Catching the Golden Snitch

~*Author's Note*~ Alright, so here's chapter three.  I wasn't exactly sure where I was going to go with this one until I saw this meteor shower and it just clicked.  I think this chapter may be a little longer than the first two, but splitting it up just didn't make much sense to me.  Tell me if you think the characters overreact, or something.  Just so everyone knows, Lily doesn't remember the dream she had about her wedding!  I appreciate all reviews (hint, hint, nudge, nudge).

Disclaimer:  Most of the characters in this story belong to J.K Rowling.  Derek and Venus, however, were created by me (I'm so clever)!

                                                                        *            *            *

            The very next day, Sirius woke up with a plan in mind for the break-up of Derek and Lily.  Sirius usually didn't do things like break couples apart, but he didn't want to lose another bet; he had his reputation to uphold.  Sirius had been going over his plan before he had fallen asleep the night before.  The best part of it was, was that he got to play a joke on Snape in the process.

            Sirius was never quite sure why, but Snape and he had hated each other since they met the summer before their first year in the joke shop in Diagon Alley.  For some reason, Snape didn't appreciate a dung bomb exploding all over his brand new robes.  Sirius could never figure that kid out.  Personally, he would have been glad for any reason not to wear his school robes.

            So it was with unusually high spirits that Sirius bounced into Potions that day.  Most of the time he detested Potions because, A. It was the first class of the day, and B. because the Gryffindors had it with the Slytherins.  But, for today, Sirius was glad on both accounts.  As he sat down, he turned to James with what had to be the stupidest grin he could have mustered.

            "This is going to be the funnest ten galleons I ever made off of you, James," he said slyly.  James just raised his eyebrows, and was about to ask why it was going to be so fun and point out that "funnest" wasn't even a word when Professor Pestle walked in.

            "Silence!" he shouted irritably.  "Today we will be brewing what is called the Eye of Newt potion.  Any one who so much as touches the potion will instantly turn into the reptile that best suits them."

            Sirius smiled inwardly; and as soon as Snape was occupied with getting his ingredients out of his bag, Sirius shrunk a Dr. Filibuster's No Heat Wet Start Firework and banished it into Snape's cauldron.  This way, Snape couldn't see the firework, and when it exploded it would only get on him.  Sirius was glad that Snape was such a careful potion maker, because he had everything pre-mixed in a bowl before he dumped it into his cauldron.  Instantly his potion exploded and Snape was lying on the table.  But he was no longer Snape the nasty, greasy-haired, sallow-skinned Slytherin, oh no.  He was now Snape, the most hideous snake one could ever encounter.  Most of the girls shrieked shrilly as he started to slither off the desk and onto the dungeon floor.  Professor Pestle spent ten minutes chasing Snape the Snake down and giving him the antidote.  The class found it very amusing to watch Professor Pestle try to administer the remedy to the writhing snake without getting bit.  Sirius took this chance to slip a card with a lily on the front into Snape's bag.  Professor Pestle was so furious that he refused to deal with the situation at that moment and dismissed the class as soon as Snape was human again.

            As they started to file out of the classroom, Remus whispered, "Gee, Severus; I guess you really are nothing but a slimy, slithering snake."

            Snape simply sneered at him and began packing his ingredients back into his bag.  And he found it.  He snatched the card up and stared at it for a moment before it clicked.  'So, it wasn't those stupid Marauders who made my potion blow up.  It was their mudblood groupie, Evans,' he thought to himself.

            When Sirius saw that Snape had found the card and put two and two together, he staged a loud conversation with Lily just outside the door of the potions dungeon. 

            "So, Lily," he practically yelled so he was sure that Snape heard him.  "How is Derek?  You know, your BOYFRIEND?"

            Lily gave him a strange look, wondering what was going on.  "He's just fine, Sirius," she said suspiciously.  Behind Lily, Sirius saw Snape get a malicious look on his face.  'So, the mudblood has a boyfriend, how cute.  I know just how to get her back for her juvenile little trick,' he thought with an evil smile curling on his thin lips.  He quickly scribbled a note and slipped it into Lily's bag as he swept past her and up the stairs.  He would have to finish his plan later.

