12

3,778Chapter 12: Slughorn's Dinner

"I come to you defences down,

With the trust of a child." - Red Rain, Peter Gabriel

Chapter 12: Slughorn's Dinner

Days passed into weeks, and the fledgling bond between the two wizards and two witches seemed only to deepen into something stronger than any of them realised. Many afternoons and late evenings before curfew, the four of them would be under the mossy tree, discussing their team assignments for the project for Slughorn.

The two distinctively Gryffindor sat across from the two Slytherin in the library, surrounded by books, tomes, and even a few scrolls. Hermione had arithmancy equations shorthanded in wand writing hovering in the air. Every so often someone would peak around the corner, and Severus put on the most disdainful expression he could muster on his face, scaring them away from their business before they could pick up anything to gossip about.

Hermione had a small inner smile on her face every time he did it and whispered to him "Thank you, Professor Snape." Severus would give her such an exasperated look in return until she smiled so warmly that he couldn't keep his controls up and ended up chuckling with her instead. It only served to warm Hermione a bit more, seeing this aspect to Severus that was young, vulnerable, and not quite so practised in acerbic arts and unmitigated rancour. This Severus had been caught from jumping off into the Abyss and still had his smile and laughter, peppered with hints of his older self's dry humour.

Sometimes Remus would get in a row with Severus about some sort of ingredient and Lily would agree with either one or the other. Remus would try to wrestle the disagreement back into friendly terms, but then Lily and Severus would end up growling potion balancing countermeasures at each other. Remus would attempt to placate, and then Madam Pince, whom Hermione swore was even more wrinkled and vulturish than ever she was in 1994, would come and rap knuckles and tell them to quiet down and not damage the books.

Remus would, somehow, placate Madam Pince to the point where she mumbled something neutrally and walked off, earning him the title "Remus, the Diplomat" whenever they needed him to run interference or butter up the politeness gears.

Minerva, while not an expert on potions, would look over the arithmancy equations, privately surprised that first years would even be into arithmancy at all. They put together a properties "desired" list and Minerva retrieved a list of ingredients from Professor Sprout that Hogwarts had on hand that could be used in place of those that would be harder to get their hands on. She made a list of certain ingredients could be safely and permanently transfigured from raw ingredients, and Lily took to balancing out the ingredient list between the proper fresh ingredients versus the transfigured and preserved kinds. Minerva seemed baffled and then amused that the two Houses were getting along in the project.

Hermione found herself suddenly more respectful of just how much the elder Professor Snape had squirrelled away in his private stores. How she missed that storeroom that had unofficially provided so much help during her Hogwarts career. She silently said a soft prayer of apology to the elder Snape in her memory.

As it turned out, Lily parted ways with the quartet every full moon night for her "shampoo and conditioner club" with the "girls" just like clockwork. She swore up and down that the conditions were best for brewing if they did it on full moons and they couldn't waste the opportunity.

Severus and Remus gave her incomprehensible looks while Hermione just pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, silently muttering things that made her sound eerily like a certain future Potion Master's portrait.

Thankful, however, for not having to ditch Lily on moon nights, the full moon trio found themselves in the Shrieking Shack together, awaiting the return of Tuft.

Sneakily, or as Remus called it, Slytherinly, both Hermione and Severus sneaked out during the full moons to be with Remus. They left decoys of themselves that both snored and were exceedingly hard to wake. Hermione didn't need one, thanks to having no dorm mates, but she put one up anyway. Severus put one up, but his reputation for not wanting to be bothered was already so well established, no one did. The pair snickered over it the entire way to the hide-away house.

Hermione, mistress of spells that she shouldn't know yet, taught Severus the art of disillusionment. It didn't take long for Severus to realise the infinite benefits of that particular spell, and unlike Harry with Occlumency, Severus was a quick and devoted study.

They used the time before Remus' change to meditate on their animagus forms together, and Severus and Remus' eyes had shot open at the same time.

"I saw myself," Severus whispered.

Remus nodded. "Me too… I really am a wolf!"

Hermione glared at Severus. "Share."

His black eyes sparkled with the knowledge of his form. He was grinning at her like a Cheshire cat.

"Share with me, Severus, or I swear I will change into a phoenix and sit in your lap while I'm on fire," Hermione seethed at him. There was fire in her eyes, but her expression was amused.

Severus smirked. "Bateleur eagle. I remember it from one of the raptor books. Black feathers, red face, brown back, white bands on the wings, bi-coloured hooked beak, and red feet."

