In your skin

Rescuing the false Prince

In the morning, as planned, the four boys gathered their things - including a potion that Severus had made to undo the polyjuice potion -and walked downstairs to meet the Potters. Severus told them about the visit he wanted to make and soon enough both agreed, just telling him to make sure to return before it was dark. The four boys nodded and walked to the fireplace, telling the Potters that there was a mansion nearby that was abandoned. Once the four were inside, Severus said the name of the mansion and the four of them disappeared in the fire, only to reappear in the fireplace of the mansion.

It was, indeed, abandoned. Pettigrew stayed behind the other three while Severus lead the way, going through what looked like a living room after a hurricane. The whole place seemed to be falling apart, and even the ceiling was broken and had a few pieces missing. It seemed to have been a great mansion, but now it was basically ruins.

"How do you know about this place? It looks almost like the Black mansion. Or the Malfoy manner" Black said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Do you fancy going around finding ruins to explore?"

"My mother is Eileen Prince. She was from the Prince's family, but my grandfather sent her away when she fell in love with a muggle. My father. When she found out that my granddad wasn't here anymore, she came back, only to see the entire place in ruins. She brought me here sometimes, told me stories about the old days" Severus explained, shrugging lightly as they made their way through the main hall and out to the gardens. "It had always looked like ruins for the muggles, but now it's actually destroyed."

"You are the heir of the Prince's?!" Black asked, his eyes wide, and while Lupin was also surprised, he didn't show off that much. Severus simply shrugged it off. He wasn't very fond of his family in general. Not the Snapes or the Princes.

"Yes I am, but the fortune is nonexistent now. My mother said that she thought it was my uncle, her brother, that stole everything and moved away, but neither of us cared that much." He said, while they walked out of the gardens and ended up in a small field with a forest not far ahead. "That's the way to Lily's. Let's go"

After that revelation, the four boys stayed silent, but Severus could hear Black's mind working on the information given. Yes, it was strange to think that little Severus 'Snivellous' Snape had been the heir of the Princes all along, but that wasn't exactly the moment to have an identity crises over it. They walked through the forest, still in complete silence, and then they finally arrived to Lily's house. They just didn't expect to run into the girl as soon as they turned back to the forest.

"What the... Potter? Black? Remus? Peter? What are you four doing here?" Lily asked, surprised, and then irritated. "Why are you here?" she asked, again, growling, her eyes on fire. Severus stepped back but then shook his head.

"Nothing, Lily. We have to go" he said, passing by her and being followed by the other three, all of them giving each other worried looks. However, that seemed to be the wrong answer, because Lily got even angrier and ran to them, stopping in front of Severus.

"Wait a second. You can't just come to my house and pretend this has nothing to do with me" she said, and then looked at the direction they were going. "Wait... That's the way to Sev's... What are you all going to do there?" she asked, putting her hands on her waist. Something inside Severus lit up. She was that protective over him?

"I know it sounds rude, Evans, but this really doesn't have anything to do with you, and we kind of need to go" Black said, walking to her and imitating her pose. With a groan and a blush, she let her arms fall free on her side and then looked at Severus.

"I don't trust you. I'm going with you four. I don't want any of you to do anything with him" she said, and while Lupin shared a worried look with Severus, Black just growled and nodded.

"Alright princess. Lead the way" he said, pushing her forward and nodding for the others to walk. She looked at him angrily but continued to walk whatsoever, being followed by the other four.

During the way, she tried to take something out of them, but neither of them gave her any indication about what they were going to do. So, after a few failed attempts, she got quiet herself, and the five continued walking through the small forest until they reached the muggle village.

"Here we are. Now, tell me what you are going to do" she said, but then Lu'pin got closer to her and held her hand.

"I promise that it isn't anything bad. As soon as it is over, we will tell you. Now you need to promise me that you will hide here and wait until we are back. Please Lily" he said, looking deeply into her eyes, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

"Alright. But if you do anything to hurt him, I swear that I'll get the four of you expelled" she said, and Lupin nodded with a smile. Then, the four boys reunited and passed their plan one more time before the three marauders went off to do what they had to. "Why aren't you going with them?" she asked Severus, and he looked at her calmly.

"I have to do something else" he said, shrugging, and she nodded, but her face still showed that she didn't trust them at all. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. You'll see"

For a moment, he saw her eyes relaxing a bit, and he felt dread. Since when did she trust Potter? Well, he wasn't exactly Potter after all.

When James woke up again, he saw it was already morning. He needed to put his plan into action.

He grabbed his own wand, leaving Snape's as a backup, and waited behind the door, so when Tobias came up, he wouldn't see him. He would only use magic if it was absolutely necessary, but he was already guessing it would be. He waited, waited, waited, and after a long time, he heard someone yelling outside the house. He ran to the window, and his eyes widened. What the hell were Sirius, Remus and Peter doing there?!

After a bit of yelling and egg throwing - and James could just see how much fun Sirius was actually having - he saw Tobias walking out of the house with his face redder than ever. He growled to the three boys, who just looked at each other and started to throw eggs at the man. James held back a laugh, but oh boy how his heart was lighter to see them around. Then, the three ran away and Tobias went after them, being closely followed by Eileen. And then...

Then he saw himself coming out of the bushes and rushing to the house. Wait. Was that...

Snape had received the letter.

Snape was there to help him.

James had never been happier to see that bastard in his entire life.

When Severus saw his parents running behind the three boys, he rushed out of the bushes and walked inside. He looked around the house for a few seconds before he ran upstairs. When he tried to open his room's door, it would budge. Magic. How the hell had his father convinced his mother of locking him up on his room? Or maybe, she hadn't.

With a sigh, Severus focused all his attentions on remembering where his mother used to hide her magic key. She used it when he was little to protect his room from anything that could harm him. Then, he remembered, and walked closer to the door.

"Potter?" he asked, and then heard someone coming closer.

"Snape? Oh thank Merlin you arrived! I-"

"Shut up and listen to me. We don't have much time. Can you see a small scratch on the wall next to my bed?" he asked, and waited.

"Yes. I see it"

"Go over there and put your hand inside. It's a magic portal" Severus said, looking at the door in front of him. "Inside, you'll find a key that will open the door."

"On my way Snape" Potter said, and Severus waited. After a minute or two, the door opened, and the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds. "Wow. I look great"

"And I look like shit. Come on Potter" Severus said, but before they left, Potter grabbed Severus' wand and gave it to him. Then, the two of them ran as fast as they could outside, looking around and checking if there was anyone coming. When they saw it was clear, they ran to the bushes, where Lily was hiding.

When the two stopped, they looked at each other and both chuckled. Lily, however, stood up with wide eyes, and walked to Potter with trembling hands.

"What on earth happened to you?"

Well... That was a long story.