SEVERUS IV

He waited patiently under the cover of the trees. Severus chose just the right spot to remain hidden. His dark robes concealed him perfectly among the vegetation at night. Darkness enveloped him, just like in the dungeons where he gave his lessons. He was used to being silent, and right now he put that talent to great use.

Then a light appeared on the road. Severus squatted to make sure she wouldn't see him. She soon came into sight, and despite the surrounding darkness, her wand produced enough light, even from afar, for Severus to distinguish her face.

Last time he saw her was almost a whole year ago. She had come into his office after her son's first Quidditch match. In fact, she walked in it while he wasn't there, and waited for him. And she threatened that she would get rid of him if ever tried something against her son. It had been the first time in ten years since he saw her. Now here she was, on that path the students used to reach Hogwarts at the beginning of the year.

She was just as beautiful as she always was. Her dark red hair was falling on both her shoulders and her back, and he could even make out her green eyes in the complete darkness that surrounded her. He looked at her walking past him, hidden as he was among the trees alongside the road. His heart was beating frantically. He had wanted to see her after the events of May, when she faced the Dark Lord once more and got out of there alive. Only, she was always with her son. Severus didn't want to see Harry Potter. Her son would just ruin any conversation attempt he would try with her. She stayed by his side for days. And Severus left them alone.

She now waited in front of the school's gates, waiting for her son to arrive. The light reverberated on her red hair. Severus waited with her, not leaving his eyes from her. Then a large shape that was Hagrid and a smaller who was Potter arrived at the gates from the other side, the school grounds, and the gates opened.

"Hello, Lily. It's good to see you here," Hagrid said.

"Hi, Hagrid. It's a pleasure to see you," she replied kindly.

That was the kindness she showed him once, a long time ago, before he committed the irreparable. He had wanted so often to take back the words he said on this day. Maybe things could have been different between them if he hadn't said the word, the same Draco Malfoy used against Granger two months ago. That was why he didn't oppose the collective detention McGonagall imposed. And that's why he berated Malfoy, like he never did before, to be cautious about how, when, and around who he used that kind of words. Maybe this way Malfoy wouldn't make the same mistake he once did, and end up looking at the woman he loved, hugging the spitting image of his worst enemy.

"Don't forget," Hagrid told them. "You must be back here by midnight."

"Yes, Hagrid. We'll be back. Happy Halloween," Lily wished him. A part of Snape envied Hagrid in this very moment, something totally stupid, for being shown kindness by Lily Evans. Another part of him was furious, especially as he watched her walk alongside Potter on the track.

"So, no troll this year?" Lily asked to her son.

"No, Mom. I think this Halloween is going to be normal." the boy looked so much like his father that it made Severus disgusted to hear him calling Lily this way.

"I hope so. Anyway, we won't be there, so there's nothing to worry about if vampires suddenly invade the castle."

"Or if one of Hagrid's giant pumpkins explodes to everyone's face."

Lily laughed at this. Severus couldn't stop himself from smiling at this sight. "Let's hope your friend Seamus doesn't try to turn them from orange to green," she declared. Both laughed now.

Severus made a small movement. A branch creaked under his feet. He froze as Lily turned in his direction and raised her wand, the light it produced pointed on him.

"What is it, Mom?" Potter asked.

Lily, in the meantime, kept scrutinizing the woods, but she didn't move. Severus' heart was beating very quickly. She must not find him. He was well hidden. Perhaps she wouldn't see him.

"I thought I... Forget about it. It must be my imagination. But I think we are far enough to Apparate. Are you ready?"

She said the words, her son came to her side, and they both disappeared in a loud crack. Severus knew where they were going. Lily always had too good of a heart. James Potter didn't deserve the love she bore him. No more than Severus did. He guessed he could consider himself lucky to have been her friend during so many years at Hogwarts and before.

The Potions Master remained there, crouched, unmoving, afraid to some point that Lily Evans might reappear to check once again on the area, but she didn't. He then waited for enough time to pass so that he would be sure that Hagrid would be far away as well. Then he left his hiding place, went to the gates, opened them and began the walk that would bring him back to the castle, closing the gates again behind him with a single movement of his wand.

