Story Title: Crimson and Clover
Chapter Title: Ring around the rosies
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Hogwarts, or anything from the books. I own Cory and any concepts, ideas, people or places that you may not have heard of, unless I say otherwise. The title comes from the song "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells, though I originally got it from the song "A Praise Chorus" by Jimmy Eat World.
Warning: Mild Language, and some corny romance!!
Story Summary: Cornelia "Cory" Potter was never the perfect child, no, that was left up to her brother James. Her twin brother, James Potter, who was younger than her by a mere 7 minutes, but was still younger nevertheless, was always better than she was. Always the one who was slightly better at flying, the one with the wicked sense of humor, the one with the good looks, the one who could get away with everything, the Gryffindor. When the hat shouted out that Cory was destined to forever adorn the Slytherin crest on her robes, her life went down the tubes. Her parents still loved her, sure, but James never forgave her. After his death, she moved to America, but now that Voldemort is back, she's been called back to fight. And fight she will. A Slytherin never backs down from battle, no matter which side they're on, and Cory is ready to take on her old friends, while fighting alongside her old enemies.
Cory angrily stomped into the prefect's compartment, huffing loudly as she sat down. Her male counterpart, Marcus Avery, was already seated lazily in the corner, a book propped up against his knee. He looked up in surprise when she collapsed onto the bench across from him.
"What's got your panties in a twist, Potter?" He drawled before taking a moment to blow a strand of stubborn blond hair out of his eyes.
"None of your ruddy business, Avery." She spat. She ran a hand through her hair before reaching into her trunk. She settled against the edge of the bench in a similar manner to Avery's own before pulling her book onto her lap.
"Advanced Potions 2? That's mighty ambitious for you, Potter." He smirked. Cory's hand twitched momentarily before she brought it under control. It wouldn't do to knock another prefect unconscious by way of a book.
"And what are you reading, Avery? It must be Standard Book of Spells, year one, seeing as how you can't even manage a proper levitation charm." She rolled her eyes, focusing on her book.
"Touchy, touchy"
"So any idea who head girl is this year? Since it obviously isn't you?" She ignored the underlying insult before answering in a civilized manner.
"Lily Evans, obviously."
"Oh of course, obviously." He drawled in his incredibly obnoxious voice. Cory's hand twitched once more.
The two sat in a tense silence for a few minutes longer before James burst in with a wild look in his eyes.
"Lily! It's so nice to…" He trailed off, seeming to deflate when he saw that his true love was not present.
"Where's Lily?" James asked, down-trodden.
"Not here, obviously." Avery sneered. Cory gave a sharp sigh before flinging her book across the air and into Avery's face.
"Oy! What the hell's the matter with you, Potter?" He asked angrily as he tried to clot the blood that was pooling at his nose.
"You're face, now piss off." She spat. She stood up, bringing herself to full height. Avery did the same.
"There aren't any other Prefect compartments!" He exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm sorry; I meant piss off the train! Do everyone a favor and don't show up this year." She growled. She was at least a head shorter than the irate Slytherin, but that didn't stop the boy from quaking in slight fear.
"You think you're so tough, Potter." He snarled.
"I don't have to be tough to take on you!" She growled. Avery raised his hand, ready to strike before he was hit by a jet of light, causing him to still in mid air.
"Don't you lay a hand on my sister, Avery." James threatened quietly, his wand out. Cory glanced at her brother before pushing Avery down into his seat.
"Thanks, bro, but I had it." She promised him as James pulled her out of the compartment.
"Sure you did." He laughed. Cory leaned back against the wall thoughtfully, trying to gather her words.
"Have you created a time table for the patrols?" She asked suddenly. James looked up in alarm.
"The what?"
"Time tables, for patrolling the train. The Head Boy generally does that, but maybe if Lily knew that it was you, she'd have taken it off your hands, since you're so irresponsible and what not." She said playfully. James didn't take the joke, but instead looked panicked.
"Shit! No! I haven't! You gotta help me, Cory! I need to impress her!" He pleaded, placing his hands on her shoulders. Cory sent him an odd look before delicately removing his hands.
"You'll be fine." She promised.
"No I won't!"
"Yes you will!"
"No I won't!" The twins began to argue.
"Trust me, James!"
"She's going to hate me!"
"Who's going to hate you?" A new voice entered the conversation, causing the twins to whip their hands around in surprise.
