The Gestaltation of Severus Snape

by The Gestalt Prince

After his death, Severus Snape is granted a chance to return to the past and atone for his sins, with one notable restriction: he must share a body with his younger self. Cross-posted on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad.

15. ACT II, Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Riddle the Younger

Severus I

Saturday, 6 November 1976

"Fuck." Severus had found two more grey hairs on the side of his head as he entered the bathroom that morning.

Just change the color.

"Fine," Severus grumbled, taking his wand out and casting the Colour-Change Charm, turning the grey hairs black. "You don't happen to know how much of your head was grey, do you?"

I was busy mourning Lily's death, teaching, spying, potion-making, and reading. However, it wasn't that common for me to find a strand out of color.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Severus said. He wasn't keen on doing this, but he didn't want anyone to notice. Once he was around fifty, assuming he lived that long, he'd start slowly returning his hair to its natural color. Satisfied with his appearance, he had Snarky bring him his breakfast before performing his calisthenics. He was hoping to find a place to start running today, and with everyone going to the Quidditch match, he would be less likely to run into anyone. "Snarky?"

Pop. "Yes, sir?"

"Do you know of any secluded places where I could go running?"

"There is always the land surrounding the Black Lake, sir."

"I meant somewhere more private."

Snarky was quiet for a moment. "There is a room on the seventh floor, its door located along the left corridor directly opposite the Troll Tapestry featuring Barnabas the Barmy. House-elves refer to it as the Come and Go Room, or the-"

"-Room of Requirement," Severus muttered. He hadn't even thought about that before, that strange room where Professor Umbridge had found the boy and his club, but surely that was too small to run around in. Maybe if he did short-distance sprinting, it could be functional. "How do I get the door to appear?"

"Walk past the blank wall thrice, with what Severus Snape wants in mind, and the door shall appear, sir. It will take any shape or size desired of it. Snarky used the room to store the Hallowe'en decorations."

"Excellent." Severus liked the idea, especially if the room was large enough to run in. But he might need more than a large open space there, if he was serious about training his body. He might need other facilities, such as a bathroom, or perhaps some other training equipment to help him improve his strength, such as weights. He was somewhat familiar with Muggle gyms, as he'd passed one in Birmingham on his way to the library when he was younger. He would have to start eating more if he went down this avenue, but he didn't want to get too big.

A knock on the door drew Severus out of his thoughts, and he said to Snarky, "That will be all."

Pop.

Severus went and opened the door to find MacDonald and McKinnon standing outside. "Snape," McKinnon said curtly.

"McKinnon."

"Hi, Snape."

"Good morning," Severus said politely. "I'm a little confused as to why you're both here."

"I was wondering if you were going to Hogsmeade," MacDonald said.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I already have enough parchment and ink."

"See?" McKinnon said to MacDonald. "I told you."

"Where's Lily?" Severus asked.

"Why do you ask?" McKinnon asked back.

"Well, I would only expect two of you three to show up, and one of them wouldn't be you."

"Quidditch match," MacDonald said.

"We didn't think you'd want to attend that," McKinnon continued, "so Mary thought you might want to go to Hogsmeade."

Naturally, Severus wouldn't attend. It was Gryffindor against Slytherin, and Potter was leading the former this year. Best case scenario, Lily was there to supervise the Gryffindor crowd as a Prefect; worst case scenario, she had gone to support Potter. And given the events of this year, Severus couldn't help but suspect the latter was more likely. He asked, "I thought we were playing Gobstones?"

"We could play after we come back," MacDonald answered.

Severus asked McKinnon, "Is there a reason you're coming along?"

"Am I not allowed?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of stopping you," Severus replied with a sneer. "I just didn't realize how eager you were to be seen with me."

"Well, after Mary's fall-"

"I'm fine," MacDonald groaned, forcing Severus to hold back a smirk. "It was a bit of bad luck."

"Still," McKinnon said firmly, "I'm coming along."

"I'm not sure I know what to do when we're there," Severus said.

"Walk and talk?" MacDonald suggested. "Or get one of those blood lollies again."

Severus noticed McKinnon's paling at the suggestion, and knowing the reason for it via Pettigrew made it more amusing. "Hmm… yes, that does sound rather good right about now." He bit his tongue to hold back his smile as McKinnon's expression grew more severe. "So, Hogsmeade, then?"

Before Severus knew it, the three of them had joined the other visiting students at the wagons, and Severus saw that Lupin was acting as today's chaperone. The werewolf was looking rather pale, and his attention seemed to be unfocused. McKinnon took a seat next to him, while Severus and MacDonald sat across.

"Hey, Moony," McKinnon said.

Lupin took a moment to respond, and he smiled weakly. "Morning."

"What's wrong?" McKinnon's voice was uncharacteristically soft, and Severus wasn't sure if he disliked it more than her usual bitchy attitude. Then again, the professional victim sitting next to her had a fairly easy time eliciting that sort of behavior from other people.

"Bad night's sleep," Lupin replied. "Also, Tad's not doing so well. I'm going to go visit him tomorrow."

"It must be hard on him," McKinnon said, nodding.

Severus decided he hated McKinnon's softer side. It was this sort of two-faced behavior that disgusted him: showing love and compassion to one person and nothing but malicious contempt for another. Professor Snape had done the right thing and treated everyone the same; it was better to be consistently pissed off at everyone than to have these sorts of double standards.

"It's still a bit fresh," Lupin nodded, his voice quieter. "But he was doing well the last time I saw him."

Severus put two and two together and remembered that the full moon was tomorrow night, but he didn't know what the hell the werewolf was going on about. All he knew was that visiting his father, for whatever reason, was his cover story.

"Well, these things take time," McKinnon said. "I think the best thing you can do right now is to be there for each other. And you also have James and Sirius and Peter."

"And us," MacDonald piped in.

"I appreciate it," Lupin said.

Severus looked to the front of the wagon where the thestrals were pulling, and he could see the vague outline of Hogsmeade off in the distance. The air was starting to grow colder, and he noted that everyone in the wagon was dressing in warmer clothes. He cursed in his head for not bringing a scarf. Upon arrival, they made their way to the town square, and MacDonald and Lupin went off on their own, leaving Severus with McKinnon, for some reason. He decided to sit down and watch everyone do whatever it was they did, and he was surprised to find McKinnon sitting next to him.

"I didn't realize you preferred my company over MacDonald's," Severus remarked sarcastically.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you," McKinnon retorted.

"I don't need a babysitter."

"No, but this way, I know you won't do anything."

"Are you implying something?" Severus turned his head to face McKinnon.

"Well, it's a bit odd that you just so happened to respond to Mary's slip before her feet left the ground."

"Are you implying that I made her fall?!" Severus felt a heat pass through his body at McKinnon's accusation.

"And then saved her in the nick of time," McKinnon replied.

Severus reigned in his anger. An outburst in a public place would draw attention, and he already had enough of that from the writing on the wall. He said, "Considering that I suffered a similar fall earlier on in the year, perhaps I'm a bit more cautious about where I walk?"

"Oh, is that so?" McKinnon asked. "And you decided to save Mary out of the goodness of your heart?"

"No, I did it because I absolutely detest Muggle-borns," Severus shot back. "That's obviously the reason you're here: to protect your friend from harm. That certainly counted for something when she fell." Severus could tell he'd hit a sore spot in McKinnon. As awful of a girl as she was, he found it hard to believe she would risk putting MacDonald in harm's way, at least intentionally.

"... I'm just glad she's alright," McKinnon said quietly, turning away from Severus. The shame was palpable.

"We're back," Lupin said as he and MacDonald came back to the bench.

Severus eyed the ground MacDonald was walking on, not risking another fall.

"Here," MacDonald said, holding out the red lollipop.

"I'll pay you back," Severus said, taking the 'sweet' and digging into his money pouch.

"It's fine," MacDonald said, biting the licorice wand in her hand. "Not that expensive."

"Very well." Severus closed the money pouch and started sucking on the lollipop, the familiar iron flavor filling his mouth.

"Still don't understand," MacDonald said, shaking her head at Severus.

"Makes people think I'm a vampire," Severus mused. His facial muscles had never worked so hard not to smile at the reaction from both Lupin and McKinnon.

"Yeah," MacDonald agreed. "That, and the fact that you don't like garlic."

"I don't dislike it," Severus said. "I just have a sensitive palette."

"Says the boy sucking on a blood-flavored lolly," MacDonald smirked.

"I'm used to the taste."

An uncomfortable silence had managed to find its way between the four of them.

"...anyway," Lupin said, clearly trying to change the subject, "I heard you were planning on staying at Hogwarts for the holiday, Mary."

"Yeah," MacDonald replied. While the other two hadn't caught it, Severus could tell she was reluctant, and an unease settled in his stomach. "I've always wanted to see Hogwarts during Christmas."

"James is hosting Christmas at his house this year," Lupin said. "He invited Lily-"

Severus's heart sank.

"-but she declined."

The sinking feeling in Severus's chest haltered and slowly began to settle.

"Too bad," McKinnon said. She turned to Severus and asked, "Is she staying at Hogwarts or going home?"

"Home," Severus replied.

"And what about you?" MacDonald asked.

"Home as well," Severus answered. "I have to sort out the house." That was about as much as he was willing to share, and that was being generous.

"I wonder who's winning the match," McKinnon asked. "Probably Gryffindor."

"I'm not so sure," Lupin said. "It's James's first try as captain."

Severus almost suspected they were trying to get a rise out of him. If that was the case, it was working.

"With Lily in the crowd, he'll put in his best effort," McKinnon said, and Severus caught a smile out of the corner of his eye.

"Is there a loo nearby?" Severus asked, standing up.

"Three Broomsticks," Lupin replied, and Severus was sure he had more to say if he hadn't immediately stood and left.

---

Mary I

As Snape left, Mary couldn't help but feel that Marlene had brought up the conversation on purpose. She turned to the older girl and said, "You shouldn't have brought the match up."

"Why not?" Marlene asked. "Wait… right, he hates James. Bit immature, if you ask me."

"Maybe he just needs some space," Remus suggested.

"But he agreed to-" Mary let out a sigh of frustration. "I'll be back."

"Mary, where are you going?" Marlene asked.

"To find Snape," Mary answered before leaving.

Mary entered the Three Broomsticks and looked around for the Slytherin boy. There was quite a crowd of people, and as she waded through, she could hear Snape's name a few times in less than savory terms.

"Hope he doesn't grease the stool," one girl muttered under her breath.

"There might have to be a health inspection after he's done," another said.

Mary was fuming by the time she reached the bar, upon which she found Snape talking with the barmaid.

"Nothing to drink?" The barmaid asked.

"Just water," Snape replied. He turned his head suddenly, startling Mary a bit. "Did you follow me here?"

"...yep." There wasn't really any point in lying.

"Hmm." Snape didn't say anything, and Mary saw he was still sucking on the lollipop. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry about Marley," Mary said.

"For what?"

"She was…."

"You might as well say it; I'll determine if you have any reason to be sorry."

"Well, she was talking about the match, and I know that you don't really like Potter."

Snape was quiet for a moment, and Mary wasn't sure how he was about to respond. After a bit of thinking, Snape said, "I don't care about Quidditch that much."

"Oh. Is it about Lily, then?"

"Where Lily goes is her business," Snape replied, although his voice was lower and less confident-sounding. "If she wants to watch Quidditch, there's nothing stopping her. Outside of Prefect duties."

Mary didn't respond immediately. She knew Snape hated Remus's friends, and all three of them would be at the match. Before she could respond, she heard a familiar voice, and her blood ran cold as she caught a quick glimpse. Mulciber was sitting with Avery and the Carrow siblings, along with a few Slytherin girls her own year.

"Look away from them," Snape said quietly.

Mary looked back at Snape with surprise. He had barely turned his head. "What?"

"Don't draw their attention," Snape continued. "I'll let you know if he comes up to us."

"...thanks."

As the two sat there, the barmaid brought out a small bowl of chicken soup for Snape, along with a glass of water. "Here you go. Anything else?"

"Do you want anything?" Snape asked Mary.

"No, I'm fine."

"Two Sickles," the barmaid said, and Snape pulled out two Sickles from his pouch and handed them to her before sipping the soup.

"Any good?" Mary asked.

Snape nodded. "Not too rich."

"Do you have a bad stomach?"

"No, I'm just not accustomed to richer foods. I've been working on that recently."

As Mary watched Snape eat, which was admittedly strange in its own right, she noticed an odd coloration behind the hair draped around his neck. "Hey Snape. What's that mark on your neck?"

Snape looked at her and furrowed his brow briefly before it twitched. "...ah."

"What?"

"Don't tell Lily."

"I won't," Mary said. "I'm good at keeping secrets."

Snape sighed quietly, as though he wasn't looking forward to telling Mary. "Do you remember the bite mark I had?"

"Yeah?"

"...it isn't make-up."

Mary's mind went blank for a moment before the gears started turning. Bite mark on the neck, aversion to garlic, taste for blood, not to mention his earlier comments. Maybe he really was-

"I was bitten by a snake."

Mary was snapped out of her head. "Sorry?"

"I was attacked by a snake back in May. It left scars."

"...oh. For a second, I thought-"

"No, I'm not a vampire," Snape said, somehow knowing exactly what Mary was going to say. "I had the feeling that's what you and the others were thinking, so I went along with it."

"Why?"

"It was funny." Snape finished another spoonful of soup. "Watching McKinnon panic is one of the highlights of my year."

