Chapter Twenty-Four—
Trouble
Being fifteen agreed very well with Meril. She felt more mature and older, and because of that much bolder than she had felt in two years. It started out as just a feeling in the pit of her stomach, but as the days wore on and nothing of interest happened, her boldness made its way to her head. And it was only a matter of seconds before it made its way to her mouth by way of a smart remark unnecessary comment.
Some teachers like Professor Flitwick and Professor Binns chose to ignore her (this wasn't hard for Professor Binns, who chose to ignore everything anyone did in class). Others, such as Professor Sprout, tolerated what she said and occasionally laughed at it. However, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape fell into neither of those categories.
"Miss Lizlow," McGonagall suddenly snapped, interrupting her lesson and swinging around in one fluid motion. "If I hear one more word out of you I am giving a full week of detentions. Do you hear me?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Meril saluted. "Er…ma'am, rather," she corrected herself as she noticed her professor's face turn bright red in anger.
"Are you looking for detention, Miss Lizlow?"
"No, Profe—well…actually, it depends on what I'd be doing. Because I would love to spend another day with Madam Pince. But if it was anything else, I'd just have to say no."
"Well that's just too bad, because you've just earned yourself one. Keep talking and I'll give you the rest I promised you."
Meril opened her mouth wide, ready with a retort, but a sharp elbow in the ribs reminded her that she was past carrying things on incessantly. Quickly she shut her mouth, but continued to stare arrogantly at the teacher, her jaw set. She could still be bold and troublesome Meril without being the old over-the-top Meril that always got herself neck-high in trouble.
"Thanks, Lee," she whispered out of the side of her mouth.
"No problem. It's not as much fun when you're in detention, anyway. "
"Well, I don't see how it matters where I am when you're off chasing Angelina, but I appreciate the sentiment in any case."
Lee's face dropped considerably and he turned and glared at his best female friend. She met his gaze and grinned brightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Meril quickly stuck her tongue out at him and turned her attention back towards the lesson.
Lee tried again and again to get her attention, a retort ready, but she ignored him each time. At last he was acknowledged, but not by Meril. Professor McGonagall whirled around for the second time, looking more than a little agitated.
"Mr. Jordan! Is there something you need from Miss Lizlow, or are you just unsuccessfully trying to flirt with her?"
Lee's face burned and he quickly slid down in his chair; Meril began to chortle, but turned it into a cough when the professor turned her sharp gaze on her.
"That's what I thought. Now if I hear any more disturbances from either of you two, I am deducting ten points from Gryffindor. That goes for you, too, Mr. Weasley."
Fred immediately stopped his chuckling, an aghast expression taking over his face. "But I haven't said anything!"
"That's enough, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall told him with a stern look and once again returned to the lesson. Fred, Lee, Meril, and George, the only one of the group who she hadn't so much as looked at, all exchanged looks of disbelief and amusement before finally settling down for the remainder of the class.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In Potions, things did not go much better for Meril than they had in Transfiguration. She didn't go in with any intention of causing any trouble, but it was just one of those days where everything she said that could be at all construed as rude or 'smart' was overheard by the teacher or who it was aimed at.
They were making Invigoration Draught, a potion used to invigorate the drinker and boost their energy. Meril didn't know anything else that it did, but she knew how to make it, and that was all she needed to do for the class.
Fred and George pressed in on either side of her, watching carefully what it was she was doing so they could attempt to copy her. As Snape swept around the classroom, they would quickly jump back to their own cauldron and proceed to look baffled and confused, only to bounce right back to Meril's side when he turned his back.
"Oh, so you just…Oh, alright. I see what I have to do," George whispered, nodding to himself. He turned back to his cauldron, just as Snape appeared behind Meril and Fred.
"Mr. Weasley," he said coldly; Meril gave a start. She hadn't heard or seen him approach, and yet there he was, hovering behind them, watching as Fred very clearly cheated off of her with his stone cold, black eyes. Slowly, Fred turned around with an air of complete calm about him. George also turned, unsure of whether or not he was being addressed. Both stared up at their professor expectantly.
"Do you think I'm blind?" Snape asked, his voice snide and cold as ever.
"No, sir," Fred answered.
"Then do you think me daft?"
"Well…" Fred hesitated.
"Maybe a little bit, yes," George finished, throwing himself into the fire along with his brother. Snape turned and glared at him. "Sir," George added, as if that was really the issue with his answer.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Mr. Weasley," Snape coolly declared, his cold eyes hardening. He turned then towards Meril.
" Miss Lizlow, did you honestly think I didn't notice that these," he cast a dirty look at Fred, and then at George, "buffoons were copying your potion? I always thought you irritating, but never stupid."
"That, sir," Meril replied with ease, "is a very twisted compliment."
"Five points from both the Mr. Weasleys for cheating and ten from Miss Lizlow for letting them." And with that, he swept away.
A wave of sighs went through the room and, one by one, the Gryffindors turned around and stared at the three. Fred and George merely winked and smirked at them before setting back to their work. Meril, however, glared back until each had turned back around in their seat.
Lee was the only Gryffindor in the whole room who wasn't feeling any anger towards them at that moment, even though it was a total of forty points the three had lost between Transfiguration and Potions.
"Now, what do you think that this potion does? It is called the Invigoration Draught, but I didn't say much anything else about it." Snape paused and looked around the room. "No one? I should have expected as much." His eyebrow lifted and he looked over at Meril, a smirk on his horrible face. "Now even know-it-all Miss Lizlow, hm? I would have expected something from at least you."
Meril merely shrugged in response to this and then returned to stirring her potion. However, Snape was not going to leave it at just that.
"Why don't you tell us what you think this potion does?"
Meril looked up at her professor, glaring, and then looked back down at the Invigoration Draught in her cauldron, wondering what he expected her to say. It was deep yellow in color, but had no other distinctive qualities. There was nothing about the scent that gave away any properties of the mixture; no special properties of ingredients that stuck out in her mind. It was just….yellow.
