Chapter Eight | Mutum est pictura poema
[The picture is a silent poem]
By the next day, Vivian's robes thankfully return to their normal emerald and black coloring. When she slides them onto her shoulders, she feels so relieved that she heaves a great sigh and ends up getting some weird looks from her dormmates. As they eye her, Vivian shoots them all annoyed looks and mutters, "What? I'm happy is all."
Rosalind giggles and turns back to sliding a pair of knee socks up her shins, while Morrigan smirks and drawls, "Those robes were horrendous. At least now I'll be able to look at you without wanting to vomit."
Vivian hums dryly and replies, "You and me both."
Outside of this room, Vivian doesn't talk much with her dormmates. In fact, it wouldn't be a lie to say that she associates very little with her own house. It had never been something she'd planned upon first starting Hogwarts. Rather, Vivian has always been the sort of person who prefers her own company, values her personal freedoms, and finds irreparable fault in any situation or person that infringes upon the time for which she has set aside for herself.
Some part of this preference in character can doubtlessly be traced back to her childhood. Having had no brothers or sisters to play with, she would often find other ways of entertaining herself. She quickly became well-versed in all manners of one-person games, from tree climbing to woodland explorations to flower hunting, until her mother would call her inside and scold her for dirtying her clothes. Alas, her treks into becoming a tom-boy did not last very long before she was sat down and tutored by her mother in the ways of ladylike etiquette, and unfortunately any berry-picking or beetle-hunting would simply have to wait. In any case, it is surely the notion and experiences of being an only child that has made Vivian prefer her own company as an adult.
This, of course, doesn't mean that she isn't friendly to or talkative to others. After the girls finish changing into their uniforms, straighten out their emerald and silver ties, and grab their bookbags, they make their way up the stairs that leads to the common room and discuss a subject that both Rosalind and Morrigan love most of all: the handsome and dashing Sirius Black. As for Narcissa, any discussion regarding her wayward cousin is one that she prefers to ignore, and today is just the same. She abandons them the moment she catches sight of Lucius, looking pleased to not take part in contributing to her friend's girlish talk.
"I don't know if I'm jealous of you for getting his attention, or just happy that it wasn't me," Morrigan smirks, nudging Vivian's shoulder as they step into the large room filled with leather chairs and emerald notions. Vivian sends her a look and, on her other side, Rosalind laughs.
"Jealous? Really?" Vivian dryly repeats, sounding incredulous at the prospect.
Morrigan raises an eyebrow at her as they weave around the chairs to reach the door of the common room, and shrugs, "He's hot, for a blood traitor. It's a shame he doesn't go for Slytherin girls. I'd be first in line."
Before Vivian can vomit, Rosalind chirps, "Me too! He's dreamy. I heard from Anne Hornbuck that he's a really good kisser – and that isn't all he's good at." The smirk she sends the other two girls is full of insinuation.
Vivian sends her a weird glance and asks, "You talk to Anne Hornbuck?"
Not that it's necessarily out of the ordinary for Slytherins to speak with members of other houses, but Anne is the probably the last person alive that Vivian would associate with. She's a rather pretty Ravenclaw in their year, but she's got an ego a mile high and fancies herself to be better than everyone around her. Vivian doesn't know if it's just a misplaced sense of Ravenclaw pride or a personality flaw.
Rosalind shrugs. "I heard her talking to her friends about it the other day. Apparently, Black has already been caught in a broom closet three times, and we're hardly a week into the school term!"
Morrigan laughs upon hearing this, but Vivian is far less amused. Sirius is notorious for his dealings with the opposite sex. At worse, he's a disgusting sex-crazed maniac with a tendency for flaunting his latest deeds to the entire school for attention; at best, he's a lady's man with a serious aptitude for making girls crazy whenever he flashes them his signature crooked smile, which is administered often and with much zeal. Vivian prefers to think of him in terms of the former, but she sometimes thinks that she's the only one in the school who does. Even many of her fellow Slytherins are mad for him despite the vendetta he's got against them.
Everyone seems to want a piece of Sirius Black. Vivian honestly doesn't understand it. Sure, he's handsome – strikingly so, with his dusky grey eyes and perfectly mussed hair. His body is a work of art, all chiseled and angled as if reflecting the qualities of Grecian sculpture at its finest. When he smiles, his eyes crinkle with a glimmer of mischief that has the ability to make even the most headstrong female lose herself. In terms of physical beauty, Sirius Black has it all.
It is everything else about him that Vivian finds so deplorable. He might be handsome, but his beauty doesn't make up for his many flaws. His pranks go too far, sometimes. He has a misplaced sense of Gryffindor pride that makes him think that he's better than everyone else in the castle. His arrogance knows no bounds, and he jumps to conclusions too quickly, relying only on instinct and emotion to guide his way. He is nothing but an ego-driven, pompous idiot who uses his pitiable family circumstances for attention.