Mary smirked a bit. "I'm not sure that would help things with Lily."

Snape's hand stilled.

"Speaking of which," Mary continued, "she's the reason you're in here, isn't she?"

"I've already said-"

"I know," Mary said. "I get it. If you don't like that she's at the match instead of here, why not try to explain that?"

"She won't like that," Snape answered. "That was a factor that ended our friendship back in June, among other things. I'll be making the same mistakes again."

"If…." Mary lowered her voice. "If what you're saying is true about Potter, then I think you have every right to be upset."

Snape was quiet, but he turned to face Mary with a surprised look in his eye, which quickly vanished. "Lily won't see it that way. She'll think I'm trying to control her."

And that was when it hit Mary. She looked back on how Lily had treated Snape since the term started, and she realized that Snape was uncharacteristically subservient to her. The example that came to mind was the costume party, when Snape had two outbursts and had to be led away.

Snape wasn't trying to control Lily. Lily was trying to control Severus.

"Se-" Mary stopped herself. "Can I call you 'Severus'? It's weird calling you 'Snape' all the time."

"...if you want," Severus replied, "but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with calling you 'Mary' just yet."

"Severus," Mary said, "I think you need to talk to Lily about this."

"You need to be more specific."

"You really can't tell that she's the one controlling what you do?"

Severus took another bit of soup, perhaps stalling for time, before saying, "I'm fully aware of what she's doing."

Mary felt her mouth open at his response. "But… why are you putting up with it?"

"She's my oldest friend," Severus replied, looking away for a moment. "And I think I owe it to her after what I've done." Before Mary could say anything, Severus continued. "You need to know that I'm not a good person. I was fairly awful last year. So, regardless of what Lily's guilty of, I need to do my part in making things right. If she recognizes what she's doing, then she can do her part without my interference."

"What if she doesn't?" Mary didn't want Severus's efforts to be for nothing.

"...I've considered that possibility."

"And?"

"I don't have an answer." Severus finished the soup and glass of water. "I don't know what will happen if things don't improve. However, we're going to talk about it over the holiday. She's inviting me over for her family's Christmas dinner."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Her parents don't like me."

"Oh." Mary was starting to dislike this entire conversation. "Is it because of something?"

"I'm a Snape," Severus said. "My name isn't very popular in the Black Country. Or, I guess now, in the UK."

"...yeah, I can see why." The article on Tobias Snape had all but been forgotten by Mary until Severus reminded her.

"That being said," Severus said, "it's something I'm looking forward to."

"The dinner?"

"The talk. I've been trying to talk to her since last term, but things didn't work out."

Mary was reminded of the conversation she had with Marlene earlier on in the year, regarding why Severus had been in the Owlery. "Is that why you were in the Owlery?"

"...what are you talking about?"

"When I went to mail my letters," Mary said, pushing the topic as gently as she could. "Is that why you were up there?"

There was a silence before Severus nodded. "She was busy," Severus explained, "so she missed it. She didn't have time to let me know in advance, so it must've been important."

Mary felt an unpleasant pulling in her chest. That didn't make sense. "She was helping Slughorn with planning a dinner party."

Severus's head turned slightly, and there was an unsettling look in his eye. "Well… again, considering it was Slughorn, it makes sense."

Mary hesitated in saying her next words, but considering what Severus was willing to do, he more than deserved to know the truth. "Do you remember when I ran out of the Owlery?"

"Yes, why?"

"On the way back to the common room, I ran into Lily and Remus. When I told them you were up there, Lily looked confused. I don't think she knew you were up there. Maybe she didn't get your message?"

"We spoke of it in person." Severus's voice was uneasy. "She set the time to meet there."

"When?"

"...7:30."

"...7:30?" Mary felt as unsettled as Severus sounded. "But… you were up there for three hours?"

Severus's silence was telling.

"That's not right," Mary said. She couldn't believe that Lily would just leave Severus waiting up there, and she wasn't sure if it was better or worse that she'd seemingly forgotten about it. "You shouldn't have had to wait that long."

"I don't think we were ready to have that discussion," Severus said. "The fact of the matter is that I'd only just called her that word. I think it makes sense that she wouldn't come; I just didn't know the specifics."

"If you'd waited a few minutes, she might've found you."

Severus's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"When Remus took me back to the common room, Lily started running to where you were."

"...that doesn't make sense. If she didn't…." Severus stopped. "Right, probably to give me detention. I was out after hours."

"I don't think that's it," Mary said. "The other girls in Gryffindor figured out a bit of a pattern with her." She wasn't about to tell Severus it was Marlene who had figured it out; she wanted to keep things neutral.

"What pattern?"

"When she's doing her Prefect duties, she has a brisk walk, but she doesn't run. She only really runs when you're involved."

Mary watched as Severus's brow relaxed, and the Slytherin boy rested his hands on the wooden surface before him.

"I think she cares," Mary said, trying to encourage him, "but she's just awful at it."

Severus's mouth formed a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "She really runs for me?"

"Full sprint," Mary said, grinning.

The smile didn't change in size, but Mary watched as it slowly reached Severus's eyes, lighting them up for a moment. She hadn't seen that sort of warmth in him before, and realizing that it had come from this revelation about Lily….

…bloody hell, he loves her.

It explained everything, despite Mary's previous doubts. Why he was putting in the effort to spend time with people he didn't like, why he was so subdued when he was in Lily's presence. But it didn't feel right, not after thinking about how much of his life was in Lily's control. Despite having been left up in the Owlery, Severus had chosen to focus on the fact that she had sprinted to where he had been waiting for him.

As the thought passed through Mary's head, Severus's smile vanished, and the warmth was gone. "You said she looked confused before. When you mentioned me."

"Yeah."

"She forgot about the meeting, didn't she?"

Mary opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

"It doesn't really matter," Severus said. "I could tell she was bothered about missing it."

"What are you going to do?"

"I've already forgiven her for it."

"What?!" Mary's voice was a whisper, but it caught the attention of the barmaid, who continued on. "Why?"

"If I don't forgive her for that, it would weigh down on her. We can't exactly reconcile if something like this is eating away at her."

"But-"

"It's my decision," Severus said, cutting in. His voice was hard, but not cold. "In this case, I have every right to forgive her if I want to. It's in the past, and I just want to move forward."

"Are you sure?"

Severus nodded reluctantly. "Don't tell Lily anything we just spoke about."

"You don't want her to find out?" Mary wasn't sure if this was a good idea.

"I don't want her to get the wrong idea," Severus explained. He looked as though he was about to say something, but stopped himself.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Severus said.

"Stop that," Mary said. "You were going to say something."

Severus hesitated, but eventually he said, "I'm not used to having these sorts of conversations."

"Not even with Lily?"

"One of my regrets is not… 'opening up'. To people. Maybe Dumbledore, but that's mainly out of obligation." Severus glanced over his shoulder without so much as turning his head, and he said, "Mulciber's gone."

"Oh." Mary turned around and saw that the table Mulciber had been sitting at was empty.

"Anyway," Severus continued, "as much as I hate saying it, we should return to Lupin and McKinnon."

"Okay." As Mary and Severus stepped away from the counter and went to the door, she said, "I hope you two make up."

"So do I."

The two of them eventually returned to where Remus and Marlene had been waiting, only to find they were missing. "Wonder where they went?"

"We may have been away for too long," Severus said. "It's best if we wait-"

"There you are!" Marlene suddenly appeared, as if she'd been coming from the train station. "Where did you go?"

"I had to use the loo," Severus replied. "Then, I had lunch."

"And you?" Marlene asked Mary. She was still giving glances to Severus. This wasn't the first time Mary had seen her like this, but it might have been the first time she paid attention to her hostility.

"We were just talking," Mary said.

"I should go," Severus said suddenly. "I have something to work on for Dumbledore."

"What?" Mary was confused. "If you were busy-"

"I agreed to come to Hogsmeade," Severus said. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer."

"It's fine," Mary said. It wasn't, but if Severus didn't want to be here, then there wasn't much she could do. "We can still meet up for Gobstones, yeah?"

"That should be possible," Severus replied. "I'll see you later."

As Severus left, Marlene said to Mary, "If he didn't want to come-"

"He's trying for Lily's sake," Mary said. She was starting to feel frustrated by Marlene's attitude toward Severus.

"Not hard enough."

"And you are?!" Mary hadn't expected to respond like that, nor did she expect to say the following. "You barely have to do anything to stay on Lily's good side, but Severus has to spend time away from the other Slytherins and with people he doesn't even like!"

"... did you just call him 'Severus'?" Marlene's voice was a mix of accusation and hurt.

"So what if I did?!"

"Mary, you can't really side with someone like Snape on something like this!"

"Why not? No one else is!" Mary took a breath to calm herself down. "Inviting him to Hogsmeade was a mistake; if I knew you were going to act like this, I would've kept my mouth shut."

"Wait-"

"I'm going back," Mary said, turning and leaving for the carriages. Her throat and sinuses were aching as she kept her face expressionless. She needed some time away from Marlene before coming back to her; if she said anything more, she may come to regret it. But thinking about it more made her think about the Marlene McKinnon she'd known since arriving here.

Marlene was kind, friendly, outgoing, and funny, and seeing this side of her, or realizing she even had this side, was something that Mary hated. She didn't want to lose Marlene as a friend over their different views on Severus. But she'd gotten to know Severus, and learning about what he'd been subjected to in the past, at least what she was aware of, made her regret- Mary stopped herself from finishing the thought; if she did, she might start crying.

Mary finally found herself at the wagons, where Severus was settling in. Severus noticed her, furrowing his brow. "I thought you were staying."

"I changed my mind," Mary said, sitting on the bench opposite him. "I'm sorry about Marley."

Severus shook his head. "I'm not leaving because of her."

"I just mean in general," Mary said.

A silence passed between them as the wagons began to move on its own, and Severus said, "I don't want to come between you and your friends."

"You're not the problem!" Mary didn't want to hear something like that. "It's not fair to you-"

"MacDonald, I can manage-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Mary's voice seemed to make the wagon jolt, and she was thrown slightly from where she was sitting. Before she fell over, Severus had caught her by the arm, pulling her back to stay balanced.

"Are you alright?"

Mary didn't know where that anger had come from, but she felt her eyes prick with tears. "I-I don't know where-"

"Does this really bother you that much?"

Mary let out a sigh. "I shouldn't be like this."

"It's a bit out of proportion."

Mary's eyes shot up. "Out of proportion?! Maybe I care about my friend's wellbeing!"

Severus's brow furrowed again, and this time Mary wasn't sure what he was thinking. After a moment had passed, Severus asked, "You've gone from calm to upset to outright angry within the course of a few minutes."

"And?"

"Forgive me if the question bothers you," Severus said, "but…." His voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Have you… have you had…." Severus didn't finish his sentence.

"Had what?"

"... a period?"

Mary's eyebrows shot up. "You think I'm on the rag?!"

"Are you?"

"N-no!"

"Oh… well, you're a third-year. You might be close to having your first one."

Mary wasn't sure how to respond to Severus's matter-of-fact way of saying that. "What are you talking about?"

"Mood swings are an indicator," Severus said. "It's possible that, if you haven't already had one, and this is suddenly-"

"It's not because of that," Mary said defensively. She wasn't comfortable with Severus talking about her bodily functions, thank you very much! "Besides, I can always start taking Witch's Monthly."

"... I don't recommend it."

"What?"

"Taking those sorts of potions. The key ingredients are proven to cause permanent damage to one's reproductive system if taken over a prolonged period of time."

Mary wasn't about to question Severus when it came to potions, but it didn't sound realistic. "But… it's magic."

"There's a potion called Felix Felicis that, when taken in excess, may promote dangerous overconfidence. The principle that anything in excess is unhealthy holds true for potions. However, this particular form of potion, regardless of recipe, is inherently damaging. Instead of alleviating symptoms, which would be the smarter thing to do, it simply halts and reverses the menstruation cycle entirely. And this is exacerbated when taken in the form of a potion, as it's more quickly absorbed by the body."

It took an embarrassingly long time for Mary to take in and respond to what was just said. "... is there an alternative?"

"Not yet, but I think I can figure something out." Severus was no longer looking at Mary. "I think a salve would be safer; you could apply it to your abdomen and reduce cramping and bloating, assuming I can get the recipe right. It may take some time, but I can do it."

"Isn't that what Belby's working on?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Belby's developing a potion; I'm developing a salve. It's different. The salve is a slow-releasing agent meant for use over an extended period of time. As it's topical, it would be less-intrusive. Of course, I'll have to take other symptoms into consideration, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

"... okay then." It was a little unnerving how much thought Severus had put into this sort of thing, but then again, it was related to potions. Which reminded her…. "Is it alright if you tutor me in Potions?"

"Right, you mentioned that." Severus looked uncertain.

"If you're busy, you don't have to. I could ask Lily."

"You mentioned that you have trouble following the book; unfortunately, following the book is Lily's method of brewing. I might be a better tutor, in this case."

"Great!" Mary was already in a better mood, now that Severus had agreed to help her. She thought about what he had said about her 'mood swing', but she wasn't sure that was the case. Then again, according to rumors via Marlene, he was top of the class in Divination. She hoped that was an exaggeration.

---

Lily I

Hey Tom.

How was the match?

We won, obviously.

Hmm.

Oh, I'm so sorry you lost!

I'm not upset.

Are you sure?

