Chapter 90 - Slug Club 02.

[Chapter Size: 2500 Words.]

Third Person POV

Hogwarts.

...

...

"You are crazy?! You can't bring an alcoholic drink to school!! Do you want to get expelled?!" Lily immediately complained to her companion as she glared at the girl.

"Don't be silly, Lily, this is just for fun... don't worry... I have a potion that can end the effects of alcohol quickly," the other Gryffindor girl commented.

"I've never drunk, and I'm not going to do it here!" She protested, crossing her arms, not wanting to take part in it.

"But you could very well forget all your problems... And you know exactly who I'm talking about..." The girl said as she glanced at Snape, who was still messing around with Bellatrix, growling at him.

"..." Lily didn't respond immediately, while she thought and looked once again at the table where Snape was sitting.

She saw that and knew that her first friend was unreachable for her at this moment. First, he said those unfortunate things about her being a Mudblood... She decided she would never talk to him again, and he tried for an entire year to fix it, but she refused to see him as an equal again. After all, he was interested in joining the Death Eaters, and his interest in dark magic grew stronger. Even though she told him to stay away from it, he kept telling her to avoid Lupin, claiming he was dangerous, and Lily grew annoyed by that. To her, that comment from Snape was the final straw.

But he had changed... changed so much that she accused him of being someone else inside Snape's body. She paid attention to his transformation not only because the headmaster had asked for her help, but because she wanted to understand what had happened to him. Even though he openly offended and humiliated her, pushing her away, she still looked at him and cried over his words.

Still, as the year went on, watching his actions, she started to feel admiration, despite the fact that he did things she was completely against. There were things she admired—how he protected his friend, how he kept his word, and how he feared no one. So she couldn't help but feel attracted to him, even after everything... it was strange, but beyond her control.

Lily could see his charm, and she wasn't the only one. She felt her heart ache as she watched him surrounded by other girls, not to mention those who were interested but couldn't get close to him. Even some Gryffindor girls would ask about him.

"Alright... I'll drink..." Lily returned to her friend after breaking off from her thoughts and muttered, taking the bottle.

She wanted to let her feelings out a little, wanting to forget them or maybe even suffer a bit, as she grabbed the bottle, but she was stopped by her friend.

"Wait! Are you crazy? Not here, we'll do this in secret! If Professor Slughorn sees us... we'll be expelled. Don't forget to use this herb; it hides the smell of alcohol, so no one will notice from the scent," Lily's friend said.

"Got it?" She asked Lily and the other two at the table. Lily and the others nodded. "Now, hand me your cup, discreetly," the owner of the bottle demanded, and Lily handed over her cup to start drinking that night.

"Looks like tonight's going to get lively!" Said another Gryffindor girl.

"Finally, the studious goody-two-shoes is being corrupted," Another teased, looking at Lily as she picked up her cup and sniffed before taking a sip.

"Shut up!" Lily snapped back at her, irritated.

Meanwhile, at Snape's table, he continued holding onto Bellatrix while laughing, drawing more attention, while Bellatrix herself growled at him, and Severus just laughed, seeming to enjoy it.

Lucinda and Clarisse had bored expressions, watching the two, while Pandora seemed entertained, smiling at them.

"Let me go!" Bellatrix demanded again.

"You're not going to try and grab me again?" Severus asked her.

"Alright, you bastard..." Another voice grumbled.

Snape began to release her the next moment, making sure she wouldn't lunge at him again. She seemed to be backing off with her usual arrogance, lowering her hand calmly. Severus did the same, thinking she had calmed down, but it was a small mistake, as she always had a hostile and violent demeanor, making it hard to tell when she wasn't angry.

Bellatrix, in the next moment, quickly raised her hands again to grab his neck, but he caught her easily. "You are really treacherous, you snake," Snape mocked with a grin, and a second later, they started wrestling again as Bellatrix cursed at him for calling her a snake.

This went on for some time until it finally seemed like she had gotten tired. "Let go!" she shouted, stopping, and he released her hand. After that, she simply turned her back on him, as if she couldn't stand him any longer.

