A/N: A very happy birthday to Piptook!
Hugs Cherrywolf!
HamstantorX, u r amazing! I can't believe u read it all in one go!
TO EVERYONE! I LOVE U ALL BECAUSE YOU'VE TAKEN TIME TO READ THIS STORY! YAY!
GREEN EYED
Lily spent the rest of the day looking for Snape but it was all in vain because he seemed to have vanished from sight. She'd checked the Hospital Wing, pestered Madam Pomfrey about a Slytherin possibly with a burnt mouth and tongue. When that had turned fruitless she'd gone as far as hovering in front of the Slytherin Common Room, asking anyone that passed through.
Lily's odd behavior had been noticed by many because it was all but unheard of that any student from another house (least of all a Gryffindor) should be that eager to see a Slytherin. It was speculation time over the reason. Or make it-up-time as the majority of the student body preferred to do. Intent on her pursuit the whispers passed her by.
At dinner time she barely noticed James' hurt expression when he realized that she was clearly ignoring him while her eyes roamed the Slytherin table from top to bottom and then bottom to top again. By evening patrol she again ignored James' playful antics preferring to search every last classroom for the missing Slytherin. Still, she did not give up and even began asking the portraits. She simply had to find him to apologize, her childish prank was inexcusable and prying was even worse. On top of that she somehow felt that she needed apologize on James' behalf too…Lily knew that he didn't mean to be horrible to Severus…well maybe he did… but if he just understood the damage he was inflicting he would stop. Lily knew that he would; for all his attitude he never meant to hurt anyone out of spite, that just wasn't who he was and she knew that from the bottom of her heart.
To her dismay, James confronted her midday the next day, he wanted to know why she suddenly needed to find Snape so urgently but she refused to say anything. To his credit he didn't mention a single word of the rumors which by now had grown exceedingly unpleasant, However, her lips remained sealed because it was not her place to tell. Severus hadn't meant to tell her any of the things he did, had he not been under the influence of Veritaserum he wouldn't have confessed his jealousy of James nor how deeply he'd been humiliated by him. She could not do him more harm by humiliating him once more.
Her refusal annoyed James a great deal and he retaliated by using his ultimate weapon, something Lily had come to call 'The Jamie Look'. It was a boyish pout combined with a wounded look that he carried out perfectly with his heart breaking brown eyes. For an instant Lily simply melted into a puddle at his feet.
"Don't give me that look Jamie. It breaks my heart." She pleaded with a kiss on the tip of his nose.
He grinned victoriously. "I know."
Nutmeg, who'd overhead everything snorted into her saucer of milk and rolled her eyes. James threw her a look, which she responded to by a sudden hacking sound from the back of her throat. Everyone on the table looked around to the disgusting sound.
"Everything is all right! Just a fur ball coming up!" James reassured them. Nutmeg grinned evilly, tail swishing mischievously. "Disgusting." She purred, clearly with regards to the exchange between Lily and he.
"As long as it works. I'm fine with it."
"Whatever." She purred again.
"Jamie!" Lily tugged his focus back. "People are starting to look!" Indeed a few students sitting close by were intrigued as to why he was talking to a cat. James didn't really care what they thought and he happily turned his full attention to Lily. However, much to James' frustration she soon left again to search for the elusive Slytherin.
James, feeling dejected and sulky hung out with Remus and Sirius. The threesome had spent the afternoon in the kitchen being pampered by the houselves and was on their way back to the common room in the early evening.
The topic of the day was unavoidably centered around the rumors and with each sentence that it managed to creep in on, he grew a little more depressed and had taken to falling behind with nothing to say.
"Snap out of it man!" Sirius went back and slapped him on the back having noticing his lagging friend for the first time.
"What?"
"You've been in a daze all day!" he complained.
"Lily related." Remus stated accurately.
"Yeah it's gotta be Lily related, how can it not be? I almost punched Rookwell!" Sirius began animatedly.
"Rupert Rookwell?" The name rang a bell but Remus couldn't put a face to the name.
"Yeah him! From Hufflepuff! He was coming out with the foulest things I'd ever heard! Tried to say that Lily had the hots for old Snivelly! Saying that he could give her something that Prongs couldn't, if you get what I mean? I swear if Flitwick hadn't been passing just at that moment I would have punched him and then hexed him some more after! He's lucky he got away quick, mind you that wasn't the worst one I've heard-what?" he questioned Remus who'd suddenly tapped him and was pointing back at James and mouthing something. Again they both went back to bring him forward.
James sighed. "I just want to know what's going on that's all. People can say what they want but I'm not into guessing when it comes to Lily because I'm usually wrong." And that…James thought was the understatement of the year. He'd spent a good portion of his Lily-devoted-school-life making the wrong assumptions about her and now that it seemed like he'd made a notable progress, he was very hesitant about making such a mistake again. "I just want her to tell me. Is that too much to ask?"
"Yeah, the whole Snivelly hunting thing is a bit out of order even though I don't believe a word of what's going around." Sirius shrugged, he'd long learnt that girls were not supposed to make sense to them. "Maybe they're playing hide and seek?"
