secrets ; a mwpp gen drabble.
Secrets
RATING: PG-13.
PAIRING: None. Mentions of the Marauders.
WARNINGS: None to my knowledge.
SUMMARY: Snape has something to tell Lily and she doesn't want to listen.
DISCLAIMER: The Harry Potter series and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I am merely borrowing them.
Today was going to be an extraordinarily bizarre day and Lily Evans wasn't sure what to make of it yet. She had seen James Potter with scratches all down his arms and a nasty gash over his eyebrow, had seen Sirius Black silent for the first time in her years at Hogwarts and looking remarkably apologetic. She cared little for that particular group save for Remus, though she couldn't help but notice that the only communcation from James to Sirius today was through Peter, the poor thing. She had seen Severus Snape in the hall as he slipped her a piece of parchment that said very little in the way of his usual pathetic attempts at apology but instead said that he had requested to be paired with her during tonight's Prefect rounds.
Needless to say, Lily was completely dreading patrols.
She had known Remus was indisposed and was ready to wander the halls with the Head Boy until this sudden turn of events and now she felt her mind reeling. Lily had no intention of speaking civilly with Severus again, not since the incident last year where he had called her that vile word. He had been her best friend and though it was equivalent to severing ties with a piece of herself, she reasoned it was just cutting her losses ahead of time. But now they'd have to spend hours wandering the halls together, surely to be some of the most miserable hours of her life. It was too late to find a last-minute replacement and if she found Betty or Alberic and begged to switch, there could only be more questions than she'd care to answer, as they both believed Lily and Severus to still be friends.
The corridors of the castle never seemed to end when there was no one in sight, and for a moment she allowed herself to become lost in the spectacle of it all, of magic that she had found by happy accident, of friends she had made and of classes that she loved. A smile flitted across her face just before she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, spinning far too fast and bringing her wand slashing through the air.
"Lily, it's just me." He appeared out of the shadows--like the snake that he is, she thought bitterly, biting her lip in case she let the insult slip--and stood in front of her. There was always something in him that made her smile, but now she only felt ill. His recent penitent looks gave way to some sort of vengeful glint and she wanted to strike him for it.
She fought to keep her face impassive, to not lash out as she was prone to do in Sev's presence. "Severus," she said curtly, turning to walk down the corridor without waiting for a response. "And why did you arrange this charming, completely unforced meeting?"
"Please listen to me, even if it's just this one time," he said, quickly matching his pace to hers. She didn't want to dignify him with a response so she turned her head slightly to glance at him. His eyes were pleading with her and though she wanted to laugh in his face and move right along, it wasn't who she was. Lily Evans was sympathetic if nothing else and Severus knew how to play to his advantage. She stopped then and crossed her arms, turning to face him and raising an eyebrow for him to continue. "Your housemates," he began, biting out the word housemates, "tried to get me killed last night."
She nearly snorted, not sure if it was the bitter tone giving his voice an edge or if she was so used to the crazy antics of the boys that she wondered how no one had died yet. "That sounds a bit drastic, even for them."
"I'm not lying," he said, the anger nearly palpable in his voice. "Black let slip what his mates were doing that night and goaded me into approaching the Whomping Willow."
She let her arms drop, her eyebrows furrowed. "Did he goad you or did you just decide to investigate for yourself, Severus?"
"The second." He had the decency to look sheepish about his decision then, and Lily's eyes darted across his face. There were several marks on his face that looked as though they might have been wounds, but time had faded them to scars. She knew better than that--these scars looked weeks old and he certainly hadn't sustained any injuries then. "It's just like him to act the fool in their little band. But that's not the point," he paused, the impatience riddling his voice. "I know why the Whomping Willow was planted and how to get in. Despite nearly getting killed, I know the secret Potter and his cronies are hiding."
She made a face, tapping her foot in irritation. "And what, pray tell, is this secret?"
The glee in his eyes made Lily want to shudder in revulsion. "Lupin is a werewolf. He's the one they're hiding in the Shrieking Shack and that's why there's always reports of howling. The reason why the Whomping Willow was planted." Lily felt the gears in her mind spinning wildly and she kept her face a mask as he opened his mouth to speak again when she said nothing. "I saw him, Lily. I saw the werewolf."
"If you saw a werewolf, Severus, how in Merlin's name did you escape with your life?"
His gleeful look that had contorted his pallid features seemed to melt away, discomfort taking its place. He couldn't lie to her and they both knew it, so it would only be moments before he told her the truth. She was piecing together the story in her head now, though much of it was conjecture based upon what she had seen in the common room... Potter, injured and furious; Black, apologetic and quiet; Pettigrew, the messenger for the two. Could it have been a misunderstanding?
"Potter... Potter showed up and saved me."
Her eyes widened in shock, all pretense of appearing indifferent forgotten. "Severus, you'll have to take the rest of this patrol shift and tell our replacements that I've fallen ill. It's the least you can do." She quickly turned around, making her way back to Gryffindor Tower to demand an explanation.
