Chapter 28. The New Year brings changes.
Snape leaned in closer to the large thick tree branch. "He's leaving? They didn't?" He whispered a small amount of relief settling inside of him. "Yes they didn't. She's' still mine like that not yours"
Severus watched him at the door; he had pulled on a dark blue traveling cloak and was saying good-bye to Lily. Snape didn't like the pleased look on his face. "Why is he so happy?" Severus asked himself. He continued to watch them. Lily was standing at the door holding her self as she watched James leave down the front walk.
James waved good-bye at the end of the walkway, and walked off a small smile playing at his lips.
"I don't trust him, but at least they never." Snape grimace with the thought. It's only a matter of time?
James was half way down the street when he became a stag and cantered away, one thought in mind. Well she not my girlfriend yet, but she will be. I just can't imagine sex with him? James stag form shuddered at the thought as he ran making much better time this way. After all they didn't live very close at all and if he wanted to get home before the sun rose he had to do it quickly. One thing he knew though this was a secret between him and Lily, he would never betray her trust and tell others about her child, with ugh him? He still didn't want to think the name.
The familiar shudder ran through him as he passed different square brick houses and some over grown vacant lots.
The New Year had come and gone Lily had seen neither Severus nor James. She was worried that she now repulsed James and Severus would hate her for not being happy with him over his involvement with the Dark Arts and becoming a Death Eater.
Lily dragged her trunk and a still baby size Crookshanks onto the train and found an empty compartment. Lily had finally shoved her trunk up in the luggage rack and then stuffed Crookshanks carrier in next to it after taking him out and letting him curl up on the seat. Lily sat down next to him and scooped him into her arms. Lily sat by the window looking out at the platform where many other students had been busy saying good-bye to family and greeting each other. Lily's parents had said their good byes at home after telling her to have fun but not too much of it. Lily chuckled at that.
She closed her eyes leaning her head against the window listening to the sounds of others walking by banging into the walls as they passed one another.
The door slid open with a bang.
"Ha I knew she'd save us seats." James clambered inside with his trunk and shoved it unceremonious up in the luggage holder. Lily was surprised but pleased as the four boys walked in or rather stumbled in with so many others all trying to get past them to find a cabin of their own.
"Hello guys." Lily watched them all shoving trunks up above and taking seats. James had sat close to her; their legs were only a fraction apart.
"Hey Lily, these blokes don't believe me." James pointed at them.
Lily for a moment felt her stomach fall through the floor. He told them?
"Oh." Lily couldn't think of anything else to say, she didn't expect him to blab right away to his friends, what they must think of her now.
"Yeah you'd think they'd believe me when I tell them I was at your place and we snogged good and long." James gave them all dirty looks.
Lily laughed not just because it was funny but for the enormous amount of relief she suddenly felt.
Sirius also laughed. "Ha, looks like she finds it as funny as we do Prongs."
"I knew she would," Remus laughed happily.
Lily tried to stop the giggles as she looked at Sirius laughing even harder with Remus and Peter joining in.
A very mischievous smile now played over her lips. Lily turned in her seat, after placing her kitten down beside her. Lily grabbed James face and hauled him in for a deep long kiss, the laughing stopped as though someone had cut it away with a knife.
"Wow." Peter's eyes were as wide as they could go.
"Way to go Prongs." Lupin said impressed.
"Yeah you did it mate alright!" Sirius bellowed, causing several people walking by to look in on them to see what the excitement was.
Some were surprised others just shook their heads as though knowing it was coming.
Snape pushed past the crowd outside their compartment looking for his friends, he never saw them kissing with his head down looking at the floor. Severus figured they had just done some stupid magic trick that easily impressed their worshippers.
He didn't want to see these easily impressed fools goggle at James or Sirius pulling some new trick. He knew that it'd be only a matter of time before they tried it on him, but he was ready for them.
Lily was blushing all over her face after her long kiss with James, which felt as though they were locked at the lips. Lily was pleased to see James was just as embarrassed as her, from the kiss and the attention inside the compartment and outside.
James looking rather sheepish slowly moved his hand over to hold onto her hand.
"So I take it you two are an item now?" Remus asked with a smirk.
James looked hopefully at Lily.
"Maybe, he hasn't though really asked me yet, just thinks snogging means we are." Lily giggled at his stunned face.
"I'll let you know then, when I'm ready too." James gave her a wink as he grinned roguishly at her.
