Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
January 7, 1977 – Lily Pov.
We were back at Hogwarts. I had tried looking for Serena on the Hogwarts Express, but even after searching every carriage three times, she was nowhere to be seen. Except that she did get off the Express with us and was at the Welcome feast.
"Everything alright, Lily? You seemed a little distracted today." Marlene asked while we were in the common room, and I shuddered slightly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I, I mean... I was thinking about Serena." I said honestly.
"What's wrong with Snape?" Mary asked with a grimace beside me. I opened my mouth before Alice squealed happily.
"Is it about her wedding?" Alice asked excitedly, my eyes widening slightly before I grimaced.
"Whose wedding?" Sirius asked, approaching as he plopped down on the sofa next to Marlene, who just rolled her eyes and moved slightly away from him.
"The wedding of the year, no, of the decade! Possibly of the century!" Alice said excitedly. Sirius still looked confused.
"The one with Serena and Bellatrix." I clarified, Sirius's face twisted in a mixture of disgust and anger.
"Are we talking about Snape?" James asked with a sneer as he approached.
"Nobody invited you, Potter, nor youBlack." Marlene said, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, you really can't say you're actually interested in Snape and Bellatrix," Sirius scoffed.
"It's romantic." Alice sighed in wonder.
"It's disgusting." Sirius shuddered slightly.
"Oh, you don't know anything. I've seen you flirting, Black. If you think that's a good thing, I guess a lot of things finally make sense." Marlene mocked. Sirius made a chest bump.
"Oh come on, Marlene, you're not going to tell me you actually prefer Snape? I'm better than Snape!" Sirius asked incredulously. Marlene shrugged.
"It's kind of romantic," Marlene said honestly. I looked at her incredulously.
"Oh come on, I understand it coming from Alice, but from you? At least Mary and Lily will be on our side, right? " Sirius asked incredulously.
"I mean, it's kind of romantic," Mary said shyly, while James and the others groaned loudly.
"What's so romantic about that?!" Sirius exclaimed incredulously.
"The question is, what isn't romantic about it?!" Alice exclaimed excitedly. "It's literally like a romance novel! It has all the clichés and everything!" she said, bouncing on the spot. "One of them is the equivalent of a princess and the other a poor, low-class outcast."
"Somehow, Snape managed to win the love of Bellatrix Black, which was thought to be impossible! And not only that! They're getting married! And not just in a normal ceremony, no, they're going to perform an ancient bonding rite to unite with each other, like soulmates completely! It's practically a living romance novel!"
"Snape even pulled off that cliché of getting all dolled up and going from... well, Snape, to practically a supermodel! She's tall. Her short, well-groomed hair frames her angular features really well; her skin looks so smooth and silky, even with her healthy paleness. She's tall, and while she may not have a voluptuous figure, she knows how to show off what she has! Those legs are to die for, and do you remember when she took off her cloak in the Great Hall? The girl has muscles! And did I mention she was tall? " Alice said, practically fainting at that.
"Alice!" I squealed, slightly blushing.
"Should I be jealous?" Frank asked curtly, sitting next to Alice. Alice snorted and looked at Frank mockingly.
"If you can't grow two more heads, maybe you can match her," Alice teased flirtatiously. Frank just snorted mockingly, but still leaned towards Alice, who just giggled slightly.
"Oh, come on, she's not that beautiful!" James said, shuddering. "And even if she were, she's still Snape, that ruins everything." He sounded almost like he was going to throw up.
"You're biased, Potter. Snape looks really good; that rebellious look of hers makes her really attractive," Alice said dreamily.
"She's bad," Sirius growled. "And she'll get even worse! It was bad enough that she was dating Bellatrix! But marriage?! Oh, nothing good can come of those two; combining Snape with the Blacks is a recipe for disaster." Sirius said scornfully.
"Nobody wants to listen to your ramblings, Sirius," Marlene said, rolling her eyes.
"Ramblings?" Sirius asked, surprised and a touch hurt. Marlene already snorted.
"Yes, every time Snape's name is mentioned, you always attack; it's getting boring." Marlene mocked.
