Ch 32 The Explosion

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Today, the Matthews Family Home was in more of a forbidding, gothic sort of mood, with great pillars, high arches, stone gargoyles… all atop the base of a battleship.

When she arrived at the brewing room, Severus and Katrina were peering at one of the cauldrons.

"...How do you think it got in?" he frowned. "Most wizarding homes have some kind of protection from that, do they not?"

"Yes, it's a basic warding spell. Perhaps it hadn't been recast in too long?."

Lily bit her lip. On the one hand, she didn't want to bother them. On the other hand… "Um."

Katrina jerked back. Whipping her head about, her piercing glare fell upon Lily. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, it's just...I needed to talk privately to Severus."

Katrina's gaze flickered over the bubbling cauldrons. "Fine, but only twenty minutes. No more."

Severus nodded, before gesturing that Lily follow him. He led her up the stairs to what seemed to have once been a closet, before someone had crammed a single bed into it.

"My room," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I had not expected guests."

Cleaning supplies adorned the walls, along with a collection of blankets, pillowcases and towels of all sizes. The only bit that seemed at all Severus' was a small reading table atop which laid several books that bore the beaten and dog-eared marks frequent reading. One of the titles she recognized as Shadows of Magic by Charlus Potter.

She couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. So many letters to Perseus over its topics… even if the writer of the book had turned out to be a monster.

"Don't worry, Sev. It's just somewhere to sleep over the summer, right?" She settled herself right beside him on the bed. Unable to resist, she whispered in his ear, "Besides, you've now got me in your bed, right?"

"Um...ah…" His eyes went wide, and she thought she could hear the sizzling of melting boy brains. "W-what did you want to talk about again?"

"Actually…" that reminded her of the reason she'd come. Biting her lip, she finished, "About us."

He sat bolt upright. "What?" His voice quivered as he spoke. He might be asocial, but even he knew the dark magic in those words.

She hoped that what she was about to say would help. "I just think that lately we've been having difficulty communicating. Like...there've been things we've needed to say to each other, but haven't. Don't you think?"

"Uh," he shifted uncomfortably, covering his face with his bangs, "it's possible, I suppose."

Lily leaned over, so she could look up into his eyes. "Has there been anything you've wanted to tell me, but felt you couldn't?"

"Not...not really…" Severus gazed questioningly back at her. "Has there been for you?"

It seemed he wasn't going to crack, so she was going to have to be the one to make the first move.

"Severus…" she wet her suddenly dry lips, "you know, that is - I mean to say… I've been concealing…" his eyebrows started rising, so she decided to use some of that Gryffindor courage and get to the point."Bloody hell, look, I'm Medusa. I've been your penpal since the beginning of the year!"

He drew back, staring at her in horror. "How long?" He croaked out. "How long did you know?"

"Three months? More? I don't really know anymore…" Damn, this wasn't going well. "It wasn't like I was trying to hurt you or anything! I just wanted to help…"

Not knowing what else to say, She reached out to hold his hand, but he just kept staring.

"So, you knew that…" his voice was barely a whisper, "my last letters, I mean, you knew I was talking about you?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for concealing this from you for so long, but-"

"And you're okay that I...I have feelings for you?"

She blinked, thrown with the sudden change of subject. "Sev, you're my boyfriend now. We're together. It's kind of expected that we feel that way about each other."

"Oh, that's good." He looked at her with incredible emotion in his dark eyes, his face one big blush. "Really, really good. You see, I thought you might be angry because...Err, never mind."

Lily frowned. He kept missing her point. "But, Sev, you're the one who should be angry. I've been spying on you for months, while you-"

Behind his mop of hair, he shrugged. "I knew it was you since my owl pooped in your porridge earlier this year."

Her mouth fell open. "Wait, so you've been spying too?"

"Not spying! Just...it was easier."

"What do you mean by easier, Sev?" Lily said. She was pretty sure she knew the answer already but wanted to hear it all the same.

He peered at her warily, clearly wondering if he was about to walk into a verbal minefield. In the end though, he said softly.

"Lily, be honest with me. If I, Severus Snape, had wanted to debate the Dark Arts with you, how would you have reacted?"

She bowed her head. "Honestly, I'd probably have blown up at you."

"And that's why it was easier."

