Chapter 5 – Hearts and Flowers

Severus had gone around all day in a cheerful haze. He had gone to dinner in a cheerful haze. He had faced the good-natured ribbing of his Slytherin House brothers when they all turned in for the night, and he then fell asleep in a cheerful haze.

It seemed that everyone in the student body knew that Asenath Paroo had kissed Severus Snape in the library. Everyone knew – including Lily Evans.

It was at breakfast the next day that James told her that it had all been a prank.

"Sirius Black! You are horrible!" the redhead shrieked, causing heads to turn toward the Gryffindor table. "I don't believe you! That is downright evil!"

Sirius shrugged and pointed to his black eye. "Face it, Lily. He came barreling in here like the skinny little psycho he is and attacked me. He attacked me for no good reason. It wasn't as if I was going to leave him in the lake, you know."

"No," Lily spat. "You were going to check on him after you got through stuffing your face at dinner. What were you going to look for, a floating corpse?"

"Nah," Peter Pettigrew chimed in. "The squid woulda eaten him first!"

"Shut up, Peter," said James.

"Shut up, Peter," said Lily. "I wasn't even talking to you. I'm so happy Sev learned to swim at some point. You were very lucky not to end up standing trial for murder, Sirius Black! I wish Martis Vox were still around. Remember what she did to Sonia Stellamaris when she dissed Sev?"

Sirius was unimpressed by Lily's hissy-fit and ignored her question. "Hey," he asked his fellow Marauders (and Lily was not an official member, after all, which was his little way of excluding her from the rest of the conversation). "Remember when we dumped a bucket load of crap on Snivelly's head during First-Year?"

Remus shifted nervously in his seat.

"That was sick, Sirius!" Lily hissed, making certain Sirius knew she was still in the conversation. "You were lucky he didn't curse you into oblivion!"

"That was pretty bad, Padfoot," James added.

"You liked it at the time," Sirius said with a sour expression.

"I thought that was just great," Peter said, grinning.

"Shut up, Peter," said James and Lily simultaneously.

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It was the Gryffindor-Slytherin joint Potions class with Professor Sejanus Sartoris.

Severus Snape was already very nervous and unhappy because the Marauders had been working on him all period. He really didn't need anyone telling him how ugly he was, or how big his nose was, or how his parents never came to see him. He resolved to not let them get to him and so was busy around the cauldron he shared with Evan Ryper, wearing his usual emotionless expression. Inside he was dying just a little bit more, but he'd never let them have the satisfaction of knowing.

"Severus, go fetch some supplies from Herbology. Is your quill ready?"

"Yes, Professor Sartoris." Severus grabbed a scrap piece of parchment and looked up at him expectantly.

"Yeeeeees, Professor Sartorrrrrris. I'm just the biggest suuuuuuuuck-up in Hogwarts hisssssssssstory," James Potter said in a loud stage whisper.

"He chose Snivelly because he could just slither right up there in no time," Sirius Black added.

"I can't wait!" Peter Pettigrew said.

"Shut your head, Wormtail," Sirius whispered.

"You might spoil the surprise," James added quietly.

"What surprise?" said Remus Lupin.

"Coltsfoot—Mullein leaves—fresh, if she's got them—Shavegrass, Comfrey. We also need Eucalyptus pods—pods, Mr. Snape, not those dratted berries!" said Professor Sartoris as Severus scribbled away. "No, wait! I might have the Coltsfoot! Would you go check, please?"

Severus nodded, and then made his way to the side room that held the Potions equipment and ingredients.

"Three—two—one," Sirius hissed. His grin was feral, almost predatory.

Severus opened the door and unknowingly terminated the charm which held a large bucket of fresh sheep dung suspended over the entrance. It had been charmed by Sirius and James so that it would only tip if Snape opened the door.

Within seconds, the Slytherin boy felt something warm splatter on his head and run down his robes. Instinctively, he closed his eyes. When the smell hit him, he knew. Unable to move, Severus stood still, trying to quell the waves of panic that threatened to break his usual yet fragile stoicism.

The bucket then fell, hitting Snape on the back of his bent head. He wasn't knocked out, but the shock of its impact buckled his knees and he fell to the floor.

"What in holy tarnal hells happened?" Professor Sartoris cried, rushing over to assist his best pupil. "Who did this?"

Silence.

"Severus! Are you all right?"

The boy was still too stunned to reply. He said nothing, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. His head hurt but he was too proud to cry over it.

Sartoris waved his wand and cleaned up the bulk of the mess. He rolled Severus over and stretched him out on the floor. Severus said nothing, and only lay there perfectly still. "I'll get you to the Hospital Wing, Mr. Snape," he said, and then realized that he couldn't leave his classroom unattended. Without missing a beat, he strode over to the fireplace and threw in a handful of floo powder. "Hagrid's hut, please," he said.

