SCHOOLDAYS END
As sixth and seventh year progressed, Severus often pondered two important things. One was how to meet his soul-mate, Ara Black, now Cara McGonagall; the other was what to do about the Wolfsbane potion.
Severus had started his Mastery in Potions in his sixth year of Hogwarts and was rapidly moving through his apprenticeship, despite still being at school. He would be finishing Hogwarts in the summer of 1978 and, all being well, he was expected to gain his Mastery by Christmas 1979, shortly before his twentieth birthday, which would be a most remarkable feat. Severus had already published a number of articles about potions, which had been well received, and he had started developing again the potions he had created in his previous lifetime. The Potions community was now well aware of this talented, young apprentice and was watching him with interest.
While Severus was looking forward to working with his mother in her apothecary shop, he was dissatisfied with one aspect of his apprenticeship, namely the fact that he was apprenticed to his mother and his Professor of Potions from school. He felt that for the potions community to accept his Mastery fully, he also needed to spend some time with another Master, one who had not been training him in potions since he was young and who could therefore give him a new influence in his training. However, taking time to train with another Master would probably delay the completion of his Mastery and he did not want to lose the cachet of hopefully gaining his Mastery at the age of nineteen, therefore, he had come up with an alternative solution, which he thought would satisfy everyone. He planned instead to apply to work with another Potions Master for a few months after he completed his Mastery. That would still allow him to complete his Mastery at an exceptionally young age but would also satisfy the potions community that he took his training seriously. He had considered a number of Potions Masters and had decided to approach Master Silvio Ventura in Recife, the city in Brazil where, coincidentally, the McGonagalls lived. Not only would this hopefully give him a chance to meet Cara but as Brazil is considered to be the country with the greatest biodiversity, both muggle and magical, he was hoping he may find potions ingredients which would assist him in his search to cure lycanthropy.
Severus had decided that he could not offer the Wolfsbane potion at this time, as it would bring the wrong kind of attention to him. It had taken Damocles Belby nearly twenty years of hard work and experimenting to develop that potion. In recreating the potions that he himself had developed in his last lifetime, Severus could also recreate the developmental process for other Potions Masters to scrutinise, as he obviously knew this in great detail, but he could not do this with the Wolfsbane Potion, since he had not been the one to develop it. Theoretically, he could use his knowledge of the potion to create a facsimile of the developmental process but he did not want to shortcut this process, as he did not want be appear to be so great a prodigy that Voldemort would pay too much attention to him. The level of skill he was currently showing might make him of some interest to the Dark Lord, although, given the focus he was giving to healing and 'light' potions this time round, combined with his status as a half-blood, the interest would be limited. Therefore, he was not now a person that Voldemort would be determined to add to his ranks at all cost, the way the supposed creation of the Wolfsbane at such a young age would make him.
The thing Severus was finding the hardest was not being able to ascertain for himself how Cara was faring. While Minerva made a point of keeping him up-to-date, it was not the same as actually seeing her. Sirius was writing to Cara regularly and, in fact, had struck up a close friendship with Marsali since she was his intermediary for his correspondence with his little sister, to the extent that by the end of sixth year, Sirius and Marsali were dating. Severus was not sure if this had initially begun as a cover, to give them an excuse to pass on letters surreptitiously, however, watching them, there was no doubt that Sirius and Marsali genuinely had feelings for each other.
Of course, it helped that the situation with Cara had helped Sirius to grow up. Severus had tried a number of times over the years to moderate Sirius' behaviour, and to teach him to respect others and to think before he spoke. Unfortunately, these attempts had not been particularly successful, with Sirius always pointing out that, "You're my friend, not my parent or my Professor, Sev! Lighten up, Shadow, I'm just having some fun. We're young, enjoy it!"
With his memories from his previous lifetime intact, Severus was definitely far older emotionally than his peers. Trying to steer the Marauders in the direction he needed them to go definitely made him feel painfully like their father sometimes and so he had backed off, even though he frequently wished for the right to cast tongue-tying and silencing jinxes on his mouthy and tactless friend.
However, the relationship with Marsali had made all the difference. She had made it very clear to Sirius that she was not trying to change him – she liked the fun-loving prankster! – but that there was nothing wrong with good manners and common courtesy. On hearing his career ambition, Charlus Potter and Minerva McGonagall had pointed out that Aurors had to be polite and respectful towards the general public and Marsali had suggested that he get into the habit now of being civil, even towards people he did not like, as it would stand him in good stead when he left school. Sirius had pouted for a week but had eventually agreed that Marsali's suggestion had merit. As a result, even Lily had stopped looking down her nose at her boisterous housemate and, to James' relief, was tolerating Sirius far better than she ever had before.
Remus, however, avoided dating, as just like previously, he was too full of self-pity. He felt so sorry for himself that he simply could not believe that any woman might be able to look past his 'furry little problem' and so, despite James' and Sirius' urging, he refused to date any of the girls who showed an interest in him. Observing the simpering misses who were flirting with the quietest and most studious of the four Gryffindor boys, Severus came to the conclusion that Remus was perhaps destined for the quirky Nymphadora Tonks, who was straightforward and direct enough to convince Remus, despite all the objections he raised, that she truly loved him and wanted to be with him.
Peter, on the other hand, did not have girls chasing after him and James and Sirius did not make quite the same effort with Peter that they did with Remus. The girls they chose for Peter were sweet, attractive and clever but were not regarded by their school mates as being in the same league as the girls they tried to push in Remus' direction, all of whom were amongst the most intelligent and beautiful girls of their year.
Severus was the only one to notice the fleeting look of hurt and annoyance on Peter's face every time a name was suggested to him. Personally, Severus thought that Sirius and James had actually made very good choices for Peter and that all the girls they suggested were well-suited to him – or rather, well-suited to the Peter that Sirius, James and Remus believed him to be. The problem was that the manner in which they suggested those girls to Peter made it sound like the girls were consolation prizes; the best Peter could hope for and beneath Sirius', James' or Remus' attention.
