Disclaimer: You recognize it? It ain't mine.
(Wednesday, December 21st)
Severus and Bellatrix flanked the Dark Lord - the dignitaries from the mainland had already left in intervals so as to not be suspicious. They did not speak as they strode down the hallways; only the clicking of their heels and gentle swishing of their robes could be heard in the dim hallways.
The Dark Lord slowed to a halt before the ornate doors to the ballroom. "Severus," he said, "I expect you to show your true strength in this duel; you will have ample time to recover before the term resumes. I will be… most displeased should you give me anything but your best."
"Of course, my lord, I will give it my all," Severus said, bowing his head.
Voldemort smirked at him over his shoulder. "Very good, my Dragon." With a twitch of his fingers, he slammed the doors open and strode into the ballroom, Severus and Bellatrix following closely.
The sound alone drew some attention their way, but it was the oppressive weight of the Dark Lord's magic (a towering tempest, thrumming with electric danger) that gained the attention of everyone present. The chatter broke off abruptly, the instruments charmed to play fell silent after jarring chords, and the crowd shifted back from the three obviously dark wiccans, like shadows chased away by flame.
As uncertainty grew in the crowd, so did their fear, causing their magic to react until it was palpable in the air. The nervous magic fretted around him, clinging to his skin, suffocating him like a humid summer day – it was reminiscent of standing before Lupin on a full moon, almost.
Severus chanced brief looks at the gathered crowd, unconsciously searching for Narcissa – there! Standing with her cousin now. It was never difficult for him to find Narcissa, drawn to her as he was. He caught her eye by chance and a small, secret smile flowered on her face for him; he felt his own fear and unease melt away. She was a cool summer breeze, the sunrise after a full moon.
Breaking eye contact despite not wanting to, Severus tightened his hold on his occlumency to better ward off the sensation of the nervous magic. I can't afford to dwell on them, he berated himself, clenching his jaw. They're irrelevant.
But still, it was hard not to be impacted by the cautious magic fueled by fear that filled the ballroom, even with occlumency. Is this what he had to expect as a Knight of Walpurgis? Fear at his very presence?
A part of himself rebelled against that thought. He didn't care to hold such power over people, he didn't want to, not after having grown up with Tobias.
The Dark Lord drew to a halt in the middle of the grand ballroom (Severus and Bellatrix a respectful distance away) before turning a slow circle, grinning maniacally at the people pressed against the walls in the ballroom in an attempt to stay as far away from him as possible.
"I thank you for your attention, and beg your forgiveness, Heir Malfoy, for crashing such a wonderful Yule celebration.
"For those of you who do not know who I am… I am Lord Voldemort."
Screams echoed through the ballroom at his name, and the crowd surged backwards like a tidal wave from where the three stood. The fearful magic swelled to a near unbearable level, causing Severus to grit his teeth as he fought to maintain a hold of himself. Never had he stood in the midst of such overwhelming magic. Unable to help himself, he sought out Narcissa again, as subtly as he could.
Voldemort gave a cruel chuckle, one that reverberated around in one's skull, stealing Severus's attention from the crowd before he managed to find her again. His lord obviously was basking in their distress, as was Bellatrix if the feral grin on her face was anything to go by. Severus stood tense, impassive, uncomfortable. It's for Narcissa, he reminded himself, clenching and unclenching his hand hidden in his robes, I'm doing this for Narcissa.
"Fear not, I am not here to wreak havoc, after all, you are among the very best our society has to offer. No… I am here to give a display of my power. It has come to my attention that there are some who do not believe the rumors surrounding how devastating I am with a wand, and well… I simply cannot allow that to stand."
He gestured towards Severus. "My Dragon and I shall put on a little show for you all, so Britain will know once and for all the power that has risen within her borders." The Dark Lord's enjoyment at their unease drained away, leaving his cruelty as he swept a flat stare around the ballroom, his magic sparking in warning around him. "You all will see how futile it is to resist," he hissed before turning to Bellatrix. "Lethifold, set the square."
The crowd was deathly silent as Bellatrix stepped away from them and in the span of no more than seven heartbeats slammed the Gorvish Tertiary Ward into existence. The bright magic flared around them, rushing out from where her wand tip touched the floor before settling around the Dragon and the Dark Lord, the triple layer system glittering and humming.
Bellatrix is definitely not one to mess with. Tearing his eyes from the wards, he gave his full attention to the Dark Lord, shoving all other sensations deep under his occlumency shields, far deeper than he ever did when brewing or playing quidditch. The low din of the ballroom fell away, and the claustrophobic pressure of the gathered wiccans' fear faded away to little more than a prickle at the nape of his neck.
He could afford no distractions now.
"Show them your strength, my Dragon," Voldemort commanded, his voice ringing loudly in Severus's ears; he met his lord's eyes – dark brown within rings of red, glittering in anticipation. "Show them why they should fear you."
"Yes, my lord," Severus murmured with a bow of his head. His own voice sounding distant to him, mentally suspended as he was in his occlumency shields.
Facing each other, they gave deep bows before turning on their heels and took ten measured steps away from the other. They turned back to the center as one and settled into their preferred fighting stances.
Where Voldemort was solid, grounded, and fully facing him, Severus was taut, balanced on the balls of his feet, and turned to the side, making himself as small a target as possible. He couldn't hope to match the Dark Lord's strength and endurance, so he would have to stay fluid – make himself a moving target rather than a stationary one.
The best offense is a good defense, after all.
"The duel will end when one side yields or is unable to continue fighting," Bellatrix called, loud enough for the entire hall to hear. She looked between the two of them briefly before swinging her wand arm down with a shout of "Begin!"
Fiendfyre roared from Severus's wand just as pure dark magic screamed towards him – the magics lashed out at each other in a brilliant display of horrific power. Sulfurous smoke billowed where their magic clashed, not that either dueler stopped to watch.
