Fa A Bhialainn Ann
Chapters 5 & 6
by Veralidaine
Part 5
Fiona sighed deeply, lying under her covers in her green-draped bed. Was Remus...a werewolf? If so--and
it was entirely possible, really--why hadn't he told her?
'Don't be stupid,' the logical little voice in the back of her head said. 'Why haven't you told HIM
about YOUR little secret? It's probably for the same reason, you twit.'
Nasty little logical voice.
Well, if Firebell had been telling the truth, and it WAS Remus, what was that bit with the large dog
about? She knew the groundskeeper, Hagrid, who she had met a few times, owned a huge boarhound named
Fang...But Fang LOOKED much more fierce than he actually was. Besides, what kind of idiots WERE they, to
think that a dog would defeat a fully-fledged werewolf? They were mean, no doubt about it, and not the
brightest of evil boys, but even they weren't THAT stupid. Surely they had something else cooked up...
Fiona lifted her arms up behind her head, sighing. Lily was fast asleep, as were the other girls in the
dormitory. But not Fi. Why did she worry about Remus so much? It was unnerving...She'd never had a
person outside of her immediate family to worry about. No, her little ability made that difficult. It
had left her a very mistrusting, shy, and somewhat angry person. So why was Remus different than all of
the other people? Why did she all of a sudden care so much for his safety? Even though he might be a
werewolf? And what would he think, once he found out what SHE was? A lovely pair they'd be--the two
social outcasts of Hogwarts...
Her thoughts were interrupted as she shielded her eyes from a bright red light. Bringing her hands down
from her face, she saw Firebell sitting cross-legged on her stomach, looking impatient. "Are you asleep,
fae-speaker?"
"Not quite yet," Fi muttered groggily. "Why're you here? I mean, I didn't call you or anything."
"No, you didn't," the pixy agreed. "I just thought I'd fill you in on something interesting I saw while
exploring this castle." She waved her hands around wildly for emphasis. "Very big place, isn't it?"
"'Tis. You've no idea how long it took me to figure out how to get from class to class."
"Yes, well," Firebell muttered. "I found the dog."
Fiona sat bolt-upright, knocking Firebell over backwards. "Sorry," Fi muttered, prodding the tiny thing
into a sitting position with her fingertip.
"Yes, well," Firebell muttered testily, standing up unsteadily on Fi's knee. "D'you want to see it?"
"Very much so," Fi responded, making sure to allow Firebell to take flight before standing up. "Where is
it?"
"I'm surprised you mortals have not heard it. It's right under your round little noses." Firebell halted
in front of a wall of stone bricks, just like the others in the common room. "You go through here."
"I can't do that," Fi whispered, praying that no one would hear her from the dormitories. "I may be able
to talk to you, but I can't go through walls with you."
The dark little eyes raised towards the ceiling and Firebell sighed deeply. "Mortals. HONESTLY." She
flitted over to the torch bracket. "Wasn't this OBVIOUS to you lot?"
"Apparently not, O Superior One," Fi muttered, pursing her lips.
"Watch your mouth, fae-speaker. I AM showing you the dog, remember."
Fi sighed. "Yes, I know. Sorry."
"Right," Firebell said cheerily, apparently satisfied with the simple apology. "You just yank on this
thing here and--"
The stone wall slid back with a soft grating noise. Listening for a moment to be sure that no one in the
dormitories had woken up, Fiona stepped into the narrow staircase beyond the wall and Firebell closed
the door with a simple hand motion. As the stone slid back into place, Fiona swallowed roughly. How odd
was this, to be wandering around Slytherin house at night, with a fire-pixy for a guide?
She stopped in her tracks at the sound of fierce growling. The bottom of the stairwell ended in a
corner, and flickering light was cast onto the landing, indicating a small fire. Fiona edged down the
rest of the stairs, barely poking her head around the wall separating the stairs from the room beyond.
"Shut up, mongrel!"
That was Aaron. He threw something hard into a shadowy corner, and something MASSIVE moved and made a
very angry growling noise. Something MUCH bigger than Fang, or any wolf she'd ever seen. Fiona would
have liked to see just WHAT it was, but the shadows in that corner that enveloped the creature prevented
her from doing just that.
"Will you keep it down?!" hissed a voice that sounded very much like Severus's deadly soft one. "The whole
HOUSE will be down here if you don't shut it!"
"'S'not me, it's the--"
"Just shut it, Aaron."
Fiona bristled at the sound of Lucious' harsh voice. She watched silently as he swept over to the other
boys, looking pained.
"Dirty old..." Fi muttered, but Firebell shot her a glare and she shut her mouth, once again conscious
of her surroundings.
"Fine," Aaron snapped, and Fi heard him mutter, "Since when do YOU get to tell ME to shut it?"
"Since he's right," Snape sneered.
"Quite," Lucious said. "If we don't watch it, that mudblood twit will get curious. You saw her tonight."
Fiona distinctly heard Snape mumble, "She's not a twit..." but apparently was the only one who did,
because the other boys merely stopped bickering and resumed glaring into the corner where the creature
was still growling.
Aaron sighed loudly. "I was thinking...Why don't we just pit our little friend here against Lupin and
watch the poor" --Fi cringed at the language-- "get ripped to shreds? I mean, it's not like he could
BEAT this thing..."
"Aaron, Aaron, Aaron..." Lucious said tiredly. "I've TOLD you. That plan might win, or it might not. The
other plan will work much better, really, if you think about it. We set him loose on the full moon, when
Sprout's out working with those bloody mandrakes, and he attacks her. All she sees in the dark is something
canine with big teeth and claws. That idiot of a headmaster knows perfectly well that Lupin's a werewolf.
He'll go with the obvious conclusion: Lupin got loose from his little hut and decided to have Sprout for
a bedtime snack. And the Grim's long gone by then, so it's all good for us. Plus, we get to skip Herbology
for a bit." He grinned.
Fiona's hand was pressed up against her mouth to keep from crying out. Something was SERIOUSLY wrong with
these boys. They were plotting to frame Remus, and kill a teacher in the process, and without the slightest
bit of remorse. She had known that they were unpleasant to have class with, and prejudiced, and yes,
potentially evil, but this was WAY more than she'd ever expected from them. And now she didn't know quite
how to handle it.
************************
After climbing silently up the stairs again, and back up to her dormitory, Fiona paced back and forth in
front of her bed for the next two hours, trying to find a way to solve the problem. She would go to
Dumbledore, but then who KNEW what the boys would do to her, even if they got off by saying that it was all
a stupid joke that she'd fallen for. Another option, which had been quickly stamped out, was to confront the
boys herself and try to keep them from carrying out their plan. But who was to say they wouldn't kill her,
too? They'd shown capability...
Finally, the clock on her dresser indicated that it was seven-thirty, and Fi knew that breakfast was being
served in the Great Hall. Hoping that Remus would be there, she practically leapt into her robes and ran
down to the Great Hall. This wasn't the best idea, as Remus wasn't there yet, and all she ended up doing was
thoroughly winding herself.
