marysuevirus | Chapter 17 - Office Space (Reply)

Time for some answers... cryptic, vague ones, but still...

Title: The Mary Sue Virus
Chapter Title: Office Space
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: 18+
Warnings: Graphic Sexual situations, Oral, Angst
Disclaimer: The recognizable characters in this work of fiction and the world it is set in are the property of J.K Rowling and Warner Bros. Pictures. The original characters are the property of Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, Madapple and Polywolly, and are not to be used without the permission of those individuals. I am not making any money from this and it is purely a flight of fancy for the purpose of entertainment only.

Azalea and Hyacinth left their Astronomy class not having learned anything. Azalea was still feeling a bit pouty and Hyacinth had spent a good deal of time frowning at her note from George. Hyacinth sighed heavily as she tucked the note into her bag. “It’s not like him…” she said quietly.

“I know… a deserted hallway and I didn’t even get a kiss.” Azalea looked up at her friend. “Oh, you meant… right, sorry.”

“No, you’ve got a point.” Hyacinth got a look on her face that would have made Hermione proud. “They all seem to be acting strangely, don’t they?” Her brain storm was interrupted as Rowena and Issobell rounded the corner. Neither of them seemed to be in better moods than Hyacinth or Azalea. The girls wandered outside, each wanting a little fresh air and the room to discuss their plan for that night. They plunked themselves down under a tree facing out onto the lake.

“Well, first off, where should I meet you?” Rowena stretched out under the tree. “And when?”

“Think you can stay hidden near the top of the stairs to the dungeons?” Issobell pulled a sugar quill from her bag and began nibbling.

“Of course.” Rowena smirked slightly. “But if you’re all under the cloak…”

“We’ll flip it up a bit.” Hyacinth smiled. “Look for our feet.”

“We should get there as soon after curfew as possible.” Azalea reached into Issobell’s bag and pulled out a sugar quill for herself. “I figured we could just wait for one of them to show up and follow them through up the stairs and through the door.” The others nodded in agreement, obviously having thought the same thing. They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. As the sun began to duck behind the trees of the Forbidden Forest, they started to collect their things and head back to the castle for dinner. None of them however seemed to have much of an appetite.

As curfew neared, all of them began to get a bit nervous. Rowena had gone to the library, feeling the need to do a little reading on Invisibility cloaks before hand. Hyacinth went back to looking at the details of the Transfero Unus ut ceterus, hoping to find something that hadn’t been there the other times she’d looked. Azalea and Issobell, who both felt far more slighted by their professors than their friends did, sat in the common room playing a particularly violent game of Exploding Snap. As curfew neared, Hyacinth came out to the common room with the cloak hidden in her robes. They managed to sneak quietly toward the exit and slip out without anyone noticing, and as soon as the door had closed behind them, they threw the cloak over themselves. Surprisingly, it seemed to expand to cover them almost comfortably, but they still had to crouch to hide their feet. It took them some time to coordinate their movements enough to make it up the stairs without tripping over each other or the cloak. When they reached the top, Azalea lifted the cloak slightly, sticking her foot out from under it. Shortly after that, Rowena appeared from the shadows and slipped under the cloak.

“It does expand!” She whispered as the cloak covered her as well. They slowly made their way up the many flights of stairs that led to Dumbledore’s office, and finally they saw the entrance. The giant gargoyle glared down the empty hallway.

“This is it.” Issobell sighed as the group paused before the statue. “Now all we have to do is wait.”

They didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes after they’d settled down next to the statue, Draco came barreling down the hallway. He stopped in front of the statue and tried to catch his breath before muttering “Chocoballs.” The gargoyle slid to the side and the stairs behind it started to move. The girls quickly followed Draco, who seemed far too out of breath to notice that four pairs of shoes had followed him up.

As they slipped into the office they saw three out of four of the men in the room in a very heated argument. Dumbledore, of course, was seated comfortably in his chair behind his desk, with a look of infinite patience on his face. As Draco approached the group, Dumbledore smiled. “Ah, Draco. Excellent, now we can begin.” He gazed over his half moon spectacles and Snape, Oliver and George all took their seats, followed quickly by Draco. “I have spoken with each of you already as to your individual responsibilities in our current actions, so there is no need to go over all of that again.” They all nodded in agreement. “What I wish to discuss with you tonight is of a more personal nature.” George and Oliver exchanged a curious look, as did Snape and Draco. Clearly, even here with them all on the same side, there was a Gryffindor/Slytherin line drawn. Azalea and Hyacinth both found themselves feeling slightly uncomfortable with this realization.

“Each of you has committed a similar crime.” The curiosity in the room grew, as Dumbledore continued. “I know how closely you all guard your particular secrets, and I am not judging the choices made by my staff members,” Snape and Oliver looked somewhat uncomfortable, “In fact, I applaud their obvious good taste.” Azalea and Issobell exchanged a look, both wondering how exactly he knew what he knew, then suddenly they all had the distinct feeling that Dumbledore knew they were there and that last comment was for their benefit. “But each of you is doing a disservice to someone who deserves far more trust from you.”

“You want us to tell them what we’re doing?” Draco looked a little shocked.

“Absolutely not.” Snape shook his head. “If these people knew, they would become a liability, especially for those of us who must maintain a cover.”

“I hate to say it, but I agree with Snape.” Oliver frowned slightly. “If for no other reason than to keep them from getting into more trouble. I know one of them at least would be far too ready to…”

“Come to your aid?” Dumbledore stared over his spectacles at Oliver, whose cheeks flushed slightly.

“I think what they’re trying to say is that we’re doing this for their own good.” George piped up.

“In your case, Mr.Weasley, some of your secrets seem to be for your own good.” Dumbledore’s stare moved to George. “In these times, we all need a reason to do what we can. I have been trying to show you that you all seem to have forgotten that. I’ve done all that I can to remind you, but,” he shrugged his shoulders slightly as he leaned back in his seat, “I won’t push you.” Issobell nearly giggled as Snape rolled his eyes. “Now, you all have plenty to think through and plenty of work ahead of you, so I suggest a good night’s sleep. George, I am sure we can find you a place to sleep for this evening if you’d rather forgo the trip home.” George nodded absentmindedly. “Alright then, good evening, gentlemen.” The heavy oak door opened behind them and they all moved to leave. As the last man left the room, the girls close behind, Dumbledore cleared his throat and pointed toward the floor. The girls looked down and noticed the heels of their shoes showing from under the cloak. When they looked back at the headmaster, he smiled and winked at them. They couldn’t help but smile back. He seemed to be giving them carte blanche for the evening. In fact, as the door closed behind them, Azalea was almost sure she heard him laugh quietly.