Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.
Chapter 1 Who is June Potter?
A fashionista. That's what Molly called June, but after spending the summer with her, Sirius knew she was full of it. He was willing to tell anyone who would hear it. How that woman could simply brush off the fact that…
His goddaughter was absolutely bonkers.
Now, he had only met her a hand full of times, but each of those times, it seemed like he had met a different person. The only time he had met "the real" June was about two years ago and lasted all of two minutes. Every other time she was someone else.
June was playing a never ending game of dress up. Everyone seemed to be enamored by all of her costumes and skillful designs. Since her third year, there hadn't been one addition of Witch Weekly that didn't feature her. Witches and wizards wrote from all over the world to have a custom made June Potter outfit. He was the only one who saw something wrong with her strangeness. Well, he wasn't the only one…
"Who do you suppose you'll be picking up, Lupin?" Snivellus drawled in his typical superior tone. Sirius hated that he was included in Order meetings. "Saint Nick?"
Remus smiled nervously, as if he had to be afraid of Snape. "I rather liked the few times she imitated me, actually. Although I couldn't look at her with a straight face when she had the fake mustache on."
Snape rolled his eyes, but before Sirius could insult him, Dung spoke up. "I really don' know what yer all are talkin' about. Not once 'ave I seen her dress up. She's got a mouth on her though."
"You're telling me." Tonks shivered. She watched out for June when she wasn't working. "She told her aunt she was going to burn her alive a few weeks ago."
The entire table fell silent. Usually, when the meeting was over, there was a lot of meaningless chatter. The members would try to bring the cheerfulness back into their lives, despite the horrible future they were trying to prevent. Or perhaps that was why. One couldn't spend all of their time dreading and fearing.
Even Snape seemed to be in shock. June was sweet, overly excited, and although Sirius hated to admit it, a bit annoying. Never in a million years could he picture such a threat leaving her mouth.
Finally, Snape smirked. "So we finally know the real Juniper Potter."
Sirius was too stunned to say anything. What if he was right?
Her scruffy hair was cut short, like a boy's. That made it easier for her to wear wigs, since constantly charming her hair damaged it. Sirius couldn't recall ever seeing her without one.
She was angry with Ron and Hermione, which is why she wasn't talking to them. Actually, she wasn't doing much talking at all. She was more watching. A small smile touched her lips at the sight of Nymphadora. Sirius wondered if she was jealous of her.
"I don't think I've ever seen you without makeup on," Remus said awkwardly to break the ice. "Or at least without some sort of getup."
Large green eyes settled on Remus, taking him in and making him squirm in discomfort. The smile fell. "I didn't know you all were coming."
Her voice was a soft monotone, causing Sirius to start to worry even more. Was she upset with them? Or was this simply how she talked when she wasn't pretending to be someone else?
Remus forced himself to smile. "We worried about letters getting intercepted."
"Hmmm…" She went back to eating, or more like pushing her food around. "Is that why I hardly got any?"
It was a jab at them, or at least Sirius supposed it was. Again, her voice was flat. Her fork was to her lips, and Sirius saw something flash in her eyes before she opened her mouth and started eating. She regained complete control before he could try to decipher what it was.
"Oh well, deary…" Molly smiled sweetly. "You were asking… questions that-that you don't need to worry about. Leave it to the adults."
"Actually," Sirius tried, but as always, Molly cut in, as if this was her house, her goddaughter.
"They are just children," Molly pressed firmly. "There is no need—"
"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" June clenched her tiny fists. If Sirius didn't know any better, he'd say this wasn't June. The June he knew didn't yell or even get angry. He didn't even recognize her voice since it was raised.
No one else recognized her either. Sirius glanced at Hermione and Ginny whose mouths were hanging open. Even the twins looked afraid, but for June or Molly, he didn't know. The only one who didn't look surprised was Ron.
"You expect me to sit around with a fucking target on my back all summer and don't even have the decency to talk to me like a human being," June spat. "What? Do you think I'm some sniveling infant that shits her pants all day?"
Before anyone could react, June rose from her seat and stomped off. No one said a word, not even Sirius. Because in a way, he thought she was right.
Sirius was planning on talking to June the next morning. Molly was near tears, and her behavior was far from acceptable. He didn't want to admit that he was a little afraid. Everyone was.
But then…
They were concluding a morning Order meeting. The slime ball Snape was just leaving when in popped Princess June, and by princess, he meant princess.
"Oh, 'ello peasant!" she said cheerfully to Snape. She was wearing a tight black corset and a short leather skirt. There was even a silver crown nestled in her huge blonde wig that was billowing about her shoulders and styled in pigtails. The ruby in the center matched her lipstick and stiletto heels. "Are you joining us for breaking our fast?"
Snape rolled his eyes. "No, I prefer to eat without the stench of cheap perfume assaulting my nostrils."
"Cheap!" June erupted with laughter and slapped Snape on the shoulder. "The poor bloke can't distinguish fine fragrances from what he is forced to buy for his suitors! What a shame! What a shame! We really should make him a plate, even if someone of his class can't eat with us."
Snape muttered an insult under his breath that made June laugh loudly and then slunk off to the floo. Yet again, Sirius found himself speechless, even though this was typical June behavior. Every costume had its own personality.
With a kind, innocent smile that reminded him of James, June pulled a gold rose out of her hair and offered it to Molly. "I apologize for my dreadful behavior yesterday, my love. My summer holiday has truly been dreadful, but one should not take such things out on her loyal subjects!"
With the shaking hand, Molly took the rose, and, so quickly that Sirius jumped, June snatched her into a hug. She didn't let go until Molly returned her hug and closed her eyes as if pained, reminding Sirius of Lily when she hugged her mother before leaving for Hogwarts. Sirius felt a lump form in his throat. What was wrong with his goddaughter?
"June?" They were fixing up Grimmauld. Sirius couldn't put his worries into words until a few days later. He had to. Everyone else was used to June's constant personas. Her temper tantrum from her first night here was quickly forgiven.
"Yes?" She was wearing a Hogwarts uniform, but not her own. The badge on her sweater was Hufflepuff's. Her wig was a honey brown and curly. She wore no make-up and brown contact lenses. Compared to yesterday, when she was dressed up as an elderly woman who doted upon him, she was working very hard.
