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Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Potterverse, and the characters, of course, unless I end up coming up with any original ones. And I'm not making any money on this.
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When they entered the Great Hall for their Defense Against the Dark Arts written OWL, they were assigned seats. This made Severus somewhat nervous, especially since the table he was assigned was not only not at the back, it was also not at any of the sides, which meant that he had a neighbor on all four sides. Fortunately, none of Potter's gang were anywhere too close.

He got through the OWL with no mishaps. The staff seemed to be well prepared for any interference with the exams, or perhaps Potter and his gang had just decided to concentrate on their own work for once. When Flitwick gave the five minute warning, Severus finished up his last paragraph and put down his quill. He looked around to see what they were all doing. Potter was turned in his seat facing Black, four seats behind him. Lupin looked like he was reviewing his answers. Pettigrew looked liked he wished he knew a way around the anti-cheating spells.

**********

There. That was it for the Defense against the Dark Arts OWL. Lily was sure she'd done well -- Defense was her third best subject, after Potions and Charms.

**********

Remus checked his answers one last time, then put down his quill. He was well satisfied with his work on the test, but then, this was DADA. Tomorrow was Transfiguraton, which was his worst subject. Even at his worst, though, he expected to get at least an Acceptable, although he'd really like to do better.

James was already clowning around with Sirius and Peter was looking slightly sick. Remus felt sorry for the boy -- he was actually good at all his classes, but he always got such a case of nerves that he never tested well. Remus knew that Peter's OWLs wouldn't reflect his actual capabilities.

"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"

Severus smiled inwardly and Lily giggled as over a hundred rolls of parchment knocked the diminutive Professor down. But that was deceiving. The Slytherin had worked enough with Flitwick on defense spells to know just how good the man was. The professor had even given him some duelling lessons.

***********

Remus rose and joined his friends. It was beautiful out -- it would be nice just to relax outside. He reflected that he was working up to his own case of nerves. The full moon was in just a couple of days.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius.

"Loved it," said Remus briskly. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern.

"Think I did," said Remus seriously. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin..."

Everyone laughed but Peter. "I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," he said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else --"

"How thick are you, Wormtail?" said James impatiently. "You run round with a werewolf once a month --"

"Keep your voice down," implored Lupin.

****************

Looking around, Lily caught Nan's eye. Nan came over and after they'd gathered Ophelia and Persephone as well, they started toward the door and went outside, right after the Marauders.

Severus rose from his seat, keeping his examination paper in front of his face. He saw Potter meet up with Sirius and faded back to let Lily and her girlfriends get between him and Potter's gang. He followed them outside, a careful distance behind them -- better to have his enemies within sight.

****************

Lily and her friends went down to the lake. Nan sat on a rock, took off her shoes and socks and dangled her feet in the lake. "Brrr, cold!" Lily took off her shoes and socks too and waded in to mid calf, holding up her robes. Ophelia and Persephone sat on the grass.

****************

James stood still a moment to see where the girls would end up and then picked a tree with a good view of them. Remus grinned. He wondered how James was going to try to impress Lily this time.

****************

When Potter's gang had settled beneath a tree, Severus settled himself in the security of a clump of bushes and finally actually looked at the examination questions, thinking of the answers he had written, but keeping an eye on the other boys.

****************

"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," said Sirius. "I'll be surprised if I don't get Outstanding on it at least."

"Me too," said James. He took out a Snitch and started playing with it.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Nicked it," said James casually.

****************

Ophelia was looking back at a tree up the bank from the lake. "Look, Lily, there's James."

"Let me guess. He's messing up his hair and doing some stupid Quidditch thing," said Lily, without turning.

"Oh, Lil, you're no fun! He's cute and you know he likes you," said Ophelia.

"I'm with Lily," said Persephone. "Who needs Potter? Sirius is the real hunk."

"Look, do you guys ever think about anything but boys?" Lily said, annoyed, but unable to completely suppress a smile. OWLs were almost over and she knew she'd done well.

"Hah! You're just as bad. You just don't have anyone right now, since you threw Yves over."

"Hey, it was coming on OWLs and he made me choose between him and OWLs. No contest!"

*****************

Back at the tree, Remus could tell Sirius was bored and that James' showing off was having no effect on Lily.

"Put that away, will you?" said Sirius finally, as James caught the Snitch again and Peter cheered. "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement."

Peter blushed, but James grinned.

"If it bothers you," he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket.

"I'm bored," said Sirius. "Wish it was full moon."

"You might," said Lupin darkly from behind his book. As far as Sirius was concerned, full moon was the most exciting time of the month. But he didn't have to deal with the pain of the transformation, or the dread of something going horribly wrong while the four of them were out running free.

"We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me... Here." He held out his book.

"I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all," Sirius snorted.

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James quietly. "Look who it is..."

Sirius turned to look. "Excellent," he said softly. "Snivellus.

Severus stood, stowed the OWL paper in his bag and set off toward the castle, hand on his wand. Suddenly Potter called out, loudly enough to make sure the girls at the lake could hear him, "All right, Snivellus?"

