..........................................Squidventures of the Slytherins
Antonin Dolohov strutted along the edge of the lake skipping rocks into the water, trying to hit the Giant Squid who was lulling about lazily sunning itself on the beautiful autumn day. He wondered where everyone was, usually all of the Slytherins would be out here plotting and planning the latest pranks or practicing a few choice jinxes on the firsties.
Finally, having hit the Squid square in what must have been a head of sorts, he sauntered up the hill to the grassy lawn and sat under the crooked gnarled tree known as the stomping grounds of his group of friends. He lay on the grass with the sun warming him and closed his eyes for a moment.
A few minutes later, a round-cheeked girl with prominent dimples and sparkling blue eyes paused as she walked along the edge of the lake. She squinted slightly at the prone figure beneath the tree and tossing a blade of grass she had been twisting between her fingers onto the ground, approached slowly. "Hi," Amelia said, cutting her greeting short as she drew nearer.
At the sound of the word "Hi" in a voice he did not recognize, Antonin held up a hand, his eyes still closed tightly and said, "Antonin is sleeping now, please try back later..."
"Oh, it's you. I thought you were Bertha or one of the Marauders...."
His hand dropped to the grass and he opened one eye at the shocking suggestion that he might be: a) a girl, or even more appalling, b) a Marauder!
"Excuse me, Bones, was that an insult? Me, a girl?! PAH!! Worse yet I could be taken for a filthy blood traitor... Be glad I'm resting or you'd have some nice fresh antlers sprouting from your forehead." he muttered, too lazy to get up. He didn't have it out so much for Amelia; she'd generally stayed out of his way in the past.
Slinking nearer like a black cat crouching in the grass waiting for the kill, Bellatrix Lestrange hissed. Without opening his eyes, Antonin could tell who approached, not by the squelching sound of the footsteps, but by the air of dread that hung around Amelia suddenly.
"I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that they are more the type..." Amelia replied, shifting on the spot as Bella drew nearer.
Annie bent his knee and crossed his other leg on it as he leaned up resting his head on an arm bent under his neck. "Course you wouldn't think I was a girl... I was beginning to think you either needed glasses or a nasty lesson." he smirked, opening his other eye and laughing under his breath. He knew the Hufflepuff to be from a pureblood family, and therefore he would actually converse with her, not to mention the fact that she was rather cute in an innocent, unfortunate sort of way which he found rather appealing - like a cat toying with a mouse.
"Antonin, you must need a bath - you're drawing flies." Bella sneered, swinging her long dark locks over her shoulder and glaring at Amelia through her heavy-lidded eyes. Antonin chuckled under his breath - Bellatrix was in pigtails?
"Go away, little girl." she cackled, waving at the Hufflepuff like she was some pesky gnat.
"Oy, Bella.. Play nicely." he laughed, noting how much the two looked like little school children with Bella's pigtails and Amelia's fresh innocence. "She's alright. I say let her live just this once." he winked at Bella, who he could sense wanted to blast a hole through her middle.
"And don't you look sweet today, dumpling? Where's your tagalong little puppy?" he chuckled glancing around for his best friend Rodolphus, who was never far from her it seemed.
"Chasing his tail, I'm sure..." Bellatrix said drolly, still glaring daggers at the spectator.
Amelia didn't look the least bit amused, but to her credit, she didn't seem to be afraid either. Antonin noted a questioning look at him and suspected she thought he was up to something since he had been pleasant enough to tell Bella to lay off her.
"Well, you lot are certainly charming company, but I must be off now." Amelia said, a hint of sarcasm in her sweet voice which made him grin in delight. He watched from his squinted eyes as she turned and walked off up the hill towards the castle, her blonde ponytail bobbing.
"Brave of her to turn her back, wasn't it?" he said to Bellatrix who now had a spell book spread out on the grass in front of her with a complicated illustration on it.
"Or more likely stupid - she is a Huffleduffer after all." Bella quipped, not even raising her eyes.
But before Amelia made a clean getaway, something very unusual happened. Amidst a strange cheering sound getting nearer by the second, was a blur of a figure rolling very quickly down the hill straight at her.
Dung was a bit of a reckless Slytherin to say the least, and it wouldn't be the first time he had rolled himself straight into the lake, but the thrill was too much for him to pass up. This time, however, Antonin noted that he could have used a bit of guidance and a forewarning before bowling into Amelia's legs and jumbling them both to the ground in a flurry of grass clippings and groans.
"Ughh... what'd I hit this time?" he asked, rubbing his head and looking around.