"Disgusting," Vivian sneers, much to her friends' amusement.
Morrigan and Rosalind share a glance and start laughing, but Vivian merely pushes past them, quite done with this discussion.
"She totally thinks he's fit," Rosalind says as they watch her leave.
Morrigan smirks. "Everyone does. I don't think there's a woman alive who's immune to him."
They share another glance and laugh again.
____________________________________________
Defense Against the Dark Arts that afternoon is...surprising. Vivian walks into class exuding a confidence that is entirely made up of being back in her regular uniform, without any red or gold on her person whatsoever. However, when she learns what they'll be focusing on over the next few weeks, her confidence takes a plummet.
"The Patronus is a very powerful charm," Professor Anderson says as he steps over to the blackboard. A well dispersed sea of students from all four houses sit, enraptured, at the prospect of learning about this spell. It is famously difficult to cast and requires immense concentration.
"With enough effort, you will all hopefully produce a corporeal Patronus by the end of the term. I don't expect you'll be able to do it immediately, which is why we'll be taking an extended amount of time to cover this spell. In addition to working on practical application, we'll also be studying the types of dark creatures that you can use the Patronus charm to defend against. This is a rather complicated spell with many uses."
Professor Anderson takes a piece of chalk, turns to the class, and announces, "Take out some parchment, please. The Patronus charm first comes through as a very bright light. The pure nature of the spell protects the wielder against most dark creatures, but the common use of the spell is to ward against dementors. We'll be going into more detail on dementors, specifically, next week. For now, I'd like to focus on the corporeal form that a Patronus might take on."
Vivian hurries to take out her inkpot and quill, jotting down the bullet points that Professor Anderson writes on the blackboard. The entire class seems very interested in learning about this subject, and she reckons that there are various reasons for it. Besides the gathering darkness in the wizarding world with the rise of Lord Voldemort, the Patronus spell is a fascinating one, and highly personal to the witch or wizard that produces it.
"It's difficult to predict what form your Patronus might take on, as it is reflects the characteristics of the wielder. I once knew a wizard whose Patronus was a sheep – not a very impressive form, to be sure, but it certainly reflected his nature in that he was rather...well, let's say a bit of a blabbermouth." A few students chuckle at this, and Professor Anderson smiles, "Regardless, whatever your Patronus's corporeal form may be, it will most certainly mirror your personality traits."
A hand shoots up from the Ravenclaw side of the room, and Professor Anderson pauses in his lecture to say, "Yes, Gavin?"
The Ravenclaw prefect immediately asks, "I read that the Patronus can change form throughout a person's life. Is this true, Professor?"
"Ah, yes," Anderson responds, turning to face the class as he leans against the edge of his desk. "It is true. A Patronus is constructed from happy memories. When you experience a newer, stronger memory, your Patronus can very well change as a result. It isn't very uncommon, actually."
Professor Anderson goes over several main points about the spell, including its primary uses, the wand movement required to cast it, and several more examples of corporeal forms. The first half of the class is composed of notetaking. Vivian wishes that the entire class might follow the same theme, but alas, she isn't that lucky.
"Now, I'm sure most of you already know quite a bit about the Patronus. Perhaps some of you can already cast one. We've got half an hour left, so why don't we move the desks out of the way and practice for a bit? All you need to do is summon the happiest memory you possess. The stronger, the better. Let's start moving these chairs – careful now..."
Within only a few minutes, the desks have all been shifted out of the way, and the classroom is transformed. The center of it is clear of all furniture and the students gather around it as they wait for Professor Anderson to give them further instruction. Vivian stands with her fellow Slytherins by the door, her wand in her hand and her arms crossed as she tries to think about what memory could possibly be strong enough to produce an actual Patronus charm. Across the room, the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs are interspersed together. Their side of the room is much louder than hers as they all chat amongst themselves and theorize what their corporeal Patronuses might look like. The Marauders are the loudest of them all.
"Hey Miller, I'll bet you five galleons that my Patronus will be a stag," James says, nudging a fellow Gryffindor with a wide smirk. Sirius sends him an amused look and shakes his head, but Miller doesn't catch the exchange and just raises doubtful eyebrows at his housemate.
"How could you possible know that?" Miller demands.
James shrugs innocently and says, "I just have a feeling is all. Why, you don't think I share the characteristics of a stag?"
A scoff sounds as Lily mutters, "What, proud and egotistical?"