*******************

Over by the lake, Ophelia said, "Uh-oh, Lil, I think your boyfriend's in trouble. The Marauders are on the prowl!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Lily exclaimed, but looked up just in time to see Snape drop his book bag and pull his wand out. It wasn't fast enough -- James already had his wand out and ready. And he'd finally wised up to the fact that the first spell in any fight ought to be a Shield Spell or a Disarming Spell. "Expelliarmus!" shouted Potter.

Lily started up the bank, then paused. Severus had made it clear that they were no longer friends and he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

********************

Snape's wand just went up twelve feet in the air, and landed on the ground ten feet away. Of course, Potter still hadn't got it quite right. Correctly done, the Disarming Spell should knock the wand into the hands of the caster. Of all the Marauders, Remus was the only one who actually knew how to duel. The others just went on instinct.

Severus dived for his wand, but was stopped by "Impedimenta" from Black.

Remus frowned, but it was just an Expelliarmus and an Impedimenta. And somehow, Snape had gotten meaner lately. And he'd stopped showing up in the Infirmary. It wouldn't hurt him to get a taste of his own medicine.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" said Potter.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Black viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word."

Severus struggled against the Impedimenta, but it still held him.

"You -- wait," he said, his black eyes burning into James. "You -- wait ... " Potter and his gang had never attacked him in front of such a crowd before.

"Wait for what?" said Black coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

Severus let out a stream of mixed swearwords and hexes, but could do nothing yet without his wand. Black and Potter were used to the fact that Snape never used any aggressive spell on them. That was going to change.

Remus was surprised by the furious look on Snape's face. Usually, one had to know Snape to tell when he was angry -- it was, or at least it used to be, unusual to see such emotion so clearly on his face. James and Sirius, of course, were delighted at having provoked such a reaction.

"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. "Scourgify!"

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Severus' mouth, making him gag. Snape looked like he was choking. Remus kept an eye on him, in case he was actually in danger.

Lily was finished watching. This wasn't a question of helping a friend anymore. Snape was having trouble breathing and she was a prefect.

"Leave him ALONE!" Severus' first thought when he heard Lily's voice was that help had arrived, but then he remembered they were no longer friends. So what was this really about?

All four Marauders turned towards Lily.

Remus put his hand on his wand, momentarily surprised to see that Lily didn't have her wand out. Then he remembered. After the incident with Jorkins, Lily had stopped hanging around with Snape. James had been delighted. "It was about time she realized what he really was," he had said. But it had made Remus uneasy -- one more sign of changes in Snape he didn't understand. James had never been able to tell the difference, but Remus knew Snape hadn't used to be deliberately cruel.

"All right, Evans?" James said. Lily recognized it as the deeper, more mature voice he used for talking his way out of detentions with teachers. Oh, great, now he's flirting with me.

"Leave him alone. What's he done to you?" she said, her dislike clear on her face.

Severus looked from Lily to Potter. Since when did talking with Potter make any difference? Why didn't she have her wand out?

"Well," said James, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..."

And the fact that he's outduelled you several times, and used to be a close friend of your crush... , thought Remus, the one Marauder who didn't laugh along with many of the spectators.

Oh, clever, Potter. How witty, thought Severus sarcastically, but he still couldn't talk because of the soapsuds.

Pathetic, thought Lily. "You think you're funny. But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."

Words!, thought Severus. Time was, you'd have his wand by now.

"I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on... Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," said Lily.

If you're quite through discussing your dating schedules... thought Severus, with a grimace, still inching towards his wand.

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius, turning back to Snape. "OY!"

Severus had finally got free of the Impediment Jinx and reached his wand. No shield charm, he was out for blood. Literally. Sectumsempra, he thought, pointing his wand at James' face with a tiny slashing motion. Potter hardly seemed to notice. He would later.

He had left himself open to Potter or Black's next move and was surprised to find it was his own Levicorpus. Stupid, Potter. This is my jinx so I know the counter and I still have my wand.

Many people in the crowd watching cheered. Sirius, James and Peter roared with laughter. Even Lily's furious expression twitched for an instant, as though she was going to smile.

Think this is funny, do you, Evans? thought Severus. She's not actually flirting with Potter, is she?

But before he could get off the counter-jinx, she said, "Let him down!" and Potter did, dumping him on the ground in a tangle. He got to his feet, wand up, but Sirius already had his wand pointed at him, "Locomotor Mortis!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" It was Evans again and she had finally drawn her wand.

Remus finally stood up, drawing his own wand.

That took long enough, thought Severus. All talk and no action. That's not Gryffindor and that's not Lily. She is flirting with Potter.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

Potter muttered the countercurse and Severus struggled to his feet again.

"There you go. You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus -- ," James was saying.

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Severus spat. Help would have been actually doing something at the beginning, not flirting with Potter while he was hanging upside down.

"Fine," she said coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus." How could he have said something like that to her?

"Apologize to Evans!" Potter roared at him.

"I don't want you to make him apologize," Lily shouted. "You're as bad as he is..."

