Reaping What We Sew
By: Oy! Angelina
Severus was wordless as he sat before Professor Heilsing, head of Slytherin and Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. For her part, the grayed teacher sat with her piercing eyes on him as though she anticipated some interesting change. Evidently bored with his lack of volunteering anything, Heilsing addressed her Prefect.
"Can you guess why I called you in here?" she asked.
"I could but that would be rather incriminating in the long run," Severus replied.
Heilsing's mouth twitched into either a smile or a sneer before shifting back into a firm line. It was hard to tell from Severus's vantage point.
"It was brought to my attention that you might have taken certain liberties with your position as a Prefect," the Professor cut to the chase. "Specifically Nott's 'accident' from January back."
Severus knew bloody well who brought this to Professor Heilsing's attention and also could guess that there was probably little to hide on the subject at this point. Still, he refused to divulge anything without Heilsing revealing it first.
"It was indicated that your cousin, Winifred Wilkes, may have had some involvement with it and you helped sweep it under the rug," Heilsing finished.
"You have been misinformed," Severus stated.
Heilsing's eyebrows raised like silver arches.
"Have I?" she questioned.
"Winifred didn't so much as point a wand at Nott that day. She had nothing to do with his unfortunate tumble," Severus replied.
"But someone did," Heilsing decided.
"It's possible but that would be giving Nott the credit of possessing the required faculties to walk and think at the same time ," Severus half-agreed with a blank expression. "Nott is wildly unpopular when he doesn't choose to be so irredeemably pathetic it's not worth the hex. I suppose I could really go either way on this."
Professor Heilsing was back at eyeing Severus in a most intrusive manner. Severus was uncertain of what she expected he would offer her through the course of this inquisition but he was determined that she'd be entirely disappointed.
"So why did you tell Nott to say he fell if you weren't protecting Wilkes? I can't believe you'd go to all this risk and trouble just to make Nott a liar. You had some motivation," Heilsing pressed.
Severus said nothing.
Heilsing used the silence as an opportunity to smile with a sincere and great amusement.
Severus couldn't suppress a scowl. He doubted Heilsing thought a Prefect abusing his badge was truly humorous which left him to assume that she was just mocking him.
"Why do you find this situation in any way entertaining, Professor?" he asked curiously.
"Because it is," Professor Heilsing said simply. "Because your entire reasoning behind all this is truly amusing."
Severus's black eyes honed upon Heilsing.
"Then please enlighten me so I can share in the miff," he urged with an undercurrent of sarcasm.
"You were protecting someone," Heilsing said decisively. "You were protecting Potter."
If it was possible, Severus's eyes narrowed more.
"Pardon?"
"You knew Nott would say it was Potter. That he'd pin it all on the boyfriend of the girl he roughed up. After all, Potter would be a likely suspect. Of course that probably didn't sit right with you," Heilsing explained. "You're shrewd and unforgiving, Severus, but you're at the least sporting."
The Head of Slytherin smiled at Severus with a look that almost resembled pride. For a second it was almost half expected by Severus for her to offer a measure of applause. The entire air in the room would have been utterly twisted if it wasn't just so Slytherin.
Severus couldn't bring himself to share in Heilsing's satisfaction.
"Shouldn't you be asking me to turn over my badge?" he said finally.
He was bored with this scenario and wanted it to end by any means rather than having to endure it a moment longer.
Heilsing gave an open snort to this.
"And who would I give it to, Severus?" she said in a tone that suggested he had just said something entirely ridiculous. "Copia, Undercross, Nott, and Avery are a collection of spoiled brats that will marry into wealth and receive cushy positions of prestige thanks to nepotism. They don't deserve the position and I'm not inclined to just hand it to them. Tudor, Macnair, and Lestrange are sadists on a remarkable level and I'd find it to be a small wonder if they didn't end up in Azkaban. The only other option I'd consider would be Wilkes but I'm certain she'd either do nothing with it or just wait on your advice. And I don't need a follower as my Prefect."
"You know, the other Heads of the Houses actually bother to attempt liking their pupils and guiding their development," Severus said bitterly.
"And if you heard the other Heads of the Houses gave you all vanilla ice cream and kisses on the forehead before bed would you be whining about those as well?" Professor Heilsing snapped irritably, "Wake up, Severus! You are surrounded at all sides by varying degrees of degenerates and sociopaths. I cannot afford to be lenient with you or your peers because you mutually reinforce all the rotten tendencies a Slytherin could ever have the misfortune to obtain in their efforts to refine ambition and cunning."
Severus was taken slightly aback by such candid observations from an instructor.
"Frankly the lot of you are spoiled, rich kids who are far too accustom to always having things go their way that you never stop to wonder if you'll end up chocking on your silver spoons," Heilsing shook her head in utter disgust.
Severus felt something seeth beneath the surface of his flesh.
"You expect me to apologize for being born into a privileged life and monopolizing off the perks of it?" he asked through his teeth. "If so, perhaps we should call Potter in here since his family is far more affluently than my own."
"His family is also dead," Heilsing spat as though the words could slap Severus in the face.
Releasing a loud breath through her nose, Heilsing rechecked her composure as she looked at Severus less like a student and more like and adult.
"In all honesty, I do wish I could do more to change things in this House but I'm working with a major handicap," Heilsing stated in a wooden voice. "How much fight do you think I can give against dysfunctional families, twisted upbringings, and unconscionable peer groups? I'm one person Severus, the most I can do is encourage the few every Year that show signs of a soul and hope they aren't corrupted too much by the rest of the rotten lot."
"And you think I'm a better person than my contemporaries?" Severus asked with a mixture of skepticism and curiously.
"Yes," Heilsing said without hesitation. "I gave you the position of Prefect because you are in general trustworthy and it would show you that there is more merit and satisfaction in being a social leader than a blind follower or obscure outcast. Wilkes isn't so bad either when she's not spying or tormenting peers. Her work with Herbology suggests there might be something delicate and nurturing about her if given the proper outlet."
She paused before looking into Severus's eyes once again. As though she was warring within over whether or not she should tell him something. Deciding there was little use in attempting to prompt the woman, Severus just waited for her to speak once more.
"Do you know when I knew you would become Prefect for your House, Mr. Snape?" Professor Heilsing spoke as though it were more of a demand than a question.
Severus didn't bother to reply since he didn't believe in answering rhetorical questions.
"It was the final quarter of your 2nd Year. Do you recall what happened then?" Heilsing asked more directly.
Severus pondered briefly before his features stiffened slightly with his reply.
"That was when Potter's parents were killed. Along with what remained of the extended family," Severus replied.
A silence hung in the room like a dark cloud over water: ominous and reflecting everywhere.
There were a myriad of things Severus could name about Potter to be contemptuous of; however, he had always deeply respected Potter for recovering from that. As obnoxious as his personality was, Potter had refused to be broken by his tragedy and, in some way, may have been made better for it as he had to rely upon and impress only himself now.
"When the rest of House spent the remainder of your 2nd and the majority of your 3rd Year jeering at Potter for being an orphan, I never heard you sling such insults at him," Heilsing remembered, "you continued to spar with words, as you had before, but you never brought his family into your trading of insults no matter what. You didn't treat Potter differently. You didn't restrain yourself out of pity nor resort to any low blows. I think Potter appreciated that from you since you were the only one at the time not reminding him of how so much had changed. That period said something about you as much as it did Potter, Severus."