"Uhh…uh…Lily! Hey! How have you been?" Cory sputtered, running a hand through her hair anxiously. James cast her one last pleading look.
"Potter, what are you doing here?" The red-head asked disdainfully. Cory looked affronted.
"Evans, I've been a prefect for the last two years, where the hell have you been?"
"Not you, Cory, your brother. What is he doing here?"
"Oh…well, you see, he was made Head Boy." She faltered.
"HAS DUMBLEDORE GONE INSANE?!" Cory winced at the pitch that Lily's voice seemed to achieve before plugging her ears with her two fingers.
"Merlin, Evans, break the sound barrier?"
"Sorry." She didn't look apologetic.
"Well, Lily, looks like we'll be working together." James' looked nervous, and his hand twitched, as though resisting the urge to comb his dark locks back.
"Brilliant." She spat sarcastically before stalking into the Head's compartment. The Head compartment was adjacent to the Prefect compartment, and only allowed the two Head's in.
James glanced at his sister, who met his eyes.
"Thanks, sis." He rolled his eyes, before following her. Cory glanced between the two compartments.
"James and Lily…Marcus Avery…James and Lily…Avery…" She made a scale with her hands as she spoke allowed before nodding decisively.
"Uhh…Cory, not to be rude, but you know this is the Head's compartment, right?" Lily asked quietly from her spot on the bench. James sat across from her, glaring outside the window, his arms folded like a child.
"Yeah, James just left this in my trunk by accident." She fished a sheet of parchment out of her pocket before chucking it into his lap. He looked up in surprise.
"What is it?" Lily asked curiously.
"The patrol schedule he made for the train ride." She sent a smirk towards her brother, who mouthed back a thank-you.
"Wow, Potter, I'm impressed." Lily admitted, glancing at him appraisingly.
"Umm…thanks Lily!" He said earnestly, before calming down slightly. "Uh…I mean, well, Cory told me that Head Boy's usually write them and I figured I'd go ahead and do it, since it's the responsible thing."
"The responsible thing, hmm?" She laughed. The three sat in awkward silence for a moment before the tell-tale sound of the warning whistle came from outside. Lily jumped, causing Cory to snicker, before she walked towards the door.
"I'm going to go wait for the prefects. Coming, Potter…and Cory?" She faltered towards the end. Cory raised an eyebrow.
"Be there in a minute, I need to talk to James." She explained before standing. James joined her, and the twins glanced at each other knowingly as she walked out.
Cory giggled as she nudged him in the ribs. James indignantly nudged back. She playfully sent him a light shove. He reciprocated with a harder shove. Cory huffed in annoyance before using all her weight to shove him back into the bench. He stumbled backwards before landing on the seat, his face filled with irritation.
After a second the two burst into peals of laughter.
"I definitely owe you one for that time table, Cory." He told her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. Cory rolled her eyes.
"Of course you do, you're just lucky you have an incredible sister like me, that's all." She informed him as they walked out of the compartment.
He laughed.
The next morning, Cory entered the Great Hall in a lazy manner. Her swagger was cocky, vaguely resembling her brothers as she wore her famous Slytherin smirk. She glanced at her house table, spotting Regulus and Severus talking quietly to each other towards the middle of the table. In that moment she made a decision, and instead of turning left as she usually did, she proceeded straight ahead, her cocky demeanor holding as she sauntered towards the Gryffindor table.
The boys didn't notice her until she was directly behind her brother, who was talking animatedly to Sirius. Sirius flicked his eyes upwards, noticing her presence before sending her a small nod in acknowledgment. She bowed her head slightly in return before shoving her brother over and wedging a small spot for herself in between him and Lupin.
"What gives, Cory?" He asked flatly. She sent him a charming grin and grabbed a plate for herself, loading it with eggs and toast.
"Yeah, what are you doing here, Corny, problems in paradise?" He accentuated her nick-name, but Cory had grown immune to it over the years. Her cocky façade dropped instantly at the question.
"Look at them." She spat as she viciously ripped into a roll, sending a glare at the Slytherin table.
"Um…look at who?" James wondered allowed, glancing in confusion at the aforementioned table.
"Severus and Regulus!" She cried. "They're talking and having a grand old time, not even upset by the fact that we haven't spoken in almost 24 hours! Do you know that this is the longest time we've ever gone without talking? Even in the summer we send multiple letters a day! This isn't normal! And they aren't even fazed!"
