Chapter 20: What Peter and Severus Saw

On an inclement Saturday a week later, James and Sirius had Quidditch practice, so Peter tagged along with Remus to the library. He had actually promised James to look for a book to help with one of the safeguards they were going to put on The Map, but once there, he was distracted. Remus actually sat down and got to work while Peter went over to talk to Maureen Clement and ask her to the Halloween dance.

When Remus was done and asked him if he was ready to go, Peter realized with a pang of guilt that he had neither done any of his homework nor looked for the book that James wanted. He said goodbye to Maureen, who had agreed to go to the dance with him.

He and Remus left the library together and took a shortcut back to their common room, for it was nearly dinnertime and they were both quite hungry. Remus stopped walking and cocked his head, listening. "What's that?"

The sound of music was coming from one of the empty classrooms. What was someone doing? Going closer, they could hear it was a stringed instrument and a girl singing. Peter could not make out the words.

He followed Remus, who opened the door to the classroom and stood watching the scene before him. Calyxa di Janarra, the little Italian witch whom Sirius fancied, was sitting on the teacher's desk playing some type of instrument like a small guitar and singing in Italian. All around her in the air danced little toys: glass ornaments, enchanted dolls, pretty paper birds, and colorful twists of smoke all swirled around her in rhythm to the merry song. An ugly monkey and a penguin wearing a beret waltzed around on the desk; a sleek falcon soared and swooped in a lazy circle; and an unnervingly real image of the waning crescent moon hung in front of her.

As they stood in awe and shock watching and listening, the music stopped abruptly, the girl gasped, and the toy falcon hurtled towards them with a fierce cry. All the enchanted toys clattered to the floor, many of which shattered, and the crescent moon spun around and rose up through the ceiling.

"Cacciala!" she called, and the falcon swerved away from them with another cry.

Because he had not had time to draw his wand, Peter had thrown up his arms to protect his face from the bird's attack. Now, he lowered his arms.

"Sorry," Remus said to Calyxa and then took out his wand. "Reparo."

The exquisite glass ornaments all reassembled, but the girl, who had gotten to her feet, stood watching them and said nothing.

"I'm sorry," Remus repeated, hitching his bookbag up higher on his shoulder. "We were taking a shortcut and heard the music."

"Those other boys…" she began with an anxious frown, looking at both of them. "They are not with you?"

Peter got the impression that she was afraid. He actually liked her because she treated him just the same as she treated the others. Most girls paid more attention to Sirius or James, but Calyxa didn't. That, and she obviously couldn't stand Sirius, which filled Peter with glee. It was about time that Sirius fancied someone who despised him! With great pleasure, Peter recalled the moment when the quiet little witch had glared at Sirius and declared he was a cretin, and Sirius had recoiled as if she had struck him.

"No," continued Remus. "We were just looking a few things up in the library." He grinned. "How do you do that? That was really amazing."

She smiled back, seeming relieved. "I am practicing magic without a wand," she admitted. "It is easier for me to do when I am playing my lute."

"Without a wand?" Peter asked with interest, coming a little further into the room. "Is that possible?"

"Of course. Well, people Apparate all the time, no? And Professor McGonagall can transform into a cat without a wand."

"I guess you're right." He leaned on one of the desks. "What else can you do?"

"I do not know," she replied. "I only began to practice it last year."

"Do they teach wandless magic in Italy?" Remus asked.

She smiled again and began to put her lute into her bookbag. "No. I just read about it myself." She put in the monkey and the penguin and stooped to collect some of the glass ornaments. "Am I going to have in the detention?" she asked, straightening up and looking at Remus.

"What?" Remus looked at her in confusion for a second, and when he realized that she was worried about getting in trouble, he chuckled. "Oh, no. Of course not. Just be careful next time."

As he saw his friend smiling at her, it suddenly struck Peter that Remus fancied her. He was quiet and a bit serious around girls, especially as compared to the others, so it wasn't easy to see. Interesting. Peter hid a grin and pasted a serious expression on his face. Wouldn't it be great if Remus asked her to the dance? It would be revenge on Sirius for luring away Gwen Cogan, for one, and Sirius deserved it.

