IT'S CHANGED (SNILY)

CHAPTER 18 She defended

Two people hadn't returned to be the same, yet. Sirius and Regulus. Sirius was in the same position again, Regulus' head in his lap, urging him to wake up.

Regulus took a sharp breath at once. All of them raced around the two brothers, to see what had happened.

Regulus' eyes cracked open and he frowned. They huffed in relief and slumped on the ground. Regulus was awake.

A sob broke their relief. Sirius made Regulus half-sit, held him tightly to his chest and wept. Tears dripped down on Regulus' crown while his loud sobs made the others anxious and Regulus confused.

"Sirius" he croaked. "What the fuck happened?"

Sirius just tightened his hold and continued to sob. Regulus finally pried out of Sirius' hold and sat up straight.

"Would someone tell me wh-" memories came to him in full force, making him nauseous in the process. He turned to look at all of their faces and paused back on Sirius' weeping one.

"I-I am s-sorry" he stammered. "Severus, Selene, Charm, you need to believe me I know something about him. I wanted to tell you but before that I had to test the diary. Please believe me" he sounding more and more desperate by the second. "He used me after that!"

Charm nodded. "We believe you, Regulus" she assured. "Otherwise, you would have egged the diary on someone else"

"Yes, but tell me later what do you know" Severus said. "Not in front of the Gryffindors, though"

Surprisingly no one took offence to what he said. They perhaps, understood the need of secrecy.

Selene groaned. "Pettigrew do you have more of that potion, please"

Pettigrew was more than happy to help; he was of use to someone. He passed the potion from his robes to Selene, easing her pain again.

Regulus' eyes turned to Sirius. "Why the fuck are you still crying?"

Sirius smacked him hard on the head before hugging him to his chest again. "Because, I love you, silly" he intoned and Regulus froze and reddened a little.

"I thought you hated me?"

"No. I hate the way you were on, Reggy"

"You are biggest idiot of the world. Think like a Slytherin once in your lifetime" Regulus choked. "I had to keep up appearances so that I can live peacefully in that household"

Sirius barked a laughter through tears. "Then we can be the brothers again, the one we were at seven"

Regulus nodded. "We'll just have to play a little" he winked earning another smack from his brother. "That will be fun, Siri!"

"I would have really destroyed your room if you had died here" Sirius tried to joke though his sobs were ruining it.

"The fuck, Sirius. Stop crying, now. What will Lupin think?"

Remus blushed at the back and Sirius hugged Regulus for the last time before he whispered. "I love you too, brother"

Sirius smiled and ruffled his hair before getting up.

"Come on, get up, guys" Sirius was back to being annoying.

All the others rolled their eyes and got up from the ground moaning.

"Now, Potter, a word about this out and I have your secret of being an animagus" Severus made a deal.

"You are what?" Regulus' eyes were ready to budge out.

"Not a single word, Snape, if your word is as truer" James agreed.

Severus nodded.

Sirius laughed, though. "Close your mouth, little brother" He soon changed into a grim dog.

"What?! That's so cool, Sirius" Regulus petted the dog. "I always knew you'd become a dog"

Sirius changed into a human again. "You did?"

"Yeah. An instinct" he shrugged. "Potter, you are an animagus too?"

James smirked in Lily's direction, intending to woo her, he changed into a magnificent stag.

"Wow" some of them breathed, obviously that did not consist of the Slytherins.

Lily was impressed but she just smiled, lest she gave out that she found it breath-taking.

James came to his human form again and raised an eyebrow. "I knew I'd be something so graceful"

That got him the eye-rolls.

Regulus looked hesitant. "Are you an animagus too, Pettigrew?"

Peter beamed with pride and changed into his tiny, rat form.

Selene clapped. "I think this is the most useful form, really. He can get so much of information from being a rat"

Pettigrew changed into a human again and blushed under the impressed looks they should him.

Charm frowned when Regulus did not ask the next question. "You wouldn't ask what Lupin is?"

He shrugged. "Well, he is a werewolf"- a few of them sucked in sharp breaths – "I just wanted to spare the unease that is why I didn't mention"

"How do you know?" Remus croaked.