Severus thought that not only was this insulting to the girls in question but it was also understandable that Peter might be offended by this attitude. He tried to get Marsali and Lily to rein in their boyfriends but the girls simply did not see the problem. Marsali was far too absorbed in her relationship with Sirius to pay much attention to the mousy boy who she had never really noticed before regardless of his friendship with the Marauders, and so Peter's dissatisfaction did not register with her despite Severus' concerns. Lily, on the other hand, was regarded as the most intelligent and beautiful girl in their year, therefore, she herself tended to dismiss those particular girls as being merely average girls suitable for average blokes and felt that James and Sirius had the right of it. Despite the love he felt for Lily, now that of a brother for his sister, Severus, able to regard her more dispassionately than in his previous lifetime, was forced to acknowledge that while Lily may be very intelligent and loving towards those she cared for, she was also rather conceited and quite shallow.
Following on from this, Severus soon noticed that Peter had begun distancing himself from his friends. Severus frequently observed Peter lurking around the soon-to-be Death Eater of their generation, hanging on their every word with eyes alight with glee as he watched them casting unpleasant hexes on those not strong enough to defend themselves against the group of aggressors. James, Sirius and Remus did not realise what was happening with Peter, apparently assuming that he was spending his time with a girl, and Severus chose not to enlighten them.
"While I'd love it if they would break off their friendship with the rat, they're too loyal to do so just because he's often in the vicinity of those future Death Eaters. Much as they dislike the Slytherins, they'd need more evidence than that to end the friendship and I don't have the proof to present to them," Severus concluded sadly.
In the meantime, Albus Dumbledore was observing the interactions of Severus and the Marauders. Never the most subtle of people, James and Sirius had made it clear over the years just how much they disliked proponents of the Dark Arts and Dumbledore was hoping to recruit them to his newly formed Order of the Phoenix. The two boys were quite influential among their peers and therefore were followers to be desired, however, he felt that Severus had too much sway over the boys and resolved to do something about this, to him, intolerable situation. He needed to curb their independent tendencies to make them good followers.
The plan that Albus eventually came up with made it very clear to Severus just how indifferent and uncaring Dumbledore was to those he had no use for, not that Severus had actually needed to be reminded of this fact. However, it did bring to his attention the extent to which he would need to protect himself against Dumbledore's machinations.
Conveniently ignoring the fact that he had previously given hints to James Potter and Sirius Black so they would realise that Remus Lupin was a werewolf and also ignoring the fact that there was every chance they would have shared this information with their friends, Albus approached Severus towards the end of sixth year.
"Ah, Mr Snape, I wonder if you could assist me?" he asked the dark haired boy. "I've been straining my eyes with all the end of the year paperwork and I need a Soothing Eye Balm, however, neither Madam Pomfrey nor Professor Slughorn has any in stock. Professor Slughorn is rather busy with the end of the year exams, so I was wondering if you, as his apprentice, might be willing to brew it for me? I believe Professor Slughorn has all the main ingredients in stock, apart from the Moondew, which as I'm sure you know, has to be harvested fresh. I believe there's a patch at the edge of the Forbidden Forest near the Whomping Willow. Professor Slughorn will give you a pass to allow you to gather ingredients tonight, as I believe it's the optimum time to harvest the Moondew. I'd appreciate it if you could brew the balm as soon as possible as I'm afraid I find myself in rather dire need of it."
Smiling benevolently at the young man, Professor Dumbledore swept off, sure that his innocuous request would be granted and secretly exultant that this should see the end of that thorn in his side, the very strange Mr Snape, who was disturbingly old for his years. The fact that this would mean sacrificing Remus Lupin in the process was completely irrelevant to the Headmaster.
"Wow, the Headmaster approached you for a potion. That's quite an honour," Gaspard commented in awe.
"What's wrong, Shadow?" asked Remus, who had been watching Severus closely and had noticed that he was not quite as enthusiastic as Gaspard.
Severus gave himself a mental shake. "Nothing," he said sombrely. "I rather think that I'll ask my Mum for some Moondew plant, though. She has some in her garden and can easily harvest it and send it to me in the morning."
"Why would you want to trouble your mother like that when you can harvest yourself?" asked Marsali in disapproval.
"What do you know about harvesting the Moondew plant?" asked Severus.
"It's used in potion-making in liquid form and it's used in a number of potions," Marsalis shrugged. "So?"
"No, that's the properties of the plant in usage, Marsali. I asked about harvesting it. Let me explain: it has to be harvested on the full moon and must be used within twenty-four hours, as it can't be stored in plant form, although once it has been distilled into liquid form, the liquid can then be stored for three months¹. Mum has an enclosed garden whose walls are too high for werewolves to get into and she cultivates all her potions ingredients that need to be harvested on the full moon there. I'm sure I'd be perfectly safe if I went to harvest the Moondew in the Forbidden Forest but why take unnecessary chances?"
"Oh, I didn't realise," she replied abashedly.
"That's all right," Severus reassured her. "You had no reason to know but the Forest is called Forbidden for a reason, after all, and entering it on the full moon if you don't need to is just plain foolish."
"Something that you're not, of course," she drawled dryly.
"Something that I'm not," he agreed with a smirk.
Later that day, he met with the Marauders.
"What was that with the Moondew all about?" Sirius demanded as soon as they had entered their private den and erected wards.
Severus looked around the room, seeing only James, Sirius and Remus. "Good," he thought, as he noted the absence yet again of Peter.
"The Headmaster asked for some Soothing Eye Balm," he shrugged.
"Yes, I gathered that," Sirius replied impatiently. "But why would he send you to gather potions ingredients right beside the Whomping Willow on the full moon? Does he know that we're all secret Animagi and that we'll keep you safe? Is that why he sent you there? Surely that's not the only patch of Moondew on the Hogwarts grounds, though?"
"I don't know, Padfoot," Severus replied sombrely, "but I do know this: if Moony is somehow accidentally 'let out' of the Shrieking Shack and bites anyone, it's not going to be good for him!"
"Surely you don't believe the Headmaster would deliberately try to get Moony to attack you?" gasped James, aghast.
