Difficult Decisions
Severus' eyelids fluttered as he emerged from the cocoon of sleep and woke once more. His hand brushed the soft blue blanket draped about him and he saw the soft cream colored walls of the Hospital Wing come into focus. He ached and hurt everywhere, he felt as if he were one massive bruise. But at least he was still breathing, he thought, wincing. He turned his head slightly, and saw two familiar figures sitting next to his bed.
One was Dickon. The other was Lily.
He would have smiled to see them, but his mouth hurt too much. Lily was sleeping, curled up on her side like a kitten. Speaking of cats, Severus hoped someone was feeding Sorrel. He still didn't know how he'd gotten here, the last thing he recalled was getting beaten and hexed till he passed out. His hand gripped the blanket convulsively. He looked down, and saw that his right hand, his wand hand, was bandaged and splinted and he trembled. My hand! How bad is it? How bad?
He didn't even know he'd spoken aloud until Dickon exclaimed, "You've finally woken up, Severus! Merlin and God be praised! I won't ask how you're feeling because I already know you probably feel bloody awful, yes?"
Severus swallowed and nodded.
Dickon slid an arm about his shoulders and helped him sit up.
Severus gritted his teeth. It hurt to even do that much.
"Drink, Sev. It's a pain relieving draft," Dickon said, holding a vial to his mouth.
Severus drank obediently, too sore to protest being helped. The potion started working immediately, numbing all the aches away. He sighed in relief. Then he looked again at his bandaged hand. "Dickon . . .what about my . . .my hand?" he managed to say at last. He was afraid to know but he had to ask nevertheless.
Dickon looked grave, but he did not attempt to dodge the question, much to Severus' relief. "Lad, I'm not going to lie to you. Your hand is injured pretty badly."
The boy paled. "Am I . . .going to . . .lose it?"
"Are you what?" Dickon exclaimed. Then he hastened to reassure the youngster. "No, lad, it's not that bad. I meant only that you might have to do some therapy, since there are torn ligaments in that hand and also two broken fingers. Madam Pomfrey set those and there are potions to take to mend the muscles, but you'll still have to do therapy to strengthen that hand back to what it was. Weeks of it."
"I don't care. I'll do whatever it takes." Severus said determinedly. His hand could not afford to be weak, he needed his fingers to be deft and supple in order to cut up ingredients and stir cauldrons. Above all other crafts of wizardry, a Potions Master needed his hands. "What day is it?"
"You've been here two days, this is the morning of the second day since I brought you here."
"You found me? Not Lily?"
"No, lad. Actually Eclipse found you, he was the one who drove off your attackers with his Roar. I heard him, I was on top of my tower, looking at the conjunction of Venus and Mars, and I knew something was wrong the minute he called, because an Egyptian temple cat never Roars unless he's facing evil enemies. But when I got there, your attackers were gone and Eclipse was beside you. I brought you to the Hospital Wing and called Madame Pomfrey. She spent all night healing you."
"No wonder I'm sore," Severus sighed. He knew better than any how you stiffened and bruises ached after a beating on the second day.
"Aye, lad," Dickon said, with a rough sympathy in his tone.
"Dickon, what do you mean, Eclipse Roared? He's a cat. Cats don't roar."
"This one does. Remember when I told you Eclipse was special? An Egyptian temple cat possesses certain magic, they were bred to be the guardians of the tombs and the temples thousands of years ago, and granted certain powers by Bast and Isis, the Egyptian cat goddess and the goddess of magic. One of those powers is the ability to Roar. The Roar is designed to both warn and create fear in an enemy, and all of them can do it to a greater or lesser degree. Eclipse can also use shadows to blend and make himself invisible, and he's lighting quick and his claws sharper than an ordinary cat's. Tomb robbers lived in fear of the temple cats, for the cats showed no mercy to anyone trying to steal what they guarded. Nowadays, Eclipse only guards my quarters, and it would seem, you as well."
"I need to thank him then," Severus said, a small smile flitting over his face. "I owe my life to him."
"Can you identify your attackers, lad? Did you see who they were?" Dickon asked then, and his eyes darkened wrathfully. "Because if so, I shall find them and make them pay tenfold for what they have done, the little bastards!"
Severus looked at the mild-mannered astronomer and felt a shiver go through him. Dickon claimed he had no temper, but temper shone in his face now, fierce and wild, similar to that of Tobias at his worst. But unlike Tobias, Dickon's temper was not directed at him, but for him. He felt an odd warmth spread through him, for he had never had any man angry on his behalf before, much less willing to protect him. Was this what it was like to have a father? A decent father, that is?
