A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. Another chapter for you all to enjoy. I am really on a ball here, posting two chapters in two days. Anyway, happy reading! XO
Chapter 17
The weeks that followed Annie and George's visit to Hogsmeade were some of the craziest she'd ever had. Professor Moody had taken it upon himself to teach the fourth years how to fight off the Imperius Curse which Annie had finally resisted. Professor Flitwick started to teach them summoning charms. By the second charms class of the week since they had begun, Annie and Hermione were both proficient in the spell and passed the time in class making obscure objects zoom across the room toward them and helping Harry and Ron. She had also been spending all of her free time that she wasn't with her friends trying to get detention to fill the void of having no Quidditch to look forward to. She figured if she couldn't be flying, she could at least do her second favorite activity and that was wreaking havoc throughout the castle. One particular night in late October found Annie wandering the halls alone with her Marauder's Map in her pocket and wand in her hand, looking for something to do. Just as she was about to round the corner of the corridor, she heard voices coming from the other end and pressed herself against the wall.
"Have you heard that Annie Black and George Weasley go out now, Draco?" said Pansy Parkinson. Annie recognized her voice and her blood started to boil. "I mean, she could do much better than him, wouldn't you agree?"
"Anybody can do better than a Weasley, Pansy. She and her blood-traitor father are the biggest disappointments in the entire family," Malfoy drawled. "I mean look at them. One was in jail for murder and the other is probably headed that way. Mother said the trouble started when he was sorted into Gryffindor."
Annie stepped out from behind the wall and pointed her wand right at Malfoy's face. "I'd rather be in Gryffindor than end up as the scum I wipe off my shoes like you, Malfoy," she said through gritted teeth. She was losing her temper and her wand arm was shaking.
Pansy gave a shrill laugh as Malfoy whipped his wand out and pointed it at Annie. "Are you going to blow me up like your deranged father?" he spat.
Annie's eyes burned with anger. "My father is not a murderer and he never will be. Yours, however, is a different story. How is he by the way? Still hanging around with his Death Eater mates?"
Annie had only seconds to jump out of the way as Malfoy sent a Bat-Bogey Hex in her direction. She waved her wand and sent a Body-Bind Curse towards his face. He ducked out of the way but Pansy was not so lucky. The spell had hit her square in the chest and her body froze and she fell to the ground.
Malfoy growled. "Defodio!" he yelled. The spell grazed Annie's right arm leaving a five-inch gouge. Annie let out small groan and waved her wand.
"Engorgio!" she shouted. The curse hit Malfoy's nose and it started to swell. Malfoy let out a muffled yell and was about to throw another curse at Annie when Professor McGonagall came around the corner.
"I would think twice about sending a spell this way, Mr. Malfoy," she said, her nostrils flaring. She waved her wand and the curse on Pansy lifted. She stood up and moved closer to Malfoy who still had his wand out. Annie had her wand trained on Malfoy's face, a grimace playing on hers as the pain in her arm got worse. "Put your wands down and come with me." Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and walked away. Annie put her wand down and followed. She gripped her injured arm to stifle the blood flow and looked sideways out the corner of her eye to see Malfoy walking next to Pansy with his abnormally large nose. She smiled walked in the door that Professor McGonagall held open. Professor McGonagall walked around her desk and sat down.
"Explain," she said sternly. "Dueling in the corridors? What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that he deserves the big nose that he puts into other people's business, Professor. As for him, I'm pretty sure he doesn't think," Annie snubbed and shot him a dirty look.
"Oh, so you initiated this, Ms. Black?"
"No, he and his stupid girlfriend started it, talking about me and my dad," Annie said pointing at Malfoy and Pansy. Pansy scowled and Malfoy looked angered.
"Black cursed me and Pansy, Professor. Look at my nose!" Malfoy pointed at his nose.
"I only cursed you because tried to throw one at me! By the way you really need to work on your aim." Annie shook her bloody arm.
"Enough!" shouted Professor McGonagall. She waved her wand and Malfoy's nose returned to its normal size. "This is ridiculous! Dueling in the corridors if absolutely forbidden and I will not tolerate it! Ms. Parkinson, you may leave seeing as you did not do anything too serious-"
"She insulted me!" Annie shouted looking outraged.
