The following morning, a loud thump rang through the Great Hall and made everyone jump up in surprise, professors included. However, seconds later, everyone was rolling their eyes at the source. It was only Hana, who had dropped her unusually heavy stack of books smack dab in the centre of the Gryffindor table. Noah stood quietly behind her and watched as James' glass tipped over, and didn't say a word as Hana sat down between Remus and Sirius and plucked a blueberry off one of their plates.

"Hi, Hana," Remus said, looking both scared and confused.
"Did you know that a Shakespearean English euphemism for a man's you-know-what is 'wit'?"
"Uh..."
"What does that say about Ravenclaw's motto, hm? Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure. You know, I think Rowena was onto something because clearly, men don't think with their brains."
"Hana, what are you on?" Sirius asked with a laugh.

Hana sighed and shook her head.

"Sorry, I'm just terrible at mornings, especially when twins are screaming in your ears an hour before sunrise," she said as she poured herself a cup of tea. "Noah, are you going to sit down or just stand there and look pretty?"

Noah shuffled in on the other side of the table and sat beside James who was still mopping up pumpkin juice. Hana had told Noah what Severus had said about James, Sirius and Remus the day prior. Unfortunately for him, he had to wait for anything to come to light, and that made him more nervous than usual. Hana was ready to believe Severus of course, just not without proof. She wasn't simply going to waltz up to them, declare them bullies and renounce their friendship. No, no, no. Today in flying class, Hana wouldn't fly or practise with the other Ravenclaws, she'd keep a sharp eye on her friends. However, that didn't mean she wasn't going to have trouble keeping her attitude in check.

James and Sirius barrelled down the hallways and down to the training grounds as usual, while Remus, Hana and Noah walked side-by-side and discussed the potions essay they had to write for next week. Madam Hooch was there to greet the students as usual and hand out old school brooms to everyone. After a few short instructions, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the students began practising their flying. Most of them didn't go above a hover, except for James, who had to show off each class and spin around the training grounds even if Madam Hooch shouted for him to touch down. Hana was steadily getting better, unlike Noah or Severus for that matter, who were both wobbly even when barely two inches off the ground, and looking over at Sirius and Remus, Hana could tell that they still couldn't give a rat's ass about flying. They were sitting on their hovering brooms, chatting avidly.

There was nothing out of the ordinary that Hana could see, and she considered giving up her search for malice for a split second. However, just as her eyes began to lower, so did James, and he did so quite close to Severus, which knocked him off his broom. It would have seemed an honest mistake had James not high-fived Sirius a few seconds later.

Hana groaned, which startled Noah, and she swung her legs off the side of her broom.

"I don't like where this is going, Noah."
"Huh?" the boy hummed, clumsily dismounting his broom. "How what's going—oh, the Snape thing?"
"Severus, yeah... I mean, look at them. They're clearly—Oh, I don't know. Like... Yeah."
"You mean... They're clearly laughing at Snape, and Snape is clearly uncomfortable, but they're still your friends, and you don't want to call them out, but at the same time them harassing Snape pisses you off," Noah completed.
"Thanks for articulating for me."
"No problem. So, what're you gonna do?"
"Well, I told Severus that I'd talk to them," Hana said with a shrug.
"You hate confrontation, Hana," Noah sighed.
"I also don't go back on my word, so screw confrontation, I'm gonna talk to these dunderheads."
"Dunderheads?"
"I don't even know."

The day was beautiful, and as Hana sat beneath the beech tree by the lake, she thought of how much it sucked that she was about to sour the mood. Sirius and James were swinging above her, talking about God knows what, Noah and Remus were pouring over a thick tome that Remus had gotten from the library, and Hana was humming a tune that her mother used to sing. And though the song was airy and pleasant, her thoughts were anything but.

"Hey guys, can I ask you something?"
"Only if it doesn't turn into one of your rabbit holes of information," James said, swinging upside down.
"Hey, I like the rabbit holes," Remus commented.
"Nah, it's just a hypothetical," Hana said.
"Then shoot," Sirius said.
"So, let's say you got this... friend, and this friend has told you that someone's picking on him."
"Well, obviously you kick his butt," James stated.
"Okay, but what if the bully is also a friend?"

There was a moment of silence in which Hana kept her gaze on the lake. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Noah and Remus staring at her. James and Sirius were most likely doing the same thing from above.

"Hana—"
"To my knowledge, Severus hasn't done anything to you two, so..."
"Well, it's more the fact he exists, really," Sirius said.

Hana's head turned sharply towards the boys.

"Are you mad? He's done literally nothing to you, and you torment him anyway?"
"It's just a bit of fun, Snowflake," James said. "Neither of us really means it. Snivellus is probably just being sensitive."

The girl's eyebrows knitted together in concern. It was a possibility that Severus was exaggerating, yes, but in either case, that meant that one of them was lying to her straight in the face.

