Nah, She Didn't

~ Part 37 ~ I Know it's a Concept You Cease to be Able to Undertstand ~

Walk This Way - Aerosmith

-James POV-

"Hey mate, you seen Snivs?" I ask Sirius, taking a seat next to him in the Great Hall. I'd gone back to Potions with Lily and Sirius, and was hoping that Snape was already kicked out of the school.

"Look at the Slytherin table," Sirius says through gritted teeth. I narrow my eyes and turn around in my seat to the Slytherin table, and see none other than Severus Snape sitting there smirking with the Death Eater Crew.

I shoot up in my chair, and storm around the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables to the Slytherin table.

"SNIVELLUS!" I roar. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

"Well, it's lunch, and I tend to want to eat," Snape replies, sneering.

"I mean why aren't you kicked out of school?!" I shout in a frenzy, not noticing the majority of the school's stare.

"Oh, McGonagall just sent me to have a chat with Dumbledore, and here I am," Snape answers with a smirk.

"No punishment?! You fucking-"

"No punishment, Potter. Now, scurry back to your Marauder friends, I don't want to be in the presence of a blood traitor any longer."

"Why you little-" I begin to say, blood boiling, launching myself towards him.

"Mr. Potter, that's quite enough!" McGonagall thunders. "Go back to your house table. I believe you've gotten enough punches in for a lifetime!"

I look at Minnie pleadingly, but her stare is firm, so I reluctantly oblige. I shoot a glare towards Snape, and sulk over to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat back in between Sirius and Lily.

"Can you believe it?! He didn't even get a-" I begin to say.

"Restrain yourself from cursing, dear James," Lily suggests weakly.

"-bloody punishment!" I finish, not using the word commonly used as a replacement for making love as I had been planning to.

"Well what happened then? Did anything happen to him?" Sirius asks.

"Something should have happened to him!" I yell.

"Well, technically, all we have is Lily's word to prove this..." Remus trails off.

"Remus is right," Lily says.

"Lily, don't get me wrong, we all believe you," Remus rushes to fix. "It's just, I'm sure Dumbledore probably wouldn't kick out a student unless there is deliberate proof."

"But did you see how she was trembling when she told the story?" James asked helplessly. "Anyone could tell that what she was saying was true!"

"Wait, hold on, hold on!" Alice cuts in.

"Why was Lily trembling when she told a story?" Mary asks.

"What's all this about Lily's word and Snape's punishment and shit?" Marlene asks.

Lily winces. "Um... Snape... he..." Lily starts.

"He crucio-ed Lily." I whisper grimly, saving Lily from having to repeat the story for the third time.

Marlene face contorts, and turns red in anger.

"He what?" Alice yells.

"How did this happen?! When? Is Lily okay? Are you okay, Lily?!" Mary asks with worried eyes.

Marlene just sits there staring at the Slytherin table. Lily seems to know what she's about to do, and says, "Marlene, don't do it!" But it's too late.

Marlene lurches up, storms around the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, and to the Slytherin table. She stands right behind Snape, grabs his shoulder, whirls him around, and punches him right in the nose.

"You lay a finger on Lily, or any of us, there will be a lot more of that, from a lot more people," Marlene snarls, voice dropping with venom. "You see"-at this, Marlene smiles mock-sweetly-"Lily has friends! I know that it is a concept that you cease to be able to understand, but friends don't see their friends get hurt and do nothing about it. And they especially don't purposefully hurt that friend, which is why Lily had repeatedly told you that the two of you aren't friends! Clear? Good," Marlene storms away at that, and promptly sits back down by us.

"Oooh, girl, you go!" Sirius quips.

Lily gives a small smile. "Thanks, Marls. But really, you're just going to get in trouble, you shouldn't have-"

"I dare you to finish that sentence, Lily," Marlene warns. "Because even after what Snape did, you're still worried more about others than yourself, and I won't have it."

But before anyone else can speak, McGonagall comes sweeping over. "Children, I'm afraid I must give you detentions. Black, Lupin, McKinnon, and Potter to my classroom at 5:30 this evening," Minnie says, without the twinkle in her eye that is often present when talking to our bunch. "And Miss Evans, I want to let you know that I do believe you. But this matter is of Mr. Snape and Dumbledore, and I'm afraid I cannot change it. I apologize."

McGonagalk briskly walks off, not giving us a chance to reply.

"So McGonagall believes Lily, and he's still not kicked out?" I ask furiously.

"Snape didn't even get, at the very least, detention!" Sirius exclaimed. "And we did!"

"But that punch was worth it," Marlene mutters with a mischievous grin.

"Never said it wasn't."

~ ~ ~
NOTES: X

-Amelia