Chapter 3 ~ The Painter's Mirror
Muriel lay in bed thinking about the reply that she'd sent Severus. She'd thought about it for days and she couldn't think of anything else that she could have told him. He would be irate if he knew she was here. Severus had hated Sirius from day one and it had only gotten worse since the werewolf incident. And she couldn't go and stay with him. Papa had specifically told her not to come home. She drifted to sleep. Her dreams were filled with the images of her childhood: Severus, pale and sick because she'd carelessly cast a spell on him without first learning the counter spell. Severus, a 1st year student upset at breakfast because Muriel had been put in the wrong house and they couldn't share a common room. Severus, comforting her in their fourth year after her mother's awful howler. Severus, pacing her dorm room deciding how to murder Avery. Severus, on the train home telling her he had no emotions left. She awoke with a start and realized that the sun had been up long since. Sirius was standing in the doorway.
"Mum sent me up to see if you were alright." He walked over to the bed and knelt down to look at her. Her eyes were a bit wild, but she fell back onto the pillow.
"I'm fine, just overslept." He pushed a stray lock of chestnut hair out of her eyes. She shivered.
"Bad dreams?"
"I've had worse," she said, grimacing and sitting up. Sirius stood.
"Up for a trip to Diagon Alley today? Mum said we should get it over with. She's taking Reg, but I don't think she expects us to stick with them." He knew his mother made Muriel nervous. For that matter, she made him nervous too.
"Sure. I'll be down in a bit." When the door closed behind him, she got out of bed and was startled when she looked up at the mirror and saw him in it. She walked over to it. It was showing, in perfect detail, the image of Sirius as he'd walked out of the room. As she watched, it changed to her. When she moved away, it didn't disappear. A sneaking suspicion began to form in her mind. She walked back in front of it again and tapped it with her wand. "Show me the last picture again." Instantly Sirius' face replaced hers, just as it had appeared a moment ago.
She threw on her robes and ran downstairs, wand out. She ran into the kitchen, startling Regalus and Mrs. Black. Sirius wasn't there. "Out on the back porch with his toast, I think," Mrs. Black responded to her unasked question.
"Thanks Mum," she shouted, heading back upstairs. The next word out of her mouth was, "Rictusempra!" Sirius, caught in the back, flew into the yard, his chair landing soundly on top of him. She heard sniggering behind her.
Muriel was glaring at him. "Did I deserve that?" he asked, picking himself up. His hair had come out of its ponytail, and his eyes were wide. Before answering, she rounded on the still laughing form of Sirius' little brother. "Otalgia," she hissed. Immediately both his hands flew to his ears and he ran screaming into the house. She slammed the door and rounded again on Sirius, who was now sporting his usual flirtatious grin.
"You enchanted the mirror in my bedroom to store images," she accused, her wand pointing at his chest. Sirius swallowed hard, the grin disappearing instantly. He had known that the mirror did that. And he'd thought about sneaking in there once or twice to see what it would show him, but he hadn't done it. And he certainly hadn't been the one to enchant the mirror in the first place.
He laughed, then, as she dropped her wand. She must have caught what he was thinking. "It's a painter's mirror. It was meant to capture an image so the painter's subject wouldn't have to stand still all day." He explained as she looked sheepishly at the ground.
"I guess I lost my temper," she mumbled. He walked over. When she looked up he was grinning at her again.
"Yeah, well, I think I've done that once or twice." She smiled back, remembering how angry he'd been when she'd thrown James in the lake.
"So go on," she said, putting her wand into her robes. He tilted his head sideways and gave her a questioning look. "I hit you in the back with a spell. Our ongoing duel dictates that you get a shot at me. I'd rather have it now than when I'm not expecting it."
Sirius thought fast and came up with the perfect spell. He'd heard Lily telling one of the younger Gryffindors about it last year. He whispered it so that she wouldn't hear. Muriel felt the spell hit her, but nothing seemed to happen. She looked at her arms and down at her bare feet. She checked for a tail. She pulled her long, chestnut hair around in front of her eyes to see what color it was.
Finally she asked, "What did you do?" Sirius just grinned and shook his head. "What?"
Instead he walked away from the house and sat down at the base of the tree. She followed, bemusedly wiggling her toes. "I'm not sprouting any extra appendages, so what did you do?" At this he snorted, but he still wouldn't give her a straight answer.
Instead he asked, "How do you feel?" They were sitting with their backs against the tree, shoulders touching, and when she turned to answer she found him already looking at her. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of her hair.
"What do you mean? I feel fine. I should be asking you, since you're the one who flew across the yard!"
He chuckled at that, then took her hand. "No, I mean how do you feel about this," he asked again. He held the back of her hand up to his cheek and she felt her heart flutter a bit.
"The same as I felt half an hour ago when you brushed my hair out of my face." Her voice was unsteady and she looked away. She was confused. Maybe that accounts for why it took her so long to figure out what he'd cursed her with. It was almost a full minute before she dropped his hand and jumped up.
"You tricked me!" Muriel was trying hard to look angry, but she couldn't help but smile. Sirius was grinning very broadly and nodding.
"A simple infatuation spell, only lasts a few minutes. All I needed to know was that you felt no change, and I would know that you were already infatuated." He stood too.
"Outsmarted by a Gryffindor," she laughed as he put his arms around her.
"We Gryffindors may not study, but we do know how to get what we want."
Muriel looked up into his eyes. It was hard to imagine eyes so dark shining that way. "And what is it that you want?" she asked quietly. She felt his hand passing gently through her hair as he bent slowly and brushed her lips with his.
"Oi, SIRIUS! MUM SAYS IT'S TIME TO GO!"
The shout from the house pulled him upright, but he didn't turn around. "That will do to start," he murmured.
