Author's Notes: Yes. Another chapter already. I'm just full of inspiration recently.
Lauralie Black and the Dragons of Yorkshire (YEAR 2)
Chapter 4: A Well Executed Plan
"How'd that go?" Lindsay McConnaugha asked Remus as he returned to the table.
He didn't answer her, he flung his bag over his shoulder.
"Remus?" Lily said, concerned.
But he walked out of the Great Hall with out uttering a word.
Derich Heath, another second year like Lindsay, watched him go. "Did you see his hand Linds?" he asked. "It was all bloody like he punched something hard."
"You don't think he punched Lauralie do you?" Lindsay asked.
"Don't be silly, Sis," Duncan answered.
Lily sighed, turning to James, Sirius and Audrina. "Somehow I think that didn't go well at all."
* * *
Miss Millison, one of the nurses in the Hospital Wing, gasped as soon as she saw Remus' hand.
"What have you been doing?" she said, reaching for some alcohol to clean out the cuts before she healed them.
"I punched one of the walls in the dungeon," he answered, as if this was a perfectly normal thing for a student to do.
"And what, may I ask, did the wall do to piss you off?"
"It wasn't the wall," he answered. "It was a number of other things."
She poured healing potion over his hand and the cuts sealed themselves.
"Well I'm sure whatever it is will work itself out eventually."
"Yeah, but not the way I wanted them to work out."
She smiled a consoling smile. "Sometimes that is just the way life works out."
* * *
"She looks fine doesn't she?" Lindsay whispered.
Derich nodded. "I told you she would be," he said. "That girl is one tough cookie."
"Yeah, but look at Narcissa," she pointed out. "She looks worried."
"So let the Slytherins worry about themselves."
"Are you sure you are OK?" Narcissa asked.
"I'm fine, just a little rattled," Lauralie answered. "And I could KILL Rita."
"Oh, she will get her come-uppance," Narcissa said. "I think Severus and Lucius are more angry than you are."
"Because they hate Rita and have been looking for a good excuse to curse her for a while."
Narcissa stifled a laugh. "I bet Remus will be willing to help us."
Lauralie frowned suddenly, chopping her caterpillars angrily.
"Or did that conversation not go well?"
"That boy is frustrating and pig headed," Lauralie snapped. "He made his choice. Friendship over. End of story."
Narcissa decided that now probably wasn't the best time to argue with that. But she was quite sure that story was far from over.
* * *
Remus refused to so much as look at Sirius. He walked into History of Magic, his hand bandaged just for good measure, and took a seat in the back of the classroom, as far from the others as possible.
Rita Skeeter was smiling smugly.
"Isn't it amazing how quickly your friends can turn against you?" Rita leaned over and whispered to Remus. "And to think they say Gryffindors are the loyal ones."
"Why don't you shut the hell up Skeeter?"
It was Severus and Lucius, they were making their way back to their usual seats.
"Haven't you caused enough problems?" Severus hissed.
Remus was stunned at their sudden intervention. And Rita was looking highly affronted. The boys passed by without another word.
"My aren't we miss popular," Remus said, enjoying Rita's discomfort.
* * *
"Can you believe McGonagall gave us homework already?" Lucius groaned. "It is the first day!"
He slammed his Transfiguration book on the table.
"Welcome to Third Year," Severus said, he had his Potions text book open and was munching on Pumpkin chips.
They were planted at the same table they always studied at in the common room.
"Potions is going to be awesome this year," Lauralie grinned. "Now that we've gotten past the dull beginners stuff."
"Only you are excited about that," Narcissa said.
"You seem in better spirits, Laur," Severus commented.
Indeed she was. Rita Skeeter, Remus Lupin, and strange pain attacks were far from her mind. She was back at Hogwarts where she was comfortable.
"No sense in getting worked up over a stupid rumor," she said, flipping through her own potions book. "Especially a rumor spouted from the lips of Rita Skeeter."
There was a sharp tapping at the window next to their table.
"Lucius, isn't that your parents owl Gemini?" Severus asked.
Lucius frowned, opening the window to allow Gemini to come in. She flew a loop around the four Slytherins, landing on the back of Narcissa's chair. Lucius untied the letter from her leg.
"Dear Lucius," he read. "We wanted to write you before you received the news in the morning. The migrating dragons we've been tracking attacked a village around noon today. Fortunately there were no casualties, though the injuries are overwhelming. No one knows as of yet what triggered the attack. It is quite peculiar."
Lauralie shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"We just didn't want you to hear about the incident and have to worry about us. Send our love to the others," Lucius continued. "Love Mom and Dad."
"Well at least they are all right," Narcissa said, giving Lucius a reassuring smile.