Severus blinked at this. It was too queer to her Heilsing praise him for continuing to berate Potter after the deaths of his parents like it was some amazing service.
If Heilsing was aware of Severus's confusions she offered no indication of such as she continued on with her words.
"I wanted the Prefect of Slytherin to be shrewd, cunning, and ambitious. . .everything our House honors. However I wanted one with integrity most of all." She said firmly. "I could have easily made someone like Tudor or Lestrange a Prefect in your place but then what kind of House would Slytherin have become? You are respected and feared within Slytherin because you deserve it and that has kept many others in line. Also, your sense of justice and personal scruples has probably kept more than one from being allowed to degrade more than necessary to survive in Slytherin. You may not know it, Severus, but you may have saved some souls within your House and saved others outside of it from the monsters your peers had the potentiality of becoming."
Severus drank this in. He had given Heilsing the credit of being indifferent or otherwise oblivious to the condition of her house but the startling reality was she seemed rather up to speed. Severus decided that given the alternative of an astute Professor Heilsing walking in his midst he was far more comfortable when he had his false assumptions.
"May I be excused then?" he said darkly.
"Yes," Heilsing agreed.
Severus rose and made his way to the office doorway. His fingers had only brushed the doorknob when he heard Professor Heilsing call after him.
"One last thing, Mr. Snape," she spoke up. "If I ever hear of you covering up the assault of another student, I'll take my chances on Wilkes and see that you're expelled for it."
Severus sneered as he exited the office with a sharp slam.
Now that was the Heilsing Severus knew.
Still weighed down by content of Heilsing's meeting, Severus returned to his room with a desperate desire to begin shoving these unfavorable past few days from his mind with homework, reading, or whatever else he could conjour to preoccupy himself with. Entering his room, Severus went rigid when he saw his cousin Winifred seated in a chair with an expectant expression.
"What are you doing in here ?" demanded Severus.
"Waiting for you naturally," Winifred replied.
"No, Winifred, how did you bypass the security charms I had upon the door?" Severus's said, eyes narrowed.
Winifred waved her hand dismissively at Severus as her eyes bore into his. There was a definite expression of concern on her face.
"What happened with Heilsing?" Winifred asked persistently, "what did Tudor do?"
"Ironically nothing save for blowing the whistle on me," Severus stated as he crossed the room so he could look more directly at Winifred, "you remember the Nott affair from earlier this year?"
"Don't tell me you got blamed for that!" Winifred exclaimed, "I'll march over to Heilsing this very moment and confess the whole thing."
"You'll do no such thing because I know you're not responsible," Severus said glowering, "the only thing I do not know is why you are so willing to take the credit for this."
Winifred shifted in her chair but gave no indication that she intended to discuss the matter, which left Severus to guess.
"Was it Black?" inquired Severus, "Are you covering for that mangy delinquent?"
Winifred provided a scoffing laugh.
"You're always so quick to accuse Sirius it's hard to know when you're being astute or simply petty," Winifred noted in a bland tone.
Severus stiffened before he took to looming over Winifred.
"'Sirius'?" Severus sneered the word out, "you're on a first name basis with Black now?"
Winifred paused. For a moment something in her expression flickered as though she was aware she had just divulged something better kept unsaid. She recovered admirably quick but there was still a guilt about her.
"I've been working shoulder to shoulder with him for a month now, Severus, I'd say I'm familiar enough with Black at this point to use his given name from time to time," said Winifred coolly.
"How familiar?" Severus pressed venomously as he inched his face closer to her own.
Winifred drew back slightly. Her black eyes widened and wandering as though she were looking for a means to escape the conversation physically. However this soon gave way to a defiant expression as Winifred's own eyes narrowed.
"How familiar are you then with his sister?" Winifred parried.
It was Severus's turn to withdraw bodily.
"What are you suggesting?" Severus hissed in a low voice.
"That your feelings towards Sirius don't quite extend to all the members of his immediate family," Winifred said in a low voice.
"I have no idea where or how these notions fell into your head. . ." Severus started with a hint of menace.
"Oh stop it, Severus," Winifred cut him off, "I'm neither blind nor simple. I saw the two of you at Vernal Equinox being very casual."
"Hardly damning evidence, Winifred," Severus informed.
"Well the stack of letters that bare her return address certainly add a bit of weight to the theory," Winifred darkly replied.
Reflexively he returned to the pile of unopened posts on the edge of his desk before whipping his head back around to burn twin holes into Winifred.
"Forgive me Winifred, but after you broke into my room did I detain you for so long that you required reading material to pass the time?" Severus's voice was very low and very dangerous at the moment.
"I noticed them on your desk, they were hardly locked away in Gringotts, Severus," said Winifred warily.
"I had intended to return them back to sender before I found myself entertaining guests," Severus reported.
Aurora Black had been sending one or two daily to him for the past few days and he had read none of them. He didn't need to hear her explanations for picking up her usual on and off relationship with ever-suave Lucius Malfoy or her apologizes for leading him on and rationalizations for why she had done so. He certainly didn't want to hear her begging him to remain candid of their brief and mild affair or mock him for being so gullible as to fall for her wiles. Severus simply wanted to send the entire lot back to Aurora and hopefully that would give her the message to start scouting locations for her impending nuptials and stop harassing him.
"Why were you going to do that?" Winifred cocked her head to the side, "Is it because of that article in The Prophet ? Sirius just mentioned something about it to me earlier."
Severus gaped at the gall of his cousin, his face contorted in repressed rage. How dare she pry into his personal life completely uninvited then question him over it? Not only that but she was dragging in the very last person he wanted to be involved in the situation at hand.
"Always meddling and lurking, always sticking you nose and wand in where it didn't belong, always underfoot ever since my earliest memories, it's as though you've devoted your existence to annoying my own" Severus growled each word, "at times I think my mother took you in only to manipulate and sabotage my life when it wasn't convenient for her to do so personally."
Winifred grew suddenly still, her eyes fixed upon him. It briefly occurred to Severus that he had possibly said the cruelest thing he could have to his cousin just then but his anger helped to subside such concerns. Still locked in her position, Severus noticed a distinct amount of motion coming from Winifred's form quivering and the tears welling in her eyes. She rose to her feet mechanically before she turned her watery eyes on him.
"You know what Severus, I'd consider dropping a hint to Sirius Black about your little liaisons with his favorite sister but I won't do that to you," said Winifred in a voice liberated of all emotion and inflection.
"Let me guess, because you'd never betray me like that?" asked Severus sarcastically since that's all Winifred had been doing as of late.
Placing Lily Evans in danger with her childishness. Leaving him to clean up her messes when he wasn't being dragged into her games. Freely socializing with Black, of all people, in spite of her knowing well how much he despised the prat. Winifred had been nothing but a thorn in his side and now she had the audacity to be pained when he finally decided to pull her free from him?
Severus studied Winifred, waiting for her response with more cajoling or possibly sobbing if she assumed it would soften him.
He hadn't expected her to start smiling.
"No, Severus, this has nothing to do with my reluctance to at against you," said Winifred ominously, "the only reason I won't be seeking my retribution for your malicious words through Sirius Black is because I'm very much content to let you do it yourself. I think we will all be able to appreciate the irony of you declining my meddling, despising my nosiness, and resenting my being underfoot."
"And what, pray-tell is this grand plot of revenge you have in mind?" Severus demanded condescendingly.
Winifred turned on her heel as she walked towards the door to the dungeon corridor.
