Part 35 – Wreaking Runic Havoc
"I'm afraid I must insist," the headmaster drawled.
There was something that looked like a silver napkin ring cinched midway down his bright white beard: Mina found the object incredibly distracting, so much so that she really hadn't been listening to a word Dumbledore said.
Still, the girl always found that, in situations when a person tried to insist, the best course of action was to automatically reply, "Hell no."
Seconds away from reaching full-blown exasperation, Dumbledore sighed, "You don't have a choice in the matter. As your headmaster, I can have you removed from school until your accidental magic is under control and no longer a danger to the other students. As your guardian, I am within my rights to authorize the Unspeakables to examine you. I never needed your permission but hoped you would come to the mature, rational decision on your own. Your increasingly destructive episodes have made that permission a luxury none of us can afford. Professor McGonagall will be arriving shortly to escort you to the Department of Mysteries. You will cooperate fully with anything the Unspeakables ask of you, and you will remain there until they declare you fit to be released."
Mina did her best to keep from breaking anymore windows—no reason to validate the old man's lunacy. She carefully replied, "So Frankie slaps a tracker on me and nearly gets my hand burned off, and, instead of defending my rights, my guardian not only blames me, but also wants to turn me over to be probed by the geezers in the shadiest, least accountable Ministry office? Are you out of your lemon-sucking, goat-fucking mind?"
Instead of answering those perfectly logical questions, Dumbledore instead murmured, "Mina. I know you realize that there is something genuinely wrong with you. Something that you can't hope to explain or control on your own. Why won't you accept our help? Why won't you trust me when I say this is for your own good?"
She had to channel a reflexive, revolted shudder into a deep, soothing breath. The girl let herself relax into the squashy purple armchair. Merlin's saggy man-tits, she was so tired. "Funny coincidence," Mina murmured, digging into her pocket for a few sheets of parchment and tossing them onto the wide oak desk, "My mother used to say that same thing—for your own good—when she was drugging me every night. Sometimes slapping me around a bit. To put me in my place, of course. Because I had to learn to submit to my betters. But it doesn't matter. Quite frankly, sir, why I don't trust you or anyone else is none of your business. I appealed to have you removed as our guardian. Apparently not a moment too soon."
To say that the old man was shocked would be an understatement. He reached for and began to read the scrolls.
"We both know you took over guardianship on a technicality," Mina announced, "The great aunt my grandmother awarded custody to hasn't been seen in over ten years, and Remus and I needed an adult to sign a few things so we wouldn't be declared Ministry wards. You signed everything without talking to us first. My brother trusts you and convinced me not to contest. But I never liked what you did, and, just in case your motives proved less than genuine, I immediately had the family solicitor draw up the necessary paperwork. It's been standing by since last year. I had hoped not to have cause to use it, but, as I was leaving the Hospital Wing after being gravely injured by aurors here mainly at your request, I saw those Unspeakables arrive for another meeting with you. I figured you'd pull something like this, so I sent word to have the papers delivered before I responded to your summons. They should've been filed about twenty minutes ago."
"What do you hope to accomplish?" Dumbledore demanded. He was clearly annoyed by the blatant defiance, his twinkly blue eyes hardening into chips of glacial ice. "You can't actually expect a ruling in your favor."
Giggling maliciously, Mina crossed her legs and declared, "It doesn't matter. I've flooded every available channel with so many forms and affidavits and petitions that, even if the worthless Ministry bureaucracy manages to compile a useable file before we turn seventeen, the backlog in the courts would still ensure the case isn't heard in time. For now, though, you can look forward to receiving a restraining order any minute. Your authority to make major decisions—such as finances, housing, and unnecessary medical procedures—is revoked pending review. Since removing me from school at this point might be seen by the press as retaliation, especially when I send them a copy of that extremely unflattering article I took the liberty of writing up, I would recommend rethinking your options."
He looked so angry but also... sad. Bobbing somewhere between hurt and insulted. It had probably been decades since anyone had refused him so bluntly and vehemently. "You can't run from this forever," he declared, "There is something wrong with you, child. Lashing out at those of us trying figure out what won't change that fact."
"I've given the subject a bit of thought," Mina murmured, forcing her expression into untold depths of cold, predatory darkness "You were never nearly this interested in me until Giles starting spouting off his seer nonsense. So is that it, sir? You think I'm an untapped resource you can train up for all your future-gazing needs?"
Though his expression didn't falter, Dumbledore's voice was softer, the sort of tone most people would use trying to soothe a rabid beast. "Are you really so stubborn?" he demanded, "You won't even entertain the possibility-"
Mina answered with a cruel laugh. "Why?" she challenged, "There's nothing in it for me. Suppose I allow this exam. It can only end one of two ways. One, someone decides I am not a seer, in which case, I'll still have been used like a fucking lab animal for the amusement of you and those Unspeakable pricks. Two, someone decides I am a seer, in which case, I'll be harassed further for a bunch of bullshit prophecies that stupid people will shape their pathetic lives around. Have you ever wondered about that? How many fulfilled prophecies are just idiots seeing what they want to see? What they've been told they should expect? Has there ever been a single prophecy that's actually prevented a tragedy, or do they all just proclaim everyone should be afraid of something vague that can't be stopped anyways? Does it still even count as a prophecy if it keeps something horrible from happening, and what good is it otherwise?"
With a grin, another mean chuckle, she continued, "Here's the kicker though: how many prophecies have been fulfilled only because morons who believed in them orchestrated the events to match? Apparently Vulvamort is interested in capturing a seer. Well, maybe someday I'll let him. Maybe I'll tell him that the only thing standing between him and total domination is your shriveled corpse swinging from a tacky neon rope."
Dumbledore actually gaped.
Mina didn't think she'd ever caused him to gape before and mentally congratulated herself. "Because, of course, that's the other problem with all this prophecy nonsense," the girl explained, "For only the effort it takes to convincingly fake a trance, any seer with her own agenda could have quite a bit of fun at the world's expense."
Not bothering to wait for a response, Mina stood abruptly. She picked at the clean bandage on her left wrist before cheerfully announcing, "I'm no one's experiment, pet, weapon, or ace in the fucking hole. And the more you try to control me, the more I become convinced that you're just as much of a power-hungry lunatic as the arsehole you claim to abhor." The girl turned away and smirked, though she felt ill. "Anyways, something to think about. Have a nice weekend, Headmaster. See you at the Ball."
xxXxx
Nearly twenty minutes after Mina left Dumbledore's office, the other Marauders watched on the Map as Peter's dot finally scurried out from the corner, down the spiral staircase, past the gargoyle, and into the hall. Wormtail was back in the dorm shortly before midnight, hands still shaking as he returned to his human form.
