Chương 43: Chapter 42 - Lily Evans 03.

[Chapter Size: 3200 Words.] 

Third Person POV 

Hogwarts. 

... 

... 

Lily put the book into her bag, adjusted the strap on her shoulder, and headed out of the classroom, joining the line with the other students. 

The entire classroom was restless after everything that had just happened. She could feel the gazes shifting between her and the last desk in the room. There were looks searching for answers from her, as if she might know something... 

'What is going on?' It was all she could think as she walked out alongside her friends. 

Her eyes immediately turned to the boy the professor had called Snape. Who certainly shouldn't have been her old friend. 

She already knew what questions were running through her friends' minds at that moment. And she also knew she would be bombarded with them in a few minutes, as soon as they left the place. 

Even so, she kept looking. Severus didn't seem to care about her gaze at all, just like that moment when they exchanged looks after the train, as far as she could remember. 

'Had she become a stranger to him?' 

In any case, he was still writing in that notebook, ignoring everyone leaving, calmly finishing whatever he had been doing throughout the entire class and even now. After all, he simply kept a cauldron floating beside him, with strange flames circling the bottom of the cauldron in a controlled manner. 

Lily had never seen anything like it before, burning beneath it. The ingredients dropped into the mixture on their own, automatically. Lily was certain there were no spells for automatic potion brewing, after all, it required preparation, certain enchantments, and a great deal of concentration on the ingredients and the fire's temperature. 

Something like what she had seen alongside the entire class and Professor Slughorn shouldn't exist, right? If it did, the vast majority of potion masters would abandon their laboratories and let them brew potions on their own. 

The art of potion-making demanded precision and was manual work. Meticulous. Any mistake resulted in failure. But Severus, somehow, seemed to ignore all those rules. 

And that only made everything even more absurd. Because Lily simply didn't recognize him. 

Not at all. 

How could that be Severus? 

Where were the black eyes? 

The hooked nose? 

The greasy hair? 

The pale skin? 

The crooked, yellowed teeth? 

And, above all... 

Where was the scowl? 

She wasn't the only one thinking that. Everyone seemed to share the same reaction. 

With the exception of the Slytherin students, who already seemed to have gotten used to the new Severus a little better than the rest of them. 

None of them said anything, most merely watched with curiosity. And some with disdain. 

Lily was surprised to notice that Mulciber and Avery were among them. They seemed to be angry with Severus for some reason. 

She also saw Potter a little farther ahead. James was practically growling as he watched Severus. 

And Severus didn't even seem to notice, or, as with how he was acting toward everyone, he simply didn't seem to care. 

Lily could swear that James was only a few seconds away from charging at him to find out what was going on. 

She herself was curious and... frightened. 

Because she still refused to believe it, even after seeing everything that had happened, even after hearing the professor call her old friend's name. 

Even staring at that face over there, still drawing or writing in that notebook. Part of her still refused to accept that it was Severus. 

What had happened to him? 

What happened during the summer? 

The questions kept spinning through her mind without stopping. But as she had already noticed, Severus didn't seem to care about her either. He didn't even look in her direction. 

Lily's eyes eventually turned toward the wall that Severus's blue bird had frozen. 

That blue bird that spits ice... 

Another thing she had never seen before. And suddenly, it had appeared on the new Severus's shoulder, and he had commanded it to freeze an entire wall... 

With an exotic magical bird... Manipulating a potion in an impossible way... While Professor Slughorn seemed on the verge of exploding with happiness. 

Ever since he had evaluated Severus's potion, the man seemed to be living a dream. Almost as if he were seeing butterflies all around him. 

She knew her professor's temperament, but refused to believe he was taking things as lightly as he appeared to be. 

At the beginning of class, he had announced that the best potion would win a small reward. 

And everyone had been certain Lily would win, as always. But she lost. 

Lost to her former friend. Or to whatever that man had become. Either way, she had to leave the classroom. 

Her friends practically pushed her outside as well and dragged her through the corridors so they wouldn't be overheard, but as soon as they reached a certain distance, with Lily surrounded, the questions began immediately. 

