Chapter 13 - 6th Year (Part III)
"I don't care what he says - just as long as he stays on HIS side of the dorm, I won't strangle him!"
"Padfoot..."
"Don't use that tone with me, I'm serious."
"I know you are, but you can't just threaten people like that... you still have one more year to spend in this dorm with all of us!"
"You really get me sometimes, Moony, you really do."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means for you both to stop arguing."
"We're not arguing, we're debating!" exclaimed Remus hotly. "There's a difference, Prongs."
"I don't see one." James answered stiffly, "Now help me. What should I wear on Saturday?"
"What's Saturday?" asked both Sirius and Remus at the same time, looking up from their war across the room.
"The whole thing you arranged, Moony. With Mackenzie and her groupies. Now... should I wear the blue jeans with the button-down shirt or should I wear the jeans and the sweater? And then go for a rugged look with a matching scarf and no cloak?" asked James, actually rambling and comparing shirts in his mirror.
"You sound like a girl." Sirius mumbled, looking at his hair behind James in the mirror. "My hair is atrocious!"
Remus had to laugh at them. "You both sound like girls."
"Yeah well, at least we don't enjoy looking like our Animagi forms. You just look scruffy all the time," teased Sirius.
"Thanks," replied Remus, rather bitterly as he flopped backwards on his bed. "Transformation next Friday."
"I know." James replied, just as quietly as Remus spoke. Sirius, however, punched the air.
"Yes!" he said cheerfully, "Because it's this passage that I've been wanting to show you both and I wanted to wait until the next time we could all... you know... escape."
Remus and James turned to look at Sirius, who grinned and put a nervous hand behind his head. In unison, they all started laughing until there was an abrupt rap on their door.
"Who is it?" Sirius called, "And if you're Peter, go away!"
"I'm not Peter!" said a rash voice, "Will you let me in already, you blooming idiot?"
"That's Lily." Remus said matter-of-factly. "Honestly Sirius, you call yourself a Canine?"
"Har har," replied Sirius, rolling his eyes and throwing himself backwards on his bed. "Enter!"
In a very hurried motion, James threw his clothing under the covers of his bed, took a quick glance in the mirror, and adjusted his glasses and rumpled his hair with his left hand all before Lily opened the door.
"Afternoon," she said quite chipper, floating in the room and surveying them all. Since there were only three of them, she sighed and put her hands on her hips.
"Are you all still mad at Peter?"
"Is your hair red?" Sirius asked, goggling at her hair as if daring it to turn another colour.
"Yes...?" Lily said, looking confused.
"Well then... you have your answer." Sirius smirked, tossing a pillow up into the air and then catching it. "What d'you want, Ragweed?"
"Well... I came here to talk to Potter, actually."
James tried to lean casually against the nearest bedpost. So casually, that he missed it completely and toppled backwards and landed right on Remus.
"Ouch, Prongs!"
"Sorry." James apologized, his face reddening. Sirius giggled quite childishly and Lily looked amused.
"Well... what'd you want?" asked James, after jumping to his feet. He raised his eyebrows and swung his arms as he stood still waiting for her to talk.
"I wanted to return your Advanced Transfiguration Text. You left it in the tower last night," Lily stated, matter-of-factly. "Didn't you notice it was missing?"
"Uh... no, sorry." James said, with a suave smirk, "But I don't keep tabs on my textbooks like you do."
Lily rolled her eyes before shoving the text into James hands.
"Well, take it. And I was amused by the drawings on the back cover, by the way."
"Wha..?" James questioned, before hurriedly flipping to the back cover of his book. Lily walked out of the dorm, giggling, and Sirius and Remus crowded around him to see what was on the book.
The whole inside of the back cover was filled with hearts and Lily's initials L.E. There were little drawings of Quidditch gear and balls along with a lot of tagging ('James loves L.E.') and moving scribbles. James turned three different shades of red in about five seconds. Sirius and Remus burst into laughter as soon as James glanced in the direction of the door in horror.
-x-
"You're late."
"I know, but you don't seem to look too angry, now, do you?"
Severus met up with Alanze in the Entrance Hall like he promised. He was wearing black Muggle pants with large dragon-hide boots and a dark green sweater, typical of a Slytherin. He grinned slightly as he put on his cloak when he noticed Alanze looking at him.
"How… quaint." Alanze said simply, walking up towards the queue line as McGonagall took role.
"Name?" asked the Deputy Headmistress.
"Daniels… Alanze Daniels."
Nearby, Remus' ears perked at the sound of her voice. His head whipped over in the direction, and his eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Alanze with Snape. Sirius and James, noticing Remus' absence from their conversation, looked over in the same direction, too.
"She's with that git, still?" James whispered, "I don't quite understand her."
"Yeah, I know." Remus managed to grumble, "I wonder how he even knows her in the first place."
"Daniels… oh yes… okay. So you're not Wallace anymore?" McGonagall added sarcastically, checking off Alanze's name with a rather long golden quill.
"Yes." Alanze admitted, blushing and looking down at her feet.
"Very well, carryon…" McGonagall instructed, "Next! Oh… Snape, yes… carryon… Next!"
Severus walked right by McGonagall as she checked his name off the list. He smiled at Alanze and gave her a reassuring nod before leading her in the direction of Hogsmeade.
"I want to see where they're up to." Remus grumbled, pushing ahead of some younger years to get his name ticked off on the list. "C'mon."
"But-" James tried to protest, still looking hopefully about for any sign of Mackenzie and her friends. "-Fine. Okay."
The three hurried on to where they eventually got to the front of the long line.
"Ahhh…. The Quartet." McGonagall greeted them, "Missing one of your numbers?"
"Yeah, the lying, cheating…" Sirius grumbled, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Watch it," James murmured to Sirius, elbowing him.
"Could we just go?" Remus asked quite rudely. McGonagall looked at him, rolled her eyes, and with a sigh began to look for their names.
"I don't see your name, Mr. Lupin." McGonagall said after a quick scan of her scroll.
"It's where it always is, Professor. Right after Black and right before Potter."
McGonagall looked over her glasses at Remus, who was smiling at her innocently. The edges of her mouth twitched as if she was going to smile, then she sighed and thought better of it.
