Lydia strode from the Dungeons to the Great Hall with her head held high, the majority of those in her house treating her with respect bordering on reverence now.
The other Houses watched her curiously. Something definitely seemed to have improved her state of mind since the Marauders read her love letter aloud, leaving her in tears. They shuddered to think what kind of bloody revenge she had planned.
She was smiling slightly to herself, seeming not to care as the now familiar green envelope was delivered.
"What have you got there, Halliwell?" came a familiar cool drawl.
"Just a bit of post." She said casually, tucking into her bag. She may not care that people knew she was getting love letters, but she preferred privacy when reading them.
"You seem to be getting post like that a lot..." He said, seating himself next to her and pouring himself tea. She shrugged noncommittally.

"It keeps things interesting." She said, not meeting his eye. She would never tell him that she secretly wanted to meet this "Half Blood Prince"...
"Enjoying it?" he asked, eyes shining. Again, she merely shrugged, choosing not to answer.
"How do you know it's not another joke?"
"It probably is, and when whoever this is tries to reach the punch line..."She paused and stroked the back of the viper that was resting around her neck. "I'll be ready."
"I'm surprised you have so much control over them. That's not usual. How do you know they'll always listen?" he said, noticing the snake, seeming genuinely interested.
"You don't know when they'll listen, but they seem to like me…and I give them things they cannot get on their own. It's a mutual arrangement."
"Like what?" He pressed, his gaze on the deceptively docile serpent. He reached a hand towards it, but paused, looking to Lydia for permission. She nodded as she answered his question, and he too tentatively ran a finger over its head.
"They are guaranteed meals, shelter and warmth, I have…companions.." She said, seeming to search for the right word to describe her scaled friends. "After what they are given, they are more than willing to run a few errands…frighten a few Gryffindors.." She trailed off, smiling to herself.
"You are truly a special girl." He said, leaning close.
"you're only saying that." She said, though she couldn't help but smile, not so much at his words, but at the marvelous turn of events, the power she commanded and the respect now given her.
"You don't have any idea about who it may be?" She asked suddenly.
"Not a clue," he said. "Though I'm sure a clever girl like yourself will... figure it out eventually."

She offered a cold smile and finished her coffee and rising from the table.
"Good day to you then." He said, raising his cup in a small toast, a solicitous smile on his pale, pointed face. She nodded.

"You too, Lucius." She said before striding from the hall.
Off to the side, Severus watched the entire thing with narrowed eyes and a severe scowl.
"What's the matter, Severus?" Narcissa Black asked keenly. "You look like someone slipped something in your pumpkin juice." Beside her Bellatrix smirked, leaning forward to study the hook nosed youth. He scowled more at her and rose to his feet, leaving the Great Hall without another word. The two girls snickered slightly and scooted over to sit next to Lucius, eager to share the small bit of information with the ringleader of their little gang.

Severus's scowl deepened as he headed toward the common room, stuffing something green further into one of his potions books, a look of utmost irritation on his sallow face. Across the hall, from underneath the invisibility cloak, James elbowed Sirius, unable to believe his luck. They had been ready to follow Haliwell all day, instead they found a lead to the identity to the git who had a crush on her.
Seeming to change his mind mid-stride, Severus began heading toward the library, probably to study some more. James tugged Sirius by the arm. They could leave Remus with is new Girlfriend and fill Wormtail in later.

Silently as they could manage, they followed the greasy haired Slytherin barely able to contain their excitement. This was all too easy! Severus stopped a moment, turning around in the seemingly empty corridor, eyes wary behind his curtain of dark hair. The two Gryffindors froze, holding their breath, not even daring to blink too loudly. Severus moved forward, eyes searching the empty corridor. He Knew someone was there, he had heard their footfalls. Slowly he outstretched one hand not two feet beside the two marauders, feeling blindly.
They leaned away, careful not to make a sound, how did he know they were there anyway?
Barely seeming to breath, he sneered. He must have imagined it, but he could have sworn there was someone was following him. Sirius and James waited with bated breath until he was a few feet away before continuing the chase.
Again Severus changed courses, as if trying to throw someone off, passing the library and moving higher still. But, they followed doggedly, they would discover the identity of Haliwell's admirer and run with that. Oh the havoc they could wreak...
Up and up, though he kept a wary eye open, His eyes darting this way and that to make certain no one was following, though he couldn't shake that nagging feeling in the back of his mind, the feeling he was being watched, and very closely.
They could barely contain themselves as they reached the owlery and hovered in the doorway to watch Snape a bit longer, making sure their suspicions were right before cornering the greasy git and humiliating him yet again. That never got old.
Glancing around nervously, he found a completely different owl than the last one that had delivered the Half-Blood Prince's note. Quickly, he coaxed the disgruntled bird to come down and take the letter. It fidgeted incessantly as he tied the letter to it's leg, obviously unhappy about being woken up. It even went so far as to nip his finger when he tried to make it hold still. Ignoring his bleeding digit, he whispered a name to the owl and watched as it took off, green envelope fastened tightly to it's leg.
Making sure they were blocking the exit, James and Sirius tugged off the invisibility cloak before Severus could turn around and see.

