Chapter 8 ~ Making Up
"Sev?" Muriel hurried after her friend as he left the Great Hall after breakfast. He turned. "Divination with the Gryffindors is my second class today. Can you make sure Potter spends it in the hospital wing?"
Severus shrugged. "Sure." It wasn't an odd request. He recalled asking her to do similar things in the past. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "What about Black?" he asked.
"Lily's going to delay him for me."
"And Lupin?"
"That's already been arranged." That was almost a lie, but Muriel was sure that Severus would have a fit if he thought she wanted his help to talk to Remus alone.
Severus nodded. He didn't ask about Peter Pettigrew. A simple 'Bugger off' would probably suffice.
"Thanks!" she said, hurrying off to Transfiguration.
After class, she made a bee-line for Divination and plopped herself down at the marauders' usual table. There had been only three poofs there for the last two months, and that suited her fine. She'd had to give up a large number of chocolate frog cards to Marisa to get her to help them out, but her friend winked at her and grinned from their usual table.
Remus and Peter came in together, looking a bit upset. Mur wondered just how badly Severus had hurt Potter, but decided it didn't matter. Madam Pomfrey would fix him up. They looked at her oddly, and she smiled, pulling out a chair for Remus. Peter came with him.
"Bugger off, Peter," she said quietly as he started to set his books down.
"B-but there are three chairs!" he protested.
"Peter? You can sit with me." Marisa was making eyes at Peter, and that was all it took to convince him that he'd much rather sit with her anyway.
"Why do I feel like a cornered animal?" Remus asked quietly as Peter plopped down to Marisa.
"I just wanted to talk."
"If this is about Sirius – "
"This is about our conversation on the train at the beginning of the year."
"Oh."
"Which had a great deal to do with Sirius." Muriel allowed herself a smile as Remus turned his eyes away. He was still very upset with his friend.
"Don't you wonder why I forgave you that year? It obviously wasn't your apology, as I'm sure I made clear when you tried to make it." He looked back at her. He WAS rather curious about that. "Surely you're surprised that I'm here talking with you when I never apologized for stuffing you in that passageway?"
Remus nodded, then looked up as Professor Averbeck walked into the room. Muriel cast a charm at his back as he headed toward his desk, and the professor turned sharply around. He blinked confusedly. Then he turned back and began class. Remus and Muriel couldn't hear him, and, more importantly, he couldn't hear them.
Remus shook his head as she continued whispering, and the professor ignored her completely. Here they were, two prefects, hexing the professor so they could talk during class.
"I felt bad after I stuffed you in that passageway. But I would never apologize. My mother taught me that to apologize is to show weakness. Someone who apologizes is nothing more than a coward, who deserves to be hexed anyway. And that is exactly why you ended up in that passageway. I was angrier at the four of you after that than I'd been after the pain."
Remus looked horrified. It had never occurred to him that apologizing might have offended her MORE. It just didn't make sense.
"Yes, it is rather stupid, isn't it? But nevertheless, that's what I was taught. I forgave you that year because of Black. He came looking for me during the end of year exams.
"I remember. He said he was going to the library, but he left without his books. He came back in a really good mood, and you stopped glaring at us, and crying when no one was looking."
Muriel looked at him sharply, and he realized that he shouldn't have mentioned that he'd noticed the crying. "I'm – "
"Stuff it, Remus. You don't have to be sorry. You're right." She sighed. It was a good thing she had half the class period to get this all out. She hoped Lily could keep Sirius away that long.
"What did he say to make you forgive us?" Remus asked quietly.
"Nothing. Not a bloody thing." Remus looked at her incredulously as the professor set a crystal ball in front of them and walked away, obviously not having heard any of their conversation.
"He didn't have to, Remus. He came looking for me, found me on the grounds, behind the greenhouses. When I walked away, he called me back. But there wasn't anything else that needed to be said. We were raised in such similar families that I knew why he was there, and he knew that I knew. It was enough."
She let Remus think about that, and pulled the crystal ball closer to her, taking the charm off the professor with her wand under the table. It was less than 5 minutes later when Lily came in, followed by Sirius. Muriel held out the chair on the other side of her, which Lily ignored on her way to join her friends. Black stared at them.
When the professor's back was turned again, Muriel pulled out her wand and gestured emphatically from Sirius to the empty chair. With a furtive glance at Remus, he sat down. She made sure he saw her put her wand away. That seemed to be the proverbial white flag.
When Professor Averbeck had finished explaining the orb, he expected them to try and use it. Muriel pushed it over to Sirius, smirking. Now that they were expected to talk to each other, things were going to get difficult.
