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xvi. CHAPTER SIXTEEN

HOUSE LOYALTY.
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BRIAR HAD TO ADMIT, she felt guilty at dinner that evening. From where she sat at the Slytherin table, she could see that Black was nowhere around. There was no doubt that he was in Slughorn's office, sorting out sloth's brains because of her. Briar considered making it up to him later, but she decided against it. Why should she feel bad, anyway? He was the one who'd distracted her by getting too close and saying some nonsense about her eyes.

She ate quickly, and headed back down to the Slytherin common room once she was done. Whoever had said sixth year was difficult hadn't been joking; Briar found herself piled up with schoolwork at almost all times. Maybe it was her own fault for taking so many NEWTs. After her OWL results had turned out rather impressive, Briar's parents hadn't really bothered about what classes she took for her sixth and seventh year. As long it wasn't something stupid like Muggle Studies or History of Magic, they were satisfied.

Briar walked down the corridor, her shoes clacking noisily on the stone tile. It was silent, mainly because she'd left dinner early, and everyone was still there. Briar jumped when she heard squeals, and a pair of second-year girls came sprinting down the corridor towards her.

"Stop, there! What's wrong with you two?" Briar demanded, stepping in their path so they had to stop. The two girls looked terrified, and they opened and closed their mouths in horror.

"Duelling-in the-corridor," one of them managed to choke out. "Older students, they're just throwing spells at each other, it's awful!"

The other girl nodded in agreement, and Briar frowned, worried. Who was stupid enough to duel in the middle of the corridor and scare the younger students? Pulling out her wand, she glanced at the two girls. "Run, get a teacher. Anyone will do, these idiots are going to be in big trouble."

The girls nodded and ran away while Briar headed in the direction they'd come from, wand out. She could hear voices yelling as she rounded the corridor, and she picked up her pace. The yelling was getting louder, and Briar was certain that there were more students that she'd originally thought.

When she finally turned the corner, she realized she was right. Briar saw almost seven or eight people in the clearing, all shooting spells. There were a number of Slytherins on one side, including Lucius, Bellatrix and Snape. They had their wands out and were screaming curses, as jets of light shot towards James Potter and his three friends, who were trying desperately to defend themselves.

"Are you all insane?" Briar yelled, horrified. She watched as Severus Snape dangled Pettigrew by his ankle from the ceiling. The mousy Gryffindor was screaming in terror, and Briar glared. "Severus, put him down right now!"

Snape let Peter fall almost ten feet to the ground, where he landed with a sickening crunch. Lupin ran over to help his friend, and Briar found herself staring helplessly at the dueling students. What could she possibly do? There was no way she could stop them on her own.

"Lucius!" Briar yelled, running over to her cousin and grabbing his arm. She had to dodge a few spells, and she ducked as a stray one flew over her head. "Stop this madness, what do you think you're doing?"

Lucius glared at Briar, shaking her off. "Get out here, it's not safe!"

"I know bloody well it's not safe, so stop doing it!" Briar screamed at him, as he ignored her and shot another spell at James Potter. Potter had been looking the other way and he collapsed on the floor, clutching his leg. Furious, Briar cast a healing spell in his direction, before glancing around.

Bellatrix Black had Sirius almost cornered, and he was desperately fighting her off. Jets of light collided in the air between them, and Briar hastily cast a Shield Charm, sending the two flying apart. "Lucius, please! Please stop this madness, somebody could get seriously hurt!"

"Just stay out of it, Briar! Expelliarmus!"

Frantic and horrified, Briar glanced around for a way to stop the chaos. Nothing occurred to her. She couldn't do anything without possibly hurting someone. There was a shattering noise as a stray spell hit the lamp on the wall and the corridor was plunged into semi-darkness.

"Sectumsempra!"

"Protego!"

Briar watched in silent terror as the spell that shot out of Severus Snape's wand bounced off Potter's Shield Charm. The jet of light changed course, heading towards her and Lucius. "Lucius, move!"