"What is going on?" Mary practically grabbed her arms. 

Meanwhile, Marlene held one of her hands, her eyes full of questions. 

Lily looked at her friends, not knowing what to say. She also noticed the looks from the other students who had left with them while they were still in the dungeons. 

"Look, I don't know what's going on." She answered immediately. "I'm just as confused as you are. I have no idea what's happening. I haven't seen Severus since the first days of summer vacation." 

"It can't be him." Dorcas was the first to say it. She shared Potions class with Marlene, and now that they were discussing it, she seemed unwilling to believe it. 

"Lily must know something... Right?" Marlene looked at Lily, still full of questions. 

"I don't know, Marlene. I don't know what's happening. There's no point asking me. I'm just as surprised as you are." Lily immediately went on the defensive. 

That was when the Marauders approached, all of them looking at her. 

"Are you sure, Evans?" Sirius practically growled. "Are you sure that's Snivellus?" 

Lily seemed torn between defending him or simply ignoring the question. In the end, she just shook her head. "I don't know what's happening, Black. I've already said that three times!" she replied irritably. 

"He is clearly up to something... Evans, honestly, do you think that is Severus Snape?" James asked in a much more serious tone than usual. 

Now several Gryffindor students and part of the Slytherin students were also watching the conversation. Some Slytherins seemed curious and were looking for answers as well. Most, however, had already headed to the Great Hall or somewhere else for lunch. 

"I don't know." Lily ran a hand through her hair. "I mean... you saw his eyes. Those eyes weren't Severus's eyes." She took a deep breath. 

"That behavior wasn't Severus's either. It was far too controlled. Severus never had a bird. And it's only been two months since I last saw him." She looked down at the floor. 

"People don't change like that. People don't change their eyes that way..." As she rambled, the others exchanged glances. 

Reluctantly, they had to admit that she had a point. 

"Did you see his eyes?" the conversations began. "I've never seen eyes like that." 

"Yeah..." a student murmured. 

"They were glowing." 

"I've seen the Headmaster's eyes glow a few times," another student commented. "But his... it was constant." 

Lily kept staring at her own feet and the floor. 

What else could she say? 

"We should go find the Headmaster." Peter was the first to suggest it. "If it isn't Snivellus, it could be some infiltrator." 

Lily raised her eyes toward him without saying anything, then shifted her attention to Remus. He seemed thoughtful, very thoughtful. 

As if he were connecting some pieces together. Lily remembered the conversation they had on the train. Remus had mentioned a strange bird perched on a student's shoulder. 

Then they discovered it wasn't an ordinary bird... It was something called an Ice Phoenix, whatever that meant. 

But she had seen what that creature had done. It had frozen an entire wall with a white beam. And then it had vanished in a flash. Exactly the way the Headmaster's phoenix usually did when apparating. 

There were so many questions that Lily simply couldn't make sense of any of it. 

"Yes. Let's talk to the Headmaster first." James was the one who decided. "And you'd better come along to explain that that isn't Severus." 

Lily was a little surprised by James's sudden determination. 

"Wait..." Mary murmured quietly. "But Professor Slughorn was treating him completely normally." 

The students immediately looked at one another, and everyone recognized that point. 

"Maybe he's under some kind of curse," Peter suggested. "It's not for nothing that the professor asked him to stay after class." 

Sirius nodded with a serious expression. "That makes sense..." 

Lily wondered how they managed to come up with such absurd theories so quickly. Even in a situation this strange. 

The idea that Slughorn wouldn't notice the replacement of a completely different Severus seemed odd. 

Especially considering that this same Severus had been present during the First Years' Sorting, when everyone thought he was a new Slytherin student... and with Dumbledore there. 

It didn't seem like a very logical conclusion. 

"Lily, please. We need to talk to the Headmaster." Potter insisted. 

She looked at all the students staring at her seriously. As if it were her responsibility, as if she were supposed to solve everything immediately. 

Lily simply sighed. "Fine. Let's talk to the Headmaster." With those words, the Gryffindor students quickly headed toward the tallest tower in the castle. 

