Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or settings!

Author's note: I'm so, so sorry I haven't updated in a while! D: Unfortunately, school is making my life hectic right now, and I don't know how often I'll be able to put new chapters up. Hopefully they'll be posted more regularly once things settle down a little. However, I am pleased to say that I've found a beta. :) Her name is Jaime, she's really nice, and you should check out her profile (J.). Chapters might take a little longer to be published because of the editing involved, but I think it'll help the story. Again, I'm really sorry about the delay. Happy reading!

Chapter Seven

Severus was in an unusually cheerful mood as he made his way back to the Gryffindor tower. Most of the students had headed to their common rooms for the night, and it was apparent that dinner had been finished for a while. It was already growing quite dark outside, and the boy wondered just how long he had spent in the Headmaster's office.

As he passed by the library, a hushed argument caught his attention. Recognizing the voices, the former Potions master backtracked a bit and peered around the corner.

"Get over yourself, James," Lupin was saying exasperatedly. "He's not that bad."

"He attacked me," the other boy insisted. "Did you hear what he was saying? He knows dark magic!"

Severus rolled his eyes. Of course they were talking about him.

"Yeah, he's really creepy," Black added. "He's probably corrupting you with his evil mind magic or something." Lupin snorted.

"As if," the sandy-haired boy replied. "He's actually a pretty decent bloke; you just haven't bothered to take the time to talk to him."

"But he attacked me!" Potter whined.

"Yes, and you insulted him first," Lupin reminded him. "Oddly enough, I never said anything rude to him, and he's been nothing but polite to me. Maybe if you'd get your head out of your-"

"Oi!" Sirius said loudly, cutting the other boy off. "Look, we just wanted to talk some sense into you. That Snape kid is bad news, and we were trying to warn you about him. You're smart, right? Maybe you can help us get back at him, if you know what I mean."

Lupin closed his eyes briefly in exasperation, and then turned to face Black.

"I don't really know what's going on between you two and Severus, but I'm staying out of it," he replied, sounding annoyed. "I told you, I don't have anything against him. Don't bother asking for my help in your stupid pranks or whatever. And just keep in mind that, whatever you do to him, he'll probably fight back. He's not the kind of person to take a beating lying down."

The sandy-haired boy picked up his bag and started walking to the door, then turned and added, "If you know what I mean".

As he exited on the opposite side of the library, Severus grinned to himself at the dumbstruck looks on Potter's and Black's faces. So I guess little Lupin has a backbone, after all, he thought with some amusement.

Deciding it would be best to catch up with the boy, Severus started on a shortcut to the Gryffindor Tower. It wouldn't do for Lupin to get lost and then be cornered by Black and Potter. The former Potions master slid through a door pretending to be a wall and saw Lupin walking quickly down the adjacent corridor.

"Hey, Lupin," Severus called, catching up to the boy. "I saw you in the library." He decided it was best to be straightforward.

"Oh, right," the other boy replied quietly. He gave that same embarrassed sort of smile again, the one he had given when Severus caught him with the chocolate. "Godric, I hope they don't hate me too much. I can't believe I said all that."

Lupin groaned slightly and buried his face in his hands. The former Potions master almost felt sorry for him, but he was in deeper trouble with Black and Potter than the other boy.

"No, you'll be fine," he replied, vaguely hoping he was right. "I think they respect you enough to leave you alone. I, on the other hand, am not so lucky. They'll be begging you to help get them out of trouble in no time."

Severus didn't know if he was actually telling the truth, but it seemed to reassure Lupin.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, by the way," the dark-haired boy added quietly. Nobody had ever sided with him before, other than Lily. It was a nice feeling, knowing that he could trust more than one person. He trusted Lupin, even if they weren't really friends.

Severus had spent almost 16 years forced to work with the werewolf, and Lupin had been willing to put aside the events of their school years in order to end the tension between them. The Potions master hadn't been able to do that before, but maybe this was one of the things he could go back and fix. In any case, Lupin seemed to believe that Severus wasn't a bad person, and the dark-haired boy wasn't about to turn away a potential ally.

"We should probably get back to the common room," he added, not giving Lupin time to say anything that might put Severus in his debt. The sandy-haired boy simply nodded and the two of them continued on their way to the Gryffindor Tower.

"So, which classes do we have tomorrow?" Lupin asked conversationally.

Severus glanced sideways at the other boy, but Lupin didn't seem to be making fun of how well the former Potions master had done in class that day.

"I know we have Charms and Defence in the morning," he replied. "And then Herbology in the afternoon. I think flying lessons might be tomorrow, too."

The sandy-haired boy made a small, unhappy noise and Severus turned to look at him.

"You've flown before, haven't you?" he asked, surprised. Most children from Wizarding families had been on a broom at least once before they attended Hogwarts.

