Chapter 1: Go Where Snakes Dare Not Tread

It was a cool spring morning in early March at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Severus Snape had woken up and padded down to breakfast that morning at the Slytherin table, where he spent much of the morning meal shifting his eyes to the Gryffindor table clear across the hall.

Her red hair, the color of fire, tumbled down to her shoulders, framing like a halo her heart-shaped face. Dazzling green eyes that sparkled whenever she laughed, accompanied by an upturn of her sharp lips.

Giggling at something her dear friend, Mary MacDonald, had said, Lily Evan's piercing green eyes happened to meet his. A radiant smile lit up her face, showing rows of straight and pearly white teeth. She waved at him happily, her lips forming silent words as she tried to mouth something amidst the cacophony of noise from the other students. Smirking, Severus shrugged his shoulders, silently conveying his hopelessness at reading lips.

Nevertheless, Lily could not be deterred. With a bit of goofy pantomiming, Severus was able to discern her question: Walk together to class?

Severus nodded eagerly. Her answering smile could have lit up the very sun.

In all his life, Severus had never beheld anything so beautiful as Lily Evans.

Once the bell rang to signal the impending start of their first class, Severus rose from the Slytherin table and began rounding the hall to make his way to the doors, so as to meet Lily in the middle. As he passed down the rows of his fellow Slytherins, he only paid a little mind to the chortling and ribbing, the leering looks, from some of the older boys: Mulciber. Avery. Rookwood. Lucius Malfoy, a seventh year who was Head Boy of Slytherin House, seemed to only half-heartedly attempt to rein them in. Severus secretly wished he put in a little more effort. These boys were known to be sympathizers to the ascendant regime of Lord Voldemort, and it was no secret that they desired to join up with the Death Eaters upon their graduation. As such, their ambitions behooved them to practice such future reigns of terror on the younger and perceived inferior students at the school. A time or two, Mulciber and Rookwood had even invited Severus to join their crowd, which always made his stomach turn into uncertain knots. He had managed to beg off so far, but….

Severus's troubled expression brightened immediately upon his fellow fourth-year and best friend, Lily Evans, sidling up to him.

"Morning, Sev."

"Lily," he dipped his head in acknowledgment, the way a gentleman would. "May I say you look resplendent?"

Her gorgeous smile only broadened. "Thank you, Sev. And yes, you may." She made a show of holding out her arm. "And now I must ask of you: may you escort me to class, good sir?"

Severus smirked, amused, as he looped his arm through hers. "Madam: it shall be an honor." Chuckling to each other, Lily and Severus strode arm-in-arm out of the castle and into the spring sunshine of the castle grounds, where Lily was to have her first class in the Herbology greenhouses. Feeling Lily lean into him, Severus felt his heart race, as he absently listened to her prattle on adorably about everything and nothing. What a perfect day….

It was to be interrupted all too soon by hooting and hollering. The sound of stampeding feet taking a running start.

"Hot soup – coming through!" A quartet of rowdy boys barreled right between Lily and Severus, forcing the tall lanky boy to drop all of their schoolbooks. Severus nearly pitched forward into the dirt, and only Lily's hand on his shoulder saved him.

Glancing up, Severus glowered as James Potter and his merry band of mischief-makers laughed uproariously at his misfortune, as they had every day since they were 11. The sprouting boy at the head of the group, distinguished by spectacles, smirked in Severus's direction, his head turning to observe as Lily handed Severus back his books. When her green eyes met his, the cocky bastard winked.

Severus was relieved to watch as Lily gave James Potter an answering sneer in return. Her open disdain seemed not to bother the cocksure prat, who merely turned away and hustled off in the direction of Hagrid's cabin.

"Just ignore them, Sev," Lily murmured in her velvet voice. "They're tossers – the lot of them. Especially Black and Potter."

Severus could only nod absently, escorting Lily the rest of the way to her class. Pausing at the front of the greenhouse, Lily turned to him with a soft smile. "This is me. Meet up by our favorite tree near the lake for free period?"

"Plan on it," Severus grinned.

Beaming, Lily suddenly perched up on tiptoes and pecked Severus on the cheek. "You're the best, Sev! Bye!" And she ran into the greenhouse, turning as she did so to give him a parting wave.

