'Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warning: None for this chapter.
Chapter 19 - Plans Gone Awry
Kate awakened and glanced at the clock beside her bed, dismayed to find that dinner had been underway for fifteen minutes. Headache now gone, Kate found that she was hungry and decided to freshen up and join Lily in the Great Hall. At least she wouldn't have to worry about sitting with Sirius; there was no way that Lily would go anywhere near the wizard now. I really need to keep my distance until I can figure out what's going on with him.
Five minutes later, Kate was following a group of witches down the hallway toward the entrance to the Hall. Their pace was not overly hurried and none of the girls was bothering to keep her voice down; as such, Kate could clearly overhear pieces of their conversation as they spoke over one another.
"… better use a glamour to hide it before one of the teachers sees…"
"… wondered where you'd gotten to…"
"… he brought you there himself? Merlin, Delilah … he's gorgeous!"
"Snogging Sirius Black in the west courtyard … how romantic…"
"Was he as good as they say he is? Are you going to see him again?"
"…wonder what that girlfriend of his will think – that Kathy, Karen – oh – you know, the one that transferred here from America …"
"Now, girls," Delilah said loudly enough to be heard over the chatter of her friends. "This needs to stay between us, alright? We don't want the whole school knowing our business, after all." She lowered her voice a bit once she had their full attention. "You know I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I will say that all the rumors you hear about Sirius'… skills are indeed true…"
Her statement was cut off by the sound of high-pitched squeals and giggles. Kate stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the retreating backs of the girls as Delilah's last comment reached her ears, "I don't think that little Gryffindor witch is in the picture any longer. Sirius has definitely moved on from that particular little fling."
Delilah Hornsby. Kate thought back miserably to her first Hogsmeade weekend and the buxom young witch with whom Sirius had flirted at Madam Rosmerta's pub. Apparently, Sirius wasn't quite truthful with her when he said he wasn't dating the girl. But didn't Peter say that Ofelia Bullstrode was alone in the west courtyard earlier today? Wasn't that the girl that Sirius left the Common Room to meet? How many witches is he involved with?
Her appetite long gone, Kate turned around and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower, willing her tears to stay back until she had reached the safe confines of her dormitory. She could think it all through then – and give free vent to her emotions. With that goal in mind, Kate hurried along the corridor, her footsteps echoing along the ancient stone floors.
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Remus had fairly given up on Sirius ever exiting the bathroom when a soft click heralded his return to the dorm. Having dried his hair, shaved and dressed in clean robes, Sirius looked marginally better than he had when he'd left. As Remus looked closer, however, he thought he detected a slight red puffiness around Sirius' eyes. He decided not to mention it; Sirius was defensive enough without Remus adding to it.
The wizard in question came to an abrupt halt as he noticed the figure sitting on his trunk.
Sirius gestured toward the lid. "I forgot my socks." Nodding, Remus rose and relocated to the edge of Sirius' bed, watching as the Animagus retrieved said socks from the depths of his trunk, then took Remus' place on the lid as he pulled them on and shoved his feet into his boots. As he bent to tie them, Sirius muttered, "I thought you'd have high-tailed it downstairs to dinner by now."
Remus cleared his throat before answering. "Well, since I don't actually have a tail at the moment – 'high' or otherwise – I figured I'd wait for you."
Sirius snorted but made no further comment.
"Sirius, I stayed behind because I wanted to apologize for calling you a Slytherin; I know that remark hurt you and I'd never want to do that. I'm sorry," Remus continued, watching his friend carefully. Sirius had finished tying his boots and was just sitting hunched over on the edge of his trunk, hands clasped between his knees, gaze fixed on the floor. "I just wanted you to reconsider this plan of yours."
"We never fight and now, since Christmas, it's been twice," Sirius said, not lifting his head, but turning to look at Remus. "I hate it."
The werewolf nodded. "So do I. But I would rather risk your anger and speak up if I think you're going to hurt yourself or others. If I remain silent and turn the other way, I'm not a very good friend to you."
"You've always been a good friend to me, Moony; the best. That's why I hate it when we're at odds. I meant it when I said that you and Jamie and Peter are all that I have. I don't want to lose you."
"You're not going to lose me. We've been through too much for that," Remus stood up from the bed and sat on the trunk behind the other wizard, placing his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Listen, Padfoot if I'm such a good friend to you, tell me why I would ever suggest that you do something that would hurt you."
