It had been a week since Snape's regretful defence against the darks arts class – which meant it had been over two weeks since the third years had been taught by Professor Lupin himself. They all eagerly waited outside his class, desperate to know if it was him or Snape behind the door, and desperate to tell him about the awful class they had been forced to attend.
So the moment it was Remus that opened the door to let the students pile in – the class was in uproar.
"We had to do an essay –"
" – On werewolves –"
" – We know nothing about werewolves – "
Remus hushed the class. Everybody fell silent.
"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered werewolves yet?" He replied, remarkably calm compared to the class' outburt – he was frowning slightly.
Liv stayed quiet as the class babbled on once more, thinking off everyones essays that were now gone, for she'd destroyed them and nobody had a clue. She hoped she wouldn't be in too much shit if someone was too find out.
"He didn't listen –"
"He said we were behind – "
"Two rolls of parchment for you to mark!"
Remus, smiling at class' uproar again, said, "Sadly, I didn't receive your essays – so I guess that means you'll all receive full mark for your efforts,"
The class, who had all been frowning hard, began to lighten up as quickly as they had just been rambling to their Professor. "Seriously?" Dean piped up suddenly, a smile forming on his face in sync with Liv beside him.
"Seriously," Remus smiled too, and the class began to cheer.
"Let's get on with our class, shall we?" Remus asked over all the noise – the class scattered about the room to find their seats, the collective murmur of appreciation at the news still having not died down. Liv, continuing to smile to herself, settled down beside Dean. "I've never got a hundred percent in this class before," she said, shocked. "I'll have to burn our essay's more often," she added quietly to herself.
"Right?" Dean beamed. "I want to see Snape's stupid face when he hears about this,"
Making Snape's life a living hell (as Liv had planned to do after hearing what he thought her father was up too behind closed doors) was proving considerably harder than she'd imagined – especially considering she was a child and Snape was a grown man. But alas, an opportunity appeared right infront of her eyes and it was as if a light bulb suddenly flashed on in her mind.
I'm going to be the one to see his stupid face.
It probably wouldn't make his life a living hell, but it was the best she could currently do with so little opportunities to avenge the old man – and anything to do with Remus was sure to piss him off.
"Yeah," she began to smirk. "Yeah, me too,"
Remus pulled out a large glass tank – the class reacted to the cute creature sat in the box. "She looks harmless, doesn't she?" He asked the class. There was a murmur of agreement. This is a Hinkypunk, they lure travellers into bogs...."
Not even Remus could make a Defence Against the Dark Arts bearable for Liv - she could listen to him explain the function of whatever funky creature was sat sticking its slimy fingers up against the glass like a good girl, or she could lay her head on the table and drift off to the sweet world of silence and desolation.
The tables wood was cool against her cheek, so cool it would have been impossible to remove it due to the sweet pleasure, so she stayed put, and let her eyes slowly close.
Like in many dreams, Liv had no idea how she got to the strange, unrecognisable house that surrounded her, but some inconspicuous told her to carry on forward towards the small cupboard under the stairs of the high-toned hallway.
"Harry?" She spoke in a whisper in the cupboards doorway, leaning in on her hands and knees to view the boy say at the very end of the small box of a room facing the back walls. "Harry? Is that you?"
Though Liv was only staring at the back of his head, Harry clearly looked different. If possible, his hair looked tamed for once and much shorter than usual. His shoulders were broader, too. If anything, it was as if Harry had aged a couple years.
Ignoring the strangeness of it all, Liv crossed her legs soundly - frowning at the dusk surrounding her."You got put back in the cupboard then, did you?" She said lightly. Harry still hadn't turned around.
"Wouldn't be trapped in here if it wasn't for you," Harry mumbled, flicking around a small dustball.
"Me?" Liv responded. She let out an awkward laugh at the ridiculous accusation. How on earth was it her fault she was stuck in the infamous coubord under the stairs once more?
Harry was still silent, for a very long time, too. Long enough for Liv to examine every inch of the dust covered space – it was stuffing her lungs making her really need to sneeze.
"He said we'd get a place," Harry spoke suddenly. "You know, a house... together,"
Liv frowned. "Who?" She sounded a bit like an owl. "Harry, what an earth are you talking about?"
Back into silence once more. That's always what Harry did when he was mad, infuriated, even. As if he was desperately trying to say the hurtful things brewing up in his brain – but it never worked, those words always escaped.