"Just a little thing your mother taught me in between her instructions on how best to ruin your life," Winifred chuckled mockingly as she threw Severus a smile like a knife.
"Why go for the kill when you can go for the pain?"
Severus watched Winifred slam the door on her way out still wondering what she had meant. Dismissing it as Winifred's usual banter meant to disorient her target, Severus couldn't ignore a hot feeling in his gut.
Perhaps it was guilt for being so harsh with Winifred since she was, more often than not, the only person he could truly depend upon.
Or, perhaps, it was because he was somehow about to be on the receiving end of Winifred's cold-blooded and self-righteous vengeance.
Severus grabbed the letters from Aurora and departed for Owlry.
Several days after the article about Aurora Black and Lucius Malfoy ran in the Daily Prophet, Acontiae and Celestine Black strolled into the Ministry of Magic wearing the smuggest grins this side of the junior ministers.Marching purposefully onto the office Malfoy worked out of, the young witches brushed passed the secretary and barged clear in on Lucius's read-through of some documents.
"Well if it isn't our soon to be Brother-in-Law!" Celestine said very chipper.
"Celestine…Acontiae…very much an unannounced pleasure," Lucius greeted as he rose in the young ladies' presence. "Please do make yourselves comfortable. My work can always wait for Aurora's sisters."
"You know, Lucius, this is why I've always been so partial to you over everyone else Aurora has seen. You've always been very nice and proper to us," Acontiae stated frankly.
Lucius smiled upon the youngest Black sister.
"That is very gracious and encouraging of you my dear, Acontiae. . ." started Lucius.
"I wasn't finished," Acontiae informed with a prickly tone she usual deposited upon her brother Sirius. The navy eyes that matched Aurora's and their Father's trained on Lucius. "I was going to say you had my full support in courting my sister until this nonsense in the Daily Prophet. Now you've left me in a most cross mood because I have to actually admit that Sirius was right on the galleon about something."
The girls had worked out their Good sister/Bad sister angles in advance so there wouldn't be much confusion upon arrival.
"And what would this be?" Lucius taunted the question with a raised eyebrow.
"That you're a manipulative little ferret who's nothing more flattering than a snake in the grass waiting to coil about my sister and slighter into this family," Acontiae informed with a sneer, "I'm only disappointed that it's taken me this long to realize just how often you shed your skin to keep the whole of us fooled."
"That's a bit harsh, Acontiae," Celestine scolded with a frown, "you could just as simple said that we're not inclined to trust Lucius any longer."
"I believe that you are under a greatly false impression, my dear ladies," Lucius drawled , "perhaps Aurora, being the sensitive creature she is, has made this harmlessly exaggerated article out to be something far more insidious that it in reality is."
Acontiae and Celestine openly laughed at this while staring mercilessly at Lucius and shaking their heads.
"Aurora a sensitive creature?" Acontiae repeated for the comical value.
"Lucius, she's been the most cool-witted of all my siblings my entire life and you'd try to convince us she's likely to be off and running on some absurd tangent?" Celestine spoke in a chiding tone, "Aurora indicated that you were trying to strong arm her into a marriage with that 'harmlessly exaggerated' article and Acontiae and I have this odd tendency to believe our sister at her word."
"Celestine, would you spell it out for Lucius, you've always had a better head for book work than I," Acontiae deflected to her sister.
"Our parents have indicated that their financial assets will be distributed to their children upon death or retirement as follows," Celestine reported while reading off the parchment, "to the eldest child, or Aurora, all stocks and documents attesting invested ownership of various industries will be transferred into his or her name with full power to do with as they would."
"Or, Aurora will eventually own a part of nearly anything the Malfoy family has put money into or everything they'd love to get their hands on. . . seeing as our money and blood is as old as yours," Acontiae summarized.
"To the second born, or myself, will receive control of all property owned and maintained by the Black family as he or she desires to caretake," Celestine continued on, "specifically this include our ancestral home as well as a few other houses we keep up around Britain."
"Well I'm certain I won't be able to recall all the land my family has claim on but I know for certain the German forests known for the best habitat for owls and Scottish moors I believe the Malfoys are interested in developing upon," Acontiae listed thoughtfully.
"To the third child produced, or Acontiae, ownership and stock of any publicly affiliated organization or charitable association will be given to him or her along with the appropriate financing to maintain these outlined public works," Celestine pressed along.
"That would make me very much entrenched in the public spotlight with sway over Quidditch leagues, The Daily Prophet, various charities, and every last socialite organization a Malfoy could ever want to be a part of," Acontiae informed with a broad smile.
"Finally to be divided between all proceeding offspring, which would just be Sirius in this case and probably giving him one of the better deals of all of us, all material items of wealth, artifacts, antiquities, and financial holdings in the vaults of Gringotts and its subsidiary banks will be transferred into their names evenly and justly," Celestine finished the will, "but as I said, in a few years my parents will just give that all to Sirius."
"Meaning Sirius gets the lump sum of our family assets to do with as he wishes," Acontiae clarified a final time, "and I imagine he'll find a great many ways to make all that money annoy you being the creative, obnoxious prat he my brother notoriously is."
"Nothing worse than a young man who can literally purchase comeuppance," Celestine noted in a disdainful tone.
Once he was certain the young women were done establishing their elaborately stressed threat, Lucius merely stared between the girls.
"And I suppose you both are informing me of just how many cards you hold against me?" Lucius drawled, not showing himself to be particularly impressed but thoroughly angered.
"No, because the simple fact is we don't individually hold any cards," Celestine shook her head.
"Quite right," Acontiae chimed in as she began to list off on her fingers for everyone's benefit.
"You see Aurora owns all the businesses so our family can't make any future money without her cooperation while Celestine owns everything so we need her not only for property to invest in or uses for resources but for a place to live altogether. I'm the only one who can keep our family name decent in the public eye and put it to philanthropist use and Sirius has power over any existing money the three of us will need to do just about anything."
Celestine nodded to her younger sister as Acontiae wrapped an arm around her sister's.
"The thing is Lucius, us Black siblings know how to share and play nice with one another," Celestine simply summed up, "and we also know how to work together to make sure no one bullies any one of us."
"We just thought you might be interested to know," Acontiae shrugged.
"Well thank you for your time, ladies, as well your illustration of future events," Lucius said stiffly as he held open the door for the Black sisters, "please give your elder sister and younger brother my most heartfelt regards."
"We'll do no such thing," Acontiae replied promptly as she and Celestine stepped through the door.
"Have a good afternoon, Lucius," Celestine wished in a chipper voice as the door slammed behind her and Acontiae.
The Black sisters continued through the Ministry halls suppressing fits of laughter.
"Why do these Slytherin types always think they're the only ones who know how to extort and threaten?" Acontiae chuckled while shaking her blonde head.
"Because they assume us Hufflepuffs are nothing more than good-natured push-overs," Celestine reminded with an amused sigh.
"Bollocks to that," Acontiae dismissed, "we're hard-workers who know how to act as a well-organized team!"
The sisters shared a proud smile between them.
"You know Sirius is going to be cross with us for not letting him get in on sticking it to Malfoy," Celestine pointed out.
"Well, Sirius has been the only one really sticking up for Aurora while you merely frowned about it and I ignored it altogether," Acontiae said in disappointment.
"Still, he would have loved this," Celestine mentioned.
"Of course, but Sirius is still the baby in this family which leaves it to us to make sure things get done properly," Acontiae smiled.
