IT'S CHANGED! (SNILY)
CHAPTER 39 Legilimency

The morning always came sooner than anticipated. And so, was the time for all of them to start the day again. Slytherins were up to get that doing. Some of them, directly went to the bathrooms to get ready and some stepped down to the common room, rubbing their eyes.

They gasped at the sight and took their wands out, instantly.

That woke Selene up. She stretched and pulled herself up, before noticing her positions and remembering the night. How foolish could she behave sometimes! She looked at the pointed wands and her eyes widened, as she grabbed Shane's arm tightly, waking him up.

"Avery" she breathed. "Wand away"

"What is this piece of scum doing here?" Avery waved his wand on Shane, scornfully.

"Why do you care?" she stood up, her arms folded on her chest, authoritatively.

Avery opened his mouth but Rosier was the one standing beside him who replied. "It's the Slytherin common room!" he yelled, attempting to call most the people down.

Selene's eyes blazed fire as many other students walked down and were shocked at Shane's presence.

Shane gulped at the number. "I'll leave"

"NO!" Selene ordered and he clamped his mouth shut. "What's your problem, Rosier? Huh? Did he harm you?"

Rosier swallowed looking around and then stood straighter. "He is a Ravenclaw and a Half-Blood! He mustn't be here!" he twisted his face when looked at Shane, as if he was a disgusting sock.

The bickering went on for a while, when Severus, getting annoyed by the shouts decided to come downstairs to see, what was going on. Almost his entire dormitory was there. Avery and Rosier were yelling in the very front with… Selene and Shane. Severus gave a huff. He had seen this coming, sooner or later.

Mulciber had his wand pointed, though, no courage to fire a single spell, rested on his facial emotions. He seemed to be just doing what was expected of him. He wasn't looking very sure of himself even.

And then at the end was Afroze, with his wand just out. It wasn't even pointed on anyone, though it seemed to have kept ready for a purpose. Severus had expected him to have spoken from Selene's side, but then, Selene, was with Shane, so, of course he must be feeling awkward. But perhaps, he would gather some courage and try to make peace showing his… wand skills. Who knew?

Severus had just reached the stairs when someone grabbed his hand. He sharply turned to see who it was and came face to face with a very worried looking… Barty Crouch Junior? Before this every time Severus had seen him, he kept his face so blank that a person would come the dilemma of him being alive or dead, leave alone the fact about showing any emotions.

"Crouch?"

Crouch Jr. looked around before looking at Severus straight in his eyes, as if begging him to Legilimize him. The intensity was even more than the last day. It again made Severus uneasy and he shifted uncomfortably and frowned. Why would he make such a request? What was wrong? He wouldn't just go and legilimize him because he could. Crouch Jr. hadn't even asked that verbally.

"What do you want, Crouch?" he whispered, knowing that Crouch Jr. had something secret to tell. "Do you want a better place to talk about… whatever you are here for?"

Crouch Jr. shook his head, violently, but still didn't speak anything. He looked around once more, assuring for something before opening his mouth. The moment he opened his mouth, his face fell blank again, as if all life left him.

Severus' eyes widened. Someone just did something to him. He looked around, but none seemed even a bit suspicious.

He shook Barty Crouch Jr.'s shoulders. "Barty? Barty, answer me?"

Barty Crouch Jr.'s eyes -only the eyes- turned to him. Severus didn't think long this time and prepared himself, to peek inside his mind. With a piercing shock in Severus' middle of the eyes, he was inside Crouch Jr.'s mind.

It seemed blank. Entirely blank and dark, when a flicker of light emerged from a corner. He turned there and saw the silhouette of a scrawny figure. It was dark and nothing was clear. The figure was tall and was wearing robes, of course. Who was the person?

But before he knew it, he was out of Barty's head.

He panted and tried to capture everything that was going on in front of him. But in a few blinks, Crouch Jr. was gone. He massaged his sweaty eyebrows and turned his face again to the front, where, still the fight was going on. The wands were in their pockets again but they were verbally lashing on each other. The fight would stop soon too.

Severus walked up to his dormitory again. He took deep breaths there and swallowed a headache potion.

He had to tell this to his friends.

*Page Break*

Shane and Selene came to the Great Hall, where, Shane was mostly being dragged. It was one of her 'beware-of-me' days, perhaps. So, not even Shane was opening his mouth to argue with her. Who would like to pinch at a blazing fireball? Only the most idiotic person would.

She dragged him to the Slytherin table, amidst all greens. Shane froze, with his eyes wide. He grabbed Selene's arm.