The table went silent for a moment until Pandora broke it. "How are your projects for the final exam, Clarisse?" Pandora asked.

"Hm? They're fine! They've improved a lot since I got Snape's help, and there's just one day of work left to have them finished and revised," Clarisse responded.

"Wait!! So Severus is helping Clarisse? That's not fair!" Lucinda asked, stunned.

"Yes, we have a business relationship," Severus replied.

Snape heard someone scoff in front of him and looked at Bellatrix, who didn't seem to be mocking the conversation.

"What is it, Bellatrix... don't you like the conversation?" Snape taunted her.

"Shut up, bastard," she said angrily, and he just shrugged.

"Snape helps me too... I'm getting better at spells thanks to him," Pandora said, while Severus returned his attention to the conversation, now that he was the main topic.

"What?!" Both Lucinda and even Clarisse looked surprised at the girl with an innocent smile.

Bellatrix didn't seem interested, but she listened to everything, her body language showing her attention as she subtly stretched her ear. Snape wanted to mock her more, but the girls' conversation caught his interest as they kept talking about him.

"So that's why you've gotten so good in the dueling classes?! I knew you were up to something!!" Lucinda exclaimed accusatorily.

"That's not fair!" Lucinda shouted before standing up on the table and pointing at Snape. "You help one with potions and herbs, and you train another. As for me, I'm your future girlfriend!" She exclaimed.

"Future girlfriend? Don't be ridiculous, you're just talking nonsense," Clarisse scoffed, clearly displeased.

"Nonsense...? You think I haven't noticed the way Severus looks at me with attraction?" Lucinda declared. "Very different from you!" She added.

'What is this girl talking about now...?' Snape looked bewildered at this declaration.

"I'm not ugly... of course, he's attracted to me. Much more than to you!" Clarisse retorted.

"Would you two shut up?!" Bellatrix exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table, interrupting the girls' argument.

"Hm? Are you jealous too, Bellatrix? After all, Snape only has eyes for me; he doesn't even look at you," Lucinda spoke, all her fear of the Black woman vanishing in that moment of rage.

"What did you say, are you calling me ugly?! Of course, I'm beautiful, and he would never stop being attracted to me!" Bellatrix declared.

"What is going on here..." Snape couldn't help but murmur as his gaze fell on Pandora.

"Well... it seems you're a man in high demand..." She commented with a small smile.

"Can you all stop this madness?!" Snape raised his voice at that moment, and the three of them looked at him. "To me, all of you are hideous. Now stop." He declared.

"What?!"

"No!!"

"What did you say, bastard?!"

Each of them expressed themselves differently, while Pandora laughed, and he felt his chair being kicked by Bellatrix.

"Can you stop scowling... I'm starting to think you're hungry," Snape teased the last one, who seemed to be getting on his nerves.

"You think I'm hungry, half-blood," she mocked back.

"What's the matter? Are you going to say you want to join my classes too, like Lucinda?" Snape taunted her again. After all, it was the best thing to do at the moment.

"Who said I would ever need your help with anything?" She growled, irritated.

"Alright, I wasn't planning on inviting you or even accepting you. Who would want to be around someone as narcissistic as you?" He teased.

"Who are you calling narcissistic? And how dare you say I'm not worthy of a half-blood like you?!" Bellatrix immediately complained.

Snape was about to respond, but at that moment, the professor finally arrived at their table.

"Hello, my dear students," he said. "It seems your table has been quite lively tonight. That's exactly what I like!" He spoke with a friendly smile.

Once he had everyone's attention and after receiving calm greetings from the students, he continued, "Well, this will be one of our last gatherings. So, I'd like to talk a bit more with all of you, especially about the seventh year. What future will you choose, Lady Black?" he asked.

"I still don't know, it doesn't matter..." she replied dryly.

"Well, I hope you'll keep in touch with your fellow students. This is the first time you've come here after all these years, something very similar to what happened with Mr. Snape. I finally convinced you to come. So this has been a very productive year, indeed. We've invited excellent students to this meeting," he said with a smile.

He continued, placing his hand on Snape's right shoulder. "And you, with your fifth year coming to an end, you plan to specialize in Potions, correct?" he asked.

