Chapter 27 – Little Party
Katia shrugged and stretched in the armchair. Mrs. Norris picked up this moment to jump in girl's lap, and demanded to be petted.
"Is Professor Snape one of us or not? I don't know, really. The second type description fits to most of the population of the wizarding world. It could be that my senses were too sharp after practicing with Headmaster Dumbledore and I was told that Professor Snape is a very skilled Occlumens. It could be as good of an explanation as any."
She stroked the cat, and the purring had a nice, relaxing effect on Katia. She had no idea if Mrs. Norris was that special, or if every cat would make her feel so nice, because other cats hissed at her, and if she was a cat, she would probably do the same.
"We have no proof, right, but we can put him on the suspects list," stated Filch while he took out a piece of parchment and a quill.
Katia smirked. "You can't be serious about making a list," she said, amused.
Filch frowned. "I am. And I wrote down the reason why somebody is on the list or not. Do you have anything to add?" he grunted.
He scribbled furiously and Katia thought for a while. "As a matter of fact, there are a couple of things. First is that I have a feeling that Professor Snape is familiar to me somehow, and second is that I saw his image often while speaking to the Dementors."
She barely restrained herself from telling Filch about Sirius Black and 'him'. If Black was seeing Snape in his dreams, that could be a sign. Or not. Black hated Snape, and the way Sirius Black spat 'him' suggested that he meant her professor, but there could nothing else behind it. All of the possibilities were giving her a headache.
Annabelle Swan opened the door, and felt like she had heart in her throat. Gilbert Bullstrode was already seated, and his legs jiggled under the table in a nervous pattern.
Annabelle said nothing and sat beside Gilbert, waiting, while Miss Ivanov wrote furiously on the blackboard.
Ivanov spun around and Annabelle jumped in her seat.
"Today will be different," said Ivanov calmly. There was no malicious glint in her eyes. She was also dressed in a different manner – instead of a black cloak which resembled the ones Professor Snape had, she had on some olive baggy trousers and a brown tank top.
Annabelle was in her school uniform, because the only one time she dared to dress differently, she was mocked that first years were below the rules, not over. Besides, a fat lump like her, shouldn't wear piggy pink.
"I would like for you to think for a while and tell me what are your strengths in Potions. Is there anything specific that you find more easy to do?"
Obviously she saw Annabelle's disbelieving expression, because she smiled. It was just a normal smile instead of her usual smirk. "If you tell me what is easy for you, we can start to lesson from there. I want you to learn and to like Potions, because it's the only way to pass the subject."
And a week ago, she had told them that both of them were hopeless cases, and didn't deserve to be taught by anyone.
Anabelle, as a fair-minded person she was always thought to be, decided to give herself a chance.
"Cutting things," she said quietly.
Ivanov clapped her hands. "Great, that's a start!" She leaned over to Gilbert. "What about you?"
Gilbert was silent for a long time, but finally he said: "Adding things in right order."
"All right! Let's begin with cutting. You have the list of ingredients on the blackboard. Collect them, and Miss Swan will show you how to properly cut them."
Anabelle was suspicious, because Ivanov for far too cheerful, she was too nice. She was also the best student in Potions, and reminded them about it on an almost daily basis. She had a lot in common with Snape, and seemed to like this comparison. But she was never, ever nice.
Annabelle managed to cut the ingredients with trained precision. She was a Muggleborn and she always helped her mother in kitchen, so cutting was a routine for her.
Gilbert was silent and just watched as he waited for his turn. He told his sister that Ivanov was horrible to him and usually, people didn't mess with his sister. Nevertheless, Millicent turned him down, and said that it was between Katia and Professor Snape, and that she couldn't do anything about it.
The rest of the lesson went surprisingly well. Annabelle saw a chance to pass the exam for the first time in the school year. Provided she'd be paired with Gilbert, of course.
The boy was big like her and silent – unlike her. She never knew if he hated her or not, but today he was almost nice, while he explained to her how he followed the instructions.
Always three at time and no more. Cut, add, heat the cauldron. Stir clockwise, add, stir counterclockwise.
Annabelle felt so light inside, that even a huge revision plan she'd received was nothing. Besides, she wouldn't come with a better revision plan herself. Ivanov seemed to have every lesson memorized herself, and she wrote notes in particular patterns, putting Potions and ingredients in easy to remember groups.
There were diagrams, charts and even summarized notes, ready to learn. Everything was done in colors, so it looked more clear. Annabelle was really amazed, and truly terrified by the quantity of it.
Albus knew that he was pushing the girl to her limits, but she needed to be prepared. She had made fast progress, and Albus liked fast learners.