… you're teasing me.

A little.

Very amusing.

Too much?

Never; I love a good teasing every now and then. Keeps my pages crisp.

I hope I get some pictures from Adrian. He captured the moment James caught the Snitch, right down to the last frame.

Impressive. Who's Adrian?

Adrian Creevey? Hufflepuff, member of the Slug Club.

I don't recognize the name.

He's Muggle-born.

That would explain it.

Anyway, he's bringing the pictures to the common room later on tonight. I offered to escort him so he doesn't get in trouble.

A good idea. Are you feeling alright?

A bit light-headed, but it should pass.

Very well.

I need to tell you something.

Yes?

Well, Severus didn't seem well when he came back from Hogsmeade.

In what way?

He seemed a bit uncomfortable around me. I didn't want to ask about it; he doesn't like sharing things.

The two of you will be spending the winter holiday together, yes?

That's true.

Then you could talk to him about it then. Assuming he still wants to talk.

I'll ask you for advice on it if I have trouble.

Obviously. You're rather hopeless without me.

Oh hush.

Isn't it true?

I'm quite capable on my own.

Yet here you are, hoping for my help.

Ha.

Ha ha.

I

"Lily?" Marlene had just entered the room and sat down on her bed.

Lily turned away from the book and shut it, setting the quill down. "Hey, Marley. How was Hogsmeade?"

Marlene's silence was telling.

"What happened?"

"Remus and I were talking about the match, and Snape started acting all… Snapey."

"Should I talk to him?"

Marlene shook her head. "No, that's not the part I'm worried about. Mary's taking his side."

Lily wasn't sure if that was a bad thing, but something didn't sound right. "His side?"

"You know how erratic he can be," Marlene continued. "When Remus and I mentioned the match, he just got up and left. Said he had to use the loo, but it turns out he ended up having lunch with Mary in the Three Broomsticks."

"... they had lunch together?"

"Snape did; I don't think Mary ate. She says they were just talking."

Severus and Mary were having conversations over lunch. The image was foreign to what Lily was used to, and yet another thought was bothering her, even though she knew it shouldn't. Severus was spending more time with Mary, which was fine, but he was now choosing to go to Hogsmeade with Mary rather than the Quidditch match. Obviously, it was because of James… oh, that made sense.

"What's wrong with that?" Lily asked.

"I'm worried that Snape's trying something with her."

"She's smart enough not to-"

"She called him 'Severus'."

Lily froze up a bit. It had taken Mary until the end of her first year to start calling Lily and Marlene by their first names, and during her second year to call Remus and fellow members of the Gobstones Club by theirs. The last time she'd been this quick to call someone by their first name was…. "Marley, you don't think this is another Cattermole, do you?"

Marlene blanched. "Don't joke about that. Mary has standards, even if the standard is Cattermole, of all people."

"You're right." Lily was being too concerned over nothing. She knew that Severus wasn't the sort to be interested in a girl three years his junior; hell, he drew the line at one year. "Maybe Mary sees him as a friend. Does it bother you?"

Marlene looked as though she didn't want to answer, but she said, "Considering what Snape was like last year, yes."

"I'll talk to him," Lily said.

Lily left the dorm room and out the portrait of the Fat Lady, making her way to the fourth floor. Once she found herself in front of Severus's door, she knocked. She didn't think he was doing anything nefarious, but it was better that he knew what was going through Marlene's head. The door opened, and Severus stood before her in a bathrobe, his hair damp with a towel wrapped around it.

Lily looked him up and down before saying, "Are you busy?"

"Just got out of the shower. It always seems that's when you visit. Can I help you?"

"It's about Mary."

Severus nodded. "Let me guess: McKinnon disapproves of something involving spending time with MacDonald."

"... that's basically it, yes." Lily didn't know how he was so quick to guess that.

"I think you're better off discussing this with MacDonald rather than me," Severus said. "She's the one who insists on spending time with me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said." There was an odd hardness to Severus's voice. "She invites me to do whatever it is she suggests, and I accept the invitation."

"So you just do whatever she tells you to do, even if you don't feel like it?"

"What's wrong with that?" Severus took the towel off his head, and Lily could see how stringy it was when damp. "I'm putting in the effort to be her friend, and she's amicable about it-" He stopped, his eyes glazing over for a moment before continuing. "Why are we fighting over this?"

"You're right." Lily's voice had softened a bit. "I'm sorry, I've been a bit on-edge lately."

"So have I." Severus dried his hair a bit before saying, "Are you comfortable with Mary being my friend? Because if not, I can tell her-"

"Stop. Mary's a good friend." Lily wasn't sure what to say next until she remembered Tom's advice. As much as she wanted to wait until the holiday, she couldn't. "You were upset earlier when you came back from Hogsmeade."

"Are we still on that?"

"Yes, we're still 'on that'. What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about my classes."

"Well, it was rather stupid to sign up for thirteen of them."

Severus didn't reply, and his eyes glazed over again. "Probably." He was shutting down again.

"Let's not get into another argument," Lily said. If she pushed, Severus would shut her out. She needed to be the bigger person. "I'm going to go now. I'll see you in Potions?"

Severus nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Have a good evening." With that, Lily turned and left.

As Lily made her way down the corridor, she started thinking about Christmas. She hoped her family would be more receptive to Severus; she didn't think Mum and Dad would mind too much, at least as far as they were concerned, but it was Tuney she was worried about. Perhaps she was willing to let her and Severus stay the night, but there was no telling how she would behave. Hopefully, she would get a response tomorrow.

As Lily reached the second floor, she realized she was thirsty. She made a slight detour to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and went to one of the sinks, cupping her hands under the cool water and taking a sip. Suddenly, a sharp pain found its way into her head, causing her to hiss. She squeezed her eyes hard, leaning over the sink as the pain hammered its way into her eardrums, too loud for her to hear anything but the rhythmic thumping. After a few minutes, it slowly dissipated, but there was a dull pain that remained.

This wasn't healthy. Lily needed to go to Madam Pomfrey and see if she could get something. Adrian could wait; knowing him, he was probably developing the pictures, maybe making his way to the trophy room to find a good place to set a frame, with Dumbledore's permission. But for now, she decided to go to Madam Pomfrey.

---

Severus II

"I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Have a good evening." With that, Lily turned and left.

Severus couldn't let Lily's accusatory tone get to him, but it had become instinct for him to shut down whenever she was adamant about something. This was especially the case when she placed the blame on him, and what made it worse was when he knew she was right. He could feel the justification in her voice whenever that happened; it didn't matter what her attitude was, as long as what she was saying was 'correct', based on what she knew. Of course, she didn't know the full story, but she was never one to wait until all the facts had come out. And after remembering Professor Snape's life, he now knew where her son had gotten his uncanny ability to jump to conclusions; the only difference is that Lily's assumptions never reached further than what was presented to her.

This was the case with the incident last year in the tunnel. Whatever Lily had heard from Potter, as much as Severus loathed admitting it, she hadn't said anything incorrect; Severus had been in the tunnel, and Potter had… 'saved' him. Divorced from all the other information regarding the incident, this was factually correct; the problem was that she hadn't even tried to listen to what Severus was saying, although he wouldn't have been able to on account of Dumbledore's unspoken threat to expel him. When he was about to tell her he wouldn't let her fall for Potter's tricks, she hadn't even let him finish the sentence without assuming he'd been trying to control-

Severus's mind stopped. Control. This entire time, he was under the impression that he had been controlling of Lily… and yet this single train of thought was starting to contradict that narrative. Not once could he recall trying to coerce or force her to do anything. On the contrary, he had been more worried about saying something that upset her, at least up until fifth year. If anything, Lily had objected to something he hadn't said, and yet he'd felt that he had indeed said that without meaning to. How had he been this self-unaware?

Severus shook himself out of his thoughts and shut the door. "You can come out," he said, turning to the rat hiding under the bed.

Pettigrew reemerged and sat down on the bed. "So, the Carrows…."

"Right, continue."

"I think I learned a bit about the party," Pettigrew continued with a hesitant voice. "They mentioned something about a special guest, but I didn't hear who it was."

"No hints?"

"Nothing. Rosier changed the subject." Pettigrew went silent as Severus went back to his desk.

"For the record," Severus said, "these sorts of scenarios are why you don't come here until after dinner."

"James insisted," Pettigrew said meekly. "With the match, he didn't have enough time to look over the Map."

"Fine," Severus replied. "However, the next time he asks you to do this, find an excuse to wait. Say you're hungry or something."

"That won't work." Pettigrew suddenly went glum.

Severus let out a sigh and said, "This is about your diet, isn't it?"

Pettigrew nodded.

"Then say you have… you'll figure it out." As Severus reached for one of his books, a sudden tightness shot up his arm, as though something was coiling and squeezing it. He clenched his fist, his entire body tensing up from the sensation, but he managed to say "Now get out" as though nothing was wrong.

Pettigrew scampered out, and Severus rested his head against the table as the sensation grew, this time wrapping itself around his entire body. His lungs felt tight, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to stand, instead collapsing out of his seat. He curled into a ball, forcing himself onto his elbows and knees, before pulling himself into a kneeling position, and eventually managing to plant one foot flat on the ground, the invisible force fighting against him. Finally, after grabbing the desk, he leaned against the wall and pushed himself to his feet, clearing his mind to handle the sensation. Gradually, it died down, but there was a familiar dread that settled within him. He could feel it crawling through him as if alive.

The Chamber.

But that means…. Severus quickly threw on some trousers and a shirt, as well as shoes, as he said, "Snarky!"

Pop. "Yes, sir?"

"Prepare Corvisol."

"Sir?"

"Corvisol!"

"Of course, sir." Pop.

Severus rushed out of the room, his eyes glued to the floor as he sprinted down the corridor. Now was his chance to kill the basilisk, and it would do him no good not to approach with caution. He started thinking about where it could have gone since leaving the bathroom on the second floor. It hadn't been too long, so it might have gone as far as the fourth floor or the Dungeon- Severus felt the dread build at the thought. The Dungeon. Lily said that she was going to fetch Creevey-

Lily.

Severus all but leapt down the first flight of steps, barely landing as he quickly turned and repeated the act. Finding himself in the castle basement and hurrying down the corridor, he turned the corner-

Severus came face to face with a Petrified Adrian Creevey.

The Hufflepuff boy seemed to have been cleaning the lens of his camera due to the rag in his hand. He must have been inspecting his handiwork as the basilisk approached from behind, and it was a miracle he hadn't been outright killed. But Lily was nowhere in sight-

"Severus?"

Severus froze, his heart beating rapidly, as he turned to face Lily's pale white face. "L-Lily…."

"What's going on?" Lily approached Severus. "What are you and Adrian talking… about…." Her voice trailed off as she saw Creevey's condition. "Adrian?" She touched Creevey's shoulder, only for the Petrified Hufflepuff to fall back and slam against the stone floor. Lily let out a shriek and jolted back, covering her mouth as she looked between Severus and Creevey. "What- what happened?!"

Severus couldn't reveal how much he knew; if he did, she might suspect it was him. "I came looking for you, and I remembered you said you were going to meet with Creevey. I thought you would have been with him by now."

"I visited Madam Pomfrey- I need to get someone! Stay with Adrian." Lily backed away from Severus and turned the corridor.

"Wait!" Severus hurried after her, catching her by the arm. "What if the- whatever did this is still around?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What, you think Creevey just fell over Petrified for no reason?"

"Petrified?"

"Obviously," Severus continued. "Stiff as a board, fixed in a specific pose. Obviously, he was in the middle of cleaning the lens of that bloody camera he carries everywhere."

"I need you to stay with him-"

"I'll bring him to the Hospital Wing," Severus said, going back to carry Creevey. His calisthenics were starting to pay off, and it was a good thing Creevey weighed less than Lily. And he certainly hoped she never found that out. "Lead on."

Lily flashed Severus an odd look before nodding and leading him up the steps, passing through the corridors and past onlookers as they made their way into the Hospital Wing.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Lily called out.

"No need to shout- why is it always the two of you bringing people- good Lord, what happened to Creevey?!"

"Severus says he's been Petrified," Lily quickly said, and Severus found an empty bed to set the boy in. "I was going to meet him to get those pictures of the match."

"I-" Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Creevey. "Mr. Snape, summon the Headmaster at once."

Without a word, Severus turned and ran out of the room. Too many thoughts were going through his mind, the chiefest of which was the danger now tangible within the walls of the castle. If the attacks were starting this soon, then the next step would be the culling of the cockerels on Hogwarts grounds. Of all the bloody people to be involved in the attack, it had to be another Creevey with a camera!

Severus arrived at the gargoyle and hurried in, up the staircase and into the office. Dumbledore seemed to be reading a book on baking, and his half-moon glasses glinted in the light as he looked up. "Severus?"

"Creevey was attacked," Severus said hurriedly. "He's been Petrified! The basilisk is starting to hunt!"

Dumbledore leapt to his feet. "Where is he?"

"Hospital Wing."

Severus led Dumbledore back to Madam Pomfrey, catching more unwanted attention. As they arrived, Dumbledore said, "Wait outside. When I've finished, come with me to my office immediately."

As Dumbledore went to speak with Madam Pomfrey, Severus said quietly, "Abort Corvisol."

Pop. "Yes, sir." Pop.

At that moment, Lily came out of the Hospital Wing looking shaken. "He's alive, but he's…."

"Petrified."

"Yeah." Lily's breathing was unsteady.

