Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. And
this story is written only for fun and no profitable intention.
A/N: I would first like to thank my first reviewer, Sevilodorf, thank you so so very much.
This chapter is when Aliena and her friends go to Hogsmeade and well... you'll just have to read to find out. I have like the next four chapters planned out in my head, just need to write them. Don't know how long that's gonna take. I'm also writing some other stories (see my profile) but they aren't posted yet. Maybe in the future. This will be one of my main focus though. Anyway, read and enjoy.
Hogsmeade
Winter settled in and despite the coldness, the students of Hogwarts were bursting with energy. Today was the first Hogmeade trip. The young witches and wizards all gathered in front of the school shuffling around in the ankle deep snow. Their pockets bulged money ready to be spent on Christmas gift for friends and family, and a little something for themselves. The third years, this being their first trip, were all eagerly discussing what they would do once they got there. They talked to some of the older students and asked for ideas on were to go and what to do. Visiting the Shrieking Shack was on of the top suggestions. The younger students shuddered at this; they had heard the haunting stories told about that place. Nevertheless, they were keen to go and check out this well known ghost story, to see if it was true.
Filch, in his usual grumpy mood, stood in front of the students, checking for permission slips to make sure there was no one there who shouldn't be. Finally when he finished, he led the group on the path to Hogsmeade.
"You think they could pick a warmer day?" said Kahlan. She hugged her body, shivering in spite of the many thick layers she was wearing. Already, the tip of her nose was beginning to turn red.
"It's the middle of winter Kah." Aliena pointed out. "Besides, you're dressed like an Eskimo. How can you be cold?" Kahlan gave her a sarcastic smile and pulled her coat tighter around her body.
"I could have put that Heating Charm on your clothes like I did for Ali and me, but noooo," said Lily. "You didn't want the Charm. Well, now you have to suffer." Before they had left, Lily had the idea of casting a Charm on their outfits so their clothes would generate heat to keep them warm in winter's chill. Aliena had excitedly agreed, but Kahlan wanted to ruff it out saying it wasn't that cold.
Kahlan replied by throwing a handful of snow into Lily's face. The white flakes quickly melting on her warm skin. Lily quickly wiped them off with the back of her glove, but not before their coldness bit her face. Her face turned red, but the cold wasn't the cause of it. Not wanting to get involved in Lily's upcoming anger, Aliena quickly fell a few steps behind her friends.
The snow started to come down in soft flurries. Aliena lifted her head towards the sky to let the flakes settle on her face and smiled. The snowfall made it seem so peaceful, except for the bickering voices of her friends.
"Ali!"
Aliena turned around at the sound of her name and saw Remus Lupin slugging through the snow towards her. His hair was flecked in white from the snow and his grinning cheeks were red.
"Oh, hey Remus." She responded happily. He came up and began to walk beside her. "I thought that you..."
"Would be with Sirius and James." He finished for her. She nodded curiously. "Well they'll be in that new Zonko's shop the whole time. And I don't really want to go there."
Aliena slapped her forehead, chuckling. "That'll be great. An entire prank store at the fingertips of the Terrible Two." She groaned at the thought; Remus laughed.
"Yeah the next few months are going to be interesting."
The students reached Hogmeade and immediately split up into their cliques and go off into different parts of the village. James and Sirius could be seen dragging Peter towards Zonko's and disappearing inside the stores many shelves. Aliena, Kahlan, Lily and Remus made their way to Honeydukes along with some other students.
The sweet shop was filled with a myriad of candy of many different colors and varieties. Its shelves stocked to the max with containers of every sweet you could ever dream of and even some you couldn't. They pushed through the crowd of students and gathered their favorites of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Jelly Beans, an entire case of Chocolate Frogs, and Ice Mice as quickly as they could. A corner of the store was dedicated to the new Flavorite Lollipops, (Just say a flavor and you will soon be enjoying it.) And they grabbed a handful of those before they were all taken. They made their way to the checkout counter and paid a total of seventeen Sickles for their purchases, and left the store before they were trampled.
"I think a Butterbeer is in order." suggested a shivering Kahlan. The rest of the group agreed and made their way over to Three Broomsticks. Once inside, Kahlan let out a sigh of relief, glad for the warmth and hurriedly took a table near the fire. Lily followed, her earlier period of irritation forgotten.
"I'll get the drinks." said Remus. Aliena reached inside her coat, bringing out her purse to help pay for the drinks, but Remus stopped her. "It's on me." She smiled her appreciation and went to join Kahlan and Lily. She came to the table to find Kahlan cheerfully humming a familiar tune.
