That night, Severus lay awake in bed longer than he should have, head spinning as he tried to wrap his mind around what he had seen during Astronomy. He was certain that Remus Lupin had been one of the two people to enter the passage under the Whomping Willow. But hadn't James Potter told him Remus was ill? James was a liar, obviously, but there could have been a grain of truth to what he had said. Severus had seen Madam Pomfrey at the base of the Willow as well, after all.

In the end, Severus decided to ask Lily for her opinion. She was in Gryffindor; perhaps she had some insight into Remus' behaviour. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and spent the night's few remaining hours in comfortable, dreamless sleep.

Finding Lily the following day turned out to be more difficult than he had anticipated. It took some doing to ditch Mulciber, who wanted Severus to complete his Potions homework for him, and even after all that effort, Lily wasn't in any of their usual meeting spots. Evidently, she was no longer waiting for him to spend time with her. His stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought.

By the time he finally spotted her on the sixth floor, the afternoon free period was nearly over. Her robes rustled against her ankles as she strode towards Professor Slughorn's office. Severus caught her by the arm and she turned, her green eyes widening in surprise.

"Sev?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you," he said.

Her eyebrows raised, joining her eyes in disbelief. "Really?"

"Really."

"And here I thought you'd forgotten about me again," she said. Her tone was light, but Severus could hear the hurt lingering beneath her words.

"Impossible," he said. "I could never forget about you. But I understand if you're angry — I would be, too, if I was you."

Lily tilted her head, thoughtful. "I'm not angry, really. It's more… God, Sev, I'm worried about you. There's some nasty rumours about that group of Slytherins you've been hanging around, did you know that? I mean, they say Mulciber —"

"That's not my choice," said Severus quickly. "Not Mulciber, at least. I told you, he's been making me do his homework for him, but we're not friends. I promise." He stared intently at her, trying to convince her of his sincerity, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"I just don't want you ending up like them."

"Never," he said. "Though if I grow about three feet and start speaking in grunts, you'll know Mulciber's rubbing off on me."

The worried line between Lily's brows relaxed as she gave him a small smile. "You think the rumours are true that he's part troll?"

"It's hardly a rumour at this point," said Severus. "Editing the excrement he calls an essay has taught me that there really is no limit to human suffering."

Lily's laugh was bright and genuine. "Stop it, you're too much!"

"It's the truth. A part of me dies every time I come across another one of his hideously misspelt words. I think my lifespan's been shortened by half already."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Has anyone ever told you you're a drama queen?"

Severus shrugged. "There's a certain red-haired girl who says something similar whenever I make a particularly astute observation…"

"She sounds wise," said Lily. "You should listen to her." She started down the corridor, gesturing to indicate that he should follow.

"Where are we going?" he asked, hurrying to keep up with her.

"Sluggy's office," said Lily. "I've got a question about my independent study."

"Does this mean I get to find out what you're brewing?"

"Maybe. If your Potions knowledge is good enough to read between the lines."

"I taught you everything you know about Potions."

She jostled him with her shoulder, pushing him into the wall. "You taught me everything I know about everything."

"Exactly. I'm sure I can figure out whatever it is you're making."

"I wouldn't be so confident," she said. "I believe, in this case, the student has surpassed the master."

"You wish. You stand on the shoulders of giants."

"You're calling yourself a giant now?" she asked. "They're only one degree removed from trolls, you know. You're sure Mulciber hasn't rubbed off on you?"

Severus opened his mouth to respond, but her emerald eyes sparkled with humour as she grinned at him.

The door to Professor Slughorn's office swung open before they could knock; evidently, the Potions professor had been expecting them. He was reclined comfortably behind his desk, a box of half-eaten bonbons wrapped in gold foil balanced on his considerable stomach.

"Lily Evans!" cried Professor Slughorn, popping a chocolate into his mouth. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Ah, and I see you've brought, er, Silverus along with you."

Severus resisted the impulse to hurl Slughorn's box of bonbons at the wall.

"I had a question about my independent study, Professor," said Lily. Professor Slughorn's eyes immediately flickered to Severus, and she hastened to add, "He doesn't know anything about it, sir. I've kept it secret like you told me to."

