Cast Aside

Street Fights and Shared Futures

A/N Ok. It was an extra day. Sorry. Several of you lovely commenters have mentioned ideas about how their interactions with Snape might go. I wanted to say that they were all good ideas. By the time I posted the chapter that sparked those comments though, I had already written a good bit of their meet ups. I hope how I've plotted this out doesn't disappoint. Snape isn't a huge part, but he will get significant screen time I think, and eventually his own chapter. 

Chapter 11

Out on the street, they ducked into an alley and dissilusioned themselves. Thankfully, they didn't have long to wait before their target stalked into town. Even better, he appeared to be alone. That was, until his other tail beat them to him.

The marauders, still missing James, stepped out of a shop just in time to follow him up the street. Not caring about subtlety, they immediately began taunting Severus.

"That's hardly sporting, three on one." Fabian clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Do they know he's already a Death Eater?"

Sticking close to the shop fronts as they followed, George answered for a still quietly stewing Hermione. "Well, they probably believe he is at this point but, like the lady said, they've been ganging up on him since their first train ride. He can give as good as he gets now but not as an ickle firstie."

She snorted. "Part of me thinks his time in Azkaban made Sirius a tolerable human being."

George would never wish the hell he imagined Azkaban to be on an innocent man, but she had a point. Young Sirius Black was a bully and from what Hermione had told him of Snape's memories, an arrogant berk as well. Considering his upbringing, he pictured a Draco Malfoy but without all the blood purity nonsense. Surely he could grow up a bit without going to Azkaban.

As they followed the boys down the street, away from the busy shop fronts and towards the small residential blocks, the taunts grew nastier and hexes and curses started flying. Hermione grumbled and put up a protego around them so they wouldn't get hit in the crossfire. Now would have been a perfect opportunity if not for the three interlopers. What he wouldn't give for some Peruvian Darkness Powder.

Fabian spoke close to his ear. "Gid and I will knock out those three, you two go for Snape from across the way?"

"Sounds good. Ready Hermione?"

"Yes. Give us thirty seconds to get out of the way." Groping around blindly, her hand smacked him in the chest and twice down his arm before she grabbed his hand and tugged him across the street.

Drawing his wand, George kept hold of Hermione's hand so as not to lose her. When the marauders dropped suddenly, Snape spun around in place looking for the new threat, wand and protego shield up.

"Who's there? Is that you Mulciber?"

Hermione went first with a silent stunner. It bounced off his shield but now he knew where they were. He shot a nasty looking hex in their direction which only missed their own shield narrowly. George threw a stunner of his own, not wanting to risk actually hurting him with anything more dangerous.

The three of them went back and forth for nearly a minute before a stunner from where Gideon or Fabian must have been got him while he was focused on the threat he had seen. Dropping their disillusionment charms, they stepped towards the four boys, all prone at uncomfortable looking angles. Apparently unable to help herself, Hermione trod on Peter's hand as she stepped around him.

"I've heard young Black here mention he wants to be an auror after school." Gideon shook his head. "We weren't exactly being quiet as we followed them. He'll have to work on paying better attention to his surroundings."