Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's followed, favorited, and/or reviewed. Please don't hate me for taking so long to update. As an apology this chapter is super long (over 14,000 words). Don't forget to review, I love hearing your comments.
Bleeding Blue: You are honestly the best reviewer in the entire world! You're so encouraging, and I really appreciate it. I hope you find this chapter as funny as the previous ones!
Various Guest reviewers: Thank you so much for reading, sorry I so terrible at updating regularly.
Also thanks to new followers: Ecwb, I love damon salvator, minatolover1, Ulyss, margo13331, and sushizombie123. Hope y'all are enjoying the story!
We live in an imperfect world, and I suck at proofreading. Please don't hate me for my grammatical errors.
Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 11: Back in Black
Mis felt wonderfully full and pleasantly drowsy. The conversation had lulled slowly until the entire room was full of a peaceful silence. Mis looked warmly at Harry and Sirius, feeling grateful that she was able to give them back to each other; that in some way she had made their lives brighter. It was strange to her in that moment how at home she felt, among these people, in this world. It made her feel simultaneously guilty and contented, guilty for leaving behind her family and her real home, and content because this place felt right to her somehow. The memory of her family was like a consent weight, a pressure, she was sure she would carry perpetually. Seeing Harry and Sirius together made her wonder what it would be like to be back with her own family, or even if she would be capable of returning to them.
"I assume Severus was called to a meeting." Dumbledore said, breaking Mis out of her reverie. Mis nodded.
"Yeah, right after we got off the train." She replied, feeling a twinge of worry for the man in question. Dumbledore nodded gravely, stroking his long white beard with his un-blackened hand in contemplation. Mis had every confidence in Snape's ability to take care of himself, at least that's what she kept telling herself. In truth, however, she was uncomfortable with him being gone, she much preferred him near so she could be assured of his safety.
Dumbledore must have recognized the anxiety in Mis' dark hazel eyes, for in the next moment he rose from his chair, and stood beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. The old man continued surprising her. For so long she had seen him as the great puppet master, using everyone as pawns in his vast, strategic game against Voldemort. She saw him in truth now, that he was a good man with a gentle heart, prone to sin and virtue the same as any other. She smiled at him, trying to show her gratitude for the small act of comfort he had offered her. His eyes seemed to understand the sentiment in her own as they twinkled down at her, and he smiled as well, patting her shoulder gently before pacing in front of his bookshelves.
Mis cocked her head, as an idea occurred to her.
"Ron and Hermione should be here." she said, causing Harry to look up from his pensive stare. Worrying about Snape was no help to anyone, so Mis decided to turn her attention to an issue that she could, possibly, resolve. Harry, who had long since put on his glasses, ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, which only made matters worse. His eyes were hesitant and she could see trepidation in them at the mention of his two best friends. Sirius nodded at Mis, before turning to Harry.
"Mis is right, Harry." Sirius said gently to his godson.
Harry looked like he was going through some painful internal struggle.
"How…how can I apologize to them for what I did, when I know they shouldn't forgive me? I've done too much to them…" Harry said weakly, his eyes searching the room as if he were lost. "Maybe…it would be better for them if they just stayed away from me, away from all this." He continued, motioning around the room, a deeply wounded look glazing over his vivid green eyes. Mis nodded her head in thought and pursed her lips.
"Harry… don't take this the wrong way, but you need to shut the hell up. You're throwing a pity party, and I'm not attending." Mis said mildly, turning her sharp eyes to him calculatingly. "They're your friends, and they want to help you, let them…and not that anyone asked my opinion, but frankly, you need them…like really." Mis said emphatically. "…without them you'd be dead at least twelve times over." She continued, snorting indelicately. Sirius looked at her with a straight face, clearly unamused with her comment. "Do I lie?" she challenged.
"No, but you could've been a little gentler with the delivery." Sirius said, looking at Harry as if he were a breakable china doll.
"Should I have woven some daisy chains? Or perhaps softened the blow with a gentle rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings?" She asked with mock concern. "I've only got time to be real." She finished, snapping her fingers. She cocked her head to the side in thought, then slapped the table lightly with her palm.
"I'm going to find them right now." She said with a finality no one dared question. She stood from her chair, and determinedly strode from the room, checking the clock on the wall before leaving to make sure lunch was still going on in the great hall. She walked briskly to the great hall, and turned her eyes to Gryffindor table, rapidly sifting through the faces for Ron and Hermione. Her eyes brightened as she spotted a wild mass of bushy brown hair bent over a book. Ron was sitting next to her, his brow furrowed in contemplation as Hermione spoke fast, pointing to the book. Mis cleared her throat, and tightened her ponytail, though at this point she doubted that would make her appearance seem less frightening.
They were talking in hushed urgent voices when Mis approached them from behind. She coughed to announce herself, and clasped her hands behind her back. They turned abruptly, looking worriedly at her. She smiled brightly at them, trying to ease their nerves.
"Would the two of you come with me to Dumbledore's office?" She requested politely. Ron looked to Hermione, who was, in turn, looking at Mis questioningly, and with no small amount of hesitancy. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, and seemed to be having a conversation comprised entirely of glances, and meaningful eyebrow expressions. Mis smirked.
"I don't bite." she said lightly. "Well…unless provoked." she qualified. They looked a little alarmed. "That was a joke… a bad one, I'll admit." she said hurriedly, looking around the room a bit awkwardly.
"Sorry, of course, Miss Holtzer." Hermione said formally, rising from her seat and dragging Ron up as well. Mis took in their appearances for the first time then, as they stood before her and gathered their book bags. Hermione was about three inches taller than herself, with a delicate face framed by thickly curled, light brown hair that bordered on untamable, Mis thought she made it work though. Her eyes were honey colored, with a bright, intelligent spark behind them. Ron was tall and lanky, with hair a retina burning shade of red, freckles, and somewhat guarded blue eyes. She smiled at them, then began leading the way back to Dumbledore's office.
When they were out of the vast, buzzing room, and in the more docile atmosphere of the hall leading to Dumbledore's office, Hermione touched Mis on the shoulder hesitantly.
"Is Harry alright, Miss Holtzer?" She asked softly, quickly taking her hand away from Mis, as if she was worried Mis would be offended by the contact. Mis smiled at the other girl sweetly,
"Yeah, I think he'll be fine." She said nodding her head in consideration. "And please, call me Mis." she said to Hermione kindly, and turned while walking to look behind at Ron. "You too, I don't set much store by formality." She insisted.
"How do you know?" Ron asked Mis, coming up to walk in tandem with her and Hermione. "I know because I recognize that it's just a way for people to distance themselves from each other. Formality is so boring, I mean we're all humans right? We all have names…well not all of us, technically, but most of us. You know? Let's not bring prefixes and surnames into this." Mis said, rapidly. As a general rule, Mis needed only the slightest push to begin pontificating on any subject, no matter how seemingly trivial.
Ron furrowed his brow confusedly, looking at her as if she were a Martian.
"No, I mean how do you know Harry'll be alright?" Ron clarified.
"Oh." She said, mentally cursing her fondness towards frivolous expositions. Hermione coughed, clearly trying to hide a chuckle. "Sorry, the doctor says I have a terminal case of Inane Observation Syndrome, it's like Tourette's except it's marginally less aggressive." Mis apologized, smiling sheepishly at her two walking companions. "I know Harry's gonna be alright because I've done everything in my power to ensure that he will be; I've walked through hell for him." She continued, unable to stop herself from making the obvious joke. She kept her desire to smirk at bay, but couldn't fully dampen the amusement in her eyes.
Hermione looked at her suspiciously, Mis raised her eyebrows at her and couldn't hide the smirk any longer. They reached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, and Mis paused before offering the candy password.
"Look, I think I'm safe in assuming that the two of you are gonna be in for a shock. Just prepare yourselves, ok?" Mis said, standing in front of them with her back to the gargoyle and raising her hands up in what she hoped was a calming gesture. Ron nodded mutely, taking a big breath in. Hermione looked like she was working through some intense math problem in her head and she nodded as well.
"Pumpkin pastille." Mis said with certainty, causing the stone figure to slide into the wall, and the stone steps to begin ascending. Mis hopped on the first step, Hermione and Ron close behind her. She knocked and opened the door at the same time, peeking her head through.
Sirius, Harry, and Dumbledore were right where she had left them, but they look considerably tenser than they had ten minutes ago. She gave each person a meaningful look before, before pointedly looking at the still, mostly shut door. Dumbledore considered Sirius briefly before waving Mis inside. She looked back at Ron and Hermione, and opened the door for them to step through before closing the door behind them. Mis looked at the two frozen people up and down, then casually walked to her previous chair, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice, which incidentally, was slowly becoming her favorite beverage, and allowed herself to settle in for the show.
