The Silver Wolf
The rays of the afternoon sun streamed through to the bustling corridors of Hogwarts, students in small groups pushing past another to find their next class. Many first years made things worse for those who did know where they were going by halting, often right in the middle of someone's path, asking in an inconveniently quiet and shaky voice where they could find a certain room.
James Potter, counted among the popularity of Gryffindor House, would usually appear the most trustworthy to the small and naïve faces which gazed up from what could easily be mistaken for an oversized lesson schedule, sometimes with nervous or frustrated tears brimming in their eyes depending on what teacher's lesson they were missing. Which teacher's lesson they were missing (more so on what House this student was in) depended on how honest an answer James gave. Anyone not in Slytherin would at least wander off with a clue of where the classroom could be, but Slytherin students could gratefully run off to the Whomping Willow for all James cared, his friends sniggering all the while behind him. One such student, smiling with big brown eyes, had just pulled on James's robe sleeve, not particularly bothered by what House she spoke to, but rather by the Prefect badge glimmering ironically above his Gryffindor lion crest.
Severus Snape glowered at the back of James Potter's head, his deliberately tousled black hair looking ever more pretentious by the start of each new year. Today was no exception to that rule. To think it had been a full summer holiday since those two final weeks of O.W.L. exams; a whole holiday since James had once again humiliated Severus in front of yet another crowd of jeering onlookers.
But that wasn't why Severus was so angry - he had been so sick of James's taunting; of people's opinion that James was more talented than his actual skills indicated; thinking that Severus couldn't possibly defend himself against James that he had lashed out too far. Lily hadn't deserved what he'd said to her, certainly not that word. However much he'd apologised, he couldn't deny that perhaps he'd never expected her to accept it.
Severus spied her dark red hair, partially waved, in the halted group of Gryffindors a way in front of him, watching as she shot a disapproving look at James, who had just pointed up the corridor that Severus had just come from. The small Slytherin girl, wearing an oversized school robe with bouncing sandy ringlets in her hair, began to scamper away. The subtly wicked smile on James's face became evident as his eyes moved from the girl and met Severus's cold stare.
Still looking at James's smug expression, Severus managed to catch the already panting first year by her arm before she passed him.
"Where did you say you were going?" he asked disparagingly with a hint of concern.
"Transfiguration," she uttered, confused by this repetition.
James cocked his head questioningly yet threateningly at Severus as some of the other Gryffindors turned inquisitively to see what their appointed leader was looking at with such intent.
"Well, it would seem you've been lied to," Severus continued, ignoring them, "Potter's sent you in the wrong direction."
Severus physically turned the girl around, facing her in the opposite direction again. She must have been quite puzzled.
"Transfiguration is the last room on this corridor."
Without another word, sensing somehow that she had become the object between the stirring resentment in the air, the girl clutched her pile of books closely to her chest and sprinted off past the group, no glance and James or his lackeys. She almost skidded on the stone floor before pouncing onto the door, falling in to her class with muffled apologies to Professor McGonagall.
As Severus's eyes zoomed back from this scene, his gaze briefly skimmed over the right side of the parted crowd. Lily was watching him with an oddly conflicted expression, the freckles prominent again on her skin from weeks of sun. Her emerald eyes retreated as she noticed how his gaze had elected to settle on her, turning then as she seemed to remind herself of what had transpired between them. Instead, Severus met the hard stare of Mary Macdonald, standing beside Lily, which he quickly rolled his eyes away from.
While Lily had ushered Mary away with her, James had sauntered out of his side of the group and was now grinning sadistically at Severus, the malicious familiarity in his eyes.
"Come on now, Snivellus, it's only a laugh," James said, which prompted a few chorus chortles started by Sirius Black. "Surely even you understand what fun is."
"Yes, I imagine antagonising children must bring such joy to your life, Potter."
James raised his eyebrows at Severus's unexpected comeback. Severus was inclined to be inwardly surprised as well: if last term had taught him anything, it was not to back down in front of James - he would just be easy prey - but hadn't expected it to come into effect so suddenly. Still, he was glad for it.
"Ha! Snivelly couldn't have grown a backbone, could he?" James directed both at Severus and the remaining people who hadn't walked away yet, hoping for the support he wasn't receiving.
