Author's Note: A quick note before we start. I changed the ending of Chapter 5 for Lily to send Mary and Marlene to Madam Pomfrey, rather than James, Sirius, and Peter, which you can go back and read if you wish. It made more sense for her to trust her girlfriends to the task than to let the Marauders out of her sight for one second after what happened.
Lily's freckled brow line furrowed when Remus gave his honest explanation as to what happened. The other three had been uncharacteristically quiet, letting their more reserved companion speak to avoid earning themselves even more of Lily's ire. The Muggle-born witch glared at all four of them with utter disgust.
"That is your sorry excuse for harassing Severus?" she asked. "You honestly believed that he would kill Professor Dumbledore?! As if in a million years that would happen!"
"Lily…" Remus sighed, trying to find a middle ground between his best friends and his fellow Prefect. "I don't know what he was up to, but there's no denying it was suspicious. Sneaking out of the Hospital Ward while all of the other students were eating dinner? Stopping in front of the Headmaster's Office and spending several minutes running through candy names when the actual password is Chocolate Frogs? This just seems like mere coincidence to you?"
"I don't know why he was out of the Hospital Wing or why he was so hellbent on speaking to the Headmaster before he even got cleared, but you saw it for yourself. Severus hasn't been able to cast even the simplest of spells, so there goes your crackpot theory that he was on some secret Death Eater mission to assassinate Dumbledore!"
"Evans, I-" James pleaded, trying to tell Lily the truth, that he hadn't been the one to cast the Blasting Curse.
"Shut! The Hell! UP! You stupid tosser!" Lily swore at James. "If I hear one more word out of your rotten mouth tonight, I swear that I will hit you in the face so hard that it will reopen that gash that Severus gave you at the lake yesterday..." Lily spat, her voice dripping in venom as she eyed the wound on James' cheek from Severus' glancing cast of Sectumsempra.
"Children, please!" came a voice from behind the haze of dust and dying embers hovering over the shattered remains of the stone gargoyle. From out of the haze stepped the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, with shimmering crimson robes and his usual wizard's cap atop his head.
Lily had always thought that Dumbledore was the only one to truly resemble the wizards of her childhood fantasies, exactly as she envisioned the grand spellcasters from the Tolkien books that her father read for her when she was young...A stray, nostalgic thought that would have brought comfort to the young witch, but as she cradled the unconscious Severus in her arms, she could not shake the spell of anger. The only reason she had not charged James Potter already was the fact that Severus' body could not be disturbed. The cold, hard floor of the old castle-turned-school was no place for a boy with a concussion to lay his head.
Albus' blue eyes scanned the scene before him, his half-moon spectacles held up by the tip of his wrinkled nose before resting upon Lily and the fallen Slytherin.. "Does Mr. Snape's current predicament have anything to do with that explosion, Miss Evans?" he asked calmly, before turning towards James Potter. Clearly the Headmaster wasn't surprised by the presence of the Marauders when Severus was hurt.
"Yes sir." Lily gave a quick nod before taking a deep breath, trying to compose herself before the loud, heeled footsteps echoed down the hallway with a rapid, rhythmic click, clack.
"Oh bloody hell, it's McGonagall…" Sirius whispered hoarsely to James, already fearing the oncoming punishment that the notoriously strict Head of Gryffindor House might dole out.
"Albus! I came as soon as I heard the boom!" she panted, having clearly run the entire length from her quarters on the first floor.
Lily gave her respected Transfiguration teacher a weak smile. The relatively young Professor McGonagall was almost always the first on the scene whenever a fight had broken out. In fact, she suspected that the stern witch would have arrived first yet again...had the incident not taken place almost literally at the Headmaster's doorstep.
Taking a moment to survey the scene as Dumbledore had done, McGonagall's eyes narrowed to their usual slits of reserved annoyance for the four, fifth-year wizards in her house. "Why is it when something happens, it is always the four of you?" But her expression softened just a bit at the sight of the unconscious Severus. The Head of Gryffindor House had been aware of the previous incident at the lake, and had been in close conversation with Madam Pomfrey to monitor his recovery.
Unlike so many of the witches, both young and old that populated Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had not been one to keep her hair flowing freely. Instead, she kept it in a professional, tight bun so as to always keep eye contact, and did the same for Lily as she knelt down to face one of her brightest young students.
"Miss Evans...forgive my boldness, but I had assumed that Mr. Snape had been confined to the Hospital Wing until tomorrow. Please tell us what happened."
Lily nodded, doing her best to remain calm and collected in spite of the emotional roller coaster she had just been on. The only way for Severus to receive any kind of justice was to be as professional and detailed in her explanation as possible. And so, she relayed her knowledge of the encounter to both Dumbledore and McGonagall, both her memories of what transpired as well as Remus' account from what occurred before she arrived on the scene.
About halfway through the Prefect's explanation, Madam Pomfrey arrived with the Gryffindor girls in tow and conjured a floating gurney to carefully steady Severus' body and safely transport him back to his bed. Lily took a pause as she watched her childhood friend being pushed away, back towards the Hospital Wing.
