Chapter 6: A Surprising, Thought Not Completely Unexpected, Announcement
Moony's Story
I've noticed quite a few of you are very interested in the whole Mara/ Voldemort thing going on. Hopefully this chapter will satisfy you. Also, I was kind of unhappy with the first chapter, so I went back and added Mara's POV as well to the introduction. You don't have to read it, it's just that now I, as the author, feel that the story makes more sense. Enjoy the chapter
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Laughter echoed loudly around the table. Fred and George were explaining, in great detail, a trick they had pulled that day in their new joke shop. Apparently, Crabbe and Goyle had unknowingly stumbled in.
"Those gits must have thought it was a candy store," said George, grinning.
"And most likely they still do. They're that stupid," continued Fred.
Supposedly, the twins had wanted to pull a good prank for a while now, and when Crabbe and Goyle walked in the door- with the absence of Malfoy quite noticeable- they had seemed like the perfect victims. The plan Fred and George had come up with involved Headless Hats and Puking Pastilles. Immediately the whole table had reacted- some, such as Harry and Ron, with anticipation and excitement shining on their faces, while others, such as myself and Mrs. Weasley, braced themselves for the worst.
"Fred and I each grabbed a Headless Hat- we made sure they were both pink and fluffy, of course, to pay homage to our dear Professor Umbridge- and walked up to the great oafs-"
"And said, 'would you like to try on some of our quality hats, I'm sure they'd look just smashing on you,'" interrupted Fred enthusiastically.
"But we made sure there were Permanent Sticking Charms on them first," added George.
Already Ron was in silent fits of laughter. You could tell Harry was close to losing control himself.
"They considered it for about 30 seconds, but soon we realized they weren't smart enough to make decisions on their own, so we jammed them on their heads," George continued brightly. Harry burst out laughing. Ginny was now giggling as well. Hermione gave her a reproving glare, but Ginny gasped, "You can't say it's not true, though," and a fresh wave of giggles overcame her.
"So now both their heads are invisible, and we come to the best part," said Fred solemnly. "The Puking Pastilles." Mrs. Weasley buried her head in her arms, muttering something incoherent that sounded very much like "Where did I go wrong?"
"We knew it wasn't going to be hard, because Crabbe and Goyle will eat anything that isn't moving. So we rip off half of the chew, the kind that makes you throw up, that is, and pretend it's an orange flavored chocolate."
"'Just in, our brand new flavors of chocolate, would you like a sample?' we said, and immediately they hold out their great pudgy fists for the things." Fred was having a hard time keeping a straight face as he tried to tell the story. Charlie, Bill and Tonks were all doubled over laughing.
"You can probably figure out the rest. They stuffed them in their invisible mouths, started puking all over the place and ran out the door. I can still remember the screams," said George wistfully. "I guess it's not very common to see two headless wizards running through Diagon Alley."
"Wizards who also happen to be puking," Fred pointed out.
"Yeah, nearly forgot that part," said George.
Hermione wrinkled her nose. "You two have a sick sense of humor," she said. "What if they never stop throwing up?"
"Oh, we made sure we put the other half of the chew in their front pockets," said George carelessly. "They'll find it eventually."
"And I doubt they'll stop to wonder what it is before eating it," added his twin. "So they aren't really in any danger."
"And what if their heads stay invisible forever?" demanded Mrs. Weasley accusingly. "You said you put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the hats! Why, if the Ministry finds out what you've done, they'll--"
"Stop ruining all the fun!" said Ron indignantly. "It was a brilliant plan! Crabbe and Goyle are too thick to remember their birthdays, let alone the last person who gave them food."
Well, he had a point.
"Yes, brilliant just like the trick they played on you with the rope," teased Harry. Ron turned pink and pantomimed hitting Harry with a bat.
"Back to your question, Mum," said George briskly. "We've got it covered. The invisibility spell wears off after a few hours-"
"Few days, actually," corrected Fred cheerfully.
"Yes, what Fred said- and, well, if those two trolls end up wearing fluffy pink hats for the rest of their lives because they can't get them off, so be it. Better them than us."
"Besides, it does wonders for their complexion," Fred said smugly. Even those who hadn't been laughing, such as Sami and Mr. Weasley, had to join in at that one.
I shook my head, a small smile on my face. Those two reminded me so much of me and my fellow Marauders . . .
"Pass the potatoes, Sirius," I said. Sirius, who had been throwing uneasy looks at Sami every few seconds, jumped.
"W- what?" he asked, stuttering. "Oh- of course- here, Moony." He pushed the plate across the table. I raised an eyebrow.
"What's got you all jumpy?" I asked. "I thought Sirius Black was never nervous."
