Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. All unfamiliar characters, concepts, or designs are mine. This story is also mine.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I just discovered that was replacing all my "O. W. Ls" with "O." so all chapters are being edited and fixed. Sorry for this! Henceforth, O.W.L will be abbreviated OWL. Thanks!

Fifth Year

1

Her emerald eyes sweep between me and Professor McGonagall's glaring gaze, I can feel her scrutiny. She's going to snitch, like she always does. My heart is pounding and past McGonagall's window, the sun is starting to creep over the horizon. Want to know what's funny? Regurgitating toilets in the Slytherin bathrooms. Want to know what is definitely not funny? Expulsion because Snivellus got a damned porcelain shard in his eye when he tried to hex the toilets back to normal. How the hell is it my fault that he was that stupid? Lily Evans, Prefect, Muggle-born, and the biggest snitch in Gryffindor, caught Sirius and I running back to the dorms after hours. She found out about the Slytherin prank and woke McGonagall as soon as Snivelly came whining. I swear, he's like her pet or something. Of course, Evans is such a snitch, I don't care what weird freaky things she's doing in bed with that greasy-haired git.

And now, McGonagall is looking at me over her glasses in that creepy, you-are-so-busted look that makes me want to gag. Lily is looking anxious, probably because she's never busted me like this before. Most of her punishments were snitching about me throwing rocks or deducting points. I just roll my eyes and slide my glasses down to give McGonagall a similar look. She releases a frustrated sigh. "Mr. Potter, this is a very severe offense." That's how she always begins. "You have caused severe bodily injury to a fellow student." Severe? He got a microscopic shard in his freaking eye! He won't go blind! "Your parents have been contacted and should be arriving soon."

"My parents?" I balk. I don't have "parents," I have grandparents that are my acting parents. You see, my real parents got sick and died. Some wizarding illness epidemic that trashed Godric's Hollow got them and nearly killed off a whole population.

"Grandparents," McGonagall amends. "Dumbledore will be in shortly to discuss the penalty with you."

Fear drops in my gut and I am filled with a rabid hatred for Snivellus and Evans. I'd love it if the two of them eloped and dropped off the face of the damned Earth! There would be no more snitching or expulsion. "Wait, so I am going to be expelled?" I ask, my voice rising.

"I didn't say that, Mr. Potter, calm down."

I rake my fingers through my untidy black hair. "I can't be expelled yet! I'm only fifteen!" I cry.

"Professor, he's right," Lily intervenes. I whip around so fast I almost break my neck. Lily has something I've never seen before on her face: kindness. Her brow is furrowed slightly and her abnormally green eyes are firm. "Severus wasn't hurt and it was just a simple prank. No one was out and about, so they wouldn't have been hurt."

I can't believe it; snitching Lily is sticking up for me! What the hell is wrong with the world? She must want something. But, since I have no clue what she could possibly want, I let it go. "Potter is... well, he's a strange boy," Lily says, making me doubt myself, "but he's a good person at heart." A shiver runs down my spine: no one has ever said I'm a good person. "He just likes attention and... well, truthfully, he and Severus have this war going on between each other. This was probably retaliation."

Alright, yes, I get tired of Snivellus spying on us, so my boys and I get even by ripping on him. It's all in good fun, well, good revengeful fun. Lily bites her lip as McGonagall mulls this over. "Ms. Evans, are you standing up for Mr. Potter?"

Red splashes across Lily's cheeks. "I just mean that he's as human as I am. He deserves a second chance. Please, Professor?" She rakes her tongue over her top lip. "If it helps, I may have told Severus to look out for Potter and his friends."

I'm too flabbergasted to speak: Evans is taking the blame! Harpy Evans is taking the blame! McGonagall's gaze sharpens. "Are you taking responsibility for this?"

"It is partially my fault," Lily insists. I stare at her, wondering if she knows she can lose her badge for this. "You should punish both Potter and I."

McGonagall releases a breath. "Since Mr. Snape is in good condition, and no other students were out and about, I am letting you each off with a firm fifty points from Gryffindor. Ms. Evans, you would ordinarily have to turn in your badge, but since you were noble enough to step up, I will let you off with a warning. Dismissed."

I follow Lily out the door, where Severus and Sirius are waiting with seething looks aimed at each other. Snivellus has a damp cloth attached to his left eye; though it is falling off and his eye is fine, save for a bit of bloodshot. He brightens when he sees Lily, and glares at me. "So, did you get that cad punished?" he asks, not a bit too eager.

I roll my eyes and slap a high-five with Sirius. "Padfoot, you won't believe it; snitching Evans stood up for me and I got off with just a fifty-point offense," I quip, crushing Snivelly's hope.

Lily approaches me, a dangerous look in her gaze. "Don't be too pleased with yourself, Potter. It wasn't for you. I did this so that your grandparents wouldn't have to deal with your expulsion." She pokes her finger in my chest. "You're still a spineless weasel that needs to be brought down a few notches."

