Chapter Seventeen--Minds Clearing
She bent down until her face was right behind Severus' head and purred, "Just thought I'd give you a scare, Sugar Lips." And she stood up on top of his back with her full weight, then vaulted off in the direction of the Great Hall, cackling to her self raucously.
He jumped to his feet and dusted off his robes. Damn it, Georgie. He was going to have a heart attack if she pulled something like that everyday--he wasn't the spry youth he used to be. Hell, even as a youth he was never the youth he should have been. He pursued after her at nearly a run, but didn't catch up until they were both inside the Great Hall once again.
She didn't turn around from her gazing at the dancing couples on the dance floor when Snape approached. She rather felt his presence that saw it. "Just thought I'd keep you on your toes." She smirked.
"As much as I'd love to thank you for that," He said sardonically. "I won't. I'm afraid Voldemort does enough of that without your help." He was a bit riled that she'd managed to get him to the ground before he could form a clear thought on how to defend himself or get out if the situation. To say he'd been caught completely unawares was an understatement.
"Practice makes perfect," she threw over her shoulder.
"No, perfect practice makes perfect." That was far from how he'd hoped to handle that type of situation.
"Snape? Be quiet." She reached back and grabbed his hand away from it's resting place in his crossed arms across his chest. She led him to the center of the floor. Severus ensnared her hand and found her waist, she squinted at him carefully. He looked too professional, always in control of his faculties, that Severus Snape, Georgie bit her lip to keep from laughing at him outright. You'd think he'd enjoy himself a bit more. But perhaps burning bushes and taking points from other houses was his idea of fun--she wouldn't put it past him.
"Aren't you having any fun?" She urged him.
"Absolutely not," he replied with a vacant expression.
"Geesh, stop trying to show it so hard…damn, blinded by the flash of your white teeth."
He didn't react. She danced with him in silence, feeling a little pained by the stiffness.
He led them around the floor with barely a thought in her direction. His mind reeled as to why he'd been so blasted off guard. Sure, it all came to naught, but still…what if? In all honestly it could have been some stranger using a Polyjuice potion to get to him. He knew there wasn't a reason to base his suspicions that they'd even go after him. To Voldemort, Severus Snape was assumed to be one of the most loyal Death Eaters, and if it weren't for his unfortunate position at Hogwarts, he'd probably have been made privy to even more inside information.
He looked at Georgie; she coughed to herself and bit her lip, looking over his shoulder absently. She appeared sad or distressed, something to that tune, he noted. He could never predict her moods, even with a Crystal Ball…
He looked down at her. "You really do look quite fine tonight." Her head snapped up to his direction as soon as he opened his mouth. She smiled with meek pleasure. It must've taken quite a bit of….something to allow him to say that to her aloud. Maybe his manners were improving. Dare she hope it? No, better not.
"That's kind of you to say it. Thank you. You yourself look quite dashing. Truly, many a young heart will be broken tonight because of the vision you've made here." He also smiled briefly at this, and her smile leapt up on his appearing. He smiled despite the fact that he detested flattery in all of it's many forms.
"Do you just say that because it's considered the proper line of decorum to return a compliment?"
She rolled her eyes, and twittered, "Do you really think that I would do anything in the name of 'proper decorum'?"
He cocked his head to the side considering, then winked and shook his head.
"Na Kamogelas." She laughed
"What's that supposed to mean?" Snape's smiled vanished and a blank expression replaced it--he was always so distrustful, probably thought she was laughing at him.
"Keep smiling." She laughed, then scowled at him for emphasis.
The song ended and Severus spun her around with a final flourish. "I'm so hyper!" Georgie yelped. She shot up and down with her fists clenched at her side. "Ahhhh!" Severus just stood in front of her looking at her as if she'd gone mad as she bounded about hopping like a rabid rabbit.
Georgie headed for one of the tables sitting against the far wall. She was quite warm and felt flushed--but whether it showed or not, she hadn't a clue. The Haunting Christmas Carols made an impression on her and she asked Severus if he know what music it was. He replied that he did and he'd find her a copy of it the next day if she liked of it.
Severus looked over her shoulder and his brows turned dark and his scowl deepened and Georgie, alarmed, looked after his gaze. She almost whacked him out of exasperation: It was only Niamh and Remus grinning and heading their way.
"Sit down over here!" Georgie called to them, and Severus swatted her knee. "What?" She said, demanding angrily. He just nodded and stayed silent.
They both sat down and they fell into an easy and light conversation about what a lovely dance it was and how fine the decorations were, etc. Severus looked ready to murder them both and Georgie was all wonderment as to why.
"Where's Siobhan?" Georgie tried to sound affable.
"Out snoggin' with a Gryffindor boy," Niamh volunteered chuckling. They all laughed except Severus who looked alarmed.
"Oh lovely, now he's going to go out and penalize them," Georgie knocked him in the arm jovially, but so that no one else saw the action.
"I will do no such thing." He growled. He was coming very close to losing what restraint he was displaying, with the teasing and the blatant parading of such a deviant relationship.
The group chatted openly for several more minutes until Georgie caught Niamh's eye and pointed with her eyes to her watch wrist and then tossed her head in the direction of the dance floor. Niamh nodded and smile spread across her pale face. There was only a few more minutes left to the dance, so Niamh's tugged at Remus' sleeve and the both stood and excused themselves.
Georgie turned on Severus, "What the devil is your problem? They were perfectly polite and not at all indecent and you stared lecherously at them both!" She accused.
"I have my own reasons." He said.
"Yeah, I'd love to hear them after this," Georgie simpered, crossing her arms across her chest.
"And you will, but after we dance." He stood and held his hand out to Georgie, she didn't accept it right away, but then reluctantly she reached out her own hand to take hold of his. "I'd rather not dance with you at all. I'm sure I can't afford to be seen too much in your presence here." She sneered and hissed at him.
She didn't smile and of course neither did he as he dragged her through the crowds at the edge of the dance-floor. Minerva looked up from her chatting with Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey to stare at the two. She believed them both to look either very haughty or else very angry--she wasn't sure which. Neither would be good though.
Professor Sprout stopped speaking mid-sentence and followed the other woman's gaze carefully. Pomfrey's eyes watered and strained, Perhaps the day's getting to me, she lamented, I don't see what she's staring so hard at.
Severus almost brutally threw his partner around into his hands; He glared maliciously at her. This was ridiculous: he didn't need to tell anyone anything. He knew of course that he'd probably do it--he never went back on his word, hasty though it was. But the whole situation did not sit well with him. He was not used to telling anyone simply everything, so-called soul mates probably didn't tell each other everything. And in his work it was dangerous to know too much about someone else.
Not that he had had much to worry about for awhile. Voldemort was having his Inner Circle work on some sort of blood curse--Severus didn't know what it was about, but he knew he probably would not be summoned for at least another month. More Transfiguration than Potions work. Maybe even two months or more. He would have smiled, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Yet he was inwardly relieved. But not so much that he'd let his guard down. Voldemort was notorious for his surprises. One never quite knew where exactly one stood with the Death Eaters.
He focused on his partner who did not seem to be enjoying herself, but he didn't feel up to the effort to bring her out of her gloom. She was too sensitive, and the sooner she got that out of her system the better. She was looking at him, as if she wanted to claw his eyes off. Severus was actually quite amused at that, and managed to smirk at her purposefully and set her anger in at an even deeper level.
When the dance was finished, neither noticed that nearly every pair of eyes in the room was on the disdainful pair. Though they'd managed to think ill of each other throughout the entire last song, they also managed to look fiery and livid as well, exciting quite a few onlookers' stares. They danced well enough on both sides that their waltzing with such an attitude resembled more of a combative tango. Many students thought Georgie was going to hit him when he started his indolent smirking.
They stood a minute before getting off the floor, and only when Georgie turned her back on him and strode from where he stood did Severus oblige her by following. Once outside in the garden again and well out of earshot of everyone else, Georgie turned on Severus. She yelled at him for being such an impudent asshole and would he please stop being so secretive and sneaky. Why the hell couldn't he just trust her, no questions asked, trust his friends, and who the hell was he to pass judgements on others and decide their fates….?
Severus bellowed coldly that she was being so exasperatingly female, with all the trust and sensitivity issues, and of course he trusted her and his friends--he never said he didn't. But he wanted his life to at least resemble the one he'd always led and that included keeping some things to himself. Not just for everyone's safety, but for his own sanity.
"For Merlin's sake, Snape!" She screeched, clamping her eyes shut. "I don't want to flipping know when you go to the toilet. I want to know the important stuff, the life or death stuff, likes, dislike, reasons. Why you bloody hate my friend--what the hell gives you rights to that? I want to know what you're thinking and why, I want to be useful to you as a friend, you stupid git. I hate having to beat everything out of you all the time."
"Perhaps I'm having my reasons for not telling you everything. Have you ever thought how difficult it is to live with someone like you?" He snarled. "After a comfortable silence and solitude of 15 years, in the course of a few months you flip my world upside down. I'm not entirely happy with that, as you can well guess. I have to tell you things, I have to play nice, I have to be social, I have to do everything so you can play miracle worker and make me human again! You're much worse than Dumbledore ever was."
"As if I'm really doing everything here to get your back up--stop thinking about yourself all the time! You self-centered tosser. Difficult for you…" She virtually screamed.
"Then why do you do it?" He spat. "Why waste the effort?"
Before they could continue their tête-à-tête, Siobhan and a boy literally crawled out from a behind a hedge.
"Sorry Sir," Siobhan apologized sheepishly as she dragged the boy behind her by the hand. The boy just stared wide-mouthed at Snape and Georgie as he was pulled away.
Georgie threw up her hands and stormed away into the garden. Severus didn't follow her and instead went back into the building.
Several hours later Georgie was circling the lake in the cold and the moonlight wondering what'd gone wrong. She still didn't have the foggiest and regretted her words to Severus. Why did she always do that? Whenever her blood boiled, she always spoke without thinking. She knew Severus probably didn't mean it--well at least most of it. She bit her lip. She'd been clear around the lake perhaps five times, and the views weren't getting any better by the repetition. "I'm such a fuckwit."
She stopped on the Hogwarts' side of the lake and found a drier piece of grass by the shore. She was still wearing her dress-robes and didn't want to soil them, but she wasn't caring. She was tired and cold and to top it all off she was stubborn. She didn't want to meet Severus in the lounge and get fired back up. She would wait until it was quite late when she when she would try and sneak back in. "He's such a fuckwit."
She knew she was being ridiculous, but well, she didn't care. She'd considered why over an hour ago and realized that it wasn't pride, but definitely stubbornness speaking for her actions. She gathered her skirts into clumps in her fists and lay down. It was actually perfectly dry, just freezing. At least it wasn't snowing, she remembered thankfully. It had been very dry and mild since sometime the night before.
She was tired, so tired. She yawned, then coughed. Damn cold air. She lay back unthinkingly on the grass and crossed her arms about herself trying to conserve body heat. When she breathed out, her breath rose in white swirls upwards and disappeared.
The sky was a deep blue--almost black. For the longest time it had been a mixture of obsidian and the dingy gray that the low fog and storms afforded. But now, it was so clear and high. There were faint stars--nothing to jump up and down about though, she scoffed. But it all made for a very tranquil sight. And if it weren't for the cold or the gusts of wind, Georgie would have smiled at it all.
Georgie opened her eyes widely taking everything in--she only squinted her eyes up when it was too sunny or her focus was off, or just because she laughed. But out here, her eyes strained to see everything at once. It was like she was under a giant upside-down black bowl. She wondered if she could feel the earth with all it's forces tug beneath her insignificant body. She reckoned she almost could.
She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't want to feel good and humble and amazed and all of that. She felt bad, really, she told herself. She couldn't quite place the feeling or describe it. It felt a little like when an opportunity was missed. Like when you had a fantastic idea or something, borne of your own creativity and ingenuity. It was your brainchild. But for whatever reason you keep it to yourself. Then one day you wake up and find that someone else had beaten you to it's broadcast. You're filled with thoughts of should've, would've, could've. You feel angrier with yourself, though you are angry with the other person regardless of the fact that you know they aren't to blame. You feel as if you enormously screwed up and you missed the opportunity. Should've…
She couldn't quite understand why this feeling, or it's funny explanation leapt to the forefront of her mind, but she still dwelled on the thought anyway. She couldn't think of anything she'd missed so to say, no matter how hard she racked her brain.
She shivered and coughed. Her dress was probably going to have dirt all up the back of it, but she couldn't be bothered to move. At least, she thought with a wry smile, it's the start of break tomorrow. I can sleep in at last.
She lay in silence, and tried not to think too much, she couldn't fix things, so it was no use crying over it. She heard the light footfalls of someone approaching her position on the grass. It paused near her head. It probably wanted her to open her eyes, to sit up and address them, she mused, but she wouldn't indulge them--as it was almost definitely Severus. Can't be bothered. After a minute of just standing there the person made very little noise as they sat down, and eventually lie back themselves.
Georgie knew Severus' way, his walk, his breathing even--it was shallow and short. And everything he did was silent. Sure it could've been some Death Eater or horrible monster--she didn't know, as her eyes were clamped shut.
He spoke, and she realized his head was a few inches from her own. "What if I were a Death Eater?" He asked slippery.
