Chapter 25
A Lesson Given
The first Quidditch match of the season, between Gryffindor and Slytherin, occurred a few days later. Henry had trained the team hard the previous evening, threatening to break limbs if they didn't beat Slytherin. There was a lot riding on the game; particularly, the points they gained would make up for the gigantic loss earlier that year. Gryffindor just had to beat Slytherin. Hestia had even gone straight to bed after practice without even opening a school book, which was very unusual for her.
Game day was just as windy and wet as the days before, and neither Myra nor the other girls wanted to go watch. As they got dressed that morning, however, Hestia informed them otherwise: "If I have to fly around in this wretched weather, you damn well better be there to support me! Or I will never help any of you with any kind of school work ever again! And I'll make damn sure no one else helps you either!"
They all showed up in their Gryffindor coloured raincoats, cheering loudly with the rest of the house. Still, not ten minutes into the game and everyone was drenched. At least it was still kind of fun. Unfortunately, the game seemed destined to last a while – not many goals were scored in the first half, and the Seekers on both sides were having a horrible time navigating, let alone finding the Snitch.
During a slightly lighter rain shower, the Slytherin Seeker caught sight of something and took off towards the Gryffindor goalposts. Penhale took off too, hot on the Slytherin's tail. But just as they reached the goalposts, the Snitch seemed to have disappeared back into the gloom. Slowly, but surely, Slytherin began taking the lead, making goal after goal, Gryffindor struggling to keep up.
This went on for another hour; it was hard keeping count of the time in the cold. When Slytherin were in the lead with 350 points and Gryffindor had 200, there was a single male roar from the top of one of the Hufflepuff towers. Madam Hooch blew her whistle to signal the end of the game.
"Penhale caught the Snitch!" Anna screamed on Myra's right, pointing fervently to the speck of a player in Gryffindor red at the top of the tower. With the points from the Snitch, Gryffindor tied the game!
Both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin stands broke out in cheers of victory, and then they quieted, confused. At the same time Hooch blew her whistle in a warning and raced off towards a scuffle by the Slytherin stands. Myra snapped her gaze in that direction and saw that one of Gryffindor's Chasers, Agnes Garfield, was pulling on a Slytherin girl's hair. The green clad witch clawed at Garfield's face. Henry, his Keeper, and all three Slytherin Chasers were there too, yelling at each other and gesticulating wildly. The rest of the two teams approached quickly, but Hooch made it there first.
"What's going on?" Myra asked.
"I think they're fighting about the score," someone said from behind.
The three girls turned around. "What score? It's a tie." Ashley asked.
The younger Gryffindor raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you pay attention? Slytherin scored just as Simon caught the Snitch. The scoreboard says we tied, but I guess the Slytherins feel they should win."
Myra raised her eyes at the boy's arrogant tone, resisting the urge to take points, and turned around again to see how things were faring. Professor Slughorn had arrived to assist Madam Hooch in breaking up the two girls. Slughorn ended up holding the Slytherin back, while Hooch pulled Garfield away by the tail of her broom, pointing fiercely towards the changing rooms. The girl zoomed off with a scowl. Hooch then turned towards the shouting teams, flew right into the middle of them and blew her whistle three times. Eventually, they raced towards the changing rooms as well, exchanging murderous glares the whole way.
Madam Hooch returned to the ground and pointed her wand to her throat. "The score is as it stands, 350 points to Slytherin and 350 to Gryffindor!" Her voice boomed over the pitch. The Slytherins screamed profanities and complaints, while the Gryffindors cheered; a tie was not ideal, but better than a loss. With the official decision made, the four houses made their way down from the stands and back up to the castle.
...
It was a happy weekend for the Gryffindors. They had secured a massive amount of points in the first game. Beating Slytherin would have been best, but it was still a good enough situation. It certainly helped that Slytherin's pride was wounded as well. When Hestia came back to the dorms after practice on Monday, she had quite a story to tell.
To start, the practise had been just like any other. They had a few spectators – Sirius, Remus and Peter among them. Halfway through, the entire Slytherin team showed up. They climbed up onto one of their stands and began booing and shouting insults.
At first some of the Gryffindor players started flying towards their enemies to get back at them, but Henry's orders brought them back under control. They tried their hardest to continue as if nothing was happening. It had been too good to last.