I chuckle. "Padfoot, go back without me." Sirius gawks at me, like I'm some kind of weird for wanting to stand around with Evans and Snivelly. I shrug and he lopes off, probably on his way to that Ravenclaw he's been eyeing.

"Sev, you can go back, your eye will need medicine," Lily tells Snivellus. He frowns at her, but she smiles and he scuttles away. Once our friends are gone, Lily and I drop the glares and just stare emptily at each other. Her eyes are vibrant and piercing under the dim glow of morning and the dying torches. "Every time I save your arse from expulsion, this is the thanks I get. I'm getting tired of it, Potter."

"Every time?" I echo.

Lily rolls her eyes. "Yes, remember the Shrieking Shack? Or how about the spiders in our first year? Or when you hexed my skin and hair green third year? From now on, you should look after your own self."

A warm feeling crawls in my chest. "Why would snitching Evans care for me?"

Lily snorts. "Don't get so full of yourself. I just hate seeing someone as smart as you come so close to being expelled." Lily thinks I'm smart? Maybe I've stayed up too late. "You are so brilliant, yet you drag yourself down with stupid pranks; you waste your own brilliance, Potter." She shakes her head, rustling her dark red hair. "For that reason, and that reason only, I stand up for you. Someone has to look after your loose screws." She takes off down the hallway and pauses, turning to give me a filthy look. "But we're not friends or anything, got that?" she snaps.

In spite of everything that's happened, I flash her a grin. "Sure thing, Evans." I take the long way back to the Common Room, a slight bounce ebbing at my step. There's a strange warmth in my heart and in the days to come, my gaze will follow Lily across the room. Sirius will look at me tonight as I enter the Common Room like I've gotten drunk off butterbeer, but I don't care. Someone thinks I'm brilliant and not in the stupid or funny way my friends do. Lily showed me something tonight that I have never seen before: respect.

At breakfast the next morning, I see Lily talking to a petite blonde, Mary MacDonald, and I see the most wonderful thing: Lily is smiling. She has such a delicate smile, one that lightly parts her lips and gently creases her eyes. "Ahem," Sirius coughs. The dampness of my pants, coupled with the emptiness of my glass brings me back to my side of the table. "Looked like you were staring at Evans there, Prongs."

I gape at him and then drop my head. "Yeah, I was."

"What? Potter likes Evans?" Pettigrew chimes in. I cringe at his loudness.

"Can it, Wormy, or I'll can you," Sirius snips. He grins at me. "Too bad she hates your guts."

"Yeah," I distractedly answer. Lily is talking to Severus, and there is a blatant frown on her face. She shakes her head, Snivelly flashes her a pleading look, and she says something that I can't hear over the noise of the Great Hall. Whatever just happened, Lily turns back around and Snivellus trudges back to his table. Mary MacDonald is now sheet white and she is pulling at Lily's sleeve, fear branded in her blue eyes. Anyone who does that to a girl, especially sweet, congenial Mary, has to have a stick up their ass. I'm on my feet before Sirius can point out the juice on my crotch, not that I care. I stride over to the Slytherin table, fuming with rage.

"Hey, Snivellus," I bark.

Severus looks up from his cereal and shoots me a cool look. "Nice pants," he drones.

"What the hell did you do to Mary?"

"Nothing, leave me alone."

Burning rage cools into a scheme. "Hey, Padfoot, get over here!" I cry. Sirius meanders over, twirling his wand. "I think we got ourselves a problem."

"Go away," Severus snips coldly. He rises from his chair, though, and draws his wand like he suddenly has skills to speak of.

"This fellow here was torturing Mary, you see," I chime to Sirius.

Sirius clucks his tongue. "Pretty girls don't deserve your harassment, Snivelly."

"It isn't my fault the Mudblood is a snitch!" Severus blurts. The entire Great Hall draws still, even the Prefects, the Head Girl, the Head Boy; they're all watching us. Lily is on her feet, her wand drawn as Mary is bolting out of the hall.

"Hmm, I'd like to try out a new hex I learned, but I don't know how it goes," I mutter, drawing my own wand and tapping it against my chin.

"I think I know the one, mate," Sirius chimes in. We flash each other identical grins and wave our wands just as Severus is drawing his down in a firm slant. Pain splinters across my chest and I crash to the floor, spots dotting my vision and blood staining my robes and hands as I try to stop the mad bleeding. Lily lets out a shriek and everyone in the Great Hall gasps. I hear the patter of feet against the stone floor and a familiar set of green eyes flashes before my vision.

"Stay with us, Potter. Sev, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Yeah, Snivelly, why don't you tell your girlfriend here all about your double personality!" Sirius hisses. "Someone go get Pomfrey!" is the last thing I hear before I fade into darkness.

Author's Note: Okay, before someone goes: Sev hater!1111 There is a reason for this, I mean, think about it: Severus hacked off George's ear, 'member? One more thing, he probably does have a dual side, how else would he be able to do that? I don't think James just up and bullied Sev for no reason; I think it was Sev's stalking that lead to it. That is pretty annoying, having a random person following you around. O.o