"Black… Lupin… Potter… yes… keep walking."
"Thanks!" the three called, as they began to run in the direction of their beloved Hogsmeade. They had to save time; they were already late for their dates already.
It took them nearly ten minutes to get there, mainly because Sirius was so intent on being lazy and didn't feel like rushing anymore. They walked into The Three Broomsticks with their faces flushed full of fall air, and all three looking very handsome indeed.
"Oh, Remus! Over here!"
Mackenzie called to them, and all of their jaws must've dropped. The girl was wearing quite a small shirt that wrapped tightly to her chest shape. Her whole stomach was out (despite the cold weather) and she was wearing blue-jean overalls and sneakers. Her hair was put back into two pigtails, and despite the fact that she looked very country; to the three young men she looked quite pretty.
They all hurried to sit down, actually trying to see who could sit closest to Mackenzie herself. After a lot of shoving, James was the one who sat down right by her. Sirius seemed put out.
"Anyway, now that… you're missing one of you, aren't you?" Mackenzie added, twirling one of her pigtails along her little finger, and popping gum rather obnoxiously.
"Yeah, we had problems with him." Remus said hurriedly, the same time that James blurted out, "He couldn't come."
Sirius rolled his eyes simply and sucked his teeth as he added, "Yeah, okay. What they said."
"R…right." Mackenzie said, now smacking on her gum with every word she took.
"Okay, let me introduce you to the girls," she added, pointing to her friends. "Going from order from the end…. This is Tamira, that's Noel, next to her is Deirdre… and finally… me!"
All of Mackenzie's friends (to the average teenage male eye) were all drop-dead GORGEOUS. From the end: Tamira was a dark-skinned beauty that smiled a shy smile at the three of them as she was introduced. Noel was very pale with blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked skinny and foreign but she had a mysterious beauty. Deirdre was heavier than all the others, and had very rosy cheeks and curly brown hair with brown eyes and a dimpled chin. Remus thought that the time spent the four girls would definitely be some kind of adventure.
"Who wants to pair up with who… since we outnumber you guys four to three?" Mackenzie asked, grinning at the table and flashing a lot of herself that it nearly electrocuted Remus to see. James elbowed Sirius, who's jaw dropped for two seconds after catching a peek… then he changed the way he was sitting and trying to look at anything but what Mackenzie was exposing to them.
"How about we just go around the table and share some information about ourselves?" asked Deirdre quietly. She didn't seem very outspoken around the boys. Either that, or she was ashamed of herself or wearing a black shirt with yellow polka dots all over it.
"Sure. I'll start!" Mackenzie agreed, giggling. "Okay, I came to England when I was eleven to go to Hogwarts. My dad was… like… you know, British and all, but my mom was American. We lived in Texas for a while until we all moved here."
"Oh, okay. So that's why you have that snotty little accent." Sirius blurted aloud. Mackenzie looked abashed for a second, and then turned to him.
"Share something about you, then, Sirius Black."
"I like grasshoppers."
Every one of Mackenzie's friends giggled. Remus and James exchanged a look (Sirius was in the middle of them) and didn't quite understand what their friend meant.
"No, sincerely!" Mackenzie said, looking offended that Sirius was ignoring her constant flirty manner, "Tell us something that we should know about the inner you!"
"I have a girlfriend." Sirius said matter-of-factly, "And I'm only here to support Moony."
That statement definitely shut the four girls up. They looked at each other, as if wondering what to do next. Either that, or they didn't understand what Sirius had meant by Moony.
"Okay… fine. Deirdre… you next."
"I have a perfect average in Muggle Studies," said the shy girl, looking around the table and folding her hands nervously, "And I also am very fond of Gobstones."
Remus felt his eyes roll and his mouth opening up into a yawn. Why had he agreed to meet up with Mackenzie, again?
"Well…" started Noel, noticing the silence at the table. James looked at her, a peaceful expression on his face.
"You know… Noel… you're beautiful?" James stated, his eyes drooping and swallowing thickly. He leant across the table on his left hand, staring dreamily at the petite blonde.
"You know… Prongs… she's a Veela?" input Sirius, quite bitterly, elbowing his friend's own arm off the table.
Noel looked abashed. "I do not hav to take this attack on my culture! I am leaving!"
And without further ado, she rushed out of the pub, her head held high and her long, golden hair flowing after her.
"What'd you do that for?" asked Tamira. "She's very sensitive about her background."
"I was just stating the facts." Sirius added bored, looking at her. "You're a Hufflepuff."
"I know… and I know Ariana." Tamira replied, "But I haven't come here to court-up with you. I came to meet your friends, who Ariana talks about all the time."
Sirius' bored state died in about two seconds after her statement. "What do you mean?"
Tamira played with an olive on a toothpick that she had in the drink she ordered. She looked up at Sirius, who looked back at her and showed no sense of fear or awkwardness.
"She talks about your mates all the time. She says they're hilarious, and that I should get to know them."
"Oh," Sirius smirked, glad that she didn't mean what he had thought. He was still very tender on the subject of what happened between Peter and Ariana.
And speaking of whom…
The door to The Three Broomsticks opened with a gust of wind. Someone couldn't get the door closed, and that amused some of the pub regulars who laughed at him or her.
"Ow." The person complained, as they straggled in. Sirius' expression perked up at once.
"Moony, I'm going to ask this once. Why… is… he… here?"
"I invited him…" Remus said slowly. Sirius' angered face snapped over in his direction, and Remus pulled Sirius closer to him by the shoulder so that he could whisper in his ear.
"Listen, if you want to have any more adventures, you're going to need Peter to freeze the Willow!" Remus reported, "So cool off, okay?"
Sirius, at seeing Remus' reasoning, nodded once and watched (along with the others) as Peter sat down on Remus' other side.
"Hello, s-sorry I'm l-late… I'm Peter," introduced the pudgy boy.
…. After about an hour, Remus had grown bored. He came to the conclusion that Mackenzie was a big flake, Tamira was stubborn and quite masculine, and that Deirdre liked Peter. Feeling disgusted, he elbowed Sirius who caught the drift right away, and he elbowed James.
