21

Chapter 21 DoubleplusUNgood

Lily awoke in the strange hotel room, feeling rather out of sorts. Not bad enough to call it unwell, but definitely not right, and her enthusiasm over it being September 1st was dampened.

It wasn't late, but definitely later than she intended to wake up. Petunia and her mother were already dressed and sipping tea at the table next to the window.

She had wanted to wake before Petunia and … at the very least poke her in the stomach after she did it to Sev last night. There may be no forgiving this, unless her sister confesses some sort of insanity in her apology. Well, that was the only reason for that outburst last night – pure madness.

Severus was still asleep. Now sprawled on his stomach with the covers down to his waist. He better be well after sleeping close to sixteen hours. The more Lily thought about it, today could turn into a disaster. What if those Slytherins ended up snubbing her roommates? Not that Lily was the vindictive or violent sort, but if that happened, she would definitely encourage Severus to creatively eject them from the train so they'd end up having to walk to Hogwarts. As long as it didn't involve turning anyone inside out.

Some tea would get her sorted, she decided, as she joined her family at the table and gave Petunia a dark glare to let her know there was no forgetting what she said last night. Her sister looked rather peaked, probably up all night consumed with guilt. Lily cheerfully greeted her mother good morning, and then ignored Petunia with a disdainful toss of her red hair.

Mrs. Evans suggested, once Lily was dressed, they eat breakfast downstairs and bring some toast back up for Severus. There was plenty of time till they needed to be at the station. Lily thought that sounded perfect, she could go practice for a moment in the mirror to see if she could imitate one of Sev's looks of disgust, and then she could use it all through breakfast on Petunia.

Throughout the United Kingdom, wizarding and some not-so-wizarding households were being thrown into disorder, as Hogwarts students, both old and new, prepared to descend upon King's Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express for Platform 9 ¾.

Many agreed with the Marauders, that this could be their best year ever at the ancient school.

This enthusiasm was not shared by Argus Filch, however. This could be the worst year ever. Mrs. Norris and him agreed that September 1st was an ill-omened day when the unmannered swarm of muddy-shod, filthy-fingered vermin returned to muck up their lovely, clean castle and befouled his hallowed broom closets for their sweaty rendezvouses. This year Mrs. Norris and him would be ready to catch and punish them all, especially the foul brat who kept leaving sticky lemon sherbets about.

When they returned to the room, Severus was still asleep. Lily leaned over him, and thought that he might not be well yet. He was sleeping through the inconsiderate amount of noise Petunia was making, and was comatose enough to be slack-jawed and drooling. Not that anyone would accuse her best friend of being attractive, but this was bordering on repulsive. He better not doze off on the train and look like this in front of her roommates.

"Sev," Lily said with a gentle nudge to his thin shoulder, then a harder one when his eyelids remained closed.

He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, but looked dazed as he pulled his face off the pillow to look at Lily.

"All right, Sev?"

Severus squinted then muttered, "I have a headache draught in my trunk. That'll fix ..."

Considering that his sentence just trailed off, Lily offered, "I think I saw it. Hold on."

She did know exactly where it was, and handed it to him. He made some sound of thanks and drank it down. Severus then sat still a moment, and tilted his head a bit. He then looked over Lily's shoulder and quirked an eyebrow. "Ruin Tunie's shopping?"

Lily kept her voice low, "Later. We had a huge fight … but I don't know why."

Sighing as he slowly got up, he muttered, "Is it worth repeating then?"

She thought for a moment, then said quietly, "Yeeesss."

Severus chose what he wanted out of his trunk, and Lily's mother suggested, "Why don't you have some toast and tea, Severus?"

Not comfortable in what Lily chose for him to wear to bed, even with his jumper covering the y-front, he answered, "I'll get dressed first."

Mrs. Evans didn't have much to do to set the table for Severus, but between her, Lily and Petunia, nothing was out of place, and Lily had already staked her claim on Severus's trunk.

He was not long in the bathroom changing. Not having a range of choices, he was plainly dressed in the black trousers and white button-down shirt that he would wear as his uniform tonight when they got to school. While he was putting laundry with last night's, Lily inquired, "Feeling all right?"

He shook his head, then added, "It's better than yesterday," before he obliged Mrs. Evans and ate something.

Severus ignored Petunia, and she reciprocated.

When it was time for them to checkout and then go to King's Cross, Lily didn't know how to feel about Petunia not going to the train station. She was nineteen, Lily was mad at her, but the whole point of the deal was Petunia was supposed to be here to see Lily off to school. The Evans were about family, and it just seemed to go out the window whenever Petunia got into a snit. And a very unreasonable snit at that.

