6.
It is hard to play chess when the room is spinning and you felt as if you might be sick any minute, so on the whole Vivian was quite pleased with how she played, especially since it was obviously an excuse for Snape to try to interrogate her about something she hadn't done.
He was an expert questioner, she realised, after about five minutes. He was calm, clever and infuriatingly urbane, with a deceptively nonchalant manner. Almost effortlessly he seemed to establish where she had been, at what time and with whom. "He probably picked it up when he was a death eater", Vivian thought scornfully
. As she was completely innocent she had nothing to fear, but all the same, there was something disconcerting about his level calculating stare, and she was glad when ten minutes later she could finally stand up and leave.
"Try to be on time tomorrow." Snape taunted, as she walked unsteadily towards the door. Vivian left without an answer.
Snape irritably began to clear away the dirty cauldron and potions equipment. He was annoyed. She had to have done it, yet she was so clear about where she had been, and probably had an alibi into the bargain.
He told himself not to be childish. He had no real proof that she had done anything; it would be foolish to become preoccupied by it. Probably a student prank, nothing more. It was the sort of thing the Weasly twins would do, he thought wryly, everyone hated the cat anyway. Or was he doing them an injustice? They had admittedly never gone in for cruelty to animals.
I need more sleep, he told himself. It was true, but this didn't explain why he was getting so worked up about a petrified cat.
The heir of Slytherin. Why did it sound so familiar?
Something was bothering him.
*
Back in the Ravenclaw common room, Vivian ran into Lorna, who was looking radiant.
"Marcus wants me to go into Hogsmeade with him tomorrow!" she cried, before Vivian could say anything. "What's the matter?" she added, seeing Vivian's look of gloom.
"Nothing," Vivian replied, "Snape just had a go at me."
"Oh you poor thing." Lorna said sympathetically, "But isn't it great?" she added, her smile returning.
Vivian grinned at her.
"It's brilliant! Thank heaven I don't have to listen to you swooning about him any more!"
"Charming!" replied Lorna, "For that you can help me decide what to wear."
"You look good in everything, damn you." Said Vivian, "just put on whatever falls out of your wardrobe."
At this point Harriet and Diana, the two other Ravenclaw girls who shared their dormitory came up, and began gushing about how lucky Lorna was, and how gorgeous Marcus was, and how they'd always known they'd get together because Lorna was stunning, and by the time the four of them climbed to the stairs to bed Lorna was too excited to do anything but anguish over what to wear and dance around the room whilst the others got changed for bed.
Harriet and Diana fell asleep almost immediately, but Vivian decided to read for a bit, when she noticed that Lorna was sitting at the window, still fully dressed. She looked feverish.
"Aren't you going to bed?" Vivian asked.
"Later."
Time slipped by. Somewhere a clock chimed eleven.
"Shouldn't you be going to bed?" asked Vivian, as she watched Lorna pacing in front of the window.
"I can't sleep."
Vivian looked at her with concern. She looked flushed and excited. Vivian realised with surprise that Lorna was nervous. It seemed almost incredible, Lorna was so pretty, with her long auburn hair and clear grey eyes, all the boys wanted to go out with her. Marcus must be special. Vivian watched her pacing restlessly with a sense of unease. She longed to relieve her unhappiness, but it would mean sharing something that had belonged to her mother. Briefly she struggled as she watched Lorna.
"Um, I have something that might work." She said at last, "help you get to sleep I mean."
"Really?" said Lorna eagerly.
Vivian climbed out of bed and produced a long narrow case "My mother used to get me to sleep with it when I was little." She said, unlocking the box with a small golden key she wore round her neck on a narrow chain.
"Oh my god." Breathed Lorna, "How much is that worth?"
It was a deep red violin, polished so that it gleamed in the moonlight; the bow strung with unicorn hair. Vivian handled it as if it was very precious. In the gloom of the dormitory it seemed to glow with a life of its own.
"Is it magic?" asked Lorna.