She looked back up and stared straight at Snape, who stood halfway across the room from her, watching her expectantly. Then, without thinking, she said the one thought in her mind, "I think it makes me need to pee. Very badly."
"Miss. Lizlow. That is entirely inappropriate language for the classroom. Five points from Gryffindor."
"Urinate. I'm-sorry! I didn't realize such proper language was required in the Potions classroom."
Snape's black eyes narrowed further and the nostrils on his hooked nose began to flare. "Five more points from Gryffindor and a detention."
Meril's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?! Just because I told you what you asked me?! That isn't at all fair!"
"I would watch my tongue if I were you. You don't want any more detentions do you?"
"I don't give a rat's a--"
"What about House Points?"
Meril's jaw tightened as she looked around at all of her classmates, each looking at her imploringly and angrily both at once.
"No, sir. I don't want anymore points taken away," she forced herself to say. A simultaneous sigh of relief went through the Gryffindor side of the room, while the Slytherins all scowled.
Snape smiled with contempt; the class set back to work and he circled the room, captious as always. He found fault in every little thing the Gryffindors did, and gave most Slytherins praise they didn't deserve.
Meril calmly stirred her draught, adding ingredients as they were needed. Fred had turned to his other side and was receiving occasional help from Lee, though he did most on his own; his twin was resolved to figure it out himself. He bit his tongue whenever he turned to ask her something and he plugged his ears whenever she turned to offer a bit of advice.
"Fred!" Meril whined. "Your brother's really weird!"
Fred looked over at his twin, who was standing in front of his cauldron staring at its contents determinedly, fingers in his ears, his cheeks puffed out like a blowfish. He stared at George for a moment then blinked rapidly and looked away.
"Yes, well…"Fred drifted off, shook his head, and continued with his potion. Meril laughed and turned back to her own cauldron. She would let George figure it out himself that she had given up on helping him. For some odd reason, he was determined to do it all on his own for the rest of the potion. Perhaps Snape had actually had an effect on one of his students, or, more likely, George was just trying to save their points. It wasn't as if he would have any trouble winning back the people who would become homicidal if any more points were deducted because of him, Fred, or Meril, but it was just easier to not get into such a mess.
As Meril's potion came to its final stages and just needed to sit simmering for a few minutes, Meril raised her hand, thinking it was probably the best time for her to ask. At first, Snape ignored her waving hand, just as he did so often did. At last, though, he turned to Meril and sighed, "What?"
"May I please go use the restroom, sir? My potion just needs to sit for a few more minutes."
"No. I think you can wait until the end of class."
Meril looked up at the clock hanging in the front of the classroom. Class would end in around fifteen minutes. She had been waiting to go to the bathroom for almost twenty. She was not waiting until the end of class. Once her potion was done and she handed him a vial, she was going.
The potion finished simmering and began to cool, changing to a peachy color as it did so. Meril filled up a vial, corked it, and labeled it with her name before rushing to the front of the classroom.
Snape raised an eyebrow and looked up at the clock. "How is it that you are finished before everyone else when this potion takes a set amount of time?"
"I started before everyone else."
His eyebrow somehow managed to climb even farther up his forehead. "How is that possible, if everyone started immediately after I finished giving directions?"
Meril's face grew hot despite herself. "I don't know, sir."
"Could you, perhaps, have started before I had given the go?"
"That would seem about correct. Yeah. I did," Meril replied with an affirmative nod.
"And how did you know what to do?"
"You put the directions on the board…right along with the ingredients…I had my own of everything that was needed, so while everyone else was getting theirs I read the directions and got started." She shrugged. "Is that a big deal?"
Professor Snape's eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. He glared at the student for a minute before snapping, "Go back to your seat."
Meril glanced at the clock. There were six minutes left of class. She calmly walked back to her seat, made an extra vial of the potion for herself, cleaned up her things, and left.
Snape heard the door creak open and looked up just in time to see Meril slip out. "Where do you think you're going, Miss Lizlow?"
Meril stuck her head back in. "To the bathroom; when a girl's gotta pee, a girl's gotta pee!" And with that she slipped back out into the hall and sprinted towards the bathroom. Yet she still heard the professor's angry cry of 'Detention!' before she rounded the corner.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
That had only been the Tuesday of Meril's second week as a fifteen-year-old. The rest of the week went much the same. She had at least five points deducted from Gryffindor a day, and got at least a threat for a detention every other period; only three more of those threats were acted upon.
Between class, acting up, homework, detention, and helping out Oliver with Quidditch practice, Meril's schedule was incredibly packed. She was beginning to feel like it was a miracle she remembered to breathe.
"You three are horrible influences," Meril groaned as she walked out of Charms, where she had just lost some more House Points.
"We're bad influences on you?" Lee guffawed.
"Well, I never really specifically said on me, but yes! I mean, look at what I've become!"
Fred, George, and Lee all looked at her, as she had instructed. George's cheeks colored and he looked away, though neither Fred or Lee seemed to notice. Meril gave him an odd look before clearing her throat.
"I am losing House Points left and right all because I can't seem to control my urges!"
"Well how is that our fault?" Fred inquired, cocking an eyebrow at his friend.
"Well, if you remember how I was when you met me in our first year, and then compare that me to the me now, I think you will notice some severe changes."
"And you're blaming us for that?"
Meril paused and just stared at him, waiting for him to make connections with her words. However, he just stared back, waiting for the answer that wasn't going to come.
"Well?"
Meril threw her head back, letting out a long aggravated grunt. "Seriously? You think I just became the 'Dungbomb Queen' on my own? No one just goes from being a sweet little innocent ten-year-old to a prank-happy trouble maker without any influence from an outside party."
"Well how do you think we ended up the way we are? I mean, like you said, no one goes from being a sweet little innocent--" Fred cut himself taking a deep breath to stop himself from laughing. "Ten-year-o--" he started to continue, but started laughing before he reached the end of the thought. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just can't."
"You did much better with that than I would have," George laughed. "Us? Innocent ten-year-olds?"