Briar grabbed her cousin's arm and yanked him to the side, as soon as she realized that the spell was heading straight for him. Lucius' upper body jerked out of the way, but not before the curse hit his thigh. He screamed, a blood-curling scream of pain and terror, as large slashes appeared down his leg. Blood spread rapidly, the dark maroon staining across his pants and all over the floor. Briar tried to stop his limp body from collapsing, as she screamed for help.

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Professor Dumbledore watched Bellatrix Black calmly, over the top of his glasses. His two pointer fingers were pressed against each other, as his elbows rested on the desk. Anyone would think that he was listening intently, but Briar knew better. He'd been staring at the same spot for minutes.

"I see," he said, once Bellatrix was done ranting and raving about how she'd been attacked by Sirius and James, how Remus Lupin deserved to lose his Prefect's badge and the horror that she'd gone through, trying to protect herself during the battle. "Thank you for recounting your version of tonight's occurrences, Miss Black."

Bellatrix nodded, looking rather proud of herself. She'd managed to make the Gryffindors look like brutal savages while she came off as the perfect angel. "You're welcome, Headmaster."

Professor Dumbledore smiled, finally turning to look at Briar. She was the only one that seemed to be uninjured, with the exception of Lucius Malfoy's blood all over her sleeves and robes. "Miss D'Alessio, would you perhaps like to share what you think happened tonight?"

Briar glanced around at the other people in the room. Remus Lupin was sitting there quietly, his head bowed down. He had a few scratches on his face, but that was the extent of his injuries. Beside him sat Severus Snape and then Marcus Avery. The two of them watched Briar expectantly. Her tale could determine their fate, and it was clear that they expected her to take their side. House loyalty had to count for something after all.

It didn't.

"I wasn't there for the entire thing, Professor, I arrived near the end of the duel. But I saw all of the Slytherins here actively involved in attacking Remus Lupin and his friends. I believe that James Potter and Sirius Black cast a few spells too, but they were mainly in self defense. The spell which injured Lucius came out of Severus's wand and bounced off of Potter's Shield Charm."

Dumbledore nodded, staring thoughtfully at the students sitting in front of him. "Well, it seems that there are quite a few versions to this particular duel tonight, but I'm rather more inclined to believe what I've heard from Mr. Lupin and Miss D'Alessio."

Bellatrix stared at the Headmaster. "But Professor Dumbledore-"

"You will be receiving detention, Miss Black, along with Mr. Avery. I'm told that Mr. Malfoy is currently recovering in the Hospital Wing, but he shall receive due punishment as well. The rest of you are dismissed. I'd like a few words with Mr. Severus Snape about his usage of dark magic."

Briar stood up carefully, and left the Headmaster's office along with the other students. There was silence, but once they were standing in the corridor, Bellatrix Lestrange turned on Briar.

"Some Slytherin you are, D'Alessio!' Bellatrix hissed at her. "Why couldn't you just tell Professor Dumbledore the truth? You had to betray all of us?"

Briar raised an eyebrow. "I did tell the truth, Bellatrix. I'm sorry if you think I betrayed you, but I'm certainly not going to lie in order to save your arses. You knew what you were doing, now stop acting like a child and face the consequences."

Bellatrix pulled out her wand, and placed it at the base of Briar's throat. The younger girl froze, feeling the tip press into her collarbone. "Take that back."

Briar stared at Bellatrix defiantly. "No."

There was a tense silence, during which Remus Lupin spoke up. He had his wand out, and was pointing it wearily at Bellatrix. "Do you really want to start this now, Black?" he asked. "Right outside Professor Dumbledore's office? I think we've already established that he believes us more than you."

Bellatrix pursed her lips together, and gave Remus a dark glare before stuffing her wand in her robes. She grabbed a hold of Avery, who was standing there, looking confused, and dragged him down the corridor with her.

Briar watched them leave, rubbing her throat and then smiling at Remus.

"Thank you. I thought she was going to curse me."

