//_// = Telepathy
~_~ = Parseltongue
*_* = Thoughts
~~__________~~
The Great Hall was bustling with news about the summer and gossip about whom got together with whom. A green-eyed girl by the name of Lily Evans, chewed on her nails anxiously awaiting the arrival of a certain person. She didn't have to wait long, for the person she was waiting for chose that moment to walk through the doors.
Severus Snape entered the hall, obsidian eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of Lily. Someone or something jumped on his back interrupting his search. Instinctively, he swung the person to face him and was about to punch a hole in their skull, when he saw that it was Lily! Before he could say anything, he was involved in a bone-crushing hug.
"I'm so glad to see you! I searched the whole train for you, but I couldn't find you. I missed you over the summer." Severus relaxed and melded into the hug.
"I missed you too Lily. I came by another means of transportation. I can show you later if you want? She's still in the forest." Severus suggested mysteriously.
"She?" Before Severus could reply, Dumbledore asked for their attention and told them to take a seat. For Lily, the sorting ceremony seemed to drag on forever when all she wanted to do was be near Severus. As soon as the feast was done, Lily rushed out of the hall to go to their special meeting place.
Severus was calmly conversing with a mermaid, but turned his attention to Lily when the mermaid went under water. Severus held her hand in his and silently led her into the forest. The couple was oblivious to the pair of eyes that watched silently from the shadows.
Lucius grinned and started plotting against Severus. *I'll teach you both a lesson. *
"Severus, what-" Lily trailed off, eyes widening as she gazed at the creature before her. She should have been shaking in fear from the stories she had heard about such a creature, but strangely she felt safe. The creature had a powerful aura that made her want to stay near it forever.
The creature had a black slender body that held not a single hair. She had a long neck that held a flaming red mane that looked like fire when the wind swept past. On her rear end she had a long flowing flame red tail as well. On her hooves were bright red feathers that flickered like a flame when the wind flowed past, similar to that of her mane. On her forehead stood a bright white horn that glistened in the light but stayed hidden in the shadows. She had blood red eyes that would normally instil fear in one's soul. She was a dark unicorn.
"Oh my god Severus, she's beautiful! Can I touch her?" Lily asked stretching her hand to touch the beautiful creature. The dark unicorn rode forward, a deep rumbling sound emitting from its throat. Not waiting for an answer, Lily ran her hands along the mare's neck.
"Lily, I'd like you to meet Terra. Terra, this is one of my close friends, Lily." Severus introduced politely.
"Hello there." Lily whispered still awed by the creature. The creature seemed to study her for a moment before looking at Severus. Severus merely nodded at an unspoken question.
"C'mon Lily, you'll be able to see her tomorrow am I right?" Severus looked to the black unicorn for the answer to his question. The mare nodded and Severus started to drag Lily away.
"I didn't know you were friends with such a creature!" Lily exclaimed and Severus only smiled as she rambled on about how remarkable Terra was. Severus walked Lily to the portrait of the Fat Lady and kissed her hand, whispering good night before heading of to his own dorm.
"He likes you. What a gentleman he is. It's a shame he's in Slytherin." The Fat Lady commented, but Lily was too busy looking in the direction in which Severus left to notice what the Fat Lady said. Without another word, Lily went to her dorm and got ready for bed.
. ~~__________~~
Lily and Severus grew closer with each passing day. or at least as close as they could be without crossing the line into something more than friendship. As their relationship grew, so did the threat of Riddle. In the middle of the school year, a newspaper landed in front of Severus while he was eating dinner. Severus frowned and looked up. Midnight was flying waiting for his arm to be offered as a perch. When Severus did offer his arm, the black owl landed and hooted his greeting. Severus never subscribed to the Daily Post and was surprised when it had landed in front of him.
FAMILIES OF THREE AURORS BRUTALLY MURDERED!
Three of our most powerful aurors came home from a mission last night to find their families brutally murdered. William Herald came home to find his wife staring lifeless on their bed that was covered in her own blood. Thomas Fitzarl came home to discover that his wife had been violated, whipped, stabbed countless of times and staring lifelessly at nothing as Mr. Herald's wife had. Charles NewGimmey's two daughters and wife were found in similar conditions to these two men. Rumours speak of the killing curse being used on all three families, but there had been no confirmation as to whether these rumours are indeed true.
Severus stared blankly at the article before him. All three aurors were the ones that had slain his mother. He silently rose from his seat and walked out of the great hall, owl still on his arm.
Lily watched Severus leave with an expression of sadness on his normally stoic face. Lily quickly finished her dinner and started heading for the lake. Severus was currently staring at his reflection in the water while whispering to his owl.
"Severus, are you all right? I saw your expression when you left the hall. Did you know one of the aurors?" Severus looked at her momentarily startled, but sighed and sat at the water's edge, as the owl took it's leave.
"You could say I know all three men for they were the ones that killed my mother. Strangely I feel sympathy for them, but at the same time I feel almost happy with what they are going through. Does that make me a monster?" not waiting for an answer he continued, "I've spent all my life, from the time my mother was killed till now, hating them. Now that they lost someone, they know how I felt and still feel, but at the same time no body should go through what they have gone through no matter what they did, yet I still feel somewhat satisfied." Severus whispered truthfully to her. He kept staring at the water in fear of Lily's reaction to his confession. He was more than surprised when he felt her arms around him, head resting on his back.
"You're not a monster. You have every right to feel that way. As long as a part of you feels sympathy for them, then it's all right. I probably would feel as you feel if I was in your shoes. No body would blame you for feeling the way you do." Lily reassured him.
"So tell me, how is that secret potion of yours coming along?" Lily questioned swiftly changing the subject. Severus smiled gratefully and replied in all honesty.
"It's going as well as could be expected. I'm done the potion, but unfortunately it's highly poisonous. It'll take decades to find the right ingredient or combination of ingredients that will neutralise the poison and yet allow the potion to retain its power. I have already begun to search for the ingredient, but there is just too many to go through."" Severus sighed running through different possibilities of ingredients through his head. His thoughts were broken by Lily's question.
"What does it do? I promise I won't tell anyone." Lily flashed an innocent smile that almost melted Severus' heart. almost. Severus found himself smiling along with her. * Good gods mate, she's got you wrapped around her finger, which looks really soft and smooth.. * Shaking off that particular thought, Severus answered her question.
"It will allow werewolves to retain their human minds after the transformation at every full moon. I tried working on a cure for lycanthropy, but you have to take steps first and this is the first step to curing it. If someone can come up with a way to control the beast at the transformation, then maybe we'll be able to control the transformation itself. The werewolf would be able to become almost like an animagus. They would still retain heightened senses, much like how I am right now.
"Finding a sure for lycanthropy would present the possibility of finding a cure for vampires, as they are almost alike. One is allergic to silver the other to wood. Both are turned by a bite and the moon effects them both to a certain extent. A vampire's urges increases at a full moon and a werewolf transforms into a wolf at a full moon. Both draw power from the moon, as most dark creatures do. Both mate for life and both are finding it increasingly hard to live amongst society." Lily smiled at the passion in which Severus showed when speaking of these matters. Severus saw her smile and sent a questioning gaze at her.
"You really care! It nice to know that someone tries to help them. I know not many people who are willing to look for a cure. This is even more proof that you are not a monster."
"Someone has to care, but tell anyone and I swear I'll kill you. I've spent too much time on developing a reputation in this school to have it dashed away by an accidental slip up. That incident with Black strengthened my reputation and I would like to keep it if you don't mind. Utter these words to no one." Severus sent a deadly serious look to Lily. Instead of feeling terrified at the threat, she smiled.
"I'll take your secret to the grave. Now let's go tell someone!" Lily laughed jokingly and Severus found himself smiling along with her. The two of them talked somwmore until it was time to go to bed. They bed each other goodnight, and returned to their dorms.
~~__________~~
The following afternoon, a stunning chestnut owl dropped a letter in front of Severus. The owl was about to land on the arm that Severus had extended, but was fended off by a fierce looking raven. The two birds fought for a few seconds before the owl gave up and flew away. The raven landed on Severus' shoulder, looking mighty satisfied with it's self. The raven was the same raven that was perched in the trees when Severus was playing his violin. Severus shook his head and proceeded to open the letter.
Severus,
Make sure no one reads this but you. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble now would I, so I put a spell on this just as a precaution. What did you think of the deaths of the three aurors? A nice touch, not enough blood shed, what do you think? Now your mother can rest easy knowing that revenge has already been exacted for her death. This is only the first step to proving to those fools that I mean business and at the same time it saves you the trouble of doing it yourself. I know you wanted to do it yourself, but trust me this is for the best.
Tom
Severus crushed the letter and ran a hand through his hair. He was torn between wanting to congratulate him and wanting to turn him in. Severus shakily got up from the table and walked briskly out of the hall. The raven, whhich was perched on his shoulder, flew and disappeared into the enchanted ceiling. It squawked once and a floating perch materialised. The raven and the perch were hidden from the population below, but the raven could see everything that happened. It silently watched Lily and kept a wary eye on the blond haired boy with a malicious smile on his face, whom was currently watching the green-eyed girl.
Lily had seen Severus leave the hall, but remained in her seat and finished her lunch. She then went to her classes and waited until potions to speak to Severus. When Severus didn't appear in potions (which was at the end of the day), Lily began to worry. She searched the whole castle for Severus, but when she didn't find him, she headed for the Quidditch game, hoping he would be there to watch the Slytherin vs. Griffindor game. On her way there, Lily saw almost the whole Griffindor team running towards her.
"Lily, you have to play keeper. You were great the first year you played and Kinsly is refusing to play because of last time. Please!" Sirius pleaded, as did the rest of the team. Lily didn't want to let them down, so she agreed.
The team entered the field and Lily was announced that she would be replacing Anthony Kinsly for the game. As usual the teams played dirty and the Slytherins sent bludger after bludger at her in hopes of knocking her out. So far they had been unsuccessful, but their aims kept getting better. The two teams were tied at 150, when Lily miscalculated and got slammed with a bludger. The force knocked her clear of her broom and she fell with tremendous speed.
Severus, whom was at the Quidditch match looking for Lily, was surprised to see her on the field, playing keeper! He silently cheered for her even though she was playing for the opposite team. His heart had almost stopped when he saw her get hit by the bludger. Severus felt time slow down and he let his instincts guide him as his mind panicked over the falling girl.
A powerful gust of wind swept past him and wrapped itself around the girl. The wind managed to slow her descent enough that she fell with no danger of being killed by the fall. Everyone stared at the scene with shock and the coincidental gust of wind just happened to flow past. The medi-witch quickly looked her over and brought Lily to the infirmary, followed by the whole Quidditch team.