The two girls started to laugh again as they approached the elevators of the Ministry. When the cage doors swung open, the Black sisters moved to the side to allow a pair of witches and wizards to step off first. As the prior occupants of the lift entered the corridor, the wizard stopped and eyed Acontiae directly.
"Acontiae Black?" he asked curiously while stopping. The rest of his company lingered as well.
Acontiae paused as she squinted at the wizard, trying to recognize him.
"David Bones?" Acontiae questioned with equal curiosity.
"Yeah!" David smiled.
Acontiae hadn't seen David since they left Hogwarts nearly two years ago. Last she had heard he was training to become an Auror. Before then, the two had spent their seven years at Hogwarts together. David and Acontiae knew each other well-enough since they were in the same House and Year and were chummy enough. Of course David was a bit more light-hearted than Acontiae and that made it hard for the pair to get along famously.
In some ways, David Bones was still the boy with strawberry blonde hair and a dizzy grin that Acontiae had spent her formative years with and in others Acontiae wasn't the least bit surprised she hadn't recognized him immediately.
"So you're really with Magical Law Enforcement now?" Acontiae smiled at David.
"Well I will be once I finish up my training as an Auror, one more year to go. Let me introduce you to my aunt, Amelia and my mum and dad. All with the department too," David nodded as he gestured to his family before pointing to the Blacks, "this is Celestine and Acontiae Black. Both were in Hufflepuff with me and Acontiae and I shared our Year."
The other members of the Bones family smiled and offered pleasantries to the Black sisters. After this round of exchanges, the elder members of the Bones family glanced to an enchanted clock upon the wall that was informing them they were dangerously close to being late.
"David, we have to go on to the department meeting," Edgar Bones told his son, "we'll probably see you later for supper."
"Alright then dad," David nodded as he waved his family off. Grinning he turned back to Acontiae, "so do you have some time freed up? I don't have to be anywhere until around three so we could spend a few hours catching up."
David glanced quickly to Celestine.
"Oh, that invitation's for you as well, Celestine."
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. Something pressing has just come to my attention," Celestine said apologetically.
"What's that?" Acontiae asked.
"That you suddenly have a lunch date that I'll be eager to hear about later at home," Celestine grinned a little too much like Sirius as she hoped onto the lift and made her way up toward the lobby. Acontiae gaped at the space that used to occupy her sister.
"Nice to know my family has humor as black as our name," Acontiae snorted as she turned to find David grinning.
"I don't know seemed to work out well for me," David chuckled. He stopped to swallow hard. "So help me out here, Acontiae. Did you suddenly become a right looker or was I always hopelessly thick?"
Acontiae giggled awkwardly.
"My coins are on the hopeless bit," Acontiae decided.
By now, everyone in Gryffindor's 6th Year had heard about McGonagall's charm that bared James's entry of the room. Like Sirius, Cassidy and Gwen had found it comical to some effect while Millicent was good enough to restrain any comments one way or another. During their first Transfigurations class since this development, James spent the entire lesson scowling slightly at Professor McGonagall as he scribed out her lecture notes on Apperating. Lily tried her best not to look entirely amused by her boyfriend's ill mood but not too much success.
Finished with their theory lecture on Apperating and Dissipating, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws all filed out of the classroom looking more than eager to enjoy the rest of their afternoon free of classes and dread eventually having to do their homework. James kissed Lily on the cheek and hurried off ahead of her and the rest of their House. Cassidy raised an eyebrow but shook her head at the usual odd behavior of James as she gathered her things. She was one of the last to leave the classroom.
"Hi Cassidy," Bronwyn smiled as she approached the Gryffindor girl.
"Oh, hey Weaver," greeted Cassidy, "yeh just missed Gwen. She ran off teh the girls' room or something."
"Actually I meant to talk to you," said Bronwyn before quickly adding, "if that's alright."
"Uh, okay," Cassidy shrugged as she followed the shorter Ravenclaw off.
The two girls walked on a bit in silence, passing other students without much of a second glance. Passing into a hall where the traffic tapered off, Bronwyn finally halted near a bronze statue of what appeared to be a Griffin. Brushing her shoulder length chestnut hair out of her face, Bronwyn kept her mint hued eyes anywhere but on Cassidy.
"What's gnawing at yeh, Weaver?" Cassidy prompted, hoping that would encourage her to speak.
Sighing, Bronwyn stole a glance at Cassidy.
"I suppose I just have a guilty conscience lately," Bronwyn confessed as she played with her bronze and blue striped tie.
"About what?" Cassidy said with almost a laugh.
She had a hard time imagining Bronwyn doing or saying anything worth troubling herself over. As far as Cassidy was concerned, Bronwyn ran in the same league as Lily Evans, Millicent Meeks, and other usually polite, considerate, and good-natured girls.
Bronwyn fidgeted a bit more with her tie before she chose to respond.
"After what happened at the match. . . how you almost got so hurt, I've just been warring within myself," Bronwyn mumbled. "It's sort of a hard thing to admit really but I guess I should just come out with it shouldn't I?"
"Probably," Cassidy shrugged, "at least that's always been my thought on this sort of thing."
Bronwyn nodded while chewing her lip.
"You see, I sort of sent you something on Valentines," Bronwyn said quickly before she turned her eyes on Cassidy to survey her reaction.
It could be summed up simply with priceless.
"Those roses, yeh sent them teh me?" asked Cassidy dumbly, "the red and gold ones?"
Bronwyn nodded again, saying nothing. Cassidy leaned against the bronze statue as though she had just been winded. She had long since given up on figuring out who here secret admirer was three months ago and now she was listening to her confess everything.
Her.
"Why?" was all Cassidy could manage.
Bronwyn swallowed, her entire body fidgeted ceaselessly and her eyes kept bouncing to the floor.
"Well, I watched the Quidditch match, the one where you played Hufflepuff, and you were just so impressive that I wanted to do something to let you know that I thought it," Bronwyn stammered along, "the trouble was I'm really a shy person usually and I didn't know how you'd react to a doe-eyed fan since I'd seen how you act with Gwen most of the time so I thought I'd just send something anonymous and if I mixed it in with the Valentine's post then it would be easier for me to slip by unnoticed."
"Oh," Cassidy replied.
So it was just Bronwyn trying to be nice. Cassidy felt as though something inside of her had deflated a little bit.
"See though, there's a bit more to this," Bronwyn rambled on, "I found that I was noticing you a lot more off the pitch then. In our lessons and such. You were so bold and self-assured; I found myself really in awe of your confidence and started admiring you a bit more. I had mostly contented myself to being a casual observer then Sirius Black had his party. . ."
"What happened there?" questioned Cassidy so quietly she practically mouthed the words.
"When I found out that you were staying over I surprised myself when I asked to spend the night as well," Bronwyn said softly, "I thought I was so out of place. More so than Wilkes since some of you seemed to know her even though she was a Slytherin. This will sound odd, I'm aware, but I just wanted to be around. Then after that I started hanging about more with Gwen because she took a liking to me. And since she's your best friend, I associated more with you as well."
Cassidy's mossy tinted eyes burrowed into Bronwyn.
"Bronwyn. . .just what are yeh trying teh say?" Cassidy asked finally.
Bronwyn's cheek rose in a deep blush as her hands were twisting her tie so hard Cassidy thought she'd wring the dye straight out.