Sirius snickers at James's responding expression, which is half offended and half eager that Lily had even talked to him at all. Naturally, he wastes very little time as he leans towards her to swing his arm around her shoulders and say, "I'll have you know that stags are fiercely protective beasts."
From the side, Sirius adds, "And very sensitive."
James shrugs. "Yeah, sure. And gentle I guess."
"And virile."
"Definitely virile – oof!"
Lily shoves his arm off of her and makes a sound of disgust in the back of her throat as she pointedly steps away from him. Across the room, Vivian hides a smirk in the collar of her robes as Professor Anderson steps up to demonstrate his Patronus for them.
A vibrant, bright light emits from his wand, quickly followed by a beautiful horse. As it gallops forward, its powerful strides deliver it just above the circle of students. It moves around the classroom twice before he flicks his wand and it fades away just as it lands down upon the center of the clearing. The moment it disappears, the entire class bursts out into clapping and excited murmurs.
Professor Anderson raises his hands to quiet them all down and chuckles, "Having a corporeal form is all well and good, but it takes a lot of time and practice to produce one. I highly doubt that any of you will be able to reach this level of skill in one class. If anyone is able to properly cast the spell today, then I shall be very surprised. Even summoning a small amount of light can take time."
His words don't seem to dissuade many students, though, especially James, who merely sets his shoulders back and confidently crosses his arms.
"Now I want you all to think of the happiest memory you have. Close your eyes and let it fill you entirely, and then lift your wands and say the incantation. Remember the wand movements!"
Everyone quickly readies their wands and closes their eyes. Vivian is slightly less eager. It isn't that she lacks any happy memories at all; it's merely that she knows how powerful the Patronus charm is, and she isn't sure if she has any memories that will suffice.
The room is soon filled with many voices chanting 'Expecto Patronum' as students attempt the spell. She closes her eyes and thinks back to her childhood, perusing through memories of basking in sunlight and running through the Blair manor. She thinks about how excited she'd been to receive her Hogwarts letter, and how proud she was to be sorted into Slytherin, and how happy she was when she made the Slytherin Quidditch team back in fourth year. She thinks about long summer days spent alone in the meadow beyond the manor, laying in the tall grasses with a book in her lap as Mr. Darcy ardently spoke of his long silent affection for Elizabeth on the pages before her.
Then, lifting her wand, she says aloud, "Expecto Patronum," and opens her eyes.
Nothing happens.
To be honest, she isn't very surprised by this. The only consolation is that she is not the only student whose memory doesn't seem to be strong enough. In fact, most of the class can't produce even the smallest amount of light. There is one, though, who manages to impress both student and professor when he doesn't only summon a very bright light from his wand, but also a fully formed Patronus as well.
James Potter must have practiced this spell before, because there is absolutely no way that it's his first attempt. If the conversation about the stag Patronus isn't convincing enough, then his utter confidence surely backs it up. The large stag that leaps from the tip of his wand is magnificent, and as it shoots around the classroom, everyone turns to gape at him.
As for James, he just smirks widely and throws Lily a wink, mouthing, 'virile' at her. She turns red, glares at him, and turns away.
True to his word, Professor Anderson is immensely surprised.
"Merlin! Never have I seen such an accomplishment, Mr. Potter – and during our first lesson on Patronuses, too! Well done! Twenty points to Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindors let out a cheer, and James turns strangely bashful. He clears his throat and says, "Thanks, professor," as he reaches up to rub his nose and looks down.
"Your memory must have been very powerful," Professor Anderson adds, and James turns a little pink.
No one misses the way his eyes dart back to Lily. Conversely, no one misses the way Lily's expression morphs into a strange compilation of surprise, embarrassment, and pleasure as she, too, notices. Marlene nudges her with a wide grin and Lily rubs her cheek as if she's trying to physically push away her blush.
But, just as the class begins to settle down a bit, everyone realizes that James isn't the only one who is able to cast a corporeal Patronus. The stag is just beginning to fade away when suddenly a large dog erupts from Sirius's wand and crashes right into it, tearing through the Patronus with an accuracy that can only be purposeful. The large scruffy dog charges into James's stag and makes it dissipate, then bounds around the room before stopping in front of Sirius, who is wearing a mischievous grin that is no doubt due to the fact that he has stolen James's thunder.
James elbows him for the trick, but Professor Anderson is full of praise.
"My word! I am very impressed with Gryffindor today – very impressed!" he gushes, and proceeds to give them an additional twenty points, much to the supreme happiness of the rest of their house. "Well done! Now, the rest of you should continue to practice outside of class. Don't be too disheartened; like I said, it takes time to master this spell. I'd like you all to write an essay on the uses of Patronus charms for our next class, where we'll be discussing in greater detail the types of creatures that this spell will ward against."
