Work Text:
May 1976
Lucia Moriarty was not a stranger to examinations. After all, prior to transmigrating into this world, she was attending university where the stress of midterms and finals was handled by copious amounts of stress and energy drinks.
In total, she had eight examinations, which was on the lower number. Her housemates, Severus Snape, Anthony Avery, and Benedict Mulciber had around the same number. On the other hand, Charity Burbage and Aurora Sinistra had about nine to ten instead.
“This was a mistake,” Charity groaned, holding back tears as she glanced at the several textbooks strewn in front of her. “Why did I think I could do Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies? I can’t even speak English fluently.” At this point, homework was not the issue. The professors were handing out practice examinations for the students who wanted to ballpark their scores.
“The Ancient Runes examination is mostly memorization,” Lucia responded, flipping agitatedly through her Charms and Transfiguration textbook. Why she was studying two different subjects at a time was unknown, but it kept her occupied. “Just make flashcards—focus on Muggle Studies that requires analysis.”
“Easy for you to say—you knew Chinese and all those characters—it’s so much easier for you.” Charity shut the textbooks before pouting. “I can’t believe you took the exams in your second year—that’s unheard of. There’s a million things to remember.”
“She was supposed to take them in her first year,” Snape supplied, half-buried in his own stack of books. “Why she said no is beyond me.”
Lucia rolled her eyes at that. Of course, he would. Snape, for all his aloofness, wanted to be known as untouchable. “Ah well, I’m not an idiot to take an important examination in my first year—I wanted to take it easy the first year.” Arithmancy and Ancient Runes were much easier than she expected, but Lucia knew that if she wasn’t prepared for the format or time length—all of the knowledge would be for naught. “I should’ve just dropped Care of Magical Creatures—I’m not looking forward to trooping outside in this summer heat.”
“Can the rest of you shut up? Some of us have to study,” Avery snapped, tossing a quill in their general direction. While Avery had the least number of books surrounding him, the frenzied writing on his parchment indicated the amount of work he needed to make it through.
“Sorry.” The apology echoed around the table. They returned to studying, but half of them hit a stopping point thirty minutes later.
At that time, Snape decided to leave first—after all, practical skills couldn’t be practiced in the library. Not if you wanted to incur the wrath of Madam Pince. So, he left first for whatever closet he designated as his brewing area, which changed every so often to avoid onlookers and intruders.
It was approaching the time period when the ‘werewolf’ incident would take place. And much to Lucia’s discredit, there was no reconciliation between the Marauders nor Snape—not that she expected one, but still—and potions like Wolfsbane Potion were out of her expertise. She considered having the young Holmes brew it due to his extraordinary skills within Potions, but it was experimental and too many things could go wrong. Plus, if Snape ever found out, she didn’t want to think of the additional consequences.
All in all, this would be a rather stressful few days until the incident occurred, and Lucia was running dangerously low on energy drinks, which reminded her of a package she was expecting.
“I’m going to the Owlery, does anyone want to come?” Aurora asked the group, seemingly finished with her studies for the day. There were bruised circles under her eyes, and a break seemed good.
“Me—I’ve given up anyways,” Lucia stood up too, stacking the books by groups. The least she could do after pulling fifty different tomes from different sections. “I think I have a package too.”
The two escaped from the confines of the library a little too gleefully before ascending the staircases. There were a few students there—whether they were taking care of their owls or just finding a space to avoid the snappish upperclassmen.
Lucia greeted Molly Hooper, a first-year Hufflepuff who managed to make friends with Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. “Hello, Molly. Fancy seeing you here.”
“Moriarty! Hello,” she greeted, stuttering slightly. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking the mail,” she grinned before locating her owl. “Will delivered just as I asked.” There was a rather large package that held the contents of a volatile substance. She learned after the first few times that transporting carbonated drinks by dropping them on the breakfast tables was a surefire way of receiving a ten-minute lecture from McGonagall. “You never answered my question.”
“Oh!” She blinked, not expecting Lucia to return to her first question. “I’m just taking care of the owls—Professor Kettleburn said that this was a great way to learn about animals because I can’t take his class yet.”
First-years weren’t allowed to take electives. Lucia forgot that rule. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you attended a few classes—I think the fourth years have a class when the first years are free. I think the rule is in place so that first years aren’t overwhelmed with work.”
“I’ll ask him next time,” Molly agreed, beaming at the idea. “What’s in the package?”