"And you'll probably lose yours if you're any later to your class, Prongs," Remus Lupin advised, stepping towards James and lightly pressing a hand to his arm, preventing him from advancing forwards.
James's head spun instantaneously towards Lupin, then to Sirius, and Peter Pettigrew, who was glancing nervously between the three of them.
"Then why are you still here?" he asked, knocked off track.
"Different classes, mate," Sirius smiled. "We have a free lesson now."
James's antagonistic eyes turned back to Severus, still standing his ground but ready to head towards the library all the same.
"Guess we'll just have to finish this later, won't we, Sniv?" he cackled arrogantly before turning away, the pack following at his back.
Severus, despite his new-found burst of confidence, swiftly swivelled to the corridor on his right, moving quickly in case James somehow met him before he reached the second floor.
There was one thing Severus was still sure of, more sure than anything else at that time. Even if he couldn't get near Lily (though that couldn't stop him thinking about her during whatever free time he had in the day) there was no way he wanted James anywhere near her either.
At last the final lesson of the day had arrived. Thankfully for everyone it was Charms, the only lesson where something practical was guaranteed instead of being stuck in a stuffy room writing countless notes that would possibly never be revised or lost by most people. Not so thankfully, it was the one class of Severus's timetable where there was a rather clear divide between the students in the lesson: two were Hufflepuffs; two were Ravenclaws; the remaining and equally split students were Gryffindor and Slytherin, making a class of twenty. It was also one of the few classes of which Severus had chosen to take at N.E.W.T. level which included all of James Potter's gang. But one of the lessons where he could see Lily as well couldn't be all bad…even if James would be relentlessly vying for her attention.
Everyone filed into the room, where the desks had been shrunken by Professor Flitwick and stacked like books by the side of his desk at the front of the class. Flitwick himself - with his small stature - was standing on the desk, his bearded face twitching about as he looked over the tired and unenthusiastic expressions entering the room. Open on the desk was a thick textbook, with slightly frayed binding visible between the pages. It was certainly not one that had been taken out very recently, and no title could be made out or recognised from it.
As the class bunched together but separated into their favoured friend groups, Avery sidled up through the other students to stand beside Severus, patting his shoulder with acknowledgement as Severus was brought out of the usual drained trance that came from a full day of lessons.
Although the lingering and unfocused gaze hadn't been intentional on Severus's part, the object of his attention was. He had been wistfully watching Lily laughing together with another of her friends, though Severus didn't know her name. Lily's eyes glittered brightly with her expression, and in the low sun rays refracting from the classroom window they seemed more vivid than ever.
James was also nearby, Severus saw, also making glances at Lily. Something in Severus silently but unsuccessfully urged him to make an attempt at warning Potter away, but Lily wasn't his property; no one owned her.
That wasn't what surged his emotions though: just the very thought that someone like that could think of trying to win over someone so perfect to Severus as Lily made him furious, though when did James not infuriate him?
James and Severus both seemed to sense each other's gaze at the same instant, but before James was able to catch his eye, Severus turned his head sharply forward as if he had in fact been ignoring Lily the whole time.
"Ah, hello class. Are we all here? Good!" Professor Flitwick suddenly began, his small eyes darting from face to face. "As you, ah, may have noticed, the desks have been cleared for today's lesson, in which we might begin practising this spell. But don't worry if you can't do it immediately; not even an experienced witch or wizard could accomplish this spell successfully on a first try!"
Flitwick gave a quivering laugh, peering to the open book as Severus leant over to Avery.
"Want a bet that Potter will believe himself above that rule?" he speculated in a whisper, his tone almost bored by how frequently this was the case.
Avery smirked as he shot a hard glance at James and his friends. He had a certain smugness about him that he was perhaps trying to mask…very poorly, if Avery could say so himself.
"Let's hope it backfires on him, whatever it is," Avery uttered threateningly, just pulling his sight from James.
Flitwick again shuddered to life as he grinned back at the class.
"What I'm going to teach you is the Patronus Charm." He paused and took a peek at the confusion on most people's faces; "Some of you may have heard of it and, yes, it is quite advanced. But we concluded that, in light of the…uh, circumstances of recent news, that it would help all of you counteract whatever…Dark forces that may be present in this War."
