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Apologies
Had I not run into Severus first, I would have killed Malfoy, no doubt. I was in the process of striding round the school in search of him and his pit vipers, when I ran into something black and billowing as I walked around the corner.
"You!" He began "You have this AMAZING habit of making things worse don't you? Why did you tell her about the fight and what I said to you! YOU were the one throwing your weight around, and she's not talking to me!"
He glared at me with poisonous eyes, his hands clenched as fists.
"Me? I said nothing! I had just as much to lose by telling her about it as you! And as for it being all my fault, words cut just as deep as the sharpest sword, my friend. I told her nothing, and I very much doubt you would have."
"Then who? Go on, I'm intreagued. Who told her? Who knew about it and found a good excuse to tell her?"
"I can think of no one but Malfoy."
He pondered this for a moment, and his attitude changed noticably. The anger in the air faded, and we both thought it through.
"No, no he wouldn't have would he?" I said, after a few minutes consideration. "If anyone else gets to know about this, he looks like a weakling. He suffers from it far more than we do, and for someone who cares so greatly about his reputation..."
"Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't have done it either." he mused "They can barely string to words together, and anyway, Malfoy would have killed them. Does anyone else know?"
We looked quite blankly at each-other, and for the first time in days there was no malice.
"Well...Dumbledore knows something went on...God knows how, but he does. As far as I know, no one else was there!"
"You didn't tell him?" I shook my head. "I really worry sometimes, he knows every bloody thing that goes on in this school."
"Not everything. Most, but not all."
"Well, then who knew?"
Again, we just stood there, in absolute silence, wondering how on earth Lily found out. As it so often does at Hogwarts, silence speaks a thousand words. Both our minds raced for something we had overlooked, but nothing came, nothing at all. Then it suddenly struck me, why was Severus bothered about this.
"Why do you care anyway? Its me she's gone off at!"
"Its not just you. She freaked out at all the things I said to you, which is what made me think you had told her, but she went mad. She really laid into me about it, and as far as I can judge, she isn't talking to me. Why has she had a go at you?"
"Throwing my weight around, accusing you of causing all this, et cetera. I can't believe she is doing this."
There was a long, awkward pause. We both looked at the floor, partly in amazement at what Lily was doing to us, and partly in knowing we had not spoken in such a civil way for such a long time. it is an odd predicament, to find yourselves suddenly speaking again.
"I think I have an apology to make to you, Severus." I finally ventured. "I should have told you about my father, and...I shouldn't have lost it like that the other day in the dungeons... I'm sorry." I looked up at him, no knowing what to expect. I was very doubtful my apology would be reciprocated; he was very proud even then.
"Apology accepted." He murmured, after another short pause. We both turned for the common room, and walked back in silence. Just as we got to the portrait hole, he stopped and turned to me.
"I think I owe you one too. I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it. I hope you knew that." He looked at me again, his eyes finally dragging themselves from the flagstoned floor. "Friends?"
He offered a hand for me to shake. This was the moment I knewhe would never be the Severus I used to know. He was making a peace offering, yet it was still cold and detatched. I took his hand and shook it, and he smiled faintly at me. Something had changed. Something very important had changed, and I couldn't help but let my heart drop a little at this. We carried on into the common room, and said goodnight, as if we were mere acquaintences.
Apologies
Had I not run into Severus first, I would have killed Malfoy, no doubt. I was in the process of striding round the school in search of him and his pit vipers, when I ran into something black and billowing as I walked around the corner.
"You!" He began "You have this AMAZING habit of making things worse don't you? Why did you tell her about the fight and what I said to you! YOU were the one throwing your weight around, and she's not talking to me!"
He glared at me with poisonous eyes, his hands clenched as fists.
"Me? I said nothing! I had just as much to lose by telling her about it as you! And as for it being all my fault, words cut just as deep as the sharpest sword, my friend. I told her nothing, and I very much doubt you would have."
"Then who? Go on, I'm intreagued. Who told her? Who knew about it and found a good excuse to tell her?"
"I can think of no one but Malfoy."
He pondered this for a moment, and his attitude changed noticably. The anger in the air faded, and we both thought it through.
"No, no he wouldn't have would he?" I said, after a few minutes consideration. "If anyone else gets to know about this, he looks like a weakling. He suffers from it far more than we do, and for someone who cares so greatly about his reputation..."
"Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't have done it either." he mused "They can barely string to words together, and anyway, Malfoy would have killed them. Does anyone else know?"
We looked quite blankly at each-other, and for the first time in days there was no malice.
"Well...Dumbledore knows something went on...God knows how, but he does. As far as I know, no one else was there!"
"You didn't tell him?" I shook my head. "I really worry sometimes, he knows every bloody thing that goes on in this school."
"Not everything. Most, but not all."
"Well, then who knew?"
Again, we just stood there, in absolute silence, wondering how on earth Lily found out. As it so often does at Hogwarts, silence speaks a thousand words. Both our minds raced for something we had overlooked, but nothing came, nothing at all. Then it suddenly struck me, why was Severus bothered about this.
"Why do you care anyway? Its me she's gone off at!"
"Its not just you. She freaked out at all the things I said to you, which is what made me think you had told her, but she went mad. She really laid into me about it, and as far as I can judge, she isn't talking to me. Why has she had a go at you?"
"Throwing my weight around, accusing you of causing all this, et cetera. I can't believe she is doing this."
There was a long, awkward pause. We both looked at the floor, partly in amazement at what Lily was doing to us, and partly in knowing we had not spoken in such a civil way for such a long time. it is an odd predicament, to find yourselves suddenly speaking again.
"I think I have an apology to make to you, Severus." I finally ventured. "I should have told you about my father, and...I shouldn't have lost it like that the other day in the dungeons... I'm sorry." I looked up at him, no knowing what to expect. I was very doubtful my apology would be reciprocated; he was very proud even then.
"Apology accepted." He murmured, after another short pause. We both turned for the common room, and walked back in silence. Just as we got to the portrait hole, he stopped and turned to me.
"I think I owe you one too. I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it. I hope you knew that." He looked at me again, his eyes finally dragging themselves from the flagstoned floor. "Friends?"
He offered a hand for me to shake. This was the moment I knewhe would never be the Severus I used to know. He was making a peace offering, yet it was still cold and detatched. I took his hand and shook it, and he smiled faintly at me. Something had changed. Something very important had changed, and I couldn't help but let my heart drop a little at this. We carried on into the common room, and said goodnight, as if we were mere acquaintences.