"Obviously they got tired of seeing your ugly mug." Sirius dead-panned. Cory didn't glance up from her breakfast, just continued to look miserable, thus missing the angry look James sent his best friend.
Her brother cautiously laid a hand on her shoulder, rubbing soothing circles in it as she scrunched her face up, trying to keep her emotions in check.
"Why don't you try talking with them?" He asked softly. He was completely focused on his hurting sister at that point, causing him to miss the pair of emerald eyes that were looking on in confusion. Surely he would have ruffled his hair had he noticed.
"No." She started suddenly. "I refuse to crawl back to them. They're the ones that are wrong! You saw what Voldemort and his stupid followers did to us this summer! It's like they don't even care that I got hurt!"
"Not that I advocate your friendship with Snivellus or anything, but don't you think you're being a little harsh on him? I mean, you didn't see him when you were at St. Mungos. He was torn up." Sirius said sincerely. Cory sent him a miserable glance before leaning onto James' shoulder.
"If he cared then he wouldn't support those stupid ideas." She said firmly. James sent Remus a pleading look over her shoulder.
"Well, maybe you ought to just let things blow over." Remus said, unhelpfully. She rolled her eyes.
"It just bothers me that they aren't even bothered by the fact that we aren't talking." She sighed.
"Anyone would be bothered not to talk to you." James promised. "Why do you think I still talk to you with that silly green and silver tie around your neck?" He asked playfully. Cory sent him a weak smile before giving him a slight shove.
"I guess you're right, I mean, I am awesome." She laughed. James joined in, while the rest of his group looked a little lost.
"We know you're back to normal. Your head just swelled to the size of a small watermelon." He pointed out.
"That was the size of your head when you came out of the womb." She said seriously.
"It was not!" He protested.
"It was too!" She said adamantly. "That's why I was so small! Your head was sucking up all the nutrients."
"How do you even know what the size of my head was?" He asked irritably.
"Easy, I was born first, so I saw." She grinned. James rolled his eyes, he hated it when his sister pulled that card.
"Miss Potter, may I ask what you are doing at this table?" A voice asked from behind. She glanced back to see a large man behind her.
"Hello, Professor Slughorn! I'm just talking to my brother!" She said pleasantly. Slughorn was her head of house, and though he wasn't on her top teachers list, he had power, and Cory couldn't get on the wrong side of it.
"Excellent, well, here is your time table." He said before walking away happily. Cory sent him a disgusted look over her shoulder.
"I hate that man."
"I thought you loved potions." James asked in confusion, his mouth full of wizard o's.
"Oh, I love potions, but I hate Slughorn. He's the pinnacle of Slytherin scum. The very Slytherin scum that got us our bad name. He's a filthy, unfit, disgusting, low-life, name-dropping piece of slime." She spat, once again taking it out on her defenseless bread. She cast a disturbed glance at the Slytherin table, where her two 'best friends' were talking to the rest of the upper years.
"Looks like they got over you pretty fast." Sirius said softly. She glanced at him with a calculating look.
"Well of course. Severus is supposed to be the Slytherin prince this year and Regulus has that spot poised for him once Sev graduates." She explained. The marauders looked confused, so she elaborated.
"Every year has a prince and princess, so to speak. Two years ago it was Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix, and then last year it was Troy Pucey along with Alex Parkinson, this year it's supposed to be Severus and Narcissa. Basically, the Slytherin prince and princess are supposed to be the epitome of Slytherin in their year. They're cunning, sly, resourceful, smart, talented, and powerful. They generally come from well off families, and have natural leadership abilities. They aren't to be crossed, and if you do cross them, so help you Merlin, there's no chance in hell you're getting out alive." She finished solemnly.
"I feel like you fit the role of princess a lot better than Narcissa would." James said seriously.
"Of course not. The Black family is a lot more powerful than ours in the pureblood circuit. Also, Narcissa is betrothed to Lucius, so a Black and a Malfoy together is sort of unbeatable. Add that to the fact that I'm notoriously against pureblood bigotry, and I'm out of the running. Nobody wants to follow someone who is going against Voldemort." She said darkly.
"But what about Quidditch? You're the captain, and you're a prefect, doesn't that count for something?" Sirius asked.
"On the pitch, they follow my orders, no matter what. In school-related matters they must follow my rules as a prefect, but in matters of internal affairs, that's all up to Narcissa and Severus, there, I have no leverage. Over the past couple of years I've managed to make a mark as an unofficial leader of the house. I've been involved for the past two years under the Malfoy-Black and the Pucey-Parkinson reigns, but that doesn't seem to matter to anyone else. Not that I care or anything." She said bitterly.
