A/N: Stay safe all. I still have to work, so if you are also labelled an essential employee, I feel you. If you lost your job during this, I feel for you. If you are able to keep working from home or are getting paid while staying home, I hope you are glad for it. Times are tough and crazy right now.

Chapter Five: Black and Pettrigrew

"Snivellus." Black said as if the name was bitter on his tongue.

Severus held his wand tight in his grasp, aiming it at Pettigrew and thinking about what curse to use on him. "Spying on me, were you? Complain about me following you, huh? Who's following now? Where's your pals? Or are we going to fight one-on-one?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Black snapped.

"Thinking about what curse to use on you two."

"You know what I mean?" Peter shouted out, bitterness on his lips. Sirius pointed his wand at Severus's chest.

"Do I?" Severus was not sure how long Peter and Sirius had been following him and if they heard much or any of his conversation with Lily. He was unsure what exactly they were so angry about besides the fact that the potion lacing hadn't worked. Severus pointed his wand at Peter's nose.

Peter flinched. "With Lily? Talking to her as if she was a friend. Telling her you will see her later."

Severus could see Peter's wand hand shaking in anger. "That's not your concern, is it?"

"She doesn't like you!" Black scoffed

"She doesn't hate me."

"She is in love with James!" Pettigrew shouted

Severus had to hide a smirk on his face and pushed his wand harder into Peter's nose. "Is she now?"

"Must drive you mad. Losing Lily when you never had her in the first place." Black sneered.

"Oh." He said, unable to stop a small grin from forming on his lips. "And I suppose James always had her? Or did he just claim her and assume he had all rights."

Black tried to shoot a curse at Severus, but his shaking hand caused him to miss by an inch and it hit the wall near a portrait. Severus just smirked as Peter shakily pointed his wand towards him. Peter was of little threat to him. He knew Pettigrew was a poor student and he could easily defeat or deflect anything Peter tried to throw at him. Black was another story with two of them there.

"Watch where you are aiming that thing!" The man in the portrait shouted. "Damn kids!"

"What were you two talking about?" Black frowned.

"That's not your concern." Severus said coolly.

Peter's veins were bulging, and he looked ready to explode. "TELL ME!"

"Tell you what? Our private conversation is none of your damn business!"

"You will pay. I will make you pay." He spat out.

"Make me pay for what?" Severus asked, his tone low and cold as he again pressed his wand at Peter's nose. He smirked watching Peter squirm. "For something you caused?"

Peter looked at him, his eyes almost slits with anger. "I heard you. You will pay for what you did."

"What I did? What is it exactly you think I did? Maybe it was something you all did? But Lions are free from their sins always, aren't they? I'm sure Dumbledore will let you all off the hook. Just a prank, right? Your friendship with Saint Potter is the only thing that will help you in life, Worm."

Peter's neck vein bulged in fury and he tried again to shoot a curse at Severus, but Severus quickly deflected it before he whirled around and shot a hex at Peter knocking him off his feet. "You were always a much better audience than dueler."

Black rounded his wand on Severus. "If you did what I think you did to her, the willow incident will look like fun."

"You're both of age. Don't forget that. I wouldn't try anything stupid. Dumbledore may look past a lot of things you all do, but the Ministry of Magic wouldn't if I turned up dead."

"You will pay. She was never yours." Peter spat out.

"She isn't yours either. Shouldn't Potter be the bitter one? I mean, Lily is supposed to his girlfriend, not yours."

Peter wrung his hands around his wand and sneered. "Oh, believe me. He will know. I will gladly tell him what I overheard."

Severus froze for a moment, but just scoffed. "Oh, yeah? What did we say?"

"Enough to make James want to kill you. Sleep with James so she can think he was the first." Black's wand was pointed at him again.

"You wouldn't tell him about Lily." Severus interrupted. "That would devastate your pal." Severus paused. What was he saying? "On second thought, tell him, please. I'm sure he would love to hear the truth. Bet you all won't tell him the whole truth anyway."

Black shot out a hex at Severus and Severus easily deflected it. As he whirled back to a curse back at them, someone spoke.

"What's going on down here?"

"Nothing." Peter said quickly, shoving his wand away. "Nothing, Professor, we were just having a chat." Black shoved his wand up his sleeve.