"I can't be here, Selene"

"And why not?" she hissed making him wince.

He straightened, pulling up some courage. "Selene, I am a Ravenclaw and it was my mistake to be in the Slytherin common room, last night"

"No, I called you"

"You weren't thinking straight"

"So, you think I am a fool" she narrowed her eyes.

"When did I say that, Selene?" he sighed.

"I know what you said. I can hear properly!"

"I am aware"

"I am aware that you are able to too so, sit here" she pointed towards a seat on the Slytherin table.

"Selene! Stop getting into stupid fights-"

"Now, you are again saying I am stupid! I haven't gotten till the seventh year by cheating, Shane!"

Shane sighed. It was meaningless, now, to explain anything to her. These days have always killed the best of her logics. He was about to say something but before he could, someone else shouted, making the entire Slytherin table jump.

"SHUT UP you two!" it was Severus. One of his veins on the forehead was pulsing. He was surely stressed. He was standing a little bent. A headache for certain, standing straight would make him die with dizziness.

Everyone sighed. It was bad to trouble a wounded dragon, so, they better leave him alone for today. Two cages in the same day, wouldn't mean anything good.

"Shane, go and sit on the Ravenclaw table!" he hissed at them, and Shane almost immediately ran to his table. "And Selene! For Merlin's sake, use your brain for once!"

Selene kept frozen at his sudden outburst. Her fury hadn't reached the levels of insanity. So, she understood that something was wrong.

Severus closed his eyes and massaged the outer corners of his eyebrows. He gave a last scornful look to the porridge on the table before storming away from the table. He paused for a second, held his head in his hands to steady himself and walked out in a slower speed this time.

Shane looked at Lily who gestured him to stay calm. She got up and peeked at Charm who her head, no, telling her that Severus hadn't had any of the breakfast. She huffed and wrapped a sandwich in a paper napkin, before pocketing it.

She took her wand out and pointed it to the Slytherin table. "Accio Severus' bag" she whispered making the bag come flying in her hands. She took her own bag up and raced out of the Hall.

*Page Break*

He had gone to the only place he could find absolute quiet. The library. He blessed the person with all his heart, who made the first library. The best place in the world to relax. He had an Occlumency book in his lap, that he hadn't even given a single look after merely opening it.

His head felt like it would burst any moment. He felt like sicking up any moment. His stomach was churning while his entire skull, till the jaw throbbed. His mother had taught him when he was young, that, empty vessels make much noise. Then why the hell, did he have to legilimize Barty Crouch Jr. when he had only just started learning it?

He groaned in pain. His breathing raced and his heart pumped faster. Something was rising in his throat, but he knew it wasn't the last eaten meal. It tasted metallic, but he couldn't bring himself to think more.

A piercing sharp pain jammed itself in his head making him stifle a shout in agony. He grabbed his hair to lessen some pain but no use, the pain kept intensifying. The figure he had seen in Barty Crouch Jr.'s mind came to his mind's forefront.

The tall, scrawny, dark figure. He heard a menacing laugh that he hadn't heard before. It was shrill and cold, bringing up more agony.

He didn't even know when did he fell off the chair and was sitting crumbled on the floor. His chest seemed to have contracted and his lungs seemed to have vanished. He opened his mouth for air but none came. Did air even exist? Or was he in a vacuumed room?

His nose bled out and he heard a worried and shocked scramble. There was someone. Could the person help him? How was it?

He very slowly raised his head, lest make it pain even more. His eyes were blurred and they were gradually losing vision. Hands grabbed him from either of his shoulders, but they were gone as soon as the person noticed his face shrink back in anguish.

Red. Something red. That is the thing he last saw before totally blacking out and dissolving into numbness.

*Page Break*

His eyes cracked open. The blazing light in the room, made him close them shut almost immediately. He opened them again and blinked several times to let his eyes adjust to the light. He opened his mouth and exhaled. He wasn't anyway, able to do anything else. As much as he could feel, he was weak.

He noticed that the room was white. The Hospital Wing. He turned his head only in the slightest that made him close his eyes again to escape the wave of dizziness that followed the act. Okay… so, he wasn't just a bit weak. He practically couldn't even move. Okay… he took a deep breath to keep himself calm, but the realization hit him with full force.

He couldn't even damn move! Panic rose in his chest just like the absurd ideas he was about to try for his life, in his mind.

If he couldn't do it gradually then, he would do it at once. He inhaled once more, kept his palms down on the bed he was lying on. He mustered all the energy, he could and with a jolt, forcing his weight on his palms, he sat up straight. Only to die down again, with sheer exhaustion.

