Chapter 7
He told her everything from almost getting Snape killed last year—with Remus’s permission of course— to having a secret meeting with Snape without the other person knowing who he was and to pranking people who have been bothering Snape.
Lily did not take it well and stormed off but the next day she decided to help James figure things out on what to do and how to tell the Slytherin woman. James asked why she was lending a helping hand to him when he did something horrible to her best friend.
She just said that now that she knows what James was doing she can’t keep it a secret from Severina and she just can’t be the one to tell her as well that James was a stag since apart from her not wanting to be at the end of her best friend’s wrath and that she had no rights as well to tell Severina and that it should be James be one to tell her, But James had a gut feeling that Lily’s objective was more than just that.
On the other hand, it has been three days since that night and Severina still hasn’t woken up, because other than anemia she was sleep-deprived and malnourished, although the injury was healing, her body was still exhausted from all of that, so her body is making the most of it by recovering.
James has been visiting the dungeon bat every day with Lily after classes and detention, and every time he visited Snape he would wish that she wake up from her rest because she barely moves in her sleep James sometimes thinks that she is dead and that scares him, he just wants to go back to the time before all of this happen to just sitting in the forest with Snape or maybe to the moment they first met before he fucked everything up.
So, when Lily came bursting in through their dorm just when they were about to close their eyes from the exhaustion of detention—dinner forgotten except for peter—bringing news that Snape has finally awoken, James abruptly stood up, sleep forgotten, and went with Lily to the infirmary in a hurry.
The other marauders wanted to follow suit as well, but they have nothing to say to Snape and they were pretty sure that she didn’t want to see them just after waking up, so they left it for James to see how she was.
James walked swiftly almost leaving Lily behind, and when he was at the entrance of the infirmary, he stopped. James's eyes were fixed on Severina who was perched up from her bed and is talking to the headmaster and potions professor. They talked for a bit and James did not go any further as he did not want to interrupt, and he didn’t know what to say or do otherwise as well now that she was there fully conscious, they weren’t friends, after all, so he waited.
Lily was just beside him, probably having the same thoughts as him, too scared to approach her childhood friend.
But the Headmaster finally took notice of them and smiled.
“It appears that I have taken too much of your time Miss Snape and kept your visitors waiting, I shall take my leave now.” Dumbledore left with Slughorn, bidding his farewell to both Gryffindors and Severina.
“Well, this a combo I never expected to see.” Severina first spoke
“Or perhaps the two of you have finally started dating now that I am out of the way.”
James and Lily gaped at her and quickly denied it
“No, we're not dating.”
“I would never to this arrogant, insolent dimwit.”
“Hey!” James looked at Lily insulted
“Then are you here, to gloat about my situation?”
“Severina, how could you say that?” Lily looked at her offended. “We’re here to check up on you, see how you were, and apologize.”
“Ha! Check up on me? And apologize for what exactly, this was my fault.”
“Well, I wanted to apologize before the other day, before this happened for being so conceited and not accepting your apology sooner, after hearing what happened as well, I realize I couldn’t live without my best friend and that no one can replace you, but you suddenly disappeared.”
“Were you the one following me that day in the empty hallway?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry that I scared you Severina, If I had just forgiven you then, this would have never happened. I just really miss you so much and I want to hang out with you again, be friends with you.” Lily pleaded
“The nerve,” Severina said, her voice dripping with disdain. “My friend from childhood and one insult was enough to make you hate me and ignore my pleas of apologies, then humiliate me, the hardship and grief I went through and you weren’t there. Tell me Evans why should I forgive you, when you were one of the people who thought me that even the person you’ve known the longest can’t be trusted.”
“I don’t expect you to. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to be there with you and that I was still reflecting on what I did, But I’m not giving up on asking for your forgiveness.” Lily smiled at her with guilt in her eyes
Severina averted her eyes before she forgives Lily then and there, although she also misses her friend, she would never admit and forgive her that fast, she has her pride after all, and maybe Lily may have some other intentions as to why she was asking for forgiveness. Her eye landed on Potter who was just looking at his feet minding his own business and trying not to get in between the two girls.
