Disclaimer: JK Rowling's babies

A.N. After two years here is my second chapter of Houses. Followers please enjoy! And please review, review, review :D

Chapter two

Just as he thought, the blinding snowy white grounds were void of all life which was the way he had come to like it. Although it seemed strange now to want to be alone in a place like this, at such a time of year as this. Winter, a season clumped together with the cold, desolate, and barren feelings of isolation and loneliness. It was no wonder the ancestors of their time decided to establish the holiday of Christmas to bring the masses together as one. Complete bliss and harmony. Snape laughed a little, pulling his coat closer to his body as a snowball struck his arm. Taking away any poetic garbage that might have been crossing his mind; he twirled around in the snow to yell at the idiot that hit him.

"Hi Lily," he gulped, "I didn't expect to see anyone else out here."

"That is because it is below zero, Severus. I didn't believe it when I saw you coming out here. Are you all right?" Lily lifted a crimson knitted mitten and tucked a strand of troublesome hair behind her ear.

Everything was fine now. He wanted to tell her; that poetic verse finding its way back into his mind. She was here and what better company was that? Forget Christmas, presents he never got, relatives he didn't even care to see. It all was melted away with one glance from her brilliant green eyes.

"Severus? Are you all right?" Lily repeated, placing the same hand onto his cheek.

The dark haired boy once again snapped out of his trance, something he fell into every time he was near her. "Yes," he answered a bit too loud because of nerves. "I mean, yes," he cleared his throat, "I'm just fine. I came out to see the scenery. It's whiter than it is at home, there it is dirty street snow; slush really."

Lily nodded, most likely being polite as he rambled on about slush. Because that was her nature, it came from the same place that caused Severus to babble on like a moron for hours at an end. "So, yeah, the slush gets in my shoes. I'm sorry I'm boring you, if you will excuse me I'm going to hang myself from the Owlery." Severus moved to go around her, but she stopped him by placing a hand gently on his arm.

"Please don't do that. I like listening to you, you have a nice voice," Lily smiled sweetly and Severus couldn't breathe or he felt like he couldn't. "I came out here because you did, remember? I would be sad if you hung yourself now, especially on Christmas Eve. Who else would I give the gift that I bought for you to?"

Severus looked like a fish struggling for air on the floor of a boat as he stared at Lily. She had gotten him a gift? Merlin, he didn't get her anything. "Well, I wouldn't want a gift hand-picked for me to go to waste on a person that is unworthy by your standards," he smiled as best he could with frozen cheekbones, "I will postpone my hanging to a more convenient time."

"I will just have to make staying around all the time worth the effort," Lily answered, and then leaned forward placing her rosy red lips onto Severus' thin ones.

OoOoOo

Remus woke Christmas morning to find he had received a broken, twisted leg. It was a gift from the moon herself; wasn't he lucky? He had come to ignore the pain, but at this time of the year...it was hard not to think about the throb that was pulsating through his mangled limb. Madame Pomfrey came, emerging from the wood work of the old looking home to look over his wounds as she did after every full moon. Her acting skills had improved from that first moon at Hogwarts, the one Remus could not remember to save his life. Today, however, the image struck a nerve. And though she tried to hold a nice front, the young wolf knew better with the moon no more than an hour set.

"Watch your head," she informed him, locking away her worried tone deep into her mind and throwing away the key. "I would feel better if you would allow me to carry you."

"I'll walk. I can walk," Remus' voice held a Slytherin tone and the wolf didn't need to look at the witch, whose side he clung to, to know she flinched at his words. He did not mean to be irritated. It was Christmas, a time of the year that should be joyous, and yet he was going to spend the day as well as the next it seemed in the Hospital Wing; most likely being miserable.

Remus chanced a glance at Madame Pomfrey. She deserved to be happy at least. She was a kind woman, and as soon as Remus had the strength to stand on his own he would retrieve the small gift he had made for her, since she had to put up with his burden, from his knapsack.

