A/N: This is the last chapter of my beloved, most favorite to write story. Another change of plans, it's in third person, but from everyone's POV, if that makes any sense. I think I need to explain this in advanced, I will be changing POVs constantly, so be sharp. I'll miss this story very very very much. Thanks to all of my faithful readers and reviewers, you've inspired me!
Disclaimer: I don't own Lily Evans Potter (sadly…), James Potter (thank goodness), Sirius Black (he's hot), Remus Lupin (I love him), Peter Pettigrew (traitor), or chokes up Severus Snape breaks into tears…wishing that she owned him…and could stop JKR from killing him! It sucks.
Chapter Seven: Revenge
"…And that's how she'll be destroyed," Sirius said to his three best friends. The Marauders had just finished discussing what their big plan would consist of. They were conjugating together, trying to figure out ways to get back at the wonderful, beautiful, smart, talented, annoying, bitchy, slutty, self-absorbed Lily Evans.
They had recently discovered, over a rather pleasant lunch, that Lily was cheating on all of them with each other…and then some. It wasn't bad enough that she was dating all four Marauders, but she had also been thoroughly in love with their worst enemy; Severus Snape.
None of them could believe that she would go that far, but once they'd heard Peter's and James' proof, they were convinced. They had always known that Snivellus was very in love with Lily; he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He had always acted as though he hated her, hated it when she helped him…but everyone knew that he savored it. He was only trying to get her to stop playing with him…playing the game of false hope.
The Marauders finally realized that it was very unlike false hope; it was the exact opposite. All of those times, she'd defended him; she had been telling him that she loved him. Well, maybe not loved, maybe it was only lust, or a small crush.
Who was he kidding? James knew that Lily had been more in love with Snivellus than with he and his four friends combined. He still couldn't comprehend how this had happened; he and Lily had always been perfect together. He'd figured that out the beginning of fifth year, though it took her a much longer time to admit it.
But she never did admit it, did she? She'd said that she loved him, but did she actually mean it? Probably not…why would you love the annoying, arrogant, strutting James Potter when you could have Moony, the emotionally equipped genius, Wormtail, the nervous but funny Marauder, or especially Padfoot, the best looking guy in all of Hogwarts?
James kept looking at his feet, unable to stare his friends in the eye. He couldn't bear to think about Lily with every other guy that he was close with; she was supposed to end up with him. He didn't even want to know what had gone on with her and the other boys. It was too painful to think about.
What was even worse was the horrible plan that Sirius had come up with. Sure, it would make her feel sorrow and ache, but was it really worth it to ruin somebody else's life? James surely didn't think so; he disagreed with the plan entirely. Unfortunately, he didn't have guts enough at the moment to say no to Sirius. James was scared of the things that Sirius would call him if he ever backed down, so he decided that, though it would be a horrible thing to do, he would have to go through with it.
As Sirius finished his briefing about what they would do, he turned to look at his three best friends. He didn't think that he'd ever seen them looking so sad, not ever. Sirius himself was not that distressed about this whole thing, he was just angry. He was more mad at himself than anybody else; he'd known that Lily was with all the Marauders, and he still let them get hurt like this. The fact that Sirius had already known about the other boys really prepared him for the shock. He had been expecting it for quite a long time.
Sirius turned his head to James, realizing that he hadn't ever seen Prongs this sad and discouraged. Sirius had always known James to take rejection, even pain, lightly…bouncing back up right after he was let down. Padfoot had never seen James so unsure of himself, so self-conscious. He was, in fact, the arrogant type that didn't let petty things bother him. Sirius supposed that this whole Lily fiasco must've really hit James hard.