"I'd be dead by now, if you were." She said lowly. "Besides, aren't you?"
He didn't reply and her eyes stayed shut. He knew she wasn't sleeping out here when he'd first approached her. He just knew--sixth sense or intuition. He'd spent his evening storming about the study, muttering to himself and slamming doors. She was so infuriating--all the time. Damnable fool--such a child still. Minerva had stopped by in her tartan dressing robe and her hair up in papers to chat and drink tea with him. She had stayed for well over an hour; he had gathered that perhaps the older lady was worried for the younger witch, as she kept looking at the door anxiously. And at that moment Severus definitely was jealous.
Minerva was a good and simple woman, one of the best witches in the country, perhaps even beyond that. It was funny for him to imagine this, and to see her sitting there in her shabby old robe, sipping tea and prattling on about the dance and how students were so singular these days. He admired and esteemed her greatly; she was loyal and good. He even envied her occasional instances of mercy towards erring students, which bewildered and amazed him. And as often angered him. But he never questioned her judgement. Though he would never allow himself to relent.
As soon as the witch excused herself for the night, Severus felt a bit more at ease. He tried to recall the things that were said, and couldn't. He didn't even know what had started it all off. He waited for Georgie to return for several minutes, but his patience got the better of him. He was on his feet and out the door before very long.
He knew rather than guessed that she would be still outside--she was obstinate to a fault like that. Perhaps she would try and make him feel guilty or responsible for that. But it would make it easier to find her. He could see well enough in the dark, and there weren't many places she could hide. And he knew she wasn't fool enough to take on the Forbidden Forest--well at least not at night, by herself, and in a dress.
He almost walked right by her--she camouflaged so well in with the darkness and the grass, and she didn't move or make a sound. He'd approached her and suspected her to not be sleeping, but he was disturbed at her lack of caution as to whom her visitor might be.
She coughed and stirred him back into the present. "It's cold out here, Miss Flaing, you really should get back indoors."
She ignored him.
"You're coughing." He sat up abruptly and scrutinized her face carefully. "Do you want to talk about this? Is that it?" He asked shortly in a huff.
Her eyes flew open, and they met his. She was totally devoid of emotion or expression; in fact she looked almost sad. She didn't utter a syllable, but at least he knew she was listening.
"I apologize for what happened, I don't know why we even got started on that path. We're both two fools, that's all I can tell." Her eyes almost smiled at this. "Come, we're friends."
"Yes, friends." She sat up on her elbow so she was facing him. "….I hate myself." She said evenly.
He frowned at that. "Why ever would you?" He wasn't even tempted to humiliate her for once.
"I fly so out of control when I get riled up. I say things I don't mean, I sink low and make cheap shots." She looked at the ground and twisted a blade of grass between her fingers. "I don't know why I act that way, and I hate myself for it."
"I am the same way--everyone is the same way. It's what makes us human. You've got fire to you, and that's good. There's nothing wrong with anything that makes you human. If it bothers you so, work on it. Otherwise, be like the rest of us and just hope you'll be forgiven for it all later on." He spoke as mildly as he could. "Deal with it."
"I know all this," She looked him in the eye. "But I still hate when it happens."
He nodded solemnly at her and looked down at the lake. She lay back down on the ground, putting her hands behind her head and biting her lip.
"Do you ever feel so much, that it all frightens you?" She asked him.
"All the time." He turned to the twinkling void above their heads. "I hide that all away though. Different…feelings than you are talking about though."
"Of course." Georgie said, more as a simple statement than as anything else. He was just as he was.
They both searched the skies for a few minutes more, Georgie shivered slightly in the wind every few minutes. "Severus, I know you'd loathe to hear this, but sometimes I feel sorry for you."
"You are right--I do loathe to hear that." He replied matter-of-factly, though not angrily. "Why?" He knew why, but wished to hear it from her all the same.
"Lots of reasons," She sighed. "You must keep this appearance of coldness and indifference up, while your toughest critic is yourself."
He could have laughed at her simplicity. No, he'd braced himself for words worse than that. "I don't want your pity, Georgie."
"I know that, so you won't get it. I couldn't be you, you know, I haven't whatever it is that gets you through the day. I just worry about you sometimes…." She didn't elaborate, though there was more she wanted to say. Severus didn't need someone pointing out his faults at every step.
He jumped to his feet suddenly, and Georgie followed him with her eyes. "Oh, get up, it's cold out here." He held out his hand and she accepted it and was lifted to her feet. She actually grinned at Severus' impatience. He dusted off his robes, for a mere second. She stood a moment and dusted off her back and her bum lightly, then brushed smooth her skirts. She looked to him with a look of expectancy when she saw him watching her. "Ready?" She asked smiling once more.
He offered her his arm, and she groaned. She accepted his arm, then becoming curious, halted them both. She reached up and straighten his collar, to his evident dislike. "You really do look fab." She spoke to his neck. "Wish I had a camera."
He smiled easily at that and countered, "And you still look quite handsome--despite the dirt. And the unrelenting mouth." She grinned and tried to kick him in the shins, but he had already restarted his walking and she was up and dragged behind him, chuckling the whole way back.
The next morning Georgie invited Severus to a movie in Muggle London. She wasn't too surprised when he turned down the offer, but she still abused him heavily about how he 'never went out to have any fun whatsoever.'
She returned later than afternoon, threw off her black wool coat and collapsed by the fire. Severus set down his book, he could tell she was brimming to talk. "Well?"
Her eyes shone and she had a sappy grin plastered across her face. "It was wonderful," and she hugged herself. Severus rolled his eyes. She went on, "It was this multi-feature sort of thing: all Emma Thompson flicks. Well, actually the art house theatre was showing an entire day of her films, but I could only stay for the three." She sighed contentedly. "You of course don't have the foggiest who she is do you?" She poked fun lightly.
"Not the foggiest." He agreed in slightly bored tones.
"She's this fab actress, horribly emotional, gets caught up in the characters and all…the best. I saw The Winter Guest, Sense and Sensibility and Howard's End." Her eyes took on the far-off look of remembering.
"I know the book Sense and Sensibility--you own it. Leave it sitting about." He sneered. "And I know of Howard's End by reputation. Horribly pointless romances," He growled. "You must admit no one is like that, nor ever was. Minerva's fond of that one as well. I've had my fill of it, thank-you-very-much."
"I'm calling everyone 'dearest' from now on. I think it's such a delightfully friendly word."
"Not exactly fitting for Hagrid. And certainly not for me," He eyed her, trying to frighten some sense into her.
"Whatever you say, Dearest," and she leapt up from the couch and smashed through her door.
Severus picked up his book, slightly annoyed. He did not like 'dearest'. He could handle Sugar Lips and Snore-Monster, because that was all a joke--it couldn't possibly be true. And because they weren't common names that spoke of such familiarity, such closeness…he just wasn't comfortable with it. No one had ever called him that and he wasn't about to allow his friend start now.
She returned with letters in her hand and headed for the door, "I'm off to the owlery, see you later dearest."
"Georgie, if you continue calling me that, I'll curse you." He spoke with all earnestness.
"Brilliant!" She teased as she swept out the door.
She stayed a few minutes up with the owls, petting them and speaking low words to them. Her family had an owl--Brutus--and he was the stupidest thing to ever have wings. But these birds were clever, and seemed to sense her mood and listen to her voice coo at them. She loved birds and always had secretly wanted a parrot or some sort of beast that she could teach to talk. She finally selected a hefty looking owl to carry the letters to her family and also to her friends in Poland. She turned and climbed back down the twisting stairs, bumping into two other students trying to fight their way up.
The first few days of the holidays went slowly and quietly. Georgie woke up at around noontime and never went to sleep until almost dawn. "And you accused me of being a vampire?!" Severus had pointed out on afternoon when she had stumbled out of her room at nearly three in the afternoon. But it was soon plenty evident that the entire group who'd chosen to remain behind was acting and moving in slow motion. There were only perhaps 35 people in the entire building and maybe half of this was made up of the staff.
Minerva wore her hair looser almost daily--Georgie guessed that she just couldn't be bothered with the effort to look so prim every day. And Lupin and Sirius Black took off for a week-long trip to the north country, Professor Binns shook his head warning one and all that there was likely to be nasty weather there. The two men shook their heads and left all the same.
One evening Georgie had been sitting in Hagrid's cabin--the rain once again gracing them with it's appearance, when there was a knock at his door. Hagrid gave a curious look and was at the door in a flash. He threw it open and there stood three dripping and shivering students. "Oh!" Georgie implored when Hagrid greeted them on his doorstep and immediately hadn't invited them in. They were getting wetter by the second. Hagrid took the cue and herded them into his cozy cabin.
Georgie knew who the students were: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. They all burst in excitedly and tossed their things before the fire, all of them trying to speak at the same time. Hermione however noticed the other girl sitting in the armchair and smiling to herself at the scene her friends and her were making--she must be more clever than the companions. Hermione elbowed Harry and he stopped speaking and turned to stare at Georgie silently. Ron didn't get the message apparently as he continued to prattle on "…Then, we went up behind Draco and Millicent and cast this nifty charm on them that made it so that they couldn't let go of on another's hands…." He noted the silence of the room and looked to his friends, then followed their gaze to the other student, the intruder.
Hagrid took control, "Harry, Ron and Hermione--ya know Georgie of course. We've been sittin' 'ere talkin' and drinkin' some tea. Would you like some?" Hermione assented that they would and they all pulled up chairs before the fire--well away from Georgie. Georgie hadn't been smiling, but if she had it would have disappeared by this point.
Hagrid handed out the steaming mugs and sat himself down in his mammoth armchair, questioning Ron about what exactly had 'the big pale-faced idiot' had said to Hermione earlier that day to get them all so worked up. But Ron shrugged off the question and tried to look out the window at the storm. It was a tense room and it was more than obvious that the students didn't trust Georgie's presence. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she sat back in her chair and tried to keep herself from glowering at the students.
Hagrid whipped his head towards the three then back to Georgie, it was easy to read his thoughts as he analyzed the expressions of his guests. So easy to read her friend…
"Listen, Georgie's a good girl, she wouldn't go tell anyone anything at all. You can trust 'er like you trust me, alrigh'?" This speech seemed to make little difference and the conversation inched on in such a guarded and suspicious manner, that it wasn't before very few minutes that Georgie rose to her feet, feeling rather fed up.
"Listen, Hagrid, I've had a lovely time but there's something I have to do, so I'll see you at dinner or something." And she marched from the cabin in as dignified a manner as she could before he could try and stop her.
She pulled her hood up to her head--she hated her hood---it made visibility ridiculous for her as she crossed the soggy grounds, trying to keep her feet beneath her. She heaved heavy breaths, trying to calm herself, though on reflection she wasn't really all that miffed. I mean, what did she expect? Open armed embraces? No, but a little civility would've been nice. Still she didn't blame them, they were students and younger and she might've acted the same way had she been in their shoes. She'd heard stories about them from Hagrid… It sucks having to prove oneself everywhere one went all the same, and being a Slytherin made this even more necessary, it seemed. She wouldn't tell Severus this as he'd probably just take the 'I told you so' stance, and she didn't want to hear him gloat over anything. Especially Harry Potter.
"I suppose they don't think Slytherins are trustworthy--they're not even giving me the chance to screw up." She spoke bitterly to herself in the wind. She thought to herself, no blood lost--their loss really, but her heart wasn't into the conviction. Later Hagrid would speak lowly aside to her at dinner and explain everything Georgie had already deduced and she would smile, and wave it all aside saying it was no big deal and all that, but she wouldn't forget nonetheless.
She wanted Lupin to come back so she could bug him and whine to him and everything. It seemed that all they ever did these days were bemoan their own sorrows to each other--Lupin about his Niamh and Georgie about everything that had pissed her off that day.
Georgie came home the first weekend from a day shopping, though Severus' hadn't the foggiest where exactly she'd gone off. When she returned, she breezed in full of energy and sending droplets of melted snow in every direction, as she riffled through her parcels in front of Severus who was summoned out to the lounge. He had been at his desk writing an important letter and he was almost finished so he was a little irked at her jaunty knocking and all around bouncy spirits. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…" She had mumbled.
"Um, hold on a sec, okay, here it is…" She pulled out two leather pouches--both long and thin. She produced from the first one a dagger. Whatever Severus was expecting--a toy, a joke, food--this wasn't it. He frowned. Georgie really should not keep sharp objects.
"Isn't it gorgeous!" She gushed admiring the silver handle and the intricate knotted work at the bottom of the hilt. "And it can be concealed on the person."
This was lost on Severus who frowned, "Explain why you got it." He didn't sound as thrilled as she'd somehow worked herself up to believe he would be, but at least he wasn't upset or anything--just sounded bewildered.
"I'm going to learn to defend myself." She said simply. "I figure it's a useful skill and the knife fits well enough under clothing. 'Sides it's pretty."
Severus rolled his eyes. "Not at Hogwarts." He insisted sternly.
"Duh," She mocked him lightly and giggled and waved him off. "Wait the other one I got….is…." She rummaged a minute longer giving Severus time to brace against whatever ridiculous thing she would produce.
She brought out two smaller and less detailed knives. These were more angular and had shorter blades, he knew these knives well. "Throwing knives." She explained gleefully.
