DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns the setting and everything that you see in the Harry Potter books. Thanks to Rowling for a brilliant world to write of. However, I do own a few original characters and ideas. If anything in here seems related to another story/fanfic, sorry! It's really not.
A/N: Hi!!! Hm... this is my Christmas present to my readers! I know it's a bit early, but I thought a lot of you might be dying to read the next chapter, since I haven't updated for so long. I'm really sorry for that!!
Anyways, here's my thanks:
Emily716: Thank you so much for your long review!! I'm really glad you think my story is different! And yeah, I do admit that Faye's a little attidue-y, but in my opinion she has every reason to be. Yeah... um... she's going to be more attidue-y. But iI have good reasons for doing this!! It won't be apparent for some time, though... hehehe.
A Darker Shade of Black: Thanks for reading my story! I really appreciate it!! I hope you really like it!
Xaien: Thanks for reviewing for my story!! I like your new penname! I'll really try to write faster!! ::argh--my fingers!!::
chitana: Lol, you sound very desperate.
erina: Hehe, well, if you want a quick get-together, I can't help you. Sorry!
theQuibbleringQuibblerer: God, that's such a hard name to write out! Lol! Well, I hope you like this new chapter!
Cain's Snake: Yay!! You like Faye! I was hoping that she wasn't too nasty! Yeah, I really hate Prissy, too. I seriously don't know how she turned out that bad... lol!
B182Fn: You finished it in one night?? Wow! I congratulate you!
Shdow: Here's the update!
fall of the angels: OMG thank you so much for your reviews!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're awsome! Thanks also for recommending those stories to me! You're almost the only one who did!! Anyways, you are REALLY perceptive! You're the only one who actually commented to me about the really subtle hints I dropped about Fiona's second side! Hehe, everyone wants to meet Andrew!! o. Anyways, your reviews really made my day! THANK YOU again!!
Ali: Hehe, I do have more here than I do there because I started this one earlier.
Lauren321: Thanks! You're really awsome about reviewing! I still need to go check out your story, though. Yes, I know Faye was mean and really harsh, but she can't help it. Well, I guess I can't help it. Anyways, it's all a parter of a bigger plot!
sarah: Hehe, Faye was mean, and I'm sorry about that. But I need this little twist to lead up to my plans for Faye's summer!
EW4eva: ROME??? Wow, I want to go! > Lol, well, here's the new chapter!!
Norbertthedragon: Set the evil sushi on me?? You wouldn't! How could you be so cruel!! ::whimpers::
: Lol, okay.... Faye was mean, I admit it. Hehe, you think Sirius was being annoying? Ah, well, everyone hs their little flaws.
Markella: Yeah, Faye was mean... Lol, I seem to be saying that so much in these replies. Here's your long-awaited chapter!
Sam: Hehe, sorry about that. But I started on this site earlier, so yeah. Anyways, I promise that something will happen between them... just not right now. Lol, sorry if I'm totally shattering your hopes!
Nyx Nyte: Yay!! Thanks for reviewing!
hunnydukes-chocolate: Yeah, Fiona's pretty nasty. But I have more plans in story for her! Hehe, I'm not sure if Faye actually admitted she likes Sirius as boyfriend-girlfriend type... hehe, she's one hard nut to crack, eh?
Joy: Um... sorry? Lol, I can't go back now. I have everything planned out! Hehe, sorry if you SUFFER... (not really).
pyro-2389: Holy Elvis...? Lol! You're from the other site, too! I feel so loved!
amanda031: Here's the update, even though it wasn't very soon... hehe.
nimbio: Hehe, Sirius has gone through a LOT of bashing, and there's still more to come. Lol!
--
---Chapter Ten: More Problems---
--
After I took several calming breaths, I had to heave myself up and proceed towards the Great Hall, my anger at Black still burning hotly. But once I got close enough to the Hall to hear the cheerful noise and chatter of the rest of the school, I couldn't bring myself to go in. Black would be in there, and knew that I couldn't meet his gaze—or even glance at him—without wanting to tear my hair out, scratch his eyes out, punch him until he was nothing but pulp….
So I just sat on the staircase that Grace and I had slid down so many times, waiting for Grace to come out and debating on whether or not to tell her about how my argument with Black. She had heard about so many of our arguments that she must have gotten bored of hearing about them. I kept on reliving the fight… it was as if the scene was on replay over and over again…
--FLASHBACK--
"Fine!" Black shouted, his face red and his eyes angry… and hurt. I furiously squashed down the guilty feeling in my stomach. He didn't deserve it. "I'll leave you the hell alone!"
"Good," I said coldly. "That's exactly what I want."
"Fine!" he shouted.
"Fine!" I shouted back.
--FLASHBACK--
"Faye? Why didn't you come eat?" Grace asked, jerking me out of my memory; she'd managed to sneak up on me on while I was unaware. I managed a weak, fake smile that I knew Grace didn't buy.
"Nothing much," I answered, trying to make my tone more convincing.
"Is it Sirius again?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice. "You know, the next time he bothers you, I'm going to turn him into a radish!"
"A radish?" I repeated disbelievingly. "Why a radish?"
"Because I don't like radishes and I've been practicing," Grace said brightly. "You want to see? You can be my guinea pig!"
"Er… as pleasant as that sounds… NO!" I answered, smiling.
"Fine," Grace sniffed. "You don't know what you're missing out on."
"I'm sure," I replied dryly.
"So," Grace said, dropping back into seriousness, "is it about Black?"
"Yes," I sighed. "It's always Black, isn't it? But let's not talk about him…. I don't want to spend any more time dwelling over our unpleasant arguments than I have to. So… uh… where's Leah?" I just noticed that Leah wasn't here.
"Talking to that Hufflepuff girl that you don't like… what's her name… Prissy Carlson. Yeah," Grace replied, closely scrutinizing me. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah," I said. Another spurt of anger flared up in me. "But I don't even know why I'm so angry! I got him to leave me alone! It's like I want more; like I want him to kill himself off or something!"
"Really?" she asked incredulously. "You got him to leave you alone? Now that's pretty amazing. He hasn't left you alone in… hm… he's never left you alone ever since he met you."
"Yeah. It was actually easier than I thought. I told him that I'd never liked him one bit, and I told him to lay the hell off," I said.
Grace frowned. "Isn't that what you wanted him to do? You should be pleased."
"Yeah… but—well, I don't know why I'm still so angry at him!" I answered huffily.
Grace sat by me in silence for a while. Then she nudged me, a cheerful smile pasted over her face. "Let's go look for those secret passageways! It might make you feel better."
I grinned at her gratefully. "I've shown you the one that Black showed me, right? And I did show you how to get to the kitchens, right?"
"What?" Grace gasped. "You know how to get to the kitchens? Wait—Black showed—? And—!"
"I'll take that as a no," I concluded. "Sorry. It must have slipped my mind, what with Black and Malfoy and Prissy's crowd. You know."
"No, I don't!" she gasped, faking hurt and hiding her face in her hands. "How could you!? I thought we were friends!"
I laughed. "You want to see it or not?"
"Yes!" she jumped up excitedly. "The kitchens! Whoa! How did Sirius find all that?"
