A/N: Nothing to say except thanks to everyone who reviewed! Your comments really help me improve the plot and writing! Oh, and happy birthday to Harry Potter & J.K. Rowling!! :)

"So…is it true? Did Lucius…?"

Laika glanced up at their compartment door to ensure that it was locked tightly, then nodded. Narcissa gasped, but Lily and Regulus gave her blank stares, not knowing what they were talking about.

"The Mark," Laika whispered impatiently with a gesture to her left arm. Regulus understood at once, but Lily was still confused. From Christmas onward, Sirius had been going around muttering something about Lucius' new tattoo, but she didn't understand what was so great about it. Petunia's first and current boyfriends both had tattoos, perhaps they were something of a rarity in the Wizarding world?

"Did he do it himself?" Regulus asked excitedly. None of them seemed to have noticed Lily's perplexity, and she felt her cheeks grow hot. Even Regulus, who was a year younger than her, knew far more than she did about this 'Mark' thing. Granted, he did come from a pureblood Wizarding family, but it still felt wrong for him to know more than she did.

"Who's 'he'?" Lily asked.

Clearly annoyed, Laika rolled her eyes. "The Dark Lord, of course."

As if that explained everything.

In the past, Lily read articles from the Daily Prophet that told of terrible deeds performed by someone whom the Wizarding community would only refer to as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" and "You-Know-Who."

But I don't know who! Lily remembered thinking irritably.

Before she and Severus had gone to Hogwarts, he would always refer to him the "Dark Lord." Lily could only wonder what the real name of this wizard was, but even Severus wouldn't speak his name. Perhaps the name was cursed or tabooed?

She hadn't heard much about this 'Dark Lord' fellow in the last few weeks, but then again, she was often too preoccupied to bother with reading the Daily Prophet, thus, she was admittedly behind the times. Whoever he was, he didn't sound like a good person, but she also recalled how Severus spoke positively of him in the months before their first year at Hogwarts. That was before he was Sorted into Gryffindor. He had once mentioned— very briefly— of his aspirations to join the Dark Lord's elite group of followers called the Death Eaters. He had never explained why, and she had never heard him mention it since that day. He also didn't explain why they were called 'Death Eaters' but Lily figured it sounded better than 'Life Eaters.'

If Lucius had gotten some sort of mark from the Dark Lord, did this mean he was now one of the Death Eaters? Lily didn't know, and she wasn't about to ask them to confirm her suspicions. Maybe she could ask Severus what Death Eaters do…whenever they patched up their friendship, that is.

Already behind in the conversation, Lily gave up listening to her friends and watched students passing by their compartment. They were almost back to Hogwarts, and everyone was changing back into their school robes.

Christmas had been pretty boring, and Lily couldn't say that she was disappointed to go to leave Grimmauld Place. The Blacks had been wonderfully hospitable towards her, but two weeks of being around Sirius and Lucius had driven her mad. Narcissa had been somewhat companionable, though Laika had been busy fussing over her brother and Regulus had been ill the entire time. Bellatrix never talked to anyone except for Narcissa, but Lily was convinced that, deep down, she was really a nice person…

Suddenly, a horrific sight met Lily's eyes: limping slowly down the hallway, assisted by one of the Ravenclaw prefects, was Melika Zula. She had been in St. Mungo's for the past two months; did Dumbledore honestly think she was in any shape to return to school? She looked dreadful! Her arms were still scarred from the attacks, even the strongest of magical ointments and medications had failed to heal them. Worse still, with every step, her head twitched unnaturally, as though she had been shocked by a powerful electrical wire. Lily thought she had been frightening as a limp figure on the ground covered in blood, but that was nothing compared to the overall damage she was seeing before her.

"Look who's back," Laika said grimly, as though she had been hoping that Melika would die at St. Mungo's and spare them from having her as their roommate again.

Lily looked to her left and saw Regulus' eyes widen fearfully.

"Is that…that girl?" he whispered, looking appalled by the sight of the girl walking towards them.

Lily nodded. Regulus had been there too; only he could understand the horror Lily was feeling. Her body gave a jolt as she made eye contact with Melika: she may be alive and walking, but her eyes were dead. There was simply no life left in them, almost as though she had been Kissed by one of the Dementors Sev had told her about. It was a chilling sight, and the thought that she was going to be sleeping in the same room as the three girls again was not exactly comforting.