"Ye-es," Lupin replied slowly, drawing out the word. He sighed slightly. "When I was about six, we visited my cousins' house for the day. One of the older ones thought it would be funny to see me try to fly around with a Hurling Hex on the broom. It kept trying to buck me off, and I must have been fifty feet above the ground before one of the adults rescued me. I haven't flown since then."

Severus grimaced sympathetically. His mother had taken him flying sometimes when he was little, before his father snapped her wand, so he didn't have any problem on a broom. In fact, he had played on Slytherin's Quidditch team for two years before Regulus Black & Co. bought their way onto the team with brand-new Nimbus 1001s.

"You'll be okay," he told the other boy. "They're really careful about that kind of stuff around here. I mean, the school brooms probably aren't in great condition, but the teachers check them for jinxes like that."

Lupin still looked a bit uncomfortable at the thought of flying, and the two of them continued up the staircase in silence. Upon reaching the Fat Lady's portrait, the sandy-haired boy muttered "Cor unum" and they entered the Gryffindor common room.

Severus was still a little taken aback by the amount of scarlet on the walls, but he gritted his teeth and stepped through the portrait hole. As his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, he found that Lily was sitting on the couch by the fire, with her two roommates at the other end. All three of them were watching a few older boys play Exploding Snap, and one of them looked vaguely familiar to Severus.

When the door opened, the boy could see Lily glance automatically at whoever was coming in. The way her eyes lit up when she recognized him tugged at his heart and made him remember exactly why he had decided to come back. This is all for you, Lily, he thought to himself, giving her a smile. Maybe Dumbledore can protect you- us -this time.

"Oh, I'm glad you found him, Remus," Lily said gratefully. "Sev, Potter and Black went downstairs, so I asked Remus to follow them and make sure they didn't try to ambush you or anything. I know you said you could handle them, but they spent a solid 20 minutes in a corner by themselves, whispering to each other. They're plotting something, I'm sure."

Severus felt his ego take a bit of a blow. A first year girl was trying to protect him from a couple other first years? The idea was laughable. Of course, this was Lily, and she had always acted like that.

"Really, I'll be fine," the boy insisted, taking a seat on the couch next to Lily. "They can't do anything I can't handle. Remember, they're just first years. We haven't learned enough magic to do any sort of harm to anyone, and they won't be able to do any powerful spells they might find in a book."

Lily still looked rather sceptical, but she didn't comment. "Here, Remus, you can sit down, too. Sev, budge over," she instructed the two boys, Severus moved closer to Lily and the sandy-haired boy took a seat on his other side.

"So, who are these fellows?" Lupin asked in a low voice, nodding his head toward the four boys playing the card game.

"Umm… I know three of them are second years, and one's a third," Lily explained. "Jason Diggory is the one on the left- he has an older brother in Hufflepuff, I think. He's a second year. Frank Longbottom is another second year, but I don't remember the other two names," The girl gave a sort of half-shrug, as if the names didn't mean anything to her.

Severus nodded, knowing that was who he had recognized. Frank Longbottom had been a good Auror after Hogwarts, and he and his wife did a lot of work for the Order. The former Potions master hadn't known either of them well, since they were tortured before he really got involved.

The portrait hole swung open again, and all three children sitting on the couch glanced up again. James and Sirius were entering the common room, smug looks filling both of their faces. Lily cast a glance at Severus as the two boys sauntered away toward the dorms, obviously letting him know that they were up to something. Severus simply sighed and settled to deal with it later, whatever it was.

"Just leave it," he murmured to Lily. "I'll sort it out later. You have faith in me, right?"

She gave him a drowsy sort of smile in response, and he realized just how late it was.

"Did you finish your Transfiguration homework already?" Severus asked her, noticing a piece of parchment sitting on the table in front of the couch.

"No, not yet," she replied. "I was working on it, but I got tired. Maybe you can help me tomorrow? I think I understand most of it, but I still haven't gotten that bloody thimble to transform yet."

"Oh, Severus, could you help me, too?' Lupin asked hopefully, not appearing to realize he was intruding on the other boy's Sev & Lily time.

The former Potions master clenched his jaw to prevent himself from spitting out a rude retort. Why did Lupin have to be so eager and friendly? They would all be better off if he just left Severus and Lily alone. He forced himself to smile, though, knowing the other boy was intelligent enough to take a hint eventually.

"Sure, no problem," he replied, any traces of irritation in his voice hidden. Thank goodness for all those Occlumency exercises, he thought to himself. Imagine that: I'm using highly advanced training to hide my feelings from an eleven-year old. Dumbledore would be so proud. He has lots of experience in hiding things from other people, including eleven-year olds!

"Lily, you should probably get to bed soon," Severus told his best friend with some concern. She was yawning hugely and seemed ready to fall asleep on her feet. "Magic is incredibly draining on your body as well as your mind. You're not used to it as much as some of us, either, since you didn't grow up around magic."