"Well this really is interesting, isn't it Padfoot?" James asked with a wicked grin.
"Terribly interesting Prongsie. What's going on, Snivvlly?" Sirius echoed, stepping forward with his arms crossed casually over his chest. Severus scowled, jaw set defiantly as he backed away step.

"I don't think that's any of your concern." he said softly, dark eyes darting from one to the other.
"No? But we can make it our business." Sirius assured him darkly, leaning close to the smaller boy. Instinctively Severus reached into his robes for his wand. He knew it was only a matter of time before he was discovered, but he would have preferred it happen some other way...
"Ah, ah, ah." James said, wand at ready and pointed directly between the Slytherin youth's obsidian eyes. Severus looked from one to the other, itching to curse them both into oblivion. Sirius now drew his wand as well.

"So, you're the one sending the letter's to Halliwell?"
He felt his cheeks color slightly and knew there was nothing he could do about it. Why had he even bothered? He would be nothing but a joke now that they had found out. Severus's blush was all the confirmation the Gryffindors needed.
"How can we turn this situation to out advantage, Prongs, mate?" Sirius asked with a broad smile.
"You know, Padfoot, I was wondering the same thing. Ever wonder what she'd do if she found out?" He asked, grinning wickedly at Severus all the while.
"I don't know. Maybe she'd like it..."
"Can't have that, now can we?" James asked, pointing his wand at Severus , who had made a desperate move for the exit, and performed the leg-locker curse. He snickered in a self satisfied manner as the hook nosed Slytherin keeled over, landing hard on his face.

"We could always help the next few letters." Sirius offered, glancing unconcernedly down at Severus, moving his foot subtly to pin down his wand as it rolled from his grip.
"Sounds like a plan." James agreed, reaching into Severus's forgotten bag and pulling out a fistful of green envelopes. "Shall we then?"
"Oh definitely." Sirius said with relish.
Laughing and surreptitiously bundling up the invisibility cloak, James withdrew a quill and ink from his own bag, seating himself on the angrily spluttering Severus's back.
"Snivvlly's handwriting. Can you manage mate?" Sirius asked, taking a seat as well, and non too gently either.
"hmm...I'm sure I could...If I had help.." He said, grabbing some of Severus's homework from his bag and studying it carefully as he wrote.
"What to write..."
"My dearest Lydia..."James began, batting his eyes in a cruel parody of one in love. "You're a right attractive little slag…and the things I'd like to do!..."
"Snogging would be a start. Write how he wants to snogg her senseless!"
"And then we could move the action to the dungeons.." By this time Severus was beside himself with fury. It was bad enough they had found out, did they really need to make her hate him when she already seemed barely aware of his existence!
"Stop wiggling, Snivvlly, you're making this hard to write." James said, sniggering.
He fell silent and rested his forehead against the cool floor. He could drop out. His mother would be disappointed perhaps, maybe he could transfer to Durmstrang...
he wouldn't have to deal with this any more, nad more importantly, he wouldn't have to face Lydia. James was still reading aloud the list of offensive things "Snape" wanted to do to Lydia, writing all the while. Sirius was throwing in his own ideas which caused James to laugh.
"Granted, Prongs, these things wouldn't be too bad to do to other people too," Sirius said with a cheeky smirk.

'Yeah, but not with Haliwell.." James retorted, snorting. "Honestly, Snivvely, I don't much care for your taste in girls."
Near the end Snape was actually fighting back tears. She would hate him for certain now, and he didn't doubt they would reveal his identity to her conveniently after she had received their little letter. Why did this always have to happen to him? What did he do to deserve this? he never should have sent her those letters in the first place. All they did was make them both miserable anyway...
"We still gotta sign it the Half-Blood Prince." James nodded as Sirius looked down at Snape. "Half-Blood Prince?" He asked with a snort of laughter.
Snape said nothing, looking as though her was willing himself to dissapear.
"You're a half-blood?" Potter pressed, sounding surprised.
"obviously." Severus said, his voice barely audible.
"Interesting thought."
"shut up." He spat. He had made his decision. After they had left he would write home and beg to be transferred to Durmstrang.
"I think we're done here, Padfoot," James said as he signed the letter with a flourish.
"Agreed, Prongsie." Sirius said, tying the letter to the leg of an overexcited barn owl. "Shall we go see the results of our hard work?"
"We shall. But first, to make sure Snivvelus doesn't bother us..."
Snape closed his eyes resignedly. He knew this was coming. Maybe Lydia wouldn't find him...
"Just a simple charm to keep you still for a bit." James assured him in a devastatingly accurate impression of Madam Pomfrey comforting a nervous patient.
Sirius pointed his wand at Snape now as well.

"on three then, mate?"
"That's good. One. Two..."
"THREE!" And while James performed the stunning curse, Sirius used the ever popular 'Petrificus Totalus', leaving Snape not only immobile, but unconscious as well.
Chuckling at their cleverness, they moved back down to the grounds outside, searching for a crowd that would surely soon be gathering.