"What are you doing?" asked Aliena with a small laugh.
"Nothing," replied Kahlan with an air of misleading innocence. Aliena raised an eyebrow at her. Kahlan was definitely up to something. As if to answer her unasked question, Kahlan began to sing in a soft voice so only Aliena and Lily could hear. "Ali and Remus sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."
"Shut up Kahlan." Aliena hissed. She cast a glance at Remus to see if he overheard, but he was still waiting to buy the drinks out of earshot.
"Oh come on Ali. You know you like him." Kahlan said in a playful tone.
Aliena whirred back to look at Kahlan with an accusing stare. "Yeah, as a friend."
Kahlan began to twirl a strand of hair around her finger, looking from Remus to Aliena with a mischievous smile. "You're always hanging out with each other and talking with each other and studying with each other. If that's what you call it." Aliena just stared wide-eyed at Kahlan, then looked at Lily for help.
"Well, you are with him a lot." Said Lily slowly "And I can see how Kah, and others get the assumption that you're together."
"Lil!" said Aliena, shocked. "You're supposed to be on my side." A thought hit her. "And what 'others'." Lily just shrugged and avoided her friend's glower. "I probably don't want to know anyways." She sat in the chair next to Lily.
"Actually you might. It's quite..." started Kahlan but stopped at a lethal look from Aliena.
"Now you better listen, you two." Aliena said in a low whisper. Her friends had to lean forward to hear her. "Remus is smart and really nice. We do our homework together and talk and hang out sometimes, but that doesn't mean I fancy him."
"What are you talking about?"
Aliena look up startled and saw Remus standing there with the drinks. She quickly sat back and pretended to be interested in a sign that hung across the room, to avoid looking at Remus.
"Nothing." She said quickly, casting her friends a warning look. Remus shrugged and sat down in a chair beside her and passed out the drinks. Kahlan took hers greedily.
"Nothing like a nice Butterbeer to warm you up." She cheered before taking a long swig then set the bottle down on the table with a thunk.
"Where should we go next?" asked Lily. Though the fifth years had been everywhere in Hogsmeade at least a dozen times, they never grew tired of it.
"I know!" said Kahlan "It's a quiet place, secluded, very beautiful and romantic..." She said all this looking at Aliena and Remus, who were walking next to each other.
"Just lead the way." Aliena said in an irritated voice. Remus looked at her slightly confused, but she ignored him. Kahlan turned and went through the alleyway between two shops. She led the group down the all too familiar path.
"We're going to the Shrieking Shack?" asked Remus in a somewhat nervous voice. "Come on we've been there loads of times. Why don't we check out Zonko's or something?"
"Scared, Lupin?" taunted Kahlan over her shoulder as she walked further down the path.
"No." defended Remus, but Kahlan didn't miss the quiver in her voice and chuckled; neither did Aliena. She looked at him slightly worried, he had never been nervous like this before.
"Maybe we could go somewhere else." suggested Aliena. She was his friend and didn't want him to be uncomfortable.
Kahlan turned around and began to walk backwards looking at the two mischievously. "Trust me you'll enjoy this."
They came down to the overlook of the Shrieking Shack. It was a run down building with boarded up entrance and windows and in bad need of a paint job. Just the look of it sent a chill down your spine. They were the only ones there now, all of the third years were gone; probably too scared to stay long, but the legends of the Shack were enough to scare anyone.
Aliena keep a close eye on Remus. He seemed to become more uncomfortable as they came closer; he kept shifting if feet and running a nervous hand through his sandy hair. He was very quiet and hadn't said a word in while. Aliena was worried, maybe he really was scared, but Kahlan was relentless and wouldn't turn back.
They all gathered at the rail that overlooked the Shrieking Shack. Remus stood away from them and stared intently at it, a strange look coming over his face. Aliena stood with her friends who kept whispering to each other and laughing. Aliena paid no attention to them, she was too busy watching Remus, concerned about the way he was behaving. She left Kahlan and Lily with out a word and walked over to Remus.
"The stories most likely aren't true." said Aliena as she came and stood next to him. He was leaning on a rail staring unblinking at the dilapidated shack. "There probably aren't even ghosts in there." She did believe the stories about the violent ghosts that lived there, Dumbledore even said it was true; but she was just trying to cheer up Remus.
He broke his gaze from the house and looked at her intrigued. "What else could be in there?"