"Of course not." James answered sarcastically. She sent him a withering look.
"Shall I go bash skulls for you?" He asked gallantly.
"No thanks, Mr. Knight-in-Gryffindor-robes. I'll be just fine, but until then, how bout we head to class, yeah?" She asked, taking a final bite out of her toast.
"Sure, let's compare schedules." The two huddled together as James pulled out a piece of parchment. Sirius and Remus rolled their eyes at each other and engaged in light conversation, waiting for the twins to rejoin the real world.
"Blimey, we've got every class together!" James exclaimed with a grin. Cory saw Sirius groan out of the corner of his eye, which led her to burst into giggles.
"Except for these two." She pointed to two different spots on her schedule. "I have Arithmancy when you have a free, and I have Ancient Runes when you have Divination. Why you are in that class, I have no idea."
"Easy O."
"Easy O would be Ancient Runes. Professor Strip is probably the easiest teacher in this whole school. Right, Lupin?" She turned to the sandy-haired boy next to her. He blushed at the sudden attention he was receiving from the surrounding people but nodded all the same.
"It's true, James, the class is a breeze."
"And here the whole family was, thinking you were some bloody genius because you keep getting O's in Ancient Runes!" He exclaimed indignantly.
"I am a genius, buddy. That's why I got more O.W.L's than you." She teased.
"You got two more O.W.L's than me." He said flatly.
"But who got straight O's?" She egged.
"You did." He said begrudgingly.
"And who didn't?" She continued.
"Everyone else in the whole bloody school, Cory, will you stop it?" He snapped. Cory sent him a ruffled look.
"Fine…sorry." He shrugged of her apology and bit into his toast.
"Oy, Corny, what do we have first, then?" Sirius asked lazily.
"Double defense." She said cheerfully, her eyes shining with excitement. Defense was her favorite class besides Potions.
"Excellent. I'm taking you down in dueling this year." He laughed loudly. Every year at Hogwarts, the seventh years had a dueling championship that took the course of the year. There was only one winner, and he or she won an automatic referral into the Auror program (if they wanted) as well as extra marks on their Defense N.E.W.T's.
"You wish, Black. You know I'm the best at defense." She said cockily.
"That's funny, considering how I could whip your arse." James said from beside her. Suddenly it was two against one, and Cory ignited at the challenge.
"I could take either of you on any time, any where." She challenged.
"Class. Now. We'll tell Professor Cavenaugh about it when we get to class. You versus me. James is my second, who's yours? Oh, that's right, no one'll save your arse now that the Slytherins won't talk to you." Sirius taunted.
"Sirius, that was out of line." James growled, putting a protective arm around his sister's shoulder. Cory shook him off, a steel look in her eye.
"No way, Jamesie. I'll take you on, Black." She glanced down the Gryffindor table, her eyes catching on something vibrant. "Evans! Be my second for a little duel that Black and I have planned for class?" She called down.
The red head in question glanced up at the Slytherin. She looked at the marauders and then back at Cory, a sly smirk on her face. She nodded once before turning back to her friends.
Word of the duel spread like wildfire as soon as Cory mentioned it. It was well known that Black and Potter had a feud.
"There you go, Evans is my second." She smirked to her brother, who now looked like he was in extreme amounts of distress.
"Really, Corny, did you have to give the man a heart attack?" Sirius rolled his eyes, before chucking a roll at his best friend. He was non-responsive.
"Shall we adjourn to your death house?" She asked loudly as she stood, hoisting her brother up with her.
"You mean the defense classroom? Sure." Sirius rolled his eyes and stood up, followed by Lupin. The four left the hall in a loud commotion. Corry and James were at the front, with Sirius and Lupin lagging behind. Lily jumped up and joined them, flanking Cory.
"Let's do this."
"How many of you have had Madame Umbridge sit in on a lesson this year?" Cory asked her 7th year N.E.W.T. Defense class, which was comprised of all four houses.
About a third of the students raised their hands.
"Oh, and what classes has she done so far?" She rolled her eyes, twirling her wand carelessly in her hands as she leaned against her desk.
"Arithmancy." A Ravenclaw said from the side, she glanced at him, acknowledging his answer before heaving a sigh and pushing herself off her desk.