"I know." He spoke gravely. What was this sudden interest in weapons for her?
"I also bought a couple of books on defense at the shop." She rifled through her things once more, he noticed hints of fabrics peeping out at him, before she thrust them all back into their bags and boxes.
"Which store?" He queried. He could guess what type of store, but he wanted to drag it out of her.
She knew that he could guess as well but "Oh, just a regular sort of store, you know, they all seem the same after awhile…" She knew she was sounding lame--even by her standards, but she didn't care. "It wasn't Knockturn Alley, okay?" She knew he'd ask sooner or later, so if she got that off of her chest he might have the decency to not question her further. Truth was, Remus had let it slip that there was a smallish village called Tullasmarsh to the south that was just as equipped for Wizarding needs as Hogsmeade--just not nearly as convenient. That and they had stores similar to those found in Knockturn, which was a draw for Georgie as well.
Severus folded his arms across his skinny chest and scowled, "Defense always is a good idea, however…" He stopped and considered all the times he'd been able to sneak up on her. He would have to make sure she didn't carry them around Hogwarts.
"Excellent, now check out what the man in the shop taught me," She picked up one of the throwing knives. "And it only took me an hour." She lifted the knife straight out in front of herself with a straight arm. She brought it back and before Severus could stop her she'd launched the knife across the wall and imbedded the blade into the doorframe of the door out to the Common Room at about eye-height.
He walked over to the door sneering and grappled to remove the knife, "Brilliant Georgie. Just brilliant." He was mildly impressed--the strip of wood she'd hit was only as wide as his thumb--and from across the room, still, he stalked back over and held it out to his friend who was beaming like it were Christmas Day. "Impressive." He added drolly. "Perhaps we could set up a target so that the walls won't end up looking like one of Remus' scratching posts."
She shrugged and turned to gather up her parcels, she knew that it was a great feat and Severus had to be impressed, really. He was just such a stingy muppet when he came to acknowledging things.
He glided to his still open doorway to his rooms and stopped in them, turning around. "It's a smart move to learn defenses. You're useless you know at losing someone in the dark."
Georgie grinned and lifted a finger as a salute to him but didn't look up, "I once saw a badge that said 'I'm only paranoid because everyone's trying to kill me.' How I wish I'd bought it and held on to it so you could have it today…"
Severus left her and she gathered her parcels about herself on the center table. She summoned a quill and ink and addressed several of the packages to family members around the globe, even one for her Great Aunt Sylvie who haunted and kept up a huge Manor house in New Brunswick where Georgie's Uncle and his family used to live. Sylvie was a wonderful old dear who was horribly raunchy and vulgar. One Christmas she'd made some comment on having 'drank so much her back teeth were floating.' Georgie's mother was not amused; but everyone else was in an uproar over it.
She got to her feet and was arranging the parcels in her arms, stacking them higher and higher under her chin so she'd only have to make one trip, when Severus burst back out. He looked at her and grinned guilefully.
"Need anything to go through the post?" She murmured, trying not to move her chin too much as she spoke, as she was holding the paper-y tops of two boxes down with her jaw. "I've got plenty of room…." She eyed his letter. "Here, just stick it somewhere on top…maybe slip it between my elbow and…."
Severus crossed the floor between them and grabbed several of the parcels from her hands. "Hey, I can handle them!" She protested indignantly.
"I believe you. But I'm going up there anyway, so that's that." And he turned and walked out the door. Georgie ran right after him.
"Thanks, but why not just give it to me? I mean, really? It weighs barely anything, and I could've carried it and saved you a trip!" She pursued.
"I wished to give this to an owl personally. It's rather important." He didn't elaborate, so Georgie just mouth, "Oh," Somewhat quizzically. What the devil could the letter be if he didn't trust her with it? Or maybe he just didn't trust her with carrying anything up there; she had been known to lose things on even short ventures up to the owlery before. That made her feel a bit easier, but still…
She coughed, "I hate snow--two weeks into the season the novelty just wears off for me." She griped.
He didn't look at her, "I thought you enjoyed the snow?"
"Yeah, I do, but still…" She pouted. It was difficult to say. And she was feeling so hot and stuffy in the halls--it was like a mild case of claustrophobia and she couldn't really escape from it to anywhere else.
They reached the owlery and Severus grabbed up one of the largest blackest owls she'd ever seen. Funny, Georgie thought to herself that she'd never seen that owl before. School owls tended to be lively, brown barn owls. She watched unabashedly as he tied the rolled parchment onto it's iron-trap of a claw, and re-fastened it on even more securely, then it took to a hover in it's place before flying out the window. Curiouser and curiouser…
When Severus turned back to her when his business was finished, she quickly got to selecting out her owls as well. There was no shortage of volunteers as there were so few students staying for the holidays to use them. She selected two or three owls each for the larger parcels, then a few of the smaller fowl were perfect fits for the tinier ones. She was finished in no time, and hopped on over to where Severus stood looking out the window idly.
"I'm feeling violent. We should blow stuff up tonight. You game?" She teased as he followed her out and down the whirling stairs.
"Blow stuff up? Care to be more specific?"
"Don't know…" She scratched her forehead absently and than ran her fingers through her hair. In doing so she'd managed to make a fat curl stick out over her ear. Severus thought she reminded him of a ragged elf, but he didn't think it to be a compliment and thus didn't share it.
"If you're so restless, go hill-walking outside of Hogsmeade." He suggested. Less mess to clean up for Hagrid.
"What are you doing?" She pried.
"Nothing. Always nothing." He spoke somberly.
"Come." She offered simply.
He looked at her and shrugged his thin shoulders. "Perhaps." Fat chance of that.
However a few minutes later they were both dressed warmly as they slid out the castle door and tried to make their way through the white drifts. Georgie had put her wand in her pocket and was conjuring up tiny balls of fire with her hand and hurling them at the ground out before them as they trod on. The orbs smoldered and burned out several seconds after finding themselves embedded in the snow and Georgie noted that it made the going even easier with a lit path. Severus was just annoyed.
"So…" Georgie looked to the ground and not at her friend as she braced herself, "You have any siblings?"
Severus didn't answer right away. "Yes." He finally allowed.
"Yesss….?" Georgie prompted and did a wonderful job of hiding her enormous surprise.
"Yes…Yes." He replied casually. "I have a brother."
"Oh, that's nice." She allowed herself a smile. She hadn't expected any sibling to actually be alive or anything--he surely would have spoke of him before….
"No, it's not."
She looked at him as he plunged through a patch of knee-high, dark underbrush. He didn't meet her gaze, though he had to know she was following him with her gaze.
"That's a very cold, un-brotherly expression."
He snorted and rolled his eyes. Then he replied acidly, "Well, I'll ask you to not hold it to me. He hasn't been the best of brothers."
She waited for him to elaborate. And when they reached a high point that allowed a sweeping survey of the village below, she was rewarded.
"I have a brother--I'm not perfectly sure where he is right now. He was one year ahead of me in school, looked completely different--he took after my father. Most people didn't realize we were even related until they would come upon our family name. We were both uncooperative and entirely lethal on arriving here at Hogwarts." He ran his hand through his hair in an absent-minded gesture. He slid out his wand and began to pelt the ground before him with short fire-bursts from the end of his wand.
"If people ever thought I was a horrid child, he really was ten times worse. He only gave the appearance of innocence. I at least looked sullen and irritable. He was something else altogether…." He heaved out a great sigh, but it didn't strike one as a disappointing one.
Georgie who had been listening silently broke in. "So what happened to him?"
"Back when Voldemort was coming to power he decided that he'd challenge him--not straight on, mind you. But at another level. He gathered a small group of devout followers and began to terrorize Muggles and Wizards alike. He at least was better than the Dark Lord in that he didn't differentiate or discriminate--no he liked killing for killing's sake." He grinned scornfully. "They were a real force to be reckoned with for a while…."
"In the end his followers were brought down systematically and he fled the country and the Ministry was never able to charge him formally, as he never returned. The Ministry and its asinine loopholes..."
"So you haven't heard from him in…?"
"A long time. But not long enough." He blasted apart a small tree a few paces away to emphasize his point. "He's an evil man."
"I'm sorry." She answered sincerely.
"Don't be." But he was.
She sighed and slid out her own wand and followed his example by setting fire to a far-off bush. "Our brothers are both dead then, is it?" She spoke lightly, trying to gauge his feelings on the subject.
He nodded.
"Life's turning out to be a bit of a puddle isn't it?." She sent a purple stream from her wand to an oak tree, which defied her attempts at making it burn.
"You know, when I was twelve I hated being skinny and short and wished I were older. When I was 16, I couldn't wait to be 18 so life and my adolescent troubles would get easier." She smiled sweetly and turned to her friend full on. "It never does, does it?"
It was a hypothetical question, yet he replied. "The older you get the more time your memory spans. The more people you've met and who've gone on. It's all baggage. Nothing gets easier, you just deal with it better."
"Bullshit." She laughed and lobbed a fireball at Severus. She meant it to come close to him, but she miscalculated and it really did nearly graze him.
"Fool!" He bellowed and glared at her. She looked away at the view and brushed the accumulating snow off of her tam. She saw electric lights from far-off houses and every once in awhile saw the telltale lights from an airplane, though none ever came near to Hogwarts or even Hogsmeade.
"It really is a nice world out there, Severus." She coughed and turned back to amble up next to her friend. She watched him as he frowned and searched the valley below.
"It'll be a lovely Christmas. I promise." She put her mittened hand on his shoulder and exclaimed, "Damn! You're too skinny! You need to eat more or something." She poked.
"I will not have you fattening me up like a Christmas goose."
"Wouldn't dream of it." She grinned foolishly at him.
"Come on," he spat over his shoulder as he walked further on. He made quite the striking figure: The lanky, black figure striding across the snow reflecting the purple stormy skies, all the while blasting and burning as he went.
She rolled her eyes as she trotted off after him, feeling very much like a little yapping terrier next to Severus--especially the yapping part, she thought saucily.
Time flew much too quickly for Georgie. She was enjoying the fruits of the season that day-trips into London, Muggle and Wizard side alike, offered her. She and Hagrid went sledging when the snow piled up against the windows. Hagrid had hooked up his boarhound to it and they'd taken off screeching and howling with delight all over the grounds.
Sirius and Remus returned and Sirius had been behaving slightly pissy having to be cooped up in the castle for so long, so they took off for The Three Broomsticks most nights now. It was becoming a regular staff meeting place--even Severus went once, but hadn't been back since then. Sirius was heaps of fun. Once Georgie had commented aside that she thought one tall wizard across the way was a looker, so Sirius stood up and bellowed for the fellow to join them all. All her professors turned and smiled broadly at Georgie, and she wanted to disappear right then and there as the man approached the table and struck up a conversation with her.
His name turned out to be Michael and he truly was gorgeous, and very funny. She'd still murder Sirius later on for the looks and smirks he gave her from across the room as he worked his own brand of magic on the ladies present. He was always a hit wherever he went. It was all wicked fun.
The next morning she awoke and found Severus awake and reading, it nettled her slightly but not for any justifiable reason that she could pinpoint. She was probably just hung over or something. He was always, always reading. She was going to grab her broomstick after the meal and take to the skies to clear her thoughts and to get out a bit, she decided.
Severus looked at her, "Do you know what today is?" She scratched her head and ruffled up her hair.
"The day I keel over?" She rounded the back of the couch and threw herself onto it face-down.
"Tomorrow's Christmas." He spoke without emotion.
She flipped over awkwardly and stared at him carefully. Narrowing her eyes, "So? Are we going caroling or something then tonight?" She'd pay money to see Snape delighting in a pantomime.
"Hardly." He sneered unamusedly.
They both looked up as Sirius nearly fell out from his room and stumbled across to where they sat conversing. He was shirtless and his hair stuck up in odd places, he didn't look altogether awake yet. When he got to Georgie's couch he lifted her legs and dumped them on the floor absently and sat in their former place. Georgie snorted with amusement. Severus glared.
Sirius yawned and blinked, Georgie rounded on him and asked him in his sleepy stupor what he would call what they were sitting on right then.
He answered drolly that it was a sofa. Georgie turned on Severus, who looked slightly angry--his lips were drawn tight and white. "Humor me. What is it called?"
"A couch." He spat. "Why the devil….?"
"I got an owl from my mom yesterday, she said she was getting rid of our old Chesterfield somewhere in it. I miss that word--makes me think of her." She massages her temples. "So what are we doing tonight then?"
"Bonfire." He replied shortly. "Hagrid's idea really, he has some salamanders he wishes to play with, I believe…."
"Yes, I've seen them in class…" She started, but was cut of by Sirius' snores. She turned abruptly and saw him falling forward over the arm of the couch, head on his arms as he'd apparently fallen back asleep.
"Well," He said rising. "I have to finish a few potions today."
"I'm going out flying. I'll find you afterwards and bug you."
"Wonderful." He snarled.
"Oy, shut your mouth, ya Scrooge. Off with you!" She teased and even managed to elicit a softening of expression as he stopped a moment on his way out to regard the fir tree in the corner that Sirius had given them as a Christmas present. Georgie had charmed some candles the night before to float in the boughs and the tree now was really quite simple and lovely. He then breezed out the door and left.