*           *            *

            Lily and Derek walked down the charms corridor hand in hand.  They were talking animatedly about something, but Snape couldn't hear what.  Frankly, he didn't care.  Nothing was on his mind but revenge.  He was following them closely, about to follow through with the second part of his plan.  He decided that now was as good a time as ever, so he pulled out his wand and pointed it at Lily's bag whispering, "Diffindo!"

            Lily's book bag split along the seem and her books, ink, and quills (and the note) came tumbling out.  Snape smiled and ran off in the opposite direction, hoping that no one had noticed what he had done.  Derek bent down to help Lily pick up her things and repair her bag.  He spotted the note not too far away and picked it up.  After looking at it closely for a couple of seconds he opened it up and started to read it, after all Lily had nothing to hide from him.  As he read, his eyes grew wide with anger.  Lily, looking up, saw the look on his face.

            "What's wrong, Derek?" she asked, a little concerned at the look on his face.

            He stared at her, his eyes livid with rage.  "What's wrong?  What do you mean, what's wrong?  I've just found out that my girlfriend has been cheating on me with some ugly Slytherin git, that's what's wrong!" he said, his voice getting loud.  People in the corridor stopped and stared, Sirius among them.  Snape had fallen into his trap, and surprisingly enough did exactly what Sirius had wanted him to do.  Derek continued ranting, "Tell me, Lily, how long has this been going on?  Do you two sneak out to Hogsmeade often?"

            "What are you talking about?" Lily asked, totally confused at his behavior.  "Derek, you know that I would nev--,"

            "Kindly stop putting on angelic airs, Lily.  It's right here in black and white in the note lover boy sent you.  I saw it fall right out of your bag.  I'm not going to stand being mocked and lied to.  If I'm not good enough for you, then fine.  We're over," he said.  He got up, threw the note at Lily, and stalked off towards Arithmancy, leaving Lily behind, totally confused.  She picked up the note and started reading it.

Dear Lily,

            How are you?  I had a lot of fun in Hogsmeade last night, didn't you?  Mr. Jorgin was so mad when he found us in the dressing room.  I can't wait until I hold you in my arms again and feel your lips on mine.                                                                                                             -Severus-

P.S.  When are you going to dump that git, Derek?

            Lily's eyes grew wide with shock.  She looked down the hall at Derek's retreating figure, put her head in her hands and started crying like a child who just broke his favorite toy.  Venus, who was among the many spectators, rushed over to her and put her arm around Lily.  She was almost as confused as Lily had been before reading the note.  Not wanting to talk about it, Lily just handed Venus the note without looking up.  Venus' eyes also grew wide as she read it.

            "But you were out with Derek last night!" she exclaimed indignantly.  Lily didn't answer.  She got up, wiped her eyes the best she could, though tears were still streaming freely, packed up her things in her bag, and gracefully walked off to Arithmancy.

            As she entered the classroom all of the students turned in their seats and glared at her.  Lily was in Advanced Arithmancy with the fifth year Hufflepuffs.  Derek would have told them what happened by now.  'Stupid loyal Hufflepuffs,' Lily thought as she took a seat in the back of the room.

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            "Say you didn't send Lily that note, Sirius," James asked his friends on their way to Muggle Studies.  They had just witnessed the dramatic break up of Derek and Lily.

            "You didn't send Lily that note, Sirius," Sirius said smiling.  "Snape did, and come tomorrow I will be ten galleons richer because of it.  Who ever knew that grease ball could be so gosh darn useful?"

            Peter, who was walking with them, asked, "What do you mean you'll be ten galleons richer tomorrow?"

            "Oh, James and I just have a little bet going, that's all," said Sirius as he opened the door and they all filed in.  Peter wanted to know what the bet was about, but Professor Smith had seated Sirius, Peter, and James as far apart as possible, so he would just have to wait until that night in the dormitory to find out.

            "So," said Peter that night as the boys were getting into bed, "What is the bet between you and Sirius about, James?"

            "Oh, nothing, really," James replied, opening the curtains to his four-poster bed and hopping in.  "I just bet Sirius that he couldn't get Lily to go with him, that's all."

            "What?  James, that's really low," said Peter, uncharacteristically brave.  He started to feel a twinge of anger pass through his body.