"Er – I missed everything he said. How are you supposed to do this?" Sirius asked quietly. The entire room seemed to hear him, however. Remus raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer.
"We don't know, we missed the first half of class, too," Mur said finally. "Make something up."
Sirius was in the worst situation he could imagine today. Here he was, sitting with the two people he'd hurt most in the last year, and unable to say anything more intelligent than that he didn't know how to use the bloody orb. He pushed it away.
"How've you been, Mur?" he asked quietly. Muriel turned and winked at Remus. She knew this was Black's apology.
"Well, my face wasn't permanently damaged, so I guess I won't bother clobbering you in retaliation. And you're lucky. I convinced Severus to leave you alone, too." Muriel smiled, and Sirius tried to smile back, but he couldn't help looking at Remus instead.
"I don't suppose you could ask him to lay off James?" Remus asked, remembering the ugly duel that had taken place in the hall on the way to class.
"I don't suppose I could," she answered cheerfully. "It's entirely possible that Severus owes him a life debt, since he obviously took the blows that the willow would have dealt to Sev. And a wizard's life debt is nothing to sneeze at. It has Sev completely in a snit to think he owes ANYTHING to James Potter."
She watched slyly as Sirius and Remus exchanged a relieved glance. They were obviously glad that she'd assumed something so easy to agree with, and that Severus hadn't told her anything. Sirius looked quickly down at the table. "Remus? Could I talk to you after class?" he whispered. He couldn't help but swallow hard as he waited for his friend's answer. He knew now that Muriel had forgiven him for knocking her off her broom, but Remus wasn't like them. He might need to hear –
"No need, Padfoot," Remus replied, shaking his head and looking at Muriel. "It's over. It doesn't matter anymore." Sirius raised his eyes just in time to see that Professor Averbeck was standing behind Remus, with a stern expression on his face. His expression got even worse when he saw the grin Sirius gave him as he pulled the orb towards him and started spouting the most obviously made-up prophecies Muriel had ever heard.
As the professor headed to a table where people were actually doing their work, Remus, Sirius and Muriel dissolved into laughter, and Mur knew the boys were going to be all right again. Which is why she made sure to turn Sirius' hair florescent yellow as he walked down the stairs ahead of her that day.
"Sev?" Muriel hurried after her friend as he left the Great Hall after breakfast. He turned. "Divination with the Gryffindors is my second class today. Can you make sure Potter spends it in the hospital wing?"
Severus shrugged. "Sure." It wasn't an odd request. He recalled asking her to do similar things in the past. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "What about Black?" he asked.
"Lily's going to delay him for me."
"And Lupin?"
"That's already been arranged." That was almost a lie, but Muriel was sure that Severus would have a fit if he thought she wanted his help to talk to Remus alone.
Severus nodded. He didn't ask about Peter Pettigrew. A simple 'Bugger off' would probably suffice.
"Thanks!" she said, hurrying off to Transfiguration.
After class, she made a bee-line for Divination and plopped herself down at the marauders' usual table. There had been only three poofs there for the last two months, and that suited her fine. She'd had to give up a large number of chocolate frog cards to Marisa to get her to help them out, but her friend winked at her and grinned from their usual table.
Remus and Peter came in together, looking a bit upset. Mur wondered just how badly Severus had hurt Potter, but decided it didn't matter. Madam Pomfrey would fix him up. They looked at her oddly, and she smiled, pulling out a chair for Remus. Peter came with him.
"Bugger off, Peter," she said quietly as he started to set his books down.
"B-but there are three chairs!" he protested.
"Peter? You can sit with me." Marisa was making eyes at Peter, and that was all it took to convince him that he'd much rather sit with her anyway.
"Why do I feel like a cornered animal?" Remus asked quietly as Peter plopped down to Marisa.
"I just wanted to talk."
"If this is about Sirius – "
"This is about our conversation on the train at the beginning of the year."
"Oh."
"Which had a great deal to do with Sirius." Muriel allowed herself a smile as Remus turned his eyes away. He was still very upset with his friend.
"Don't you wonder why I forgave you that year? It obviously wasn't your apology, as I'm sure I made clear when you tried to make it." He looked back at her. He WAS rather curious about that. "Surely you're surprised that I'm here talking with you when I never apologized for stuffing you in that passageway?"
Remus nodded, then looked up as Professor Averbeck walked into the room. Muriel cast a charm at his back as he headed toward his desk, and the professor turned sharply around. He blinked confusedly. Then he turned back and began class. Remus and Muriel couldn't hear him, and, more importantly, he couldn't hear them.
