A/N: What is going on? Lita has been my only reviewer AGAIN and whilst
this is very nice and I am very grateful, I am also slightly disappointed!
REVIEW ppl! unless only one person is reading each time...
OK, new definition of Mary Sue - basically someone perfect who doesn't do
anything wrong, and is basically based on the author. Therefore Maria is
not a Mary Sue bcos she is sporty and i am not. Also I hate her too. I am
now cross with Eihwaz (now known as Flea) for inferring that Maria was
based on me.
Oh, and Lita... I would dearly love to introduce you as a character but I
have kind of got my whole plot worked out...
R AND R!
Chapter 8
I ran to the window and peered out. There was Remus all right, walking alongside Madam Pomfrey. "Do you think he's all right?" I noticed that he kept casting fearful looks at the sky.
"What could be wrong with him? He was fine earlier. But where are they going? Nothing's that way except the Forbidden Forest and that ghastly Whomping tree thing."
"Maybe he's got detention."
"For doing what, exactly?" We both laughed but then I stopped.
"Hey - what's Madam Pomfrey doing? She's poking the - doesn't she know you don't poke the Whomping Willow?"
"It'll just poke her right back!"
But it didn't. "It's stopped!"
"And... Remus is... going in the Whomping Willow?" Sirius stared.
We were both frowning by now. They had both disappeared. "Looks a bit kinky to me," Sirius said in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
A few minutes later, however, Madam Pomfrey reappeared. "But where's Remus?" I demanded.
"How should I know?"
We might have stood there all night if I hadn't suddenly checked my watch. "Christ, we'd better go! Come on!"
"But Remus..."
"You stay here if you want, then, but I have a date. See you later."
"I'm coming, I'm coming. But I thought she was just a friend?" he teased, running beside me.
Maria was already at a table when we arrived.
"Hi ya," I said, dropping into a seat and flashing her a grin. "How are you?"
"Great," she smiled back. "Really good. I hear you won your Gryffindor match?"
I was surprised, having not mentioned it in a letter. "Yeah... but how do you know?"
"There's a little tiny section on the back page of the Daily Prophet called 'Schools' and I saw it there."
I realised that she must have been looking for it and leaned forward to take her hand. She blushed a little.
Sirius, still standing behind me but forgotten, gave a pointed cough. We both looked up, startled.
"Oh, sorry, Sirius. Maria, this is Sirius - Sirius, Maria."
"Pleased to meet you," she said.
"And you," he grinned, taking the chair beside me.
"I thought there were going to be three of you?"
"Yes, so did we," Sirius answered before I could even open my mouth, "but then Remus vanished into -"
"Sirius," I interrupted, "are you going to the bar?"
He seemed to understand. "Yeah, OK, what do you want? Butterbeer?"
I nodded and he strolled over to the bar.
Maria was looking at me oddly. "What was he about to say?"
"Nothing interesting. Remus is having extra lessons for Transfiguration, that's all, but he didn't want us to know. That's why we were nearly late, too - spying."
She looked unconvinced, but nodded. I was relieved. "So, how's your Quidditch going?"
She giggled. "Not bad. I might be able to play for Hogsmeade in the spring - now how does that compare to your playing for England?!"
"That's brilliant," I said, although in truth I too couldn't help comparing it to my own success. "Especially as it's not even your main thing."
She nodded. "Yeah." She glanced over at Sirius. "Um..."
"Yeah, look, I'm really sorry he came," I apologised. "He got hold of your letter somehow, and..."
"It's all right," she said. "I only... well, I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't come... every time."
"I promise he won't. He just... oh, thanks, mate."
"You talking about me?" Sirius said with a smile.
"Yeah," I told him. "I was saying how horrible you are."
Maria giggled again and brushed her hair back off her face. Sirius was watching me, for some reason. It made me awkward. "So, er, what else is happening with you? Dancing - yes, how's dancing?"