Now this was something she needed to hear straight from the source.
RATING: PG-13.
PAIRING: None. Mentions of the Marauders.
WARNINGS: None to my knowledge.
SUMMARY: Snape has something to tell Lily and she doesn't want to listen.
DISCLAIMER: The Harry Potter series and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I am merely borrowing them.
Today was going to be an extraordinarily bizarre day and Lily Evans wasn't sure what to make of it yet. She had seen James Potter with scratches all down his arms and a nasty gash over his eyebrow, had seen Sirius Black silent for the first time in her years at Hogwarts and looking remarkably apologetic. She cared little for that particular group save for Remus, though she couldn't help but notice that the only communcation from James to Sirius today was through Peter, the poor thing. She had seen Severus Snape in the hall as he slipped her a piece of parchment that said very little in the way of his usual pathetic attempts at apology but instead said that he had requested to be paired with her during tonight's Prefect rounds.
Needless to say, Lily was completely dreading patrols.
She had known Remus was indisposed and was ready to wander the halls with the Head Boy until this sudden turn of events and now she felt her mind reeling. Lily had no intention of speaking civilly with Severus again, not since the incident last year where he had called her that vile word. He had been her best friend and though it was equivalent to severing ties with a piece of herself, she reasoned it was just cutting her losses ahead of time. But now they'd have to spend hours wandering the halls together, surely to be some of the most miserable hours of her life. It was too late to find a last-minute replacement and if she found Betty or Alberic and begged to switch, there could only be more questions than she'd care to answer, as they both believed Lily and Severus to still be friends.
The corridors of the castle never seemed to end when there was no one in sight, and for a moment she allowed herself to become lost in the spectacle of it all, of magic that she had found by happy accident, of friends she had made and of classes that she loved. A smile flitted across her face just before she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, spinning far too fast and bringing her wand slashing through the air.
"Lily, it's just me." He appeared out of the shadows--like the snake that he is, she thought bitterly, biting her lip in case she let the insult slip--and stood in front of her. There was always something in him that made her smile, but now she only felt ill. His recent penitent looks gave way to some sort of vengeful glint and she wanted to strike him for it.
She fought to keep her face impassive, to not lash out as she was prone to do in Sev's presence. "Severus," she said curtly, turning to walk down the corridor without waiting for a response. "And why did you arrange this charming, completely unforced meeting?"
"Please listen to me, even if it's just this one time," he said, quickly matching his pace to hers. She didn't want to dignify him with a response so she turned her head slightly to glance at him. His eyes were pleading with her and though she wanted to laugh in his face and move right along, it wasn't who she was. Lily Evans was sympathetic if nothing else and Severus knew how to play to his advantage. She stopped then and crossed her arms, turning to face him and raising an eyebrow for him to continue. "Your housemates," he began, biting out the word housemates, "tried to get me killed last night."
She nearly snorted, not sure if it was the bitter tone giving his voice an edge or if she was so used to the crazy antics of the boys that she wondered how no one had died yet. "That sounds a bit drastic, even for them."
"I'm not lying," he said, the anger nearly palpable in his voice. "Black let slip what his mates were doing that night and goaded me into approaching the Whomping Willow."
She let her arms drop, her eyebrows furrowed. "Did he goad you or did you just decide to investigate for yourself, Severus?"
"The second." He had the decency to look sheepish about his decision then, and Lily's eyes darted across his face. There were several marks on his face that looked as though they might have been wounds, but time had faded them to scars. She knew better than that--these scars looked weeks old and he certainly hadn't sustained any injuries then. "It's just like him to act the fool in their little band. But that's not the point," he paused, the impatience riddling his voice. "I know why the Whomping Willow was planted and how to get in. Despite nearly getting killed, I know the secret Potter and his cronies are hiding."
She made a face, tapping her foot in irritation. "And what, pray tell, is this secret?"
The glee in his eyes made Lily want to shudder in revulsion. "Lupin is a werewolf. He's the one they're hiding in the Shrieking Shack and that's why there's always reports of howling. The reason why the Whomping Willow was planted." Lily felt the gears in her mind spinning wildly and she kept her face a mask as he opened his mouth to speak again when she said nothing. "I saw him, Lily. I saw the werewolf."
"If you saw a werewolf, Severus, how in Merlin's name did you escape with your life?"
His gleeful look that had contorted his pallid features seemed to melt away, discomfort taking its place. He couldn't lie to her and they both knew it, so it would only be moments before he told her the truth. She was piecing together the story in her head now, though much of it was conjecture based upon what she had seen in the common room... Potter, injured and furious; Black, apologetic and quiet; Pettigrew, the messenger for the two. Could it have been a misunderstanding?
"Potter... Potter showed up and saved me."
Her eyes widened in shock, all pretense of appearing indifferent forgotten. "Severus, you'll have to take the rest of this patrol shift and tell our replacements that I've fallen ill. It's the least you can do." She quickly turned around, making her way back to Gryffindor Tower to demand an explanation.
Now this was something she needed to hear straight from the source.