"What?" yelped James. "I'd NEVER call you a -- you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can -- I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK."

Severus stood trapped, Black's wand pointed at him, but inwardly, he was smiling. That was the Lily Evans he knew.

Lily turned on her heel and hurried away. Severus had called her a Mudblood and Potter had tried to bully her into going out with him. And she'd actually been thinking about it. What was wrong with Severus? What was wrong with her?

"Evans!" James shouted after her. "Hey, EVANS!"

She didn't look back.

"What is it with her?" said James.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," said Sirius.

"Right," said James, who looked furious now, "right --" Then he hit Severus with another Levicorpus.

"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" asked James.

The fool had once again left Severus armed, even though he was upside down. Liberacorpus, he thought, and this time, being prepared, he landed in a squat instead of a tangle. Potter's Vanishing Spell flew over his head. Severus sent another silent Sectumsempra to Black and now he also had a slash on his face. Both golden boys were marked.

Before he could do anything else, Potter disarmed Snape with another Expelliarmus, this one bringing Snape's wand to Potter. At the same time, Black tied him up in ropes, with an Incarcerous.

"Any last requests, Snivellus?" said Black, grinning maliciously, pointing his wand at the Slytherin.

Remus decided this had gone far enough; Snape hadn't landed a single hex and now he was disarmed and tied up. Time to call it quits. He walked over to Sirius and James and then gasped as he saw their faces.

"James, Sirius, you're bleeding!" he said. "Look at your faces!"

Sirius conjured a mirror and looked at his face, handing it to James, who did the same. They both cast simple healing charms on the cuts, but the gashes did not close up, or stop bleeding.

At this, Lupin jabbed his wand in Snape's chest. "What did you do, Snape? What did you hit them with? Why aren't the cuts closing?"

"It's a little curse of my own. The cuts will close in a little while with no harm done, just a little scarring."

"You bloody bastard," shouted Sirius, suddenly contemplating a scarred face. James was deathly silent, contemplating the same thing.

"Be quiet, Sirius!" Remus said. "OK, Snape, it's your curse. So what's the counter-curse? To prevent scarring?"

"Are you asking me to perform it? Because I'm not going to teach it to you."

"Fine, then perform it yourself."

Snape stood there, silent and smirking, waiting.

Remus suddenly realized they'd have to set him free and looked over at James and Sirius.

James released Snape from the ropes and then growled to Remus, "Give him his bloody wand back."

Remus threw Snape his wand, as if he were trying to hit the Slytherin with it.

"There's just one condition," said Severus. "It's been fun so far, but I'm getting rather annoyed with being attacked 'just for existing', as you so eloquently put it, Potter. I must insist that you promise not to make any more unprovoked attacks on me."

Silence. Severus stood there waiting.

"We won't make any more unprovoked attacks on you," muttered James. "I promise."

"You too, Black."

"Me either," said Black.

"Say it," insisted Snape.

"No more unprovoked attacks on Snivellus," he growled. "I promise."

There were some nervous giggles from the crowd at the nickname and Severus frowned, but decided to accept it.

He went first to Potter and traced his wand over the gash, muttering an incantation that sounded almost like song. Then he pronounced a gentle cleansing spell that he had learned from Madam Pomfrey. James' face was clean, showing no sign of the cut. Then he went to Black and repeated the procedure.

Without another word, he turned his back on the Marauders and went over to where he had flung down his bag. He swung it over his shoulder and went up to the Castle and his dormitory.

***************

Severus knew he was in trouble. If Avery had been upset about a few harmless hexes on a half-blood, he'd be furious about slashing curses on two pure-bloods. In front of a large audience. If he had already managed to transfer to Rosier, he didn't think Evan would mind that much. But now, for all he knew, he'd just made that transfer more difficult. The last thing Rosier would want was a fight with Avery, which indirectly meant challenging Lucius himself. And he hadn't even come up with a way to get the Felix yet.

Violently, he threw himself down on his stomach on his bed and buried his head in his arms. A very large audience. Potter had exposed him in front of the whole school, not once but twice, using his own spell. Embarrassment warred with rage to make his face flush.

Why was he reacting like this? He was used to being humiliated, first by Black and company inside Slytherin and then by Potter's gang outside. He'd always taken it matter-of-factly before, just part of being low-blood and working class and poor. He had never expected life to be fair. It was Avery he needed to be thinking about now. Avery and Rosier and getting his hands on some Felix Felicis.

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Avery was terrified. He had watched the whole thing with amusement until he realized what Snape had done. Attacked two pure-bloods. Drawn blood. After he'd just been called to task over hexing Jorkins. What was he going to do? For the time being, he ignored Snape while he considered what his next move should be.

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Author's notes:

All of the dialogue up to and including "Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" is directly from OotP except for the dialogue between Lily and her girlfriends.

I made up the names for Lily's girlfriends and they have no significance whatsoever. Have I mentioned before that I don't like coming up with names?

Please make sure you've read the previous chapter, "Changes." I messed up and didn't post it when I first posted this chapter.