"Ooh you." Lily slapped his arm playfully.
Sirius went back to laughing. "You tell her Prongs; keep her in her place."
"I think not." Lily whipped out her wand, leaned over and tapped Sirius on the head; he now had very pretty bright purple eyebrows. Lily was ginning widely.
James, Remus and Peter roared with laughter, Sirius joined in after looking in a mirror at his new color brows.
"I think this might be a look I can pull off." Sirius winked at Lily.
"You would, Sirius you would." She told him pleased.
Down several compartments away from Lily and the boys, Snape sat with his friends. He did not of course tell them about losing Lily to James, or about her coming to his house and learning of his joining of the Death Eaters and leaving in anguished tears. Severus was not one to indulge his private life to others and was hurting too much if he had been one to talk about his feelings to a group of guys who would of course laugh them selves sick at the thought.
Dorthy came bursting inside with her friend Narcissa, they were both laughing hard and giving looks back down the train hallway.
"Whatcha do now?" Avery asked he was always keen to hear about anyone causing pain to others.
The girls sat down by the boys their eyes full of mischief.
"We haven't done anything." Both girls gave furtive looks at Snape who glared back at them.
"We just saw little ol' Potter snogging the hell out of a Mudblood, know it all." Both girls dissolved into laughter.
When they came up for air, Dorthy happily told them. "We were coming down to find a place and heard those guys all laughing in there, we looked in and there, they were lips locked like they were trying to eat each other." Dorthy looked again at Snape to see his reaction. Severus sat stone face his eyes never leaving the book he held in his hands, trying to keep them from shaking.
NO PLEASE NO. Snape's mind yelled over and over in his head.
Dorthy was looking rather glum and disappointed that this news was not causing Snape to lash out and go fight with James. Narcissa looked as though she knew he would react this way as she looked smugly at her friend.
"So anyway, that's our news for today."
"You'd never know James was pure blood, wanting a Mudblood it's gross." Narcissa said with conviction.
"Yeah I know, I'd had dated him if he was in our house and not fixated on scum." Dorthy smiled impishly.
"You'd date him anyways just because he's cute, pure blood and a big Quiddich player." Delores sneered; she had followed the other two girls inside and was now glaring at them while giving hopeful looks to Snape.
The two girls continued to look to see if this was causing Snape stress, while ignoring Delores.
"After all he does look dreamy on a broomstick. I bet he really knows how to handle things." Narcissa said in a soft sugary voice.
Snape continue to sit stone face ignoring the girls, he was not pleased though to notice his friends were also watching to see if they would get a rise out of him.
After several more taunts, Snape placed his book down to look over at the girls who were eagerly awaiting his reaction.
"If you ladies are so interested in him and thrilled with his broom handling, by all means go join them in that compartment." Severus said in very even silky tones. Snape returned to his book ignoring them completely after that, but he did have a grim bit of satisfaction that Dorthy was especially looking displease and very disenchanted. Narcissa was looking even smugger as though she knew something the others didn't. for the life of him he had no idea what that would be and found he just didn't care anymore.
Down in the other one, Lily was defending Severus against Sirius and James.
"He's a greasy little git."
"He's not greasy or a git."
"He's always trying to get us expelled."
"You do a good job of that your self, I doubt anyone would ever have or get as much detention as you two." Lily gave Black and Potter a very hard look, her eyes slits of green flames. (If only she knew about her future son. Who would almost out do his dad for time spent in detention?)
"He's up to his black eyes in Dark Arts." James said nastily. He really hated to hear her defend Snape.
"Well yes he is." Lily looked sadly at them all-pleading in her eyes. "But you have to understand he had a hard childhood and that was all his mother ever taught him. She loved the Dark Arts more then her own son."
The boys were looking uncomfortable.
"How do you know this?"
"What?" Lily asked.
"About his mum, how do you know all this?" James asked curiously.
"We met when we were little; he was the one to tell me I was a witch. At the time I thought he was insulting me." Lily smiled at that memory, (James looked jealous that she shared something like that with him.) "I did meet his parents." Lily shuddered. "They were horrible, they were mean to him and fought none stop every day."
"I didn't know." James said at last.
"Me either, we'll try to be nice to him and if nothing else keep out of his way." Remus told her. Lily smiled beautifully making the three guys all wishing that they; were now James. James felt warm swooping feeling inside as he looked at her.