Both kept up a continuous stream of curses – Severus favoring compact spells requiring unerring accuracy and the Dark Lord using his knowledge of Severus to his advantage by using powerful blasts that affected an area – or rather, spells that were difficult to dodge.
The smoke soon filled the area in the wards, obscuring their view and burning their throats – the dark magic smothering the cursed flames in unearthly screeches that left Severus's ears ringing.
Curses exploded as they collided in air, dark magic shattered on their shields, sporadically lighting up the black cloud. The constant barrage of spell fire filled the area contained by Bellatrix's ward with enough ambient energy for lightning to crackle and flash within the cloud. Both Severus and the Dark Lord were like lightning rods, each had magical electricity sparking around their shields, threatening to shatter them.
A snarled swear and then deafening clap came from the Dark Lord; Severus had to drop to a crouch to brace himself against the hurricane force winds that howled around him as the spell dispersed the smoke. Before the winds stopped, Severus's instincts screamed at him, causing him to roll to the side to avoid a sickly red curse that left a crater in the floor where he had been.
A flick of his wrist strengthened his shields as he sprung back to his feet when the winds died out, spells flying from his wand. After his first few duels with the Dark Lord, he had learned (the hard way) not to waste time on trying to identify curses cast at him. Time better spent either reinforcing his shields or getting the hell out of the way. Luckily, he was sensitive enough to magic to know which to do.
His skin stung as he was pelted with debris the Dark Lord banished towards him – a slash of his wand overtook the broken tile pieces and transfigured them into panthers that he set upon the Dark Lord, only to have them be changed into snakes by his opponent. The Dark Lord hissed – hissed! – at them, oily and sibilant tones that froze Severus where he stood. A Parselmouth! The Dark Lord was as Parselmouth!
So shocked by this, Severus felt himself take a step back, eyes latched on to the massive snakes' fangs, all dripping with venom. A well-aimed blasting curse from the Dark Lord snapped him out of his fear. A swift Sectumsempra decapitated the snakes which crumbled back to mortar and stone upon their death.
A flick of his wand conjured a flame whip and with a flourish, Severus cracked it at the Dark Lord, shattering his outermost ward. Pressing the brief advantage, Severus sent a volley of spells, but left himself open to attack doing so. A bone breaking curse caught him unaware, shattering his femur – the pain distantly registering beyond his occlumency – sending him crashing to the ground.
Senses screaming at him, he slammed his now bloodied hand into the ground, raising the strongest wards he knew of just shy of the Gorvish itself. A fan of dark curses impacted his ward, saving him from what would have been an undoubtedly painful death.
The Dark Lord bared his teeth at him, recognizing the ward. Nothing could get past Severus's ward – aside from the killing curse, of course, he wasn't foolish or arrogant enough to believe he had developed a shield against that spell – but it lasted only three minutes, and Severus could raise it only once a day, lest he wanted the ward to kill him. He hadn't got that part of the spell figured out yet.
The Dark Lord could do nothing but prowl outside it and wait for it to fall, which left Severus with enough time to heal his leg as best he could.
Using his blood seeping from his hands, he drew a bindrune for healing on his thigh, keeping an eye on the Dark Lord, and his senses open to his ward so he would at least have something of a warning for when it failed. The bindrune glowed golden briefly when he completed it, he distantly felt a shock of pain as bone came back together partially – healed enough to put weight on it, he hoped.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he slowly rose to his feet and raised his wand just as his ward fell. The Dark Lord attacked with barely restrained fury, Severus matched his powerful spells in kind, but with nowhere near as much accuracy as he had at the start of the fight.
Even with his training with the Dark Lord, which always pushed him to the point of near exhaustion, Severus felt himself waning – it was only natural at this point. He knew he was dodging far more often than his lord was having to, and his shields were without a doubt taking a harsher beating, wearing him out much faster than the Dark Lord. He rarely made it very long in duels where his lord didn't hold back.
With a twisting jab of his wand, a deafening crack of thunder shook the room as lightning raced towards the Dark Lord. Severus felt a little dismayed when his lord laughed, laughed as he stepped to the side and retaliated in kind with a spell so dark the hair rose on the back of Severus's neck.
Abandoning his wand, Severus hastily drew protection bindrunes in the air, again with his blood – sigils so well known to him he could draw them in his sleep. The spell shrieked at him upon hitting his shield, but it could come no closer. It dissipated, hissing and spitting as it went. He summoned his wand back to his hand, his right this time, to be able to keep feeding blood to his shield with his left before he continued to fire offensive spells at the Dark Lord.
Each spell that landed on his shield made his drawn blood boil away to nothing, causing him to have to draw the sigil again. He was definitely feeling the strain on his body from using his blood this way – an ill-advised method for most to employ, especially after drawing so heavily on one's magic as he had in this fight. But Severus Snape was not most.
Even so, he probably should've used a different way of protecting himself – the strain it put on him would end their duel before he was completely magically exhausted. Using blood as protection took from the magic in one's blood – one's essence – which was… different from the magic in one's core.
By pulling on his essence, he was using Blood Magic, or more accurately, Life Magic, which if overused could kill the caster. He didn't know his limits for Life Magic, and he wasn't exactly keen on finding out.
It was without a doubt evident for all to see that his strength was faltering – he had been reduced to guiding his magic with intent now rather than actual spells and was panting raggedly, his harsh breath heard even over the clash of their magic. Using pure intent was a dangerous way to duel, and frankly borderline suicidal as the magic could blow up in his face, but needs must.
Under his mask, he could feel sweat gathered on his brow, running down his face and dripping off his chin. A similar sensation around his nose told him it was bleeding freely, undoubtedly from the strain of the Life Magic.
A brief pause came in their casting, during which Severus watched the Dark Lord warily – he was only slightly winded and kilometers away from Severus's condition. It was laughable to think that Severus would last much longer, but he would rather end it due to his exhaustion and not a more serious injury.
Perhaps…?
Gritting his teeth, Severus gripped his wand with both hands and pushed black flames out from his wand in a last, desperate attempt of an attack; he fell to a knee from the exertion but held the spell, flooding the square with the unearthly fire.
