Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter Twenty-Eight

OK, so hear me out. You know that scene in GoF where Harry tells Cedric about the dragons? Go and watch it. And now tell me that Cedric DOESN'T FANCY HARRY??? HOW IS THAT STRAIGHT???

The September full moon landed on a Tuesday, and so on Wednesday afternoon, Silvanna rushed straight from Herbology to the hospital wing, duplicating her notes from that day as she went.

To her great surprise, the other boys had beat her there, even though she knew she'd left the greenhouse first. Deciding not to dither too much on the topic, she talked Remus through the brewing of a fire protection potion - which Sirius joked they should offer to Severus next time he made Silvanna angry. She only paused briefly when Pomfrey was around, with Remus keeping the notes concealed under his bedsheets so he didn't get told off.

That Saturday, Silvanna found herself holed up in the library as usual, but she was accompanied by someone else, other than Remus. "I tried to shake them off," he whispered to her as they sat down at her table, "But James is at Quidditch practice, and they need a mother hen."

"Piss off, Moony," said Sirius, grinning as he pulled up a chair. It sounded quite odd in his posh accent. Reluctantly, Silvanna put her feet down and gave up her footrest for Peter, who scurried into the seat without a word.

But, despite the intrusion, Silvanna was left relatively undisturbed. They didn't spend their time doing anything useful, like homework, instead focussing their energies on complex charms and potions that they could never do as twelve year olds. Maybe it was for a prank or something. Silvanna settled her mind on that, going back to her reading.

This continued again and again, whenever James was at one of his bi-weekly quidditch practices. Other than that, Remus was spending less and less time with her in the library, and they had now commandeered another table at the other side of the library that overlooked the forest. Silvanna noticed that they'd started taking the great, dusty volumes they read so diligently out the library and back up to their dorm to study at night. She didn't want to know what they were up to.

The October full moon passed just as the September one had, this time on a Friday, so Remus didn't even miss any lessons. Unfortunately that meant Silvanna was stuck babysitting Peter and Sirius on Saturday morning while James was at practice, but they shut up eventually when she bribed them with the answers to that week's History of Magic homework.

Soon enough, it was Halloween. Just like the leaving feasts and the start of term feasts, it was absolutely magical, and Silvanna filled her guts up. At least, she thought she had, but she managed to keep down a load more chocolate frogs and fizzing whizbees when the second years had their usual post-feast party. This year they played a few games of cards, which Silvanna was very good at, and a few rounds of who-can-aim-a-fudge-fly-in-Peter's-mouth-from-furthest-away (Lily won) before going to bed in the early hours of the morning.

That weekend was not only Sirius's birthday - as the large banner in the Great Hall happily reminded them - but also the first Quidditch match of the season. Silvanna was up bright and early - though she didn't need to be - and to her surprise, so was Marlene. Silvanna found herself cornered as she left the bathroom, acutely aware she was wearing nothing but a towel.

"Can I do your hair?" Marlene demanded, biting at her nails.

"Uh-what?" stammered Silvanna, wondering what she was talking about. She thought she looked rather deranged.

"Go back to bed!" came the moan from Lily's bed.

"Your hair," whispered Marlene. "Can I plait it? It makes me feel better when I'm nervous." Silvanna noticed her own was already in one long one down her back. Feeling pitiful, she agreed, on the condition that Marlene actually allowed her to get dressed first.

But the house patriotism didn't end there. It wasn't just Silvanna's duty to wear a scarlet scarf and cool the nerves of one of the chasers. Oh no. On Mary's insistence, she and Lily also had stripes of red lipstick painted high onto their cheekbones to match Mary, before she was finally allowed to go to breakfast.

Mary spent the whole time trying to get the boys to put lipstick on their face too, and it looked like Peter was just about to give in, when Sirius suggested they all start heading to the pitch, taking their seats.

Quidditch had always bored Silvanna, and in all honesty she didn't understand the game. She knew James and Marlene had to try and get the quaffle through a hoop, but avoid the bludgers. And she knew someone had to catch the snitch, but she wasn't sure if it had to be the seeker that did that.

Regardless, she quite enjoyed the game, and James and Marlene played very well. Slytherin were rough players, with their smallest one being Mulciber, who happened to be the second tallest person in their year (after Remus) and was certainly the largest. He looked like he could push the Hogwarts Express to London and back. At one point, he tackled Marlene, and Silvanna thought she was going to fall as she clung onto both her broomstick and the quaffle like the idiot she was. But she managed to pass to Gould, who scored, and pulled herself back onto her broomstick.

James really was a spectacular flyer, and he swooped and dived around the opposing chasers as though he were a dolphin cutting through the waves of the ocean. He scored six goals in total, which Peter told her was very good. Marlene scored four and Gould scored five, which brought the score to one-hundred-and-fifty. The Slytherins (although it was difficult to track) were at about sixty points.

Suddenly, two of the players dived, speeding towards the ground. Silvanna wondered for a moment what was going on, but then the Gryffindor swept into the air, holding their fist high. The stands erupted into raucous cheers, and Silvanna joined in as the commentator told them that Gryffindor had won. Silvanna had no idea how, or why, but she was glad that they did, and that Marlene and James had played so well.