CHAPTER 38 - Dumbledore's Halloween Defense Lessons

Severus Snape had to resist the urge to slink over to Lily and claim her as his partner. He knew better, especially after last weekend. Lily was not safe with or without him and there was not a thing he could do about it. In fact, any muggleborn that crossed paths with one of his Slytherin companions was in danger. After last Saturday they grew cocky, believing there was no way they were going to get caught. Lily hadn't remembered a single thing, to his relief, and Peter had never seen what was coming.

He rethought partnering with her; maybe he could tell his mates he was just making sure she didn't remember anything. Under the false pretense he could surely speak with her. He prayed silently that she would never recover that memory, there wasn't a chance in hell he could ever explain it to her. "Sorry Lily but I left you to my crazed mates because I was angry with you for turning your back on me after I called you that ridiculous name." Surely, that would go over well. He had no right to be angry with her. If anything she should be angrier with him, she should be glaring at him every moment he passed, and yet, she didn't. That was the wonder of Lily Evans and part of why he had become so entranced with her. She had taught him decency and compassion. Things he kept under the surface but he was sure he would take with him the rest of his life.

The other Slytherins hadn't felt a thing when they tortured Peter Pettigrew but Snape had. He couldn't deny the pleasure he felt at taking partial revenge on one of the marauders for nearly getting him killed last year. There was something else though; pity, guilt, shame. He knew those feelings stemmed from Lily and the kindness she had shown him through their five years of friendship. The feelings he felt then made him feel weak in front of his friends, he was only watching. They'd think he was a coward. And so he became angry with Lily and life for putting him in such a position. The only good thing he felt was the power from it all.

He muttered his excuse to his friends who nodded glumly but did not disagree. The tables vanished with a wave of Dumbledore's wand and all the students, save for the seventh and first years, emptied out of the Great Hall. The rest of the students scattered, hoping to find a friend from another House. He pushed past people, shoving a few first years on the way. He could see Lily, standing next to her friend Amelia looking over at the Ravenclaws. James was standing nearby and Snape breathed a sigh of relief when a tall, giggling, blonde girl grabbed his arm to partner with him. Sirius had disappeared, already with a partner somewhere, leaving only Remus to notice Snape's intention. Obviously, Remus was aware of the situation by the look on his face when Snape approached.

James had mentioned to Remus, and Remus only, that Snape had known about the attack and done nothing. They both discussed reasoning and though James felt an intense amount of anger; he also felt pity. Remus was no different but he could not allow Snape to partner with his friend after what he had done. When Snape was close enough to her, preparing to tap her shoulder, he grabbed his arm tightly.

"I'll partner with you Snape," Remus said firmly.

"Bloody werewolf," Snape muttered under his breath, loud enough for Remus to hear.

When Lily found her own partner, Marlene McKinnon, a girl she was at least a little familiar with, she noticed Remus and Snape. The look of surprise was written plainly across her face. The only other person who might be more shocked would be James, who was otherwise occupied by a flirty Charlotte Fitch.

Snape was suddenly grateful to Remus for pairing with him, for stopping him from what would have become a very uncomfortable situation with Lily. Instead of feeling need he was now feeling guilt and shame beyond belief. He had no right to even talk to her now and what would he say anyway? He put a scowl on his face and looked over at Mulciber who had paired himself with a muggleborn Hufflepuff. Snape shot him a look that told him not to get caught doing something stupid. Ever since he got away with attacking Peter and Lily he got the brilliant idea to take 'The List' and torture as many muggle born students as possible. He figured it would help them gain favor with the Dark Lord. Mulciber considered Lily an example to all muggleborns that even the Head Girl, a powerful witch, could be attacked at any moment. He was right, the fear had been spreading. It was clear in the Hufflepuff's face.

"You don't have to side with the likes of them, you know," Remus said quietly.

Severus shot his head in the direction of Remus who was trying to be the kind, calm marauder. He was trying to understand Snape and why he was choosing the wrong side, he didn't really believe he was as evil as the rest of the marauders did. Remus knew that if he and Lily had been best friends for so long, then there had to be something good there. He understood what it was like to be lumped into a nasty category but he also knew that it was possible to overcome those assumptions; he himself was not a violent person as a result of his lycanthrope. Snape made no effort to reply, he only glared at nothing, waiting for Dumbledore to start. Although, he had to admit the slimy Slytherin certainly had issues of his own and he could trust him even less than he could throw him.

