Spoke in Tongues: Chapter 6
Standard Disclaimer
You can't ever erase that you were not popular in school
You can't erase you were poor and knew no one
You can't ever erase who you were, no matter what you've become
I know where you're from
And that you spoke in tongues
A few moments later, finally free of James Potter, Lily was wandering around the school, pondering the thoughts that threatened to provoke her into tears. She couldn't understand what had happened. She and Severus had grown up together. They had become fast friends. She genuinely liked him. He was funny, and smart. He was humble, and he was a kindhearted guy. But then he started hanging out with Lucius... Which she had suggested.
Her thoughts tormented her. She had pushed her friend into becoming the man that now ignored her and could hardly meet her eyes. In her desire to see him have more friends, to no longer be the joke of his house, she had driven him away.
She looked up to see the boys known as the Marauders sitting under a tree, James playing with a snitch that he'd obviously pilfered from under Coach Hoosen's nose. She stood there watching him before realizing that she was staring. Before she could take her eyes away, Sirius Black started taunting someone... Severus.
Her heart dropped. He was just taking it. Just like he always did. She felt a glorious rage fill her. He was still her best friend, even if he was avoiding her. And friends look out for each other. She gasped in horror as Severus was dangled upside down, and she stormed over to the chortling Marauders.
"Why on EARTH are you tormenting him? What did he ever do to you, you INSUFFERABLE git?"
Lily was seething. Seeing red. About to blow a gasket.
And James laughed in her face. After all of his attempts to get her to go out with him, now while he was dangling her best friend upside down, he was laughing at her.
"It's not so much that he's doing anything, but more the fact that he exists."
"Put him down NOW Potter."
"Oh, better do it, Sirius, Evans is mad."
"Now Snivellus needs a girl to fight his battles for him," Sirius taunted the boy as he landed back on the ground.
"I don't need help from a filthy mudblood like her."
Snape's words cut to the core of her heart.
This was it. She had learned the truth. He was no longer her friend. He was not hers anymore...
She was alone.
"You little," James started towards Severus, his hands clenched in fists.
"James..."
It was Remus that brought James Potter back to earth... Lily had taken off, running towards the lake.
"Someone better make sure that she doesn't hurt herself..."
That was Peter.
James sprinted after the fiery red-head that he had fallen for so hard.
When he caught her, he grabbed her by the elbow.
"Let me go," she pleaded, "I'm alone, let me just be that way..."
"No, Lily. You're not alone."
And with that, he held her close to him and she sobbed on his chest.
And from his place in the Slytherin common room, Severus Snape watched while his heart cracked.
The door to the common room opened and Narcissa Black swept in.
"Sevvie!"
Her voice betrayed the falsity that she was not even subtle enough to hide.
"What, Narcissa?"
"I have something for you..."
She handed him a goblet, and he looked at her questioningly.
"I'm not poisoning you. It's a memory. But you understand better if you drink it."
So Severus Snape took one last look at his sobbing ex-best-friend, and downed the memory.
When he turned back to see Potter and Evans, he realized that she had left him... Betrayed him. The reason she wanted him to have friends was so that she could move in on Potter, the one man that she knew he hated.
Severus Snape was no longer the shy boy he had once been. He was a hardened teenager. If those around him chose to screw him over... His revenge would be hundredfold.
And somewhere, a man named Tom Riddle laughed, knowing his most valuable servant had just been procured, thanks to a cleverly mixed potion.
The wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle smiled and went about his business, singing softly to himself.
"One part memory, two parts pureblood hate, that's all that's needed to create... the Perfectly Perfect Severus Snape..."
A couple of the quotes in this chapter are directly from JKR's books, when Snape's memory of the dangling, and calling Lily a Mudblood is seen by Harry.
You can't ever erase that you were not popular in school
You can't erase you were poor and knew no one
You can't ever erase who you were, no matter what you've become
I know where you're from
And that you spoke in tongues
A few moments later, finally free of James Potter, Lily was wandering around the school, pondering the thoughts that threatened to provoke her into tears. She couldn't understand what had happened. She and Severus had grown up together. They had become fast friends. She genuinely liked him. He was funny, and smart. He was humble, and he was a kindhearted guy. But then he started hanging out with Lucius... Which she had suggested.
Her thoughts tormented her. She had pushed her friend into becoming the man that now ignored her and could hardly meet her eyes. In her desire to see him have more friends, to no longer be the joke of his house, she had driven him away.
She looked up to see the boys known as the Marauders sitting under a tree, James playing with a snitch that he'd obviously pilfered from under Coach Hoosen's nose. She stood there watching him before realizing that she was staring. Before she could take her eyes away, Sirius Black started taunting someone... Severus.
Her heart dropped. He was just taking it. Just like he always did. She felt a glorious rage fill her. He was still her best friend, even if he was avoiding her. And friends look out for each other. She gasped in horror as Severus was dangled upside down, and she stormed over to the chortling Marauders.
"Why on EARTH are you tormenting him? What did he ever do to you, you INSUFFERABLE git?"
Lily was seething. Seeing red. About to blow a gasket.
And James laughed in her face. After all of his attempts to get her to go out with him, now while he was dangling her best friend upside down, he was laughing at her.
"It's not so much that he's doing anything, but more the fact that he exists."
"Put him down NOW Potter."
"Oh, better do it, Sirius, Evans is mad."
"Now Snivellus needs a girl to fight his battles for him," Sirius taunted the boy as he landed back on the ground.
"I don't need help from a filthy mudblood like her."
Snape's words cut to the core of her heart.
This was it. She had learned the truth. He was no longer her friend. He was not hers anymore...
She was alone.
"You little," James started towards Severus, his hands clenched in fists.
"James..."
It was Remus that brought James Potter back to earth... Lily had taken off, running towards the lake.
"Someone better make sure that she doesn't hurt herself..."
That was Peter.
James sprinted after the fiery red-head that he had fallen for so hard.
When he caught her, he grabbed her by the elbow.
"Let me go," she pleaded, "I'm alone, let me just be that way..."
"No, Lily. You're not alone."
And with that, he held her close to him and she sobbed on his chest.
And from his place in the Slytherin common room, Severus Snape watched while his heart cracked.
The door to the common room opened and Narcissa Black swept in.
"Sevvie!"
Her voice betrayed the falsity that she was not even subtle enough to hide.
"What, Narcissa?"
"I have something for you..."
She handed him a goblet, and he looked at her questioningly.
"I'm not poisoning you. It's a memory. But you understand better if you drink it."
So Severus Snape took one last look at his sobbing ex-best-friend, and downed the memory.
When he turned back to see Potter and Evans, he realized that she had left him... Betrayed him. The reason she wanted him to have friends was so that she could move in on Potter, the one man that she knew he hated.
Severus Snape was no longer the shy boy he had once been. He was a hardened teenager. If those around him chose to screw him over... His revenge would be hundredfold.
And somewhere, a man named Tom Riddle laughed, knowing his most valuable servant had just been procured, thanks to a cleverly mixed potion.
The wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle smiled and went about his business, singing softly to himself.
"One part memory, two parts pureblood hate, that's all that's needed to create... the Perfectly Perfect Severus Snape..."
A couple of the quotes in this chapter are directly from JKR's books, when Snape's memory of the dangling, and calling Lily a Mudblood is seen by Harry.