Her Roar Against My Venom

[Aras Ivanauskas]

Aras wasn't the typical first year who was going to spend his first morning at school, chatting with other first years. He was a hard-working individual who didn't want to waste his time over socializing with people he would have never wanted to be around. The Slytherin was an early bird and when he visited the Great Hall for breakfast, he was absolutely alone. He preferred it that way. No fools around to tell him how wicked was this school and how much they were looking forward to their classes. Aras hated people who were all wind and he was going to avoid them at all cost, especially that early in the morning.

Aras finished his breakfast and left the Slytherin table just when other students started arriving at the hall. While he had a couple of hours until his first class, he decided to make the best of his free time and practise a little bit. Aras was aspiring to become a professional duelist ever since he was five years old. He was dazzled by the famous duelists, their global recognition, the fame and the fun stemming from their job. If he wanted his name to be amongst the best of the best, he had to get down to work and practice his spell casting, even before taught at classes.

He decided that the courtyard would have been a suitable location to try a few jinxes. Inside the castle he would have drawn unwanted attention and Aras preferred to avoid the possible enthusiasm of his classmates, asking him to show them how to cast a spell. The Slytherin decided it was wiser to practice on a tree's trunk than on the fountain's statues. Detention was the last thing he wanted to get on his first day at Hogwarts. He found a secluded tree behind the bushes and started performing the basic offensive spell.

The Stunning Spell didn't shoot out of his wand at his first try. Aras worked on his pronunciation and the wand's movement he had read on his textbook during his time on Hogwarts Express. After some time trying to get right both the incantation and the hand movement, as well as keeping focus, a jet of scarlet light flew out of his wand and left a charred notch on the tree's bark.

Aras remained unimpressed by his achievement. He wished he could cast the spell on something or someone so he could see the true effects. A tree couldn't show him the prowess of his spell, which was the time his target was going to remain stunned. Suddenly, Aras' wish seemed to have been granted when a cat appeared from the bushes and approached the tree, with its tail raised like a flag. It was like inviting Aras to use it as a target. The Slytherin checked first around him to make sure he wasn't watched and his teal eyes locked on the oblivious cat. A smirk shaped on his lips. "Stupefy!" He shouted in unsuspecting time to catch the animal off guard. The cat was faster than he had expected and dodged the scarlet light with a growl. The cat hissed and took a defensive position with the ears flatten against its head. The agony of the poor animal didn't touch Aras who took a careful step closer and pointed his wand at it. He really hated cats. "Stupefy!" He hissed back.

 

[Doriana Strati]

Doriana was happy to be at Hogwarts. She always wanted to be around children of her age but her overprotective father didn't let her play with the muggle kids of the neighborhood. The only the time she would have the chance to hang around with other children was during family dinners but even then, her youngest cousins were four years older than her. For the sleepyhead she was, she did woke up early. After showering and dressing up, she thought of going down to the common room and see if anyone from her year was there and get to know them. The girl had no idea what classes she had for today. Maybe another first year, a more conscious of their studies, could tell her about their schedule.

The girl frowned when she found the common room empty. She realized it was too early for anyone to be out of bed, when she saw the remains of last nights welcoming party scattered everywhere. She ducked to pass bellow a hanging banner to reach the sofas facing the fireplace. Even the fire was out. Perhaps the house elves were partying as well last night, she thought. She sat down on an armchair and someone greeted her with a huge display of affection.

Her cat purred as he jumped on her lap and bumped his head on her hands. "Morning Rebel." She greeted him with a smile and stroked his neck. Her male cat was an Egyptian mau mix, with light green eyes. Doriana had managed to convince her father to keep the stray kitten a year ago and he had became her dearest friend. She had named him Rebel because he was a little untamed. He did what he really wanted and he was really good at running away when he had the chance. Rebel would usually scratch a stranger trying to pet him but with Doriana was super sweet and tolerant. "Calm down!" Doriana laughed as her cat continued exhibiting his affection by constantly bumping his head on her hands. Doriana looked around her at the quiet common room and sighed. "You know what? I'm going to explore the rest of the castle. It's so boring here." She said to her cat and stood up, making Rebel to jump off her lap.