"We're late for…" James started off, looking at his friends for help.
"We aren't late, we're just leaving, so c'mon. Nice meeting you all, let's not do this again anytime soon… our people won't be calling your people… sayonara!"
With his parting words, Sirius utterly got up from the table, and bolted from the pub. James was quick to follow his best friend, grinning madly as they both ran around in circles in front of the pub's window. Remus was the last to get up, smiling uncertainly. He had always liked Mackenzie… what would she think of him if he left her?
"I'm going to leave too. Here's for what we ordered…" Remus stated softly, with a sigh. He put a galleon on the table and looked at Mackenzie. "See you around?"
"Yeah," Mackenzie said softly, standing up to give Remus a hug. "I'll see you around, okay, Remus?"
"Okay…" Remus agreed, and hugged her. It was the most wonderful… yet… most embarrassing time of his life.
-x-
"You look… amazed."
"I am! I never saw this many shops… with so much to do… and…" Alanze wished she had another pair of eyes so she could take the whole of Hogsmeade.
"Where do you want to start?" asked Severus gently.
"Do any of these places sell eye glasses?" Alanze started off slowly. "It would be better if I could actually see where I'm going."
Severus looked at her, "You mean, spectacles?"
"Yes," replied the girl, "Please… if you wouldn't mind?"
"No… it's okay, I know a place," Severus explained, "Follow me."
Severus took Alanze to a dimly lit place with a kind-looking middle-aged Witch behind the counter. As Alanze watched, Severus explained to the witch the situation and the woman immediately got to work. When she began to take Alanze by the hand to lead her into a back room, the younger girl sent a look of uncertainty to Severus who nodded at her, reassuringly.
"I'll be waiting out here." Severus pointed to a few ragged chairs in a corner, "When you're ready – I'll-"
A few figures moving outside in the village caught Severus' eye. He watched them carefully, before heading back towards the door.
"You know what…" the Slytherin started slowly, "I'll wait for you outside. Come fetch me when you're done."
Then, without another word, Severus rushed out the shop and over on the other side of the Cobblestone pathway. The people he knew caught his eye and they made comments to each other before turning to address him.
"Afternoon, Severus. Lovely day, isn't it?" called the cheerfully sarcastic voice of Regulus Black. Beside him were two people: his good friend Rod Lestrange and some older year Slytherin that Severus didn't know too well.
"It's alright." Severus replied, nodding to the three boys. "What've you all been up to?"
"No good, as usual. Rodolphus and I were discussing plans of what we were going to be doing after we leave Hogwarts." Regulus said grandly, looking around lazily and pulling his rather-long bangs out of his face. "And Evan here is just along to listen. He wants to be filled in about certain things."
"He's a Slytherin…" remarked Severus slowly, "What's your surname?"
"Rosier." Answered the boy, "Evan Rosier."
"Ah." Was all that Severus could reply to the three.
"Want to join us in plotting the downfall of Muggle-borns?" questioned Rod Lestrange, grinning. He wasn't as handsome as Regulus or Evan, but Severus knew that he had his own fair share of groupies. Severus also knew he had liked Regulus' cousin, Bellatrix Black, who had already graduated a year previously.
"No, I'm-" Severus started to explain, when a hyper Alanze ran out of the shop where he had left her in, and over to him.
"Severus, she says I need three galleons for my glasses!" the younger girl called cheerfully, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Come back in with me so we can go…"
She shut up quickly at the sight of the other boys. Her eyes instantly went down to the ground and she quieted, respectively.
"You're still… rummaging around with her?" questioned Regulus, sneering. "Oh, I forgot. Your little scheme…"
"Shut it, Black, or it'll all be ruined!" Severus murmured through gritted teeth, as he turned his back on Alanze. "I'll talk to you later."
Then, to the sniggering of his friends, Severus took Alanze by the shoulder and ushered her back into the little store where he paid for her glasses.
-x-
After about an hour of so of mingling and shopping with Alanze, Severus noticed a definite drop in temperature as they stood about the Shrieking Shack.
"There's quite a chill tonight, wouldn't you think?" Alanze said softly, looking up at the little hut. "What's this place about?"
"It's supposedly haunted, but only at night." Severus explained, leaning on a bit of fencing that surrounded the Shrieking Shack and its nearby Church and Graveyard. "I've heard about things that go on here, but never really witnessed them myself."
Alanze sighed, and there was a strong bout of wind. The girl's long braid blew in the direction of the wind and she clutched her body at her elbows, shivering. Severus looked at her and almost gagged, but he knew he had to do the right thing.
"Here."
In a gentlemanly fashion, Severus took off his cloak, shook it a bit and handed it Alanze. The baffled girl looked up at him in her new, silver, circular-rimmed glasses and didn't understand.
"What about the cloak?" she asked, rather naively.
"I want you to… wear it." Severus explained to her, "It's cold and you're shivering."
Alanze's eyes widened, and her cheeks turned purple. She had always remembered seeing boys offer their coats to girls back in her old school, but never had such a thing happen to her. Timidly, she reached out and took Severus' cloak and then put it on. It draped down on her like a tablecloth, mainly because Severus was a good six-to-eight inches taller than she was.
"Thank you Severus." Alanze said, nuzzling the cloak without actually meaning to. "You're the first boy that actually offered me something that wasn't part of a trick. You have nice cologne. "
A pang of guilt rose in Severus' stomach as Alanze smiled at him. He couldn't help, however, but smiling back at her. Something about her innocence put him to peace… and he felt an unfamiliar emotion rise up in his chest. Alanze was giggling softly at him and Severus realized the horrible truth: he was blushing.
The color in his pale cheeks soon left it, however, once he saw them coming around to their side of the hill. His eyes narrowed as he watched the three of them walk towards the two of them.
"I think the house looks lovely from the outside, don't you Prongs?"
The two others laughed at the one talking.
"I prefer the inside, thanks, Moony." Severus watched Potter reply to his friend.
"I like the tunnel, myself." Black contributed to their conversation.
"What tunnel?" voiced Severus, aloud.
