Misplaced Item of Affection
Two weeks had passed since their meeting in the tree. Severus had faithfully given Celeste her flying lessons and helped her with Potions. He decided to conduct the flying lessons as far away from everything and everyone as he could safely get.
The reason for this was that James Potter and Sirius Black had started stalking and making an ass of themselves when Severus had tried to continue Celeste's flying lessons out on the school grounds.
Even though it was against his better judgment, he took Celeste into the Dark Forest. He was hoping that they could complete the lessons without interruption.
Lessons never had a set time, but if they could manage to slip away without being noticed, they would work in the evenings after class; occasionally they would also skip lunch and work then.
Lily would even join them sometimes and those were the times Severus felt the most happy to be helping Celeste.
They did not go far into the Dark Forest; he was not that stupid. Despite the rumors, not every inch of the Dark Forest was dangerous. He found a secluded spot for Celeste to practice, a place they would not be attacked or harmed by dangerous creatures.
Eventually he became pleased with the arrangement. He knew it was stupid to pretend, but sometimes when it was just the three of them he could imagine they were the only people in the world. In the quiet recesses of a hidden clearing amidst the tall trees, it was easy even for him to envision a happier life.
Severus had no idea why, but something about Celeste caused Lily to be more like her old carefree self, the girl he remembered first meeting at nine years of age. He liked to watch them as they laughed and talked together. When he and Lily were not helping Celeste with flying, the two girls would explore the secret meeting place in the forest they now called their own.
Celeste's talking did not bother him so much any more, especially when it was mingled with Lily's own sweet voice. Eventually, because of their trips to the forest, Celeste was becoming better at flying. She was still clumsy and he was not really sure why she was so awkward with flying, but it was better than how she originally had started out.
The trips into the forest ended up being more of a chance to get away from everyone and explore. Severus started to look forward to the forest meetings even more than his evenings with the Elite Club.
When Lily did not meet up with them in the forest and it was just he and Celeste, he did his best to treat her respectably. He did have the bet to consider after all, and he knew he was not going to win her favor by being nasty to her. After Celeste would become bored with flying, she would simply explore the area or sit quietly while he explored. Then it so happened that they began to explore together.
Celeste could be decent company sometimes and she did have a curious nature. She would question him about magic, even when he was sure she already knew the answers to what she was asking him. Her questions always seemed more to obtain his opinion and thoughts on the subject; he just had not figured out yet why she needed or cared what he thought.
"Severus," she said one evening as they headed back to Hogwarts. He glanced over at her as they walked along, waiting for her question. "What were you trying to tell me about when you said I could close off my mind?" she asked. "When you climbed the tree after me … you were telling me about putting up a wall in my mind," she went on cautiously.
"You know how adults can tell when you are telling them a lie, don't you? How they know?" he allowed. "The magical way," he added.
"You mean Legilimency?" she wondered. "Not everyone can do that though," she stated. "My dad is good at knowing when somebody is telling him a lie," she considered. "But I don't think he uses magic to do it," she mused.
"He might use Legilimency," Severus suggested.
"But either way, when you get older and better at magic, you know if someone is trying something funny on you. So wouldn't other people know if you used it on them?" she pondered.
"Not always," he answered. "Some people can do it and you'd never know it happened. If a person is good at Legilimency and Occlumency, they can develop the skills to know a lie and read people without hardly using any magic at all. If you're good at Occlumency for instance, you can block out the emotions that distract you … and use it to protect yourself as well," he explained.
"How do you know all that?" she questioned; her eager expression told Severus she was very curious now.
"I read about it … I've known about it for years," he responded smoothly.
"Do you know how to do it … the Occlumency?" she asked.
"I was told I have the natural skill of an Occlumens," he answered.
"Who told you that?" she pressed.
"The Headmaster," Severus replied; she looked surprised. "He told me first year after a … ah … situation that happened," he elaborated quietly.
"First year?" she announced, sounding impressed. "What did he say? I mean … how did he know that?" she corrected as they stopped at the edge of the tree line where the Dark Forest met the Hogwarts grounds.
"He told me he knew what I was doing and he wondered how one so young could be as skilled as I was at closing my mind," replied Severus.
"What were you doing?" she said as they both scanned the grounds, waiting for the right moment to walk out of the forest without being seen.
