The next morning, Severus got up early. He wanted a long, hot shower before he started class. He looked at himself in the mirror, and ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair—come to think of it, it was the same length as Lily’s. Chuckling, he remembered the time he’d let Lily talk him into letting her braid it. She’d woven daisies into a crown and pronounced him “Oberon, King of the Fairies.” He would have died if anyone else seen him, but with her he didn’t mind. He had laughed with her, twisted and bent some sticks and long grass into a bizarre crown, and hailed her as “Alien Robot Princess Lily.”
He wondered if she would like it better short, then decided not to chance it. He liked it long. He dressed in his robes and hurried down to breakfast, where Professor Snell was already waiting with the new schedules.
----------
Normally, Lily liked to spend some time reading in the common room first thing in the morning. But, she liked to sit in her pajamas and robe, and there was no way she was going out there not fully dressed—not after what Professor Eggington had said last night.
But it turned out James liked to sleep in. She got tired of waiting (it would have been nice not to have to walk by herself), and made her way to the Great Hall. She got lost twice—the directions from Peeves hadn’t helped—and when she finally got there, she realized she’d forgotten her badge. Looked like the first day back wasn’t going to go well.
She waved at Severus, and asked Lizzie to save her a spot, and was about halfway back to her room, when James came around a corner.
“Stupid Peeves,” he muttered. Then he looked up. He blushed. “Oh, hullo Lily.”
Lily refused to be embarrassed (on the surface, anyway), and looked her peer in his incredibly brown eyes. “Morning James.”
He noticed she was going the opposite way. “Are you finished already?”
“No.” She sighed. “I forgot my badge.”
“Oh! I noticed! I mean,” James dug into his pocket. “I saw it on the table next to that big blue chair and thought you might need it.”
“Thanks.” They stood a bit awkwardly for a minute.
Then James finally asked, “So, you ready for breakfast?”
Lily managed a small half-smile. “I’m starved.”
----------
Severus was glad to see his first class was History of Magic. Not that it was his favorite subject, but Slytherin had it with Ravenclaw, so Lily would be there. He was very curious why she and Potter hadn’t even acknowledged each other when they separated to sit at their tables.
He saw Lily’s face light up when she read her own class list. She looked at the brown-eyed Slytherin and gave him a thumbs-up, before starting in on her grapefruit. Why does she worry so much about her weight? Severus wondered. She’s perfect the way she is.
His own bowl of porridge went untouched. Malfoy made to sit next to him, but Severus immediately stood, glowering at the paler boy, and hurried to get his bag. With any luck, he could be back to the Great Hall in time to escort Lily back to her quarters. I wonder where the Head Boy and Girl live?
----------
“Ugh, History of Magic first?!!” Lizzie groaned. “I’d rather not take a nap first thing in the morning!”
Lily giggled. “Me too. Did you get your essay finished?”
The taller girl groaned again. “Yeah, but I tell you what, I never, ever want to hear another word about the Boxer Uprising again!”
“Me neither. I can’t believe we had to write it from eight different perspectives,” the red-head agreed. “I wish Professor Binns would let us write from, say, a Muggle point-of-view. That at least would be interesting.”
Lizzie laughed. “Yeah, but then it would be fiction!”
“True.” She checked her list again. “Well, at least we have Care of Magical Creatures this afternoon. Professor Kettleburn always makes sure we’re on our toes!”
“Yup! Can’t wait to see what he’s got for us today. Hope it’s soft and fluffy.”
Lily groaned this time. “I bet it is, but knowing Burney, it’ll be huge, with fangs and claws! Oh! Hi Sev!” She smiled at the out-of-breath Slytherin. “What time is it?”
Lizzie glanced at her watch and jumped up. “Yikes! We’d better get going!”
“That late huh?” Severus and Lizzie both nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”
“Um, Lil,” Lizzie winked at Severus, who rolled his eyes. “You don’t live in the Ravenclaw tower anymore, remember?”
