Cat, Rat, and Dog

By Matelia-legwll

A/N: Last chapter, Lily had just settled down at the end of the night.

So I managed to fall back asleep to Sirius singing, "Oh what a beautiful evening. Oh what a beautiful night. I've got this wonderful feeling, everything is gonna be all right." It made me smile for I could picture my dad singing the original song on the holidays.

And the only other time my slumber was disturbed was when James dragged me off his pillow and more into his arms so he could also sleep. And for the second time in as many nights, I slept in James's bed rather than my basket. Merlin, I wish I was awake enough to care.

CHAPTER THIRTY: Severus Snape

Trying to put the stupid detention out of my mind, I entered the dungeon classroom to find the girl I was supposed to be tutoring, just putting away a book.

We were practicing the moderately easy Shrinking Solution today. We'd been trying this same potion for the last two days.

She had put up several arguments about the name of the potion on the first day.

"Why should I even want to make this potion? If I wanted to shrink something, I would just use a spell."

When I explained that it wasn't actually shrinking the object the same way that a spell would, she demanded to call it something else.

I told her that the book called it this, and that was the reason why I was calling it by that name.

She insisted that the book was wrong to call it that. I didn't dare tell her that it was wrong on other accounts. I shuddered to think of the day she would find out that the book was wrong and take it out on Slughorn. That would not be pretty.

"The potion is supposed to look acid green," she declared, startling me from my reverie.

I looked into her cauldron and then at Cenis Wulfric in awe of her lack of talent in Potions.

"What the newt! What went wrong this time?" she asked as she stared disbelievingly into her cauldron.

"I'm not the one with the eidetic memory," I muttered, still trying to figure out how she had managed to transform a simple Shrinking Solution which was supposed to be a bright acid green, into that mess. It was red for Merlin's sake. And you could see the chunks of evenly cut daisy roots. I have no clue why they haven't dissolved.

I shook my head dismayed at the turn of events that had landed me as Cenis's private tutor for her Remedial Potions. Slughorn's stupid policy. Just because he didn't want to teach all the Remedial lessons.

"I followed the book exactly!" she protested and started to count off all the steps to make the potion.

I had to interrupt her as I realized, "You forgot the caterpillars." The jar was sitting, untouched, on the table.

"Forgot them?" Cenis objected. "Oh, no, Severus. I did not forget them. You just never told me when to add them."

I opened my mouth, closed it, and then changed the subject as I started to clean up. "Cenis, do you know where Lily went for the holidays?"

"Lily? I guess she has been gone, hasn't she?"

"You didn't notice?" I raised an eyebrow. They share a dorm, how the newt didn't she notice?

"Didn't bother worrying about it," she shrugged. "Lily can more or less take care of herself."

"Well, yeah. I suppose that's true," I had to concede, but I hadn't asked the question that was truly on my mind.

"A purple sandpiper can not be very purple, can it? I mean, purple is not a natural color. Why would someone name a bird the purple sandpiper if it is not actually purple?"

Giving my mind a moment to process her comment and wonder where her mind was during the making of the potion, I went on. "Do you think that Potter would play a prank on me with Lily's cat?"

"Lily has a cat? I've never noticed her having a cat before. I wonder what color the purple sandpiper is if it isn't purple? Since when does Lily have a cat? It would probably make a good playmate for Artemis, though."

"Red, blue, gray?" I suggested quickly then went on. "Lily hasn't had a cat. That's why I'm suspicious of a prank. But, Lily wouldn't get a cat. Not without telling me first."

"You've already decided. I don't see why you are talking to me about it. Probably gray. You know James likes to play pranks. Dunderheads, all of them. Do I have to do the potion over again?"

My head was starting to hurt. Cenis was carrying on three conversations now, and while she could do that, I couldn't keep track exactly. Better to just cut her off before it got much more confusing.

"Lesson is over for today, Cenis. The caterpillars should have been added right after the shrivelfig. We'll try again tomorrow. Same—"

"Obviously." she interrupted with a little eye roll.

I frowned, then nodded. Noting that the dungeon was somewhat in order, and set up for tomorrow as well, I then hurried out of the classroom.

