章 19: Chapter Nineteen: Making Things Right
THE STALE, STILL AIR SUFFOCATED THE THREE girls who had huddled themselves up in the back corner of the library. Piles of books reached toward the ceiling as parchment was scattered across the small table like confetti and ink painting nearly every inch of paper. Ink also was brushed up against the hands and fingers of each of the girls who were beyond tired.
Curfew was creeping up on them quite quickly and soon enough they were going to have to head to their dorm. They would love to have more time in the library to continue their research, however, none of them would want to upset Madam Pince. Said woman was currently keeping an eye on the girls to make sure that they leave soon. There was no doubt that the strict librarian would start to nag and berate the girls to leave and head to their dorm soon.
As soon as their classes let out for the day, Lily, Marlene and Wendy had rushed to the library to work on their research about Iris. Each had taken their own notes with observations about Iris' behavior and had set on pooling them together to find a singular cause to her behavior. Yet there wasn't much they could find.
Marlene had just about been fried out by the amount of work she had to do. Her brain was smoking due to how hard she had been working to figure out what was wrong with Iris. Wendy was tired and had a hard time trying to keep her eyes open. They had spent a good few hours in the library which caused them to become tired beyond belief. Lily was just plain frustrated. Out of all of their notes, they couldn't find anything!
Iris exhibited a select few of different behaviors that the girls could unanimously agree on. There was a shift in her personality, she had become far more submissive, and she had become friendly with the Slytherins. Wendy had suggested that Iris may have been put under a love enchantment or perhaps a love potion, but neither Lily or Marlene were sure. A love potion or enchantment causes an obsession. If Iris really was under the influence of such strong magic, Iris would be obsessed with one of the Slytherins.
Lily constantly reminded the other two that Iris sometimes appeared confused and angry, like she was questioning what she was doing. That most likely meant that whatever she was under wasn't that strong and she was able to break through slightly. If it was weak, then that meant it would be easier to break. When it came to spells or charms, Lily had commented, she knew that it would be quite easy for her to break them. She didn't brag at all, but she is the top student in charm and transfigurations, after all. If Iris was being affected by a potion it was going to be a tad bit harder to break.
With the combination of all of their knowledge and skill, they were going to have a hard time figuring out what exact potion Iris may be under the influence. Then it would be even harder to break. And if it was a concoction that the Slytherins had made themselves, then things would be significantly more difficult for them. They were certainly going to need help from someone if it really was a potion!
Wendy let a loud sigh out through her nose, "come on, Lily. We better get going."
Lily shook her head, "no, we need more time." She started, "the more time we spend researching, the faster we can find out what's happening to Iris."
"That's true," Marlene yawned, "but I'd rather not have to deal with Madam Pince right before I go to bed, I'll have nightmares for the rest of the week if she yells at us to get out." The brunette shuddered at that thought. The three girls spared a quick glance at the strict woman to find her staring at them as well with narrowed eyes down her long, skinny nose.
"Come on, Lily," Wendy started as she gathered her parchment and quills, "we're no help to Iris if we have no energy to do anything."
The redhead bowed her head in resignation as she understood Wendy's reasoning. However, she didn't like it that much! She would much rather spend every hour of every day to work on their research. Lily just knew that they were getting close to figuring out what was wrong with Iris. Only a little bit more, she would mutter to herself. Wendy did have a point, however, and that slightly frustrated Lily.
Lily bit the inside of her cheek, "alright, it is getting pretty late, I guess."
The girls then started to pack their things up and head for the exit. They passed by Madam Pince who called out in a shrill, strict voice, "get to your dorm, girls!"
Their trek back to the Gryffindor tower was completely uneventful. The girls just trudged their way through the corridors sluggishly as their exhaustion started to catch up with them. Perhaps they should have left the library earlier, but they needed to get as much research done as they could. Trying to help figure out what was wrong with Iris will be worth sacrificing a little bit of sleep.
Marlene was just about to collapse due to her tiredness and had to use Lily and Wendy as crutches. While the two girls were making sure that their friend didn't tumble over her own feet, they themselves were trying to keep their eyes open.
The trio of girls soon made it through the winding corridors and up the constantly changing grand staircase to the Gryffindor tower. As they approached the entrance to the common room, the guardian of the haven of the brave woke up at their arrival. The Fat Lady groggily stared at the girls with a tired, grumpy expression on her plump face. "Password?"
"Dilligrout," Lily sighed.
