Bejeweled

Late Sunday morning Bella was walking with Lily down to Hogsmeade. The boys already went down about an hour before, but Lily was in the library finishing up an essay and Bella decided to get a little more studying done for a Transfiguration test so they could walk down together. 

“You know Valentine’s Day is coming up soon,” Lily grinned at her. 

“Would you like me to get you flowers?” Bella raised an eyebrow, teasing her friend. 

Lily grinned brightly and in an over the top manner exclaimed, “Why Bella, you know you’re the one for me! Poor Remus will just have to understand!” 

Both girls threw their heads back laughing. 

“But really,” Lily continued, “are you two going to do anything to celebrate?” 

Bella shrugged. “I don’t know. I know it’s a sore spot that he can’t really get me anything, so what if getting him something makes him feel guilty?” 

“You don’t have to give presents, you could always do something special together instead,” Lily suggested. 

“True,” Bella mused. “I’ll think about it. Anyway, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” 

“What’s up?” Lily smiled as they passed through the Hogwarts gate, officially leaving the grounds. 

“Well,” she took a deep breath, “it’s about Snape.” 

Lily stiffened next to her. “What about him?” she asked, tone careful. 

“Yesterday, in the common room, he sat with me and Andy instead of the Future Death Eaters.” 

“Okay?” Lily said slowly, looking over at Bella as they walked. “And?” 

Bella bit her lip, watching as Hogsmeade came closer down the path. “Slytherin is…political in a way that Gryffindor isn’t. Him sitting with us was a big statement.” 

Lily didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Saying what, exactly?” 

“That he’s taking the side of the blood traitors,” Bella answered. 

Lily scowled at the ground in front of her. “Why now? Why not…?” Bella understood. Lily wanted to know why not before; why was her friendship not enough?

Bella rested her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Because now it’s safe. My politics may have changed, but the Future Death Eaters still know better than to cross me, or to hurt those aligning with me. Someone like him…half-blood, not exactly Mr. Popular, he wasn’t safe before without aligning himself with them. He saw an out, and he took it.” 

Lily was still scowling at the ground, eyes not even flicking towards her friend, not saying anything at all as a million things ran through her mind, painted plainly in her eyes. 

Bella just let her process for a while as they walked, until they were approaching the heart of Hogsmeade, walking past the first few buildings. 

“I want to invite him to get a butterbeer with us,” Bellatrix told her. 

Lily’s eyes snapped up. “What? Today?” 

“Yes,” Bella nodded. 

“But-but we’ll be sitting with the Marauders! That’s a recipe for disaster.” 

“I talked to Remus about it, he said he thinks it’s a good idea,” Bella lied. She hadn’t talked to Remus, but he would have said that if she had. Probably. “You’re the final say.” 

Lily bit the inside of her lower lip. “Do you really think him sitting with you is that big of deal?” 

Bella nodded firmly. “I do. I’m not saying you should forgive him right now, but…give him the same chance you gave me?” 

Lily stopped walking, searching Bella’s face and apparently finding what she wanted because she gave a short nod. “Alright, but he’s going to have to work his ass off if he wants my forgiveness.” 

The girls stopped by Honeydukes before heading to The Three Broomsticks. Despite what she’d said earlier, she picked up some of Remus’s favorite chocolates to give to him on Valentine’s Day, and got some of her favorite sour gummies as well. Maybe she could set up a classroom all special and they could have a little eat-candy-and-cuddle date for the holiday. That could be nice. 

When they did enter The Three Broomsticks it was already busy and Bella was glad the boys headed down before them to stake out a table. James waved at Lily and she headed over while Bella went to grab them some butter beers and find Snape. Glancing around as she made her way over to the bar she spotted Cissy sitting in a corner with Lucius Malfoy. Bella didn’t know he was coming to see her, but they hadn’t spoken recently, so that wasn’t really surprising. 

Snape was sitting against a wall, trying to melt into the shadows, but made eye contact with Bella from across the room, keeping an impassive expression. Bella smiled and gave him a nod and could see the relief in his eyes even if he kept his face neutral. He carefully made his way over to her at the bar just as she was being passed three butterbeers. 

Snape raised an eyebrow at her. “I hope that third one isn’t for me. I don’t need your charity.” 

Bella rolled her eyes. “It’s not charity. It’s using my shitty family’s money in ways they wouldn’t approve. I promise, it’s completely out of spite.” 

He rolled his eyes and took the third bottle off the bar, following her over to where the Marauders and Lily sat. 

Apparently no one had warned the boys this would be happening because all four of them looked perplexed. Well, three of them looked perplexed, Sirius looked quite pleased. 

Bella sat down next to Remus, leaving space for Snape next to her, across from Sirius. Lily had chosen the spot between Sirius and James, probably to ensure Snape wouldn’t be able to sit next to her once he arrived. 

“I didn’t know you’d be joining us,” Sirius said carefully, as if trying to hide his crush despite everyone at the table being very much aware of it. His eyes glancing around the room suspiciously. Had Remus not told him they were the ones who saw the two snogging? 

“I invited him,” Bella said. “Didn’t think anyone would mind?” she raised an eyebrow, challenging them. She’d be a good person and at least pretend she didn’t know about whatever was going on between the two boys. 

“Absolutely not,” James spoke up. “Glad you’re here, Snape.” 

Severus just looked deeply uncomfortable. “Yes, well…thank you,” the words came out stilted. He took a drink of his butterbeer. 

“You know, I found that Charms paper quite challenging. What about you?” Remus asked Snape, trying to get some sort of conversation going. 

Luckily, it worked, and the two boys chatted amicably about their papers for a few moments before Sirius rolled his eyes and cut in with, “We get it, you’re both total nerds,” but it was in a friendly teasing sort of way. 

“Yes, well, perhaps if you spent more time actually working on your assignments instead of rolling your eyes at them you might have something in your head besides hot air,” Snape answered without actual malice. If anything Bella thought it almost sounded like flirting. 

“As long as it’s hot,” Sirius grinned back, openly flirting. 

Snape rolled his eyes and took another drink of his butterbeer, but was starting to blush. 

Lily’s eyes widened. Oh, so maybe someone at the table hadn’t known what was going on between them. 

“Okay what the hell did I miss?” she demanded. 

“Nothing!” both Sirius and Severus answered too quickly at the exact same time. 

Everyone else’s laughter relieved the tension that had been coiled tightly around the table ever since Severus sat down. Conversation started to flow easily; Bella, Sirius, and James all happily bought rounds of butterbeer, and soon the whole group found themselves having a great time in Hogsmeade all together.