The girl nodded in response, looking slightly relieved at the excuse to head up to her dorm. She gathered her things and left the two boys with a soft "Bye". However, the look she threw at Severus over her shoulder showed that she still didn't believe he would be able to deal with Black and Potter by himself. The boy sighed, knowing he'd have to prove her wrong before she'd accept that he could take care of himself.

"We might as well head upstairs, I guess," he said, turning back toward Lupin. "Unless you want to stay down here to watch the rest of the game, of course." The sandy-haired boy shook his head and the two of them made their way up the stairs and into their dorm room.

The first thing Severus noticed upon entering was that the Intruder charm he had put around his bed had been set off. He could feel the difference in the magic- someone had been near his things, but nothing appeared to have been moved. Potter and Black were talking quietly with each other, though they looked up with blank, innocent faces as Severus and Remus came in the room.

"Hello there, Mister Snape," Potter said cheerfully, in a similar tone to the one Sirius had used at breakfast. "How are you this lovely evening? Actually, don't answer that. It'll spare me the time of pretending to care."

Severus frowned. "Look, I told you I don't want any more trouble," he said, now sorely regretting suggesting the alternative name. "Just leave me alone, I'll leave you alone, and we'll get along fine."

He continued his inspection of his belongings, but no one had touched them since he had locked his trunk that morning.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll get along fine and dandy once you've seen what we can do," Black replied in an equally pleasant voice.

Remus simply raised an eyebrow and began putting on his pyjamas. He obviously didn't want anything to do with whatever drama James and Sirius were causing.

"'Night, Severus," the sandy-haired boy muttered quickly and climbed into his own bed, pulling the curtains shut.

The former Potions master sighed inwardly, knowing he wouldn't be receiving much help from Lupin. Black cast the most fleeting of glances at the young werewolf's bed, but he kept his attention on Severus.

Not finding anything missing or out of place, the former Slytherin busied himself in getting ready for bed, as well. The other two boys unconsciously mirrored his actions, but Severus could practically sense their anticipation. He had almost developed a sixth sense for it while he was in school the last time, knowing just when they would spring to attack.

They didn't say anything else to him, though, and he clambered into his own bed. The lamps in the room went out by themselves when all four sets of curtains were closed, and Severus tucked his wand into his pillowcase again. He didn't want any nasty surprises. However, it seemed he was too late for that.

As soon as his head hit his pillow, it started emitting a horrible shrieking noise that echoed around the room. Nearly falling off the bed as he scrambled backward, Severus fumbled for his wand to try to make the terrible sound stop.

"Silencio!" he shouted amid the screeching, and the pillow stopped making noise. He prodded it cautiously with his want, but it appeared to be nothing more than a simple Caterwauling Charm. Muffled sniggers from Potter and Black's beds brought them back into his awareness. He narrowed his eyes. So they want to play dirty, then? He thought to himself. I suppose I should wash them off, then.

Severus drew back his curtains slightly, just enough so that he could see both of the troublemakers' beds. "Meteolojinx isolatus!" he whispered, making a swirling motion with his wand. Two miniature thunderstorms appeared above each of the beds, complete with pouring rain, occasional flashes of lightning, and realistic thunder.

Loud protests arose from the two boys as they and all their belongings were quickly drenched. The lamps in the room flickered back on as the three remaining sets of closed curtains were thrown back open- apparently, Lupin was intrigued by the spell and wanted to watch. Severus smirked.

"It's not very nice to play tricks on people, now is it?" he asked the two soaking wet boys snidely.

They shot him identical glares and tried to escape the storms by scrambling away from their beds. However, the little thunderclouds simply moved with them across the room, creating puddles on the floor. Potter took out his own wand and tried shooing the cloud above his head away, but to no avail. Apparently seeing the stubborn look on Severus' face, Sirius decided to try to appeal for help in a different way.

"Reeeemmussss," he whined, stretching out the boy's name. "You have to help us, pleeeeease?"

The sandy-haired boy scowled- he was remembering the incident in the library, no doubt -but he took out his own wand anyway.

"Finite incantatem," he said firmly, pointing his wand at each of the clouds in turn. They shrank and eventually disappeared, leaving behind several large puddles and two extremely unhappy boys. Severus was quite impressed at the other boy's knowledge, but Lupin turned to him with a shrug. "Mum always uses that when other spells go wrong," he explained simply.

The young werewolf climbed into his own bed again, pulling the curtains shut without another word. Severus raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything, either. He was about to get in his own bed again, too, when he realized he should do something about the puddles.

"Tergeo," he muttered, pointing his wand at the water, and the puddles shrunk just as the clouds had done. He noticed that Potter and Black were starting at the vanishing water somewhat wistfully. They were probably thinking of their own sopping wet belongings.

"Not a chance," Severus told them with a smirk. The house-elves would probably clean up during the night, anyway. He climbed into his own bed again and pulled the curtains shut. Well, day two was relatively successful, he thought to himself with satisfaction as he closed his eyes. Marauders 1, Severus 10