The stout painting nodded her head and allowed the portrait to swing open. Just as the girls were trying to enter the common room and find comfort in the warm familiar walls, four boys came bumbling out of the entrance and bumped into them. The seven of them nearly all fell on top of each other in a pile of limbs.
They were just able to catch themselves at the last moment and all of their eyes landed on the other group. The girls weren't that all surprised to see the Marauders sneaking out of the common room right before curfew. They've known them long enough to not question why the boys snuck out at night as just about everyone knew that they did it.
"Huh?" Wendy yawned out once she caught her footing, "where are you lot going?"
The group of boys shared a quick glance with each other. "Just out," James huffed out as he tried to hold his invisibility cloak behind him. His tone certainly didn't give the girls any confidence in them not doing anything bad tonight. Yet the group of boys always get into trouble after curfew, so the girls weren't that suspicious about their actions. The question was how were they going to get into trouble this time.
Lily was deadpan, "it's never "just out" for you guys."
"Don't go after the Slytherins yet!" Marlene exclaimed with the last bit of energy she had.
Sirius tried to scoff as if offended, "what? We weren't going to do that!"
Lily stared at them tiredly, "sure. Just make sure that you don't get into trouble. We're close to finding what's wrong with Iris. I know it."
The atmosphere around them dipped slightly as they were reminded of the situation surrounding one of their dear friends. It was one thing to think about going after the Slytherins, but it was another to think about why they were going after them and what they had done.
"Don't worry, Lily," James started off with a softness to his voice that he rarely ever used, "we'll stop this."
Lily stared at him with her tiredness and frustration on display like usual. However, there was an understanding that she had with the insufferable boy who had been bothering her since they first met. Lily could see that James wanted to help Iris just as much as she did. James is one of Iris' best friends, it's expected for him, and the other boys, to want to set everything back to normal. Yet for James, the look in his eyes seemed to mirror that of Lily's. It was like James was also trying to help his sister. That fact warm Lily's heart, though she was not going to admit that in the slightest.
The redhead cleared her throat, "well, we best be off to bed, don't stay out too late." She briskly walked past the boys and into the common room so she could bury herself into her bed. The only unsettling thing about that was that Iris wouldn't be bugging her as she did so. Even though it's been a few days, Lily can say that she missed her sisters whining and bickering quite a bit. To just enter the dorm and see her sister sleeping silently and calmly would be heart wrenching.
The other girls bid the boys a sluggish goodbye and followed after their friend as they too were ready to head to bed. The boys waved them off and waited for the portrait hole to close before they walked hastily away from any of the portraits prying eyes. Once the coast was clear, James pulled the invisibility cloak out from behind his back and they all huddled up underneath it. They disappeared from sight and started to creep their way through the corridors in search of anything(or anyone) that could help them in their quest to help Iris.
---
Severus fiddled with his fingers as he paced in the dark, empty corridor. His mind was running rampant as constant reminders swirled around in his head like a hurricane. It's your fault Iris is hurt. A venom-filled voice hissed in the back of his head, you helped Regulus and Lusius, which makes you guilty!
There was no denying that he played a part in the other Slytherins plans to take control of Iris, but he tried to justify that he had done it because he was forced to. That fact was true, but he could have done more to stop it. Severus could have gone to a professor and explained what was happening instead of brewing the potion. Or better yet, he could have just said no. However, ever the coward, Severus was too scared to say no to those two. His fear was the reason that his pseudo-sister was acting different. It was his potion that caused her to act that way.
The Slytherin boy cursed himself quietly and moved to sit on the ground of the abandoned corridor. He needed to be alone for the time being as he contemplated what he should do. The Slytherin common room wasn't the most inviting place, but there were a lot of snakes who liked to hang out at night in the cold room. His dorm was no better as the boys he shared a room with were quite nosy and demanding. Severus certainly didn't feel like being bombarded with the slimy smiles and hissing words of his housemates at the moment. They didn't need to know about his internal conflicts. So risking being caught by a prefect out in the corridors was worth his self-loathing.
He let out a long sigh as he let his head fall into his hands and slumped against the wall. The guilt was eating him from the inside like it had been for most of this year. The feeling was bubbling in his stomach and boiling him from the inside. Severus was at his wits end and it was only a matter of time before he exploded. As he focused on his own degrading, reprimanding thoughts, he didn't notice the sound of footsteps approaching him.
The shuffling of fabric also was unheard by the conflicted boy as he was too consumed by his own thoughts. Though the presence of four large shadows surrounding him did earn his attention. Much to his horror, the Marauders loomed over him with sharp eyes that stabbed his pale skin with malicious intent.
