Chapter 13 ~ Breaking and Entering
Hiding things from Severus was getting to be more and more difficult. Muriel sat in her room, remembering all the awful things Avery had done to her that she'd never told Sev about, and wondering how she was going to hide this one. Obviously Black wouldn't say anything, but she could hardly hide that fact that every time Avery's name was mentioned she turned red in the face and reached for her wand.
She hadn't left her room at all since that first day of break, and Severus would be back tomorrow. She massaged her wrist again. And as if she didn't have enough to worry about, she couldn't stop thinking about Black. She'd been nothing but mean to him in detention last week, and yet he'd hexed Avery for her. How had he known that she was in trouble? Why had he even cared?
Severus ran up to Ravenclaw tower as soon as his trunk was in his room Sunday night. Avery had tried to hex him when he came in the common room, and he hadn't chosen a very friendly hex, either. He was sure something had happened, and since Avery was now unconscious, he wanted to track down Mur.
Several of her house mates were just getting back, so he asked them to send her down, then waited nearly an hour in the empty corridor. Finally he got impatient and banged on the portrait, wishing he'd heard their password. One of the 7th year girls narrowed her eyes at him when he asked to see Muriel, but let him in when Marisa came over and vouched for him.
"She isn't coming down, Severus," Marisa said quietly. "I don't know what happened over break, but when Vanessa told her you were here, she didn't answer. We know she's in there, though, she's got her curtains charmed to bite anyone who touches them."
Severus smirked. He was glad now that he'd asked Malfoy how to get past the girls' dormitory trick staircase. "Marisa, could you run upstairs and bring me her broom?"
When she came back downstairs, she was holding a mahogany handled broomstick that looked very well taken care of. It was certainly not Mur's shooting star, however. "Vanessa says you can borrow Kyle's," she said, with a look at the boy in question. Kyle nodded mutely from across the room and she continued, "Mur's is under her bed and she wasn't very happy when I asked her to lend it to me. I think she knows you're on your way."
Severus hoped Kyle's broom was fast enough to get him past the secondary defenses that would go up once he started. "Which room?"
"Third landing on the right," she replied as he mounted the broom. He nodded once. By now, everyone in the common room was smirking at him. Most of the older boys had tried this once or twice, but they didn't have the benefit of Malfoy's rather extensive experience.
He kicked off hard in the direction of the stairs, casting a shield charm around himself. The stairs turned into a slide immediately when he flew over the first stair, and several spells shot out of the marble ravens that graced the first landing. He managed to dodge them, but the spells from the second landing glanced off his shield charm, which he recast before he reached the door.
He kept is wand ready and shouted "Alohamora," as soon as her door was in sight, flying fast through it as it opened. Stunning spells from the ravens on the third landing chased him into the room, but he pulled up hard, and they hit the curtains of the first bed instead. He dismounted fast and closed the door, panting a bit. He leaned Kyle's broom against the wall and took a look around. Only one bed had its curtains pulled closed, so he approached it, cautiously.
Sure enough the bloody curtains tried to bite him when he reached out his hand. "Finite Incantem," he said, laughingly. The curtains fell harmlessly back around the bed and he heard Muriel swear.
"You know the sad thing is that not a soul in my house thought of that," she said wryly as he pulled back the curtains. He laughed, but became somber quickly, remembering why he'd come.
"Why are you hiding, Mur?"
That was when the tears started. She had spent the entire break thinking, but hadn't cried at all. Severus was nearly knocked off his feet at the fury and pain that seemed to pour out of her. He did his best to set up wards around his mind as she stood up and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt.
She told him everything, from the time Avery had tried to vanish her skirt when she was 10 to his comment at last year's Christmas party at the Rosiers'. All his jeering remarks, and lastly what had happened the first day of break.
When she was finally done crying, she sat back down on the bed, wiping her eyes. Severus was relieved that she'd let him go. His shirt was soaked, and he'd never seen anyone cry like that, least of all his best friend, who had never let herself cry over anything for more than a few minutes. He found himself pacing the room as he contemplated exactly how he could murder Avery without getting sent to Azkaban. Obviously he couldn't use his wand, it would give him away.