Vivian is relieved to be able to leave. As the class is dismissed, she quickly packs up her things and hurries into the hallway. A part of her is shocked at how easily Potter and Black had managed to cast the spell. She endeavors to practice it before the next class in order to not fall behind. After all, if they can do it, then so can she. As she's slipping out of the classroom, she hears the tail end of Sirius's explanation of his happy memory. Needless to say, she isn't very impressed.
" – Yeah, getting into Ophelia's skirt in the broom closet on the third floor was literally the best moment of my life," he's boasting, much to the amusement of his fellow Marauders and the other Gryffindor boys. Suffice to say that none of the girls are nearly as amused, especially Marlene, who rolls her eyes and pushes past him, making sure to knock into his shoulder on her way. He starts calling her name ("You'd easily come in second for good memories, Marl!") when he catches sight of Vivian turning to leave.
Crossing his arms, Sirius snarks, "I didn't see any Patronuses from the Slytherin end of the room. What's wrong, Blair? No happy memories worth using?"
Vivian pauses, sighs, and turns to face him. The frustrated but resigned expression on her face is due entirely to the fact that, even though she tries to steer clear of him when possible, Sirius Black seems to have it out for her.
"It was only the first class, Black. Don't be arrogant," she replies, and shoots a look at some of the other Gryffindors who have paused to watch the confrontation. Why everything needs to be so public with him is beyond her, but she reckons it has something to do with his big head and his childish need for attention.
Peter and Remus file out of the class to join their friends, but Sirius doesn't notice. He's too busy smirking at her and drawling, "Maybe you should spend some time in a broom closet, Godric. If you don't scare anyone away with that sneer of yours, it might give you good memories too. And loosen the stick up your arse at the same time."
The gathered students snicker at this, and Vivian grits her teeth, feeling herself flush a bit at the insinuation that his words conjure. James chokes back a wave of laughter, thumping on his chest as he tries to reel it in. Remus shakes his head and brushes past them on his way to his next class. Peter loiters nearby, unsure if he should stay or go. Sirius sends Vivian his crooked smile – the one that makes every girl fall for him with a single glance – and waits.
He doesn't have to wait for very long.
"How dare you – "
"She's blushing! What, haven't you ever had fun in a broom closet before?" Sirius laughs, eyeing her reddening cheeks with a gleeful expression.
Thoroughly rattled at being the target of this sort of harassment, Vivian snarks, "I'm not a whore like you are, Black. And don't call me Godric."
Sirius only smirks wider. "I'd show you the ropes, but I wouldn't be caught dead with you."
She laughs cuttingly and retorts, "I'm glad we agree on something, at least. I'd rather throw myself off the astronomy tower."
"Oh, well in that case, maybe we should find the nearest broom closet after all."
"Only if you throw yourself off the tower too."
"Ouch. Well, if it'd rid the world of you, I might be convinced to make the sacrifice for the greater good. Seven o'clock tonight, then?"
"You're making me actually want to throw up."
"You can do that and jump off the astronomy tower at the same time, right? That would be an amusing sight."
"I'd rather – "
"What is going on out here?" a voice suddenly interrupts, and everyone's attention is pulled to the doorway of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Professor Anderson is standing in the threshold as he gapes at the sight of his two students going at it outside of his classroom.
Before this moment, Vivian doesn't realize just how close she actually is to Sirius. They're only about a foot apart, having inched closer during their hate-filled dialogue without her even noticing. Not only that, but both of their wands are drawn and in their hands, which doesn't make for a very good image, as it only further solidifies the idea that they both want to kill each other.
Over Sirius's shoulder, Vivian sees James staring at the two of them with a baffled expression on his face. He seems partially humored by this turn of events, and partially confused at how oddly it had escalated. After all, Sirius's one rule is to never fraternize with the 'enemy' in any way, shape, or form, and in all the sixth and a half years that he's known him, Sirius has never even joked about breaking his rule. Certainly not in the way that he's just done.
Of course, it is rather amusing too, listening to Sirius proposition to Vivian just so she might toss herself off of the astronomy tower. But still. It's strange how angry Vivian makes him; how easily she's able to get under his skin without even trying.
Professor Anderson frowns at the pair of them and shakes his head. "I'd rather not do this after such a successful class, but I believe a detention is in order. You two are to report to my office directly after dinner tonight."
Vivian's mouth drops open. Sirius doesn't look much happier.
"But Professor – "
"Death threats are not to be taken lightly, Mr. Black, especially in the world we currently live in," Anderson swiftly cuts him off, and Sirius shoots Vivian a glare.
