Hiding in Plain Sight

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

Thanks for the feedback: mon andAthena Keating-Thomas, it's always nice to know someone is reading a story.

James caught up with Severus right after his first morning class. "I saw Evans, before she made it to the Infirmary," he said darkly. "You can't hit girls."

Severus' temper was already horribly frayed and the fact that he was guilty of James' accusation didn't help matters any.

"Expelliarmus!" James exclaimed before Severus could curse him.

James' use of the spell had little in common with Artalocus'. When cast by Artalocus Snape the disarming spell hit its target like tsunami. The spell, as taught to James but Harold Potter, was a much more precise application of force. Severus automatically braced himself for impact. To his shock James' spell simply popped his wand out of his hand like a cork from a bottle.

With Quidditch-honed reflexes James plucked the wand from the air. A crowd gathered around the two boys. Sirius moved up to stand beside James. Peter smirked gleefully from the sidelines. Remus chewed on his lower lip. Severus stared at his wand with a desperate longing, without it he was as good as helpless. James glanced at his audience.

"Snape," James' voice changed the very real anger he'd felt at seeing Lily's black-eye shaded into something more theatrical as he played to the crowd. "You're a danger to everyone around you. You shouldn't even be allowed to go to school here."

"Give me back my wand!" Severus hissed.

James twirled Severus' wand between his fingers. "You want it? Come get it."

Severus lunged at James. The bespectacled boy twisted lightly to the side. Severus stumbled and fell on his face. The other students laughed. Severus started back to his knees. Sirius shoved him back down then he wrapped an arm around James' shoulders. "I think we wasted enough time on him," he said as he steered James away. Sirius slid Severus' wand out of James' hand and tossed it on the ground several feet from the Slytherin boy.

Severus scrambled for his wand. At the last moment Peter kicked it into the crowd.

Severus leapt to his feat and lunged for the diminutive Gryffindor's throat. Severus and Peter went down together in a tangle of flailing limbs.

Sirius and James pointed their wands at the pair on the floor only to realize that they couldn't hex Severus without hitting Peter. With a shrug James launched himself into the brawl and promptly caught Peter's elbow with his face.

"Hey, I want in on the fun!" Sirius exclaimed. He plowed in doing equal damage to all parties.

"What is the meaning of this!" McGonagall's stern voice demanded.

Ten minutes later the four boys sat in Professor McGonagall's office. James was nursing a bloody nose. Peter gingerly touched the lump on the back of his head and winced. Sirius curiously poked his tongue through the new hole in his teeth. Severus held a handkerchief to the bloody gash across his cheekbone but there was a satisfied smirk on his face.

The weekend came and for Severus another visit home came with it.

"Expelliarmus."

Severus ignored the crack and the pain that told him he'd broken his arm, one more time. He twisted to face his father even as he fell to his knees. "Congelo! Laedo!" The combination of spells made Artalocus' shields rigid then shattered them. "Expelliarmus."

"Protego!" Artalocus threw up a quick backup shield.

"SEAR!" Severus responded. He knew Protego would stop his magic but not the heat generated by the spell.

Artalocus broke into a sweat. His skin flushed as if he'd stepped into an oven. The sudden blast of heat made him sway. "Stupefy."

Already reeling from shock Severus stood a snowball's change of throwing off the stunning spell. Artalocus left his son crumpled on the floor while he went to collect the appropriate potions.

"Ennervate." Artalocus watched coldly as Severus struggled to sit up. "Give me your arm."

Severus blinked blearily. "Can't, no more healing potions. Madam Pomfrey says," he mumbled.

Artalocus gave his son a long evaluating stare. "I won't allow you to walk around with broken bones, but if you wish I'll leave the soft tissue damage untreated."

Severus nodded and carefully presented his arm to be healed.

Artalocus pushed back Severus' sleeve to reveal the break. There was a distinct bump where the broken end of the bone was pushing up underneath his flesh. His skin was a dark, angry red. " I Derigomortus /I ," Artalocus cast. The bone realigned and he gave Severus the bone-knit potion to ensure that they would stay that way. It did nothing to correct the heavy bruising.

"How did you explain your need for the potions?" Artalocus asked.

"I told them about learning to duel," Severus admitted. "I told them the bruises embarrassed me, but you never really hurt me. You don't! It's just, Madam Pomfrey's a Hufflepuff; you know how they are! And McGonagall's a Gryffindor, she probably thinks it's good that Potter bosses his parents around."

