--0--
"All right, Snivellus?" called an unfriendly voice.
Slytherin fifth-year Severus Snape dropped his school bag and made for his wand, but James Potter was too quick for him.
"Expelliarmus!"
Snape's wand flew out of his hand. He lunged for it, but was promptly knocked off his feet by Potter's Impediment Curse. Potter and his friends advanced on him, taunting him, while a small crowd gathered to watch and many others turned their heads towards the commotion. A pair of Hufflepuff second-year girls sat a few meters away, watching with rapt attention as the scene unfolded. Well, one of them was sitting. The other had jumped to her feet and was brandishing her wand, looking quite prepared to march across the lawn and give Potter a large piece of her mind.
"Oh sit down, Serena," said the sitting girl to her friend. "You know that'll do no good."
"Kat, are you even seeing what's going on right now?" cried Serena, her wand still at the ready.
Kat habitually adjusted her thin-frame glasses and gave a resigned sort of sigh. "Yes, I'm seeing it. And it's great you want to go save Snape and all, but trust me, mixing up in all that will just get you hexed. Speaking of which..." She made a face as Severus started yelling and cursing and hexing for the whole school to hear-not that it did him any good. "I have no clue what you see in him."
"Oh shut it." Serena huffed indignantly and watched as pink soap bubbles poured from Severus's mouth. The crowd around Potter and Severus had grown, and most of the students were laughing at the unfortunate Slytherin. "They've got no right to do this to him!" Serena continued. "This is completely unfair! Why must Potter and Black be so cruel? Why isn't anyone stopping them? Why hasn't-"
"Leave him ALONE!" Lily Evans's voice echoed across the grounds, and everyone grew strangely silent.
Lily Evans. The one girl Serena envied most. She despised everything about her: her dark red hair, her brilliantly green eyes, her clear strong voice, her obvious confidence, her bravery, her kindness, her compassion, her friendship with Severus... The way he looks at her...
Even now, as he attempted to repay Potter for his embarrassment, Severus wore an expression of barely-contained gratitude for Evans' intervention. Though, that expression quickly disappeared as he was hoisted up into the air upside down, his shabby school robes falling over his head. Serena stood frozen, her heart beating overtime, blood rushing to her head. She wanted to scream, and the words were on the tip of her tongue when Potter released Severus, who fell quite unceremoniously to the ground.
"There now, see?" said Kat, who had finally gotten to her feet. "He's alright. Everything's-"
"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" yelled Severus.
The girls watched in stunned silence as Evans, after delivering a few more choice words to Severus and Potter, hurried away across the grounds. Serena's initial shock at Severus' outburst soon faded, and was replaced by a smile that slowly made its way across her face. She is a filthy Mudblood, isn't she? thought Serena. She got what she had coming--
"Oy, look!" said Kat suddenly, elbowing Serena in the side. "Here comes your brother. And he's got Professor Flitwick with him."
At the sight of the professor, the crowd of students dispersed as quickly as it had formed. Tyler Wolfsbane hurried over to Severus, who had once again fallen from where Potter'd dropped him.
"Well, come on," said Serena, tugging at Kat's arm. "Let's go see if he's alright."
Kat rolled her eyes. "Sure, now you're brave enough."
"You shut it."
The two girls made their way over to the tree where Tyler and Severus stood.
"...and then I called her a Mudblood, and she just ran off."
"You did what? But she's your best friend, why would..." The boys fell silent as Kat and Serena reached them.
"Honestly!" said Serena. "Those arrogant Gryffindors; think they own everyone. Especially that Potter boy; I mean really, the immaturity baffles me. What an absolute swine! He's--"
"And why do you feel the need to explain this to me, Wolfsbane?" Severus sneered, clearly put out. "If you're so passionate about it, you should've told them off when you had the chance."
Serena just opened her mouth speechlessly, and Tyler gave her a look that said Why are you even here? "Come on, Severus," said Tyler. "Let's go back up to the common room; we still have to study for our Transfiguration exams. See you, Serena. Kat."
Kat nodded to Tyler, and then to Severus. "Snape."
"Rowan."
The two fifth-years started back up the hill to the castle while Kat and a stilled-stunned Serena followed at a distance.
**20 Years Later**
"I would like to introduce to you your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Serena Wolfsbane!"
Wolfsbane by Shiloh_Tovah
Story Notes:
Will be told mostly considering Serena's 3rd person POV. Explores the last 4 books from a viewpoint other than Harry's: What didn't we see happening? Where was Snape when such-and-such was occurring? etc. Categorized as AU due to presence of original characters and other modifications of canon (such as, what if Dumbledore hadn't destroyed the Philosopher's Stone? etc.).
Chapter Notes:Canon passages (mostly of dialogue and the like) can be found in the 5th book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, chapter 28 ("Snape's Worst Memory"), and are copyrighted to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. No infringement is intended.
Serena Wolfsbane, Katrina Rowan, and Tyler Wolfsbane are original characters and are copyrighted to me -- the author acting under the pen-name of Shiloh_Tovah -- and my co-author, who has no account on this site and wishes to remain anonymous on the internet until the time of her choosing.
Chapter Endnotes:Seeing as how this is the first fanfic I and my co-author have ever written, feedback is incredibly appreciated. What did you like? What can we fix? Suggestions for future development? Anything. Thanks for reading. More to come soon.
--Shiloh