Growing frantic at his bullies arrival, he clumsily stood up to face the four boys in front of him with wide eyes. From how their eyes tried to pin him to the wall, Severus knew that he was in for a horrible interaction. He could see the murderous intentions that they each had for him, and Severus had an idea why. It was unclear to him whether or not they were just looking at him like this because they detest his existence or because they knew about what had had done to Iris. Honestly, It could have been both.
"Snivellus," Sirius hissed out as he stood over the teenager with his grey eyes swirling like a hurricane. "You're just the person we were looking for." He shared a glance with his friends that mirrored his savage appearance.
It took everything within Severus' power to keep himself from trembling and showing his weakness. Yet it was pretty obvious that they knew he was physically weak. That meant that they had no trouble cornering him in the deserted corridor by the dungeons. Where were the prefects?! Severus was desperately hoping that one who turn the corner and see what was happening. He didn't care if he got into trouble for being out late, anything would be better than having to face these imbeciles, in his opinion.
"I am?" Severus squeaked in fear.
James slowly nodded his head in agreement as his then lenses of his glasses caught the dim light of the torch nearby and the reflection caused him to look even more frightening. "We want to know what Regulus and Malfoy did to Iris." The way he gritted his teeth together just displayed how furious he was.
Severus couldn't help himself but sigh internally in relief. They didn't know. They had no clue that Severus had much to do with Iris' weird behavior. Though he still gulped loudly at the looks they still had trained on him. Even mousy, pudgy Peter looked somewhat vicious! Severus truly was pathetic if he was frightened by a boy like Peter Pettigrew.
"We'll ask nicely first, because we are gentlemen after all," Sirius said cooly. "So tell us and you won't find yourself hanging from the ceiling by your ears."
Severus knew that they could cash in on that threat if they wanted to. He has been tormented by them since first year, he knew what they were capable of and were willing to take punishment for it.
He started to fumble with his words, "I-I don't, I-"
"Don't try to deny that you don't know." Remus seethed, "we know you and the other two must have done something to her, and we want it reversed."
Severus licked his lips, "if I do know something, why would I tell you?"
It was an understandable question to ask. The Marauders never treated Severus with respect as a fellow classmate or even a normal person for that matter. Severus really was only a plaything that they could use every once in a while when they had nobody else to torment. Why would he, the toy, want to disclose any information to them about the well-being of his sister-like friend? Iris was a mutual friend between them all, yes. However, Severus certainly wouldn't want the Marauders bumbling around her and possibly making it worse… That is, if he knew nothing about what was happening to her.
He knew exactly what to do to help her and put her back to normal. And the Marauders were just the people to help him do that. Yet he needed to put on a show to make it look like he didn't trust them. If he eagerly tried to get them to help then it would look suspicious to everyone. Severus didn't want Lily or Iris to know about his involvement in this, or at least as little as possible. He was already in deep shit with the both of them, and he wanted to try and fix the relationship they had. If that meant lying to them one last time, then so be it.
James sighed, "listen, Snivellus. We all know that we… care about Iris. She our friend. If you don't want to help her then I guess you're proving to us that you aren't really her friend." James' logic sounded completely understandable to him. If only he knew what thoughts were actually going through Severus' mind right now.
All he could do was thank Merlin that the Marauders had presented him with the perfect opportunity. Oh, his luck was just beginning.
Severus turned away from them and bowed his head, to make it look like her submitting to them like he has always done in the past. "If I tell you, are you sure you can help Iris?"
"Yes," Sirius said quickly with a hint of desperation on his tongue. "I'd do anything to make sure she was okay." 'I' not 'we'. Sirius was certainly taking what had happened to Iris personally. Considering his brother was involved, it may actually be personal.
"Okay," Severus sighed slowly through his nose, "but you have to not tell Regulus or Lucius, they'll kill me if they know I'm telling you this."
James scoffed, "and we'd kill you if you didn't. So tell us."
"Regulus had this plan," Severus began, "after he met Iris and saw that her and Sirius were close, he wanted to do something about it." He could feel the atmosphere becoming thicker with each word he tried to say. "He talked with Lucius and they wanted to use Iris. I-I don't know what for, but it was bad… that's all I know."
"What did they do to her?" Remus asked with a sense of horror filled fascination.
Severus gulped, "they used a potion… I don't know where they got it from," he took a quick glance at them to see if they may have caught him lying but saw no indication of it. "But whatever it was, they had me give it to her multiple times-"
Sirius became enraged, "you helped them with this?!" James, Remus and Peter had to hold him back. They were furious with him too, but they wanted to get as much information as they could before they started to beat him up.
