Severus was surrounded by darkness, finding a sense of peace in just being there. But that peace wasn't to last as the darkness was replaced by the landscape of a memory.
He was nine again, staring up at the clouds beyond the tree branches above him, laying in the grass and making names of the shapes that the clouds appeared to take. A nine-year-old Lily Evans was right beside him, giggling as she thought one looked like a dolphin with wings.
He kept on staring at her, just enjoying the fact that she was having a good time and that he was right there with her.
If he had a chance to make things right by going back to a time before Hogwarts, he would make every moment count to just be friends with her again. He would have even made sure he ended up Sorted into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. That way he would have never gotten involved with the Dark Arts or the Death Eaters.
Nothing could compare to what he was feeling right now. Or rather, back then.
How much he missed the days when it was just him and her. Just two best friends.
But now things had changed. His feelings for her had changed and their friendship had changed. He worried that his feelings for her had grown beyond friendship and had formed into romantic. He wished to Merlin that it wasn't true, especially after what had happened between them. A part of him wanted to have her back as a friend, nothing more.
She turned to look at him and took his hand into her own, smiling.
"Sev?"
"Yeah?"
"Promise me that we'll be friends forever. That no matter what happens our friendship will still be there in the end."
His heart sank as he heard the words. He hated himself for failing on that one promise. He wanted to use the Cruciatus Curse on himself at that very moment.
"I promise."
'But you won't be able to keep it,' Severus said to himself, guilt and shame filling him
Suddenly, Lily disappeared before his eyes, including the tree and the sky above. Closing his eyes, he instantly knew what was happening and prepared himself. He had figured that sooner or later the same dream that he had been experiencing for the past week would come back to haunt him.
/
The voices repeated themselves as they always did before. It was imprinted in his memory like lines from a book. For the last seven nights he would have the same dream. One that refused to go away.
"Will... you can hand it over to them! Exchange it for our lives!"
"I can't!"
"Why not?!"
"Because I know what they'll do!"
"Then what about us?!"
"Your brother is in Salem-"
Severus wanted to run down the stairs and confront the man and woman who were arguing. He wanted to demand to know what they were talking about and why he seemed to be involved somehow. He normally wouldn't have cared if the dream had stopped after the first or second time, but now he was filled with questions that he desperately wanted answers to. But no matter what he tried to do or say, his body and mouth would betray him. He didn't have control of anything, it was like it was all on repeat.
Right on time, he heard the same noise from behind him and turned around to find the little boy, holding that crocodile stuffed pillow.
"Do you..." Severus began to repeat the same words as before. "Do you know what they are talking about?"
And also just like before, the boy would nod and bury his face into the pillow.
"It's a secret. Mommy and daddy told me not to tell anyone..."
/
Severus waited for the images to flash before him and wake up back to reality. But just as the boy and the dream started to disappear, he began to notice that something different was happening.
Usually the flashes of light and images would immediately happen right after his 'small' talk with the boy. But he instead found himself in another part of the same house from the dream, and instead of it being nighttime, it was daytime. He was staring at a doorway to another bedroom on the bottom level of the house.
Stepping closer, he immediately saw the same boy. His ear was pressed up against the door, trying to hear. As he got closer he immediately heard muffled voices on the other side. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could tell that they were female.
The little boy noticed that he was there and turned to him, putting a finger to his lips as he whispered "shhh", and then motioning for him to come closer.
"Do you know what is going on in there?" he asked.
The boy shook his head.
"No, not exactly. But I do know that mommy is afraid and upset."
"Is it about what happened... the other night?"
"Yes," the boy nodded. "Daddy's planning to go away soon. But first he plans to get us to a safe place."
"Why can't you tell me what's going on?" Severus asked, despite that he wanted to ask who 'them' were.
"Because mommy and daddy told me not to. I shouldn't have spied on them the first time they talked about 'it'. Mommy was furious."
Just then the voices got a little louder, forcing the boy and Severus to put their ears up against the door, allowing them to fully hear the conversation.
"If anything happens to me or William, I need you to promise me that you'll protect them. No matter what, I need to hear you promise that you'll keep them save."
"Nothing bad is going to happen-"
"You don't know that!"
"Calm down, Michelle! You're going to be fine."
"No, you don't understand! I need to hear you say the words! I need you to promise me!"
