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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 10, 2006 18:30:12 GMT
Novella Sandler stood on the edge of the Quidditch pitch, right beside the old shack used to store the school. An old, dirty broom was clutched in her hands, Darin sitting on the ground beside her, looking up at her as if she was insane. Which she probably was. It just wasn't natural, humans flying. Well, in air planes, sure. That was technology, after all. But on brooms? With nothing at all to hold them up, nothing but air all around? Brooms were for sweeping things up, for gods sake!
But she was a Gryffindor, and that meant she had to be brave. It wouldnt do for a Gryffindor to be afraid of something as simple and easy as flying... her housemates would never live it down.
Novella sighed heavily, looking down at the broomstick. This would have been crazy enough with a good, new broom, but she hadn't had enough money to buy one when she bought her school supplies, so this was her only choice. And she had heard horrible things about the school brooms... but this one would have to do. She clenched her fists around the smooth wood and tried to will herself to mount it.
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Jul 13, 2006 16:39:03 GMT
"This is the part where you mount the broom," Draco said lazily, having been watching her stare at her worn broomstick for the better part of ten minutes. He smirked as his eyes gaze traveled down the beat up handle and the uneven ends before looking toward his own polished Nimbus.
Walking slowly toward her, as if she were his prey, he smiled darkly. "Where's that Gryffindor 'bravery'," he asked calmly, playing with the handle of his broomstick. "Sure, riding the school broomsticks is an idiotic thing to do, but isn't that one of Gryffindor's traits as well?" He smirked as he reached her, stopping in his tracks and scanning her appearance quickly.
"Or is it you have no choice but to use the school brooms?" His eyes darkened and his smirk grew.
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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 13, 2006 16:55:42 GMT
To Novella's surprise, Darin was the first to react. He stood up on his hind legs, puffing his fur out to appear larger, and hissed. Sure, he'd defended her before, when she was actually being threatened. But now... Darin had seemed really to understand Malfoy's words! That shadow thing had definetly done something to him... but he didn't seem hurt, so she'd just have to wait and see.
"Shh, Darin," She told him softly, before looking up at Draco. "Wouldn't do to have him scar your pretty face," She told him, by way of explanation.
Novella had never met Draco Malfoy before, but she had certainly heard enough about him to know to be openly hostile. Besides, he was a Slytherin. You couldn't trust any of them. "I'd rather be the worst Gryffindor ever than a Slytherin," she told him, jabbing the end of the broom into the ground angrily. She couldn't say anything about the broom, though she wished she could. He was right, she hadn't had enough money to afford a better broom. "And I'll go when I want to, alright?"
Darin settled back to the ground, but his fur was stilll puffed out, and his black eyes remained fixed on the Slytherin.
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Jul 13, 2006 17:27:49 GMT
Draco's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the ferret, his lip curling ever so slightly. "Hogwarts never used to allow creatures with such low magical ability in it's hallways," he started with his eyes still on the ferret. A slow smirk appeared on his lips, "Obviously since you're here, that's changed over the years. "
His gaze traveled back up the broom, his eyes glinting with malice, before reaching the Gryffindor's angry face once more. "At least Slytherin's can afford proper brooms." He said coldly, making sure the label on the handle of his broomstick was visible in her view.
The wind began to pick up, and he faced the Gryffindor challengingly, "You've stood there idly for quite a while. One might think you're afraid of mounting your broom."
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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 13, 2006 17:39:18 GMT
She looked at Draco dismissively. "There is more to life than spells and money, Malfoy." She told him. "And it's clear the standards of this school have lowered considerably in other ways as well."
She reached down, and Darin ran into her hand, clambering up to perch on her shoulder. "And I'm not afraid of anything," she added, swinging a leg over the broom.
Even through her anger, she had to pause then, the muscles of her legs tensed to push off from the ground. She was scared, and she knew that, and she was sure Malfoy did as well. But she wasn't going to prove it to him.
She pushed off, lifting into the air to hover a mere few inches above the ground, the broom trembling disconsertingly.
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Jul 13, 2006 17:57:32 GMT
Draco grinned sinisterly, mounting his own broom and kicking off. Reaching the Gryffindor's pathetic height, he leaned comfortably on his broom and swerved around her mockingly.
"Not afraid of anything?" He said menacingly, his feet dragging across the ground. He smirked as the broom trembled beneath her and flew a little higher, staring down at her. "You know, for a Gryffindor, you've got quite the foul mouth. Are you sure you don't like Slytherin? You'd fit in well. It's obvious Gryffindor isn't where you belong"
He continued to fly higher, provoking her to follow him.
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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 13, 2006 18:09:56 GMT
Novella gritted her teeth, grasping the handle of her broom tightly and tilting it upwards, the broom slowly gaining altitude. She could feel Darin's tiny claws digging into her shoulder through her robe, and she nudged him gently with her cheek. He quickly climbed down, back into her robe, curling up beside the tiny dragon hidden inside her robes, sleeping soundly. When she reached Draco's level, she kept her brown eyes fixed firmly on him, dreading looking down. She really did not want to know how high she was. "From what I hear that's almost a compliment coming from you, Malfoy. You don't even think half your real housemates deserve to be in Slytherin."
He was right, though. Novella didn't feel like she belonged in Gryffindor. That was why she tried so hard to be brave, to hate all Slytherins, to be impulsive... even if she didn't feel like she was. The Sorting Hat had placed her in Gryffindor, so that was where she was supposed to belong if she was going to belong in the world of magic at all.
