CHAPTER 28: DERAILED
(Sirius, James, Peter POV)
"So Snivellus was the one who sent those two Death Eaters to St. Mungos?" asked Sirius quietly.
The small young man with slightly oversized front teeth, like a rat's, nodded shakily in confirmation.
"I still find it hard to believe," said James.
Ever since their friend Moony was forced out of…left the compartment, dragged by…with Lily Evans, James and Sirius had begun their inquiry on their other best friend Peter Pettigrew. Still…
"Remus already t-told you everything," said the rat animagus, exasperated. "I d-don't know anything else. Moony's b-better at explaining things than I am. You know that!"
Peter Pettigrew was not pleased. His friends Padfoot and Prongs had been asking questions which both he and Moony had already answered., and it was kind of getting really irritating.
"Then how do you…" Sirius began, but stopped when Wormtail poked him in the stomach with his finger.
"There's no point in me telling you if you won't believe me anyway," said Peter, his voice slightly snappish.
Sirius and James fell silent for a while. While their friend Peter usually has difficulty uttering words without stuttering whenever he is nervous or scared about the topic, he is able to do so whenever he is starting to get angry or irritated. Then...
"HEY! I THINK I'VE GOT IT!" roared Sirius suddenly, as his friends jumped, surprised by the sudden outburst (pensive memory)
Before they could form a reply, however, the dog animagus got up and locked the doors on either end of the train compartment.
"Colloportus," muttered Padfoot. "Can't have anyone barging in on us now."
Then he proceeded to destroy…rummage in his trunk, apparently searching for something.
The other two people in the room were looking at him questioningly. Well, not his insanity, the answer that was already obvious to James and Peter.
"GOT IT!" Sirius exclaimed happily, as he held a small transparent flask in his hand, with something silvery contained inside it.
"What is it Paddy?" the messy-haired boy inquired, undoubtedly confused.
"You'll see," replied the dog animagus, and he opened the flask. "Hey, Wormy, do you remember that last lesson we had about Pensieves?"
"Yes," replied the rat animagus, who was looking as puzzled as James. "Why?"
"Do you two remember what it's used for? How to extract your memories and watch it like some cheap Muggle…what did Evans call them again…ah, yes…a movie and all that?"
Padfoot's two friends nodded, before looking at him inquiringly.
"Well, my friends," said Sirius, as he shook the flask in his hand. "This…is…a Pensieve...well… sort of."
It took James and Peter a few seconds to get what their friend was trying to say. And then…
"THAT'S BRILLIANT PADDY!" cried out James, as the idea was finally registered and processed in his brain. "But then… you should have told us you had something like that earlier. The fun we could have had watching our Marauder exploits… especially our adventures with old Snivelly."
"Sorry about that Prongs," replied Padfoot, feeling guilty, as Peter, who got the message, pointed his wand at his temple, and silently began extracting the memory from his mind. "Lucky it didn't break after all the tossing around it's been in all this time…I wasn't even sure if it was in my trunk…and it's probably been in there since I left my house… never realized it was among the stuff I nicked before I voluntarily kicked myself out of there." A grim look appeared on the dog animagus' face, remembering unpleasant memories.
"Whoa… easy there… I understand pal," said James, as he tried to calm his friend down. "At least now we get to have some fun reliving the moments."
"First things first though," growled Padfoot, his scowl disappearing as a toothy grin appeared on his face to take its place, undoubtedly agreeing with James' comment . "Hey, Wormy, hand it over." Sirius now turned to his rat animagus friend, who was now holding the memory in the form of a silver strand.
Sirius now opened the flask, and put the memory into it. The flask suddenly glowed, and a moving picture projection (much like in theatres) began playing.
"Now on with the show," grinned Sirius, bowing and posing in a very similar fashion to a circus master, as he and his two companions watched the memory…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Hmmm," said the black-haired girl. "But you know, you're going to have to join the first years during the Sorting Ceremony…wonder what House you'll be in though."
"It's not really that important if you ask me," replied the white-haired girl. "Though if I were to choose, I'd definitely go to whichever House Sev is in." At this Ilya suddenly wrapped arms around one of the raven-haired boy's own.
