It has been brought up by a variety of different people (including my muses before any one of you) that not only is the time travel and pranking unnecessary, but it's dragging down the plot. I do know this and I have realized this and I'm trying to bring a little more balance to the plot. I apologize to all of you. I won't, however, get rid of either, though I will try and tone it down. My muses are sheepish but adamant that they stay.
When Remus smelt Harry/Sal/Evan did he smell the mixed smell of Lily and James or something else?
In this story, identification between magical animals (and sorry but that does mean werewolves, no offense intended at the phrasing) is partially magical signature (and Harry's changed a lot after he got his memories of Sal) and partially, yes somewhat of a cross between Lily and James. But because it's mostly magical signature, it's not recognizable at all that he's related to either of them.
Disclaimer: Anyone who thinks I own anything is sadly mistaken. And that includes everything Harry Potter except for my battered copies of the books.
:Mindspeech:
-Parseltongue-
Chapter Thirteen: A Slytherin Disaster
Harry finally stumbled back to the Gryffindor dormitory that night a little after curfew. Sneaking out of the Slytherin common room had been rather easy, thankfully (he had built the place, after all, along with a nice set of passageways that connected it to other parts of the castle); he hadn't had the strength to apparate back through the wards but. He was surprised that he had managed to make the first trip without splinching himself with the state he had been in. When he finally made it to the dormitories, however, he was unpleasantly surprised to find the Marauders waiting for him.
"You didn't have to stay up waiting for me," Harry said, though he didn't quite manage that extra little cheer that he usually put into his voice.
"Where have you been?" Sirius snapped, "It's after curfew!"
"Since when has that ever stopped you?" Harry muttered, but not loudly enough for the Marauders, save perhaps Remus, to hear him. "I had to go down to the Slytherin dorms to get something. Now look, I'm very tired so can you at least wait until tomorrow to ambush me?"
"Then we'll make this short if you cooperate," James said.
"Prongs…" Remus said, "Maybe you should let him rest, he looks exhausted. This isn't so important that it can't wait until tomorrow."
"I'm not going to wait a whole day just because that Slytherins says he's tired!" James said, annoyed. "Now, Slytherin…We're bored of your little prank war. It's been almost two months." The Gryffindor went on to say that either Poison and Dagger admit defeat now or they would have some sort of decisive contest. He then outlined his plans for different types of contests.
Harry wasn't even listening. He only heard enough to understand the general concept of the discussion and then decided the best way to make it through the night was to nod and look like he was listening and then ask Remus what he had agreed to later. He really didn't care; he was tired and annoyed and just wanted to get to bed.
Maybe he would do something unpleasant to the Marauders in the morning. He thought for a minute. What did he think was unpleasant? A vague memory drifted around his mind for a minute before he acknowledged it.
When Harry was small and living with the Dursleys, he was often forced to do various chores, one of which was cleaning the dishes. Because he was small and couldn't hold large pots and pans well enough that they never spilled, the floor was often covered with puddles (that he had later had to mop up). During the winter, when it was cold, he often wore socks, as they kept them warm, despite their largeness, dirtiness, and overall unpleasantness. When these socks got wet, however, they clung to his feet in a peculiar way that more or less never failed to annoy him.
It was random, but random was good. Now the problem was: how could he duplicate such an effect with the Marauders? Hmm…Maybe he could put something in their shoes…But what? Water would leak out but wet shoes were never pleasant…He thought for a minute. Honey, he decided, was always a good pranking tool. He therefore resolved to get some honey from the kitchens the next morning and put it in the Marauder's shoes (and maybe even all over their robes) before they woke up. Yes, that would do nicely.
