Dark Legend of Potter: Chapter 72

Clinging desperately to Ron, Megumin let out a squeal as the broom banked sharply, the climbed steeply.

“M-Megumin, you’re going to choke me!” Ron gasped, and Megumin eased up slightly, but didn’t let go entirely. The ground was rather far away, and while Megumin considered herself to be fearless, she was finding she didn’t enjoy bobbing about on the breeze at breakneck speeds while 100 feet off the ground. 

“Just get there before Trashzuma gets it!” Megumin hissed, then squeaked again as Ron dove so fast she could feel her heart in her throat. From now on, she was leaving flying to idiots who liked sports. Unless there was more treasure involved. Then she would make Ron take her. 

Wind whipping in their faces, they approached the weathervane atop Ravenclaw tower. There, Megumin spied a brass tube tied to the leg of the bronze eagle that pivoted in the wind. Just before Ron could grab it, Kazuma swooped in with a woop, and grabbed the tube. Megumin cursed him…then laughed as Kazuma was unable to simply rip the tube free, and ended up spinning around and around in a tight circle by the weathervane, before being tossed free and slamming into the side of the roof and sliding down with a groan. 

“Haha! I win again, Turdzuma!” Megumin chortled as Ron pulled the broom to a stop by the still spinning weathervane. Megumin used Chunchumaru to snip the wires, then stuffed the tube into her waist band before tapping Ron on the shoulder. Instead of going down to the ground, he retrieved Kazuma’s broom, and brought it back to Kazuma, who was lying in the frozen over drain. 

“Bad luck, that,” Ron commented as he handed the broom over. “Nearly had us there mate.”

“Cheers,” Kazuma mumbled, taking the broom back and sitting up with a groan. 

“It wasn’t bad luck, he was simply too foolish to realize he could not simply snatch away my prize with quick hands and broomwork! A true genius was needed!” Megumin cackled. 

“I just thought some flimsy copper wire would be rusted after twenty years! Let me see that tube,” Kazuma said, and took it away from Megumin before she could slap his hands away. He held it up, then sighed and handed it back. “Shit, I can’t tell, does this look weathered enough to you?”

Frowning Megumin studied the tube. The vessel was made of brass, it looked like it had been out in the weather for a while, and was slightly tarnished, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t as tarnished and stained as she thought it should have been. The bits of copper wire, however, were more telling. Copper that old out in the open air and weather should have turned green, but it was just a bit brown and tarnished. 

“The wire probably hasn’t been out for more than a month or two. It’s harder to tell with brass, as it doesn’t corrode or rust like copper does,” she said. 

“That’s what I thought,” Kazuma said, hopping back on his broom and hovering in midair next to Megumin and Ron. He rubbed his chin in thought. “A lot of the stuff we’re finding doesn’t seem like it’s been out in the weather or buried for all that long. The stuff we find inside, I can buy it being well preserved. There’s magic on the inside of the castle to keep things from falling apart easily. But this stuff out here? It would get wet, and be in direct sunlight. That should cause it to decay a lot more than it has.”

“What’s your point?” Ron said, frowning. “Maybe they magiced it too.”

“Could be,” Kazuma admitted, but Megumin passed Chuncumaru over the tube and wire, then shook her head. 

“By my mystic arts, I discern that no preservative charms have been placed upon these objects. However, mine mystic eye perceives the weather vane has! Behold! It shines like the sun, and not a day has touched its surface! A mighty spell was cast upon it to keep it safe!” 

“Well, maybe a bit of that rubbed off on the tube and wire,” Ron said with a shrug. “Don’t see how it matters.”

“It matters because someone is playing us,” Kazuma said with a sneer. “This stuff hasn’t been hidden out here by Megumin’s parents on some great mystic quest 20 years ago! It’s only been out here a few months at most!” 

“Hmmm,” Megumin considered, then shrugged. “Well, obviously, it’s Professor Lupin. He put it all out at the start of the school year at my parents' behest.”

“Oh.” Kazuma deflated slightly, and they started to descend to the ground. Then, however, he brightened. “So, wait. He knows where all this stuff is hidden, then!”

