Anything that's not blatant is
a riddle
Please read and review if you can!
Author's penname: Elixa Amethyst
Voices of the Past Part II
Written March 2002 onwards, pre Order of the Phoenix.
All characters and things you recognise, are © JKRowling, no infringement
intended.
All references to
"mediwizard" mean healer.
Read Part I at ?storyid1672635
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Chapter Fifteen
Sharing the Moment
The Slytherins were all too aware of the loss of fifty-five points the following morning when they passed the giant hourglasses on their way to breakfast. I wasn't hungry, and went and sat on a windy bench outside overlooking the whomping willow. I was miserable. It was mid-November and the nights were drawing in further, preparing for mid-winter and the weather was becoming foul. Christmas would be the next big celebration and I would be staying for the holidays. Halloween had passed without much significance; it had been a welcome merriment in a term of hard work. The feast had been full of smiling faces and happiness. Somehow after that, Christmas seemed bleak, especially without a family to go back to or correspond with. Remembering my late parents hurt particularly this morning. My stomach rumbled and I made an effort to ignore the pit forming in it. I didn't want to go back in and face the Slytherins, or Quirrell, or Severus who would have heard by now. All I wanted was to disappear off the earth completely or to turn back time to before my parents had died. I shut my eyes and let out a sigh, a slight tear breaking from my eye.
It seemed like hours later before someone sat down beside me. I'd drifted, my mind picking up thoughts and turning them over as if they were stones, trying to examine them from different ways. I didn't open my eyes, and pretended to be asleep should it be someone coming to get me. A long finger scratched me behind the ear and I opened my eyes slowly. I knew who it would be by the action, only Severus had done that before. I shut my eyes again and put my head down.
"I hope you are sorry for what you did." Severus said, the wind catching his robes as we sat on the bench. I opened my eyes slightly to watch them.
"Is there anything you have to say?" I swallowed and sat up slightly.
"I don't want to go back, just get it over and done with and expel me. If it helps I'll go and do some damage to the willow."
"You're not going to get expelled Elixa. Professor Quirrell has been requested to rethink his penalty as you were actually very clever." I frowned and looked up at Severus. He was looking across the grounds, the wind catching his hair without blowing it into his eyes. His arms were folded, but not in an aggressive way, and his robes were being blown gently too. He raised his arm on my side and pulled me towards him. I stiffened, alarmed at the action.
"Come out of the wind idiot." He said softly, his arm now providing a windbreak. I realised how cold I had been once out of the wind.
"Peterson is an animagus, he's registered as a pigeon of all things with the ministry, but I know he's no longer a pigeon, and more of an owl."
"How did you know I was thinking that?" I asked. Severus looked down with his black eyes.
"I found owl feathers on my robes, and since I hadn't received or sent an owl in the past day, I was suspicious. That with the animagi register, well you can see." I put my head against him slightly. The lack of sleep was catching up with me.
"Why would Peterson want to be here? Was he coming for Susan?" I asked quietly. Severus didn't answer if he heard. Just the idea wasn't enough evidence to pin Peterson down unfortunately. Severus reached into his robes and pulled out a vial.
"The potion arrived from the Ministry yesterday. Professor Moody has checked it and I have checked it. That's why I was in my office last night." What I meant as a smile broke out on my feline face. I couldn't wait to get back to how I was. Being a cat was okay, but I preferred my human self. Severus produced a bowl out of thin air and I eagerly lapped it up. It didn't take long for me to change back to a human, when finally I found my whiskers had disappeared along with my tail I glanced at Severus. He still had his arm around me.
"If you think it's much of a windbreak now you're mistaken." I told him with a slight smile. I reached inside my robes and found my wand was still there. I was glad the transformation meant I transformed with clothes! Severus hadn't moved, and I looked over towards the whomping willow again. The world seemed better as a human, especially knowing that I wasn't in quite so much trouble. I felt a kiss on my neck, and it took a second for my brain to remember it wasn't Draco sitting beside me and I turned, alarmed.
"Err… what…?" I said, suddenly unable to make any sense.
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to push Malfoy out of his seat. I'm… well…" Severus seemed lost for words. An awkward silence passed, as we looked at each other.
"Thank you." I said and gently kissed him back.
In all my years of Hogwarts, I had never expected to have such an intimate moment with the sharp Potions master. My brain could not quite cope with the fact it had happened and tried to con me into thinking it was a dream.
"Miss Amethyst, glad to see you back to normal, we're on page one hundred and two. I believe Miss Alanis has saved you a place." Professor Flitwick said from the top of his pile of books when I entered the charms classroom.
"Thank you Professor." I sat down beside Kerry, who passed me a note across the desk.
Lysander's been crowing about you being expelled all lesson, I'd watch your back, he's one of the group out to get you for the loss of points, they think you and Snape are up to something again.
I scribbled 'thanks' below it and then 'Quirrell's been asked to reconsider his penalty, with luck it'll be reduced…' and passed it back to Kerry.
Kerry was right to warn me. It wasn't long before Matthew Lysander started his campaign against me once again. This time I made sure I had an army of my own.
"Right then Lysander, do your worst." I said, sitting down on a chair, Kerry standing to one side, Draco and Susan the other. Several other Slytherins standing around had voiced their support too and were making it known. Lysander stood opposite me, alone.
"Lost your tongue?" Kerry asked.
"No!" Lysander snapped, and drew his wand. I didn't expect this.
"What are you doing?" I asked curiously. He started to mutter something, and then one of his friends grabbed him by the arm. Whatever was said between them changed Matthew's mind, as he put his wand back and walked off.
"What a complete chicken!" Kerry exclaimed, and promptly made clucking noises. I smiled to myself, Lysander 2 Amethyst 2." I hoped he had the sense not to try and make it 3-2 to him.