"Very prudent of you, my dear girl." Professor Slughorn straightened, and the box of chocolates tumbled off his waistcoat and onto the desk. "Very Slytherin of you, I should say. Bonbon?"

"Ooh, yes, please." Lily took the box off the desk and picked through the remaining chocolates. "And Slytherins aren't the only ones who can keep their mouths shut, Professor. Want one, Sev?"

Severus shook his head. He wished Professor Slughorn would stop looking at him with such suspicion. Despite Severus' obvious skill in Potions — and despite being in Slytherin — Slughorn had never had much time for him, preferring students who were more boisterous or better connected. Severus was well aware he would never be part of the Slug Club, having all the charisma of a dead toad. Still, the professor's indifference stung.

Professor Slughorn rubbed a hand across his mouth, considering. "I suppose no harm will come if your friend overhears a snippet of our conversation. Can you keep a secret, Sliverus?"

"Severus won't tell a soul." Lily's correction was gentle, but the corners of her mouth twitched. "He's completely trustworthy. Slytherins, you know."

Professor Slughorn laughed. "Even you have to admit it, my dear girl! Nobody keeps a secret better than my House." He settled back into his chair, still chuckling to himself. "Now, what is your question? Ask away — I would be glad to be of assistance."

"Well, sir," she said, "the potion keeps spoiling. Correcting it with rue doesn't work, even though that's what all the textbooks say to do. I really wanted to figure it out on my own, but I've tried everything, and I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

Professor Slughorn scratched his chin. "What time of day do you add the rue?"

"High noon, sir."

"And in what phase of the lunar cycle?"

"Always within three days of the new moon."

Slughorn nodded approvingly. "Do you handle the rue with your bare hands?"

"Never, sir. I always use gloves."

Professor Slughorn raised his eyebrows. "Dragon-hide gloves?"

Lily blushed, and Severus suddenly realised what the problem was. "Actually, sir," she said, "I've been using gardening gloves that my mum lent me. They're made from cowhide, which is standard for Muggles…"

Professor Slughorn began to chuckle, his belly shaking. "Muggle gloves! From cowhide! Lily Evans, whatever are we going to do with you? Servelus, do you happen to know where Lily went wrong?"

Severus gritted his teeth. He wanted to curse Slughorn for both the mispronunciation of his name and the way he laughed at Lily's ignorance. "Rue is a non-magical ingredient, sir," he said flatly. "As such, it should always be handled with dragon-hide gloves. The oils from the gloves infuse the rue with trace magical elements, allowing it to blend with the other ingredients in the potion."

Lily looked shocked. "But that's — that's not in any of our Potions texts! Why didn't I ever hear — why didn't anyone tell me about that?"

"But it's common knowledge, my dear!" said Professor Slughorn. "Why else do you suppose we require dragon-hide gloves starting in year four?"

"I don't know," said Lily, putting her hands on her hips. "Because that's just what wizards use?"

Professor Slughorn's bushy moustache quivered with the force of his laughter. "Ah, Lily Evans, you never cease to amaze me! Even after years at Hogwarts, there are still gaps in your knowledge, eh? Although I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, what with your heritage… it makes me wonder what you could achieve, if you hadn't been raised by Muggles…"

Lily flushed crimson from her neck to her hairline. Severus wished he could sink into the plush carpet and disappear.

"Come on, Lily," muttered Severus as she opened her mouth to respond to Professor Slughorn. "You got your answer, let's just go…"

As soon as they were out of Slughorn's office, Lily exploded with anger. "What I could achieve if I hadn't been raised by Muggles?! That's not — he's got no right —"

"Well, he isn't a complete waste of space," said Severus. "At least now you know —"

"— What everybody else knows except me, apparently!" she said, rounding on him. "You knew, too, don't deny it!"

Severus grimaced. "It's one of those things —"

"Why didn't you say something one of the hundreds of times we've had Potions together? When you saw me using those gloves?"

Somehow, Severus didn't think it would diffuse the situation to tell Lily that he thought it was cute she used her mum's old Muggle gloves to brew potions. "It's never really mattered before, but if you're making a N.E.W.T.-level potion —"

"Which I bet you still haven't figured out —"

"I have a guess." Slughorn had let enough slip that Severus had a decent idea about what she was making.