"Is everything alright?" he said slowly. "How are you feeling?"
She gave him a warm smile. "It's good to feel tired when you're working. It means you're doing a good job, that you put everything you've got into it."
"I d-don't mean physically," Sirius stuttered. "I-I'm worried about you."
She titled her head to the side. "Why? I'm very happy to be spending time with you, Sirius. You're very important to me."
Sirius was so touched that he almost pulled her into a hug and forgot about what he was trying to say. Then he saw the Hufflepuff badge. The real June wasn't talking to him. Or was she? In a way, everyone chooses how they want to present themselves. June simply does it in a more flamboyant way. Did she mean her words?
"I don't know what to say," Sirius said honestly. "June, I feel like I don't know you. I feel like no one does."
Her smile faltered. She saw his words as a rejection. "Fucking typical."
"Excuse me?" Sirius said in disbelief.
There was that flash again. The flash that he saw at dinner that night. "Why don't you go back to your booze? Fucking pig."
"Don't talk to me like that!" Sirius yelled, but it was already too late. June was gone.
"She goes to the library," Remus whispered as they sat down for that night's Order meeting. "When she's upset. You really should talk to her, Sirius."
"Why don't you?" he grumbled. He wasn't smart enough for mind games. He tried and obviously failed.
"I did," Remus said quietly. "She never lies when she's a Hufflepuff student. Because she's acting like a Hufflepuff. Honest, loyal, hardworking. She said she told you how important you are to her, and you said you don't know her enough to feel the same way."
Great. Sirius moaned and slammed his head on the table. "I was trying to talk to her about the dressing up. She was dancing around the subject. I thought she was just saying that to distract me!"
Realization filled Remus's eyes. "She's been through a lot. I think it's her way of coping with what happened during her first few years of Hogwarts. And Cedric's death. Her friend died, Sirius. She's angry."
"It's more than that," Sirius muttered just as Snivellus sat down across from him. This day just keeps getting better and better. "Can't you sit anywhere else? Like in the oven?"
Snape said nothing. In fact, he looked rather grim, not his usual smug, superior, grim either. He only spoke when spoken to the entire meeting. His reports weren't ended with his usual not so subtle hints that he was being useful while Sirius wasn't.
"Potter's hurt," he said gravely at the end of the meeting. "With that ridiculous royal getup, she usually wears a choker collar and boots to her knees, which were swollen the last I saw her. Makeup can only do so much."
Sirius rushed up the stairs without further explanation and ripped open the door to the room June shared with Hermione and Ginny. Hermione was reading, and Ginny was listening to music with a Muggle device called headphones. Both girls looked at him curiously, but not June. She was sound asleep cuddling with the fat stuffed stag he sent her for her birthday last year. She looked so peaceful and happy. Snape had to be wrong.
"Junebug?" Sirius asked lightly. Well, his voice cracked, so maybe not as lightly as he hoped. He hadn't called her that since she was a baby. "Can we talk?"
She was dressed as a construction worker as they painted a newly habitable spare room in Grimmuald. Like the stereotypical builder, she looked over her shoulder, leered at him, and elbowed Ginny. "The pretty one wants a word with me."
"June!"
"Think he'll put out?" June asked out the side of her mouth.
Ginny snickered. "Definitely."
"Juniper Lily Potter," Sirius somehow managed to growl even though he was sure his face was getting redder by the minute.
With a dramatic sigh, she put her paint roller down. "Men!"
When she didn't budge, Sirius announced that there were cookies in the kitchen to get rid of the Weasleys. Luckily, Hermione took the hint and followed. "I'm sorry. About the other day. I love you, June. I am worried about you though." He looked at her neck, but it seemed perfectly fine to him. Her knees were hidden under the baggy construction outfit. "Are you okay?"
She gave him a curious look before tipping down her helmet, placing a shadow over her eyes. "I'm alright."
The lie was so obvious that Sirius almost wanted to laugh. She most certainly was not okay, but Sirius didn't know what was even wrong or how to go about asking her. He missed out on so much, including learning how to talk to her. Honesty had to be the key. "I have a bad feeling."
That was something for her to latch on to. Like a switch was flipped, she went back to her persona. "Actually…" She took an unused cigarette out of her mouth and started chewing on it. Sirius had a feeling she would brush her teeth several times after she was done with it. "There has been something that's been on mind, pretty boy. What if I lose this trial?"
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked dumbly. She always knew how to throw him for a loop.
"You got a spare bed I can crash in?" She picked up her paint roller again so she wouldn't have to look at him. "I'd rather be here than with the Muggles."
"Of course!" Sirius said without thinking. Screw Dumbledore. "That's it?"
She nodded and didn't say anything. Her grip tightened on the paint roller, and Sirius thought she was going to leave it at that. Construction workers didn't spin around and practically knock over their godfathers with a bone crushing hug. Apparently this one did.
Sirius should've been elated at the idea. Number Twelve was dreadfully boring at best, and life could never be boring with June. So what had his bad feeling become even worse?
The next morning was June's trial. Sirius stared at his coffee cup, which Dung had snuck a splash of whisky in when Molly wasn't looking. He had barely slept since she had arrived not long ago. He had to confront her about his now somewhat worse worries, but the problem was he never knew who he was speaking to.
"June…" The hours he had spent thinking of what to say were quickly forgotten. All of the words died on his lips. June was dressed up like he was… when he first escaped Azkaban.
Somehow, she put on makeup to make her cheeks look hollow and her eyes look sunken in. Her black wig had a few streaks of white in it, and she even mimicked is tattoos. She wore his prison serial number like a giant necklace. At the sight of him, she started laughing crazily, like he did in his mugshot.
"What a fool they've made me out to be!" she said loudly. So the trial was going to go well…
"I don't know if this is a good idea," Remus said nervously.
With another laugh, she sat at her usual place across from Sirius. "You just don't know the truth, Moony."
"About that…" Sirius paused. He felt like he spent half the summer trying to figure out what to say to June. And he was always too little too late. Molly stared as she put a heaping plate in front of June.