But then the warm fuzzy feeling died as he recalled he couldn't reveal who they were without compromising his position as a spy for Dumbledore. Of course, his position might already be compromised due to his refusal to give up Lily. His head began to throb and he turned his face away from the older wizard and mumbled, "It was dark. I didn't really see who they were." The words scorched his tongue and he hated not being to tell Dickon the truth. I've got to talk to the Headmaster. He'll know what to do.
"No matter, lad. Eclipse marked them, I saw blood under his claws," Dickon said grimly. "They won't be able to hide it if they come to Pomfrey for healing and then we'll have them."
"Will they be expelled?"
"I will vote for it as I am sure, will most of the staff," said the Astronomy professor. "But you leave the catching of those devil's spawn to us. They won't get away with this, not if I have anything to say about it! Or your mother either."
"My mum? She knows?" Severus turned about to face Dickon, ignoring the sudden flaring pain in his back and arms as he did so.
"Of course, lad. I sent her an owl last night, over Dumbledore's protests." Dickon frowned. "Don't know why he would object to me informing her about your condition, she deserves to know what went on and how you're doing."
"You shouldn't have done that, sir!" Severus cried. "I'm going to be all right, you didn't need to tell her!"
"Sev, why not? She's your mum, she would want to know."
"You don't understand," Severus hissed. "Now she'll worry and she doesn't need the extra stress . . ." He turned on his side, upset and angry. "I'm not worth it . . ."
He had thought he spoke softly enough so Professor Marsh couldn't hear, but he had forgotten just how sharp Dickon's hearing was.
The professor shook his head sadly, then a moment later he reached out and laid a hand very gently upon one hunched shoulder. "Of course you are, Severus Snape. You're her son, and worth every bit of worry and aggravation, trust me on that. You matter a great deal to her, don't you know that? To all of us."
Severus shook his head. "I . . .don't know why." He felt a tightening in his chest that had nothing to do with the fact that he had bandages wrapped tightly about his middle. He couldn't manage to do anything right, except brew potions. Couldn't fight, couldn't spy, couldn't even be a decent boyfriend he thought derogatorily. Tobias had been right . . .he really was a useless piece of trash.
"Ah, lad, what did that son-of-a-bitch do to you?" Dickon sighed, gently rubbing the stiffened back. He could cheerfully strangle Tobias Snape for the harm he had done to this boy, and he was not a violent man. "Don't you see, Sev, we care about you because you're you, not because of what you've done or haven't done. It's not a question of whether or not you deserve it, lad, but whether or not you'll accept the love we all have for you."
Severus shook his head again, he hated feeling so helpless, so vulnerable, hated the fact that he was now blinking back tears, he who almost never cried, not even when Tobias had beaten him bloody. How could those simple sentimental words make him lose every bit of control he possessed? He hated the way Dickon's hand was now rubbing his back, as if he were a child, but at the same time he couldn't deny that it felt so very good. How could Dickon claim he loved him . . . he wasn't blood, Severus was nothing to him.
He shut his eyes and tears spilled hotly down his cheeks to land upon his pillow. Angrily he reached up and swiped the tears away. He'd be damned if he would cry in front of the astronomer. Snape, pull yourself together, dammit! What are you, some kind of weepy little baby? He scolded himself with Tobias's harsh unforgiving tone, but still more tears welled up. He buried his face in the pillow and prayed Dickon would leave.
But the professor stayed, gently stroking his tangled hair, wordlessly encouraging the battered boy to trust him. He felt the boy's shoulders quiver and knew Severus was crying silently. Dickon said nothing, knowing full well he would be embarrassed beyond belief and just continued to card Sev's hair and rub his back very gently.
After awhile, a muffled voice came from the pillow. "Is she coming here then?"
"I would think so, soon as she can. As well she ought to. Severus, it's normal for a mother to take care of you when you're sick or hurt."
"She could lose her job . . ."
"Ah, I doubt that, lad. Her boss is not that cruel, to deny her emergency leave."
"Since when am I an emergency?"
"Since you nearly died, you noddlehead!" Dickon told him sternly.
"Died?"
"Aye, those were not play hexes they threw at ye, lad. Some of them hurt you badly and that together with the beating they gave you . . .you were lucky, son."
Severus didn't know what to say about that, so he remained quiet. Dickon's words did not really surprise him. He had known he might die, after all these were Death Eaters, not the Marauders. This was a most dangerous game he played and one slip and he would be finished.
He closed his eyes, he couldn't think with his head throbbing so badly.
