"Finally you are awake," drawled Mulciber sourly. "Could not prevent those bloody Marauders from catching you by suprise yet again?"

Severus flinched. A familiar feeling of embarrassment flooded over him. Light was painfully bright, but after a few seconds the clearings of the hospital wing became sharper. Before he could even think of retorting something, Rabastan did to his suprise. "Don't mind Mulciber," Rabastan said. "He's just upset that you did not turn up for the prank on Mary- I am sure Reggie and Dan can fill you in later as we already told them and what's worse, we got detention one day a week for the rest of the school year. That is six more months. Can you believe that?"

"Well, what good is finishing up our last year at Hogwarts going to do if we can prove ourself to the dark lord? He surely doesn't care about NEWTS," Mulciber hissed. "Maybe our last prank needs a little follow-up, maybe target those stupid marauders as well. You are in as well, right Severus? Merlin knows you'd enjoy taking them a few pegs down. Maybe you can alter that potions cutting curse to use it on them, what was it again? Spectrumsamesa?" Mulciber then abruptly stood up, took a few strides towards the exit. There was a mad glint in Mulciber's eyes as he looked back to Severus. "We'd only need a single hit and then it would just keep cutting.." A malicious smile graced Mulciber's face. "You coming, Rab?" Mulciber droned as he already walked out of hospital wing without waiting up on Rabastan clearly expecting him to follow and catch up with him.

Rabastan had a frantic look in his eyes. "I want to do my N.E.W.T.S," Rabastan hissed angrily, as his eyes bore into Dan's. Then his shoulders slumped as his voice dropped and started wavering a little. "I am going to be an unspeakable, remember?" Rabastan then fled after Mulciber.

Poppy then came in, muttering about how thin and frail Severus was. Severus scowled. "I am fine. I can leave right?"

"Oh no, you won't," Poppy said strictly. "You need to eat well and sleep. You can leave tomorrow morning. Do drink up your potions, dear." Poppy then bustled away, off to see another patient.

"Glad you are awake though, Sev," Dan said. "Reg will be so happy to hear you woke up. He had classes though. He'll probably come by after." Then a little softer Dan added: "I guess we pulled it off. The Marauders have not tattled. You even got Potter in trouble with Lily. They do want to talk to you personally though, however as they have pulled so many pranks on you, they have been banned from entering the hospital wing since you have been in here. Only Lupin has been allowed in. Of course Reg and I will help you with making sure they won't catch you alone."

Even though Sev had been practically shadowed by Dan and Reg, just before joining the Hogwarts Express the Marauders managed to suprise him. "Severus we need to talk," Potter said cautiously. As Severus turned he saw the four Marauders huddled closely. In front of the marauders laid his potions book, the one for which he had run from the cariages to quickly pick it up from his dorm. How could they have gotten it? He had been sure he had packed it into his suitcase, unless they ofcourse had found some way to make themselves invisible and break into the Slytherin dormitory without anyone seeing them. Pettigrew looked nervous as he was twiddling his robes and Lupin looked a bit more pallid than usual. None of them were sporting wands and Potter and his cronies had their hands slightly up into the air as if trying to convey that they did not mean harm. "Please," Potter whispered.

"Why should I?" Severus spat, having to withhold himself not to grab his wand and start fighting him.

Potter seemed to gain some confidence from not having been cursed yet and grinned at him. He then suddenly turned very serious. "I need you to promiss me that you won't go looking around the whomping willow. Sirius was an idiot to say that to you. It might be able to stun the tree for a few seconds, but you could get severely harmed." Potter then shot Severus a friendly winning smile. "I am glad you did not try to follow us there, believe me, even we are not such idiots as to come near it." Potter and his crownies chuckled akwardly. It was clear to Severus that he was lying, not only because of what he had seen that night unbeknownst to anyone. "You know that Ravenclaw kid almost died in our second year."

Severus shot Potter his darkest look and slowly started hissing at him. "You want me to believe that you suddenly care for my health, Potter? What kind of dunderhead do you take me for?"

Black clenched his fist, but recoiled as Potter shot him a warning glance. "I need to care for all students, Severus, that includes you." James swallowed, then quickly messed up his hair. "I take my job as head boy serious. And Lily would be hurt if you got hurt."

"Ha!" Grunted Severus. "If you did, why not subtract points from Gryffindor. And tell me why would you not go to Dumbledore?"

"Well, I-" Potter nervously replied.

"I guess it is because it was a bit more complicated then that, right?" Severus hissed angrily. "Would not want the whole school to find out your best friend is a werewolf. Would not want him to become a murderer and have his life ruined? Don't pretend to care for my life, if I would be beaten to death by that stupid tree you would have thought it to be hilarious."

Lupin's face turned paper sheet white. Black also looked ashen and remarkably guilty, as if the mutt was capable of such a thing. Pettigrew was trembling. Potter also looked panicked, however this was fleeting as stubbornness seemed to get a hold on him. "Look Severus," Potter hissed back. "I guess we both have our secrets, don't we? We for sure know we did not prank you that day and we did not save Mary, I don't know what that was about but-"

"I'd expect you to be happy about it Potter, is Mary not a friend of yours?" Severus taunted.

"She is, but-" Potter stated. It was clear that he was confused about what had occurred that day. The marauders had been preparing a prank and none had realised it or seen them before the feast and suddenly they were claimed to be Mary's saviours and to have played a plank on three slytherins that caused them to end up in the hospital wing.

"Even if you'd tattle about that, who'd believe you?" Severus asked. Potter just looks incredibly confused as he readjusts his glasses. "There is quite an extensive history between us, isn't there?"

"I don't know what you are playing at," Potter started. "Were you trying to get me in trouble with Lily?"

Severus expression soured even more than before as he spoke her name. His lost friendship still hurt. "Don't you dare try to talk to me about her." He hissed furiously. Then he added slowly to make sure they understood how dimwitted the notion was thought to be by him: "Why in Merlin's name would I get through such extensive trouble to do that?"

"Well, Lily was furious," Potter explained. "Regretted going out with me. Still won't talk to me. Keeps saying that she was a massive idiot for thinking I had changed and somehow grown up." It was clear that Potter was hoping to still steer the conversation by trying to be civil and by honesty.

Suddenly Severus grew wary. Thinking back at the ghost of the present. James had been the one to save him in those memories from the beast. Dumbledore had sworn him to silence. Severus just wanted to leave for christmas with Reg and Luce. "Potter," Severus barked, shutting the nervous boy up. "Don't worry about it. I won't tell on Lupin's secret or try to get him in trouble with it." Severus then quickly grabbed his potions book from the ground and broke out into a run back towards the carriages leaving behind four gobsmacked marauders.