So, anyways, my socks match my shirt today, which put me in a remarkably happy mood, whicih then enticed me to update this fic.
Funny how simple things can provoke one to pleasing tendencies.
Anyhoo, I would write a disclaimer, but maybe this time I'll lie and say I own everything I write about.
oh, nevermind. There's probably people out there who are just itching to sue me, so why give them the reason?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything I write about. Except maybe my soul. Oh, wait, I sold it on Ebay. Never mind, I don't own that either...
-----
Hermione looked up as she heard the door shut to the room. A very tired-looking Mannie walked in, with slightly red eyes, and messy hair.
"Good grief, what happened?"
"Potion gave off some noxious chemicals, made my eyes run a little." Mannie said shortly, before disrobing, and virtually falling into bed. Hermione turned back to her work, and talked with her head bent low over various books.
"How did the detention with Snape go?"
"Ugh…"
"That bad, huh?"
"It wasn't that it was bad, it's just that…"
Before Mannie had had a chance to elaborate, Adrienne came prancing into the room. She was grinning from ear to ear as she dumped various honeydukes chocolates, and sugar apples on the bed.
"Just look what Sam got me!"
Hermione suppressed a derisive snort, and buried her head among her books. Adrienne, either didn't notice, or didn't care, because she proceed to gush about how utterly wonderful he was to Mannie. Hermione pitied Mannie, but wasn't about to step in and let her own ears be talked off her head, so she sat writing, wincing whenever Adrienne's voice reached a note normally reserved for calling dogs.
-----
Almost a week later, Mannie's thoughts were still completely occupied with how to tell her friends that Snape was her guardian. He had not acted differently at all, since the night he told her. In fact, if anything, he had gotten even tougher on her, demanding perfection in every class she had with him. It was twelve o' clock, and most of the Gryffindors had already gone to bed. Mannie lay awake in bed listening to Hermione and Adrienne's steady breathing. She held up her pendant around her neck to the clear moonlight that filtered in through the window. Rubbing her fingers across its bumpy surface she whispered aloud the inscription that she had long since learned by heart.
"Meus pectoris solvo. Meus quod vires. Tamen Ego imperium, vadum imperium meus."
She did not know to this day what the words meant. She had looked for every type of translation, and she still did not know what they said. It had been her father's, and his father's before him, and his father's before him. Passed on through countless generations, it was supposed to go from the father to the eldest son. Instead, it had passed from her father's lifeless hands to those of her mothers, and then to her own. It was one of the two remaining things that Mannie possessed that connected her with her parents. The other, was her mother's wand made from olive wood, and contained a strand from a unicorn mane. Mannie closed her eyes softly for a moment. It now also contained a strand of her mother's hair, braided together with the unicorns. When her mother had died, she had been given her wand, and had taken it, along with one of her mother's hairs to Ollivander the wand maker, to add it to her wand. Both were extremely precious to her, and she never went anywhere without them. Mannie felt her eyes growing heavy. She fought sleep as long as she could, dreading the nightmares that were sure to come, but in a few moments, she fell asleep, exhausted.
She was sitting in a chair. No, chained to a chair, as she watched Franz thrown to the floor in front of her. He was sobbing softly as the Deatheater's drawling voice cut through the cruel silence of the dungeon.
"Tell us what we want to know, and you will go free."
"Please…I don't know!"
A hand connected with her face, and she tasted her own blood.
"You are making things very difficult for yourself," he turned and walked toward Franz on the floor. "And also for your little friend."
"M-m-mannie…"
"Oh, Franz, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Its ok, Mannie. It's not your fault."
"Enough! Tell us the secrets to your power, or the boy will suffer."
"NO! Please! I don't know! You have to believe me! Don't hurt him!"
A slow smile wound its way around the man's face.
"Yes…I think I shall. CRUCIO!"
Franz screamed and fell to the floor writhing and twisting in agony. Tears gushed freely from his eyes as he yelled and begged for mercy.
"STOP IT! STOP! HE'S ONLY A KID! HURT ME INSTEAD! PLEASE!"
The man raised his wand, and Franz lay whimpering, not daring to move. He looked at her gleefully.
