(no subject)
Title: Licorice Sticks and Aniseed Balls
Chapter Title: Confrontations of the Revealing Kind
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Pairings: Lily/James
Chapter Summary: Harry meets Snape, and goes to see Dumbledore. Remus recovers from the full moon, and Harry pays a visit.
Author's Notes: Virtual cookies for everyone who prodded me to finish writing this chapter. I hope it won’t disappoint.
Previous Chapter
Chapter 11: Confrontations of the Revealing Kind
It wasn’t until the afternoon after the next Hogsmeade trip that Harry ran into another familiar face. He, Lily and Alice burst into the Entrance Hall in gales of laughter. They had met up with the Marauders briefly in the Three Broomsticks, which had put a damper on both Harry and Alice’s spirits, as they watched Lily and James together, though Harry still hadn’t been able to determine why.
They had both cheered up, however, when they were joined by Remus, who had at once begun to regale them with anecdotes of the various pranks he’d participated in. It hadn’t been long before Lily had come over to see what all the fuss was about, and the three of them were still laughing when they reached the castle.
‘Watch it, mudblood!’ a greasy-haired Slytherin boy snarled as Lily stumbled into him. Harry examined him closely, sensing something sinister about him, and then his eyes widened in sudden recognition. He had been in his parents’ time for so long without seeing this particular Slytherin that he’d almost forgotten that Severus Snape existed.
Suddenly furious, Alice snapped back, ‘Don’t call her Mudblood, Snape!’
He sneered, casting an appraising eye over the three of them, and his gaze paused when he spotted Harry. ‘Well, well, Hart, what have we here? The new boy? Once again, you seem to have proven that you have abominable taste in companions.’ To Harry, he said, ‘You’re a mudblood, too, aren’t you? I’ve never heard the name Blackmoon before.’
‘Second generation half-blood, actually,’ Harry replied coolly, though inside he was fuming - it seemed that the snarky Potions Master Harry knew in his own time hadn’t matured at all since his teenage years.
Snape sniffed. ‘You should choose your friends more carefully, then, Blackmoon,’ he drawled. ‘If you carry on associating with the blood traitor and the Mudblood, then you’ll be a leper to more respectable members of society.’
Harry’s nostrils flared and his hand twitched for his wand, but he needn’t have bothered. A split second after Snape finished speaking, Lily cried ‘Don’t!’ to no avail, and Alice’s hand flew out. With a sickening crunch, Snape fell to the ground, blood streaming out of his large, crooked nose, and Alice stood over him, looming ominously.
‘You insult my friends again, Snape,’ she hissed out, ‘and a broken nose will be the least of your troubles.’
Harry nodded in agreement to her words, and then added quietly, ‘And count yourself lucky that it’s just a broken nose this time: I would have done something much worse.’
Snape scrambled to his feet, and scowled at all three of them, but beat a hasty retreat, alternately clutching his nose and his forearm, and clearly heading towards the hospital wing to get it healed.
As soon as he was out of sight, Lily rounded on them, demanding to know what they had been thinking, and Harry was reminded for a brief moment of Hermione.
‘You know, he’s lucky, really,’ Harry told her, ‘if he’d called you that in front of Potter, then there’d be hell to pay. And he shouldn’t think it’s okay to go around calling people that, as if he’s better than them, just because of his blood.’
‘Well, congratulations, Harry,’ Lily snapped at him, her voice laced with sarcasm. ‘You’ve just proven him right, haven’t you?’
And on that note, she stormed away, leaving Harry gaping after her, and Alice looking suitably apologetic.
-------
‘Professor?’ Harry asked quietly, as he knocked on the door to the Headmaster’s office. ‘May I come in?’
The door swung open of its own accord, and Harry bit his lip, seeing Professor Dumbledore standing in front of him, his figure framed by the dying sunlight that still shone through his office window.
‘Ah, Mr. Blackmoon,’ the Professor said, for once genuinely surprised as he ushered Harry into the office. ‘What seems to be bothering you today?’
Harry bit his lip slightly, took a seat before Professor Dumbledore’s desk, and then blurted out, ‘Is Snape a spy for the Order?’