"It's all right. You should get cleaned up, though. That blood isn't going to come off your robes."

Briar nodded, and the two parted ways.

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After a long and hot shower, Briar managed to clean all of Lucius' dried blood off herself. Her robes were ruined, however, and she decided to simply throw them away. She couldn't be bothered trying to get the stains off, there were just too many of them. She stepped out into her dormitory and pulled fresh clothes on, while attempting to dry her blonde hair.

"Some duel, eh?" Gemma asked. Most of the Slytherins had been eager to ask what happened as soon as they saw her blood-stained clothes. It was as though they were expecting some horrific tale, and the truth seemed to disappoint them. "It's a pity about your robes, though. I don't suppose you can salvage any part of them?"

Briar shrugged, pulling her hair back with a clip. It was still wet, and she couldn't be bothered to dry it completely. Gemma watched her with raised eyebrows as Briar put her wand in her pocket and pulled on her shoes. "Where are you going?"

"Hospital Wing," Briar replied simply.

It felt like a long walk there, mainly because it was after-hours and the school was empty. Briar wasn't too afraid of getting caught; after all, her cousin had almost bled to his death earlier that night. Nobody was going to stop her from seeing him.

She entered the Hospital Wing, noticing that Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen. Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew were all lying on separate beds, Remus sitting in a chair nearby. They looked up when she entered, and she gave them a weak smile.

"You lot all right?" she asked softly. Peter raised his eyebrows. His arm was in a cast, and there was some cream spread on the side of his face.

"Better than Malfoy. They've got him in the other room, we heard him screaming a while ago."

Briar winced, and Sirius glared at Peter darkly. "I doubt she wants to hear that, Peter."

Briar shrugged, pulling out the box of Chocolate Frogs she'd brought, and placing them on the table beside Sirius' bed. He tried to sit up, but frowned when he couldn't. He shot her a cheeky smile, instead. "Got an endless supply of those, have you?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I brought the deluxe box for Lucius."

"No card?"

"Didn't have the time to write one."

Sirius shrugged, looking at Briar. She seemed exhausted, although thankfully she'd gotten rid of the blood-stained clothes. Marching into the middle of a duel had been a pretty stupid move on her part, and Sirius was relieved that she hadn't gotten herself hurt. He'd been so sure that Snape's spell would hit her, and not Malfoy.

He noticed that she'd left her hair loose, damp locks of hair curling down her back. It made her look different, more innocent than the usual graceful Briar he saw. A worried look crossed her face, and he decided he wanted to make her smile.

"I love your new hairstyle."

It worked. A small smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. "You would."

"You should leave it like this more often."

"Like what? Wet and sticking to my clothes?"

Sirius smiled and was about to retort, when he saw his friends all watching him closely. He felt uncomfortable, and shifted around a bit. Thankfully, Madame Pomfrey entered the room just then, and spotted Briar.

"Miss D'Alessio! I wasn't aware that you were here. Mr. Malfoy has woken up, if you'd like to speak to him," she said, smiling kindly.

Briar nodded, quickly standing up and following Madame Pomfrey out of the room. Sirius watched her leave, before turning back to face James who was giving him a curious look. "What?"

James raised an eyebrow. "I'll tell you what. You've been sitting there and sulking for the past two hours, and as soon as D'Alessio walks in, your face lights up. There's something horribly screwed about that mate, and I think you know it."

Sirius frowned.

Briar had to admit, the sight of Lucius made her feel sick. He was pale and looked half-dead from having lost so much blood. He barely turned to look at her as she entered the room and sat down slowly beside his bed.

"How are you feeling?" Briar asked him, softly. All traces of anger disappeared from her face at the sight of his pathetic-looking figure. She forced a smile at him. "Does it hurt?"

"Not-much." Lucius admitted, attempting to sit up. Briar helped him quickly, putting a pillow behind his back and allowing him to use her shoulder as support. "I think Madame Pomfrey gave me something for the pain. I just feel a little light-headed."