Lily felt some vertigo when she went through the barrier at King's Cross to enter platform 9¾. Both her mother and Severus noticed she had stopped. Her mother was feeling her forehead, when Severus pulled them both to the side, commenting that they were going to get run down by a luggage trolley. Lily had imitated Sev and shrunk her trunk for a change. It gave her a bit of a panicky feeling because she was empty-handed without the trolley with her trunk and owl cage, but dizziness from crossing the barrier? It must be anxiety over this arrangement, and it was all Helen and Mary's fault for suggesting it.

While they were to the side, out of the way of trolley traffic, Severus observed the platform. He indicated her roommates together with their parents searching the crowd, and that Rosier and Wilkes were nearby with theirs but had not made a move. All four had arrived early, so it could indicate the plan was on. He suggested, "You let your friends know that we will save a compartment, I'll tell the Slytherins. Don't linger, in case they want to introduce each other to their parents."

Lily understood the need for a compartment, but they still had time before the train filled, so asked, "Why not?"

"It's all right for us to sit with them on the train, but neither of us are the right sort since our families don't have any social standing in respect to theirs." With a glance at Mrs. Evans, he added, "In the wizarding world."

Having already shared with her mother the plan to have Slytherins sit with Gryffindors on the train, her mother knew there was something going on, but felt that Lily was being a bit silly over the whole thing. It was perfectly all right for three ladies to sit with three gentlemen. If these fellows didn't want to sit with Lily and her friends, she was sure there were plenty others.

"Helen and Mary aren't like that, Sev."

"You can't predict their parents, and I can guess about the Slytherins. If we are acting in a subordinate position to them by offering to go ahead, and let them deal with important things, that might spur them. If not, we'll have a compartment. We need one anyway."

"You are trying to trick me by sounding practical. I'm sure if things go sour, my roommates will join us at least."

"Bye, mum," Lily said, turning to her mother and hugging her. She suffered a few questions about her health, then Severus got two, and then she wished them both a safe trip and a pleasant year. Mrs. Evans stayed to see the train off, like she always did.

After the two of them behaved like 'subordinates', Lily and Severus quickly found an unoccupied compartment in what she considered a prime section of the train. If things were going well, then Helen and Mary's plan to be seen would work here, if not, Lily's alternate plan of grabbing two other lads had a better chance of giving them a good selection to choose from.

Lily sat very close to Severus, and when he started to slide down the seat to make room, she put her hand on his leg and said, "We'll move once they get here."

Satisfied that he wasn't going to move on her, she asked him, "That headache potion didn't sort you?"

"My head isn't hurting, and I'm not nauseous so I can keep civil if you Gryffindors can behave yourselves and stay off me."

"Stay off you?" teased Lily, leaning into him more. She rested her head against his arm and commented, "I'm not feeling one hundred percent myself, but I can't complain about any real symptoms to call it sick."

Tentatively, he put his arm around her shoulders, and Lily responded by holding his other hand.

Mary MacDonald and Helen Parkin were thinking things were going well so far. Even though they were using magic, Rosier and Wilkes offered to see to their trunks. They stopped when they saw that Lily and Snape had secured them a good compartment, and were sitting closely together holding hands, in a 'more than best friends' way. He looked less ugly today, and then Helen blurted out why, "She got him to wash his hair."

"You're right. Could still use a cut. About time that Lily started molding that lump of clay, it will give her some practice for when she gets a boyfriend and needs to get him sorted for marrying."

When they knocked, Snape stood up and put his back to the window to allow the ladies to choose their seats first. The newcomers insisted that they continue sitting together, and that they would sit together with one boy next to them, and the other opposite, and then change places once the trolley came, or Lily and Wilkes went to join the other prefects for a bit. With that, they could then sit nearer the other Slytherin for the rest of the trip. Even though this sounded like a casual suggestion, neither Lily or Severus were fooled into thinking it was spontaneous. The Gryffindors had given the seating arrangement a lot of forethought.

They were still fussing over seats when Evan Rosier and Malcolm Wilkes arrived. Once the full-sized trunks were stowed, Helen and Mary told everyone where to sit. There was a slight change when Lily insisted Severus take her window seat because she would need to go to the prefect meeting later. It wasn't a great reason, but she thought that if Sev was being untruthful or felt worse during the trip, it would be easier for him to fall asleep in the corner, rather than risk him leaning onto Wilkes … and drooling on his housemate.

