- Of Earth & Stars -
Chapter 35: A Hero's Stand
November 1994
"Hey Suri." Fourth year Harry Potter fell into step beside Suri between passing class periods.
"Harry." Suri smiled in greeting. Immediately she noticed the way his emerald eyes darted around the throng of students moving past them to get to their own classes. "You alright?"
"Yeah...let's talk over here," Harry nodded to an empty corridor off the main hallway. Suri followed, glaring as a couple Ravenclaws gossiped loudly about Harry as they passed by; Suri's fingers flexed irritably over her wand stashed in the pockets of her robes. Since the Halloween Feast when Harry's name floated out of the Goblet of Fire, her fellow Slytherins made Harry's life a living hell with new vigor, and it seemed the rest of Hogwarts would take their lead.
Now, in a mostly empty hallway, Harry said, "I'm supposed to meet with Snuffles in a few days. He said to make sure you were there. Can you do that?"
"What do you mean meet with him?" Suri's eyebrows shot up. She and Sirius had written over the past month, and while his growing concern was palpable in the letters—especially when he heard Durmstrang and Karkaroff—Suri didn't realize Sirius was growing so restless he would blow his cover. She understood his concern for Harry participating in the Tournament, and Kararoff being a former Death Eater, but would her paranoid father really do something so rash? Suri's stomach twisted slightly, of course he would. Sirius would do anything for the people he loved. It was where she got her own restlessness from.
"I don't think so...well, maybe. He wants to meet at two in the morning in the Gryffindor tower. If you meet me a little earlier, I can help you get in."
"Of course," Suri answered quickly. "What day?"
"November twenty-second. That's Saturday night."
"I'll be there." Shoving aside her racing thoughts Suri searched Harry's pale face and empty expression. "How are you handling...everything? Any changes?"
"Ron isn't talking to me. Still."
"I'm sorry. I'm sure he'll come around. You're his best friend."
Harry nodded, still looking unconvinced. Suri continued. "For what it's worth, I'm rooting for you during this whole Tournament. I don't want to see you in the hospital wing."
This finally brought a small smile to Harry's lips. He looked up, emerald green eyes meeting hers. "Thanks. You're the first person who's actually said something nice about all of this."
"There's no point in making you feel bad about it. I know you didn't put your name in the Goblet." There was a time when Harry was smaller than her. Now at fourteen, while short for his age, he had grown to be a couple inches taller than her. He was still as thin as a rail. "You shouldn't be late for your next class. If I don't see you between now and the twenty-second, let's meet near the stairwell that goes to the dungeons. Half past one."
X
Suri's last class of the week was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Filing into her usual seat-somewhere off to the side, she was surprised to find Nate had someone tagging along with him when he joined her.
"Ivan wanted to see what our classes looked like so I said he could tag along. I don't mind sitting in the middle," Nate explained as Suri scooted to the edge of the table so that Nate was between her and Ivan.
Suri looked at the quiet boy whom she hardly exchanged more than passing pleasantries with. "Does Durmstrang have a Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"
"We do, but it might be done differently at Durmstrang." Ivan had a thick German accent. "Nathaniel says you do more theory here. At Durmstrang we are always doing spells."
"I think Nathaniel's sort of right. It depends on the professor. Our first few years were really lousy, but last year and this year are completely different." Suri answered, smirking at Nate. He didn't hate being called Nathaniel, but he never introduced himself by anything other than 'Nate Avery'. On the occassion Suri did use his full name—when he was being a pest or when she was speaking seriously with him—he always rolled his eyes. But with Ivan, Nate hardly seemed to notice. Interesting.
"I am interested to see what Hogwarts has to offer," said Ivan.
On cue, Professor Moody clunked his way into class, his one wooden leg dragging a half-step behind him. "Wands out, quills away," he commanded once at the front of the classroom. The class, composed of Slytherin and Gryffindor seventh years-and Ivan-rushed to comply.
