Chapter 3 ~ And So It Begins
She was the first person in her house to arrive at breakfast the next morning, but wasn't surprised to find Severus waiting for her in the corridor outside the Great Hall. "Mur, you've got to write to your mother," he said stiffly as he walked with her to her table. "She'll come and work the whole thing out."
"Are you nuts? I'll probably get a howler this morning as it is!"
"Then write Papa," he said quickly. He'd called Mur's dad Papa since they were infants. He remembered hearing one of his aunts say that he'd said that before he'd said 'Dada,' which wasn't surprising, considering how often his father was home.
Muriel held up an envelope. "I have, but I didn't ask him to change my house. You know he never would. I don't think he approves of most of Mother's friends as it is. He'll probably be thrilled that I'm not in Slytherin. I just wrote to ask him to break it to her for me."
Severus sat down beside her when they reached the end of the table, earning himself several glares from the Slytherin table. He ignored them. "So you're giving up?" He knew that would make her angry, but he really wanted her to try something else, anything else!
"NO! I'm not giving up. I'll just be a Slytherin living in the Ravenclaw dormitory, that's all."
"They won't accept you. It isn't like you can just come into our common room and study with me, the older kids would hex you every time. You heard Minchew. He's not the only one. I had to cast a silencing charm on Goyle last night too."
"Then we'll study in the library."
Severus sighed. Most of Muriel's house mates had arrived, and he didn't feel comfortable sitting there anymore, so he stood. She'd made up her mind. "Alright, Mur. I'll meet you there after classes today."
She nodded silently as the morning's mail arrived. When she got her class schedule, handed to her by a very cold Marisa, she was glad to see that she had Potions with the Slytherins. She'd never had much interest in Potions, but knew that Severus had dabbled in it. Maybe they could choose their own seats.
After potions was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, and then Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors.
By Halloween, life at Hogwarts seemed second nature to Muriel. She and Severus studied in the library every other night until it closed. Sev said he had to be in his common room sometimes, for appearance sake, but Mur felt no such need. She studied in the library every night, preferring it to the bunch of fools she called house mates, not that plenty of them didn't show up in the library anyway.
The Slytherins, taught by Severus' wand, had learned to stop hurling insults at her when she passed, and she came and went from his table during meals in peace. That's why she was surprised, on her way to the first Quiddich match of the year, to hear a sneering voice behind her say, "Don't touch the blood traitor, Avery, you might be contaminated."
She spun around with her wand pointed at the speaker so quickly that he managed to poke himself in the eye with it. It was Crabbe. He was half a head taller than her, but she didn't flinch as he grabbed her arm to keep himself from falling.
"Do you want to say that again, Crabbe?" she asked, her voice dangerous and low. The larger boy stuttered as Severus came running from the castle.
"He didn't mean you, Mur," Avery said. Muriel didn't let her eyes leave Crabbe, who knew better than to reach for his wand. Several other Slytherin boys had arrived by this time, but none of them said anything. Even some of the older students were less experienced duelers than Muriel was, as Severus had made clear to them in the last month.
"I don't recall giving you permission to use my nickname, Avery. Perhaps if you could perform a vanishing charm correctly you and I would be that close by now, but since you can't I suggest you call me Deesia." No one understood except Avery, who turned abruptly and left, his face glowing red.
She still hadn't lowered her wand when she heard a voice behind her. "He meant me, Deesia." She turned quickly. Crabbe, who was notoriously dull witted, knew enough to get out his wand as Sirius Black walked back to them from the pitch. Muriel was glad to hear Severus thinking fast behind her as well. For once, she was sure that the house she belonged in was on her side.
"Well, it is uncommon that a Black would end up in a house full of mudbloods," she said carelessly. Several of the boys behind her sniggered wickedly.
"Wasn't your mother a Karkaroff?" Black asked, smirking. He'd heard the term mudblood all his life, and wasn't surprised to hear her use it now. "I imagine your dear old mother's losing as much sleep as mine. We're in the same boat now, Deesia. You ought to lighten up."
He looked at the line of Slytherins that had formed behind her, and knew he was in a tight situation. Muriel couldn't feel any fear in him, and she was impressed. The boy was going to be a force to be reckoned with. That would make getting back at him for the pumpkin head curse that much more fun.
At this moment, Remus Lupin came running back toward them from the pitch. He stood slightly in front of Sirius.
"Get out of the way, Lupin," Muriel said quietly. "He deserves this." Remus shook his head.
Mur felt Severus step forward, but lowered her wand and put a hand on his arm. Then she smiled sweetly. She knew that there were a lot of hexes that weren't going to work on someone like Lupin, and if she let the Slytherins hex him, someone was sure to notice. She would keep his secret.
"You're lucky Lupin came to save you and not Potter." She felt the people behind her step back. Some of them were wondering if there was something special about Lupin that made him more dangerous than Black or Potter. Others, including Severus, were wondering why she liked the sickly looking blond so well.
"And why is that?" Black asked haughtily.
"Because if it had been Potter, you'd both be on the ground by now." She smirked at the strange expression on Lupin's face.
"Is there a problem here?" It was Professor Warrington, the Potions master and head of Ravenclaw house. He looked rather concerned to see one of his students in the midst of so many Slytherins. Ravenclaws weren't known for their ability to defend themselves. He walked right passed Sirius and Remus, hardly realizing that they were involved.
"No, Professor. We're just headed to the game," Mur said. She nodded to Severus, and they walked passed the bemused Professor together. He was even more confused later, to find her sitting in the Slytherin section, cheering someone else's house team.