"Deary," she chided, "your breasts are too exposed." Sirius started choking on his coffee. He hadn't even noticed that her loose button up striped shirt wasn't buttoned up at all in that area, revealing her black bra. June was unfazed. "Do you think this is appropriate for your hearing?"
June ate with gusto, like the starving man he was when he was on the run. "I don't care about propriety! I care about revenge!"
"Because that ended so well for Sirius." Remus winced and wouldn't look at him. "There's still time to change, June."
She shook her head and shoved three slices of bacon in her mouth. Was he really that disgusting back then? "I can't. I have to protect June!"
With too much energy for morning, June jumped out of her seat and left to go brush her teeth. Molly bustled after her, trying to get her to button up her shirt.
Fred elbowed George. "I bet Mum's not going to call her an artist anymore."
George snickered. "I think little Junie would like being called a scarlet woman!"
"What's her home life like?" Sirius practically yelled. He couldn't take it anymore. Something wasn't right, and there was no more time for subtitles.
The twins stopped being so giddy, but it was Ron who spoke up. "She had bars on her windows when we picked her up before second year."
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"Because of that house elf," George said gravely. "Dobby set her up and made it look like she used magic. But we were more focused on why the house elf did it instead of the bars."
"She doesn't like them," Ron said, for once not talking with his mouth full. "Her cousin reminds her of Malfoy, and they really don't like magic. That's really about all I've got."
"Bye!" June yelled from a distance. Sirius jumped when he heard the front door slammed. He would ask her tonight. But would she answer?
June waved at the crowd of reporters, using her whole arm and putting on her biggest smile. Crazy or not, people still loved her. Fudge could stuff it. He wasn't going to silence her.
People were scared. They didn't want to believe Voldemort had returned. No one in their right mind would. June would have refused to believe it if it wasn't for Cedric. She wouldn't disrespect him in such a way.
"June! June!" A megaphone was in her face. "What inspired your outfit? Are you afraid of going to jail?"
"Would you rather go to jail than be expelled?"
"Is it true that you want to be expelled?"
June smiled and stopped, ignoring Mr. Weasley tugging at her arm. What she wanted was a home, a family. She didn't want to be living in dread once the weather started to get warm. She didn't want to be afraid when her uncle came home or when the house wasn't up to her aunt's standards. She wanted to feel safe.
And she felt safe with Sirius. "No." Her smile widened. She had thought about doing something with her teeth to resemble Sirius's from two years ago, but she didn't want the bad taste in her mouth all day. That seemed to be a good call. For some reason, everyone thought she was beautiful. "I want to bring awareness to the predicament of my godfather, Sirius Black!"
For the first time she could ever remember, the reporters became silent. The only sounds that caught her attention were the clicking of heels as Ministry woman walked by and the occasional flash of a camera.
Mr. Weasley tugged on her arm again, but June didn't care. This past summer she had been scared for her life, and it wasn't for the first time. Vernon's hands around her neck…. Those hours after Dudley returned from the hospital…
June swallowed, feeling her smile faltering. She shouldn't think about those things. She wasn't that skinny, short haired, ugly little girl at Number Four. She was so much better. "He's innocent. I've spent all summer with him and am perfectly fine!"
That made the reporters find their voice. She answered all their questions and told Sirius's story. And she was only fifteen minutes late for her trail.
Witch Weekly called her the Wizarding World's Darling. They had to listen to her. They just had to.
"They…" They were supposed to listen to her. They were going to demand Sirius had a trial, and Fudge would listen. Then, life would be prefect. June stared blankly at the wall. She was at Snape's house. She couldn't go to Grimmauld, which was supposed to be her new home, with Sirius.
"What did you think was going to happen, Potter?" Snape boomed. June never took him seriously. Somehow, she knew he wasn't as hateful as he seemed. He was all talk and no bite. Maybe it was because she got on his nerves so much. If he was truly as horrible as he made himself out to be, he surely would have killed her in a fit of rage by now. "All your adoring fans would demand that Black be given a fair trial?"
"Yes, actually." June drew her knees to her chest. "People love me."
"People love to ogle at you." Snape pointed his wand to his tea set, which started heading for the kitchen. "And why did you use your platform for Black instead of speaking of the Dark Lord?"
"I don't know," June lied as she drew her knees to her chest. She thought she was going to lose today. If she would lose, she would have to go back to Number Four, forever. Dumbledore was in charge of things, not Sirius. That was all she could think about last night, what life would be like there for the next three years.
"What happened to your knees?" Snape was observant. She supposed it went along with being a teacher. Fabric irritated them. She learned that the day she left Private Drive wearing jeans. So did the makeup, but not as much. The stinging that eventually went away was better than the constant rubbing.
"I fell," she lied again.
"Then why hide it to the point of infection?" he drawled.
"How long am I staying here?" she asked.
Snape narrowed his eyes but didn't push it. "There's disinfectant in the bathroom. You're staying here for the rest of the summer."
"What did you do to my son?" Vernon roared, as usual sending spit flying everywhere. After hours of pretending she wasn't devastated at the thought of being expelled, June was too angry to care.
"I saved his fucking life!" she screamed. "And instead of getting a metal from fucking PETA for saving a pig, I get served!"
She shrieked when he backhanded her, but it wasn't like she wasn't expecting it. Words were only thrown back and forth with Petunia. She kicked him when he started dragging her towards the kitchen, but it was like a kitten pouncing on a water buffalo.
Like a ragdoll, he tossed her into the kitchen and took out the bag of gravel. She glared at him until he poured it on the ground. "Kneel."
The last time she refused he broke her nose. At the emergency room, he told them that she and Dudley were rough housing and that he became alarmed when it wouldn't stop bleeding. In reality, he was worried about the neighbors hearing her scream a constant flow of curses at him. She was ugly enough already.
June complied and settled for the silent treatment. Since Dudley couldn't see the dementors, he wanted her to confess to some horrible, made up crime. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.
"You're going to stay here until you tell me what really happened," he spat. "Ugly little bitch."
The stones were already digging into her knees. She couldn't use anymore magic and ruin her chances at her trail. Uncle Vernon didn't give up until a few hours later when he wanted to go to bed.