Severus sat down suddenly, breathing heavily. He knew it was he who had summoned the wind. Everyone had started to leave the stands; the Giffindors cursed the Slytherins; the Slytherins complained about being disqualified from the match. Severus still sat there and was surprised when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. He jumped up, spun around to face his attacker with his wand drawn and ready to attack, but relaxed when he saw it was the headmaster. Severus replaced his wand in his sleeve and turned to the headmaster for an explanation of why he was there.
"Am I to believe that Ms. Evans owes her life to you?" The headmaster questioned in a gentle tone. Severus stared at the headmaster for a moment before answering cautiously.
"Perhaps. Why do you ask? Don't you know the answer to that question?" It was the headmaster's turn to gaze at Severus intently.
"I do, but the question is, do you?" Severus wondered for a brief moment whether or not he should answer truthfully and if this was an attempt to get Severus expelled, after all he did pose a danger to those around him if he is unable to control his powers. After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head.
"I'm guessing I did, but I was unaware I was able to control the wind. I didn't even think about it. In fact, my mind was in a state of panic. I knew I was able to control the Earth, but I was unaware that that included the elements as well. Am I to be expelled?" The headmaster seemed taken back for a moment.
"Why would you ever think such a thing child? Your powers helped a fellow schoolmate, even if you weren't in control. I suggest, however, that you try testing your abilities. Find out if your theory of controlling the elements is true. If you wish, I could help you." Severus eyed the headmaster warily, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"All right I accept." Severus slowly extended his hand. The headmaster smiled and shook his hand.
"Then maybe next time you'll refrain yourself from cursing Black, although I probably would have almost done the same thing." When Severus stiffened and froze, the headmaster added, "You won't be punished as I am not suppose to know anything about it since no one mentioned it, but there is little I don't know of what goes on in this school, especially when it comes to magic. Just be careful in the future." Severus nodded and started for the infirmary to visit Lily.
~~__________~~
Severus was still pondering over his powers when he walked into the infirmary. There, he saw Lily sitting on one of the beds waiting for her release. She smiled broadly when she saw who had come to visit her. She got up and hugged him.
"Severus are you all right? I saw you leave the great hall, yet again, and when you didn't show up for potions, I got worried. It must have been something really important for you to miss your most favourite subject."
"You're worried about me when you just fell and could have died? I should be asking you whether you're all right or not and clearly you're not if you're asking about me!" Severus nearly shouted. Lily only smiled and brushed his concern off.
"I'm all right aren't I? Besides I landed softly because of that wind. It's weird how it came by just when I happened to fall. There was no wind before that." Lily stared at Severus waiting for some sign that he was the one she had owed her thanks to. She sighed when Severus revealed nothing.
"I just wish I knew who to thank."
"Maybe it was just coincidence that the wind happened to blow past at that time."
"I don't believe in something that major to be a coincidence." Lily growled and glared at Severus for suggesting it. Anything that Severus was about to say, was interrupted by the medi-witch releasing Lily from the infirmary. The duo started heading outside for a walk.
"You shouldn't wait for me by the lake tonight. I've got certain things to do after dinner, which reminds me, I should probably go explain to the professors as to why I missed class today. I'll see you tomorrow or tonight at dinner." Severus took off towards the castle, leaving Lily with her many unanswered questions.
Severus demonstrated to each of his professors that he knew the spells they had taught that day. He collected his extra homework for the skipped classes and agreed to the detention he would serve the following day. He also cringed at the points he had lost for Slytherin. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but unfortunately Malfoy cared and that usually meant pain for Severus, as he couldn't show his true powers in front of all his classmates. With a sigh, Severus started on his homework, finishing just in time for dinner.
After dinner, Severus went straight to the headmaster's office still hesitant about being taught by the old man. Severus knew his powers weren't as strong as the headmaster's was because of his age. He also knew that the old man would be able to help him discover some of his new powers. Slowly, he knocked on the doors to the headmaster's office. The doors opened to reveal a smiling, twinkling blue-eyed headmaster. Silently, the headmaster led him out onto the courtyard.
Albus cast an illusion charm, so no one would be able to see what they were doing, and cast a silencing charm as well. He then turned to the Severus and motioned for him to demonstrate what he did know about his powers.
Severus closed his eyes and pictured the forest in his mind. He could see himself standing next to the headmaster. The headmaster had his back to the tree he was currently looking through. Severus smirked and used his powers to make one of the branches speed up its growth process. Silently, the branches extended and stalked towards the headmaster. The branches loosely wrapped it's self around the headmaster's feet and suddenly tightened. When the headmaster looked down at his feet, he found himself suspended in the air upside down.
Severus opened his eyes and laughed at the sight before him. It was one thing to look at the headmaster hanging upside down through a tree, then actually witness it with one's own eyes. Severus then commanded the branch to lift the headmaster high above the ground and commanded it to release him. When the branch did, Severus quickly pictured the wind around him guiding the headmaster safely to the ground as it had done that afternoon with Lily. When the headmaster's feet were on the ground, Severus relinquished his hold on the wind and returned the tree's branch to its normal length.
Severus laughed at the frightened look on Dumbledore's face. He sobered as the headmaster shot him a deadly glare. He couldn't help the smirk that broke through.
"Sorry headmaster, but you did say you wanted to help me. I needed a test subject." Severus decided to test his theory about controlling the elements next. He pictured the microscopic water molecules that were currently evaporating into the air and imagined them condensing to form a cloud right above the headmaster's head. Albus Dumbledore began to worry about the intense gaze that Severus was sending his way. Unknown to him, a tiny cloud was slowly forming and turning grey above his head. When the cloud turned a dark grey, Severus saw the image of the headmaster's beard on fire in his mind. When Dumbledore's beard ignited, Severus commanded the cloud to release its water on the headmaster.
The headmaster closed his eyes and waited for the water to douse the flame that was his beard. He slowly cracked his eyes open when the rain stopped, to see a satisfied and smirking Severus. The headmaster hesitantly turned his gaze towards the sky and saw that not a single cloud was in sight. He closed his eyes once more before opening them to send another deadly glare towards Severus.
"I told you, I needed a test subject. Maybe this will teach you to be more specific about what help you offer in the future. What's that muggle saying? You learn something new everyday." Severus muttered a quick dry spell and a restore spell that he knew of to get Dumbledore the way he was before the experiment. When Severus saw that the headmaster looked like as though nothing happened, he started heading back to the castle, leaving a dumbfounded Headmaster alone in the courtyard.
*This is the first time in years that I feel like a child being taught a lesson and by a teenager at that. What were the chances of that ever happening? * Albus shook his head and removed the spells that surrounded the area, heading back to his office.
~~__________~~
The following night after Severus had finished with all his detentions he rapped on the door of the headmaster's office again. When the doors opened, Severus smirked and greeted Dumbledore.
"Good evening headmaster, are you willing to 'help' me again." When the headmaster glared at Severus, his smirk never faltered.
"No you may not. I will make suggestions of what your powers may be, but I don't wish to be your 'test subject' anymore." Severus sighed as his smirk vanished.
"My apologies headmaster, it won't happen again and I really do appreciate your help."
"In that case, call me Albus and if you don't mind, can I call you Severus?"
"By all means Albus. By all means."
The two of them returned to the spot they had been on the previous day and set up the exact same spells. Albus transfigured a piece of cloth he had brought with him, into a dummy. Both Albus and Severus stood a respectable distance away from it.
"Now use the same concept that you used last night to create a cloud, but instead try to create a thundercloud if you can. Let's see if you can recreate the weather. When you are able to, we'll move to a larger scale, like the sky over Hogwarts for instance." Severus nodded and did as the headmaster told him to. A medium size cloud hovered above the dummy's head. Severus' eyes flashed white as lightning struck the dummy's head. The dummy's head was incinerated and the neck charcoal. Severus blinked and the cloud was gone.
After that, he recreated every weather pattern he could think of and every natural disaster as well. He even recreated a mini tornado. By the time Severus was finished, the dummy was barely a dummy at all. Pieces of it lay frozen from a blizzard, while others were torn from the tornado and hurricane. Only noticed by Albus, both him and Severus were constantly protected by an energy field that the old wizard had not created. At the end of the exercise, Severus was close to panting, eyes threatening to fuse shut.
"You should rest child. You've done a tremendous amount of work today. Perhaps we'll continue this the day after tomorrow to give you two days to recover your energy." Severus nodded weakly and began plotting his way back to the castle. He hadn't even taken two steps, when he collapsed on the ground. Albus gently picked him up and carried him back to the dorms. He had warned Severus to stop in the middle of the exercise, but Severus was stubborn and Albus was ignored.
~~__________~~
Severus awoke to the Crutciatus Curse yet again, but Severus was used to it. What he wasn't used to was the amount of pain he felt when the curse was cast. Normally it wouldn't have hurt him and all he had to do was pretend, but the scream that tore out of Severus' mouth was real. When the curse was released, Severus rose from his bed. He felt as though every nerve in his body was on fire. Severus fought to keep his breathing under control.
"I thought you would have learned last year that you shouldn't lose any points for Slytherin. The more you lose the more painful it becomes. Consider this your last warning." Lucius smirked and left the dorms, followed by the rest of the sixth-years.
Severus got up, but his body was immediately wracked with pain. Severus bit back a scream and commanded his body to heal. What he found surprised him. It seemed as though his magical reserves were almost used up! *I should have listened to Albus last night. That might explain the pain. Bloody Hell! * He got dressed and went to his next class.
Severus fought hard to mask his pain as he went through the day. He glared at the headmaster's amused smile when he ate his meals and at anyone who might even suspect that he was in pain. Severus decided to go down to the lake and enjoy the cool breeze that always seemed to be there. He leaned against one of the trees that was near the lake and closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh scent of the outdoors. Severus cracked one eye open when he smelt Albus' scent. He scowled at the old man and resumed his nap.
"How are you feeling today Severus?" Severus growled at him and Albus chuckled.
"Yes I should have listened to you. Are you done gloating?" This fuelled Albus' amusement even further. He knew he shouldn't provoke the young Slytherin, but it wasn't every day that Severus did something stupid.
"I'll continue my gloating later, but for now I must take my leave. Ms. Evans is looking for you by the way." Severus opened his eyes in time to see the headmaster's all-knowing smile. Severus watched him through narrowed eyes, wondering what it could be that the old man knew or suspected.
"Hey Severus. Was that Professor Dumbledore who just left?" Lily questioned before plopping herself next to him.
"Yes it was. Bloody smug." the rest was lost in Severus' incoherent mumbling. Lily hid her smile of amusement, wondering what the headmaster could have said to place Severus in such a state. She decided to tempt fate and ask.
"So, why was the headmaster here anyway?" More mumbling from Severus and when she told him to speak up, he spoke in a short clipped tone.
"He was here to remind me of something and don't you dare ask me what it was!" Lily forced a bark of laughter back.