He crossed no one on his journey back to the castle, which he was glad for. All the children were probably feasting for Halloween in this very moment. Severus would be a little late for this feast, but it didn't matter to him. These frivolities were secondary to him. Power and justice were everything that mattered, and he only enjoyed himself when he helped to bring justice, or when he could gain more power. Justice, in his eyes, happened when someone received exactly what he deserved. And sadly, the world was so unfair that it seldom happened. James Potter was the very example of this. Arrogant, impertinent, lazy, breaking the rules at every opportunity he got, he received top marks in all his exams, was named Head Boy when he wasn't even a Prefect, dated and married Lily Evans, a woman he definitely never deserved, and died in such a way that everyone considered him a hero, when he was everything but one. He just happened to be at the wrong place in the wrong moment, on the Dark Lord's path, and the Dark Lord killed him because he was a nuisance.

He had to give it to James Potter, though, he was talented. No one could deny it. But his son, Harry Potter, only shared his father's flaws. He received fame and celebrity when he never did anything to earn it, and he benefitted from it and used it at every turn, getting a pass when he broke the rules or endangered someone else, like when he confronted that troll at Halloween. Severus wouldn't be surprised that he joined Miss Granger and attracted the troll in their direction only to play the hero part, like his father loved to. Maybe he had an eye on the girl and hoped to get her infatuated towards him. If that was the case, he succeeded. Hermione Granger and Harry Potter spent a lot of time together, and Severus was more than aware of the rumors circulating about them. The girl seemed a little too intellectual for love, but Potter gained her friendship that day, which was already far too much. He guessed that a girl who was content with learning the full content of her books was easy to manipulate in the end of the day. The fact that both her parents were Muggles certainly didn't help.

As he walked through the grounds and towards the Entrance Hall, Severus thought about how Lily stood up from her very first day at Hogwarts. She stood out even before. She was actually able to use magic without a wand, long before she knew what it was, long before she was accepted into Hogwarts. She was the best student from her very first year, but she didn't harbor any feeling of superiority for that. She was kindness itself, always ready to help anyone, even those who didn't deserve it. Severus had sometimes wondered if she really was Muggle-born. He searched at some point to see if perhaps her parents weren't those they claimed to be. But it soon became obvious, and Severus had to concede, after excluding all other possibilities, that Mr and Mrs Evans were indeed Lily's parents, and that none of them had an ounce of magic in their blood, and that none of Lily's relatives were magical. She was Muggle-born through and through.

He cast aside those thoughts as he entered the Great Hall then went to the staff table of the Great Hall. Decorations filled the place. All students were talking excitedly between them, and eating like pigs, even the Slytherins. Malfoy himself enjoyed himself. Severus was sometimes disappointed by his pupil. The fact that he let Potter punch him in the face was inexcusable. The boy should stop relying on others, especially those piles of muscles who followed him everywhere, to protect him.

Severus took place at the staff table next to the idiot Dumbledore chose as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. He would have taken the position any time, but Dumbledore wouldn't allow him to. Instead, they got an imbecile. Even Quirrell was better.

The Halloween feast was a dull event for Severus. He watched the skeletons perform their show, which was probably the less boring part of the evening. This was good magic, although he could think of many other more useful ways to perform it. Severus was eager for the feast to end so he could go back to his dungeons and the correction of copies from his students' homework. Perhaps he would find some good ones in the piles awaiting on his desk.

Dumbledore called an end to the feast, much later than Severus would have liked. However, as the crowds of students were leaving the Great Hall, the Headmaster asked his teachers to stay with him. He had to talk to them in the staff room. Dumbledore often did this when he wanted to talk with them all. So they did head in that direction. Severus remained silent most of the way. His mind was preoccupied that night, ever since he saw Lily. He didn't even want to make others realize how useless they could be. However, they never reached the staff room. Long before they arrived at their destination, a young Hufflepuff student ran to them, out of breath.

"Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore!"