Regulus winked. "Slytherins, remember" then he smirked. "And then I have to keep an eye on people with whom my brother's future is- AHH"

Sirius punched him in the ribs, going red. He cleared his throat and smiled to hide his embarrassment. "Don't you all think we must get to the hospital wing now?"

"Yeah…" a tired murmur rose.

"But how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?" Shane threw his hands in the air before placing them again on Selene's back to support her.

"No idea" Austin huffed.

That is when Fawkes came and sat on Severus' shoulder again.

"Oh… yeah. A phoenix and carry a large amount of load on itself. He'll get us out" Severus declared. "By the way, Fawkes, did Dumbledore sent you here?"

Fawkes shook its head, answering to the question.

"Then how did you come here?" he frowned.

Fawkes nuzzled his head in Severus' jaw.

"Because of me?"

He blobbed his head up and down.

"Aren't you the smartest!" Severus praised. "Does that mean Dumbledore knows nothing about you being here?"

He blobbed his head again.

Severus smiled. "What would you do of the sword and the sorting hat?"

Fawkes pried his beak in Severus' collar.

"You'll hide them! You must leave Dumbledore, really" he joked before Fawkes chipped his ear painfully. "Sorry" he muttered.

"By the way, Peter, only a true Gryffindor can take the sword out of the hat" Lily mentioned. "You were impressive"

Peter turned bright red and scratched the back of his head. The praises of today were just too much for him. "Thank you" he said shyly.

"Remus had to be some really stupid Gryffindor for slashing the Basilisk open" Charm voiced.

Remus flushed and cleared his throat. "Ah… that was the first instinct of me, I didn't really was thinking"

"Gryffindors never think. Just like Black poking his wand in the Basilisk's eye" Selene rolled her eyes.

Sirius seemed proud instead of embarrassed. "As Remus said, the first instinct. Preston jumped in front of you too, without thinking"

Austin choked on embarrassment. "First instinct, I guess? I was at least not taunting him like Potter was"

James sputtered. "What I said was nothing before Snape's taunts on him. Poking his reputation" he mentioned. "You didn't lose your sarcasm even then"

Severus reddened. "It just came with the flow of adrenaline. I at least did not react on my muggle part like Lily did, kicking the Dark Lord in the groin. I bow before you, Lily" he stood in the surrender position and bowed.

"You did what?" Their eyes widened. Lily shifted uncomfortably; she hadn't thought about that before.

"Err… I-Umm… He was going to kill Sev and I couldn't just sit back and see" she argued.

"Still, Lily, kicking him in the…" they laughed.

"Charm saved us after that though" Lily told. "That is when I saw that she was-is really good at the protective spells" she smiled and Charm blushed at the praise, though held her chin high.

"And then the idea to keep the head of the Basilisk in the air was brilliant, made the work easy, Shane" Severus praised.

"Yeah… just an instinct like everyone" Shane smiled.

"And Solace your blow was extraordinary" Sirius complimented. "From where did you learn that?"

"Oh… the blow. Just brought a little storm on him" Selene winked, leaning entirely on Shane. "And I wouldn't open my secrets to you like that"

"But I believe what my little brother did the most stupid thing in the entire event" Sirius glared at Regulus and he gulped.

"I said I am sorry for what happened" Regulus argued weakly. "I'll never ever touch anything before asking, perhaps sometimes, but surely would never pick anything from this group" he waved his finger on them.

"Yeah… they have some dangerous things. I'll soon find out what they are up to" Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Even though they won't tell us"

"It will not be told to you, Black unless you are in anyways required deeply" Severus drawled. "Now, when Madam Pomfrey asks about what happened, just say that we had a duel and we used some harmful spells on each other. We will probably earn a detention or two, but the plan will work"

They nodded.

"Just a little acting too. Especially the Gryffindors" he said.

"May I ask one more question?" James asked, suspiciously.

"What now, Potter?" Selene asked irritatingly.

"The entire Wilkes thing is a fake act too, isn't it?" he narrowed his eyes.

Severus made a thoughtful frown, lifted his chin a bit in the air and quirked his lips, so that, his face showed signs of deep contemplation.

"Drop the act, Snape!" Sirius muttered, annoyed.

Severus huffed. "Yes, it was a plan we needed for something"

Regulus' eyes became as big as saucers. "Do you even know how seriously this is taken in the common room?!" he practically yelled. "People are looking for Wilkes everywhere!"