The pair stopped just as sun light waded through the swinging branches of the Whomping Willow. "Stay right here," Pomfrey instructed, leaning Remus against the side of the cave's wall. "I will stop the tree." Remus nodded his head slowly, eyes shut. He knew it was a matter of time before his knees gave way beneath him, leaving him unable to walk, but until that exact moment came he would push it away from his mind. Ever since the day Lucius had given him the means, the confidence to pay Sirius Black back for his complete lack of respect to the Slytherin House, Remus found himself looking up to the older boy and not just because the wolf had not hit his growth spurt. He...worshiped the young man, though could not pin point the exact reason why he did so. He was still looked down upon by his own house, Lucius included, and yet he groveled for approval from the teenager like a mutt cast over the ridge of a stone bridge.

Remus shook his head, taking Pomfrey's hand when she offered it to him. "You are doing well," she encouraged, and Remus cringed from the brightness of dawn reflecting off the newly fallen white sheet of coldness. His lips shivered as the snow he walked upon crunched between his toes and he took the chill with nothing but a small grunt of displeasure. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Remus answered curtly, "Let us just walk quickly." It was the end of all conversation for the rest of the trip to the Hospital Wing. He was placed gently onto the bed furthest from the entrance. It was decided by Pomfrey to be a better spot after his second stay in the Wing. He had been covered up completely in his blankets when a Ravenclaw had accidentally sent a stray spell to his sleeping form. He had fallen from the bed, shattering a newly grown arm bone. After such a display of broken body parts he had to hang his head for two weeks when rumors had spread that Slytherin seventh years were using him as a practice dummy for the Unforgiveable Curses.

His leg was set back into place without a single bit of acknowledgment on his part and then he was lying down with a chocolate frog swimming around his sleep potion-filled stomach. He turned to face the double doors of the Wing to see the fleeting form of the Mediwitch. "Merry Christmas," He told the woman, and then fell into a dreamless sleep.

OoOoOo

Severus shifted to the side, his left arm felt a little numb and his back was stiff. He sat up slowly and stretched. He had a perfect view of the Common Room through the eyes of a dwarf. His thin eyebrow lifted and he wondered how he had ended up on the floor with a blanket covering his feet. He heard a small giggle from the red plush sofa and he shuffled over to the edge to investigate. Severus' eyes widened, she looked like an angel and he remembered his Christmas Eve consisted of laughter and hot coco. It had been a change, a welcome change, to the normal hiding beneath his bed praying the cold would take him rather than the screaming on the other side of his bedroom door.

Severus shook his head, standing up as his new memory over took the old. He placed the blanket; he had used the night before, over Lily then walked away and out the portrait hole. If last night had been Christmas Eve then today was Christmas and Remus would be in the hospital wing. If he ran a bit faster he would be able to sneak his gift to the wolf before he woke.

It wasn't much, a chocolate frog box he begged a fourth year to get for him from Hogsmeade. They were Remus' favorite since he was six. Severus couldn't see why they were his favorite; the things scared him when they jumped from the package. He shrugged his shoulders, starting to jog around the last corner to the wing and then stopped short.

A shiver ran up Severus' spine as his young mind swore he saw Dracula slip through the partly opened hospital wing doors and disappear inside like a shadow. He felt small, much smaller than when Lily talked to him. He should have run back to the dorm to open presents with her but he couldn't make his feet go anywhere but straight to the empty space. His fingers pushed the door open just a little more and he stared at the figure standing over the only bed that was occupied.

He gasped, covering his lips quickly and moving from the crack. Was it Death? He narrowed his eyes in irritation. What had come over him? Fear? It had to be fear that had him thinking like that of a child, though he was one by appearance. His heart raced, thudding in his ears as he turned back to the opening. The figure had leaned forward and touched the occupant of the bed, and Severus had then run for his life. He didn't want to see any more.

