Finally a brief moment to do some updating! :) BondSlave and I are (semi-)settled into our apartment, and have gotten into the routine of things around here. We've been working diligently on this story, as well as future concept plot bunnies, and I promise to get better about updating (now that I really have no excuse not to, heh). A rather short chapter, but it's important! More to come soon~!

Nizuna: Eep, thanks so much! Sorry it's taken so long to update. But here's a new chapter now!

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Thank you to everyone else who's reading! Enjoy the new chapter!

-III. Torment-
In which Severus takes a stand.

Despite the still-warm air outside, the Slytherin dorm was relatively cold. A fire already roared in the grate in an attempt to spread warmth throughout the common room. Alisha would talk to the other girls in her dorm about turning the heaters on in the dorm room early this year.

Alisha had woken up a little later than she would have liked, and had to dress quickly if she wanted to get down to breakfast in time to eat before morning classes started. She threw on a pair of jeans and a blue long-sleeved shirt. Over that, she slipped into the grey sweater with her house patch and then pulled the pleated black skirt over her jeans before jamming her feet into her blue converse. No one had ever said she was normal.

Throwing her school robe over her shoulders, she dashed from the girls' dorm and across the common room before a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She skidded to a stop and looked up, startled.

Severus had been leaning against the wall and was looking at her quite seriously. She did her best not to blush, but that didn't stop her heart from speeding up.

"I heard what happened last night," he said quietly.

Alisha blinked.

"Malfoy told me. He found it rather funny."

She really did blush this time, but more in shame. Malfoy didn't like her. He wouldn't personally make her miserable, but it was no secret that he thought she was in the wrong house. A lot of Slytherins believed this.

"I didn't think it was funny," Severus stated, causing her to start and looked up at him in surprise. His brows were furrowed and he looked very displeased. He released her wrist and pushed away from the wall, passing behind her. "You are a Slytherin. Despite your unorthodox ways of going on about your schooling, you belong to this house and you should be treated with respect," he stated as he headed off towards the boys' dorm.

Alisha watched him go and blinked when he paused.

"That boy won't be bothering you again," he stated. "I made sure of that." And then he was gone.

Alisha's stomach did a little flip-flop, and a huge grin spread across her face before she dashed out of the common room.

;;

Kelsey bounced on her seat in the Great Hall, looking up every five seconds while nibbling on a piece of toast.

Sirius, who was just getting up to leave, walked over to her. "Edwards, relax. Why are you so jumpy this morning?" he asked as he brushed crumbs from his robes.

Kelsey set her toast down and looked up at him. She couldn't remember when she'd hated him. Hated James— Okay, she still thought James was a jerk, but things had changed. Two years ago, they all couldn't stand each other, and now they were friends. It was odd, in some...well, odd way.

"Alisha hasn't come to breakfast. I'm worried about her. What if the Slytherins did something horrible to her?"

Sirius snorted. "Despite not liking her, I doubt they'd do that. There are a few Slytherins who would prevent that. Maybe not openly, but they wouldn't let one of their own get abused." He cracked his knuckles. "In fact, I had a lengthy talk with my brother last night and warned him that, if anything happened to her, I'd take it out on him," he said with a grin before patting Kelsey on the head and walking out.

He made it to the door just as Alisha ran in. He spun around the girl and pointed at her, shooting a grin over her head to Kelsey before exiting.

Alisha trotted over to Kelsey's table and just stole a piece of toast. She wouldn't have much time for anything else.

;;;;;

"Hey, wait!" Kelsey said quickly as Alisha turned to run out of the Great Hall. Something was different about her that morning. She looked more cheerful. She had a little spring in her step.

"I'm gonna be late for class!" Alisha said, her tone frantic but a smile still stuck on her face.

"I know, just hang on," Kelsey said, getting up off the bench and grabbing up her things. "You okay?"

"I'm great!" Alisha said happily. Her smile fell a little when she looked down at the bandages wrapped around Kelsey's hands. "How're you feeling?"

"Hmm?" Kelsey followed Alisha's gaze. "Oh, these? I hardly even feel them anymore. I'm alright, I promise."

Alisha looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, then. Let's get to class before we're late."

