Why does it rain on Knockturn Alley?

Chapter 7: Calmer Waters

"James, wake up." Sirius Black was shaking his friend, rather harshly. James groaned, sat up and reached for his glasses. Looking at his watch he noticed it was five o'clock in the morning. He wanted to sleep.

"Sirius, go away." He yawned, and then cuddled his head back onto his pillow, hoping to get some sleep before they started finals in the morning.

"No, wake up NOW!!! We really need to figure out how to get back at the slimy little…" Sirius started going into a long trail of expletives.

James was very angry. Sirius couldn't bother him about something important like Remus disappearing again, last minute studying or Quidditch. No, the subject had to be Severus Snape. James had been trying very hard to get Sirius to leave Snape alone after the incident on the lake. True, they hadn't been responsible for Snape falling into the water, but Snape thought they were and was staring at them more evilly than was normal. James thought it was best not to provoke him, because he wasn't sure everyone would survive the fallouts of an encounter, while Sirius wanted to catch him unawares. Apparently James's live and let live policy had worked, because they hadn't had an encounter with Snape for a couple of months.

"Shut up about Snape, will you!!! He hasn't done anything for a while and we have to worry about McGonnagall's exam in a few hours." He screamed at Sirius.

Peter mumbled sleepily, "What is going on here? Snape?"

"It is just Sirius being vengeful again, Peter. Go to sleep. Exams," James said.

"If we go to sleep, we won't get to exams tomorrow, because of the nice little pond that used to be our common room." Sirius said. At this James jerked awake and stared at Sirius.

"WHAT!!!" He screamed, this time waking Remus up as well.

"Someone has flooded the common room. I'll give you one guess who it is." Sirius said. James slipped on his slippers and ran down the steps as far as he could. Sirius ran after him, followed by Peter and Remus. As he approached the bottom of the stairs, he let out a gasp of shock. The main common room and all the furniture were submerged under eight feet of water. He didn't move, just stood there with his jaw hanging.

"So what do we do about this… a drought spell… evaporation…" Remus said sleepily. James could never understand how Remus could think this early in the morning, and how quickly he could settle on trying to solve the problem.

"Won't work, already tried." Sirius said.

"Well, I guess this leaves us just one option." James said and started taking off his nightshirt.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Swim.' And at that he jumped into the water and started heading towards the door, but turned around quickly when he felt a weird burning sensation all over his flesh.

"What, you almost made it?" Sirius said.

"The lake is not water!!! They must have put something in it!!!" James yelled, spitting fire as he did so, while green scales began sprouting all over his skin and horns started growing out of his head,

"We are so going to have to get them back for this." Sirius said between his giggles. James threw a slipper at him.

***

The Gryffindors haven't shown up for breakfast yet. Lucius smiled to himself. He felt like jumping up and down. Not only had he stopped those insufferable arrogant goody-two-shoes from reaching their exams on time, he had done it without detection. In addition, he had done it while involving Snape and other students that he wouldn't have normally even liked. But the note from the master had said that he was supposed to get the younger students to trust him, to turn to him in the hopes that one day he would be able to lead them to the true path. Yes, this was small, but it was the first step to proving himself worthy.

Snape was over in the corner staring at the lack of Gryffindors with a happy leer on his face. Yes, it wouldn't be that hard to turn the boy, if in fact he really needed turning. Lucius was trying really hard to stop disliking him, but was very happy with the fact that he could pick on him as much as he liked as long as he continued to frame the Gryffindors.

***

Severus felt like laughing himself hoarse, in one of those evil throaty villain laughs that were usually associated with the villains in the Wizards Wireless radio shows. The idiots were not down yet for the finals. McGonnagall was going to kill them. Perfect timing, doing this right before their Transfiguration exam. And to think they actually enjoyed the thought of living in a lion's den.

He couldn't indulge himself in his laughing fit however. It seemed that the professors were starting to notice the empty table with the red and gold trimmings. Cassius kept giving curious looks in his direction, then obviously thought better of his decisions and continued last minute studying for his N.E.W.T.s. Laugh now and he would get caught. No, he would just have to relish this in his own time, by himself. Still, keeping it in was making him begin to understand why Voldemort left his mark though. When you did something brilliantly devious, you needed it to be recognized because keeping it in hurt so much. And speaking of brilliantly devious…

Lucius appeared to be relishing this as much as he was. Severus had always thought of Malfoy as mean and stupid, but cooperating with him in setting this up (Lucius had found the password to the Gryffindor common room, performed the necessary containment spells and got the ingredients necessary for the lake, Rebecca had found a recipe, he had made the mixture and the three of them together properly diluted it and flooded the Gryffindor common room), Severus had discovered that he was mean and clever, a much worse combination. Still, he had stopped being mean to him at least, and he was getting invited more frequently to participate in the secret Order of the Serpent dark arts study groups, something most first years were not even considered for. Lucius was up to something, and that something involved being nice to him, and even though he would keep on guard for the secret purposes, whatever the reasons he was going to take advantage of this while he could.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a very agitated Minerva McGonnagall get out of her seat and walk out of the Great Hall, presumably to figure out where the Gryffindors had gotten. Snape had to work very hard not to jump up and cackle in delight.