"As you wish, young witch. CRUCIO!"
It felt like her blood had turned to razor blades, terrible pain flowing throughout her body, coursing through her entire being. She stubbornly held back the screams, but with the intense agony, her mind went completely blank, and the only thing she could think about was making it stop. Terrible shrieks ripped from her lungs as she cried out in anguish.
"AAAUGHHHH! AAHHHH!"
-----
Hermione awoke to someone screaming. She jumped out of bed and shook Mannie awake.
"Mannie! Mannie it's just a dream! Wake up!"
Adrienne was at her side in a moment.
"Mannie! Hermione, is she going to be ok?"
Hermione continued to shake Mannie.
"I don't know."
Hermione watched as Mannie's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up with a shock, nearly hitting Adrienne in the nose with her forehead. She was drenched in a cold sweat, and panting heavily.
"Mannie? What happened!"
She dumbly shook her head and got out of bed. Hermione grabbed her arm.
"Where are you going?"
The voice that answered her was dead and full of sorrow.
"The common room. I have no use for sleep."
She sauntered off, leaving a baffled Hermione and Adrienne in her wake.
-----
Mannie sat staring at the orangy red flames dance in the fireplace. The room was completely dark except for the soft glow of the blaze, throwing eerie shadows upon the wall. Mannie shook unconsciously in her blanket as she felt her eyes water from the heat. Or maybe from something else entirely. Franz had valiantly held out, but in a rage, one of the Deatheaters had mercilessly slain him. Mannie let her head sink on her chest as she clutched her fingers together. His death would be avenged one day. She would personally kill his murderer by herself. She let a grim smile coat her features as she looked up and let the fire bathe her features. It would be a slow, cruel death. She would not be merciful. She would be just as horrible as the Deatheaters had been to her and Joseph and Franz. She clutched her hands even tighter together. Hate so strong welled up in her, and for a moment she thought about how good it would be to catch fire herself with her hands around one of their necks. She once again felt herself falling asleep. She pinched herself viciously, but found herself drifting off.
They were sitting in a dungeon. The dank smell of dead rats and stale water wafted in as she sat silently with Franz in her lap, and Joseph writing something on the stones with a stolen pencil. Franz lifted his head in her lap. His face was streaked with blood from the blows of their prison guards. She gently smoothed away some of his fair hair, now caked with dirt, from his face.
"Mannie, will we live?"
Mannie heard her voice broke as she struggled to answer.
"I…I don't know, love. I hope so."
Joseph walked over and sat beside them.
"Of course we will. We'll get through this no problem."
He grunted slightly as he spoke. Two of his ribs had been broken, and one of his fingers was missing, patched clumsily by a piece of Mannie's own shirt. He put his arm around the both of them and held them close.
"We just have to believe. I mean, if we have power like they think we do, maybe we can find away to get out of here."
"Joseph…"
"Mannie, I know this time we can get out of here."
"The last time we tried…the last time, they almost drove you mad with the Cruciatus curse. They broke Franz's arm…they…threw me to the snake."
"I know, Mannie, I know. But we can't let them just keep us here. We have to find a way out."
"Joe, we…we will be safer if we just stay here. They can't do any worse than they already have. I don't want either of you to get hurt unnecessarily."
"Mannie-"
"Joe. I…no. We can't risk it anymore."
He looked at her for a long time, and then turned away with a disappointed look. She reached out, but he shrunk away from her hand. She felt tears silently fall onto the sleeping form of Franz in her lap.
Mannie awoke for the second time with a start for the second time that night. She felt her cheeks still wet from her tears. She had been so weak, and Joseph had been so strong. May be that night they would have managed to get away. But she had been so weak and pathetic. She had perhaps sentenced the brothers to their death. Mannie let the tears come again, as she sat in silence, completely alone in the common room. At least no one could see her.
-----
Snape looked down at the students filing into his classroom. His eyes were seeking for a particular student, who was not early like she usually was. Right when he was about to close the door, the girl came running in, and hurried to get in her chair. Snape opened his mouth for a scathing comment as to why she was nearly late for his class, when he caught sight of her face. Her eyes were slightly puffy, her hair, which was always in her face anyways, now almost completely obscured it, and she was walking as if in a daze. He settled instead to make a quiet remark to her as she passed.