"I suppose that I like you. . . and not in the way I originally assumed I had. . .as a friend I mean," Bronwyn's voice cracked out as though her mouth was entirely dry, "and I'd just feel positively horrible if I didn't say that. I don't want any false pretenses between us."
Cassidy felt stunned. It was as though she was reliving something that had happened a year ago during a particularly soggy February. Where she had told James. . .or tried to tell James. . .the same thing Bronwyn was struggling out at the moment. It was odd to be in the other person's shoes. It was almost surreal to not be the one feeling so conflicted and vulnerable by something they were desperately trying not only to understand but make peace with.
Cassidy's heart sank for Bronwyn.
She literally knew how she felt.
"Bronwyn, you need to listen to me about all this. . ." Cassidy urged gently.
Bronwyn drew back sharply with tears threatening her eyes.
"I know that this is all wrong and I'm so very sorry!" Bronwyn broke in with a sob, "I've been trying to deal with it and make it go away on my own but it's always nagging and gnawing like some awful, unwanted thing begging attention! I just can't keep pretending any longer and I owed it to you to try and explain all this! Everything's so off-color and I can't make it right so I thought you should tell you all this before you found out. This way, maybe you won't hate me so much because I'm perfectly willing to walk away if that's what you want."
"Bronwyn, shut yer mouth," Cassidy ordered.
Bronwyn's jaw locked instantly as she stood quivering and wide-eyed before Cassidy. Twin streams were working their way down her cheeks. Cassidy sighed heavily
"What I meant teh say was yeh need teh shut up about there being something wrong with yeh," Cassidy clarified, "yer, just feeling things. . .things that yeh don't see walking around everywhere and they're making yeh confused. It happens teh the best of us. . .specifically me."
Bronwyn's mouth fell slightly open at this.
"So you. . .you think these things too?" Bronwyn said in marvel, "for how long?"
"All my life I suppose," Cassidy shrugged uncertainly, "I guess it was always there and I just took notice of it when yer supposed teh take notice of these kinds of things. It's always a mess when yer sorting it all out 'cause typically it's always on yer own in the end."
"I didn't always think this way," Bronwyn said meekly, "I used to only care about boys before this. . .with you. . .what does that mean?"
"I dunno," Cassidy replied honestly, "I'm not an expert on why I always liked girls the way others only liked boys. And I don't know what to say when people suddenly change their minds about the whole process of it all."
"But I just wonder this mean that I'm. . .I don't know. . .wrong or pretending at something I'm not," Bronwyn questioned urgently.
Cassidy smiled.
"I don't know if this makes things easier or harder on yeh, Bron, but I don't think yer pulling yer own leg," Cassidy assured, "after all, this isn't the usual thing most people find. . .fashionable teh be a part of."
Bronwyn's expression grew even more grave if that was possible.
"I hadn't even thought of what other people would think," Bronwyn admitted in a sick tone.
"It's best teh keep it that way," Cassidy advised still smiling.
"So what do I do about it now?" Bronwyn asked, completely lost.
"Search yer heart a bit more but without beating yerself up. In the end, the two of yeh are stuck with one another so yeh need teh come teh an understanding," Cassidy soothed, "if it's any consolation I'll be willing teh hear yeh out if yeh need teh talk about anything."
Judging by how Bronwyn seemed to sigh with enough relief to cause her body to collapse, Cassidy guessed this did help. Smiling for the first time since she broached this conversation, Bronwyn looked up at Cassidy.
"So what does this make us?" Bronwyn asked hopefully.
"Friends fer now," Cassidy offered, "just because we're the only two girls in the school who like. . .girls, well that doesn't mean we should be quick teh settle on one another."
"But I wouldn't be settling," Bronwyn noted quietly with a blush, "I'd be lucky."
Cassidy laughed awkwardly as she felt her own cheeks grow hot.
"Yeah . . .well . . ." Cassidy sought out any words to work for her.
After a long moment of utter failure, Bronwyn just shrugged.
"Don't worry about it," Bronwyn assured, "I should probably be worrying about crawling before I even attempt to fly, right?"
"Er, right," Cassidy accepted her quick exit from the conversation.
"And I have you to hold my hand though it," Bronwyn said a little more brightly in respects to her situation, "someone who's like me."
Cassidy nodded and began to smile again.
Bronwyn was right. She and Cassidy were kindred spirits in this respect. Everything Bronwyn was presently was what Cassidy had been only a short time ago. Now, a year later, Cassidy still wasn't ready to announce her life to all the world but she didn't feel ashamed about it anymore or agonize of whether or not she would ever be happy like this.
She and Bronwyn were the same.
No.
Bronwyn would have things just a bit easier and Cassidy was glad she could do that for the girl.
"Atropos!" James called after the Ravenclaw girl.
Ophelia Atropos turned around to face James.
Slowing his stride a bit, James suddenly felt worlds awkward about approaching the girl. He knew anything he was about to say would sound rather odd all things considering. After all, how do you properly thank someone for their prêt cognitive abilities preventing a good friend of his from getting hurt?
More so, how do you engage in a follow up when you didn't believe in divining only a week before?
"Look, Atropos, um, I just want to thank you for talking me into trading bracers with Cassidy," James said with his hand in his hair. "I get green over just thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't have listened to you. I guess I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I was so pig headed about the psychic thing before hand."
Atropos put her blue eye on James as he fidgeted a bit with his speech. It was an appraising look, as though she thought there was something more than a casual glance would allow her to see. She turned swinging her blonde hair with her.
"That's not what you really wanted to say to me," she said as though it were an obvious truth.
"What?" James's brow knitted itself. "What was I supposed to say?"
Atropos sighed in a wary way, giving James the impression he was somehow wasting her time. He rolled through the thoughts in his head as though he expected to find some glaring point that agreed with Atropos's assumptions.
"Just ask the question Potter," Atropos said softly. "The one that made you really want to talk to me."
James paused at this. It took a minute but it dawned on him. There was something else that he wanted to ask of Atropos. A thought he tried to push deeply into the back of his mind every time it bothered to surface. He felt a feeling of guilt gnaw out from within. It was shameful that he suddenly felt like he was using Cassidy's near-disastrous accident as a lead in but still. . .
"Did you. . . know what was going to happen to my family?" James's voice was barely audible.
He didn't know if he could bare the answer to the question that had to be asked.
"No," Atropos said simply but sincerely.
"But – " James started.
" – How could I know what was going to happen at a lone Quidditch match but not know something that devastated wizarding Britain and a single boy in particular?" Atropos finished. "Luck of the draw."
"I don't understand," and James truly didn't.
"People get into arguments about whether our fates are our own. If we can seize our destinies or ride helplessly along with them," Atropos explained as best she could. "It's not as cut and dry as all that."
"Then how is it?" James pressed.
"Some things happen in our lives at the end of an entire chain of events. All these specific things had to come together and be intertwined in order for it to follow through to a single, definitive end," Atropos said, "if you remove one single link in this chain then it breaks off before the original end can be formed. I saw a few links in the chain of my housemate and your friend that I could remove and that's why they were spared worst fates than what they ended up with. That's happenstance."
"So why didn't you see any links with my family?" James asked. "Or the families of so many other people? What's different there?"
Ophelia Atropos stared at her feet for a moment. An expression of true sorrow stole her face.
"I suppose it's because there was nothing I could do," Atropos reasoned with herself. "After a lifetime to consider why I see some things over others I've decided that the only rhyme and reason to any of it is I can't see anything that I can't personally correct."
