The Dark Past: Confusing Times

Chapter 4: Mushrooms and Lord Severus

"Shhh!" came the hissing whisper as Harry whirled around. It was too dark to see anything. A sudden fear strangled his heart, was someone in the Pensieve with him?

"Lumos!" came Snape's familiar voice as a light suddenly appeared underneath his face. "Boo!"

Harry screamed and fell down. Snape could see him! How was that possible?

"Get up," Snape laughed, reaching out a hand. Harry moved to take it, but it wasn't his hand that Snape's grasped and pulled up. It was Evan Rosier's.

"You ever do that to me again and I'll kill you!" he snarled as Snape's wand light got brighter.

They were at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry felt like an idiot as he got up and dusted himself off, though there was nothing on him. Of course they couldn't see him, it was just memories.

"Sorry," Snape said sheepishly. "I just couldn't help it."

Rosier whacked him on the back, sending Snape flying into the ground. Hearing a far off howl and snarl, Harry glanced at the moon. It was a full moon! And this was the fifth year! His father, Black, Pettigrew, and Lupin would be out running around.

Rosier heard the noise and grabbed Snape off the ground. "That's a werewolf!"

Snape shrugged, unconcerned as he slipped off his robe. Snape was wearing blue jeans and a long sleeve leather jacket. Both were quite faded and worn.

He was still going to go into the forest with a werewolf on the loose?

"We have to go tonight, the mushroom only comes out during the full moon."

Rosier sighed, a long suffering sigh, and took off his own robes. He wore blue jeans and a plaid long sleeve shirt. "If I die tonight, I'm going to come back and haunt you!" he promised.

"Evan, put the robes on that high branch so the werewolf won't tear them up if he or she comes by this way," Snape instructed.

Rosier, looking slightly pale, hung them and turned back to Snape. "I should have woken up Florence. That way she could talk you out of this, or," Rosier said, glaring at him, "forget the talking and just curse you asleep."

"That's why I didn't invite her," Snape grumbled. "And as soon as you master that curse I won't be inviting you along either."

Rosier humphed.

Harry followed them along as they went into the Forbidden Forest. Rosier was nervous and kept jumping at every little sound, Harry who wasn't even in the Forest found himself doing it too. Snape, on the other hand, was striding along confidently. He didn't seem to be concerned at all. What was with him?

"Ah," came Snape's voice. "There is the mushroom!"

Snape stood there, staring at the thing in total awe. The mushroom was clustered with several others and all of them had different color rings on their pale white flesh. Harry wondered which mushroom he meant.

"What color?" Rosier asked, stepping towards them.

"Don't touch them," Snape said, holding him back. "They are poisonous to the skin."

Snape pulled out a plastic bag and a cloth one and carefully walked to the mushrooms, making sure he didn't step on one. Bending down he put the plastic bag over a purple and orange ringed one and pulled it up. Waiting for a few seconds he straightened back up and put the package in the cloth bag.

Snape pointed his wand at the bag and muttered something. The bag turned red.

"There," he said, coming over to join Rosier. "It's safe."

Rosier stared at the bag nervously. Snape put it in the pocket of his jacket.

He looked at Rosier and was about to say something when a crashing off to the left sent them both spinning around.

It was a werewolf!

Rosier snarled at Snape. But Snape wasn't panicking. He just flicked his wand at the werewolf and roared, "Paralysio!"

The werewolf fell and struggled to get up.

"Let's hurry, it'll only last for ten minutes."

Harry stared at the werewolf and then back to Snape. Why had he gotten so angry about the trick Sirius had pulled? He could handle a werewolf without a problem. And how had he learned to handle a werewolf in the first place? He was only fifteen.

But nothing in this Pensieve was making sense. Snape was nice, weirdly happy-go-lucky even, and his eyes were still full of warmth. Even Rosier seemed nice. But, Harry glanced at the big boy as they made their way back to the edge of the forest, he had a violent temper. Harry could see him murdering someone, he was capable of it. But not Snape, and not Florence Wilkes either.

Shuddering, Harry glanced back to see if he could still see Lupin, if that was Lupin, and smiled as two outlines bent over the fallen form of the werewolf. A dog and a stag. Harry guessed the rat was around somewhere.

Neither Snape or Rosier turned to see. They got their robes down from the tree and headed back to the castle, slipping them on as they went.

"That was close!" Rosier muttered. "And where did you learn that spell? And how did you know to use it?"

Snape winked at Rosier. "Not telling. Unless you have Veritaserum on you, don't expect me to answer."

