Why So Deluded?
Author's Note:: A couple of chapters ago I promised that I would introduce a new character this chapter, and I was going to, but I couldn't find a time or place, what with Eirian going to detention and all. So instead I added a different interaction and I'm planning on bringing him/her in sometime soon. I hope you like it. If you feel like trying it out, the new reviewing system is really cool!
The Halls Outside of McGonagall's Office 1976
"Eirian!" Lily stood up quickly from where she had been sitting on the ground outside of Professor McGonagall's office. Apparently she had been waiting for Eirian. Eirian continued walking down the hallway, making her way to the common room. Lily started walking alongside of her, matching her pace. "Well, what happened in there? Black and Potter came out a while ago, why did she keep you?"
"She just wanted to know what happened. Don't worry Lily, I left you out of it." Eirian said, still feeling rather dismal about the whole circumstance.
"You know I don't care." Lily dismissed, waving a hand.
"Shouldn't you been to the Hospital Wing? You hit your head pretty hard."
"I went. Madame Pomfrey just put something on it and gave me a draught. Nothing too serious."
"So did she give them what for?"
"Not really, no. She was rather upset at first, but she didn't really holler. She just gave us detention."
"Us? You don't mean you got detention?" Lily was shocked.
"Most people get detention when they fight in Hogwarts, Lily." Eirian decided to leave out the part where she sort of initiated the fight.
"Yeah, but it's you, Eir. I mean when's the last time you ever got into any sort of trouble and those Slytherins completely deserved it. Potter and Black too. I mean just think about all of the times they haven't gotten caught for torturing poor students. But Eirian." Lily was sympathetic now. Eirian knew the "poor students" that Lily was referring too was really just Severus. Even after all he said and all the choices he made, Lily still had a soft spot for him. Her kind heart was inspiring and downright annoying
"Eirian, I don't understand why you're not more upset about this." Lily said softly. "You can't tell me that you're looking forward to spending hours of your time with Potter and Black. What's your punishment, by the way?"
"Lines with Filch."
"Well at least it's lines. Could be worse. I heard that Xavier Miller had to help care for animals in the Forbidden Forrest."
"Professor McGonagall did let me off easy. I only have to do three nights lines instead of the week like Potter and Black. And it's only from eight until curfew, so I still have time to eat dinner and do homework, and I should make it back before the Fat Lady falls asleep." Eirian was trying to convince herself that it really wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. It was only one hour doing lines with Potter and Black, and possibly a handful of would-be Death Eaters.
"You know, I'm rather tired of Potter and Black's constant need to show off in front of us. I mean sure, I am glad that they thought to step in and help during the fight, but they really escalated the situation. What good is bravery if it's foolhardy?"
"Can we talk about something else?" Eirian asked quietly.
"Oh, sure." Lily turned soft again. "I'm sorry Eirian, I just hate it when such…" she paused, searching for the right word. "injustice happens. I just wish the whole fight hadn't happened."
"You know, if it's anyone's fault it's the Slytherins. What were they doing picking on that poor boy. He couldn't have been older than 14."
"It's strange, Eirian. I don't like it. All of these aspiring Death Eaters running around Hogwarts, it's downright scary. And I don't understand why no one else stopped when they heard it."
"For all we know, we got there at the beginning. But maybe Sonia's mother is right—"
"Eirian! You can't be serious."
"Not about taking Sonia out of school or anything. Just, maybe Hogwarts isn't as safe as we thought it was. Maybe there will be attacks. Not as bad as what's happening outside, but think about it Lil." Eirian stopped and moved to the wall out of the flow of traffic. "If a dark wizard wants to get at students, these students who have a natural affinity for dark arts are the perfect weapons."
Lily didn't answer.
"I mean, Hogwarts is so charmed that no one can get in if Dumbledore doesn't want them to. But students are invited in every year, and they can go home and come back on the breaks with new stuff and information. We're not exactly guarded against ourselves are we? And there's always the plea of them just being mean people, not dark wizards."
"You're not saying that there's going to be murders in Hogwarts, are you?" Lily asked. "Because that's ridiculous. Dumbledore would never let that happen."
"No, no, no. I'm just saying, that we'd better be watching out, because I have a feeling things are just going to get worse. Only next time," Eirian lightened up. "We'll get a professor."
"You know I don't like Avery or Mulciber, but I just can't believe what you're saying. This is Hogwarts. This is as safe as it gets."
"You're probably right. It's just Sonia and Mary got me thinking."
"Oh, then we have a real problem." Lily teased, smiling for the first time. "You know you're addled when you start believing what they're saying. "
"Yeah, yeah." Eirian smiled. "Hey, let's go outside before dinner. It's still pretty nice out."
"Sounds great." Lily grinned back. Eirian's stomach still felt nervous. Her theory had been a good one, and whether or not it was accurate now, she doubted that much time would pass before it came true.
