The Embittering of Severus Snape

Muriel, followed by her father and Aunt Rosa, came nonchalantly through the barrier to platform 9 ¾. She looked around for Sirius. She hadn't seen him, or anyone else, all summer long. As her gaze wandered from one laughing group of students to the next, she felt an almighty tug on her sleeve.

"Marisa!" Her friend pulled her away from the adults to join the others with whom she'd shared a dorm for the last 6 years. They were all giggling and talking over one another.

"You're so tan!"

"How was the Italian food?"

"How were the Italian MEN?" At this all 4 girls began giggling again, and Mur rolled her eyes emphatically.

"Fabulous! There was a photo shoot on the stretch of beach below Aunt Rosa's house. The house is invisible, so the magazine photographers must have thought it was a public beach. You should have seen them all, muscles glistening under all that oil, and tan lines in places you wouldn't believe!"

Muriel was having a wonderful time baiting her friends. "And they were all SOOO interested. I mean, you expect male models to be inclined more toward one another, but when I went down there to check it all out, it sure seemed to me that my Muggle bathing suit got their attention." The girls were looking at her with wide eyes now, and had fallen silent. She'd been planning this for weeks, she'd even gone out of her way to get her hands on a Muggle bathing suit and have her picture taken in it. She was about to pull it out when she noticed that Marisa wasn't looking at her anymore, she was looking past her. Mur turned abruptly to look into the smirking face of Sirius Black.

"You all look a little flushed. Weren't talking about me, were you?" One of the girls teetered a bit, her hand over her mouth, and Marisa prodded her into silence. Muriel was trying to decide how much of that conversation her boyfriend had heard when her father and Aunt Rosa caught up with her as well.

"Mr. Black." A hand fell on Sirius' shoulder and he turned around, thoroughly distracted. Mr. Deesia was offering his hand and Sirius shook it. "Good to see you again." Muriel thought her father sounded particularly cold.

"You, too," Sirius said calmly.

"I trust your family is well." Muriel saw Sirius squirm. She looked behind her to see that her friends had all vanished, and felt a little calmer.

"Actually, sir, I wouldn't know, as I'm no longer living with them." Mr. Deesia started a bit and looked around. He was glad the boy had the sense to speak softly. He allowed himself a smile, but kept it tight for appearances sake.

"Good for you," he whispered, "but don't tell anyone I said so." He nodded curtly to Sirius, then turned to his daughter as Aunt Rosa stepped forward.

"So THIS is the boy you've been writing to twice every week!" She pulled him into an unexpected hug. When released, he threw a questioning glance at Muriel, who avoided his gaze as she said goodbye quietly to her father.

When they were finally on the train, Sirius stowed their luggage in the first empty compartment they came to. "Did he write back at all?" He kept his voice quiet. He'd only gotten one letter each week and he was pretty sure whom the others had been sent to. Muriel shook her head. She'd been so happy a moment ago, but suddenly the weight of being back at Hogwarts seemed too much. How would she face an entire year without her best mate?

Sirius slipped his hand into hers as they headed down the train looking for his friends. He could tell that this year was going to be hard for her, but he'd spent all summer thinking up ways to distract her and keep her mind off Severus Snape.

They found James, Remus and Peter playing exploding snap and chatting happily. Sirius was grateful when James welcomed Muriel warmly. They hadn't talked about her all summer. He knew his friend was still upset about Muriel calling him immature in front of Lily last year.

"So, how was Italy?" James asked innocently.

"Fine," she mumbled, looking at the ground and blushing furiously. She wished she'd never thought up that stupid joke on her housemates. To take the attention off herself, she turned to Remus. "What are you doing here? I thought for sure you'd make Head Boy!" At this, all four boys stopped smiling abruptly. Sirius cleared his throat.