"I'm going to help Florence with that little problem," Rosier grumbled.

Snape grinned. "Hopefully, with only two years left after this one, you two won't be able to get your hands on it."

The memories swirled and Harry found himself in the same dungeon room he had Potions in. It was Potions also. The Gryffindors with the Slytherins too.

The future Death Eater bunch sat at two tables, butted up together. Florence, Rosier, and Snape at one table and Lestrange, Perthia, and Avery at the other. They were talking mainly to the ones at their own table and only occasionally looked to people at the other.

Harry looked over at the Gryffindor side and spotted his mum, dad, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew. They were sharing a table together and even though it looked crowded none of them seemed to mind. Except Pettigrew. He was giving James and Lupin slightly dark looks. They were both flanking Lily.

Harry felt a stab of anger again. The little rat needed to take his eyes off his mum!

Harry walked over to them, to be able to hear them and watch them interact with each other.

Sirius was telling a harrowing tale of having Mrs. Norris after him when he had gone on a midnight snack raid to the kitchens.

"She could smell me!" he said. "And there I was with a chicken leg in one hand and a sandwich in the other, with my leg in the trick step, and the invisibility cloak falling off me and I could hear Peeves bouncing around, being chased toward me by Filch!"

James was howling. Lupin was shaking his head and grinning. Pettigrew was staring at Sirius with envy and Lily looked slightly doubtful.

"Are you sure that happened?" she asked.

Sirius looked incensed. "Of course that is what happened!"

Lily shrugged, still eyeing him with doubt. "You have quite a number of adventures on your own, with no one to see you, or verify them."

Sirius's eyes widened at her accusation. "Are you saying I'm making them up?!"

"Well," Lupin said, looking at Sirius with a barely concealed grin, "you do tend to over-dramatize things."

Wounded, Sirius folded his arms and turned his head, sulking. "I refuse to tell you all what happened then!"

"Oh, come on!" James said.

He would have said more but the door opened and the teacher came in.

The Slytherins groaned as he sent them a look of pure despite. Harry was taken aback. Even Snape didn't look at him like that!

Several Gryffindor's snickered.

The man looked at the Gryffindors and his face softened. "The Gryffindors will be concocting a mild poisoning potion, and the Slytherins," he spat out the name, "will be making a healing potion. Can't have future He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named supporters knowing how to poison people after all." And there he looked right at Snape.

Snape folded his arms and leaned back slightly. He was sneering. The first time Harry had seen him do it for real. "I already know how to poison people, Professor Mayor," he said, as if discussing the weather. "It's quite easy really. All you need..."

"SHUT UP!" Mayor screamed. "I'll be handing the Gryffindors their list of ingredients and make sure that none of you let a Slytherin see it. I'll write the Slytherin's potion on the board."

Harry was rather surprised to see that his dad, mum, Lupin, and even Sirius looked at Mayor with a hint of dislike on their face.

"He shouldn't be treating kids from his own house like that," Lily muttered. "McGonagall may be strict but she isn't mean."

Professor Mayor was head of Slytherin House? He hated them and they hated him. That couldn't be good.

As they prepared their potions, Sirius relented and started to tell everyone how he had gotten out of the mess with Mrs. Norris and Filch.

"So," he said, dropping cut up caterpillars into the potion, "I managed to put the sandwich down behind me, out of anyone's sight, unless they were coming down the stairs, and pulled out my wand. I zapped the stair and I sprang free. I grabbed the sandwich and ran for all I was worth!"

Lily opened her mouth when a scream of pain from the Slytherin side brought their heads around.

Snape was standing with his hand over his cauldron, it was hissing and bubbling while a substance that looked like water dripped off of it.

Evan Rosier was looking awkward and guilty.

"What happened?" Mayor asked, not seeming to care that Snape was in pain, as he stared wrathfully at Rosier.

"I dropped the dissolving potion on myself," Snape explained, not even looking at Rosier.

"Are you sure?" Mayor hissed, still looking at Rosier.

"Yes," Snape snapped. "Can you get me the healing potion? You do have some in case this happened, don't you?"

Mayor looked at Snape and then at his hand. "Go to the hospital wing."

Snape's eyes were watering. Lily gasped and so did Harry. Bone could be seen through red bloody sores that had started to appear.

"My hand might be gone before I reach it," Snape said, staring at Mayor with disgust.

Mayor reluctantly went to his desk and picked up a green potion, he slowly brought it over to Snape. Florence grabbed it from Mayor and poured it over Snape's hand.