After five of them, excepting Severus, discussed the weather and how fine this summer had been meteorologically, the discussion lost Lily when they started talking of how their families knew each other, who was related to who, and what acquaintances they had in common. At this stage, everyone in the compartment agreed to use their first names, and there was a small laugh because Evans and Evan were so similar.

Malcolm Wilkes was a smooth conversationalist, who executed a flawless transition to quidditch by commenting on the blood red button on Mary's non-school cloak emblazoned with a silver meat cleaver. Of course, Mary was a fan of the Wigtown Wanderers, and as a Gryffindor chaser would one day hope to play professionally for her team. Talk of Hogwarts quidditch was firmly divided by house loyalties, however once the topic of James Potter no longer being allowed to play for Gryffindor was mentioned by Evan Rosier, Mary unleashed a wave of vitriol that Lily did not know her friend was feeling. There was mention of quidditch in Mary's letters that Lily dutifully read but did not weigh heavily.

"That berk and his friends wrote Gryffindor parents to complain to the school to get that slimy perv back onto the team. Without that fat-headed bastard the team stands no chance? Well … hello, the team has two other chasers. And to listen to him sometimes, especially when he's nicked a snitch, Potter can play seeker better. He can play keeper better. Hell, Gryffindor only needs one player on the team – James 'Quidditch' Potter."

Lily and Mary were surprised. Quidditch was important to Helen, but obviously someone had gone too far. The Slytherins allowed her to continue because this kind of outburst was entertaining.

"Freakin' know-it-all acting like he's Merlin's gift! Was telling everyone last year, that he'd be captain this year. I deserve to be captain a hundred times more than him, no matter what rubbish comes out of his mouth about how I stole it from him while he was banned. To hear Potter tell it, it's like he invented quidditch, and is the only one capable of understanding or executing a bit of strategy. Excuse me, it's called the Parkin's Pincher, NOT Potter's Pincher and the Parkins have been playing quidditch since at least 1422 when they founded the Wanderers."

Although unwell, this was just too tempting to allow to pass. Severus fueled the fire by stretching the truth, "I've seen you play. All of us have. You are a team player, Parkin. The number of assists you execute, surely is a testament to your skills and what you bring to the team. Potter? If he picked the quaffle up under the opposing goal, he'd insist on personally taking it all the way to the other end of the field, rather than passing it to better positioned chasers. No comparison can be made on number of goals, since Gryffindor is burdened by such a greedy, self-serving player."

"Absolutely," Helen replied back in agreement. "He would naturally count points scored, when he rationalizes the way he monopolizes the quaffle by saying he's the only one who can get it to the hoop. And Potter's intolerable after a game, win or lose. Always whinging on about how we don't pass it to him enough. And then back in the common room, when his lapdog, Pettigrew, starts, 'James was open', 'James could have scored', 'you're never looking at James' … well, excuse me, I got other things to do during a game than watch James Potter fly in circles, fixing his hair."

They all laughed at that one. Potter had some fixation with his hair, and spent much of the day with his hand on his head, making it look worse than when he got up that morning.

Evan joked, "You know how they have mirrors stuck in the muggle vehicles so they can see themselves? Potter needs to add one of those to his broom so he can admire himself during the game."

"In addition to Pettigrew keeping a pair of omnioculars on him, so he can watch himself later?" Malcolm asked.

"Oh no, it's Pettigrew who watches it later. From what I hear, it's for personal use," Mary said conspiratorially.

"Well, if that greedy git got himself unbanned. He's still got to try out for this team captain," Helen said, tapping a finger to the middle of her chest.

Evan nodded, appreciating the irony and suggested, "If he gives you too much trouble, you could always give him a history lesson on the Wanderers, and show him how a cleaver works."

Wilkes pulled out a very nice pocket watch. "It's about time for Evans and I to go join the prefects. I hope to Merlin no one's jinxed the train's toilet. It gets so old, especially when they hit every Gents at school outside Slytherin."

Rolling his eyes, Evan said, "Tell me about it. At least as a prefect if you have enough boys queued, you can commandeer the Ladies. I have little firsties that can't hold it begging me to cast Impervius so their things don't get ruined." With a sly grin, he got in a dig, "Especially pathetic when it's first year Gryffs."

Severus couldn't be bothered with talk about loos, when Lily left with Wilkes. Rosier was entertaining the two Gryffindors with stories about how poor little Evan would never dare do something to the WC at home because his two older sisters would lock him out, waiting till the next rainstorm to get a shower. Maybe Rosier was right about being able to snag the attentions of both of them, he certainly had it now with talk about his sisters, their husbands, the wedding that happened over the summer, the eldest one's child. They were eating it up with a spoon.