"Did Dumbledore ever find out who attacked her?" Narcissa whispered, cringing as Melika clumsily tripped and slammed into the wall next to their compartment. One of the Hufflepuff prefects jumped up to assist her; Lily found it sadly ironic that nobody from Slytherin could bother with helping a member of their own house.

You're a Slytherin too, Lily remembered with a pang of guilt. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to get up and help the poor girl. She knew it was the right thing to do, but she just couldn't do it. Not now. Not in front of her friends.

"I heard the attacker was never caught," Laika said, shrugging indifferently. "Serves her right, if you ask me…Mudbloods in Slytherin! Can you believe that?"

Lily froze. As Laika had asked the question, her gaze had landed on Lily. She didn't think Laika knew, so was it merely a coincidence? Trying to hide her panic, Lily laughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah…Mudbloods."

All of a sudden, Lily felt an overwhelming urge to cry. She had had a lovely Christmas compared to some she had celebrated in the past and she was lucky to have these friends, but she felt horrible. Not only was she refusing to help a girl from her own house and year, but she was, once again, going along with her friends' anti-Muggleborn sentiments. It would have been fine if she was one of those comedians who constantly mocked their own race on television, but those programs were purely satirical. Her situation was real, not to mention dangerous if any of them ever discovered the truth.

Laika had continued talking to Regulus, but Narcissa was still watching her curiously. Lily gave her a small smile, trying to pretend everything was alright. She didn't need anyone asking what was wrong with her. She needed someone who would understand what she was going through without prodding her for details. Someone who wasn't inherently biased against what she truly was, a Muggleborn. A Mudblood. She needed Sev.

xXxXxXxXx

Although it was the fifth day of classes since the rest of the student body returned to Hogwarts, it was actually the first day back for Severus, who had been so ill that he had been up in the hospital wing since Sunday. He had just been released this morning, and what better way to start the new term than arriving late to Professor Umbridge's Defense Against the Dark Arts class?

Cursing under his breath as he ran along the deserted corridors, Severus knew he would probably get a detention for his tardiness, despite the fact that it was Madam Pomfrey's fault for releasing him so late. Peeves had tried slowing him down on the fourth floor, but thanks to a certain useful spell Severus had learned over the holiday, the irritating ghost had left him alone.

"You're late."

"Happy Christmas to you too," Severus muttered under his breath as he stalked over to an empty seat in between James and Remus. He didn't even stop to offer an excuse this time; he was Umbridge's least favourite student at Hogwarts and she wouldn't believe him even if the truth smacked her in the face.

"Detention."

"Yes, I thought it might come to that," he mumbled sarcastically. He didn't care if she gave him one hundred detentions; he just didn't feel like putting up with the unbearable wretch today.

Today's lesson consisted mostly of reading assignments, which furthered Severus' cantankerous mood. When they were actually practicing defensive spells, he found it so much easier to relieve his stress than when he was forced to sit and read a textbook he had already gone through and memorized the previous summer.

Summer…

The text swam before his eyes as his thoughts transitioned from Disarming Spells to daydreams about last summer. He had enjoyed himself for the most part, even with that bloody stupid cat Lily had forced him to keep. He and Lily had had a great time spying on Petunia and her boyfriend, Daniel Granger. Annoying Petunia was definitely at the top of Severus' list of his favourite things to do, and when Granger wasn't around, he would loudly tell Lily all sorts of things about magic that would drive her sister up the walls.

It had been one of the best summers of his life, and now Lily wasn't even speaking to him. Not that he blamed her, knowing how badly he had treated her on that last night before she had left for the holidays. He wanted to apologize, but he just couldn't, even to his best friend. He couldn't even look at Lily, let alone approach her. Someday, he vowed he would get over this minor insecurity, but for now he remained where he was.

On the bright side, Sirius had persuaded James to forget the whole Cloak incident. His anger was virtually gone after he returned from Hogwarts anyway, and the two boys were on good terms again. Astoundingly, James had actually admitted he was sorry for blaming Severus, something he didn't know the arrogant prat had in him. When Severus mentioned this, James had brushed it off and, grinning stupidly, called him Snivellus.

All of a sudden, Sirius and James snorted, trying to conceal their laughter. Severus looked down at James' book, where he had drawn Umbridge in the form of a pig, with "Professor Sausage" written at the top. Neither Severus nor Remus found this amusing, and apparently Umbridge didn't either.

