Carve Me Open / r.l. + s.b. /

Snivellus

"Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and they will come forth, later, in uglier ways.

— Sigmund Freud

Major Edits included in Author's Note
Completed March 17, 2022

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Hogwarts, September 1974 (Fourth Year)

Remus had damaged two sets of fairy wings, lost a couple of spoonfuls of Doxy eggs, and even gone so far as to overheat their potion, prompting them to start all over again and lag behind the rest of the class. Sirius reflected bitterly that such humiliation would never have occurred if their professor had not decided to move their seats that particular year.

Pouting would accomplish nothing, but the Marauders couldn't help but wallow in their misery as they were forced to spend forty-five minutes of their day apart. The boys had become so acclimated to one other's presence that this period appeared to last forever. They stared at the clock, eyes wide and lips clinched, hoping that the hands would move a little quicker towards the end of the block than usual.

Sirius avoided talking to Julienne, though she didn't appear to mind, and James had been too engrossed with the back of Remus's head to hear a word Frank had said. Peter had handled the transition better than the other two, putting in the bare minimum of effort with Andrews, but it was far greater than what his other two friends were throwing in. It would look impossible for three of them to go through a basic Girding Potion in the remaining thirty minutes of class, but Remus was enjoying himself in the change of atmosphere even as he battled to achieve the criteria of the exercise.

"Rem, don't forget the Doxy eggs this time," Lily mentioned, voice breaking a comfortable silence.

Remus had eventually hit step nine of the procedure, the furthest they'd been in their entire expedition, and he meticulously calculated his materials. With such huge hands and fingers, chores like these were tough; Lily was far more suited to the monotony of Potions. Her thin, slender hands were calm and steady, always knowing what to grip. She was never as pushy with her churning or as careless with her Doxy eggs as Remus, and he could only think how disastrous it may have been if she had been. He could see why Slughorn was fond of her.

Lily reduced her speed for Remus, despite the fact that she was a near prodigy at Potions. He was certain she would have been finished ten minutes earlier if he hadn't been such a clumsy oaf, and he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. She, on the other hand, didn't appear to mind him at all. She grinned with him, her deep green eyes squished together, and pushed him, which was far more than Sirius had done in their three years as Potions partners.

To put it simply, having this new companion was a welcome change of pace, and Remus felt as though he'd already improved his Potions abilities in thirty minutes with Lily than he had during Sirius' three-hour lectures in the library.

With a steady hand, Remus tipped the final measure of Doxy eggs into the potion, watching as Lily flicked a few Dragonfly thoraxes into the mix.

"You're quite good at this," he pointed out, tawny hair drooping over his eyes. It was a wonder he didn't singe it off; it had been growing at an alarming rate already.

Lily tilted her head to the side in thought, "I wouldn't say good."

"I'd say bloody excellent," he chuckled as he watched her mix their stew. It became cardinal crimson, with bubbles fizzing out around the rims, indicating the next stage. Slughorn made sure to talk clearly in this lecture, and Remus took notes. "Let's see what happens here. Now we have to boil it till it turns blue."