Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Inside me. ❯ Companiable interlude. ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer - If you hadn't noticed from the first eight disclaimers… J K Rowling and her various business partners own and make money from Harry Potter and its associated characters, worlds, books, films et cetera, not I.

 

Author's note - I know! Two updates in a week, you must be in a state of shock! I actually like Slughorn as a character, beneath that buffoonish exterior is quite the shrewd manipulator, and he's a lot more interesting than some give him credit for. And yes, I do think Lily and Severus had their geeky moments, Slughorn did favour them after all and neither had anything to offer him other than their intellects at that stage.

 

Severus was engaged in one of his `favourite' activities - stalking around the school, robe flapping about his ankles as he stalked the corridors, burning with resentment. He did this a lot, when not engaged in active warfare with the Gryffindor four, plotting or working on his studies, striding the chilly stone halls, expending nervous angry energy. Suddenly he went flying, feet swept out from under him and body crashing into the flagstones beneath him painfully, driving the air from his lungs. He grimaced, reaching for his wand instinctively when a weight descended on his wrist, grinding down and he yelped in pain, tears springing to his eyes, but unable to react as he felt crunching impacts in his ribcage. He was rolled to one side by the impact and heard footsteps hurrying away as he sobbed for breath and tried to wipe his nose and eyes. The shock and sudden pain, as well as the fear that the aggressor would break his hands had triggered an embarrassing emotional reaction. He hated any reminder of his humiliating nickname.

 

Minerva McGonagall uncorked another pot of ink and shook her head at the atrocious grammar of one of her fifth year students. She could understand the first and second years making elementary mistakes, but the problem was usually solved by setting a series of extra homework assignments and recommending several useful primers. She sighed and continued with her marking, she still had a set of second year test answers to mark and she was hoping to have an early night, having spent much of the previous night reassuring a sixth year boy who'd had a late-night attack of the nerves over his post-Hogwarts career. Being head of house involved more than simply remembering to keep up with the quidditch results.

 

She was distracted by a shout and thud, followed by a clattering noise that drove her to her feet, running out of her office and flinging the door open in alarm. A third year boy was laboriously getting to his feet, cursing roundly as he did so. She noticed the insignia on his robe and was deeply irritated. Not only was the boy a noted troublemaker, but also the Slytherin had been stupid enough to get caught out after curfew by falling over! Disappointed annoyance boiled in her veins. `Severus Snape! What in Merlin's name are you doing?' She barked, and then continued without letting him speak, she was in no mood to hear excuses and prevarication. `Get up and go back to your dormitory at once. You are old enough to fully understand the school rules. You will have detention with me tomorrow evening after tea.'

 

Severus got to his feet, scowling and cradling his trodden-on wrist to his chest. `Yes Professor.' He managed to grind out, trying to keep the worst of the resentment out of his tone, he just knew those scummy Gryffindors had been the culprits and yet he was being punished for the most minor of transgressions while they once again got away with beating him up. Fury seethed in the pit of his belly and dark eyes glittered with malice.

 

`That's ten points from Slytherin for breaking curfew and an additional five points off for your cheek. I suggest you hurry to your dorms before I find fault with something else.' Minerva chided him sternly.

 

Severus ducked his head in a nod and schooled his features into impassivity as he hastily made his way back to Slytherin house; he hunched down into his robes and snarled into his collar, scuffing his feet in an impotent reflection of his mood. Even with more ingenious punishments, institutionalised snobbery and of course the general atmosphere of deceit and loathing the twin yet separate worlds of Slytherin and Dark magic treated him far better than any other aspect of the magical world. Tom's manner may have made him shiver and Lucius was clearly only concerned with how best to use him, but no one other than his timid mother had seen anything good in him. Somebody valued him! However, his musings were cut short as familiar cologne assaulted his sensitive nostrils.

 

`Black! I recognise that stink! Stop skulking and show yourself.'

 

The figure appeared with a smirk, turning out to be Potter as well. `I told you the potions swot would put that great ugly beak to good use.' He remarked snidely.

 

`Well, it's not as if it's good for anything else, is it?' Black barked with laughter. James joined in; their merry chiming tones grating across Severus' abused nerves. James' laughter turned to yelps of pain as his trousers shrank, clamping down on certain parts of his anatomy painfully. Black fired a spell back, then staggered as a stunner clipped his shoulder. With a bellow of fury Sirius launched himself at Snape, determined to teach the greasy sot a lesson.