She poked Sirius in the ribs, "Wake up lil' monkey! Get cracking!" Her voice virtually dripped syrup. She beat him lightly in the head with a pillow as she bolted out the door after Severus.
Slowing down and reaching his side she fell into step with him. "Sooo…" She playfully engaged him. "Am I the daughter you never had or something?"
"Excuse me?" He started and stared wild-eyed at her.
"You're always having to straighten me out--calling me childish and things….so, am I the child you never had, never wanted, etc…."
"I haven't called you childish today. Why bring this up?" He turned to face forward once more, but still evidently listened to her.
"I'm just asking," She countered exasperatingly flinging her hands up in a giving-up sort of gesture.
"I have no wish for a daughter like you. Besides I would have had all sons." He stated seriously. "I don't want to continue this conversation, If you don't mind."
"Er, I bet….gee, what was I thinking--sons?' She teased unrelentingly. "So I'm the child you never had, that you're always forced to bail out and straighten out and put up with the antics of."
"Where are you going with this? You have assisted me out of circumstances just as many times, no, probably more." He pointed out.
"So you're the child I never had?" She shivered. "That's really sick."
"Why is that sick?" He demanded, trying to look deeply insulted.
"Well, it just is. You aren't sick, it just is…oh, nevermind. I'm just skin crawl-y, major willies here…." She murmured off.
"Shut your mouth." He growled.
As they climbed the last few steps and entered the entrance hall they both saw Remus amble around a corner and smile good-naturedly. Severus glared and Georgie waved amicably. She elbowed him lightly in the side pointedly, and he started to explain in a hiss under his breath, "I told you about…"
"I know." She hissed back quickly, "Just act civil."
He shot back, "Don't presume to tell me how to act," just out of Remus' hearing.
"Happy Christmas," The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher approached them and extended his hand to them both in turn. He appeared to be in fine spirits and they all three proceeded to enter the Great Hall. The smell of sausages assaulted them all immediately after entering inside--It was heavenly, and Georgie's stomach spoke up and let those within earshot know it thought as much.
Georgie looked up to the enchanted ceiling and saw that low clouds hung gray sky and it'd probably snow once more before the day was out. She parted from the two men and virtually ran to Hagrid's side. She felt like bursting with excitement--it was almost Christmas, she wanted to scream from the top of the Astronomy tower--though she doubted that Sinistra would appreciate it if she did.
At the end of the meal she nearly pushed over Harry Potter and his little friends in the haste to get out to her broomstick and outdoors. She smiled at them and Hermione caught her eye and actually smiled back at her. Wonders never cease…
Georgie was rushing past Snape as he was entering into the lounge, he looked her over seeming to scrutinize whether her cloak was warm enough. Georgie rolled her eyes at that, and smiled at him.
"You do realize it is snowing." He sighed coldly.
"Of course I do. Do you think Madam Hooch has an extra set of those goggles she's forever wearing?" She pondered absentmindedly as she maneuvered around his form and out the door. He just shook his head at her, but his eyes twinkled. So like a child on Christmas…or so he'd heard.
Georgie enjoyed the time she spent alone that day. Of course she loved being social and interactive, but there was something to be said about feeling the wind in the hair, soaring solo over heights and having the only interruptions be the whistling in your ears and the musings of your own mind.
She really was taking a beating from the high winds and the bitter cold, but she just kept her hacking cough to herself and pulled her cloak closer around herself. This was an 'experience' and mustn't be cut short on account of any discomfort from her, oh no.
Hours later, her face was wind-burned and her body felt stiff and achy. She allowed that it was time to head back indoors so she turned her broom in Hogwarts' direction.
At the entrance to the Common Room she almost fell over herself backwards as the Bloody Baron floated out through the wall just as she was about to announce the password. He looked her up and down and sneered in obvious disapproval before floating away down the dark corridor.
"Oh, get off it," She frowned and pushed herself through the wall as it opened for her.
Severus wasn't there and to her disappointment neither was Sirius Black. He was most likely spending time with his Godson or just out and about, she had seen him in the Great Hall earlier. She opened her room and hung up her dripping cloak on a hook set in the wall before kicking her shoes off with such force they sailed into the stone wall by her bed.
She slipped out of everything damp and pulled on a heavy jumper. She palmed her wand and lifted it to her head and muttered a quick-dry spell--she would shower later. When she was satisfied with it's results she turned on her heel and determinedly padded out flat-footed to Snape's Classroom.
She pushed the partly open door wide-open and bounded inside. Severus looked up at her as she tromped in, but returned his attention to whatever he had been previously stirring in his cauldron over a purply-orange flame. Georgie walked over to the opposite side of his cauldron and held up her hands in a mock attempt to warm her hands by the fire--she knew better than to interrupt his work.
Severus' mouth twitched up at the corners as he tried to ignore his friend. "Done so soon?" He taunted her in a low voice.
"Bloody Baltic out there." She began in a raspy voice, then cleared her throat and began. "Would you prefer I stayed out and caught my death of cold?" She stopped and laughed shrilly. "Oh wait, I forgot to whom I was speaking!"
He gave her a cold stare. "You don't look very well." He said colloquially.
"Funny, I feel fine enough…" She shrugged
Severus brought his cool hand up to her forehead, "Cor, Severus, you're just like my mom. Stop hovering." She scolded.
"You feel warm." He removed his hand but kept his stare fixed on her.
"It's hot in here, but it's just from going from icy out there to tropical in here with that fire." She complained. "It's yo-yo temperatures, messes up my inner thermostat."
"Georgie." He caught her attention and breathed a hefty "Heh." Into the air between them proving that it was indeed cold enough in the dungeons to actually see his breath.
"Point made." She retorted dryly. "You need any help?"
He squinted down at his bubbling concoction and shook his head. "You can make up a batch of Contention Solution if you haven't anything better to do. I'm helping Poppy with a few extras."
"Why the devil does she need that?!" But she was already back behind his desk scooping up his spare cauldron in her arms when she asked. "Is that the cold-burning, fire-looking, bile-shit?" She asked with her back turned to him as she pried his cabinet open with her free hand.
"Yes it is the cold-burning fire-STUFF." He glared at her back.
She threw a few bottles and a sack into the bottom of the pewter bowl and closed the door carefully. "Sorrrr-ry." She taunted acridly as she bumbled over to a desk a few feet from his own cauldron. She felt his eyes on her, perhaps waiting for her to trip over herself or something….She sighed and gingerly lay out the ingredients and lifted the cauldron onto a fire that Severus then lit before her. "Thanks, gracias, merci, and dziekuje."
"Pardon?"
"Polish." She emptied a large vial of toad's blood into the pot and set the empty container down on the desk at her side.
"Oh." He waved his wand and the fire beneath his own cauldron diminished to half it's original size. He leaned back against a student's desk and watched her movements with a singular frown. "I want you to be able to take over my classes if the occasion ever arose." He broke into her thoughts suddenly.
Georgie looked up at this sharply. "I'd rather not, you know." She brought herself up to her full height and stood regarding him with her hands on her hips.
"It's a necessity. I don't give a whit if you agree to it or not." He said menacingly.
"You know as well as I do that I don't object on account of shyness." He acknowledged the truth to her statement.
She scooped up a leech, "Aw, for Merlin's sake, Severus!" She whined heatedly and pushed a few strands of her moist hair off of her forehead with her empty hand.
He turned his eyes ceiling-ward and gritted his teeth. "I thought you'd be happy for the chance to muck around with my lesson plans. The occasion will not arise, you dolt. I just wish you to be forewarned and prepared if it does."
"Fine," she agreed grudgingly. "But if I blow up your desk on accident while you're gone, I'll at least have warned you about it." Stupid prat…
"Throw in your leech." He pointed to her hand, and she looked down at the forgotten component before throwing it hard against the liquid surface.
"He didn't deserve that." Severus attempted to joke with her.
She smiled a sickly-sweet smile, "No, but you did." And she scratched the back of her leg with her other foot distractedly.
He cocked his head to the side momentarily before turning back to his own project. A few minutes later he finished whatever he had been concocting, bottled it, cleaned up his materials and swept wordlessly from the room.
Georgie didn't look up as he shut the door gruffly behind himself but muttered, "Bad Juju," and smirked.
Georgie hummed Christmas carols to herself as she stirred the cauldron deftly, and daydreamed of cakes and pies and altogether wished time would hurry by much faster.
Later, She adjusted her scarf round her neck as she stumbled out to the site of the bonfire by Hagrid's cabin. It was quite dark by this time and Georgie's nose began to run and she absently searched through her cloak's numerous pockets for a handkerchief. After finally coming up upon one she bent her head and blew her nose loudly, only to be drowned out by the wind which had picked up--once again, to her deep perturbation.
She spotted Minerva's signature pointed hat and made a beeline for her silhouetted form beside the fire. She spoke the older woman's name as she approached and Minerva turned and nodded smilingly at her friend. "Haven't seen the likes of you in a long while."
"I've been hiding out--plotting revenges and all." Georgie stopped beside the taller figure and noted the sprig of holly on her green hat. They watched the bulky form of Hagrid as he kept heaving enormous logs--trees really--onto the already intense heat of the bonfire. While they stood there only a few minutes in silence, the fire had nearly double it's size.
"Minerva, do you always stay here over Christmas?" She cast a sidelong glance at her friend as she tried to pose the question carefully.
"Nearly." She replied with a slight smile. "My life and my work is here. I visit family over the summer holidays, but really I wouldn't trade being here for anything in the world." She looked straight into the fire.
Georgie frowned and nodded, a little disbelievingly. She wrapped her arms around her bundled self and looked at the others who were assembled there. She immediately saw Harry Potter and his two friends Herminone and the younger Weasley boy, but there was another chubby, short boy with them, who seemed to be eyeing the salamanders with sheer terror almost--as it they might all leap for his throat at any second.
She tried to stifle a laugh, as she scratched her forehead trying to pinpoint who the student could be. She reminded herself to ask Minerva that later.
She found Dumbledore and Professor Lupin standing off to her far right chatting, heads together, under the great oak tree. Sprout and Pomfrey were sitting together on a low bench, sharing a heavy lap-blanket draped over their legs. Severus stood erect on the direct opposite side of the large fire and appeared to be maintaining the salamanders. Every so often he'd reach into a brown box and remove a dangling creature then bend stiffly to set it at the edge of the fire. She would learn later that Minerva had Transfigured maybe 50 salamanders as it was doubtful if more than a couple would spring naturally from the fire.
The few Slytherins that had remained behind had just arrived from the castle and were joining the rest of the school finally and Georgie was speaking aside to Minerva about the latest article in The Daily Prophet when Dumbledore took a few steps forward and everyone gathered hushed up quickly.
"Welcome everyone. May I take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas Eve. This is the first time we've ever had this sort of activity here--and we all owe this to Hagrid here. So try and stay warm, enjoy each other's company and we'll be roasting apples in a few minutes, so eat them up."
Several students sought out Hagrid and began apparently praising and thanking him, as his eyes gleamed and his cheeks burned bright red as he waved them all away affably. But of course the color could be from the fire as well.
Georgie grabbed two apples from the barrel over on the ground as Minerva replied in the affirmative when asked if she'd like one roasted for her. Somehow Georgie could not imagine Minerva crouching down beside the fire with a stick in hand--and apparently nor could Minerva imagine it. But Georgie didn't mind.
When both apples were dripping and smelled simply heavenly Georgie straightened her stiff legs and turned back to where Minerva stood almost sentinel. Severus stood beside the older woman and they were speaking together as she approached. Georgie stopped before them and offered to the woman the apple--"Careful it's very hot!" She warned.
Looking at Severus, "Would you like one?"
"No." He held one up clutched in a claw-like way. "I forced Longbottom to do it for me."
She nodded, not fully understanding.
He frowned and bent to pick up a salamander from the box. When he had straightened up to his full height once more, Georgie simpered. "It doesn't surprise me in the least that you're in charge of the creepy crawling things."
He took a few steps forward then, but not enough to have covered the distance between the group and the fire. He brought the little creature back and hurled it with all his force into the center of the flames rather roughly.
"Ack. That's not right!" Georgie screeched wide-eyed.
"Severus!" Minerva gawked, appalled at his coarseness.
"Oh stop it." He sneered and turned on them. "They're just snuffboxes anyhow."
"Oh." Georgie pursed her lips up in recollection.
"Still," Minerva kept on, though unsure as to how to argue this one. Do Snuffboxes have feelings?
He stepped back and took his place on Minerva's opposite side.
"Were you one of those children who tortured rats in their cellars?" She teased him.
"My family's house did not have rats!" He roared suddenly incensed, causing several nearby students to look up and move away from the bellowing Potions master. "…And yes I was." He hissed so as only to be heard by the two ladies.
Minerva looked displeased, but Georgie just grinned widely and nodded.
The rest of the evening was jolly, and time raced away from them without their noticing it. Georgie mused that this must be what camp-outs at summer camps must be like; just passing times with friends under a starry sky. She'd never been to camp, though as a child she'd begged her parents to allow her to go to one.
She slipped away unnoticed after a few hours and headed out the gate towards Hogsmeade, but turned instead of entering the village and walked away into the night.
A/N: Editing's taking forever, forgive me for my picky-ness. Still don't own nothing.