Lily crossed her arms. "Let's hear it, then."

"Well, it's obviously a very sensitive potion if you have to take into account the phases of the moon," he said. "Judging by the way Slughorn wants you to keep it secret, it's probably something dangerous or valuable. Which leaves us with a few options." He began to tick them off on his fingers. "Amortentia. Polyjuice. Felix Felicis. Wyrmwine and the Drink of Despair are possibilities, but I can't see you agreeing to brew Dark potions. None of these uses rue except Felix and Wyrmwine, and of the two, Felix is more your style. It is Felix Felicis, isn't it?"

A glance at Lily's face told him he was right. "I can't believe you guessed," she said, deflating. "Slughorn did want me to keep it a secret, but I also… I also wanted it to be a surprise. I thought maybe after our O.W.L.s, we could, you know, try a little…"

The thought of taking Felix Felicis with Lily made Severus' heart run laps inside his chest. A lucky day, a perfect day… Perhaps that would be exactly the push they needed… Perhaps there was a chance she felt the same…

Any response he gave would betray the turn his thoughts had taken, so he decided to change the subject. "I've been meaning to ask you something. You know Lupin? Remus Lupin?"

"Of course, he's in my year." Lily looked suddenly apprehensive. "Is this about Potter and Black? What they did yesterday?"

Severus flinched. "You know about what they did yesterday?"

Lily smiled sadly. "Sev. You've got a welt the size of a Galleon on your cheek."

Severus touched his face, frowning. He didn't make a habit of looking in the mirror. "Ah. Well, this is something separate. Sort of." He told her what James had said about Remus being ill, and what he had seen from the Astronomy tower.

When he finished, Lily's delicate brows were furrowed. "Well, whatever it is, I wouldn't worry about it," she said, shrugging.

Severus stared at her. "But they froze the Whomping Willow. Why would Lupin need to do that?" A bolt of inspiration struck him. "You do prefect rounds with him, don't you? Are there times when he doesn't show up?"

Lily shook her head, but she wouldn't meet his eye. "I mean, he's absent once in a while, but —"

"Did you patrol last night? Was he absent then?"

"I… look, his mother's ill, alright?"

"So it's his mother, now? Does she live under the Whomping Willow?"

"I'm not going to talk to you if you're going to be like this," said Lily. "You don't need to be getting mixed up with Potter and his friends."

"Who said anything about Potter? Is he in on it, too?"

She stamped her foot in frustration. "Sev, you are being impossible!" She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and picked up her pace, not waiting for him to catch up. Her dark red hair swung behind her as she rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

Severus watched her leave, grim but satisfied. One thing was certain: whatever was wrong with Remus Lupin, Lily knew about it, and she didn't want him to find out.

"Ready, you lot?" asked James, standing on his bed and shaking his Invisibility Cloak impatiently.

"Born ready." Sirius snatched the Cloak out of James' hands and threw it around himself. "I've been practising, and I make a very good ghoul. You ought to hear me scream."

"That was you, then, in the loo?" said Remus as he ducked under the Cloak. "Because the noises you were making reminded me of a lot of things, but a ghoul wasn't one of them."

"You put Moaning Myrtle to shame," agreed Peter, joining Remus and Sirius.

James drew the Cloak around the four of them, checking to make sure their feet weren't visible. "Alright, Operation: Haunted House is a go."

Hidden by the Cloak, they crept downstairs, through the Gryffindor dormitory — James spotted Lily in the corner with a group of students, playing some sort of Muggle board game that involved a lot of many-sided dice — and out the portrait hole. They narrowly avoided a pair of Hufflepuff prefects in the Entrance Hall, then slipped out the great oak doors.

A blast of bitterly cold night air greeted them, whipping the Cloak around their legs, and Sirius let out a loud moan.

"Shut it, Banshee Black," said Peter, laughing. "Do you want us to get caught?"

"I'm just giving Hogwarts a taste of what a good ghoul I am," said Sirius. "I'm waiting until we reach the Shack to really let loose."

"Merlin help the unsuspecting inhabitants of Hogsmeade," said Remus. "It's bad enough they have to listen to the howls of an actual monster every month…"

Nobody laughed.

"You lot are so P.C.," said Remus. "That was a joke."