The two girls rushed towards the doors, not really looking where they were going. Kelsey bumped into someone, dropping her books. She looked up to see that it was the green-haired boy from the night before.

The boy's annoyed look quickly turned to one of fear. He fell to his knees, scooped up the fallen books, pushed them into Kelsey hands, and ran away.

Kelsey stared after him, eyes-wide. "What the flying hippogriff was that about?"

Alisha grinned. "I think I know..."

"What?" Kelsey asked.

Alisha shook her head. "Come on, we'll be late!" And took off for her first class.

Kelsey shrugged a little, and rushed off to her own class, wondering if there was a certain boy that had had anything to do with Alisha's improved mood.

;;

The rest of the morning passed peacefully. Lunch rolled around, and Kelsey decided to spend the hour reading instead of going to the Great Hall. She wasn't feeling all that hungry anyway. Though she did poke her head into the Great Hall for a moment to see if she could find Alisha. When she didn't see her, she figured that she'd opted out of eating lunch as well.

She was walking down a corridor, and didn't even bother to look up when she heard a few sets of footsteps approaching quickly behind her. That is, until a shoulder connected roughly with hers and she found herself being shoved into the wall. She kept her footing, and looked at the Slytherin boys who'd pushed her in her mild surprise.

"Get back to the library, bookworm!" one shouted, which was greeted by laughter from his cohorts.

Kelsey shook her head and walked away, trying to remind herself that they were idiots and ought not be taken seriously. It still stung, though. Among her friends, she took pride in being a bookworm and that she spent ample time in the library. But, coming from others, it was just...insulting.

She found a quiet place outside to read and sat down on a bench, opening her book on her lap. She blinked away tears as she tried to focus on the words before her, her streak turning a pale yellow. She was not inexperienced with bullying. As any other student, she'd seen her fair share. But bullying at a wizard school was almost worse than muggle school. All muggles could do was fling cruel words at you, or maybe trip you. The worst they could do was physically attack you. Wizards and witches could do all that and more. They could put hexes and jinxes on you, pull you up into the air and make you throw up slugs or even catch on fire.

A couple girls—both Slytherins—walked by, giggling to each other, then looked up as they passed Kelsey. One girl smirked. "My, I wonder what happened to her hands," she said, feigning concern.

"Looks pretty bad," the other girl said, matching the first girl's tone. "Maybe a spell backfired."

"That'd be just like her," the first girl mocked. "Everyone knows she's too dumb to be in Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, especially since she's started hanging out with those dumb Gryffindor boys."

"That must be so trying for them—putting up with a genius like her every day. Even they're smarter than her!"

"Pity she can't find any friends in her own house."

"Or any real friends at all!"

Kelsey bent her head lower as they cackled and walked away. She choked back a sob and blinked furiously, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. Having low self-esteem about her intelligence did nothing to even try to repel the girls' hurtful words. A few tears rolled down her face and dripped onto the pages of her book.

;;

"Hey, Edwards!" James called. Then he and Remus hesitated, noticing that Kelsey's streak was growing lighter and lighter—heading toward white. They couldn't see her face very well, as her hair hid most of it, but she didn't look happy. They looked at each other for a moment, then Remus gave a slight nod, and they started forward again. "Edwards," James repeated.

Kelsey started and quickly wiped at her eyes as James and Remus approached. "Oh, hey, guys," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

James and Remus weren't buying it. James reached a hand forward and gently tugged on her streak—his way of showing concern for her.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked.

Kelsey shook her head and mustered up a smile. "Nothing's wrong! Really, I'm fine."

Remus started looking around. "Did someone hex you again?"

"No, no, it's nothing," she insisted. "I'm fine."

"Hey, Edwards!" a boy shouted. "Levicorpus!"

Kelsey yelped, and suddenly found herself being scooped up into the air, and held there upside-down. She held her skirt down against her legs with both hands as other students started gathering around, her streak flickering from amber to a tan-gold to grey and then back again. She was too scared to reach for her wand. She hated heights, no matter how short they were. Not to mention that she was upside-down and being held there by some kid with a wand. Yeah, that put her at ease.

"Hey! Put her down!" Remus ordered, shouting at the Slytherin boy. He was ready to play the prefect card if he had to.

