Chapter Text
"Cleo Cazo. Get that filthy thing off Isis!" A short-haired Slytherin with bright green eyes yelled at a young Hufflepuff across the dining hall.
"Ummm... huh?" A sleepy girl perked up at the sound of her name.
Nearby, a rat wearing a little backpack is being chased down by an agile black cat with yellow eyes. The moment Cleo saw the animals, she instantly sobered up.
"More like get your creature off Sebastian, you crazy cat woman!" The raven-haired girl rushes to the fight scene, whose rat is scrambling between plates of food, desperately running away from the regal cat.
"Shitballs... Yer ruinin' my sandwich!" A blonde with pale skin squeals, as the game of cat-and-mouse (rat) is spilling juice and breakfast all over the Hufflepuff bench.
"But... Harley! She started it!"
"UGGHHHH. I swear tah god... That's why dogs are best. Stupid Hogwarts rules. Stupid Slytherins." Harley mumbles with her mouth full.
But soon, the rat leaps off the table and flees under the Ravenclaw table, and her younger friend is crying distraughtly while running after her pet.
Sighing, Harley forgoes her peaceful morning and joins the chase, crawling under the long wooden bench in her attempt to rescue the rodent.
"Excuse me. Ex-fuckin-cuse me. Just scoooot, pleeease? Tim, ya mind gettin' yer fuckin' feet off da floor? Can't ya see I'm tryin' to catch a rat here?"
Everyone is used to the school clown making a scene, so no one bats an eye on the pair of Hufflepuffs... until Isis catches Sebastian near the Slytherin table.
"Porra," Cleo, the third-year Hufflepuff, cursed under her breath. "Bad kitty! Let go of him! Selina! Control your beast-"
"Relashio." A purple spark comes out from Harley's wand and collides the cat, making Isis drop the rat instantly. Speedily, Sebastian skips back onto Cleo's shoulder, making squeaky noises as if to taunt the feline.
"Did you just fucking jinx my cat?" Selina Kyle, the cat owner, dashes over to ensure Isis didn't suffer any injuries. Thankfully, the cat landed on her feet, and she's now purring under Selina's gentle touch.
"She was gonna-"
"It's not Isis's fault! You duffers shouldn't have brought your filthy pet into the dining hall!"
"Who ya callin' duffers ?" Harley glares back, she hates being called dumb, and it's so unfair that Hufflepuffs always get this inaccurate rep. "And yer cat is here as well! So shove ya double standards up ya evil Slytherin ass!"
"Honey, I thought you love, oops, I mean loved Slytherins. But it's fine, dear. I will show you how evil Slytherins are," Selina flashes Harley a dangerous smirk, right hand already on her wand, ready to hex the blonde into oblivion.
"She's not worth it." Bruce, a fellow Slytherin, grabs Selina's arm firmly. His large stature shielding the dark-haired student from Harley.
"Righty right. Say whate'ver ya like ta say 'bout me and Mistah J, and hide all ya fuckin' want! But ya owe my friend an apology!" Harley presses on. The Sorting Hat did not put her in Hufflepuff for anything: loyalty is her biggest trait, whether it is well-placed or not.
"Come on, Kitty. Three lil words. Apologise and I promise not tah tell Professor Waller what you did."
"In your fucking dreams-" Selina's protest was silenced by Bruce Wayne's large hands, but a redhead, who was sitting next to Selina stepped up.
"Apologising for what? Please, stating facts isn't a crime."
"Isley-"
"I wasn't done. I saw Ratatouille there brought that pest in. And Isis only followed the rat's retched scent into the hall. So who do you think is going to be in trouble, huh?"
All Harley can see is that smug face and that demeaning smile, which reminds her so much of him.
So, without any warning, the muscular blonde tackled the taller redhead. Knocking her down and pinning her on the floor with her knees.
Fuck magic and all this bullshit. Nothing beats the rush of a physical fight, Harley thought as she landed punches and punches on the struggling Slytherin student.
"Get this mudblood off me!!" Pamela cried and raised her arms to shield her face, but everyone was too shocked at the scene to react.
Unfortunately, Harley is deceptively strong, despite being younger and a head shorter than her. After all, in between Quidditch training and summer gymnastics practices, the shorter girl is almost solely built of muscles, and she immobilises the redhead with ease.
"How many times do I hafta say. I. Am. Not. Dumb! And ya Slytherin fucktarts can suck my-" The blonde yells frantically and people around her finally react.
"Petrificus Totalus". A seventh-year student hissed, petrifying Harley on the spot.
"Call Professor Waller!" Another blonde girl shouted.
"Nah, let them fight. Who doesn't love a good catfight?"
"Shush. We don't want to get in between..."
"Let me through," Prof Zatanna Zatara's feminine but sure voice blazes through, parting the mass of students like the Red Sea.
In the centre of the crowd, she spotted a rigid Harleen Quinzel, and a battered Pamela Isley lying on the floor.
"Episkey," The head of Gryffindor chanted to reverse the effects of the Full Body-Bind Curse.
Then, the Charms Master nods to two seventh year prefects nearby: "Miss Danvers and Miss Prince, can you please escort Miss Quinzel and Miss Isley to Doctor Crane. And Mr Wayne, Miss Kyle and Miss Cazo, can you please come to my office. Let's get the facts straight before we start deducting points."
Grunting, Harley accepted Kara Danvers's warm grip to hold her up, angrily following the limping redhead to the Hospital Wing.
◆◇◆
To no one's surprise, everyone involved was sent to detention, and that's after 40 points were deducted from each House.
Harley hated every moment of it: the silence, the glare and the way how her arms hurt afterwards. But these kinds of punishment are nothing new to the troublemaker, and it somehow pleased her knowing that the rich-ass Pamela Isley had to polish silver in the trophy room without her magic.
Before this Cat/Rat affair, the young Hufflepuff never crossed paths with the older redhead. However, Pamela Isley's reputation precedes her.
According to the whispers in the corridors, she is a snobbish misanthrope who gives no shit about anyone except for herself.
Word is, she's a bit of a Herbology genius too. Apparently, boys who tried to pursue the redhead were often "mysteriously" poisoned.
Plus, it's also a well-known fact that the Isley family is powerful, filthy rich and a bunch of pure-blood supremacists. Rumour said Pamela is studying to become the next Minister of Magic, so more policies can be put into restricting mudblood families.
The blonde tries not to judge someone by their House or any gossip. But after this incident, Harley has decided that the rumours are right:
- Pamela Isley is a fucking pretentious ass
- And she is so fucking pretty