Muriel lay in bed thinking about the reply that she'd sent Severus. She'd thought about it for days and she couldn't think of anything else that she could have told him. He would be irate if he knew she was here. Severus had hated Sirius from day one and it had only gotten worse since the werewolf incident. And she couldn't go and stay with him. Papa had specifically told her not to come home. She drifted to sleep. Her dreams were filled with the images of her childhood: Severus, pale and sick because she'd carelessly cast a spell on him without first learning the counter spell. Severus, a 1st year student upset at breakfast because Muriel had been put in the wrong house and they couldn't share a common room. Severus, comforting her in their fourth year after her mother's awful howler. Severus, pacing her dorm room deciding how to murder Avery. Severus, on the train home telling her he had no emotions left. She awoke with a start and realized that the sun had been up long since. Sirius was standing in the doorway.
"Mum sent me up to see if you were alright." He walked over to the bed and knelt down to look at her. Her eyes were a bit wild, but she fell back onto the pillow.
"I'm fine, just overslept." He pushed a stray lock of chestnut hair out of her eyes. She shivered.
"Bad dreams?"
"I've had worse," she said, grimacing and sitting up. Sirius stood.
"Up for a trip to Diagon Alley today? Mum said we should get it over with. She's taking Reg, but I don't think she expects us to stick with them." He knew his mother made Muriel nervous. For that matter, she made him nervous too.
"Sure. I'll be down in a bit." When the door closed behind him, she got out of bed and was startled when she looked up at the mirror and saw him in it. She walked over to it. It was showing, in perfect detail, the image of Sirius as he'd walked out of the room. As she watched, it changed to her. When she moved away, it didn't disappear. A sneaking suspicion began to form in her mind. She walked back in front of it again and tapped it with her wand. "Show me the last picture again." Instantly Sirius' face replaced hers, just as it had appeared a moment ago.
She threw on her robes and ran downstairs, wand out. She ran into the kitchen, startling Regalus and Mrs. Black. Sirius wasn't there. "Out on the back porch with his toast, I think," Mrs. Black responded to her unasked question.
"Thanks Mum," she shouted, heading back upstairs. The next word out of her mouth was, "Rictusempra!" Sirius, caught in the back, flew into the yard, his chair landing soundly on top of him. She heard sniggering behind her.
Muriel was glaring at him. "Did I deserve that?" he asked, picking himself up. His hair had come out of its ponytail, and his eyes were wide. Before answering, she rounded on the still laughing form of Sirius' little brother. "Otalgia," she hissed. Immediately both his hands flew to his ears and he ran screaming into the house. She slammed the door and rounded again on Sirius, who was now sporting his usual flirtatious grin.
"You enchanted the mirror in my bedroom to store images," she accused, her wand pointing at his chest. Sirius swallowed hard, the grin disappearing instantly. He had known that the mirror did that. And he'd thought about sneaking in there once or twice to see what it would show him, but he hadn't done it. And he certainly hadn't been the one to enchant the mirror in the first place.
He laughed, then, as she dropped her wand. She must have caught what he was thinking. "It's a painter's mirror. It was meant to capture an image so the painter's subject wouldn't have to stand still all day." He explained as she looked sheepishly at the ground.
"I guess I lost my temper," she mumbled. He walked over. When she looked up he was grinning at her again.
"Yeah, well, I think I've done that once or twice." She smiled back, remembering how angry he'd been when she'd thrown James in the lake.
"So go on," she said, putting her wand into her robes. He tilted his head sideways and gave her a questioning look. "I hit you in the back with a spell. Our ongoing duel dictates that you get a shot at me. I'd rather have it now than when I'm not expecting it."
Sirius thought fast and came up with the perfect spell. He'd heard Lily telling one of the younger Gryffindors about it last year. He whispered it so that she wouldn't hear. Muriel felt the spell hit her, but nothing seemed to happen. She looked at her arms and down at her bare feet. She checked for a tail. She pulled her long, chestnut hair around in front of her eyes to see what color it was.
Finally she asked, "What did you do?" Sirius just grinned and shook his head. "What?"
Instead he walked away from the house and sat down at the base of the tree. She followed, bemusedly wiggling her toes. "I'm not sprouting any extra appendages, so what did you do?" At this he snorted, but he still wouldn't give her a straight answer.
Instead he asked, "How do you feel?" They were sitting with their backs against the tree, shoulders touching, and when she turned to answer she found him already looking at her. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of her hair.
"What do you mean? I feel fine. I should be asking you, since you're the one who flew across the yard!"
He chuckled at that, then took her hand. "No, I mean how do you feel about this," he asked again. He held the back of her hand up to his cheek and she felt her heart flutter a bit.
"The same as I felt half an hour ago when you brushed my hair out of my face." Her voice was unsteady and she looked away. She was confused. Maybe that accounts for why it took her so long to figure out what he'd cursed her with. It was almost a full minute before she dropped his hand and jumped up.
"You tricked me!" Muriel was trying hard to look angry, but she couldn't help but smile. Sirius was grinning very broadly and nodding.
"A simple infatuation spell, only lasts a few minutes. All I needed to know was that you felt no change, and I would know that you were already infatuated." He stood too.
"Outsmarted by a Gryffindor," she laughed as he put his arms around her.
"We Gryffindors may not study, but we do know how to get what we want."
Muriel looked up into his eyes. It was hard to imagine eyes so dark shining that way. "And what is it that you want?" she asked quietly. She felt his hand passing gently through her hair as he bent slowly and brushed her lips with his.
"Oi, SIRIUS! MUM SAYS IT'S TIME TO GO!"
The shout from the house pulled him upright, but he didn't turn around. "That will do to start," he murmured.