Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or concepts of the universe of Harry Potter. All rights belong to Jo Rowling.
Severus and Lily slowly made their way out the door of the Room of Requirement, with the Gryffindor girl gently leaning against him with each fragile step she took. Most of the lingering pain of the Cruciatus Curse was gone in the time that had passed since the incident, but Severus insisted upon supporting her walk back to the Hospital Wing. Besides, all of the emotional displays in the room left Lily quite content in remaining close to her best friend, not quite wanting to end the hug that had been shared for a while now.
Lily looked up into Severus' obsidian eyes with a bit of consideration before she finally spoke. "I'm sorry, Sev…"
At Lily's sudden apology, the young Slytherin looked down at her with obvious bewilderment. "You're sorry..? What on Earth for?"
She sighed as they made their way to the Grand Staircase and started their trek down the steps to the Hospital Wing. "I guess I never really considered how you might be punished if you dropped those monsters like I kept pressuring you to...Rosier's face when he found out about your change...Sev, I was so afraid that he'd cast that curse on you too…"
Lily shuddered at the thought, remembering that all-encompassing pain of the Torture Curse all too well. She could never wish that kind of agony upon anyone else, least of all her best friend.
He merely looked down upon Lily with the thinnest of smiles. "Don't worry about that, Lily. What's done is done; that cretin will be expelled and held in detention at the Ministry. Underage criminals aren't often sent to Azkaban, but in his case and his casting of an Unforgivable, it would be the right thing if that's the route they take."
Lily's eyes widened in reminder of Severus' choice of words, remembering another responsibility she had in finding her friend. "The right thing...Sev, I wanted to talk to you about that." They stopped for a moment when they reached the fourth floor so as to allow Lily to catch her breath; it would take a good meal and a good night's sleep for her endurance to perk up again.
"Rosier's not the only Slytherin in your dorm that's cast an Unforgivable Curse and you know it...I'm asking you as Mary's friend, and yours, Sev. It wasn't right! Please turn Mulciber in for what he did to her!"
Severus looked at Lily in quiet contemplation at her request. He remembered the incident well despite the time that had passed. Oddly enough, he remembered it less for Mulciber's action and more for Rosier's hand in it, for it was his wand that Mulciber had used to cast the Imperius Curse on Mary Macdonald. He remembered laughing that someone close to Sirius Black had been humiliated; at the time he considered it just payback for Black instigating the encounter at the Whomping Willow that nearly ended him. But since his reformation, all Severus could feel about the incident was shame that an innocent girl had been hurt terribly in the process, even if she was Sirius Black's girlfriend.
Looking into Lily's eyes, he imagined those gleaming emeralds, so full of life, dulled and glazed over by the hypnotic effects of the Imperius Curse, hearing the vitality in her voice reduced to a low, obedient drone complying with whatever she was commanded. That image was brought on by his remembering Rosier's sickening offer he made following the incident.
Evan Rosier was laughing alongside his dorm mates as he took back his wand from Mulciber. "Nice work, Linus. A mudblood and a blood traitor humiliated with one spell. If they come snooping, deny it and give them your wand to check; they won't find a thing!" Rosier's pale blue eyes turned to Severus as he held his wand to him as an offering. "What about you, Snape? I bet if you cast the Imperius on that Mudblood you hang around with that she'd be a hell of a shag!"
One of the few things that Severus could say he was proud of his teenage self for was the fact that he had brushed off Rosier's offer. Even in the midst of aspiring to be a Death Eater and involving himself with the Dark Arts, he wasn't so far gone that he'd accept such a monstrous temptation. He couldn't, and wouldn't, bring himself to essentially rape Lily, no matter how much he wanted her. She'd never forgive him for it.
"She never forgave you anyway…" came that inner voice again as he forced up his Occlumency just in time to stop that embarrassing memory from leaping into Lily's mind as the others had done. It was like his conscience was its own entity now, determined to confess his sins and show Lily everything he was ashamed of. He intended to tell her everything at some point, but not now, and definitely not all at once.
When he was sure his Legilimency attempt was over, he slowly lowered his barriers again as he responded to her request. "Lily, of course what he did to her was wrong...If that's what you wish, I'll talk to Slughorn about it. I'll even submit my memory as proof if that's what it takes."
Lily honestly didn't know why she should be surprised by Severus' accommodating behavior anymore. There were no words shared about how the curse had been cast "just for a laugh" or any protest about how there was no proof. She asked, and he agreed, as if he'd planned to do so all along. Even though it ached a bit to do so, Lily's smile returned and she wrapped her arms more tightly around Severus, relieved that justice for Mary would be coming.
Severus truly could not grow tired of seeing joy in Lily's eyes, nor the affectionate hugs that she gave him. He almost felt guilty receiving such wonderful gifts from her because his decision also had some self-serving motivation. Now that his change was made public to Slytherin House, he needed to start thinking about his own safety if he was to live another two years in their company. The dangerous ones had to be cut out of the picture now. Avery was a snivelling coward, but the other two were not to be trifled with, and Severus would be damned if another threat to Lily came out of Rosier's vile lips.