The innermost layer of the wards shattered as the flames splashed up the sides.
Grinning patronizingly at Severus, the Dark Lord took control of the flames with a wide sweep of his wand arm and sent them back at Severus. He was in no shape to defend himself, barely able to support himself on his hands and knees now.
Chest heaving as he tried to pull in enough air, Severus felt the flames approach – he dug deep within himself, to the last scrap of his magic yet to be exerted and looked up, eyes burning. Narcissa. For Narcissa.
With a deafening clap of his hands in front of him, the fire split before him and instead attacked the wards, but not before burning his hands. Severus hardly felt the pain of the flames eating his flesh, so focused was he on maintaining his wedge-like shield before him.
With a warning flash, the second layer failed.
Members of the crowd screamed and scrambled backwards, gaining a sliver of Severus's attention. He chanced a look through the slits of his eyelids towards where Bellatrix was last and saw as she waved her wand, frantically almost, to raise another ward –
The third layer failed with a boom.
The crowd was thrown to the ground by the magical backlash from the wards falling completely, Severus and the Dark Lord included. From where he lay on the ground, he could see an almost astonished look on his lord's face; the last time the Gorvish Tertiary ward had failed had been the legendary duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Pushing himself back up to his knees, Severus was relieved to see that Bellatrix had managed a ward strong enough to contain Hades' Flames; the black flames lapped at the circle almost petulantly until Severus managed to dismiss them with a herculean effort. He knew the Dark Lord would do no such thing.
His vision blurred and the color seeped away from the world as he swayed where he sat. That was a bad idea, was his last coherent thought before he collapsed completely on the charred floor in a dead faint.
{Furius Draconis}
"Albus! ALBUS!" Horace Slughorn howled as he ran through the halls of Hogwarts, heading straight for the headmaster's office. "ALBUS!"
He all but ran into Minerva as he rounded a corner; she had her wand brandished, a steel glint in her eye as if she were preparing to fight the hounds of hell that were surely nipping at his heels.
Seeing nothing but her college, she rounded on him, or rather, his back, as he had lost little momentum in his haste towards the headmaster's office. "Horace!" She chastised him, quickening her pace to catch him. "There is no need to be making such a horrible racket! Especially not at this late hour! You're lucky the students are away for the holidays!"
"Oh yes there is Minerva!" Horace returned immediately, rounding on her with wild eyes, causing her to falter. "I've just come from the Malfoys' Yule Ball – You-Know-Who crashed it! He had a duel with one of his Knights – Minerva they brought down the Gorvish!"
Minerva was wide eyed now. She gripped her wand tighter before spinning where she stood. "This way – I know a shortcut to Albus's office."
Horace was hot on her heels as she led the way down a secret passage he never knew existed. They exited the passage from behind a gargoyle just a few paces away from Oorum, the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office. He shot in front of her, shouting "Ice mice!" as he went – Oorum leaped to the side allowing Horace access to the stairs leading to Albus's office.
"Albus!" he called, bursting into the office, Minerva just moments behind him. "Albus?!"
"Horace?" Albus asked, coming down the stairs that led to his personal quarters, pulling a house robe over his nightwear – neither of which were any less brightly colored from his day robes. "Minerva? What's happened?"
"What hasn't happened is a better question!" Horace shouted, waving his arms frantically. "Tom showed up at Lucius's Yule Ball, Albus. He showed up and had the most terrifying duel I've ever seen in my life with one of his Knights – they destroyed the Gorvish! Lightning crackled, flames roared, the ground trembled, dark magic screamed, spilt blood boiled – I didn't think any of us were going to make it out of there alive!"
Albus sat down wearily in his seat behind his desk, all his years resting heavily on his shoulders. "What purpose did Tom have in doing this?" he asked, taking his glasses off to rub at the bridge of his nose.
"He said he wanted to show once and for all his strength – to show that resisting him is futile," Horace said, his fingers nervously working the hem of his wide sleeves. "I bloody well believe him, Albus. Never have I seen such dark magic be thrown around – and to have a Knight who can duel like that! Merlin and Morgana, the future is dark, very dark."
"Did you recognize the Knight?" Albus asked, leaning forwards.
"No, no I didn't," Horace fretted, shaking his head. "He – and I am sure they were a he only due to the cut of his robes – wore a mask."
"This is most distressing, old friend," Albus said, leaning back once more. "Could I trouble you for your memory of the fight? I would like to see it for myself."
Horace immediately drew his wand, fumbled with it a moment, and pulled the memory from his mind. Albus had a vial ready for him to deposit it in. "Filius should have a look at it as well, and Cosima too. Perhaps they could shed some light on this Dragon's fighting form that would help us identify him – there's something familiar about him. I just can't put my knife to this sopophorous bean…."
"Dragon?" Minerva asked, making her presence known again, startling the two wizards.
"That's what You-Know-Who called him – his Dragon. He called the other Knight Lethifold – she had the Gorvish up in a matter of seconds," Horace said. "His mask may have been fashioned to look like that of a dragon's skull, but I was some distance away and far more focused on the fight itself. He certainly seemed to have an affinity with fire-based spells."
Albus looked at the memory he held in his hand with great concern. If Horace was telling the truth… things were dire for the Light indeed.
{Furius Draconis}
(Friday, December 23rd)
Narcissa sat by Severus's bedside, unwilling to be moved. It had been two days since his duel with the Dark Lord, and he showed no sign of waking up. He lay in the same position he'd been placed in when Bellatrix brought him into his rooms: on his back, his hands (covered in burn paste and white wraps) on either side of him.
It was only the shallow, albeit steady, rise and fall of his chest that gave any indication that life was still in him. She tightened her grip on the skirts of her robes. He will wake up, he will.
"Sickle for your thoughts, Cissa?" Bellatrix asked, startling Narcissa. She hadn't even heard her sister enter the room.