"I dunno," I said truthfully. "He just said that 'a little exploring never hurt anyone'."
"Let's go!" Grace cried impatiently. "I want to see what it looks like!"
At her urgings, I led her to the portrait of the bowl of fruit, and I tickled the pear, just as Black had. I had to smile when I heard Grace's amazed gasp of delight and saw her gaping mouth. I must have looked like that when I first came in here. I felt another stab of guilt as I remembered that it was Black who had showed me this place.
The house elves came swarming around us again, asking us if we wanted anything in their squeaky, shrill voices.
"Would the little missus like some salad?" one of them squeaked. I couldn't be sure which one—they all looked very much alike.
"Bread?" another called.
"Soup?"
"Tea?"
And so it went, until I held up my hands against the barrage of questions and suggestions. Grace was still gazing at them with amazement and disbelief, her jaw slack.
"I think some tea will be fine, thank you!" I tried to make myself heard. A few elves came and practically hauled us both off to a little table, while a few others scuttled along with a tray with two cups and a teapot.
"Here, Miss Faye," one of the elves bobbed a curtsey. Miss Faye? That was too weird.
"No, don't call me that," I said. "It's too formal. Just Faye will be fine. And thanks for the tea!"
"As you wish, Miss Faye," the house elf squeaked. I winced at "Miss Faye." "And what this little mistress want?"
Grace was ogling at the house elf silently.
"Um… this is Grace," I said hastily. "Thanks, we don't need any more."
The elf bobbed another curtsey and was gone while Grace turned to me.
"House elves?" she whispered in a strangled voice. "I can't believe it!"
"Neither did I, at first," I admitted.
"And Sirius showed you this?"
"Yeah," I nodded.
"OH!! Think of what else he'd know! All the Marauders probably know about this!" Grace sighed enviously. "They'd probably know all the secret passageways in the school!"
"I bet they do," I said, thinking about them with admiration, until I remembered it was Sirius Black and James Potter I was admiring at that moment. That effectively put a stopper lid on my respect. I didn't want them to get any cockier than they already were.
"Did Sirius show you anything else?" Grace asked.
"Oh, yeah!" I answered. "He showed me a shortcut back to the Gryffindor tower."
"Wow. He did?" Grace sighed with awe. "Faye," she nudged me, grinning maniacally, "you really found the way to his heart!"
"No," I snapped, feeling the familiar flames of fury licking my insides again. "No, I didn't."
Probably sensing my mood, Grace changed the subject. "Let's go see that other secret passageway!"
As we stood up, more house elves came over to us, including two that looked very familiar.
"Milly? Tilly?" I asked. The house elves' faces broke into huge smiles.
"Miss remembers us!" the one I assumed was Milly cried. "You were here with Master Black! We remember!" Grr… why did everything remind me of Black?
"Um… yeah…" I said uncomfortably.
"We're in a bit of a hurry right now," Grace interrupted, "so we must be on our way! Thank you all for the service! Bye!"
We left among a chorus of "Please return soon!"
"You know," Grace said, glancing at me sideways, "if what you said to him really bothers you that much, then just go apologize."
I gasped. "Apologize? Me? For what? I didn't do anything!"
"But…?" she prompted. I grimaced.
"There is no 'but.' It's his fault he can't take a hint and bugger off."
"Okay," she said gently. "That's fine."
We reached the tapestry that Black had showed me ages ago. Dredging up the memory of exactly what Black had done, I brushed the tapestry aside and felt along the panels behind it. I pressed on one and felt it give. A second later, all the panels starting moving aside to form a huge hole.
I grinned at Grace's astonishment. "It's pretty cool, huh?" She nodded soundlessly. "Come on!" I tugged on her arm, and we stepped through together into the darkness.
"It's getting da-ark!" Grace shrieked as the doorway started closing.
"Hush! That's why we have wands, remember?" I hissed. I took out my own wand and lit it. The dark, cramped hallway stretched out before me, looking the same as I remembered from my last time here with Black. Ugh! Why couldn't he get out of my head already?
"The ceiling's so low," Grace shivered. "I feel like it's going to cave in on me."
"It won't," I assured. We proceeded down the dark passageway, my wand lighting our way. I felt Grace grip my hand, and I smiled a bit at her insecurity.
"Really, how will you walk along here by yourself if you're scared of the dark?" I asked amusedly.
"I'm not scared!" she answered indignantly. I laughed softly.
"I was scared when I went through this for the first time, too," I confided.
"Really?" Grace asked. "What about Black?"
"I couldn't let him know," I said, scandalized. Grace giggled.
I let my hand trail against the wall. I could almost imagine Black, striding in front of me with that unbearably arrogant swagger…. I smiled. Wait. I shook myself. It wasn't as if he was dead or anything! And why was I recalling his silly antics with wistfulness?
"It starts to slope downhill, Grace," I said after a while. "And there are cracks on the ground. I learned the hard way."
"Did you trip and crash into Black and roll all the way down to the bottom?" Grace laughed.
"How'd you know?" I said, surprised.
"It's the only thing you can do," she replied snidely.
"Thanks a lot," I retorted. "Now I know what kind of friend you are."
"My dear," Grace said, faking shock, "you should have known ages ago. You are so behind, dahling!"
I shuddered. "Don't call me 'dahling.'"
"Why ever not?" Grace drawled in a parody of a courtier's voice. "It suits you so, dahling!" Laughing I pushed her, and she pushed me back, until we both ended up slammed against the wall.
"Here's the harder part," I said, feeling around to push on the panel. "We're going to have to jump a bit."
The wall opened to reveal the same dizzying fall that I had seen so long ago. Yeah. "A bit" just didn't cut it.
"A bit?" Grace squeaked. "A bit?!"
"Yeah," I smiled. "Jumping or not?"
"What if we miss?" she asked. "That staircase looks awfully far away. And the ground… that looks even worse!"
"We won't miss," I assured her. "We can't miss."
We can't miss. Those words echoed in my head. I remembered exactly how Black had said them, with confidence and assurance…. I shook myself angrily. I was mooning after Black. How pathetic was that? The word 'mooning' successfully put to rest the rest of my stupid memories of whatever Black did. He was going to leave me alone, and I was happy about it, and I was still angry with him for whatever reason; that was that.
"Let's go," I said. Grace was looking at me reproachfully. "Ah, come on, you're not scared!" I tried to goad her, just as Black had goaded me. Damn! How did he slip back into my thoughts?
"I am!" Grace wailed, to my surprise.
"Don't you have any dignity?" I asked exasperatedly. "You did a few minutes back!"
"This jump scared all of it away," she answered. I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand.
"Let's go!" I cried, jumping. I heard Grace scream as she came down with me. We crashed into the staircase with a force that jarred my whole frame, and we went rolling down to the bottom of the stairs.
"See?" I asked after I regained my breath. "Wasn't that fun?"
There was no answer. I looked around, and I saw Grace lying there, unmoving, her eyes closed. Holy shit. What have I done?
"Grace! Grace, are you okay!" I panicked, seizing her shoulders and shaking her a bit. Her head lolled back lifelessly. "Oh, god, I am so sorry! Shit, did something hit your head?"
I ranted on fearfully and was just about to gather her with my wand to take her to the hospital wing when she twitched. Relieved, I sat back on my heels.
