Chapter Text
"Alright," said James Potter as he slapped his hands on the Gryffindor table during breakfast. The Great Hall was even noisier than usual; roses the size of serving dishes floated overhead and owls swooped through the air, pink and red envelopes clutched in their beaks. "We are so close to the full moon, so I am going to be very disappointed if one of us mucks things up today just because he wants to spend Valentine's snogging Daisy Hookum at Madam Puddifoot's—"
"James," replied a handsome, dark-haired boy, his features contorting as he tried his best to look offended, "surely you're not insinuating that one of us would ruin months — no, years — of hard work, because we'd rather get off with Daisy Hookum?"
"That's exactly what I'm insinuating," growled James. He helped himself to some pumpkin juice, which had been dyed pink for the occasion. "I mean it, Sirius. I'm sick of keeping this stupid leaf in my mouth all the time, and we're so close to being done, so if Daisy Hookum swallows your leaf while you two are eating each other's faces, and we have to start the process over again —"
"She's not going to swallow my leaf," mumbled Sirius, his mouth full of bacon. "We've been trying for years, I know how to keep my leaf to myself. It's Peter you need to be worried about, he's the one who ruined it last month —"
"I had Dugbog disease!" protested Peter, the smallest of the group. "I'd like to see you try to keep a leaf in your mouth while violently puking five times a —"
"I don't see why you all have to do it at the same time," said Remus, a vaguely ill-appearing boy who looked as if he himself might have a touch of Dugbog disease. "If Sirius loses his leaf today, why don't you lot keep going without him, and he can catch up next month?"
James shook his head. "This is a team effort, Moony. As anyone who has tried to hold a leaf in their mouth day and night for a full month can tell you, it's really tedious work. I'm afraid our dear mate Sirius might lack the, er, discipline to follow through if he doesn't have companionship while attempting such a feat."
"Guilty as charged," said Sirius with a grin, swallowing the last of his bacon delicately so as not to disturb the leaf tucked in the back of his mouth. One of the larger owls clipped a wing on an enormous floating rose and tumbled onto the Ravenclaw table, thoroughly ruining a student's breakfast. Sirius watched it with some interest before turning back towards James. "I'll be careful. Though I can't promise I won't give Daisy a few chaste pecks on the cheek if the opportunity arises..."
At the opposite end of the Great Hall, standing close to the entrance, a thin boy with sallow skin and lank black hair scanned the Gryffindor table warily. He was careful not to look towards the far end, where James and the others were sitting. Finally, he made eye contact with a pretty redheaded girl who smiled brightly at him. The girl stood up and grabbed a pair of croissants, then bid her girlfriends goodbye and made her way over to the boy. She handed him one of the croissants as the two left the Great Hall.
"You could have sat with us, you know," said the girl, Lily, tearing off a bit of croissant. "Nobody would have minded."
"Nobody except Potter and his mates," replied the boy as they approached the great oak doors that led to the grounds of Hogwarts. "If they weren't at the table, maybe, but…"
"Severus," said Lily as the doors swung open of their own accord. "Don't be stupid."
"Not wanting to be hexed is stupid?"
"I mean don't be like everyone else." Lily waved her hand. "Magical people are so concerned with segregating everyone into neat little boxes that never overlap. Can't sit at the Gryffindor table if you're a Slytherin! It's ridiculous."
"You're a magical person too, you know."
"Yeah, and I'm just saying. Muggle boarding schools are nowhere near as cliquey. It's not normal."
"So go to a Muggle boarding school."
Lily looked at him disparagingly. "Or I could stay here and sit at whichever table I like and be the change I want to see in the world."
"The last time we sat together at the Slytherin table, Avery got revenge by jinxing Mary Macdonald," Severus reminded her. "She spoke Swahili for a week."
"I know," sighed Lily as they wound their way down the path to Hogsmeade. "It's hard to be the voice of change when other people take the fall for it."
Also, you're Muggle-born, Severus added silently. He knew the depths of discrimination that Muggle-borns faced, even if Lily wasn't fully aware of it yet. In theory, only the old pure-blood families cared about blood status. But the fact remained that few Muggle-borns occupied positions of importance in the Ministry, and fewer still were policymakers or members of the Wizengamot. It was the same everywhere — a Muggle-born could be a Mediwizard, but the chances of them becoming Healer-in-Charge of a ward at St. Mungo's were almost nonexistent. Lily was talented and popular enough that she could bend social norms at Hogwarts without getting too much pushback, but she wasn't going to start a cultural revolution on her own.