June woke up with a start. After a moment, she realized that she was in Snape's shabby guest room, and not her messy room at Number Four. There was a suitcase at her feet, and she found herself scrambling to it. She wanted to escape into the eyeshadow and glitter.
The suitcase was full of plain clothes, jeans, sweatpants… Her wigs were missing, and so was her make up. Everything was dreadfully ordinary. There was nothing abnormal about it.
"Where's my stuff?" she yelled in a panic. She couldn't get dressed like this.
Like a shadow, Snape loomed in her doorway, as dour as ever. "This is all you need."
"I have orders to send out," June said incredulously. "You can't—"
"Oh but I can." Snape made that weird face that would've been a smile on anyone else. "Why would I give you the crutch that landed you here in the first place?"
He left before June could insult him. How could she survive without her precious accessories?
The brat was on a hunger strike. Severus didn't care. Then a day went by. Then another. Potter's water only diet unnerved him, and he made the mistake of letting slip at the Order meeting. Now he had a mutt bursting through his floo as he tried to return.
"What the—LEAVE!" Severus shouted when he heard a whoosh followed by a bark.
Potter turned away from the decades old television, which she somehow got to work after kicking it and calling it a "motherfucking piece of pig shit." She stared at it day and night, no matter what was on. "Padfoot!" The dog barked. "Are you staying?"
Finally the monster revealed himself and changed into his true form. "Only if you eat, Junebug."
At the same time, Severus yelled, "No!"
"I need my things back," Potter said casually.
"You aren't getting so much as a damned earring back," Severus roared. He had to suppress the urge to stomp his foot like a child. With a growl, he turned to Black. "Dolores Umbridge will be here in three days."
Of course Black didn't care. "She hasn't eaten in two days."
"I can go for eight," Potter said with the same infuriatingly casual tone. "Maybe twelve if I conserve my energy."
That explained the television. Severus wanted to know how she knew how long she could go without food. The only subject she could be bothered with was History, which was how she drew inspiration for a lot of her costumes. Should he push it?
"Actually Gandhi survived three weeks," he drawled. "Where are your numbers coming from, Potter?"
Potter look at him coolly. "Two more weeks until school starts."
Severus decided to declare war on Potter. For the next two days, he was constantly bringing in fresh baked goods all morning, cooking bacon around lunch time, and bringing home takeaway in the evening. His house smelled horrendous. Potter hadn't eaten, even though he had stunned the freeloading mutt and put him in a warded cage.
"I will stop feeding it," Severus promised, gesturing to Black, who had taken to howling nonstop. The stupid dog deserved it for refusing to leave his house.
Potter looked terrible. Of course Dolores Umbridge was supposed to check in tomorrow. He was supposed to be providing a safe and healthy environment to the little heathen.
She drummed her fingers on the table, not looking at the huge steak placed in front of her. "I'll shit in your bed and feed him while you're cleaning it, you spineless worm."
Severus had a feeling it wasn't the hunger talking. Normally, his taunts didn't faze her at all and either she didn't respond or laughed at him. Black was the key to getting her to eat. "The wards will burn you."
Her pale, sickly face turned bright red. Here we go… Lily's temper combined with the brat's upbringing. "I'll tell that cow they're sending over that you aren't letting me eat! It won't be easy sucking off Voldemort in Azkaban now would it?"
He rose from his seat, and she immediately started cowering, reminding him of his suspicions and why he hadn't sent her to Hogwarts in a box by now. Black snarled from his cage but yelped a moment later when he tried to throw himself against it and was harmed by the wards.
She talked like that because she felt threatened. There was no disguise to hide behind, and the thought of being herself terrified her. She hated herself so much that she projected her feelings of self-loathing onto others.
"You've been beaten to the point of unconsciousness, haven't you?" he said coldly.
That was the last straw for Juniper Potter. The truth hurt, especially for a pretender. "You're a pathetic excuse for a man who gets his rocks off making children miserable. Does it feel good to pick on someone a fraction of your age? What happened to you? Did someone pull your pants down at school and expose your peanut size dick to the world?"
Black was barking nonstop from his cage, and Severus never wanted to throttle her more. The only reason that he didn't was because he had a feeling that that was what she wanted. Because then his question would be forgotten.
"Black will eat when you eat," he said with indifference. "And don't think I won't leave him here when term starts."
Potter's eyes filled with tears, but she wasn't going to let one slip in front of him. As she ran for her room she screamed, "Pig fucker!"
Albus must've given Lupin access to his floo. Later that night, the wolf found him drinking in his kitchen, surrounded by an impossible amount of food and Black in a cage.
"I can't say I'm not surprised." Stupid wolf. "Although, I am surprised that Sirius is still alive."
Severus took another sip of his brandy. The Silencing Charm on Black was beginning to wear off again. "She has been screaming for years, Lupin. And no one heard because she was putting pretty outfits on instead of calling people pig fuckers."
"Wha…" He shushed Black, the source of his two day long headache, but it was to no avail. "Is this about her first year? Or the Chamber of Secrets? Or—"
"How many "ors" are you going to add Lupin?" Severus complained. "And no. I'm talking about Lily's relatives."
Lupin could barely hear him and flicked his wand at Black's cage. With another yelp, Black was out of the cage. His nails made wretched noises as he skittered across the kitchen floor in search of Potter. "What do you mean?"
"They beat her that's what I mean," Severus said simply.
Lupin stuttered several times and then shook his head. "She would've said something."
"To who? The flakey werewolf who she knew for less than a year?" Or her Potions professor, who treats her like dirt. Severus poured himself another glass of brandy. "She needs to be removed from their custody."
"That explains her stunt at the Ministry," Lupin mumbled. Severus had almost forgotten about it after the awful past few days. Was that her way of getting out? Black be declared innocent, and they live happily ever after? The little fool. "Are you going to tell Umbridge?"
Ah yes. At this point, Severus would rather kiss that fat toad than deal with Potter. He rubbed his temples at the thought of her visit that was mere hours away. "No. I'll be too busy dealing with Potter. At Hogwarts, I used to think she couldn't be anymore horrid."
"I…" Lupin couldn't handle this development. His normal sickly complexion was now grey and mouth hung open as he tried to comprehend what he had just learned. "She's so sweet. How could anyone hurt someone so sweet?"
