Tangled Webs


James and Lily had spent most of the morning in the back yard; he'd been teaching her to use and perfect her Animagi ability. It didn't take all that long, but they'd taken many breaks to stop and play with their son, who lay on a small blanket with toys, playing and watching them.

James was still basking in the fact that Lily had returned…

…and Lily was still a bit wary about having returned, but she didn't allow her misgivings to show. Everything seemed to be fine. Her new Animagus ability was incredible and she loved the connection she and James had as animals. It was all more than she'd ever imagined.

James was a patient and loving teacher and she learned fairly rapidly. She praised him for helping her and then smacked his arm when he responded that he'd love to try out a few rather more intimate acts with his new Animagi mate when Harry wasn't about.

Remus and Sirius had allowed the couple several hours of peace, but joined them just after noon, both with expressions of no-nonsense, seriousness etched across their faces.

James frowned up at them from the blanket where his little family sat, 'what is it?'

Sirius looked at Remus and then sat down on the blanket with the family. Remus followed suit and was the first to speak.

'Peter.'

James' frown crumbled into a look of despondency and he merely nodded.

Lily met Remus' eyes, 'it was he who…'

Remus nodded, 'he betrayed you to Voldemort, which means he was working with him. If the Hag is correct, Voldemort had forged many horcruxes and the practice was ingrained inside of him. He created the one in Harry without even knowing it I bet.'

Lily nodded, 'so he'll return-'

'And Peter will shack up with him again,' Sirius finished.

'But not if we find Peter first,' Remus added.

'And kill him!' Sirius declared.

'No!' James spoke finally, his voice determined, 'we won't kill him.'

'What?' Sirius declared, his tone racing with surprise.

Remus looked at James with a slight frown, but Lily seemed relieved.

'We won't kill him – that would – that would make us as bad as him,' James continued, 'we'll capture him and let the Ministry deal with him.'

'That is ridiculous!' Sirius cried, 'he deserves death! He betrayed us all!'

James sighed, 'you know something Sirius; you would feel like total crap after doing it. You just don't see that right now. We are not talking about a mad prank here, we are talking about planning to kill someone in cold blood. Later you would agree it was the wrong thing to have done.'

'James is right,' Remus agreed sighing.

'No, he is not right!' Sirius said scathingly, he faced James, 'don't tell me what I would and wouldn't feel. Peter deserves nothing less than death, a gruesome, torturous death, slowly and painful!'

James shook his head wearily, 'how is it that you've known yourself longer than I have, but I know you better than you know yourself, Padfoot?'

Sirius' expression became mulish, 'don't flatter yourself that you know me Prongs. If you think I would regret killing that vermin, you are wrong…dead wrong.'

James' expression became speculative and a trace of surprise lit his eyes, 'you know what I did not realize? I didn't realize that you don't even recognize yourself when I point it out to you. That is really slow of you, Padfoot.'

Sirius' expression became thunderous and Remus quickly cut in.

'Really Sirius, the number of times you have acted and spoken without thinking speaks for itself. James is right, later you'd hate yourself, but that is neither here or there. The fact is, we have to find Wormtail and-'

'DON'T call him that!' Sirius barked.

Remus regarded his friend with interest.

'That was our friend! This Pettigrew creature is something else. His name should be RATFIEND!'

Remus pressed a hand to his forehead and a small grin appeared, 'right…Ratfiend then. We have to locate Ratfiend and apprehend him, both for the sake of justice and to prove Sirius' innocence. Ratfiend is our top priority!'

The four sat staring at one another for a moment before they simultaneously broke into laughter. Loud uproarious laughter that felt cleansing and pure, youthful and giddy all at the same time. No matter they were older and the subject quite serious, the Marauders could not sit hearing Peter's new nickname used in such a solemn fashion without seeing the absolute hilarious side of it – nor could Lily.

Harry looked around at the laughing adults curiously for a few moments, before clapping his hands with glee and squealing with laughter as well – just to join the party.

That made the adults laugh even harder.

When they finally sobered, it was James who spoke.