"Can't even score a simple goal, Potty?" Someone yelled when James missed a goal. "Just like with that Evans bird! Can't even score a simple redhead!"
"Shut the hell up, Reggie!" Sirius shouted from his seat.
"You shut up!" Regulus Black yelled back. "I suppose I can't blame you, though. I mean, I bet a slag like her would be a firecracker in the sack!" A smirk was on his face as he watched James for a reaction. "I'd do her, if she wasn't a filthy Mudblood!"
Hestia had flown past James at just that moment, and she'd seen fury flash in his eyes. He gripped his broom so hard she was sure she heard something crack; fingers or broom, she didn't know. But he did not give Black the satisfaction of snapping.
Sirius, on the other hand, had jumped out of his seat. "You're not worthy of eating the dirt under her shoes, Reggie!"
"You are the dirt under her shoes!"
"Clever, Reggie! You just insulted yourself!" Sirius barked out a short laugh.
"Stop calling me that, you filthy blood-traitor!"
"I'd betray a bunch of wankers any day!"
"Yeah, you'd know all about wankers! Guess Evans doesn't want your dirty leftovers!"
At this Sirius bolted towards the Slytherin stands, tripping over seats and steps. Remus ran behind yelling at him to stop while dodging everything Sirius tripped on, Peter hurrying after. Sirius reached the wall between the two stands first, jumped easily over, and launched himself at his brother.
Hestia hadn't caught the details of the struggle, but as far as she knew no magic had been involved and all seven Slytherins had more or less joined. Madam Hooch, who was never far away during a practice, came and had to physically pull them off one another. Sirius was sent to the hospital wing to tend to many nasty bruises and injuries. Hestia had seen blood running down from his eyebrow, a black eye, one arm hanging limp by his side, the other clutching at his stomach and a limp in his step. Regulus was sent there for nothing more than a bleeding nose. Everyone else got off injury free, but detentions were given and points were taken.
"Seven against one, that's awful odds, even for Sirius," Anna commented. Myra agreed – as much as she might have wanted to laugh at the idea of Sirius being the one beaten up, and by his younger brother at that, it wasn't exactly a funny circumstance.
"What did the others do?" Myra asked.
"From where I was in the air, it looked like Peter wanted to join the fight. Remus held him back," Hestia answered. "Sirius might have gotten off easier if he'd had some help."
The girls were thoughtful for a few short moments, before Ashley came through the door, having been with Lowell that evening. She looked flushed and flustered.
"Miss Ainsworth, look at you!" Anna exclaimed. "What naughty things have you been doing?"
"Nothing special," the blonde answered.
"Oh, come on! Details!" Myra coaxed.
"We just snogged! Alright! Nothing else!" She sat down hard on her bed, looking a bit off her beat.
"Do you even get your homework done when you're out and about like that?" Hestia asked.
"Yes, I do! Thank you very much, Professor!" There may have been a weak smile on her lips, but there was a definite bite in her voice.
"What's going on?" Myra asked.
"Nothing! Get your own love lives, instead of living through mine!"
"No thanks..."
"Working on it...
"Can't find anyone..."
"Wait, what?!" Anna snapped her head around to look at Myra. "'Working on it'? Does that mean you have someone in sight?"
"Oh oh oh," Ashley breathed, suddenly back to her cheerful self. "Tell tell tell!"
Myra leaned back towards her pillows, feeling a blush creeping up her face. "I'm sure you know," she said quietly. "You've told me all about it before."
"Remus?" Anna asked.
The deepening of Myra's blush was answer enough.
"We were wondering when you would admit to it!" Ashley exclaimed.
"Ten points to you for figuring it out before me," Myra said sarcastically.
Hestia sputtered. "Y-you didn't just give them points for that?"
"No no. There needs to be a wandless, non-verbal spell behind it. I didn't do that."
Anna waved her hand dismissively at Hestia. "So what's going on? Are you together?"
Myra shook her head at both questions. "Nothing special is going on. If we were together, do you really think I would hang here with you three all the time?"
"Well, you might have been hiding it. You know – sneaking out in the middle of the night, or on Prefect duties..." Ashley defended.
"We're not hiding anything."
"Well, it looks like he fancies you too! So it's only a matter of time," Anna stated. "We just thought it would have happened by now."