It was supposed to be light hearted but somehow James even took a comment like that to heart. "That's it though, shouldn't she be hide and seeking with me? I need to know what's happened. They've barely talked before and now suddenly she has this desperate urge to talk to him. What can she tell him but not her boyfriend?"
"Ahhh…I never knew that you were green eyed." Sirius said waving a finger at him.
James scratched his head. "Huh? My eyes are brown." At least that was their color the last time he'd bothered to look in a mirror and it wasn't as if they'd done any experimental magic lately.
"Nah mate, they're green! Green-eyed monster; jealousy rears it's ugly head!" Remus hooted picking up on Sirius' words.
James grimaced. "Am not!"
"Merlin's beard! Prongs you are jealous! Of SNAPE!" Sirius cried incredulously before muttering under his breath "Of all people!"
"I am NOT jealous of Snape!" James insisted before he saw something that made his blood stop and reverse flow in the opposite direction.
Ahead in the corridor he could see Lily with the all too familiar black greasy haired Slytherin in question. It seemed like she'd finally found him. Snape was walking briskly whilst Lily tried to keep up and talking rapidly. She looked distressed almost pleading but Snape wordlessly walked on.
Beside him Sirius frowned with distaste and Remus swallowed and looked over at him.
This was not something that he wanted to see. "Lily, what are you doing?" James called out sounding strained. Remus winced; his friend had just done a perfect rendition of a possessive boyfriend call. Lily, being a firm believer of women independence from the opposite sex that she was, would not take well to it at all.
Lily spun around and saw the trio and Snape froze beside her. Her expression flickered and for a second Remus that she might comment on it, but to his relief she seemed willing to let it go.
"Hi James!" She greeted with a weak but genuine smile and nodded to Sirius and Remus. "Hey guys!"
"Hi." Remus returned and Sirius nodded coolly but James said nothing as he stalked up to the where the couple stood.
"What are you doing?" he repeated although this time quieter. Somewhere deep inside he hoped that she would say something like: 'I was just trying to get away from him' or even better still 'he's pestering me, please get rid of him'. It was very un-Lily like to say something like that and given what he'd just seen it seemed like an improbable scenario but he could always hope!
Lily's smile dropped and her eyebrows pinched together but she remained calmly neutral. "I'm sorry Severus." She said for the umpteenth time. "I'll finish what I have to say once I'm done here. Don't disappear on me again." Snape, who'd gone narrowed eyed and stiffly alert as soon the Gryffindor trio had turned up, tore away from his silent death stare war with Sirius and gave her a look of indifference. He walked away, his back rigid and his hand over his wand all the way.
Much to James' annoyance Lily watched him until he was up the stairs and out of sight. Unbeknownst to him she purposely did this because she could not guarantee that Sirius or even James wouldn't take up the opportunity to let off a dirty shot to Severus when he had his back turned.
"James-"
"Oh, so now you're on a first name basis with him?" he said without thinking despite her placating tone.
Lily crossed her arms with much of her good will to smooth things over quickly vanishing. "Yes I am." She answered defiantly, daring him to continue. James opened his mouth but he found that he was getting a little too angry to reply.
Sirius for once appeared to be the cool headed one. "Hey Prongs," he said stepping in. "It's Snivellus, do you really think that Evans would go for that ugly bag of grease?"
James closed his mouth. Sirius had a point maybe he was making a mountain out of a molehill?
Lily propped her hands on her hips and faced Sirius squarely. "And what exactly are you trying to say?" She demanded. After her experience with Snape and Veritaserum she was whole lot more sympathetic and allowing towards him. It was attitudes like Sirius' that caused some people to suffer.
Taken aback by the wrath that was suddenly glowing on him Sirius answered truthfully. "I mean he's an ugly git. There's no way on earth a girl like you would be with him right?"
Lily gritted her teeth. "Have you ever thought that there is more to a person than his or her looks? But then I'm not surprised; you're all about looks yourself right? Wouldn't go out with an ugly girl even if she had a heart of gold! I'm sorry but not everyone can be as good-"
"Hey!" James interrupted coming to his friend's defense. "He was defending you! Why are you having a go at him?"
"Yes he was defending me, by implying that maybe by some twisted law of nature I wouldn't be anywhere near someone that you guys deem as ugly. I'm sorry but that sounds shallow to me. Does that mean that I'm only going out with you because you are good looking."
James ran a hand through his hair while searching for a smart reply. His heart couldn't help but lift a little at the complement but it was quickly weighted down again when the rest of the sentences caught up.
"That's not what Sirius meant."
"It's not?" Sirius questioned clearly grasping the end of the stick but James shot him a sharp look and Remus grabbed him by the arm and began to drag him away.
"See you two later." Remus said firmly and continued to haul and drag a protesting Sirius away.
"It's not what he meant." He repeated although now it was clear that Sirius had meant that. "True it's…unusual for you and…Snape to be together." Snivellus was on the tip of tongue and he just about corrected it in time and was glad for it because he knew Lily wouldn't appreciate the name. "The reason is he's…" he trailed off trying to think of a non-swearing or at least a polite way of saying git. "…He's a…bad person!"
Lily arched a brow.