"Oh wow," Hermione purred. "I'm so happy for you. You get to keep your wings! I can't wait to see the red feet!"

"How long do you think it will take to make the full shift?" Severus asked.

"It took me about half a year," Hermione answered. "Just like my Master with her Master. And you have the advantage that I did to be meditating with a full animagus."

"What if we didn't? Remus asked curiously.

"I could take years, Professor McGonagall said," Hermione explained.

"Years?" Remus said. "No wonder you don't see many people trying to do it. Can you imagine Frank Longbottom trying to concentrate long enough to meditate?"

Hermione chuckled.

Remus winced, and his friends looked at him with sympathy. "It's that time again," Remus said softly, standing to pull off his clothes and set them aside.

Hermione pointed her wand at Severus. He nodded to her in readiness, and she transfigured him into his eagle form.

Severus flapped his wings to stretch them and yawned beakily.

Hermione shifted, and Severus preened her head crest feathers. She returned the gesture, gently putting his feathers into order, even though she knew once Tuft arose for the evening, both of them would be drenched in werewolf drool and look like abused mop heads.

Remus groaned, and the pair of them fluttered up to be beside him, Hermione pressed herself into Remus' arms, allowing him to cling to her body as the change took him.

His convulsions took him as painfully as they always did, and Hermione's heart ached with pity. Despite his pain, and his firm embrace as he changed, he never once hurt her. He never crushed the life from her lungs, nor did he much other than drool on her as his body shifted against his will.

However, when Severus wedged himself under Remus' arm to cuddle next to her to divide and conquer Remus' clingy embrace. Hermione appreciated the familiar warmth of his body heat against hers and the combined scents of he and Remus as well as the emergent Tuft into the equation. Remus clung to them both tightly as his body changed, but it was a secure embrace, almost protective, and he did not injure them even as his boy changed against his will. It was, perhaps, both Remus and Tuft agreeing on what was most important to their lives and doing their best to keep them safe.

Minutes after, Tuft dutifully groomed his bird friends, bathing them in werewolf drool and setting their feathers into disarray, but the two birds clicked their beaks at his chin, nipping at him playfully rather than annoyance.

There werewolf lay his head down and stared at them, tail beating against the mattress in friendly greeting. Any worry that contact with the werewolf's infectious drool would inadvertently turn his two friends into fellow werewolves had long since past, as the two of them reminded their friend that every evening in his company was also spent with the Tuft the Drooly.

On this particular evening, Tuft didn't seem inclined to romp about. Instead, he snuggled into his favourite birds after picking them up in his mouth and moving them to the "right place" next to him and curled up to sleep, his tufted tail curling around his body to shelter his friends from the chill of the evening.

Severus yawned beakily into Hermione's face, and she returned the favour, starting up a yawn war that went back and forth for a few minutes before they finally shook the last of the impulses away. Hermione tucked her head under her wing, and Severus laid his head across Hermione's back as his eyes closed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tuesday, November 2nd, 1971

Severus woke up feeling comfortable. That in comparison to other times in this life, seemed a miracle unto itself. He took inventory of his senses and realised that he felt quite warm, safe, and relaxed. There were few times he could remember such things, and the only times he could involved his mother and an old quilt he vaguely recalled as being blue and smelling of mint.

Hermione stirred against him. Her head crest pressed into his chest, and she rubbed her beak against him, snuggling closer before letting out a deep sigh.

Severus froze, unsure what to do. It was a strange newness to him, yet it felt pleasant. He curved his neck around hers, gliding his beak against hers, and she snuggled into him, sharing her warmth.

Tuft whined in his sleep, his leg twitching as he dreamed of chasing possible wererabbits across the greens of Hogwarts. The werewolf's jaws were half open, and his tongue was sticking out the side of his mouth. He made a woofing sound, panted, worked his jaw, and salivated as his dream carried him wherever it was werewolves dreamed.

Tuft had a musky scent about him, his fur a combination of earth, almonds, and musk. It was stronger on Tuft than on the human Remus, but the pair shared a scent that was linked to the other.

Hermione, on the other hand, smelled of woodsmoke and autumn breezes that carried the dampness of leaves and earth. His eyes drifted closed as the groggy comfortable feeling lured him into that area between sleep and wakefulness. Hermione smelled like home. It was not the smell of Spinner's End, per se, but a combination of the scent of the wood-burning stove his mother would light on cold winter days at the house and something so very different. Yet, unlike those things back at Spinner's End he could so very easily leave behind, he found that was not what he wished for Hermione.