At least, she reminded herself glumly, I have Care of Magical Creatures with him, first thing.
She scooped some porrige into a bowl and sighed, stirring it around. What was she going to do? What if they
found out that she knew? What would they do to her? Would they get away with it? Would they ACTUALLY go
through with this plan?
Breakfast came and went; still no Remus. Fi nearly panicked, thinking he'd already left for the full moon,
but that wasn't for two more days. Scared of missing him, Fiona grabbed her books quickly and ran out onto
the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures. But Remus didn't arrive for that, either. According to a very
confused Sirius, he had claimed he didn't feel well and had gone to the hospital wing. So, after class, Fi
ran as quickly as she could to get to the hospital wing, but he wasn't there, either, though Madam Pomfrey
was kind enough to tell the girl that he'd headed off towards Gryffindor tower.
Thoroughly winding herself once more, Fiona managed to find him, quickly walking towards the marble
staircase in the entrance hall. "Remus!" she managed to gasp out.
He started and turned, looking nervous. "Fi, I--uhm--can't talk right now. I have to--erm--go to my dorm
and--ah--get some books and--"
"Drop it," Fi panted. "Look I have to warn you--"
"I have to go, Fi, I can't talk."
"Remus, you don't understand--"
"No." He said it harshly, but there was a certain pain in his face. "Fi, I have to go. Get on to class."
Fiona stopped breathing, much less panting. He had NEVER spoken to her like that. "Wha-?...Remus, I--"
"Go on!" he said, shooing her. Abruptly, he turned and ran up the staircase, not looking back, as Fi stood
at the bottom, staring at the spot where he'd been standing with an astonished and hurt expression on her
round face.
************************
The next days seemed to drag by. Fiona tried various times to catch Remus after class, but he always seemed
to be so much faster than her. Fi finally resigned herself to the fact that he wasn't speaking to her on
purpose, though she couldn't think why. Was it because she'd made him angry? What had she done? She tortured
herself with those questions, and what would happen on the full moon.
And, as all dreaded things do, the full moon arrived quicker than Fiona could ever have expected. That
evening, Fi was rather vague towards everyone. Lily knew something was wrong, obviously, but knew her friend
well enough to leave her alone. And Fi, though nervous, couldn't help but allow her brain to tell her that
maybe, just MAYBE, they might get cold feet at the last minute. It was true that the boys were acting quite
casually, considering the fact that they were plotting murder.
But as the evening progressed, Fi began to pick up the subtle hints they shot each other, and it was obvious
that they were not about to back down. So, when the moon rose and it got dark out, the gnawing, sickening
feeling in her stomach that had been building all day came to its peak and she felt quite ill with worry.
Careful to keep from being noticed, she sat in a chair by the fire, pretending to do her Potions assignment,
and waiting for the last of the students in the common room to leave for bed. Normally, she remembered, she'd
be among them. After all, they DID have an exam in Defense the next day. But this was more important.
Curling up in the chair, Fi waited for Lucious, Severus, and Aaron to come down the stairs. But they didn't.
And didn't. And didn't. And Fi began to wonder...What if they didn't come at all? What if this was all some
elaborate scheme to trick her? What if they'd ALREADY let the thing loose? Unsure of what to do, Fi quietly
stood, leaving her book in the chair, and tiptoed out of Slytherin house as quietly as was possible.
Sneaking through the drafty, emptied, and dark corridors of the school at night was not what one would call
fun. Or easy. Once, when Peeves threatened to swoop down on her, she'd had to take a major detour through a
passageway behind a tapestry of a woman and a unicorn, making her even more afraid of being too late.
Quietly closing the oak front doors behind her, Fi allowed herself a deep sigh of relief. She was brought
back to earth abruptly as a long, mournful howl pierced the silence. Shivering slightly, and wondering
whether it was the Grim or Remus, Fi stumbled through the darkness towards the greenhouses. Sure enough,
Professor Sprout was patting the soil around the last of the mandrakes, humming cheerily, apparently
oblivious to the horrible howling sounds. Fi supposed the entire staff must know about Remus, and felt a
small surge of anger at having to find out the way she had.
"Oh!" Fi quickly stifled the cry as something large and hairy came bounding out of the darkness and pounced,
growling and clawing, on the Herbology professor. Fi stood for a fraction of a second, deaf with horror to
the screams and roars issuing from the nearby fight, before a tiny voice in her head said, "NOW!"
"Oh..." Fi muttered, trying to concentrate over the horrible background noise. "Come to me...If you ever were
to come, come now! Please...PLEASE come..." She put her hands down to her sides, palms out, and breathed
deeply. "Please come...Hear me..."
When she opened her eyes again, she saw that the huge dog was running away, towards the forest, with dozens
of multicolored pinpricks of light surrounding it, biting, pinching, and inflicting all sorts of magical
pains onto the beast. Numbly, Fi ran to Professor Sprout, who lay unmoving on the ground. The young woman's
robes were torn and bloodied, and she obviously needed immediate medical attention, but she was still
breathing. Fi stood and took a deep breath, preparing to call for help, but a voice shouted, "Stupefy!", and
before she could utter a sound, all was black, and she knew no more.
************************(A/N: 'Kay, guys, I couldn't just leave you there, though I thought about it. So,
here's the bonus part of this story. I hate cliffhangers, so I couldn't do that to you, now could I? ^_^)
Fi woke, stiff and sore, but warm. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but she blinked a few times and took
in her surroundings. She was under a thick blanket, on a couch, with her Potions book...In the Slytherin
common room. She sat up abruptly, causing throbbing pain in her head. 'Oh,' she thought. 'I forgot...No
sudden movements after a summoning...'
On the other side of the room, Severus Snape quickly brought his head up from dozing and looked at her. "Oh.
You're up."
"What d'you mean, 'you're up'? Was that YOU who stunned me?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You...You...I
DESPISE you, you...You..."
"Will you SHUT IT for just a MOMENT?" Snape hissed testily.
Fiona glared as hard as she could, but stopped trying to think of an appropriate insult for the boy in front
of her.
"Right," Snape said, crossing his arms. "First off, you're lucky I even found you in the first place. If I
hadn't gotten to you, Lucious and Aaron would have. And they wouldn't have simply stunned you, either."
"How did you know I was out there?"
"You left your book. You never do that." He stated all of this so matter-of-factly, and Fi snorted.
"What, you actually PAY ATTENTION to what I do? Why bother? And why did you even bother to save me? Why not
get rid of the mudblood twit, as well as Sprout and Remus?" Snape gave her a piercing look, not responding,
and Fi shook her head disbelievingly. "Well if you're trying to make me like you, I assure you, it's NOT
working."