"Okay, yes, I promise-"
/
The dream changed as the little boy and hallway disappeared, he was no longer leaning against the door, but instead was laying in a bed, his eyes wide open. He could hear voices coming from down stairs, the sound of the front door slamming shut all the way from the bedroom he was in.
"William?! What's wrong?!"
"Quick, get everything ready!" the man known as William commanded. "We're leaving right now!"
Alarmed, he brought his feet to the ground and stood up. Turning towards the door of the room, he realized that he wasn't alone.
On the other side of the bed, he saw the little boy sitting up and pushing aside the covers, he recognized both worry and fear deep within his eyes.
He immediately ran out the door, carrying his crocodile pillow with him.
Severus followed him and ran down the stairs to the bottom level, catching up with him as he reached the last step. They turned down the hallway that led to the master bedroom. As they came near, they could hear the man and woman talking but couldn't see their faces as the door was halfway open, only managing to see their shadows.
They listened from a safe distance, wondering what was going on.
"Get everything ready. I've gotten all of us plane tickets through Muggle travel out of the country. It's the best way to stay undetected. We need to make sure they can't follow us where we're going."
"What happened?"
"I was on my way back when 'they' suddenly appeared and attacked. There's a possibility they may know our location now. My contact may have been compromised."
"What about Salem? Is my brother in danger too?"
"No one else knows about Salem, which means it's the only thing we have to rely on. But we still need to get out of here."
"Did you put 'it' in a safe place? Somewhere that they won't be able to find it?"
"Yes, it's safe. But first we need to make our escape and get in contact with your brother. He'll be able to protect you from them. Where's your sister?"
"She went to grab her things. She'll be back soon."
"Good! Because once she's back, we're leaving."
The little boy turned away and quietly went back up the stairs, being followed by Severus.
Despite knowing that he couldn't ask the questions he wanted to, he had hoped to learn something by letting the dream play out. Catching up with the boy at the top of the stairs, he saw the tears on his cheeks.
Suddenly, they both heard a loud noise coming from down below. Sounds of spells being casted and battle cries could be heard, making the boy hold onto his pillow more tightly.
"Get the boys!"
/
Everything changed again and Severus started to experience different visions in a fast-paced motion. But they were all blurry, making it hard to see exactly was going on or even get good looks at people's faces.
One second, he was watching an entire battle happen before his eyes.
Dark hooded figures were fighting Michelle and William in the living room, while he and the small boy watched from the corner. He witnessed a Killing Curse hit the side of the wall, beginning to form a fire in green flames.
He watched as the fire began to spread throughout the house.
/
Severus and the boy watched from a distance of the living room as the dark hooded figures had William cornered. The leader of the group held a strange looking knife up against Michelle's throat, who was struggling to get free.
"WHERE IS IT?!" the leader demanded.
"Don't tell him!" Michelle shouted. "Just get our child-"
The leader tightened his grip on the knife and the sound of steel piercing flesh echoed throughout the flaming room. Both the boy and Severus watched in horror as the body of Michelle disappeared into a cloud of dust.
William cried out in anguish and anger as he charged forward with a knife of his own and began to engage them.
Before either of them could cry out, a blurry figure appeared and covered their mouths, pulling them away as the house began to collapse.
/
He watched from a dark corner as the boy sat on the couch of the living room, holding the crocodile pillow tightly to his chest.
A mysterious woman pointed a wand directly at him. While the person no longer had a cloak anymore, Severus still couldn't make out the person's face. All he saw was a blur as the others before.
He noticed her hands shaking, sounds of whimpering coming from both her and the child.
He watched as the mysterious woman paused for a few seconds, sighing to herself, before whispering, "Obliviate."
/
He saw a woman and a man arguing, their faces hidden in the shadows.
"You need to take him!"
"I'm not leaving without you!" the man touched the woman's arm. "If he's coming then so are you bo-"
"Just do it-"
The conversation was cut short when a bright light interrupted the dream, blinding him.
/
Severus expected to wake up after that, feeling anxiety starting to take over. It was all too much for him. He had experienced a whole new development in the dreams and visions that he didn't expect to happen.
Questions quickly rose in his mind; 'Who were the dark hooded people that Michelle and William were so scared of?' 'Who was the mysterious woman in the bedroom that Michelle was talking to?' 'Was the mysterious woman the very same person who pulled the little boy from the fire and wiped his memory?' 'What did the woman promise to Michelle?' 'And what did Michelle and William have that instantly targeted them for death?' 'And by whom?' But the biggest question of all that kept repeating in his mind was... 'How was he involved?'"
