"WELL, WELL, Miss Black. I am certainly seeing a different side to you,"
The class had begun to trail out after the hysterical event. Draco, rather, sulked out ripping off his milk soaked robes – and Liv knew she'd have to watch out for bugs in her food for the next three years, because no way was Draco letting her get away with such a humiliation. Liv hung back to talk to her father, now Professor, who despite just threatening her with a detention, was now failing to hold back a smile.
"You know, I'm actually pretty badass,"
Remus eyed Liv with suspicion, because, no way was his little angel, bundle of joy daughter any sorts of badass... surely?
"It's true! My first day here I punched a girl in the face, and everyone thought I'd got expelled but really I was just in the hospital wing. I think it intimidated everyone because no ones ever tried to mess with me, you know? Except Malfoy, Merlins beard I hate that boy! I actually hexed his hair pink for a whole week last year, but I'm pretty sure he tried to set me on fire in revenge – he said it was an accident, but no one laughs when you accidentally set someone's hair on fire, surely? I had to have the house elves chop half of it off! Then I put hair removal cream in his shampoo. Classic muggle prank, but I actually got in quite a lot of trouble for that one,"
Remus was leant against his desk – arms crossed with a raised brow. Liv didn't notice, for she was too busy breaking of chunks of chocolate from the bar in front of her. Until, she realised there was a reason she never told her father any of this, and quickly clasped a hand over her mouth.
"Oh my god!" she said quickly, "why am I telling you this?"
"I don't know," Remus said with a shake of his head. "Now i'm your teacher I should be mad, but as your father I'm really quite impressed,"
"Good," Liv rolled her eyes, irritably chucking a piece of chocolate at him. "so you're not going to give me anymore detentions?"
"I can't exactly let something like that slip, even if you are my daughter,"
"He started it," Liv mumbled, and crossed her arms letting out a little huff to the ceiling. Remus, moving from the one side of his desk to the other where Liv was sat said flatly:
"Liv, you poured milk over someone's head in the middle of class,"
Liv frowned and let out another huff to the ceiling because, honestly, who cares that Draco got covered in milk – he deserved it anyway. And Liv's mad, her Father gave out his first detention to his daughter?
"Actually – if I remember correctly, class had been dismissed," Liv said bitterly.
"Well, you were still in my classroom under my control," Remus spoke using his new 'high-authority teacher voice' as Liv liked to now call it. "And I'm still your Father,"
"Whatever," Liv muttered – kicking open a draw she knew held more chocolate bars. As she indulged herself in the sweet treat, she remembered the last time she'd eaten a piece of her Fathers chocolate. When the dementor had made its way into the carriage Liv was occupied in, and when the dementor had made her dream the strangest dream she'd ever dreamt – so much so it had caused her to faint, for reasons that were still unknown to Liv.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked momentarily, and she wasn't sure why – because there was no way Remus had the answer, no matter how smart he was.
"Go ahead," Remus nodded with a smile.
"Why did the dementors make me faint?"
Remus nodded again thoughtfully, and sat down at the desk Liv was sat infront. "Well," he began. "Dementors effect everyone differently, maybe you're just more sensitive to them,"
Liv paused for a moment, remembering the screaming, the way Hermione and Ron hadn't heard such a thing. But Harry, on the other hand. They'd been so shaken up, heard and felt such horrible things – there had to be a reason they'd felt more than a shiver of coldness like everyone else, surely?
"Yeah, but, it was weird," she continued. "I heard screaming, and I saw things. I was asleep, but it was really real,"
"Dementors such the happiness out of people, you know," Remus placed a hand on her cheek – there was a small frown forming on his face. "Tell me what you saw,"
She leant into the warmth of his hand for a moment. "I don't know," She muttered softly. "I was like, in a dark room, and there was a woman. I wanted to stay with her, she was keeping me safe from the men,"
"Men?" Remus repeated.
"Yeah... there were too of them. They wanted me for some reason and we're coming to get me, and the woman was telling me to fight, and I wanted to do what she said because she'd made me feel so safe," Liv said. Her mind flashed back to when she'd woken up, wand jabbed into Ron's neck. She'd never wish harm upon her friends, let alone cause it herself, yet that's what she had been about to do on that train ride.
