Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Never has Harry Potter been mine. Mine is not Harry Potter. Harry Potter has never been mine as it is not now. Thank you.
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A streak of bright, electric blue whizzed over my head as Sirius deftly brought my body into a crouch. I worried for the hair on my scalp.
Sirius, you need to stop this, I begged. You'll get me killed!
Sirius replied by retaliating at Lucius with a spell of his own.
Lucius jumped out of the way, but not quite fast enough. I felt sinister glee radiate through my brain from Sirius as the blonde opponent furiously patted the fire out of his robes. A snort of laughter escaped me (courtesy to Sirius) and Lucius' eyes flashed icy blue. He swiftly brought up his wand and fired a handful of Stunning spells in my direction, spare hand still beating at his clothes.
I suppose I could say Sirius was nimble at controlling a human body, but he could have possessed one that had far greater athletic skill. I winced as he twisted me into a series of uncomfortable positions to dodge three of the Stunning spells. Boy, would I be feeling that tomorrow morning. But as agile as Sirius made me, a flimsy torso was not going to become muscle-toned simply because it was swapped minds. The fourth Stunning spell flew by closely under my arm. Too close. Thank goodness Sirius seemed to notice that threat.
He flung me behind a statue of Uric the Oddball and muttered a spell I didn't recognize, jabbing my wand at an increasingly livid Lucius. A beam of brilliant orange shot out of the end of my wand and hit the advancing blonde squarely in his face before he could utter another hex.
I watched, both amazed and horrified, as the boy stood motionless where he had been hit by Sirius' spell, a look of shock and fury frozen on his face.
D-Did you kill him? I whispered, fearing what the answer might be. And for the first time since this whole mess started, Sirius finally spoke.
Nope. He was awfully calm and-if I wasn't mistaken-quite pleased with the result.
Just something strong enough to put him out for good. He explained happily.
And out Lucius went.
He made a face that looked as if he'd eaten something rotten before dropping to the floor like dead weight.
Sirius pulled me into a standing position and cautiously made his way to Lucius' unconscious body. He tilted his head and stared pensively into the boy's face. I felt a frown form across my features.
Hm, that's odd. It usually happens faster. Looks like I'm out of practice. Sirius announced grimly, nudging Lucius with my foot.
What? What happens? I demanded in alarm, and regretted asking immediately afterwards.
I gasped in revulsion as the Slytherin's previously unconscious body began to twitch violently and long, bulbous tentacles sprouted from his pale face.
That happens. Sirius smirked with approval.
The on-looking crowd recoiled, emitting loud screams of terror and shouts of fear. Even Lucius' two cronies thought twice before hurrying to his side.
"What have you done to him!" The girl named Bellatrix screeched, her long, black hair whipping against her face as she turned on me.
"Oh, de-bunch your panties, Lestrange. They're only tentacles; fairly harmless." Sirius drawled carelessly, bringing my hand up to buff my nails on the front of my robes. I had to disagree with him when I noticed one of the slimy appendages curl itself around the girl's arm.
"Fix him, now." Bellatrix commanded in a trembling voice, shaking off the tentacle to stand and face me, wand poised.
Come on, Sirius. I implored. Don't you think you've done enough?
"No." He snapped, and I knew he meant it for both Bellatrix and me.
The girl gave a roar of frustration, preparing to make Sirius bend to her will by force. But Sirius was faster. Before she could even bring her wand down on him, he already had his aimed directly at her chest.
Bellatrix looked as though she wanted to blast Sirius into a million pieces of human flesh, unknowing that she would only succeed in killing me. A long moment passed as we stood waiting, Sirius still keeping an unwavering hold on the girl with my wand while she glared back with pure menace. Finally, bitterly admitting defeat, Bellatrix let her arms fall to her sides.
"I didn't think so." Sirius murmured, slowly lowering my hand. He carefully kept his eyes on her as she spun around to inspect Lucius' face.
"Help me move him back to the common room, Augustus." She addressed the boy crouching beside him, struggling to pull Lucius into a sitting position. The boy nodded and the two of them hauled up their fallen friend, each draping an arm over their shoulders.