"Well, that what the point was" Charm drawled.

"Even some of the professors are watching me intently, Lynx. What do you think-"

"But then I must admit, the plan was bloody brilliant! Though not many professors believe that it's true" Regulus cut him.

"Brilliant?! Here these people are not letting me even go to the loo alone and you say it's brilliant?!" James fumed.

"Well, Potter, this thing is more important than your little freedom" Lily rolled her eyes, not seeing the any point for his anger.

"Lily. But he-"

"It was my idea to lay it on you. Sev's idea was just to get Wilkes to murder someone" she intoned.

"What? But-"

"Come on, now" Selene whispered, her breath coming in pants. "It's solved now, as soon as our works done, you'll be fine, Potter"

Sirius help up a hand dramatically. "Wait, does that prove that Slytherins are not evil if you all were trying to bring You-Know-How down?"

"I'll take that as a compliment, Black" Charm gave an exaggerated smile. "And the answer is yes. We didn't know that we were bring You-Know-How down initially, but now we do"

Sirius gave an exaggerated bow. "I'll say I'll stay a little suspicious for your next adventure but I am always ready" he winked.

"But still this is a shock" James muttered.

"Certainly, Potter" Severus mumbled.

"Now, please can we get up" Selene's eyelids drooped.

Shane tightened his hold on her, trying to make her stand straighter. "Selene! We are going up now. Just wait a little longer, else I have to carry you till the hospital wing and you'll have to bear all the embarrassment" he mock-threatened her.

She weakly swatted his arms and groaned. "I guess my ribs are broken. Thank you for the pain reducer again, Pettigrew"

"Fawkes, are you ready to take us up now?" Severus asked.

Fawkes nodded, spread its wings in the air and motioned them to hold on his legs.

Severus held one and took Lily's hands in hers. James ran first to catch hold on the other hand of Lily. She rolled her eyes.

Then the line became taller with Charm, Austin, Peter, Remus, Sirius, Regulus and Shane and Selene together holding up on each other.

Fawkes flapped his wings and took off in the air. All of them felt like cotton balls, too light.

They landed up on the ground soon and got to the Hospital wing soon. Selene slouched down as soon as they got there and eventually Shane had to carry her to the bed. That made him blush himself, though he would never tell this to Selene.

Madam Pomfrey made a big fuss over what kind of a fools they were for dueling amongst themselves and getting a girl so much hurt. They had apologized to her looking sheepish, though internally all of them were laughing. She healed the minors cuts on them and such small injuries. They were fortunately left without any detention.

They were all fine but Madam Pomfrey insisted them on staying there for almost twenty-four hours under observation because she believed that they had used some rare spells that probably would take effect later. They groaned on that but obeyed. Selene remained unconscious and Shane went to her side as soon as Madam Pomfrey left. They all shook their heads on them. They were looking for the day when they both would stop being such big simps.

After that sleep came to all of them.

*Page Break*

"You were dueling again?!" it was a suppressed yell into a whisper. "I thought you were going to stop but apparently I was wrong and foolish to expect any of that"

"Mary… please listen to me-"

"No, James, you promised me that you would not go doing that to Snape. I understand that Wilkes is behind you but that doesn't mean that every Slytherin is in reign with him" her voice raged.

James glared at Severus who was peacefully laughing on some stupid joke with Charm. It was all Snape's fault. He had gotten such a good friend in Mary and now she wasn't going to believe him either. All because of Snape.

He sighed and fully turned to Mary. He liked her so much that he didn't want to make any pits between them just because of bloody Snape. He hadn't broken his promise at all. He knew Snape's idea was made on the prospect of irritating him some or the other way. He took her hands into his. She flushed a little but didn't allow it to be taken over her face. She knew it was easy for him to get through her again.

"Mary…" he said softly. She opened her mouth to protest but he placed a finger on her lips, red splotches taking over her cheeks. "No, listen. We were somewhere in dark and we couldn't see who the person was. We thought it was Wilkes and we attacked. We didn't know it was eventually going to be this entire gang of theirs-"

Mary took the finger off her lips and frowned deeply. "You were in the dark when Wilkes is behind you"- she placed a hand on his cheek – "have you finally lost your head!"

