Chapter 7: Lily Flower
Warning: This story may contain traces of: OOC-ness, spoilers, tortures, magical spells, AU, swords, powerful spells, badly written but still very awesome duels, family, severitus, spouts of random insanity now and again, rambling author notes and minor character bashing. Engage at your discretion.
THE OTHER WARNING: This author is currently not very busy, bored out of her mind and suffers from severe cases of bad humor. Take the WARNING seriously, just not the author in general.
The second year of Severus Snape's Hogwarts education was relatively peaceful.
The pranks continued, but pretty much all of them were harmless and even the victim walked away laughing at their own embarrassing antics. Everyone knew now to leave the four of them alone as to not get another headful of James Potter's carefully transfigured needle traps.
Despite the four of them wrecking havoc everyday and Filch running around trying to catch them in the act, Hogwarts has entered an era of peace and prosperity never before since, as Sirius wisely stated in Severus' room before getting whacked in the head by Remus' Transfiguration notebook.
After the all over the place engagement party celebrating the proposal of Bellatrix Black and Rodulphos Lestrange, which got Severus squished between two cushions and the soon to be bride. He was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of Ravenclaws and even Hufflepuffs mingling in the Slytherin common room and set himself a new task to figure out what was going on.
What he found almost shocked him to death.
Slytherin were being accepted, even welcomed by the other three houses. Everyone else looked at Severus' group and thought, we can actually coexist, look at that! Lets try it too! Hence...
Slytherin were being accepted, even welcomed by the other three houses. Andromeda Black started to sit at the Hufflepuff table more and more with a well-built boy by the name of Ted Tonks. Bellatrix only shrieked in the common rooms once and shoved a wand to Tonks' throat and threatened him that "if my sister gets hurt by your watch, there won't be a thing for your muggle parents to bury in remembrance of your unfortunate demise."
After the extreme measures of promising to the protective older sister that he would take care of her little sister, Ted Tonks went all out to placate the only slightly insane Bellatrix soon-to-be-Lestrange. Even trying to brew those hair changing potions that Severus was so famous for. It was fun for a time to see the other three people in his group getting pranked for a change, though less fun when he was being chased around the school because of the potions.
He'll get back to Bellatrix, eventually. He hoped.
Avery and Mulciber did not avoid homework like plague anymore, as Severus soon discovered by hiding in an armchair buried by books, but they actually took time off playing exploding snap to study in the library from time to time, where the older Hufflepuffs gladly accepted them and allowed their very much hidden academic values to show through. Rabastan Lestrange was seen on more than once occasion escorting an attractive lady of the other house to class, and snogging them senseless in the process. Lucius Malfoy, as his mentor, did nothing to stop him.
Slytherin was no longer the isolated House of the lot anymore. Its high reputation tarnished by Tom Marvolo Riddle 30 years ago was slowly rebuilding itself, rising back to the noble house it once was. Tall and proud.
All because of four first years the managed to keep their precious friendship through the help of secret passages, their wits, and a silvertongue.
There's just one problem for Slytherin House, or perhaps to Severus specifically.
Gryffindor' flower.
Gryffindor was the only House that refused to see the changes in the snakes behavior. The Slytherins were all being more open, letting down their masks for once in their lives, helping other people when required, did not go sprouting blood purity at the top of their lungs anymore. Everyone confusingly welcomed the change in their behavior, all but the house of the lion.
Gryffindors point blank refused to believe that the slimy snakes were being more civil and open and grasped every opportunity to cast hexes and jinxes in any snake that crossed their path. Their beliefs firmly planted by their parents, and the muggleborns were all so excited to be in the wizarding world they'll believe everything the magical folk told them.
One such person was Lily Evans.
Severus moved to Prince Manor when he was nine, forever grateful for leaving Spinner's End and his father's harsh belt forever. The only thing he remotely regretted was leaving behind Lily, his only friend he had met at the local playground when he was sic. it only took six months for him to discover she's a witch.
He was overjoyed at that time, excited at confining and explaining to a magical being about wizardry and spells and books and Hogwarts without the fear of his father hanging over his head. he was delighted when Lily listened to every word he had said with sole attention.