"Grace! You're alive!" I cried thankfully.
She lifted her head up and winked at me. "Do you think I'm made of china?" she asked impishly.
"What?" I exploded. "You were all right all that time I was ranting about saving you?!"
"Yeah, pretty much," Grace said. "It was pretty funny, listening to you. Haha, when you said, 'I'll never be able to forgive myself' and 'I'll do anything, just be okay,' I thought I was going to crack!"
"YOU—!" I shouted, leaping on her and tackling her. "That wasn't funny!"
"You're in denial," Grace laughed. "Argh! Get off! What if you really did hurt me? Then you'd be really sorry!"
I pouted. "That still wasn't funny. And I wasn't that worried."
"Hah! Keep on telling yourself that," she said. "I know better! You just loovee me!"
"Noo! No, I don't!" I snapped waspishly. "I knew you were tricking me all along. I DID! Really—no, don't smile like that!" Grace was smiling smugly.
We bickered good-naturedly all the way back to the common room. My good mood dropped as soon as I stepped through the door. There he was. Sirius Black. Well, the good thing was that he was leaving me alone. He was talking to the Marauders, and he didn't even turn his head when Grace and I stepped in. Remus looked up, shooting me a questioning look, jerking his head in Black's direction. I shrugged carelessly in response while Grace waved at him cheerily.
"I'm going upstairs," I muttered to Grace.
"I'm coming, too. I have to make sure you get started on your homework," she said, following me up the stairs.
ll----ll
My jaw cracked as I yawned. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I shook my tangled locks out of my face before getting out of bed.
"Good morning, world!" Arabella sang as she burst out of the bathroom. "Morning, Faye!"
"Don't talk to me right now, you perky freak," I grumbled as I slouched into the bathroom halfheartedly.
"Don't worry, I won't, Destroyer-of-Pleasant-Mornings!" Bella called to me through the door. I growled with irritation as the cold sink water woke me up immediately as I washed my face and brushed my teeth.
Grace and I stumbled down the stairs to go eat breakfast. Leah had long ago disappeared. I wondered what she was doing, anyway, getting up at such an ungodly hour. We entered the Great Hall, and my gaze was drawn immediately to a crowd of people—more specifically, girls—around the Gryffindor table.
"What are these girls doing here?" I pondered to Grace. She shrugged and stood on tiptoe to get a better look.
"It looks like they're all drooling after either Sirius or James," she answered after a moment. Wow. All those people for one measly Sirius Black?
"Hey, look, Leah's there!" Grace said.
"What?" I craned my head, searching. Sure enough, Leah was standing there, giggling like all the other girls. Blech. Even worse, she was wearing a tight red miniskirt, black tights on underneath, and a very revealing, neon pink shirt. Those tight clothes did NOT look good on Leah's plump frame. She shifted, and I caught sight of her face. I cringed. Her face was as overdone as Prissy's. What had happened to her? What had she done to herself?
"Grace…" I whispered. "What did Leah do?"
"Prissy Carlson got to her," Grace said back, disbelief, hurt, and a little bit of disgust in her voice.
"Prissy…" I repeated. "God, I hate that slut. But why does Leah even want to act like her?"
"I don't know. Maybe 'cause Leah likes Sirius. Prissy made the school's most well-known Siri-poo fan club."
"Leah likes Sirius?" I asked, surprised. This explained everything. Ugh. How could I be so dense? That was why Leah was cold and always snappy at me: Black.
"Should we go talk to her right now?" Grace asked me.
"Um… I don't think we should…" I said hesitantly. "Since Prissy's there, too."
"I guess…" Grace sighed.
We walked past the group and took seats very far away from them. To my pleasure, Black didn't once glance at me. His friends were sitting with him, all of them but Potter looking harassed by the crowd of giggling girls. Black and Potter were at the moment flirting outrageously with at least four girls at once. At least. And after those girls moved away, they would go on with the next four.
Disgusting.
After some time, Remus and Peter detached themselves from the girls and came over to sit by us. Grace and I looked up from our conversation, surprised.
"We couldn't stand those giggles," Remus confessed with a smile. "Is it okay for us to sit here?"
"Yeah, sure," Grace said immediately. I hid a little smile and elbowed her. She jumped and glared daggers at me while I grinned at her innocently.
I turned to Peter, planning to leave Remus and Grace at it, but Remus spoke to me first.
"Faye, what happened with Sirius?" he asked, his eyes serious. I wasn't expecting that. My whole body sagged in irritation and exasperation.
"Why do we have to talk about him?" I grumbled. "I told him to leave me alone, and he finally said he would! End of story; no more to talk about!"
"Okay, okay…" Remus held up his hands against my next flood of sentences. "I just wanted to see… because… well… Sirius is acting funny."
"I don't care if Black dances naked through the halls with a neon sign taped to his big head that says 'I'M GAY AND PROUD OF IT,'" I snapped crossly before turning to study my toast intently. Thankfully, Remus understood that the conversation was over, and he started talking to Grace.
It seemed like forever until it was time for class. I gratefully got up from my seat and walked towards the Transfiguration. Grace and I were early, and we waited a bit for Leah to come. When she finally arrived, I had to close my eyes. She was a horror to look at. Honestly. No exaggeration.
"Leah, what's wrong?" Grace said immediately. Grace was good. She didn't even flinch.
Leah looked away. I could tell that she knew what Grace was talking about straight away. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to wear this and hang out with some other people. Is there something wrong with that?" she said defensively.
"No… but—"
"But what?" Leah interrupted Grace rudely.
"But you shouldn't be treating Grace like this," I said before Grace could edge a word in. "She's just worried about you and why you're suddenly acting like one of Prissy's lapdogs."
"It's none of your business!" Leah snarled. "And why should you even care? You shouldn't be here! You don't belong here!"
The few people who had arrived were looking at Leah with surprise and consternation written all over their faces.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked calmly, though I was anything but.
"I mean that you don't belong here, at Hogwarts! You're an outsider! You just came waltzing in, thinking that you can call this place home, ruining my life and stealing whatever I have!" Leah shouted.
"What the hell have I stolen from you? What would I want from you?" I sputtered incredulously, but she rode right over me.
"I don't want you here! First Grace, then Sirius! How long will it take for you to take everything? Just go back to the trash you came from! Oh, but maybe you can't even go back there, huh?" she sneered. "You're unwanted, wherever you go, wherever you run to! Unwanted! Just give up and go hide somewhere where you can't inflict your presence on innocent bystanders!"
Those words hit me like a slap in the face. I was unwanted…. Henry and Diana don't want me… I was intruding on Tracy and David's life, ruining their lives, costing them money…. Melanie didn't really want me, an abused, unwanted, insignificant girl, for a sister….
I was faintly aware of Grace saying, "That was way out of line, Leah! What's gotten into you lately!?" I turned my back to them both and shoved past the other people that were coming in through the door. I roughly shouldered past Remus, who asked, "What—?" and almost pushed over Potter, who shouted at me to watch where I was going. Once I was free of the crowd, I started running full-pelt down the hallway, my bag bouncing against my leg painfully every once in a while. I didn't care if I missed class.