"Then I woke up," she huffed. "The man was Ron. I was about to hex him. The woman was wrong. I didn't need to fight, it was just my friends trying to save me from the dementors all along,"
Remus was silent for a moment, and Liv realised she'd just piled a whole lot onto his plate, so she tried to sound as least worried as she could possible manage – despite this all beginning to scare her more and more. "What could it mean?" She shrugged, and Remus shaked his head, looking confused.
"I don't know. I think it was just a bad dream – an effect of the dementors,"
"And my boggart?" Liv continued, because, what the actual fuck? Why couldn't she be scared of something normal as her classmates did? Like a rat or something – yes, rats. Liv was terrified of Ronalds rat. "What was that all about? Does that mean I fear myself?"
"You fear a different version of yourself – an evil one," Remus said. "I think that's very wise,"
"I think it's stupid," Liv muttered.
"You think everything you don't agree with is stupid," Remus replied, but classroom door opened, and Padma strutted in taking the last bite out of the sandwich grasped in her hand.
"Those little house-elves in the kitchen are life savers," she said, licking the tips of her fingers. "I want one for myself, to follow me around making me sandwiches whenever I please," she said licking the tips of her fingers, settling down at the desk beside Liv.
"You!" Liv jumped from her seat at the realisation that this was the first time she'd been able to speak to her bestfriend, despite it being midday. "You are the reason I have been attacked by a giant bird and have had disgusting milk dripping down my legs!"
Padma held up her hands defensively, wide eyed. "I've been in bed all day, mate,"
"Exactly," Liv scoffed, "I got you breakfast but you never showed – so a great big Hypogriff got it instead,"
Liv, remembering her school shirt was not only moist for the milk dilemma, but stained in blood from the Hypogriff attack, unfolded her arms to where they had been hiding the mess to expose it to her bestfriend who's eyes grew (if possible) even wider at the sight.
"Ooh, that must have stung," Padma gasped.
Liv shrugged. It had hurt a bit, but Liv always felt the need to act tougher than she was. Remus was the only person who needed to know when she was in pain. "Well, you know what they say," She spoke. "Pretty hurts,"
Padma, still wide eyed, briefly shut her agape mouth letting her shocked expression turn into a lighter one – and she let out a soft giggle. "That must be why my heads always hurting," she said, bringing a hand up to her head, "or wait, maybe that's because I have to put up with you," Padma playfully shoved her bestfriend in the shoulder, Liv let out a gasp of betrayal and grabbed onto the desk to steady herself from toppling over, before shoving Padma back with almost double the force.
"Alright, alright, that's enough girls," Remus warned the pair. "I really don't want any broken bones,"
"You know, Remus, I actually enjoyed Defence Against the Dark Arts today – for the first time in, like, forever," Padma smiled to Remus.
Remus smiled back. "I enjoyed you walking in 15 minutes late,"
"Sorry I was late," said Padma, grimacing. "I'll be early next time to make up for it, I promise,"
"Oh yeah... Dad?" Liv suddenly whispered, very quietly. And she wasn't sure why, there was no one else present in the room. She'd recalled back to when Harry had stepped up to face the boggart – just for Remus to step in front to reveal the last thing Liv would ever expect anyone to be afraid of. "Why are you scared of crystal balls?"
Remus, confused, frowned. "Why would I be scared of crystal balls?"
"Uh – your boggart," Liv replied. Gosh, it was as if she were talking to the stupidest person she'd ever met, and she thought her Father was supposed to be smart! Padma too noticed, and let a gasp of 'oh yeah!'
Remus' frown literally turned upside down.
"That was a moon...."
Suddenly, it was as if Liv was the stupidest person in the world.
"Ohhhhhh!"
"Of course – a moon!"
"We're so stupid,"
Both Liv and Padma finish talking in a fit of giggles, and Remus is laughing too, which Liv liked. She knew it was usually a sensitive topic for him – but he was laughing!