With a sigh she settled herself, releasing her robes, and returned her gaze to the still form of her dear friend. "I am… worried."
"Clearly," Bellatrix snorted, coming to stand next to her. She passed her hand over her hair before letting her hand settle comfortingly on her shoulder. "What about, little one?"
Narcissa managed a small smile at the old term of endearment, used only when they were alone. "Severus," she said. "He hasn't woken yet, hasn't moved."
"He is strong," Bellatrix countered, knowing at once the root of her sister's fears. "I admit my own surprise at his strength, especially for a half-blood. But even so, he has limits. He went past them in the duel with my lord, but that does not mean he will not wake."
"He is," Narcissa agreed, clutching her robes again. "But…"
"Yes?" Bellatrix asked when it became apparent Narcissa wasn't going to finish her sentence.
She sighed. "This will not be the last time he goes past his limits, I fear."
Bellatrix's nose twitched. "What makes you say that, Cissa?"
Narcissa cut her sister a look, before her gaze returned to Severus. "He is a half-blood, sister-mine. You know what Slytherin is like for those of less than pure blood, and you know the same holds true among the Knights of Walpurgis."
"He is one of the Chosen, the Dominus of the Knights. None would dare treat him as they have at Hogwarts," Bellatrix dismissed.
Narcissa turned in her chair to pin her sister with an unimpressed, knowing stare. "Really?" she drawled, her voice cutting.
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her, but Narcissa could see that her sister was actually considering the situation at hand. "I… suppose there are some who would not treat him with the respect he is due."
Narcissa gave a sharp nod. "They certainly have not in Slytherin. But they will now."
A light groan from the bed captured both Daughters Black attention.
"Severus!" Narcissa was up and at his side in an instant, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. "Severus darling, can you hear me?"
"Cissa," he groaned. "Loud."
She heard her sister try to suppress a snicker behind her, but she paid her no mind. "Sorry, darling," she said, much quieter. "How are you feeling? Can you open your eyes?" She stroked his cheek before passing her hand through his hair, her heart filling with such warmth when he leaned into her hand.
His face scrunched – she smoothed out his brow with her thumb – and his eyes fluttered open, his gaze unfocused.
"Hello darling," she said, smiling softly at him, tears of relief welling in her eyes. "You've had me quite worried, you know."
He blinked a few more times at her, she could see him trying to focus on her. "Sorry," he said. "Sorry."
"You've been out for two days," Bellatrix said, coming around the other side of his bed. She had a calculating look on her face, seeing the unrestrained affection Narcissa was giving him – her hand still stroking his hair – but Narcissa would worry about that later.
He turned his head to look at her, confusion written plainly on his face. Bellatrix elaborated, "You passed out after your duel with the Dark Lord, magically exhausted yourself. I knew you had strength, Snape, you didn't have to knock yourself unconscious to prove it."
He blinked at her. "Sorry?"
The sisters snorted in unison, bringing his attention back to Narcissa; she smiled at him, running her fingers over his furrowed brow. She was pleased when his face relaxed. "I'm glad you're awake, my darling."
He gave a jerky nod but let his eyes fall closed, leaning into her hand again. "Mn."
"Sleep," she said. She hesitated only a moment before placing a kiss on his forehead. "I will be here when you wake."
"Mn," he hummed.
Narcissa could feel her sister's gaze on her, heavy with questions, but she ignored her. She'd deal with Bellatrix after Severus was back on his feet.
{Furius Draconis}
(Sunday, January 8th, 1978)
Nearly as soon as Lily set foot on Platform 9¾, her friends snatched her away from the Marauders.
"Oi!" Sirius called after them. "It's rude to steal, you know!"
"She was our friend first!" Mary shouted back as Pandora and Alice smuggled her off through the crowd.
"My trunk!" Lily tried to protest, but her concern was waved away.
"Your boys'll get it," Alice dismissed.
"Not my boys!"
"Sure, sure, whatever you say," Mary said. "You only spent all of the Winter break with them."
Lily groaned, but allowed them to steer her towards the train, knowing it would be futile to resist.
When the four of them were all in a compartment, three expectant sets of eyes turned onto Lily.
"What?" she asked, bordering on defensive.
"Tell us everything," Alice said, her voice going dramatic.
"And don't you dare leave out anything!" Mary added, wagging a finger at her.
"'Everything' is rather broad you know-"
"Yes, and that's why we want to know everything," Pandora cut her off. "You were rather sparse with details in your letters, after all."
"I hardly had the time to write!" Lily laughed. "The boys were always up to something; it's a wonder James's parents allowed all four of them in the Cottage at the same time."
"Lily I will start hexing you if you don't start giving us details," Mary said, her hand going for her wand.
"Okay, okay!" Lily said. "So much happened though, I don't know where to begin."
"I find that chronological order is always a good way to relay events," Pandora said, bordering on sarcastic.
"Very funny Dora – ask me questions, the days all blurred together."
"Did you sleep with James?" Mary asked without missing a beat.
"What – no!" Lily shouted. "I slept on the other side of the house!"
"She's barely stopped hating the bloke, she's not going to go shag him the first chance she gets!" Alice said, smacking Mary's arm.
"Thank you, Alice," Lily said.
"They're just friends… for now, at least," she added, mischief sparkling in her eyes. She got a glare from Lily for that.
"We are just friends," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Mary raised her hands in mock surrender. "I'm only asking what we all were wondering. He has been trying to get you to go steady with him for, what, four years now?"
"You're all incorrigible – you know that's something I'd owl about," Lily said. She could feel that her face was nearly as red as her hair.
"Aww, but we would've missed your wondrous blush, Carrot Top!"
"Mary!" Lily shouted.
Pandora rolled her eyes at them. "What did you lot even do the whole time? I can't imagine that Sirius Black of all people would make for a stimulating conversation."
"You know, I thought the same before this break. But we had some surprisingly good conversations about the transfiguration homework, when he wasn't pranking the hell out of James and Remus. Peter only managed to come on Boxing Day."