"Not that we have to worry about that," Avery murmured, moving close so only Severus could hear him, a pleased tone in his voice.
Severus returned a weak smile, but a thought in the back of his mind surfaced, one which had plagued him all summer: 'What have I really got myself into?'
The Death Eaters seemed a good idea once, trying to show Lily somehow that he didn't need to be fully dependent on her company - something he saw as a disadvantage, only having trust in one person. It had also been a good defence in the case that James had named his own group of friends: the 'Marauders'. If he could gain the interest of people in that way, then perhaps Severus could get Lily's interest. It unfortunately hadn't worked out that way.
"Now, the trick to this Charm is your ability to focus on a particular happy memory," Flitwick resumed, "But not just any happy memory. It must be significant, as well as powerful in your mind; perhaps one you may use to distract yourselves from real things that are…not so happy.
"But I should give you all some time to think about that! Uh, now, separate out everyone! Close your eyes, and focus on nothing but your own mind. Take some time to think, and once you've found a memory, lose yourself in it, like it is happening right now. Only then can you find the true power it holds…"
Flitwick continued on about finding power and happiness and what kind of memories he might choose, but a buzzing drone that could easily be ignored was now all his voice was to Severus, who was trying so hard to think of something that might work, browsing through thoughts like a filing cabinet. The problem was that the times he'd felt happiest all included Lily as their main subject.
Going back through them was painful, as she'd made it quite clear last term that she wanted nothing more to do with him, but what use was it to Severus if all he was going to do was dismiss them…to act like those times didn't happen, or even didn't matter. That would be believing that those times were wasted, and they could never be that.
Another problem was that there were so many to choose from, but Severus had no issue with reliving any of them: seeing Lily for the first time; Lily first talking to him properly; walking through the doors of Hogwarts beside her; any lunchtime when they met in the library, talking about nothing and everything as seamlessly as always; that Christmas when they'd been childish enough to have a snowball fight, ending with the two of them falling about with laughter and freezing cold…
Severus had to pull away from the past then, moisture prickling threateningly at his eyes for what could never be reclaimed. Showing this kind of emotion in front of people would only provoke more taunting, though the feeling that it had all been borrowed time was difficult to contain.
That was the moment it came to him; the most indulgent and happy recollection Severus could reach.
It was the early evening of the day before the train ride to the fifth year of Hogwarts. Lily and Severus had met as they normally did at the park where he had first met, now both lying under a large tree and staring up at the sky, glowing amber as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. They could have gone home, but instead opted out of that, simply watching the first of the browning leaves of autumn sway in the breeze above; as though, at this very moment the world had slowed just for them. Severus could easily remember the beautiful concept of borrowed time, meant to be elsewhere without having to be. The feeling that Lily could have left at any moment to go home, to do the packing that she had been neglecting all summer, but that her decision was to stay with him, was the most perfect he'd ever had. It was probably the moment when he realised that he truly loved her; that he would protect her the best he could against anything that saddened or scared her.
While making the attempt not to be distracted, another thought had pierced through the heart of the last one: although Severus himself had caused their friendship to fall to the ground in pieces, the very catalyst for his behaviour had been James Potter's arrogant existence. If James had decided against antagonism on their first meeting on the train, or better still, if he hadn't even been in Lily and Severus's carriage compartment, things would most certainly be different. The same James who had caused this was now in the running for Lily's affections. If he won, he'd be proclaiming it out of spite whenever Severus was in earshot.
The happy memory dispersed, replaced by the end of last term; James's crooked smirk as he processed that Severus wouldn't have Lily's protection any longer, not after he'd lashed out so extremely.
It had been out of pure anger and humiliation, but when Severus had pondered so hard on that day, he realised it was something more, something he hadn't even been aware of. He knew that he had wanted to protect her, but hadn't known that breaking ties in front of what could have become a common enemy would be the way it would happen; if James's bullying and Lily's opposition to it were inevitably going to continue, Severus believed at least one of the Marauders would waver upon the line of turning on her. He'd thought of this before that time, but acting on it had unfortunately surfaced in a brutally confirming manner - he'd lost Lily.
After all this, he'd still run the risk of losing her to James. He hoped beyond hope that she never gave in to that. He then wondered what memory she'd chosen…
As though Flitwick had sensed this change in his thoughts, Severus was brought out of his trance by the Professor's high-pitched voice.