How did Leah know? How could she? Henry and Diana… I was unwanted… Tracy and David… I was a disappointment, a burden….
Just go back to the trash you came from! Oh, but maybe you can't even go back there, huh? You're unwanted, wherever you go, wherever you run to!
Leah's words echoed through my head; it was all I could hear. She was right…!
But how could she have known?? Anger blossomed in me automatically, covering up my pain and sadness. The answer hit me like—like a slam into the wall.
My diary.
So Leah had been the one that night, the one who'd read my diary! It all made sense now! She knew… she knew about my—life. Knew all about Henry and Diana and Fiona…! Rage boiled off in me alarmingly fast. How could she! That was my whole life, my most private thoughts!
I clattered into the East Tower. Stomping right over to the balcony, I screamed as loud as I could, "DAMN! Damn her to hell!!"
I was breathing hard—gasping for breath. Leah… Leah, that little snooper, that nasty, little conniving brat…. How dare she! I kicked one of the railings as hard as I could, ignoring the pain in my toes.
Then Leah knew all about it. All about my crappy life. All about my lonely, barren childhood. She must know about all my secrets… all the things I could never tell anyone… the secrets I had kept in that diary…. Oh, how she must have laughed! I could feel angry tears brimming in my eyes, but I furiously swallowed them back. Leah would never make me cry. Leah wasn't worth it. She was nothing, and she would never, ever have the satisfaction of hurting me.
But… the diary…. I shouldn't have even brought it. Too many people were too nosy for their own good…. And now Leah knew about Henry and Diana and Henry… I felt as if my heart were being ripped out of my chest. How many people did she tell? The shame….
I traced the sun's trail across the sky, memories flashing back before my eyes.
--FLASHBACK--
"Don't take that tone with me!" Henry roared at me. He towered above me, raising his fist threateningly. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, waiting for the next blow.
--
I watched, as Fiona ripped open her Christmas presents. She had so many gifts, from all her friends as well as Henry and Diana. She'd gotten so many pretty things, including a beautiful, gold necklace, new clothes, and dainty, elegant stationary.
I'd gotten one gift from Andrew.
My heart was bursting with jealousy and envy as Fiona laughed over her new shoes. I watched as Diana smiled and caught her up in a hug, and Henry affectionately ruffled her hair. When would they touch me the same way, look at me the same way?
When Diana and Henry looked at me, I could see disgust in their eyes. I could see myself in their eyes—a disappointment, a worthless, undesirable thing that had to be put up with until time made it possible to discard.
--
"Diana, can I have that, too?" I asked, pointing to the doll that Fiona clasped in her arms. "I want one!"
I was rewarded with a solid clout to the head.
"No, you can't," Diana snapped, contempt in her voice. "That's only for Fee!"
"But Fiona has so much!" I protested. "I have none!"
"And you won't be getting any from me," said Diana. I looked up at her and saw the contempt and dislike in her voice mirrored in her eyes. She didn't want me. She never had.
"You're mean! You're a hateful old lady!" I shouted, bringing about the attention of other people in the store. Maybe if I tried crying like Fiona did, Diana would get me something. It always worked when Fiona did it.
Diana glanced around and smiled at those people. "Oh, she's just sad because I won't buy her another doll. She has so much already. Come, Faye."
"Liar!" I yelled, kicking and screaming at the top of my lungs while she gripped my arm and dragged me out of the store, Fiona following us, looking at me with wide eyes, while angry, furious tears slid down my cheeks. It didn't work if I did it….
--
"Who are you?" I asked, bending over a small boy who was sitting huddled by the wall. "Why are you sitting here all alone?"
He looked up at me through thick glasses. He was obviously Chinese, with black eyes and black hair and a yellowish complexion. "I'm Andrew Lin. Remember me, the Geek? Nobody likes me. Nobody will play with me."
"Come on. Get up," I said. "I'll play with you."
--
"You going to go cry to Diana again?" I mocked Fiona lazily. "Going to go cry to Mommy because you can't win a battle of words against me? They must have given you a nice wooden carving for a brain the day they were handing them out."
Fiona looked at me, her face scrunched up and tears running down her cheeks. "You're horrible! I hate you!"
"I could have told you that," I answered easily, not in the least perturbed by her announcement that she hated me.
--
Andrew and I laughed as Greta Langston walked out of the bathroom with a baboon's butt in place of her head. We were doubled over in pain; it was so funny. People took one look at Greta and ran off in the opposite direction, sputtering with contained hilarity, leaving her to stand there, obviously confused.
--
I was listening to the horrible noises coming out of Fiona's room. Fiona had just recently started learning violin. Oh, how I wanted to learn! I was sure that I could play it well! And I was sure that Fiona would quit soon.
Hah! My prediction came true.
"Mommy! I don't want to learn violin anymore!" I heard Fiona screech, banging out of her room. "It's too hard! I don't want this stupid instrument!"
I heard Diana try to calm her down, saying, "Well, of course you don't have to learn it if you don't want to, dear."
I snorted. What a spoiled brat.
After the voices faded, Fiona went back into her room, and Diana went out to buy food, I crept into the living room. I crept because Diana had just grounded me, and she had supposedly locked my door so I couldn't get out. It was a good thing I'd learned how to pick locks. Anyway, if Fiona heard me, then it meant no dinner for me today.
There. I saw it. The violin was standing in one corner, looking lonely and unused already. I was sure that Fiona wouldn't care about it anymore, and nor would Diana. The trick was to never let them find me in possession of it, or they'd surely take it away, as they'd taken away anything else that had made me happy.
I could hide it at Andrew's house! With that plan in mind, I quickly gathered up the violin and its case before creeping back into my room.
--
"Don't hit me, please!" I cried. It hurt… it hurt so much. I was thirteen, and it was summer break, meaning that I had to come back to this hellhole. But I had refused to cry in front of them a long time ago, and this time would be no different.
"Apologize to Fiona!" Henry roared, waving his belt dangerously. Every muscle in my body was screaming for release, and every movement sent waves of pain down my lower back. I could feel the blood trickling down. I whimpered with pain and tried to snuffle back my tears.
I screamed as the belt came down on me again. Pain ripped through me, and I could hardly even heave myself up to a crouch.
"Apologize!" Henry yelled. Fearful of more pain, I turned my face towards where Fiona was standing in the circle of Diana's arms. Apologize to her? Why? I'd done nothing wrong but tell her the truth about herself.
"NO!" I choked out at Henry. "Fiona's a lying, cheating brat and—!" He kicked me so hard that I rolled all the way to Fiona's feet. My back screamed in protest as it touch the wood floor briefly. I was aching for release… anything to make the pain and agony stop.
I lifted my face up, seeing Fiona's wide-eyed face. It took almost all the strength I had left. I dropped my face back down to the ground. They didn't deserve my apology. I would never let them hear it.
"Do it!" Henry shouted. I could practically see him tense up to deliver another blow, though I wasn't looking at him.
"Alright," I croaked, squeezing my eyes shut.
"I'm s-sor—," I choked on that. Something in me rebelled. No, I wouldn't let them win. Never. I opened my eyes defiantly. "No! I'm NOT sorry! Not sorry for saying the truth!"
