I'm asking you not to hate me, because it wasn't my fault that I couldn't update for so long. I had work. My boss hates me, and I've got a couple of things going on. But you know how much I love you all, right? I love you like crazy. Just remember that! I'm really sorry for the lateness, but Merry Christmas, dears!
And I Am A Witch Really: You inspire me.
"All I needed was a proper shag and I'd be of sane mind again."
"I could play up my knee, you know! Get us both out of detention, stay in the hospital wing."
"Not a chance. McGonagall will catch you before the lie is out of your mouth."
She murmured something I couldn't hear, though I was almost certain I caught the words, something else of out my mouth. But of course, I couldn't be sure.
McGonagall looked abominably pleased for that time of the godforsaken morning. It couldn't have been any better for the heavily hung over Bianca.
"Ms. Hughes." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, though I would swear she wore a smirk. "Of course, I was told of your famous rebellious streak, but I assume you know the rules for alcohol consumption at Hogwarts?"
"Not really, Professor." She was remarkably good at covering up her hangover.
"Well, let me make this very clear. The students of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry –" She was cut short by a stunning emerald flame. I expected it to be Professor Sprout. She and McGonagall were hunched over books a lot. Instead, it was Professor Dumbledore. Bianca's bright smile faltered just a little, and as for me? I was surprised, to say the least.
"I shall take care of it, Minerva. I assume that pile of books has been pining for you." He said with a wink. "Anyhow, I doubt you need to repeat the rule to Mr. Black. How many rules did Argus have you memorize the last time, Mr. Black?"
"Five forty-two." I said, staring down at my feet. The eccentric old man chuckled. "Follow me, would you?"
And we shuffled behind him silently.
He seemed content in the awkward silence. He hummed to himself just a bit. We came to a standstill in front of the butt-ugly gargoyle. Why didn't Dumbledore get a Veela in front of his magnificent office anyway?
"Hmm. EarwaxFlavoredBertieBott'sEveryFlavorJellyBean" Dumbledore said in one giant breath. Classy. I chuckled.
"Disgusting, aren't they, Mr. Black?" And I was so sure that he was snickering too.
We went up to his office in silence, Bianca carefully contemplating her nails.
"I have decided what it's going to be." Dumbledore said, finally.
"What what's going to be, Professor?" Bianca asked politely.
"Your detention. Since Mr. Black is already in detention for, I believe, an extra month, quote Professor McGonagall, I believe this time, you are at fault, Ms. Hughes. Would you dispute that?"
"No, sir." I was so grateful that the breath I had been holding came out in a giant whoosh.
"Alright, then. I think it should be quite the opposite of your current detention. It is next Saturday, your Hogsmeade weekend, is it not?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, this shall be your detention. You shall go alone. Mr. Black shall not accompany you on this trip."
"Yes, sir." Her carefully blank face revealed nothing.
"So, you'll have fun at Hogsmeade, won't you?"
There was an almost unnoticeable note of melancholy in her voice. I tried to tease it out of her.
"Want me along, do you?"
She was not so far gone that she did not respond with a dirty look.
"Brad will be coming over this weekend." She said, a spark of life in her voice. "I wanted you to meet him." She turned to face me, one delicate hand on my shoulder as if to say something, but then changed her mind and turned to head up to her dormitory. That really left my head spinning a little. I went back down by the fireplace.
"So what is it?" James asked. "McGonagall extend your detention?"
"Yeah. I'm a week into December, now. I wouldn't be surprised if she told me to go back to her place over Christmas break." I said. "But the weird thing was, Dumbledore set her detention. Not me. And it was Dumbledore, not McGonagall. And it isn't even detention, really. She gets the Hogsmeade weekend free, and so do I."
"The man has his reasons for everything, though, doesn't he?"
"I s'pose so, yeah." I responded dully.
I was sitting on my four-poster, re-planning my Hogsmeade weekend when I heard loud voices float in through the door.
"Please, Lily? Please?" James was pleading with Lily Friday evening in the common room, October 8th. "I promise I'll be good, and not too pushy, and nice to Marlene," He wrinkled his nose, "And I won't go into Zonko's at all, and you can drag me to Madam Pudifoot's if you like, just...please, Lily!"
"James? James! Stop. Yes, I'll go with you." She said with the threat of a laugh in her voice.
"Really?" He looked like Christmas had come early. I shook my head.
"Yep." She said simply.
"It's a date, then!" He whooped before heading up to the dormitory.
"I never said that, James!" She called behind him, laughing, as he burst into the dormitory, almost falling onto my bed.
"You're done for, mate." I said, grinning.
"Hello, kettle." He said, returning the smirk.
"Me?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm whipped, Prongs? I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you're the one who's been pining after Lily for the last seven years."
"And you're just as bad. And you've only been in it for about two months."
"What the hell are you talking about, Potter?"
"Everyone knows you have a penchant for the Irish, Padfoot."
"Wait…Bianca?" I asked, bewildered.
"Yes, Bianca, you fool."
"Have you not noticed, Prongs, that we were forced together?"
He raised an eyebrow so high that I was afraid it was going to pop off.
"Okay, fine. Yeah, she's my friend. A really good friend. But so is Lily." I smirked, because this really did irritate him like crazy.
"Really, Padfoot? I just got her to agree to go to Hogsmeade with me and you're already cracking bad jokes?"
"Who said I was joking?" I began, but quickly amended when I saw his expression. "Alright, already. I'm not gonna steal anything from you. Merlin."
And I was off the hook.