He must have drifted into a doze, because the next thing he felt was a familiar cool hand laid upon his forehead and then he heard Eileen's voice. "Has he woken up at all, Dickon?"
"Yes, Eileen, he has. But the pain reliever I just dosed him with makes him groggy."
Ah, so that was it, Severus thought blearily, forcing his eyes to open. "Mum?"
"Hello, Sev." Her hand shifted to cup his cheek, and he saw the concern in her gaze as well as anger and love. "I came as quickly as I could. Dickon told me what happened."
"Couldn't fight them all at once . . .three's too many . . .I tried. . ." He dropped his eyes to the blanket.
"Oh, Sev!" She gently tilted his chin up. "You should have never been in a position to have to fight off three boys at once!" She traced the livid bruises over his eye and cheek, furious and horrified all at once. Her poor son! How dare they do such a thing to him? And for what? "Did they say why they attacked you? Not that it's an excuse—I want to string the rotten brats up by their toes and beat them till they howl—but what motivated them to hurt you like this?"
Severus hesitated. He knew he had to tell her something, she wouldn't accept an "I don't know" for an answer, so he tried to give her the truth, or as much of the truth as he could. "They said it was because I was dating Lily. She's a Gryffindor and I'm a Slytherin and she's a Muggleborn and not worthy to be with me. They wanted me to . . .to stop seeing her and I wouldn't, so then they attacked me."
Eileen looked like a cauldron about to boil over, she was so furious. "That bloody stupid rivalry between Houses! That was what this was about? Because some prejudiced bloody arrogant purebloods had issues with your girlfriend? And Dumbledore wonders why I refused his offer to teach here years ago! Because I could never stand the infighting that went on inbetween the Houses, especially Slytherin and Gryffindor. It's nothing but sheer blind prejudice and it should have been stopped long ago. Look at what's happened because of it!" She gestured angrily at Severus.
"Mum, calm down."
"No, Severus, I will not calm down!" she snapped, her eyes flashing. "This is what comes of not encouraging House unity and being too indulgent! It's criminal that you're not safe here, that you have to watch your back because of some idiot's notion of who is acceptable and who isn't! I've dealt with the same hidebound attitudes my whole life and I'm sick to death of it. If you want to date a bloody purple cow, wizard, Muggle, or otherwise, you should be able to do so without worrying about what some arsehole pureblood will think of it!"
Lily had woken up somewhere in the middle of Eileen's rant and she simply sat there, her mouth hanging partially open, listening to the older witch's furious diatribe. Wow! Eileen's got some temper, I never knew that before. I always assumed Sev got his from his dad, but guess I was wrong. Her glare could strip paint off walls in two seconds and flatten a charging rhino.
Not that she blamed Eileen for going off, she herself wanted to tear those miserable boys to pieces for what they had done. But at the same time she blamed herself for not realizing Severus hadn't returned to the castle and going to find him. Then maybe she could have prevented what had happened. She felt unaccountably guilty for sleeping soundly in her bed while Severus had been beaten within an inch of his life over her. This is all my fault. Well, not entirely, but mostly.
"I shall have words with Mr. Albus Dumbledore over this, you can be sure," Eileen said grimly.
"Mum, it wasn't his fault this happened—"
"He didn't instigate it but neither did he prevent it, Severus."
"How could he have prevented it? He didn't know those jackasses were going to jump me."
"No, but he could have made severe consequences for those who were caught brawling and dueling with each other. But because there were none, those boys felt safe in attacking you, and Dickon says they haven't been caught yet either."
"But they will be," Dickon added softly.
"And I will stay until they are," Eileen said. "That's the only way I will be able to sleep at night, if I watch over you myself."
"Mum, for Merlin's sake!"
"Hush your mouth, Severus Snape," she scolded lovingly. "If anyone wants to come and finish what they started, they'll deal with me. And they'll find out that I can do more than just brew potions." There was a look in Eileen's eyes that chilled the blood in the veins of both men, it was primal and wild and utterly deadly. Neither of them doubted that if anyone tried to harm Severus, that one would soon be decorating the Hospital Wing in pieces.
"Hell hath no fury like a mother defending her son," Dickon murmured. He gave her a nod of respect. I wouldn't be in Albus Dumbledore's shoes for all the gold in Gringotts. When that woman's blood is up, the best course of action is to duck and run for cover. Tobias was lucky she never turned on him, she must have really loved him to let him dominate her so badly. Or perhaps this is a result of so many years of being forced to kowtow to a man. Now she's free and Merlin help anyone who threatens her . . .or her son.