As she approached the exit, the portrait slid aside to reveal the opening. "No! Rebel, come back inside!" She shouted a bit too loud but realized it only when her angry voice echoed across the seventh floor corridor. Her cat had found the opportunity and sneaked out of the common room. She ran after him but Rebel had no intention to return. The cat jumped down a few stairs of the grand staircase and waited on the landing for her. "Don't you dare!" she said in a furious whisper. She knew what was going in her cat's head. It was like she had ordered him to do the exact opposite as Rebel disobeyed and started running down the stairs. Swearing in her mother language, Doriana ran after her cat all the way down to the ground floor. Rebel was meowing throughout his wild chase, with his tail pointing upright, showing how pleasing it was to have her following him like that.

Doriana cursed the person who had left the Entrance Hall's door open. Her cat of course made a beeline straight to the crack that fitted him perfectly to squeeze through and get out of the castle. Doriana had to push the double door to get to the courtyard herself. In any other case the girl would have found this courtyard a nice place to be around but now she was worried about her cat. What if Rebel decided to go to the forbidden forest? A wave of despair was descending in her just with just the thought of her cat lost in that dreary place. Doriana caught a glimpse of his tail disappearing in a bush and approached carefully. She lost him for a moment when she heard someone casting stunning spells. She moved through the bushes and what she saw boiled immense anger in her.

A boy had cornered Rebel and was trying to jinx him. There were a few instances that Doriana could turn from a lovely lass into a fierce beast and one of them was when people were mistreating animals. She made a mad dash for the boy and pounced on him from behind like a preying lioness. "You coward! Leave my cat alone!" she yelled and locked herself on the boy. His spell missed her cat and she performed a headlock to prevent him from casting again. With her other hand and while still on the boy, she tried to reach for his wand and disarm him while her nails were sinking into his skin.

 

[Aras Ivanauskas]

Someone forcefully shoved him from behind and Aras watched his spell missing the animal for an inch. Before he was able to find out what was going on, the voice of a girl shrieked in his ear. He felt legs locking around his torse and an arm snaked around his neck. The full force of a body knocked him down on the grass and pain pierced the skin on his neck as the arm around his neck tightened. Aras tried to grab his wand again that was lying, tossed on the grass but another hand extended and prevented him. "Are you nuts crazy b*tch? Let me go! Now!" He demanded furious but the girl responded by tightening her arm even more around his neck. Aras thrashed about to release himself but his attempt was futile while facing down with the girl pressing on his back.

Aras tried again to reach his wand, a few inches away from his quivering fingers but the girl's headlock firmed up dangerously. "Y-you...you're...ch-cho-king me...i-idiot!" Aras coughed and tears welled up in his eyes. Suddenly her grip lossened and he grasped the opportunity to roll over and shove her aside. Gasping desperately for air, he crawled towards his wand and picked it up before she had the chance to retaliate. He wobblily stood up and pointed his wand to his assailant quite shaken from the assault. He touched the spot on his neck where the pain was pulsating strongly and signs of blood stained his finger tips. He then also noticed that his right arm was scraped with scratches, red and slightly swollen. "Stay away! I'll jinx you!" Aras warned her with a nasty glare.

 

[Professor Elvera Le Fey]

Elvera was arriving back at the school. She had spent the night at home with her girls but now early as it was it was time to be back to becoming a professor again. It was the first day of the year and it was the hardest first day of the year she had had since starting the school aged eleven. She was just making her way up the drive when she heard a commotion. taking a deep breath to remind herself that she was here to be a professor, and she should put her home lie asside for at least a little while she quickened her pace. a she went through some of the arches she heard raised vices. leave my cat alone and as almost on cue a ca came running down the path which Elvera managed to intercept and pick up before it got away.
it wasn't until she got to the courtyard that she saw what was going on. two students, first years she thought though she couldn't remember their names or houses were on the floor fighting. the boy shouting out that he would jinx the girl on top of him. she took her wand in her hand and whipped it through the air casting a spell that caused a loud cracking sound that sent a few birds flying into the air from some of the nearby trees. "There Will Be NO Need For Jinxes Here" she said her voice raised. It wasn't often she had had to use her authority as deputy headmistress, or even professor. but she was not going to just walk past this. "Now stand up and take two steps away from each other" she said waiting for them to do so. She was certainly not happy. As she waited for the students to follow her directions she thought of the best punishment for them, she had a vague idea. "now what are your names and houses?" she asked her voice not raised but still showing a tone of displeasure.