"That is not the topic under discussion," Snape said, rather loudly. "The point is, I don't expect you to be
anything but your usual snotty little self to me, but at least keep in mind that I saved you."
Something had been at the back of Fi's mind, fighting desperately to get out, and now it finally found its
window of opportunity as she was turning Snape's words over in her mind. "Oh! What happened to Remus? Is he
safe?"
Snape snorted. "Of COURSE he's safe. D'you honestly think HE got hurt?"
"You know what I mean," Fi growled. "What happened?" Snape mumbled something incoherent and looked away,
assuming the same posture he had when he'd asked her to the Halloween dance. Fiona gritted her teeth. "I
said, 'what happened'?"
Snape sighed. "He got...blamed for it. He's...I don't know. Dumbledore--"
Fi stood up abruptly, ignoring the pain in her head. "How COULD you? You KNEW it wasn't him! Why didn't you
help him? Can't you ever just think for yourself? Why do you let Lucious order you around? Why?" She shook
her head and covered her eyes, taking in deep breaths. She wasn't going to cry...How could this have
happened? After she'd worked so hard to try to prevent it?
Suddenly, jeering laughter filled the room, and Fi looked up to see a rather apprehensive Snape standing next
to Lucious, who was grinning maliciously, and Aaron, who was laughing rather stupidly. Lucious saw her and
grinned more broadly, narrowing the cold gray eyes to mere slits. "So, you found out, then?"
Fi shook her head slowly, a look of pure fury on her face. "How...COULD...you..."
"Oh, quite easily, I assure you," Lucious said, before he and Aaron broke into laughter again, causing Fi's
very blood to boil.
Fi clenched her fists, concentrating on one thing only: Lucious, Aaron, and Severus needed punishment. Serious,
PAINFUL punishment. And she would give it to them. She would. They'd regret this. Sorely. These murderous
thoughts coursed through her body, until the pounding of her heart was so loud she was sure the entire castle
was shaking from it, and all of a sudden, they came.
Whirring, brightly-colored wings and pointed little faces, each with an impish smirk upon it. Sharp little
hands and feet, powerful and painful magic...The faeries were angry. Fi was angry, and it was just another
excuse to cause mayhem. And they did.
Lucious was hanging from his expensive velvet robes, suspended from a torch bracket, while Aaron had tried
to take refuge under a cloak rack, only to be prodded and pinched by various tiny fingers. Severus, meanwhile,
was being chased about the room by a whole cloud of them, shouting as they pulled at his greasy hair. And, of
course, this was the moment that the head of house, Professor Blasphen, decided to investigate the shouts of
pain that were issuing from her common room. Fi watched, as if in slow motion, the wall opening, and the
short, dark professor striding through, wearing a green dressing gown.
As one of the faeries removed all of her curlers with a simple flick of the wrist, the woman looked at Fi. "I
KNEW this would happen! He should never have admitted you, the doddery old fool! Come with me!" A strong, ice-
cold hand closed around her wrist and pulled her from the room, and with a simple spell, the faeries were all
immobilized; frozen in thin air. And Fi, resigned and exhausted, let herself be led forcefully from the room.
***
Part 6
***
Numbly, Fi sat down in the large chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. Blasphen had gone to wake
Dumbledore and bring him down to "deal with" her. Eyes glazed over with the sort of dreading shock that
always overcame her when this happened, Fi waited, thinking hostile thoughts. Those pigs...And now
Remus was who-knew-where, she was in trouble, and Professor Sprout was hurt. It all could have been
prevented had she just managed to put together a plan instead of panicking and acting blindly.
It had been so quiet, and she had been so lost in thought, that the sound of the office door opening
and shutting made Fi jump about two feet in the air. Blushing a bit, she settled back down as the aged
headmaster entered without Blasphen and sat down opposite her, on the other side of his desk. "Now, Miss
McLellan, what seems to be the problem?"
Fi, through her shame and anger, managed to raise her eyebrows at this. "Professor Blasphen didn't tell
you?"
"Well of course she did," Dumbledore said, smiling quietly. "But I would very much like to hear your
verson of events."
Fi sighed loudly. "But...I'm not sure telling anyone is such a good plan."
"Rest assured, Miss McLellan, you will not get into trouble for telling me what happened. I will not
allow it."
Fiona sighed loudly again. "Well...I'll tell you. You probably won't believe me, but I'll tell you."
"I would very much appreciate that."
And so Fi recounted the past weeks' events to the headmaster, glad to have it off her chest. The more
she talked, the more she felt as though a huge weight was being taken from her shoulders. It was very
liberating.
"...And so, I woke in the common room, and found out that Remus had gotten blamed, and then Aaron and
Lucius came in and were laughing and gloating, and I couldn't take it any more. It just...It just sort
of happened. I think I had a hand in it, subconsciously, but really, I couldn't control it once it
happened."
"I see." The entire time she'd been speaking, Dumbledore's eyes had not left her face. He looked very
tired, but he didn't seem too skeptical of the story she'd just told him. "You do know about the history
of fae-speakers, don't you?"
Fi shook her head, embarrassed. "My parents...They're muggle. Mum's ancestry goes back through...sort of
hedgewitches. None of them were really magical, but they could all talk to the fae. I suppose it goes
through the women."
Dumbledore nodded. "It does. But do you know your ancestry more specifically, perchance?"
"How do you mean?"
"Where the bloodline of fae-speakers started?"
Fiona frowned in thought. "I think it was my gran. Yes...She started it."
"Was there anything unusual about your grandmother?" Dumbledore pressed.
Fi raised an eyebrow. What was he getting at? "I don't really know. She died before I was born, when Ma
was still a little girl. All I know is that she was dark Irish. You know, black hair and blue eyes.
She had pale skin, too, like mine. Why?"
"Was she an immortal?"
Fi was a bit taken aback. "Well she died, didn't she?"
"Quite correct..." He looked thoughtful. "Are you sure she didn't simply leave?"
"Ma said she died. That's what her Da told her." Fi thought for a moment. It was possible...But why was
it significant?
"Interesting..." Dumbledore said softly. "I may need to speak to you again, Miss McLellan."
"That's fine," Fi murmured.
"Well, then, Miss McLellan--"
"Fiona, please."
"Fiona, then. You aren't in trouble. It was an accident, as far as I can tell, and I will make sure that
you do not get into trouble for giving me your story." He slowly stood up from his seat.
Something then occurred to Fi, and she could have kicked herself for taking so long to remember it. "Uh,
Professor? Where's Remus?"
Dumbledore sighed, looking still more exhausted, and turned his bright blue eyes on her again. "At the
request of several of the staff members, he is locked in Professor Flitwick's office."
Fi nearly fell out of her chair. "But he's innocent!"
"I know, Fiona, but he doesn't seem it. In the morning, the minister of magic is going to come by and
take him to be tried. Will you speak for him?"