"What did you do last night and the night before? Both days you weren't by the lake. I know you said you had something to do. so out with it. What were you doing?"
"Ask me again in a week and I'll tell you." Lily frowned at the mysterious statement, but decided to let it go.
"Okay if you don't want to tell me that, then tell me this. What happened at lunch time, two days ago?" Severus visibly froze.
"What's with the questions?" Severus spoke in an icy tone that would make even a grown adult back off. Lily grew really worried for Severus had never used that tone with her before. She knew it must have been something important, so she decided to let it drop. Severus relaxed when Lily gave no reply. He could smell the worry and anger coming off the girl who sat beside him. He sighed and decided to reveal a little bit of the truth.
"I received a letter from a friend. He did something stupid and thought I would be grateful, but I'm not. Just leave it at there. If I feel like it, I will tell you, but don't push me." Lily nodded and got up to go to her next class.
"Aren't you coming?"
"In a bit." Lily watched Severus stare at the water deep in thought. Lily sighed and went of to class.
~~__________~~
The following night, Albus decided to test his own theory about the energy field that Severus had erected the previous training session.
"Severus, were you aware of placing a barrier between us and the spells you used on the dummy?" Severus shook his head and looked at the headmaster in confusion.
"How do you recreate the weather?"
"I picture it in front of me. Why?" Severus watched Albus suspiciously.
"Try doing that with water, fire, and if you can, energy into the shape of a ball." Severus shrugged and did as the old wizard suggested.
Severus looked at his palm and an image of a fireball developed in his mind. A fireball appeared in his palm, but its core seemed to be made of several rings, spinning around one another continuously. Severus banished the image and fireball disappeared. This time he tried it with water and he got the same results. Energy was harder, but he focused an image of lightning in the form of a ball, in the palm of his hand. Slowly, tiny balls of light (the size of a pea) circled one another before joining together to create a larger ball the size of his palm. Soon there was a ball of pure silver energy in his palm. Slowly, strands of azure energy wove its way into the silver energy, creating an intricate formation. It was a magnificent sight to look at.
"Good! Now picture that energy surrounding us in a formation of a barrier." Severus nodded and there was a flash of blue that seemed to circle them, but it only stayed for a second. Albus looked at Severus in confusion and was about to ask what happened, when Severus smiled. Severus stretched his hand out, but was only able to stretch half way before being stopped by something. That something had flashed azure when Severus' fingers connected with it, but disappeared after the contact was lost. Albus ran his hands over where the "wall" would be. The area, in which his hand had connected with, flashed azure as well. Albus smiled at Severus and Severus ended the spell.
"So my theory was right. You are able to control energy as well." Severus stayed silent and reformed the energy ball in his hand, but the ball was the size of a golden snitch and dimmer than the previous. Severus brought his hand back as though he meant to throw it. He tugged on the energy trail, that he had created at the end of the ball, and flung the ball into the distance. Upon impact, there was a huge explosion and a crater was formed as the result of it. Severus and Albus gazed at the enormous crater in awe.
"I shudder to think about what the result would be if your energy was the size of a quaffle." Both Severus and Albus pondered that one. Severus shook himself out of his reverie and used his powers to return the Earth to its original state. Albus was thankful for casting the illusion and silencing charm. He'd hate to think what the reaction would be if someone were to see what had happened here.
"I never knew I had so much power. I'm scared to think what would happen if I were to lose control. Are you sure you shouldn't expel me from this school? It would be safer for the others." Severus whispered. Albus smiled at him reassuringly.
"Even if you were angry, I'm sure you wouldn't demolish this school with your powers. Maybe you might do something that would seriously hurt the person, but you wouldn't allow it to hurt the innocent bystanders that happened to be walking past."
"I wouldn't be able to demolish this school or use my energy ball inside the school even if I wanted to. Hogwarts won't allow it. It would probably absorb its power rather than allow it to destroy the school." Albus rubbed his beard.
"Yes I see what you mean. This should reassure you that you wouldn't pose much of a threat, magically wise, to this school." Severus nodded and headed back to the castle, their lesson being done for the night.
~~__________~~
For the next following nights, Severus continuously practised his control over his powers and tested their destructive force. Eventually, he learned how to control his fireball so that it would to do a considerable amount of damage, but wouldn't incinerate the person and everything around them. He also learned how to control his energy so that it would create a magnetic field around the object that it was currently surrounding, enabling it to float.
In addition to that, he learned to use some of his powers in combinations. For example, Severus would first bind the person with a tree branch or something to that effect, then set the person on fire, then douse them with the water, and finally send a bolt of energy through them. The binding would immobilise the person, the fire would charcoal the skin and when it was doused with water, the water would seep into the wounds, causing the victim a tremendous amount of pain. The water would conduct the electricity from the energy ball and electrocute the victim. It was a very well thought battle strategy, but it also drained a tremendous amount of energy from the caster.
By the end of the week, Severus was ready to reveal a bit of his powers to Lily. Severus asked her to meet him by the lake on Friday night, after dinner. Severus was already there when Lily arrived. Severus cast an illusion and silencing charm around the lake. It appeared as though they were just having a regular conversation. Severus smirked mysteriously and closed his eyes. Lily was about to question his motives when the lake began to move.
Water rose from the lake and started forming a shape. When it was done, it took the shape of an elegant gown. Severus produced a small leather pouch from his pocket. He opened the pouch and sprinkled some alabaster powder into his hand. He then created a magnetic field around it so it would float and form limbs attached to the gown. Severus then used his energy to create the woman's hair. He made sure that it was only silver without the azure that usually ran through it. Next, he created a fire shawl for the woman's shoulders and used the same fire to create her ruby lips. He added two obsidian pearls to make up the woman's iris.
The figure was a tall, slender woman around her mid thirties. She had long moonlight hair that flowed past her alabaster shoulders. Her gown was made form the water and the fire shawl around her shoulders made her to be a goddess. Her obsidian eyes were dark and penetrating, much like how Severus' was.
"Lily, I'd like you to meet my mother, Serenity Williams." Lily was speechless as she stared in awe at the figure before her.
"She's gorgeous Severus! I would love to look like that. She looks like a goddess!" Lily exclaimed. Severus began to tire from keeping his spells going for so long. He ended his spell, powder dissolving, fire extinguished and black pearls sinking to the bottom of the lake.
"Thank you Severus, for sharing her with me. You don't know how much that means to me." Lily kissed him gently and hesitantly on the lips. Before Severus could register what was happening, Lily was running towards the castle.
Severus grinned and began talking with the mermaid in the lake, but was interrupted by a smooth silky voice.
"You shouldn't get too close young Skyfire. You've already broken the law by revealing your identity to the girl; next thing we know you might be getting involved with mortal affairs. End it while you still have the chance." Severus turned around to face the speaker.
The speaker was a tall, slender woman, much like Severus' mother. She had deep raven locks that fell about her face. Her neck bore a black opal held by a single silver chain. She had piercing raven eyes. She was wearing a tight black top that exposed her belly and shoulders. A thin mettalic black snake was coiled around a slender arm. She wore a loose long skirt that held slits on either side that ran all the way up to her thighs. The material was light and silky. The woman was barefooted with a black ankle bracelet on her right foot.
"Hello Raven. I was wondering when you were going to use your human form again, but I will do as I please. The relationship won't progress very far, that you can be sure of. Riddle won't allow it. As for meddling in human affairs, I already have. I've joined Tom and I will most likely be involved in the battle that is sure to come. Take your wisdom elsewhere. If I am to be punished, then so be it."
Raven examined Severus' eyes and found that he spoke from his heart. With a sigh she knelt down in front of him.
"I worry about you little one. I do not wish to see you get hurt. I know these mortals make you happy, but be careful. They hate what they fear and don't understand. Be careful with whom you trust with your secret." Severus looked at the ground in submission.
"I know you do Raven, but let me do my own things. Like these mortals say, 'we learn from our mistakes'." Raven smiled and transformed into the same raven that had been in the hall the afternoon Severus had received his letter.
//Beware of the Malfoy boy. He has plans for both you and Lily. I will be watching him very closely and will report his plans to you. if I can. I may be needed else where as well. // Severus nodded his understanding and the Raven flew off.
~~__________~~
For the next couple of days, Lily avoided Severus. She skipped potions, making an excuse and serving detention after school. She ate her dinners in her dorm and avoided going out if she could. When she did this for the fourth night in a row, Severus decided he had had enough of her behaviour. He walked up to the Fat Lady, whispered the password and marched into the Griffindor common room. There was barely anyone there, considering everyone was in the great hall eating their dinner. He froze the ones that had stayed behind to do their homework. He rapped on the door that led to the girl's dorm. As expected, Lily was the one to open it. Severus quickly grabbed her arm before she could retreat and dragged her into the hall.
"Severus let go!" Severus smirked and obeyed while Lily happened to be trying to tug her arm free. Caught unexpected, she fell on the ground. Lily glared at Severus before standing upright.
"You are going to follow me!" Severus stated turning around to leave the common room.
"Like hell I am! How did you get in here and what makes you think I want to go with you."
"Every Slytherin knows the Griffindor's password; 'Know thy enemy.' You're going to come with me because this is childish. First you initiate the kiss, don't even wait for my reaction and then avoid me all together. What's the point of kissing me in the first place?" When Lily didn't reply, Severus sighed and continued. "I want to show you something. more like want you to meet someone. If you want, than follow me, but it's your choice. I'm really tired of this avoiding game. If you don't want anything to do with me anymore, just say so." Severus turned and left the common room. As soon as he left, the people that were frozen had their mobility back. They all stared at Lily in shock. Lily glared at them before following Severus.
Lily could have sworn that Severus was grinning as she fell into step with him. She silently followed him into the forest. Lucius smirked, watching the couple and placed his plan into motion.
"First we talk and then you can meet my friends. Agreed?" Lily nodded her head.
"I'll start first. I like you Lily. a lot, but I also don't want to ruin our friendship. Once we cross that line, we might not be able to go back. I wouldn't mind crossing it, but are you willing to as well?" Severus held her hands in his and gazed into her emerald eyes. Lily thought before she spoke and chose her words carefully.
"Ever since our eyes connected at the ceremony that day, I felt as though more than our eyes connected. I too value our friendship. When you showed me your mother, I couldn't help myself. I had to show you how I felt and well, later I was scared. I thought I had ruined our friendship." Lily admitted in a whisper, eyes cast down at the ground.
Severus brought a gentle hand to lift her chin up so he could see her eyes. Obsidian gazed deep into emarald eyes, faces inching forward little by little. Finally, warm lucious lips met cold harsh ones. Lips lingered for a few moments before seperating. Eyes closed, breathing accelerated, lips met once more. The kiss was passionate yet all the more tender. As they came up for air, obsidian met emerald once more. An emotion flashed in those carefully guarded eyes. It was gone as quickly as it arrived, making Lily ponder if she had just imagined it.