No longer annoyed but more tired than ever, he decided to cut James off so that he could go to bed,
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll think about it. Now let me sleep in peace!" He changed and went to bed, too tired to care that the Marauders had covered his pajamas with little, hopping, pink rabbits and bright orange carrots.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Severus used the Dark Mark/Portkey to return to his room later that night. Too exhausted to stagger into his bed cloths, he merely hid his Death Eater robe and mask before collapsing into bed, shaking all over. As Evan had predicted, the Dark Lord had not been happy and that meant a round of Cruciatus for all his followers, though Severus had been the one most heavily targeted.
He saw a gently flashing light out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to look. Sitting on his bedside table was two vials, clearly marked as a dreamless sleep potion and another one to help fight the (physical) aftereffects of the Cruciatus. The light had been a small charm used to attract people's attentions. He looked at the potions, puzzled, for a moment before realizing that Evan must have left them.
The Slytherin was too tired to be suspicious so instead chose to be grateful. He quickly drank the one that helped with the Cruciatus and sat still for a moment, feeling his shaking subsiding. Evan…He didn't know what to think of him; the boy was an enigma. Severus was sure that nobody else he knew would hesitate in turning him over to Dumbledore (even other Death Eaters). And then there was what the Marauder's Rulebook had said. Was Evan really Silverfang? The idea seemed preposterous but if it was untrue, why had Evan become so angry? And how had he managed to Apparate through Hogwarts' wards, something Severus knew was supposed to be impossible?
He blinked blearily; what with the Death Eater meeting and everything that had happened that day he was surprised he could still think strait. Indeed, thinking was a task that seemed as hard as swimming through molasses and thought process was slow and often off track.
It was too late to be thinking…Thankfully the next day was a Saturday and so he didn't have to worry about sleeping through class.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The next passed without incident, as if nothing had ever happened. Severus spent it waiting for Aurors to burst into Hogwarts and drag him off to Azkaban or, at the very least, Evan to confront him about it. He expected to counter accusation with accusation; why had he gotten so mad at the book? But Evan never said anything about it, and it became too late to ask about the book. Severus contented himself with what little he knew about Evan, determined not to pry.
And then, just one week later, something happened that sent the whole of Hogwarts alight with gossip.
Harry and Remus walked down across the grounds to Hagrid's hut. Though he wasn't the Care of Magical Creatures in this time, he often volunteered to help or show the class some random animal that he had temporarily obtained, so the area around Hagrid's hut was deemed the most convenient place to hold the class.
Harry said his goodbyes to Remus and then darted across the traditional gap that often occurred in Slytherin-Gryffindor classes...Or any other multi-house class.
They talked quietly together about their days so far and then quieted as the Professor Kettleburn cleared his throat to get their attention,
"Today, class, Hagrid has brought in quite a remarkable specimen of Ophidia Argenteus. Does anyone know what this is?" The students glanced at each other, obviously puzzled. The Professor seemed a bit put off by this but satisfied himself by asking, "Mr. Lupin, do you know what type of creature this is?"
Remus looked startled by being thrust so suddenly into the spotlight,
"Uh...No, Professor Kettleburn."
Professor Kettleburn looked even more disappointed,
"Er...How about Mr. Harrison. Do you know what an Ophidia Argenteus is?" To tell or not to tell? Salazar could almost pity the teacher; he had seemed so enthusiastic about this new creature. He had certainly been in this situation before, surrounded by ignorant students but, unlike Kettleburn, he hadn't expected much of his students.
Finally giving up (there wasn't that much use trying to hide his knowledge here, after all) he said,
"The Ophidia Argenteus is a rather magnificent species of snake...Lets see...Full grown, they usually get ten to twelve feet long but some have been known to reach eighteen feet. Their scales are an iridescent silver and magically powerful, though not nearly enough as dragons. Enough to block basic spells, impedimenta, stupefy, and the like."
Professor Kettleburn beamed at him,
"Exactly right, couldn't have put it better myself. Ten points to Slytherin-Gryffindor." The teachers had started to just call it that after realizing that the castle was perfectly capable of splitting the points evenly. They just had to make sure to keep the number even. Of course, in a Slytherin-Gryffindor class like this, getting points did nothing more than get both sides annoyed. The Slytherins sneered at him, while the Gryffindors hissed things like 'snake-lover and 'know-it-all' behind the teacher's back.