The room held a tense silence, and as Mis watched Ron and Hermione grapple with reality, she smirked, already thoroughly enjoying herself. Sirius rose slowly from his chair, no doubt worried any sudden movement would cause a fainting spell, or possibly a well-aimed hex.
"I know this is unbelievable…" Sirius began, stepping slowly into the no-mans-land between the table and the two shocked teenagers. 'These people live in a universe with dragons, how unbelievable is this situation really?' Mis thought to herself, but didn't say anything. Ron looked as though he had just been punched in the face, with his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. Hermione had similar expression, except she looked ready to burst into tears. The bushy haired girl took a step forward.
"Sirius?" she said quietly, as if testing the name. He didn't have time to answer before she flung herself at Sirius, and hugged him tightly. "I can't believe you're really here… how is this possible?" She asked thickly, as she pulled away and looked up at him with sparkling eyes.
Dumbledore conjured seats for them, and they sat down mutely as Sirius began the story of how Mis had brought him back through the Veil. Hermione, ever the scholar, asked several intelligent questions about the Veil that neither Mis nor Sirius could answer. Ron sat there dumbfounded, as he listened. After the story was finished, Harry stood from his chair and walked awkwardly to his two best friends. For the first time Ron seemed to understand his surroundings, and the implications of Sirius being back as he stood as well, an arm's length distance from Harry.
"I'm so sorry." Harry said, ducking his head, and Mis heard a painful hopelessness in his voice that indicated he thought any apology for what he had done to them would be met with anger and resentment. 'Idiot' Mis thought to herself, while her heart squeezed for him. There was no question in her mind, she knew they would forgive him and it pained her to see that he wasn't privy to the same awareness.
"Don't mate, we get it." Ron said simply, shrugging his shoulders. Harry looked up with his eyes disbelieving, and shook his head slowly as if wondering how such people as his friends could exist.
"Oh, Harry." Hermione said, shaking her head softly and rising from her chair. She walked to him and gave him a tight hug. After a moment, she broke it, sniffling loudly and patting his hair down maternally with her hand lingering on his face, before moving away and allowing Ron to give Harry a brief hug as well.
Mis blinked away the tears that formed in her eyes; she was so stupidly happy she felt like she might just start singing. She looked over at Dumbledore to find his twinkling blue eyes already upon her, and considering her with a great deal of gratitude. She smiled at him, small but genuine and, instead of smiling back, he dipped his head respectfully.
"Mis." Sirius beaconed, with his hand outstretched. She smirked at him and stood up from her chair, he placed a hand on her back and guided her towards the golden trio.
Hermione gave her a watery smile, and with very deliberate motions, as if attempting not to startle, wrapped her arms around Mis. She got over the shock quickly, and returned the hug. Though Mis got a face-full of bushy hair, and she felt as though the very life was being squeezed out of her, she thought being hugged by Hermione Granger was something she could now cross off her bucket list.
"Thank you." Hermione said quietly, pulling away but still gripping her shoulders tightly.
"It was my pleasure, I mean, going to the underworld? I've never been so metal." Mis said waving her hand dismissively. Hermione took a step back, crossing her arms and laughing lightly at Mis's comment.
"Metal?" Ron asked, cocking his head to one side curiously.
"She's referring to a genre of muggle music characterized by amplified distortion, guitar solos that last half a lifetime, and a general ear destroying insanity… I was particularly fond of it in when I was younger." Sirius stated casually. "You know Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, AC/DC…" Sirius continued, waving his hand as he listed off each band name. Mis stepped back, and held her hand up in front of her.
"Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, Lassie, everyone knows AC/DC is hard rock, not metal." Mis said, snorting and giving Sirius a look of pity.
"Ah, the misguided certainty of youth." Sirius said, shaking his head mournfully. "They toe the line between hard rock and metal, but they have a metal soul. I wouldn't expect a sweet little girl, like yourself, to understand such things." He added, patting the top of her head condescendingly. Mis swatted at his hand irritably.
"Sweet little girl?!" she exclaimed, with her dark hazel eyes flashing. "This sweet little girl rescued your furry butt from a goddamn soul disintegration." She replied tartly, pointing a threatening finger at him.
"For which I am indebted, however, that doesn't make you any less ignorant on this matter." Sirius stated calmly, not looking at her. Mis dropped her hand and rolled her eyes.
"Wizards." Mis mumbled under her breath as if it were a curse word.
A short time later, Hermione excused herself to the library dragging Ron and Harry with her, claiming she had an Arithmancy project due, as well as an essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ron groaned loudly, and tried to convince her both things could wait, but the studious girl would not be swayed.
"You have magic homework… magic homework. I hope you thank whatever gods you may have, that you don't have biology homework." Mis said to Ron, in defense of Hermione's attitude. "You have to write essays about freaking unicorns, I have to write essays about eutrophication." She continued, shaking her head at the lanky boy.
"I've been trying to explain this to them for five years, Mis, but I appreciate your attempt." Hermione said, with a longsuffering sigh. Ron rolled his eyes
"Bloody hell, there's two of them." Ron mumbled to Harry, causing Mis and Hermione to shoot identical glares his way.
With the three friends gone, Mis, Sirius and Dumbledore began to hash out the details of the Order meeting that would take place later that evening. Due to Mis' inability to travel long distances instantly, they agreed that it would be held in the Room of Requirement the same as it had last time. Sirius proposed several different, but equally ridiculous ideas of how he planned to reveal himself to the Order, one of which, involved a fog charm and several white doves. Mis was all for it, and suggested that 'O Fortuna' would be an appropriate musical accompaniment, but Albus "killjoy" Dumbledore insisted on being the voice of reason by stating that Sirius being back from the dead was sensational enough without any added theatrics, plus, he reasoned that someone fainting was already an issue that needn't be exacerbated. Begrudgingly, Mis and Sirius ceased their brilliant plans, and instead settled on the more reasonable alternative of Sirius simply walking into the room with Mis, and then allowing things to happen organically.
Mis was sitting in one of Dumbledore's overstuffed maroon chairs near the large window with her legs swung over an armrest, clutching a steaming cup of coffee in her hands, and glancing somewhat anxiously at the ornate brass clock on the headmaster's desk. She had long since bowed out of the conversation and instead busied herself with worry for Snape, while simultaneously wondering whether she would ever be able to take a shower and change out of her hell clothes. Of course Dumbledore had tried to convince her to get some rest and take a shower, but she had waived him off; she was going to wait for Snape, and there was little anyone could do to stop her. It was around 4:30, Snape had been gone for almost five hours, and it seemed as every minute passed in his absence, something like a knot wound a little bit tighter in her chest.
The door to Dumbledore's study flew open, and then slammed closed. Mis yelped, as she jolted and spilled a bit of hot coffee on her stomach. Sirius, who was sitting across from Dumbledore, was up in a blur, and pointing his wand at the intruder before Mis could even register who it was.
"Lower your wand, you imbecilic mutt, I haven't the patience to play nice right now."
Mis had never been more relieved to hear such a sneering voice.
"Snape!" She cried, scrambling off the chair, and placing her mug of coffee on the floor, before rushing over to Snape with a bright smile on her face. She collided with him, and crushed herself to his chest, breathing in the scent of lemongrass that clung to his billowing black robes.
"Should I expect this to become a regular occurrence, Holtzer?" He asked, and though his voice sounded somewhat annoyed, he hugged her back tightly.
"Yes, and I suggest you resign yourself to it." She said, pulling away and looking up at him with a smirk in her glittering eyes. His mouth twitched, and she could see a softness in his coal eyes before they were overtaken with a troubled intensity.
"Holtzer, the Dark Lord…He knows about you resurrecting Black, and he has set plans in motion with the intention of obtaining you." Snape stated, in a voice that to most observers would seem indifferent, but Mis was in tune with the sneering man enough to catch the strain in his voice.
"What do you mean, Severus? Does he intend to take her?" Dumbledore asked gravely, rising fluidly from his chair and pacing over to where Mis and Snape stood.
"Not initially, he wants to recruit her, he considers her to be a valuable asset, one that he desperately wants on his side." Snape replied, his body stiff and ridged beneath the headmaster's piercing eyes.
"Narcissa Malfoy has volunteered to approach her, possibly using Draco as some kind of bait. The Dark Lord suggested he may return her husband if she is successful." He finished coldly, apparently, he didn't think much of the witch at present. Mis felt a white hot blaze flare within her, and she smiled triumphantly.
