Chapter 18: Overly Unjustified
Saturday found several hundred impatient students sitting on the bleachers of the Quidditch field. The players could come out any minute--
"And they're off! Conroy, Gene, Schoharie, Black, Tarlise, Sinclair and Potter of the Gryffindor Team; Myvany, Shauna, Melbourne, Talbot, Talbot, Phelim and Walters of the Ravenclaws. Quite a crowd we've got up here, with the spectators equally divided in either the Lions' or Eagles' favor. Gryffindor, of course, and Hufflepuff for the Lions because the Hufflepuffs are leaning on the 159th win, and the Slytherins for the Ravenclaws because the Eagles' victory would give them the Quidditch Cup, and 400 House Points that would boost them higher than the leading Gryffindors." Remus was commentating, though he looked rather tired.
"There's Madame Pomfrey with the whistle, she's letting the balls out--and the game gets in session."
Ileana Talbot caught the Quaffle and passed it to her brother, Donovan. The Ravenclaws cheered as he took the shot--which was successfully blocked by Erin. The Gryffindors cheered, and in turn, the Ravenclaws groaned.
"And that's perfect defense courtesy of Sinclair!" Remus yelled into the magical megaphone. "Yep, and game resumes, with Gryffindor in possession. Schoharie with the Quaffle, passes to Conroy, passes to Gene--whoops, watch out for that Bludger sent by Melbourne--not bad, but it grazed his shoulder. So Gene fakes and passes to--Schoharie, Schoharie speeding up to the goalposts fast. She's going to shoot--two Bludgers and a Chaser at you, Celeste! No, she passes to Conroy, who's free, and--GRYFFINDOR SCORE!!!"
The red-clad part of the crowd exploded in cheers.
"Turnover to Ravenclaw possession. Phelim dodges Conroy, pass--ouch, nice Beater work by Tarlise there, hit him in the stomach--but he's still holding the ball. Looks like he's got the wind knocked out of him though… He passes to Talbot, the younger one--and Talbot swerves around Schoharie--Schoharie taps the ball just in time, the Quaffle's unpos--inposses--not possessed by any--Gene catches it and throws a long pass to Schoharie. Schoharie catches it, ducks a Bludger sent by Shauna, dodges Talbot #2--" At this the Ravenclaws glared. "She's gonna shoot--no, there's a Bludger and it knocks the ball away; Talbot 1 catches it, flying, flying fast…passes Gene, passes--Conroy, outruns a Bludger--" Then the Ravenclaws cheered and Remus slumped back on his seat. "Darn it, the Ravenclaws score a goal…"
The Ravenclaw players clapped their hands on Donovan's back. Twenty minutes of play continued, with Ravenclaw leading 90-70.
"No sign of the Snitch still…C'mon, James, get it before Myvany… Oh no, here comes Talbot 2 again, and he's heading for the goals…"
Donovan swerved away from Mark and shot, which Erin blocked. The Gryffindor supporters let out the breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding. Keith scored a goal, but then Phelim retaliated with one of his own. Sirius swung a Bludger at him as he was speeding back into position.
The Bludger ran fast, but missed Phelim completely--the Slytherins erupted in laughter, pointing and jeering at him. Snape kept yelling, "Baka! Bakayro!" (Errr…I'm not Japanese but as far as I know, both mean "idiot"…^_^)
Suddenly the Ravenclaw mocks were shushed as the Bludger hit Donovan Talbot full in the face, smashing his nose. Several girls screamed as blood flowed down. The Bludger continued its careless journey and rocketed to Melbourne, crashing into his broomstick and causing it to jerk back and forth in a very un-broom-like manner. Still, the Bludger went on its merry way, unseating Phelim, who dangled by two arms below his broom, holding on for dear life. Try as he could he couldn't climb back on, and the players below were too awestruck with the reckless Bludger to help. Melbourne's broom was thrashing about, making him look like he was riding buckin' bronco style on air. Talbot had blood running down his blue robes.
"Yes!!! Great job, Sirius, I mean, no whistle yet, it's not a foul…" Remus said happily.