Her scent, combined with Tuft's, was like a calming draught. He felt at peace, and it seemed like the years he had felt peace was for fools who didn't know what real life was were past him. Mixed within all of their scents was the now distinctive, yet strangely not so unpleasant, scent of werewolf drool whose closest descriptive of scent was of freshly mowed grass. Who knew? It was very doubtful that anyone went sticking their face into a werewolf's mouth to check their breath. Comical, perhaps in its mental image, but not very likely.

It was a good thing the drool wasn't contagious to them, or Tuft would have a true pack under the moon on his moon days.

He pondered Lily's scent, his thoughts having wandered to her as it usually did. There had been a time, not so long ago, when she was the only one he thought of with anything resembling hope. Lily's scent had always been of that Muggle skin cream that she was so wont to use. Her shampoo had the traces of coconut and verbena. He frowned mentally, unable to bring up what she smelled like under all the skin care and hair products. Part of him questioned why he would care what she really smelled like under it as long as she didn't smell like a rubbish bin.

Tuft and Hermione's scents though, he recalled without effort, and he had no doubt that even when they weren't lying in a pile together like some strange conglomeration that he'd remember them still.

Hermione stirred against him, yawning beakily. Her pale grey eyes shimmered like dewdrops on a leaf after the rain. She looked at him drowsily, running her head against the bottom of his chin as she fluttered her wings and stretched out her legs. The crest of feathers on the top of her head raised lopsidedly into the air thanks to the mild coating of werewolf drool. She preened his head with her beak dutifully, setting his poor feathers into order.

Hermione chirped softly. She talon walked over to the nearby quilt and tugged on it with her beak, starting to drag it over Tuft so he wouldn't wake up cold.

Severus grabbed the edge and helped her pull until the werewolf snoozed away under the quilt peacefully.

Hermione rubbed her cheek against Tuft's muzzle and fluttered out of the room. Severus followed her into the next room, watching her tail feathers disappear up the chimney. He smirked mentally, hopping into the fireplace and fluttering upwards until he joined her on the roof of the house.

Hermione had her wings fanned outward, catching the early morning rays of the sun like a Muggle solar panel. Severus looked at her curiously and mirrored her actions, immediately understanding why she did so as the warmth from the sun felt immediately better on his back and through his wings.

The stood there together, sunning like vultures and enjoying each others silent company.

Hermione perked suddenly, freezing in place, and Severus followed her gaze to see Madam Pomfrey approaching in the distance, their binocular vision homing in on her shape nearing the Whomping Willow with ease.

She took to the air, banking off towards Black Lake, and Severus followed, enjoying the rush of wind under his wings. The thermals were weak in the morning, but his strong wing beats were more than adequate to assist him in following her.

Hermione let out a song as she glided over the lake, and the notes filled his chest with the feeling of joyous abandon. In that moment, he knew exactly how she felt. Her song shared her rapture of the air, her command of the skies, and her gladness to share it with someone else.

There was a loud hoot, and Sagacity joined them. His great wings matched their synchronous flying, forming a flock in the sky as they had formed a pack down below not so long before. Hermione let out a warble of joy, tumbling in the air in barrel rolls, and Severus let out an eagle scream, following her. Somewhere, deep inside himself, his animagus eagle stirred, finding resonance in the air as they flew together. He gave a joyous cry as he barrel rolled after her, chasing her over the surface of Black Lake with Sagacity.

Hermione met him high in the air, and their talons intertwined together, the three of them spun in the air together like sky divers, wings unfurled as their bodies glided downward at breakneck speed towards the lake. Then, as the surface approached, they parted, banking hard, Hermione gave a burst of musical song, Sagacity hooted, and Severus gave a long eagle scream of defiance to the ground.

When they landed on the ramparts of Hogwarts, Hermione took on her human shape, her apprentice robes flowing down her shoulders like a drapery. She had her arms up in a smooth movement, and Sagacity landed on her arm as Severus landed on the other with an eagle chirp.

Hermione's grey eyes met Severus' back ones, as she gently stroked his chest feathers. "Ready?"

Severus leapt from her arm and she cast her counterspell. Severus took the place of the eagle, and he had a smile on his face. "One day," he promised. "I will be able to do that without assistance."

