Chapter 4
"Alice, I think something's wrong with me," Lily told her best friend in hushed tones so the other girls wouldn't hear. They sat in their dormitory room in lacy nightgowns and brush their hair as an evening ritual. The window had grown black and the room was sparsely lit by candles and lanterns.
"How do you mean? You seem fine to me," Alice whispered back.
"Do you remember the love potion?" asked Lily. "In Dollop's class?"
"Oh, how revolting," said Alice, pulling a face. "I wouldn't drink it, so Snape fell in love with me. The worst of it is that he's following me around, it's creepy. Like he's still in love with me or something."
"Still in love with you," Lily repeated in a dead voice. "As in the Hate Sap didn't work?"
"Well, I don't know, honestly," said Alice.
"I think I'm still in love with James because of the potion," Lily spilled out. "Please advise me, I don't know what to do."
"Remedy it," said Alice quickly. "Ask for another dose of Hate Sap."
"I think the Hate Sap's defective. Another dose won't work."
"What will we do?"
"I don't know. But from what you say, Severus has it too." Alice sat back and chewed her fingernails thoughtfully.
"We need more information," said Alice.
"Right. Can you ask him?"
"Knowing Snape, it'll be like pulling teeth from a hippogriff."
"Is there any way we can anything from him? Like a Truth Potion or something? Mix Dark Arts and Potions, and you've got Snape in his element, he probably knows what's going on."
"Well, we can go straight to the source."
"What source?"
"His room. He probably has lots of books on the subject."
"But how can we get into the Slytherin dungeon?" Lily stood up and took her hairbrush in hand. Between the bristles were red hairs nestled together from her hair.
"I think I can figure it out," said Alice confidently. "We'd need the password, of course."
"I know it's kind of far out, but if we do this, we should bring James and Sirius."
"Are you nuts? You hate them more than I do, not counting the love potion. And even if we manage to get in, not seen by any Slytherins, all they will do is try to prank Snape. They can't be of any help."
"They're clever," Lily said quickly.
"Your love for James is corrupting your reason," Alice said tartly.
"I don't love James!" cried Lily. "It isn't real, it isn't!"
"You're losing it, Lily, calm down. We'll figure this out."
"I still say we get them to help. They are good at getting out of tight places."
"Fine. But if all of us get in trouble, don't come blaming me."
*
"I need your help," Lily Evans said to James Potter and Sirius Black on the first of December. A small pang grew in her throat whenever she looked at James, so she focused on Sirius instead.
But both boys stared at her absently.
"What spell are you under?"
"Are you someone else disguised as Lily?"
"It's me, nitwits," Lily said tightly. "I need your help." The library was ancient and dusty, hundreds of years contained in the room in text. Faded tapestries sparsely decorated the few bare spaces on the walls. In the air, books flew the entire height to the ceiling, filing themselves. If you listened closely and quietly, you almost could here the whispers of centuries past.
"What can we do for you, your majesty?" asked Sirius Black rudely.
"I've heard you guys know a lot about the layout of Hogwarts," said Lily.
"Oh, please, we don't need to take that from you," replied Sirius Black.
"We've got rights, you know, you can't go insulting everyone like that," Potter snickered, grinning at Black.
"I wasn't ins-" started Lily.
"We know more than any teacher, caretaker, or headmaster that has ever set foot in Hogwarts School."
"We've found every passage, every secret room, every single broom cupboard."
"We could see you before you even come-"
"-could rob you blind-"
"-escape the castle-"
"-and be on the Knight Bus to London before even Filch showed up."
"But we're nice, respectable boys. The only kind your parents want to you to associate with, of course. We're still gentleman," James added.
"Good. Then you won't mind me asking you to help me nick some things from Snape's dorm room?"
"Did I hear her correctly, Prongs?"
"Not sure I did either. I think she said nick-"
"-sounded loads like Snape-"
"-illegal, of course-"
"Shut up! Are you in or out?" Lily twittered irritably.
"Do you even have to ask?" said Sirius with a big smile on his face.