“And you Potter? I refuse to believe that you were concerned for my health. What is it that you want? I suppose you want a thank you for saving me again as I have heard from Professor Dumbledore, I have two life debts to you now don’t I.” Severina sneers at him, James looked at her and frowned.
“Believe what you want Snape, but I was really worried about you, and like Lily, I was here to apologize as well, for everything, for bullying you and for deceiving you” James looked at his feet once again. He can’t look Snape in the eyes when he tells the truth, he was afraid of how she will react, afraid that he will never get to have forgiveness even though many times he apologizes, and afraid of a lot of things that he didn't understand
“I’ll be taking my leave now.” Lily said and whispered a ‘good luck’ to James before giving them privacy.
“Deceiving? Would you care to elaborate Potter?” Severina drawled
James internally gulped, ‘well here it goes’ he thought, “Do you remember anything before you closed your eyes? When you got attacked by the Boggart?”
“Let’s see, oh, I know, I remember almost being attacked, then slipping and stabbing myself to a chair and almost bleeding myself to death”
“Other than that,”
Severina sighed, she was too weak to argue with Potter right now, “I may sound crazy when I say this but, I remember a stag shoving the boggart aside and Lupin shouting the counter curse.” Severina scrunched up her face, it didn’t add up after all, where did the stag come from? And it looks so much like the one who was visiting her in the woods.
“Yeah well, do you also remember telling me about what happened in the library when Mulciber and Avery harmed you and threatened you as well, and paid you to do their homework in Potions?” James asked very carefully.
Severina scrunched up her face more, “what the hell are you talking about Potter I don’t remember telling you any…” She doesn’t remember telling James, but she did remember telling it to a stag, and as the pieces finally started to set, Severina's face started to turn red with anger.
“You are vile, despicable, deprave son of a bitch!” The muggle side of Severina slipped and let out a curse word that wizards don’t usually know.
“Did you find any pleasure in tricking me into spilling my secrets!? My privacy! Did you share them with Black and Pettigrew and had good laugh!? Well, you better Potter be because I’m going to kill you!” Severina searches for her wand at the bedside table, she couldn’t find it but was determined to look for it and stood up, but her condition did not allow her to stand for too long.
James catches Severina even as she hits and struggles to get away from him
“Snape calm down!” James shouts, narrowly avoiding her swinging arms. James then pushes Snape into her bed and pins her wrist beside her head.
“Listen to me!” James was glad that there were no other patients in the infirmary right now or else he would have been kicked out.
“I never told anyone about what you told me! I may have told my friends that I was secretly meeting you one-sidedly after the boggart night, but I never told them anything.” James was looking at Snape, deep into her eyes for her to be aware of how sincere he was, to tell her that he was telling the truth.
“And I know that it wasn’t for me to know as well, even if I wanted it to be, but I wanted to understand you better, to see you for who you truly were without the snide remarks and curses thrown at each other, and I may sound stupid right now but my meetups with you is what made me realize that you were just normal like everyone else and not evil. And I know that what I did was unforgivable but like Lily’s stubbornness I am not going to stop until I have redeemed myself to you.” James huffs, out of breath from spilling his heart to this difficult woman.
He lays his forehead into hers and closed his eyes, “And if you don’t believe me, you could always, make a Veritaserum and have me drink it.”
Severina was speechless she didn’t know how to respond to the man she had unrequited love for, but he sounded so serious and genuine, but she doesn’t know what to do because she can’t trust him, she couldn’t even trust an animal.
“Mr. Potter! What are you doing to my patient!” Madam Pomfrey shouted, which surprised the both of them, leading to James almost jumping out of bed and releasing Snape.
“I want you out of my infirmary now!” the mediwitch scrammed at James
“I’ll be back.” He whispered to Severina before leaving. The nurse huffed and looked at the female Slytherin.
"He sounded very sincere to me dear if I were you I would at least give him the chance to atone, but it is still your decision to make in the end.”
But that was just the problem, Severina doesn’t know what to do.