At this the black-haired girl suddenly turned her attention from Ilya and focused her eyes on Severus, a scrutinizing and calculating look.
"Finally realized that you're sitting in the same room as a Slytherin, Chaucer?" sneered the raven-haired young man, with an obvious note of bitterness in his voice.
Severus Snape was not pleased. Ever since the Gryffindor joined them in their compartment, she and Ilya had been chatting nonstop, and it was starting to really get on his nerves.
Well, for the raven-haired young man, to say that there weren't any advantages that came with that fact would be lying between his teeth. For starters, some of the questions that Severus had wanted to ask his girlfriend has already been answered, thanks to the black-haired member of the House of Lions.
Severus found out that Ilya had actually taken an entry examination to Hogwarts, via owl mail (And fifth year is the peak starting year for a transferee who had not yet taken any O.W.L.s.) Well, as far as the raven-haired boy knew, there was no such thing. But then… he remembered that when he was in his second year, there was one male student who went by the name Richard Hatton, who did not look like he was ten or eleven years old (he actually looked like he was already over fifteen, already sporting a growing moustache, to the laughter of many of the students), who got Sorted into Ravenclaw. Severus did not know anything more, but perhaps his case was similar to Ilya's. Still…
"Sev, you're being rude, you know," said the white-haired girl in an irritated voice to her boyfriend, as she nudged him in the ribs, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Apologize to Alice."
"No, it's okay Ilya," said the black-haired girl. "Slytherins always treat Gryffindors that way."
"Well, doesn't that also work the other way around?" retorted the raven-haired boy. "You Lions also try and lord around us just because like you, the rest of the Houses also think that we Slytherins are evil?"
"Sev!" shot Ilya warningly.
Silence reigned in the compartment for a while, as Severus tried to calm himself, trying to push all the bitterness that he felt into one corner of his mind, so that it will not affect his reactions. But having spent almost five years at war with the Marauders, and with Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs cheering them on, especially when Severus was being humiliated, the raven-haired young man found it difficult…
"Well, to be honest, I don't really think Slytherins are that bad," said the black-haired girl with a shrug. "Well, a few of you are, but it's the same wherever they put you, whether you are in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, even in Gryffindor, as you know two such people very well."
Another moment of silence passed, as Severus tried to process what he had just heard.
"I don't believe you, Chaucer," replied the raven-haired boy coldly.
That's right, thought the raven-haired boy to himself. It can't be…
"Well, you should, and call me Alice," said the black-haired girl, sounding irritated, and Severus guessed that she probably hated being called by her surname, must be because it makes her sound like she was a guy.
"It's not possible for a Gryffindor not to hate a Slytherin," said Severus after a while.
"Really, Severus Snape?" said the black-haired girl, in a mockingly inquiring voice. "You've been friends with Lily Evans for a long time, and in case you've forgotten, she's a Gryffindor and you're a Slytherin."
"Not anymore we're not," replied the raven-haired young man in sad tone. "You know what happened... you were there... you saw… you heard everything." Severus felt sadness override his temper, as their conversation just took a turn towards his pain.
Silence once again reigned in the room, as the Gryffindor and the Slytherin were deep in thought for a while…
"You know," began another female voice. "I think I now understand a bit more of this…House division thing you are talking about."
Severus and the black-haired girl turned towards the one who said the statement.
"It's actually kind of simple, really," said Ilya in a cheery voice, but Severus could tell that it was false. "You do know the old saying that birds of the same feather flock together?"
The white-haired girl took a deep breath then continued.
"In the book Hogwarts: A History, it was stated that the school was built up by its Four Founders, namely Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin. However, due to some reasons, Salazar left the school, while the other three remained."
Severus stayed silent, realizing that his girlfriend was currently in her 'Professor Emiya' persona.
She took another intake of air before continuing.
"According to the book, an argument sparked between Gryffindor and Slytherin on the issue of teaching Muggleborn wizards. Gryffindor wanted Hogwarts to be open to everyone who can do magic, while Slytherin wanted only those of wizard decent to enter, apparently not trusting those who have Muggle relations. In the end, Salazar had to leave, as the other two sided with Gryffindor, am I right so far?" the white-haired girl inquired, addressing the question to her companions.