Professor Kettleburn waved Hagrid over, the half-giant carrying a large box.
"Please be careful not to startle her, or even say something offending to her. Snakes are rather intelligent creatures, and proud, too," the Professor cautioned, "Ophidia Argenteus are extremely venomous, so don't get too close, either. This one's rather young, so her venom isn't quite lethal - in small amounts and with adequate treatment. I trust that, as sixth years, you are mature enough to handle dangerous animals and show them proper respect." And he opened the lid. Some of the closer students scrabbled away from the now-open box.
Harry approached it cautiously (snake's didn't like being boxed up and just because he was a Parselmouth didn't mean he never got bitten), the rest of the class following at a safe distance. As he drew nearer, he thought he could see a flash of silver and then, suddenly, a serpentine head looked out from the box. Harry halted, not wanting to startle the snake and the rest of the class mimicked him.
The snake slithered out of the box in a liquid motion and some of the bolder and more curious members of the class walked towards it slowly, forming a sort of semicircle around the snake, who seemed to be enjoying the attention.
"She's beautiful," Harry breathed, partly because it was the truth and partly because it might appease her annoyance at being locked in a box for a while. His exclamation was followed by other admirations of the same sort and the rest of the class came up to look. The Marauders had crept around to the edge of the ring and were now poking at the snake with a long stick. Uh-oh...Trouble.
"'Magnificent' are you? Looks more like hideous to me!" Sirius taunted from a safe distance. Harry groaned...Someone save him from these idiotic Gryffindors. Didn't he see that this snake could kill him, easily, effortlessly, and probably without consequences?
"Gaudier than multi-colored fairy-lights!" James jeered.
"Intelligent?" Peter added, never one to miss out on the taunting of another; human or creature, "I bet rats are more intelligent." Harry would have banged his head against something, had he had a convenient wall or table around. As it was, there was nothing but grass...with trees and Hagrid's hut, but those were farther off. Damn. Well, with no way to knock himself out, he would have to stay awake and deal with whatever disaster that was bound to occur.
The snake, predictably, was furious at being compared to its prey,
-Filthy human! You are the rat, for all you smell like one. I bet you taste like one too.- Harry, who had already been jogging over to the disturbance, stopped so suddenly he nearly tripped. It couldn't be...His mind was blank, he couldn't think. The snake was raising itself to strike.
Shocked and without thinking he hissed,
-Serphenia?-
The snake turned,
-Sal?- his surprise was mirrored in her voice.
Dammit! Harry hissed in his mind. That was twice he had given himself away, spoken Parseltongue without realizing it in an already precarious situation. And look what had happened last time around.
The snake - was it Serphenia?...Could it be? - was slithering towards him.
-Sal? But you're dead!-
-You are also dead, if you are who I think you are.- Harry hissed, backing up, not ready to believe.
-I'm Serphenia! I'm the little basilisk you raised in your Secret Chamber!- Something - desperation? - filled her voice.
-Prove it!- Harry hissed. This wasn't right. He had killed her...he had killed her himself with Gryffindor's sword...Oh, Ser...But snakes had distinct signatures - partially magical, partially voice - that they used to distinguish each other. You had to really be trying to forge one.
"Evan?" A strangled whisper made him look up. It was Remus who had spoken, everyone else was just looking at him. He looked at Severus quickly but his friend was just staring at him like the others, wide-eyed.
-Leave. Meet me in the Chamber. If you really are her you will at least be able to find your way in.- And he fled. He brushed passed Remus, who tried to grab his arm, but he dodged away. He thought someone called his name but ignored it and kept running. He distantly considered the Forbidden Forest entrance but was not in any state to meet any of the various creatures lurking within. So he ran back to the castle, past a group of startled first years and plunged into the dungeons.
