Chapter Text
Hurried footsteps echoed through the cold castle hall. The clicking of black dress shoes bouncing off the brick walls as hushed whispers rounded the corner.
“I swear it's every single moment that I feel my skin crawling Lily. It has to be someone” came a frustrated hiss. “Can’t even study in my own dorm without feeling like eyes are ripping into me” spoke the thin raven haired boy. His scuffed shoes carried him hurriedly down the castle corridor.
“Sev are you sure you're not losing it from staying up all night?” a soft voice questioned as the pair of students rushed down the hall both nearly late to class yet still unwilling to part. Their dark robes swished with their every step, red hair flowing in the gentle breeze that seemed to always be present in the castle walls.
“Lily, you have to believe me I’m not going crazy I know what I feel” responded the boy next to her through gritted teeth his tone filled with exasperation. He walked just a pace slower than hers, clearly not in such a rush to get to his destinations as his companion. His shoulders hunched, his deep dark eyes hidden behind a curtain of hair as they flickered back and forth glancing across the surrounding area as if in search of something. Dark eyes snapped to the girl next to him as she let out a quiet disbelieving puff of air, his shoulders tensing once more in something akin to offense as he hissed her name out sharply. “Lily. I'm being serious somethings following me”
The redhead’s steps faltered at the tone carried by his words, sharp, tinged with the slightest bit of fear, something she knew Severus would rather die than show to her. “Sev” she spoke softly as if trying to reassure a wounded animal hiding in the deepest parts of the forest. The once hurried steps that echoed in the empty hall faltered as she came to a stop. Her sharp forest eyes turned to find his ebony ones hidden behind silk strands of hair. “I'm not saying I don’t believe you…it's just” her eyes glanced away from him as her eyebrows drew down, hesitation palatable in the way she twirled her thumbs and sifted her feet as if unsure on where to place them.
Severus couldn’t help but let his shoulders hunch up higher, let his face sink deeper into the curtain of onyx that framed his face. He took a step back as her unspoken words sank into his skin as if they were maggots seeking a warm burrow to fester in. “...You think i'm being paranoid”
His words seem to knock her out of her stupor, Jade eyes snapping up to meet his once more, her eyebrows drawing up as her mouth opens, undoubtedly ready to defend herself before hesitation once more takes her in its grip. The red head took a slow step forward until her polished leather shoes were mere inches away from Severus’ own scuffed shoes. She raised a hand to grip his arm tightly, reassuringly, the warmth from her palm seeping into the cloth she held onto. Warmth that slowly made its way into the cold pale skin that laid under his school robes. “Sev you're dealing with those twats nearly every day I just…” she paused as if digesting her own words before she continued. “I just think that you're on edge because of them.”
Lily could feel the way he tensed underneath her hand, the way he recoiled from her words before they had even finished escaping her mouth. She could see the way he had shut down before he had pulled his arm away from her warmth. The way his deep eyes began to glint with what to others would seem like anger, but to her, the girl who had known him since he was simply the weird boy from cokeworth, was nothing but hurt, nothing but betrayal. “Sev” the whisper escaped her lips softly as if begging someone who had not yet left to stay. Her fingers grasped onto cold air that was once worn cotton as if wishing he had not pulled away before she let it fall once more. “Just…tell me what's been happening again, slowly this time”
Black eyes flickered with uncertainty, what was the use in telling her if she had already claimed disbelief, and yet. Severus paused his retreat for a moment, his lips musing in thought before he started once more into her worried gaze. His shoulders dropped slowly, a resigned sigh escaping his lips as he finally spoke, “Somethings been following me”.
Lily couldn't help but tense at his slow, almost fearful tone. Severus in all his seriousness and crassnes was never one to show his weaknesses, not to classmates, not to Lily, not even to himself. Perhaps this truly was more than simple paranoia.
“It’s constant Lily” he paused, his voice shaky with a fear he had long been trying to suppress. “The feeling of eyes watching me, observing me trying to find a second to attack it’s..”. Pale hands were shoved into the pockets of an old robe the slightest shake crawling down his frame.
“It feels like they're watching me LIly. And I can’t get away from it, not in my classes, not in the library, not even in my own bed”. The words were spoken like an incantation, soft, quietly, as if speaking too loudly would summon the thing that Severus spoke of.