"I need help, Snuffles. I mean, I've been begging and begging and groveling and putting myself in really pathetic places for this, but now…I'm kind of at a loss. What do I do? I mean, I know you're gonna say I should hold back and not be too pushy and I know all of that, but I mean, what do you think she's going to expect?"
"Are you finished?" I asked with a grin. He let out a frustrated little breath.
"Come on, let's go to the Room of Requirement. I'm sure if we asked Aberforth, he'd be able to help us."
"Y'know, I've never been into his place. Why'd you think he never lets us go there?" James mused as we set off with the cloak and the map.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I shrugged in response to his non-question. "Hell if I know. You know, he kind of reminds me of Dumbledore."
"Doesn't he, though?"
We were fairly quiet until James poked fun at Sir Cadogan's portrait. Of course, the amusing fellow decided to chase us through the halls, waking up ever portrait and effectively making us laugh so hard our stomachs were aching. Of course, this stint of stupidity led us straight into Filch and his ugly cat.
"Oho. Students caught after curfew? Well, this means detention, does it not?"
"It's alright, Filch. We were going to see Professor McGonagall."
"So?" The impudent little fool asked, staring up into James' face. "You are still a student, are you not, Potter? Not that important at all. "
Oh. This was not good. James has always been very proud of his Head Boy badge.
"I'm the Head-friggin'-boy, you bloody squib. I can be out after hours if I need to be and you and your moronic cat have no right to stop me." He roared at him. Honestly, I thought Filch looked a little scared.
"Alright, alright. Don't spit in my face. Go. Go where you like. To hell if you please." He muttered, walking away. "Come, Mrs. Norris."
"My, you look awfully worked up today, Potter. 'Lo, Black." He nodded at us.
"Why do you always hang out here, Aberforth?" James asked, not for the first time.
"I'm always waiting for you, Potter."
"Don't be queer, Ab." I grinned.
"Oh, you wouldn't come in here if I was, would you? Would you like me to count off the kinds of questions you've asked me?"
I felt my face burn as I tried to fight off a grin. Both James and I had asked the most ridiculous drunken questions, and gotten blunt replies that had made me giggle like a girl, and shut my ears in the oven, at the same time.
"Well, Padfoot here has a problem. And so do I."
"Well, let's hear it then. And have you out of my place as soon as possible."
"Awh, Ab. Really feeling the love now."
"Come on," He grumbled, "I haven't got all night."
"Can we at least get a firewhiskey?"
"Never leave my place without it." He shrugged, passing us a bottle each.
We clinked bottles. "Cheers, mate." I said, chugging it down. The burn of the alcohol cleared my head and made me slightly happier.
"You first, Potter." He said.
"Well, mine is easy, really. You remember Lily Evans?"
"Yeah, of course. Comes to the Three Broomsticks often, sometimes with Black, sometimes with that nasty Marlene. Bright girl, very pretty."
"Yeah, that's the one."
"Yeah, well, I got her to go out with me."
"Where did you go?" He asked interestedly, though he pretended he wasn't.
"We haven't gone yet, Ab. That's the point."
"You, boy, need to speak in grammatically correct English. You will ruin the language, I tell you."
"Whatever. I got her to agree to go to Hogsmeade with me. Better?"
"Much."
"Okay, so I guess I need to know what I should do. I mean, I want to do something nice for her, not too pushy, and not cheap. I want it to be like her…vibrant and happy and…you know, Lily."
"Well, then Potter, you're an absolute fool. Why do you want to bring her to Hogsmeade of all places, where she's been a hundred times over?"
"Because…there's nowhere else to go?"
"Well, thank Merlin you came to me."
"Alright. All hail the great Aberforth, emperor most high of brilliant ideas."
"Soothes my soul to hear that, Potter." He grinned.
"Well?" James raised an eyebrow.
"Have you been past the Forbidden Forest before? Not past it, exactly, but around it. There's a lovely place there, near the lake, where you can hear the Mermaids sing, and the aquatic life - the good kind – underneath. You should take her somewhere nice. Or you could ignore me and take her to Madam Pudifoot's. Funny little lady." He chuckled.
"Put it on the map?" he asked.
"Sure." James tapped the map open and Aberforth – who had actually told us about the third passageway into Hogsmeade, had helped us with some little details – drew out a little section near the Forbidden Forest.
"Thanks. And now, it's Sirius' turn."
"Go on, son."
"Well, Aberforth, I don't have a problem. James just makes it sound like it because he's lonely."
"Shut up, Padfoot." He said. "There's an Irish lass who's been transferred from St. Peter's this year. Pretty thing, and for his first detention this year, Padfoot has to tail her wherever she goes. Like a student guide. It's quite funny, actually. But Sirius here has gone and fallen for her. Wickedly funny little thing, she is."
"Foolish boy, Sirius. Don't be a prick with an ego. Although it might be too late for that." He chuckled a little at my expense. "Is she clever?"
"Very."
"Nice?"
"Helps me out all the time."
"Does she put you in place?"
"Yep."
"Then you need to eat your pride and ask her out, though you might not have to grovel quite as much as Potter, here. She likes you, this girl?"
"Seems like it. I don't know."
"You need to give it a shot. Don't let her get away, or you'll end up running a bar one day with a portrait for a best friend."
I didn't know whether or not he knew that I didn't understand a word he said. And then I realized it. All I needed was a good shag to clear my head. All I needed was a good shag to be of sane mind again.
For the sake of my story, please accept my version of events. Let us say that Aberforth's relation to Dumbledore is not common knowledge yet, and since I can't remember the name of his joint, or even if I read it in the book, I'm not gonna give it a name. And he's been friendly with the boys. Please?
Rose.