"You should try being funny next time," offered Peter. "It might help."

"The full was that bad, eh, Moony?" said James, guiding them towards the Whomping Willow.

Remus tried to shrug, but couldn't quite manage it, sandwiched as he was between Sirius and Peter. "Nothing too out of the ordinary. Got a scratch on my embarrassing bits. It wouldn't stop bleeding, so I had to show Madam Pomfrey. Loads of fun, that was."

"I'll have to remember that one," said James. "Poppy is a ten."

Sirius snorted. "Poppy is a seven-point-five on a good day. I'm a ten."

"Yeah," said James, "But I'm not trying to get you to look at my embarrassing bits, am I?"

"So you agree I'm a ten."

"I agree you're a self-centred git —"

"Quiet!" Peter whispered suddenly, and the group froze. "I heard something. Footsteps."

The four boys turned as one to look behind them. "Nobody there," said Sirius. "Probably Hagrid —"

"Well, there's an easy way to tell for sure," said Remus, drawing his wand. "Homenum Revelio."

The spell was as blinding as daylight as it streaked towards the Forbidden Forest. At the edge of the trees, the jet of light unfolded like a shimmering blanket over a slouched, skinny figure, then faded into darkness.

Sirius was out from under the Cloak before James could stop him, striding towards the figure with his wand out. James pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and flung it to the ground, following him.

"Stupefy!" cried Sirius, and a burst of red light struck the trees. "Where'd he go, that slimy sneak —"

"Sirius, don't," said Remus, jogging to keep up. "It's past curfew, don't draw attention —"

"He's gotta be Disillusioned or something," said Peter, looking around wildly. "Do that spell again, Remus…"

But James was way ahead of him. "Homenum Revelio," he said, casting the spell as quickly as he could. "Homenum Revelio, Homenum Revelio, Homenum Revelio…"

"You really need to learn how to cast non-verbally, mate," said Sirius. He broke into a sprint as James' spells illuminated the figure like gobs of glowing paint. Whoever it was had a large lead and was heading towards the castle; the oak doors opened slightly and slammed shut just as Sirius reached the bottom of the stone steps.

Panting, Sirius sat down on the steps, waiting for the others to join him. James reached him first and threw the Invisibility Cloak around their shoulders. Peter made it to the steps next and promptly disappeared under the Cloak, while Remus waited patiently by the Whomping Willow for the group to join him once more.

"I think that was Snape," said Remus once James had draped the Cloak around him.

"You don't say," muttered Sirius, waving his wand at a stick laying on the ground. The stick hovered in the air until Sirius flicked his wand, sending it to touch a knot at the base of the Whomping Willow. Immediately, the tree's thrashing branches stilled, and the four boys crept towards the hole that lay hidden between the roots.

"Was he following us?" asked Peter, sliding into the tunnel.

"That's what it looked like," said Sirius as he followed Peter down the hole. Turning, he extended an arm towards Remus, who pretended not to notice as he lowered himself gingerly inside.

"D'you think he suspects…?" Peter left the question dangling in the air.

James folded the Invisibility Cloak over his arm and jumped into the tunnel, nearly knocking Sirius over. "Snivellus doesn't know anything. There's no way."

"But we just had a full moon." Remus' forehead creased with worry. "He could have noticed I was missing — maybe Madam Pomfrey said something —"

"Poppy's not an idiot, she wouldn't do something like that," said James.

Sirius grunted his agreement as they made their way to the Shrieking Shack. The tunnel was so low that they had to bend nearly double to avoid scraping their backs.

"We should be more careful from now on," said Remus as they reached the trapdoor at the end of the tunnel. "Especially if Snivellus has decided to play detective."

"Agreed." James hoisted himself out of the hole and into the Shrieking Shack. The others followed suit, dusting off their knees and surveying the decrepit room. "And Moony, if he gives you any trouble — if he even looks at you wrong — you tell us, and we'll take care of it."

"Banshee Black will lure him to an untimely demise," said Sirius, cupping his hands to his mouth and letting out a loud, suggestive moan that rose into a bloodcurdling scream.

"That's very kind of Banshee Black." Remus tapped his wand against a chair. Immediately, thick black smoke poured from his wand, filling the room and leaking through the boarded-up window into the air outside.