"I'm hungry," Liv sighed, turning to Liv. "Let's go to the great hall,"
"Detention will be tomorrow at lunch," Remus called. "Will you remind Draco?"
Great.
"I had a dream," Padma breathed the moment the classroom door shut behind them. She grabbed Liv's hands in her own and started desperately into her eyes. "About you,"
"Wow, I love that you think about me while you sleep," Liv spoke. Padma rolled her eyes with a laugh.
"It kinda went like this, how we are now," she continued a moment later, and let out a soft sigh.
"Go on,"
"Well," Padma began. "I told you I couldn't stop thinking about our kiss, and you didn't shut me out, or even punch me like I thought you would. Nothing like that. You just smiled – oh Merlin, like you are now,"
"That certainly sounds like a good dream," Liv smiled. Padma tried hard to hide her blushing.
"It gets better..." She added eagerly. "It was a dream of course, I wouldn't do this.... conscious, but I asked you to my girlfriend – like I've always dreamed. You said yes, Liv! You actually said yes!"
"Did I?" Liv raised an eyebrow at her beaming bestfriend.
Padma didn't stop talking. "It was amazing, so you can't get mad at me for sleeping in –"
Liv interrupted. " – yes,"
Padma looked at her strangely. "Huh?"
"Yes," Liv smiled, "I say yes,"
"Yes too –"
" – being your girlfriend? Yes! I say yes, now come on, let's go to –" Liv began to head down to the end of the corridor, but stopped briefly at a sudden thought. She turned to Padma,
"Padma?" She asked, "why'd you just go down to the kitchens, when it's lunch right now?"
The trace that seemed to keep Padma frozen still briefly let her escape, her mouth, if possible, fell even wider. "What?" She gasped, "I thought I only overslept this mornings class! Is it really lunch – oh Merlin!"
"Jesus," Liv let out, continuing to walk to lunch once more. "That dream really was good, huh?"
*
When the girls finally reached the great hall for lunch, Liv glanced around, hoping to spot Draco as quickly as possible so the confrontation could be over as soon as possible, because, frankly, walking down the Slytherin table as someone who anything but a Slytherin is just as bad as fighting a giant basilisk that could swallow you whole. And Liv would know, for it happend to her just a year prior. That's what happens when you befriend someone like Harry Potter – always in some sort of shit.
She spotted Draco and this gang of imbeciles fussing over his injury – Pansy Parkinson pawing at the bandage on his arm (which made Liv want to gag) so, with a huff, she began to make her way towards them. The majority of Slytherins she strode past began to whisper, as if they didn't have anything better to talk about, and she glanced back to the Gryffindor table, where it was full of life, full of happiness. Infact, as Fred chucked chicken nuggets across the table for Ron to catch them swiftly in his mouth everyone there cheered, and it hit Liv just how glum the Slytherin table was compared. It was a good job she wasn't sorted into Slytherin like she had feared, she would have pitched herself off the astronomy by now.
"Alright, snowflake?" The drawing voice of Draco Malfoy asked the moment Liv finally reached him, and Liv began to pray even harder this conversation would end quickly.
"Detention is tomorrow, start of lunch," she said flatly, and turned on her heel ready to stride straight and as far away from the Slytherins as possible, as if she'd never been there to begin with.
But Draco spoke again – "Do you know how long it took me to get that cereal out of my hair?" He asked, so Liv was forced to turn around and face her cousin once more.
"How long?"
"Roughly the same amount of time it would take to get mushy peas out my hair, I'd except" Draco said dryly.
"Why don't you go ahead and tell me, so I can leave," Liv sighed, crossing her arms and staring longingly at the joyful Gryffindor table.
"Actually," Draco began to smirk (which was never a good thing) "I think I'd rather let you find out yourself,"
In the moment of a second, Draco had smashed his fist down on what Liv had failed to realise was a spoon full of mushed up peas. Pansy, Goyle and Blaise all followed suit, and Liv soon found herself covered head to toe in the mushed green vegetable.
