Chapter 5 ~ Payback
When classes resumed for the next term, Remus did find himself dodging hexes in the hallways more often than usual, but not more often than Sirius and James. At least Muriel wasn't trying to get him. She almost never missed, and Sirius was starting to get annoyed.
The Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Tantry, was at his wit's end. He had always looked forward to Gryffindor / Ravenclaw classes before this year. It was his own fault, he knew, since he'd insisted upon seating the students in alphabetical order. Black and Deesia. He should have known better. Since the very first day of classes neither of them had set down their wand for an instant. Even when all he asked them to do was READ, they still sat warily, using their wands as they read to underline the text, their wand tips pointed continuously at one another.
Professor Tantry brought a boggart to class in early February, and they spent a double lesson period taking turns casting the Ridikulous curse on it. Muriel, who had read the section in the book before class, had learned that it was possible to cast the curse on humans as well, if you chose something harmless enough.
When Sirius faced the boggart, and it turned into a werewolf, Muriel heard Remus gasp behind her. No wonder he didn't get along with his roommates. She quickly pictured her Aunt Rosa's floppy Italian hat, bushy eyebrows, and flowered, strapless sundress. When Sirius had finished with the boggart, she pointed her wand at him and whispered, "Ridikulous!"
His wardrobe changed abruptly from the traditional black Hogwarts robes to a pink and orange flowered sundress and a huge straw hat. The entire class laughed so loudly that the boggart disappeared with a pop.
Sirius, however, was not amused. His wand arm shook as he rounded on Muriel. "FIX THIS!" he bellowed. Muriel was laughing so hard she could hardly hold her wand. Professor Tantry intervened immediately, but there was no spell to change his clothes back, so he sent him scampering up to Gryffindor tower to change, after several amusing attempts to help him.
"30 points from Ravenclaw, Deesia, and detention for a week." Professor Tantry was beside himself. "Beginning tonight at 8."
"It was worth it," she whispered to Remus, still chuckling, as they filed out of class. She was grabbed by the arm in the doorway, however, by Marisa Ahles.
"What do you mean, losing 30 points was worth it?!"
As her dorm mates surrounded her, she started to look annoyed. "Oh come on, I earned you far more than 30 last term alone! Surely I'm allowed to burn a few for a joke that good!"
In spite of herself, Marisa laughed a little. The other girls calmed a bit too. "Alright, it was pretty funny," she admitted. It was the first time Marisa had dared to talk to the girl, and she was glad that Muriel hadn't just called her a mud blood and stalked away. Maybe Muriel wasn't such a rotten Slytherin after all.
Mur turned back to Remus, but kept her mind on Marisa. She'd made the mistake early on of calling Kyle, the 2nd year Ravenclaw who always got on her nerves, a filthy mud blood. Everyone in the common room had gotten very quiet and she'd learned quickly that using that term was bad form. Her mother said it in normal conversation, but she'd been too proud to explain. Maybe today would be a good time. She mentally set aside an hour tonight to talk with Marisa and apologize to Kyle.
"So, who would have thought Black was afraid of werewolves?" she asked lightly. Remus looked up sharply as she continued. "I mean, it isn't like they're dangerous all the time, and all it takes is a little responsibility to make sure they aren't dangerous at all." He stayed silent. She knew better than to ask him what he was afraid of. Her stunt had kept him from having to face the boggart, which was probably for the best. Professor Tantry would have certainly learned his secret if a full moon had appeared before him.
They walked toward the Great Hall, Remus looking at the floor. Muriel felt bad that Sirius' fear was affecting her only Gryffindor friend so strongly. She saw Lucius Malfoy, a 4th year, up ahead with Narcissa Black tagging along behind him, and had an idea. "You know, people overcome their fears on a pretty regular basis. The boggart probably would have turned into Malfoy for me, and look!"
She raised her wand and whispered a spell to turn his beautiful blond hair purple. Then she pocketed her wand and walked right passed him with a straight face, pretending not to notice. When they got to her place at the table, and she was sure that Lucius didn't know it was her, she leaned over to whisper in Remus' ear. "And if a Ravenclaw can do it, certainly a Gryffindor can." She winked at him as he looked at her with wide eyes. She thought for sure he'd leave, and that she'd given the whole thing away, but to her surprise, he sat down beside her with a thump.
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.
"Well, you didn't get to face the boggart. Isn't that why you're so quiet, because you're scared?" She kept her voice even, not wanting to taunt him. Still, this was all she could think of to keep him from realizing that she knew.
"I'm not SCARED!" he said suddenly. But the feeling she got from him wasn't indignation. It was relief. As he walked smartly away, she smiled to herself. Maybe he'd remember what she said and apply it to Black anyway.
She jumped as Severus sat down heavily beside her. "What are you doing with that prat?" he asked sullenly. She laughed and told him the whole story of what she'd done to Black. It improved his mood greatly. "Well, you finally got back at him for the pumpkin head," he exclaimed, grinning.
"Yeah, but it's not over," a cold voice said behind them. Sirius, dressed once again in his school robes and flanked by Potter and Pettigrew, stood rigidly behind Muriel. He laid a shaking hand on her shoulder. "Not by a long shot."