I felt a searing pain on my back again. This time, thankfully, blessed blackness swooped down on my and freed me from the agony.
--
"You want to learn the piano with me, Faye?" Andrew asked, his glasses almost slipping off his nose in his bouncing excitement. "Mom's making me learn, and I'll teach you whatever I learn! Okay?"
"Yes!" I cried, just as excited as him. We were already learning guitar together, and it was way fun. I spent hours at his house, playing and laughing and talking. I wished I never had to leave. I had hidden my violin, formerly Fiona's, in his room as well, and I practiced it whenever I got the chance.
--
"Andrew!" I yelled, bursting into his house on summer day. "Oh, sorry, Anita." I apologized quickly to his mother before rushing upstairs, waving a letter in my hand.
"Andrew, you won't believe what I just got!" I screeched as soon as I banged into his room. He was standing near his window, an open letter in his hand.
"I—I'm a wizard, Faye!" he said, turning around, his face lighting up in excitement. "Can you believe it? A wizard!"
I gaped in surprise, and then I rushed over to him, pushing my letter in front of his face. "So am I! A witch, I mean!"
"And we're going to go to—" Andrew started.
"—Drake's Institution for Witches and Wizards!" I finished excitedly.
--
"Hah, look at her," Fiona jeered, contempt in her voice. I tried to mask my anger. "She can't even make her hair look a bit more presentable. Honestly, it looks like a nightmare!"
That was such a weak taunt, but all of Fiona's brainless followers laughed their heads off anyways.
I glared at them ferociously, wishing that I could just run away, disappear. Wait. No. Not that. I wished I could knock all of those bimbos silly.
I would never run away, not from Fiona, not from anyone. I would show them all!
--
"I—still—can't—do—it!" Andrew cried in frustration as he fell off his skateboard for the fifth time in a row while trying to do a jump on it.
"I'll show you!" I said, executing a jump, even though it was slightly wobbly and I almost fell over when I landed. "Come here."
--
"What's that on your shirt, Faye?" Mrs. Dreyla, my P.E. teacher, asked. I was at a summer exercise class that Andrew had convinced me to join with him. I twisted around in panic. Holy shit. A scab from my last beating must have broken while I was running. Blood was spreading rapidly, staining my white shirt a dark red.
"Um… it's nothing," I said quickly, feeling my back sting worse than ever at this lie.
"No, it's not nothing," Dreyla said sternly. "What happened? Who did this to you? Come here! Lift up your shirt."
I shook my head. "It was an accident. And accident!" All the students in the class were staring at me.
Dreyla didn't buy it. She caught my arm and forced me to stay still. She lifted up my shirt and gasped. I pulled away and glared at her fiercely.
"Why can't you mind your own business?" I yelled.
Dreyla looked at me with pity in her eyes. "Who did this to you?"
"No one!" I cried desperately.
That damned teacher shook her head. "We have to call in your parents."
--
"Aren't the sunsets here at Drake's pretty?" Andrew asked. We were sitting on the roof, having found a trap door that led there. We watched the sun sink behind the mountains and the sky turn yellow and red.
"Yeah. I wish I could just fly off into the sunset," I said pensively, admiring the color of the sky.
"Or maybe we could send Gross Greta off to the sun to burn up," Andrew joked.
"That might work," I nodded with mock seriousness. "I don't know if it's painful enough, though."
--FLASHBACK--
I dredged up every detail about that one sunset that I could as I watched the sunset from the East Tower. It wasn't the same. I remembered Andrew's presence. Here, I was alone. I missed him. I missed him so much it hurt. I remembered the laughs we used to have, the things we used to do, the pranks we used to play on the people that actually deserved it….
What would Grace think of me if I told her about my 'family?' Andrew had been shocked beyond belief, but he hadn't shunned me. He had treated me as if nothing had ever happened, and I was grateful for that. Come to think of it, Black had, too…. I was disgusted at myself. How could I even compare Black, my enemy, to Andrew, my best friend?
I spent the rest of the day huddled there, in the East Tower, brooding about my past. My burns came back, blistering painfully over my hands and face. The sun set before I picked up the remainder of my resolve and walked out of the East Tower to go eat. If my stomach hadn't commanded me to move, I would have stayed there all night. I still didn't feel like going to eat in the Great Hall, though, so I dragged myself towards the kitchens. I actually thanked Black in my head for showing me the kitchens.
But when the portrait opened to admit me, the first person I saw was Grace, sitting in a chair and eating some bread. She looked up anxiously at me when I came in.
"Faye?" she said softly. "What happened in Transfiguration?"
I looked away. "Leah just got me mad, okay?"
"It must have been something really serious, though," Grace protested, sensing that I wanted to turn away from the subject. "You missed a whole day of classes! Is it something about your family?"
I flinched. It hurt to lie… but what else could I do? "No. I was just—a little… worried over something."
"What?" she pressed. "You can tell me. You can tell me anything."
"No…" I gulped. "This… this… I can't say it. I—I just can't!" There was a long silence after this before I picked up the courage to look at her in the face.
Grace was regarding me with a cold expression in her clear blue eyes. Underneath it, though, I could tell that she was hurt. That made me hurt inside. She was only trying to help me by talking about it, and I threw it back in her face.
"Fine. I thought we were friends. I guess I was wrong," she said frostily. "Wrong about you. Wrong about us." She turned to leave. Something inside me broke watching Grace about to walk away from me, away from being my friend.
"Wait! Don't go!" I cried out, instinctively reaching out and gripping her wrist. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'll tell you. Just don't—leave!"
Grace turned back and grinned at me. "Silly. I wasn't really going to leave you."
My jaw dropped.
"Haha, got you again," Grace said gaily while I pouted. She really knew how to relieve all the tension, I had to give her that, no matter how peeved I was at falling for her tricks every time.
"Let's get out of here," I said in a low voice, watching the house elves watch us with big, interested eyes. "I can't tell you with all these house-elves around."
I pulled Grace out of the kitchens, to the obvious disappointment of the house elves, and we headed back up to the common room. Once we were safely inside our empty dorm, Grace huddled on her bed with her covers over her like she was getting ready for a story. I grimaced at that thought as I dug around in my trunk for my old diary. Maybe it could explain it better than I could.
I went to sit beside Grace, trying to gather up my courage to tell her. Would she think any differently of me afterwards? Would she think I was lying? But she cared about me… she had a right to know. After Andrew had found out, I could tell that he'd been hurt that I hadn't told him. I wouldn't make the same mistake with Grace.
"Before I tell you anything," I said, "promise me that you won't think differently of me afterwards." Grace looked startled.
"Faye, if it's something really serious… then of course I'll think differently of you. It's inevitable. But I promise you that, no matter what, I'll always be your friend," Grace said gently.
I took a deep breath. Those words meant so much to me. "Tracy and David aren't my real parents. They're my aunt and uncle…. But they're the closest things to parents that I've ever had!" I added with certainty. My hands shook as I unlocked my diary. The diary that had my horrors locked away in it fell open in Grace's hands.