"Why?" the blonde boy asked, grinning. "Don't you enjoy seeing your little friend like this?"

James drew his own wand and took a step towards the boy. "Put her down, you prat," he spat.

The boy scoffed, clearly annoyed by James and Remus trying to order him around. (Even though Remus, technically, had the authority.) "You want her down? Fine." He flicked the tip of his wand off in some direction, flinging Kelsey through the air towards a fountain in the courtyard.

Before she hit either the stone of the fountain or the cold water in the foutain, she heard James shout, "Arresto Momentum!"

Her descent slowed, as if the gravity around her had suddenly been weakened. Remus jogged over towards the fountain, and James directed Kelsey's descent down towards him. She landed softly in Remus' arms, and she just let herself go limp for a few seconds, getting her bearings.

"You alright, Edwards?" James called.

Kelsey nodded and her streak turned a pale teal.

"Yeah, she's okay," Remus answered. He set her down after a moment, keeping an arm around her shoulders to keep her steady. He glared at the Slytherin boy and drew his wand. "You leave her alone, you hear me?" he shouted.

The boy grinned. "Ooh, I'm really scared now!"

"You should be," James said, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

Remus raised his want to retaliate against the boy, but a gentle hand rested on his arm, and he stopped.

Kelsey shook her head. "Remember? He's not worth it."

Remus exhaled heavily, lowering his arm. "Right."

James looked at the onlookers that had gathered. "What're you lot gawking at? Bugger off! Show's over!" And the students quickly scurried away.

"You sure you're alright?" Remus asked.

Kelsey nodded. "Thanks to you two, yes." She looked at the fountain behind her. "That could've ended quite badly."

"Do you need to go to the nurse or anything?"

"No, I'm not hurt," she said. "But thank you both."

They looked up when a distant bell started ringing, signaling that lunch hour was over and it was time to go back to class.

Kelsey stepped away from Remus, walked past James, and over to the bench she'd been sitting on to pick up her things.

"Maybe we should go with you to your next class," James suggested.

Kelsey smiled. "I think I can handle myself," she assured. "Besides, with the professors watching, I don't think they'd try anything. Right?"

James and Remus were about to answer that they'd gotten away with many things while professors had been watching, but then felt that that probably wasn't the best response to make right then. "Right..." they said instead.

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you both again." She waved. "See you at dinner!" And she skipped away, off to her next class.

Remus sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"You alright, mate?" James asked. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," Remus answered. He nodded after Kelsey. "It's her I'm worried about—her and Alisha." He looked at his fellow Marauder seriously. "We've gotta do something about this before it gets worse."

"What if it doesn't get worse?" James asked. "I mean, so far, no one's been seriously injured."

"We can't just let this continue, James," Remus snapped.

James exhaled and nodded. "Right then. What do you suggest we do?"

Remus thought for a moment. "Let me think on that. I'll let you know." And he walked away, musing over various plans in his mind. (Though he thought transporting the bullies to Antarcitca via portkey might've been just a tad too much.)

James followed after curiously, wondering just what sort of plot his genius friend was going to come up with. Remus may have been the one to not get involved most of the time, but, really, he was the originator of many of the Marauders' most infamous and brilliant plans. He couldn't wait to see what Moony would think up.

;;

Over the next month or so, the bullying got worse, as Remus had predicted. The tormentors had lowered themselves to hexing the girls ill and damaging and stealing their belongings. But the Marauders hadn't given up. No, they were hard at work on a plan that they hoped would stop the other students' cruelty for a while, if not for good.

;;;;;

Snape exited the library, walking automatically forward while struggling to shove his notebook and parchment into his bag. He jumped, dropping his notebook and parchment when he bumped into someone. He blinked and turned as the person trotted past, shooting out and grabbing the other person by the elbow. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked seriously.

His frown deepened as Alisha turned and looked up at him. Her mascara was smeared, her lips puffy, and tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What's happened?" he asked.

"Oh God, Severus, it's Kelsey!" she said as she wiped at her face and sniffed loudly. "Avery cursed her and, oh God, I don't know what happened," she said as she sobbed openly. "She started bleeding really badly. She had to be rushed to the infirmary!"