She was tired and her exhaustion was making her angry, and angry was good. It was good because she would be under pressure while shielding her mind, so a little simulation of her reality in the near future was indeed required.
"Again," he said softly, and watched Ivanov raise her wand with a shaky hand.
"Legillimens!" she shrieked and invaded his mind with surprising force. Albus had his mental walls lowered to tease her, to keep her on the line between entering his mind or not, but her vicious attack went through and far, before he could react.
Katia pushed too far and she knew it, but it happened unintentionally. She was just frustrated and used all of this feeling to fuel her strength while she preformed Legillimency.
Katia saw a younger version of Dumbledore, probably the age of her father now. Her father was in his late seventies, but due to pure wizard blood and physical activities, he barely looked fifty. She saw her father young, very young – probably her age. He was kneeling in a serving position and had a fresh tattoo on his back.
Rasputin save her! It was her father's initiation. She'd seen mere seconds, but her mind was trained to hold on scraps of memories after multiple encounters with Dementors.
Before she could think, before she could question what she saw, she was pushed out of the Headmaster's mind with such a force, that she fell backwards in the chair that she was seated on.
Dumbledore has some dangerous air surrounding him, and she could swear that the air threatened to spark with electricity any moment. He was obviously angry, and Katia just froze to the spot, unable to move.
"I'm sorry sir," she whispered; she was on the verge of tears now. Dumbledore regained his composure rather quickly.
"I would mark you Outstanding, Miss Ivanov, if these lessons were a regular subject. You may sit down on the chair now."
Katia nodded and quickly got up. She smoothed her wild hair back into a neat ponytail with shaking hands, and fixed her gaze on Dumbledore's hands.
"You made some correct assumptions, Miss Ivanov. It was me who bought your father at his initiation and from what I've heard, no one ever, even as we're speaking, offered such a large sum for the first night. Your father is the best Adept I ever heard of, and if you try with all your might, you may be not far behind."
Katia swallowed loudly in an attempt to get rid of the tears. She heard that there was a Green Dragon, who had made a nearly unbeatable record, and was still considered the best Adept, but she had never been told that it was her father who was the Green Dragon.
By the time that he raised her, he owned the House of the Night, but she'd never heard his nickname, and the tattoo was so faded that it was hard to tell that it was a dragon. She was amazed and ashamed that she'd entered such a private territory of Dumbledore's and her father's.
That is why Wulfrick Ivanov was always speaking about Dumbledore with a hint of sentiment. That's why Dumbledore had the name Wulfrick as well. She wanted to slap herself for not figuring it out earlier.
"I dream about following his steps, sir, but he set impossible standards. My father was exceptionally talented, and while I train very hard, I doubt it is possible for me to maintain his level."
Dumbledore relaxed a bit and leaned back in his chair.
"Your friend, Irina, was very close. She is a charming young lady with lots of talents, and I had the pleasure to put the finishing touches in her mental training. She probably taught you the basics of Occlumency, didn't she?"
Katia was surprised. She knew that Irina was an excellent Adept, but the fact that Dumbledore himself was teaching her as well?
Katia nodded. "Yes sir, but Irina never told me that you were teaching her."
That's why Albus had agreed to teach her. Irina was clever and knew when to keep her mouth shut. He liked the girl; she had a lot of warmth, and looked like a lovely cherub with those plump features and blonde locks.
Katia was more stiff and reminded him of an Auror. She lacked the softness, with those wide shoulders, small breasts, and prominent chin. The wide lips and warm hazel eyes with hints of green added some to her beauty, but she was still more like a warrior than a girl who was supposed to seduce with her body.
"I taught your friend during summer breaks, and she made a promise to not tell anyone. I also knew your mother, she was a student here." There, a good ground for practicing Occlumency.
Katia furrowed her eyebrows and her lips parted a little. "My-my mother? Which house was she in?"
"She was a Ravenclaw, and she befriended Anthony Avery from Slytherin, who bought her first night. Now Miss Ivanov, it's time to shield your mind."
He said that in one breath, without changing his voice. Albus wanted to see how she reacted when she's surprised. How good her reflexes were.
Without warning he entered her mind, but the invisible wall was already there, waiting for him. He tried harder and noticed the resistance. It didn't last long and he pushed through, and encountered the sallow face of Sirius Black. The man was starved and dirty, and Katia was kicking him while he was laying on the ground.
"Stop it!" shouted Katia, and Dumbledore left the peculiar memory. He didn't use his whole power to break her mental wall, but for someone less trained than him, she could be challenging already. He withdrew from her mind, leaving Ivanov shaken and terrified.