They climbed staircases, crossed corridors, and passed the trophy room. Until they finally arrived at the entrance to the Headmaster's office. 

The phoenix statue remained motionless on its perch like a statue. 

It was good to be a prefect, because there were certain advantages. 

"Lemon Drop." As soon as she spoke the password that all prefects knew, the staircase began to appear. The stairs emerged. 

James, Sirius, and her friends immediately moved ahead. When they entered, they found Dumbledore sitting behind his desk. 

The Headmaster was reading some letters. Probably something he intended to finish if not for their interruption. 

"My, what a surprise." He looked up over his half-moon glasses. "A visit from all of you on the very first day of classes." His usual friendly tone made some of the students relax. "Is there something troubling you for so many of you to come here together?" 

"Headmaster, we need to talk about... Snape." James was the first to speak. 

Lily could almost swear he had been about to say "Snivellus" before correcting himself at the last second. 

"Ah, Mr. Snape." Dumbledore pressed his fingertips together thoughtfully after lowering the letter he had been reading. "I presume you've already had class with him." 

"Yes, Headmaster." Sirius took over. "But that's not him." 

Dumbledore seemed thoughtful. "And what makes you think that?" There was a small smile on his lips. As if he already knew exactly why they had come. 

His gaze passed over each student briefly before returning to those standing in front. 

"He's handsome." Marlene was the one who answered. 

For a second, there was silence. Then several girls started laughing. James and Sirius immediately growled in protest. 

And, strangely enough, that helped ease some of the tension in the room. 

"Oh, come on." Marlene simply kept looking at everyone. "Severus Snape and the word handsome don't belong in the same sentence. Ever." She crossed her arms. 

"His eyes were black. Now they're green, and ridiculously beautiful green at that. His crooked nose simply disappeared. His hair used to be greasy and permanently plastered to his head, and now it's curly. He gained weight. His skin no longer looks like that of a vampire fresh out of a tomb. His teeth are normal. His face is clean. Even his posture changed!" Marlene shook her head several times. 

"So yes, I'd say he's handsome. But Snape? That makes no sense!" 

It was obvious that Marlene had been completely charmed by the new boy from the moment she saw him. 

She was simply incapable of believing that he could be Severus Snape. The same student she had openly despised for years. 

The same one she never missed an opportunity to insult whenever she had the chance. 

Especially when she tried to convince Lily to stay away from him. 

"Well, I admit that Mr. Snape's appearance has changed quite a bit." Dumbledore replied calmly. 

Lily immediately noticed that her friends were not satisfied with that answer. The Headmaster knew it was Snape too... 

"Headmaster, nobody can change the color of their eyes." Mary was the one who spoke this time. "You're born with blue eyes, and you die with blue eyes. And those eyes are... strange." 

Dumbledore appeared thoughtful once again. But he didn't seem to have an immediate answer. "I know." He rested his chin on his fingers. "Curious, isn't it? Very curious." 

For a moment, it seemed as though he was asking that question to himself. But soon he turned his attention back to the students. 

"Well, I shall certainly look into it personally." He paused briefly. "But know this. If that student entered Hogwarts, he entered for a reason." Everyone remained silent as they heard his next words. 

"Because the castle's wards recognized him. Not as an infiltrator, but as a student accepted by Hogwarts. So, as surprising as Mr. Snape's change in appearance may be, there is something that cannot be altered easily." 

The Headmaster smiled. "His magical signature." 

Lily felt a shiver run through her. 

"Hogwarts recognized him," Dumbledore continued. "He entered the castle without any alert. Without any reaction from the protections. That alone tells us that we are dealing with the real Mr. Snape." 

The statement fell like a stone among those present. 

The Headmaster seemed completely incapable of believing that anyone could deceive Hogwarts' defenses. 

Not even Voldemort. After all, it was considered the safest place in Britain. Perhaps in the world. 

"No. It can't be." James growled dramatically. 

Everyone looked at him in surprise. He seemed genuinely disturbed by the situation. 

