Author's note: I'm sorry this chp is late guys! I swear I had to literally force myself to write every little word; it did NOT want to come out. Thank you for all the reviews and support!
"HELL NO!"
"Sirius!"
"SHIT MOONY, SHE CAN'T LIVE WITH THAT SLIMEY GIT! SHE JUST BLOODY CAN'T!"
CRASH.
"DAMN IT SIRIUS! DO YOU THINK I'M HAPPY ABOUT THIS EITHER!"
I closed my eyes, leaning against my closed door. Sirius and Remus had been arguing for the past several minutes, their voices easily carrying over to my room.
"WELL IT SURE AS HELL DOESN'T LOOK LIKE YOU'RE FIGHTING TO STOP IT!"
"SHE DOESN'T WANT TO LEAVE! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO, FORCE HER TO GO LIVE WITH THE WEASLEYS?"
"YES!"
"RIKA IS TOO PROUD FOR THAT!"
At least Remus understood that for the moment this wasn't something I was willing to run away from.
"BUT WHAT IF SHE GETS HURT!"
"Snape won't hurt her. She'll probably be safer with him than she'd be with us."
Remus may have stopped yelling, but the pain in his voice tore at my heart.
"And if the Toad-bitch tries to hurt her!. Again might I add!"
"Then regardless of her pride, I will send her somewhere safe."
Logically I knew that was the right thing to do…hopefully if it came to that, I'd be able to take the ego-blow.
"What is she doing to our kids Remus?" Sirius asked in a weary voice. "She keeps taking things away from them. Harry's not even allowed to fly a broom anymore..Rika doesn't get to sleep in her bed every night..Why can't we protect them? Do we really fail that much at being guardians? The only reason I haven't slaughtered that woman is because Dumbledore promised that he'd have her gone..but now.."
Poor guys…
"We're not failures Pads. We're stuck in a situation with only two options: silently grit our teeth and be there for our kids, or launch into action and be ripped away from them. It's only a matter of time before Umbridge fires us both; we need to hold on until then."
"And then we can kill her?"
"Absolutely."
After a few minutes of silence, I poked my head out of my room, pretending I hadn't heard their yelling. "I'm all packed."
Remus took my bag from me and both men placed a hand on my back, escorting me out of our home and down into the dungeons. We could have easily flooed there, but we all wanted these last few moments.
Snape let us in after the first knock. Remus pulled me into his arms, giving me a fierce hug. "Be good. Try to stay out of trouble. Call me."
"You don't know how to work you're phone," I joked quietly from his shoulder.
"I'll learn."
He released me and Sirius's arms engulfed me. "Give old Snapey hell, kay."
"Kay."
With one last long, lingering glance, they were gone. Snape cleared his throat, getting my attention. "You may temporarily take over my room. I'll show you the way."
"Where will you sleep?"
"I will transfigure the couch into a bed."
"I can sleep on the couch bed."
"Aren't teenage girls supposed to value privacy?"
"Yeah, but I'm a beast. When have I ever been a normal teenage girl. Besides, I promised my guardians and Aubrey that I wouldn't hang out in guy's beds anymore."
He gave me a very long, very disturbed look. "Alright then. Sit. We need to talk."
I sat on the couch that I assumed would serve as my future bed. He continued standing—I think it made him feel powerful. "You will spend the majority of your time in my quarters. I have no doubt that you will sneak out. If so, I urge you to stay in a secluded part of the castle such as the kitchens, or save your escapades for night. Do not wander around the halls or visit the students' Common Rooms. If you are caught, I will not be able to help you. The most I could do would be volunteer to punish you; while I would not harm you, I would have to make it seem believable, so it would be unpleasant for you. I have a small library. You may have free-range of it. Anything else you wish to touch, come and ask my permission first. If you need me and I am in my room or potions lab, knock on the door, do not simply enter. If you need anything, summon a house elf; I'm sure you know how." At my nod, he continued. "And finally, if you see Umbridge, at least pretend to be docile. The sooner you drop your rebellious persona, the sooner you will be returned to your Guardian mutts. Any questions?"