"Give. It. To. Me," she hissed threateningly, holding out her chubby hand in front of James' nose.

At least I won't have detention alone, Severus thought as James cheerfully handed his masterpiece to Umbridge.

"Do you like it?" he asked airily, exuding confidence in a way that only James Potter could. Ignoring Umbridge's enraged expression, he continued onward, "You know, I specialize in self-portraits, but since you're a faculty member, I'll give you that one for free."

"DETENTION!" Umbridge shrieked, ripping the page from the book and burning it with a harsh flick of her wand. James looked devastated, not because he had gotten another detention, but his artwork had been diminished to a pile of ashes on his desk.

"Art murderer," James muttered under his breath as Umbridge stomped away. "Oh well…wasn't my book," he added, grinning mischievously up at Severus. He immediately grabbed the book and shuffled through the pages, thinking it was his. It wasn't a D.A.D.A. book at all, but what appeared to be someone's diary, inscribed in dazzling pink ink underneath all of James' various doodles and drawings. On the inside cover, it read: Property of Dolores Umbridge.

How James had gotten his hands on this was anyone's guess.

xXxXxXxXx

"Seagulls…seagulls…seagulls…"

Lily, Narcissa, and Laika cringed in mild disgust as they watched Melika sleep from their hiding place on the floor behind Narcissa's bed. The girl had been muttering incoherent nonsense all week, and they were beginning to wonder if she would have been better off staying in the loony ward at St. Mungo's a while longer.

"Deranged, she is," Laika muttered sleepily. Yawning, Narcissa nodded in agreement and Lily followed suit. Melika's occasional shrieks of terror every night had meant little sleep for the girls, and they had absolutely no patience or pity left for her. All they wanted was a good night's sleep, but this was now impossible, thanks to Melika.

It was only ten o'clock, but they were all exhausted from the day's lessons. Lily was feeling particularly down: all of her attempts to apologize to Severus had failed so far. First, he was late to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He hadn't even looked around for her as he came into the classroom, and despite her rather obvious attempt to get his attention— 'dropping' her book right next to his desk— he had ignored her the entire time. Herbology was with the Hufflepuffs, and Lily's grades were so poor in that class that she simply couldn't afford to skip it. Afternoon Potions hadn't gone much better than Umbridge's class. It seemed as though Severus was deliberately avoiding eye contact with her, and just when Lily mustered up the courage to walk straight up to him and demand that he talk to her, she tripped over Potter's outstretched foot and fell flat on her face in front of everyone. That was the final straw: Lily burst into tears and ran out of the classroom, ignoring Slughorn's calls for her to come back. She was so embarrassed she didn't even care what punishment lay in store for her the next time she had Potions.

I hate Potter, Lily fumed silently. There was no doubt in her mind that he had intentionally left his foot there for someone to trip over, and much to his delight, it had been her.

"Lily? Are you alright?" Narcissa asked, nodding to her tightly clenched fists. Lily quickly relaxed them and shook her head.

"I'm just…tired," she lied.

Aside from Melika's strange midnight monologues, it was quiet throughout their dormitory and the Slytherin common room. Even at this early hour, it seemed as though everyone had already gone to bed.

Lily sighed deeply, enjoying the peace and calmness. It was quite unlike Gryffindor Tower, where, according to Severus, people were loud and obnoxious at all hours of the night. She didn't know how someone like Severus could handle that, but he claimed he was okay with it as long as the noise stayed away from his dormitory.

Creak.

Lily sat up a little straighter at once, and noticed her friends do the same. Nobody had opened their door, but they certainly hadn't imagined the muffled creaking sound from outside of their dormitory.

"Did you hear it too?" Laika whispered as she got to her feet and tiptoed over to the door. She pressed her ear against it, waiting for another sound. Nothing came.

"It was probably just a rat," Narcissa shrugged. "They're all over the place here."

"They are?" Lily asked uneasily. Several students owned rats at Hogwarts, and she was fairly certain the rodents bred when they were together, but the thought of them roaming freely, especially around their sleeping quarters, scared her.

Laika cautiously peeked open the door and peered out into the blackness, looking around for an intruder.

"No one there," she said finally, obviously disappointed. Chasing down a trespasser would have been much more entertaining than sitting in here and listening to Melika's gibberish all night.

"Let's just get some sleep," Lily said, yawning for the trillionth time tonight. The girls agreed and returned to their own beds, ignoring the wretched cries of "seagulls…seagulls…" as they drifted off to sleep.

xXxXxXxXx

"Pass the soap."