The three stopped talking immediately, and stood their ground… which was a good fifteen or so feet away from Severus and Alanze and a good distance for shouting insults.
"What're you doing here, Snape?" asked James, the ringleader.
"Enjoying the view of the house, Potter. And you?" replied Severus, ever so smoothly.
"Same." Sirius answered. Remus, at the time, had said nothing. He was staring at Alanze and Severus in hatred.
"Hallo Alanze," James called loudly, "Bit of a large cloak you got on."
"Its Severus'," the younger girl said, not knowing why there was so much tension between the Gryffindors and the Slytherin. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason."
"Haunted place, isn't it, the Shrieking Shack?" Sirius started up conversation, entitling everyone to once again glance up at the old house on the hill in the middle of the Graveyard.
"Yes, and pity it's only haunted at certain times of the month." Severus commented, not knowing that he was onto something.
All three of the boy's heads turned towards Severus, suspiciously. Severus glanced at them, and cocked an eyebrow unknowingly.
"What'd you mean by that, Snape?" asked Remus, finally addressing him.
"Nothing. I just mean that I hear things that the house is only haunted at certain times of the month." Severus stated, his brain working fast. "You know… Lupin always disappears at certain times of the month too. Where have you been going for all these years, Lupin?"
Remus' face turned pale in about five seconds. Sirius was the one who reacted coolly for once, however.
"What's that to you, Snivellus?" he replied, leaning on the fence rather casually and taking in the breeze. "It's a nice day for Halloween, don't you think?"
"And what does Halloween have to do with the current subject?" Severus launched at the three. Alanze looked at them, uncertain on what to do and or say.
"It's today!" James chipped in, grinning and joining Sirius by leaning on the fence. Remus was still looking quite pale, eying Alanze who kept looking at him.
"I have a question for you, Lupin," Severus stated, breaking the silence amongst the rivals. "How'd you end up knowing Ria… I meant, Alanze… in the first place?"
Remus' eyes narrowed dangerously, "I knew her before you even knew she existed, Snape."
"You didn't answer my question…" the sly Slytherin went on, "You seem like you're avoiding the subject. Either that or you're just angry that…"
To see if his statement would end up being true, Severus calmly put his arm around Alanze's shoulders. All the while, he stood staring Remus quite defiantly in the face. Remus' left eye began to twitch… and for some reason he felt himself going for his wand.
"Lay your filthy hands off of her, Snape!" Remus heard his voice growl, his canine instincts stronger than ever. He wanted to rip Severus into pieces… he wanted to throttle him…
"What, a wee bit jealous are we Lupin?" Severus answered, taking his own wand out and twirling it about his fingers. "You wouldn't want to start something on Halloween, now would you?"
"Why, have you got a treat for us… Ickle Snivellus?" Sirius taunted, now getting his own wand out and joining by Remus' side. "Because I bloody well know that we could show you some tricks."
"Your sense of humor rattles me, Black, it really does." Severus said, watching the three of them group together side-by-side. Surprisingly, James had said nothing – and Severus found that odd being that Potter was the supposed ringleader.
"Don't we have to be going?" James spoke up after a bit. He was eying Severus very carefully and cautiously. "C'mon mates, we don't have to be here with this filth."
Remus lowered his wand cautiously and looked at Alanze. "You're making the wrong choices."
Alanze looked up at Severus, and copied his look of defiance. "I'm fourteen. I can tell what choices are right and wrong, thanks."
"Okay but when it all backfires in your face it won't be my fault." The angry werewolf caught himself saying, before he shrugged free of James' grip on his shoulder and stormed off towards the village.
"Right." Alanze answered in a small voice, "I'll remember that if I ever trust you again."
Severus watched them go, and took his arm from around Alanze's shoulder, deeply puzzled. He looked at the house, and then at the backs of the retreating Gryffindors, wondering.
'The house is only haunted at certain times of the month, and Lupin always leaves certain times of the month. I don't know why I never noticed this pattern before… it's insane.' Severus thought to himself, allowing his hair to whip in his face with the breeze.
'Lupin and Alanze seem to know each other fairly well. I wonder what happened in their past that they're so angry at each other about.' Severus cast a glance at Alanze, who was too sadly watching the three Gryffindors retreat back and up towards the castle.
'Maybe things will go better than I had ever thought them out to be.' He kept thinking, 'Perhaps this'll be worth it in the long run.'
A sharp calling of his name brought him back to reality.
"Severus!"
He blinked fiercely, and then looked in the direction of which his name was called. Alanze yelled to him, and she was halfway down the hill.
"I asked, are you coming along… its time to leave!" the younger girl noted, pointing at the flock of Hogwarts students piling together to get back to the castle for their long-awaited Halloween feast.
"Oh yeah, sure." Severus replied absently, and took up a fair jog to catch back up with Alanze.
"I'll race you back to the village!" taunted Alanze. Severus stopped his jog and looked at her, utterly baffled.
"You'll what me back to the sorry?" he repeated, not familiar with Muggle statements.
Alanze laughed at him. Severus saw a lot of child left in the growing young woman. "A race. Like… as to run towards the village. The first one there is the fastest and wins."
"Wins?" Severus' ears perked at the word, "Wins what?"
"I don't know…" grumbled a disgruntled Alanze, "I guess… Winner's Pick."
A sly grin flew across Severus' face, making Alanze's eyes widen. She hadn't seen a smile on his face in a good while.
"Anything?" he questioned.
"Sure…" Alanze agreed distantly, before rocketing off, skipping and giggling back towards the village.
"Hey! You cheated!" Severus taunted back, not helping but to laugh too as he chased after the younger girl.
'Remus said the exact same thing seven years ago,' was all Alanze could think of, as she ran… the smile slowly wiping off of her face.
-x-
When the rest of the school had reunited with the younger years, Headmaster Dumbledore got to his feet before the feast to say some announcements.
"Good evening students." Dumbledore announced, getting to his feet and smiling at the younger children and his co-workers. "Lovely day for Halloween, wouldn't you think?"
A few loud whoops came from Sirius at the Gryffindor Table. Dumbledore smiled and Remus and James laughed and applauded.