 

Amused laughter broke through the sounds of conflict and all three boys found themselves floating midair even as James' trousers restored themselves to their original dimensions. An invisible force brushed them down firmly, tidying them like a harrying mother. `Now boys, I enjoy an amusing jape as much as the next wizard, but there is no need to resort to common brawling. Five points each for being out after curfew and another five from Slytherin for that ungentlemanly spell Mister Snape employed.' The Headmaster's eyes twinkled at the three from behind half-moon spectacles and all three had no choice but to scurry away obediently.

 

Lily listened to the swearing with a sympathetic ear, making occasional noises of understanding at the appropriate breaks as she set up the equipment for that afternoon's brewing. Severus was clearly upset about something, for all he carefully neglected to mention details - she noticed he did this a lot, sometimes she suspected he was making an effort to protect her sensibilities. She glanced over at the boy pulverising mugwort stems with vigour and sighed. To be honest, Severus looked horrible, tired, sallow-skinned, covered in bruises and his face twisted in a snarl. Even with her aid in refining his healing charms he'd never quite got the knack, the healing never quite took, leaving remaining bruising and scabbing, despite improving the injuries. Oddly enough he did better on healing Hagrid's beasties, which made Lily wonder. She shook her head to dislodge the pointless meanderings of her mind.

 

`Shall we get on with the brewing then?' She asked brightly, not even flinching at the grumpy glare, she'd long since realised that if treated courteously he wasn't nearly as fierce as he appeared. She consulted the text and arranged the potions ingredients in the order in which they would be used. The pair had fallen into an easy rhythm working together and had discovered with some pleasure that the other had an equal share of intellectual curiosity and had many fascinating discussions. It had become something of a guilty pleasure for them both to have a nice, no-strings-attached intellectual debate.

 

As Severus stirred the brew Lily kept silent, this particular potion called for a particularly intricate stirring pattern and she had absolutely no desire to face her partner's wrath if it went pear-shaped. Instead she found her attention to be diverted by an amusing scroll of parchment she'd spotted lying on the work surface. They'd fallen into a tacit agreement, whereby any work left out was fair game for reading and discussion and anything else was private. As she read, Lily found herself chuckling appreciatively at Severus' acid wit. It was becoming increasingly apparent as to why Severus' marks in charms trailed behind her own prodigious talent. Thus far in the essay he had managed to heavily insinuate that he believed the argument under examination was intellectually bankrupt and had high-handedly dismissed one of the key textbooks as facile, preferring to concentrate on an ancient treatise and a current piece of research that had not even come to fruition.

 

Chuckling delightedly to herself Lily shook her head. Oh the essay had its flaws and was not brilliant as such - neatly sidestepping the entire point of the exercise ensured it was theoretically worthless as homework - but it did show a solid understanding of charms that was the real point of the exercise. She looked at the other questioningly.

 

`I like Flitwick, he's damn' good at what he does, intelligent and less prone to mindlessly favouring a certain house because the vulgar colours of their banner blind all who see it.'

 

Understanding flooded through Lily's awareness. This was a side of Severus that Flitwick allowed to come out and positively encouraged with a quiet battle of wits, his Ravenclaw bent allowing him to see the mind beneath the scowl. After all, she knew Severus despised Divination, but he consistently received decent marks in it.

 

The potion finished, Severus wandered over and gently retrieved the scroll from Lily's fingers. His physical proximity forced her to look up and realise that he'd shot up a couple of inches during the Christmas holiday. He was still skinny and bruised, but something in the way he bore himself had changed. He'd gained something in the time off, but sometimes, when he forgot she was there he looked so bleak she wondered what had happened and what he'd lost. All at once she realised he was becoming something more than just the rage-filled prodigy she'd taken for granted. Sometimes it frightened her.

 

His satchel floated over to him with an imperious gesture and Severus packed his belongings before presenting his pretty companion with a vial that represented her half of the day's work and fixed her with a cool look before nodding his head in acknowledgement before he sloped out of the classroom.

 

Lily sat in the empty room, struck by her realisations. `Despite what he may appear to be, Severus does have a great deal of potential, Lily dear. Perhaps with a good friend he may be able to realise the true extent of his gifts.'

 

The ginger-haired girl turned to look up at the potions professor. `I'm fond of Severus, Professor Slughorn, but I doubt he will allow himself to be befriended. He ignores all but the most cynical and driest of affections, even though I know he has more to offer the world.'

 

Slughorn nodded. `That is true, but if he does not allow someone to temper his moods then I fear his temperament will get him expelled.' Then his solemn expression lightened incongruously. `And how in Merlin's name am I to retire without a successor?'