The other teen coward away slightly and continued on, "they forced me to! Said they would hurt me, Iris and Lily if I didn't help them! I had to!" Sirius stopped fighting against his friends to let him continue but did let up on his glare in the slightest bit. "It was the perfume that she was using, that's the potion."
"And you don't know who brewed it?" James asked.
Severus didn't hesitate, "no. They just gave it to me to give it to her. They said that it would make her more submissive, more compliant to them and nobody else."
Sirius scoffed, "so it's like a love potion."
"Not completely." He shook his head, "she isn't in love with either of them, but she will do what they say."
"It's like the imperius curse," Peter breathed out in horror. There was no telling what those slimy snakes could do with a potin like that. This had become even far more serious than previously thought. The silence was thick as they digested that information. A moment passed as the Marauders shared glances with each other every once in a while as if they were having a silent conversation.
"What do we do?" James broke the stillness with his question.
Honestly, the group of teenage boys were drawing a blank about the questions. What were they going to do? With a potion as strong as this they were definitely going to need more help than just their little friend group. Even if they wanted to act as thought they could handle this situation by themselves it was goins beyond their capability. Each of them were smart in their own ways and could contribute what they could to the solution… however, there was a limit to what they could do.
Sirius clenched his jaw in frustration, "we curse those snakes for what they've done and fix Iris." A swell of determination swept of the group, including Severus, as they agreed with that statement. They'd do whatever they would have to do in order to make sure that Iris was safe again. No matter what happened.
"It's weak," Severus suddenly piped up.
"What? The group asked simultaneously.
He clarified, "the potion. Whoever made it, didn't seem to make it that strong which means-"
"That it can be easily undone," Remus breathed out. "With the right antidote, we could undo the effects that it has on Iris!"
That certainly was an optimistic fact.
---
Morning rolled around as it normally did during the school year. The only real difference was the fact that Iris had gotten out of her bed robotically like she had for the past few days and exited the dorm as fast as she could. She made it out before any of her friends(It didn't matter that she may have said that they weren't friends anymore, she was under the influence of something that made her act strange. By the girl's perspective, they were still friends with Iris, not matter was she may be forced to say.) could stop her. It is now Tuesday and Iris has been acting strange for just about four days.
Four boring, bland days of Iris trying to avoid her friend and sister as she was constantly hanging around the Slytherins every chance she could. It was four days too long for just about everyone's liking. Now, even the other students had noticed the change in behavior and mood. The Gryfindor common room, even though it was still covered in its bright red and golden yellow, was dull now that one of the most rambunctious and loud house members was quiet and sullen.
Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins were slightly put off by Iris Evans sudden change in personality. Three out of the four houses found it to be concerning and questionable while the other (Slytherin, no surprise there) found it to be just disgusting that a muggle-born like Iris has been keeping herself busy with their own kind. Regulus and Lucius were questioned by their fellow housemates as to why they were hanging around that "annoying mudblood". They would only smirk in reply and swiftly walk away from them, not giving them any sort of answer. However, things were starting to approach the breaking point.
Even though Iris was still automotive and did what Regulus and Lucius wanted, she was starting to rebel. In her own way, of course. She was starting to become aware of her actions and surroundings! Every once in a while, Iris would make a sudden outburst. Whether she was talking to someone or not, it didn't matter. It was mainly insults or snark jokes that were pointed towards the Slytherins who now had taken her hostage. That always earned her a threat and, on occasion, a slap. Though the more physical reprimanding mainly came from Lucius. The seventh-year had a far shorter temper than Regulus did. Despite her best efforts, Iis wasn't able to break free of the hold that the potion had on her.
Meanwhile, as Iris made her way to the Great Hall to meet with her captives, the boys were recounting their experience the other night with the girls.
"You did what to him?!" Lily raged as she stood before the boys with ruby cheeks and a heated glare.
The boys jumped slightly at her sudden outburst of anger, "we did what we had to do to get him to talk." Sirius justified their actions shakily. He completely stood behind their actions about intimidating and bullying Severus until he talked, but Lily was such a scary woman. Sirius just couldn't help the slight tremor in his words. His eyes focused on her as she stood in front of them as the Black Lake shined behind her. The group had found a secluded area around the lake's edge in order to talk freely about their situation. All of them had sat down in a circle but as soon as the boys had started to explain what Severus had told them, Lily had stood up and started to pace.