Professor Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. ‘Now why would you ask that?’
‘I bumped into him in the Entrance Hall. He was clutching his forearm - where the Dark Mark is. And he was-’ he shook his head, clearing it ‘-will be your spy in my time.’
‘Hmm...’ was the first repsonse that Professor Dumbledore offered. Then, after a pause, he said, ‘No, Mr. Snape is not a member of the Order. I will, however, keep this information in mind. Lemon drop?’
Harry smiled, politely declined the offered sweet, and then left the office, quietly closing the door behind him.
-------
The only thing that Harry really had left to do that day was something he’d promised himself he’d do a while ago, and then chickened out of: confronting Lupin. The previous night had been a full moon, and, as Harry was well aware, the werewolf was by this point being prodded at by Madam Pomfrey. Harry winced - he sympathised greatly.
The Hospital Wing was situated directly between Dumbledore’s office and Gryffindor Tower, so Harry really had no excuse not to pay at least a short visit to his professor-turned-friend. And he would have to watch his words if he didn’t want Lupin to think that he was being rejected.
‘Mr. Blackmoon!’ Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as he sidled through the door.
He winced. ‘I- I was hoping that I could visit Lupin. Five minutes tops, I promise.’
The matron frowned. ‘Mr. Lupin has returned home,’ she said briskly, ‘because his mother is ill.’
‘I know,’ Harry said, and something in his tone obviously told Madam Pomfrey that he was not referring to Lupin’s mother’s health. She pursed her lips.
‘Very well,’ she said after a moment’s consideration. ‘But mind that it really is only five minutes, and if you upset him, then you’ll have to leave. He’s in the side room over there.’ Harry nodded, and moved towards the door she was indicating, steeling himself.
He needn’t have bothered, really, though, because when he opened the door, Lupin was staring right at him with scared blue eyes. Combined with the bandages wrapped all around him, they made him look rather pitiful.
‘You... you know,’ he croaked out. ‘I heard you talking. D- do you hate me now?’
Harry closed his eyes, took a calming breath, and simply answered, ‘No.’
Next Chapter
Chapter Title: Confrontations of the Revealing Kind
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Pairings: Lily/James
Chapter Summary: Harry meets Snape, and goes to see Dumbledore. Remus recovers from the full moon, and Harry pays a visit.
Author's Notes: Virtual cookies for everyone who prodded me to finish writing this chapter. I hope it won’t disappoint.
Previous Chapter
Chapter 11: Confrontations of the Revealing Kind
It wasn’t until the afternoon after the next Hogsmeade trip that Harry ran into another familiar face. He, Lily and Alice burst into the Entrance Hall in gales of laughter. They had met up with the Marauders briefly in the Three Broomsticks, which had put a damper on both Harry and Alice’s spirits, as they watched Lily and James together, though Harry still hadn’t been able to determine why.
They had both cheered up, however, when they were joined by Remus, who had at once begun to regale them with anecdotes of the various pranks he’d participated in. It hadn’t been long before Lily had come over to see what all the fuss was about, and the three of them were still laughing when they reached the castle.
‘Watch it, mudblood!’ a greasy-haired Slytherin boy snarled as Lily stumbled into him. Harry examined him closely, sensing something sinister about him, and then his eyes widened in sudden recognition. He had been in his parents’ time for so long without seeing this particular Slytherin that he’d almost forgotten that Severus Snape existed.
Suddenly furious, Alice snapped back, ‘Don’t call her Mudblood, Snape!’
He sneered, casting an appraising eye over the three of them, and his gaze paused when he spotted Harry. ‘Well, well, Hart, what have we here? The new boy? Once again, you seem to have proven that you have abominable taste in companions.’ To Harry, he said, ‘You’re a mudblood, too, aren’t you? I’ve never heard the name Blackmoon before.’
‘Second generation half-blood, actually,’ Harry replied coolly, though inside he was fuming - it seemed that the snarky Potions Master Harry knew in his own time hadn’t matured at all since his teenage years.