“Poison, I suspect,” Aurora answered sardonically. She appeared to have gathered her mail. “Or battery acid?”
“Don’t scare my first year,” Lucia stuck her tongue out at the Ravenclaw. “She’s exaggerating—they’re energy drinks. They just taste like battery acid.”
“Are they Red Bull?”
The two blinked at the question. “Yeah, how’d you know?” Lucia asked with raised eyebrows. Most wizards used Pepper-Up or coffee, so they didn’t like what she drank. Even in the United Kingdom, most people were aware of Lucozade. Although, she preferred the taste of Red Bull because it was something she was more used to.
“There’s some upperclassmen talking about it—apparently it works better than Pepper-Up.”
Sinistra turned her unimpressed glare to Lucia, who scoffed in offense. It wasn’t her this time, but that didn’t mean the others didn’t pick up on her behavior.
“Maybe I should warn Madam Pomfrey about the effects,” Lucia murmured, noting possible things to add to the memo. She wasn’t selling any—because if anything occurred, she’d be blamed. “Especially if they aren’t aware of their caffeine intake and mix it with potions. Heart attacks are uncommon, and they can’t be reversed without consequences.”
“Mostly Gryffindors and Ravenclaws,” Molly supplied helpfully. “Sherlock has been wanting to try some, but John’s been stopping him from going overboard.”
Lucky, Lucia thought. Sherlock was the type to try anything and everything for science and knowledge. She didn’t want to explain to Mycroft why Sherlock was keeled over in the Hospital Wing dying of tachycardia. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. See you later then, Molly?”
Molly nodded before waving.
“Are you keeping track of your caffeine intake?” Aurora probed as they made their way down. “You know falling asleep on a bench on the third floor isn’t as safe as you think.”
“I’ve learned my lesson,” Lucia promised, remembering her last stint. Now that none of the upperclassmen she was friends with attended Hogwarts, the other students thought that she was vulnerable. She’d grown lax. “Will you return to the library? Or the Ravenclaw Common Room?”
“I think I’ll head to the tower,” Sinistra debated. “I just need to focus for another two hours. You?”
Lucia snapped back at the question. She was a little preoccupied with the faint outline of the moon in the sky. It appeared as if today was the start of the full moon, and that would be a problem. “I’m going to get dinner,” Lucia replied. “I think my brain clocked off for the day—I rather not stare at a blank parchment.”
The two separated from there while Lucia headed down to the Great Hall to be pleasantly surprised that both Snape and Black were sitting there. “I thought both of you were studying still.”
“I am,” Snape gestured curtly to the textbooks. “He’s not.”
“I’m remembering my notes,” Regulus sneered in return. “Not everyone has to have their nose shoved into a book.”
“I’m sorry I even asked,” Lucia sighed. Piling on the desserts instead of the actual food, she smiled at the sweetness. If the English couldn’t use spices, they were decent at sweets. “If both of you are still at each other’s throats after exams—both of you are just pricks.”
“Didn’t you hex a Gryffindor seventh-year?” The comment came acridly from Snape, who set his book down. “Who’s talking to whom?”
“He tried to drag me into a closet—I think our dislike stems from different places.” Much to her credit, she didn’t maim him like her first plan was. She already sent a letter to Vincent, so he’d handle any situation if it arose in Wizengamot. “It wasn’t a hex. There were no marks.”
Neither Snape nor Regulus appeared convinced, but they didn’t probe further.
Most likely for the better. The spell she used was named, Direct Pain. A spell created from the Cardinal Laws, which used the basis of science to implement magic. Inspired by the Irregular at the Magic High School, Lucia managed to bring it to reality last year. Direct Pain used magic to imprint pain onto someone’s mind, which didn’t leave any marks detectable by their current investigative magic.
“You should be careful,” Regulus murmured after a moment of silence. “Unregistered spells are still illegal, whether you have some protection from the school or not. They can still haul you in front of Wizengamot.” It was uncharacteristically direct of Regulus, who liked to speak cryptically most of the time. “Especially because you appear to be one of the only people who can use the cardinal spells.”
At another shout, Regulus amended himself. “You are the only person without a wizarding family.” The trio glanced to the Ravenclaw table where Sherlock Holmes, invariably caused some trouble.
Lucia snorted before assessing the situation. Sherlock appeared to have it under control, so she turned back to the fourth-year Slytherin. “How much has the Ministry been able to use Cardinal Spells?”
“They’re relying on Dumbledore. So, nothing.”