"This isn't over." Bellatrix hissed, giving me her ugliest glare. I moaned, feeling my heart sink into my stomach.
Then, something remarkable occurred.
A moment ago, the spectators in the crowd were cringing away from Lucius' new-found tentacles, but now that the fight was over they came rushing at me from all sides.
"Good golly, that was spectacular!" A third-year boy with tousled hair shouted in my ear.
"Did you see the way he caught Bellatrix Lestrange with his wand?" A fourth-year girl screamed to her friend over the crowd.
A short, freckled second-year shoved his way to the front of the pressing throng and beamed at me as if I'd just won a marathon. I immediately recognized him as the boy Lucius was bullying before Sirius burst into the scene.
Ask him if he's okay! I prodded Sirius.
"You alright?" Sirius yelled over the clamoring.
"I'm great!" The boy yelled back, "I wanted to say thanks for back there. I was really in a fix."
Sirius gave a hearty, appreciated laugh. "It's nothing."
"Hey, you're Remus, aren't you? Remus Lupin?" He asked.
"No-"
I gave Sirius another jab.
"-yeah, that's me." He corrected, a bit grudgingly.
"That was some brilliant spell-work you did! What in the world did you hex Malfoy with?"
"It's called-"
But the Hufflepuff never learned what it was called as a gasp shook the crowd and students began backing away. The boy turned to see what the commotion was about and he too, inhaled sharply and took a step backward. I looked up and felt my heart stop.
"What is going on? Lessons are about to start so get to your respective classrooms!" Professor McGonagall barked, marching down the hall and balancing several tomes in her arms.
The crowd parted silently as she made her way to the classroom. She was almost at the door when a strangled cry sounded from somewhere further down the hall. Professor McGonagall and the students turned unanimously to see Lucius crumpled on the floor, two of his tentacles wrapped tightly around Augustus' throat. His eyes were bulging as he flailed his arms at the watching students. Meanwhile, Bellatrix was busy prying off a third feeler attached to her ankle.
It was Professor McGonagall's turn to gasp, dropping her armload of books. She rushed toward the three Slytherins and pulled out her wand. Kneeling down beside Augustus, she quickly stunned the two tentacles threatening to cut off his air pipes before turning to do the same for Bellatrix.
"What happened here!" She demanded.
"You can ask him." Bellatrix spat, thrusting one long finger at me. The professor turned, and upon seeing who the Slytherin girl had accused, allowed her jaw to drop open in shock. She quickly recomposed herself and came marching back down the hall.
Brave little Sirius chose that precise moment to return my body and scurry away to hide in some corner of my mind.
You traitor! I growled inwardly. Take all the glory, won't you, and leave me to deal with the mess.
She likes you more than she likes me. Sirius countered.
But you used my body! I bellowed at him. What difference would it make?!
"Mr. Lupin, explain yourself." Professor McGonagall ordered. She suddenly seemed much taller than I remembered; her lips pursed into a line and her eyes showed no mercy.
I gulped, trying to keep my legs from giving out.
"P-Professor, it wasn't his fault." The Hufflepuff who Sirius had rescued spoke up timidly. "Malfoy was giving me a hard time and Remus here helped me out."
"BY MAKING THESE DAMNED TENTACLES GROW OUT OF HIS FACE!" Bellatrix screamed from across the hall.
"There's no need to make such a racket, Ms. Lestrange." The professor snapped before turning back to me.
"Is this true?" She asked quietly, almost unbelievingly. Remus Lupin, one of her smartest and most well-behaved students, cursing another student into a half-deformed sea-creature.
I could only swallow the lump forming in my throat and nod, staring down at my feet and allowing the burning shame to spread.
For a while, Professor McGonagall did nothing other than scrutinize me from head to toe. I could feel Sirius shifting about uncomfortably in the back of my mind. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
"Mr. Rookwood and Ms. Lestrange, take Mr. Malfoy down to the hospital wing." She commanded, producing a stretcher. "And get yourselves looked over by Madam Pomfrey too."
"The rest of you, get to class." She barked, waving an arm at the students.
