Margaret Pritchard Pulls It Off by CharmedForce

Margaret Pritchard Pulls It Off by CharmedForce

Many thanks to AngelMischa, who stepped in to beta this for me, and beaweasley2, the leader of this rabid pack. She is the creative genius behind the round robin and gathered all the conspirators together.

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Several girls sat quietly at a table in the Room of Requirement. Without warning, one gasped and bounced in her seat. The group turned to look at Margaret, who was reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a glowing yellow card, vibrating steadily, and set it on the table. With wide eyes she glanced around at her friends.

"This is going to be bad. I can feel it," Margaret whined.

"Isn't Sadie supposed to go now? Why did your card activate, Margaret?" Robin asked.

"I don't know! We had been going in order before," she said. "Maybe the game knows Sadie is stuck in the hospital wing for a few more days. That wizarding flu got her good."

"Do you at least know how you are going to do it?" Angharad asked.

With her elbows on the table and her hands on her cheeks, Margaret nodded. "But that doesn't make it any easier. I'm just glad I've got a relatively innocent dare compared to the others. Professor Snape must be halfway to a heart attack by now, and this is sure to do him in."

Hers may have been harmless and simple for a Slytherin, but some of the dares issued by the game were not so easily completed. Most of the tasks were humiliating for her friends, Professor Snape and the innocent classmates caught in the crossfire.

"I plan on stopping by his office tomorrow evening at the end of his office hours, if you want to wait for me here. At least mine doesn't need to be in public. I don't think anyone would get away with being the bearer of this bad news if that was the case." Margaret picked up her card and read the script once again: Tell Snape that you overheard Professor Trelawney give a prophecy about him. Then tell him she wants to snog him. Consequence for failure: An entire term spent emulating Trelawney – bangles, sequined shawls, thick glasses and heavy patchouli.

"I don't even take Divination!"

***** *****

"Enter!" he called a moment after she knocked on his office door. Stepping quickly into the room, she left the door open for propriety's sake. She stopped just inside the door, waiting for him to invite her to sit or send her on her way quickly. His head was still turned down as he marked the essay in front of him. Knowing better than to interrupt further, she quietly stood in place, eyes focused on the wall behind him. Several minutes later, he set his quill down and looked up at her.

"Miss Pritchard, I do not believe we had an appointment or detention this evening. You must have something of great concern to bring to my attention," Professor Snape said smoothly.

"Yes, sir. There was an incident several days ago that I was instructed to not inform you of. However, after further developments, I think this information is critical for you."

"I see. And who instructed you to not tell me?" There was an edge to his voice that showed his displeasure, though she was unsure why he was so annoyed. Was it because information had willingly been held from him, or was he already aggravated and expecting her to do something just as outrageous as the other dares?

"The Headmaster, sir. He said that whether you knew or not wouldn't change the situation, so there was no point bothering you. However, since that time I have learned more and feel it is crucial you be made of the situation."

Margaret was starting to get nervous, though she fought against showing it. Her Head of House would jump on that weakness. She hoped she wasn't miscalculating by approaching him not as a joke or prank, but as a serious problem. She thought he might be less likely to give her detention if he thought she was serious.

"And why do you feel you should be the one to share this information, Miss Pritchard? Do you really think the Headmaster would keep such important information from me?" Professor Snape's tone of voice showed the mounting anger she had predicted he would feel.

This was the part she had thought she would have the most trouble with. How to convince him to accept the information without making him too suspicious?

"Forgive me, sir, but as you are my Head of House, I feel it is more important that all of my information, including what the Headmaster is not privy to, be shared with you to prevent any ..." Margaret stumbled over an appropriate word to use, "...problems from occurring within the House. It is in my best interest that you be allowed to handle this yourself. If you would permit me to speak with you in private and explain the incidents I witnessed, I am sure you will understand why I felt it appropriate to approach you."

Margaret stood still for several moments, wondering if this was when her dare failed. She liked being unnoticed, able to watch her schoolmates without them realizing she was there. If she failed now, they would all be able to smell and hear her coming.