He felt trapped there, unable to feel the freedom that he wanted. His wings begged to be freed, the want to fly unbearable. But if he tried to fly in the dungeons, he would crash, and he held onto this piece of logic frantically, finding the freedom he so desperately craved in his dungeons, in the tunnels and passageways that only he knew so well.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The class watched Evan disappear up towards the castle, unsure what they should do. Then Remus broke away from the group.
"Evan!" He shouted, but his friend ignored him. He ran towards the castle, where his friend had disappeared; werewolf abilities giving him speed.
"Mr. Lupin!" Professor Kettleburn called, but the Gryffindor ignored him.
"Remus!" the Marauders left, chasing after their friend, though they could achieve nowhere near the same speed without transforming into their animagus forms in the middle of the class.
"Potter! Black! Pettigrew!" the Professor shouted, realizing that he was loosing control of his class rather quickly and that there was nothing he could do to bring them back. "Gather in a group right here. If anyone else tries to leave this class, a month's worth of detentions for all of you and fifty points from his or her House!"
They hurried to do so and, in the chaos, Severus managed to slip silently into the forbidden forest. Remus was after Evan and he could be of no use to the werewolf, not would be able to get to Evan before him, even with his extraordinary knowledge of the dungeons. He needed time to think, to gather his thoughts.
Severus's head snapped around as he saw a glint of silver at the corner of his eye. There was one other that was involved with this and he would not let her get away; she could lead him to Evan.
He approached the tree where he had seen the shimmer of the snake's scales moments before. A small, black bird flew out of the tree at Severus's approach but apart from that, all was still. He walked around the tree...But there was no snake waiting for him there, nor was there any sign of one. It had simply vanished into thin air. He gave a puzzled frown and looked around for a minute but he didn't find anything.
Maybe if he hurried, he would be able to get back before the teacher noticed his disappearance and save himself from his Housemates' wrath. There was no way he'd be able to get to Evan now, what with the other Slytherin's amazing knowledge of the dungeons and secret corridors. Even Remus, with his werewolf senses, would have a hard time getting to him without proper passwords; the Marauders rarely explored the dungeons.
Severus made a quiet sound of annoyance. He would have to wait for Evan to come to classes of their room, there was no way to make the Slytherin-Gryffindor come to him.
What had been the most disturbing, Severus reflected, taking his place among the other students, who glared at him for putting them at risk, was that he could understand everything that both Evan and the snake had said.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Remus was thoroughly lost. He thought he still had the trail, though his nose wasn't as powerful as a normal wolf's (well of course, he was currently a human!) but he had no idea where he was. Worse, he wasn't sure if he even had the right trail, as it seemed as if Evan visited this place quite often. In some odd way he felt that the castle itself was helping him, opening normally locked doors, for he never had problems like that but maybe it was because he wasn't following the trail right.
Suddenly the torches all went out. When he turned around they went back on, adding to his belief that Hogwarts herself was trying to help him find Evan. Feeling quite foolish, he crouched to the ground once again, bringing his nose close to the stone floor. Aha! The trail led into a wall. He brought his hand up to it, trying to find some switch or button to activate it (standard procedure before trying to guess passwords) but was surprised to see his hand go right through it. An illusion!
He went though it, moving as quickly as possible. Evan seemed to know these passageways well and would probably not even hesitate at doorways as Remus was forced to do. There! A flash of black on black! The quiet sound of cloth on stone! Even the air seemed freshly disturbed...He was close!
He ran after his friend and, a quite a number of minutes later, minutes of getting tantalizingly close before being stopped by a door, closer each time, he was able to catch his friend by the arm. Remus quickly reached out and grabbed the other hand, worried that his friend might go for his wand or try and hit him. Evan winced slightly and Remus had to remember that it was close to the full moon and his strength was stronger than usual.
