A Little Knowledge

Sophia had actually begun to dread Monday as Sissy brushed up on the curse with gleaming eyes. But the weekend was over before she knew it and the other girls had not changed their minds about teaching Black a lesson. Sophia knew that Corinna was having second thoughts, possibly related to her gift, but she wasn’t actively trying to stop Olivia, Sissy, and Martin, who were the most bent on revenge. Sophia also knew that there was no way to talk them out of it.

“Black and his friends usually walk by the History of Magic classroom when we’re queuing up to go inside,” Olivia informed them when they all met in the common room before breakfast that morning. She didn’t want to leave Martin out, but it seemed as though they had no choice.

“Then I won’t get to see it,” said Martin flatly. He was more than a bit disappointed by this.

“Sorry,” shrugged Sissy.

“The corridor should be quite crowded,” said Olivia with a sympathetic look at Martin.

“I’ll say,” said Sophia under her breath. That hallway was nearly packed between lessons.

“Can you lengthen my sleeves a bit?” Sissy asked Olivia, who was the most adept at Charms. “So I can hide my wand more easily,” she explained when given a quizzical look.

“Of course,” said Olivia with a grin.

“Careful they don’t get in your way,” warned Sophia as Olivia took care of the sleeves, making them long enough to hide Sissy’s hands.

“Nag, nag, nag,” muttered Olivia, sticking out her tongue.

“Let’s go then,” said Sissy, experimentally drawing her wand before they left.

Everything was perfect.

Several hours later the quartet found themselves standing in the hall outside the History of Magic classroom, waiting for Astrophel Black to pass by. Sophia was sulking and hoping desperately that Sissy would lose her nerve, which was never going to happen, not in a million years. Corinna was anxiously plucking at her messy hair. But Olivia and Sissy were leaning against the wall with their eyes peeled for Black, looking very cool and calm in the face of such a gross violation of the rules.

Sissy could barely suppress a wolfish grin when Black rounded the corner and came into view. She was already holding her wand carefully concealed in the sleeve of her robes. She raised it just enough to cast the spell and spoke the curse under her breath.

“Magnus Dedecoro!”

Then she lowered the wand slightly, careful to keep a firm grip on it as the curse went into action.

Black stopped in his tracks, and his eyes widened in horror. His mouth moved for a moment, but without him uttering a sound. Then he crumpled to the floor, shielding his head with his arms. He was trembling hard and making unintelligible sounds just loud enough for the girls to hear.

His two friends stood there staring at him with confused expressions. Flint prodded at him with the toe of his boot and then exchanged glances with Bulstrode before moving away from Black as though he were somehow contaminated.

“Stop it!” Sophia hissed as Black began to rock back and forth on his knees, clutching at his dark hair with an expression of desperation and anguish on his face.

Sissy swallowed and tried to let go of the spell to stop it. She had seen enough, not that this was the reaction she had been hoping for. She had hoped to see him blush and run away. Nothing more than that. His violent reaction had surprised and even frightened her.

The Sissy got another nasty surprise: she couldn’t stop the spell. It simply wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t even let go of her wand, much less the spell itself. Her fingers wouldn’t uncurl from around the magical instrument.

“Can’t,” she whispered back to Sophia with panic in her eyes.

“Counter curse?” questioned Olivia, grasping Sissy by the arm.

“I don’t know it,” she admitted hoarsely. “Get help,” Sissy begged them.

Corinna would like to have been able to say that she saw this coming, but this wasn’t what she was expecting at all. The twin looks of fear and distress on Sissy and Black’s faces were hardly what she had foreseen or known, which had only been that there would be trouble.

“Who?” asked Sophia urgently.

“Knowles,” said Sissy through gritted teeth as Olivia tried to pry the wand from her hand.

Sophia nodded quickly and began running down the corridor in the direction of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Most of the students in hall had crowded around Black, watching with some interest as he curled up facing the wall and gibbered quietly to himself. None of his house mates moved to help him. Instead, they were simply looking awkward and uncomfortable. But no one seemed to notice Sissy with her back against the other wall, surrounded by her friends, who were trying to get her wand away from her without attracting too much attention.

