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Green Eyed Monster

By: Noelle

Chapter 17: Misgivings

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Disclaimer: I do not own Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, and any of the recognizable characters. I do own Ella Reichman though. I do not own the recognizable places, such as Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. J.K. and Warner Brothers have the right to the Harry Potter universe, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Light streamed through the windows in the back of the library, and gently rested on the greasy head of a Slytherin Fifth-Year student. Severus Snape sat, alone, meticulously working on his Potions assignment.

That is to say, he was not alone for long. A striking figure in a black, revealing robe sauntered over to him. "Severus Snape," she purred.

Severus spun around, and his jaw dropped at the sight of Vanessa McKinnon. Her long brown waves cascaded down her back, and one tan leg was visible under her robes. Her mouth had a rosebud pout, and her eyes fluttered dangerously. Severus was speechless.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I heard that Lily Evans broke your heart." Vanessa took a seat next to Severus, and took care to make sure her robes hung in just the right position.

Shaking himself out of his trance, Severus cleared his throat. "Broke my heart? No, I expected this to happen from the start. I told you that it wouldn't work out."

"That's not my fault. It would have all worked, except for those horrible 'Marauders'. They convinced her to break up with you."

Severus' eyes narrowed, as he looked to make sure no one was near and listening. "What do you mean, Ms. McKinnon?"

Vanessa pursed her lips together, and gazed up thoughtfully. Probably considering whether she should tell him or not… Severus couldn't help but stare at those lips. "Well, I'm not supposed to know this, but since it concerns you, you deserve to know. For the past week, the Marauders have been cornering Lily, telling her that she had to break up with you. The attacked your character and integrity, they reminded her that she had no time for a boyfriend with finals coming up, and the like. Poor Lily was brainwashed into breaking up with you."

"But why would they do that?" Severus asked, his head spinning. He had known something was strange…

"Isn't it obvious? James Potter, one of the Marauders, is in love with Lily. He would do anything to get her. And on top of that, he's a Gryffindor. Does he need any more reason?"

Severus took a deep, shaky breath. He opened his eyes, and gazed at Vanessa levelly. "But why are you telling me this? It's your fault that this happened in the first place. If you hadn't lied to convince me that Lily liked me, this would have never happened."

"I feel responsible for that. But she did like you. She truly did. I'm telling you because you deserve to know, and you deserve to take the opportunity of retribution if it ever appears."

Smiling, Severus gazed levelly at her. "Retribution? So, that's what you're after. I should have known. Both James and Sirius broke your heart, and your reputation, and you would love nothing more than for their lives to be ruined."

Vanessa looked at Severus, her eyebrow cocked in the air. "Then we are after the same thing, aren't we. Well, I have a plan, on how to destroy the 'Marauders' forever. And this will probably get your precious Lily Evans back. But I need to know right now though, are you in, or are you out?"

Severus took a deep breath, before answering sullenly. "I'm in."

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"Hullo… no. Ella, can I talk to you for a moment? No. Ella, do you want to go and have a quick snog behind the statue of the naked lady on the fourth floor? Oh, bloody hell!" Sirius paced back and forth before the mirror.

Remus laughed. "For some reason, chum, I don't think that one is going to work."

Frowning, Sirius spun around. Then, his face brightened. "Moony, you're good with the ladies. Well, with Natalie at least. Can you help me?"

"I think you're beyond help…" Peter muttered, from behind his comic book. He ignored Sirius' dirty look, and flipped the page.

"What should I do, Moony? I'm desperate."

"I'll say," Peter snorted. This time, however, he caught Sirius' look, and cowered back slightly. Putting on a brave face, he flipped another page.

Sirius turned to Remus, and mouthed, 'What's going on with him?' Remus rolled his eyes, and responded that Peter was jealous -- everyone else had 'dates' that night. "Moony, please…"

Rolling his eyes, Remus turned his full attention to his friend. "Why don't you bring her flowers to start with. A peace offering, of sorts."

"Flowers, check." Sirius conjured a bouquet of long-stemmed white roses out of the air. "What should I say to her?"

"Personally," Remus began, "I'd apologize for breaking up with David for her. Ella didn't like that very much. And I'd tell her how I felt about her. Tell her that you love her."

"I can't do that. Tell her that I love her? I mean, I do… but… it's just that…" Sirius was at a loss for words.

Remus answered, "Then just tell her how you feel. Tell her that you care about her a lot. That sort of thing. But I'd go now. She's only going to be in the library for another ten minutes."