Severus put his wand down. "Yes, a chat."

Professor Sprout looked between them suspiciously. "I suggest you all move along now. No need to dawdle."

Black nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He walked by Severus, purposely running into his arm, glaring at him as if ready to shoot venom from his eyes.

"Move along, all of you!" Sprout called out about a few seconds later.

Peter and Sirius turned away and started down the hallway. Severus followed behind, refusing to have his back turned to them and risk trouble, even if Sprout was behind them.

Black turned behind him and saw Sprout speaking to a ghost. He turned his attention to Severus. "I heard your conversation and I will tell James what you suggested Lily do to him." He whispered. "You can't pretend or fool me. Wasting her time, isn't she?"

"Wasting her time? With what? Potter? Don't worry. I agree. She can do better than scum like him."

Peter and Black both glared daggers at Severus. "Potter is everything you can never be, and you can't stand that. She is way better off with someone like him than with someone like you." Black glanced Severus up and down and scoffed with disgust. "You never stood a chance with someone like Lily. What can you offer her?"

Severus forced back a grin that threatened to pierce his lips. "Oh, I'm sure I could give her more than you know. After all, you are forgetting we were friends for years and she couldn't stand Potter's sorry arse until he grew up a bit. Her words, not mine. I don't think any of you are mature people."

"A moment with you is a waste of her time when she has someone better, so you stay from her, got it?"

"Or what?" Severus looked daggers at them. "You expect me to believe Potter is a good person?" He laughed once quietly. "Ha!"

"If you don't stay away from her, we will make the next six months of your life a living hell. That's a promise." Black's eyes were like flames, ready to shoot fire at Severus.

"Are you threatening me?" Severus asked, his eyes narrowing at Black's glare.

"Yes." Sirius's response was without any hesitation. "Trying to convince a Slytherin to not join You-Know-Who's cause is like trying to teach to fish to drink water. Impossible!" Peter spoke up and Sirius raised an eyebrow at Peter before shaking his head.

"You really are an idiot, Pettigrew. Never were the sharpest knife in the drawer. No wonder your plan failed so miserably." Severus mocked. He wished Sprout wasn't nearby because he would love to curse Pettigrew into oblivion right now.

"She shouldn't even bother you and we will make sure of it." Black spoke up.

Severus gripped his wand, his hand shaking with anger. "How are you going to do that? Tie her down and keep her in the dorms? You can't control her! She can speak to me if she pleases!"

"I will make sure she sees who is better. It's much of an option. Greasy, Slytherin Snivellus or Well-kempt, Gryffindor James. I think you know which she will go for."

"You just wait. I wouldn't threaten me."

"What are you gonna do?" Peter smirked, but his voice was timid.

Severus sucked in air and gave Peter a murderous look. "You don't want to know, scum rot. The failure of your stupid plan is eating you away, isn't it? You are a self-righ-"

"It was you." Peter interrupted, almost moving out of a whisper. "You were the one who did it. I knew it. You did something to her."

"Did what exactly?" Severus snapped at him.

"You sick, nasty bastard!" Sirius pulled out his wand.

"I'm the sick, nasty bastard? That's rich coming from low life's as yourself. I ought to curse you all right here, right now." Severus pointed his wand at Peter's face. Peter gulped.

"You forced her!"

"I would do no such thing. And why does it concern you anyway? Unless maybe," Severus paused, feigning thought. "Maybe she and some other guy were given some sort of love potion. That would be the only way she would bother to sleep with someone besides her boyfriend, no?"

Peter's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped for a moment. Severus knew he had him in the bag. Black's forehead raised and Severus realized his confusion was directed at Peter.

"Ringing a bell." Severus said, mimicking ringing a bell in one hand, tightly holding his wand with the other.

As they turned the corner, Peter threw a jinx at Severus, but again, Severus quickly deflected it.

"That's just the beginning of your hell and you ought to know it." Peter snapped, which had Black and Snape jump back.

"Useless prat!" Severus shot a hex at Pettigrew. Pettigrew grew stiff and fell to the ground like a board. Black just held his wand in his hand. At that moment, Sprout came around the corner.