I shook my head 'no.' He transfigured the couch into a decent sized bed for me, complete with pillows, sheets, and a thick blanket. "You should get to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day for you."
I nodded. "Snape?" I called out as he walked away. He paused. "Thanks for taking me in. I really owe you one."
He gave a curt nod. "Think nothing of it."
I settled into the bed. It wasn't uncomfortable, but the unfamiliar smells, and worries for the future had me tossing and turning into the early hours of the morning. I put my headphones on, concentrating on my music. Hopefully things would be back to normal soon.
I could hear the soft click of china in the dining area next door. As much as I really didn't want to open my eyes, I thought it would be nice to have breakfast with Snape on our first day living together. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and splashed some water on my face, not bothering to change clothes or brush my mad blob of hair, then plopped down in the chair across from Snape. He gave me a nod, flipping the page of his newspaper.
A blue-eyed house elf approached me. "Hello Miss Rika. Can Soli be getting anything for the Miss?"
"Apple juice…bacon..ham…please.."
"Add some egg whites and wheat toast to her plate Soli," Snape said, taking a snip of coffee. "She needs more than just meat."
She nodded. "And would Master Snape be liking food?"
"I'll take the same, minus the ham."
She nodded and 'poofed' away. I gave Snape a wide smirk, chuckling.
"What?" he asked irritably.
My smirk widened. "Even the great and terrible Severus Snape cannot resist the crunchy allure of bacon."
"So now you can form full sentences?"
"I'm awake now."
I took the pot of coffee and poured myself a cup, adding a generous amount of sugar and cream, diluting it to a pleasant beige color. Snape gave my cup a look that clearly stated it was a disgrace to cups of coffee everywhere. I silently consoled it, sipping it slowly. It's okay if you're only thirty percent coffee. I like you. And I'm a beast so my opinion counts more than Snape's. Seeee. Everything's okay.
Snape closed his paper with a sigh. "Do you talk to the china every morning?"
"…Oh..Did I say all of that out loud?"
"Yes."
"…Well then..no..it's usually in my head…unless I've been saying it out loud this whole time and I'm already so weird that no one thought to comment on it…"
"They are most likely too odd themselves to notice a deviation from normal social decorum."
I giggled. "Most the people I hang out with are pretty socially awkward."
"Quite."
Soli popped back with our breakfast, and we ate in relative silence. Snape left for work, and I settled in for a very boring day.
Since I had all of this oh-so-lovely free time on my hands, I began doing something I'd been neglecting for a while—researching the draught of the fractured dead. I had yet to forgive Puck for that whole incident…
I'd gone through at least two dozen books from Snape's library by the time he returned and still no luck. I would've kept searching, but I didn't want him to get suspicious.
Soli appeared up beside me. "Master Snape is requesting you go eat a snack in the dining area now."
I nodded. "Kay."
Snape was seated at the table, papers around him, drinking what smelled like very strong tea. Laid out in front of my chair was a tray of fruit, milk, and those itty-bitty sandwiches of meat and cheese. I sat down and popped a grape into my mouth. "So, how was your day?"
"Your insufferable friends seem to think that earning detention with me is the equivalent of getting to socialize with you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really? How many detentions did you dole out?"
"Everyday of the week for six different people."
"Hmm…let me guess..Damon, Kayla, the twins…Harry..and Ginny?"
"Correct."
"Who's the seventh day then?"
"Mr. Calls who had the sense to volunteer to help me sort ingredients, rather than blow-up a caldron or harass fellow students."
I chuckled. I had no doubt that Snape was going to put my friends to work, and my friends, loving people that they were, would force me to help them work, but I was looking forward to seeing them.
"Soli tells me you were in the library," he said after a long sip of tea. " Did you need information on anything specific?"
"Nope. Just randomly browsing."
