Once again, a new chapter!

Do I update too often? Sometimes it feels like I do.

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Chapter 25: I don't know why I did the things I did, I don't know why I said the things I said. Pride's like a knife it can cut deep inside. Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes. . . .

Exams time, sometime in June, 1976. . . .

It was very hot in the Great Hall this day. The sun shone from the ceiling and windows, making Lyanna feel tired. It wasn't good, because she needed to be clear in her head while doing the theoretical exam in Defense Against the Dark Arts. So far, it had gone quite well for her.

She had gotten with all the signs of the werewolf without turning her head to look at Remus or casting a sideways glance at Snape to see if he thought the same. It wouldn't do her good if anyone caught her looking at either Remus or Snape. Rumors spread so quickly around here.

The questions about boggarts, dementors and other magical beasts were also easy. The hex and spell part as well and she wrote a lot of theories and conclusions of her own. It was then she started to really feel the warmth of the sun and how lazy it made her.

"Five minutes left!" professor Flitwick announced in his high voice.

Lyanna barely glanced at her parchment, feeling satisfied. She then caught herself staring at the back of Sirius head. She averted her eyes and hoped no one had seen. Though she could always excuse herself by saying she was thinking and he merely happened to sit in front of her. It wasn't that she liked him or anything, no. It just happened sometimes that she caught herself staring at him and thinking about the kiss they had shared during Christmas. She knew she only thought of it because she knew she shouldn't think of it and that was that. No feelings involved, not at all, just some remembrance of something they both had agreed not to think of.

Forcing herself not to stare at Sirius's head – whose black hair almost glinted with streaks of gold in the sun – Lyanna looked around watching her friends instead.

Mary was still writing fast, knowing she would have to pass this exam or her dreams of becoming an Auror would be crushed.

Desideria looked as lazy as Lyanna felt, twirling a long strand of her strawberry blonde hair around her finger.

Lily looked concentrated, reading through her papers, a small frown on her face.

Tanya looked as concentrated as Lily did. She read her papers and were about to bite her nails when she remembered how unhealthy it was and how mismatched her nails would become. She lowered her hand.

"Quills down, please!" squeaked professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins!"

Stebbins looked embarrassed.

"Please remain seated while I collect your parchment!" professor Flitwick continued and raised his wand. "Accio!"

All the parchments came flying towards his outstretched arms and knocked the short little man backwards. Some students laughed, but not Lyanna. She actually liked Flitwick.

Some helpful Hufflepuffs in the front row helped him up and he thanked them breathlessly before dismissing them all. Lyanna packed down her stuff in her bag before meeting up with her friends at Desideria's desk which was closest to the big doors.

"I'm glad that's over", Desideria said and yawned hugely as they squeezed out through the doors amongst their classmates.

"Yes, only about three exams left", Lily said in an overly bright voice.

Desideria groaned while the others laughed.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad", Mary said cheerfully, sweeping her fringe from her eyes. "I thought it pretty easy."

"Yeah, if you're brilliant at Defense like you are", sighed Tanya hopelessly while they walked out onto the grounds. "I think I did okay, but definitely not higher than an E if even that's possible."

"Don't think like that", Lyanna advised her. "You probably did alright. You always think that you do worse than you actually do. It's something with the human brain. . . ."

It was warmer outside and the early summer air was filled with laughter and happy sighs. Everyone was glad that it soon was over for good.

"Can't we sit by the lake?" Lyanna begged her friends, using her eyes to become big and doe like. "Please, it must be really warm in the water."

"Fine", Lily said but cast a sideway glance. "It's enough distance from Potter and his crew."

Smiling, Lyanna ran towards the shore, taking of her shoes in her haze.

"Be careful!" Tanya shouted while she pulled her thick blonde hair into a messy ponytail.

Desideria removed her tie and unbuttoned a few buttons in her blouse. When they sat down with Lyanna at the lake, they also removed their shoes and dipped their feet into the water. Lyanna had been right: it really was nice.

"How I wish I could take a bath", Lyanna moaned longingly as she looked out over the clear, inviting blue lake. "It feels wonderful."

"Mm", Mary said contently as she lay on the ground and picked up a book. "Des, do you mind test me on Transfiguration? Yesterday you said you had it all clear for you."

"True", Desideria agreed and accepted the outstretched book. "Which chapter?"

"Eleven."

"Right."

While Desideria questioned Mary, Lily and Tanya talked about the previous exam and Lyanna just relaxed, listening with a half ear on what Desideria and Mary were talking about. It was a really nice afternoon and Lyanna closed her eyes, letting the sun stroke her face. She didn't thought anything could ruin this perfect day until. . . .