"I don't know, Prongs!" Severus snapped. "What I do know is that my sneaky, conniving Slytherin side is ringing loud alarm bells."
"Mine too," agreed Sirius grimly. "You're being too Gryffindor, Prongs. Your mother is a Black. Start using some of the Slytherin cunning and cynicism that you surely must have inherited from her."
James looked from one to the other in shock. "You really think the Headmaster wants Moony to attack you for some reason? Why in Merlin's name would he want to do that?"
"I don't know, Prongs!" Severus ground out yet again, through gritted teeth. "But I'll tell you this: we're all going to be out in the Forest as normal. In fact, we're all going to be there early, in case someone lets Moony out before we would normally get there, and we're going to make damned sure that Moony doesn't attack anyone. In fact, if we can, we're going to make sure he doesn't even leave the Shack tonight. I'm sorry, Remus. I know Moony prefers to get out and run but something smells rotten about this whole set-up and I want to make sure that nothing happens." He looked at the other boy, who was as pale as a ghost.
"It's all right, Sev," Remus whispered. "I'd rather suffer for one month and know that everyone is safe. I couldn't live myself if I infected anyone else."
Or killed them the unspoken words lay between them.
"I know some things are destined to be repeated and nothing I do can change them, but not this. I am not going to face Moony in werewolf form again. This is not going to happen," Severus resolved determinedly.
Severus sent his owl, Glimfeather, to his mother asking her to send him some Moondew the next morning and then the boys trooped glumly down to supper. Peter was not there yet, as the boys had arrived early, and they quickly ate and exited the Great Hall.
"All right, let's go," said Sirius.
"Now?" asked James incredulously.
Sirius and Severus nodded in agreement. "Now," they both said firmly.
"You'll be all right on your own until you have to meet Madam Pomfrey to be escorted down to the Shack, won't you?" Sirius asked Remus in concern and the subdued boy nodded silently in response.
"What about Wormtail?" James asked.
"We can't wait for him," said Severus. "Who knows where he even is right now."
"Wait!" said James and withdrew his copy of the Marauders' Map. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," he declared. When the map appeared on the previously blank piece of parchment, he tapped it with his wand and intoned, "Peter Pettigrew."
The dot indicating Peter began to glow and James squinted at it curiously. "He's in the library, next to a bunch of Slytherins. Avery, Mulciber, Crouch Junior and Regulus. What's he doing with them? They're probably hexing him, we should go and help!"
"In the library under Madam Pince's nose?" Severus asked acerbically. "She never joins the school for supper, unless it's a feast. She's always in the library from the end of class until she closes it at nine o'clock, and you know she'd never tolerate a fight in there."
"Sev's right about that," Sirius chuckled. "I saw a bunch of them trying to hex a group of first year Hufflepuffs in the library the other day. Before I could do anything, Madam Pince had disarmed the lot of them and kicked them out. She wouldn't give them their wands back, either. She gave them to Professor Sprout as the victims' Head of House, and they had to go crawling to her to get them back. I'm sorry, Prongs, but we just don't have time."
"But..." James looked dissatisfied.
"Look, Remus can go and check on him, make sure he's all right," Severus suggested. "And Wormtail can keep Moony company until it's time to go down to the Shack."
James nodded reluctantly in agreement and he, Sirius and Severus made their way out the castle and into the forest. As soon as they were out of sight of the school, they changed into their animagus forms and then crept back towards the edge of the forest and lurked unseen in the undergrowth and bushes near the entrance to the Shrieking Shack.
After a long wait, they noticed the entrance to the tunnel underneath the Shrieking Shack being opened but they could not see anyone there.
Sirius changed back. "Whoever it was must have been disillusioned," he said in a low tone.
Moments later, the tunnel entrance closed again.
"Well, whoever it was that went in didn't exactly stay for long. He was only there for a couple of seconds if the entrance has been closed again," surmised James, who had also changed back into his human form.
Severus changed back as well and shook his head. "Either that or someone closed the tunnel from just inside the entrance."
James stared at Severus in disbelief. "You're being really paranoid, Shadow. Everything looks fine to me," he said.
"Let's just wait and see. There's no harm in taking precautions, is there? Or do you want to see Remus executed like a rabid dog for something that wasn't his fault?"
"I agree with Shadow," declared Sirius. "If we're wrong and nothing happens, then all we've done is waste some time, but if someone's trying to let Moony out on a full moon to cause trouble, isn't it better we should be here to stop that happening?"
Sirius and Severus changed back into Padfoot and Shadow and, shame-faced, James transformed into Prongs as they waited for Remus to be escorted to the Shack by the Mediwitch, Madam Pomfrey.
Eventually, they made out two cloaked figures approaching the Whomping Willow. They opened their tunnel and made their way inside. Twenty minutes later, one of those figures came back out, closed the entrance to the tunnel and headed back to the castle. Prongs started forward but Shadow snarled, stopping him. Quickly changing back, Severus whispered, "Wait!" then slipped back into Shadow and continued to wait. Sure enough, quarter of an hour later, there was a quiet crack of apparition and then the tunnel was opened. Shadow and Padfoot could both smell the presence of another person and waited until they were sure he had gone.
The three Animagi changed back into their human forms.
"I thought it's impossible to apparate in Hogwarts' grounds," stuttered James in surprise.
"That's correct. Only the Headmaster can apparate here," observed Severus laconically.
"But... but... you think the Headmaster was in the Shack and then apparated back onto the grounds because he couldn't open the tunnel from the inside?" James asked sarcastically.
"Yes, that's exactly what I think happened. And you'll note he didn't close the tunnel before he returned to the castle. He's left it wide open," Severus drawled. "Come on, we don't have much time."
The boys raced down the tunnel and climbed up to the door leading into the Shack, which they discovered was slightly ajar. Entering the Shack, they saw that Remus was lying on the floor, stunned.
"He doesn't know the door is open. The Headmaster must have been waiting for him, disillusioned, and after Madam Pomfrey left, he must have stunned Remus, apparated into the tunnel to open the door and then apparated out of the tunnel to activate the Whomping Willow entrance," said James in disbelief.
