CHAPTER 24: JAMES POTTER VS SEVERUS SNAPE
(James POV)
All he wanted to do was make the life of one Severus Snape aka Snivellus, miserable, and from Prongs' point of view, that was in itself a righteous act. He was actually doing everyone a favor by putting the slimy, evil, Slytherin in his place…
Yes, his plan was to sabotage a certain Death-Eater-To-Be's attempts to get a friend…no servant…no girlfriend…no slave. From his point of view, it was the right thing to do to stop the greasy-haired git from victimizing more people. Yes, James will not let Snivellus deceive anyone else. The Slytherin had already been doing that to Lily Evans, the one Prongs has set his eyes on, for a very long time, and who thankfully, had finally opened her eyes, and lifted whatever hoodwinking spells Snivellus had cast on her. He will not allow anyone else to go through something like that. (James Potter, despite the evil smirk that was playing on his lips, completely denied to himself that the truth was that he simply wanted to torment the guy.)…
Instead, he was the one who got tormented. He was bound and forced to watch Snivellus and the girl he fancies, Lily Evans(who James was sure was under a spell), snogging each other, being intimately affectionate, and he, Prongs, was unable to turn away. It was too much for him, and when he couldn't take anymore, his world turned black, passing out, even though his eyes remained wide open, as the Full-Body-Bind-Curse prevented him from moving his eyelids. Then…
He heard a familiar female voice…
I kill, I give life. I injure, I heal.
James was in a daze, not sure of when where, or why… his world black, his eyes were closed, and he thought he heard a familiar male voice growling like a wolf in the distance.
There are none who escape from my hands.
The messy-haired boy forced his eyes open, as he recognized the growl. It seemed to belong to his friend Moony, and it sounded wolf-like.
Bloody hell? It isn't even the full moon! thought James, as he started to get up, then…
There are none who escape from my eyes.
James saw, beside him, the handsome boy who is his best friend Padfoot, and he was kneeling and panting, as if he was in pain…
What in the name of Merlin? thought James, still a bit hazy, having just woken up.
"Hey Paddy," James began. "Care to tell me what's…" but then he froze…
May it be so that you are shattered.
James' eyes widened, as he recognized a whimpering wolf-like voice. There was no doubt about it…it was one of his three best friends, Remus Lupin.
Now fully awake and alert, James tried to grasp the situation they were in as quickly as possible.
Beside him, was his friend Sirius, whose face was now almost on the floor, as if an invisible weight was bearing down on him, panting, and unable to speak. In the middle of the compartment, were Lily Evans and Severus Snape, their backs turned to them, but James could tell that the greasy git was observing him from the corner of his eye.
From what Prongs could tell, there were three or four people on the other end of the compartment. As James took a glance, he saw Alice, Peter and…Lily!?, all kneeling on the floor.
Lily!? But!? What's going on!? the thought passed briefly through his head, as James glanced at the red-head on the floor, and the silver-haired girl standing by Snivellus, but…
Eternal life is found only in death.
AWOOOOOOOO!
All other thoughts were instantly set aside from James Potters' head, as he heard a desperate howling voice which could only belong to one person, one of James' bestest friends in the entire world.
Forgiveness is before you, and so my incarnation vows.
James, with no other thought in his mind but to help Moony, not even knowing how he would be able to do so, quickly fumbled in his pocket for his wand, but then remembered that Lily…no…the white-haired girl took it from him. Then…
To James, it seemed as if everything was in slow motion. He saw Moony, launch himself at the silver-haired girl who (as James realized now) looked so much like Lily. For a very brief millisecond Prongs was afraid, afraid and worried of what happened to his friend, who was undoubtedly under the influence of his wolf side. But in the next brief moment…
No… thought Prongs
It turned into horror, as he watched Remus knocked back and then slump to the ground, still and unmoving…
No…
James had a bad feeling. The way his friend Moony fell, it was not an ordinary fall. There was something else, something unnerving, something that frightened James Potter's very being. Even in his disoriented state of mind, Prongs knew that hitting an invisible wall (which James guessed was a Shield Charm) would not cause Moony, especially if the wolf was in control, to lose consciousness.
No…it can't be…
A feeling of dread and foreboding was washing over him. Then, the white-haired girl spoke, in a voice that was exactly like Lily Evan's, one sentence, which confirmed James' dreaded suspicion.
"May God have mercy of this soul"
No...Moony…no…no…no…no…no! thought James, as his mind finally clicked on the dreaded conclusion.
"NOOOOOOO! MOOOOONNYYYYY!" roared Prongs, as he charged forward, not to attack anyone or take revenge at the moment, for he was desperate, desperate to get to his fallen friend's side…
But found himself unable to do so, as he hit an invisible wall head on, and was knocked backwards, unable to move forward…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
Severus Snape, having lived in a world of magic, is not someone who is easily shocked. However…
Ilya, his silver-haired girlfriend, was just full of surprises, both pleasant and… unpleasant ones.