Marlene and Mary both took their leave immediately after and headed back up towards Gryffindor Tower. Clearly, they knew it was best to stay out of everyone's way for a situation where their presence wasn't needed.
"Well, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked his Deputy Headmistress, once Lily's account of the situation had finished. "Given that all of the offending parties seem to be under the Gryffindor Banner, I believe the decision of what to do falls to you?"
"Mr. Potter…" McGonagall began, her ire and disgust quite apparent. "Before I dispense punishment, I trust that you realize the first question that I have for you. How did you know where Mr. Snape was going, when by all accounts, nobody was aware of his departure from the Hospital Wing?"
"I…well...we just…" James stammered, unable to find a believable excuse.
"James, it's over…" Remus sighed, rubbing his temple. "Give her the map."
"Map, Mr. Lupin?" Dumbledore asked, curious of what the sandy-haired Prefect had been talking about.
"The Marauder's Map…" Sirius confessed with a groan. "It's something we started working on late in our third year. It's a map of Hogwarts...shows us all of its passages and rooms, as well as the location of anyone we might be looking for.
Lily's eyes shot open, her previous fury bubbling up again. Now it all made sense, how they would huddle around a piece of parchment, and their uncanny habit of knowing just where to be at all times. "A...what?! That's an invasion of everyone's privacy!" she spat.
"Indeed! And very dangerous should it ever fall into the wrong hands!" McGonagall agreed, towering over the four boys, extending her hand with a glare that left no room for negotiation. Sirius and Remus both turned their heads towards James, while Pettigrew's shaking form wilted like a dying flower. He had, after all, been the one to do most of the charting using his Animagus form to slip into all the nooks and crannies of Hogwarts.
James shakily turned his head towards Professor Dumbledore, silently hoping for some kind of reprieve, but Albus shook his head. "While I applaud the extraordinary talent the four of you put on display to create such an artifact, Mr. Potter...I must agree with Professor McGonagall. T'would be unwise to leave it in your hands until such a time that you can more seriously bear that responsibility "
With a sigh of defeat, James surrendered the map to the Transfiguration teacher, who took a brief look before proceeding with her chosen punishments.
"Now, for the matter of Mr. Snape. While I could take points away from Gryffindor, that has done little to dissuade your antics in the past. Therefore, all four of you shall serve detention in my office tomorrow."
"What?! But it's the last game of Quidditch tomorrow afternoon!" James shook his head in protest.
"Then I suppose it is fortunate that our house was not competing for the Quidditch Cup this year." McGonagall lectured. "And I'm not done, Potter. You, in particular, have displayed a frequent and blatant disregard for boundaries and respect towards your fellow students. While Mr. Black may remain eligible for the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year...as punishment for your actions, I am banning you from taking part alongside him."
The bespectacled boy looked as though he had been hit with the Killing Curse, his body sank, his complexion paled and his hazel eyes glazed over. "No...you can't do that…"
Despite her desire to appear neutral and professional, Lily's lips curled in the tiniest sneer, feeling just a bit of satisfaction at McGonagall's choice of punishment.
"I can, and I am, Mr. Potter. You are forbidden from playing on the Quidditch team during the next term of school. If you wish to play again during your seventh year, then you'll need to show me that you're capable of representing Gryffindor House in a respectful and honorable manner. There will be no further unprovoked attacks or destruction of school property that puts your fellow students in danger."
"But I'm not the one who destroyed the gargoyle!" James shouted in desperation. "Honest! That blast didn't even come from my wand!"
Lily's eyebrow raised slightly in confusion. Based on her history with James Potter in the past, she could see that he was clearly being truthful. But that could only mean…
"Did Severus do it..? Did...oh no...did he accidentally try to...kill himself?"
Her gaze sunk to her feet on the stone castle floor; her hearing faded to the point where the voices around her became a fuzzy echo.
Lily thought back to those tears in his eyes that afternoon in the Hospital Wing. His apology...so raw, and so full of heartbreak. The dead look in his eyes just an hour before when almost seemed to be begging his nemesis to finish him off, rather than actually stand and fight like he had always done before. Had things for Severus really gotten that horrible?
"-vans? Miss Evans?" McGonagall's concerned voice cut through the girl's thoughts of dread racing through her head. "Miss Evans, do you have anything to add?"
"I...Professor, can I go down and see Severus? I'm really worried about him after tonight…" she pleaded.
"I'm afraid that visits to the Hospital Wing aren't allowed after curfew hours, Miss Evans. Surely you can understand that students who are injured need their rest. Also, I expect that Madam Pomfrey will be too busy treating his wounds from the blast to allow any distractions even if you were allowed down there." McGonagall's voice was strict as ever, but she regarded her student with sympathy nonetheless. "You are free to spend whatever time you wish tomorrow with him, and I shall give you the weekend off from your duties as a Prefect."