            "Come on, Peter.  You're just saying that because it's Lily.  If it were any other girl, you would think that it was funny too," James pointed out.

            Aside from Remus, Peter also had a soft spot for Lily.  She was really the only girl that ever talked to him, and she was really quite nice.  Peter had liked her ever since he met her on the first train ride on the Hogwarts Express.  After James' comment Peter quickly got into his bed, mumbling something about being extremely tired and needing some rest.  Sirius, on the other hand, lay wide-awake.  He was in no rush to get to sleep seeing as he still needed to plan the second part of his plan.  But after thinking until one o' clock in the morning, Sirius was getting hungry.  He stepped out of bed as quietly as he could because he didn't want to wake up his fellow roommates and tiptoed over to James' trunk to get his invisibility cloak.  He pulled it out from under a bag from Zonko's, draped it over himself, and headed out to the kitchens.  He was stopped, however, in the common room.

            Just as he was about to leave through the portrait hole, he heard a soft weeping in a nearby over stuffed chair.  Sirius took off the cloak and walked towards the crying figure.

            "Lily?" he said cautiously.

            "Sirius!" she exclaimed, a little startled.  She wiped her eyes, trying to hide the more than obvious fact that she was upset.  "What are you doing down here?"

            "I was just going to get something to eat from the kitchens because I couldn't sleep," admitted Sirius.  Then an idea hit him.  This would be the perfect time to launch the second part of his plan.  He secretly thanked the Sandman for not letting him fall asleep earlier.  "Hey, are you alright?"

            "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied unconvincingly.  She was clearly still upset over the afternoon's events.

            Sirius took her hand and looked into her eyes.  "You want to go for a walk?" he asked, praying she would say yes so he could move forward with his plan.

            "Yeah," Lily sniffed as a shadow of a smile flickered across her features.  "I'd really like that, Sirius."

            So, with Lily's confirmation, Sirius pulled the invisibility cloak over them.  Lily gasped in surprise; she had never been under an invisibility cloak before.

            "We have to stay close together so that the cloak covers both of us," he said as he wound his arm around Lily's waist.  Her stomach gave an unexpected lurch.  She had never been this close to Sirius before, but she sure didn't object.  They stepped through the portrait hole and began heading towards North Tower.

            Half way to the tower they nearly ran into Filch, the new caretaker.  Lily grabbed onto Sirius tighter as they backed into the wall.  Sirius smiled to himself; this was turning to out to be Sirius' favorite bet with James.  They held their breath as Filch walked past them, holding his lamp high above his head.  Lily didn't dare breathe as Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, almost walked straight into them.  They continued up to the tower in complete silence.  As soon as they got to the top and outside, they threw the cloak off themselves.

            Sirius turned to Lily, warily, and asked, "Do you want to talk about it, Lil?"  She shook her head quickly and sat down, Sirius following her.  They sat quietly for a while, looking at the ink black sky flecked with stars twinkling like Christmas tree lights.

            "I hate him," said Lily abruptly.  Sirius looked over at her, a little confused.

            "Who do you hate?" he asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew what the answer would be.

            "Severus," said Lily with a scowl on her face.  "I mean, what did I ever do to him?  He just decided one day 'Hey, I have nothing to do today, why don't I ruin that Lily girl's life?'  It's just not fair!"  She stared straight ahead for a moment, then leaned her head on Sirius' shoulder and started to weep again. 

            Sirius was feeling a little uncomfortable at this point.  He had no idea the full extent of the damage he had done.  No, Snape had done this to Lily.  Snape had broken up Lily and Derek all on his own.  This was all Snape's fault.  Sirius put a finger under Lily's chin and lifted her head so he could see into her eyes.  He had never noticed how intoxicating her eyes were, even if they were filled with tears.  He almost forgot what he was going to say.

            "Forget about Snape, and forget about Derek.  It doesn't do well to dwell in the past," he advised sagely.  "Everything is going to be fine."  He gave Lily a consoling squeeze and turned his attention back to the sky.  "Look!  A shooting star," he pointed out.  "Make a wish, Lily."

            Lily wrapped her arms around Sirius, closed her eyes tightly, and wished with all her heart that Sirius meant everything he said.

*A/N* Ooo!  What will happen next?  Review and find out!