Trains, Duels, and Curses

Having stowed her school trunk and boarded the Hogwarts Express, Demetri made her way down the crowded corridor in an effort to look for an empty compartment. Finding an empty one at the end of the train, she sat on the seat, lost in her thoughts of the row she and Lucius gotten into last night.

She was pulled from her thoughts by shouting in the corridor. Getting up and opening the compartment door, she saw a group of four boys had cornered that boy Severus, whom she had met the day before in Flourish and Blotts.

"What are you doing lurking in the corridor, Snivellus? Trying to scare the first years?" asked the tall boy with black hair and glasses.

"Don't call me Snivellus, Potter," Severus spat out.

"Then what shall I call you? How about greasy git?" Potter asked, making the other boys laugh.

Noticing the slight tremble in Severus's arm as he slowly reached for his wand, Demetri stepped completely into the corridor and in between the boys. "Leave him alone," she snarled.

"What's this, Snivellus? Found yourself a girlfriend," mocked Potter. When he noticed her wand in her hand, he snorted before adding, "Or is she your body guard?" Bending his head towards Demetri's ear, he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, "I wouldn't get too close to Severus's body if I were you. There's not a spell or potion strong enough to get him clean."

Before she could say or do anything, Demetri was pushed to the ground as Severus yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" Potter keeled over at once, rigid as a board.

Demetri scrambled to her knees as she saw the other boys go for their wands. "Stupefy!" she yelled before they could even open their mouths. They joined their friend on the floor.

"Are you all right?" Severus asked as he held out a hand.

"Yeah," she replied, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"You're pretty fast with a wand," Demetri said, looking down at the four pathetic bodies on the floor in front of them. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Severus snorted, "My bad side? You knocked three of them unconscious with one spell, and I'm the one with a bad side?"

"What are we going to do with them?" Demetri asked, trying not to laugh.

"Leave them here. Someone will find them eventually," Severus replied with a smirk.

"Fine by me," Demetri replied. Realizing she never let go of his hand from before, she pulled Severus toward the door leading to the next car, where they both started laughing.

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Demetri and Severus were still laughing as they entered the Great Hall and made their way over to the Slytherin table.

"I see you got yourself a girlfriend over the summer, Snape," one of the boys at the table said as they sat down.

"She's not my girlfriend, Regulus."

"Well, then the name's Regulus Black," the other boy supplied, leaning across the table with a grin. "I'll be your boyfriend."

"Sorry, I don't date future cousins," she said with a smirk.

At Regulus's confused look she explained, "My name's Demetri Malfoy. My brother Lucius is engaged to your cousin Narssia."

"Ah, so you're the infamous Demetri that Lucius was telling Mother about," Regulus said with a cocky grin.

"And just what did he tell your mother?" she asked.

"That you disgraced the family by getting expelled from Beauxbatons."

"Stupid git," Demetri mumbled. When Regulus gave her a look, she quickly said, "Not you, I meant Lucius."

"Speaking of family disgraces," Regulus said, glancing toward the doors to the Great Hall. "Here comes mine now."

Demetri followed his gaze and nearly choked as she swallowed a laugh. Stumbling into the Great Hall were the boys from the train. Each of them looked like they were about to keel over at any moment.

"I wonder what happened to Sirius and his little gang of Gryffindors?" he asked in mock concern.

"I have no idea," Severus replied with a sideways glance at her, causing her to snort into her pumpkin juice.

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As Demetri and Severus headed out of the Great Hall at the end of the Welcoming Feast, they were stopped by the Gryffindor Head of House.

"Miss Malfoy, Mr. Snape, the Headmaster would like to have a word with you," Professor McGonagall said, barely hiding the anger in her voice.

Demetri gave Severus a questioning look as they stood just a bit from the table. When he just shook his head, she sighed and followed the professor out of the Great Hall and up the stairs.

When they reached the stone gargoyle, McGonagall gave the password and the three of them were carried upward. Reaching the door of the Headmaster's office, she conjured a chair and told Severus to sit and wait for her to call for him. She then motioned with her head that Demetri should continue forward into the office.

As they entered, Demetri's insides suddenly turned to stone. There stood Lucius by the Headmaster's desk, his face a mask of anger.