For a moment, Severus stood rooted to the spot in happy shock, waiting until Lily was out of sight before he dared to rub the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. Having known each other since they were children, even before Hogwarts, he knew Lily could be affectionate with him when she was in a happy mood. But she had never before…. kissed him…. even this innocently, on the cheek. It made his head spin, and almost made him forget the foul mood Potter and his lot had put him in.

Almost.

As Severus made his way back up the castle to try and make his first period Charms lecture, he saw a boy with curly and shaggy black hair heading parallel to him up the hill, before suddenly turning direction and making for him, intent on cutting him off.

"Oi! All right there, Snivellus?" Fantastic. He must have just finished dropping his mates off at Care of Magical Creatures.

Severus didn't bother to suppress a sigh. "What do you want, Black? I'm really not in the mood…."

"Don't be like that, Snivellus! Can't a bloke have a little bit of fun?"

"You got plenty of that when you nearly ran me down! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to act like a galloping jackanapes when there's a lady present?"

He probably shouldn't have said that, for he now watched Sirius's eyebrow cock with interest. Bloody brilliant. Sirius Black might be an insufferable git, but no one could ever say he was dumb, foul as he was. If Sirius suspected Severus's true feelings for Lily….

The young Slytherin quickly decided to change the subject. "And don't you get plenty of fun one night a month?"

There. That got him, and with it, no more intrigued thoughts about whatever might be going on between him and Lily. What Severus hadn't expected was for devil-may-care Sirius to sound so ice-cold…. well, serious as he rounded on the other boy. "And what's it bloody to you?"

Severus had to suppress a smile. Sirius and his mates got under his skin so much, it was quite rare for the shoe to be on the other foot. The thought was delicious. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing. It's just that you and your mates are always coming in tired one morning monthly. And right when Lupin has to go off and get sick, like clockwork. Having his period, is he?"

Sirius drew his wand. "You little….."

"Or does his…. monthly cycle have something to do with the full moon?" To Severus's delighted satisfaction, Sirius froze. Severus smiled. "It is rather curious, isn't it? The things you observe. Just what do you and your little gang of yahoos get up to the night of the full moon…. in the dark…. out of bed…. on the grounds of the castle?"

He hadn't needed to spell it out, but the white transparency of Sirius's face was enough so that he might as well have. In the next moment, however, it was gone again. The boy with the mangy hair cocked his head like a curious and amused puppy.

"You really want to know?"

Educated enough in their games to sniff out a trap, Severus slowly nodded, but kept his expression leery.

Sirius's facial muscles gnashed back and forth in a grimace of indecision for a moment, before he finally spoke next: "Well, it's like this, see: if you want to know what it is we get up to each lunar night, you have to go to the Whomping Wilow."

"Are you barking?" Severus's jaw dropped. At this, Sirius oddly winced, his eyes darting about. "That tree could kill me!"

"Not if you know how to immobilize it. Ever gotten close enough to see a little knot at the base of the trunk?"

Severus had, once; Lily had dragged him over there to watch the Willow twist its branches back and forth one beautiful spring day third year. They hadn't gotten too close to be in danger, mind, but now that he pictured it, Severus did recall spotting an unusual knot near the trunk's base.

"I should hope I have."

Sirius seemed surprised by this answer, blinking for a moment. "Well, all you have to do is find a really long stick…."

"A really long stick," Severus repeated dubiously, voice flat in disbelief.

"Yeah, and poke that knot below the trunk with it. The damn plant freezes instantly. Then you can get into the tunnel…"

"There's a tunnel under the tree?"

"Yeah, yeah. Follow it if you want answers."

Severus sat back as he considered this. "In all my life, I've never heard such a fantastic….. load of TRIPE!" he hollered. Sirius's hints were downright barmy. You could freeze the Whomping Bloody Willow with a bloody stick, to then access a secret passageway under the trunk…. The whole thing was right mental!

But, a little voice nudged Severus, if he tried it, and hit paydirt over what the hell Lupin and his mates were doing…. He'd have blackmail, over all those so-called Marauders. Never mind that Sirius could just tell them he went blabbing, for there was always a chance that none of the others would believe they were sold out by one of their own. James Potter and his lot were thick as thieves, they were.