Snape's eyes widened and he squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, hey, calm down," he said. He glanced over her head and spotted someone who could help him. "Lily! Hey, come here."

The red-haired Gryffindor trotted over, concern entering her face when she saw how upset the Slytherin girl was. "What's wrong?"

"Kelsey's been hurt," Snape said. "Could you escort Alisha to the infirmary?"

Lily nodded and took Alisha's hand. "Oh, yes, of course. Come on, hun," Lily said before leading the sobbing girl out of the hall. Severus snarled and snatched up his stuff before marching out of the hall.

;;

Severus entered the Slytherin common room and threw his things on the leather sofa next to the Lucius, who was reading something. The blonde looked up and cocked an eyebrow. "On a mission?" he asked.

Snape snarled and and pulled out his wand. "Yes. Where's Avery?"

Lucius closed his book and clasped his hands together. "Oh, oh? Has dear Avery done something to piss you off?"

"Just tell me where he is, Lucius!"

The blonde put up his hands and nodded. "Alright. If I'm not mistaken, he's heading down to the third floor to meet some floozy."

Severus nodded and, with a quick turn of the heel, walked quickly from the room, school robes billowing behind him.

;;

Sirius was glaring out of the window, his long black hair framing his face and accenting the harsh features of his scowl. He glanced down at the bed beside him and his eyes narrowed before he glared back out of the window.

Remus and Alisha were sitting on either side of the bed. Lily stood beside Alisha, offering comfort by squeezing her shoulder. James was leaning against the end of the bed, his knees aching since he'd been kneeling on the hard floor for awhile. Peter had left a while ago without a word.

Remus looked over at James. "Now do you believe me? I told you it would just get worse," he stated.

James offered an apologetic, ashamed look.

The werewolf glanced up at Alisha. "What happened?"

Alisha sniffed and rubbed at her sore eyes. She shook her head. "I don't know. Lucinda was with her…another girl in Ravenclaw. She said that Avery cursed her," she said with a soft sob.

Lily squeezed her shoulders. "I don't understand why they're targeting you two like this. I mean…" She looked between the boys. "I'm a Gryffindor and I hang out with Severus."

Remus shot both Sirius and James a glare to keep them from making any comments before Lily continued.

"I mean, sure, sometimes I get a snide comment here or there, and we all know what the dunderhead over here thinks about it, but I've never been physically hurt."

James grumbled something, but didn't say anything.

Alisha shook her head. "I don't know. I just can't believe this. Kelsey could have died!"

Sirius sighed and looked back as Alisha broke down again.

;;

Avery entered the third floor corridor and sauntered his way along the alcoves. A hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar, slamming him against the wall. He yelped and was about to spout some profanity when he paled as a wand tip was thrust in his face.

"S-S-Sev—"

"Shut up!" Severus snarled, dark eyes sparkling dangerously. He bared his teeth and tightened his grip. "You hurt a girl today using my spell!" He jerked the boy and slammed him against the wall again. "How dare you! You will cease to use my spells for your own sick, twisted fun."

"Oh, and so you can use them?"

Snape whipped his wand and a bright, light-like whip flipped out and slapped the other across the face, causing him to gasp in pain. "I told you to shut up! You will listen to me! You hurt a girl named Kelsey Edwards. You will not hurt her! And you'd better pass on the message that she's not to be bothered!"

"Why would you care about that stupid little Ravenclaw hoe?"

Severus released the boy and whipped his wand, wordlessly jinxing the other, whose limbs locked up and he fell over onto his side.

Severus kicked him onto his back and pressed his foot down against the other's chest, wand pointing down at his face. "I don't! She means nothing to me, but you and your little gang have been harassing Spinners as well and, if you haven't noticed, she's a Slytherin, so you'd better treat her like one! You leave her and Edwards alone. You tell your gang that if they even so much as look at those two the wrong way, they will have to deal with me. And in case you've forgotten, I run with some powerful people."

He stepped off of the other teen and turned, putting his wand away. He paused and glanced back over at the immobilized boy. "Let's hope someone finds you before nightfall. Otherwise Peeves might just tell a teacher on you. Wouldn't want that, would we? You'll be lucky if you're not expelled." He grinned. "Let's hope Edwards' family doesn't press charges."