"So you're a very self-involved psychic," James commented before he realized how comical and insulting that sounded all at once. He was about to apologize before he heard the Ravenclaw chuckle.
"I guess I am," Atropos nodded.
"So, you think that anything you can't affect yourself isn't chance?" James questioned.
"Some are but, it's like I said, some things I just can't do a thing about," Atropos sighed. "Of course there are some things that were just meant to happen regardless of how it came about. Someone would have invented the broom or discovered the American continent. These things were certainties. . . inevitabilities. And in the end, James Potter, I don't think your situation is one of hapless happenstance. It had significance that had to be realized."
"So my family was meant to die then?" the words fell off James's tongue bitterly. Not so much at Ophelia Atropos but the sheer idea that some one. . .anyone thought this was absolutely necessary to carry out their grand plot.
"No," Atropos shook her head, "all I can say with certainty is that I wasn't meant to change it and there's always the possibility that no one else was meant to either. I don't know if that gives you peace, Potter, but it shouldn't give you guilt."
An odd, numb feeling enveloped James's entire being. It was then he truly appreciated that he had no idea what he had wanted Atropos's reply to be and if this one was the more merciful of any she could have given.
At least he didn't feel guilt.
Lily split her attention between her notes and a book she had open. She was waiting for James to meet up with her and was curious to know what he and Ophelia Atropos discussed. Chiding herself slightly, Lily considered that it was none of her business what James and the Ravenclaw girl spoke of; however, it was hard to not become a bit jealous when her boyfriend won't stop obsessing over talking with a curvy blonde girl she knew nothing about.
"So, what's a luscious beauty like yourself doing alone in the Library?" A deep and husky voice inquired over Lily's shoulder, "I very much suspect you're just waiting for the proper company."
The suggestive quality of the voice forced Lily's posture to become quite rigid as she tore her eyes from her book.
"I am, in fact, waiting for James Potter who also happens to be – " Lily began coolly as she turned around to find James smirking broadly behind her.
" – A tremendous prat," Lily finished with a roll of her eyes, "honestly James, when you drop your voice like that you sound like some randy Casanova!"
James chuckled while clearing his throat as she sat on the opposite end of the table with his collection of tomes.
"It's fun to do now and again though," James said in his usual pitch, "does anyone even hit on you anymore?"
"No," Lily said dismissively, "pretty much everyone knows I'm going with you and there aren't that many boys in this school who are interested in me and willing to openly defy the grand James Potter."
James settled back into his chair with a smug expression that showed how astonishingly pleased he was to hear that bit of insight. Lily just shook her head and threw her boyfriend a quirky smile.
"Oh don't let it go to your head all that much or I swear I'll let some of the hot air out with the tip of my quill," Lily teased.
"Sorry, just appreciating how wonderful it is to be me some days," James sighed, still grinning stupidly, "nothing like the love of a good woman with sharp objects."
Lily and James both cracked into laughter, causing Madam Pince to shoot them a severe look of warning. Muffling their noised into their hands, Lily was just glad that James was in good spirits. Although it had been a few weeks since James's breakdown over the death of his family, Lily still found herself worrying about him from time to time. Moments like this did wonders to ease her mind on the subject.
"How did it go with Atropos?" Lily asked.
"Um, kind of uneventful really," James said dismissively, "I don't know what I thought I'd hear from her but that certainly wasn't it."
"What did you hope she'd say, James?"
"I guess," James mused quietly, "I guess I just wanted to know how bad I should feel about things sometimes."
"James," Lily looked at her boyfriend cautiously, "were you asking. . .about your family? Because people say she's psychic?"
James stared at Lily as though he didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned that she knew him so well.
"Well I wasn't seeing is she could talk with them or whatnot," James assured with a sigh, "but I just wanted to know if there was something that. . .that could have been changed is all."
Lily frowned deeply, feeling a fluttering give birth in her abdomen. She was now deeply worried as to just what this Atropos girl had said to her boyfriend and what effect it played on his already wounded conscience.
"Did she tell you something that helped?" Lily pressed.
"Not like I had expected but yeah. . .I think I feel a little bit better after hearing from her," James nodded.
"Oh. That's good," Lily muttered.
A sick and brooding sensation rose in Lily. She had wanted nothing for weeks but for James to feel better and now that he did she hated it. It was petty, she recognized, but Lily was bitter that all her words and gestures gave way to some stray pearl of insight a strange girl offered James a moment ago. Deciding little good would come from dwelling on the matter, Lily took it upon herself to change the subject.
"So what are all the books for? Our project?" Lily questioned with a wave to the stack on diagonal to James before she began to scan the titles.
Withstanding Wards, Lock, Shock, and Barricade: Charms for Protection Purposes, Magical Loopholes: How to Find and Make Them Work for You!, and Enchanted Barriers and Other Places You Simply Don't Belong were but a few names Lily saw James thumbing over.
"James, we have our finals in a month's time and you're devoting your invaluable study time to breaking into my room?" Lily questioned in a tone that didn't know whether to be flattered or scandalized.
"It's ridiculous, insulting, and an invasion of our privacy! I think you of all people should know that I'm not going to take it lying down Lily!" James huffed before thoughtfully adding, "especially now that I'm locked out."
"So this is as much about you wanting to snog as it is showing up McGonagall?" Lily's eyebrow raised.
James shrugged.
"I'm just used to having my way," James said unimpressively, "curse of being an only child I reckon."
"Lovely," Lily rolled her eyes, "hope we never have a serious row otherwise you'll stop at nothing to make yourself right."
"Oh that won't be a problem, my dear seeing as how I'm always in the right," James's hazel eyes glanced up from his book as he smirked.
"Oh really?" Lily challenged with a chuckle, "what about that time in our 1st Year when you talked Peter into jumping out of the tower window in Gryffindor on a dare?"
James choked on some laughter before leaning in closer to Lily across the table.
"Oh that was horrible lie," James confessed merrily, "you see Peter, Sirius, and myself hadn't learned about Remus's secret yet but knew he headed out to the Whomping Willow. When we were trailing him under my invisibility cloak, Peter thought he saw something and strayed away. He took a branch a foot thick to the jar and knocked himself out cold then the tree took to thrashing him some more. Sirius and I had to drag him off before he was beaten into bloody pulp."
James continued to laugh over the horrible memory as Lily could only stare.
"Don't tell me you tossed him out of a tower after all that!" Lily hissed.
"No!" James laughed harder.
"That was our cover story. Sirius and I thought the three of us would get into less trouble over boys acting like stupid boys than confessing to sneaking out after curfew, stalking one of our peers we were warned to leave alone, and nearly getting killed by a tree we were forbidden to venture near. So we made up a story about how we were goofing around in the dormitories, left Peter unconscious at the base of it, and doubled back. Once we were in the rooms we hurried to the window and started screaming bloody murder about Peter falling out. Beauty of it was when he woke up in the hospital wing four days later he was so muddled he thought the line Sirius and I made up had actually happened! We never bothered with telling him the truth now that I think about it. . ."
"The pair of you are horrible!" Lily struggled to keep her voice down, "instead of getting your friend proper medical attention you save your own skins! I can't believe I'm in love with such a shameful boy."
"Hey now!" James said defensievely, "to be fair, Sirius and I were really the only ones who were really mates back then. Remus kept to himself whenever we tried to get chummy with him and Peter was more of a tagalong than anything else. I meant it to be just me and Sirius following Remus out but Peter begged to follow us along that night. We just let him come along because, well, we could understand how hard it could be to spend seven years at a place where you're not really friends with anyone in your dorm."