"But what if he's not alive tomorrow?" that frightful thought returned to her. "What if he breaks down again...alone...with nobody around to stop him if it happens again?"
"Professor...please. Please make sure that Severus receives all of the attention and care that you can spare. Not just physical care." she paused, her breaths shallow and panicked. "I...I think that the Blasting Curse may have come from him…" she shivered.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts and his Deputy shared a brief look of concern before Dumbledore took the initiative.
"You have my word, Miss Evans. Mr. Snape will be monitored closely, and tomorrow I intend to make good on his apparent desire to speak with me before this incident. Rest assured, your friend shall remain in good hands." he spoke warmly, giving Lily some measure of peace that even if Severus was hurt, both physically and emotionally...he wasn't in any immediate danger.
"Alright. The five of you are to make your way straight to your dormitories. Straight there. No detours, no adventures, no distractions." McGonagall ordered, raising the map clutched in her hands as if to say that she would be watching them.
Without a word, Lily and the Marauders marched to the Grand Staircase to make their ascent to the seventh floor.
Upon arriving at the Fat Lady's Portrait and opening the way forward with the password, Lily gripped the arms of both Remus and James. "Pettigrew, Black...go upstairs. I need to have a word with your...friends." she hissed.
Once the three were alone, Lily first looked up to Remus, shaking her head in pity. "The next time your stupid friends decide to do something out of bounds, rein them in before all hell breaks loose. You're a Prefect. Act like one and find your goddamn strength more than once a month."
Remus' already sickly expression paled, eyes widened with fear which Lily answered with a curt nod of affirmation, her voice lowering to a whisper as James looked on in shock. "You think I'm blind to the fact that every time your patrols hover around a full moon that I need to cover for you? Shape up, or I'll have McGonagall take your badge for being the worst Prefect in Hogwarts history.." she threatened him.
Remus' expression softened just a touch that Lily was not threatening to expose or out him as a werewolf.
"Now leave. I have something to say to this toerag you call a friend. Go." she snapped, causing Lupin to retreat into the Gryffindor common room.
With that, Lily and James were alone, though judging from the tension in his eyes, he wasn't expecting this to end up like one of his romantic, boyish fantasies about her.
"I will never, never go out with you, do you hear me?! You're a vile, spoiled little prince who is never happy with the luck and fortunes that you were born into. Strutting about the castle like you own the place, always trying to be the center of everyone's attention. Stop trying to make an ass out of yourself for my amusement, stop trying to embarrass Severus, because I am not bloody interested in you!"
With the quick hand of a Quidditch Seeker, Lily's balled fist shot across James' jaw with an audible pop, sending his glasses flying to the floor as he staggered back. Her eyes began to well up with tears, unable to believe that she had for a moment found this boy attractive, that she had dared to smile at Severus' misery and pain. She hated herself in that moment almost as much as she hated James, feeling sick to her stomach as her hand throbbed from the force she had delivered the punch.
"Leave me alone! I'm not one of your sodding groupies that hangs onto your every word! Leave Severus alone! So help me, Potter, if he does something to hurt himself ever again and I suspect that you are the cause, I swear that I will do everything in my power to have you expelled!" she shrieked.
James stared at Lily for what felt like an eternity before silently reaching down to pick up his glasses that had cracked from falling onto the hallway floor. Then, without a word, the boy shambled past her and into the dormitory, leaving Lily alone at the common room entrance. The girl was a sniffling, emotional wreck who took several moments to recompose herself and finally enter.
She looked up at the proud portrait of the Gryffindor lion on the mantle above the fireplace. Her tear-stained eyes glowing softly like emeralds amidst the flame of the warm fire as she regarded that Lion fondly...
"That was for Sev, Aslan…" she smiled sadly. "I know he's not a Gryffindor...but please, lend him some of your strength. I want to see him again tomorrow. That's all I want, more than anything…I want to have my best friend back."
Author's Note: For those who may be new to Viridi and did not read the original version or its predecessor, Tempus Vita, my version of Lily is a child who was raised on fictional stories of fantasy. Her father, Jasper Evans, is a successful author of children's fiction, and would always read the classics to his daughter for bedtime when she was younger, even before she knew that she was a witch. Therefore, when she was sorted into Gryffindor House, the lion imagery would naturally bring her young mind at the time to remind her of Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia. Whenever she'd have a crisis of confidence or a wavering belief that she was doing the right thing, she'd make a habit out of looking to that proud Lion for strength while she was away from her parents.
And now, Lily has never been more sure of the fact that she wants ZERO to do with James Potter. I know some of these "Sev Back in Time" stories like to tease the idea throughout that Severus might be in danger of watching her marry James again, there is no chance of that happening here.
Who knows though? Maybe Severus isn't the one of these two at risk of seeing the other move on with someone else? Perhaps a certain quirky blonde might be an unpredictably large part of his days ahead?
As always, thank you for the reviews and kind words so far! Please keep them coming! The more detailed and thought-provoking the reviews are, the better.