Strange Magic
"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" the butler asked, squinting his eyes at the tall producer.
C.C. had to suppress a laugh. If he knew the answer to that question... Oh boy, there would be fireworks! She batted her eyelashes at him before taking a sip of her champagne.
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you? Too bad I can't give away my secret, much less to a yenta like you," she purred, earning herself another unimpressed stare from the butler.
"I suppose some secrets are better left buried...but if I had to bet, I'd say you are a bad witch."
C.C. cocked her head, pondering over the words he had just said. Well, she wasn't exactly a good witch, but she wasn't a bad one either – the fact that she was a Slytherin didn't necessarily make her a bad witch!
Yes, C.C. Babcock was a witch, and a very powerful one, thank you very much. Just as many of the most notable witches and wizards in the world, the producer had attended the famed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for seven long years, and if she was being honest, having attended the latter had been more or less a stroke of good luck. Back when B.B. had been pregnant with C.C., the Babcocks had briefly moved to Britain due to Stewart's business and C.C. had been born in the UK, which had automatically earned her a place at Hogwarts.
She still remembered the day Minerva McGonagall had appeared on her doorstep to explain her parents she was actually a witch; needless to say, her mother had nearly suffered a stroke (too bad she didn't, really) and immediately had said C.C. wouldn't attend Hogwarts, or as she had called it, 'Hogtwarts'. Her father, however, had stepped in and given her a choice – the only condition was that, if she chose to attend Hogwarts, he'd home school in finances during the summer so she'd be able to take the family business if she desired to. But C.C. was no idiot, and she had accepted her new status as a witch with great pride.
Professor McGonagall had spent the afternoon detailing the many wonders Hogwarts had in store for a young witch as well as explaining both Babcocks how to get to the school and where to buy the supplies she'd need. She remembered that that summer had gone past agonizingly slow, but – after a quick trip to Diagon Alley – the young witch had been ready to start her education.
That new and strange world had opened the gates to her happiness, for C.C. had blossomed in a powerful, young witch during her time as a student. C.C. had been quite a troublemaker, too, and she had been accepted in a little gang called 'The Marauders', whose members became her closest friends... and one of them had also been her fiancé.
But she didn't want to think about that, not now. Breaking the engagement to Sirius Black had been one of the hardest – quite possibly the hardest – things she'd ever done. But they'd been apart for so long, the complete connection that they'd had when they were younger was just...gone. That wasn't anybody's fault. People changed.
Circumstances changed.
The fact that she was here in a casino on board a cruise ship, watching a man she was supposed to hate gamble was evidence of that. She could be anywhere on the ship right now, and yet she'd chosen to be here. Just like she'd chosen to stay late that fateful night at the Sheffield mansion, which had led to her having overwhelming doubts about her engagement to Sirius. She just couldn't go through with it, not knowing that she could possibly have feelings for Niles too...
Not that they'd talked about it themselves, either. She couldn't go straight from being enemies with this man straight to...anything else. Besides, there was the fact she was a witch! How would Niles react to that? Knowing him, he'd probably celebrate and parade himself around the Sheffield Mansion while screaming he had been right about her all along – that she indeed was a witch – and that was something she couldn't allow. Not when she was supposed to keep a low profile now that the Dark Lord and his allies were lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack.
It was not the first time she was forced to go into hiding, however. She had done so shortly before James and Lily were murdered, when she had been gravely injured during a fight. Back when the first war had been won, she had briefly thought of going back to Wizarding Britain, but after Sirius was locked up and Harry was sent to live with the Dursleys, she chose to remain in New York and try to rebuild her life there.
Ever since her arrival to the city fifteen years ago, C.C. had slowly created a whole new persona over the years in order to blend into her new social circles – she hadn't always been an ornery, stuck up socialite; she had been a Marauder, a prankster, a warrior...
War had stripped her of everything she had once had: her friends, her future with Sirius, her freedom...
Whenever she thought about it, there was a part of her that almost couldn't believe the Dark Lord was menacing their world once again. According to Dumbledore, He was recruiting followers, growing stronger with each passing day under the nose of neglectful Ministry of Magic; it was obvious that dark times were approaching, hence she feared – although part of her knew it was bound to happen – a second war would happen in the near future.
