Chapter Eighteen: Snape's Mistake

Time passed quickly at Hogwarts, and before they knew it, snow was threatening to fall over the crisp, leafless grounds. Ermengarde and Lily had left their N.E.W.T. Charms class and were now making their way out to the grounds for a walk before dinner. When they heard their names called, they both turned to see James and Remus running over to them. Lily rolled her eyes, but Ermengarde felt the need to stick up for her friend.

"He's grown up a lot over the summer," she insisted. "Really. Look, give him a chance, right? He really does like you, in a very sweet way, you'd be surprised."

"Oh…all right," said Lily, as though it were against her better judgment. James and Remus had reached them.

"You've – got – to come," panted James. "It's – too – funny…"

"What is?" asked Lily, curious.

James and Remus were both too winded to speak, but both pointed simultaneously back to the castle. The girls joined them in sprinting, following the boys closely through the doors to the Entrance Hall. After running down two more corridors, Lily stopped, clutching at a stitch in her side. James immediately rushed to her aid.

"Let's take a second, Remus," said James.

Remus nodded and both he and Ermengarde tried to catch their breath. After a moment, Lily straightened back up and smiled, ready to continue on. But they had not run more than twenty meters when a huge bang sounded and all Ermengarde shrieked. Her legs felt as though they were on fire, and now that she looked, they were on fire. Remembering what she learned in primary school, she dropped to the floor and rolled around, trying to put them out. She felt someone dousing her with water as she turned, and looked up to see Lily standing over her with jets of water shooting from her wand. Ermengarde stopped rolling around and looked at her legs.

The stockings had been entirely burnt through and her legs were blistering and scalded, alternating between pure white and almost-black scars. She felt tears streaming down her face from pain and shock, and tried to figure out what had just happened. Lily, too, had burns, though on her arm.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked her, teeth gritted.

"I'm – no," said Ermengarde. "What just happened?"

She didn't need Lily to answer. At that moment, James and Remus reappeared around the corner, hounded by Severus Snape, who looked more deranged than Ermengarde ever remembered him looking. He was firing curses left and right, not seeming to care about aim, so long as the words were spoken. Remus, whose face sported scarring, and James, who had a nasty scab forming on his leg, were fighting tooth and nail to keep Snape from attacking the girls further.

"Petrificus –" Remus started, but Snape was faster.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he snarled first, and Remus fell to the floor, totally paralyzed from the hex.

Ermengarde drew her wand and, ignoring the blinding pain in her legs, stood and shouted the countercurse and found herself screaming hexes in Snape's direction.

"Locomotor Mortis! Tarantellegra! Stupefy! Expelliarmus!"

This last spell's aim was true, and Snape's wand flew out of his hand. Disarmed, unable to perform any more jinxes, Snape stopped at last, panting and looking panicked. Ermengarde's legs were screaming in protest, but she walked slowly to him, her wand raised to his throat. James and Remus were right behind her, their wands raised as well. Remus grabbed Snape's wand and held it tight.

There was a very audible silence. Everyone waited to see what Ermengarde would do to Snape, but she simply stared him right in the eye. His sickly skin and stale breath didn't even make her flinch. After what felt like hours, she lowered her wand slowly.

"Give him his wand, Remus," she said softly, not breaking the eye contact she held with Snape.

"What?" said James, disbelieving.

"Give him his wand," Ermengarde repeated. Remus did as she said, and Snape snatched it back quickly. "Snape, get out of here. I'm not going to tell on you, but if you ever try anything like this again, I will kill you, do you hear me? I won't hesitate to do it. Now get out of here," she spat.

Snape took a moment, then turned on his heel and left, robes flying behind him as he walked quickly. Ermengarde felt her legs collapse at last and felt two pairs of hands catch her under the arms.

"Whoa, now," said James. "Let's get you to the hospital wing."

"No," said Ermengarde. "Let's just go to the common room."

"But –" Remus began.

"No," said Ermengarde. "No. I'm all right with healing by magic; I can have us put right in no time."

Everyone looked as though they were concerned for her sanity, but no one protested. James went to help Lily, handling her burnt arm delicately, and for once, Lily didn't seem to mind him making contact with her. Remus took Ermengarde's arm and put it over his shoulder, supporting her as they walked. James, who had given Lily his scarf to make a sort of sling, took Ermengarde's other side. She felt positively sick with the pain of scorched legs, but was determined not to show any more weakness.

She couldn't help but feel that it was her fault the attack took place at all. Maybe if she'd taken Snape seriously – not pushed him away when he reached out to her – this never would have happened. Was he really looking to help her? Had she just created a true monster by rejecting his aid?

Stop thinking about it, she told herself sharply as they reached the portrait hole. It's done.

"Pickled toad," said Lily to the Fat Lady, and she swung forward to reveal the entrance.

James helped Lily in, as it was difficult to do with one arm, and Remus carried Ermengarde over the threshold and placed her in one of the armchairs. No one except Peter and Sirius were in the common room now, as everyone else was at dinner. When their friends entered looking as though they'd just been through a terrible battle, they clambered to their side.

"What happened?" gasped Sirius, watching as Lily unwrapped her arm and wincing at the charred sight of it. "What – did you walk through a bonfire or something? Guy Fawkes day was ages ago!"

"Shut up, Sirius, this isn't a time for jokes," said Ermengarde, her brilliant turquoise eyes shining with tears.

"Well, what happened, then?"

"Snape," said Remus grimly, and he pulled another armchair over so Ermengarde could prop up her legs.

James relayed the story to Sirius. Ermengarde took out her wand and healed Remus's face as Sirius swore loudly. After she'd finished healing James and Lily's burns, she turned her wand upon herself, watching the scars vanish and feeling the pain fade away.

"That dirty, rotten, disgusting, greasy b –" Sirius began, but James cut him off.

"Shut up, Sirius," he said wearily. "Lily, you okay?"

Lily jumped slightly at being addressed by her first name, but she nodded.

"I'm going to bed," she said. "Goodnight."

And without another word, she swept off to the dormitories. Ermengarde gave a groan and leaned back into her chair.

"What's wrong? Does it still hurt?" asked Remus concernedly, putting a careful hand on her left leg, which had been the most severely burnt.

"No, it's just…did I do the wrong thing, just letting him go like that?" she asked, frustrated at herself.

"Well, I wouldn't have done it, but it was…noble," said James.

"Don't try to make me feel better."

"Okay…no, I don't think you did. I think we should have turned him in and gotten him expelled."

"But he'd have told on you as well, and you'd have gotten expelled right along with him."

"Not necessarily," said Sirius callously. "We've done a lot to the evil little berk, but we've never set him on fire. That's dangerous, that is."

"Yeah," said Remus. "I mean…I guess that day last term was one time too many. You did show his underpants in front of the entire school."

Ermengarde kept her mouth shut. Remus obviously wasn't considering the incident between she and Snape last term, and she was glad for it. She didn't want to think that it was her fault. It was so much easier to blame it on James and Sirius.

"I guess that was a bit far," said Sirius grudgingly. "Still…trying to kill you is a bit unhinged."