"Well, we have the lovely opportunity of having this woman sitting in on our class today, isn't that brilliant?" She asked sarcastically. At the statement, the entire class groaned, putting their wands away and pulling out their texts.
"What are you all doing?" She asked in confusion.
"We've heard from the other years that teachers don't do practical lessons when she does her evaluation." A Hufflepuff piped in. She stared at them bewildered.
"Have you lot even met me? Pull out your wands; we are going about this lesson as planned." She said firmly. With her eyes steeled she waved her wand at the chalkboard behind her, which instantly began to draw out her lesson for the day.
"Today we will be learning about the bludgeoning hex. This hex can save you in battle—"
"Hem Hem." Cory whipped her head around to the doorway of her classroom, where that vile toad stood, in her stupid pink cardigan.
Cory scoffed aloud.
"Madame Umbridge, how…deploring it is to see you." She trailed. Umbridge looked positively delighted, while a few Ravenclaws laughed, obviously having understood her meaning.
"I trust you received my memo about your class being evaluated today?" She asked in her sickeningly sweet tone. Cory turned her head to the Gryffindor section, gagging slightly.
"Of course I did. You sent it to me multiple times, and informed me about it at breakfast this morning…twice."
"Then you should just go about your class as you normally would, I will be naught but a fly on the wall." She grinned a horrid grin. Cory stiffened slightly, a delicate eyebrow raised.
"Now class, back to the bludgeoning hex. As I was saying this hex can save your life numerous ways in battle. It has saved me countless times, and while it is not the best way of disarming your opponent, it's still a great tool to have in your arsenal. Now, if you will look at the board and begin copying down your notes, you will notice that I have highlighted a few key points of this hex. The purpose of this hex is to—"
"Hem hem."
"—deliver a strong blow to the opponent. It's been known to break bones at its weakest casting, and shatter through skin at some of its strongest. It is very similar to the blasting hex in that it can cause severe physical damage; however the bludgeoning hex can only be used on living beings, so don't try using this hex to chop down any trees anytime soon." Her feeble attempt at a joke earned a few laughs from her students, but she continued.
"You should also note the properties of this hex, as I promise you, you will be tested on it this year, and it's always good to know spell properties for your N.E.W.T. examinations. The spell has a very noticeable blue beam when cast. It is electric blue…the closest color I can reference it to would be Mad-Eye Moody's eye…Keep in mind that because it is so easy to spot, it can sometimes hinder you on the battlefield. Can someone name me a few ways that it would?" She asked the class, purposely ignoring Umbridge.
"It would take away the element of surprise?" Angelina Johnson asked from the front row. Cory bowed her head in acknowledgment.
"Next time raise your hand, Ms. Johnson, but yes. This spell will take away any element of surprise you may have over your opponent, so find a way around using this spell if you're casting it in the dark or under any illusions. It's pretty much painting a big sign over your head that says 'I'm here, kill me now.'"
"Anyone else have anything they'd like to—"
"Hem Hem." Came Umbridge's cough, only more forceful.
"What can I help you with, Dolores?" She spat.
"I just wanted to ask you a few questions." She said smugly, her quill poised.
"And this couldn't wait until after class? You are disrupting a very important lesson, and I do not appreciate it. Flies on the wall are rarely seen nor heard, and right now I can see and hear you. Seems as though we have a problem, hmm Dolores?" She scathed.
"I will not be spoken to in that manner." She gasped, affronted. Cory raised her eyebrow, her wand pointing towards the door.
"And I will not have some suck-up woman enter my classroom and disrupt important lessons that may save their lives one day."
"And what will it save their lives from, Miss Potter? The Dark Lord? He's gone, Cornelia, and the Ministry, and myselfdo not appreciate the lies that you, Dumbledore, and Harry Potter are spreading to these children." She screeched, stepping forthuntil she was face-to-face with Cory. Cory towered over her easily, but kept her head away from her, trying to cool down.
"I have not said a word about the supposed return of Voldemort to any student in this castle, nor to anyone outside of it. I do not appreciate false accusations, Dolores, and I ask you not to make such a horrific mistake again." She said menacingly. The class stood in shock and awe, chilled to the bone by her tone of voice.
"Defense is the single most important tool that these children have against anything that is out there, Ms.Umbridge. As an auror, it is my sworn duty to train future prospects in the force. And I-will-be-damned if you do anything to keep me from keeping my oath to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Do I make myself clear?" She growled.