"Mundungus Fletcher!" Amelia spat, although Antonin could see amusement in her eyes as she helped Dung untangle himself from her robes. She giggled at his antics, and Dung, clueless as ever, still hadn't realizes exactly what he had hit. Dolohov snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes.
"What smells like spoiled rubbish? Ohhh, I should have known it was you, Bones," a slight dark-haired witch drawled, as she stood over Bella with a sneer marring her untouchably elegant appearance. Amelia set her jaw but kept her smile in place proudly.
"Huh?" said Dung, oblivious as usual - he didn't seem fully aware of what was going on. He looked around a bit, untwisting Amelia's robes which were wrapped like vines around his leg. "Er, 'scuse me Bonesie!" he grinned, thick blades of grass sticking out of his hair, and grass stains on his cheeks.
"I think I've found a new sport... Bowling for Badgers! You really should try, Lydia, its loads of fun." he blinked, giving a silly grin over at the pretty girl. Overall he ignored house politics altogether to the point of appearing air headed - he said it was 'bad for business'.
It took all Antonin could muster not to burst into laughter at the mad scene, but hearing Lyd's voice snapped him out of any other thought. He paid no mind to what his princess said to the Huffle, anything she wanted was hers, and if that meant harassing Amelia, so be it. He wouldn't deny her the pleasure.
"I think the smell must be from you, the way you walk around with your face contorted and your knickers in a twist." Amelia blurted out, immediately seeming to regret what she had said. It was very out of character for her, and she must have realized this immediately as she then said, "I'm sorry, Lydia. That was uncalled for. I don't know what weakness came over me to stoop to your level."
Lydia retorted angrily and Amelia turned with a scowl and started off again.
Antonin grimaced - Amelia actually apologized for being tart in return.
"Urgh.. How weak. I think I'm going to be ill from all this good-naturedness being inflicted upon us." he said in a snarky tone. He leaned up enough to wrap his arms around the tiny Slytherin lass, and pulled Lydia down with him. Kissing her cheek, he growled as though she was the most irresistible thing he'd ever seen.
"Wan' to try it again? You just go stand over there..." Dung said to Amelia, as he stumbled to his feet and ran backwards up the hill again. He pointed over to Amelia's right just a bit, grinning.
"I think I'll pass just this once, thanks. Bye Dung." Dung looked disappointed, but shrugged and continued jogging backwards up the grassy slope.
"It's okay morsel, she mistook me for a girl or a Marauder.." Antonin laughed, trying to calm Lydia's boiling temper. "I'd say maybe she'd fallen victim to one of Dung's Befuddlement Potions or something. Oy watch it, you prat!" he bellowed, leaning out of the way just in time as a foot went whizzing past his head - Dung rolled down the hill again.
Lydia leaned in and kissed Antonin as they reclined on the lush lawn.
"What on earth is he doing?" Lydia inquired as Dung rolled by with a noisy "WHEEE!"
"He's a git..." Bellatrix said out of the corner of her mouth. "What more is there to explain?"
"I'll die of laughter if he falls in the lake... I've been throwing rocks at the Giant Squid and it’s looking pretty angry now." he said, nodding down to the lake where the squid was near shore, its tentacles undulating in an agitated manner.
Lydia feigned looking offended, Dolohov knew she had a soft spot for the addle-brained twit. As the noise ceased, he glanced down the hill towards the lake to see Dung trying to dislodge his foot from between two rocks near the water's edge, totally unaware of the Giant Squid sneaking up behind him.
As the ginger-haired peddler finally dislodged his foot, he grinned sheepishly up at his housemates. Covered head to toe in grass stains, and with leaves and mud stuck to his robes, he had started up the hill in his happy go lucky manner when something caught his ankle again.
"What the...?" he mumbled. A large, squishy tentacle had wrapped itself around his ankle and up his leg.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!" he screamed like a little girl. "Save me! I'm gonna be Squid food!" Dung fumbled for his wand and fell over, getting dragged slowly backwards on his belly towards the lake by the great cephalopod.
Lydia gave a horrified gasp while Annie and Bella rolled on the ground with laughter. She gave them a withering look and called down to Mundungus who was frantically clutching at the muddy ground.
"He’s not going to eat you. Hold on... Now, duck!" Drawing her wand, she gave a flick of her wrist. "Stupefy!"
Antonin had tears running down his cheeks but he caught the disgusted look she shot at him as she made her way down the muddy shore to try and help Dung untangle himself.
"OH NOOO! A duck, too? Where?!" Dung cried in panic, lifting his head up and looking behind him for a waterfowl as though expecting it would be fanged and frothing at the mouth. As he turned, the spell hit him in the back of the leg and he suddenly went all numb and tingly.