"Because she deserves it!" Sirius growled. "She's evil, and I have no doubt she's a Death Eater now, and if she isn't, she soon will be." Sirius snarled, those words seeming to cast a shadow over the conversation.
"Calm down, Black, I know you have a boner about Snape, but you're really exaggerating," Marlene said, frowning. "Yes, Snape is... questionable at best, but she's mellowed out a lot this year. I only saw her hanging out with the Black sisters and Malfoy. She doesn't hang out with the other Slytherins anymore. In fact, they seem to avoid her like the plague, and she avoids them, too. Even so, you make her sound like a monster. She's a teenager just like the rest of us," Marlene scoffed.
"Oh, but she's a monster, even Dumbledore agreed," Sirius said firmly.
""Sirius!!"" To my surprise, Remus spoke at the same time as I did.
"What?! You know I'm right, you were there!" Sirius retorted. Remus shook his head.
"You're taking everything out of context, Sirius, and you know it," Remus said seriously. "And it's not like either of us didn't deserve it, still, she... she helped me, so, enough is enough," Remus said firmly.
"Oh come on, you can't be serious." Sirius growled irritably while glaring at Remus.
"I am," Remus said firmly. The girls looked at the pair, confused and not fully understanding the conversation. Finally, Sirius glared at him before growling, crossing his arms, and muttering. Remus just sighed and shook his head.
"Very well! Why don't we change the subject?! " James said, feigning cheerfulness. We glanced at the exchange for a moment before Alice blinked in my direction.
"Oh, right, you said you were thinking about Serena, didn't you? " Alice asked in my direction. I could hear loud moans from James and Sirius, but they didn't say anything.
"I... yes, I saw her during the holidays." I began slowly, everyone's eyes widening. "She... was with a group of girls I don't know."
"A group of girls?" Marlene asked curiously. "Any students from here?" she asked immediately. I shook my head.
"No, they were... all foreigners, I didn't recognize any of them," I said immediately, and then I blushed, remembering some of their words, biting my lip. "Some... said they were their lovers," I added timidly. Everyone fell silent before they all started shouting loudly.
I opened my mouth before sighing and moaning loudly. Mistakes were made.
"Lovers?! What, she's cheating on Bellatrix Black?!" Alice asked, sounding genuinely betrayed. I guess their love story...
"Ha! I told you she was evil! " Sirius mocked.
"Um... I think they mentioned that Bella was involved with them too..." I said timidly. That silenced everyone, and they looked at me incredulously.
"Fine, I don't believe you," Marlene scoffed. "It's understandable that Serena was in love with you, and then moved on to Bellatrix, but that she's now involved in... lesbian orgies sounds ridiculous." Marlene mocked.
"Marlene!" they all shouted at the same time. I could only look at Marlene in confusion.
"Serena wasn't in love with me," I said, confused. Everyone stood still and looked at me.
"What? No, yes, Snape was very much in love with you, since the first year." Alice confirmed immediately. I stopped, looked at her, confused, then looked at the others.
"Oh Merlin, you really had no idea?!" Marlene asked incredulously. I blushed.
"Serena wasn't in love with me!" I insisted again. Everyone grimaced.
"Ouch, I really don't care about Slytherins, but even I'm feeling sorry for Snape right now," Mary said with a grimace, and I blushed even more.
Serena wasn't in love with me... or was she?
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January 21, 1977 - Lily's POV.
Just like the previous nights, I still couldn't fall asleep easily. But now it was worse. I'd been on a countdown ever since we returned to Hogwarts, and for several reasons. First, rumors had been circulating that Serena and Narcissa had only come back for a few weeks to finish all the paperwork with the Hogwarts professors so they could take their NEWT exams early at the Ministry.
After that… they would both leave Hogwarts. And today was Serena's last day at Hogwarts; she would leave tomorrow, and I still hadn't been able to speak to her. Every time I tried to find her, Serena disappeared, as if she weren't even in the castle; she simply… vanished.
