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The Oddball’s Eye
Harry froze with his hand in his pocket as Snape’s eyes searched his.
“Might I remind you Potter that it is very easy for me to double your detention to twice a week. I must say the days have been growing warmer, and I’m sure you-”
His words of malice were stopped short just as a yell was heard from outside the office door.
Malfoy trudged into the room, holding his right arm so tightly that it was a wonder how any blood was coursing through it at all. He banged into Snape’s desk, sending a bottle of magical ink flying over a pile of essays. Harry’s look of shock couldn’t have matched the look of revulsion on Snape’s face as he said, “Potter! Out! Now!”
Without being told further, Harry scurried out of the office, his mind set that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater, no matter what Ron or Hermione said. Harry took out the detention card as he walked past a painting in which Uric the Oddball was at an empty table strewn with playing cards; he was twirling a green olive in his drink.
“What does it matter if you weren’t playing nice? I say. Don’t worry Mr. Tentacles, it’s all right,” he cooed, patting the jellyfish gently on the top part. “I know you didn’t cheat. Those plangent sharks think that appearance is all that matters. I mean- come here boy!”
Harry turned round wondering to whom he was shouting at. There was nobody else in sight.
“You’re the Potter boy aren’t you? Fame still doesn’t stop you from getting into trouble now. Just like your father I must say.”
“You knew my father?” Harry asked, wondering how on earth James could have been on speaking terms with this portrait inhabitant.
“Of course I did! And he landed himself in many detentions with his friends I tell you too. Such a good boy. He did offer to give Mr. Tentacles a proper home once, did you know that?”
“No,” Harry said quickly, feeling that Uric had worn that jellyfish for far too long on his head. “You wouldn’t, happen to know about a detention my father had with his friends one night would you? A detention with two other Slytherin students. They were in the Hospital Wing,” he said, as he looked hopefully up to the portrait. It was a long shot, but he was willing to try anything. The card, although a valuable source of information, wasn’t enough to quench his curiosity entirely.
“But of course. October, 1974. James, Peter, Sirius, Regulus and Bellatrix. Quite a merry bunch,” Uric said, as if it had only happened yesterday.
“It’s written on your card boy,” he said, as he spotted the clear look of astonishment on Harry’s face. Harry couldn’t help not think that perhaps, Uric the Oddball was not quite the bibulous fellow he was thought to be.
And as Uric started telling his story, having attracted Harry’s attention like a mountebank with his jellyfish’s tentacles, rather than medicines, Harry could see it all playing in front of his eyes again, as if Hermione still possessed a time turner and they had gone far back into time.
“Don’t you dare place your filthy feet on that spot!” raged Bellatrix as Sirius walked past the area she had just been scrubbing clean. She looked very different from her usual proud figure casting her hatred on all muggleborns. At that moment, all she seemed she had the power over was an army of scrub brushes.
“Calm down Bella or your head might explode. Do you wish to know what happened to Snivellus the last time he decided we were too good to live?” Sirius grinned. Peter sniggered behind his back as he polished the surface of a bedside table.
Bellatrix was about to throw a tirade of foul language in his face when Regulus suddenly gave a loud panicked shriek as the glass cabinet with medicine bottles and ointments he had been cleaning came crashing down upon him.
Thankfully, Moony was quick in his wandwork and shouted “Impedimenta!” The glass cabinet stopped in midair, mere inches from Regulus’s cowering figure.
“You’re too soft on the heart Remus!” stated James, clearly deeply annoyed that the cabinet hadn’t squashed Sirius’s brother flat.
“I’m trying to avoid getting you three into further detention,” said Remus, wincing as he slid back down onto his bed.
Bellatrix shot a quick look at the door to Madam Pomfrey’s office. She had cast the Muffliato spell, one she had seen Snape use numerous times. She just hoped that it would keep on working. As the minutes passed, the matron didn’t come out and it was a clear sign that the incident hadn’t been heard.
While Sirius was whispering something to Lupin, and James was busy setting the cabinet on its feet again and mending any broken things, she quickly took the opportunity of snatching a bottle filled with a queer orange substance and placing it carefully in her pocket.
But as she was about to continue her innocent scrubbing she found she couldn’t even move her toes.
“Right good spell Lupin here taught us isn’t it?” Sirius sneered as he planted himself in front of Bellatrix. “Nice work Peter.”
If she had had possession of her muscles at that moment she’d have liked to teach that Pettigrew boy that it was a terrible mistake to play tricks on Bellatrix Black. For that moment though, she had to remain quiet and let the time pass slowly as her body slowly regained movement.
“I do hope you remember how Madam Pomfrey had insisted that none of us are to touch any of her precious potion bottles. I think you have just crossed the line Bella. A couple of more weeks worth of detention would probably make you realise that you just shouldn’t touch other people’s medicine.”
“Sirius,” came a croaky whisper from one of the beds. He ran to Remus’s side as the latter continued, “Can you open the window for me please?”
As Sirius was about to do this, Bellatrix started resuming the control of her body again; at least she could move her mouth and she wanted to make that a point.
“You will definitely not open that window!” she raged, the words spewing out of her mouth redolent with pure loathing.
The sky outside was the colour of Snape’s greasy scalp, and rain was pelting down in a slow and dreamy manner, as if a little rain was the kind of thing the students would enjoy all day long.
“I will not have spent the past hours cleaning this damn place for you to mess it all up just to please your stupid friends,” continued Bellatrix whose body was shaking with fury now.
While Bellatrix was busy retorting about how she wouldn’t be spending another minute in the company of blood traitors, James summoned a pile of mud from outside and sent it swerving at her. It hit her directly in the face, and by the time she removed the brown mask James had planted, her face was redder than Peeves’s favourite pair of pants.
“Why you-”
“Ms. Black!” came Madam Pomfrey’s cry as she rushed out of her office just in time to see Bellatrix pointing her wand at James. “I do not wish to see further harm inflicted upon any other Hogwarts students, especially for some petty reasons. Move along you lot.”
With that she ushered them all out of the room. Before they were forced out by the insistent matron, James, Sirius and Peter ran to Remus’s side and promised that they would visit him again that evening.
To their surprise though, Lupin disagreed with their suggestion.
“I really appreciate your company, but I’m tired. I think I’ll get some sleep now. Madam Pomfrey has been insisting I do so for days now,” said Lupin, who was trying to sit up but couldn’t because of the pain.
“We’ll only be a minute!” Sirius protested.
“No,” Lupin said yet again. “I’m sure I’ll be much better tomorrow.”
Just then, Madam Pomfrey came along to usher them out threatening to call the Headmaster if they didn’t let her patients get the rest they required. As they made their way out they passed Regulus, who glanced nervously at his pocketwatch before starting a seemingly interesting whispered discussion with Bellatrix. They shot the three friends final furtive looks and left the hospital wing.
Uric the Oddball stopped, and drank the last remaining contents of his glass before sucking at the olive. Harry on the other hand wasn’t quite as relaxed.
“And then what happened?” he asked, his heart beating faster than was normal. “Did my dad and his friends go to the hospital wing that evening?”
He waited before speaking out loud the question that was gnawing at his insides.
“Did Bellatrix and Regulus go too?”
Before Uric could answer him, a loud crash came from the entrance hall.
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Snape's Detention Duel - Round Two - Mission and Subs
McGonagall's Cat Snape's Detention Duel - Round Two - Mission and Subs Aug 26 2005, 08:54 PM
Aug 26 2005, 08:54 PM