He nodded. We sat in silence for a while then Snape went to go work on potions or something. I texted Dames and Kays idly and called Remus. Sirius stole the phone from him and complained loudly about how it wasn't fair he couldn't come see me(it would've been easy for him and Remie to get into Snape's quarters, but Snape had ruled that 'no mutts were allowed in'). I told him to 'man up, it'd only been a day you friggin bit-less pansy.' ….Oddly enough, he wasn't very happy with that last sentiment, and told Remus that his child was an 'unfeeling hellion.' All in all, it was a good conversation.
The next few days passed in the same uneventful manner. It wasn't bad living with Snape. It was a little quiet and a little annoying to be stuck in the same place during the daytime—I snuck out for a walk every night—but overall it was fine. Snape seemed oddly concerned with feeding me. He made sure I had three meals a day, plus a snack. I guess he felt that if I was properly fed, he was taking adequate care of me. Plus, I got to spend time with one of my friends every day; granted it was over chores, but whatever. My friends were totally awesome enough to make de-gunking giant pots fun.
I was enjoying my daily snack, when Snape interrupted my internal musings. "Umbridge has requested your precence at dinner tonight."
I paused, strawberry halfway to my mouth. "…Um..there's no way I could just politely decline is there?"
"No. Be on your best behavior. At least pretend that I've disciplined you."
"….How exactly?"
"You will refer to me as 'Sir' not 'Snape' and will do as I say."
"…I guess I can live with that…"
"You must."
Well, damn.
"Keep your head down," Snape hissed as we walked down the hallway. "Look more submissive."
I inwardly rolled my eyes, but did as he said. As soon as we walked into the Great Hall, I could feel dozens of eyes on me. Umbridge broke into a wide smile(sadly it was the figurative kind, not the her-face-literally-broke-and-the-world-rejoiced kind of smile). "Ah Severus! How has the discipline been going? Putting it in its proper place?"
Ugh. Please bitch, if this were Animal Planet, I'd be the kick-ass wolf that stepped on your rotten toad-ness just for the fun of watching your guts squirt out through your mouth. Snape discreetly elbowed my ribs, reminding me to school my expression. I quickly sobered, sadistic smile dropping from my lips. As we passed the Griffie table, Kayla mouthed 'What?' and I mouthed back 'Animal Planet.' Her blank stare told me that she didn't get my amazing mental scenario reference.
(Author's note: I can't see anyone not knowing what Animal Planet is, but if you don't, it's a tv channel all about animals.)
"So," Umbridge directed her grin at me, "do you feel more like the animal you are now after your time with Professor Snape?"
I grinned widely, almost maniacally, the Animal-Planet scenario still in my mind. "Oh, yes ma'am. I know exactly where my place falls on the food chain."
Her smile dropped, beady eyes glaring into mine. "Below humans," she hissed.
"And above toads."
Snape elbowed me again. Somewhere behind me, I heard a girl snort—Kayla must've gotten the Animal Planet thing. I glanced up at Remus. He gave me a small nod, lip twitching in amusement at my comment.
Umbridge somehow didn't appear to understand my comment. Did the woman honestly not know she was the mirror image of a toad? Maybe someone she angered cast a spell on her so that everyone who looked at her saw a toad instead of a human. And she had no idea. I'd have to tell Harry that theory later; he'd definitely get a kick out of it.
I sighed, turning to Snape. "Can I go sit with my friends?"
"May you," he sneered, and I resisted rolling my eyes.
"May I sit with my friends?"
"Oh no, I have just the seat for you," Umbridge cut in. She waved her wand, and a plate appeared on the floor, in front of the staff table.
I shrugged casually, "Cool with me," and sat down. "So, what's for dinner?"