Not one for politeness while serving detention, James threw it at his friend.

Severus glared at him, but James was unrepentant. It was nearly eleven o'clock, and they had been scrubbing the centuries-old stone floors of the Charms corridor since nine. It was a horrendously dull task, and it didn't help that Umbridge had forced them to clean with toothbrushes. No wands allowed.

There was no time limit; Umbridge had merely told them to finish the job. If they didn't do it properly, she promised them another detention or two would be appropriate to ensure the cleanliness of the massive passageway. It was a vile job, and Severus found himself wondering if this was the first time this floor had ever been cleaned. It was a job fit for Filch, or house elves, but definitely not for students. Of course, Severus didn't complain as often as James did, but he still wasn't too happy with this impossible chore.

"I quit!" James declared angrily after his third toothbrush split in two from his efforts to scrub away what appeared to be vomit residue. He threw his toothbrush across the hall and stomped away, leaving Severus to finish the job.

"James!" Severus ran after his friend; there was no way he was going to stay here by himself. He harshly grabbed James by the shoulder, but he shook his hand away with surprisingly resistant force.

"I'm done. Umbridge can't make me do that shit!" James shouted furiously.

"Shut it!" Severus hissed. "You'll wake up the entire castle."

"I don't care!"

Severus cringed as his friend's voice echoed off the walls around them; if Umbridge caught them, they would have detention with her for the rest of the year. They turned a corner into another corridor, which was thankfully abandoned. James continued his obnoxiously loud stomping, as though he was daring Umbridge to come and find him. Severus gave up trying to calm him down, it was no use. They would have to finish polishing the floors eventually, but there was no way he would get James to go back tonight.

As they passed by the end of the hall, Severus noticed something peculiar on the wall. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but when he looked at it again, he saw that it was really there. He stopped in his tracks and stared, and James did the same.

"Chamber of Secrets," James breathed in an awed voice. "Oy what're you doing?!"

Ignoring his friend's protests, Severus jumped onto a step and carefully put his hand on the wall.

"It's written in blood," he said quietly. Turning to face James, he held up his blood-soaked hand and added: "Fresh blood."

"By the looks of it, they weren't finished," James noted, pointing at the wall.

The writing ended abruptly with "BEW;" the perpetrator had clearly intended on writing more, but had run off, probably when they heard James stomping into their territory.

Severus stared down at his hand, which was dripping with the blood from the writing on the walls. The actual meaning of the message hadn't sunk in yet; he was more concerned about whose blood this was and why someone had written with it.

"Whoever did this is going to be in a load of trouble," he said grimly.

"Yes he is," a voice whispered from the shadows behind them.

The boys instantly whirled around and Severus felt his heart do a back flip: Darcy Umbridge was walking towards him, smiling menacingly. She had never looked more frightening. He looked down at his bloodied hand again and up at the writing on the wall, at once realizing how bad this looked.

"Professor, I didn't—"

"Tell it to the headmaster, dear."

A/N: Okay, this is going to be long, so bear with me.

For starters: Severus & his Death Eater plans. I think there's always been a small desire there to join the DE, but it wasn't until (in canon) he was sorted into Slytherin and hung out with DE-wannabe friends that his decision was truly concrete. Like Sirius said in GoF, Severus came to school knowing more Dark magic than some seventh years, so he probably has a pretty strong base of loyalty for Dark wizards as well (in this case, Voldemort).

As for the Chamber of Secrets: I warned you. Luckily, I can guarantee that, aside from Half Blood Prince (for very obvious reasons), this is the only canon-HP plot point I'll be using. No Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, no Prisoner of Azkaban (duh), not Goblet of Fire, no Order of the Phoenix (not for a looooong time anyway), and no Deathly Hallows. Since this is an AU story, I'm free to suggest that Harry Potter never even existed, therefore, the CoS wasn't opened in what would have been his second year. This story won't even follow canon anyway. Voldemort doesn't need a body at the moment, so his motivations for opening it are slightly different this time, as well as the consequences. Everything will be explained in time, and I think you will be surprised by what happens for the rest of Sev & Lily's second year. This also has a HUGE impact on their third year, but I won't spoil it.

Thank you for reading, and keep the comments coming, because not only do I sincerely appreciate them, but they really help with the way I write these chapters. Thanks! :)