Professor Snape pulled out his wand, and with a quick flick, his office door slammed shut. Another swish, and Margaret heard him mumble something that sounded like Muffliato. She assumed it was some sort of privacy spell and made a mental note to look it up. She didn't recognize it, and any little known spell could come in handy.

"Take a seat, Miss Pritchard, and begin your tale."

"Yes, sir." She moved quickly toward the chair in front of his desk, noticing the shelves and bookcases scattered throughout the room, with a mysterious blank gap on the wall that looked to have scratches and other marks. Taking a moment to collect herself, she straightened her back and looked her professor straight in the eye. "Last week I was making my way from the sixth floor corridor to the Common Room when I met with Professor Trelawney. She had just come down the staircase and was walking unsteadily. When she saw me, she ran to me and thrust her Tarot cards at me, shouting something about the Devil and the Lovers. When I touched the cards, she grabbed my wrists and then froze. It was like someone had Petrified her. I looked around to see who had hexed her, but there was no one there."

Professor Snape took Margaret's pause for breath as a chance to jump in. "Miss Pritchard, I fail to see what anything Sibyll Trelawney does has to do with me. Get to the point immediately!"

"But, sir, it has everything to do with you! As I was looking around, I heard this deep voice start speaking. Professor Trelawney's eyes had glazed over, and she was speaking in this horrible manner. She started talking about 'the Devil who holds back the one who stoppers death, and the Lovers who seek to match this brewer of fame to the one with the True Eye.'" She sniffled loudly and dropped her eyes to her hands. "I didn't understand what she was saying; I kept asking her to repeat herself, but she just repeated it and then went silent. I tried to pull my arms free but she collapsed." Margaret was making sure she stuttered appropriately and was overcome with tears. Giving another big sniff, she looked up through her lashes at Professor Snape.

It should not be possible for a man to pale so severely, Margaret thought. Confident that he was buying her story and had figured out her clues, she continued.

"Professor Dumbledore found us just after Professor Trelawney passed out. He asked me to go to his office and wait for him there. Once he had helped Professor Trelawney, he had me explain exactly what I had heard her say. He said she has given true prophecies before and that I was lucky to have seen one. I played dumb when he asked me what my opinion was on the subjects of the Prophecy. I mean, "one who stoppers death" and "brewer of fame" has to be you, sir! It's your first-year speech."

"I am well aware of what the content of my own speech is, Miss Pritchard. I've been giving that speech to first years for longer than you have been alive!" he shouted. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles white from the pressure. Seeing how deeply he was breathing, Margaret presumed him to be very, very angry. Not wanting to press her luck, she decided she had best wrap things up before he killed the messenger.

"Certainly, sir. I apologize for my words." Clearing her throat, Margaret began again. "I did not let on to Professor Dumbledore that I suspected the Prophecy involved you and Professor Trelawney. He instructed me to keep the incident to myself and to tell no one, especially not you, what had happened. When I questioned why especially not you, he gave me this wink and said that one cannot escape his fate, regardless of whether one knows what that fate is, and he felt confident that Professor Trelawney would explain the situation when you needed to know. As there was no life-threatening harm described in the Prophecy, he thought it could wait."

Snape jumped up, sending his chair crashing behind him. He threw his fists again the desktop, knocking over a jar of ink. "Not life-threatening? Being paired with Sibyll Trelawney is extremely life-threatening!" He grabbed the jar and sent it flying into the blank gap of wall across the room.

Margaret flinched, automatically ducking her head, then sat up straight again. "Sir, please! I've not finished."

"I think we are very much so finished here, Miss Pritchard. Get back to your dorm!" he shouted as he reached for the stack of essays and threw them toward the blank wall. Suddenly he turned to her and called out, "No, wait! That's two points from Slytherin for hiding this from me. Now, get out!"

"No! Sir, I understand you are upset, but you are missing the most crucial information," she protested. She had only completed half her dare, and if he kept throwing her out, she was never going to finish it.

"I don't care what else happened. Nothing could be worse than Trelawney! Another three points from Slytherin!"