The Dungeons 1976
7:59. Eirian looked up from her watch and at the door to the Detention Chamber. She had reached the room precisely a minute before she was due. This was good because the last thing she wanted to do was be late to one detention and get two more as a result. However, the idea of spending more time than she had to with Potter and Black was far from appealing. She was just going to focus on the lines, keep her mouth shut, and get through the hour. Eirian pushed the door open to the empty room. There was one professor's desk in the back far right corner of the room with a line of filing cabinets that reached to the ceiling behind it. In front of that were five rows of six or so student desks. Filch sat behind the teacher's desk, a tower of paperwork to his left, with only a single piece of parchment in front of him. He looked (or rather glared) at Eirian.
"Miss Saise, then?" he asked. Eirian took a few steps out of the doorway.
"Yes, sir."
"Well get in then." He growled. Eirian quickly found her way to the middle of the classroom, seating herself a safe distance away from Filch. She began to pull out her parchment and quill as Filch turned back to his paperwork with almost unintelligible mumbles. Eirian could only make out some of it such as, "be hanging them by their thumbs" and "a solid whipping would set them right."
" Mr. Filch, sir?" Eirian asked. He looked up at her with a look of such annoyance and possibly even loathing that Eirian was tempted to keep her question to herself.
"Well, what is it?" he asked impatiently.
"What exactly should I be writing?" Filch let out a "hmph" at this question and grumbled to himself a little.
"I shall not use magic against other students." He turned back to his work and Eirian turned to start hers. She didn't know what she had expected detention to be like, but she sure hadn't expected that she'd be the only one that had to endure it. Not when there were four other Slytherins, five actually if you counted Severus, who deserved to be here just as much as she did, if not more. Of course, it hit her, they were probably assigned to some other detention by Professor Slughorn. She did not have any hope for them that it would be any easier or more fun than her own nights. Slughorn had to have found out that they were involved in a fight that led to the injury of his prized pupil Lily Evans and the detention of Eirian, a student he also found to be rather gifted, not quite so much as Lily, but enough to be invited into the Slug Club. Eirian wasn't as good at Potions as Lily, but she was particularly adept at Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms. In fact, Slughorn had discovered her abilities at one of Eirian's lower moments when she performed a particularly nasty and difficult (at least for a second year) hex against Sirius Black during one of his first attempts to hit on her. Even though the Slytherins were members of his house, there was no way he could go easy on them.
Not that McGonagall went any easier on Potter and Black because they were students in her house. And where were they? Eirian glanced at her watch it was 8:11. They were over ten minutes late to detention and Filch barely even seemed to notice. Odd. About then, Filch slammed his hands down on the desk and hobbled out from behind it.
"Students think they can come and go from detention as they please." He murmured walking to the door and opening it.
"Well, that settles that, I guess." Eirian thought, turning back to her work. At least she had a head start to the punishment. Ten minutes of peace and quiet as opposed to…well whatever was to come providing that they actually showed up. She couldn't imagine that they would cut detention. Professor McGonagall would have their heads. It was a few minutes before she heard a commotion outside.
"….you just wait until I tell Professor McGonagall. Then you'll be spending the next few weeks with me. And forget about Hogsmeade!" Potter and Black had walked through the door, calm and collected with Filch following behind them red in the face, huffing, and shaking a little bit. Eirian had turned her head to look over her shoulder, taking a brief pause from the lines.
"You can tell Professor McGonagall that we were late because we had to help someone to the Hospital Wing." Potter said smoothly. "I apologize if I was mistaken in my belief the health of fellow students comes before our other responsibilities."
"Well…" Filch turned a deeper shade of red. "I'll have to check with Madame Pomfrey…and…."
"Alright, then it's settled." Black said grinning. Eirian rolled her eyes. The nerve. "Anywhere in particular you want us sitting?" he turned and winked at Eirian who immediately snapped her head around and returned to the middle of her sentence. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Black make his way to the far right of the classroom, only a row in front of hers. Filch walked back to his desk, still visibly fuming, and Potter, she assumed was on the other side of the classroom. Eirian stole a quick glance and saw Black lazily taking out a piece of parchment and his quill. On the other side of the room, Potter was already copying something down.
"You're to write: I shall not use magic against other students." Filch instructed. Eirian was already about a six lines down on her own piece of parchment, despite all of the distractions. A wadded up piece of paper hit Eirian in the head. Glaring, Eirian looked around the room to find the culprit and was met by Black, turned towards her with a small smirk and his eyebrows raised. He nodded to the piece of paper on the floor.
Careful not to break the glare, Eirian reached down and picked it up, smoothing it out a little so whe could read it. Lovely night for detention. Isn't it, Saise? Eirian quietly crumpled up the piece of paper and dropped it underneath her chair. She moved back to complete her punishment and within seconds was hit by a second piece of paper. She was able to reach the word "magic" in the next seconds before she was assaulted by another wad. Eirian set her jaw, and continued on with the sentence.