If there were any justice in the world, both Rosier and Mulciber would be tried as adults for their use of Unforgivable Curses and be thrown in Azkaban, never to get their wretched, Death Eater habits off the ground in this lifetime.
Upon arriving in the Hospital Wing, it was clear to Lily that she and Severus had arrived just in the nick of time. Remus was in the hospital bed in the far corner away from the entrance. Even from so far away, she could see that her fellow Prefect's white hospital bed was stained in a deep crimson. Madam Pomfrey was practically shouting all manner of incantations to control the injury, but her determination was not enough to control the boy's bleeding.
Lily was about to turn around and plead again with Severus for his help, but as if he had read her mind, he stepped ahead of her and walked with a brisk pace before two bodies barricaded his route.
James and Sirius both glared at Severus, their eyes swimming with sorrow for their friend's condition and a great distrust of the newly-arrived Slytherin.
"Let's get one thing straight, Snape." Sirius uttered, his voice little more than a quiet whisper, but fury was absolutely radiating from it nonetheless. "What happened at the lake is your fault. Those snakes were there on YOUR behalf, and Rosier used YOUR damn curse. How can we trust this wasn't your own little scheme from the start for what happened to you on Thursday?!"
Severus was about to mention to the Marauders how he was the only chance Lupin had of not dying from blood loss, but never got the chance. Lily stepped between the boys, her nostrils flaring in disgust at the pair. "How dare you?! How dare you act like Sev had anything to do with that when he's the when who stopped them?!"
James shook his head at Lily. "Evans, how do we know that he wasn't watching the whole thing?! Isn't it convenient that he only showed up when you got involved? He easily could've planned it and only stopped it when you got hurt because Rosier got overzealous."
Lily snorted in disbelief, unable to believe such an idiotic notion could leave James' lips after how nice he'd been today. "You're impossible, Potter! I left Sev in a meeting with Dumbledore; he didn't skive it off to plan an attack with people he no longer associates with. Did either of you hear what Avery said when he shouted to Rosier about Severus being on his own now?!" She took Severus by the hand and shoved through the Gryffindor boys, glaring at both of them with extreme disappointment.
Severus could scarcely hide his sneer of revulsion at the audacity the Marauders had to accuse him. "Idiots, the lot of them. I was a fool to think they'd change even if I had."
Once he and Lily made it to the bed Remus was being treated on, Madam Pomfrey raised her head, traces of panic etched into her eyes. "Mr. Snape! Minerva said you'd be coming by. Whatever this spell is, I can only cover the wound and halt the blood loss; I can't close it!"
Severus approached the Prefect's quivering body, gazing at the aftermath of his own spell: shades of Harry Potter's attack on Draco Malfoy. It was amazing how much damage Sectumsempra could cause when cast by a careless or malevolent user. Turning to the nurse, he spoke quickly. Time was of the essence as Remus had already gone into shock and needed to be healed fast.
"Madam Pomfrey, I'll need two vials of Blood Replenishing Potion. He's lost too much for one vial to top him off. I'll also need Essence of Dittany once the wounds close to help the healing process."
The school Healer nodded and immediately left to fetch the requested supplies, a bit surprised that a student was capable of handling such a diagnosis prior to his attempt to treat Lupin.
Lily could only watch in fright at the prospect of losing her friend; there was so much blood and seeing him convulsing in shock snapped her into a need to act, lest she go into shock herself.
"Sev, what can I do to help?!"
Severus drew his wand, trying to focus on whatever he could to stay calm and not use his Occlumency. "Just watch and listen; there's a chance this might not work and if my magic fails again, you need to be my backup." And then, Severus locked himself away again, not behind Occlumency, but focusing on the relief he felt at his and Lily's time in the Room of Requirement. The outward push of his emotions made him feel considerably lighter, having been able to express it with the person who mattered most to him.
Lily prepared herself, determined to study whatever spell Severus was about to cast. She saw him slowly trace his wand across the thick gash, and was completely unprepared for what came next.
"Vulnera Sanentur…"
It was the strangest thing, hearing that incantation. Lily thought that Severus' voice had suddenly taken on the properties of an angel, the words slipping from his lips resembling those of a soothing song. Her friend, who had always been so dark and grim a figure growing up, had created this vastly different spell that was assuredly light in nature?
Severus made another motion with his wand, vanishing the bandages that McGonagall had conjured on Remus' body and Lily's eyes flickered with the barest of hope. The blood flow was slowing considerably, but had not yet halted. Had the spell not worked properly?
"Vulnera Sanentur…"
Again, the song-like chant came, this time the lines of blood surrounding the wound proper began to vanish as all the residue was cleared. Lily shook her head briefly. It still wasn't enough?
"Vulnera Sanentur…" a pair of voices sung. Severus opened his eyes briefly to see Lily's wand also tracing down the wound, smiling at how quickly she was able to catch on to the technique and watched with pride as the wound knitted itself. Her involvement wasn't necessary, as the process was going normally anyway; three casts were commonplace for severe wounds. But it brought a sense of companionship hearing Lily flawlessly casting one of his own spells, one that was far more suited to her pure heart than any of the curses he had made.