"Actually, it looks like the Head Boy is a Slytherin this year." He watched Mur's face darken and added, "But that won't stop us from cursing him into oblivion." When her expression didn't change, he prodded Peter, who gave him a dirty look before sliding to the floor so they could sit together. The boys went back to their rather loud game of cards and Muriel was soon laughing with them. She was startled, though, when James tapped her on the shoulder, a serious look on his face.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" He sounded apprehensive, and messed his hair nervously. Mur narrowed her eyes. She and James hadn't exactly parted as friends last year. But she could feel his worry, so she shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess." He led her outside the cabin as Sirius looked up. Muriel shrugged again in response to the odd, questioning look on his face. James closed the door before his friend could ask.

"Look," he said as they walked. "I did a rotten thing to you last year. It was my fault Snape figured out about you and Sirius." The words tumbled out. In only a moment he'd explained all about the clarity of mind spell, and how angry he'd been when she'd insulted him in front of Lily. She stayed quiet. When he'd finished he turned toward her and stopped walking. They were nose-to-nose in the narrow corridor. She looked up at him but still didn't speak. She could sense that there was something else he really needed to say.

"Someday, you might forgive me for that, but Sirius never will. Please don't say anything to him about it." James whispered. Muriel nodded slowly and James released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He was just starting to grin in relief when Muriel pulled out her wand. She had half a mind to use it to curse Potter, but she knew that wouldn't be right. If she'd told Severus what was going on from the beginning the horrible fight in Hogsmeade would never have happened. She couldn't do anything about that now. But she could fix the damage she had done.

Walking quickly, she soon reached the front of the train where two 4th year Slytherin students were standing outside the Prefect compartment. James had followed her, and he brought out his own wand at the sight of these guards. Muriel looked them up and down quickly. Sineath and Hinegardner, both purebloods, of course, but neither of them the usual Death Eater fare that Severus had spent all his time avoiding. For this she was grateful. At least she knew he wasn't making too many new alliances.

She nodded politely. "Gentlemen, I'd like to see the Head Girl. It's about the behavior of this member of her house." She was glad to see James lower his wand and try to look deferential, not that he was good at it. The set of his jaw always seemed to indicate that he was in charge whether that was the case or not.

The young Slytherins exchanged a glance. Muriel knew immediately that they had been set there to prevent her entering. 'How insulting! Sev sent 4th year students to prevent ME from seeing him?' she thought, smirking inwardly and not realizing that her feelings were evident on her face as well. Their looks hardened.

"Sorry Miss Deesia, Severus said no one could come in yet. They're still busy." Sineath was giving her an unpleasant grin. Muriel immediately changed tactics.

"Accio wands," she said, almost lazily. Neither boy was holding his, and their wands whizzed out from under their robes. She caught them with ease, smiling sweetly. She almost felt bad for them. Severus would be quite annoyed. "Now you can either run and find a place to hide, or I can take you in there with me when I go." The boys ran. She looked back at James, who was grinning again. "Don't waste any words on Sev," she said quietly. He nodded as she turned and pushed open the door without knocking. Her eyes found Severus at once, but she forced her gaze on to Lily, who looked startled.

"Hey, Lily, congratulations." The pretty red head smiled, then. "If you're about done could I talk to you a bit?

"Sure," she answered, getting up. She turned to Severus. "You can handle it from here, can't you?" Severus didn't answer. He was staring at Mur, who kept her eyes firmly averted. Lily got a funny look on her face before turning and joining Muriel and James in the hallway. "Still not talking to you, is he?" she asked, when the door was closed behind her.

"No, and he set guards in the hall to keep me from coming in, too." Muriel laughed bitterly. "As if a couple of 4th years could prevent ME from doing anything!" As she set off back toward the marauder's compartment, James and Lily exchanged nervous glances behind her. They couldn't help but wonder if she was really as unaffected as she seemed. When they reached the compartment, she turned to them, smiling slightly.

"Alright, now considering the look Black gave me when I left with Potter, I thought it would definitely be useful, Lily, if you would join us in here. It'll be a little crowded, I know, but - well, I really can't afford to have him mad at me too." She cast her eyes demurely at the ground to hide the devious smile that had appeared on her lips. She noticed, however, the beginnings of a gleam in James' eyes. He understood.

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, caught off guard. "Of course. I'd be glad to join you." Muriel looked up gratefully and mumbled her thanks, then winked at James as Lily went in ahead of them. He winked back. Good people are so easy to manipulate.

