The Unexpected Love [Rewrite]

Chapter 5

"I hate you so much!" Lily hissed, feeling the anger surge in her chest. 

James laughed, his eyes sparkling even in the darkness. "I thought you'd appreciate a joke."

"That was not a bloody joke! That was cruel. I thought you were a professor." Lily huffed. But the anger decreased a little. 

James opened his mouth to speak, but his words became unclear. Lily's head cocked to the side, and she felt herself lose balance. She tried to get words out of her mouth, but her tongue wouldn't cooperate. And then she felt nothing. 

~ 

"Rennervate." 

Lily's fingers curled around a soft surface, and her eyelids opened slightly. She tried to sit up, but she was pushed back down. 

"Not now, Miss Evans. You need to rest."

Her green eyes scanned the room, and she finally realized where she was. 

"Why...am...I...here?" Lily said slowly, her head spinning a little. 

"You fainted." Madam Pomfrey replied, pressing a vial to Lily's lips. "Drink."

Lily's shaky hands lifted the contents into her mouth, and it left a sour taste on her tongue. She wrinkled her nose, but everything around her became clearer, and her head stopped spinning.

Lily stepped off her bed and onto the floor, but stumbled. 

"You need to stay here and rest tonight." Madam Pomfrey said, her tone stern. 

"I only fainted, I'll be fine." she lied. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible. 

The woman sighed and nodded in defeat. "Alright, but if you start feeling dizzy, have someone bring you back for another potion."

"Yes, I will, thank you."

Lily walked away, and just as her fingertips brushed the doorknob, Madam Pomfrey spoke once more. 

"Potter was here earlier. Carried you over here himself. He wanted to stay here, and I had to threaten to hex him so he would leave."

Lily stopped and turned around quickly. "James was here?"

But Madam Pomfrey had already gone back to her office. 

~ 

"Why were you in the hospital wing last night?!" Marlene demanded as the two walked to Care of Magical Creatures. 

"I fainted." Lily replied, not wanting to explain anything to her. Madam Pomfrey's words about James were still running through her head, over and over like a broken record. 

"Why?"

Lily shrugged her shoulders. Her eyes were unfocused, as she was lost in her thoughts, and she crashed into someone. Lily looked up, and her heart began beating at an unnatural rate. There were a thousand things she wanted to ask him, but she only mouthed 'thank you' before rushing off to class with Marlene. 

~ A Few Months Later ~

Sirius walked through the dark corridors of the castle with his hands in his pockets. He sighed, and saw his breath form white clouds before his face. The weather had not gotten much warmer since the holidays, which caused him to shiver. 

He saw Severus Snape walking toward him, his greasy nose buried in a book as usual. Sirius's heart began to beat rapidly, and anger filled his chest. His eyes drifted toward the foggy sky, where the moon was almost completely full. A cold smile appeared on his face as an idea formed. 

"Snivellus," he greeted, pretending to be casual. 

Snape looked up, his onyx eyes filling with coldness as his thin fingers reached for his wand. "What do you want, Black?"

"To help you." Sirius replied simply. His smile widened as Severus's fingers released their grip on his wand. 

"How could you possibly help me?" he asked, his voice curious. 

"You always wonder what we do on full moons."

"No, I know what you do. You follow that Lupin boy when he transforms into a werewolf!"

"But you can't possibly know that for sure."

Snape watched him carefully, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm listening."

"Once a month, on the full moon, the four of us head out to the Whomping Willow. There's a knot near the roots of the tree. If you poke it with a stick, it will immobilize the tree. Once you do that, there's a tunnel that will lead you straight to us. Then you can see what we really do." Sirius explained. The smile never disappeared from his face. 

"Fine." Snape said simply, pretending to be disinterested although his heart was racing with excitement. 

"We'll see you there tomorrow night. I'll be waiting."

~

As the four boys walked toward the Whomping Willow underneath their Invisibility Cloak, Sirius's stomach filled with guilt. He knew it was a bad idea to have given that information to Severus, but he'd gone and done it anyway. And he couldn't take it back. But the guilt filled his body, squeezed his throat, and invaded his thoughts until they were inside the Shrieking Shack, waiting for Remus to begin his transformation. Sirius's heart pounded in his chest, waiting for Severus to arrive, waiting for Remus to attack him, waiting for his friends to know he'd betrayed their trust. 

Remus screamed and fell forward, his dark green eyes losing their color. His pupils dilated, making his eyes become dark and inhuman. He screamed and groaned, feeling his bones rearrange, his skin stretch, his hair force itself out of his pores, and the wolf finally take over. James and Sirius transformed, and the four boys were no longer human. Sirius heard footsteps outside, having enhanced hearing, and his head turned toward the stag standing next to him in warning. However, it was too late. Severus Snape looked through the tunnel, and the werewolf smelled human flesh. It lunged forward, following the smell, and the large black dog pushed him back roughly. 

James changed back into a human and rushed back up the tunnel, pushing Snape backward. 

"You git!" Severus yelled angrily. 

"Get out. You have to get out!" 

The branches of the Whomping Willow sensed their presence and lunged toward them. James pushed the boy forward again, this time with more force. Snape fell backward on his bottom, and the branch cut James's cheek, drawing blood. Snape crawled backward, trying to get away as quickly as possible. The wild tree lifted James by his ankle and tossed him away. However, the boy still stood up and ran, taking Severus with him. They heard howls behind them, and Snape screamed loudly, seeing the werewolf chasing them. James turned into his Animagus form and pushed back the wolf along with the dog. After much struggle, the four animals left in the opposite direction. Snape took off running toward the castle, knowing he had to tell someone, anyone. However, he found himself heading toward the Hospital Wing. As soon as he opened the doors, he found Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore staring at him. 

"Professor--" he began, out of breath. "The-the Lupin boy! He's a werewolf! And--" But then he stopped. Although he was filled with anger at Sirius for deceiving him, it was he who had followed the advice and risked his own life. Besides, James Potter had just saved his life. Could he really bring himself to expose them for doing something illegal?

"And what, Mr. Snape?" Professor Dumbledore asked, his half-moon spectacles shining. 

Severus's heart raced, knowing he only had a split second to make a decision.