He shook his head ignoring the creeping red on his neck when she placed the hand on his cheek and because of the closeness of their faces. "It was Sirius who had to explore the castle at the wrong time and you know I couldn't resist my best mate's pleas" he made the puppy dog eyes.

Mary swatted his cheek playfully. "So didn't attack them?"

"No" he shook his head. "Ask Lily, she was there too"

Lily straightened from the other side of James where she was sitting. "Ask me what?" she asked distractedly.

"That did I attack, Snape because of no reason?" he intoned.

Lily was caught off guard. She was too busy thinking about the time when Severus had pulled her with himself from the waist in the chamber that she had almost been oblivious to her current environment.

She sputtered. "Uh-umm… Yes-"

"Yes?!" Mary practically yelled, and glowered at James.

He shook his head and gave Lily the look. "What the fuck, Lily?"

"Oh… No, he did not" Lily shook her head unsure of what must she say.

"No need to lie for him, Lily" Mary warned.

"Uh… what was the question, again?"

Mary huffed but before she could speak anything, a shrill irritating voice spoke up.

"To listen to the question Lily needs to get her eyes off some Slytherin filth" Crystal mocked, one of the irritating giggly girls of their year.

Lily's dangerous glare turned to her sharply. "Don't. Ever. Speak. That. Again" she emphasized on each word quite forcefully, pointing a warning finger on her.

"So, you don't even deny the fact that you were gawking at him" Daisy took her friend's side.

"He is my friend and I will appreciate if you stop calling those childish names now" she said contemptuously. "We are almost adults now and this doesn't suit on your pretty faces" she mocked.

"He is not pretty, however" Crystal batted her eyelids in a way only she could find attractive. "He has just changed a bit from before doesn't mean he has suddenly grown attractive"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Looks matter so much to you, don't they?"

"Lily, Lily" Daisy came in, looking at Lily with pity. "Don't throw that inside beauty shit here. It's just said, never taken to real life. And I don't even believe he has anything other than filth inside-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM" Lily yelled making the entire Great Hall flinch.

"Calm down, Lily" James whispered. He knew she was protective of Snape, a thing he was jealous of too. But today Lily was a bit over the top. "You need to sit down and talk"

Lily's glare turned to him. "You have no right to say anything, Potter, who himself had bullied the same person" she pointed out, harshly. "You have stopped doing so for a little while doesn't erase what you have done in the past"

"Sometimes I think he deserved it" Crystal muttered, unabashedly.

"Deserved it?! How can someone deserve such treatment? And for what? Existing?" her rage wasn't directed towards Potter this time.

"Well, he is filthy and arrogant and a Slytherin" Crystal said casually as if talking about the weather. "He isn't even so good in the looks department"

"You are the shallowest people I have ever known" Lily hissed. "If only you could have opened your eyes and seen that people are so much more than how they look, how they have to behave and which house crest shines on their chests"

"You don't have to be with him out of pity or something" Daisy assumed.

"Pity?! He is strong! Why will I pity him for anything?"

Daisy was actually going to answer that particular question. "I don't know" she shrugged. "Perhaps, because he had no one to hang out with"

Lily fumed. "There are people who love him, will always continue to do so, for himself-"

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Lily, please, they don't even deserve love"

How could they say such things? They were being downright cruel. Lily couldn't form words. Her eyes welled up with angry tears. They were fools! They didn't know her Sev! He was beautiful, beautiful to her in every sense. She had always loved him before he had not started walking to the wrong path. And she understood her mistake of him doing so and the lack of support he had expected from her. But she had started loving him again when she saw he was way more than he lets on. Shane had said that too in the vacations. The others hadn't vocalized that yet, doesn't mean they don't. His mother loved him, though his father didn't and he was a fucking idiot.

"You'll never understand" she whispered. "You can live in your small, happy world, where things are as great as you picture them. But the reality is way different and harsher than you imagine. I pity you, for not being able to open enough. I thought like you too, but when the reality actually struck me, I saw that the picture can be way darker and as much more beautiful than what we see or what is shown to us"

She threw her book-bag on her shoulder and ran out of the Hall, wiping her tears.