"Quickly, who can recap the Unforgivable Curses we've gone over?"
Veronica Mills, sitting beside Bradley, raised her hand and Moody waved for her to speak. "The Unforgivable Curses are the Cruciatus Curse which tortures people, the Imperius Curse which makes people do whatever the caster wishes, and the Killing Curse...that's self-explanatory."
"You lot saw the spells done on some spiders last week. Who's ready to do the spells today?" Moody pulled out his wand and tapped one of two spider-filled jars on his desk. His question silenced the classroom. Not even a single Slytherin student moved. Moody's heavily scarred face was stony as his magical eye whirred about audibly. "Come on, the fourth years were a braver bunch than you! While these curses are illegal, it is important to be aware of them. You never know when an enemy will strike! By knowing how to perform the curses you will abide by my rule of constant vigilance!"
Bradley raised his hand. "I'll do it, Professor."
"Front and center, Price." Moody turned to his desk and unscrewed one of the lids from a spider jar. Extracting a single spider, Moody put it on his desk. Immediately the spider attempted to flee to freedom.
"Choose whichever spell you wish, Price."
Bradley stared at the fast moving spider, his ivory complexion paling further. Finally, he pointed his wand. "Erm, imperio!" The spider ceased moving.
"Don't just stand there boy, make it do something!"
"Um...dance," Bradley commanded. All eight of the spider's hairy legs moved jerkily to a silent beat. After a few seconds, the spider stopped and scurried off.
"Avada Kedavera!" Jet green light shot from Moody's wand and the spider curled into itself. Dead. "Take a seat, Price," Moody growled and Bradley immediately obeyed.
"Can anyone tell me why Price's spell didn't hold the spider?"
The mood in the room was tense. No one dared to raise a hand. Moody stared down the class, unbending. Finally, Suri raised her hand, shoulders tense. She did not wait for Moody to call on her. Calmly, she answered. "He didn't want it enough, sir."
"Elaborate Rosier-Black."
Suri exhaled quietly. Over the summer, Sirius had given her transfiguration advice. He'd said the strongest spells were done when one believed they would succeed. Reflecting back on this, it was an idea Suri knew could be applied to far more than a Transfiguration lesson.
"Bradley is a highly capable wizard, but whether it was nerves or something else, he got in his own way. Unforgivable Curses require a high caliber of skill—if the user is feeling unconfident in any way, the spell loses its strength. There is also a possibility of a spell backfiring or missing completely. This rule applies to any charm, hex, jinx, curse or general act of magic, really."
"Of course she would know how to use an Unforgivable Curse." Veronica said snidely. A couple Gryffindors snickered. Some looked back at her with disgust. Suri held her head high, vaguely aware of Nate bumping his knee beneath hers in solidarity, or Bradley glaring at his seatmate.
"Front of the class Rosier-Black."
A chill ran down Suri's spine at Moody's sharp command. Keeping her expression blank, chin raised, Suri grabbed her want, ignoring the way the air in the class changed as her classmates seemed to tense. All the while, Moody's magical eye whirled all around his head before it settled on her.
"I'd like to see you test your theory," he said, licking his lips as he spoke. Suri looked at the jar of spiders. With a shaky hand, she used the tip of her wand to retrieve one and placed it on Moody's desk. She knew what spell she'd use. Taking a breath she pointed her wand and blocked out her own worry of how her classmates would see her.
"Imperio." She cast the curse in a clear, steady voice. Just like Bradley's spider, hers stilled. Unlike Bradley, Suri was in complete control. "Sit," she commanded. The spider obeyed. "Walk in a circle." It obeyed again. Then, leaning forward, in a quieter voice Suri gave her final command. "Be free." The spider turned around and scurried off Moody's desk and into the shadows.