"Exactly what I'm saying here. Thank you," Meril sighed. She glanced over at Lee with a raised eyebrow, silencing his chuckling. "Not that I'm complaining though. I quite enjoy this way of living."
"Amen to that!" Lee cheered.
"And we quite enjoy you living it," George added with a smile. Meril looked up at him and smiled brightly back. For a moment, their eyes locked onto one another's. His hazel eyes shimmered oddly as he stared back at her, causing the corners of Meril's mouth to fall in confusion. Slowly, she opened her mouth, only to close it again a second later, no sound having been able to escape.
"Meril? Are you alright?" Lee asked. He waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't blink, and she didn't speak.
There was something in George's eyes as he stared at her. Meril was used to there being a little mischievous sparkle in them, but the way they shone right then; it was something quite different.
"George, stop hypnotizing Meril, please," Lee requested.
"Sorry," George murmured. He blinked and slowly turned his head to look down at Lee. The corners of his lips faltered slightly before picking back up into a grin. "I told you I didn't need a pendulum to hypnotize anyone." He looked back at Meril, winking.
Meril turned her head, giggling. For once she avoided blushing as George flashed a smirk at her.
"Are you good now Meril?" Lee inquired, poking his face in front of hers. Meril blinked confusedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"You looked a little sick before. Kind of like you were going to throw up."
"Oh. No, no. I was fine; AM fine. Just a little hungry actually. Why don't we hurry along to the Great Hall and get some lunch before my stomach comes out of my throat."
Meril grabbed onto Lee's arm and plowed ahead. Behind them, Fred and George exchanged looks and then jogged after them, for once the followers rather than the leaders.
The four burst through the great doors within a few minutes' time. Lee tore away from Meril's grasp as soon as he noticed Angelina's eyes sweeping towards them.
"Sorry," he quickly apologized, flashing a bright grin. He dashed to the Gryffindor table, sliding into an empty seat by Angelina and Alicia. Meril chuckled, shaking her head.
"The only time I've ever seen him move that fast was when you stuck a fish down his pants," Meril calmly commented, turning towards Fred. The redhead broke out into a giant grin.
"Oh yes…I remember that day…" Fred stared nostalgically into the air, his smile broadening.
"Me, too. Though I do remember a time when he ran even faster than that," George added, chortling.
Meril's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked towards the other twin. "No way! The only things he runs for are Angelina, food, and to get things out of his pants."
"And when he's scared."
Fred and Meril both still looked confused, so with a sigh, George elaborated.
"Remember. Lee was late to Transfiguration one day, which pissed McGonagall off, of course, and then he accidentally turned her hat into a duck. She just about blew a fuse. He ran in a mad sprint all around the classroom and then out into the hall, just to get away from her. Bloody hilarious."
Fred started laughing. "Oh yeah! I remember that. That was last year, right?"
George nodded, and Fred started laughing even harder.
"His legs were flailing like crazy. And his face--" Fred mimicked it, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping. He and George broke into a fit of laughter as Meril giggled awkwardly.
"Guys-guys! Not that this isn't funny," Meril interrupted, growing steadily agitated as the laughter didn't die down, "but I am going to go get food. Join me if you want."
Meril swept off towards the table, her stomach growling as she looked at the delectable food waiting for her. She spotted an empty seat close by and picked up her speed, but just as she was about to reach it, someone grabbed her elbow, pulling her back.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Meril snapped. She grabbed the hand off of her elbow and was about to throw it down when she realized who it was. "Oh. Hey, Ollie. Uh, sorry about that…"
"It's fine. No worries. Look, there was something I needed to talk to you about…"
"Yeah, sure. What's up?"
Oliver pulled Meril aside, a serious look on his face.
"I've just found out that Slytherin isn't playing tomorrow."
Meril hesitated for a moment, not sure what he meant. Then, realizing it was Oliver Wood she was talking to, she mentally slapped herself. Quidditch. Of course.
"What? What do you mean? Of course Slytherin is playing tomorrow!"
"No; they've cancelled."
"What possible reason could they have for that? They are always looking for some excuse to prove they are 'better' than us."
"Apparently one of the players can't play."
"Ollie, none of their players can actually play. That's no excuse."
A huge, booming laugh escaped Oliver and he broke into a brief smile. "Well we all know that. But Malfoy's arm is apparently still too injured to play with."
"Oh, bollocks! That little turd is a liar! He was never even injured to begin with; I'd bet on it!"
Oliver sighed, all traces of his former smile gone. "That may be true, but that doesn't matter now. They've already cancelled, and now Hufflepuff is replacing them. HUFFLEPUFF! Their strategy is totally different! What we've been practicing…who knows how it will work on them!"
"If anyone would know, you would, Ollie. Why are you asking me?"
He didn't answer; instead, he just sighed again and threw his arms up in agitation. "They couldn't have chosen a worse time to withdraw from the game. It's tomorrow. Even with practice tonight, there's nothing we can do to change our plans effectively."
"Well, that's exactly why they pulled out now; you know that. They're smart enough to know that we were banking on facing them. Them pulling out messes everything up."
"Oh, bloody hell!" Oliver screamed, causing a lot of people to turn and look at them. Meril grabbed Oliver's hand and shushed him,
"Deep breaths, Ollie. You'll figure out what to do. You are like…the Quidditch master. I really need to go eat now though, I'm sorry. Oh! And I can't make the game tomorrow. I've got detention."
Oliver frowned briefly before shaking it off. "That's fine. You'll be at practice though, right?"
"Uh…I think so?"
"Well, alright."
And with that and one more irritated sigh, Oliver walked away. As he did, Meril suddenly recalled that she had detention that night, too.
"Oh, bollocks. Oliver!" she called.
He didn't hear her.
Meril shrugged and took the seat nearest her. Humming quietly to herself, she began piling food onto her plate. She didn't notice, at first, the eyes that seemed to be gorging into her. As the minutes went by, however, and her stomach was slowly satiated, she began to have the odd suspicion that someone was watching her.
Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes and looked about the Great Hall. At last, she zoned in on the offender; Amy Smith sat very tall at the Ravenclaw table, her brown eyes narrowed darkly in Meril's direction. Catching Amy's eye, Meril glared right back and stuck out her tongue.
The Ravenclaw's lip curled up in a snarl. Then, with a swish of her short, blonde hair, she looked away. A crowd of people passed by in front of Meril's vision. When they had gone, Amy was no where to be found.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meril returned from detention relatively early that night. She stumbled into the Common Room and found only a few people scattered about it. Her favorite seat in the corner of the room was empty, just the way she liked it. Dashing up to her room she grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and hurried back down.
With a satisfied smile she slumped down into her chair and pulled her homework onto her lap. She had to work on a dream journal for Divination, an essay on constellations for Astronomy, reading and notes in History of Magic, and Arithmancy problems. And, since she had detentions all weekend, she really needed to get started. As usual, she let it sit untouched in favor of more entertaining things.
She pulled her Arithmancy textbook and some parchment towards her. Then, carefully, she began the long complicated problems. They were more difficult than she remembered them being, but soon enough she was finished with them and able to move onto the next thing.
Meril was just starting to work on her History of Magic assignment when Fred, George, and Lee all trudged into the room, followed closely by the rest of the Quidditch team.
"You guys are just getting back?" she asked as Katie Bell past by her.
The fourth year stopped abruptly and looked for who was asking her. Spotting Meril in the large chair in the corner, covered by books, she nodded. "Yeah. Oliver was working us like a slave driver. Can you believe that we're facing Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin? They have totally different strategies!"
"Yeah, tell me about it," Meril murmured. Immediately after saying that, she regretted it, afraid that Katie would take her literally. She didn't need another Oliver-fit right then.
Thankfully though, Katie was not the literal type. She just shook her head I disbelief, completely silent. After a moment, she looked back up at Meril, a confused look on her face.
"Hey, where were you at practice? You're usually around. Were you stuck here doing homework?"
"No. I had detention. I got back earlier than I thought, though, and I assumed you guys were back already so I just headed here to do some homework." She lifted her History of Magic textbook as if to prove this to Katie.
"Oh, okay. Well, I'm tired. I'll see you around Meril!"
"Yeah. Bye Katie."
The Chaser waved before disappearing up the spiral staircase into her dorm. Meril sighed and buried herself back into her homework. As usual, Professor Binns was doing a wonderful job at putting her to sleep with his assignments. If only that was his intention all along.
"Meril! What are you doing over there?!"
Fred's loud voice suddenly shot through the silent room. Slowly, Meril lifted her head and blinked at him.
"…Homework…"
"Ew. Stop poisoning your mind and get over here!"
Meril laughed, shaking her head. "I really need to get this done."
Fred, George, and Lee exchanged laughing looks. Then, simultaneously, they hopped over the back of the sofa, walked up to Meril, grabbed her arms, and dragged her back to the couch with them.
"Guys! I don't appreciate this!" Meril complained, laughing as they dumped her onto the couch. "At least bring my stuff over, too!"
Fred and George plopped down on either side of Meril as Lee meandered back to the seat in the corner. He dumped everything into Meril's bag then dragged it along behind him back to the couch.
"Thank, Dreads."
"No problem, Queenie."
The three boys started talking amongst each other, laughing raucously, as Meril continued with her homework. It was near impossible to concentrate now that she was with the boys. Not only were they loud, funny, attention-grabbing, and her friends, but whenever Fred or George moved Meril seemed to notice; if one laughed, her ears immediately tuned in and she got lost in the sound; when they played with their gorgeous ginger locks, she could smell them more acutely than before; and if one of them brushed against her—which George was doing a lot, since she separated him from the other two—her whole body tensed and then melted.
Somehow she managed to finish her notes for History of Magic, though they seemed to lack real quality. But, as long as it was done, Meril didn't even care.
She threw her book and her parchment carelessly into her bag.
"You're done?" George asked. His whole body had lifted, and he was watching Meril very carefully, a half smile on his lips as he waited for her answer.
"Uh…yeah, I guess I could be for now…"
"Good," George smiled.
"Yeah. So…What were you guys talking about?"
All three of them shrugged. "Nothing really," Lee said.
"Well that is fascinating!" Meril exclaimed. "I can really see why you were all cracking up! I was really missing out!"
"Yes you were! Doing homework! Pfft! What a waste!" Fred agreed with a solemn nod.
Meril rolled her eyes. "It's not a waste if you actually want to get out of here." She gasped, her hand shooting to her mouth. "I can't believe I just said that!"
"What?"
"That homework wasn't a waste. Oh Merlin, just take me now and wash my mouth out with soap a thousand times."
"Yeah, really. You must want to really get out of here," Lee commented.
Meril snorted. "I wouldn't say that."
"Then what would you say?" George wondered. He cocked his head to the side. His hair fell into his eyes. Instinctively, Meril brushed it away, since he clearly wasn't going to. Her fingers lingered across his face, and an odd smile came over her lips. He furrowed his brows, but remained silent, watching her carefully.
Meril felt eyes on her and she quickly withdrew her hand. "I'm just saying we can't stay here forever, and I don't want to anyway. I'm in no rush to leave, but I will eventually be ready for other things. You guys will be, too, and won't you want to be able to go when that time comes?"
"Of course," the three boys answered, once again in complete unison.
"But not yet," Fred admitted. "There are still some things here for us—or for me, anyway."
"Exactly my point," Meril said. She turned towards Fred and smiled warmly.
There was an awkward sort of silence following this. The four all leaned back and just stared ahead of them, occasionally glancing over at the others.
"Were you glad to come back to Hogwarts?" George eventually asked.
"Of course!" Meril exclaimed, aghast. "Why wouldn't I be? I hated those other places. I mean, sure, I had friends at the Boot Camp, but it was awful. And the German school…" She shuddered and said no more.
Another pause followed this. Meril found herself stuck in memories of the past two years.
"I actually made a pro-con list, you know."
Fred, George, and Lee all looked at her, both interested and disgusted. Pro-con lists were not made by people like Meril, Fred, George, or Lee.