They were interupted by a snapping stick in the distance. Severus turned towards the sound and inhaled the air. He visibly relaxed when a friendly scent drifted towards him.
"As I said before, first we talk and now you get to meet my friends. Don't be alarmed. They will not hurt you." Severus spoke clamly as a figure walked towards them. A gorgeous unmarred white unicorn calmly walked up to them. The unicorn was not alone. Following behind was it's two companions, a two-headed hydra with black scales, and a centaur.
"Lily, I'd like you to meet Moonlight, Octave, and Firenze. I slept with them in the forest the first year and they protected me. They have been like my family ever since. I don't sleep in the forest anymore, but I do still come here for advice and star reading lessons from Firenze." The three creatures bowed in respect to her and Lily bowed back, as she felt she should.
//It is an honour to finally meet you Lily Evans. Severus has said much about you. //
"Yeah, try non-stop." All three creatures laughed while Severus turned beet- red. Lily turned to Severus with an amused smile on her face before turning her attention back to the hydra.
"I didn't know that hydras could speak English and that unicorns were telepathic, although, we had suspected some telepathic communication, but don't worry I'll keep your secret safe."
"We speak many languages. We speak English, Elfin, Vampirea, and Draconian. We, of course, speak parseltongue, as that is our native tongue. We do not speak all languages of the earth as dragons do, but we are their cousins and we know quite a bit. More than any humans or creatures." Lily nodded her amazement and the five of them spent the remaining of the night conversing.
~~__________~~
Severus walked Lily back to the griffindor common room. He kissed her once on the lips, once on her knuckles and bid her goodnight. Severus then trotted to the slytherin common room. Lily watched Severus leave and when he was out of her sight, she started going inside, but was grabbed from behind. She screamed, but it was muffled from the hand that covered her mouth. Lily looked desperately at the Fat Lady, but her captors had frozen the painting. Lily felt a curse hit her and everything faded to black.
Severus was smiling thinking about Lily, but suddenly that smile faded. There was a distress within his mind that wasn't his. He tried locating it, but Severus still couldn't determine who it was. Severus ran the rest of the way to the common room. He grabbed his mother's cloak and wore it. He chose a dark corner where he was sure no one would see him. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep state of meditation. He traveled deep into his mind and searched for the distress signal in his mind. As soon as he connected with it, his eyes flew open automatically.
He wasn't even in his body. That sent panic through his mind, but he forced himself to calm down. Everything looked different. The slytherin common room was filled with a heavy silver fog. The walls were covered in swirls of different shades of green and silver. Severus glanced at his body one last time before heading out of the common room. Severus found he couldn't touch anything and that his hands passed through the object he wanted to touch.
*Maybe this is the astral projection ability that talon was talking about. I certainly hope it is. * Severus mused. Severus stepped into the hallway. The walls of the castle were purple. Severus was about to explore this when scream reminded him of the real reason he went into this astral form.
Severus pinpointed the direction the scream had come from. Like flying on a broom, Severus laid the traget in front of him and soon he was flying to his destination. It was a secluded room and Severus saw the room covered in red. Lucius was hunched over someone, a girl from what little Severus could see, with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of Lucius. Severus moved closer and saw that the girl was Lily! Severus' mind clouded with anger as he saw Lucius malicious smile.
Severus instantly returned to his body and he rose to his feet almost mechanically. Severus felt as though he was connected with Hogwarts. He felt a presence in his mind and he knew exactly where every room and every person was at that moment. Severus ran towards the room with Lily in it. Severus saw exactly what was going on inside the room even though he was no where near it. Lucius had already ripped Lily's robes off and was about to tear her blouse when Severus burst into the room with a roar.
Severus' eyes had gone completely white except for the ring of obsidian around his iris and the usual emptiness of the pupil. Severus' teeth had elongated and Severus' growl filled the room. All occupents in the room froze and turned to him. Severus leaped and head-butted Lucius into the wall. Crabbe and Goyle had their wands drawn trained on him. Severus saw Lucius smirk and Severus mirrored his smirk. Goyle and Crabbe were suddenly thrown against the wall and Severus stood where Crabbe and Goyle had previously been. Severus once more advanced on Lucius, but a whimper from Lily drew his attention away from Lucius.
Severus' eyes started transforming to their original colour when he saw Lily. He gently picked her up and started to walk out of the door. Severus turned to face Lucius, eyes turing white again.
"I'll be back to deal with you later. You will not leave this room until I return." Severus stated in an icy tone before leaving the room. Lucius tried to leave but found an energy barrier seperating lucius from the door.
Severus carried Lily all the way to the griffindor common room. He unfroze the fat lady and whispered the password. Severus entered the room and placed Lily on the couch. It was fairly late in the night and so everyone was asleep. Lily was trembling so Severus placed her in a dreamless sleep. Severus silently walked to the boy's dorm and opened the door. He saw that the maruaders (as called they themselves), with the exception of Peter, were still awake. Sirius was about to shout out when Severus shut him up with a silencing spell. The trio's eyes widneded as Severus casted the spell without a wand. The thought hadn't even occurred to Severus as he wordlessly cast the spell. He grabbed James' hand and yanked him into the common room. Severus led him to where Lily was and James immediately went to her side.
"Potter. Something almost happened to Lily tonight and I have placed her in a dreamless sleep. Look after her for me tonight. I have something I must take care of." Severus stated in a monotonous tone. After James' nod, Severus left the room.
Severus started heading for the room Lucius was currently trapped in, but was stopped by a figure stepping in his path. It was Raven!
"Severus, you shouldn't do this. Don't use your powers to teach the boy a lesson. That's not why they are there. Don't put yourself in a situation that will get you expelled." Severus stared at her for a moment before nodding.
He entered the room silently and stalked up to Lucius, Lucius backing up with every step. Severus grabbed Lucius by the throat and held him against the wall, feet above the ground.
"I'm going to say this only once. I have acted as your follower and someone less powerful than you when in truth I am far more powerful than you could ever dream to be. Tonight you have hurt someone very dear to me. That is something I do not take lightly to the heart. This will be your first and final warning. Harm Lily again and I will destroy you. I may not be able to do it physically, but I can guarantee you that I will destroy you socially and emotionally. You have been warned." Severus spoke in an icy tone, eyes turning white again. When Lucius was on the verge of dying from the complete lack of oxygen, Severus released him. Lucius crumpled to the ground struggling to draw a breath.
Severus moved to the unconcious Crabbe and threw him to where Goyle was. He then woke them up and stared into their eyes. He used his vampire albility and clouded their memory. He then placed them into a deep sleep and elivated both boys. Severus walked out of the room with Crabbe and Goyle following him. Making sure no one else was awake; Severus dumped the boys into their respective beds, before retiring himself.
~~__________~~
The next morning at breakfast, Severus noticed Lily was not at the table. Severus grew worried, but carefully disguised it. He approached James and questioned him.
"She woke up and said she was fine, but I didn't believe her. I asked her if she was coming to breakfast and she said she was tired and was going to sleep. What happened last night Severus?" James questioned. Severus was about to reply when Sirius interrupted.
"I bet he raped her. He might have not done it last year, but he sure did it now. I know the way people act when they've been raped. My sister died that way." Sirus accused, moving close to Severus. He backed up when he saw the muderous glint in Severus' eyes.
"I didn't rape her, but you are partcially right. Someone almost raped her, but I found her before they could do anything." James shook his head in sadness.
"Who?" Severus didn't reply. He only looked over to the Slytherin table and watched Lucius. James followed his gaze and his blood started to boil as he saw who it was. Severus turned his gaze to James and James nodded wordlessly. Severus nodded his head once and walked over to the Slytherin table.
He sat across from Lucius rather than beside him like he usually did. Lucius looked up in surprise and found Severus staring at him. Severus smirked mentally as Lucius started squirming. He continued to watch Lucius intently as he ate his breakfast. Severus allowed his smirk to appear on his face as Lucius mumbled an excuse to get out of the great hall. Severus caught James' eye for a few seconds before turning his attention to what he was eating.
After he finished his breakfast, Severus entered the griffindor common room. He was met with accusations and wands, but ignored them and continued to where Lily was most likely resting. There was a lot of shouting, but Severus ignored them once again. He saw Lily sobbing into her pillow and sat beside her on the bed. Lily looked up in surprise, then buried her face in her pillow once more. Severus gently lifted her face and kissed her.
"You should not hide Lily. I know it was an awful experience for you, but don't let Lucius know he's won. Live like you've always done."
"Hogwarts used to be my sanctuary, but right now I'm not feeling too safe." Severus looked at her in sadness.
"Who do you think led me to you?" Lily stared at him in confusion and Severus told her what had happened the previous night. He also told her of his theory about it being an astral projection.
"How do you know?"
"I don't, but the book I always carry, has something about it in it. The book is a diary of all the dragon masters before me. Their lives, thoughts and emotions get recorded into the book automatically. Talon, the first dragon master, had the ability to move out of his body. It's written that he felt like he was a ghost. That's how I felt like. Talon labeled it as astral projection and so that's what I think I did last night." Lily pondered this and was about to ask something when the door burst open with a bunch of griffindors entering the room, wands trained on Severus. Lily quickly got up and was about to shield Severus, when he shook his head. He got up and held a hand out to Lily.
"I know of a spot near the lake that has better company than this place at the moment. Care to join me?" Lily smiled and accepted the offered hand. Once they got there, Lily revealed her feelings to Severus and Severus explained what he saw when in astral form. Severus suddenly remembered why he had gone to check up on Lily. He searched in his robes and produced a small box. Severus than handed it to Lily.
Lily opened the box and gasped at the object placed in it. She lifted the necklace to examine it better. An emerald crytal was secured in a thin, but sturdy golden casing. The casing was attached to a small silver chain. Severus took the necklace from her and fastened it around her neck.
"If you are ever in trouble or just need someone to talk to, think of me and I'll be there, if not in person, then in your mind." Tears ran down Lily's face as she hugged Severus.
"Thank you! It's gorgeous! I love it." Severus nodded and smiled relived that Lily had liked her present.
For the remaining of the school months, Severus worked together with the marauders to form prank after prank to throw at Lucius. James did the transfiguration, Severus worked on the potions, Sirius smashed him in Quidditch and Remus did his best to make Lucius look like a fool in DADA. Even Lily pitched in and used her knowledge in charms to get back at Lucius, thus making Lucius miserable for the rest of the school year.
When it neared the end of the year yet again, Lily revealed to her friends to whom she was dating. Naturally, the whole school found out, but Severus and Lily couldn't care less. In fact, there were bets placed on when they would get together and when they would break up once they had gotten together. At first Lily was crossed, but soon learned to ignore it. Once again, they parted their separate ways and Severus found he looked forward to next year more than he did the year before.