'The problem is, Ratfiend,' he smirked briefly, 'could be anywhere. In rat form, he'd be nearly impossible to find.'

'What we must do is find Voldemort and there we will find Ratfiend,' declared Sirius, 'and we can kill two birds with one stone.'

'And how will we find Voldemort?' Remus questioned, 'he was greatly damaged after trying to kill you, Dumbledore said his body was in parts and he escaped with just a portion of it. He is likely holed up somewhere attempting to heal, likely by using of one of those horcrux thingies. '

James quirked a brow, 'well he might be difficult to locate, but not for Peter or his other Death Eaters…they all have that dark mark you recall. Voldemort could still reach them and I am sure he would.'

Remus frowned, 'but if he is completely down and out…he might not have the power to reach them.'

James frowned a bit, 'true, but it is something to go on. We can at least locate a Death Eater and find out.'

'You think?' Sirius asked, 'just march up to my good old cousin Bella and ask inquire if she has any knowledge of Voldemort's whereabouts?'

'Padfoot my friend,' James responded, 'not just any old Death Eater. We know at least one Death Eater who has either flown the coop or is pretending to have done so…'

'SNAPE!' Sirius declared, suddenly enlightened.

'Exactly!' James agreed.

'Se-Severus?' Lily asked confused.

Sirius nodded, 'Snivellus Snape. We caught him red handed in Dumbledore's office, plotting away with him!'

'James mentioned that bit when he was telling me about everything,' her face broke into a cute little expression of confusion, 'he told me that Severus said he was in love with me.'

'Correct, and plotting to kill your family off so that he could be with you!' Sirius finished grandly.

Lily looked a little devastated.

'Well, to be fair, we didn't hear the whole conversation,' James added, 'but Dumbledore did say "you know why and how she died, don't let her death be in vain." I don't know what that could mean other than Sniv-er-Snape was somehow in on all of the plan with Voldemort…and from the sounds of things, Dumbledore too.'

Lily bit her lip and frowned, 'how could Severus believe that I would be with him if my family was…k-killed.'

'That's Snivellus' demented thinking for ya,' Sirius said pluckily.

Lily shook her head, 'he was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them.'

'I beg to differ,' Sirius quickly interjected.

Lily waved off his objection with a hand, 'he must have realized that I would want nothing to do with him…or anyone under those circumstances.'

'Well not at first,' Remus suggested, 'but after a couple of years…'

Lily looked at Remus as if he were nuts, 'after a couple of years I would suddenly be interested in dating a Death Eater?'

'Ah, but the story is he is no longer a Death Eater – according to the unreliable Dumbledore that is,' Sirius reminded her.

Lily made a disgusted noise, 'even if he wasn't, I would want nothing to do with anyone who had been working with Voldemort when he hunted and killed my family. It is all nonsense.'

'I told you he's bonkers, Lily,' Sirius quipped, 'I don't see why you try to make sense out of anything Snivellus Snape does or thinks.'

James frowned, 'it doesn't matter what Snape's objectives were. The point is, he is our link to Voldemort. I think we should pay him a little visit.'

'At Hogwarts?' Remus looked surprised, 'I told you Dumbledore has him working there now.'

James shook his head, 'no, not at Hogwarts. He must go to his home at times – his family home is near your old home, isn't it, Lily?'

Lily nodded.

James grinned, 'then that is where we can start. Professors often went to their homes during the term for a night when they were given time off. I am sure if we stake out his home we catch him there at some point.'

'Stake out his home,' Sirius said musingly, 'well how the tables have turned. He used to follow us about all of the time, trying to get us in trouble and now it will be us stalking him…pay back is a bitch.'

'Padfoot,' Remus said with exasperation in his tone, 'the circumstances are completely different and I wish you would quit damning Snape to hell before he even has a chance to explain anything to us. It could be that there is more to this than meets the eye. Things just don't add up.'

'Remus is right,' James contributed, 'we will confront him and talk to him – see what is really going on.' His eyes became determined, 'but either way, he'll tell us what he knows about Voldemort's whereabouts!'