"All right, here's the plan. We're going to close the door and lock it magically. Then Sirius and I will wait at the bottom of the stairs in our animagus forms, to be sure Moony doesn't get out. James, there's no room for your antlers here, so Prongs is going to wait at the entrance to the tunnel and keep a look out to be sure no one comes back out to check why Moony isn't running loose. Quickly, we don't have time to waste," Severus urged.
There was no time to argue and the boys scrambled to do as they were bid. Just minutes after they had locked the door and slipped into their animagus forms, Shadow and Padfoot heard the shrieks and howls of Remus transforming into Moony. They spent the rest of the night whining and mewling in sympathy as they heard Moony howling and banging against the door, trying to get out, but remained vigilant to be sure that he did not manage to do so. Eventually, they heard the howls of Moony transforming back into Remus and then everything went quiet. Shaken and haggard from the rough night, the black serval and the Grim crept out of the tunnel and met up with Prongs. Slipping back into their human forms, they closed the tunnel and then made their way into the school, using one of the secret passages so as not to be caught.
Pausing briefly at the end of the passage, Sirius spoke. "That was rough," he observed shakily.
"No one came back to check that he did actually get out," said James, who was still not as convinced of the plot as his companions.
"What do we say if anyone asks where we were all night?" asked Sirius suddenly.
"Come with me, quickly!" said Severus.
They made their way to their secret den and Severus quickly brewed a couple of prank potions. "Our story is that we spent the night in an abandoned classroom developing these potions. We want to be caught with them if we need to," he said.
"What do they do?" asked James curiously.
"This one will make everyone sound like they've been inhaling helium when they speak. Never mind," he added as he saw the looks of confusion on the faces of the two purebloods. "I'll explain later. The other potion makes everyone's voices sound really deep. The helium potion is to give to guys and the other one is to give to girls. We'll say we were planning to use them after exams are over, as light-hearted fun to relieve the tension," Severus explained.
"Are these from your book of prank potions? It wouldn't take you all night to brew anything from that. What if Wormtail accidentally gives us away?" Sirius asked.
"No, they're not from the book, so we can say it took all night because I had to develop them from scratch. If we need to produce the book to corroborate our story, we're clear," Severus smirked.
"Works for me!" said Sirius cheerfully.
The boys made their way back to their dorms and tumbled tiredly into bed.
A couple of hours later, Severus was roughly shaken awake by Madam Pomfrey.
"I need you to accompany me to the hospital wing, Mr Snape," she whispered carefully, so as not to wake his dorm mates.
"Huh?" he asked sleepily.
"Never mind, just come with me."
He blearily climbed out of bed and pulled on his dressing gown and slippers, then followed the Mediwitch to the infirmary.
"What's wrong, Madam Pomfrey? Is it Mum?" he asked urgently when he arrived.
"Oh, no, dear. Your mother is fine, as far as I'm aware. I'm sorry for alarming you, Mr Snape. It's just..." she hesitated.
"Yes, Madam?" he prompted.
"The Headmaster mentioned that he had sent you out to harvest potions ingredients and, well, it was the full moon last night and..."
"Madam Pomfrey," he said gently. "Remus Lupin's friends are all aware of his 'furry little problem,' as Potter and Black have dubbed it. But we also know that you take great care in ensuring that he is safely secured in the Shrieking Shack and that he is therefore of no danger to anyone."
She smiled wryly at him. "I had expected that you had all worked it out. However, the Headmaster says he heard a werewolf roaming the grounds last night and he was most concerned that Remus had somehow got loose and attacked you. He asked me to check you over urgently."
"I'm surprised the Headmaster doesn't have more confidence in you, Madam Pomfrey," Severus said dryly.
"We all make mistakes," she replied in a matching tone.
"Not you, Madam Pomfrey. Not with people's health," he said confidently.
"That's very good of you to say so, Mr Snape," she replied, misty-eyed. "However, it's also possible another werewolf may have wandered onto the grounds last night."
"I thought there were wards preventing that from happening?" he asked in artful confusion.
The Mediwitch chose not to answer that question, although Severus could see that she agreed with him. " Come, Mr Snape. I still need to check you over," she said, indicating a bed for him to sit on.
"Madam Pomfrey? Have you been to check on Remus yet? Do you know for sure that he did actually get out last night?" Severus asked in concern, his very posture radiating sincerity.
"No, not yet. The Headmaster wanted me to check on you first," she explained, as she began her diagnostic scans.
"So that he can be sure I really was infected!" Severus thought cynically.
"When you go to check on Remus, may I come with you? I'm worried about him and I'd like to be sure everything's all right."
Poppy looked as though she was about to refuse, however, no doubt remembering that Severus was already well aware of Remus' condition, she sighed and nodded agreement.
"I assure you, Madam Pomfrey, that I have not been bitten by a werewolf. I wasn't out on the grounds last night," Severus assured her.
"But what about your potions ingredients?"
"Mum cultivates potions ingredients which need to be harvested on the full moon in a safe environment. I owled her last night to ask that she harvest some Moondew for me and send it to me this morning."
"A very wise precaution," Poppy approved. "However, I still need to complete my scan for form's sake, so that we will have it on record that you haven't been infected with lycanthropy."
As Poppy ran the scan, Severus mentally communed with the castle and asked that his elf, Fluxy, awaken James Potter and Sirius Black and send them down to meet him in the entrance hall immediately. Severus wanted as many witnesses as possible to the fact that Remus had not escaped his confinement in the Shrieking Shack last night.
Finally, Poppy completed her in-depth scan and, as expected, Severus came up clear of lycanthropy and in prefect health. Severus transfigured his dressing gown and slippers into wizarding robes and shoes and he accompanied the Mediwitch out to retrieve his friend from the Shrieking Shack.
As they made their way through the entrance hall where the Headmaster was waiting for them, Sirius' voice came ringing out from the grand staircase. "Hello, hello. What's going on here? Is Remus all right, Madam Pomfrey? You don't usually need help to collect him."