"What's so funny over there?" Tanya wondered and Lyanna opened her eyes.

From a distance they could hear laughter and they could make out two figures standing over a third one, wands raised. All three looked familiar.

"Is that Severus?" Lily asked and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And that's Potter and Black taunting him. Of course. They just have to ruin everybody's day."

Lyanna didn't have the heart to point out that most of the people seemed to find the taunting, almost bullying, funny. Lily stood up, looking angry. The girls looked from her to the tree were the boys and their crowd where.

"Are you going there?" Desideria asked and put away the book.

They might not like Snape, but he was Lily's friend so they would help him for her sake.

"Do you want help?" wondered Mary and did an attempt to stand up.

Lily shook her head, making her head look like fire. Just like the expression in her eyes.

"No, I'll manage", she answered and started to walk towards the large crowd around Snape, James and Sirius.

Her friends looked worried after her.

"I wish they could stop bullying him", Mary said disappointingly. "They are better than that."

"Snape isn't always innocent, but in this case I think he might", Lyanna said, craning her neck to get a closer look. "He was too absorbed in his exam today to actually do something that could mean that he would miss the next one."

It looked like Lily was shouting and sure enough they could hear her angry voice, but not the words she was speaking.

"Why does she even bother with him?" Tanya thought out loud. "We should stick with our own house."

"Perhaps, but what they're doing is bullying, not just innocent pranks anymore."

"Well, I think. . . ."

Tanya stopped in midsentence. Lily was walking back to them, her walking furious. James shouted something behind her, but she didn't care. She didn't even yelled back. After just one look at her face, they knew something was wrong. Quickly they all stood up.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Mary asked concernedly as they walked to meet her. "Lily?"

Lily was shaking, of anger or something else they didn't know. Her eyes were wide and broken.

"He called me. . . they just. . . . still asking me out. . . . he called me. . . ."

Her talking didn't make sense. Lyanna gently took her arm and tried to make her stop shaking.

"Lily, what happened?" she asked and she felt fear and anger bubbling up inside her. "Who did what?"

"Potter asked me out. . . .I just tried to help. . . . then he called me. . . ." Her body became stiff, but her eyes were sad. "Sev. . . . Snape, he called me a. . . . a mudblood!"

Lyanna froze and let go of Lily's arm. Mary wasn't late to give Lily a hug.

"He called you that?" Desideria said disbelievingly, glancing back to the boys and their crowd. "He's your friend and called you that?"

"Was my friend", corrected Lily, her voice muffled against Mary's hair.

"What a slimy, evil, little. . . .", Tanya muttered angrily and joined the hug. "Don't be sad, Lily. You'll have it better without him."

"Someone who calls you that aren't a real friend", Lyanna agreed hollowly but with anger shining from her eyes.

Desideria looked worried at her before saying:

"Shall we go inside? I think it got colder out here. . . ."

The others agreed, but Lyanna told them she would do something first and she marched away towards Snape and the others before they could stop her. Lyanna was fuming. How dare he call her friend that?

She pushed her way through the crowd, glaring angrily at the laughing Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. She glared at the ones not laughing too.

Snape was hanging upside in the air, his robes over his head, showing of pale, skinny legs and grey underwear that seemed to had been used far too long. She grimaced in disgust. Everything about Snape seemed even more disgusting than before.

"Ah, Riddle", Sirius smirked as he spotted her. "Come to join the fun?"

Lyanna didn't answer, wanting to punch him in the face for not seeing how wrong their actions were. She took out her own wand, not saying a word. The crowds' laughter died a bit and everyone waited for her to do something. She pointed her wand at Snape, flicked it and he fell down with a thud. He groaned, but Lyanna didn't feel any sympathy for him. The laughter had died completely now. She picked up Snape's wand and threw it to him.

"Leave", she spat at him as he shakily stood up, red in the face. "And if you ever call Lily, or anyone else that word, you'll have to deal with a mudblood that won't be that forgiving, got it?" she pointed at herself as she said that and Snape looked at her with loathing before turning on his heels and disappeared.

Lyanna turned to the four Gryffindor boys. James and Sirius looked furious, Peter shocked and Remus grateful and ashamed of himself.

"What's wrong with you, Riddle?" James shouted at her, seething. "Didn't you know what he called her? Evans?"

"He called her a mudblood and that's wrong, don't you think I know? But what you two", she pointed at James and Sirius, "are doing is wrong. Here it's a war going on! People die and families are torn apart. Why? Because we can't accept each other. Do you think you're helping this case, the good side, huh? No, you're exactly like this Voldemort and his followers!"

