ATTENTION: This chapter mentions Dolores Umbridge. Readers are encouraged to use creative insults.

...

September 4, 1995

The first Potions class with the fourth-year students had just ended, and Severus was collecting the vials marked with the names, for later correction.

That's when he discovered that Lily White had stayed behind to talk to him. Severus looked at her curiously, because the young woman didn't seem to have any problem, but he doubted that she wanted to talk to him just because she felt like it.

"Do you need anything, Miss White?"

"What are we going to practice this year, Professor?" she smiled.

"Haven't you heard me before? I clearly explained what the syllabus of this year will be."

"I don't mean that, Professor. What are we going to practice in the advanced potions lessons?"

Severus looked back at her in shock. Lily was not only smiling, but she also seemed genuinely interested and excited at the prospect of spending an afternoon a week under his tutelage.

That surprised him; no student had ever wanted him to teach them anything, and he never imagined that someone would ask him so vehemently to train them.

Glancing at the door to make sure no one was spying on them, Severus gathered his thoughts. It was true that last year he had written a list of hexes to teach Lily. Maybe they could start with that.

"Come this Thursday at six and you'll find out," he responded with the slightest smile. Lily's eyes shone as bright as her smile, and the student left with hurried steps, leaving the teacher confused and, to his surprise, happy.

ooo

September 10, 1995

The Slytherin students were distributed around the Common Room, playing with their friends, reading or reviewing the notes for the lessons they would have the following week.

None of them expected the visit of an adult that Sunday afternoon, and that is why everyone stared in astonishment at the woman dressed in pink who entered with complete confidence and advanced until she was in the center of the room.

"Ahem, ahem," the irritating little cough served to attract the attention of the few students who were not aware of her presence.

Astoria nudged Lily, who hastily put away the list of curses that Professor Snape had given her, and they both watched from their corner as Filch joined the professor, carrying a stack of parchments, and began to distribute them among the students.

"It has been a long time since I have set foot in this Common Room. What good memories it brings to be back here."

"What the... Did she belong to Slytherin?" Lily whispered.

"I need to disinfect the chair," Astoria responded, fighting back a shiver.

"Ahem, ahem," Umbridge called the students' attention again, and posed a false smile, speaking to them in her high-pitched, childish voice. "Dear students, I have come to ask for your help on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. You have all suffered over the past few years from Headmaster Dumbledore's disastrous decision making. It's time for his crazy tyranny to be reined in."

"Are you hearing the same thing as me?" Lily covered her mouth discreetly, and Astoria squeezed her leg with her hand.

"As you all know, there are disobedient students who do not follow the imposed rules. Therefore, the Minister has asked me to oversee the creation of a group of model students who represent the school and its values. These students will be my eyes and ears and will check that their classmates behave along the established path."

Lily watched her classmates carefully. Some looked at Umbridge apprehensively, but others seemed interested by her words. Draco Malfoy and his friends had sat up in their chairs near the fireplace and were listening with interest.

"I will leave the pertinent information in your possession. Those interested can come to my office whenever they want. I can assure you that your collaboration will be greatly appreciated by Minister Fudge and by myself," the witch smiled with satisfaction, and clapping her hands, she said goodbye and left the way she had come.

ooo

October 12, 1995

Severus raised his shield, resisting the blow of the curse. The impact forced his arm to drop slightly, but he held his ground.

"Again!"

Another curse fell upon him, but the shield deflected it.

"Again!"

The red beam struck him again, nearly breaking his defenses, but Severus waved his wand, deflecting the effect of the curse.

"You are not focused, Miss White. What's wrong with you?" he growled. In front of him, Lily was panting, sweat pouring down her face. "You should be able to break my shield. Are you holding back?"

"No, Professor," she wiped the sweat from her brow and put herself on guard again, but Severus was not fooled. He could see the hesitation on the girl's face.

Sighing, Severus lowered his wand, relaxing his posture.

"What is the problem?"

She hesitated, biting her lip.

"It's just... I don't want to hurt you... again."

"Do you think I can't bear a bleeding curse?"

"It's still dangerous, sir."

"You wanted to learn curses, and that means practicing them. Are you regretting it?"

Severus was beginning to lose patience, but a part of him reminded him to keep his temper under control. After all, she was right, that curse was dangerous.

"Miss White, I remind you that I have a healing potion prepared, and in the worst-case scenario, you know how to make stronger remedies."