Severus, now in an enhanced state, his Magic Circuits active, could tell that the white-haired girl had placed a Bounded Field on the train compartment, he had no doubt about that. Otherwise, the commotion that occurred would not have gone unnoticed (Severus had already dispelled the Privacy Ward he cast before.). But that was not the reason…
Ilya, as Severus already knew, can be cruel, utterly so. He shuddered as he recalled himself seeing the dismembered bodies of the Death Eaters who attacked his house at Spinner's End. Still, at that time, it wasn't without good reason. However, this time…
Why? thought Severus.
The raven-haired young man had already accepted his girlfriend's methods when it comes to dealing with people who would hurt others. Although he did not like the fact that the Bounded Field's pressure was being used on the people currently in the train compartment, especially since Lily was also there, Severus found that acceptable. He had actually trained under that pressure, and while the pressure made it difficult to move, it in itself wasn't that harmful or deadly (Although it will be if used in combination with other attacks), and the short breathes Lily and the others were exhibiting were less due to the lack of air than due to exhaustion.
As for Remus Lupin…
While Severus had a near-death experience with said Marauder when he was in his transformed wolf state, he was the one the raven-haired boy disliked the least among the four members of Potter's merry gang. In truth, had Lupin not been a member of James Potters' merry gang, even with his werewolf condition, as well as being a Gryffindor, Severus was sure he would have gotten along with him just fine (At least Severus would have been more reluctant to let him be collateral damage when he jinxed the other three. Lupin would have been an unintended victim.). In fact, as far as Severus remembered, Lupin had never cast a hex on him even once. He just watched and observed as Potter and Black had their fun…
Which is why the raven-haired young man could not understand why Ilya was taking action against Remus Lupin, of all people. Severus would have been able to fully accept the situation if Ilya had chosen to pick on Potter, Black, or even Pettigrew (While Pettigrew never hexed him directly, he would whenever he thought Severus will not realize it was him, and he seemed to have some way to find out whatever it was Severus was up to. The raven-haired boy did not know how, but he was sure Pettigrew was the one who kept warning Potter and Black about the traps he set up for them.).
Still, when he saw Lupin take on his wolf persona, Severus was horrified, recognizing the beast that almost tore him to shreds months ago. Had anyone looked at him closely, they would have noticed that his knees were trembling, although only slightly now, compared to before, (Ilya's training of the raven-haired boy may have something to do with it.) But the horror and trauma of the experience was put out of his mind temporarily, when…
"Someone…RRRRR….please…RRRR…before I hurt my friends…please…KILL ME!" Remus Lupin, the human side, struggling against the beast side, roared out in desperation.
Upon hearing those words, Severus could not help but feel some respect for one of his Marauder enemies. A person's true nature usually manifests itself in a moment of need and panic, especially the ones which are a matter of life and death, and Lupin, who was in a similar critical instance, chose to lose his own life than end up hurting those he cared for.
Before Severus could ponder more on this angle, however, the werewolf was slammed to the floor, as Ilya increased the Bounded Field's pressure on him. Then…
I kill, I give life. I injure, I heal.
There are none who escape from my hands.
There are none who escape from my eyes.
May it be so that you are shattered.
I welcome the defeated, the aged.
Surrender to me, learn from me, obey me.
May you be at rest.
Do not forget the song, do not forget the prayer, do not forget me.
I relieve you of all burdens.
May it be so that there is no deception.
Retaliation unto forgiveness, betrayal onto belief, despair unto hope,
darkness unto light, death unto life.
May you rest in my hands. Let there be mark of your sins.
Eternal life is found only in death.
Severus could not help but be awed, feeling a mixture of dread and admiration for his girlfriend.
Ilya was like a poet reciting a poem, and from where Severus stood, she looked absolutely stunning as she did so. Still, the raven-haired boy could tell that what she was chanting was a spell…
"May God have mercy of this soul" finished Ilya.
Upon hearing the last sentence, Severus felt himself shake in fear. Remus Lupin, in his wolf persona, after growling and howling like a wounded, dying, animal, was now sprawled flat on the compartment's floor, immobile and unmoving.
"NOOOOOOO! MOOOOONNYYYYY!" Severus heard James Potter roar, as the man rushed forward, then slammed himself onto the Shield Charm that the raven-haired young man had been maintaining.
No, way… she didn't…Ilya wouldn't… these thoughts were passing through the Severus' head. But then…
"He's fine, just unconscious." said Ilya in a quiet voice that only Severus could hear, and indeed she was right.