Normally, Lily was not one to feel motion sick, but the walk through the swaying carriage seemed a bit rough today. On the way up to the compartment at the front of the train, Wilkes and her passed the Marauders lounging in compartment they took over. It looked like a full Honeyduke's rubbish bin had been dumped in there with them.

"Evans," called Potter to get her attention. He was hanging out the doorway of their compartment, having seen her go past.

"What?" she replied, and had to stifle a giggle when his hand started messing his hair up. Thinking about them opening her blouse in June was certainly enough to sober her up though.

"All right, Evans?" he asked with a huge smile.

Black leaned out also and shouted, "Oi, prick! What are you waiting for?"

"Language, Black," snapped Wilkes. "We're going to the prefects' meeting, as if it's any of your business."

Potter looked like someone had punched him in the gut as he asked, "Together?"

"We're both prefects, Potter," Lily explained. "All of them are invited."

"No!" Black exclaimed. He did not get rid of Snape, for slimy Wilkes to swoop in and steal Prongs's girl. Wilkes could groom himself, if nothing else.

The train lurched a little to the side, and Lily shifted into Wilkes, who was braced for any changes in the car's movement so he was able to put a steadying hand on her, without the two of them going down in a heap in front of the Marauders. "Let's get going," he suggested, and guided her forwards while keeping an eye behind him on those Gryffindors. They had a habit of attacking people when they weren't expecting it, especially when the whole pack of them were together.

With a defeated attitude, James Potter sat back down.

"Forget her, Prongs."

Peter agreed, "She's not worth it." If he were a girl, he'd go out with James or Sirius in a heartbeat.

Offering better advice, Remus said, "Women are attracted to different things, James. Maybe Lily likes the unknown, with the possibility of danger."

"Who better to be with than Prongs, if there's danger?" asked Peter.

"Me," Sirius answered.

"This is serious, Sirius," Remus reminded him, even though he was using one of their oldest jokes to say it.

James interrupted, "No, no, no. This isn't making sense. Wilkes sleeps in the same dorm as Snape. No way he'd run the risk of being used as a target dummy for whatever Snivelly's cooked up."

"Or the killing curse," Peter suggested with a shudder.

"Snape and Evans are childhood friends, Prongs. He might like Lily seeing his school friend, Wilkes," Remus suggested.

"No way," Sirius interjected. "Snivelly doesn't look at Evans as just a friend."

James made a face. No, it was too horrifying … he could taste a little bit of regurgitated cauldron cake coming back up in his mouth.

"Even he's got to realize that there's never going to be another female in his life, other than his hag mum," Peter laughed.

"We'll just go back in the train and see who she was sitting with," James said with determination.

Peter questioned, "How will we know, when Evans is at the prefect meeting?"

"Leave that to me, Wormtail," Sirius boasted. "A couple smiles and winks, and MacDonald and Parkin will tell us everything. Might even get a couple kisses too," he added with a knowingly raised eyebrow.

"When have you kissed MacDonald or Parkin, Padfoot?" asked Remus.

"They've been dreaming of it for years."

"I think those are called nightmares," James said as he went out the door, and moved towards the back of the train with the other Marauders following.

"Y'know if I didn't love you like a mate, Prongs, I'd be hurt," Sirius complained as he tried to push past James in the tight corridor. "With all the help I'm giving you with Evans too. Tsk Tsk."

"Help? You called another prefect 'prick' just minutes ago."

Sirius waved his hand idly, "I tell it like it is." He hadn't told the others about the curse, because uh … well, James said when they first met he couldn't stand the Dark Arts. And a little pox wasn't Dark Arts … but maybe he'd tell him now that the book was reduced to ashes. Maybe when the news got out that Snivelly wasn't feeling well, and wouldn't be back at school. That would be the right time to say something. Maybe better once he got his first date with Evans under his belt, then he'd know it was the right thing to do.

James and Sirius saw MacDonald and Parkin chatting up a storm, with Evan Rosier between them? Rosier was in Slytherin! Without discussion, Sirius slid their door open and yelled "Oi!"

Sirius had plenty more to say, but lost track of it when he saw Severus Snape sitting on the seat opposite them, next to the window. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Even though his headache was starting to return, Severus would have a sneer for Sirius Black, even if he was on his deathbed.

Parkin asked, "What's it to you?"

MacDonald was speaking at the same time, "Can't knock first?"

Rosier was the most polite and asked, "Can we help you?"

Black was growling at Snape and glaring back with just as much contempt.

"What's going on here?" Potter asked, after a number of inappropriate questions were rejected.