Within a few seconds the large and friendly face of the half-giant appeared.

"Wha' can I do fer ye, Professor?" he said.

"I have a student who needs to be taken to the Infirmary, and I cannot leave my classroom. Can you drop by and take care of it for me?"

Hagrid nodded, then disappeared from the fireplace. Within two minutes, he entered the room. He noted that some of the students were snickering and laughing, and others were silent and angry. "What th' deuce ha' happened, Perfessor?" he said, spotting the man crouching next to a prone student.

"One of our students has been the butt of a practical joke, Mr. Hagrid," Sartoris said sternly. "Although as you can see, there is nothing funny about it. The bucket hit him in the back of the head. He's quite dizzy, so I think you'll have to carry him."

"Pleased ta help ye," Rubeus said, bending down. "Ah, it's poor little Sev'rus, isn't it?" Without a moment of hesitation, the big man scooped up the boy in his arms. Severus reached over and clutched Hagrid's robe. Both were out the door in a trice, and up to the Infirmary just a short while later.

Poppy had rushed over to tend to her young patient who was conscious and talking, at least. "Hold still, dear. Let me take a look at that bump on your head." She followed her brief examination with a healing charm that took down the swelling. "You're quite befouled, however. Let me get a bath ready and Mr. Hagrid can help you."

"No," Severus said, reaching out and clutching her apron.

"Never you mind, Mr. Snape. I'll go get it ready. Mr. Hagrid, why don't you help him?" She conjured a privacy curtain that wrapped itself around the gamekeeper and the boy on the cot.

"Can ye sit up, lad?" Hagrid said. He helped the boy sit up and pulled the dirty robe over his head.

"Woah," Severus said in a small voice. "Dizzy, yet."

"Poppy'll have ye all fixed up soon, Sev'rus. Let me get that nasty shirt off ye, anyway."

Severus clutched it tightly at his throat. "No," he said. "Can't do that."

Rubeus Hagrid was a kind and patient soul, and tried to wait the boy out. It was after several minutes that he realized that his ploy wouldn't work. "Come on, lad. Over th' head with it!"

Severus shook his head vehemently and curled up so that his knees met his chin. "Can't."

Poppy had come barreling back by this time, and saw that the patient was nowhere near ready. She pulled out her wand and whispered a charm that relaxed Sev's grip. The shirt pulled neatly off him, only hooking its owner slightly by the nose on its way up and off. Severus moaned, and reached for a blanket before either adult could see him.

"Severus, what's the matter?" the nurse said. "Is it your father again, child?"

"I dunna understan', Poppy," Hagrid said. He took the blanket from the boy, who immediately jumped off the bed and took off.

"Oh, no you don't, young man!" Madam Pomfrey said, whipping out her wand and reciting a charm that held the boy's feet to the floor as if his shoes had been made of lead.

"No," Severus said, who to his great horror then burst into tears. "Please. Don't look at me!"

Poppy strode over to him and examined the bruises on his back and sides.

"Damn him," she growled.

Hagrid looked at her in utter astonishment. "We aren't a-supposed ta use oaths in front of the young 'uns, Poppy!" he said.

He came over and looked at the child's back. Severus was terrified and shivering, whether with cold or from fear he could not tell.

"His father beats him, Hagrid," Poppy said, reaching into a nearby cabinet for some healing salve. "I've sent reports to the Ministry, but they ignore them."

"Th' Headmaster know?"

"He does. And he has even spoken to Severus' father, to no avail. Damn him twice!"

Hagrid reached over and reached out to embrace the trembling and embarrassed child. "It's all roight, lad," he said.

"He won't let you touch him, Rubeus," Poppy said.

To her great surprise, however, Severus once again grabbed the big man's robes and buried his face in the space between the half-giant's neck and shoulder. He began to cry again; Hagrid gingerly returned the hug, afraid that he would put painful pressure on one of the boy's bruises.

"S' all roight," he said quietly. "Nobody's gunna hurt you here, Sev'rus."

The boy raised his head. "That's not true," he said, wiping his streaming eyes.

"Well, if they do, they'll have to deal with Rubeus Hagrid!"

Severus smiled, and then rested against the gamekeeper's barrel chest. Hagrid picked him up and carried him over to the tub. Of course, Severus had been worried that Poppy might see him unclothed, and so he let Hagrid help him.

"Ow," he gasped. "The hot water makes the sore spots sting!"

"Did ye say yer father did this to ye?"