"About Hogwarts. I was trying to think of things I didn't like so that I wouldn't feel so horrid being away from it. Needless to say, it didn't work too well. I found almost nothing I didn't like, and I was miserable." She sighed, letting her head fall into her lap as she rubbed her hands together
Fred's voice broke through the silence as he asked, "Did we fall anywhere on those lists?" He indicated George, Lee, and himself, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Meril laughed. "I didn't take people into account either way, because I thought that that would just make things worse," she recalled. "However, you'd be on my pro list. Well, you and George would be anyway. Lee I'm not so sure about…"
Lee's face dropped. He looked so dejected, Meril couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm just kidding, Lee! You know I love you! All three of you would be on my pro list. You didn't think I was actually serious, did you?"
Lee blushed and ducked his head. "Of course not."
Meril's jaw dropped and she laughed. "You did! Oh, Lee! I never thought you were so gullible!" She quickly jumped up and went over to him, giving him a big hug.
"There, there Lee; it's all better now." She gently pat his puffy head, smiling.
"Meril…"
"Hm?"
"Get off of me."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The lit in the fireplace was dim and all Gryffindors had long since gone to bed, all except one.
Meril still sat in the Common Room, scribbling away at her Astronomy Essay. Her eyelids were drooping, but at least this was the last of her assignments. She had filled in her dream journal with all the real dreams she could remember, and then made up the rest.
The Astronomy essay was easy enough, but her only references were her brain and her textbook, since she was banned from the library still. At least it was a subject she was good at.
She felt her eyelids drooping more and more. She found that she was starting to merely scribble along the parchment as she stopped concentrating.
"Meril?" a groggy voice whispered into the silence. Meril turned to look over her shoulder but could only make out the silhouette of a boy. He came plodding towards her, and as he did so his yawns could be heard.
"Meril, what are you still doing up?"
Meril slurred some form of an answer and pointed at the parchment.
"You should go to sleep," Lee yawned. "Come on, I'll help you get back to the stairs; from there you have to go up on your own though. Can you do that?"
"Yeah," Meril yawned. She accepted Lee's hand and struggled to her feet. She was vaguely aware of him packing all of her things carefully away into her bag and shouldering it.
"Come on," Lee instructed. Slowly, they walked towards the staircase. As they approached it, Lee nudged Meril in front of him. She collapsed onto the staircase.
"Are you going to go upstairs, Mer?" Lee asked, sounding very fatherly.
"Yeah," Meril yawned once again.
"You promise?"
"Yeah."
Lee looked disbelievingly at her before handing her bag over. He then slowly backed away towards his staircase. As soon as he turned to walk up the stairs, a light snore could be heard. He whirled around, and there Meril was, sprawled across the staircase, fast asleep.
Shaking his head, Lee walked back over to her and carefully gathered her into his arms. With some difficulty he slid her bag onto his arm and up onto his shoulder.
Somehow he managed to get up his staircase and into the dorm. It was silent; Fred, George, Scott, and Shane were all asleep. Lee crept across the floor to his bed and dumped Meril onto it.
"Lee?" Meril grumbled. Lee paused before his chest and looked at her expectantly.
"Yes Meril?"
"Thank you."
He smiled warmly. "Of course. Now go to sleep."
"But…"
Lee sighed. "What?"
"I'm not in my pajamas. I can't go to sleep knowing I'm not prepared for it."
"I don't have your pajamas though."
"Oh. Okay…" Meril yawned and rested her head against the pillows, her eyes open as she stared over at George, whose bed was next to Lee's.
"If you want, you can wear some of mine though," Lee said with a sigh. Meril turned slowly towards him and smiled brightly.
"Alright!"
Lee dug a t-shirt and some boxer shorts from his trunk, along with a bung of blankets.
"Here you go, Mer," he said, handing her the shirt and shorts.
"Turn around," she commanded.
Lee rolled his eyes and turned away. Meril changed as quickly as she could and then buried herself back underneath the blankets of Lee's bed.
"Can I turn yet?"
He waited, but there was no answer. A moment later, more deep breathing was added to the chorus of the room. Taking this to mean that Meril had fallen back to sleep, Lee turned and prepared his bed on the floor.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sunlight streamed through the windows onto Meril's face. She groaned and turned over, burying her face into the pillow. Instinctively, she drew back; that was not her pillow. It had too much of a boy-scent to it.
Her eyes opened wide as she looked around the room. Blankets were thrown carelessly about; clothes hung over chairs and bed posts. Why on earth was she in a boys' dorm?
Cautiously, she rose from bed, swinging her legs onto the floor. There was a make-shift bed made of blankets between the bed she was in and another bed.
A green sweater poked out of the chest of that other bed. Without even checking, Meril suddenly knew that that was George's 'G' sweater that his mother made him every Christmas.
"What the bloody hell am I doing here?"
And she was alone, too. All the guys were gone. But where? There was no class that day…
A note on the bedside table suddenly caught her attention. Mechanically, she reached for it.
Meril,
Hey. We've all gone to the Quidditch game. I tried to wake you up but you just grumbled something unintelligible and grabbed my face with one hand. Thanks again for that.
Your clothes are on top of my chest at the foot of my bed. I'll see you later!
--Lee
Meril cocked her eyebrow at the last line. Why were her clothes not on her? She could have sworn that they were. However, looking down, she noticed she was wearing a large black t-shirt and bright orange boxers. Just as Lee had said, her clothes were sitting on the chest at the foot of his bed.
"This is very weird…" Meril commented. Shaking her head, she grabbed her clothes and her schoolbag and headed out of there as fast as she could.
The Common Room was abandoned; everyone was at the pitch.
"I wonder if the game is almost over… I should probably head over once I--" Meril froze, staring up at the clock. "Oh, bollocks! I've got detention on ten minutes!"
She flew up to her dorm, changed into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, then sprinted to the dungeons, where Professor Snape would be waiting for her.
"You're late."