“Do you know any counter curses that might help?” asked Olivia, unable to budge her friend’s fingers.

But Sissy’s eyes were beginning to glaze over as the advanced curse sapped her strength. She could hardly respond to the inquiry, much less wrack her brain for such a complex spell.

“I knew we shouldn’t have done this,” moaned Corinna.

“It’s not your fault,” said Olivia hotly. “This was all my stupid idea. I can’t believe I wanted her to try something like this!”

“We both egged her on,” said Corinna.

“You did not,” said Olivia through her teeth.

“Where’s Knowles?” asked Sissy in an agonized whisper.

“Sophia went to get him,” Olivia assured her as calmly as she could manage.

It was some minutes later when a group of professors appeared. Some of them had been obviously alerted by other students, including Professor Knowles who was being closely trailed by Sophia. Most of the other professors, including the Muggle Studies professor and Beatrice Vector, immediately pushed their way through the crowd that had surrounded Black while Professor Kettleburn and the Astronomy professor began clearing the students from the corridor. But Sophia brought Knowles straight to them.

“What have you done now, Howard?” barked Knowles.

Sissy was barely aware of anything, but she could hear his voice and the anger therein.

“Something ... stupid,” she replied in a garbled voice.

Knowles reached toward her, fumbling for her face. He gasped as though in pain as he touched her.

“Dark Magic then? That was foolish,” he said, releasing her with one hand and drawing his wand with the other.

“Can you help her?” asked Olivia.

Knowles started, but muttered, “Should have known. You all travel as a pack.” He gave Olivia a brisk nod in answer to her question. “Finite Incantatum,” he spoke, waving his wand over Sissy.

Her knees buckled, but Knowles managed to catch her. For a moment his expression was one of unguarded concern. The expression was quick to vanish, however.

“Sissy?” asked Corinna hesitantly as she did not move.

“She’ll be all right,” said Knowles sharply, “despite her own obvious idiocy.” He shook Sissy hard as he tried to bring her around.

“I’m sorry, professor,” said Sissy as she came to her senses.

“Not half so sorry as you’re going to be,” he growled, pushing her against the wall and forcing her to stand up on her own. The concern was completely gone.

“Is she the one that did it?” asked Professor Vector from behind him.

Black was pushing himself up from the floor. He looked shaken and pale, but hardly the worse for wear.

“Yes,” snorted Knowles.

“We had better take them to the headmaster and call their heads of house,” said Vector with a pinched and angry look. “They should be the ones to sort out this mess,” she added.

“All of them?” asked Knowles.

“They weren’t involved,” said Sissy quickly. “My friends don’t know anything about it.”

Vector gave her a sharp look and said, “Well, it only takes one to cast a spell ...”

“Just Howard and Black then,” nodded Knowles, clutching Sissy’s shoulder and shoving her forcefully toward Vector.

“I’ll conduct them to Armando’s office then,” nodded the professor of Arithmancy.

When Professor Vector had left with Sissy and Astrophel, the other professors went on their way too, leaving Knowles with Sophia, Corinna, and Olivia, who was close to tears as she realized how much trouble Sissy was in. She thought it was quite possible that Sissy would be expelled and have her wand snapped for such an assault on a fellow student.

“What in Merlin’s name happened here?” asked Knowles, who was not ready to let the other girls go until he had a few questions answered.

The three of them exchanged glances, not knowing precisely what to tell the professor.

“Well?” he pressed, shuffling one foot to find his cane, which was on the floor, and retrieving it once it had been located. His knuckles were white as he gripped his cane and waited. “What did he do to provoke her?” asked Knowles impatiently.

“That isn’t easy to explain,” said Sophia as her shoulders slumped.

“He insulted me during the Quidditch match, sir,” said Corinna.

“He called her ‘fatty’,” Olivia offered, “and Sissy ... well, none of us could stand for it.”

