Chapter XIII - The Next Day
By next morning, the potion had turned the natural color again, and Ellie never got to see that something wrong had happened. She had spent the day busy trying the cheer Remus up, but he was, of course, very disappointed, to say the least, and so they had listened a lot of music but talked very little.
Still, when the morning came, Ellie decided to get him breakfast in bed. He was felling a bit better and when she tried to score a berry in his robes he actually smiled. After lunch, Remus, though still sad, was talking again.
"I don't know where I'll find a job now. I'll have to wait. Maybe other editors may forget what they read..."
"You could be my assistant." Ellie said.
"I'm not very good in potions."
"But you're very good in assisting me. And you could get me the ingredients and-"
"Maybe I could write for a newspaper under another name."
"You'd have to be a bastard to write to a newspaper." and she remembered Rita Skeeter again. "Ooooh, that cow!!"
There was a knock on the door. Ellie got up, still talking to Remus "If I could get my hands on her- Why, hello!"
Remus looked to see who had been knocking and ...it was Rita Skeeter!
"Ellie" he cried, getting up, but he was too late. She had already slapped Rita Skeeter's face. Rita was so affronted, obviously never expecting this, that she took a while to react. Then she hit Ellie with her crocodile handbag and a moment later they were both flying in the air, Rita grabbing Ellie by the hair and Ellie grabbing Rita by the neck. Remus ran outside to try and stop them. They were rolling on the ground, shouting and trying to strangle each other.
"Ellie stop!" but for more than he tried he couldn't get them separated and almost had his own head ripped off! He ran inside the house, picked his wand and shouted "Petrificus Totalus" at Rita who was now grabbing Ellie's robes while she was kicking her bottom's side. Rita immediately went rigid and Ellie still tried to kick her again, but Remus grabbed her.
"I'll kill her!" Ellie was shouting. "Let me kill her!" Then she looked at him, took a deep breath as if to calm down and said in a much softer voice "Remus, dear... let me kill her... hum... how about it?"
Remus was still very serious. "No."
"Oh, come on! Please?" she looked like she was asking for a candy.
"No!" and he dragged her to the door. Just before he entered he called "Finite Incantatem!" to Rita, who came to her feet again, and still pointing his wand he said "Go, now, before I let her finish you off. And don't come back."
Ellie was struggling in his arms "Don't you come back or I'll kill you!" Rita was looking murderous but Remus was still pointing his wand at her and she noticed Ellie was trying to get free. "Why don't get the hell out o' here and go to India, you cow?" Ellie was shouting "Then they might worship you, you big, fat-" but Rita Skeeter desapparated. Remus dragged Ellie inside the house, closed the door and forced her to sit on a chair. Ellie was now looking grumpy, as if they had ruined her birthday.
"Stay!" he said to her. He went into the lab and returned with the phoenix tears. He looked at her: lip cut, hair in a mess, sleeve ragged... and started giggling. A moment later he let out a heartily laugh.
"What?" she said, still looking extremely disappointed that Rita still had her life.
"You know what I always loved about you" he said, trying to control his own tears of laughter "even when we were at Hogwarts?"
Ellie looked up at him, annoyed.
"Your eloquence." And he started laughing again. Ellie broke down as well and smiled.
"I busted her ass, didn't I?"
"We've just bought a war, but yes, you sure kicked her butt!" Remus tried to control himself and he unscrewed the little tube and kneeled before her. "Now be a good girl and let me treat you. I bet you never though you would need phoenix tears for this."
By next morning, the potion had turned the natural color again, and Ellie never got to see that something wrong had happened. She had spent the day busy trying the cheer Remus up, but he was, of course, very disappointed, to say the least, and so they had listened a lot of music but talked very little.
Still, when the morning came, Ellie decided to get him breakfast in bed. He was felling a bit better and when she tried to score a berry in his robes he actually smiled. After lunch, Remus, though still sad, was talking again.
"I don't know where I'll find a job now. I'll have to wait. Maybe other editors may forget what they read..."
"You could be my assistant." Ellie said.
"I'm not very good in potions."
"But you're very good in assisting me. And you could get me the ingredients and-"
"Maybe I could write for a newspaper under another name."
"You'd have to be a bastard to write to a newspaper." and she remembered Rita Skeeter again. "Ooooh, that cow!!"
There was a knock on the door. Ellie got up, still talking to Remus "If I could get my hands on her- Why, hello!"
Remus looked to see who had been knocking and ...it was Rita Skeeter!
"Ellie" he cried, getting up, but he was too late. She had already slapped Rita Skeeter's face. Rita was so affronted, obviously never expecting this, that she took a while to react. Then she hit Ellie with her crocodile handbag and a moment later they were both flying in the air, Rita grabbing Ellie by the hair and Ellie grabbing Rita by the neck. Remus ran outside to try and stop them. They were rolling on the ground, shouting and trying to strangle each other.
"Ellie stop!" but for more than he tried he couldn't get them separated and almost had his own head ripped off! He ran inside the house, picked his wand and shouted "Petrificus Totalus" at Rita who was now grabbing Ellie's robes while she was kicking her bottom's side. Rita immediately went rigid and Ellie still tried to kick her again, but Remus grabbed her.
"I'll kill her!" Ellie was shouting. "Let me kill her!" Then she looked at him, took a deep breath as if to calm down and said in a much softer voice "Remus, dear... let me kill her... hum... how about it?"
Remus was still very serious. "No."
"Oh, come on! Please?" she looked like she was asking for a candy.
"No!" and he dragged her to the door. Just before he entered he called "Finite Incantatem!" to Rita, who came to her feet again, and still pointing his wand he said "Go, now, before I let her finish you off. And don't come back."
Ellie was struggling in his arms "Don't you come back or I'll kill you!" Rita was looking murderous but Remus was still pointing his wand at her and she noticed Ellie was trying to get free. "Why don't get the hell out o' here and go to India, you cow?" Ellie was shouting "Then they might worship you, you big, fat-" but Rita Skeeter desapparated. Remus dragged Ellie inside the house, closed the door and forced her to sit on a chair. Ellie was now looking grumpy, as if they had ruined her birthday.
"Stay!" he said to her. He went into the lab and returned with the phoenix tears. He looked at her: lip cut, hair in a mess, sleeve ragged... and started giggling. A moment later he let out a heartily laugh.
"What?" she said, still looking extremely disappointed that Rita still had her life.
"You know what I always loved about you" he said, trying to control his own tears of laughter "even when we were at Hogwarts?"
Ellie looked up at him, annoyed.
"Your eloquence." And he started laughing again. Ellie broke down as well and smiled.
"I busted her ass, didn't I?"
"We've just bought a war, but yes, you sure kicked her butt!" Remus tried to control himself and he unscrewed the little tube and kneeled before her. "Now be a good girl and let me treat you. I bet you never though you would need phoenix tears for this."