"Yes, but it shouldn't have been that way. It shouldn't be that way. Sev, I really, really like you, but if we're going to make us work, we need to be able to talk, about anything. When you sent me that letter about how you felt that I wasn't even asking your opinion about James...I felt like the biggest bitch in the world."

Severus looked positively ill. "I didn't mean to hurt you by that."

"It's not your fault. You were right." Lily sighed. "And next time, I want you to know that I will listen to anything you have to say."

He raised an eyebrow. "No matter what?"

"No matter what." She paused. "I mean, I'm not saying I'll always agree and I might jump down your throat a bit, but let me know if I am and I'll stop."

"I see…" His expression flickered, torn between doubt and a clear desire to believe. "You're...sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Really?"

She fought the urge to laugh. While it was ridiculous to her, the look on his face… Somehow, he really didn't seem to believe her. "Yes, I'm positive, Sev."

"I see…" he repeated, tapping his long fingers together. He stared at her for a long moment, swallowed several times, opened his mouth and shut it again. For nearly a minute, it looked as if he wasn't going to say anything. Finally, he closed his eyes, squared his shoulders, and said in a croak that sounded so far from his own.

"Y-you know...when I sent the-that letter...the most r-recent one… I wasn't… wasn't... I wasn't lying about what I said." Taking a deep breath, he said in a stronger voice, "I meant it then. I mean it now...I mean it always."

Her breath caught in her throat. She didn't dare move. What he said, she indeed knew it already… but what should she say to him? Sometimes she wasn't the deftest when it came to Severus, but she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what he was saying and what he meant.

His mouth was shut like a trap, but the way he looked at her...every last bit of emotion was in those black eyes-his fears, his desires, his worries, and yes, his love. He had opened himself up to her, and he deserved a response, a real one.

But what should she say? What did she feel?

Closing her eyes, she thought of every letter he'd ever sent her, every argument they'd shared, each kiss and stolen moment, everything he meant to her, now, in the past, as friends and more. Then she realized the truth: she knew the answer already.

She took his pale, slender hands in her own and gently said, "I love you too."

His eyes went wide. His breath caught in his throat. Vocalizing what he felt…

He finally breathed out, forgetting he was holding it and gently leaned down, touching his forehead to hers.

"Lily-"

"I love you, Sev, but you should know this whole year really placed a toll on me. I had… I hated you for everything that happened—"

He flinched, eyes going wide.

"—how our friendship had fallen apart, what you'd done. But most of all, I hated you for not being there. You were always supposed to be there, then you weren't and I missed you terribly."

He opened his mouth, but she continued before he could say so much as a word.

"There was a hole in the world where you were supposed to be…But then you came back!" she smiled up at him, and he looked quite dazed. "I knew then we could be friends again...I was still afraid, you know.

"I couldn't bear the thought of you leaving me for them again and I started to control you…It took Evelyn of all people to make me realize what I was doing to you, and I admit...I was jealous."

She chuckled causing Severus to smirk at her.

When the laughter faded, she said softly. "For all that Sev, I'm truly sorry. You said that you wanted to spend the rest of your life by my side... Well, I'm going to hold you to that. Never leave me again, no matter what."

He might be awkward around matters of romance, but when he pulled her into his arms then, letting her bury her face into that warm chest of his...she had no objections whatsoever.

"I never will," He whispered, "As long as you'll have me, I'll be there, at your side. I swear it."

She looked up into that face. His skin might be pale and his hair stringy, but his eyes… twin pools of darkness and emotion. Petunia was right. How could she have ever missed his feelings? In those obsidian irises was a fire that not even an ocean could quench. Before...she had seen sparks of it, but he must have kept it tamped down in his fear.

That fear had been burned away. Now he stared at her openly, his passion bare before her. Under those eyes, she felt naked, as if every stitch of clothing she'd worn had vanished in a blaze. Closer she drew to the flame, closer until her lips pressed tentatively against his own.

As if that were the last bit of kindling he'd needed, Severus drew her into a kiss that sent heat running through her lips. Once, twice, a dozen kisses, each like another round of butterbeer. She was drunk on him, the heat engulfing her in a haze.

"Lily?" His voice seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere.

She blinked, the haze clearing enough to realize her position. Somehow, she'd gotten atop him, pressing him to the mattress. His robes were undone, revealing his sinewy frame, while her pastel blouse hung over the foot of the bed.

