A Marauder's Tale

Chapter Thirteen
Written By: Green Raspberries

Clarity felt a dull ache overcoming her body, it was pulsing with what can only be described as pain. She sat up in attempt to scan the room and calculate her surroundings, but it resulted in a sharp gasp and laying right back back on the lumpy Hospital Wing mattress.

The bright sunlight was streaming in through the windows and she wondered what day it was and how long she was out for.

“Good Morning Ms. Cohen!” Shouted a cheerful voice as a slender Madame Pomfrey bustled through the rows on unoccupied beds and stopped at Clarity's.

“Good Morning Madame.” Clarity replied curtly, not in a pleasant enough mood to exchange how do you do's. “Would you mind telling me how long I've been unconscious?”

“Only a day, Dear.” She smiled, though it faltered as she explained Clarity's injuries. “That fowl boy, should be expelled for this one. Right nasty curse that was.”

“Well, in the boys defense he wasn't aiming for me, but for the boy who hexed the entire school and made fools of everyone who decided to eat breakfast this morning, which was in fact, the entire student body.” Clarity stated, harboring no ill will towards the boy who had mistakenly cursed her.

“You are quite level headed and calm about this, Ms. Cohen.” Madame Pomfrey spoke with noted awe in her voice, “Can't say the same for the four boys who rushed in here after curfew last night when you were admitted.”

“Four boys?” Clarity asked, her large eyes widening Madame Pomfrey lifted a massive piece of gauze to reveal a nasty looking cut on her stomach. The cut was deep and still bleeding a tad, it was rimmed a angry ink color with the edges turning a yellowish green.

“Nasty isn't it?” Said Pomfrey, “Should have seen it last night. I've been working for eight straight hours on the stomach of yours, didn't think you were going to make it initially. Anyway, as for those four boys, that Gryffindor bunch; James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and that odd one that always trails after them. I can't place the name to the face.”

Clarity was hardly listening to the Healer because she was transfixed by the way she healed nasty wound after nasty wound.

After another hour of this, Clarity was dismissed and given four potions to take. One purple one to fight of any other cuts that might spring up, a green one for the dull ache penetrating her body, a blue one for the impending headache she was to have, and a gold one she said to take in small amounts because it worked as a 'happy potion'. Madame Pomfrey had told the girl it was to help with her mood, which was to dwindle slowly as the other three potions wore off.

Clarity put them in her satchel after she pulled her uniform on and headed out the door on shaky legs.

It was then the the four Marauder's decided to pay their witch in shining robes a visit.

“Oi, Clarity!” Shouted James, flagging her down from ac cross the hall, “We were just headed to see you!”

“Joy.” She muttered, fingering the gold potion. She fixed them with a blank stare that had them wondering what to say next.

“How are you feeling?” Asked Remus, who had rather large puffy bags under his usually bright blue eyes.

She merely cocked her head to the side.

“Quite the chatterbox we have here lads!” Said Sirius, a barking laugh following his comment. “Truly, you are my savior! I would have been hit with that nasty curse if you hadn't saved me.”

Clarity to chose now, in six years to finally speak in full and emotional sentences.

“Let's get one thing straight. I didn't save anyone. I happened to walk in between you and some boy who is hellbent on killing you, I know that because that curse nearly did me in. So, clearly I am going to think twice before I walking anywhere near you, Sirius Black.” She said surely going red in the face at this point. She then turned on her heel, with a noticeable whimper and walked half way down the hall before collapsing.

Sirius who had turned to his friends with a sparking in his eye after being told off by the girl he had been practically stalking whipped around at the sounding of a dull thud when Clarity's body hit the floor.

“Oh bullocks!” Shouted James, rushing to help his friend, and yes, he did consider them friends ever since that day in Diagon Alley. “Remus, what do we do, she's out cold?”

James was nearly frantic as he fumbled with Clarity to get her facing them and not face first into the cold stone floor.

“Her bag. Madame Pomfrey must have given her some pain potion.” Remus mumbled searching though her rather large side bag. “AH! This looks promising.”

He pulled out a medium sized vial containing what looked to be liquid gold.

“How much?” Squeaked Peter, twiddling his thumbs in fear.

“She could be dead, Moony! Give her the lot!” Shouted Sirius who had been hunched over the girl, cradling her head in delicate hands.

Mooney poured the entire contents of the vial into Clarity's mouth. The watched her face waiting for something to happen.

“Woah.” Said James.

“What, what?” Exclaimed Sirius, searching Clarity's face for any sign of a change.

“Clarity's eyes look even bigger when they are closed.” James laughed, and Sirius clipped him over the head with a smile on his face because, yes, they did look even bigger when they were closed.

“Hey, I resent that.” Slurred a voice, it was Clarity and she was opening her eyes and a wide smile etched into her features.

“Resent what?” Asked Peter, deciding that the way her eyes were drooping her her words were slurring, they had a problem.

“YOU!” She shouted, and laughed hard at her own joke. Sirius and James followed suit, laughing at the girl was now rolling around on the floor and slapping her knees.

“Merlin's pants!” Exclaimed Remus, eyes wide and forehead creased, “You're drunk!”

“Merlin's pants!” Clarity mimicked her voice slurring at new heights, “I wanna get in Merlin's pants.”

This sent the four boys into hysterics, despite the sticky situation they were all in if they were caught.

“Or,” Clarity bargained, crawling over to where Remus was clutching his sides on the floor. “I could settle for your pants.”

Remus gulped.

Sirius' mouth had gone agape and even though everyone was laughing (Remus' was a little more nervous and shy) he was not. He got up and steered Clarity away from Moony.

“Enough of that.” He said, trying to avert her gaze from the werewolf wonder.

“Let's eat cake!” She shouted, “No let's dance! NO! Let's go for a swim.”

“A swim?” Asked James, it was relatively warm outside and they could use drying spells if it got too cold, plus the Giant Squid was a big softy, “Why not?”

Clarity smiled and stood up, she swayed a little and Sirius was prepared to catch her, but she linked arms with James and they skipped out of the castle doors.

“She's more work than a dog.” Sighed Remus, still blushing.

“You would know, huh, Moony?” Sirius laughed, and Remus followed suit.