Umbridge quaked for a moment before regaining composure.
"Once again, Miss Potter, I will not be spoken to in that manner. And it appears, that things at Hogwarts are far worse than I imagined. Teachers disrespecting Ministry officials, students disrespecting their elders…Things need to change around here." She grimaced.
"Things have been fine for that last 1000 years, and I think we can manage without you and your silly Ministry." She mocked. Cory winced almost instantly; she had not meant to say that.
"I can have you tried and convicted for treason so fast you would think it was a disarming curse that hit you." Umbridge threatened.
"I dare you." She prodded.
Umbridge stared at her appraisingly for a moment before nodding, backing up, and turning away. The class was silent as she strode through the isle to the doorway.
"You will receive the results of your evaluation by the beginning of next week, Miss Potter. I pray you will keep your temper in check until you are removed from this school." She raised an eyebrow, daring Cory to take the bait.
"Is that a threat?" She snapped.
"It's a promise, Miss Potter. A promise." She said angrily before slamming the door shut.
Cory leaned back against her desk once again, her knuckles white as she gripped the sides. She rolled her shoulders to try and release the pent-up tension and calm herself down, but it was no use, she was too angry.
"Cory, are you mad? Now how are we supposed to learn anything when you're sacked and the Ministry finds some stupid replacement?" George Weasley asked loudly. This outburst immediately set the class into uproar, each student chastising Cory for treating the woman in a bad manner.
Cory rubbed her eyes tiredly, staring at the students argue to each other.
"Everyone, quiet, quiet, that's enough." She groaned. The class paid her no heed.
"QUIET!" She roared. This set the class back to their old positions as they stared at her nervously.
"You will find that I will not be sacked from this position. If anything, this will serve to get Umbridgeoff my back for the next few months. I have a number of high connections, both on the Board of Governors for the school, and in the Ministry itself. They know that I have a low-key temper, and any Slytherin is aware that it is pretty much a golden rule to keep emotions in check. All my connections will know that Umbridge must have been so insane that I snapped. Therefore, they will find the fault in her, not in me.
"Keep this in mind for later in life. It pays to keep a cool head around those in positions of power."
"But you were crazy around Umbridge, and she's more powerful than you are, isn't she?" Fred Weasley asked quietly.
"That's where you're wrong, Mr. Weasley. Umbridge has no power over me. I hold more leverage with the Minister than she ever could, as well as in the DMLE, and in this school. I'm simply too high for her to reach." She smirked.
"That's awfully cocky of you. Didn't you say first rule of battle is to never get cocky?" Fred prodded.
"Excellent deduction, Mr. Weasley. You all would do well to take note of him. He sees this world as a battle field, one fight after the next. It's cynical, but true. It's true, Mr. Weasley, that I am quite cocky, but that's in my nature. As long as I properly size up the opponent, I'll be okay. In a real battle, I never get cocky. But out here in the real world, where I know I have power over Umbridge, it's easy."
"Not sure I'm following." George groaned.
"Well then it's a good thing you won't be tested on this. The bludgeoning hex, however, will be on your first term exam, so bare with me for the next 20 minutes or so of the lesson." She laughed.
"The brilliant thing about this hex is that it…"
"This is the last time I assign every class an essay." Cory grumbled to herself as she marked up what seemed to be her 1,000th paper. She had given each year an essay to work on over the weekend, and now, Thursday night, she was paying for it. Her stomach made a loud noise, causing her to groan in agony and glance at the clock on her table.
"Okay…10 more and then I'll go to dinner." She compromised before picking up her quill once more. She had gotten to the 4th year essays on dueling styles and was immensely pleased with how much the students seemed to be learning.
She lost track of the growing pile of graded essays that lay beside her on her desk, being immersed in each one. It wasn't until she heard her door swing open that she even looked up. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, but when she did, she saw Severus standing with a plate full of food in his hand.
"What's the occasion?" She teased, standing to greet him. He sent her a dry laugh before setting down the plate on an empty desk, pulling out a chair to sit. She joined him curiously, staring longingly at the roasted chicken as her stomach complained in protest. She patted it slightly, trying to calm it down.
"Why weren't you at dinner?"
"I guess I just lost track of time. I'm trying to get all these essays graded, and a lot of them are surprisingly interesting, so I don't mind reading them." She shrugged.