"I have a… surprising announcement to say to students of fifth year and above. There will be a surprise Renaissance Masquerade Ball this Christmas Eve."
There was a lot of excited murmuring. A very dark look crossed Remus' face as he sat waiting for the rest of Dumbledore's announcement.
"Masks will be required to attend. Having a date isn't necessarily required, but is welcome. Younger students are only allowed to attend if they are invited and present the invitation on coming to the Ball. There will be music traditional to the Renaissance era and hopefully a lot of dancing and meeting new friends."
Most of the girls in the hall that filled the requirements looked excited, some giggling and pointing in the direction of boys they would love to invite or go with. James was looking just as sour as Remus felt, yet they both were waiting for Dumbledore to finish.
"There will be a Hogsmeade visit the beginning of December so that all costumes for the Ball will be able to be purchased. Acquiring costumes by owl-order are welcome. With that being said, I give you… your feast!" Dumbledore finished his speech, and smiled at the entire hall before sitting down.
The tables immediately blossomed with all kinds of food for their feast. There were apples and nearly everything that was and could be made of pumpkin. There were large turkey and stuffing platters and slices of baked ham with dinner rolls. Sirius was looking up and down the table as if he didn't know where to start, but Remus and James began to devour anything within sight.
After he had filled his plate with lots of meats, some reasonable vegetables, and filled his goblet with iced Pumpkin Juice, Remus began to think about the Masquerade Ball. Sure, he would love to go… but in costume? Dates weren't required, which meant he could easily spend the whole night with James and searching for girls to dance with… But was that what he wanted to do?
His eyes raked the Gryffindor Table and they once again fell on Mackenzie. She was back in her black robes now, smiling and chatting cheerfully to Deirdre and some other girl that Remus didn't know. He sighed wishfully. Sure, he wouldn't mind attending the Ball with Mackenzie… but somehow he knew that drawing up the courage to ask would be something different entirely.
"Thinking about that daft girl, are you still?" asked Sirius thickly, through a mouthful of mashed potatoes and peas.
"Unfortunately, yes." Remus admitted, cutting a bit of the sausage that he had been eating and spooning pieces into his mouth, "I don't know why, but I like the twit."
There was a small voice to their left that wasn't speaking exactly to them, but to Peter who was a couple people down. Without looking exactly in the direction of the person, Remus looked at James who had a sort-of glazed look on his face.
"I'm going to ask her," the young man in glasses stated, matter-of-factly. "I'm going to ask her and hopes she says she'll go with me."
"Sorry to break this to you mate, but she hates our guts. 'Cept Moony's." Sirius input. Remus' eyes grew wide, hoping Sirius would have left that part out.
"I don't care, I'll prove to her that I'm worthy enough of acting my age!" James added hotly, "Matter of fact, I'm going to ask her tonight!"
"Luck to you, mate." Remus wished him, thinking if he should ask Mackenzie soon.
"I'm asking Ariana!" Sirius cheered, hype as usual. His friends laughed at him.
"Of course she'll say yes – she adores you." James answered, "Lily on the other hand…"
They continued to talk through desert, and got up and headed towards the Common Room after Dumbledore dismissed them. The three were very full and they sat half-sedated in front of the Gryffindor Fire.
"Ah… I don't even know my name at this point, I feel so fat." Sirius moaned, messaging his stomach and stretching backwards. "When're you going to ask her, mate? It's only six of us left in the Common Room."
Remus looked around and took tally, "There's twelve, Padfoot. Peter's coming over here… be nice."
Peter came and sat down on the couch that Remus was lounging on. "Hello," the shy boy greeted.
"Hi," replied Sirius shortly, "How are you?"
"Good. I know you're still mad at me… but at least give me another chance. There's a full moon coming up soon and I'd hate to miss an adventure with you all." Peter apologized, "Forgive me?"
"Okay, sure." Sirius replied sarcastically. James and Remus knew that Sirius held the deepest grudges, and would never exactly forgive Peter for what had happened.
"Thanks," Peter said with a great sigh of relief, as he relaxed on the couch with Remus. "How about that feast, eh? It was great."
Remus laughed a bit, but stopped when he noticed James getting to his feet. Sirius nodded quickly at him and they both grew grave as they watched him make his move.
Not aware of what he was doing, James took a deep breath and headed over to where Lily was chatting with two girls that James scarcely knew. One was a yellow-haired girl named Marissa, whom James flirted with a couple of times and the other was a younger girl named Jane.
"Hey, Evans." James started off casually, sitting on the floor where the other girls were. Marissa and Jane giggled.
"Yes, Potter?" replied Lily ever so smoothly. "What'd you want?"
"Fancy that Masquerade?" questioned the boy, adjusting his glasses, "What are your thoughts on it?"
"I'd like to go." Lily admitted, "It seems like fun. It'll be the first ball Hogwarts has hosted since we were here. Why?"
Marissa could see where James was trying to get to with the subject, but due to the fact that Lily rarely wanted anything to do with James Potter… she was missing all the clues.
"Simply because… I…" there was a deep sigh before James continued, "…I wanted to know if you would go to the Ball with me. As a date."
Jane and Marissa giggled once more. Lily's eyebrows almost flew up into her hairline.
"And how many other girls denied you before you even resorted to ask me?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes. "Amuse me, James Potter."
"You're the first girl that I even thought of asking!" replied James, with a very hurt look crossing his face, "Why would you think I'd ask you as a last resort?"
"Because of the way you are. You strut around using your Quidditch and your intellect to get girls to swoon for you… I'm not like your regular girl so I know you wouldn't come ask me first. I'm not the prettiest thing either, so I know this must be some kind of a hoax."
"It isn't a hoax, Lily!" James reported, still feeling offended. Lily felt her lip twitch. Did James just address her by her first name? "I asked you first and I ask you sincerely – I think you're beautiful and I would like to go to the Ball with you!"
Lily turned her nose up into the air, still not believing what James was asking. "Okay, James Potter. I'll make a deal with you. If you can stop boasting about your Quidditch… and… and show me that you really want me as a date…. I'll go with you."
James looked as if he had a new chance at a miracle. He beamed deeply, punched the air and hopped to his feet.