His bed...They were in Severus' room, alone, half-dressed. Even through her lust-drunk fog, she knew what that meant.

"L-Lily?"

She looked down. Severus stared back, frozen as if he were afraid the slightest motion could shatter the earth. The same conflict in her mind played across his face. Were they truly ready for this step?

Evelyn's tawdry comments, Mary's teasing…they felt like hands against her back, shoving her forward. They were so close to the edge of the cliff...only the slightest press would send them tumbling down. Yet, with her body pressed against his, their words didn't feel embarrassing or wrong, but rather a mystery she craved to explore.

And all she had to do was push a little bit further forward. He wouldn't say no, she was sure. It would be so easy to make him do what she wanted…

Still, she held herself back."Do...do you want to… you know?"

His gaze flickered down to her chest, to the pale flesh only he had been allowed to see, and when it returned his cheeks were flushed. He bit his lip.

She didn't press, waiting for him to find the words.

After what seemed a short eternity, he exhaled and nodded once firmly. "A-alright."

"Thank you..." She kissed him, slow and deep, letting them sink into it.

Severus pulled her tighter against him and the warmth washed over them once more. But rather than obscuring, it sharpened and clarified.

All her doubts had faded. There wasn't a single place she would rather be than in this tiny room.

Lily smiled into the kiss, squeezing his hand gently as her other pushed his robes to the side. Their other garments fell from them like autumn leaves until nothing laid between them. Yes...They would discover this mystery, the way they would discover all the others to come...together.

...X…

Afterward, the sheets were stained with a mixture of sweat and other fluids, but Lily was warmly nestled in the crook of Severus' arm. And right then, there was nowhere else she'd rather be. She outright basked in the afterglow of their exertions, eyes shut. It had been amazing beyond words.

Having him looking at her with his eyes filled with love and desire, and an emotion that could only be described with the words 'There is absolutely nowhere else I would rather be than right here with you, right now'...well, those words described how she felt too, then and now.

And so she relaxed, snuggling closer.

"So, how was...it?" Severus said.

She let out a sigh of contentment. "Incredible…simply incredible."

"That's good...Evelyn gave me a lot of advice. I hope it was accurate…"

Her sigh was a bit less contented this time. "Sev, you're ruining the mood."

"Oh, sorry." He massaged her shoulder, causing warmth to flow throughout her body. "That better?"

"Much better." She purred sleepily. If he kept this up, she was going to drift off to sleep in his arms.

He was quiet for some time, before finally saying in a soft voice, "I wish that every day could be like this."

She couldn't help but smirk. "Well, I'm certainly not going to say no to a daily shagging if it's that good."

"No, I mean...this." Severus squeezed her shoulder. "You, me, together and warm…"

Lily pecked the tip of his nose. "You're adorable. You know that?"

"I just want to make the most of every day we have together. You never know if it'll be your last." He paused, his cheeks visibly pinkening. "...not that a daily shagging would be a bad thing."

"And just think." She traced her hand down his stomach. "There's so much to do..." She reached even further down. "...to explore."

There was a knock on the door to Severus' small room.

They took one look at each other, faces pale as ghosts, then dived for their clothes.

Before she could even get her knickers on though, Evelyn called into the room, a smile audible in her voice. "So, what are you guys up to all alone in there?"

"Studying!" Lily quickly retorted as she dived for her bra.

Unfortunately, Severus shouted 'Resting!' while at the same time.

"Err, we're resting from studying." Lily finished lamely.

"Sounds good to me." Then the doorknob started to turn.

"Don't come in!" Lily shouted. Come on, think and stall! She just needed a few more seconds to get herself situated. "Severus err...just passed some really bad gas!"

He paused in the process of putting on his pants to mouth 'really?'.

She motioned for him to hurry.

Evelyn paused, door halfway open. There was a loud sniff. "It doesn't smell that bad, does it?"

"Just give me a minute to finish. I'm, uh, really good with charms." Lily roughly jammed on her blouse and tore it. Oh shit!

Luckily, Evelyn was oblivious. "There are spells for that?"

