Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
A few weeks had passed since Treasure had performed her spell making Sirius suddenly speechless. Treasure spotted him walking in the halls glaring at everyone would mouth gibberish to him. His glaring was slightly less effective than usual considering he practically jumped when someone shouted "Silencio!" and would look over his shoulder anxiously whenever they did. It seemed that Sirius highly valued his ability to speak. Treasure made sure to remark snidely to Lily that it wasn't as if he ever said anything of much importance. "All brawn, no brains, Lily, eh?" Treasure quipped, blushing pink under Lily's unimpressed smirk. It didn't help that the insult was unfounded: Sirius was one of the best wizards in their year, a fact which Treasure would unwilling admit impressed her and piqued her love of competition to new levels.
Lily and Treasure were headed to Transfiguration. It was a subject that Treasure loved because of the challenge and the teacher, and one that Lily nearly broke her back in each and every time in an effort to out perform James, who was undeniably the top in the year. Both girls smiled a hello to Professor McGonagall as they entered. Professor McGonagall was a severe looking woman in her forties. She was one of Treasure's favorite teachers, mostly because she was quite determined for all her students to succeed. McGonagall's black hair was secured in a bun at the top of her head - a bun that looked a bit painful, to Treasure, considering how tight it was - and streaked with a steel gray at the temples. Her robes were pressed until they were pin-straight, not a bit out of order. She wore no make up, and her eyebrows were in such a shape so as to increased the hawkishness of her face. She smiled warmly at the girls as they walked in, however, and inclined her head saying "Miss Belle, Miss Evans. We've a tricky lesson today, I hope you read the pages I assigned?" Treasure actually had read the pages last night, but whether or not she retained the information was yet to be seen.
Today's subject was the Vanishing Spell, and Treasure was of course thinking about all the ways she could torment Sirius with this particular charm. Maybe she'd Vanish his hair. Or an eyebrow. Then again, it would be shame - he really was very nice to look at. Treasure grinned wickedly to herself. Maybe she'd Vanish his shirt, instead.
"What are you thinking of?" Lily asked suspiciously as they walked through the doorway and into the classroom.
"Nothing, Lily! You always sound like you think I'm up to something!" Treasure tried to placate her friend, who was unpacking her books rather hurriedly just incase Treasure decided to send them zooming around the room. Treasure was a troublemaker down to her bones, and although she hardly ever meant anything by it, Lily was getting rather exasperated with her tricks. Their fifth year was extremely important, a fact that Treasure still didn't seem to be grasping.
"That's because you usually are up to something, Tres." Lily snorted when her friend had the audacity to look affronted.
"When have I ever been up to anything, Lily?" Treasure asked. Lily raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
"Oh, let's see…there was that time during first year, when you Levitated Peter Pettigrew around the Common Room -"
"He was trying to read my diary!"
"And then, in second year, when you disarmed Sirius in the middle of the third floor corridor…except you were a bit overenthusiastic, if you ask me, considering you knocked over everyone who was in the hallway-"
"He asked for it! He was going to steal some first year's hat!"
"And then, in third year, you let out the entire pack of Skrewts, and they rampaged through the greenhouses." Lily shuddered, ignoring Treasure who mutter that there had only been five Skrewts. "And finally, last year you put Veritaserum in Remus's pumpkin juice - highly illegal, and dangerous, should he have had an allergic reaction - just because you wanted to find out if he fancied you."
Treasure bit her lip. "Well, is it my fault I didn't want to ask him when he was…lucid?" she asked, fidgeting. Lily rolled her eyes. "And Sirius nearly cursed my skin off after that, he was so angry. James too, come to think of it," Treasure remembered, a frown tugging at her lips. "Honestly, the boy was fourteen. What horrendous secret could he possibly be hiding? And you have to admit, it was an impressive potion." Treasure nudged Lily, who raised her eyebrows.
"It was - if only you applied yourself like that in class, Tres. And I wont even ask where you got the ingredients - or the instructions! It's in the restricted section of the library!"
By then most of the other students had filed into the classroom. Professor McGonagall wasn't one to wait for silence before a class began, and usually students came into her classroom prepared to work - she would just as easily dock points from her own House as any other, after all. "Be quiet! I'm sure, Miss McKenzie, whatever it is Miss Pearl has to say can wait until the end of class," she said sharply to Violet, another Gryffindor fifth year.
"We are here to learn how to Vanish objects and it rather seems all you've succeeded in so far is Vanishing your brains. Do pay attention, as you will be taking your O.W.L.s this year." Treasure winced and made a mental note to try and stay on McGonagall's good side this year.
"Now, I trust that you have all read the pages assigned last night." Professor McGonagall glared around the room, and nobody was in a rush to disprove her. "In that case, who can tell me why Vanishing, along with Conjuring, are some of the most difficult spells to learn? Potter." James grinned and leaned back in his chair.
"Vanishing and Conjuring are polar opposites of each other. They both deal with a realm to which objects are banished to or conjured from. Both spells take immense concentration to 'dispel' or, inversely, 'summon' solid objects from an intangible place."
"Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor. Who can explain to me a theory of why it is marginally easier to Vanish and object than to conjure it? Miss Evans?" Lily shot James a snooty look as she lowered her hand.
"It takes greater concentration to make an object materialize. One has to envision the object in its entirety when one conjures. To Vanish, one simple has to envision the object gone." Professor McGonagall smiled.
"A well thought out answer, Miss Evans, but you may find that it is easier said than done. Another five points to Gryffindor. Today we will start small. You each will be given an ordinary beetle to Vanish. I expect to see them all gone at the end of class. Begin."