"Mr Finch-Fletchley," the Headmaster replied kindly. "What can I do for you?" Snape didn't know how Dumbledore could show so much patience towards students who bothered him for trivial reasons. Far harder to understand was how one of the most powerful wizards in the world could ask a twelve-year-old boy how he could be of help to him, when the child owed to be begging for Dumbledore's help instead.

"It's Mrs Norris... Mr Filch's cat..."

Severus rolled his eyes. That stupid boy stopped the whole staff of Hogwarts just because he was afraid of Mr Filch and his cat. Dumbledore didn't seem offended in the least by this impertinence. "I know who Mrs Norris is. What's the problem with her?"

"She's... dead."

This declaration sent a shockwave through the professors. Even Severus was taken aback. Of everything a student might have invented, this was the last thing he expected. Filch's cat dead? The absurdity of this situation and statement was just unimaginable. Even more absurd was this student looking completely upset by this, considering this cat caused them more problems than anything else.

"Where is she?" Dumbledore asked the boy, a new gravity in his voice replacing his soothing tone.

"On the second floor," the Hufflepuff boy replied very quickly.

"Lead us there."

Finch-Flectchley did so. In no time, they were on the second flood. As they approached their destination, Severus noticed a large crowd had gathered around a point of convergence between three corridors. He estimated that at least a hundred students had to be present. They nonetheless had enough brain to give them free passage when they realized their Headmaster along with most of the school's professors had arrived.

The scene that offered itself to them was pitiful. The Squib who acted as caretaker of the school was on his knees, crying. Just above his head, his cat was hanging by the tail to a torch. There was water everywhere on the floor. But what attracted Severus' attention was the shining red writing atop the cat.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

Severus felt the air leaving his lungs. This must be some kind of bad joke, a couple of students who wrote words with red paint on the wall and attached Filch's cat underneath just to laugh and scare everybody. Sadly enough, Severus knew of a few students within Slytherin who were capable of doing such pranks, though that could also have been done by students from another House. That was the kind of bad jokes people like James Potter could have done when they were in Hogwarts. However, Severus failed to see how his son could have done this, considering he was with Lily tonight, outside the school's grounds. He would have to verify if Potter was indeed at Godric's Hollow. Perhaps he did this before he left. After all, the Halloween feast began early and this writing could have been done hours ago.

Still, something was telling Severus that this was no innocent prank. Dumbledore seemed to be of the same opinion as he detached the unmoving cat from the torch.

"Argus, follow me. The professors as well. Everyone else, proceed to your dormitories immediately. I don't want to see anyone in the corridors of the school."

The Headmaster's voice had become authoritative, and no one dared to question him in these moments. Severus watched all the students walking away from the scene, looking for anyone who had an unusual behavior that may betray some involvement or knowledge in what just happened. To his surprise and shame, the only one with a surprising behavior was Draco Malfoy, who seemed excited.

"I can't wait to see the next victim. Hopefully, it will be Granger," he heard his pupil say to his friends, not even trying to whisper. Anyone giving some attention to his surroundings could hear.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster," Lockhart said. "Just upstairs. Please fell free..."

"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said, cutting short to the idiot's words.

They went there. Severus ignored the smiling portraits of Lockhart covering all the walls who stared and waved their hands at them. Dumbledore and McGonagall started examining the cat after they laid it on the desk. Severus looked over their shoulders. The eyes of the animal were unmoving, as was the rest of its body, frigid like ice. From there, it was hard to say, but Severus found that Filch was a little presumptuous by shedding so many tears in the corner of the office. After all, it was only a cat, and Severus strongly suspected it wasn't dead.

Lockhart was turning all around, saying he had met cases like this before, and listing how many people he saved from it because he arrived just in time. Severus did his best to ignore him. He never thought he would think so, but he missed Quirrell.

Albus Dumbledore finally straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus," he declared softly. Everyone was silent. Severus guessed what happened to her, but of course the Squib couldn't.

"Not dead? But why is she all... all stiff and frozen?" the caretaker asked.