Lucius sank down into his chair again. He scribbled a note back to his parents and sent Gemini on her way.
"I'm up for some flying," he said.
"Perfect, I could use the practice," Lauralie said.
"Practice?" Severus and Lucius asked together.
"Wait, wait, wait," Narcissa said, staring at Lauralie. "You are thinking about trying out for the Quidditch team aren't you?"
Lauralie just smiled.
"You must be joking," Lucius hissed.
Meanwhile Severus was looking torn. "Ludo will never let you."
"Can it really hurt to try?" she asked. "Just imagine how surprised the other team would be to discover they were going to play against a girl!"
Lucius nodded. "I like the way you think."
Severus tapped his long thin fingers on the desk. "What about the tradition?"
Lauralie sighed. "Sev, you are far too predictable sometimes," she said. "Come on, all traditions come to an end eventually… I can't do this with out your support."
"Do you seriously think we can pull this off?"
"Does that mean you are in?" she asked.
Severus sighed. "Fine, I'm in."
Suddenly he found himself being hugged. "You won't regret it!"
Severus was almost disappointed when she released him.
* * *
Lily tracked down Remus at lunch the next day. He had been avoiding the common room like the plague and was never seen in the Great Hall at meal times.
So it was in the library that she finally found him, pouring over an advanced Transfigurations book.
"There you are," she huffed, sitting down at the table with him.
"Yes, here I am," he said shortly. "Question is, why are you here?"
"Because we are all worried about you," she said. "Are you just never going to talk to Sirius again?"
Remus sighed. "I am just hurt that he would take the word of Rita Skeeter over my own," he explained, closing the transfiguration book.
"I can't believe he did in the first place," she commented. "But you know he's become very protective of Lauralie. I think he is trying to make up for last year."
Remus pulled a face at the mentioning of Lauralie's name.
"I take it you are just not speaking to the entire Black family?"
"No, Lauralie isn't speaking to me," he sighed. "I'd speak to her if she'd let me."
Lily puzzled over this for a moment. "But why?"
"Well, she essentially blamed me for Rita and her rumor," he explained. "I mean, it was just because she was mad. She didn't really think I had told Rita that nonsense. But she was pissed and said something about me not being her friend and I…" he let out a long sigh. "I sorta agreed with her."
"You agreed with her," she echoed.
"It doesn't make any sense, I know," he said.
"Its because its only two nights till the full moon," she said. She gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth.
"James told you?" he asked. James, Sirius, and Peter had known since around Christmas of the previous year that Remus was a werewolf.
"No. Sirius. This morning."
"Does everyone know now?"
"No, just me and the guys," she said. "He's worried about you."
"Well tell him he needs to worry more about his sister," Remus said.
"Why, what's wrong with Lauralie other than a short temper?"
"I'm not sure, but something isn't right."
* * *
Because their first match was against Gryffindor, Ludo had decided to hold Quidditch try outs a month earlier than he had Lauralie's first year, cutting off her intended practice time drastically.
This of course only lead to the boys working her harder on the Quidditch pitch. Lauralie was surprised in their enthusiasm in the idea. Last year they would have laughed in her face, but they knew her now, and her friendship clearly ranked higher than a silly tradition.
Narcissa's personal theory was that Severus merely wanted Lauralie around more. And Lucius was going along with it because that was what best-friends do.
The Quidditch pitch was always so quiet in the evening. The only sounds were the voices of the four Slytherins flying high above the ground.
"He's moved them up so he can work us harder afterwards," Lucius said, passing Lauralie the Quaffle.
"He's worried about Gryffindor," Severus said. "Bulstrode was a well seasoned Chaser. He wants the time to break in the new one."
A Quaffle soared past Severus and through the goal post. "Ludo is paranoid," Lauralie said.
"He's a perfectionist," Lucius amended. "He doesn't want to worry about sub-par chasers."
"Knowing Ludo he'll worry anyway," Narcissa pointed out.
Lauralie went to make another goal, but this time Severus snatched the ball out of the air.
"I think my ego is bruised enough for one evening," he said. "Besides, you are as prepared for tomorrows try outs as you are going to get."
They walked quietly back towards the castle.
"Should I just talk to Remus?" Lauralie asked suddenly. "Am I just taking a silly little fight too far?"
"No," Severus said sternly. "Don't you think that if he wanted to talk to you he would have at least tried by now?"
"I guess that is true," Lauralie murmured.
"Besides we have bigger things to worry about," Lucius said. "Like how we are going to keep Skeeter quiet about you trying out for the team."
"You don't seriously think Rita would spread it around when Slytherin's Quidditch chances are at risk do you?" Narcissa asked.