"Actually, no, Professor... I want to specialize in something other than Potions," Severus replied.

The professor looked a bit surprised. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"Well, there are many interesting subjects. I want to pass Transfigurations and Ancient Runes..." Snape answered, while the professor seemed quite shocked that he chose the subject he had been struggling with all year.

Snape then continued, "But just because I won't specialize in Potions at Hogwarts doesn't mean I'll stop studying them. I plan to continue studying next year. If you allow me, Professor, I intend to become a Potions Master. This way, I won't have to buy expensive ingredients or sell them cheap on the black market," Snape added.

"I can understand why you don't need a specialization in Potions... That's quite surprising. I'm sure you'll do very well. I'm happy to hear that," said the professor with a certain joy. "You have my full support," he added.

The professor chatted a bit more as he moved on to speak with other students, continuing the conversation about their futures and specializations from their fifth year.

Meanwhile, at another table, Lily was struggling to maintain her composure after drinking a bit, but being her first time, she found it hard to really control herself. They were lucky that Professor Slughorn had shown up early and talked to them while she was still sober.

Lily kept her gaze fixed on one table. "Lily, could you stop staring at that table? You're being really obvious..." a friend next to her whispered.

"Hm? You think so...?" She asked, her mind clouded by the alcohol, and she felt like laughing about it.

"Do you still like that guy?" Another student asked, laughing. She waited for some kind of response.

"I... I don't know... I mean... he's gotten so handsome now... I just wish he were kinder..." she murmured as all the girls exchanged glances.

"She really does like him... but what about James... he seems to like Lily... maybe we should investigate..." One friend whispered to the other, in front of Lily.

"Let me ask her!!" One of them said, before continuing, "Tell me, Lily, what do you think of James Potter? He always looks at you in a special way, and you two are quite close..." she asked, curious.

"James?" Lily replied, a bit drowsy. "James is my friend, just like Lupin, Sirius, and Pettigrew. They are all dear friends of mine at Hogwarts..." She said

"Is that really the case...? Lily, one more question then: if you had to think about your future husband and the father of your children, who would it be?" asked the third friend, watching closely for Lily's reaction. She always avoided these topics when questioned, and now they were hoping for an answer while she was under the influence of alcohol.

"I haven't really thought about that... Let's change the subject, please," Lily replied, dying of embarrassment.

"Tell me, would you choose Potter, who's your friend, or Severus, who apparently despises you?" insisted another student.

"What kind of question is that?" Lily's closest friend among the three interjected.

Lily ignored that last part, but inside she was thinking: who would she want to marry? Of course, she would want to marry someone she knew, but the more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became.

"I prefer not to answer," she said in the end, without giving any more details. But her body language betrayed her, as her eyes involuntarily drifted toward the table where Snape was sitting before she quickly looked away, and all the girls noticed.

"By Merlin! She's in love!" they exclaimed, astonished.

"Why does my friend now like the man who despises her...?" one of the students sighed.

"Are you really in love with Snape?" another asked, shocked and wanting to know more, as this was quite a revelation.

"No, it's not that. It's a lie!" Lily quickly denied.

"Lily, if you really love him, you should go for it..." one of her friends suggested.

"He hates me," she admitted sadly.

"But you should try. Maybe we can help you two. If there's a dance, it's your chance," encouraged another.

"A dance?" Lily asked, surprised.

It was at that moment that the music began to change, and the students moved to the floor to formally dance with their partners.

"Yes, let's make them dance," one friend insisted.

"I don't think that's going to happen," one of them said, looking ahead.

"What do you mean?" asked the other.

"Look over there," she responded, pointing toward the dance floor.

Everyone looked in the direction she indicated. "It can't be... It's him and her...!" one of the girls exclaimed in disbelief. "Snape... and Bellatrix?"

Snape was walking toward the dance floor, about to dance with Bellatrix, leading her with a rather displeased expression while Snape, for some reason, seemed to smile. Lily saw this and was as surprised as everyone else, but she felt a particular pain in her chest. Perhaps this night would leave her heart aching.

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