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Jul 15, 2006 9:16:41 GMT
Draco smirked, perched on his broom with ease as he watched Sandler. His eyes were expressionless as he snickered and leaned forward on his broomstick. The broom soared through the air, stopping to hover just beside her. "I wouldn't look down if I were you..." He said menacingly, his own gaze drifting to the ground as if challenging her to look as well. "Especially not while on a school broom that could collapse any second"
Halting his broom, he quickly flew around her tauntingly, before landing on her other side, one eyebrow raised. "I don't compliment Gryffindors," He said coldly, stopping his flight and looking at her thoughtfully. "Not even if they aren't very Gryffindor to begin with."
Then, speeding off toward the golden hoops, he looked behind him with a sinister grin. "Come on then, little Misfit." He called, looking back ahead of him. "Be careful not to fall," he said in a mocking voice, before speeding up his pace.
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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 16, 2006 1:09:52 GMT
Loiosh awoke as Novella accelerated and he soared out of her cloak in a swath of copper. His flight lent her courage, and although she still kept her eyes away from the ground, her grip on the broom lessened slightly, and she was able to fly after Draco more gracefully. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't belong in Gryffindor," she admitted to him bluntly. "The lot of them hate me, almost as much as the Hufflepuffs do." She paused to a moment. "Not that I care," she added bitterly.
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Jul 16, 2006 1:44:35 GMT
Draco smirked at her words, spinning his broom around to face her. His smirk dissolved quickly when he did and his jaw dropped almost comically. "A dragon?" He had heard rumors about a little Gryffindor who was chosen magically by a dragon. His eyes darkened with jealousy and he soared even higher, clenching his teeth at her rapidly growing confidence.
Then, he stopped midflight, and an omnious grin spread over his face. "So you're the one." His grin faded and he smiled darkly. "The one who attacked that Hufflepuff." Letting his Broom pause in the air, he waited for her to catch up with him. "Going to attack me like that too?" He said sweetly, his smile growing.
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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 16, 2006 2:04:54 GMT
Novella stopped short behind Draco, nearly barreling into him. For a moment she was sure she was going to fall, and her face showed it, whitening instantly. But she she regained her balance, and she glared at Draco. "No, I'm not. Although you probably deserve it." She told him curtly. Loiosh flew in a wide arc around their heads, and Novella watched him now instead of Draco. Then, continuing after the boy. "But yes, I'm the one. Novella Sandler, cannibal. Nice to meet you."
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Jul 16, 2006 6:06:06 GMT
"Draco Malfoy. Though, I'm sure that's fairly obvious." He stared at her for a minute before continuing his flight. "Hated by your own house, there's something we both have in common," He smirked, one hand on his broomstick while the other ran through his hair. "Of course, I'm glad for it."
He reached the hoops and swerved around the middle one knowing she couldn't do the same. Not while on that broom, at least. "How's it feel to be hated, Gryffindor?" His face was expressionless, his lips curved in a slight smirk. He looked back at her, his eyes on her dragon.
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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 16, 2006 11:36:39 GMT
Novella eyed the hoop warily. As much as she wanted not to see afraid to Malfoy... she wasn't going to try that. But she had to do something.
Because this was the only conversation she'd had in days with one of the other students that didn't amount to scared glances and scurrying feet, and even though she wanted to be like them, be a brave Gryffindor, happy, hate Draco Malfoy, quasi-good student, who did not wake up remembering the taste of blood and the feel of monsters dying beneath her claws. But this was who she was now, and if she couldn't obey any of the other rules why obey this one?
<Loiosh?> She asked.
Knowing exactly what she wanted, Loiosh chuckled in her mind, changing his course to swoop through the hoop after Draco while she hovered nearby.
"Maybe you should take some pointers from me on that front, Mr. Malfoy. I've managed to make everyone more afraid of me in one day then you have in your whole life, and we all know that's your greatest ambition."
Loiosh caught up with Draco, stretching his claws forward to snag on Draco's robes, perching on his shoulder, an air of smugness about him.
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Post by Draco Malfoy on Jul 16, 2006 18:54:23 GMT
Draco looked at the dragon curiously before his curious expression turned into a small frown. "If you think I'm going to follow your footsteps and bite a Hufflepuff, you're sorely mistaken. I don't even want to imagine the taste." He wasn't sure what to do about the dragon, the light weight on his shoulders reminding him about the small creature. He'd have snapped at it if he wasn't so afraid of it's sharp fangs.
Then, feeling quite defeated, he nodded to it slightly, continuing to fly. "A Vipertooth," He stated calmly, "One of my favourite breeds."
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Post by Novella Sandler on Jul 16, 2006 19:19:20 GMT
Novella watched Loiosh curiously. She hadn't told him to do that, only to follow Draco. But... alright.
She laughed at Draco's comment. "Yeah, I wouldn't reccomend it." She sped up, leaning down near her broom to reduce air-friction, until she caught up with the Slytherin, flying alongside him, but still a good distance away.
"You're right. I'm always surprised when people know what he is. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised with you -- bring Draco and all." She was pleased that Draco was admiring him though, and, feeling this, Loiosh extended his small wings, lifting off again to fly above Draco and slightly before him, the light of the sunset shining through his paper-thin wings.
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