James and Lily sat close to the door as Remus and Peter looked up from the floor where they were playing chess. Peter's pieces were scattered everywhere already, and a fine black powder had settled on his clothes. Sirius, who'd been gazing out the window, jumped up when Muriel entered and took her hands, pulling her toward him. His eyes were bright and mischievous as he looked past her at his friends.

"You guys are my best mates, right?" he asked them sharply. Remus tilted his head all the way back to look at Sirius.

"Unless you have other ones you haven't mentioned yet," he said as James and Peter nodded.

Sirius gave him a withering look. "Then none of you will be offended if I'm a bit occupied for a few minutes? It's something I've been waiting all summer to do." He didn't wait for their answers, but swung a very bemused Muriel around until her back was against the window.

"What are you up to?" she whispered, looking over his shoulder at the marauders, who had carefully averted their eyes and were talking quietly about Peter's hopelessness at wizard chess. Sirius didn't answer. He stepped closer and put a hand to her cheek, turning her head so that her eyes were on him. Then he bent down and kissed her slowly. She felt his other arm wrap around her waist as she closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, and she was sure he could feel it as he pressed against her. His hand slid from her face to her neck, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

When he pulled away she didn't let go, so he buried his face in her hair. She kept her eyes closed, trying to ignore the images of far more than kissing that were traveling through his mind as his lips grazed her neck. It would've been easier without the physical reminder that was pressed against her stomach.

He was quiet for a moment, and the thoughts disappeared from his head. She could feel the heat of his cheeks and figured he was blushing. "Was that enough to make you forget all those Italian boys?" he finally whispered in her ear.

She smiled, embarrassed. "I was in Italy?" she asked, sounding confused on purpose. He chuckled softly, stepping back. The cabin had fallen silent, and Muriel felt the heat rising in her face. Sirius felt suddenly self- conscious too and turned sharply to find that his friends were all looking, not at them, but at the open compartment door.

Severus Snape, his Head Boy badge gleaming proudly from his chest, was leaning casually against the doorframe. James was on his feet, his wand already pointing at Snape. The look on his face was daring the Slytherin to interfere and it occurred to Mur that he must have witnessed the entire scene. She noticed that Remus, no longer a prefect, had his wand ready as well. James risked a glance at Muriel and she realized that they were all waiting for her to say something.

"Do you have something you wish to discuss Severus?" Her voice was cool, but she kept the anger out of it. Anger was personal and she wasn't going to let him drag her into another public fight. She was extremely self- conscious, however, about the fact that Sirius still had his arms firmly around her waist.

Severus ignored her, pulling his unreadable eyes away from her to look at Lily and addressing her instead. "One of the prefects said she needs your help in the lavatory." He spoke the simple words as though they were a threat, and James stepped forward as Lily stood. "Are you going to the women's lavatory too, Potter?" Snape sneered.

Muriel placed her shield charm between James and Severus so quickly that James didn't see it before his hex was flying. The curse was deflected, hitting Peter instead. He gave a surprised squeak before promptly turning into a Quidditch trophy, which rocked back and forth precariously. James scowled, and it occurred to Mur that he hadn't meant the spell to do that.

Snape smirked as Remus waved his wand at Peter, who reappeared only to dive toward the back of the compartment, forcing Sirius and Muriel forward. "I'll have to take 10 points from Gryffindor for attacking the Head Boy, Potter," he said smoothly.

James wisely ignored him. Ten points wasn't going to change their standing for the House cup this early in the year. Instead, he brushed past him roughly and escorted Lily to the lavatory to be sure Snape wouldn't have a chance to curse her. Muriel thought fast as Severus walked away. Making up new spells isn't easy, and if she got it wrong it would cost Ravenclaw points. She waved her wand and saw him stop abruptly, but she was back inside the compartment before he turned.

"Alright, Wormtail?" Sirius was asking.

"Yeah. I hate him, though, we need a really good way to get back at him."

"It wasn't his hex, Peter," Muriel reminded him wearily. "What you need, all of you, is to learn to control your tempers." Peter gave her a nasty look as James and Lily came back in, chatting.