"Miss Mortacrin, I do not tolerate ill students. If you are feeling under the weather, kindly report to the nursewitch."
Instead of the sassy comeback he thought he was going to receive, she only stopped for a moment, before nodding her head, and continuing to her desk. Snape watched her as she sat down and rolled his eyes. Ungrateful little brats, the lot of them. Teachers to them, are just stupid adults who have no way of understanding them, even with years of experience, and having gone through adolescence themselves. Oh no, the teachers haven't a clue.
"We are making a highly complicated potion today called Animus. When poured over an inanimate object, or an animal it will become conscious, and develop human characteristics for a time. Can anyone tell me what this type of potion would be useful for?"
Granger's hand shot up in the air, and Snape did not bother to hide his snort of annoyance.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"For spying, diversions in dangerous situations, and…company, some say."
"Yes. The potion should be a clear, dark blue color when completed. You have exactly 45 minuets. The directions," he flicked his wand at the board, and neat lines of the recipe were revealed. "Are on the board. Begin."
Scuffling noises filled the room as students got out knives, and cauldrons and ingredients. Snape walked among the rows of bubbling cauldrons. He sighed. His students always managed to be so utterly hopeless in the ways of Potion-making. Well, not all his students. He glanced briefly over at the girl's cauldron. It was a perfect sea-green color, indicating that she had successfully achieved the first two-thirds of the Potion. Snape had no doubt that hers would be the best, second only to Granger's. She was getting some of the highest marks in the class, and showed real ambition and a love for Potions that Snape had not seen in a while. Not that he would ever admit it, of course. He passed by Longbottom's cauldron just in time to see a round, fat, neon pink bubble burst on the surface, coating his face in color. The students around him snickered, and Snape sneered down at the unfortunate boy.
"This," he flicked his wand, making the mess disappear instantly, "is unacceptable. You get zero marks for today."
He brushed past, and continued down the rows, and came to a stop at the front of the class.
"Time is up. Take a sample, label it, and put it on my desk."
He watched as the class cleaned up, collected their things, and as they passed, deposit each a vial, filled with everything from lime green concoctions, to ones that were the perfect, dark blue. He watched her closely as she passed by. She had been even more quiet and withdrawn today. Come to think of it, she had been absolutely silent. He tried in vain to shrug it off, but a gnawing feeling that there was something more than met the eye, pursued him all morning, until he had a small first-year Ravenclaw pass a note to her, informing her that she would be coming to his office at 7 o' clock that day, for Remedial Potions. (yes, yes I know I got that from the fifth book ) He smirked to himself thinking how angry the girl would be when she got that note. All the better. This dead, hopeless, defeated atmosphere that hovered over her was beginning to try his patients. Snape angrily found himself missing the fiery little brat that defied him every chance she got, and after mentally lecturing himself, set about preparing for the next class.
-----
"Remedial Potions?"
"Mannie, calm down, it could just be a mistake."
"This isn't a mistake! That bloody git is just trying to piss me off!"
Mannie flung the bit of parchment away from her, and paced around the common room moodily as Harry and Ron looked on. Fred and George suddenly came up out of nowhere and grinned down at her.
"Just the girl we wanted to see."
"Right-o Fred." George put an arm around Mannie's shoulders, "This way, please."
Mannie opened her mouth to object, but before she could, she was shown into their room. She spun around.
"Wha-"
Fred grinned.
"Lookit this!"
Forgetting her previous anger, Mannie obediently looked over at an extremely disgruntled Mrs. Norris who was currently stupefied, and sitting in the middle of the floor. Fred and George had tied enormous legs to either side of her, so she resembled something like a hideous spider. The effect, however was rather unimpressive, because each leg was a different color, and her fur just looked ridiculous.
"We need you to color her black and purple."
Mannie bit her lip against laughing, and managed to stammer:
"I won't be connected with this in anyway, right?"
"No."
"And if the color somehow does not come off, it will not get back to me, correct?"