Severus laughed at the thought. As sweet as a sugar cane impaled in someone's eye. But what came first? Potter's wretchedness or her mistreatment? The answer was obvious. "The summer is almost over. I'll speak to Albus, but there's no rush to make something happen. Perhaps she can get emancipated. She'll be nearly sixteen next summer."
"I-I…" And Lupin was the smart one of his friends. "I'll tell Albus. M-Molly will know what her favorite food is…"
And like that he was on his own… With Black and Potter.
June woke up snuggling with something furry. Something that smelled like dust and firewhiskey. Her eyes flung open. Padfoot!
Otherwise, she didn't move so he wouldn't wake him. He was out of his cage…
Was it some sort of truce? Snape wasn't one to make truces. Ever. If he let Padfoot out, well… June didn't know what it meant. She just knew it was something big, something she couldn't ignore. Snape being nice? She was going to have to give in a little herself.
Well, not completely. She found something she could use to make an outfit when Snape was off doing whatever he does, Snape stuff. But what Snape didn't know couldn't hurt him.
Severus woke up with a horrible hangover. He couldn't remember the last time he drank this much. With a groan, he glanced at the clock and realized it was almost eleven. Umbridge was supposed to be here in less than two hours. Since her visit wasn't something to look forward to, the only motivation he had to force himself out of bed was a crash in the kitchen. He had forgotten about Black after Lupin ran off…
Although he had trouble keeping his eyes open, he entered the kitchen with his wand drawn. Black was about to have an unfortunate "accident."
But Black wasn't the cause of the crash. He was sitting at the table, biting his nails. Potter was the one who was making an absolute mess.
"It's hard to cook when you're surrounded by food," she muttered without looking at him. Black had an untouched plate full in front of him, and she had just placed on in his usual seat. Without another word, she poured herself some juice and started nibbling on toast.
Severus lowered his wand, but only slightly. What kind of game was she playing now? "Is this about Umbridge?"
"No."
"It's because you let me out," Black said nervously, silently begging him to go along with it. So that was what got Potter to break her hunger strike. She didn't know about the visit from the cowardly wolf.
"You were getting on my nerves." If Umbridge wasn't due to arrive soon, he wouldn't have, although it would be childish not to. Lying quelled Potter's anger and almost brought her back to her old self. For now anyway. "Be on your best behavior for Umbridge, Potter. No cursing."
Black breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief. "Okay, Junebug. I wanted to talk about last night."
Smooth Black. Real smooth. Potter stopped just as she was about to dig into her scrambled eggs. "Someone's coming over soon, Padfoot. You have to leave. In fact, I have to get ready."
She pushed her plate away and rushed off to get ready, even though there was plenty of time. Severus had to say it was a vast improvement from her previous, headache inducing behavior, but of course Black was set to ruin it and tried to follow her. He relished in the pitiful yelp the dog let out when Severus grabbed his arm and yanked him back in his seat.
"We know her secret," Severus said quietly until he heard the shower start. "The foul mouthed little demon act is a defense mechanism. Don't put her in a mood now, or Umbridge will ship her right back to the Muggles."
Thankfully, Black had enough self-control to realize the severity of the situation. He clamped his mouth shut and finally left.
She kept her promise to not act like a foul mouthed Neanderthal when Umbridge arrived. She only dressed like one. Somehow, she found one of Severus's father's old suits that he hadn't burned when the old man died. She did want she could to make it fit her properly in the few hours between breakfast and Umbridge's arrival, but she still looked ridiculous.
But, thankfully, not a foul word left her lips. She looked down at Umbridge as she asked her questions about Black and refused to answer any of them. No one could force her, and Severus thought that Umbridge was simply going to have to endlessly reschedule until the beginning of term. Then she got on Potter's nerves.
"You aren't going to answer any questions?" she asked sweetly. "If not, the Ministry is going to have to send an auror with you for when you return to your aunt and uncle."
Potter tried to hold back a grin. When she opened his mouth, somehow she managed to be as rude as his father without knowing anything about him. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Unlike you, my mouth occasionally closes."
He was wondering when the migraine he had since her arrival would return. He thought today would be paradise compared to the others, since Black had finally left when Umbridge arrived. At least she had yet to curse.
It seemed that Umbridge didn't understand that the joke was geared towards her weight. She thought that Potter was sweetly, but not so sweetly, trying to tell her to shut up. Such ridiculousness was her specialty. "Is that a no?"
Potter leaned back in her chair, and since she was in the mothball smelling suit, adopted the air of a bored business man. "Now listen here Grimace, my life is in your big, meaty, sausage fingered hands. I get that. That's why you laugh when you make the subtle threats of truth serum and start drooling at the thought of me quaking in my loafers—"
"The Ministry's duty is to keep its people safe," Umbridge pressed. Then she giggled and made one of her threats. "And it seems Mr. Diggory's unfortunate, accidental death has unhinged you, Juniper. We simply want to give you the help that you need."
Potter pursed her lips to keep herself from replying. Her face twitched when she was trying to hold back her temper. Severus wondered if the only reason she was actually trying was because she had a role to act out. With a glance at Severus, she went back to saying nothing.
"How is her behavior?" the toad asked him. Severus kept his face blank as he considered how to answer. "Have you been screening her letters?"
"She hasn't written any," Severus said calmly. "She spends most of her time watching television."
"In a current state of depression," Umbridge said as she wrote. "How are her eating habits and sleeping habits? General behavior."
"Fine," Severus growled. "Anything else?"
"No." Umbridge giggled as she brought up what got Potter to speak in the first place. "I'll have her delivered to her aunt and uncle in a few days."
"Hey!" Potter yelled. "Do I threaten to take you to a fitness class? I'm not going back to the Muggle's just like you aren't going on a date any time soon!"
"We'll see," Umbridge simpered.
Severus counted to ten after the vile woman left before he demanded, "What the hell was that?"
Potter gestured to the television. "Al Bundy from Married with Children."
Divide and conquer. That's what Albus had said in his letter this morning. He wanted to separate Fudge and Umbridge, so he could convince Fudge that Potter was safer here because of the threat of Black. Still, Severus wanted to tear his hair out. "You didn't think to explain why you didn't want to go back?"