"Now," he began, but jumped as everyone else did in the class, "Ahem…I want you all to fully remember that feeling in your chosen memory, so you can let it fill you up before you cast the spell.
"Finally, the obvious key to this is the incantation - expecto patronum," he said carefully, looking across the class. "Can you all repeat that?"
"Expecto patronum."
"Very good!" Flitwick continued with a low chuckle (as if they'd already cast the Charm). "I don't expect many people to produce a fully corporeal Patronus on the first try - if you do then I will be very impressed! - but I can tell you that each is entirely unique to the caster themselves, and no one knows exactly what it will be until it's standing in front of them! How exciting!"
Severus and Avery gave each other a doubtful glance concerning Flitwick as he almost lost his footing on the desk, though only the scoffs of James Potter's laughter could be heard from the other side of the room. Professor Flitwick regained control again, an expression on his face as though pretending nothing had happened.
"You, um, are able to cast the spell wherever the wand is pointing, but it doesn't much matter," he resumed. "All that matters is drawing small circles with its tip as you think of the memory. Once the feeling is fully realised, say the incantation for as long as it is in focus, and you should see some good results!
"I give you full permission to practice outside of class, as I'm sure you're all exhausted after the long day. Our next lesson is on Tuesday next week, so I hope to see some good progress!" he concluded, then grinned amiably. "If anyone asks, I allowed you all to leave early!"
Before Flitwick had even finished his sentence, almost half the class were at the door.
"Expecto patronum!" Avery was almost yelling now, his eyes looking like they were about to burst from his face. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
The Tuesday Charms lesson before lunch was appearing to be a disaster. Most people were shouting the incantation of the Patronus Charm into the air with virtually no results, though there were the occasional spurts of silver light from someone's wand. The unfortunate thing was that most of them shrieked with joy and stopped concentrating the moment it happened. This followed often with mass consolation from the people around them.
The class had been split into two rooms, so as to give them more room to cast - the History of Magic class had been cancelled next door because Professor Binns appeared to be missing. Strange, considering he hadn't skipped a class in however many years his ghost had continued teaching.
Professor Flitwick had asked students to pair up to practice, but Severus wasn't fully concentrating on how Avery was coping. His attention was being stolen most of the time by Lily Evans, a determined look crossed over her face as she refused to flinch at the bright light from the wand which she held aloft (however small that light was). Out of everyone in this room, she seemed to be the most successful.
"Expecto patronum!" Avery demanded again.
Severus had noticed just now that Lily's hair had twin plaits running to the back of her head, tied by a small green ribbon. It really suited her…
"Dammit!" Avery exclaimed exasperatedly as he sighed and slumped onto a bench leaning against the wall behind him. "I ought to tell Ollivander that this wand's clearly faulty!"
Severus's head snapped back around as he realised he was being addressed, though no shock was on his face.
"Clearly," he replied sarcastically with a hint of a smile. "Are you sure you're not just getting too angry at it?"
Avery returned a sly grin. "You're one to talk," he went on, "Don't you rant about at least one thing a day that's annoyed you?"
"Right now it's you complaining that I complain too much," Severus joked in answer, subconsciously taking a glance to his left at the thing that annoyed him most of all: James Potter.
He had paired up with Sirius Black, who also had an arrogant air following him about like a cloud every day, and was leaning back against the wall with loosely folded arms, laughing while Sirius made failed attempts to cast a Patronus. This wasn't much different to most pairs in the room, so his presence wouldn't have bothered Severus much - about to turn back to Avery - but as James stepped forward presumably to begin practising the spell, his obvious digression of vision looked past everyone to Lily. She didn't see him watching her for that lingering moment, but Severus did.
It sparked in him the same rage as always, but also a strange fear. Not a fear for her safety (vile as James was, he wouldn't hurt Lily) but for how easily James would be able to hound her now that Severus wouldn't be around to repel his close distance.
While Severus tried to shoot him a warning with his eyes, James caught his gaze for a split second with the same look, yet in his, there was more inner pride than aggression.
"Severus," Avery said sharply, ushering his attention from James. "Let's not start a fight with them today. For once, I can't be bothered to insult his precocious little group - too much of that in a week would give anyone a headache."
