It happened one History of Magic class in April. I managed detention during
History of Magic, and it was all Sirius Black's fault!
The staff made the mistake of putting the Slytherins in a double class with us for History of Magic. Usually, Gryffindors and Slytherins can coexist without totally killing each other- just a hex here and there. But of course, with Sirius Black as a ringleader of the Gryffindor clique and Bellatrix Black as a leader of Slytherin's, there was bound to be trouble. Bella and Sirius had made their dislike for each other evident, and Meda and Cissa also despised one another. The "Noble and Most Ancient House of Black", as the triplets and Sirius called it sardonically, seemed to be pretty messed up. I mean it's one thing when cousins don't get along. But your own twin sister?!
Anyhow, we were all sitting bent over our desks with quills out, doing our Transfiguration homework while Binns droned on (with the obvious exceptions of Remus, Molly, Emmeline, Severus, & Annie Luvre, who were taking notes). Suddenly, there was a bang. We all jumped, and Remus Lupin screamed. There was a burn on the back of his robes from a rampant wand. Automatically, I turned to see whose wand it was that had hit Remus.
It was Severus Snape's. James's eyes went wide, and he glared at Severus with a look to terrify the most fearsome beast in the world. Bella looked from James to Severus with anticipation on her face. And I knew that whatever happened, I had to try to avert it. I got up, ignoring Binns, who was looking around with polite bewilderment on his face, and moved toward James. At the same moment, Sirius muttered "Coronet!", aiming his wand at Severus.
Immediately, Severus's hair stood on end, and started to grow into long dreadlocks with spikes at the tips. The spikes started pricking at his face, and he yelled a stream of curses at me! I realized that I, standing up with my wand out, was the apparent culprit. I tried to defend myself, but it was too late. Bella, Cissa, Evan Rosier, Riposte Avery, and Darryl Lestrange had gotten up, wands out. Severus joined them, glaring, and I noticed Andromeda get up to protect me! James and Sirius leaped out of their chairs to fight, and Lily, laughing, took out her wand, but remained seated. Most of the other Gryffindors and Slytherins prepared for a battle, watching avidly.
"Stop, everyone!" I cried out, seeing that Professor Binns was about to intervene. But everyone ignored me, and James Potter looked at me for a moment.
"This was coming anyway," He told me. "All we needed was an excuse." Then he tossed his wand in the air, and as he caught it, he called out, "Furnunculus!" Immediately, the class was a whirlwind of curses. I ducked, and suddenly felt a chill. Professor Binns had passed through me. He tried hopelessly to break up the fight, but it was a losing battle.
I ran out of the room, and saw Professor McGonagall walking toward the exploding classroom, looking livid. She stormed in, and bellowed, "ENOUGH!"
Nearly everyone froze, though James gave Severus on more nudge with his wand. "Fifty points from Gryffindor! Fifty points from Slytherin!" McGonagall said, scanning the crowd. "Mr. Rosier, Mr. Whitby, Miss Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Snape, to the hospital wing right now!" As they left, she demanded, "Who started this?" I looked at the gallant look on James Potter's face and realized he was going to try to take the blame. I didn't want to owe anything to him.
"I did, Professor," I said meekly. "Sorry?"
She turned on me. "Detention, Miss Mardec! And if something like this ever happens again, I will have to speak with Professor Dumbledore about your remaining in this school!" Her eyes were popping out with indignation, and for the first time ever, I was truly afraid.
====================== Later, James and Sirius came over to me to apologize, but I was too furious to listen to them. I hadn't done a thing, and here they had the nerve to let me take the blame for their misdeeds. I wasn't thinking rationally, obviously, or it would have occurred to me that James had tried. All I could think about was my detention the next night. Sirius was feeling exceptionally guilty, and tried to make it up to me by bringing me some food he had nicked from the kitchen because I refused to go to supper. I turned it down, and brooded for a while. Molly and Emmeline came to sit and commiserate with me, but I gave them the cold shoulder. Finally, Lily (who's always known me best) walked over to me, and said in a quiet, firm voice, "You're coming on a walk with me."
I knew better than to argue with Lily. I followed her out of the castle, and we walked through the grounds together, Sienna trailing us. "Magda," she said presently, "You have to tell Professor McGonagall what really happened."
"Why? If someone's getting in trouble, why shouldn't it be me? I should have stayed in my seat and blocked Sirius's path to Severus. I did something stupid, and now I'll pay. I'm fine with that."