"Were they as bad as they are at Hogwarts?" Alice asked.
"Worse," Lily groaned. "I never fully appreciated how busy coursework keeps them. I think I counted at least twenty pranks on Boxing Day, and those were just the ones I was aware of! There's no telling what they did when I wasn't looking. It's frankly a miracle the house is still standing after having all four there at once.
"They learned quickly enough not to leave me out of that mess," Lily added, slightly smug.
"Yes, your reputation precedes you, O Great and Unholy Terror of the Quidditch Pitch," Mary said, bowing repeatedly to her.
"Good," Lily said, sticking her nose up in the air before laughing at herself with the girls. "Really, I think it was more that they didn't want to spend another day as the targets of Pin the Tail on the Donkey as donkeys. James's dad thought that was particularly hilarious."
"It can't have only been pranks," Pandora said. "I've heard the Potters have an extensive library?"
"Ravenclaw," Mary teased. Pandora gave her shoulder a light shove.
"It wasn't as large as Hogwarts's library, but it had way more information on potions and creature care," Lily said. "Made the potions essay Slughorn assigned worlds easier. Peter was surprisingly helpful too, considering how he's done in that class. He's pants at brewing, but he's got the theory down really well."
"You aren't going to be ditching us for the boys, are you?" Mary asked shrewdly.
"Wha- no!" Lily said. "Of course not, I can only handle so much chaos at once, and those four are nothing but chaos. Haven't you noticed how much Peeves likes them?"
"Yeah," Alice huffed. "Remember the vendetta they had against me in Fifth year? When I was 'distracting' Frank from Quidditch? Peeves made my life hell too because they were doing it."
Lily snorted. "I remember that. It took summoning the Bloody Baron to get Peeves to lay off of you."
"So long as you won't be abandoning us for the Marauders of all people…" Mary said, "I approve of your friendship with them."
Lily rolled her eyes. "How gracious," she drawled. "Now, tell me what you lot got up to this break!"
The train ride passed smoothly after the interrogation, the four of them chattering about the Winter break. When the time came, the girls were even kind enough to let Lily escape to do her Head Girl duties, which is what led her to another interrogation, spearheaded by one James Fleamont Potter.
"You alright?" he asked. "Your lot seemed particularly fierce when they dragged you off."
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine," she said, waiving away his concerns. "They just wanted to gossip."
"Oh? Did someone say gossip?" Sirius said, seeming to pop up in between them as they patrolled the train.
"I did, you sneaky mongrel," Lily said with a roll of her eyes.
"Well go on! Share, share, share," he said, waggling his eyebrows excessively.
"You've been with her the entire break, you prat," James laughed. "I think you've gotten all of the possible gossip out of her at this point."
"Nonsense!" He crowed. "She was gone for, like, thirty minutes just now. There's no telling what new gossip she managed to dig up in that time!"
"Merlin save me from a sugar high Sirius Black," Lily moaned, albeit good naturedly. "I've no new gossip to share with you, I was sharing gossip with them from the break – and before you start, no I did not betray Marauder rule number 2."
"How do you even know what that is?" James asked after a beat of silence.
"I'm observant," Lily said with a shrug.
"You're scary, is what you are," Sirius said.
"Why thank you, Sirius," she said, winking at him. "I'm off to find the girls again, I'll see you lot at the feast, yeah?"
"Yeah…" James echoed, he and Sirius watching her leave, wondering how she had managed to pick up their rules so easily.
{Furius Draconis}
(Monday, January 9th)
Severus grimaced and flexed his hand for the third time that evening as he took notes for his and the wolf's joint project in Ancient Studies. Using Hades' Flame as a last resort had, in retrospect, been rather stupid. The Dark Lord was the one who invented that spell, after all. Luckily, the scarring wasn't too bad, and would fade with just a few more doses of the specialized scar cream he had made as soon as his hands had allowed him.
Narcissa had been in a right state when he woke up two days later and he had even received a backhanded compliment from Bellatrix that was more of an admonishment than anything.
He wasn't sure what to make of her.
"What happened to your hands?" Lupin asked, eyeing the scars pointedly with heavy shades of concern in his green eyes.
He got a half-hearted glare for his efforts. "None of your business, wolf."
Lupin rolled his eyes, apparently used to Severus's gruffness. Unsurprising, considering they shared the same schedule, and were forced to work in close quarters with each other for hours on end nearly every day. The werewolf was even beginning to grow on him.
Like fungus, Severus quickly added. Deadly, unwanted fungus.
"Grumpy, are we? Have you run out of cigarettes?" Remus teased lightly before growing serious. "Was it the Slytherins?"
Severus narrowed his eyes at the other teen with a slight sneer. Lupin wasn't going to let it go – he hadn't really, not since he witnessed Hansen and Sutcliffe calling him a Mudblood the previous term. But Severus couldn't exactly tell him that his hands got burned in a duel with the Dark Lord, now could he? Word of the duel held at Malfoy's Yule Ball had spread on the train like the vicious black flames that had scarred him, and he couldn't afford any connection to that, not if he wanted to finish his last year at Hogwarts.
"I'm not a bloody chain smoker wolf," he said instead. "I have enough to last me the term, even with you bumming cigs off of me."
"Wonderful, I'll do just that when we're finished today – was it the Slytherins who did that to your hands?"
Like a bloody dog with a bone, he was.
"Yes," he answered shortly. He returned to his notes, hoping to signal that he was done speaking about the topic.
"Who?" Lupin pushed, a hard glint in his green eyes.
Severus looked back up. "What, are you planning on repaying them for the favor?" he asked sarcastically. "I have no need for a Gryffindor knight in shining armor; I can fight my own battles, thanks."
Remus's face twitched in the way Severus knew meant he was really settling into his stubborn ways. He braced himself accordingly. "You don't have to."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said, you don't have to. Fight your own battles, that is," Lupin said, leaning forward slightly in his chair, his eyes shining with such earnest honesty it made Severus want to puke.
