Ch. 36 Lily and Severus

It was early evening by the time Snape and I finished harvesting the basilisk.

To be honest, Snape wasn't nearly as dark and broody as I thought he would be.

Don't get me wrong, he wasn't all smiles and sunshine, but he wasn't the aloof dark professor seen in the movies.

Maybe that was an addition added for the movies because I can't remember how he acted in the books. The fact Snape has almost no interaction with anyone other than Harry and Dumbledore doesn't let us see what he's like around other professors.

We were able to have an open conversation about how to harvest certain parts of the basilisk and the Chamber.

I think I got to actually see the man that was Draco's godfather.

Regardless, while the atmosphere wasn't awkward, I don't see us becoming close friends anytime soon.

One thing that did strike me as odd was his greasy hair.

When I met Snape in the girls' bathroom, his appearance was clean and neat. His clothes were unwrinkled, and there wasn't the slightest hint of body odor or potions residue. Just the opposite, he was completely sanitized. I guess so he wouldn't contaminate the harvesting.

That only made me more curious as to the greasy hair!

Greasy hair aside, he seemed both excited and disappointed in the Chamber of Secrets. Excited about the basilisks and the chamber itself, and disappointed there wasn't a single book in the small study we found.

I'm not sure if the books could have survived over nine-hundred years in a damp space, even with magic. If they did, I assume Tom removed them when he first found the chamber some fifty years ago.

Despite the lack of personal items from Salazar Slytherin, the sight of a basilisk with a torso nearly three feet thick brought a slight smile to the Potion Master's pale face.

I had a thick strip of leather covering the basilisk's eyes. Judging by the dull ache in the back of my head shortly after killing the serpent, I'm sure the eyes still hold the power of the Killing Gaze.

I'm not sure if Snape believed my tale of using Transfiguration and Conjurations to battle the basilisk. After he tested a few spells on the basilisk's scales, he asked no more questions.

I did keep most of the basilisk's head for myself. I firmly believe I will be able to replicate some of the basilisk's powers.

While I don't really want the power to kill with my eyes, I love the idea of being able to channel magic through my eyes. Even if it would be a rip-off of Superman's heat vision, it's still cool as hell.

With enough time I think I can replicate, not just the basilisk's eye power, but its durability and strength.

Seriously, the snake was far stronger than it should have been. Even in my full dragon form, the basilisk wasn't much weaker than I was, and I'm pretty sure it didn't gain its strength from a serum.

Gaining the strengths of the basilisk reminds me of all the dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest. I'll have to venture deeper into the woods than previously.

I put those thoughts aside as I reach the Great Hall. I silently stride into the Great Hall in the midst of supper, my robes billowing as if in a breeze.

All conversation ceases as my entry is noticed. Many of the students quickly turn to stare at me with varying looks on their faces.

I ignore the students as I have my eyes fixed on one person, who seems to be in a good mood.

Aurora is sitting at the High Table, hiding a small giggle behind her hand.

As I finally reach her side, Aurora casually glances at my billowing robes. "That must have cost you an arm and a leg!"

Giving a joyful smile, "Not at all! It only cost an eye." With Aurora's curious look, I explain. "I traded one of the basilisk's eyes for Snape's spell. Told you I was gonna get that spell."

Aurora stared at me with a dumbfounded look, before looking away and shaking her head. "You are utterly ridiculous sometimes."

After taking a moment to reflect on her comment, I nod my head. "I agree."

That brought a smile to her beautiful face. "So, are the halls of Hogwarts safe once again, now that the mighty Dovahkiin has slain the serpent?" Aurora asked with a bit of humor in her voice.

The last part of her statement gave me pause. It suddenly brought up memories of my time in Skyrim.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, I answer Aurora's question. "The immediate threat has been dealt with, but there is still another scurrying around."

Aurora turns to look at me with a disbelieving look on her face. In a low tone, she asked, "Are you serious?"

With a reassuring tone, "Don't worry, I plan to create an item that will let me track the threat down. I will handle it soon."

Aurora's disbelieving face turned stern. "Is this arrogance speaking? We have talked about this. You are not the only one with magic, you know?"

While I was in the Chamber of Secrets, I decided to capture Peter Pettigrew. Canon is already thrown out the window, and letting the little rat stay in Hogwarts will only give him more information about me. He already has more than he should.

I'm confident in being able to handle Voldemort and his Death Eaters but I see no point in making things difficult for myself.