Peter was agog as he looked up at the luggage rack, and saw MacDonald's marked trunk next to one marked Wilkes. They were together since they boarded the train at King's Cross?

Parkin replied to Potter's question, "We were minding our own business, and you louts came busting in here."

"But … they're Slytherins," Potter explained.

MacDonald snarled, "And you lot are pigs."

Black stepped fully into their compartment and reached up to take Parkin's trunk off the rack above Severus. "Come on, get their stuff. They can come sit with us."

"Unhand my trunk, Black."

Lupin suggested, "If they want to stay, Sirius, you should really listen to them."

"They must have put a charm on them, Moony," Potter explained as he reached for MacDonald's trunk.

Both Black's and Potter's hands were hit with Stinging Hexes. All four of the seated passengers had their wands out, and were not about to be pushed around by the Marauders.

Shaking the worst of the sting away by instinct, Potter and Black drew their wands. Pettigrew drew his, but stayed outside the door.

"Everyone, just put your wands away," Lupin announced, moving into the doorway and holding up his hands to show his wand was not out. "This is not going to work."

"Because it's not four on one, Lupin?" Snape drawled, with his wand pointed at Black still. Losing his clothes wouldn't be good enough for Black, the conceited rooster would probably enjoy strutting around the train au natural.

Potter was covering Rosier with his wand. Parkin, sitting next to Rosier, had her wand out too, but saw the opportunity to show James Potter how she scored a goal. He was standing right in front of her with his legs slightly apart. Just one swift kick upwards and she'd be yelling 'Score!'

Wilkes kept his hand on Lily's arm till they almost reached their destination.

The meeting started shortly after they arrived, and it was rather like the one they attended last year, except Lily liked Frank and Alice. This Slytherin Head Girl and Ravenclaw Head Boy did not want to work with each other, and were trying to outdo each other with how bossy they could be.

Their bickering was grating on Lily's nerves, on top of how sick she was starting to feel in this overcrowded compartment. The meeting broke apart when someone silently passed gas, and a fierce argument commenced over who did it.

Without a male counterpart from sixth year Gryffindor, Lily would have been without a teammate to work the train, but Wilkes exchanged a couple words with the snooty sixth year Slytherin female prefect, and then rejoined her in the passageway.

Feeling unsure of how he'd take it, she said, "I'm not feeling too well, Malcolm."

"After that, who would be?" he quipped, while holding his nose to indicate how powerful the stench had been.

"Yes, but in addition to that, on the walk up here, I started feeling motion sick, and then that meeting … well," she lowered her voice and continued, "I think things were better run last year."

"Let's go back then. There's eight prefects with shiny new badges ready to throw their weight around."

Normally, Lily would not want to shirk her responsibilities, but she didn't want to make herself worse. She enjoyed the Welcoming Feast every year, and she could help pick up the slack with the younger students later.

With other prefects behind them, Wilkes did not hold Lily's arm, but did have one hand hovering behind her as they worked their way back through the train. The Marauders were absent from their trash-strewn lair when they passed it. Lily was disgusted at the wrappers and half-eaten items all over the floors and seats, and whatever was smeared inside the outer window. They better not be making a mess somewhere else, or Merlin help them, Lily would unclog the toilets using their heads.

Figures that the gormless wonders would be blocking her way just as Lily was about to reach her goal and have a nice sit down with the girls, Severus and these well-mannered Slytherin lads. She put her hands on her hips ready to give Pettigrew and his friends a piece of her mind.

On the other hand, Wilkes knew the Marauders well enough that talking only worked once they were outnumbered and had their wands out of their hands. People who tried to settle things with their words, got the same treatment as the Marauders' victims. They were not above attacking prefects either.

Without giving Pettigrew a chance, Wilkes shoved the pudgy Marauder into the wall and snarled viciously, "You better be putting that wand away, Pettigrew, or I'll be snapping it."

Surprised by someone showing up to help their prey, Pettigrew dropped his wand to the floor when he saw it was Wilkes, wand already out, that had pushed him aside. Wilkes kicked Pettigrew's wand further down the hall … right to Evans. Excellent, Evans was one of the good guys, she'd give his wand back, and then they'd sort Wilkes and show him what a mistake he made by trying to pick on Peter Pettigrew.

Lupin turned his head, looking away from the standoff in the compartment, to see Wilkes heading right for him, Pettigrew rubbing his stomach, and Evans reaching down to pick up a wand. Maybe now they could settle down and talk reasonably.