Sirius sighed and turned to face his friend. "She's already upset because of me, Remus; really upset. She thought I was going to meet up with Ofelia Bullstrode in the west courtyard today. I sort of worked it out with Peter that he'd come and tell me when she was alone and Kate happened to be there. She ran out of the Common Room like the hound of hell were at her heels."
Remus' brow knit together in confusion. "But I thought you didn't want to be with Ofelia Bullstrode. I thought all of this nonsense was supposed to guarantee that you wouldn't HAVE to be with her. Why on earth would you convince Peter to do something like that?"
"I have to at least make an attempt to talk to her, Remus. And, I want her to see me with other girls so she'll go back to her father and tell him I haven't changed. See, Bullstrode told my father that if I didn't change my ways, the arrangement was off," Sirius explained, jumping up and pacing the room as he went on.
"I know that part, Padfoot. And did you see Ofelia earlier this afternoon?"
"No, well…yes, actually, but I met up with Delilah Hornsby and I brought her to the courtyard with me and … well, we got up to a bit of snog…"
Remus interrupted with a wave of his hands. "I get the picture, Sirius, you needn't give me the details. Why in the world would you drag another girl along with you to meet … Wait – is this the same Delilah from Hogsmeade?" His eyes widened.
Sirius had the good grace to blush. "Yes, Remus; it's the same girl. Weren't you paying attention earlier? I need Ofelia to see me with other girls. I ran into Delilah Hornsby on my way to the courtyard, she asked me what I was doing; one thing led to another and I offered to show her the marble fountain in the courtyard. She agreed and when we got there, we … well … you know … and I know Ofelia saw us."
Remus sighed and shook his head. " Sirius. And?"
"And she left," Sirius finished.
"And then?"
Sirius looked away from his friend. "Well, I don't really know when she left; I was a bit occupied at the time. Merlin, Hornsby has more hands than the Giant Squid, I'm telling you, Remus…"
"Sirius, stop!" Remus cried. "Aside from the fact that I think your behavior is atrocious, I do not need that image to pop into my head every time I pass that witch in the corridors!"
Sirius sat down with a huff. "I already know you think I'm a slag, Moony; that's what got us into this conversation in the first place."
Remus sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Merlin's balls, Sirius, I do not think you're a slag. I do, however, think that you're taking what is really a very unfair reputation and making it true with this fuckingly horrid plan of yours!"
Sirius' eyes grew very wide. Remus hardly ever cursed; he usually managed to get his point across fine without the use of profanity. "Blimey, Remus! You really are undone about all this."
The werewolf took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking again. "Sirius, listen to me. Really listen this time. Can't you please consider telling Kate the truth before this whole thing blows up in your face? It's bound to, you know; Hogwarts is too small and everyone loves gossip. Even if you don't behave completely outrageously, your reputation as being … promiscuous, let's call it … will become inflated with half-truths. Kate will hear – and she's bound to be hurt badly. Sirius, you stand more of a chance of losing her because of this plan that you think is so brilliant than you would if you simply sat her down and told her the truth." Remus reached over and draped his arm around Sirius' shoulders. "If you want to, I'll help you come up with an alternative plan; whatever you want. If Kate's important enough to you that you'll go to these lengths – idiotic though they may be – then why risk losing her altogether when all you need to do is trust her?"
Sirius looked at his best friend and, for the first time, Remus saw fear in the depths of those blue eyes. "What if it doesn't work, Moony?" came the whispered question. "What if she doesn't …"?
"Padfoot, there's no future in borrowing trouble. Don't assume failure. I know it's not easy for you to trust people; but you trusted James and Peter and me, didn't you?" At the other wizard's nod, Remus smiled. "And that hasn't worked out too badly, has it?"
Sirius finally returned the smile and shook his head. "Ok, Moony, I'll try it your way, but …"
Remus squeezed Sirius' shoulder. "It will be alright, Padfoot."
"Thanks, Remus." Sirius rose. "Fancy dinner?"
"Yes, and afterward, we'll discuss the revision of this plan of yours; agreed?"
Sirius swallowed audibly. "Agreed."