"Ly...dia...?" he asked, before falling limp, still being dragged slightly by the squid. The tentacle began to loosen its hold as she walked down the hill, but not from the spell - it seemed the Squid preferred live food such as merchildren and grindlylow meat.
Lydia gave a slightly agitated sigh. She seemed worried that if she enervated Dung he would begin flailing about again and the Giant Squid would return, so instead she tried with all her might to drag him from the water. Lugging him halfway up the shore, her foot slid in the mud and she landed on her posterior in the middle of muddy, slippery grass. Looking down at Dung she shuddered. "You had better worship me, Munsie. This is disgusting."
Looking up the hill to where Bellatrix and Antonin were still giggling she half dropped Mundungus, struggling to her feet. "You are SO sleeping alone tonight, Dolohov!"
Annie couldn't stop laughing at the scene, tears streaming down his face... until he heard those fateful words.
"Uh oh!" he said, coming to and looking a bit panicked, realizing Lydia had fallen bum first in the muck and was more than a little peeved that he hadn't come to her aid. "Be right there, morsel!" he said, picking himself up off the lawn and tromping down the grassy hill towards the lake.
"Bloody brilliant idea stunning the git... he was losing his mind!" he chuckled, giving her a hand and pulling her to her feet. He picked her up and carried her back over to the grass and set her down on her feet. "Those shoes will need a good cleaning, eh? You should leave them for the house elves tonight..." he said, kissing her cheek and hoping he was back in good standing.
He glanced over at Dung's still form in the muck and sighed, he didn't want to have to save the wretch, but he knew Lydia would expect it. "Can I throw him in? Pleeease? ...I expect not." he said in a resigned tone, walking back through the sticky mud and aiming his wand at Dung's back. "Enervate.. You prat." His enthusiasm was certainly lacking, but the spell worked anyway, Dung's eyes slowly opened.
"Now don't get yourself all wound up or I'll be forced to stun you again, Dungers.." he said, shaking his head and smirking at the goof.
Lydia looked over her shoulder, whining slightly over the state of her stockings and the large streak of mud across the back of her skirt.
"Well how would you feel if a long wormy-looking thing was wrapping about your leg and trying to eat you? He has a low tolerance for possible death, that’s all." She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.
Helping Dung to his feet, Annie paused. "Wait a tick, I’m being nice to this goof and you're still mad?" he glanced over his shoulder at her and let out a heavy groan. "Right right... we all have nightmares about being eaten by squids and ducks. Whatever was I thinking?"
Dung stood in the muck looking like some hideous creature crafted of mud and leaves. He scratched his head, looking back out to the lake and mumbled, "That was scary... worse than when I crossbred a venomous tentacula with puffapod."
Glancing back up the hill and seeing Antonin and Lydia, he pulled his feet from the sticky muck and trudged up towards them. He offered Lydia a hug to thank her for saving him but Lydia politely refused, muttering something that sounded like 'Swamp Thing'. He quickly glanced towards the trees hearing a noise that sounded eerily like a "quack" and seemd to have decided that this was a good time to head back up the hill.
She glanced down at her mud-stained uniform and socks and let out a whimper, a pout on her pretty face.
"Shall I carry you all the way back to your dorm?" Antonin smirked, he couldn't help but think back on how he'd braved the hexes protecting the girls' dormitory from intruders, and had stumbled upon her drawer full of girlish unthinkables while searching for a stringmint.
He lifted her into his arms and spun her around as he made his way back up the lush grassy hill.
"Aren't I a little heavy?" she cooed, laughing as the mud streaked his uniform now as well. "Besides, I'm not sure you could handle another set of Stinging Hexes to get me inside..."
"I'd say the first batch was well worth it, even if I did get pegged as a peeper," he chuckled, holding her effortlessly.
Suddenly he staggered.
"Oh, Rampaging Runespores! Ohhh you're sooo heavy..." he said, feigning that the tiny china doll girl was breaking his back. He began to walk with his knees bent pretending to be under a huge strain and then, getting back to where Bellatrix was sitting (trying with exasperation to ignore them), he crumpled into a heap with Lydia landing on top of him. He laughed boyishly, and tickled her; the two breaking into a fit of giggles very unlike anything to be expected from two oft-feared Slytherins.
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{This is a collaborative piece based on RP. Special thanks to Aly, Sara, and Roses who wrote the original actions for Bella, Lydia, and Amelia, respectively. Much of the dialogue and action for Lydia is kept intact, however, the other characters are mainly rewritten to better fit the shorter format with no backstory.}