A/N: I had quite a few more chapters written, and then my computer died....greatness...
Here's hoping I'll have more time to write later on.
Jorjor: I'm glad you like.....
Midnight Lily: Sounds good...I'll have to work at finding a place for the idea to come into her head though...lol.
-se ga hikui...
Chapter 6
Discussions and Honeyduke's Finest
Celesa sat with her back up against the cold stone wall, her face looking up towards a large portrait of a nymph.
Could you hold still please?
The nymph sighed and wriggled one last time.
Aren't you done yet?
Celsea looked at her watch, and sighed as she realized how much time she had wasted under the pretense of drawing.
Yes, I'll come back another time and finish it.
She trudged away in the direction of Professor Snape's office, her face blank, and her mind heavy. The door was open, and she could see his sallow face broodingly staring into an ancient tome. Hovering by the doorway uncertainly for a while, she screwed up her courage, and knocked on the door. He started at the sudden sound, however, upon recognition face fell sullen.
Come in if you must, Miss Hatwell.
She walked forward a few paces, daring only to look up at him for a few seconds at a time. His voice was smooth, but she felt that there was an edge of disdain lingering beneath.
I assume you will be wanting your diary? It is on the table over there.
Her feet carried her to the table, and her hand stretched out for the diary, but her mind was not governing these actions. Squeezing the book tightly with her small hands, she took a deep breath in.
Her voice on even those few sounds was uneven. He looked up again, almost indignant.
Am...Am I still going to see you for lessons after classes?
She could almost see him thinking.
If you must, but truth be told you are almost at the point where you could continue in regular classes.
She nodded.
See you then...
She had meant to sound cheerful, but she knew she had failed miserably. Before he could say anything, she was out of the room, and the brooding Professor was left with his thoughts.
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The next day, Celsea woke up, and ran a hand through her sandy hair. She skipped her run that day, and sat with the Gryffindors, for the first time conscious that the difference in her uniform caused a few of the first years to stare uncomfortably at her.
That's just great....
Today was a weekend when they would be going to Hogsmeade, and Celsea was excited to be granted a change in scene. The prospect of speaking to Remus again was also encouraging, and so she ate quickly, and spoke little. The rest of the table was clamoring about where they would go and what they would buy, and the girl of the green eyes could not wait to be gone. When finally they were leaving, Celsea wore a small smile on her face, and she rushed to be outside of the castle.
Hogsmeade was a beautiful place to behold, and Celsea was caught by the picturesque buildings and the oddities for sale in the shop windows. Her sparkling eyes looked about eagerly for any sign of Remus, and soon her eyes beheld the tired looking man surrounded by Hermione, Ron and Harry. As she drew nearer, he excused himself with promises to come see them later that day.
Hiya Remus.You all right?Yeah, you?
He nodded, and the two of them set off on an unknown course. For the first while, neither said anything. Celsea felt safe in his presence, and the silence was comfortable, but like the few moments in bed before fully waking, she knew it had to end.
You asked about Professor Snape in your last letter I believe.
She nodded, unsure of the proper response.
He In order to best understand him, it is important to take you back to the beginning. As a boy, Severus Snape never fit in with any of the others, and people loved to pick on him...especially....especially James Potter and Sirius Black...two men who i counted as my best friends at school. You also have to know, that James Potter is Harry's deceased father. Anyhow, they tormented him, and at first he grew depressed, and then resentful of almost everyone. He was clever, but somehow could never match the talents of Sirius and James, and that bothered him to no end. When James died, and Sirius went to prison...
Here Remus paused, and Celsea was shocked, but said nothing.
When those two were out of his life, I believe that Severus thought himself rid of them forever. Unfortunately for him, however, about five years ago, a boy named Harry Potter came to school at Hogwarts where he was teaching Potions. And as if this wasn't enough, Severus was in James' debt, because of an incident that occurred at school where Harry's father saved his life. I imagine that every day Severus looked upon Harry, he was reminded of the shame and humiliation that James brought upon him.