"Oh yes, wonderful generosity James," Lily shook her head.
"I was eleven !" James groaned, "I don't recall you being perfect at eleven."
Lily sneered unappreciatively.
"I wasn't getting the girls in my year killed either," Lily pointed out.
James shut his book with a sharp snap, receiving another warning look from Madam Pince. He ignored it as his attention was fixed on Lily.
"Well tell you what, I'll just run off to the Ministry and borrow a time-turner to clear all this up," James offered sarcastically, "what do you want me to do about it Lily? Tell Peter what really happened? Confess it all to McGonagall? It was five years ago. You're going to be cross with me over a dumb thing I did before I had to worry about shaving, my voice changing, or impressing girls?"
"No," Lily resigned herself with a sigh, "I'm sorry, you're right. I guess I just didn't know how wild and just plain awful you and Sirius could be."
"Yeah you did," James smiled, "remember before finals 4th Year when we cast that silencing charm on you so you couldn't call for Cassidy or Arabella to help you when we tickled you mercilessly in the commons?"
"I had forgotten all about that specific offense, you git!" Lily snorted a laugh. "It got mixed in will all the other cheeky things the two of you did to me all the time."
"It was because we both liked you, I think. Blokes can be really thick about showing a girl they fancy them when they're young," James decided as an amused but guilty grin flashed on his face. "But that tickling story is another one where there's a bit of a secret too it to."
"Such as?" Lily prompted.
"Such as. . .I – somewhat intentionally – groped you over," James admitted with a sheepish look.
Lily smiled at James with a wolf grin.
"James. . .that wasn't a secret. I let you get away with it."
James blinked several times before he forced his hand through his corse hair.
"Really?" James gaped.
"Well us girls can be just as funny when it comes to letting a bloke know we're interested when we're young as well," Lily teased.
"Aren't we the pair?" James observed happily.
"Sure are," Lily nodded.
James moved in to kiss Lily before a shadow crossed over the table. Both Lily and James shifted an eye to note Madam Pince standing over them.
"Out," she ordered simply with a gesture to the door.
Lily and James could only nod and blush as they gathered their things and quickly departed the library snickering to themselves.
Much as he had expected, Sirius found Winifred in the school conservatory. She wasn't playing any instruments, rather she merely appeared to be hiding out. Although his intention was to seek her out to discuss her impression of his impromptu kiss a few days before, her blue demeanor override his curiosity with compassion.
"What's wrong here?" he questioned as he approached the Slytherin girl.
Winifred glanced over her shoulder. She appeared to be playing with something. Craning over her shoulder, Sirius's eyebrow hooked up.
"Is that a voodoo doll ?" Sirius demanded wide eyed.
"Possibly," Winifred said with a bit of a pout. "I've just taken to calling it 'bad poppet'."
Tossing the rag doll with a few pins lodged in it off to the side, Winifred faced Sirius and took his breath when she placed her glossy lips against his. Allowing a brief instant to recover, Sirius sank into the embrace quickly and without much prompting.
After a long moment, he pulled away.
"So I guess I don't have to ask what you thought of the kiss before. . ." he said softly.
"No probably not," Winifred drawled in reply.
"Does this make us. . .you know, couple-people?" Sirius asked.
Winifred sighed as she peered into his eyes. There was something a little vacant about her at the moment. Like she was beyond tiredness and desperation. It was as though Sirius could see something hollow within if he peered hard enough.
"Must you over think all this?" she mused in boredom. "What does it matter about titles and all that public display? We might be in school, Sirius but do we have to act like children? Why muddle perfectly good chemistry with a whole lot of thought?"
"I believe I will over think this, if it's all the same," Sirius replied. "Winifred. . .I'm not looking for a snog and a toss. I'm looking for, well, you. That has to mean something to you or I can't let it mean anything to me."
Winifred stared at him a bit more, as though contemplating this.
"It matters to you whether you get to call me your girlfriend or not?" she pressed.
"Yeah," Sirius nodded.
"Fine, you can call me your girlfriend then," Winifred relented. "Still, I'd rather ease everyone into the idea so I'll thank you not to hang banners along the halls."
Sirius brought his hand to her smooth cheek and smiled at her.
"Hey, I know this isn't going to be simple and storybook, Win," he told her, "still if you want to keep it mum for a bit, I can do that. I just want you to know that I don't care about Snape, I don't care about Slytherin, I care about you."
Winifred smiled at Sirius's words before she leaned in for another kiss. Drawing back she produced a long pin and held it out to Sirius.
"As a reward for your sweet words, I'll let you put a pin in bad poppet," Winifred offered with a wicked grin.
Sirius chuckled and picked up bad poppet in one hand while accepting the pin in the other. He studied the poppet with a queer look. He thumbed at its lank black hair and eyed the protruding nose.
"Grotesque little bugger isn't he?" Sirius noted. "Kind of reminds me of something. . ."
"Just stick the poppet, Sirius."
In the remaining hours before lights out was to be called, the Gryffindor common room was filled with its members as they studied, socialized, or otherwise lazed about. Lily and James were off reading a stack of books James had procured from the library earlier on while the rest of the 6th Years were at a table putting the finishing touches on their work for tomorrow's lessons.
This was where Sirius plopped himself down when he strutted in.
"Well don't you just look like a cat with a freshly caught mouse," Arabella noted with a grin. "What have you been up to you naughty boy?"
Sirius gave the blonde his classic I'm-ever-so-innocent-I'm-just-holding-these-fire-crackers-for-someone-else-honest looks.
"Which wing of the castle did yeh destroy?" Cassidy questioned without looking up.
"None, I'm just happy," Sirius stated. "Can't a bloke just be happy?"
"Of course they can, Sirius," Millicent nodded as she applied some more ink to her quill.
The girls and Peter seemed content to leave it at Millicent's word but Remus was eyeing Sirius with a most suspicious gaze.
"Sirius, a word?" Remus requested as he pulled his friend off to the side.
"All right, Remus?" Sirius asked curiously as they stood off in a vacant corner of the commons. Remus's amber tinted eyes studied Sirius up and down as he crossed his arm.
"Okay, fess up, why do you wreak of Wilkes?" Remus demanded under his breath.
Sirius drew back dramatically and wide-eyed.
"I don't know what you're implying," Sirius gaped. "I just got back from talking with her is all."
"Oh you did more than chat," Remus said matter-of-factly. "I barely know where your scent begins and her's ends! You didn't – "
"We didn't!" Sirius hissed, giving up any attempt for a charade. "We snogged, all right, you ruddy blood hound! You keep pulling stunts like this, Moony and Padfoot'll start sniffing you out to see how much of who's scent is where on youy body."
Remus's eyes bulged slightly at this threat before he shook himself back into his usual placid demeanor.
"Look, I'm not pointing it out to be a prat," Remus defended himself, "I just don't want this to be like Copia where you're keeping it all completely hushed. I mean it's just not healthy or respectful to anyone involved."
"I'm not ashamed of Winifred it's just. . .I guess I don't know if she wasn't us to be announcing to all of Hogwarts and the Heavens above just yet," Sirius sighed while shaking his head. "I'll be catching a bit of flack from our House over this but it will all be in sport. Winifred has to deal with Slytherin, Snape, and their reaction to prancing about with the charming and infamous Sirius Black."