"I just wish that everyone didn't think they were so perfect," Severus spat, his tone more imperative than usual. "If someone could take them down a notch without people caring, that would make me happy."
"Maybe that should be the thought you use for this damned Charm," Avery replied with a dark chuckle. "And speaking of which - your turn."
Severus took the birch wood wand from his robe pocket, aiming it up to the empty air just above his friend's head, about to lose himself in the evening at the park until…
"Expecto patronum!" he heard Lily shout with a tired voice, but this time, there was a flash of silver, far brighter than before, which captivated everyone's attention.
From this silver light, the wispy form of a four-legged animal rose, and silently leapt down to the ground. Severus had just worked out that it was a doe before it dispersed into the air, probably due how mentally tired Lily was.
Immediately, Severus looked at Lily; she had such a wide smile on her face that her joy was impossible not to be contagious. Most people were gazing at her in awe, but the friends she had around her were now giggling with excitement.
Severus turned from the scene briefly, the overhanging black cloud that reminded him of where he now stood in her eyes weighing down like lead. That was until the invisible nudge of the feeling of also being watched caused him to peer back a little.
For at least eight seconds black eyes met green as Severus found himself in a locked gaze with Lily. It seemed she realised the automatic reaction of looking to him for support as the brightness retreated slightly from her eyes, but still she looked. Severus had nothing else to do but give her a small but encouraging smile for her effort, the two of them shedding borders for just a moment in time…and then it was gone.
Lily shifted her attention back to her other friends and their renewed hope of casting the spell; Severus returned to being in no position to lose her, and yet no position for Lily to realise what care he truly harboured for her.
James, after having attempted to cast his Patronus several times before Lily, now looked ever more set on impressing whoever was around to be impressed. He gritted his teeth after a scornful sigh, seeing better than most the look between Lily and Severus Snape. That could be nothing; simply catching each other's glance while she was celebrating with her friends. But she hadn't considered even paying attention to James, and that was what irritated him.
Avery turned to Severus after seeing this, a look of completed vengeance in his smile.
"I don't know why, but Potter looks pretty pissed off," he chortled.
Severus glanced just once at James Potter, now retaking his stance like everyone else. He may have been trying to appear unfazed, but since he was having to tone down his breathing rate, it wasn't going well.
"Now that is amusing," Severus answered, sounding ambiguous, but behind that he was hiding the suspicion of whether or not James was deciphering something incorrectly from what he may have witnessed. Severus hoped for his own sake that he was wrong.
Severus set himself up to cast the Charm again, the perfect amber sky materialising as if it were yesterday in his mind, Lily at his side, turning to smile at him as they both realised neither wanted to leave the park.
"Expecto patronum," he uttered.
Nothing happened.
"Expecto patronum," he repeated, fully imagining he was there, smiling stupidly back at Lily while the breeze swept past.
A ribbon of solid silver flew from the tip of the wand, though had no form like Lily's doe. Gradually, it began to spread out like a small shield, bright and glowing, but Severus was so absorbed by this that he lost concentration, and it shrunk back, disappearing.
Severus inhaled a calm breath, bracing himself to stay fully focused; assured that he could. Severus, suddenly but not unexpectedly fuelled by power, heard the incantation in his head before even saying the words out loud…
"Expecto patronum!" Severus heard, but didn't say.
A flash of white came from Severus's left, following after James Potter's incantation. Almost immediately, Severus began to watch as a fully formed Patronus leaped again from the silver light of the wand, landing without a sound in front of James. It was another deer, a stag to be precise, the exact counterpart to Lily's doe Patronus. Had James somehow managed to do this deliberately, or was it merely a coincidence?
There were a lot of people who looked distinctly envious of this animal which was now twitchily gazing around the room, but at the same time, they were staring in awe. Some were attempting not to act so impressed, moving about and back to their original spots. But, as much as Severus wanted to remain indifferent, not even he could deny that it was, in fact, impressive…just for the wrong person.
Before Avery could say anything about the misfortune that James really could be perfect, Severus snapped straight back into position - being upstaged by someone like him would not do.
"Hey, Evans! Lily!" James called, getting Lily's unexpected attention. "What d'you think?"
The stag began to fade for the briefest moment, but James must have regained concentration to bring it back. Lily appeared unaffected by his efforts.