And Lily noticed something strange. James seemed to want to deny Severus's transformation almost as much as Black did. Neither of them wanted to believe it, not even Dumbledore's words... 

Lily was simply confused. 

After all... if that really was Severus... 

What had happened? 

What happened during the summer? 

The questions returned with full force. 

Because if Dumbledore said it was him... then it was him. She believed his words. 

"Well..." the Headmaster spoke again. "I know you're all a bit agitated and your emotions are running high." Some students looked away. 

"I ask that you calm yourselves. The entire situation is under control." Then his expression became slightly more serious. "And I ask that you do not seek out Mr. Snape at this moment. I will speak with him myself." Dumbledore began to stand up. 

"I'm sure he will have a good explanation." That gentle smile appeared on his face once more. 

"From what I've seen, Professor Flitwick spoke with him this morning and seemed quite excited about Mr. Snape's transformation. Perhaps it's something positive." The Headmaster concluded. 

Lily couldn't help but feel as though someone had punched her in the stomach... after all, was that the friend she had abandoned? 

Those present looked as though they had swallowed something bitter. James and Sirius especially; the two wore identical expressions. 

As if they had just bitten into an entire lemon. And they were clearly not satisfied with any of those answers. Much less willing to accept them. 1

In the end, Lily left together with all the Gryffindor students. The Headmaster even accompanied them on the way back to the common room. 

"So you said he appeared with an Ice Phoenix?" Dumbledore suddenly asked, in a tone full of fascination as he listened to more about what had happened in the Potions classroom. 

The question came right after Peter complained that Snape had brought some strange bird, called an Ice Phoenix, which had frozen part of the Potions classroom. 

Beside him, Lily recognized that look, that sparkle in the Headmaster's eyes. There was something there beyond simple curiosity. Far beyond. 

"Yes, Headmaster. It should be banned," Peter immediately suggested. 1

But Dumbledore merely shook his head. "I will speak with Mr. Snape at some point." 

When they finally arrived at the common room, they found the very person who had been the main topic of every conversation. 

Severus. 

He was leaving the area accompanied by the same little girl from the previous night. Besides her, there were also two seventh-year Hufflepuff students. 

Iris and Roberta, if Lily remembered correctly. 

Severus did not even seem to notice the group and continued walking down the corridor on the other side of the hallway. 

Lily noticed that all the students around her were watching his back. Including the Headmaster himself. And, for a brief moment, Dumbledore displayed a peculiar gleam in his eyes before turning his attention back to the students and offering a small smile. 

"Now then, let's go into the common room." He said. 

Normally, Sirius and Potter would have been puffing out their chests from walking beside the Headmaster. But that was not the emotion they were displaying at that moment. Just like her friends, and practically everyone present. 

The girls who spent all their time mocking Severus now seemed thoughtful. They exchanged silent glances with one another. 

Lily stood among them, not wanting to look at anyone right now. And she knew she would be bombarded with even more questions. 

But what could she answer? 

She hadn't seen Severus anymore. 

She had rejected his attempt to repair their friendship after what happened by the lake. She no longer spoke to him. Not since that night at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. 

After that, she had simply ignored him. 

A sudden regret blossomed in her heart. 

She didn't know why. But an overwhelming sadness took hold of her at that moment. 

Whatever had happened to Severus... she no longer had the right to know. Perhaps he had changed because of her. Because of the end of their friendship. Perhaps, after she decided to cast him aside, he had finally decided to change. 

To improve. Something she had always wanted from him... 

Besides, he no longer seemed to be on friendly terms with the same students as before. 

There were also the rumors. A sixth-year student was openly challenging Lestrange's leadership. It was too much of a coincidence. 

Lily cast one last glance at Severus's back. He was walking down the corridor beside friends she would never have imagined seeing him with. 

He was talking openly with them. 

He seemed at ease. 

Calm and happy, even. 

Something she hadn't seen in a very long time. 

'What happened to you?' she murmured softly. 

And, for the first time since the end of their friendship, she felt doubt and regret tighten around her heart. 

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