Lily huffed, "I don't care what you got, you didn't have to threaten him like that!"
"Lily," Remus started off calmly, "you know that I don't like the way they did it either, but it got the results we wanted. We know how to undo the potion that's affecting Iris." The optimistic tone in his voice didn't go unnoticed by anyone. If Remus, undoubtedly one of the smartest of the group, knew that they could do something, then it might actually happen.
The red head went silent as she digested his words. They could fix Iris and get her back to normal. This was it! They were going to get their friend back. She was going to get her sister back. However….
"How do we know that we can trust Severus?" Marlene exclaimed, "you said that he had helped them, why wouldn't he do it now?"
Lily went rigid at the mention of Severus. She couldn't deny the fact that Severus had helped them. Though according to him, he had been forced to do it after he, herself, and Iris had been threatened. She should just trust the words that Severus had told the Marauders because they have been friends for so long. However, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her skull telling her that something was wrong. Since he helped cause this terrible thing to befall Iris, then who's to say that he wouldn't lie again.
Wendy rubbed her chin in thought, "But why would he lie? He's been friends with Iris for a long time… He couldn't just completely forget about the years of friendship that they had. Right, Lily?"
Silence was the only response they got as she seemingly tried to gather her thoughts on the matter. They all turned to her as she stopped her pacing and turned to stare out at the calm lake waters. She had to push her feelings and suspicions about Severus aside. He gave them a lot of useful information about the situation. They knew next to nothing about what was going on before, so they had no other choice but to believe Severus' words.
"We'll get the perfume," she started, "we'll start on that antidote and give it to her as soon as possible."
The redheads words were strong and determined. It was obvious to the group that there was no arguing with her about her decision. Though it's not like they were going to anyway, they agreed with her wholeheartedly. They all stood up hastily and gathered themselves.
Sirius nodded his head, "come on then." The group started to make their way towards the castle quite quickly. None of them were going to waste any time that they had to get an antidote to Iris.
---
Lily groaned slightly in frustration as she placed down her well-used quil. The group had spent the better part of their free period trying to decipher how to undo the potion that had been disguised as a perfume. Wendy and Remus had been helping Lily scour as many books about potions that they could find in the library. Yet there wasn't much for them to find! Of course, since they needed to go to the library, Sirius, James, Marlene, and Peter had opted to head back to the Gryffindor common room and wait. Which was just as nerve wracking as it was boring.
The different arrays of dusty, ancient books covered the tables that they had commandeered for their research. Only a little bit of progress had been made about the antidote and that was starting to upset the trio of researchers. With their combined knowledge, they were able to identify a few of the ingredients, but even then it was only a few. They weren't even sure if they were the correct ones.
When it comes to potions, there are so many ingredients that are similar in color, smell and effect that it can be hard to definitively identify everything. Especially when it was already put into a potion! The only way that they were going to get a definite list of ingredients is if they spoke to the one who brewed the potion itself. That certainly wasn't going to happen considering they don't know who made it.
Remus sighed and placed down the book that he had his head buried in, "I think that there's either alihotsy in this potion or a lot of dittany. I can't really tell." He ran a hand down his scar ridden face in exasperation.
"Come on guys," Wendy said optimistically, "we've found a few of the ingredients, we must be able to make some sort of antidote for Iris."
"Maybe," Remus commented, "but there's no telling if it would be an antidote or make her symptoms worse."
Lily placed her head on the table and closed her eyes tightly, "so we may never get this done?" They were silent for a moment as nobody wanted to say the obvious. The odds were stacked against them. There was no possible way that they could get an antidote brewed with only a few of the ingredients. Iris was not going to get their help.
"We could just go to a professor," Remus started, "they would probably be able to fix whatever happened and punish Regulus and Lucius."
Lily nodded her head, "Madame Pomfrey will definitely give Iris some medicine to help her. Professor Slughorn probably has a better idea of figuring out this potions…"
"But you know that neither Sirius or James will want to do that." Wendy said knowingly.
Lily scoffed lightly, "their pride wouldn't allow them!"
"Why not do both?" The three of their heads turned to face the voice that had spoken.
Severus stood with his back hunched and head bowed. The nervousness that surrounded him was noticeable to each of the other teens. He played with his fingers and the ends of his sleeves as he tried to distract himself from his own anxiety. It had taken a lot of convincing himself, but he had finally worked up enough courage to go looking for any of the Gryffindors Iris and Lily were friends with. He had already helped the Marauders just a little bit by talking to them in the corridors the other night. However, he knew that he needed to do more if he wanted to make sure that Iris was saved.