"I just wonder why he chose you over me,"
Liv forcefully grabbed his shoulder and turned him, facing him for the first time in this strange dream – nightmare. His eyes were a strange, deep red and his eye bags darker than ever before before.
Not even giving Liv time to gasp at the sight, Harry was snapping at her again. "You already have a father. You have a family, why can't you let me have mine?"
Liv's grip on Harry's shoulder slowly loosened.
"Liv?" Remus' stern tone interrupted the scene. "We're not sleeping in class, are we?"
"Go away," She grumbled into her arm. Harry's frame was beginning to blur into darkness, and soon Liv was again conscious. The table was now feeling warm.
"Here, Professor," Liv could hear Dean say. "I've got it,"
Liv was not prepared to fall to the floor in a loud clatter as her chair was taken beneath her – that would definitely leave a bruise.
"That's not fair!" Liv hissed scrambling to her feet and using all her might to try and push the much larger boy off his chair. "You can't pick on someone half your size,"
"Let's – let's not push each other off our chairs, please," Remus said hopefully as Liv picked up her chair and slammed it down with a huff.
"God, you interrupted something important," she angrily said to Dean, sinking back down into her chair – glaring at the Hufflepuff's staring disapprovingly for whatever reason.
"Why? What were you dreaming about?" Dean asked.
Liv's eyed wondered over to Harry. His hair was back to his normal unkept state, and he was young again. "I don't know..."
Considering she'd been a sleep for a part of it, the class was still pondering on – no offence too her Father – so when the class was finally dismissed, Liv was the first to pick up her bag and rush from the class.
"Wait a moment, Liv?"
Liv groaned.
She turned to her Father, watching the rest of the class meander out the class down to lunch. Once they were alone, Remus spoke.
"I haven't had a chance to speak to you since the break in," He said standing up from his desk. "How're you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Liv said flatly.
"Are you sure? You're not loosing sleep over it, are you?" Remus asked, concerned.
"No. It's fine." Liv persisted. "It's whatever,"
"It's whatever?" Remus repeated, beggining to frown slightly. "You know you can talk to me if you're feeling–"
"I'm not feeling anything, alright?" Liv suddenly snapped, the dream... sirius... it was all so much. "Sirius Black has gone! I'm over it, so there's no point you bringing it up!"
"Okay, I won't bring it up again," Remus said calmly, looking sadly at his daughter. "But you'll come to me if somethings worrying you, won't you?"
"Yes, Dad," she tutted, and turned on her heel to walk out from the classroom to the potions class where Snape would be awaiting for her beginning of torture – but Remus called again.
"You wouldn't have anything to do with those disappearing papers, would you?"
Liv had already walked through the doorway and paused for a moment just outside. "Would you be mad if I was?" She asked, taking a step back in classroom.
Remus smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Of course not,"
She nodded in response, and was ready to leave again. Liv wasn't going to tell him it was her, despite it being clear. Although, she took the opportunity to tell him about something different that had been on her mind. "Snape thinks it's you helping Sirius black into the castle, by the way,"
Remus turned rather quickly, a frown plastered on his face. "He does?"
"I heard him talking to Dumbledore about it," She said quietly. "Just thought I'd let you know,"
She exited the class, now with the extra reminder as to why Liv wanted to really annoy Snape and was soon wandering the empty, echoing halls down the the dungeons where she knew he'd be.
"Can I talk to you, Professor – whoops!"
As Liv placed her hands down on Snape's desk, she'd purposely knocked over one of the strange looking jars of liquids that began to run all over his desk, soiling that of what was there.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" Liv gasped hurriedly. "Let me help,"
She grabbed helpless at the papers, letting them spread further in and around the mess hoping to ruin them all. Snape, too, reached down with his own hands – grabbing hopelessly at the essay's that were now soaked in some weird, wet sludge from the jars.
"Black, stop that!"
"They'll be alright –"
"Stop right now!"
"I'm just trying to help!"
"You're not helping!" Snape raged, and pushed her hands away, hard. "Oh for goodness sake!"
Snape picked up a bunch of the papers – Liv could see the ink begging to smudge and run where the wet had got onto it. She looked up at her Professor sadly.
"They're ruined, aren't they? I'm so sorry,"
At once, Snape was clearing up the mess with his wand, muttering certain spells under his breath. Liv had been ignored.