The Ravenclaws and Slytherins booed and protested--those who weren't concerned with the safety of the three players, anyway. The other half of their side kept biting their nails, gasping, crying, and yelling for somebody to save the three boys.
"And Gene scores…idle much, Walters? Oh, sorry, professor, I mean, he's just sitting there, gaping at his teammates, shouldn't he be saving them or doing his job or something? The least he could do is make himself useful…" Professor McGonagall looked at him sternly.
"No bias, Lupin, you know the rules!"
"Yes, professor…"
Meanwhile, the excited Gryffindors kept cheering Sirius on and giving praise for his superb playing. The Hufflepuffs were starting to look anxious too, safety for them counted way more than the Gryffindors' victory. They too started to chatter about unfair judging and sending emergency rescuers.
So by then Phelim had managed to clamber onto his broom; and Melbourne had somehow done a little spell to steady his broom. After all, that was what Ravenclaws were known for--being quick-witted and wise. Unfortunately the Gryffindors, or at least quite a few fourth years, had taken even that from their House.
The Gryffindor Chasers had made the most of the situation, shooting goals until they were a hefty score up, but still less than 150. And then--
"JAMES AND MYVANY ARE NECK AND NECK!!! THERE'S THE SNITCH!!!" Remus yelled into the megaphone. There was a deafening static. "Oops, sorry," he apologized, moving the voice magnifier away from his mouth a few inches. "There they go…still level with each other…and--and…" It sounded like an explosion had taken place; a great round of cheering from part of the crowd was enough to rattle the leaves on every tree in Hogwarts. "JAMES CAUGHT THE SNITCH FIRST!!! HA! TAKE THAT, SLYTHERIN!!! YOU LOST THE CUP!!!" Remus was yelling so loudly, but not loudly enough to overcome the Gryffindors' cheers. And that was how the Lions were presented to the gigantic trophy in Dumbledore's hands, his eyes filled with pride. (He was a Gryffindor once, you know. And he can't be more than 159 years old, so his House must've won the Cup too at his age…okay, I'll stop babbling now)
"Congratulations," Dumbledore said. "Another year, another victory, my dear Gryffindors." And he handed Mark the Cup, which he held high for everyone to see. The Gryffindors again exploded into thunderous applause and whooping.
"All right!" James yelled, pumping his fist (which still had the poor Snitch in it). "It's PAR-TY TIME!!!"
"Um, James? I think you should give the Snitch back to Madame Hooch first," Celeste pointed out.
"Oh, yeah." James scurried off. "But don't think you're going to start the festivities without the man who gave your team a hundred and fifty points!!!" he called over his shoulder.
Remus sighed. "Why couldn't he forget to say that, for once?"
*****
As was usual after every Quidditch Cup victory, the common room was a perpetual disco club until dawn. Some sixth years had planned the party carefully even before the match, proving their confidence that Gryffindor would win--again. The party thrown was fairly well-organized, and Sirius's friends thanked God that Maxine was a Ravenclaw…
"C'mon, Lil, let's dance," James said after taking a swig of butterbeer.
"He is, as of now, officially…shall we say, sloshed," Remus announced.
"Or in more scientific terms, intoxicated," Chase added with a smirk. "Seriously, James, do you think you can dance without puking all over Lily's outfit by the end of it?"
James glowered at her. Lily shivered.
"Kidding, lovebirds," she added, popping a chocolate-coated almond in her mouth. The two lovebirds just stood there, looking at Chase expectantly.
"Who's she, your mother? Why don't you just dance?" Celeste laughed, shooing them away. Just before they could get out of earshot, Remus stage-whispered, "Okay, who's gonna bet that James can manage to dance three whole songs with Lil without vomiting?"
Celeste looked skeptical. "Does my bet count too if he just looks really green and sickly when it's over?"
"Er--yeah, I guess so," Remus quickly judged. "What are you willing to throw in if you lose?"
Celeste pocketed her purse. "Two Galleons and not a Knut more," she informed.