Opening his eyes, he found that he wasn't waking up.
He was no longer experiencing the dreams or visions anymore, but rather standing in a grassy field. The sun was setting in the horizon, making the sky look orange and red. A part of him wondered if he was experiencing something new to the dream or just simply having a new dream.
His question was quickly answered as he realized he wasn't alone in the field.
Turning around he saw a figure walking towards him, his face covered by the brightness of the sun behind him. Reaching for his wand for support, he realized he didn't have it with him.
Calming himself, he narrowed his eyes to try and get a good look at the approaching stranger.
As the person got closer, he instantly recognized the face of Lucius Malfoy once he got a better visible look. Lucius had a blank expression as he stopped a couple of feet away from Severus. The two continuing to stare each other down.
Severus remembered when he first met Lucius back in his first year. While the seventh year Slytherin didn't take any interest in him through the first few months, it was only through the witness of his mastered skills of Potions that succeeded past even seventh year students and also his connection to the Prince Dynasty that Malfoy had welcomed him fully into his 'unnamed' group. It was then that he was introduced to Death Eaters and the pure-blood society belief.
Despite that he was a half-blood, they ignored his 'tainted blood' and welcomed him as one of their own. Ever since then he fell victim to the Dark Arts and the obsession of becoming a Death Eater. Even after Malfoy graduated from Hogwarts, Severus kept in contact with him, being encouraged to keep on learning about the Dark Arts. He also promised a spot waiting for him among the Death Eaters when he would become of age.
But he never could find the will to leave his mother behind.
Despite how much he may hate his father, his mother always had a place in his heart.
"Severus," Malfoy shook his head. "Why are you doing this? Why are you turning your back on everything you know? You are so close, Severus!"
For once in his entire life, Severus sneered and shook his head at Lucius.
"How can you ask me that? How can you ask me why I would turn against the very people who cost me the one precious thing I had in my life?"
"You mean the 'mudblood'?!" Lucius stared at him in disbelief. "She's an abomination to the pure-blood society! Even in your first year she was always holding you back, making sure you never reached your full potential. Tell me, Severus, does she know of what your father does to you and your mother?"
Severus looked down and answered, "She suspects, but she doesn't really know."
"Does she understand what it means to be bullied? To be seen as outcast, looked upon as a broken animal who should be put out if its misery? Or, better yet, to be misunderstood?!"
"No," the tears became heavier in his eyes.
"All your life, you have been seen as freak. James Potter and his so-called Marauders love to torture you. They all hate you for just being a Slytherin. The Gryffindors will always hate Slytherins, just like how the mudblood hates you now. In fact, she's never really been there for you. Has she? But Slytherin has always been there for you. 'I've' always been there for you. The Slytherin House understands you and even accepts you! Why on Earth would you turn your back against that?! To choose a girl who only understands the life of having a loving family and friends to be around?! Tell me the truth, Severus... WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE HER!"
"BECAUSE I LOVE HER!" Severus screamed towards the ground.
Silence passed as Lucius stared at Severus, who continued to look to the grass below his feet. He allowed the tears to freely run across his face and fall from his chin, almost tasting the salt.
He continued to stare at the ground until he heard a girl's voice speak to him.
"You think you can be forgiven? To redeem yourself?"
Severus looked up and saw that Lucius was no longer there. Instead, Lily Evans was standing in front of him, giving him a look that sent shivers down his spine.
"You have always been a burden," she continued. "Always arguing with you about how Slytherin is an evil house, full of Death Eaters waiting-to-happen. Arguing about how the Dark Arts is evil. How could I have not seen it sooner? You're cursed to go down this path you're on! You're just like your father! You cause pain and suffering because you don't have the kind of life that I have!"
She then walked up and slapped him across the face, the force of the slap making him look away, but he was oblivious to the pain.
"Why on Earth would I ever love someone like you? Why would anyone love 'you'? You're just a damaged freak! A monster in the making!" She paused. "I curse the day I met you!"
The words pierced his heart like spikes.
He fell to his knees on the ground, closing his eyes as tears threatened to break free.
"She's better off without you."
Snape sneered as he recognized the voice of James Potter. He looked up and saw that Potter had taken Lily's place, staring at him with that smile that always sent anger through every corner of his heart and body.
"You're nothing more than a Death-Eater-wanna-be!" James continued, his smile growing bigger. "Just your existence makes me sick! You deserve every little bit of pain that you've endured!"