"I believe I've sent you out that night with orders to search for Sirius Black and to report to me immediately. I can see that you've done only half of what I asked."
"It's not like that sir," protested Katia as she pressed her fingers to her temples. "You also told me, that sometimes my own heart can give me the best judgment. And Sirius Black told me that he came here to protect Harry Potter."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows a bit. "And you believed him, Miss Ivanov?"
"No, not at the beginning. I-I was frustrated and angry and terrified and Black told me a lot to convince me." She put her hands in her lap and looked Dumbledore straight in the eyes. "You also knew that he was here, because nothing within the castle walls remains unnoticed to you. You have complete control over it, and you let him escape as well, sir."
Her tone was too accusing for her own liking, and she scolded herself mentally. "I'm sorry sir, it was insolent of me."
Dumbledore shook his head slightly. He opened the drawer and took out a small plate with sweets. "Lemon Drop?"
"Yes, please," she said, and took a delicious sweet.
"Miss Ivanov, I'm glad that you've taken my words to your heart. However, you used more violence than necessary. It was both cruel and uncalled for."
"Of course, sir," replied Katia, as she chewed on the candy. She had a nagging suspicion that the Headmaster spiked the candies with a mild form of Calming Draught.
"I am aware that behaviors like that are in your nature, but try your best to not act your worst next time," he said softly, "That will be all for today."
Albus took a Lemon Drop and chewed on it, his mind focused on the memory from many years ago. He took the memory out and placed it in the Pensieve. He didn't even notice when Katia left, as he bent down over the Pensieve to look at the memory from the perspective of an observer.
Annabelle felt like the last two weeks had passed in mere seconds. She stood outside potions classroom, and bit her nails so hard that they bleed. She had all of the charts, diagrams, and names of the ingredients flying in her mind at incredible speeds. Annabelle felt like crying from helplessness right now, and balled her unoccupied hand into a fist.
Someone uncurled her fingers clumsily and she felt a large, warm hand squeezing her.
"Hold on Bella, or we'll be lost," said a bored voice from behind her and Annabelle literally jumped in her spot. Gilbert sent her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand a bit. "I know only half of it, so don't screw up."
Annabelle nodded and squeezed his sweaty hand back. "I'll try."
They spent all available time on learning Potions with each other. They agreed to divide the material into half, because it was too much to learn in two weeks time.
Bella Bullstrode, she thought and giggled which resulted in glare from Gilbert. There was no time for further thinking as the door to the classroom opened and everyone stormed in. Annabelle just went with the tide, still holding Gilbert's hand.
"How was it Hermione?" asked Ron and Katia joined him, asking the same question.
"I failed the Boggart part," confessed Hermione. She felt ashamed because of her own insecurities caused a less than perfect grade. She quickly explained the nature of the exam, but before she could finish, it was Katia's turn to enter the classroom.
Katia went through the traps far better than she expected, and then it was the Boggart part. As she'd never had the opportunity to fight it during lessons, she didn't know what to expect.
Katia entered the chest and the lid shut. The smoky, black silhouette emerged from the shadows and formed into a Death Eater in the mask. Katia took a step back, thinking about the funny shape and prepared to use riddiculus spell when she heard a an ominous, hateful voice which chilled her to the bone.
"I know who you are, Callysta Avery. You can run, but you cannot hide. We will kill you like your filthy parents."
The Death Eater drew his wand and pointed it at Katia, who wasted no time in jumping out of the chest. She sat on the floor, with heart beating wildly in her chest.
Professor Lupin crouched to her level and looked her in the eye. "What happened Miss Ivanov?"
"I failed, Professor," she said, and swallowed loudly between her ragged breaths. She grabbed her hair with fists and shook her head.
"I can see that you failed, but you can calm down now. It's just a Boggart, and while it plays with your worst fears, it's completely harmless otherwise."
The Professor offered her a chocolate but Katia politely declined.
"It will help you," suggested Lupin.
"I don't eat milk, and it contains milk, Professor. But thank you for your concern. I believe my fears were stronger than I thought." Katia finished calmly; the mindless chat about chocolate helped her to regain her composure.
She eyed her Professor, and compared what she knew with what was visible, and it wasn't hard to guess that he was dealing with some serious issues; mental or health ones. In his case, it would be both.
Remus felt his student's intense gaze all over him and fought the urge to hang his head in shame. He, the authoritative figure of a professor, looked like he lived in a dumpster, and he was very much aware of how rich that the girl was. While she would never make rude comments, unlike Draco Malfoy, it hurt twice as much when she looked at him like that. She dressed rather modestly after classes, and never made a comment about the poor students. While she painfully lacked magical abilities, Ivanov usually endured failures with dignity and composure. Typical for Slytherin it would be, if he had ever encountered a Slytherin student with such poor magic abilities.
