A/N: Eek! Sorry that took so long, I'll try to be quicker with my updates from now on, but no promises. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I'm ecstatic to hear you're still enjoying the story! Enjoy~
"Good haul this year," Lily nearly shouted over the thundering applause the echoed throughout the Great Hall once the Sorting had finished and the new students were scrambling to their new houses' tables. There were thirteen new Slytherins this year; the biggest group of first years for the house in nearly two decades.
Laika, sitting to Lily's right nodded in agreement but remained moodily silent. When Lily had reunited with her friend on the Hogwarts Express, she had immediately noticed a drastic change. Gone was the smirking, sarcastic Laika she used to know; now she seemed to have fallen into an eternal state of depression. There were large dark circles under her eyes, as though she hadn't slept well for weeks, and a scowl had been permanently etched into her face. Sadder yet: she barely talked if she could avoid it. Lily had a feeling she would eventually return to her old self, but for now it pained her greatly to see her friend so emotionally destroyed.
"Congratulations Reggie!" Narcissa squealed in an uncharacteristic display of girlishness as her cousin came over to sit by her.
"Don't call me that," he mumbled awkwardly as he stood behind Melika, who was sitting on Narcissa's right.
"You! Move!" Narcissa nastily booted Melika from her seat, allowing room for Regulus to sit next to her. Melika was clearly embarrassed to find herself out of a seat, but she didn't dare talk back to Bellatrix Black's younger sister. She, like most students from other houses, was terrified of Bellatrix. Refusing to give up her seat to Narcissa would have been a very unwise thing to do.
Lily frowned slightly at Narcissa's selfish action, but kept her silence. After all, there was nothing wrong with wanting Regulus to sit next to her. Melika could just find another seat…
"Is this seat taken?"
Apparently, Melika intended to sit next to Lily. There was a little bit of space between her and Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting on her left, so Lily shrugged uncaringly. Laika wasn't watching, and Narcissa was too busy fussing over her cousin to notice Lily's act of kindness to the pathetic outcast.
"If you don't mind, of course," Lily said to Peter, who looked slightly irritated with the other girl at first, but tried to smile for Lily.
"No—no problem," he stammered, even going as far as to move down and make a little more room for Melika. Lily smiled. She had originally thought Peter to be a bit odd, but after getting to know him a little better on the way here— there was room in their compartment for one more person, and with the choice of Melika or Peter, the girls unanimously chose him— and she found him a likeable person. He wasn't overly arrogant as Potter and Black were, and although he would never match Severus' level of intelligence, he knew a plethora of fascinating stories about Ministry mishaps and hushed-up Auror attacks that kept Lily entertained for hours.
"Welcome, welcome," Dumbledore greeted everyone in the hall warmly as he took a step up to his podium to begin his start-of-the-year speech.
"Now that the Sorting is finished, I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Darcy Umbridge."
The woman at the far right end of the staff table stood up and enthusiastically waved to the students, but nobody waved back. They were too busy gawking at her appearance, which consisted of an eye-torturing cerise cloak and robes the colour of equally horrifying bubble gum pink.
"What do you suppose her favourite colour is?" Sirius mused sarcastically, unable to take in so much pink at once.
After several moments of silence, one girl from the Slytherin stood up and cheered as loudly as she could manage. Every head turned to face the source of the obnoxious applause; everyone wondered who could possibly be excited by the prospect of this revolting woman teaching them how to defend themselves against Dark Magic. The older girl was dressed in her all-black Slytherin robes, but the oversized pink bow in her hair explained everything.
"Dolores Umbridge," James muttered under his breath. "Got me into a load of trouble last year."
"She's a prefect?" Severus asked, unable to decide who was more frightening: Dolores or her mother. Had it not been for Darcy's facial wrinkles, he would have mistaken her as Dolores' twin sister. They looked exactly alike.
"Actually, she's Head Girl this year," James replied darkly. "Power seems to run in the family. My mum worked for that old git's department at the Ministry…lasted a month. Mum Transfigured her office into swamp…complete with six pregnant alligators and this ancient centaur that died on her desk," he added with a smirk.