Sirius grinned, clearly nervous. "Wish me luck?"

"You'll need it," Peter muttered sourly, as he flipped another page.

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"Could you pass the newt eyes?" Lily asked politely. James handed the small bottle to her, without looking. Carefully, Lily added three to the potion.

James frowned, as he looked at the directions. "It says here that we have to let it 'stew' for ten minutes, and then expose to cold temperatures, to chill. After that, I believe we're finished."

"Good," Lily said, nodding. "It sounds simple enough."

"So," James said, as he began to clear the table. "How's Snape? I noticed you weren't exactly acting all lovey-dovey."

Lily answered curly, "We broke up," as she handed two bottles to James.

Clearly surprised, James tried his best not to fall over. "Really? Why?"

"My romantic life is none of your business, Mr. Potter. However, I will say, for the record, that it just wasn't working out anymore."

"All right then," James said, raising his eyebrows. Lily was still Lily… private and perfect in her answers. "He seems to be taking it all right."

Lily tucked the parchments into a folder. "So, who is the new 'Girl of the Week'?"

James smirked. "My romantic life is none of your business, Ms. Evans. However, I will say, for the record, that she is a very nice young lady."

"In other words," Lily said, rolling her eyes, "She's a good snog."

James' jaw dropped. "Ms. Evans, I am shocked! How dare you say such a distasteful thing! Clearly, you have been hanging around the corrupted Ms. Ella Reichman too much."

Across the room, Ella stuck her tongue out at James, as her potion exploded.

"Well, I believe that it is time to chill the potion. I trust you'll see to that. I must report to Professor McGonagall, to inform her of the latest points and detentions." Lily packed her things away, and stood up to leave. "I'll see you at the Prefect meeting, Mr. Potter."

"I believe," James whispered under his breath, "that you will be seeing much more of me than you would like, if I am to win that stupid bet."

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"Is this seat empty?" someone whispered in Ella's ear, as the hairs on the back of her neck tingled. Only one person smelled like that…

"Yes, and this one will be also, if you sit down." Ella didn't bother looking up at Sirius Black, but she imagined his childish pout.

Sirius respected her decision, shockingly, and kneeled down beside her chair. First, he laid a bouquet of white roses on the table. Ella didn't touch them. She didn't even acknowledge their presence, visibly. They stayed like that for minutes, in complete silence. Sirius stared at Ella, and Ella stared into an empty abyss.

"I'm sorry," Sirius finally said, breaking the awkward silence. Ella imagined his face. He would have on his best puppy-dog face, a picture of innocence, and sincerity. Sadly, that was just a mask.

Taking a deep breath, Ella said, "Sorry for what?"

"For ruining your relationship with that Hufflepuff blo -- oh… David, was it? Yes, well… I'm sorry. I should have never stepped in. I was just acting crazy, I guess. Possessive."

Ella brushed aside the apology. "Forget about it. You can't change the past."

"But you can change the future. That's why I'm here. Ella, I want to spend my future with you." Now, Sirius would have a mixture of his sincere face, and his charming face. Ella refused to look though. She wouldn't, or she'd get lost in his eyes.

Rather, Ella chose to leave at this time. She grabbed her satchel, and stood up, and began to walk away. Sirius grabbed her shoulder, and spun her around. "Ella, please."

"Ella please?" She froze, her eyes like daggers. "You just never know when to stop, do you? Sirius, we tried this before. I had my two weeks, just like every other girl in the school. Just let go."

"But," Sirius cut her exit off, stepping in front of her. "I… I love you."

Ella's eyes began to well up with tears, but she refused to cry. "Love? Love? No, Sirius. You don't love me. You may love to kiss me, or to hold me, or to ride around on your motorcycle with me, or even to joke around with me. But love me? No."

"But I do! How can I prove it to you?" Sirius' eyes were pleading, but Ella looked past them.

"You'll know how, if you do love me." With these parting words, Ella pushed past a dejected Sirius Black, leaving him in the middle of the library, with a bouquet of white roses in one hand.

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A/N: That's it. In the next chapter, we'll see more Sirius/Ella stuff, and perhaps the beginnings of Vanessa's daring ploy. Also, we'll see the latest progressions of the bet. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I won't have access to a computer until Tuesday, but the next chapter should be up soon (like Wednesday or Thursday…). Bye!

~Noelle

Luckie7n13@aol.com