When classes resumed for the next term, Remus did find himself dodging hexes in the hallways more often than usual, but not more often than Sirius and James. At least Muriel wasn't trying to get him. She almost never missed, and Sirius was starting to get annoyed.
The Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Tantry, was at his wit's end. He had always looked forward to Gryffindor / Ravenclaw classes before this year. It was his own fault, he knew, since he'd insisted upon seating the students in alphabetical order. Black and Deesia. He should have known better. Since the very first day of classes neither of them had set down their wand for an instant. Even when all he asked them to do was READ, they still sat warily, using their wands as they read to underline the text, their wand tips pointed continuously at one another.
Professor Tantry brought a boggart to class in early February, and they spent a double lesson period taking turns casting the Ridikulous curse on it. Muriel, who had read the section in the book before class, had learned that it was possible to cast the curse on humans as well, if you chose something harmless enough.
When Sirius faced the boggart, and it turned into a werewolf, Muriel heard Remus gasp behind her. No wonder he didn't get along with his roommates. She quickly pictured her Aunt Rosa's floppy Italian hat, bushy eyebrows, and flowered, strapless sundress. When Sirius had finished with the boggart, she pointed her wand at him and whispered, "Ridikulous!"
His wardrobe changed abruptly from the traditional black Hogwarts robes to a pink and orange flowered sundress and a huge straw hat. The entire class laughed so loudly that the boggart disappeared with a pop.
Sirius, however, was not amused. His wand arm shook as he rounded on Muriel. "FIX THIS!" he bellowed. Muriel was laughing so hard she could hardly hold her wand. Professor Tantry intervened immediately, but there was no spell to change his clothes back, so he sent him scampering up to Gryffindor tower to change, after several amusing attempts to help him.
"30 points from Ravenclaw, Deesia, and detention for a week." Professor Tantry was beside himself. "Beginning tonight at 8."
"It was worth it," she whispered to Remus, still chuckling, as they filed out of class. She was grabbed by the arm in the doorway, however, by Marisa Ahles.
"What do you mean, losing 30 points was worth it?!"
As her dorm mates surrounded her, she started to look annoyed. "Oh come on, I earned you far more than 30 last term alone! Surely I'm allowed to burn a few for a joke that good!"
In spite of herself, Marisa laughed a little. The other girls calmed a bit too. "Alright, it was pretty funny," she admitted. It was the first time Marisa had dared to talk to the girl, and she was glad that Muriel hadn't just called her a mud blood and stalked away. Maybe Muriel wasn't such a rotten Slytherin after all.
Mur turned back to Remus, but kept her mind on Marisa. She'd made the mistake early on of calling Kyle, the 2nd year Ravenclaw who always got on her nerves, a filthy mud blood. Everyone in the common room had gotten very quiet and she'd learned quickly that using that term was bad form. Her mother said it in normal conversation, but she'd been too proud to explain. Maybe today would be a good time. She mentally set aside an hour tonight to talk with Marisa and apologize to Kyle.
"So, who would have thought Black was afraid of werewolves?" she asked lightly. Remus looked up sharply as she continued. "I mean, it isn't like they're dangerous all the time, and all it takes is a little responsibility to make sure they aren't dangerous at all." He stayed silent. She knew better than to ask him what he was afraid of. Her stunt had kept him from having to face the boggart, which was probably for the best. Professor Tantry would have certainly learned his secret if a full moon had appeared before him.
They walked toward the Great Hall, Remus looking at the floor. Muriel felt bad that Sirius' fear was affecting her only Gryffindor friend so strongly. She saw Lucius Malfoy, a 4th year, up ahead with Narcissa Black tagging along behind him, and had an idea. "You know, people overcome their fears on a pretty regular basis. The boggart probably would have turned into Malfoy for me, and look!"
She raised her wand and whispered a spell to turn his beautiful blond hair purple. Then she pocketed her wand and walked right passed him with a straight face, pretending not to notice. When they got to her place at the table, and she was sure that Lucius didn't know it was her, she leaned over to whisper in Remus' ear. "And if a Ravenclaw can do it, certainly a Gryffindor can." She winked at him as he looked at her with wide eyes. She thought for sure he'd leave, and that she'd given the whole thing away, but to her surprise, he sat down beside her with a thump.
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.
"Well, you didn't get to face the boggart. Isn't that why you're so quiet, because you're scared?" She kept her voice even, not wanting to taunt him. Still, this was all she could think of to keep him from realizing that she knew.
"I'm not SCARED!" he said suddenly. But the feeling she got from him wasn't indignation. It was relief. As he walked smartly away, she smiled to herself. Maybe he'd remember what she said and apply it to Black anyway.
She jumped as Severus sat down heavily beside her. "What are you doing with that prat?" he asked sullenly. She laughed and told him the whole story of what she'd done to Black. It improved his mood greatly. "Well, you finally got back at him for the pumpkin head," he exclaimed, grinning.
"Yeah, but it's not over," a cold voice said behind them. Sirius, dressed once again in his school robes and flanked by Potter and Pettigrew, stood rigidly behind Muriel. He laid a shaking hand on her shoulder. "Not by a long shot."