Sirius was complimentary, but not gushing, as we crawled back through the basement of Honeydukes the sweet shop to the entrance back to Hogwarts.
"She's pretty. Seems nice. Well done, J."
"But?" I prompted.
"Well, nothing. I just... oh, I dunno. It's just that she's so... girly. So... I don't know. She wouldn't say 'boo' to a goose!'
I rolled my eyes. "That's ridiculous. She plays Quidditch as well as anyone, and it's a violent sport!"
"Hmm... so you don't think she's a bit... wussy?"
"No!"
I waited for him to say more, but he didn't. Wearing the cloak, we scrambled out of the statue which concealed the passage and returned to the common room in silence of necessity - Professor Binns was following us - but I knew he was tense.
Sirius recovered by morning, as I had hoped he would. Remus returned at breakfast, looking peaky but otherwise as normal. Sirius and I glanced at each other, but we had agreed not to say anything. Not yet.
"So, Potter," said a cool but satisfied voice. Snape. "This yours?"
He held out a crumpled piece of parchment. I took it - it was a letter from Maria, sent last night, to confirm our next date and saying she had enjoyed last night. How had Snape got hold of it?
"Your owl, ahem, landed by me," he explained softly. "Planning a night out, I see? And had one last night? I'm sure Professor Sherwin would be interested to hear that there are students going to Hogsmeade... illegally."
I could see many Slytherins watching for my reaction from their table. I couldn't possibly perform Memory Charms on all of them, to make them forget about Maria, although I could do one. I thought quickly. A short, sharp shock should do it.
"You're just jealous because you'll never have a girlfriend, Snape. Cuniculus temporatis hostis!"
Whiskers shot out of his face and his nose began to twitch like a rabbit's. "That's for intercepting my owl. Don't bother going to Madam Pomfrey. They'll only appear when I'm around to laugh."
Snape's eyes narrowed, but he could not hide his fright.
"Potter!"
McGonagall, of course. The all-seeing, all-knowing, always-present and always-strict McGonagall.
"Detention and twenty points from Gryffindor."
"But he -"
"It'll be more if you answer back. Reparo," she muttered, pointing her wand at Snape.
I ignored Snape's gloating expression, however. He was scared of me now - that was enough.
A/N: REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 8
I ran to the window and peered out. There was Remus all right, walking alongside Madam Pomfrey. "Do you think he's all right?" I noticed that he kept casting fearful looks at the sky.
"What could be wrong with him? He was fine earlier. But where are they going? Nothing's that way except the Forbidden Forest and that ghastly Whomping tree thing."
"Maybe he's got detention."
"For doing what, exactly?" We both laughed but then I stopped.
"Hey - what's Madam Pomfrey doing? She's poking the - doesn't she know you don't poke the Whomping Willow?"
"It'll just poke her right back!"
But it didn't. "It's stopped!"
"And... Remus is... going in the Whomping Willow?" Sirius stared.
We were both frowning by now. They had both disappeared. "Looks a bit kinky to me," Sirius said in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
A few minutes later, however, Madam Pomfrey reappeared. "But where's Remus?" I demanded.
"How should I know?"
We might have stood there all night if I hadn't suddenly checked my watch. "Christ, we'd better go! Come on!"
"But Remus..."
"You stay here if you want, then, but I have a date. See you later."
"I'm coming, I'm coming. But I thought she was just a friend?" he teased, running beside me.
Maria was already at a table when we arrived.
"Hi ya," I said, dropping into a seat and flashing her a grin. "How are you?"
"Great," she smiled back. "Really good. I hear you won your Gryffindor match?"
I was surprised, having not mentioned it in a letter. "Yeah... but how do you know?"
"There's a little tiny section on the back page of the Daily Prophet called 'Schools' and I saw it there."
I realised that she must have been looking for it and leaned forward to take her hand. She blushed a little.