Poppy spun round to face him. "And just how would you know that, Sirius Black," she demanded indignantly, with her hands on her hips.
"We usually check on him, to be sure he's all right. We worry about him," explained James sedately.
"Not exactly a lie. Prongs just didn't specify exactly when we check on Moony," grinned Severus to himself.
"The Headmaster thought that Remus might have got out last night. As he had asked me to prepare a Soothing Eye Balm for him, he was concerned that I could have been attacked while gathering Moondew. Once Madam Pomfrey was assured that I was fine, I asked if I could accompany her to retrieve Remus. If Remus did get out last night, I'm sure he'd appreciate a friendly face right about now," Severus explained for the benefit of his friends. As the Headmaster could not see his face, Severus winked at the two boys and Sirius immediately picked up on his cue.
"But you didn't go out harvesting last night. I thought you asked Mistress Snape to send you some Moondew from her garden?" Sirius asked, his face an artful expression of bafflement.
"That's right," Severus nodded, as he turned towards the doors. "Mum should be sending it along this morning."
As Severus turned round, he noticed the fleeting flash of anger in Albus' eyes, something that only he would see because he knew the man so well. Even Poppy Pomfrey had not known the real, scheming, manipulative Albus Dumbledore as well as Severus Snape had in his last lifetime, although she had received glimpses of it in his blatant favouritism of certain, select pupils, over the health and well-being, both emotional and physical, of others.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and get Moony," said Sirius boisterously.
Unable to come up with a reason to insist that the three schoolboys remain behind in the castle, Dumbledore led the way down to the entrance to the Whomping Willow.
"Well, the tunnel is still closed," Poppy observed as they approached.
With a huff, Albus activated the knot in the tree to open the entrance to the tunnel. Making their way to the Shack, Severus was relieved to see that the door was still locked; both physically, with a key and with heavy-duty bolts on the outside of the door, and magically, with a strong Colloportus spell.
Only Severus saw the disbelief and anger on Dumbledore's face; he was specifically watching the old man out the corner of his eyes, to see his reaction.
"This door is securely locked from the outside, Albus," Poppy observed. "If you heard a werewolf on the grounds last night, it must have been someone else. Perhaps we ought to send Hagrid to look and see if there's anyone needing assistance in the Forbidden Forest."
Ignoring the Mediwitch, Dumbledore opened the door. Inside, Remus, wrapped up in a cloak was sitting on the shabby bed, with his back against the wall and his knees bent up against his chest. His forehead was resting on his raised knees. He wearily raised his head when he heard the door opening and his eyes widened when he saw all the people gathered in the doorway. Remus looked far more exhausted and worn out than he had done after any transformation since the Marauders had started letting him run around the Forbidden Forest under their supervision on full moon nights and Severus mentally apologised to his weary friend.
"So many people. Is something wrong?" Remus asked, sounding completely drained.
"No, Mr Lupin; everything seems fine," said Madam Pomfrey, bustling over to him. "Although you do seem more bruised and tired than normal. Did anything unusual happen this month? You didn't get out, did you?"
"Not as far as I'm aware, Madam Pomfrey," he replied. "I don't remember exactly what happens when I transform, I just get brief, disjointed images. I have an impression that I was banging against the door a lot to try and get out but I could be wrong. I don't think I got out because I was here when I woke up and the door was locked. I couldn't have closed and locked it in my werewolf form."
"Quite," Poppy huffed, glaring at the Headmaster. "That door is magically reinforced, so I doubt even your werewolf form could have smashed it down."
"Was there another werewolf running around last night? I hope no one got bitten," Remus said, biting his lip in consternation. "Perhaps if my werewolf heard another nearby, that's why it was so more determined than normal to get out."
"He's good. The very picture of perfect innocence," Severus thought, his black eyes gleaming with amusement, "and he's given Poppy a very reasonable explanation for why this month's transformation was harder than usual, so she won't question it again. I just hope Albus isn't inclined to investigate further; we'll have to be very careful next month. At least I can ask Hogwarts to keep our movements hidden from the Headmaster on full moon night, so he won't be alerted when we sneak out."
Poppy handed Remus the bundle of clothes she had brought with her and once he had dressed, they all trooped back to the castle. For form's sake, Albus stopped off at Hagrid's hut on his way past and asked him to check if there was anyone in need of help in the forest. Inwardly, Albus was seething that his plan had not worked out.
"I can't use that plan again without making them suspicious," he thought in disgust, as he settled down to his scheming again.
Albus made a few more unsuccessful attempts to break up the group of friends between over the rest of their sixth year and their seventh year. Sirius, a true Black despite having been sorted into Gryffindor, was now wary of Albus and did not fall for his machinations. However, despite the incident on the full moon, James and Remus were still inclined to believe in the Headmaster. James had been brought up to venerate Albus, and although James had now taken Dumbledore off the pedestal he had previously placed the man upon, with the increase of Death Eater activity, James still naively believed in the Headmaster as the Leader of the Light, much to Severus' regret, as he realised that James would inevitably join the Order of the Phoenix after they finished school.
Remus, on the other hand, did not know what to think. On the one hand, he was horrified and betrayed by the Headmaster's casual use of him as a tool, but on the other hand, he still felt he owed the Headmaster some form of loyalty for allowing him to attend Hogwarts. Knowing that the Headmaster would have no hesitation in using Remus again, not to mention how hard it would be for Remus to find a job in the wizarding world even in countries less prejudiced than Britain, especially if Dumbledore decided to interfere, Severus began to consider possible career options for Remus that would take him out of the magical world and away from Dumbledore's influence.
