Old grudges die hard
The Potions classroom was in the dungeons. Classes had to be over by then and many students were roaming the halls. Quite a few of them had noticed her as they passed her. She ignored their whispers as she was used to them at this point in her life. But she did catch Jazlyn's name a couple of times and it took a lot of her will to avoid listening in. Jane knew she would have hated it if her own Mother had come to Hogwarts and started meddling in her business.
Finally, she arrived outside the familiar potions classroom. She took a deep breath then, once again, she knocked briefly before entering without waiting for a reply. It probably wasn't the greatest idea to enter Snape's classroom in such a manner, but a part of her was just as spiteful as her husband and her cousin.
The room was darker than she had remembered. Colder too. The window shutters were closed which was probably the reason why it was so dark. The walls were lined with jars of pickled animals and potion ingredients. The Potion's Master stood at the front of the room pouring over a potions book with a bubbling potion next to him.
"Potter," He looked up and sneered. "Or should I say Black? I've heard for whatever reason you're foolish enough to keep the name."
Severus Snape hadn't changed much from their time at Hogwarts. He still had long greasy hair and a large nose. His black robes were much too large and made him look like an overgrown bat.
"Interesting that you'd allow me a preference in what you call me seeing as you don't seem to be allowing my daughter the same benefits." Jane replied coolly.
"If you're here about my teaching methods you can leave now," Snape said. "Your daughter is every bit as disruptive as her insufferable father."
If Jane was honest, she wouldn't doubt that for a second. Jazlyn was most definitely her Father's daughter. Jane loved that about her. Of course she couldn't say that out loud in most companies, especially this one.
"I'm not here to fight my daughter's battles for her. She's perfectly capable of handling herself," Jane said coldly. "I'm actually here to ask you a couple questions for a private investigation."
"You should know that I wasn't in Gringotts and I am aware that Dumbledore's already told you about my part in its protection." Snape glared at her.
"That's not what I was going to ask you," Jane replied. Then an idea struck her. "But since you brought it up, I suppose I could use you for some new concerns of mine that have recently come to light."
"As I said," Snape snapped again. "I wasn't there."
"I'm well aware of that," Jane stated firmly and professionally. "I'm not here to accuse you. I simply wanted to ask you what your thoughts were on your colleague, Professor Quirrell."
Snape squinted her eyes at her suspiciously. It was clear that he knewthat this was not the real reason why she was here.
"I have nothing to say about him," Snape said stubbornly.
Jane sighed inwardly. She knew he would be difficult to work with but she had hope that he would have matured over the years.
"He was telling me that he just got back from a year long sabbatical," Jane said. "I was simply wondering if you noticed a change in him upon his return?"
Again, he squinted suspiciously at her.
"Your wasting my time," Snape said. "I cannot be bothered to indulged in gossip."
"If only this were mere gossip," Jane said. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"I do not care enough to know what that incompetent fool of a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor does on his own time. Tell me, Black," he spat. "Why exactly are you really here?"
Jane sighed. Of course he wouldn't help her. Why would he? She never liked him and he never liked her. Any association the two of them had ever had together during their years of Hogwarts was because of their shared, yet separate, friendship with one Lily Evans. And any animosity between them was because of Jane's relations to James and Sirius. And unfortunately for her that animosity outweighed everything else.
"As I said," Jane began. "I am here on a private investigation. Entirely unrelated to the Gringotts case."
"Ah yes," he sneered knowingly. His eyes became darker and he folded his arms over his dark and overly large robes. "I've heard all about your pathetic attempt to free that horrible excuse of a husband of yours."
"I don't need your commentary," Jane replied coldly. "I only need your honesty."
"You've come to the wrong place if you expect me to help you, Black," Snape snapped at her.
"Oh I am well aware of that, Snape," Jane said. "But I don't need you to help me. I need you to help Lily."
"This has nothing to do with her. How dare you bring her up now!" He shouted.
"You and I both know this has everything to do with her," Jane said. "I know exactly why you switched sides. It was for her wasn't it?"
"How did-" he startled then switched his expression back to one of coldness. "Of course not. She meant nothing to me."
She knew she was never good at occlumency or reading people's minds. Snape especially had always been a difficult one for her to read. Even back when they were in school together. Jane would spend days hearing James complain about Snape and nights listening to Lily try and defend her friend. Jane's mother would surely be disappointed in her, having taught her how to tell the emotions of the emotionless. And normally, yeah, Jane would say that she was pretty good at it. But she could never understand or read Severus Snape. But the one thing she could tell was that Snape did care for Lily. Whether he would admit it or not.