"I live to please," said Sirius. He touched his wand to his throat to amplify his voice and let out another long, vulgar moan. Peter whooped with laughter, banging his fists against the walls, and Sirius stopped moaning long enough to pull a bottle from his robes. He took several gulps and passed it to Remus.

"Excellent start," said James, his eyes gleaming as he pulled out his own wand. "Now, show me why they call this the most haunted house in Britain."

That night, the screams coming from the Shack were loud enough to wake all of Hogsmeade, often accompanied by bangs and flashes of light. At one point, the house shook violently from top to bottom, knocking tiles off the roof and into the decrepit garden. By morning, though, the Shack stood still and silent. And if anyone noticed at breakfast that the fifth-year Gryffindor boys looked a little worse for the wear, nobody said a word.

Lily was listening intently to Professor Walog's Arithmancy lecture when something nudged at her foot. She startled, dropping her quill in surprise. She glanced down; a tiny, origami dog was pressing its paper paws against her ankle, wagging its tail excitedly. As she bent to pick up her quill, she scooped up the origami creature, placing it carefully in her lap. With one eye on Professor Walog, she unfolded it, hoping the Arithmancy professor wouldn't notice.

Meet me in Dungeon Six after lunch, read the parchment in Severus' cramped, spiky handwriting. Overheard something important. Need your opinion.

She scribbled a quick response, cupping her hand around the parchment. Please tell me this isn't about Potter and his mates. She tapped the note with her wand, and it folded itself into a paper cat. It stretched lazily, then jumped off her lap and strolled towards the back of the room.

A reply came in the form of a tiny eagle that beat its wings against her shins. Just come, will you? I'll be waiting.

After Arithmancy, she ate lunch with Marlene, who was bemoaning the E she had gotten on her latest essay for Muggle Studies ("How was I supposed to know dirigibles aren't a common means of Muggle transportation? Lily, you're certain you've never ridden in one?"). Across the hall, Severus was trying to catch Lily's eye from the Slytherin table, but she was determined not to look at him.

Against her better judgement, she excused herself from lunch early, leaving Marlene to debate with Mary whether a dirigible was the same thing as a hot air balloon. Severus had already left the Great Hall and, true to his word, was waiting for her in Dungeon Six when she arrived.

"Alright, let's hear it," said Lily, pulling the door shut behind her. Dungeon Six was covered from floor to ceiling in mirrors of varying shapes and sizes, reflecting light in all directions. The effect was dazzling and always made her feel slightly off-balance.

Severus was shuffling from foot to foot with excitement. Whatever he had overheard, he was dying to talk about it. "They snuck out last night."

"Who's 'they'?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Lupin! With Potter and his other mates. They've got an Invisibility Cloak, by the way. I'd bet you anything that's how they get away with everything they do, you might want to tell McGonagall —"

She sighed. "Look, Sev —"

"Lily, please listen to me," he said. "Judge me later, if you must. But I really need to talk about this with someone."

Lily chewed her lip as she regarded her oldest, dearest, and most misanthropic friend. It wasn't like Severus to be so forthcoming. And it really wasn't like him to say 'please'.

"Fine," she said, and Severus stopped squirming like there were Doxies down his robes. "So they snuck out, big deal."

"Right," he said eagerly. "And I heard Lupin talking about the howls of a monster, and he mentioned something that only happens once a month, and then Potter said something about a 'full' —"

Lily crossed her arms more tightly, squeezing her fingers against her ribs. "So?"

"Don't you see?" said Severus. "The howls of a monster? Interesting word choice, right? And 'full', I think that's short for 'full moon', which is something that happens once a month —"

"We should probably head to Potions," interrupted Lily. She motioned to her watch.

"Why don't you want to talk about this with me?" said Severus, catching her wrist. She jerked her arm away.

"I just don't think this is good for you, this new obsession with Potter and his mates —"

"Lupin is a werewolf!" he hissed.

Lily blinked.

"Right," she said slowly, drawing out the word to give herself time to think. "First off, I think that's really unlikely."

"But it makes sense!" said Severus. "What other monster do you know that's associated with the full moon? That howls?"

"Are you sure it wasn't some weird inside joke between Potter and his mates?"