She had just whispered but the entire Great Hall had heard everything single word she spoke and perhaps, a few had understood, a few had related and a few still dismissed it.

*Page Break*

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM"

His head shot up. Wasn't that Lily? Why was she yelling? The Great Hall had fallen deathly silent after the loud yell had rung their ears. They all sat eager to listen to what drama was going on.

He sucked in a sharp breath when he realized and heard her defending him to Potter. Potter had gone red and looked ashamed to be chastised in front of the entire Hall. Served him good, Severus thought.

A girl from the same table commented that he had deserved what he had gotten. All the bullying and humiliation? He felt so worthless for a moment that people thought someone can actually deserved it and it was apparently him. Then an assuring weight sat on his forearm.

Selene!

Her eyes were fixed at Lily but she didn't fail to comfort him. He smiled, perhaps he wasn't that worthless.

On the Gryffindor table, the girl again muttered something about him being filthy, arrogant, Slytherin and ugly. He wasn't arrogant, was he? Yeah, he could be snarky, sometimes. And then the prejudices against Slytherin would perhaps never come to an end. He didn't deny the last one, though. He had himself never seen himself as the handsome type.

But Lily wasn't looking as dismissing as he was. She said they were shallow and Severus was way more than what people saw!

He was so genuinely touched. Lily had defended him before but never like this. The Severus of three months ago would have seen this as a stab on his pride but now, it just seemed to be a great deal of warmth and affection from Lily. She would always remain his best friend.

The other girl thought that Lily was his friend because she felt pity towards him? He had never given the idea a thought. He had always thought that they were friends because they were friends, and the topic closes. Pity? Could that have been a reason?

He was confused and felt a little betrayed before Lily said that he was strong and she wasn't his friend because of any sort of pity. That just left more of understanding. He loved her so much.

When the stupid girl actually said that Severus had no one to hang out with, Severus chuckled internally. He had friends now, the true ones and they liked him for himself, he knew that.

But love? Did they really? He swallowed hard. His friends loved him? They have not even been friends for even a year. What was there to love in him? But they thought there was. They weren't compiled to do anything for him, but they were always there. Because they wanted to. Those were the best people to had ever existed in his life. He couldn't ask for anything more.

Severus' heart clenched to see tears in Lily's eyes after the girl said that he didn't deserve to be loved. She was such a good friend. She was bearing the cruelty of the world on his behalf. What had he ever done to get her?

Her little speech was the evidence of her understanding of himself in the last few months. She felt every word she relayed on. The tears dripped down her face while she spoke. He had an exceptional urge to run to her, wipe her tears and hug her until she was calmed down. But the hold on his forearm stopped him.

Lily ran out of the Hall and he wanted to go back. To see if she was alright. He made to get up but Selene's hold on his arm tightened. She shook her head.

"Let her be on herself for some time" she whispered.

He nodded and sat down again. He understood.

*Page Break*

"There was no need to cry like that" Crystal rolled her eyes.

Mary's eyes held scorn, turned to her. "You call yourself her friends?! She was hurt and angry at you both who are simply too insensitive to her feelings!"

"Insensitive? She is being too clingy to those Slytherin" Daisy said dismissively.

But Mary wasn't done. "And I thought she just imparted some brains, but apparently, she was barking mad!" she laughed, mirthlessly.

Daisy gave a bored look. "She calls about all this shit about inner beauty and stuff but she has started noticing Snape only after he has started to look better than before"

James in took a sharp breath. He thought Lily and Singh were together. When did everything swap so much? How had he not noticed? Would Lily never be with him ever? He couldn't lose her to Snape.

Mary scoffed. "What she said is that you must become a better version of yourself. Snape became. He doesn't sneer on each and every passing soul now. He is friendlier and doesn't live in misery.

"I thought that was him before, but now I see that he was like that because he had no one to be on his side. He had to remain guarded to not let others break him easily because that is the last thing he wants where everyone hates him for no definite reason. All Slytherins are not bad and I have learnt that, you better do too"

"I agree" James' voice was unexpected but confident.

Crystal and Daisy rolled their eyes and muttered a bored, "Whatever" before leaving the Hall.

*Page Break*

But if the students and staff of Hogwarts thought that the drama for one day was up, then they were sorely mistaken. After the shock of others had died down from Lily's speech, they had gone to their breakfasts. They weren't ready for the next scene.