I couldn't even get close to her in class; her school schedule was a mess. She'd attend some classes and skip others, taking exams that she'd finish before class was over and leave the room without looking back. Or she was always with Narcissa, who kept glaring at me, an expression that I admit intimidated me. The Black sisters, it seemed, were all terrifying.
So, I would be locked up in Hogwarts, while Serena wouldn't, but more importantly… Serena and Black's wedding date had been announced in the Prophet and was fast approaching, the damned 4th of February.
There was a whole explanation surrounding the date; in fact, the Prophet was keeping a rather detailed track of the wedding. After all, it wasn't an ordinary wedding. February 4th, a full moon, and Imbolc — such a rare and special combination that practically everyone had highly praised the chosen date.
But that wasn't the important thing. What the Prophet was focusing on, besides the wedding of a member of the Black family, was the Rite of Union, a ritual older than the castle itself, almost as old as magic itself if one believed what the Prophet wrote.
A ritual to bind two souls. I couldn't help but feel a sense of panic at that thought. Once Serena underwent that ritual, it would be impossible for her to break free from that bond; she would be forever chained to Bellatrix Black, bound to her will.
And all I could do was watch. I bit my lip hard and tried to sleep, but then I heard some noises coming from the common room. I blinked and sighed. It's not like I can sleep; it must be James and the others. I sighed as I stood up.
I wrapped my robe around my pajamas, put on my slippers, and, so as not to wake Marlene and the others, went downstairs carefully.
"Professor McGonagall?" I asked in shock once I was downstairs, and as it was, Professor McGonagall was wearing a dressing gown over her pajamas; apparently, she too had been woken up in the middle of the night.
"Miss Evans, go back to the dormitory; this is none of your business." McGonagall said firmly, though there was a hint of gentleness in her voice. I opened my mouth, just in time to see James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter coming down from the boys' dormitory.
" Professor McGonagall, what happened?" James asked immediately, then he looked at me, and his eyes widened. "Lily? Did something happen?" he asked once more.
"I'm here for Remus; the headmaster is looking for him." McGonagall said easily, my eyes widening slightly, as did the boys'.
"Did something happen to Remus?" Sirius asked worriedly. McGonagall shook her head.
"I have no idea, he just told me to take him to the infirmary, it's... about his condition," McGonagall said, muttering the last word. My eyes widened slightly, and I looked at Remus with concern.
"Can we go?" James and Sirius asked immediately. McGonagall gave them a dry look.
"Obviously, I woke all four of them up for some reason, Potter," McGonagall said curtly. "The headmaster knew they wouldn't let him go alone, so he simply got ahead of things. Now then, come on, this seems to be important," McGonagall said earnestly.
"Can I come?" I asked immediately before they left.
"Miss Evans, this does not involve you-"
"She can come." James said immediately, interrupting McGonagall, something the professor didn't appreciate. She turned to glare at him, and James shrank back. McGonagall sighed and looked at Remus.
"It's your decision. The headmaster said you could come with whomever you felt comfortable with, not just James and the others," McGonagall said matter-of-factly. Remus looked surprised, then glanced at me before nodding.
"Lily can come." Remus said easily. McGonagall nodded and turned away.
"Let's go." With those words, she began to walk with long strides, and the five of us quickly followed her. In no time, we reached the infirmary, and a pang of worry arose within me; there were few reasons why Remus would need to be taken to the infirmary.
"Ah, Minerva, thank you for bringing them." The headmaster said with a gentle smile as soon as we entered the infirmary.
"Albus, what's going on?" McGonagall asked, sounding worried. The headmaster just chuckled slightly.
"Something really special, we just need one more person to arrive," said the headmaster, his eyes twinkling slightly with amusement as he glanced toward the door. We all turned and stared for a few seconds before Serena entered the room, followed by… one of the girls I'd seen during the holidays. The girl started squealing with excitement.
"It's Dumbledore!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly. Serena seemed to sigh bitterly.
"He's not that important." Serena grumbled, looking away. The blonde beside her just smiled even more brightly.
"I know you don't like him, but he's still Albus Dumbledore!" the blonde insisted excitedly, then she dragged Serena over to the headmaster and raised her hand, greeting him, "Howdy! I'm Enid Sinclair!" We were all in shock, except for the headmaster, who returned the greeting amiably.