Finding Lily would definitely be one way to do that.
The eyes of the Gryffindors in front of him pierced his skin like daggers. He honestly was starting to regret going out to find her. Severus could only thank his lucky stars that neither James or Sirius were around. Then again, they could be lurking around the corner somewhere in the shadows waiting to pounce on him like the dangerous lions they are.
"Severus?" Lily asked in confusion as a hint of suspicion laced her tongue.
He glanced up at her to see if she was glaring at him as heatedly as Remus and Wendy. The redheads pale face was the perfect representation of conflict. It was obvious to him that she wasn't relieved to see him, yet she also wasn't repulsed at his presence. That was a good thing.
"H-Hi, Lily," he cleared his throat, "I want to help with… whatever I can."
The three Gryffindors shared a quick glance with each other. Within that short time, it seemed like they were having a silent conversation with each other. It was obvious that each of them were skeptical about his presence and whether he actually wanted to help. However, it seemed like Lily was more optimistic than the other two. Her eyes gleamed with something that was trying to convince the other two to at least hear him out. Severus could really appreciate her for that… when she should really be yelling at him for what he has done. She should be hitting him and forcing him to leave her alone after everything he has done.
Lily's forest green eyes finally turned back to Severus, "you want to help?"
The teen nodded his head vigorously, "yes, I want to help." He tried to keep his gaze and voice as genuine as possible. "I want to help Iris." That statement certainly helped convince the group even more that Severus was sincere.
Remus was a tad bit more unsure about the situation. "Regulus and Lucius didn't send you here, have they?"
Severus shook his head, "no. If they did, I would tell you. I don't want to do what they say. I don't want to be scared anymore."
The greasy-haired teens passionate words helped his case even more. After one final glance, the Gryffindors came to a conclusion.
"Then help us," Wendy commented and gestured to the books in front of them. "You're good a potions, right?" There was no denying that Severus Snape was known to be very talented with the subject and considering they were seriously lacking some knowledge, they needed his help.
Yet they didn't know that they had the creator of the potion right in front of them. Though it's not like they needed to know that, in Severus' opinion.
Lily spoke for him, "he's one of the top students!"
Severus smiled at the fact that she still spoke about him highly. He knew that Lily was angry with him after what had happened months ago with him and Iris. If someone had done the same thing to his sibling, he would hold a grudge like them. Yet now, it seemed like she was going to be nice to him. He knew that she wanted to fix their relationship after this troubling year, and Lily must think that working together on this will help that.
They invited him to sit at the table which he took as a good sign. Yes, it didn't seem like they were completely warm to the idea of him being there. However, it didn't seem like they had any other choice. Despite what they may want, this was a necessity to ensure that they were able to help Iris. The Gryffindors were just glad that their loudmouthed, annoying friends weren't here to object to this.
The boys may have gone to Severus to get help the other night, however, it's not like they would allow Severus to get any closer to their investigation and plans to help Iris. They couldn't trust him. Especially after what he has done to their friend already and lies he's told. It was a natural thing to do.
With Severus' help, the group of four were able to identify just about every ingredient in the potion. In turn, they were able to brew an antidote quite quickly! It may have taken them most of the day and missing out on dinner, but it would be worth missing out on. Things were definitely starting to look more optimistic than the other day.
The group had made the antidote in a generous amount just to make sure that they had enough for her. Though the potion was weak already, according to Severus, it wouldn't take that much of the antidote to fix Iris. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Lily couldn't help the smile from crawling onto her face. "We actually did it," she breathed out and stared at the bottle full of the murky potion. Her enthusiasm was infectious and spread across the group. They started to speak excitedly about finally getting their friend back to normal as they collected their things.
Severus watched them walk towards the exit of the library. He was an outsider to their little friend group and didn't think that he should intrude on their conversation. Though he had to admit that he was happy with this outcome. As he watched Lily's expression become brighter as the tension and desperation started to slide off of his face, Severus was happy. He may have been a cause of this, but he certainly wanted to fix it. This was going to do just that. He did what he had to do.
He gazed after them as they disappeared around a corner no doubt to tell others what had happened. Severus could only hope that he wasn't going to be punished by Regulus and Lucius for this. He wanted to try and avoid any sort of confrontation, no matter who it was from. Though he wasn't sure what was worse, facing the wrath of the Marauders, Regulus and Lucius, or Lily.
Lily. By far, the redhead can be one of the scariest people Severus has ever met.
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