Fist Fight

In their shared dorm Silvia, Bethanie, and Rowan sit on their beds studying. Although still cool, the bitter chills of the dungeons had gone away. Oh, they still slept with a blanket at night, but a light blanket is more than sufficient.

Silvia holds in one hand a squirming, black sweet that looks like a leech. Without remorse, Silvia bites into the squirming licorice snap and chews it down. Blindly reaching into the bowl beside her, she winces as one of the licorice snap bites. However, used to the antics of the magical candy, she brings the biting morsel to her lips and chews it off her hand.

Personally, Rowan looked green every time she witnessed the horrifying scene. Who in their right mind would invent biting candy?! It's common sense! Yet only a wizard or witch could….

The sole consolation Rowan has is that Bethanie and Tiffany had an appetite for far more normal sweets. Bethanie is partial to toothflossing stringmints, (a bit strange, and splintery), but normal. Although Tiffany isn't present at the moment, Tiffany greatly enjoyed eating fragile sugar-spin quills. She could easily chew them in class or when studying to keep her mind off of things.

With flushed cheeks, Tiffany abruptly bursts into the dorm. "Did you all hear?"

Silvia flatly points at the formerly closed door. "We didn't hear anything, Tiffany."

Ignoring the sarcasm in Silvia's voice, Tiffany excitably says, "Apparently Potter and Evan Avery almost got into a fight! However, according to everyone present Avery challenged Potter to a midnight duel. Do you think they'll show?"

"Well, that's just terrible," Bethanie regretfully sighed. "It is foolish confrontations like these that make tensions between our two houses that much worse."

"What exactly was the fight about?" Rowan curiously asked.

Tiffany falters, "Err, Avery called Lily a Mudblood," she whispered the last word.

"That bastard!" Silvia loudly swore and for once Bethanie did not correct Silvia for her foul language.

"Did Severus hear?" Rowan asked in a dangerously low voice.

Tiffany does not need to reply as Rowan can clearly see her answer by Tiffany's shrinking body language. The three girls equally flinch at Rowan's cold gaze.

"Err, where are you going?" Tiffany squeaked watching Rowan rise.

"Where is Severus?" Rowan growled.

"With Terry, he was right there, "Tiffany peeped.

"Then I best be going," Rowan knowingly said hurrying out the door.

Silvia, Bethanie, and Tiffany all glance at each other, before scrambling after Rowan. Something must have been rather off-putting about Rowan because more than one Slytherin glanced up from their studying to see her march past them. Sensing something afoot the Slytherins eyed each other before one brave soul ran off to find Prefect Wilkes or Head Boy Malfoy.

Rushing up the stairs, Rowan hastens upon hearing the sounds of a fierce scuffle. Bursting into Severus's dorm room, Rowan sees Severus on the floor with Avery on top of him punching at Severus. In an even worse shape is Terry lying on his side protecting his face from the kicks of Rosier.

Rosier's bulky figure nastily hovers over the curled-up form of Terry. Rosier viciously raises his foot to stomp on Terry's rib. Hissing from a corner of the room is a five-month-old Alchemy. Alchemy hisses at Terry and leaps onto Rosier's face scratching him silly.

Rosier screams in pain tossing Alchemy to the side, who harmlessly lands on his feet. Turning to face the cat, Rosier reaches for his wand, when he feels someone tapping him on his shoulder. Angry Rosier turns around only to find Rowan staring him right in the eye.

"Oi, Rosier, pick on someone your own size!" Rowan icily said before kicking his crown jewels for good measure. A high-pitched scream escapes from Rosier even causing Avery to pause and look back.

Having followed Rowan from the doorway, the onlookers including Silvia, Bethanie, and Tiffany, all winced at the kick. Rosier wilts in pain and falls forward only for Rowan to raise her knee and slam it into his pain. With a pained grunt, Rosier falls to the floor with a bleeding, possibly broken nose. Knowing that Rosier is out for the count, Rowan turns towards Avery and Severus, who blankly stare at her.

"Get off my brother, now!" Rowan dangerously said as she took a step towards Avery.

Recalling where he is, Avery tightens his grip on Severus' collar. "And who's going to make me?" Avery threatened while Alchemy snuck back to attack the helpless Rosier in the face.

"ME!" Severus spat a wad of blood into Avery's face and kicked him off. With a loud cry, Avery falls onto his back as their positions are reversed with Severus climbing onto him and pummeling him in the face.

Rowan doesn't move one finger to stop Severus rather she glances at her fingernails. She frowns at spotting a fleck of blood and wipes the blood on her sleeve. After a minute, she finally says, "That should be enough, Severus. I'll take it from here."

"But he called, Lily, a Mudblood!" Severus growled in protest.

"Yes, well, beating him up won't fully put the fear of the devil into him," Rowan calmly explained as she walked over to them.

Rather reluctantly Severus climbs off of Avery and wipes the blood off his face. Sporting a brilliant black eye and a rather bloody nose and torn lip, Severus doesn't look as bad as it could be. At least, he gave as good as he got.

Rowan bends down to look at the pig-sized bruised face of Avery with a trail of blood dripping from his nose. For being so scrawny, Severus had certainly not pulled his punches. Perhaps, an inherited talent from their father of knowing exactly where and how to hit to increase physical damage.

"I know you can hear me," Rowan flatly said as Avery moaned in reply.

Leaning over to whisper into his ear, Rowan says, "I don't care what you do or say, but if I ever catch you doing something like this again to one of my friends or Severus. I will personally write to my grandfather and let him know. I know your family has heard the rumors and even if only half of them is true, my grandfather is not to be trifled with."