"Please sit down," Dumbledore said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.

Demetri walked forward, keeping her eyes on her brother. She sat in the chair farthest from him.

"Would you care to explain why three students were found stunned and another in a full body bind on the train this evening? " Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Self defense, sir. Potter and the other three boys had ganged up on Severus."

"So instead of walking away, you decided it best to stun them?"

"I only stunned the other three boys when they went for their wands to attack Severus. He's the one who cast Petrificus Totalus on Potter."

"According to Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, you and Mr. Snape attacked them without reason," Dumbledore replied, gazing over his half-moon spectacles at her.

"Figures," Demetri mumbled.

"What was that, Miss Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eyes that said he did indeed hear what she said.

"I said, sir, that it figures that you'd believe four Gryffindors over two Slytherins." Her eyes then locked with blue. "After all, you are a Gryffindor, sir."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. Seeing as both yourself and Mr. Snape arrived at the Great Hall no worse for the wear, however, the evidence leans in favor of Mr. Potter and Mr. Black," Dumbledore replied.

Demetri scoffed softly, "You just proved my point, sir. So I take it your poor lions will get off scott free, while I get what? Detention? Lines? Or better yet why not do what my old Headmistress did and expel me? After all, she thought I was a liar also."

"That will be enough of your cheek," Lucius growled as he walked towards Demetri, stopping a foot from her chair. "I'm sure whatever punishment you receive will be fair and completed without further complaint on your part."

Demetri didn't need him to add the 'or else' to the end of his sentence. The way his eyes turned icy and his hand tightened on the handle of his walking stick spoke volumes.

"Yes, sir," she replied, nearly choking on the 'sir'.

"I think that a week's worth of detention would be fair in this case," Dumbledore said. "So you are warned, Miss Malfoy, if I hear that you have hexed another student, I will not be so lenient in the future."

"Yes, sir," Demetri replied as she rose from her chair to leave. Her steps faltered as she suppressed a shudder when she heard her brother ask for permission to escort her to the Slytherin Common Room. She knew that Lucius was furious and that he was planning on letting her know just how furious he was.

As the two Malfoys made their way out of the Headmaster's office, Demetri saw Severus rise from his chair. He looked like he wanted to talk to her, but glanced away from her eyes towards Lucius. She shook her head. As he arched his brow at Lucius's presence, Demetri mouthed 'Later' and walked down the stairs, her brother behind her.

As they crossed the Entrance Hall and made their way to the dungeons, Lucius grabbed the back of Demetri's robes and threw her into an empty classroom. She cried out in pain as her hip hit the corner of a desk before she fell to the floor. Her insides turned to ice as she heard Lucius lock and cast a silencing spell on the door.

"Get up," Lucius growled.

Shaking her head no, Demetri scuttled backwards until her back hit the wall. She knew Lucius was pissed and that she wasn't going to make it out of this room without him venting his anger on her.

Striding over to where Demetri was cowering on the floor, Lucius grabbed a fistful of her hair and hauled her to her feet, causing her to cry out.

"Not even a day in a new school and you are already in trouble. Maybe it's time you were taken down a peg or two and learned to listen," Lucius spat out. Dragging Demetri over to an empty desk, he pushed her down so that her face hit the top of it. Demetri tried to push herself up but couldn't, because Lucius had cast a sticking charm on her upper body. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucius raise his walking stick.

"For your blatant disrespect of this school, its rules, and the Headmaster," Lucius said as he swung the snake headed cane down across Demetri's back, causing her to cry out once more.

"For attacking a fellow student and a member of the Black Family." Again, the cane was brought down across Demetri's back.

"It was the Blood Traitor Sirius I attacked, not Regulus!" Demetri cried out, earning herself another blow.

"For running around with that Snape boy when I told you to stay away from him," Lucius growled out as he landed the last blow. Demetri cried out once more, for this blow was harder than the rest and landed across her left shoulder.

Once the sticking charm was cancelled, Demetri slid to the floor and curled into a ball, letting her tears finally fall.

Opening the door, Lucius turned back to Demetri. "And this is for once more disrespecting the Malfoy name. Crucio," Lucius whispered, slamming the door and cutting off Demetri's screams.