"Severus?" Mur said quietly. He continued to pace until finally she laughed at him a little. That startled him out of his thoughts.
"What?"
"Don't be ridiculous, you can't murder Avery until we're all out of school. I'm starving, can we get some food?" Severus looked startled. He had hoped his Occlumency was coming along well enough that she wouldn't hear him thinking all that. It occurred to him that perhaps she hadn't heard him. Perhaps she just knew him well enough to know what he was thinking. Or maybe she was thinking it herself.
Muriel was digging under her bed. "Here, go out the window so the ravens outside don't stun you when I open the door." She handed him her broom.
He nodded. "I'll meet you outside the portrait. You aren't walking anywhere alone."
She smiled. "Thanks, Sev." She closed the window behind him and picked up Kyle's broom. The staircase had reverted to normal, and the common room fell silent when she entered. She didn't feel much like talking, although she knew it would be obvious that she'd been crying.
"I sent him out the window so he wouldn't get stunned." She handed Kyle his broom.
"That was a nice piece of flying," Kyle said quietly in answer. "Anyone who can dodge like that should be a seeker." Muriel nodded and managed a small smile. Severus had just corrupted most of her house, she knew. She sat quietly with Marisa until Severus started pounding on the portrait again. Dinner wouldn't start for another half an hour, but it would be good to get there early. She'd barely eaten all week, since she'd been trying to avoid Avery.
They sat silently at the Ravenclaw table, which was why they were so startled when several shouts rang out in the hallway. A moment later the marauders walked in, looking very smug indeed. Muriel hadn't told Severus who had been under the cloak, only that she was sure it was the same person who had caught her on the stairs in their first year. But she smiled a little more as the food appeared. Obviously the marauders had done something awful to Avery a moment ago. It was grimly satisfying to have the Hogwarts demolition team helping with her vendetta.
Hiding things from Severus was getting to be more and more difficult. Muriel sat in her room, remembering all the awful things Avery had done to her that she'd never told Sev about, and wondering how she was going to hide this one. Obviously Black wouldn't say anything, but she could hardly hide that fact that every time Avery's name was mentioned she turned red in the face and reached for her wand.
She hadn't left her room at all since that first day of break, and Severus would be back tomorrow. She massaged her wrist again. And as if she didn't have enough to worry about, she couldn't stop thinking about Black. She'd been nothing but mean to him in detention last week, and yet he'd hexed Avery for her. How had he known that she was in trouble? Why had he even cared?
Severus ran up to Ravenclaw tower as soon as his trunk was in his room Sunday night. Avery had tried to hex him when he came in the common room, and he hadn't chosen a very friendly hex, either. He was sure something had happened, and since Avery was now unconscious, he wanted to track down Mur.
Several of her house mates were just getting back, so he asked them to send her down, then waited nearly an hour in the empty corridor. Finally he got impatient and banged on the portrait, wishing he'd heard their password. One of the 7th year girls narrowed her eyes at him when he asked to see Muriel, but let him in when Marisa came over and vouched for him.
"She isn't coming down, Severus," Marisa said quietly. "I don't know what happened over break, but when Vanessa told her you were here, she didn't answer. We know she's in there, though, she's got her curtains charmed to bite anyone who touches them."
Severus smirked. He was glad now that he'd asked Malfoy how to get past the girls' dormitory trick staircase. "Marisa, could you run upstairs and bring me her broom?"
When she came back downstairs, she was holding a mahogany handled broomstick that looked very well taken care of. It was certainly not Mur's shooting star, however. "Vanessa says you can borrow Kyle's," she said, with a look at the boy in question. Kyle nodded mutely from across the room and she continued, "Mur's is under her bed and she wasn't very happy when I asked her to lend it to me. I think she knows you're on your way."