Hermione's smile was broad across her face before she met his eyes with so much warmth that it could have kept him warm for a month of cold nights. "I look forward to it."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Friday, November 5th, 1971

Lily was oogling and she couldn't help herself. The tall, aristocratic young man with finely chiselled cheek bones and hair so light it could have been silver had her attention.

When Hermione came in with her hand lightly resting upon his arm, Lily just stared at the pair.

"Who is that, Sev?" Lily whispered as they stood around the large table Slughorn had set out for their meal.

Severus arched a brow. "That is Lucius Malfoy. He's the fifth year prefect for Slytherin."

"He looks like an elf from my storybooks," Lily whispered.

Severus' head snapped up. "Don't let him hear that. House-elves are… not very respected."

"House elves?"

"They are caretakers of old Wizarding family homes," Severus said. "They do not look like the elves from your old picture books."

Lily frowned, disappointed. "I didn't know Hermione was dating."

Severus furrowed his eyebrows. "They are not," he said.

"Rubbish, Severus," Lily said. "He's even pulling out chairs for her."

"Pure-blood manners," Severus explained with a huff. "Totally different."

Lily shook her head, not understanding.

Severus sighed, running his hand through his hair, which was still, much to Lily's chagrin, suffering from the botched conditioner and shampoo accident from a month previous. "Look at Pure-bloods as aristocracy, Lily. There are some things they must do in public that are considered proper behaviour. They cannot help it."

"So, what, like curtsying to the Queen?" Lily asked.

Severus nodded. "Somewhat. They are both Pure-blood families. They are obligated to make nice in public."

"But," Lily protested. "Hermione doesn't make us bow or anything."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose.

Lily nudged him. "Explain… please!"

Severus wondered how he had become the expert on Pure-blood manners. "She's our friend. She wouldn't because we're usually alone, and we're not showing up in public. I guarantee you, if we were to accompany her out in public, we would have to carry some manners with us."

Lily shook her head. She was having trouble reconciling the Hermione that was her friend, with the distant and quite aloof witch beside Lucius. Hermione kept her eyes down to Lucius when he spoke, keeping her hand lightly looped around his arm, and every so often Lucius would reach over and touch her arm in seeming reassurance. It was all very formal and proper and completely mind boggling.

"Why would we have to act any different?" Lily asked. "She says we are her friends, right?"

"Would you wear shorts and t-shirt to church, Lily?" Severus snapped, impatient. "It's the same idea."

Lily quieted. He was frustrated with her. It wasn't her fault she didn't understand how she suddenly had to change her mannerisms at a club meeting to someone whom she had, until this point, though was just like any other girl at Hogwarts.

"Ah, Lucius," Horace said cheerfully. "I presume you are already acquainted with Severus Snape, a very talented potioneer in the making. This, however, is Lily Evans. She has quite a knack for potions and charms."

Lucius nodded curtly to Severus, which Severus returned immediately. Lucius' grey eyes stared down his finely chiselled features. He flicked his gaze upon her like he was evaluating her. Then, he tilted his head just so, inclining his head. Lucius seemed to be waiting for something from Lily, and she looked at him with a mixture of awe and incomprehension.

Hermione mouthed something to her. What was she saying?

Hermione jerked her head at Lily, and Lily was getting frustrated, having no idea what Hermione was trying to communicate.

"What?" she said aloud.

Severus closed his eyes. Hermione's lip twitched, and Lucius seemed to realise what he was waiting for was not going to happen.

Lucius extended his hand, palm up.

Lily stared at it dumbly and then the light bulb went off in her head. She placed her hand in it.

Lucius slowly brought her hand up as he sank into a slow bow, kissing the air above her hand. "A pleasure," he rumbled. He straightened, releasing her hand. His cold grey eyes had no smile about them. They were formal, guarded, and while not unkind, they did not welcome, invite, or even entertain.

"I believe you two are already acquainted with Miss Black," Slughorn said. "Minerva McGonagall's young Apprentice?"

Hermione, who said nothing, inclined her head in a nod. After a moment she extended her hand to Severus.

Severus, who had never demonstrated such formal manners to or even around Lily before, took Hermione's hand, bowed, and slowly and deliberately placed his lips to the back of her hand. Lily frowned. Where had he picked up some formal graces? Was it a Slytherin thing?

Hermione, responding to his gesture, slowly sank into a curtsy, smiling politely.

Lucius, however, seemed to approve of this action on Severus' part and seemed equally approving of Hermione's response.