"The Headmaster was questioning me about something that happened … I was not involved in it, but I knew the student who was and I witnessed part of the event. Apparently the Headmaster was unsuccessful in probing my mind to see if I was telling a lie," he said stiffly.
"So, he was using Legilimency on you?" she asked.
"I could feel it, so I think he was," Severus said with a stiff nod. "Come on, we better hurry," he added.
They both walked out onto the grounds, keeping out of sight until they were clear enough of the trees not to be caught or accused of coming out of the forest.
"What does it feel like?" she pressed.
"Like the memory is being pulled out of your head. No, that's not exactly right … more like being pulled forward, even if you're trying not to remember it or hide it," he answered. His voice was a bit far off, as if he were even working it out in his own head. He had never spoken with anyone about Occlumency or Legilimency, not even Lily. It was a bit weird talking to Celeste Fairstone about it.
"How do you keep that from happening?" she said.
"Emotions make the memories come easier, so you have to be able to be still on the inside," he offered. "You have to learn to separate yourself from the things you want to hide, shut them down so the person can't get at them," he went on.
"Kind of like forget them, you mean?" she prompted.
"Something like that," he replied.
"I think adults tell us not to do things, but then they do what they tell us not to," Celeste considered as she walked along with him. Severus paused and studied her face; he gave a curt nod but did not comment on her statement.
"If you do have a special talent then that's a good thing, right?" she praised, giving him a half smile. "Especially if a wizard like Dumbledore tells you that … he's very powerful, I can tell," she determined, looking quite confident of what she was saying. "I wish I had a special talent," she added.
"I'd say talking is your natural talent," he teased.
"Yeah, it's a magic charm. It makes people cover their ears or get very bored with me," she joked, grinning with a playful glimmer in her eyes.
Severus shook his head; it was because he was not quite sure how to deal with her if she did not take offense at his sarcasm. Rather, she was enjoying the comment enough to poke fun at herself.
He turned and walked on, she followed along beside him.
"Severus … about flying lessons," she started when they had neared the castle. He gave her an inquisitive glance, waiting for her to continue whatever she was going to say.
"We could get in trouble if we were caught going in the Dark Forest, couldn't we?" she said somberly, staring down at the broom in her hands.
"Probably," he said bluntly.
"Then … I think we should stop," she advised.
"What, WHY?" announced Severus, stopping abruptly and turning to her. He had not expected this and the thought of it sent a jolt of fear down his spine.
"I don't want you and Lily to be in trouble because of me," Celeste began. "You've both helped me, but if you two get into trouble then … I just think it would -"
"I don't care what you think!" he growled callously.
"That's not a very nice thing to say to me!" Celeste cried, an expression of sadness spreading across her face.
"I'm teaching you. I say when the lessons are over, not you," he ordered irritably. "It's not up to the student … the teacher decides if - if …"
He paused because he could not stand how she was staring at him. "Why do you have to go and ruin it!" he scolded forcefully.
"I-I'm not," she squeaked, startled by his explosion of anger. "I don't want it to be my fault if my two best friends get into trouble!" she insisted.
"Well it's all about you, isn't it!" he snapped. "I'm just … wait … what did you call me?" he sputtered in disbelief.
"I think I'll call you a mean jerk right now!" she snapped and marched past him.
"Stop … Celeste!" he called out as he moved to catch up with her. He grabbed her sleeve to prevent her escape. "Did … did you say best friends? You think I'm your best friend?" he pressed, searching her face as she stared back at him.
She stubbornly refused to say anything and Severus knew he had to resolve this quickly before he did anything else.
"You can't have two best friends," he contested smoothly.
"Why can't you?" she asserted passionately.
"I don't know," he muttered in answer. "Lily was the one who told me what a best friend is. I did not think the way she explained it meant you could have more than one," he allowed.
Celeste's expression turned thoughtful and she considered him for a few moments silently. He released her sleeve and after another moment her thoughtful expression turned to certainty, as if she was very confident of what she was going to say next.
"Best friends are supposed to be extra special, that's true," Celeste confirmed with a nod of her head. "But you can have more than one best friend. So I have two best friends here at Hogwarts, you and Lily," she finished.