Sirius gave that barking laugh of his. "Nervous? I- I'm not nervous, what makes you think I'm nervous?" He stuffed his shaking hands in his pockets. I rolled my eyes and decided not to pry. I'd find out what was going on sooner or later. Instead I piled another helping of mashed potatoes on my plate.
Eventually everyone calmed down from the Fred/George scene and continued eating more of Mrs. Weasley's wonderful cooking. As much as I was enjoying the food, I wanted dinner to be over so I could ask Sirius more about the dreams I was having. Dessert came, and just as I was about to dig into a vanilla pudding Sami stood up. All talking ceased as everyone turned to look at her. Sirius stood up as well and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Er . . ." he began, looking nervous. "We have an announcement, everybody." Here he paused, and looked at Sami with a hopeless expression.
"Come on, spit it out!" chorused the twins. Mrs. Weasley smacked George, who was closest.
The entire table watched Sirius expectantly. He opened and closed his mouth several times, making him look like a fish.
"Since Sirius isn't going to say it, I will," Sami said suddenly. She didn't sound the least bit nervous, rather, as though she was about to tell a secret she had been dying to tell. Sami pulled something small and round out of her pocket.
"We're engaged," she announced happily, slipping the ring onto her finger and holding up her hand. "And we're getting married in two weeks."
In the complete chaos that followed, the only thing I can remember is feeling so dizzy I was about to faint.
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I was frantically looking for an escape to the stairs. The room was in turmoil, with all the girls squealing and talking about dresses and such with Sami. The men were clapping Sirius on the back, who was grinning now that the cat was out of the bag. In other words, my path was completely blocked.
I started to sweat, feeling claustrophobic. I looked around wildly. Molly had just moved away from the cluster of witches surrounding Sami, to open a bottle of champagne. I squeezed between Ginny and Tonks and walked towards the stairs as quickly as I could without drawing attention.
"Hey, Moony!" Sirius yelled over all the noise. I turned.
"Will you be best man?"
I nodded, then escaped to the stairs.
By the time I was halfway up I couldn't hear anybody anymore, and I had started to calm down. Panting, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
I wasn't upset because I still had feelings for Sami, I decided. While it was true that she was my first crush, I just didn't feel that way about her anymore. I was happy for Sirius, I really was . . .
Wasn't I?
Yes, I was. But in the corner of my mind an annoying little voice was saying, There goes the last Marauder.
I clenched my fists. It was true. One was dead, one was a traitor, and one was getting married. Where did that leave me?
With no one.
I was thoroughly miserable. I had never wanted my friends back so badly. What happened? We were good people. Pranksters, yes, but you're only young once. Why did it have to be me? Didn't I already have enough to deal with?
Suddenly a huge wave of raw happiness rushed through me. I stumbled, my head pounding as joy and excitement rushed through my veins. Laughter was ringing in my ears, laughter that was coming from my own mouth. Something good had happened. Something I had been waiting for for a very, very long time . . .
Slowly the emotion ebbed away. I clutched my head, scared half out of my mind, and ran the rest of the way to my room.
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I looked up from my position on the floor. My room was completely dark, but the door to my room was glowing with a soft red light. It was probably Sirius. He'd tried to get in the room three times already that night, but I'd used the most complex locking charm I knew. I didn't feel like talking to anyone.
My head was still aching from everything that had happened. My best friend was getting married, and in two weeks, no less. I was to be the best man. That meant I had to make a speech . . .I groaned. Somewhere outside an owl hooted. I wondered vaguely if it was Sami.
But my thoughts kept coming back to the random burst of happiness I had had on the stairs. The way I had felt at the time certainly wasn't happy or cheerful. Maybe I was coming down with something. I forced myself to believe that, and pushed all thought on the subject from my mind.
So, once again, I found myself brooding over the wedding. Yippee.
The annoying little voice had returned. Why aren't you getting married, Remus? The years are passing by, you know. You might want to hurry up and get yourself a girl.
Before I could retort, the voice had gone.
You pathetic excuse for a wizard, I thought to myself. If I hadn't been such an idiot all those years ago, Mara- for she was the only girl I'd ever been able to think about for years- would be with me right now. Then my conscience wouldn't be able to tease me about marriage . . . but no. I just couldn't listen when she asked me to; I was too wrapped up in myself. It was all my fault.
All my fault . . .
Silently I rose and walked over to my dresser. I yanked open the drawer on the bottom and started hunting around. I couldn't find it; what I was looking for. Impatiently I began tossing clothes out of the drawer.
Bingo! My fingers collided with the soft leather spine of a book. Gently I grasped the edges and lifted it from the bottom of the drawer. Clutching it to my chest, I sank down onto the edge of my bed. I waved my wand and soon was holding a beam of light in my hand.
I blew dust off the cover off the book and dug my fingers into the groove between the pages that had come from looking at the same page so many times. I flipped the book open and, holding the beam of light close, gazed at the title.
