Chapter 6 ~ Remus' Secret
Muriel sat in the library, her head spinning. She was pretty sure that Severus had just asked her out on a date: A REAL one. And about time, too! Her classes had been a blur, but she was on track with her homework for once. She had three essays to write tonight, and she was only just finishing the first. Her attention was caught, however by the sound of a whispered conversation. She looked over at the table of 7th year Gryffindor girls.
"It was the most amazing flying I've ever seen from a beater. He knocked her off the broom, then spun into this dive. Potter might have done something like it once or twice, but I've never seen anyone else, outside the pros, handle a broom like that. He caught her almost before we'd even realized she was falling. Merlin only knows what else she would've broken if she'd hit the ground from that height!" Amanda Bell was whispering the story of their Quiddich game to her friends.
"I think Wood might have killed him right then and there, if he hadn't nearly broken his own neck to catch her. But it was obvious he hadn't meant to do it. He stayed with her until Pomfrey kicked him out, and I saw him in there twice when I went to visit in the next few days."
Mur looked back at her essay. Bell was obviously taking about Black. She couldn't remember anything after she'd pulled up to chase that bludger, Kyle had had to tell her that Black knocked her out. Had he really caught her? She didn't see any reason why Bell would lie to her friends.
She finished the essay and headed to dinner, late as usual. When she got there, she was more than a little annoyed to see Severus standing beside Sirius and Peter at their table. She knew Remus wouldn't be showing up tonight, but wondered where James was.
Severus had taken the opportunity, while Mur wasn't in the hall, to try and trick a little information out of the boys in front of him.
"Do you know, I saw Lupin playing around the base of the whomping willow earlier this evening. Aren't we all a little old for that kind of childishness?" he kept his smirk firmly in place. It wouldn't do for them to figure out just how interested he was in this.
"Sod off, Snivellous," Sirius said angrily.
"And then I saw something really remarkable. He disappeared into the ground!" he faked a shocked tone of voice. "Now, how do you think that happened?"
Sirius was already in a really bad mood because of the Quidditch accident and didn't have the patience it took to put up with Snape's questioning. And Peter was less help than a bucket of bobertuber puss.
"Well, Snape, why don't you prod the knot with a stick and follow him. That'd give us all a laugh. It would also get you to SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" Sirius said, standing. But Severus had what he wanted.
"Perhaps I will." He swept away, his robes billowing behind him, just as Mur ran into the hall after him.
"I told you to leave it to me!" she exclaimed.
"This was something entirely different. You can do whatever you want to Black. I was after information about Lupin. Have you noticed that he disappears on a pretty regular basis? He's been going into a passageway of some sort beneath the whomping willow. This is my chance to get him expelled for good."
Muriel's breath caught in her throat. Could Severus have figured out Lupin's secret? She didn't know, since his mind was closed off entirely. "Sev, let me come with you."
"Alright. Grab some food, let's go."
"No, I can't tonight, let's do it tomorrow," she said desperately. If he was right, and Remus was in that passageway, then tonight was the worst night possible to explore it.
He looked at her hard. "I watched him go in there tonight. There won't be anything to see tomorrow." Then his eyes narrowed. "You know something. What is it?"
"Stay away from that willow, Sev," she hissed angrily. He looked at her for a long moment, then swept out of the hall, his teeth clenched tightly.
Muriel watched him for a moment before she ran to the Gryffindor table. "What did you tell him?" she demanded angrily. James had joined them, and was looking from Sirius to Muriel with a very worried expression.
"I told him how to get under the willow," Sirius mumbled. Now that he thought about it, that had been a very bad idea.
"What?" James exclaimed, standing abruptly. "Tonight? Padfoot, what's wrong with you?" He didn't give his friend a chance to explain, but ran from the hall. Sirius didn't look up at Muriel, who was still fuming beside Peter.
"Sirius, don't you think you'd better go inform Dumbledore?" she asked finally. Both boys nodded and scrambled up to the head table, their eyes cast toward the floor. Muriel went to sit just outside the willow's reach, waiting. She hoped to Merlin that Severus wouldn't hurt Remus. She hoped James reached him before he even SAW Remus.
But on that count, her hopes were dashed when the boys emerged from the tree, just as Sirius, Peter, and Professor Dumbledore came running from the castle. Severus was unmarked, though he'd managed to inflict a good bit of damage on James, from the look of it. Both boys wore expressions of extreme fury.