He reported the conversation in its entirety, finally finishing, "I don't think I've ever been so terrified in my entire life, but Dumbledore... she scared the piss out of him. It was... did you know he keeps firewhiskey in his bottom drawer? I swear he downed half the bottle in just the first pull."
Doing his best not to burst into inappropriate giggles, Sirius asked, "Are you saying that the headmaster is, at this very moment, getting sloshed in his office?"
Remus glared, which wasn't at all surprising, but James joined, which sort of was. Either way, they both chose to ignore what they clearly deemed idiocy. Remus summarized, "So, basically, my sister delivered a warning. If he pushes her into being labeled a seer, she'll exploit that label to destroy him and anyone else she feels like."
"Rather clever," Peter commented, "In a dreadfully frightening sort of way... I'm certainly glad I haven't ticked her off lately."
"You never mentioned any great aunt," Sirius pointed out. He frowned as he remembered the days after Madame Lupin's funeral, the days after the twins finally returned to school. All they'd said was that Dumbledore was technically their guardian, and no one had inquired any further.
Huffing, Remus grumbled, "Well, like Pete said, no one has seen her in over ten years. I think, as we got older, my grandmother just appointed a guardian who would take a long time to find. She wanted us to look after ourselves and not have anyone else butting in. She was very much in favor of self-sufficiency. Where do you think Mina got the damn stubborn streak?"
"But you let Dumbledore sign the papers," James muttered, frowning.
Remus squirmed. "I just... thought he was doing something nice," the sandy-haired teen defended, "It's not unusual for the headmaster to accept official guardianship over students who are under his care for most of the year anyways. He said he wouldn't interfere with us too much. The other option was being declared Ministry wards and spending a year and a half contesting. Nothing would've changed much except wasting a lot in lawyer fees."
"Or finding your great aunt," Pete suggested. He could be unexpectedly intelligent at the strangest of moments.
They all stared at him and considered the implications. Finally, Remus wondered, "Maybe we were supposed to... oh, fuck..." Moments of waiting yielded a result: "Our great aunt's name is Joy Lupin. Mina was named after her. Romina Joy Lupin. You think it was some sort of message?"
James chuckled, weakly defending, "Lots of families carry on names without any specific meaning. My middle name is Reginald after a second cousin who was eaten by a nundu. I wouldn't read too much into it."
"Except Grandmother planned for everything," Remus muttered. He was already lost in intense contemplation. "I assumed the choice meant she was just trying to tie up the courts until we were of age, but... fuck. I fucked it up, didn't I?" He groaned and wrenched his sandy hair. "If Dumbledore hadn't signed those forms... our vaults would've been sealed for a year and a half, but our tuition and supplies still would've been paid for. We both receive more than enough allowance to be comfortable, and we could've asked Mr. and Mrs. P for places over the summer. Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to release our medical files... I fucked it up. Mina told me it wasn't right, and I convinced her..."
He got very pale and then retreated to the bathroom to vomit.
Sirius thought that was an overreaction. But, then again, Remus knew more than he'd told the rest of them. More than he could tell them because he'd sworn the damn oath.
By the time the werewolf returned, the other Marauders had come to a decision. "You can't tell us, we don't understand, whatever," James stated, "But this is enough. Obviously the secret is eating you up. And maybe knowing all the facts will calm Mina down. Your grandmother planned for everything? Good. Then she planned for a scenario where all the information needed to be known, and you're going to help us find it."
For a long time, Remus just held his head in his hands. He breathed harshly through a mouth that obviously hadn't been charmed clean. After what felt like hours, the scrawny teen croaked, "Grandmother loved Greek mythology." He smirked a bit, seemingly pleased that he'd said the words he meant to (despite the fact that they offered seemingly irrelevant information).
Sirius laughed. A nervous, half-hysterical noise. "So does my mother," he claimed, "So does every pure-blood who thinks they can call forth blessings from the gods by saddling their feeble-minded progeny with names like Mnemosyne or Phrixus." He blinked. "Actually, I should write to Uncle Phrix. He was always entertaining at parties..."
Despite the murderous looks from Remus and James, none of the Marauders said anything for quite some time. Eventually, Peter inquired, "If Mina wants Dumbledore removed as guardian, doesn't she need to nominate another option?"
Remus shrugged. "Probably the same great aunt. There's a sixth month grace period to find wayward relations, and it reset as soon as Sunny made the most recent inquiry. That alone should last us until we're of age. As long as we stay at Hogwarts, we're deemed to have suitable supervision without official involvement."
"This great aunt," James suggested, ignoring the fact that the twins probably wouldn't be able to leave for Christmas or Easter holiday, "You say no one's seen her... is she even still alive?
Another shrug. "Grandmother hardly ever spoke about her. She's our grandfather's sister. They were twins. John and Joy. He died the year after we were born. I don't know when she disappeared, or why, or where to."
"Lazarov knows something," Sirius announced, nervously adjusting his ponytail, "Not about Great Aunt Joy. About Mina. About what's happening to her." He recounted the professor's remarks in the Hospital Wing, her comment that the tracking bracelet had nearly caught fire because it wasn't meant to be worn by "people like Miss Lupin."
Tapping his fingers in an introspective rhythm against one of his bedposts, James agreed, "That is quite odd. We'll need to talk to her and find out what she meant."
"Not it," Pete chirped, "Lazarov gives me the creeps."
Remus rolled his eyes but sighed, "Fine. You can help me look into Great Aunt Joy. Padfoot and Prongs, you'll talk to the professor?"
They both nodded.
"I suppose I should go find Mary and fill her in," continued Remus. He stood and brushed a few pieces of imaginary lint off his impeccably pressed trousers. "She's going to skin me alive if she thinks I'm keeping secrets again."
With a shaky laugh, Peter teased, "Ya, when did Mary become almost as scary as Mina? She used to be so shy."
Grinning proudly, Remus explained, "Despite what most people will insist to the contrary, my sister is a very good influence."
xxXxx
She didn't remember which auror was supposed to be stalking her that night, and, quite frankly, Mina didn't care. Whoever it was would be welcome to try to keep the girl from fleeing the claustrophobic confines of the castle; however, he or she would do so at his or her own peril.
"Lupin!"
The shout came right on time, just as Mina was stepping out the front doors.
"Lupin! Stop!"
One of the Prewetts, though she couldn't tell which from voice alone.
"Stop before I make you stop!"
She had the urge to run but knew all it would earn was a stunner to the back and a mouthful of turf.
"Lupin! C'mon! It's freezing out here!"
A smirk crossed the girl's face. She knew he was bluffing.
"I'll be suspended if I lose you again!"
Maybe she could get them all suspended. Surely the DMLE wouldn't have the manpower to send replacements...