Remus shook his head as she continued whispering, and the professor ignored her completely. Here they were, two prefects, hexing the professor so they could talk during class.
"I felt bad after I stuffed you in that passageway. But I would never apologize. My mother taught me that to apologize is to show weakness. Someone who apologizes is nothing more than a coward, who deserves to be hexed anyway. And that is exactly why you ended up in that passageway. I was angrier at the four of you after that than I'd been after the pain."
Remus looked horrified. It had never occurred to him that apologizing might have offended her MORE. It just didn't make sense.
"Yes, it is rather stupid, isn't it? But nevertheless, that's what I was taught. I forgave you that year because of Black. He came looking for me during the end of year exams.
"I remember. He said he was going to the library, but he left without his books. He came back in a really good mood, and you stopped glaring at us, and crying when no one was looking."
Muriel looked at him sharply, and he realized that he shouldn't have mentioned that he'd noticed the crying. "I'm – "
"Stuff it, Remus. You don't have to be sorry. You're right." She sighed. It was a good thing she had half the class period to get this all out. She hoped Lily could keep Sirius away that long.
"What did he say to make you forgive us?" Remus asked quietly.
"Nothing. Not a bloody thing." Remus looked at her incredulously as the professor set a crystal ball in front of them and walked away, obviously not having heard any of their conversation.
"He didn't have to, Remus. He came looking for me, found me on the grounds, behind the greenhouses. When I walked away, he called me back. But there wasn't anything else that needed to be said. We were raised in such similar families that I knew why he was there, and he knew that I knew. It was enough."
She let Remus think about that, and pulled the crystal ball closer to her, taking the charm off the professor with her wand under the table. It was less than 5 minutes later when Lily came in, followed by Sirius. Muriel held out the chair on the other side of her, which Lily ignored on her way to join her friends. Black stared at them.
When the professor's back was turned again, Muriel pulled out her wand and gestured emphatically from Sirius to the empty chair. With a furtive glance at Remus, he sat down. She made sure he saw her put her wand away. That seemed to be the proverbial white flag.
When Professor Averbeck had finished explaining the orb, he expected them to try and use it. Muriel pushed it over to Sirius, smirking. Now that they were expected to talk to each other, things were going to get difficult.
"Er – I missed everything he said. How are you supposed to do this?" Sirius asked quietly. The entire room seemed to hear him, however. Remus raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer.
"We don't know, we missed the first half of class, too," Mur said finally. "Make something up."
Sirius was in the worst situation he could imagine today. Here he was, sitting with the two people he'd hurt most in the last year, and unable to say anything more intelligent than that he didn't know how to use the bloody orb. He pushed it away.
"How've you been, Mur?" he asked quietly. Muriel turned and winked at Remus. She knew this was Black's apology.
"Well, my face wasn't permanently damaged, so I guess I won't bother clobbering you in retaliation. And you're lucky. I convinced Severus to leave you alone, too." Muriel smiled, and Sirius tried to smile back, but he couldn't help looking at Remus instead.
"I don't suppose you could ask him to lay off James?" Remus asked, remembering the ugly duel that had taken place in the hall on the way to class.
"I don't suppose I could," she answered cheerfully. "It's entirely possible that Severus owes him a life debt, since he obviously took the blows that the willow would have dealt to Sev. And a wizard's life debt is nothing to sneeze at. It has Sev completely in a snit to think he owes ANYTHING to James Potter."
She watched slyly as Sirius and Remus exchanged a relieved glance. They were obviously glad that she'd assumed something so easy to agree with, and that Severus hadn't told her anything. Sirius looked quickly down at the table. "Remus? Could I talk to you after class?" he whispered. He couldn't help but swallow hard as he waited for his friend's answer. He knew now that Muriel had forgiven him for knocking her off her broom, but Remus wasn't like them. He might need to hear –
"No need, Padfoot," Remus replied, shaking his head and looking at Muriel. "It's over. It doesn't matter anymore." Sirius raised his eyes just in time to see that Professor Averbeck was standing behind Remus, with a stern expression on his face. His expression got even worse when he saw the grin Sirius gave him as he pulled the orb towards him and started spouting the most obviously made-up prophecies Muriel had ever heard.
As the professor headed to a table where people were actually doing their work, Remus, Sirius and Muriel dissolved into laughter, and Mur knew the boys were going to be all right again. Which is why she made sure to turn Sirius' hair florescent yellow as he walked down the stairs ahead of her that day.