They didn't need telling twice. People began jostling each other to hurry to their lessons, talking about the fight in low murmurs. A fellow sixth-year gave me an encouraging thump on the back as he strolled past, but I hardly felt it. My mind was going numb from trying to predict what Professor McGonagall would do with me.
"Mr. Lupin," She said in a soft but firm voice. "Come see me after class. I'll have you know that I am very disappointed in you."
I nodded stiffly before bending down to gather the scattered essays Sirius had dropped during his duel, not daring to hope for the better.
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
Transfiguration passed by in a blur. I could hardly remember practicing transfiguring my desk into a pig and back. Every time I did, I couldn't help imagining long, gooey feelers popping out of its face.
Professor McGonagall signaled the end of class when she swept her wand over the room and everyone's desks returned to their original, wooden states. The desk next to mine gave a last, stubborn "oink" before its tail vanished with a loud pop.
"Remember to practice the incantation; pronunciation is crucial for this particular spell!" She shouted as students began packing up their things into their book bags, chattering cheerfully amongst themselves.
"Your essays on furniture transfiguration shall be collected Thursday. Class dismissed!"
Amid a series of groans and protests, the sixth-years filed out of the classroom, some wiping their robes free of mud (a few pigs came with a layer of dirt and grime). I shoved my last book into my bag and swung it over my shoulder. Glancing at the professor, who was bewitching a rag to scrub the desks free of sludge for the next class, I noticed that she was wearing the same expression she'd had when apprehending me. My stomach did a flip. If I'd held any hopes of her anger dissipating somewhat during class before, they were definitely gone now.
My legs felt like twin lead pipes as I made my way to the front of the classroom, palms sweating and head lowered.
"Professor, I apologize for what happened this morning." I began, praying that she wouldn't hear the unease in my voice.
She stared intently at me from over her desk, saying nothing.
"I won't let it happen again." I continued, becoming increasingly nervous with each passing moment.
She sighed heavily and rubbed her temples with her forefinger and thumb. "To be honest with you Remus, I did not believe you to be the type of student to cause trouble."
I wanted to tell her "I'm not" but the words seemed to have gotten lost on the way to my mouth.
"This is the first time I've ever had to handle such problems with one of my best pupils. Out of them all, you had the best record."
Not anymore, I thought. Sirius' fabulous stunt had put a sound end to that.
"But just because you're a good student does not mean that you will receive any favoritism from me. Detention tomorrow at seven. Mr. Malfoy will be dealt with by Professor Slughorn."
Sirius gave an indignant huff. I nodded silently and turned to leave, but Professor McGonagall stopped me.
"Just a second," she called. I turned in confusion, wondering if she had changed her mind and decided to give me double detention for mutating Lucius' face.
"I didn't know you were friends with Sirius Black." She said softly, studying me with curiosity.
I stared, feeling my gut twist. It was impossible, but had she seen through the act? Did she somehow discover that I was hiding Sirius' at the back of my skull? Otherwise, how did she-
"He was an extraordinarily intelligent boy, but also proved to be the biggest thorn in a teacher's side." She continued, eyes looking somewhere far off.
"That spell you cast on Mr. Malfoy today was one of his trademarks-he used to prank students with it every other week and have them sent to the hospital wing barely recognizable. Naturally, I was surprised you knew it."
I blinked, dazed.
"Unfortunately, he's no longer with us…" Professor McGonagall looked away and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
I was speechless, wrought with awkward tension.
"Well, I better not hold you up." She finished, blowing her nose into a handkerchief. "Get to your next class."
I nodded and hurried out of the room. I was still wrestling with what she had said in my mind when I stepped into Charms amid a deafening applause.
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
The rest of the day dragged on miserably. I kept turning over Professor McGonagall's words, but too many distractions hurdled my way. To my immense surprise, it became apparent that the whole school knew about my run-in with Lucius Malfoy. It also became apparent to me that he was no welcome figure around Hogwarts. I had walked into Charms to the ear-splitting cheers of my fellow classmates, which successfully knocked poor Professor Flitwick off his stack of books. Herbology wasn't any better, seeing as the moment Professor Sprout left the room to fetch a tray of Snapping Dandelions, half the class jumped out of their seats, dragged me to my feet and paraded me around the classroom on their shoulders. My flustered protests were heartily ignored as the human train jounced me about. It was impossible to find any peace.
