Sorry for the late update! Been battling colds and ear infections! I should have my regular Thursday update this week two to make up for missing last week. As a reminder, I don't own Harry Potter, just my OCs and of course, this chapter takes place during fourth year!
Ruby just had a feeling when she woke up that it would be a bad day. Not only did she oversleep but it seemed as if all the Gryffindor girls were still in bed which was a bad sign all of its own. She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, and sat up in bed, her red hair sticking up in every direction. Ruby couldn't believe that Lily Evans of all people was still sleeping, besides Willow she woke up the earliest. Willow hardly counted though because she was up odd hours of the night and day all the time. Ruby saw that Willow was sitting up in bed, her disheveled blonde hair hanging in her face. Usually by this time, Willow was already up, in the showers singing strange songs loud enough that girls in other dorms could hear them.
This was definitely a bad omen.
"Everything okay Willow?" Ruby swung her legs over the bed, pushing her sweaty hair away from her face. Her voice was still low, husky from sleep. God, she really wished she could sleep in. She'd kill for the weekend. She just had to get through today though, and she could sleep well into the afternoon tomorrow.
"Yeah, just kneazles trying to scratch my eyes out in my dreams." Willow's voice was always low, with a dreamy sort of quality. She was always a bit strange, but Ruby liked her anyways. She was very kind, but generally pretty quiet, especially in comparison to her fellow dorm mates.
"That's bollocks." Ruby mumbled, padding over to Lily's bedside. She knew her friend would be livid that she had slept so late, it made her smile a little bit. "Are you gonna get dressed?" She was still thrown off by the lack of Willow, up and flouncing around the room humming tunes under her breath. In the three years that they lived together, there wasn't one a morning where they didn't wake up to that.
"No, I think I'm going to have a bit of a lie in." It took Willow a moment to answer, but she offered Ruby a serene sort of smile before sliding back under her covers.
"Right," She turned back to Lily and yanked the pillow out from underneath her head. "Get up! Breakfast will be over soon!" Ruby took a shot at her face before throwing Lily's pillow onto Mary's bed. "You too Macdonald. You're both slacking!"
As expected, Lily shrieked and flew out of bed. Ruby couldn't recall a time she'd seen anyone get dressed so quickly. She was still working a brush through her knots when Lily came rushing out of the bathroom, her own (natural, not Sirius Black induced) red hair was in a pony tail and she had a slight look of panic in her eyes. "Come on! We need to eat, I can't believe I slept so late. I really wanted to review our Transfiguration notes this morning."
"Oh calm down Lily, everyone knows you're the best at transfiguration anyways. Do you even really need to study?" Mary snorted from the bathroom, not doubt applying a generous amount of mascara to her lashes.
"Well I got good because I studied." Lily retorted with a snap before grabbing Ruby by the forearm and dragging her down the stairs.
"I didn't even brush my hair Lils, god!" Roo shouted at her, trying in vain to brush her hair while running at the same time.
"You never brush your hair Roo, shove off!"
"Has anyone ever told you how much of a dictator you can be?"
"What are you two harpies squawking about now?" Sirius' voice sounded groggy, like he had just woken up himself. Judging by the rumbled shirt, untied tie, and messy hair that rivaled James on a good day, Ruby would have to guess that he did.
"We aren't squawking Black, you sexist git. We're just running late!" Lily snapped at him, frantically puling away the cushions on one of the chairs trying to locate her favorite quill.
"Late? I'd say you're perfectly on time." Ruby rolled her eyes at him, after three years she thought maybe he'd caught on to just Lily be when she got like this, but apparently not.
"Nice hair Sirius, I didn't know you looked up to James so much." Ruby interjected before Lily could snap some more.
"I could say the same thing about you. At least I don't have a little drool mark on my chin." His grin was cocky as he strode out of the room, and through the portrait.
"Arsehole." She shook her head, before picking up a quill on a nearby end table. "This it, Lily?" Merlin, what would they do without her?
The rest of the day seemed to pass in a similar manner, a lot of snapping and running behind. By the time potions, their last class of the day rolled around, Ruby was weary. Her head felt heavy and as much as she loved her friends, she was about sick of all of them. Maybe she could skip potions, and kip up to the dorms. Potions were bad enough on a regular day, let alone where she was tired and irritated. It was easily Ruby's worst subject, she did not have the patience for potion brewing, ingredient gathering and cauldron stirring. Lily tried to help where she could, but it hardly mattered when she was so poor at the subject.
When she voiced her plans to skip to Peter, who was even worse than her, thought it was a great idea. However, Lily Evans did not, and all about dragged her friend down to the dungeons. It was easy for Lily, she was a genius at potions, and Slughorn just barely resisted kissing the ground she walked on. However, he did not particularly care for Ruby, who was abysmal at potions and routinely snarked at him. She didn't think it was fair that a teacher was playing favorites so obviously. Alongside James and Sirius, Ruby was one of the best in Transfiguration, didn't mean McGonagall was running around inviting them to parties.
