Dramatis Personae

First Contact

Severus' mood was getting worse with every second. Tripping and falling over was something that happened to other people, for Christ's sake. This whole scenario made him clearly lose his dignity. His robe was ragged, his nose hurting and his hair was a mess. Well, at least Potter had to put up with the hair-part all the time.

"James?"

He spun around and the words were out before he could stop them: "what is it now!" Cursing himself quietly, he could see her eyes narrowing. Green eyes, he noticed, quickly picking up his broken glasses. "Lily, it's you! I ... I didn't see you, my glasses are broken. Malfoy, that stupid git, pushed me down the stairs, and ... I'm sorry, I thought you were one of his ... sorry ... I think he broke my nose too."

She smiled. Not a friendly smile, but no doubt she was concerned. Severus knew he was good at pretending. Although he despised it, acting sometimes came in handy - but he would never make a habit out of it.

"Your nose isn't broken, it looks fine." She sounded irritated, he observed. As if they'd had a fight recently. "So, this is your 'urgent business' for tonight, getting kicked around by Lucius Malfoy? Where's Sirius? Throwing Snape out of a window?"

"What business?" Severus replied innocently, although he could make a pretty good guess. If Potter and Black had plans for tonight ... damn, damn, DAMN.

"Look, I don't have time for this," Lily said coldly. "I don't care what you and Sirus are doing. I have to catch up with Remus." She turned to go, and Severus took the opportunity. "That's brilliant!"

"What?"

"Lily, this is very important," he said in his sternest voice. "Sirus and I ... Malfoy and the others are going to ... hurt Remus," he improvised, gambling on the Marauders' protectivness towards each other. Which, in Severus' opinion, was rather pathetic. Their weakest point for sure.

"Hurt Remus?" She looked worried. Good!

"They're going to let him drink some sort of Prolonging Potion. So next time he turns into his wolf form he won't be able to transform back for a full week."

"Oh God. Did Snape came up with such a horrid idea?" Lily sounded disgusted. Actually Severus had once thought about using a Prolonging Potion on Lupin, but given up on it. It would have cost him at least 200 points, and Keele wouldn't allow him potion making for the rest of the year. Not that he cared about rule breaking, but there were such things as priorities. He'd stored the potion in his trunk - just in case.

"So," he went on, "you go to the ball with Remus and keep him from drinking anything funny, and Sirus and I will deal with the Slytherins. But don't tell him what's going on! I don't want Remus scared to death every time he drinks or eats something."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"..."

"It was Sirius' idea, wasn't it?"

Severus took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. This was almost too easy. Then he looked into her eyes, trying not to think about green again. "Would you like to see me after the ball? I would like to make it up to you." He put that unimaginatively sweet tone in his voice, the one which Potter always used while talking to Lily Evans. How could she possibly not hate being baby-talked to like this?

She hesitated, but gave in far too easy for Severus' liking. "Yes, I would like to." And with an amused look she advanced on him with her wand, pointing it at his face. "Oculis reparo! That's better, isn't it?" Severus hardly managed to stand his ground. She was a bit too close for comfort. "I'll go and change before meeting Remus. And if I see Snape on the way, I'll give him a curse he won't forget in a hurry." There. That was the spirit he favoured.

Suddenly she ran her hand through Severus' hair. He took a hasty step backwards and tripped over his ragged robe. He fell hard, blushing deep red. Trying to pull himself together he closed his eyes, shutting out her face and the laughter. Only - she didn't. He looked up at her and she simply gave him her hand. Severus took it automatically and was helped up.

"James, could you promise me something? Please, try and stay in one piece!"

"I - promise."

"Then I see you after the ball." And with that, she walked away, leaving behind one slightly confused Severus Snape.

Sirius' plan was even simpler than Lucius'. He just wanted to give their archnemesises a really bad time: lose points from Slytherin, offend some of their friends, devastate their dormitories, and do some spells on the furniture. Sirius was thrilled by the prospect of Snape chasing his belongings around. Perhaps some of his pants would make it into the Great Hall, and attack the teachers.

"Why are you smirking?" James asked uneasily. "Whatever is on your mind - forget it! Let's just find them and ..."

"And what?" Sirius snapped. "Say boo? Ask them for a dance? Think about it. We can damage their reputations forever! Snape is going to - "

"Watch out!"

Sirius looked up and saw some furry, squeaking thing coming at him out of mid-air, raising enough speed for a Quaffle. "Catch it!" James cried again. Quidditch-instincts kicking in, Sirius flung out his arms and a tabby cat landed on them. The impact brought him down, cat pressed against his chest.

"Miaooow!"

"Now, where did you come from, kitty?" James was already patting the tabby's head, while Sirius was knocked out of breath. "Bad kitty," he barely managed.

"Well done, Master Malfoy, and a very good move. Good yelling too, Master Snape." A voice like cracking ice rolled over them. Professor Keele, Head of Slytherin House, was approaching the hapless Marauders. Sirius stared at her cold blue eyes. "Hgng..." This wasn't a very good reply, but - he was being Malfoy after all. "That's 50 points each, for saving the life of this innocent and rather helpless creature." The boys were stunned. The cat, on the other hand, seemed to be inspecting Keele's jugular vein with unhealthy interest and indignancy - if that sort of expression was possible for a mere cat.

Sirius was still fumbling for words when suddenly and with much noise-making, Professor Flitwick came bouncing around the corner. "I'm soo sorry, Victoria," he stuttered, "I must have lost my concentration ... never meant to levitate her so high ... but that speed was enormous ... did you see her rushing down?"

"Yes I did!" If Flitwick had been drunk, her voice certainly sobered him up. "Maybe you had too much of that butterbeer already, Filius. I recommend you retire to your quarters now, man! - And, Master Malfoy. The Quidditch team needs a new keeper. I will put you on the list. Now, don't let me detain you any further!"

There was clearly no way to argue. And what should they say anyway? 'Sorry, Professor Keele. Can you just not give us points?' Without further delay, Keele took the cat from Sirius and went in the direction of the staff room. A slightly swaying Professor Flitwick managed to follow her.They stared after them. James with a bemused smile, Sirius with a shocked mixture of disbelieve and rage.

"Well, wasn't that a promising start?" James couldn't hide his - in Sirius' opinion - misplaced amusement any longer. "I can't believe we just earned Slytherin 100 points! Weren't we supposed to lose them?" But before Sirius could state his opinion, they could hear Keele's voice around the corner. "Are you hurt Minerva? ... How old is he? 60? ... Yes, you are absolutely right! ... You shouldn't think ... men ... imbeciles ...!" James and Sirius exchanged looks of unhidden astonishment. "What was that all about, anyway?"

"Let's not talk about this anymore, okay?", Sirius growled, "I mean - Malfoy a keeper. Can you imagine that? He wouldn't last five seconds before I'd knock him off his broomstick. Did you see Keele smiling? She actually likes that freak. I mean - 50! Points! Each! McGonagall would never have given us, I mean us, so many points. Keele always favours her bricky little students, that's so ... I mean - He's not a Keeper bloody hell." He shot James a deadly look, which, combined with Lucius' face, was almost as frightening as Keele's glare. "I didn't say anything!"

"Malfoy will pay for this - extra credit!"

"Let's see, you will beat him up because you saved a poor cat's life? That's one Gryffindor spirit you've got there!"

"..."

"What?"

"Can you just keep up - please!" And with that he sped up his pace, as though he was about to run after Keele, fetch that stupid cat out of her arms and choke it to death. James trotted after him, feeling somewhat left behind.