The only class that acted contrary was Potions. The Slytherins were up to their knees in loathing for me, while the rest of the Gryffindor sixth-years put every last ounce of energy in defending my honor. I spent the class ducking behind my cauldron as war secretly waged between the two opposing halves behind Professor Slughorn's back. Both sides emitted hushed catcalls and made rude gestures over their bubbling potions. Eventually, Sirius was also roused by the ruckus and joined in the mockery of the Slytherin's, loudly making colorful comments in my head. I never thought I wished I could put a plug in his mouth so badly.
By lunch time, I decided that I'd had enough attention to last me a lifetime and managed to escape to an empty classroom with a minimal number of vigorous back-slaps. I rubbed my shoulders as I sank into a dusty chair, breathing heavily.
"Sirius, we need to talk." I said aloud.
Listening, the ghost chimed, shifting in the back of my mind.
"What the hell were you doing back there?! Why did you posses me and attack Lucius Malfoy like that?! You possessed me!" I repeated, the shock and anger of sharing a body with another person finally hitting home now that I had the time to sit quietly and think about it.
Relax, you only got off with a detention right? Sirius laughed, clearly not seeing the seriousness of the situation. McGonagall didn't even yell herself hoarse at you.
"Only? Only?" I wondered disbelievingly at his thick-headedness. "I've never had a single detention in all my years attending Hogwarts but you just waltz in and destroy it all!"
"And you possessed me!" I added, sounding more hurt than I wanted to let on.
Sirius gave a low whistle.
Remy, you are truly impressive. He said slowly, awestruck. You have honestly never had a single detention in your life?
"You probably had a handful every month while you were alive." I snapped.
Every other week, he replied cheekily, wiggling with pride.
I shook my head, not understanding what he was so proud of. The room was starting to feel stuffy so I got up to crack open one of the dust-caked windows.
But really, Rem, you shouldn't worry so much. Detention is fun, especially when your best mates are there with you.
I banged my knee roughly into the desk as I stood.
"Are you out of your mind?" I said hoarsely, sitting back down and grasping my throbbing kneecap.
"Look, Sirius. I don't care what your concept of detentions may be but I'm darn certain it isn't anywhere near mine. Didn't we agree that you'd stay out of trouble?" I pulled up my robes to inspect the damage to my leg joint.
We agreed that I'd stay out of the kitchen. Sirius replied carefully.
"Staying out of the kitchen meant staying out of trouble and you've been causing me nothing but trouble." I retorted, gingerly prodding the skin that made contact with the table edge.
Hey, Lucius Malfoy deserved that one. He shot back. I don't think even someone as dense as you could miss his character.
"I'm not dense and of course I know what kind of person he was," I muttered as I stared worriedly at the rapidly forming bruise on my knee. "But that gave you no right to go off and blast his face into that-that ugly thing."
I thought it was quite beautiful. Much better than he originally looked anyway.
"Then you must be blind." I concluded. Pushing my robes back down, I got up once more-this time careful to avoid the dangerous desk corners-and shoved open a window. A cloud of dust popped off the glass and sent me into a fit of coughs. When I finally managed to open my eyes again, I did so right in time to see Nearly Headless Nick float through one wall of the classroom and bob over the desks.
Hey, another ghostie! Sirius exclaimed.
I felt the bottom of my stomach drop out as I realized what was going to happen next.
No, Sirius, no! No no no no no-
But it was too late. I felt the familiar feeling of being yanked backwards, scrunched up and tossed into a corner of my own mind as Sirius took over my body once more.
"Nick!" He cried, beaming at the school ghost.
Headless Nick turned to see me and his transparent face split into a wide grin. "Remus! It's good to see you! I heard about that little jostle you had with Lucius this morning. Striking performance, I must say. Only wish I could've been there to see it myself. I think quite a number of us have been itching to do something like that for some time, but don't say you heard it from me."
While I spun into misery, Sirius soared into a flurry of joy. "I know, I know. But don't you think there's something special about it? Didn't the spell I use remind you of someone?"