Lily glanced sideways at the cup resting on the table and swallowed. Taking a deep breath, she shook her shoulders and got into an attack stance. This time, Severus saw a gleam of determination in her eyes and braced himself for the blow.

Lily waved her wand like a whip, and the red beam sped across the room, breaking Severus' shield, flinging him backwards and slamming him viciously into the wall.

"By Merlin! Professor, are you okay?" Lily ran towards him, worried. Severus put a hand to his chest and winced.

"You have a killer streak, Miss White," he whispered, gasping for air.

"Should I take it as a compliment?" Lily extended her hand to help him get up. Severus accepted her help and staggered to the table to drink the potion.

And then, someone knocked on the door, making both of them freeze.

"Professor Snape, are you available?" they both clearly heard Dolores Umbridge's shrill voice and looked at each other in alarm.

"Get in the closet," Severus urged, pushing her.

"But—"

"To the closet, Miss White," Severus closed the door with a disguising spell and waved his wand to open the dungeon door, letting the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts through.

The woman entered the office, looking around with small scrutinizing eyes. Severus leaned on the table discreetly, trying to hide the annoying pain that flooded his chest.

"To what do I owe the honor of this late visit, High Inquisitor?" he asked in a silky voice, gritting his teeth.

"I have received rumors about you meeting students secretly, Professor Snape. What do you have to say to that?"

Severus bored into her with his dark eyes, trying to control his irregular breathing. He could taste blood in his mouth.

"As a teacher, I am obliged to attend tutorials hours," he grumbled reluctantly. "In addition to supervising punishments."

Umbridge walked slowly around the office, carefully observing every nook and cranny in search of suspicious evidence.

"From what I have been told, sounds of spells can be heard coming from his office."

"That's part of my personal training," Umbridge had reached the closet where Lily was hiding, and for a second, Severus thought she was going to open the door. He felt his pulse quicken and a coughing fit made him cringe painfully.

Umbridge looked at him over her shoulder with a look of disgust, and he struggled to compose himself and regain his upright, calm posture.

"I remind you, Professor Snape, that it is forbidden to teach students theoretical or practical material that is not within the syllabus approved by the Ministry."

Severus took advantage of the fact that she was looking at the shelves to quickly wipe away the blood that stained the corner of his mouth. Alarmed, he looked down at the cup with the potion. He didn't have much time left.

"As I've already told you, your sources are wrong," he muttered, barely moving his lips. He coughed again, and this time he was able to cover his mouth with a handkerchief. However, he had to hide the blood stain in a hurry so that the woman would not see it.

"Are you all right, Professor?" Umbridge inquired, wringing her nose.

"It's the flu. I was going to take my medicine. If you'll excuse me..." Severus reached out to take the cup, but a flash of pain crossed his ribs, making him stumble.

Severus gripped the edge of his desk, doubled over. Another painful coughing fit brought tears to his eyes.

"I hope you recover soon, Professor," fortunately, his display of ill health had disgusted and frightened Umbridge, who hurried out of the office, without looking back.

Severus raised the cup to his lips with trembling hands but was unable to swallow. Plagued by coughing, he fell to his knees, suffocating. His eyes glazed over, and he felt wetness on his chest and arms as the potion spilled over him. And then he understood: he was not going to get out of that.

He felt some arms helping him lie down and heard the sound of jars clinking and the thud of running feet. Someone raised his head, and Severus caught a glimpse of black eyes looking at him in panic.

Struggling to breathe, Severus felt a pang of guilt. It was his fault, he should have listened to her, he should have taken another approach to the study of that curse.

And now she was going to see him bleed to death.

No.

He couldn't allow it. He shouldn't let her see him like that. Severus reached out a hand, trying to push her away. She had to go away; she couldn't stay. She couldn't see him die...

And then, a warm, electrifying force filled his chest and Severus felt his lungs fill with air. A hand grabbed his chin, forcing him to open his mouth and swallow a bitter-tasting potion.

Severus blinked and stared into those black eyes that looked at him with coldness and determination and he realized one thing: Lily's hands were not shaking.

"Don't even think about dying, do you hear me? Or I'll never forgive you," she hissed angrily. Severus closed his eyes, suppressing a smile. If only she knew how much she looked like him...

The potion and the spell combined their effects and Severus was able to regain some of his breathing, but he could still taste blood in his mouth and the stabbing pain in his chest.

Lily stood up, and lighting the cauldron, she began to prepare a potion.