"It's one thing to command the Imperious Curse with such ease." Moody said carefully, as though this were a private lesson between the two of them. Suri knew Moody was supposedly one of the best aurors around, but he made her uncomfortable. Something felt off about him, but she chalked it up to his years of hunting dark witches and wizards. That magical whirring eye made her too nervous to even think about using legilimency on him. "But it is another thing altogether to be able to resist it. Perhaps a spider is too easy for you, Rosier-Black. Perhaps you need something closer to your size. Mills."
Beside Bradley, Veronica blanched. "W-what exactly are you volunteering me for, Professor?"
"Perhaps you'd like to have a go with the Imperious Curse on Rosier-Black? Or have it tried on you? It is the mark of a strong will to be able to resist the Curse."
"I-I'm sorry Professor, I don't know," Veronica stammered. Suri looked at her classmates. Some Gryffindors looked ready to defend her, some were merely fascinated. However, most Slytherins looked amused. It was enough to make Suri's stomach turn. Moody was out of line. Was he purposely trying to pit students against each other?
"Then perhaps you should think before you blurt things out, girl. Simple errors like that will get you killed," Moody admonished harshly while Veronica looked close to tears.
"I won't use an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow student," Suri said. "I know this is Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I grew up with these students. While some are a dodgy bunch, no one deserves to be put under one of these curses."
Moody frowned. "Your mother was Contessa Rosier, right? A close friend of James and Lily Potter whose son was the Dark Lord's downfall? She died protecting what mattered to her, did she not? She orchestrated battles that ultimately led to the deaths of You-Know-Who's followers...and do you think she hesitated when she came face to face with people she once rubbed elbows with in the Great Hall?"
Suri felt her throat constricting, a mix of outrage and shock. Why did Mad-Eye Moody's recount of her mother sound like an insult? Suri bit her tongue, and Moody continued.
"When her husband, your father, Sirius Black killed all those muggles, had she witnessed it, do you think she would have refrained from Cursing him because of their long history?"
"I-I don't know, sir. I don't think that's fair to ask," Suri exhaled, remaining as controlled as possible. "I'm told she was dead before it was assumed my father killed those people."
"You don't know? How about I make it easier, hm? Do you think your parents would have hesitated if their friends suddenly betrayed them?"
"They wouldn't," Suri answered coolly, temper simmering behind storm-grey eyes, all prior worry cracking under the heat of her anger. Professor, or not, Moody had overstepped. "My parents and their friends were good people who protected everyone against You-Know-Who. I'm sure they probably had to duel Death Eaters to keep others safe, so I'm not sure what you're trying to imply, Professor. Say what you will about my father—he's been known to be a loose cannon, but I will ask you just once: do not speak ill of my dead mother. Sir."
"By refusing to practice what your mother endured before she died is a disservice not only to her but to her memory!" Moody shot back. He took a step forward and Suri took one slight step back. "She dreamed of fighting to make the world a more autonomous place while the Dark Lord's followers tried to cleanse it with their beliefs. Who would have thought those fighting for justice finest produce offspring so easily spooked—"
"If Mills won't do it, I will." Suri turned to find Nate, rising from his seat, hazel eyes bright though he appeared in control. Something worked on his face—a cross between anger, a desire to prove himself, and something more...something he tried hard to hide. His mind was a fortress against Suri's Legillimency.
"We're getting off topic, aren't we? All this talk about the War is fascinating, but you asked for Suri to perform an Unforgivable Curse on someone, right? I'll do it."
"Interesting...Avery, come up here."
The tension in the classroom was palpable. Nate stood across from Suri, Moody between them. Nate's lips quirked, a sardonic smirk without malice. "Come on, Suri. Are you scared?"
"Nate," Suri hissed through thin lips. "What are you trying to do?"
"It seems like he'll do what you so blatantly won't do," Moody said gruffly, looking from Nate to Suri. Something about the way his mechanical eye whirring loudly in its socket made Suri uncomfortable. Turning away, Moody gruffly addressed the rest of the class. "Everyone move out of the way."