"Oh, definitely." She tried to pull the torn fabric so it wouldn't be visible but only succeeded in tearing her shirt more. Panic rising, she shouted. "You have no idea how useful it can be to-"

Then Severus smacked himself on the forehead, grabbed his wand, and with a couple of quick charms, fully clothed both of them, with Lily's and his shirt both mended. "You can come in." He said. "Lily…" He gave her a glare. "...fixed the situation."

She blushed, mouthing 'sorry'.

Evelyn came in wearing a short dress that was a size too small for her. When she took a deep breath, she nearly popped out of it. "Wow. I'm amazed."

"Yeah, it was a…" She blushed. How could she have forgotten to simply use her wand? "...really good spell."

Evelyn nodded. "I see... so, how was the sex?"

Severus stumbled to the floor.

Lily didn't trip and fall, but it was a near thing. "E-excuse me? What do you mean?"

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you actually thought I wouldn't know?" She chuckled and began counting with her fingers. "One, you've been in his bedroom for two hours; two, I've probably tried every excuse in the book..." She paused and smirked. "...and three. Severus, you might want to consider a silencing spell next time."

Severus' pale cheeks went pink. He opened his mouth and shut it again.

"Did Katrina hear?" Lily whispered. If she'd heard and told Mr. Matthews...visions of Severus losing his apprenticeship danced in her head. Oh God, this was embarrassing.

Evelyn paused dramatically, milking the moment as Lily's heart sank further and further into the pit of her stomach.

Finally, Evelyn grinned. "Nah, she had to deliver some potions. She won't be back for a few hours."

Lily and Severus breathed simultaneous sighs of relief.

Then he frowned. "Wait, if nobody's watching those potions…" He promptly sprinted off.

Potions brewing unobserved were no joke. Given how many were brewing simultaneously...Lily was about to dash after him when Evelyn grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Don't worry about the potions," Evelyn said. "Katrina just left a minute or two ago. I just wanted to have some time for...well, girl talk."

"I see…" She let Evelyn lead her to the living room.

When they were properly seated in the armchairs, Evelyn said, "So, unless I miss my guess, that was your first time."

"Err...yes."

"Figured. Potter would probably have announced it to the whole school if he'd had sex with Lily Evans and I can't think of anyone else who was in the running." She smirked. "So, how do you feel?"

Lily shivered, embarrassment reddening her face but unable to stop her from smiling. "Severus is definitely a hard worker, that's for sure. Best first I've ever had."

"Ooh, that good? Maybe I should knick him from you." Evelyn said with a teasing laugh.

A while back, that would have enraged her, but now...she merely raised her eyebrows. "You know...I almost hate to say it, but you're not bad. Sev's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Thanks, and you're pretty decent yourself. So…" She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "...want some tips?"

Lily considered briefly but shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'd rather discover it myself with Sev, be surprised, you know?"

"Fair enough." She got to her feet. "I'm sure you'd probably like to have some alone time with Severus now, so I'll head out for a bit."

Lily blushed a little. "Thank you."

"No worries. Enjoy the afterglow, both literally and otherwise." She started to head out, but paused and turned back. "You know, I've had this theory for a while-"

She put her hands up. "Please don't. So far, every time you've had a theory, someone's had a mental breakdown."

"Hmm…" Evelyn chewed her lip. "That's...a fair point, actually. Alright. Then let me just say this, I wasn't sure if you were all that great for Severus. You guys had a lot of issues from the past and well, baggage to deal with. But...from what I've seen these past couple months, you've both really stood up and, yeah, I think you've been pretty good for each other. So for what it's worth, I'm in favor of both of you together.

"Thank you. That...actually means a lot, especially to Severus I'm sure."

"Great. Now, as I promised before, ta ta!" And with a wink and the sound of a car backfiring, she apparated away.

Evelyn might have given her the opportunity for a round two, but she decided to take a few more minutes to relax first, leaning back on the couch. This was big, after all. It wasn't every day that you made love with your boyfriend for the first time.

The first thing she would do tonight, she decided, was owl Mary and Sabrina. Mary would probably have some practical advice, less lurid than anything Evelyn would say, and Sabrina… Lily giggled. 'Sabrina will probably combust at hearing it.'

She imagined telling her family for a laugh. Petunia would probably roll her eyes and her parents… she could almost see her mother's eyebrows crease uncertainly, not unsure about what she did or who she did it with, but softly asking what she wanted to come of it in the long term.