"I'm very sorry that I failed the best teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts that I've had so far," said Ivanov with a hint of regret on her face. Remus wasn't sure if she regretted that she had failed him, or the last part of the exam. He bet she meant the latter.
Lupin blinked in surprise. While he almost expected her to admit that she knew that he's a werewolf, and some sixth sense told him that she knew indeed, her compliment was like a wash of relief.
"Thank you Miss Ivanov. While all of us need to conquer our worst fears, I'm sure that you will win over yours the next time you encounter it."
It was as much of advice for her as it was for himself. Remus shuddered inwardly as he thought about the next full moon.
"It seems that you have more talents than I expected, Amy," said Marcus to Anastasia as he took a sip from glass with a fancy drink in it.
Anastasia looked at students in dormitory, who chatted loudly, filled their plates with food, and generally enjoyed themselves. There was a huge banner that said "PARTY EVERYONE!" and it seemed that people followed the instruction. It was a post exam party that Anastasia Morrigan had arranged, with a bit of help from Graham Montague.
She felt Marcus' arm sneaking around her waist and flashed him a smile. The teachers agreed that Slytherins could stay up late, provided that the first and second year students would go to bed before midnight.
Anastacia did her best to be a kind host, so she had let Gilbert Bullstrode bring his friend, Bella Swan.
Two chubby first years were trying all the food, which wasn't surprising by the looks of them. Bella's green dress was wrapped very tightly around her tummy, and Gilbert's trousers threatened to split on the bottom.
Pansy distanced herself from Anastasia, and put all of her efforts on Draco, but Anastasia didn't hold any grudges since she had Marcus now.
The insufferable Ivanov was a little tipsy already, and she hung on Graham's arm while she giggled loudly.
Anastasia cast Sonorus to amplify her voice and cleared her voice. "Attention everyone! It's almost ten o'clock so it's time to announce the new Quidditch captain." She used the Sonorus on Marcus, who became shy for some unknown reason, so she nudged him gently to encourage him to speak.
"Amy, I-" he started, not aware that the spell was working already, so his effort to say it quiet were futile. The students laughed and clapped their hands. Anastasia squeezed Marcus' arm reassuringly. She loved her new nickname which was made from the first letter of her name, her surname and her second name: Anastasia Yanely Morrigan. Anastasia Morrigan Yanely. AMY. She definitely loved Amy, especially because it was Marcus who came up with that.
"The new Quidditch captain will be Graham Montague now," said Marcus and everyone cheered loudly.
Anastasia swished her wand, and the magical gramophone played a Wizarding cover of Elvis Presley.
There were toasts and some people started to dance. Anastasia grabbed Marcus and pulled him towards the dancing students. Unfortunately, Ivanov was already there, and was brushing herself against Graham. Anastasia made a face.
"Seems she has a thing for bulky Quidditch captains," remarked Anastasia and everyone turned to look at her, since she forgot to end the Sonorus spell. If her skin hasn't been so dark, everyone would have seen her blushing, but fortunately, they couldn't. She felt Marcus' fingers digging into her back a little and wasn't surprised. He still had a thing for the talentless tomboy, and she couldn't do anything about it yet.
After the song ended, Pansy proposed the stupid game of truth and dare, which Anastasia hated fully. It was a game for idiots who wanted to show off with something, humiliate others, or snog someone. But since someone requested it and others agreed, she had no other choice than to announce it.
For now, Anastasia preferred to be in the opposite corner from the one occupied by Graham and Ivanov. Montague was such a nice guy, why did he keep Ivanov company when there were many better girls around?
Ivanov pulled Graham's arm and he leaned into her. Anastasia turned to Marcus and kissed him to shift his attention on her.
"Graham I can't stand looking at them anymore," said Katia quietly, with a forced smile.
Montague put a strand of hair behind her ear and moved his lips very close to her ear. "What am I supposed to do? It was your choice. You dumped him and you can't expect that he won't move on. Deal with it."
"Fine," she said.
"Let's just hope that Marcus won't beat me into a pulp for spending the evening with you." Graham looked at the bottle Katia was holding and narrowed his eyes. "And stop drinking for fuck's sake, because it won't end well."
He'd had too many shots and colorful drinks himself to the point that Katia was very attractive to him, while Graham normally fancied Katie Bell. He needed to fight the urge to kiss her when she pressed her lips together a bit, which made them more full. She had a sexy way of doing it whenever she was confused or to keep herself from saying something. She pressed them but didn't turn them into a line, which made them bigger instead. And there was her perfect body and complexion.