"against other students. I shall not use magic against other" A fourth found its mark. Eirian snapped her head up looking desperately at Filch, who was too busy muttering and looking through the papers and cabinets to see what was going on. Eirian turned angrily to face Black who gestured towards the group of papers on the floor with his quill. She snatched another piece of paper, and opened it with an angry flourish. You look beautiful. Eirian tossed the scrap of paper to the side where it gently floated down to the floor. She wasn't even able to return to her work before another paper landed in her lap. Look at the other ones. Eirian took up one of the other crumpled papers and stretched it open. You can't ignore me forever. Eventually you'll have to face your feelings. If this was how he was planning on winning her over, she seriously had to question his reputation as a "lady killer." Eirian brushed her lap clean and returned to her work.
This was just as bad as she had imagined it would be. The tediousness of writing lines coupled by the constant assaults of Black's notes, this would be enough to keep her in line for the rest of the year. No whipping needed.
By the end of detention Eirian had a pile of about 30 or some notes at her feet. She had opened some more. There were a few attempts at poetry, a good number of compliments, a lot of questions including multiple variations of the question: Why won't you go out with me? One of the last notes that Eirian opened however was a threat. I'm not going to give up easily. Eirian put her ink and quill away, handing the parchment in to Filch. She walked back to her desk and retrieved her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she made her way out the door. Eirian had no idea where Potter and Black were in relation to her, so she walked as quickly as she could through the halls.
"Hey Saise, wait for us." A voice came from behind her. Eirian struggled against herself to avoid picking up the pace. She didn't want to appear as if she was running from them, but she refused to stop. Potter and Black materialized at her sides.
"You know, you really should have cleaned up that mess of parchment behind you. Luckily James and I were there to take care of it. It should all be safely in your bag now." Black chirped.
Eirian stopped and opened her bag to find all of the different notes in there. She closed the bag and glared at Black, opening her mouth to say something, deciding against it, and then continuing on. Potter and Black laughed as they rushed to catch up to her again.
"Oh come on, I think a little bit of thank you is in order. Not only did we clean up after you, but James and I saved you during that fight." Black pushed. "I'll accept a variety of payments: chocolate frogs, a Charms paper, an evening at the Three Broomsticks. Actually, one kiss and I forget the whole thing. You don't even need to say thank you."
"You're mental." Eirian charged trying to contain her anger. He had just landed her in detention and now he wanted her to give him a kiss or a date or chocolate or whatever?
"Now, where's that coming from?" Black asked in mock surprise.
"You really should be nicer to us or in the future we may not be so generous as to help you out." Potter admonished.
"You think I'm going to kiss you for what you did?" Eirian asked ignoring Potter.
"Well I said I'm open to dates and I-"
"I don't owe you anything." Eirian hissed, finally turning to face them. They were in the middle of a staircase, and Eirian hoped beyond anything that it wouldn't move, leaving her stranded with Potter and Black. "It's because of you that I even got detention. If you had just listened to Severus, we all could have walked away. So forgive me if I don't want you to 'help me out' in the future."
"You're joking! Snivellus attacked us!" Black seemed actually surprised that she used this against them.
"Well maybe if Potter hadn't called him a coward," she shot a glare at Potter who had so far escaped most of her wrath. "he wouldn't have." Eirian turned on her heal and continued up the flight of stairs. Potter and Black followed her.
"Well that's all he is, isn't it?" Potter voice was genuinely angry. "That's all any of them are, picking on younger students in dark hallways."
"Severus was breaking up the fight." Eirian said, continuing up the stairs backward
"He called Lily a….a you-know-what." James argued, causing Eirian once around to whirl around on them.
"That is not your concern Potter. That is between Severus and Lily and Lily's friends. Considering you're not any one of those three parties, it doesn't affect you. Yes what he did was wrong, unforgivable even, but that's our issue. I understand your hatred for wizards like him who care about blood loyalty, who use a person's birth as an attack against them, but you cannot use that one instance that happened a year ago to someone who doesn't even like you as vindication for your actions." Eirian ranted loudly, causing many portraits to voice their protests over such a noise at such a late hour. Eirian apologized and lowered her voice to an animated whisper. "I know you James Potter, and you're not any different Black." She snapped turning to look at Black as well. "You'll use any excuse you think you can latch onto to in order to justify what you do. You tortured Severus for five years when he did nothing to deserve it. He was nothing but friendly and good to Lily until you pushed him too far. And if you think for one second, that I'm going to kiss you and hug you and date you because you stepped in and helped me out because you wanted to show off and you wanted another reason to fight against Severus, then you are seriously deluded. I do not thank you for what you did, because any chivalry or nobleness that was in the action was wiped out by your own selfish reasoning. So, leave me alone." Eirian stamped off trying to fight away the angry tears, as she left behind a stunned Potter and Black.