He wondered if it would be a good idea to leave them alone together. Maybe then Remus would get up the nerve to ask her out, or something. "I just remembered, I left something in the library," he said, and both Remus and Calyxa looked at him with frowns. "I'm going to go back."

"Should I wait for you?" asked Remus.

"No, no, I'll see you later." He turned and hurried back the way he came, wondering if Maureen would still be in the library or if she'd already gone down to dinner. And it wasn't until much, much later that he realized his own stupidity, that Remus was alone with her all the time during their Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons.

As expected, James had been annoyed that Peter hadn't found the book. Although he sighed and pretended to be sorry, Peter secretly enjoyed it. He liked being able to annoy James.

A few nights later, the two of them and Sirius went to the library after dinner while Remus was at a prefect's meeting. James had a list of things to look up for The Map. The three of them split up to find the books more quickly. Peter started to look for his, but he saw Snape sitting at one of the tables beyond the last few racks. He peered around and saw Calyxa next to him concentrating very hard on writing something. They sat with their backs to Peter. Snape had his right hand resting on the back of Calyxa's chair, and every time she moved, her hair, woven into a heavy plait, would brush over his knuckles. The girl asked a question, and Snape replied; then, however, he went back to watching the way her plait slid over the back of his hand.

Peter reasoned that she was probably the only girl in the school who was actually nice to Snape. Of course, she had to be nice since he was her tutor, but this was a perfect opportunity to annoy Sirius! Peter was still convinced that his friend fancied the "princess" and knew a bit of gossip that would send him into a rage.

"Hey, Sirius," he whispered, gesturing for the other boy to come over to where he was standing. "Look at this."

"What?" Sirius growled. "Haven't you got any of them yet, useless?" He came over, though, and when he saw Snape sitting with Calyxa, he stopped and frowned.

"You know what?" Peter told him in a low whisper. "Snivellus asked her to go to one of Slughorn's parties with him."

"What?" Sirius swung to glare at him, not believing it.

"And she went with him!" Peter's voice squeaked with excitement, but Sirius didn't notice.

The taller boy glanced over at them again. Calyxa half stood up and stretched across the table to reach her Potions textbook. As she did, her robes pulled tight, and Snape's eyes followed the movements of her body. In truth, Peter's did as well.

Sirius didn't miss any of it. He stalked over to their table – Peter felt a jolt of excitement. Was he going to resort to violence? Edging a little closer, Peter waited to see what was going to happen.

"Hey, Princess," Sirius called, and she looked up in surprise. Snape was on his feet in an instant with his wand in his hand. "How about going to the Halloween Dance with me?"

Peter clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Only Sirius could be conceited enough to not realize that the girl hated him! This was way too good!

There was silence, and Snape looked from one to the other and back.

"You are very kind, and I thank you," she replied politely and with a smile, "but unfortunately, I cannot."

"Oh," said Sirius, not looking at all disappointed, "going with someone already, eh? Who are you going with?"

She blinked, seemingly uncertain of how to reply. Peter suspected that she wasn't going with anyone at all and was just too unused to lying to make up a story that quickly.

"Come off it, Black, you can see she just doesn't want to go with you," said Snape with an unpleasant grin. He still held his wand although he had lowered it to his side.

"Don't tell me you're going with this slimy git," sneered Sirius. "He'll get his grease all over your pretty Italian robes."

Looking wretched, she shook her head at Sirius, but she had no words to reply to him. Peter was in heaven and moved closer. That polite princess would never forgive him for this! Then he saw a drop of blood on her face. Had Snape hit her with a stray hex? He hadn't appeared to use his wand.

"Sirius," Peter said, gesturing towards her because Snape and Sirius were glaring at each other.

When he saw the little drop of red blood she had wept, Sirius frowned in concern. "Hey – are you all right?" He put one hand on the table and leaned down to look more closely at her.

She pressed her hand against her forehead as if in pain.

"What is it?" he asked in concern.

"Nothing," she managed in a wavering voice.

"Calyxa," he said quietly. "You need to go to the healers."

"No," whispered Calyxa. She opened her eyes and a few more tears of blood streaked her face.

Peter felt himself go cold. What could have injured her that way?

"You're hurt," Sirius told her as gently as possible. "You need to go to see Madam Pomfrey. Do you think you can walk?"