She bent down until her face was right behind Severus' head and purred, "Just thought I'd give you a scare, Sugar Lips." And she stood up on top of his back with her full weight, then vaulted off in the direction of the Great Hall, cackling to her self raucously.
He jumped to his feet and dusted off his robes. Damn it, Georgie. He was going to have a heart attack if she pulled something like that everyday--he wasn't the spry youth he used to be. Hell, even as a youth he was never the youth he should have been. He pursued after her at nearly a run, but didn't catch up until they were both inside the Great Hall once again.
She didn't turn around from her gazing at the dancing couples on the dance floor when Snape approached. She rather felt his presence that saw it. "Just thought I'd keep you on your toes." She smirked.
"As much as I'd love to thank you for that," He said sardonically. "I won't. I'm afraid Voldemort does enough of that without your help." He was a bit riled that she'd managed to get him to the ground before he could form a clear thought on how to defend himself or get out if the situation. To say he'd been caught completely unawares was an understatement.
"Practice makes perfect," she threw over her shoulder.
"No, perfect practice makes perfect." That was far from how he'd hoped to handle that type of situation.
"Snape? Be quiet." She reached back and grabbed his hand away from it's resting place in his crossed arms across his chest. She led him to the center of the floor. Severus ensnared her hand and found her waist, she squinted at him carefully. He looked too professional, always in control of his faculties, that Severus Snape, Georgie bit her lip to keep from laughing at him outright. You'd think he'd enjoy himself a bit more. But perhaps burning bushes and taking points from other houses was his idea of fun--she wouldn't put it past him.
"Aren't you having any fun?" She urged him.
"Absolutely not," he replied with a vacant expression.
"Geesh, stop trying to show it so hard…damn, blinded by the flash of your white teeth."
He didn't react. She danced with him in silence, feeling a little pained by the stiffness.
He led them around the floor with barely a thought in her direction. His mind reeled as to why he'd been so blasted off guard. Sure, it all came to naught, but still…what if? In all honestly it could have been some stranger using a Polyjuice potion to get to him. He knew there wasn't a reason to base his suspicions that they'd even go after him. To Voldemort, Severus Snape was assumed to be one of the most loyal Death Eaters, and if it weren't for his unfortunate position at Hogwarts, he'd probably have been made privy to even more inside information.
He looked at Georgie; she coughed to herself and bit her lip, looking over his shoulder absently. She appeared sad or distressed, something to that tune, he noted. He could never predict her moods, even with a Crystal Ball…
He looked down at her. "You really do look quite fine tonight." Her head snapped up to his direction as soon as he opened his mouth. She smiled with meek pleasure. It must've taken quite a bit of….something to allow him to say that to her aloud. Maybe his manners were improving. Dare she hope it? No, better not.
"That's kind of you to say it. Thank you. You yourself look quite dashing. Truly, many a young heart will be broken tonight because of the vision you've made here." He also smiled briefly at this, and her smile leapt up on his appearing. He smiled despite the fact that he detested flattery in all of it's many forms.
"Do you just say that because it's considered the proper line of decorum to return a compliment?"
She rolled her eyes, and twittered, "Do you really think that I would do anything in the name of 'proper decorum'?"
He cocked his head to the side considering, then winked and shook his head.
"Na Kamogelas." She laughed
"What's that supposed to mean?" Snape's smiled vanished and a blank expression replaced it--he was always so distrustful, probably thought she was laughing at him.
"Keep smiling." She laughed, then scowled at him for emphasis.
The song ended and Severus spun her around with a final flourish. "I'm so hyper!" Georgie yelped. She shot up and down with her fists clenched at her side. "Ahhhh!" Severus just stood in front of her looking at her as if she'd gone mad as she bounded about hopping like a rabid rabbit.
Georgie headed for one of the tables sitting against the far wall. She was quite warm and felt flushed--but whether it showed or not, she hadn't a clue. The Haunting Christmas Carols made an impression on her and she asked Severus if he know what music it was. He replied that he did and he'd find her a copy of it the next day if she liked of it.
Severus looked over her shoulder and his brows turned dark and his scowl deepened and Georgie, alarmed, looked after his gaze. She almost whacked him out of exasperation: It was only Niamh and Remus grinning and heading their way.
"Sit down over here!" Georgie called to them, and Severus swatted her knee. "What?" She said, demanding angrily. He just nodded and stayed silent.
They both sat down and they fell into an easy and light conversation about what a lovely dance it was and how fine the decorations were, etc. Severus looked ready to murder them both and Georgie was all wonderment as to why.
"Where's Siobhan?" Georgie tried to sound affable.
"Out snoggin' with a Gryffindor boy," Niamh volunteered chuckling. They all laughed except Severus who looked alarmed.
"Oh lovely, now he's going to go out and penalize them," Georgie knocked him in the arm jovially, but so that no one else saw the action.
"I will do no such thing." He growled. He was coming very close to losing what restraint he was displaying, with the teasing and the blatant parading of such a deviant relationship.
The group chatted openly for several more minutes until Georgie caught Niamh's eye and pointed with her eyes to her watch wrist and then tossed her head in the direction of the dance floor. Niamh nodded and smile spread across her pale face. There was only a few more minutes left to the dance, so Niamh's tugged at Remus' sleeve and the both stood and excused themselves.
Georgie turned on Severus, "What the devil is your problem? They were perfectly polite and not at all indecent and you stared lecherously at them both!" She accused.
"I have my own reasons." He said.
"Yeah, I'd love to hear them after this," Georgie simpered, crossing her arms across her chest.
"And you will, but after we dance." He stood and held his hand out to Georgie, she didn't accept it right away, but then reluctantly she reached out her own hand to take hold of his. "I'd rather not dance with you at all. I'm sure I can't afford to be seen too much in your presence here." She sneered and hissed at him.
She didn't smile and of course neither did he as he dragged her through the crowds at the edge of the dance-floor. Minerva looked up from her chatting with Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey to stare at the two. She believed them both to look either very haughty or else very angry--she wasn't sure which. Neither would be good though.
Professor Sprout stopped speaking mid-sentence and followed the other woman's gaze carefully. Pomfrey's eyes watered and strained, Perhaps the day's getting to me, she lamented, I don't see what she's staring so hard at.
Severus almost brutally threw his partner around into his hands; He glared maliciously at her. This was ridiculous: he didn't need to tell anyone anything. He knew of course that he'd probably do it--he never went back on his word, hasty though it was. But the whole situation did not sit well with him. He was not used to telling anyone simply everything, so-called soul mates probably didn't tell each other everything. And in his work it was dangerous to know too much about someone else.
Not that he had had much to worry about for awhile. Voldemort was having his Inner Circle work on some sort of blood curse--Severus didn't know what it was about, but he knew he probably would not be summoned for at least another month. More Transfiguration than Potions work. Maybe even two months or more. He would have smiled, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Yet he was inwardly relieved. But not so much that he'd let his guard down. Voldemort was notorious for his surprises. One never quite knew where exactly one stood with the Death Eaters.
He focused on his partner who did not seem to be enjoying herself, but he didn't feel up to the effort to bring her out of her gloom. She was too sensitive, and the sooner she got that out of her system the better. She was looking at him, as if she wanted to claw his eyes off. Severus was actually quite amused at that, and managed to smirk at her purposefully and set her anger in at an even deeper level.
When the dance was finished, neither noticed that nearly every pair of eyes in the room was on the disdainful pair. Though they'd managed to think ill of each other throughout the entire last song, they also managed to look fiery and livid as well, exciting quite a few onlookers' stares. They danced well enough on both sides that their waltzing with such an attitude resembled more of a combative tango. Many students thought Georgie was going to hit him when he started his indolent smirking.
They stood a minute before getting off the floor, and only when Georgie turned her back on him and strode from where he stood did Severus oblige her by following. Once outside in the garden again and well out of earshot of everyone else, Georgie turned on Severus. She yelled at him for being such an impudent asshole and would he please stop being so secretive and sneaky. Why the hell couldn't he just trust her, no questions asked, trust his friends, and who the hell was he to pass judgements on others and decide their fates….?
Severus bellowed coldly that she was being so exasperatingly female, with all the trust and sensitivity issues, and of course he trusted her and his friends--he never said he didn't. But he wanted his life to at least resemble the one he'd always led and that included keeping some things to himself. Not just for everyone's safety, but for his own sanity.
"For Merlin's sake, Snape!" She screeched, clamping her eyes shut. "I don't want to flipping know when you go to the toilet. I want to know the important stuff, the life or death stuff, likes, dislike, reasons. Why you bloody hate my friend--what the hell gives you rights to that? I want to know what you're thinking and why, I want to be useful to you as a friend, you stupid git. I hate having to beat everything out of you all the time."
"Perhaps I'm having my reasons for not telling you everything. Have you ever thought how difficult it is to live with someone like you?" He snarled. "After a comfortable silence and solitude of 15 years, in the course of a few months you flip my world upside down. I'm not entirely happy with that, as you can well guess. I have to tell you things, I have to play nice, I have to be social, I have to do everything so you can play miracle worker and make me human again! You're much worse than Dumbledore ever was."
"As if I'm really doing everything here to get your back up--stop thinking about yourself all the time! You self-centered tosser. Difficult for you…" She virtually screamed.
"Then why do you do it?" He spat. "Why waste the effort?"
Before they could continue their tête-à-tête, Siobhan and a boy literally crawled out from a behind a hedge.
"Sorry Sir," Siobhan apologized sheepishly as she dragged the boy behind her by the hand. The boy just stared wide-mouthed at Snape and Georgie as he was pulled away.
Georgie threw up her hands and stormed away into the garden. Severus didn't follow her and instead went back into the building.
Several hours later Georgie was circling the lake in the cold and the moonlight wondering what'd gone wrong. She still didn't have the foggiest and regretted her words to Severus. Why did she always do that? Whenever her blood boiled, she always spoke without thinking. She knew Severus probably didn't mean it--well at least most of it. She bit her lip. She'd been clear around the lake perhaps five times, and the views weren't getting any better by the repetition. "I'm such a fuckwit."
She stopped on the Hogwarts' side of the lake and found a drier piece of grass by the shore. She was still wearing her dress-robes and didn't want to soil them, but she wasn't caring. She was tired and cold and to top it all off she was stubborn. She didn't want to meet Severus in the lounge and get fired back up. She would wait until it was quite late when she when she would try and sneak back in. "He's such a fuckwit."
She knew she was being ridiculous, but well, she didn't care. She'd considered why over an hour ago and realized that it wasn't pride, but definitely stubbornness speaking for her actions. She gathered her skirts into clumps in her fists and lay down. It was actually perfectly dry, just freezing. At least it wasn't snowing, she remembered thankfully. It had been very dry and mild since sometime the night before.
She was tired, so tired. She yawned, then coughed. Damn cold air. She lay back unthinkingly on the grass and crossed her arms about herself trying to conserve body heat. When she breathed out, her breath rose in white swirls upwards and disappeared.
The sky was a deep blue--almost black. For the longest time it had been a mixture of obsidian and the dingy gray that the low fog and storms afforded. But now, it was so clear and high. There were faint stars--nothing to jump up and down about though, she scoffed. But it all made for a very tranquil sight. And if it weren't for the cold or the gusts of wind, Georgie would have smiled at it all.
Georgie opened her eyes widely taking everything in--she only squinted her eyes up when it was too sunny or her focus was off, or just because she laughed. But out here, her eyes strained to see everything at once. It was like she was under a giant upside-down black bowl. She wondered if she could feel the earth with all it's forces tug beneath her insignificant body. She reckoned she almost could.
She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't want to feel good and humble and amazed and all of that. She felt bad, really, she told herself. She couldn't quite place the feeling or describe it. It felt a little like when an opportunity was missed. Like when you had a fantastic idea or something, borne of your own creativity and ingenuity. It was your brainchild. But for whatever reason you keep it to yourself. Then one day you wake up and find that someone else had beaten you to it's broadcast. You're filled with thoughts of should've, would've, could've. You feel angrier with yourself, though you are angry with the other person regardless of the fact that you know they aren't to blame. You feel as if you enormously screwed up and you missed the opportunity. Should've…
She couldn't quite understand why this feeling, or it's funny explanation leapt to the forefront of her mind, but she still dwelled on the thought anyway. She couldn't think of anything she'd missed so to say, no matter how hard she racked her brain.
She shivered and coughed. Her dress was probably going to have dirt all up the back of it, but she couldn't be bothered to move. At least, she thought with a wry smile, it's the start of break tomorrow. I can sleep in at last.
She lay in silence, and tried not to think too much, she couldn't fix things, so it was no use crying over it. She heard the light footfalls of someone approaching her position on the grass. It paused near her head. It probably wanted her to open her eyes, to sit up and address them, she mused, but she wouldn't indulge them--as it was almost definitely Severus. Can't be bothered. After a minute of just standing there the person made very little noise as they sat down, and eventually lie back themselves.
Georgie knew Severus' way, his walk, his breathing even--it was shallow and short. And everything he did was silent. Sure it could've been some Death Eater or horrible monster--she didn't know, as her eyes were clamped shut.
He spoke, and she realized his head was a few inches from her own. "What if I were a Death Eater?" He asked slippery.