He didn't know what that attention meant until much much later.
Severus crossed to Prince Manor when he was nine, coming back to Spinner's End only a few times a year to visit his father, as his mother had asked of him. Every time he got torn and bloodied, his clothes ripped and dirties, he would always find Lily outside the house when he came out of the hovel he once called home. She would immediately drag him off to the big willow tree by the lake and force him to tell her about Prince Manor, in detail.
At first Severus thought she did not want to embarrass him by fawning over his injuries, but his grandparent's Slytherin lessons caught up with him, along with all the books he had read in the vast library, he understood.
Lily did not care. Not about him, not to his measly expectations of what a friend should be. She did not care about Severus Snape. He's just a stepping stone to something higher.
He realized it too late.
Lily did not say 'hello' to him when they say each other in the corridors. Sometimes she would brush pass him,, other times she would stop and chat to Remus or James that were always with him but ignoring Severus completely. There were times when he knew she was telling James to stay away from Severus, using the word 'possessive' and 'dark' and 'useless' twice in one sentence.
Obviously she learned from the group of girls that surrounded her about Slytherins, evil and ambitious, cold and dark, practically witless. She let her guard down and wore her heart on both of her sleeves, so Severus knew.
Lily thought she could do no wrong, that she knows everything about him, that she was better than everyone else. Severus learned long ago to not put all of his eggs in one basket. Though he doesn't like eggs much, nor baskets for that matter, he much preferred cauldrons or James' cloaks or Sirius' boots which he had stolen from Lucius... Lily thought she knew it all.
Well, rude awakenings are always fun to deliver.
Lily thought he would be crawling back to her before the first month of Hogwarts was out. she didn't expect him to make friends, friends that was always with him, helping him, playing with him, pranking with him. Severus has real friends now, and doesn't need her anymore.
But her grades were slipping. She's not the best anymore, at least in her eyes. She needs Severus, to help her get better. She was Severus' only friend, others were fakes, Severus does not know, so she must tell him. She must warn him.
As I've said before, rude awakenings are always fun to deliver.
Severus smiled darkly as he walked through the half empty Charms corridor. Lily had been following him all week, trying to corner him, and it was getting really annoying. He allowed Remus to gorge himself on books, James on food, Sirius on sweets, with no rational supervision so he could get this talk over and done with.
All three of them had taken upon themselves to protect him, due to his small stature and Slytherin qualities that attract hexes like flies, not that Severus was week. they all just like to present an iron front. But now, he needs to do this alone. to clean a lily flower, or perhaps crush it underneath his feet.
"Sev!" He heard someone call, melodic and a bit high pitched, he continued walking. Not acknowledging the nickname he did not allow Lily to use. So it begins.
"Sev!" The call was more impatient this time, traveling through the corridor and drawing curious heads with it. Severus sighed again. does Gryffindors not know the definition of subtlety, or discretion? Or does Gryffindors even know what a definition is, for that matter?
"Yes, Lily?" He turned around and said, forcing a fake smile onto his face that only a handful of people in this school could tell it wasn't genuine. "How may I help you now?" He tilted his head slightly to the right, feigning a look of innocence that got him an hour of cheek pinches from the Black sisters. Damn that Lucius.
Lily Evans did not change much in the first year that Severus barely saw, unless it was in class. She had made avoiding him into an art that Avery would be proud of, though Severus was too busy making prank plans with Remus to notice much of her absence.
Her fiery red hair now the same shade as the Gryffindor common room carpet. James had chopped off a square of it with a pair of scissors to a show-and-tell session in Severus' dormitory so he knew what is color was. Her green eyes shone with relief, impatience and knowing. Her bright smile seems fake at the edges, forcefully applied onto her slightly freckled face like smudged cosmetics.
Rule number 1 of Hogwarts: Never try to trick a Slytherin.
Did Gryffindor taint Lily so much that the naturally clever witch would ignore the most important rule of them all? Hogwarts rule number one had moved up from 10th to 1st ever since the infamous Tom Riddle walked the castle halls, and was proudly upheld since.
Severus was not about to let a Gryffindor, no matter how intelligent, trick him!