Knowles rubbed his forehead with his free hand and said, “This was over an insult thrown around at a Quidditch match?”

His tone was an entirely disbelieving one; he could hardly fathom what he had just been told, that Miss Howard would curse another student over something so trivial as that.

“I’m sure Sissy never meant for it to go this far,” Sophia told him.

“She certainly didn’t know what she was dealing with,” he snorted derisively.

“Will she be expelled?” asked Olivia with a quaver in her voice.

“That will be decided by the headmaster,” said Knowles, “but I wouldn’t be surprised either way. A reckless stunt like that ...” He just shook his head.

Privately, even Corinna thought, “You’re one to talk.” But she was not impertinent enough to say it.

“The three of you should get to class,” said Knowles as students began filing back into that part of the hallway.

Sissy and Black marched along in silence behind Professor Vector, who was looking increasingly parsimonious as they neared the office of the headmaster. Sissy had tucked her wand away and was massaging a cramp out of her hand as they walked. Black beside her still looked wide-eyed, but she could tell that his anger had already been kindled. Realization of what had happened was slowly beginning to come to him. He was breathing heavily as though just recovering from a fright, and Sissy was as tired as she could ever remember feeling and trembling.

They halted at the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the office and Vector spoke the password, Homeric hymns, to make the gargoyle move from their path. Then she led them up the stairs into the outer office.

“Wait here,” Vector instructed them before dashing through a door to find Professor Dippet.

Both parties took a seat, but it was Black who spoke first once they were alone.

“Think you’re clever, don’t you? Just wait ‘til they toss you out on your arse,” said Astrophel in a low growl. When Sissy made no reply nor showed any sign of hearing him, he went on. “They might even have your wand for this. And why? Because you let that stupid prank we played on Dumbledore get under your skin.”

“That’s hardly why I did this,” said Sissy placidly.

“Why then?” he asked, turning to glare at her with hard blue eyes.

“What you said to Corinna on the pitch,” she answered coolly.

“Bollocks! You mean this was about that? One little wisecrack at your dirty little Half-blood friend?”

Sissy nearly went for her wand again as she hissed, “Don’t you dare call her that!”

“It’s true,” he shrugged. “My father knew her father from school. I’ve always heard that Francis Bellew shackled himself to a poor muggle woman, but I never imagined that I’d be forced to go to school with their spawn. And in addition to that, she’s fat and ugly too,” he said, perhaps trying to draw Sissy into a fight just outside the office of the headmaster.

“And I heard your father licked Grindelwald’s boots,” said Sissy in a conversational tone, “or was it something else ...” It was the first time she had ever said that name of the Dark Wizard aloud. It was oddly empowering.

Black was out of his chair with his wand in hand. His face had turned a rather unattractive shade of red.

“Don’t you dare talk about my father!” he growled at her.

Sissy chose not to go for her wand, betting that he wouldn’t have enough time to do any serious damage, and besides that, she was far too exhausted to put up a decent fight.

“Then leave my friend alone,” she said calmly.

“I don’t see why you bother protecting her. What good is she to you?” asked Black, narrowing his eyes. He adjusted his grip on his wand as though restraining himself.

Sissy imagined that in another time and place they would have hexed and cursed each other to kingdom come, or as close to it as a second and third year student could manage. But that was simply not something that either could do in the office of the headmaster whether he was present or not.

“Corinna is my friend,” Sissy said to him in slow, careful tones. She didn’t expect him to understand, not because he was a Slytherin, but because he was an utter git.

“I don’t see why someone like you associates with Mudbloods. Slumming perhaps?”

She knew he was trying to bait her, but the words stung just the same. It was the same of sort of filthy rhetoric used by the forces of Grindelwald during the war. Propaganda that helped keep pureblooded families on his side or neutral as he did as he wished to the muggle-born, half-blood, and muggle populations. She wasn’t at all surprised to hear it from someone like Astrophel Black.

“You’d be surprised,” said Sissy shortly, “but I don’t have to defend myself to the likes of you.”