"It wasn't a joke," said Severus. "I'm certain of it. I checked my Astronomy charts and it was a full moon the night I saw him at the Whomping Willow."

"You mean you saw someone you thought might be him —"

"Why won't you acknowledge what I'm saying? Have you known?"

"Known what?" she snapped. "That he falls ill frequently? Sure. But I highly doubt it's because he's secretly a werewolf, Sev. Aren't they supposed to be really dangerous? How would Dumbledore allow him near Hogwarts? Near children?"

"I don't know." Severus tucked a lank strand of hair behind his ears. "But you have to admit what I heard was suspicious."

"Sure, but Potter and his mates say mad stuff all the time," she said. "You'd have to be mad yourself to take any of it seriously."

"I guess." Severus sounded unconvinced.

"Besides," said Lily, feeling suddenly inspired, "This is Remus Lupin we're talking about. He's a prefect, for God's sake. I always thought werewolves were a little more, I dunno, savage?"

Severus frowned. "You might have a point," he said. "Lupin doesn't look the way I'd expect him to. Will you let me know if you hear anything else suspicious? Since he's in your House…"

"I'll do no such thing." She opened the door to indicate that their conversation was over. "I'm not about to go snooping in the business of other people, and I suggest you do the same. I mean, he's friends with Potter and Black, Sev. Do you really want to give them a reason to target you?"

Severus grunted in response, but he followed her out of Dungeon Six. When they reached the Potions classroom, he took a seat beside Mulciber, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief. She needed space, and Mulciber was evidently still forcing Severus to do his work for him.

Remus walked into the classroom a few minutes later, flanked by his mates. Lily had to will herself not to stare; she couldn't help but wonder if Severus had figured out something he shouldn't have.

On Saturday evening, Severus met with the other Intents in Dungeon Thirteen for their first — he cringed inwardly — bonding activity. The past week had gone more smoothly than he had anticipated, but even so, he had no desire to get to know Avery and Mulciber on a deeper level.

As soon as he stepped into Dungeon Thirteen, however, he realised he needn't have worried. The white, high-backed armchairs were stacked in the corners of the room, leaving a large empty space in the middle. Bella stood before them, twirling her wand between her fingers.

"Sit," she ordered, pointing at the floor. Severus took a seat between Evan Rosier and Wilfred Wilkes, the two sixth year Intents. Rabastan Lestrange, the seventh year Slytherin beater, was sitting comfortably close to Bella, as if he wasn't intimidated by her at all.

"I hope you have had a pleasant first week as Intents," Bella began, her focus on the wand spinning in her hands. "Spending time together and performing acts of service for Slytherin House builds bonds and improves character. Tonight, however, we will be doing something entirely different. Who among you has performed an Unforgivable Curse?"

Severus glanced at the others, who looked as befuddled as he was.

Bella shook her head, but she didn't seem surprised. "And how, exactly, do you expect to serve the Dark Lord if you have not mastered the most important tools in a Death Eater's arsenal?"

Severus raised his eyebrows. He was no duelling expert, but even he knew it was poor form to rely too much on a particular spell — or set of spells — when fighting. Any enemy with a modicum of intelligence would learn to see it coming and prepare accordingly. Still, he reasoned, the Unforgivables were as good a way as any to fill Mulciber's limited brain space, so he couldn't fault Bella for teaching them those curses first.

Wilkes raised a hand. "Who will we be cursing, Bella? I can think of a few people I'd like to put in their place —"

Bella barked a laugh, startling Severus. "Oh, no," she tutted, giggling a little. "No, Wilfred, you misunderstand. I'm not giving you free rein to terrorise the castle. No, you will learn to perform these curses by practising on one another."

Severus' heartbeat quickened. Perform the Unforgivables? On each other? Even Wilkes and Rosier looked astonished; only Mulciber was wearing an ear-splitting grin.

"But we've spent all week together," said Lestrange. "We've gotten to know each other. How can we be expected to curse one another?"

Bella's grin widened, her square, white teeth sparkling with light from the chandelier above. "Rabastan, my darling," she said, "that is the entire point."

She then paired them off: Avery with Wilkes, Lestrange with Rosier, and Severus, unfortunately, with Mulciber.