"Let me… just sit… just a minute," she said weakly.

Sirius looked up at Snape. "What was the curse?" he demanded.

"It wasn't me," Snape snapped, but Peter thought he looked a bit worried, as if he was afraid of getting in trouble.

"What on earth is going on here?" They hadn't heard Madam Pince approaching, and now she stood glaring at them with her hands on her hips.

The three boys all looked at her with guilty expressions; Sirius was the first to recover. "Sorry, ma'am, but something's wrong with Calyxa, and we're trying to convince her to go with us to Madam Pomfrey."

"Good heavens!" The librarian reached to touch the girl's face. "What happened? Did one of these boys do this?"

"No," she answered with a wan smile. "It happens like this to me sometimes."

"You must go to hospital," said Madam Pince firmly. "Now, Mr. Snape, you are the tutor, aren't you?"

The boy nodded.

"You will take Miss di Janarra down to see Madam Pomfrey." Sirius began to protest, but she cut him off. "Not another word."

Calyxa got to her feet rather slowly, and Snape escorted her towards the library exit. She looked unwell and walked very slowly, and Peter wondered if she could make it as far as the hospital wing.

"Mr. Black, put this parchment and the books in her bag and see that one of the Ravenclaw students takes it back to the dormitory."

"Yes, ma'am," answered Sirius, but he looked angry. As Madam Pince walked away, he sighed and began stuffing Calyxa's things into her bookbag. "Bloody idiot!" he muttered.

Peter came up beside him. "You think he hexed her on purpose?"

"Cripes, Wormtail!" Sirius snarled, "Why do you have to be so bloody stupid?"

What had he said? And why was Sirius so vehement? Was he really that sweet on the girl? And that jealous of Snape?

"You don't really think she likes him?" he asked. "Do you?"

"Snivellus and the princess?" asked Sirius with a sharp laugh. "You're sick." He jerked the flap of her brown leather bag closed and pulled the strap over his shoulder. "At least she hasn't got a poncy bag."

As he walked next to Calyxa, Severus was wondering what had caused her injury. He hadn't used any curses or hexes, and he was fairly sure that Black hadn't either. Of course, Black could have done it on the sly with the intention of getting Severus in trouble; however, that was not something a Gryffindor would do. It was more of a Slytherin trick.

Of course, Black had only asked Calyxa out for one reason: to rub it in Severus's face that he was popular with girls, that even Calyxa would prefer him to greasy little Snivellus. Only it hadn't worked quite like Black had planned it.

It was hard to imagine her saying that she couldn't go with him unless she really had another date; however, when Black had asked her who she was going with, she hadn't answered. Although it was probably because she hadn't understood what he had asked, it had seemed for a moment like she had been trying to make up a polite lie to avoid hurting him with the truth that she didn't really want to go with him. Severus knew quite well what it was like to receive such a polite lie in response to an invitation, and he was glad to witness Black on the receiving end for once.

As for the odd little Italian witch, he didn't really care about her, nor was he interested in hearing about her life in Italy, but the other girls at Hogwarts had known him too many years, so he didn't have a chance with any of them. Calyxa was new, and he imagined he'd have a chance before anyone else got to her. He had never taken a girl anywhere, and he wanted a chance, at least.

She seemed to have some intellect, for even though she had no talent for potions and didn't always understand English, she never had a problem with the concepts. It was probably a good thing that she wasn't pretty; other boys might be pursuing her. She was all right, he supposed. Not ugly even though she had those weird eyebrows that made her look a bit strange, and she certainly had a ripe, curvy body that every boy at the school admired. No complaints there, he would agree with the Slytherin boys who occasionally made rude remarks about her.

Unlike most girls, she hardly ever said anything unnecessary and never giggled, which was a huge relief. She didn't look at him with disgust, like some other girls did. He didn't imagine that she fancied him, but on four different occasions, she had exclaimed in admiration that he was brilliant or he was a genius. He guessed that she recognized he was intelligent and talented. It was something; it was better than nothing. In addition, she often touched him without seeming to realize what she was doing, usually on the arm or hand, which he liked more than he'd admit.

He had asked her if she wanted to go to a party that Professor Slughorn was giving so that she could meet more people. Being terrified that she might frown and look at him in disgust, he made the invitation casually. Almost as an offhand remark. As if he was doing her a favor in including her.