She shrugged. "Butterflies, maybe?" Saying the first thing that came to her mind that she thought might cheer him up.
"Butterflies?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow, he stopped fidgeting and seemed to be relaxing a bit more so Aliena continued.
"It makes perfect sense if you think about it." she said jokingly. "Butterflies don't have hands so they can't exactly fix up the house, that's why it's all in shambles and they can't call someone to do it because they don't have voices." It was a stupid thing, she knew and she didn't exactly know why she said it, but to her pleasure Remus began to laugh, all signs of discomfort forgotten. His body shook with the compulsions of mirth till tears of laughter began to form in eyes. Glad to see her friend cheered up, she began to laugh too.
When they quieted down into gentle chuckles, they realized that it was quiet, too quiet. Kahlan voice, which is loud and can be heard easily, was absent. Aliena turned around only to be met with an empty field. She looked down on the snow covered ground hoping to see if their tracks could be seen, but it was all messed up in a muddy mess and she couldn't see any footprints branching off. Remus turned around also and looked around.
"Where did they go?" he asked. She just shrugged her shoulders, then Kahlan's words entered her head. 'It's a quiet place, secluded, very beautiful and romantic... Trust me you'll enjoy this.' Kahlan was trying to set them up. Leaving them alone in a deserted place... That's something she would do. Her and Lily were probably hiding behind some trees watching them at this very moment.
"Ha, Ha." She called out "Very funny, come on out now." She waited for a few moments, but didn't hear any response. "I know you're out there." The leaves of a nearby bush started to rustle; Aliena walked over to it ready to give a good tongue lashing to her friends. A figure came out from behind, but it wasn't Kahlan or Lily; Aliena stopped short in her tracks. Dark, cold eyes shone beneath limply hanging hair and even his layers of clothing weren't enough to add to his scrawny form. Remus, sensing trouble, quickly crossed over to stand next to Aliena.
"I'm sorry if I uh, interrupted anything." He said in a greasy voice a smile tugging at his lips. Aliena narrowed her eyes. She felt Remus stir beside her as he grasped his wand inside his robe, she did likewise with hers.
"What do you want Severus?" she asked trying to keep her tone neutral. She had never really talked to Snape before, and rather thankful for that, but now that she was face to face with him she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She heard the rumors about him and knew this encounter could get nasty. Her first thought was to get out of there as soon as possible, but he was blocking the path back and she knew he wouldn't let her pass without problems.
"I was just coming down here to see this," he looked over their shoulders. "Very interesting house. They say it's haunted by ghosts." He smiled wickedly at Remus, whose face turned red with anger. He glared hard back a Snape and took a small step forward in front of Aliena as if trying to shield her. He could tell this wasn't going to be pleasant.
Severus started to walk towards them and stopped only a few feet away. He took out his wand and began to twirl it between his fingers. Remus drew his wand out too, he wasn't the one who usually attacked Snape, that was James and Sirius, but he would if it came to that.
Severus eyed the wand with amusement. "Are you going to duel me, perfect prefect. Isn't that against the rules? Or don't you care about breaking rules anymore." Remus gritted his teeth, muttering something inaudible under his breath. Snape continued to smile with a malicious grin.
Aliena looked from Severus to Remus aware they were taking up some past conflict, though she didn't know what it was. All she knew was that she and Remus had to get out of there before something bad happened.
"Go kiss a Flobberworm, Snivellus." She said, mimicking the name she heard James call him. She grabbed Remus by the arm and started to pull him to the path, they went unhindered by Severus.
"Didn't your muggle parents ever teach you to respect your superiors, Hugh?" he said smugly as they past him. Aliena stopped and turned sharply to face him, almost causing Remus fall, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, not bothering to keep the anger from her voice. Remus tried to pull her up the path, but she shook him off her eyes glued to Snape. He just stood there contently still twirling his wand.
"Easy," he said in manner one would use in normal conversation. "Purebloods, like me, are higher in social status then Mudbloods," he looked at her with disgust, "Like you." Aliena froze, her face blanching, and felt Remus stiffen beside her, neither of them spoke. Snape casually walked over to her, pleased with their reactions and stopped just inches from her. Her eyes were filled with the hurt of the insult and she was trying to hold back the tears. Determined not to let Snape see her weakness, she looked him straight in the eye trying her hardest not to quiver. From the corner of her eye she could see Remus clenching his fists. He wanted to intervene, but was worried Snape might hurt Aliena if he did; so, against his will, he stood there. Severus knew now that he was in control of the situation and was taking full advantage of it.