"Yes."
"And Filch won't come loo-"
Fred cut her off with a mock scandalized tone of voice.
"Mandara Mortacrin! How could you think that two upstanding pranksters, like us, would botch something like this up?"
Mannie rolled her eyes, and took out her wand. Tapping the unfortunate cat with her wand she muttered:
"Trixius Maxius, Trixius Maxius, Noir and Violet!"
Slowly black color seeped around Mrs. Norris and the legs, and after another moment, purple spots of different sizes also adorned her fur. Fred howled with laughter, and tied a balloon around her middle, watching her float up.
"Wonderful toys these Muggles come up with." George beamed.
Mannie watched as they let Mrs. Norris out of the portrait hole, to go floating down the hall. Within minuets laughter erupted around the corridors, and unhappy mews were drifting up from below. Ron and Harry sat chortling, as Hermione shook her head in disapproval. Filch's rage could be hear echoing up the stairs, as people in the common room roared with laughter. Mannie crept off by herself to walk down to Snape's office. When she reached it, she stopped a moment before knocking. What if she just didn't go? What if she turned around and pretended like she never got the message? She shook her head. No, Snape would find out, and then she would be in even worse trouble. She knocked firmly on the door, and heard Snape's irritated voice from within.
"Come in."
She entered, and once again, without looking up, Snape addressed her.
"Miss Mortacrin, have a seat."
"Why am I here?"
"Did you not read the note I sent? Surely you know how to read."
"I know how to read sir." She spat the word out angrily as she glared at him. He looked coldly at her over a book he was holding.
"Then it would be perfectly clear why you are here, Miss Mortacrin."
"Remedial Potions?"
"Correct. I'm so glad you've caught on so quickly."
"I don't need Remedial Potions! I'm at the top of the class!"
"Such humility, I think I might cry from such an example."
Mannie dug her fingers in her palms at his sarcastic tone.
"Before we begin, I need to ask you if there is anything wrong."
Mannie had no idea what he meant and just stared.
"Wrong?"
Snape sighed heavily. "Yes, wrong. I am tired of the sulking and pouting and general nonsense that you drag about with yourself everywhere."
Mannie snorted. "Why do you care?"
"That's 'why do you care, sir.'"
Mannie bit her tongue against the numerous ugly things that were threatening to pour out.
"Well? Sir?"
"Because I am your guardian, and it's my job to make sure that you are emotionally stable, and not about to do anything rash."
Mannie felt venomous. "Like commit suicide? That would be an immense relief. Now I'm nearly tempted to try."
Snape stood and loomed over her. His voice was icy and dark.
"If you so much as think about even attempting to commit suicide, I will make sure you regret it in more ways than one. Now take a seat."
His voice unnerved her, but Mannie remained standing as she defiantly glared at him.
"Oh really, sir? What do you plan on doing? Not much scares me after what I went through in the dungeons." She stepped closer to him and stared fiercely up into his face, feeling hot tears press behind her eyes. She was sick and tired of him; he had no idea what she had been through. No idea of her terrible nightmares that were plaguing her nightly. "Are you going to stretch me out on the racks, perhaps? Quite painful, although once you pass out you don't really feel anything more. Or what about Crucio? That was so horrible I have nightmares that would drive even the sanest wizards to St. Mungo's. Or maybe still, you'd prefer mental torture. Tie me to a chair and watch as…as..th-they…"
Tears were running freely down her face as she swayed slightly. She felt Snape take her by the elbow and made her sit down on the couch off to the side. She felt his weight next to her, making the cushions slump slightly. Once again he dried her tears as if she was a child as she sat with tears coursing out of her eyes. She heard his stern voice beside her.
"Miss Mortacrin, what did I tell you just last week about openly expressing your emotions?"
Mannie shrugged, hoping that he would just forget about it, and she could go back to her room.
"Have you told anyone about what happened in the dungeons?"
Mannie nodded slightly, but then looked guiltily away.
"Miss Mortacrin, do not make me force you to tell me the truth."
"Fine! I did tell the Ministry. Only a little though."
"Why did you not fully explain what had happened?"