TBC
~~__________~~
The Great Hall was bustling with news about the summer and gossip about whom got together with whom. A green-eyed girl by the name of Lily Evans, chewed on her nails anxiously awaiting the arrival of a certain person. She didn't have to wait long, for the person she was waiting for chose that moment to walk through the doors.
Severus Snape entered the hall, obsidian eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of Lily. Someone or something jumped on his back interrupting his search. Instinctively, he swung the person to face him and was about to punch a hole in their skull, when he saw that it was Lily! Before he could say anything, he was involved in a bone-crushing hug.
"I'm so glad to see you! I searched the whole train for you, but I couldn't find you. I missed you over the summer." Severus relaxed and melded into the hug.
"I missed you too Lily. I came by another means of transportation. I can show you later if you want? She's still in the forest." Severus suggested mysteriously.
"She?" Before Severus could reply, Dumbledore asked for their attention and told them to take a seat. For Lily, the sorting ceremony seemed to drag on forever when all she wanted to do was be near Severus. As soon as the feast was done, Lily rushed out of the hall to go to their special meeting place.
Severus was calmly conversing with a mermaid, but turned his attention to Lily when the mermaid went under water. Severus held her hand in his and silently led her into the forest. The couple was oblivious to the pair of eyes that watched silently from the shadows.
Lucius grinned and started plotting against Severus. *I'll teach you both a lesson. *
"Severus, what-" Lily trailed off, eyes widening as she gazed at the creature before her. She should have been shaking in fear from the stories she had heard about such a creature, but strangely she felt safe. The creature had a powerful aura that made her want to stay near it forever.
The creature had a black slender body that held not a single hair. She had a long neck that held a flaming red mane that looked like fire when the wind swept past. On her rear end she had a long flowing flame red tail as well. On her hooves were bright red feathers that flickered like a flame when the wind flowed past, similar to that of her mane. On her forehead stood a bright white horn that glistened in the light but stayed hidden in the shadows. She had blood red eyes that would normally instil fear in one's soul. She was a dark unicorn.
"Oh my god Severus, she's beautiful! Can I touch her?" Lily asked stretching her hand to touch the beautiful creature. The dark unicorn rode forward, a deep rumbling sound emitting from its throat. Not waiting for an answer, Lily ran her hands along the mare's neck.
"Lily, I'd like you to meet Terra. Terra, this is one of my close friends, Lily." Severus introduced politely.
"Hello there." Lily whispered still awed by the creature. The creature seemed to study her for a moment before looking at Severus. Severus merely nodded at an unspoken question.
"C'mon Lily, you'll be able to see her tomorrow am I right?" Severus looked to the black unicorn for the answer to his question. The mare nodded and Severus started to drag Lily away.
"I didn't know you were friends with such a creature!" Lily exclaimed and Severus only smiled as she rambled on about how remarkable Terra was. Severus walked Lily to the portrait of the Fat Lady and kissed her hand, whispering good night before heading of to his own dorm.
"He likes you. What a gentleman he is. It's a shame he's in Slytherin." The Fat Lady commented, but Lily was too busy looking in the direction in which Severus left to notice what the Fat Lady said. Without another word, Lily went to her dorm and got ready for bed.
. ~~__________~~
Lily and Severus grew closer with each passing day. or at least as close as they could be without crossing the line into something more than friendship. As their relationship grew, so did the threat of Riddle. In the middle of the school year, a newspaper landed in front of Severus while he was eating dinner. Severus frowned and looked up. Midnight was flying waiting for his arm to be offered as a perch. When Severus did offer his arm, the black owl landed and hooted his greeting. Severus never subscribed to the Daily Post and was surprised when it had landed in front of him.
FAMILIES OF THREE AURORS BRUTALLY MURDERED!
Three of our most powerful aurors came home from a mission last night to find their families brutally murdered. William Herald came home to find his wife staring lifeless on their bed that was covered in her own blood. Thomas Fitzarl came home to discover that his wife had been violated, whipped, stabbed countless of times and staring lifelessly at nothing as Mr. Herald's wife had. Charles NewGimmey's two daughters and wife were found in similar conditions to these two men. Rumours speak of the killing curse being used on all three families, but there had been no confirmation as to whether these rumours are indeed true.
Severus stared blankly at the article before him. All three aurors were the ones that had slain his mother. He silently rose from his seat and walked out of the great hall, owl still on his arm.
Lily watched Severus leave with an expression of sadness on his normally stoic face. Lily quickly finished her dinner and started heading for the lake. Severus was currently staring at his reflection in the water while whispering to his owl.
"Severus, are you all right? I saw your expression when you left the hall. Did you know one of the aurors?" Severus looked at her momentarily startled, but sighed and sat at the water's edge, as the owl took it's leave.
"You could say I know all three men for they were the ones that killed my mother. Strangely I feel sympathy for them, but at the same time I feel almost happy with what they are going through. Does that make me a monster?" not waiting for an answer he continued, "I've spent all my life, from the time my mother was killed till now, hating them. Now that they lost someone, they know how I felt and still feel, but at the same time no body should go through what they have gone through no matter what they did, yet I still feel somewhat satisfied." Severus whispered truthfully to her. He kept staring at the water in fear of Lily's reaction to his confession. He was more than surprised when he felt her arms around him, head resting on his back.
"You're not a monster. You have every right to feel that way. As long as a part of you feels sympathy for them, then it's all right. I probably would feel as you feel if I was in your shoes. No body would blame you for feeling the way you do." Lily reassured him.
"So tell me, how is that secret potion of yours coming along?" Lily questioned swiftly changing the subject. Severus smiled gratefully and replied in all honesty.
"It's going as well as could be expected. I'm done the potion, but unfortunately it's highly poisonous. It'll take decades to find the right ingredient or combination of ingredients that will neutralise the poison and yet allow the potion to retain its power. I have already begun to search for the ingredient, but there is just too many to go through."" Severus sighed running through different possibilities of ingredients through his head. His thoughts were broken by Lily's question.
"What does it do? I promise I won't tell anyone." Lily flashed an innocent smile that almost melted Severus' heart. almost. Severus found himself smiling along with her. * Good gods mate, she's got you wrapped around her finger, which looks really soft and smooth.. * Shaking off that particular thought, Severus answered her question.
"It will allow werewolves to retain their human minds after the transformation at every full moon. I tried working on a cure for lycanthropy, but you have to take steps first and this is the first step to curing it. If someone can come up with a way to control the beast at the transformation, then maybe we'll be able to control the transformation itself. The werewolf would be able to become almost like an animagus. They would still retain heightened senses, much like how I am right now.
"Finding a sure for lycanthropy would present the possibility of finding a cure for vampires, as they are almost alike. One is allergic to silver the other to wood. Both are turned by a bite and the moon effects them both to a certain extent. A vampire's urges increases at a full moon and a werewolf transforms into a wolf at a full moon. Both draw power from the moon, as most dark creatures do. Both mate for life and both are finding it increasingly hard to live amongst society." Lily smiled at the passion in which Severus showed when speaking of these matters. Severus saw her smile and sent a questioning gaze at her.
"You really care! It nice to know that someone tries to help them. I know not many people who are willing to look for a cure. This is even more proof that you are not a monster."
"Someone has to care, but tell anyone and I swear I'll kill you. I've spent too much time on developing a reputation in this school to have it dashed away by an accidental slip up. That incident with Black strengthened my reputation and I would like to keep it if you don't mind. Utter these words to no one." Severus sent a deadly serious look to Lily. Instead of feeling terrified at the threat, she smiled.
"I'll take your secret to the grave. Now let's go tell someone!" Lily laughed jokingly and Severus found himself smiling along with her. The two of them talked somwmore until it was time to go to bed. They bed each other goodnight, and returned to their dorms.
~~__________~~
The following afternoon, a stunning chestnut owl dropped a letter in front of Severus. The owl was about to land on the arm that Severus had extended, but was fended off by a fierce looking raven. The two birds fought for a few seconds before the owl gave up and flew away. The raven landed on Severus' shoulder, looking mighty satisfied with it's self. The raven was the same raven that was perched in the trees when Severus was playing his violin. Severus shook his head and proceeded to open the letter.
Severus,
Make sure no one reads this but you. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble now would I, so I put a spell on this just as a precaution. What did you think of the deaths of the three aurors? A nice touch, not enough blood shed, what do you think? Now your mother can rest easy knowing that revenge has already been exacted for her death. This is only the first step to proving to those fools that I mean business and at the same time it saves you the trouble of doing it yourself. I know you wanted to do it yourself, but trust me this is for the best.
Tom
Severus crushed the letter and ran a hand through his hair. He was torn between wanting to congratulate him and wanting to turn him in. Severus shakily got up from the table and walked briskly out of the hall. The raven, whhich was perched on his shoulder, flew and disappeared into the enchanted ceiling. It squawked once and a floating perch materialised. The raven and the perch were hidden from the population below, but the raven could see everything that happened. It silently watched Lily and kept a wary eye on the blond haired boy with a malicious smile on his face, whom was currently watching the green-eyed girl.
Lily had seen Severus leave the hall, but remained in her seat and finished her lunch. She then went to her classes and waited until potions to speak to Severus. When Severus didn't appear in potions (which was at the end of the day), Lily began to worry. She searched the whole castle for Severus, but when she didn't find him, she headed for the Quidditch game, hoping he would be there to watch the Slytherin vs. Griffindor game. On her way there, Lily saw almost the whole Griffindor team running towards her.
"Lily, you have to play keeper. You were great the first year you played and Kinsly is refusing to play because of last time. Please!" Sirius pleaded, as did the rest of the team. Lily didn't want to let them down, so she agreed.
The team entered the field and Lily was announced that she would be replacing Anthony Kinsly for the game. As usual the teams played dirty and the Slytherins sent bludger after bludger at her in hopes of knocking her out. So far they had been unsuccessful, but their aims kept getting better. The two teams were tied at 150, when Lily miscalculated and got slammed with a bludger. The force knocked her clear of her broom and she fell with tremendous speed.
Severus, whom was at the Quidditch match looking for Lily, was surprised to see her on the field, playing keeper! He silently cheered for her even though she was playing for the opposite team. His heart had almost stopped when he saw her get hit by the bludger. Severus felt time slow down and he let his instincts guide him as his mind panicked over the falling girl.
A powerful gust of wind swept past him and wrapped itself around the girl. The wind managed to slow her descent enough that she fell with no danger of being killed by the fall. Everyone stared at the scene with shock and the coincidental gust of wind just happened to flow past. The medi-witch quickly looked her over and brought Lily to the infirmary, followed by the whole Quidditch team.