Severus was unsure how to take this news. On one hand it was good, on another it confused him utterly why she would think of him as her best friend. Their relationship had improved lately, but the fact was they did argue a lot. He could not see how you would have a best friend who disagreed with you; it did not quite sound like what Lily had explained to him.
"I don't really want us to stop going to our special meeting place," she admitted. "But if you two got in trouble … I just don't want to lose my two best friends because I got you into helping me and -"
"Do you think I would let you force me to do something?" Severus cut in sharply. "Never mind answering that, because you couldn't force me," he added bluntly. "This is an arrangement between us. I do not need you to tell me what to do. Just worry about flying properly," he admonished.
Celeste did not reply right away, but her expression changed and it told him she had relented and given in to him.
"Okay, but if we get caught -"
"We're not going to be caught."
"But if we do -"
"I don't care about that," he announced forcefully. "They're not going to expel us … so stop nagging about it," he added grumpily.
Severus watched her face. At first he thought she wanted to be cross with him, but instead her mouth curled up on one side. He was not quite sure what to make of it, but he knew she argued with him even more than Lily ever did.
"We'll meet again tomorrow. I've already spoken to Lily today and she will join us," Severus stated as he turned to move towards the castle.
"Granny's sent me more cookies this morning," she prompted, changing the subject.
"Did she send the ones with those little chocolate bits in them?" he wondered aloud.
"Yeah, and my favorite - the apple-flavored ones," she announced excitedly.
"I hate those," he countered.
"I love them, they're my favorite," she insisted, her grin widening.
"You can have them all then, as long as I can have the chocolate bit ones," he muttered, but there was a hint of humor in his voice. He had not been expecting her to consider him a best friend, but if it was what she wanted then it was fine by him; at least the cookies were good.
-------------------------[88---------------------------
"Did you try a Summoning spell?" Lily's voice said.
"I've tried that about twenty times," Celeste's voice replied somberly.
"And you're sure you lost it in your Potions lesson?" Lily asked.
Severus had caught up with them leaving the Quidditch game on Friday. The two girls moved along with the crowd and he worked his way through until he was pretty much in step with Lily and Celeste. It was like being with them, even though there were hundreds of students all heading the same way back up to the school. He was not quite sure what they were talking about, but from the sound of it, Celeste must have lost something.
"Yes, and I don't have a problem with Accio; it should have worked for me," Celeste stated firmly.
"If someone is controlling the object after it has been lost, Accio might not work but usually it is because someone has placed a concealing spell on the item," Severus commented as he moved in a little closer to walk along side by side with the girls. "What did you lose?" he asked.
"My ring … it's special, every Fairstone has one," Celeste informed.
"Clearly not anymore," Severus countered, giving her a devious grin.
"Mr. Smarty Pants," Celeste muttered under her breath darkly.
"No, I wear robes, not pants," he said quietly in a dull tone, turning his grin to Lily who simply shook her head.
"I'm sure it'll turn up, Celeste. Did you ask Professor Slughorn about it?" Lily questioned.
"Yeah, he said he'd look for it … maybe someone found it. Where do people turn in lost things here?" Celeste asked curiously.
"We don't have anywhere to hand in lost items," Severus began. "Most witches and wizards rarely lose things; unless they're really absentminded and -"
"Don't say it," Celeste cut in, glaring over at him.
"I was only going remind you of -"
"I haven't lost my wand!" Celeste cried.
"Alright you two," Lily scolded.
"Well, you did in the forest," Severus teased.
"It was an accident," Celeste sputtered.
"I think we have a theme going with you," Severus taunted. "Accidentally Fairstone," he pressed, but he was now smiling, a playful glimmer in his eye. "I'd put a charm on you to stop the misadventures, if they were not getting to the point of being entertaining … at least they are a change to the norm around here, I can say that much," he allowed.
At first Celeste looked bewildered and not knowing if she should be hurt or happy about the comment.
"I agree, I'm glad you're here too," Lily announced proudly.
"That's not exactly what I -"
"Yes, it is," Lily overrode him. "I heard you," she added.
Celeste was now grinning at Severus, who in turn made a noise that suggested the conversation had become frivolous to him.
"However, for those cookies I might be willing to admit anything," he submitted, giving Celeste a hopeful glance.
