Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
December 24, 1976 – Lily Evans
Serena had changed. She had changed a lot. To the point that I could barely recognize the sullen, moody, and gloomy girl I was used to, compared to… whatever the new Serena was.
There were still parts and moments where she behaved like her former self, but more … focused? Determined? She almost seemed to be moving with a purpose or something.
But there were also other things… more worrying, like the whole thing with Wolfbane and Remus, that… practically blackmailing them to get things instead of helping them directly.
I could understand it, after getting the full picture of what James and the others had done to Serena, it was truly despicable, especially Sirius using Remus in his transformed state. It was simply despicable, and then Serena was forced to remain silent about the incident while James was allowed to boast about having saved her?
Yes, now I could understand Serena's hatred for the Marauders, but still, withholding Remus's cure? It left a bad taste in my mouth. My last interactions with Serena were still haunting my thoughts.
"Everything alright, Lils?" Mom's voice snapped me out of my daydream. I blinked several times to see the breakfast already served in front of me.
"She's probably thinking about one of her weird things." Petunia muttered from the side, and I grimaced.
"No, nothing, everything's fine, Mom." I said quickly, smiling shakily. Mom looked at me worriedly. Just then, an owl pecked at the window, making Petunia scream. "It's mine!" I said immediately, jumping to my feet and opening the window as the owl landed on the windowsill.
Take the newspaper along with some letters, then grab some bacon and give it to the owl.
"Thank you, would you like some water?" I asked the owl gently, which only hooted as it finished eating before taking flight again. I just laughed, closed the window, and returned to my seat, ignoring Petunia's disgusted look.
I glanced through the letters quickly. There were letters from Marlene, Alice, Mary, and James. I grimaced as I set them aside for the moment. I picked up the Prophet and began reading it sideways as I started eating breakfast.
"Something interesting, Lils?" Dad asked as he took a seat.
"Not really." I said immediately, quickly dismissing the news of another Muggle-born family disappearing with a pang of guilt and fear, and focusing on another story. "Oh," I said as my eyes widened slightly.
"Oh?" Mom asked calmly.
"The Black family is announcing the engagement of one of their daughters, Bellatrix." I said in shock as I read the news.
"Are they so important that they have to announce it in the newspaper?" Dad asked, confused. I nodded.
"They are," I said without hesitation. "They're... like a big problem. Think of the royal family. The Blacks are an old aristocratic family, lots of old money, ancient lineage, and many political connections, but they're... very traditionalist." I said with a grimace.
"Traditionalists, you mean those racists you mentioned?" Dad asked dryly. I shuddered and nodded.
"Yes, they're blood purists; they hate anyone who isn't magical or descended from them." I sighed wearily.
"A rich person's wedding, huh? I suppose another equally important person is involved." Dad said easily, practically ignoring that there was a whole part of magical society that despised him simply for who he was. I looked at him strangely before quickly continuing to read.
"...and this newspaper has the honor to announce the engagement of one of the daughters of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Bellatrix Black, to the newly ascended Lady of The Noble House of Prince, Lady- SERENA PRINCE, FORMERLY SNAPE!? " I squealed in disbelief as I gripped the newspaper tightly and reread the news.
"Young Serena?" Mom asked in shock. I ignored her as I continued reading quickly.
"...for more information on Lady Serena Prince's recent ascension to the Prince family lordship and information on the Prince Family, page 4." I didn't even hesitate before turning to the corresponding page; I began to read quickly.
The first thing was an explanation about the Prince family. I skipped it completely. Apparently, they were all dead, and there was no heir until recently, when Serena Prince, formerly Snape, took the lordship as the only living descendant of the Princes on her mother's side.
Eileen Snape, formerly Prince, daughter of the previous Lord Prince, was thus entitled to inherit the lordship, as there was no one to challenge her position. I stared at the newspaper in shock. Especially at the large picture of Serena looking at the camera; below it were notes about her work with the Wolfbane and some personal information about her as a Hogwarts student.