"Imperius first," ordered Bella, surveying the room haughtily. "It's the easiest one to master. As with all the Unforgivables, simply point your wand, say the words, and mean it."

Mulciber levelled his wand at Severus's chest, and Severus screwed his eyes shut. He was determined to leave Dungeon Thirteen with his dignity intact, no matter what humiliations Mulciber forced on him.

"Imperio," said Mulciber. Nothing happened.

Severus opened one eye, and Bella laughed.

"Augustus Mulciber the Third!" she cried. "You've been making friends with little Severus! Who would have thought? You'll have to try harder than that if you want to become a Follower! Severus, show him how it's done."

Her confident tone made Severus clench his jaw so hard he nearly cracked a molar. If he didn't pull off the Imperius curse on the first try, he'd surely suffer her displeasure, in whatever macabre form it took. Luckily, he'd spent the past month itching to curse someone. And who better than Mulciber? Mulciber may have been more friendly to him this past week, but a Wampus cat didn't change its spots.

Severus drew his wand and pointed it at Mulciber. He imagined magic flowing in an unbroken stream down his arm, through his wand, and into Mulciber. The boy in front of him was simply an extension of his being, like a puppet or an extra hand. "Imperio."

Mulciber's expression went slack. He didn't move, and barely seemed to breathe; it was as if he needed Severus' permission to continue to circulate oxygen.

Give me your wand. The thought had barely formed in Severus' mind before Mulciber stepped forward, proffering his wand.

Severus pocketed it. Mulciber was still in a stupor, like he was sleepwalking. A bit of drool slid down the corner of his mouth. Wipe that idiotic look off your face.

Immediately, Mulciber took on a sharp, keen expression. On anyone else it would have been convincing, but the glint in Mulciber's eyes didn't match the rest of his broad, brutish face.

Better, at least. thought Severus. Now give me your robes.

Immediately, Mulciber pulled his robes over his head and handed them over. Bella shrieked with laughter at the sight of him standing stupidly in an undershirt and pants.

"Well done, Severus!" she said, clapping her hands. "Very, very good! His expression is a little unnatural, of course, but there will be plenty of opportunities to fine-tune that later. I'm proud of you!"

Severus gave a short nod, acknowledging her praise, and lifted the Imperius Curse on Mulciber. Mulciber frowned as he looked down at himself, standing in his pants.

"My apologies," said Severus, not bothering to sound apologetic. He offered Mulciber his robes. "It was the only thing I could think of."

Mulciber shrugged, seemingly unembarrassed at being nearly naked. "Honestly, I probably would have done the same," he said. "My turn, then. Imperio."

Severus didn't have time to collect himself. He felt like he was floating, like he'd taken medication that made his brain go fuzzy… he had a sudden urge to do a handstand, but he was able to resist the impulse.

Dimly, as if underwater, Bella's voice reached him. She was telling Mulciber that mere revenge would not generate an effective Unforgivable Curse. Then she dropped her voice so that Severus couldn't hear, whispering something in Mulciber's ear. Mulciber's eyes narrowed.

Cut your hair off, said a voice in Severus' head. Cut your hair off…

But he didn't have a knife to cut with. Severus patted the pockets of his robes frantically, looking for something sharp to use. Distantly, he heard Bella laugh —

Suddenly, his brain was his own once more.

"Nice try, Mulciber!" crowed Bella. "But your own thoughts influenced him too much. You imagined him using a knife, did you not? The Imperius needs a lighter touch. Severus would have used his wand to curse his hair off, had his mind not been filled with your ideas."

And with that, the training continued until they could all cast a rudimentary Imperius curse. Avery made Wilkes kiss Bella on the cheek, and Lestrange forced Rosier to loudly confess an embarrassing fantasy.

Bella had them switch partners for the Cruciatus Curse, which proved to be substantially more difficult than the Imperius. None of the Intents were able to harm the others for more than a few seconds at a time, and even then Severus found the pain underwhelming. He'd had paper cuts that stung worse than Wilkes' Cruciatus Curse.

After watching them struggle for fifteen minutes, Bella let out an exaggerated sigh and raised her hand for them to stop. "I am disappointed," she said. "You must not let the bonds of brotherhood impede you from doing what needs to be done. Sentimentality is weakness."