"I turn my back for a moment." He undid the spell and Peter scrambled to his feet. "Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Black, up to your dorm. Now! Before I assign detention. Mr. Snape, with me up to the library. I figure that's where you are headed, is it not?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Yes," Pettigrew said through gritted teeth. "Professor." "Yes, Professor." Sirius nodded. He turned to Severus. "I think I will go have a chat with my best mate, James and his girlfriend, Lily."

"You do that." Professor Sprout said.

Severus followed Sprout but watched Peter and Sirius out of the corner of his eye, feeling a fire roaring in the pit of his stomach, burning hotter and hotter as he thought about what Pettigrew had told him. He would not let Peter get away with this. It was his fault he and Lily had taken those potions and his fault at what happened between them. Severus would get his full revenge.

0o0o0

Lily headed down the hallway toward the stairs. At least she was talking to Severus again. If she could only convince him he should avoid the Death Eaters somehow, maybe it would not be so bad to be friends again. How would it work if he liked her and she was with James? She didn't want to break up with James, but what would he say? She didn't want to lie to him, but she could never tell him the whole truth.

As she walked the stairs up to the tower, her thoughts went back to Severus and their conversations today. Why didn't he see it? Why didn't he understand it was a bad side? Why didn't he seem to see what was wrong with people like Avery and Mulciber? A shiver ran up her spine thinking about Mulciber. That was one person who unnerved her, especially after what he did to Mary a couple years before. He was a creepy person.

"You want me to hang out alone-have no friends at all."

"No."

"Well, they are all I've got!"

Did he really think that he had no friends at all except them? As Lily got to the tower, she sat outside the portrait. He did not believe he did and as she thought about it, no one seemed to like him. There wasn't really a reason to hate him, but they chose to pick on him. Sure, his family was far from wealthy and Severus's things were mostly hand-me-downs from shops and his mother, but they had been friends for years. She liked him because around her he was witty and brilliant. They had fun messing around with potions and practicing their spells. They enjoyed each other's company for the most part until they chose opposite sides in the war going on. But a lot of people in his dorm sided with You-Know-Who it seemed. Not everyone did and surely, he could befriend some of the Slytherins without affiliation to the Death Eaters.

Lily entered the empty common room. She went up to her dorm and snatched a couple of her schoolbooks to read over and went back down to the empty common room. Lily sat down on one of the couches and opened one of her books.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked her a couple minutes later.

Lily looked up and saw James coming over to her. She shut her book and gave him a small smile. As she looked at him, she was suddenly struck with guilt. She had cheated on him, on her boyfriend. She ought to tell him and not hide something like that, but something stopped her from confessing right then. There were too many unknowns and if she tried to accuse Peter, his pal, of drugging her with love potion, she knew he would get defensive and not even consider it. Not to mention that she could not and would not admit who it had been with because even if she knew James had changed, he would go after Severus. Severus said he and James still hexed each other randomly in the halls and while she didn't want to believe it, she knew Severus well enough to know that he would not lie about something like that. In fact, he could be brutally honest to a fault at times. That wasn't to say that he didn't hold secrets, because she knew he did, but he did not outright lie to her. When he did not want to discuss something, he changed the subject to avoid having to lie or he would not answer her at all. If that was the case though, James was still causing trouble.

"Just reading a book." Lily said to him, looking at her fingernails for a moment.

"Did you find what you were looking for earlier?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"What?" She shook her head once. "Oh, right. Yes-yes, I did."

"What were you looking for?"

"Oh, just remembered I needed my notebook, that's all."

"Oh."

Lily struggled on the verge of speech. She wasn't sure how to ask him. "I ran into someone while I was down there."

"Where?"

"When I went to get my notebook."

"Oh. Who did you run into?"

"Someone I haven't spoken to in a while."

James looked at her curiously.

"Severus." She said unruffled by the name.

Lily watched for James's expression to change. Sure enough, James's jaw dropped, and he stared at her with an expression that bore almost hatred. "You spoke to that horrible Death Eater wannabe who called you that word?"

Lily was immediately defensive and did not understand why. She stopped herself just short of speech knowing that if she suddenly got defensive, he would get suspicious and she did not want to give any indication that Severus had been the one she unintentionally cheated on with him once she told him what happened. "I've gotten over it. I mean, that he called me that. I can't stay mad forever."

"I would."

"That's silly." Lily saw James cross his arms and mumble something she could not hear, but assumed it was negative, whatever it was. "Anyway, we talked a little, yes."