The red-head shook her head. “I forgot. Well, I guess I’ll see you in class, then.” Severus shot her a slightly hurt look. “James and I haven’t talked about whether it’d be okay to let others know where the Head dorm is. Sorry.”
Lizzie had already run off, so Severus walked by himself to class. He knew he shouldn’t take it personally, but he’d always walked Lily to class.
He sighed. I hate change, he thought. It was one of the other reasons he was afraid to tell Lily how he felt. What if he told her and she felt weird around him and she ended up avoiding him? But then, it was possible she might feel the same way and he could have the relationship with her he wanted. Or maybe nothing would change and they’d be the same as they had always been, but she’d know. Severus sighed again. And I think Lily thinks too much.
He took a seat in the middle of the classroom, and saved a place for Lily next to him. ----------
Great way to start the new year as Head Girl, Lily thought. late to my first class. She slid into her seat just as Professor Binns floated into the room.
Everyone in the class jumped. Professor Binns was floating?!!! He was a ghost!?? When did this happen? Last year he had been a healthy, live teacher, and now...
“Welcome to your first day, Seventh Years,” the pearly ghost wheezed. “Please hand your papers to the front of the room.” The students just stared, but Professor Binns didn’t notice. “The Boxer Uprising began in—“
Suddenly the door flew open and Professor McGonagall raced in. She took in her associate’s new condition and murmured, “My eyes weren’t deceiving me after all.” Louder, “Professor, may I have a word with you?”
“I have a class to teach, Minerva.”
“So do I, but something has happened that cannot wait.”
Professor Binns nodded and said, “Excuse me.”
The two teachers stepped into the hall, the door slightly ajar. Manny Woestman, a burly Ravenclaw, closest to the door tiptoed over to hear the conversation. There was no need. Professor Binns felt no need to whisper.
“What is it, Minerva?”
“Wendell, did you notice anything. . . odd. . . when you got up this morning?”
“I don’t have time for games, Minerva.”
“Did anything happen to you last night.?”
He sighed. “No, Minerva. I fell asleep reading, got up, and came to class. I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t go to breakfast. Is that what this is about?”
“Well—“
“My dear friend, I am one hundred and sixty-four years old, and I’ve been teaching ninety-two of those years. I believe I can take care of myself.”
“But Wendell—”
“I have a class to teach Minerva.”
“Wendell, you are a ghost!”
There was a pause.
“I see. Well, if there is nothing else...?”
“N-no.”
Manny just avoided the Professor floating through him, but he shivered as the ghost floated by.
Still oblivious to the confused and horrified looks from the class, Professor Binns continued, “As I was saying, the Boxer Uprising..."
----------
By lunchtime, news of the History of Magic teacher’s new state had reached every student. Lily could hear snatches of conversation all through the halls.
“I heard he’s still going to teach—“
“What if he becomes the Ravenclaw ghost--?”
“He was this close to me!”
Students were swarming the seventh year Ravenclaws, begging for information, while the Slytherins sneered and rolled their eyes. They knew Professor Binns was going to die sometime soon. It was just a matter of when.
“Oi! Severus!” Severus turned to see James striding toward him. “Is it true?”
The Slytherin nodded.
“Wicked! And he still taught the class? That’s great!” James laughed until his sides were sore.
Sirius Black and Remus ran up behind their friend. “We just heard!” They joined James in laughing. “Can you believe it! First day back!”
“Yes I can believe it, Lupin.” Severus began to walk away, but James stopped him.
“Wait a second. Have you seen Lily? I need to talk to her.”
The slick-haired teenager yelled over his shoulder, “Try your quarters, Potter.”
Remus shook his head. “What’s his problem? He seems to have changed a lot over the summer.”
Sirius and James exchanged a guarded look. They still hadn’t told their compact friend about the little trick regarding Remus’ alter-ego that Sirius had played on Snape last year. . .
They knew how upset the usually even-tempered boy would be when he found out. He was already pretty sensitive about being a werewolf.
“Oh, you know Snape,” Sirius shrugged. “He’s always been like that.”