She clenches her jaw and says, "But I'm a prefect – "
"Unfortunately, your badge won't save you today, Miss Blair. I shall see you both tonight. Do not be late, Mr. Black, or your evenings for the next week will be spent scrubbing the flagstones in the courtyard." With that, Professor Anderson strides back into his classroom and shuts the door firmly behind him.
Vivian turns angry eyes to Sirius. Sirius scoffs out an insult at her beneath his breath before storming off. James just stands there, still looking baffled, and grabs Peter's arm to follow.
As she watches them leave, Vivian thinks she could honestly scream.
_________________________________________________
Spending the evening with Sirius Black is not exactly on Vivian's to-do list tonight, but unfortunately, she doesn't have much of a choice. She's still bristling from their altercation hours later as she makes her way to Professor Anderson's classroom. Having never received a detention from him before, she's got no idea what sort of disciplinarian he is or what task he'll have them perform. She only hopes that whatever it is, they won't have to do it in close proximity to each other. To be honest, she's still itching to get her hands around his neck. Sirius Black could use a good strangling.
She's not at all surprised when she discovers that Sirius is late. Professor Anderson calmly greets her when she strides into the Defense classroom and tells her to take a seat while they wait for him, but it takes a good ten minutes before he arrives. Based on what Vivian knows about him (unfortunately, she's served several detentions with him in the past), she's actually a little surprised that he doesn't take more time to saunter into the room.
Saunter – that's a good word to describe the manner in which Sirius casually strolls through the door. His uniform is a bit mussed up, his tie loosened, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. When he sees Vivian, he sends her an expression that looks a bit evil. He clearly doesn't want to be here anymore than she does, which is saying a lot.
Anderson doesn't scold him for being ten minutes late. He, too, seems to realize that for Sirius Black, he's practically early. He's given Sirius enough detentions to know by now that he seems to have a problem being on time. A calculated move, Vivian assumes.
"Now that you're both here, you may head over to Mr. Filch's office. He'll be supervising your detention tonight," Professor Anderson tells them, and looks subtly amused when they both grimace. However, he makes sure to say in a firm voice, "I'm sure you'll both be very accommodating to whatever it is he decides to have you do."
The thought of spending detention with Mr. Filch makes both Vivian and Sirius blanch. Filch is notorious for his terrible detentions. If they end up mopping the bathrooms and cleaning toilets, she wouldn't be at all surprised. It is with great reluctance that they two of them shuffle out of the room to head over to Filch's office on the second floor. Neither of them are happy to be spending their detention together, let alone with Filch to supervise.
The walk there is surprisingly silent. Sirius doesn't seem to be in a chatty mood tonight. He walks a bit ahead of her and hardly gives her a second glance. Maybe he's just moody about wasting his night, or maybe he feels just as awkward as she does as they walk through the quiet hallways together. To be honest, Vivian has never actually walked with him like this without one of them starting an argument and having it escalate from there. To call the strange, tense energy between them as being awkward is definitely a good word for it. Things go back to normal once they start the detention, and Vivian isn't sure if she's relieved about that or not. She's also not sure what's worse: mopping bathroom floors, or mopping the entire Great Hall, least of all with Sirius Black in tow.
"I can't believe I have to do this with you," Sirius mutters as Filch barks at them to get to it and promptly leaves to go stalk the halls with his evil cat. The pair of them stand in the doorway of the hall with mops in their hands and a large bucket of soapy water between them. Filch had taken their wands before leaving to ensure that they actually do the work without magic, and happily informed them that he expected the entire hall to be spotless by the time he returns in two hours.
Vivian thinks that the man is only happy when he's making students suffer.
With a scoff, she dunks her mop into the bucket so roughly that some of the water splashes onto Sirius's shoes, and he jumps out of the way with a yelp that makes her smirk.
"Careful, Black," she shrugs, as if she hadn't meant to do it in the first place. (An obvious lie. Her innocence only extends so far.)
Sirius narrows his eyes at her is quick to get retribution on her, but she's expecting it and is already out of reach by the time his mop hits the water with equal roughness.
"I'll bet this is making you furious, getting a detention. You're a prefect now so that means you're even more of an uptight bitch than usual," he mutters, turning to staring angrily moving his mop over the stone floor.
Vivian rolls her eyes. "I don't understand your problem with me."
"My problem? Isn't it obvious?" he retorts quickly, and they both lift their heads to glare at each other. It's clear enough that it isn't obvious to her, because even though Vivian's glare is fierce, her eyes contain the smallest trace of confusion. He snorts and turns to face her.
"You're literally everything I hate. A Slytherin, a prefect, a pureblood, a bitch – " he pauses for a moment, deciding if he's covered it all, and then adds, "Besides, the fact that we used to be betrothed makes me want to vomit every time I see you, which definitely doesn't help."