Wilkes saw that Lupin was so cocky he hadn't even bothered to take his wand out, and was standing in the doorway to cheer on Potter and Black. All he needed to say was, "Out of the way," and the sycophant was stepping aside to give him room to see clearly into the compartment. Wilkes didn't trust him to actually step past and expose his back.

Lily moved past Wilkes, holding both her own wand and Pettigrew's. This time she was ready for whatever the Marauders tried since they had proved themselves quite capable of attacking opponents without their wands out, especially her.

Disregarding how things appeared, with six witches and wizards holding their wands on each other, Potter smiled brightly, and exclaimed, "Evans! We were just moving yours and the girls' things to our compartment so you can join us there."

Parkin and MacDonald verbally disabused that claim. All argument stopped as they broke out laughing as Potter messed his hair.

"You're all mad," Black declared.

"It would be mad to go back to that sty you created, Black," Evans proclaimed. "I want you lot back in there, and I want it cleaned up before we reach Hogsmeade."

"Not just mad, absolutely barking mad, if you think we'll be ordered around like house elves."

"This is not a negotiation," Wilkes interrupted. "I'm a prefect. Evans is a prefect. And Parkin can tell you what to do with yourselves too, since she's a quidditch captain."

Staring at Parkin, Black cried out, "No. There's some mistake. James is going to get back on the team, and he's got to be captain."

Parkin raised her lip in contempt, and quietly said, "Oh really? Did you two go crying to your mommies that it was not fair that the big kids wouldn't let you play with them?"

"No," Potter replied. "Why are you acting this way? We're a team."

"A team whose captain only wants team players, Potter." Parkin laughed as she continued, "Or is this going to ruin your chance at your lifelong dream of playing every position on the national team and win the World Cup single-handedly for England?"

Potter frowned. He may have mentioned a couple times that he wanted to play for England one day. The rest of the Marauders all agreed that it would be brilliant, but Parkin was twisting his words and making him sound like some conceited jerk. What had Snivelly and his death eater friends been telling them? And even more puzzling, why would they listen to a bunch of lying Slytherins?

"You're crazy," Black replied.

"You four are, if you think you can do whatever you want," Lily snarled. She had had it. She was sick, and she wanted these berks out of here. "Get that compartment clean. Even if you aren't in any position of authority, you should be setting an example for younger students, instead of mistreating them."

"Evans, I don't know what you've heard, but we would never mistreat ..."

"Can it, Potter, before I give you your own wedgy jinx so hard, that the back of your waistband comes up over the back of your head and doubly serves as a blindfold."

The Marauders just threw their hands up in disgust. Girls! Wedgies were just good, clean fun among lads. Bit of horsing around to pass the time. What did they expect, fellows to sit around sharing make-up tips and styling each others hair?

Lily threw Pettigrew's wand at the back of Black as he exited last. As he handed it back to Pettigrew in the corridor, he explained, "Thanks, Padfoot. They snuck up on me and cast a disarming spell. Moony and I would have held them back otherwise."

Sirius just nodded. Of course it went without saying that Moony and Wormtail could have held off Wilkes if he wasn't such a sneak and attacked people without warning. Dirty Slytherin. Anyway, it seemed his plan failed and Snape was one of those few that actually got a booster cure every five years, as recommended by St. Mungo's. Everyone knew you didn't need a booster cure, if everyone else got them. Stupid hypochondriac Slytherin.

They reached their compartment and all four agreed it didn't look so bad. Ignoring the untidiness, the Marauders sat down to discuss what could possibly be going on, and how they were going to free the three sixth year Gryffindor girls from whatever thrall the Slytherins had them under. Let's face it, those three losers didn't even play quidditch.

Feeling like she had reached the end of her rope with yet another pointless fight with the Marauders, Lily just dropped onto the seat and said, "I don't feel so well, Sev."

Twisting aside, ending up with his back pushed up against the outer train window to avoid Lily sitting on his lap, he mentally agreed she looked about the same as he felt. Sick.

Snape's Slytherin roommates exchanged a glance, someone intentionally getting physically close to him while not involved in an altercation? Obviously delirious with fever because friendship only went so far.

"The trolley came by while you two were at the meeting. We got extra for both of you," Mary indicated the small pile of wrapped food and offered Lily a sealed, single-serve bottle of pumpkin juice.

"Thanks, Mary," Lily responded and shifted forward to accept the juice. When she did that, Severus took that opportunity to reclaim his seat. Lily looked to the side to see why he was nudging up against her, and muttered, "Sorry, Sev."

She declined Wilkes's offer to allow her first choice at the sugary loot, and leaned against Sev's arm, enjoying how good the juice tasted.

