Thanks to all my reviewers: David Fishwick, Obsidian Sage, Alliriyan, Nielispirn, Voldy's Pink Teddy, red neo ranger, and Cassandra. Thanks especially to Alaina for reviewing nearly every chapter. I really mean it, without you guys this wouldn't have even gotten written.
Chapter 14: Caught
From then on, Nagisa and I were inseparable. We ate together, sat together, studied together, snogged together. We made an odd couple in the eyes of our fellow students, her in Slytherin green and me in Gryffindor red. Because of this, we attracted a fair amount of stares. For once, I didn't mind the attention. Conviction made me brave. We usually walked side by side or held hands, but whenever a student seemed to show undue disapproval, we weren't above snogging in the hallways to prove our point. Damnably beautiful as always, Nagisa also attracted a fair amount of male attention. At first, most of the older Slytherin guys couldn't understand why Nagisa would choose a nobody like me (a disbelief I sometimes shared), but she deflected their advances gracefully until they were finally forced to concede defeat. And the dreams came back more vivid than ever.
Every night was different; every night was more terrible than the last. This particular night, I dreamed that Mandy was sobbing, begging me not to deny her. I opened my mouth to comfort her, to assure her that I would never do such a thing, when her flesh rippled and turned into scales. Snake-Mandy lunged at me, hissing, "You can't deny your blood." Dream-Tom searched his pockets. Something silver and shiny fell out of my hand and clattered to the floor. I bolted awake, feeling as though I had forgotten something important.
"That's right!" I said aloud. "It's Valentine's Day." I pulled on my school robes and rummaged in my trunk for the little silver box that contained my present to Nagisa.
After I retrieved it, I set off for Charms. The classroom buzzed with nervous energy. Everywhere I looked, people were conducting whispered side conversations. Professor Bundywort was nowhere to be seen. Before I had time to wonder at the cause of the commotion, I overheard Patricia Patil say to Lily Potter "Did you hear? They caught N.V."
I nearly dropped my schoolbag.
But Lily seemed calm, skeptical even.
"Oh? Who supposedly caught N.V. and how do you know about it?"
"McGonagall caught 'em red handed when they tried to do the same to old Mrs. Filch. Her whole family are Squibs y' know. Could hear Filch's screams clear down t' the Slytherin dorms."
Something about Patricia's story bothered me; fortunately, Lily picked up on it too. "Them?" she asked.
"Yeah, Gabbe and Coyle."
Suddenly, I shared Lily's skepticism.
"There's no way Gabbe and Coyle could be N.V. They're too stupid, for one thing. Someone else must be pulling the strings." I said, forgetting that I wasn't supposed to be listening and that Lily and I were no longer speaking to each other.
Lily slammed her Charms book down on the desk and turned around to face me. "You know what, Marvolo, I don't think she was talking to you."
"Yeah well, it's a free country," I replied. "Or at least it was."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily asked, her color rising.
"It means that if you've got a drop of Slytherin blood in your veins, the Potter Patrol is liable to come and arrest you for being a Death Eater."
Lily laughed, a bitter sarcastic sound. "Oh not that again." She lowered her voice into a passable imitation of mine. "I'm Tom the Emo. No one likes me, no one understands me. Everybody hates me just 'cause my mum was a Death Eater. I'm going to go cry in a corner and slit my wrists."
My eyes narrowed as Patricia giggled sycophantically.
"At least I'm not a spoiled, selfish, prejudiced, little bitch."
Patricia stopped laughing.
"C'mon Pat, let's sit somewhere else." Lily picked up her books and left, turning back only once to glare at me with an expression of deepest loathing. I matched her fury and added some of my own. She was the first to look away.
It figured that Professor Bundywort would choose that exact moment to rush into the room and begin class. All in all, it was my worst Charms lesson ever. Without Nagisa to soothe me (she had Herbology first period), my anger raged unabated. I wasn't the only one who hadn't Vanished my canary at the end of the class, but I was the only one who had managed to Explode it into a million pieces. I felt a bit cowed after that; I had never relished the smell of blood. Professor Bundywort walked past my desk and Vanished the remains of my bird with a tight-lipped scowl, while writing something that looked suspiciously like a zero in his grade book. Too tired to care, I rested my head on the desk and counted the minutes until I would get to see Nagisa in Potions.
Can Gabbe and Coyle be the mysterious N.V.? What will Nagisa say about the news? Stay tuned for chapter 15 to find out!