With Sirius and Severus both keeping a close watch on Dumbledore, they managed to foil the man's plans to split up the group of friends. Unbeknownst to the Marauders, Severus recruited the ghosts and portraits to assist him in this endeavour. While the ghosts and portraits were supposedly unable to talk of anything that happened in the Headmaster's office, or indeed of the Headmaster's business in general, Severus himself was also an acknowledged Headmaster of Hogwarts. He had always been careful not to put them in a position of betraying the current Headmaster but realised that he needed them to watch his back. The ghosts and portraits were reluctant to be put in the middle between the two Headmasters at first, but when Severus explained that he was not asking them to inform him of all the Headmaster's secrets but only of things that could or would directly affect him or those close to him, they agreed. He knew that they, too, disapproved of his using pupils like pawns; a Headmaster of Hogwarts was supposed to put the welfare of the students above all else and Albus Dumbledore was skating very close to betraying his position.
During Severus' seventh year at Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy approached Severus for the first time during a Hogsmeade weekend, when Severus was helping out Eileen in the shop. She had gone to meet a supplier of animal parts, such as black beetle eyes, rat spleens, armadillo bile, bat blood and spleens and other animal based potion ingredients, and Severus was looking after the shop in her absence. He was doing a stock take, checking for expired or spoiled ingredients, when he heard the bell over the door jingle, indicating that someone had entered the shop. Turning round, he saw an arrogant looking man with long white-blond hair a few years older than himself, carrying a cane.
"Lucius," he thought resignedly. "The Dark Lord's recruiter. I guess this must be the first overture from the Dark Lord."
Schooling his expression to one of a shopkeeper's polite welcome to a customer, he greeted his friend from his former life. "Good afternoon. Mr Malfoy, isn't it? How may I be of assistance to you today?"
"I need some Murtlap Essence and Essence of Dittany, please, Mr Snape. Also a Wound-Cleansing Potion and some Sleeping Draughts."
"Of course, Mr Malfoy. A moment, please." As Severus moved around the shop gathering the items requested, he reflected to himself that Lucius would no doubt be needing to use those potions rather a lot, given his service to the Dark Lord.
As Severus took the potions to the counter to wrap them and ring them up at the mechanical till, Lucius addressed him again.
"Were these potions brewed by yourself or by Mistress Snape?"
"These were all brewed by my mother, Mr Malfoy. I assure you that they are all of excellent quality; my mother is a Potions Mistress, after all."
"I'm sure they are, Mr Snape. However, I have heard that you are somewhat of a prodigy with regard to Potions," Lucius replied.
Preferring to appear as a modest schoolboy, rather than an arrogant, supercilious braggart like Lucius himself, Severus did not reply but merely nodded his head in acknowledgement, his face an impassive mask. Severus did not want to encourage Lucius' interest in him and had no intention of boasting about his talent with Potions to this man.
"You know there could be great opportunities for someone as talented as you," said Lucius. "If you had the right Patron."
"That's a very generous offer, if offer it is, Mr Malfoy, but my place is in the family business," said Severus firmly. "Master Brewyer was like a grandfather to me and I want to help my mother make a success of the business in his memory as much as for our own sake. I owe him an awful lot – my mother and I both do."
"I'm sure your family would be pleased if you would make more of yourself than a mere shopkeeper," Lucius suggested disdainfully.
Severus looked puzzled. "Excuse me, but what family are you referring to? My family is my mother – another mere shopkeeper, as you put it – and my muggle foster family. I have no other family."
"Why, the Princes, of course," declared Lucius looking shocked. "You are of the House of Prince, are you not? Surely you would wish to make them proud?"
"No, Mr Malfoy, I am not of the House of Prince. The House of Prince disowned my mother upon her marriage to my father, a muggle. She has never been reinstated to her parents' family and I have never been acknowledged by them. Forgive me for speaking bluntly but they are no family of mine, by their own doing, and their opinions are of no relevance to me. Besides, I want to make something of the Snape name; I'm sure you can understand that, Mr Malfoy, as respected as your name is. Of course the Snape name will never be equivalent to that of Malfoy but I'd still like to make it a name I can be proud of."
"Of course," Lucius drawled before flinging some galleons on the counter and striding out the shop in a huff, without exchanging any further courtesies with the young man.
"Now, was he more upset because I rejected his offer or because I compared my plebeian, lowly name to that of the haughty, aristocratic Malfoys?" Severus mused in amusement, before he suddenly sobered as a more worrying thought occurred to him. "Or was it because the Dark Lord will punish him for his failure? I hope I'm not of that much interest to the Dark Lord yet. Well, that was probably a preliminary inquiry. He won't come after me seriously before I finish school, and hopefully not until I have my Mastery; that gives me time to work out how to turn him down next time in such a manner that will make the Dark Lord lose interest in me, so I don't need to worry about offending him when I turn him down."
When Severus and Lily went home for Christmas that year, it was to great excitement. Petunia had completed her course in Horticulture and Landscape Design that summer and was now working at The Grange, close to nearby Wolsingham. The Manor of Wolsingham had been the Seat of the Earl of Wolsingham, namely Hermione Granger, or Graynge's, family, in Saxon times but sometime after the Norman invasion, Wolsingham Manor had passed to the Bishop of Wolsingham and the Graynge family had migrated to Cheshire, only returning to their native County Durham in the late eighteenth century. Fortunately for the Graynge family, when they inherited The Grange from a distant relative, the original estate house had recently been destroyed by fire and the home that had been built to replace it was neither a grand stately home nor of great historical value, and was therefore not subject to crippling Death Duties. Hermione's grandfather had entrusted the parkland to the care of the National Trust, retaining only a small area surrounding The Grange as private gardens, and Petunia was employed as grounds staff, working very happily in the National Trust maintained parklands.
Gareth Tonks, Petunia's boyfriend, had graduated as a dentist a year previously and was now working in the same practice as the Countess of Wolsingham, Hermione's mother. Hermione's father, John Graynge, the Earl of Wolsingham, was an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon at Newcastle University Dental School & Dental Hospital and her mother, Helen Graynge, the Countess of Wolsingham, had also been practising there, but after her son had been born in 1976 (Hermione's older brother, Benedick, Viscount Riseton²) Lady Graynge had decided she wanted to work closer to home and when she was ready to return to work after her maternity leave, had bought into the local practice, where she was a paediatric dentist. Gareth was doing an internship with Helen Graynge and was hoping to join the practice permanently once this had been completed the following summer³.