Refusing to allow further threats, pleas, or whines to halt her, Mina continued on toward the lake. She didn't know when she decided that's where she'd go, but, upon finding herself standing at the edge of the inky black abyss, she definitely knew the next step she'd take.
One Bubble-Head Charm later, she abandoned a very shocked redhead on the bank.
As cold as the October air had been, the frigid water was immensely worse. But it still beat constant supervision, and the girl swam blindly along the sandy bottom until she found a respectably sized rock with which to weigh herself down. After using her wand to create a weak light and then sending that light randomly zigzagging away (close enough to the surface to hopefully be noticed and followed by Prewett), she settled in. Mina figured she had a little under an hour before the air in her charm ran out (longer if she avoided exertion; shorter if she wanted to avoid hypothermia).
Once numbness permeated her limbs, Mina forced herself to ignore the pain and the cold in favor of contemplating the overall predicament.
Everybody thought she was a goddamn seer. Which was, of course, ridiculous. A few lucky coincidences and the word of a senile Death Eater didn't mean Mina had a direct line to the future. But how could she possibly convince them? Any action she took that even vicariously caused a less than catastrophic outcome would probably result in yet more accusations.
Besides, seers gave prophecies that they then didn't remember. That wasn't quite the same thing as supposedly being subconsciously aware of events to come and taking actions to correct them.
The goddamn medallion kept James from being bitten, but it certainly didn't keep him from falling out of the tree. If Mina knew all that was going to happen, wouldn't she have forced him to leave the area entirely? A few sarcastic quips didn't keep Greta Rudiger from (almost) drowning, but they sort of got her together with her idiot boyfriend. Mina liked Greta. She was a decent person and a good keeper. If Mina had a chance to save Greta from an immensely traumatic experience, then she damn well would've. And that included dating a moron like Keith Davies.
It just made no sense. Mina would know if she were a seer. Not that there was much point in being one anyways. The whole risk-versus-reward ratio was massively skewed: seers (assuming they existed) endured blackouts and the constant threat of being kidnapped by deluded psychos, and for what? To deliver warnings about events that couldn't be changed anyways? Because, after all, if prophecies were real, then Mina was going to have to concede that a certain amount of her life was already written; she was going to have to accept that some or maybe all free will was nothing more than an elaborate illusion.
Fuck that, the girl thought bitterly.
And then she felt something coiling around her in the dark, an inescapable force pinning her arms to her sides and lashing her legs together, hauling her backwards and up. She was already being dragged onto the bank before she figured out what was actually happening, and that was only because the evidence was plain to see:
The Prewett (probably Fabian, she decided) had jumped in after her, eventually found her, and, rather than risk letting his quarry escape again, bound her in conjured ropes. Then it had just been a matter of towing her to shore.
"Bastard!" Mina raged, flopping like a fish as she struggled to get free.
Trembling and drenched, skin distinctly blue even in the shadowy night, Fabian cancelled first his own and then Mina's Bubble-Head. He peered down at her for a few moments, saying nothing as she shrieked and screamed and promised to beat him to death with his own spine.
But Fabian just waited, patiently, until Mina's strength ebbed and left her drained, panting and shivering and seething. Silently. "Got that out of your system?" the gorilla-chested auror challenged. He'd managed drying and warming charms for himself during the interval and was in the process of transfiguring a large log into a plush armchair, complete with a fluffy quilt for which Mina would gladly kill.
"Fuck you," she spat. The icy agony that used to be her body made thinking next to impossible, and Fabian was taking the opportunity to actually taunt her with his creature comforts.
"I guess I'll wait then," he replied, "Let me know when you're ready to talk."
Mina screamed for quite a while longer, until her throat went completely hoarse and her violently chattering teeth began to interfere with speech and the mud began to seep through her sodden clothing. But she refused to admit defeat and certainly wasn't going to tolerate whatever heart-to-heart the auror had in mind.
Of course, he seemed to take her momentary calm as permission to speak. "Being angry isn't going to free you," Fabian explained, "Relax. Evaluate. Strategize."
Resisting the urge to goggle stupidly, Mina realized that he was... offering advice. And not idiotic advice like Dumbledore's. "Or you could just quit being a prick and let me go," the girl suggested.
He stuck his hand into a concealed pocket of his uniform, and Mina recognized the object he removed as the scorched tracking bracelet that had mangled her wrist just the night before. "Did the headmaster tell you what happened with this?" asked Fabian.
Mina shook her head. "He was too busy trying to turn me into a research specimen." She fidgeted and squirmed and only succeeded in sinking deeper into the silt. Her still-healing burn throbbed, but she was almost thankful for the distant sensation of searing agony. At least it helped her remember was being warm felt like.
"One of the rune sets is an anti-tampering measure," the redhead explained, "It absorbs and neutralizes magic used against it. Most spells are far too destructive for people to aim at their own arms anyways, and even if they do, the rune set harmlessly counteracts them. You, however, seem to have gotten so mad that your magic bled out of you at an unprecedented rate. The runes were overloaded with raw energy, which heated the metal, which... well, you know. Make sense?"
Mina nodded and pointed out, "Sounds like a rather large design flaw."
Chuckling, Fabian argued, "Most adults who end up wearing them don't have problems with accidental magic, and deliberate magic, whether with or without a wand, is controlled enough not to produce the same effect. A particularly unstable child who somehow ended up wearing one could encounter the same problem, but their magic reserves wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as yours. And kids' accidental magic tends to come in short bursts rather than sustained waves... you are one powerful witch, Mina."
The sincere flattery was nice, but she had a hard time taking it seriously as long she remained trussed like a turkey.
"To be honest," he continued, "I don't think I would've found you at all if you hadn't used that decoy light, especially after you used the decoy girl on Gid. Don't think we didn't figure that out, by the way."
Mina couldn't help smirking as she remembered tricking the auror into tracking a glamoured Dorcas back to the Tower.
"But it was quite clever," Fabian murmured, "Except for repeating tactics on the same group of adversaries. And for putting yourself into the beginning stages of hypothermia to accomplish... I suppose I should dry you off before you catch your death, since you aren't proving quite as capable as I expected."
"Shut up, arsehole," croaked Mina, "And don't do me any bloody favors." She concentrated on her current predicament, on getting free so she could ram her fist through the auror's obnoxious skull.
Fabian laughed and stretched his long beefy legs, looking entirely too content under the quilt. "Clever plans are well and good," he declared, "But sometimes you just can't help getting caught. What do you do when you're caught?"
The girl frowned, not a fan of just how strange the situation was growing. "Kill everyone between me and the exit," she answered, a clear hint of you included in her voice.
Chuckling, Fabian lounged in his chair and replied, "Not if you can't untie yourself. Here's a hint: a lot of people can conjure ropes, but the vast majority only cast the lazy version of the spell. Simple muggle ropes. Simple muggle knots. Fairly easy to slip, if you know how."