He didn't say any of this out loud, though. What he said instead was, "I've invented a new spell."
"You're changing the subject," said Lily, but she was smiling. "What does it do?"
"It's a Valentine's Day hex." Severus smirked slightly. "Point your wand at a person who's snogging someone else, make a motion like you're drawing a heart — clockwise, obviously — and say Vomihominis. The snogger's lips should grow numerous unsightly boils."
"That's horrible," said Lily, laughing. "Can you imagine kissing someone, and then feeling…? Eurgh! Very clever, though, recreating a Muggle disease…"
"I thought so," said Severus smugly.
Daisy Hookum was a pretty blonde Hufflepuff with thick fringe and a shaggy haircut reminiscent of a certain American film star. Sirius Black loved Muggle film stars.
"Well, Daisy," he said, checking his watch as their date in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop drew to a close, "this has been great, but I need to run to Pippin's to pick up a few things I've ordered. Want to come along?"
"Ooh, yes, please," said Daisy, and she leaned across the chintzy white table to press her lips against his. Sirius kept his mouth firmly shut while kissing her, but that had nothing to do with the fact that Daisy didn't understand words with more than two syllables. It was solely to protect his leaf. Obviously.
After a moment, Daisy drew back, and they both stood up. Sirius dropped a few Sickles on the table, and they left the shop holding hands. As they pushed through the bustling crowd, headed to J. Pippin's Potions, Daisy chirped in his ear about her favourite Hogsmeade shops. "We should stop by the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer after Pippin's. I could use something to warm me up — it's so cold out here!" She shivered for effect, blinking up at him.
Sirius draped an arm around her and pulled her closer. "I might know a way to warm you up," he murmured, their noses almost touching. When they kissed, in the middle of the crowded street, he was almost able to enjoy the moment without focusing on his leaf. Daisy kissed him again, opening her mouth a little, and Sirius responded in kind when all of a sudden —
"Sirius… what —" said Daisy, drawing back. Several hard pustules, red and inflamed, had appeared on his lips. Her eyes widened as the boils grew. "What's wrong? Are you allergic? Is it me?"
Sirius put his hand over his mouth and felt the lumps. They were as big as Gobstones. He swore, and his leaf almost fell out. "Daisy — I..."
"You're allergic to me," Daisy's eyes filled with tears. "We kissed, and — and — oh Sirius, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!"
"I don't — I really don't think it was your fault," mumbled Sirius. It was quite difficult to talk with both a leaf in his mouth and grossly misshapen lips. He cast a glance about the busy street; a small, dark-haired figure was ducking into the Three Broomsticks. Sirius narrowed his eyes.
"We have to get you to the hospital wing!" sobbed Daisy, tugging on his arm. The students passing by were beginning to stare.
"Daisy, no — just give me a moment..." Sirius grabbed her hand and dragged her into the nearest alley. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a small, square mirror. "James Potter!" he said.
Sirius' reflection vanished, replaced by James' face. Wherever James was, it was so dark that his brown skin and untidy black hair were barely distinguishable from his surroundings. If Sirius squinted, he could just make out a cluster of trees in the background.
"Merlin's pants," said James, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Bad date, eh?"
This made Daisy cry harder.
"Very funny," said Sirius. "I think our little Slytherin pal might have had a hand in this, but listen. I'm gonna head back to the castle and sort my face out, alright? You'll have to come to Hogsmeade and pick up the… our order from Pippin's." He shot a glance at Daisy.
"I'm kind of in the middle of something," James said in a tone indicating that Sirius should know what he was talking about. "Why don't you just Finite Incantatum whatever hex Snivellus put on you and continue on your date —"
"He's allergic to me!" cried Daisy. "It's not a hex, it's because I kissed him, he needs Madam Pomfrey—"
"That's why, you twat," muttered Sirius.
James raised his eyebrows. "I keep telling you Hufflepuff girls are dimmer than a bag of gnomes," he said. "Fine. Let Poppy put your girl's mind at ease. I'll be down in a bit to pick up the package."
Sirius nodded, and James' face faded. He stuffed the mirror back into his pocket and sauntered out of the ally. Behind him, Daisy struggled to keep up as he strode towards the castle.
At least he still had his leaf.
James tucked the two-way mirror back into his robes and stretched, looking around. He was standing at the edge of a clearing in the Forbidden Forest, deep enough into the woods that hardly any light filtered down through the canopy of ancient trees. The dim light gave the clearing the look of perpetual dusk.