"Where were you Sev? I've been looking all over!" Lily said, her lips almost forming into pouts. Impatience, her fatal flaw. One that Severus would use to its fullest extent for the course of this conversation, "And where are your buddies?"
The last sentence held a heavily scent of annoyance that Severus could easily detect, "Oh they are going to loot the kitchen for cakes. I'm going to my common room. Care to join me?"
Lily's whole face lit up with triumph and she nodded. She's not fooling anyone here, even Hufflepuffs could see through that!
"So, how was your time at Hogwarts? You fitting in OK? I barely saw you last year. Did you make any friends?" Severus asked innocently. Strange, it seems it was always him that asked these kind of questions, and never the other way around.
Lily immediately opened her mouth and started to lecture about how wonderful Gryffindor is, how well she's doing in her classes, how confusing Hogwart's stair cases were, how many friends she made that had the exact interest as her. It would have hurt Severus when she said that Marlene McKinnion was so good at Defense. But now he had Sirius and Remus and James, he no longer cared for superficial friends. Besides, Sirius could curse down a fifth year with only forks and plates. (See chapter 3)
"But they were all so boring at times, nothing exciting comes out of their mouths. James Potter this, Sirius Black that. It's nauseating to hear. I don't see why people like them anyhow," She continued to ramble on, completely oblivious to the stormy look that made itself comfortable in Severus' black eyes.
Severus gritted his teeth and managed to grind out the words without hurting himself, "Is that so?"
Lily barely spared him a glance as she babble on, "They are just a bunch of pompous gits that only cared about themselves and what they could get out of other people. Honestly I don't know why you associate with them Sev, their egos are as big as the moon. You could do so much better. Other Ravenclaws or Gryffindors perhaps, Slytherins are all dark and stupid, not that you are though..." But Severus was no longer listening.
He knew Sirius and James have a mischievous streak a mile long and half as wide. They were almost like twins separated at birth and only been reunited last year. Their relationship started slow, James' egotistical reputation precedes him, but their brotherhood was the strongest of them all.
In fact, it was only last night that Remus officially named the two of them Twins of Skulduggery, or Twins for short. Severus wanted to bash his head upon his dormitory wall at the mirrored smirk from them both.
He shuddered to think what would happen if the fourth member of their little group was someone else, someone like that spineless worm Pettigrew perhaps. Then there would be no chance to stop the pranks from turning into harassment. Remus just needs a sarcastic silvertongue by his side to put a stop of the Twins' outlandish pranks.
All four of them caused havoc regularly, they took pride in all the variations they could produce. But they were never arrogant, and doesn't have an ego as big as Lily had said.
Severus had hoped that he could continue Lily's friendship, but it seems it was not to last. But maybe it was at least some what salvageable.
"They are so full of themselves, causing mischief all over the place, not allowing us any peace. Marauders, the lost of them... Sev, are you listening to me?" Lily almost shrieked, stopping abruptly, dangerously close to the Slytherin dungeons. Hands on her hips, eyes shone with a slight indignation.
Severus turned and gave her a small smile, "Sorry, I wasn't. I'm almost to the common rooms. I thought you have something to ask me?" He remarked innocently.
Lily blinked several times before the memories came, "Oh, almost forgot. Do you want to study in the library after dinner tomorrow? I need some help with Potions, and I know you are very good at it." She tried an encouraging smile, sensing victory, "You don't have to hang around those gits anymore."
That stony expression returned to his black eyes, making them cold and downright horrifying. He smirked slightly when Lily unconsciously took a step back. Then he sobered and put on his best sneer that Bellatrix more than once exclaimed, absolutely terrifying and downright adorable.
He'll deal with Bellatrix later. He thinks.
"No thanks Evans. I have better things to do than try and teach you potions so you could get a good grade. You need to work for those kind of things and not expect them to be handed to you on a silver platter, " Severus' sneer too on epic proportions, looking menacing as death in the shadows cast by the poor illuminations of the dungeons.
"You are a user Lily Evans. You befriended me because I knew things you didn't, a world where you so desperately wants to be a part of. You want to be in a high place, a place of authority with actually wanting to work for it." Severus' dark eyes were on black fire.
