The Awakened Sleeper

Author's Note: Thanks to those of you who have reviewed! I'm glad that you're enjoying my little story. I'm really having a good time writing it. Please continue to review. Also, I have to give a big thanks to PirateQueen who continues to be the best beta ever!

"The mere attempt to examine my own confusion would consume volumes."
- James Agee

Chapter 5

Puddled, Muddled, and Befuddled

After a full day of classes, a very disturbing dinner in the Great Hall, an unsettling, but interesting study session with Severus, and patrolling duty, Lily was left feeling quite exhausted. When she entered the dormitory at 8 o'clock, she didn't even bother to change into her pajamas. She simply dropped onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. Lily didn't stir at all until her alarm clock woke her up - her human alarm clock.

"All right, sleepyhead!" Cressida exclaimed as she bounced onto Lily's bed, startling the girl awake. "It's time to wake up! I've already let you sleep half the day away, and now I'm bored. Get up!"

Lily sat bolt upright as she said, "Half the day? Why didn't you wake me up sooner! I've missed morning classes!" With that she jumped out of the bed and frantically began pulling clean clothing from her trunk.

Cressida ran over to Lily and grabbed her shoulders, forcing Lily to look her in the eyes. "Lily, calm down! It's Saturday!" Cressida released Lily and shook her head. "Give me a little credit, please? Do you honestly believe I'd let you sleep until nearly noon if you had classes? I think I'm a bit insulted by that."

Lily exhaled a breath of relief. "Thank goodness! I can't believe I forgot what day it is."

"I can't believe you slept in your clothes. That must have been some study session last night."

Lily tried and failed to run her hands through her tangled mass of red hair. "Yes, it was very interesting, to say the least."

"Well, you'll have to tell me all about it after you've had a shower and a change of clothes. I'll meet you at our tree, okay?"

"S-sure," Lily replied, stifling a yawn. "I'll be down there in a little bit."

Lily headed to the shower, her mind still in its sleep-induced fog. She turned on the shower, making the water as hot as her skin could stand. Standing under the spray, she let the water sluice over her face and body. She felt as though the water was washing away the cobwebs in her mind. With every passing second under the jets of steamy water, Lily's clarity of thought increased exponentially. The therapeutic power of a simple shower never ceased to amaze her.

With a clean body and clear mind, Lily quickly put on a red jumper and the pair of jeans Cressida had given her on her last birthday. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she bounded down the stairs and into the common room. She was on her way to the portrait hole, when the sound of her name being called stopped her in mid-stride.

"Evans, wait!" Lily spun around in time to see James sprinting across the room to catch up with her.

"Sorry," he said as he ran his fingers through his already tousled mass of black hair. "It looks like you're in a hurry to get somewhere."

Lily smiled at James politely. "It's okay. I'm just meeting Cressida down by the lake."

"Well, I won't take up too much of your time, just the same." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet as he tapped the toe of his shoe on the rug. "Sirius told me that you've agreed to tutor me in Potions. I just wanted to thank you personally and apologize for not asking you myself."

Lily frowned slightly as she said, "I did wonder why you sent Cressida to ask me about it, rather than doing it yourself."

James's head snapped up suddenly. "Cressida? I thought Sirius talked to you himself!" Clearly irritated, he stalked over to a chair and dropped into it, holding his head in his hands. "Next time I see Sirius, I'm going to smack him!"

Lily smiled to herself. She could appreciate how infuriating a best friend could be. That's right, she thought to herself. I owe Cressida a smack as well. Amused with the situation, Lily shook her head as she placed a chair in front of James and sat down.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Sirius recruited Cressida without letting you in on that little fact," Lily said.

James peered at Lily through his parted fingers. "How'd you guess?" he asked, his voice muffled by his hands.

Lily grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. "Because I have a best friend, too," she said with a warm smile that lit up her whole face. Her grin was infectious, and James returned it in kind.

"So you do. I told Sirius that I would ask you again myself. I suppose he didn't think I was moving fast enough. Now he's got Cressida involved in my business, too!"

Lily shook her head. "No, Cressida got herself involved; I'm sure of it. They're in this together." Lily knew that Cressida would do almost anything to get a little attention from Sirius, including putting her nose where it didn't belong. "Why can't they just leave us alone?"