Whatever the reason, Richard Marsh knew that here was a witch to be reckoned with and he was proud to know her and even prouder to have won her trust and maybe even her heart.
Abruptly, Eileen's temper cooled, and the room's atmosphere changed from a war zone to a place of recovery as Eileen smiled and withdrew a package from her robes. "Happy belated birthday, Sev. I was going to mail it today but once I got Dickon's letter I figured I may as well bring it to you. Engorgio!"
The shrunken package enlarged and Severus sat up, using his left hand to remove the paper. It was awkward, but when Dickon and Eileen would have helped him, he shook his head firmly. Finally the paper was off and he could open the box.
Lily moved from her place on the chair to seat herself gently upon the bed next to Severus. "Hi, Eileen!" she greeted the older witch. "Sev, how are you doing?"
He gave her a lopsided smile. "Been better. Tell me you didn't spend the night in that chair, Lil."
"Not the night, but the afternoon." She gave him a tremulous smile. "I'm sorry, I should have waited . . ."
"For what? We were trying to not attract attention, remember?" he murmured. He stroked her hair. "I'm going to be fine, little oracle. I'd kiss you and show you but my mouth's not up to it."
"Oh, Sev!" she whispered, then leaned forward and gave him the most delicate kiss, her lips brushed him for the briefest instant, like the touch of a butterfly, and then she withdrew. "Open your present! I can't wait to see what it is!"
"Lily, you're such a little kid!" he grinned.
"And you're too serious, Mr. Seventeen Year Old!" she teased back. Then she started to tug at the box.
Severus rolled his eyes and permitted her to open it.
But then she pushed it back towards him and he reached inside and discovered a magnificent black cloak with a high collar, lined with black silk. Severus could see that it was long enough to reach just to the edge of his feet and not touch the ground. He could also tell when he held it that the cloak had been enchanted.
He looked up at Eileen. "Mum, you made this?"
"I did. Sewed and cut it myself, without using magic. But the fabric itself is enchanted. It's a Cloak of Shadows, son."
"What's that mean?"
"It means that when you wear it, you'll be near impossible to spot, shadows will gather about you and conceal you and you will seem to appear and disappear out of thin air. It also has special pockets to store potion ingredients and potions, deep ones that will hardly ever seem to fill up and yet the most delicate vial will never become damaged. The cloak will also keep you warm in the fiercest blizzard and dry in a downpour and cool in the heat of the summer. I intended it to last for a long time, son, and it will grow with you, so you can wear it even as an adult."
Severus stroked the rich fabric, which was sleek as silk and soft as velvet, and then he reached out and gave his mother a one-armed hug. He could think of several ways the cloak would be invaluable to him when he had to resume his duties as a spy. "Thank you so much, Mum! You're the best."
"I love you, Sev," she said quietly, hugging him carefully back. She gently took his injured hand in hers and kissed it. "There! A kiss to make it better."
Severus blushed. "Mum, please! I'm not five! D'you want me to die of embarrassment?"
Eileen laughed. "That's a mother's prerogative, son. To love and embarrass her son to death. What did Poppy say about your hand?"
Severus told her what Dickon had said.
Eileen looked a little worried, but then she squared her shoulders and said, "Well, it could be worse. You could have permanent nerve damage. At least your hand will eventually be as good as new." She hugged her son again then said softly, "I'm glad you like your present. Now I have to go and speak with the Headmaster. I'll be back soon."
"I'll join you," said Dickon. "I've been meaning to ask him a few questions myself."
With that, the two adults rose and left the infirmary, leaving Lily and Severus alone.
The minute they were gone, Madam Pomfrey bustled in, and began to take Severus's temperature, run a diagnostic and give him more potions. "I must say, Mr. Snape, that you were "pummeled passing fair" to quote William Shakespeare. Miserable cowards!" She shook her head angrily. "They're lucky I'm not the one in charge of doling out consequences, because I'd make them my experimental guinea pigs and force feed them new medical potions, the nasty ones, like purgatives and so forth."
Lily giggled and even Severus managed a smile. He was quite astonished to find so many teachers here that cared enough to be outraged on his behalf.
"You're going to be sore for the next few days, young man, I have a salve you can use. If you wish to apply it now, you can call a house elf to help you and Miss Evans, you'll have to step outside for a moment."
"I'll do it later," Severus said stoically. The bruises didn't hurt much since he had taken the pain reliever and he wanted to talk with Lily.
"Very well. I'll send Arnica around later."
"Remind me never to get on her bad side," he said out of the corner of his mouth after the medi-witch had finished with him.