Sirius smirked, 'agreed. Just keep a grip on your wife's skirt!'

James reached and pulled Lily into his arms, 'I've nothing to worry about on that score.'

Lily smiled, 'nothing at all,' she kissed James sweetly, 'the only ones who need worry are any females who think they might get their hands on you since I'm supposedly dead.'

'Cat Fight!' Sirius exclaimed, delighted at the notion.

The others laughed, then James showed Lily with his lips what he thought about every other female that existed.


It had taken Lily a bit of convincing before the Marauders agreed to allow her to go on the stake out of Snape's home with them, but finally they had conceded and agreed she should accompany them. They had left little Harry at the home of Remus' parents, who were delighted to watch him. They knew all of the Marauders well from their youth and were two of the most discrete people in the world – they'd had had years of practice due to their son's furry little problem.

The Marauders and Lily spent an entire week freezing their buns off before a dark and clearly unoccupied house before they finally met with success. In the early hours of the eighth night, Snape finally arrived at Spinner's End.

They waited a good half an hour before approaching the house and stood shoulder to shoulder before the door as Sirius rapped gingerly upon it.

'Not a word, Padfoot,' James reminded his friend, 'we are not here to antagonize him, merely to learn the truth.'

'My lips are sealed,' Sirius promised.

The porch light snapped on and moments later the door was whipped open.

Snape appeared, dressed in a casual night robe and slippers, but otherwise, he looked the same as always. However, that didn't include his expression which moved from surprise to astonishment as his eyes traveled over his visitors. They seemed to glue themselves to Lily's figure, bulging slightly, and his body froze, as if he'd been struck by a freezing spell.

The silence was eerie and potent. It was James, ever the leader, who finally broke it.

'May we come in a speak to you for a moment?' he asked politely.

Snape suddenly found himself blinking – incessantly. He couldn't stop as his eyes moved slowly back and forth between Lily and James. The astonished expression was moving into one of disbelief.

'Things are not as believed, Snape,' James said then.

Snape looked at him, his blinking finally under control. His hand moved quickly to snatch his wand from his robes; a reflexive action.

James was quicker, already gripping his wand, 'Expelliarimus,' he cried and Snape's wand flew into his hand.

Snape stepped back a pace.

'There is no need for that,' James said, 'we didn't come to make trouble. We just want to talk.'

James held Snape's wand out to him. Snape stared at it for a moment as if it were a live snake, but then slowly retrieved it and pressed it back into his robes.

Snape's emotions were overwrought and his brain was totally baffled at what his eyes were telling him. Basically he felt dazed, completely stupefied because it could not be Lily that was standing before him now…that was impossible.

Snape couldn't square what he was seeing with reality at all. What the hell was going on? Lily was dead…he was certain of it. He had gone with Dumbledore to see her body at St. Mungos the very day James had left her there. And yet here she was…impossible. He seriously began believing he was caught up in some weird dream.

'This…this isn't real,' Snape said, his eyes flashing back to meet Lily's, 'you – you are de-dead!'

Lily shook her head, her voice gentle, 'no, I am not. Everyone was mistaken; I was not dead.'

'I saw you dead!' Snape accused, 'I saw you at the hospital dead!' He suddenly lifted his arm and pinched himself hard, grimacing at the pain.

'You are not asleep or imagining things,' James said, 'she was at the hospital and they pronounced her dead. But later I returned to mourn and there she was…alive. It was a miracle. I got her right out of there without saying a word, but she is alive as you can see.'

They'd worked out the story ahead of time, but it didn't stop all four individuals from looking slightly uncomfortable as James repeated the story.

Snape stood staring at Lily transfixed, his breathing becoming slightly elevated. 'You – you were alive?'

Lily nodded, 'may we come in?'

Snape's eyes went wide for a moment and then he seemed to get a hold of himself, 'ye-yes, come in.' He stepped back into the house and allowed the four visitors to enter.

Lily and the Marauders spilled into the house and Snape closed the door behind them. He moved slowly into the front room of the house, his gaze slipping to Lily every few seconds, as if he still believed had dreamed her up.