Hermione turned and inclined her head courteously towards Lily.

Lily found herself being stared at by Lucius, who seemed to be evaluating her.

"Come, come," Horace said. "We shall let these two mingle properly. I have some others I wish you to meet, Lucius. We have a number of guests here tonight that are new."

"Thank you, Professor Slughorn," Lucius said politely. "It would be a pleasure."

Slughorn seems very pleased and guided Lucius and Hermione away.

"Where did you learn all that formal greeting stuff, Sev?" Lily asked after the others left.

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "I'm Slytherin. They practically give you the crash course the first week you're Sorted."

Lily shook her head. "I'm glad we don't worry about that sort of thing in Gryffindor."

Severus tilted his head, his eyes flicking with some sort of emotion.

"What?" Lily asked.

"It's nothing," Severus said softly.

"No really, what?" Lily insisted.

"The formalities are important, Lily," Severus said softly. "They may not make sense to you because you think that sort of thing is only for the Royal Court or whatever, but there are important people in the Wizarding world too. Like it or not, you must pay attention to such things or you will offend the wrong people. They should be teaching you these things even as a Gryffindor. It's no wonder there are misunderstandings between Slytherin and Gryffindor."

Lily shook her head. "It's not like Hermione wouldn't forgive me for not bowing, Sev. Anyone who was your friend shouldn't care if they get a bow."

Severus squared his shoulders. "You may not realise it or thought it wasn't important to acknowledge Hermione in public with a little deference," he said, "but rest assured, Lucius was. It is his role, both as prefect and as ally to the House of Black, to be her forward guard in public if they are in the same place. He will always pay attention to who respects and offends her. Perhaps more so than he pays attention to who respects and offends him…"

"It's so complicated, Sev," Lily complained.

"It is life," Severus said.

"Not my life, Sev," Lily said. "Besides, Sirius is also a Black and he never does anything like that."

Severus' lip twitched. "He's hardly a prime example of formal manners."

"That's rude, Severus," Lily snapped.

"It's the truth," Severus growled.

Lily sighed and turned her head away, choosing to focus on the upcoming meal.

Severus was silent. She had expected him to appeal to her like he usually did when she snubbed him like a cat turning their head against their owner for committing some crime against cats, but he did not. Instead, his face was strangely impassive and his dark eyes were unreadable.

It was odd, this new Severus. He no longer latched onto her like she was the very air he needed to breathe, catering to her whims if only to share her company. She found she missed her old childhood friend that she shared with no one. She missed that she could always count on him to be there waiting for her even if she made other plans and came late.

She knew she should be happy for this change towards independence. She, after all, had her own friends in Gryffindor that she did not share with Severus or Hermione. She jealously guarded them, keeping them separate from each other but connected to her because it made her feel more in control and independent in her own life.

She frowned. Was it selfish of her to want her own friends? Now that she was away from home and her sister Petunia's constant calling of her a freak, she felt she wasn't a freak anymore. She could have and make her own friends. She could choose which ones to hang out with… and it wasn't just Severus anymore. It would be logical to assume that Severus, like her, would find friends outside her as well. Why did it bother her then? She huffed at herself.

Her musing were interrupted by Slughorn ushering all of his guests back to the table and clapping his hands together. "Dinner, everyone! Please take your seats. I have a wonderful meal for us this evening. Please, enjoy yourselves!"

As the food appeared on the table, Lily Evans forgot all about her previous thoughts and went directly for the delicious looking roast duck that was taunting her from the serving tray.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What is this?" Remus asked with wonder at the box Hermione and Severus handed to him.

"Open it and find out," Severus grunted. "You do have hands, after all."

Remus grinned at him, ignoring his snark and lifting the lid of the box. "Is this… oh wow… food from the dinner? It smells divine!"

"I put a warming charm on it so it didn't get cold," Hermione said. "Severus made you a fork."

Remus grinned from ear to ear. "It looks like… oh is this duck? And stew? Oh… heavens… chocolate cheesecake. I'm in love. Will you marry me?"

"It's food, not an engagement ring, Tufts," Severus snapped. "Don't put your wagon in front of the horse."

Remus grinned. "I'll marry you both. That way it will be fair."

Severus facepalmed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's a good thing you're eleven, so I don't have to take you seriously."

Hermione, who was standing there with her eyebrow twitching, shook her head.

"I'll admit, I was jealous that all of you got to run off to this posh party of Slughorn's," Remus said, closing the lid of the box and hugging it to him. "I never thought you'd bring me a carry-out box."

