Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter Nine

The only reason Dumbledick let Remus go to Hogwarts was to use him in the war. War starts in 1970, Remus gets his letter at the start of 1971. And once he's graduated, off he goes on these werewolf missions. Just saying. I'm convinced.

Silvanna sat at her usual table in the library on the second Saturday of the year, feet up as she flicked idly through Treasure Island. She was relatively undisturbed, as the library was rather empty on weekends, even when it rained like it did today. The windows rattled at their pounding, providing a rhythm for her to read to. Silvanna loved the rain, even though everyone always called it 'miserable weather'. And something about being safe and warm inside while the world wailed around you was serene and magical. Even when you weren't at Hogwarts.

She didn't look up as Lupin found his seat opposite her, pulling out textbooks half-heartedly. Not until she'd finished her paragraph, anyway. When she did, she saw that his scars - at least the visible ones - were pink and fresh. Silvanna bit her lip, wondering if she should intrude. "You shouldn't pick them, you know," said Silvanna, and Lupin looked up. He looked tired and had dark rings under bloodshot eyes. "Your scars. It makes it worse next time."

Lupin frowned. "Next time?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

"Next time they hit you," explained Silvanna. "The skin hasn't fully healed if you pick it, so it hurts more. Trust me, I know."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, returning to his textbook. Silvanna shrugged and went back to her own reading. They sat for a good five minutes, before Lupin - who had not turned his page or written anything down - spoke again. "Do you think my parents gave me these?" He waved his hand around his neck, indicating the pink scars.

"Well, yeah," said Silvanna. "How else would you get them?"

"My parents don't hit me."

"Right."

"I mean it! Why would you think that?"

"It's alright, Lupin," she said, trying her best to remain calm when he seemed so panicked. "My parents do it too. Everyone's does. Some are just better at hiding it."

Lupin looked like he was going to be sick. "Your parents hit you?"

Silvanna nodded, turning back to her book until he was ready to talk. "Just my dad, really," she said nonchalantly. Silence for a little longer, this time slightly awkward, as though there were unsaid words. But what about, Silvanna couldn't say. "I made notes for you," she said, folding over the corner of her book. "I'll get them if you want?"

"Oh," said Lupin, looking startled and caught unawares. "Oh, thank you. I mean, yes please." Silvanna smiled at him and his constantly flustered nature before setting off the common room to get her things.

*****

Silvanna spent most of her day in the library, and Lupin left her soon enough once he'd finished catching up on his work from the day before. She hoped to Merlin he and his friends weren't planning a prank again. Unless it was on her brother - he was still being a git.

Around mid-afternoon, Silvanna decided she'd had enough quiet and headed back to the common room, wondering if anyone fancied a game of chess or exploding snap. Of course, she had neither, but she knew Mary had both, and Marlene wasn't the type for chess, and Lily was off somewhere with Severus.

She found the common room full, but couldn't find either of her friends inside or in their dorm. She started to wish she'd just stayed at the library; at least there she had a table. Here there was hardly anywhere to sit.

"Oh, stop looking like a lost puppy," said Potter's voice from behind her, before Black grabbed her wrist and yanked her into a seat around their table. She already thought there were rather too many people sat here, but Potter and Lupin were deep in a game of chess that Black and Pettigrew were cheering on and whispering to each other.

"You're shit," she said to Black with a grin after he whispered something to Potter for the fifth time and he responded with, "I know, Sirius!"

"Watch the language!" exclaimed Black, looking amazed that she knew such a fowl word and used it.

"Who told you that?" asked Pettigrew, looking eager to learn more words.

"That Black's shit, or...?" Silvanna said, earning herself a light punch in the arm.

"No, the 's' word!" said Pettigrew excitedly. She saw Potter's eyes flick up to her and then down to the board. Lupin seemed uninterested.

"Oh," she said, shrugging and pulling out her things to write a letter to her mum. "Just my dad." Lupin began to cough, turning red as he choked, apparently on his own spit. "Congratulations," drawled Silvanna with a sarcastic smile, "You've failed at swallowing and breathing; your two most basic functions." The four of them laughed at this (after Lupin had recovered) before continuing with their game.

*****

After dinner, Silvanna was sat by the fire playing exploding snap with Marlene and Mary, having bumped into them when she went down to dinner with the boys. They were happily laughing away after the pile had jumped at Marlene, when Mary looked up over Silvanna's shoulder and smiled. Marlene was too busy collecting cards up, but Silvanna turned around to see Black hovering there, looking apprehensive and frowning.

"If you were going to have a face like thunder you should've stayed outside," said Silvanna, grinning at her own joke. After all, it had poured with rain all day. Mary laughed and Marlene finally caught on that there was someone else present.

"I need to talk to you," said Black, his eyes darting between Mary and Marlene.

"Great," said Silvanna, shuffling round so she faced him.

"Alone," he added. Silvanna scowled. Was he really going to make her get up? "Remus said to." Silvanna shot a glance across the room at the other first years. Three heads whipped down to look at the table, breaking into a bout of whispers.

"Fine," said Silvanna with an eye roll, before getting up and following him out through the portrait hole. They walked in complete silence, avoiding the older students heading to the tower. "What did you want, then?" she asked once they were a safe distance down the corridor.

"Remus told me about your dad," Sirius blurted, his eyes darting to anywhere but her.

"And?"

"And my mum does it too," he said, biting the inside of his cheek. "But with magic. Not the muggle way."

"Great," said Silvanna with a shrug, wondering what this had to do with her.

"The thing is," said Black, gaining more courage as he spoke, "No one else in my dorm has any marks except Remus, and he insisted that his parents don't discipline him like that."

"Utter bollocks," she muttered, more to herself than anything. But now that she thought about it, Mary and Marlene didn't have any scars or bruises. And Lily never had, but that was because her family was weird. "You don't think..." she began, looking uncertainly at Black, who looked just as nervous, "Are they supposed to...?"

He shook his head very slowly. "I don't think so," he said quietly. "James and Pete looked scared when they saw the marks on my ribs."

"Mary was weird too," she muttered. "And Lupin, come to think of it." They began walking back to the common room. "Don't tell anyone," she said quickly. "Lupin shouldn't have."

Black shook his head very quickly. "I won't. But there might be something that can help."

"Like healing potions?" she suggested. Those could be made at the castle and taken home to use when they couldn't do magic.

"Exactly," said Black, before heading into the common room ahead of her.