"So it does run in the family?" Severus sighed, referring to the Potters' pranking problem.
"Amazing…she's still clapping," Sirius pointed out, even though it had been over two minutes since Dumbledore's introduction. Dolores may indeed be an awful girl to be around, but one had to admit that she had school spirit. "When's our first Defense class?"
Severus looked down and read his schedule. It was all he could do to keep from cursing when he saw that they had Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow. First thing in the morning. Wonderful.
xXxXxXxXx
"To another spectacular year for Gryffindor!" James held up his small goblet in a toast from the centre of the massive group of students in the common room later that evening. Everyone else held their drinks up as well, and after a deafening round of clanks and clashes, they downed their butterbeers in a single gulp. Once the group scattered and the music and wild dancing continued, Severus found himself wandering over to a quiet corner of the room, not wanting to partake in such frivolous affairs.
Where James and Sirius had gotten the butterbeer, he did not know, but their efforts had proven worthwhile, seeing as they now found themselves just where they wanted to be: at the centre of attention and admiration at the Gryffindor House's Welcome Back Celebration. The new first years were delighted to have found themselves in such an exciting house, and they immediately adored James and Sirius for their supposedly 'hilarious' pranks. Severus found them to be ridiculous, but he was so used to those dunderheads by now that he hardly noticed.
To start off the year with a bang, Sirius had stunned his younger brother on his way down to the Slytherin dungeons and hung his limp body from the ceiling in the Charms corridor for all to laugh at. Meanwhile, James had found it rather amusing to bewitch Peter Pettigrew's pants into looking like pink bunny underpants. McGonagall had been furious with these two, and before the sun had even set on their first day back, they received a week's worth of detentions.
Even then, they still threw a party for their house, despite the fact that Severus and Remus had pleaded them not to. Severus really couldn't stand such festivities, and Remus was looking a little ill tonight. He had gone up to bed before it had even begun, and Severus thought it was nearly time for him to leave as well. Much to his irritation, James was flirting with Mary— having been rejected by the prefects, Molly and Alice— and Sirius had stupidly released a pair of wild Bludgers into the chaos as entertainment for the first years.
Just as Severus got up to leave, he noticed Remus scurrying down the stairs that led to their dormitory. He was extremely pale and judging by the way he was moving he did not wish to be seen nor followed. A good friend would have left him alone, but as Severus watched him running towards the portrait exit, he couldn't help but follow after him.
"Where are you going?" he asked suspiciously after the portrait had closed behind him and Remus was on the verge of sprinting away. At once, Remus stopped in his tracks and looked back; the fear on his face disappeared when he realized that it was only Severus.
"I'm not feeling too well," he replied as calmly as he could manage, fidgeting in place as he watched Severus walking over to him and give him a onceover. His friend's carefully calculating black eyes sometimes made him wonder if he could see things he wished to remain hidden…it was as though they were searching for the dark secret he was hiding…but how could that be possible? While Severus often understood more than he should, there was no way he could know about…
"Ill?" Severus asked seriously. While he cared about his friend's wellbeing, but he did not appreciate the fact that Remus was obviously hiding something from him. "You do seem to be ill quite often…perhaps you ought to see a qualified practitioner…?"
Remus paled at these words. He knew that Severus was an observant person, but just how much did he know? Was he just really good at 'connecting the dots' per se, or did he recognize his illness…?
"I just need a bit of Pepper Up…I'll be back soon—"
"You know I have some in my trunk," Severus cut across him, growing more and more doubtful of his true intentions. He couldn't figure out why Remus was behaving so strangely, and he didn't like the way his normally-calm eyes kept darting back and forth in a state of uncharacteristic panic. He didn't move away from Severus, and his lack of response told Severus everything he needed to know.
"Is there…something you want to tell me?" Severus inquired softly after several moments of uncomfortable silence. By now, Remus' trip to the Hospital Wing had been forgotten, and he seemed to be struggling to formulate what he wanted to say into words. His eyes pleaded for Severus to be understanding, but he was incapable of revealing what was wrong in the first place.