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Kate finally reached her dorm room for the second time that day. This time, however, she gathered her nightclothes and headed into the bathroom to shower. There, she finally let herself think about the conversation she had overheard, coupled with the day's earlier encounter with Sirius in the Common Room. Standing under the strong spray of hot water, Kate began to cry. As she did so, her mind filled with images of time she'd spent with Sirius – both before the holiday and since their return to school: her first glimpse of him on the Hogwarts Express, their introduction, all the teasing, misunderstandings and, finally, the beginnings of a relationship that had felt … right. Holding hands under the table in the library and on the couch in the Common Room. The snowball fight on the grounds when she'd brained Snape with a snowball in his defense. Kate's eyes snapped open. In his defense. She thought of her mother and all Felicity had said about Sirius that had moved her to defend him. Kate recalled the heat of her own anger and how her passionate belief and trust in the young wizard had moved her to defy her own mother. She had defended him when Felicity had said he would hurt her! As Kate replayed those memories, her tears stopped and the sadness and confusion that she'd carried with her since their return began to make room for her anger. Kate poured out shampoo and began to wash her hair, scrubbing her scalp vigorously. Why did I let myself be taken in? It's not as if there was no evidence to suggest this would happen. Kate rinsed the lather from her hair, closing her eyes to protect them. As she did so, the image of Sirius and Delilah Hornsby flashed before her eyes, followed by the memory of her cutting remark as she and her friends had gone into the Great Hall,
"I don't think that little Gryffindor witch is in the picture any longer. Sirius has definitely moved on from that particular little fling."
Kate stopped. Was that really all I was to you, Sirius? All I ever would have been? A fling? She felt her heart clench as she realized that this was probably closer to the truth than she'd wanted to admit. And now you're on to the next transfer student, someone who hasn't heard of – or experienced first hand – your reputation with the witches. Kate's thoughts returned to Delilah and she smiled grimly. As long as you can supplement the transfer students with the more adventurous witches in the Hogwarts' student population, you should do quite well for yourself, Mr. Black, Kate thought as she turned off the water and stepped from the shower. But I will not be counted in that number any longer. The fresh stab of pain that she experienced from that thought made Kate realize that despite her current anger – and all of her best intentions – this would hurt for a very long time. Not that you really care about my feelings. Kate stopped. I was so certain that he did; so sure that Sirius meant everything he said to me. She flushed with embarrassment at this thought, her ego more than a little dented. I won't make that mistake in future. I don't suffer liars gladly, and you, Sirius Black, are the worst sort of liar; you manipulate and use people to your own devices. Well, no more!
With two waves of her wand, her body and hair were dry. Slipping into her undergarments and throwing on her robe, Kate picked up her nightclothes and stalked back into the dormitory. Tossing the pajamas on her bed, Kate put on a set of clean robes, checked herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. You were never going to hurt me, were you? You'll never get the chance to do it again. The 'little fling' is beyond your reach – starting right now! And with that thought, Kate turned away from the mirror and quit the dormitory, beginning the trek to the Great Hall for the second time that afternoon. This time, she would not be distracted.
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Remus and Sirius entered the Great Hall and walked toward their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. Sirius slowed his steps a bit at the sight of James' very uncustomary glare as he looked at him over Lily's red head. Bolstered by Remus' hand under his elbow, however, Sirius picked up the pace and soon dropped down onto the bench beside the messy-haired wizard. He was to regret not listening to his instincts and bolting before Lily saw him.
"Sirius Black," she spoke sharply, voice slightly louder than her normal pitch. Fortunately, only those in their immediate vicinity could easily overhear her. "Fancy seeing you without your harem."
"Lily," with his eyes fixed on his dinner plate, James murmured a warning, his tone unlike any he'd previously used. It had the intended effect on her as she abandoned Sirius and turned toward James.
"Did you want to say something, James?"
This time, the wizard looked her dead in the eye before speaking. "Not particularly, Lily; and neither do you"
Lily's green eyes widened in shock. "Well," she huffed. "I don't know what you think you mean…"
"Lily," James interrupted. "I mean that you are a fair-minded witch who would never use stupid gossip to insult another person. I'm sure that you've had your share of people who've insulted you unfairly, which is how I know you'd never do the same. Now, if I'm wrong and you've actually seen Sirius, here, with an honest-to-Merlin harem, then I'll stand down and leave you to it. Otherwise, let's just leave it go, shall we?"
In the shocked silence that followed, none of the five friends registered the feminine throat clearing going on behind them. Sirius winced, however, when he pulled himself out of his stupor, looked around and saw Delilah standing behind him, batting her eyes and smiling smugly.
"Why, Sirius, I thought you weren't ever coming down to dinner. Why don't you excuse yourself and come eat with me?"
