A rather shorter update than we've been having. This chapter was meant to go on for a few more scenes, but the second half just keeps getting longer, so I decided to break it up and get an update out this weekend with a solid ending place. I hope you're not too disappointed! Next update next weekend as always.

iKloudz & schak: Good to hear from you again! I'm not sure I can say too much without spoiling things, but I'm glad you're still reading and reviewing. I always find it satisfying to see Lily stand up to Snape, but I hope I'm writing it in a way that's realistic (and realistically...imperfect, shall we say?) as well as satisfying. iKloudz, no Emery in this chapter, but I too look forward to his return soon!

Chapter 7

As determined as Lily was to get Mansey out of his unjust detentions, mere determination wasn't going to be enough. Nobody ever got anything just because they wanted it - even if they could do magic. So it was that Lily came to be sitting in the library, mulling over different approaches to her current conundrum, when a voice startled her from her thoughts.

"Did you find him?"

Lily looked up, surprised to see Rosier standing a polite distance away. "I did. He wasn't much use, but I did find him. Thanks for the help."

The other girl inclined her head briefly, started to turn away, then seemed to think better of it. "You said it was about a younger student. Can I assist in any way?"

Lily hesitated. "I don't know how much you could help - or how much I can tell you, to be honest."

"I understand. Although, as a prefect, you know I am duty-bound to help students of any house."

"Oh, no, it's not that," Lily insisted. "And besides, it's actually a Slytherin who's in trouble."

Lily saw the briefest flicker of surprise widen Rosier's eyes, but a moment later it was gone, so quickly that she could almost have imagined it. "If you change your mind, do let me know."

Lily weighed her options quickly as she watched the girl's retreating back. She didn't know Rosier at all, but she was a prefect, wasn't she? Then again, so was Yaxley, and that did nothing to recommend him to her. But she only had until dinner to sort out Mansey's situation. He was to report to Slughorn right after dinner. She wondered if he even knew that he was to go, or if Slughorn would be tracking him down and springing it on him like a terrible surprise party.

And, really, why shouldn't she see what Rosier could contribute? She wasn't getting anywhere on her own. She probably wouldn't have to tell her the whole story, or bring Severus into it at all. The thought of getting her friend (ex-friend, corrected a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Marlene) in trouble made her uncomfortable, even if he was being a terrible excuse for a human being - and especially for a prefect - in this case. But, broke in head-Marlene again, it's not like you owe Severus anything anyway. He made this mess and he clearly has no desire to help you clean it up, so you can use whatever...cleaning supplies… you see fit.

You really took that metaphor a step too far, there. Get some sleep, Marlene, Lily thought back. But at the same time, she'd made her decision and risen from the table to chase after Rosier.

The other girl was swift and nearly to the library's wide doors before Lily caught up with her. Off to her right, Madam Pince was glaring at all the rapid movement and the threat it posed to her library's silence. "Rosier," she called in a loud whisper, mindful of the librarian's preference for quietude. "If your offer stands, I could use some help."

"Of course. Shall we discuss it at your table?"

They walked back together. Rosier cast a silencing charm around them as she sat, and then prompted, "What's all this about?"

"Ophian Mansey, the first-year. He's got detention, starting tonight, for stealing from Slughorn's stores. I know he didn't do it, and I know who did, but I can only prove that it wasn't him. He was in a study group with me at the time."

"The straightforward solution would be to go to the professor who signed off on the detention."

"Yes, but he's bound to ask who actually stole the stores, then. And I've no proof."

"Why not tell him your suspicions?"

Lily paused for a moment, considering how much to tell Rosier. Surely everyone knew what sort of a person Mulciber was? That much could be shared without doing any harm. "It was Mulciber who took them."

Rosier nodded slowly. "And you're afraid of retribution."

"No!" Lily burst out, dismayed. "If it were just that, I would tell. I can handle Mulciber." Rosier looked dubious, but said nothing, so Lily continued, thinking as she spoke. "Look, everyone knows what kind of a thug Mulciber is, but he's still doing it. He's hard to pin down. If I go to Slughorn without any proof, I'm afraid it won't do anything. I need a plan that takes care of both of them at once - Mansey and Mulciber both."

Rosier was quiet for a moment, calculations evidently spinning behind her serene expression. Then, "May I ask you to leave this with me?" she inquired.

"What are you planning?" Lily responded.

"I would rather not tell you until it's done, if you don't mind. But I would ask you to go to Professor Slughorn right away and tell him this: Questions have arisen regarding Mansey's theft. The prefects are investigating whether there may be others involved. We're holding a meeting tomorrow to discuss our findings and are holding off on all connected punishments until then, so don't expect Mansey to report for detention tonight. And tell him you'll update him tomorrow or as soon as anything changes."

