CHAPTER FORTY
✧
-: sixth year :-
── IN WHICH FALL OUTS FOLLOW
. . .
After the events of that morning, James and his friends could only go to the Quidditch match and try to forget the words written on the pink flyer.
Tiger was stuck in McGonagall's office. The woman refused to give her a detention, but had her run to Gryffindor common room quickly to get some homework and to do it for the rest of the morning.
Whilst Tiger had broken many rules, McGonagall knew why she reacted in that way. In her opinion, which matched Sirius's outlook on everything, Olivia deserved the reaction she got, not that she would tell anyone anything.
The professor told Tiger to stay in her office and do homework until lunch, and then if asked, tell them she just cleaned the silverware again. The only problem was, Olivia couldn't be punished.
It seemed obvious to both McGonagall, Tiger and Tiger's friends that Olivia had made the flyers. However, it couldn't be proven. Anyone could have gotten the information - as long as they had someone at Ilvermorny to tell them it.
Or hell, who knew, it could have been Miss Williams who spread the flyers, she surely had the reasources to produce them and then spread them as a teacher.
Professor McGonagall promise Tiger that she would make sure she would look into the subject, and then disappeared to look over the Quidditch match like she was supposed to.
Tiger did some of her homework, only get half way through the potion's essay before her mind began to wander. More specifically, began to wander in the direction in the question of how she would get Olivia back.
There was the obvious choices. Certain potions, if mixed wrong, would make certain things happen. Something in a potion that Slughorn had taught them had an ingredient, if left out, would make anyone who took it itch like crazy.
And Tiger had a store of dye, and various potion ingredients. She also had two friends who would be more than up to ruin Olivia in whatever way possible.
There were products at Zonko's that could be adapted. A soap which would make your hands and face muddy after using - add a tiny drop of dye and a charm to it, and could dye your skin.
Tiger had been taught hexes that caused boils to appear on the other's skin, to grow buckteeth and if brewed wrong, an aging potion could make you appear as old.
In all, Tiger was looking for revenge. And not just some petty revenge, she wanted Olivia to feel it. She didn't care whether or not it made her a bad person, or if it prompted Olivia to tell the whole truth.
Olivia had been horrible to her ever since she started at Ilvermorny, and when she finally escaped that hell of a school for her, she was followed to her new safe place.
And if it kept going the way that everything was going, the new safe place would be invested in the truth of Tiger's life, her sad life before Hogwarts. Because she truly wasn't that person they saw, inside she was someone else.
Perhaps it was because of everything. Of not being trusted or believed after the thing which changed her life, the bullying from people just because they didn't seem to agree. Because she wanted Olivia to feel just as bad as she had made Tiger feel.
Her mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour, and as it neared lunchtime and the castle became the busy, somewhat loud place it was, Tiger decided something.
She was going to tell someone what happened. And it would either be James or Remus. She needed someone to talk to about it, to know the truth before Olivia spread some twisted version of it.
Tiger was leaning towards telling James. Remus was her family, and if he found out and hated her, then that would be the rest of her family gone. She couldn't go and stay with the Lupin's if Remus hated her.
But if James hated her, no matter how much it hurt her, she wouldn't be as affected. Sure, the feeling of the person you were slowly falling in love with hating you would be a lot to bear, and she would lose the place she was to call home for a summer. But, she wouldn't have to lose anymore family.
Tiger had a feeling that James wouldn't hate her. She hoped that he wouldn't. It was a lot to put on someone not to tell, but James was someone that Tiger felt as if she could trust.
She would tell him that night, she had decided.
McGonagall returned to her office as the lunch bell rang, and found Tiger curled up in the corner, a book balanced on her knees. "How was the homework, Miss Howell?" McGonagall asked, walking over to the girl with the biscuit box, offering her several.
"Thank you." Tiger took the biscuits. "I'm planning on picking it up in the afternoon, if that's ok." The girl asked, and McGonagall told her it was .
And so Tiger stayed in the office until dinner that night, and decided instead of facing the stares and whispers, the girl would just go down to the kitchens and get some food, eating it in the common room.
Of course, when the students appeared after dinner, the whispers were even louder, contained in the small space. But it was better than a whole hall of students.
"Tiger what the hell." Sirius exclaimed as he walked through the doors. "You just disappeared! After all that. People are saying you got expelled - again!" He continued, sitting down next to the girl.
"I was polishing silver for Minnie. Not getting expelled." Tiger raised her voice for the last sentence, looking around at people.
"Well that's good to know. You missed a spectacular match. Ravenclaw beat Slytherin by ten points, Slytherin got the snitch though." James told her, squishing into the seat beside her. "You would have loved it."
"I bet. Ravenclaw's chasers are incredible." Tiger replied, and James mumbled something, but shrugged it off. "Lily, aren't you sitting down?" She asked, looking up at the ginger girl, who was hovering nearby.
Marlene and Lydia had sat near the fire, talking to each other. Of course, Remus and Peter were sat in the armchairs close by. But Lily was just stood there, arms folded across her stomach.
"I don't know." She said bluntly. "Were you planning on telling us you were expelled? That you have this 'hunter's curse'? What even is that? What the hell did you do?" She continued, and didn't back down, even when Tiger stared at her, jaw dropped and face a paler shade.
"Lily.. I-" Tiger began, and Marlene and Lydia stood up, going to stand by Lily. Tiger had a feeling that those two weren't going to join in, but were rather there to try and steer Lily out if it got too loud.
"No, Tiger. We get it, you have secrets, you got expelled whatever. You act like this is your entire personality, and that you've changed. You talk down about Ilvermorny but don't tell us why it's so bad. We're supposed to be your friends, and Remus didn't even know you were expelled until you told all of his friends." Lily replied, her voice raised.
Remus made a face, leaning back in his chair, and Tiger knew he didn't want to be included in this. "You hate Olivia but just tell us that you know she's bad, but not telling us why, or what the hell were on those flyers." Lily continued.
"Come on." Marlene quickly took Lily by the hand, Lydia doing the same thing and pulling Lily out.
"I'm going for a walk." Tiger said promptly, her face not displaying any emotion. She looked around, glancing at the boys. James was already on his feet, ready to go with her.
Remus, Sirius and Peter looked slightly stunned, not exactly having any idea of what just happened. "Be safe please." Remus said. "Don't do anything stupid."
"I would never." Tiger said, then looked to James. "You coming?" She asked, and he nodded, following Tiger out of the common room.
They walked around for a while, mostly in silence. Then, Tiger asked if James wanted to go up to the astronomy tower, if there was no class to be up there.
There wasn't, and so they climbed the many stairs, settling at the edge like they always did, legs swinging over the edge. "I think I'm ready to tell you." Tiger admitted, her words the noise that broke the silence of the night.
"You don't have to - if you think you do just because Evans seemed to make a point of it. We're not entitled to an explanation." James quickly said.
"No.. no." Tiger replied. "I want to tell you, I just hope you won't hate me. And I suppse there's no better way to tell you what happened then to start with the big one." She sighed, taking a few moments to prepare herself, practically shaking.
"James, I killed someone."
✧