“Yes, obviously. He was one of the Maurauders after all,” Megumin said with a roll of her eyes as they touched down and Draco ran up, Blackie bounding along in the patchs of slushy snow beside him. 

“Did you get it?” He demanded, his breath puffing out infront of him in the chilly February air. He was bundled up warming with a thick woolen cap on and was hugging himself, but his face was flushed with both cold and excitement as Megumin took out the tube and held it aloft. 

“Behold! The next step in our quest!” Megumin bragged, and with the three boys crowded around her, popped the lid off of the tube. Inside, they found coupons for a dozen free butter beers in Hogsmead, which had all of them congratulating one another, along with another riddle.

By sable glass the heavens weep,
And mirrored stars in silence sleep;
The ancient tide that knows no rest
Clasps in its palm the hidden chest.

Seek not the first step where torches burn,
Nor path of your seven fold oft return;
But where the reeds like sentries lean,
And midnight cloaks the space between.

There lies a memory gone by, thrice-piled,
Their rest unmarked, by moonlight styled.
Beneath its hush the soil keeps fast
A relic buried, made to last.

“Well, this one’s easy, it’s by the lake, and it’s hidden near a grave marked by three stones,” Megumin said. 

Blackie sneezed, sat down, and looked up at Megumin with the most incredulous expression a dog could manage. 

“I am the Foremost Genius of the Crimson Demon Clan,” she told the dog smugly, which made Blackie lay down in the mud and sulk. 

“Well, you know the rules,” Draco said. “We make a copy, both teams get to look it over, then we meet up tomorrow to go over the solve and then find the treasure. Though it’s Dust and Ginny’s turn now. Thank Merlin, because I certainly don’t want to be traipsing along the lakeside in all this muck.”

“I don’t see why we have to. Lupin’s hiding the stuff, we should just get him to tell us where it is,” Kazuma said, folding his arms over his chest. 

Draco brightened at that prospect, but Megumin and Ron both looked outraged, while Blackie leaped up with a yip and looked horrified. 

“How could you disregard the last wishes of my parents by so grossly violating the terms of our quest?!” Megumin demanded in outrage. 

“Sort of ruins the fun of the whole thing, don’t you think?” Ron mused. 

“Because it’s way less work!” Kazuma said, folding his arms over his chest. “Why would you care about the stupid quest when you can have the reward right now?”

Megumin regarded Kazuma for a moment, then huffed and turned her back. “Munchkin.”

“What!? I am not some shorty who sings about houses falling on witches!” Kazuma said, going red with anger. Out of the four of them, he was taller than Megumin, but Draco and Ron were both taller than he, Ron by quite a bit as he began to hit his growth spurt. 

“Not from the Wizard of Oz, you dolt! From Dungeons and Dragons!” Megumin said, spinning about. The boys looked baffled, so she elucidated, “A munchkin is one who disregards all the adventure, only seeking to acquire the best loot by any means necessary, bypassing the dungeon entirely!”

“Isn’t that what you always do when we try and play?” Ron said, scratching his head. 

Megumin blushed, then stuck her nose in the air. “No, I try and master the most destructive magic possible as a Sorceress, then use my incredible powers to defeat any foe in a single shot! That is what Maximized Quickened Epowered Meteor Swarm is for, and why it is the single greatest spell in the entire game!” 

“But you also use it to blow holes in the dungeon walls and take all the loot that isn’t dusted for yourself,” Ron said, folding his arms over his chest. “So how is that different from what Kazuma is doing? Would you be for it if he said you needed to use Meteor Swarm or Explosion on Professor Lupin?”

A dreamy look passed over Megumin’s face for a moment, until Blackie bit her on the shin and she let out a yelp. “Ow! I wasn’t going to do it! I was just…contemplating. It is nearly spring, and is that not the time when a young lady yearns for Explosion Magic?”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only weirdo who does that,” Kazuma said, which earned him a stinging hex from Chunchumaru that he had to dodge out of the way of. “Knock it off! Just give us our share of the loot, and we’ll meet at Hogsmead to discuss our plans. Saturday is the next trip, so let’s just hold off on more exploring until then.”