"Sirius Black, of course! Trademark of his, that little mischief-maker." Nick roared with laughter. "I had no idea you had that trick up your sleeve too. When did he teach you?"
"He didn't teach me." Sirius was shivering with excitement. "I knew because I'm-"
OH, NO YOU DON'T-
I can't be certain if it was rage or adrenaline, but I knew that Sirius had taken it too far. He also realized that fact when I dragged him back and forced my way into control of my body. A little unsteady from the sudden impact, I teetered backwards and grasped a chair-back for support.
"You alright, Remus?" Nick asked, surveying me with concern.
"Perfect." I wheezed, trying to get a hold of myself. Not willing to risk a battle for dominance over my body to ensue, I muttered a quick farewell and rushed unsteadily toward the door.
"Are you sure?" Nick called after me.
"Absolutely!" I turned to reassure him as I backed out the door. "There's nothing to worry-"
Crash.
"-about." I finished lamely, staring down at the stupid Vanishing Cabinet that I'd so stupidly walked into and kicked over.
Somewhere in the distance, another crash followed mine and the voice of one very irate Filch could be heard cursing at the culprits. A meow emanated from the floor and I found myself looking into the lamp-like eyes of Mrs. Norris.
Run. Sirius commanded.
I didn't need him to tell me that.
I turned and sprinted down the hallway, eyes darting back and forth searching for somewhere to hide.
"Is she following?" I panted, feeling the bruise on my knee do its job.
No, Sirius assured me.
I hurdled around the corner and into a section of hallway that I rarely traveled through.
STOP! Sirius yelled in my head, Stop right here!
"What? What is it?" I skidded to a halt.
Turn to your right. He instructed.
I spun to face a blank wall, confused.
Take out your wand and tap the wall twice.
"Are you mad?" I whispered, but I pulled my wand out of my pocket anyways and did as Sirius told me. The wall shimmered and melted away to reveal a hidden door. I grabbed the knob, flung it open and threw myself inside. The opening shivered once more and then it was gone, plunging me into unfathomable darkness.
Panting heavily from possibly the longest run in my life, I rapidly produced a small, blue flame from the tip of my wand. The odd cavern in which I'd thrown myself into without a second thought became slightly illuminated to reveal four walls. So it was a room, I observed. Waving my flame around, I examined my surroundings and noticed several mops leaning against the far wall, accompanied by a feather duster and two buckets.
This is where Filch used to keep his spare brooms and the sort. Sirius explained. He doesn't use this place anymore, so James and I figured it could serve as a quick hide-away when we…you know, did what you just did. It's absolutely safe in here.
"It's…not bad." I murmured, a little dazed as I sat down on one of the upturned buckets. "I hope you didn't have to use this often."
You don't want to know. He laughed.
I shook my head and scooted up against the wall where the entrance had appeared, snuffing out my blue flame. Feeling a little ridiculous, I pressed my ear on the cool surface, straining to pick up any sound that might indicate Filch was coming this way. Sirius had said he didn't use the place anymore, but I wouldn't put it past him not to check.
I waited in the dark, my heart doing a painful drum-roll against my ribcage. It was faint, but I could hear someone's voice shouting in the distance. A pair of feet was pattering down this section of the hallway. It was getting closer…closer…and then two giggles. Doing a double take, I pressed my ear harder against the wall and discerned not one but two pairs of feet stamping their way closer toward me.
Without the slightest warning, the footsteps came to an abrupt halt. I picked up a few low murmurs and another giggle before I was blinded by a flash of white light. Someone had opened the wall and two 'someone's were piling into the room with me. I gasped, toppling off the bucket. I had not the foggiest clue who the two intruders may be, but Sirius seemed to know them. I felt him jump in my mind.
"Did you see his face?" A male voice chortled.
"I thought steam was going to blow out of his ears!" Another male voice, a squeakier one, replied eagerly.
"We got him good this time." The first voice continued, "Filch'll probably give us a week's worth of detention for the mirror, but the look on his face was priceless."
Well, that explained the crash I heard after I knocked over the Vanishing Cabinet.
"You think he'll tell Dumbledore?" The second voice asked, worried.
