AN: Sorry for the long delay between chapters… I was in the process of moving across the country and I just got my Internet back. I am hoping that there will be no more long delays between chapter updates. Thanks to my Love Kanrin for helping me through the tough writers block spots I get myself in. Thanks also to Ireth Enelya for her quick grammar lessons… My Beta Claire has been sick so any mistakes are so my fault and not hers.

AN Addendum: This note is for those who may have issues. For the purposes of story development and because a good friend requested it Harry Potter is GAY. That's right, while there will be no actual slash in this story and it is only mentioned in passing and very passively I just thought you should be warned ahead of time after I received a review asking about it.

Chapter 13 – Window into the Vipers Den

"Bloody Brilliant! I wish I had been there to see it!" Harry crowed, "Snape must have been furious."

Hermione giggled "How absolutely devious! Humiliating not only Professor Snape but also all of Slytherin in one fell swoop! It would almost make you think the girls were Weasleys! The twins would be proud."

Remus and Sirius jolted at her words, as they hadn't yet told them the true identities of the girls.

"Circe's Tit's! Malfoy must have been livid. I'm damn surprised you made it out of school that year alive. From the tales I've heard from Blaise about Draco's dad He had just as small a hold on reality as Moldybutt used to."

Green flames flared up in the fireplace as a head poked through. "Harry?" the voice said timidly "You there?"

"I'm here love, what's wrong?" Harry replied

"I was just wondering what was going on. The Weasley twins Floo'd me to tell me you were coming here instead of straight home."

"Ummm Remus, is it ok for…" Harry began but Sirius interrupted him.

"Just come on through Blaise. You should know by know you are always welcome."

The quiet dark haired Slytherin walked out of the fire and quickly into his lover's arms. "Il mio amore, missed you" he murmured

Harry's smile lit up the room and murmured something back to his love before pulling him down in front of the chair. Blaise took up a posture not unlike that of Sirius in front of Remus.

"So what's going on?" he asked as he sat down.

Harry quickly filled him in and passed him a glass of Firewhiskey.

"Oh Merlin! I've heard this story!" Blaise Zabini chuckled. 'My father used to tell me this story when I was little."

"Oh?" Remus said, "Please do tell."

"Well according to my father after the 'Humiliating Dance Number' Malfoy called a meeting in the Slytherin Common Room that night…"

The room buzzed with people all trying to talk at once, Lucius walked down the steps from the seventh year dorms and called the meeting to order with a sharp rap of his cane. The room fell silent at once.

"This latest prank by those so called Marauders was an absolute outrage!" He began "Those stupid Gryffindor prats need to be taught a lesson in respecting their betters."

A chuckle came from the other side of the room, and Malfoys head turned towards the sound. "You have something to say Zabini?"

"I thought it was funny, you really need to learn to loosen up Malfoy." Trevor said "Besides the Headmaster even joined in, he's not going to take too kindly to any retaliation."

"What that bumbling fool thinks is irrelevant!" Lucius spat his face turning quite a vivid shade of puce in his fervor.

"Lucius is right! They have to be made to suffer for this latest Humiliation!" Narcissa Black's eyes seemed to crackle with indignation.

Trevor Zabini chuckled under his breath as he heard Severus mutter. "Cissa You would think Lucius was right if he told you the Easter Bunny was going to fuck you in your sleep if you didn't leave him carrots"

Lucius sneered his upper lip curling making him look like a very fair haired mean dog " Zabini if you have nothing constructive say kindly keep silent, these ... Gryffindors," he spat the word like the vilest curse. " MUST be brought low everyone of them blood traitors with their little mud blood slut women they think they can poke fun at their betters they think to Make us dance to their tune, We should see their blood paint these hallowed halls and drive the entire house screaming into the night with the silent bloody vengeance we will bring just to keep the wizarding world pure they deserve death not to mention this newest insult I want them whimpering and bleeding at my feet and only when they beg for death will we grant them it's sweet release ... We will attack tonight and destroy them all when they lest expect it in a way they least suspect, WE WILL SEE THEM BROKEN!" "Oh for the love of Merlin boy - shut the hell up!" croaked the old man in the painting above the fireplace. "Do you love the sound of your voice that much or have you just misplaced the few brains you were allotted?"
Startled Lucius spun around rage mottling his other wise flawless complexion "who dares to speak...such" seeing no one Lucius looked around bewildered.

