A/N
Sorry for the delay. In my defence, I was moving back to university this week which was rather time consuming!
Deviliyan - I'm glad the story is 'calling' to you. :) Alice - Minna and Nat are my favorite characters to write after Scorpius himself. And you'll definitely like this chapter. Sabrina-Luna-Potter - What did I do? O:)
"Becky?"
She turned to see her friend running down the staircase to the boys dorms, his usually pale face oddly red. For some reason, she felt embarrassed as she did.
"Yeah? What do you want, Mouse?" the tenseness in her tone surprised him, but he ploughed on nonetheless.
"You know yesterday, after the Quidditch match and we...we..."
"We what? We came back inside, then went out for walk, what about it?"
"No dancing then?" He mumbled
Becky looked at him quizzically.
"Er what? Are you all right?" She said although in a tone that contained more doubt for his sanity than actual concern. Mouse blushed and shook his head.
"Never mind, come on, we'll miss breakfast." He said, and fled, leaving a bemused Becky in his wake.
After that, the events in the forest gradually faded from Mouse's mind as if they were from a hazy dream he wasn't sure had ever taken place, and so, unsure as to whether the whole episode actually had happened, he decided not to mention it to anyone. Just in case he was crazy.
It wasn't until the whole thing had slipped from Mouse's mind that he, Albus and Rose noticed there was something very, very wrong with Becky.
It wasn't much at first. The way she'd started wearing her hair. The fact she seemed to be flirting with boys in the second and third years every so often. But then she made Rose cry.
Mouse and Al had climbed through the Portrait Hole after yet another detention courtesy of Professor Anderson, the Transfiguration teacher- thanks to their complete lack of practice, and knew instantly something was wrong. Becky was sitting with Chloe Dixon one of the other first year girls, whilst Victoire sat in the corner consoling a tearful Rose, shooting angry glares at Becky that only someone with Veela heritage could ever hope to achieve. Albus made a beeline for his cousins.
"What happened Rosie?" he asked gently.
"Her supposed 'friend' happened." Victoire answered for her icily and Mouse, who until then had been conflicted as who to join, made his decision to join the Weasley clan.
"Becky made her cry?" He said, confused. What could Becky have done to make Rose cry?
"She called me ugly." Rose whispered, spitting the words through her clenched teeth, obviously trying to hold back more tears. Or anger.
"What?" Albus and Mouse chorused.
"Why?"
"How?"
"I'll leave you two to help her out now, boys." Victoire said, smiling at their indignation on Rose's behalf. "And I'll go talk to Miss 'Perfect' over there."She shot Becky another dirty look.
"What happened Rosie?" Albus repeated as Victoire stalked across the common room.
"I asked her why she been acting weird lately. And she said it was none of my business, So I said I was her friend and I was worried about her. And she said maybe she didn't want to be my friend any more, since I'm boring, apparently, because I'm always reading, and maybe the reason I always have my nose in a book is so no one can see my face." This prompted another wave of angry tears, and an angry hiss from Albus.
"She did what?" He said, his voice low and level, but with an edge that made it clear he was this close to snapping.
"You heard me...what's wrong Mouse?" She said, realising that their friend had been oddly quiet the whole time, and was now looking between Rose and Becky with an almost guilty look on his face.
"I'm not sure it is Becky..."
Rose laughed bitterly.
"Trust me Mouse, it was definitely our so-called friend...I nearly gouged her eyes out. And I can't think why anyone would use something like Polyjuice Potion to make themselves look like a first year."
"Wait here." Mouse and Rose looked on, puzzled as Albus ran over to where James, Lorcan and Lysander were sat, and then as he returned brandishing a battered piece of parchment triumphantly.
Sitting down, he placed his wand on the surface and whispered something to it. Ignoring Mouse's confused look, he examined part of the parchment.
"It's Becky all right, sorry Rose, Mouse."
"Is that the Map?! Never mind. That's not exactly what I meant when I said it might not be Becky..." Mouse shifted in his chair, as Rose and Albus looked at him suspiciously, all thoughts of Becky's cruel words driven out of their heads with this new mystery.
"What then?"
"Not here...you're probably going to be pretty mad at me, and I'm not sure how much of this should be made public..."
"You're not helping yourself any Mouse...Al, are there any empty classrooms near here?"
Albus examined the map again.
"Yup, there's one not far from here. I'll grab the cloak just in case, and then you, Malfoy, are spilling." He shot Scorpius a rather unfriendly glance and he winced.