Sirius himself was feeling rather accomplished; he had just come up with a genius plan to get back at Lily Evans. He wasn't sure that he was the right person to come up with the plan; he had known what was going on the entire time. He just hoped that none of the other Marauders would ever find that out. He knew what they would say to him; "How could you have done that to us?" and "Why would you help her hurt us?" He couldn't let them find out the truth, he couldn't let this friendship end over his horrible mistake…there was too much at risk. In addition to the lack of want to make the plan, he knew that it was a cruel and hideous thing to do. He realized that it was more evil than the rising Dark Lord himself. He didn't care, or pretended not to. He would do anything to (impress his friends and) get back at the girl that hurt them. He made a sideways glance at Remus, who he wanted so desperately to help, but didn't know what the hell to do.
Remus was still crying; he hadn't stopped since the Marauders got back to the common room and had started scheming. He had only stopped during lunch to help split his friends apart. Once they got into the comfort of their dorm, he had laid down in his bed and wept. After they had all gotten used to the fact that she didn't deserve them, they started making plans. Remus sat there, listening. If he had a necessary comment, he would say something, but didn't stop crying the entire time.
She never loved me…he thought to himself, it was all just a joke to her. I bet that she's laughing at us… no, at me right now. 'I broke the werewolf's heart today, and he almost let me get away with it…I was lying on his shoulder, pretending to cry…' is what she's probably thinking at this very moment. Remus had never been very confident, but everything that the Marauders had helped him build up came crashing down in a matter of minutes. It was all because of her.
Remus actually wasn't sure if he was officially 'crying'. He knew that if he'd had any tears left, he would be crying. I've probably cried all of my tears out, he thought to himself. He was still feeling immense pain, and was sobbing dryly, you could call it. He was miserable, and couldn't help it. He didn't know what to do with himself, so he tried going to sleep. Then he remembered that tonight was the night of the full moon. Well, there went that idea.
Besides, the plan was ridiculous. Remus really hoping that Sirius wasn't serious (no pun intended) about the plan, not that Remus had any control over what would happen. He would be transformed. He realized that, with the new plan in action, he would have to hide himself more discretely than usual, he couldn't possibly go through with what Padfoot wanted him to.
Peter was pacing around the dormitory, his fidgeting habits working on overdrive. His head kept shaking unexpectedly, and he couldn't stop moving. If he stopped, he'd start to think about her even more than he already was. His hands were twitching, his finger muscles having spasms. He was proud of himself for one thing, however. He was the one who brought out the fact that Lily was cheating on all of them with each other. He was the one who had noticed. Maybe his over observant practices had finally helped him and his friends out.
Other than that one glint of happiness, he was going crazy. His mind was racing with millions of thoughts, mostly about his loyalty to the Marauders (was he actually considering Lily being more important than them?) and about Lily herself. About what they were going to do to her…well, not to her, exactly, but it wont hurt anybody more than her. It would be the worst pain of all, an indirect pain. They were going to hurt the only person that they figured she really loved…
Lily Evans was in her dormitory, sobbing. She was being bothered by her house mates, all of whom she'd never quite gotten along with. She was much to into boys and boy friends to care about a bunch of petty girls. Lily did have one girl friend; Alice Smith, but she was too in love with Frank Longbottom to ever have a normal conversation about anything. Since Lily was able to overlook things like that, she had become very close with pretty Alice. It was nice having somebody to talk about things with.
All of the girls that she was forced to room with would not stop bothering her about the Marauders. It seemed like they cared not that she was crying, but if it was because James had broken up with her (which would leave him single and available). She tried to ignore them, but after a while it got extremely difficult, so she did what she had to do, "Stupefy!" she yelled at them, making them all freeze and fall over. She chuckled at this scene, but then remembered that Severus Snape had just abandoned her. How much she was in love with him, she couldn't even start to explain.
That obviously wasn't the only reason that she was miserable, she was still astounded that Peter had told the other three Marauders about what she had been doing. They had found out and started to hate her instantly. She was even glad that nobody but Remus gave her a chance to explain…she didn't know what she would've said to defend herself.
So, instead of being the brave, beautiful Gryffindor that she was, she cowardly wept until she was too tired to do anything but sleep.