"She should have let me hex him. We could have stored him in the luggage rack. Maybe they wouldn't have found him until the trip home!" James was grinning at Lily, who laughed a little, until she saw Muriel's face.

"False alarm," Lily said quietly. "He was just here to goad us into losing points."

The rest of the train ride was blessedly uneventful. Muriel and Remus played chess on the floor while James did his best to impress Lily. Sirius and Peter played exploding snap, with Muriel squealing occasionally when sparks flew into her hair.

She spent the start of term feast at her own table, talking with Marisa and the others about her summer in Italy. She let them believe the story she'd told them at the station, pulling out her photo as proof, and had an altogether wonderful time. She fell asleep that night still feeling Sirius' hand on her cheek.

The first Quidditch match, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, came and went without much fuss. Mur spent most of the game grinning widely. Like last year, Black wouldn't fly anywhere near her, and he missed the bludger once because he was too busy making sure she wasn't in the way. Gryffindor, of course, had the best seeker Hogwarts had seen in years, and although Mur had knocked bludgers at Potter all through the game, he still caught the snitch before the Ravenclaw seeker ever saw it.

The noise from Gryffindor tower got truly obnoxious around 2 am when Sirius let off all the wet-start fireworks he and Remus had purchased from Zonko's the year before. He would have set of James' stash too, but he'd locked his trunk and Sirius couldn't get at them.

Muriel lay in bed, listening to the muffled bangs from the other side of the castle and smiling. 'Black will surely have detention Monday night,' she thought.

She made her way down to breakfast alone. Not surprisingly, most of Gryffindor House came in late. The Hufflepuffs were uncommonly late as well and although Muriel didn't know where their dormitories were, she was sure they were closer to Gryffindor tower than hers.

She sat a little apart from the younger Ravenclaws and cast a wary glance at the Slytherin table. Severus was already standing to leave, and several others got up to follow him. She shook her head. It angered her that he thought she'd bother trying to get him to talk to her in public after he'd ignored her for so long. As she watched, Severus bumped hard into someone in the entrance hall.

Instantly her wand was out and her shield charm cast. Potter's curse was deflected harmlessly toward the upper levels. She flicked her wand at Severus a second time. She watched as he blinked twice, then slowly turned toward her table. But by the time his eyes found her, she was buttering her toast as though nothing had happened.

James, Remus and Peter entered the hall looking extremely tired. They chose seats just behind Muriel, which surprised her. They rarely sat this close to the head table. Professor McGonagall was missing this morning, however, so perhaps they felt it was safer than usual.

"Where's Black?" Mur asked as the boys sat down.

"Still asleep," Remus answered, grinning lopsidedly. He thought it hilarious that she still called him that, considering how long they'd been dating now. "McGonagall had him out on the grounds chasing down his own fireworks all night."

Muriel laughed. "I thought I heard some interesting noises last night. When will he serve that detention?" She laughed again when Potter told her Sirius would have detention the very next day, Monday.

Muriel turned back to her food and was surprised to see that she had been joined at her table by Aurora Youngdahl, a seventh year Hufflepuff who'd never bothered to speak to her before. She raised an eyebrow, unconscious of the fact that Remus and James had both turned in their seats and were giving the pretty blond the same look. Aurora failed to notice this as well.

"So, Muriel," she began, trying to sound friendly. "I hear you're dating Sirius Black." Muriel smirked a bit. Aurora was beautiful, and probably very talented at something. She was not what Muriel considered a powerful witch, and she was definitely abysmal at Occlumency. Muriel knew exactly what she was going to say before she said it. She took a moment to marvel that the girl had only just heard about this.

"Are you here to bet me 50 galleons that he won't want me for more than 3 weeks?" she asked wisely. Actually Aurora had only wanted to bet 10 galleons, but Muriel figured she'd have a little fun. The look on the girl's face was so superior that Muriel could hardly wait to wipe it off. She could feel James and Remus' attention on them, and knew they would help.