"He's safe with Madam Pomfrey," Severus said quietly.

"You said you were trying to find me before."

Severus nodded, quickly thinking of something to tell her. "I was going to ask if you'd heard back from your parents. I told MacDonald and McKinnon that I was having Christmas with your family, and I just wanted to make sure I hadn't made a fool of myself."

"I-I haven't gotten a response yet," Lily said. The brief distraction from what had just happened seemed to steady her. "What do you think happened?"

"As I said before, something petrified him."

"But what?"

"There's not enough evidence for me to say." Severus had only now noticed that the dread had all but dissipated. And knowing that it was the same sensation as when the Chamber was opened the first time must mean that the opening of the Chamber triggered it… but that wasn't quite it. No, it was the basilisk itself that triggered it. "I think you should stay in Gryffindor Tower until Dumbledore figures all of this out."

"I can't just…." Lily's voice trailed off.

"You don't know what's caused this-"

"And you do?!"

"I never said I did!"

"You said 'I' don't know what's-"

"Now's not the time to twist my words!" Severus exploded.

Lily jumped back at the outburst, a look of surprise on her face, and a look of fear and outrage in her eyes.

"Focus on what's happening right now," Severus continued. "Someone is Petrified. There is no official consensus on the cause, but it is guaranteed that there is an outside source of some sort. As you don't know what it is, perhaps you should exercise the slightest bit of caution."

Lily took a moment to answer, enough time for Severus to collect his thoughts. His discomfort was eased when Lily said, "I'll wait to be dismissed before I go back to the common room."

Severus nodded as Dumbledore walked out of the Hospital Wing, gesturing for Severus to follow. "I have to go," Severus said. "I'll see you later."

---

Lily II

The following POV contains content, close to verbatim, from CoS Chapter 13, "The Very Secret Diary"

"I'll see you later." Severus turned and left Lily standing outside the Hospital Wing, shaky and confused.

A few thoughts were running circles through her head, not least of all the fact that something, or someone, was Petrifying students at Hogwarts. At least, assuming that this happened again. Lily had no idea how to approach something like this; it seemed that Severus had some idea, but she didn't know how.

And speaking of Severus, it was odd that he had found Adrian before her, even though she had been on her way to meet him; if she hadn't stopped by Madam Pomfrey, would she have suffered the same fate, or would she have discovered the cause? Severus didn't seem to know the exact cause, but he looked and sounded anxious.

Lily's thoughts went back to what Severus had said and how he'd said it. She'd heard Severus when he was angry; normally, he could sound very hostile and aggressive, and most of the time it was either as a hiss or a shout. But a few moments ago, the intensity of his voice was a paradox; he somehow sounded angrier than she'd ever known him to be, and yet he was holding back.

Lily left and made her way back to the common room, and she was met by Marlene and Boyfriend Black as the portrait shut behind her. "Hey, Marley," Lily said shakily.

"What's wrong?" Marlene asked.

"It's Adrian," Lily said, sitting down on the couch facing the fireplace. "He's been Petrified."

"He's- how?!" Marlene sat next to her, and Black took up a chair and sat opposite.

"Where did you find him?" Black asked.

"He was in the basement," Lily explained. "Not far from his common room. Severus was there-"

"Snape?!" Black's voice immediately turned hostile.

"N-no, he didn't do it," Lily said quickly.

"How do you know? You just said he was there when you found Creevey."

"He's the one that explained that he was Petrified," Lily countered. "He knew even before Pomfrey and… Dumbledore…." Her voice trailed off as she heard the words come out of her mouth. "B-but he carried Adrian to the Hospital Wing-"

"-to make himself look good," Black said, cutting Lily off.

"No," Lily said, "you're jumping to conclusions!"

"Oh really? 'Enemies of the Heir, beware'... Merlin's beard…." Black's hostility wavered a bit. "The wall."

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Marlene asked.

"It-it has to be," Black answered.

"What has to be?" James was coming down the staircase from the boys' dormitory, with Peter and Remus following behind.

"Snape Petrified Creevey," Black said quickly.

"No, he didn't!" Lily objected. "It's just bad timing." She was starting to sound less and less convinced.

"What happened?' James sat down next to Lily, his attention on Black.

"Lily says that-"

"I can speak for myself, thank you very much!" Lily turned to James and said, "I was going to visit Creevey and see the pictures of the match, and I found Severus standing next to him."

"Remember what I said about the Chamber?' Black asked. "If the Chamber is real, then that means that Slytherin is responsible."

"Those attacks are nonsense," James said, although he didn't look convinced. "It was just a bunch of freak accidents. My father followed the inquiry into the matter."

"What are you talking about?" Marlene asked.

"Sirius told me that, when his father was at Hogwarts, people were getting Petrified. It ended up with a girl dying, but I don't recall there being an attacker."

"Tell me this," Black said. "The writing on the wall appears a week ago, and Lily finds Snivellus, the Heir of Slytherin, standing in front of a Petrified student."

"Are you sure that the Chamber's involved?" Peter asked.

"Well, I'm sure that the enemies of the Heir need to beware," Black said, "and if that's the case, then who's to say that the rest of the message isn't true?" Black turned to Lily and asked, "When did you last see Snape?"

"I visited his room," Lily answered uneasily. "Then I went to see Adrian, but I got a headache along the way and stopped by Madam Pomfrey."

"Are you alright?" James asked.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, it was just a headache. Anyway, once I was done, about twenty minutes later, I went to the basement."

"Twenty minutes, at minimum," Black said. "Snape could've gone down there and Petrified Creevey easily within that time."

"How?"

"Dark Magic," Black said nonchalantly.

"But Madam Pomfrey can't undo whatever happened," Lily said. "And what does that have to do with the Chamber of Secrets."

"If the Chamber is real, which it is," Black continued, "then whatever's down there must be the cause. Some sort of curse, maybe."

"Your theory's based on a 'maybe'," Lily said dismissively. But her thoughts were still on finding Severus…. "I need to lie down."

"I'll go with her," Marlene said, standing up and making her way-

"No," Lily said, her irritation poking through. "I need to be alone right now."

"... right." Marlene's voice was quiet as she sat back down. "Get some rest."

Without turning back, Lily went up to the dorm and shut the door behind her, throwing herself onto the bed and shutting her eyes. The stress was starting to get to her, and Marlene and Black weren't helping. She felt bad about leaving James downstairs, but she couldn't handle being around them. Not when there was a real possibility that Severus could be responsible.

But that couldn't be the case. Severus wouldn't do something like this.

Lily got up from the bed and sat down to write in the book, but she found that she was hesitating. Finally, she dipped the quill in ink.

Can you come out?

Why?

I need to talk to someone.

"Very well." Lily turned to see Tom sitting on her bed. His voice was soft and quiet as he spoke. "What's wrong?"

"Adrian was Petrified."

Tom's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Lily nodded. "Severus found him. Black thinks he did it, as he's the Heir of Slytherin."

"The wall." Tom crossed his arms as his expression hardened. "Lily, what I'm about to tell you is something that the others can't know about."

"Why not?"

"Do you think they would trust the word of a boy in a book?"

"... that's a good point."

"About thirty years ago, there were attacks. Most of the people were Petrified, but one person was killed."

"... wait, you were there!"

"I was," Tom nodded. "But I was sworn to secrecy on the matter to not cause panic. Headmaster Dippet was concerned that the school could have been shut down."

"What happened?" Lily turned to properly face Tom.

"I decided to investigate, and I found out who the culprit was."

"Who?"

Tom shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try."

Tom let out a sigh. "With the attacks, I thought that the Chamber of Secrets had somehow been opened. And so, I started suspecting one student: Rubeus Hagrid."

"Hagrid?!" Lily couldn't imagine Hagrid doing something like that. "No, he wouldn't!"

"You know him?"

"He's the groundskeeper."

"Hmm." Tom had a curious look on his face. "Anyway, I followed him, and I found he was harboring some sort of creature. I don't think he meant for it to hurt anyone, but with a girl dying, I couldn't risk not reporting him."

"He wouldn't be that reckless!"

"I don't think he knew what he was doing, but the fact remains that his pet was responsible. They never caught it, and Hagrid was expelled."

"No," Lily said defiantly. "I don't believe you."

"I can show you," Tom said, gesturing to the book. "Let me."

Lily looked warily at the book. "How?"

"It contains my memories," Tom said. "Including the day I caught Hagrid."

Lily looked back at the book and took it in hand, bringing it to her bed and closing the curtains around her. Tom had vanished at that point, and she watched as the pages began to blow, stopping on a calendar for the month of June in 1943. Lily focused her attention on the square for the 13th, and before she knew what was happening, she found herself being sucked in, finding solid ground moments later.

Lily knew immediately where she was. This circular room with the sleeping portraits was Dumbledore's office- but it wasn't Dumbledore who was sitting behind the desk. A wizened, frail-looking wizard, bald except for a few wisps of white hair, was reading a letter by candlelight. She couldn't place his name, but then she remembered that Tom had mentioned Headmaster Dippet, and that this must be Dumbledore's predecessor, if not immediate. If that was the case, then this must really be a memory from the 40s. But if this was Tom's memory, why wasn't he here?

As Lily questioned this, Dippet folded up the letter with a sigh, stood up, walked past Lily without glancing at him, and went to draw the curtains at his window. The sky outside the window was ruby-red; it seemed to be sunset. The wizard went back to the desk, sat down, and twiddled his thumbs, watching the door.

There was a knock on the office door.

"Enter," said Dippet in a feeble voice.

Tom entered, taking off his pointed hat, and Lily was reminded that they did, in fact, have hats as part of their uniforms. She hadn't realized they were worn as commonly back then, but of course it might have been a different time. She actually liked them when she was younger, and she used to have fun pulling Severus's down over his head; he was more playful back then. Pulling out of her own memory, Lily saw that a silver Prefect's badge was glinting on Tom's chest.

"Ah, Riddle," said Dippet.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" said Tom. He looked nervous.

"Sit down," said Dippet. "I've just been reading the letter you sent me."

"Oh," said Tom. He sat down, gripping his hands together very tightly.

"My dear boy," said Dippet kindly, "I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely, you want to go home for the holidays."

"No," said Tom at once. "I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that- to that-"

"You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?" said Dippet curiously.

"Yes, sir," said Tom, reddening slightly.

"You are Muggle-born?"

"Half-blood, sir," said Tom. "Muggle father, witch mother."

"And are both your parents-?"

"My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me- Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather.

Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically. "The thing is, Tom," he sighed, "special arrangements could have been made for you, but in the current circumstances…."

"You mean all these attacks, sir?" said Tom.

"Precisely," said Dippet. "My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor girl…. You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the- er- source of all this unpleasantness…."

Tom's eyes had widened. "Sir- if the person was caught-if it all stopped-"

"What do you mean?" said Dippet with a squeak in his voice, sitting up in his chair. "Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?"

"No, sir," said Tom quickly.

Dippet sank back, looking fairly disappointed. "You may go, Tom…."

Tom slid off his chair and slouched out of the room. Lily followed him down the moving spiral staircase, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corner. Tom stopped, and Lily could tell that he was doing some serious thinking. He was biting his lip, his forehead furrowed. Then, as though he had suddenly reached a decision, he hurried off, Lily gliding noiselessly behind him. They didn't see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Tom from the marble staircase.

"What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?" Lily realized that the wizard was Dumbledore.

"I had to see the headmaster, sir," said Tom.

"Well, hurry off to bed," said Dumbledore, giving Tom a stare as penetrating as Severus's. "Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since…" He sighed heavily before saying "Have a good night, Tom" and striding off.

Tom watched him walk out of sight and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the dungeons, with Lily in hot pursuit. Tom led her not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the very dungeon in which Lily had Potions. The torches hadn't been lit, and when Tom pushed the door almost closed, Lily could only just see him, standing stock-still by the door, watching the passage outside.

It felt like they were there for at least an hour. All Lily could see was the figure of Tom at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue. And just as Lily was at her wit's end, she heard something move beyond the door. Someone was creeping along the passage. Lily heard whomever it was pass the dungeon where Tom was hidden. Tom, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed, Lily following behind.

For perhaps five minutes they followed the footsteps, until Tom stopped suddenly, his head inclined in the direction of new noises. A door creaked open, and then someone spoke in a hoarse whisper.

"C'mon… gotta get yeh outta here…. C'mon now… in the box…" Lily knew Hagrid's voice, even as a teenager.

Tom suddenly jumped around the corner, Lily following behind. She could see the dark outline of a huge boy who was crouching in front of the open door, a very large box next to it.

"Evening, Rubeus," said Tom sharply.

Hagrid slammed the door shut and stood up. "What yer doin' down here, Tom?"

Tom stepped closer. "It's all over," he said. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."

"What d'yeh-"

"I don't think you meant to kill anyone. But monsters don't make good pets. I suppose you just let it out for exercise and-"

"It never killed no one!" said Hagrid, backing against the closed door. From behind him, Lily could hear a funny rustling and clicking.

"Come on, Rubeus," said Tom, moving yet closer. "The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered…."

"It wasn't him!" roared Hagrid, his voice echoing in the dark passage. "He wouldn'! He never!"