"You really are a legend in your own mind aren't you?" Remus noted dryly.
"And a few others," Sirius grinned with a wink.
From the other end of the room, Lily and James continued their investigation of lifting McGonagall's charm. They had been careful to cast glamour on all the books they were reading to ensure that the covers of their texts would in no way reflect the actual contents. After all, the last thing the couple wanted was for the Head of their House to just stumble upon their means of thwarting her.
Reaching their third hour of research, James looked up from his faux copy of Animal Cruelty Free Substitutions for Potion Ingredients as he glanced to his girlfriend.
"Say there Lily," James teased the words as he twirled his wand between his fingers. "You remember that conversation we had in the library about the stuff I used to do to you when we were younger?"
Lily flipped the page of her enchanted titled book Fascinating Fairy Families.
"Oh you mean the silencing charm and tick – " Lily stopped dead in her sentence as she saw the manic smile spreading over his face as he stopped twirling his wand. Placing her book down, Lily stared at her boyfriend sternly.
"No, James," Lily frowned.
"Yes, Lily," James insisted grinning wider.
Drawing her own wand, Lily had it pointed at James while he fixed his on her. Lily slowly rose from the couch, not daring a blink, with James following her motions in suit.
"I'm serious!" Lily tried to sound mad but broke her pitch at the end with a laugh.
"So am I!" James chuckled, "we are two very serious people right here!"
Forcing her to walk backwards, James kept stalking after Lily. Both members of the couple looked to be a word away from hexing one another in the name of amusement. By this point, the dozens of other eyes in the common room that had previously been chatting or studying were now watching their Prefect and Quidditch Captain touring the room with their wands out. They might have been more concerned by the sight if Lily and James didn't look so equally amused by it all.
"What's James plotting?" Arabella called to Lily as this caught the attention of the other Gryffindor 6th Years as well.
"He's going to curse me silent than tickle me so I can't scream!" Lily called back without taking her eyes off James.
Everyone in the room, especially James, were laughing hard and loud over the thought of this. Once her giggling subsided, Arabella pulled out her own wand and moved toward the pair.
"I'll lend a wand Lily!" Arabella announced.
She had managed a few steps from the table when Remus grabbed her from behind and attempted to hold her in place.
"HEY!" Arabella cried out.
Lily dared a scandalized look out of the corner of her eye.
"Remus! How can you take James's side?" Lily demanded.
"He's my mate and fearless leader of six years. Sorry Lily, but that's where my loyalties lie," Remus grinned and grunted a half-hearted apology as he struggled with Arabella. "Have at her, James."
"Good man, Remus," James praised his friend, "Sirius. . .Peter. . .where do you stand in all this?"
"Where do you reckon they do?" Sirius said with a scoff as though James was foolish even to ask. He smiled like a wolf at Lily, "apologies love."
"Looks like it's shaping up to be a right fun game of 6th Year Witches verses Wizards," Peter observed.
Gwen and Cassidy had fairly defiant looking expressions on their faces at the challenge of this while Millicent shifted her gaze around the room. Obviously discord didn't sit all that well with the girl even if it was meant in jest. Sirius leaned across the table looking straight at Cassidy since the Quidditch team beater and renowned tomboy was the one of the 6th Year girls to worry the most about.
"Think you can get past me, Cass?" Sirius challenged.
"Blindfolded and unconscious, Black," Cassidy said confidently.
With more dexterity than anyone could have anticipated Cassidy jumped onto the oak table and ran down the length with the obvious intent of leaping clean over Peter and Sirius and tackle James. Gasps and cheers erupted into the room at the spectacle from all the other Gryffindor's witnessing it. Cassidy was about to push off and into the air when Sirius sprang up at the last second and caught her around the waist. Trying to balance himself so he and Cassidy didn't tumble to the floor with her momentum, Sirius kept the girl slung over his should: her thrashing and him laughing.
Both Lily and James took their eyes off one another long enough to watch this and burst out laughing.
The hooting and yelling only increased with intensity as Gwen attempted to slide underneath the table past Peter but without the grace of Cassidy's previous move. Peter attempted to pull her out to get a more manageable grasp but found himself facing a fury of kicks and harsh language as he attempted it. Instead, he was pretty much running circles around the wooden table to try and block Gwen from getting out and at James.
Millicent, on the other hand, was completely at odd of what to do and took to persuading Sirius into putting Cassidy down while Cassidy herself kept encouraging her to hex Sirius.
Back at their stand off, Lily and James were laughing so hard at the comical chaos around them that there were tears in their eyes and no way they could utter an incantation without it being broken to bits in their mouths.
The amusement in the room suddenly died with a loud cracking noise. All eyes turned to see Professor McGonagall firing her wand into the air like a noisemaker to get everyone's attention.
"What may I ask is going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded sharply at the sight of the disarray.
Too stunned to think better of it, Lily and James had their wands still half pointed upon one another. Both Sirius and Remus had enough sense to release the girls they had seized hold of now that the Head of their house was there and agitated. Gwen crawled out from under the table and pushed herself into a standing position next to Peter. Lily went beat red along with most of the other 6th Years since they were the ones putting on the show while the rest of Gryffindor got suddenly quiet and sheepish since they had been laughing and cheering them on.
"Well. . .er. . .professor. . .ma'am. . ." Bill Weasley fumbled the words, ". . .I reckon it was a match of witches against wizards."
Professor McGonagall eyed the red-haired boy over her spectacles before turning to the 6th Years.
"So is that what you all are up to?"
James, Lily, and the rest in their year all began to nod or mutter agreements to this description. A ghost of a smile played at the Deputy-Headmistress's lips.
"And who was winning?" she inquired.
"Well, I do believe the Wizards were," Millicent volunteered helpfully. The other girls in her year threw her a traitorous look that Millicent blushed deeply against. "Well it's just my opinion that Remus, Peter, and Sirius were doing a respectable job of keeping Arabella, Gwen, and Cassidy at bay."
"That's only because boys are physically stronger than girls!" Arabella spat in a huff, "if Remus hadn't been a sneak and grab me from behind I would have hexed him over good!"
Arabella couldn't see Remus roll his eyes from her present vantage point as the rest of Gryffindor erupted into snickers. McGonagall shot a stern look around that enforced silence once more.
"I'm glad you find this all so very amusing," McGonagall's voice was chiding, "to see your Prefect and Quidditch captain behaving in such a juvenile way along with their friends who are more than old enough to know better about playing with wands as though they were toys."
The 6th years all took to hanging their collective heads as Professor McGonagall looked upon the lead instigators, Lily and James, specifically.
"Now, Mr. Potter, if you would be so kind as to pay sharp attention to my irritable tone which should distract you long enough so Miss Evans will have the golden opportunity to relieve you of your wand. . ." McGonagall announced.
"Wait – what?" James's hazel eyes went wide at McGonagall
"Expelliarmus!"
James's wand shot out of his hand and landed in a clatter on a nearby table. Lily smiled at James triumphantly while all the witches in the room cheered jubilantly. All the wizards who had witnessed the spectacle groaned and swore under their breaths at James's loss.
"No fair to take sides like that Professor!"
"It's perfectly fair! James started it Lily should get to finish it!"
"James would have finished it if it hadn't been for that! Nothing against Lily but he who dares wins and James is the daring type!"
"Then how come he lost, Sirius?"
"Right! Witches are in charge now, boys!"
Professor McGonagall said nothing as she left the room.
The witch's smile said it all.