James was quite proud of what he had done here. First off, it wasn't exactly easy to find a place where dew could form untouched by both sunlight and human feet, much less in the middle of winter, when dew seldom formed at all. A powerful Atmospheric Charm ensured that the clearing stayed at the proper temperature and humidity for dew formation regardless of the weather, and a self-sustaining Nox Charm kept the area dark at all times. He had even — and this was what he was proudest of, for it was a tricky bit of magic — bound a Homonculous Charm to a ring that he wore on his finger, which would burn if anyone happened upon the clearing.
All of James' efforts had proven fruitful today. He collected several teaspoons of untouched silver dew, storing the liquid in a decanter made of black glass. Success, he thought. With a wave of his wand, he undid the Atmospheric and Nox Charms. The air became several degrees cooler, and his surroundings brightened. He picked his cloak off a tree branch and tossed it around his shoulders. He vanished at once, and the clearing lay still and silent once more.
James trekked through the forest as quickly as he could without making too much noise. Of course, the Forbidden Forest wasn't nearly as frightening under the Invisibility Cloak, as nothing was likely to bother him, but he still didn't want to overstay his welcome.
Luck was on his side today, though. As he picked through the thick undergrowth, the most menacing creatures he encountered were a couple of Bowtruckles fighting over an elm tree. He emerged near Hagrid's hut, pausing just long enough to stuff the Cloak into his bag before following the winding path to Hogsmeade.
Just as he had expected, the streets of Hogsmeade were lined with students holding hands and cuddling up to one another as if it was frightfully cold instead of a mild winter's day. Even the most hateful of the Slytherins seemed to be paired off; Evan Rosier was nuzzling a girl who looked absolutely thrilled at the attention. It couldn't be Rosier's looks that had her so enthralled — more likely, it was his family's status as part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. As if coming from an old pure-blood family meant anything other than being hopelessly inbred.
James shuddered as he pushed open the door to J. Pippin's Potions. Even the shop was crowded, so he joined the queue for the front counter, standing behind a girl with shoulder-length red hair.
"Evans?"
The girl turned, raising her eyebrows and smiling a little. "Potter?" she mimicked, using the same incredulous tone he had.
"What are you doing here?" He cringed inwardly at what a stupid question that was. Probably buying potions ingredients, same as you, you idiot.
"Well," said Lily seriously, "I've been trying to brew Felix Felicis so I can pass my O.W.L.s, but I can't seem to grind my Occamy eggshells finely enough, so I'm here to get more. You?"
James grinned. "I've been carrying a Mandrake leaf around in my mouth for months so I can become an Animagus. I just need to pick up the last ingredients for the potion."
"Good one," said Lily, the corners of her lips twitching. "Slightly less believable than mine, though."
"Give me a break, you're brilliant," said James. "You could pass your O.W.L.s in your sleep."
"True." Lily's emerald eyes were sparkling. "You're a meathead compared to me. Honestly, your Animagus form is probably just yourself."
James laughed, but before he could respond, the bell on the door of the shop jingled, and a thickset Slytherin fifth year walked in. With his broad shoulders, powerful jaw, and small, blue eyes, he vaguely resembled a pit bull. James and Lily looked at each other.
"Speaking of unbelievable…" muttered James. "What's Mulciber doing here without his gang? I wasn't aware he even knew what a potion was…"
"Oh, stop," said Lily, and she sounded less playful now. "He's minding his own business, please don't start any Gryffindor-Slytherin drama in here…"
James lifted a brow. "Start? I think your pal Snape was the one who started something earlier, so don't blame me for wanting payback. Where's your little friend, anyway? Why isn't he with you?"
"He's busy." Lily bit her lip and looked away.
"Busy sucking up to some Death Eaters in training, like the rest of his house?"
"Stop it," said Lily as they moved forward in the queue. "He's not like them, you're just looking for a fight…"
"I'm the one looking for a fight? I'm not the one who hexed Sirius completely unprovoked this morning—"
"Are you actually angry about that?" Lily looked directly at him. Her eyes were more than a little distracting.
"Of course I'm angry! He's my best mate!"
"Oh, come on," said Lily, and her lip twitched again. "It was just a stupid jinx. I actually think Sev did Sirius a favour. Imagine having to spend all day with Daisy Hookum…"
James snorted despite himself. "Look, Daisy's a nice girl —"
"She gets a T in History of Magic every year. I don't even know how that's possible, seeing as Binns grades us randomly."