Severus smirked. "Hermione was utterly charming to Slughorn. There was plenty of food to spare. Believe me."

Remus just seemed happy that he had friends that cared enough to bring him wondrous food for any reason. If he had a tail at that moment, it would have been wagging like a helicopter blade.

Hermione yawned. "Curfew is soon, Remus," she said. "Better sneak back to your dorm and eat that before someone realises you have epic spoils."

Remus grinned, grabbed the two Slytherin by the shoulders and gave them a hug, then scampered down the hall, dinner in tow.

"What just happened?" Severus asked blankly.

"We were just glomped by a werewolf," Hermione said, deadpan.

"Is that even a word?" Severus asked.

"It is now," Hermione replied without flinching.

"Well," Severus tutted. "Now that we have been properly assaulted by a happy werewolf, I think we should go to bed before Lucius finds us out on patrol and takes points from his own House. Then we'd have to deal with a cranky Malfoy for the rest of the week."

Hermione pressed her back of the hand to her forehead. "Woe!"

Severus smirked and gestured with his head for her to get a move on.

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned on her heels to head in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room, Severus close behind.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Dearest Regulus,

Tonight was our first meeting of what has been affectionately called "The Slug Club." Lucius Malfoy was kind enough to be my escort, forward guard, and all of those things that Mother believes utterly proper, but I think you'd have just enjoyed watching him make sure no one insulted my honour all evening! Oh, you should have seen his face when one of the dinner guests didn't acknowledge my head bow. I think he was about to pull out his wand and challenge her to a wizard duel. I was laughing on the inside, but I had to keep a straight face the entire time. Oh, Regulus, you would have laughed at me. The last thing I want is the young Lord Lucius Malfoy to be dueling witches and wizards in my honour before I complete my first year at Hogwarts. What would father think? Scratch that, what would MOTHER think? We both know father would laugh over it and ask for details on what hexes were used.

I met a swarm of new people—all of them contacts from Professor Slughorn's previous students and current ones. He seems to have quite the contact network of people in the most influential of places. He knows people in high profile places like sport teams, newspapers, magazines, political offices, and countless other occupations. He has his shelf in his quarter with photos of those he considers exceptional in some way or another, but to be honest, I have no idea what makes the cut or not.

I've made a new friend named Remus at the school. He's really shy usually, but Severus has coaxed a bit of cheekiness and mischief out of him. I can't want for you to meet Severus this holiday coming up. I think you two will get along famously. He's wicked brilliant, and he's a genius at potions and charms. He made up a charm the other day that causes static cling. He used it on Remus and the boy ran around the school with a sock on his robes and didn't realise it until half the day was past. You have no idea how much I was laughing before I was assaulted with tickle torture for my impudence. He thought I did it! The git! Oh, Regulus… you really will love him. I have no doubt at all.

I heard from mother that some idiot tried to punch you the other day. I have no idea why anyone would punch you, and I do hope it wasn't because you pranked someone in a horribly embarrassing manner. I am, however, glad to know that you didn't rise to the bait and turn him into a goldfish over it. You thought I forgot about that incident, hrm? No, dear brother, I will never forget that story. Neither will Mr. Blanderfold's son, I suppose.

Well, I am exhausted, and Sagacity is itching to bring this to you, so I will allow him to so I can sleep. I am, if you haven't already figured this out before you even read my letter (yes, I'm looking at YOU, brother,) sending a little something from the dinner's dessert tray. I hope you like it!

All my love, your sister,

Hermione (her seal, the phoenix)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: I did not intend to make Lily specifically into a selfish sort of friend, but rather, a young witch who has, until this point, grown up with only one magical friend. She finds herself with more than one, and thanks to her relationship with Petunia, wants to horde them, but like most kids, wants to keep what she values to herself. Selflessness at that age is a work in progress. Part of her realises that Severus is entitled to having his own opinion and his own friends (after all, she has her own opinion and her own friends.) Part of her, however, thrived on that devoted little boy that worshipped the ground she walked on, and I think it will be hard for her to let go of that. Who wants to fall to earth after being practically a Goddess, after all?

I think it will be natural, in the long run, for Severus and Lily to grow apart. This is not to say they cannot remain friends and hopefully avoid that entire Mudblood name flinging incident… (perhaps with a little help from Hermione.)

I can't keep my eyes open. Apologies for typos. Time to put myself to bed.