“Oh, you’ll be defending yourself soon enough,” he said, nodding toward the inner office.

“But not to you,” she said with a smirk.

“They’ll have your wand for certain. Probably even send you to Azkaban,” he threatened.

Sissy felt a chill at those words, even though she knew that people were usually only sent to the wizards’ prison for things like murder or using an Unforgivable Curse on someone, but she said nothing in response. She merely blinked coolly at him and tried to look unconcerned.

“What did you do to me?” he asked when it became apparent that Sissy wasn’t going to say anything more.

“I tried to give you a taste of your own medicine,” she replied.

“A shame curse!” he hissed accusingly.

“Thought you should remember what that sort of thing feels like.”

“Bravo,” he snarled, looking away from her.

Several minutes later Professor Vector walked back into the office where they were waiting and told them, “Professor Dippet will see you now.” The look on her face remained unpleasant, especially when she looked at Sissy.

The few steps into Dippet’s office were among the most difficult she had ever taken. She felt battered and very tired, but worse than that, she was beginning to feel embarrassed about what she had done and the trouble she had caused.

“It’s not supposed to be like this,” Sissy thought to herself as she approached the headmaster’s desk with Black, who was smirking.

Armando Dippet was sitting at his desk with his hands steepled in front of him. The expression on his face was one of anger and disbelief. Both emotions were gone when he looked up at them, or more precisely at Sissy. His eyes had lingered on Black only for a moment. Sissy was grateful that Black could not put on the mask of innocence and naiveté that he wore so often for his head of house. At least Dippet could see his real face in all of its arrogant, conceited, smirking glory.

“You started this, Miss Howard?” the headmaster asked carefully.

“In a manner of speaking,” she replied, feeling unsteady on her feet as she stood before the aged Ravenclaw.

“Professor Flitwick will be here in a moment. I did not feel the need to call Professor Krohn out of class at this time,” said Dippet in measured tones.

“She cursed me without warning or provocation,” Black told him in a haughty voice.

Dippet held up a hand to silence him and said, “Just a moment, Mister Black, while we wait for Professor Flitwick.”

The roar of the fireplace caused Sissy to turn slightly. Her heart sank even further when Professor Flitwick emerged from the hearth, dusting himself off and looking quite put out. Sissy remembered, not that it mattered very much, he had no class scheduled for the hour before the midday meal.

“I should have known,” said little Filius when he saw Sissy.

She had to close her eyes for a moment to stop the tears as she said, “I’m sorry, professor.”

“Was it about the Quidditch game?” he asked her. “Please tell me that it wasn’t about our house losing.”

“No, sir, not really ... Black insulted my friend Corinna on the pitch,” she tried to explain.

“Professor Knowles contacted me by floo and explained the circumstances leading up to this incident,” said Dippet. “He has already questioned Miss Howard’s friends regarding the matter,” he added for his colleague’s information.

Professor Flitwick just shook his head and said, “I warned them all about their behavior.”

“Is she going to get expelled then? Her wand snapped?” asked Black. The anticipation in his voice made her cheeks burn. It was almost as though his mouth was watering at the prospect.

“We haven’t snapped the wand of a second year student in more than four hundred years. The same goes for expulsion,” said Dippet in a neutral tone. “Cyrus seems to think that she did not intend to harm Mister Black, only teach him a lesson about belittling others. While this cannot excuse her conduct, I would try to take that into account,” Dippet told Flitwick.

“Fifty points then?” asked Flitwick.

Sissy felt her insides go cold. Everyone was going to hate her now, maybe even Olivia. There was no way she could recover that many points! It was going to cost them the House Cup!

“And detention?” asked the headmaster.

“Of course,” Flitwick nodded.

“With Mister Pringle?” questioned Dippet very somberly. Even the staff knew what the caretaker was like.

Flitwick shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

“I suppose I have no choice. Yes, detention with Pringle for the next ... eight evenings, including the weekend,” said Filius with a serious frown. Whether knowingly or not he had let her off the day before her birthday.