Severus hoped Kyle's broom was fast enough to get him past the secondary defenses that would go up once he started. "Which room?"
"Third landing on the right," she replied as he mounted the broom. He nodded once. By now, everyone in the common room was smirking at him. Most of the older boys had tried this once or twice, but they didn't have the benefit of Malfoy's rather extensive experience.
He kicked off hard in the direction of the stairs, casting a shield charm around himself. The stairs turned into a slide immediately when he flew over the first stair, and several spells shot out of the marble ravens that graced the first landing. He managed to dodge them, but the spells from the second landing glanced off his shield charm, which he recast before he reached the door.
He kept is wand ready and shouted "Alohamora," as soon as her door was in sight, flying fast through it as it opened. Stunning spells from the ravens on the third landing chased him into the room, but he pulled up hard, and they hit the curtains of the first bed instead. He dismounted fast and closed the door, panting a bit. He leaned Kyle's broom against the wall and took a look around. Only one bed had its curtains pulled closed, so he approached it, cautiously.
Sure enough the bloody curtains tried to bite him when he reached out his hand. "Finite Incantem," he said, laughingly. The curtains fell harmlessly back around the bed and he heard Muriel swear.
"You know the sad thing is that not a soul in my house thought of that," she said wryly as he pulled back the curtains. He laughed, but became somber quickly, remembering why he'd come.
"Why are you hiding, Mur?"
That was when the tears started. She had spent the entire break thinking, but hadn't cried at all. Severus was nearly knocked off his feet at the fury and pain that seemed to pour out of her. He did his best to set up wards around his mind as she stood up and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt.
She told him everything, from the time Avery had tried to vanish her skirt when she was 10 to his comment at last year's Christmas party at the Rosiers'. All his jeering remarks, and lastly what had happened the first day of break.
When she was finally done crying, she sat back down on the bed, wiping her eyes. Severus was relieved that she'd let him go. His shirt was soaked, and he'd never seen anyone cry like that, least of all his best friend, who had never let herself cry over anything for more than a few minutes. He found himself pacing the room as he contemplated exactly how he could murder Avery without getting sent to Azkaban. Obviously he couldn't use his wand, it would give him away.
"Severus?" Mur said quietly. He continued to pace until finally she laughed at him a little. That startled him out of his thoughts.
"What?"
"Don't be ridiculous, you can't murder Avery until we're all out of school. I'm starving, can we get some food?" Severus looked startled. He had hoped his Occlumency was coming along well enough that she wouldn't hear him thinking all that. It occurred to him that perhaps she hadn't heard him. Perhaps she just knew him well enough to know what he was thinking. Or maybe she was thinking it herself.
Muriel was digging under her bed. "Here, go out the window so the ravens outside don't stun you when I open the door." She handed him her broom.
He nodded. "I'll meet you outside the portrait. You aren't walking anywhere alone."
She smiled. "Thanks, Sev." She closed the window behind him and picked up Kyle's broom. The staircase had reverted to normal, and the common room fell silent when she entered. She didn't feel much like talking, although she knew it would be obvious that she'd been crying.
"I sent him out the window so he wouldn't get stunned." She handed Kyle his broom.
"That was a nice piece of flying," Kyle said quietly in answer. "Anyone who can dodge like that should be a seeker." Muriel nodded and managed a small smile. Severus had just corrupted most of her house, she knew. She sat quietly with Marisa until Severus started pounding on the portrait again. Dinner wouldn't start for another half an hour, but it would be good to get there early. She'd barely eaten all week, since she'd been trying to avoid Avery.
They sat silently at the Ravenclaw table, which was why they were so startled when several shouts rang out in the hallway. A moment later the marauders walked in, looking very smug indeed. Muriel hadn't told Severus who had been under the cloak, only that she was sure it was the same person who had caught her on the stairs in their first year. But she smiled a little more as the food appeared. Obviously the marauders had done something awful to Avery a moment ago. It was grimly satisfying to have the Hogwarts demolition team helping with her vendetta.