"No, you're not! I know more than anyone how much you hate bullies, James and Sirius included, and you'd never let them get away with something like that normally," she said, a note of urgency in her voice.
I looked at her. "You really want to get those two in trouble. Why?"
It all came from her in a rush. "You spend most of your time alone, off somewhere here. You don't see what's going on inside. James and Sirius are forever walking up to Severus and other Slytherins and picking fights with them. They're still calling Severus Snivellus, and even though he's sometimes nasty, he doesn't deserve it! Meda, Harry, Brianna Jorkins and I are routinely following them around, trying to stop them from tormenting others, but it's no use! We've asked Remus to talk to them, but he's too reliant on their friendship and won't intervene! Peter enjoys seeing someone else as the underdog, and there's nobody else who exerts any influence over them! Just because they're so brilliant and all, none of the teachers will believe that they could be bullies, and they pin everything on the Slytherins! To top it all off, Bertha Jorkins, Brianna's older sister and a huge busybody, has decided to help them out and walks through Hufflepuff Tower badmouthing anyone who opposes the two, and everyone listens to Bertha! Potter is the most stuck-up toerag ever, and Black is obnoxious to everyone except his friends! We have to do something, Magda- if we don't, they'll be the same for the next six years, and I can't possibly live with that! Please..." Her voice trailed off.
I blinked. "Whoa. That was a lot. I'm not doing anything to have to owe them a debt, though. Lily, I also dislike them- almost as much as you do. I don't want them to hate me, too. They can be pretty formidable enemies, and- "
"Fine," Lily interrupted. "Let Potter's head swell a little more. I don't care!" And she walked away angrily.
I was left there, standing alone with Sienna. "What'd I do?" I demanded of her. She just stared at me with her big green eyes.
Then I heard something rustle behind me. Spinning around, I saw James Potter's face floating in midair. He gave me an impish smile, and said, "Watch this toerag do something decent." Then he pulled the Invisibility Cloak back over his head. I stared at the space where I had just seen him with mixed feelings of wonder, relief and fury. I settled for curiosity and headed back into the castle.
The next day, after Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall called me over and told me that the detention had been canceled. Oddly enough, James Potter and Sirius Black were nowhere to be seen all night, and slept in the next morning. I guess that's part of why they were put in Gryffindor- they definitely fit the criteria in some ways.
The staff made the mistake of putting the Slytherins in a double class with us for History of Magic. Usually, Gryffindors and Slytherins can coexist without totally killing each other- just a hex here and there. But of course, with Sirius Black as a ringleader of the Gryffindor clique and Bellatrix Black as a leader of Slytherin's, there was bound to be trouble. Bella and Sirius had made their dislike for each other evident, and Meda and Cissa also despised one another. The "Noble and Most Ancient House of Black", as the triplets and Sirius called it sardonically, seemed to be pretty messed up. I mean it's one thing when cousins don't get along. But your own twin sister?!
Anyhow, we were all sitting bent over our desks with quills out, doing our Transfiguration homework while Binns droned on (with the obvious exceptions of Remus, Molly, Emmeline, Severus, & Annie Luvre, who were taking notes). Suddenly, there was a bang. We all jumped, and Remus Lupin screamed. There was a burn on the back of his robes from a rampant wand. Automatically, I turned to see whose wand it was that had hit Remus.
It was Severus Snape's. James's eyes went wide, and he glared at Severus with a look to terrify the most fearsome beast in the world. Bella looked from James to Severus with anticipation on her face. And I knew that whatever happened, I had to try to avert it. I got up, ignoring Binns, who was looking around with polite bewilderment on his face, and moved toward James. At the same moment, Sirius muttered "Coronet!", aiming his wand at Severus.
Immediately, Severus's hair stood on end, and started to grow into long dreadlocks with spikes at the tips. The spikes started pricking at his face, and he yelled a stream of curses at me! I realized that I, standing up with my wand out, was the apparent culprit. I tried to defend myself, but it was too late. Bella, Cissa, Evan Rosier, Riposte Avery, and Darryl Lestrange had gotten up, wands out. Severus joined them, glaring, and I noticed Andromeda get up to protect me! James and Sirius leaped out of their chairs to fight, and Lily, laughing, took out her wand, but remained seated. Most of the other Gryffindors and Slytherins prepared for a battle, watching avidly.
"Stop, everyone!" I cried out, seeing that Professor Binns was about to intervene. But everyone ignored me, and James Potter looked at me for a moment.