Suddenly, Severus made an annoyed sound and started scratching the underside of his hands and muttered, "Is there a jinx to make palms itchy?"

Unable to resist, Evan Rosier asked, "Are they also hairy?"

There were a couple giggles, but Severus seriously answered, "No. Or at least not yet."

Wilkes asked, "Snape? I think you got your mates mixed up, Evan."

Groaning, Rosier replied, "Oh no," and slapped his hands over his eyes. "Why'd you have to remind me about that … now there's going to be puked chocolate frog everywhere."

Loving gossip, Mary asked, "Who?"

"I'm afraid what happens in Slytherin, must stay in Slytherin, fair Mary. Suffice it to say, we have never caught our comrade, Severus, in such an act," Malcolm Wilkes replied.

"Ugh," blurted Severus in disgust. He gave a shudder and continued, "Did it even look like he was enjoying it? And those noises."

Wilkes and Rosier laughed. Mulciber didn't care who saw or heard, and it was rather revolting.

Helen suggested, "Well, then how about we share a secret about each other? Nothing bad, but something no one would suspect."

With a crafty gleam in her eye, Mary added, "Since Lily and Severus are such good friends, maybe they could tell each other's. Lily tell us something about Severus."

"Uh …" she looked at her best friend, drawing a blank. Then Lily said, "He shaves using a charm."

"Duh, who doesn't?" Helen asked. "You have to give us something a little more secret than that."

Annoyed, because it sounded like Lily was the last person to know that wizards shaved with a charm, gave a bit of a huff, then said, "Sev snores."

Malcolm laughed and said, "I think half of us knew that too."

Severus was not helping her with any hints, so Lily fished through her memories of what about her friend surprised her that was not horrible. She stopped biting on her lower lip, and announced, "Severus enjoys cucumber sandwiches made by my sister."

There were some puzzled glances, so Severus elaborated, "Lily's sister may be a muggle, but she is excellent in the kitchen." He did not tell them that he was only allowed the misshapen rejects, but the filling and consistency of those little sandwiches was absolutely perfect.

Not pleased with such an insignificant revelation, Mary said, "Hopefully you can tell us something a little more secretive about Lily, Severus?"

He shrugged then said, "She likes snooping through things. Not sneaky, because I let her go through all my stuff, rather than warding it. It sort of like she's playing a game and putting together a puzzle."

"And all you came up with it that Severus likes cucumber sandwiches?" Evan asked.

"Well, I didn't want to blurt out the really secret stuff," Lily replied with a relieved laugh of her own. Her friend could have said any number of embarrassing things about her.

"So Evan, what about Malcolm?" Mary asked.

"Oh, I don't know. He only has one secret I know of, but we have another prefect here. And Lily's not known for her sense of humor."

Lily said, "I have a sense of humor, just not for jokes that hurt people."

Malcolm said, "It's not like that at all. If I'm guessing correctly about what Evan's talking about. When I see small bits of rubbish around, like broken quills, ink caps, corners of parchment … you know, I transfigure them into those lemon sweets that the headmaster likes. The house elves are going to clean them up anyway.

"And for Evan, his secret is that he can't stand going without a meal and nips down to the kitchens whenever the food's gone off at our table."

"How does the food go off between the kitchen and your table?"

"Someone thinks they are being funny. Used to think it was Snape actually because he's such a picky ass about what he eats, but it started happening when he wasn't there. Besides, if you listen to him about food, you know that he could be a lot more creative. Earthworms on the platter of chicken, dirt sprinkled on top of the scalloped potatoes, toast with hairs that also tastes like it's been dragged over Mrs. Norris's butt, catsup puddings, pitchers of gravy instead of juice? All juvenile stuff. I'm pretty sure it's the house elves polluting cereal with raisins though."

Just as Helen and Mary were going to expose each other, their compartment door opened, and Regulus Black announced to the fourth years with him, "There's my hero."

Not one of them acknowledged themselves as the object of Regulus's adoration. He came into the compartment, and said, "No need to be modest, Snape. I've already told my mates how you outsmarted my troll of a brother once again over the summer. Just wanted to let you know in person that I appreciated it, and got over a week of amusement from him walking around talking to himself like a crazed house elf. Probably don't even need to warn you that he was swearing revenge."

Telling tales to Slytherins was a sure way to have everything get muddled up, so Severus muttered, "I didn't do anything. Your brother is only blaming me for his own stupidity."

Regulus wagged his finger and slyly agreed, "But isn't that the beauty of it? Having the restraint and patience to let him."

