Author's Note: As Beater 2 for Pride of Portree, here are my limitations for Round Two:
Type of story: Inter-house friendship
Prompts used in this round: (word) force, (emotion) shock, (spell) Immobulus
We'll Never Be Friends
"Immobulus!"
Fifteen-year-old Severus Snape threw up his Shield Charm almost instantaneously, out of long-practiced habit, but it wasn't fast enough. The Jinx hit him in the leg and he toppled over sideways into a brambly hedge. The pain bloomed throughout his body as he gritted his teeth and tried to hold back the tears that started to pool around the corners of his eyes.
No, mustn't show emotion. Not now. Not here. Not ever.
"Serves you right, Snivellus! That's what you get for existing!" jeered Sirius Black, who high-fived James Potter as the bespectacled boy ruffled his hair with his other hand until it stuck out even more wildly than before.
"Guys, we're going to be late for class!" Peter Pettigrew said, pressing his chubby forefingers together.
"Come along then, Padfoot," James said with a sniff, "I'm sure that Grease-for-brains here needs time to get nice and cozy with the bramble bush."
They made kissy faces at Severus, who simply grimaced and glared back, greasy strands of hair falling halfway over one of his eyes and tickling his nose. He struggled not to sneeze, but it was a futile endeavor. His body jerked and he moaned in pain as the brambles tore into his clothing and his skin afresh.
A shadow blocked the sun, and he squinted trying to get a good look at who it was, his body shrinking away out of habit.
"Oh god, don't move! I'll get you free," a soft, somehow familiar voice said.
Severus wanted to say something cruel so that maybe he'd be left alone, but he was well and truly stuck. And struggling would only bring more pain.
Maybe this time they'll end my suffering.
He hated the part of himself that felt relieved.
Severus closed his eyes, silently accepting his fate. His wand had rolled down under the bush, and he hadn't quite perfected the wandless magic that would allow him to call it to his hand. Something warm was dripping from his body. It was probably blood, but at least he hadn't broken any bones.
Yet.
To his surprise, he felt the brambles disappear as his rescuer blasted them away carefully with a precision that impressed him even in his state of shock. Moments later, he was pulled from the bush somewhat awkwardly onto the grass as his rescuer panted and caught his breath.
Severus checked his arms and legs, pulling stray brambles off and surveying the damage before turning a wary eye towards where his wand still lay. The person who had saved him obviously wasn't about to attack him or they would have done already. He almost smiled at this rare stroke of luck. There were some tears in his robes, a few scrapes and a bleeding gash on his cheek, but it wasn't anything worse than usual.
"Thank you for your-" he said stiffly, turning to his rescuer and abruptly withdrawing his thanks as his face went an even more deathly shade of white than usual.
Remus Lupin sat on the grass next to him, his face a bit red from having pulled the Slytherin boy free, which accentuated the pale silvery scars that ran down his cheek.
The mark of the werewolf.
The mark of a monster.
Suddenly, he was back in the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, his mind going blank with terror as something huge and hungry howled for his flesh and pressed against the trap door until it bowed, crying out its bloodlust through jagged teeth.
"Get away, you, you-YOU!" He stumbled backwards and tripped over the back of his cloak, landing hard on his arse.
His lips struggled to form the word but his mouth clamped shut, his voice dying in his throat, and he cursed himself for forgetting. Dumbledore had made sure that no one would know. It had been two years ago that he'd nearly been killed by the beast that tore through the Shrieking Shack every full moon, and yet even though he had been the victim, Severus had been forced to stay silent, much to the glee of James and Sirius. Fifteen year old Severus was no match for the powerful spell that had sealed the secret inside of him, though he had experimented with a couple of spells with no effect.
"Well that's a fine way to thank me for rescuing your miserable arse," Lupin grumbled, snapping his wand back with his wrist and silently casting Accio on the black wand that still lay under the bush.
Silent casting technique? Intriguing.
Not that he'd ever tell that damn Gryffindork.
Severus scowled back as the effects of Dumbledore's spell receded, and he felt his jaw loosen.
"Well, I wouldn't have needed help in the first place if you could stop those bloody hooligans from trying to kill me every chance they get!" he muttered venomously.
Lupin gave him a pained look as he handed back the wand after Scourgifying the dirt off of it.
"They're my friends," he said softly, stroking his scars, "But sometimes they go too far."
Severus felt a strange sense of discomfort in his belly as he saw the same look on the Gryffindor Prefect that matched his own when he tried to explain to Lily that his friends in Slytherin weren't all bad. They'd been rowing a lot lately and his stomach lurched every time, wondering if this was going to be the last time, the final straw.
He was losing his best friend, and it was all his fault.
"Are you ok, Sni-I mean...er...Snape?"
Lupin was looking at him with concern, which made Severus snort.