I was a little dismayed at Cenis's attitude about Lily's absence. Mainly because I was probably going to have to send an owl to Lily's parents to find out for certain of her plans. I was sure that that Muggle sister of Lily's would have objected to a cat.

But I couldn't get the conversations I had recently with Potter out of my head. I was understandably wary of his motives. But with the reactions of his mates... I scowled. There was no way to prove it one way or the other with Lily gone, but I wished that I could prove it anyway.

The most satisfaction I could derive from this situation would be Lily getting angry over Potter confiscating her cat. There would be absolutely no way that Lily would agree to an arrangement like that. But I could not stop the nagging doubt in my mind. Unless... he was holding something over her. Unless... he was somehow blackmailing her with something. Lily wouldn't cave in to something like that, would she?

My mind flitted back to the conversations I had with Potter involving the cat.

"I believe this cat doesn't belong here, so I'll just take her to her owner. C'mon, Lils," "Whose cat is it?" "Evans's."

"Potter! You were lying about the owner of the cat, weren't you?" "Honestly? You're wrong. I was telling the complete truth. Lils belongs to Evans." "Yeah, Prongs isn't lying. The cat is Evans's." "We are caring for Lily's cat while she is away for the holiday."

"Lils! No! Evans will murder me!"

I tried to analyze it and get something new out of the words and situations. There had to be a deeper meaning, a bigger secret, and I was going to figure it out.

I turned a corner only to get slammed to one side of the corridor. What the newt was going on now? I caught a glimpse of that horrid trademark messy hair running at me. Potter. All my loathing of him boiled to the surface. He had decided to pick on his favorite target again, had he? Well, this time he will find that he is matched… blow for blow. I dug in my pocket for my wand.

"Snivellus! What did you do with her?" bellowed Potter. He lowered his head, just asking for a trip jinx. I gave it to him and he ended up sprawled on the floor.

"Do with whom?" I asked, curious in spite of myself. That was certainly an odd thing to say. The only girl I had been around all day long for any length of time was Cenis, (well, and the cow, but he wouldn't be attacking me over her, obviously) and surely nothing odd had happened after Cenis left the tutoring session that could possibly be blamed on me.

"Lils!" Potter looked enraged as he got to his feet. "Don't you dare play dumb with me Snape. Expelliarmus!"

I cursed and dived after my wand. Things never went well when I didn't have it.

A shout rang out, causing Potter to stop his attack for the moment. "Prongs! What the ruddy newt!"

Great. Here comes his entourage. I braced myself for the spells that were bound to come flying now. Thankfully I had managed to get a hold of my wand for another few seconds. I needed to cast some debilitating spell as soon as I could or else I would soon find myself wandless again. Nevertheless, I hesitated.

None of this situation made sense. Apparently I had done something to Lily? But Lily was gone on holiday. The prat knew this. He was flaunting it again just yesterday. Hang on, doesn't he usually call Lily by her surname anyways? Evans this and Evans that. So, why was he accusing me of having done something to Lily?

I had waited too long, trying to figure it out. I absolutely abhor that spell. Now the floor became the ceiling as I was hung by my ankle in midair. And somehow the prats had figured out how to do it nonverbally, so I didn't even know the incantation. And without the incantation, I had absolutely no hope of learning the countercurse.

"Alright, Snivellus," Potter spat, "This is the last time I'm going to ask politely." Yes, like stringing me up by my ankle for no reason and calling me names was actually being polite.

Potter carefully enunciated and separated his words as he brandished his wand in front of my face, "What—did—you—do—with—Lils?"

Again with the 'Lils' thing. What did he mean?—whoa, wait a minute. Wasn't that his horrible name for the cat? This had something to do with the cat of questionable ownership? I had to make sure. "Are you on about the cat? Because if you're not—"

"Boiling Bludgers, of course we're ruddy talking about the cat," interrupted Black. "And if you—"

"Why?" I broke in. "Why are you asking me—"

"Because you've done something with her!" shouted Potter. Apparently he was growing weary of just talking because he decided something else needed to be done to me. "You've done something with her and now—Eurgh!" Words failed him apparently, and he brandished his wand at me.