The raven-haired boy and the black-haired girl nodded silently.
"And now, therein lies the problem," said the white-haired girl. "The historians who wrote that book itself, I must admit, while indirectly voicing out their own beliefs in the book, managed to remain honest and true to their profession. In case anyone hasn't noticed, while they were direct to the point with saying that Slytherin did leave Hogwarts, they used the words 'rumored' and 'speculated' whenever they mentioned the issue of him applying pureblood favoritism, and stating it as the reason as to why he left Hogwarts."
"Now that you mention it," said Alice Chaucer suddenly, and Severus noticed that she was actually looking at her copy of Hogwarts: A History. "You're right."
"And like I said, therein lies the problem," said Ilya. "No one really knows the reason why Salazar Slytherin left the school. While the historians confirmed that he did leave, the reasons stated there were taken from nothing but pure speculation. And Sev, you are a halfblood, yet you are in Slytherin. If Salazar Slytherin really thought that lowly of those with blood that is not purely of magical origin, no halfblood should have been accepted into his House. And if I'm not mistaken, there are probably even Muggleborns in the House of the Snake."
"But if it was nothing but pure speculation," began Severus, who was a bit puzzled. "Then why was it accepted as if it was a fact by the Wizarding World?"
"Oh, you already know the reason to that, Sev," said Ilya, smiling. "The pureblood thing, is probably recent. Even in Hogwarts: A History, which has been revised by adding more information every year, but the old written entries were hardly changed, you will notice that the pureblood issue is only minorly stated as one of the reasons why Slytherin left Hogwarts. In case you haven't noticed, the historian stated 'he wanted to' and not 'he might have wanted to' do more extensive research, stating it with certainty, unlike the rumors of him discriminating Muggleborns. The 'Salazar Slytherin hated Muggles and Muggleborns,' and the 'Slytherins are pureblood fanatics' probably started with a certain person, a certain someone who attributed the pureblood fanaticism to Salazar Slytherin's name."
"But who could have done such a thing?" asked the black-haired girl.
"Voldemort," replied Ilya simply.
"Vo-voldemort?" gasped the raven-haired young man.
At least Severus no longer flinched when he heard Ilya say it, as she had always used the name interchangeably with the "Dark Lord". Still, although the white-haired girl had been urging him to stop his pathetic nervous reflex, he still found it really difficult to say the name.
The Gryffindor female in the room suddenly gave a gasp, as she heard the name that came out of her companion's mouths, apparently surprised to hear the name, as well as the fact that it was stated conversationally, without a trace of fear (in the case of Ilya at least.).
"Mmmm?" mused Ilya inquiringly.
"You two… you just said You-Know-Who's name!" the black-haired girl exclaimed.
"Why? Isn't it only right to call someone by their proper name rather than call them something like the You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" replied the white-haired girl.
"But…" the Gryffindor female began, but Ilya cut her off.
"By the Root! Alice, you're a Gryffindor! Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave?" said Ilya loudly, sounding exasperated with her new friend's rant.
"But…"
"And besides," said the white-haired girl. "Fear of the name only adds to the fear of the thing itself, am I wrong?"
The room fell silent once again. Severus was still feeling uncomfortable with it, but he would rather say the Dark Lord's name than receive a glare from his girlfriend for not doing so. Still…
What in the name of Merlin is the Root, anyway? thought Severus to himself. Whenever the white-haired girl was stressed out, she would sometimes swear in that manner, but the raven-haired boy was brought out of his reverie as the Gryffindor female started talking , with surprised amusement in her voice…
"Fear of the name adds to the fear of the thing itself…" the black-haired girl repeated Ilya's words. "Those are the exact same words that Professor Dumbledore said!"
"Dumbledore?" asked the white-haired girl inquiringly.
"Albus Dumbledore!" exclaimed Alice. "He's the Headmaster at Hogwarts, don't tell me you don't know who he is?"