Severus Snape was once again sitting behind the statue of the One-Eyed Witch, reflecting on the day's events. His knees were up as he laid his arms upon them. His head sat on his arms and he was not far from crying. You will not cry. Crying is weak. You are strong. You will not let her hurt you like this. Getting hurt by a girl is weak. You are strong…he had to keep telling himself. He could not give into the pain that he was feeling inside.
Stop thinking about her; he repeated to himself for the umpteenth time, she is not worth your despair. But try as he might, Severus could not get her out of his head. For the remainder of the day, he sat, cried, and thought. He sat; because he had nothing better to do, he couldn't even bear to go to class. He cried; because he could no longer hold in the tears that she forced him to shed. And he though; thought of all the memories that he had shared with her, of the memories that he would never get to share.
Finally, Severus decided that he needed to get some rest if ever he was going to recover. As he got up, he saw a dog walking around a hallway. This was no ordinary canine; it was very large with loads of black fur. Its teeth were as big as knives and yet, it seemed to be smiling. He remembered getting his first letter from Hogwarts; it said that only cats, frogs, and owls were allowed as pets. Something was very wrong here and Snape was going to find out what it was.
He followed the dog all over the castle, until he could follow it no more. He saw it go into a secret little doorway that Snape himself could not fit through. Just as he turned his back, disappointed at the boring result, out of nowhere came Black, tapping Severus on the shoulder.
What does he want? Severus thought to himself; please let him go away…please let him leave me alone. Unfortunately for him, there was no way for Severus to escape Black's path, he kept following him. After a short period of ignorance toward Black, Severus turned around and asked, "What the bloody hell do you want, Black?" in a rather harsh tone.
"Chill your bones, Snivelly," said Black, obviously thinking that he was the funniest man alive, "I just wanted to chat with you."
"What would you say, Black, if I told you that I do not wish to speak with you?" Severus said as rudely as he possibly could.
"What's with the proper speaking, Snape? Don't you ever talk like a normal person?"
Severus knew that Black was making fun of the way that he talked, "Why is that any of your concern? Do you really care that I talk like a proper person instead of some kind of dog?" said Severus smartly, finally catching onto Black's secret.
"Quite the attitude, I see…we'll have to fix that, won't we Snivelly?"
"Please, do try," Severus started out, "But I am very sorry to inform you that you will fail. You of all people should know that I have known more magic than you since the minute we stepped off of the Hogwarts Express."
"Fine, then. Well, Sev…it is always nice to talk to you," Said Black in a sarcastic voice, trying to mimic Severus, "I was only about to let you in on a secret, but if you are not interested, then so be it." When he finished, he turned around and starting walking opposite Severus.
"Wait!" he called out to Black, "what were you going to tell me?"
"Oh, so you actually do have feelings, Snivelly…I thought that a great mind like yours trained itself to not be curious. Any who, here's what you've been missing out on…"
Remus Lupin was preparing himself for the full moon that would be taking place in just a couple of hours. He felt horrible, even worse than usual. He knew that this would be the most painful transformation he'd had yet. He wasn't sure how he could tell, probably because he'd never felt so hurt before a transformation previous to this night…he could just tell that the whole Lily-breaking-his-heart thing would just make the full moon night that much worse.
Well, he thought, always trying to be optimistic, at least I'm prepared for it. He wasn't nervous about it, he was excited. Once he was a wolf, he could separate himself from everything but his three very best friends. He could forget about Lily, even if it was just for one night. That was the best part about being a wolf; you became numb once every month. It was heaven for Remus when he was feeling like this; like his emotions had just been dropped off of a cliff, carelessly smashed to the ground.
But then, he remembered the prank. That horrible thing that they were doing to poor, lonely Severus Snape. After tonight, Remus knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself. If Remus did what was planned, Snape would probably be dead…or worse; infected. If Sirius' plan was indeed carried out, Snape's life would be ruined.
