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Snape’s Lie


Lily had inserted herself on the couch directly between the two boys so that Sirius’s arm crossed over her shoulders as well as Remus’s and her cheek pressed again Remus’s cheek as they told her exactly how it had happened that Sirius had asked Remus if he could be his boyfriend. “He actually said the words will you have me Moony and I thought I’d pass out,” Remus said, looking over at Sirius, “That was brilliant. And your eyes when you said it…”

“I really thought you might say no,” Sirius said thickly.

“Never,” Remus replied.

Lily’s eyes were all gooey as she glanced up first at Rey, then up at Sirius, “Oh my goodness. And then what? Then what?”

“Well then Moony leaped on me like the wolf he is and started snogging me good and proper,” Sirius replied.

Lily clasped her hands. “And then?”

“Well, we were snogging when you came in,” Remus said, “And… here you are.”

Lily looked dreamy a moment.

“Yes, Evans, here you are… on the couch… with us, where we were snogging… for the first time ever...” Sirius said pointedly.

“Oh…” Lily paused a moment as his words sank in, then her eyes widened. “Oh bloody hell, you want to get on with it, I suspect and here I am, literally come between you.” She flushed and jumped up. “I’m sorry. Do carry on, I’m sorry. I won’t bother you. I’ll just -- I’ll go upstairs. You won’t even know I’m here.” Remus smirked as Lily turned to sneak away, “Totally silent like a mouse,” she said.

The common room door opened and Peter came in at that moment, humming happily, looking rather dreamy about the face. “Speaking of mice,” muttered Sirius, looking back at him. “Pete, you look flushed. What happened?”

“Annalee McKinnon,” Peter said. “We danced… She danced with me. With ME.”

“Hey good on you,” Sirius said. Then he paused. “Well where’s Potter then?”

Peter shrugged, “I dunno. He left her to go after --” Peter looked at Lily, who had stopped walking away to stand by the stairs and look at Peter in surprise at the news that Annalee McKinnon had been dancing with Pettigrew rather than James Potter. “Well he went to go after you,” Peter said, pointing at Lily. “Where did you go?”

“Had a fight with Severus, then came back here and I --” she glanced at Sirius and Remus, unsure if they wanted the news out and she said, “I’ve been talking with this lot.”

Sirius looked concerned. “Well if we’re all here, then where the bloody hell is James at?” He got up and ran up to the dormitory.

Remus got up, too. He looked Peter over. “Was she everything you hoped, Pete?” he asked.

“Oh yes and then some,” Peter replied, starry eyed. “I… I think I’m in love. She called me adorable.”

“GUYS!” Sirius came charging down the stairs, “He’s in the hospital wing.”

“What?” Lily looked up as Sirius came down, brandishing the Marauder’s Map. “He’s in the bloody hospital wing. With Snape and Pomfrey and Kingsley Shacklebolt.”

“That’s not good,” Peter said, his face filling with concern. “Oh no. No wonder he didn’t come back. Oh no.”

Remus grabbed his and Sirius’s wands from the table by the couch, where they’d put them while they were snogging proper, as Sirius had said. Remus ran for the portrait hole, tossing Sirius his wand, and Lily followed. “Are you coming then?” Sirius asked her.

“Of course,” she said, “I’ve.. I’ve probably caused whatever it is that’s the matter. I… I upset Snape pretty badly. He might’ve taken it out on James.”

So the four of them poured out of the portrait hole, rushing down the hallway, passing other Gryffindors on their way back to the common room, the Yule Ball festivities winding down for the night. They passed Frank Longbottom and Ali Prewitt in the corridor by the stairs, dancing in a pool of moonlight from a tall stained glass window, Frank spinning her and gently dipping her as they stared into each other’s eyes, oblivious to Sirius and the others rushing by.

They reached the hospital wing and were just about to push open the door when Kingsley came out - his purple robes positively covered in blood. He was moving swiftly, purposefully, so that he didn’t even pause when he saw the four of them, running practically down the hallway. Sirius inhaled sharply at the sight of the blood and Remus reeled, the smell of it filling his senses and churning his stomach. “Oh hell,” Sirius gasped, “Oh no. That - was that -” he looked at Remus, “Do you smell it?”

Remus’s face was quite pale. “James,” he murmured, nodding.

“PRONGS!” Sirius bellowed and he ran for the door, panic-stricken. There was no way anything good was happening if Kingsley had so much blood covering him. Pomfrey was just coming out of the ward as Sirius flew past, bolting in, followed by the other three.

“Wait just a minute!” she hissed, attempting to catch them, to stop them, but only managing to grab hold of Peter and Lily - Remus just barely ducking her and Sirius already past and already to the bed where James was.

“PRONGS!” Sirius yelled.

James was pale as could be.

“NO!” Sirius was certain what he was seeing was death.

“He’s not dead,” came a drawling voice. It was Snape, sitting on the next bed, covered in even more blood than Kingsley had been, so that his robes were stained and there were splatters of it on his face, even, like sinister freckles across his nose.