"That's right," Aurora said haughtily. "The boy has never stuck with anyone for more than a week. I'll bet you 50 galleons that you don't last TWO weeks." She held out her hand to shake on it and Muriel looked over her shoulder at the Marauders as she took the girl's hand. They were all smirking, even Peter.

As soon as Aurora released her hand and turned to go, Muriel spoke up. "Hey mates, how long have Black and I been dating? Surely it's already above 2 weeks, isn't it?" Aurora turned back slowly, a horrible look on her face. Muriel turned to face her. "We've been seeing each other since last year's Halloween ball, actually." She could feel the panic rising in Aurora, and changed her smirk into a smile. The girl didn't have the money, so she thought she'd better let her off the hook.

She was just about to dismiss the whole thing when Aurora's eyes flashed angrily. "Two MORE weeks, then. I'll bet you 50 galleons you can't keep him over the NEXT two weeks," she hissed.

Muriel could see the plan that was forming in the girl's mind. She had lots of loyal friends who would be happy to throw themselves at Sirius if, in addition to the chance to bed him, they could help Aurora save face on this bet. Muriel blanched a bit. Sirius really had never been good at holding women at bay, and it'd been over a year since he'd done more than kiss anyone. She turned slightly toward the Marauders and saw the worried expression on Remus' face.

Well, here was her chance to find out what the boy was made of. She shook hands with Aurora a second time and watched her walk smartly away. Behind her, she heard Remus swear under his breath. "Oh Remus, don't worry," she said without turning around. "She never said we couldn't warn him."

Muriel sat through Herbology, carefully inspecting the mind of each girl in Hufflepuff. They were frustrated and starting to panic. The two weeks were nearly gone, and Muriel got the impression that Aurora had told them all that they'd have to help her pay the debt if they couldn't at least get Sirius to kiss one of them. Remus had warned him the minute they got to their first class, and Sirius had been careful not to let anyone near him in all that time, including Muriel.

She laughed silently to herself as she remembered the stinging hex he'd cast when she'd taken his hand unexpectedly in the hallway between classes. She wondered how many of Aurora's friends had been given a similar welcome. Her plant was swaying menacingly in front of her, as if it sensed her distracted state. Professor Lowry had told an interesting tale earlier about how one of these man-eaters had accidentally been left in a Muggle florist shop, causing the owner to write a screenplay called "Little Shop of Horrors." Apparently he was one of only a few Muggles ever to get past his memory charm well enough to write down his experience. Luckily the movie was far from accurate, and cast in a very humorous light, so no one took it seriously. The ministry never even bothered to go back and put a new memory charm on him!

Muriel held up a rat by its tail and looked at it carefully. Feeding rats to these plants made her nervous, as Professor Lowry had told her when the plants arrived that he was getting the rats by walking around the dungeons at night casting summoning spells. Mur had been sure to warn Peter right away, but always checked her rat for markings, just in case. Seeing none, she dangled it over the plant in a bored fashion. Two more days and she wouldn't have to worry about this stupid bet anymore.

She was headed back up to Ravenclaw tower when she heard an odd noise coming from an empty classroom. She pushed the door open a crack and stifled a gasp. It was Aurora, being frisked rather passionately by a man with a long black ponytail. She fought back the urge to barge in. That wouldn't do anyone any good. Instead, she stepped silently into the room and reached out with her mind to touch Aurora's. The girl felt nothing but victory, which didn't surprise Muriel at all. If Aurora had actually cared about Sirius, Muriel would certainly have known it before now.

Then she reached out her mind toward Sirius, whose back was to her. Nothing. She raised her wand. "Legilimens," she whispered. The two were making so much noise that they wouldn't have heard her, but the kind of intrusion she'd just caused was far worse than a little noise.

Muriel was thrown backward as he pushed her forcefully out of his mind, the spell breaking. He fumbled for his wand, swearing vehemently, but it was too late, she had seen enough. "Petrificus totalus," she gasped, raising herself quickly from the floor. He fell over backward, landing with a satisfying thud. Muriel matched her grin to Aurora's, causing the blond girl's smile to falter.