"Excuse me?" Sirius had had just about enough of being ordered around by witches. "I'm having dinner with my friends here."
Delilah rolled her eyes. "'Friends'?" she glanced round the table, letting her gaze come to rest on Lily. "I distinctly heard you insulted; what kind of friends do that?"
"Lily," James whispered, dropping her a wink and smiling when she looked over at him. "I think that's a good example of you being unfairly insulted. Good time to address it, don't you think?"
She stared at James stupidly for a moment then the penny dropped. Lily managed to swallow a small smile as she turned her attention to the hapless witch standing behind a widely grinning werewolf. "Delilah, isn't it?" Lily fairly purred.
"Wait for it," James muttered to Sirius who had stupidly taken a breath to answer Lily's question. He exhaled sharply instead.
"Yes, that's my name," the other witch said in a condescending tone.
"I thought so. I've heard a good deal about you, you see and I know that you have a great many friends – of both sexes. And though I daresay you think you know quite a bit about how friends treat each other, I'd venture a guess that you actually know next to nothing," Lily replied, her voice dripping with sweetness. She took advantage of the other witch's shock to go in for the kill. "That would explain why you seem completely oblivious to the fact that your friends – while quite nice to your face – have made it possible for me to learn about your exploits in the various pubs during Hogsmeade weekends. So, you see – Delilah – true friends say what needs to be said directly to those affected. False friends share your secrets with everyone. Food for thought, wouldn't you say?"
Delilah's face turned roughly the same shade as the Marauders' as they strove to contain the laughter that was threatening to explode from them. Her mouth opened and closed several times but no sound came forth. Finally, taking a deep breath, she turned to Sirius who had just about managed to bring himself under control.
"Sirius! Are you just going to sit there and let this – this witch insult me? Haven't you anything to say?" she fumed.
Sirius turned his head until he could see the irate witch's face. "Stay out of the pubs in Hogsmeade?"
For the remaining Marauders, this proved to be their undoing. Their laughter did, indeed, explode from them in such force and volume that the Hall fairly rang with it. As the furious witch sped away from the Gryffindor table – and under cover of the bedlam going on around them, Sirius leaned across the table and tapped Lily's hand to get her attention.
"Thank you, Lily," he said sincerely. "That was beyond brilliant!"
Lily's smile slipped from her face as she looked at him. "I'm going to say this to your face, Sirius," she began. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but I know that Kate's feeling very badly right now and I'm more than positive it has to do with something you've done. She's my best friend and I don't like seeing her this way. Fix it."
"I'm going to try, Lily," Sirius assured her. "And to make sure I don't bollocks it up, Remus is going to help me."
Remus glanced over at the sound of his name and Lily rolled her eyes. "I don't know how he ropes you into helping him with his schemes, Remus – and I'm sure I'll never know what Kate sees in you, Black, but you'd better have hurt her for the last time!"
"This might be your chance, mate," Peter caught Sirius' eye and gestured toward the entrance to the Great Hall. Sure enough, Kate was entering with Dorcas. Dorcas started toward their group of friends, but Kate caught her arm and, with a word, they joined Alice Peasegood and her beau, Frank Longbottom at the opposite end of the table. "Or not," the plump boy added, returning his attention to his shepherd's pie.
Sirius half-rose from his seat, but Remus pushed him back down. "Do you really want an audience for this, Padfoot?"
Sirius shook his head and watched as Lily patted James' hand then rose from her seat and made her way over to her friend.
"Audience for what?" James demanded, pushing his plate away from him and turning to look at Sirius.
"I'm abandoning my original plan to piss Kate off," Sirius said, eyes firmly fixed on their topic of conversation.
James glanced over where Kate was sitting with Lily and the others. "I hate to say, 'I told you so', but…,"
"Stuff it, James," Sirius growled. "Come on, Remus, we've got work to do."
"Gentlemen," Remus intoned as he followed his irritated friend away from the table.
Sirius didn't pause as he passed Kate on his way out the door, so intent was he on making his escape. Remus, however, caught Kate's eye as they passed and was surprised at the coldness of her expression. He smiled at her and was relieved when she smiled in turn, her usual warmth returning to her face. "Later," he mouthed.
Kate shrugged in response. "Maybe," she mouthed back, her gaze briefly flitting toward the door. In the next moment, she had resumed her conversation with Alice and Remus had to hurry to catch up with Sirius who was well across the entrance hall by the time Remus turned back to him.