"This is perfect!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands together and nearly bouncing in place. "We can bring the Malfoy's over to our side." Mis said looking between Dumbledore and Snape with wide eyes that crackled like a wildfire. "They defer to our side at the end of the war, maybe if I can convince Narcissa that we can protect her and her family, I can accelerate the process of them choosing us." Mis said rapidly, her hands jerkily waving in front of her. Mis started pacing briskly away from the three men, with her hand in her hair. "I can speak with Narcissa and we all can figure out a way to get them the hell outta dodge. I'll go undercover or something, so I protect Narcissa and Draco…maybe even Lucius, I mean he is pureblood dickweed, but there has to still hope for him, plus it would be nothing short of a tragedy to allow such a damn fine head of hair to go to waste." Mis babbled in a frenzy.
Snape and Sirius simultaneously shouted in protest before Mis could continue, causing her to turn around and stare at the two men standing on either side of Dumbledore.
"This is absolutely out of the question; I forbid it, Holtzer." Snape said fiercely, shaking his head and cutting through the air with a straight hand.
"For once in your life, Snape, you're speaking sense." Sirius concurred, "There is no way in bonny hell that you're going to risk your life for the goddamned Malfoy's, or ever be in the same bleeding room as You-Know-Who." Sirius said decisively. Mis looked into Sirius's stone grey eyes, then at Snape's coal black ones, and was touched and somewhat irritated to find a rigid protectiveness simmering in their depths.
"Just hear me out…" She started, her tone calm and diplomatic, raising her hands out before her passively. Both men looked like they desperately wanted to argue, but Mis silenced them with a stern look. "Think of the possibilities if I can pull this off, we can have three more sets of eyes on the inside, three more wands to fight for us, and three more people saved from that snake faced maniac, and his Napoleonic nose complex." She said emphatically, with her hands in fists in front of her. "Not to mention the pull that the Malfoy family possesses, aren't they the closest thing to wizarding royalty you've got? It could be a long shot, but maybe others would follow after them." She added hopefully, her voice impassioned and her arms open as if she were trying to rally the troops.
"I'm not having this discussion, Holtzer. This is madness." Snape said firmly, crossing his arms with his mouth set in a grim line.
"No Snape." Mis said very calmly, "This is Sparta." she finished seriously, pointing to herself. Snape looked like he wanted to strangle her. With a slightly shaking hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose and bowed his head.
"You need to be committed." Snape growled, shaking his still bowed head.
"This is pretty sudden Snape, can I see the ring?" Mis replied, her eyes glinting in amusement. Sirius snorted, and Dumbledore gave a light chuckle. Snape looked up at her with a murderous glare. Mis smirked.
"Ok, you walked right into that last one, so don't blame me." She said, holding her hands up in surrender.
"Mis, there is simply no way we're going to allow you to do this. It's too dangerous." Sirius said gently, his eyes all but pleading her to see reason.
"Perhaps we should consider the possibilities Miss Holtzer is speaking of." Dumbledore said, calmly giving Mis a grave look. The room felt like an open field with a stormy sky above it charging for a lightning strike as the two men slowly turned away from Mis to face the headmaster with appalled looks on their faces. Almost as if they had choreographed it, they rounded on Dumbledore and shouted in objection to his apparent support of Mis' idea in perfect sync, drowning our each other's voices to the point where Mis couldn't understand a damn thing that was being said. She did, however, understand the sentiment clearly; they were magnificently pissed off. The old man looked as though he had expected such a response, the expression on his face indicating his strategy was just to let the two men tire themselves out.
"You guys." Mis said in a slightly raised, but still calm voice. They completely ignored her, and continued ranting over each other at Dumbledore.
"Hey fellas." She said a little louder to no effect. Mis was somewhat amused to see the old man look quite at ease with the whole situation, in fact, to her Dumbledore looked as though he was simply being told a list of restaurant specials by two rather aggressive waiters. The thought made her chuckle to herself privately, of Dumbledore sitting in a fancy restaurant with white table cloths, crystal glasses, and ambient lighting, being shouted at about smoked salmon and chicken kiev by two very competitive servers.
She allowed herself another chuckle at the visual her mind had conjured before schooling her features into a stern mask. She swaggered over to the shouting men, Dumbledore watching her curiously. Mis had temper that could rival any Gryffindor, but where they met force with force, she preferred to meet an enemy with distractions that either confuses or shocks said enemy. Currently, Snape and Sirius were the enemy, and Mis had a plan to get them to be quiet, at least long enough to say her piece, and inject a little logic into the situation.
Mis came up behind the two men, calmly considering them before smacking each of them smartly on the ass. Sirius yelped mid-tirade, and Snape jumped about twelve feet in the air.
"Bloody fuck!" Snape exclaimed. Both men jerked around to look at the girl, who was holding herself up to her full 5 foot 2, managing to look both pleased with herself, and innocent at the same time. Sirius held his arms up slightly at his side, his face mutely questioning her. If Snape had looked like he was contemplating strangling her before, he now looked as though he were considering decapitation and possibly thinking about burial sites and alibis.
"Now that I have your attention, gentlemen, allow me to tell you what's going to happen." Mis said lightly, giving them a bland politician smile. "We are going to talk about this at the Order meeting later tonight, we will present our various arguments, and it will be put to a vote." She said, in a voice that brooked no argument. She received no reply, as the two men were still busy glaring daggers at her.
"Why, that's a brilliant idea, Mis." Mis said, in a poor impression of Sirius's baritone. "I concur, Black, simply…magnificent." She continued in a rather better impression of Snape's halting, disdainful voice. "Why thank you both, I do pride myself on my ability to think outside the box." She said humbly in her normal voice, her eyes twinkling with mirth as she gave them both a bright smile.
"Glad we all agree." She said brightly, before she glanced at the muggle clock high on Dumbledore's wall. "Now, I'm going to take a well-deserved shower and god willing…" she held her hand up reverently, "a nap." She finished, daring them to oppose her.
"Ah, yes. Please do, my dear. We shall fetch you when the meeting begins." Dumbledore said kindly, his face clearly amused. Mis said bye to the two men, but they didn't answer her, as they were too busy pouting over Mis' actions to silence them. She smirked to herself, and without any further words she retrieved her backpack, left Dumbledore's office, and went to her room.
Mis was sprawled on her stomach, her arms and legs twisted and her dark hair practically suffocating her in her sleep. Her intentions had been good when she walked into her room, she had intended to take a shower, and then take a 30 minute nap, but the idea had been thrown out the window the moment she saw her bed. Its clean linens and fluffy green comforter had been a temptation too great for her to resist. After placing her gold pin in the trick pocket of her backpack for safe keeping, she kicked off her shoes, dropped her backpack, and flung her clothes off, leaving a haphazard trail of dirty laundry in her wake. She didn't bother with pajamas, and just climbed into bed in her underwear, relishing the feel of the cold, clean sheets against her skin. The trashy paperbacks that she had dumped from her backpack many hours ago, had still been strewn on the bed, and she threw them on the floor as if they had morally offended her just by being on it.
Her head shot up at the sound of a knock at her door, a second knock made her roll over and rub her eyes. The room was mostly dark except for the deep gold light of the setting sun peeking through the heavy curtains. A third, more impatient knock, made her stumble out of bed. She tripped ungracefully to the door, bleary eyed but at least feeling well rested. She cracked the door open and stuck her head through, hiding her unclothed body behind it, her eyes half closed. Sirius was standing as close to the door as possible, trying to blend into it, and casting darting glances up and down the hall.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Mis whispered urgently, her eyes going wide. "You can't go wandering around the castle, someone could see you, and say to themselves 'Oh fuck, looks like Sirius Black isn't dead, I should probably tell someone.'" She said with a deadpan voice, looking at the reckless marauder with disapproval.
"Well, in order to avoid anyone seeing me, you should probably let me in." Sirius said with a charming smile.
"I'm not dressed." She squeaked primly, holding the door firmly as he tried to walk in.
"Nothing I haven't seen before, love." he said cheekily, shooting her a wink. Mis gave him a level look.
"No, I've flashed too many people in the past couple days, at the rate I'm going the entirety of Great Britain is going catch a peek of the goods." She said crossly, remembering the fiasco with the black combat-training shirt from hell.
"Someone's coming." Sirius said urgently, pushing on the door again. She heaved a sigh.
"Cover your eyes, or I'll gouge them out." She warned, opening the door and allowing him to walk in. He had one hand covering his eyes, and the other stretched out before him like a newly risen mummy.
Mis smiled despite herself as she closed the door.
"I've come to collect you, my lady." He said, turning to her with his eyes still covered and offering a bow so deep, that it nearly caused him to lose his balance.