A Gryffindor concerned about the greasy Slytherin git? Hah! It was laughable.
"I'm fine," Severus said, his voice still a little rough as he stood up, his leg still wobbling a little.
"Let me-"
"I said I'm fine!" Severus jerked his arm away.
"Well, I know we'll never be friends, but that was a bit uncalled for!" Remus said irritably.
"You've only got one thing right. We are not friends. We will never be friends," Severus replied even more irritably, "Friends don't try to eat one another once a month!"
Severus pulled himself up and hobbled off, leaving Remus Lupin standing silently behind him, his scarred face as white as a sheet.
He stroked his scars absentmindedly and frowned, feeling the old self-loathing pour into his belly where it simmered uncomfortably. He didn't like how his friends singled out Snape when there were so many other Slytherin students that were far more unpleasant and who actively attacked Gryffindor students. It didn't help that James harbored a silent crush on Lily Evans, and fancied Snape as his rival. To make it worse, to Remus Lupin's knowledge, Snape had only ever retaliated when provoked.
Suddenly, it didn't just seem like childish pranks any longer. He'd never really realized why Snape had always given off a particular scent that had nothing to do with hygiene.
Prey.
The wolf inside knew what his human mind had refused to admit to itself.
Sure, he knew that Sirius had gotten all those detentions a couple years ago for "endangering a student," but that was classic Sirius, always acting rashly before his brain could catch up with him. No one had ever believed he'd hurt someone seriously on purpose and though James remained suspiciously tight-lipped about it, it had blown over quickly.
It was only now that he understood who had been endangered and by what.
Remus was caught between the two biggest motivators in his life. The desire to be Just and Good and Make Things Right, and the desire not to lose his fellow Marauders, his first and only friends, forever.
Well shite, here I go sticking my snout into something that I definitely shouldn't.
Remus sighed. He was about to embark on a more difficult assignment than McGonagall's Transfiguration O.W.L essay gauntlet.
"I can't believe I'm going to do this," he muttered as he made his way back to Gryffindor tower, "And anyway, how the hell does one befriend Severus Snape?"
"Language!" the Fat Lady said, covering her ears with a grimace.
"Oh, sorry. Right then, Toad Droppings," Remus said, and the door swung open as The Fat Lady grumbled about how she ought to be able to screen the passwords before they went into effect.
Toad Droppings, indeed.
It was going to be a long month.
The parchment was strapped to the leg of a tiny speckled owl. It skidded down the Slytherin table and toppled a tower of muffins with a loud clatter.
Righting itself with a optimistic hoot, it hopped over to Severus and extended its leg.
He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped it wasn't bad news.
Please let dad have died in a gutter or conveniently disappear off the face of the earth. Please don't let mum be in hospital again.
His mum was the only person who he could imagine might send him an owl, but upon closer inspection, he noticed the tiny gold band.
Odd.
He touched it with his wand cautiously and tried to reveal any hidden curses and jinxes.
Nothing.
His eyes widened. So, a student had sent him an owl and it wasn't booby trapped?
He carefully untied the parchment and gave the owl one of his sausage links, which it took with glee. He had plenty more on his plate. They were too poor to have meat at home, and he was always anemic as a result. He unrolled it and curled the sides so that only he could read the message.
Avoid the lake today. Marauders planning to ambush you.
The note was hastily scrawled and it wasn't signed. Against his better judgement, Severus glanced at the Gryffindor table and received a wall of sneers and evil looks.
He was secretly glad that he'd gotten into Slytherin. At least his housemates generally allowed him to participate in House activities or at worst left him alone as long as he was polite. He couldn't imagine walking on eggshells, afraid of treading on a lion's tail. There were rumors that Sirius Black had dangled a second year Ravenclaw student from the top of the Astronomy Tower for stepping on his toe in the hallway.
He worried for Lily and hated that she seemed to have allowed herself to be brainwashed by her housemates.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
No, it had to be a trap. They'd just ambush him elsewhere. That meant the lake would be safe today. He'd go down and study after lunch. After all, if the magical weather in the Great Hall was any indication, it was going to be a beautiful day.
It was the worst day of Severus Snape's life. His friendship with Lily had imploded, leaving him well and truly alone.
It had been coming for quite some time, but it had happened in the worst possible way, far worse than anything that he could have imagined. It wasn't just that he'd been stripped from the waist down and nearly half his year had seen, but then she had smiled and even his own mouth betrayed him as he'd said that word.
He'd begged and pleaded even though he knew it would be no good, and she'd slammed the door on him.
I deserve this. I deserve all of it.
His thoughts had so fully fallen to pieces as his dark eyes filled with endless, unstoppable tears that he didn't notice the soft footfalls behind him.
"I warned you," a voice said softly and Severus whirled, his face contorted in a silent scream.
