Part Nine:
I kept what I did with Lily a secret. It was just me and her that knew.
Oh, and Remus.
He confronted me the next day, in the Great Hall. Everyone had stumbled in for a late Sunday breakfast. "Can we talk? Alone?"
"Um...yeah." I felt my whole body turn cold. I knew what this was about.
"Look," he said, when we were alone, "I know what happened last night."
"Mooney, please don't-"
He held up a hand to stop me. "I know you made a mistake. You guys were drunk. We were all drunk." He gave me a smile. "James would understand. But I'm not gonna tell him."
"Thanks," I said, relieved. "Lil didn't really want it to, you know, get out..."
Remus nodded. "Yeah, she likes him."
Hearing it again made my heart ache. I nodded, and we went back into the Great Hall.
**************
My whole seventh year was a blur of nameless, faceless girls. I was caught many times making out in broom closets, given detention. When I was caught with McGonagall's fourth year niece, Trudy, I was nearly expelled.
I got a few N.E.W.T.s, and after school was over, I moved into the house I bought with the money my uncle left me. Mr. Potter got me and James jobs at the Ministry of Magic, just as assistants and stuff.
And guess who was working with me?
I was off running some errand for some asshole in Disposal of Magical Creatures when I ran into her. Not literally, but nearly: I saw her from behind the stack of papers she was carrying. I had to double back to make sure it was her. "Annie?"
She turned around in surprise, nearly dropping her sack of papers. No mistake: it was Ariande McPierson. "Sirius!" she cried, struggling to regain the balance of the stack.
"Here, let me take some of those."
"No, I've got it," she said hastily. She looked good: after graduation, she must've gotten her hair cut. It was short, with a little upturn at the tips. She wore makeup now, which she hadn't done in school.
"So, what're you doing here now?"
"Oh, I'm a secretary for the head of the Wizenmagot." She looked very smug, having an important boss. "How about yourself?"
"Well, Potter and I are just sorta, you know, errand boys."
She snorted a laugh.
"Sure you don't need help with those papers, then?"
"Oh, no. I've got them, really." She smiled at me. "See you around, then."
"Later."
Wow. After our breakup in the first year, she'd treated me like a mutant until year four. By that time, I was avoiding her. I guess she's over it, I thought happily.
Later, we ran into each other in the tea room, reaching for the sugar cubes at the same time. "Oh, no, go ahead," I said graciously.
"Thanks," she said, taking two cubes and stirring them into her tea. "So...where's Potter? I mean, James?"
"Oh, around." I was thinking that he had met up with Lily: she was working for the Ministry, too, and she and James had been dating for over a year. It hurt me to see them together, so I stayed away from them when I could.
"Well, would you like to join me for tea?"
"Alright." We sat at one of the small tables in the tea room, and she suddenly concentrated on her teacup like it was the most facinating thing she'd ever seen. Finally, I tried to make conversation. "So-"
"I never got to apologize," she said quickly.
"Oh? For what?"
"For the way I acted." She looked me in the eyes. "In the first year."
"Huh?" But I knew what she meant by now: I wanted her to say it.
"I know that I acted so stupid. I mean, accusing you like that. It was unfair, and I know it was ages ago, but I just haven't been able to stop thinking about it lately."
I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
"Well, my mum just died, you see."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, and I was thinking about, you know, unfinished business. And I didn't want to die without apologizing to everyone, even for something that happened ages ago." She smiled at me, and I wondered what her hangup was. As if reading my thoughts, she said, "I know I must sound insane."
"No, it's okay."
"So...what sort of career are you looking into?"
"Well, I don't really know," I admitted, taking a sip of my tea. "I was thinking about Muggle Relations or something, since I studied Muggles in school and all."
She nodded, as if she really cared. Then she checked the clock on the wall. It read GET BACK TO WORK. She smiled. "We better get going."
I turned. "Oh, it always says that."
She stood up. "I better get going, though. You know how those Wizenmagot farts get."
I laughed. I'd never heard her talk like that before. "Annie, do you wanna go out for dinner sometime?" I couldn't stop myself: the words tumbled out.
She looked thoughtful for a minute. "How about Friday?"
"Sure."