Potter was panting as he approached Dumbledore. "He saw," was all he said. Muriel watched the professor nod silently. Then he turned to her.
"Miss Deesia, kindly escort Mr. Potter to the hospital wing while we have a chat in my office." Muriel nodded, and cast a look at Potter. His nose was bleeding profusely, and he had the beginnings of a black eye as well. Professor Dumbledore gestured toward the castle and followed Severus, Sirius and Peter back inside.
Muriel and James walked side by side up the stairs. He was limping a bit, so Muriel took out her wand. He flinched and reached for his own. "Relax, Potter, I'm just going to do a spell to take some of the pain out of your ankle."
"Thanks," he muttered as the spell hit.
She left him with Madam Pomfrey and went to sit outside the Headmaster's office. On the way she met Peter, who'd been sent to check on James. "Dumbledore said to tell you not to sit out here and wait for Snape," he said cautiously. No one wanted to give Deesia bad news.
"Fine!" she snapped, making him cringe. Twenty minutes later found her sitting outside the Slytherin portrait hole. She wasn't one to give up easily. It was another half an hour before Severus showed up. His face was contorted in a mask of rage that she had rarely seen. She jumped up and ran toward him.
"Are you alright?!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck. He didn't answer. Instead, he pried her arms off and pushed her roughly away.
"You knew. You knew on the boat first year, and you never told me."
Mur took a step back and reached for her wand. Severus wasn't often this angry, but when he was it was a good idea to have a wand in your hand.
"It wasn't my secret to –"
"Silencio!" he said quickly. Mur didn't bother to try and finish her explanation. Her mouth closed into a thin line and she waited.
But Severus didn't have anything else to say. He gave the portrait the password, snapped at the other 5th year prefect to change that password that night, and went to bed.
Muriel recognized a nasty situation when she saw one. She was, once again, in the Slytherin dungeons without the ability to cast spells. Avery could come along any minute. An impressive collection of foul words ran through her mind, directed entirely at Severus.
When she finally made it back to Ravenclaw tower, Marisa took the silencing charm off for her, and asked her what was wrong. There was so much wrong that she had no idea where to begin. She just shook her head and climbed into bed.
Muriel sat in the library, her head spinning. She was pretty sure that Severus had just asked her out on a date: A REAL one. And about time, too! Her classes had been a blur, but she was on track with her homework for once. She had three essays to write tonight, and she was only just finishing the first. Her attention was caught, however by the sound of a whispered conversation. She looked over at the table of 7th year Gryffindor girls.
"It was the most amazing flying I've ever seen from a beater. He knocked her off the broom, then spun into this dive. Potter might have done something like it once or twice, but I've never seen anyone else, outside the pros, handle a broom like that. He caught her almost before we'd even realized she was falling. Merlin only knows what else she would've broken if she'd hit the ground from that height!" Amanda Bell was whispering the story of their Quiddich game to her friends.
"I think Wood might have killed him right then and there, if he hadn't nearly broken his own neck to catch her. But it was obvious he hadn't meant to do it. He stayed with her until Pomfrey kicked him out, and I saw him in there twice when I went to visit in the next few days."
Mur looked back at her essay. Bell was obviously taking about Black. She couldn't remember anything after she'd pulled up to chase that bludger, Kyle had had to tell her that Black knocked her out. Had he really caught her? She didn't see any reason why Bell would lie to her friends.
She finished the essay and headed to dinner, late as usual. When she got there, she was more than a little annoyed to see Severus standing beside Sirius and Peter at their table. She knew Remus wouldn't be showing up tonight, but wondered where James was.
Severus had taken the opportunity, while Mur wasn't in the hall, to try and trick a little information out of the boys in front of him.
"Do you know, I saw Lupin playing around the base of the whomping willow earlier this evening. Aren't we all a little old for that kind of childishness?" he kept his smirk firmly in place. It wouldn't do for them to figure out just how interested he was in this.
"Sod off, Snivellous," Sirius said angrily.
"And then I saw something really remarkable. He disappeared into the ground!" he faked a shocked tone of voice. "Now, how do you think that happened?"
Sirius was already in a really bad mood because of the Quidditch accident and didn't have the patience it took to put up with Snape's questioning. And Peter was less help than a bucket of bobertuber puss.
