Chapter 7: Confrontation and Pumpkin Juice
The next week went by as a blur for the twins as they started getting back into the swing of things school-wise. Their class schedules were in a different order than the ones they'd had in the "future" as they now called it. At times they would walk into the wrong class. April would usually think of something to say as a witty excuse. For example, just that day April and July had walked into Slughorn's Potions class at the wrong time and to get out of receiving a detention, April simply told the professor that she'd wanted to compliment him on his new black robes. They had been even more fitting for his complexion than the black robes he'd worn the day before. After scowling and telling the girls to get out of his class, they'd hurried on to Charms.
"Wonder why Slughorn has such a problem with us," July thought aloud.
"Gryffindors, perhaps?"
"Maybe but Snape never gave me a hard time all that much and he hates Gryffindors."
April merely shrugged and opened the door to their Charms class. It didn't phase her that they were already late.
Tiny Professor Flitwick jumped as the door to his class opened and the Merriwether twins walked in. "You're ten minutes late!"
"Sorry, Professor," July said, throwing her book bag down on top of a table. April took a seat next to her twin, unfortunately sitting directly behind James and Sirius; July in front of James and April in front of Sirius. April frowned, wondering why Remus and Peter were sitting on the other side of the room. Normally they sat in front of James and Sirius; why would they change their seating arrangement? It's wasn't like there had been people sitting at the table already. She noticed Flitwick looked upset over having his class interrupted and might take off points…
"I explained this before, Professor." April began. "My ankle was injured earlier this week and I'm having a little difficulty getting around. July was carrying my books for me."
"No she wasn't!" Flitwick squeaked.
"She meant to carry them for me, but she forgot!" April grinned.
"No she didn't!"
July held up a finger. "No, I really did!"
"I swear on…" She thought for a moment. "You know those shoes you're wearing really add to your height."
Flitwick frowned over the quick change and shook his head. "Enough of the interruptions! Everyone open your textbooks to page one-hundred fifty-two." The rustle of books being opened and pages being flipped filled the silent classroom. April groaned when she saw that they were going to be practicing wandless magic for the period. She was good at it and got bored while many others got frustrated when they couldn't do it.
Flitwick read through the short description of how to go about doing it, April's eyes began to close. All of the other students were listening intently, save for July who also looked like taking a little doze. Back in the "future" July had been okay at wandless magic, but not compared to April. April of course had been surprised because while April did good in school, July did excellent. Then again, July excelled at Potions and Transfiguration while April had always done well in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Flitwick rapped his wand on the desk in front of April. She jumped in her seat, immediately coming out of the sleepy trance she'd been enveloped in. "Yes?"
The professor pointed across the room to a vase sitting upon a shelf. "Summon it to you."
April reached for her wand.
"No Miss Merriwether. Summon it without your wand."
"Yes, sir." April replied, saluting the small man. April concentrated on the vase and in her head said the spell, accio vase! At once the vase came flying across the room and landed in April's hands.
Flitwick looked clearly impressed. April assumed he'd been waiting for her to do it wrong so that he could reprimand her for not paying attention in class. April smiled smugly and sat back in her chair.
"Very well, then." Flitwick said, only a little annoyed that she seemed so smug. "Put the vase back on the shelf and summon that large textbook on the left corner of my desk. But do it at the same time."
July grinned, wanting to tell Flitwick her sister could do that sleeping, but she held off. She instead watching the little show April put on for the rest of their class. She turned and winked at James, who in turn did so to Remus and Peter. The four exchanged a look without either Sirius or April noticing.
April sighed and with her left hand waved it and the vase started moving back towards the shelf. At the same time and using a bit more concentration than before, April snapped her right-hand fingers and the large book came flying over to her.
The students in the class, all looking very impressed, looked to Flitwick for his reaction. "I can see you've clearly done this before," Flitwick said. "I'm extremely impressed!" He squeaked. "Take twenty points for Gryffindor!"
April grinned, nodding. "Twenty not bad."
"Take five for sleeping during my class."
"What!" April sighed and sat back while the class laughed.
After what seemed like an eternity the bells finally rang, signaling the lifetime long class. Although April did enjoy Charms class, repeating what she already knew was the equivalent of sleeping eight hours a night…
April gathered her things, grudgingly aware that Divination was their next class. She'd already gotten into a fight about not having some stupid "Inner Eye" with Trelawney, who was even more anal about her "art" in this era than the "future." That had been two days ago though so she hoped this class they would go at it again.
As she reached the doorway she turned to say something to July but paused when she noticed July's eyes focused on something that had been in front of April. She saw July give a quick, almost invisible, shake of her head. April, frowning now, turned to see what was causing her twin to shake her head but didn't get chance to see because with the next step she took she was starting to fall. She was falling backwards and, knowing she was too far gone to catch her balance, hoped sitting wouldn't be a problem for the remained of the day.
"April!" She heard July say. Then, "Why would you do that!" Followed by laughter.