"Yes, he's a very bad bad…person." Mentally he kicked himself for coming up with something so inarticulate and lame.
"He called you a m…you know! That horrible thing!"
"James that was two years ago."
"He still said it."
"That's was the only time he'd ever called me that."
"Again, he still said it. That doesn't undo the insult. Oh, and don't forget that time he caught us coming back from the Forbidden Forest! And the time even before that in potions!" James said triumphantly.
"He apologized." She lied.
"So?"
Lily sighed. "I'm muggle born. I know most wizards and witches find it hard to believe but the name really does fail to insult me."
"That doesn't mean that it's not offensive!"
"James, will you just let it drop?"
"No." he said stubbornly. "Not till you see my point."
"And what is your point?" Lily demanded, her patience wearing thin.
"You shouldn't spend time alone with him."
"For goodness sake James!" Lily snapped. "Just because you don't like him it doesn't mean I can't like him! I may be going out with you but I can still spend time doing what I want and with who I want! You don't own me!"
James reached out and took her shoulders. She tensed under his touch; it was the worst kind of reaction to a touch during the best of times. He gritted his teeth and went on. "Listen to me Lily. I don't want you to spend time with him. Yes, a part of the reason is purely selfish but there is a more serious reason-"
She shrugged his hands off preparing to walk off but he pivoted and blocked her path. "There are death eaters in Hogwarts!"
"What?"
"Tether was expecting me. You heard him yourself. Someone knew and passed on the information that I had left Hogwarts and the only person that knew I'd left was Moony and I would kiss Snape before he'd betray me. The death eaters would love to get their hands on a student during term time; it's like the ultimate glory to them. Stealing the lambs right under the shepherd's nose or so to speak."
"But why would-"
"Voldemort has had his eye on the school for ages. It's the only place that his Dark Mark hasn't touched. Yes he can terrorize us when we leave its premises but once we return to Dumbledore we are safe or at least until recently. The guys suspect that Lestrange was up to something while we were away. He was owling someone in the middle of the night and was a suspicious as anything. Plus Sirius has suspected a spy among us for ages."
Lily bit her lip thinking carefully. "But wouldn't Dumbledore know if there was a death eater in the school."
"I don't know." James said truthfully. He didn't know. "But Sirius thinks it's definitely one of the Slytherin."
"Why?" Lily asked with some skepticism creeping back into her tone.
"Because! Just look at them! They all seem dodgy as hell! Look at Lestrange and especially Snape!"
"So it's about the way they look again. You're judging a book by its cover."
"Yeah but the cover is often a very good indication whether people want to admit it or not. Plus don't forget we've had a look at the contents page as well; Lestrange has the background and Snape has the potential."
Lily snorted. "Potential? If that's what it boils down to then everyone has the potential. So what about Rosie then?
"She's a Slytherin. She's likely to be dodgy too."
"Because of the way she looks?"
"Because of the way she acts." James corrected whilst ignoring her sarcasm.
"She seems fine to me. Everyone is different." The two stared at each other; neither prepared to back down.
"I can understand that you have suspicions but you cannot go around dividing everyone into good and bad categories based purely on their backgrounds and potential. What about Sirius then?" she challenged. "Everyone knows that his family is obsessed with pure blood and he has both the background and potential."
"Why are you being so difficult?" James finally demanded the volume of his voice raising a little too high. "And what have you got againstSirius? What the bloody hell has he done to you?"
Lily stood her ground. "I'm trying to point out that you cannot discriminate against people like that, especially since your best friend fulfills all the requirement guidelines that you guys seem to use to decide whether a person is suspect or not!"
"Sirius is NOT a death eater!" James snapped angrily.
"See! You don't like it when I simply point out that one of your friends could also be one of your supposed 'death eaters' yet you point a finger and openly accuse two of mine! How do you think I feel!"
Seeing Lily with Snape had already thinned James' fine line but now that Sirius had been dragged into the argument, his temper soared "Fine! Go run to Snivellus then! Maybe he'll offer you cuddles and introduce you to his pet snake! I bet if you're really sweet to him he'll even show you how to conjure up the Dark Mark!" Even through his anger he felt regret the instant the last word had left his mouth.
Lily looked away, hurt by his stinging words. "Who do you take me for?" Up to that point she'd been getting increasingly angry but all of sudden all the anger disappeared and it left nothing but an empty void. If she had cared less she would have slapped him hard. Instead she turned and ran.
James watched her go. He'd taken it too far; he wanted to right his wrong but more than that had passed in their argument. He wanted to go after her but he didn't. She just simply couldn't say something like that about his best friend. More importantly, being recklessly trusting could be dangerous. Why couldn't she see that?
A/N: OMG!
Yes both of them are being completely stubborn! They're are pretty much arguing in defense for the same thing. Friends. Lily has seen a side to Snape that James will never see and James as always will always defend Sirius. Just to mention that Lily is not trying to be mean by picking Sirius but she's using him as an example which as seen above, James doesn't take too kindly to. Whether he's being too sensitive and over protective or just misunderstood I'll let you guys decide.
Next chapter: NOT SO LITTLE
Keep reading people! xXx