Lily nodded her understanding and grabbed her things to leave. Just before picking up her bag, she addressed Rosier again. "Rosier, there's one more thing."

"I'll explain everything, of course, as soon as I'm done. I won't leave you wondering."

"Thanks, but that's not what I was going to say. It's just - well - I don't mean to tell you your business, but I'm worried what might happen to Mansey if we clear his name. If Mulciber ends up getting in trouble, or if he's got some kind of deal with Mansey, or some kind of leverage - I just don't want to make things worse for him by trying to help."

Rosier looked at her for a long time. Then she blinked, smiled softly, and left.

§ § §

Lily headed straight for Slughorn's office, stopping once along the way to avoid crossing paths with Sirius Black, who was coming in the other direction with a face like thunder. The past couple of weeks he had seemed perpetually angry. She was accustomed to seeing him with a cocky grin, eyes ever sparkling, always ready for the next trick. Now he was prickly, defensive, his temper quick to flash. He'd fought with her (typical), Severus (more than typical), and even - late at night when she'd overheard them through the dormitory door - James (not at all typical). Something was bothering him, and it was bound to start affecting the entire school before long.

She caught Slughorn on his way out the door. With a carefully solemn face, she asked him for a word and he ushered her inside.

Checking the hall for eavesdroppers in a way that Lily privately thought betrayed a bit of paranoia, the professor clicked the door shut and charmed the little indicator outside to "Do not disturb." He'd told her once that he hated the intrusive sound of knocking, and had been gifted the clever little device by a former student - a muggleborn whose parents ran a hotel. Apparently her knocks had startled him into yelling one too many times. Now all students were instructed to enter when the indicator read "Enter," without knocking. "Do not disturb" was self-explanatory, and "Out" meant he was unlikely to be found, while the far commoner "Dining" invited one to seek him out in the Great Hall. Few were ever quite brave - or determined - enough to actually walk up to the teachers' table and address him, though.

Once they were settled, Lily repeated Rosier's message, adding a touch of anger for believability. All the actor interviews she'd ever read in Petunia's glossy magazines said acting was all about drawing on real emotion and bending it to a purpose. Well, she certainly had plenty of anger to go around. Explaining the situation to Rosier had made it all far more real, and her anger with Severus now simmered just below the surface. Perhaps she'd drawn the curtain back just far enough, because Slughorn was immediately supportive, offering to assist the plan to "catch the blighters" in any way he could. As Severus had predicted, he hadn't noticed the theft until Yaxley had presented him with the form to sign, but now that he knew, he was livid. The next person to break into one of his cabinets would have a nasty surprise in store, Lily suspected.

After assuring Slughorn that the prefects had it well in hand - and reminding him not to say anything to anyone in case it jeopardized their investigation - Lily excused herself and headed to dinner. Not wanting to raise anyone's suspicions by walking into the Great Hall seconds before the professor, she took the long way round by the Hufflepuff hallway and climbed a wide stone stair that came up into the Entrance Hall opposite the Great Hall doors.

She'd just reached the main floor when she heard raised voices. Stepping through the stone archway that separated the Hufflepuff- and kitchen-side stairs from the entryway, she saw the source of the disturbance. To her left and across the room, Severus stood in a clear space, backed by a semicircle of Slytherins - Avery, Mulciber, Yaxley, Catherine Rosier's younger brother Evan, and several more whose faces were turned from her. Across from him stood - who else? - Sirius Black. For once Potter wasn't with him. Nor were Pettigrew or Remus. Behind Black stretched at least fifteen feet of empty flagstones that yielded ultimately to a loose array of apprehensive-looking Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs.

Black didn't seem overly concerned with the lack of backup. His posture was casual, his tone nearly blasé, but even from across the room she could see the same fire in his eyes that had been there when she'd hidden from him earlier.

"Doesn't it bother you," he was saying, "hiding behind a girl? I knew you lot were cowards, but I still would have thought that beneath you. Guess I'll need to lower my expectations, again."

Lily stepped back around the corner, out of sight of the assembled students. She peered through a slit in the wall to see Mulciber take an angry step forward.

"We hide behind no one," he retorted, "certainly no mudblood."

Severus glanced over his shoulder at him, but said nothing.

"Maybe you don't," Black called, leaning around Severus to catch Mulciber's eye, "but this one sure does. Don't you, Snivellus? You meet in cupboards and dark corridors and make sure she's still on your side so that when you do something stupid like you did this morning, James stops me from cursing you into oblivion."

Severus froze. Lily, too, was stunned. He knew? How? At times she had thought that the Marauders knew far too much about what went on in the castle, but this was on another level. No one knew about her meetings with Severus, not even her roommates. Could it just be a lucky guess, based on their awkward run-in with Potter last week? Or did they really know more than they let on?