"It isn't a good thing to display your failings Severus," Artalocus said after a moment. "That's why I heal your bruises. The muscle ache and the weight loss problems are preferable to advertising your vulnerabilities. I believe we've done enough dueling for this weekend. Instead I'm going to teach you some glamours so you will be able to hide your bruises without healing them."

Severus nodded grimly.

Remus smiled and gave James a quick thumbs up when the Seeker-hopeful displayed the snitch he'd captured. Sirius flew up behind his friend and startled James into dropping the winged, golden ball. The escaped Snitch fluttered off and the chase was on again.

Remus was about to return to his studying when Severus caught his attention by slamming his text shut. Remus frowned; he normally left these sorts of confrontations to others. He didn't like confrontations. Debates weren't totally odious, even debates with Severus Snape, one just had to learn to tune out the personal commentary that littered Severus' otherwise interesting arguments. This was going to be a confrontation, not a debate.

James' style of confrontation was obviously not going to be helpful. James didn't actually want to change Severus' thinking, he just extended an invitation to fight then everyone ended up doing detentions. Sirius was pretty much the same, Remus suspected that Sirius did know some tricks for managing the prickly Slytherin but he didn't demonstrate them in front of other Gryffindors. Poor Peter wouldn't dare say boo to Snape for fear of setting off the other boy's volatile temper. Narcissa Black could have told Severus to streak the Great Hall and his only question would have been if she would rather he did it at lunch or dinner, but everyone knew he had an utterly hopeless crush on the older girl. Lily was truly the only one who had much success in getting Severus to moderate his behavior, even if she did let him get away with guilt-tripping her and even Lily wasn't having any luck at the moment. That was why Remus felt obligated to made an attempt.

"You're being a real prat to Lily, even considering that it's you," he remarked. "She thinks it's her fault you won't come to the study group anymore."

"So the busybody can get her facts straight once and a while," Severus replied. "I suppose that proves the law of averages."

Remus' mouth tightened. "It's disgusting how much you enjoy making everyone around you miserable. Lily makes a real, honest effort to be friends with you and you act like this."

"I live in hope that it will teach her that meddling is a nasty habit."

"Severus!" Remus exclaimed in frustration. "You hit her. You owe it to her not to make her feel guilty. Besides you get as much out of the study group as anyone, it's not particularly Slytherin to give it up because you're in a snit."

"Trust me, grudge holding is a very Slytherin trait," Severus replied. "I hope she chokes on guilt, she had no business…"

"What exactly did you guys fight about that was so awful?" Remus asked. He hoped knowing the source of the problem might provide a clue for solving it.

Severus snatched up his satchel and stomped off.

"Talking to him is hopeless, utterly hopeless!" Remus exclaimed in disgust.

Severus shoved his book away and got up to pace restlessly around the deserted room he'd discovered on one of the lower levels of the dungeons. The room was dusty, windowless and the house elves apparently used it as storage place for furniture that had become too worn for the common rooms. Severus could think of any number of places he would rather be but for all its shortcomings the room had one extremely desirable feature: No one would think to look for him there.

Lily's group was in the library, going there would be like inviting the red headed Gryffindor to start in on the I utter nonsense /I she thought up again.

If he were to go to the Slytherin common room when he habitually studied with… not friends… If he did that it would be as good as announcing that he was totally without allies again.

Severus had the password to Gryffindor Tower but he wasn't in the mood for a fight. Pettigrew and Potter were still going on about McGonagall giving them detention, not to mention the fact that she'd taken points on a per person basis for the brawl. Which meant Gryffindor had come off much worse than Slytherin in that exchange, especially since they'd all been bloodied. Lupin was in the library with Lily, so there went any chance for studying or intelligent conversation. Black was hyperactive idiot when he wasn't plotting mischief. Potter wouldn't be in the mood to just exchange barbs and more detention or point-deductions wouldn't help anything. And Pettigrew…

Lily's little theory about the Hat weighting the qualities a person valued more heavily than those they possessed made Pettigrew a very disturbing person to be around. Gryffindors were supposed to be predictable; too caught up in their silly notions of honorable conduct to take advantage of circumstances or to do what it took to get their way. If Pettigrew were Slytherin Severus' first thought would have been that the smaller boy was lying and manipulating things to stir up his stronger friends against Severus. But Pettigrew was Gryffindor so Severus had believed that he was just dumb and prone to jumping to conclusions. If Pettigrew was a poor excuse for a Gryffindor he was an annoying pest, if he were a Slytherin he could be dangerous… The Hat put him in Gryffindor and that was that.