Severus sat down suddenly, breathing heavily. He knew it was he who had summoned the wind. Everyone had started to leave the stands; the Giffindors cursed the Slytherins; the Slytherins complained about being disqualified from the match. Severus still sat there and was surprised when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. He jumped up, spun around to face his attacker with his wand drawn and ready to attack, but relaxed when he saw it was the headmaster. Severus replaced his wand in his sleeve and turned to the headmaster for an explanation of why he was there.
"Am I to believe that Ms. Evans owes her life to you?" The headmaster questioned in a gentle tone. Severus stared at the headmaster for a moment before answering cautiously.
"Perhaps. Why do you ask? Don't you know the answer to that question?" It was the headmaster's turn to gaze at Severus intently.
"I do, but the question is, do you?" Severus wondered for a brief moment whether or not he should answer truthfully and if this was an attempt to get Severus expelled, after all he did pose a danger to those around him if he is unable to control his powers. After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head.
"I'm guessing I did, but I was unaware I was able to control the wind. I didn't even think about it. In fact, my mind was in a state of panic. I knew I was able to control the Earth, but I was unaware that that included the elements as well. Am I to be expelled?" The headmaster seemed taken back for a moment.
"Why would you ever think such a thing child? Your powers helped a fellow schoolmate, even if you weren't in control. I suggest, however, that you try testing your abilities. Find out if your theory of controlling the elements is true. If you wish, I could help you." Severus eyed the headmaster warily, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"All right I accept." Severus slowly extended his hand. The headmaster smiled and shook his hand.
"Then maybe next time you'll refrain yourself from cursing Black, although I probably would have almost done the same thing." When Severus stiffened and froze, the headmaster added, "You won't be punished as I am not suppose to know anything about it since no one mentioned it, but there is little I don't know of what goes on in this school, especially when it comes to magic. Just be careful in the future." Severus nodded and started for the infirmary to visit Lily.
~~__________~~
Severus was still pondering over his powers when he walked into the infirmary. There, he saw Lily sitting on one of the beds waiting for her release. She smiled broadly when she saw who had come to visit her. She got up and hugged him.
"Severus are you all right? I saw you leave the great hall, yet again, and when you didn't show up for potions, I got worried. It must have been something really important for you to miss your most favourite subject."
"You're worried about me when you just fell and could have died? I should be asking you whether you're all right or not and clearly you're not if you're asking about me!" Severus nearly shouted. Lily only smiled and brushed his concern off.
"I'm all right aren't I? Besides I landed softly because of that wind. It's weird how it came by just when I happened to fall. There was no wind before that." Lily stared at Severus waiting for some sign that he was the one she had owed her thanks to. She sighed when Severus revealed nothing.
"I just wish I knew who to thank."
"Maybe it was just coincidence that the wind happened to blow past at that time."
"I don't believe in something that major to be a coincidence." Lily growled and glared at Severus for suggesting it. Anything that Severus was about to say, was interrupted by the medi-witch releasing Lily from the infirmary. The duo started heading outside for a walk.
"You shouldn't wait for me by the lake tonight. I've got certain things to do after dinner, which reminds me, I should probably go explain to the professors as to why I missed class today. I'll see you tomorrow or tonight at dinner." Severus took off towards the castle, leaving Lily with her many unanswered questions.
Severus demonstrated to each of his professors that he knew the spells they had taught that day. He collected his extra homework for the skipped classes and agreed to the detention he would serve the following day. He also cringed at the points he had lost for Slytherin. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but unfortunately Malfoy cared and that usually meant pain for Severus, as he couldn't show his true powers in front of all his classmates. With a sigh, Severus started on his homework, finishing just in time for dinner.
After dinner, Severus went straight to the headmaster's office still hesitant about being taught by the old man. Severus knew his powers weren't as strong as the headmaster's was because of his age. He also knew that the old man would be able to help him discover some of his new powers. Slowly, he knocked on the doors to the headmaster's office. The doors opened to reveal a smiling, twinkling blue-eyed headmaster. Silently, the headmaster led him out onto the courtyard.
Albus cast an illusion charm, so no one would be able to see what they were doing, and cast a silencing charm as well. He then turned to the Severus and motioned for him to demonstrate what he did know about his powers.
Severus closed his eyes and pictured the forest in his mind. He could see himself standing next to the headmaster. The headmaster had his back to the tree he was currently looking through. Severus smirked and used his powers to make one of the branches speed up its growth process. Silently, the branches extended and stalked towards the headmaster. The branches loosely wrapped it's self around the headmaster's feet and suddenly tightened. When the headmaster looked down at his feet, he found himself suspended in the air upside down.
Severus opened his eyes and laughed at the sight before him. It was one thing to look at the headmaster hanging upside down through a tree, then actually witness it with one's own eyes. Severus then commanded the branch to lift the headmaster high above the ground and commanded it to release him. When the branch did, Severus quickly pictured the wind around him guiding the headmaster safely to the ground as it had done that afternoon with Lily. When the headmaster's feet were on the ground, Severus relinquished his hold on the wind and returned the tree's branch to its normal length.
Severus laughed at the frightened look on Dumbledore's face. He sobered as the headmaster shot him a deadly glare. He couldn't help the smirk that broke through.
"Sorry headmaster, but you did say you wanted to help me. I needed a test subject." Severus decided to test his theory about controlling the elements next. He pictured the microscopic water molecules that were currently evaporating into the air and imagined them condensing to form a cloud right above the headmaster's head. Albus Dumbledore began to worry about the intense gaze that Severus was sending his way. Unknown to him, a tiny cloud was slowly forming and turning grey above his head. When the cloud turned a dark grey, Severus saw the image of the headmaster's beard on fire in his mind. When Dumbledore's beard ignited, Severus commanded the cloud to release its water on the headmaster.
The headmaster closed his eyes and waited for the water to douse the flame that was his beard. He slowly cracked his eyes open when the rain stopped, to see a satisfied and smirking Severus. The headmaster hesitantly turned his gaze towards the sky and saw that not a single cloud was in sight. He closed his eyes once more before opening them to send another deadly glare towards Severus.
"I told you, I needed a test subject. Maybe this will teach you to be more specific about what help you offer in the future. What's that muggle saying? You learn something new everyday." Severus muttered a quick dry spell and a restore spell that he knew of to get Dumbledore the way he was before the experiment. When Severus saw that the headmaster looked like as though nothing happened, he started heading back to the castle, leaving a dumbfounded Headmaster alone in the courtyard.
*This is the first time in years that I feel like a child being taught a lesson and by a teenager at that. What were the chances of that ever happening? * Albus shook his head and removed the spells that surrounded the area, heading back to his office.
~~__________~~
The following night after Severus had finished with all his detentions he rapped on the door of the headmaster's office again. When the doors opened, Severus smirked and greeted Dumbledore.
"Good evening headmaster, are you willing to 'help' me again." When the headmaster glared at Severus, his smirk never faltered.
"No you may not. I will make suggestions of what your powers may be, but I don't wish to be your 'test subject' anymore." Severus sighed as his smirk vanished.
"My apologies headmaster, it won't happen again and I really do appreciate your help."
"In that case, call me Albus and if you don't mind, can I call you Severus?"
"By all means Albus. By all means."
The two of them returned to the spot they had been on the previous day and set up the exact same spells. Albus transfigured a piece of cloth he had brought with him, into a dummy. Both Albus and Severus stood a respectable distance away from it.
"Now use the same concept that you used last night to create a cloud, but instead try to create a thundercloud if you can. Let's see if you can recreate the weather. When you are able to, we'll move to a larger scale, like the sky over Hogwarts for instance." Severus nodded and did as the headmaster told him to. A medium size cloud hovered above the dummy's head. Severus' eyes flashed white as lightning struck the dummy's head. The dummy's head was incinerated and the neck charcoal. Severus blinked and the cloud was gone.
After that, he recreated every weather pattern he could think of and every natural disaster as well. He even recreated a mini tornado. By the time Severus was finished, the dummy was barely a dummy at all. Pieces of it lay frozen from a blizzard, while others were torn from the tornado and hurricane. Only noticed by Albus, both him and Severus were constantly protected by an energy field that the old wizard had not created. At the end of the exercise, Severus was close to panting, eyes threatening to fuse shut.
"You should rest child. You've done a tremendous amount of work today. Perhaps we'll continue this the day after tomorrow to give you two days to recover your energy." Severus nodded weakly and began plotting his way back to the castle. He hadn't even taken two steps, when he collapsed on the ground. Albus gently picked him up and carried him back to the dorms. He had warned Severus to stop in the middle of the exercise, but Severus was stubborn and Albus was ignored.
~~__________~~
Severus awoke to the Crutciatus Curse yet again, but Severus was used to it. What he wasn't used to was the amount of pain he felt when the curse was cast. Normally it wouldn't have hurt him and all he had to do was pretend, but the scream that tore out of Severus' mouth was real. When the curse was released, Severus rose from his bed. He felt as though every nerve in his body was on fire. Severus fought to keep his breathing under control.
"I thought you would have learned last year that you shouldn't lose any points for Slytherin. The more you lose the more painful it becomes. Consider this your last warning." Lucius smirked and left the dorms, followed by the rest of the sixth-years.
Severus got up, but his body was immediately wracked with pain. Severus bit back a scream and commanded his body to heal. What he found surprised him. It seemed as though his magical reserves were almost used up! *I should have listened to Albus last night. That might explain the pain. Bloody Hell! * He got dressed and went to his next class.
Severus fought hard to mask his pain as he went through the day. He glared at the headmaster's amused smile when he ate his meals and at anyone who might even suspect that he was in pain. Severus decided to go down to the lake and enjoy the cool breeze that always seemed to be there. He leaned against one of the trees that was near the lake and closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh scent of the outdoors. Severus cracked one eye open when he smelt Albus' scent. He scowled at the old man and resumed his nap.
"How are you feeling today Severus?" Severus growled at him and Albus chuckled.
"Yes I should have listened to you. Are you done gloating?" This fuelled Albus' amusement even further. He knew he shouldn't provoke the young Slytherin, but it wasn't every day that Severus did something stupid.
"I'll continue my gloating later, but for now I must take my leave. Ms. Evans is looking for you by the way." Severus opened his eyes in time to see the headmaster's all-knowing smile. Severus watched him through narrowed eyes, wondering what it could be that the old man knew or suspected.
"Hey Severus. Was that Professor Dumbledore who just left?" Lily questioned before plopping herself next to him.
"Yes it was. Bloody smug." the rest was lost in Severus' incoherent mumbling. Lily hid her smile of amusement, wondering what the headmaster could have said to place Severus in such a state. She decided to tempt fate and ask.
"So, why was the headmaster here anyway?" More mumbling from Severus and when she told him to speak up, he spoke in a short clipped tone.
"He was here to remind me of something and don't you dare ask me what it was!" Lily forced a bark of laughter back.
"What did you do last night and the night before? Both days you weren't by the lake. I know you said you had something to do. so out with it. What were you doing?"