I dropped painfully to the floor but not before being hit with another curse that made boils grow all over my face.

"I haven't touched the animal since she landed on my feet yesterday," I sneered in disgust. I shot a spell at him that would have made his teeth grow enormously, had he not dodged it at the last second.

"Ha! Like we would believe that!" Potter shouted before a few more hexes, most of which I managed to evade, but unfortunately he disarmed me again, and this time I did not succeed in grabbing the wand before Black did.

"What do you mean you haven't touched her?" said Black suspiciously, standing up and pocketing my wand. I stared at him, outraged.

"Don't listen to him, Padfoot. He'll only lie to convince us that he's innocent," warned Potter, raising his wand again.

Desperate to attempt a convincing argument before he hexed me into a slimy blob (to say the least, it's really uncomfortable, and I should know), I hastily said, "Honestly, I don't know exactly what you're on about! What the newt happened to the cat? Can't you at least tell me that?"

Potter sighed in exasperation, but Black forestalled the curses for a few moments. "We were walking to breakfast, when Lils ran ahead and out of sight for a few seconds. When we were just around the corner, we heard her yowl as if she was hurt. We dashed to see what was the matter, but she had vanished, and not of her own accord either, since there was blood on the floor of the corridor."

Black had taken this opportunity to approach me quite slowly and menacingly and was now glaring at me from an uncomfortably close position. I swallowed. "How much blood?"

"Isn't it just typical?" spat Potter, waving an arm in disgust. "He wants to know how much evidence he has left behind."

That couldn't be farther from the truth. But if he didn't realize that the amount of lost blood would relate to whether the cat had just lost consciousness or if she'd actually died, then I suppose I should enlighten him. "Ha! I just… don't envy you that task at all, Potter," I said, putting a little distance between Black and I.

"What task?" the two of them said suspiciously.

"Explaining to Lily, how, while you were dallying in the corridor, you let her cat die—"

"LILS ISN'T DEAD!" bellowed Potter. "I SWEAR—"

I was fully expecting to be stupefied as soon as he got enough control to think of the spell, but he was interrupted by Lupin. "Prongs!"

"What?" his irritation barely under control, Potter turned to look at Lupin.

Black seemed to be slightly more polite. "What is it, Moony?"

"I—" Lupin hesitated, taking in the situation before continuing, "I don't think it was actually Snape."

As much as it disgusted me that Lupin would be the one to take my side, I couldn't help my quiet, "Obviously."

"And why would that be?"

"Snape was verifiably receiving a lecture and a detention in the library during the time that you were walking to breakfast."

"Says who?"

"Well, Madam Pince for one, who was still muttering about how he graffitied all her precious books."

I sneered. Dumb cow. They were my books to freely write in, bought with my own money. I still don't understand how she managed to bind me to a detention over that. It's just not logical.

"But even Bertha Jorkins—" Lupin tried to go on.

Potter threw his hands up, exasperated. "That doesn't tell me where Lils is!"

Black raised a hand to his forehead like he was fighting off a headache. I wish I had my wand back so I could give him one for real. "You're being absurd, Prongs. What made you even think that it was Snivellus?"

Potter rolled his eyes. "It was actually the fact that Cenis mentioned that he was a few minutes late to tutoring."

Oooh, guilty twitch from Black there. Maybe he shouldn't have cheated on Cenis and then not owned up to it. I mean, I'm not one to talk, but seriously, how are you going to cheat on someone, have her see you cheating, and then not expect the consequences? Good riddance, in my opinion.

Anyway, point being the detention was the reason I was late to tutoring Cenis in the first place. But if I could only nick back my wand while they're distracted with each other. I was pretty sure they had forgotten my existence and the need I had to get my wand back before I left them.

I wish it wasn't so necessary to life as a wizard. The wand just makes you that more vulnerable.

"And how in the world did you get her to mention that?" asked Lupin.

Is it wrong to get enjoyment over guilty twitches that frankly have nothing whatsoever to do with you, but you like to watch the guilty person flinch anyway?