And so there was nowhere for him to go. Severus sat down for a few moments and tried to focus on his studies only to resume pacing almost immediately.

The members of his house were every bit as predictable as the Gryffindors in their own way. With them everything could be boiled down to currency. What were the other person's goals and how much could he do to help or hinder them if he so chose? Unfortunately the only currency he had to spend was the information he garnered through his unique relationship with the Gryffindors. Lily and her stupid ideas could cost him everything.

Severus took a deep breath. Calling Lily names was obvious a short-term solution. He could get her to storm off in a huff but it didn't stop her, she'd come back. She was wrong, she was completely totally wrong. Lily was always after him to be nice. Maybe if he explained how wrong she was to her, without any name-calling…

With that thought in mind Severus hurried to pack his books, in turning his arm brushed against the back of a chair and he gasped in pain. No matter how many times he told himself not to do it, he always tried to catch himself. He'd broken his arm over a dozen times. He did it the same way every time and by now the bruises started at the bone and radiated all the way up to the skin. Severus' lip curled, everyone kept telling him how bad it was to use too many potions but their side effects weren't near as painful as leaving his injuries untended.

He gathered up his books then headed for the library. Lily jumped to her feet as soon as he walked through the door. Severus turned toward the Divinations Section. It was almost guaranteed that no one would be doing research there. Lily followed him.

"I was only trying to help," Lily said. "You're, okay you're going to get all weird on me if I call you my friend, but you are. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"My father is teaching me to duel," Severus' voice was flat.

"That doesn't mean it's okay for him to hurt you. He should be more careful."

"That's what my mom said," a hint of emotion crept back in. "My father asked me if I wanted him to quit. I don't, I want to be able to stand up to Malfoy. Look Evans, I don't really get hurt that badly but I don't want to tip Malfoy off so I heal everything."

Lily bit her lip. After a moment she said, "I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions." She smiled. "Come on, I'm sure Chelsea has a paper for you to shred." She caught his arm intending to lead him back to the table.

Severus didn't scream when Lily's enthusiastic grip closed around his battered arm. He bit through his lip instead.

Lily froze. She carefully pushed up his sleeve and revealed a perfectly healthy looking arm. She frowned and poked at Severus' arm in confusion. He gasped. "Stop!"

Lily stared into his eyes. She kept a hold of his hand while she drew her wand. "Finite Incantatem," she whispered. The glamour melted away, it left behind swollen ruby, purple and black flesh that stretched from his wrist to above his elbow. "That's 'not really hurt'?" Lily asked sadly.

"It's my business," Severus said. He gritted his teeth and added. "Please?"

Lily shook her head. "I can't. Come on. Who do you want to show that to?"

Severus pulled free. "No one," he said darkly. "And don't bother telling for me again. By the time you get done I'll have healed it. I'll swear you were exaggerating, then Madam Pomfrey'll lecture me about using potions again and that'll be that."

Lily paced back and forth between the shelves. Three steps, a sharp about face, three steps back. Her lips moved silently and she scowled fiercely as she argued with herself. Severus watched her work through his ultimatum. "Okay, I don't have a choice. I won't try to make you tell, but I still think you should."

"No," Severus repeated.

Lily sighed. "So are you joining us or what?"

Severus allowed himself a slight, relieved, smile. Then headed back toward the table the study group had staked out.

Once the group broke up for the night Lily headed straight for Professor Dumbledor's office.

She stared up at the gargoyle that guarded his stairs. "I don't have the password but I really, really need to talk to the Headmaster." She said with an intense sincerity. "Please, it's really important."

For a few seconds the statue seemed to consider the girl's plea then it rotated back and the staircase rose from the floor. Lily hurried up to Professor Dumbledor's office. He was waiting behind his desk. "Miss Evans, I believe you're just in time for a late tea." The elderly wizard smiled kindly at the girl.

"Professor, you have to do something!" Lily exclaimed. Her eyes filled with tears. "I saw Severus' arm, it's bruised awfully. He says he was practicing dueling but it's not right. And he was hiding it with a spell. Ricky always wore long sleeves but I saw the bruises on his arms anyways. We were washing up after art period and I saw. He made me promise not to tell, same as Severus, and I didn't. He died and it was all my fault," Lily took a deep breath, hiccupped then started sobbing.

Dumbledor hurried around his desk to kneel beside the distraught girl.