This isn't going to be pretty...
Five minutes later they had successfully sneaked out of the common room. Luckily, Victoire telling Becky off was more interesting to most people in the common room, and so they had managed to leave relatively unnoticed.
Scorpius was beginning to regret suggesting leaving the common room. At least there, there had been witnesses.
"Well, Mouse?" Rose asked, her arms folded.
"I'm not exactly sure what there is to tell..." Rose raised her wand threateningly. "OK, OK, I'll tell you what I can remember...it's all bit hazy." e thought back to the afternoon a couple of weeks before and frowned. "I think Becky might be being possessed."
"WHAT?!" The cousin's combined shout echoed around the classroom.
Definitely should have got witnesses...then they couldn't have actually killed me...
"What do you mean possessed?!" Rose.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Albus.
"Or at least a teacher! Mouse!" Rose looked at him as if he'd just told her that the sound of Fwooper song was actually quite soothing. Horrified, and very concerned for his sanity.
"Why didn't you tell us, mate?" Albus asked again, his eyes and voice both betraying his hurt.
"Because I wasn't sure there was anything to tell!" Scorpius shouted defensively, then slumped forward against the table and sighed. "I didn't want you to think I was mental...or making stuff up. And asking for help isn't exactly something a Malfoy does...it's not pureblood." He sighed again, then buried his face in his hands, until a nudge in his ribs made him sit up again, startled
"You, my friend, are an idiot." Albus said, as he perched on the table next to Mouse, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Did you say anything to Becky?" Rose asked, as she slipped into the seat at his other side.
"Yeah...but she looked at me like I was insane...and since she was there you know? I didn't want to say anything to you guys. And it was weird...I mean we were dancing in the Forbidden Forest. How is that normal? And afterwards it was really hazy...like I was trying to see the memory through a veil, or smoke or something."
"Huh. See what you mean mate." Albus said grinning.
"Hey!"
"Hmm...You still should have told someone though Mouse, Professor Carter maybe? He is your cousin." Rose frowned, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she contemplated the problem. "I think we should tell him anyway, he is the DADA professor, and he did ask us to tell him about stuff like this. Mouse." She gave him a pointed look and he slumped again.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Scorpius groaned
"Nope." Albus said, giving him a friendly punch to the shoulder.
Albus checked the map again, grinning at Mouse's awed expression.
"Looks like we're clear, and he's in his rooms with Professor Grey...that's weird."
"What is?" Rose asked as she shook the cloak out ready to hide under it again.
"It looks like Professor Grey is on top of him."
"Oh God...We knock then. Loudly." Mouse muttered looking faintly nauseous.
"I still don't think this is a good idea..." Mouse whispered as Rose slipped out of the invisibility cloak to knock on the door of the DADA office. Their way had been mercifully free of patrolling teachers, Filch or Mrs Norris, thanks to the map. As the door of the office swung open, Mouse choice to deliberately ignore the fact that Nat's hair was very tousled and the fact it looked like his robe had been hastily thrown on in the last few seconds. Or that, further into the office, Minna looked like she was buttoning up her shirt.
"Can we- I help you?" Nat said, dryly, frowning slightly.
"It's me, Professor. Mouse that is." Mouse said, glaring at his friends as they sniggered at his clumsy wording.
The slightly disgruntled look on Nat's face eased into a bemused smile.
"Mouse? And friends as well by the laughter? Shouldn't you three be in bed?"
Mouse swallowed, then stumbled forward as Rose gave him a little push
"We need to talk to you."
"Now?" It was clear that although he was perfectly happy to hear what Mouse had to say, it could have come at a better time.
"Yes Professor, now. It's important." Rose said, ignoring the gapes of her cousin and friend.
"You had better come in then." Nat said, sighing.
"Hey kids." Minna said, rolling her eyes and muttering something under breath that sounded oddly like 'and just when it was getting good' . "Where's the fourth Mouseket – Becky?" she hastily corrected, blushing slightly as she perched on the end of Nat's desk.
"That's why we're here."
"Has something happened between the four of you? I'm sorry Mouse but that's for your head of House to sort out, not us, we don't do pastoral."
"Nat!" Minna scolded. She looked at Mouse and his friends searchingly, noticing Rose's tear stained eyes, Mouse's half guilty, half embarrassed posture and Albus' fidgets. Ex-journalists did tend to notice these things, after all. "It's more than that, isn't it?"