Sirius, still standing behind me but forgotten, gave a pointed cough. We both looked up, startled.
"Oh, sorry, Sirius. Maria, this is Sirius - Sirius, Maria."
"Pleased to meet you," she said.
"And you," he grinned, taking the chair beside me.
"I thought there were going to be three of you?"
"Yes, so did we," Sirius answered before I could even open my mouth, "but then Remus vanished into -"
"Sirius," I interrupted, "are you going to the bar?"
He seemed to understand. "Yeah, OK, what do you want? Butterbeer?"
I nodded and he strolled over to the bar.
Maria was looking at me oddly. "What was he about to say?"
"Nothing interesting. Remus is having extra lessons for Transfiguration, that's all, but he didn't want us to know. That's why we were nearly late, too - spying."
She looked unconvinced, but nodded. I was relieved. "So, how's your Quidditch going?"
She giggled. "Not bad. I might be able to play for Hogsmeade in the spring - now how does that compare to your playing for England?!"
"That's brilliant," I said, although in truth I too couldn't help comparing it to my own success. "Especially as it's not even your main thing."
She nodded. "Yeah." She glanced over at Sirius. "Um..."
"Yeah, look, I'm really sorry he came," I apologised. "He got hold of your letter somehow, and..."
"It's all right," she said. "I only... well, I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't come... every time."
"I promise he won't. He just... oh, thanks, mate."
"You talking about me?" Sirius said with a smile.
"Yeah," I told him. "I was saying how horrible you are."
Maria giggled again and brushed her hair back off her face. Sirius was watching me, for some reason. It made me awkward. "So, er, what else is happening with you? Dancing - yes, how's dancing?"
Sirius was complimentary, but not gushing, as we crawled back through the basement of Honeydukes the sweet shop to the entrance back to Hogwarts.
"She's pretty. Seems nice. Well done, J."
"But?" I prompted.
"Well, nothing. I just... oh, I dunno. It's just that she's so... girly. So... I don't know. She wouldn't say 'boo' to a goose!'
I rolled my eyes. "That's ridiculous. She plays Quidditch as well as anyone, and it's a violent sport!"
"Hmm... so you don't think she's a bit... wussy?"
"No!"
I waited for him to say more, but he didn't. Wearing the cloak, we scrambled out of the statue which concealed the passage and returned to the common room in silence of necessity - Professor Binns was following us - but I knew he was tense.
Sirius recovered by morning, as I had hoped he would. Remus returned at breakfast, looking peaky but otherwise as normal. Sirius and I glanced at each other, but we had agreed not to say anything. Not yet.
"So, Potter," said a cool but satisfied voice. Snape. "This yours?"
He held out a crumpled piece of parchment. I took it - it was a letter from Maria, sent last night, to confirm our next date and saying she had enjoyed last night. How had Snape got hold of it?
"Your owl, ahem, landed by me," he explained softly. "Planning a night out, I see? And had one last night? I'm sure Professor Sherwin would be interested to hear that there are students going to Hogsmeade... illegally."
I could see many Slytherins watching for my reaction from their table. I couldn't possibly perform Memory Charms on all of them, to make them forget about Maria, although I could do one. I thought quickly. A short, sharp shock should do it.
"You're just jealous because you'll never have a girlfriend, Snape. Cuniculus temporatis hostis!"
Whiskers shot out of his face and his nose began to twitch like a rabbit's. "That's for intercepting my owl. Don't bother going to Madam Pomfrey. They'll only appear when I'm around to laugh."
Snape's eyes narrowed, but he could not hide his fright.
"Potter!"
McGonagall, of course. The all-seeing, all-knowing, always-present and always-strict McGonagall.
"Detention and twenty points from Gryffindor."
"But he -"
"It'll be more if you answer back. Reparo," she muttered, pointing her wand at Snape.
I ignored Snape's gloating expression, however. He was scared of me now - that was enough.
A/N: REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!