"Meddling is what best friends do best. I try to constantly remind myself that Sirius has the best of intentions." James grinned and said, "It keeps me from committing murder."

"Oh," Lily giggled, "but the threat of violence is so much more fun, don't you think?"

James chuckled. "Yeah, it is. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I would've got around to asking you myself. I know how busy you are, and I didn't want to bother you with it."

"It's no trouble, really. We'll begin after your first Quidditch match, okay?"

"That's perfect. Sirius told me that's when you wanted to start. I don't want to waste your time, and with all the extra practices we have scheduled, I won't be of much use to anyone."

Lily blinked in astonishment. Was this the same James Potter that had teased, joked, and hexed his way through most of the past five years? She was actually having a conversation that didn't involve him saying something stupid, or the two of them having a row. He seemed so...mature.

Feeling the need to explain himself, James continued. "I do all right in Potions, but I feel like I can do much better, you know? So, thanks again, Lily." He stared into Lily's bright green eyes, wanting her to see and understand how grateful he was. "I really do appreciate any help you can give me."

She returned his penetrating gaze. As she did so, she couldn't help but marvel at how much of himself he had revealed to her in a single utterance. James had always been one to show off his abilities. Whether it was his skill at the Quidditch pitch or in the classroom, he'd always made it known just how talented he was. Now he was actually admitting that he wasn't the best at something, and had even asked for help. When James had approached her on the first day of class, she had assumed that he was just trying to get her attention. However, the way he was looking at her now told Lily just how serious he was.

Lily realized that James was waiting for a response from her. She mentally shook herself out of her reverie and replied, "You're welcome, James." For some reason, she was compelled to continue staring at his hazel eyes. Never breaking eye contact, she stood up. Slowly taking backward steps, she made her way to the portrait hole. "I really should be going now. Cressida doesn't like to be kept waiting." She rolled her eyes heavenward. "She's so...high-maintenance."

James laughed. "Cressida Corwin is high-maintenance? Surely you jest!"

"Unfortunately, no," said Lily, giggling for a second time. "But I wouldn't want her to be any other way. I'll see you later, James."

"Take care, Evans."

Lily finally broke eye contact, turned around, and went through the portrait hole. As she walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, she reached for her locket. She absentmindedly began tugging it back and forth on its thin gold chain as she thought about the conversation she'd just had with James. Lily was glad to see that he was taking such an interest in his schoolwork. Over the years, it had seemed as though learning magic had come so easily to him. With the possible exception of Potions, his performance in his other classes had seemed almost effortless, and as a result it didn't seem that he had taken his schoolwork very seriously. Even though Lily had never cared for his behavior, she'd always thought that James Potter had a brilliant mind - a brilliant mind that, in Lily's opinion, had been squandered on silly pranks and schemes. That was the reason James had irritated her so much in the past. She'd always wanted to like him, but his childish antics had always been in the way.

Did James finally decide to grow up during the summer holiday? Lily thought as she headed down the staircase. Talking to him had been...pleasant. Yes, Lily had actually enjoyed speaking to James. His usual air of cockiness had been absent. Sure, he had ruffled his hair a bit, but not in the same pretentious way he normally did. It seemed that James had done it out of...nervousness.

He was nervous, but why? Maybe Cressida was right; maybe he fancies me. When Cressida had brought up the possibility the night before, Lily had dismissed it completely. James had asked her out several times last year, but Lily had never believed he was really serious about it. Now, she wasn't so sure that Cressida's assessment of the situation was out of the question. Was this new and improved James a permanent development, or was his newfound maturity simply a way of getting Lily to let her guard down? She wasn't quite sure how she felt about him yet; only time would tell. Until then, Lily would reserve her judgment until she knew whether or not his upgrades were for a limited time only.

When Lily finally reached their favorite tree by the lake, she found Cressida sitting beneath it, arms folded in irritation.

"What kept you?" Cressida asked, arching her eyebrows as she waited for an explanation.

Lily pouted like a five-year-old. "I was on my way out the common room door, when I got sidetracked, Mummy," she said, doing her best imitation of a whiny little ankle-biter. "Honestly, I was! Do I still get dessert after din-dins?"