Potter looked at him coolly. "I didn't curse. That's all you asked at breakfast this morning."
"Potter…" He had never told a soul why he didn't want to go home. Not even Lily knew the full extent of it. Who was he to say she was being stupid? "Go finish your homework."
Potter narrowed her eyes and studied him for a moment. Then, she rose from her seat and ran off without a thank you. They were more alike than he was willing to admit.
"What are we going to do?" Sirius cried as he paced Dumbledore's office. If he sat still, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold in his rage and would start breaking things. The Weasleys were broke. Remus was a werewolf. He was on the run. There was no way he was going to let his goddaughter spend her summers with Snape.
"She could get emancipated," Remus said weakly. Or he could paralyze Petunia and Vernon. Then they couldn't hurt his goddaughter. Sirius decided not to voice those thoughts. Dumbledore kept him on a short enough leash as it was. "Technically she's a business owner. So she has a stable income. James left her plenty of property. There's no reason—"
"Except for the fact that Cornelius is feeling particularly unreasonable," Dumbledore muttered. "It took me nearly an hour to explain to him that hiding June's location would be safer than sending her back to the Dursleys. We have to make him believe that Voldemort is alive."
Was this turning into a bloody Order meeting?! "I don't give a flying fuck about Voldemort!" Sirius shouted. "Fudge isn't going to believe us unless he sees the maniac with his own eyes! I'm not waiting until Voldemort feels he's ready to start showing off!"
"We will try," Dumbledore insisted. "I am simply stating the facts, Sirius. It might not be enough. Especially without June's… cooperation."
"What the bloody hell do…?" But Sirius knew exactly what he meant. June had been hiding this her entire life. Hell, she had yet to admit it. He had no idea what even happened, just that she was hurt this summer by her so called relatives. "Surely she'll…"
"We'll have to get her to talk to us," Remus said gravely. He was an odd grey color, and although this had all transpired in one, long, agonizing day, he looked like he hadn't slept in several. "If she could just tell someone… Anyone."
"It's going to take time." Dumbledore sighed, and for once, Sirius had the feeling there wasn't some hidden agenda that had to do with Voldemort. June was never herself, and in a way, was never honest. Perhaps getting Voldemort to appear in front of Fudge truly would be easier. "We have to figure out how to make her feel safe even with Voldemort and the Ministry… and the Dursleys. I'm sorry, boys, but I'm not entirely sure what to do."
Sirius didn't want to leave. Hours ticked by with plans made that always had too many holes in them. As much as he wanted to simply make the Dursleys disappear, he knew (okay Remus yelled it to him) that then they would have no control over where June went. There was absolutely no hope.
The beginning of the school year wasn't complete unless Malfoy tortured him in some way. Neville learned to accept it. Malfoy was better with wand work. He was popular enough to have a laughing crowd around him. If he did his best not to react, Malfoy eventually got bored and left.
"Wait until my father hears about this!"
Neville stopped his hobbling through the Leg Locker Curse and nearly fell over. That wasn't Malfoy's haughty voice. It was June's.
Her eyes were Malfoy's grey, and she had a short white blonde that was slicked back like his. For the first time ever, he saw her in Slytherin robes. She looked at Malfoy just like he looked at everyone else, causing him to take a step back. The laughter turned nervous and then started to die down.
"Truly pathetic." June sneered at him and sauntered over to the git. "Taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. One would think sure barbarity is beneath a Malfoy."
"E-e-excuse me?" Because she was so unpredictable, Malfoy preferred to laugh at June from afar. But he still laughed at her, and June never seemed to care. Meanwhile, Neville was often too afraid to so much as look at Malfoy. June was everything he wasn't.
"Are you really a Malfoy?" Her tone implied that she didn't believe he was. "Malfoys are supposed to be better. What about you is so great?"
"Potter!" At the sight of Snape, a good chunk of the crowd left, and Neville fell flat on his arse. Usually, they stuck around for the show, but the look on Snape's face even sent Slytherins running.
June gazed at him coolly. "Professor."
Snape grabbed her arm and started dragging her away without another word. No one dared to follow, but as soon as everyone was gone, Neville spend a few minutes taking off the curse before following.
Normally, he never went near the Dungeons unless absolutely necessary, but even though they didn't spend much time together, he considered June his best friend. He didn't want Snape to hurt her.
He held his breath as he crept towards Snape's office and suddenly felt rather foolish. He should have gotten someone who actually could do something. He was too weak, which why he didn't truly have any friends, and no one took him seriously. Only June really gave him the time of day.
"What are you doing?" Snape hissed. "I told you on the train to stop doing this!"
Snape was on the train? And what was he doing talking to June? He had no right to tell her what to do.
"I'm done being nice!" June snapped. Well that explained why she was dressed as Malfoy, compared to last year when she dressed up as Professor Lupin for the first day of school. "You said to stop letting people hurt me!"
"I said…" Snape took a moment to control his voice, something Neville thought he'd never hear him do. "I said to stop hiding behind the personas and to make sure there wasn't a repeat of this summer. Stop hearing what you what to hear!"
"Stop acting like you care," June grumbled. Neville never remembered her ever taking Snape seriously enough to have a conversation with him. Her detentions were often earned from her laughing at him. "Tell Dumbledore to bug off."
There was a tense silence that made Neville wonder if Snape was hurting her. He'd never do something like that with Dumbledore around, right? "I am trying to help you, Potter—"
"FUCK OFF!"
Neville froze as June stormed out of Snape's office. Of course she saw him and stopped in her tracks. He had never seen such hurt in her eyes. She was always laughing and making jokes, being kind. She was never angry or scared.
Or maybe she was. She offered him no explanation and left him standing there in shock.
"Why'd you dress up as Malfoy of all people?" Ron asked between bites of an apple. June groaned as Hermione made a noise of disgust. Today she was just a Ravenclaw with long, poker straight black hair and icy blue eyes. She though that her friends would get the hint that she wanted to hide behind a book today. "Did you want to know what it felt like to be a human ferret?"