 

[Doriana Strati]

The girl was seething with fury and she was going to do everything in her power to prevent the boy from getting back his wand. She had to confront this bully for once and for all. Doriana couldn't understand how some people could be so mean to animals. If only she hadn't forgotten her wand at her dormitory, she would have gave that boy a taste of his own medicine. She tripped him down and she ended up on the top of him in her attempt to disarm him. She had the advantage as the boy was facing down. "Drop your wand now!" She ordered furiously and clamped tigher her arms around his neck. The nails of her hand that was keeping a firm grip, dug into the skin of his neck as she was trying to keep him down. In the heat of the fight, she scratched with the nails of her free hand the skin on his arms and hands as she leaned over to take his wand. Doriana hadn't realized the amount of pressure she was applying on that boy as she pressed him against the ground to reach for his wand. When he lisped something about choking him, she instictively loosened her grip and he found the opportunity to roll over and released himself.

She was pushed aside and to her dismay, the boy managed to retrieve his wand and point with it at her. The girl didn't flinch even for a second as she found herself defenseless against the pointing wand. She glowered at the boy as she stood up. "Why? Are you afraid of something? Chicken!" She yelled outraged and tucked a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear. She was still steaming furious and when she noticed that her cat was nowhere to be seen, she was determined to blow off her steam on the boy. "Oh yeah? Jinx me then you gutless wimp! Pick on someone of your size!" She lost her temper and took a bold step towards him, intending to punch him in the face.

A loud cracking noise came from nowhere and prevented her fist in midair before her knuckles were going to connect with the boy's cheek. Astonished, she looked around and spotted the woman who had arrived at the scene. Taken aback from the unexpected arrival, she lowered her fist but it remained clenched. As she got over her uncontrolable angel that needed this boy strangled by her bare hands, Doriana recognized the woman who addressed them visibly disappointed and frustrated. It seemed that they were in serious trouble at their first day at school.

There was no free space for the boy to back away as she had cornered him against that tree. So she was the one who took a few steps back but her gray eyes kept glaring wrathfully at the boy who tried to jinx her cat. She groaned in a sinister way and rolled her eyes when the deputy headmistress told them that there will be no need for jinxes. "He doesn't have the guts to jinx me anyway. He prefers poor, little animals. Right coward?" She scowled, just barely restraining from beating him up. The deputy headmistress asked for their names and houses. Doriana was drowned by a wave of fear that this was going to get her expelled but she was too proud to show her apprehension. Oppositely, she stubbornly folded her arms against her chest and faced the different colored eyed of the professor. "Doriana Strati. I'm a Gryffindor." She affirmed with a hint of sass in her voice. Frustration was all over her face for being prevented from punching the boy on the face. She eyed him, wanting to know his name but she decided to explain to the deputy headmistress the situation. "That brat tried to jinx my cat! He must be punished!" She demanded. If she was going to get expelled at least she was going to drag him down with her.

 

[Aras Ivanauskas]

Aras gently touched his neck with his free hand while pointing his wand at the girl with the other one. "Did you just bit me?" He assessed as he felt the marks on his skin. Blood stained his fingers every time he was touching it. "Ah, just shut up!" He snapped, having enough of her relentless rant. Before he was able to say anything else, someone interrupted their squabble. It was no doubt a professor, though Aras had no idea what she was teaching exactly. Aras rolled his vivid blue eyes when the professor asked their names and houses. He couldn't believe how this idiot got him into trouble when he was just practicing spells. Then, when the girl said her name and revealed her house, he reacted with a sneer. "Of course you're a Gryffindor." Aras folded his arms against his chest, not afraid of her anymore now that the adult was around. "You all act like old, stuffy spinsters dissing about everything." He added with an apparent hatred for the girl's house. Aras received her nasty glances as apathetically as possible. He knew that this kind of attitude was really exasperating people like her.