Severus only shrugged. He really didn't care what Regulus thought. This did not seem like he was calling in the favor of giving him a house robe and tie in June so he did not have to tolerate it.

"They had no business there, and then get Magical Law Enforcement on our doorsteps asking questions. I don't know what they told them, but the one that showed up at my house made it sound like I spend my holiday hanging round a pub," Lily explained. For Severus's benefit, since his father seemed to frequent that one, added, "Not that there's anything wrong with that pub. If a student doesn't have a magical family, any spells cast around their house looks like underage magic to the Ministry."

Can't Snape put a muzzle on her? Regulus thought. Jeez, who wants to hear about a mudblood's hardships? Instead of cuing the violins for Evans' insignificant tale of woe, let's cue my exit music. "Well, didn't want to bother you, when you're obviously in the middle of something here. However, I truly wanted you to know how much I prize what you did, even if it seemed like so little."

When he left, Evan Rosier rolled his eyes, "Black. Didn't even knock. Always acting the prince."

Malcolm agreed, "Both of them. They won't admit they are alike, both arrogant."

Still feeling unwell, but with her blood boiling, Lily said, "Well, at least the younger one hasn't taken it upon himself to relieve his boredom by threatening other students' siblings and then destroying a muggle pub for kicks. Their next stop was probably one of our houses, if the muggles hadn't jumped them."

Evan laughed, "Sirius Black was beaten up by a muggle?"

"Potter too, it was in Lily's letter," Parkin added with a laugh.

Severus sat silent, rubbing at a persistent itch through his shirt. The Marauders' failure over the summer was old news. With the introduction of Regulus Black, what would be next, reliving the 'June affair' when he was completely disrobed and Lily's chest was exposed with a jinx? Surely everyone had a long enough laugh over the summer to not need to continue reminiscing about it for the next two years till they graduated?

Lily didn't seem to need him to continue the conversation about what happened, even though she technically wasn't there, so he just leaned the side of his face against the cool glass of the window. His headache was so bad, Severus wondered if he could skip the Welcoming Feast. Would Wilkes already have the password?

His recuperating doze was interrupted when Lily bothered him. Why couldn't she leave him out of it? The pub was improved, and Potter and Black didn't get into any real trouble, yet again.

"What?" he asked.

"You don't look well, Sev. Are you all right, 'cause you look kind of greenish."

"I think it's the light in here," Mary suggested. "You look green too, Lily."

"Uh … not that I really want to know if you got a pimple, Snape, but that one on your neck looks a little too purple," Evan Rosier said, while not moving closer to investigate. If Evans didn't seem to mind touching him, she could get an eyeful of it.

Malcolm said, "You lot look normal colored. It's just them, and I think you are right about that thing on his neck. Uh, did you two drink any potions with dragon ingredients, or travel to … oh where was it? They had a couple cases somewhere this summer of dragonpox."

"Godric's Hollow."

"We don't live near anyone magical," Lily said. "And we only brewed the potion for class and bottled it. It didn't have any dragon liver or blood."

"Perhaps in the group that was questioning about the pub. Someone was about to come down with it. That's really how the pox spreads. Before the pox are visible, it's already contagious," Helen said knowingly.

Malcolm stood up, and announced, "I'm going to let them know up front."

"But what if we don't have it?" Lily asked. Even though Helen's explanation made sense, that one wizard that she met was at her house five or six weeks ago. If he came down with dragonpox, wouldn't they go backwards through his cases to make sure everyone he contacted, while contagious, got a dose of the cure?

"Better safe than sorry. We have less than an hour before we arrive in Hogsmeade, but I don't think we should wait until we're pulling into the station to decide if you look sicker."

Mary suggested, "Maybe it was something those Marauders cast on them to make them turn green slowly? Make us look foolish to run around crying 'pox'.

Evan was scratching his chin, because even the mention of dragonpox got him itchy, and countered, "Why cast it on both of them? Snape was sitting in here, and Evans didn't come till later. Casting it on just one of them would have done the trick."

"I am itchy," Severus commented.

Lily touched the one spot on his upper neck just below his chin, and said, "Sev isn't the spotty sort. I don't think this is acne. Can you undo a couple buttons so I can see where you were scratching earlier?"

It didn't take more than two buttons to see that there were ill-looking purple bumps on his green-hued skin further down his neck and on his upper chest. The other four started scratching themselves because they couldn't help it.

Wilkes put up his hands, "Well, there's no use in pretending it's something else. You two have dragonpox. Severus is simply breaking out in pustules faster than you, Lily. You are almost as green as him now."