Eloise sighed. She was in the Hufflepuff common room doing her two-foot long Potions essay, and it was hours past her usual bedtime. She had been up for hours doing her homework, but it didn't seem like she had gotten very far.
"Eloise..." Marietta croaked her name from the other side of the common room, "can you help me with this?"
Eloise got up wearily. "Sure. What is it?"
"Transfiguration," Marietta groaned.
Eloise walked over and looked at Marietta's parchment. "Here, what she's asking is for you to explain the properties of Switching Spells. All you have to do is write what she lectured on in class today. Easy, right?"
Marietta goggled at her. "I can't remember her whole lecture!"
"And you ask me why I take notes?" Eloise rolled her eyes. "Here, copy my notes. But this is the last time! You need to start taking your own."
"Well, I was busy," Marietta muttered.
Eloise chuckled at her best friend. "Yeah, real busy… practically writing a novel to Patrick. I'm surprised McGonagall didn't catch you. She will one of these days, and then you'll be in trouble. Or maybe not. Maybe then you'll actually take notes." Both girls knew Eloise wouldn't really stop letting Marietta copy notes, especially since she had been using the "last time" remark since first year.
"Hey, did you hear about what happened to Malfoy?" Marietta asked, suddenly alert. "No… What?" Eloise asked curiously. She and Marietta both hated Malfoy, as did most of the Hufflepuffs.
Marietta snorted. "Get this… he tried to curse Potter when his back was turned, but Moody was watching and turned Malfoy into a ferret!" She and Eloise burst out laughing. "And that's not even the best part! Moody bounced him up and down on the floor of the Entrance Hall until McGonagall came and stopped him. I heard McGonagall about lost it, but it was so worth it!" Marietta collapsed into laughter, nearly falling out of her armchair.
"That's hilarious! I wish I'd been there... Wait, was Ron there?" Eloise asked, suddenly sobering.
"What? Oh, I dunno, probably seeing as he’s Harry's best friend. Oh wait, I think someone mentioned something about how Ron muttered something about wanting to fix that moment in his mind forever," Marietta finally stopped cackling.
"Oh, well, I guess I wouldn't want to be there," Eloise amended.
Marietta shook her head sadly. "You know you should get over him. No offense or anything, but it's not like you have any chance with him."
"Or anyone else. Stupid acne."
"It's not your fault, it's just that no one but me sees past your face. If you did, the whole school would be starting an Eloise Fan Club." Marietta patted her friend on the back.
"Those Creevey boys would probably be glad to organize it," Eloise joked. "Aren't they the ones that are always following Harry Potter around?"
"I think so," Marietta said, "but I don't think they do it quite as much as they used to. Well, I'll get back to my note to Patrick."
"You mean your Transfiguration essay?"
"Of course that's what I meant," Marietta said guiltily. "It's much more interesting."
"Tsk, tsk... Sarcasm will get you nowhere with me," Eloise jokingly reprimanded. "I'll finish my Potions."
Marietta sat bolt upright. "What?! We have Potions? I completely forgot!"
"Yes, the essay due next week."
"Oh, that one. You’re already working on it?" Marietta asked incredulously.
"Yes, and that's why I have free time on the weekends and you don't."
Marietta shrugged. "Whatever you say."
The girls worked silently for twenty minutes or so, then Eloise spoke. "You know what? It's only Monday. I have the rest of the week to do this. Good night, Marietta."
"What? Oh, good night. I'll be up when I get this done."
Eloise strode over to Marietta. "You've only got this much done? Here, copy mine."
Marietta sighed, relieved. "Thank you soooo much! I'll never leave my homework this late again."
"Don't worry. I won't take you at your word," Eloise joked.
"Yeah, yeah. Hilarious."
* * *
"Marietta, wake up! Come on, we have Potions in ten minutes!" Eloise shook Marietta.
"I'm sleeping," grunted Marietta.
"Oh no, you're not! Didn't you hear me? Potions in ten minutes!"
Marietta sat bolt upright. "WHAT? Why didn't you wake me before this?!"
"I tried," Eloise explained, "but you just muttered something and went back to sleep. Breakfast's over, but I brought you some toast. You can eat it on the way to class."