"You don't belong here, Mudblood." he said in a low voice. "This is a school for real Wizards and Witches, not Muggles who want to be Witches." Aliena closed her eyes and tried to blink away the tears that were forming. She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter what Snape said, that he was nothing but a greasy slime ball, but she couldn't wipe away to words or the hurt she felt. Snape took a step back with a smug smile, enjoying her grief that he caused. Aliena saw her opportunity and without a second thought she pulled out her wand.
"Rictusempra!" she said in a breaking voice. Snape was blown off his feet and flew back several meters, landing on his back. He stood up brushing the snow from his clothes and hair and looked at Aliena with pure hatred. Remus quickly stood in front of her, protecting her should Severus think to retaliate. Snape picked up his wand.
"You'll pay for that one, you filthy little Mudblood." he spat out and pointed his wand at her.
"Impedimenta!"
But the voice wasn't Snape's. He stood as if frozen still pointing his wand at her. She could see him struggling to move, but he couldn't.
"Not bothering you is he, mate?" James came down the hill behind Snape with his wand out; apparently he was the one who had jinxed him. Behind James were Sirius, Peter and a very anxious looking Kahlan and Lily. As soon as they reached the bottom, Kahlan and Lily swooped down on Aliena, pushing Remus out of the way and pulled her in to a tight embrace.
"What happened, Ali? What did he say to you?" They had seen the sad expression on her face and worried.
"Nothing. It's alright." she told them trying to pass it off as nothing, but her friends knew her too well. They asked her again, but Aliena was reluctant to say more. James, overseeing this interrogation, looked over to Remus with a perplexed look. Remus glance over to Aliena, but she didn't meet his gaze. He sighed and told what happened, "He called her a Mudblood." The group gasped looking at Aliena, but she just hung her head avoiding everyone's eyes.
James, however, was livid with anger. Aliena was friend and a teammate and no one insulted his friends, not without punishment. He rounded on Snape who was still under the jinx. James took his wand out of his hand, threw it on the ground, then proceeded to position his own on Snape's throat.
"Have you got something to say, Snivellus?" James said in a cold voice that caught everyone's attention; they all turned to watch the two.
"I've got nothing to say to you." said Snape. James's face only grew darker.
"Not to me, to Hughs." He pressed his wand harder against Snape's throat. "Apologize."
Severus looked directly at Aliena, who kept her eyes focused on James. "I'm saying anything to that Mu..." Snape's words were cut off as James waved his wand and sent him, once again, spiraling through the air. As soon as he landed, James was standing over him again, this time his wand pointing at Severus's heart. Both faces were twisted into looks of pure loathing. Knowing this would only end in trouble, Aliena quickly ran over to where they were and put a hand on James's arm, lowering it.
"Let's just go." she said simply. James looked at her as if she was crazy.
"But Ali, this sorry excuse for a human, called you a...a... well you know. And I'm not going to let him get away with that!" His face was boiling with rage and Aliena knew she had to get him away from Snape before he seriously injured him. As much as she hated the bastard, she didn't want him dead.
"I don't need you to fight my battles, James." she stated and pulled him forcefully away. The others followed.
They made their way back to the castle, not really in the sprit to stay any longer. James, still heated, led the way not staying a word to anyone. Sirius and Peter followed, leaving Kahlan, Lily and Aliena in their own group, Remus pulled up the rear.
"I am so sorry, Ali." Kahlan apologized for hundredth time. "If me and Lily hadn't..."
"It was your idea," pointed out Lily, "Don't drag me into this." Kahlan rolled her eyes.
"If we hadn't left you and Remus alone this never would have happened..." Aliena waved her friend off.
"You think I would let something Snivellus say get to me?" she said, "He's a slime ball. I don't care what he said." She smiled at her friends as if everything was fine, to emphasize her point. Kahlan finally laid off, and they walked the rest of the way to Hogswart in peace. But if only Aliena could believe the words she said. In truth, what Snape had said did hurt her. His words stung like a firecrab's bite and were still stinging.
She knew her friends cared and were just trying to help, but she didn't want them making a fuss over her. Besides the pain was starting to subside anyways, though she knew the pain of someone out there hating her just because of her parents, would be there forever.
Well I hope you liked that. I think after I finish the story I'll go back and revise everything. Don't know yet. Please review and tell your friends about this story. The next chapter will be coming soon. It'll be a nice Remus & Aliena, very touching. There won't be a romance between them, (at least not in this story) they are just friends. Good friends.