Eyes so akin to a forest laid upon the figure in front of her. There Severus was, his shoulders low as if defeat weighed upon him, his already pale complexion bleached in the light of the castle. His face hidden behind a curtain of greasy strands as his eyes flickered back and forth. There stood not the sarcastic, cold, slytherin that so many knew, but the 9 year old raven haired boy in tattered clothing who reassured her that she was no freak for being a witch.
“Sev….” she paused for a moment as she claimed her racing thoughts, mulling her words over, attempting to sooth. “I believe you, I really do but I think that it’s best to just ignore it. Perhaps it simply is paranoia?”. Her rosy lips curled into a reassuring smile, a smile that came across as more heistant than anything.
Her words hit Severus like stones cutting into his skin leaving trails of blood behind. A surge of annoyance wrapped his heart in a coil at her reassurances, no matter what those bastards did he would never weaken enough to let them affect him to such a degree. Would he? His anger was short lived, snuffed out quickly by waves of harrowing guilt. LIly in her kindness was only trying to make him feel better, trying to make him feel as if he wasn’t being hunted by something, he could not allow himself to be angry over her attempts to help.
Severus rolled his shoulders forward, his back straightening as if he had not been trying to hide himself away from the world, from the sea green gaze that followed his movements. A soft smile pulled at his lips, a smile that seemed to try to convince not only Lily that everything was alright, but himself. ‘No Lily. I think you might be right” he spoke quietly, his voice soft as if the pinch in his eyebrows did not betray his feelings. “It’s just the stress of the OWLS and them adding up”. He stepped towards her nudging her gently with his shoulder as a truer smile graced his lips. “At least this time you might be” Severus teased as his steps resumed once more, slower than before yet just as deafening in the tense silence.
He was only a few steps ahead before a harsh tug at his robes pulled him backwards, his balance nearly lost to him as his feet stumbled for steady grounding. “What do you mean this time?!” Lily snapped at him as his feet were finally familiar with the stone floor once more. Sea green pools filled with mischief gazed at him defiantly, the worry in her freckled face smoothed out by playful anger as she stormed closer to him. Her pale hand reached up to grip onto his ear before he could even blink. “Listen here young man I, Lily Evans, am always! and I mean ALWAYS! right” she spoke her theatrical display of fury dripping off her tone like water.
Severus' lips twitch with held back amusement at Lily’s absurd display of pride. Young man she said as if they weren’t the same age. Matter of fact, “You know i'm older than you right” he pointed out his amusement bleeding into his words despite his valiant effort at maintaining a straight face.
The redhead gaped at him in shock, offended he would even bring up the logistics of her comment. She huffed loudly before puffing out her chest in a show of pride “Yeah older by 21 days”
“Still older” The raven haired boy answered, his shoulders shaking slightly with his quiet amusement. In response to his silent laughter Lily tightened her grip on his ear, still clutched tightly between her fingers and tugged once more. A sharp pain filled hiss slipped through the boys lips at her harsh treatment as his hands finally reached up to try to pry her merciless grip away .“I mean yes Lady Lily the great of course you're always right” he spoke trying to appease her and win his freedom. His sarcastic tone however was enough to finally rip a laugh out of Lily’s lungs as she finally released his ear. Her eyes squinted with the force of her laughter as Severus stood to his full height once more, one hand gently rubbing at his abused ear. Severus tried to glare at her for the ache in his ear she had caused yet he could not remain even annoyed at her whether eyes sparkled so brightly her joy, when her eyebrows wrinkled not with a frown but a bright blinding smile.
As Lily once more composed herself they began to walk to their destinations once more the air no longer heavy with tension, their steps no longer hurrying along in a rush. As they reached the end of the hallway Lily brushed her shoulder to the Raven haired boys slightly before she shot him a gentle smile. A smile that seemed to say good luck as she turned the corner making her way to charms. Severus stood in the empty corridor for a second more, staring softly at the way Lily had left until she was no longer visible.