"I know which questions to ask her," Potter retorted.

Black clearly wasn't enjoying this conversation. If only I could use it to my advantage and manage to get my wand back. Then I could hex them all and stride off the victor for once. Although the thing about the cat of questionable ownership dying on them was a rather odd turn of events. I thought they'd keep rubbing her in my face all holiday.

"So you honestly asked her about the cat of questionable ownership?" I found myself saying. What the newt? I wasn't actually supposed to say that out loud. What happened to my plan of silently sneaking up on Black and nicking back my wand while no one was paying attention to me? Yeah, what happened to that?

"Questionable ownership?" repeated Potter incredulously, turning to face me. "How the NEWT is her ownership questionable? I've told you, what, FIVE times now?"

"Three," I corrected softly. "But the fact that no one has confirmed it—"

"I suppose we don't count," inserted Black, practically jumping for joy at the new conversation topic.

"—besides your mates," I finished with a glare at Black, "and as I can't possibly expect them not to lie for you, I don't know whether it's truth or lies, Potter."

Potter huffed in annoyance. "All I want to do is find Lils, now. And if you are somehow hiding her, Snivellus, you won't have to worry about studying for your OWLs," he finished threateningly.

I gave him my best sneer in return. My innocence made me bold, I suppose. I also held out my hand to Black. "Give me back my wand, then, because I want nothing to do with the stupid cat. I haven't killed her, or even seen her."

"What makes you think she's dead?" asked Lupin in alarm.

I opened my mouth to respond and would have beaten Black and Potter as well, but was interrupted by the arrival of the last and final member of their stupid Gryffindor club.

"There you are! What's going on?" puffed Pettigrew, arriving on the scene.

"Oh, just torturing information from Snivellus," drawled Black. "Rictusempra!"

I immediately dropped myself to the floor, surprised, and cursing that surprise. That spell ranks in my top three despised spells of all time. I certainly don't see the draw in magically tickling your enemies. Doesn't their laughter increase your anger? I mean, the convulsions are one thing, I can see the reward in that, but if they're not strong enough to hold back that laughter, it would surely be the worst spell for blowing off steam.

"Impedimenta!" And that of course I didn't manage to avoid, so now my limbs were bound in place with invisible ropes.

"This is the third time you've mentioned the cat dying," said Black casually, dropping into a crouch near me. "Answer Moony's question."

"The cat—what?" exclaimed Pettigrew in horror.

"Disappearances in the castle are never innocent things," I spat. "Even if it is only a cat. You know that, or else you wouldn't be this upset. What would you do if the cat had actually died?"

Black slowly stood up. "Just his normal drivel, trying to mess with our minds," he diagnosed. Of course I'm trying to mess with your minds! Where would my honor be if I didn't?

"Padfoot? Prongs?" was Pettigrew's anxious prodding. "What—what happened? Where's—where's the cat?"

Potter exploded. "I DON'T KNOW, OKAY Wormtail? I don't even know!"

"Prongs—" started Black and Lupin. I started to scoot closer towards Black in my struggles to get free of the curse.

"Stop it!" Potter said. "You don't understand!"

"James," said Black. "I'm just as worried as you." The two shared a meaningful look. I rolled my eyes, and tried to stretch out my hand a little farther. Honestly, if the two of them wanted to sound like a soap, they could, just don't make me endure their presence any longer.

"This was my chance, Sirius," he bit out softly, before flicking his wand at me.

I cursed. Strung up by my ankle once again, I feel like a butterfly in a cocoon. And Potter had the timing to do that just as I was beginning to have the Impediment Curse wear off enough that I could reach my wand in Black's pocket.

Is there anyone with worse luck than me?

"And it still will be, Prongs. All we have to do is find her," continued Black.

"Which is what I'm doing right now," Potter answered, rounding on me. "For the truth, this time, Snivellus. What did you do to her?"

"You're absurd, Potter." I sneered in derision. "You already had your eyewitness account of why exactly I was late to tutoring Cenis. The mad cow was yelling at me for writing in my own bloody books. I already told you I haven't touched the animal since lifting her off my feet yesterday. I haven't even seen her, so I don't know what information you think I have, but you're mad."

