Boulevard Of Broken Dreams,
Chapter 32, Wide Awake In Dreamland
It wasn't until Severus was packing to return to Hogwarts on his last night at home for the holidays that it hit him. Heather had forgotten her joke on the Gryffindor Gang of Gits. She'd said she would do it just before the holidays. It appeared that her entire timing theory had backfired on her, because so much time had passed that she'd forgotten. Though this was irksome, Severus reminded himself that it didn't matter when the gits got theirs from Heather so long as they got it. She wasn't about to forgive them, so it would happen. Still, hopefully she wasn't right about them forgetting what it was for if she waited for too long. Still it was the first thing he said to her when he found her and Raislen waiting on Platform Nine and Three-quarters.
"Hi, Kid," Raislen called, waving as Severus hurried up, dragging his trunk along in one hand.
"You forgot," he told Heather, giving her an accusatory glare.
"What?" Heather gave him an innocent look. "I clearly don't remember what you're talking about."
Severus frowned. She was being too calm again. "So you did remember?"
Her lips curved into an amused smile. "Of bloody course I did. What do you take me for? I only forgot to tell you about it on the way home on the train as I'd planned, because we were all so bummed about your grandfather ruining the holidays." It was oddly touching to know that she and Raislen had been that bothered over his situation.
"I thought about it, though," Raislen said. "I figure a visit is a visit, so how about over the summer? Then you can stay for even longer. I asked my parents and they already said yes. They said you can stay as long as you like, so just ask your mum when you can come and for how long because it's all fine on my end."
"Really," Severus gasped. He was momentarily distracted from his burning desire to know what Heather had done to the Gryffindor Gang of Gits. "Oh Raislen, that's so great! Thank you! I hate being stuck there all summer! They're always arguing, and I swear it seems like he's even worse in the heat." Severus made a face.
"It is easy to get all bitchy in the summer heat, but we hate him so he has no right," Heather said and Severus nodded, unable to resist grinning at her in appreciation for the sentiment.
"Kreacher sent cookies," Regulus Black shouted as he dashed up to them. "They're his holiday recipe and they are amazing!"
"Tell him thanks for us," Severus said, smiling saved him money that he did not have for when the food trolley came around on the train.
"He said he'd have sent cookies along anyway, but after what Heather did, he sent extra," Regulus gushed. "Oh Heather, it was absolutely brilliant! Sirius had the most miserable Christmas ever!"
Heather smiled complacently. "Good. I am sure that means the rest of them did as well. And I can't think of four gits who deserved it more." Now Severus was itching to know what happened.
"Well, tell me," he said, practically bouncing on his toes with eagerness to know.
Heather frowned. "I think it's safer to wait until we're all settled in our compartment so we won't risk anyone hearing your reaction."
Severus laughed. This had to be good. "Fine," he acquiesced.
"In that case, I'll hold off on telling about my holidays as well," Regulus said with a smirk. "As Heather can likely guess, it's all connected." That had Severus nearly bursting with his desire to know all!
"So how were your holidays, kid," Raislen asked sympathetically. That question served nicely to dampen Severus's excitement a bit. He sighed, shrugging. Though it was kind of Raislen to ask, it wasn't precisely a pleasant topic.
"Educational, I suppose," he bit out. "I did get some nice gifts, though."
"Educational," Heather echoed, clearly concerned.
Severus forced a reassuring smile. "Not like you're probably thinking. Old man Prince wasn't too bad. Perhaps because he felt he already got to ruin my holidays by not allowing me to go to Raislen's. Then again, it may have had something to do with the fact he wasn't able to look bad in front of his friends due to my new dress robes serving to make me look suitably posh instead."
"It's so hard to imagine people like that actually having friends," Heather said. "It just means they're all rubbish people to want a friend like that."
"For sure," Raislen agreed.
"You just called all of yourselves rotten people then, for dealing with my little shit of a brother and Snivellus." Sirius Black laughed as they all turned to face him. The sound was high and oddly manic. Severus felt his eyes widening, because that was not normal. Black had dark circles under his eyes, yet looked energetic in a jerky sort of way. As he spoke, he was constantly shifting from foot to foot as if he found it difficult to stand still. "Ha-ha, I said Snivellus," he shared, as if they somehow hadn't heard. "That's so f-funny!" There went that rapid fire manic laugh again that was beginning to set Severus's teeth on edge. Black was behaving so strangely that being called Snivellus wasn't even enraging him at the moment. Not in this weird context. It was just too hard to take seriously when presented in Black's current half mad tones.
"Aren't you sleepy yet, Prat," Heather asked him with a harsh laugh.