"Go back to your Common Room, I'll take care of it," he ordered in a weak voice. Lily looked over her shoulder, assessing his pitiful figure still lying on the floor, and huffed.

"I'm going to pretend I haven't heard anything," Lily turned her attention back to the cauldron and soon after, Severus caught the subtle and relaxing aroma of mint and ginger.

"Predictable," he thought, but he was in no position to complain. The young woman worked quickly, and her hands moved non-stop.

After several endless minutes, Lily knelt next to him again, bringing a glass to his mouth. Severus drank, and she cast that spell against his chest again.

Severus coughed, but this time no blood came out of his mouth.

"What have you done? What is that spell?"

"I knew something was going to go wrong!" she snapped. "And I came prepared!"

"Prepared? Did you look up the counterspell for the curse?"

"Of course I did! Isn't it about that? To fully understand a curse, you have to know how to deal with the side effects."

Severus was able to crack a smile.

"Pessimistic," he growled, glancing at her askance as he sat up with effort, leaning his back against the desk.

"Are you making fun of me? I just saved your life."

"Am I not showing enough gratitude, Miss White?"

Lily snorted and shook her head, pursing her lips.

"I should have let you bleed to death."

She proceeded to stand up, sulking, but Severus grabbed her wrist. For a moment, they both looked into each other's eyes, without a trace of irony or malice.

"Thank you," he whispered sincerely. Lily blinked in surprise, and her angry expression faded.

"It doesn't matter."

"And now, return to your Common Room. I'm serious," Severus insisted. "The High Inquisitor will continue patrolling the corridors in search of the dangerous students who harass her reign of terror," the man growled, standing up.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise you I won't die, Miss White. Rest easy."

ooo

November 1, 1995

Lily knocked on the door of Professor Snape's office, not knowing what to expect. The note she had received was very formal and strange, even by the serious professor's standards, and the young woman couldn't help but be on guard.

Her surprise was greatest when she found herself face to face with Professor Umbridge, sitting at Snape's desk, and Snape standing to one side, with the stormiest face Lily had ever seen on him.

"Come in, Miss White, take a seat," Umbridge's words reflected kindness, but her tone of voice and her look indicated that she disliked the task of talking to her.

Lily obeyed, casting a brief sidelong glance at Professor Snape, but he avoided looking at her, keeping his expression unreadable.

"Miss White, do you know why I called you?"

"I couldn't say, Professor," Lily answered carefully, feeling uneasy under the professor's scrutinizing gaze.

Umbridge widened her hideous smile and placed a pink scroll in front of her.

"This is an account of the expenses that you cause to the school, Miss White. My attention has been drawn to the exorbitant amount of money that is allocated to you. Can you offer an explanation for this?"

Lily looked at her with wide eyes.

"I... have an annual allowance, Professor."

"No doubt the Supreme Inquisitor will remember that Hogwarts has funds allocated to students who do not have the means to pay for their studies," Professor Snape intervened, speaking under his breath.

"And are they given all this?" the woman gestured contemptuously at the long list.

"The fund covers clothing, books and basic materials."

"Three new tunics, every year? Top quality ingredients? Have you authorized this?"

Snape stood up to his full height and moved his lips in a grimace of displeasure.

"Yes, with the permission of the Headmaster."

She gave a contemptuous snort.

"Typical of Dumbledore, spoiling brats who don't deserve it."

"What are you implying?" Snape's eyes narrowed dangerously, but the woman didn't seem to notice.

"I imply that this lady receives more than she deserves. She's already incredibly lucky to have the privilege of studying at Hogwarts considering who she is..." Umbridge looked her up and down, with such an expression of disgust that Lily felt dirty. Was it because she was an orphan? Or because her parents had been muggles?

"Miss White is a Slytherin student in her own right, and will be treated as such," Snape raised his voice, white with fury. "And as Head of her house, it is my prerogative to authorize her basic needs to be met in the way I deemappropriate, as long as the Headmaster agrees," the professor gritted his teeth, leaning slightly towards the woman with a threatening air. "And I assure you, Supreme Inquisitor, that the Headmaster does."

Umbridge pursed her lips, annoyed by his words, and looked back at the list, clearly unhappy. And then, something made a cruel smile cross her face again.

"Professor Snape, here I see something that is not included in the basic needs of a student. An advanced measuring scale."

Both Snape and Lily looked at her without understanding. Wasn't that one of the necessary instruments to take Potions?