"This was coming anyway," He told me. "All we needed was an excuse." Then he tossed his wand in the air, and as he caught it, he called out, "Furnunculus!" Immediately, the class was a whirlwind of curses. I ducked, and suddenly felt a chill. Professor Binns had passed through me. He tried hopelessly to break up the fight, but it was a losing battle.
I ran out of the room, and saw Professor McGonagall walking toward the exploding classroom, looking livid. She stormed in, and bellowed, "ENOUGH!"
Nearly everyone froze, though James gave Severus on more nudge with his wand. "Fifty points from Gryffindor! Fifty points from Slytherin!" McGonagall said, scanning the crowd. "Mr. Rosier, Mr. Whitby, Miss Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Snape, to the hospital wing right now!" As they left, she demanded, "Who started this?" I looked at the gallant look on James Potter's face and realized he was going to try to take the blame. I didn't want to owe anything to him.
"I did, Professor," I said meekly. "Sorry?"
She turned on me. "Detention, Miss Mardec! And if something like this ever happens again, I will have to speak with Professor Dumbledore about your remaining in this school!" Her eyes were popping out with indignation, and for the first time ever, I was truly afraid.
====================== Later, James and Sirius came over to me to apologize, but I was too furious to listen to them. I hadn't done a thing, and here they had the nerve to let me take the blame for their misdeeds. I wasn't thinking rationally, obviously, or it would have occurred to me that James had tried. All I could think about was my detention the next night. Sirius was feeling exceptionally guilty, and tried to make it up to me by bringing me some food he had nicked from the kitchen because I refused to go to supper. I turned it down, and brooded for a while. Molly and Emmeline came to sit and commiserate with me, but I gave them the cold shoulder. Finally, Lily (who's always known me best) walked over to me, and said in a quiet, firm voice, "You're coming on a walk with me."
I knew better than to argue with Lily. I followed her out of the castle, and we walked through the grounds together, Sienna trailing us. "Magda," she said presently, "You have to tell Professor McGonagall what really happened."
"Why? If someone's getting in trouble, why shouldn't it be me? I should have stayed in my seat and blocked Sirius's path to Severus. I did something stupid, and now I'll pay. I'm fine with that."
"No, you're not! I know more than anyone how much you hate bullies, James and Sirius included, and you'd never let them get away with something like that normally," she said, a note of urgency in her voice.
I looked at her. "You really want to get those two in trouble. Why?"
It all came from her in a rush. "You spend most of your time alone, off somewhere here. You don't see what's going on inside. James and Sirius are forever walking up to Severus and other Slytherins and picking fights with them. They're still calling Severus Snivellus, and even though he's sometimes nasty, he doesn't deserve it! Meda, Harry, Brianna Jorkins and I are routinely following them around, trying to stop them from tormenting others, but it's no use! We've asked Remus to talk to them, but he's too reliant on their friendship and won't intervene! Peter enjoys seeing someone else as the underdog, and there's nobody else who exerts any influence over them! Just because they're so brilliant and all, none of the teachers will believe that they could be bullies, and they pin everything on the Slytherins! To top it all off, Bertha Jorkins, Brianna's older sister and a huge busybody, has decided to help them out and walks through Hufflepuff Tower badmouthing anyone who opposes the two, and everyone listens to Bertha! Potter is the most stuck-up toerag ever, and Black is obnoxious to everyone except his friends! We have to do something, Magda- if we don't, they'll be the same for the next six years, and I can't possibly live with that! Please..." Her voice trailed off.
I blinked. "Whoa. That was a lot. I'm not doing anything to have to owe them a debt, though. Lily, I also dislike them- almost as much as you do. I don't want them to hate me, too. They can be pretty formidable enemies, and- "
"Fine," Lily interrupted. "Let Potter's head swell a little more. I don't care!" And she walked away angrily.
I was left there, standing alone with Sienna. "What'd I do?" I demanded of her. She just stared at me with her big green eyes.
Then I heard something rustle behind me. Spinning around, I saw James Potter's face floating in midair. He gave me an impish smile, and said, "Watch this toerag do something decent." Then he pulled the Invisibility Cloak back over his head. I stared at the space where I had just seen him with mixed feelings of wonder, relief and fury. I settled for curiosity and headed back into the castle.
The next day, after Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall called me over and told me that the detention had been canceled. Oddly enough, James Potter and Sirius Black were nowhere to be seen all night, and slept in the next morning. I guess that's part of why they were put in Gryffindor- they definitely fit the criteria in some ways.