“If you attempt to loot the treasure before us, you shall be visited by a most mysterious Explosion when you least expect it,” Megumin growled. 

“That sounds like work, and besides, it’ll just be another stupid riddle,” Kazuma said with a roll of his eyes. “At least this time we got some free butterbeers.”

Dust and Kazuma wandered off, while Megumin and Ron walked towards the lake. Not to solve the riddle, obviously. Just to scout the terrain. And maybe, on accident, uncover some clues that would let them solve the riddle faster than Team Slytherin. 

“You know,” Megumin said, putting her hands behind her back and strutting along, looking at the patches of snow and mud around them. “Valentine's is next week.”

“Yeah, Professor McGonagall gave us that whole lecture about not poisoning our classmates,” Ron said with a heavy sigh. “It was just the one time.”

“Mmm. Yes. Do you know what else is traditional on Valentines day?” Megumin said.

“Sure. We wake up early and make mum’s favorite breakfast: something that doesn’t leave a mess and we’re absolutely silent so she gets a lie in,” Ron said. 

Megumin opened her mouth, then shut it, and narrowed her eyes at Ron. She could not determine if he was being ordinarily thick or deliberately obtuse. 

“I am certain that was lovely. Did your parents partake of any other traditional Valentine's activities?”

“Funny you should ask. They always had us clear out of the Burrow for the evening. When we got older, Bill and Charlie would take us camping for the evening. Quite brilliant, really. We’d fly brooms to a little wood not far from where we lived, make a fire, and pitch a tent, then stay up all night telling stories and eating roasted sausages,” Ron said.

“And what, pray tell, was the reason your parents had you ‘clear out?’” Megumin asked. She did recall that Veron would become somewhat more amorous around Valentines, which was when she had Yunyun had to stay with that dreadful woman Aunt Marge and listen to her awful stories about her stupid dogs.

And if there was one thing Megumin did not wish to contemplate, it was an amorous Vernon Dursely. She imagined it would be like seeing an elephant seal try to mate with a giraffe. 

Ron grimaced. “You know, I had just managed not to think about that. Thanks, Megs.” 

Megumin wankled at the diminutive, but as she was trying to get Ron to notice something, she decided to let it pass. Just this once. 

“And have you never thought of partaking in this tradition yourself?” Megumin asked, trying to keep her level of interest mild and tone neutral. 

“What? Snogging my mum? Megumin, that’s vile!” Ron said, making a disgusted face. 

Megumin kicked a rock into the lake in frustration. “Never mind. Come on, I see a boulder that resembles the back of a toad. I’m going to blow it up, and you can carry me back.”

“Probably doesn’t need an Explosion…” Ron said, wrinkling his nose. 

“Fine! I will limit myself to BOMBARDA MAXIMA!” Megumin roared, and her spell blasted the offending boulder (which turned out to be just a rock), then stalked back to the castle with a confused Ron dogging her footsteps. 

Along with Blackie, who was smugly satisfied that a genius she might be, but Megumin was as clumsy and foolish when it came to relationships as any youth. 

“Well, at least we got something,” Ginny said, holding up the four coupons that Kazuma and Draco had turned over to her. “Well, I can’t say I’m sad we’re postponing more hunts until after Saturday. We do have another match to prepare for, and this one’s the last of the season. We thrash Gryffindor, with out the stupid flying monkeys, and we win the cup!”

“You and the Chasers do your job, I’ll handle the Snitch,” Kazuma said with a knowing grin. “Ron isn’t half the seeker I am.”

“That’s the treasure I’m most concerned about,” Ginny said, rubbing her hands together. A thought seemed to occur to her, and she turned to regard her minions. “Speaking of treasure, it’s time you lot treasured your little sister properly.”

“What now?” Draco groaned, but Dust and Kazuma nodded studiously. 

“You dunderheads, what happens on Monday?” Ginny demanded. 

“Is it your birthday?” Dust guessed, which earned him elbows from Draco and Kazuma. 