The class was a flurry of motion as everyone rushed to comply. Waving his wand with a blunt flourish, Moody arranged all the tables into a wide circle around him. His wooden leg flaked against the floorboards as he paced a half-circle. "During the War friends and family turned against each other. Many fine witches and wizards on both sides lost their lives because they were soft. Survival is about putting your needs aside for the greater cause, even if it means using an Unforgivable Curse on someone you know. Rosier-Black. Avery. Front and center."
Sharing a look, Suri and Nate joined Moody in the circle of tables as their classmates watched on from the edges of the room. Moody's one beady eye pierced Suri. "You have a choice, Rosier-Black. "You have a choice: Either you go under the Imperious Curse or cast it. What will it be?"
"I'll go under," Suri answered instantly. For the first time since Nate volunteered himself, he looked uncomfortable as a slight tick worked in his jawn.
"Very well. Avery, wand up."
"If you're sure about this," said Nate. He and Suri put a few feet of space between them before facing each other. Nate raised his wand. "No hard feelings."
"Do your worst, Avery."
The ghost of a smile touched Nate's lips, but it did not reach his eyes. He exhaled. Then, "Imperio!"
Suri wasn't sure what she expected to feel beyond some level of pain. She did not expect to feel good. Her busy mind felt quiet as the world around felt soft, like the moment before falling asleep. Suri wanted to stay here forever. Moody's voice sounded far away as he said something incomprehensible.
"Raise your arms," Nate's voice came crystal clear through her calm. It was strange, but she obliged. She could hear other sounds, less clear than Nate's voice. Laughter? Right. She was still in class. She realized it must be weird for her to raise her arms randomly. Why did she have to? Slowly, she began to lower them.
"Keep them up," Nate commanded, and Suri stopped her movement until she remembered how ridiculous she must look. No. I want them down. She lowered them again.
The calm, as quickly as it came, left her, and suddenly she was back in the classroom, as though resurfacing from deep water. She had just gained her bearings again when Moody pointed his wand at her.
"Perhaps Avery didn't have the caliber you spoke of earlier. Imperio!"
Suri was plunged into the sweet numbness once again, her brief feeling of surprise zapped away. In the fog of silence, she heard Moody's command. "Jump on the table."
The voice was strong. Walking to the nearest table, Suri pulled herself up.
"Stand on the edge." The voice was so strong, and Suri complied. Different, Suri thought dreamily in her fog. This command was different, more insistent than Nate. Moody's demanding voice through her lovely fog was more irresistible than Nate's. A split vein of surprise tingled in her mind. She felt it just before Moody cursed her. It felt so foreign, but it was there. Suri found that as she concentrated on it, the peaceful fog ebbed slightly. It was enough for her to be aware of the edge of the desk she balanced on with trained athleticism. A fall wouldn't hurt her too much, but it would be embarrassing. This simple awareness was enough to push back the saccharine calm.
"I didn't say you could move!" Moody commanded. Suri felt the fog try to overtake you, pushing against her consciousness. It took everything to take a step back from the edge.
"No," Suri said, weaker than she wanted. She took another heavy step back. She pushed until she could roll her shoulders and the classroom came back into fuzzy focus.
"Get off the desk and pick up your wand." Suri's body acted on its own, revolting against her progress.
"Point your wand at Avery."
Suri's arms shook with the effort to resist the command.
"Jinx him."
"Flipendo." Nate easily dodged her jinx, the spell rebounding off the ground, sparking once before it fizzled out.
Dread felled on her like rain in her haze. The Knock-Back jinx was such a simple spell—child's play. But how long could she be in this numbing haze before she did real damage? The haze was no longer a quiet place, it was a prison to escape.
You looked happy...free.
A distant memory quieted the rise of swimming ideas. She couldn't remember who the voice belonged to, but she knew it was someone who she very much cared for.
"Again, Rosier-Avery. Hit him again." This was Moody's command.
Free. Suri shook her head, desperately holding onto the voice in her mind, clinging tightly. The fog that once calmed her now caged her, and she longed for control. Freedom would always be sweeter than the false promises of someone else's control.
