The Dark Past: Confusing Times

Chapter 10: Pranks and Christmas

"Do you think we should stop him?" asked Florence.

Harry opened his eyes to see her and Evan sitting in the library at a table. Severus was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know, Flora," Evan sighed, slouching in the seat he must have enlarged to fit his bulky frame.

Florence looked worried. "He's really annoying Potter and Black, following them around and trying to get them expelled. What if they do something to him?"

Evan raised an eyebrow. "What could those morons do to Sev?"

"They are supposed to be the best students in school you know, real bright, or so they say. I'm sure they could think of something."

Evan snorted, obviously not of the opinion that James or Sirius could hurt Severus. Harry, actually, agreed with Evan.

"Besides, I'm the best student in school," Evan said, strangely not in a boasting manner. "And the brightest."

Florence looked slightly upset. "Don't go around repeating that! You have troll blood in you and troll bloods are supposed to be stupid! You could get into a lot of trouble if someone realized you were as intelligent as you actually are."

Evan snarled, not at Florence, but seemingly at the world at large. "Yes, I know. Trolls are dumb, trolls are evil, trolls deserve to die!" he muttered angrily, suddenly kicking the table in front of him and sending it crashing against the ceiling to splinter and rain down in pieces.

Madam Pince strode over, rigid. "That's the third one you've destroyed this year! You told me..."

Her voice trailed off as she stared at Evan's angry face. His mouth was working as were his hands. Florence had her arms folded and was glaring at Madam Pince. Harry felt sorry for the librarian. Those two were intimidating!

Madam Pince took out her wand. "Reparo!" she called and the table went back together. "Next time I'm going to make you do that yourself," she hissed.

Evan sneered. "I'm too stupid to do a spell like that, I am half-troll you know. Dumb and stupid. Such complex spells as repairing objects is beyond my limited mental capacity."

"Besides," Florence added, "we are Slytherins and if it isn't evil we won't do it and I don't see how repairing furniture is evil. Get a Gryffindor to do it for you. They're the good guys, after all."

Madam Pince slipped her wand back into her robe, and gazed at the two of them, worry chasing anger on her face. She finally turned and left.

Harry watched Evan and Florence take out some books and start to read from them. Looking around, Harry spotted his godfather and father sitting at the opposite end of the library, well out of ear shot, but even so they looked like they were arguing.

Intrigued, and assuring himself that Evan and Florence weren't doing anything that he might miss, Harry walked over to them.

"I know Severus is acting like a git but trying to get revenge isn't working. Why don't we just quit bugging him and let it blow over? I'm sure he'll get bored with bothering us if we don't let him bait us," James said, messing up his hair.

"And admit he's won!" Sirius snarled. "We need to teach him a lesson!"

James adjusted his glasses, shaking his head. "He's better at curses than we are by a long shot, I can't even do a curse on him that lasts for more than five seconds because he knows all the counter curses. I say we leave him alone."

Sirius sat back, looking smug suddenly. "Well, after tonight, we won't have to worry about that. I finally found a prank that I can play on Snape to show him he had better quit messing with us."

"And what is that?" James asked, tiredly. "None of them have worked before."

Sirius smiled and Harry felt sick. That prank with Remus was tonight. "I told him how to get past the Whomping Willow."

James rolled his eyes. "Oh, great," he said sarcastically. "How is getting past the Willow a prank?"

Sirius looked irritated. "Remus, the full moon."

The color left James's face. "You're kidding?"

"No," Sirius said, getting angry. "He's going to get a nasty little surprise and then maybe he'll quit bugging us."

James whipped around in his seat. "Full moon tonight."

He bolted out of the chair and ran out the library.

Harry stared at his godfather, feeling anger beginning to boil inside. He liked Sirius, the man, but Harry didn't like the kid one bit. Jerking his head around, Harry stalked off to sit with Evan and Florence.

They were reading up on poisons and curses and other things. Harry wondered if Severus had been telling the truth on the train. Had they joined Voldemort already? After a few minutes, Professor McGonagall came into the library and went to where Sirius was; she looked thin-lipped and angry. They left together. Harry turned away from Sirius, not wanting to see him.

Harry waited for what seemed like an eternity, hoping the memories didn't swirl before he got a chance to see how the prank affected Severus. If he knew, he could help Severus deal with it when he got back because it was something that still greatly bothered him.

Severus came sweeping into the library, looking pale and angry. Sweat was beading on his forehead though it wasn't warm.

"What happened?" Florence asked, immediately moving her seat next to the one he sat in.

Severus shrugged his thin shoulders, his body was twitching, Harry noticed. "Nothing. Can't tell, of course," his cheek twitched. "I'm just some evil creature Dumbledore wants destroyed."