Then, right before his eyes, he watched as the form of James Potter disappear and was then replaced with the body and face of Tobias Snape.
"The moment your... 'mother' revealed to me what you both were, I knew that you would turn into this. I was right about you and your mother... You're devils! You have no right to exist!"
Severus looked half-dead as he heard the words. He remembered the time when his father told him this at the age of eleven years. The day when he was about to leave for his first year at Hogwarts.
"I knew that you're a freak of nature once your mother told me about your kind. I should have left you both long ago! How my life would have been so much simpler! I curse the day I met Eileen on that beach in Spain! And I curse the day you came into our lives!"
Now Severus was on his hands, trying to keep himself from collapsing onto the ground. He couldn't take it anymore. Even though he never cared about his father, that didn't change the fact that the words still hurt to hear.
As his tears hit the ground, Tobias disappeared, and Lucius stood before him once again. He walked forward and bent down in front of Severus, placing his hand on the side of his shoulder.
"Don't you see?" he pressed. "Why give up what you have for this? These people don't even accept you, let alone understand you. Lily has turned her back on you, your own father wishes you were never born, and James hates you for just simply existing. But Slytherin has always been there for you. We've accepted who you are. We've taught you how to begin fully accessing your full potential, and you haven't even joined the Death Eaters yet. Think of all the great things we can do together under 'his' command. We can change the world! We can make it a better place! A better place, in our own image."
As Severus stared into space, he fully processed the words into his mind and suddenly felt that fury from before rising again. He looked up towards Lucius, not bothering to hide his anger. Lucius's eyes widened as he stepped back.
Standing up, Severus stared into his eyes.
"And what perfect world is that, Malfoy?" his tone was serious, and anger filled. "A world of mass murder and prejudice against those who aren't pure-blood?! You call that perfect?!"
Lucius glared back and raised his finger, pointing at him.
"Now, listen here, Snape!" he nearly yelled. "Think very wisely about what you're saying. If you turn against House Slytherin, then you're turning against all of us. Including the Dark Lord! You will be treated as a threat and will be hunted down."
"You haven't answered my question," he fought back. "Why are the pure-bloods better than anyone else? Why do you get to choose who is perfect for your world and who isn't?"
Lucius's face turned red and struggling to find his choice of words.
"Because... we... we just are!" he exclaimed. "Those mudbloods are ruining our society and they need to be removed! It's the destiny of the pure-bloods to rule over everything!"
Severus shook his head and looked away from him.
"If this is what Slytherin and the Death Eaters have to offer, then I no longer want to be apart of it. My only regret is that it took me losing the only friend I had. But at the very least it allowed me to finally realize that you and your 'friends' aren't the way for me. One little slip and your Slytherin followers turned their backs on me. I'm done, Malfoy! I don't care how many times you or anyone else may use the Cruciatus Curse on me! I'm done with the Dark Arts! I'm done with the Death Eaters! And I'm done with you!"
"You'll regret this!" Malfoy shouted. "I'll make sure that you'll pay for turning your back on us! The Dark Lord will make sure you won't live past your Hogwarts years!"
"I don't care!" Severus shouted back.
Malfoy put his hand to his forehead and began to laugh, throwing Severus off-guard.
"Then your fate will be worse than death," his hand fell back to his side as he stared at him with a smile that sent chills down his spine.
The landscape around them changed and Severus's mouth dropped when he saw what was behind Malfoy.
He saw tombstones all around the fields, hundreds of thousands. There were crows in the sky, circling the graveyard. In the background of the tombstones, he saw a house engulfed in flames, barely lighting up the darkness surrounding them.
Looking down, Severus's attention was caught by the eight tombstones in front of all of the others.
'Michelle'
'William'
'Derek'
'Eric'
'Michael'
'Eileen'
'Maximillian'
'Severus'
Caught off guard, he barely noticed as Malfoy silently walked towards him. His face and body structure starting to change.
Witnessing the horror in front of him, Severus felt his feet sink into the ground, trapping him just below the knees. He felt Malfoy grab him by the neck and force him to look into his eyes as his form became unrecognizable and began to take on a different form.
The face of Lucius Malfoy disappeared and the appearance of a 'dark hooded figure' took his place. With nothing but a cloak and an abyss of darkness of where the face was supposed to be, he looked into its eyes and felt his fear intensify. He saw a pair of blue, purplish eyes looking directly back at him.