"Students! The first task is a simple one. Defense is the most important part of protection. A shield charm must be effective and strong. You should all know the incantation. Practice and strengthen this before we continue. Should any of you need assistance, red sparks are sufficient," Dumbledore strode over to the first years to help them get started.

Deciding to make it a little more challenging Lily was reciting protego in her mind, casting nonverbally. Marlene seemed impressed as she tried to penetrate the shield with her arsenal of offensive jinxes. Lily shut out all the others around her, focusing on the colors of the spells directed at her, the way Marlene waved her wand, and in most cases the words her lips formed. Lily had surrounded herself recently with such talented witches and wizards that she forgot that most students had not managed to overcome the challenge of nonverbal spell work. Although she had always known the benefits of nonverbal work, she was now seeing them in action.

The Professors were moving from student to student, judging their abilities and giving pointers. Professor Slughorn was the first to reach Lily, after helping a few Slytherin first years. He watched both her and Marlene carefully, and smiled with pride when Lily once again blocked the spell nonverbally. He clapped with joy and scurried to her side.

"Wonderful Lily, wonderful! Just as handy with a wand as you are with potions!" He turned to Marlene, "You curse work is exceptional Miss McKinnon but I do suggest working on nonverbal. It's key, you know. Maybe Miss Evans could give you a hand."

"Certainly," Lily replied, hoping Marlene wasn't the prideful type.

"Ace. I've got to get it down quick," she said with a mysterious smirk.

Lily couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, there was obviously something behind those brown eyes. Her tone and determination was that of someone with a goal in mind. Possibly Auror training like James? Lily shook her head, wondering why she even remembered James wanted to an Auror. When Slughorn had departed to help other students Lily stepped over to Marlene's side. She did not look uncomfortable with accepting help or upset with Slughorn for pointing out a flaw. Something Lily herself needed to work on.

"McKinnon? I really wouldn't mind helping you," she pushed gently.

"I'd appreciate it. Cheers," she smiled at Lily and bent down to untie one of her trainers.

Getting the idea Lily watched her try to magically tie her shoelace nonverbally. While she tried, Lily took the chance to look around the Great Hall. Remus and Severus were practically dueling, Professor Flitwick hovering nearby to ensure that things would not get out of hand. James was lazily blocking nonverbal attempts from the blonde Finch girl, Sirius was flirting with a Hufflepuff while sending half-hearted jinxes, and Peter was shouting curses and instead of blocking them, he was dodging them. She silently wished Elayne had been here to brush up on her defense skills. The thought of Elayne brought tears to Lily's eyes so she pushed the thought to the back of her mind. After a few tries from Marlene to tie her own shoes, Lily stepped in to help.

"There are a couple important things to remember. The movement of your wand has to be slightly more exaggerated and you have to think the correct pronunciation in your head. Eventually you will just think without even trying and you'll have it. Until then, just think it out slowly," Lily advised.

Marlene nodded and went to work on her laces again, still going nowhere but trying harder with every wave of her wand. The girl certainly seemed to be enjoying herself, regardless of failure to conquer nonverbal spell work. She stopped waving her wand and looked at Lily seriously.

"We'll get our chance Evans," she said firmly, "My mum was muggleborn, she and my brother were killed by Death Eaters over the summer. We'll both get our chance to punish the scum and show them we won't let them do whatever they please."

Lily hated to look vulnerable but she could not control the single tear that streamed down her cheek. The images of her own parents and Elayne flooded to the surface of her mind, she struggled to push them back. Marlene was right, there had to be something they could do to prevent what was going on. They would not sit back and allow You-Know-Who to destroy everything. She looked back at Marlene, suddenly filled with love for a girl she had never known very well. Marlene's eyes were also filled with unshed tears but she was smiling. The idea was comforting to Lily as well, it was something she could focus on to push herself. Maybe this is what Marlene had been thinking about as she practiced her spell work. Lily felt a smile creep to her own face as she felt her own courage and determination triple.

"Once commencement is over they better start looking for places to hide," Lily grinned.

Marlene looked back down at her shoes and waved her wand silently, causing her laces to flop around. Her determination never wavered as she tried and tried again. Lily leaned back but felt a small tug at her sleeve. She uncrossed her arms and turned to look at the source of the yank. Two small first years stood timidly before her, one looking uncomfortable and the other very nervous. The nervous one wore Hufflepuff robs and let her wand hang at her side.

"Would you mind?" She squeaked as the uncomfortable girl wearing Slytherin robes behind her looked up hopefully.

"Let me see your attempt," Lily said, standing back a bit.