"My hair--"
"Your hair can wait."
"But we have--"
"Yes, we have Potions with Patrick." Eloise dragged Marietta out the portrait hole. "Here-- take the toast. And here are your books. Now come on!" Marietta sprinted to Potions and slipped inside just before Snape shut the door.
"Nearly late, girls," Snape sneered. "Miss Midgen.... I would have thought you would know better. Two points from Hufflepuff. One for each of you."
"What? But we weren't even late!" Marietta exclaimed.
"If you would have walked to class like you're supposed to, you would have been," Snape said dismissively, turning his back on them and facing the class.
"Today, we will be discussing Babbling Beverages and their dangers. The Babbling Beverage is a commonly used potion by the Ministry of Magic. Can any of you dimwits imagine why? Yes, Midgen?"
"The Ministry uses Babbling Beverages to make people talk. For example, in 1784, Minstron Migglester was-"
"Enough. You may recall I did not ask you for an example, merely an answer. Is that too difficult for you?" Snape sneered. "Oh... and by the way, some of you might do well to take notes." Snape looked pointedly to Marietta, who was staring across the room at Patrick, who was staring back and making Marietta blush. "If you do not find my class interesting enough to suit you, you may remain after class and help me disembowel things you've never heard of before. Would that be more interesting?"
"No thank you, sir," Marietta muttered. She glanced up and saw Patrick smile at her again from behind Snape's back. She tried not to smile, but Snape noticed and whirled around.
"Peterson! Would you like to join Millen in her disembowelment project, since you enjoy her company so much?"
"No sir. Sorry." Patrick looked straight ahead.
"Very well... your ingredients and method are on the board. Begin." Snape sat at his desk, glaring at each student who dared to talk.
* * *
"Time's up! Put your potion in a vial if it is... possible to do so," Snape sneered at a short Hufflepuff who was staring at his cauldron in dismay-- his potion had vanished when he added the last ingredient. The Hufflepuff gulped. "Are you quite sure you're not related to Longbottom? Although, I must say, you seem to be rather more fortunate... at least you managed to escape visible… damage.”
Everyone put their vials on Snape's desk to be marked and began gathering up their stuff. When the bell rang, everyone shot out the door as fast as they could, eager not to be the next victim of Snape's foul mood. Patrick ran up to Marietta in the corridor outside.
"Sorry about that. I just couldn't resist." He grinned down at Marietta. She blushed again.
Eloise cleared her throat, feeling very unnoticed. "Snape was really in a foul mood today. I hope that doesn't affect his grading...I've been trying so hard to get an O in that class, but Snape doesn't seem to like me."
Patrick smiled and shook his head. "Are you kidding? Snape doesn't like anyone if they're not a Slytherin," he remarked ruefully.
"True, but he doesn't hate everyone as much as me," Eloise said.
Marietta laughed to herself, then said, "Hey-- you think Snape hates you, you have one thing to be thankful for."
"And what's that? That I'm alive?" Eloise joked.
"No, silly... that you're not Harry Potter! I've heard Snape hates him more than any other person he's ever met. I wonder why?"
"I don't know, but I heard he hated Potter's dad even more. I heard they went to school together, and apparently they hated each other as much as Malfoy and Potter do. I guess it kind of carried over or something. But why are we talking about Potter again?"
"Because Snape hates me, of course. That has everything to do with Potter, Potter's dad, and Malfoy." Patrick and Marietta both looked puzzled, and Eloise rolled her eyes. "Do I have to explain what sarcasm is? I mean, come on!" All three laughed.
"I have to go to Care of Magical Creatures. See you two later!" Patrick hurried off in the direction of the Entrance Hall.
"He actually talked to me," Eloise said wonderingly.
"He's mine!"
"No, silly, I don't like him like that... but he wasn't just being polite. I think that's the first time somebody here besides you or a teacher has actually talked to me without being rude or making some stupid crack about my ‘problem’. Hey, you never know," she said with a wry smile, "-I might be moving up in the world."
Eloise Midgen and the Acute Acne by eowyngirl
Chapter Notes: Thanks to my wonderful beta reader, Molly Weasley!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it that you recognize... unfortunately