“So, a trip to the Ministry of Magic may be sooner than I thought.” Because Sherlock hailed from the Holmes family and was only a second year, it was much more likely that Lucia would be hauled in front even if she had the backing of the Phantomhive family.
“Or they may not be the only people interested,” Snape pointed out as well.
The consequences were something she had been thinking about, but none of them occurred yet. The waiting game was getting rather painful. She also noted how Snape’s eyes flitted every so often to the Gryffindor table where Lupin was missing. So, it is tonight.
After half an hour of stilted conversation, Regulus left the table first, wanting to retire early. But Lucia knew that he was sneaking into the kitchens for some time alone. Something he could not get in the Slytherin Common Room.
Snape left second, most likely to finish his studying and to prepare for tonight.
Lucia remained at the table even after Snape left. He wouldn’t attempt leaving until after curfew, so that gave her roughly two and a half hours to prepare for the confrontation. It was disgustingly planned to the point where she wanted to sabotage herself slightly. She took a swig from a vial before opening up a textbook and reading.
***
It was idiotic, to say the least. To take Sirius Black’s words so keenly, Severus Snape cursed at himself as he maneuvered himself through the passageway. He had been surprised to find that the Whomping Willow could be rendered immobile with one tap, something he filed away to tell Lucia later—if she didn’t already know.
Reaching the house, he faintly recognized the Shrieking Shack, and suddenly what Lucia muttered about an old story made sense. Of course, she knew. Snape could feel a slight annoyance that she knew everything, but he forged on. He was about to reach the wooden structure when he heard his name.
“So, it was a trap,” Snape muttered under his breath before turning to see James Potter. “Where are the rest of you?”
“It’s just me—” James put his hands up in surrender. “You can’t go through that door—you can’t.”
“And why not?”
“I’m doing this for you, Snivellus—"
“So, you came to avoid feeling guilty,” Lucia supplied, stepping out. “For all you really preach about righteousness, you’re still learning, Potter.”
Snape wanted to kick himself when he saw the familiar blonde. Of course, she caught on at dinner. How she managed to tail him without him figuring out was a problem for later.
“You set us up!” And James Potter managed to ruin the moment.
“And I take that back.” Blame is always the first to come. “I did not incite Black to get back at Snape, nor did I tell Snape—so where is it that you’re blaming me?” Approaching the pair, she glared at the Gryffindor. “But I agree. This is not a place you should be. At least, for now.”
“Of course, you know,” Snape snapped, moving further inside. “Not all of us have the privilege of knowing everything.”
“I warned you,” Potter spat right back. “If you want to go die, then that’s—”
Lucia stopped him. “I will knock you—do you hear that?” There was slight snuffling. “I hate to ask this but how good are his senses?”
James blanched at that. “We’re more than three-quarters, aren’t we?” He began to turn.
“Go, go, go,” Lucia pulled at both of them. “Perhaps, if we get far enough—”
“It doesn’t matter if he already has our scent!” James retorted, “he’ll chase us to the castle! There’s a reason why the passageway is bloody long, Moriarty!”
“I want to avoid maiming him, Potter,” Lucia spat before hurrying them along. She wanted to use a spell that could move them quicker, but the recovery would slow them down anyway. “Oh fuck,” she cursed as she turned around.
James turned around before cursing as well. “Move! Why don’t you use your apparation spell?” He referred to how she managed to bypass the wards.
“Because you aren’t used to it!” Lucia constructed a few shields behind them while keeping up. “First-time users get extremely dizzy, and if that happens, I can’t carry you both! Goddamn it—how is he not sustaining any damage?”
Lupin barreled through the shielding charms without much effort. The snarls and barks of the werewolf while charging at them would last in Lucia’s nightmares for a while.
“Use one of your spells!” Snape suggested while spluttering at a stray branch.
“I don’t have a counter for most of them,” Lucia replied, “I don’t want to be hauled in front of Wizengamot.” Running through her mental list of spells, Lucia came to a swift halt before tossing out a stray parchment.
Lupin paused before howling in agony and moving to his haunches.
Potter and Snape stopped a few paces ahead of her before watching how Lucia approached the whimpering figure. The former recognized the slight twitching of the snout before moving to warn her.
Lucia gritted her teeth as her leg was torn into ribbons. Snape yanked her away just in time before Lupin rose again while Potter occupied him for a few minutes. The spell didn’t last long enough apparently. She narrowed her eyes before producing another parchment. “Set my leg in stasis,” she murmured to Snape, who begrudgingly did as she asked.