The excitement was because on Petunia's birthday in November, Gareth had proposed to her and she had happily accepted his proposal. The whole family was buzzing with excitement and Lily and Severus could not wait to go home for the engagement party, which would take place over the Christmas holidays so that they could attend. The wedding was scheduled for the following winter.
Severus was delighted for Petunia, as Gareth was a thoroughly nice man. However, he was also pleased because of the connection with Hermione's family. This meant that Harry and Hermione would have the opportunity to meet from a young age and perhaps even grow up together. Even if, as he still hoped, Severus managed to save James and Lily, the Potters would no doubt visit Gareth and Petunia Tonks on occasion and he could somehow arrange for the two children to meet. Even better, if Petunia and Gareth got to know Hermione, they would hopefully recognise the signs of accidental magic in her and call in either Lily or Severus to help the Graynges adjust to having a magical child.
The excited family spent a very happy holiday together. Eileen spent her days at the shop, apart from Christmas and New Year, but flooed to Durham and stayed every night with the Evans family, floo access having long ago been added to the Evans home. Severus was very happy to be able to spend time with her every evening and morning. He would accompany her to the shop every morning but she would shoo him back home after lunch, so that he could spend the afternoons with his sisters, Alex and Iris.
There was only one sour note during the holidays. Gareth and his housemates had organised a New Year's party for their friends. Some of the guests at the party were friends of friends and Gareth did not personally know everyone who had come to the party. During the course of the party, while Gareth was busy bringing out more drinks, Petunia was chatted up by a burly young man who had taken a fancy to her and would not take no for an answer.
"Hello, Doll. What's a cute bird like you doing all on your lonesome? Why don't you come over here and keep me company, I'll make sure you have a good night."
The objectionable man smiled at her in what he obviously thought was a winning fashion and slipped his arm round her waist. Petunia tried to get away but his grip was like a vice.
"Now, now. That's not very friendly, Doll. I told you to come over here with me. Do it, like a good girl." He raised his hand and chucked her under the chin patronisingly.
Petunia smiled at him sweetly. "If you're going to paw me, the least you can do is tell me your name?"
"That's better, Doll. I'm Vernon, and you are?"
"Engaged. To him. Allow me to introduce you to your host." She pointed towards Gareth who was standing behind Vernon, looking rather angry.
"Now, Doll. What do you want with a loser like him? Come on and I'll give you a good time." He tried to drag her away from Gareth.
Petunia promptly put her self-defence training from her father into good use. She stamped hard on his foot with her stiletto heels, then whirled round and kneed him in the groin, felling Vernon like a tree trunk. As he lay wheezing on the ground, she stood over him and spoke in icy tones.
"Why on earth would I be interested in a lout like you when I'm engaged to a wonderful man, who I've been with for four years already? Even if I weren't with Gareth, you've done nothing to endear yourself to me on first acquaintance. You need to learn that when a woman says no, she means no. Some basic manners, common courtesy and respect for others wouldn't hurt either. If anyone is a loser, it's you," she said contemptuously, before turning and walking away with Gareth.
With a roar, Vernon catapulted himself off the floor and launched himself at Petunia and Gareth. This Vernon Dursley was not the overweight, unfit boor he would become in later years; rather he was still the powerful young man who had boxed at school and had not yet gone to seed. Luckily, he was still too quick to anger and instead of sneaking up stealthily behind them, he let his emotions get the better of him, advertising his intentions loud and clear when he bellowed like an angry bull. The young couple, who had been well trained in self-defence by Alex, had more than enough warning to dodge.
Gareth turned to deal with Vernon but the other man was incandescent with rage and was so lost in his fury that he was not easy to subdue. Fortunately, Gareth's housemates, all former students of Alex Evans, came to help him and in a concerted effort the young men managed to restrain the furiously mad and bellowing Vernon Dursley.
"You have a choice," Gareth announced. "You can either leave of your own accord and not come back, or we can call the police and have them invite you to leave."
Vernon was still struggling furiously to escape the hold he was in and attack the men who had restrained him but upon hearing Gareth's threat, one of Vernon's friends intervened.
"For God's sake, Vernon. Do you really want to get arrested? You'll lose that job you're so proud of getting at Grunnings, before you even start."
That was the shock that Vernon needed to bring him back to his senses. The words uttered by his mate finally penetrating his rage, Vernon stood stock still and allowed his ire to fade. He was still angry but he was no longer out of control.
"Let me go. I'll leave," he said through gritted teeth. He shook off the hold the men had on him and stomped his way out of the house, the other guests parting in disgusted silence for him, like the splitting of the Red Sea, as he made his way through the crowd.
Gareth immediately turned to Petunia and took her in his arms as she clung to him tightly. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she was shaking from her reaction. Gareth took her into a quiet corner to fuss over her until she was more composed, while his housemates apologised to their other guests for the unpleasant incident and got the party going again. When Petunia had calmed down somewhat, she and Gareth sneaked out and he escorted her home. She was still quite upset and jumpy, and the loud and noisy atmosphere was doing her nerves no good.
Once back in the peace and quiet of the Evans home, Petunia finally relaxed. As they sat on the couch, with Petunia ensconced firmly in her fiancé's comforting embrace, Gareth explained to Petunia's concerned family what had happened. Eileen immediately flooed home to get a Calming Draught for Petunia, while Severus headed into the kitchen to make tea for the shaken family. He had been surprised when he realised that it had been Vernon Dursley who had accosted Petunia but, as he waited for the kettle to boil, Severus could not help smirking at the thought of the drubbing Dursley had received at the hands of his soon to be brother-in-law and his friends.
"It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," he thought smugly.
"Now what's that look for, Sev?" asked Alex, who had come into the kitchen to help Severus carry the drinks back into the sitting room. "Don't you think that smiling about what happened tonight is a bit inappropriate?"
Severus looked at Alex with his best impersonation of Remus' patent expression of earnest innocence.
"I'm not smiling about what happened, Uncle Alex. I'm smiling because Tuney has found a man who will stand up for her, defend her and take care of her. I'm pleased that she's found such a good man."