BANG!

The door of the Great Hall barged open. All of the faces turned in that direction of the disturbance.

A not-so-tall man, perhaps, a little shorter than Severus was, walked in the Hall, clanking his shoes on the stone floor with forceful and authoritative steps.

He had jet-black hair that looked to be straightened with difficulty and blazing hazel eyes guarded with a pair of round glasses. Realization dawned to them. He was James Potter's father, Charles Potter.

His eyes flickered to the Gryffindor table for a moment before his long strides measured the path between the Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw tables fast enough and he was soon standing before Albus Dumbledore.

"How are you, Albus?" Charles Potter growled.

"Why, fine, Charles. Would you like to meet your son?" Dumbledore smiled genially.

"Well, for that I believe he must be kept alive, shouldn't he?" his eyes blazed fire.

Dumbledore pointed a hand towards the Gryffindor table. "Mr. Potter is all healthy and happy, as you can see, Charles"

Charles Potter's nostrils flared. He thrusted out a bundle of parchments from his robes and banged them on the table where Dumbledore was eating. The teachers flinched except for Dumbledore.

"With happy and healthy, my son also needs to be SAFE" he yelled.

Dumbledore still remained calm. "Wilkes is in Hogwarts to take revenge from Charles Potter by murdering his only son, James Potter" he read aloud.

The entire Hall that was deathly silent once more, sucked in a sharp breath. They knew about this, but it being in the newspaper just secured the fact. Wilkes was behind James Potter.

Dumbledore shook his head. "But my sources say otherwise. He had been spotted in the Diagon Alley, very much far away from Hogwarts"

"I remain unconcerned about whatever your useless sources tell you, Albus" Charles Potter seethed. "My son's life is in danger!"

"I am fine, Dad!" James made his way in the conversation, apparently embarrassed by his father asking for his security in front of the entire school.

His father's eyes turned to him. "You will keep your mouth shut. Understood?" he hissed.

James shrunk back in his chair, his face turning red. He was almost an adult and his father had just chastised him before the whole school? He hated parents sometimes.

"He is absolutely alright, Charles" Dumbledore assured. "We have security enough to keep him safe if Wilkes manages to stumble here"

Charles Potter's nose rose in the air. "You won't have to worry about that any. I have already brought the dementors to surround the school"

James eyes went wide. "DEMENTORS?! Have you gone mad, Dad?"

Charles Potter fully turned towards him and crossed his arms on his chest. "Do you want me to get you on my knee, James. I am still capable of doing so as I was six years ago"

James' face turned redder if it was possible but he didn't back down. This was only getting worse. He knew what all other tricks his father had planned to keep him safe, and those were damn embarrassing.

"Dad. You know it's a foolish idea" he said.

His father uncrossed the arms and started casually walking towards the Gryffindor table.

"What the fuck, Dad?!" James screamed. "You can't really spank me here-"

He paused and looked around the Hall to only find people staring at him in amusement.

"If I wish I can, James" he continued to walk towards him.

James jumped out of his chair, ready to race out of the Hall. "DAD! Fine! Do whatever you want"

"And you will later receive a punishment for the profanity you displayed just a while ago" Charles Potter gave him a smirk and turned to Dumbledore again.

"Now, Charles, I wouldn't allow dementors in my school" Dumbledore stated firmly.

Charles Potter didn't back down, though. He thrusted in his robes again and produced another piece of parchment and slammed it on the table. "Ministry letter"

If Dumbledore was shocked, he didn't let it on him. He shook his head. "There are students in the school and I won't allow it"

"You can't deny a Ministry letter, Albus. After Wilkes is caught, they will be removed"

"This is not right-"

"My son's safety is all I want" he said dismissively. "Dementors will remain here for as long as Wilkes isn't caught again"

He turned around and left the room with longer strides than he came in before Dumbledore could say even a word, who in turn was looking totally his age.

James got up from his chair and went behind his father.

Severus' head turned to Selene and they passed the message without words that the situation has been created into something way more serious than they needed.

Charles Potter had seemed damn determined to catch on Wilkes again.

They sighed. They had to get another plan of rumors to solve this issue.