"We can meet at that new place on the corner...what's it called?"
"Grills and Charms," I said, naming the new all-Wizard resturant. "Sure. I'll make reservations for...seven?"
She nodded, smiled, and left.
We met at seven, and had a good time at dinner. I cringed when she ordered the most expensive things, but she must've seen it. "Oh, don't worry, Sirius," she said with a laugh. "I'm going to pay for my own."
"Oh, are you sure?" But I was realived: I couldn't cover it all.
"I'm a modern working witch, Sirius," she said. I bet that she read that magazine, "Working Modern Witch". But I nodded. She was being really funny, spouting off jokes and dissing on all the heads at the Ministry.
Near the end of the meal, she went to the bathroom. "Just get the bill when I'm gone, I'll give you the money when I get back."
I didn't see her again.
The total of the bill was nearly 50 galleons. I barely had enough for my own 15 galleon part of the meal. I couldn't sneak away: the resturant had an anti-Apparating charm on it. The host finally got sick of me. "You don't have the money, do you?"
"No, but...my date, she-"
I was forced to wash dishes for two hours, without magic, to help pay off what I couldn't afford of the meal. I wanted to kill Annie.
On Monday, it seemed that everyone at work had heard what happened. They were laughing at me, I could see it. "Ignore them," James said quietly as I was fuming.
I threw myself into my paperwork, only taking time off to go get a quick tea with Lily and James. For once, they weren't groveling over each other. Lily was sympathetic to me. "I knew Annie in school, she was such an arrogant little bitch."
"Shhhhh!" James said quickly. Lily was talking really loud. But she ignored him and put her hand on my arm. "She was always bitter about what happened between you two in the first year. I had to share a dormitory with her for years, she was always bad mouthing you-"
"Thanks, Lil," I said, rolling my eyes. She fell into an embarressed silence.
So had she done this because she really was bitter? What a freak!
I went back to my desk to find a post-it note on top of my stack of papers. I groaned as I read it. "Stupid bitch," I muttered, rolling it into a ball.
It read: REVENGE IS SWEET.
Now, Daphne was no longer the most psychotic girl I'd run into.
I kept what I did with Lily a secret. It was just me and her that knew.
Oh, and Remus.
He confronted me the next day, in the Great Hall. Everyone had stumbled in for a late Sunday breakfast. "Can we talk? Alone?"
"Um...yeah." I felt my whole body turn cold. I knew what this was about.
"Look," he said, when we were alone, "I know what happened last night."
"Mooney, please don't-"
He held up a hand to stop me. "I know you made a mistake. You guys were drunk. We were all drunk." He gave me a smile. "James would understand. But I'm not gonna tell him."
"Thanks," I said, relieved. "Lil didn't really want it to, you know, get out..."
Remus nodded. "Yeah, she likes him."
Hearing it again made my heart ache. I nodded, and we went back into the Great Hall.
**************
My whole seventh year was a blur of nameless, faceless girls. I was caught many times making out in broom closets, given detention. When I was caught with McGonagall's fourth year niece, Trudy, I was nearly expelled.
I got a few N.E.W.T.s, and after school was over, I moved into the house I bought with the money my uncle left me. Mr. Potter got me and James jobs at the Ministry of Magic, just as assistants and stuff.
And guess who was working with me?
I was off running some errand for some asshole in Disposal of Magical Creatures when I ran into her. Not literally, but nearly: I saw her from behind the stack of papers she was carrying. I had to double back to make sure it was her. "Annie?"
She turned around in surprise, nearly dropping her sack of papers. No mistake: it was Ariande McPierson. "Sirius!" she cried, struggling to regain the balance of the stack.
"Here, let me take some of those."
"No, I've got it," she said hastily. She looked good: after graduation, she must've gotten her hair cut. It was short, with a little upturn at the tips. She wore makeup now, which she hadn't done in school.
"So, what're you doing here now?"
"Oh, I'm a secretary for the head of the Wizenmagot." She looked very smug, having an important boss. "How about yourself?"
"Well, Potter and I are just sorta, you know, errand boys."
She snorted a laugh.
"Sure you don't need help with those papers, then?"
"Oh, no. I've got them, really." She smiled at me. "See you around, then."