"Even if I do," Mina argued, "The knot is digging into my shoulders, and my wand is in my pocket. With my hands stuck at my sides, I can't reach either."
"Too bad you don't have one of these," said Fabian as he produced a large serrated dagger with only the lightest flick of a thick freckled wrist. Moonlight glinted off the double blade. "Since you never know when you'll be in trouble," he added, "It's always good to carry as many emergency supplies as you can. If you need a laugh later, you might want to ask Gid where he keeps his throwing stars." Fabian lobbed the knife into the silt, far enough away that Mina had to roll along the bank and completely coat herself in mud in order to reach the shiny key to freedom. She didn't even pause before doing so.
Sawing through the ropes was as difficult as it was awkward and took ten minutes longer than it would've if Mina'd had a full range of motion. But she still got the job done. Her clumsy fingers felt like they were on fire, which wasn't a pleasant combination with the frozen state of the rest of her, but liberty always had its price.
The last rope fell away, and Fabian immediately had Mina cleaned, dried, warmed, and settled with a chair and blanket much like his own. Though she really wanted to murder the bastard, the young witch doubted she'd be able to force herself to leave the sanctuary for anything short of the secret to immortality... or possibly a piping hot mug of cocoa. But only if she managed to stop shaking so badly. A scalded crotch would be the cherry on this shit sundae of an evening.
"So," Fabian drawled, "What did you learn?"
Very weakly, she tossed a soaked package of cigarettes and barely managed to hit the outer edge of her target. "Always waterproof smokes before swimming?" the girl suggested.
After several moments of staring longingly at the ruined cigs, Fabian shook himself and got right back on track. "Not what I was looking for, but fair," he stated, "Why didn't you just break the ropes like you did the windows?"
"It's called accidental magic for a reason," Mina responded, rolling her eyes, "Besides, I usually only end up destroying glass and ceramic. My subconscious must enjoy that distinctive shattering noise." With a huff, she also admitted, "It's also rather tiring. You definitely didn't catch me at my best."
He smirked, agreeing, "That's much more on point with the lesson. Magic, as much as it's glorified, is a tool. Relying on only one tool will see you helpless when it fails." He cleaned his dagger and then made it vanish up the same sleeve from which it was produced.
Mina was actually quite sleepy. She had been since she woke. In fact, if it hadn't been for the summons from Dumbledore, she would've gone straight from the Hospital Wing to her own lovely bed.
But, with her insomnia, that could've just been a massive tease. Many a night she'd collapsed onto her mattress already dead tired but still ended up lying awake until morning. Even with a half hour under the lake and her struggles afterward, there was no guarantee Mina was going to be sleeping any time in the next few days.
"I have a proposition," declared Fabian, "You're not happy with this protective detail, and Merlin knows the rest of us aren't thrilled with being stuck here or with your methods of making your displeasure known. But it's looking like the situation is going to remain the same for at least another week. There's no reason we can't try to spend that time doing something a little more constructive than torturing each other."
Blinking groggily as her body finally began to stop trembling so much, Mina challenged, "What exactly did you have in mind?"
He smirked, answering, "I heard about your extra credit projects. Outside of behavioral issues, all your professors are quite impressed with you-"
Mina snorted. "Right," she argued, "I'll give you some, but all is a little much. Slughorn hasn't quit glaring at me since the boomslang incident... what happened to Gustav, by the way?"
"I arranged to have him displayed at the London Zoo until Slughorn pays the fines and acquires the proper licenses and permits," Fabian said, smirking, "Did you choose what projects you want to do yet?"
With as much of a smile as her frozen form could produce, Mina announced, "Kettleburn thinks I can already start training for my class-3 license and maybe take the test during Christmas break. Sprout conned me into tutoring a couple of failing students in exchange for Taishi Mountain Yao Grass seeds. I was already in the middle of learning some basic curse-breaking, so I'm going to turn in essays to Flitwick and Lindquist and see if they'll help me with a bit of practical experience. I also might build a few telescopes for Varela."
McGonagall had actually suggested that Mina begin learning how to become an Animagus—the Holy Grail of Transfiguration—and the professor seemed tentatively confident that the girl would accomplish the momentous feat in time for graduation. Since Mina couldn't very well laugh and brag that she'd been an Animagus for years already, she had to merely express a desire to concentrate on Care, Herbology, Charms, Runes, and Astronomy for the time being.
Nodding, Fabian agreed, "And Occlumency, of course. Quite the skill set you're amassing, but they're all a bit... academic. My idea was to put you through some auror training exercises. I mean, if you're so set on not sleeping and not being confined to the Tower at night, then I certainly don't want to sit outside it with my thumb up my arse."
"That's one way to keep yourself entertained during stakeouts," Mina chuckled. She thought hard for a few moments, coming to the conclusion that there was no real reason to turn down the proposal. More training was never a bad thing, and it wasn't like Mina didn't have the time for it. Although she was a bit uneasy by all the sudden offers of mentorship, her independent studies would probably progress even faster now that she no longer had to puzzle out every single concept and ability on her own.
(The fact that she'd already come up with several excellent pranks after just one meeting with the Ancient Runes professor certainly spoke volumes about the wisdom of accepting help where she could get it.)
But Mina wasn't intrigued enough not to ask, "Why? You must realize you'll probably end up teaching me tactics I can use to avoid you more efficiently."
Though he rolled his eyes, Fabian still answered rather good-naturedly. "I'm actually looking forward to the escape and evade exercises," he explained, "You have a real knack for thinking outside the box. It's been frustrating but a nice refresher for us."
She had to fight the urge to preen.
"And in exchange for training, I'll want your word that you'll remain on school grounds from now until the protective detail ends, even when you do manage to slip away from your guard."
Mina blinked at him. Then scowled. There was always a catch.
"The grounds," Fabian went on, "Include everything inside the wards. I'm sure you know what kind of area that encompasses. You'll have plenty of room to roam."
The castle and lawns, the lake, a good chunk of the forest...
Slowly, the thought dawned on Mina that the aurors had decided to invite themselves to her game. And that the game might be a bit more fun if she wasn't the only person playing, even if she did have to concede a few new rules...
"It's a deal," she said, forcing her numb mouth into a menacing smile.
A split second later, the warming charm, the chair, and the lovely quilt disappeared, leaving Mina to splat right back into the cold, gelatinous mud.
She honestly could've murdered Fabian, if only for the very practical desire to cut him open and use his carcass like a squishy red sleeping bag.
Towering over her, the enormous auror grinned. His broad, freckled face remained shadowed but clearly amused. "Good," he agreed, "Now, do you want to head back and sleep?"
I'd barter your soul for a feather pillow, she mentally roared, stubbornly snarling, "No."