"Oh just keep your Bloody mouth zipped boy," The painting spoke again "What has my House come to? Are you Slytherins or not? Painting the walls of Hogwarts with the Blood of Gryffindors? Circe's Tits! Stealth, Boy that is what is called for and the cunning I thought was paramount to being in this house in the first place. You Mr. Malfoy are as big a bloody prat as your great grandfather." Phineas Nigellus Black's eyes swept the room stunned to silence "Oh do close your mouth Narcissa you look like a rather stupid codfish."

Trevor could no longer hold in his laughter. Severus looked up at the painting with a smirk on his face for the first time in hours

Lucius looked up still retaining a touch of fire " And you a decades old painting have a better idea old man? Do you think like Zabini that we should just let these blood traitors get away with soiling the honor of our house?"

"Boy I was plotting against the sodding perfect Gryffindors when your Great-Grandfather was in short pants. So curb your attitude and listen to someone who knows more than you do."

"It's not like that takes much." Severus said sotto voce.

The painting and Malfoy seemed to argue back and forth for the better part of an hour, before Trevor heard the rejoinder to top anything that had been thrown out over the course of his seven years at Hogwarts.

"But it's all part of my cunning plan..." Malfoy whined.

"Malfoy, you wouldn't know a cunning plan if it painted itself Gryffindor Red and danced naked on the high table singing Happy days are hear again!" Black sniped.

Both Trevor and Severus collapsed into laughter before heading up to the dorm leaving Lucius in the capable hands of Narcissa's Great -Great -Grandfather's Painting.

"...And that is all I know." Blaise said finishing his tale. "Father didn't actually find out what the plan was until much later."

"Unfortunately neither did we." Sirius mumbled under his breath.

Remus hushed his friend. "We're getting a bit ahead of ourselves Sirius. Thank you Blaise, for the startling and somewhat unsettling view inside the Slytherin Common Room." He flashed her a slight smile.

Hermione giggled, "I know that the Malfoys have always hated us, but I never knew that Lucius was such a wanker."

"Father says he got better, or would that be worse, as time went on. Not that my father ever agreed with all the shite that Malfoy spewed. Uncle Severus never really believed it either – I think that's why it was such a shock to my dad when his best friend joined the Death Eaters after Graduation. I'm glad my father lived to find out that Snape wasn't a traitor to the light."

"Severus' deepest need at the time was to feel powerful, his home life left him feeling very powerless. After his father killed his mother 7th year he desperately needed something I think no friend could provide." Remus returned.

"Be that as it may," He mused a space. "At least he managed to redeem himself by spying for The Order, even is it was at the cost of his sense of humor."

"He never lost that," Sirius laughed mirthlessly. "It just got a lot darker."

"Ok guys, tangent much?" Ron interjected. "Not that this foray into the psyche of Snape isn't fascinating, but I want to know more about the girls and what they did."

"Wow Mione, I didn't know you could throw your voice. That statement was almost intelligent, tell me the truth did you whisper the words in his ear or did Ron truly have a moment?" Harry joked at his best friends.

Hermione threw a Harry a black look as Ron threw a pretzel, with his hyperactive reflexes honed by years of Quidditch Harry caught the pretzel in the air and flipped it into his mouth.

"All right boys," Remus interrupted again. "We seem to be getting mildly off track."

"Mildly?" Sirius asked sardonically.

"Just a bit." Remus replied.

Hermione who had begun to squirm lightly in her seat raised her hand to get their attention.

"Mione this is not class and I am no longer your teacher and haven't been in years just talk for Merlin's sake." Remus rolled his eyes at her.

Her eyes twinkled in a cunning impression of their former Headmaster as she grinned evilly "Professor?" She said in a breathy voice "As much as I am enjoying this conversation could we pleeeease," she stressed the word drawing it out like a whining first year "take a break? I need to visit the loo, I think I'm going to explode."

The group began to laugh as Remus made a long suffering sigh, and waved his hand at her "Fine, Miss Granger, you are excused."