“YOU DID THIS!” Sirius shouted. “YOU DID THIS TO HIM!”

Severus hung his head.

Pomfrey went over, grabbing Sirius by the back of his robes - just before he attempted to draw his wand. “Oh no you don’t, Mr. Black,” Pomfrey snapped, “There’s to be no wands about in this ward. Mr. Lupin, come.”

Remus backed away from the bed, staring at James, who lay still and pale. He focused on his chest, on the movement of his breath, however slight it was, it was there. Remus turned and followed Pomfrey as she shooed the lot of them out of the hospital wing. “Absolutely no visitors. I’m very sorry. Someone will let you know when you’re allowed to see him.”

“Snapes in there!” snapped Sirius hotly, “How come the bloody murderer is allowed in?!”

“Murderer!” Pomfrey cried, “Hardly! On the contrary Severus has saved James’s life and you ought be thankful for it.”

“Saved his life?” Peter asked.

“Found him injured in the entrance hall,” Pomfrey said, “And he had the courage to call for help, knowing he might get blamed for the deed!”

“BLOODY HELL! YOU CAN’T SERIOUSLY FUCKING BELIEVE THAT! YOU’RE MAD - YOU’RE MAD IF YOU BELIEVE THAT! HE’S LYING! HE’S A BLOODY LIAR!” Sirius leaped forward, crashing into Pomfrey and reaching over her arms to point at Severus, “YOU’RE A LIAR!!! YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK YOU LITTLE SNIVELLING PUSWAD, I’M GOING TO BLOODY HEX YOU LIKE A FUCKING --”

“What in Merlin’s name is going on!” it was McGonagall, running up the corridor with Kingsley Shacklebolt. “Sirius Black, you watch your mouth young man!!! That language! It’s filthy!”

“FILTHY AS SNIVELLUS SNAPE’S RUDDY HAIR!”

McGonagall clapped her hands, “ENOUGH! Go to my office immediately; I’ll deal with you later.”

“Yes, Minnie…” he said, angry, and Sirius stormed a way down the hall, he pointed back at the wall, through which he knew Severus Snape was sitting on the edge of the bed next to James. “HE better be bloody expelled for this! MURDEROUS LITTLE TOSSER!” he shouted the last part in hope that Snape could hear him, “WORKING FOR THE DARK LORD, LIKE A SNIVELLING LITTLE BASTARD --”

“MR. BLACK -” McGonagall shouted, “GO, and watch your language, before it’s you that’s expelled!”

Sirius stormed off. McGonagall watched until he’d turned the corner, then she and Kingsley both went into the hospital wing, closing the door behind them, and the lock clicked resolutely.

“Oh hell,” Remus muttered, “Sirius Black, the king of the temper tantrum…”

“That was… wow,” Peter murmured. “Wow. I’ve never seen anyone so - so angry... ”

“I know…” Remus sighed, “Ohh dear. What’ve I got myself into with that one? ...I better go calm him down before he really does end up expelled…” and he ran after Sirius.

Lily was in tears.

Peter patted her back.

“What’ve I done? What’ve I done?” she cried, “I just - I was only trying to - to make him - notice -- oh what’ve I done?”

“You didn’t do it,” Peter said, unsure what she was even talking about.

“I have!” Lily sobbed and she went to the opposite wall and sank to the floor. “I’m so foolish.”

Peter hadn’t even the slightest idea what he ought to do, so he stood there, biting his lip and twitching. How, he wondered, had he gone from dancing with Annalee McKinnon to standing outside the hospital wing with Sirius’s words echoing off the walls around him in less than an hour’s time? Why couldn’t things just go smoothly?

Feeling awkward standing there, Peter sat down next to Lily on the floor, staying a couple inches away because she was crying and it made him uncomfortable as she heaved and honked like a seal. “There there,” he muttered because it seemed like the only thing to do.

The ward door opened a quarter of an hour later and Severus Snape stumbled out, mostly cleaned up and in a fresh set of robes. They’d missed the smattering on his face, though, so he still had the violent red freckle-dots, made of James’s blood. He looked surprised and then ashamed at the sight of Lily and Peter waiting outside, and he hesitated before trying to go on without stopping to say anything, but then Lily stood up, her eyes still wet with tears.

“Severus,” she wailed.

He stopped and turned to look at her. “I’m alright,” he told her, “Really, it’s lucky I was there. Someone hexed him… and I found --”

Lily stared at him. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not…”

“You coward, you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“You’re lying to me, to me of all people! Severus! How could you do this? Why?”

Severus hesitated, tears filling his eyes, “Lily, I didn’t --”

“I take back what I said before,” Lily snapped, interrupting him. “You’re not a good person at all!” She turned on her heel and ran off down the corridor.

Peter jumped up. “Go wash your face, you slimeball,” and he hurried after Lily.