"Great! I'll bet the complete opposite. Just to be fair, though… I'll give two Galleons too if I lose--Chase?"
"Count me out," Chase said. "This time I don't feel like making predictions--"
"You're just chicken," Celeste teased.
"If I was a chicken, then I wouldn't have the guts to blast you sky-high with a hex, even though you're my sister. And quite frankly, I will do it too if you don't stop," Chase said threateningly. Celeste shrank back and she laughed. "What is with you guys and letting me push you around?" she chuckled. "It's not like I'm really going to do that to you, Celes."
"Oh," Celeste said, relieved. "Looks like the Christmas play rubbed off on ya, you're starting to look more like a play-acting villain," she added, earning a handful of chocolate-almonds to be entangled in her hair. "Hey! My hair!" she yelped, trying (and failing) to extract the sticky confections from her brown locks.
"C'mon, Chase. You've always been lucky," Remus persisted.
"Yeah? Where's my luck now?" she asked quietly, staring across the room. Remus and Celeste (who still had a couple of almonds in her waist-long mane) followed her line of sight and spotted Sirius, who was laughing it off with a bunch of his adoring (female) fans. Looks like he was retelling his big act to them, because every other second they were squealing and clapping and begging him to continue.
"Sorry," Remus said sincerely. Sometimes it seemed like Chase was back to her old self, that she would never be affected by stuff like that...but she wasn't. He just kept forgetting that. "I really am, Chase. We'll get that potion rolling, we're almost halfway through. Peter even managed to ask his uncle to send us the key ingredient…all the rest are relatively easy to do. We'll be able to finish it in a month or so…"
He stopped babbling, noticing how this was making it worse.
"Maybe I should just turn in," she said distantly, "It's not like anybody's going to care."
"But we do care," Celeste said quietly. She and Remus exchanged tentative glances. Chase didn't respond.
Suddenly Remus had an idea. "Okay then, Chase, if you don't want to bet, then don't. But you will do something for not betting," he added with a mischievous grin.
"What?" Chase said wearily.
"You're going to write an article to donate to the Hogwarts Time Capsule about the match. And you're going to write Sirius's big play as the center of attraction."
"No way!" Chase objected. "What is this, capital punishment? It's not like I even like the guy at this point!"
"Yes, you do still like him," Remus said gently. "You're only doing this because you think the Love Potion won. But it hasn't--yet. We're going to beat it, Chase, and so are you. So don't let a potion stop your real feelings for him."
Chase raised an eyebrow. "You're starting to sound like I did a couple of months ago when I was telling Lily to stop denying her feelings for James," she recalled with a smirk. "Obviously I didn't know how mushy and cliché-like it all sounded."
"But it's still true," Celeste pointed out. "And you can't preach your words without believing in them too, Chase. Then you'd just be a big fake."
"Me? A fake?" Chase shook her head. "Fine then, I'll make your stupid article, but you're not going to read it, or proofread it, or try to steal it from the time capsule once I give it to Dumbledore--"
"Yes we would, that's the whole point in it," Remus argued. "We're going to see if there's any hostility in your writing…"
"There will be," Chase stated. "And a lot of it."
*****
*** words in (---) mean erasures--strikethrough doesn't work on ff.net
Hogwarts Time Capsule
A (Forced) Contributed Article Highlighting the 1983-1984 Gryffindor-Ravenclaw Quidditch Cup Match
By Chase Tarlise
In the midst of (sickening, disgustingly idiotic self-congratulation) hugs, warm cheers, claps on the back, and (rude finger signs courtesy of the Ravenclaws and Slytherins) handshakes bordering on sportsmanship by the (pathetically weak) defeated Eagles, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team celebrated their 159th straight claim of the Quidditch Cup. All players from both teams showed great skill in their performances, yet one play (that I only wrote here because of the demand of disillusioned, brainwashed female fans of a two-faced traitor) rose above all. It was the climax of the match, where a Gryffindor Beater successfully discontinued the acts of two Chasers and one Beater of the opposite team with only one (miracle which he certainly didn't deserve) blow of the club, Sirius Black, a (narcissistic, two-timing bastard) clever but somewhat (insubordinate) cunning fourth year, was admired by many (sluts) fans all around for his (stupid, desperate attempt for equally inane mass attention) spectacular performance. The air on the field was (depressing) electric as the crowd cheered (like bloodthirsty zombies) spiritedly for the (horrible) excellent Beater. He has (an enormous ego that lives up to the size of the star he is named after), for those who are (idiotically) interested with a bit of his biodata, been a role model in academic terms, and is often dubbed the (backstabbing brute) school prankster, along with his best friends Remus Lupin and James Potter, who is (a more loyal and considerate friend who is conscious of other people other than himself) also a member of the Lions team.