Desperate to complete her task, Margaret had no further options. "She wants to snog you!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Professor Snape froze in mid-swing. He turned back to Margaret with a wild look in his eyes. "What did you say?" he hissed.

"Professor Trelawney said she wants to snog you. I passed her in the corridor earlier today, and she was talking to herself, making plans on how to get you alone to... to..." The words failed her. What was there left to say? The dare was complete, and Margaret was just praying to get out of the office alive.

The crystal paperweight he had been in the process of throwing dropped to the floor. He reached with one hand for the edge of his desk, leaning against it as the other hand grabbed his abused chair and pulled it forward. He sank into it, putting his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. He wiped his face once before throwing his head down onto the desktop. The loud thud that reverberated through the room made Margaret jump. He lifted his head to look at her, opening his mouth to talk before dropping it back down for another thud.

"Surely I have suffered enough in life. I don't deserve Sibyll Trelawney, do I? Dear Merlin, please just keep me from her. Almost anyone but that old fraud!" His voice was most pitiful and not at all what Margaret was used to hearing from him.

Deciding discretion was the better part of valour, Margaret quietly moved closer toward the door, hoping to make a quiet escape. No need to draw more attention to herself.

Another thud on the desk had her moving faster. Just as she reached the doorknob, Professor Snape picked his head up and lifted his arm to point at her. "Halt! I have not dismissed you yet."

Nodding quickly, Margaret stepped back toward the center of the room. He reached for his wand and waved it at the door, mumbling, "Finite."

"Ten points to Slytherin for assisting the well-being of the House," he said, punctuating the end of the sentence with a bang of his head on the desk. "Now you are dismissed. Go."

"Yes, sir," Margaret said as she darted out of the room. She moved quickly through the dungeon corridors, not stopping or slowing until she reached the main floor. There she stopped in a shallow alcove to catch her breath.

She could not believe she had just done that. Her Head of House looked so defeated at the prospect of a Prophecy pairing him with Trelawney. Reaching into the pocket of her robes, she pulled out her card, the lettering now a telling shade of green.

"Oh, thank Merlin," she sighed.

"Thank Merlin for what?" Angharad asked as she walked up.

Margaret showed her the green letters on the card before frowning slightly. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled and winked at Margaret. "I came to make sure you made it out alright. I was ready to hit you with a Disillusionment Charm if I saw Snape chasing after you."

"Then thank you instead of Merlin. Come on; let's get to the Room of Requirement. I can't wait to tell everyone what happened."

The two made their way quietly and joined the rest of the girls.

"How did it go?" Sadie asked. Margaret took the open seat near the board and explained what had happened.

"It's just cruel to force Professor Trelawney on anyone, let alone my own Head of House. I actually felt guilty watching him. I was so surprised when he began throwing things. We are obviously getting to him if he is losing control in front of students like that. At least we know why he has the blank stretch of wall," Margaret finished. "He uses it as target practice!"

The girls laughed at how angry and annoyed Snape had been, commenting on how Margaret even managed to earn her House points for her prank, and the conversation soon turned to the next task.

"I am very glad to have that over with. As long as Professor Snape doesn't ask the Headmaster about it, I should get away with it." Margaret paused and frowned. "Though I doubt he will just let it go. He will eventually confront the Headmaster. I just hope it is after we've finished Hogwarts!"

A few girls murmured their agreement, and for a moment, they were all lost in the potential consequences of the game.

Margaret cleared her throat and cast a smile at the group. "Well, since I have successfully completed my dare and received my green letters on the card, it is time for the next dare!"

The girls all turned to look at Fern, whose card began glowing yellow and vibrating. "Good luck, Fern," Margaret said.

From the back of the room, a voice was heard singing a Funeral Dirge. "Shut up! It won't be that bad!" Fern cried as she threw a pillow at the singer. The room descended into chaos as the girls all laughed and joyfully attacked each other.

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And the fun continues...

Author's Note: The prompt I followed was – Tell Snape that you overheard Professor Trelawney give a prophecy about him. Then tell him she wants to snog him.