"All right, then, Black. I'll try it your way. But if I find out you're joshing me…."

"I'm not," Sirius promised – though, really, how much stock could Severus put into that? "Do what thou wilt."

Severus knew he'd heard that phrase before… it was a Muggle expression, though ancient; he seemed to recall Lily saying it at one point.

"I…. wilt. I shall," Severus glowered at the clownish boy who was but one of the banes of his existence before stalking up to the castle with a sweep of his robes. He'd meet Lily back here for free period later, and try to forget how much his life was bogged down by the bullying of James Potter and Sirius Black.

It was after dusk when James Potter got back to the Gryffindor Common Room that night. He found his best mate, Sirius, staring into the fire with a small, little grin on his face. " I left Moony off by the castle gates; he…." James' voice trailed off as he took Sirius in, then he offered a greeting by way of a playful smack to the head.

"Oi, Sirius! All right? What are you smiling about?" James cocked his head, studying his best mate's expression with a growing smile of his own. "Got a right good snog, then? Anyone I know?"

Sirius shook his head, holding in a snort. "Nah. Better than that, mate. You'll love it!"

"Yeah?" James perched on the armrest of a chair.

"Old Snivellus was coming up to the castle as I was coming back from dropping you lot at Care for Magical Creatures…"

"Don't tell me – you gave him a right good hex!" James chortled.

"I should have, perhaps, after what he said. He started mouthing off about how he's on to us. Where Moony goes every month."

James mirth died protectively. If there was any wariness in his demeanor, he was able to hide it with a casual, "What did you tell him? That he was right mental?" Sirius was the gatekeeper to Remus's secret; he knew how to throw people off the scent better than anyone.

"Even cleverer than that. A tosser like him would never take it at face-value – you'll never guess, James!"

James frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I told him the truth. How to get past the Willow and everything."

"You what?!" James gawped at him. Then, after a moment, he started chuckling nervously. "Oh, sure, nice joke, Padfoot." But Sirius's expression remained placid, though his eyes still danced, which when captured in the firelight, made him look a little ghoulish. James's face fell into a look of dawning horror. "Sirius…. Sirius Black…. What did you do?!" The swaggering boy leapt to his feet, now looking truly scared. Sirius's look of glee fell, as he tried staggering after his friend, following up into the boys' dormitory, where James was rifling through his trunk for the Invisibility Cloak.

"Old Snivellus is bloody pussy and a wanker! He'd never actually…."

"How do you know?!" James rounded on Sirius suddenly in a rage. "You directed him out there when Moony could…"

"Would it be so bad if he did?" Sirius shrugged. James gazed at him in disbelief.

"I'd dance a jig if Snivellus turned up dead, but not at the price of our best mate getting expelled and facing charges!"

Sirius wasn't laughing anymore, the weight of what he had done starting to dawn on him. "I'll come with you! If that idiotic git gets near the Willow…"

"Forget it!" James threw the cloak over himself. "You've helped enough!" And he dashed, invisible, out of the Common Room.

James' heart was racing as he sprinted along the grasses leading towards the Willow, careful not to go too fast so that the Cloak didn't end up going behind him like a banner. Even then, the garment flapped in a light breeze, so that if the moon caught it just right, someone might see ankles belonging to no one hustling up the grassy knoll.

As he came over the crest of the hill, his heart stopped. A longhaired, greasy figure was just stretching out a stick to poke the knot at the base of the Willow's trunk. A dark shadow suddenly passed overhead.

"Severus, don't!"

Snape glanced up, startled and shocked, just in time to have James sodding Potter barrel into him, tackling him to the ground in the second before a tree branch whistled through the space, missing the boys by inches.

"Get down!"

There was an ominous creak as the tree righted itself in the brief calm before another onslaught. Snapping his head up, James forcefully rolled both himself and Severus away as another wide branch came plummeting down to crunch an indentation in the ground.

Now just out of range, Severus threw James off him. "Potter, what the devil are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, prat!" James yelled.

Though he had been called worse by James Potter before, Severus still flinched. Most of him was more concerned with how Potter had actually appeared to save his life. But, of course, that wasn't right, not entirely. Potter must have enough of his own skin in the game to want to save it, even if that meant not letting him, Severus, get hurt.