"I guess you'll have to give everyone in that class full marks," Liv continued, smiling to the Professor when he finally looked up. "That's what Professor Lupin did when the essays from your class went missing,"
Snape's eyes flashed scarily dark, Liv was loosing her smile. "I left those essays in your hands, Black,"
"You did?" She asked stupidly, raising an eyebrow. "I don't remember,"
"Do you think this behaviour is acceptable?"
"I assure you it was an accident, sir!" You can't leave something as important as essay's in my possession and except them to be safe, I'm a child!"
"We'll see if your father agrees with that, shall we?" Snape urged, grabbing at her wrist harshly and begging to pull her towards the exit of the door.
"He's busy," Liv said quickly, so quick is caused Snape to immediately stop.
He eyed her angrily. "Doing what?"
"Helping Sirius Black into the castle, probably,"
"You insolent, little –"
" – Whoops!"
Liv knocked down another jar. It spilled so far it got onto Snape's robes, more than Liv had bargained for. "You should really keep lids on these thing!" She sighed, unapologetically.
Snape was raged. "That's fifty points from Gryffindor,"
"Make it a hundred," she snapped, tipping over the very last jar on the table and walking as fast as she could manage out of the classroom, slamming the door hard behind her – incase Snape was following.
Liv, being the clumsy and disobedient girl she was, found herself bumping face first into none other than Pansy Parkinson – the girl she quite simply hated the most. After the brief moment of shock, Liv was quick to shove the girl off and as far away as possible from her.
"Watch where your going, bonehead," Pansy sneered, sniggering an awful laugh with her Slytherin gang.
"Same for you, pugface," Liv spat back, and carried on walking away to avoid any more conflict. She really wasn't in the mood for Pansy's shit.
But Pansy was a child. She didn't walk away like Liv did, infact, the sound of her footsteps began to get closer instead of retreating – and in no time at all Liv was yelping in pain as Pansy pulled hard at her hair on the back of her head.
"Put your hands on me again and you'll regret it," Liv warned as she spun around on the spot to face Pansy, only to be greeted by her hand contacting the side of her face, and the echos of the groups laughter growing louder.
Liv had not been expecting that. Since when did Pansy grow a pair of balls?
She had been heading to the common room, but Liv turned on her heel and stormed the other way to Remus' classroom, holding her sore face and trying to stop any blood that was escaping her aching nose get onto her nice white shirt.
"That bitch just hit me!" was the first thing that escaped Liv's mouth as she stormed into her Father's class.
"Who just hit you?" Remus jumped from his desk, immediately hurrying over.
"Parkinson!"
He gently pulled her hand away from her face and let out a gasp. "You're bleeding!"
"Yeah, no shit!"
"Come here, you," Remus sighed. He grabbed a tissue, helping to wipe away the blood.
Liv just scoffed. "I can't believe this,"
"What happened?" Remus asked thoughtfully, though he was frowning slightly.
"I need to go see Freddie," Liv said.
"You need to go to the hospital wing," Remus replied.
"Yeah, I need to go see Freddie," Liv said again.
"Are you even listening to me?" Remus asked.
"I am listening,"
"What did I just say?"
"I don't know!" She said, and pushed his arm away from her face. "But i really need to go see Freddie!"
*
"We need to do it today, like, this evening,"
"What's wrong with your face?" Fred immediately questioned, bringing up a finger to point at Liv's face.
"Pansy Parkinson is what's wrong with my face!" Liv huffed, collapsing onto the Gryffindor couch beside Fred. Running all the way up to the Gryffindor tower was hard work, and Liv was now severely out of breath.
"She did this to you?" Fred questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! – which is why we need to get back at the Slytherin's now!"
"We need to go the hospital wing now," Fred said, repeating the same emphasis on the word 'now' as Liv had done.
"I don't need the hospital, God!" Liv stressed, standing up from the couch in annoyance.
"Remember that time in first year I had to take you to the hospital wing?"
"Yeah," Liv laughed. "You pick me up like a crazy person and – freddie, no!"
Fred immediately picked Liv up like a crazy person and flung her over his shoulder – the same way he'd done in first year when Pansy had again caused her to need the hospital wing.
"Put me down!" Liv yelled, flinging her limbs around like crazy in hopes it would loosen his grip.
Fred was a 6'3, strong quidditch player. His grip did not loosen. "Don't ruin the fun," he said. "I know you like it,"
Poppy Pomfrey always had the same reaction when one of the Weasley twins would enter her hospital wing – that reaction always being:
"What is it now, Weasley?"
Fred dropped Liv to the floor lightly, where she then stood awkwardly wondering what state her face was actually in, for she hasn't managed to get properly get a look.