Of course, she had looked at him seriously with her eyes not seeming to really see him and replied that she was honored and would be delighted Then he had felt awkward, for excitement flooded him in one huge rush while he tried to maintain an aloof exterior, as if he didn't care either way if she went with him or not.

His brooding thoughts were interrupted when Calyxa sat down rather suddenly halfway down a staircase. He stopped and sighed in annoyance. It was bad enough that he had to actually go with her to the hospital wing! Was he going to have to stop and wait for her every ten steps?

He sat down on the same step. She leaned back against the wall with her eyes closed, and she looked weary. "Black didn't hit you with something, did he?" he asked her. He almost wished the arrogant prat had!

"No." Her eyes opened. "Could you not tell?" She smiled and looked a little better. "It was you who was hurting me."

"Me?" he asked in shock, on the defensive. "I wasn't doing anything!"

"No, you did nothing." She closed her eyes again. "Severus… will you help me back to my dormitory?"

"You need to see Madam Pomfrey," he reminded her.

"I do not. This has happened to me before. It is a weakness in me to be very sensitive to pain." She opened her eyes and sat up. "It is silly to go all that way when I know quite well that all I need is sleep."

The idea was appealing: Ravenclaw Tower was much closer than the hospital wing. "Are you sure?"

"I am, but I am afraid I shall need to lean on you," she said in a rather apologetic tone.

His heartbeat increased. He wouldn't at all mind having her lean on him. Quite the contrary. "I suppose you will. Just tell me what I should do."

Taking a deep breath, she began to get to her feet with one hand braced against the wall behind her. He stood as well and waited, frowning and uncertain. She reached to grasp his arm and moved closer, so he bent his arm at the elbow and held it stiff. She held his upper arm with both hands and began to descend the stairs.

Being this close to her was somewhat overwhelming, but he liked it. He could smell the delicate perfume she wore along with that soft girl scent that drove him mad whenever he sat close to certain girls. Getting down the stairs was difficult, but once they had reached the floor below, it was easier. She leaned against him and walked slowly, and he allowed himself to enjoy it. In his mind, he played with the idea of putting his arm around her waist, but he knew he would never risk it.

"Who are you going to the dance with?" he asked her.

"Pardon me?"

"I was wondering who asked you to the dance."

"Oh. My escort is Remus."

Lupin? It wasn't such a huge surprise that she was going with one of her tutors, though she seemed to get along best with Sonnagh Mitchell. On the other hand, had Black asked her even though she was going with one of his friends? Was it possible that Black didn't know? Severus considered it. Maybe there was some sort of animosity between the boys.

"That day, Halloween, is the night where we remember the dead," she continued. "Janarra consider it a sacred time and very solemn. It is strange to me to have a dance on such a day, but my mother and Professor Dumbledore have given permission to celebrate with a Ceremony of the Dead before the dance. I would be honored if you would be one of my guests for that ceremony."

One of her guests? What did that mean? "Is Lupin going?"

"Certainly, along with Lily, Sonnagh, and the girls in my dormitory. I have also invited Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick, but perhaps they are too busy."

All four tutors, then. He wondered if that's why she was going to the dance with Lupin, for convenience. And Lily Evans was going. Severus sighed. If only a girl like that would go out with him! "Okay, I'll go."

"I am glad," she said. "Whom will you escort to the dance?"

He knew that she asked only to be polite and to show interest. "No, I'm not going."

"Not going? Losna! Why not?"

He actually smiled a little, though it was a wry smile. "I don't dance."

"Not dance!" She muttered something in Italian. "You must dance. And there are many girls who have no escort. You cannot be so selfish as to deny a young lady an escort."

He knew she was just a year younger, but something about her made her seem very young, naïve, and vulnerable. Against his better judgment, it made him feel a bit protective of her. He considered saying something flirtatious, something that girls liked, such as but if I can't take you, I don't want to take anyone, but even thinking of saying it made him cringe.

"Maybe I'll go," he said, but he was thinking of attending her ceremony and then walking into the Great Hall afterwards with Lily Evans.

Sorry about the long delay. I've been down with the stomach flu for two weeks, and I'm still not able to eat normally.