Vivian splutters a bit as she stands there, not expecting him to say anything about the engagement that had ended before she really got to know him, and laughs, "Really? Get over yourself, Black. We both dodged a bullet with that one. And you're everything I hate, too."
He raises an eyebrow at her and drawls, "Oh?"
She raises one back and returns, "Let's see...blood traitor, Gryffindor, womanizer. In that order."
"Womanizer? I am not a womanizer."
"You got caught in a broom closet three times this week and we've only just started school."
"Oh, keeping track now, are we? You must be hoping to be the next one."
"The next one to catch you, maybe, that way I can put in a request to have your Hogsmeade privileges revoked."
"Ha! Please. As if you could. You may be a prefect, but no one listens to anything you say, Godric."
"Don't call me that, blood traitor."
"I am this close to picking up this bucket and dumping it over your head."
"I'd like to see you fucking try, you – "
Before she can finish with her insult (a shame, it had been a good one), a noise rattles through the doorway and they both fall silent. It might have been a fairly comical sight, to anyone watching. The two of them, having somehow gotten closer during their argument without either of them noticing, now turn to stare at the doors of the Great Hall. They're both tense and wary as footsteps approach, and Sirius curses swiftly beneath his breath and shoves Vivian away from him.
He doesn't look at all repentant when she stumbles back, barely managing to catch herself before tripping over the mop that she had thrown to the ground at some point during their verbal sword fight. When she starts to berate him, he hisses, "Shut up, Blair – that's probably Filch, come to see if we're actually working or not."
This shuts her up pretty effectively (he'll have to remember that) and she's quick to reach down and grab her discarded mop. She strides several feet away and pretends to be cleaning busily when the doors push open and Filch peers suspiciously into the hall. He sees nothing out of order – no overturned buckets or lazy students. Both Sirius and Vivian are silently mopping the stone floor a ways away from each other, heads down.
"I heard voices," he mutters, and then in a louder voice, snaps, "Hurry up, and no talking! Good for nothing kids..."
The moment the doors shut again, Sirius lifts his head and glares fitfully at her. She doesn't hesitate to do the same, wrangling up all her hatred into one dark glower.
"By the way," he says after another minute of silence. "I just found out that you had no right to give me a detention before school even started." The corner of Vivian's mouth edges up into a full-on smirk. At the sight of it, Sirius exclaims, "You knew that?"
She snorts. "Obviously. My authority doesn't start until we get to Hogwarts. You were just too stupid to catch on, so I figured I'd humor you."
He thinks he actually sees red when he hears her smug voice saying those smug words.
"I will make this year hell for you, Blair," he growls at her, sorely tempted to make good on his threat to overturn the bucket of soapy water over her head. She could use a good cleaning out.
Vivian just shrugs as if she doesn't believe him, and breezily responds, "Having to see your ugly face every day is hell enough, thanks."
He frowns, "Most girls think my face is angelic."
She just rolls her eyes. "Well I'm not like most girls, you arse."
And – well, naturally, he doesn't know it yet, but it won't be very long before he finds himself agreeing with her.
Vivian Blair is most certainly, without a doubt, absolutely not like any other girl he's ever met.
______________________________________________
When Sirius trudges back to Gryffindor tower after his dismal detention with one Vivian Blair, he's in a sour mood. As if spending two hours with a girl he loathes isn't enough to ruin a perfectly good evening, mopping the entire Great Hall had been a hell in and of itself. His hands are sore, he's desperately in need of a shower, and to top it all off, Blair had somehow managed to get dirty soap in his hair during one of the many arguments they'd had in the course of their two-hour detention. (And Merlin, there were quite a few.)
He's in the process of running his fingers through his precious locks in hopes to restoring them to their former glory when he steps into the common room, only to find that his three friends are waiting up for him. In truth, it isn't late enough for the majority of the students to be in bed yet, so the common room is still fairly bustling. Still, he takes heart in the sight of the other Marauders and, when he throws himself onto the couch next to Remus, he heaves a sigh of relief to be back in more pleasant company.
At least this lot doesn't make him want to drown himself. He had come close a few times that evening, but had ultimately figured that such an end would be unfitting for Sirius Black, extraordinaire. Drowning oneself in a bucket of dirty water would be rather pathetic.
"Rough detention?" James asks, glancing over at him as him and Peter play wizard's chess in front of the fireplace. Peter is losing badly, not that this surprises any of them. He's always been absolute rubbish at chess. And most other things, come to think of it.