The Ravenclaws (obviously wanted to shove a rod up a certain bloat-headed cheater's ass for causing serious injury on them and wiping out their entire team), ever sportsmanlike, (bitterly rejected) accepted their defeat (with much tantrums in perfect imitation of three-year-olds) gracefully and congratulated Black (with thoughts of murder in their heads) and the other members humbly They wished (a royal loss) for another well-turned match (in hell) next year.
Mark Conroy, the Gryffindor Team's captain, has pulled his team together for the second time of his leadership. In such short notice, he was able to replace Dione Ulysses, a Beater (who was intentionally injured by a fellow member whose inane impression of Quidditch is killing the most number of people in a limited time) who was unfortunately unable to play after an (intentional stunt) accident during one of their last practices before the match. She was replaced by Celeste Schoharie, a last-minute replacement who played superbly (and was praised far less than what she deserved because of a crowd-hogging git, enabling the latter's head to swell larger than it already is) as a Chaser. The members are as follows:
Mark Conroy - Chaser Keith Gene - Chaser Celeste Schoharie - Chaser Sirius Black - Beater Chase Tarlise - Beater Erin Sinclair - Keeper James Potter - SeekerEach performed with outstanding talent, the only logical reason why they were destined to win this Cup, aside from, of course, their undying teamwork and the support of their friends and house mates.
The game ended amid cheers from the supportive Gryffindors (who would have most likely been sent to a mental institute had Professor Ridgewood not taken things in control) and festivities ensued right after.
As a regular Chaser and substitute Beater of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, I would like to (barf) proclaim (the fact that most of the female population of Hogwarts are poorly educated in terms of social taste and that they should be more careful of lying, heart-playing cheaters whose only evil intentions are leading girls on and trampling all over their hearts. They should avoid these stereotypically good-looking backstabbers who have the egotistical point of view that all women are below them and must come to their every beck and call, and who have mastered the intricate art of shoving food to their greedy, extremely wide mouths [probably from bragging too much about the fifty girls they hooked up with in one night] out of the view of their faithful yet moronically obsessed admirers and when they aren't busy playing tonsil hockey with a band of erotic-minded prostitutes)--victory.
*****
"Whatcha working on?" a voice said over Chase's shoulder. She was lying down on her bed, on her stomach, and didn't even notice a perky Lily come in.
"Nothing that would interest you," Chase said, calmly folding the piece of parchment. It was drowning with erasure-used ink.
"Nothing would ever not interest me if I want it," Lily said cheerfully. "So you might as well hand it over, else I'll hex you for it."
Chase snorted. "You and what army?" She dodged a blast of blue light sent her way and used a reflector charm on herself, then walked back. Lily tried to undo her spell but didn't know how.
"Damn! Why is it that I'm smarter than you but I just can't figure out how to undo some of your spells?" Lily said in frustration, slumping down on her own bed.
Chase smirked. "Because I invented 'em, dummy," she said.
Lily sat up straight. "You did? How'd you do that? You never told me--"
"Yeah, I guess not. It just seemed that when I told you my biggest secret ever that that was enough. I mean, you haven't even told me your biggest secret. Then again, I can see right through you so I probably already know it…"
Lily threw a stuffed bear at her, but since Chase had a reflector spell on her, it bounced back and hit Lily in the face.