"Where's Snape? He's the one who usually comes and gets me." She asked curiously, furrowing her brows. He clutched his heart dramatically.
"Why must you toy with me, my darling? Is my presence so unbearable, to you?" He said, in a theatric baritone, over annunciating as if he were some vaudevillian actor.
Mis snorted.
"Are you…" She started to say, before catching herself. She had intended to say 'Are you serious?' before realizing that would probably just add fuel to his comedic flame.
"When's the meeting supposed to start?" she asked, trying to avoid bringing attention to her slip up.
"Twenty minutes." He replied lightly.
"Ok good, I'm gonna take a shower." Mis replied.
"It's been 5 hours, how have you not taken one yet? We'll be late." Sirius asked, his tone affronted.
"I couldn't resist the siren call of my bed, and who cares if we're a bit late; they can't very well start the damn thing without us." She said casually, blindly picking through her dresser for clothes before padding her bare feet into the bathroom and shutting the door.
The bright frosted glass lights struggled to life on the ceiling, and Mis practically jumped as she saw her reflection in the antique silver mirror. Her dark hair was wavy and feral looking, and the current texture was similar to a brillow pad. Her pale, heart shaped face was darkened with a layer of dirt and grime, and her smirking lips look red and swollen from windburn. She took inventory of the rest of her body, noticing several bruises blossoming like violets over her ribs, shoulders, and upper arms. Her muscles were tender, but she felt proud of the marks on her body, it meant she had worked and fought hard, even though her only enemy had been Remus.
She switched on the silver faucet and stepped under the shower-head, pulling the curtain along the edge of the tub as the warm water fell over her skin. There was something about taking a shower after visiting the underworld that was so immeasurably satisfying. She let her peach scented soap clean off the underworld smell (that was reminiscent of ash and bone), and thought that the clothes she had worn there were a lost cause, and the only thing that could possibly cleanse them would be to throw them into an incinerator.
She hummed absently has she washed her hair, smiling to herself softly. Sirius was back, and Harry was going to be ok, and she felt as though the world, at least for now, was a place of joy and sweet, sweet justice. She could already tell that she and Sirius would be good friends, he was charming, stubborn, and just immature enough for Mis to find him hilarious. He seemed to be comfortable around her already, and she felt the same way about him. She figured that familiarity was born of their mutual knowledge of each other before their meeting.
She had been touched by his protectiveness in Dumbledore's office, almost more than Snape's. Not that she didn't appreciate Snape's protectiveness, she did, but it hadn't surprised her. She knew Snape cared for her, it wasn't a question in her mind. She knew it by the way he wordlessly passed her the copper pot of coffee every morning before she asked, and the way he would almost smile at her, and the way he placed his coat over her so she could sleep on a drafty train. 'It's the little things'.
Feeling wonderfully clean and smelling of ripe peaches, she turned off the water and began to dry herself off with a fluffy silver towel. Still humming contentedly, she put on her mismatched underwear, a violently red, short-sleeved v-neck that showed off several of her well-earned bruises, and a pair of faded jeans. She re-entered the bedroom with her head titled as she dried her hair, but straighten up as she saw Sirius. He was reclining on her bed, with his legs crossed and feet bare, reading one of the harlequin romances she had thrown to the floor before her nap.
"What is the appeal of this?" He asked confusedly, his eyes narrow on the book as if it contained a puzzle he was trying to solve. "There's a whole page devoted to Clara getting dressed, just to meet her bloody spinster aunt for afternoon tea." He said, shaking his head and turning the page. "And what in Merlin's name is muslin?" he asked looking up at her almost accusatorially. Mis smiled to herself, as she draped the towel over her arm and walked over to him. She snatched the book away, flipped to one of the sex scenes, and handed it back to him wordlessly. He looked at her suspiciously before turning his attention back to the book to begin reading again. Mis smirked, as his brows receded into his hairline, and he started looking at the book with a considerable amount of respect that hadn't previously been present. With the smirk still glued to her lips, she sashayed over to her dresser, fetched her comb, and casually began taming the wet tangles of her hair. She heard Sirius clear his throat awkwardly.
"That's why." she said, thrusting the comb in the book's direction. "Well that…and I'm a sucker for men that can be described as rakes, cads, or rouges." She continued, nodding her head dreamily. "…and muslin is like linin but lighter." she added briskly, as an afterthought.
Mis and Sirius left the room after a disagreement about whether or not he should dissolution himself. He was opposed, saying he was sure no one would see them, causing Mis call him a "reckless manchild" who she knew didn't possess the gift of foresight. He had merely chuckled at her, and pulled out a yellow scrap of parchment that she recognized as the marauders map. She had acquiesced, on the condition that she would be the one watching it to make sure they didn't run into anyone. He handed it to her, and she had checked to see that the coast was clear before exiting the room with Sirius.
"The map never lies, huh?" she said to Sirius, as they started walking down the torch-lit hall. "I'm not on it." she said, pointing to the space next to the script with Sirius Black written above two black footprints.
"Well you are the exception, love." He replied with a shrug after looking at it. Mis was a tiny bit disappointed not to see her name floating on the parchment, but brushed it off quickly as it was a stupid thing she really didn't have the time to feel sorry about.
Sirius led her down deserted corridors, and up twisting stairs that she had never discovered. There were no paintings on the walls, and the halls they went down had a distinctly neglected feeling about them, as if Filch hadn't dusted (or whatever the hell he did) in years. They were peaceful, however, and Mis liked the quiet.
"Who did you flash?" Sirius asked suddenly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye and holding back a smile. Mis let out a breath of resignation.
"Remus, Mad-eye, and Snape." She replied emotionlessly, not looking up from the map.
"Why?" he asked with a voice strained with contained laughter. Mis pursed her lips and shook her head.
"Must've been for the sexual thrill." she deadpanned, still not taking her eyes from the parchment.
"Really? And how did that progress?" Sirius questioned, and Mis could hear him smirking. She looked up at him, and she could see something like a challenge in his eyes. 'Who can take this farther', the look said, and Mis was game.
Her eyes lit up with mischief.
"It ended up being a four-way." She said casually. "But it didn't really get kinky until Mad-eye popped of his peg leg, and Remus started howling Pour Some Sugar on Me…" She said in a husky, overly seductive voice, while she ran her hands up and down her neck as if she were in ecstasy at the mere memory.
"Remus howled what?!" Sirius demanded, stopping short and grabbing her by the shoulders urgently. Mis didn't have time to process confusion as Sirius fell to his knees, gripping her waist with his head bowed. His shoulder shook and a guttural sob escaped his lips, before he spread his arms as if to curse the gods.
"That bastard! That was our song." He exclaimed to the heavens with a cracking voice. He mimed a knife stabbing into his heart, while sobbing theatrically. Mis bit her lip in an attempt to stifle the smile that threatened to break free, as she watched his ugly-cry face. "I gave him everything." He choked out between great, gulping sobs, as he brought his fist down on the stone floor.
Mis shook her head failing to hold back a smile, she knew in her heart that she could not rival Sirius's commitment to a joke. She folded her arms as Sirius stood up, abruptly breaking character, and brushing himself off. He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, like a mentor to a protégé.
"That's how it's done, love." Sirius said wisely, not breaking eye contact. Mis licked her finger and marked the air to her left, as if there were an invisible chalkboard. 'Point Sirius.'
As they neared the door to the room of requirement, Mis felt a bubbling happiness swell in her chest and she couldn't help but smile brightly. Before opening the door, she turned to Sirius, who had a similar bright look on his face.
"Hang back a minute, I'll give you an intro." She said, smirking at him with twinkling dark hazel eyes.
"Make it good." He warned lightly, shooting her a smile. She gave him a wink, before opening the door halfway and squeezed through it. The entire Order was there, and they were in a circle around Dumbledore, Harry, Ron and Hermione, their voices buzzing with urgent questions. The room was the exact same as it had been at the first Order meeting, the only difference being an extra chair at the long rectangular table. Snape was already sitting at it alone, looking scornful and irritated as ever. Mis caught his eye briefly, and she shot him a smile that caused his lip to twitch.
"Albus, will you just tell us what's going on please?" Remus asked, his voice cutting through the murmurings forcefully.
"We've been waiting for long enough, and where in the bloody hell is Holtzer?" Mad-eye growled, apparently in a rotten mood.
"Now, now Peggy, there's no need to get testy." Mis reprimanded him, with a smirk. "I'm right here." She said, holding her arms out, standing in front of the door.
"Miss Holtzer." Dumbledore breathed, relief evident in his tone. She smiled as the old man parted the people in from of him and walked over to Mis, his arms open in greeting.
