Chapter 4 ~ Christmas
The Christmas holiday rolled around more quickly than Muriel could have imagined. Severus went home, but she was staying. Her mother had been hit by an experimental spell, and her father had decided it was best for Muriel not to see the results.
Only a few of her house mates were staying, so Muriel was glad to be able to use the common room without much interruption. It beat lugging all her books downstairs. But shortly before lunch, Kyle, a second year boy, came downstairs and began playing exploding snap by the fire. Kyle's father was a pureblood, but his mother was a muggle. But more important than that, the boy was just extremely inconsiderate.
She packed up her books and headed to the library after all. It was deserted. She sat down gratefully and pulled out the beginnings of her History of Magic essay. She'd nearly finished when someone cleared his throat in front of her. "Lupin?" She had hardly spoken to him since just after Halloween.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Be my guest," she said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of her stack of books. She could hear his mind ticking off questions. He wanted to know what she knew, but he wasn't bold enough to come out and ask. She laughed to herself. Well, she could play dumb with the best of them. She had Crabbe to emulate.
"So," he said when she'd marked her page in the book and set it aside. "What did Sirius do to deserve the wrath of the entire Slytherin house?" She was impressed how collected he was now that the Sorting was over. Perhaps he'd been afraid that as a dark creature, he'd get shunted into Slytherin whether he belonged there or not. She longed to ask him, but didn't want to give away what she knew.
"Last year at the Malfoy family Halloween party he turned my head into a pumpkin and left with his parents before he fixed it." Muriel looked at him shrewdly. "Why didn't you just ask him?"
Remus was suddenly very uncomfortable. "We aren't getting along too well just now," he said vaguely. He couldn't tell her that his dorm mates were asking pointed questions about where he went every month, and he was avoiding them.
She nodded. Since he was silent, she pulled her History of Magic essay in front of her again and finished the last few inches from memory. Her mother had made her learn all this stuff years ago, and she didn't feel like looking it up again. She was pretty sure it was right.
"So, why would you hex James and not me?" he asked finally. She waved her essay in the air to dry the ink, thinking up an answer.
She leaned forward. "Well, Potter was foolish enough to throw a dung bomb at me just the week before the match, so I was already annoyed with him," she whispered. "And I'm going to get him back for it, too. I wouldn't walk with them in the hallways too often next term if I were you." She winked, and he looked relieved. "Where are the gits anyway?" she asked then.
"They went to James' house for Christmas. Peter went home too."
"So did Sev. Why don't you have lunch with me today? You'd be much better company that the giggling girls from my dorm."
"Because I'm on Snape's list?" Lupin asked suddenly. He remembered hearing about it from one of the older Gryffindors. Severus had a list of people who were acceptable to befriend.
Muriel was startled to find that he knew about that, and even more so that he had the guts to ask her. "No," she said quietly, never breaking a smile. "Because you don't giggle."
Remus and Muriel sat alone at one end of the Ravenclaw table. She was pretty sure that the few Slytherins remaining were staring at them. But the worst of them were all gone. This year the Averys were having the Christmas party, and everyone important was there. She was immensely thankful not to be included.
"I should warn you to be on your guard when everyone gets back," she said suddenly, reaching for a piece of pumpkin pie as it appeared in the center of the table.
Remus raised an eyebrow and she continued. "The goons will probably tell Severus I ate with you, and he was upset enough after I let you and Black go without hexing you."
He smiled. "If you're referring to the Slytherins as goons, then there's hope for you yet." They laughed, but then Remus became serious. "Aren't you a little young to have a boyfriend?"
"I don't have a boyfriend, but it's sort of understood that Severus and I will get married one day. We don't talk about it, though. It just makes him angry." She shuddered, remembering his response the last time she'd asked, and the punishment she'd given him for it. Remus was looking at her incredulously.
She was surprised that he didn't seem to understand. "You're from a pure blood family. Haven't they told you who they want you to marry? It's happened to everyone I know." Remus looked uncomfortably at the table. Marriage was a little bit more than any 11 year old boy was ready to discuss. He couldn't give her the real reason why his parents wouldn't dream of 'intending' him to someone.
But as he thought of it, she caught the gist. His parents didn't discuss that because he was a werewolf, and any marriage arrangement they came to would require the bride's family to know. She decided to get him off the hook.
"Well, you ARE a Gryffindor. Maybe your family doesn't set much stock by pure blood marriages." She smiled as he looked up, suddenly himself again.
"No, they really don't," he said, wishing he'd thought of that excuse sooner. He'd have to remember that one.