"You won't regret it, Lily!" he called excited, "I promise! I'll make all those horrible times up to you… I swear it! You won't be disappointed!"
Lily actually smiled at him. "Okay, James. You've got yourself a deal."
"Thank you!" James cheered again. Without even thinking about it, he reached down and pulled Lily's hand up to him. He kissed it lightly and let her hand fall, then ran out the room and up to his dorms, jumping around like a madman.
"I guess she said yes." Sirius added simply, "Should we go join in his splendor?"
"Sure." Remus added, getting to his feet. He avoided Lily's eye as he, Sirius, and Peter romped up towards their dorm. "It was about time that she came to her senses about Prongs, though. He has liked her since first year."
"I agree!" Peter chipped in, and they were the only words between the other three as they headed towards their dorms.
-x-
As the days winded on, Severus began to actually write down all the things he wanted to accomplish by paying the Marauders back for all they did to him. He came up with some pretty interesting suggestions, and was feeling quite pleased the week after the Hogsmeade visit. He was on his way to the Library when Peter Pettigrew met up with him.
"Evening." The Gryffindor boy greeted, smirking.
"Hello," intervened Severus, "What do you have to report?"
"Something interesting will be going down tomorrow night… I can't tell you exactly what… but what I can do is say that if you stick around the castle where they planted the Whomping Willow, I'm sure you'll see something interesting."
Severus smirked, "Okay. Thanks, but if that's all – I really must be going. I have something to do in the library."
"Alright, I'll keep you posted." Peter answered, and then ran away clumsily back towards wherever he came from.
Severus continued on, feeling as if he had a surge of happiness implanted within his chest. He entered the library, walking as though he were skipping, and looked for an empty table to sit at. There, he searched his bag for parchment and began to write when the person he was waiting for sat down beside him.
"Hello Severus, I'm sorry I'm late… I had to sneak past that awful cat that was patrolling the hallways."
Severus looked up, a weird grin still implanted on his lips. The one he was waiting for, looked at him weirdly.
"You're smiling… what's the occasion?" she asked politely, now grinning too. "You have nice smile."
Severus bit his lip, but couldn't stop grinning all the while. He felt the unfamiliarity of a blush creeping up on him again, so he looked back down at what he was working on.
"Nothing… but… right. I'm here to tutor you in what… again?" he questioned, trying to get off the subject. Alanze watched as he snapped close a battered text he had seemed to be writing in. The title read 'Advanced Potion Making'. As Severus noticed her glances, he tucked the book back into his rucksack.
"Ancient Runes." The girl answered, pulling out her text, "I don't understand the place of the fork-shaped rune thing with the crescent-moon shaped rune one."
Severus laughed at her, "You're an odd assortment, Alanze. C'mere… let me show you."
After fifteen-minutes of intense deciphering, Alanze finally looked up from the rather difficult Rune she was trying to figure out. She knew that some words meant other words and that the ancient Wizarding language was totally different from regular English. She put down her half-chewed quill and looked up thoughtfully at Severus.
"Okay no more schoolwork." The younger girl laid her head down on her right arm and was looking up at Severus, who was equally tired. The library must've been getting ready to close… there were scarcely any people left in the entire place.
"No more schoolwork?" repeated Severus, "Okay. Then can I leave from this torture?"
"If it's so much torture, why is it that I don't hear you complaining about it?" the younger girl replied quite wittily.
"Because I don't have anything to complain about… even though I just contradicted myself. You've got me… I'm caught." Severus admitted, grinning despite himself.
"Tell me some more about you, Severus Snape." Alanze asked in a voice that represented how tired she was. "You're such a mystery… but something tells me that there's more behind those dark eyes than what others think."
Severus looked at her, shocked at her audacity to ask him such a thing. "What is there to tell? I'm… me."
"I know you know who you are… but tell me. Maybe I want to know more about you." Alanze added, shyly.
"Ten minutes!" called the librarian, going to close the Forbidden Section.
"I-"
Why was his throat suddenly so tense? He never felt reserved in a conversation before….
"I was born in December. My mother raised me, and we lived in a boarding school in Italy. I've known the Black's for a figuratively long time. Regulus Black has been my friend since he was five and I was eight." Severus stated, rather bored. "There. Is that enough information for your inquiring mind?"
"Italy. Does that me you speak… Italian?" Alanze asked, smiling softly up at him, though her eyes were slowly batting shut.
"I used to be able to speak it frequently before Hogwarts… but now I can only say so much in Italian."
"Say something, then."
"No, I will not."
"Why? You just said you spoke another language and I just wanted to see if you were telling the truth," the younger girl badgered, "Now say something."
"No!"
"Please?"
"Siete un bambina di molti problemi!" Severus launched at her, quite cockily. Alanze looked amused.
"What am I that has to do with problems?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "I hope you didn't call me annoying."
"I didn't," mocked Severus.
"You promise?" asked Alanze quietly.
"Why should I?"
"Because too many people have. It really hurts after a while."
There was silence in the library among them, and they kept quiet until the librarian ushered them out. The two walked the dark, deserted hallways still not knowing what to say to each other.
"Has Lupin called you annoying?"
Alanze looked up at Severus as if he uttered a forbidden spell. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, anyone who has half a brain can obviously tell that there's some sort of link among you two." Severus explained, "What happened between you? Were you like... childhood lovers that broke apart or something?"
Alanze snorted at Severus' theory. Severus couldn't help but notice her blushing as she talked. "He was a really good friend of mine... we lived in the same neighborhood."
Severus didn't press the subject, mainly because Alanze got fairly quiet again after she answered him.
"I told you some things about me... want to tell me some things about you?"
"No."
Severus scowled at Alanze's grinning face. "Why not?"
"Because, Severus Snape... patience, my friend is a virtue!" said the girl, incredulously. "And because this is my staircase. I go up this way and you go... wherever your little Slytherin Common Room is."
"I'll walk you to your Common Room." Severus offered, "I wouldn't want you to get spooked or anything out here by yourself in the dark."
"Thank you." Alanze said, blushing and leading Severus up to the fourth floor.