The two girls laughed in unison and went on with their conversation. Severus walked along with them, feeling an odd sensation enter his chest; he was sure it was pride, but he had no idea why he felt that way right now. He simply continued on with them and the crowd and it was very much like he belonged.
It was the first time other students really took notice of him with Lily and Celeste; nobody who saw him then would have said his shoulders were slumped or he was an oddball, because he walked back into Hogwarts that day as if he were the most confident boy in school.
-------------------------[88---------------------------
"Look at this, Avery," Evan Rosier said proudly as he entered his Slytherin dormitory room after lunch on Sunday. "Wait … where is Snape? Is he still here?" he asked suspiciously as he glanced over at Snape's bed.
"I haven't seen him all day," Connor Avery commented as he walked over to see whatever it was Evan wanted to show him. "He's been going off somewhere a lot lately. What do you suppose he's up to?" he wondered.
"Who cares … just as long as he's not here," Evan insisted and held up an object for Connor to inspect.
"A ring? What's that for?" Connor said as he studied the little ring curiously.
Once Evan was satisfied Connor had taken a good enough look at the ring, he walked over to his bed and opened his trunk. He hastily fumbled through his things, found an old sock and shoved the ring down into it. He pushed it down to the bottom and closed the trunk.
"What's so special about that ring?" Connor questioned as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You should be asking who the ring belongs to," Evan hinted as he stood up, his mouth breaking out into a wide, devious smile.
"Well, who does it belong to then?" Connor pressed impatiently.
"Fairstone," Evan answered smugly.
"Oh," Connor said and smiled, but then his expression fell to awkward confusion.
"You dolt, don't you remember Mulciber telling us about certain spells where you use a person's property? He said we might be able to learn them and that he'd help … he said if they're done right, you can get the person to do whatever you want," Evan prompted.
"Yeah, I remember, but he said they're not easy to do and don't always work quite right," Conner insisted. "How did you get her ring anyway?" he asked.
"I told Mulciber what I wanted to do … he helped me with that. He's really good at Imperio and he used it on a third year Ravenclaw boy," Evan began, sounding proud and excited at the same time. "It was so bloody easy. Apparently Fairstone took off her ring in Potions class and that's when he nicked it from her table. She's been trying to Accio it back, but I've got it now so it's not going to work as long as I keep it locked up or in my possession," Evan went on.
"So when are you going to try the spell?" Connor wondered.
"Mulciber says we can try it after the next Elite Club meeting. But we can't tell anyone, not even other club members and especially not Snape," Evan insisted. "He said we'll do it after the meeting when everyone has left," he went on.
"Why can't we tell Snape?" Connor questioned.
"I don't trust him where she is concerned … I think he's up to something with her. Anyway, Mulciber said to keep it quiet and make sure the word doesn't get out … you know, too many people talking might get us caught," Evan suggested.
"Maybe Snape likes her," Connor mused.
"So what if he does? She's already been a little snob with me and also to that Sirius Black … no girl is going to choose Snape over me or him, I do know that. She's just being like all girls are - they say no, but they really mean yes," Evan persisted.
"Which girls are you talking about?" Hector Wilkes asked as he appeared in the doorway and walked over to his own bed. He began hunting around like he was looking for something.
"How women say no but mean yes," Evan recited but did not elaborate further. Connor got ready to speak, but Evan gave him a hard kick on the leg for him to be quiet. Hector turned to them but had apparently not noticed the kick.
"Have either of you seen my broom?" Hector asked suspiciously.
"No, at least not today," Connor commented.
"What do you mean, not today?" Hector pressed sharply.
"I think … well … what I mean to say is -"
"I borrowed it," Severus' voice said from the doorway.
The three turned to the door where Severus stood holding the broom. He came forward and held it out to Hector.
"You could have asked first," Hector said darkly as he took his broom and studied it before setting it up beside his bed.
"I did not think you would mind, but I will not use it again without asking," Severus said smoothly as he moved over to his own bed to open his trunk.
"Alright," Wilkes said, relenting; he did not seem so bothered by the broom being gone because it was Severus who had it. Evan was eyeing Severus distrustfully, Connor was completely mute and Hector flopped down on his bed and stared idly up at the green curtains, seeming bored.
"What have you got there, Snape?" Evan asked.