"I agree that Gareth is a very good man. However, I want you to remember that violence isn't a solution and that gloating over it is extremely distasteful. While I want you to be able to defend yourself, fighting isn't the answer."
"That wasn't what happened, though, Uncle Alex. Gareth didn't beat up that oaf or anything like that! He would have fought to defend Tuney if need be but he didn't use unnecessary force. All Gareth did was help subdue a violently angry man who was out of control," Severus protested.
Alex sighed in defeat. "You're right, of course, Sev. In fact, I'm surprised Gareth was so restrained. I certainly wouldn't have been if that had happened to your Aunt Iris."
Severus nodded enthusiastically. "I promise I won't go round starting fights, Uncle Alex. I'll try and avoid fighting whenever possible, but I will do what's necessary to defend myself and my family," he declared. "I won't glorify it afterwards but I won't regret protecting us, should it ever come to that."
Alex smiled conspiratorially at the young man who was like a son to him. "That's as it should be, Sev," he said.
The year rolled on fairly peacefully after this. Peter remained distanced from his friends and the two dating couples, James and Lily, and Sirius and Marsali, grew closer, leaving Remus, Severus and Gaspard to form a new trio for their final months at Hogwarts. Next year, Gaspard was planning to apprentice with the Professor of Ancient Runes at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France. In Britain, the study of Runes focused more on warding whereas in France, the focus was on enchanting, which was Gaspard's area of interest.
Remus, in Severus' last lifetime had picked up a lot of knowledge on Defence Against the Dark Arts. This was due more to self-preservation as he had spent much time associating with the dregs of society since, as a werewolf, he had been ostracised and unable to obtain gainful employment, rather than to his having a particular interest in or affinity for this one subject. In reality he was a true bibliophile and was at his happiest when surrounded by books, on any subject. He had previously mentioned his many varied interests and, in truth, rather than focusing on one subject alone, he would have been happy to be employed as a librarian where he would be surrounded by knowledge of all sorts, but this would not be possible under the circumstances.
Neither would his owning or working in a bookstore be permitted in the magical world, but Severus had pointed out that there was nothing to stop him owning his own bookstore in the muggle world. Not only that, but as the proprietor, Remus would not need to explain his absence over the full moon, rather he would merely need to be sure that he had staff available to work on those days instead of him. In fact, if he owned a rare and used books store rather than a mass market shop, since he would be spending much of his time scouring the country, attending estate sales, auctions and seeking other sources of supply of texts, he would probably not even need to justify his full moon absences to his staff, as they would be used to him being out the shop.
Severus had taken Remus to visit a number of muggle rare and antiquarian book shops during the summer holidays after their sixth year and Remus, who had been astounded by the sheer breadth of muggle writings that existed, both fiction and non-fiction, had been in his element. He had spent the rest of the summer helping out at one such shop and had obtained a promise of employment after he finished school. Remus had explained that he had an ongoing medical condition which flared up every few weeks and required him to take a couple of days off to recuperate and his employer, who saw potential in the polite and diffident, yet intelligent, young man had been very accepting of this. Remus would be doing shift work anyway, working only five of the six days a week the shop was open, so his employer was quite willing to be flexible with regard to his shifts and if Remus was unable to work one day, he could easily make up the shift. Remus hoped to work there long enough to learn the business and then buy out or open his own shop. Charlus Potter had already promised him assistance in this endeavour. While Remus was disappointed not to be able to own a magical bookshop, he knew there was a fair chance he would come across magical texts in the course of business and could sell them through a broker, thus maintaining a foot in both worlds. Remus would never be as wealthy as the Potters or the Blacks but if he made a success of this venture, he would be comfortable.
Sirius and James had both been accepted to the Auror Academy, depending on their NEWT results, as had Lily's best friend, Alice, while Alice's boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, was already in his first year of Auror training. Since Lily had started dating James, the Marauders and the trio of friends from Ravenclaw had got to know Lily's friends better and Alice and Frank fitted nicely into their group, even though Frank had already left Hogwarts. Lily had been accepted as a Charms apprentice to Professor Flitwick, while Marsali wanted to become a Healer and had been accepted for training by St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in London. Peter, as predicted, had applied to the Ministry and had been accepted to a low-level entry position in the Department of Magical Transportation. He was rather glum about this, since his prospects were few, and Severus noticed Peter's building resentment.
"Well, if you had actually made an effort with your studies, then you might have had more options, you pathetic, little rat," he thought with loathing.
With the group of friends all prepared for their careers after school, they were looking forward to finishing their NEWTs and moving on to the next stage of their lives.
.o.O.o.
¹ Moondew is a canon potions ingredient, however, we don't know much about it so I've made up the harvesting and storage requirements.
² More fiction on my part. Apparently the Graynge family were Lords of the Manor in Wolsingham in Cheshire (houseofnames dot com slash graynge-family-crest) however, as far as I'm aware, there isn't a Wolsingham in Cheshire, while there's definitely one in County Durham, which is where I've situated Hermione's family. I therefore took a name from Saxon Cheshire to create Hermione's brother's title. Apparently Wolsingham Manor in County Durham, belonged to the Bishop of Wolsingham for many centuries (approximately the 12th to the 17th centuries as far as I can make out, although that might not be accurate) and there does not seem to be any record that I can find of Graygnes being connected to Wolsingham Manor, hence the back history I've given in this chapter, in order to have things make sense. As you've probably worked out, I've made up The Grange as well as the history of the Graynge family.
³ I don't know the requirements for qualifying fully as a dentist in the UK, either now or in the late 1970s, so please forgive any inaccuracies on my part. I believe that nowadays, after graduating with a degree, a further two years of training are required, working in primary care and undertaking any further training and/or education needed for specialising in a particular area of dentistry, but I could be wrong about that. Anyway, I'm using that as the model for Gareth.
.o.O.o.
A/N: I had intended Albus Dumbledore to be egotistical, manipulative and deluded but not outright evil; somehow or other, he seems to be taking on a life of his own and is going further and further down the path of iniquity!