Mouse nodded. "We think it might be," he dropped his voice in to a low whisper. "Siren related."
Nat leaned forward, intrigued.
"How so?"
"Mouse go on." Rose gave him a little nudge, and he looked up reluctantly.
"I think the Siren might be possessing Becky because she's been acting weird ever since we ran away to hide from some bullies in the Forbidden Forest and we ended up doing some weird dance that I know I've never done before and just before the end Becky had this really weird smile and now she can't remember any of the dancing and since then she's been acting really weird and she made Rose cry." Mouse finished with a huge gasp for air.
"Whoa, slow down!" Nat joked, holding up a hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Let me get this straight. You think your friend might be being possessed."
"Yes."
"By the Siren."
"Yes."
"Because you went into the Forbidden Forest, ended up dancing, and since then she's been acting strangely."
"That's about it." Mouse confirmed.
"And she made Rose cry."
"Al!" Rose hissed at her cousin, who gave her his best 'What?' shrug.
Minna had slipped of the desk and started pacing, and muttering to herself as she did so.
"Are you sure it's not Professor Grey who's the crazy one?" Albus whispered.
"I heard that." The two Professors chorused. Minna spun round to face the rest of the room.
"You know, it's not actually all that far fetched...I definitely saw some sort of Shadow leave the room on Halloween..." Mouse winced as he remembered the to which she was referring. "and if you were dancing that would suggest that some form of music based magic was being used to control you somehow, which is consistent with what we we know, as is the fact that the one directly affected has no clear memory of the event...that combined with Becky's recent erratic behaviour...that would definitely suggest some form of outside influence if not a direct possession...Mouse did you see a Shadow? What?"
This last was directed to her fiancé, who was facing towards her with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"I'll just leave, shall I?"
Minna rolled her eyes again then turned to Mouse, who looked slightly overwhelmed.
I forgot how full on Minna in Sherlock mode is...
"Mouse?"
"Huh? Oh right, shadow..." he frowned, trying to pin down the elusive memory. "I think...um maybe?"
"What I wouldn't give to be able to use a Pensieve right now..." Nat grumbled darkly massaging his temples. "The thing is, even if it is the Siren, we don't know what she wants." He sighed, deeply unhappy. Minna sat down next to him, slipping her hand into his as she did. "We don't want to spook her, and if you, or Min and I confront Becky, then we don't know what would happen."
"So we just let her keep controlling Becky?" Mouse asked, obviously unimpressed.
"We can't do much else kiddo..." Minna said reaching her free hand over the table to give Mouse's arm a pat. "If we spook the Siren, that could hurt Becky even more."
Nat looked up suddenly.
"Albus."
"Yes sir?" Al said, surprised to be called on.
"When I did Auror training...not that I stayed the course, your dad mentioned something about knowing someone who was possessed, I don't suppose you know who that was?"
"My mum." he said quietly.
"Sorry? Didn't quite catch that."
"I said, my mum. She was the one that got possessed in her second year."
Nat blinked.
"Right. Wasn't expecting that, to be honest. Could you possibly write to your dad and mum for me then, and see if she knows anything that might help us here?"
"I could try...she doesn't exactly like talking about it, not a surprise I guess, but if I say it's really important I think she would. And not ask as many questions as Aunty 'Mione." The last sentence was said so quietly that even Nat struggled to catch with his acute hearing.
This plan of action meant that Albus and Mouse left Nat's office, feeling, if not better but at least filled with a sense of purpose. Rose on the other hand lingered for a moment to ask Minna a question that had been simmering in her brain since Becky had triggered the whole off earlier in the day.
"Professor, could maybe talk with you after class tomorrow?"
If Minna looked surprised, she didn't show it, and nodded before she felt a large, strong arm encircle her waist as its partner shut the door behind them.
"Now." Nat murmured, his breath tickling Minna's neck. "Where were we?"
A/N yeah Minna and Nat were so doing what you think they were. (Cue Mr Bean Face)
So...I now have a dilemma. I'm coming up to the Christmas section. I have another chapter already written, but after that nada.
I can either carry as I have been doing, with sporadic updates when I've written the next chapter. OR go on hiatus for a short while, write a lot of the story. Then, in November time, when Christmas chapters will be a bit more seasonal, continue with regular updates which fit the time of year a little better. LET ME KNOW PLEASE - review, PM me whatever. Or just do that anyway?