Severus had opened his trunk and taken out a small container. Severus lifted his eyes to meet Evan's and gave him a smug smile of satisfaction.
"I should like to call it bonus pay for my exceptional teaching skills," answered Severus as he opened the container to show Evan and the other two the contents.
"Where'd you get all those biscuits?" Connor announced and came over to stare into the container more closely
"Let me guess, Fairstone?" Evan Rosier grumbled harshly as he also came forward to the container. He did not hesitate but snatched one out before Severus even gave him permission.
"She calls them cookies, I remember," Conner prompted. "Can I have one too?" he asked, Severus dropped the container on his bed, took out a cookie of his own and gave a shrug of his shoulders.
Connor took this as a yes and reached in to grab one of the cookies. Hector also moved over and took up a cookie of his own and they all ate their first few bites silently, savoring the delicious flavor.
"Get me in good with her, Snape … I'll make it worth your while," Evan said after finishing off his first cookie and reaching greedily for another.
"How exactly would you like me to accomplish that?" Severus mused, taking his time to enjoy the cookie. "Oh, Celeste, by the way I have a friend … yes, he threw you into a bookshelf, but he's a fine fellow, I'm sure you'll like him," Severus pondered.
"You little arrogant git," Evan growled, making a move to go after Severus. He was only stopped because Wilkes blocked Evan's path.
Severus had snatched out his wand and stood defensively at the edge of Wilkes' massive frame.
"Going to let someone else fight your battles for you, Snape?" Evan charged forcefully.
"We're not going to fight over the silly American girl?" Wilkes asked disgruntled as he pushed Evan back; even Evan would not come up against Hector Wilkes. "How could she possibly be worth all this fuss, Evan?" he wondered as Evan backed off but still seemed intent on getting to Severus.
"You take things too personally," Severus stated defiantly as he put his wand away and stepped to the side so Hector was not fully protecting him. "What good would I do in trying to talk to her about you? She would simply lose trust in me and then neither of us would get anything useful out of the girl."
"If she trusts you then -"
"She pays me money for lessons and gave me a container of biscuits … that's all," Severus overrode Evan waspishly. "Sirius Black has already accused me of working for you. If I were to start promoting you, she wouldn't give me the time of day," he went on. "You will have to work out your own problems with her. I would assist you if I could, but neither of us would benefit if she loses interest in me," he finished.
"Yeah, but just watch your back, Snape … maybe you should remember whose side you're on … unless you're not a Slytherin anymore," Evan insulted and headed to the door. "Come on, Avery!" he added. Connor appeared torn but glumly followed after Evan as if he had no choice in the matter.
Once they were gone, Hector scowled unhappily and walked over to sit down on his own bed again.
"You need to be careful, Snape," Hector commented.
"I am careful," Severus said distantly as he sat down on the edge of his own bed.
"If Rosier wants to bash in your face because you're getting arrogant with him, then don't expect me to always be around to stop it from happening," Hector complained. "What's got into you lately anyway? You're almost flaunting that girl at him and you know he's got a thing for her," Hector admonished. "People are starting to talk: I've heard people say that you've been seen a lot with that Mudblood, Evans, and the American," he went on.
"Fairstone doesn't want anything to do with Rosier, so that causes him to become ten times more infatuated with her than he should be," Severus proclaimed waspishly.
"Yeah well, I never said he was smart about females," Hector decided. "So … you like her too then?" he questioned curiously.
"I did not say that," Severus answered coolly.
"So what are you doing, Severus? Just using her to annoy Evan?" wondered Hector.
"I have no need or desire to annoy someone who is supposed to be my friend," Severus allowed.
"I'm not always smart like you are, Snape, but you've got more going on with that girl than you are saying. Even I can see that," Hector admonished.
Severus gave a huff of frustration and fiddled around with the container of cookies before he spoke.
"I'm not as well connected as the rest of you. I don't have the rich or privileged family, so I don't get my social standing in the same manner the rest of you do," Severus began somberly. "Whatever progress I make, I have to achieve on my own," he went on. "The professors like Fairstone, they are all quite taken with her, even the Headmaster … and, despite the rumors about her reputation, she is slowly gaining favor with her house and other students," he revealed.
"Aren't we supposed to make good connections to upstanding pureblood families? Isn't that what Mulciber has explained we have to do if we want to truly be accepted in the magical world?" asked Severus.