"Ask me again in a week and I'll tell you." Lily frowned at the mysterious statement, but decided to let it go.
"Okay if you don't want to tell me that, then tell me this. What happened at lunch time, two days ago?" Severus visibly froze.
"What's with the questions?" Severus spoke in an icy tone that would make even a grown adult back off. Lily grew really worried for Severus had never used that tone with her before. She knew it must have been something important, so she decided to let it drop. Severus relaxed when Lily gave no reply. He could smell the worry and anger coming off the girl who sat beside him. He sighed and decided to reveal a little bit of the truth.
"I received a letter from a friend. He did something stupid and thought I would be grateful, but I'm not. Just leave it at there. If I feel like it, I will tell you, but don't push me." Lily nodded and got up to go to her next class.
"Aren't you coming?"
"In a bit." Lily watched Severus stare at the water deep in thought. Lily sighed and went of to class.
~~__________~~
The following night, Albus decided to test his own theory about the energy field that Severus had erected the previous training session.
"Severus, were you aware of placing a barrier between us and the spells you used on the dummy?" Severus shook his head and looked at the headmaster in confusion.
"How do you recreate the weather?"
"I picture it in front of me. Why?" Severus watched Albus suspiciously.
"Try doing that with water, fire, and if you can, energy into the shape of a ball." Severus shrugged and did as the old wizard suggested.
Severus looked at his palm and an image of a fireball developed in his mind. A fireball appeared in his palm, but its core seemed to be made of several rings, spinning around one another continuously. Severus banished the image and fireball disappeared. This time he tried it with water and he got the same results. Energy was harder, but he focused an image of lightning in the form of a ball, in the palm of his hand. Slowly, tiny balls of light (the size of a pea) circled one another before joining together to create a larger ball the size of his palm. Soon there was a ball of pure silver energy in his palm. Slowly, strands of azure energy wove its way into the silver energy, creating an intricate formation. It was a magnificent sight to look at.
"Good! Now picture that energy surrounding us in a formation of a barrier." Severus nodded and there was a flash of blue that seemed to circle them, but it only stayed for a second. Albus looked at Severus in confusion and was about to ask what happened, when Severus smiled. Severus stretched his hand out, but was only able to stretch half way before being stopped by something. That something had flashed azure when Severus' fingers connected with it, but disappeared after the contact was lost. Albus ran his hands over where the "wall" would be. The area, in which his hand had connected with, flashed azure as well. Albus smiled at Severus and Severus ended the spell.
"So my theory was right. You are able to control energy as well." Severus stayed silent and reformed the energy ball in his hand, but the ball was the size of a golden snitch and dimmer than the previous. Severus brought his hand back as though he meant to throw it. He tugged on the energy trail, that he had created at the end of the ball, and flung the ball into the distance. Upon impact, there was a huge explosion and a crater was formed as the result of it. Severus and Albus gazed at the enormous crater in awe.
"I shudder to think about what the result would be if your energy was the size of a quaffle." Both Severus and Albus pondered that one. Severus shook himself out of his reverie and used his powers to return the Earth to its original state. Albus was thankful for casting the illusion and silencing charm. He'd hate to think what the reaction would be if someone were to see what had happened here.
"I never knew I had so much power. I'm scared to think what would happen if I were to lose control. Are you sure you shouldn't expel me from this school? It would be safer for the others." Severus whispered. Albus smiled at him reassuringly.
"Even if you were angry, I'm sure you wouldn't demolish this school with your powers. Maybe you might do something that would seriously hurt the person, but you wouldn't allow it to hurt the innocent bystanders that happened to be walking past."
"I wouldn't be able to demolish this school or use my energy ball inside the school even if I wanted to. Hogwarts won't allow it. It would probably absorb its power rather than allow it to destroy the school." Albus rubbed his beard.
"Yes I see what you mean. This should reassure you that you wouldn't pose much of a threat, magically wise, to this school." Severus nodded and headed back to the castle, their lesson being done for the night.
~~__________~~
For the next following nights, Severus continuously practised his control over his powers and tested their destructive force. Eventually, he learned how to control his fireball so that it would to do a considerable amount of damage, but wouldn't incinerate the person and everything around them. He also learned how to control his energy so that it would create a magnetic field around the object that it was currently surrounding, enabling it to float.
In addition to that, he learned to use some of his powers in combinations. For example, Severus would first bind the person with a tree branch or something to that effect, then set the person on fire, then douse them with the water, and finally send a bolt of energy through them. The binding would immobilise the person, the fire would charcoal the skin and when it was doused with water, the water would seep into the wounds, causing the victim a tremendous amount of pain. The water would conduct the electricity from the energy ball and electrocute the victim. It was a very well thought battle strategy, but it also drained a tremendous amount of energy from the caster.
By the end of the week, Severus was ready to reveal a bit of his powers to Lily. Severus asked her to meet him by the lake on Friday night, after dinner. Severus was already there when Lily arrived. Severus cast an illusion and silencing charm around the lake. It appeared as though they were just having a regular conversation. Severus smirked mysteriously and closed his eyes. Lily was about to question his motives when the lake began to move.
Water rose from the lake and started forming a shape. When it was done, it took the shape of an elegant gown. Severus produced a small leather pouch from his pocket. He opened the pouch and sprinkled some alabaster powder into his hand. He then created a magnetic field around it so it would float and form limbs attached to the gown. Severus then used his energy to create the woman's hair. He made sure that it was only silver without the azure that usually ran through it. Next, he created a fire shawl for the woman's shoulders and used the same fire to create her ruby lips. He added two obsidian pearls to make up the woman's iris.
The figure was a tall, slender woman around her mid thirties. She had long moonlight hair that flowed past her alabaster shoulders. Her gown was made form the water and the fire shawl around her shoulders made her to be a goddess. Her obsidian eyes were dark and penetrating, much like how Severus' was.
"Lily, I'd like you to meet my mother, Serenity Williams." Lily was speechless as she stared in awe at the figure before her.
"She's gorgeous Severus! I would love to look like that. She looks like a goddess!" Lily exclaimed. Severus began to tire from keeping his spells going for so long. He ended his spell, powder dissolving, fire extinguished and black pearls sinking to the bottom of the lake.
"Thank you Severus, for sharing her with me. You don't know how much that means to me." Lily kissed him gently and hesitantly on the lips. Before Severus could register what was happening, Lily was running towards the castle.
Severus grinned and began talking with the mermaid in the lake, but was interrupted by a smooth silky voice.
"You shouldn't get too close young Skyfire. You've already broken the law by revealing your identity to the girl; next thing we know you might be getting involved with mortal affairs. End it while you still have the chance." Severus turned around to face the speaker.
The speaker was a tall, slender woman, much like Severus' mother. She had deep raven locks that fell about her face. Her neck bore a black opal held by a single silver chain. She had piercing raven eyes. She was wearing a tight black top that exposed her belly and shoulders. A thin mettalic black snake was coiled around a slender arm. She wore a loose long skirt that held slits on either side that ran all the way up to her thighs. The material was light and silky. The woman was barefooted with a black ankle bracelet on her right foot.
"Hello Raven. I was wondering when you were going to use your human form again, but I will do as I please. The relationship won't progress very far, that you can be sure of. Riddle won't allow it. As for meddling in human affairs, I already have. I've joined Tom and I will most likely be involved in the battle that is sure to come. Take your wisdom elsewhere. If I am to be punished, then so be it."
Raven examined Severus' eyes and found that he spoke from his heart. With a sigh she knelt down in front of him.
"I worry about you little one. I do not wish to see you get hurt. I know these mortals make you happy, but be careful. They hate what they fear and don't understand. Be careful with whom you trust with your secret." Severus looked at the ground in submission.
"I know you do Raven, but let me do my own things. Like these mortals say, 'we learn from our mistakes'." Raven smiled and transformed into the same raven that had been in the hall the afternoon Severus had received his letter.
//Beware of the Malfoy boy. He has plans for both you and Lily. I will be watching him very closely and will report his plans to you. if I can. I may be needed else where as well. // Severus nodded his understanding and the Raven flew off.
~~__________~~
For the next couple of days, Lily avoided Severus. She skipped potions, making an excuse and serving detention after school. She ate her dinners in her dorm and avoided going out if she could. When she did this for the fourth night in a row, Severus decided he had had enough of her behaviour. He walked up to the Fat Lady, whispered the password and marched into the Griffindor common room. There was barely anyone there, considering everyone was in the great hall eating their dinner. He froze the ones that had stayed behind to do their homework. He rapped on the door that led to the girl's dorm. As expected, Lily was the one to open it. Severus quickly grabbed her arm before she could retreat and dragged her into the hall.
"Severus let go!" Severus smirked and obeyed while Lily happened to be trying to tug her arm free. Caught unexpected, she fell on the ground. Lily glared at Severus before standing upright.
"You are going to follow me!" Severus stated turning around to leave the common room.
"Like hell I am! How did you get in here and what makes you think I want to go with you."
"Every Slytherin knows the Griffindor's password; 'Know thy enemy.' You're going to come with me because this is childish. First you initiate the kiss, don't even wait for my reaction and then avoid me all together. What's the point of kissing me in the first place?" When Lily didn't reply, Severus sighed and continued. "I want to show you something. more like want you to meet someone. If you want, than follow me, but it's your choice. I'm really tired of this avoiding game. If you don't want anything to do with me anymore, just say so." Severus turned and left the common room. As soon as he left, the people that were frozen had their mobility back. They all stared at Lily in shock. Lily glared at them before following Severus.
Lily could have sworn that Severus was grinning as she fell into step with him. She silently followed him into the forest. Lucius smirked, watching the couple and placed his plan into motion.
"First we talk and then you can meet my friends. Agreed?" Lily nodded her head.
"I'll start first. I like you Lily. a lot, but I also don't want to ruin our friendship. Once we cross that line, we might not be able to go back. I wouldn't mind crossing it, but are you willing to as well?" Severus held her hands in his and gazed into her emerald eyes. Lily thought before she spoke and chose her words carefully.
"Ever since our eyes connected at the ceremony that day, I felt as though more than our eyes connected. I too value our friendship. When you showed me your mother, I couldn't help myself. I had to show you how I felt and well, later I was scared. I thought I had ruined our friendship." Lily admitted in a whisper, eyes cast down at the ground.
Severus brought a gentle hand to lift her chin up so he could see her eyes. Obsidian gazed deep into emarald eyes, faces inching forward little by little. Finally, warm lucious lips met cold harsh ones. Lips lingered for a few moments before seperating. Eyes closed, breathing accelerated, lips met once more. The kiss was passionate yet all the more tender. As they came up for air, obsidian met emerald once more. An emotion flashed in those carefully guarded eyes. It was gone as quickly as it arrived, making Lily ponder if she had just imagined it.