"Umbridge was looking for you. She seemed to think you were hiding out or something. McGonagall heard about what you did in your class today, she is beyond pissed." He informed her lightly as he pushed the plate towards her. She kept her manners for a moment before digging ravenously into the chicken and potatoes.
"I'm not hiding from jack." She said proudly.
"Please keep your mouth shut. And I know you aren't hiding from anything, but really, the whole school is absolutely alit withgossip about your showdown with Umbridge today, what is your problem? We're supposed to be lying low." He said sardonically.
"Eh…I'm not really one to take shit lying down."
"This is the Ministry we're talking about, Core."
"So? Are you forgetting that I worked for the Ministry for a good number of years—"
"—5 years—"
"—5 years, where I gave them my sincerest effort and everything I had?"
"That's a stupid excuse."
"I'm just saying that I have a lot of leverage where it is needed, and that if she wants me sacked, she's going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that." She growled.
"Down, girl. Alright, I believe you, for now, but I swear to Merlin, any more outbursts like this and I'm going to be thoroughly upset with you." He chastised.
"Yes, mother."
"And you should speak to Draco; he seemed very shaken up today during dinner." He continued, off-handedly.
"What?" She exclaimed, alarmed, as she hopped up out of her seat, ready to run to her godson's aid.
"Relax! He's fine, he just seemed really afraid at the thought of you leaving, is all."
"See, that's what it's like to have someone care about you." She teased.
"Yeah, yeah. Stop grading essays and get to bed. I'll be by in the morning to make sure you come to breakfast." He said sternly.
"Wouldn't want Umbridge thinking I was afraid." She laughed.
"Actually, I just wanted to make sure that you got all your proper nutrients." He said sarcastically.
"Well in that case, don't bother. I'm not eating till the Halloween feast." She groaned.
"That's in 3 weeks." He dead-panned.
"Yeah, and when I eat at the feast, I will consume enough calories to make up for the three weeks of lost food." She promised.
"You're fine, Core." He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah…get outta here." She shooed him off with her hand.
Two days later, Cory found herself discreetly flooing out of Dumbledore's office and into Grimmauld Place. She waited patiently for Severus to appear before the two joined the rest of the Order in the drawing room.
All talking ceased as a gavel met wood.
"Attention! This meeting is now being called to order." Dumbledore said loudly, commanding the attention of the room. Cory sent a sideways glance to Severus, before returning to Dumbledore.
"Our first order of business. Hagrid has returned from the giants. Hagrid, if you will…" He drifted, allowing the large man to take the floor.
"When me and Olympe firs' arriv'd, we thought ther'd be a chance that the giants would side withus. A few days later, Death Eaters showed up, and manag'd to sway the lot of them. Ther's only one we cud bring back, his name is Grawp." He thundered. Cory winced at the sizes of the bruises on his face. Obviously it had been a problem trying to get out of there.
"Thank you, Hagrid." Dumbledore smiled.
"Next, Remus, how are the werewolves coming along?"
All attention shifted to the werewolf who was all but hunched in the corner. He sighed loudly.
"They're not interested." He said gruffly.
The meeting went on in similar fashion, causing Cory to drift. This wasn't like the last time; there were no battles to fight. It made her antsy.
"…I don't know how many of you have heard the rumblings of what is occurring at Hogwarts, but the Ministry is trying to interfere." Cory suddenly cut back in at his solemn tone.
"I must urge the teachers to keep a low profile…Especiallyyou, Cornelia. Umbridge is out to get you." He said sadly. He was met with two scoffs.
"Who isn't out to get Corny?"
"That toad can kiss my arse, I'm not bowing down to no one." Cory and Sirius whipped heads towards each other, glowering as they realized they had spoken simultaneously.
"Keep your comments to yourself, Black." Severus drawled from beside her.
"Can't help but be honest, Snivellus." Sirius said disdainfully.
"Oh piss off, Black. You're just jealous that we're out there willing to lose our jobs for the cause while you're stuck here all alone playing housewife." She waved her hand lazily. Sirius jumped to his feet, wand in hand.
"Sorry, Corny. Did you just say you were risking your job? You're probably teaching all your students the Dark Arts anyway." He spat. Cory met his wand easily, her eyes trained on him.
"As a matter of fact, I am. You can't defend it if you don't know it, Black." She growled, her wand pressing towards his neck. Sirius' mouth opened, ready to retort, before both were flung back into the wall behind them. Cory slammed into it, her head snapping to the side suddenly causing her to groan before she sunk to the floor.
