CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Mundungus Fletcher's Bad Move

As the Christmas Holidays approached, Professors Moody and McGonagall took it upon themselves to see that Roxanne would be ready for her second-year exams by the time the other students returned in January. It had been decided that they would concentrate on those skills she'd most likely need in the challenges that undoubtedly lay ahead. Roxanne was more than willing to give up Arithmancy and Herbology, but would miss History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy. With her preparations for potions classes, she had little spare time for extra reading. She had plenty of potions knowledge to easily outstrip most of the fourth years, but beyond that, it was a matter of learning as she went, making mistakes, learning to say "I don't know," when a student had a difficult question.

Once again she could often be found with books and parchment spread over a large area of the Gryffindor table, more often than not researching the answers to questions raised by her older students. Professor McGonagall demanded her early morning hours, Professor Moody her evenings. Somewhere in between she managed to teach a few students a little something. She hoped it would be adequate.

The first day of Holidays, Roxanne found Remus standing at the top of the Grand Staircase looking down at the milling students, packed and ready to leave for Hogsmeade station. She stood by him, silent, leaning on the banister and watching as well.

"Dumbledore expects to see less than half of them return after the Holidays," he said quietly, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm sure the ones worth having will be back," she said with a shrug.

"I don't doubt that. But they all need to be here. They're not ready for what lies ahead. I don't suppose any of us are."

Roxanne snorted. "I know I'm not. But I remember someone telling me once," she said nudging him gently, "that courage comes when you need it. Maybe they'll have what they need when it counts."

Lupin looked at her and nodded with a hopeful smile. "By the way," he said, looking very serious, "speaking of courage-Professor Moody wants to test you the day after tomorrow. He's asked Sirius and I to help."

"The day after tomorrow?! I thought I had until the thirty-first!"

"Apparently Moody thinks you're ready. He sees no point in putting it off."

Roxanne groaned. "Do you know what he has planned?"

Lupin chuckled. "I know exactly what he has planned. But I won't tell you."

"Come on. Please?" she said leaning closer to him and batting her eyelashes.

"Not a chance," he said smiling broadly, then walking away.

She stood looking at the students below. A flash of red hair caught her attention. Then an idea struck. "Fred! George!" she called loudly, hurrying down the stairs toward them.

**********

As it turned out, Harry Potter was the only student to stay behind for the Christmas Holidays that year. With the rising tensions in the wizard world, it seemed everyone, except Harry's aunt and uncle, wanted their children home. Harry had been invited to stay at the Weasley's, but declined, hoping instead to spend some time with his godfather. The two of them spent every spare minute talking, studying, playing chess, dining together. They were nearly inseparable. Roxanne noticed them talking secretly, looking in her direction more often than she was comfortable with. Sirius would say something, look or point at her, they would laugh quietly and turn away. Remus seemed to be in on their joke as well. Roxanne suspected it had something to do with Moody's test, but she couldn't be certain.

Harry eagerly joined in on her lessons when invited, mastering advanced skills under Moody and Remus' tutoring, even learning a few chess strategies from Roxanne. He was anxious to try them out on Ron when he returned. The other teachers, along with Mundungus Fletcher and Arabella Figg, drilled and coached her constantly. She couldn't escape them-it seemed they were everywhere. She often used the excuse that she had work to do, and would sneak off to the potions classroom, lock herself in, and lie on the worktables, enjoying the silence.

After breakfast on the day before her exam, she skirted around a corner to avoid Professor Flitwick and hurried to the potions classroom, only to find Mundungus Fletcher there. The sound of clinking glass coming from the storeroom gave him away. Roxanne found him removing, sorting, and rearranging the hundreds of bottles that she and Professor Snape had so meticulously organized the previous summer. The dustbin was nearly full of ingredients he didn't approve of, and a large sheet of parchment had scribbled lists of others he apparently intended to acquire.