Umbridge flicked her wand and the plate filled with a disgusting, brown blob. I scrunched up my nose. Dog food. Umbitch seriously just served me dog food. I could hear Slytherins snickering. Bloody prats. I glanced up at the staff table; Remus and Sirius were both looking murderous. Further behind them, in the shadows, I could just make out a large set of eyes. The eyes motioned to the plate, bobbing up and down. Frowning, I hesitantly poked the blob, wondering if that was what the eyes wanted. Sure enough, the blob instantly morphed to fried chicken. Oh how I loved the house elves. I smiled widely, scooping up a leg and taking a large bite. "Sweet! I love chicken!"
Umbridge slashed her wand at the plate. It morphed back to dog food for a few seconds, then back to chicken. "You!" she screamed at me, two spots of color rising on her cheeks. "How are you doing this!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Sirius called, waggling his brows. "Magic!"
"Monsters can't do magic!" she hissed. She spun around to me. "Fine. Eat your chicken. But how does it feel to eat on the floor, like a lowly animal, forced to sit beneath your superiors!"
Wow, someone was aggregated that her little make-Rika-eat-dog food plan didn't work out. "Honestly ma'am, it feels pretty good. I mean the chicken is nice and crunchy, sooo…yeeeaahh.."
"And the floor's pretty darn comfy!" Kayla called out, grabbing her plate and plopping onto the floor. One by one, students began following her lead, laughing and abandoning their chairs; even if they didn't' like me, they still hated Umbridge.
Remus actually slid across the staff table, Sirius close behind, to come and sit by me. 'Hey Cub,' he mouthed.
"Stop!" Umbridge screeched. "Detention! Detention to any of you who don't reseat yourselves immediately!"
But the students were talking, and playfully shoving each other, beyond her control. "Down with the bloody pink toad!" I heard Kayla yell. Students, even those who didn't understand the Alice in Wonderland reference, picked up the chant, screaming it and fist pumping. Umbridge, still not understanding that she was the toad, began spluttering in confusion, yelling 'Stop! Stop!' Snape, ever true to his role, grabbed me by the arm, hauled me off the ground, and began roughly dragging me away. He didn't release me till we were in his quarters.
"Honestly! Must you cause rebellion wherever you go! Do you want to be punished! Sent away!"
I held up my hands in surrender. "I'm not stupid Snape. I'll fight her as long as I think I can get away with it, and not a second more or more obtrusively than I think I can. But no one tries to make Rika freakin Lupin eat dog food!"
My last words hung in silence for several seconds, both of us processing what I'd just accidentally said. Snape raised an eyebrow. "Lupin? I didn't realize you'd adopted his surname."
I shrugged, feeling my face heat up a little. "I haven't..it just..I needed a last name for my rant, and it was the first that came to mind…"
He gave a small nod. "I see. I'll have Soli bring you a proper dinner. I will be in my lab if you need me. And Rika," he said, stopping in the doorway, back turned towards me. "As far as your choice of guardianship goes..you could do better."
Taken aback, I had no response as I watched him leave. What had that meant? I knew he didn't like Remus—or Sirius—and often claimed they were unfit guardians, but did he really think that? Why would he hate them so much?
Soli popped up with a tray of food, interrupting my thoughts. I gave her a big hug and asked her to thank the other elves for me, musings on Snape temporarily forgotten.
Snape looked down at the dark haired girl sleeping in his living room. Her brow was furrowed, and she whimpered a soft, barely audible noise of stress. He wondered if she had nightmares often. He certainly wouldn't have known she was having one if he hadn't have physically come to check on her. A bit awkwardly, he ran a hand through her messy locks, inwardly sighing in relief as her expression relaxed.
He was becoming rather found of Rika. Unlike most people, she found humor in his sarcasm, rather than blunt insults. He had sorely misjudged her on their first meeting; however, that was hardly his fault, considering she hung around the likes of those Marauder-mutts. Misreading people made him feel uneasy though. It made his mind flash to Dumbledore's constant words about a certain black-haired-green-eyed-dunderhead.
'You should give young Harry a chance Severus. The boy is not his father.'