"Nah, Pete. We'd have to smash something bigger and more valuable."
Then, two things happened at once. I sneezed from the dust and Sirius muttered two names: Peter and James.
"Who's there?" The deeper of the two voices demanded. Two blue flames flickered to life across the pitch black room.
I froze. Sirius jumped at his chance and, for the third time that day, pushed me into a corner as he spread himself to possess the rest of my body.
"James!" Sirius whispered, his voice overflowing with clashing emotions.
A pause.
"Who are you." This time, the voice was a cold threat.
"It's me, Siri!" Sirius exclaimed.
I groaned. It was as if I'd been hit with a bludger. It was over. It was all over now.
"Who the hell do you think you are! Don't play games with me." The voice rumbled with fury, but I didn't miss the touch of pain in his tone.
Or maybe it wasn't over yet. I may not be certain of the identities of the two voices, but Sirius was. And judging from the tremors of agitation flowing off him, these were no mere acquaintances. The overwhelming feelings entwined with his words could only mean one thing-they must have had a close relationship with Sirius while he was alive. That was when I formed a plan.
Sirius, I said quickly, don't do this. They don't know it's you.
I felt Sirius twitch and slowly rise to his feet. Well that's about to change.
No! Sirius, listen to me! I insisted. If you walk over there right now, they won't be seeing you; they'll be staring into the face of some stranger.
It's okay, I'll explain to them. Sirius took a step forward. It's James. He'll understand, I know he will.
I stopped to wonder if he was assuring me or himself.
And what if he doesn't, I asked him softly. What if all he sees is some loony trying to impersonate his dead friend.
Sirius paused. I waited, trying to ignore the strange sensation of something twisting and fighting to break out in the pit of my stomach. I took a deep breath and braced myself for what I was about to say next.
Sirius, face it. You're in the afterlife now. You should be going wherever it is that spirits are supposed to go. You're not supposed to be here. You don't belong here. I fought to keep my voice devoid of emotion. This isn't something a little explaining will resolve.
No, don't say that. Sirius whispered, the hurt palpable in his voice.
You know I'm right, I continued, hating myself for what I was doing to him. Deny it all you want, but you know that this is all an intangible dream. You know you can't go back to the way life was before, Sirius. It's time you let it go and accept things the way they are.
I knew with piercing guilt that I'd punched the right button when he abruptly turned and fled from the room. As hard as I might try, I couldn't ignore the waves of agony nor the bitter, salty tears sliding down my cheeks.
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
I sunk into the hot water, letting out a sigh of appreciation. Today had been the toughest day of my seventeen years. Sirius had proven to be a handful, my classmates wouldn't stop pestering me, and Dumbledore saw fit to add to my responsibilities. Fingering the shiny Prefect badge in my hand, my mind wandered back to the Headmaster's office.
"But Professor, I don't understand. Why?"
"I thought I explained quite well," Professor Dumbledore smiled at me over his half-moon spectacles, "Mr. Ackart, the previous Gryffindor prefect of your year, left with his family to move out of the country-"
More like went into hiding, I thought. His wasn't the first family to try and slip away from the war.
"-and thus leaving his position open. After much consideration, I believed you to be the most suitable to replace him in his job."
"But…why me?" I wondered.
"Well, I don't see why not." The headmaster replied, looking pleasantly surprised at my question and lacing his fingers together. "You're very well-qualified to be Prefect. Professor McGonagall would agree with me that you're an outstanding student."
With questionable recent activities, I added silently, wondering if she also told him about Lucius' new appearance.
As if he could detect my thoughts, the professor chuckled merrily. "Mr. Lucius is no longer sporting tentacles on his face. The effect of the spell only lasted an hour."
Ah, so he did know.
"Seeing as Professor McGonagall has already spoken with you over the matter, I won't further question you about it." He said softly, peering at me over his hands with those twinkling blue eyes of his. I could've sworn that he winked.
"But professor, I'm...I'm a…"
"Werewolf." The Headmaster finished calmly. "Don't be ashamed of saying it and never let it hinder you from doing anything, Remus."