"I still beat you to it, though," she concluded lightly, smiling with ironic sweetness.
Lily's response allowed Severus to ignore James, shutting himself off within the memory - he was absolutely certain he could do it this time. He began to draw the circles above him as he spoke the incantation.
"Well…mine's still here, isn't it?" James replied hesitantly, but more softly than before. "I wonder if I can move it…"
Out of the corner of Severus's eye, he just caught James direct the silver stag in Lily's direction, and a sudden protection came over him again. He wanted to stop that thing in its tracks - it was technically a part of James, after all - and drive it from interfering in the memories he was lost in; a time before James had got so in the way. Severus had known Lily longer than James ever had, knew more about her than anyone, including her sister, and James felt that he had a claim over her.
This spark of anger hit Severus a moment after he'd finished the first word of the incantation, thinking it would halt the spell entirely. But Severus was in such a state of thinking so fondly of Lily, of his chosen memory, that it quickly trod down the negativity. Although, it had interfered all the same, ending just before he uttered the final word.
The sound came as the silver light shot from the wand; a high-pitched and melodious cry that merged with the always strange ring of magic when spells were cast, which hadn't been heard from the other casters. So out of place was it that it managed to stop a few people near to Severus in their tracks of any activity.
A creature, smaller than Lily or James's Patronus, pounced from the glare towards the wall, of which it made brief contact with its four feet and seemed to push off from towards the floor. It landed silently, in front of both Severus and the silver stag, after Avery had jumped sideways out of its path. The stag halted immediately, though this was ordered by James's direction as well as whatever will it had of its own.
It straightened up, and though it was only half the stag's height, an oddly commanding presence made up for it, even while its shape was still forming. As soon as Severus could clearly make out what it was, it threw back its head and howled with a distant echo - a wolf.
Severus held onto the memory in his mind while staring agape at the silver conjuration gazing expectantly up at him. It looked calm, but for a spell meant to be controlled, the wolf's body language was incredibly tense, like it was poised to attack. Instinctively, that antagonism only caused Severus to glance over at James, who was glaring at him with opposition but conflicted by irritation and keeping the stag visible.
But, without prompting, a hollow snarl ripped from the wolf's throat as it turned on the stag; as though it sensed what was going on in Severus's own head. It didn't advance, just stood there defensively on the same spot, ears forward and glowing teeth bared by a curled mouth.
Severus was confused only for a moment as he looked at the wolf, though still hadn't let go of his happy memory. He then remembered the flare of anger he'd had: he didn't want that stag or James anywhere near Lily.
He supposed the wolf made sense now, but should it have been acting of its own accord?
With the wolf still giving a threatening growl, James pulled the stag back towards him with direction by his wand, but that gave it no protection. The wolf jumped forwards with warning, its virtual fur puffing out on its chest with a short bark.
Severus hadn't been controlling it up until now, but quickly did the same with his wolf as James. Almost reluctantly, it stepped backwards, glancing at Severus, the stag and James, then turned its head back to Lily. She was, like everyone else, transfixed on this surreal stand-off between these rival animals and their affinitive casters. Even Sirius Black had edged away.
The wolf stood its ground at Severus's command, not growling but giving out low vibrations from its throat, even if the stage so much as twitched. Severus was far too fascinated to end the Charm, and James was probably too proud to end his concentration before the boy he called 'Snivellus'.
It seemed at that moment that Severus realised something: he didn't have to put up with these people all his life, not any more. If he was able to, he may be able to stop them - he'd gain more respect for ending a bully's reign than anything else.
James didn't speak as he sensed this change in Severus's presence, but nor did he give any indication of accepting. As he caught Severus's suddenly defiant gaze, James returned a playful and sinister smile: to him, Severus out stepped the role James expected of him.
The stag leapt forwards with one prompt from James, and in an act of survival, Severus sent the wolf at it, jaws open as it somehow knew to aim for the head. No bite or mark was inflicted: they were only spells to each other, after all. But as the wolf made what looked like contact with the stag, James aborted his control, lost concentration, and the animal dissolved away as Severus's wolf landed at James's feet. It stared, growled once, and bounded back to Severus.