"I'd be dead by now, if you were." She said lowly. "Besides, aren't you?"
He didn't reply and her eyes stayed shut. He knew she wasn't sleeping out here when he'd first approached her. He just knew--sixth sense or intuition. He'd spent his evening storming about the study, muttering to himself and slamming doors. She was so infuriating--all the time. Damnable fool--such a child still. Minerva had stopped by in her tartan dressing robe and her hair up in papers to chat and drink tea with him. She had stayed for well over an hour; he had gathered that perhaps the older lady was worried for the younger witch, as she kept looking at the door anxiously. And at that moment Severus definitely was jealous.
Minerva was a good and simple woman, one of the best witches in the country, perhaps even beyond that. It was funny for him to imagine this, and to see her sitting there in her shabby old robe, sipping tea and prattling on about the dance and how students were so singular these days. He admired and esteemed her greatly; she was loyal and good. He even envied her occasional instances of mercy towards erring students, which bewildered and amazed him. And as often angered him. But he never questioned her judgement. Though he would never allow himself to relent.
As soon as the witch excused herself for the night, Severus felt a bit more at ease. He tried to recall the things that were said, and couldn't. He didn't even know what had started it all off. He waited for Georgie to return for several minutes, but his patience got the better of him. He was on his feet and out the door before very long.
He knew rather than guessed that she would be still outside--she was obstinate to a fault like that. Perhaps she would try and make him feel guilty or responsible for that. But it would make it easier to find her. He could see well enough in the dark, and there weren't many places she could hide. And he knew she wasn't fool enough to take on the Forbidden Forest--well at least not at night, by herself, and in a dress.
He almost walked right by her--she camouflaged so well in with the darkness and the grass, and she didn't move or make a sound. He'd approached her and suspected her to not be sleeping, but he was disturbed at her lack of caution as to whom her visitor might be.
She coughed and stirred him back into the present. "It's cold out here, Miss Flaing, you really should get back indoors."
She ignored him.
"You're coughing." He sat up abruptly and scrutinized her face carefully. "Do you want to talk about this? Is that it?" He asked shortly in a huff.
Her eyes flew open, and they met his. She was totally devoid of emotion or expression; in fact she looked almost sad. She didn't utter a syllable, but at least he knew she was listening.
"I apologize for what happened, I don't know why we even got started on that path. We're both two fools, that's all I can tell." Her eyes almost smiled at this. "Come, we're friends."
"Yes, friends." She sat up on her elbow so she was facing him. "….I hate myself." She said evenly.
He frowned at that. "Why ever would you?" He wasn't even tempted to humiliate her for once.
"I fly so out of control when I get riled up. I say things I don't mean, I sink low and make cheap shots." She looked at the ground and twisted a blade of grass between her fingers. "I don't know why I act that way, and I hate myself for it."
"I am the same way--everyone is the same way. It's what makes us human. You've got fire to you, and that's good. There's nothing wrong with anything that makes you human. If it bothers you so, work on it. Otherwise, be like the rest of us and just hope you'll be forgiven for it all later on." He spoke as mildly as he could. "Deal with it."
"I know all this," She looked him in the eye. "But I still hate when it happens."
He nodded solemnly at her and looked down at the lake. She lay back down on the ground, putting her hands behind her head and biting her lip.
"Do you ever feel so much, that it all frightens you?" She asked him.
"All the time." He turned to the twinkling void above their heads. "I hide that all away though. Different…feelings than you are talking about though."
"Of course." Georgie said, more as a simple statement than as anything else. He was just as he was.
They both searched the skies for a few minutes more, Georgie shivered slightly in the wind every few minutes. "Severus, I know you'd loathe to hear this, but sometimes I feel sorry for you."
"You are right--I do loathe to hear that." He replied matter-of-factly, though not angrily. "Why?" He knew why, but wished to hear it from her all the same.
"Lots of reasons," She sighed. "You must keep this appearance of coldness and indifference up, while your toughest critic is yourself."
He could have laughed at her simplicity. No, he'd braced himself for words worse than that. "I don't want your pity, Georgie."
"I know that, so you won't get it. I couldn't be you, you know, I haven't whatever it is that gets you through the day. I just worry about you sometimes…." She didn't elaborate, though there was more she wanted to say. Severus didn't need someone pointing out his faults at every step.
He jumped to his feet suddenly, and Georgie followed him with her eyes. "Oh, get up, it's cold out here." He held out his hand and she accepted it and was lifted to her feet. She actually grinned at Severus' impatience. He dusted off his robes, for a mere second. She stood a moment and dusted off her back and her bum lightly, then brushed smooth her skirts. She looked to him with a look of expectancy when she saw him watching her. "Ready?" She asked smiling once more.
He offered her his arm, and she groaned. She accepted his arm, then becoming curious, halted them both. She reached up and straighten his collar, to his evident dislike. "You really do look fab." She spoke to his neck. "Wish I had a camera."
He smiled easily at that and countered, "And you still look quite handsome--despite the dirt. And the unrelenting mouth." She grinned and tried to kick him in the shins, but he had already restarted his walking and she was up and dragged behind him, chuckling the whole way back.
The next morning Georgie invited Severus to a movie in Muggle London. She wasn't too surprised when he turned down the offer, but she still abused him heavily about how he 'never went out to have any fun whatsoever.'
She returned later than afternoon, threw off her black wool coat and collapsed by the fire. Severus set down his book, he could tell she was brimming to talk. "Well?"
Her eyes shone and she had a sappy grin plastered across her face. "It was wonderful," and she hugged herself. Severus rolled his eyes. She went on, "It was this multi-feature sort of thing: all Emma Thompson flicks. Well, actually the art house theatre was showing an entire day of her films, but I could only stay for the three." She sighed contentedly. "You of course don't have the foggiest who she is do you?" She poked fun lightly.
"Not the foggiest." He agreed in slightly bored tones.
"She's this fab actress, horribly emotional, gets caught up in the characters and all…the best. I saw The Winter Guest, Sense and Sensibility and Howard's End." Her eyes took on the far-off look of remembering.
"I know the book Sense and Sensibility--you own it. Leave it sitting about." He sneered. "And I know of Howard's End by reputation. Horribly pointless romances," He growled. "You must admit no one is like that, nor ever was. Minerva's fond of that one as well. I've had my fill of it, thank-you-very-much."
"I'm calling everyone 'dearest' from now on. I think it's such a delightfully friendly word."
"Not exactly fitting for Hagrid. And certainly not for me," He eyed her, trying to frighten some sense into her.
"Whatever you say, Dearest," and she leapt up from the couch and smashed through her door.
Severus picked up his book, slightly annoyed. He did not like 'dearest'. He could handle Sugar Lips and Snore-Monster, because that was all a joke--it couldn't possibly be true. And because they weren't common names that spoke of such familiarity, such closeness…he just wasn't comfortable with it. No one had ever called him that and he wasn't about to allow his friend start now.
She returned with letters in her hand and headed for the door, "I'm off to the owlery, see you later dearest."
"Georgie, if you continue calling me that, I'll curse you." He spoke with all earnestness.
"Brilliant!" She teased as she swept out the door.
She stayed a few minutes up with the owls, petting them and speaking low words to them. Her family had an owl--Brutus--and he was the stupidest thing to ever have wings. But these birds were clever, and seemed to sense her mood and listen to her voice coo at them. She loved birds and always had secretly wanted a parrot or some sort of beast that she could teach to talk. She finally selected a hefty looking owl to carry the letters to her family and also to her friends in Poland. She turned and climbed back down the twisting stairs, bumping into two other students trying to fight their way up.
The first few days of the holidays went slowly and quietly. Georgie woke up at around noontime and never went to sleep until almost dawn. "And you accused me of being a vampire?!" Severus had pointed out on afternoon when she had stumbled out of her room at nearly three in the afternoon. But it was soon plenty evident that the entire group who'd chosen to remain behind was acting and moving in slow motion. There were only perhaps 35 people in the entire building and maybe half of this was made up of the staff.
Minerva wore her hair looser almost daily--Georgie guessed that she just couldn't be bothered with the effort to look so prim every day. And Lupin and Sirius Black took off for a week-long trip to the north country, Professor Binns shook his head warning one and all that there was likely to be nasty weather there. The two men shook their heads and left all the same.
One evening Georgie had been sitting in Hagrid's cabin--the rain once again gracing them with it's appearance, when there was a knock at his door. Hagrid gave a curious look and was at the door in a flash. He threw it open and there stood three dripping and shivering students. "Oh!" Georgie implored when Hagrid greeted them on his doorstep and immediately hadn't invited them in. They were getting wetter by the second. Hagrid took the cue and herded them into his cozy cabin.
Georgie knew who the students were: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. They all burst in excitedly and tossed their things before the fire, all of them trying to speak at the same time. Hermione however noticed the other girl sitting in the armchair and smiling to herself at the scene her friends and her were making--she must be more clever than the companions. Hermione elbowed Harry and he stopped speaking and turned to stare at Georgie silently. Ron didn't get the message apparently as he continued to prattle on "…Then, we went up behind Draco and Millicent and cast this nifty charm on them that made it so that they couldn't let go of on another's hands…." He noted the silence of the room and looked to his friends, then followed their gaze to the other student, the intruder.
Hagrid took control, "Harry, Ron and Hermione--ya know Georgie of course. We've been sittin' 'ere talkin' and drinkin' some tea. Would you like some?" Hermione assented that they would and they all pulled up chairs before the fire--well away from Georgie. Georgie hadn't been smiling, but if she had it would have disappeared by this point.
Hagrid handed out the steaming mugs and sat himself down in his mammoth armchair, questioning Ron about what exactly had 'the big pale-faced idiot' had said to Hermione earlier that day to get them all so worked up. But Ron shrugged off the question and tried to look out the window at the storm. It was a tense room and it was more than obvious that the students didn't trust Georgie's presence. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she sat back in her chair and tried to keep herself from glowering at the students.
Hagrid whipped his head towards the three then back to Georgie, it was easy to read his thoughts as he analyzed the expressions of his guests. So easy to read her friend…
"Listen, Georgie's a good girl, she wouldn't go tell anyone anything at all. You can trust 'er like you trust me, alrigh'?" This speech seemed to make little difference and the conversation inched on in such a guarded and suspicious manner, that it wasn't before very few minutes that Georgie rose to her feet, feeling rather fed up.
"Listen, Hagrid, I've had a lovely time but there's something I have to do, so I'll see you at dinner or something." And she marched from the cabin in as dignified a manner as she could before he could try and stop her.
She pulled her hood up to her head--she hated her hood---it made visibility ridiculous for her as she crossed the soggy grounds, trying to keep her feet beneath her. She heaved heavy breaths, trying to calm herself, though on reflection she wasn't really all that miffed. I mean, what did she expect? Open armed embraces? No, but a little civility would've been nice. Still she didn't blame them, they were students and younger and she might've acted the same way had she been in their shoes. She'd heard stories about them from Hagrid… It sucks having to prove oneself everywhere one went all the same, and being a Slytherin made this even more necessary, it seemed. She wouldn't tell Severus this as he'd probably just take the 'I told you so' stance, and she didn't want to hear him gloat over anything. Especially Harry Potter.
"I suppose they don't think Slytherins are trustworthy--they're not even giving me the chance to screw up." She spoke bitterly to herself in the wind. She thought to herself, no blood lost--their loss really, but her heart wasn't into the conviction. Later Hagrid would speak lowly aside to her at dinner and explain everything Georgie had already deduced and she would smile, and wave it all aside saying it was no big deal and all that, but she wouldn't forget nonetheless.
She wanted Lupin to come back so she could bug him and whine to him and everything. It seemed that all they ever did these days were bemoan their own sorrows to each other--Lupin about his Niamh and Georgie about everything that had pissed her off that day.
Georgie came home the first weekend from a day shopping, though Severus' hadn't the foggiest where exactly she'd gone off. When she returned, she breezed in full of energy and sending droplets of melted snow in every direction, as she riffled through her parcels in front of Severus who was summoned out to the lounge. He had been at his desk writing an important letter and he was almost finished so he was a little irked at her jaunty knocking and all around bouncy spirits. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…" She had mumbled.
"Um, hold on a sec, okay, here it is…" She pulled out two leather pouches--both long and thin. She produced from the first one a dagger. Whatever Severus was expecting--a toy, a joke, food--this wasn't it. He frowned. Georgie really should not keep sharp objects.
"Isn't it gorgeous!" She gushed admiring the silver handle and the intricate knotted work at the bottom of the hilt. "And it can be concealed on the person."
This was lost on Severus who frowned, "Explain why you got it." He didn't sound as thrilled as she'd somehow worked herself up to believe he would be, but at least he wasn't upset or anything--just sounded bewildered.
"I'm going to learn to defend myself." She said simply. "I figure it's a useful skill and the knife fits well enough under clothing. 'Sides it's pretty."
Severus rolled his eyes. "Not at Hogwarts." He insisted sternly.
"Duh," She mocked him lightly and giggled and waved him off. "Wait the other one I got….is…." She rummaged a minute longer giving Severus time to brace against whatever ridiculous thing she would produce.
She brought out two smaller and less detailed knives. These were more angular and had shorter blades, he knew these knives well. "Throwing knives." She explained gleefully.