'I don't know yet, not truly. I love Severus but we're still teenagers. It's too early for us to be deciding things like that. Still,' she grinned to herself, enjoying the breeze playing across her still-sweaty body, 'we'll have the rest of our lives to find the answer anyway. Wait, what was that?'

It was a tiny bang, almost too small to be noticed, except for the dozens that followed it.

While she was still puzzling it, a mighty explosion shook the house and drove her to her knees, all coming from the direction of the brewing room.

'Sev!'

...X…

She raced to the brewing room. As soon as she threw open the door, green smoke poured out. She covered her mouth with her hand, quickly cast a Bubble Head charm, and peered within.

"Severus?" She shouted his name as loud as she could, but there was no response.

It was hard to see through the smog. Some of the fires still burned, but all of the cauldrons had toppled over, spilling their contents to the ground. It intermixed into a thick violet sludge that coated much of the floor. She couldn't see Severus anywhere.

Fearing the worst, she picked her way past the slime, calling Severus' name as she desperately tried to find some sign of him.

This was all her fault, she realized. If she hadn't been so randy or if she'd been able to keep it in her pants... Evelyn was wrong. The Potions had been brewing unsupervised for too long, and now Severus might be...

No! Severus was fine. He had to be! He must just be hurt. That's why he wasn't saying anything. Maybe he was wounded and couldn't speak, buried under this purple slime…

Then she saw something through the smoke, movement. "Severus!"

She ran over...but it wasn't Severus. Instead, James Potter said, "Lily, have you seen Peter? I think he might be hurt."

Any other time, she would have questioned his presence, but right now… "No, I need to find Sev. Excuse me."

James grimaced, but said nothing and vanished back into the smog.

From cauldron to cauldron, Lily went. Where was he?

The smoke started to clear a bit and...there! By the wall a familiar figure laid in a violet puddle.

"Sev!" Ignoring the splashing potion mixture, she drew him into her arms. His face was almost unrecognizable from a mixture of burns and the sludge that caked his bleeding face, "Please be okay! Please!"

For a moment, she feared the worst, then Severus started to cough. He futilely tried to get to his feet.

"Don't move, Sev. I've got you."

At the sound of her voice, he stopped struggling. "Lily? Are you...what happened?"

"There was an explosion. Hold still, let me get this off." She said, drawing her wand. Not sure what effect spells would have on the coagulated mess coating him, she used a Siphoning charm first. But as soon as his face looked more burned than purple, she rained every healing charm she could think of on him.

After a couple of minutes of constant spellweaving, he started to look...well, not healthy, but not like he was on the verge of death.

On the verge of death…

Tears pricked at her eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"Lily?" Severus stared blankly. "What is—"

That's when the waterworks started. "It's all my fault," She blubbered, "I screwed everything up. I'm so sorry!"

"It's not... your fault," Severus said faintly.

"Lily!" James and Sirius appeared out of the fog, a stocky figure held between them, "Peter's hurt. He got caught in the explosion."

Indeed, even through her tear-filled eyes, Peter looked almost as bad as Severus had been.

"I've got it," Lily said numbly, siphoning the sludge away from Peter's face, before using the same spells she'd used on Severus, "I think he'll be okay."

James gave her a relieved smile. "I'm glad. He near—"

"And just why are you here, Potter?" Severus said, his voice frigid. His wand was in his hand, pointed straight at the Marauders. "Why are you here?"

Lily opened her mouth to explain...then realized she had no idea. "That's a very good question. James, why are you here?"

"Well, you see…" He looked as if he were about to say something, then sighed, running his hands through his hair, "Look, it wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"'Supposed to happen'?" Severus' eyes burned. "What did you do, Potter?"

"He doesn't have to answer to you," Sirius said, his own wand in hand, pointed at Severus.

It all made sense, a horror that slowly dawned on her. "You did this, didn't you? You're the reason Sev nearly died."

He winced, running his fingers through his hair. "I didn't mean to let it go so far. It was an accident, just a bit of a prank that went too far—it was only supposed to ruin a couple of the Potions—"

Severus sneered. "A likely story—"

"Shut up, Snivellus!" Sirius roared. "Peter nearly got killed, and all you care about is your stupid rivalry!"

Severus whipped his head around, mouth open into a snarl. Then he froze. "Lily, look."

