„You're kidding?! "

„Nope. We really are in luck with the Veritaserum. "

„Not that! ", Peter sighed, rolling his eyes. „You're really not kidding when you say Snape spends his time in the girls bathroom!? "

Sirius giggled while James exploded with laughter. All of the sudden, things didn't feel all that grim.

„Now, now, Jim, we're not fully certain what Snivellus really is. ", Sirius retorted with a mischievous glint in his eye, so very characteristical of him when planning a prank. „For all we know, he could be some strange new cross between goblin and bat. "

„I've always had this theory…", James leaned in, his tone a mock-serious whisper, „ You see, I'm not fully sure they closed the Chamber of Secrets-"

He stopped for the stunned look on Sirius' face.

„Pads, I'm kidding. You know, Snape being the monster of Salazar Slytherin, ha ha ha, kidding? "

„I. Can. Not. BELIEVE we didn't pull that one sooner! I can just picture it! Bloody signs;

'The Chamber has been opened.

Bow down to the biggest nose in the history of mankind,

the greasiest hair,

that dirty pair of under shorts!

See what caused Moaning Myrtle to try and gouge out her eyes

for there has been no worse a fate!

Snivelly can be found on the second floor, be sure to bring binoculars.'"

„Padfoot, have I ever told you I loved you? ", Peter yelled as he threw himself on the brown-haired boy.

„Get your paws off me Wormy or I swear, I'll tell Snape to petrify you! "

To his surprise, not only did that not happen, but he found himself also covered by the weight of one James Potter, Qiudich extraordinaire, apt at dodging every fake punch, more so at tickling the living daylight out of his best friend.

„Bummed…as I am…that I…Ow! That hurt! "

„Get. Off. Me! "

„Never! "

„You leave…me…no…choice….I"

„Never give in! ", James smiled, avoiding his bite, „Never surrender! "

„I swear to Merlin, Jim, if you don't stop…"

„You'll what? "

„Pull your hair off your head! "

„Ow! "

„You left me no choice! "

„You didn't have to! You did nothing to Pete! "

„Peter, I'll eat you next time you're a rat. "

„Fair enough. "

„Thank you. Now, if you two are done touching me in all the wrong places, can we go back to business? We have less than an hour until Moony comes back from the library. "

„Pads, I still don't understand why we're not telling him. "

„It's Moony, Jim. "

„He'll understand. "

„Yeah, Pads, I think so too. "

„It's stealing, you two. He hardly approves anymore when we bother Snape, much less would he understand if we stole something it took him a month to brew. It's also going against someone's free will. And it's illegal. "

Peter sighed, nodding. James, however, stared quite quizzically at Sirius, who pretended not to notice-

„So", he went on, „I think this could work-"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

„Oh, Sniiiiiiiiivellus! Where for art thou Sniiiiiiiiivellus? "

„Oh, Merlin. "

Irritated beyond the depiction of words, all Severus Snape did was turn, ever so slowly, towards the two Marauders.

„It's been too long, don't you think? ", James said, Peter right beside him, his gaze switching from the potion filled cauldron, the young Slytherin, and then back again.

Behind them, the door of the lavatory stayed open just a second too long.

„I see you've used your time to discover those strange objects with covers and pages in between, Potter? "

„I see you're lovelier still, Snape. "

„Care to bore someone else? "

„Care to roll over and play dead? "

„I fear only your friend Black is apt at such tricks. And where is he, by the way? Rolling in the mud with the inbred? "

The air stiffened visibly.

„Listen, you half-blood mutation, don't you ever breathe a word like that about my friends! ", James spat out. He had never in his life used the word half-blood until now; until he was angry enough to know such a meaningless compilation of letters had the power to truly hurt the boy he was faced with.

„You do know how to pick them, don't you Potter? Bloodtraitor-"

„Did Malfoy teach you such a fancy word? "

Bloodtraitor and monster. I hazard to think what Lucius would do if I told him of your friend's monthly troubles. "

Without a warning, thin air kicked him down with raging force flat on his face.