***

When Minerva McGonnagall opened the secret entrance to the Gryffindor common room behind the portrait of the Fat Lady she was greeted to a rather puzzling sight. In front of her there was a large quantity of still liquid, enclosed inside the common room as if behind glass. The entire common room was flooded with the stuff and there was a multitude of parchment, sugarquills and a wizard's chess set floating at the top. Beyond that, on the staircases, all the students stood, staring at the puddle. Some had sprouted green scales on their hands and feet, and one boy appeared to be covered head to toe. Minerva ran to get the headmaster and the rest of the staff, who eventually managed to get rid of the liquid and the scales, but not after Professor Flitwick had accidentally been covered by the stuff and was breathing fire across the hallway. They had had to reschedule a number of exams because of the disturbance, which made most of the teachers rather upset and intent on finding the perpetrator and expelling them or at least disciplining them rather harshly. But they didn't get any specific details, and although it was generally agreed to have been done by Slytherins, every Gryffindor blamed it on Slytherins of different social circles, different years and different abilities. The first years were all insistent that it was done by another first year, Severus Snape, but the teachers had ignored that accusation because it was impossible for a first year to have pulled off something do complicated.

***

The Hogwarts Express again. Severus Snape was anxious to get home. True he was a little nervous about what his father was up to, but he needed to leave Hogwarts before he exploded from hiding his involvement in the Gryffindor common room incident. It wasn't helped much that most of the Slytherins had been celebrating it for the past three weeks. He had been tempted more than once to reveal his involvement, and so had Rebecca. They both had appeared so nervous that Severus had to tell Evan Rosier that they were seeing each other secretly before he would stop badgering him about it, so now he had to put up with Rosier's winking at him as well. So now all he had to do was get through the trip to King's Cross, and then he would be in the clear. He stretched and let out a sigh, before sitting down.

He wasn't allowed to be alone for long though. Sirius Black, followed by James Potter and their groupies, Lupin and Pettigrew burst into his compartment.

"So there you are Snape. Trying to hide? Lay low? Why? We all know you did it, so just spit it out." He said aiming his wand at Severus. Lupin was grabbing him, and whispering something in his ear either to get him to either back down or egg him on.

Snape smirked back at him, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Black. So if you would kindly leave this compartment before I hex you into the next existence, I wouldn't want to have your father outlive you."

"You watch out Snape. You might think you're unbeatable, or impenetrable, but I promise you next year… next year we'll get you back if it is the last thing we do. Come on Sirius, let's leave him here to wallow in his own pathetic existence." Pettigrew spat at him.

"You'll be the one who had better watch out. Times are changing, and with an attitude like that, you're going to be left high and dry with no place to turn." Severus countered.

Black looked like he was about to respond, but just then, Cassius, who seemed to have a talent at walking into the middle of these things, walked into the car, and after a few questions, escorted the four Gryffindors out of the compartment, then returned to give Severus another long boring lecture on the importance of not getting into fights.









Disclaimer: I usually try to make this seem slightly interesting and creative, but it doesn't seem to be happening today, now does it? JKR, her publishers and other affiliates own the world of Harry Potter and quite a bit of what is in here. So much so that this would be meaningless without her. So no money please, copyright is running.

Review responses:

Lauren Snape: Just because you're on the right side doesn't mean you can't be a pill. I always figured Sirius had to be a pill because anyone who would pull the Whomping Willow stunt would have to be. I did try to make the first encounter neutral though. Mutual loathing, conflicting personalities, very little substance to the grudge.

Sarah Black: * blushes * Thank you for that rather extravagant, although highly undeserved, bit of praise. Unfortunately I am not JKR in disguise, nor have I stolen her notes (but if anyone knows any good cat burglars to hire out to steal them I would very much appreciate the information)

Aurora: The Order, I don't know if it will be a surface plot, but it is definitely a background thing. As for Octavius, I don't know if we'll be seeing much of him. Distant father figure. Although it does kind of depend on which Snape project I take next.

Authors Notes: I know, I know, I am very bad at timely and regular updates to this story. First four chapters up in a week, three months till the fifth one, the sixth one about the same length and now about two for this one. Well, I have good or bad news for you. I am going to end this next chapter. Partly because I feel I need to know the ultimate fate of Severus, partly because I can end it there and avoid trying to string you along with subtle symbolic water imagery that I am running out of, partly because I don't want to get caught in the seven year saga trap and mostly because my inspirations for what happens with Snape have a good continuity gap from this story.

Question: A Snape turning from Voldemort or a Snape starting as a teacher story- which one would you rather I do next (I have my own, jumbled thoughts here)?