Devil's Hand
Lily had her face buried in her pillow, as if it did anything to help. She was in a state of confusion and sadness after the meeting in Dumbledore’s office.
A girl with golden locks sat at the edge of Lily’s bed, beside her curled up body. “Lily, come on,” she said with a voice of urgency. “Tell me what happened?”
“... Leave me alone.”
“Lils, come on.”
Even if Lily wanted to tell Mary MacDonald what happened, she didn’t know what to say. There was nothing to say except the fact that Severus had thrown a tantrum, and called her a hypocrite when Dumbledore had held a meeting in hopes of reconciliation.
Lily knew she shouldn’t be upset over the situation, but she was. Originally, she wanted nothing to do with Severus, and he chased after her. But now, when she lent an open hand to him, he spat on it and slapped it away.
It was like Severus became a different person within a span of a few days.
Mary sighed, while gently stroking Lily’s head. “James wants to talk to you.”
“Tell him I don’t feel like it.”
Mary frowned. “I thought things were better between the two of you.”
Lily groaned, and flipped onto her back. Her eyes narrowed, trying to adjust in the light. “Things are fine. In fact, it's just sparkling.”
“Then why don’t you want to talk to him?” Mary asked as she towered over Lily, and a look of concern flashed across her face. “Lily, have you been crying?”
“No.”
“Why are your eyes red and puffy then?”
“You must be hallucinating.”
A look of disappointment flashed across Mary’s face. “I’m just trying to help you.”
Lily glanced at her friend guiltily. She knew Mary was being patient with her, but she was acting like a brat. “Fine,” she muttered grudgingly. “It has to do something with Snape.”
The pretty blonde’s face twisted. “Snivellus? What did that bastard do?”
“It’s a long story.”
Mary gave her friend a faint smile. “I'm willing to listen.”
Lily felt comforted by her words, and cleared her throat.“Well… Do you know about the prank I told you about?” Lily started.
Mary nodded earnestly. “Yes.”
Lily continued telling the story where she went to Dumbledore’s office, where they found Severus mercilessly beating the Marauders, and then the discussion they had in Dumbledore’s office.
As Lily finished her story, she looked at her friend sadly. “Mary, am I really a hypocrite?”
Mary grabbed Lily into a tight hug. “Lily, you’re none of those things that Snivellus said. You’re far from a bad person, don’t pay his words any mind.”
“But Mary, he has a point. I’ve done nothing to stop James whenever he went too far.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “It’s just some light teasing. All teenage boys do it. He needs to man up.”
“I guess so,” Lily said with a hint of doubt.
“Don’t be so caught up in his words. He’s a Slytherin, who’s invested in the Dark Arts. Whatever that dark wizard says doesn’t matter.”
Lily didn’t respond, so Mary continued further. “He even defended Mulciber when he…” she shuddered. “I don’t even want to talk about it.”
Lily’s conscience began to shift. Mary was right; she shouldn’t be so caught up with whatever Severus was saying, because he had already gone astray. He was getting himself involved with the Dark Arts, and his friends were horrible people who had done horrible things.
Although they were best friends at some point, people change. Clearly, Severus has changed, for the worse. He was no longer her childhood friend.
With this newfound realization, Lily gave her friend a sweetening smile. “Thank you, Mary. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Mary responded with a squeeze on her hand. “Of course,” she said sweetly. “Now, since that's all cleared up, how about you go talk to James?”
Lily gave her friend an apprehensive look. “You seem awfully adamant about setting me up with Potter.”
“I just think you two would look so CUTE together.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “He’s an arsehole.”
“But you like him? don’t you?”
Lily flushed. “Says who?”
“I can see your pink cheeks,” Mary teased.
“Oh, quit it.”
Lily threw her blanket at her friend, and made her way to the door.
Mary threw the blanket off her head. “Hey Lily, wait up for me!”
Lily ignored her friend, and stepped out of the door. Below, she could see James and his friends sitting in the common room.