"Because…I can't."
Snape raised an eyebrow at her, and she felt herself break.
"I can't! Look at what just thinking about it does to me!"
She turned away and struggled to regain composure.
"I'm…afraid."
Snape leaned closer
"You shall need to speak up."
"I'M AFRAID!"
There it was out. She let herself cry now, leaning into Snape's shoulder as she trembled inside his embrace. She could hear his voice next to her ear.
"Let me help you."
She pushed away.
"No…I-no!"
Turning away, she ran out of the office and down the hall to the Gryffindor rooms.
-----
Hermione was getting very used to furious roommates, and the harangues thereof. So when Mannie came in grunting, and whining, and carrying on with such nonsense, it would drive a priest to distraction, she simply turned over in her bed, and pretended to sleep.
"I know you're not asleep, Mione."
"One can try."
Hermione hoisted herself up from the comfortable horizontal position she had been in, and looked across at a very distraught Mandara Mortacrin.
"Something's bothering you, isn't there, Mannie?"
"Snape."
"Ah. How was Remedial Potions?"
"It wasn't Remedial Potions, although, now I think I would have preferred it to be."
"What did he want you down there for?"
"He wanted to inquire as to how I was 'feeling'"
"Feeling? Like emotionally and mentally?"
"Hermione, I don't think he meant physically."
"Well, why would he do that?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know."
"No."
Hermione knew very well that she was telling a rotten lie, and decided to wait her out.
"So you had no clue why he was questioning your sanity?"
"No, Hermione!"
"No clue at all."
"None."
"Not the puniest smidgen of a-"
"Oh, all right!"
Mannie came over to Hermione's bed and sat down. She looked quite a mess, with her dark hair hanging every which way around her face and shoulders. Hermione brushed some hair out of the way with her hand.
"Mannie, its ok."
Hermione didn't even know what she meant by that statement, but somehow it just seemed to fit, and even Mannie seemed to be soothed by it as she sat near Hermione with her head down on her chest.
"Well,…you know how I don't…have any family anywhere else?"
"Yes."
"The ministry contacted the man who is supposed to be my guardian. My father had left instructions in his will, if anything like this ever happened."
Mannie paused as if searching for the right words.
"That man is…S-Severus Snape."
Hermione gasped and tried to comprehend what that must be like.
"Snape?"
"Snape."
"What was your father thinking?"
"He and Snape were apparently good friends in Hogwarts, and afterwards, even for a time."
"But Snape was a Death Eater. You Father, he didn't…"
"No. I said 'for a time'. I remember my mother telling me that one of Daddy's friends was not a very good man, but that he had said sorry, and was being welcomed back the wizarding community. I think she was talking about Snape then. Of course, I was only about four years old, so…"
"Damn. Snape? You are by far one of the most unlucky witches I know."
"Gee, thanks for the consolation, Hermione."
Hermione grinned as Mannie chucked a pillow at her.
"Well, maybe it won't be so bad."
"Snape? Yeah, I think it will be, Hermione."
"He could turn out to be a…nice…well, maybe not nice, but maybe…hmm, never mind, I guess you are stuck with an unpleasant situation."
"Unpleasant isn't the word I would use."
Mannie flopped onto the bottom half of Hermione's bed. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Don't you think you're being a tad dramatic?"
"Yeah. Maybe I should dance about with the immense glee I have acquired thus far at the hands of Snape."
"Ok, wrong question. Don't you think you're being a tad sarcastic?"
Hermione had to dodge the various objects thrown at her, as Mannie retaliated with slight agitation.
"Sarcasm is necessary."
"Oh, I forgot."
Hermione grinned at the disgruntled, messy-haired witch before her.
"Are you at all tired?"
"Why?"
"Because I am, and you are sitting on my sleeping space."
With a final glare, Mannie slowly got off, and walked to her own bed. Hermione watched her, and when she was settled, called out in the dark:
"You can stay with me over the summer, if you don't want to stay with Snape."
"…really?"
"Yes, really."
"I'd like that, Mione. Thanks."
"Mhmm."
Sleep came quickly and softly, under the cover of dark.