"However," Professor McGonagall continued as if she did not hear Annie. "However, I am taking sixty points from Slytherin, fifty from you Mr. Malfoy and ten from Ms. Parkinson." Annie smiled as she looked at the shocked faces of Pansy and Malfoy. Pansy stomped out of the office with her nose in the air. "I wasn't finished, Ms. Black. I'm also taking fifty points from Gryffindor and both you and Mr. Malfoy will be serving detention with me tomorrow night until Thursday evening. Mr. Malfoy, I will be informing Professor Snape of your actions. You are dismissed." Malfoy turned on his heel and left the office. "As for you Ms. Black, I would like you to go see Madame Pomfrey about your arm and come right back here."
Annie nodded and left the room. She walked all the way to the Hospital Wing holding onto her bleeding arm. She walked in and saw Madame Pomfrey tending to first year with cold. She saw Annie making her way over and pointed to an empty bed. Annie sat down and rolled up the sleeves of her robes. She examined the gash on her arm and figured that she had worse. Madame Pomfrey walked over to Annie and starting pushing her hair back and feeling her forehead.
"I was wondering when I would get a visit from you Ms. Black. With no Quidditch this year, I was almost starting to miss you. Well what is wrong with you this time? Don't tell me it's another concussion," she said. She looked down at Annie's arm and noticed the gash. She picked up Annie's arm and started to clean up the dried blood. "Ah, I see. How did this happen?"
"Well, I might as well tell you seeing as I've already received my detention. I got into a fight with one of the suits of armor and he sliced me with his sword," Annie said as Madame Pomfrey waved her wand over the gash.
Madame Pomfrey laughed heartily. "Ms. Black, you know I never believe a word you say."
"I know you don't. I don't know why you still expect me to tell you the truth." Annie admired the Healer's work and hopped off the bed. "Thanks, Poppy! You really outdid yourself on this one. Have a nice night."
Annie left the ward and made her way back to Professor McGonagall's office. She knocked three times on the door before entering the office once more.
"Please have a seat, Ms. Black. I would like to talk to you," Professor McGonagall said gesturing to the seat across from her. Annie sat down and turned to her professor. "Ms. Black, what is going on? I and the other professor have put you in detention ten times already this month because of your outlandish behavior and now we have to add the four I just gave you. Is everything okay?" Professor McGonagall looked at her student with concern. Never had Annie had so many detentions in one month, not even her father had this many.
Annie looked down at her hands sheepishly. "I was bored," she said quietly. "When I'm bored I go looking for trouble."
Professor McGonagall gave a sigh of relief. "I see. And why are you so bored that you have to cause havoc all over the castle?"
"Well," Annie sighed. "It's because Professor Dumbledore cancelled Quidditch this year. All of my free time went into Quidditch. I don't know what to do, I'm so bored."
Professor McGonagall rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well, Ms. Black, there is nothing we can do about the cancellation of the Quidditch season. I'm sorry."
"I know. So what do you suggest I do since I can't run around getting detention?" she asked looking up at her professor.
Professor McGonagall thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. She knew telling Annie that she could study in her spare time would be out of the question but asking her help other students study might just work.
"How would you like to tutor a couple of first year students a couple days a week in Transfiguration?" she asked watching Annie's reaction hopefully.
"Tutoring? Me?" Annie looked completely taken off guard. She couldn't believe Professor McGonagall would ask her of all people to tutor. "Are you sure you don't want to ask Hermione?"
"No, I'm asking you. You always seem to be the first to grasp each new concept in class very quickly. A talent you share with both of your parents I might add," she said, nodding toward Annie who smiled. She loved being compared to her parents especially when it came to school. "You are extremely proficient in Transfiguration, Ms. Black."
Annie scratched her head in thought. "Just a couple of first years? I don't know. I mean how off are they?"
"I was thinking about giving an announcement at the beginning of my classes this week for those who feel like they need extra help to come to the tutoring sessions. They will be held in my classroom under my supervision, of course. So, what will your answer be?" Professor McGonagall looked at Annie with determination.
"Okay, I'll do it," Annie said smiling. "I guess we'll start next week seeing as how you gave me detention all this week."
"Yes, of course. I'm glad we found something to keep you out of trouble," said Professor McGonagall giving one of her rare smiles. "Thank you for doing this. I'm sure your mother would be very proud. She was one of my best tutors while she was at Hogwarts."
Annie's eyes lit up. "She was?"
"Yes. Now it is getting late, Ms. Black. I don't want you getting caught out in the corridors past curfew. Goodnight."
Annie left Professor McGonagall's office in high spirits. True, she did receive detention for the whole week, well except Friday and Saturday, but she just found out that her mother tutored students in Transfiguration just like she was about to do. Annie climbed into the hole behind the Fat Lady and came out in the Gryffindor common room. She could not wait to write to Sirius and tell him about what she was asked to do and hope he would be just as proud as her mother would have been.