But Sissy wasn’t thinking about that. She was only thinking about the terrifying stories she had heard from other students. Whips, chains, thumbscrews, branding irons, enchanted instruments of torture ... She could almost feel herself go pale.

“That’s it?” asked Black in disbelief. “A few points and some measly detentions?”

“Mister Black,” said Dippet patiently, “it has been brought to my attention both this term and last term that you take great pleasure in bullying younger students. There have been reports from the prefects and so forth. It seems that this time you chose to trouble the wrong people and have suffered the consequences. I hope you learn something from this experience. And I assure you that Miss Howard’s punishment will not be taken lightly.”

Black narrowed his eyes, but could think of nothing further to say.

“Would you care to go to the hospital wing before returning to class?” Professor Dippet asked him. Black’s eyes darted toward Sissy for an instant.

“No, thank you, sir. I think I can manage,” he said with a curl of his lip. Black would never admit that the curse had done anything substantial to him, not even to those who saw him lying in a gibbering heap on the floor. His pride would not allow it.

“Then you are excused,” said Dippet, gesturing for the door.

“What about me, sir?” asked Sissy after a moment as she heard the door close none too quietly behind her.

“I will be escorting you to the hospital wing, Miss Howard,” said Professor Flitwick, reaching up and taking her by the elbow. There was still disappointment in his eyes, but his expression was kindly too.

“Thank you, sir,” she said, feeling much too tired and depleted to object or refuse.

“I’ll want to have a few words with you too,” he said to Sissy. “Headmaster, I will return before my next class,” he said over his shoulder as they walked away.

The exhaustion had yet to pass as Sissy walked down the corridor in the direction of the hospital wing with Flitwick guiding her by the elbow. He was rather comforting in his own way, and it was nice not to be walking alone, especially considering how awful Sissy felt, although she could not understand precisely why.

“What spell did you use on Black?” asked Flitwick, keeping his pace slow to accommodate his pale and weary student.

“Magnus Dedecoro,” she answered.

“Ah ...” he said as though realizing something for the first time. “Not all that it was cracked up to be, was it, Miss Howard?”

“No, professor.”

“Dark Magic has a sinister element to it that can be easily overlooked or hidden from the unsuspecting. Remember that,” he advised her.

“What did it do it me, sir?”

“That isn’t an easy thing to explain. In order to use Dark Magic effectively, one must have a core of darkness, such as hate and malice, for example, from which to draw. You didn’t hate young Mister Black enough to actually form a core for the spell to feed on, which meant that it could only feed on what it could find: your life energy,” explained Flitwick carefully.

“So it would have killed me eventually?” she asked.

“That particular spell would probably have only rendered you unconscious, but there are spells that, if cast under the wrong conditions, might do just that,” he said seriously.

“I blacked out for a moment when Professor Knowles stopped it,” she admitted.

“Not surprising,” he commented, giving her arm a comforting squeeze. “I understand why you performed the spell, although I cannot condone your actions.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes, like your friend Miss Bellew, I was bullied and taunted in school myself and took matters into my own hands more than once,” he said with a grim sort of smile as he looked up at her.

She looked at him incredulously. Flitwick had been a dueling champion, after all, and she had always imagined that he had been well-liked and popular in school.

“It isn’t easy being the smallest boy in your year, you know,” said Flitwick with a hint of amusement. “The other children said horrible things about my parentage, which I shall not repeat to you, so, unable to ignore the gibes, I learned to defend myself from them in much the same fashion as you tried to defend your friend. But with perhaps better results. You see, I stuck with hexes and jinxes.”

“I never realized, professor,” said Sissy.

“That other people go through much the same thing? Neither did I at your age,” he shrugged. “But I hope you have learned your lesson.”

“I believe so,” she said as reached the hospital wing.

“Good. I’m just sorry you have to have those detentions with Pringle,” said Flitwick, shaking his head.

Needless to say, so was Sissy.

---