Suri stood grounded to the floorboards. She focused on inhaling and exhaling until once again she was in the classroom with every student watching her in absolute silence. Suri realized her wand was raised, inches from Nate's chest. Nate's hazel eyes were wide, and only she knew the bead of sweat on his forehead. He was nervous. He must have noticed she'd returned to herself, because he smiled and Suri lowered her wand.
"Welcome back, Suri."
X
The majority of Saturday was spent at Hogsmeade. Suri, Bradley, and the Prefects joined the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students as they perused the shops and enjoyed the food and drink at the Three Broomsticks on a rainy November day. Suri had spent most of the afternoon with Mia, Fleur and Sophia, keeping an eye on Nate's flirting with Sophia. Suri was surprised that quiet, dark-haired and dark-eyed Ivan Petrov from Durmstrang joined them for most of the day, too. Ivan was similar to Nate; a classic handsome with strong, regal features. There was something solitary about him, by the way he quietly observed the world with dark eyes. This reminded Suri of Theo Nott, the serious fourth year Nate sponsored. Either way, he was a welcome addition to the motley party of new and old friends.
Now, after a full day at Hogsmeade, Suri was happily alone in the Prefect's Lounge. She had three and a half hours until she met up with Harry, and, checking the clock on the mantle, two hours before Cedric and Nate-the prefects on duty-finished the last rounds of the night.
A bit after midnight, Suri looked up from her textbook as Nate and Cedric walked in. "Anything interested," she asked.
"Nah," said Cedric. "Just a Beauxbaton student and Durmstrang student snogging in the loo on the main level. Nate took care of it."
Nate shrugged at Suri's raised eyebrow, pausing from recording their findings tonight. "Amateurs. If they didn't want to be caught they would have met in the clock tower or somewhere outside of the castle."
"What did you do to them?"
"Just a little firecracker spell to the bathroom stall they were in."
"It was actually quite funny," Cedric chuckled. Nate smirked in triumph.
"I'm sure," Suri responded mildly, biting back her own smile. Looking at Cedric, she noticed the worry-line between his eyebrows that seemed to become a fixed feature recently. It made sense, the first take of the Triwizard Tournament was only three days away. She glanced at Cedric's open expression, noticing the worry-lined on his forehead. "How's prep for the first task, going?"
"G-good," Cedrid answered with a quick, unconvincing smile. "No sweat."
"I'm sure you'll do fine. I'll have Nate finish up your report for this evening. You ought to spend the next couple of nights getting some sleep, especially if you plan on winning."
"Thanks, Suri." Cedric Diggory grinned, and Suri knew exactly why girls fawned over him. He was a fine combination of cute, athletic and kind. He was like Oliver Wood, but less obsessively competitive. A brief flair of pain blossomed in Suri's chest thinking of Oliver. She wondered how he was doing with Puddlemere and if he was happy.
Gathering his bookbag, Cedric paused by the door before leaving. "You know, Suri, some people are talking about what happened in DADA...and about who your mum was."
"Yeah?" Suri answered lightly, although she was already aware. Some said she was too afraid to curse Veronica Mills, not knowing how cruel it would have been for Suri to curse someone who barely passed charms last year. Some schoolmates began looking at her with pity after hearing her story: poor, orphaned Suri Rosier-Black. A martyr for a mother. A madman for a father.
"Yeah—you stood up to Moody, and withstood the Imperius Curse. I can now see why Dumbledore chose you as Head Girl, now. He made a good call."
"If you think so, then it must be true," Suri joked, waving off Cedric's compliment. Cedric only shrugged, before heading out for the night.
"Seems like you're winning hearts after Moody went off his rocker a little in class," Nate said, plopping next to Suri on the couch.
Suri snorted. "It's amusing that people need to label me. Am I crazy like Sirius? Or am I actually good? I'm impressed I'm still part of the rumor mill when we have the Triwizard Tournament."