With a sigh of relief, Lily leaned onto Severus' shoulder as she watched Madam Pomfrey return with the required supplies to help Remus heal. It also amused her somewhat to see the shock on the nurse's face when she saw the wound had indeed been closed.
"Was there really any doubt? Sev is a genius…"
Lily's silent praise of her best friend was interrupted by the noise of the hospital door slamming open, with the trio of Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Horace Slughorn walking toward the bed of Remus Lupin.
"Oh, thank heavens his wounds are closed!" McGonagall's elation was obvious due to the high pitch of her voice. Turning her face gratefully towards Severus, she seemed to be looking at the young Slytherin with a sudden respect at his actions.
"I was so afraid Mr. Lupin might not make it with how Poppy was struggling. Twenty points to Slytherin for your actions here, Mr. Snape. Alas, I fear that does not recoup the fifty points I took from each of the instigators down by the lake, but you have my sincerest gratitude nonetheless. You've really proven yourself to be different than I had thought, Mr. Snape!"
Dumbledore's ever-joyful face nodded somewhat with its own acknowledgement. "Indeed, he has been a surprise today, Minerva. Horace, I'm rather surprised that you've made no attempts to add this young man to your Slug Club, his actions today alone should be a shining example for all of Slytherin House." There was a hint of purpose in Dumbledore's words that Severus knew from experience in dealing with his machinations. There was no way the Headmaster would make such a casual comment about Horace's collection as if he cared about Severus' feelings of being snubbed. Something was not right, as he saw that gleam in Dumbledore's eyes.
Slughorn merely gasped at the Headmaster's words, taken aback by what had been the most playful of insults. Severus knew why, looking at the Head of Slytherin House as he stroked his enormous moustache. Despite his eye for talent, which Severus had in abundance, Slughorn had a rather nasty habit of focusing too much on his destitute status as a poor half blood that had been a far cry from the grand Prince family that his mother had been raised by.
It also probably didn't help that at this point in life, Severus was an unpleasant individual whose path towards being a Death Eater could be seen clearly even by the blind.
"It's certainly something I've considered in the past, Albus, but this is neither the time nor the place. Severus, my boy, you've done marvelously in assisting Mr. Lupin. I've been told of what happened by the Lake, but I'd like to hear your account of what took place if it's not too much trouble?"
Severus shook his head. "Not at all, sir. There's also something I'd like to discuss with you about that...unsolved matter regarding Linus Mulciber and one Mary Macdonald."
The news had spread quickly that two Slytherin fifth-years had been expelled and sent to juvenile detention at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The pair had been incapacitated by one of their own and were awaiting trials that would determine whether they would be punished as adults for their usage of Unforgivable Curses upon their fellow students. The topic had run rampant across the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner, and everyone was crowded around Mary Macdonald, who was embracing Lily Evans with tears in her eyes.
Mary was unable to speak due to the roller coaster of emotions the day had brought, with her housemates being assaulted by the Slytherin Gang, only for the attack to have been stopped by an unlikely savior in Lily's friend Severus. Just as Lily had promised her that afternoon, the boy had come forward about Mulciber's monstrous act and he, along with the violent Rosier, were no longer students at Hogwarts.
It had been like a dream come true for the young witch as she held her friend, sniffling at the knowledge that Lily had to suffer through a Torture Curse before justice could be done. It had probably seemed like a silly matter to the other houses, but to her and her fellow Gryffindors, Mary being violated by the Imperius Curse had been a terrible blow to the tightly-knit group. She had been haunted by nightmares of Mulciber commanding her to do much worse things, and she thanked Merlin that she could finally be free from those fears now that the evil boy had been punished.
It was due cause for the entire House of Gryffindor to celebrate, as even Professor McGonagall had entered the Common Room to announce that Remus Lupin was going to recover from his wounds and be released from the Hospital Wing the following morning. As an added treat, she mentioned that they were once again ahead on points going into the final week of the school year, and encouraged the students to keep on their best behavior so the House Cup could be theirs. The second half of O.W.L.s were to come, but none of the fifth-years could muster any stress about it with what had transpired that Sunday.
Author's Note: Finally the events of Sunday are over with (long overdue, I know). I had expected to be done with fifth year and heading into the Summer by Chapter 10, but my mind ends up racing and adding all sorts of new details and subplots. I hope all of the things these past several chapters have featured are up to everyone's liking, but if they're a bit too much on the detailed side, I apologize. The words are simply flowing out of my brain like water and I really don't want to stop this momentum of writing I've been on.
Tempus Vita is only three weeks old and already has over 35k words, and I can assure my readers that I'm just getting started with what I have planned for it. This story is going to stretch at least beyond Hogwarts Graduation, and given where I'm at right now, I can safely say that the end product is going to be over 100 chapters of relatively equal length. You all have no idea how happy it makes me seeing my story that's so new be received so well by the community with over 100 followers and nearing 100 reviews. Thank you all for your continued support and I hope I can keep up this pace yet keep refining my style to a more sophisticated level.
Given that I do have dreams of becoming a published fantasy author someday, I really appreciate it when a reader takes the time to review, critique, or discuss what happens in each chapter. Thanks again and please keep those reviews coming in!