Meril, eight minutes after sprinting out of the dorm, arrived at Snape's office, out of breath. She thought she had made good time, but apparently not.
"Sorry Pro—Filch?"
Filch stood outside of Snape's office, scowling as usual. Mrs. Norris wound herself around his legs, purring as she stared hauntingly up at Meril with her bright yellow eyes.
"Where's Snape?"
"At the Quidditch match. He left me in charge," Filch informed her; his horrible, twisted smile spread across his face.
"Okay…So what will I be doing then?"
Out of nowhere, Filch grabbed a bucket and thrust it at Meril. "You'll be collecting plants from the lake."
"…Why?"
Filch's smile broadened. "As a punishment."
"Yeah, I get that; but is there some sort of goal with this? And I mean besides 'teaching me a lesson.'"
"If you find anything good, it will go into the potions store cupboard. Now stop asking questions and get going. Annoying little brats, think they always know more than everyone else…" He trailed off, mumbling to himself as he led Meril out to the lake. As if she didn't know how to get there. Really.
They quickly reached the lake and Meril set to work. She removed her shoes and socks and rolled up her jeans as far as she could. Then, grabbing the bucket, she slowly walked into the water.
It was freezing.
And the pouring, blinding rain didn't help matters.
A silent scream got trapped in Meril's throat. For one moment, she remained in the water. Then, jumping out, she screamed, "That's bloody freezing in there?! What are you at, making me search for plants in there in bloody November?!"
Filch snickered, but he made no reply.
"I'm not going back in there," Meril stubbornly informed him.
"You'll do what you're told, missy; you're under my watch, now, and I won't take any of your nonsense. Now get!"
Meril glared harshly at the groundskeeper before walking back into the lake. Grinding her teeth together, she began searching for plants.
There weren't many.
Fifteen minutes into it, Filch disappeared, but Mrs. Norris took his place. She just sat there, staring intently at Meril. Scowling, Meril cupped some water in her hand and flung it at the cat.
She didn't even flinch.
"Devil cat," Meril murmured, shaking her head.
"So you've taken to talking to yourself now, hm?" a familiar voice sneered in reply.
"Yup. You got me," Meril answered, turning around. There stood Amy Smith, smiled contemptuously at Meril with her hands placed firmly on her hips. "But at least I do it out of choice and not because no one else will willingly talk to me."
Meril flashed a sweet-looking smile then turned her back, returning to her work.
That was a mistake.
Amy hurled a stick at Meril's head. Her aim had apparently improved since the last time Meril had fought her. Back then, she couldn't hit a brick wall a foot in front of her face.
"What. The. Bloody hell. Is Your. Problem?!" Meril growled, slowly turned back to face the hated Ravenclaw.
"I thought that was pretty clear. But I guess to a Gryffindor maybe it wouldn't be."
"Oh don't even start on that. No one even knows how you got into Ravenclaw in the first place. Maybe you actually had an advanced thought on your mind during the sorting or something, but you haven't had one since."
Amy's eyes narrowed. "You know nothing about me. Why don't you just shut the bloody hell up?"
Meril smirked. "I may know 'nothing' about you, but at least I actually know things."
"And that's exactly why you got into Gryffindor."
"It's not all about book smarts, you ninny! And shut the hell up about Gryffindor. You have no real reason to insult us, and you know it. Besides, my house has nothing to do with your problem with me."
"You're right about something for once, Lizlow."
"Well that makes me one ahead of you, doesn't it?" A phony sweet smile once again spread across Meril's face.
Amy's lips tightened and her eyes narrowed. A growl emitted from her throat, and she looked as if she wanted to rip out Meril's throat.
"Is there anything else you would like to say to me, or can I get back to my detention?"
"You're in detention? I shouldn't be surprised. You always are, after all. I guess that reforming camp didn't really work on you, did it?"
"You're not dead yet, are you?"
"Like you could kill me," Amy scoffed, flicking her short blonde hair over her shoulder.
Meril raised her eyebrows. "Really? Now you think you're tougher than me?"
Amy shrugged. "Maybe. But that's an argument for another time. Because I have something I need to discuss with you now."
"No, we can talk about it now. Because honestly? I don't give a hoot about what you want to talk to me about."
"And I don't care if you want to inflate your ego; you may have beaten me in a fight before, but that is never going to happen again. So why don't you let some air out of that big head of yours and get back down to earth?"
Meril cocked her head to the side. "You think I have a big head? You're the one who was just insinuating that she was some sort of genius."
"You said you were smarter than me."
"Okay, first off—never said those exact words. And secondly, that's really not bragging. It doesn't take much to be smarter than you."
"And it doesn't take much to be tougher than you," Amy retorted.
Both stewed for a moment, glaring at the other with hatred burning in their eyes. Meril turned away first. Shaking her head, she continued searching the lake for plants, finding it much preferable to continuing any form of discussion with Amy Smith.
However, Amy was not about to let up that easily.
"How has your memory been lately, Meril?"
"My memory is the same as it's ever been, weirdo. Pretty good."
"Well then I am sure you remember a discussion we had not too long ago; the beginning of October, I believe…."
"I'm not sure….I tend to block anything involving you from my memory…"
"Well then, allow me to remind you—Stay away from Oliver."
"Oliver…?"
"Wood. And don't play dumb; you knew who I was talking about."
"Okay, I'll admit to that. But why should I stay away from him? He's my friend. And I don't even think he knows who you are…"
Amy pursed her lips. "Very funny."
"I wasn't joking."
"And neither am I. Stay away from Oliver Wood, Meril. I'm giving you your second warning now. You only get one more."
"Before what?"
"Before you get into serious trouble?"
"With whom?"
"Me."
Meril barked a laugh. "Right. Okay, Amy. Why don't you stop threatening me before you get into some trouble?"
"Was that a threat?"
"No; merely a suggestion."
Once again Meril turned her back to Amy to return to what she had been sent out to do. It took so much self-control for her to not whip around and slap Amy silly as she stood there, watching and commenting on Meril.