"You're an anomaly, that's for sure."
Rolling her eyes, Suri studied Nate's profile. "Strange. I think this is the first time you and I have been alone since the start of the school year, and it's November."
Nate turned to her, expression deathly somber. Suri noted the dark circles beneath Nate's eyes. "Strange things are happening, Suri, and not just at Hogwarts. I want nothing to do with it."
Suri turned so she was not facing Nate as they sat on the couch. She could feel the weight of his statement, and the weight of the secrets she kept from him. "Strange indeed," Suri agreed quietly, rolling her necklace between her fingers the weight of their secrets sitting between them like a third person in the room. "Tell me about your summer."
"What's there to tell? You flew over oceans and spent time with your dad who loves you. I was in France, avoiding my family's endless gatherings I wanted nothing to do with." The coarse bitterness of Nate's tone grated Suri painfully. He didn't need to say it. Suri knew his summer was miserable. Suri knew he had to put on a show at home even more impenetrable than the one he put on at school. For their friends, Nate put on a good show-the friend ready to drink everyone else under the table. The friend ready with a lewd story. He never showed the haunted expression she saw now.
"You are whoever you want to be, Nate," Suri reached for Nate's hand and squeezed it. The brokenness she saw on his face made her wish there was someone she could hex for him. Someone she could hurt if it meant Nate would hurt less. "You decide your future, not your family."
"Same to you." Nate squeezed her hand three times. "Fuck everyone's labels, just be you. It's what I've been telling you since our first year."
"No, you told me to stop talking to the mermaids. You said I was weird." Suri smiled. A twitch worked in the corner of Nate's mouth, and the haunted look in his eyes seemed to retreat just a little. "Really though, Nate. Whatever you saw over the summer doesn't have to follow you here."
"I hope you're right." Nate didn't let go of her hand.
For a while longer, Suri and Nate remained in the Prefect's Lounge, catching up about the school year, pointedly ignoring their summers. While Nate talked about Sophia's beautiful red hair and the things he had in common with Ivan, Suri gently reached out into his mind, to pull back the layers of what he refused to talk about. She pushed back the guilt of invading her best friend's mind, but told herself it was for a good cause.
She pulled back immediately she realized she was hit with a wall of occlumency, similar to the wall she felt in his mind during class. Nate was blocking her, even as he chattered on, unaware of her Legilimency. He had learned Occlumency to keep her out. Suri repressed a shiver, realizing the gravity of whatever Nate wanted to hide from her. Hiding her shock, Suri nodded and smiled at what Nate said, deciding she would try his mind again later when she was prepared to push past his Occlumency.
Suri checked the time. Thirty minutes until she had to meet Harry. Feigning a yawn, Suri released Nate's hand to run a tired hand through her hair. "You might think Sophia is cute, but I think you and Ivan would go well together."
"We'll see," Nate chuckled quietly, though he fidgeted with uncommon nerves. "Hey Suri? Can you...can you promise me that this doesn't change?" Nate waved to the closeness between them, even as they sat apart.
"Of course," Suri nodded. "Nothing will change us. Now, leave me alone. I need to finish an essay for Madame Pomfrey on current procedures to cure boils. Sounds like there's an outbreak right now."
"Okay," Nate held up a hand, making a face. "My God, I'll leave you to it. Sounds like we need to talk to the other Prefects about distributing pamphlets on safe...romantic interactions."
Suri pulled out her textbook and parchment until Nate left, only to repack it once he'd finally gone. While it was not a lie that there was a boil outbreak at Hogwarts, Madame Pomfrey had made sure Suri knew three different ways to treat them. Ten minutes later, Suri left the lounge to meet Harry.
Author's Note—
Please be patient with ya girl. I work 6 days a week, and re-editing chapters I've already written. :)
Drop a review, favorite, and/or a follow to let me know you're here! Thanks for reading; I'm so glad you're here!
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