As it was, he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing from a Marauder of all people, regardless of the truce they had come to and managed to uphold. He continued to stare at him, letting the silence between them stretch until Lupin started to fidget.
"The last time," he started, softly, "a Gryffindor stood up for me, I paid dearly for it. I can fight my own battles, wolf."
"You shouldn't have to though," Remus said, running a hand through his hair. "No one should."
Severus shifted in his chair so he was looking fully at his class partner. "Why in the hell do you care?"
"Because!" he said, throwing his hands up. "No one should have to put up with being attacked by their Housemates, least of all you!"
"Lower your voice, you'll get us kicked out," Severus hissed. He looked around for Madam Pince, but saw no sign of her. They were sitting at the most secluded table Severus could find as all the study rooms were taken. Bloody Ravenclaws.
"Sorry," Lupin muttered mulishly.
Severus rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You didn't answer my question though. Why do you care what happens to me?"
If he wasn't mistaken, there was a faint blush creeping up the werewolf's face. How… interesting. "Is it so wrong of me to wish you well? To wish you didn't have to put up with being hurt by other people?"
"It's bloody weird, is what it is," Severus said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Sure, they had managed to migrate towards something of a… friendly partnership, but this was still a Marauder. Someone who had made certain that Severus's time spent at Hogwarts was far from enjoyable.
"Would it be weird for Black to voice the same sentiments?" he asked.
"Narcissa, you mean? No, it wouldn't. She does so, frequently. But as you are aware, she's my friend."
"Am I not your friend too?"
Severus's ingrained response of a vehement and resounding no died on the tip of his tongue, stopped by the earnest look Lupin was giving him. His green eyes glittering with such open honesty and hope it caught Severus off guard.
Were they friends?
"You don't have to answer that right now, Severus," Lupin said. "Just know that I consider you to be my friend."
Severus blinked at him.
"And how are your… friends taking this development?"
"You're hard to read, so I have no bloody clue," the wolf said with a smile, flashing his enlarged canines – one of the five signs of a werewolf.
Severus rolled his eyes again; he seemed to do that often around this Gryffindor. "Don't be dense, you know who I meant – Potter, Black, Pettigrew. How do they feel about this development? I can't imagine Black would be willing to put up with such a thing."
"This may come as a surprise to you, Severus, but they aren't my only friends, and have no say in who I make friends with."
"Growing yourself a backbone, I see," Severus couldn't help but say with a slight sneer.
Lupin had the decency to ignore Severus's mostly unintended jibe. "Yes, that seems to be a requirement for being friends with you."
Severus sat back in his chair. "You're serious? You really think yourself to be my friend?"
"I'm not Sirius, I'm Remus," he said with a wry grin. Severus couldn't stop the eyeroll that came even if he tried. "But yes, I am. You see, friendship is a rather natural thing that develops when you spend all hours of the day with another person. Once you get past the animosity and snark, you're a decent bloke."
It was inevitable, really, the way his mind flashed to the Dark Lord and the potions he had brewed for him. To what he knew he would have to do for Narcissa's sake, what he'd have to become.
Decent bloke indeed.
Severus shook his head. The world can burn for all I care, so long as she's safe. I'll even start the bloody fire, if that's what I need to do to keep her safe.
"If you're quite finished talking about your feelings, wolf, we need to get back to work."
"Your wish is my command, Sev."
Every muscle froze in Severus's body. "What did you just call me?" His voice was quiet and strained.
"Sev," Lupin said patiently, but he was eyeing Severus with some concern. "You've got your little nickname for me, so I figured it was high time I had one for you."
"That – no. No. Call me something else – anything else – fucking Snivellus is preferable."
Lupin's eyes widened in horrified realization, undoubtedly understanding why Severus would not wish to be called Sev. "Oh, I'm sorry Severus. I didn't think… I'm sorry."
"Clearly," he bit out. He ran a hand down his face and sighed. "It is fine."
The last time he had been called that, the Marauders had him stripped and had him upside down in front of nearly the entire school. Potter and Black had used it like an insult against him and Lily had smiled.
He took in a deep breath and shook himself again.
Narcissa would never do that to him – she'd probably gut anyone who did at this point, pleasant smile on her face and all.
"It's fine," he repeated, stronger this time, taking solace in that mental image. "Did you find more information on seiðr?"
Lupin let him change the topic. "Yeah," he shuffled through his pile of parchments. "Yeah, here."
Severus took the parchment and scanned the notes quickly before giving a sharp nod. He started packing his things – he really needed a bloody cigarette after this conversation. "I'll combine our notes."
"Can I still bum that cig off of you?" Remus asked. He was chewing on his lip and looking up at Severus from under his lashes, wringing his hands on the table in front of him.
Severus slowed his movements, thinking. There really was no reason not to. What could it hurt?
"Fine," he sighed. "But don't make a habit of it! You won't like me if I run out, especially if it's your fault."
"I won't!" Remus said with a bright smile, leaping from his seat, throwing his things haphazardly into his bag. "I promise."
Bloody Gryffindors and their emotions.
Severus rolled his eyes and started walking away. "Hurry up, wolf, I have rounds later and Narcissa hates it when I'm late."
Remus scrambled to catch up, still stuffing parchment and quills into his shoulder bag. "Don't you patrol with the Hufflepuffs?"
Severus shook his head. "I terrified Abbot. She was all too eager to jump on swapping partners so she could work with Ellstrom and I with Narcissa. The Dungeons really are no place for Hufflepuffs anyways – the portraits and statues are not always… benign… towards members of the other three Houses.
"The four of us got together and worked out our own schedule of patrols for the lower levels. I think Heir Black is the only one who preferred to stay with his Hufflepuff partner, not that I blame him, MacMillian is a piece of work. Haggins just patrols the Basement and lets her have the Dungeons."
"James and Lily okayed that?"
Severus scoffed. "Don't be daft, they have no idea."
"I won't be telling," Remus was quick to promise.
