Chapter 7: Questions Of A Good And Bad Sort

Remus tried to not pay to much attention to the fact that Jamie's hand was sitting warmly within his own as she led him down the dark hallways, but his treacherous eyes strayed down to her arrested hand. From there they traveled till he was gazing at her face. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and her cheeks were flushed. Blonde hair spilled haphazardly around her face and strayed into her eyes. Remus smiled as she tucked it behind her ears, only to have it spring out again as they continued. She was, of course, smiling.

Suddenly she stopped and extinguished her lighted wand. Remus rocked forward onto his tip-toes in an effort to stop and finally rocked back. Jamie slowly peered around a corner from which a small light was issuing. She smiled impishly back at his questioning look and motioned him to be silent and look for himself.

Remus gladly took the opportunity to press himself against her to look at the oh-so-interesting scene playing out before them.

"Please Kelli; you are smart enough to realize this is the right path for you. You are lovely and brave and pureblooded, how could you not wish to join the dark lord?" Snape said. He slowly took another step towards the other prefect, Kelli.

Kelli took another step backwards, not realizing he was backing her into a corner until she bumped into the walls behind her. Then she frantically looked around for an escape route. Not like it would matter, bastard took my wand. 'I just want to see if a can guess what's in it' he says. Damn how can I be so stupid? How am I going to get out of this one, come on Kelli, Think!

Kelli glanced up into Snape's dark eyes that held an evil promise, and then looked around her again. Not seeing any escapes, she finally stiffened her spine and took a deep breath.

"Snape, I will never join you or that freak you call a master." She snapped. Snape's face rapidly changed from amiable to seething rage as her words slammed into his ears. He took a step back and held the point of his wand to her throat. He slowly pushed the point to under chin.

"You don't have a choice Kelli," Snape said.

"Ruperdum" He whispered. Ropes shot out of his wand and wrapped around her, pinning her arms and gagging her. He slowly raised his wand and she began to levitate a few feet above the ground. She struggled against the ropes but was more afraid of the boy trying to be a man that was controlling them. The ropes tightened around her neck as Snape began pulling her after him. Her vision blurred and darkness overtook her.

Remus felt Jamie tense beneath him. "Catch her." She whispered. Before he could even think, she had jumped out from beneath him and yelled "Expelliarmus"

Snape's wand flew into her grasp. Remus managed to jump forward and catch Kelli before she hit the stone floor. Snape pushed back his greasy hair irritably and glared at the blonde that spun his wand between her fingers. They locked angry gazes.

Remus slowly placed the unconscious Kelli next to him as he watched them. "What's wrong Snivellus, not able to handle rejection?" Remus sneered. Snape's fists clenched as he watched Jamie place two wands deep in her robe pocket. She never took her eyes off him as she did this.

"Why you little bitch, who do you think you are? You'll pay dearly for this." Remus started forward, but Jamie placed a shaking hand on chest, stopping him behind her. She turned around and said in a voice working to conceal rage.

"He's not worth it, Remus, honestly." She smiled and turned back to see Snape giving her a condescending smile.

"You're Jamie Bilden aren't you? Filthy mudblood from what I hear." Jamie stiffened. She turned towards Remus, and seemed to be calm but he saw something very, very dangerous burning in her eyes. Her fist clenched and she spun around to face Snape, however, her fist came with her at a very fast rate. She felt a rather satisfying crunch as it slammed into his nose.

"I may be a mudblood, but it's better than be some ass-kissing Voldemort cronie, who's not worth the gum stuck to my shoe!" Jamie spat at him. She left him huddled on the ground, holding his broken nose, and walked out. Remus left Snape to crawl into some corner and lifted Kelli. He managed to get her to the hospital wing and run back to the Gryffindor common room to look for Jamie. He asked around for her but Annie and James agreed she had not been seen since she had left with him.

Remus finally ran out the large front doors onto the moonlit grounds. He didn't see her but his shoes sunk in mud that was the result of the rainy afternoon. He looked at the mud at his feet and finally noticed another, smaller pair of prints beside his own.

"Lumos"

He carefully followed the path she had left down to the lake, letting his eyes adjust to the soft light emanating from his wand.

Jamie was very close, he swore he sense her, or smell her orangey scent as he stopped beneath a large oak on the lakeshore.

"Jamie, come down." Remus turned to look up at the girl sitting on a large lower branch. She had a glazed over look in her eyes and was staring at the half moon, until he startled her with his request. "Jamie." Remus crossed his arms and gave her a stern look. She almost laughed, He looks just like Dad, oh crap now I'm homesick, good going Jamie.