„What the-"

„Padfoot! ", yelled James in surprise.

„Padfoot? ", Severus exclaimed, as if rolling the word over in his mind, making sure it went unforgotten.

He reached for his wand but, inexplicably, it was knocked out of his reach by some ethereal force, said force sounding remarkably like the disowned Black hair when it muttered „greasy git" under its breath.

„Stupefy! ", James screamed at Snape. „Pads, get it! "

And there, behind Snape's unmoving back they switched the Veritaserum for plain water. As Sirius slipped the flask into his coat, they scurried for the door, James ending the spell before they all, all but one, began to run.

As he crawled for his wand, a bodiless booth pushed down on his hand.

„Listen, and listen closely, precious. If I ever hear a word about what Lupin turns into to anyone, if you so much as talk in your sleep, I swear on the four founders I'll finish what Jim stopped. I'll rip you to shreds piece by slimy piece, is that clear? "

„Black? "

„Say yes, Severus. "

„It is you, isn't it? "

„No matter. I hope Lucy likes her potion. "

With that, he and the rest of his invisible body were gone. Alone again, save for Myrtle's moaning, Severus knelt above his cauldron, reluctantly poking a finger into its content.

He licked the potion off, closed his eyes, and after a moment somberly said:

„I do not wish a most painful end to Sirius Black. "

His eyes fluttered open, his mouth twitching in shocked silence.

„I wish Lilly would fall in love with Potter. "

Another soundless beat, then two.

„I think Lord Voldemort has a funny name. "

Gulp.

He stared as his now dry finger.

„Oh, shit. "

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

„Sirius, where were you? "

„Explaining a few things. "

„You nearly blew the whole thing! "

„Jim, he threatened to-"

„Yeah, I know. Now, tell me straight; what do you need the potion for? "

„James…"

„Padders, tell the truth… what do you want Remus to say? "

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

„I want you to tell me again, Black; did you or did you not jinx my Potions essay? "

„No. ", was the only dry reply he received.

Now, some people change over time. Their manner of speaking alters, their values shift, their strutting, say from when they were teenagers, becomes less apparent.

„Listen Black, I think you know me well enough to assume I shan't shy away from the Cruciatus. "

Lucius Malfoy, however, had merely aged. As he walked in what was known to be a menacing manner, his self-control beginning to waver, one could imagine him every bit the senior aristocrat, were he not seventeen.

„I shall ask you one more time- wait, did you drink that wine? "

„Yes, why? Did you poison it? ", a mischievous smirk formed on the brunette's face.

„Not that I recall. "

„Well then, now that we've covered the formalities…", Bellatrix rose elegantly off the leather couch in the middle of the Slytherin common room.

„Wait! "

„Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Lucius! Just because Narcissa has taken a liking of you, doesn't imply I need to be courteous. Or, for that matter, not kill you. "

„Bellatrix, we're to be brother and sister in law-"

„Inappropriate, isn't it? I'd say so. You should thank your lucky divination balls that I won't run to Cissy and tell her just how well acquainted we really are. "

„Well, I-", he was going to go on about duties, common pureblood curtsey, his obligations, all the above necessary to prevent the sister of his future bride at, shall we say, spilling her guts unnecessarily and to stop making his life a living hell.

It was quite enough that the essay he had spent a week working on, when handed in, merely glowed a bright green with the inscription:

'I'm too well connected to have to work for your stupid class.

Not to mention, I already bought my N.E.W.T.S. '

He had been certain she… but then he remembered, she had taken the Veritaserum.

„You won't tell Narcissa? "

„Wouldn't dream of it. ", she quipped, her voice oddly dramatic. Then, she turned on her heel and swiftly made her way to the girls' dormitory.

Lucius took her place on the couch, lying down, pouring some wine for himself, untying his luxuriant hair, more relaxed than he had been in days.

Pity, for she lied.