His mind was racing, his sleek black hair swayed back and forth as he ran. A part of his mind told him he was a coward, but that wasn't true! There was nothing he could have done. His feet didn't stop and if the portrait hole hadn't opened at that moment in time he would have smashed right into the fat lady. Instead he tripped over the small part of wall and sailed into Lily Evans. "I'm sorry! So sorry!" Severus panicked, pushing himself off of the other first year and offering a hand. "I had, I didn't mean, I can fix this!"

Lily giggled, taking Severus off guard again. "I'm okay. Did you see a ghost, Severus? I thought you would be used to them by now. Where did you go? Did you go to breakfast? Why didn't you wake me?"

"No," Severus answered, and then cleared his throat. "I mean, no, I did not go to breakfast but yes, Peeves went through me and I guess I freaked out. I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you?"

Lily shook her head, dusting off her pants, and then smiled. "Did you see our gifts? I think I even saw three from the dork squad." The red head giggled and walked over to the sofa they had sat on the night before and pointed to the pile of gifts under the Christmas tree there. "My present for you is here too."

Severus' expression turned to shock. He had forgotten about the gift she had gotten him and the lack of gift he had gotten for her.

"Oh, look at this pretty red gift. I wonder who it is for," Lily picked up the gift and examined the tag. "It's from you to me! What is it?" She shook the tiny box in wonder.

"I," Severus opened his mouth then closed it. "Why would I tell you? Open it up and find out." Severus nodded, but for the life of him didn't know where the wrapped box came from. Maybe he should stop Lily from opening it. It could be a trick from the other three boys, but he was too late. Lily screeched and he flinched. "It's lovely, Severus!" She pulled out a small white gold bracelet. "I'm going to put it on right now!" She fumbled with it for a moment while Severus picked up a gift and tore it open. A little card read 'you're welcome, your friend Remus.'

OoOoOo

Remus sat down onto a chair in the library with a small sigh; Severus as well as Lily told him if he wanted to do well in Potions he needed to understand the meaning of Potions and not to just blindly mix ingredients. It seemed brilliant at the time. Now that he had the rather large copy of All There Is and Was for the Potion Master weighing down the table he sat before he began to change his mind.

He idly opened the hard cover, the title on the page blurring every now and then. How could he really expect to focus when Christmas morning kept playing over and over in his head like a silent movie? He would close his eyes and it would start from the beginning once more. Did his foolish mind actually believe no one would figure it out? Remus' hand shook as the small limb turned the page to the library text book. He jerked slightly when another student dropped a book and he accidentally ripped the bottom corner of the page. "Merlin," he breathed, repairing the edge with his wand. He never anticipated that an older year would be as keen on him as Lucius Malfoy. He guessed that was his down fall. Had Lucius not been a student then there would be no problem? No, then it would have been another and Remus doubt that the other kid would have handled it the same way. One whole month of silence, it was torture! He would hear whispers from a student and each time he knew they had to be talking about him and his furry problem.

"Remus. Remus!" Severus waved his hand before his friend's eyes, receiving no response once again. The boy sighed and pushed one of Remus' bent elbows and the wolf's head collapsed to the printed page below him.

"Whoa-what happened?" Remus' eyes widened, darting about the area.

"Relax, Remus. Are you all right? You look tired." Severus watched his friend shiver and rub his face.

"Yes, maybe, I'm not sure."

"Is it something I can help you with? Is it your homework?"

Remus gulped, straightening his robes at the same time. He thought about spilling his guts to Severus, he was kind of surprised he hadn't yet. "Well," he took a deep breath and held it, his eyes widening once more.

"Remus, what's wrong with you?" Severus stood up and moved to stand next to the boy.

"I have to go," the wolf said in a small voice. He gathered his things, picking up his bag, and then left the library in a rush.