Remus did not want to hurt Snape…they had always been rather equal. Never friends; not even close. But they were both very different, with horrible pasts. Both of their parents had abandoned them because of who they were. They somewhat understood each other, though when Remus was sorted into Gryffindor, he got the bargain end of the deal. Snape, being sorted into Slytherin, did not.
Madame Pomfrey came into the common room after everyone else had left. She was there to collect Remus, to take him to the Shrieking Shack so that he would transform, safe from everybody else. Actually, so everybody else would be safe from him. He made his way down the stairs very apprehensively, hoping that Snape would not fall for the evil prank set into place by Sirius.
James Potter ran quickly through the halls, trying to find Snivellus. Sure, he was a horrible person and had helped Lily cheat on James, but Severus Snape did not deserve this fate. Why did James say yes to the prank? He himself did not know the answer, only that it was time to take it back.
He looked through each corridor as he passed, hoping to find Snivelly lurking there. He was nowhere to be found, so James got the Map and started looking for him. Finally, he spotted him making his way to the grounds. James sprinted after him, hoping that he'd be able to catch him in time.
What is going on? thought Severus as he walked quickly down the hallway, wait…let's process this. Black has just told me of a secret event that goes on once a month…but what can it be? He said that something goes on at the Shrieking Shack one night out of thirty. He said that it would happen tonight, there would be some sort of mystical creature of some sort there…
He wanted to find out what was going to happen. No, he needed to know. He had planned everything out, he was going to the Shack in about an hour, taking with him his wand and camera (just incase he wanted to remember this special event). He would go out into Hogsmead by sneaking out of the castle. Goodness knows that the old fool, Dumbledore, allows the locks to be undone with a simple charm. He was about to reach for the handle when somebody stopped him…somebody very much unexpected.
"Stop, don't go any further!" said Severus' most hated person in the world, James Potter.
"And why, Potter, would I listen to you?" Severus asked rather rudely.
"Snape, you can't go out there tonight, there's a full moon," James sounded exasperated, like he'd just run a very far distance. "There's a werewolf. Sirius tried to trick you…he wanted to get you killed, or worse…infected. I'm actually surprised that you fell for the load of rubbish that Padfoot dropped on you."
"Uh…well he did make it sound rather convincing," said Severus, wondering how he could have so easily been fooled. Idiot, he cursed himself, how could you have let your worst enemy trick you into something so stupid…and worse; your even worse enemy had to save you.
When Lily Evans finally decided to get out of bed, she realized that it was time to put things right. She knew what she had to do; beg for forgiveness and friendship from the Marauders first of all. Without them, she had no friends at all. She couldn't finish up school without anybody to spend time with. She knew in her heart that no matter how angry they were with her, they would always still love her. She was okay with that, as long as their love was strictly based upon friendship.
And then, there was Severus…she wanted to be with him so badly! How could I have possibly messed this up so badly? she wondered. She knew that they went perfectly together, and she wanted to be with him until the day she died.
So, even though Lily Evans had messed things up for herself worse than anyone she had ever known, she was sure that she could make them right again. Well… at least she knew that she would try.
A/N: So, the prank actually came from the books. Incase you didn't quite understand, it was the reason that Snape saved Harry at the Quidditch match…because James saved Severus from Sirius' nasty, murderous prank. I hope I've cleared everything up. Any questions, just ask!
I'm really sorry about the open ending…it's just the right way to end this story. You get to decide for yourself what happens; will the Marauders and Snape accept Lily's apology? Will they all hate her for the rest of eternity? I might do a sequel if I get enough requests, so tell me if you want one! By the way, it'd be great if you all checked out my newest fic; Seducing, Scrutinizing, and Spying on Severus Snape.
It's finished, therefore…I am devastated (and crying); tear, tear…sob, sob. Please send me some virtual Kleenex in your reviews (that you WILL leave…please???) To everyone who has read and especially reviewed this fic, it's given me the will power to keep going; THANK YOU!