Snape shook his head firmly. He was merely wrong about Rika because of the company she kept. He was not wrong about Potter. He couldn't afford to be wrong about the boy. Although he'd never admit it to himself, it was dangerous to care about Harry Potter. Caring meant losing his objective rationality considering the boy's care. How could he protect him if he blindly rushed into situations because of useless emotions? Not to mention, he was a former death eater, and the dark lord's spy; he could never be on civil terms with the child of light. He couldn't handle the boy's eyes, Lily's eyes, glancing at him through the elder Potter's face. He couldn't face a child whose parents he had as good as murdered.
But these reasons were painful. Much too painful. Snape refused to acknowledge them. Instead, he focused all of his hatred on the James Potter clone and convinced himself that he was undoubtedly right, and the issue wasn't worth exploring any longer.
So what if he had been wrong about one stubborn werewolf child? She was a teenage girl, no man could completely understand them anyway. He was not wrong about Potter.
I sighed, slipping yet another dusty tome back on the shelf; these books were going to be the death of me(and considering I'd yet to find anything about the draught of the fractured dead, it was going to be a very unsatisfying death). Soli popped up behind me, twisting her ears and making frantic little whines. I got up, quickly going to her side. Had she burned the lunch or something? It was about lunch time…Maybe she ran out of food? "Soli, sweetie, what's wrong?"
"Oooooh! Is bad Miss Rika, is bad! Ms. Headmistress ma'am is wanting in! Soli has to be letting her in! Bad Soli!" she let out a shrill wail, twisting her ears harder.
I gently pried her fingers away from the abused appendages. "Shhh. It's okay Soli, I understand. Go ahead and let her in, kay. I don't want you to get into trouble."
"Miss Rika is kind! Too kind to little Soli!" Thankfully, she ceased harming herself, and disappeared, presumably to let in the Toad. Reluctantly, I walked to the living room to see what she wanted.
Umbridge was wearing a deep scowl. "Leave us," she spat at Soli. "I don't want any of your kind interfering."
Soli gave me an apologetic look and disappeared. I plastered a pleasant smile on my face. "So what can I do for y—"
She whipped out her wand, and yelled out "argentum ardent!" A silver streak burst from her wand, slamming through my chest. I screamed, body erupting in pain, and fell to the floor. My blood boiled in agony, as if liquid silver was pounding through my blood.
"Like it?" Umbridge snarled when my screams dimmed to panting. "It's a new spell, just approved by the Ministry yesterday, specifically for werewolves; all of the burn of silver, but none of the toxin. Just like a legal Cruciatus curse."
She met my panicked stair with a demented giggle. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself back on my feet. Umbridge had finally won one over me. I may be willing to put up with a lot of pain just for my own personal rebellion, but I wasn't stupid enough to let myself be literally tortured for the sake of my pride. Besides, my main goal at this school—besides having fun—was to help Harry which I couldn't really do in my current situation anyway. I'd been hoping to wait the Umbridge situation out because I was sure she'd be removed eventually, but it looked like it was time for me to take a seat on the sidelines. "I get it." I said quietly. "I'll leave. I'll be out by morning." Hanging out at Remus's place wouldn't be too bad. I could get my old job back, visit the Burrow, not get hit by the official worst bloody curse in the world.
The Toad's thin lips stretched into a maniacal smile, eyes rolling in a crazed fashion. "Oh no, no, no, you won't be returning home. I want you disciplined. Since Snape isn't up to the task, I'll just have to handle it myself."
My jaw dropped in disbelief. "What do you mean I'm not going home! You can't keep me here! If I want to leave, I'm going to leave!"
"Argentum ardent!"
I tried to dodge the curse, but my muscles were too stiff from having just experienced it, and I was once again withering in pain on the floor.
"You see, I can keep you here. I control the floo network in and out of the school. I control who passes into Hogsmead. I control broom traffic. I control your filthy guardians. And if you somehow manage to still get out, I can inform the Ministry of your undisciplined state, and have you put down like the common mutt you are. Now I wonder what will happen first? Will you learn your place, or go insane from the pain? It's a lovely research opportunity, don't you think?"