"Come on then," Remus said, flashing his Prefect badge, "I'll walk you back to the dungeons. After all, I'm on patrol."
"Well?" Severus said, glaring at the slightly shorter boy.
"Well, what?" Remus replied mildly, refusing to be intimidated. Both James and Sirius were taller than he was by at least a head already, so he had plenty of practice.
"Aren't you going to hurt me?"
Remus felt his eyes widen with surprise. This wasn't the normal, venomous Snivellus that his friends relished tormenting. This was a defeated boy, his eyes stained with tears. And his voice….it was the exact same as his own after his first transformation, dragging himself beaten and bloody to the bars of his cage and looking up at the frightened expression on his mother's face as she grasped the Muggle pistol that they'd loaded with silver bullets.
"No...Severus...I'm not going to hurt you," Remus said quietly.
Severus looked blankly back at him.
"You didn't think that I actually thought that your parents named you Snivellus, did you?" Remus replied, his eyebrows rising into his hairline.
"They should have," Severus replied, hiding behind curtains of dark greasy hair so that only his beak-like nose was visible.
Remus winced.
"If it makes you feel any better-"
"It won't."
"I was just going to say...I'm not very good at this sort of thing, but...I want to try and be your friend. I promise not to bite."
"That's...doubtful," Severus replied darkly.
"I've obviously wronged you. I want to make it up to you. No tricks, honest!" Remus held his hands up as though in surrender.
"Just get it over with and eat me already," Severus said, stopping and leaning back against the hallway, "I promise I won't even fight you."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Remus replied, "That's not what I meant by-"
"You didn't have any trouble before."
"That wasn't...that wasn't me."
The defeated tone in the Gryffindor Prefect's voice made Severus look up, his hair falling back from his face.
"I'm...I'm a coward," Remus said, looking at the floor as he leaned against the opposite wall, "I don't know why Dumbledore even gave me this blasted badge! I'm either a mindless monster or I'm practically letting my friends get away with...murder…"
"You said it, not me," Severus replied, his voice nearly a whisper.
"Well look at us, then," Remus replied, laughing with self pity, "The Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man. I suppose you're looking for a heart?"
"You can have it," Severus said, "It would make things simpler if I didn't have to feel anything."
Without warning, Peeves flew through the ceiling singing a rude song and making a motion with his backside that was obviously meant to simulate the act of breaking wind.
Tasty, Tasty!
Beans at night!
Much to Dumbledore's delight!
But beans, they've got their own Dark Art.
Gobble 'em down and then you FART!
They watched the retreating poltergeist and then stared each other incredulously for a long moment before both of them snorted with laughter.
"Come on, then," Remus said, "Chin up, and all that. It's not the end of the world."
"Says the guy with friends who hex first and ask questions later and the propensity to eat people who get too close to him," Severus replied derisively, "I guess at least now that I don't have any friends, I won't have to worry about losing them."
They walked in silence together down to the dungeons. Somehow, they didn't encounter another soul even though it wasn't late.
"I'm not going to thank you," Severus said when they'd reached the wall that hid the Slytherin common room.
"I guess I won't say that you're welcome, then," Remus replied, a sudden amused expression on his face.
"Maybe…." Severus trailed off, desperation in his eyes for a split second before he hid behind his hair again.
"Say, I know you don't want any friends, but...I tend to spend time in the library. Near the corner by the stuffed griffin's head," Remus said, dropping his voice low enough to avoid being overheard, "So...I mean, if you wanted to join me..."
"I've been known to study," Severus replied quietly, "Who knows? I may find myself nearby."
"You know, coming from you, that sounds almost like an offer of friendship," Remus said, grinning slightly.
"Well, who knows? Maybe if I do badly on the rest of my exams, you can just put me out of my misery," Severus replied, and the corner of his mouth tugged upward, if only slightly.
"Then they could change your name to Severus Snack," Remus replied with a snort.
"See? I knew there was a sense of humor under that goody-two-shoes exterior," Severus replied, crossing his arms.
"I'll see what I can do about getting the others to...lay off of you…" Remus said, unable to meet the Slytherin boy's dark eyes.
"Don't promise what you can't deliver, Lupin," Severus said, rolling his eyes.
"Call me Remus, please."
"Don't try too hard to be nice to someone like me either. You'll hurt yourself."
"Call me a sentimental fool, but I'm always nice to my friends," Remus said simply, and he raised his hand in a slight wave as he made his way back to the stairs to the first floor.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Severus said to to no one in particular before giving the new password (Gryffindorks Stink) and going straight up to bed, wondering exactly what he had done to deserve his life.
And the worst part was that even though he knew it was likely a trap, that Remus was not only a werewolf and a Marauder, but a Gryffindor to boot, the mere thought of being able to call someone friend again gave him a small flicker of hope in the pit of his stomach.
After all, what are a few flaws between friends?