"Evan!" The boy squirmed away from him and pulled, emerald eyes dark with a feral light, the air crackling with magic. Remus' hair stood on end and he knew instinctively that, had Evan not had any qualms about harming him, he would be blasted down the hall faster than he could blink. As it was, the magic burned at his hands and, seeing that Remus wasn't going to let go, Evan tried the muggle way: he bit him. Rather unnecessarily hard, Remus thought, trying to ignore the pain in his arm.
Angry and worried that his friend would get away, he pinned his friend against the wall. Never let it be said that werewolves aren't aggressive when need be.
"Evan, listen to me!" Remus said, "Just hear me out, okay?" His friend went still but Remus had the impression that it was more a survival instinct than rational thought. Now that he had Evan's attention, or part of it, he didn't know what to say. "I..." There was a flash of silver and a terrible burning on his arm. His friend wriggled out of his grasp, holding a silver dagger wearily in front of him.
Dammit! He had let one of Evan's arms to hold him to the wall, convinced that his other could hold the other two still, at least reasonably. Apparently, he had been very wrong.
Evan hissed something in Parseltongue and suddenly there was a door in the wall. Of course! Remus realized, Salazar Slytherin built these dungeons. There are probably all sorts of Parseltongue passwords to things! Remus tried to approach his friend, wary of the dagger (How did he know?). Evan slipped into the new passageway and out of sight, the doorway closing behind him.
Damn! Remus slid to the floor, clutching his arm where the silver had burnt it. Thankfully, Evan hadn't cut him with the dagger but instead pressed the handle into his arm, but this proved that Evan had known and it hadn't been a coincidence, that pulling out the dagger hadn't been some lucky act of self-defense. But it was very close the full moon and the burn from the silver hurt terribly.
"Remus!" James skidded to a stop just a couple inches from where Remus was lying on the floor. The large black dog that had been leading James whimpered and licked his face. Peter watched silently from the background.
"Padfoot!" Remus groaned, wiping his face on his sleeve, "I'm fine. Just stings a bit, that's all. Didn't expect him to have any silver on him."
"He knew?" James asked and then, "He used silver on you? That-" He started calling Evan various not-so-polite names until Remus cut him off.
"It was my fault, James. I shouldn't have grabbed him in his state..."
"Oh stop taking all the blame!" Sirius snapped, now human. "He's a Slytherin, a Parselmouth! How can you still defend him?"
"And I'm a werewolf!" Remus snapped, suddenly angry, "Does that make me any less human?"
"But you're a Gryffindor!" Sirius protested.
"So is he! He was sorted into Gryffindor like all of us!"
Sirius gave an incredulous snort of laughter,
"Except for the itty-bitty fact that he was SORTED INTO SLYTHERIN, TOO!"
"An absolutely insignificant fact!" Remus snapped.
"It is not insignificant! And he's a Parselmouth! Everyone knows they're all Dark!"
"And everyone knows that werewolves are Dark creatures!" Remus staggered to his feet, "I could go as far and say that you're the one with the Dark family!" Sirius froze and they stood there, glaring at each other, absolutely still, thought Remus was swaying a little. James was ready to interrupt; Remus had broken the unspoken rule about not mentioning Sirius's family. But Remus straitened up and stormed past the other Marauders.
"Hey, wait!" James said, glancing from one friend to another, "Hey, Remus, come back!"
"Let him go!" Sirius snapped, "If he wants to play around with Slytherins that's his decision!"
Peter watched this all with an unreadable expression, watched for the second time as the Marauders pulled themselves apart over just one person.
Someone else was watching from the shadows, emerald eyes dark, unsure. And then the shadows stirred and he was gone from sight.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Remus is getting rather touchy with the rest of the Marauders…Oh well…
This is a quick update; I'm not going to have internet for a while, so I needed to get this up right away. If I find any problems, they'll be corrected tomorrow.