Water and Wine
N/A – I'd really like to thank all the attention that you are giving to this fic! Many thanks!
Chapter Nine – Risk Among the StudentsOh, my, there isn't a thing that can divert me more than to see that Potter's angry face. And about Black, my implication was only on its beginning. I would rather make him pay for what he did with Frank.
OK, I know I'm intruding where I wasn't invited for, but Black deserved everything I could make to him. After all, I knew very well that to talk to Alice and explain the whole situation wouldn't work out even a little bit. In the end she would fight with me and say that I was trying to poison her against "Sirius" and steal him from her. That's incredible how much she may get blind when she's in love. I never did.
I mean, I don't say that I never got blind of love; the fact is that I never had a crush even. And before you can open THAT mouth of fright, I want to say that I only liked some boys, but I was never reciprocal and never was something as ravishing as my friends used to comment. And I'm not concerned with that. You may be sure that a crush would change my life in nothing.
Well, getting back to Potter-Black issue, they had a pretty detention, and with less than a month of classes! It was wonderful to see that, I think that it was really some sort of record. This even became the two following weeks more tolerable, even with that two classes of Herbology when I had to be with Potter. That became my most detested class.
Potter and Black accomplished their detentions at the end of the month, I don't know exactly what they had to do, but I hope it had been something really boring, perhaps something that involves Filch, because he has the gift of becoming everything three or four times worse than what it really is. And on that same night we had a prefects' meeting. I was dying of sleepy, laziness, weariness or as how as you want to call it, but the fact was that I didn't managed to pay much attention on what about the prefects were arguing. I just remember barely of very loud voice tones whose owners were a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff. I was with my head leaned against the wall, and every three minutes Remus jogged me in the hope of wake me up, but it was useless, taking in consideration that I woke up earlier that morning to finish a Transfiguration written report that I might deliver that same day. Well, it was my fault, but people must sleep!
The two Ravenclaw prefects were in silence, watching the discussion. I forced myself to open my eyes, I couldn't sleep on a reunion, but I wasn't really managing to avoid it. It was then when I finally managed to pay some attention in what they were saying.
-This is foolishness, more security measures are useless! – exclaimed the Slytherin prefect, Nancy Slight. Snape, the other prefect, didn't even seem to be on the same planet than us.
-It is no foolishness, Slight, Hogwarts is known for having always offered much security to its students, and all of us here know that we aren't on peaceful times. – replied the Hufflepuff Valeria Knox.
-There are no reasons for that. If Hogwarts would be really under any risk, we could even think about more security measures. But we are being threaten by no one!
-No one? – retorted Knox. – Do you call You-Know-Who of no one?
I noticed that Snape moved himself on his chair, seeming to get back on reality.
-A good reason to keep... You-Know-Who far away from Hogwarts is Dumbledore, Valeria. – said Peter McFisher carefully, the Ravenclaw prefect.
Valeria Knox took a deep breath.
-Honestly, I think we have very good reasons to concern about him, even he may not be thinking about a straight attack against the school. I've heard that he doesn't have to be here personally to make us any bad.
This time, it was me who was getting disturbed with that conversation that didn't seem to change its way. I didn't want to talk about You-Know-Who. I still remembered perfectly that he probably passed meters from my house last summer.
-But, Valeria – I forced myself to say. – do you have any project of how we could get the school's security stronger?
-Aha! That's it! – exclaimed Slight in a victorious tone. – Do you have any concrete idea, before wasting our time of reunion with these senseless issues?
Valeria seemed to shrink.
-Well, actually... I thought that I could ask for your help to formulate some ways. But I should had thought that the Slytherins would never agree about getting more protection against You-Know-Who. You actually would love to see him conquering the school.
Snape cast a freezing look to Valeria immediately. Slight straightened and said:
-It was retarding too much for you to say so, Knox. I think you should worry a little bit more with your own life instead of trying to read our thoughts. Don't you think so, Severus?
-I think there's nothing more to be said about it. – interrupted Remus, while Snape mumbled affirmatively. – We can't think about more security if we don't know how to do it. After all, once that we lasted this topic to the end of the reunion, we don't have more time and less disposition – saying so, Remus looked at me – to work on these new measures.
-Yeah, yeah – I agreed. – At the next reunion we can think about it a little while before.
-Then I believe that it means – said Snape, speaking for the first time on that reunion – that we've finally finished.
The Head Prefect, who had watched everything, agreed with him and dispensed us.
Remus and I took together the way to the Gryffindor's Tower, while each pair of prefects was going to a different way.
-That's incredible how much they may lose their mind in these reunions, isn't it? – said him, yawning.
-True... - I agreed. – And Valeria also seemed to have seen or heard something very scary to get so paranoid with that measures.
-That was it what intrigued me too, Lily – spoke Remus, seriously. – I wonder if she doesn't know more than us about You-Know-Who.
I didn't answer. I was thinking in how I knew more than him about that, and in how I (at least) had a bare notion of what was the Order of the Phoenix that Dumbledore was assembling.
I was ready to change the matter when I saw Snape walking alone at the end of the same corridor we were crossing. I didn't even notice his presence until that time. But surely he wasn't to be there, and rather getting down to the dungeons.
-Remus – I said. – just look at that. What is Snape doing here up?
-I don't have any clue. – he said. – Do you think we must follow him?
-I've never done it before... He's gonna hear us – I said.
-Did you know, Lily, to walk with Sirius and James has its advantages. For example, espionage. This is actually a good point of Peter, but the case is that I know a way. Did you hear about the Camouflaging Charm?
-No, but I've heard about Potter's Invisibility Coat – I muttered.
-Very well, this charm has almost the same effect... Just look at it.
Remus pulled his wand, and muttering a word that I couldn't memorize, got almost invisible. I barely could discern him from the wall, and then I got it. He had become some kind of chameleon. He was going to take the color of whatever would be behind him.
-So? – he asked.
-Very interesting – I commented. – How do you do it?
-Let me show you – an then he repeated the word, pointing his wand to me. Why I couldn't understand it? – Look. With these slim lights he'll never distinguish us from the wall.
We walked fast until reach Snape. A few minutes after we began to follow him, he met Lucius Malfoy.
-So, how was the reunion with those idiot prefects? – Malfoy asked in a whisper.
-As always. – answered Snape. – But the Hufflepuff prefect seems to have any suspect about us.
-It doesn't matter. We're gonna teach her a lesson. The girl doesn't even know who she's daring to disturb.
-Fortunately no one trusted her. Not even those two Gryffindors that think they're heroes.
Remus and I exchanged looks, but I turned my eyes aside, ashamed. I realized that he was too near me.
-The others are waiting for us out there. They're in a hurry to train some more Dark Arts charms and they need you to do so.
Snape moved his mouth in something that seemed vaguely a smile.
-Do you think we're gonna to receive any message from the Lord tonight?
-Don't know. There are many beginners, and he just sends any message when everyone are training some days ago. Let's go?
Snape nodded, and the two Slytherin began to walk again. I was going after them, but Remus held my wrist. I noticed that his hand was too cold. I looked at him in a interrogation mood, as the most obvious thing to do was to keep following them, but when Snape and Malfoy got away enough, Remus whispered carefully:
-No, Lily, this charm wouldn't protect us out there. Let's get out of here. We need to talk to someone.
I looked again at the two Slytherins, who turned on a corridor and then I couldn't see them anymore.
-But who?
-Professor McGonagall. While we don't have any proves yonder our testimonies, it's better for us to avoid the Headmaster.
-But this is too serious!
-I know, Lily. But let's get out of here. Now – he added, pulling me by the arm.