"How did you end up the way you are anyway?" Amy suddenly asked. "Like, why are you so into fighting? Does your mom neglect you a lot and you're mad about it?"
"No, my mom doesn't neglect me, and the only thing I am mad at is you."
Amy didn't acknowledge this comment and just continued. "No, no; I bet it was your dad. He probably insulted you a lot; beat you and your mom. When you fell down, he'd probably scream and tell you to get stronger, so you learned to fight? Am I right?"
Meril bit her lip until it bled, trying to hard to restrain herself from punching Amy's lights out.
"Well? Am I right? I am, aren't I? Your dad is a monster, and you are just trying to live up to his expectations. What did he say when you got sent to Boot Camp? I bet he whipped you real good, didn't he?"
"Shut. Up."
"Why? You don't want anyone to know?"
"Stop. Talking."
"I bet your mom joins in, too. When she's home, anyway. I heard you say once she's gone a lot. What does she do? Is she some sort of criminal? Maybe a prostitute?"
Meril's eyes started to tear up and her body was trembling.
"Your dad probably liked her because of that, right?"
"Shut up!!"
Meril turned around and punched Amy in the face, tears welling in her eyes. "You don't even know what you're talking about, moron."
"Did your dad teach you that move?"
"My dad is dead, so just shut up! You don't even know what you're talking about!"
Meril smacked her again, leaving a red mark. "And my mom is a travel guide, not a prostitute! So why don't you go shove a fork down your throat before you say anything else that's going to make you look like a retard," she growled.
Amy lunged at Meril, but she dodged, tripping the older, blonde girl. Then, grabbing the plants she had collected so far, she waited for Amy to stand and then threw them in her face.
Amy spit, shaking them off. Reaching forward, she grabbed onto Meril's hair and pulled her by it. "Just stay away from Oliver, okay?"
"How about no, and you stop making up nonsense about my parents?" Meril suggested, elbowing Amy in the stomach. She was about to get away, but Amy acted quick, getting her into a headlock.
"Let. Go. Of. Me!" Meril grunted. She bit Amy's arm then, as she pulled away, kneed her in the groin. Amy reached for Meril's throat, but just before she could grab it Meril whirled around and hit her in the head with the bucket.
As Amy fell to her knees, dizzy, Filch came into view, smiling that wicked smile as ever before.
"Oh, you are in trouble now."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meril and Amy were both brought to McGonagall's office and were soon joined by Flitwick. Both were greatly reprimanded and given three detentions each—which they were to serve together so that maybe they would learn to get along.
After Amy and Professor Flitwick left, Meril was left sitting awkwardly with McGonagall who kept pacing and tutting.
At last, she turned to Meril and began her private talking-to.
"I am very disappointed in you. I really thought that you had changed since you left, but you are quite the same. Talking out in class, not doing homework, getting into trouble…" She sighed. "I don't know what I am going to do with you."
"I didn't want to get in a fight. I was just serving my detention when she came up to me. I admit I wasn't being terribly nice verbally, but she started it. I turned to go back to work and she threw a stick at my head."
McGonagall raised her eyebrows incredulously. "Somehow it always someone else who starts the fights."
"Professor, it really wasn't me. I tried so hard to not hit her, but then she started making stuff up about my parents as explanations for why I 'am the way I am' and I just lost it."
Just as the professor opened her mouth the speak again, there came a soft knock at the door. Her lips tightened once more and she swept over.
"Yes?" she curtly greeted as she threw the door open. An Asian boy stood there looking a little hesitant. He looked vaguely familiar to Meril, but she hadn't the slightest clue who he was.
He ran his hand quickly through his messy hair before speaking. "Good morning, Professor. I was just walking by and I heard what was going on here. I just wanted to say that everything Meril here is saying is true."
Well he knew who she was.
That was only slightly disturbing.
McGonagall looked incredulous, so the boy went on to explain.
"I didn't go to the Quidditch game. I had some homework. So I was in the Library and I looked out the window and I saw Meril alone; then that blonde girl walked up to her. They exchanged a few words, Meril turned back to the water; the blonde picked up a stick and threw it at Meril's head. She still didn't start anything. They just talked—I guess argued—for a while until Meril snapped."
"Okay, well….thank you," the Professor said. The boy nodded then left, leaving Meril and McGonagall alone once more.
The professor sighed, shaking her head. "You can go now, Lizlow."
Meril nodded and slowly stood. Watching McGonagall, she walked to the door. "So, am I still in trouble?"
"Of course you are, Lizlow," she answered, incredulous that Meril could even ask something like that.
"Fine, fine. But do you still think I'm the same as I was before?"
Professor McGonagall hesitated, struggling with an answer. At last she admitted, "No. I have to say that you have changed since you left. Although you're still a pain in my behind."
Meril laughed. "As long as I've changed and there's no risk of me having to go again, then I'm fine with that!"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meril ended up seeing the game after all, but not live. After escaping from McGonagall's, she ran up to her room and pulled out the miniature Quidditch pitch that the twins had made her.
It was difficult to see what was going on through the rain and the clouds, but she did get to watch the game. She got to see the dementors swarming onto the pitch. She saw Gryffindor be defeated as Harry plummeted to the ground and Cedric caught the snitch, completely unaware of what happened.
She saw as Dumbledore angrily got up and forced the dementors to leave. She saw Harry be taken off in a stretcher. She saw Cedric land down and talk with Madam Hooch. She saw Heather shove her way through the crowds trying to get back to the castle and throw her arms around Cedric, kissing him.
Meril scowled. She wanted to be able to say that that wouldn't have happened if she was still on the team. But she couldn't. Those dementors would have made her fall, too, more than likely. And Harry really was brilliant.
So, instead of dwelling over that, Meril put the invention away, slipped into a sweater, and ran back out into the castle, prepared to find Cedric and congratulate him on his win.
Humming to herself, Meril hopped down the stairs. As she turned to go to the basement where the Hufflepuff common room was, a hand shot out from the side and roughly grabbed Meril.
"Amy, we're not doing this again!" Meril snapped, slapping Amy in the face.