They were enjoying one of the last not freezing days in the grass. June put a History of Magic book over her face. She had totally embarrassed herself in front of Neville. "He always picks on Neville on the first day of classes. I wanted him to know what it felt like."
"You should have let Ginny hex him instead," Hermione said from behind her textbook. "Now Snape thinks he can push you around." She shivered. "I can't imagine how horrible it was to live with him."
Neville heard her curse at Snape. June didn't want him to know that she cursed. She wanted him to think she was sweet and funny and someone everyone loved. "It was my fault."
June sat up. She felt like a zombie lately. The only time she could think clearly was when she had a sharp pain in her chest. Then she could only think about how she wasted the last few years, how stupid she was, and how everyone had to think she was touched in the head.
"I have to go," she mumbled. Being a nameless Ravenclaw student wasn't cutting it today. She had to do something big.
Neville was completing an extra credit Herbology assignment when he spotted her. He was looking for a particular type of moss when he looked up, and there she was, sitting in a tree with arms spread out like an eagle and her face titled towards the sun. And that wasn't the strangest thing about her.
She was… green. Her skin was green, and her eyeshadow and her lipstick were a much darker shade. Her clothes and wig were dark brown, like bark. And she was talking to the sun… Maybe she really was starting to lose it.
"I feel like I'm dying." Her eyes were closed as she let the sun warm her. That was one thing, well, the only thing, he didn't like about June. He never knew what was her staying "in character" and what was actually her. "… I'll do anything."
"Are you okay?" Neville asked before he could stop himself. Then, he was rewarded with a gasp, and June falling out of the tree.
She wasn't very high up. At least he didn't have to beat himself up about that. The fact didn't comfort him much, however, because her leg scraped against a branch on her way down, resulting in the skin being torn open. Now she was going to hate him for sure.
"Oops…" June combed some leaves out of her wig. Hopefully she didn't hit her head too. She flashed him a smile that didn't quiet reach her eyes. "You scared me!"
Neville couldn't take his eyes off the welling blood. She was acting like it didn't even hurt. "I-I-I'll take you to the Hospital Wing!"
"No, no…" She shakily rose to her feet and dusted herself off. "I've had enough of adults, haven't you? And school's just started…"
Something was off about her, but Neville felt like he was intruding, that he didn't deserve to know. He wasn't someone great like Ron or Hermione. They were capable of helping her. Still, he had to do something, since he hurt her. "It'll scar."
Like a switch had been flipped, all of the sudden June wanted to go to the Hospital Wing.
"What happened?" Snape barked. Somehow, he was there within moments of Neville taking June to the Hospital Wing.
June frowned as she applied a paste from Madame Pomfrey to her inner thigh. "Are you spying on me?"
"What are you wearing?!" he yelled. It was the first time Neville realized that she wasn't wearing much. A dark brown bra to match her wig and matching shorts that could barely be called shorts. In his mind, the green body paint was like another layer of clothing. He turned to Neville when he realized he was staring. "Longbottom, leave."
"I'm a plant," June said calmly. "I'm a little inspired by Poison Ivy, but not completely. It's your fault for having a television."
Snape's fault? As in June was at his house?! And lived to tell the tale?! Snape clenched his fists. "I'm not playing your games, Potter. If our arrangement is to continue, there are rules—"
"You're not my dad!" That out of character temper returned. "And if you think—"
Yet again Snape dragged her away, but Neville was too petrified to follow. Well, he was able to make one step forward until Snape turned around and gave him a death stare. Neville's legs suddenly felt like stone. He truly was pathetic.
"You are not leaving until you scrub it off." Once again she was in Snape's office. June wished he would just forget about her. It was bad enough she had Sirius to worry about.
"Oh give up on the overprotective dad bit!" June snapped. "It's cringey on sitcoms, and it's even worse in real life."
"You watched television for three weeks, Potter," Snape drawled. "Now you're some sort of expert?"
The telly was her escape those three weeks. She didn't have to think about or feel anything. She never thought she'd say that she wished she could go back to Snape's house. "This isn't looking good for your Death Eater gag, dragging me around to everywhere but Voldemort."
"Gag?" he repeated in outrage. "You very life depends on this-this gag. I am trying to help you, Potter! How many times do I have to say it? This lost feeling you have isn't going to go away, no matter how many times you bury it! The hair, the contacts, the damned body paint! It's all a fucking act!"
So three weeks of watching her stare at the telly when he wasn't busy meant he knew her? June was sick of everyone trying to change her. She could change herself. "Why the FUCK do you care? You hate me! Summer's over! Leave me the fuck alone!"
But Snape was an actor, just like her, and he was cruel, just like her. "You will end up right back at that house acting like this. Do you know how much I was risking having you in my home for nearly a month?"
If he hated her, he would have sent her right back to Number Four. Part of June wanted to believe that, but she knew better. Dumbledore made him. He cared about her about as much as Vernon did. He probably thought she was ugly too. "Stop acting like a goddamned martyr. I'm not Dumbledore. You have nothing to prove."
"You have an opportunity that not many get," Snape said cryptically. "If I hated you, I wouldn't have exposed your little secret, Potter. You have the chance to get out of this vicious cycle, and you are squandering it."
"What?" June said dumbly. There was nothing else she felt she could say. Never, ever would Snape admit to not hating someone. He might as well have told her he loved her. Then she thought about this summer, when Snape let Sirius out.
Even before that, he went out of his way to try to get her to eat. Yes, he did it the sadist's way by surrounding her with bacon and sweets, but he still tried. She never took Snape's dark and boding personality seriously, but she never thought of him as someone who tried. In fact, that was part of why she thought he was the way he was. He never wanted to try.
Now she saw that she was very, very wrong. June cleared her throat. Her words and thoughts were sloppily jumbling together. "How-what did you mean by an opportunity that not many get?"
He tensed, confirming her theory. "I meant that you're an idiot, Potter. Are you so arrogant that you would rather go back to that hellhole than admit you were wrong?"
So they were going back to their old ways. June felt terrible. That suit that she borrowed… He knew it wasn't Snape's. She also knew that there was a picture of his mother in his room, but not his father. When he was gone, she did more than watch the telly.
"It wasn't there," she admitted. "It started here. In the Dungeons. So you're wrong. I don't get dressed up because of them."