"What did you say to him?"

"Not much. He was looking to work on some potions, and he apologized again for calling me that word."

James scoffed in complete disgust.

"We apologized and-"

"We? What the hell did you apologize for?"

"Well, I called him that cruel nickname-and mocked his undergarment."

"His underwear was old and dirty. He deserved it."

"It was still wrong of me. It's not fair to mock someone over something they can't help."

"He can wash his pants."

Lily sighed in aggravation. "You don't know his family like I do. It wasn't fair of me. I was just mad at him and wanted to get him back. He apologized for calling me that, so I think it's safe to assume he is sorry if he still felt he needed to apologize. Therefore, I apologized too."

"It wasn't fair of him to call you that word."

"I said I'm over it. He didn't call you that. He called me that and you're not the one who needed the apology here. I am and he did. I accepted it."

"So, you two are buddy-buddy again?" The loathing in James's voice was obvious.

"I didn't say that."

"Bet he still wants to be a Death Eater."

"I don't know. He didn't tell me." This was half-true since he never answered her question really when they talked about it earlier.

"Well, what did the bastard tell you?"

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Don't call him that. Don't insult his mother and father."

"You are defending him?" James asked in shock. "Geez, Lily. What is this, an attempt to bash me?"

"You know it's wrong to call someone that."

"He's a Slytherin-"

"So that means it's okay to treat him like dirt?" Lily yelled out before realizing just what she had said.

"Treat him like dirt? He called you dirty and you are telling me I treated him like dirt?"

Lily found herself backtracking to not get James suspicious. "Well, I mean-you weren't exactly nice to him."

"He followed us around and nearly got himself killed trying to do so and I had to save his neck when he snuck into the tunnel."

"Oh? That's interesting." Lily said and watched James look confused. "I thought Sirius told him to go down there and then you saved him from your own friend's carelessness."

"Sirius was just playing a prank, that's all."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Like Mulciber's prank on Mary?"

"That was horrible."

"I don't see attempting to kill Severus as much better." Lily could not believe she was arguing with James about this when she always sided with them before. After what happened and her conversations with Severus, she just felt different and she didn't get why.

"What all did he say to you during your talk earlier? Huh? What made you turn on me and side with the Death Eater wannabe? Did he spell you or something?"

"No. I'm not turning on anyone. I want to know the truth. We needed to have the conversation we did."

"What exactly did he say to you?"

"I think that's between us."

"I'm your boyfriend and you are chatting with some old arse friend and leaving me out. What did you talk about? I am asking you not to keep secrets from me."

"I didn't talk to him that much so what's the big deal? We talked about how school has been going. We talked about our families and what's been happening since our split. His mother is ill." Lily knew this because of neighbourhood gossip last summer. Severus had not told her this, but it made it seem like they just had small talk.

"So?"

Lily's eyes pierced James. She noticed him squirm at her gaze and finally sigh.

"Fine. Sad. Boo-hoo."

"It's not a happy thing to lose a parent and she was-is rather ill."

Guilt pierced on James's face, but Lily figured it was from the glare she gave him and not any real sympathy for Severus or his family. That and the fact that he knew her father had passed away last year. "Fine. Sorry."

Lily decided to let this go. "So, we talked about things and he told me something about you."

"What now? What would he have to say to you that is of any real importance? I can't believe you talked to the creep and why you would listen to a word that comes out of his mouth is beyond me!"

"I want you to be honest with me." Lily said coolly.

"Okay. Fine. Whatever. I'll be honest. I am being honest."

"Do you still hex him in the halls?"

"What? He said that to you?"

"Yes. I want an honest answer from you. Do you two still bother each other?"

"Well, he never fails to aim a curse at me in the halls. I have to defend myself."

"Do you ever throw any hexes at him?"

James didn't answer for a moment. "Why am I on trial here? That arse called you that word and tried to slice my face up after our OWLS!"

"You were picking on him that day, weren't you? And for what reason?"

"We were bored."

"And that's a good enough reason?"

"Why are we discussing something that happened more than a year ago? Who cares?"

"Because I never heard you apologize for treating people the way you did."

"Yes, I shouldn't have treated them that way. There's the apology. I don't go around hexing people-besides Sniv-Severus, okay? That's my honest answer." James stammered, backtracking on his words at Lily's gaze.