The Legend of the Muggle Seer began in France in the Middle Ages, most likely because that is where the first known sighting was thought to be. The Seer in question, whose name is unknown, was known for her peculiar eye color, a shade of gray that was constantly changing based on her mood.
I smiled, remembering Mara's beautiful eyes and how it had felt to look into them.
At first the Muggle woman was clueless as to her magical abilities. Her entire town shunned her after she gave one too many predictions, thinking she was mad.
People had thought Mara was mad, and they didn't limit themselves to verbal insults.
One day a wizard who had heard about this Muggle's supposed fits found her and took her "under his wing." He observed her when she made predictions and came to the conclusion that the dead used her as a way to pass messages to those who were still alive. These included prophecies, warnings, or sometimes a one or two word message for a loved one.
This had stunned me the first time I had read it. Even now I was beginning to feel a tightening in my chest.
This wizard gave her the name "Passage aux Morts," literally meaning "Gateway to the Dead." Affectionately he called her his "Yeux Gris," or "Grey eyes." Eventually the wizard and Muggle woman fell in love and married.
She was Mara's great-great-great- and so on grandmother.
While the Muggle found love, she was scorned by the rest of the world, who lived in fear of anyone who was connected to dead spirits. She and her husband went into hiding for the remainder of their lives, and soon after her death she was forgotten. Today there are very few people who have any records or knowledge about this woman at all.
Which is why I was so lucky I found this book.
It is still possible, however, that the "Yeux Gris" had children while she was hiding. Over the past few centuries, there have been some reported sightings, although most of the witches and wizards reporting them did not realize what they had seen. The Muggles they describe are always girls with unusual large gray eyes, who sometimes fall to the floor for no reason and begin to mutter in an eerie voice.
I had experienced this only once before, and it was extremely creepy.
These girls seem to have a knack for being clumsy, and bad luck seems to follow them wherever they go. They do not lead happy lives. Sometimes the Seer blood in them is mistaken for actual wizarding blood, resulting in them being sent to a magical school. Unfortunately, the magic in a "Passage aux Morts" does not extend past her ability to serve as a passageway for the dead, so they often struggle in school.
Our classmates had constantly called her a Squib. She seemed like one, at the time, but I knew better than that now.
1824 was the last time a student was suspected of being a descendent of the original "Passage aux Morts," and although she was secretly followed there is no proof that she was a "Passage aux Morts," or that she was related in any way to the original. There have been no reports of a girl fitting this description since.
I ran my hand over the page, trying to conjure a picture of Mara's face. It was difficult, which made me angry. I'd been away from her for so long I was having trouble remembering how she looked?
I returned my gaze to the bottom of the page, where I had taped a scrap of paper. The small print on it was written by Mara's hand.
I don't know how much more of this I can take. Being connected to Voldemort like this is draining me of my energy and sanity . . . soon I won't even be able to think for myself anymore; I'll just be a slave to amuse him and do his bidding. When he's close by, I can sense what he's thinking, feel his pain and anger. When he's happy or pleased, I know. And if he's within the same building and you cut off my sight, hearing and touch, I'd find him. Our bond would draw me to him like a fly to a light. And like that, he is my doom.
He wants me for a wife. I need to get away. I can't imagine him touching my bare skin the way a lover would. Remus, I love you, and if you ever find this, I want you to know you can break the connection . . .all you need to do is
But what did I need to do? I would have done anything to help her escape from her cage, even if it meant my life. The page had been ripped at the last word. Obviously someone didn't want me to know what I had to do to save Mara. I smacked my forehead with my palm over and over. I wondered if she was even still alive . . .she had disappeared during 7th year- and it was my fault.
I stood up and began to rummage through the drawer again, pulling out parchment, ink and a quill. I would write her a letter. I could only pray she would write back.
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Argh, I didn't update at all in February! The shame, the shame! (Author smacks herself for being so darn lazy) This had better not become a habit. Sorry, everybody!
Jadelight: Barney says to tell you thanks. At least someone likes his singing. ;)
Rosemary the Rubix Cube: Yay, a cookie! Although I didn't update fast, so I don't really deserve it :(
BlackKat: Yes, I completely agree, algebra is VERY boring. Glad you liked Mara's POV!
sweetqtpie072689, Snuffles2984 and alwaysginny: thanks for reading/reviewing every chapter! Hope you liked this one!
BlackLupin: Yep, I'm totally up-to-date on For Better or For Worse! Great story, it is. Heh, there's a TV show on TLC called For Better or For Worse . . . makes me think of your story . . .update it soon please!
shadows13: Nope, not Barney the Purple Dinosaur, Barney my pet bat! {.,.} Hope this was enough Mara/ Voldemort info for you :)
-Padfoot-Dreamer-