There was another whistling sound, and the two boys, pushing up onto their knees, glanced up just as another branch hurtled towards them. Oh no. James had miscalculated. They weren't out of range yet – at least, from the topmost branch.

There was no time to dodge. The branch caught both James and Severus in the chest, flinging them back several yards so that they went sailing through the air. Severus landed funny, and he heard a CRACK before liquid fire shot up his leg.

"AHHHHHH!"

"Snape? Where are you?" There was James' voice, feeling around in the dark.

"My leg!" Severus bemoaned.

"Is it broken?"

Somehow, Severus managed to get to his feet, but when he tried to put his weight on his left leg, he winced. "See for yourself, you bloody…."

"Language," James quipped abruptly, followed by: "Lumos!"

A small bauble of light appeared, and both their faces illuminated in it, James ran his hand up Severus's leg, searching for a break. There was a bloody gash in the Slytherin's trousers, and James tssked.

"I'll kill that Sirius….!"

"Not if I get him first!"

James glared at him. "You do, and it'll be more than just a broken leg you'll be nursing!"

A sudden howl pierced the still night air, and James Potter actually went as white as the luminous tip of his wand, as white as the full moon now breaking out from behind overcast clouds.

"Severus: move."

Severus didn't understand why James was being so conscientious of using his given name; before, it had always been 'Snivellus.' Sirius Black had obviously led him into a trap; why shouldn't he presume that Potter might be doing no different?

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Potter…."

"Damn it, Snape, we have to go NOW!"

Suddenly getting under him, James gripped Severus tight against his side, and the pair began a quick and feeble hobble back toward the lights of the castle. It was awkward and clumsy, resembling a three-legged race, and Severus's resistance didn't help matters. He dislodged James with disgust.

"Look, Potter, I don't know what you're playing at…."

A low, and rumbling growl made both boys wheel around. Backlit by the full moon, a hulking beast was rearing up on its hind legs.

James was as still as a statue, and Severus didn't think he had ever seen James Potter look terrified. In any other context, it would have been quite a satisfying sight to see.

"Moony, don't …..!"

Severus barely had time to clue in to the familiar nickname before the beast gave an ear-splitting roar and threw out a paw as large as the branch that had nearly taken off both James and Severus's heads. James dashed forward to intercept the assault, but too late. The paw connected with the side of Severus's face, which now suddenly felt like it was on fire. Severus could feel blood pouring into his eyes.

"ARGGGGHHHH!" He crumpled to the ground, landing on his bum leg so that he howled in pain again. Above him, he could hear Potter actually trying to reason with the monster.

"Moony, no!"

Rough hands were suddenly under Severus's shoulders, hauling him up.

"Move your ass, you son-of-a-bitch! RUN!" James bellowed, and now the other boy was half-dragging his Slytherin classmate as fast as he could carry him. Through his blood-matted hair and eyelashes, Severus could just make out the creature trying to pursue them.

A shift in the air currents heralded James drawing his wand, and when the Gryffindor spoke, he sounded pained:

"Repulso!" The creature was blasted back by the force of the spell – not too far, but far enough as James kept dragging his classmate, trying to buy them some time and distance. The moon was blotted out by the shadow of the Whomping Willow swaying dangerously down, wanting to join in on the skirmish. Severus saw James point his wand in the direction of the tree's knot.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The purple flash of light was a perfect shot, hitting the knot dead-on and freezing the tree instantly. Severus watched, just able to make it out, as the creature – dazed – loped to its feet, turned and howled for the moon, its light catching a pronounced snout.

Severus's blood ran cold: werewolf.

The werewolf seemed to notice the tree was still and paused, hesitating between it and the retreating boys.

Against him, Severus felt James nod encouragingly. "That's it, Moony, that's it…. Go to the trunk…."

The werewolf prowled over to the trunk, then disappeared down a hole under it.

That's when Severus tried to put weight back on his broken leg, and felt it give again. The fiery spasms licking up his thigh were too much and he sprawled down into the dirt with a crash, taking Potter with him.

"AHHHHH!"

Severus's vision was swimming. Everything was starting to blur. He thought he detected running feet, and then a booming voice yelling out, "Levicorpus!"

That was the last thing he heard before everything went dark.