"'We'? You guys been talking about this much?"
"Not much," Ashley defended again. "Anyone can see that you two have something going on, it's hard not to speculate. You're just awfully slow about it."
Myra sighed and looked into the air. "Slow is just the way it has to be, if I want it to get anywhere. I'm doing my best, but I won't rush it. It's not helping at all that Sirius, James and Peter are doing everything they can to push me away, either..."
"What?! Why?"
"Wish I knew," Myra answered honestly. While she imagined there to be several reasons, she really did not know what went on in those marauding minds of theirs.
"Well, I hope you get there soon," Anna comforted. "Nothing can stand in the way of true love!"
Myra chuckled. "I don't know about that, but I'll remember you said it," she said sulkily.
...
The next morning Myra was surprised to see only three Marauders at the breakfast table, Sirius being the missing one this time, not Remus. He must be in a worse shape than Hestia made it sound like.
After Myra was done eating, she excused herself and slid down the bench to where Remus, James and Peter sat. "Morning, boys," she greeted happily. They murmured tiredly back. In the friendliest tone she had without sounding sarcastic, she asked: "I heard about what happened at Quidditch practice last night. How is Sirius doing?"
James narrowed his eyes, nibbling at a piece of cheese. Peter was busy staring at something in the distance. Remus made something resembling a chuckling noise and shook his head. "He's chock full of painkilling potions and healing draughts. He even had to endure Skelegro during the night."
Myra shuddered. She had needed Skelegro once before and knew what that was like. "That potion is nasty. What did he need that for?"
"A few of his fingers were broken in a way that Pomfrey felt it was safer to remove the bones and re-grow them."
Myra widened her eyes, and flexed her fingers in sympathy.
"But he's in good spirits," Remus continued. "He got to beat his brother around for a bit, and he landed a few punches on some Slytherins. Best day he's had in weeks."
"He would have been just as happy even if he had lost all his limbs," James added, and Myra was surprised he dignified himself to joining a civilized conversation she was a part of.
"I can imagine." She smiled at the image of a drugged out and heavily bandaged Sirius on the hospital bed, smiling like a maniac. "Whether he like it or not, tell him I hope he gets better soon. I really mean that." Myra laid all the sincerity she had into her voice.
They looked at her, Peter and James in slight disbelief and Remus with genuine warmth.
"Myra, we should head to class." Hestia had come over, with her bag slung casually over one shoulder. Myra glanced behind her and saw that Anna was getting ready. Ashley had joined up with Lowell and was already on their way out.
"Right." Myra nodded.
"What class do you have?" Remus asked.
"Charms," she answered.
"We've got Defence, we can go together," he offered with a smile, glancing quickly in James and Peter's direction. They shrugged.
"Sure," she grinned back.
Myra saw Hestia shake her head a bit as the boys gathered their things. The group of six got on their way, Remus and Myra taking the lead, instantly falling into conversation.
"I'm surprised every week that goes by without you asking for help with Defence, Myra." They had reached the first floor when Remus said this, purposely not looking at her.
She glanced at him, hoping for his sake that he was joking. There was a playful twinkle in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. "Get used to it," she quipped back. "Our new teacher has surpassed you."
"So it seems."
They both looked at each other sideways as they walked. The four others in their group had fallen behind, not wanting to disturb the two in their strange approach of each other.
Suddenly Remus smiled widely, making Myra's heart flutter. "I'm sure you'll need my help soon enough."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," Myra spoke as confidently as she could, putting her nose up in the air. But after a few steps, she smiled sheepishly. "Probably."
He burst out laughing.
...
These days Myra was never as happy as when she patrolled with Remus. It was the highlight of each week, and happened far too rarely for her taste. They met up outside of patrol too, but it was those few late hours every Tuesday that were by far the best at helping to further develop their friendship, and develop it fast. They often teased each other, especially if the conversation turned to Defence Against the Dark Arts, but occasionally they talked about more serious things.
It wasn't just on the verbal plane that Myra and Remus' relationship had developed fast. It was physical as well. Now that the full moon was so far away, Myra allowed herself to come near Remus, to touch him. It wasn't too conscious on her part, seeing as she had a deep need to feel him, but the further from the full moon, the less she controlled herself. Because around the full moon she sometimes struggled to keep it together. She was the one who felt like an animal. Wasn't that supposed to be him acting that way? But he didn't seem affected by anything. Least of all her.