It was one of the few classes they had with Slytherins so as soon as Lily saw her friend was safely confined in the dungeons, she took her usual seat next to Severus Snape. Much like her friend's love for potions, Roo could not grasp her friendship with Snape. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt at first knowing how close he and Lily were. Except she was the only one who tried, Severus was rude and a bit of a bully. After a while, Ruby gave up the pretentious idea that she and Snape could ever be friends, although she never could really approve of the harsh pranks that James and Sirius dished out, she couldn't help but laugh at the more mild ones. Perhaps if Severus had even made an attempt, she'd be a little less disgusted with him. Everyone knew that he was into Dark Magic, and hung around bigger bullies than the likes of Potter and Black.
Ruby threw her bag down next to Amery, sliding into her spot with a not so happy look on her face. "You know, potions might be easier for you if you actually tried."
"Stuff it Amery."
"I'm just saying, it's not that bad."
"Well your transfiguration grades are, and I don't say anything to you about it." Ruby snapped, wrestling her potions book out of her backpack.
"Touchy, touchy. Lighten up Roo. Who pissed in your pumpkin juice this morning?"
Ruby tried very hard to continue to look mad but she couldn't help but smile a little. Amery grinned at her, ruffling her bright red hair. While Ruby was still short, skinny, and all elbows, Amery was starting to look a little more grown up than his sister. He was finally growing into his broad shoulders, and shot up a few inches. Amery certainly wasn't tall by any means, only barely taller than Peter, but since Roo was so tiny it made a big difference to him.
"It was probably Peter, but only because you put him up to it." Before Amery could take the chance to retort, Slughorn came bounding through the door, shushing his students.
"Today we'll be working on some antidotes for your common poisons." Slughorn said loudly, stopping short in front Lily and Snape's table, of course. "Now before you go and partner yourselves off, we're going to be changing things up a bit!" He said this with a jolly grin, like whatever he had planned was a great idea.
Roo didn't know what it was, but already knew in the pit of her stomach that it would not be. "Some of you need, uh, well a little more help than what your usual partner has to provide. So I'll be assigning you partners based on skill level." Slughorn eyed Ruby and Peter closely. At least she could have the solace of knowing that she was not as bad as Peter.
"That being said, Lily, be a dear and take a seat next to Mr. Pettigrew. And Severus, please switch seats with Mr. Zeller." Slughorn went about pairing people but Ruby just wanted to crawl under her table and die. She knew she should have skipped potions today. Why couldn't she stay with Amery? He did fairly well, enough to be partnered up with Remus who despite being extremely smart, was not a potion brewer at heart.
At least she wasn't the only one who looked disgusted at their new seat mates. Try to disguise it as she might, Lily looked less than pleased that she had to help Peter struggle through something that would ordinarily be a cake walk for her. Avery was seated next to Sirius who looked like he wanted to throttle him on sight. The only ones who made out okay were Amery and Remus, and James and Willow. Bastards.
Snape sulked over to Ruby's table, pulling the seat as far away as he could and slumping low into the chair. He fixed her with a look that said he personally blamed her for this turn of events, as if she asked Slughorn to be paired up with the slimeball. Roo heaved a loud sigh before turning to face Severus, a very tight and forced smile on her face.
"Let's just get through this, okay?"
Severus said nothing but snorted in her general direction and bent over to pull his potions book out. "Just stay out of my way."
"Excuse me?" Roo snapped before she could stop herself. "You know, you really need to accept that you aren't Lily's only friend and being a massive git to her other friends is uncool and only alienates you from her." She spat in a low voice after Slughorn moved past their table. "Get over yourself Snape, Lily's life doesn't revolve around you. And it'd hurt her feelings knowing her little snake pal was being a bit of a piss ant to one of her other friends."
With that, Severus turned his head sharply away from Ruby and she knew he was watching Lily frantically trying to keep Peter from adding an ingredient too early. He said nothing but began to set up his cauldron. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She threw herself back down in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. She'd let Snape do all the work, he liked potions anyways, take her grade and be done with it.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence, the only time Ruby moved was when Slughorn made his rounds and she pretended to be helping. "For someone so concerned about Lily's feelings, you are certainly a hypocrite." Severus spoke up after a few minutes of silence.
"I wouldn't let her hear you lumping James and Sirius in as her friends." Ruby retorted with a snort. "If that's your issue, you should take it up with them. Not me. I'm not privy to the inter workings of their minds. And even if I was, I'd say you deserved some of it." She answered with a shrug. "Hanging out people like Mulciber who thinks dabbling in the Dark Arts is something to be proud of. Don't think we've forgotten what happened to Mary." Ruby sneered, a hard glint in her eye and an edge to her voice. "You're not innocent."