"Oh, so he's the Headmaster then," replied Ilya to her black-haired female friend. "Yeah… I remember… he was supposed to have beaten some Dark Wizard called Grindelwald…"
"That's right!" the black-haired girl said happily. "He's probably the greatest wizard in existence, and rumors have it that his power rivals You-Know-Who's!"
"Hmmm…" mused Ilya, then she started muttering to herself. "Well I never knew he was the headmaster since it was the deputy headmistress who's been sending me letters… I could have overlooked some things though… he seems like an interesting person…"
The raven-haired boy could not help but gasp, as he remembered that the Hogwarts Headmaster did not seem to fear the Dark Lord in the slightest, and was even discouraging the use of other names for the dark wizard. And now Ilya had uttered the exact same words that very few aside from the Hogwarts Headmaster would even have the nerve to say.
"Still, then that means I shouldn't be in Gryffindor..." said the black-haired girl slowly, sighing. "I'm not brave at all."
"Says the one who just attacked an opponent she believed was superior to her in skill without any hesitation," replied Ilya, with a smile on her face.
"Hmppf!" said the black-haired girl with a snort. "I think you'll definitely be Sorted into Gryffindor Ilya, but I'm pretty sure Severus should have also been Sorted to Gryffindor."
"And what exactly do you mean by that, Alice?" shot the raven-haired boy at the black-haired girl.
The black-haired girl shrugged with her shoulders.
"Well, the two of you were actually brave enough to face a battle where the two of you were outnumbered… or perhaps you were just plain crazy…yeah, and ironically, a Gryffindor like me was actually too scared to even move to be of any help… but then, you were even brave enough to call You-Know-Who by his name…oh, and you just called me Alice!" the black-haired girl added suddenly.
Severus quickly gathered his thoughts, trying to think of a good comeback, but whatever the response that he thought up in his brain was lost, as Ilya spoke…
"Gryffindor…Slytherin…Purebloods…Muggles…Muggleborns…those with magic… those without magic…still…if birds of the same feather really do flock together, then…when it comes right down it, aren't all of us just people trying to live our lives? Aren't all of us, basically, birds of the same feather? And if that is the case, shouldn't we all be getting along?"
The room fell silent once again, as each one of the occupants was thinking meaningfully, unable to think of anything else to say. Still, the air had somewhat lightened compared to how it was a few minutes before, and also…
At least, this is an improvement, thought Severus, as the silence continued on…
Severus was, by nature, not sociable. He hated it when there are people who are all talking at the same time (which is why he always eats his meals as fast as he could to get away from the bustling and talking during mealtimes) Even in the House of Snakes, he was not really inclined to join in conversations, and only did (loudly, but with the voice sounding forced as well), when the issue was about wanting to serve the Dark Lord. Yes, Severus Snape now realized that the reason why he wanted to join Lord Voldemort was simply because he wanted to be accepted. Still, while he was now used to having people constantly conversing about anything and everything around him…
He couldn't help but smirk to himself as he watched his girlfriend Ilya and their new friend (Severus couldn't help but realize that it was already like that) Alice, look out of the window, apparently enjoying the scenery while he himself did so…
Finally, some peace and quiet…
-BREAK-
(Sirius, James, Peter POV)
RHO AIUS!
…
GET BEHIND IT, ALL OF YOU!
…
BOMBARDA MAXIMA!
"Bloody Hell," said the three Marauders together, too appalled and awed to have it at its normally overkillingly loud volume (In the case of Padfoot and Prongs at least).
To hear about it was one thing, but to see the events unfold with their very own eyes was something else. Even Wormtail, who has seen the events first hand, was still amazed as the scene was replayed clearly in front of them.
"Merlin," whispered James, as the memory finally ended, looking shocked and badly shaken.
They watched Peter's recollection, beginning from the arrival of the Death Eaters at the Evans residence. The memory ended with Snape catching the white-haired girl after casting that spell of his, the bodies of the residence's attackers lying on the scorched ground.
"So, what happened after that Wormy?" asked Sirius.