"Good, or else you'd have to find someone else to bum cigarettes off of. And deal with an irate Narcissa Black, which is not something you can handle, trust me."
"Are you speaking from experience, or…?"
Severus rolled his eyes, hearing the teasing tone in the other's voice. Since when did he joke with a Marauder? "I'm not stupid enough to irritate her. I've just sat back and watched as she's reduced others to tears in a matter of a few words."
Remus gave a low whistle. "She sounds scary."
"That's because she is. Come on, through here, I use an old Potion's classroom on the Fourth floor when it's cold out."
Lupin gave a grand, sweeping bow. "Lead the way, o great and magnificent cigarette keeper."
Severus couldn't stop the huff of laughter that escaped him. "You're an idiot."
"And proud of it too!" Remus agreed with a bright smile. Severus rolled his eyes and shook his head at him.
Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, to have another friend.
{Furius Draconis}
(Wednesday, January 11th)
"Mr. Snape, please stay after class. There is something I must speak with you about." Minerva said before class started once the teen walked into the classroom.
He nodded stiffly and slid into his usual seat, accompanied by Mr. Lupin rather than Miss Black. It had not been an easy decision partnering those two together, but she and their other professors felt that Mr. Snape was best positioned to help Mr. Lupin with his assignments – the full moon had taken a toll on his education.
Luckily, it seemed as if they had come to a truce. Or rather, there had been no public outbursts between the two. And so far, Mr. Snape's grades had not suffered for it, and Mr. Lupin's had vastly improved.
The lesson she had planned for that day was a recap of all they had been taught the previous semester, just so she could see if they had stayed on top of their work as they were supposed to. It passed relatively quickly, despite it being a double period. If she let them go a little early, none complained.
As the rest of the class filed out, Snape packed his items and then stood in front of her desk. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Snape, I promise I shall be brief."
"I have Care next, but Professor Kettleburn hardly notices if we're there or not." He said with a shrug.
"I'll write you a pass," she said. "I just wanted to see how you are doing – it is quite impressive to take on an apprenticeship while still in Hogwarts, but I worry the workload may be too much."
He gave her an indecipherable look before answering. "So far, it's nothing I cannot handle. Frankly, it's been more work being partnered with Lupin than it has been working with Zeus."
Minerva frowned. "Yes, I was worried about that. I would like to extend an apology to you, Mr. Snape, for pairing you with him. I know you two have a… difficult past. I did what I could to curb their behavior, but they needed more attention that I was able to give them. I am sorry for not preventing more than I did."
Snape dipped his head slightly in a nod. "Thank you, Professor. You're one of the few who tried to keep them in line.
"As for pairing me with Lupin… he is behaving, and I believe he will continue to do so. The rest of his quartet have left us alone as well."
"Good. I am glad to hear it," Minerva said, relieved. There was only so much she could do about those students, so well versed they were with sneaking around the castle and keeping their… shenanigans hidden from the staff.
"Before you go, I also wanted to commend you on the progress you have made in my field of magic in the past three years. It is most impressive. In fact, I might be able to be persuaded to teach you to become an animagus – after graduation, of course. You've too much on your plate now to add another project."
Snape tilted his head at her slightly. Minerva felt like he was judging her, in a way. She let him. Severus was a unique student; one she did not mind treating as more of a peer than student at this point. "I've been working on the process since the summer."
"You have?" Minerva asked in shock. "What progress have you made?"
"I am simply waiting for a thunderstorm now, Professor."
Her eyebrows climbed up her forehead. "You will come to my office with the potion when we are graced with such a storm, Mr. Snape. Better yet, bring the potion here next time you have Prefect rounds so you do not have to worry about the transportation when such a storm hits."
"Of course, Professor."
Minerva shook her head wryly at him. "I should have known a student as ambitious and talented as you would attempt such advanced magics. Here, give this to Kettleburn so you do not lose House points. And Severus? My office door is always open to you. I expect you to drop by before too long."
He looked at her in confusion. "You have a great deal of stress on you, lad. You need an adult to talk to and I know that Horace is not always as… sensitive to his student's needs as he should be."
He stared at her intently before taking the pass. "If I have the time, I will."
She supposed that was the best she was going to get. "Very well, good day Mr. Snape."
"Good day, Professor."
{Furius Draconis}
(Friday, January 13th)
At the end of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Severus cornered a particularly annoying Ravenclaw as she was packing up her belongings.
"Wulfhart. A word," he said shortly. He was getting tired of her spying on him. He had spent too many years avoiding his father and the Marauders to not know when he was being watched.
She narrowed her eyes at him but nevertheless complied. "Very well. How can I help you, Snape?"
"Quit fucking spying on me," he hissed, being as blunt as possible. He adjusted his satchel on his shoulder. "It's a waste of your time, and you're getting on my nerves."
She shifted from one foot to the other. "What makes you think I'd waste time watching you?"
He pinned her with an unimpressed glare. "You really think me to be so obtuse as to not know when someone is spying on me?"
"I don't think you want me to answer that truthfully," she snarked, her eyes flashing.
He shook his head. "Deny it all you want, just knock it off. It's bloody annoying."
She sniffed. "And if I don't?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Then I take this to your Head of House and rightfully claim that you've been stalking me."
"You don't have any proof," she scoffed, flicking her long hair over her shoulder. "And who would believe that I'm stalking youof all people? Eh, Snivellus?"
He smiled at her, unconsciously mirroring the Dark Lord's unsettling, cruel smile. "What makes you think I don't have proof?"
She crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him. "Fine," she spat. "Give an oath that you'll not seek retribution against Lily, and I'll be satisfied."
He tilted his head at her. "And what's stopping me from taking this directly to your Head of House now? Stalking a student, and then demanding an oath from them to stop stalking them? Over someone I don't consider to be worthy of licking the dirt off my boots, much less worthy of my attention?"
Her eyes flashed with anger. "Funny, I seem to remember hearing how you begged for her forgiveness. Spending many nights outside the Gryffindor Common room no less. That doesn't sound like someone who isn't worth your attention to me."