No one spoke. Even the sun seemed to fade. James face was red in anger, but Sirius's was a cold mask with burning eyes.

"Don't you dare compare us with them?" he roared at her and took a step forwards but Lyanna didn't flinch. "We don't. . . ."

"You hex people, you bully them!" she retorted hotly. "It's things like this that started the war: you don't accept them, then they don't except you. I know they're not always innocent, but what did Snape do this time, huh?"

She didn't get an answer. The crowd moved uneasily and whispered amongst each other. She turned to glare at them.

"All of you are the same like these Knights of who-gives-a-damn! Following and acting like cowards. Do you think this is amusing, hanging someone up in the air? A few more moments and it could have gotten bad. What about people getting tortured, is that funny too? The principle is the same."

She took another deep breath, turned to James and Sirius and continued:

"Do you find it amusing, showing of your power just because you can? They admire you now, you know, but what when they start to fear you? Would that be as fun? Showing of power is the first step of a maniacal power hungry dark lord like the one we're currently fighting. That's what you wanted to do, right, fight? Well, show it that you are good guys not these bullies. Do you actually think Lily will go out with you now, Potter? No, she won't because until you stop being superior she won't ever like you. You're acting just like the people who want people like Lily, me and the other muggleborns dead."

James got pale and he looked like he would say something, his eyes flicking to the place where Lily and the girls had sat before this happened.

"And you, Black, thinking you're so much better than your family. But continue like this and you'll become worse than them."

Sirius looked as though she had slapped him before becoming livid.

"What do you know, Riddle? You think that you're better than us, but you're not. You would easily let anyone die just so you could have your precious Doc back."

Lyanna felt the air leave her. Her eyes started to sting. How dared he bring that up, to mention Samuel. . . .

"At least I had a family who cared about me", she said lowly, her eyes not leaving his. "And a family I would do anything to keep."

Sirius's eyes got a dangerous gleam to them and Lyanna tightened the grip of her wand.

"What's going on here?"

Professor Fleet's voice cut through the tensioned air and some people started to leave the scene, muttering about studying but Lyanna knew that the gossip would be spread over the whole castle.

"Nothing professor", Lyanna told the young man and forced a smile. "We were just discussing the war and what started it and what would keep it going."

"Yes", the professor said darkly, "the difficulties of accepting people for who they are. But isn't it a very deep subject for people your age?"

"I hardly think so", Lyanna tried to say in a polite voice even though she wanted to scream and punch something. "Excuse me, but I'll have to find my friends."

"Nothing has happened, Miss Riddle?" Fleet asked worriedly.

"No, they're okay, but I'll go and tell them a story about two arrogant idiots who had to show off their power at every chance they got. They thought they were the best, that they could get anything they wanted, do anything they wanted. They had two other friends or should I say sidekicks."

Here she glanced at Remus and Peter who didn't look her way.

"One was smart, but let them do what they wanted to do. Afraid to break their friendship. Then I wonder if it even could be called friendship if they would abandoned him just because he said 'no, that's enough' once in a while.

The other friend just followed them around, praised them as if they were Gods. With no mind of his own I wonder what will happen to him if he can't live outside their shadows."

The professor listened rapidly, but didn't seem to feel the tension.

"A very interesting story", he said gravely. "And it's up for discussion on what's right and wrong. Others might not see it the way you do, Miss Riddle."

"Perhaps not, but at least I have the guts to speak my mind no matter what situation it will get me in."

"A true Gryffindor", Fleet said with a hint of a smile.

Lyanna nodded to him before leaving the place and finding her friends. She wondered if this had been the right thing to do. She thought so, but perhaps she could've approach them in a different way, but she had been so angry on the behalf of Lily, so sick of them always hexing Snape or other Slytherins even if they sometimes deserved it. But then again, who was she to judge is she said to others not to judge? She sighed, massaging her temples while wondering what would happen now. Yet she couldn't help but feel like the words she had spoken, that Sirius had spoken to her, was more of a pain than a slap or a cut. She started thinking of Samuel and wondered what he would've said to her. Probably that she should do what she felt was right, but who decided what was right or wrong? This became too much for her, all the thinking. She took a long, deep breath and went up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower where she was sure she would find Lily and the others. Maybe they knew how to fix this, what to say and more importantly: how to win something that seemed hopelessly to win.

How was it? Too much? Did Lyanna overreact?

Personally, I've always felt like they (James and Sirius) abuse their powers, talents, in this scene but that's just how I feel.

Review if you feel for it!