"I'm not mad," he protested childishly. "I know you did something to her. Now, where is she now?"

"Poor, poor, Potter. Latching onto any scapegoat you can," I said. Honestly, anything to get him to drop me again. Dropping hurts, but not as much as getting hexed while you're hanging in midair, with all the blood rushing towards your head. Besides, if he dropped me now, I might be able to grab my wand as I stand back up. "Ow," I couldn't stop from wincing, as the brute cast a Stinging Hex on me.

"Serves you right, Snivelly," sneered Potter.

"Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?" I retorted, rubbing the welt on my arm.

"You were always guilty, Snivellus," Potter glared at me, then made the fatal mistake of dropping me nearly on top of Black.

I managed to grab my wand, before Black scurried away, complaining about me getting grease on him or some such nonsense.

Immediately I cast a Protection charm around me, then tried to hex their toenails. They shouldn't be able to get very far with their toenails needing to be cut every few seconds. Unfortunately I missed. But I suppose it all worked out for the best, as the booming voice of Professor Slughorn was heard, calling down the corridor as he jogged closer to us.

"Boys! Dear me, what have you been up to?"

Black groaned, exchanged a look with Potter, and groaned again.

"Sirius, m'boy!" Slughorn nearly panted as he stopped jogging. "Just the person I wanted to see!"

"Oh goody," muttered Black under his breath. His friends seemed to think his predicament was hilarious. I would have agreed, but I was too busy trying to slink off before the professor noticed me here as well. Unlike Lily and Black, I hated the attention he poured on his favored students.

"Ah, Severus, stay here a moment, I wanted a word with you as well," Professor Slughorn managed to say before I had vanished down the corridor. Ruddy rats. He managed to freeze me in my tracks before I had escaped. The snickers behind me were more prominent with my entrapment.

"Sirius, I had a little meeting last night, and I was so hoping that you could join us," Slughorn was practically whining in his attempt to know Black's excuse.

"Sorry, Professor. I had detention," informed Black.

"Detention?" Slughorn sounded like this was a complete shock. Come on. How ignorant can you be? It's Black. "What for?"

"The rabbit chocolates on Sunday."

"Oh, dear me," Slughorn started muttering to himself. "I did choose a bad date for everyone after all."

"Please, Professor, don't trouble yourself on my account. I need to take responsibility for my own actions," Black lied gallantly. Like everyone doesn't know he has a race with Potter going on for holding the most detentions by the end of the year.

"But I was so hoping that you and your brother could be there at the same time," Slughorn pouted.

Black gave him a blank stare. I had to wonder myself at Slughorn's motives. Surely mentioning that Black's family would have also been there would not have increased Black's desires to attend. Everyone knows of the rocky relationship he has with his family. I was told that the only reason he hasn't gotten disinherited yet is because he convinced them that he's not as bad as having a Squib for a son.

Yeah, such a difference there.

"I'll see you at my next party, though, right, Sirius?"

"As long as I don't have something come up, Professor," he smirked. Then Black turned to Potter and I swore he whispered, "How soon can we get detention for May 15th?"

"Severus, m'boy, thank you for waiting." Slughorn slung an arm about my shoulders, and I winced as he started to pull me down the corridor. "We didn't manage to finish that conversation last night about what you plan to do after Hogwarts."

And he still doesn't think I avoid that subject on purpose. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, like I can out and tell a professor that I plan to join up with the Death Eaters as soon as I graduate. That would go over well. What else would he buy from me, though? I could teach, I suppose, but the only subject I'd like to teach would be Defense Against the Dark Arts. "I've been thinking about applying for a job at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley," I finally lied, in lieu of any other viable response.

"That would be a very intriguing job indeed," approved Slughorn with a pompous nod.

So glad it meets his approval. Maybe then he will stop nagging at me about it.

"So how is tutoring going with dear Cenis?" was his next question.

