Part 11 – Summoned

Severus spent the next day pondering over how to ask Lily what he wanted to know, without telling her about the prejudices of the wizarding world or revealing that he'd deliberately kept them from her. If she didn't already know about them he didn't want to be the one to tell her.

He was still wondering what to do the next afternoon when Lily arrived after her classes had finished for the day.

Depositing more notes onto the bed she appeared less enthusiastic than the day before and would not meet his eyes.

"You brought my wand?" Severus asked as he saw it resting between the parchment pages.

"Oh, yes," Lily answered quietly. "I thought you might do better with your own wand today so I asked Professor Slughorn to get it from your room."

"Thanks," Severus muttered, feeling that he had done something wrong but unsure what.

"Here are the notes from Herbology." Lily placed them with business like efficiency in front of Severus.

"Thanks," he muttered again, at a loss for something else to say. Turning around to get the Charms notes he spotted the card again and recalled that he had not thanked her for it.

"I don't have your History of Magic notes," Lily continued. "I stopped by to see Professor Binns but he just didn't seem to remember the class at all. You'll have to get them from one of the others. Okay?"

Severus nodded as he picked up the card and turned back to Lily. "I forgot to thank you for the card yesterday."

"That's okay." Lily blushed and continued to rifle through her notes. "I think that's everything."

"What?" Severus looked up in dismay. "You're not staying?"

"Um…well…" Lily stood up with her own books and notes and glanced towards the door.

With a clarity that surprised him Severus realised that Lily was worried that Bella was going to come back. "Bella won't be coming here" he assured her. "She has her OWLs this year and said she won't have time to come here every day."

"Oh." Lily did not sit back down and continued to look away. Eventually she took a deep breath and asked the question that had obviously been plaguing her. "Why did you hide my card yesterday?"

Severus remained quiet as he mulled the question over in his mind. Eventually Lily turned to look at him. Her green eyes were not sparkling with merriment as they had done the day before. Instead they looked sadder and slightly accusing. Taking a deep breath he decided that the only answer he could give was the truth.

"I don't know. I just didn't want Bella to see it. I don't know why."

"Didn't you like it?" Lily asked. "It has a spell on it to bring pleasant dreams to the person it's sent to."

Severus looked more closely at the card and realised that he had not even noticed the magical inscription on the reverse. The thoughtfulness of the gift was not lost on him. He smiled and nodded at Lily who finally sat back down.

"Remus helped me to pick it out from his Catalogue of Magical Gifts for All Occasions." Lily continued.

Unfortunately the name of Remus brought Severus's pleasure to an abrupt halt.

"Remus helped you pick the card?" Severus dropped it as though it had bitten him.

"Yes," Lily confirmed. "He had nothing to do with the duel" she whispered with a glance at Madam Pomfrey's office door.

"You know about the duel?" Severus was horrified. Did the whole school know what James had done to him?

Lily nodded in answer to his question and whispered her answer to his unspoken one. "James and Sirius came in bragging about the duel that night. All of Gryffindor knows."

"And the rest of the school?" Severus whispered.

"I don't think so." Lily shook her head. "They spent all Sunday in Gryffindor Tower doing the homework they hadn't done on Saturday. I think they spent all Saturday practising for the duel. By Monday everyone knew how ill you were and they kept quiet about what had happened after that."

"So only a quarter of the school knows," Severus hissed.

Lily backed up slightly at his scowl. Then she straightened her back and met his angry expression with an equally intimidating one of her own.

"Not everyone is impressed with what they did," she declared. "Remus told me he thought it was awful."

"Did he tell them that?" Severus sneered. "Or did he laugh along with them?"

Lily looked down at her hands. It was answer enough for Severus.

"Maybe I should go." Lily stood up again and turned to leave.

"No," called Severus, his temper vanished like vapour at the thought of her leaving.

"Are we still friends?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer. She turned back at his words, her green eyes sparkling in the afternoon sunlight.

"Of course we are," she assured him with a smile. "Nothing will change that."

Severus returned her smile with relief.

Lily resumed her seat and for the next hour the two of them practised the charms as they had done the day before. Once again Lily was graceful and competent in her efforts. Severus still struggled although he did find that there was some improvement now that he was using his own wand.

Lily departed for dinner with a promise to return the next day after classes. She had tentatively suggested that Remus might like to visit him too. Severus had been unable to stop the look of displeasure that he knew was on his face and Lily had quickly agreed that it might not be the best idea she'd ever had.

Severus hoped she didn't change her mind and bring the other boy with her the next day after all. He hoped that she didn't bring anyone with her. When she was with him in the hospital wing he was reminded of all the time they had spent alone together before coming to Hogwarts.

Of course now it was only an illusion, they were no longer entirely alone, but whilst they were practising their spells and chatting in the hospital wing, he could almost believe that it was just the two of them once more.

Severus watched Lily disappear out the door and settled back to read through the neatly written notes on the Herbology lessons as he waited for his own dinner to arrive. It was only much later that his thoughts turned once again to the worry that Lily might have found out about the prejudices against those who were muggle-born.

The next few days passed by in a slow and boring monotony and Severus soon felt well enough to be back with the rest of the school. The only time that he did not feel like a prisoner in the hospital wing was in the evenings when Lily stopped by before dinner to pass him his notes and let him know what was happening.

Severus had no other visitors and for the week that he remained confined he found that she was his lifeline to the outside world. Madam Pomfrey could only tell him so much and little that was of interest.

Hesitant to ruin things he decided against asking her whether she'd had any trouble since arriving at the school. He reasoned that he would find out sooner or later anyway if he just asked around. There was no need to risk upsetting Lily if he didn't have to.

On the following Saturday Severus was pronounced well enough to return to the main school. Gathering his notes, books, wand, Lily's card and a half eaten box of Every Flavour Beans, another gift from Lily, Severus was sent on his way by Madam Pomfrey who ordered him to go visit Professor Dumbledore before returning to the common room.

Wondering at why he would have to see the headmaster Severus let his mind wander through the possibilities as he wound his way through the extensive and ever changing corridors as he struggled to recall where exactly the entrance to the Headmaster's office was.

Finding it at last he spoke the password that Madam Pomfrey had written down for him, and watched as the staircase leading to the tower was revealed to him. Taking a deep breath he went up to Dumbledore's office wondering what it was that he had been summoned about.

The room appeared at first glance to be empty. The portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses looked down on him with a vague kind of interest.

Severus wondered if he should take a seat or remain standing. How long should he wait? Was he in trouble?

With each minute that passed a feeling of dread crept over him.

Maybe Dumbledore had found out about the duel…

Maybe he was going to be expelled…

Maybe he was going to have to return home in disgrace…

Severus started to shake at the thought of facing his father after being expelled. Clutching his wand protectively he thought of the fury of his father and the disappointment of his mother.

His final thought, as he watched a door he had not even noticed open, was that he wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye to Lily.

"Ah Severus, there you are." Professor Dumbledore towered over Severus and gestured to the plain wooden chair in the centre of the room.

Like a prisoner on trial Severus reluctantly shuffled over to the seat and sat down. He kept his eyes on the floor and didn't notice that Dumbledore had taken the seat opposite him until he spoke again.

"I didn't expect to be having this talk with you Severus," he began with a sigh.

He was being expelled. He was sure of it. Severus finally looked up to face the steady gaze of Hogwart's Headmaster.