Chapter 12 ~ Unforgivable
Muriel walked sullenly back from the library, her arms loaded with books. She wished Severus hadn't gone home for the Easter holiday. She wondered fleetingly if Remus had stayed. She'd barely talked with him since the end of their second year when he'd helped Black, Potter and Pettigrew pull a particularly painful prank on her. She wasn't angry anymore, though. She was just lonely. An entire week without Severus seemed like a long time, even if he had been acting strangely lately.
She was thinking so hard that she didn't realize anyone was near her until a heavy hand fell on her shoulder and spun her roughly around. Her books scattered. "Avery!" she exclaimed. "What do you want?"
He didn't answer, but put a hand on each of her shoulders and pushed her hard against the wall. Muriel's eyes closed involuntarily when her head hit the stone. She tried instinctively to reach for her wand, but he was too close. Desperate, she tried to shove him away.
"Well, Deesia, it looks like your beloved Snape is a little out of your reach this time," Avery sneered. "You filthy blood traitor. How does it feel not to have anyone to protect you for once?"
"If you're still sore about last year's Christmas party - " she began, intending to apologize for the huge block of ice that had knocked him out last year. She hoped it was that, and that he wasn't starting to remember THIS year's Christmas party.
But the tall 6th year Slytherin cut her off. "Funny you should bring it up. I was just thinking that maybe it was time to pick up where we left off."
Muriel's eyes widened. She had convinced herself that Avery hadn't meant anything by his crude remark. She turned her head as he bent to kiss her. "Get off me!" she exclaimed. She was painfully aware that being a Quiddich beater had made him an awful lot stronger than she was. If only she could get to her wand. She struggled harder, and the older boy laughed.
"Have you seen the Slytherin dormitories yet, Deesia? Maybe I could give you a little tour."
Muriel nearly wretched at the thoughts going through Avery's head as he took her by the wrists and pulled her back toward the library. She was panicking now. If she couldn't reach her wand, she wasn't going to be able to get away. She heard footsteps behind her, but couldn't turn to see who was there.
"Help me, please!" she called, but the footsteps only pounded away in the distance as Avery sniggered wickedly. She hadn't been able to get any idea who it was, feeling only a flash of surprise, and then fear. 'Probably afraid of Avery,' she thought angrily. But at just this moment she was afraid of Avery too. She strained against his grip, but it was no use.
"You know what'll really be fun?" Avery sneered when they finally reached the portrait that concealed the Slytherin common room. He pulled her wrists harder and she heard a sickening pop. She tried not to wince with the pain as she fell toward him.
"We'll use Snape's bed," he whispered.
But as he turned to the portrait to say the password, Muriel heard a whisper behind her. She ducked instinctively and felt a spell whiz over her head. Avery dropped her wrists and fell to the floor, eyes open, but unable to move.
Muriel spun on the spot, breathing heavily. No one was there. No one was anywhere nearby. She looked back down at Avery. Suppressing the urge to do him any serious damage, she ran toward the hospital wing. Her wrist throbbed painfully, but she paused on the stairs.
"Whoever you are, thank you," she whispered. She paused for a minute before adding, "again." No one answered.
But she already knew who he was. She didn't know how he had come to be there, or why he had helped her, but she knew that somewhere in that corridor, Sirius Black was standing under an invisibility cloak.
When he was sure she was gone, Sirius took off the cloak and performed a variety of unpleasant hexes on the stunned Slytherin, then left him blocking the portrait hole.
"Thanks, James," he said, arriving unceremoniously in his dorm and tossing the cloak down on his friend's bed.
"Is she alright?" Peter asked quietly. He'd run for their dorm as soon as he saw Avery grab Deesia, not knowing if any of the teachers would be in their offices over the holiday.
"She's fine. Probably a dislocated wrist, but nothing worse." Sirius threw himself down on his own bed and grabbed a book from his table. He read a few pages, knowing he'd remember it later, no matter how distracted he was right now.
"It will be the ultimate prank when you tell her it was you!" James said, imagining the horrified look on Deesia's face when she found out that she owed something to Sirius.
"I'm not GOING to tell her, James. And neither are you. She'll have to figure it out for herself." He hadn't told any of his mates about the prank he'd pulled on her in their first year. Remus had known, of course, but he'd been wise enough not to mention it again. If Muriel found out it was him this time, she'd know it had been him that time, too.
Sirius noticed James giving him a funny look. "WHAT? I like things the way they are. If she ever thanked me, I wouldn't have anyone to practice new hexes on anymore!" At this James and Sirius both laughed. Even Peter joined in, when he realized that Sirius wasn't angry.
"What did he want with her?" James asked, suddenly somber.
Sirius put the book in front of his face. "Who knows? I just hexed him and got out of there, I didn't wait around to hear what they were saying." That wasn't exactly true. He'd heard enough to figure out what Avery intended. He made a mental note to use Avery for target practice for the last few weeks of school.