"Okay, but my point still stands —"
"What point?" asked Lily, hands on her hips. "That you don't like Severus?"
"That he hexed my friend!"
"So now you're going to hex Mulciber? That's just stupid, they're not even mates —"
"Lover's quarrel?" interrupted a voice behind them. Mulciber had joined them in the queue.
"No —" began Lily, but James interrupted her.
"Butt out, Mulciber," he growled.
Mulciber raised his eyebrows. "Fine by me," he said smoothly. "Just looking out for you, Potter."
"You?" said James incredulously. "Looking out for me?"
"Times are changing, Potter," said Mulciber calmly. "House rivalries are fine for first years, but the world is moving beyond that. Soon, it will be blood status that brings us together… or not," he added, jerking his chin towards Lily, who reddened but stood her ground.
"Is that really the best you can do?" she asked. "Make vague threats because I'm Muggle-born? How original. I feel awfully frightened now. And you," she said, addressing James, "Don't get into it with him just because it makes you feel gallant to defend me, when we all know you've been itching for a fight ever since he walked in here!"
She turned her back on both of them and gave a little start as she realised she was at the front counter. "And I'll take three scoops of African sea salt and a handful of rue," she snapped at the shopkeeper, who was watching the exchange with his mouth slightly open.
"Lily…" said James as she slapped a few Sickles onto the counter, but she cut him off.
"No, I don't want to hear it! It's Valentine's Day, and I want to have a nice afternoon in Hogsmeade without you ruining my peace!" And with that, she snatched the small paper bag from the hapless shopkeeper and marched out of the shop. The bell on the door clanged behind her.
"Well," said Mulciber after a moment, "turns out you didn't need my help getting rid of her after all —"
That was the moment James hexed him.
Inside the Three Broomsticks, Severus Snape sat at the end of a corner booth, surrounded by housemates who were busy sucking up to a Death Eater in training.
"Is it true that the Dark Lord is recruiting werewolves?" Emma Vanity asked Lucius Malfoy breathlessly. Lucius, a boy in his early twenties with straight, shoulder-length blonde hair, smiled and raised his eyebrows knowingly, but he refrained from answering Emma's question. Beside him, a beautiful, dark-haired girl rolled her eyes. Severus recognised her — she was a seventh year, one of the Black sisters — but had never spoken to her. Despite this, he found her obvious disdain for everyone present quite relatable.
"Have you — have you got the Mark?" babbled Avery, but Emma spoke over him.
"Don't be ridiculous, everyone knows the Mark's just a story —"
"It is not, there was a drawing of it in the Prophet last week…"
"And you think that Muggle-loving drivel is a reliable source of information?"
"Break it up, children," said Mulciber. He slid into the booth to sit beside Severus, who glowered and moved closer to Avery. The table was getting uncomfortably crowded now. Mulciber looked at Lucius, and something unspoken passed between the two.
"You're late," said Lucius.
"I was held up," replied Mulciber evenly. "A certain Gryffindor Quidditch captain thought it would be great fun to practise duelling in the middle of Pippin's." He nudged Severus, but Severus didn't rise to the bait.
"Well, now that you've decided to join us, we can get started." Lucius' eyes swept across the table. "As a few of you already know, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named requires… information about the goings-on at Hogwarts. Seeing as it's imprudent for him to enter the castle himself" — a few students snickered at that — "he has asked me to recruit a handful of trustworthy students to be his eyes and ears at Hogwarts."
"Why's he interested in Hogwarts? Sir?" asked Emma Vanity.
Lucius looked at her. "That," he said, "is information only those who are chosen need to know."
Emma shrank back in her seat a bit. The beautiful girl beside Lucius, who up to this point had looked utterly bored with the whole thing, spoke up, sounding as if she were reading off a cue card. "And what does one have to do to prove they are trustworthy, Lucius?"
"I'm glad you asked, Bella," replied Lucius. "As it happens, the Dark Lord has given me the authority to make judgements on the matter. This afternoon has been quite enlightening, and those who I select should await my owl." He gave her the same significant look he had given Mulciber, and his gaze slid across the booth to Severus. The gesture was not lost on Avery.
"Snape? You're not thinking of choosing him, are you? He's… he's not even a pure-blood, and he spends all his time with that Mudblood girl —"
"The Dark Lord decides who is and isn't a pure-blood," interrupted Lucius, but he looked questioningly at Severus. "Do you have anything to say about your relationship with your Mudblood friend?"