Lily followed his gaze and her eyes went wide. There, in the center cauldron, was an exploded firework.

Not meeting her eyes, James muttered, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to ruin a couple of the brews, make Snape look bad...but somehow it reacted badly, and everything started to explode. I really didn't intend for something like this to happen, honestly. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You're sorry?" Severus had gone past anger, past rage. His voice sounded like shattered glass. "You can take your sorry and go to hell with it! After everything else...no, no, no, you're going to Azkaban, and I'm going to make you! Stupi—"

Lily grabbed his arm. "Sev, stay calm. There's no need for violence. Let's deal with this maturely."

Severus looked sick at her words, but when she gave him a little squeeze, he bowed his head, crossing his arms.

She turned to James. "James...I'm really, really disappointed in you. I thought you were better than this."

James bowed his head. "Like I said, I'm really sorry. It was an accident."

"I know you are, but you should have realized beforehand that with Potions, the volatile mixes can get really nasty when combined badly. Severus could have died." She took a deep breath, trying to force down that thought. "Now, let's Floo the Aurors' office and get this all straightened out."

"Err...what?" James asked.

"We need to Floo the Aurors," she repeated. At the befuddled look on James' face, she explained, "I know you're sorry, really, I do. But look at how much damage was done. Dozens of potions ruined, the Matthews family business could have been destroyed, and, most of all, Severus came this close to dying."

"Come on, Lily. You're joking, right?" James said with a weak laugh.

"James, this isn't a minor Hogwarts scuffle where I give you detention or report you to McGonagall. We're way, way past that. This is a matter for the Aurors now."

"Like hell!" Sirius shouted. "It was an accident, you daft bint."

"Sirius, lay off her a bit, alright?" James turned back to Lily. "Look, Lily, be reasonable. It was just a prank that went a little bit overboard."

"The consequences are too big to let it slide! Come on, let's all go to the Aurors, tell them what happened, and everything will be sorted out." She offered him her hand. "Please James, for me?"

He said nothing, only staring at her.

"James?"

"Do you know how hard it is?" James said finally, "After everything I've tried, everything I've sacrificed, I don't get anything. I've done everything you asked, but you're in his arms, not mine, and now you want me to go to Azkaban over an accident?" He clenched his hand into a fist.

"I am sorry, truly sorry about what happened today, and yes, it went far out of control...but I'm not going to Azkaban for Snape. The Matthews family, they're innocent victims, but not him. He's a Dark Wizard and spent years manipulating you, using you. He deserves whatever he gets. And the idea of seeing him get everything I ever wanted, after all the sacrifices I made, all the times I looked the other way for you...it's like someone stabbed me. Don't you understand?"

For a moment, Lily could only stand there, James' words washing over her in a tide that left her mind blank. 'After everything he'd sacrificed'? All she'd ever wanted him to do was get along with Severus. Now, he'd nearly killed Severus...yes, it was supposed to be a prank, but still. He didn't seem to care.

But then, when had he? He'd once said that Severus deserved to be bullied just because he'd existed. There had been more to James though...hadn't there? She remembered Perseus' words and wasn't sure anymore. Perhaps he'd always been this way, and she hadn't seen it because she had a bit of a thing for him. If so… if so...

"I think I do understand, James." Lily finally said. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for any misunderstandings before—"

James nodded. "Apology accepted, Lily. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

She caught Severus' eye and gave him a slow, deliberate nod. Turning back to James, she said, "Alright...I won't. I'm going to be absolutely clear. Stupify!"

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirius shouted.

James only managed to block the crimson bolt mere inches from his chest. Then he stood there, mouth open, staring blankly as if she'd slapped him with a fish. "Lily...what are you—"

"You're all going to the Aurors, whether you like it or not, and if you won't come quietly, then we'll just have to make you," Lily said, before raising an eyebrow. "That clear enough for you?"

While Peter looked scared, James and Sirius pointed their wands right back.

"Yeah, clear you made a big mistake!" Sirius shouted, suiting actions to words by countering with a Stunner of his own.

It didn't even make it halfway before it ran into Severus' shield spell. As the crimson energy burst harmlessly, Severus stepped forward, robes billowing. Cold malice etched itself on every pore of his face. His voice the softest she had ever heard it, he said, "Let's see how well you do when you're not facing a lone boy."

And the air exploded with spellfire.