"You think you're so clever don't you?" Cressida asked as she narrowed her eyes at Lily. "I've had too much of an influence on you, I reckon. You were sidetracked by what?"

"By whom, actually," Lily answered as she sat down next to Cressida, stretched out her legs, and crossed them at the ankle.

Now it was Cressida's turn to pout. "You're being difficult on purpose, Lily! Just spit it out already!"

"James wanted to thank me for tutoring him."

"Oh!" Cressida squealed with delight. She quickly flopped onto her belly, propping her head up with her hands. "Tell me everything!"

"There's nothing to tell, really. He thanked me and apologized for not asking me himself."

Cressida frowned. "So I asked you to tutor him. What difference does that make?"

"Believe it or not, Cressa, not everyone wants you in their personal business," Lily said as she leaned back on her elbows. "Sirius had better watch his back, because James wasn't too pleased with the fact that he said anything to you about it."

Cressida waved her hand dismissively as she said, "James'll get over it. What else did you two talk about?"

"We discussed how frustrating it is having best friends who are quite possibly the two nosiest people on earth!"

Cressida scrambled into a sitting position. "It's not nosiness, it's concern," she said, sulking as she snatched her chopsticks out of her pocket and used them to secure her thick hair into a bun. "I'd expect you to know the difference, but if that's the way you feel about it, I won't be bothered to show any concern for your well-being in the future!"

Lily sat up, too annoyed to continue to relax. "Cressa, how is getting involved in James Potter's problems showing concern for my well-being?" She couldn't believe that Cressida actually had the nerve to feel affronted, when she was clearly in the wrong.

"If you have to ask me that question," Cressida replied, "you're not as clever as I thought you were, Lily."

Lily stared at Cressida in wide-eyed shock for a moment before she found her voice again. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Think back, Lily. What did Tegan and I talk to you about just last night?"

"You two were talking about James and how you think he fan-" Lily stopped speaking in mid-sentence as she finally figured out what had been going on between her best friend and Sirius Black. "Of course! How could I have been so dim? You and Sirius haven't been trying to help James improve his potion-making skills. The two of you have been trying to set us up! All this time, I just thought you were trying to get some attention from Sirius."

Cressida gave a small smile. "Well...that was an added bonus."

Lily simply closed her eyes and shook her head, willing herself to be patient with Cressida. Her intentions are good. Her intentions are good, Lily repeated to herself several times before daring to speak again.

"Cressida," she said, slowly opening her eyes, "you knew how I felt about James. So why did you even bother wasting your time?"

"Because I'm convinced that you two would be so good together! In fact, I think..." Cressida's words trailed off as the magnitude of Lily's previous statement sank in. "Wait a second - you just said 'felt,' not 'feel.'"

"What are you on about now, Cressa?"

Cressida let another happy squeal escape her lips. "Oh! You don't even realize what you just admitted! Wait 'til I tell Sirius about this!"

Annoyed, Lily sighed before she said, "You're going to tell Sirius that I used the past tense instead of the present tense? I'm sure he's just been dying to hear about my verb usage."

Ignoring Lily's sarcasm, Cressida proceeded to explain her giddiness. "Yes, Lily, you used the past tense. You could have said, '...you know how I feel about James' but you didn't. You said, '...you knew how I felt about James' implying that your feelings have changed." Cressida sat there for a moment with a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat's. "So what do you have to say for yourself?"

Cressida was right. Lily's unintentional choice of words had revealed much more than she had planned. Should I tell Cressida everything about my conversation with James, or will that encourage her to continue her constant meddling? Lily bit her lip, as she struggled to decide what to do next.

Choosing her words carefully, Lily decided to go for broke and share everything with Cressida - just as she always did. "First of all, I never hated him, a fact that I shared with you last night. It was never hate. It was...disappointment, I think. Second...you're right. Not about the two of us being together," Lily quickly added, "but about what you and Tegan said last night."

Cressida frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lily stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "The both of you said that you hadn't seen James pulling any stupid pranks or hexing people just for the fun of it." Lily leaned against the trunk of her favorite tree and looked out at the lake. As she watched one of the giant squid's tentacles lazily break the surface of the still water, she continued.