"Sev!" he heard the voice. "Out of all… couldn't I just leave you for a minute?!"

He opened his mouth to speak. "Lily…" he breathed. He couldn't do anything else. His chest was heaving high and he panted with sweat beading his forehead from his own foolishness.

"Should I keep you under ties to make you be in place?!"

"S-Sorry… L-Lily…" he said with great efforts. Even two words were drawing a large amount of energy from his fewer left reserves.

"Now, stop with the act! Madam Pomphrey! He is up" Lily called out.

He heard the feet flipping up and down the stone floor until they stopped near him. He opened his eyes again to find Madam Pomfrey pursing her lips on his side. She took her wand out, sharply, making him flinch back only in the slightest that wasn't even noticeable. He couldn't make a huge move, anyways.

"As I suspected" Madam Pomfrey stated. "You were out for a few days-"

His eyes widened. "A… f-few… days…?"

"Yes, a few days" she continued. "You were bleeding enormously and had a few bloody vomits, so, that explains the color of your extremely pale skin… and the lack of energy"

Severus' voice cracked. "What… h-happened… to m-me…?"

Madam Pomfrey turned to Lily, who had her eyes fixed on Severus. "Well, the tests weren't clear until you were up… so, now, I know, that you tried Legilimency on another student"

His eyes widened even further. "I… I… H-Headmaster… p-please?"

"You want to meet the headmaster?"

He nodded, slightly.

Lily unfolded her arms and nodded as Madam Pomfrey gestured her.

"Don't try to get up again, Sev. I'll be back with the headmaster" and with that she was gone.

Madam Pomfrey took three vials up from the bedside table, helped Severus lift his head, only enough to swallow the potions.

"W-What… they…?" he asked, pointing his pupils to the now empty vials.

"Blood replenishers and an energy booster… there isn't much happened to you, just some wrong order you followed. Next time, Mr. Snape, learn an art properly, before trying it out on others"

"S-Sorry…" he croaked out.

"Hmm. The headmaster would be on his way… Don't try to get up" she commanded.

"…Won't…" he slumped down like a wounded bird, asking for help.

"Severus. I said you'll be fine… don't worry too much… and the blood replenishers would take effect soon"

He moved his head, lightly. "T-Thank… you"

Madam Pomfrey nodded and left him alone with himself.

It wasn't long after he saw two figures moving in his direction. He willed himself to stay up. He blinked his eyes a few times. Lily and Dumbledore.

"Ah, Severus, you gave us quite the scare, my boy" Dumbledore's cheerful voice fell to his ears and he jerked his head.

"I- sir…"

Lily came and helped him to sit a bit straight up to be able to talk to the headmaster. "There"

"Thank you, Lily" he smiled at her. Oh, he was feeling way better now. Madam Pomfrey was great. He turned to the headmaster who had in time, taken a plushy chair for himself.

"Old age, I need these fluffs for my bones"

Severus ignored it. "Headmaster, I had to tell you something"

"Does that concern you trying to Legilimize another student?" Dumbledore asked and he nodded. "Do you want Miss Evans here or…?"

"Yes, sir, and Lily can be here, sir if you allow it. She knows everything… would you pass my wand here please, Lily"

"As you wish, Severus… why do you need your wand?"

Lily was about to give Severus his wand but took it back midway. "You can't do that, or you won't be able to talk"

Severus rolled his eyes and gestured her to take her own wand out. She did. "Now, hold it up and wave it making an eight in the air. Imagine yourself under a green bubble and no sound. Lastly, speak, Muffliato… See? You did it…"

"Cool! After all, I know what spell you use" Lily grinned.

Severus addressed the headmaster then, who was looking amazed by whatever was going on in front of him. "I wanted the wand for a privacy spell, headmaster… Lily made it now"

Dumbledore chuckled in amazement. "I had no idea my students are so talented to create their own spells"

Severus blushed. "Uh, thank you, headmaster"

"Now, what did you want to tell me?" he smiled.

Severus sobered. "Yesterday… no, the last day, I remember… what day is it, by the way?"

Both Lily and Dumbledore looked at each other before saying. "Severus, my boy, you passed out on twelfth of January and today is sixteenth"

"Sixteenth?!" he screeched. "I was out for five days!"

"Calm down, Severus and tell me what had happened?"

Severus nodded, getting over the initial shock. "I don't want to pinpoint anyone, headmaster but there was a fight on something stupid in our common room… I had come downstairs to see what was going on… that is when a Barty Crouch Jr. grabbed my hand and made me turn back… H-He looked into my eyes as if begging me to peek inside his mind"

"And so, you did?"