Howdy? Who's greeting us in such a... strange way? What did "Howdie" mean? And greeting the headmaster like that was simply a complete lack of respect, especially since I had absolutely no idea who she was.
Enid Sinclair—I didn't recognize that name at all. I didn't even know what she was doing there. And that was until I continued listening to the conversation.
A cure.
Serena had found and created a cure for lycanthropy, and she planned to use it on Remus. The blonde, Enid, was apparently a Native American from a shapeshifting tribe. That… was truly incredible. The magical world was so… so vast, there was so much to learn.
She… had transformed into a giant wolf, as easily as if she were an Animagus, but according to her, it was something different. I lightly ignored her explanation of being a descendant of the spirit warriors; despite her tribe's abilities, her explanations definitely weren't that surprising.
And after a short discussion, Remus agreed to undergo the treatment, and now we were here, waiting.
"Do you really... do you really think you can cure Remus?" I asked, looking at the others. Sirius snorted.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Sirius hissed, crossing his arms.
"Let's hope, for Mr. Lupin's sake, that they succeed," McGonagall said, sounding worried. I could only stare at the spot where Serena had gone in with Remus, the headmaster, and the Sinclair girl.
Now it was just a matter of time. We were all tense enough not to talk to each other, and finally, most of us fell asleep after a couple of hours.
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The conversation hadn't gone as I expected. Not at all.
The cure had been a success for Remus, and I was truly happy for him, but I needed to talk to Serena; it was my last chance. And I had tried, but…
I hadn't even been able to speak. Serena had simply looked at me with such indifference and frustration that I couldn't even form words. I could feel my last chance to talk to her slipping through my fingers, and all I could do was watch as Serena and that blonde girl, Enid, walked away from the infirmary without looking back.
She had moved on, without me. That… I still couldn't understand it.
"Don't worry, Lily, you're better off without Sni -Snape," James said as he approached. I turned to look at him, but I just looked away and said nothing. "Lily?"
"All right, Miss Evans?" McGonagall asked gently. I could only nod.
"Yes, I... I wanted to tell Serena a lot of things, I guess... I guess it doesn't matter anymore." I couldn't help but say it, and then I shuddered slightly. A pang of emptiness and pain welled up inside me.
Serena had changed; she had changed a lot, maybe for the better, and I'll never know. I'll never be there to see the changes. I wasn't even there to see her change, nothing. She just changed when I wasn't looking.
I… couldn't help but resent her.
She could change; she had changed. I… I had tried to help her improve, to be a better version of herself, but… why did she never change when I asked her to? I had offered her my help with her hair, her clothes, her care, anything; I had tried to help her make friends, everything, but she just stayed the same.
I thought she couldn't change, that she was too stubborn to be swayed. It was… it was one of the reasons I hadn't forgiven her, because I didn't know if she was capable of changing, if she would continue to get involved with the Death Eaters, or worse. But… here she was now, completely changed, only I wasn't involved, I… I was no longer part of her life, and it hurt—a lot.
"Come, Mr. Lupin, I'll give you a full check-up." Madam Pomfrey said, looking at Remus, who had a huge, silly, tearful grin on his face. He was completely happy, and... well, he should be. After all, his curse, his werewolf condition, had been cured. Or rather, cured as much as it could be, and that was many times better than his previous condition. I couldn't blame him for being so happy. Even so, it was difficult to look at him, and I looked away.
"Check if that Snape woman did anything strange to Remus." Sirius growled as he approached.
"Miss Prince did nothing wrong with young Remus," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly.
"But-" Sirius tried to say before clicking his tongue.
"No," Remus said immediately. "That's enough," Remus said as he looked at Sirius.
"Enough, what?" Sirius asked, confused.
"Insulting Serena, antagonizing her, demonizing her, anything at all, I... I will no longer accept it." Remus said firmly as he looked at Sirius.
"What? You can't be serious, Remus." Sirius mocked, and Remus just stared at him without flinching.