Lily removed the stuffed toy, barely comprehending that her attempt had backfired. "I still can't believe you've been doing that for two years and you never told me," she said, shaking her head.
Chase shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah? Well, I didn't even know you too well back then, so I guess I just…didn't trust you enough."
Lily was on the verge of throwing a pillow at her but caught herself in time. She broke into a wicked smile. "If I told the guys your secret--"
"Don't even think about it!" Chase shot back, her tone calm but her eyes slightly shifting. "Look, if you tell them that, I am personally going to make sure that you don't live long after it…"
"Okay, okay," Lily laughed. "I'll never tell them. Swear to my honor as a witch." She held up one hand in mock salute.
"Loser," Chase chided.
"Moron," Lily retorted. They both laughed.
It felt good to be able to still do that even if one's heart was breaking.
*****
Monday was pretty much normal…as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts. Chase still hadn't taken off the Japanese curse on Snape.
That was why she was greeted first thing in the morning with "Ohayou gozaimasu, Chase-chan!" ("Good morning, Chase!")
Chase stared at him. "What's so good about it?" she said to him. Snape looked at her blankly and Chase just shook her head.
Lily laughed all the way to their table. "He's still at it! Say Chase, I think you did that spell wrong, I thought putting a curse on him for a good two weeks would make him hate you like hell?"
"Well, I've never been that good with charms… I think there must have been slight alterations," Chase said thoughtfully. "Oh no, I think I did the Japanese Love Charm on him…"
Lily burst out laughing again.
"Watashi wa anata no kami ga suki desu," Snape proclaimed from across the room. Even Sirius, who was under the effects of the Love Potion, turned from Maxine to Snape, a smirk on his face. The others looked from Snape to Chase
"Sukijanai, baka!" Chase shot back. Snape looked crestfallen. (Correct me if I'm wrong: Snape said "I like you," and Chase said the opposite--"I don't like you, idiot!" Sorry if the words aren't flexible, it's hard not being Japanese and writing Japanese phrases ^_^;)
"Naze ikenai no ka?" Snape asked. ("Why not?" Yeesh, that was long. Give me English anytime)
Chase didn't gratify him with an answer. (Okay…so I don't know what "Because you're ugly" is in Niponggo… happy?)
The rest of Chase's friends looked confused, too. (They don't get to see my translations, lol)
"What did he say?" James and Remus chorused.
"What did you say?" Celeste demanded.
"If I told you, then you would just--" She shrugged. "Never mind."
"Chase accidentally did the Japanese Love Charm on him," Lily informed them. They too started laughing.
"So that's why! What'd he say, I love you eternally?" James snickered. Chase gave him a death glare.
"Want me to do a Chinese curse on you, Jamie?" she said sweetly. James stopped laughing.
"But how could you understand him?" Lily asked.
"My dad took me to Japan when I was about…seven. We stayed there two years since he had a lot of business with the Japanese Ministry of Magic, so I learned some Japanese there." Chase shrugged. "But I forgot all about it now… The only stuff I remember are the stupid song lyrics of dad's Japanese helper that she sings all day long. It drove me crazy then," she laughed.
"Uh-oh, we'd better get to class early, we've got Potions triple period…" Celeste said with a groan.
"Don't moan, it's good practice for the potion we're making," Lily said. "C'mon, guys!"
They reached the dungeons with five minutes left. The rest of the class was there, and so was Ridgewood.
"Well, well, well, late again?" Ridgewood said with a cold smile.
"Actually, we aren't, sir," Chase said automatically. "There're still five minutes left before class starts, so technically we aren't late…"
"But how come the rest of your classmates reached this class earlier than you did. Loitered, perhaps? That is against the school rules…twenty points from Gryffindor." Ridgewood turned and stalked back into the class.
"Rotten son of a bitch," Sirius said bitterly as they entered the classroom.
"Fucking Slytherin scum," James said at the same time.
They skulked into their seats, knowing it was useless to fight back authority unless they had another authority figure with them to defend their case.