"No I'll stay up here thanx." She said and looked back the glittering lake. Remus frowned and in a wink had swung himself up and had situated himself in front of her. He looked into her shining blue eyes and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me about it." He said kindly.

"It's nothing really." Jamie shook her head and chuckled softly. "I don't even know why I'm upset, it's silly."

"It's not silly I don't want to see you upset. Please tell me about it… was it because he called you a mudblood? Because-"

"No! I mean I hate that. But I got a lot of that in California though so it usually doesn't bother me. Plus I honestly don't give a damn what some ass-kisser like him thinks of me." She laughed gently. "It just he said he… heard of me, like he had already decided what kind of person I was from rumors! I was already angry at what he was trying to do to that other prefect and it just fired my blood, I got so pissed and all I wanted to do was wipe that sick grin off his face!" Remus squeezed her shoulder and Jamie sighed. "So I clocked him, then I got upset cuz I had lost control and I let him know he got to me and I hate that!"

"Hey at least he got what he deserved, and if you hadn't done it, I would've. Plus now he knows to never bug you again."

"Still…" Jamie hugged her knees and sighed.

"Do you think his nose will stay hooked like that?" Remus said suddenly. Jamie looked at his deadpan face and burst out in laughter, she laughed so hard she had to hang onto the tree trunk for support. She managed to glance at Remus to see he was doing the same. It was a full five minutes before they could manage to draw breath enough to say anything.

"Maybe," Jamie gasped between breaths. Finally they stopped and gray eyes met blue.

"Thank you Remus." Remus noticed her eyes were happy and bright again before she scooted forward and hugged him. Remus froze as she wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug. Thankfully, he had the presence of mind to hug her back before she broke away, She lept off the branch in a flash of purple cloth and spun around to look at him.

"Well come on, unless you'd rather sit on that branch all night?" She smiled impishly and walked out of sight. Remus swung down and smiled as he ran to catch up with her, only to have the crap scared out of him by Jamie jumping at him from behind tree.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

They walked through the front doors, Jamie turned suddenly and Remus stopped. Jamie cocked her head, listening…

"Colearux!" Purple and Pink light shot from her wand to hit someone hiding in a dark corner. However, the dark figure disappeared as she approached.

"Damn where'd he go?" Jamie looked around frantically.

"What spell did you get him with?" Remus came up behind her, but he knew the trapdoor in that corner would lead over to the kitchens, and was damn near impossible to see.

"Uhh… A hair coloring spell." Jamie smiled sheepishly and walked hurriedly towards the stairs. Remus cocked an eyebrow.

"A hair coloring spell?" he repeated. Jamie turned around.

"What! It was all I could think of! Plus" Jamie put her hands on her hips and stated proudly, "Now we'll be able to spot him!" Remus also put his hands on his hips and gave her an equally challenging stare.

"Sooo… what color is our creeper sporting Miss Bilden?"

"He now features a mix of purple and pink atop his guilty head!" The corners of Remus's mouth twitched in an effort not to smile. Jamie was already grinning broadly in triumph.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

They passed through the Gryffindor common room and saw James and Annie talking near the fire. James gave them a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to what Annie was saying.

"Well this is where you and I must part Jamie, but I have one thing to ask you."

"Yes?"

"How did you hear Snape's conversation and the guy hiding the corner, I know my hearing isn't that bad…?"

"Good hearing runs in my family, it kinda switches on and off. Sometimes I can hear extremely well, but most of the time it's regular." Jamie shrugged, as she proved she could lie just as well as he.

Remus scratched the back of his neck as he debated with himself to ask what he originally wished to.

"The sad thing is I thought Snape was trying to be romantic and I thought you might get a good laugh out of it." Jamie said.

"I was also wondering if-"

"Hey you said only one thing." Jamie interrupted. She smiled but waved him on with a "Sorry, please continue" after noticing the look on his face.

"If you would go to Hogsmeade with me." Remus said quickly. "Uh.. You know so I could show you around and stuff." He added.

"Sure sounds great."

"Okay I'll see you later Jamie." Remus headed off to his dormitory with a large grin rarely seen on his reserved face.

Jamie sat down it what she had deemed her favorite couch and though about Remus's request. Though it sounded and awful lot like a date, she shrugged it off. She and Annie were notorious for turning friendly gestures into romantic declarations and she was not going to that this time.

She turned herself fully human again with a pass of her wand over her enhanced ears and nose.

"Accio Jane Eyre" Her favorite book zoomed over the heads of the few remaining students in the common room. Jamie caught the much worn copy and opened it to one of her favorite passages she had a sudden itch to read.

p.s. sorry for the long wait!