"Of course..." Fi paused, at a loss. "Professor, can I go see him? Please?" It didn't occur to her until
after she'd said it how stupid it sounded--Remus wasn't exactly capable of speech at the time.
Surprisingly, though, Dumbledore lifted a large gold watch out of his pocket, glanced at it, and opened
the thick curtains around his window, revealing soft gray light. "Well, he's human for the time being.
I suppose it would be good for him to see you."
Astounded, Fi asked, "What time is it?"
"Five-thirty in the morning. You've had quite an evening, haven't you?"
Fi nodded mutely. "Can--can I go see Remus now?"
He nodded solemnly. "Come with me."
Fiona, lost in thought, didn't even pay attention to the various hallways she followed Dumbledore
through. She just let herself follow the sweeping cloak in front of her and kept to herself. What would
he say when he saw her? What would she do about the minister? How could she prove him innocent? And what
would happen when she had to tell about Lucius, Aaron, and Severus? Would they get her into trouble?
She stopped thinking as Dumbledore came to a stop in front of Flitwick's office. Argus Filch, the newly-
hired caretaker, was guarding the door, a sour look on his face. After a moment of quiet muttering
between Filch and the headmaster, Filch nodded in a rather resigned manner and unlocked the door for Fi.
Fi stepped inside to find Remus huddled in a corner, asleep. The door shut behind her and she heard the
lock click, and swallowed roughly. She didn't think anything bad would happen, as Remus was human, but
then, she'd never been around a werewolf before. Much less right after the full moon. She knelt down
next to his sleeping form and brushed his hair out of his face.
With a slight yelp, his eyes flew open and he backed into the corner, surprising Fi and making her give
a small shout of surprise as well. He saw who she was and hid his face in his hands. Fiona wasn't sure
what to make of this until she noticed his shoulders were shaking from trying not to cry. Feeling a
horrid twisting sensation in her chest, she scooted over next to him and wrapped him in a hug, not
wanting to cry in front of him and make him feel worse.
"Fi, I didn't do it," he murmured hoarsely, sounding muffled. "I don't know who did, but I swear I
didn't do it."
"Of course you didn't," she said, squeezing him tighter, for both her emotions and his. "Oh, what are
they thinking? You couldn't've! I'll go talk to Dumbledore and get you out of here!"
"Actually, I could have..." Remus mumbled. "For all everyone knows, it's very possible. What's the
point? Let them lock me up. I don't care. It'd be better that way."
"No, don't..." Fi said. "Don't talk like that."
"Why the hell shouldn't I?" he yelled angrily, pulling away from her and looking at the wall. "It's
going to happen!"
"You don't know that...Everything will be okay, Remus--"
"No, it won't! It never is! I go through this once a month, and have for years and years, and I will
for the rest of my life! I can never have a family for fear of attacking or killing one of them! I can
never get work! I will be shunned from the wizarding world for the rest of my life! Why not lock me up?
Put me out of my misery now!"
"Just stop it!" Fi said, fighting tears.
"No, you stop!" he hissed angrily. "You haven't the SLIGHTEST idea what It's like..."
Fiona backed away, hurt, and covered her mouth with one hand. Remus sighed. "Fi, I--" She shook her
head. "Fi, please..."
She turned back to face him, angry, but felt it melt away when she saw the look on his face. His eyes
were so sad and frightened-looking. Somehow, she knew to just hold out her arms, and he fell into
them. "Nothing's going to happen, Remus. I promise," she murmured, letting him wrap his arms around her.
"You can't promise that."
"I just did. And I meant it."
He squeezed her tighter. "I just..." His voice broke and he trailed off.
She squeezed him tightly as well. "Shhh..."
He shook slightly, and she was surprised to find that he was crying. She pulled him away for a moment.
"Oh, come now..." she said, not quite sure where she was going with that statement.
He wiped his eyes quickly, determined not to let her see him in that state. "God, I'm tired of this..."
he murmured. She pulled him into her arms again and he buried his face in her shoulder. "I'll always be
blamed." His voice sounded muffled. "Why did I have to have been so stupid? Why couldn't I have stayed
away from that forest when I was small? Why?"
She squeezed her arms tighter around him and he finished crying. Wiping his eyes furiously, he sat up.
"I'm sorry, Fi. I just..."
They both looked up as the door opened and Filch stepped in cautiously. "You'll have to leave, now, Miss
McLellan. The minister arrives in about ten minutes."
Fi glanced at Remus. His face conveyed no emotion whatsoever, and it hurt Fi to know he'd already given
up. "Yes, sir." She stood and started towards the door, but Remus called her back.
"Fi?"
She turned. "Yes?" she managed. Her voice cracked, revealing the tears she'd been trying to hide.
He looked at her seriously with his dark brown eyes. "It'll be okay."
She nodded quickly, biting her lip to keep from crying, and left the room with one hand over her mouth,
bursting into quiet sobs as she heard the door shut and lock behind her. At a loss for what she was
going to do, she ran back to her common room, ignoring the stares she received from the other occupants,
and threw open the door to her dormitory. Lily, who had been brushing through her hair, stood up when
she saw her friend in tears. "Oh, Fi, what's happened?"
In between fresh waves of tears, Fi told Lily everything--the faeries, Remus, Snape, the plot--
everything. Lily didn't even bat an eye. She listened intently, occasionally offering a sympathetic
hug.
Once Fi was through, Lily stood up and paced back and forth for a moment. Then she turned. "Fi, it's
gonna be okay."
Fi wiped her eyes quickly. "How?"
Lily crossed her arms, biting her lip in thought. "We're going to go talk to Sirius and James. They'll
have a lot to say in this matter."
"That's the master plan?" Fi asked incredulously. "Sirius and James?"
Lily almost smiled. "You've not had a chance to see them in action before...Trust me. If anyone can
get a bunch of evil Slytherin boys in trouble, it's them. And," she added, "they'll be especially
keen since it's SNAPE we're talking about here." She paced a moment longer, then grabbed Fi's wrist,
pulling her up. "Off to Gryffindor tower, then!"
"How will we--?"
Lily shrugged dismissively. "How do you think I see James so often?"
Fiona stared at her. "But...You're a Slytherin..."
"And?" Lily asked, giving her a laughing green-eyed stare. "Your point is?"
"Well, I just thought..."
Lily shrugged again, leading Fi through various hallways. "That's exactly it. There's always a way, Fi,
no matter what the odds are. There's always SOME possibility. And believe me, these two twits can find
it for you."
They came to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress, asleep at the moment, and Lily cleared her
throat loudly, causing her to wake up. She yawned and looked at them. "Oh, hello dear. Back again?"
"Yep." Lily pulled Fi up next to her as well. "And I need a favor."
The fat lady raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Can you grant her permission, too? I mean, she's a painter!"
Fi shrugged. "Sort of..."
"Good enough for me," the fat lady said. "Right, then. You can go in."
The portrait swung forward and Lily pulled Fi into the hidden room beyond.