“No, idiot, it’s Valentines!” Kazuma snapped, then turned to Ginny. “Don’t worry, Ginny. We’ll treat our little sister right. You’ll get loads of sweets!” 

“I’ll make sure to buy you the absolute best on Saturday, you can pick out whatever you’d like,” Draco said, puffing out his chest. 

“No, I’ll spoil her more!” Kazuma said, bumping his chest into Dracos. 

“Like blazes you will, I already told mum to send me the finest collection of Belgian Chocolates to give to Ginny!” 

“Yeah, well, I bet she likes Honeydukes better!” 

Ginny grinned lazily as her minions fought, then glanced over at Dust, who looked thoughtful. He sidled up to her. “What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Chocolate. Especially with hazelnut,” she told him. 

Dust nodded, then wandered off. Ginny kept her eye on him. Dust was getting tall, he was already the tallest boy in his year, and with his remarkable red eyes and blond hair…well. He was a very useful minion. And sweet, if very stupid. 

But a damn good Beater. And that counted for a lot in Ginny’s book. 

Still, what mattered at this point was that she got the most chocolate. Romance was stupid. What you needed was to be the boss, and to have the most stuff. And also be the best at Quidditch. That was her true love, Ginny had decided. Winning the Quidditch Cup, and proving to her stupid brothers that she was the real sports hero of them all. If any of them were going to go pro, it was her. Charlie could have, but hadn’t. Ginny was going to be the real deal. 

That decided, Ginny went off to plan plays and maneuvers. She was going to stomp Ron and his stupid lions into the mud. It might still be a month away, but she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for it. Their match against Ravenclaw the week before had been far too close for her liking. This time, they needed to win, and win big. 

After arguing with Draco until he was blue in the face about who would spoil their precious Ginny more, Kazuma slunk off to the Room of Requirement. He wasn’t supposed to know about it, but Darkness couldn’t keep a secret, and he’d pried the location out of her easily enough. 

After pacing back and forth and thinking of his urgent need, the door appeared. Kazuma slicked back his hair with his hands, and took a deep breath. This was just a normal conversation. He’d be fine. His stupid heart was just racing from all those stairs he’d climbed. 

He opened the door and found Darkness facing the wall away from him, doing squats with a barbell over her shoulders. Despite the chill air, there was a sheen of sweat on her body, and she was wearing only a black leotard. He could see her well defined, long legs, and her hair pulled up in a ponytail behind her head with a red scrunchy. 

He admired the view for a moment, lost in thought. Darkness was still a gangly, horse faced girl, and there was no way he was really interested in her. He just-

“Oh, Kazuma! I did not hear you come in,” Darkness grunted, setting down the barbell and turning to face him. She blushed slightly, taking up a towel and wrapping it about her shoulders. Kazuma was mildly disappointed that it obscured the view. What was wrong with him today?!

“I, uh, I was just thinking. We’re going to Hogsmead on Saturday, as a group. You know, to discuss the next step of the treasure hunt,” Kazuma said, awkwardly playing with his wand in his hands and failing to meet Darkness’s eyes. 

“Ah, yes. Megumin informed me earlier, so I came here to get in a workout. It will be my turn next with Hermione,” Darkness said with a nod. “I must be prepared to face any danger! Perhaps a large, brutal monster, which would attack the group, and I would recklessly interpose myself between my companions in danger, only my body as a shield to protect them!” 

“Couldn’t you just cast the one spell you’re actually good at?” Kazuma asked skeptically.

“W-well, um, w-what if I forgot my wand, or there was some anti-magical field!? Then I would be forced to act directly!” 

“Sure, why not. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to, you know, catch a movie with me after. I, uh, I got Waterloo. It’s supposed to be the biggest battle ever committed to screen, really cool and stuff,” Kazuma said, feeling rather lame. It was just ugly old Darkness! Why should he care what she said?!

“Oh! Yes, that would be wonderful,” Darkness said, shyly smiling at him. “I, I would most like to watch another of the muggle war movies with you, Kazuma. I have heard of the Battle of Waterloo, of course. Seeing it play out would be very entertaining.”