James looked around and noticed there was couch for two and two chairs. 'Shall we sit down?'

Snape looked startled for a moment, 'er- yes…sit.'

Sirius immediately went for one of the chairs and the other three were left to squeeze onto the small couch. Snape all but fell into the chair at the center of the room, clearly the one he used for reading and relaxing.

'As you can see,' James began, 'Lily is not dead.'

Snape's eyes snapped around to meet his, 'I – yes…' he muttered rather lamely.

'The fact is though, Voldemort tried to kill her – tried to kill us both.' James cuddled Lily against himself a bit more than she already was.

Snape saw the action and he was completely taken aback by the sudden, fierce and almost overpowering sensation of jealousy that suddenly whipped through his soul. The intensity of the emotion shocked him, but he was determined not to show it.

Snape sat up suddenly, his back ramrod straight, although his eyes were unfocused. 'I am aware of that. In fact, I have been working with Dumbledore during the last year to prevent it from happening.'

'Hrrumph!' muttered Sirius, ignoring the frowns of his friends.

Snape's head jerked around and his body tensed when he noticed Sirius Black for the first time.

Seeing this, James spoke up quickly, 'Sirius was not our secret keeper, Snape. It was Peter…Peter Pettigrew. We switched keepers at the last minute and didn't tell anyone,' he glared at Sirius for a moment, 'apparently not even Remus was informed.'

Sirius had the good grace to look a little sheepish.

'It's true,' Remus confirmed, when Snape continued to look distrustful.

'You!' Snape said to Remus, looking at him accusingly, 'you were in Dumbledore's office…you didn't say anything about Sirius not being a traitor then! Dumbledore said you agreed he was, that you were going to help search for him!'

Remus nodded, suddenly a bit wary, 'I did. At the time I didn't know…'

Snape looked suspiciously at Black, 'or perhaps he's convinced you all using some nefarious means?'

'Snape,' James said tiredly, 'Sirius hasn't used any spells on us. Lily and I agreed to the switch – we made Peter our secret keeper. Think about it, do you really believe Sirius would betray me and Lily?'

Snape narrowed his eyes at Black, 'yes.'

Sirius shrugged and pulled up his sleeves, 'see Snivellus, no dark mark.' He raised his brows, 'let's see your arms.'

Snape glared at Sirius, but made no move to comply.

'It is true, Severus,' Lily said then, 'it was Peter who betrayed us.'

Snape's eyes swung to meet Lily's and his demeanor changed for a moment, then he abruptly looked away again. 'So then perhaps it was Peter. It does not matter. The point is, I was not working against you. I was trying to prevent Voldemort from finding to you.'

James' expression grew skeptical, 'let me be completely frank with you, Snape. We overheard your conversation with Dumbledore. I know that you were working with him – and perhaps Voldemort – I heard him say to you that you knew how and why Lily died and not to let her death be in vain.'

'AND,' Sirius cut in, 'we also overheard that you are in love with James' wife.'

The room went completely silent in the wake of Sirius' words.

Snape dropped his eyes and stared at the ground. A chill ran through his veins and his skin had begun to crawl.

Black had just said…and Lily had just heard him say…

Snape's emotions danced from humiliation, to anger, to jealousy and back again, cycling like a circus clown gone mad on a unicycle. Outwardly he remained calm, his expression unfathomable, but inside his blood began to boil.

It was true, he was deeply in love with Lily – but only an ingrate like Black would accuse him of it openly in front of others – in front of Lily – exposing him, making him look like a love-sick fool over James' wife.

Snape spoke slowly and evenly, 'I was working with Dumbledore as a spy. Dumbledore guessed that Lily had died protecting your son and that is why the boy survived. That is what he was referring to when he said I knew how and why she died. He wanted to protect Harry based on the prophecy – he felt Voldemort would return and attempt to kill him - his doing so would have resulted in Lily's sacrifice being in vain.'

Snape looked up then, directly at James, his eyes dark and menacing, 'and I am not in love with your wife,' he finished, his tone cold.