"Today we are going to discuss…Love Potions," Ridgewood said in a silky voice. "Yes, at different levels, of course. I will assign a certain type for each group. The hardest potion will be done by a group with the most number of people, so I don't want to hear anybody complaining that someone else's group has an easier potion to make than them. Snape, copy this potion on the board," he commanded in a much friendlier tone.
"Hai, Ridgewood-sensei," Snape said, jumping up. ("Yes, Professor Ridgewood.") He stared hard at the parchment in his hand and went up to the board to copy it.
"Tarlise!" Ridgewood boomed at her. She quickly hid her sketch of Ridgewood with bloody daggers piercing his head.
"Yes, Professor?" she asked innocently.
"Did I or did I not tell you to undo the curse you have done to my student?!" he yelled at her.
Chase smirked. "I don't believe so, sir. Actually you were more like shouting it to the whole Hall back then, and the Headmaster reprimanded you for acting so uncivilized and immature toward such a very simple matter--"
The Gryffindors all snickered and sneered, the Slytherins glared back at them. Ridgewood's face darkened.
"I will not have students talking back to me, Tarlise!" Ridgewood barked at her. "Fifty points from Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindors exclaimed in outrage while the Slytherins cheered. Seventy points all in one period from Gryffindor put them only fifty points ahead of Slytherin. And the way this was going, that fifty points could be tarnished quicker than they could say anything.
"But, Professor!" Martin Kimball protested.
"That's not fair!" Peter said indignantly.
"Hold your tongues, you insolent brats," Ridgewood snarled at them.
There was a knock on the door, and Dumbledore came in. The Gryffindors stopped complaining and the Slytherins stopped making rude signs at them.
"What is it, Headmaster?" Ridgewood said nervously.
"I am sorry to inform you, my dear students," Dumbledore said, "But unfortunately, the Ministry has forbidden you to learn how to make Love Potions. I'm afraid it has been banned because of certain severe cases that the Ministry has found complicated to undo… And it seemed a bad idea to teach the young how to make it. You might want to try another potion for this lesson, Tiernan, I have quite a number of brews listed here…"
Chase raised her hand. "Headmaster?"
"Yes, Chase," Dumbledore said kindly.
"I would just like to lodge a complaint against Professor Ridgewood, who took fifty points from Gryffindor just because I recalled what he told me when I did magic in the Hall last week," she said bluntly. Ridgewood looked enraged but Dumbledore hushed him with a wave of his hand.
"Certainly his decision was justified," Dumbledore reasoned. "Is there any reason against this?"
"Yes, there is, Professor. I told him about how you explained rationally the situation and of how he shouldn't have taken twenty more points for Gryffindor--"
"She did no such thing!" Ridgewood burst out. "Headmaster, this child has spoken back to a teacher! She cannot be treated with equal respect until she learns to respect others herself!"
"I simply answered the question you had asked me, Professor," Chase said coldly. "And I am not a child."
"Yeah, and he took twenty points from Gryffindor just because the seven of us arrived five minutes before classes start!" James added, putting on an innocent-but-unjustly-accused front.
"Is this true, Tiernan?" Dumbledore asked, frowning at the Potions teacher.
"Yes, it was!!!" the furious Gryffindors replied in unison.
"No, it wasn't!!!" the Slytherins roared back.
Snape, who was writing Japanese characters on the board, also joined in. "Iie! Yada!" ("No"…..)
"Tiernan, I think you should take back the points you have deducted. These students have logical reasons for their behavior, I do think you must learn to tolerate more," Dumbledore said firmly. "Well, that is all. Oh yes, let us give twenty more points to Gryffindor for their courage and standing up for their rights... Slytherins, please try to be more courteous to your fellow classmates, be they House mates or not. Carry on, then." And he left.
Sirius smirked and raised his hand. "Professor, I think Snape's finished writing," he said. Ridgewood whirled around and saw neat Japanese characters all over his blackboard.
"What is this?!" Ridgewood exploded.
"I think it's Hiragana," Chase said, squinting at the letters. "Or maybe Katakana… I don't really know how to tell Japanese letters apart…"
"I was not asking you, Tarlise!" Ridgewood growled at her. "But I do command you this: revert Snape back to his old self!!!"