It was a depressing thought. While she was falling deeper and deeper in love every day, it didn't look like he felt like that at all. But Myra decided she didn't want to think too much about it, she had his friendship. That was better than nothing.
"I like Tuesdays," Anna said when Myra entered the dorm after patrol that evening.
"Why is that?" Hestia asked, her voice muffled from her being deep down in her trunk.
"Myra is such a delightful person to be around when she's happy," Anna explained. "And every Tuesday," she adopted a dramatic voice, "our Myra is like the spring sun. She is like the rainbow after a summer drizzle. She is the leprechaun gold that doesn't fade away."
The girl in question frowned from her stupefied position at the door. "Have you been Confunded or something?"
Hestia snorted from her position half inside her trunk. Anna chuckled. "No, I'm just trying my best to describe how you appear right now. So happy and pleasant. Wonder why that is?" She smiled crookedly and waggled her eyebrows.
Myra shrugged innocently. She knew exactly what Anna was hinting at. It was getting more and more difficult to hide how deep in she was. But Anna knew, so it was okay for Myra to smile as she walked over to her bed and shrugging off her robes.
Anna straightened up from her sitting position by her headboard. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Hestia?" she asked in wonder.
"I can't see anything else than panties right now, Anna," Hestia replied, still rummaging through her trunk.
"What are you looking for in there?" Myra asked her best friend.
"My copy of Facts and Fouls of Quidditch." She surfaced for a moment to explain. "Henry is convinced that bumphing [*] is allowed on Keepers, but not the crowd. I happen to know both is not allowed, but he won't budge. I just remembered that the answer is in Facts and Fouls of Quidditch. If only I can find the bloody thing!" She dove right back into her trunk, clothes and books and knickknacks being tossed onto the floor. "He's being really annoying about it," she mumbled.
"Couldn't you just find a copy in the library?" Myra suggested, but no one listened.
"But Hestia," Anna said. "Can't you see it?"
"See what?" She didn't stop what she was doing.
"What I so poetically just said about Myra? Spring sun and all that."
"Oh, that. I've seen it."
"You're not going to protest anymore about you fancying Remus?" Anna directed at Myra.
"I already admitted it to you. Why should I suddenly deny it?"
Anna cocked her head and shrugged. "Myra fancies Remus." She smiled and nodded as a confirmation.
Myra nodded too, her smile wider. "He really... fascinates me," she said. Hestia emerged at that comment, craning her neck to see her friend.
"Fascinates you?" Anna asked.
"Yes, Remus fascinates me," Myra confirmed, not offering any more on that subject. She laid her robe on top of her trunk and disappeared into the loo to start her nightly routine. She heard Ashley enter the dorm, and the three girls talked. Myra didn't try to hear what they were saying.
Remus did fascinate her. So good and kind. Always with a helping hand, caring deeply for his friends. But inside him was something vicious and bloodthirsty, a creature without consideration for other beings. Existing only to satisfy its own hunger. It was something of a wonder how the two parts of him could co-exist like that. She thought about it every day; the image of the drooling werewolf in the forest and the smiling face of Remus shifting through her mind. Both the same man, both so different. It was fascinating.
...
The next day found Myra a bit unhappy. Her usual free period with Remus before lunch was occupied by Ashley. Ashley had often been in the common room with the two before, but now she claimed all of Myra's attention, needing help with History of Magic. The free period after lunch she did almost nothing but sulk at one end of the common room, while David Wiley studied at the other end.
Gobstones the following evening did nothing to take away the frustration like it usually did. And when Hestia pulled Myra aside and into an unused classroom after dinner the next day, her mood hit rock bottom.
"What did you mean when you told Anna that Remus fascinates you?" Hestia asked, getting straight to the point while sitting down on the floor.
Myra frowned and joined her. "What did I mean? I meant just that."
"No, there was..." Hestia began, struggling to find the right words. "The way you said it. It was strange."
"How so?"
"I don't know how to put it." She hesitated. "It-it reminded me of how you... How you are when you talk about something you just learned in Care of Magical Creatures."
"What?" Myra was confused and cross. "How can you say that?"