"I t-thought Remus already told you," replied the rat animagus, exasperated. Then the rat, for the third (or was it the fourth time?) began explaining the part about how Greyback and some of his werewolves companions managed to get up getting hit by the blast without receiving too much damaged, and appeared to have the advantage, though fortunately the Aurors arrived just in time to force their retreat. "Would you like to see?"
"Nah, I believe you Wormy," growled the dog animagus, sighing, looking defeated as he finally completely (well, almost completely) accepted the facts. "I think what we've seen was enough. Still.. that wench is definitely one tough cookie." Padfoot shuddered at this, as the scene of the fight they just watched was being replayed inside his head…
"Bombarda maxima…" James was muttering, his tone truly serious, as it rarely was. "Hey, wasn't that the spell we read off Snivelly's fifth year Potions snotbook (The Marauders remembered how they placed all of the raven-haired git's books inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and replacing the bag's content with Dungbombs)? I never knew it could do something like that."
"Yeah, I remember, Prongs," growled Padfoot, who was also looking serious. "But we never got that particular spell to work, like we managed to do with the other spells we stole…er learned from the slimy Slytherin. I actually thought it was a dud… though it seems we were mistaken..."
Then there was loud banging on their door…
Sirius sighed, as he put away the silvery flask and unspellbind the compartment doors(while Peter returned the strand of memory into his mind), before returning to his seat and began watching the clouds outside. The three Marauders, who were normally noisy, were silent, as each one of them was delving inside their own thoughts…
After a while, the three started discussing the issue between themselves…
Wormtail was just thankful that they were alive, and in turn, he was thankful to their rescuers, the girl Emiya and (the other two gasped as they found it hard to believe for an instant, before accepting that the rat and the rest of those at the Evans residence really did owe him) Snape.
James, on the other hand, hardly spoke, as he was still confused. On one hand, he was sure that the whole thing was a show, nothing but a trick. But another side of his thoughts was roaring at him loudly to stop his nonsense and accept the facts. Still, he did not like the fact that the Death Eaters actually mistook the white-haired girl for Lily(although James was sensible enough to acknowledge it would have only been too easy to do so), and the mistaken identity was what led to the attack on the Evans, since the Emiya girl (and possibly, Sniv-Snape, though James hated to admit it), must have displeased You-Know-Who and/or his followers in some way, and were looking for retribution, however happened. [Though James , as well as his other three companions, were now suspecting that the two had something to do with the Diagon Alley incident on the same day, based on the brief exchange of words between Bella (which they were sure could be none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' cousin, the dog animagus growling at this point) and the white-haired girl, and whatever they did must have pissed off the Death Eaters (perhaps they might have even had a hand in the capture of the five Death Eaters who were presently in the custody of the Ministry.]
Sirius, on the other hand, had now fully accepted everything. Still, he was not sure he was pleased with Snape. As far as he could tell, while the white-haired girl was an extremely adept fighter, no denying it, she was undoubtedly at a disadvantage, seventeen against one, despite her location, which was on top of the roof. The dog animagus growled as he realized that the Emiya girl must have been serving as bait.
Still, he remembered the flower-like shield. From what Sirius could tell, that particular spell was undoubtedly cast by the white-haired girl. (The three Marauders shuddered when they started chatting about this particular aspect, as they recalled how none of the Death Eaters' spells could get past it, even Killing Curses, which were said to be unblockable.) For some reason though, the girl did not cast one for herself (or perhaps can only cast one at a time).
When they were too tired to think or talk of any more theories, they once again resumed watching the scenery.
In the end, however, no matter how much they did not want to believe, nor accept it, one strain of thought was clear in the three Marauders minds. Snive-Snape, and that girlfriend of his (though left unsaid, all three believed this as well), were definitely not in league with You-Know-Who. And whatever the reason was, the two did, without a doubt, just saved the lives of the people at the Evans residence that day.
Now the three (specially James and Sirius) were in a dilemma, as they were unsure with how to deal with this piece of information…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Oh, so you bought all of them?" inquired the black-haired girl.
"Yes," replied the white-haired girl. After all, there might be people who had the same body fit as myself, so I had to get them as quickly as I could."