Severus couldn't believe how gullible Alanze was as he was walking behind her. Perhaps this whole scheme was just a simple act of playing his cards right... she sure didn't suspect a thing.
"Here you are." Severus announced, once they rounded the corner nearly ten minutes later to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
'And here I am, fifteen-minutes in the wrong direction of my four-poster' He thought to himself, as he forced a smile on his face. "G'night Alanze."
Alanze looked at him and then, without warning seized the taller young man in a hug. Severus turned rigid; what was she hugging him for?
"Thank you. You're really good to me, Severus."
The older boy looked down at the girl who had locked herself about his chest in a repulsive manner, but his expression softened and he couldn't explain why his sneer dropped so fast. It took a while, but in an awkward manner... Severus pushed Alanze back off of him and looked down at her.
"Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." He teased, smiling guiltily.
"Okay. Pleasant dreams to you, Severus."
Severus nodded once, then turned abruptly on his heel and began to storm back down to his Common Room. He wasn't supposed to feel bad for the girl...
"Hey Alanze!"
The girl turned right after she uttered the password and the Statue of Armor jumped aside to let her in the Common Room.
"Yes, Severus?"
"Will... you go to the ball with me?"
Alanze hovered at him, as if she could see right through him. Her dark eyes searched his dark eyes and she sighed, quite crushed.
"I'm sorry... but no, I don't think I'm going to go this year. Perhaps another time... okay? I'm sorry."
"Oh. Alright." Severus agreed, and then he turned to leave once more.
The older boy had a lot on his mind by the time he had slipped into his bed clothing, but it all was forgotten, however, as soon as his face hit the pillow and he closed his eyes.
-x-
Going to see if Peter's hint was worth anything, Severus spent most of his Friday after dinner sitting in the corridor that led towards the Entrance Hall and to the grounds. He sat peacefully in the windowsill that had a perfect view of the moonlight. He was about to leave until his eyes noticed some figures moving across the grounds. He watched them.
It was Madam Phompry and the bimbo Healer that helped her out from time-to-time. In the middle was a taller person, not a woman... but a man. Severus narrowed his eyes, trying to see exactly whom they were escorting, and he almost gasped. That person was Remus Lupin!
But it made no sense! Severus thought to himself, about his assumptions that he made back at the Shrieking Shack, and was in such a deep thought that he turned away from the window. When he turned back, Remus was gone and the two Nurses were well on their way back into the castle. Severus' eyes widened; he didn't understand... until a big patch of moonlight flooded in through his window. He winced, shielding his eyes... then he understood. But how could he see if his assumptions were true?
He got his opportune moment when he heard someone coming down one of the many corridors that lead into the Entrance Hall. He saw no one at first, but in the darkness someone slid out of nowhere. That someone was Sirius Black.
And Sirius Black glared at Severus.
"What're you doing here, Snivelly?" Sirius snarled, brushing himself off.
"Sitting. Not a crime, is it Black?"
"It could be. After all, you are doing it," Sirius replied with a smirk.
"And what're you doing here?"
"Walking. I was born with legs so I thought, eh... what the hell, I might as well use them, right?" came the sarcastic reply of Sirius. Severus caught himself smirking... but then turned it into a sneer.
"Yeah, well... keep walking. You're ruining the mystique of the hallway."
"Too bad," Sirius started to walk again, and then once he noticed the direction of the window Severus was sitting on, he paused, and then kept walking again.
"Hey Black."
Sirius rolled his eyes and stopped to turn around to listen. "What, Snape?"
"Do tell me... what's with your friend Lupin and this tree?"
Sirius paused, and a weird emotion crossed his face. "Why... do you ask?"
"Because I saw him being led to the tree, I turned my back for a second and then he was gone. I can't quite understand it."
"Then it wasn't meant for you to know."
"And you're going out there aren't you?" Severus concurred, "You all know what's on the other side of the tree and you're going down there for some kind of buddy meeting, aren't you?"
Sirius clicked his tongue at him. "You're pathetic. Is this all... I'd like to get going."
"Unless it does have something to do with the full moon and why he always goes missing..." Severus went on, "Like he's some kind of-"
"You really want to know?" Sirius snapped.
"Sure. Amuse me."
"You take a long stick, okay and you prod this knot on the side of the Willow. It makes the branches freeze and they won't hit you." Sirius told him.
"Is that all? Wow. What a big secret! And what do you all do? Sit around the tree and lollygag?" asked Severus, smirking from his own joke.
"Listen before you speak, man." Sirius teased, wagging his finger at Severus. "Once the tree freezes, if you're smart you'll see an entrance at the bottom near the roots and all. From the entrance is a tunnel – follow it."
"Where does the tunnel lead?" Severus asked earnestly, not knowing why Sirius was actually telling him where Remus was.
"You're a smart boy you figure it out." Sirius remarked, smirking once again. "But if I were you... I would just think about what I told you and not go."
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Because you'll get your comeuppance, is all. But I'm warning you... you really shouldn't go, Snape." Sirius said in a light teasing tone as he changed direction and began to walk back towards the school building. "G'night, git."
Severus ignored his last remarks, his brain pumping full of information of what Sirius had told him. Was it all a hoax? Should he take the Gryffindor's advice and actually go to the tree?
It was all worth a shot... why not go see if Sirius' nonsense meant anything?
Severus launched out of the castle in a run, his robes willowing behind him. He had to see... he just had to be sure...
-x-
Sirius headed back towards the corridor from which he came. He had an odd smirk on his face, but he walked with his hands outstretched, as if he were looking for someone... or something.
"Prongs... this isn't funny!" Sirius yelled, still searching around for his supposed friends. "Wormtail? Where the blooming hell..."
His two friends pulled off the Invisibility Cloak they had been wearing, both smiling smugly. Sirius looked at their faces, and smirked back.
"What're you looking so happy about? Is the coast clear so we can go visit Remus?" James questioned.
"Well... sorta," Sirius teased, "I had an interruption."
"How so?" asked Peter, a weird expression on his face.
"Snivellus Snape."
"And what'd you do to get rid of him?" James asked, pulling lint out of his hair.
"I told him the truth."
"WHAT?"