They were interupted by a snapping stick in the distance. Severus turned towards the sound and inhaled the air. He visibly relaxed when a friendly scent drifted towards him.
"As I said before, first we talk and now you get to meet my friends. Don't be alarmed. They will not hurt you." Severus spoke clamly as a figure walked towards them. A gorgeous unmarred white unicorn calmly walked up to them. The unicorn was not alone. Following behind was it's two companions, a two-headed hydra with black scales, and a centaur.
"Lily, I'd like you to meet Moonlight, Octave, and Firenze. I slept with them in the forest the first year and they protected me. They have been like my family ever since. I don't sleep in the forest anymore, but I do still come here for advice and star reading lessons from Firenze." The three creatures bowed in respect to her and Lily bowed back, as she felt she should.
//It is an honour to finally meet you Lily Evans. Severus has said much about you. //
"Yeah, try non-stop." All three creatures laughed while Severus turned beet- red. Lily turned to Severus with an amused smile on her face before turning her attention back to the hydra.
"I didn't know that hydras could speak English and that unicorns were telepathic, although, we had suspected some telepathic communication, but don't worry I'll keep your secret safe."
"We speak many languages. We speak English, Elfin, Vampirea, and Draconian. We, of course, speak parseltongue, as that is our native tongue. We do not speak all languages of the earth as dragons do, but we are their cousins and we know quite a bit. More than any humans or creatures." Lily nodded her amazement and the five of them spent the remaining of the night conversing.
~~__________~~
Severus walked Lily back to the griffindor common room. He kissed her once on the lips, once on her knuckles and bid her goodnight. Severus then trotted to the slytherin common room. Lily watched Severus leave and when he was out of her sight, she started going inside, but was grabbed from behind. She screamed, but it was muffled from the hand that covered her mouth. Lily looked desperately at the Fat Lady, but her captors had frozen the painting. Lily felt a curse hit her and everything faded to black.
Severus was smiling thinking about Lily, but suddenly that smile faded. There was a distress within his mind that wasn't his. He tried locating it, but Severus still couldn't determine who it was. Severus ran the rest of the way to the common room. He grabbed his mother's cloak and wore it. He chose a dark corner where he was sure no one would see him. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep state of meditation. He traveled deep into his mind and searched for the distress signal in his mind. As soon as he connected with it, his eyes flew open automatically.
He wasn't even in his body. That sent panic through his mind, but he forced himself to calm down. Everything looked different. The slytherin common room was filled with a heavy silver fog. The walls were covered in swirls of different shades of green and silver. Severus glanced at his body one last time before heading out of the common room. Severus found he couldn't touch anything and that his hands passed through the object he wanted to touch.
*Maybe this is the astral projection ability that talon was talking about. I certainly hope it is. * Severus mused. Severus stepped into the hallway. The walls of the castle were purple. Severus was about to explore this when scream reminded him of the real reason he went into this astral form.
Severus pinpointed the direction the scream had come from. Like flying on a broom, Severus laid the traget in front of him and soon he was flying to his destination. It was a secluded room and Severus saw the room covered in red. Lucius was hunched over someone, a girl from what little Severus could see, with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of Lucius. Severus moved closer and saw that the girl was Lily! Severus' mind clouded with anger as he saw Lucius malicious smile.
Severus instantly returned to his body and he rose to his feet almost mechanically. Severus felt as though he was connected with Hogwarts. He felt a presence in his mind and he knew exactly where every room and every person was at that moment. Severus ran towards the room with Lily in it. Severus saw exactly what was going on inside the room even though he was no where near it. Lucius had already ripped Lily's robes off and was about to tear her blouse when Severus burst into the room with a roar.
Severus' eyes had gone completely white except for the ring of obsidian around his iris and the usual emptiness of the pupil. Severus' teeth had elongated and Severus' growl filled the room. All occupents in the room froze and turned to him. Severus leaped and head-butted Lucius into the wall. Crabbe and Goyle had their wands drawn trained on him. Severus saw Lucius smirk and Severus mirrored his smirk. Goyle and Crabbe were suddenly thrown against the wall and Severus stood where Crabbe and Goyle had previously been. Severus once more advanced on Lucius, but a whimper from Lily drew his attention away from Lucius.
Severus' eyes started transforming to their original colour when he saw Lily. He gently picked her up and started to walk out of the door. Severus turned to face Lucius, eyes turing white again.
"I'll be back to deal with you later. You will not leave this room until I return." Severus stated in an icy tone before leaving the room. Lucius tried to leave but found an energy barrier seperating lucius from the door.
Severus carried Lily all the way to the griffindor common room. He unfroze the fat lady and whispered the password. Severus entered the room and placed Lily on the couch. It was fairly late in the night and so everyone was asleep. Lily was trembling so Severus placed her in a dreamless sleep. Severus silently walked to the boy's dorm and opened the door. He saw that the maruaders (as called they themselves), with the exception of Peter, were still awake. Sirius was about to shout out when Severus shut him up with a silencing spell. The trio's eyes widneded as Severus casted the spell without a wand. The thought hadn't even occurred to Severus as he wordlessly cast the spell. He grabbed James' hand and yanked him into the common room. Severus led him to where Lily was and James immediately went to her side.
"Potter. Something almost happened to Lily tonight and I have placed her in a dreamless sleep. Look after her for me tonight. I have something I must take care of." Severus stated in a monotonous tone. After James' nod, Severus left the room.
Severus started heading for the room Lucius was currently trapped in, but was stopped by a figure stepping in his path. It was Raven!
"Severus, you shouldn't do this. Don't use your powers to teach the boy a lesson. That's not why they are there. Don't put yourself in a situation that will get you expelled." Severus stared at her for a moment before nodding.
He entered the room silently and stalked up to Lucius, Lucius backing up with every step. Severus grabbed Lucius by the throat and held him against the wall, feet above the ground.
"I'm going to say this only once. I have acted as your follower and someone less powerful than you when in truth I am far more powerful than you could ever dream to be. Tonight you have hurt someone very dear to me. That is something I do not take lightly to the heart. This will be your first and final warning. Harm Lily again and I will destroy you. I may not be able to do it physically, but I can guarantee you that I will destroy you socially and emotionally. You have been warned." Severus spoke in an icy tone, eyes turning white again. When Lucius was on the verge of dying from the complete lack of oxygen, Severus released him. Lucius crumpled to the ground struggling to draw a breath.
Severus moved to the unconcious Crabbe and threw him to where Goyle was. He then woke them up and stared into their eyes. He used his vampire albility and clouded their memory. He then placed them into a deep sleep and elivated both boys. Severus walked out of the room with Crabbe and Goyle following him. Making sure no one else was awake; Severus dumped the boys into their respective beds, before retiring himself.
~~__________~~
The next morning at breakfast, Severus noticed Lily was not at the table. Severus grew worried, but carefully disguised it. He approached James and questioned him.
"She woke up and said she was fine, but I didn't believe her. I asked her if she was coming to breakfast and she said she was tired and was going to sleep. What happened last night Severus?" James questioned. Severus was about to reply when Sirius interrupted.
"I bet he raped her. He might have not done it last year, but he sure did it now. I know the way people act when they've been raped. My sister died that way." Sirus accused, moving close to Severus. He backed up when he saw the muderous glint in Severus' eyes.
"I didn't rape her, but you are partcially right. Someone almost raped her, but I found her before they could do anything." James shook his head in sadness.
"Who?" Severus didn't reply. He only looked over to the Slytherin table and watched Lucius. James followed his gaze and his blood started to boil as he saw who it was. Severus turned his gaze to James and James nodded wordlessly. Severus nodded his head once and walked over to the Slytherin table.
He sat across from Lucius rather than beside him like he usually did. Lucius looked up in surprise and found Severus staring at him. Severus smirked mentally as Lucius started squirming. He continued to watch Lucius intently as he ate his breakfast. Severus allowed his smirk to appear on his face as Lucius mumbled an excuse to get out of the great hall. Severus caught James' eye for a few seconds before turning his attention to what he was eating.
After he finished his breakfast, Severus entered the griffindor common room. He was met with accusations and wands, but ignored them and continued to where Lily was most likely resting. There was a lot of shouting, but Severus ignored them once again. He saw Lily sobbing into her pillow and sat beside her on the bed. Lily looked up in surprise, then buried her face in her pillow once more. Severus gently lifted her face and kissed her.
"You should not hide Lily. I know it was an awful experience for you, but don't let Lucius know he's won. Live like you've always done."
"Hogwarts used to be my sanctuary, but right now I'm not feeling too safe." Severus looked at her in sadness.
"Who do you think led me to you?" Lily stared at him in confusion and Severus told her what had happened the previous night. He also told her of his theory about it being an astral projection.
"How do you know?"
"I don't, but the book I always carry, has something about it in it. The book is a diary of all the dragon masters before me. Their lives, thoughts and emotions get recorded into the book automatically. Talon, the first dragon master, had the ability to move out of his body. It's written that he felt like he was a ghost. That's how I felt like. Talon labeled it as astral projection and so that's what I think I did last night." Lily pondered this and was about to ask something when the door burst open with a bunch of griffindors entering the room, wands trained on Severus. Lily quickly got up and was about to shield Severus, when he shook his head. He got up and held a hand out to Lily.
"I know of a spot near the lake that has better company than this place at the moment. Care to join me?" Lily smiled and accepted the offered hand. Once they got there, Lily revealed her feelings to Severus and Severus explained what he saw when in astral form. Severus suddenly remembered why he had gone to check up on Lily. He searched in his robes and produced a small box. Severus than handed it to Lily.
Lily opened the box and gasped at the object placed in it. She lifted the necklace to examine it better. An emerald crytal was secured in a thin, but sturdy golden casing. The casing was attached to a small silver chain. Severus took the necklace from her and fastened it around her neck.
"If you are ever in trouble or just need someone to talk to, think of me and I'll be there, if not in person, then in your mind." Tears ran down Lily's face as she hugged Severus.
"Thank you! It's gorgeous! I love it." Severus nodded and smiled relived that Lily had liked her present.
For the remaining of the school months, Severus worked together with the marauders to form prank after prank to throw at Lucius. James did the transfiguration, Severus worked on the potions, Sirius smashed him in Quidditch and Remus did his best to make Lucius look like a fool in DADA. Even Lily pitched in and used her knowledge in charms to get back at Lucius, thus making Lucius miserable for the rest of the school year.
When it neared the end of the year yet again, Lily revealed to her friends to whom she was dating. Naturally, the whole school found out, but Severus and Lily couldn't care less. In fact, there were bets placed on when they would get together and when they would break up once they had gotten together. At first Lily was crossed, but soon learned to ignore it. Once again, they parted their separate ways and Severus found he looked forward to next year more than he did the year before.
TBC