“Cool, it’s a date,” Kazuma said, then blushed at his words. He fidgeted, then added, “It’s Valentines, you know. It’s traditional for people to get each other chocolate and stuff. You like dark chocolate, right?”

“Oh! Um, yes, I am fond of it,” Darkness admitted. “B-but do not feel compelled to buy me any…”

“I’ll do it if I want to, woman!” Kazuma snapped, and Darkness flinched, but she blushed and sighed as she did so. 

“I-I shall get you some chocolates as well. N-not poisoned, this time. B-but I would not hold it against you if you, um, poisoned mine,” Darkness said, shifting uncertainly from foot to foot. 

“That ruins the point! I’ll just get you some cheap, nasty chocolate, but you better not complain!” Kazuma huffed. “But I won’t accept anything but the best from you! None of that weird assorted chocolate either. I won’t make you home make it, but that’s traditional, you know.”

Kazuma couldn’t remember where he’d heard of the tradition, but he was pretty sure it was. That felt right. 

“I-I was planning on home-making it! Perhaps, um, baked? I can make a chocolate cake…”

“Fine, but only if it has raspberry frosting, and you help me eat it,” Kazuma huffed. 

Darkness nodded, looking down. For a half a minute, they both just stood there awkwardly. At last, Darkness cleared her throat and said, “Would, um, you like to work out with me? I-I would not mind a partner to spot me…”

“Fine, but I’m not turning into a musclely gorilla like you,” Kazuma harrumphed. Even if he was pretty sure most gorillas wouldn’t have made him feel this weird. 

“T-to call a lady a gorilla! How vile…Um, I-I shall go first.”

They ended up working out together for an hour, though Kazuma had to use a lot less weight, and most of the workout turned into a duel, with practice swords at first, until Kazuma demanded he get to use a wand and a sword. That felt way better, and he thoroughly trounced Darkness. She just kept getting back up no matter how many jinxes and hexes he put on her, claiming she would “Be victorious in the next round!” But she never was. Her spells were lame, her blows strong but artless, and Kazuma danced circles around her. 

At the end of it, he was sweaty, sore, and exhausted, but he felt good. He said goodbye to Darkness, then jogged off to dinner. He couldn’t keep a grin off his face. He was the first to have a date on Valentines!

Even if it totally wasn’t a date. Just a movie, with a friend, who was a girl. And ugly gorilla girl, whose muscles definitely weren’t interesting in the slightest. 

Content in his self delusions, Kazuma went to have dinner. 

Saturday, February 12th turned out to be a miserable, dreary day, just like most Scottish Days were. Sometimes, you have to wonder why people bother living there at all. Despite the horrible weather, icy rain that wasn’t quite sleet, but would suck all the warmth out of your body and scads of sticky mud everywhere, the flames of youth could not be extinguished, and the mongrel hordes descended upon Hogsemead. The shopkeepers were prepared, with their most twee cards out, and all the chocolates marked up to exploit the desperate hormones of said mongrels. 

The group of eight third years that met at the Three Broomsticks pretended to turn up their noses and be disgusted by the antics of their elders, who were canoodling in corners, having cat fights at the tables, and even a couple of fist fights as the hind brains of the males helped them forget the fact they had wands as their ape ancestor instincts reasserted themselves. 

Not that they didn’t also have fights with wands, or try to show off spells, just that they also devolved into fist fights and grunting. Truly, the most horrific of beasts: the human teenager. Deserving of the XXXXX rating by the Ministry of Magic. As any Hogwarts Professor would tell you.

The apex predator, however, was currently sulking in a corner, as Ron had epically failed to pick up what Megumin was putting down as far as she could tell. She had dropped about fifty hints in the three days leading up to this, and Ron had remained blissfully oblivious. She had decided he was doing it on purpose because no one could possibly be this dense. 

It would be several years before she realized she was dead wrong on that one, but by then it was far too late. 

“Cheers!” the idiot in question said, passing around the butterbeers he’d gotten with the coupons they’d found. 

Kazuma sat down with his beer, looking smug. “I confirmed it. Someone bought these coupons from Madam Rosmerta back in December.”

“Was it Lupin?” Hermione asked, sounding at least a little curious. 