"He hasn't been sleepy all during the holidays," Regulus said, widening his eyes in clearly feigned concern.
"Snivellus," Sirius tittered again. "I could say that word all day."
"As for friends," Raislen told him. "All of yours are rubbish for dealing with you,and if you can't see that Severus and Raislen are decent blokes, it's entirely your loss. Now bugger off with your Snivellus self before I give in to my urge to shove your stupid head up your own pratish behind! It'd quite likely get me expelled, but right now it feels so worth it."
"Sirius, Siri Sirius! Where is everyone else?" The call came from Peter as he waved at Sirius from near the other end of the platform. The little git's wild eyes and speech patterns were also oddly manic, Severus noted with growing fascination. What ever had Heather done?
"Huh-Snivellus," Sirius giggled to himself as he turned toward Peter and began moving in his direction.
"Oh and Sirius," Heather called sweetly after him. He paused at the sound of her voice and turned to stare at her. He still moved in place, shifting energetically from foot to foot as he waited to hear what she had to say. "And if you ever take your battles with me to Severus again it will only be worse next time. Got it? Don't try taking me on either, because you will never win. I am older, with more power plus I will always, always be smarter than you. Think about that carefully before you act. And before you even think of thinking that it's unfair, at least now you know how it feels. Not to mention it is very fair, because if you hadn't started with Severus and Regulus and Kreacher, none of this would be happening. Now get with you!" Sirius turned and hurried to Peter's side.
"He's so out of it, I don't even know how much of that he understood," Regulus said with a gleeful cackle. "He got into so much trouble for being constantly weird during the holidays, and it just didn't stop!"
"Remember! We're waiting until we're on the train to talk about that," Heather reminded firmly. "Back to your vacation, though, Severus. What else happened?"
Severus scowled. Back to that again, was it? While it was nice to know his friends cared, he wished that caring didn't have to involve such unpleasant topics. "I found out from my mum that he's keeping her from making enough money to go back home to the house my dad bought for us in Spinner's End."
Heather's eyes widened as her mouth made an O of shock. "How's he managing that," Raislen asked.
"He deals in finance, and he's using those connections to make it easier for those with whom he does business to either buy very little from my mum or lowball her on the prices, knowing that she needs the money and has no choice." His lip curled in disgust. "How I hate him. I hope he dies."
"I don't blame you," Regulus said fervently. "What a bloody piece of work." Heather and Raislen nodded, both giving Severus sympathetic looks. Everyone began to board the train, and Severus was glad for more than one reason. He was quite eager to hear what Heather had done to the Gryffindor Gang of Gits, but nearly as glad to have cause to drop this particular topic. Thinking of it just made him too rageful for comfort, so he had to take it on in small doses. The four grabbed a compartment quickly, and as soon as the door was shut, Severus turned to Heather. "Now!""
Heather laughed. "Yes, do sit down and relax," she said.
"Now," Severus pressed as they all sat, Heather included.
"I took a page from Raislen's enhancement idea and enhanced an energy potion. I got his Hufflepuff friend to make sure they got it in their morning juice before leaving for the holidays. Even better, I made it slow release. They maybe slept fifteen minutes a night. Do you know what lack of sleep does to the mind," Heather asked eagerly.
Regulus laughed. "I do now!
"So when will they sleep normally again," Severus asked. He'd thought Raislen's idea was amazing, and it was but this... What Heather had done was bloody art... Dark Art!
"They will sleep tonight, and perhaps they'll even fall asleep on the train. As I said, I made it time release. I knew we'd be in for it with Dumbledore if those gits behaved like manic monkeys at Hogwarts," Heather said.
"You are an evil Genius, who I am proud to call my friend," Severus said, suddenly springing up to give Heather a quick hug.
"It was literally my gleeful pleasure, Kid," Heather said, hugging him back.
"That was good shit, right there, Heather Toy," Raislen said, grinning proudly at her.
"Thank you, Raislen," Heather said sweetly, then punched him in the stomach.
Regulus sighed and Rolled his eyes. Severus nodded in agreement. "Sirius was so weird over the holidays," Regulus said, bouncing slightly in his seat with glee. "He kept saying weird stuff at inopportune moments that he thought was funny. The parents were half certain that he was on drugs! Bellatrix and Rodolphus must have hexed him six times over Christmas for not shutting up with the insults, and I think Rabastan beat him up twice. It was epic! Kreacher and I mostly just sat back and watched the wonders unfold." Thank you, Heather."
Heather chuckled. "It was the gift that kept on giving to everyone," she said. "I always like to be giving."
"Speaking of that," Regulus said, reaching under his seat where he'd stored his trunk, "Who wants cookies?"