The light brown-haired Gryffindor looked at his quixotic companion. “He’s not a talker, but he’s never been so openly hostile. Does he have something personal against us?”
James glanced at Sirius. He knew they couldn’t keep the secret much longer, and it’d be really bad if Remus asked Snape about it, and found out from him. “Um, well, Remus—“
----------
Stupid Potter, playing so innocent. Severus was fuming. He knew the Gryffindor pack just wanted to torture him.
He sighed as he reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room. He knew it wasn’t true. James was a good guy, but his friends. . . well, he couldn’t understand how Potter could hang out with someone like Black—who was capable of murdering someone in the name of a joke—and Lupin—a werewolf—and Pettigrew—one of the most annoying boys Severus had ever known. The rolly little man was always following the Pack around, practically licking their boots. “Have a little dignity, Man!” Severus always wanted to scream at him.
“Humperdink!” The damp stone wall swung open.
“Ah! Severus! There you are! I’ve been waiting for you.”
Four hands grabbed him and pulled him inside.
----------
Lily needed a few minutes of quiet. If one more first year asked “Is it true?” one more time she was going to explode. Normally she was a very patient person, but enough was enough. She had to deliver a letter to her father anyway, so she sneaked over to the Owlry to find her snowy “Garath.” She knew Mr. Evans would be fascinated by her room under the stairs, and the newly-dead teacher giving his lecture as though everything was normal.
Garath flew to her as soon as Lily entered the room. She closed the door behind her for further privacy, and tied the letter to the large owl’s leg. Garath had been a present from her father when Lily had started at Hogwarts. He was a true and faithful pet. The affectionate owner stroked the soft feathers for a moment, envious of their function.
Thank goodness for broomsticks. Lily never felt so free as when she was flying. There was something about the wind in her hair and on her face that made her feel as if she could do anything. It was so very peaceful for her. She couldn’t wait for Quidditch to start.
Garath turned his head to look at the lovely red-head. “I know, you want to fly, too.” She sighed and smiled. “Go on then.”
She dreamily watched him sail away for a moment, then headed back to the door. But just as she reached it, someone on the other side swung it open. It banged into her, pushing her out the window....
----------
Crabbe and Goyle tossed Severus unceremoniously into an uncomfortable, high-backed chair. All of the other Slytherins glanced at him before focusing their attention on Malfoy.
“Welcome Severus. Are we all here now?” He looked around the room, quickly counting heads. “Now, as the Slytherin prefects, Myrah and I have decided we need a plan of action if we are to win the House Cup this year.” The short, stubby, stringy-haired girl to his left nodded. “We don’t want a repeat of last year’s disgraceful failure, do we?”
His steely eyes flashed challengingly as he looked each House member in the eye. Each nodded briefly as they resolved to do whatever it took to win...”
----------
Lily didn’t even have time to react as she sailed out of the window. Oh, I’m flying, she thought vaguely.
She felt someone’s fingers grasp her right leg, and felt a jolt of pain as she stopped falling. Then another, sharper pain shot through her arm when it collided with the wall. “I’m all right!” she yelled, before mercifully passing out.
----------
“Are we all agreed?” Severus had to admit that under that smooth exterior, Malfoy could be really intimidating. No Slytherin dared to question any of his schemes. “Good. Well, then, we best must be rushing off to class! We don’t want to lose points for tardiness, now, do we?”
The room was emptied in under a minute.
Severus ran to Potions, which, fortunately wasn’t very far away. He slid into his seat next to Caesar Murphy just before Professor Snell entered from her office. The members of his house were all out of breath, and the Gryffindors on the other side of the room didn’t miss the opportunity. Two seconds more and Slytherin would have lost a pile of points.
The dark-skinned professor wrote the recipe on the board, and Severus automatically began crushing bat wings for the Boiling/Freezing potion. He was careful not to mix any mandrake nails in, as it would make the temperature uncontrollable.
As he finished adding the extract of carmel (“For a pleasing taste,” Professor Snell had said), Severus noticed that Potter kept shooting him nervous glances. Come to think of it, Lupin and Black were acting oddly, too. Black was trying to get Lupin’s attention, and the lighter-haired boy would have nothing of it.