He continued, "Your blatant hypocrisy makes me sick. I was so young and naive then that I would even think about befriending you! My friends, James, Sirius and Remus, are the real ones."
"They care for me. They want to be around me, not because of what I could do, but for who I am. The sarcastic mad hatter with an iron fork tongue and could melt fingers, that could brew dangerous potions and could spell a plate of mashed potatoes right into that Lockhart's face from the other side of the Great Hall!" He didn't know it, but Severus was shouting now.
Lily's face contorted in rage and disbelief, and maybe guilt underneath it all, Severus could tell she was gripping he wand inside her robes, " What about the Slytherins then, they are all dark lords in the making. Sooner or later they'll all turn dark!" Her screeching could easily put Bellatrix in shame.
"Your so called friends are just using you. They took pity on you, because of your drunken father and dead mother. Who would want you anyway? Best to run while you still have the chance. At least I'm telling you the truth!"
Severus answered, again, with a sneer, knowing with that volume half the house would come out running, "The very reason we Slytherins keep close together and never wear our hearts on our sleeves is standing right in front of me. Slytherins take care of each other. No matter what they thought of that person. You are in Slytherin territory right now Evans, and we have passed dozens of Gryffindors on our way here. Do you see any of them by your side?"
Lily gulped.
Severus sighed, "All I ask is for you to think about this, to look over our actions by another person's point of view, ask around if you feel the need. Just don't go screaming blatant hypocrisy in my face. I've had enough of that with my father, which of course, you didn't care to ask."
Lily tried and failed at a sneer, "What if I refuse?" She raised her wand with a slightly shaking hand.
"Then you'll find slugs coming out of your lunch tomorrow, " said an incredibly bored Sirius Black behind them two, twirling his wand absentmindedly between his fingers. James smirked while he took a bite out of a chocolate cake and spun his wand between his thumb and index fingers while Remus looked on from behind a book, amber eyes cackling with plans and spells and promises of uncomfortable lies.
"For once in my life, I agree with little Siri here, " came the slightly mad voice of Bellatrix Black soon-to-be-Lestrange, followed closely by her sisters, her fiance and half the common room. Sirius pulled off a perfect Black lopsided grin and mocked his shock.
Lily looked back and forth between the wizards and the witches and knew she was cornered. She'll honor Sev's wishes, just this once, he would be wrong of course, but she'll give it a try.
She sent an amateur glare at all of them, turned around and fled to the warm upper levels. The hordes of Slytherins disappearing too, to their common rooms
Severus called out to her retreating back, "Thank you for the name Evans! We've been thinking about out group name for a while now!"
"Name?" Sirius asked, relaxing back against the wall and lowering his wand.
Severus looked at him with his dark eyes, uncertainty and hesitation swimming behind them, suppressed but definetly there if you know where to look and how to find it. It seems Lily's words had affected him more than they thought, especially that of his parents.
James sighed, it seems he noticed it too, "Spit it out Sev."
Severus brightened slightly, "Marauders. We four are the Marauders, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers."
"Wow Sev, you thought all that up just then? All by yourself? I applaud you." James' sarcastic compliments were interrupted by Remus' book aquating with his messy crown of hair.
Do you guys even want to have a Harry Potter universe? Like the canon universe. I could, but I also won't. I know that Filth is a squib and are basically a muggle, but in this particular universe, Filch is 20 while in Harry Potter universe, he is around 40 something. Right now, Bellatrix, Andromeda and Lestrange are at their seventh year while Lucius and Narcissa are at their sixth. Voldemort's started school recruitment in Severus' sixth year rather than now.
I like Lily, I really do. She is brave and pretty and powerful, but she is not a good friend. Severus was her freaking best friend for 6 years, sure he's been associating with the wrong people but what if Lily's rejection was the thing that pushed Severus over the line. And the rejection was worded just as bad, if not more, than what Severus said to Lily. I am sure Lily is a good girl and wonderful and loved by everyone and she is the reason Severus climbed out of the darkness, but I'm pretty sure she's also the reason he's over there in the first place.
Pay attention to detail, is my advice to all of you reading.
Do any of you have any suggestions on what to call Severus Animagus form? Review please!