"I didn't say," Snape replied, hanging his head. Hagrid busied about him, putting some shampoo in his ham-sized hands and washing his hair gently.

Poppy came back, and Severus jumped.

"Don't be silly, child," she said, "I'm not looking at you. I just spoke with the Headmaster and he would like you to write down what happened so we can protect you against – your father, I guess. With the Marauders picking on you, it's difficult to tell."

"Can't do that," Severus said, now in a tight ball in the tub. "I can't."

Hagrid poured some warm water over the little patient's head until the water ran clear. "Ye must, Sev'rus. Yer father belongs in Azkaban fer doin' that to ye, in my own humble o-pinion."

He helped the boy out of the tub. Poppy tended to his bruises, and then let Hagrid get him into a pair of warm flannel pajamas. Poppy drew her wand and dried his hair. Hagrid carried the exhausted boy over to a vacant bed and tucked him in.

"There, lad," he said, noting that tears were running down the sides of Sev's face. He took out his own pocket-handkerchief – roughly the size of the bathmat – and dabbed them away before they pooled in his ears. The large man then dabbed away his own tears.

"I can't," Severus replied. "I just can't do it – "

He left the sentence unfinished as his eyes closed. His right hand clung to Hagrid once again. He was very stressed and exhausted. He also knew these kind people would never understand his father and the way it was at Snape Manor.

A verse ran its way through his head, as random thoughts often do. It had popped into his head a few minutes ago while he was being entreated to help Hogwarts prosecute his father. The verse was the one that his father made him copy over and over as punishment, hundreds of times, even when his fingers were so swollen he could no longer hold the quill:

"By word or by deed

I promise you'll see

What the word pain can mean

If you betray me."

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Lily made a point of staying as close as she could to Severus Snape.

They were walking to Transfiguration when Sev saw Asenath coming toward them. Lily looked at him.

He was smiling – not one of his tight sardonic smirks, but a true smile. He was actually halfway handsome! His eyes sparkled and he greeted her with a nod.

She nodded back at him, gave a passing nod to Lily, and then collapsed in a paroxysm of giggles onto her best friend's shoulder.

"Sev?" Lily said. "All right, then?" He was still smiling and quite cute, she thought.

In fact, he was too cute for Lily to break his heart by telling him the truth.

She ducked her head and herded him on to class.

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After class was over, the students headed toward the Great Hall for lunch. It was then that Lily caught sight of Asenath, and she strode over to her.

"Asenath Paroo!" Lily Evans hissed. "What do you mean by it? Severus Snape is a friend of mine, and I won't have you making him feel bad! Are you that hard up for ready cash to hurt one of my friends?"

Asenath didn't want to tell anyone that she liked the kiss very much. The boy's hair was soft and warm, and his lips were as well. She was a bit of a loner and wondered what it would be like to have a real boyfriend, especially a Seventh-Year. However, the young man in question was not only a geek and a Slytherin, but he was also crazy and a Dark wizard to boot. No – Mum and Dad wouldn't care for him at all. Asenath tried to put his warm mouth and silky hair out of her mind.

"Oh, relax, Lily," she said. "It was just a joke. It's not that I would even consider going with a Slytherin in the first place. I won't lead him on or anything."

"Did you see his face when he saw you?" Lily replied, exasperated and full of worry over her Dark friend. "He was smiling. Do you know how rare that is? He rarely even cracks a grin. You made him happy, and he's going to find out it was all a joke and you'd just better hope and pray that he doesn't have a breakdown or anything."

Asenath's eyes widened. "Oh, gods," she said. "I didn't think of that. You don't really think he'd go off and drink poison again, or something like that?"

Lily frowned at her as they entered the Great Hall. "I don't know," she admitted. "But you'd better be nice to him. What a mess you've created!"

Asenath frowned. "It was Sirius Black's idea, anyway. I saw no harm in it at the time."

Lily sneered at her and shook her head.

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The girls had just finished filling their plates when a mail owl flew into the Great Hall. It was one of the school owls, an old grizzled soul the students had named Methuselah. He flew directly over Lily and Asenath and dropped a large wrapped package. Neither girl successfully caught it; instead, it landed in the middle of a large salad bowl. Asenath quickly picked it out and used her napkin to rid it of a tomato slice and a bit of onion.

"What's this?" she whispered, finding her name on the little envelope.

Several of the Sixth-Year girls scooted over to see what it was. "Open it!" one of them cried. Asenath did so, and found her arms filled with red roses. She gasped.

"Read the card!" yet another Gryffindor student told her. She opened the little envelope and read the message:

These flowers are just my way to say

Thank you so much for making my day.

Best,

Severus Snape

"Oh, Asenath," Lily intoned. "What on Earth have you done?"