No longer were they in a graveyard. They were in the middle of the burning house, hearing the wood begin to break from the heat of the fire.
Only the two of them were among the inferno.
/
Forcing himself to keep his eyes directly on the figure's own, he felt the house fully collapse and waited for the fire and debris to consume them. Closing his eyes, he accepted his believed fate and felt the darkness take over once again.
Severus saw nothing but darkness at first, believing himself to be dead. But his eyes started to see a tint of light in its tiniest form.
As it grew, he realized that his sight was blurry, having a hard time making out where he was and who's voices he could hear in the background. He felt a sense of disappointment, as he realized that he wasn't dead as he hoped he was.
Why did life have to make things so miserable for him? Wouldn't taking his life be the cruellest thing that anyone could do to him?
He wanted to slap himself for asking such a question. Of course, taking his life wouldn't be a cruel thing to him! He wouldn't care if he lived. It would only be cruel to someone who was enjoying their life.
After a few moments of adjusting to the bright light, he realized he was lying in a medical bed. With that knowledge he quickly guessed that he was in the infirmary, under Madam Pomfrey's care. He felt his eyesight quickly coming back, allowing him to look around his surroundings. Leaning up, he felt pain in his side and remembered that was where Mulciber had been kicking him.
"Will he be alright?" he heard girl's voice.
Looking up from his medical bed, he saw a Slytherin girl, who looked to be in the same year as he was. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn were with her at the doorway of the infirmary.
"Yes, Mister Snape will be alright," answered Dumbledore, who put his hand on her shoulder. "But I need to you to tell me exactly what you told Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn."
The girl nodded.
"I was doing my regular routine this morning. I was up at six in the morning and freshen up for the day. I waited in the Common Room before curfew was lifted to go have breakfast, but when I walked out of the Slytherin Common Room, I saw Snape's body on the ground and bloody. That was when I went to get Professor Slughorn."
Dumbledore massaged his beard and nodded.
"So, you never saw who did this to him?"
"No, headmaster," the girl replied. "But..." she stopped.
Dumbledore looked over to Slughorn and back to the girl, narrowing his eyes.
"Miss Ivory," he said in a soft tone. "Any information can helpful. Until Severus awakens, you are the only one who can help us understand what exactly happened to him last night."
The girl known as Ivory nodded and continued as Severus listened from afar, "It's just... last night... there were some Slytherins who were unhappy with Severus about what happened with Jax Cronch. Everyone knows now, and I heard some of my fellow roommates talking about it. Some of those Slytherins confronted Snape last night, but I didn't see who it was or what they did."
A part of him wondered if she was telling the truth. Her voice and tone didn't betray if she was lying, but he couldn't help to be suspicious. Did she know Mulciber, and his crew was involved, and she only helped him out of guilt? Or even a need to make herself look innocent? Or had she already been in her room when he was confronted?
Dumbledore nodded and smiled.
"Thank you for your time and cooperation, Miss Ivory. You may leave. I will contact you if I have any more questions concerning the matter."
"Thank you, Headmaster," the Ivory girl nodded and headed out of the infirmary.
Severus studied the girl as she walked away, trying to remember if he knew her name. It instantly came back to him as he watched Angelina Ivory disappear from the doorway.
He only spoken to her once or twice, but never really thought much about her until now. A part of him wondered why she had helped him, considering how she herself came from a pure-blood background.
He figured that by now all of Slytherin either hated him or felt sorry for him. So, one way or another, he knew he was going to be on his own. The need to know why she helped him quickly disappeared as quickly as it came, as he figured she would be pressured by Avery and/or Mulciber to stay away from him.
"Oh, Mister Snape, you're awake," Dumbledore announced as he walked over, with Slughorn right behind him.
"Headmaster, Professor," he nodded in acknowledgement to both of them.
"How are you feeling?" asked Slughorn.
Severus almost wanted to sneer at him for asking such a question. He was just tortured by his own House members and then thrown outside of the Common Room like trash. Not wanting to cause anymore trouble, he got his emotions under control and kept his expression blank.
"Could be worse, sir," he answered.
Slughorn nodded, although he clearly didn't believe him.
"Mister Snape," Dumbledore folded his hands behind his back, keeping his expression peaceful but yet serious. "Can you tell us what happened last night?"