Severus’s shoulders slumped slightly as he finally turned in his place intending to make his way to transfiguration, his head held down hiding behind his hair as always. How he dreaded all these bloody classes if he wasn’t being tormented by the gryffindor bastards he was dealing with his idiotic classmates. At least Professor McGonagall was one of the better professors, such a shame she favored those bloody arseholes so much. His hands balled into fists knuckles turning white as the dread of the upcoming class filled his thin body moving his feet quickly down the hall, his head down as he was caught in his whirlwind of thoughts.
“Snape”
The moody boy stopped in his tracks at the sharp retort of his name, hands quickly pulling his wand out of its hidden compartment, his face contorting into a bitter glare as he spun on his heel roughly facing the voice. Warm gold met deep onyx as chestnut eyebrows turned down in something akin to offense. Scarred hands raised slowly, warily, as if the boy standing in emerald robes was not a boy at all but a rabid animal.
“Lupin” came the low hizz from Severus, his feet sliding slightly backwards to create space between himself and the gryffindor. Of course his day wouldn’t start normally, of all the possible students he could have encountered in this god forsaken castle he simply had to come across one quarter of those ‘Marauders’ as they called themselves. Just great, simply wonderful.
The Slytherin was snapped out of his thoughts as a flash of red appeared in his vision once more Remus attempted to close the distance between the two, an action Severus halted quickly. HIs grip on the wand only tightened as he raised it to the taller man’s eye level, disdain making itself clear on the black haired boy’s face as his lips pulled back in a grimace, his feet quickly shuffling back once more. “What is it that you want Lupin” spat Severus as the brunette simply stood there his face still pulled into the offended frown it initially took. The two students stood in a tense silence as if waiting for the other to make a move, something that irritated Seveurs to no end. He was not the one to stop Lupin in the middle of a deserted hallway after all, and he wasn’t the one standing there with that stupid look on his face. Irritation swelled inside of Severus’s throat like bile waiting to empty itself until he could no longer take any more of Lupin and his stupid silence. “Don’t tell me you finally grew guts and decided to attack without your loathsome crow of dunderheads Lupin?” There was no doubt in the emerald clad students mind that this was another blasted prank from those bloody Gryffindors, of course they couldn't even wait till after classes to pull one of their planks could they. Gazing up at the other boy only added fuel to the fire standing there, brows furrowed and mouth pulled into a frown tinged with offense. Severus' lips parted before he could even form words together with his indignation spilling like the wine from Ganymedes Urn. “Oh I mean sorry Lupin. I nearly forgot how much of a coward you truly are, an oversight on my part” he spat his eyes narrowing further, his body pulled tight as if preparing to reach for his wand at any sign.
The brunette's mouth opened slightly as if he wished to make a retort at Severus before he thought better of it. Severus’s glare sharpened at the movement, of course he wouldn’t say anything the coward, he truly did need his friends to hide behind didn't he. Dark eyes flickered sharply around the hall searching if Lupin’s pack of friends were hiding around the corner or perhaps behind the nearby statues. He wouldn’t put it above them to be using disillusionment charms to hide themselves. No doubt Black and Potter would be the ones responsible for setting this entire thing up one of their friends was simply a minion agreeing to whatever they said and the other a coward who wouldn’t talk back to a butterfly.
The brunette let out a heavy sigh of frustration at the hostility oozing out of Snape’s every pore. “I’m not here to bother you Snape”. A rough hand moved to rub at his already aching temples as Remus’s own frustration began to steadily climb his body slowly tightening in his inner turmoil. Remus knew he could not truly find it in himself to blame Snape for his defensiveness he knew as well as the Slytehrin did after all that his friends were …. not the kindest so to say …. to the ravenette. Having said that, Remus still felt affronted by the cold comments Severus threw at his face. After all he had only called his name did that really account for this, this, defensiveness?
With a resigned sigh Remus schooled his features into a more relaxed state attempting to lower the already heightened tension between them. Soft golden eyes flecked with the deepest of greens observed the flickering black. Watching as the Slytherin’s gaze swept around the hallway in search of something he would not find. “Snape no one else is around” he reasoned slowly, a warm gaze trying to meet deep obsidian, sincerity clear in the glint of gold.