"I thought you wanted us to care for one another," said Lestrange, who seemed to be the most willing to challenge Bella. Perhaps being the oldest Intent made him bolder — or perhaps the rumours were true that Bella was romantically involved with his older brother.

Or both, thought Severus.

Bella cocked her head like an owl, regarding Lestrange as though he had just said something exceedingly impolite. When she spoke, her words were icy. "I want to form Intents who are committed to one another and to the cause. Commitment is different from caring. It is different from love. A brother who allows his emotions to impede his commitment is a useless brother and a waste of my time. Do I make myself clear?"

They nodded.

"Good." Bella's eyes narrowed. "Severus. Show the others what it means to be committed."

Not again. He drew his wand and turned towards Wilkes, but Bella stopped him.

"No, Severus," she said, laying a hand on his arm. "I want you to curse me."

Severus' grip tightened on his wand. He didn't like being singled out like this. If he couldn't torture Wilkes, who he hardly knew, how could he perform the Cruciatus on Bella, who had gone out of her way to include him as an Intent?

Bella smiled sweetly at him, as if she knew exactly what was going through his mind. Severus shook his head to clear his thoughts. Surely she had picked him because she knew he held her in high regard. She expected him to overcome his emotions. To demonstrate commitment.

Severus raised his wand, not daring to think of what would happen if he failed to meet her expectations. He pictured her writhing on the floor, how good it would feel to do what the others couldn't. How good it would feel to hurt her.

"Crucio," he said, and a jolt of electricity ran down his arm.

Bella screamed. The curse lifted her off her feet and she twisted helplessly in the air, her back bending at unnatural angles. She hit the floor hard, and her body contorted as she gagged, inhuman noises coming from her throat.

After ten seconds, Severus lowered his wand. He stared down at Bella, who lay in a heap on the ground. A low noise came from her throat, growing louder as she staggered to her feet. His heart thumped in his chest. She was laughing.

"You see?" Bella threw out her arms as she spun to face the other Intents. "Severus follows my commands. He trusts that I know what is good for him. He will be rewarded beyond his wildest dreams!"

Mulciber was next to cast the Cruciatus Curse to Bella's satisfaction, followed by Lestrange. After that, they moved on to the Killing Curse, which they practised first on cockroaches, then on rats, and then on six handsome owls that Bella brought down from the Owlery. Mulciber, in particular, was disappointed that they wouldn't practice the Killing Curse on actual humans, but Bella assured him it was no different than using animals. Severus felt a pang of shame as he killed his owl, a great tawny bird with intelligent yellow eyes. It had to be done, of course, but it was such a waste.

After they Vanished the remains of the animals, Bella dismissed them for the night. Severus hung back, however, under the guise of helping her return the high-backed armchairs to their proper places.

"I told you to leave, you know," said Bella lightly, moving one particularly large sofa across the room with a wave of her wand.

"I had a question." Severus flicked his wand at the tapestries on the walls, straightening them. "About what I should do for my pledge."

"You're unsure? I assumed you would create a new spell for us."

"I thought about it," he admitted, "but I've stumbled upon something else. What if I told you there was a werewolf at Hogwarts? Could I capture it and deliver it to you and Lucius as a pledge?"

Bella laughed. "You must be joking! There's no way a werewolf could live at Hogwarts. Have you ever met one? Some of them are Followers, and they are —" she shuddered. "They're awful creatures. They're not human. If there was a werewolf at Hogwarts, we'd know."

"I think this one's different," Severus said. "I think it passes for human better than most."

Her lips pursed thoughtfully, considering this. "I believe you, Severus," she said at last. "And I think catching a werewolf at Hogwarts would be a spectacular pledge. It would showcase your talent and damage Dumbledore's reputation. Imagine, if it got out that the old dotard was sheltering a beast among children! You would certainly capture the Dark Lord's favour with such a pledge."

Severus felt suddenly breathless, as though he were standing at the edge of a precipice, preparing to jump off. "I can do it," he said. "You know I have the ability."

Bella smiled and put an arm around him, drawing him close. "Out of all the Intents, you have the most potential," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "That's why I used you as an example tonight. You make me proud."

Severus merely nodded, his mouth dry. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much physical contact with another human being. To his surprise, he didn't mind her touch.