"Stand aside," said Tom, drawing out his wand. His spell lit the corridor with a sudden flaming light. The door behind Hagrid flew open with such force it knocked him into the wall opposite. And out of it came something that made Lily let out a long, piercing scream unheard by anyone-

A vast, low-slung, hairy body and a tangle of black legs; a gleam of many eyes and a pair of razor-sharp pincers- Tom raised his wand again, but it was too late. The thing bowled him over as it scuttled away, tearing up the corridor and out of sight. Tom scrambled to his feet, looking after it, he raised his wand, but Hagrid leapt on him, seized his wand, and threw him back down, yelling, "NOOOOOOO!"

A swirl of darkness engulfed Lily, and she found herself lying in bed, the book laying open on her lap. She looked around, her skin still crawling from the sight of the Acromantula; fortunately, she couldn't spot a single spider-shaped creature. She laid her head down on the pillow, steadying her breath as she took in what she had just seen. She couldn't believe that Hagrid had been responsible, but it didn't make sense that the monster was an Acromantula. Then again, she had never read too much on Dark creatures during Defense, only enough so that she could pass the lesson.

Black letters appeared on the blank page.

Do you believe me now?

---

Severus III

The following POV contains content, close to verbatim, from HBP Chapter 13, "The Secret Riddle"

"I was so close," Severus said frantically as he paced around Dumbledore's office. "I could've killed it!"

"If you're referring to Corvisol-"

"Snarky told you?!"

"He reports everything to me, including your blackmail of Mr. Pettigrew." Dumbledore's cold stare made Severus blanch. "If not for our circumstances, I would have you expelled."

"Oh, so attempted murder is fine, but blackmail is too far?" Severus sneered. "Then again, maybe blackmail is fine as long as it isn't a Slytherin."

Dumbledore let out a sigh. "I do not wish to fight with you on this matter," the old man said, "but understand that-"

"The Greater Good," Severus replied dismissively. "I know. If Black had succeeded in killing me, you would've blamed my death on the Whomping Willow and allowed the killers to walk free. For the Greater Good."

"I have the feeling you have yet to forgive me for that."

I forgave the other you, after you forced me to murder you.

"Yes." Dumbledore's eyes relaxed. "But for another time, I think. Initially, I had planned to space out our time in the Pensieve. But the recent attack makes me reconsider. Let me begin with carrying on and ending the tale of Tom's mother."

"What happened to her?" Severus had sat back down, the name 'Merope' catching his attention.

"I'm afraid to say that her life did not end happily," Dumbledore answered. "You recall that she was abandoned by Tom Riddle Sr."

"I remember."

"During the remainder of her pregnancy, Merope was homeless. She was desperate enough to sell Slytherin's locket for a measly ten Galleons."

"Ten- but it's- wait, how do you know that?"

"I learned it from Caracatus Burke, a founder of Borgin and Burkes and the buyer of said locket. It was eventually sold, but we'll return to that at a later time. Merope eventually found herself in Wool's Orphanage, where she gave birth to Tom Jr…. I'm sorry to say that she passed on within the hour."

Severus already had a feeling that Merope had perished, but for it to have been so soon after her son's birth made him feel sick. He kept himself composed and asked, "Complications with the birth?"

"I believe that was a factor," Dumbledore said. "But I also believe that she may have simply let go.'

"... you mean that she chose to die?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered. "And in spite of a son that needed her. Do not judge her too harshly, Severus. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had a great deal of courage."

"How dare you."

Dumbledore looked confused. "Severus?"

"You believe her to be so much of a coward that she would rather die than live for her son's sake? Do you honestly mean to say that she wasn't still fighting?" Severus was gripping the arms of his chair. "Because she lost the fight, you think so little of her resolve?"

"I did not mean to-"

"She didn't choose to die, Albus. She chose to fight so that her son could live, and if she had been better cared for, she would have survived. But because of that fucking Muggle bastard-"

"This isn't about Merope, is it?"

Severus was disarmed by Dumbledore's question.

"I believe the recent attack has you on edge," Dumbledore continued. "Do you need a potion to settle your nerves?"

Severus shook his head. Leave it to the greatest Legilimens of the age to miss the point.

"Let us return to the matter at hand," Dumbledore said. "Tom was raised in Wool's Orphanage, which I visited a short time before he began attending Hogwarts. This next memory is my own." Dumbledore stood and retrieved the Pensieve, along with another vial. He poured the silver contents into the bowl and gestured for Severus to look.

Severus found that he, Dumbledore, and Professor Snape were standing in a bustling, old-fashioned London street.

"There I am," said Dumbledore brightly, pointing ahead of them to a tall figure crossing the road in front of a horse-drawn milk cart. This younger Albus Dumbledore's long hair and beard were auburn, much like Lily's. Having reached their side of the street, he strode off along the pavement, drawing many curious glances due to the flamboyantly cut suit of plum velvet that he was wearing.

"I see your taste in clothing hasn't changed," Professor Snape said blankly, and Dumbledore chuckled as they followed his younger self a short distance, finally passing through a set of iron gates into a bare courtyard that fronted a rather grim, square building surrounded by high rails. He mounted the few steps leading to the front door and knocked once. After a moment or two, the door was opened by a scruffy girl wearing an apron.

"Good afternoon," the young Dumbledore said. "I have an appointment with a Mrs. Cole, who, I believe, is the matron here?"

"Oh," said the bewildered-looking girl, taking in Dumbledore's eccentric appearance. "Um… just a mo'... MRS. COLE!" she bellowed over her shoulder. Severus heard a distant voice shouting something in response. The girl turned back to Dumbledore. "Come in, she's on 'er way."

Dumbledore stepped into the hallway tiled in black and white; the whole place was shabby but spotless clean. Severus, the headmaster, and Professor Snape followed, with the older Snape simply gliding along with them. Severus noticed that some of his features were slightly different, as though he looked well-rested; perhaps that was the wrong way to describe it, but it was the impression he had. Before the front door had closed behind them, a skinny, harassed-looking woman came scurrying toward them. She had a sharp-featured face that appeared more anxious than unkind, and she was talking over her shoulder to another aproned helper as she walked toward Dumbledore.

"... and take the iodine upstairs to Martha, Billy Stubbs has been picking his scabs and Eric Whalley's oozing all over his sheets- chicken pox on top of everything else," she said to nobody in particular, and then her eyes fell upon Dumbledore and she stopped dead in her tracks, looking as astonished as if a giraffe had just crossed her threshold.

"Good afternoon," said Dumbledore, holding out his hand.

Mrs. Cole simply gaped.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I sent you a letter requesting an appointment and you very kindly invited me here today."

Mrs. Cole blinked. Apparently deciding that Dumbledore was not a hallucination, she said feebly, "Oh yes. Well- well then- you'd better come into my room. Yes."

She led Dumbledore into a small room that seemed part sitting room, part office. It was as shabby as the hallway and the furniture was old and mismatched, although a few pieces caught Severus's eye. When he returned home for the holiday, he would have to consider setting a room aside for his study.

Mrs. Cole invited Dumbledore to sit on a rickety chair and seated herself behind a cluttered desk, eyeing him nervously.

"I am here, as I told you in my letter, to discuss Tom Riddle and arrangements for his future," said Dumbledore.

"Are you family?" asked. Mrs. Cole.

"No, I am a teacher," said Dumbledore. "I have come to offer Tom a place at my school."

"What school's this, then?"

"It is called Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.

"And how come you're interested in Tom?"

"We believe he has qualities we are looking for."

"You mean he's won a scholarship? How can he have done? He's never been entered for one."

"Well, his name has been down for our school since birth-"

"Who registered him? His parents?" There was no doubt that Mrs. Cole was an inconveniently sharp woman.

Severus watched the young Dumbledore slip his wand out of the pocket of his velvet suit, at the same time picking up a piece of perfectly blank paper from Mrs. Cole's desktop. "Here," said Dumbledore, waving his wand once as he passed her the piece of paper. "I think this will make everything clear."

Mrs. Cole's eyes slid out of focus and back again as she gazed intently at the blank paper for a moment. "That seems perfectly in order," she said placidly, handing it back.

"What did you do?" Severus asked.

"I enchanted the paper to show something that would persuade Mrs. Cole," the older Dumbledore explained.

"What was it?"

"I'm not sure. Hush, we continue."

Mrs. Cole and the younger Dumbledore were now drinking gin, and the latter said, "I was wondering whether you could tell me anything of Tom Riddle's history? I think he was born here in the orphanage?"

"That's right," said Mrs. Cole, helping herself to more gin. "I remember it clear as anything, because I'd just started here myself. New Year's Eve and bitter cold, snowing, you know. Nasty night. And this girl, not much older than I was myself at the time, came staggering up the front steps. Well, she wasn't the first. We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. And she was dead in another hour." Mrs. Cole nodded impressively and took another generous gulp of gin.

"Did she say anything before she died?" asked Dumbledore. "Anything about the boy's father, for instance?"

"Now, as it happens, she did," said Mrs. Cole, who seemed to be rather enjoying herself now, with gin in her hand and an eager audience for her story; Severus was starting to dislike the woman's attitude. "I remember she said to me, 'I hope he looks like his papa,' and I won't lie, she was right to hope it, because she was no beauty- and then she told me he was to be named Tom, for his father, and Marvolo, for her father- yes, I know, funny name, isn't it? We wondered whether she came from a circus- and she said the boy's surname was to be Riddle. And she died soon after that without another word.

"Well, we named him just as she'd said, it seemed so important to the poor girl, but no Tom nor Marvolo nor any kind of Riddle ever came looking for him, nor any family at all, so he stayed in the orphanage and he's been here ever since."

Severus was starting to see red from Mrs. Cole's retelling of Merope's death. There were times when he had heard someone retell a relatively tragic story, and most of the time he could hear the smallest hint of excitement and pride in the voice of the storyteller. It was people like these whom he hated, to the same degree as people who boasted about themselves; at least the latter had some basis for sounding pleased with what they were saying.

Two pink spots had appeared high on Mrs. Cole's cheekbones. Then she said, "He's a funny boy."

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "I thought he might be."

"He was a funny baby too. He hardly ever cried, you know. And then, when he got a little older, he was… odd."

"Odd in what way?" asked Dumbledore gently.

"Well, he-" But Mrs. Cole pulled up short, and there was nothing blurry or vague about the inquisitorial glance she shot Dumbledore over her gin glass. "He's definitely got a place at your school, you say?"

"Definitely," said Dumbledore.

"And nothing I say can change that?"

"Nothing," said Dumbledore.

"You'll be taking him away, whatever?"

"Whatever," repeated Dumbledore gravely.

She squinted at him as though deciding whether or not to trust him. Apparently she decided she could, because he said in a sudden rush, "He scares the other children."

"You mean he is a bully?" asked Dumbledore.

"I think he must be," said Mrs. Cole, frowning slightly, "but it's very hard to catch him at it. There have been incidents… Nasty things…" She took yet another gulp of gin and her rosy cheeks grew rosier still. "Billy Stubb's rabbit… well, Tom said he didn't do it and I don't see how he could have done, but even so, it didn't hang itself from the rafters, did it?"

"I shouldn't think so, no," said Dumbledore quietly.

"But I'm jiggering if I know how he got up there to do it. All I know is that he and Billy argued the day before. And then-" Mrs. Cole took another swig of gin, slopping a little over her chin this time like a cretin- "on the summer outing- we take them out, you know, once a year, to the countryside or to the seaside- well, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they'd gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. He swore they'd just gone exploring, but something happened in there, I'm sure of it. And, well, there have been a lot of things, funny things…."

Severus took a moment to think about what Mrs. Cole was saying about Tom. The way she described the circumstances around Tom and the other children sounded not too dissimilar to how young witches and wizards were described by their peers or elders when something strange happened. There were plenty of times when there was some embellishment involved, for the sole purpose of coloring the audience's perception of the 'abnormal' child. For any other child, Severus would have suspected that Mrs. Cole was lying or believing the lies spread about Tom. But he quickly remembered who Tom Marvolo Riddle was.

"I don't think many people will be sorry to see the back of him," Mrs. Cole said.

"You understand, I'm sure, that we will not be keeping him permanently?" said Dumbledore. "He will have to return here, at the very least, every summer."

"Oh, well, that's better than a whack on the nose with a rusty poker," said Mrs. Cole with a slight hiccup. She got to her feet. "I suppose you'd like to see him?"

"Very much," said Dumbledore, rising too.

She let him out of her office and up the stone stairs, calling out instructions and admonitions to helpers and children as she passed. The orphans were all wearing the same kind of greyish tunic. They looked reasonably well-cared for, but there was no denying that this was a grim place in which to grow up. Severus wondered if it would have been better to have been raised here as opposed to his own home, but he had yet to see the remainder of the building.

"Here we are," said Mrs. Cole, as they turned off the second landing and stopped outside the first door in a long corridor. She knocked twice and entered. "Tom? You've got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumberton- sorry, Dunderbore. He's come to tell you- well, I'll let him do it."

The two Severuses and Dumbledores entered the room, and Mrs. Cole closed the door on them. It was a small bare room with nothing in it except an old wardrobe resembling Severus's and an iron bedstead… also resembling Severus's. A boy was sitting on top of the grey blankets, his legs stretched out in front of him, holding a book.

There was no trace of the Gaunts in Tom Riddle's face. Merope had thankfully got her dying wish: He was his handsome father in miniature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Dumbledore's eccentric appearance. There was a moment's silence.

"How do you do, Tom?" said Dumbledore, walking forward and holding out his hand.

The boy hesitated, then took it, and they shook hands. Dumbledore drew up the hard wooden chair beside Tom, so that the pair of them looked rather like a hospital patient and visitor.