"We were beginning to worry." He stated, with twinkling blue eyes. He placed a hand on her shoulder blade, and guided her over to the group of people. Mis smiled at the Golden trio and Remus, shooting the latter a cheeky wink. They had all fallen silent as she approached, and Mis could feel the tension like a dense fog in the room as they watched her confidently walk towards them.
"I'm not going to sugar coat this." She started somberly, looking into each and every face. "This is very serious matter." She continued, trying her damndest not to smirk as she saw amusement in Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces. "I've been through hell these past twenty-four hours, and frankly I'm dog tired." She said, nodding her head thoughtfully, trying to draw out the suspense. "It's been ruff, but there's good news, and like AC/DC once said we're back in black." She said, giving her best rendition of Brian Johnson's high pitched, wailing voice at the end.
They looked at her as if she had grown a second head, while she maintained a look a mild interest.
"Good god, Holtzer, would you stop mucking about?" He asked impatiently in a raised voice so she would be sure to hear him from where he sat at the far end of the room. Mis smirked,
"LASSIE!" She bellowed, causing several of the order members to jump or flinch. The door flew open with bang, and Sirius strode through. Strutting over to Mis' side, he waved his hand to wordlessly close the door.
"That was good, I nearly died laughing at the AC/DC reference; clever. I had hoped you would somehow work "padfoot" into my opener though." He said, casually with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I tried to think of some way to get that in, but it probably would've sounded forced." She replied nodding.
"Still, it was pretty good for being off the cuff." He acknowledged, smirking down at her.
At the same moment they both turned to the look at the group before them. Mis thought that the word shock was too small to describe the looks on their faces. The faces of Mrs. Weasley and Professor McGonagall were drained of color, and looked a little unsteady to Mis. Fred, George, Bill and Mr. Weasley had mouths like fly traps. Mad-eye and Kingsley, though considerably less obvious than the rest still had looks of wonder on their faces. Tonks looked as though she were about to burst into tears. The dead air was getting to Mis, but she figured that a human brain could only process so much at one time, so she allowed them time to absorb this new information. Remus stepped forward, his light amber eyes staring at Sirius intensely and his mouth set in a thin line.
Sirius smiled at his old friend, and help up his arms requesting a hug.
"How've you been Moony?" Sirius asked softly. Mis saw Remus's eyes flash at the mention of his nickname and, faster than she would've thought possible, he swung at Sirius. Remus threw his whole body behind the punch, and Mis heard a loud crunch as his fist collided with Sirius's nose, eliciting a painful grunt from the dark haired marauder. The whole room gasped in tandem as Sirius doubled over, and blood started trickling down his face. "What the fuck was that, you lycan lunatic?" Sirius said indignantly, straightening up and gently touching his definitely fractured nose.
"You absolute fucking, idiot!" Remus shouted so loudly, Mis' ears rang and her eyes went wide. "Why didn't you bloody listen to me? I told you to stay put, but no… Sirius goddamn Black had to be at the front lines. He was so hell bent on proving he wasn't a coward that he didn't stop to consider what it would do to his godson or his best friend…if something were to happen to him." Remus yelled, his voice cracking as his eyes welled up with angry tears, and his body in a tense, threatening stance. Sirius tucked his neck into his shoulders as Remus bellowed at him. His stone grey eyes meeting the amber ones of his friend worriedly.
"You're right, Remus, and god…I'm so sorry." He said, his voice imploring as he took a very cautious step towards Remus, his bleeding nose making his voice a little muffled. Remus looked away from him, his jaw set and his eyes hard. The room fell into a dense silence once again, as Mis looked between Remus and Sirius.
Mis knew she was a meddler, she couldn't help inserting herself into people's business, for better or worse. For as long as she could remember she had been meddling in other people's arguments, her friends, her brother and sister, even her mom and dad. She had always been the peacemaker, the referee; the one who insisted that the warring parties get over their respective furies by talking it out. She didn't do it because she thought anger was useless, or everyone should always be happy and ready to frolic in the meadows. She did it because she knew time was precious, and she knew that the foundation of regret is wasted time.
So although she knew it really wasn't her place to insinuate herself into Remus and Sirius's spat, she did.
"I think that we all should just…" Mis started, with a clear, confident tone. She halted her sentence as she saw Remus lunged at Sirius again, it took her a moment to realize his intent was not to harm. Remus gripped Sirius fiercely, and Sirius hugged back with his hand on back of Remus's head. Mis let out a deep breath, as did the entire room.
After that, the entire Order converged on Sirius, some more hesitant than others, but it was overall an exceedingly warm welcome and, after Remus preformed a healing charm on Sirius' nose, he was passed around for hugs and handshakes. Mis quietly walked over to Snape and sat down next to him. She looked over at him, he was staring straight ahead, his eyes blank and far away.
"You should get back over there, they'll want to thank you." Snape said absently, not looking at her.
"They'll want to thank you too." Mis replied with a small smile. "All I did was walk through an archway; you're the one who got me there, the one who planned, the one who made sure I had what I needed." She said sincerely, her dark eyes warmly watching his profile.
"Do shut up, Holtzer." Snape scorned halfheartedly, finally looking back into her eyes with his black ones.
"Oh…I'd like to see ya try and make me." She said with a smirk. Snape shook his head in resignation and turned away. He seemed troubled, his trademark sneer was nowhere to be seen, and in its place was a vacant look that didn't sit well with Mis. She cocked her head to the side, and leaned her head over to try and catch his eye.
"What's the matter?" She asked with a concerned tone, and furrowed brows.
"You don't understand, Holtzer. He's after you, and you don't understand what that means." He said disdainfully, with his eyes fixed ahead of him. Mis knew who he was talking about instantly.
"It means that I'll have to start writing down a list of puns involving noses, snakes, and the name Tom Riddle…you know for when I meet him." She said flippantly. "I've already got a few, tell me, do you think the phrase 'Riddle me this' should be used at all? Or is that low hanging fruit?" She asked him thoughtfully, as if she were making a difficult decision and needed an outsiders input.
"You're stubborn to the point where it should be considered a mental illness." He deadpanned, turning to look at her with an unamused expression. Mis raised an eyebrow at him.
"Uh…Pot." she said pointing to him "Meet kettle." she finished pointing to herself. "Notice how we're both black." she said, waving her hand in-between the two of them.
"Idiot." He muttered, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
"Jackass." She mumbled back with a smirk.
Mis observed the group of people, and felt warm and contented to see their happy faces, and tearful welcomes.
"Mis?" beaconed Sirius, looking around the room before spotting her at the table with Snape. She smiled at him, as he enthusiastically waved her over.
"You're public awaits." Snape said wryly.
"You mean our public." She corrected him as she stood up, dragging him up as well. She had a death grip on his sleeved forearm.
"Let. Go. Of me." Snape said through gritted teeth.
"No, it won't kill you to go over and let them thank you." She said totally ignoring his death glare. She gripped his arm tighter, as he tried to subtly shake her off.
With pinched lips and eyes alight with violent thoughts, Snape allowed Mis to lead him over to the group. The Order turned to look at her, and Snape jerked his arm out of her hand like a petulant child, Mis merely smirked.
"You went to the underworld?" Fred (or George, Mis couldn't tell which) asked in wonder.
"What was it like?" the other twin asked, equally as enthralled.
"You know, it wasn't has bad as you'd think." She said nodding, after a moment of consideration. "I mean…I'm gonna do my best to avoid it." She qualified, "But it could've been a lot worse." She finished shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, I couldn't have been able to do it without Snape. He's just as responsible as I am for Sirius's return." She said, smirking up at him because she knew she had just thrown him under the proverbial bus. Snape narrowed his eyes at her minutely; if looks could kill, Mis would be dead ten times over from all the venom in Snape's eyes.
All eyes turned to the tall, thin man in his billowing black robes. Mis briefly thought to herself that she would cause these people to grey prematurely for all the surprises Mis seemed to be bringing into their lives. Harry, surprisingly, broke away from Sirius's side and stood in front of Mis and Snape awkwardly. He seemed to steal himself before extending a hand to the potions master, who looked down at it as if it were some kind a foul slug.
"Thanks, Professor." Harry said, unable to keep his dislike of Snape entirely out of his voice. Snape looked like he desperately wanted to make a snide remark, Mis could practically see it forming behind his eyes. Mis slapped Snape's shoulder lightly with the back of her hand, and looked pointedly at him. The look he gave her back said I'm not shaking Potter's hand. Mis slide her jaw and her eyes turned fiery.
Stop being an ass, and just do it.
Not if your life depended on it.
If you don't, I'll make you pay for it.