Sirius grumbles, "Awful," and Remus hums, sending him a sidelong glance that makes him raise an eyebrow. His momentary confusion disappears when he recalls the conversation they'd had earlier, and with a glower, he shoves Remus a bit and bites, "It really was awful. Remember when I found out that the detention she gave me at the train station was technically illegitimate because the term hadn't even started yet?" He doesn't even wait for his friends to nod before he ploughs forward with a grumpy, "She knew."
Remus purses his mouth to keep his laughter at bay. It would probably only make Sirius that much grumpier to be laughed at. It is rather difficult to rein it in, though. He sounds so petulant about it that it is a true show of willpower on Remus's part.
James, on the other hand...
"It took you so long to figure that out," he crows, and then immediately jerks backward when Sirius grabs the pillow he's leaning against and throws it at him. It careens past him and knocks over his knight. When James turns to send him an undignified look, Peter takes the opportunity to pick the knight up and put it on a different square, hoping that his sleight of hand might help him win.
"Some friends you are, letting me waltz down to Blair's detention none the wiser," Sirius mutters, crossing his arms moodily and tipping his head back to glare at the ceiling.
He'd only found out about this little fact that morning, and it had been entirely accidental. McGonagall had wanted to speak with him after class about future careers. Apparently, she had taken what he'd said before a little too seriously, because she had expressed concern regarding him waiting to make a decision of that caliber until their last week of school. Anyway – after convincing her that he had only been joking (partly), he'd mentioned the detention in passing because he had wanted to know if the prefects really are allowed to choose what sort of detentions they can give students. He hadn't much fancied the thought of scrubbing down the owlery with a toothbrush like Vivian had threatened, and had figured that said threat probably wasn't made idly or without intention, so he'd figured that a little self-preservation was necessary just in case she goes through with it.
Regardless of his reasons, the conversation had ended up cycling back to the detention that Vivian had given him back at the train station, and McGonagall had been rather surprised to hear about it, and so he had asked her why that was and –
Well anyway, he hadn't been very happy by the time he'd left her classroom.
"So how'd you spend the detention?" Peter asks after a moment, glancing over at James to see if he's noticed that his knight is in a different place. He doesn't, because he's still glowering over at Sirius for the pillow attack and has apparently lost interest in the game, which is perfectly fine with Peter. Getting constantly beat at wizard's chess isn't very fun.
Sirius closes his eyes and responds, "Mopped the Great Hall."
Remus cringes, but Sirius isn't quite done yet.
"And that bitch got dirty sludge in my hair. And she called me a blood traitor again. And a womanizer."
He's not sure why he's bothering informing his friends about this. All he knows is that he's so annoyed at how the evening has gone that he can't stop the information from bubbling to the surface.
James snorts, "But you are a womanizer, Padfoot." He looks rather victorious when Sirius realizes that he doesn't have another pillow to throw at him.
With a betrayed look blazing over his face, Sirius turns to Remus, who just shrugs. "You got caught in a broom closet three times this week and school has barely even started yet."
Mouth dropping open, Sirius exclaims, "Is everyone keeping tabs on my broom closet escapades?"
Remus shoots him a confused look and explains, "All the prefects know about these sorts of things."
Sirius just grumpily leans back and sighs, apparently not caring all that much that his business is such common knowledge. "Anyway, I stand behind what I said before. Blair could really use a thorough broom closet session to loosen her up."
James and Remus exchange amused looks. Peter takes the initiative to move James's bishop over a square. Sirius rolls his eyes.
"I'm not saying that I want to do it."
James hums beneath his breath, not entirely sure he believes him. A year ago, he would have. Hell, a week ago, he would have. But as ignorant as he can sometimes be concerning the female race (though he would deny such accusations), even James has noticed that something seems different between Blair and Sirius this year. He's not sure what, but something has shifted. Whether it is merely that the two of them hate each other even more than ever before, or that something else is charging the atmosphere between them, all he can say is that it's only been a week into the term and already there's something different to their usual arguments.
Sirius frowns at the ceiling and muses, "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her date anyone. Has she, Moony?"
Why Sirius thinks that he would know the answer to this, Remus doesn't know. He shrugs, considers it, and responds, "Not that I remember."
It's apparent that Sirius is waiting, and even expecting, this answer, because he immediately smirks and drawls, "Like I said: she desperately needs some fun. I should write up a list of Slytherins for her to hook up with as a prank."
James grimaces, "That's a little mean." When Sirius throws him a baffled look, he says, "I'm just saying, it is. Plus Lily would think that I had something to do with it and she'd give me the cold shoulder again."
They all know that there's nothing that gets to James more than Lily ignoring him. It is the single worst punishment that he could ever receive.
Remus seems to agree with James's assessment, so Sirius sighs, "Fine, I won't. But I definitely need to get her back for giving me a detention on the first day of classes. Charming her robes wasn't nearly enough..." With that, he trails off thoughtfully, staring into the fire as he muses over potential pranks that might put her in her place.