What is going on? Severus wondered.
“Mr. Snape, finished so soon? Or are you hoping Mr. Potter can give you some tips?” Professor Snell had sneaked behind him while he was staring at the Pack.
Struggling not to blush, the flustered boy replied, “No, ma’am. I mean, I am finished.”
The short teacher raised a black eyebrow, a faint smile on her lips. “I do not doubt it, Mr. Snape. But, let’s give it a try, just to be sure.” She gestured Severus to scoop out a spoonful. “Will you be doing boiling, or freezing?”
“Freezing, ma’am.” He added a drop of water and added it to the mixture. Then he dropped it on the knut Professor Snell had placed on his worked table. Instantly, the knut froze and cracked.
“Excellent work, Mr. Snape. Ten points for Slytherin!”
Severus smiled humbly as he noticed his fellow House members wink conspiratorially, and the Gryffindors glare.
All in all, his first day was shaping up nicely.
Class was over fifteen minutes later, and Severus was planning on finding Lily before heading over to Muggle Studies. He figured the most likely place was the library. Being the first day, she’d still have time to read a non-school book.
He’d barely stepped out the door, though, when he heard a voice calling to him.
“Severus, hold up!” Potter was hurriedly stuffing his books into his bag, beckoning to his impatient, greasy-haired classmate. He trotted up to Severus. “I need to talk to you about something.”
Normally, Severus wouldn’t have listened, but after seeing Potter’s apprehensive looks all through class, his curiosity was piqued. “What?” He tried not to sound too interested.
Potter sighed. It was obvious he was about to say something he really didn’t want to. “Well, uh... um...”
“Spit it out, Potter.”
The usually jovial boy seemed suddenly very interested in his shoes. “Uh, it’s about Lily—“
“And?” Severus interrupted. “What about her?”
Potter took a breath and got out “There’s been an accident—“
“WHAT!?” The often quiet boy shrieked. “WHERE IS SHE?” Without waiting to hear an answer, he strode off in the direction of the hospital wing.
Potter jogged after him. “Madame Pomfrey said she’d be all right. Just a dislocated leg and a broken arm.”
Severus didn’t even bother to glance back over his shoulder. “How did that happen?” A thought struck him, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He turned to face the Gryffindor. “How do you know about this, Potter?” He took a menacing step towards the tense Head Boy.
“Well, you remember how I was looking for her before?” Severus nodded. “I looked just about everywhere before I thought maybe she was in the Owlery. So, I ran up there—cuz by that time lunch was almost over—and pushed open the door.” He took a step away from the frowning boy in front of him. “I didn’t know she was behind it...”
Severus didn’t quite see what this had to do with a dislocated leg and a broken arm. “And?”
“And...I kind of pushed her out the window—“
“WHAT?!” In a rage, the taller boy grabbed Potter by the front of his robes. His voice was suddenly very low and very angry. “You pushed her out the window—“
Potter was trying to peel Severus’ hands off his robes. “Yes. But I managed to grab her before she fell very far.” The grip relaxed ever so slightly. “The things is, when I did that, her leg jolted out of its socket, and her arm broke when she hit the side of the castle.”
Severus released the repentant student. “Then?”
“Then I grabbed my wand from my pocket, managed to levitate her, and got her back into the Owlery. That’s when I sent a note to Madame Pomfrey. Lily’s been in the hospital wing ever since.” Now it was Potter who led the way to the hospital wing. “I knew you’d want to know, but I didn’t get a chance to tell you before class. Sorry.”
“Sorry!” Severus was running now. “You bet you’re sorry! You could have killed her!”
Potter stopped and spun around. “You think I don’t know that?” he yelled. “I feel terrible!”
The furious Slytherin didn’t even bother to slow down. He smacked right into the boy in his path. “I bet you are! You better be!”
“It was an accident, and I didmanage to catch her!” Potter hollered down the corridor, as Severus rounded a corner and entered the hospital wing.
