"Lily," Severus asked after drawing a deep breath, "was it you who complained against the students in my house? The ones who were suspended, the previous night?"
His gaze was fixed sharply on her face, as though trying to catch the slightest shift in her expression.
"What is it to you?" she replied in an irritated tone.
"The entire Slytherin House thinks it was you," he pressed. "And I also believe they are right. You were the one they had tried to attack. The coincidence is too strong. There is no one other besides you who might have raise this complaint."
He continued in almost a whisper, "And do not deny it or lie. They were suspended and sent home suddenly and no one was able to speak to them, but very soon someone will reach out to them, and the whole truth will come to light."
"And what does that have to do with you?" she snapped. "Even if I did complain or did not, it has nothing to do with you. Why are you even trying to meddle in my affairs?"
"Lily," Severus said, his fists clenching, "how can you be so nonchalant? This is not a small thing that you are trying to brush away."
"The boys who were suspended all come from prestigious families. One of them is Rabastan Lestrange. They would not take this lying down. They will surely retaliate."
"And the rest of Slytherin House sees it as an insult to them all. They believe that it has tarnished their image. No one is happy with what you have done. Their hatred for you have grown and their anger will be directed towards you. You have put yourself on a dangerous path."
"Are you here to bring me threats from Slytherin House, Severus?" she asked coldly, her tone firm. "And it was not me who tarnished their image. It was them who tarnished their image by breaking rules and attacking a fellow student. Doing evil tarnishes the image, not the response to that evil."
"No," Severus muttered. "I am here to caution you. To help you. To keep you safe. To show you the right way."
He completely ignored Lily's comment about they being themselves responsible for tarnishing the image of Slytherin house.
"The right way?" Lily arched an eyebrow, a small, probably, mocking smile appearing on her face. "You will show me the right way? You will keep me safe?"
"Yes," Severus replied. "What you did was reckless. They will not let it pass. You need to amend what you did. People like Rabastan Lestrange and his friends will go to any lengths for revenge."
"What else can I expect," Lily snapped, "from the son of a cowardly and a death eater of a father who sneaks into people's homes at night to kill them?"
The news of Reinhart Lestrange's raid on Bones Manor and his violent death and the image of his dead body and his severed head, flashed through Severus's mind like a blade.
Rabastan had been sent home from Hogwarts the previous night, and Severus had no idea what might now be happening in the Lestrange household. Maybe, he would be too worked up in his father's death to even care about these matters. But again, Rabastan was not a man to take any insult lying down.
"Lily," he said, stepping closer, "do not speak of Lord Lestrange like that. There are many who will not tolerate such words against him."
His expression twisted into disappointment.
"Why are you so stubborn, so determined to throw yourself into danger again and again?" Snape questioned. "They are not ordinary people, Lily. They are powerful and influential. You should learn to steer clear of their path."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Lily's face. When Severus spoke of them as powerful and influential, she could hear the awe in his voice. And it was this very awe, this desperate desire to be accepted in their circle that Snape had walked down the path that Lily could not tolerate. This very feeling from Snape to be respected by the 'powerful and influential' had driven much of the distance between them.
"Severus," she said, her tone calm but firm. "I will not argue with you about whether it was me or them who crossed whose path. Nor will I take lessons from you about who I should or should not speak to."
"You have no need to meddle in my affairs. If I am putting myself at risk against powerful people then so be it. If something happens to me then so be it," she continued. "Anyway, I am nothing but a mud blood for them. This is already a crime in their eyes. So, my respect or disrespect does not really change anything."
A flicker of unease crossed Snape's eyes as he recalled how he had those words for Lily. He wanted to apologise once again but thought the better of it.
She straightened, preparing to leave. "Is there anything else you wish to say?"
"Yes," Severus answered after a pause. His voice dropped low. "You should take your complaint back. You should ask Professor McGonagall to rescind the suspensions of these students."
"And I will make sure no harm comes to you," he added quickly. "I will speak to them, and this matter will end here, permanently."
Lily's face twisted with shock, disbelief plain in her eyes.
"Severus," she said slowly, as if making sure she had heard him right. "Are you even listening to yourself? Do you hear what you are saying?"
"Take back my complaint?" she snapped. "And then the matter will permanently end?"
"What about the attacks they carried out on me? The ambushes I endured? Where were you, Severus, when those attacks were happening?"
"Lily," Snape replied through clenched teeth, "why are you making a mountain out of a molehill?"
"What they did was wrong, yes," he admitted. "I agree they should not have attacked you. But the truth is, you were not harmed. You even came out on top in the duels. It was just a small matter."
"But now you have made it big," he pressed. "And because of that, they will come at you with full force."
"Unbelievable," Lily muttered in shock. She was in no mood to hear anything else from Snape. Whatever little hope and feelings she has had left for Snape as her old friend vanished completely.
She took strides to exit from the room and Snape tried to intercept her.
"Lily," he said hastily, spreading his arms wide, "at least, hear to me first."
Lily's wand was in her hand in the next moment.
"I will not hear a word further from you," she snapped pointing her wand towards her.
Snape gritted his teeth but ultimately lowered his arms allowing Lily to pass through. He did not know what to do. He knew that Lily would not herd to his advice but he also knew that those boys will not let the matter go. And since they could not target professor McGonagall, Lily would be their target.
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a. One additional advanced chapter each week on P@treon. ]
[email protected]/imaginarywriter