Going back to the man in front of her, she couldn't reveal anything from her world to him – Niles was a Muggle, and if she did so she would just put both his and the Sheffields lives in danger.
"You'd probably lose, Hazel. I am not a bad witch, I am merely cunning, ambitious and I use any means to achieve my ends," she eventually retorted before blowing softly on the dice he was holding in his hand. She didn't know why her presence was helping him win, but being his good luck charm was proving to be an interesting way to spend her evening instead of being cooped up in her room, with Yetta to keep her company.
"I beg your pardon? How did you describe yourself?"
"Cunning, ambitious... compared to a snake sometimes," she said, keeping an air of nonchalance.
Niles raised a questioning eyebrow at her, no doubt puzzled by the producer's exact choice in words. C.C. felt a warm sensation in her body that was very much like glee. It wasn't often she got the upper hand like this. It was a good feeling, leaving the butler not knowing what she was talking about. The man thought he was so smart all the time...
It was kind of endearing, but that thought was a momentary blip. She was having too much fun at the moment, and dwelling on anything like that would ruin it.
The butler threw the dice again without looking – another win – and answered her.
"I know you have. About half the time, I'm the one doing the name calling," he began to smirk, no doubt thinking of one of many occasions in which he zinged her using the insult.
"Really, only half?" the blonde woman sipped from her glass again.
Niles shrugged, "I don't follow you around all day. Who am I to know who's insulting you when you're at work at the theatre, or out and about on the street?"
There was a silence as C.C. shot him an unimpressed look. Eventually she answered,
"Trust me, it's mostly you, Hazel."
Niles pulled a face which signalled he might have been impressed, "Hm. I'm surprised. I would have thought that somebody would have found something to monopolise on by now. Like the physical you, there are plenty of aspects to your personality to go around."
With a slight pout, C.C. made to turn away, "Well, if you're gonna act that way and say things like that, maybe you don't need me to be your good luck charm tonight."
C.C. swiftly flounced to the exit, not giving him time to protest – if he was going to be an ass, then he could find another Lady Luck to stand by her side as he gambled his money away. She could soon hear the man running after her, calling her name in a desperate attempt to get her to come back to the casino, but she didn't intend to stop. After all, she'd probably have many other opportunities to bribe him into doing whatever she wanted seeing as she was his good luck charm.
The producer fastened the pace until she reached the deck, and – after making sure there was no one around her – she drew out her wand and placed Disillusionment Charm on her, disappearing just in time to see Niles arrive on deck, his eyes searching for his favourite sparring partner with rapt attention.
"Where in the hell did she go?!" Niles exclaimed, sliding his fingers through his hair. He had seen her running away only seconds ago! How was it possible for her not to be anywhere in sight? It was as though she had vanished into thin air... "Sneaky, little serpent... I wonder, where did she go to?"
The butler turned on his heels and headed back to the casino, hoping some of his luck was decided to stay with him now that the producer had gone away.
Once Niles was out of sight, C.C. headed back to her own cabin, and cursed under her breath when she found Yetta, sound asleep and sprawled over her bed. Not wanting to wake the old woman up, the producer walked back to the deck, and sat herself on one of the chairs. There was a full moon that night, and part of her wondered how Remus was doing... it had been ages since the last time she had seen her friend, and she missed keeping him company when he suffered his transformation.
Her mind inevitably drifted to Sirius – she had visited him almost every day since he had been confined to Grimmauld Place. She had noticed it made him happy, even if they weren't a couple any more. Whenever she was there, a spark of life shone in his eyes, and he seemed to look less... depressed.
Heaving a melancholic sigh, the blonde carefully took out her old engagement ring from her pocket. C.C. didn't exactly know why, but she still carried it around everywhere she went. Force of habit, she guessed, she had carried it for fifteen years after all. Back when she had called of the engagement, she had tried to give it back to Sirius – it felt wrong to keep it when she had been the one to call the wedding off – but he hadn't accepted it.
She observed the beautiful ring in her hand – it shone against the silvery moonlight, and the two jewels – an emerald and a ruby – inset in the white gold ring blazed in a mesmerising fashion. She laid her eyes on the words engraved on the inside of the ring 'Semper simul, nunquam sine hoc'.