"After seeing how badly he's behaved all these years, I just didn't think it was possible that James could change." Turning to look down at Cressida, Lily said, "I may have been wrong."

Inside, Cressida was jumping for joy. Lily was finally beginning to admit that she liked James. However, Cressida was careful to maintain an outward appearance of calm. She knew that this was a turning point for Lily, and Cressida didn't want to do or say anything that might cause Lily to backpedal.

"What made you change your mind so quickly?" Cressida asked as she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"It was like he was a completely different person today - mature, responsible, thoughtful, humble. We spoke for at least five minutes without any arguing. That's got to be some kind of record, hasn't it?"

"No doubt," Cressida agreed. "So, what does all this mean?"

Lily knit her brow as she thought a moment. "I'm not sure I trust him yet. How do I know if he's really being sincere or not? Having said that, if he is sincere, if he's really decided to start behaving himself, maybe we could be friends." Lily looked Cressida in the eye and fiercely emphasized her point. "Friends, Cressida. Friends."

Cressida held up her hands defensively. "Okay, okay! Put the daggers away! Really, Lily, if looks could kill, I'd be dead and buried by now." Cressida noticed a faraway look in her friend's eyes. "Lily, what's going on?"

Lily took the hair elastic out of her hair and shook out her flaming red tresses. "Nothing at all. Why do you ask?"

"You had this funny look on your face, that's all." Something strange was happening, and Cressida wanted to know the cause. "Why did you take your ponytail down?"

"Huh?" Lily replied distractedly. "Oh, my ponytail was too tight. It was giving me a headache."

Cressida wasn't convinced, but she didn't press the issue any further. She noticed that Lily had that weird look on her face again, and that is when Cressida finally realized that Lily was staring at something. Cressida turned around to see what had captured Lily's attention. All she saw was Severus Snape stalking across the grounds in the distance. Cressida kept looking around for something else. Surely, Lily wasn't staring at him. She's got to be staring at something I can't see, Cressida thought to herself. Before she knew what was happening, Lily was confirming Cressida's worst fears.

"Severus!" Lily had been staring at him after all, and was now shouting and beckoning for him to join them.

"Lily, what are you doing?" Cressida said in alarm.

"I need to ask him something. It won't take very long, Cressida."

Cressida scowled. She had nothing against Severus Snape personally. Nevertheless, he did spend time with Evan Rosier, and therefore, couldn't be trusted. Cressida stood up, impatiently batting away stray wisps of hair that had escaped her bun. "Make sure that it doesn't," she muttered under her breath.

Lily shot a quick sidelong glance at Cressida. She had heard Cressida's mumbling, but since she didn't have the time to get into yet another row with her best friend, Lily chose to ignore her instead. She put her hands in her pockets as she watched Severus approach them.

"Hi, Severus," Lily said brightly. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine," he replied hesitantly as he stared at Lily through a curtain of stringy black hair.

"Severus, I'm sure you know Cressida Corwin," Lily said, turning to her friend who was looking at Severus through narrowed eyes. Lily subtly stepped on Cressida's foot as she said, "Say hi, Cressa."

"Hi." The word grudgingly escaped her lips. "Are you sure it's him, Lily? How can you tell with all that - hair - in his face?"

Lily stared at Cressida in disbelief. "Cressida! I'm sorry," she said turning to Severus, "but she has an extreme case of foot-in-mouth disease."

"Delighted," Severus sneered at Cressida, pushing his hair back from his face.

"Oh, let me see your cheek!" Lily immediately took his chin in her hands and turned his face to the side so she could examine his left cheek. She lightly ran her fingers across it as she murmured, "Good. I can't even tell anything happened to it. How'd you manage that?"

"Murtlap essence," Severus muttered as he brought his hand up to Lily's wrist and slowly removed her hand from his face. "It alleviated the redness and swelling. The pain, however," he drawled, "is still there. Remind me to never pick a fist fight with you." The corner of his mouth turned upward ever so slightly.

Lily smiled. "I really am sorry about that. I'm supposed to be so clever, and all I could think to do was slap you."