Their mental conversation lasted all of three seconds but, in the end, Snape seemed to recognize that Mis wouldn't back down, and Mis hoped that perhaps Snape was developing a healthy fear of her wrath and retribution. Begrudgingly, he shook Harry's hand slowly and without looking at him. Mis beamed at the two of them, it had taken several threatening looks but dammit, they were practically getting along.
"I didn't do it for you, Potter." Snape spat disdainfully, retracting his hand abruptly. Mis grimaced.
"Really?" she said to Snape in exasperation, throwing her arms up. "Do you have, like, a quota of jerk-face comments that you have to make on any given day?" She asked in annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I don't know, do you have a quota for how many miserable positions you can put me in on any given day?" He replied mockingly.
Mis tried to look cross, but anyone who looked at her could tell she was fighting back a smile. Snape, for all his brilliance as a wizard and spy, could rival a five year old with his pettiness, and Mis thought that was goddamn hilarious. Harry looked angry at Snape's harsh words, she snorted. 'Everyone's so damn touchy around here.' She thought to herself, before turning to Harry, mischief making her eyes bright.
"Ignore that, he's just pissed that I know the real reason there's so much animosity between him and Siri-" Mis didn't get to finish her sentence, as a cool hand suddenly clamped over her mouth, while another held the base of her neck in place. She looked up mildly at Snape, his eyes ablaze with hellfire as he stared down at her deceptively innocent face. She smirked against his hand.
"Shut. Up." He said dangerously. Mis raised her eyebrows as if she were completely guiltless. She held up her hands in surrender, and Snape released her mouth. Harry looked confused by the exchange, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Snape. Mis snorted.
"I'm only kidding." She said, glancing at Snape.
"Yes, we must thank both Severus and Miss Holtzer for their daring rescue of our own Sirius Black." Dumbledore said, grandly opening his arms to the room. "Celebrations are in order, I think." He said with twinkling blue eyes. There was a yell of approval by the group at large, and Mis saw that the long table to her right had been suddenly laid with butterbeer, firewhisky, pumpkin juice and several other drinks in bottles she didn't recognize. Everyone moved to the table, talking animatedly to each other and pouring drinks, leaving her and Snape standing slightly apart from the rest.
Mis looked over to Snape, who looked like he had just entered the ninth circle of hell. She nudged her side to his gently, and gave him a small smile. His eyes warmed at her, and his lip twitched.
"See? That wasn't so bad." Mis said bracingly. Snape rolled his black eyes.
"I had to shake Potter's hand, Holtzer…his hand, I had to touch it." He said as if he was deeply traumatized, shivering for dramatic effect. Mis smiled crookedly, and shook her head in wry amusement.
"Somehow, I think you'll survive this horrific experience and be a stronger wizard for it." she said sarcastically.
"Oh, Holtzer, that's not even the worst. Albus is about to give a toast, and I'm fairly certain it will take longer than the mission itself did." Snape said crossly, staring at the old man across the room, who was speaking with Remus and Kingsley. Mis was about to comment back in agreement to Snape's prediction, when she saw Sirius walking over to her.
"Can I get you a drink, Mis?" Sirius asked kindly, coming to place a hand between her shoulder blades.
"Sure thanks, pumpkin juice is good for me." she said smiling. Sirius scoffed.
"You need something with more bite than that." He insisted, smirking at her. Her lips fell into a smirk as well.
"I'm a crazy drunk, Lassie, and it isn't pretty. The first time I went to a house party, I punched two people, kissed five, and apparently I sang the entire Grease soundtrack…Not that I remember that particular part." She said with a grimace, remembering one of the few times she had been forced to be social by several friends at school.
"All the more reason." He said, laughing lightly. Mis smiled.
"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." She said, shaking her head in resignation. Sirius turned to Snape.
"Can I get you anything, Snape?" Sirius asked, sounding forced, as though the question were being pulled from him against his will.
"No, Black…Thank you." Snape replied, and Mis nearly started laughing at how much animosity he had in his tone. Sirius gave a curt nod, and walked over to the table to fetch her drink.
"Grease?" Snape asked derisively, one eyebrow raised and his lip curled in ever so slight amusement as he looked down at her.
"Well, it is the word." She said with dignity, crossing her arms.
"I'm well aware of that fact…but still, good god, Holtzer." He said with his tone a mixture of amusement and scorn.
"Wait…" Mis said, holding her finger up. "You know Grease?" She asked, with raise eyebrows.
"Why are you always so bloody shocked that I know things? It's rather insulting, Holtzer." Snape replied, but there was no heat in the statement.
"Sorry, it was just never mentioned that Severus Snape was such a show-tune connoisseur, it's still takes me by surprise is all." She said, her eyes mirthful.
"Recognizing one of the most successful musicals of the twentieth century, does not make me a show-tune connoisseur." He said defensively.
"Oh, sure. Of course. Only natural." She said with subtle sarcasm, nodding her head seriously.
"Shut up." He mumbled acidly, making Mis' lips quirk.
"Your beverage, my dear." Sirius said, striding over to her and offering her a short crystal glass half full with clear amber liquid. She took it from him, and smelled it cautiously.
"It's firewhisky." Sirius supplied, smirking at her.
She toasted him and Snape wryly, before sipping the drink delicately. It was spicy like cinnamon, with a distinct flavor of tree bark. It burned her throat as it went down, which made her cough briefly, but the overall sensation was quite nice. She felt its heat spread through her limbs as if her blood had risen several degrees, and numbed slightly.
"If everyone could please join me at the table." Dumbledore requested politely.
"Here we go." Snape muttered in a low voice, as he and Mis took their respective places on Dumbledore's left hand side. It took a moment for everyone to quiet down and find their seats.
Dumbledore raised his arms as if to embrace the entire room.
"Friends, through the work and bravery of Miss Holtzer and Severus Snape, we sit here today with someone who we were sure to never again encounter on this physical plane. They have offered, to Sirius, the greatest gift that can be bestowed….. a second chance." Mis bit her lip to hide a smile. Dumbledore was such an old sap, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
"Miss Holtzer, has done what only Merlin himself ever successfully accomplished, she walked through the very gates of Hades, through the realm of the dead and returned." Mis wondered how long the old man had been preparing this speech, and whether it would be in poor taste to start chuckling at his melodramatic tone.
"She extended her hand out of sacrificial love and kindness, with no thought for her own mortality, and reunited a family."
'Ok, someone needs to stop him now.' Mis thought to herself seriously, turning to look conspiratorially at Snape. He looked down at her with a bored 'I told you so' expression on his face.
"For this, she deserves not only our gratitude for her heroism, but our admiration." Dumbledore said with reverence, inclining his head in Mis' direction. She could feel herself going pink, but did her best to keep her expression stoic.
"Miss Holtzer, would you care to say anything?" Dumbledore asked, smiling serenely at her. Mis froze in place, her mind going blank except for the phrase 'Karma's a bitch', as she considered that perhaps this was her comeuppance for bringing unwanted attention to Snape. Most of the time, Mis didn't mind public speaking, and in fact, somewhat enjoyed being the center of attention. On this occasion, however, with Dumbledore fluffing up her apparent selflessness and everyone looking at her with wonder, she found herself uncharacteristically lost for words.
Mis cleared her throat, and glanced over at Snape who looked quite amused with her uncomfortable predicament. She stood up and looked around the room; at all the faces turned to her. Her eyes found Sirius, who offered her an encouraging nod. She smiled at him.
"Thank you, sir, for those kind words, but I shouldn't be considered any kind of hero. I only did what any of you would've done if given the opportunity, therefore, I will not accept your admiration. I will, however, humbly accept your gratitude for what I did, even though it was a task that I felt honored to perform." Mis' voice shook a little as she spoke, and for once, her normally mischievous eyes held nothing but sincerity and honest-to-god humility. Not knowing what else to do, she sat down awkwardly.
Snape, probably sensing her weakness, leaned slightly towards her.
"How bloody noble of you." Snape said in a voice only she could hear, his tone sardonic and full of entirely too much glee. Mis bit her lip and slowly closed her eyes, trying to fight down the impulse that made her want to smack the grouchy bastard upside the head.
"To Artemis Holtzer and Severus Snape." Dumbledore said softly, raising a snifter full of honey colored liquid toward the two people in question. The entire table cheered them, and drank.
They all laughed and sipped their drinks, Mis being careful to drink her fire whisky slowly, though that didn't stop her from getting a bit tipsy. Everyone was leaning towards Sirius as he told the story of his rescue… with slight embellishments, or more accurately he lied his ass off.
