked, holding a little ginger kitten by the nape of it's neck. "Marty!" Susan shouted in joy. "I'll take that as a yes," he said dropping the feline on the floor. Marty quickly leapt into Susan's arms. "I found him lurking outside of my office. By the way, you'll be happy to know that Miss Parkinson doesn't begin her detention until next week," Snape said, trying to stir up negative emotions in Susan, but it wouldn't work. She was all too thrilled to know Marty had not been killed by Sirius Black or eaten by centaurs or something ridiculous like that. It was almost like the time Cedric's pet tortoise went missing only to be found under a desk in his father's study. It was quite humorous for the entire family and for Susan. Especially because Cedric was only 9 and knew that tortoises had been known to outlive humans, so they therefore had a contest of who would live longer. Susan had heard about a tortoise who lived to be two-hundred and twenty-six. "Heh heh... two-hundred and twenty-six year old tortoise..."

"By the way, Henkel," Snape said, gaining Susan's attention back. "Your mother wishes to speak with you," he said before striding off. And so, with Marty in her arms, Susan went to her mother's office. The sheer amount of runes and transmutation circles on parchment paper could make that place a into bloody museum. "Mum? You wanted to see me?" asked Susan with a smile painted on her face. "Susan, what was this I hear about you going into the boy's dormitories?" asked Henkel in a very stern manner. "I was looking for Marty," said Susan, not realising how angry her mother was. "Susan! You disobeyed me! You said you'd stay out of trouble and you didn't!" Ezsmarelda said angrily. "B-but, mum, you said I couldn't go in there as long as I was drawing breath. I was holding my breath using a charm that Professor Flitwick taught me," Susan said in a matter-of-fact way. Ezsmarelda palmed her face and pinched her eyebrows. "Okay, let me rephrase that. You are not allowed in the boy's dorms. Period." With that, Ezsmarelda stood up.

"But, mum--"

"But nothing! You are never allowed in the boy's dorms and that's the final word I'll have on the subject!"

"But what about Marty?"

"Too bad! Learn to keep up with your pets!"

This left Susan to bolt off in tears. The loud trotting of her Mary-Janes echoes through the halls loud and clear. It finally stopped when she tripped over her school robes. "Oh dear! Are you all right?" Susan looked up and saw Professor Lupin. "I hate my mum! She's such an evil bitch!" Susan said tearfully. "Hey! Susan! Look at me! D-don't look at the floor. Susan, look at me! Susan, don't ever say that! Your mother has done everything in her power to protect you! She has your best interest, Susan! Look at me! Susan, pouting like a five year old won't help anything! You need to listen! Everything that Ezsmarelda has ever done was for you! There is not a word that she's ever said that wasn't speaking for your better being!" Susan stood up and her hair turned fiery red. She intended to make it a point that she was angry. "Well I certainly hope that's true, because those are the last words that she'll ever get to say to me!" and with that, she stormed off, leaving Marty to follow behind.