"Please," Jane pressed. "You're the only known confirmed former Death Eater I can ask. Just answer a few questions honestly."
"And why should I help you?" Snape said. "That man is not innocent. He is vile and was capable of murder at 16."
"But Lily trusted him," Jane said.
"She put her trust in the wrong person," he said darkly. Jane didn't think it was possible.
"Maybe. But what if it's not the person everyone thinks it is?" She insisted.
"You are naive and blinded by your disgusting love," Snape scoffed at her. "How ridiculous."
He turned away from her. It was a clear attempt to dismiss her. Jane glowered at his back. She knew that convincing Snape for help would be futile. But she promised Sirius and herself that she would do whatever it takes to prove his innocence. She made no attempt to move.
"You know," She sighed. "I believed Dumbledore when he said that you had switched sides?"
He didn't turn around and instead ignored her.
"I believed him because she would have believed it." She said, watching him carefully. He didn't move but Jane knew she had gotten his attention. "She believed in you. Even after everything you had done. She always insisted that there was good in you still. That you were simply misguided. she would have been glad to know that you had switched sides and become a spy. I don't know whether or not she would have forgiven you, but she would have believed you. And if she could believe in you then I thought, I could too. Lily believed that no matter what people did, they could always change. I always found it a bit naive. I never understood her friendship for you. And to be quite frank, sometimes I still don't believe that you actually have changed. Especially with the letters I received from Sara Potter when you had first started teaching . Or the ones I've been receiving from Harry and Jazlyn this week. From what it sounds like, you haven't changed at all."
"I do not care what students think of me," Snape muttered.
"Maybe not," Jane said. "But you care what Lily would have thought. You may think that this has nothing to do with her. But Sirius was her friend, The Godfather of her child. And you should know that Harry might look like James but he is Lily's son too. And Whether or not Sirius is innocent, she would have done whatever it took to find out the truth. Wouldn't you want to know? Don't you want to know what really happened to her?"
She was met again with silence.
"Prove that you have changed. Prove her right. All I need to know is whether or not you saw Sirius Black at any of the Death Eater meetings you attended."
"I don't need to prove anything to you," Snape sneered. He glowered after her. Jane's gaze hardened.
"Fine," she hardened her face and marched up closer to him so they were almost nose to nose. "But know this. If I free him and find out that you knew he was innocent this entire time. I will make sure you get a one way ticket to Azkaban. Even Dumbledore won't be able to save you."
"Oh is that a threat?" Snape replied in an almost bored tone. "I didn't know you had it in you."
Jane glared at him coldly and he glared back.
"If you really must know," He started and Jane stepped surprised that he was actually going to help. "Really you ought to have already known. But the Death Eaters wear masks even with each other. I have no way of knowing if Black was a Death Eater or not. I'm sure if he were a spy the Dark Lord would have wanted that to be a well kept secret."
"But Karkaroff knew some," Jane said.
"One might know of a couple other Death Eaters but certainly not all," Snape said in a tone as if that was supposed to be obvious. "The ministry would have caught all of them by now otherwise. As I said I'm sure he would have wanted Black to remain a secret."
Suddenly, to both of their surprise the door slammed open.
"I'm here! Professor—" A familiar and slightly out of breath voice said then stopped suddenly. "MOM!?"
Jane stared at her daughter who had just burst into the room. Jazlyn had her bag slung haphazardly over her shoulder. Her uniform shirt was untucked on one side and one button at the top was left unbuttoned. Her tie was done but hung loosely around her neck. Her robes were nowhere to be found. Somehow the look was both lazy and well put together at the same time. A skill she most definitely got from her father. Jazlyn looked so much like Sirius in that moment that Jane had to stop her mind from going back to her own first year at Hogwarts. However, when she saw her daughter's hair she was immediately concerned. It was unkept and messy. Which was probably the most shocking thing to Jane at that moment. Like both her mother and her father, Jazlyn was very particular with her hair and how it looked. Jazlyn, for her part, looked back and forth between her mother and Professor with her jaw dropped.
AN: Hey all! Sorry for the long delay in updating. I've been crazy busy with a million different things and I thought I had updated this a week or too ago instead of a whole month ago. So sorry!