Chapters 5 & 6
by Veralidaine
Part 5
Fiona sighed deeply, lying under her covers in her green-draped bed. Was Remus...a werewolf? If so--and
it was entirely possible, really--why hadn't he told her?
'Don't be stupid,' the logical little voice in the back of her head said. 'Why haven't you told HIM
about YOUR little secret? It's probably for the same reason, you twit.'
Nasty little logical voice.
Well, if Firebell had been telling the truth, and it WAS Remus, what was that bit with the large dog
about? She knew the groundskeeper, Hagrid, who she had met a few times, owned a huge boarhound named
Fang...But Fang LOOKED much more fierce than he actually was. Besides, what kind of idiots WERE they, to
think that a dog would defeat a fully-fledged werewolf? They were mean, no doubt about it, and not the
brightest of evil boys, but even they weren't THAT stupid. Surely they had something else cooked up...
Fiona lifted her arms up behind her head, sighing. Lily was fast asleep, as were the other girls in the
dormitory. But not Fi. Why did she worry about Remus so much? It was unnerving...She'd never had a
person outside of her immediate family to worry about. No, her little ability made that difficult. It
had left her a very mistrusting, shy, and somewhat angry person. So why was Remus different than all of
the other people? Why did she all of a sudden care so much for his safety? Even though he might be a
werewolf? And what would he think, once he found out what SHE was? A lovely pair they'd be--the two
social outcasts of Hogwarts...
Her thoughts were interrupted as she shielded her eyes from a bright red light. Bringing her hands down
from her face, she saw Firebell sitting cross-legged on her stomach, looking impatient. "Are you asleep,
fae-speaker?"
"Not quite yet," Fi muttered groggily. "Why're you here? I mean, I didn't call you or anything."
"No, you didn't," the pixy agreed. "I just thought I'd fill you in on something interesting I saw while
exploring this castle." She waved her hands around wildly for emphasis. "Very big place, isn't it?"
"'Tis. You've no idea how long it took me to figure out how to get from class to class."
"Yes, well," Firebell muttered. "I found the dog."
Fiona sat bolt-upright, knocking Firebell over backwards. "Sorry," Fi muttered, prodding the tiny thing
into a sitting position with her fingertip.
"Yes, well," Firebell muttered testily, standing up unsteadily on Fi's knee. "D'you want to see it?"
"Very much so," Fi responded, making sure to allow Firebell to take flight before standing up. "Where is
it?"
"I'm surprised you mortals have not heard it. It's right under your round little noses." Firebell halted
in front of a wall of stone bricks, just like the others in the common room. "You go through here."
"I can't do that," Fi whispered, praying that no one would hear her from the dormitories. "I may be able
to talk to you, but I can't go through walls with you."
The dark little eyes raised towards the ceiling and Firebell sighed deeply. "Mortals. HONESTLY." She
flitted over to the torch bracket. "Wasn't this OBVIOUS to you lot?"
"Apparently not, O Superior One," Fi muttered, pursing her lips.
"Watch your mouth, fae-speaker. I AM showing you the dog, remember."
Fi sighed. "Yes, I know. Sorry."
"Right," Firebell said cheerily, apparently satisfied with the simple apology. "You just yank on this
thing here and--"
The stone wall slid back with a soft grating noise. Listening for a moment to be sure that no one in the
dormitories had woken up, Fiona stepped into the narrow staircase beyond the wall and Firebell closed
the door with a simple hand motion. As the stone slid back into place, Fiona swallowed roughly. How odd
was this, to be wandering around Slytherin house at night, with a fire-pixy for a guide?
She stopped in her tracks at the sound of fierce growling. The bottom of the stairwell ended in a
corner, and flickering light was cast onto the landing, indicating a small fire. Fiona edged down the
rest of the stairs, barely poking her head around the wall separating the stairs from the room beyond.
"Shut up, mongrel!"
That was Aaron. He threw something hard into a shadowy corner, and something MASSIVE moved and made a
very angry growling noise. Something MUCH bigger than Fang, or any wolf she'd ever seen. Fiona would
have liked to see just WHAT it was, but the shadows in that corner that enveloped the creature prevented
her from doing just that.
"Will you keep it down?!" hissed a voice that sounded very much like Severus's deadly soft one. "The whole
HOUSE will be down here if you don't shut it!"
"'S'not me, it's the--"
"Just shut it, Aaron."
Fiona bristled at the sound of Lucious' harsh voice. She watched silently as he swept over to the other
boys, looking pained.
"Dirty old..." Fi muttered, but Firebell shot her a glare and she shut her mouth, once again conscious
of her surroundings.
"Fine," Aaron snapped, and Fi heard him mutter, "Since when do YOU get to tell ME to shut it?"
"Since he's right," Snape sneered.
"Quite," Lucious said. "If we don't watch it, that mudblood twit will get curious. You saw her tonight."
Fiona distinctly heard Snape mumble, "She's not a twit..." but apparently was the only one who did,
because the other boys merely stopped bickering and resumed glaring into the corner where the creature
was still growling.
Aaron sighed loudly. "I was thinking...Why don't we just pit our little friend here against Lupin and
watch the poor" --Fi cringed at the language-- "get ripped to shreds? I mean, it's not like he could
BEAT this thing..."
"Aaron, Aaron, Aaron..." Lucious said tiredly. "I've TOLD you. That plan might win, or it might not. The
other plan will work much better, really, if you think about it. We set him loose on the full moon, when
Sprout's out working with those bloody mandrakes, and he attacks her. All she sees in the dark is something
canine with big teeth and claws. That idiot of a headmaster knows perfectly well that Lupin's a werewolf.
He'll go with the obvious conclusion: Lupin got loose from his little hut and decided to have Sprout for
a bedtime snack. And the Grim's long gone by then, so it's all good for us. Plus, we get to skip Herbology
for a bit." He grinned.
Fiona's hand was pressed up against her mouth to keep from crying out. Something was SERIOUSLY wrong with
these boys. They were plotting to frame Remus, and kill a teacher in the process, and without the slightest
bit of remorse. She had known that they were unpleasant to have class with, and prejudiced, and yes,
potentially evil, but this was WAY more than she'd ever expected from them. And now she didn't know quite
how to handle it.
************************
After climbing silently up the stairs again, and back up to her dormitory, Fiona paced back and forth in
front of her bed for the next two hours, trying to find a way to solve the problem. She would go to
Dumbledore, but then who KNEW what the boys would do to her, even if they got off by saying that it was all
a stupid joke that she'd fallen for. Another option, which had been quickly stamped out, was to confront the
boys herself and try to keep them from carrying out their plan. But who was to say they wouldn't kill her,
too? They'd shown capability...
Finally, the clock on her dresser indicated that it was seven-thirty, and Fi knew that breakfast was being
served in the Great Hall. Hoping that Remus would be there, she practically leapt into her robes and ran
down to the Great Hall. This wasn't the best idea, as Remus wasn't there yet, and all she ended up doing was
thoroughly winding herself.