"It's never good to make your Healer angry," Lily said, then she threw her arms about Severus and cried. "Sev, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"
He was rendered speechless and for a few minutes all he could do was gape like witless Gryffindor while she sobbed all over his hospital pajamas. His arms came about her automatically, and even though he ached in every muscle, his first concern was for her, not himself.
"Shhh . . .it's all right. Don't cry, Lil. Please. I can't stand it when you cry, it . . .tears me all up inside," he whispered, patting her awkwardly with his bandaged hand. "Shhh . . .it's all right . . ."
He let her cry for several minutes, until the sudden storm of tears was ended and she sniffled and wiped her nose on the tissue he handed her. Her face was streaked with tears and her skin was blotchy but she had never looked more attractive to him. "All right, Lily flower?"
She nodded.
"Why do you think what happened is your fault?"
"B-because it is! You said it yourself. They attacked you because I was your girlfriend. If you didn't . . .if you'd stayed away from me, they would have never attacked you."
"Hey. Listen to me, all right?" he said, shaking her left shoulder with his good hand. "Don't ever blame yourself for this, you hear me, Lily Anne Evans? You heard my mum. Stupid House rivalries and prejudice caused this, not you."
Lily shook her head. "If you'd stayed away from me like they had wanted, you wouldn't have ended up like this. Look what they did to your hand, Sev! Next time they could kill you! I won't be responsible for that, Severus!"
"You're not, Lily! Why can't you see that? They're Death Eater scum, they were looking for someone to harass and it's my typical luck that I'm such an easy mark," Severus said bitterly. Years of persecution by the Marauders had left him vulnerable to bullies, he was a well-known target, even though the Marauders had been leaving him be.
Lily knew that Severus was partially right. But she also knew that as long as he was with her, he was in danger. And then there was their cover. She knew that he had to be accepted by the very people they detested, and in order to do that he had to be above reproach according to pureblood standards. And that meant no more associations with Muggleborns. At least during school.
Her heart broke into a thousand pieces then, as she realized what they would have to do. It wasn't fair, it was the hardest thing she would ever have to do in her life, and she knew she risked everything—their happiness, their friendship, and most of all, their hearts. But she could see no other way to keep Severu safe. And she loved him too much to allow him to risk himself for her. He was no good to her dead.
She closed her eyes and more tears trickled down her face. How can I do this? How can I give up my heart? But what else can I do? He's so stubborn, he won't give in, not even to save his own life. And so I have to do it. But oh Merlin, it's going to hurt him so much. And that's the last thing I want.
His fingers found her face, and he gently wiped the tears away with his thumb. "Lil, don't. Please. We'll get through this. I promise you we will."
She gulped back the rest of her tears. Now was the time to show that Gryffindor courage she possessed. "Severus, you have to let me go."
"What do you mean? Stop holding you?" he sounded confused and hurt.
"No . . .I mean you have to pretend to stop loving me, Sev." He opened his mouth to protest, and she put a finger to his lips. "Shut up. Let me finish. I know that's damn impossible, but you have to try. For me and for yourself. You can't be a good agent and a Death Eater if you have a . . .Mudblood girl hanging on your arm." She forced herself to speak the terrible word, it tasted like acid in the back of her throat. Then she went on. "But that's not all. I put you in danger every time I'm seen with you. I won't have it, Sev. I refuse to be the reason some crazy gang of Death Eater wannabe's kills you one dark night. You're good, but even you can't fight those odds. And even if they catch these monsters, you know it's only a matter of time before Lucius "suggests" you give me up. Or some other idiot comes along and tries to teach you your place. You have to make them trust you, make them think you want to belong, and you can't do that if Lily Evans is your girlfriend."
"I don't care, Lily! I'm not afraid of them, I didn't use everything I knew when I fought them, I was stupid. You're the very best thing that's ever happened to me and I won't give you up now! Not now, after all we've been through."
"Severus, dammit! You have to! Just until we're done with school."
"If I give you up, it'll seem like I'm just caving in to peer pressure," he argued. "I swore never to do that."
"Severus . . .please! I don't want to lose you before we've even had a chance to live. It's not forever. Please, I don't want to find you dead one night. When I heard about what happened . . .Severus I was so horrified and scared, I went and threw up. I never want to feel like that again. If I lost you . . .I would never forgive myself. Never!"
"Lily, I'll be more careful."
"You will . . .by publically breaking up with me."
"No!"
"Yes!" she cried angrily. "It's the only way. Start thinking like a Slytherin, by Merlin's bloody beard! Do what you have to in order to survive."