"Sir, I believe that is undoable. It lasts for two weeks, tops," Chase said matter-of-factly. "And Professor Dumbledore said it was okay and you shouldn't deduct any more points from Gryffindor because of it--"
"I will have none of your stubbornness!!! OUT!!!" Ridgewood yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing at the doorway.
"Who said I was giving you some?" Chase grumbled, but got off her stool, grabbed her cauldron, extinguished the fire she had made like the rest, and stalked out, but not before turning back around. "And I hate Potions! Way more than Transfiguration ever will…" She slammed the door.
"Ja ne, Chase-chan!" Snape called. ("Later, Chase!")
Chase cracked the door open slightly. "Urusai, buta!!!" ("Shut up, pig!") They heard her footsteps echoing down the damp, dark corridor.
*****
Lunchtime came. Thankfully, Ridgewood had enough sense to group the six together now that he knew they had Dumbledore's trust. They (except Sirius) met up with Chase, who had obviously already eaten by the look of her plate.
"Itadakimasu!" Snape said, digging in to his food. (Let's eat!)
"Buy a life, Snape," Chase shot at him. Snape just smiled and waved back.
"Stupid git," Chase muttered, shaking her head as the group sat down.
"So I'm guessing you already ate," Lily said, pointing at her plate.
"Gee, what makes you think that?" Chase said sarcastically. "What took you guys so long? I had to restrain myself from hurling another curse at the resident oil factory, he was singing asinine prose all the way…" Chase groaned just as Snape was calling to her: "Watashi wa anata no tame ni ikite imasu…" ("I live because of you…" Talk about mush and sentimentality…)
"Anata ga iya ni narimashita," Chase retorted, grabbing a handful of peppermint humbugs on a bowl and throwing them up in the air, hexing them to make them pelt Snape. ("I'm tired of you.")
"Itai! Anata ga hitsuyo desu…" ("Ouch!" And he starts reciting again… "I need you…" ^_^;)
Chase rolled her eyes and slumped down on her chair. "One more week," she said to them. "One more week and he'll be off my case forever."
Remus raised his eyebrows. "But he still has crush on you, doesn't he?" he asked.
"Well, not after he finds out he's been talking Japanese for half a month and people start to talk about him behind his back, he won't," Chase confirmed.
The others shrugged and were silent for a few minutes, gobbling up lunch.
"Why are you all hurrying anyway? We have a free period after lunch," Chase pointed out.
"Yeah, but we've got to get that potion rolling so that Sirius can recover quickly," James explained.
"Sorry if I haven't been helping you guys," Chase apologized, looking glum again.
"Not at all! You don't have to do it with us, it'll just…" Peter trailed off.
"It's okay, Pete, you can say whatever you want to say," Chase said, smiling slightly at him. "I don't even know if I want to get together with him again after all this is over." She stared out at the Ravenclaw table, where Maxine was feeding Sirius off a spoon.
"Yecccchhh, look at them, they're so gross," Celeste said disgustedly. "I can't ever imagine Sirius going out with her for real. She's such a dirty whore. She's probably dated the entire male student population of Hogwarts above the third year."
"Even Arthur Weasley and those guys?" James asked her, cracking a sardonic smile.
"We-ell, there may be some exceptions, since he's Molly Duncan's already," Celeste said offhandedly.
"Yeah, he's whipped," Lily said with a snicker, watching Molly lecture Arthur not to be influenced by his fellow classmates who read pornographic magazines.
"And that's what Jamie's gonna be years from now," Celeste said. "I can imagine it already… 'James, run down to the store and buy more diapers for Jeremy, Justin and James Jr., and don't forget to pick up my dress robes from the dry cleaners…'" she said in a high-pitched tone higher even than hers. It even made Chase laugh.
"Oi! I do not talk like that!" Lily protested.
"Yep, and James'll say, 'Lily, dear? Can I just relieve my bladder first? I've just been to the jewelry shop, buying the sapphire necklace you'd always wanted… Lily? Is it okay for me to breathe?" Remus taunted in a deep voice.