"No – not all the truth... it just he wanted to know what was on the other side of the Willow and I teased him a bit, you know? I don't think he'd actually go and see."
"Did you tell him how to work the knot to freeze the tree?"
"Of course, but why--"
"Padfoot how could you!" James roared, "He's going to go down the tunnel and come face-to-face with a full-fledged werewolf!"
Sirius was still smirking, "Oh James, don't count your chickens, mate. Snivellus wouldn't dare-"
James wasn't listening. He strode to the window peering out to the courtyard in three quick steps, Peter on his heels. He arrived just in time to see Severus prodding the knot on the Willow and disappearing down into the ground.
James and Peter both turned angrily at Sirius, who was wearing a look of utmost surprise.
"Oops." Was all the prankful boy could say, smiling nervously with a hand behind his head.
James was on the scene in a moment. "Well don't just stand there, transform!"
Sirius was still smirking, "You make it seem as if we're going to change into super heroes or something."
"You know what I mean!" James shouted back, a wisp of a smile on his face, "Bloody hell... just change, damn it!"
It took them about two seconds to transform into their respective Animagi forms. James turned into the giant Stag, and being the most nimble... he was running out of the Hall and onto the grounds in a few seconds. Sirius was second to scurry across the grounds, with little Peter frantically trying to keep up with the bigger animals.
Peter finally got towards the Willow, and ran into the knot to freeze the tree. It immediately stopped moving, and they all de-transformed... James plunged headfirst into the tunnel and began running.
It took almost an eternity as he ran through the passage... his head hit the top of the cave a few times and his glasses threaten to fall off a couple of times. Sweat was pouring down his face... what if he was too late? And then... James saw him approaching the door and then flinging it open. The young man's throat was pounding deep in his throat...
"SNAPE, NO!"
At hearing his name, Severus turned around just as James yanked him out of the doorway. The two boys fell backwards, Severus sprawled over James... and James still pushing Severus back towards the way of which they came.
"P-Potter... what?" Severus asked, quite confused... but they both grew quiet.
In the doorway where Severus had just stood... was a full-grown werewolf.
The two boys stood together, hoping they wouldn't be seen. The werewolf's senses had the best of them, however. The creature turned its head... and spotted them in an instant.
"Don't... Move." James murmured to Severus. They both were breathing on bated breath.
The werewolf's muzzle rose... he obviously knew that they were there. The creature wanted game. It wanted them to move... so he could chase them and hunt them down. To rip them apart... to kill them...
"Remus." James started softly, and the wolf grunted as if it somewhat understood. The creature was staring at them both with a hunger sort-of lust.
"Remus," James started again, "Listen to me. Go back inside the Shack."
"The Shrieking Shack?" Severus whispered, "I knew it!"
"Shut your mouth if you want to live, Snape!" James murmured back. "Remus... listen. It's me. Prongs. Your friend. Go back inside the Shack...and I'll get Sirius and... Peter and we'll all join you just as soon as you go back inside."
The wolf snarled lightly, as if he knew what James was saying, but all the while, stepping out of doorway completely, and advancing on the two young men.
"It doesn't seem as if he's listening to you, Potter." Severus murmured, terrified out of his wits. If Remus wasn't going to listen to one of his best friends, then who would save them?
"Look, Snape. I'm going to cast a spell on him and once I do I want you to run towards the exit." James told him quite seriously.
"Shouldn't we cast a spell together and overpower him?" asked Severus, backing away from the scene. He really didn't want to help... but, it just seemed as if it were the right thing to do.
"No! You'd hurt him! Remus is still there, you'd know and if you hurt the wolf you'll hurt him too!"
'Typical' Severus thought to himself, 'Ruddy Gryffindors.'
"On three. One..."
"Two..."
As if it knew what they planned to do, the wolf let out a rather loud snarl and took one step towards the young man. Severus panicked and got up to flee – James saw his plan go so very wrong, so he raised his wand as quickly as he could and shot the first defensive spell that came to his mind.
"Conjunctivus!"
The spell hit the werewolf in his eyes, and it screeched. James took that as his cue and ran for his life. He was running, and dodging certain ledges that had hit him on the head on the way up. James ran so swift and so fast he caught up to Severus somewhat near the entrance.
"GO YOU GREAT PRAT! RUN!"
"But- But the tree!"
"WHAT? WOULD YOU RATHER GET HIT BY A TREE OR DEVOURED BY A BLOOMING WEREWOLF?" James screamed at his enemy.
Severus blinked in his moment of stupidity. "Oh!"
Within seconds, James had help hoist Severus out of the passage. He heard Remus coming up somewhat behind him... and called for help. Unsurprisingly, Severus hesitated to give the boy who saved him a hand's up – Sirius shoved him out of the way and went to help James out.
James looked pale and shaky as he took Sirius' hand and launched himself out of the tunnel. "He's going to come out, he's right behind me!"
Severus let out a yelp and began to bolt towards the castle. Once he made it to the doors, James turned back to Sirius and Peter.
"He's going to come out!" he repeated, "Transform, and hurry!"
In a matter of seconds, the wolf bounded out of the entrance of the frantic tree and appeared on the grounds, snarling and hungry. Sirius and James had transformed by that time: the big black dog that was Sirius had pounced on Remus from following Severus' scent, and the stag that was James prodded the wolf sharply with it's antlers, as if he were warning him.
After a couple of snarls and warning bites towards the two larger animals had communicated and convinced the werewolf that was Remus into going back into the tunnel. With a lot of coaxing, the rat that was Peter had pressed the knot on the tree and the wolf subdued itself to going back onto the tunnel. The dog flapped its head as the tree came back into motion and the stag stamped its hoof... then began to run back towards the castle once again. The dog and the rat followed the magnificent stag on going back towards the main doors. The three reached the doors and de-transformed from their Animagi stages. It was a good thing that they stood as regular young men as they entered the castle because as soon as James put his hand out to open the door… it flew open.
And standing in the doorway was Severus Snape….
…Accompanied by a very angered Albus Dumbledore.
What Severus Said to Alanze:
You are a child of many problems/"Siete un bambina di molti problemi"