Her emerald eyes were luminous with tears and a steely resolve.
He glanced away, unable to refute her logic, but equally unable to pass sentence upon their budding romance. "I love you, Lily. How can you ask me to just . . .give you up?"
"I love you more than my life, Sev. And that's why I have to let you go. I don't want to, but . . ."
More tears followed, but this time he did not wipe them away. Instead he held her and he put his head on her shoulder and cried too, his reserve shattered, and their tears flowed and mingled in an endless river of sorrow.
He knew she was right. He had endangered their mission by clinging to her this way. He had been a fool, thinking he could get away with it. If you love me, let me go. The old saying flitted through his head. It was a choice he had thought he would never have to make. Sometimes, in order to save the thing you love best, you must give it away.
It's not forever.
It's not forever.
Just till we're done with school. Only a few months more to go with this term and seventh year you'll be so busy with NEWTS you won't have time to miss her. That was a lie, he knew it even before he thought it. He missed Lily every hour of every day, and counted the minutes till he was with her again. To give her up, even though it was necessary, would be a worse torture than the Cruciatus Curse. I'd rather lose my damn hand. He silently cursed Dumbledore and himself for ever putting himself in this horrible position, where he had to make the worst decision of his life.
He cupped her face in his hands. "Lily . . .if we really have to do this . . . we need to do it right. We have to plan it out."
"Plan it out how?"
"We're going to have to enlist a third party," he said, hating what he was about to say next.
"I don't understand."
"If we're going to make it look realistic, we need to . . .tell Potter about it." He felt as if he had just pulled out all his teeth with a dull pair of pliers.
"Why? Why does James have to know?" She sniffled.
"Because he's going to be the other man, waiting in the wings to . . .snap you up." Severus said through gritted teeth.
"James! But he's in love with my sister!"
"We know that and Black and Pettigrew know that, but how many others do?"
"Probably hardly anyone else."
"Then that will work to our advantage. Because as far as the rest of the school knows, he's still plotting to get you away from me."
"Sev . . .you don't have to do it that way." She began, knowing how much he would hate the idea that James had appeared to "win" her, even if it was a sham. "I could just . . .walk off and leave you."
He sighed. "No, Lily. It has to look real. If you . . .dump me for him, then it'll mean I can't have you back. And Potter has to know, otherwise it won't work."
"What can we tell him? Not the real reason."
"No. We'll tell him it's a ruse to fool the damn Death Eater kids. He'll like pulling one over on them." He wrapped an arm about her again. "Merlin, I wish like hell we didn't have to do this."
"Me too. Just remember . . .it's not forever and it's not real. I will love you always, Severus, until death and beyond." She snuggled into his chest, reveling in the feel of his heartbeat.
"And I will always love you the same way. Always."
She gazed up at him, her heart in her eyes. "It'll be the greatest Slytherin deception of all time."
"No. It'll be the greatest Slytherin-Gryffindor deception of all time," he corrected. He just prayed it would work.
Regulus strolled in then and took one look at them and asked, "All right, who died?"
"We did, Reg," Lily answered, mopping her face with another tissue.
Regulus looked totally confused. "Uh . . .I missed something. Back up and fill me in. No, wait. How are you, Sev?"
"I feel like hell, but I'll live," Severus answered honestly.
"Glad to hear it. Now, explain, Lily."
She did. Reg perched upon the chair Dickon had vacated, listening intently. When she had finished he was quiet for several long moments. "That sucks royally."
Severus made a face. "Tell me something I don't know, genius."
Reg rolled his eyes. "Don't get so snarky with me , Sev. It's not my fault this happened. But I do want to get those bastards good." His hazel eyes glittered with anger. "You know who they were?"
"Yes. And so do you."
Reg frowned. "I do?"
"Remember that evening we were gathering ingredients? And those arrogant toerags came up to me and told me to stop seeing Lily?" Severus prompted.
"You mean those seventh-year supporters of You-Know-Who? Cord, Sickle and . . .whatever-the-hell the other one's name was?"
"Winthrop." Severus supplied. "They were out walking near the greenhouse and just happened to catch me and Lily together kissing. That was why they decided to attack me. To teach me a lesson about fraternizing with M-Mudbloods." His lip curled, though he stuttered a little over that hated word.
"Bastards!" Reg swore heatedly, then flushed. "Sorry, Lily. I shouldn't use language like that in front of a lady."
"Don't worry, Reg. My virgin ears have heard it before," she gave him a lopsided smile. "I won't melt."