His black eyes narrowed. He looked annoyed with her like he usually did, like they were in the classroom, and she said something obnoxious. "So now you're blaming me for the utter insanity you've been immersing yourself in?"
"No." June gulped. She never told anyone this, but in a way, she felt like she was talking to herself. "You weren't there. We thought Malfoy was the heir of Slytherin and so… Hermione made us Polyjuice. I was Pansy. It was the first time I was someone else and…" She paused. It was like Snape wasn't there. She stared right through him as her eyes filled with tears that she forced herself to smile through. "I felt wonderful."
She had never felt so safe in her life. Hogwarts was her home, but she never felt safe. She never was safe because she was Juniper Bloody Potter. Well she didn't have to be June Potter if she didn't want to be. She could have home and safe just like everyone else.
For that brief hour, she was someone else. It was the best hour of her life. She had to recreate it. She didn't have to be the ugly little worthless brat who caught lice at preschool and had her head shaved over the sink to protect Dudley. She didn't have to be the thing Vernon looked at in disgust when he came home from work, the goldfish faced pig that Dudley and his friends laughed at. The snake speaking scapegoat that her classmates kept their distance from.
They both had said too much, and as a result, they both wanted to escape. However they were both stubborn. Snape pointed his wand to the left and didn't say a word until the bottle arrived. "This will get that ridiculous paint off."
The stunt in the tree had not been one of her smartest. Somewhere between dressing up as Gilderoy Lockhart for a month and dressing up as Sirius for her trial. She just had felt so numb since the school year had started. She thought the crazier the persona the better she would feel. And what was crazier than pretending she was a plant woman who worshipped the sun?
Maybe she wouldn't be so angry if she was honest with herself. She didn't know who she was anymore.
Almost reluctantly, she took the bottle. "Thank you."
"Her leg's alright though?" was all Black had to say when Severus was done telling him of the past two wonderful days. Stupid dog.
Severus gritted his teeth. After giving his cloak to an elf to give to Potter, he had firecalled the dumb dog to inform him of the results of his stupidity. "Why did you send her things? I thought you agreed that it was better for her to stop this."
For a moment, Black had the decency to look guilty. "She said she had customers that she had to make outfits for or she'd have to pay them back. If she loves making the clothes… I don't want to take that away from her."
"She is a child!" Severus snapped. "And you still fell for her trap! I am trying my best to be patient with her but—"
"Dumbledore said he'd send her back to you," Black said worriedly. "If we can't work anything out by the end of the school year."
"Lovely," Severus drawled.
"Will you take her in?" Black laughed bitterly, causing the flames to flicker. "I'd never thought I'd see the day where I would want you to… But I want her to be safe. Even if you pretend to take her in and then she goes back to this hell hole with me."
Never in all his years did he think Black would be asking him for a favor. He told himself that the only reason he cared was because of Lily. He was the reason she wasn't alive. He owed her everything. He would never betray Lily by sending Potter back.
There was no way in hell that he'd voice those thoughts to Black though. He picked up a pitcher of water that was sitting on his desk and threw it into the fire.
She returned with a giant black overcoat that had to be Snape's. It was late, and Neville wondered if they were arguing. Snape was still who Neville feared the most, and he found himself waiting for her. The dying fire made the Common Room dim, and Neville suddenly felt like a fool for waiting for her.
A sad smile touched her lips. "Did you think he would eat me?"
"No." He rose from his seat slowly, as if a queen had entered the room instead of June, the girl he was in love with and probably barely knew he existed. "You were talking to the sun weren't you?"
June shrugged and forced the smile to no longer be sad. "I was a plant after all."
The brown wig was still on, but the contacts and the body paint were gone, except for a few smudges here and there. Neville wondered if Snape made her scrub the paint off or threw some horrendous potion at her to remove it. June broke him from his thoughts about how horrible Snape was.
"Are you coming up?" She was heading for her room, probably wondering why he was still standing in the dark like an idiot.
He thought last year was his chance, and maybe it was. He simply blew it by doing nothing. And then a year went by. Was he going to let another? "You were asking it to feel alive weren't you?"
She stopped at the stairs and turned around. As if curious, she titled her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
He wondered if she would be any different if the wig was gone. He was almost desperately to know. "I…am not entirely sure." That made her grin. "But I know you better than you think."
His words wiped the grin off her face. With all the getups and personas, he figured she didn't want anyone to know the real her. Then again, was she ever the real her? He thought she was going to be annoyed with him, but instead, she changed the subject. "Why'd you still dance with me? At the Yule Ball? I looked ridiculous."
Her lipstick, eyeshadow, and even her eyelashes and hair had been pure white to match her dress. Malfoy was howling with laughter, saying she looked like a giant snowflake. She was very quiet and glided around the dance floor looking fragile, as if she could truly melt at any moment. Neville remembered thinking that his red face must be a stark contrast.
But it wasn't out of embarrassment. "Because it meant being with you all night."
They both spent a lot of time being laughed at, for entirely different reasons, of course. He for being himself and her for covering her true self up. Neville wondered if she knew who she truly was anymore.
Her face fell. Perhaps she wanted him to say that she didn't look ridiculous. June was rather vain. It came with the lifestyle. "No one's ever said anything like that to me."
Neville doubted that could be true. People adored her, and she had great friends. She was a celebrity. Everyone wanted a few stolen moments with her.
"Do you remember?" she asked with a strange urgency. "Do you remember the last time you saw me without an outfit? Most don't."
"It was second year." Neville remembered it was around the time people started accusing her of being the heir of Slytherin. She started to turn away at the vague answer, even though he was sure she couldn't remember almost three years ago either. "I was struggling through a Potions assignment." She froze. "It was due the next day, and I was so scared of handing it unfinished to Snape that I about to cry. You sat next to me, and even though you were rubbish at Potions too, you said we could work together. We were up all night and failed terribly but…"
He hadn't even realized that she crossed the Common Room until her lips were on his. She continued kissing him as he sunk back onto the couch. June kneeled on his lap and didn't stop until he pulled off her wig. With a gasp, she pulled away with wide eyes. He wondered if she had ever felt so exposed.
She kissed him again.