Cressida stared at Lily, her eyes so wide that if someone had hit her in the back of the head at that moment they would have popped out. "You slapped him?" Cressida's head whipped around to face Severus as she asked, "What did you do to her?"

Completely ignoring Cressida, Severus addressed Lily. "Why don't we just say that it was revenge for what I said to you last June?" He studied the ground as he remembered that day. It was still very hard for him to even think about the embarrassment he'd had to endure, let alone discuss it.

"After everything they did to me," he said, venom dripping from his voice, "I was angry. You were only trying to help me, and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have called you a Mudbl - sorry." Taking a deep breath, he looked into her eyes and said, "So, I suppose you could consider us even now."

For the second time that day, Lily felt a strong compulsion to stare into a pair of eyes. This time, they were black - devoid of all the mirth she'd seen in those hazel eyes earlier. Yet she was still drawn to them - drawn to their intensity. Lily could see that something was buried deep within them, dormant. Secrets and mysteries, all hidden under lock and key. His eyes made Lily want to delve into his mind, and yet they scared her at the same time. A slight shiver went down her back, and she broke eye contact immediately.

"Okay," she said, looking down at her feet for a moment or two. "We're even now. So," said Lily, looking up again, "did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yes," was the only reply Severus gave. He may have been ignoring Cressida's presence, but he had not forgotten she was there. It was bad enough that Lily and half of Slytherin House knew he was having problems sleeping at night. He didn't want the rest of Hogwarts to know about it as well.

Lily picked up on his reluctance to speak in front of Cressida, so she changed the subject. "What are you reading?" she asked, referring to the two books Severus held in his right hand. Lily noticed that they were both very old and tattered and assumed they were library books. "Have you found anything about our potion today?"

Severus slightly shifted his arm so that the front covers of the books couldn't be seen. "No. Not yet. Have you?"

"Oh, I haven't been to the library today. But I will," Lily quickly added when she saw Severus's eyes narrowing.

"Just let me know if you find anything useful," he said, backing away from the two girls.

"I will. See you later," Lily said, holding her hand up in a farewell salute.

"Goodbye, Lily." With a curt nod of his head, Severus turned around and began walking toward the castle.

Cressida - who after her initial comments had decided to keep her mouth shut and let the events unfold in front of her - finally spoke.

"How rude! I was standing right here next to you, and he didn't even bother to acknowledge me!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Really, Cressida, after that hair comment, can you blame him?" At that moment, Lily's stomach growled and she realized that she hadn't had anything to eat since last evening. "C'mon, Cressa. I'm hungry. We might be able to catch the tail end of lunch."

As they began walking toward the castle, Cressida replayed the last several minutes in her head. "Okay, what the hell happened between the two of you last night? I mean, he was being...nice to you. Well, what passes for nice in Severus Snape's mind, anyway."

What had happened? Last night, Lily had spent all of her patrolling duty trying to figure it out, and she still didn't understand it.

"Well...I'm not really sure," Lily admitted. "I had been worrying about what Severus was going to do or say to me all evening. That's why I was so out of it yesterday at dinner. I wasn't looking forward to an hour of nasty comments from him. Our study session definitely wasn't what I expected it to be."

"What do you mean?"

"I was worried for no reason. He was nice, just like he was a few minutes ago; even more so, in fact. We even had a laugh. I actually enjoyed myself, and I think we could even manage to become friends, or something close to it - Cressida?" At this point, Lily realized that she was talking to herself. She turned around to see that Cressida had stopped in her tracks a few yards behind Lily.

"Severus Snape...laughed?" Cressida asked. "Does he even now how to laugh?"

Lily walked over to Cressida, took her hand, and led her toward the castle entrance. "Why don't I start from the beginning?" As they walked, Lily recounted the previous night's events. By the time they sat down to eat, Cressida had heard every detail of Lily's study session. However, she still didn't understand one thing.

"Why did you have to hit me like that?" Cressida inquired as she rubbed the sore spot on her upper arm.

"I promised myself I'd smack you for making me late last night," Lily said matter-of-factly, as she reached for a plate of vegetables.

"Look, you were on-time. You said so yourself. It's not my fault Snape has some warped ideas on punctuality." Cressida scowled as she began assembling a cheese and tomato sandwich. "'Early is on-time; on-time is late.' Really! That's complete and utter rubbish. How old is he? Sixty-five?"