"What happened here then?" Pomfrey asked.
"I fell?" Liv suggested, snitching on people is so not cool – even if it's Parkinson.
"Really?" Pomfrey asked, unconvinced. "Because it looks like you've been hit,"
It probably wasn't a good idea to lie to a professional nurse. "I just fell," Liv said nonetheless. "That's all,"
"You know you can tell me, Liv,"
"You're right," Liv sighed – there really was no point in lying. "It was him,"
Fred gasped as Liv pointed too him, holding his hands up defensively. "It was an accident," he reassured the pair, and gave Liv a quick wink.
"Didn't i tell you?" Pomfrey sighed. "These Weasley boys will bring you nothing but trouble,"
*
"You don't think we'll get into too much trouble, do you?"
Liv hadn't had a bite of her meal, for her stomach was already filled with anxious butterflies. Excited one's, too due too the joy of knowing she'd be getting back at Pansy once and for all.
"Nah," Fred said with ease, shoving his face with a fork for off food. "Trouble may as well be your middle name, why now are you concerned about the consequences?"
She poked at her food with the tip of her fork, letting out a sigh as she looked up at Remus seated at the teachers table. "I dunno...."
She looked at Fred. He would have done stuff like this a million times. "And you're sure it's going to work?"
"Positive," Fred said happily, with no disturbance when it came to eating his own meal. "You've got the map, right?"
"Yeah," Liv said, pulling our the marauders map from her pocket. Fred wiped his hands on his thighs and began to unfold the map. "You've got the, you know.... stuff?"
"It's all down there ready," Fred nodded. "And Malfoy's being distracted?"
Liv nodded too.
She anxiously eyed the entrance to the great door – Colin Creevy walked in and Liv watched nervously as he approached Pansy at the Slytherin table. When all was sure that Colin had reached her, Fred and Liv leaped from the table and hurried out the hall as quickly and discreetly as possible.
"What do you want, you little worm!" Liv heard Pansy spit to the younger boy as they passed.
Fred grabbed Liv hand and together they advanced into a fast run, and soon, they'd arrived. Liv looked down at the small broom cupboard ahead - Fred reached forward and pulled it open.
"Tight squeeze," Liv laughed nervously as they both clambered in. The pair we very close.
"Even tighter when Parkinson gets here," Fred said unraveling a large rope.
"Draco?" Came the unusual soft, sweet coo of Pansy Parkinson as she gently knocked on the broomcobatd door. "Draco? Is that you?"
"You came," Fred said posh accent to mock Draco's own. Liv had to refrain herself from laughing at the ridiculousness of it all – how they were going to pull this off, she did not know.
"Are you going to let me in?" Pansy's muffled tone asked?
"You must keep your eyes closed, okay?" Fred reassured.
"Oh, okay..."
"They're closed?"
"Yep, they're closed!"
Fred pushed the door open and reached out for her hand.... "keep them shut for me,"
"This is strange of you, Draco," Pansy spoke nervously. Liv began to hold her breath, careful not to be heard. What a silly girl, falling for such a silly prank. As if Draco would ever invite her to a broom cupboard.
Strangely, Fred pulled on a blindfold over Pansy closed eyes – the cue for Liv to pick up the abandoned ropes beside her to very gentle, to cause minimal suspicion, tie Pansy's arms and legs together.
"Looking good, Parkinson," Liv smirked when all was complete.
"Black?" Pansy gasped in a disgusted tone. "I swear to god I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
"You'll have to get out of here first," Liv sighed, but behind the dull, lack of light in the small room, secretly smiled.
"Let me go you fucking freak!"
Ignoring her request, Liv sighed once more. She knelt down infront of the helpless girl, who'd been blinded and binded, and brought her face close to hers. "Didn't i tell you to not put your hands on me again?"
"Get me out!"
"Didn't i tell you?"
"You deserved it,"
Liv hit Pansy back with similar force as she had used on Liv herself just a couple hours prior. Fred gasped, shocked at sudden girl fight. "Alright, Liv," he said calmly. "I think that's enough,"
Liv backed away, fully, out of the small broom cupboard. "Good luck getting out, Parkinson," she called – shutting the door on her muffled yells.
"That was... intense," Fred said quietly, looking slightly taken aback.
"That's a bit dramatic, Freddie," Liv laughed, making sure the the door was fully locked. "Malfoy or someone will notice she's gone soon, right?"
*