"Well, Snape, why don't you prod the knot with a stick and follow him. That'd give us all a laugh. It would also get you to SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" Sirius said, standing. But Severus had what he wanted.
"Perhaps I will." He swept away, his robes billowing behind him, just as Mur ran into the hall after him.
"I told you to leave it to me!" she exclaimed.
"This was something entirely different. You can do whatever you want to Black. I was after information about Lupin. Have you noticed that he disappears on a pretty regular basis? He's been going into a passageway of some sort beneath the whomping willow. This is my chance to get him expelled for good."
Muriel's breath caught in her throat. Could Severus have figured out Lupin's secret? She didn't know, since his mind was closed off entirely. "Sev, let me come with you."
"Alright. Grab some food, let's go."
"No, I can't tonight, let's do it tomorrow," she said desperately. If he was right, and Remus was in that passageway, then tonight was the worst night possible to explore it.
He looked at her hard. "I watched him go in there tonight. There won't be anything to see tomorrow." Then his eyes narrowed. "You know something. What is it?"
"Stay away from that willow, Sev," she hissed angrily. He looked at her for a long moment, then swept out of the hall, his teeth clenched tightly.
Muriel watched him for a moment before she ran to the Gryffindor table. "What did you tell him?" she demanded angrily. James had joined them, and was looking from Sirius to Muriel with a very worried expression.
"I told him how to get under the willow," Sirius mumbled. Now that he thought about it, that had been a very bad idea.
"What?" James exclaimed, standing abruptly. "Tonight? Padfoot, what's wrong with you?" He didn't give his friend a chance to explain, but ran from the hall. Sirius didn't look up at Muriel, who was still fuming beside Peter.
"Sirius, don't you think you'd better go inform Dumbledore?" she asked finally. Both boys nodded and scrambled up to the head table, their eyes cast toward the floor. Muriel went to sit just outside the willow's reach, waiting. She hoped to Merlin that Severus wouldn't hurt Remus. She hoped James reached him before he even SAW Remus.
But on that count, her hopes were dashed when the boys emerged from the tree, just as Sirius, Peter, and Professor Dumbledore came running from the castle. Severus was unmarked, though he'd managed to inflict a good bit of damage on James, from the look of it. Both boys wore expressions of extreme fury.
Potter was panting as he approached Dumbledore. "He saw," was all he said. Muriel watched the professor nod silently. Then he turned to her.
"Miss Deesia, kindly escort Mr. Potter to the hospital wing while we have a chat in my office." Muriel nodded, and cast a look at Potter. His nose was bleeding profusely, and he had the beginnings of a black eye as well. Professor Dumbledore gestured toward the castle and followed Severus, Sirius and Peter back inside.
Muriel and James walked side by side up the stairs. He was limping a bit, so Muriel took out her wand. He flinched and reached for his own. "Relax, Potter, I'm just going to do a spell to take some of the pain out of your ankle."
"Thanks," he muttered as the spell hit.
She left him with Madam Pomfrey and went to sit outside the Headmaster's office. On the way she met Peter, who'd been sent to check on James. "Dumbledore said to tell you not to sit out here and wait for Snape," he said cautiously. No one wanted to give Deesia bad news.
"Fine!" she snapped, making him cringe. Twenty minutes later found her sitting outside the Slytherin portrait hole. She wasn't one to give up easily. It was another half an hour before Severus showed up. His face was contorted in a mask of rage that she had rarely seen. She jumped up and ran toward him.
"Are you alright?!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck. He didn't answer. Instead, he pried her arms off and pushed her roughly away.
"You knew. You knew on the boat first year, and you never told me."
Mur took a step back and reached for her wand. Severus wasn't often this angry, but when he was it was a good idea to have a wand in your hand.
"It wasn't my secret to –"
"Silencio!" he said quickly. Mur didn't bother to try and finish her explanation. Her mouth closed into a thin line and she waited.
But Severus didn't have anything else to say. He gave the portrait the password, snapped at the other 5th year prefect to change that password that night, and went to bed.
Muriel recognized a nasty situation when she saw one. She was, once again, in the Slytherin dungeons without the ability to cast spells. Avery could come along any minute. An impressive collection of foul words ran through her mind, directed entirely at Severus.
When she finally made it back to Ravenclaw tower, Marisa took the silencing charm off for her, and asked her what was wrong. There was so much wrong that she had no idea where to begin. She just shook her head and climbed into bed.