Vivian felt a sudden surge of happiness: she had a friend with whom she could share something precious.
"A bit." She replied to Lorna. "If you go and lie down, I can probably make you sleep."
Obediently, Lorna crossed the room to her four-poster bed and lay down.
Vivian began to play, a soft, strange, lilting music, tinged with magic. Strangely enough, Harriet and Diana didn't wake, if anything they seemed to sleep more soundly. The last thing Lorna saw before she fell asleep was the movement of Vivian's arms in the moonlight as she played.
*
Vivian played for about five minutes more out of sheer pleasure. There was something strangely satisfying about it, and she knew from experience that she would wake nobody unless she wanted it. Then at last she lovingly dusted the violin and put it away, locking the case.
Before getting into bed, she opened the window to take a look at the moon. The window faced the forbidden forest, and as she gazed at the moonlit grounds, she saw something moving in the grounds - a dark gliding shape. Vivian felt a sudden shock of fear. The figure moved into a patch of moonlight, and she realised that it was Snape.
Why was he patrolling the grounds?
As she gazed at him, he looked up at her. She drew her head back in shock. Then she rallied. She wasn't doing anything wrong, if anything, he was the one acting suspiciously.
"Oh get a life." She muttered sarcastically. To her horror the words were much louder that she intended, and Snape, who had obviously heard, looked sharply in her direction, as if he could see who it was. Vivian withdrew her head, shaking with stifled laughter. When she had composed herself again, Snape was gone.
It was a beautiful night. She paused before shutting the window; suddenly she became aware of a presence: it was a unicorn. Vivian stood motionless; the unicorn was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It stood at the edge of the forest, frozen like a noble statue. Then it looked up and saw Vivian. There was no doubt in her mind that it could see her.
Vivian and the unicorn gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. Then, slowly, gracefully, the unicorn kneeled. Vivian gave a suppressed gasp, and then, collecting her wits, bowed her head awkwardly in acknowledgement. Then the unicorn was gone.
It is hard to play chess when the room is spinning and you felt as if you might be sick any minute, so on the whole Vivian was quite pleased with how she played, especially since it was obviously an excuse for Snape to try to interrogate her about something she hadn't done.
He was an expert questioner, she realised, after about five minutes. He was calm, clever and infuriatingly urbane, with a deceptively nonchalant manner. Almost effortlessly he seemed to establish where she had been, at what time and with whom. "He probably picked it up when he was a death eater", Vivian thought scornfully
. As she was completely innocent she had nothing to fear, but all the same, there was something disconcerting about his level calculating stare, and she was glad when ten minutes later she could finally stand up and leave.
"Try to be on time tomorrow." Snape taunted, as she walked unsteadily towards the door. Vivian left without an answer.
Snape irritably began to clear away the dirty cauldron and potions equipment. He was annoyed. She had to have done it, yet she was so clear about where she had been, and probably had an alibi into the bargain.
He told himself not to be childish. He had no real proof that she had done anything; it would be foolish to become preoccupied by it. Probably a student prank, nothing more. It was the sort of thing the Weasly twins would do, he thought wryly, everyone hated the cat anyway. Or was he doing them an injustice? They had admittedly never gone in for cruelty to animals.
I need more sleep, he told himself. It was true, but this didn't explain why he was getting so worked up about a petrified cat.
The heir of Slytherin. Why did it sound so familiar?
Something was bothering him.
*
Back in the Ravenclaw common room, Vivian ran into Lorna, who was looking radiant.
"Marcus wants me to go into Hogsmeade with him tomorrow!" she cried, before Vivian could say anything. "What's the matter?" she added, seeing Vivian's look of gloom.
"Nothing," Vivian replied, "Snape just had a go at me."
"Oh you poor thing." Lorna said sympathetically, "But isn't it great?" she added, her smile returning.
Vivian grinned at her.
"It's brilliant! Thank heaven I don't have to listen to you swooning about him any more!"