I looked up into her eyes, shuddering from the aftershocks of the curse, and probed into the madness shining through her dilated pupils.
She meant it.
She meant every word of it.
I had always thought Umbridge was just a prejudiced bitch, but the woman was mentally unstable. Her desire to dominate and crush had been focused on me, and I would not be coming out of it with both my humanity and my life.
I forced myself up on my knees, limbs shaking from the exertion. "So you've finally done it. You've found a way to break me."
"We both knew it was only a matter of time."
"Am I being moved to your quarters?"
"That would be for the best."
"Should I get my clothes?"
"You'll only need one pair."
I unsteadily wobbled to my bag o'stuff(the awesome, infinitely expanding kind). The curse didn't inflict very much muscle damage, so hopefully I'd be able to move normally soon; but I had no intentions of relying on hope. At the bottom of my trunk was the wizard equivalent to a five hour energy shot; one gulp of that potion(a recent commodity Snape had casually mentioned the existence of to me), and I'd have the energy to function semi-normally on my anti-wolf day of the month. Time to see what it could do for muscle soreness. I quickly chugged it, muscles instantly springing back to action, and lunged at Umbridge. If she was going to destroy the life I'd built up for myself, I was going to destroy her face.
She shrieked, wand coming up to defend herself, but I knocked her down, sending it flying across the room. I brought my fist down over every inch of her skin I could reach, letting all my anger release itself, glorifying in the feel of flesh and bone yielding beneath my knuckles. It was several punches later before I could regain my self control. I looked down at the battered woman beneath me. Blood streamed down her face. One of her eyes was already swelling shut, and pathetic whimpers continuously escaped her split lips. I closed my eyes for a moment to gather myself. I was no monster. Even if I hated Umbridge, it disturbed me that I enjoyed being the one to cause her pain. I shook my head, climbing off of her. She'd deserved those bruises.
Umbridge's wand hand been snapped sometime during our brawl, and the woman herself looked like she wasn't going to be getting back up anytime soon. I slung my bag over my shoulder, and took off running.
(Author's note: According to google translator, argentum ardent is Latin for Silver Burn).
I burst into the Great Hall, silently cursing the fact that it was filled with people. Why did all the climatic events in my life have to coincide with the school's meal schedule? I jumped over the staff table and pulled Remus and Sirius into a bone-crushing-group hug. "I love you guys. You are the best guardians ever, and I love you, and I'll stay in touch, no worries."
"Rika, what—"
Before Moony had the chance to get the words out, I snatched the wand out of his pocket and shot each man with a quick 'stupify!' The entire Hall went silent, everyone gaping at the werewolf who just stunned two professors. I slipped Remus's wand back in his pocket, smiling sadly at his frozen, bewildered expression. "Sorry Moons, Pads, but I couldn't have you guys charging after me. Take care of Harry, kay.?
"Rika, what is the meaning of this!" Professor McGonagall spluttered, standing up.
I went down the staff table, quickly shoving food into my bag. "Looong story. Don't stop me. School needs you." I turned back to the students. "People who are my friends, I love you all, take care of each other, ttyl, you guys are the best family ever, DON'T BLOODY FOLLOW ME! THAT MEANS YOU KAYLADAMONHARRYAUBREYWEASLEYS!"
I took off running, bag thrown over my shoulder like a thief's loot. I saw Kayla and Harry both raise from their seats. "I SAID DON'T BLOODY FOLLOW ME!" They stayed standing but didn't make any further moves towards me, thankfully. I paused in the doorway to the Great Hall, and turned back to the crowd, pumping my fist into the air. "DOWN WITH THE BLOODY PINK TOAD!" Even though they didn't have any clue what was going on, nearly every person present pumped their fist into the air and began screaming. I ran out of the castle and into the Forbidden Forest, the chant still echoing in my ears.