She was the first person in her house to arrive at breakfast the next morning, but wasn't surprised to find Severus waiting for her in the corridor outside the Great Hall. "Mur, you've got to write to your mother," he said stiffly as he walked with her to her table. "She'll come and work the whole thing out."
"Are you nuts? I'll probably get a howler this morning as it is!"
"Then write Papa," he said quickly. He'd called Mur's dad Papa since they were infants. He remembered hearing one of his aunts say that he'd said that before he'd said 'Dada,' which wasn't surprising, considering how often his father was home.
Muriel held up an envelope. "I have, but I didn't ask him to change my house. You know he never would. I don't think he approves of most of Mother's friends as it is. He'll probably be thrilled that I'm not in Slytherin. I just wrote to ask him to break it to her for me."
Severus sat down beside her when they reached the end of the table, earning himself several glares from the Slytherin table. He ignored them. "So you're giving up?" He knew that would make her angry, but he really wanted her to try something else, anything else!
"NO! I'm not giving up. I'll just be a Slytherin living in the Ravenclaw dormitory, that's all."
"They won't accept you. It isn't like you can just come into our common room and study with me, the older kids would hex you every time. You heard Minchew. He's not the only one. I had to cast a silencing charm on Goyle last night too."
"Then we'll study in the library."
Severus sighed. Most of Muriel's house mates had arrived, and he didn't feel comfortable sitting there anymore, so he stood. She'd made up her mind. "Alright, Mur. I'll meet you there after classes today."
She nodded silently as the morning's mail arrived. When she got her class schedule, handed to her by a very cold Marisa, she was glad to see that she had Potions with the Slytherins. She'd never had much interest in Potions, but knew that Severus had dabbled in it. Maybe they could choose their own seats.
After potions was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, and then Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors.
By Halloween, life at Hogwarts seemed second nature to Muriel. She and Severus studied in the library every other night until it closed. Sev said he had to be in his common room sometimes, for appearance sake, but Mur felt no such need. She studied in the library every night, preferring it to the bunch of fools she called house mates, not that plenty of them didn't show up in the library anyway.
The Slytherins, taught by Severus' wand, had learned to stop hurling insults at her when she passed, and she came and went from his table during meals in peace. That's why she was surprised, on her way to the first Quiddich match of the year, to hear a sneering voice behind her say, "Don't touch the blood traitor, Avery, you might be contaminated."
She spun around with her wand pointed at the speaker so quickly that he managed to poke himself in the eye with it. It was Crabbe. He was half a head taller than her, but she didn't flinch as he grabbed her arm to keep himself from falling.
"Do you want to say that again, Crabbe?" she asked, her voice dangerous and low. The larger boy stuttered as Severus came running from the castle.
"He didn't mean you, Mur," Avery said. Muriel didn't let her eyes leave Crabbe, who knew better than to reach for his wand. Several other Slytherin boys had arrived by this time, but none of them said anything. Even some of the older students were less experienced duelers than Muriel was, as Severus had made clear to them in the last month.
"I don't recall giving you permission to use my nickname, Avery. Perhaps if you could perform a vanishing charm correctly you and I would be that close by now, but since you can't I suggest you call me Deesia." No one understood except Avery, who turned abruptly and left, his face glowing red.
She still hadn't lowered her wand when she heard a voice behind her. "He meant me, Deesia." She turned quickly. Crabbe, who was notoriously dull witted, knew enough to get out his wand as Sirius Black walked back to them from the pitch. Muriel was glad to hear Severus thinking fast behind her as well. For once, she was sure that the house she belonged in was on her side.
"Well, it is uncommon that a Black would end up in a house full of mudbloods," she said carelessly. Several of the boys behind her sniggered wickedly.
"Wasn't your mother a Karkaroff?" Black asked, smirking. He'd heard the term mudblood all his life, and wasn't surprised to hear her use it now. "I imagine your dear old mother's losing as much sleep as mine. We're in the same boat now, Deesia. You ought to lighten up."
He looked at the line of Slytherins that had formed behind her, and knew he was in a tight situation. Muriel couldn't feel any fear in him, and she was impressed. The boy was going to be a force to be reckoned with. That would make getting back at him for the pumpkin head curse that much more fun.
At this moment, Remus Lupin came running back toward them from the pitch. He stood slightly in front of Sirius.
"Get out of the way, Lupin," Muriel said quietly. "He deserves this." Remus shook his head.
Mur felt Severus step forward, but lowered her wand and put a hand on his arm. Then she smiled sweetly. She knew that there were a lot of hexes that weren't going to work on someone like Lupin, and if she let the Slytherins hex him, someone was sure to notice. She would keep his secret.
"You're lucky Lupin came to save you and not Potter." She felt the people behind her step back. Some of them were wondering if there was something special about Lupin that made him more dangerous than Black or Potter. Others, including Severus, were wondering why she liked the sickly looking blond so well.
"And why is that?" Black asked haughtily.
"Because if it had been Potter, you'd both be on the ground by now." She smirked at the strange expression on Lupin's face.
"Is there a problem here?" It was Professor Warrington, the Potions master and head of Ravenclaw house. He looked rather concerned to see one of his students in the midst of so many Slytherins. Ravenclaws weren't known for their ability to defend themselves. He walked right passed Sirius and Remus, hardly realizing that they were involved.
"No, Professor. We're just headed to the game," Mur said. She nodded to Severus, and they walked passed the bemused Professor together. He was even more confused later, to find her sitting in the Slytherin section, cheering someone else's house team.