At that very moment, the doors of the classroom were swung open, and there stood an out-of-breath Professor Flitwick, now gazing in frantic excitement at the silver wolf at Severus's side. The wolf though, also disappeared with Flitwick's appearance of dragging everyone back into reality. It felt like the very memory had also been ripped away, but that wouldn't have surprised Severus, based on the amount of effort he'd used up trying to project it into the Charm.
Flitwick could have skipped into the room - he looked that happy - but controlled this by just clapping his hands.
"Oh, splendid! Splendid work! Well done!" he continued, needing to breathe between sentences. "I heard the howling…but, someone next door had a slight issue…couldn't come earlier…they started crying at their memory…did anyone else manage anything?"
The class was silent, including James and Severus, until a Ravenclaw named Nancy decided that she should be the one to explain.
"Well, Lily cast a doe, just earlier, then…James Potter cast a stag," she recounted awkwardly, tucking her blonde hair behind one ear as she spoke.
"And then Snape's wolf tried to kill it," James piped up indignantly as Flitwick looked to him. "Turned on it straight away."
James had probably expected some more support from Professor Flitwick, but he only saw it as a newly defined question.
"Interesting - fascinating! Though a Patronus does what its caster says…"
"I didn't make the wolf do that," Severus retaliated. "I didn't try to do anything until he sent his animal towards it."
Flitwick looked baffled by the very prospect.
"Even more interesting!" he exclaimed before another thought popped into his head. "It's very rare, so I don't really know how it works. Only seen one instance - a friend of mine conjured a dragon Patronus…very odd business…seemed to want to attack a flock of sheep! Patronuses can interact with the physical world, you know.
"Oh, anyway, all three of you are rewarded 50 points for your Houses! And, ah, this lesson was actually over five minutes ago - so sorry for not arriving sooner," he apologised, then wandered out of the room, still muttering the words 'fascinating' and 'interesting' as he went.
As Severus automatically followed him leave with his eyes, they locked once more with Lily's. Her expression seemed as intrigued and confused as Flitwick's, but with a subtle pain tracing its edges. Their created social boundaries prevented him from talking to her, and she to him, but a familiar small smile of support was what he received, even if her eyes were saying another farewell. Without a second glance back, Lily swallowed and followed her friends out of the room.
Before he had a moment to think, Severus heard the all too well known footsteps beginning to sidle towards him.
"You know what you were doing, Snivelly," James declared, though his tone sounded more interrogative than anything else.
"And what was I doing, exactly?"
James scoffed. "It had something to do with Lily Evans, I take it?" (James paused for effect as Severus's eyes widened a little.) "You think I'm blind to the little looks you give her? You think she'd ever be interested in you again after what you called her?"
Severus had to turn away his gaze at that, the very word coursing through him like an overdose of nightshade essence while James Potter chuckled, now edging closer.
"I thought not," James stated with pride. "You think that little wolf makes you tough now? Well, I have some news for you, Snivellus: you're still a pathetic grease ball. Why Evans was ever friends with you, I'll never - "
James didn't finish his sentence - he had a wand pressed against his throat as soon as he got close enough to Severus, meeting a glare of constrained violence.
"I'd watch your mouth, Potter," Severus uttered harshly, his dark glare cold as he looked James in the eye, "Otherwise next time it may well be a dragon."
With a final, lingering and hateful gaze, Severus withdrew the wand and placed it back in the pocket of his robe, his eyes now motioning to Avery that they were leaving. Confident as he had just been, he also predicted that this behaviour may not fare well for him in the near future.
Severus returned to the thought that James had distracted him from: had that wolf been protecting Lily itself? He supposed because the Charm was powered by a memory, the creature summoned was linked to that somehow…but he'd let that anger in as well. Perhaps that was the key: anger was uncontrollable, yet it was completely linked to his chosen memory. That silver wolf could have simply been all those positive emotions that he had for Lily - he knew wolves to be protective, to form strong bonds - and yet the real animal could have killed a stag like his Patronus had attempted.
It was still based on happiness, with an addition of acting how Severus wished he could act towards James, and anyone out to take Lily away.
As long as James was threatening that bond, Severus supposed that this was how he'd have to keep acting. It seemed to work, after all.
He'd try to protect Lily, even if she didn't know it, for however much time it took.
'Always', he promised himself, and swore then not to forget it.