The Christmas holiday rolled around more quickly than Muriel could have imagined. Severus went home, but she was staying. Her mother had been hit by an experimental spell, and her father had decided it was best for Muriel not to see the results.
Only a few of her house mates were staying, so Muriel was glad to be able to use the common room without much interruption. It beat lugging all her books downstairs. But shortly before lunch, Kyle, a second year boy, came downstairs and began playing exploding snap by the fire. Kyle's father was a pureblood, but his mother was a muggle. But more important than that, the boy was just extremely inconsiderate.
She packed up her books and headed to the library after all. It was deserted. She sat down gratefully and pulled out the beginnings of her History of Magic essay. She'd nearly finished when someone cleared his throat in front of her. "Lupin?" She had hardly spoken to him since just after Halloween.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Be my guest," she said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of her stack of books. She could hear his mind ticking off questions. He wanted to know what she knew, but he wasn't bold enough to come out and ask. She laughed to herself. Well, she could play dumb with the best of them. She had Crabbe to emulate.
"So," he said when she'd marked her page in the book and set it aside. "What did Sirius do to deserve the wrath of the entire Slytherin house?" She was impressed how collected he was now that the Sorting was over. Perhaps he'd been afraid that as a dark creature, he'd get shunted into Slytherin whether he belonged there or not. She longed to ask him, but didn't want to give away what she knew.
"Last year at the Malfoy family Halloween party he turned my head into a pumpkin and left with his parents before he fixed it." Muriel looked at him shrewdly. "Why didn't you just ask him?"
Remus was suddenly very uncomfortable. "We aren't getting along too well just now," he said vaguely. He couldn't tell her that his dorm mates were asking pointed questions about where he went every month, and he was avoiding them.
She nodded. Since he was silent, she pulled her History of Magic essay in front of her again and finished the last few inches from memory. Her mother had made her learn all this stuff years ago, and she didn't feel like looking it up again. She was pretty sure it was right.
"So, why would you hex James and not me?" he asked finally. She waved her essay in the air to dry the ink, thinking up an answer.
She leaned forward. "Well, Potter was foolish enough to throw a dung bomb at me just the week before the match, so I was already annoyed with him," she whispered. "And I'm going to get him back for it, too. I wouldn't walk with them in the hallways too often next term if I were you." She winked, and he looked relieved. "Where are the gits anyway?" she asked then.
"They went to James' house for Christmas. Peter went home too."
"So did Sev. Why don't you have lunch with me today? You'd be much better company that the giggling girls from my dorm."
"Because I'm on Snape's list?" Lupin asked suddenly. He remembered hearing about it from one of the older Gryffindors. Severus had a list of people who were acceptable to befriend.
Muriel was startled to find that he knew about that, and even more so that he had the guts to ask her. "No," she said quietly, never breaking a smile. "Because you don't giggle."
Remus and Muriel sat alone at one end of the Ravenclaw table. She was pretty sure that the few Slytherins remaining were staring at them. But the worst of them were all gone. This year the Averys were having the Christmas party, and everyone important was there. She was immensely thankful not to be included.
"I should warn you to be on your guard when everyone gets back," she said suddenly, reaching for a piece of pumpkin pie as it appeared in the center of the table.
Remus raised an eyebrow and she continued. "The goons will probably tell Severus I ate with you, and he was upset enough after I let you and Black go without hexing you."
He smiled. "If you're referring to the Slytherins as goons, then there's hope for you yet." They laughed, but then Remus became serious. "Aren't you a little young to have a boyfriend?"
"I don't have a boyfriend, but it's sort of understood that Severus and I will get married one day. We don't talk about it, though. It just makes him angry." She shuddered, remembering his response the last time she'd asked, and the punishment she'd given him for it. Remus was looking at her incredulously.
She was surprised that he didn't seem to understand. "You're from a pure blood family. Haven't they told you who they want you to marry? It's happened to everyone I know." Remus looked uncomfortably at the table. Marriage was a little bit more than any 11 year old boy was ready to discuss. He couldn't give her the real reason why his parents wouldn't dream of 'intending' him to someone.
But as he thought of it, she caught the gist. His parents didn't discuss that because he was a werewolf, and any marriage arrangement they came to would require the bride's family to know. She decided to get him off the hook.
"Well, you ARE a Gryffindor. Maybe your family doesn't set much stock by pure blood marriages." She smiled as he looked up, suddenly himself again.
"No, they really don't," he said, wishing he'd thought of that excuse sooner. He'd have to remember that one.