"I know, but Mother would make me eat soap for five minutes if she ever knew. It's not polite," the youngest Black scion said. "Anyway, I have a score to settle with those . . .sick puppies."
"Reg, don't you dare go looking for them on your own," Severus began.
"I'm not stupid, Severus. Give me credit for brains." Reg objected. "I'll take along backup."
"Who?" asked his roommate suspiciously.
"Dunno yet," Regulus answered, though as a matter of fact, an idea was forming in his head. There were only a few people he trusted to back him on this mission and they had to be approached carefully.
"Better yet, leave them alone."
"No way! After what they did to you? Hell, no! They deserve a good arse-kicking and I'm going to give them one, the bloody bounders. I'll teach them to hurt my best friend."
"You sure you're not really a Gryffindor?" asked Severus.
"Positive. A Gryffindor would just go after them without planning a damn thing."
"Dammit, Reg . . ." Severus sighed. He knew it was useless to try and argue with his friend, Regulus had the Black stubbornness in spades and so he saved his breath. "Be careful, won't you? I don't want to speak a eulogy at your funeral."
Reg gave him a quick grin. "Quit worrying, big brother. I'll be fine."
"You'd better be. Or else I'll kick your arse." Severus warned.
Regulus held up his hands. "All right, all right. Trust me, why don't you?"
"How's my kitten?" Severus asked then, changing the subject.
"Doing great." Regulus reached into a pocket and withdrew a sleepy Sorrel. "Here, kit. Go to your papa. He needs a snuggle."
"Reg, don't make me sick," Severus said gruffly, but he took Sorrel gently and held her against him.
The orange kitten began to purr loudly, settling into the crook of his arm, content to be near her master. When she was older, she would display some of the same magic as Eclipse, but right then she was just like an ordinary cat, save for her understanding of human speech.
Severus began to pet her, finding her purr unbelievably comforting. Sorrel yawned and curled up, falling asleep still purring against Sev's chest.
Madame Pomfrey sent Arnica around soon after, and Lily and Regulus politely excused themselves so Arnica could help Severus tend to his bruises. Lily was still upset over her decision, but it was too late for regrets and she had to go class. So she bid Regulus goodbye and went off to class.
Meanwhile, Regulus examined a schedule he had purloined off of his brother, and discovered the Marauders were not in class that afternoon. And he knew where they might be found . . .down by the Quidditch pitch, watching practices and scouting out the other teams for weaknesses.
Sure enough, there were James and Sirius, both standing up and watching avidly as the Ravenclaw team swooped and dove. Remus was sprawled beneath a tree, reading over what looked like an Herbology text. Peter was standing behind James, looking at his friend as if he were a Greek god or something.
Regulus' lip curled. Pettigrew's fawning airs had always irritated him, he didn't know how anyone could stand such adulation. Skulking bootlicker, the Slytherin Seeker thought scornfully. I'd die a thousand deaths before I acted that way. No Black worthy of the name would behave that way. How does Sirius stand him?
Squaring his shoulders he walked through the trees and came up next to Lupin, who looked up from his book when Regulus's shadow fell across the page he was reading.
The werewolf's brow furrowed. "Regulus? What are you doing here?"
"I've come with a proposition for you, Lupin." Regulus drawled casually. "How would you Marauders like to trounce some Death Eater scum?"
"What happened, Blackie?" snickered Wormtail. "Get sick of your snaky friends?"
"Hardly." Regulus snarled, stung. "I'm guessing you all heard about what happened to my roommate?" He knew they had, something like that was impossible to keep hidden, especially at Hogwarts.
Remus nodded sadly. "Yes. It wasn't right."
Wormtail said nothing, merely licked his lips nervously.
James and Sirius turned away from the game and caught sight of Regulus standing there. James gave the young Slytherin a friendly nod and asked, "What brings you into Marauder territory, Regulus?"
Before Reg could answer, Wormtail did. "He wants us to go after those kids that beat up poor little Snivellus!"
"Don't call him that, Pettigrew!" Regulus growled, his hand seizing his wand. "Don't you dare!"
"Calm down, little brother," Sirius said softly, looking at his brother with something resembling wistfulness. "If you hex him, we won't help you."
Regulus lowered his wand. "Like I really want your help, Sirius."
"Then why are you here, Reg?"
"After what you did, Siri, I ought to kick your arse from here to the moon."
"You mean try. I was always faster than you in those fake duels."
"That was then and this is now." Reg's jaw clenched. "I'm not sure I can trust you, Siri. Not after what you did, walking out on all of us."
