A/N: Snape makes a comeback! YAY! And OMG, I'm just short of 300 REVIEWS! does a happy dance I can't believe it! 299 REVIEWS! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

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Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot, a few characters, and a bad conscience . . .

Chapter Seventeen – Squiggly

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"Sirius! You're brilliant!"

"I know," he said, yawning. "Now, go to sleep, will you?"

James pulled the covers over his head, grinning. What Sirius had said had given him the best idea ever.

It was chancy, VERY chancy, but for Lily, he'd have to risk it.

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Severus Snape was angry. Evans was SUPPOSED to tell on Potter. Potter was SUPPOSED to be expelled by now. Severus was SUPPOSED to be HAPPY. Or something close to it, anyway, since a true Slytherin wouldn't be caught dead acting happy. Gleeful, maybe, but never downright happy.

However, Severus wasn't anywhere near happy. Or gleeful. Evans hadn't told on Potter. No one had been expelled. And Severus had gotten a note from Evans telling him to meet her in one of the courtyards of the school during lunch hour: the D.E.C.

Snape happened to know that this particular courtyard was a popular eating place for Gryffindors. They had nicknamed it the "Deck," due to the initials of the place. The long name term for it was the Double Entrance Courtyard, because it had two sets of magicked double doors. One set would take you where you most needed to be inside the school, and the other set would take you furthest from where you most needed to be. Both doors had their inconviences. Once, a student wanted to take a nap, but he NEEDED to be studying for a test, so the doors transported him to the library. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs occasionally wandered out there, too. In short, it was no place for a lonely Slytherin, like himself, to be seen.

He scowled. Of course, Mudblood Evans wouldn't stop to think of that.

The only reason he had even agreed to meet her was because he instinctively knew this had to be about Potter. Why else would she want to talk to him? Their mutual hatred of Potter was the only thing they ever had in common. Until lately . . .

Severus pocketed his wand, and made to leave his dormitory. If he was going into a nest of happy-go-lucky Gryffindors, it was best to be armed.

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Lily sat underneath a tree, daydreaming, while her friends and Esther chattered on and on about nothing in particular.

" . . . cute arse! Right, Lily?" Pat said, nudging her.

"Huh?" Lily replied, vaguely. She had no idea whom they were talking about.

"Never mind," Patricia said, rolling her eyes in amusement, and slight annoyance. "She's in Potterworld again . . ."

The other girls snickered. Lily felt her face turning red, but she made no effort to reply. It was true. She was in what Patricia had deemed "Potterworld" again. It was the place she'd go to in her mind where no one existed, except her and James Potter, and where she could relive the kiss in the forest over and over again until someone made her snap out of it.

Lily was slightly ashamed to think that she was so gone over a guy, but . . . she WAS a 17 year old girl, and according to Esther, this was a thing that 17 year old girls did a lot - this fantasizing thing. For that matter, guys did it, too. Lily was sure she'd never seen books on the subject, but Esther seemed pretty certain in her justifications, so who was Lily to argue?

Sighing, she leaned her head back on the tree and closed her eyes letting the sunlight wash over her face. Except, there was no sunlight.

She opened her eyes, and was startled to see Severus Snape standing over her instead, blocking all efforts of sunlight. She jumped to her feet, sensing some kind of confrontation by the look on his face. He was clutching a piece of parchment in one fist, and his other hand hovered over where she was sure he had tucked his wand into his robes.

"Evans," he said, through clenched teeth.

Her friends had gone dead silent, as had everyone else in the courtyard. It wasn't a very large courtyard, after all, so everyone must have seen him enter and stalk over to her.

Lily blinked at him, wondering what had possibly drawn him out into the sunlight. Snape rarely went outside, and if he did, it was only to go to certain lessons like Herbology.

"Snape?" she answered in a questioning manner. She raised an eyebrow.

"What is the meaning of this?" he hissed, shoving the parchment into her hand.

Lily furrowed her forehead, and accepted the parchment in confusion. Quickly and silently she read the note to herself.

Snape,

Meet me outside in the Double Entrance Courtyard at lunch. We need to speak regarding the matter of James Potter, and why I've chosen not to report his behavior to the proper authorities. You know what matter I'm talking about. Be there.

Evans

She looked up to see Snape regarding her with a furious expression on her face.

"So, it's true, then?" he said, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "You're not going to report the miscreant?"

"Snape, maybe we should go somewhere else to discuss this," Lily said, quietly. She was very confused by the note because she hadn't sent it. But everything in it was true, except the fact that she wanted to talk to Snape.

"You're the one who wanted to meet here!" Snape said, looking outraged.

"Look, I don't know who sent that letter to you, but it wasn't me. It's true that I'm not going to report him, but – " Lily started.