"Then get up off your arse," Fabian taunted, "We're going to run until you do."
xxXxx
"James," Lily called, frowning as she blocked the boy's path through the hallway, "Where's Mina? She escaped the infirmary again, and Madame Mary has been trying to track her down all day."
The bespectacled teen exchanged a wary, almost nervous look with Black before answering, "She's asleep."
Huffing in annoyance, Lily argued, "That tells me her state of being, not her current location."
Black snorted and avoided eye contact.
"She's fine, Lily," said James, "I promise. And she really is asleep, which is what Madame Mary was going to make her do anyways. It's the only treatment for magical exhaustion."
Lily's eyebrows vaulted toward her hairline. "Magical exhaustion? I thought she burned herself!"
Black immediately yanked James into a headlock, muffling the scrawnier teen's reply. "Nothing to worry about," Black insisted, "Mina's fine." He flashed a charming, attempting-to-appear-innocent grin.
Lily glared in response, knowing damn well that Lupin wasn't asleep in her own bed. Not that that stopped the girl from tracking mud through the dorm at four in the morning. "Madame Mary wants to check her over," the redhead declared, "And if Lupin is suffering magical exhaustion, then it's very important that she rests-"
"Which she is," interrupted James. He was difficult to understand with his mouth mashed into Black's armpit.
"-And doesn't do anything stressful," the girl finished, still glaring, "Such as whatever she was doing last night that had her coming back late and looking like some swamp monster."
"I think you mean lake monster," Black corrected.
Lily blinked at him for a moment before exploding, "She was in the lake?! In the middle of the bloody night?! While suffering magical exhaustion?! What is wrong with you lot?! Don't you have any common sense at all?!"
The boys, seeming appropriately cowed, shuffled and stared at their feet for a while before James muttered, "Prewett was with her. And whatever they did finally got her to sleep. She's been zonked out for hours. I don't think she's slept this long without potions or injuries in years."
Gaping seemed like the only reasonable response.
"We're looking after her," James pledged, "And we're going to take her to the nurse when she wakes." He glanced up through obscenely long lashes, expression heartfelt and vaguely wounded. "We'd never let Mina really hurt herself."
Lily spluttered. "Of course not- that's not what- I wasn't-" She scowled. "Where. Is. Mina."
"An excellent qvestion."
They all turned in time to observe the most vampiric of professors emerging from a nearby shadow. Lily couldn't help shivering in instinctive terror, cursing the woman's unnatural stealth.
"I vould also like to exchange a few vords vith Miss Lupin," Lazarov murmured.
Aristocratic features twisting into an expression of haughty annoyance, Black murmured, "And I'd like to know what you meant about that people like Miss Lupin comment."
Angular face set in a usual half-sneer, Lazarov paused several minutes before finally hissing, "I do not owe you an explanation, boy. I certainly vill not discuss the private business of my student before I have even spoken to her on the subject." The menacing look in her dark eyes brooked no further argument.
With a heavy sigh, Black admitted, "Mina is asleep in our dorm. We'll tell her that you want to talk to her."
Lazarov gave a permissive nod and then glided away.
Lily had no idea what just happened.
Since the boys had apparently been looking for the professor in the first place, they decided to return to their dorm. Lily followed, prying more information out of the pair of Marauders. The entire story was shocking, but the most shocking bit (even more so than Mina threatening and blackmailing the headmaster) had to be the part where Mina ended up snuggling with Peter Pettigrew.
"We're pretty sure she was just so tired that she crawled into the wrong bed," James whispered as they looked down at the odd sight, "And she refuses to let go of him. Been that way all bloody day."
Mina continued to snooze, blissfully unaware of the look of awkward panic on her unwilling bedmate's flushed, podgy face.
"Guys," the human teddy bear hissed, squirming within his cage of deceptively strong limbs, "It's not funny. Get her off me. I have to piss."
Remus didn't bother looking up from his Arithmancy book as he ordered, "Hold it.
xxXxx
"Miss Lupin."
Mina stood too fast and whacked her head on the underside of the heavy oak table. "OW! Son of a-"
"Think very carefully about how you want to finish that sentence," McGonagall scolded, the prim Scot hovering as her student crawled out into the open.
Still rubbing her sore skull, Mina climbed to her feet and grimaced, "Is not finishing it an option? I doubt I could come up with anything that wouldn't land me in detention."
The professor smirked. Just the tiniest bit. "Of course, dear," she replied, "Now, please explain why you're in here alone."
Mina took a long look around at the transformed Great Hall, the stage and dance floor, the groups of small round tables pushed closer to the walls. The enchanted decorations—ghouls and skeletons and jack-o-lanterns—swooped and rattled and cackled while the bewitched ceiling rumbled with an ominous lightning storm. "Well," the girl explained, "Since I was doing most of the casting anyways, I told the others they could leave and start getting dressed. I'm nearly through."
Though she didn't seem happy that Mina's "punishment" wasn't being properly supervised by the seventh-year prefects (not to mention the Head Boy and Girl), McGonagall sighed, "Yes, I see. Excellent work, Miss Lupin, but you shouldn't exert yourself. Madame Mary prescribed much more rest to aid in your recovery."
"I'm fine," insisted Mina. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes; after sleeping nearly sixteen hours straight—drooling through Pete's shirt and nearly making the poor lad burst his bladder—she had decided that she'd had quite enough of rest. And she really did feel alright.
"You should be getting dressed as well," said McGonagall, "You are to welcome the musical entertainment in twenty minutes. They are coming through the floo in the headmaster's office." Perhaps sensing Mina's impending tirade, the professor added, "Headmaster Dumbledore has been detained at the Wizengamot and suggested that I stand in to help you host our guests until he can return."
The relief was almost overwhelming. Mina hadn't seen Dumbledore since she delivered her ultimatums and wasn't sure how she would react to the man. Despite everything, she wanted to believe that he wasn't as overtly manipulative as her more paranoid side suspected. Remus certainly adored him, if only for the fact that the old bastard had been so helpful in allowing her brother to attend Hogwarts in the first place. The Lupin family owed Dumbledore an enormous debt but, as far as Mina was concerned, not enough to slavishly bend to his every whim.
"I have my costume with me," Mina announced, "If you let me stop off in the toilet for a few minutes, I'll change on the way to the office."
Again, the professor seemed amused. "I can simply meet you there if you need more time."
Mina shrugged. "Nah. Mac is on a makeup-and-hair-care rampage. I managed to divert her toward more willing targets, but I'd rather not risk turning her attention back onto me."
Chuckling, McGonagall declared, "Alright then, Miss Lupin. Let me know when you're ready to leave."