A/N: I would first like to thank my first reviewer, Sevilodorf, thank you so so very much.
This chapter is when Aliena and her friends go to Hogsmeade and well... you'll just have to read to find out. I have like the next four chapters planned out in my head, just need to write them. Don't know how long that's gonna take. I'm also writing some other stories (see my profile) but they aren't posted yet. Maybe in the future. This will be one of my main focus though. Anyway, read and enjoy.
Hogsmeade
Winter settled in and despite the coldness, the students of Hogwarts were bursting with energy. Today was the first Hogmeade trip. The young witches and wizards all gathered in front of the school shuffling around in the ankle deep snow. Their pockets bulged money ready to be spent on Christmas gift for friends and family, and a little something for themselves. The third years, this being their first trip, were all eagerly discussing what they would do once they got there. They talked to some of the older students and asked for ideas on were to go and what to do. Visiting the Shrieking Shack was on of the top suggestions. The younger students shuddered at this; they had heard the haunting stories told about that place. Nevertheless, they were keen to go and check out this well known ghost story, to see if it was true.
Filch, in his usual grumpy mood, stood in front of the students, checking for permission slips to make sure there was no one there who shouldn't be. Finally when he finished, he led the group on the path to Hogsmeade.
"You think they could pick a warmer day?" said Kahlan. She hugged her body, shivering in spite of the many thick layers she was wearing. Already, the tip of her nose was beginning to turn red.
"It's the middle of winter Kah." Aliena pointed out. "Besides, you're dressed like an Eskimo. How can you be cold?" Kahlan gave her a sarcastic smile and pulled her coat tighter around her body.
"I could have put that Heating Charm on your clothes like I did for Ali and me, but noooo," said Lily. "You didn't want the Charm. Well, now you have to suffer." Before they had left, Lily had the idea of casting a Charm on their outfits so their clothes would generate heat to keep them warm in winter's chill. Aliena had excitedly agreed, but Kahlan wanted to ruff it out saying it wasn't that cold.
Kahlan replied by throwing a handful of snow into Lily's face. The white flakes quickly melting on her warm skin. Lily quickly wiped them off with the back of her glove, but not before their coldness bit her face. Her face turned red, but the cold wasn't the cause of it. Not wanting to get involved in Lily's upcoming anger, Aliena quickly fell a few steps behind her friends.
The snow started to come down in soft flurries. Aliena lifted her head towards the sky to let the flakes settle on her face and smiled. The snowfall made it seem so peaceful, except for the bickering voices of her friends.
"Ali!"
Aliena turned around at the sound of her name and saw Remus Lupin slugging through the snow towards her. His hair was flecked in white from the snow and his grinning cheeks were red.
"Oh, hey Remus." She responded happily. He came up and began to walk beside her. "I thought that you..."
"Would be with Sirius and James." He finished for her. She nodded curiously. "Well they'll be in that new Zonko's shop the whole time. And I don't really want to go there."
Aliena slapped her forehead, chuckling. "That'll be great. An entire prank store at the fingertips of the Terrible Two." She groaned at the thought; Remus laughed.
"Yeah the next few months are going to be interesting."
The students reached Hogmeade and immediately split up into their cliques and go off into different parts of the village. James and Sirius could be seen dragging Peter towards Zonko's and disappearing inside the stores many shelves. Aliena, Kahlan, Lily and Remus made their way to Honeydukes along with some other students.
The sweet shop was filled with a myriad of candy of many different colors and varieties. Its shelves stocked to the max with containers of every sweet you could ever dream of and even some you couldn't. They pushed through the crowd of students and gathered their favorites of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Jelly Beans, an entire case of Chocolate Frogs, and Ice Mice as quickly as they could. A corner of the store was dedicated to the new Flavorite Lollipops, (Just say a flavor and you will soon be enjoying it.) And they grabbed a handful of those before they were all taken. They made their way to the checkout counter and paid a total of seventeen Sickles for their purchases, and left the store before they were trampled.
"I think a Butterbeer is in order." suggested a shivering Kahlan. The rest of the group agreed and made their way over to Three Broomsticks. Once inside, Kahlan let out a sigh of relief, glad for the warmth and hurriedly took a table near the fire. Lily followed, her earlier period of irritation forgotten.
"I'll get the drinks." said Remus. Aliena reached inside her coat, bringing out her purse to help pay for the drinks, but Remus stopped her. "It's on me." She smiled her appreciation and went to join Kahlan and Lily. She came to the table to find Kahlan cheerfully humming a familiar tune.