"Brilliant." Muriel said coldly to the still body on the floor. "You got wind of the bet and thought you'd take advantage of it to make a fool out of me. Merlin knows you're capable of the potion. I've never seen you make it, but you could have been a fully qualified Potions Master by 5th year, so it wouldn't have been hard." She was standing over the immobile man now, intent on getting to say her piece. She didn't look up until she heard the door creak.

"Accio Aurora," she said forcefully, pointing her wand at the door. The girl came flying back into the room and Muriel stepped out of the way, letting her sail hard into the wall. She let out an "oomph," of surprise and fell to the floor.

"Don't you want to see who you were kissing, Youngdahl?" Muriel's voice was angry and her eyes narrowed. Aurora, though she didn't understand yet, remained silent. "It won't take more than an hour of your time," she said, rooting around in his robes and pulling out a flask, which she emptied with her wand and placed back in his pocket. After a few minutes Muriel heard several voices calling her name. She smiled at Aurora, who hadn't moved. "That will be the marauders I think." She looked at the still body in front of her and added, "All of them."

"I'm in here!" she called when they got close enough. Sirius sprinted through the door and caught her in a hug as Aurora's mouth fell open.

"Are you alright?" he asked breathlessly, before he noticed himself, lying on the floor. "What's going on?" James, Remus, and Peter banged through the door, looking worried.

"Don't worry, boys, it's all under control." Muriel turned back to Aurora and the other Sirius, who was just beginning to move again. "Accio wands," she said. Their wands flew into her hand. Then she conjured manacles and quickly snapped them onto the unresisting forms.

"Aurora, you can have your wand back when you arrive in the Great Hall for tonight's Halloween feast chained to the boy you were so anxious to kiss. And you," she turned back to the now squirming form on the floor. "You can have your wand back when you ask me for it."

The feast was an amusing affair for the marauders. Muriel's little stunt kept them from musing too much on the fact that Dumbledore had never announced the usual Halloween ball. The speculation was that the Headmaster had overheard Professor Kettleburn asking Professor McGonagall to go with him, and cancelled the whole affair as a result.

She hadn't told them who had impersonated Sirius, but they had a pretty shrewd idea, and went about in the rest of their classes telling everyone that Aurora had been caught making out with someone and it would be obvious by dinner who it was.

The teachers watched in disapproving silence as the Great Hall, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, erupted into fits of laughter when Severus and Aurora arrived, still manacled together, and made their way toward Muriel. Mur could feel the heat of her Professors' eyes on the back of her neck. She felt a little bad for Aurora, who looked thoroughly dejected. It was Severus who threw a sack of galleons on the table in front of her. She banished them back toward his chest and he caught them with his only free hand. "I don't want your money." Her voice was so quiet and cold that even in the now silent hall, no one but the marauders, sitting nearest to her, could hear.

She waved her wand at their extended wrists and the manacles disappeared. She held Aurora's wand out to her without a word. The girl was crying, but Muriel made no move to comfort her. The pain she had wanted to cause Muriel would have been far worse. Aurora snatched the wand and ran out of the hall, several of her friends getting up to follow her. They turned at the door however, to see how this would play out. Almost everyone had heard about the shouting match Severus and Muriel had at the end of last year. Even the teachers waited silently.

Severus had his most dangerous expression firmly stamped on his face. Muriel kept her face serene, but didn't move an inch. No matter how angry he was, he wouldn't ever be able to intimidate her. She knew him to well. He turned suddenly on his heel and stalked away from her. She quickly cast a switching spell, exchanging the content of her pocket for the empty flask that had been in his. Then she hit him with the spell she'd created on the train, and again, he paused, blinking, before continuing to his table doggedly.

Slowly, normal conversation resumed in the hall as Severus went to sit down, taking his wand out of his pocket, then thrusting it hastily back when he saw Muriel watching him. The marauders were chatting excitedly about Muriel's supreme embarrassment of Snape. It seemed they were quite proud of her, but she only felt like a great prat. She was looking silently at her food, trying to decide why he would have done such a thing, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Come with me, Miss Deesia." It was Professor Warrington, Head of Ravenclaw House and Potions Master. As he led her out of the hall, she saw Severus being led out as well. She guessed that wherever they were going, they were about to meet up with Aurora and the entire tale would have to be told. She started deciding what to tell them.