"Yeah, I can't argue with you on that point," said Hector.
"Is it my fault Evan got into her bad books? Should I waste my good fortune on him because he's an idiot?" Severus pressed.
"No, but you still need to be careful," Hector prompted. "Rosier isn't going to back down from her, I can tell … he was talking about her when I came in," he added.
"Oh?" Severus said, eyeing Hector suspiciously.
"I'd say he was planning something where she is concerned, but I didn't hear everything. He was telling Avery something about a spell and then I heard him say your name. It didn't sound like he wanted you to know about it."
"Well, he should be careful since she has a dead on aim, I have seen that in practice," Severus commented; he had watched her knock pine cones off a log one day in the Dark Forest while they had been waiting for Lily.
"Yeah, I saw her jinx Potter one day outside the library," Hector revealed. "It didn't sound like Evan had planned to just hex her in the corridor … he might have said something about the Elite Club, but like I said … I didn't catch it all," he reminded and then picked up his broom. "So you've been using my broom to help teach Fairstone fly?" he asked curiously.
"Not until this morning. I knew you have the newest and fastest broom … you always do. I just wanted to show it to her and let her try it," Severus informed.
"What did she think of it?" Hector said a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"She was impressed with it but a little intimidated … she decided not to fly it," Severus stated.
"Yeah … that's been my usual experience with girls," Hector grumbled, sounding a little unhappy, but then he turned and headed to the door with his broom. "I'm off, Snape … and if I were you, I'd lie low where Evan is concerned," he warned as he left the room, not looking back.
Once he was alone, Severus considered the information he had just learned about Evan Rosier and what sort of spell the boy might be intending. Eventually Severus' eyes lifted and he scanned Evan's section of the room. He was not sure why, but he all of a sudden got the idea that Celeste's missing ring was more than just a lost possession.
-------------------------[88---------------------------
"I know you took it, Snape … so give it back!" Evan Rosier was fussing at him as they were all on their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Severus replied softly as they stopped near the entrance to the Great Hall.
"Rubbish, who else would have taken it?" Rosier accused.
"You haven't even said what he took. How can you accuse someone of stealing something and you will not even say what it is?" Hector challenged heatedly.
Avery stood mutely, but it was clear to each of them he was dying to reveal what it was that Severus was being accused of stealing. Evan cut Avery a dangerous glance to keep him in check.
"Why would I steal anything from you? I don't want your property," Severus said silkily. "I was under the assumption that we were friends … last I heard, friends do not steal from each other," he asserted.
Evan's appeared confused and angry at the same time. His eyes were boring into Snape's and Severus got the notion he was attempting to perform Legilimency. It was a rather poor attempt and Severus found it extremely funny, half grinning as Evan Rosier's face turned bright red.
Something distracted Evan a moment later and he turned towards it, realizing his attempt to confront Severus was not going too well.
It was Celeste who had caught his attention. She was headed for the Great Hall like everyone else, but she paused and stared at the group of boys warily; she did not seem to want to pass by the group to enter into the Great Hall.
Her eyes darted from Severus to Evan Rosier and back again. She hesitated a moment longer before she plucked up the nerve to walk forward. Severus was sure she was going to say something to him, but Evan Rosier did not seem like he was ready to let that happen.
Before she could speak, Evan leaped forward and snagged her arm.
"Just the person I want to see," he said smoothly, attempting to pull her into the center of the group.
"Let go of me!" she ordered between clenched teeth as she dug her heels into the floor to keep from moving. Students began to stop to see what was going to happen.
"I need to talk to you, Fairstone … why are you so stuck up?" Evan asked impatiently as he attempted to drag her into his circle of friends.
"I'm not stuck up! You let go of my arm!" she cut in angrily, trying to pry his fingers off. Her struggling seemed to amuse Evan instead of annoying him.
Severus had no idea how he knew something dramatic was getting ready to happen. Perhaps it was the color that flooded Celeste's cheeks or the fact that she all of a sudden stopped fighting and let Evan drag her forward. Severus instinctively took a step back out of the group.
"That's more like it," Evan praised.
"We can all be friends," Avery announced, grinning at Celeste like an idiot as Evan let Celeste's arm go. She tried to walk away, but Evan blocked her escape.