There was another pause, and this time it was Celsea who ventured to break it.
So this is why he hates Harry.Yes, and Harry is ever bit as talented as his father was, and this is another constant bother to him.They must have...have really hurt him if he's still holding a grudge so long after his death...usually when people die they look on people they hated in a better light....ordinary people that is...You're right. They did hurt him...and I was just as bad...
She looked at him curiously.
Although I never laid a finger on him, I never told them not to do what they were doing. I hid behind my books and didn't....maybe he would have turned out differently...I don't know...
Celsea looked up at his pained face. She felt the need to say something, but no worthwhile words came to mind. Her hand brushed against his, and then taking her opportunity, she caught hold of his weather-beaten hand in her much smaller pale one. He started in surprise, but did not pull away from her, instead a small smile pulled on the corner of his lips.
The moment could have gone on for some time, if Celsea had not spotted her Uncle Horatio. In the setting of Hogsmeade, he did not belittle her, or ignore her, rather he greeted her warmly.
Ah, enjoying your first Hogsmeade weekend are you? Which house did you get sorted into? You never sent me an owl...
Celsea raised an eyebrow.
Uncle Horatio? Why didn't you put me in Hogwarts when I was eleven...?Oh ... that...well you know your Grandmother....most persuasive...yes...well...how has school been for you? I hope your grades are...
His voice trailed off and his face hardened when his eyes finally beheld her company.
Celsea Hatwell...who may I ask...is this?Er...Mr. Remus Lupin...I cannot believe you are betraying me and spending time with the likes of him! Don't you know he's a werewolf?! I thought, that someone raised in my home would have better sense than that. I thought that one as intelligent as you would have had more of a sense of self-preservation.Perhaps I should....I'm in Slytherin after all...Oh so you're in Slytherin?That's right...Anyhow, I hope you are paying close attention to your studies, particularly to whatever Dolores Umbridge says to you. Wonderful woman...truly knows her stuff...
Celsea looked towards Remus, and was surprised at the look of utmost revulsion upon his normally placid features. She knew the woman was annoying beyond all reason, but she didn't know that anyone hated her exactly that much. However, now that she paused to think about it, Umbridge had been getting progressively worse, and with so high a position in the ministry, there would be no way she could get around not offending someone.
The more Celsea thought about it, the more she felt she was no longer part of the conversation. Remus remained his silence, although Celsea could almost feel the tension and anger radiating from him, and her father was just babbling. Meanwhile, Celsea's thoughts were wandering far beyond the limits of the village. So much had recently come to light that she found it incredibly hard to focus on any particular aspect of it.
First of all there was the history of Severus Snape. The befuddled girl found his story extremely enlightening, and incredibly moving. It all explained so much, and she felt that she wanted to go back immediately and apologize for anything that she had done that may have caused him hurt.
But she couldn't do that now, because a particularly vehement exclamation from her uncle jolted her back to the current conversation.
I can't believe you! You are a disgrace to the entire Hatwell family! I will be notifying Madame Umbridge about you, and believe me you will be rethinking your actions young lady.
When she yet remained silent, he grew exasperated.
That is all I have to say to you. I am extremely disappointed in you.
With that, he left. Celsea looked down at the ground, at a complete loss for words. What could she possibly say now?
Er...perhaps I should be going...
She looked up again, in surprise.
No, you don't have to. Don't take any notice of my uncle. He's a git.
Remus looked uneasily in his direction.
I don't want to get you in trouble. I've caused enough harm.
With that he turned around and walked away. Celsea balled her hands into fists, and ran away in a direction unknown to her. She found herself looking up at the Shrieking Shack, her face straining to keep tears back behind her eyes. Leaning on the fence, she bit her lip.
Uncle Horatio was such an idiot. Why was he making her do these things, and why did he have to decide who she was friends with?