The sharp pointed glare of the Slytherin seemed to falter for a moment, dark eyes flickering away from the piercing gaze of the Gryffindor before they snapped back up to meet golden eyes once more. Sevrus’ glare slipped onto his swallow face once more, irritation still swimming in his eyes as his posture relaxed minutely. The anger and adrenaline that pulled his body tight into a fighting stance slowly shifted into a less defensive stance. His wand no longer held high out of the need to be ready to attack, but now held lower not yet away as his posture was still hunched, wariness etched deep into his bones. The change was so subtle that it could slip anyone's notice. Anyone who wasn’t gazing at Snape’s every movement intently, anyone who did not have the vision of a beast to pick it up, anyone who wasn’t Remus Lupin. Onyx eyes finally broke the silent staring contest between the two retreating into the shade of greasy strands. As Severus retreated further into his shield of hair his low pitched voice rang once more in the space between them. “Answer me this Lupin, why would I believe you?” he asked, his rich voice filled with suspicion. How foolish must Lupin be for him to believe that his words would do any good. Bloody coward he can't even admit when he’s participating in one of the twats pranks.
Remu’s eyebrows furrowed in thought, he hated to admit Snape had a point, but he had a point. If he was in the Sytherin’s shoes he doubts he’d believe himself either. A scarred hand reached once more to rub his temples in silent exasperation. This was not how he had imagined this entire conversation to happen, and yet so it had. “Snape, please, be reasonable it is as clear to you as it is to me that neither James or Sirius are present” The taller boy’s hand waved around the empty corridor his eyebrows raised in his exasperation. “You know how they both are. Do you really think they would be able to do a prank quietly and without bursting out to take credit for it?” Remus sent a silent apology to his two friends for his slight comment on their vanity, he had to make this conversation run smoothly, his career dependent on it. Well, possible career, him being a werewolf and all. As he spoke Remus braced himself for the hurl of insults Snape would throw his way his eyes flickering to the floor, maybe the greasy haired boy was right, he was a coward.
A beat of silence turned into two, two turned into three and finally hazel eyes rose to glance at the thin student before him. Black eyebrows furrowed as thin lips twitched, the ravenettes eyes full of confusion. Remus’s eyebrows raised in mild surprise as the Slytherin’s face quickly fell into a glare more venomous than his first, his hand tightening around his wand tighter still. How did he possibly make Snape more suspicious by trying to reassure him. The reaction more hostile than what the werewolf had expected sent the brown haired Gryffindor into a dumbfounded stupor. Was he really that bad at coming off as friendly???
Remus nearly resorted to pinching himself, having convinced himself he could have only possibly created this experience in a distorted dream before he noticed the patience wearing out of Severus slowly but surely until words were spat out once more from the Slytherin boy’s lips. “Fine, say I believe you, what do you want Lupin?” The tension had once more slowly seeped out of Severus. His shoulders dropped slightly as his eyes were no longer hidden behind a curtain of dark hair. His wand no longer raised at eye level but now gripped loosely at the Slytherin’s side as sharp angry features smoothed out into quiet caution.
The hazel eyed boy stood tensley under the gaze of that piercing gaze that observed his every movement oh so carefully. Ensuring that Remus would not be able to attack suddenly. Scarred hands began to fiddle lightly under the intensity of Snape’s gaze as the gryffindor cleared his throat, his head ducking slightly as he began to speak. “OWL’s are coming up this year as you surely know Snape”. The shorter boy nodded slightly in acknowledgment his features still schooled into the mask of indifference; it had become caution being present in nothing but the slightest clench in his jaw. “I wanted to get better at some subjects before examinations arrived.”. Remus finally raised his head, his warm eyes meeting the cold intense glare digging into him. “Snape, you are a better potioneer than I am, that no one can deny…”. Black eyebrows raised in surprise, the mask of indifference Severus wore slipping off his face at Lupin’s admission before realization shone in his eyes. He couldn't, he wouldn’t, would he? Thin lips parted ready to interrupt the impromptu speech Remus had begun before they were forced shut as the brunette continued his speech without pause. “I understand you do not like my friends, nor do you like me, but I ask that we put our differences aside for the sake of academics.” A heavy sigh escaped the wolf’s lungs as he continued his words spoken with a reigned finality. “Snape I need your help…please” Remus met Severus’s gaze once more, his eyes full of pleading and his lips pulled into a small, hesitant, smile, scared hands still fidgeting in front of him as he worried his lip between his teeth. He had done it, he asked.