Roxanne rushed in and blocked him from attacking the last untouched set of shelves. "What are you doing?!" she shrieked.

Fletcher looked at her haughtily. "I am doing you a favor, young lady. Severus is a brilliant potions master, but he was never much for organization," he tutted, stepping forward and trying to brush her aside.

But her feet were planted firmly, her teeth gritted, and her eyes afire. "Don't even think about it!" she hissed, glaring at him, with all the fury she could muster. "I'm potions teacher! This is my classroom! Now, get out!"

"Come now. I was only-" he began.

"GET OUT!" she roared, pointing him furiously to the door.

He narrowed his eyes at her and snorted, before storming out, muttering something about ' uncouth Americans,' 'foolish young pups' and 'seeing what the Headmaster would have to say about all this.' Roxanne was too exasperated to feel sorry for Dumbledore. She surveyed the mess. Her anger bubbled up into a frustrated roar at the thought of the hours she would waste restocking the shelves.

The dustbin smoked with a potentially dangerous mix of substances, at least one of which she recognized as an ingredient she needed to make another batch of Lupin's potion next week. That meant another trip to Diagon Alley. She groaned and cursed Mundungus Fletcher under her breath, hissing words that would have made Professor McGonagall very unhappy with her.

But she set to work replacing bottles and jars in their proper places. When Roxanne didn't show for lunch that afternoon, Remus came looking for her, balancing a heaping plate of sandwiches, a jug of pumpkin juice, and a steaming bowl of soup in his hands. He sensed her fury and wisely kept silent until the food was securely placed on the table. Still silent, he leaned against the doorframe and watched. She kept working, ignoring him, straining to keep herself from unleashing her anger on him, wishing she could do unspeakably horrible things to Fletcher.

Remus knew a single word from him would likely set her off. But he was ready, and willing.

"Well?" he said calmly.

"WELL WHAT?!" she yelled. He hadn't realized how loud her voice could be. "'Well, it looks like Fletcher did a damned fine job of making your life a living hell!?' 'Well, you're doing a fantastic job without my help?!' 'Well, there's three BLOODY hours well spent?!'" She ranted on loudly for several minutes, kicking the dustbin several times, waving her arms wildly, threatening to throw a jar of wolfs bane across the room. But Remus grabbed her wrist and deftly replaced the wolfs bane with an empty jar which she flung to the stone floor, shattering it into thousands of glittering slivers of glass.

Finally she stopped, sat heavily in the chair, elbows on the table, head in her hands, breathing hard. Lupin returned to leaning in the doorway. "Feel better?" he asked.

"Is Fletcher still alive?" she hissed through gritted teeth.

Lupin chuckled softly. "Yes."

"Then no-I don't."

Remus laughed out loud. "I have a feeling he'll wish he were dead before you're through with him."

Roxanne dropped her head to the table with a loud 'thunk.' Remus fell silent as she took a deep breath and her shoulders began to shake. He stood and shifted his weight uncomfortably, not sure what to do, what to say. Had it been something he said?

"Roxanne-"

She looked at him, a huge smile on her face and exploded with a fit of laughter.

*********

Lupin swept up the glass while Roxanne ate hungrily. She was nearly finished with the storeroom. A row of jars on the table would still need re-filling.

"I need to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow-no, not tomorrow. Day after maybe. Can you come?" she asked.

"It should be no problem. But," he added hesitantly, "I'll only come if you let me buy you a drink at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Er," she began.

"I'm not asking for a date, unless you're OK with that," he stammered.

"It's not that. I'd love to have you buy me a drink. It's just--" She looked down into her soup. "I'm not sure I'm welcome in Tom's place yet. And, well-I don't drink-not anymore."

Remus looked at her oddly for a moment, then shrugged. "OK. How about hot cocoa at Florien Fortiscue's?"

She smiled broadly. "That sounds great!"