The hand hissed worse and bubbled, but it was healing, at least Harry assumed so. Florence detached Rosier's robe sleeves with her wand and wrapped Snape's hand up in them.

The entire class was completely silent as everyone stared at Mayor and Snape. Snape was still in a lot of pain.

"Sit down, Mr. Snape. You can go to the hospital wing later since you refused my offer earlier. Besides," he sneered, looking at Snape like he was something that needed to be eradicated, "you are a supporter of You-Know-Who if I ever saw one and the medicine there should be used to treat worthy people. Not scum like you!"

"Supporter of Voldemort?" Snape asked.

Mayor flinched at the name.

"I'm not a supporter of his," Snape said, grinning evilly. "I'm his son, haven't you heard? He's grooming me to take over for him when he decides to retire and take up basket weaving as a Muggle on an island somewhere in the Pacific. I shall be called Lord Severus one day."

Several Slytherins fell over laughing while James, Lupin, Lily, and even Pettigrew gave Sirius a dark look. He grinned weakly at them.

"He's going to the hospital wing now," Florence said as she walked up to Snape.

"And I'm going to Dumbledore," Lestrange said, getting up with Perthia, and heading to the door.

Mayor glared at them. "Sit back down!"

Neither Perthia or Lestrange listened to him. They kept walking and went out the door.

Florence started to help Snape, when Mayor grabbed her arm and flung her away.

"Get off..."

His words were cut off as Mayor was flung backwards across the room to land, with a sickening crunch, against the far wall. Florence's wand was out, her eyes deranged, and her body shaking.

"DON'T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!" she shrieked. "I'LL KILL YOU NEXT TIME! DO YOU HEAR ME! I'LL KILL YOU! AVA..."

Her wand flew out of her hand and into Snape's. Harry looked at him. Ava.. Had she been about to say Avada Kadavra?

Snape pocketed both wands, grabbed her arm with his good hand and strode out with her. He looked pale and Harry knew it wasn't from the pain in his hand.

It wasn't just Rosier that could be provoked into killing.

Snape was the only one that seemed to notice what had just happened.

Several Gryffindors ran over to attend Mayor. Harry's parents and friends weren't among them.

Sirius looked down at Mayor with loathing. "I can't believe he just let Snape stand there like that. Sure he's a grease ball but that's no excuse."

Lily looked upset. "I've never seen Florence lose control like that.."

"I have," James said sadly. "She can't stand it when people shove her around physically or yell at her. It freaks her out and she goes ballistic. Reminds me of one of my childhood friend's cousins. It turned out she was being abused."

Lily didn't look surprised. "I figured. From some of the things I heard her say. I wonder why Severus doesn't freak her out. He's not exactly nice looking. Some first years even asked me if he was a vampire once."

"That may be the reason," Lupin said. "He doesn't remind her of anything and he doesn't exactly act like a normal person."

Sirius snorted his agreement.

Harry smiled slightly.

The door opened and Dumbledore came in, followed by Lestrange and Perthia. Mayor was up and walked to Dumbledore.

"As you can see the Slytherins need to be disciplined," he snarled.

Dumbledore looked to Perthia and Lestrange and then back at Mayor. There was no friendly twinkle in his eye and he looked haggard.

"Did you let Severus Snape stand there with dissolving potion on his hand and only decide to help him when he yelled at you?"

Mayor bristled at Dumbledore's accusatory tone of voice. "There wasn't much on him!"

"The whole bottle!" Rosier said. "You could see bone before our esteemed head of house would lower himself to help one of his own students. I'm sure if it had been a Gryffindor he would have been over there in a second and then let them have the rest of the week out of classes!"

Dumbledore nodded towards the door. "May I speak with you privately?"

The Slytherins grinned.

The talk wasn't very long and Mayor came back in, looking smug. "He can't find me a replacement," he said, glaring at the Slytherins. "No one in their right mind would head a house of Slytherins. You are all evil and just waiting for the chance to prove it."

Rosier cracked his knuckles. "Two and a half years left and then the Dark Lord will allow us to join him. I suggest you start working on your will because you will be my first victim."

It wasn't just the Gryffindors that turned to stare, shocked, at Rosier. He didn't seem to notice. His eyes were glued to Mayor's face, his own face twisted in fury, hate, and a lust for blood.

Trolls, Rosier was half-troll. They were bloodthirsty, like giants. Not as bad, since most trolls were too stupid to be much of a threat, but Rosier wasn't stupid. And he had joined Voldemort, just like he promised.

Harry shivered.

The memories swirled.