"Couldn't you just use magic to adjust the clothes to the size you want?"
"Well I could, though unfortunately, we're not allowed to use magic when not in school, and the designs that suit my taste at Madam Janet's could only be found at the particular size"
"I see."
Severus Snape was taking his time trying to relax, but found that he once again could not. A part of him did not like sitting in the same room as a Gryffindor, and a chatty one at that. Yes, Alice Sera Chaucer was once again in cheerful conversation with his girlfriend. He couldn't help but feel that his private space was being invaded.
Then again, the raven-haired young man was, in a way, actually thankful for her company. She was, as Severus began to see, not such a bad person, nor does she fit the bill of a typical member of the House of Lions (as Severus remembered bitterly that Lily used to be the same). As he continued to silently observe, the raven-haired young man realized that he might have to rethink on his general view of the members of the Gryffindor House (with the exception of three out of four of the Marauders of course, who Severus now believed should have been in the same House as him, Slytherin).
While Severus was not exactly pleased that he could not spend the time with Ilya alone, he was more than just satisfied to see that the white-haired was enjoying the presence of their new companion. At first Severus just wanted Alice to go away, but now it was no longer the case, for Severus now considered her friend, in a way. And besides…
That was how I lost Lily, thought Severus Snape to himself.
Yes, that was probably one of the reasons why he lost his best friend Lily Evans. He was too possessive, and whenever they were talking together, he would let no one else approach or chat with them...
And speaking of Lily, the red-haired girl, along with Remus Lupin, did pass by their compartment a few minutes prior, but did not say or do anything, and, just like the rest of the passers-by, continued walking up to the front without even taking a glance at them, though the werewolf briefly stared at them with an unreadable expression on his face.
Ilya and Alice, on the other hand, were continuously chatting, apparently focused with what they were talking about.
Yes, this was how it seemed on the surface, but the raven-haired young man was not fooled.
In the short time that it took his former best friend and the werewolf to pass through their compartment, Severus could actually feel the chill. It was rather unfortunate that he missed yet another opportunity to talk with Lily, but the raven-haired young man thought it would be better to get the timing right, as he wanted to at least apologize to her, and the mood at the moment was not it.
And this was something that was troubling to the raven-haired young man. His girlfriend and his former best friend appeared to know each other, and not in a friendly way. He would have to ask Ilya about this once they were alone. For the time being though…
How in Merlin's name am I supposed to take a nap here? thought the raven-haired boy bitterly, as the two females in the compartment continued chatting, denying Severus any chance to fall asleep…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Sev," said a familiar female voice…
"Ilya?" Severus replied, still in a daze.
The raven-haired young man awoke with a start. Miraculously, for some reason, he managed to doze off despite all the chit-chatting he had to endure.
"Are we there already?" asked the raven-haired boy asked absentmindedly, as he noticed that the train was no longer moving.
"No, we are not," replied a different female voice.
"Alice?" inquired the white-haired girl.
Severus rubbed his eyes and slapped himself on the cheek to fully awaken himself, then looked out of the window. The clouds were orange-red as the sun was beginning to set, and there were mountains and forests around them. Still…
Now, that's strange, thought Severus to himself, as he looked at his watch and saw that it was only half past five. They were still about an hour away from Hogsmeade.
"I think I better check up front to see what's going on," said the Gryffindor female, as she opened the compartment door, but when she did so…
Their ears were met with the screams of students.
Severus, who was now beginning to feel nervous.
"By the Root," cursed Ilya, a frown on her face, irritation noticeable in her voice, as she looked out of the window. "Sev…Alice…I think you might want to take a look at this."
The raven-haired boy and the black-haired girl followed…
Merlin! thought the raven-haired boy.
For outside of the train, still some distance away, but clearly visible in the setting sun, marching toward them…were about fifty…no… at least a hundred… carrying clubs, pikes and maces, their stench noticeable even in the distance…
"Trolls," gasped Alice, fear in her voice.
And behind them…
Were around fifty hooded figures, each one wearing a mask over their face…
Death Eaters…
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Another chapter out then. As always, I hope you enjoy.
Later then people...