"And that is not ignoring the fact that next time I will be the one who will be personally beating you. And unlike my innocent younger brother, I know how to break bones and permanently make one lame. That is not an idle threat but rather a known fact," Rowan icily stated.

With tears in his eyes, Avery trembling sniffs in understanding as Rowan climbs back to her feet. By this point, Terry is already on his feet and weakly kicking the flinching form of Rosier with Alchemy proudly sitting on Rosier's scratched-up face. "How do you like it now, you bloody bastard!" Terry angrily growled.

"Huh, you look worse for the wear, Sev," Rowan said with a gentle smile as she clapped Severus on the shoulders.

"I'm out of practice," Severus grimly replied as he wiped his nose again.

"Mm, well, we best bet you down to the infirmary," Rowan gently said "That nose of yours looks rather nasty."

"You should have seen the other guy," Severus grinned and winced at his bleeding lip.

Rowan snorts hiding a grin. "You can stop now, Terry, I crushed Rosier's family jewels pretty well. I doubt he can even feel your kicks." The males in particular wince at her words as Terry kicks Rosier one last time for good measure.

Cradling his rib cage, Terry gasps, "I think I might have a cracked rib or two. Bloody bastards came in just to gloat and thought we'd take it hands down."

"Just what is going!" The cold voice of Lucius Malfoy can be heard as everyone hastily makes way for the Head Boy. Swift on his feet, Alchemy most innocently climbs off of Rosier's face, before weakly falling on his side and letting out a pitiful meow.

Lucius enters the dorm room and furrows his brow as he sees the two figures of Avery and Rosier on the floor and the bleeding, bruised figures of Severus Prince and Greenwood. "An explanation, now!" Lucius coldly ordered, but not before gently bending down to pick up the pitiful figure of Alchemy.

Seeing his cue, Terry indignantly says, "We were just minding our own business, Head Boy Malfoy." Pointing at the two figures of Avery and Rosier on the floor, "When these two bastards attacked us."

"Language Greenwood!" Lucius growled.

"My pardon, Malfoy," Terry apologized. "What I meant to say is that our fellow 1st-year dormmates came into our room to brag and we did not take it well. T'was Avery who swung first at Severus and I couldn't very well let that happen to my mate. And so, I went to help, but Rosier got in the way. We were getting pretty beat up when Rowan here came and got Rosier off of me. Severus then changed the tide and beat Avery on his own. You can ask anyone!"

"Yes, I can tell," Lucius drily said as he eyed the watching crowd. Everyone hastily departs before Lucius starts on them, but not before Silvia gives them a thumbs up and rushes away. The girls would get the details out of Rowan later when she got back to the dorm.

"I'm amazed to find that you are the only one that came out unscathed, Rowan Prince," Lucius flatly said.

"Well, I did enjoy arriving fashionably late," Rowan cheekily answered.

Before Lucius can speak, Professor Slughorn's round figure appears. "Goodness gracious, what were you all thinking!?" Professor Slughorn snapped. "Who started it all?" His gooseberry-colored eyes narrow as his jowls shake in anger.

Without hesitation, Terry, Rowan, and Severus point at the figures of Avery and Rosier on the floor. Professor Slughorn raises an eyebrow and says, "I find that rather hard to believe considering they are the ones on the floor."

"Who says that the winner is always the one who starts it," Rowan interjected.

Professor Slughorn frowns and says, "I don't care, who started it, but I shan't have Slytherins attacking each other! Detention for a week!" Huffing, Professor Slughorn turns away, but not before saying, "And off to the infirmary with all of you!" His bulky figure turns away muttering things under his breath.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone chimed as his round figure waddled out.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Rowan thought to herself. This was true as they weren't docked any points given that they were in a fight and were only sentenced to a week's worth of detention.

Lucius furrows his brows and snaps, "You heard Professor Slughorn, off to the infirmary with all of you!" Casting a spell on the forms of Rosier and Avery, Lucius floats them away to Madam Pomfrey while gently carrying away Alchemy in his arms to be checked as well.

At a much slower pace, the three of them follow as Rowan slips an arm under Terry to help support him, while Severus holds his sleeve to his bleeding nose. As they slowly make their way to the infirmary, Terry proudly says, "Well, at least we got them good that will teach them! And best of all, we won!"

"Yes, well, given your fighting style, I don't think you should make a career out of it," Rowan drily commented.

"Still, it was a glorious fight was it not?" Terry said with sparkles in his eyes.

"Yes, glorious," Rowan muttered as Severus huffed in reply.

Madam Pomfrey was already attending Rosier and Avery and lets out a cry at seeing Severus and Terry. Putting her hands on her hips, Madam Pomfrey says, "Let me guess it was the Whomping Tree?"

"Right on cue, Madam Pomfrey," Terry painfully winced.

"Come here dears," Madam Pomfrey kindly said with a touch of exasperation. "Just have a seat, I'll have you good as news in just a jiff." With care, Rowan helps Terry onto the white linen bed as Severus climbs onto the other.

"By the way, Rowan, where did you learn to fight like that?" Terry asked with gleaming eyes.

"Instinct," Rowan lied with a straight face.

Terry wilts as Severus shakes his head and murmurs, "Rowan may not look it, but back in muggle elementary school, she would take on those from two grades higher than us."

"A fighter, eh?" Terry cackled in delight before wincing in pain. "Why'd you never say anything?"

"It's not something I like to recall," Rowan replied as she took a seat in a soft cushioned chair.

Hearing Rowan's tone of voice, Terry changes the subject and grins. "But we won."

"That we did," Rowan replied with a small smile on her lips.

Not long after Madam Pomfrey billowing skirts were heard as she carried a tray full of bitter-looking potions. Even if there were plenty of sweets to eat afterward, no number of sweets could ever wash away the bitter taste. The utter horror!