"'Sapphire! What were you thinking, James Forsythe Potter! I specifically told you to buy ruby, not sapphire! Are you color blind? Go back to that store and exchange it!'" Celeste said, starting to laugh.
"'Yes, love, I'll go right away, don't worry,'" Remus said. The two of them chuckled together.
"I'll murder you," James threatened him, his face ominous. But that just caused the couple to laugh more.
"Let's get back to the dormitory, guys," Chase said. "Leave these lunatics alone…"
"Yeah, some of us have better priorities to uphold, like helping our friend get her boyfriend back," James said loudly. Remus and Celeste instantly stopped.
"You don't have to make me sound like a complete victim," Chase said irritably.
"Nonsense," Lily tutted. "We're going to help you no matter what. C'mon, guys, it's time to get into the real schoolwork…"
"OI! Sirius! Come over here and help!" James called out, startling Sirius temporarily from his potion effects.
"Huh? What?"
James dragged him away from a disgruntled-looking Maxine. "Sorry, flavor-of-the-month, but lover boy has…better things to do," he said carefully. "Toodles!"
And he pushed him out of the Hall.
"Anata wa watashi ga aisuru tado hitori no hito desu…" Snape sang. ("You are my one and only love…")
"Nan to osshamashita ka?" Chase said back with narrowed eyes. ("What did you say?")
"Aishiteru," Snape declared. ("I love you.")
Chase exhaled. "Sukijanai!" ("Well, I hate you!")
"Anata o nakaseru yo na koto wa shimasen." ("I won't let you cry.")
Chase smirked. "Kyomi ga nai kara desu, do'aho," she said, shaking her head in disbelief at him. ("I'm not interested in you, asshole." Lol)
"Kunishimasen," Snape said firmly. "Watashi ni chansu o ataete kudasai…" ("I don't care. Please give me a chance…")
"Tondemo nai!" Chase said sharply. ("Never!" corny… dunno anymore, my brain's on a dead end) "Anata wa watashi no taipu ja arimasen." ("You're not my type, anyway." Okay, so 'anyway' isn't supposed to be in there, but the sentiment still stands.)
"Nanimokamo anata ni agemasho," Snape pleaded. ("I'll give you everything.")
"Okamai naku," Chase said. ("Don't bother.) She almost wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. Her worst enemy was in love with her, but the one she loved didn't give a damn. Fate sure worked in funny ways. "Naze ikimasen ka, Snape." ("Why don't you go, Snape?)
"Demo…" Snape said quietly. ("But…")
Chase shook her head and walked away.
"Chotto matte!" Snape called. ("Wait!")
Chase turned around just in time to catch a stunning silver chain with a moon-shaped diamond pendant. "What the--"
"Gomen nasai," Snape apologized. (so obviously that means "I'm sorry…")
Chase sighed, then smiled. "I can't have this," she shook her head, handing it back, but Snape wouldn't take it.
"Daijoubu," he said. ("Don't worry.")
Chase pocketed it slowly, aware that this was just the effect of the charm. She'd just give it back when it wore off. Anyway, even Snape, the ultimate slimeball of the universe, deserved to give it to someone who would love him back as much as he loved her. Chase just couldn't be that person. No way in hell. "Arigato gozaimasu," she said tentatively. ("Thank you.")
"Do itashimashite," Snape said sincerely. ("You're welcome.")
*****
A/N - Yep, sorry for the sentimentality, but how am I supposed to write it in another, less dramatic way when I don't even fully understand Japanese? It's not like I can learn it straight from a book…but I swear that this is the last scene with Japanese language. And Chase and Snape are not getting together.
Oh yeah, just to keep you interested…
What is Chase's biggest secret? Actually, I'm supposed to write it in the next chapter, but I don't know if I can keep it short enough… Think I should just end it until chapter 20-something…is that too long? Anywayz, REVIEW!!! Do I have to say it in Japanese to get some? Onegai, onegai, onegai… Yes, I am pathetic…