After staring angrily up at the shack for more minutes than she could count, she understood that she was supposed to return to the castle. By then her passion had somewhat subsided, and she had calmed herself enough to walk with her fellow students without arousing concern or suspicion. However, when they returned to the castle, Celsea did not go straight to dinner, rather she headed for a more secluded area to be alone with her thoughts.
The tears she had been working so hard to restrain finally broke through their pens, and came stampeding down her cheeks.
And the worst of it all is...
She said to herself between sobs.
I didn't even defend him.
Luckily for her, no one was there to see her in her misery, and although part of her longed for the company of someone like Remus Lupin or Severus Snape, but a larger, and much more influential side of her mind kept her alone with herself. She hated herself for not defending her friend, and she knew she could have. So why hadn't she? She had been more content to let her thoughts drift away from the conversation instead of focusing on the important situation at hand.
She would pay for it. She knew she would. Her uncle had something nasty in store for her, although she could not fathom what it could be. She knew that Umbridge was a particularly vile person, and her uncle could be one as well when he set his mind to it, and the thought of what they could come up with together frightened her more than a little. Chewing on a hangnail, her mind tentatively wandered over the possibilities, but nothing came to mind.
I could be expelled.
But that wasn't likely. She didn't think that Dumbledore would allow that, although his influence was becoming surprisingly lesser as the days went by, and with the lessening of his power, was the magnification of Umbridge. She couldn't help thinking, though, that that wasn't nasty enough for them. Her uncle would want something excruciating, but something that would hurt her soul more than her body. He was always one for guilt trips, and manipulation, and as a result, Celsea had grown to expect and dread them. She did not admit to herself that she was rather good at that sort of thing herself. Whenever she had been in trouble, there had always been a window she could slip through somewhere. There was always an escape for her out of every conversation.
That's why I'm in Slytherin.
With that realization, and her grief being almost fully expressed, she headed for the girls toilets, and splashed some cold water on her face.
I look dreadful.
Heading then towards her dormitory, she narrowly avoided an episode with Mrs. Norris, and succeeded in sleep relatively quickly.
The next day, Defense Against the Dark Arts was her first class.
What a way to begin the day...
Hermione and the others looked sympathetically at her timetable over breakfast, and inwardly, Celsea more than groaned. Whatever her punishment was, she was likely to understand the beginning of it today. She had hoped that it might have been put off for some time, but she chided herself for even thinking that. Uncle Horatio was a punctual person; he wouldn't leave something like that more than a day or two. Likely, he wrote to Professor Umbridge that night. No doubt there had been much greedy collaboration between the both of them, and Celsea shuddered to think of it.
You all right?
She blinked.
You sure?Yeah. I'm fine. See you at lunch.
With that she left the table and took as long as possible getting to the classroom. As a result, she was late for class. Usually eager to please, Celsea found she didn't care anymore; she was going to get punished anyway.
You're late Miss. Hatwell.I know.Well sit, sit! We're reading Chapter 4.
With far, far more than her usual amount of sulkiness, Celsea sat down at an empty desk, and began reading through her textbook. This chapter was very dull, if possible duller than the three before it. As she read, Celsea found her gaze slipping easily over the pages, and her mind taking in nothing.
Not that it matters anyway.
When finally the class ended, Professor Umbridge looked pointedly at her.
Miss Hatwell I would like to see you in my office.
Her face sullen, and her mind full of alarm, Celsea packed her bag, and cautiously made her way up the steps towards the office.
Sit, sit. Would you like anything to drink?
Celsea couldn't answer. It was all she could do to shake her head to indicate Well then. Your father has sent me a most disturbing owl.
She looked up at the pudgy wrinkled face, and the bulging eyes. It would have been hard to take her seriously if there wasn't that edge of malice beneath her overly sugary voice and ridiculous appearance.
I hear from him, that you have a problem with...werewolves.
A/N: Well? How did you like it? Please review!!! I worked hard on this chapter....hehe. The ending anyway...