"Always together, never apart," she whispered, clutching the ring in her hand. The inscription had been their motto since they day they had become friends. The producer remembered that afternoon as though it had happened only yesterday – it was C.C.'s second month at Hogwarts, and the majority of her housemates had ridiculed her for being, as they had called her, a Mudblood since classes had started. As C.C. was the only Muggleborn in Slytherin, she had been shunned by the rest of her House and had been unable to make any friends. The young witch had never shown she was affected by this to her housemates, but whenever she was alone she couldn't help but to cry her eyes out. It was on one of the many occasions she had gone to the edge of the Great Lake to release some of her anguish when she had heard the voices of four boys approaching her...
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" a tall boy, with black hair that stuck up in the back and a dazzling smile asked C.C..
The blonde girl stared at them for some seconds but didn't respond – she knew who those boys were, they were the Marauders, Hogwarts finest pranksters. They had a reputation for being every teacher's worst nightmare as well as being brilliant wizards. Everyone could be a victim of their pranks, but Slytherins were their preferred target. Hence C.C. fearing they might be setting her up for some kind of trick or prank; she had her wand ready to attack them if they tried to do something to her.
"Come on, tell us! We aren't gonna bite you. You may be a Slytherin, but it's not gentlemanly to make a girl cry," the other black haired boy piped up as he sat down next to her. "I am Sirius, by the way, Sirius Black."
C.C. shook the boy's hand, and quickly got lost in his grey eyes. The boy seemed to be interested in her too, for a slight blush had crept to his cheeks.
"I am Chastity Claire Babcock, but I prefer to go by C.C.."
"C.C.? What kind of name is that? I think I'm gonna call you Babs, it has more personality," said Sirius.
C.C. wanted to protest, but – after considering that he was the first person to have been nice to her since she had arrived to Hogwarts – she caved in and smiled for what felt like the first time in months. "Alright, you can call me Babs."
"Wicked! Oh, where are our manners? Those three over there are James, Remus and Peter. We are all in Gryffindor. Anyway, why were you crying? "
C.C. shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, "They call me Mudblood, my housemates... And I can't understand why my blood is so important for them to determine if I am a good or a bad witch."
Her words seemed to have an effect on Sirius, for he draped an arm around her shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. "They are idiots, Babs, self-centred twats who should learn to shut their traps! You know what? You can hang with us if you want…"
That had been the beginning of a wonderful friendship... She and Sirius had gotten along since day one, and soon enough friendship turned into love. The producer struggled to believe that their story had been eventually ruined by the unlucky circumstances of their lives.
Where had all the good times gone? How could it be that her life had spiralled out control? Years ago everything had seemed so simple, so sure... and now, after fifteen years of solitude, the producer didn't have a clue where her life was going. Losing her fiancé when he was arrested had been one of the most painful moments in her life, and while she didn't regret breaking the engagement, part of her wished that they could have gotten married when they had planned to.
Sirius' imprisonment had been a turning point in her life, and as years had gone by, she grew bitter and cold, and the feelings she had once felt for the black haired man had faded into nothing. Of course she had suffered Sirius' absence, but she had moved on, and even if it pained to see her former fiancé suffering, she just knew it wouldn't be right to marry him. Doubts about the engagement had been swirling in her mind for some years now, but C.C. had definitely decided to call off the engagement after she had shared that alcohol-fuelled kiss with Niles.
And speaking of that kiss, not only it had finally convinced her she had to break her engagement to Sirius, but it had also made her realise – with much horror – that she had developed feelings for the butler. The producer didn't quite understand the nature of those feelings yet, but she knew they were deep and complicated. Of course she hadn't allowed herself to think much about them – frankly, it would only help to make her feel even more confused than she already was.
It was just so incredibly hard… a second war was coming, the man who had once been her future husband was depressed and being kept prisoner in a house he absolutely detested, and she had definitely called off her engagement when the unsettling realisation that she might feel something for her arch nemesis had reached her. It was simply madness…
A few tears ran down her cheeks and she forced herself to suppress a sob; she couldn't lose control, not now...
"What are you doing here at this time of the night?" a familiar baritone voice asked from behind her.
C.C. jumped, quickly stuffing the ring back where she had been keeping it before Niles noticed. Or, at least, she hoped he hadn't noticed. The alternative would certainly serve for an interesting conversation if he did. She took in a deep – but silent – calming breath, before she replied evenly.