"Fairstone, you're just being a stuck-up prune … we just want to talk to you," Evan was saying, pretending Celeste was not trying to get away.
Severus took another step back because he did not like the expression on Celeste's face. Hector's eyes darted from Celeste to Severus and he seemed to sense a change in the girl as well and also moved back.
"Come on, Yankee tart … you know I -"
Evan never got to finish whatever he was going to say because Celeste had yanked out her wand. Avery was the first to taste her wrath: he did not have time to even consider what she was doing, he found himself soaring backward to slam hard against the far wall.
Rosier growled irately and drew his wand to defend his friend and himself.
Severus had to admit, Celeste Fairstone was quick; her aim and skill at this sort of fighting was admirable. She turned on Rosier without blinking an eye and sent him sailing backward to crash into the wall alongside Avery.
Everyone who was witness to this was speechless. Students stood in the corridor simply staring at Celeste like she had suddenly grown another head.
Avery pulled himself off the wall and backed down; Rosier on the other hand was a completely different animal.
"You little twit! I'll make you sorry you were ever born!" he cried and moved towards her. He flicked his wand and Celeste let out an outraged curse as she was lifted off the ground.
All of this was happening within a few seconds and the moment she flew into the air, Severus watched as she swished her wand and mouthed a spell.
Severus was not sure what spell she cast; the noise and commotion in the Great Hall had become excited laughter and angry yelling as people were clamoring to get out into the corridor to see the fight. Severus never really heard what spell she yelled, but he watched as a chair came flying out of the Great Hall and headed directly towards Evan.
Evan seemed to realize it at the last second and leaped out of the way. This broke his hold on Celeste and she fell to the floor. She made a painful grunt as she hit the ground. She scurried up fast as lightning as Evan came forward, ready to attack her.
Professors from the head table were already making their way to the fight and Severus knew this incident was going to end soon. He still could not believe what he was watching. He never expected Celeste to be a good fighter, not in the least. She had always seemed so clumsy and awkward.
Rosier, being a bullheaded boy, instead of using his wand charged at Celeste like an idiot. Severus jerked in surprise; instead of using her own wand, Celeste Fairstone reared back with her fist and as soon as Rosier was close enough, she punched him dead on the nose.
Rosier had not been paying attention to that little fist because he was blind in his rage to get at her.
Stupid really, Severus thought; blood shot out of Evan's nose and Severus was sure she had broken it. Rosier squealed in pain and many students actually cheered.
Celeste leaped back and started rubbing her hand as if she was in just as much pain as Evan was. Severus wondered whether she had broken her hand, considering the force she had put into that punch.
Evan held a hand over his nose and lifted his wand at the same time Celeste did.
"EVAN ROSIER! CELESTE FAIRSTONE!" Professor McGonagall yelled as she grabbed Evan by the shoulder, holding him back. She glared over at Celeste. "What is the meaning of this? I have never seen such a display of blatant disregard for the rules of this school!!" she scolded in a shrill enraged tone.
Many students had gathered closer and on the faces of some of the girls were expressions of pride. The same girls who used to look at Celeste with dislike were now wearing expressions of admiration, almost something like respect.
"She attacked BE!" Evan cried in a pleading voice. " Look at what she's done to BE! LOOK AT MY DOSE!" he cried, but his voice sounded muffled since he was holding his nose and appeared to be in a considerable amount of pain.
"You big fat LIAR!" Celeste screeched and glared at him with hate. "You're the one who started it!"
"I do not care who started it. I am going to finish it!" Minerva announced. "Both of you will go directly to my office this minute!" McGonagall ordered Celeste and Evan.
"BUT MY DOSE!" Evan cried with very evident pain in his voice. Minerva simply conjured a towel and forced it over his nose.
Evan gave an incensed cry, but McGonagall awarded him a glare that meant she was not concerned with his face at the moment. She then glanced around at the students and her gaze fell on Severus.
"Severus Snape, you will come with us. Now," she ordered sternly and pointed at Severus.
Severus was stunned and he wondered why out of all the possible witnesses she had picked him.
"Everyone else will resume their breakfast," she ordered. She made a motion for the three to head to her office and Severus followed reluctantly behind McGonagall as she marched Celeste and Evan in front of her.