The sandy-haired she-wolf saluted and then disappeared again under the last of the festively festooned tables that needed a rune set carved into the bottom. She was particularly tickled by the idea of setting up a prank with McGonagall standing and waiting patiently less than a yard away. Of course, that probably meant that Mina wouldn't be getting away clean, but she didn't much care. What she had planned wouldn't likely warrant a detention.
McGonagall didn't say much when they finally left together, or on the first part of the walk. The prim teacher only commented after Mina speedily changed into her costume. "Lovely, Miss Lupin," she said with a smile, "It's always nice to see someone pay homage to the classics."
Mina grinned and twirled, adjusting her bow and quiver of arrows. "Thanks, Professor."
The meeting with the Hobgoblins went smoothly. Stubby Boardman was surprisingly polite for a minor rockstar. The drummer, however, was a massive perv who didn't know how to keep his hands to himself. Mina would've broken them, but then the bastard wouldn't be able to play, so she had to slate that item for later in the evening.
After helping set the band up in the antechamber of the Great Hall (a sort of improvised green room, stocked with copious snacks and butterbeer and a dedicated house-elf to cater to their needs while the roadie elves dealt with the equipment and instruments), McGonagall pulled Mina aside and bluntly stated, "I realize that you've been going through a lot lately, and I know that you aren't in a particularly trusting mood, but I'm always available to help you, even if it's just providing a sympathetic ear."
Mina peered up at the woman and saw the sincerity in her dark eyes. Sighing, the girl answered, "Thanks, I appreciate that." But I have no intention of taking you up on the offer. If I can't even make my own fucking friends listen to me, then what hope do I have of persuading you? "I'm supposed to meet Sirius soon."
"Alright, dear," McGonagall agreed, "Run along then. Just... don't be too hard on the headmaster. He really does try to do what he believes is best."
That's part of the problem. Maybe if he doubted his own brilliance every once in a while, the thought might occur to him that he is not the all-knowing, all-seeing master of the universe and that I don't have to do whatever he says just because he's the one who said it.
Leaving before her mouth got her into trouble, Mina ran the entire way to the Tower, quite glad she'd decided to forgo high heels in favor of practical flat-soled sandals. She passed McDougal going the other direction and couldn't help being disappointed that the stuffy Ravenclaw chose stuffy gray dress robes and a plain mask rather than a proper costume.
Bo-ring.
Pete was in the process of leaving the portrait hole (probably on his way to meet Yvette Kemp). His pirate costume was quite a bit fancier than last time, complete with knee-high boots, ruffled shirt, gold-buttoned red frock coat, tri-corner feathered hat, and even a transfigured live parrot squawking on his shoulder. The roguish goatee and hint of dark eye makeup were probably Mac's doing, but the lad didn't seem too upset about either. After quickly looking Mina over, he smiled and inquired, "What're you supposed to be?"
"Guess," she laughed. When he didn't, Mina pecked him on the cheek (just to get him embarrassed and flustered) and bounced past with a call of, "I'm sure it'll come to you."
The remaining Marauders had their heads together near the fireplace, whispering fiercely and probably waiting on their still absent dates. Remus and James looked handsome as Max from Where the Wild Things Are and "Dangerous" Dai Llewellyn from the Caerphilly Catapults, respectively, but Mina only had eyes for Sirius, who had chosen to imitate Freddie Mercury (though with much longer hair).
"Damn," she murmured, solemnly thanking any deity listening for the existence of skin-tight dragon-hide trousers and all the quidditch exercises that had resulted in such a fit bum to fill them with. The missing shirt and fetching red suspenders certainly didn't hurt the picture.
The object of her blatant ogling didn't notice. Neither did the other boys, for that matter, which gave Mina the opportunity to sneak up on them. She caught the tail end of their conversation—"Can't bloody believe we forgot-"—before leaping out from behind a couch and shouting, "BOO!"
xxXxx
"Fuck," Sirius breathlessly groaned, eyes glued to the otherworldly vision beside him. The style of the dress screamed goddess, but the lad's spluttering brain couldn't identify which one specifically.
Mina beamed, her face and neck painted with dark green leaves and twining vines rather than covered by a mask. Her hair looked wild and windswept, devilishly disheveled. Billowing, sheer white fabric spilled over her bare shoulders and halfway down her thighs, cinched around her waist by a wide leather belt. She wore a short bow slung across her back, the taut string crossing between her bountiful breasts. Greek-style sandals laced up her slender calves and finished the ensemble.
"Artemis," Remus chuckled. He nodded in greeting to his sister.
She stuck her tongue out at him before replying, "Person who refused to be my Apollo."
Still stupidly trying to form coherent thoughts, let alone sentences, Sirius insisted, "I could've-"
"Ew, no," Mina cut him off, wrinkling her painted nose, "Artemis and Apollo are brother and sister. Twins. That's the only reason I asked Moony, but he was all squeamish about wearing a toga."
Oh. Ya. That probably wouldn't be a very good couple costume. Well, maybe for some of the more backward pure-bloods...
'Ew' indeed.
Still giggling, startlingly blue eyes blazing with unrestrained delight, Mina continued, "Though a scruffy wolf costume is apparently no problem... you certainly make an excellent Max."
Sirius really didn't get that; Remus told them that it was a character from some muggle children's book, but, quite frankly, he looked a bit ridiculous in his oversized feetie pajamas, long furry tail, and clunky gold crown.
Not effortlessly cool like James in his quidditch robes or Sirius in his tight trousers.
"And Artemis fits you quite well, Sunny," Remus agreed, "Goddess of the hunt, the forest, and the moon. Familiars include the stag-" he glanced pointedly at James "-and the hound." The look Sirius received wasn't quite as friendly but graciously resigned.
Mina stepped closer to her date, twining their arms together and laughing, "Well, I certainly thought so. Anyways, what did you idiots forget?"
The three lads communicated silently for a few moments. Somehow, Sirius was elected to deliver the bad news. "We forgot to set a prank for the Ball," he grudgingly admitted, "We were all so busy, and worried, and-"
"Oh, that," Mina quipped, waving off the concerns, "I took care of that."
Of course she had. Because she truly was a goddess in every way that counted.
"What did you do?" James demanded eagerly.
But Mina just shook her head. "Not telling. Anyways, where's Mac? Isn't she done being all girlie yet?"
"You say that like I didn't help you come up with your face-painting charm," interrupted the keeper in question. She moved slowly down the stairs, every step marked by the sound of small tinkling bells sewn onto the hems of her many layered, many colored skirts and scarves. Mary grinned a sultry grin, looking every bit the dark, mysterious gypsy.
Sirius didn't feel nearly as bad about his reaction to Mina when he saw Remus practically swallow his own tongue.