Only it wasn't Amy.
It was George.
He scowled and rubbed his cheek. "Jeez, for someone who doesn't want to start something that was an awfully hard slap."
"Sorry, George. I thought you were Amy." She smiled sheepishly. All George did, though, was continue to scowl and rub at his red cheek. Meril rolled her eyes. "Aw, Georgie. Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?"
First, he flushed scarlet. Then, smiling cheekily, he pointed at his cheek. "Right there, if you would."
Meril rolled her eyes again and gave George's cheek a quick peck. Both blushed deeply then quickly looked away.
"So, where were you headed?" George asked.
"Uh…to find…Heather…"
"And Cedric?" George asked, his eyes narrowing.
"No…Why would I be looking for him?"
"I don't know; to congratulate him?"
Meril sighed. "Fine, fine. You caught me."
"Do I know you or what?"
"What."
George stuck out his tongue. "You're so funny."
"I know." Meril grinned. "Well, I'll see you later! I have to go find Heather!"
As the brunette began to walk off, George grabbed onto her hand and pulled her back. "Oh no you don't. You don't get to congratulate our defeators so soon. You're coming with me."
Meril protested, but George simply picked her up underneath the arms and carried her in front of him. Meril's face turned into a deep scowl.
"The least you could do is carry me on your back."
"Fine, fine."
They stopped. George crouched down so that Meril could climb onto his back; she didn't even try to run away. The prospect of getting a piggy-back ride from George gave her too much pleasure. Quickly, she scrambled on, hugging him tightly, ignoring the mud which still covered his clothes. She was still filthy and wet, too; what would a little more dirt hurt?
"Happy now?" George straightened and looked back at Meril, smiling.
"You don't even know," Meril replied, a smug edge to her voice. That wasn't at all how she felt though. Holding tightly to him like that, she felt farm all over. When he turned back around her face broke out into a smile, like a song without words, only a feeling.
George half-ran through the corridors, but Meril paid no attention as to where they went. Her eyes were closed and she was just enjoying the feeling of holding so tightly to George, breathing him in.
When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, a feeling of dread filled Meril. She knew they weren't there for her, but she had a sinking suspicion about who they were there for.
"Off you get," George said. He backed up against an empty bed then dropped her. Meril laughed as she fell onto her back and George helped her back up.
The two laughed, but it quickly died as they joined a crowd surrounding a bed. George led Meril towards the front where Fred was.
"Lucky the ground was so soft," someone commented.
"I thought he was dead for sure."
"But he didn't even break his glasses."
Whisperings quite like these went around the little group. Meril stood there feeling more than uncomfortable and with no way of getting out. George and Fred stood on either side of her and others stood behind, leaving her no way too make an easy getaway.
Confound it all, she pouted I her mind.
"That was the scariest thing I'd ever seen in my life," Alicia's voice said. Meril looked for her but couldn't find her. Everyone else was too tall for her to see around.
Suddenly, Harry's eyes snapped open. Immediately, everyone stopped their comments and stared at him.
"Harry!" Fred exclaimed. Underneath all the mud that covered him, he was quite pale.
"What happened?" Harry asked after a moment's hesitation. He sat up so quickly it caused everyone around him to gasp.
"You fell off. Must've been—what—fifty feet?" Fred replied. He looked around at the others to see if he was right; some nodded in agreement while others paid him no heed at all.
"We thought you'd died," Alicia commented, her voice shaking.
Someone squeaked. Meril recognized her as the bushy haired girl who had accompanied Ron to her party.
"But the match. What happened? Are we doing a replay?"
Of course all he was concerned was the game, not his health. Meril rolled her eyes.
"We didn't—lose?" Harry, after only silence answered him, asked, feeling both grim and aghast.
"Diggory got the Snitch," George answered. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square…even Wood admits it."
"Where is Wood?"
Meril hadn't realized his absence either.
"Still in the showers. We think he's trying to drown himself," Fred said, bringing a bit of humor to the scene, though Meril didn't doubt what he said.
Harry put his head on his knees and didn't speak. Fred and George exchanged somewhat anxious looks.
Grabbing Harry's shoulder, Fred said, "C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."
"There had to be one time you didn't get it," George added.
"It's not over yet. We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin…"
Meril noticed an opening in the people and quickly slipped through. No one would miss her. Harry wasn't her friend; she wasn't on the team. She had no business there.
Meril slid quietly out into the hallway and found Cedric and Heather hurrying along through it. Cedric was still muddy and his face white as a sheet. Seeing Meril, he sped up.
"Is he alright?" he asked hurriedly.
"Yeah, he's fine. Just upset about the game. He doesn't even care he fell fifty feet."
Cedric's face was both relieved and upset. "There should be a rematch," he said, hanging his head.
"No, there shouldn't be. You won fair and square. You guys deserved to win. Congratulations."
"Yeah," Heather agreed. She flashed a smile at Meril. "I have been trying to explain that to him since the game ended, but he just won't listen. And Madam Hooch won't listen to him, so…"
Meril laughed. "Yeah…"
The three all stood awkwardly for a moment.
"Right, well…" Meril said. "Uh, if you two want to be alone I can just…go…"
"No! No, it's fine!" Heather assured her. "Cedric was just coming to check on Harry, and then he was going to shower, so, I'm free."
"Okay," Meril said, smiling.
"Okay." Heather turned to Cedric. Getting onto her tip-toes, she put her hands on his chest and kissed him tenderly. The two smiled at each other brightly. "Bye, Ced. I'll talk to you later tonight."
"Alright, Heath. Love you."
"I love you, too," Heather said. They kissed again and then Cedric, taking a deep breath, went into the Hospital Wing. Heather, infatuation still all over her face, turned towards Meril.
"Alright, Babs," she said, hooking arms with her. "I wanted to talk to you about Christmas break…"
a/n Alright, that is all that I have written so far. I am currently working on Chapter Twenty-five. Yay! Haha. I hope you have enjoyed this story so far. Please let me know via. review or private message or something. I lvoe to hear feedback. Thanks so much!
xox