There was one spell she could use now that Lupin wasn’t actively charging at them. “Potter, move back on three—” Lucia started before muttering her incantation for Azusayami. Technically, a type of forbidden magic and still was in this world, but the spell was able to clamp down the panic that she knew Lupin was no doubt experiencing.
She pulled back on the imaginary bow before letting go and yelling ‘three.’
Lupin staggered back before quickly being subdued with the Imperius Curse.
There was a reason why magical creatures shouldn’t be subjected to mind-altering curses. To be able to control another human being’s thoughts was difficult enough, but to do so when in a frenzy was undoubtedly like attaching jumper cables to one’s brain. It was only due to Lupin being partially under the effects of Azusayami that she would be able to navigate without losing her mind.
Once Lupin returned back to the room in the Shrieking Shack, Lucia slumped over on the ground. “Make nice until the both of you take me back to the Hospital Wing. I can’t deal with this.”
Potter and Snape glanced at each other and back at the half-asleep Slytherin on the ground. “I’ll carry her,” Potter moved first. “I’m stronger than you.”
“Watch her legs,” Snape snapped back in return. “Stasis doesn’t stop additional injuries—it just compounds it.”
“I know that.”
“Really?”
“Both of you shut the hell up.”
***
Dumbledore swept through the doors of the Hospital Wing. He counted five ill students before effectively partitioning half of the room to be unable to overhear the ensuing conversation. “I would like to speak with Ms. Moriarty alone,” Dumbledore peered past his spectacles. “Poppy, please tend to the wounds on Mr. Snape and Potter.”
The matron clicked her tongue. “I cannot do that, Albus. Her injury is the most grievous. It’s also the most precarious. Unless you’d like to have two afflicted individuals.” Her pointed glare had the headmaster retracting his previous request while moving aside.
She immediately got to work, cutting through the cloth with ease before assessing the damage more thoroughly. Dittany and bandages were summoned urgently, and the treatment began.
Dumbledore wasn’t sure which language Lucia was cursing in, but it sounded rather dangerous, so he cast a Silencing Charm before turning to the other two students. He had a feeling like he should be rather careful in pushing the Slytherin lest he wanted to end up on the nasty end of her spells. “Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, I trust that this incident will remain silent?”
“Black nearly tried to kill me, and you’re sweeping it under the rug?” Snape snapped. “We have a student that dangerous?”
“He’s never attacked you before!” James retorted, glaring at him. “If you weren’t such a nosey git, then none of this would’ve happened!”
“If all of you just left me alone from the beginning, none of this would’ve happened!” The Slytherin had a rather tight fist. “You should’ve just left us alone!”
“You should’ve stopped hanging around Gryffindors if you wanted to be left alone—”
“Silence.” This was the first time in a while since Dumbledore used such a frigid tone. “Mr. Snape, sneaking out would’ve cost you detention or suspension—not to mention entering a private property. There are benefits to both of you keeping quiet about this.”
“Lu—he attacked another student.”
“That is the prerogative of the victim,” Dumbledore answered, his voice returning to its normal serene tone. “Ms. Moriarty will most likely not press charges.”
“Hah, don’t speak for me,” Lucia replied, shoving the curtain to the side. Madam Pomfrey glared at her from the periphery but did not close the curtains again. “You may want to do better than that at remediation—one of them might end up dead by the resolution of this.” She glanced at the two. “Let’s do this—Potter tells Lupin the entire situation when he comes out. Black ends up with a month’s detention while Snape ends up with two weeks' worth.”
“How’s that fair?” The two yelled at her.
Dumbledore glanced at her for a better explanation.
Lucia sighed loudly—whatever potion Pomfrey gave her was starting to take effect. “Potter telling Lupin the entire situation will end up with Black and Lupin fighting within the group while Potter plays mediator. On top of a broken friendship, Black has the most detentions. Lupin will agonize over Snape knowing his secret, and Snape doesn’t have to take revenge into his own hands.”
“Where’s your punishment?” Potter sneered.
“My leg may not work properly anymore—is that enough for you?” Lucia glared at him before turning to Dumbledore. “That’s it. I’m about to pass out—figure it out. You should probably write to Vincent—if he finds out, you may have to—” She fell back on her pillow, completely out.
“Well, there you have it,” Dumbledore closed the curtains again. “Is that adequate?” At the begrudging nods, he nodded in satisfaction. “Now, what did occur?”
Both boys glanced at each other before starting to speak.