Tia Jones, as a pretty little princess, and Suzi Kemp, as a tiny ninja, flounced down behind her and scurried to join their dates. Since Tia wasn't even close to tall enough to accept his arm, James offered his hand instead, and black-haired beauty flushed happily. Seeing Suzi awkwardly greet fourth-year seeker Gerald Walker was a surprise but not a big one; the entire House had noticed Walker getting all stuttery and stupid around Suzi, but no one thought he'd have the guts to ask the younger girl out.
Evans emerged in attractive but generic green dress robes and a Mardi-Gras-inspired half-mask.
"No costume, Lily?" James joked as their group set off.
She shook her head. "No," the girl replied, forcing a smile, "Hamish said he wouldn't be bothering with one, so I thought it'd look silly if I did."
There were eye rolls from the Marauders as Sirius argued, "In other words, you let his boringness drag you down."
Evans huffed, clearly displeased by the interpretation of facts. Though oddly she didn't bother denying it.
xxXxx
By the time Lily found her date, he looked quite murderous. "Where's Lupin?" Hamish growled. His normally tidy dark hair was in disarray, but the young man certainly didn't wear the style with quite as much dignity and charm as-
Blushing, cutting off her traitorous thoughts before they could travel too far down that spectacle- and dungbomb-ridden road, Lily replied, "I assume you mean Mina. She and her lot went to talk to the band."
Lily immediately found herself being dragged in what she assumed was that direction. Before she could get over the shock of being practically manhandled, they arrived in the antechamber of the Great Hall. Lily had never before been inside the small stone room and was surprised to see that it looked like a classy backstage lounge. She wondered if it always looked the same or had been changed specifically for that night.
"Lupin," Hamish spat, sputtering with annoyance when both twins turned rather sarcastically, "Mina. Whatever. What do you think you're playing at? You changed the entire menu! Nobody is going to want to eat any of this!"
Artfully painted face betraying utter amusement, Mina took the menu card out of Hamish's hand and turned it over. "Actually," the girl drawled, "I just added a few things. All the dishes you chose will also be available."
The Marauders, the Hobgoblins, Mary, Tia, and Yvette all snickered at Hamish's obvious embarrassment.
Being made to look like even more of a rampaging fool certainly didn't do much to calm the Head Boy. "Well, who gave you the right-"
"The whole point of the Ball was to make Professor Lazarov feel welcome," Mina challenged, "Why, then, did you not think to serve a single item she could actually eat?"
Hamish flipped the menu once more, and Lily got a look at the additions he was so upset over: sushi appetizers, ceviche salad course, and beef carpaccio for the main. Raw meats were pretty much the only sort of food vampires were able to stomach, and even then, most usually didn't bother. Mina had probably checked with the house-elves to see what Professor Lazarov preferred.
"Is that all?" the Artemis demanded, stance brash and bold as ever.
"No, I-" stammered Hamish, clearly trying to salvage a scrap of authority, "You didn't have to add to the menu. I'm sure the professor is used to sorting her own meals."
Mina rolled her eyes. "Not very hospitable. Besides, I'm quite eager to try some exotic new cuisine, and I have to believe there will be a decent number of others adventurous enough to do the same. What's your problem anyway? I was just covering your arse."
Hamish flushed. "Listen, you," he began, steadily increasing Lily's vicarious mortification, "You were only involved in this as a punishment in the first place! Going behind my back is-"
The Marauders all performed perfectly synced, grossly exaggerated yawns.
Fortunately, Hamish gave up on acting like a pompous idiot and stalked back into the Great Hall.
Even Lily, who felt bad for her date, had a hard time holding in a laugh as she followed. But before she stepped out the door, the girl heard Mina chuckle, "Shit, if he's that upset about the bloody menu, I can't wait to see his face when I set off the real prank."
xxXxx
Despite Remus's concerns about his sister overtaxing her recovering magic, Mina's prank went forward exactly as scheduled.
The girl watched the last of the guests take their seats in anticipation of dinner, and she slyly reached beneath her own table to press her wand against the first of the activation runes.
Shrieks of surprise echoed around the Hall as safety harnesses sprang out of every chair and secured the inhabitants.
Mina smirked at her bewildered friends before pressing the next rune, which started all the tables spinning in place with their occupants in tow.
As the speed gathered and the shrieks turned mainly to laughter, Mina pressed the last rune.
And, still spinning, the tables began to hurl themselves wildly around the room, at first just along the floor, but, as the twirling got faster and faster, each cluster of students rode their chosen seating straight up the walls and then onto the ceiling.
Arms flung wide, Mina cackled and enjoyed the dizzying sensation.
Only a few minutes after the spinning began (no need to make anyone vomit, after all, which was also why she chose before dinner for the deed), the tables all swung back to their original places and stopped with a quiet clunk. The giggling and excited shouts took a lot longer to die down, and Mina was left to bask in the glow of a job well done.
Meals were ordered and delivered, and dinner proceeded normally. Soon couples were wandering onto the dance floor and enjoying Stubby Boardman's surprisingly serene crooning.
Mina and Sirius didn't talk too much, quite content to hold each other close and sway in time to the music. The girl sighed and rested her head against her boyfriend's bare chest. He pressed a kiss into her hair.
"May I cut in?"
They turned and stared blankly at the headmaster. If she hadn't been trying so hard not to laugh aloud at his flamboyant pink-and-silver robes, Mina probably would've told him to piss off. But, alas, she hesitated too long and soon found herself dancing quite stiffly with the tall old man.
While trying to lead her into an overformal waltz, Dumbledore commented, "That was an impressive spectacle with the tables. And Professor Lindquist is quite thrilled about the rune work. Although Mr. McDougal and Miss Zabat are upset that you didn't clear it with them."
Mina snorted and rolled her eyes. "Everyone loved it," she argued, "If those two had their way, this would've been the dullest ball in all of history."
"Nevertheless," he responded, "I'm afraid I can't let a complaint like this one go unanswered."
Merlin. He could be such a ridiculous windbag. "Do your worst, Headmaster. As always, I'll accept any punishment I feel is fair."
Frowning down at her, Dumbledore responded, "My dear, that isn't quite how discipline works-"
"Oh?" Mina challenged, "So the accused has no rights of appeal? You alone are the last word on all matters of justice?"
He sighed heavily. "Mina," the headmaster drawled, "I am not trying to start a fight."
"Yet you began this conversation with how you were going to punish me for a harmless, nearly universally enjoyable act of magic. Which, by the way, I'm certain isn't against a single school rule. The only thing that's been hurt is the pride of two morons who could use the lesson in humility. If they weren't so busy trying to impose their will on others, then maybe they might actually notice that everyone is having fun."
Another sigh. Dumbledore switched subjects, murmuring, "I would like to apologize, dear. Looking back on our earlier discussions, I can understand that in my zeal to provide the help you need, I may have... come on a bit too strong. I realize you must have some issues with trusting authority figures and relinquishing control."