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"Looks like Black's having a bad time of it," Arturo smirked as he watched the drama unfold at the Gryffindor table.
Ofelia nodded and sighed softly. "So much conflict in his life, that one – so much anger."
"Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for him?" her brother expressed his astonishment.
"Perhaps a bit. I am, after all, in the same predicament as he. My life isn't my own, either, is it?" Ofelia said quietly.
"Whose is?" her brother replied, pushing himself up from his seat. "Are you coming downstairs?"
Ofelia shook her head. "Not quite yet. I'll be along in a while. I'm going to have another cup of tea, first."
With a brief nod, Arturo grabbed Lucius' arm and the two wended their way through the Hall to the exit.
"May I join you?" a soft, elegant baritone voice called Ofelia's attention back to the table and she looked up to see Severus Snape standing there, awaiting her response.
"Of course," she said as she slid along the bench to make room for the tall, lanky student.
"Thank you. You are Arturo's sister, Ofelia, are you not?" he asked, pouring fresh tea in her cup and holding the silver tea tray at her elbow so that she could add what she liked to the brew.
"I am," she picked up a lemon wedge with the engraved tongs and dropped it into her cup. "And you are Severus Snape, Potions expert extraordinaire."
Severus bristled, certain she was having him on. Ofelia recognized it and immediately placed her hand on the wizard's arm, dismayed to feel it tense at her touch. "You think I'm teasing you, but I'm not," she reassured him. "Arturo – and his friend, Lucius Malfoy – tell me that you are quite brilliant at Potions."
Two bright spots of color appeared in Severus' cheeks; he was unused to praise of any kind. "And do you enjoy Potions?" he asked, immediately berating himself inwardly; he was also unused to dealing with attractive young witches – well, other than Lily, of course. They had become friends long ago.
Ofelia was speaking again. "I do. I'm afraid I do not have your prowess, but I scored well at my former school. Perhaps if things become too challenging, I could impose upon you for some assistance? A bit of tutoring, perhaps?"
Severus nodded. "Of course. I would be willing to assist if you required it."
Ofelia smiled. "You have a mesmerizing voice, Severus Snape. Are you equally adept at spell-casting?"
Severus came as close to a full facial blush as he had in his life. "Much of it is foolish wand waving," he replied. "But I have some proficiency; I have trained in dueling."
"Dueling; a romantic and noble pursuit. I should very much like to observe you in full form."
"Well, we don't have a regular dueling club here at Hogwarts, more's the pity," Severus drawled, now most self-conscious about speaking in front of Ofelia. He cast a sidelong glance at her and could not risk adding, "But I should be more than happy to call someone out on your behalf; Sirius Black, perhaps? I'm sure he would enjoy a go at me."
"As you would him, I imagine," Ofelia laughed quietly. "You are aware of our mutual families' arrangement for us, I presume?"
Severus nodded. "Regrettably."
"Why, Severus! You say that with such profound disappointment; why would that be?" Ofelia was truly amused as she observed the dark wizard to her left.
Severus placed his cup on the table with slightly more force than he intended. Black! "He and his little friends are swine! They parade through the castle as if they owned it and those they deem beneath them suffer mightily at their hands. They are so accustomed to detentions that the practice serves little value in deterring their high jinks. I think you could do far better than that unruly wizard!"
Ofelia listened to the agitated commentary quietly. She had heard from others that this troupe of boys pulled a wide variety of pranks, but had thought them harmless. This young man seemed to contradict those rumors. Ofelia knew from Arturo that Snape had few friends and that, like Sirius, his home life was far from healthy. No one, however, seemed to have any details of that life. She felt sorry for Severus, but knew that to let him know that would be disastrous. Ofelia rose and was amused to see Severus hurry to his feet and step away from the bench to allow her to exit. As she passed, Ofelia stood on her tiptoes and placed a small peck on Severus' cheek. "Thank you for your kind offer of Potions' tutoring – and for your very kind words regarding my value. You do not know how much they mean to me."
Severus sat back on the bench and remained in the Hall for quite some time after Ofelia – and most of the other students had taken their leave. He did not know quite what to make of their encounter – or of her – but he did know one thing: he regretted very much Black's abrupt departure before Ofelia had kissed him. After several more moments' consideration and with a mysterious smile on his face, Severus Snape made his way to the entrance hall – and the security of the Slytherin dungeon.