"I am Professor Dumbledore."

"'Professor'?" repeated Tom. He looked wary. "Is that like 'doctor'? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a good look at me?" He was pointing at the door through which Mrs. Cole had just left.

"No, no," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"I don't believe you," said Tom. "She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!" He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was almost shocking. It was a command, and it sounded as though he had given it many times before. His eyes had widened and he was glaring at Dumbledore, who made no response except to continue smiling pleasantly. After a few seconds Tom stopped glaring, though he looked, if anything, warier still. "Who are you?"

"I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school- your new school, if you would like to come."

Tom's reaction to this was most surprising. He leapt from the bed and backed away from Dumbledore, looking furious. "You can't kid me! The asylum, that's where you're from, isn't it? 'Professor', yes, of course- well, I'm not going, see? That old cat's the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they'll tell you!"

"A bit dramatic," Professor Snape muttered.

"I am not from the asylum," said Dumbledore patiently. "I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you-"

"I'd like to see them try," sneered Tom.

Severus didn't like how familiar Tom's expression felt.

"Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, as though he had not heard Tom's last words, "is a school for people with special abilities-"

"I'm not mad!"

"I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic."

There was silence. Tom had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore's, as though trying to catch one of them lying.

"Magic?" he repeated in a whisper. It was the same voice Severus had heard out of his own mouth the first time his mother had told him about magic.

"That's right," said Dumbledore.

"It's… it's magic, what I can do?"

"What is it that you can do?"

"All sorts," breathed Tom. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. "I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to." His legs were trembling. He stumbled forward and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in prayer. "I knew I was different," he whispered to his own quivering fingers. "I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something."

"Well, you are quite right," said Dumbledore, who was no longer smiling, but watching Tom intently. "You are a wizard."

Tom lifted his head. His face was transfigured: There was a wild happiness upon it, yet for some reason it did not make him better looking; on the contrary, his finely carved features seemed somehow rougher, his expression almost bestial. "Are you a wizard?"

"Yes, I am."

"Prove it," said Tom at once, in the same commanding tone he had used when he had said, "Tell the truth."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "If, as I take it, you are accepting your place at Hogwarts-"

"Of course I am!"

"Then you will address me as 'Professor' or 'sir'."

Tom's expression hardened for the most fleeting moment before he said, in a disgustingly polite voice, "I'm sorry, sir. I meant- please, Professor, could you show me-?"

Severus was starting to hate Tom more and more with each word that came out of his mouth. He had been drawn in at first by the similarities between the two of them, but he now realized that some of Tom's sense of entitlement reminded him of Potter. He presumed the world revolved around him, and he clearly had a history of bullying other children, even if it was hearsay from their current point of view.

Severus was pulled out of his head as the wardrobe burst into flames.

Tom jumped to his feet; Severus could feel the same shock and rage that the former was no doubt feeling, as he would have done the same if his own wardrobe had been set on fire. All of his possessions, of sentimental value, were in there, which must have been the same case for Tom. As Tom rounded on Dumbledore, the flames vanished, leaving the wardrobe completely undamaged.

Tom stared from the wardrobe to Dumbledore; then, his expression greedy, he pointed at the wand. "Where can I get one of them?"

"All in good time," said Dumbledore. "I think there is something trying to get out of your wardrobe."

And sure enough, a faint rattling could be heard from inside it. For the first time, Tom looked frightened.

"Open the door," said Dumbledore.

Tom hesitated, then crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe door. On the topmost shelf, above a rail of threadbare clothes, a small cardboard box was shaking and rattling as though there were several frantic mice trapped inside.

"Take it out," said Dumbledore.

Tom took down the quaking box. He looked unnerved.

"Is there anything in that box that you ought not to have?" asked Dumbledore.

Tom threw Dumbledore a long, clear, calculating look. "Yes, I suppose so, sir," he said finally, in an expressionless voice.

"Open it," said Dumbledore.

Tom took off the lid and tipped the contents onto his bed without looking at them. There was a mess of small, everyday objects: a yo-yo, a silver thimble, and a tarnished mouth organ among them. Once free of the box, they stopped quivering and lay quite still upon the thin blankets.

"You will return them to their owners with your apologies," said Dumbledore calmly, putting his wand back into his jacket. "I shall know whether it has been done. And be warned: Thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts."

Severus rolled his eyes. Thieving wasn't allowed, but blatant favoritism was.

Tom did not look remotely abashed; he was still staring coldly and appraisingly at Dumbledore. At last he said in a colorless voice, "Yes, sir."

"At Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, "we teach not only to use magic, but to control it. You have- inadvertently, I am sure- been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, but to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students-"

"Wishful thinking," Professor Snape muttered.

"-and the Ministry of Magic- yes, there is a Ministry- will punish lawbreakers still more severely."

"If only," Professor Snape remarked, this time louder.

"All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws."

"Yes, sir," said Tom again.

"Severus, you seem to be irritated," the older Dumbledore said.

"Why couldn't you have stayed like your younger counterpart?" Professor Snape asked. "He seems fair."

The older Dumbledore said nothing, and the scene continued.

Tom said to the younger Dumbledore, "I haven't got any money."

"That is easily remedied," said Dumbledore, drawing a leather money-pouch from his pocket. "There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes-"

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Professor Snape exploded. He turned to the older Dumbledore as the memory continued playing as he asked, "Where the fuck was my fund?!"

"This was thirty years before you started your attendance," Dumbledore answered. "The war against Germany took a toll on both Muggle and wizard alike, and Hogwarts used much of its funds to aid displaced students and families who had lived in London during the bombings. It wasn't until after you had graduated that the school had managed to restore the fund."

"Of course," Severus said sarcastically, shaking his head. Low funding for struggling students, and yet Severus seemed to have been the only one who had to work for his money, ranging from writing essays to various favors for his housemates. And even then, they were cheap pricks.

"You dislike the name 'Tom'?" asked the younger Dumbledore.

"There are a lot of Toms," muttered Tom. Then, as though he could not suppress the question, as though it burst from him in spite of himself, he asked, "Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too, they've told me."

"I'm afraid I don't know," said Dumbledore, his voice gentle.

"My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died," said Tom, more to himself than Dumbledore.

Whatever came next was blocked out by Severus as the red began to rise. He and Tom weren't alike; Severus would never have dismissed his mother… or would he? An unsettling feeling filled him at the thought. Severus had the fortune, or misfortune, of being 'raised' by his parents; Tom hadn't. Tom had no point of reference for what it meant to have a mother or father. Severus couldn't deny some similarities between them, but there were also Potter's entitlement mixed in. This was a boy who had grown up without parents, and saw himself as above all others; if Severus was similar enough to him, and if he himself had been raised an orphan… would he have turned out the same?

"I think that will do," said the older Dumbledore.

Severus found himself back in the office, and he watched Dumbledore set the Pensieve aside. The headmaster asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Taking a moment to Occlude his emotions, Severus said, "I'm not sure that I understand why we saw that memory, sir."

"Then I will do my best to explain," Dumbledore said, sitting down. "I wanted you to understand what sort of boy Tom Riddle was. While he was certainly no Voldemort, there were early signs of the sort of man he might become. For example: the rabbit."

"There was no evidence that it was him," Severus said. After receiving a queer look from Dumbledore, he said quickly, "I'm not saying he's innocent."

"I believe you," Dumbledore said reassuringly. In a gentle voice, he further said, "If you don't mind me saying, your mind is quite open whenever we view these memories."

Severus froze. "How open?"

"Open enough to know how you feel about Merope," Dumbledore answered. "And I would like to apologize for the manner in which I described her death."

"Why wait until now?"

"Until this current viewing, I did not know for certain how you were being affected, but now I do. I believe you are coming dangerously close to seeing yourself as Tom."

Severus opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He wasn't, was he?

"It is true that you and Tom are very similar," Dumbledore said. "In fact, the two of you have many similarities that, at times, make me uncomfortable. But remember this: as much as you might see it, Merope is not your mother. And you are not Tom."

"But-"

"As I said, there are similarities. But it is not your similarities with Tom that define who you are, Severus; it is your differences."

"Like what?"

"Love, Severus."

Severus hadn't expected that answer.

"Your capacity to love is the greatest difference between you and Tom. I believe that, had Tom chosen to love, he would have turned out relatively similar to you in character. Likewise, had you chosen not to love, you would have turned out like Voldemort."

"'Choose to love'?" Severus hadn't heard something that ridiculous. "How can you choose to love?"

"My boy, do you not know what love is? Even after all this time?" Dumbledore looked surprised. "Love is not a feeling; it is a choice. And while you have made past decisions that would be considered unloving, you are striving to love Lily."

"What?!" Severus got up from his chair. Dumbledore was making it sound like he expected anything out of this other than reconciliation. "Sir, I'm not- that's not-"

"Let me clarify," Dumbledore said calmly. "You have decided to destroy Voldemort so that Lily can live a peaceful life. While you hope to reconcile with her, you seem adamant that her survival and wellbeing comes first; this is not too dissimilar from your older counterpart's vow of protecting her son, even though he, by all accounts, disliked the boy. I am hard-pressed to find a greater example of love."

I sent him to his death.

Dumbledore's eyes saddened slightly. "On my orders."

I could have died with the truth, and he would have lived. But I chose the Greater Good over Lily.

"Severus-"

It doesn't matter that I didn't know he would live anyway. I made that choice, believing he would die.

"You saved countless others-"

"No, I didn't!" Severus was startled when Professor Snape's words came out of his own mouth. "Don't you get it? When I came back, I reversed time itself. Harry Potter was never born. He's floating around on the other side, waiting to be born to God knows who, having never lived his original life. I've saved no one, because Harry Potter never died." Severus's voice relaxed as he sank back into his chair, shaking slightly.

Dumbledore silently stared at Severus, causing the latter to avert his gaze. Finally, the old man said, "You were given a second chance. While you had the option to move on, you chose the harder, riskier option. I will admit that there are times when I question your decision, and whether or not it is better or worse than how things were before. But at the end of the day, the decision has been made. And now, we must learn to accept that this is our current path."

"I-"

"I am not judging you. You chose to come back in time to save Lily and defeat Voldemort at an earlier time. For that, you are better than you give yourself credit for."

Severus made eye contact with Dumbledore. "What if she dies again? When Creevey was Petrified, Lily could have been killed. And I couldn't move because of some stupid feeling I had."

"I realize that this will not sound helpful, but I trust you to master yourself." Dumbledore stood from his seat and walked around the desk, putting his hand on Severus's arm as a sign to stand. "Never lose yourself, my boy. And never lose sight of what is important."

Severus nodded.

"Come, you should go to bed."

As Severus was about to walk out of the office, he turned and asked, "Sir? About staying at the castle for the winter holiday."

"I thought you were going home?" Dumbledore asked.

"I am," Severus said. "But, given that there's a basilisk roaming around…."

"I understand. Yes, I will be sending the students home for the winter so that the professors and I can inspect the castle. Of course, that makes it significantly harder to find the diary."

"But it would make sense," Severus said. "If students are being Petrified, and the cause is unknown-"

"One student," Dumbledore replied. "Of course, this may complicate things. If I send students home for the holiday over a single Petrification, it may reveal our hand."

"... you're not waiting for a second one, are you?"

"I don't want to. But unfortunately-"

"What if it's Lily? And what if it isn't just Petrification?!"

Dumbledore let out a tired sigh. "This is a difficult situation." He looked up, something flickering behind the blue eyes. "There is one option."

"What?"

"I may require you to plant ideas in the heads of a few students," Dumbledore explained. "If you can indirectly guide someone into uncovering the nature of the attacks, then the discovery wouldn't give us away. And then I would have grounds to send students home while I organize a search of the school."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"I'll leave that to you," Dumbledore answered. "Have a good evening, Severus. And try not to keep an eye out."

---

Remus I

Sunday, 7 November 1976

Remus felt queasier than what was normal for someone with his condition. While it was normal for him to feel unwell in the days before the full moon, he wasn't worried about tonight. Not when someone had been struck with some sort of curse the day before. Mary had been inconsolable when she heard what had happened to Creevey, and he and Marlene had spent hours trying to calm her down, which hadn't been good for his own stress.

Remus turned his eyes from his book as Marlene walked down the stairs from the girls' dorm. Marlene sat down on the couch next to Remus and said, "Mary doesn't want to go to Hogsmeade today."

Remus gently closed the book, having the feeling that he knew where this conversation was going. "Is this related to the trip yesterday or… Creevey?"

"Both." Marlene's breathing was shallow as she looked into the fireplace in front of them. "I need to ask you something important."

"What is it?"

"Before you say anything, I want you to know that this isn't about how I feel about Snape."

Remus gave Marlene a skeptical look.

"It isn't," Marlene insisted. "Just listen. Do you think Snape did this?"

Remus was almost tempted to tell her to lay off Snape, but he thought about it. It may be possible that Snape knew some obscure curse that could petrify the target beyond the typical Full Body-Bind Curse, but from what Remus could remember, Snape had never instigated anything. Verbally? Yes. But magically? Never. He was only ever reactive to what James and Sirius did. "I can't think of a reason for him to do something like this."

"He hates Muggle-borns," Marlene replied.

"Lily was his best friend for five… seven years? And Mary sees him as a friend."

Marlene scoffed. "Started calling him 'Severus'." She shook her head and said, "What if he hurts Mary?"