Muriel walked sullenly back from the library, her arms loaded with books. She wished Severus hadn't gone home for the Easter holiday. She wondered fleetingly if Remus had stayed. She'd barely talked with him since the end of their second year when he'd helped Black, Potter and Pettigrew pull a particularly painful prank on her. She wasn't angry anymore, though. She was just lonely. An entire week without Severus seemed like a long time, even if he had been acting strangely lately.
She was thinking so hard that she didn't realize anyone was near her until a heavy hand fell on her shoulder and spun her roughly around. Her books scattered. "Avery!" she exclaimed. "What do you want?"
He didn't answer, but put a hand on each of her shoulders and pushed her hard against the wall. Muriel's eyes closed involuntarily when her head hit the stone. She tried instinctively to reach for her wand, but he was too close. Desperate, she tried to shove him away.
"Well, Deesia, it looks like your beloved Snape is a little out of your reach this time," Avery sneered. "You filthy blood traitor. How does it feel not to have anyone to protect you for once?"
"If you're still sore about last year's Christmas party - " she began, intending to apologize for the huge block of ice that had knocked him out last year. She hoped it was that, and that he wasn't starting to remember THIS year's Christmas party.
But the tall 6th year Slytherin cut her off. "Funny you should bring it up. I was just thinking that maybe it was time to pick up where we left off."
Muriel's eyes widened. She had convinced herself that Avery hadn't meant anything by his crude remark. She turned her head as he bent to kiss her. "Get off me!" she exclaimed. She was painfully aware that being a Quiddich beater had made him an awful lot stronger than she was. If only she could get to her wand. She struggled harder, and the older boy laughed.
"Have you seen the Slytherin dormitories yet, Deesia? Maybe I could give you a little tour."
Muriel nearly wretched at the thoughts going through Avery's head as he took her by the wrists and pulled her back toward the library. She was panicking now. If she couldn't reach her wand, she wasn't going to be able to get away. She heard footsteps behind her, but couldn't turn to see who was there.
"Help me, please!" she called, but the footsteps only pounded away in the distance as Avery sniggered wickedly. She hadn't been able to get any idea who it was, feeling only a flash of surprise, and then fear. 'Probably afraid of Avery,' she thought angrily. But at just this moment she was afraid of Avery too. She strained against his grip, but it was no use.
"You know what'll really be fun?" Avery sneered when they finally reached the portrait that concealed the Slytherin common room. He pulled her wrists harder and she heard a sickening pop. She tried not to wince with the pain as she fell toward him.
"We'll use Snape's bed," he whispered.
But as he turned to the portrait to say the password, Muriel heard a whisper behind her. She ducked instinctively and felt a spell whiz over her head. Avery dropped her wrists and fell to the floor, eyes open, but unable to move.
Muriel spun on the spot, breathing heavily. No one was there. No one was anywhere nearby. She looked back down at Avery. Suppressing the urge to do him any serious damage, she ran toward the hospital wing. Her wrist throbbed painfully, but she paused on the stairs.
"Whoever you are, thank you," she whispered. She paused for a minute before adding, "again." No one answered.
But she already knew who he was. She didn't know how he had come to be there, or why he had helped her, but she knew that somewhere in that corridor, Sirius Black was standing under an invisibility cloak.
When he was sure she was gone, Sirius took off the cloak and performed a variety of unpleasant hexes on the stunned Slytherin, then left him blocking the portrait hole.
"Thanks, James," he said, arriving unceremoniously in his dorm and tossing the cloak down on his friend's bed.
"Is she alright?" Peter asked quietly. He'd run for their dorm as soon as he saw Avery grab Deesia, not knowing if any of the teachers would be in their offices over the holiday.
"She's fine. Probably a dislocated wrist, but nothing worse." Sirius threw himself down on his own bed and grabbed a book from his table. He read a few pages, knowing he'd remember it later, no matter how distracted he was right now.
"It will be the ultimate prank when you tell her it was you!" James said, imagining the horrified look on Deesia's face when she found out that she owed something to Sirius.
"I'm not GOING to tell her, James. And neither are you. She'll have to figure it out for herself." He hadn't told any of his mates about the prank he'd pulled on her in their first year. Remus had known, of course, but he'd been wise enough not to mention it again. If Muriel found out it was him this time, she'd know it had been him that time, too.
Sirius noticed James giving him a funny look. "WHAT? I like things the way they are. If she ever thanked me, I wouldn't have anyone to practice new hexes on anymore!" At this James and Sirius both laughed. Even Peter joined in, when he realized that Sirius wasn't angry.
"What did he want with her?" James asked, suddenly somber.
Sirius put the book in front of his face. "Who knows? I just hexed him and got out of there, I didn't wait around to hear what they were saying." That wasn't exactly true. He'd heard enough to figure out what Avery intended. He made a mental note to use Avery for target practice for the last few weeks of school.