“No,” Kazuma said, his brows knitting. “She described him as a tanned, darkly handsome man with long hair and a Hawaiian shirt, who was wearing sunglasses. She remembered because it was so odd to have someone wearing a shirt like that in Winter.”

“Don’t worry, Blackie. You’re the only handsome fellow we need,” Ginny said, and passed the dog a bit of her sandwich under the table. He happily took it, then went back to being smug. So much for these genius detectives. 

“You reckon it was Sirus Black? He was a Marauder," Dust mused, which made Blackie yip like someone had stepped on his tail. 

“Don’t be stupid, Dust. He’s a murderer who’s out to get Megumin,” Draco scoffed. 

“It would be rather odd if he were working with Professor Lupin, wouldn’t it,” Hermione mused. Then frowned and stared down into her butterbeer, thinking. 

“Let’s just look at the next riddle,” Ginny said impatiently, and the next clue was laid out.

“Definitely the lake,” Hermione confirmed, drawn out of her contemplation by the puzzle before her. “Honestly, it’s too simple, really.”

Blackie barked, which meant, Maybe if you’d had to come up with a hundred of the damn things in a week, some of yours wouldn’t be so hot, miss smarty pants. 

But Hermione didn’t speak dog, so she just shushed him. 

“Meet up tomorrow to find it and the next clue?” Darkness said, and everyone nodded. 

“Then I call this meeting adjourned!” Megumin declared. “Come on, I want to go investigate the Shrieking Shack, and see if we can find a ghost.”

“Why would we do that?” Ron asked as he followed her out with Hermione. 

“Because clearly such a place has to have some treasure! I bet that’s where the final piece lies!” 

“No skipping steps, ruins the fun,” Ron said. “Miss Munchkin.”

“I am not a Munchkin!” 

“Your character sheets say otherwise. Ow! Don’t kick me, it’s true!” 

“I’ve got some shopping to do, see you all later!” Dust said, and headed out, whistling to himself. 

“I’d better get back before someone catches me,” Ginny said. “Hopefully no one’s enough of a git to do it.”

“No one cares, people forget you’re just a second year because you’re quidditch captain,” Draco assured her, but stood to go with Ginny to keep the heat off. 

That left Kazuma and Darkness, who glanced around surreptitiously. 

“I’ll go first,” Kazuma said, then tiptoed in a very suspicious manner up to the room he had reserved. A few minutes later, Darkness followed. Kazuma already had the TV set up with the VHS tapes, and was lounging on the bed. 

“Here, I got you this,” Kazuma said, and tossed a bag at Darkness, which she fumbled, then had to pick up off the floor. Inside was some of the most expensive handcrafted dark chocolates she’d seen, with a variety of fillings, from cream, to almonds, to orange and raspberry. 

“It was cheaper to buy the lot,” Kazuma lied, trying to look nonchalant. 

Darkness blushed, and took a bite of the orange flavored one. “I-it’s nice. Um, I-I made you your cake…”

Kazuma sat up and eagerly crawled over as Darkness drew a small cake in a container out of her bag, setting it on the table. On it, written somewhat crudely was a pink heart with the word, “Kazuma” on it. 

“It looks alright,” Kazuma said gruffly. “Don’t think I’ll share.”

Darkness nodded timidly as Kazuma proceeded to make an absolute pig out of himself and devour the cake as they watched the entirety of the more than two hour epic. She herself ate far too many of her chocolates, but unlike Kazuma, she didn’t get an upset stomach thanks to her iron constitution. 

“This isn’t a date, just so you know,” Kazuma told her halfway through.

“O-of course not. Why would I go out with a disgusting Slytherin like you?” 

“That’s right. I’d never date a horse-faced Gryffindor. I have standards.”

“Uncooth moron!” 

“Overly muscled gorilla!” 

Kazuma half thought Darkness would storm out, but instead she just blushed and looked pleased about something. Well, fine. It wasn’t like it was a date. Just so they were clear. 

Megumin hadn’t been speaking to Ron since Sunday evening, so when he walked over to her Monday afternoon, she just glared at him. 

