Across the Quidditch Pitch

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Chapter Four: Unwelcome Reunion


Mulciber walked through the dungeon corridors like a scout on a familiar trail. It was second nature to the Fifth year Slytherin prefect to know the password. "Pureblood," he whispered and an arched doorway materialized.

He didn’t have to go far to find his friends. Abruptly, Mulciber turned the corner as soon as he got in. There was a huge wall of plain, ugly skulls. Behind the skulls was the Dark trio’s favorite hangout in the common room. It was a dingy, cramped corner that most of Slytherin preferred not to inhabit. Yet it had always been useful as a place to share secrets, as well as offering semi-privacy, out of everyone else’s immediate eyeshot. It was now a couple of hours after dinner and the common room remained crowded. The loud buzz of conversations droned on, but Mulciber, Snape and Avery had long since learned there had been almost no chance they could be overheard.

Snape barely looked up when he saw Mulciber. And he lazily picked up his wand up from the table he was seated at. Avery was sitting next to him, already looking uncomfortable. But neither, Snape nor Mulciber paid that any mind. Snape simply raised his wand, and like every evening, since he’d recently invented the spell, cast the Muffliato charm.

But for the first time ever, Mulciber was not at all pleased by it. He hated to think about how Snape was always getting away with everything. It worried him to think that his friend spent too much time off on his own experimenting. It was on the tip of Mulciber’s tongue to scornfully ask what other spells Snape had been inventing these days. But he couldn’t bring it to himself to speak to Snape.

In a huff, Mulciber threw himself in the other chair, and glared across the table at Snape. Snape went back to his business, which was currently only the pretense of reading the Daily Prophet. Mulciber stared at the paper instead. It was a moving, black-and-white photograph of a shadowy figure, what was presumably Voldemort. In bold, capitals the headline read: ‘The New Dark Lord: Powerful or Great’?

Snape did not move from his position with the paper. Snape didn’t have the nerve to ask, but finally Avery asked for him, “So what happened? Did you find a way out of it?”

Mulciber frowned darkly. “No. I was caught. I’m also losing out on a job at the ministry. Dumbledore is writing me a negative reference! I don’t even see any reason to study for those O.W.L.S anymore!” He’d really only said it, because he knew it would cause the strongest reaction in Severus.

There was a slight rustling of the paper, but then Snape went back to ignoring Mulciber again.

“Really? It’s that bad?” said Avery anxiously.

“Uh-huh.” Mulciber spread his legs, relaxing his thick frame. He took out a cigar wrapped in shiny blue paper.

“Want a smoke Avery?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

With their wands, the two boys lit the cigars.

“Got these from Sluggy, right?” Avery asked.

“Yeah…At the last club meeting. You were there, remember?”

Avery didn’t pay mind to Mulciber’s question. Instead he looked back towards Snape. Snape looked like he could care less that they hadn’t offered him one. They both knew Snape had never taken up smoking as a habit. They didn’t know it, but it was partially because his father, Tobias smoked like a chimney.

Avery looked at Snape and then back at Mulciber again and again until Mulciber churlishly bellowed, “What is it?”

“Snape wants to know if Dumbledore caught his involvement in the scheme. Did he?”

“No….And make sure to tell Snape I didn’t rat him out!”

And now Snape was truly surprised. He actually put the paper down. “Why? Ask him why Avery.”

“Why didn’t you do it?”

Mulciber bit his lip. “I still plan on doing this again. I almost decided to rat Snape out, but then I thought of something. Snape was the mastermind behind it, as he always is. And if I want any chance at having fun in the future, I’ll need his careful planning.”

Snape’s sallow face drained of what little colour it had. “Tell him his luck’s run dry.”

Mulciber, still seated in the chair stamped his foot at Snape’s words. He wanted to pout like a child to make Snape want to try it again. Mulciber muttered without looking at Snape, “You were a bloody coward…What’d you do? Run away?”

Snape’s eyes flashed dangerously, just like they would years from now. He suppressed his rage at being called this. Instead he quietly pressed Mulciber, speaking to him directly and dropping Avery as the go-between, “Does Professor Dumbledore know?”

“Uh- I don’t think so.” Mulciber sounded doubtful.

“Yes, but how can I be sure he doesn’t?”

“Look…The headmaster probably hasn’t a clue. If he did, he’d be punishing you too, right?”

“Yes.”

“I have to see him in his office tomorrow. He didn’t request you come. But if he did know, surely you would be summoned…”

Avery and Mulciber were near galvanized to see Snape smile and then he proceeded to laugh. “It looks like something got past the old man. I got off!….Well, in that case…” And Snape leaned closer to Mulciber. “We can plan another dark attack on Macdonald. But this time, it would have to be completely fail-proof and that means we’re going to need a lot of time. Weeks of preparation. Understand?”

“Yeah…But why not tomorrow?”

“On the day you’re seeing Dumbledore? Are you out of your mind? He’ll see it in your mind and expel us!”

Mulciber shrugged. “Fine. Guess we’ll have to wait. But Avery should pitch in this time.”

Avery nodded. And the three went to work discussing their plans on how Mulciber could get to Imperiuse and rape Macdonald some other time.

*

Mary Macdonald was still resting in the hospital wing but now she was getting ready to leave. Patiently, she folded the covers of her bed and plumped the pillows.

Madam Pomfrey came in and saw what the girl had done. “You didn’t have to do that dear.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I wanted to. Are my friends waiting outside?”

A moment later, Mary emerged out of the hospital wing in a crisp cotton nightdress over a white chemise bathrobe.

“Hey, Mary!” called Lily down the end of the hall and she waved exuberantly.
“Madam Pomfrey drew me a bath…But I didn’t get a chance to blow-dry yet!”

Sirius chuckled. “You look – you look, fine.” But it came out awkwardly, for a second there he wanted to say so much more than fine. Mary was beautiful.

James shot a knowing look at Sirius. “Come on, Mary…Lets get you to the portrait hole.”

“Yeah, we’d better hurry. Before something else happens to her!” blubbered Wormtail stupidly.

“Shut-up Peter!” said Lupin in an unusually harsh voice. Nobody heard what Lupin said next. He nudged Peter and whispered in his ear, “We thought you could keep a secret?”

“Sorry,” said Wormtail lamely. The secret concerned the Marauder’s keen insight that it must have been more than just the Imperius Curse. Yet they didn’t want Mary or Lily for that matter realizing this.

But Mary was now looking less at ease. “What’s going to happen to me?”

“Nothing, Mary. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” said Lily angrily.

James guided Mary through the halls. Sirius was too shy to lay a hand on her.


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