"W-when I lived in California…" I whispered in a small voice, "my father… Henry Prewitt… he—hadn't wanted me. None of them had. Henry and Diana and Fiona didn't care, didn't want me…"—I hid my face in my hands, fighting the memories that threatened to make tears spill over my eyes—"He hit me. Henry hit me… hurt me so bad I sometimes thought I would die…. Andrew was my only comfort, my one friend…. What Leah said… about my trashy family… she was r-right…"
Grace was hugging me. "I'm sorry. You don't have to say anything else. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I made you say that, made you think about it again…. I shouldn't have demanded to know… I'm too nosy…"
"No, it's all right," I gasped out after the great lump in my throat had lessened. "It's over now. I j-just can't—it's hard talking about it."
Grace hugged me in comfort for a while longer before pulling away. "I never knew," she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry." I could tell that she had tears in her eyes.
"You never knew because I didn't tell you," I said, looking down at my hands. "I'm the one who should be sorry." I hoped she didn't think that I was something to be treated delicately. I wanted things to be the same between us.
We sat together in silence while Grace locked my diary and gave it back to me unread, saying that she didn't want to read the most private thoughts of my life. "It wouldn't be right," she said. I thought I was going to suffocate in that dead silence when Grace broke it. Finally.
"But how did Leah know?" she asked quietly.
"She must have read my diary," I said bitterly, anger rushing through me again, making my sunburns throb. "I found it open one night… she must have gone through it!"
"Or maybe she just said it out of anger… maybe she doesn't really know…" Grace tried saying.
"Yeah, right," I said. "She hates me! I don't even know what I did, besides 'steal' her things. Hah! God, why does she hate me?"
"Well," Grace replied thoughtfully, "She has a thing for Sirius."
I snorted, feeling a bit back to normal. "That git, again? Why does he have to ruin my life like this?"
"He doesn't purposefully do it, I'm sure," Grace said soothingly.
"I'm finding that quite hard to believe right now," I snorted.
"I still can't believe Leah said those things to you," she said softly. "It's like I'm seeing a whole new side of her, this Prissy Carlson side."
"Yeah…" I trailed off. Another uncomfortable silence followed, until I came up with the perfect thing to break it with.
"How'd you know I'd go to the kitchens?" I asked. Grace quirked a smile.
"'Cause it'd be like you," she laughed. "Your stomach would be calling."
ll----ll
"Hi, Severus," I greeted Severus as I sat down next to him in Potions. Professor Gadgen had just assigned us permanent partners to work with for the rest of the year, and luckily I had landed with Severus. I hadn't talked to him much, only waved to him in passing and the like.
"Hi," he grunted. I stole a quick glance at him. He was studying the board like there was nothing else in the world. We were doing a poison antidote today.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No. Why would you think that there's something wrong?" he asked jerkily.
"No reason. Just that you're staring at the board as if your life depended on it, and you avoid meeting my eyes," I said lightly. "That's all."
"Well, maybe there might be something wrong, but it's no biggie," Severus snapped.
I shrugged. I knew that I shouldn't have pressed him. He was a touchy person. Instead, I acted as if I didn't care and started cutting up my roots.
"So," Severus sounded as if he was struggling to find something to say, "I noticed that you've finally gotten Black to leave you alone."
I laughed, though it was slightly forced. "I just told him to leave me alone and made it really convincing."
"And I've been trying that for ages," he answered sourly. "It's never worked."
"You'll get the hang of it sooner or later," I said sympathetically.
True to his word, Black had left me completely alone. He flirted with more girls than ever, too. I would never admit it to even Grace, but I sort of… well… felt ignored. And even worse… I felt bored. Yeah. Bored. I had no one to snap at, no one to insult, no one to trade comebacks with…. It was most unsettling. I felt as if I couldn't relieve all the nasty words that had been building up in me for ages.
And things with Leah… had developed—into full-fledged war. Leah now entirely hung out with Prissy Carlson and her gang, ignoring Grace and me. I didn't really mind this, but I knew that Grace did. Grace would often try to talk to her, even though it didn't result in anything. I was tempted to just tell Grace to give it up, though I knew she wouldn't listen.
"You have to give me some pointers," Severus said, jerking me out of my thoughts.
I laughed again as I tipped my roots into the cauldron and stirred it with my wand. "You know, I kind of feel… bored, now that Black actually is leaving me alone. There's no one to snap at. It gets really… well, dreary," I commented thoughtfully.
"So you miss him?" Severus choked disbelievingly.
"That doesn't really accurately describe it," I said hurriedly. "More like… er… feel a bit dull, that's all."
Severus snorted. "Well, at least he brings a little color into your life. All he brings into my life is torture."
"Why are we discussing him anyway?" I asked. "It's bad enough for you that he bothers you. I don't want to bring him into any more of your time."
"Thanks for being so thoughtful," Severus said dryly. "I very much appreciate it."
"You should," I sniffed. I glanced at him, pleased to see that the corners of his mouth were twitching. I was right. All Severus needed was a friend to talk and joke with.
Severus and I passed the period in companionable chatter about little things. After class, Grace, who still didn't approve of Severus, swooped down on me and hauled me away from him, despite my protests.
"Oh, get real, Grace," I sighed as we walked towards our next class. "He's not bad! He's not going to kill me or rape me or whatever you think he will."
"You never know," she replied stubbornly. "And he's still a Slytherin."
"Come off it," I scoffed. "Being a Slytherin has nothing to do with what type of person you are? The Slytherins can't possibly all be like Bellatrix Black."
"You just wait. When Snape shows his true colors, you'll see," Grace said doggedly. I sighed and gave up trying to reconcile her.
I headed to the library alone later that day. Grace had complained of the long walk there, so she'd remained behind and put in her requests for several books. After poking around the dusty shelves and getting dust and cobwebs all over my hair, I finally gathered up all our needed books and proceeded back to the common room. I could hardly see in front of me because of the tottering pile of books piled in my arms.
"There she is!" a high, squeaky voice shouted from down the hallway. Was that a house-elf's voice? Confused, I stopped and turned, trying to stand on tiptoe and make my arms longer at the same time so I could see what was going on, almost causing the whole pile to topple over. When I finally got my balance, I saw a mob of preppy girls running at me, all waving their wands over their heads in what I supposed to be a threatening manner.
Well, they outnumbered me twenty to one, so I had no choice but to run for it. But what about the books? Madame Pince would kill me if I didn't return them all in pristine condition, and these girls would probably trample them. So I did the stupidest thing possible in a situation like this.
I tried to run with the books still in my hands.
Yeah. Stupidest thing I'd ever done. The first book fell down before I even went three steps, and I tripped over it. It sent me tumbling headlong into the ground along with the rest of the books. I banged my chin hard on the ground. It jarred all of my senses, and I had to shake my head to rid myself of the dizziness. Ow! My teeth hurt like hell.
The crazy mob of girls was on me by then. Before I knew what was happening, they were binding me tight with their wands.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" I screamed at them angrily. "What are you doing? Let me go, you freaking, ugly cows! What're you going to do to me?"
"We're going to tie you up and stash you inside a closet!" one of the girls panted.
"What?" I yelled in panic. Then I blinked, actually taking in what she'd just said. "Oh, wait. Come on. What kind of prank is that? Can't you come up with something more original? I mean… stuff someone into a closet? That's got to be the oldest."
"Shut up," a girl snapped. She was Prissy.