James abruptly stopped talking as his hazel eyes met her piercing green eyes. He stood up from his seat. “Evans!” he said like an excited puppy.
Something in Lily’s chest fluttered. “Potter,” she acknowledged coolly.
***
Severus stood inside the Room of Requirement, looking at the books that towered so high. His eyes blinked slowly, as he digested what the room was.
After all, the Room of Requirement transformed into a room he needed the most, and both times they wore the same appearance of an old library that seemed to be someone’s study room. It was also a room where he discovered Tommy.
Severus glanced to his right, where he saw Tommy yawning as he sprawled across the small bed. The little boy seemed blissful, yet Severus knew underneath his honey child appearance, lurked something vicious.
Severus occluded his mind, and gained a sense of clarity. Although he didn’t notice it before, after peacing everything together, he knew the child wasn’t normal, and hid some sort of deep secret.
“Severus, why are you zoning out?”
Severus snapped back into reality, and looked at the boy who was lying on his side with his hand supporting his head. “… I was just thinking.”
“Too bad you occluded me,” pouted Tommy. “I can’t even see your thoughts anymore.”
“Do you regret telling me how to block you out?”
“Yeah.”
“What a shame then.”
Severus continued to block out the little boy’s whiny voice as he walked towards the wooden desk in the room. He inspected the antique desk, noticing that it had a drawer underneath it. He grasped the golden handle and pulled it out.
Severus peered into the drawer. There laid a small book and a few miscellaneous items, like quills and ink. Seeing this, it made him certain that this room had once belonged to someone else. Tommy’s former contractor must have been someone formidable.
Severus decided to grab the old book, which seemed like its binds barely held the pages together. It seemed as if it would crumble into dust any second soon. He opened the book to the first page.
This book belongs to T. Riddle
Severus’ brows furrowed. The name irked something within him, as if he recognized the name. Except, he couldn’t place his finger on it.
The previous owner’s name started with a T. The surname Riddle wasn’t pureblood, which meant the previous owner had previously been a halfblood or a muggleborn. Even so, the name didn’t ignite a returning memory, but just a feeling.
“What’s that you have in your hand, Severus?”
Severus had tuned out the boy until he had shut up, but the boy had spoken up again, disrupting his thoughts. “It’s just a book I found, Tommy,” he said, returning the same energy.
Tommy rolled over to the other side, showing only his backside. “How utterly boring.”
Severus sighed and looked down at the page once again. Suddenly, he froze as he registered something.
Tommy’s name started with a T. It was usually a nickname for Tom.
The book belonged to Tom Riddle, or also known as Lord Voldemort.
Severus felt a shiver up his spine, and almost dropped the book he held. Recovering his composure, he carefully tucked the book into his robes, feeling his fingers stiffen. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Tommy laying there carelessly, without a thought in the world.
Everything now clicked into place. Tommy’s cruel and vengeful behaviour, his vast knowledge in things like creating a new body, and his mysterious background. It was because Tommy was in fact Tom Riddle, or to be more exact, a horcrux of his.
Severus had summoned the devil, and was practically contracted to it. He needed to destroy it instantly.
Severus gripped his wand tightly, mentally preparing himself for what was about to come. Before he could do anything, Tommy rolled back, and faced him. “What happened?” he asked with a trace of concern. “What is up with the instability in your emotions? Oh, why are you staring holes through me…”
Severus held his breath. “What do you mean?”
“Your occluding walls just weakened, and I can feel the distress right now.”
Damn it. Severus had been caught up in a moment of fear, so his mind had slightly wavered.
“I was thinking about what to do in the future,” he quickly fibbed.
“You’re getting distressed just because of that?”
“I was worried about whether or not I’m capable of creating a new body and successfully transferring my soul over.”
Tommy jumped right up. “I can get you the books on how to do them.”
Severus had an ominous feeling creeping on his shoulders. He felt as if he accepted the offer, he would practically be working with the devil. But whether it be an angel or a devil, he’d shake the hand that helps him succeed.
Severus took a deep breath, before responding. “I would like that.”