They sat in the Headmaster's office, facing his desk. Their Heads of House stood behind Professor Dumbledore and they were all looking rather grim. Muriel couldn't understand why. No one had been hurt, after all. The professors where all accomplished in Occlumency, and she knew there was no use trying to read them. But she did notice that Warrington appeared more upset than the others, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. It had occurred to Muriel that Severus must have swiped that potion - he hadn't had a month's notice in which to make it. Perhaps they knew what he'd done.

Dumbledore looked over his glasses at the three students in front of him. Severus and Muriel had caused more than their fair share of trouble over the last 6 years, but Aurora had never so much as lost house points. He was at a loss as to what could have brought this on. The girl was obviously terrified, and would probably not do well under interrogation. Instead he turned to Severus. His face was hard and defiant. Dumbledore sighed. He would only get lies from the boy if he asked him about this. That left Muriel Deesia.

"Miss Deesia, I can't imagine what prompted you to humiliate your classmates in this fashion, and I require a full explanation of what happened." He sounded extremely disappointed, though Muriel knew that his expectations for her had never been that high.

"Yes, Professor." She cast a nasty glance at Severus, but winked at him with the eye away from the headmaster. His eyes widened a bit as she turned back with her lips pressed into a thin line. "I caught Severus kissing Aurora in an empty classroom and I got jealous. They were so DISTRACTED that they didn't have time to defend themselves before I took their wands. Then I manacled them together to teach them a lesson." She mentioned neither the bet, nor the poly juice potion that would get the others in trouble. Aurora, who had been looking guiltily at the floor, looked up suddenly, her eyes wide. She caught the look Severus was giving her, however, and nodded her support when prompted.

"Is this correct?" Dumbledore asked, looking from Aurora to Severus. He also nodded shamefacedly at the floor. "Well, then Miss Deesia, I am afraid that 20 points will be taken from Ravenclaw for your particular brand of temper. You will also be serving detention with Professor Warrington next Tuesday." She nodded silently.

"But Headmaster, my storeroom was certainly raided by someone, and I suspect -" Professor Warrington stopped abruptly as Dumbledore held up a hand.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Reginald." He looked hard at each of the students. "You may go. I suggest you skip the rest of the feast. Food will be sent to your dormitories." They nodded and made their way back down the stairs. They walked together because there was no way to avoid it, and when they got to the Hufflepuff corridor, Aurora hesitated, then turned to Muriel.

"Thanks for not getting me in trouble in there. If they'd heard about the bet, I'd be in detention too. I'm awfully sorry, I really had no idea that you and Sirius were so close. I was just jealous because he turned me down when I asked him to that stupid dance last year." Aurora waited for Muriel to respond, but the stony-faced brunette only nodded, then turned away to continue down the hall, Severus following.

Muriel made her way back to Ravenclaw tower, aware that Severus was still shuffling behind her, though his thoughts and emotions were veiled as always. When she reached the portrait hole, she paused to give him a chance to say something. When he said nothing, she took out her wand and cast the spell again. She watched him blink twice, then whispered the password and made her way up to her room as the tears began to fall.

Severus stood outside the portrait, blinking slowly. Each time he closed his eyes the words became a bit fainter, but he could still make them out. Written in searing blue on the insides of his eyelids were the words, "You're welcome." His lips quirked upward slightly. Yes, she'd kept him out of trouble again. He could hardly believe his plan had failed so miserably. All he'd wanted was to get her away from Black. He couldn't date her himself, not yet, but if she were only unattached he knew he could get her back as soon as it was safe again. He shook his head. Maybe he should just tell her.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a burning sensation on his left arm, and grimaced. Each time he thought of giving in and talking to her this pain seemed to spring up to remind him. He was in too deep now, and he couldn't take her with him. He gritted his teeth and headed outside. He had to get off Hogwarts' grounds before he could Apparate to meet his father and the others. It was going to be a very long night.