“Oh, by the way, Megs, Happy Valentine's Day,” Ron said, and handed her a card and a chocolate bar. 

Instantly, Megumin was all smiles. “Why, thank you, Ron, I’d nearly forgotten!” 

The card was handmade, and said, “Happy Valentines Day to the Foremost Genius of the Crimson Clan.” Megumin felt like she’d swoon.

Then that big idiot walked over and gave Hermione and Darkness a card and some chocolate too. He even gave some to that twit Lavender. Then he just sat down next to Megumin like nothing!

“Happy Valentines Day,” Megumin grumbled, and passed Ron a chocolate heart she’d made herself. 

“Brilliant! Thanks, Megs!” Ron said, and ate the whole thing on the spot. He didn’t even notice it said, “Our Destines are Forever Intertwined! XOXO”! What an idiot. 

Still, Megumin decided she didn’t need to use her Explosion on him. Today, anyway. 

Ginny sat amongst her spoils, smiling sweetly and feeling smug. Nearly every boy in Slytherin had given her sweets, though most of them had also given some to all the other girls, Ginny got special attention as the Quidditch Captain. She was still lounging on ther throne when Dust came up to her. 

“Wow, that’s a lot of chocolates! Hope mine are alright,” He said, and passed her a card and a wrapped package.

Ginny tore into it greedily, then paused. She held up the offering, and frowned at it. They were lumpy and misshapen, though she thought they were supposed to be hearts. Bits of hazelnut poked out of them, and they smelled slightly burnt. “Dust…did you make these yourself?”

“Yep! Didn’t feel right to buy chocolate for someone you care about, you know?” he said amiably. 

Ginny popped one into her mouth. They were burnt. And also wonderful.

“Thank you, Dust. Here, why don’t you have some of these? It’s too much, even for me,” Ginny said, and bequeathed a few chocolate frogs on Dust.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Kazuma said, reaching for a frog himself.

Ginny swatted his hand away. “Get your hands off! You just store-bought yours. Dust made his with love.”

“Mostly cocoa powder and sugar, actually,” Dust put in. Ginny patted him on the hand. “But I guess there was love in there, too.”

“Just leave the thinking to me, Dust,” Ginny said as the wounded Kazuma retreated. 

“Ok!” Dust agreed, and ate the chocolate frogs. She looked around. “Where’s Draco?”

Nervously, Draco glanced at the clock. It was only 2:50pm. She wasn’t late yet. 

“Dobby, are you certain that the card was delivered?” he asked, glancing over at the house elf, who had a towel folded over one arm, and a black bowtie on. One that Draco had strickly instructed him didn’t count as clothing, and Dobbie had amicably agreed to, especially after Draco had also paid him a full silver sickle. 

“Yes, Master Draco. Dobby was delivering the card, and very secret, just as you was asking!” Dobby agreed. 

Sweat trickled down Draco’s brow, and he paced back and forth nervously. To his horror, 3pm ticked by. Then 3:05. He was about to give up in despair, when the door to the classroom was flung open. 

“S-sorry I’m late! I-I had class, and Professor Flitwick kept us longer than usual,” Yunyun gasped, stumbling in. “Oh, good! You’re still here!”

Heart fluttering, Draco nodded, then gestured to the table. It had been neatly set out with the very best tea service at Malfoy Manor, brought by Dobby, and there was a hot kettle with the finest tea, and trays with sandwiches, chocolates, and at the center, a vase with six red roses in it.  “W-would you like some tea?”

“Oh, y-yes, that would be lovely!” Yunyun said, and hurried to the table. Dobby made to pull the chair out, only for Draco to snarl at him, and pull the chair out himself. Yunyun smiled at him, and delicately seated herself before Draco hurried around to the other side of the table. There was a card on Yunyun’s plate in a white envelope, and she picked it up, then delicately used the butter knife to open it before removing the card. 

“Dear Yunyun, 

I hope on this Valentine, you will be Mine in Friendship and Joy. 

Your dearest friend,

Draco Malfoy.” 