"She just healed me, Sirius," Remus said, with so much pain and restrained gratitude.
"She was just using you! She admitted it herself!" Sirius growled, and Remus shook his head.
"So what if she did?" Remus asked gently. " She healed me anyway. I can live my life without fearing I'll endanger those around me. I no longer have to be afraid of losing control. I can have a normal life, Sirius, something I didn't think I'd be able to have for years," Remus said, his voice thick with grief.
"Remus," Sirius said, shaking his head. "You're not thinking straight, Remus. She was using you; she wanted to experiment on you! You know how obsessed she is with curses, with dark things. You were just an object for her! " Sirius said firmly. Remus just stared at him.
"I know," Remus said easily. "I know she didn't heal me out of pure kindness, I know she didn't, I know she hates me, I know she despises me with all her soul, and she has every right to. I never stopped you, from the way you treated her, and I even helped with many of those things, so yes, she has the right to hate me, and I accept that."
"But that doesn't change the fact that she healed me, I am better, Sirius," Remus said firmly. "And it's not just me. I was the first. I was ready to sacrifice myself. Medicine has always been complicated, especially against the truly dark curses. If I could have helped all the other werewolves, I would have gladly accepted."
"But nothing happened; she actually cured me. That means she can do it for everyone else. You don't understand, Sirius, a cure for lycanthropy doesn't just affect me." Remus seemed genuinely excited before turning serious. "So no, I won't tolerate you being mean to her anymore, or insulting her, or anything like that in my presence."
"I'm not saying you have to like her, because that would be impossible, but I will no longer accept you insulting her in any way in my presence. She healed me, and even if she hates me, it's the least I can do for her," Remus said, completely determined.
"Remus, wha-" Sirius tried to say before shaking his head, almost desperate. "No, no, no, it has to be something that Snivellus must have done something to Remus's head, it's the only explanation!" Sirius exclaimed, almost desperate.
"She didn't." Dumbledore interjected, looking at Sirius. "I watched the whole process, and I admit, I wouldn't be able to replicate what Miss Prince did. It's incredible, beyond ordinary magic. She's practically invented a whole new branch of magic all by herself."
"But I was able to understand what she was doing and how, despite not being able to replicate it, I was more than able to observe the changes she was making to Remus's curse."
"The only mental change she made was to suppress the wolf instincts and give Remus control during his transformation, nothing more," Dumbledore said firmly, staring intently at Sirius. He wanted to speak, but closed his mouth and looked away.
"I'm sorry, but I can't believe you, headmaster," Sirius growled. "Even if she didn't do anything to Remus, she surely learned a lot from the curse. She'll probably be helping the Dark Lord and the werewolves transform at will tomorrow. Full werewolf soldiers without a full moon, she'd be capable of it," Sirius said quickly. My eyes widened slightly.
"She won't do that," said Dumbledore calmly.
"No, no, Sirius is right. How did I not see it before? She's gotten what she wanted: someone to practice on before using it for the Dark Lord's benefit." James said, joining Sirius.
"She won't do that," Dumbledore repeated, with the same calmness. I could only look at him incredulously; he sounded so... certain.
"How do you know, Headmaster? She might already be a Death Eater! We have to warn the Ministry, if werewolves become more dangerous, they have to know! " James said worriedly, Dumbledore just looked sadly at James.
"Once again, she won't do that," Dumbledore said with complete confidence. This didn't seem to convince anyone, but Dumbledore simply shook his head. "There are none so blind as those who refuse to see," he said bitterly. "Return to your dormitories. Mr. Lupin, you will have to stay a little longer. Madam Pomfrey and I will check on you," he said matter-of-factly.
"No-"
"Return to your dormitory, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said almost coldly, interrupting Sirius and making me shudder. Then Dumbledore looked at McGonagall, who nodded.
"Let's go." McGongall ordered, stepping in front of Sirius and James and practically pushing them aside. I quickly followed, and behind us, Peter, who had been silent until now, let out a squeal as he followed.
I really hoped the headmaster was right about Serena.
Author's Notes: There's one more from Lily.
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