"It's a nice night. I thought I'd come outside."
The tears were gone, and he either didn't notice or chose not to make comment on the ring.
"I should have guessed as much," he said, seating himself in the chair next to hers. "Your kind can't survive in sunlight, so the night is your only option."
"Ha ha, I'm a vampire," C.C. rolled her eyes and spoke without humour. "If you came out here to apologise for earlier and then to ask me to come back to the casino with you, you can think again."
"I wasn't actually going to ask you anything," the butler retorted. "I just happened to think the same as you; it's a lovely night out, so I thought I would come outside for some fresh air and a look around."
There was silence between them, before the producer spoke up again.
"You lost all your chips, didn't you?"
"It was like a shark attack after you left," he deadpanned.
The producer shifted around in her seat to better face him. She couldn't see him in the dark, but she knew he'd still look disappointed. Maybe it was best he couldn't really see her, either – she couldn't fully tell if the trails left by her tears had dried, and this new topic of his gambling was helping take her mind off it.
"Perhaps it's for the best, for one evening," she told him. "You don't end up spending everything you have, and the people at the casino get to close up for a few hours."
"Easy for you to say, Babcock, I did need a new pair of oven mitts."
The producer's answer was just a low chuckle but didn't zing him back. The butler rose a questioning eyebrow at her, but C.C. only shrugged and chose to keep silent for a while. She wasn't ready to talk yet, not now... she needed some peace of mind, and being in the deck, alone, sitting in the dark without saying anything was proving soothing to her. There was something comforting about Niles' presence, too, she felt strangely safe. She didn't think much of it, though – that would be entering dangerous territory in her mind, and she wasn't in the mood to do so. She had enough with the inner turmoil caused by her failed engagement to Sirius.
Closing that chapter of her life had been a tough decision, and even if she didn't regret it, now that she truly was – in some way – alone, the future seemed rather hopeless. What was she going to do if – or rather when – a war broke out? Was she going to disappear from the mansion and the Sheffields' lives? Was she going to fight? What if she died? What if she chose not to return?
The mere thought of a war filled her heart with dread: death, violence, loss... she had lost so much already, she didn't think she could bear to lose anyone else. But perhaps it was better to be alone, if she died no one would miss her, and she'd be reunited with her loved ones.
"Sometimes I wish I had died with them..." C.C. whispered almost inaudibly. She didn't seem to realise she had voiced her thoughts, however, but Niles had. He hadn't quite understood her words, yet he was intrigued by her odd behaviour. His nemesis seemed lost, unfocused, as though her mind was miles away... What could possibly be bothering her?
"Come again, Miss Babcock?" he politely asked.
"I didn't say anything, Butler Boy."
She worried for a moment that she had spoken too quickly, and that he wouldn't believe her.
The butler's eyebrows furrowed at the given answer, "Are you sure? I could've sworn that..."
He trailed off, shaking his head. "Never mind."
The corners of C.C.'s mouth twitched. She was partially relieved that he had decided not to pursue what he'd heard, but there was something else which she'd just got to thinking about. It wasn't often they got to talking nicely like this, and, if she was being honest with herself, she was enjoying it.
But what was she going to say to him now? They couldn't just leave it at an awkward silence, for Pete's sake – they'd never let silence get in the way of a good, witty, insult-filled conversation before. Especially not after she'd just done something nice for him, and he'd decided not to tease her about her muttered words (because she was now convinced he had to have heard).
Little did she know, Niles was thinking very much the same thing. There they were, sat in a silence that many outside the two of them would have considered civil, but the tension, the urge to say something – anything – was becoming too much. Did she want to talk? Did she want him to leave? What had she been muttering about to herself that was obviously so secret that she couldn't tell him? Did she think he'd ridicule her?
This and a million other questions presented themselves to him, but none of them were right to discuss with her. And he didn't want to make her angry by bringing it up if it really and truly was none of his business. He supposed he would have to resort to his final option: bite the proverbial bullet and just say whatever next occurred to him.
"Uh... would you like to drink something? The bar is still open," he chose a safe topic of conversation – Niles knew for a fact C.C. would never say no to alcohol.
"Are you trying to get me drunk, Butler Boy?" she teased, nudging him in the side.