"I know." He spoke gravely. What was this sudden interest in weapons for her?
"I also bought a couple of books on defense at the shop." She rifled through her things once more, he noticed hints of fabrics peeping out at him, before she thrust them all back into their bags and boxes.
"Which store?" He queried. He could guess what type of store, but he wanted to drag it out of her.
She knew that he could guess as well but "Oh, just a regular sort of store, you know, they all seem the same after awhile…" She knew she was sounding lame--even by her standards, but she didn't care. "It wasn't Knockturn Alley, okay?" She knew he'd ask sooner or later, so if she got that off of her chest he might have the decency to not question her further. Truth was, Remus had let it slip that there was a smallish village called Tullasmarsh to the south that was just as equipped for Wizarding needs as Hogsmeade--just not nearly as convenient. That and they had stores similar to those found in Knockturn, which was a draw for Georgie as well.
Severus folded his arms across his skinny chest and scowled, "Defense always is a good idea, however…" He stopped and considered all the times he'd been able to sneak up on her. He would have to make sure she didn't carry them around Hogwarts.
"Excellent, now check out what the man in the shop taught me," She picked up one of the throwing knives. "And it only took me an hour." She lifted the knife straight out in front of herself with a straight arm. She brought it back and before Severus could stop her she'd launched the knife across the wall and imbedded the blade into the doorframe of the door out to the Common Room at about eye-height.
He walked over to the door sneering and grappled to remove the knife, "Brilliant Georgie. Just brilliant." He was mildly impressed--the strip of wood she'd hit was only as wide as his thumb--and from across the room, still, he stalked back over and held it out to his friend who was beaming like it were Christmas Day. "Impressive." He added drolly. "Perhaps we could set up a target so that the walls won't end up looking like one of Remus' scratching posts."
She shrugged and turned to gather up her parcels, she knew that it was a great feat and Severus had to be impressed, really. He was just such a stingy muppet when he came to acknowledging things.
He glided to his still open doorway to his rooms and stopped in them, turning around. "It's a smart move to learn defenses. You're useless you know at losing someone in the dark."
Georgie grinned and lifted a finger as a salute to him but didn't look up, "I once saw a badge that said 'I'm only paranoid because everyone's trying to kill me.' How I wish I'd bought it and held on to it so you could have it today…"
Severus left her and she gathered her parcels about herself on the center table. She summoned a quill and ink and addressed several of the packages to family members around the globe, even one for her Great Aunt Sylvie who haunted and kept up a huge Manor house in New Brunswick where Georgie's Uncle and his family used to live. Sylvie was a wonderful old dear who was horribly raunchy and vulgar. One Christmas she'd made some comment on having 'drank so much her back teeth were floating.' Georgie's mother was not amused; but everyone else was in an uproar over it.
She got to her feet and was arranging the parcels in her arms, stacking them higher and higher under her chin so she'd only have to make one trip, when Severus burst back out. He looked at her and grinned guilefully.
"Need anything to go through the post?" She murmured, trying not to move her chin too much as she spoke, as she was holding the paper-y tops of two boxes down with her jaw. "I've got plenty of room…." She eyed his letter. "Here, just stick it somewhere on top…maybe slip it between my elbow and…."
Severus crossed the floor between them and grabbed several of the parcels from her hands. "Hey, I can handle them!" She protested indignantly.
"I believe you. But I'm going up there anyway, so that's that." And he turned and walked out the door. Georgie ran right after him.
"Thanks, but why not just give it to me? I mean, really? It weighs barely anything, and I could've carried it and saved you a trip!" She pursued.
"I wished to give this to an owl personally. It's rather important." He didn't elaborate, so Georgie just mouth, "Oh," Somewhat quizzically. What the devil could the letter be if he didn't trust her with it? Or maybe he just didn't trust her with carrying anything up there; she had been known to lose things on even short ventures up to the owlery before. That made her feel a bit easier, but still…
She coughed, "I hate snow--two weeks into the season the novelty just wears off for me." She griped.
He didn't look at her, "I thought you enjoyed the snow?"
"Yeah, I do, but still…" She pouted. It was difficult to say. And she was feeling so hot and stuffy in the halls--it was like a mild case of claustrophobia and she couldn't really escape from it to anywhere else.
They reached the owlery and Severus grabbed up one of the largest blackest owls she'd ever seen. Funny, Georgie thought to herself that she'd never seen that owl before. School owls tended to be lively, brown barn owls. She watched unabashedly as he tied the rolled parchment onto it's iron-trap of a claw, and re-fastened it on even more securely, then it took to a hover in it's place before flying out the window. Curiouser and curiouser…
When Severus turned back to her when his business was finished, she quickly got to selecting out her owls as well. There was no shortage of volunteers as there were so few students staying for the holidays to use them. She selected two or three owls each for the larger parcels, then a few of the smaller fowl were perfect fits for the tinier ones. She was finished in no time, and hopped on over to where Severus stood looking out the window idly.
"I'm feeling violent. We should blow stuff up tonight. You game?" She teased as he followed her out and down the whirling stairs.
"Blow stuff up? Care to be more specific?"
"Don't know…" She scratched her forehead absently and than ran her fingers through her hair. In doing so she'd managed to make a fat curl stick out over her ear. Severus thought she reminded him of a ragged elf, but he didn't think it to be a compliment and thus didn't share it.
"If you're so restless, go hill-walking outside of Hogsmeade." He suggested. Less mess to clean up for Hagrid.
"What are you doing?" She pried.
"Nothing. Always nothing." He spoke somberly.
"Come." She offered simply.
He looked at her and shrugged his thin shoulders. "Perhaps." Fat chance of that.
However a few minutes later they were both dressed warmly as they slid out the castle door and tried to make their way through the white drifts. Georgie had put her wand in her pocket and was conjuring up tiny balls of fire with her hand and hurling them at the ground out before them as they trod on. The orbs smoldered and burned out several seconds after finding themselves embedded in the snow and Georgie noted that it made the going even easier with a lit path. Severus was just annoyed.
"So…" Georgie looked to the ground and not at her friend as she braced herself, "You have any siblings?"
Severus didn't answer right away. "Yes." He finally allowed.
"Yesss….?" Georgie prompted and did a wonderful job of hiding her enormous surprise.
"Yes…Yes." He replied casually. "I have a brother."
"Oh, that's nice." She allowed herself a smile. She hadn't expected any sibling to actually be alive or anything--he surely would have spoke of him before….
"No, it's not."
She looked at him as he plunged through a patch of knee-high, dark underbrush. He didn't meet her gaze, though he had to know she was following him with her gaze.
"That's a very cold, un-brotherly expression."
He snorted and rolled his eyes. Then he replied acidly, "Well, I'll ask you to not hold it to me. He hasn't been the best of brothers."
She waited for him to elaborate. And when they reached a high point that allowed a sweeping survey of the village below, she was rewarded.
"I have a brother--I'm not perfectly sure where he is right now. He was one year ahead of me in school, looked completely different--he took after my father. Most people didn't realize we were even related until they would come upon our family name. We were both uncooperative and entirely lethal on arriving here at Hogwarts." He ran his hand through his hair in an absent-minded gesture. He slid out his wand and began to pelt the ground before him with short fire-bursts from the end of his wand.
"If people ever thought I was a horrid child, he really was ten times worse. He only gave the appearance of innocence. I at least looked sullen and irritable. He was something else altogether…." He heaved out a great sigh, but it didn't strike one as a disappointing one.
Georgie who had been listening silently broke in. "So what happened to him?"
"Back when Voldemort was coming to power he decided that he'd challenge him--not straight on, mind you. But at another level. He gathered a small group of devout followers and began to terrorize Muggles and Wizards alike. He at least was better than the Dark Lord in that he didn't differentiate or discriminate--no he liked killing for killing's sake." He grinned scornfully. "They were a real force to be reckoned with for a while…."
"In the end his followers were brought down systematically and he fled the country and the Ministry was never able to charge him formally, as he never returned. The Ministry and its asinine loopholes..."
"So you haven't heard from him in…?"
"A long time. But not long enough." He blasted apart a small tree a few paces away to emphasize his point. "He's an evil man."
"I'm sorry." She answered sincerely.
"Don't be." But he was.
She sighed and slid out her own wand and followed his example by setting fire to a far-off bush. "Our brothers are both dead then, is it?" She spoke lightly, trying to gauge his feelings on the subject.
He nodded.
"Life's turning out to be a bit of a puddle isn't it?." She sent a purple stream from her wand to an oak tree, which defied her attempts at making it burn.
"You know, when I was twelve I hated being skinny and short and wished I were older. When I was 16, I couldn't wait to be 18 so life and my adolescent troubles would get easier." She smiled sweetly and turned to her friend full on. "It never does, does it?"
It was a hypothetical question, yet he replied. "The older you get the more time your memory spans. The more people you've met and who've gone on. It's all baggage. Nothing gets easier, you just deal with it better."
"Bullshit." She laughed and lobbed a fireball at Severus. She meant it to come close to him, but she miscalculated and it really did nearly graze him.
"Fool!" He bellowed and glared at her. She looked away at the view and brushed the accumulating snow off of her tam. She saw electric lights from far-off houses and every once in awhile saw the telltale lights from an airplane, though none ever came near to Hogwarts or even Hogsmeade.
"It really is a nice world out there, Severus." She coughed and turned back to amble up next to her friend. She watched him as he frowned and searched the valley below.
"It'll be a lovely Christmas. I promise." She put her mittened hand on his shoulder and exclaimed, "Damn! You're too skinny! You need to eat more or something." She poked.
"I will not have you fattening me up like a Christmas goose."
"Wouldn't dream of it." She grinned foolishly at him.
"Come on," he spat over his shoulder as he walked further on. He made quite the striking figure: The lanky, black figure striding across the snow reflecting the purple stormy skies, all the while blasting and burning as he went.
She rolled her eyes as she trotted off after him, feeling very much like a little yapping terrier next to Severus--especially the yapping part, she thought saucily.
Time flew much too quickly for Georgie. She was enjoying the fruits of the season that day-trips into London, Muggle and Wizard side alike, offered her. She and Hagrid went sledging when the snow piled up against the windows. Hagrid had hooked up his boarhound to it and they'd taken off screeching and howling with delight all over the grounds.
Sirius and Remus returned and Sirius had been behaving slightly pissy having to be cooped up in the castle for so long, so they took off for The Three Broomsticks most nights now. It was becoming a regular staff meeting place--even Severus went once, but hadn't been back since then. Sirius was heaps of fun. Once Georgie had commented aside that she thought one tall wizard across the way was a looker, so Sirius stood up and bellowed for the fellow to join them all. All her professors turned and smiled broadly at Georgie, and she wanted to disappear right then and there as the man approached the table and struck up a conversation with her.
His name turned out to be Michael and he truly was gorgeous, and very funny. She'd still murder Sirius later on for the looks and smirks he gave her from across the room as he worked his own brand of magic on the ladies present. He was always a hit wherever he went. It was all wicked fun.
The next morning she awoke and found Severus awake and reading, it nettled her slightly but not for any justifiable reason that she could pinpoint. She was probably just hung over or something. He was always, always reading. She was going to grab her broomstick after the meal and take to the skies to clear her thoughts and to get out a bit, she decided.
Severus looked at her, "Do you know what today is?" She scratched her head and ruffled up her hair.
"The day I keel over?" She rounded the back of the couch and threw herself onto it face-down.
"Tomorrow's Christmas." He spoke without emotion.
She flipped over awkwardly and stared at him carefully. Narrowing her eyes, "So? Are we going caroling or something then tonight?" She'd pay money to see Snape delighting in a pantomime.
"Hardly." He sneered unamusedly.
They both looked up as Sirius nearly fell out from his room and stumbled across to where they sat conversing. He was shirtless and his hair stuck up in odd places, he didn't look altogether awake yet. When he got to Georgie's couch he lifted her legs and dumped them on the floor absently and sat in their former place. Georgie snorted with amusement. Severus glared.
Sirius yawned and blinked, Georgie rounded on him and asked him in his sleepy stupor what he would call what they were sitting on right then.
He answered drolly that it was a sofa. Georgie turned on Severus, who looked slightly angry--his lips were drawn tight and white. "Humor me. What is it called?"
"A couch." He spat. "Why the devil….?"
"I got an owl from my mom yesterday, she said she was getting rid of our old Chesterfield somewhere in it. I miss that word--makes me think of her." She massages her temples. "So what are we doing tonight then?"
"Bonfire." He replied shortly. "Hagrid's idea really, he has some salamanders he wishes to play with, I believe…."
"Yes, I've seen them in class…" She started, but was cut of by Sirius' snores. She turned abruptly and saw him falling forward over the arm of the couch, head on his arms as he'd apparently fallen back asleep.
"Well," He said rising. "I have to finish a few potions today."
"I'm going out flying. I'll find you afterwards and bug you."
"Wonderful." He snarled.
"Oy, shut your mouth, ya Scrooge. Off with you!" She teased and even managed to elicit a softening of expression as he stopped a moment on his way out to regard the fir tree in the corner that Sirius had given them as a Christmas present. Georgie had charmed some candles the night before to float in the boughs and the tree now was really quite simple and lovely. He then breezed out the door and left.