Yunyun looked up, tears in her eyes. Draco was horrified he’d done something wrong, until Yunyun reached across the table and gripped his hand. “Yes! I, I will always be your friend, Draco!” 

“Oh, uh, that’s good!” he said, feeling as though he could breathe again.

Yunyun let go of his hand, then went to rummage in her bookbag. She came out with a small hand wrapped package, which she shyly passed over to Draco. “Um, they’re not poisoned. I promise.”

Inside were homemade chocolates, shaped like little smily faces, flowers, and hearts. Draco tasted one, and it melted in his mouth. 

“Um, are they alright?” Yunyun asked, still looking timid.

“The best I’ve ever had,” Draco said earnestly, and Yunyun beamed. 

They sat like that for a minute, until Draco snapped his fingers. “Dobby! Tea!” 

“Yes, Master,” Dobby agreed, and poured the tea.

Yunyun frowned at Dobby, then looked up at Draco. “I-It isn’t very friendly to have slaves, you know.”

Draco’s heart sank, and he sputtered for a moment while he tried to think of what to say.”

“Oh, Master Draco isn’t being a slaver, Mistress Yunyun,” Dobby said with a chuckle.

“Well, if you force someone to work against their will, it’s wrong!” Yunyun snapped, her red eyes glowing. “That’s all lies! So is the pack of nonsense about house elves needing to work or they’ll die! What kills them is the magically binding contract they’re forced into at birth, as the capitalist wizarding class exploits the labor of the house elf proletariat!” 

Draco didn’t even know what that last word meant, and he struggled to find what to say. His salvation came from a most unexpected quarter. 

“Oh Mistress, you is not understanding.” Dobby leaned in and fingered the bowtie. “Dobbie is a free elf.”

Now, a new wave of fear flooded over Draco. That damned elf! If his parents found out…

Yunyun, however, looked delighted as she turned to Draco. “Draco! You freed Dobby?!”

“Erm, um, that is-”

“He was doing that, Mistress. And he is paying Dobby. Dobby is not being exploited by the capitalist class. Instead, Dobby is exchanging his labor for far wages, and because Dobby is liking Master Kazuma and Master Draco. They is being allies in the struggle against the slaver overlords,” Dobby said seriously. 

“Really?” Yunyun said, beaming at Draco. 

He had no idea what was going on, only that he very much wanted to impress Yunyun, and have her be his friend. Maybe more than that, but he wasn’t sure what that meant yet.

“Er, yes. I’ve always been for House Elf rights, you know,” Draco blustered. “Slavery, quite wrong. They should be paid! And not…exploited by the, er, capital class.” Wasn’t capital a good thing? Draco was so confused. 

“Oh yes! Hadn’t realized you’d read Marx too! He’s my favorite!” Yunyun said eagerly. 

“Yes, love Marx. Why don’t you tell me about him?” Draco said, making a mental note to find whoever this Marx was and read everything he’d ever written. 

As Yunyun gushed about her dream of overthrowing the wizarding capital class and allowing the muggle and magical creature prolitariate to rise up in a Crimson Revolution, Draco just nodded, unable to even begin to comprehend what was happening, but very glad Yunyun was happy and determined to keep her that way. 

It wasn’t the first time someone had been radicalized on accident, but it would, perhaps, be the most disastrous. Well, for the people who would call Draco Malfoy a Class Traitor in later days. For the house elves, he would be a hero. 

Author’s Note:

Yunyun is not YOUR friend. She is OUR friend. 

Hermione looked up from the book she was studying with Tom, as they were pouring over their research on turning into a Crimson Demon. “Do you feel like we’re missing out on something?”

“No, it’s all very clear here. But how to get the transmutation to be permanent,” Tom muttered, rubbing his chin. 

“Hmm, I suppose. I just, feel like the two of us are alone a lot lately,” Hermione said, putting her hand to her forehead. “Do you suppose that means anything?”

“Yes, it means we can complete our genius plan in peace!” Tom said with a grin.

Hermione shrugged. “Sure, that sounds good. Now, if we’re both going to become Crimson Demons, we’ll need someone to ship us…”

For the ritual. She means ingredients for the ritual.