Niles feigned a look of disgust, "Although I've seen you drunk many times before, Miss Babcock, I assure you that's not my intention."
"Very well then, let's get moving. Seeing as you are broke, I'll be a sport and buy the first round, deal?" C.C. held out her hand, which was quickly taken by Niles.
"Well, I can't say no to an offer like that!"
The odd pair swiftly covered the short distance between the deck and the nearest bar, where they spent the next hours freely imbibing uncountable alcoholic beverages. By the end of the night, the two of them were quite drunk, and as Niles – even in his drunken stupor – was still a gentleman, he took her to her room. The woman could barely walk, forcing Niles to carry her to her bed.
Unfortunately, Yetta was still occupying it, so Niles decided to do something he would have never done if he hadn't been drunk: he took her to his room. Of course he didn't get into the bed with her, he just lay her down on it, while he took the sofa.
The woman, however, moved in her sleep, and he heard something falling to the floor. He opened his eyes to check what had been dropped by his drunk roommate, and his eyes widened when he spotted a curious-looking ring.
Wandering over, and stumbling a little both because of the alcohol and because of the way the ship was moving, he scraped at the floor and managed to pick up the ring. He might have also bumped his head on the nightstand, but any bruise he received would wait until the morning. This was first and foremost in his thoughts.
He peered at it from several angles, even holding it up to look at in the light. He didn't know exactly what it would do, but he knew that jewellers and people who knew things about gemstones did it, so that one final drink he'd had which had loosened his inhibitions just enough to relax him told him it was alright. The ring was certainly very pretty, and probably very valuable too. Just from looking at it, it seemed to be white gold, and it was inset with two gems – a ruby and an emerald. Neither was exactly the traditional stone, but he could have almost sworn that this was...an engagement ring?
The very thought of that word used in relation to Miss Babcock was sobering.
He lowered the little object away from the light thoughtfully. Why did she have a ring like this? Was she engaged to someone? The thought burned in him deeply for a moment, but then something in his brain came up with the reassuring idea that she wouldn't let him live it down if she were going to be married. So why did she have it, then? If it were a family heirloom she probably wouldn't just be carrying it around like that. Or stuffing it into her pocket when she saw him coming, like she had. She obviously didn't want people to know she had it, for whatever reason.
He turned his thoughtful gaze to the sleeping producer. If she didn't want people to know she had it, she'd probably be upset if she woke up and it was missing. She'd be even more upset if she woke up and found that he had it.
He began to look around for a suitable place to put the ring, as though he hadn't even seen it. Back on the floor was too obvious – he would have spotted it there, and besides, if he tried to get back down there, he'd probably collapse. He was tired, full of alcohol, and had too many questions in his head that couldn't be answered. The nightstand wasn't an option, either. She'd definitely know he'd found it, then.
He studied the way she was sleeping. C.C. had turned over onto her side whilst he'd been thinking everything through.
His mind started to come up with a plan of action of its own accord. It might be possible for him to place the ring near her, and then put the spare blanket in that was in the wardrobe over her, and then pretend that the ring had fallen out some time during the night. She'd discover it in the morning, under the covers, and then hide it again, and be none the wiser.
And so he did. He delicately placed the ring near her body, and covered her with the spare blanket. He had to resist the urge to tuck her in, for the action would surely wake her up, but he contented himself by observing her sleep for a few minutes.
She looked at peace, as though in her dreams she was happier... her usually tense body was relaxed, and a small smile graced her features.
"I wonder," he whispered, stroking her calf, "what is it that you are hiding, Babcock."
Eventually, Niles went back to the couch, and it wasn't long until he drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Niles awoke the following morning with a killing hangover. He remembered little from the previous night, but for some reason the first thing that came to his mind was the incident with the ring. He spotted the blonde woman, fast asleep on his bed and cocooned inside a blanket. She had moved during the night, but the ring was still there, only the blanket didn't cover it anymore. As he stared at the little piece of jewellery, flashes from the night before popped in his mind... he remembered bits of their long conversation at the bar, and one particular thing she had said had called his attention. The producer had said the most curious thing: 'Well, you weren't the only one who was forced to leave things behind. I left almost everything behind when started working for the Sheffields.'
What was she talking about? Could it have to do with the mysterious ring? He knew he shouldn't do it, but he needed to see that ring again, at least one more time... he was a chronic yenta – what could he do?