She poked Sirius in the ribs, "Wake up lil' monkey! Get cracking!" Her voice virtually dripped syrup. She beat him lightly in the head with a pillow as she bolted out the door after Severus.
Slowing down and reaching his side she fell into step with him. "Sooo…" She playfully engaged him. "Am I the daughter you never had or something?"
"Excuse me?" He started and stared wild-eyed at her.
"You're always having to straighten me out--calling me childish and things….so, am I the child you never had, never wanted, etc…."
"I haven't called you childish today. Why bring this up?" He turned to face forward once more, but still evidently listened to her.
"I'm just asking," She countered exasperatingly flinging her hands up in a giving-up sort of gesture.
"I have no wish for a daughter like you. Besides I would have had all sons." He stated seriously. "I don't want to continue this conversation, If you don't mind."
"Er, I bet….gee, what was I thinking--sons?' She teased unrelentingly. "So I'm the child you never had, that you're always forced to bail out and straighten out and put up with the antics of."
"Where are you going with this? You have assisted me out of circumstances just as many times, no, probably more." He pointed out.
"So you're the child I never had?" She shivered. "That's really sick."
"Why is that sick?" He demanded, trying to look deeply insulted.
"Well, it just is. You aren't sick, it just is…oh, nevermind. I'm just skin crawl-y, major willies here…." She murmured off.
"Shut your mouth." He growled.
As they climbed the last few steps and entered the entrance hall they both saw Remus amble around a corner and smile good-naturedly. Severus glared and Georgie waved amicably. She elbowed him lightly in the side pointedly, and he started to explain in a hiss under his breath, "I told you about…"
"I know." She hissed back quickly, "Just act civil."
He shot back, "Don't presume to tell me how to act," just out of Remus' hearing.
"Happy Christmas," The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher approached them and extended his hand to them both in turn. He appeared to be in fine spirits and they all three proceeded to enter the Great Hall. The smell of sausages assaulted them all immediately after entering inside--It was heavenly, and Georgie's stomach spoke up and let those within earshot know it thought as much.
Georgie looked up to the enchanted ceiling and saw that low clouds hung gray sky and it'd probably snow once more before the day was out. She parted from the two men and virtually ran to Hagrid's side. She felt like bursting with excitement--it was almost Christmas, she wanted to scream from the top of the Astronomy tower--though she doubted that Sinistra would appreciate it if she did.
At the end of the meal she nearly pushed over Harry Potter and his little friends in the haste to get out to her broomstick and outdoors. She smiled at them and Hermione caught her eye and actually smiled back at her. Wonders never cease…
Georgie was rushing past Snape as he was entering into the lounge, he looked her over seeming to scrutinize whether her cloak was warm enough. Georgie rolled her eyes at that, and smiled at him.
"You do realize it is snowing." He sighed coldly.
"Of course I do. Do you think Madam Hooch has an extra set of those goggles she's forever wearing?" She pondered absentmindedly as she maneuvered around his form and out the door. He just shook his head at her, but his eyes twinkled. So like a child on Christmas…or so he'd heard.
Georgie enjoyed the time she spent alone that day. Of course she loved being social and interactive, but there was something to be said about feeling the wind in the hair, soaring solo over heights and having the only interruptions be the whistling in your ears and the musings of your own mind.
She really was taking a beating from the high winds and the bitter cold, but she just kept her hacking cough to herself and pulled her cloak closer around herself. This was an 'experience' and mustn't be cut short on account of any discomfort from her, oh no.
Hours later, her face was wind-burned and her body felt stiff and achy. She allowed that it was time to head back indoors so she turned her broom in Hogwarts' direction.
At the entrance to the Common Room she almost fell over herself backwards as the Bloody Baron floated out through the wall just as she was about to announce the password. He looked her up and down and sneered in obvious disapproval before floating away down the dark corridor.
"Oh, get off it," She frowned and pushed herself through the wall as it opened for her.
Severus wasn't there and to her disappointment neither was Sirius Black. He was most likely spending time with his Godson or just out and about, she had seen him in the Great Hall earlier. She opened her room and hung up her dripping cloak on a hook set in the wall before kicking her shoes off with such force they sailed into the stone wall by her bed.
She slipped out of everything damp and pulled on a heavy jumper. She palmed her wand and lifted it to her head and muttered a quick-dry spell--she would shower later. When she was satisfied with it's results she turned on her heel and determinedly padded out flat-footed to Snape's Classroom.
She pushed the partly open door wide-open and bounded inside. Severus looked up at her as she tromped in, but returned his attention to whatever he had been previously stirring in his cauldron over a purply-orange flame. Georgie walked over to the opposite side of his cauldron and held up her hands in a mock attempt to warm her hands by the fire--she knew better than to interrupt his work.
Severus' mouth twitched up at the corners as he tried to ignore his friend. "Done so soon?" He taunted her in a low voice.
"Bloody Baltic out there." She began in a raspy voice, then cleared her throat and began. "Would you prefer I stayed out and caught my death of cold?" She stopped and laughed shrilly. "Oh wait, I forgot to whom I was speaking!"
He gave her a cold stare. "You don't look very well." He said colloquially.
"Funny, I feel fine enough…" She shrugged
Severus brought his cool hand up to her forehead, "Cor, Severus, you're just like my mom. Stop hovering." She scolded.
"You feel warm." He removed his hand but kept his stare fixed on her.
"It's hot in here, but it's just from going from icy out there to tropical in here with that fire." She complained. "It's yo-yo temperatures, messes up my inner thermostat."
"Georgie." He caught her attention and breathed a hefty "Heh." Into the air between them proving that it was indeed cold enough in the dungeons to actually see his breath.
"Point made." She retorted dryly. "You need any help?"
He squinted down at his bubbling concoction and shook his head. "You can make up a batch of Contention Solution if you haven't anything better to do. I'm helping Poppy with a few extras."
"Why the devil does she need that?!" But she was already back behind his desk scooping up his spare cauldron in her arms when she asked. "Is that the cold-burning, fire-looking, bile-shit?" She asked with her back turned to him as she pried his cabinet open with her free hand.
"Yes it is the cold-burning fire-STUFF." He glared at her back.
She threw a few bottles and a sack into the bottom of the pewter bowl and closed the door carefully. "Sorrrr-ry." She taunted acridly as she bumbled over to a desk a few feet from his own cauldron. She felt his eyes on her, perhaps waiting for her to trip over herself or something….She sighed and gingerly lay out the ingredients and lifted the cauldron onto a fire that Severus then lit before her. "Thanks, gracias, merci, and dziekuje."
"Pardon?"
"Polish." She emptied a large vial of toad's blood into the pot and set the empty container down on the desk at her side.
"Oh." He waved his wand and the fire beneath his own cauldron diminished to half it's original size. He leaned back against a student's desk and watched her movements with a singular frown. "I want you to be able to take over my classes if the occasion ever arose." He broke into her thoughts suddenly.
Georgie looked up at this sharply. "I'd rather not, you know." She brought herself up to her full height and stood regarding him with her hands on her hips.
"It's a necessity. I don't give a whit if you agree to it or not." He said menacingly.
"You know as well as I do that I don't object on account of shyness." He acknowledged the truth to her statement.
She scooped up a leech, "Aw, for Merlin's sake, Severus!" She whined heatedly and pushed a few strands of her moist hair off of her forehead with her empty hand.
He turned his eyes ceiling-ward and gritted his teeth. "I thought you'd be happy for the chance to muck around with my lesson plans. The occasion will not arise, you dolt. I just wish you to be forewarned and prepared if it does."
"Fine," she agreed grudgingly. "But if I blow up your desk on accident while you're gone, I'll at least have warned you about it." Stupid prat…
"Throw in your leech." He pointed to her hand, and she looked down at the forgotten component before throwing it hard against the liquid surface.
"He didn't deserve that." Severus attempted to joke with her.
She smiled a sickly-sweet smile, "No, but you did." And she scratched the back of her leg with her other foot distractedly.
He cocked his head to the side momentarily before turning back to his own project. A few minutes later he finished whatever he had been concocting, bottled it, cleaned up his materials and swept wordlessly from the room.
Georgie didn't look up as he shut the door gruffly behind himself but muttered, "Bad Juju," and smirked.
Georgie hummed Christmas carols to herself as she stirred the cauldron deftly, and daydreamed of cakes and pies and altogether wished time would hurry by much faster.
Later, She adjusted her scarf round her neck as she stumbled out to the site of the bonfire by Hagrid's cabin. It was quite dark by this time and Georgie's nose began to run and she absently searched through her cloak's numerous pockets for a handkerchief. After finally coming up upon one she bent her head and blew her nose loudly, only to be drowned out by the wind which had picked up--once again, to her deep perturbation.
She spotted Minerva's signature pointed hat and made a beeline for her silhouetted form beside the fire. She spoke the older woman's name as she approached and Minerva turned and nodded smilingly at her friend. "Haven't seen the likes of you in a long while."
"I've been hiding out--plotting revenges and all." Georgie stopped beside the taller figure and noted the sprig of holly on her green hat. They watched the bulky form of Hagrid as he kept heaving enormous logs--trees really--onto the already intense heat of the bonfire. While they stood there only a few minutes in silence, the fire had nearly double it's size.
"Minerva, do you always stay here over Christmas?" She cast a sidelong glance at her friend as she tried to pose the question carefully.
"Nearly." She replied with a slight smile. "My life and my work is here. I visit family over the summer holidays, but really I wouldn't trade being here for anything in the world." She looked straight into the fire.
Georgie frowned and nodded, a little disbelievingly. She wrapped her arms around her bundled self and looked at the others who were assembled there. She immediately saw Harry Potter and his two friends Herminone and the younger Weasley boy, but there was another chubby, short boy with them, who seemed to be eyeing the salamanders with sheer terror almost--as it they might all leap for his throat at any second.
She tried to stifle a laugh, as she scratched her forehead trying to pinpoint who the student could be. She reminded herself to ask Minerva that later.
She found Dumbledore and Professor Lupin standing off to her far right chatting, heads together, under the great oak tree. Sprout and Pomfrey were sitting together on a low bench, sharing a heavy lap-blanket draped over their legs. Severus stood erect on the direct opposite side of the large fire and appeared to be maintaining the salamanders. Every so often he'd reach into a brown box and remove a dangling creature then bend stiffly to set it at the edge of the fire. She would learn later that Minerva had Transfigured maybe 50 salamanders as it was doubtful if more than a couple would spring naturally from the fire.
The few Slytherins that had remained behind had just arrived from the castle and were joining the rest of the school finally and Georgie was speaking aside to Minerva about the latest article in The Daily Prophet when Dumbledore took a few steps forward and everyone gathered hushed up quickly.
"Welcome everyone. May I take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas Eve. This is the first time we've ever had this sort of activity here--and we all owe this to Hagrid here. So try and stay warm, enjoy each other's company and we'll be roasting apples in a few minutes, so eat them up."
Several students sought out Hagrid and began apparently praising and thanking him, as his eyes gleamed and his cheeks burned bright red as he waved them all away affably. But of course the color could be from the fire as well.
Georgie grabbed two apples from the barrel over on the ground as Minerva replied in the affirmative when asked if she'd like one roasted for her. Somehow Georgie could not imagine Minerva crouching down beside the fire with a stick in hand--and apparently nor could Minerva imagine it. But Georgie didn't mind.
When both apples were dripping and smelled simply heavenly Georgie straightened her stiff legs and turned back to where Minerva stood almost sentinel. Severus stood beside the older woman and they were speaking together as she approached. Georgie stopped before them and offered to the woman the apple--"Careful it's very hot!" She warned.
Looking at Severus, "Would you like one?"
"No." He held one up clutched in a claw-like way. "I forced Longbottom to do it for me."
She nodded, not fully understanding.
He frowned and bent to pick up a salamander from the box. When he had straightened up to his full height once more, Georgie simpered. "It doesn't surprise me in the least that you're in charge of the creepy crawling things."
He took a few steps forward then, but not enough to have covered the distance between the group and the fire. He brought the little creature back and hurled it with all his force into the center of the flames rather roughly.
"Ack. That's not right!" Georgie screeched wide-eyed.
"Severus!" Minerva gawked, appalled at his coarseness.
"Oh stop it." He sneered and turned on them. "They're just snuffboxes anyhow."
"Oh." Georgie pursed her lips up in recollection.
"Still," Minerva kept on, though unsure as to how to argue this one. Do Snuffboxes have feelings?
He stepped back and took his place on Minerva's opposite side.
"Were you one of those children who tortured rats in their cellars?" She teased him.
"My family's house did not have rats!" He roared suddenly incensed, causing several nearby students to look up and move away from the bellowing Potions master. "…And yes I was." He hissed so as only to be heard by the two ladies.
Minerva looked displeased, but Georgie just grinned widely and nodded.
The rest of the evening was jolly, and time raced away from them without their noticing it. Georgie mused that this must be what camp-outs at summer camps must be like; just passing times with friends under a starry sky. She'd never been to camp, though as a child she'd begged her parents to allow her to go to one.
She slipped away unnoticed after a few hours and headed out the gate towards Hogsmeade, but turned instead of entering the village and walked away into the night.
A/N: Editing's taking forever, forgive me for my picky-ness. Still don't own nothing.