At least, she reminded herself glumly, I have Care of Magical Creatures with him, first thing.
She scooped some porrige into a bowl and sighed, stirring it around. What was she going to do? What if they
found out that she knew? What would they do to her? Would they get away with it? Would they ACTUALLY go
through with this plan?
Breakfast came and went; still no Remus. Fi nearly panicked, thinking he'd already left for the full moon,
but that wasn't for two more days. Scared of missing him, Fiona grabbed her books quickly and ran out onto
the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures. But Remus didn't arrive for that, either. According to a very
confused Sirius, he had claimed he didn't feel well and had gone to the hospital wing. So, after class, Fi
ran as quickly as she could to get to the hospital wing, but he wasn't there, either, though Madam Pomfrey
was kind enough to tell the girl that he'd headed off towards Gryffindor tower.
Thoroughly winding herself once more, Fiona managed to find him, quickly walking towards the marble
staircase in the entrance hall. "Remus!" she managed to gasp out.
He started and turned, looking nervous. "Fi, I--uhm--can't talk right now. I have to--erm--go to my dorm
and--ah--get some books and--"
"Drop it," Fi panted. "Look I have to warn you--"
"I have to go, Fi, I can't talk."
"Remus, you don't understand--"
"No." He said it harshly, but there was a certain pain in his face. "Fi, I have to go. Get on to class."
Fiona stopped breathing, much less panting. He had NEVER spoken to her like that. "Wha-?...Remus, I--"
"Go on!" he said, shooing her. Abruptly, he turned and ran up the staircase, not looking back, as Fi stood
at the bottom, staring at the spot where he'd been standing with an astonished and hurt expression on her
round face.
************************
The next days seemed to drag by. Fiona tried various times to catch Remus after class, but he always seemed
to be so much faster than her. Fi finally resigned herself to the fact that he wasn't speaking to her on
purpose, though she couldn't think why. Was it because she'd made him angry? What had she done? She tortured
herself with those questions, and what would happen on the full moon.
And, as all dreaded things do, the full moon arrived quicker than Fiona could ever have expected. That
evening, Fi was rather vague towards everyone. Lily knew something was wrong, obviously, but knew her friend
well enough to leave her alone. And Fi, though nervous, couldn't help but allow her brain to tell her that
maybe, just MAYBE, they might get cold feet at the last minute. It was true that the boys were acting quite
casually, considering the fact that they were plotting murder.
But as the evening progressed, Fi began to pick up the subtle hints they shot each other, and it was obvious
that they were not about to back down. So, when the moon rose and it got dark out, the gnawing, sickening
feeling in her stomach that had been building all day came to its peak and she felt quite ill with worry.
Careful to keep from being noticed, she sat in a chair by the fire, pretending to do her Potions assignment,
and waiting for the last of the students in the common room to leave for bed. Normally, she remembered, she'd
be among them. After all, they DID have an exam in Defense the next day. But this was more important.
Curling up in the chair, Fi waited for Lucious, Severus, and Aaron to come down the stairs. But they didn't.
And didn't. And didn't. And Fi began to wonder...What if they didn't come at all? What if this was all some
elaborate scheme to trick her? What if they'd ALREADY let the thing loose? Unsure of what to do, Fi quietly
stood, leaving her book in the chair, and tiptoed out of Slytherin house as quietly as was possible.
Sneaking through the drafty, emptied, and dark corridors of the school at night was not what one would call
fun. Or easy. Once, when Peeves threatened to swoop down on her, she'd had to take a major detour through a
passageway behind a tapestry of a woman and a unicorn, making her even more afraid of being too late.
Quietly closing the oak front doors behind her, Fi allowed herself a deep sigh of relief. She was brought
back to earth abruptly as a long, mournful howl pierced the silence. Shivering slightly, and wondering
whether it was the Grim or Remus, Fi stumbled through the darkness towards the greenhouses. Sure enough,
Professor Sprout was patting the soil around the last of the mandrakes, humming cheerily, apparently
oblivious to the horrible howling sounds. Fi supposed the entire staff must know about Remus, and felt a
small surge of anger at having to find out the way she had.
"Oh!" Fi quickly stifled the cry as something large and hairy came bounding out of the darkness and pounced,
growling and clawing, on the Herbology professor. Fi stood for a fraction of a second, deaf with horror to
the screams and roars issuing from the nearby fight, before a tiny voice in her head said, "NOW!"
"Oh..." Fi muttered, trying to concentrate over the horrible background noise. "Come to me...If you ever were
to come, come now! Please...PLEASE come..." She put her hands down to her sides, palms out, and breathed
deeply. "Please come...Hear me..."
When she opened her eyes again, she saw that the huge dog was running away, towards the forest, with dozens
of multicolored pinpricks of light surrounding it, biting, pinching, and inflicting all sorts of magical
pains onto the beast. Numbly, Fi ran to Professor Sprout, who lay unmoving on the ground. The young woman's
robes were torn and bloodied, and she obviously needed immediate medical attention, but she was still
breathing. Fi stood and took a deep breath, preparing to call for help, but a voice shouted, "Stupefy!", and
before she could utter a sound, all was black, and she knew no more.
************************(A/N: 'Kay, guys, I couldn't just leave you there, though I thought about it. So,
here's the bonus part of this story. I hate cliffhangers, so I couldn't do that to you, now could I? ^_^)
Fi woke, stiff and sore, but warm. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but she blinked a few times and took
in her surroundings. She was under a thick blanket, on a couch, with her Potions book...In the Slytherin
common room. She sat up abruptly, causing throbbing pain in her head. 'Oh,' she thought. 'I forgot...No
sudden movements after a summoning...'
On the other side of the room, Severus Snape quickly brought his head up from dozing and looked at her. "Oh.
You're up."
"What d'you mean, 'you're up'? Was that YOU who stunned me?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You...You...I
DESPISE you, you...You..."
"Will you SHUT IT for just a MOMENT?" Snape hissed testily.
Fiona glared as hard as she could, but stopped trying to think of an appropriate insult for the boy in front
of her.
"Right," Snape said, crossing his arms. "First off, you're lucky I even found you in the first place. If I
hadn't gotten to you, Lucious and Aaron would have. And they wouldn't have simply stunned you, either."
"How did you know I was out there?"
"You left your book. You never do that." He stated all of this so matter-of-factly, and Fi snorted.
"What, you actually PAY ATTENTION to what I do? Why bother? And why did you even bother to save me? Why not
get rid of the mudblood twit, as well as Sprout and Remus?" Snape gave her a piercing look, not responding,
and Fi shook her head disbelievingly. "Well if you're trying to make me like you, I assure you, it's NOT
working."