Dumbledore?

Evan stood up, dragging Severus up with him and Florence gathered up all their stuff. Harry followed them as they headed to the Slytherin dorm rooms.

Professor Mayor was standing outside their entrance, looking disgusted. "I heard what happened," he said, looking Severus up and down. "Too bad the prank didn't work. One less person to worry about joining the Dark Lord."

Mayor barely got time enough to let out a half scream before Evan's fist wrapped itself around his throat. He started to squeeze, a smile on his face, while Florence watched mutely. Severus was shivering and staring at the floor, oblivious to what was going on around him.

"Evan!" came Dumbledore's voice.

Evan let Mayor go, throwing him aside like a doll, and stepped in front of Severus. "What do you want?" he snarled.

"I would like to talk with Severus, if I may."

"No," Florence said, taking Severus's hand and leading him to the entrance. She muttered the word "mandrake," but Dumbledore moved in front of the entrance too quickly for her to make it through. The entrance shut behind him.

"Professor Mayor, I would like to talk with these three alone," Dumbledore said, dismissing the man on the ground.

Mayor got up, rubbing his throat, and glared at Evan. Evan watched him, licking his lips. Mayor's eyes widened and he scurried away, needing no further encouragement from Dumbledore.

"What do you want?" Evan repeated, sounding even less civil than before.

Dumbledore, seeing that there was no way for him to talk with Severus alone, looked at him. "I'm sorry about what happened, but Sirius is a hothead, he didn't mean to put your life in danger..."

Severus laughed, a bitter and cold laugh. "Yeah, right. He wants me dead, just like Mayor and you do."

"I don't want you dead..."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Severus screamed at him, spit flying from his mouth and looking rather deranged.

Dumbledore stepped towards him and Severus stepped backwards. He looked scared, Harry saw, very scared. Dumbledore must have seen this because he stepped backward himself and moved away from the entrance.

"Just remember, all three of you, that I always give people second chances if they are sorry about what they have done."

"Except for Slytherins," Florence bit out, repeating the password and moving through with Severus.

"Especially Slytherins," Dumbledore adamantly said.

Severus looked back at Dumbledore, briefly, and then away. Evan made an obscene gesture in Dumbledore's direction and went through the entrance himself, standing there until it shut so Dumbledore couldn't come in.

Dumbledore slumped against the brick wall, looking more exhausted than Harry had ever seen him.

"I'm losing them and I can't get them to trust me. But what could I have done differently?" he asked, sounding so miserable that Harry felt tears spring to his eyes.

Harry felt himself being jerked through the brick wall and to the Slytherin dorm rooms. It was dark and there was no noise. Harry wandered around until he found where Severus and Evan were.

Severus was laying half propped up against Evan while a silver orb, hanging in midair, shone light all around them. The curtains had to be magicked not to show light through them since Harry hadn't seen the light from the outside of the curtains.

"He knows I'm from the Dark Forest," Severus breathed, "he knows. That's why he used a werewolf to try to kill me because he knew I could defend myself. Sixteen year olds aren't supposed to know how. Everyone would wonder and then someone would guess it and they'd kill me. Potter followed me, followed me to see what I was going to do. Stupid idiot freaked out when he saw the werewolf and lost his nerve," Severus started to chew on his robe sleeve as he talked. "He grabbed me, too nervous to see if I could handle the werewolf, I guess. Afraid of getting killed himself if it didn't work."

Harry swallowed. Severus wasn't supposed to have told anyone about Remus being a werewolf but judging from how bright Severus's eyes were and how pale he was Harry wasn't sure he really knew what he was saying.

"They don't know," Evan assured him. "Blacky boy is a hothead, you're the one that told me that, and he's just trying to find a way to pay you back for all the unsuccessful pranks he's tried to pull on you. You're bad for his ego."

Severus shook his head. "No, they want me dead. All of them. Black, Potter, and Lupin. All three of them planned it. I know they did. Black wouldn't have done that to Lupin without his consent. Potter just got cold feet is all. They all want me dead," Severus quit chewing his mangled sleeve. "Evan," he whispered, "if they succeed, bury me next to my parents, please. And Katrina."

Harry angrily wiped at his eyes. Severus had it all wrong but it wasn't like he was emotionally capable of understanding anything right now. It was just reacting to what he thought was a threat to his life. Harry tried to reach out a hand to brush his forehead but his hand went through air.

Evan hugged him tightly. "I will. And trust me, if they succeed you won't be the only person I'll be burying or maybe I won't be burying them. They might make a good dinner, except Lupin, he's too thin."

Harry shivered.