Severus sat down onto the wolf's still warm seat and sighed. He wondered what that was all about. He had a feeling Remus was withholding something from him but he simply could not imagine what Remus just would not tell him, his best friend. They were best friends? 'Through anything' came to mind and yet an event occurred that friends should share and Remus wasn't talking about it to him. Severus stared out the opening to the library, oblivious to the students filing through it until one spoke to him. "Are you ready to study?" Lily smiled, "We don't want to fall behind when Valentine's Day is so close! I wish we were third years, they get to go off during Valentine's weekend to Hogsmeade." Lily placed her bag on top of the table and took a seat. "I overheard some of the older girls talking about Madam Puddifoot's place during the holiday. Her teashop sounds so romantic. I can hardly wait to go see it, what about you Severus? Are you excited?"

Severus tilted his head, deep in thought, to the side. His mind was trying to work out a plan to corner Remus and possibly beat answers out of him. Oh Merlin, if he had spoken out loud his own thoughts he would have sworn he was sitting at this table with James, Peter, and, dare he say it, Sirius. He would never be seen dead tracking Remus around the grounds, trying to get the wolf into a head lock. How barbaric would that be? He shook his head and Lily frowned.

"What do you mean no? Why aren't you excited about one of the most romantic times of the year? Especially since we are able to spend it together?" Lily huffed and cross her arms over her chest.

Severus blinked a few time, "Excuse me?" He had not a clue what the girl was going on about and apparently Lily did not want to share the topic as she sprung from the table in a giant huff and marched away. "Now why is everybody in such a foul mood?" Severus asked himself, but had no reply.

OoOoOo

The seventh year leaned over the slumbering form of his first year. He held his lips close, not too close, enough to let the other hear his breathing. 'I know,' echoed in the first years head and his eyes sprung open.

Remus held his bag close to his chest much like the blankets he had in the hospital bed on Christmas day as he walked down the stone hallway. His heart raced with each step, the two words pounded with the beat of the organ. He wanted to vomit. He could feel the bile fill up into his mouth until he was bent behind a statue of a serpent's head. He shivered, straightening, and then stared at the slit-eyed creature. If only you were real. If only you would bite me and end this. Remus gulped, mumbling the password to the entrance to the Slytherin common room. It was empty as if commanded to be empty by a higher being. It was the walk of a dead man that carried Remus to his dorm, the eyes of a blind man that cast upon the dark being that stood in front of his four-post. Remus opened his mouth than closed it. He was surprised he wasn't shedding tears. It was Lucius; he has stripped the fear from you.

"I know," he repeated, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"You're going to turn me in," Remus stated, rather than asked. The other would have angered Lucius further.

"Is that what you want?"

"No."

"What will you do to stop me?"

Remus remained silent at this question. He wanted to rip out Lucius' throat, but he knew it was wrong. He knew they would hunt him down and skin him alive. He simply stared at the seventh year, and that alone made Lucius laugh.

"You would take my life, Halfbreed? You would spill my pure blood all over this dorm room?" he won the game of chicken they were playing. "I would reveal your secret had it any benefit to me. It does not while you are in school. When you graduate, you will be mine." Lucius took a threatening step forward. "You will be my servant until the day your cold body is in the ground." He captured Remus' eyes once again.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I can, and you're going to let me."

Remus stares the seventh year down. His chest burned and his stomach turned as a small bit of courage boiled up inside him. "I won't let you." Remus shook, his toes dangling inches above the ground.

"Do you suspect this bravery will stop me? I will destroy your life. You are of no use to me uneducated and once mothers find out their children are..."

"Stop it! You win. You win." Remus began to weep for the first time in half a year. His fears were spilling out of Lucius' mouth and all he could do was surrender to them. "I will do whatever you say."

Lucius smirked, putting Remus down and soothing out his school uniform," What do you know of the Dark Lord?"

A.N. Not as long as the first chapter, but hopefully still as enjoyable. Want more? Leave a review XD (lol)