**********

Dinner that evening promised to be a tense gathering. Mundungus Fletcher scowled childishly at Roxanne when she came in with Lupin. Apparently his complaints to Dumbledore had not netted the results he hoped for. Sirius Black sat between Hagrid and Harry, refusing to meet Lupin's eye.

"What's up with him?" Roxanne asked Remus quietly when they had taken their seats at the round table. Remus poured them both a steaming cup of Wassail.

"It's nothing," he said with a slight frown. Roxanne knew they were old friends and it bothered her that they weren't getting along and that Remus wouldn't tell her why. But Remus obviously didn't want to discuss it and Sirius had become engaged in a conversation with Harry.

Throughout it all, Professor Dumbledore managed to keep the mood light and conversation interesting, even coaxing a laugh out of Mundungus Fletcher.

As desert was served, Professor Flitwick turned to Roxanne. "I understand you've been giving Harry some chess lessons," he said, a hint of approval in his voice.

Roxanne nodded. "Ron'll be surprised when he gets back."

"That boy needs a bit of a challenge," he said patting her arm.

"Chess?" broke in Fletcher. "My, it's been ages since I've played a good game of chess. Difficult to find a challenging opponent these days."

"Mundungus fancies himself quite the chess master, Roxanne," bubbled Flitwick, winking meaningfully at her. "Perhaps you could play him a game." Flitwick leaned in close and whispered, "He could certainly stand to learn a thing or two from you."

"I should be happy to play," cooed Fletcher condescendingly.

Roxanne nodded. "Anytime. I'm always up for a game."

"Why not now?" Flitwick urged with a gleam in his eye.

Roxanne looked at Fletcher, giving him the first say. Many around the table fell silent and waited for his response.

"Of course," he said. "I shall need to borrow a chess set."

"Me too," Roxanne said to curious stares from several. "May we impose on you, Professor Flitwick?"

"Certainly," he said patting her arm again. "You know where I keep them don't you?"

Roxanne nodded and hurried off to Flitwick's office. Sirius rose and strode over to Lupin.

"Well?" Sirius said coolly.

"She agreed," returned Lupin.

"I see," said Black, his eyes sparking angrily.

"It's a date, Sirius. You're acting as if it's the end of the world," Remus whispered impatiently.

"She's distracting you," Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"You're damned right she is. You could stand with a bit of a distraction yourself Sirius," Lupin whispered angrily. Black turned and swept back to his side of the table where Harry sat looking at them curiously. But Sirius declined to explain when Harry asked about it. Dumbledore saw the exchange as well and he frowned at both of them.

Roxanne returned with the chess sets and Professor Flitwick's board. The others made a space so she and Fletcher could sit near each other. She noticed that Lupin seemed glummer than before. A quick glance at Sirius told her why. She said nothing to Remus as she set up her pieces.

"You first, my dear," said Fletcher sweetly, placing his last pawn on the board.

"I had a small wager in mind, Mr. Fletcher," she said. Everyone stopped, even Sirius, and looked at her quizzically.

Fletcher looked her up and down, as if he could gauge her chess ability by guessing her dress size. "What did you have in mind?" he said shrewdly.

"If I win, you stay OUT of the potions classroom."

"And if I win?"

"Name it," she said confidently.

Fletcher narrowed his eye and drummed the table with his short fingers. The feeling that the jaws of a steel trap were poised to snap him in half nagged at the back of his brain, but his ego wouldn't let him heed the warnings.

"Shall we say, hmm, 50 galleons?" he said, after thinking it over with an impudent scowl on his face.

Roxanne agreed without even taking time to consider the offer. She locked eyes with him and shook his hand, sealing the deal before a dozen witnesses.

Roxanne advanced her first pawn and Fletcher chuckled smugly. But it would prove to be his last moment of merriment that evening. It took Roxanne only twelve moves to check his king. Fletcher sat stunned, like a deer in the headlights of a car, staring at the board. Roxanne was up and cheerfully bidding everyone goodnight before striding out on Lupin's arm.