"…Just as we thought we were safe, a hooded figure, 8 feet tall, stood in our path; blocking our way to the black sand beach." Sirius said in a low voice, raising his hand slowly as if blocking his face from the completely imaginary entity. "His breath reeked of the void itself, of emptiness and discontent…" Sirius said, his voice just above a whisper. 'He's having way too much fun with this.' thought Mis as she mildly sipped her beverage. "Being the Gryffindor that I am, I stepped in front of the lady, and demanded that we be left in peace." Sirius said, puffing his chest out proudly at his fake gallantry. "No mortal may command Pluto, the hooded figure bellowed, in a yell that shook the earth beneath my feet. Mis fainted in my arms, as Pluto towered over us…" Mis snorted, and rolled her eyes. She didn't know when he had been able to find the time to construct his embellished tale, but thought that perhaps it was just in his blood to pull a story out of nowhere.
"Sirius?" Hermione said skeptically, "Didn't you say Hecate was there?" She asked, smirking a little. "Yeah…So Pluto was towering over…" Sirius said dismissively before jumping back in to his story.
"Then how could Pluto be there as well?" Hermione asked with narrowed eyes, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"He's the god of the underworld, Hermione." Sirius stated plainly, turning to look at her.
"Not of the Greek underworld, Pluto is the god of the Roman underworld. Mis mentioned Charon earlier and you mentioned Hecate, both are deities of the Greek underworld." She said, with the know-it-all tone that Mis loved her for. Hermione mockingly tapped a finger to her lip in thought, "So how could there possibly be a Roman god in the Greek underworld?" She asked with an ironically studious tone.
Mis started laughing heartily.
"Excellent observation, Hermione. Ten points to Gryffindor!" She said toasting her glass to the wild haired girl. Hermione beamed at her. "Can I give and take away points, Dumble bee?" She asked suddenly, as a side thought, her word slurred slightly.
"Well you are technically employed her as a teaching assistant, so yes you can." He replied, a smile crinkling his vibrant, bespectacled eyes.
"Ten points from Gryffindor. Holtzer, you can't just go around giving points out for observations any infant could make." Snape insisted, shooting both Mis and Hermione the evil eye.
"Fifteen points to Gryffindor. It was a smart comment, and if you can deduct points from Neville Longbottom for merely breathing, than I think I ought to be allowed to give points for things that bring me amusement." Mis replied tartly.
"Fifteen points from Gryffindor. Albus, this is too much power for her, she cannot be trusted." Snape said, turning to the headmaster accusatorially.
"Twenty points to Gryffindor. Don't listen to him, Dumble bee. I'm a goddamn pillar of virtue and self-restraint." She said, before gulping down the rest of her firewhisky, mumbling that she was a "hot-pillar" while Snape was a "not-pillar."
The room got quieter as the night wore on, and Mis was feeling tired and sluggish from her drink. No one seemed to want to go home, as there seemed to be a collective belief that once they left the room, they would find out it had all been some kind of communal hallucination. Mis was content enough to rest her head on Snape's shoulder, and listen to the hushed but cheerful banter that filled the room. Every now and then, Snape would shift the shoulder she was occupying with her head, and mutter something like "Not a bloody pillow." He never made her move though.
"Albus, not that this hasn't been a bloody lovely experience, but didn't you mention that there urgent matters regarding Holtzer?" Mad-eye grumbled from the other side of the table, his blue eye whizzing around rapidly to stare at her from beneath his sandy brown hair. Mis lifted her head, suddenly feeling considerably more awake.
"Ah yes, it would seem that time, as always, time has gotten the better of us." The old man said, glancing briefly at Mis before addressing the room. "I'm afraid there is a rather disturbing situation that has developed. The Dark Lord has taken an interest in Miss Holtzer and, as of this afternoon, has begun his scheme of procuring her." The room at large gave an audible gasp, and began looking over the Mis worriedly.
"But Ablus…" Mrs. Weasley scolded, as if it had been Dumbledore's idea. "…She's just a girl, barely of age." The plump woman protested maternally, her brown eyes tense with concern for a girl she hardly knew.
"She's not just a girl, Molly." Mad-eye said gruffly, looking at the matriarch, his magical and natural eyes fixed unwaveringly on her. The way Mad-eye said it made pride swell in Mis' chest, and she couldn't help but give a small smile at the Auror's words. "I've been training her for nearly three weeks, she's taken to it quickly. If I'm given another two months or so, she'll be a weapon. She is, at this time, one of our greatest assets. When this whole goddamn thing comes to a head, she can be at the frontlines, without fear of being harmed by magic." Mad-eye said emphatically, sounding like a general laying out the latest strategy.
Mis nodded her head slowly, that sounded like a good plan to her, and when the time came she would be more than willing to help them kick some ass.
"She's not a weapon, Mad-eye, she's a person, and a young one at that. Besides, we're getting too far ahead of ourselves…" Sirius stated firmly, turning his eyes from Mad-eye to Dumbledore and inclining his head to the latter, urging him to continue.
"Thank you, Sirius. Narcissa Malfoy is currently the one who is intended to speak with Miss Holtzer. That, however, is not what concerns me the most. Severus has informed me that The Dark Lord has requested the Iuvenes Rursus potion." Dumbledore stated gravely. There was a collective sharp intake of breath from the table. Mis had taken Latin as a freshmen, but she was a little rusty, she did however catch know what iuvenes meant…young. She furrowed her brows, and looked at Snape with questioning eyes. He ignored her, with pinched lips.
"How can that be?" Sirius muttered in awe.
"I'm sorry to be 'that guy.'" Mis said, apologetically, looking at Dumbledore. "But what is the potion? What exactly does it do?" She asked.
"The Iuvenes Rursus, is an ancient, dark potion. It can only be completed on All Hallows Eve, under a blood moon. The ingredients are…horrific. It requires the blood of seven different creatures before they reach the age of maturity, including that of a witch or wizard under the age of seventeen. If done correctly, it can turn a witch or wizard's body back to prime physical condition." Dumbledore said, and Mis could see a strange sadness in his eyes as he considered her. Mis shook her head in confusion.
"But why would he want that? I mean why is this part of his plan to get me?" She said skeptically, her face scrunched in thought.
Snape let out a huff of exasperation.
"He intends to seduce you, Holtzer!" he exclaimed, loud enough for Mis to jolt slightly. Mis turned to him slowly, with one eyebrow raised.
"Seriously?" she asked, absently miming a closed mouth expression with her hand as she heard Sirius begin to say something, probably having to do with her choice of word. Snape nodded once. Mis bit her lip and turned away to stare into space with narrowed eyes for a solid minute.
Mis bowed her head, as she felt something snap inside of her, the last thread tying her to sanity she would later realize. She was laughing so hard it was silent, with her shoulders shaking as if sobbing, which is, incidentally, what everyone thought she was doing.
"Oh, my dear." Mrs. Weasley said softly. Mis felt her stomach contract painfully with her violent laugher, and knew if she didn't calm down it would start cramping. She took in a deep shrieking breath, as she clutched her stomach.
"That…" she started, but she couldn't speak yet. Everyone muttered worriedly, perhaps concerned that she was having some sort of psychotic break. "Seduce me…" she said, in a wheezing voice, unrestrained tears of laughter pouring from her eyes as her head remained bowed.
"Are you alright, Mis?" Sirius asked from across the table. She wordlessly waved her hand in the direction of his voice absently.
Her mind was conjuring images of a grey skinned Voldemort in his thin black robes, laying seductively on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace, his giant snake curled around his neck like a circa 2001 Britney Spears knockoff. Voldemort in a red negligee, rolling his hips in circles while the Careless Whisper saxophone solo plays in the back ground. Mis had checked out, sanity was gone and in its place were hilariously disturbing images of Snake Face's seduction.
"Sweet, baby Jesus." Mis muttered, getting a partial hold of herself.
She looked around the room, her eyes glistening brightly, and her face rosy from laughter. No one else seemed to think it was as funny as she did. Mis cleared her throat.
"Sorry about that." She said, trying to sober herself, but small giggles kept escaping through her lips.
"This is no laughing matter, Holtzer." Snape growled menacingly. Mis shook her head.
"You are entitled to your wrong opinion, Snape." she said, stifling a snort.
"I don't see what's so funny about this, Mis." Sirius said, in a reprimanding tone. She gave him a look of betrayal, of all people Sirius Black ought to have been the one to see the humor in it with her.
"Voldemort is going to attempt to seduce me." Mis said slowly, as if he would better understand her amusement if he heard her say it, while simultaneously thinking that the sentence she just uttered was possibly the most ridiculous thing she had or ever would say.