Snape sniffed. ‘You should choose your friends more carefully, then, Blackmoon,’ he drawled. ‘If you carry on associating with the blood traitor and the Mudblood, then you’ll be a leper to more respectable members of society.’
Harry’s nostrils flared and his hand twitched for his wand, but he needn’t have bothered. A split second after Snape finished speaking, Lily cried ‘Don’t!’ to no avail, and Alice’s hand flew out. With a sickening crunch, Snape fell to the ground, blood streaming out of his large, crooked nose, and Alice stood over him, looming ominously.
‘You insult my friends again, Snape,’ she hissed out, ‘and a broken nose will be the least of your troubles.’
Harry nodded in agreement to her words, and then added quietly, ‘And count yourself lucky that it’s just a broken nose this time: I would have done something much worse.’
Snape scrambled to his feet, and scowled at all three of them, but beat a hasty retreat, alternately clutching his nose and his forearm, and clearly heading towards the hospital wing to get it healed.
As soon as he was out of sight, Lily rounded on them, demanding to know what they had been thinking, and Harry was reminded for a brief moment of Hermione.
‘You know, he’s lucky, really,’ Harry told her, ‘if he’d called you that in front of Potter, then there’d be hell to pay. And he shouldn’t think it’s okay to go around calling people that, as if he’s better than them, just because of his blood.’
‘Well, congratulations, Harry,’ Lily snapped at him, her voice laced with sarcasm. ‘You’ve just proven him right, haven’t you?’
And on that note, she stormed away, leaving Harry gaping after her, and Alice looking suitably apologetic.
-------
‘Professor?’ Harry asked quietly, as he knocked on the door to the Headmaster’s office. ‘May I come in?’
The door swung open of its own accord, and Harry bit his lip, seeing Professor Dumbledore standing in front of him, his figure framed by the dying sunlight that still shone through his office window.
‘Ah, Mr. Blackmoon,’ the Professor said, for once genuinely surprised as he ushered Harry into the office. ‘What seems to be bothering you today?’
Harry bit his lip slightly, took a seat before Professor Dumbledore’s desk, and then blurted out, ‘Is Snape a spy for the Order?’
Professor Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. ‘Now why would you ask that?’
‘I bumped into him in the Entrance Hall. He was clutching his forearm - where the Dark Mark is. And he was-’ he shook his head, clearing it ‘-will be your spy in my time.’
‘Hmm...’ was the first repsonse that Professor Dumbledore offered. Then, after a pause, he said, ‘No, Mr. Snape is not a member of the Order. I will, however, keep this information in mind. Lemon drop?’
Harry smiled, politely declined the offered sweet, and then left the office, quietly closing the door behind him.
-------
The only thing that Harry really had left to do that day was something he’d promised himself he’d do a while ago, and then chickened out of: confronting Lupin. The previous night had been a full moon, and, as Harry was well aware, the werewolf was by this point being prodded at by Madam Pomfrey. Harry winced - he sympathised greatly.
The Hospital Wing was situated directly between Dumbledore’s office and Gryffindor Tower, so Harry really had no excuse not to pay at least a short visit to his professor-turned-friend. And he would have to watch his words if he didn’t want Lupin to think that he was being rejected.
‘Mr. Blackmoon!’ Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as he sidled through the door.
He winced. ‘I- I was hoping that I could visit Lupin. Five minutes tops, I promise.’
The matron frowned. ‘Mr. Lupin has returned home,’ she said briskly, ‘because his mother is ill.’
‘I know,’ Harry said, and something in his tone obviously told Madam Pomfrey that he was not referring to Lupin’s mother’s health. She pursed her lips.
‘Very well,’ she said after a moment’s consideration. ‘But mind that it really is only five minutes, and if you upset him, then you’ll have to leave. He’s in the side room over there.’ Harry nodded, and moved towards the door she was indicating, steeling himself.
He needn’t have bothered, really, though, because when he opened the door, Lupin was staring right at him with scared blue eyes. Combined with the bandages wrapped all around him, they made him look rather pitiful.
‘You... you know,’ he croaked out. ‘I heard you talking. D- do you hate me now?’
Harry closed his eyes, took a calming breath, and simply answered, ‘No.’
Next Chapter