Part 13

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James felt sick to his stomach. Everything was wrong. Everything felt out of place.

The slytherins were hogging Severus now, lily barely glanced at him and the few times she did she looked on the verge of tears.

Severus stopped going to the clearing, Petrova was more persistent, Regulus and Barty was around him all the time.

Whats worse was seeing Lily's reaction to all this, seeing how it pained her.

It was to the point Lily stopped even going out of the common room in case she saw Severus. James needed to talk to her.

" Hey Evans." He said and sat down on the couch next to her.

She gave a faint smile but otherwise didn't say anything, just wrote stuff down on a notebook and tapped her quill on the paper a couple times.

" we need to talk. About Snape."

As soon as James said that Lily went completely silent. She stopped writing, stopped moving and just sat there in shock.

" why do you out of all people want to talk to me about him?" She asked. The way she said him was unsettling.

He's never heard her speak of severus in a negative connotation.

" i see how its affecting you. Come on you're both miserable."

" he doesn't seem to be. Maybe Petrova was right." Lily hissed his name like poison.

James' face screwed in confusion and he leaned forward.

" wait Petrova?"

" yeah. You know how him and all the Slytherins have been crowding him? Apparently they've never approached him before because i was friends with him." She practically threw her quills and notebook onto the coffee table and stood up.

" the muggleborn witch thats always around Severus. Thats what they call me. The girl who wont let go. And now that i have they're all over him." She paced back and forth, anger rising in her.

James felt a little anxious as she started to rant. He had no idea any of this was happening. He knew Petrova called Lily the m word before but severus never mentioned the 'girl who wont let go' part.

" god. I'm so mad at him. How could he do that to me? And in front of everyone out in the yard. In front of you guys. All the slytherins probably think he's like a hero for finally shaking off the mudblood." Lily rolled his eyes.

Even saying the word had an effect on lily. James never realized just how serious it was for muggleborns.

" why is severus even hanging around them? They're snakes, they are evil. Oh and also racist, why is he around them?"

" honestly he only really tolerates Regulus and Barty. Other than that he doesn't really interact with the others."

" oh please you've seen him at lunch. They're all over him like piranhas just waiting to use him for his magic and leave a hollow skeleton." She said angrily and the analogy made james seriously question if she was doing alright.

" i think you should talk to him."

" oh please not you too. Dorcas says the same thing, so does Alice and Marlene. Why is everyone all of a sudden so adamant about us staying friends. None of you liked it before but now you do?"

" its because we see how its affecting you two. You dont even look at him, you barely leave this room. You hide from him as if he's gonna attack you and god, Severus is just in a terrible mood."

" he is?"

" yeah. He's always annoyed, he doesn't talk, he's super angry at everyone. He doesn't even see me anymore i mean come on doesn't he miss me? Even as a stag i can be interesting too. Its been like two weeks im going crazy over here." James ranted and once it was over felt bad.

He felt selfish and guilty. He knew deep down it was never actually about lily and severus restoring their friendship but instead about how Severus never seemed up for anything.

He stopped interacting with the other houses all together unless it was for academic purposes and even then he didn't even talk much.

" see you? When has Severus ever met with you?" Lily asked.

James open and closed his mouth then sighed.

" ugh oh god its spreading."

" what is?"

Probably my darkest secret which ive kept unknown for about half a year.

" fine. Ill tell you. But you cant tell Sirius or Peter."

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Today was a quiet day. Well everyday was a quiet day but Severus liked it better. It got lonely at times but he never enjoyed anyones company either so he didn't know what to do.

Still. He wondered what Lily was doing. And Bambi. He wonders if he still visits the field.

" oi. Snivilus."

A whiny squeaky voice said and severus audibly groaned. He just wanted a quiet day in the library and one would think the library was a place for silence.

" what do you want Pettigrew?" He asked and leaned against a bookshelf.

The shorter, stubbier mouse like guy smiled eerily.

" i know about your little deer friend." Peter said and severus looked down at him with eyebrows furrowed.

" how did you know about that?"

" i have my ways. Anyway i just wanted to tell you theres more to that stag you met in the forest."

Severus slid the book he was holding back in its place and walked closer towards Peter.

" what do you mean?"

Peter held his hands up in mock surrender and shrugged.

" it's a secret. If you really want to know you can find out."

" how?"

Peter smiled evilly and Severus felt himself step into a trap.

" ill send you an owl. Perhaps you could kill two birds with one stone."

Severus stood there as Peter walked away, feeling incredibly confused. Utterly terrified and a little off put.

After that weird interaction he went back to the common room. He waited for a while until an owl flew in from the portrait hole, carrying a letter between its beak.

Severus took it, feeding it one of the treats they had laid out on the table and opened the letter.

The paper crumpled under his hands as he squeezed, unsure of what to do.

Shrieking Shack tomorrow at midnight. Theres a spot on the Whomping willow that'll paralyze the tree. Hope to see you there.

If he thought it was off putting before he felt a chill down his spine.

The shrieking shack, notoriously haunted according to the locals at hogsmeade.

Ugh what did i get myself into.

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