The Slytherin girl gladly threw a jelly-legs jinx at the Hufflepuff, who raised her wand to stop the curse with Protego. The jinx hit her easily and she was wobbling before she hit the ground. Before Lily could flick her wand to end the curse the Hufflepuff was up on her feet again. Lily turned to the Slytherin with surprise. She had come to expect only enmity from the Slytherins, but this girl was showing kindness with a hint of indifference. Lily showed both girls the proper way to wave their wands and strengthen their defensive spells.

The hour continued with loads of defensive spells. In fact, Dumbledore only focused on three major offensive spells. Marlene seemed to have a better grasp on the offensive curses and Lily had the impression that practicing them had become a sort of ritual for her after her family had been murdered. The Slytherin and Hufflepuff girl stayed close by and Lily and Marlene gave them tips throughout the lesson. When the hour was finished the student quickly separated back to their own Houses and whispered excitedly to one another. Dumbledore stood in the middle of the Great Hall and raised his hands in the air. A breeze seemed blow through the Hall and the candle lights flickered ever so slightly.

"I hope that this has been instructional for you all and that you have begun to master these important spells. They could be the difference between life and death. Make sure to continue to master them. Now, enjoy the rest of your night!"

The students, including a whispering bunch of Marauders, rushed to the doors to see what was waiting for them on the other side. Lily hung back with Amelia, who was stuck partnering with a quiet Slytherin boy. She mentioned that he really was not all that bad, though he had plenty of talent with a wand.

"Disarmed me three times, he did," She said with an amazed expression.

Lily opened her mouth to reply but caught a dark haired Slytherin staring at her. When her eyes met his she fell silent and her steps slowed. The look on Severus' face was one of misery, something she knew well enough over the summers. His family troubles had really affected the poor boy. But there was something else in his eyes that made her feel uncomfortable, he looked away and slunk off with his friends, through the doors. In his eyes was a look of desire and anger, deep anger. She wondered what could possibly have happened to make him look so furious.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance hall that had been transformed. It seemed a few times bigger than normal and was filled with flying, twinkling lights that buzzed around their heads. They seemed like some sort of giant firefly. The area had tables lining the walls, full of desserts of every kind. The smells were absolutely tantalizing. Pumpkins with painted, glowing faces hovered just out of reach. Enchanted skeletons were serving numerous types of punch and randomly bursting into dance to evoke laughter. Music could be heard from one corner of the hall, where many of the students stared up at a stage, holding their drinks. Many of the girls looked mesmerized; Lily craned her neck to see the object of their deliriousness. She was too far away to notice anything more than a couple of tall men with hovering guitars. Amelia dragged her over to the dessert tables before she had the chance to move closer.

"Watch out for those two," Amelia warned Lily, "Call themselves The Bewitchers. They say it's because of their music but I'm sure part of it is their knack for bewitching witches. I've even heard those two brothers have a bit of Veela in their blood."

"Veela?" Lily asked.

"Look it up. It's a bit tough to explain until you actually see one. Basically they're just really, really beautiful but they aren't fully human either," Amelia shrugged.

"By the looks of it, the boys won't be enjoying the party," Lily laughed at the ogling girls.

"They've got a drummer, she's not bad looking. Doesn't do much though, her wand in enchanted to play the drums. I think it's the fame that does it," Amelia huffed.

"Guess it's just us then. And Frank and Alice, wherever they are. Broom closet no doubt," Lily chuckled, as she noticed Marlene join the crowd of girls with some friends.

"Might as well make the most of it- Oy!" Amelia pointed behind Lily's shoulder.

She spun around in time to see the Head Boy, James Potter, rise from the ground where he was knocked to, the Marauders standing nearby. Severus Snape was holding his wand at James looking more furious than she had ever seen him. What had James done now? He was supposed to be changing, becoming more responsible. She felt a twinge of regret for those thoughts, maybe this wasn't his fault. She noticed James' face go from passive to angry in a moment after a few words escaped Severus' lips.

She did not like the idea of stepping between the two again, last time had caused her to be far more emotional than she would have liked to be. Last time, she lost her best friend. She was Head Girl and so she pulled up her wand, straightened her posture and stomped as threateningly as she could towards them.

Alright, its been far too long since I have updated but I feel like I have a bit of writer's block because I've been having trouble writing anything. I threw this up as soon as I was finished, in hopes that you are still following the story. It is sort of a filler but I feel that some of the information you gain is important later on. And Snape's filled with so many emotions he's about ready to explode. Or do a few stupid things.

Thank you, my lovely reviewers!

Read, review, and return! :-)