"Then… look," Remus said, adjusting his position. "Don't you think it's too… obvious?"

"What do you mean?"

"As far as we know, Snape was the first person to find Creevey, and Lily was next to arrive. And I'm not defending him."

"You're always 'not defending him'," Marlene muttered.

"Because I'm not petty!" Remus found himself on his feet, somehow, and Marlene had shrunk back a bit. "Every time there's something wrong, it's always Snivellus Snape! Snivellus this, Snivellus that! I can't go one bloody day without someone accusing him of something!" Remus's entire body felt cold, his heart racing and causing his head to pound. He took a few steady breaths as he sat down again and said, "Can we just try to figure out what the hell is going on without you jumping to conclusions?"

There was an uncomfortable stillness in the air. Remus felt the couch shift a bit as Marlene sat closer, and he saw her lean a bit closer to grab his attention out of the corner of his eye. "You're under a lot of stress."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Remus shot back. The moment of silence beforehand made him realize how aggressive his voice was, and he settled his hands in his lap. "It's-"

"I'm sorry."

Remus looked at Marlene, and he could see the concern in her eyes.

"From now on," Marlene said, "I won't… I'll try not to-"

"You keep saying that, but you don't mean it." Remus had settled his voice, but not his frustration.

Marlene looked as though she was about to say something, but she was interrupted when Mary came down the stairs. "Why is everyone shouting?" Mary asked. Remus could hear a shakiness in her voice.

"Sorry," Remus said apologetically, looking at both Marlene and Mary. "I've been stressed lately. I'm heading home tonight."

"Right," Marlene said quietly.

Mary walked down the steps and said, "I'm going to talk to Severus for a bit-"

"No!" Marlene quickly turned to face Mary. "Mary, it's-"

"I can visit my friends if I want," Mary said. There was a hardness in her eyes as she addressed Marlene.

Remus looked between the two of them and remembered what had happened in Hogsmeade. He quickly said, "What Marlene means is that, given what happened to Creevey, perhaps you shouldn't walk alone?"

Mary looked at Remus, her eyes relaxing, as she asked, "Would you come with me?"

"I could go," Marlene offered.

"Would you come with me?" Mary repeated, completely ignoring Marlene.

Remus looked back at Marlene, and then back to Mary. "Of course."

Mary smiled and said, "I'll be waiting outside, then."

As Mary left, Remus said to Marlene, "I'll keep an eye on her."

Marlene nodded quietly, getting up from the couch and returning up the staircase in silence.

When Remus had heard about the argument, he hadn't expected Mary to act this way. It almost seemed out of character for her to be this hostile. As he exited the common room and found Mary outside, he asked carefully, "Mary, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah," Mary replied. "I'm still a bit… well, Adrian shouldn't have to be like this-"

"I meant with Marlene." Remus realized that asking Mary directly was probably not the wisest idea, as the girl's brow hardened once more.

"No," Mary answered. "I just want to go see Severus for a bit."

"What about?"

"Potions," Mary said shortly, and she began walking down the corridor.

Remus kept pace relatively easily, but he was still surprised by Mary's haste. "I heard you were having trouble in that regard. I thought Lily might be a good tutor."

"Lily follows the book," Mary said, "and I'm terrible at that."

"And Snape doesn't follow the book?"

"According to him, no."

Remus wasn't sure how to respond, but he found it hard to believe that Slughorn's top pupil didn't follow the book. He knew how smart Snape could be, but surely not to that extent. "Well, that should be… interesting."

After descending the staircase, Remus followed Mary around the corner and made their way to Snape's door. Mary knocked a few times and stepped back, only to be met with silence. "Do you think he's out?" she asked.

"I don't know his habits," Remus lied. James and Sirius had started monitoring all of Snape's movements since their vampire theory, and given the events of yesterday, he wasn't sure Sirius had actually slept last night. "Maybe he went to the Library?"

Mary knocked again, this time louder and with more force than Remus would dare. "Severus!" She continued banging on the door.

"Mary, stop!" Remus whispered in a panic. "You don't want to-"

"MacDonald?" Both turned to find Snape approaching them from down the corridor with a relatively blank expression. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, hi." Mary's aggression subsided. "Um… do you remember that talk we had on the way back from Hogsmeade?"

Snape furrowed his brow before nodding. "Potions, yes?"

"Yeah. Specifically salves." Remus noticed Mary's face turning red, although he didn't know why.

Snape raised an eyebrow, his lazy eyes flickering to Remus before returning to Mary. "I see. I don't mind a short lesson. Here, or elsewhere?"

"How about one of the labs?" Mary asked.

"Very well," Snape said, nodding. "Let me bring some of my things."

Remus swore he saw Mary smirk. "I thought you didn't follow the recipe."

"I follow my recipe, MacDonald. Now none of that cheek, or I'll take points."

"Yes, professor."

Were Snape and Mary bantering?!

Snape went into his room for a moment before returning with a few rolls of parchment, quill and ink, and a textbook. "Shall we?"

Snape led the way with a brisk walk, and Remus noticed the tension in his shoulders, as well as his tendency of suddenly turning his head whenever they walked past a corner. Descending the stairs to the dungeon, Snape opened the door to one of the smaller labs and held the door open for Mary. Before Remus could walk in, Snape stopped him.

"I'm tutoring one student, Lupin," Snape said. "Not two."

"Can't Remus come in?" Mary asked. "He won't do anything."

Remus could see that Snape was irritated, but the Slytherin gave a close-mouthed sigh and said to Remus, "Don't touch anything."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Remus said, feigning his normal good-natured self. He stepped in as Snape shut the door, and Snape and Mary sat down at one of the desks to set the book and parchment down.

Mary's lesson under Snape's supervision was a bit of a surprise to Remus. The Slytherin spent less than a few seconds on any page of the book before spending minutes explaining why the book wasn't as good as his own methods, and then proceeded to prove it via demonstration with the ingredients present in the lab; much of the criticism of the book involved insulting not only the author's intellect, but also anyone who took the book seriously. What surprised Remus even more than Snape's talent was Mary's performance; while she was by no means good at Potions, she seemed to grasp what Snape was saying with relative ease.

Within an hour, Snape was overseeing Mary's attempts at producing a salve of some sort, instructing her to mind the balance between the binding agent and the ingredients themselves, as well as making sure she didn't over- or under-mix.

"... you don't want it to be too runny or brittle," Snape said. "Once you're done, let it sit for an hour. You should have enough there to last you a full week."

Mary finished mixing and set the bowl down. "How long did it take you to think this up?"

"A few hours," Snape replied. "It's somewhat untested, but the worst it could do wouldn't be dangerous for use."

"What exactly is it?" Remus asked, which earned a dirty look from Snape and, surprisingly, Mary.

"It increases the elasticity of the muscles," Snape replied, deliberate irritation in his voice. "It can be used either for cramps or for exercise recovery, if one should choose." He turned back to Mary and said, "While we wait for it to set, we could go over your classwork."

"We're working on antidotes," Mary said.

"Common?"

Mary nodded.

"Shove a bezoar down the patient's throat," Snape said blankly.

Mary started laughing a bit, but the laughter died down as Snape's expression remained unchanging. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I am," Snape answered. "The texture of the bezoar can more effectively draw poisons out from the patient's digestive system. While a potion would be faster and more potent, it would take time to prepare in the case of an emergency. The only problem is the prevalence of bezoars, which is why a potion would be more convenient."

"Where do bezoars come from?" Mary asked.

"The stomachs of goats," Snape answered.

"Couldn't people just… raise goats to produce bezoars?"

"They can," Snape replied. "However, even if one were to do this, it could take months to form a single bezoar."

Snape went into a long explanation as to the biological process of forming a bezoar, with Mary taking notes on one of the sheets of parchment. Occasionally, Snape would ask her why something reacted a certain way, and would then explain the reaction when she couldn't answer.

Remus wasn't sure how long they had spent in the lab, but he was relieved when they were done. He watched as Mary started taking some final notes, and Snape walked away from the desk, making eye contact with Remus and gesturing to the door. Remus obliged warily as Snape said to Mary, "We'll be right back."

"Okay."

Remus and Snape stepped outside of the lab, and Snape closed the door. "What do you know about what happened with Creevey?"

Remus blinked. What was Snape planning? "Lily said you found him, and that he was Petrified."

"And that's all she told you?"

"That was the main thing." Remus prepared himself for whatever Snape was about to say. If Snape was the culprit, was he possibly trying to find out the people he had to silence?

"What does she think happened?"

"I don't know," Remus admitted. "I only heard about it second-hand."

"Black?"

"Marlene."

"I see no difference."

"What do you want?!" Remus was starting to lose his patience.

"Careful now, Lupin," Snape said slowly. "Bark too much, and you might be tempted to bite."

Remus froze at Snape's words. Mary was just behind the door; if she heard…. "What do you want?" Remus asked carefully.

"Whatever attacked Creevey hasn't been found. For some reason, Lily wasn't quick to believe that it was an attack, and yet you and your friends are. I'm asking you to keep an eye out for Lily and MacDonald."

"Of course, I will," Remus said. "But why would you feel the need to ask me that?"

"I want your word," Snape replied. "I don't trust you, but I trust you more than anyone else in Gryffindor. I know you, of all people in your House, wouldn't intentionally put Lily and MacDonald in danger."

"James and Sirius wouldn't do that," Remus retorted. "They would never put their friends at risk."

"Potter? Perhaps not, assuming he likes them enough. Black? Debatable." Snape made to open the door before pausing. "It's curious that you brought those two up; I wasn't even accusing them of anything. Even more curious that you didn't mention Pettigrew or McKinnon."

"I-" Snape was surely trying to twist his words. "Whatever you're thinking regarding my friends, they're better than you think."

"I doubt it," Snape said. He looked back at the door. "Do I have your word?"

"What exactly are you expecting out of me?" Remus asked.

"Doing what you can to protect them. Something has just Petrified a student, and the party responsible hasn't been caught. Do your job."

Remus noticed how focused Snape was with each word that came out of his mouth, and he could feel the accusation in his voice when the last three words were spoken. "I'll see what I can do," Remus said reluctantly, although he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Well, he knew what Snape was asking of him, but he didn't know where to start.

Snape opened the door and stepped back into the room, and Remus followed warily. Mary seemed to be done, and she was sitting patiently with her parchment rolled up and the small pot of salve in her hand. She turned her head and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Remus lied. "Snape was just giving me his condolences." He looked between the two of them as he said to Snape, "We should be off, then."

Mary hopped off her seat and brought the parchment with her as Snape took the quill and ink. She said to Snape, "I'll see you later."

"I'm going back to my room," Snape said. "We'll be walking together until the fourth floor."

"Oh… right. Well, we can walk a bit, then."

Remus let Snape lead them out of the lab and up the staircase, with Mary walking between the two of them. When they reached the fourth floor, Snape said to them, "Good day, MacDonald. Lupin."

"Snape," Remus replied.

"Thanks, Severus," Mary said.

As Snape disappeared down the corridor, Remus walked with Mary and said, "You seemed to be doing well with Snape teaching you."

"He's way better than Slughorn," Mary said, smiling.

"Don't let Slughorn hear you say that," Remus smiled back. The words said by Snape minutes ago were still floating around in his head. The Slytherin wasn't one to sound too desperate, although he had his moments, but the way he had asked Remus to watch over Lily and Mary was odd. He had presented what he knew about the attack, as though he was expecting Remus to somehow solve it. But it wasn't as though Petrification and a potential culprit was much to go on.

The two of them finally returned to the common room, and they found Lily and Marlene in the middle of reading their mail. As the two girls looked up, Lily asked, "Where have you two been?"

"Remus walked me to see Severus," Mary explained, "and then Severus helped me with potions."

"Marley and I could've helped you."

"You would've had me open up the book," Mary replied. "Severus had me copy down some of his notes." She unrolled the parchment and showed it to both Lily and Marlene.

Remus could tell how bothered Marlene was by what Mary was doing. He said, "I'll head upstairs, then."

"Alright," Marlene replied, her voice a bit distant.

Remus made his way up to the dorm and entered, finding Sirius sitting at his desk. The boy turned and said, "There you are."

"Sorry, I had to keep an eye on Mary."

"James is meeting with the Quidditch team," Sirius said, turning and holding up the Map. "I've been monitoring Snivellus."

"I thought we agreed to stop calling him that," Remus said tiredly.

"In public," Sirius said.

"You called him that yesterday, too. In public."

Sirius shot Remus an annoyed look and said, "Yeah, I'm calling the Heir of Slytherin a mean name. Not as bad as, I don't know, Petrifying a student!"

"Look," Remus said, "Snape and I talked-"

"And you believed him?"

"Let me finish. He said he knows two things for certain: Creevey was Petrified, and that there is some sort of culprit."

"Any fool could guess that," Sirius said. "Even Peter."

"What I mean is," Remus continued, ignoring the jab at Peter, "the way he said it makes me think he wants us to figure it out."

"... Merlin's beard, he's toying with us!" Sirius snarled. "He thinks this is some sort of game!"

"I was going to say that he wants Lily and Mary to be safe," Remus said. The more Sirius spoke, the less he believed it was Snape, even if the Slytherin was the most likely culprit.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Just so he can get into Lily's knickers, more like."

"Can we please focus?" Remus sat down on his bed as he said, "I'm already uneasy as it is."

Sirius got up and sat next to Remus, Map in hand. Remus could see that Snape was in his room, writing at his desk, while Peter was hiding underneath the bed. It was a miracle he hadn't been caught yet.