"That is not the topic under discussion," Snape said, rather loudly. "The point is, I don't expect you to be
anything but your usual snotty little self to me, but at least keep in mind that I saved you."
Something had been at the back of Fi's mind, fighting desperately to get out, and now it finally found its
window of opportunity as she was turning Snape's words over in her mind. "Oh! What happened to Remus? Is he
safe?"
Snape snorted. "Of COURSE he's safe. D'you honestly think HE got hurt?"
"You know what I mean," Fi growled. "What happened?" Snape mumbled something incoherent and looked away,
assuming the same posture he had when he'd asked her to the Halloween dance. Fiona gritted her teeth. "I
said, 'what happened'?"
Snape sighed. "He got...blamed for it. He's...I don't know. Dumbledore--"
Fi stood up abruptly, ignoring the pain in her head. "How COULD you? You KNEW it wasn't him! Why didn't you
help him? Can't you ever just think for yourself? Why do you let Lucious order you around? Why?" She shook
her head and covered her eyes, taking in deep breaths. She wasn't going to cry...How could this have
happened? After she'd worked so hard to try to prevent it?
Suddenly, jeering laughter filled the room, and Fi looked up to see a rather apprehensive Snape standing next
to Lucious, who was grinning maliciously, and Aaron, who was laughing rather stupidly. Lucious saw her and
grinned more broadly, narrowing the cold gray eyes to mere slits. "So, you found out, then?"
Fi shook her head slowly, a look of pure fury on her face. "How...COULD...you..."
"Oh, quite easily, I assure you," Lucious said, before he and Aaron broke into laughter again, causing Fi's
very blood to boil.
Fi clenched her fists, concentrating on one thing only: Lucious, Aaron, and Severus needed punishment. Serious,
PAINFUL punishment. And she would give it to them. She would. They'd regret this. Sorely. These murderous
thoughts coursed through her body, until the pounding of her heart was so loud she was sure the entire castle
was shaking from it, and all of a sudden, they came.
Whirring, brightly-colored wings and pointed little faces, each with an impish smirk upon it. Sharp little
hands and feet, powerful and painful magic...The faeries were angry. Fi was angry, and it was just another
excuse to cause mayhem. And they did.
Lucious was hanging from his expensive velvet robes, suspended from a torch bracket, while Aaron had tried
to take refuge under a cloak rack, only to be prodded and pinched by various tiny fingers. Severus, meanwhile,
was being chased about the room by a whole cloud of them, shouting as they pulled at his greasy hair. And, of
course, this was the moment that the head of house, Professor Blasphen, decided to investigate the shouts of
pain that were issuing from her common room. Fi watched, as if in slow motion, the wall opening, and the
short, dark professor striding through, wearing a green dressing gown.
As one of the faeries removed all of her curlers with a simple flick of the wrist, the woman looked at Fi. "I
KNEW this would happen! He should never have admitted you, the doddery old fool! Come with me!" A strong, ice-
cold hand closed around her wrist and pulled her from the room, and with a simple spell, the faeries were all
immobilized; frozen in thin air. And Fi, resigned and exhausted, let herself be led forcefully from the room.
***
Part 6
***
Numbly, Fi sat down in the large chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. Blasphen had gone to wake
Dumbledore and bring him down to "deal with" her. Eyes glazed over with the sort of dreading shock that
always overcame her when this happened, Fi waited, thinking hostile thoughts. Those pigs...And now
Remus was who-knew-where, she was in trouble, and Professor Sprout was hurt. It all could have been
prevented had she just managed to put together a plan instead of panicking and acting blindly.
It had been so quiet, and she had been so lost in thought, that the sound of the office door opening
and shutting made Fi jump about two feet in the air. Blushing a bit, she settled back down as the aged
headmaster entered without Blasphen and sat down opposite her, on the other side of his desk. "Now, Miss
McLellan, what seems to be the problem?"
Fi, through her shame and anger, managed to raise her eyebrows at this. "Professor Blasphen didn't tell
you?"
"Well of course she did," Dumbledore said, smiling quietly. "But I would very much like to hear your
verson of events."
Fi sighed loudly. "But...I'm not sure telling anyone is such a good plan."
"Rest assured, Miss McLellan, you will not get into trouble for telling me what happened. I will not
allow it."
Fiona sighed loudly again. "Well...I'll tell you. You probably won't believe me, but I'll tell you."
"I would very much appreciate that."
And so Fi recounted the past weeks' events to the headmaster, glad to have it off her chest. The more
she talked, the more she felt as though a huge weight was being taken from her shoulders. It was very
liberating.
"...And so, I woke in the common room, and found out that Remus had gotten blamed, and then Aaron and
Lucius came in and were laughing and gloating, and I couldn't take it any more. It just...It just sort
of happened. I think I had a hand in it, subconsciously, but really, I couldn't control it once it
happened."
"I see." The entire time she'd been speaking, Dumbledore's eyes had not left her face. He looked very
tired, but he didn't seem too skeptical of the story she'd just told him. "You do know about the history
of fae-speakers, don't you?"
Fi shook her head, embarrassed. "My parents...They're muggle. Mum's ancestry goes back through...sort of
hedgewitches. None of them were really magical, but they could all talk to the fae. I suppose it goes
through the women."
Dumbledore nodded. "It does. But do you know your ancestry more specifically, perchance?"
"How do you mean?"
"Where the bloodline of fae-speakers started?"
Fiona frowned in thought. "I think it was my gran. Yes...She started it."
"Was there anything unusual about your grandmother?" Dumbledore pressed.
Fi raised an eyebrow. What was he getting at? "I don't really know. She died before I was born, when Ma
was still a little girl. All I know is that she was dark Irish. You know, black hair and blue eyes.
She had pale skin, too, like mine. Why?"
"Was she an immortal?"
Fi was a bit taken aback. "Well she died, didn't she?"
"Quite correct..." He looked thoughtful. "Are you sure she didn't simply leave?"
"Ma said she died. That's what her Da told her." Fi thought for a moment. It was possible...But why was
it significant?
"Interesting..." Dumbledore said softly. "I may need to speak to you again, Miss McLellan."
"That's fine," Fi murmured.
"Well, then, Miss McLellan--"
"Fiona, please."
"Fiona, then. You aren't in trouble. It was an accident, as far as I can tell, and I will make sure that
you do not get into trouble for giving me your story." He slowly stood up from his seat.
Something then occurred to Fi, and she could have kicked herself for taking so long to remember it. "Uh,
Professor? Where's Remus?"
Dumbledore sighed, looking still more exhausted, and turned his bright blue eyes on her again. "At the
request of several of the staff members, he is locked in Professor Flitwick's office."
Fi nearly fell out of her chair. "But he's innocent!"
"I know, Fiona, but he doesn't seem it. In the morning, the minister of magic is going to come by and
take him to be tried. Will you speak for him?"