Graham thought about Katie Bell. Usually Katie was the most appealing to him, and while Katia wasn't ugly by any means, she wasn't his type at all. Besides, was it alcohol, or the black mini dress that made her look so feminine?
Katia fixed her gaze on Marcus and Graham pulled her to himself. "I can make you feel better rather than just standing here with me and being jealous over him," he said in a low voice. Katia furrowed her brows a little, and Graham kissed her fully on the lips.
When she didn't protest, he deepened the kiss, pressed himself against her, and felt her stiff, tense body. It didn't matter as long as she didn't push him away.
But eventually she did, and blinked furiously at him.
Graham braced himself for the blow. Her expression told him that she was barely able to restrain her anger.
"I thought we agreed to be nothing more than friends. Besides you claimed to fancy Bell, remember?" she asked in a slightly mocking tone.
Bell. It sobered him a little.
"I'm not with Katie Bell, and it doesn't have to mean anything that I kissed you. Do you regret it?" Graham crossed his arms over his chest. He would take it as a personal insult if she said that she did.
Katia's gaze darted to Marcus and back. He was probably fuming. "No, I don't regret it right now."
"And now everyone who wants to play truth and dare, gather on the sofas!" bellowed Morrigan, as she gestured over the area.
Graham laced his fingers with Katia's and pulled her with him. "Come, let's stir the water," he said with a playful smirk. He was drunk a bit, and didn't care if Marcus beat him or not. It was his party after all, because Graham Montague was the new captain, and he could do whatever he damned well pleased.
Graham sat on the sofa, and pulled Katia to him, so that she landed in his lap. She protested, but not strongly enough to resist his hold on her. She tried to shake off his hands that traveled along her belly and felt every muscle, but he was past caring.
Besides, even in his drunken state, he could notice that she acted as if she liked what he was doing. Graham was a bastard, he could admit it, but his lips formed into a triumphant smirk when he saw the obvious anger on Marcus' face. Seems like this damned Amy wasn't enough for him anyway.
Graham didn't pay attention to the game, and was more focused on his attempts to get into Katia's knickers instead; he didn't care if it was what she wanted or not. It was fun to try, but when she protested more, he stopped. The fun was in seeing how far he could get.
When his name was called, Graham registered, that the game of truth and dare had been going on for some time.
"Truth," he said, because he was too lazy to do any dares.
"Do you find Katia Ivanov attractive?" asked Pansy Parkinson with narrowed eyes.
"How can I not," replied Montague. "But I fancy another girl, so don't expect any soap operas going on here." He laughed, and the other team players laughed as well. Pansy made a hurt expression, but he didn't care if she was satisfied or not.
"Katia Ivanov," said Graham to the girl in his lap.
"Dare," she said, and took a generous swig from her bottle.
Graham took off some of her hair from his mouth. They seemed to be everywhere despite the fact that her hair was only shoulder length. "Kiss Marcus Flint."
"What?" asked Katia, flabbergasted. She gestured over to the pair that sat opposite to them, ; Anastasia Moggrigan was wrapped around Marcus like ivy.
"I think I said it clearly Katia," said Graham, and pushed her off his lap. Katia stood up, uncertain in her movements, and Marcus stood as well. In two long strides he was inches from Katia, who held the half empty bottle of Firewhiskey so hard that her knuckles were white.
Katia furrowed her eyebrows and smiled disbelievingly.
"Too jealous to try?" challenged Marcus in a mocking tone. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they watched them.
Katia put the bottle on the floor, took a step towards Marcus, and slapped him hard across the face.
There were whistles and people started to shout:
"Kiss him!"
"Do the dare!"
Anastasia clenched her fists. She didn't know if she was more angry because Ivanov had dared to slap her boyfriend, or because she was about to kiss him.
Katia cupped Marcus' face with both hands and gave him quick but passionate kiss, which made his blood flow faster. She then grabbed the bottle and marched towards the door. Katia opened the door, swayed a bit on her feet, and then shut the door with force.
A/N: Thanks for correcting the chapter, Artemis :D
To my wonderful readers: I was planning to add this chapter way before Christmas, but I forgot to pay the bill and I had no Internet connection for a while.
Sorry for not respodning to your reviews as well.
To cheroine: I would keep the strange saying that do not fit in English for the sake of originality of this story. As for Snape being nasty - he wouldn't be himself without being snarky. I wouldn't like to imagine nice and fluffy Severus and if Katia is destined to love him, she will find a way :)