"We'll play his game," Sirius said. "Now, our clues are a culprit and Petrification. So we should focus on Petrification. I'll head to the Library tomorrow and find whatever I can."

"We have Defense first thing," Remus reminded him.

"I'll go in the afternoon. As for tonight, I'm thinking Peter could look around the Shack while the three of us have a gay old time."

"We won't get too close to Hogsmeade, right?" Remus asked.

"Don't worry about it," Sirius said dismissively. "Prongs hasn't steered us wrong yet."

"But what if-"

"No buts," Sirius interrupted. "You'll be fine. Besides, you've been getting sluggish from all the food you're eating."

Remus nodded. If they could find any evidence on Snape's misdeeds in the Shack, they might be one step closer to uncovering the truth about the boy. But how it connected to the Chamber, Remus didn't know. But it was a thought for another time.

---

Severus IV

The following POV contains content, close to verbatim, from HBP Chapter 17, "A Sluggish Memory"

"What part of 'after dinner' do you not understand?"

Pettigrew adjusted the way he was sitting on the bed as he said, "It's about the party over the holiday."

"Fine, say what you need to say and get out."

"I heard more from the Carrows, but this time, they were talking to Rosier and Mulciber. Anyway, from what I heard, Mulciber's staying at the castle over the holiday. He's the only one not leaving."

That was an interesting development. Mulciber didn't have a very good reputation to begin with, so he would be fairly obvious as the holder of the diary, but he knew how to throw the scent off his trail. It was not secret that he was prejudiced against Muggle-borns, but he was careful with how he expressed it. Severus felt unsettled just thinking about Mulciber, and the feeling grew worse the more he focused on him. Especially the idea of him staying at the castle. It was the same feeling he got when thinking about Lily and MacDonald in relation to the recent attack; fortunately, Lily was going home, but MacDonald wasn't. "Anything else?"

"The Carrows mentioned that there would be another party over the Easter holiday," Pettigrew explained. "No details on that yet."

"And what about you and your friends?"

"Oh," Pettigrew said hesitantly. "Well, Mary and Marlene are at odds. Mary seems to think you're her friend."

"Which I am," Severus said defensively. Surprised by his own outburst, he quickly said, "Continue."

"... right," Pettigrew said slowly, "well, I'm supposed to search the Shack tonight for any evidence of your… vampirism. B-but, I don't have to-"

"Do it."

"What?" Pettigrew squeaked.

"Search the Shack. You'll find no evidence."

"Alright, then." The discomfort in Pettigrew's voice was palpable. "Um… well… Sirius and Marlene snogged a bit-"

"Do I look like I give a damn about Black's love life?"

"R-right, sorry! Um, well… I-I- you see-"

"Is this really the best you can do?" Severus asked impatiently.

"No!" Pettigrew squealed. "Give me a moment…. I have something! Regulus is acting odd."

"How so?" Severus had a good feeling that Regulus was the one to bring the diary into the school, and if Pettigrew had seen or heard anything, this might be his way forward.

"He's… well, you know how he's normally… Malfoy-ish?"

"I can imagine."

"I've caught him alone a few times, and… well, he looks panicked. Ever since Creevey was Petrified."

Could Regulus be the one opening the Chamber of Secrets? If so, then… no. Under normal circumstances, Severus would have been sure that Regulus was the culprit, but his instincts told him otherwise. As it was before, perhaps the one responsible for bringing the diary into the school wasn't the one responsible for opening the Chamber. Which meant that, perhaps, the diary had to possess someone. "What do you suspect?"

"I… well, naturally, you're the… prime suspect."

"Heir of Slytherin," Severus muttered. "Have you or any of your friends asked Lily about my schedule?"

"We might have discussed it," Pettigrew said sheepishly.

"Then you'll know my workload." Severus allowed room for silence to enter the conversation as he studied Pettigrew. The rat boy never really looked happy, unless he was fawning over what Potter and Black were doing. But now, Severus could tell that even spending time with the other two delinquents wouldn't put a smile on his face. Good.

"Right," Pettigrew said.

"Out."

As Pettigrew left, Severus stood and took out his wand, using the training dummy for target practice as he collected his thoughts together. Regulus and Mulciber are our two primary suspects, assuming they aren't possessed.

But Pettigrew's words place that into question.

Yes, that's possible. But why is Regulus panicking, unless… no, he really doesn't seem like he's involved.

Take Rosier into account; he is Regulus's senior as well as Narcissa's cousin.

And Mulciber takes orders from Rosier. No, that doesn't feel right at all.

In what way?

Rosier feels farther from the culprit. But considering that the diary can possess other people….

It could be anyone.

Anyone that makes sense.

Could you not go through a list of students and try to sense it out?

I can't distinguish guilt from danger. Not yet, at least.

We will discuss this with Dumbledore when he calls for us.

Severus spent the next few hours drilling himself on wandwork, both stationary and mobile, and he was only interrupted when he heard a knock on the door. He stowed his wand back up his sleeve as he opened, only to find Lily standing there.

"Is it already time for dinner?" Severus asked.

"Yeah," Lily said. There was a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"What's wrong?"

"You remember how I said I wanted to spend the night at Tuney's?"

"... yes." Severus had a bad feeling about what Lily was about to say.

"... she agreed."

"Well… fuck."

"You'll behave, won't you?"

"I wouldn't agree to it if I didn't want to try," Severus replied, his voice more severe than he had intended. "Sorry, I'm not in a very good mood right now."

"I can tell. Anyway, I'm going to dinner. Are you eating well?"

"I am. I've been eating more meat."

"Good… oh, speaking of eating, I was wondering if, before we left Tuney's, we could go to a nearby cafe. I always go there when we're in London."

"Are you referring to that… what is it? 'Hard Rock'?"

"Yeah," Lily said, smiling. "How'd you know?"

"You told me about it during our first summer back from school. Isn't it in Hyde Park?"

"Yeah, close to Tuney's. I thought it would be nice."

Severus nodded. He didn't like rock and roll, but he wasn't about to turn down a meal with Lily. Even if their company happened to be Petunia. "It sounds like it could be good," he half-lied.

"Right. Well, have a good night, then."

"Night." Severus watched Lily walk away a bit before shutting the door. As he sat down in his chair, he heard a pop come from behind. He turned and found Snarky present, holding a palm-sized stone. "Snarky?"

"The Headmaster requests Severus Snape's presence."

"I see. Very well, then. Why do you have Corvisol with you?"

Snarky looked down at the stone and said, "Snarky was cleaning it, sir."

"Why?"

"It is something to do, sir."

"Right. Take me to Dumbledore."

"The Headmaster wishes for Severus Snape to walk there."

"Fine." Severus stood and opened the door as Snarky popped out of the room. The path to the Headmaster's Office had become so familiar that it barely registered to him as he stepped inside, finding the old man bringing out the Pensieve.

"Ah, there you are, Severus."

"Another memory?"

"A relatively short one by comparison, but yes. Do sit." Severus complied as Dumbledore continued. "Now, before we begin, I believe I should give you a brief summary of Tom's time at Hogwarts."

Let me guess: handsome, intelligent, charismatic, popular. Is any of that making sense?

"Rather spot on, professor," Dumbledore mused with a smile. "Yes, Tom was quite notable when he arrived. Not only was he beloved by members of the staff, he was even Headmaster Dippet's favorite student. It should be no surprise that, due to his popularity and academic achievements, he was selected to be a Prefect. How familiar are you with the events surrounding the previous opening of the Chamber?"

Only what you yourself told me, which wasn't much. I gleaned that Hagrid was involved.

"Hagrid was framed for the death of Myrtle Warren," Dumbledore said somberly. "And would you believe it if I said that Tom was the Prefect who turned him in?"

"That only makes sense," Severus said. "Are we going to view that memory now?"

"No," Dumbledore said. "No, that is not the memory. Let me explain something that I believe happened during this event, something that I hadn't considered until after you and I started working together. Given that Tom can speak Parseltongue, I'm sure you can deduce that it was him that opened the Chamber previously."

"Yes, that is… quite literally what I told you before."

"Then you know that Tom, having killed Myrtle, used her death to create his first Horcrux."

You had told me as much.

"Indeed?" Dumbledore stood and began to walk back and forth. "Good. So you understand then that Voldemort was born at the end of Tom's fifth year?"

Severus nodded. "I'm assuming that this memory is the first time that we see… him?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. We will be returning to Little Hangleton, particularly the home of the Gaunts. And more particularly, one without Marvolo Gaunt."

"Did he die?"

"He did. It's possible his death was caused by shock or from general weakness, but the fact remains that Marvolo was dead when Voldemort visited his uncle." Dumbledore gestured to the Pensieve. "Come."

Severus nodded and followed Dumbledore's lead by dipping his face into the silvery vapors, landing upon a dirty stone floor in almost total darkness.

It took Severus an instant to recognize the place, by which time Dumbledore and Professor Snape had landed beside him. The Gaunts' house was now more indescribably filthy than almost anywhere Severus had ever seen. The ceiling was thick with cobwebs, the floor coated in grime; moldy and rotting food lay upon the table amidst a mass of crusted pots. The only light came from a single guttering candle placed at the feet of a man with hair and beard so overgrown Severus could see neither eyes nor mouth. He was slumped in an armchair by the fire, and Severus almost wondered for a moment whether he was dead. But then there came a loud knock on the door and the man jerked awake, raising a wand in his right hand and a short knife in his left.

The door cracked open. There on the threshold, holding an old-fashioned lamp, stood a boy Severus recognized at once: tall, pale, dark-haired, and handsome- the teenage Tom Riddle.

Tom's eyes moved slowly around the hovel and then found the man in the armchair. For a few seconds they looked at each other, then the man staggered upright, the many empty bottles at his feet clattering and tinkling across the floor.

"YOU!" he bellowed. "YOU!" And he hurtled drunkenly at Tom, wand and knife held aloft.

Tom spoke in Parseltongue. The man skidded into the table, sending moldy pots crashing to the floor. He stared at Tom. There was a long silence while they contemplated each other. The man broke it with his own hissing, and Tom replied, moving forward into the room and allowing the door to swing shut behind him. His face expressed disgust and disappointment as he hissed something else. The man, whom Severus had deduced was Morfin, hissed back, causing Tom to frown.

After a brief exchange, Morfin pushed the hair out of his dirty face, the better to see Tom, and Severus saw that he wore Marvolo's black-stoned ring on his right hand. Morfin hissed softly, which Tom returned with a sharpness to his tongue. Morfin continued hissing, eventually spitting unexpectedly upon the floor between them before finishing his thought. He looked slightly dazed and swayed a little, still clutching the edge of the table for support. He hissed again, and Tom moved closer as he hissed inquisitively. Morfin hissed and spat again, working himself into a rage again; he brandished his knife and shouted something else in Parseltongue, looking away and staggering slightly.

Tom moved forward. As he did so, an unnatural darkness fell, extinguishing Tom's lamp and Morfin's candle, extinguishing everything….

Severus felt himself being pulled out of the Pensieve and back into his seat. He looked across the table where Dumbledore was sitting and said, "I don't understand what happened. It was all just hissing."

"I needed to show you what happened for context," Dumbledore explained. "Morfin soon lost consciousness, at about the time we left the memory. And what followed was the murder of the Riddle family at the hands of Voldemort."

Severus was somewhat confused. "Sir?"

"I will tell you the abridged version of the events. Voldemort incapacitated Morfin and stole his wand. Using said wand, he killed his own father, Tom Riddle Sr., as well as his grandparents, Thomas and Mary Riddle. Naturally, the Muggles were confused, as there were no signs of bodily harm on any of the three victims. The Ministry, on the other hand, knew that Morfin Gaunt lived across the valley and had been known to violently attack one of the victims. When the Ministry apprehended Morfin, they found that he was the culprit."

"How?"

"He confessed. And he even surrendered his wand to authorities, which was found to be the murder weapon. This also happened to be the time that Morfin's ring went missing."

The second Horcrux.

"Correct. And now, I will go to dinner," Dumbledore replied.

"Wait," Severus said. "You called me here to show me a memory that barely lasted five minutes?"

"I also called you here so you could explain everything you've learned from Mr. Pettigrew."

Severus's heart stopped momentarily as he realized what was being asked of him. "Sir-"

"But we can discuss this after dinner," Dumbledore said. "Now then, off you go."

Severus stood and left, thinking about what had happened. It was almost time for Lupin and his misfitting friends to search the Shack, and Severus knew they would find nothing. But it bothered him that they even connected him to the Shack in the first place. Sure, he had been at Hogwarts for the entire summer, and the Shack had been more active, but it was a bit of a stretch to say the two were related; the idea that Dumbledore would even put a student in the Shack instead of a hospital bed was unthinkable, which was probably why Dumbledore had made the decision.

Arriving in his room, Severus had Snarky bring him his dinner, groaty pudding served with a tall glass of water and a sliced pear. His stomach had started acting up once more, and he needed something more than water as a palette-cleanser. Quickly finishing his meal, he took a quick shower, took care of all of his needs, and changed out of his clothes and into the nightshirt Professor Snape had suggested. It was just a transfigured blanket, but it was good enough. He had to admit that it felt more comfortable, but he wouldn't be caught dead wearing it in public.

Lying down on the bed, Severus calmed his mind, clearing away everything until his eyelids grew weary, and he fell asleep.