"Of course..." Fi paused, at a loss. "Professor, can I go see him? Please?" It didn't occur to her until
after she'd said it how stupid it sounded--Remus wasn't exactly capable of speech at the time.
Surprisingly, though, Dumbledore lifted a large gold watch out of his pocket, glanced at it, and opened
the thick curtains around his window, revealing soft gray light. "Well, he's human for the time being.
I suppose it would be good for him to see you."
Astounded, Fi asked, "What time is it?"
"Five-thirty in the morning. You've had quite an evening, haven't you?"
Fi nodded mutely. "Can--can I go see Remus now?"
He nodded solemnly. "Come with me."
Fiona, lost in thought, didn't even pay attention to the various hallways she followed Dumbledore
through. She just let herself follow the sweeping cloak in front of her and kept to herself. What would
he say when he saw her? What would she do about the minister? How could she prove him innocent? And what
would happen when she had to tell about Lucius, Aaron, and Severus? Would they get her into trouble?
She stopped thinking as Dumbledore came to a stop in front of Flitwick's office. Argus Filch, the newly-
hired caretaker, was guarding the door, a sour look on his face. After a moment of quiet muttering
between Filch and the headmaster, Filch nodded in a rather resigned manner and unlocked the door for Fi.
Fi stepped inside to find Remus huddled in a corner, asleep. The door shut behind her and she heard the
lock click, and swallowed roughly. She didn't think anything bad would happen, as Remus was human, but
then, she'd never been around a werewolf before. Much less right after the full moon. She knelt down
next to his sleeping form and brushed his hair out of his face.
With a slight yelp, his eyes flew open and he backed into the corner, surprising Fi and making her give
a small shout of surprise as well. He saw who she was and hid his face in his hands. Fiona wasn't sure
what to make of this until she noticed his shoulders were shaking from trying not to cry. Feeling a
horrid twisting sensation in her chest, she scooted over next to him and wrapped him in a hug, not
wanting to cry in front of him and make him feel worse.
"Fi, I didn't do it," he murmured hoarsely, sounding muffled. "I don't know who did, but I swear I
didn't do it."
"Of course you didn't," she said, squeezing him tighter, for both her emotions and his. "Oh, what are
they thinking? You couldn't've! I'll go talk to Dumbledore and get you out of here!"
"Actually, I could have..." Remus mumbled. "For all everyone knows, it's very possible. What's the
point? Let them lock me up. I don't care. It'd be better that way."
"No, don't..." Fi said. "Don't talk like that."
"Why the hell shouldn't I?" he yelled angrily, pulling away from her and looking at the wall. "It's
going to happen!"
"You don't know that...Everything will be okay, Remus--"
"No, it won't! It never is! I go through this once a month, and have for years and years, and I will
for the rest of my life! I can never have a family for fear of attacking or killing one of them! I can
never get work! I will be shunned from the wizarding world for the rest of my life! Why not lock me up?
Put me out of my misery now!"
"Just stop it!" Fi said, fighting tears.
"No, you stop!" he hissed angrily. "You haven't the SLIGHTEST idea what It's like..."
Fiona backed away, hurt, and covered her mouth with one hand. Remus sighed. "Fi, I--" She shook her
head. "Fi, please..."
She turned back to face him, angry, but felt it melt away when she saw the look on his face. His eyes
were so sad and frightened-looking. Somehow, she knew to just hold out her arms, and he fell into
them. "Nothing's going to happen, Remus. I promise," she murmured, letting him wrap his arms around her.
"You can't promise that."
"I just did. And I meant it."
He squeezed her tighter. "I just..." His voice broke and he trailed off.
She squeezed him tightly as well. "Shhh..."
He shook slightly, and she was surprised to find that he was crying. She pulled him away for a moment.
"Oh, come now..." she said, not quite sure where she was going with that statement.
He wiped his eyes quickly, determined not to let her see him in that state. "God, I'm tired of this..."
he murmured. She pulled him into her arms again and he buried his face in her shoulder. "I'll always be
blamed." His voice sounded muffled. "Why did I have to have been so stupid? Why couldn't I have stayed
away from that forest when I was small? Why?"
She squeezed her arms tighter around him and he finished crying. Wiping his eyes furiously, he sat up.
"I'm sorry, Fi. I just..."
They both looked up as the door opened and Filch stepped in cautiously. "You'll have to leave, now, Miss
McLellan. The minister arrives in about ten minutes."
Fi glanced at Remus. His face conveyed no emotion whatsoever, and it hurt Fi to know he'd already given
up. "Yes, sir." She stood and started towards the door, but Remus called her back.
"Fi?"
She turned. "Yes?" she managed. Her voice cracked, revealing the tears she'd been trying to hide.
He looked at her seriously with his dark brown eyes. "It'll be okay."
She nodded quickly, biting her lip to keep from crying, and left the room with one hand over her mouth,
bursting into quiet sobs as she heard the door shut and lock behind her. At a loss for what she was
going to do, she ran back to her common room, ignoring the stares she received from the other occupants,
and threw open the door to her dormitory. Lily, who had been brushing through her hair, stood up when
she saw her friend in tears. "Oh, Fi, what's happened?"
In between fresh waves of tears, Fi told Lily everything--the faeries, Remus, Snape, the plot--
everything. Lily didn't even bat an eye. She listened intently, occasionally offering a sympathetic
hug.
Once Fi was through, Lily stood up and paced back and forth for a moment. Then she turned. "Fi, it's
gonna be okay."
Fi wiped her eyes quickly. "How?"
Lily crossed her arms, biting her lip in thought. "We're going to go talk to Sirius and James. They'll
have a lot to say in this matter."
"That's the master plan?" Fi asked incredulously. "Sirius and James?"
Lily almost smiled. "You've not had a chance to see them in action before...Trust me. If anyone can
get a bunch of evil Slytherin boys in trouble, it's them. And," she added, "they'll be especially
keen since it's SNAPE we're talking about here." She paced a moment longer, then grabbed Fi's wrist,
pulling her up. "Off to Gryffindor tower, then!"
"How will we--?"
Lily shrugged dismissively. "How do you think I see James so often?"
Fiona stared at her. "But...You're a Slytherin..."
"And?" Lily asked, giving her a laughing green-eyed stare. "Your point is?"
"Well, I just thought..."
Lily shrugged again, leading Fi through various hallways. "That's exactly it. There's always a way, Fi,
no matter what the odds are. There's always SOME possibility. And believe me, these two twits can find
it for you."
They came to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress, asleep at the moment, and Lily cleared her
throat loudly, causing her to wake up. She yawned and looked at them. "Oh, hello dear. Back again?"
"Yep." Lily pulled Fi up next to her as well. "And I need a favor."
The fat lady raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Can you grant her permission, too? I mean, she's a painter!"
Fi shrugged. "Sort of..."
"Good enough for me," the fat lady said. "Right, then. You can go in."
The portrait swung forward and Lily pulled Fi into the hidden room beyond.