"Charming!" replied Lorna, "For that you can help me decide what to wear."
"You look good in everything, damn you." Said Vivian, "just put on whatever falls out of your wardrobe."
At this point Harriet and Diana, the two other Ravenclaw girls who shared their dormitory came up, and began gushing about how lucky Lorna was, and how gorgeous Marcus was, and how they'd always known they'd get together because Lorna was stunning, and by the time the four of them climbed to the stairs to bed Lorna was too excited to do anything but anguish over what to wear and dance around the room whilst the others got changed for bed.
Harriet and Diana fell asleep almost immediately, but Vivian decided to read for a bit, when she noticed that Lorna was sitting at the window, still fully dressed. She looked feverish.
"Aren't you going to bed?" Vivian asked.
"Later."
Time slipped by. Somewhere a clock chimed eleven.
"Shouldn't you be going to bed?" asked Vivian, as she watched Lorna pacing in front of the window.
"I can't sleep."
Vivian looked at her with concern. She looked flushed and excited. Vivian realised with surprise that Lorna was nervous. It seemed almost incredible, Lorna was so pretty, with her long auburn hair and clear grey eyes, all the boys wanted to go out with her. Marcus must be special. Vivian watched her pacing restlessly with a sense of unease. She longed to relieve her unhappiness, but it would mean sharing something that had belonged to her mother. Briefly she struggled as she watched Lorna.
"Um, I have something that might work." She said at last, "help you get to sleep I mean."
"Really?" said Lorna eagerly.
Vivian climbed out of bed and produced a long narrow case "My mother used to get me to sleep with it when I was little." She said, unlocking the box with a small golden key she wore round her neck on a narrow chain.
"Oh my god." Breathed Lorna, "How much is that worth?"
It was a deep red violin, polished so that it gleamed in the moonlight; the bow strung with unicorn hair. Vivian handled it as if it was very precious. In the gloom of the dormitory it seemed to glow with a life of its own.
"Is it magic?" asked Lorna.
Vivian felt a sudden surge of happiness: she had a friend with whom she could share something precious.
"A bit." She replied to Lorna. "If you go and lie down, I can probably make you sleep."
Obediently, Lorna crossed the room to her four-poster bed and lay down.
Vivian began to play, a soft, strange, lilting music, tinged with magic. Strangely enough, Harriet and Diana didn't wake, if anything they seemed to sleep more soundly. The last thing Lorna saw before she fell asleep was the movement of Vivian's arms in the moonlight as she played.
*
Vivian played for about five minutes more out of sheer pleasure. There was something strangely satisfying about it, and she knew from experience that she would wake nobody unless she wanted it. Then at last she lovingly dusted the violin and put it away, locking the case.
Before getting into bed, she opened the window to take a look at the moon. The window faced the forbidden forest, and as she gazed at the moonlit grounds, she saw something moving in the grounds - a dark gliding shape. Vivian felt a sudden shock of fear. The figure moved into a patch of moonlight, and she realised that it was Snape.
Why was he patrolling the grounds?
As she gazed at him, he looked up at her. She drew her head back in shock. Then she rallied. She wasn't doing anything wrong, if anything, he was the one acting suspiciously.
"Oh get a life." She muttered sarcastically. To her horror the words were much louder that she intended, and Snape, who had obviously heard, looked sharply in her direction, as if he could see who it was. Vivian withdrew her head, shaking with stifled laughter. When she had composed herself again, Snape was gone.
It was a beautiful night. She paused before shutting the window; suddenly she became aware of a presence: it was a unicorn. Vivian stood motionless; the unicorn was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It stood at the edge of the forest, frozen like a noble statue. Then it looked up and saw Vivian. There was no doubt in her mind that it could see her.
Vivian and the unicorn gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. Then, slowly, gracefully, the unicorn kneeled. Vivian gave a suppressed gasp, and then, collecting her wits, bowed her head awkwardly in acknowledgement. Then the unicorn was gone.