"But you aren't sorry for treating Severus that way then?"

"I am. I'm sorry. There. I said it. I shouldn't have picked on him because we were bored.

"You don't have to apologize to me. You should be apologizing to him."

His jaw dropped, "You have to be joking, Lily"

"What good is it to apologize to me for hexing Severus all these years? I'm not the one you all hurt or tried to hurt."

"He's the one who called you that awful word though. I didn't make him say it."

"No, but," She sighed. "Forget it." Lily got up. "I'm going to go to the library. I need to-study."

"Lily, wait. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied about not hexing anyone. When he goes for me, I can't leave it. I must defend myself. I don't know what his problem is though. He just does it. He's a Slytherin, what do you expect?"

Before Lily could respond, Peter entered the common room. He looked right at Lily, his race red with fury. Sirius followed behind. Lily swallowed uneasily. James looked between them.

"What's the matter?" James asked.

"I want to speak with Lily-alone." Sirius spoke. Peter continued to glare with such intensity at her, she blushed.

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, I will tell."

"Tell who what?" Lily asked, folding her arms.

"James what you did."

"What I did?" Lily asked with a fury in her voice.

Peter's nostrils flared. "Yes. We will." "Come with me. We need to chat now." Sirius narrowed his eyes on her.

"I don't want to speak to you."

"I asked you to speak with me."

Lily glared at Black. "I said I don't wish to do so. I have other things I need to do right now." She turned to James. "I will see you in a bit."

"Yes, see you in a short while." James said, giving her a smile.

Lily gave him a little smile back and then walked past Peter and Sirius, glaring at them before exiting the room.

As she got to the stairs, a shaky hand grabbed her arm. Lily found herself whipped around so fast, she nearly tripped. She was staring into two dark, angry eyes and gulped. Lily frowned and looked down at her arm.

"I said we need to talk."

"Let go of me." She said through gritted teeth. "Now."

"What the hell were you doing with Snivellus?"

"Whom I speak with is none of your damn business now let go of me-Now!" Lily attempted to jerk her arm away from him, but Sirius only gripped her tighter. Her breath caught and she gulped. "You'll regret this, Black."

"I heard what you said to him. Suggesting you sleep with James to cover that you slept with someone else."

Lily choked. "No one ever said any such thing. Now let me go." As she tried to get away from away again, he squeezed her arm so hard, she cringed in pain. "Let go of me!"

Her jerked her hard and turned her back to him.

"You sure weren't screwing him last night, were you?" Peter spoke up from behind Sirius.

Lily stopped fighting to get away for a moment and bit back a grin and feigned surprise. "Was I supposed to be?"

"Yes, I mean no, I just thought that-since-you know-holidays and all-you'd want that time with him."

"I didn't know the 21st of December was such an important evening and I was supposed to spend my night with him." She turned to Black, "Now let go before I hex you into oblivion."

He yanked her towards him. "Where were you last night?"

She pulled back and slid her free hand to her pocket. "In my bed, thank you very much. Now let me go already!"

Sirius clutched even harder and Lily had enough. He was scaring her, and she wanted away from him. She pulled out her wand as he spoke. "Were you alone last night?"

Lily put her wand to Sirius's cheek. "Let-me-go-right-now."

Peter laughed and she moved her wand from Sirius to Peter. He grimaced. "James would be mad if you hurt me."

"Not as mad as he'll be when he finds out what you did." She spoke calmly, though part of her insides were quaking as she wondered what Black would try to do back to her. "You don't want to know what I could do to you, you worthless piece-"

"There you all are, I-what are you doing?" Remus Lupin asked.

Sirius quickly let go of Lily. "Nothing, Remus, just having a chat with Lily, that's all."

Remus looked between them apprehensively. Lily said nothing, turned and headed down the stairs swiftly, looking back every few seconds as if she was expecting to be hexed. Lily needed to find Severus. She had to tell him that what Sirius and Peter had overheard. As she headed toward the library, figuring he might be there, she was struck by a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. What if they decided to speak to Severus next? She knew Peter was no match for Severus and she didn't want Severus to get into any serious trouble. Black and Snape could seriously hurt each other though. She gulped and hurried to the library, as far away from Peter and Sirius as she could get.