James pursed his lips a moment, then spoke softly, 'I heard Dumbledore say-'

'What Dumbledore meant,' Snape cut in, 'was that I loved her as a friend. Perhaps you recall that Lily and I were once good friends?'

James starred at Snape; he knew it was a bold faced lie. Snape was indeed in love with his wife...but in the next moment be began to feel the deep humiliation and pain radiating from the man as they continued to stare at one another. There was anger and perhaps jealousy too, although Snape was trying very hard to hide it all. James felt sympathy well up in his gut for the man before him; Snape obviously had deep emotions for Lily, but he'd lost her to him. James understood loss only too well – he'd nearly lost Lily to death. It wasn't quite the same, but he imagined the emotions were just as virulent.

'We apologize,' James said with sincerity, 'we misunderstood Dumbledore's meaning.'

Sirius snorted derisively earning him a glare from both James and Lily.

Snape looked at James with skepticism.

James cursed Sirius under his breath; on top of everything else, this was not the emotional state for Snape to be in if they were going to illicit any information from him.

'I appreciate your attempt to help us – working with Dumbledore and all,' James continued.

Snape nodded curtly, carefully avoiding Lily's eyes.

'Yes, thank you, Severus,' Lily added gently, 'thank you for trying to help us.'

Snape grimaced a little and stared at the floor, 'of course,' he responded.

'Not so fast,' Sirius said, ignoring the looks from his friends, 'I am not convinced at all. I think you were trying to-'

'PADFOOT!' James interrupted, then stared his friend down until Sirius shrugged and looked away.

'Look,' James continued, speaking to Snape once more, 'as it stands, we are back at square one here. We were hoping that you could help us. Voldemort is still out there somewhere and we think Peter might be with him.'

'Likely,' Snape responded.

'And…well, if you know where Voldemort is we could-'

'I don't,' Snape cut in, 'if I did, I would have informed Dumbledore. The Dark Lord is well hidden and out of contact. The Death Eaters have been searching for him, even as the Ministry is hunting them down.'

'You haven't heard anything from him?' James questioned, 'I assume you carry the…mark.'

Snape looked at him with an expression of pure hatred, 'I do, and I have not.'

James' demeanor deflated a bit.

'So Dumbledore has truly been working against Voldemort then?' Lily asked.

Snape still refused to meet her eyes, 'of course; Dumbledore is as he appears. His goal has always been to bring down the Dark Lord. He alone seems to have guessed that Voldemort enacted some kind of magic that will allow him to survive despite whatever occurred to decimate his body when he tried to…kill you…and he is certain that the Dark Lord will return.'

The four visitors looked at one another with some misgiving. It was clear that Snape was unaware that Dumbledore thought Harry a horcrux – that Dumbledore likely believed their son had to be sacrificed in order for Voldemort to die.

James stood quickly, 'Thank you for speaking with us Snape. I really appreciate it, you have cleared up a lot of details. I think it is time for us to speak to Dumbledore.'

The rest of the visitors arose and Snape as well.

Snape looked at James, 'that would be wise; I am unsure why you have yet to do so.'

James quickly pulled Lily into a one arm hug, 'I've been a little busy with other details.'

Snape looked away, 'of course.'

As the group headed for the door Snape moved quickly to pull it open for them. They shuffled through and on the porch Lily turned back and Snape could not avoid her eyes this time.

'I'm glad,' Lily began slowly, her tone hesitant, 'so very glad that you left the Death Eaters, Severus. Our side needs as many good and brave men as we can get and well…I just knew deep down you wouldn't be taken in by that evil rhetoric in the end. I am happy for you Severus, truly.'

Snape nodded, but didn't respond and James could see the strain and emotion passing over the man's face. He had it bad for Lily – that much was glaringly obvious. But the thought gave him little cheer; he understood suffering, he'd lived it and he didn't wish it upon anyone else.

'I'm glad too Sn-Severus,' James said softly.

Lily placed an arm around James' waist and smiled warmly at her husband.

Snape nodded again, briefly and a second later, the front door slammed abruptly in their faces.