ᴅɪsᴘᴇʟ ᴍʏ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅᴏᴍ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴅᴇᴜʀs' ᴇʀᴀ

Chapter 23: Adventure Time

Gryffindor common room, noon

"What?!"

"Black?!"

Potter's and Peter's faces were so dumb that Lupin couldn't stand it and laughed.

"Not that Black," he said. "How could you even think that it was Padfoot?"

"Which Black then?" James asked suspiciously.

"We have three of them, if you think about it," Peter scratched his head and sat down on the bed next to Remus. "Sirius, Regulus and Narcissa. Which one?"

"Guess," Lupin said vengefully. "Why should I always think for all of you?"

"Of course, it's Regulus! There's nothing to think about!" James paced around the room, bending his fingers, "He was running after Emily, which means he could know that she came up with AB – one; has access to Slytherin common room – two; can't stand his brother, that is, Padfoot – three; knows dark spells – four. Hell, it's really obvious!"

"Obviously, Prongs, you're a butthead," Remus knocked knuckles on his forehead and sighed. "There is logic in your reasoning, but you didn't take into account several factors."

"What factors?"

"That Lucius Malfoy got into troubles almost as often as we did. Why would Regulus need that? He doesn't like Malfoy, but he knows how these jokes would end for him."

"That is," Peter asked hesitantly, "are you hinting at Narcissa?"

"What? Narcissa?" James looked skeptically at Pettigrew. "You saw this exemplary girl, she... Wait, is it really Narcissa?!"

Lupin nodded briefly, watching James with a smirk. After intriguing pause, he sighed again, settled himself comfortably on the bed and gestured Potter to sit beside him.

"Judge for yourself. Remember when we were sitting near Whomping Willow and naked Malfoy was running out of the woods? Firstly, no normal guy would ever think of undressing Malfoy in order to tattoo a symbol of, eh... woman of easy virtue on him. It was clearly a woman's trick, very offended woman. Then, when Malfoy was stripped in Hogsmeade, I suspected that someone was taking revenge on him ─ but who and for what? If you remember Malfoy's the most inveterate enemies, then we'll be on the list, Beata, Emily and some Gryffindors. We definitely can't be AB. Beata wouldn't do this, she would've just punched Malfoy. Emily is waging long and strange war with him. Besides, we know that she and Beata have already left AB. Some of our house mates certainly have something to hate Lucius for, but nobody wants to confront him, and for revenge like that you need a good reason. So, who could hate Malfoy so much, retaining deep resentment and at the same time having access to his bedroom? Only a female Slytherin who was, for example, betrayed or humiliated."

"How did Lucius humiliate Narcissa?" Potter asked doubtfully.

"He slept with Beata and a dozen other girls," Peter said with understanding. "Although everyone knew that his future fiancée is Narcissa Black."

"And she takes revenge for it?"

Lupin and Peter rolled their eyes with a groan.

"You think the reason isn't enough?"

"No... I mean, enough, but... She could just tell him!"

"James, if you didn't notice, we're talking about Slytherins and offended women. Frank conversation isn't their method."

"Okay. But I always thought that Narcissa was too quiet and─"

"So what? No one knows that it's her. Plus, judging by latest events, we were all very wrong thinking that Narcissa isn't capable of rebuffing."