The New Marauder

Twenty Nine

    "Peeves!" I call out, rushing down the Transfiguration corridor with the bag of pranks from Zonko's jingling in my hand. "Hey, Peeves, wait up!" I yell, finally gaining his attention.
    "Little ickle Black, how does it go?" he asks, twirling in the air to hang upside down in front of me.
    "Uh, good, I guess. Been busy with class work lately. How about you?"
    A brief wave of shock rolls across his face before he dips down with a wide smile. "Oh, you know, seeing to the castle, making sure no student feels left out by Ole Peevesies."
    "That's great. Hey, speaking of that, here you go." I smile, holding out the Zonko's bag. "Fred, George, Cedric, and I figured you might like your Christmas present early."
    "Yo-Wh-oh-how-what," he stammers wildly, causing me to let out a small chuckle.
    "You alright?" I ask, giving him a knowing grin. "Well, I have to get these off to the Owlery before dinner. Got detention after with Fred, Cedric, and George again."
    "What do you got detention for?" he asks, pulling himself together enough to float beside me while digging through the bag.
    "Um, Charlie says we're not supposed to tell."
    "Ooooo, little itty bitty Black getting into trouble and Weasley peasley pie trying to cover up?" he teases.
    "No," I mumble, not meeting his eye.
    Turning the corner towards the West Tower, I suppress a groan as Spratt and his group of friends, minus Sam, move towards us. Reaching into the pocket of my robes, I grasp my wand tight in my palm just as Spratt and I lock eyes.
    "Oh great," I mumble to myself, while Peeves continues to float beside me, looking through his bag.
    "It seems the night is in our favor, boys. Seems like a little lion is without her pack," Spratt mocks, while the three other Hufflepuffs laugh stupidly until Professor McGonagall walks out of her classroom, heading for the Owlery.
    Rolling my eyes, I skate by them, brushing my shoulder against Spratt's with a smug grin, knowing he wouldn't dare try anything. "Maybe next time," I whisper just for him to hear before rushing to catch up to my second favorite professor. "See you later, Peeves," I call out, turning the corner.
    "Good evening, Ms. Black," she greets as I try to catch my breath.
    "Good evening, Professor," I breathe out, clutching the stitch in my side. "Um, are you busy right now?"
    She gives me a look as we continue walking. "Oh, yeah, right. Um, well, I was wondering if you had time. There were some questions I had about a kind of side project I'm working on," I rush out nervously as we cross over to the walkway outside.
    "And what would this project entail?"
    Feeling a blush creep up the back of my neck, I look everywhere else besides her stern, unwavering gaze. "Well, you see, I was reading the uh, books that were on the bookshelves in our dorm. And uh, I wanted to research some of the spells, but I don't really know where to start, so uh, I was going to ask for some help if you're not too busy."
    "Hmm," she hums, flicking through the stack of letters in her hand as if she doesn't fully believe me. "If you wish to complete research, then possibly the Library would be a good start."
    "I have the theory of the spellwork down, I just need help with the practical side," I explain as she holds the door open for us to enter the Owlery.
    "And what type of spells are we discussing?"
    "Transfiguration, Homonculus Charm, tracking...?" I answer after calling Jeff down and tying the parcel filled with stuff for Anna and Uncle Charlie along with an update on how everything is going so far. "Fly safe and remember to rest," I whisper, petting his head.
    "That's a fine owl you have," Professor McGonagall says, tying her letters to a lot of different school owls.
    "Yeah, but I think he prefers to be back home in Forks," I agree, watching Jeff fly above the Forbidden Forest.
    "Back to these lessons, is there anything in particular you wish to practice?"
    "It's more of a bunch of different transfiguration spells and charms, really."
    "And you're not going to elaborate?"
    "Well, I would, but I had forgotten the list in my dormitory," I answer, trying to avoid her eyes once more.
    "It wouldn't have to do with that piece of parchment you and the Weasley twins have been carrying around, would it?" She asks, crooking a single stern eyebrow, making my neck warm once again.
    "Not necessarily," I mutter as the hour bell rings loudly across the grounds. "Oh well, look at that, time to go, dinner to eat, detention to attend. Thank you for this, Professor," I rush out, half relieved that I have an excuse to get out from her scrutinizing.
    Just as I turn to walk out the door, her firm grip on my shoulder stops me. "You have detention?"
    "Uh, no?" I squeak, trying to hide the punishment Charlie and Gemma gave us. "Well, yes, but it's not really detention, though. More like a forced voluntary meeting with Hagrid and sometimes Professor Kettleburn."
    "Ms. Black."
    "You know, good to help out every now and then, and sometimes we even learn stuff too," I babble nervously.
    "Ms. Black."
    "Like stuff we wouldn't normally learn until third year or higher, so really it's like a learning opportunity if you think about it. An—"
    "Orion," she all but shouts, finally cutting off my nervous ramble.
    "Yes?"
    "My office, six pm, Friday night," she says after a minute, shaking her head while walking to the door. "Make sure you bring your supplies."
    "Of course, Professor. Thank you," I reply, feeling a bit of happiness float into my chest as she walks out the door.
   
   
    ~*~*~*~*~ Woolworth Building, New York ~*~*~*~*~