Although it had only been a few days, Severus, who was a fast learner, had now gained sufficient training and understanding to sense magical power, or prana, and Lupin's body was still emitting it [As Severus noticed, all people he met did have some amount of prana, but most Muggles possessed very little (or unable to let it surface, as Ilya had told Severus that all living beings have a considerably large amount of od, as od, or prana produced by the body, is equivalent to one's life force.), as the signature was really faint, while all witches and wizards in the room, including the unconscious Lupin's, was still stronger than any Muggle's prana signature.]. And even if Severus did not have this ability, he trusted Ilya, and believed in her.
Thank Merlin, Lupin's alive, thought Severus, feeling relieved, placing more prana into the Shield Charm he cast, as James Potter once again charged at it and was thrown back once again, (though the raven-haired boy couldn't help but wonder why Ilya wasn't using the Bounded Field to press down the messy-haired boy, perhaps it was part of her plan.).
The raven-haired boy was worried, partly because of what Lily would think, partly because he now held some respect for Lupin, but mostly because he was worried about what could happen to Ilya because of it.
And besides…
That smile, thought Severus, as he looked at his girlfriend, who was staring at the unconscious form of Remus Lupin.
If there was one thing that Severus had learned in all his time with Ilya, it was to be able read some of her emotions from the expression on her face. And right now, the silver-haired girl was wearing a smile, not the chillingly cruel smile of someone who had just killed Dark Wizards…Right now, the smile she wore was similar to the one she gave Evelyn Scrimgeour when they rescued her from the clutches of the Death Eaters back in Diagon Alley…
Then, the white-haired girl turned towards Severus, and with a different kind smirk to the one she was just wearing about a moment before, nodded her head...
The raven-haired boy, understanding what the gesture meant, nodded back, then turned to give his full attention to the only other person standing in the compartment aside from himself and Ilya.
Now, then, thought Severus, as he turned towards a messy-haired boy with hazel eyes beneath a pair of oversized glasses, the raven-haired young man wearing a rather sadistic grin on his face.
-BREAK-
(James POV)
"Haah…haah…haah…haah…haah…" panted the messy-haired boy, as he tried to catch his breath. "DAMN IT!"
Several minutes had passed. He did not know how many times he had tried, but no matter what he did, it was just impossible to break through a Shield Charm without using magic to dispel it.
"What's the matter, Potter? Can't do anything without a wand?" sneered Snape, as he and James were about a foot from each other, almost nose to nose, except that there was something invisible between them that prevented Prongs from jumping on him.
"Why you," snarled James. But then, the greasy git's words gave him an idea. Seeing Padfoot's wand on the ground, Prongs grabbed it, before quickly telling his friend in a hurried manner. "Let me borrow this for a bit…"
"REDUCTO!" roared James, aiming for the invisible barrier, where the spell exploded on impact.
Seeing his chance, believing that the Shield Charm had been dispelled, Prongs rushed forward, but…
James once again found himself crashing into an invisible wall, and flew backwards. Either the Shield was still there or another one was put up, the former possibility more likely. This time, though, having moved faster than before, he almost crashed right into the compartment door.
DAMN…I HAVE TO GET TO MOONY! thought James, nothing else mattered to him at the moment. In his desperation, he launched a continuous array of spells to remove the spell that was preventing him from getting to his friend.
"STUPEFY! FLIPENDO! DIFFINDO! REDUCTO!"
James Potter tried, tried as he might, but nothing he did was working, and he was starting to get exhausted. The Shield Charm was too strong, and for some reason, Snivellus did not even have his wand out, did not have to keep recasting it. Still, he had to try…
"CONFRINGO!" roared James, putting every bit of power he could into his spell.
"PROTEGO!" cried Snape.
This time, the spell, instead of being dispelled on the Shield, was deflected. The jet of light was sent sideways, where it hit the seats, which in turn exploded, bursting into flames.
What in the name of Merlin? thought James, wide-eyed with shock, yet unable to speak aloud, as he slumped to the floor, exhausted, panting heavily, having used every bit of magic he could muster.
The fact that the Shield Charm Severus Snape cast managed to deflect many of his spells was only a bit of a surprise. In the past, when he and Padfoot attacked Snivellus (whenever they saw he was alone, without his slimy Slytherin buddies with him, they did), they found it hard to break it, even with the two of them casting hexes (three when Wormtail joined in, for Moony never did), and most of the time the greasy git got away. No, what really brought James into a stupor this time was because…
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Snape, and James felt himself lifted off his feet, and slammed to the door of the train compartment, Sirius' wand flying from his grasp, as the greasy git caught it.
"No…way," gasped James weakly, wincing in pain from the impact, shock in his voice. "Impossible…"
For Severus Snape had just cast a Shield Charm and Disarming Charm in front of him, without using a wand…
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Okay, then, so here's another chapter out. Still, as my work keeps starting to pile up. I am not sure if I can keep maintaining this update rate, so again, all I can promise is that I'll update at least once a week.
Later then, people…