Severus went back to chewing on his sleeve and Harry watched as some blood started to trickle down his face. Evan grabbed his wrist and held it, carefully wrapping some cloth he tore from his own robe to bind the bitten flesh.

The memories swirled again.

It was Christmas, presents in a pile as three people, Evan, Florence, and Severus, leaned against the stone wall in the boy's dorm and looked at them.

Severus reached out and snagged one wrapped in gold paper. "For Florence, from your...." he trailed off, looking at her.

Florence took her wand out and blasted the thing into flames as Severus put it on the ground. He rifled through some more and she blasted every present that was from a family member. Finally only nine packages remained.

"Do you do that every Christmas?" Severus asked her, looking worried, but extremely sad as well.

Harry didn't blame him, this was his first Christmas without his family. Florence nodded her head.

Evan grabbed a rather large box and shoved it at Severus. "From me."

Severus opened it. It was a box full of chocolate frog boxes. Severus smiled a little.

"Now you can quit bothering me for my frogs," Evan said, winking at him.

Severus gave them both his present for them. He had given Evan a book on complicated spells and charms, one for advanced witches and wizards. And a knife sharpening kit.

Evan looked touched. "Thank you."

Florence had been given a book on Baby Names and a novel. She also looked touched. "For the middle names?" she asked, flipping through the thick book.

"All kids need middle names," Severus said.

Florence smiled. "You don't have one."

"No, my dad didn't think I...." he trailed off, wiping at his eyes.

Evan slipped a hand around Severus's neck and tipped him against his shoulder. "Nothing wrong with crying, Severus. It's your first Christmas without your family. Me and Flora are both expecting you to burst into tears throughout the day at the slightest provocation," Evan wasn't mocking, just serious. "Don't worry, we will stay in the dorm room and not even go down for the Christmas Feast."

Severus nodded his head and pulled away. "Thank you."

Florence handed him her present. It was a strange one, two rings. "Our wedding rings," Florence explained, "see the inscriptions I had put on the inside?"

Harry strained to see them. Both rings were gold and extremely simple, just bands, one being slightly wider than the other one. On the inside of the wider one was the inscription, in plain letters, My love forever. Severus smiled at Florence. The narrower one had a similar inscription, Love you always.

Severus grinned. "What I always tell you whenever you're upset."

Florence nodded her head, looking pleased.

"If you two want to kiss, I'll look away," Evan told them as they were making rather mushy eyes at each other.

They didn't kiss, but they did hug.

"Too bad we can't get married sooner," Florence sighed. "Seventh year is so far away."

Evan shrugged. "You can. Come with me to my house this summer and you two can. Getting married by a troll is legal and they don't care how old you are."

Severus looked at Evan. "Really?"

Evan nodded, sending all the wrapping paper to a small wastepaper basket that was nearby with a flick of his wand. "Florence will have to keep her last name until you are eighteen so no one will know what you did but aside from that, it's legal."

Harry didn't think that getting married at the age of sixteen or maybe seventeen, depending on when their birthdays were during the summer, was a good idea. It was so young. But then again, Florence didn't really have a family, at least not one that she wanted to be around, and Severus had just lost his. And being married would give them both a family.

"The last presents are from my dad!" Evan said triumphantly.

"He gave us presents?" Florence asked, looking startled.

"I told him what happened to Sev's family." Severus looked away. "He lost his parents when he was your age due to a raid."

"Really?" Severus asked, looking back.

Evan nodded, handing out the presents. "Yeah, he knows what it's like. Talking with him this summer should help you, too."

Severus and Florence took their presents and waited for Evan to open his. Harry winced. It was raw meat of some kind.

Evan greedily slurped some of it up. "Delicious."

"He didn't send us that, did he?" Florence wondered.

Evan laughed. "No! He sent you two human presents."

Harry wondered if Crabbe or Goyle ever got presents like that from home.

Severus and Florence looked at each other and then opened their presents together. Florence had a silver cloak clasp in the shape of a dragon with emerald eyes. Severus's was a snake.

"They're great," Florence said, taking off her regular cloak clasp and using it. Severus did the same with his.

Harry had never seen Severus use the snake clasp. He wondered if he still had it. Harry would find out. Maybe he could get Dobby to rifle through Severus's belongings for him, if Dobby liked Severus, that was.

The memories swirled again.

"You're Potter's kid, aren't you?" said a deep, husky voice. "The one Voldemort was after."

Harry spun around to see Evan Rosier standing there. He looked mean, and dangerous. His hair was long, unkempt, and his beard was rough and straggly. Evan's clothes were those of a biker Muggle's, down to the leather jacket and boots with chains hanging off them.

Harry fell backwards, scared. He should have known better than to get into a Death Eater's Pensieve.