Someone was going to be in pain besides herself soon, April promised.
She never hit the floor though. Strong arms caught her by the underarm and stood her back up. "You okay?" Sirius asked her, straightening her up. He glared at James over her head for tripping her as he had.
"Yeah… Who did it!" She noticed Sirius was letting his hands linger a bit too long. But she found herself not saying anything for some odd reason.
James shrugged. "Me. UGH!"
April had once again landed a fist in his stomach. Grinning, she turned her attention to Sirius. "Thank you."
"No problem." Was the short reply as he realized he'd never let go. He quickly withdrew his hands.
April stepped past the group, Remus grinning like an idiot. "It wasn't that funny."
Remus nodded. "Yes, it was. How did you learn to punch like that?"
"I don't know, I just seem to always have been able to punch pretty effectively."
"Clearly," James grunted.
"Nothing to say?" April raised an eyebrow at Peter.
"Y-You're going to be l-late for class." Peter didn't take Divination. Probably because he was quiet enough as it was.
April frowned. "The one time you speak in a full sentence and it's that." She shook her head and started to Divination, relishing in the fact that it was her last class of the day.
That night the buzz of conversation grew louder as students entered for their evening supper. Now that it was the first week of October, the ceiling of the Great Hall was clear and sparkling stars were glitter across the ceiling. July was already sitting and eating dinner with the Marauders. April had gone to join them but had been called over to where Brian and his friends were seated. Sirius was glaring in that direction.
"Yes?" April asked Brian with a raised eyebrow.
"I heard about James tripping you after Charms today. He's a git. Why don't you join us for supper? You're sister can come over too if she wants."
"No." April said bluntly. She turned and walked, not giving Brian enough time to react.
Brian didn't take lightly to being turned away so easily in front of his friends. His voice carried over to April. He shouted so others would here also. His friend snickered. "I'm sorry I'm not interested but there was no need to use your Veela powers to try and win me over!"
April winced and stopped dead in her tracks as her hand flew to her wand in her pocket. The entire Gryffindor table had gone quiet and the rest of the Great Hall's buzz was starting to die as well. Most of the teacher's had finished their suppers and had gone to bed for the night. The ones remaining were too far to hear what was now going on. Brian never would have guessed what he'd just done to himself.
April's initial reaction had been to jinx, curse, and hex him. But now she decided words would actually be stronger than actions in this case. She turned slowly to face Brian who had dismissed her and turned back to his friends. "You know it's guys like you that give the whole goddamn bloody lot of you a bad name. You think you're the hotshots in the school, don't you? Guess what, Brian. No one in this world is an even bigger ass than you are. And you can stick your insults up yours because the only girl you're going to get is a cheap two-cent girl!"
Brian's head snapped up and his eyes met hers, glaring. April was surprised at the hatred she saw there and was momentarily confused by it. But her instincts also served her well because she saw his hand reached for his wand the moment it began to do so. She had dropped her wand hand and wasn't holding her own so decided to go wandless. Better cover up that way after all.
Expelliarmus! April mentally shouted the curse, vividly imaging the outcome and smiled when Brian's wand shot out of his hand and flew into the air, landing a few seats down from him in a first year's pumpkin juice glass.
The entire student body was now watching the two and no one knew where the disarming charm had been cast from, except for the sixth year Gryffindors that had been in Charms that day.
April turned her back on Brian and walked back to where July was staring at her and the Marauders looking particularly upset. Remus tried a smile for her though. "That was pretty effective for a wandless spell."
"It comes naturally." As it was with Hogwarts, the roar of conversation resumed itself, mostly about what had just taken place. By then the teachers were well aware something had happened, but couldn't pinpoint where. April started filling her plate with food from the table, satisfied over her small victory. She started talking with July after quickly glancing at James and Sirius, who looked particularly angry.
James noticed his best friend's anger and muttered under his breath so only he could hear. "Not to worry Padfoot, we'll get him back."
Sirius merely nodded and returned to his supper. James focused in on Lily who had taken a seat alongside July. Their positions at the table suggested they were couples. To Lily's dismay she was seated across from James, July from Remus, and April from Sirius. July and Lily were engaged on a topic of Muggles. Lily, July learned, came from a full Muggle family and was pleased to answer July's questions about growing up a Muggle. Remus joined in here and there to put in what he knew or asked a question if he had one.
April and James were arguing over the latest Quidditch standings in the British-Irish League. April of course was for the Irish as she always had been while James favored the British team from Somerset county. They argued and bickered throughout the entire meal, James forgetting to ask April to play for his team.
Sirius was plotting revenge and imagining what it would like to see Brian's head mounted on a wall, like the head of a moose his uncle had hunted down while doing some insane Muggle sport. He also was wondering why it mattered so much to him. Sure he was attracted to the new girl, but to really get so angry over an issue so minor? He felt as if Brian had insulted one very close to him, one that he would consider belonged to him.
And April Merriwether did not belong to him.