The Lily That Poisons The Snake
Chapter 4
Warnings: See chapter 1
Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Harry Potter. That's why I'm posting on here and begging for reviews. *note sarcasm*
Once Severus was sure Lily was gone, he got dressed and walked to his best friend, Remus Lupin's house. When he arrived at Remus's house, he wasn't surprised when Remus's boyfriend, Sirius Black answered the door.
"Hey, Sev, your mummy let you come out to play today?" Sirius teased.
"Not today, Siri," Severus said, walking past the dark-haired man and into the sitting room where Remus was sitting on the sofa.
"What did she do this time?" Sirius asked as he grabbed Severus's arm and pulled him down onto the sofa to sit between him and Remus.
"I see she hit you…again," Remus said softly, reaching up to touch the fading burn on his cheek, "What did she do this with?"
"A pot," Severus whispered, "but I don't care about that. It's the things she says that hurt the most. It's like she's not the same Lily I married." The tawny haired male slipped an arm around his best friend's shoulder and allowed him to lay his head on his shoulder, knowing that the verbal abuse hurt the sensitive man more than the physical abuse sometimes. "I try so hard to make her happy. I made her breakfast this morning, but she still had something terrible to say. She…she called me a…a…house-bitch," Severus whispered, sniffling.
"Takes one to know one," Sirius said angrily, "Not that you're a bitch. She's the bitch."
"Don't call her that, Siri. She's not," Severus said, turning to look at him, "She's just angry."
"How can you take up for her?"
"She's my wife, and I love her. And I know she loves me too. She's just…she's still grieving over the baby."
"It's been almost four years, Sev," Sirius exclaimed.
"And even if she was still grieving, that doesn't give her the right to abuse you," Remus said gently, "She's not the only one who lost a baby. That was your baby too, and you were just as devastated as she was when you lost her."
"But she's the one who carried the baby for nine months and then had to give birth to a dead baby, not me," the submissive man said, repeating what his wife said to him whenever he said anything about the baby.
"That doesn't make your grief any less important than hers." Severus didn't say anything else. He just cuddled into Sirius's side. "Sev, your parents called hear asking about you earlier," Remus said after a moment, "They said you slipped out last night without talking to them."
"I don't want them worrying about me," he mumbled.
"Yeah, and slipping out in the middle of the night without saying anything to them wouldn't worry them at all," Sirius said sarcastically.
"I'm just trying to stay out of their hair until things are okay between me and Lily again," Severus said, pulling away from his best friend's boyfriend, "Things'll be okay soon, and then they won't have to worry about me anymore."
"Sev," Remus said gently, "you have to stop deluding yourself, love. Until you realize that what Lily is doing to you is wrong, things are never going to get better. If you want things to get better, you have to admit to yourself that your marriage has become abusive. Once you finally realize that, you can get yourself away from Lily."
"Away from Lily? Leave Lily?" Severus exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa, "How could you even suggest that? I can't leave Lily. I could never…"
"You can't possibly defend what she does to you," Sirius said, "You have to know it's wrong."
"You just don't understand. I love her, and she loves me. She does…I know she does…You just don't understand."
"I understand loving someone," Sirius said seriously, "I love Remy more than anything in the world, and I would never ever hurt him the way Lily hurts you."
"You haven't gone through what she's gone through."
"Even if I had, I'd never take my pain out on Remus. That would be wrong just like what Lily is doing to you."
"I love her," Severus said insistently, "And she needs me. I won't abandon her no matter what you say." He stared at the couple with tear-filled obsidian eyes, pleading with them to understand. Remus looked at his best friend of almost twenty years and sighed.
"Okay, Sev, we won't bring this up anymore," he said softly. At least, not now, he thought. Severus nodded but made no move to sit back down.
"I should go. I have cleaning to do and papers to grade," he said quietly, "I'll see you guys later."
"D'you need a ride home?" Sirius asked.
"No thanks. I don't mind walking. Y'know I don't live far."
"Okay. See you later…And take care of yourself, okay, Sev?"
"I will, Siri," he said, turning to walk out of the sitting room. Remus got up to follow him to the door. He stopped him as he opened the door and pulled him into a tight hug, which Severus returned wholeheartedly.
"You know Siri and I didn't mean to upset you," Remus said, "We just care about you."
"I know," the raven-haired man whispered.
"I know you probably won't be going to your parents' cause you don't want to worry them, so if you need anything, anything at all, please call us, okay?"
"Okay."
"I'm serious, Sev," the amber-eyed man said, looking Severus in the eye.
"Really? I thought you were Remus," he said, smiling a little.
"Don't you start too. It bugs me enough when Sirius does that," Remus said, rolling his eyes, "Go on home, and remember what I said."
"I will," Severus said, hugging his best friend once more before leaving.
When Severus got home, he was saddened to see that Lily wasn't home yet. Maybe I can clean the whole house while she's out and have dinner waiting for her, he thought, It just might make her happy.
Please review people! And that's all I'm going to say about reviews. I'm done 'begging.' R & E! (Read and Enjoy!)