"I don't want Severus to die too," Lily said in a watery voice. "It was my fault, I should have told."

Dumbledor gently stroked Lily's hair and let her cry herself out against his shoulder. "It was not your fault that your classmate died," he told her with absolute certainty. "You were not responsible for what transpired."

"But Severus…"

"Is a child of the Wizarding World," Dumbledor replied "Until your magic is fully matured and tamed it will react instinctually to protect you from harm. If Severus feared for his life his magic would counter the perceived danger. Aurors would be alerted by use of underage sorcery, they would investigate the causes and deal with them. You needn't worry for him."

"But his arm," Lily protested. "Severus thinks it's okay, but it's not. It's really not okay."

"Poppy will check him over," Dumbledor promised. "We will take care of Severus, you don't have to. Lily, your heart does you credit but you must trust us. There is much about this world that you've yet to learn. He is being looked after. Are you all right now?"

Lily swallowed and nodded.

"Off to bed with you then."

Two nights later Severus was waiting outside of the library when the study group finished.

"Don't wait up," Lily said with a gesture for Remus to continue on to Gryffindor Tower without her.

Remus studied the darkly glowering boy confronting them then turned to Lily to argue. Her expression was stubbornly decided. Remus sighed. He walked around the corner then stopped and leaned back against the wall to wait for Lily and to be on hand in case of an explosion.

"You lied to me," Severus accused.

"I'm sorry; I had to," Lily replied. "What did Madam Pomfrey say about your arm?"

"Nothing. I told you what I was going to do. Did you think I was going to I trust /I a Gryffindor to keep her bloody mouth shut?" Severus snarled. "Though I did expect you to let it slip rather than blatantly going behind my back to tattle to the teachers."

"I wasn't tattling!" Lily exclaimed. "I wasn't trying to get you in trouble! I was trying to protect you!"

"I don't need a mudblood'sprotection! This is my world! I don't need you butting in and acting like you're better than me, like you can go around pitying me!"

"Severus, I was trying to do the right thing."

"Well save your… yourcharityfor someone one who wants it!" Severus' voice was nearly choked with anger.

Remus pressed himself back into the shadows as the other boy stormed past.

"Severus!" Lily shouted. "If your father's not doing anything wrong why do you have to cover for him?"

Remus watched Severus' stride faltered then he seemed to collect himself and continued on his way without gracing Lily's parting shot with an answer.

"I don't care what Lily Evans' intentions were," Snape stated harshly. "I told her to stay out of my business. It was my right, she should have restrained her Gryffindorish impulses to bull ahead regardless of her ignorance."

"Are you truly angry because of Lily's actions or is it because her intuition was more accurate than you were comfortable with?" Dumbledor asked quietly. "Despite your best efforts Lily always remained one of your staunchest defenders."

Snape frowned.

"Would it surprise you that Lily was the first person to… well demand… that we give you a chance when you chose to come back to us?"

"I never understood anything she did," Severus admitted quietly.

"For her sake, will you try to understand her son? You are still the best person to teach him Occlumency, but only if you will set aside this baseless anger against Harry… Severus, your feelings about Harry are baseless. You had every right to be angry with James, but James is dead."

Snape got up to prowl around the office. "Headmaster I have done my best to protect Potter, generally from his own reckless, attention-seeking…"

"Severus," Dumbledor's tone was quietly disappointed.

"I don't need to like him to do my duty. What you are asking is above and beyond. I don't want him invading my mind. I don't want to establish any sort of congenial relationship with him. In fact these lessons you insist upon endanger my very life. I am your spy. The brat wears his heart on his sleeve and you order me to win his trust when I am supposed to be a loyal Death Eater? How long will it take for rumors of his change of heart to reach the Dark Lord's ears?"

"Perhaps I am sick of sending you to him to be abused," Albus said. "You haven't regained his confidence even after a year's efforts. I fear that Voldemort is playing with you, waiting for you to hang yourself. Perhaps I am offering you an excuse to come out of the shadows. Teach Harry; if you believe your cover is blown because of it then let it be blown. You bring more to the Order than a dark past, we will still need you even if you are no longer acting as a spy."

"As what? The Order's new glorified house-minder?" Snape snapped. Then he took a deep breath. "Albus, if you won't respect that I do not wish to form any sort of rapport with Potter's son then respect his need for someone to blame for the mutt's death. I believe I speak for all of us when I say it's better for him to hate me rather than to hate you."