While she was thinking, Severus had recovered himself, his lapse in control lasting, as ever, no more than a moment. "I don't know what you're talking about, Black."

"Of course not. Plausible deniability. But I reckon it was one of your experimental curses we found hanging Pete from the ceiling, and that makes it your fault."

The students arrayed behind Snape snickered, but his face betrayed no emotion. "I heard Pettigrew wasn't certain who attacked him."

"Didn't see 'em," Black shrugged. "Doesn't mean we aren't certain."

"Far be it from you to be uncertain that I, personally, am the cause of all your woes."

"And I'd like to be the cause of a lot more of yours, but James has his limits."

"Kind of you to respect them. Or should I say, obey them? Potter keeps you on a pretty short leash, doesn't he, Black?" Severus taunted.

The Gryffindor bristled but leaned back cavalierly, chin jutting out. "I'm no one's dog, Snape, and I'm done being nice. Girlfriend or no girlfriend, come after me or my friends again and I'll come after you. That's a promise."

Severus made no reply. Avery's eyes were burning into Black, but he seemed not to notice. Instead he grinned, eyes glittering darkly, and saluted Severus sarcastically before turning on his heel and striding into the Great Hall where dinner was about to begin. Avery watched him go, expression furious, then joined Mulciber in what looked like an interrogation of Severus. Lily, keen to avoid being found eavesdropping - although it hadn't been a particularly private conversation; Black had clearly intended for the whole school to hear - dashed up the steps and around to another stairwell. She'd get one of the doves to bring her something from the kitchens later; right now, she just needed to get out of sight.

§ § §

An hour later, Mary, Marlene, and Dorcas filed into the Dovecote. Mary was carrying an apple and two roast beef sandwiches wrapped in a napkin. Lily took these, thanking her, and settled in for the inevitable interrogation.

"You heard what happened, then?" Mary asked.

"I came in in the middle, but I heard the important parts. You?"

"Every word, except for Dorcas here, who was rudely studying at the dinner table instead." Marlene rolled her eyes.

"I still heard it, I was just multitasking," replied Dorcas.

"Lovely. So I'm currently the only thing keeping us out of an all-out house war?"

"More or less. Although, going back to the Closet Incident" - as the doves had taken to calling her encounter with Potter and Severus - "I think you're also the cause of the house war. Regular Helen of Troy, you are," Marlene remarked, shaking her head.

"So what do I do?"

"Why do you have to do anything? It's just Snape, and he's a git-" Marlene glanced at Lily, clearly expecting an argument, but Lily wasn't in the mood to defend him.

"Yeah, moreso today than usual," she sighed. "Go on."

Marlene raised an eyebrow. "Putting a pin in that for later. Anyway, it's just Snape and Black and Potter. What do you care if they have a spat? What do you care if they bloody do each other in? I mean we'd lose our star Chaser and a damn good Beater, so I would care, but I can probably put a lid on that in the name of Snape-bashing."

"And it's not like the whole school didn't hear that. I don't think you even have any prefect duties here. You don't need to report what everyone already knows. If you really feel that bad about it, I'll talk to Frank tomorrow and make double sure the prefects are informed. But you don't have to do anything. Just stay out of it and let them blow each other up," Dorcas advised.

Mary was silent. Of the four of them, Mary and Lily were always the reticent ones - the ones Dorcas called "nice" and Marlene called "doormats." But Lily knew Mary would see her side. A prefect couldn't just ignore something like this. It wasn't about defending Severus, she told herself. A prefect had to maintain some semblance of order, whether the people involved were old friends or selfish gits - or, in this case, both. So it didn't matter that it was about Severus, it just mattered that there was a battle brewing and she had to-

"I agree, hang them all. Let's go get some firewhiskey from that one seventh-year. You know the one. After the way this term has started, I could do with a drink."

Lily stared at Mary in shock.

Marlene, meanwhile, cheered. "Excellent! No early practice tomorrow, Ravenclaw's booked the pitch. Let's party!"

And so they did. Through the combination of booze, several games of exploding snap, and a lot of talking, Lily had very nearly forgotten about the events of the day by the time she crawled into bed in the wee hours of the next morning. They, however, had not forgotten about her.

She had no sooner closed her hangings than they were nudged open again, and a stripe of moonlight fell across her face from the open window. Through the gap fluttered a paper dove which, upon reaching its intended recipient, glided gently downward to rest on the bed, then unfolded itself to form a rectangle. Elegant handwriting formed two perfectly straight lines across the page, followed by a precise signature.

Everything is settled. I request the pleasure of your company for dinner tomorrow. I'll explain it all then. Meet at the entrance to the kitchens, 9pm. ~C. R.