He shook his head. "No. I did not. I simply asked him to get to some other place to talk because he seemed desperate to tell me something… we have never talked before… He tilted his head towards me and as soon as he opened his mouth, his face fell blank"

"Blank?"

"Yes, as if someone spelled him just then… I looked around but I didn't see anyone"

"Then?"

"I shook Crouch Jr.'s shoulders, tried for him to give any response… only his eye pupils had turned to me…" Severus swallowed, remembering all of that was scary. A warm hand came to rest over his. He looked to find Lily seeming confused but determined.

Dumbledore smiled at both of them. "Do you remember if he legilimized you first?"

"No, sir, I am very much clear that I was in his mind… It was dark and blank at first but then a ray of light came and I saw a silhouette. It was thin and tall…"

"Did you see something else?"

"No, sir, just that and the next moment I was out of his mind and saw him running… from then, after my head had started hurting-"

Lily cut him. "He shouted in the Hall first and then left the place… the next I saw him crumpled on the floor of the library with blood gushing out of his nose and soon after he fainted"

Dumbledore rubbed his chin. "So, you were in immense pain?"

"It was almost confusing, sir. It started to increase gradually and then it sharply hit me… I don't remember falling off the chair, though… And yes! At that time, I also saw the same silhouette again… The person, or whatever it was, was laughing. It was shrill and cold" he shuddered involuntarily.

Dumbledore nodded. "I see. Whom do you think the person is?"

Severus gulped and looked at Lily. She nodded her affirmation. "Sir, I believe… it could be Professor Raquel?"

Dumbledore broke out into a laughter. "Oh, no, Severus… he wouldn't cause you any harm"

"But he seems weird, sir. I, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin has also felt a forced unease close to him"

Dumbledore still shook his head, lacing his fingers in his lap. "No, Severus, he wouldn't cause any of the students' harm and I know that… he owes me"

"And you trust him?!" he exploded before shrinking back in another wave of dizziness that followed.

"Calm down, Severus… and tell me if there is anything else, that I must know" he gave a knowing look that Severus made up very easily. The time had come to tell him.

Severus sat up straighter. "Sir, there are plenty…"

And so, he began telling him about the encounter with Lucius Malfoy in the Summer vacations about Nagini. His deal and his refusal to that. The threat he had posed on his friends and the protection he had asked by the ministry. The Gaunt house story Frank and Alice had mentioned. The diary he had seen at the Malfoy Manor, that they had destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets. The Basilisk they had killed. The story of Tom Riddle and his possession of Regulus Black.

He didn't mention the part where the marauders told them about them being animagi. That was to be kept a secret.

He told about James Potter getting a book on horcruxes in Slughorn's book shelf that he had found cleaning. And was stolen -borrowed without notice for Severus- from there.

Then, the room they had entered before the summer vacations. The diadem and it's possession over Lily. That still gave him unpleasant shivers. He guiltily even talked about the entire rumor process they had used to get the Dementors in the school. Now, that plan seemed like a stupid idea. Then, how, they escaped at night to get the diadem from that room again and went out to throw it to the Dementors for them to destroy it.

He told about the picture that they had gotten there too. The very one that Selene had dropped and now, was in the possession of the headmaster.

He couldn't forget about the cup horcrux Regulus had destroyed in the forest with the help of Lea Michelle. That was one of the horrifying parts because they had used Fiendfyre in that.

Then, came the latest encounter with the Gaunt House that they had found with the help of Bennet Sawyer's laptop. That had amazed Dumbledore even further, because he was the first person to have made it possible for a muggle electronic to work in magic.

He told about how they reached the wretched house. The remains of Nagini. The fall that had found the one more horcrux… the ring. His possession with the ring and he let Lily explain the black smoke explosion when the Gaunt ring came into contact with the Prince ring. The theory of the Basilisk blood on it and how it destroyed the stone.

The telling of the three Deathly Hallows and one of them being the ring. The resurrection stone that for Severus had resurrected his mother, Eileen Prince. Lily, to clear with the headmaster had not failed to mention the Invisibility cloak Severus had gotten before the summer vacations by Harry, making the two Deathly Hallows found on earth.

The third's position was still a conflict in Lily and Severus' head, though, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the mention.

He told about the flesh pieces found there, indicating towards the seven horcruxes that Voldemort had planned to make, probably.