"You!" I snarled. "What's the matter, Prissy? You can't think of a better strategy of revenge? I knew that you couldn't handle thinking twice!"
"Silencio!" one of the girls cried. Hah. It didn't work.
"Man, you guys can't even perform one simple spell that's O.W.L. level?" I snickered even as they hauled me up and started looking for the nearest closet to stow me away in.
"At least we're pretty!" Prissy shot back. What a lame comeback, and an untrue as well.
"Hell, no," I said. "You guys are like overdone muffins! I swear, I don't even know how you can show your face to the world every day when you look like that!"
"Shut it, Faye. Let this be a warning to you!" Prissy shouted. "Never go near our Siri-poo again!"
"I haven't talked to him in days!" I yelled. "Are you that stupid?"
They reached the closet. One girl jerked the door open—she was Fiona. Anger flared up in me again and Fiona smirked at me.
I took a deep breath. This was my last chance to make as much noise as possible so somebody could come save me.
"AAAHHHHH!!!" I expelled my breath in the loudest wordless yell I'd ever accomplished, drowning out the girl's squeals and high-pitched screams. I screamed until I ran out of breath, and I had to stop to draw in a new breath. Before I could continue, a new voice interrupted.
"What's going on here?"
We all looked down the hallway to see Remus Lupin standing there. The girls immediately dropped me with gasps. Ouch. My butt didn't bear that very well.
"He's Siri-poo's friend!" I heard Prissy whisper in a panicky voice.
"So, are you girls going to clear out or am I going to have to make you?" Remus asked, taking out his wand.
"Oh, Remmy-poo," a girl I recognized as Terri Andrews breathed in a disgustingly giggly manner. She stepped closer to him. "We weren't doing much—"
"Just get out of here," Remus snapped, leveling his wand at her face. I was pleased when all the girls scampered away. Terri was even crying.
Serves that stupid git right, I thought nastily.
"Are you okay?" Remus asked, bending over me and making my bindings disappear with a wave of his wand.
I sat up, rubbing my arms. "Thanks. They weren't smart enough to do much damage. All they wanted to do was stuff me into a closet. They didn't even take my wand away from me! Honestly, those brainless dimwits should take lessons on jumping someone!"
"Why were they jumping you, anyway?" Remus asked. I got up and started picking my library books off the ground.
"Because of your wonderful friend, Sirius Black," I answered sourly. He bent down next to me and started helping.
"Sirius?" Remus seemed to be neutrally unsurprised, which in other ways not really surprised. "Why?"
I sighed and pushed a few strands of hair off my forehead. "You sure you want to hear it? It's absolutely the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard."
"Yeah," Remus said. "I mean, they seemed to really want to hurt you, even if they weren't really capable of it."
"Well," I said, "they think that I'm stealing Sirius Black away from them."
To my surprise, Remus laughed. "Well, you are."
"What do you mean, I am?" I asked hotly. "I most certainly am not! And I'm sure that I don't need you to remind me that Black has just agreed to leave me alone, and so far he has!"
"Erm… Faye…" Remus trailed off as I glared at him.
"Black doesn't like me," I snapped. The very idea of Black actually liking me appalled me, disgusted me, and… frightened me.
"Well, he might not like you," Remus said delicately. I had a feeing that he was choosing his words very carefully. "But you do have a strong affect on him."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked suspiciously.
"Well… ever since Sirius decided to… er… leave you alone forever, he's been acting funny."
"Oh, no," I rolled my eyes. "This 'acting funny' thing again?"
"Yes," Remus said. Too bad he wasn't thrown off track so easily. "You really affected him, Faye. He's been flirting with twice as much girls that he usually does, only to unexpectedly spout obscenities about you in the middle of his flirting session, and that's pretty serious…and freaky… and every time you walk by, he somehow ends up either breaking or hurting something. You should see some of the bruises on Prongs!"
"I don't care to know how many girls he's going out with…and I couldn't care less if James ends up in the hospital wing 'cause of Black," I said through gritted teeth. But I did feel… kind of bad. After all, now that I thought of it, the words I had said in temper were very harsh. Very harsh indeed. In fact, I cringed at the memory.
"But, Faye!" Remus now looked slightly anxious, "it's more than just funny! It's actually serious! No pun intended!" he added, seeing my oh-no-really look. "He's been ranting to James, Peter, and me about you all day long! He won't shut up about how unfair or whatever you are! He magicked his breakfast to look like your face, for heaven's sake! He's got this mounting obsession about you! He's dreaming about you, too, man! You should be scared! I can't get to sleep at night 'cause of that guy! He mutters your name and shouts swear words at you in his sleep! Look at these bags under my eyes!"—he pointed a finger at what I had to admit were really atrocious bags— "Peter has even taken to sleeping in the common room! Take pity on us!!!"
Remus was sounding more than anxious now—he sounded desperate for some sort of cure for Black, or at least some way to actually get to sleep at night. And those bags! If I were him, I'd be desperately looking for a cure as well. Which was really quite funny and pitiful at the same time.
But Remus said that Black had developed an obsession with me. It was really scary and creepy. He had an obsession with… me, of all people? Scary. Talking about me at night? Wait—actually, swearing at me at night. Maybe this really was serious.
"Please, Faye!" Remus begged me, a scary, frantic look in his eyes. "Do something! At least talk to him!
"But I haven't noticed anything," I said, a last bit of residual resentment and anger flickering up in me. Black couldn't possibly be obsessed over me!
"That's because you're too busy ignoring his existence, which makes him even worse!" he said, the frantic, slightly crazy light in his eyes getting even brighter and more fervent. "He gets worse every day, honestly! Yesterday, he had a whole conversation with you in his sleep, and he elbowed Prongs in the gut really hard! James spent half and hour throwing up his breakfast and lunch!"
"What was the conversation about?" I asked, curious.
"He said loads of stuff… about how angry he was at you, how wrong you were…" Remus trailed off, perhaps just realizing that what he was saying wasn't the best of compliments. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
"Please, Faye!" Remus pleaded. He actually got onto his knees, groveling before me like I was some sort of goddess! "Please! Help me!" Oh, God. How degrading.
What kind of man are you? I thought disgustedly. Have you no dignity, man? No pride?
Remus started sobbing over my shoes. My jaw dropped open, and I moved a step back. Obviously not, I answered myself. The loss of sleep has really robbed him of all his senses.
"Remus," I said soothingly. "It's okay…"
"N-no! It's not okay!" Remus sobbed. "I need my sleep!"
I tried to placate him, but it wasn't working. He seemed to want to sob onto my shoes, trying to string together a bunch of incoherent words.
"Um… what's going on here?" a new voice asked. I straightened from trying to heave Remus off the ground to see James Potter standing there, looking quite confused and suspicious as he looked from Remus, who was still sobbing his heart out, to me.
"Oh… um… I'm trying to cheer him up!" I said defensively.
"What did you do to him?" Potter asked wearily, walking closer.
"I didn't do anything!" I said indignantly. "He just—he just broke down!"
"Okay, whatever," Potter replied, grabbing Remus's arm. "Come on, come on!" his voice changed into a coaxing tone, as if he were trying to get a child to follow him. "Come on, Remmy. We're going to go back to the dorm now."