She didn't let him say his name and house. She wasted no time and started accusing him for trying to harm her cat. "It was your cat?" He wondered and quirked an eyebrow. "No wonder why it tried to ran away from you." He commented in a highly provocative tone. Then he ignored her as she insisted for his punishment and faced the professor. "I'm Aras Ivanauskas. Slytherin." He referred to his house with much pride. "I didn't know it was her cat." Aras claimed in his defense. "She has some anger management issues. Look what she did to me professor." He showed to the woman the scratched all over his arms and hands and pointed at the wound on his neck, whatever that was. "I think that's enough to get her kicked out of the school." Aras smirked and glared back at the girl. He would love to see her getting expelled. "I have to go to the hospital wing." He faked a wince of pain and touched his neck to see if blood was still oozing from the wound.

 

[Professor Elvera Le Fey]

Elvera could see that the two were not going to stop bickering. Easily. Even though she had maybe stopped them physically fighting they were still going at each other with various goads and jibes. After a few moments when she was fairly sure she had gotten the key points of the dispute she raised her hand to silence them let me get this right. she said " so mr ivanauskas you were out here practicing spells, to try one on a cat! though it is your first day and you should be inexperienced at using spells. And don't even know what spells you will be needing to learn this year she said usually on the first day a few students would have a couple of basic spells trailed but not really that many and not be that proficient at them. The then turned to the girl "let me finish she said sencing someone was about to say something to contradict her "then you miss strati saw him using magic on your cat and instead of asking him to stop you tried to make him stop defending you cat. Mr ivanauskas retaliated in self defence and the fight grew from there she said pausing for a moment to let hem add to the story. first of all it is my decision who will get punished and how. I have been teaching here for years and as deputy headmistress know the rules, one of which is no fighting, but I think expulsion on the first day is a little to drastic. she said reacting to her coming on aras needing punishment, and the boys statement that he thought she should be kicked out of school. she was right but it wasn't for a first year to decide who would and wouldn't be punished. mr ivanauskas. It should not matter who's cat it is, a fellow students, professor Styx' or professor davenshire's. There will be no spells cast on animals outside of class, and no attacking spells ever, for that here are dummies in he duelling chamber. and yes when I am finished you can go to the hospital wing. The nurses there will get you fixed up in a second. She said waiting for their reactions. She was slowly coming up with the punishment but was still deciding if she should take the matter to their head of house or as it was the first day give them a once off exemption.

 

[Doriana Strati]

Just watching the boy behaving without any sign of regret for what he tried to do to her cat, had her wishing for the professor to have arrived at the scene a few minutes later. Doriana would have the chance to teach him a lesson. Now the boy was standing there with the cockiest expression on his face. "I would have but you're lucky" Doriana replied when the boy wondered if she had bit him. She glanced at the deputy headmistress, implying that he would have gotten bite marks as well if she hadn't interrupted them. The girl wished she could wipe the smugness off his face with a punch. Especially when he talked bad about Gryffindors. "Maybe you should be a Gryffindor then." She started saying. Her eyes were reflecting the fiery gleam of frustration. "You sound exactly what you describe a Gryffindor to be." She continued with no intention to let him have the last word. She took a first towards him, just giving in the keen desire to strungle him for a moment when he suggested that her cat couldn't bear her. She successfully restrained from doing that after taking a deep breath to calm down, reconsidering it. Losing her temper before a professor wasn't going to do her any good.

Aras presented the event from his perspective only to incense her more. "What a whiny crybaby!" She snapped exasperated at his falseness. "It's just a scratch! Man up already!" She shook her head, not buying at all his pretendious expression of pain. The professor just then seemed to have enough of their shooting goads and raised her hand to stop them and finally speak. It was her turn to let a smirk form on her face when the deputy headmistress reprooved the Slytherin for his deed.
Doriana was about to contradict what the professor said about Aras just practicing spells. She was really convinced that the boy was intending to harm the cat. Nonetheless, professor Le Fey sensed the girl's intention of arguing and she didn't let her to interrupt. "Asking him to stop?" She repeated with a groan. "He was already casting stunners on my cat. If I had my wand with me I would have made sure he was lying unconscious on the ground." She shot a glare at his way, stubbornly refusing to give an end to this quarrel. It was kind of comforting that the deputy headmistress didn't took seriously his demand of expelling her but she knew, she wasn't going to get out of this without detention. "At least apologize." Said the adamant girl. "Say you're sorry and we are good." She faced the boy, her hands still crossed against her chest but she had a more pacified expression. There was absolutely no chance to just let him get off with a simple apology, that he possibly won't mean it. Doriana was going to make sure that it won't even cross his mind to harm other animals in the future. Just not now, under the austere look of the deputy headmistress.