"She has been Petrified. But how, I cannot say..." the Headmaster trailed off.

"It's them! The students! They did this. Yhey were all over her when I arrived. Let me use the whips and I swear that within minutes they'll tell me the whole story." Filch was burning with rage. Severus found this pathetic. There were far more efficient and faster ways to obtain the truth from students than inflicting physical pain. Severus' long experience demonstrated to him how emotional and mental pain were far more efficient to obtain the answers you were seeking.

"No student could have done this," Dumbledore countered. "It would take very advanced Dark Magic to do this, even to an animal."

"My cat has been Petrified! I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Dumbledore replied gently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made which will revive Mrs Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart declared. "I must have done it a hundred times..."

"Excuse me," Severus interrupted the idiot, "but I believe I am the Potions Master at this school." He had no patience for Lockhart tonight. What irritated him the most was that they had no idea who did this to the cat. And he was worried about the message written in the corridor.

"Severus is the most capable to prepare potions," Dumbledore declared. "Thank you, Gilderoy. In the meantime, I would ask all of you be cautious. You may all go. The Heads of House, stay with me. Hagrid." The headmaster turned to the gamekeeper. The half-giant had said nothing since they arrived in the corridor. He was blank like a sheet. "It is almost midnight. I think there might be two people waiting for you at the gates."

Hagrid seemed to recover his spirits. "I'm going right away, Professor."

And so they were only five, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout and Severus Snape.

"Albus, you don't really believe..." McGonagall started, but the Headmaster stopped her right away.

"I don't know yet what to believe, Minerva. But I think we must search the place thoroughly. The whole second floor, and the first and third floors right under and over the scene of the assault."

"But Petrification? It didn't happen the last time, didn't it?"

"No. Not on an animal." Severus knew, like all the other Heads of House, that Albus Dumbledore was Head of the Transfiguration department back when the Chamber of Secrets was opened the last time. He was the only one who was present the last and only time it happened. "That doesn't mean this message on the wall is false."

Severus asked right away. "Professor Dumbledore, you don't really believe that the Chamber of Secrets has been reopened after almost fifty years? The heir of Slytherin, whoever he is, is no longer at Hogwarts. And the monster back then attacked Muggle-born students, not animals."

He was careful not to use the word Mudblood. Unlike Malfoy, he wasn't a child, and no longer had this excuse for using such terms in the presence of the wrong people.

"Perhaps, but we need to consider all the possibilities. Pomona, make sure the Mandrakes will be well taken care of. We will need them much sooner than we think."

"Of course, Professor. But I'm afraid they will not be ready before the end of the year, in the end of spring. We cannot accelerate their growth," she explained.

"I'm conscious of this. Just make sure they reach their full size. Severus, in the meantime, make sure that everything is ready to prepare a potion when the time comes."

"Of course, Professor."

He was already planning to do it. He wasn't an incompetent. One of the clocks in the office rang to remind them that it was midnight.

"I'm afraid the night is not over for us. We're going to search the surroundings of the place where Mrs Norris was found. We might find something that will indicate how this happened."

The five of them returned to the place where Mrs Norris was found. Severus felt a chill go down his spine as he looked again at the writing on the wall. Was it really possible? Did someone truly re-opened the Chamber of Secrets? A student had died the last time. Instinctively, Severus thought about Lily. What would have happened had the Chamber of Secrets be opened while they were both studying at Hogwarts? What would he have done? Probably he would have begged her to leave, to stay safe. Lily would have been a prime target for whatever the Chamber was hiding and who commanded it. But knowing her, Severus knew she would have refused. Lily Evans wasn't running away from trouble. She didn't look for it, but she faced it when she was confronted to it.

He thought about Potter, who surely came back from Godric's Hollow by now. The boy was safe, considering he was half-blood. The same couldn't be said about some of comrades. Severus chased this idea from his mind as he started looking for clues. Whoever did this to the cat, it certainly didn't involve the Chamber of Secrets. It was only a scarecrow hiding something else. Or so he hoped.

And so it begins.

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Next chapter: Ginny