His fingers twitched towards his wand. She was trying to get a rise out of him, so he wouldn't give it to her. He forced himself to settle and smiled at her patronizingly. "Two years ago. I've since come to realize she was never a good friend and is therefore not worth my attention. In fact, one could argue that my life got better once she and I were no longer friends."
He saw Wulfhart's jaw clench. "Since she is so beneath you, why don't you swear the oath then? If she's not worth your attention, what difference would it make?"
Severus stared at her intently. He didn't really think that taking this to Flitwick would get her to leave him alone, this oath probably was the only thing that would. And she was right, it would make no difference at all – he didn't have the time to deal with her for obviously spreading information about him that she had no right to spread.
He'd have to word it carefully though. They were undoubtedly on opposite sides in this war now, and he didn't want to accidentally break the oath should they end up fighting against each other one day.
He rolled his eyes and pulled his wand. "I vow on my Name to not seek retribution against Lily Calvin Evans for anything she may have done thus far."
"A vow on your name means nothing, Snape," Wulfhart said with narrowed eyes.
"You should have specified what kind of oath you wanted then," Severus returned, smiling maliciously. "Tell Evans. She should be relieved and that should be enough for you. Good day."
{Furius Draconis}
"You say he swore on his Name?" Sirius asked.
Lily nodded, her head resting in her hand propped up on the arm of the couch. "He's always been fond of his name, so I'll take it."
"There's more meaning to it than that," Sirius said. "As a Black, I was always taught that an oath on my Name held just as much weight as an oath on my magic. If you break an oath on your name, it's legally no longer your name – he's been hanging around my cousin enough lately to know that. He won't break this oath. I'm more worried about his wording than anything."
"Why's that?"
"He only bound himself to not harm you for anything you've done up to this day. Anything you do after is free game, so to speak."
Lily shook her head. "Snape's always been careful with his words."
"Maybe," Sirius allowed with a shrug. "You said it yourself though, just how dark his magic's gotten over the break. He's got to be one of them."
"I'm afraid you're right," Lily said, her voice small. "I just don't understand how the boy I've known since we were nine could turn into, into one of those monsters!"
Sirius gave a sigh "I know how you feel, I'm afraid my little brother has gotten mixed up into them. And I'm afraid I'm to blame. If I hadn't rebelled quite so much against our parents, he probably wouldn't have felt like he had to follow their every order to the letter, down to selling his soul to a madman."
Lily reached out to him, taking his hand in hers and giving it a brief squeeze. "If there's anything I've learned from my friendship with Severus, it's that you can't be responsible for anyone's actions but your own. What your brother does isn't your fault because it's ultimately his decision. Doesn't make it any easier, though, or make it hurt any less when you have to watch someone you love turn into something like… like that."
"You really loved Snape, didn't you?"
Lily gave a jerky nod. "My sister – well, after we found out I was a witch, she turned into a hateful person. But Severus was there. He was always there. He answered all my questions, comforted me whenever Tuney would say something particularly mean, told me countless stories of the Wizarding World. He was my brother."
Sirius moved from the ottoman in front of her to her side so he could pull her in for a hug. "I'm sorry he turned out the way he did then, and… I'm sorry for doing everything we could to drive a wedge between the two of you."
"Sirius Black apologizing," Lily said with no small amount of wonder. If there were tears in her eyes, he was kind enough not to mention them. "The world must be coming to an end."
He gave her a light shove, making her laugh. "Prat. I apologize to people!"
"I'm just teasing," she chuckled. She turned a mischievous eye on him. "We can't all be serious all the time like you are."
"Did you – did you just make a name pun?" he asked, blinking through his shock.
"Did I?" she asked coyly. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about. I'm a serious individual. I know better than to make jokes on your name."
"Oh Merlin, you really are a Marauder, now. The corruption is complete. McGonagall probably just got chills in her office."
Lily laughed outright at that, which is what Peter saw when he came down the stairs from the dorm rooms.
"Do I even want to know?" he asked, almost tiredly, eyeing them with concern.
Sirius popped up from where he sat and spun around so he was looking at the smallest (but by no means the weakest) Marauder. "Pete! Lily made a Sirius pun!"
Peter gave an exaggerated shiver. "Merlin, she's one of us now."
Lily gave a huff of laughter, "I spent all break with you lot, I don't know why you're so surprised."
Sirius opened his mouth to say Merlin knew what, but he gave a shrug instead. "Yeah, fair." He plopped back down on the couch and Peter walked around, sitting on the ottoman Sirius had been.
"How was your break, Peter?" Lily asked. "We didn't really have a chance to talk when you were over for Boxing Day."
She took note of his grimace, how he avoided her gaze, and the way he seemed to curl in on himself, Like Sev would, after Tobias had been particularly nasty…
"It was alright," he hedged, fiddling with the hem of his jumper.
"That's good to hear," she said softly. She turned to look at Sirius, who was looking at the smallest Marauder with concern. Not just my imagination, then.
"Pete," Sirius started. "You know you can talk to us about any-"
"I said it was alright!" he said in a burst of irritation, appearing to stun even himself with the outburst.
"We won't push, Peter," Lily promised. "But we are here for you."
"Yeah, mate. Marauders for life," Sirius said softly.
"Marauders for life," Peter agreed, giving them both a watery smile.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Lily thought before echoing the boys: "Marauders for life."
Big thanks to BurngingRosesAmongstLilies for their help with beta'ing and suggestions for content! And to Darth Maccium as well for letting me talk through the plot and all!
Also hi! As usual, I do apologize for the wait - part of it this time was from my laptop completely dying and I lost like months of progress (I was so sad) so I had to spend some time trying to remember what in the heck I had written before. But here we are! Getting into the home stretch for this story now! Next chapter will really get that ball rolling, ehehehe
I have a discord if any of y'all want to come say hi or chat! It's ohgaywarden#9127