And lastly, the information they had gathered from April, Petunia's girlfriend about his orphanage and their anticipation of the locket at the seaside cave, where Tom Riddle had visited as a young boy and the two other boy's death.

Severus and Lily took a deep breath after telling the tale.

"My, my… what are you all kids?" Dumbledore's eyebrows were raised in astonishment. "I would have never dreamt of doing that in my lifetime"

"But sir, You-Know-How is it out lose and not finished. The last two horcruxes and then, his body is left. We already have plans to destroy the locket… if you allow now, that is? And then, if he hadn't made Nagini a horcrux, you can complete him" Lily said.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to finish him off-"

"But you are the greatest wizard and he is afraid of you!" Severus screeched.

"I am glad to see your confidence in me, Severus, but this is out of my hands… someone else is denoted for the work"

"Who?"

"Time will tell, my boy, don't be into so much hurry"

"Hope the time comes soon after, sir… so, are we allowed to go to destroy the locket?"

"First, rest, Severus, you need it… I have a meeting planned with two of your friends. We'll discuss this later"

"Selene and Shane" Severus smirked. Dumbledore was up for more surprises. "Umm… sir, I was the one to break Austin's wand… could you please fix it?"

"What's the need for me? You could do it yourself"

"Me? But, sir, Charm, Selene and Shane had already tried to do it and it didn't work"

Dumbledore didn't say anything, he merely walked to the fireplace and called out for someone. And after a few moments Austin was standing there with the two broken pieces of his wand.

"You called for me, headmaster?" he asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Please, Mr. Preston, follow me" and Austin followed him to Severus' bed.

Austin's eyes grew wider. "You are up, Severus! Have you any idea for how long you were out?! Never try that stupid Legilimency on someone!"

Severus watched Austin wrath out in amusement. "Sorry?"

Austin came running and hugged him tightly, making him squeak in surprise. "Hope you are well. Selene's going to mother you again and make you eat a lot, you know?"

"I do" he smiled, as soon as Austin left him, he dropped back on the lifted mattress.

"You seem like a ragdoll, Severus"

"Well, I even feel like that. But Madam Pomfrey said that I'll be fine in a few days, perhaps"

"You better be"

"I told you, your friends were worried, Severus" Dumbledore said from the back, looking at them.

Severus and Austin flushed and he stepped backwards a little to face the headmaster. "Why did you ask for my wand here, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Keep the wand on the blanket, Mr. Preston"

Austin did.

"Would you please, give Severus, his wand, Miss Evans?"

Lily nodded and did. Severus frowned. Didn't Madam Pomfrey have asked him not to try spells for a while.

"Try the Repairing charm, Severus"

Severus gulped and pointed his wand on the two broken pieces of the wand kept on the blanket. He took a deep breath and pronounced very clearly. "Reparo"

To everyone's except for Dumbledore, surprise, the wand pieces lifted itself in the air, in a silver aura and turned around to get joint in the right places and angles with one another. The wood weaved together and the light design on it completed. The silver aura vanished and the wand dropped in Austin's hands, fully repaired.

They all watched it with their eyes wide. "How?" Severus managed.

Dumbledore smiled. "Magic, Severus. You'll understand with when time comes… until then, rest"

*Page Break*

Selene and Shane shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The chairs could have been characterized under the most comfortable ones but for now, they were feeling uneasy in the same.

It was now, when they were properly realizing where was the mistake in not using any protection. How stupid they were? What was the point of being an adult if they weren't able to take decisions maturely? They groaned internally, holding each other's hands, taking comfort in the slightest of touches.

"Yes, Mr. Singh, Miss Solace… or must I say, Mr. and Mrs. Singh-Solace"

Selene and Shane blushed. Dumbledore must had seen the rings. Hell, their idiocies.

Shane began. "Sir… we, you know? Had unpro- I mean…"

"You both are pregnant" Dumbledore stated without hesitation, while his eyes never left its twinkle.

Selene and Shane blushed even redder. "Yes, sir" she affirmed.

"Young love! Isn't that beautiful? But you both must have been careful enough… you still young for the responsibilities"

"We know, sir" they both bowed their heads.

"You plan on keeping the child?"

Selene and Shane looked at each other, forgetting about all the adversaries they had to face during the period, they nodded. "Yes, sir"

"Your decision. I respect that" Dumbledore smiled. "That means I have to give you both a separate room"

"We apologize for the problems, sir"

"No problem, Mr. Singh, we have a huge castle" Dumbledore waved a hand. "But do try to not make twins"

They flushed again. If they were going to stay in the same room, this was bound to happen.