The butler tiptoed to the bed, and – without taking the ring in his hand – he observed it from where he was standing. The first thing he noticed, was the inscription inside it.
'Semper simul, nunquam sine hoc.'
He squinted at it a little more. The words were clearly Latin, but he was racking his brains trying to remember what it meant. The first part definitely said "Always", that was certain, and then it had "Never" later on...but the words that surrounded them were coming up with nothing to him. And the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. The ship was still moving, which was making him nauseous, too.
It was lucky he decided to slowly straighten up and stop looking when he did, because C.C. started to stir, stretching, and moaning as though she were expecting death. She opened her eyes blearily, and spotted him at the end of the bed.
"Oh, God...we didn't do anything, did we?" she groaned.
If he was being truthful to himself, the way she asked him that question hurt a little. But he understood her point – if they had done anything after that much alcohol, it would have been risky, to say the least.
"No, we didn't," he told her, as the memory of him putting her to bed and then collapsing on the sofa came back. "We didn't even sleep in the bed together. I took the sofa."
The butler nursed his sore head, feeling a bruise starting to appear. He was certain the memory of whatever had happened to cause that would come back soon.
C.C. gingerly sat up, blinking and looking like she might need to vomit. It was a gargantuan effort for the producer to get out of bed, and she was actually grateful for the butler's help as he helped her stand up. He'd kindly removed her shoes during the night, and covered her with a blanket. That was good. That meant that even if the ring had fallen out, it would be covered...she checked her pockets, and her eyes widened.
"Miss Babcock? Are you quite well?" Niles asked. The woman's face had gone pale, and they then shot to the bed.
The ring was there, lying on the covers, seemingly untouched. Judging by its position, it had probably fallen from her pocket the night before, and she could only hope Niles hadn't seen it.
"I... yes, I am all right. I just need to... lie down for second."
She staggered towards the bed, and threw herself on it, swiftly snatching the ring in her hand.
Niles couldn't understand why she was being so secretive about a damn ring, but for her to behave in such an odd way, it had to be important. He hid his surprise under a nonchalant façade, and headed toward the bathroom.
"Do you need anything? Water, perhaps?"
The producer shook her head, and scrambled towards her shoes. As she put them on, she couldn't help but glance at him every once in a while, as though expecting him to mention the ring. But he didn't, he only limited himself to making small talk as he went about his morning routine.
The situation in itself was absolutely bizarre: She had woken up in Niles' room, had almost lost her ring, and the butler was being strangely civil towards her. At first she hadn't been so sure when he said they hadn't had sex, but little by little the previous night came back to her mind, and her last memory before she had fallen into Morpheus' arms was him placing a blanket over her. He had been extremely thoughtful, something that was irking her beyond measure... What was going on with him? This was Niles, for Christ sake! The only thing that mattered to her was getting out of his room as soon as possible.
Well… as soon as possible, but not too quickly.
Diving onto the bed like that hadn't actually done her any good. It was making her head pound and swim in quick succession, and now she felt sicker than ever.
But she'd managed to store the ring safely back in her pocket. That was the important part. She could get water and freshen up back in her own room. Hopefully by now, Yetta had woken up and had wandered out, most likely for breakfast, so she'd have the cabin to herself for a while. She could get water, and she had packed painkillers somewhere, so she could make use of those. Maybe she'd get breakfast after, too. She might feel a little less terrible by that point. Unlikely, but one could live in hope.
Niles returned from the bathroom, a glass of water in hand, and he settled it on the nightstand as he rummaged through his luggage as he looked for where he'd obviously stored his own aspirins. C.C. took the opportunity to try standing, which she managed to do. God, her head...even though Niles had offered her water, and would probably have offered her pain relief, she didn't want the excuse to stay. If she stayed, they might talk, and she definitely wasn't ready.
There was still too much going on in her head for that.
Bidding him farewell, but not waiting for him to say anything in reply, she left the cabin, and set off for her own.
Niles could only stare at her in silent confusion as she scurried away. What was going on with her? Why was she being so secretive about a ring? Her behaviour was extremely unlike her... He'd definitely have to investigate this. Babcock had never acted in such a way, and she'd have to be hiding something really big for her to act the way she did.