Legacy of the Marauders

Chapter Twenty-Two Which is Worse?

After classes Alice was ecstatic that they had several different types of soups and chowders to choose from at dinner.

"Do illiterate people get the full meaning of alphabet soup?" she asked.

Remus did not hear the discussion that ensued. He was too busy thinking about how crude males were when it came to sex conversations and how graphic females were. Which was worse? He needed some time alone to ponder.

"I'm going to the library."

"Okay, but curfew's nine o'clock," Lily reminded.

"I know." Remus glided out of the Great Hall on Joanna's long, graceful legs.

"I'm not surprised your surname is Summers," came a trying-to-be-suave voice.

Remus scanned the shadows. "Pardon?"

"Your surname must be Summers because you're hot as hell." Regulus Black gaited out of a dark corner. Sirius' younger brother was not as well muscled as Sirius, but he was almost as good-looking and easily equaled his height, making him taller than Remus\Joanna.

As Regulus advanced Remus backed up until his\her back collided with a stone wall. Regulus came closer and closer until he placed one hand on Remus' left shoulder and the other tightly around the werewolf's wrists.

He whispered, "Congratulation, Joanna. You've been moved to the top of my 'to do' list."

What did a lady do in a situation like this? Remus had an exceedingly powerful urge to hinder Regulus' ability to have children, yet he was unaware if that was how most girls would handle it, and he did not want to risk blowing his cover. Fortunately, he did not need to decide.

"Regulus!"

Remus gazed passed his predator's head of shiny ebony hair and observed a blonde and a brunette in Slytherin garb with pretty, arrogant faces: Narcissa and Bellatrix Blaxk.

"Yes?" acknowledged Regulus without taking his lustful eyes off of Joanna.

"What are you doing? She's a Gryffindor!" Bellatrix uttered it as if it was the most disgusting word she'd ever used.

Regulus shrugged. "She just got here, so Dumbledore probably put her in the Gryffindor girls' dorm 'cause it has the fewest occupants."

Narcissa considered it. "Sounds logical. That's a good enough reason to change your mind about a Gryffindor, at least for the purpose you clearly have in mind."

Growing tired of the conversation, Regulus pressed his knees against Joanna's thighs to prevent her from kicking him. Remus could feel Regulus' hot, hungry breath against his face.

Sapphire's clear soprano voice rang throughout the corridor. "If he changed his mind what did he do with the diaper?"

"Get lost, McGonagall," spat Regulus.

"Not until you get your hands off of her."

He spitefully tightened his hands on Remus' shoulder and wrists.

Bellatrix remarked, "She's enjoying it. After all, she's being touched by a Black."

"Ever since I saw your family tree I wanted to cut it down," Sapphire retorted.

Narcissa was weary of Sapphire's intrusion. "Just go shag someone. That's the only thing a girl with a body that has freakishly big curves like yours is good for."

How dare she talk to Sapphire that way? thought Remus furiously.

Sapphire did not seem offended. "Don't be jealous that I'm a virgin with a full figure and you, as I know you've been told, are flat as a board and easy to nail."

Joanna contemplated, why do girls spend so long insulting each other? It's cruel and unnecessary, isn't it? Maybe they want to avoid physical confrontation or perhaps boys are just violent. Which is worse? Which is better? Neither. They're just different.

Narcissa flushed and stomped down the hallway huffily.

Bellatrix leered at Sapphire. "It doesn't matter how attractive you are; you could never get a man to want you."

Remus' beloved met the gaze of Sirius' cousin challengingly before ambling over behind Regulus and, much to Remus' surprise, slipping her arms around his waist.

Regulus smirked and smoothly invited, "Would you fancy playing with me and Joanna? I know Lupin couldn't possibly satisfy a woman like you."

For an answer Sapphire nuzzled the nape of his neck. Regulus closed his eyes blissfully to the sensation of her warmth and her breasts pressed against his back. Sapphire slid her fingers up and down his chest until she deftly snaked them into pocket of his cloak, retrieved his wand, and hexed him with it. He fell to the floor without consciousness, thus Remus was freed from being pinned to the wall. Promptly, the werewolf took out his own wand and rendered Bellatrix unconscious.

"Thank you," gasped Remus appreciatively.

"No thanks needed; Black was hurting one of my friends and he insulted Remmy. I was happy to do it, especially since it's partly my fault this happened."

"How?"

"I shouldn't have let you leave alone. At this point in life most girls have figured out what a bad idea it is to be by themselves."

"Why?"

"Why? I thought that was obvious. Things like this happen when you're alone."

"That's not fair!"

"It's not fair, but it's life. I should know."

Remus froze. "What do you mean?"

"A guy caught me walking around alone this summer and tried to hurt me."

"Who was it?" he demanded. Remus was a gentle individual by nature, however, if someone attempted to harm his precious gem...

"I don't know, which is unusual since most people are raped by an acquaintance. Anyway, I put him in so much pain I bet he wished someone would castrate him."

"Why didn't you tell Remus about this?"

"I'm fine, so I didn't see any point in worrying him. How did you know I haven't told him?"

"Another hunch." Remus mentally berated himself for being so obvious a second time.

Sapphire was uncertain if she believed Joanna, but what she said was, "Wow, you have great woman's intuition! Well, let's go the library and this weekend we can go to Hogmeade with the other girls."

When Regulus and Bellatrix failed to return to the Slytherin common room in the dungeons Narcissa went to search for them with Rudolphus, Severus, Lucius, and Lucetta.

"Bella!" Rudolphus exclaimed when he found his girlfriend and quickly revived her.

"When I get my hands on Summers-" Bellatrix's rage was cut short by Regulus.

He said, "The only person that's going to touch Joanna is me."

"I really don't think she's your type," said Snape coolly.

"What makes you say that?" wondered Lucius.

Severus looked around at the group. They would all be impressed if they knew he had turned one of the famous Marauders into a female, however, he did not do things to please other people, nor did he believe it was any of their business. Perhaps Lucetta could know..."Just trust me."

"Why would anyone trust you?" snarled Bellatrix. She and Snape never got on well together. "You're so bloody secretive."

"True," he admitted indifferently.

Lucetta met Severus' black eyes. He knew she trusted him. The knowledge made his heart (Contrary to popular belief, he did actually have one; it was simply 'two sizes too small.' Sound familiar?) danced in his chest, but his face betrayed nothing.

"There's plenty of other fish in the sea," Lucetta told Regulus.

"Yeah, but she's the fish I wanna catch and mount back at my place," he replied.

Snape chose not to argue further. If the brother of his nemesis wanted to chat up a half-breed man in a woman's body he wasn't going to stop him.