"Alice, I think something's wrong with me," Lily told her best friend in hushed tones so the other girls wouldn't hear. They sat in their dormitory room in lacy nightgowns and brush their hair as an evening ritual. The window had grown black and the room was sparsely lit by candles and lanterns.
"How do you mean? You seem fine to me," Alice whispered back.
"Do you remember the love potion?" asked Lily. "In Dollop's class?"
"Oh, how revolting," said Alice, pulling a face. "I wouldn't drink it, so Snape fell in love with me. The worst of it is that he's following me around, it's creepy. Like he's still in love with me or something."
"Still in love with you," Lily repeated in a dead voice. "As in the Hate Sap didn't work?"
"Well, I don't know, honestly," said Alice.
"I think I'm still in love with James because of the potion," Lily spilled out. "Please advise me, I don't know what to do."
"Remedy it," said Alice quickly. "Ask for another dose of Hate Sap."
"I think the Hate Sap's defective. Another dose won't work."
"What will we do?"
"I don't know. But from what you say, Severus has it too." Alice sat back and chewed her fingernails thoughtfully.
"We need more information," said Alice.
"Right. Can you ask him?"
"Knowing Snape, it'll be like pulling teeth from a hippogriff."
"Is there any way we can anything from him? Like a Truth Potion or something? Mix Dark Arts and Potions, and you've got Snape in his element, he probably knows what's going on."
"Well, we can go straight to the source."
"What source?"
"His room. He probably has lots of books on the subject."
"But how can we get into the Slytherin dungeon?" Lily stood up and took her hairbrush in hand. Between the bristles were red hairs nestled together from her hair.
"I think I can figure it out," said Alice confidently. "We'd need the password, of course."
"I know it's kind of far out, but if we do this, we should bring James and Sirius."
"Are you nuts? You hate them more than I do, not counting the love potion. And even if we manage to get in, not seen by any Slytherins, all they will do is try to prank Snape. They can't be of any help."
"They're clever," Lily said quickly.
"Your love for James is corrupting your reason," Alice said tartly.
"I don't love James!" cried Lily. "It isn't real, it isn't!"
"You're losing it, Lily, calm down. We'll figure this out."
"I still say we get them to help. They are good at getting out of tight places."
"Fine. But if all of us get in trouble, don't come blaming me."
*
"I need your help," Lily Evans said to James Potter and Sirius Black on the first of December. A small pang grew in her throat whenever she looked at James, so she focused on Sirius instead.
But both boys stared at her absently.
"What spell are you under?"
"Are you someone else disguised as Lily?"
"It's me, nitwits," Lily said tightly. "I need your help." The library was ancient and dusty, hundreds of years contained in the room in text. Faded tapestries sparsely decorated the few bare spaces on the walls. In the air, books flew the entire height to the ceiling, filing themselves. If you listened closely and quietly, you almost could here the whispers of centuries past.
"What can we do for you, your majesty?" asked Sirius Black rudely.
"I've heard you guys know a lot about the layout of Hogwarts," said Lily.
"Oh, please, we don't need to take that from you," replied Sirius Black.
"We've got rights, you know, you can't go insulting everyone like that," Potter snickered, grinning at Black.
"I wasn't ins-" started Lily.
"We know more than any teacher, caretaker, or headmaster that has ever set foot in Hogwarts School."
"We've found every passage, every secret room, every single broom cupboard."
"We could see you before you even come-"
"-could rob you blind-"
"-escape the castle-"
"-and be on the Knight Bus to London before even Filch showed up."
"But we're nice, respectable boys. The only kind your parents want to you to associate with, of course. We're still gentleman," James added.
"Good. Then you won't mind me asking you to help me nick some things from Snape's dorm room?"
"Did I hear her correctly, Prongs?"
"Not sure I did either. I think she said nick-"
"-sounded loads like Snape-"
"-illegal, of course-"
"Shut up! Are you in or out?" Lily twittered irritably.
"Do you even have to ask?" said Sirius with a big smile on his face.