When he doesn't immediately come up with anything, James turns back to the chessboard. He gives it a strange glance, apparently noticing that something, at least, seems to be awry (Peter had managed to move a few of his own pieces around, too, in hopes that it might give him a leg up), but ultimately doesn't give it another thought as he reaches over to move his rook.
"Check," he says as his rook headbutts Peter's bishop right off the table and victoriously slides onto the square it had once occupied. Peter's mouth drops open.
As he leans forward to see if the game is salvageable, Marlene flounces over to the couch and sits down beside Sirius. She had been giving him the cold shoulder all day, too, but unlike James, Sirius hadn't even noticed. Apparently, all has been forgiven (Marlene isn't very good at holding grudges), because she immediately cuddles into his side as if she's never been angry with him at all and puts her book bag on the floor.
"Hey, Marl," he says faintly, barely even seeing her. He's far too swept up in thoughts of getting revenge on Vivian.
"Sirius, I heard about your detention," she says, reaching up to brush her fingers into his hair. The three other boys stop to watch as she yelps and jerks back, eyeing her hands with a grossed out look on her face. "What is this?"
Sirius shrugs, "Dirty sludge from between the flagstones of the Great Hall."
His description makes her let out a disgusted sound, and the Marauders snicker.
Marlene immediately starts emptying her bag in search of something to wipe her hands on. Sirius watches her with vague interest as she piles some books on the couch between them.
"What are you reading, some stupid romance novel?" he asks, raising an eyebrow as he catches sight of the title that blazes over the cover. 'Sailor and Siren, Book 1'. It even sounds horrendous.
Marlene rolls her eyes at him and, still searching her bag, says in a muffled voice, "Actually, I am. It's really good, too. It's about a sailor who falls desperately in love with a siren off the coast of Greece, and – "
"Thanks, Marl, but I really don't want to know."
" – the siren ends up breaking his heart when she decides that she can't be with him, because they come from different worlds and she's got another man – "
"Merlin, please stop."
" – but then the sailor ends up writing her love poems to win her heart, and the siren is so swept up in them that she changes her mind and leaves her other love to be with him, defying all odds, but then – "
"...Love poems?"
" – before they can be reunited, a storm takes his ship by surprise and he ends up drowning, and the siren is so heartbroken that she goes back to the other man and they get married and end up having eight children."
"Love poems," Sirius says again with a nod, and smiles manically.
Marlene shoots him a confused look. The other Marauders, though...
"No way," Remus says firmly. "That's definitely crossing the line."
"It would be pretty fun though, Moony," James inputs.
"What are we talking about?" Peter wonders.
"It's wrong. It would be like playing with her heart, Prongs."
"Oh come off it, Moony. She doesn't even like him."
"They wouldn't be from me. They'd be from a secret admirer," Sirius drawls.
Remus shakes his head. "No way. It isn't right."
"Girls love that shit. Hey – that's actually a good idea..."
"Don't even think about it, Prongs. Lily is not that kind of girl."
"But Padfoot, neither is Blair."
"We don't know that. She might be."
Peter frowns, "What's this about love poems?"
"Merlin, I'm going to find the girls before I rip my hair out," Marlene proclaims, quite finished with the confusing conversation unraveling in front of her. She grabs her things and stomps off, but none of the boys really notice.
Sirius grins, looking incredibly proud of himself as he stretches his legs over the table in front of the couch and leans back. "I've always thought I was a good poet. This'll be a cinch." With a snicker, he adds, "Imagine her face when she thinks that someone is actually in love with her."
Remus shakes his head and warns, "You're going to regret this, Sirius."
But none of the others seem to agree. If anything, James is excited to help, and once Peter is filled in on the turn of events, he thinks it's a great idea. Remus's warning gets lost in the tide of their eager chatter as James plucks out a quill and a spare bit of parchment and they gather around it to dish out a love poem – the first of many.
Despite Sirius's claims that Remus isn't always right, though, this time, his warning will come back to bite him, and he will bitterly regret ever conceiving of the idea to play with Vivian Blair's heart so ruthlessly.
For now, though...
"How should we start it? Dear Blair?"
"See, this is why you should never write Lily a love poem, Prongs."
"Well then let's see you come up with something better!"
"I will," Sirius says, and snatches James's quill. With a flourish, he sets it down on the page as he spells out Vivian's name, slashing out the V with singular focus.
Vivian, I do declare...
"Oh, that sounds pretty good," Peter says.
"Shut up, I'm trying to think."
And then...
"Oh and by the way Wormtail, checkmate."
On the couch, Remus puts his head in his hands and sighs.