The Slytherin could hardly believe the sight in front of him. Here he was, the supposed most composed Gryffindor, the Smartest Gryffindor.. The shorter boy couldn’t help but think of what a pathetic site Lupin made, sad eyes like that of a kicked puppy, hands fidgeting, brown hair a mess. Severus stood there in silence, mouth agape at the absolute ridiculous situation he had found himself in. What was the possibility that when he and Lily parted he had accidently walked into a parallel universe, no what if he had somehow walked into a boggart's hiding place and his whole life so far was the boggarts projection. There was simply no way Remus Bloody Lupin the absolute twat was asking him, Snivelleus, for help. Servus pulled himself away from his shocked stupor of more and more insane theories of what led him to this moment and finally spoke as Remus’s speech came to an end. The surprise that flowed through his veins was quick to become boiling anger as the Gryffindors words finally sunk in. “Let me get this straight Lupin”, he paused, taking in a deep breath, “you're asking me for help on Potions so you can get a good OWL score?”
The brunette slowly nodded his head, hesitation and wariness clear in the way his hands wringed together slowly, his words coming out in a breathless whisper. “Please Snape”.
The pale face of the Slytherin quickly morphed into a glare that could wilt even the hardiest plants in the heart of the dark forest. How dare he. How dare this bloody creten ask this of him. Severus’s words spilled from his lips like the molten rocks that were spit from the core of the earth. His voice shook with the intensity of his anger, anger at Lupin, at his insolence, at everything he and his group of tossers put him through. “The level of audacity that you have Lupin astounds me. Not even Sirens that call men to their watery deaths can wish to come close to the level of arrogance that you posses” Severus’s face resembled that of the snake he wore on his robes. His eyes so cold and fury filled they could rival the gaze of the basilisk, his lips pulled back in a scowl so harsh Remus could imagine his teeth dripping of toxins like snake fangs. “You dare ask me for help Lupin? After you stood there and watched your bloody friends curse me for 5 years Mr. Gryffindor Prefect. How dare you? Truthfully where do you get the gall from to even approach me”. The words were not yelled, for the ire that filled them was loud enough.
Remus took a step towards him, a hand raised as if to try and placate Snape’s anger as guilt clawed its way up his throat. The brunette's actions only served to do the opposite as a pale hand quickly lashed out to slap the Gryffindors own away. “Snape please try to be reasonable.”
The werewolves' hairs stood on end as soon as his words left his lips, his hazel eyes snapping to meet the increasingly furious Slytherin. “Reasonable?! Reasonable like when Black blew up my potion in class and I had to be rushed to the infirmary for burns? Reasonable like when Potter tried to knock me off my broom in our first year?” Severus scoffed loudly as he slowly closed the distance in between the two, his anger so prominent, so like boiling water within its harsh heat it began seeping into the Gryffindors skin. “Reasonable, says you, who stood ideally by watching your friends ruin my life and remaining silent”. Severus finally closed the gap in between the two, standing a breath away from the taller boy his eyes searing into those Golden ones. And as Remus was forced to meet onyx, he noticed the depths of black did not only swirl with anger.
“You, you're just as bad as they are Lupin”. Severus gazed into the scared face before him once more, his lips turning as he looked upon the taller boy with disgust. Disgust at what he has done with his silence. Remus could only stand there as Severus hurled words after words at him. Words as sharp as Godric Gryffindor's blade, words that sank into his flesh and bone. He could only stand there as Severus gazed at him like he was a horrid thing to look at, as if he was a bigger monster than the werewolf that lived in the deepest parts of his mind. With that last long look Severus spun on his heel sharply, his worn out emerald robes billowing softly behind him as he stormed down the hallway. His worn leather shoes clicked loudly in the empty corridor.
The hurried footsteps of the Slytherin flattered slightly as that feeling was back. The feeling of eyes roaming over him, following his movements. The dark haired boy resumed his hurried pace with a slight shake of his head as he tried to clear the feeling from his body. He didn’t have time to waste, after all, he was probably already late to transfiguration.