"Warped ideas or not, I had to hear about it from Severus, just like I told you I would. It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't slowed me down. Therefore, you earned yourself a smack. Deal with it."

"Some friend you are," Cressida mumbled. "So, what do you think he's up to?"

Lily stared at Cressida in confusion for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Lily, please tell me you don't actually believe that Severus Snape is being cordial because your warm personality has thawed out his chilly one?"

"You think he's up to something?"

"You don't? He's a Slytherin, Lily. What possible reason would he have to be nice to you? Why would he apologize about what he said to you last June? Those Slytherins are force fed that pure-blood supremacy rubbish from birth. That's not something you abandon after a few weeks time."

Lily didn't want to admit it, but Cressida had a point. She ran a finger over her locket as she pondered the ramifications of this revelation. Could Severus have ulterior motives? What could they possibly be?

Cressida decided to give Lily something else to think about. "Of course, the unthinkable could be occurring instead."

"What's that?" Lily asked with apprehension.

"Maybe Severus fancies you, too," Cressida said with a shudder. "Ugh! I do not envy you right now."

Lily relaxed as she said, "Honestly, Cressa. That's absurd. There's no way Severus Snape would ever like me like that. I'm Muggle-born, remember?"

"Lily, you're brilliant, funny, and gorgeous. Muggle-born or not, a bloke would have to be brain dead not to want you."

Blushing slightly, Lily replied, "Thank you for the compliment, but I still think you're insane for even considering for a second that Severus likes me."

Cressida polished off the last bite of her sandwich, brushing away stray crumbs as she chewed. "It wasn't a compliment, it's a fact. Anyway, I don't know what's going on with Snape, but I'm going to tell you the same thing I told you last night - be careful. Don't trust him."

Lily pushed her plate away and turned to Cressida. "Listen to me, Cressa. I understand where you're coming from, and I heard every word you said, but I believe his apology was sincere. I don't know why, but when he apologized to me this afternoon, I got the sense that Severus was truly sorry for what he said to me that day. Why a Slytherin would be sorry for something like that is beyond me. If this was any other Slytherin we were talking about, I'd agree with you that something is up. I don't know, Cressa. Something is different about him.

"Now," she said as she stood up from the table, "We've talked about me long enough. I've got a ton of studying to do. Do you want to join me in the library?"

"Sure. I've got an Arithmancy essay due on Monday." Cressida stood up as well, and the two girls began walking toward the Entrance Hall.

"What's the essay topic?"

"'Triskaidekaphobia: Genuine Cause for Fear or Futile Superstition? Discuss.'"

Lily frowned. "Triskaidekaphobia? The fear of..."

"...the number thirteen. I've been reading up on the subject. People will go to extreme lengths just to avoid the number thirteen. It's fascinating."

"Back home, one of our neighbors would stay in her house every 13^th day of the month," said Lily, a grim expression on her face. "I can't imagine giving up your life because of a number. I don't think that's fascinating. I think it's sad."

"Well, when you put it that way, it is a bit depressing." Cressida furrowed her brow and mumbled, "Thanks for cheering me up, Lily. Bloody wet blanket..."

"I don't mean to be depressing! When I was little, my mother used to say 'Find the joy in every day, for every day is a gift.' It's a bit difficult to find the joy in your day when you're in your house hiding from a number."

"Humph," Cressida snorted. "Research the subject a little. I guarantee you'll be singing a different song. One poor bloke died on Friday the 13^th, at 11:47 pm - thirteen minutes before midnight, during his seventy-sixth year. Add seven and six and you get thirteen. Add the digits in his time of death and what do you get? Thirteen!"

"I have to admit, that is a little peculiar," Lily replied. "However, today I'm more afraid of not identifying Professor Slughorn's potion than I am of the number thirteen. C'mon, Cressa," Lily said as she began her ascent up the staircase. "The sooner we get to the library, the sooner I can figure this thing out."

Author's Note: The "poor bloke" Cressida refers to is composer Arnold Schoenberg, who suffered from triskaidekaphobia and died on July 13, 1951. Read more about him here.