"What are you doing?" asked Aliena with a small laugh.
"Nothing," replied Kahlan with an air of misleading innocence. Aliena raised an eyebrow at her. Kahlan was definitely up to something. As if to answer her unasked question, Kahlan began to sing in a soft voice so only Aliena and Lily could hear. "Ali and Remus sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."
"Shut up Kahlan." Aliena hissed. She cast a glance at Remus to see if he overheard, but he was still waiting to buy the drinks out of earshot.
"Oh come on Ali. You know you like him." Kahlan said in a playful tone.
Aliena whirred back to look at Kahlan with an accusing stare. "Yeah, as a friend."
Kahlan began to twirl a strand of hair around her finger, looking from Remus to Aliena with a mischievous smile. "You're always hanging out with each other and talking with each other and studying with each other. If that's what you call it." Aliena just stared wide-eyed at Kahlan, then looked at Lily for help.
"Well, you are with him a lot." Said Lily slowly "And I can see how Kah, and others get the assumption that you're together."
"Lil!" said Aliena, shocked. "You're supposed to be on my side." A thought hit her. "And what 'others'." Lily just shrugged and avoided her friend's glower. "I probably don't want to know anyways." She sat in the chair next to Lily.
"Actually you might. It's quite..." started Kahlan but stopped at a lethal look from Aliena.
"Now you better listen, you two." Aliena said in a low whisper. Her friends had to lean forward to hear her. "Remus is smart and really nice. We do our homework together and talk and hang out sometimes, but that doesn't mean I fancy him."
"What are you talking about?"
Aliena look up startled and saw Remus standing there with the drinks. She quickly sat back and pretended to be interested in a sign that hung across the room, to avoid looking at Remus.
"Nothing." She said quickly, casting her friends a warning look. Remus shrugged and sat down in a chair beside her and passed out the drinks. Kahlan took hers greedily.
"Nothing like a nice Butterbeer to warm you up." She cheered before taking a long swig then set the bottle down on the table with a thunk.
"Where should we go next?" asked Lily. Though the fifth years had been everywhere in Hogsmeade at least a dozen times, they never grew tired of it.
"I know!" said Kahlan "It's a quiet place, secluded, very beautiful and romantic..." She said all this looking at Aliena and Remus, who were walking next to each other.
"Just lead the way." Aliena said in an irritated voice. Remus looked at her slightly confused, but she ignored him. Kahlan turned and went through the alleyway between two shops. She led the group down the all too familiar path.
"We're going to the Shrieking Shack?" asked Remus in a somewhat nervous voice. "Come on we've been there loads of times. Why don't we check out Zonko's or something?"
"Scared, Lupin?" taunted Kahlan over her shoulder as she walked further down the path.
"No." defended Remus, but Kahlan didn't miss the quiver in her voice and chuckled; neither did Aliena. She looked at him slightly worried, he had never been nervous like this before.
"Maybe we could go somewhere else." suggested Aliena. She was his friend and didn't want him to be uncomfortable.
Kahlan turned around and began to walk backwards looking at the two mischievously. "Trust me you'll enjoy this."
They came down to the overlook of the Shrieking Shack. It was a run down building with boarded up entrance and windows and in bad need of a paint job. Just the look of it sent a chill down your spine. They were the only ones there now, all of the third years were gone; probably too scared to stay long, but the legends of the Shack were enough to scare anyone.
Aliena keep a close eye on Remus. He seemed to become more uncomfortable as they came closer; he kept shifting if feet and running a nervous hand through his sandy hair. He was very quiet and hadn't said a word in while. Aliena was worried, maybe he really was scared, but Kahlan was relentless and wouldn't turn back.
They all gathered at the rail that overlooked the Shrieking Shack. Remus stood away from them and stared intently at it, a strange look coming over his face. Aliena stood with her friends who kept whispering to each other and laughing. Aliena paid no attention to them, she was too busy watching Remus, concerned about the way he was behaving. She left Kahlan and Lily with out a word and walked over to Remus.
"The stories most likely aren't true." said Aliena as she came and stood next to him. He was leaning on a rail staring unblinking at the dilapidated shack. "There probably aren't even ghosts in there." She did believe the stories about the violent ghosts that lived there, Dumbledore even said it was true; but she was just trying to cheer up Remus.
He broke his gaze from the house and looked at her intrigued. "What else could be in there?"