"I left because of her! She told me to get out!"
"No, she didn't! Or . . .if she did, she didn't mean it!" Regulus cried. "You made her cry, damn you!"
Sirius cast him a look of utter disbelief. "Aw, c'mon Reg! Tell me another one. Our mother wouldn't shed a tear over anything, especially me."
"You're wrong. You made her cry!" Then he swung his fist right at his brother.
It connected and Sirius staggered backwards, sitting down hard.
Regulus started forward, his blood boiling, but James caught his shoulder. "Regulus, enough! Whatever's between you won't be solved by you beating the blazes out of each other."
Regulus halted, recognizing sense when he heard it.
Sirius climbed to his feet, rubbing his jaw ruefully. "Damn, where did you learn to throw a punch like that?"
"Severus. We've been practicing."
"Humph! Looks like he won't be doing that anytime soon. I heard his hand was real messed up."
"It'll heal," Regulus said softly. "But right now I'm going to get the ones responsible for doing that to him. And then I'll make them wish their mother never cheated on their father and produced them."
"Why would you do that? Aren't they Slytherins? Like you?" sniveled Wormtail.
"They're Slytherins, but not like me!" said the other hotly.
"Yet you want to follow in their footsteps and become a dark wizard," Sirius said darkly. "Why should we care what happens to Snape? He was the one who led you down the dark path."
"Sirius, I've told you before, things are more than they seem. I'm not a dark wizard. Severus didn't deserve what happened to him. No one does." To his relief he saw James also nodding along with Remus. "Those bastards deserve everything I can give them, but I need help. And I thought maybe you'd welcome the chance to prank some real losers and do something good for once. Guess I was wrong."
He played his trump card and turned to walk away.
"Where are you going, Reg?" Sirius called out after him.
"To find Cord, Sickles, and Winthrop."
"Alone?"
"Yes, since you won't come with me."
He began to walk away.
Sirius caught up with him in two strides. "Hold it, Reg."
"What?"
"You can't go after them alone, it's suicide."
"So? What do you care?"
"I care because you're my brother."
"Really? Then why'd you leave us?"
Sirius sighed. "Look, kid, it's not so easy for me to explain . . .but one thing I do know is that you're going nowhere without me."
"You're not Dad, Siri, so quit trying to act like him."
"Good thing, because we both know he'd nail your arse for this crazy stunt."
"You want to help Severus?"
"No, I want to help you, idiot. Mum and Dad would never forgive me if you got killed at school."
"Besides, it's been a long time since we had a good prank fest," James said. "Or targets more worthy to feel the Marauders wrath. Right?" He looked at all his friends and everyone was nodding except Peter. "Wormtail?"
"I . . I'm not going. I don't like confrontations, you know that." He cringed.
James sighed and Sirius said, "Right, but . . .ah never mind. If you were there you might get in the way. Just stay here, if you want."
Pettigrew just nodded, looking pleased.
Coward! thought Regulus. You're not man enough to stand up in a real fight. What good are you?
"When do we start and where?" asked James.
"Now and I don't have their schedules yet, but I will after lunch."
"How are you getting copies of their schedules?" asked James.
"You'd be surprised what you find lying around the Headmaster's office when you're writing correspondences for him."
Sirius laughed. "Merlin, but you're sneaky, Reg!"
"I'm a Slytherin," was all the other replied, but inwardly he was happy. He knew that with the Marauders on his side, he would have a better than even chance of defeating the three attackers. And that was what mattered. "Oh, and one more thing. Potter, Severus needs to talk to you first, so head on over to the infirmary."
"What about?"
"I don't know, but it's urgent." He checked his watch. The elf was probably done with Severus now.
"Maybe it's about Tuney," James mused. "She didn't send me a letter yet this week, hope she's not sick."
"I'll meet you back here after lunch. Don't be late," Regulus said. "Got to run, Dumbledore's expecting me," and with that, he jogged away. He felt terrible for his two friends and found himself wondering if he too would have to tread their path and give up Cindy. But then again, she was a halfblood, so maybe that was all right with them. He would keep his fingers crossed and in the meantime he'd keep busy righting a terrible wrong.
Got this one up really fast, my muse was very inspiring.
Oh and the cloak Eileen gave Severus is the same as the one he uses as an adult in the movies.
Next: Eileen tears strips off of a certain Headmaster and the Marauders go a'hunting!
I noted a mistake in the last line, I wrote that Cindy was a pureblood when I meant half-blood as it was always my intention to have Reg marry an unconventional witch that maybe his mother might not approve of. Sorry for any confusion!