"NO!!" Remus shrieked. I moved another step back, astounded. How could a boy scream like that? "I don't want to go back! Not to him!" I fought back a giggle.
"It's okay…" Potter said, still in that coaxing voice. "Sirius isn't in there right now! He isn't in the dorm right now! So it's safe!" With a stupendous effort, Potter hauled Remus off the floor.
"Really?" Remus asked dazedly, just like a child. Maybe he had stroke or something. "Okay, then."
Remus was wrong about everything he'd said about Black's creepy obsession over me… right? I resolved to find out, starting with Potter's bags.
"Oy! Potter!" I yelled. "Turn around for a sec!"
"What?" he asked, annoyed, turning around. For the first time, I studied his face closely… and I jumped back in horror and revulsion.
"Holy shit!" I shouted. "What are those?" Potter's bags were even worse than Remus's, and that was saying something. His face now looked like it belonged to a sleep-deprived raccoon instead.
"If you're referring to the bags under my eyes," Potter snapped irritably, "it's all your fault I have them! So blame yourself for inflicting the ugliness onto your eyes."
"My fault?" I repeated cautiously.
"Whatever you said Sirius, you idiot! You know, if I seriously didn't need some sleep right now, I'd be shaking an apology out of you!" he said. "But as it is…"—a huge, jaw-cracking yawn assaulted him—"I need to go to sleep before I try anything physical."
He and Remus staggered off, walking unsteadily. I stood there, rooted to the spot in shock. Black wasn't really obsessing over what I'd said to him, was he? My words had been a trifle harsh….
Whatever. I'd see if Remus was telling the truth before I did anything else.
I headed back to the common room, my head buzzing with all these new thoughts and my arms loaded with the library books. Was Peter really resorting to sleeping in the common room?
"Faye, there you are!" I heard Grace say as I tottered into the common room. "It's been nearly two hours! What have you been doing? Thanks to you, I haven't been able to start on my homework yet, and I'm already tired enough to fall asleep! Doing nothing can make me very tired!"
I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Well, I was coming back with the books you ordered, your Majesty, but I got stuck in traffic."
Grace's brow knitted together. "Traffic?"
"Yeah," I sighed, tipping the books onto the table before collapsing on a chair next to Grace. "A mob of girls attacked me. Prissy Carlson's crowd—this time including Fiona, my bratty sister."
"Them? Again?" she asked in disgust.
"And they were planning to tie me up and leave me inside a closet," I added with contempt. "How unoriginal is that? They could have at least had the sense to take my wand away and stuff me into a toilet or something!"
"Yeah!" Grace agreed sarcastically. "Geez!"
"Well, I insulted them a bit—"
"Why! You were their captor, stupid!" Grace interrupted.
"—And then they tied me up and started hauling me towards the nearest closet, without taking my wand away, mind you—"
"What, you wanted them to take it away?"
"—Hey, I just wanted to make sure they jumped a person the right way. And anyways, Remus came along and scared them away."
"WHAT?!" Grace bellowed.
"That's not all of it!" I cried, missing the reason why Grace bellowed. "He started sobbing on my shoes because of lack of sleep! It was really scary! He was begging me on his knees to go talk to Black! He said that Black was ranting about me in his sleep! Is that creepy or what!"
"You're wrong," she said. "Remus wouldn't—couldn't possibly—cry! He's a man!"
"Look at the end of my robes!" I shouted. "They're all wet! It's gross!" I shook my robes at her in despair.
"Whoa," Grace breathed, wiping some droplets off her face. "This is serious."
"Yeah! And then Remus spouted a bunch of lies about how Black has been acting funny whenever I'm around—"
"He has!" she interrupted.
"—which is—! Wait! WHAT DID YOU SAY?" I yelled. "It's so not true! I can't possibly matter that much."
"Face it, Faye," Grace sighed. "Even though Sirius has been leaving you alone… well… Let's just say that he can't be the same person without bothering you. I mean, did you see him get James in the stomach? James had to go throw up—!"
I was shaking my head disbelievingly. "Okay… Grace, if this is some major plot to actually make me fall for this stupid idea, it's not working, so you can just drop it."
"But, Faye, it's not a trick!" Grace protested.
"I have to admit, you guys are really good at acting," I said, riding right over her words.
"You're really hopeless, you know that," Grace sighed. "How can I prove it to you?"
"I'm going to find out by myself. If what Remus said is really true, then I should do something about it," I concluded the conversation thoughtfully. "Now let's get to work on that Potions essay."
Grace shrugged, though I could tell she was hiding a satisfied smirk. Distinctly disgruntled, I set to work. After nearly an hour of work and silence but for the scratching of quills, I decided to stop.
"Hey, Grace," I yawned. "I think I'll turn in for the night."
She glanced at the clock. "Me, too. Besides, it's no fun working alone."
"Yeah, and it's fun waiting alone for me to come back with your books," I said as we gathered up our things.
"Of course!" Grace cried, faking a scandalized look. "There's only one person actually doing work, and that's not me!"
I rolled my eyes at her as we both stood up and made our way to the girls' staircase. Then something caught my eye. I rubbed them incredulously. Peter was down here, in the common, in a pair of striped pajamas, settling down in a couth with a cute little quilt over him. He was even humming a little tune, looking blessedly oblivious to the rest of the world. Oh my God. Was Remus telling the truth?
"Peter?" I asked, approaching him. "What are you doing down here in your pj's?"
He looked up in surprise. "Sleeping!" he told me, acting as if it were obvious.
"Why are you sleeping down here when you could be sleeping up in your dorm?" I asked him slowly.
"M-my d-dorm? Peter stuttered, suddenly looking frightened. "W-why would I d-do that?"
"Because you're supposed to," I said, feeling like I was addressing a small child. "Remember? You're supposed to sleep in your dorm with Remus and Potter and Black—"
"No!!" Peter shrieked. "Don't talk to me about that! I don't know what you're talking about! No!! I sleep out here! Always!" He burst into tears, just as Remus had. Grace and I exchanged glances.
We made a break for the stairs, leaving a sobbing Peter behind us. As soon as we slammed the door of our room behind us, we burst into laughter.
"He's—finally—lost—his marbles!" Grace gasped out. Once we had calmed down enough to stop rolling around on the ground, the sight of our other dorm-mates' faces set us off again.
As I lay in my bed after the last giggle had passed, I contemplated my next move. I had to somehow help Remus and Peter regain their sanity. Potter was the only one who could still speak about Black without bursting into tears… though I wasn't sure how long that would last. And I did feel… bad about what I'd said.
I resolved to sneak into the boys' dorm to see if Black was really ranting about me, and I knew the perfect thing that would get me in there.
--
REVIEWSS!!!!!!!
Before you readers tune out, I have a VERY IMPORTANT notice. I started a new story, called A Fossil in the Mud, and this one's a SB/OC one as well, except it's going to be mostly centered on humor. PLEASE check it, and review, of course! 0.
Another note: I think I
might cut my story in half, and make a sequel to Hidden Flames. Hehe,
are you happy, madderthanyou? Lol! Well, I want to do this
because I think a lot of chapters look very intimidating, so yeah. Just
tell me if you want a sequel or not, okay? Thanks!