"Why're you even friends with him in the first place?"
"Severus isn't really my friend, Sirius. He's just a classmate that I happen to get along with. Well... most of the time, anyway."
"And you're just defending him because you feel it's your duty as a classmate, then?"
"Yes," Hana said sharply. "Regardless of what Severus is to me, it isn't right, and you know it. So yes, I am defending him, just like I would any other student who's getting picked on."
"But he's a Slytherin!"
"And I have told you before that I hold no animosity towards Slytherins," Hana said sharply. "I understand that you hate them because your family members are a bunch of twats, but that doesn't mean that I have to conform to that ideal as well, Sirius. I'm free to like and dislike whoever I want."

Hana stood promptly and dusted off her robes. Sirius watched her pick up her things, an unfriendly glint in his eyes.

"This stereotype you hold Slytherins to is unhealthy," Hana said, looking pointedly at James and Sirius. "Look, I don't want to hear anything like this from Severus again, understood?"
"No problem," Sirius snapped.

Hana narrowed her eyes at him, unsure as to why he'd agreed so quickly, but she left the tree's side, more or less satisfied about their talk. Hana would have brought up Remus' actions, or lack thereof, but if she didn't want to lose her friends completely, she felt it was best to stop there for the day.

About halfway back to the castle, Hana remembered that she'd left Noah behind, but there was no way she was going to return down there now. She was going to let the boys stew in the talk they'd just been given, and wait for Noah to show up again. Meanwhile, Hana made her way through the courtyard and down the numerous halls of Hogwarts, evading fanged frisbees thrown by first years or looking away from multiple seventh years snogging in the hallways. However, turning around a corridor, Hana couldn't avoid Lily Evans, whom she smashed straight into. Both of their books and papers went flying everywhere, and both girls immediately dove down to pick things up for each other.

"I keep doing this. Honestly, Hana, what is wrong with you?"
"It's fine, don't worry! I wasn't looking where I was going either," Lily said. "You're Hana Yukimura, right?"
"Uh, yes?"
"I'm Lily. Lily Evans. Severus has spoken of you."
"I bet he's mentioned that I'm a pain? Or maybe that I'm that one dunderhead that won't leave him be?" Hana said, mimicking Severus' voice.
"Yes, he has," Lily chuckled. "But he also said that you were going to talk to those idiotic friends of yours?"

Hana looked up at Lily, a little surprised.

"Uh, yeah... Yeah, I did. Say that, I mean. And talk to them, I suppose. I just came back from there. It was uh... insightful. And really confrontational. I didn't like it."
"Well, I'm thankful that you did it anyway," Lily said with a smile. "I can only help Severus when I see something happen, but I'm glad you're standing up to your friends for him."
"I mean, I'd do it for anyone, really," Hana said with a small shrug.
"Hey, come on. I was just about to go find Severus in the library."

Hana and Lily stood, books in hand.

"Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to intrude or anything."
"You're not intruding, Hana."
"Well you might say that, but Severus..."
"Is a grumpy old man that needs new friends. Come on."

Lily didn't wait for Hana to accept. Instead, she grabbed the Ravenclaw's hand and dragged her through the halls at a jog until they reached the library. The woman in charge of the place shushed them immediately upon entry, but neither of them paid her any mind. Lily darted straight for the far end of the room where they found Severus with his nose deep in a book.

"Took you long enough."
"Sorry, I picked someone up along the way," Lily said, sitting beside him.

Hana plopped down in front of Severus. He heaved a sigh.

"Is it because she bumped into you? She has a habit of doing that."
"Okay, I bumped into you that one time!" Hana said, threateningly pointing a book at him.
"Twice suffices to call it a habit."
"I'll start calling you a grumpy old man again. How's that for a habit?"
"Why are you two arguing?" Lily asked, concerned.
"Oh, we're not arguing, Lily, this is our bonding," Hana said with a small smile.
"We aren't bonding."
"Just admit it, Severus."
"Why'd you bring her here, Lily?" Severus asked, almost desperately.
"Because she talked to her friends for you," the girl said with a small laugh.

Severus looked to Hana, who was scribbling something down in the margins of one of her textbooks.

"You did?"
"Yeah, I did. It turns out you were right," Hana admitted. "I don't know the extent of what they did to you, and I didn't ask because I don't honestly care what they did, it's enough that they did do something. I told them that I didn't want to hear about them doing it anymore."
"What happens if they don't stop, Hana?" Lily asked.
"Well... I suppose I'll think of something if it ever comes to that."

Lily nodded with a small smile.

"For now..." Hana said, pulling out her homework. "What'd you guys write down for question 27?"
"For Professor Binns' class? Let me see..."
"Merlin's arse," Severus replied sarcastically, his nose back in his book.
"Hm, that makes sense. Can I list you as source material?"