"I'm not sure," Severus said. "Lauralie did slap her in front of the entire school."
"So it's a matter of which is more important, loyalty to her house, or vengeance?" Lauralie asked. "We're doomed…"
* * *
"I don't think I've ever seen so many Slytherins up this early on a Saturday," James said, yawning. Lily had forced them to get up for a Potions study session for their first major test that Monday.
"Their Quidditch try outs are today," Lily pointed out, taking a sip of her Pumpkin juice.
"This early?" Sirius asked. "Ludo is worried!"
"And he ought to be," James said. "They lost a Chaser, and none of the Slytherins who tried out last year were any good if I remember correctly."
Remus didn't comment. Relations between him and Sirius had been a bit icy still, but they were thawing slowly as the weeks progressed. Lily often positioned herself between them whenever she felt a conflict arising.
~~
Lauralie couldn't eat. She stared down at her plate of food and felt absolutely no urge to consume any of it. They are going to just laugh at me.
An idea that had seemed so good at the beginning of the year now seemed quite ludicrous. Ludo would never let her on the team, that is if he even let her try out at all.
She was going to choke.
"You'll do fine," Severus whispered. "Eat."
She shook her head. "Not hungry."
"Come on, we'll head out early," Lucius said. "The fresh air will calm you down."
They made their way out to the Entrance Hall.
"Trust me, once you get up in the air you'll be fine," Severus said.
"Don't tell me SHE is trying out for the Quidditch team," Rita laughed, coming out of the Great Hall just behind them.
"Ignore her," Severus said, urging Lauralie out the front doors.
"I'll be there in a few minutes," Narcissa said, hanging back. "I have a bit of business to take care of."
* * *
Rita was making her way down the dungeon corridor that lead to the Slytherin common room when Narcissa caught up to her.
"Hey Skeeter, we need to talk."
"What do you want Van Buren?" Rita hissed.
All ideas that she was going to attempt politeness vacated Narcissa's mind. She grabbed the collar of Rita's robes and pushed her up against the wall.
"Now that I have your full attention, I want you to listen very very closely," Narcissa said, her voice just above a whisper. "If you mutter a word, to anyone, about Lauralie in regards to the Quidditch team, and I find out about it, I will curse you into thousands of tiny pieces." She paused for effect. "Understand me Skeeter?"
Rita nodded slowly.
"Good." Narcissa released her and strode away back towards the Entrance Hall, leaving Rita stunned.
* * *
"No, no, no," Ludo said stubbornly. "Its unheard of."
"Just give it a chance Ludo," Severus insisted. "Put her up there and see what she can do."
"You are serious about this?" Ludo asked, turning to Lauralie.
"Very."
"Fine, but if you get hurt don't you come crying to me."
Lauralie joined the group of students waiting to try out, a couple of them murmured among themselves.
"Here's how this is going to work," Ludo shouted. "First you will each have one shot against me. ONE! If you get a goal you make it into round two. If I block your shot, you are out."
"He's letting her try out!" Narcissa said, taking a seat next to Lucius. "Splendid!"
"Yes, but I'm afraid he's only doing it to humor her and plans on her getting cut," Lucius said. "So how badly did you injure Rita?"
"Oh, I didn't hurt her," Narcissa answered. "But I will if she doesn't keep her trap shut like I've told her to."
"OK, Lauralie's turn," Severus said.
"If she can get shots past you she can get one past Ludo," Narcissa commented.
Ludo passed Lauralie the Quaffle from where he had blocked the person before her. She took a deep breath and moved to shoot towards the far left goal, as soon as Ludo moved to block her she shifted quickly, shooting the Quaffle successfully through the center goal post instead.
There was applause from the ground and Ludo was left surprised.
"Fair is fair," he said with a sigh. "Go on and take a rest before round two."
She smiled at him and headed off to land.
Once he was done six remained, and he put them up against each other as he watched from the ground. When Lucius approached him he was frowning at the players.
"I can't do it."
"Yes you can," Lucius disagreed.
"Its just not done," Ludo hissed. "You are asking me to disregard a tradition that has been in place for centuries."
"No, I'm asking you to make history." Lucius was always good at putting a positive spin on things. "Just imagine it for a second: Our first game is up against Gryffindor, can you see the looks on their faces when they discover they will be going up against a girl. Imagine how Sirius Black will react. It will throw them all off completely. They won't know what to do. And while they are trying to pull themselves together, we pull ahead easily."
Ludo nodded. "She is the best one up there."
"She used to play with her brother all the time. Yet another advantage: she knows how he plays!"
"The question is: can we keep her a secret?"
Lucius smiled his trade-mark Malfoy smile. "In regards to that, Narcissa and I have formulated a plan."