Instantly, Severus brought up his Occlumency walls and prepared himself. He only allowed for certain memories and emotions to be present, in case Dumbledore decided to use Legilimency on him. Remembering what the girl said, he decided to tell a short beginning version of the truth that matched with hers and then lie about the rest.
"Last night, after what happened with Jax, I was confronted by a couple of Slytherins. They weren't happy with me and called me certain things for it. They left me alone after that and I went to the showers. But just as I redressed and was about to go to bed, I was jumped from behind. I didn't see who it was, but I believe that I blacked out from whatever they hit me with. All I remember next is waking up here."
Severus looked at Dumbledore and felt the use of Legilimency on him. He calmed himself and allowed for the headmaster to see the memories that he only wanted him to see.
After a short silent time, the headmaster replied, "Mister Snape, if there is anything you are keeping silent about, I highly advise you to tell us. Madam Pomfrey healed your body, but even she had difficulty in the process and recognized some signs of a certain... curse that was used on you. Whoever did this to you cleaned up their mess rather well. They even managed to disable some of the wards in the House for a small period of time, which makes me suspect that they might have used a lesser version of the Cruciatus Curse. I need you to tell me the truth."
"Please, Severus!"
A part of Severus was taken back by the Headmaster's words. Never once before had anyone, other than Lily, used his first name in front of him at Hogwarts. It was always Mr. Snape, or just Snape, or the classic Snivellus. He felt a strong sense that he meant every word and there was a part of him that wanted to trust him. But then memories came back to him as he remembered one important fact... Dumbledore never once helped him out before in his life.
Even when the Marauders pulled their pranks on him, some of which resulted in going to the infirmary, Dumbledore never once lifted a finger to stop or punish them. He always saw their pranks as innocent fun, stuff of young boys who would one day grown-up. It only strengthened his anger towards both the Marauders and Dumbledore himself.
Though he began questioning if Dumbledore really care did, he still couldn't find it within himself to fully trust Dumbledore with the truth. Besides, he's already messed with the hornets nest enough as it was. Even if he did manage to get Avery, Mulciber and some of the others expelled, there were still others who would avenge them. And next time they might take more extreme measures. Plus, he still had the Marauders on his back.
Making his decision, Severus stared into the Headmaster's eyes, "I'm sorry, Headmaster, but that is all I can offer you. I don't know who attacked me, but I honestly don't care. You never showed any interest in what happens to me before and I can't see why it should now."
"But..." Dumbledore was at a loss of words, his eyes filled with regret.
Severus looked away, making sure his statement was clear. He lifted his Occlumency even higher and leaned back against his bed, closing his eyes.
Madam Pomfrey appeared from her office and walked towards them.
"Oh, he's awake," she announced. "He should be ready to go back by tomorrow morning. I want to keep him around for observation in case if anything happens. Now, will you gentlemen give Mister Snape some time to rest. I trust that he is excused from all classes for today, am I correct?"
Dumbledore smiled towards her and looked back at Severus, who opened his eyes again.
"Yes, Mr. Snape is excused. And because of the incident, I am hereby delaying your detention till tomorrow night, when you are ready to return to your normal schedule. And please come to me whenever you... have a change of heart. My door is always open..." He hesitated for a second. "...even to Slytherins."
Severus sneered, "Understood... Headmaster."
He watched as both Dumbledore and Slughorn exited the infirmary and closed his eyes to rest. He knew that Dumbledore didn't believe his story and would most likely keep an eye on him for the rest of the school year. He felt regret in his choice of words to him, but immediately pushed those feelings aside. He had bigger problems on his hands than just Dumbledore and the entire House of Slytherin. He knew that word of this would reach Lucius Malfoy and some of the other former students of his House. The fallout of his actions will spread beyond the school and make his life more harder than ever.
But then there was also Lily.
His heart felt like it was twisting into a knot at the very thought of her. He knew that if he truly wanted her back, he needed to keep on apologizing to her. To beg for her forgiveness and show that he is truly done with Avery, Mulciber, the Death Eaters and the Dark Arts. He wanted to change, and he wanted to win her friendship back. He didn't care if he had romantic feelings for her, he can turn his back on them. All he wanted was to have another chance to have her back as a friend.
The dream of the little boy came back to him and the questions from before rushed through his head. He needed to find answers. There was no way it was just a simple dream. It had to be more. His biggest bet was that it was a memory of a certain event of when he was young, but he couldn't remember anything else beyond what he saw.
The more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that there was one person who just might hold the answers he seeks.