She shrugged. "Butterflies, maybe?" Saying the first thing that came to her mind that she thought might cheer him up.
"Butterflies?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow, he stopped fidgeting and seemed to be relaxing a bit more so Aliena continued.
"It makes perfect sense if you think about it." she said jokingly. "Butterflies don't have hands so they can't exactly fix up the house, that's why it's all in shambles and they can't call someone to do it because they don't have voices." It was a stupid thing, she knew and she didn't exactly know why she said it, but to her pleasure Remus began to laugh, all signs of discomfort forgotten. His body shook with the compulsions of mirth till tears of laughter began to form in eyes. Glad to see her friend cheered up, she began to laugh too.
When they quieted down into gentle chuckles, they realized that it was quiet, too quiet. Kahlan voice, which is loud and can be heard easily, was absent. Aliena turned around only to be met with an empty field. She looked down on the snow covered ground hoping to see if their tracks could be seen, but it was all messed up in a muddy mess and she couldn't see any footprints branching off. Remus turned around also and looked around.
"Where did they go?" he asked. She just shrugged her shoulders, then Kahlan's words entered her head. 'It's a quiet place, secluded, very beautiful and romantic... Trust me you'll enjoy this.' Kahlan was trying to set them up. Leaving them alone in a deserted place... That's something she would do. Her and Lily were probably hiding behind some trees watching them at this very moment.
"Ha, Ha." She called out "Very funny, come on out now." She waited for a few moments, but didn't hear any response. "I know you're out there." The leaves of a nearby bush started to rustle; Aliena walked over to it ready to give a good tongue lashing to her friends. A figure came out from behind, but it wasn't Kahlan or Lily; Aliena stopped short in her tracks. Dark, cold eyes shone beneath limply hanging hair and even his layers of clothing weren't enough to add to his scrawny form. Remus, sensing trouble, quickly crossed over to stand next to Aliena.
"I'm sorry if I uh, interrupted anything." He said in a greasy voice a smile tugging at his lips. Aliena narrowed her eyes. She felt Remus stir beside her as he grasped his wand inside his robe, she did likewise with hers.
"What do you want Severus?" she asked trying to keep her tone neutral. She had never really talked to Snape before, and rather thankful for that, but now that she was face to face with him she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She heard the rumors about him and knew this encounter could get nasty. Her first thought was to get out of there as soon as possible, but he was blocking the path back and she knew he wouldn't let her pass without problems.
"I was just coming down here to see this," he looked over their shoulders. "Very interesting house. They say it's haunted by ghosts." He smiled wickedly at Remus, whose face turned red with anger. He glared hard back a Snape and took a small step forward in front of Aliena as if trying to shield her. He could tell this wasn't going to be pleasant.
Severus started to walk towards them and stopped only a few feet away. He took out his wand and began to twirl it between his fingers. Remus drew his wand out too, he wasn't the one who usually attacked Snape, that was James and Sirius, but he would if it came to that.
Severus eyed the wand with amusement. "Are you going to duel me, perfect prefect. Isn't that against the rules? Or don't you care about breaking rules anymore." Remus gritted his teeth, muttering something inaudible under his breath. Snape continued to smile with a malicious grin.
Aliena looked from Severus to Remus aware they were taking up some past conflict, though she didn't know what it was. All she knew was that she and Remus had to get out of there before something bad happened.
"Go kiss a Flobberworm, Snivellus." She said, mimicking the name she heard James call him. She grabbed Remus by the arm and started to pull him to the path, they went unhindered by Severus.
"Didn't your muggle parents ever teach you to respect your superiors, Hugh?" he said smugly as they past him. Aliena stopped and turned sharply to face him, almost causing Remus fall, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, not bothering to keep the anger from her voice. Remus tried to pull her up the path, but she shook him off her eyes glued to Snape. He just stood there contently still twirling his wand.
"Easy," he said in manner one would use in normal conversation. "Purebloods, like me, are higher in social status then Mudbloods," he looked at her with disgust, "Like you." Aliena froze, her face blanching, and felt Remus stiffen beside her, neither of them spoke. Snape casually walked over to her, pleased with their reactions and stopped just inches from her. Her eyes were filled with the hurt of the insult and she was trying to hold back the tears. Determined not to let Snape see her weakness, she looked him straight in the eye trying her hardest not to quiver. From the corner of her eye she could see Remus clenching his fists. He wanted to intervene, but was worried Snape might hurt Aliena if he did; so, against his will, he stood there. Severus knew now that he was in control of the situation and was taking full advantage of it.