"I don't deserve this," I muttered, looking away to let my eyes rest on one of the many odd gadgets on his desk. With my recent acquisition of Sirius and his outrageous behavior, I honestly felt that I had no right to accept the role of Prefect. "I'm sorry Professor. I'm sure you can find someone better than me for the job."
"Why?" He asked lightly. "Because you're a little different from the average wizard? You have an abundance of unrecognized potential, Remus. What you need is an opportunity to put that potential to use."
I looked up at him skeptically.
"I'm certain that you'll handle the responsibilities of a Prefect spectacularly."
I looked into the Headmaster's kind eyes and it felt as if those gentle, blue orbs could see right into me, through my mind, could see even the spirit I was hiding at the very back of my head.
"Secrets can remain secrets." He smiled, ending our conversation.
"Secrets can remain secrets." I murmured, tracing the shiny golden 'P' on the Prefect badge.
"So that's how you see it." Sirius was perched on the edge of the tub, idly playing with the steam rising from my bath. "I'm a secret that ought to forever remain a secret."
"You're mistaken, Sirius." I began, pulling myself into an upright position. "I was thinking about-"
"I know what you were thinking." Sirius cut in before I could explain myself. "You want me to stay locked up in the house, away from the people I love. You want me to mull over my death, have an epiphany, and move on into the afterlife."
"I never said that!" I protested.
"That's what you want." Sirius said softly, dropping his hand into his lap.
"It's not-"
"Then why did you stop me!" He exploded, turning to glare at me with burning gray eyes. "Why wouldn't you let me talk to James?"
"You know why." I retorted, turning away and struggling to ignore the fresh pang of guilt.
"Right, I forgot. It's because I'm dead." Sirius snapped, clenching his fists. "You don't belong here, Sirius. Go where all the good little ghosties go and leave us in peace!"
"Well, maybe if you weren't such a showy idiot I'd actually think about keeping you!" I snapped back as my tolerance finally gave away after being steadily tried for the entire day. "You've ruined my reputation, you used me to afflict harm on another student, you've made my life a mess in one day-"
"And I gave you fame!" Sirius added angrily. "What have you got to complain about, Prefect?"
"I didn't want either of those!" I shouted, rising out of the tub. "You possessed me and used me to fulfill your selfish whims! I never wanted anything! All I ever asked for was a peaceful life-"
"To be invisible. To be a nobody." Sirius mocked.
"YES, TO BE A NOBODY!" I bellowed, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND! I'M NOT LIKE THE OTHERS, NOT LIKE YOUR FRIENDS! I'M A-A-"
I gritted my teeth. I couldn't say it.
"Yeah, I know what you are." Sirius snarled. "You're a coward. You're a sissy. You're spineless. You'd rather be walked on like a rug than do something about your situation. You can't hold up a finger to anyone. You're a teacher's pet-"
I flung my fresh bar of soap at Sirius' head. It flew right through him to bounce off the opposite wall and slide away, but I'd gotten my message across. We both stood, glaring daggers at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. The tension in the bathroom was almost tangible.
"Fine." Sirius muttered, breaking the silence. "Fine. You win. Do what you like. I'll be up in the attic brooding over my non-existenceif you need me."
Without further ado, he spun around and swiftly glided through the bathroom wall. I stood staring at where he had been, grinding my teeth.
"Fine!" I shouted at the wall, "I hope you have fun with the mice! See if I care!"
I clambered out of the tub and yanked a towel off the rack.
"And I am not a sissy." I grumbled to the mirror as I wrapped the towel around my hips with more force than was needed.
A/N: I'm a week late, I know, and I am very very sorry about it. I came down with some major tummy-aches last Saturday; I've been studying for finals last week (summer school) and I currently have a relative over at my house who joined in the fight over the computer with my Dad and I. But I know, those are just excuses. I should've gotten this up a week ago and I'm sorry. Feel free to beat me with clubs. Personally, I'm not all that satisfied with this chapter. I can't quite put my finger on what though; it just feels like it's lacking something. Or it could be that I've been rereading it too many times while checking for mistakes. No worries though, summer school is officially over for me and my relative will be going back in about a week. I promise a better chapter next time-one where you'll meet James and Peter.