I wanted to groan. I despise my Head of House's questions. Now I had to explain she couldn't even do a shrinking solution because of the caterpillars. And I still have no idea why the daisy root didn't dissolve. But what I really wanted to think on was not Cenis's potion disasters, as baffling as they are. I actually wanted to get to the bottom of this whole pet cat thing. Because that whole situation has so many problems with it.

"That bad, eh?" Slughorn tried to prompt me.

"Worse," I miserably replied. Why couldn't he leave me alone so I could diagnose the problems in the situation? I needed time to think.

"Don't let it get you too down, m'boy." After a pause that I was unwilling to fill, he spoke again, "Well, do you happen to know where Lily went for the holiday?"

Add insult to injury, why don't you. "She didn't happen to inform me of her travel plans, Professor," I said, rather coldly.

"Too bad," pouted Slughorn. "I had wanted her to attend last night's little gathering as well."

That's quite unfair. Why was he giving me the guilt trip? Save it for her. Give it to her when she gets back. In fact, I'll help him give it to her. I had wanted her there as well. It would have meant that she could explain everything that was confusing me right now, and we could argue about the whole thing without any of the Marauders butting in.

"Minerva knew Lily had been considering what she was going to do," Slughorn was muttering to himself. "But she didn't get Lily's final decision written down."

Lily would have been able to explain the whole cat thing, why Potter had been in possession of a cat he claimed belonged to her, and even might have been able to hazard a guess at the Cenis tutoring disasters.

There is nothing I wouldn't give for an explanation. Especially directly from her.

Wait now, what did Slughorn just say about McGonagall?

"I suppose I'll leave you here for now, Severus. I've just remembered, I must talk to Filius about that essay he's assigned the fourth years. Regulus was complaining that it was a bit long for the subject matter."

With a pat on my shoulder, he left. Finally. Hm. Well that's just great. Now how was I supposed to find out where Lily is? Was I supposed to wander the corridors shouting, "Come out come out where ever you are," eh? I sighed. Can't I just have one moment of peace? I'd even try to find the cat if I knew where to look. Well, if I knew it was actually Lily's cat or could lead me to Lily.

Peter's List

Check. Item one: Hide the map.

Check. Item two: Tell Sirius.

Check. Item three: Laugh off any weird questions.

Check. Item four: But don't laugh when an ironic situation comes up.

Check. Item five: Take a deep breath if the subject comes up.

Check. Item six: Don't hyperventilate when others are discussing cats or Evans.

Check. Item seven: Just stop reminding myself that the cat is Evans.

Check. Item eight: Change the subject if it is hitting too close to home.

Check. Item nine: Don't look suspicious.

Item ten: Don't tell anyone the real reason for this list.

Check. Item eleven: Don't show fear of the cat.

Check. Item twelve: Do be very, very careful around Moony.

Check. Item thirteen: Don't talk or have any conversation with Dumbledore.

Check. Item fourteen: In fact, avoid Dumbledore completely.

Item fifteen: Never look at Evans directly in case her glare makes you feel guilty.

Item sixteen: Make sure not to call Evans "Evans" around anyone who is not Evans.

Item seventeen: Don't let James figure out the cat is Lily.

Check. Item eighteen: Steal Remus's chocolate.

Check. Item nineteen: Don't let Snape corner me about Evans or the cat.

Check. Item twenty: Interrupt Remus's thought processes as often as possible to prevent him from realizing the cat is Evans.

Item twenty-one: Don't hide any list or the map behind my back. Find a better hiding spot.

Check. Item twenty-two: Help Sirius get detentions to make him happy and keep him helping me.

A/N: And so the cliffhanger ends. What exactly happened to Lils? Will the boys succeed in finding her? If Severus was innocent, who was at fault? All these questions and more, I'm sure you'll think of. I'll enjoy reading all your theories. ^_^

Thanks to all my faithful readers for the reviews and the support. You really do have the ability to make my day! If anyone, and I mean anyone, has any ideas for Peter's list, go ahead and send me a PM or a review with your ideas. Cookies for reviewers!

By the way, Cenis Wulfric is Umi Pryde's OC. Cenis has been mentioned before in this story, but not by name. Try to guess where. ^_^

Enjoy! And thanks for reading!