"Supreme Inquisitor, you will undoubtedly remember that the list of school supplies demands–"

"A brass scale," Umbridge interrupted, her smile widening. "Tell me, Miss White, is your advanced measuring scale a basic brass scale?"

Intimidated, Lily looked between Umbridge and Snape, not knowing what to do, until finally her voice decided to make an appearance.

"It's not, Professor," she whispered.

"Well, Professor, I'm afraid you have authorized the purchase of an instry that is clearly superior to the basic standards required for your subject. And it is my duty to remedy this, don't you think?" Snape's face was white as wax, and the man's lips were pressed into a thin line. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. "Miss White, hand over your scale."

"What?" Lily's heart skipped a beat, and the young woman felt the cold suddenly invade her.

"Your scale does not comply with school regulations. Hand it over."

Stunned, Lily looked at Professor Snape, asking for help, but he avoided her gaze. Despite being absolutely furious, he had no authority to contradict the Supreme Inquisitor.

"But–"

"You can use one of the school ones, Miss White," Snape interrupted, looking at her briefly with an expression that brooked no reply. Trembling, Lily pulled out her wand and with a flourish made the scale appear on the desk.

Too late, she realized she hadn't said the spell out loud, and heard Snape take a sharp breath, but Umbridge was too happy at her victory to ignore that detail.

Lily felt her eyes glaze over as she watched the hideous hands close around the silver scale, and she had to force herself not to cry on the spot. She clenched her hands tightly, nails digging into her palms.

"Miss White, you may go," Snape's soft voice carried a slight note of defeat, and Lily was unable to look at him as she stood up and escaped from the dungeon, hurt and humiliated.

ooo

December 23, 1995

Severus made his way down Diagon Alley with long strides. He had used the excuse of the Christmas holidays to leave Hogwarts and avoid committing murder.

If he crossed paths with that harpy of Umbridge one more time, Severus wouldn't be able to control himself, and this time, he wouldn't need to use magic to strangle that short, stubby neck.

The woman was driving him crazy, and not even his Occlumency skills kept at bay the dull fury that was eating away at his insides.

Every time he remembered Lily's defeated expression he felt like a part of him broke. He hadn't been able to protect her. Despite all his fury and indignation, he had not been able to stop Umbridge from hurting her.

That damned woman had enjoyed humiliating an orphan just to remind him that she, the Supreme Inquisitor, was the one in charge.

Not even Dumbledore had been able to reverse the theft of the scale, because technically, Umbridge had followed the rules.

And after almost two months, the situation remained the same: Lily was disheartened, he was still furious, and Umbridge was gaining power little by little without anyone being able to prevent it.

Without slowing his pace, Severus entered the potions ingredient store, and headed straight for the old clerk he had been doing business with since his first year as a professor.

The clerk didn't need to say a word to him, because he already knew what Severus had come for, but he gestured for him to follow him to the back room.

There, on a table, waited a golden scale, elegant and delicate. It was the scale that Miss Anderson had joked about last summer, and not without reason, since the contraption was a limited-edition item made by goblins, and it was by far the most expensive thing in the entire store.

Severus examined it carefully, observing the fine rune carvings and checking that all the details were in place.

"Have you added the spell I asked for?" he finally asked, looking up. The old clerk waved his wand, and the scale changed its appearance, taking on the color and shape of a basic brass scale. With another flourish, the object returned to its original shape.

"I will include a scroll with the explanation of the spell, as you have indicated, Professor."

"Remember that it must be delivered on Christmas Day in complete anonymity."

"Of course, Professor."

Satisfied, Severus pulled a purse from his pocket and handed it to the man. It was certainly an expensive purchase, but each and every one of those galleons was worth it if it could bring Lily's smile back.

Shortly after, Severus walked out onto the street, carrying a package with various ingredients under his arm, to explain his visit to Diagon Alley. His steps were calmer and slower than a few hours before, smiling contently at the thought of Lily's face when she opened her gift.

And for the first time, he wished he could be present on one of those occasions, and that she would know that she was not alone, and that someone cared about her.

And that he cared.

...

It's clear that Lily likes hanging out with a certain professor, and if it's practicing hexes, even better.

Severus has given up and stands as Lily's main defender with more or less success. And it's not just because she saved his life.

And for those who aren't keeping track, this is the fourth year Lily has received a surprise gift for Christmas. This time it's something a little more special than candy...

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