Even worse, the thought of Voldemort having plot armor from the prophecy only angers me. If that nose-less wanker is able to escape me because I'm not the one destined to kill him, I'll be fucking furious!

Forcefully pushing those thoughts to the side, I school my face of emotion. I looked in Aurora's eyes for a long moment. I thought about telling her about Peter Pettigrew, but it sounds like madness, even to my own ears.

Aurora quickly pieced things together. "It's not arrogance. It's trust. You either don't trust people to believe you or don't trust them with what you know."

I shake my head at the unspoken question. "I do trust you Aurora, more than anyone else. But I don't want to worry anyone needlessly. It's possible I'm only imagining things. I promise you will be the first to know, the moment I have proof."

Aurora stares at me for another moment before sharply nodding her head. "I better be." There was a promise of pain in those three words.

Why are women so scary?

After supper, I went back to my apartment alone.

Sitting in a plush chair, I debate what I'm about to do. I need the information for my plan to capture Pettigrew, but I'm a bit worried about drawing too much attention.

"Oh, screw it!"

Taking out the Resurrection Stone from my subspace, I push my Magicka into the stone. "James and Lily Potter." I firmly command. A deathly aura fills the room, and I prepare myself.

Once the couple is standing before me, the deathly aura slowly eases.

After five minutes of James and Lily staring at me, the deathly aura has completely faded.

Deciding not to waste any more time, I get down to business. "What are the spells involved in creating the Marauder's Map, and how did you make it?"

The pair quickly began listing the spells used and the process they took to complete the map. Luckily, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin didn't contribute anything useful to the making of the Marauder's Map.

Sirius Black did contribute several spells from the Black Family Library. With a description of the spells, it shouldn't take me long to comb through my copies of the books I acquired from Kreacher.

After obtaining everything I needed from the pair, I was about to dismiss them when I suddenly remembered something.

I focused on the female Potter. "Lily, why is Severus Snape's hair so greasy?"

At my question, Lily's face rapidly ran through a mixture of emotions. I could see her attempting to ask a question of her own, but the stone forced her to obey. "I hexed him after he called me a mudblood."

That's interesting. "Tell me the story."

Lily's jaw worked up and down for a moment before she began her tale. "Severus and I were walking around the Black Lake when James and Sirius suddenly hit Severus with several hexes. The commotion drew a crowd that began laughing at Severus hanging upside down.

"They refused to let Severus go until I became upset with them. They dropped Severus but continued to mock him. When I saw Severus grab his wand, I was afraid he would start a fight, so I jumped in front of James.

"When I refused to move, Severus became angry and called me a mudblood. I felt betrayed, called him a greasy-haired git, and hexed his hair to be greasy.

"He tried to apologize, but I wouldn't accept his apology. I guess he kept reapplying the hex as a show of regret."

At the end of her tale, Lily looked somewhat sad. James, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes.

Seeing his reaction, I couldn't help the anger brewing in my gut.

The fact that Lily fell in love with her best-friends tormentor doesn't sit well with me, and the fact that James shows no remorse for the years of torment actually pisses me off.

James' actions prove to me that he's a piece of shit. Lily running to James after a single mistake, said in anger and humiliation, proves she never truly valued Severus' friendship.

With a sneer, I stare at the pair. "You both disgust me."

I send them away without another word.

I think I'm mostly upset at my own feelings of betrayal. When I was reading the Harry Potter books, I formed a completely different picture of the couple. I thought of James as someone that never meant harm with his 'pranks' and later regretted them.

I actually thought it was Severus that pushed Lily away, forcing her to find new friends in the Marauders, only to regret his actions later.

I shake my head and forcefully calm myself. This isn't worth thinking about. Although I see Snape in a new light.

**************************

In a rural part of Missouri, a man stood beside a young, alien child.

The man had dark wavy hair and light-colored eyes. He was handsome and held himself with a unique strength.

The young girl beside him was rather unique herself. Her dark eyes were much larger than one would expect on a child, and she had two thin antennas sticking out of the top of her forehead.

The young girl stood quietly and held her fingers defensively in front of her chest. The man intently stared at the remains of a small dried husk.

Slowing walking to the dried husk, the man kneels down beside it. He carefully studies the dead plant and the surrounding area.

When he finished examining the area, he looked to the child. She sharply tilts her head at his attention, focusing on anything he may say.

"Somehow, someone drained every bit of energy from my seed." The man said in a smooth rustic voice. He seemed more impressed than upset.

The man quickly became quiet and scrunched his eyebrows together in thought. "I would like to meet this person. Come Mantis, we have a search to conduct."