"You don't belong here, Mudblood." he said in a low voice. "This is a school for real Wizards and Witches, not Muggles who want to be Witches." Aliena closed her eyes and tried to blink away the tears that were forming. She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter what Snape said, that he was nothing but a greasy slime ball, but she couldn't wipe away to words or the hurt she felt. Snape took a step back with a smug smile, enjoying her grief that he caused. Aliena saw her opportunity and without a second thought she pulled out her wand.
"Rictusempra!" she said in a breaking voice. Snape was blown off his feet and flew back several meters, landing on his back. He stood up brushing the snow from his clothes and hair and looked at Aliena with pure hatred. Remus quickly stood in front of her, protecting her should Severus think to retaliate. Snape picked up his wand.
"You'll pay for that one, you filthy little Mudblood." he spat out and pointed his wand at her.
"Impedimenta!"
But the voice wasn't Snape's. He stood as if frozen still pointing his wand at her. She could see him struggling to move, but he couldn't.
"Not bothering you is he, mate?" James came down the hill behind Snape with his wand out; apparently he was the one who had jinxed him. Behind James were Sirius, Peter and a very anxious looking Kahlan and Lily. As soon as they reached the bottom, Kahlan and Lily swooped down on Aliena, pushing Remus out of the way and pulled her in to a tight embrace.
"What happened, Ali? What did he say to you?" They had seen the sad expression on her face and worried.
"Nothing. It's alright." she told them trying to pass it off as nothing, but her friends knew her too well. They asked her again, but Aliena was reluctant to say more. James, overseeing this interrogation, looked over to Remus with a perplexed look. Remus glance over to Aliena, but she didn't meet his gaze. He sighed and told what happened, "He called her a Mudblood." The group gasped looking at Aliena, but she just hung her head avoiding everyone's eyes.
James, however, was livid with anger. Aliena was friend and a teammate and no one insulted his friends, not without punishment. He rounded on Snape who was still under the jinx. James took his wand out of his hand, threw it on the ground, then proceeded to position his own on Snape's throat.
"Have you got something to say, Snivellus?" James said in a cold voice that caught everyone's attention; they all turned to watch the two.
"I've got nothing to say to you." said Snape. James's face only grew darker.
"Not to me, to Hughs." He pressed his wand harder against Snape's throat. "Apologize."
Severus looked directly at Aliena, who kept her eyes focused on James. "I'm saying anything to that Mu..." Snape's words were cut off as James waved his wand and sent him, once again, spiraling through the air. As soon as he landed, James was standing over him again, this time his wand pointing at Severus's heart. Both faces were twisted into looks of pure loathing. Knowing this would only end in trouble, Aliena quickly ran over to where they were and put a hand on James's arm, lowering it.
"Let's just go." she said simply. James looked at her as if she was crazy.
"But Ali, this sorry excuse for a human, called you a...a... well you know. And I'm not going to let him get away with that!" His face was boiling with rage and Aliena knew she had to get him away from Snape before he seriously injured him. As much as she hated the bastard, she didn't want him dead.
"I don't need you to fight my battles, James." she stated and pulled him forcefully away. The others followed.
They made their way back to the castle, not really in the sprit to stay any longer. James, still heated, led the way not staying a word to anyone. Sirius and Peter followed, leaving Kahlan, Lily and Aliena in their own group, Remus pulled up the rear.
"I am so sorry, Ali." Kahlan apologized for hundredth time. "If me and Lily hadn't..."
"It was your idea," pointed out Lily, "Don't drag me into this." Kahlan rolled her eyes.
"If we hadn't left you and Remus alone this never would have happened..." Aliena waved her friend off.
"You think I would let something Snivellus say get to me?" she said, "He's a slime ball. I don't care what he said." She smiled at her friends as if everything was fine, to emphasize her point. Kahlan finally laid off, and they walked the rest of the way to Hogswart in peace. But if only Aliena could believe the words she said. In truth, what Snape had said did hurt her. His words stung like a firecrab's bite and were still stinging.
She knew her friends cared and were just trying to help, but she didn't want them making a fuss over her. Besides the pain was starting to subside anyways, though she knew the pain of someone out there hating her just because of her parents, would be there forever.
Well I hope you liked that. I think after I finish the story I'll go back and revise everything. Don't know yet. Please review and tell your friends about this story. The next chapter will be coming soon. It'll be a nice Remus & Aliena, very touching. There won't be a romance between them, (at least not in this story) they are just friends. Good friends.