Hestia opened and closed her mouth a few times, choosing her words. "I'm sorry. But sometimes it just seems to me like you only like him because he's a werewolf. Like, when you had that brilliant idea to go see him in the Forest."
"That's not true!" Myra defended herself. "I liked him before I knew what he was! Him being a werewolf only makes it better."
"Makes what better?"
"Well," she started, but couldn't think of how to continue for a few moments. "It makes everything more interesting!"
"Do you even hear yourself?" Hestia shook her head as she said it, a disgusted look on her face. "Makes everything more interesting? I'm not saying I'm suddenly okay with someone with his condition being at school with us. But what helps make it okay, it that I realise he's still human, most of the time. Whenever you talk about him, I get the feeling he's just another animal that you want to figure out."
"I-" Myra didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe Hestia would say this. She did not thing of Remus as an animal. He just happened to be a werewolf, she couldn't help that, no matter how much she wanted. "I know he's a human being, Hestia! I know that!" She thought of his smile, his hoarse laughter. His voice, how he spoke her name. His eyes of flowing honey. She was very aware of how human he was. "You have no idea..."
"I'm not saying you don't think of him as human. I'm just saying that I think you are more interested in the animal that he is, instead of just looking past that and just at Remus himself!" Hestia spoke with such finality that Myra couldn't find an answer. She just narrowed her eyes at her best friend, her mouth tight, chewing the inside of her lips. "Think about it, Myra. Just think about it. I don't want us to fight. I just thought I should tell you what I've noticed. You know best what the truth is. Despite Remus being... what he is, I like him, and I don't want either of you to be hurt." Hestia stood up, stretched her legs a bit and walked out of the room. Myra still sat on the floor, staring at the closed door.
Hestia was wrong. She couldn't be more wrong. She liked Remus the human. But she also liked his werewolf side. She liked everything about him. Wasn't that the right way to like, or love, someone? Love everything about them, all the good and all the bad?
Myra shook her head to clear it. There was nothing to think about. She liked Remus for all that he was, and that was that.
She stood up and began heading back to Gryffindor Tower. Halfway up one of the last staircases, it began moving. When it stopped she walked the rest of the way up and was about to take another way, when someone stepped out of a side corridor.
"Kinney." It was Sirius.
"Hello, Sirius," Myra greeted with a smile. She noticed he still had some fading bruises on his face. "Have you been released then?"
"Yeah," he answered shortly.
Myra sighed mentally at his tone. "You're heading for the Tower?"
"Yes..." he said again, this time as if Myra had asked the most stupid question in the world.
"I am too." She began leisurely climbing the new staircase, keeping to the right, giving him the choice of either accompanying her or quickly getting ahead.
To her surprise, he walked a few steps behind. She was a bit wary about having one of the Marauders so close behind her, but she walked steadfastly on. Finally they walked down the short hall to the portrait hole.
"Firecracker," she told the Fat Lady, who swung open. She had a feeling it was James who had set that password, thinking of Lily.
"Sirius!" James shouted upon seeing his friend arrive. He bounded over and enveloped him in a bear hug.
Myra laughed at them and found Ashley and Anna by a table. "Where's Hestia?" she asked, sitting down and folding her arms.
"Up in the dorm," Ashley answered.
"Was she mad when she got back?"
"Not as much mad as snappy," Anna said. "She just muttered to herself, and huffed when we asked what she was saying."
"Did you have something to do with that?" Ashley wondered.
"Maybe," Myra answered as honestly as she could. "We had a discussion. She was wrong, but she can't see it. We're not fighting, if that's what you're wondering."
"Good," both blonde girls said, seemingly satisfied.
And it's not even a lie, Myra thought to herself as she made herself comfortable in the chair. After all – there was nothing to fight about when she was absolutely sure that she was right.
Notes
[20] From Wikipedia: "Bumphing: Beaters must not hit Bludgers towards spectators, or the Keeper, unless the Quaffle is within the scoring area."
Author Notes
Five chapters left of part 1. And I really don't have anything else to say, so I'll end with: Next chapter out within 3-4 weeks, and please review if you have any thoughts on the chapter!
Happy summer!
Coming: Chapter 26 – A Lesson Learned
"Oh Merlin, what is wrong with me?" Myra ran her hands through her hair, resting her head on her knees. "I'm even more damaged than Hestia said."