Liv took a deep, controlled breath too stop her from doing anything she'd regret, or anything that would get her another detention. "You're head is too big your body, and now I've pointed it out you will never be able to unsee it," she said, and she wasn't sure why, but it was an insult she'd had on her mind for a while.
As soon as she turned her back on the snickering Slytherins, Liv remembered just how fucking long it takes to walk down the length of one table, and then back up the other to where her friends were sat. Not to mention, this time, it wouldn't just be a walk. It would be a walk of shame. So, naturally, she just climbed over the Huffepuff table – careful not to tread in any gravy bowls or broccoli (not that it mattered, she was already covered in vegetables anyway.)
She could see everyone staring at her and could feel the frown plastered on Professor Mcgonagal's face without even looking that way. The Hufflepuff's, too, were far from pleased. Those closest snatched their plates away as Liv took two brief strides over their table, but those that had intrigued eyes on her did not include anyone from the Gryffindor table – they hadn't even noticed, as Ron had apparently caught (and eaten) 20 nuggets in his mouth in a row without dropped any, which was some sort of new Hogwarts record.
Liv slumped down into her seat between Fred and Dean, shaking her hair in a way that made the peas fly in all directions around those Gryffindors sat near. Hermione scoffed, Padma squealed, and Fred began to pick the left over greens ball from out her hair.
"What the Hell happened to you, then?" Fred asked, holding up a pea in front of his eyes. He frowned.
"The Slytherins," Liv muttered. "That's what happened,"
"We'll get them back," Fred glared at the Slytherins. He looked at his twin. "Won't we, George?"
George nodded. "We'll get them back so good. They can't keep messing with you,"
"Maybe they'd stop messing with you if weren't the one messing with them first," Hermione suggested, and the group of Gryffindor's began to boo.
"Who's side are you on, Granger?" Lavender sneered. "Are you going to say the same about them picking on Potter?"
"They're just a bunch of pricks," said Harry. "We can handle ourselves, right Liv?" He held up his hand and Liv gave him a high five.
"We don't do it like that here," George said with a shake of his head. "They're messing with the wrong house. We're family here, they mess with one of us they mess with all of us,"
The Gryffindor's nodded in agreement. "That's sweet, George," Liv said sweetly.
"Hey," Padma then whispered, reaching under the table to hold Liv's hand where the surrounding Gryffindor's couldn't see.
"Hey," Liv whispered back.
Padma paused for a moment. "So we're like... together now?"
"Yeah!"
"I've never done this before,"
"Neither,"
"They usually go bad... relationships,"
"I know.... but..... i think we could do it if we tried,"
Liv let her forehead fall against Padma's own where they stayed their for just a moment, just until someone behind the girls called Padma's names.
"Padma, do you think you could leave Liv alone for once and come send a letter to mother?" Parvati Patil asked.
Twins Liv begun to think to herself. She'd always wondered what it would be like have a twin - especially an identical one. Well, Padma and Parvati Patil were supposedly identical twins, but Liv would beg to differ. Maybe it was the countless hours she'd spent staring over her best friend, taking in every inch of her face and body, that made her realise they were two completely different people, and not a clone of each other like it was usually led to believe.
What Liv did know about twins was that if she had one, she certainly wouldn't get on with her the way the two P's did, because one Liv Black was quite enough for Hogwarts – and one Liv Black was quite enough for Remus Lupin. Not only could Liv never imagine having a twin, she could never imagine and world in which her Father would have to share his love with another kid. The thought made her sick with jealousy – but of course she'd never admit that.
Parvati Patil, dressed smartly in her Ravenclaw robes, hair tied into a long plait reaching down to her waist, was probably the only person in the world who would be able to love Padma more than Liv could, and the way her eyes lit up the moment she heard her sisters voice behind her was an indication that's sister love would always override the power of friendship. As much as Liv would hate to have a sister, she couldn't help but envy the pair.
"Of course!" Padma jumped from the table, and Liv watched as Padma linked arms with her sister – the pair strutting out of the great hall.
a/n hey besties who r reading this <333 sorry for taking so long to update , hope ur all enjoying it none the less !