"Ughh…" She whimpered, massaging her neck. She glanced over to see Sirius in a similar position and Dumbledore with his wand out.
"I understand that you had a petty rivalry when you were children, but this is war, and I will not tolerate this in my Order. Is that understood?" Dumbledore said menacingly. Cory winced; she had never seen Dumbledore so mad.
"Yes sir." She said quietly. Severus lent her a hand up, which she took gratefully before returning to her seat.
"That is all for today's meeting. You will be notified of the next meeting shortly." The Headmaster clipped before gliding out of the room. Cory stood dumbstruck.
"Come on, Core. Let's head back." Severus said gently.
"You go, there's something I wanted to get from Reg's old room." She said quietly. He glanced at her before nodding in understanding.
"Come to my office later? We need to spend time together." He whined.
"Maybe, I kind of wanted to talk to Drake first."
"About what?" He asked seriously. His godson was very important to him.
"Nothing in particular…just life I guess."
"What about Harry?"
"What about Harry? He has two best friends who would do anything for him. Draco doesn't have that." She said sadly. Severus nodded.
"Then I'll see you at dinner." He said curtly. She nodded and he went towards the floo while she went towards the stairs.
She climbed slowly towards his room, as if trying to delay the following act as long as possible. When she finally arrived in front of the door, a shaking hand dipped into her robe pocket, pulling out an extremely crinkled letter, as though it had been opened many times, and a silver chain. She inhaled sharply before opening the door.
"Under the bed…" She recited quietly, lowering herself to the floor as she fished under his bed.
"…In an old trunk…" She pulled out a large trunk, yanking at it with all her strength until it was fully out from underneath the bed. She opened it, coughing slightly as dust rose into the air.
"…In a wooden box…" She searched for a moment before pulling out an intricately designed wooden box. She opened it delicately.
"…A velvet box…It's blue." She saw the object in question, staring at her. She gripped it in her hands, opening it carefully.
From underneath the top, a bright diamond shone as brightly as it must have the day it was cut. The band was white gold. The diamond in the middle was at least 16 carats, maybe more. But what caused the tears to form in her eyes were the two aquamarines that surrounded the diamond. They were her birthstone, and Regulus knew that this was her dream ring.
She let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding.
With tears streaming down her face she carefully threaded the silver chain through the ring, and then clasped it around her neck. It fell right in between her breasts.
Right above her heart.
"Where I will always keep you, Regulus." She promised, pulling the ring to her lips.
She didn't know how long she sat there, just staring around his room, before she finally decided that she had to return to her post at Hogwarts. She carefully slipped the velvet box into her pocket before placing the wooden box into the trunk and sliding the trunk under the bed. She stood silently, stretching slightly before taking the four paces to his door.
She opened the door before turning back into the room. With one last look she exited the room and stood in the hallway.
She pulled the door shut behind her.
And walked away.
A/N: Hey guys, another chapter for you. Cory finally got the ring! I hope I described it well enough. I was originally gonna put that scene at the beginning of the next chapter, but this one was running a little short, so I added it in. Today we clock in at 18 pages with6,612 words. Sooo…yeah. Oh, and last chapter I said that the past was supposed to get towards Christmas…that sort of failed. The fight with Sev and Reg was never supposed to last through the morning, Cory was never supposed to sit at the Gryffindor table, and there was never supposed to be a duel. So next chapter is probably going to focus on the duel, which puts me like three chapters behind. Awesome. How do you all feel about me putting previews in my chapters?
Preview of next time:
"What are you doing, fighting against Black?" He grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her around to face him.
"Last time I checked, you weren't my keeper." She said coldly, wrenching her arm away.
"You don't even have a second." He pointed out.
"I do too. Lily Evans." She pointed towards the corner of the classroom, where the red-head was laughing with her friends.
"So now you're dragging her into your petty fight." He glared in disgust.
"This is just a stupid game between me and Sirius." She spat before stalking off.
"Core!"
(And in the present)
"Lucius, you can't let her sack me." She groaned towards the blonde as he walked in to her classroom.
"Like she could if she tried. You have half of the board wrapped around your right pinky, and half of the Ministry wrapped around your left. She has no shot." He drawled.
"Don't let her try." She whined, pouting.
"She can try all she wishes. She won't succeed." He promised.
There you go. Tell me what you thought!!!
Much love, Shawn