If there was a surefire way to get on Ruby Zeller's bad side, it was to mess with her friends. So when Damian Mulciber attacked Mary at the beginning of the year, attempting to use the Imperius curse on her, Ruby lost all ideas of house unity. Especially after he got away with it because Mary couldn't remember the details of what happened. She did remember that Snape was there, and that he just stood in the background, watching. It had caused a rift between the girls for a while, Lily not wanting (and still didn't) to believe her oldest friend played a part in it.
Ruby made sure to hex Mulciber relentlessly anytime she saw him afterwards. "Lily might think you're a decent person, but you're not. You're a cowardly fool who hides behind his bigger friends. Spouting off about how much you hate Muggles when your best friend is a Muggle born." Ruby slammed her book shut and glared at Snape who glared back.
"I am not a coward." He hissed, the potion sat forgotten as they eyed each other.
"Yes you are, and I hope Lily realizes it sooner than later before you can hurt her too." Roo grabbed her bag off the ground and hitched it over her shoulder and stalked to the back of the room ignoring Slughorn calling her name.
"Roo, what's wrong?" Sirius called from his empty table near the door. It looked like he chased off his partner as well, judging by the angry looks Avery was throwing his way. "Oh don't mind Lysander, his eyebrows just got a little singed is all." He answered with a bright smile. It faltered a bit, noticing the murderous look on Ruby's face.
"Severus Snape is the slimiest, greasiest, most foul person in the whole world." She dropped down next to Sirius, hoping that Slughorn would just let her be. The mention of Snape sent Sirius's cheerful face into a dark frown.
"What'd he say to you Roo? I swear, I'll strangle him." Sirius barked, abruptly rising from his chair as if he was going to strangle Snape in front of a room full of witnesses. Ruby grabbed his arm and yanked him back down. What good were friends if they didn't stop you from going to Azkaban? If he was gonna murder Snape, best to do it when no one else was around.
"He was just being himself. Talking about how I'm a hypocrite because no one considers his slimy feelings. Never mind he was t here when everything with Mary went down and he acts like it wasn't wrong."
Mary hadn't come to class for nearly two weeks after the incident. It had been Willow to find her in the loos that day, crying hysterically in one of the stalls, hours after Mulciber went after her. Everyone else had just thought Moaning Myrtle took up a new stall.
Luckily Ruby and Lily weren't too far behind Willow and helped escort her down to the Hospital Wing. Her blouse had been torn, bruises imprinted into her arms and legs. They all had an idea of what happened or what Mulciber had wanted to happen, but Mary never said and they never pried. When Mary finally came back to classes, the girls formed a protective circle around, effectively shutting out anyone who tried to question her. James and the rest of the boys jumped in when the Slytherins started to taunt her at the beginning of her first potions class. It resulted in detentions for most of the fourth years that day, but they weren't going let them hurt their friend anymore.
It culminated into a near all out brawl a few days later on the grounds when Mulciber tries to compliment Mary on her shirt. After Lily unleashed a painful stinging hex to the back of his pants, Ruby opened up the ground underneath him and sent him falling into a six foot ditch.
"What did he say about Mary?" Sirius asked through a clenched jaw. Although Mary and Sirius weren't as close as say Ruby and Sirius, the Gryffindors were their own make shift family, especially to someone like Sirius who didn't get along with his real family.
"Nothing, but he didn't deny anything either. Just drop it Sirius. No use going after him in class." Sirius grunted, and aimed another dark glare at the back of Snape's head before turning back to his friend. "Come on, we're ditching."
He grabbed Roo by the forearm, and waited until Slughorn started gushing about Lily's potion before sneaking out the moment she stepped out of the oppressive dungeons, Ruby felt lighter. Less like she wanted to hang Snape up by his toes al-a Argus Filch, the newest care taker at Hogwarts.
"Kitchens?" Sirius questioned, pulling Ruby's arm through his.
"I could eat like twelve éclairs right now." She answered with a grin. Dashing down the halls, and flittering around corners, the pair made it to the Kitchen portrait, still arm in arm.
"Thanks Sirius." Ruby rocketed up onto her tip toes and placed a light kiss to his cheek. "I would have committed homicide if I stayed in there any longer."
"No problem Roo," Sirius answered with a light blush and an easy smile, although he had no idea what a 'homicide' was. He reached forward to tickle the pear and pushed Ruby through the portrait hole rather ungracefully, trying not to laugh too hard when she face planted.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I have a definite love/hate relationship with Snape, and I have a really hard time not going into all my headcanons for him! Special thanks to Squidmar for for being my first reviewer. I can't tell you all how much it means to me! It keeps me motivated to keep on posting. Another shout out to DeathofShadows for taking the time to send me a very nice message. All the feedback is much loved, and so appreciated! Please review if you get the chance :)