He would open his mouth as though preparing to speak, then he would close it and dart a fearful glance out the nearby stained glass windows, where the moonlight was pouring in and engulfing their little corner in shadows. After realizing there was little chance that Remus would actually say something, Severus felt both perplexed and saddened by his friend's inability to trust him. While they weren't exactly the best of friends, Remus was still a better friend to him than James or Sirius ever were. He had never bullied him those first few weeks when he had been trapped in Gryffindor that first year, and the two definitely understood each other much more than the arrogant loudmouths could. Then why was there a streak of mistrust in their friendship? Had Severus proven himself unworthy of such a burden in the past?
"I need you to promise me something," Remus whispered, his eyes shut tightly as though the words spilling from his lips were too much to bear.
Severus nodded. He may be a bit nasty at times, but if anything, he was loyal. He would never betray a friend no matter how terrible the consequences would be…
Remus sighed deeply. What was he thinking? Severus would never be his friend again if he told him the truth…not that he blamed him: who in their right mind would want to be associated with someone like him? Keeping it a secret would protect him from the negative backlash and the pain of losing a friend. There was no reason for him to trust Severus with such a powerful secret…quite frankly, he found it impossible to trust anyone with such information. Severus might even tell the whole school about it and he'd have to leave Hogwarts for good.
Then again…he'd seen how devoted Severus was to his close friends. Take Lily Evans, for example: she was a Slytherin and he was still her best friend. Even when she treated him like dirt, he still kept an eye on her and ensured her safety until the whole locket fiasco was over. And, by the looks of it, Severus knew what it was like to be an outcast. Remus understood how it felt to be unwanted, and perhaps through this similarity, Severus would realize just how difficult it was to live with this affliction. Deciding that he would take the chance and trust Severus Snape, Remus prepared to continue on…
However, just before Remus could work up the courage to speak again, James burst out of the portrait hole and immediately ran over to his friends, oblivious to the magnitude of the conversation in which he was interrupting.
"Weasley and Jorkins are unconscious," he panted, still completely unaware what he had done. "Arthur was hit by a Bludger and Bertha— that oddball seventh year— had a bit too much to drink…we need to get some medications…"
Severus felt his insides go cold. After all, he had come so close to a breakthrough with Remus, and James completely killed it. Severus was concerned that Remus' problem was much deeper than simple queasiness, and he wanted to help him in any way he could. But nooo. James just had to come to the wrong place at the wrong time. Remus would probably never talk about this matter with him again; the time to speak up had already passed.
Resisting the overwhelming urge to slug James in the back of the head, Severus shrugged to Remus and the trio wordlessly made their way over to the Hospital Wing, where a very hassled-looking Madam Pomfrey awaited them.
"Oh dear, where are those bandages— oh boys! You gave me a fright!"
"Didn't mean to," James apologized quickly. The mediwitch was clearly under a lot of stress: bandages were strewn everywhere, spilled potions lay uselessly near the stores cabinet, and there were more than half a dozen students lying in the beds across the room.
"Caught the flu quite early in the year, poor dears," Pomfrey muttered under her breath as she hasty whipped out her wand and flicked it at the puddles of potions, making the colourful substances fly up into the air and return to their own respective containers. She continued on like this for a long time, scurrying about and cleaning up pools of sick the ailing students occasionally threw up on the sides of their beds. Meanwhile, the three boys simply stared on at the scene, uncertain if they should offer to help or just leave her be.
Finally, when everything was organized and orderly once more, Pomfrey returned to where the boys were waiting patiently.
"What can I do for you boys? What are you doing out so late? Isn't it past curfew?"
"Remus isn't feeling well," Severus said immediately.
"Oh!" Madam Pomfrey looked very startled by this bit of news, and out of the blue, she darted a furtive glance out the window before returning her attention to the trio. "What's wrong Mr. Lupin?"
"I just…" Remus trailed off and looked at his friends out of the corner of his eye before continuing, "I'm feeling a little nauseous I suppose. I should be fine though," he added, taking note of the bewildered expression on James' face. "If I feel worse er…tomorrow, I'll come back."
"Nonsense!"