The train arrived at Hogsmeade station, not fast enough for Severus who quickly grabbed his trunk and left for the carriages without a glance back at his friends.
"It looks to me like someone is upset over James getting the Mudblood." Avery whispered.
The others nodded agreement as they followed after him.
Both girls took the time to look into the compartment that James and his friends sat in with Lily but were disappointed that they were not there.
The only one to know at this time that Narcissa was glad he didn't seem to want to have Lily Evans, that she wanted to date him herself was Dorthy and Delores.
The feast was as always great, with so many types of dishes to eat, that most could never think of what to try next. Lily sat with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. James never mentioned the visit to her house except to have told them they had snog.
Lily was glad he didn't seem to hate her. Lily glanced again to the Slytherin table to see Snape there between two boys she couldn't stand for him to be with.
Lily felt a stabbing pain in her heart; Severus was not looking happy and was determinedly not looking in her direction.
"Do you hate me?" Lily whispered to herself.
"No." James whispered back mistaking her whisper words.
Lily smiled ruefully at James. "Good thing after everyone saw us on the train." I wonder did Sev see us. Is that why he is so upset or….
Lily was given no more chance to ponder this for Dumbledore had stood up and called their attention. Lily only half listens as she kept sneaking looks to Severus who was still looking everywhere but at her.
We have Divination; I'll talk to him there. Feeling a little bit better Lily tried to listen to what was being told to them by Dumbledore.
Lily only kept the class since Snape was keeping it. He had told her it was an easy Owl and Newt. Other wise the classes she had were Potions, her favorite, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology, the ones she needed to become an Auror.
Lily knew it was her only chance to speak with him since it was the only class they shared that did not have James and his mates in it. Lily didn't want to upset them.
Lily left breakfast and set off for Divination. Standing out side the door Lily watched the hallway waiting for Severus to arrive.
The teacher opens the door and Snape had still not shown up. Lily walked inside and sat in a seat made for two. After class in which Lily hardly paid attention to it, she had gotten up to leave then walked over to their teacher.
"Yes Lily?"
"I was….. Wondering about Severus…. Snape, he wasn't in class today?"
Lily didn't like it when he gave a very knowing smile.
"I thought you might be, unfortunately he has dropped this course."
"Wha…." Lily was stunned.
"I'm sorry and I understand if you drop this course too, I know you only took it for him."
"Ah yes." Lily choked out as she turned to leave.
Lily never saw the sad parting look he gave her. "I do wish your life was going to be longer then it is." For he was gifted and knew that her life was going to be cut short, he just didn't know how.
Lily walked down the hall toward her next class it was Charms. Lily walked into the classroom to see Snape sitting by a friend of his and Narcissa sitting beside him, looking over her shoulder at Lily as she walked in a wicked glint in her eyes.
"Ooh looky it's Little Potter's Mudblood."
"Ooh looky it's the witch that can't perform simple spells." Lily shot back at her. Snape smirked caught himself and then went right back to his stony face.
"Freak," Narcissa spat.
Lily turned around to face her with narrow eyes. "Look whose talking, your so jealous that guys aren't fawning all over you they rather have a Mudblood like me then a pure blood like you!"
Lily spun around and marched to a desk, amid applause from others including James and his mates who clapped loudest. Lily smiled happily. She would have loved to seen the Happy look on Snape's face.
You tell her, my little Muggle girl. Snape caught his train of thought and shook his head as though trying to dislodge that thought.
Once I'm very powerful, she'll come back to me, she won't stay with him.
It was the only thought that was getting him through the days now.
The rest of the class time went by quickly as they were busy making things appear. Lily had a pair of bunny slippers, a sky mask, and a bottle of coke which most in the wizarding world had never seen. She also conjured up a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, which James, Remus, Sirius and Peter gobbled up before the others could get there.
"So sorry did you want one?" Sirius asked a pimply face boy who dashed over.
"I'd have saved one if you told me." James smirked.
Lily shook her head bemused by their childish teasing. She quickly conjured up another plate of chocolate chip cookies. The boy smiled pleased taking several off the plate.
Lily had of course earned twenty points for her house. She was quite pleased with her self when class ended, but left disappointed when they had left and all she saw was Snape's black cape billowing out behind him as he walked off.
Lily went to the Owlery that night and conjured up a plate of cookies again, this time snickerdoodles and wrapped them in a bag with note. Lily gave this to the owl that flew off with it. Lily hoped it would make him feel a bit better after the horrible row they had during break