"Oh, no," Treasure groaned a quarter of an hour later, looking down at the beetle she was supposed to be Vanishing. She had nearly gotten it right, except for the fact that the head of the beetle was still on the table, along with three legs. Treasure looked a bit pale, and Lily looked over from where she was reading, completely beetle-less.
"What's wrong, Treasure?" she asked. Treasure rolled her eyes. "Why must we Vanish bugs? Can't we Vanish feathers, or…flowers, or something else!" she asked, scooting away from her desk as the beetle head rolled towards her, its antennae waving wildly. "Yuck," she grimaced.
Lily laughed. "Here, let me," she said, flicking her wand so that the beetle disappeared completely.
"Thanks, Lils," Treasure sighed.
"Don't worry about it, I'll tutor you after dinner. We'll use quills, inkbottles and parchment instead of insects," Lily promised. Treasure nodded, still a bit pale. She didn't see Sirius eying her mischievously from two desks back.
"James," he whispered. James looked up, ruffling his hair quickly just incase Lily happened to be looking. "You're a stupid git, James." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Look, I just heard that Belle is absolutely terrified of beetles, and seeing as how Wormtail hasn't managed to Vanish his yet, I think its about time for me to get my revenge."
"What do you have in mind, mate?" James grinned.
"Wormtail," Sirius called. Peter Pettigrew looked up. His pale blotchy face was shiny with sweat as he tried again and again to Vanish his beetle. He was pronouncing the spell wrong, and his wrist movements were atrocious. As usual.
"Accio beetle," Sirius whispered, and Peter's beetle flew through the air and landed in Sirius's open palm. He muttered an Engorgement Charm and the beetle grew at least ten times its normal size, now roughly the size of a Bludger.
"That is absolutely disgusting," James said in awe.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Sirius whispered and the beetle floated oddly two desks up to where Treasure and Lily were chatting contently.
"Hey, Belle!" Sirius crowed eagerly, and Treasure looked over and saw the huge beetle floating towards her.
Treasure shrieked, leaping out of her seat and stumbling in an effort to get away. Her face, which was regaining its normal color, paled to a ghostly white and she looked like she was indecisive if she should faint or throw up.
"Keep that thing away from m-me, Sirius!" she stammered, her eyes wide. The beetle's legs were thrashing around and Treasure looked like she might have a heart attack, now frozen in place as the bug floated nightmarishly slowly towards her. It was exactly eye-level, and in its enlarged size she could see every glittering window of its eyes. Lily was a bit shocked at Treasure's reaction. She knew her friend had a phobia of bugs, but she didn't expect to see Treasure - who was usually so combative - climbing over desks to get out of the way. Sirius was grinning broadly. Professor McGonagall, on the other side of the room, was lecturing a group of Hufflepuffs on their pronunciation and was uninterested in what was going on behind her.
"Black, you immense idiot!" Lily snapped, whipping out her wand and Vanishing the huge bug in an instant. Sirius looked extremely disappointed (he hadn't been able to get the beetle to touch Treasure, and he wanted to make it chase her around the room), but Professor McGonagall had turned around at that moment and looked very impressed.
"Wonderful, Miss Evans! Take another ten points to Gryffindor! Do you see, now, Perkins? A quick flick of the wrist, from right to left - that's it, Lovegood, keep practicing."
Treasure was shaking. The entire class had been silent; Sirius let out a loud booming laugh. James began to laugh as well, but quieted down a bit when he saw Lily glaring daggers. He ruffled his hair uncomfortably. Some others joined in laughing, but some were looking sympathetically at where Treasure stood, rooted to the floor. Isabelle and Violet in particular looked torn between feeling revolted along with Treasure, or pleased along with Sirius. Peter Pettigrew laughed shamelessly; he always idolized Sirius as well as James. Remus was looking at Treasure a bit worriedly, but when Sirius glared at him, he looked away and suddenly became very interested in his hands.
"Sirius Black you are the most vile, mean spirited bully I've ever -!" Lily broke off sputtering. "How dare you, can't you see she's TERRIFIED of bugs? What is WRONG with you?" Lily shouted, hurrying over to Treasure and putting an arm around her shoulder. Treasure let out a long breath, her eyes still nervously on the spot where the beetle had been.
"That was a bit uncalled for, Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall said dryly. Sirius grinned and said nothing. "Eww?" Treasure piped up, smoothing back her hair, which was as unruly as ever and now looked as though it had tried to climb out of her scalp to get away from the Engorged Beetle.
"Miss Belle, could you please be so kind as to take your seat? Class is not over yet," Professor McGonagall continued. "For heaven's sake, girl, it was only a beetle. Now sit down."
"You want me to sit there? Where that thing just was? What if it comes back? What if the Vanishing Spell didn't work?" she said nervously. Lily clicked her tongue, a bit miffed that Treasure thought her spell wouldn't work. The class tittered with suppressed laughter. Pettigrew snickered, but shut up when Remus shot an evil look at him. Sirius felt a bit guilty, hearing the apprehension in Treasure's voice. But he shoved it away, she deserved this for the stunt she pulled on him.
"Yes, Miss Belle, I want you to sit there. It is your assigned seat." the Professor said, although not unkindly. "Perhaps I should remind you, Miss Belle, that if you do not wish to have beetles sent flying in your general direction, you should be less flippant about who you curse to silence," she added, the smallest of smiles on her lips. The class tittered again, and even Treasure managed a shaky smile. She sighed and continued to eye her seat nervously, and Lily looked as if she might offer to trade. Treasure quietly shook her head at Lily and made her way back to her seat. She glared a challenge at Sirius, who held her gaze. Lily knew their battle was only beginning, and she pinched the bridge of her nose wearily, not quite certain she wanted to know what was going to happen next.