Mina shrugged, inwardly acknowledging truth in the observation. But it was hardly the root or scope of her protests. "Sir," she declared, "Until you add Supreme Dictator to your long list of titles, you should remember that I am still perfectly within my rights to say no to you, especially when it involves strangers with pure-blood surnames mucking around in my brain."
"Nevertheless," he answered a bit peevishly, "It is vitally important that we discover the truth about your potential injuries and abilities. Perhaps we can work together to devise a plan that is acceptable to both of us."
"One that doesn't include me disappearing into the Department of Mysteries forever," Mina drawled.
"That is a bit of an exaggeration-"
"Is it?" the girl snapped, "Did you happen to notice the way those Unspeakables were looking at me after they saw the blank memory? If they found something interesting enough, I have no doubt I'd never see daylight again. And you wanted to indefinitely turn me over to them. No, sir. There is no way in hell I'm setting foot in that department. At least not without a small army to watch my back... how does one go about hiring mercenaries, I wonder?"
Dumbledore huffed disapprovingly. "Please, do try to take this seriously."
Returning a scowl, Mina argued, "I take my freedom very seriously."
The old man's expression remained solemn but vaguely annoyed. "I am sure the Unspeakables won't object to conducting the examination here at the school," he declared, "But I would ask you to defer to their judgment on exactly what that examination should entail."
"Which would be?" Mina demanded.
"They would like to attempt another memory extraction," Dumbledore listed, "To see if they can repeat the incident with the blank one. A legilimency probe is certainly warranted-"
"Can't Professor Lazarov do that?" interrupted Mina, "She's already going to end up inside my head at some point for Occlumency practice. I'd rather not issue more guest passes than strictly necessary."
From the way the headmaster blinked in surprise, Mina guessed that he hadn't even thought of that possibility. "Actually," the girl continued, just to kick him while he was down, "If you'd suggested her in the first place, I don't think I would've had nearly as much of a problem with it. She has yet to lie to me or try to manipulate me for her own ends."
Dumbledore coughed, "Yes, well... I'm glad you and the professor are getting along so famously. I will ask for her assistance... There is another matter. Your petition for new guardianship has interfered with the investigation into who altered your medical records."
"The people you already let look can have access," Mina conceded, "But no one else. And I want to know right away what they find."
Looking rather pleased with himself, Dumbledore replied, "Of course, Mina. Currently, the Unspeakables have narrowed their list down to three suspects. All worked at St. Mungo's in 1965. All were close friends of your grandmother and had enough seniority to access the master records. That is why no one noticed the irregularities during your other stays. The changes don't show up on summoned copies but couldn't be completely erased from the masters."
"Huh," mused Mina, trying to think of who the three suspects might be... but as far as she knew, Grandmother Lupin didn't have very many friends. Certainly none that could be called close friends... then again, Mina was also beginning to once again realize (with a sharp stab of guilt) that there was a lot about her grandmother's life the girl had just never bothered to learn.
Fortunately, the song ended, and Ed Bones approached Mina for a dance. A quick glance toward Sirius revealed that he was taking a spin with Tia (the giggling princess balanced preciously on the tops of his feet), so Mina accepted.
More boys than she expected ended up asking for the same privilege. Remus, James, and Pete were all givens; even Delwyn Jones, Zane Creevy, and Gerald Walker weren't too unexpected, since they were her quidditch teammates, nor were Benjy Fenwick, Ernest Macmillan, and Robert Little, since she was on friendly terms with them; however, by that time the pace of the songs had picked up tremendously, and Mina was able to graciously turn down subsequent invites from undesirables like Caradoc Dearborn, Carmine Brown, Drip Fawcett, Aksel Augustine, Warren Grover, and even Marty "It's Barty!" Crouch by begging off with a need to sit and rehydrate.
But that didn't last long. Sirius found her and flashed those dangerously adorable puppy eyes of his in order to get Mina right back on the dance floor. She figured it was as good a time as any to spring another surprise and, with a concealed wave of her wand, prompted the two dozen animated skeletons throughout the room to drag random wallflowers into a flurried tango.
For the most part, the tango victims took the prank in stride; only Hamish McDougal seemed visibly irritated, but since he should've been dancing with his date instead of pouting by the punch bowl, Mina felt no sympathy.
She also used the distraction as an opportunity to steer Sirius back into the small antechamber. It was still decked out as a green room, and the two teens took advantage of the comfortable couch to begin what would've been a marvelous snog. Once again, Mina resolved to try her hand (metaphorically speaking) at blowjobs.
"Miss Lupin."
With a mortifying squeak, Mina flailed and flopped to the floor. She mourned yet another bruise on her perfect backside and glared up at the vampire professor standing in a shadowed corner.
Raising a razor thin eyebrow, Lazarov drawled, "Are you not enjoying the Ball? I know much of the effort vas your own."
"No, it's great," Mina agreed, hauling herself back onto the couch, stretching languidly before leaning into Sirius's embrace, "We were just... uh... taking a break."
Lazarov remained somber but amused. "Indeed."
"The professor asked to speak with you, Sunny," Sirius blurted out. He shifted guiltily, adding, "She knows something more about the bracelet thing. How you got burned and all. But she wouldn't tell us before she talked to you."
Subconsciously gripping the shiny pink ring of scar tissue still slowly fading from her left wrist, Mina responded, "Fabian already told me what happened-"
"But not vhy, Miss Lupin," Lazarov interrupted, "Though rare, your particular... condition is not vithout precedent. I believe I have correctly interpreted the symptoms."
Mina didn't really like the sound of that but was too curious not to desire more information. "And?"
The professor paused, briefly, as she considered. "I do not vish to spoil your evening."
"It's fine," Mina huffed, "I got to see the whirling tables and dance a bit. That's all I planned to stay for anyways." She left out the fact that leaving, smoking, and snogging with Sirius were scheduled next, in no particular order.
But still, Lazarov held off on providing her oh-so-important speech. "Ve should discuss the matter privately-"
"He's either going to find out anyways or hound me until I tell him," the girl sighed, sparing her smirking boyfriend a fond but exasperated glance, "All my friends are nosy little bastards."
Beaming, Sirius smacked a wet, noisy kiss onto her cheek. "I love you, too, Sunshine," he cooed.
Despite her best efforts, Mina could not completely hold off an insistent blush.
xxxxxxxxxx
Ta-da. Family issues are ongoing, but I finally got this out for you guys, complete with horribly cruel cliffhanger, mwahaha. I am hard at work on and almost finished with the next chapter, so I'll have that for you hopefully soon. For the spinning tables, envision a teacup ride, if a teacup ride could go onto the walls and ceiling. I think it would be awesome.
Reviews are encouraged and appreciated and pretty much my reason for living at the moment ;)