"Later."
Wow. After our breakup in the first year, she'd treated me like a mutant until year four. By that time, I was avoiding her. I guess she's over it, I thought happily.
Later, we ran into each other in the tea room, reaching for the sugar cubes at the same time. "Oh, no, go ahead," I said graciously.
"Thanks," she said, taking two cubes and stirring them into her tea. "So...where's Potter? I mean, James?"
"Oh, around." I was thinking that he had met up with Lily: she was working for the Ministry, too, and she and James had been dating for over a year. It hurt me to see them together, so I stayed away from them when I could.
"Well, would you like to join me for tea?"
"Alright." We sat at one of the small tables in the tea room, and she suddenly concentrated on her teacup like it was the most facinating thing she'd ever seen. Finally, I tried to make conversation. "So-"
"I never got to apologize," she said quickly.
"Oh? For what?"
"For the way I acted." She looked me in the eyes. "In the first year."
"Huh?" But I knew what she meant by now: I wanted her to say it.
"I know that I acted so stupid. I mean, accusing you like that. It was unfair, and I know it was ages ago, but I just haven't been able to stop thinking about it lately."
I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
"Well, my mum just died, you see."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, and I was thinking about, you know, unfinished business. And I didn't want to die without apologizing to everyone, even for something that happened ages ago." She smiled at me, and I wondered what her hangup was. As if reading my thoughts, she said, "I know I must sound insane."
"No, it's okay."
"So...what sort of career are you looking into?"
"Well, I don't really know," I admitted, taking a sip of my tea. "I was thinking about Muggle Relations or something, since I studied Muggles in school and all."
She nodded, as if she really cared. Then she checked the clock on the wall. It read GET BACK TO WORK. She smiled. "We better get going."
I turned. "Oh, it always says that."
She stood up. "I better get going, though. You know how those Wizenmagot farts get."
I laughed. I'd never heard her talk like that before. "Annie, do you wanna go out for dinner sometime?" I couldn't stop myself: the words tumbled out.
She looked thoughtful for a minute. "How about Friday?"
"Sure."
"We can meet at that new place on the corner...what's it called?"
"Grills and Charms," I said, naming the new all-Wizard resturant. "Sure. I'll make reservations for...seven?"
She nodded, smiled, and left.
We met at seven, and had a good time at dinner. I cringed when she ordered the most expensive things, but she must've seen it. "Oh, don't worry, Sirius," she said with a laugh. "I'm going to pay for my own."
"Oh, are you sure?" But I was realived: I couldn't cover it all.
"I'm a modern working witch, Sirius," she said. I bet that she read that magazine, "Working Modern Witch". But I nodded. She was being really funny, spouting off jokes and dissing on all the heads at the Ministry.
Near the end of the meal, she went to the bathroom. "Just get the bill when I'm gone, I'll give you the money when I get back."
I didn't see her again.
The total of the bill was nearly 50 galleons. I barely had enough for my own 15 galleon part of the meal. I couldn't sneak away: the resturant had an anti-Apparating charm on it. The host finally got sick of me. "You don't have the money, do you?"
"No, but...my date, she-"
I was forced to wash dishes for two hours, without magic, to help pay off what I couldn't afford of the meal. I wanted to kill Annie.
On Monday, it seemed that everyone at work had heard what happened. They were laughing at me, I could see it. "Ignore them," James said quietly as I was fuming.
I threw myself into my paperwork, only taking time off to go get a quick tea with Lily and James. For once, they weren't groveling over each other. Lily was sympathetic to me. "I knew Annie in school, she was such an arrogant little bitch."
"Shhhhh!" James said quickly. Lily was talking really loud. But she ignored him and put her hand on my arm. "She was always bitter about what happened between you two in the first year. I had to share a dormitory with her for years, she was always bad mouthing you-"
"Thanks, Lil," I said, rolling my eyes. She fell into an embarressed silence.
So had she done this because she really was bitter? What a freak!
I went back to my desk to find a post-it note on top of my stack of papers. I groaned as I read it. "Stupid bitch," I muttered, rolling it into a ball.
It read: REVENGE IS SWEET.
Now, Daphne was no longer the most psychotic girl I'd run into.