Despite Remus' protests, Madam Pomfrey hustled him over to an unoccupied bed and forced him to lie down and drink a horrible-tasting potion to calm his nerves. He felt horrendously embarrassed to be coddled like this in front of Severus and James, but he really didn't have a choice. Madam Pomfrey always treated him like this, which was why he usually preferred to come up here alone. A least he wouldn't have to witness this humiliation for much longer. His eyelids soon began to droop and he felt himself grow very sleepy…
"Is that all?" Pomfrey whispered once the sleeping potion had worked its magic on Remus and he was soundly asleep in the darkest corner of the room.
"Well, we need something for concussions— it's nothing serious!" James lied, worried that the healer would force Dumbledore to ban the use of Bludgers for entertainment purposes if she learned what had happened.
"He's right," Severus affirmed. "They just took a tiny tumble down the stairs."
Pomfrey looked highly sceptical, but said nothing and hurried over to her stores cabinet and searched around for the required medication.
While she was preoccupied with that, Severus and James silently prowled around the shadowy room. The pitiful whimpers from the ill students echoed throughout the otherwise dead quiet room, giving it a ghostly effect that even the Hogwarts ghosts couldn't pull off.
At the end of a row, Severus paused at the sight of a second year girl that he vaguely recognized. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that her body looked rather beaten up, and although her left arm was tightly bandaged, there was still blood oozing through it. He jumped backwards when her head turned slowly in her sleep and he realized it was that Melika girl. A Slytherin. Taking a step closer, he noticed the most peculiar thing: the wounds on her forearm seemed to form a pattern under the bandage.
Quickly glancing over his shoulder to insure no surprises, Severus held up her limp arm and examined it. He could not see much from the outer bandages, so he cautiously unravelled a single layer in order to further investigate the strange markings. He saw it clearly now, but the meaning of the letters did not register in his mind for several seconds. Inscribed into Melika's abnormally pale skin, using her own precious blood as ink, were two messily-scrawled letters: "MB."
Suddenly, like a cold shower washing over him, Severus remembered a conversation he had had with Lily the previous summer:
"I'm…scared. I know I shouldn't be, but Sev…they're awful to that Muggleborn, Melika—you should have seen the way they treat her…it's…it's…its just horrible! I mean, she doesn't do anything bad as far as I know, but still…"
Immediately, Severus realized that 'MB' meant 'Mudblood.' He was sure of it. After all, Severus knew how Dark wizard's minds worked and what types of spells they used. Marking an innocent girl— from their own house at that— as a Mudblood was not beneath them. Furthermore, marking her in the most brutally painful— and nearly permanent— way possible was their specialty.
He had already seen what the Slytherins were capable of from Lily's neck wounds the previous year. And now this girl. Was it a mere coincidence that the people they kept attacking were Muggleborns? Even if they didn't realize that's what Lily was…yet?
Yet, Severus thought grimly.
Sooner or later, Lily's house mates and 'friends' would learn of her secret. He knew she would not be able to live this lie for six more years. Lily was still young and naïve; what Severus constantly worried about was if she let down her guard. She trusted people far too easily, and he could see her freely divulging her secret to her most 'trustworthy' friends: Laika and Narcissa. Unfortunately for her, the Malfoy family line had a history of leading the Dark community in acts of severe Muggle and Muggleborn torture, while the Blacks continued to strive for an entirely pureblood line and supported all of the anti-Muggleborn movements throughout the centuries. Lily was not in a good situation, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Melika's horrific branding was probably only the beginning of what would become a devastating turn of events for the house of Slytherin. Some of the older students were studying Legilimency in addition to their regular Anti-Dark Magic studies, and would be able to read Lily's mind like a book if they chose to do so. Anti-Muggleborn hatred ran deep within the veins of the house, and here Lily was, one of two Muggleborns currently seeking refuge in the very place that wanted them dead.
In short, Lily was in terrible danger.
A/N: I know this was a little vague, so I'll point it out: tomorrow is full moon, not the present evening in this chapter. You'll find out why he was panicking like that a day early later on in the story. Well, I hope you liked this chapter, and as always, I love comments/constructive criticism ;)