"Why NOT?" Snape said, furiously. "You're Headgirl, aren't you? Isn't it your duty to report these kinds of things?"

Lily eyes flashed. If there was one thing she hated, it was being told how to do her job. "Five points from Slytherin for questioning authority!" she snapped.

"WHOSE authority?" Snape glowered.

"MINE!" Lily fiercely replied, struggling to keep her voice down. "I SUGGEST that we take this inside, Severus!"

Snape made no move to budge. He had a look of ultimate loathing on his face. "So, it's happened," he said, simply.

"What's happened?" Lily asked, confused at where the turn had been taken in the conversation.

He shot her a look of pure disgust. "You've fallen. For HIM."

Lily immediately felt her face heat up with humiliation. What could she say to that? It was true. She HAD fallen for James Potter. She couldn't think of any way to defend herself without sounding utterly lame and unable to stand up for herself.

"Perfect Headboy POTTER," Snape spat out. "Mudblood Evans's ultimate DOWNFALL in life!"

"THIRTY POINTS FROM SLYTHERIN!" A voice suddenly boomed from behind Lily. "FOR HARRASSING THE HEADGIRL!"

Lily whirled around, mortified. James WOULD pick this moment to heroically swoop in and save the bloody day. Merlin! He looked ready to spit nails. He even had his wand out. Sirius flanked his right side, and Peter nervously flanked his left, but Remus was nowhere to be seen.

"YOU WANT TO PLAY DIRTY, POTTER?" Lily heard from behind her. She turned around again to see Snape with his own wand out now. He looked positively wild with his eyes darting from James to Sirius to Peter, and back to James again.

"Do your worst," James said, boldly.

Lily's heart pounded. No. She could NOT let this happen. She was Headgirl. This was NOT going to happen.

"EXPELLI – !" Snape started to shout, but James beat him to it.

"SCOURGIFY!" James bellowed.

Pink soap bubbles erupted from Snape's mouth, choking him and making him gag.

"No!" Lily wanted to shout, but she couldn't. She was horrified. This was . . . This was just like . . . Just like before . . .

Snape dropped his wand, clutching at this throat.

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Sirius shouted. Abruptly, Snape was lifted up into the air. Sirius twirled his wand, expertly, and in the air, Snape started to spin.

"Look!" Sirius said, chuckling. "He's like a bubble dispenser!" The spinning, bubble-choking Snape did indeed look like some grotesque version of a bubble dispenser.

The onlookers started laughing amongst themselves, while Lily just shook her head in shock.

Sirius jerked his wand, so that Snape fell to the ground, and the cleaning charm wore off. Snape immediately started to crawl for his wand, and James, seeing this, shouted, "LOCOMOTOR MORTIS!"

Snape keeled over, the laughter grew louder. Lily saw red, and heard a pounding in her ears. She faintly heard someone shouting, "Stop it! Stop it right now!" over and over, but the laughter drowned it out. She was vaguely aware that it was her doing the shouting.

Is this what she had been reduced to? Two years ago, she had been able to stop this. She had been able to stand up to bullying James Potter and his lackeys, but now . . . that she LIKED him . . . did that render her no longer unable to stand up to him . . . to what she believed in? Lily felt her eyes prickling with tears. She felt completely helpless and ashamed. If she yelled at him, he might not like her anymore. But allowing him to carry on with this was wrong . . . so very wrong . . .

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"Hm, I don't know what else to do to him, Prongs," Sirius said. "Can YOU think of anything?"

"Well, Padfoot, there's this excellent hex that I read about a while back. I think it's supposed to give you spots that make your skin shrivel up in certain places . . . Now, how did it go, again? Oh, yes, I think it was something like this!" James said, bringing up his wand.

"STOP IT! FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN, JAMES, STOP IT!"

James froze, turning to the owner of the voice. Lily was staring at him, shaking in fury. Tears were streaming down her face, and her wand was drawn. And pointed at him.

"Lily, I – " he swallowed nervously, not knowing what to say. And the onlookers looked on.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she yelled. "JUST STOP IT!"

James's heart pounded. This was it. This was his chance. Just like before. Except, everything was different now. Wasn't it?

He swallowed again. He was mildly aware that he was shaking. And everything was so QUIET. James took a deep breath.

"I will . . ." he started nervously. "I will . . . if you go out with me . . . Lily." This silence had to be the loudest most deafening noise he had ever heard. "Go on . . . go out with me, and I'll never," he was whispering now, "I'll never lay a hand on him again. I promise."

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A/N: Okay, so I lied. That's not the last chapter. This next one will be the last chapter. Really. Please review.

Ariana S.