 

[Aras Ivanauskas]

If there was one thing that Aras despised, that was when he was told what he was capable or incapable of. His first impression of this professor wasn't a good one and it wasn't going to get better. The girl should have been stunned by now and he would have been at his classes. No harm, no foul. Now he was stuck with this two unlikeable people, both wasting his precious time. "Everyone should know how to cast a stunning spell. It's a matter of self-defense. I've seen my father casting it." He explained although he had no reason to do so. He had merely followed the wand motion and spoke of the incantation of people he had observed casting that spell and he got it right. "I'm not talking to you anymore. You're as useless as a floberworm." Aras hissed to the girl named Doriana, who was still trying dangerously enough his patience. Too bad she hadn't showed up earlier before her cat. The slytherin was determined to ignore her completely from now on and get on with this but he couldn't help it when he heard her saying that she wasn't carrying a wand with her. "What kind of witch you are if you don't have your wand with you." He frowned and shook his head in disapproval. "No surprise if you're a mudblood. I understand now why you had to come to blows." Aras smirked widely as he spat those venomous words and the coolness in his voice, remained as irritating as ever. The boy shook his head several times as he pocketed his wand and listened to her demand for an apology. "No I won't. It would be a lie. I'm not sorry for jinxing your stupid cat. You should be taking better care of it in the first place. It should thank me for saving it from you." He refused to apologize just to avoid stroking her ego. A gryffindor with wounded pride, a sight for sore eyes. "Are we done with this parody? I have a class to attend if you don't mind." He addressed the professor in order to find out if he was free to go.

 

[Professor Elvera Le Fey]

They were still at each other goading and sending harsh comments slicing through the air like ice laden knives. It was really starting to annoy elvera. "that is it! twenty points will be deducted from each of you for fighting and arguing. she said pausing for the briefest of moments an additional point will be taken for every goading or unkind comment from now on. Until you are dismissed and at sitting at your tables in the great hall for breakfast. Is this clear? she said making sure that they understood exactly where they stood. under this schools rules and general practice the stunning spell is an offensive spell, and whilst I can see that in some situations it may be used defensively in self defence I am fairly certain in believing that the situation you have described was not one of those situations, usually the shield charm is a better and more useful spell choice for defence but that is for you to learn in your charms or defence against the dark arts class. she said replying to the boys comment about using the spell for self defence.
i hope I did not just hear that from either of you miss dorina. I would like to think that you would not have resorted to copying him in his behaviour you obviously have a problem with. And mr aras that word is offensive to many and is not one that will be tolerated in this school she responded. you will still have plenty of time to get to class once I am finished with you both. So you don't need to worry about a bad impression to your apparently more important professors but if you are running late I will send a not to them letting them know of the situation. she said finally feeling like she had disciplined them enough, and didn't have much else to say to add to it. Now time for their punishments. i should be setting you a detention but I do not wish to waste my time that I should be spending with my two little girls who deserve it far more than you, so, I will not be giving you detention. Instead I would like you each to write a letter to the other apologising for this morning. Miss strati I would like you to apologise for attacking and goading hurting mr ivanauskas. And mr ivanauskas I want you to apologise for practising the stunning spell on her cat, for fighting and for goading her. I would like both letters in to me by the weekend for me to look over and distribute. If they are not up to a level I find satisfactory you will be asked to resubmit them. Finally I will be notifying your head of house on this morning incident and they can add whatever punishment they see fit. Is this clear? she said setting out exactly what she wanted she had not go that idea from the girls suggestion she had been thinking about it before hand from the time they had started accusing each other of different problems. They were not dismissed yet but they would be soon.