"Miss Holtzer, Tom Riddle was notorious at this school for his abilities of coercion, not only of students, but staff as well. The entire female population of this school was completely at his disposal during his time here. He was exceedingly attractive, smart, charming, polite, yet always maintain that air of mystery and danger…it makes for deadly cocktail, Miss Holtzer, that few have been able to resist." Dumbledore said wisely, piercing her with his clear, blue eyes. She sobered considerably under the grave look he was giving her.
"Look." She said holding up her hand. "I'm not gonna say I'm totally impervious to charm and a strong jawline, but I mean come on…Give me a little credit, I'm not just gonna throw myself at the first evil dictator that shows an interest." She said mildly, watching as her words sunk in around the table.
"That may well be true, girlie, but you can't fully know." Mad-eye said, fixing her with a stare.
Mad-eye was right, and Mis knew it. She believed that she could resist damn near anything that she didn't want, but what if Snake Face was capable of somehow changing her mind?
"I recognize that I'm not infallible, ok? All I'm trying to communicate is that firstly, this is a pretty hilarious scenario, and secondly we'll just have to take this in stride." Mis said diplomatically, shrugging her shoulders casually. "Anyway, the point of the matter isn't 'will I be able to handle the nose-less wonder?' it's 'how in the fuck are we going to deal with him wanting to recruit me?'" Mis said, clearing her throat and standing up in preparation for her proposal about the Malfoy's.
"Here's what we know. One, he wants me on his side. Two, like it or not he will eventually get to me, and to be entirely honest with y'all, I'd prefer it to be on our terms instead of him sending one of his cronies to knock me over the head and kidnap me. Three, he's sending Naricissa Malfoy, and folks, that's a goddamn golden opportunity." Mis said confidently, smirking a bit at the slight confusion of their faces at her last words.
"I know for a fact, that the Malfoy's, including Draco, his mother and his Luscious-Locks father will switch teams, so to speak. I propose that we begin trying to find a way to get them out from under Snake Face." Mis said boldly, her voice strong despite her fear of their instant rejection of her idea. The room went quite, no one protested instantly, so she took that as a good sign and continued.
"Narcissa Malfoy is first and foremost a mother, she's desperate right now, and she doesn't want her son to murder Dumbledore. Draco is scared shitless at what Voldemort expects him to do. Lucius has fallen out of favor with Voldemort so much, that I'm pretty sure he would take any chance offered to get him and his family to safety." She said, noticing everyone was listening intently, except for Sirius and Snape who both looked petulant and cross. She ignored their glares, and instead focused on the group.
"So…" she said clapping her hands once crisply. "I propose we allow Narcissa to "collect me", then we can open this line of communication very carefully, we don't want to scare her off. I'll meet with Voldemort, which as per Voldemort's promise, will bring back Lucius, at which point we can get them all out together." Mis said, looking around the table.
"These are the bleedin' Malfoy's we're talking about! They are dark wizards who'd double cross us in an instant to save their own hides." Mad-eye said, looking at Mis with a hard, unwavering gaze. Mis smirked.
"Before we agree to help them, Peggy, we'll force them to make unbreakable vows…fuckin' obviously. Did you guys forget about magic here? We can force them to be honest with us." She said condescendingly, before cocking her head to one side in thought. "I mean sure, it's not the most ethical thing to do, but it's the best option available to us." Mis said matter-of-factly.
The group continued discussing the pros and cons of offering the Malfoy's a second chance, everyone seemed to be of two minds about it. With Snape and Sirius still violently opposed, and the rest of the group mostly unwilling to let Mis journey into the snake pit, it became apparent to her after a while that they would likely not come to a conclusion that night, much to Mis' chagrin. After an hour or so of bickering, Dumbledore stood regally from his seat.
"Well, I think we have been given a great deal to think about, perhaps it would be best if we were to retire and sleep on this new information. I for one am quite looking forward to being embraced by my wonderful goose down pillow." Said the old man serenely. Mis humphed into her chair, she was tired but didn't want to leave this problem unresolved. She was about to say so when she felt a swift kick to her shin from underneath the table.
"Bastard." she muttered acidly to Snape, who looked rather smug at having been able to effectively silence her. Said bastard gave her a smirk, she glared at him with narrowed eyes.
"Albus, before we all retreat, there is one more thing that I've been…thinking about." Mad-eye said slyly. Mis turned to look at him, as did the entire table.
"What did you do to Draco Malfoy, Holtzer?" He said in a surprisingly soft voice. Mis was taken aback by his question, she wasn't even aware that he had known about the burn curse incident.
"I just did what Snape told me to do, I applied the burn gel." She said quickly, as if she were in trouble.
"I think you did more than that, girlie." Mad-eye said, raising his eyebrow with an amused tone. "It's impossible to know precisely what you did…however, I have a theory." The Auror said, sharing a glance with Dumbledore.
"Alastor this isn't the time…" Dumbledore started, his face set in a stern line. Mis' confusion multiplied.
"It is the time, Albus." Mad-eye barked, causing Mis to jump. "I think you can absorb curses from others without any adverse effects to yourself, Holtzer." Mad-eye said, watching as she considered his words.
"Sound about right to me." She said, unsure of where Mad-eye was going with this.
"Furthermore, I think you can do it again…with Albus." He finished.
The young girl's eyes went wide as Mad-eye's words soaked into her brain. It made perfect sense to her, if she could take the curse out of Draco's body, she should be able to extract the curse from Dumbledore's arm.
"Oh, my god." Mis breathed. The table was still, as all eyes watched her, wondering what she would do next. Her eyes shot to Dumbledore's blackened hand, then up to his face.
"How long have you had this theory?" She asked in a dangerously still voice, not taking her eyes from Dumbledore.
"The same day I heard about Malfoy." The Auror supplied. Mis was angry that this idea hadn't occurred to her, but even more so that Dumbledore hadn't told her. Why hadn't he told her?
Dumbledore sighed heavily, obviously seeing the flickering anger in the girl's eyes.
"My dear, I didn't want to add any further pressure to you on my account." He said wearily.
"I would appreciate it…if you let me decide what I can and cannot handle." Mis said slowly, rising from her chair. Wordlessly she walked to stand beside the old man, who looked up at her with an inscrutable expression. She reached for Dumbledore's black arm, with a look of determination on her face.
"Holtzer!" barked Snape, standing from his own chair and gliding over to her. "You've done enough, your body needs to rest. The last time you did this, you fainted, and that curse was not as powerful or dark as this one is; who knows what could happen..." Snape said, he spoke sharply but there was a softness in his eyes that made Mis smile up at him warmly.
"I'm doing it Snape. I have to try…it's why I'm here." She said softly.
"Mis." Sirius said, walking over to stand beside her as well. "Maybe, Snape is right. You should at least rest a few days, before trying." He said, almost pleadingly. She smiled at the two men, at their protectiveness.
"What's the worst that happen?" she said lightly, turning to look at Dumbledore. "We don't even know if it'll work, anyway." she added as an after thought.
Dumbledore looked at Mis, resignation in his eyes.
"If you must." he said simply. Mis smirked, and reached for his hand.
She stood over the old headmaster, cradling his charred hand in both of her own. The moment she closed her hand around his, she began to feel it. It was different from Draco's curse, this felt older and far more sinister. It felt like ice water was replacing the warm blood in her veins, she shivered. She noticed it was painful this time, as the black began receding from Dumbledore's hand and into her own. It traveled fast, like ink dropped into a bowl of milk her skin changed. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the freeze that was taking over her body. She whimpered, as the ice curse traveled up her arm to her collar bone and around her neck.
"Holtzer." Snape said, but his voice seemed very far away, everything becoming hazy. She opened her eyes to see everything blurring together, with the only thing in sharp focus being the old hand that was almost entirely normal except for pale grey finger tips. She was so close, it was almost gone. She started shivering uncontrollably, as she saw that last bit of darkened skin recede.
"Holtzer, stop." Someone said, and Mis listened. She let go of Dumbledore's hand and fell to her knees, her body convulsing in violent shivers. She was so cold, but this cold wasn't numbing, it fought against her like an arctic wind. She looked down at her arms, they looked glazed in jet black stone, shiny and strangely beautiful, as if she were a statue carved from onyx. She heard a commotion around her, and vaguely felt as though she had been lifted off the ground into a blessedly warm pair of arms. She couldn't fight the cold, she felt it closing around her heart and lungs making her gasp. Her heart began to race, and panic took over her as she began to thrash against the arms holding her as she tried to breathe.
Then there was something familiar, a gentle thrum, like a heartbeat sharing warmth with her. It was like an embrace, she wanted to drink it in, to soak in it like green things soak in the sun. Slowly she stopped shivering. She was still in a pair of arms when the whole world went black.