Severus met Lucius' grey eyes without blinking. "Slytherins tend to keep to their own," he said. "But an inter-house partnership means I can learn things others cannot."
Lucius nodded slowly. "Just as I thought," he said. "I will speak to the Dark Lord, but I think he will agree we may have use for a spy."
"Detention?!" roared Sirius. It was evening as the four friends sprawled on the sofas in the Gryffindor common room, and his outburst caused a few nearby first years to jump. "I spent all bloody day specifically not snogging Daisy Hookum so that your bloody leaf scheme goes off according to plan, and now you're telling me that you won't even be able to make it tomorrow night because you got DETENTION? Because you were showing off in front of her?"
"That's basically what happened, yeah," admitted James. He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers snagging on the untidy curls.
"I thought you spent all day not snogging Daisy because Snape cursed your lips off," said Remus pleasantly, as if offering a helpful correction. Sirius glared at him, then turned back to James, who held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Relax, Sirius," said James. "It'll be fine. We have all night to do it, we'll just have to go out a little later than originally planned. Which works in our favour, anyway — the later we wait, the less teachers and prefects will be roaming the halls."
"They'll be short a prefect tomorrow, too," Peter pointed out with a glance at Remus. "Seeing as Moony's gonna be… busy…"
Remus's smile flickered slightly. Then he grinned at Sirius, who was still scowling. "Yeah, I thought I'd do you lot a favour by buggering off for a day or two. Give you some time to make mischief and taunt a certain greaseball Slytherin without suffering my disapproval."
A corner of Sirius' mouth lifted. "You know what's funny about that hex Snivellus hit me with?" he asked. "I actually couldn't reverse it with Finite Incantatum, I tried after I got rid of Dai — I mean, after Daisy and I parted ways…"
"Amicably, I hope," said Remus, his eyes wide. Peter sniggered.
"Shut up, Moony," said Sirius, but he was smiling ruefully now. "No need to be jealous just because you spent Valentine's Day swapping spit with Peter —"
"Oh, no, I wouldn't risk losing my precious leaf with Moony," said Peter. "Fabius Watkins, though, maybe…"
James snorted. "So you had to go see Poppy after all," he said, addressing Sirius, who nodded.
"Yeah. She'd never seen that particular pattern of boils before, so I had to try a couple of different potions before we found one that worked."
"Interesting," said James. "I guess that means the spell was one of Snivellus'… ah… inventions."
"'Course it was," said Sirius darkly. "And I'm getting tired of being his test subject, I'll tell you that much."
"Well," said Peter, "if he joins up with the Death Eaters — like we all know he will — he'll probably leave us alone in favour of hexing people whose blood status is a little more… ambiguous, if you know what I mean."
The other three looked at him.
"Way to bring the mood down, Pete," said James.
Just then, the portrait hole opened. Lily Evans entered the common room, accompanied by Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald, who was carrying a fat tabby cat. They were still pink-faced from the cold — the cat looked especially rumpled — and they stamped their boots on the crimson rug as they walked towards the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories. Lily laughed at something Mary said and glanced at James. Upon meeting his eyes, her smile faded a little, and she turned her head away, nose in the air.
"I see she wasn't dazzled by your chivalry," commented Sirius, following James' gaze. "Too bad, really. I know I'd have been impressed if you'd turned Mulciber's fingers into gherkins to defend my honour…"
"Dill pickles, actually," said James lightly as he returned his attention to his friends. "Rather more complex than your average gherkin, but I digress."
"So are we agreed, then?" asked Peter, fidgeting in his seat. "We'll do it tomorrow night, after James' detention?"
"Fine by me," said Sirius, and James nodded. "We'll meet outside the common room, by the portrait of the Fat Lady."
Their plans set, the four chatted idly for a while longer until Remus stood up, yawning, and announced that he was going to bed. Peter followed him, leaving Sirius and James alone in front of the hearth.
"Sorry about Lily, mate," said Sirius in a low voice.
James tried to shrug nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on the crackling flames. "Mulciber's a git."
"Of course he is."
"She thinks I'm a git, too."
"You are a git." Sirius slid off his armchair and onto his feet. "But that's part of your charm. She'll come around."
"Arsehole."
"Wanker."
They grinned at each other. With a wave of his wand, James extinguished the fire, throwing the common room into darkness, and they made their way up the stairs.