 

[Doriana Strati]

Doriana bit her lip to avoid saying anything that could make matters worse for her. Her grey eyes cast a smoldering look at the boy when he called her useless but the drop that spilled the glass was when he referred to the derogatory term. It wasn't that he called her a mudblood, it was just the use of the word that made her mad. "You son of a..." Her outburst was cut short before she was able to reach the boy, when the professor interfered for once more and deducted house points for both their houses. Doriana didn't really care about house points at that moment but she feared that this boy was going to make her lose her temper at such extend that could cost her stay at Hogwarts. The deputy headmistress admonished him for practicing stunning spells and for the absurd term he used but this wasn't enough for Doriana. Then it was her turn to be scolded for revealing earlier that she would have cursed him if she had a wand with her. Their detention was finally announced to them and it was quite upsetting. "For real?" She retorted and wiped a lock of hair out of her face evidently frustrated. She shook her head with an indignant chuckle, her hands on her waist. Her eyes glared at the boy, luminous grey like storm clouds. She couldn't accept the fact that she had to write an apology letter to him, plus, she had to answer for what have happened to the head of her house. For now, she was forced to agree and deal with it. "Fine." She finally replied. "Can I go now?" She asked. She really wanted to put some distance between her and Aras. His devious expression was getting on her nerves.

 

[Aras Ivanauskas]

Aras raised his wand, feared that the girl was going to attack him but the professor proceeded and deducted house points from both of them. He couldn't care less about house points deduction and house cups. He lowered it when the girl's body language was again reassuring. He let the professor say what she had to say, looking at her apathetically. He was always going to practice spells and become better at combat, as well as using the term 'mudbloods' on those of muggle parents. "Crystal clear." He responded with a quirk of his eyebrows. Just a scolding wouldn't change anything nor the ridiculous detention she assigned to them. Unlike the girl, Aras just rolled his eyes and snorted entertained. He could compose the most penitent letter of apology but really didn't mean anything of what he was going to write down on the parchment. The girl was going to pay for this one way or another. Aras was patient and he was going to know when will be the right time to retaliate. "Yeah, sounds okay." He said right after the girl, having no objection to right the letter. He wasn't fond of meeting the head of his house of course. Out of the four, the slytherin head of the house was well-known for being intimidating and for his lack of tolerance. He hoped that his strict father wasn't going to be informed about this. "Now that it's all said and done, can I go to my class?" He asked, hoping not to waste a mere a second with these two.

 

[Professor Elvera Le Fey]

If elvera had know the sudden impact her punishment would have had she would have issued it earlyer. The two seemed to calm down a lot and not be at each other's necks. Thought the girls glare was seeming to be close to shooting lightning. She was the first to talk so she responded to her first "you may go. But I think that you are forgetting something. Is this your cat? she asked lifting the cat out of her arms and handing it to the girl. Make sure that he is secure in your dorm before you go to class, you still have plenty of time to get to gryffindor house and back before class she said dismissing the girl.
She then turned to the boy. as you said before you need to go to the hospital wing. It won't take the nurses more than a minute to heal you scratches and then you can go to class. Do you know where the hospital wing is, or would you want me to guide you? she said dismissing him too. Glad that she had food in her classroom and didn't have to call into the great hall for food.

 

[Aras Ivanauskas]

Finally the girl's stupid cat appeared. Aras was afraid that the gryffindor girl was going to accuse him in the end that he killed her cat. He couldn't understand the fuss over such a simple spell. Even if he had hit the cat, the animal was just going to stay unconscious for a few minutes. How powerful could be a first year's stunning spell after all? Aras didn't argue farther with these idiots. He was just glad he was permitted to leave. "No thanks. I can get there on my own." He replied coldly to the professor who offered kindly to escort him to the hospital wing. Aras wasn't really going to the school's healers to fix his wounds. The scratches on his neck and arms were true evidences of the girl's assault. He would be dump if he was going to have them healed. In case the head of slytherin house wanted to see him because of this incident, he needed something concrete to present in order to prove that he was the victim. Not the girl. The two first years departed from the scene, leaving the professor behind. Aras physically wounded, the girl named Doriana with her cat in her arms. He was keeping a safe distance from her in case she was going to pounce on him now that they were out of the professor's line of vision. "Next time make sure you have your wand with you if you don't want to end up stunned and locked in a chest." Aras threatened with a sneer when they reached the great hall. He didn't say goodbye to her. He just went for the staircase leading down to the dungeons and left her behind to mind her own business.