Briar nodded. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really. Maybe I'll eat tomorrow, I don't feel up to it, now."

"Can I get you anything else?"

Lucius shook his head, and they both sat silently for a few moments. Briar couldn't help but stare at the thick bandages that were wrapped around his leg, and his pale face. Lucius followed her gaze and realized that she was staring at his leg.

"I'm lucky it was only in my thigh. Madame Pomfrey said that if the spell had hit my chest or my head, it might have been a lot more dangerous. I have you to thank for that."

Briar frowned, and she felt herself shake slightly. She couldn't imagine what would have happened if Lucius had been severely hurt. Granted, she'd barely spoken to him in the past few days, but that didn't mean that she wanted something this awful to happen to him. Lucius noticed her eyes shining, and he frowned at her.

"Are you crying? Briar, seriously. I'm fine, please don't cry."

She shook her head, pursing her lips together and trying to stop the tears from flowing out. She took a few deep breaths and managed to calm herself before looking up at Lucius. "Um, Professor Dumbledore sent a letter to your father about what happened. Uncle Abraxas wrote me a note saying he was planning to come see you tomorrow. He's worried."

Lucius' face fell. "Didn't you tell him I was fine?"

"I wasn't sure you were. Anyway, he sounded rather firm, so I didn't bother writing back."

Lucius nodded, turning his head to look out of the window. It was dark outside, and the two of them sat in silence for a few more minutes. Then Lucius turned back to Briar.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Well, Bellatrix and Avery are probably in the dorms, they got off with a couple of detentions. Potter, Black and Pettigrew were all injured, they're in the other room. And I don't know what happened to Severus. Dumbledore was still talking to him when I left."

Lucius frowned. "Is he in trouble?"

"I'm fairly certain he is."

"But he wasn't even aiming for me, he wanted to hit Potter!"

Briar stared at Lucius. "How does that make it any better? Lucius, you do realize that what he used was some seriously dark magic? Nobody's ever heard of that curse before, even Professor Dumbledore looked stumped! Look what it did to you, how can you support him?"

Lucius turned away from Briar, his gaze going back to the window. "See if you can get him let off easy. You're a good student, Professor Dumbledore will listen to you if you tell him that it wasn't Severus' fault."

"But it was."

"So? Do you want to see him get expelled?"

Briar frowned angrily, glaring at her cousin. What was wrong with him? How could he defend the boy that had practically drained all the blood out of his body with single spell? "I'll do no such thing, Lucius. If Professor Dumbledore thinks that Severus deserves to be expelled, then maybe he does."

"He's my friend. You can't possibly tell me that you'll let him get into trouble because of those filthy Gryffindors? Have you seen how they treat him?" Lucius demanded. He sat up slightly, and then relaxed, sinking back into his pillow. "It's no matter. If you won't help Severus, I'll ask Father to. I'll tell Father that it wasn't his fault, and those filthy Gryffindors will be punished instead of Severus."

Briar stared at her cousin, unable to believe that he would go that far. A sudden surge of disgust welled up inside her. "Of course. Go ahead Lucius, be a child. Go running to your daddy and mine whenever there's the tiniest little problem, why don't you?"

Lucius frowned. "Don't tell me you're still sore about me writing a letter to your father."

"Sore? He bloody threatened to send me to Beauxbatons because of whatever you wrote! Now don't you dare try to convince me that my Father would go that far if you hadn't fed him some horrible, exaggerated lies!" Briar hissed, angrily.

"I simply told him what I saw."

"Oh? And you know what I see, Lucius? I see you, and Severus Snape and all of your filthy little gang sitting together and inventing dark spells in your free time. Am I wrong?"

Lucius was silent.

Briar stood up, placing the chocolates she'd brought on the bedside table, with a loud bang. "Get well soon, cousin."

And she walked out of the room angrily.

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heyy, sorry for the delay, i just had a lot going on but anyways i hope you enjoy it,, feel free to point out any mistakes.
i love you all
━━ sel 💞💓💞💝