"It's Serena." I mumbled in shock.
"Wait, two women are engaged? Like... dating each other? Like a man and a woman?" Petunia gasped, almost horrified. I frowned.
"There's nothing strange about it," I said without hesitation. Petunia looked at me in horror before standing up and running out. Mom looked at her worriedly, but Dad just looked at me, confused.
"Is it even legal?" Dad asked, confused. I nodded.
"I mean, yeah? The illegality of same-sex marriage is usually a matter for the church, and because of the inability to have children, something that witches and wizards can do easily," I said immediately, and both of their eyes widened slightly.
"Can two women have children? Forget that, can two men have children? " Dad asked, genuinely shocked. I blushed slightly.
"From what I understand, yes, it should be possible. Between women, it's easier, from what I understand, all... the matter of having... the necessary organs to carry out a pregnancy, but between two men it should be possible too." I said, embarrassed. Dad opened and closed his mouth several times.
"Putting that aside," Mom said, rolling her eyes. "I thought Serena would tell you those things." Mom said, confused. I shuddered and grimaced, but didn't answer.
"Um... are they still fighting?" Dad asked, confused, almost cautiously. "Didn't you say she apologized?" he asked cautiously.
"She... did, I tried to talk to her and... apologize, but... she rejected me." I said with a grimace.
"She rejected you? Serena? " Mom asked, surprised.
"Yes, I tried to apologize for ignoring her, but she didn't accept my apology." I said sadly, still able to feel the pain of Serena's rejection, a rejection so sharp it had practically severed me.
Was this how she felt every time I rejected her apologies?
"I mean, it took you a long time to realize, from what you mentioned, it was a mistake, Serena wasn't thinking straight at that moment, and in the heat of the moment, she may have said things, and she also apologized instantly, so she knew she was wrong."
"You can't blame her for moving on when you seemed so... adamant in rejecting her apology," Mom said gently. I looked at her, almost offended.
" But it wasn't just that," I grumbled, almost annoyed. "She also hung out with—with all those Slytherin people! Those who think I'm nobody and insult all Muggle-borns! That's bad news for her! They're using her! She's even about to marry one now! The Blacks are the worst of them!" I snapped, annoyingly changing the subject.
"But I think you said Serena was half-blood, right? " Dad asked, and I nodded.
"She is." I confirm immediately.
"So? Did all this come out of nowhere? If what you said about this Black family is true, then the Prince family is more important to the Blacks than ignoring Serena's blood?" Dad asked curiously. I stopped, opened my mouth, and closed it.
"I... I don't know," I said shyly. "I mean, there were rumors that Serena and Black were dating after Halloween, and there were some... things that might have confirmed those rumors." I said, blushing furiously.
I still couldn't get the image of Serena out of my head, practically half-naked in the Great Hall as she handed her robe to a very disheveled and definitely post-orgasmic Bellatrix.
And that wasn't the only situation; it seemed that both of them, or at least Bellatrix, weren't the type to be embarrassed about whether or not there was an audience while... doing things.
I blushed even more as I remembered some of those things.
"I'm sure they just want to use her," I said with a grimace before glancing at the newspaper. " Serena... she's changed a lot, ever since classes started! She's... a completely different person! She was more attached to Narcissa Black and Malfoy, and then there was the whole Bellatrix Black thing, so if the Blacks are really involved, then it all makes sense!" I said immediately, finally connecting the dots.
"Change... in what way?" Dad asked, confused. I wrinkled my nose.
"I don't know, she seemed more... I don't know, she seemed more focused. She got her nose done and her hair cut short, she also got a lot of piercings and wears rings, and what she wears isn't even part of the Hogwarts uniform!"
"She's wearing makeup! Like lipstick and eyeshadow and everything!" I quickly stammered, then grabbed the newspaper and showed them the picture of Serena; it was a fairly recent one. Mom and Dad blinked as they looked at the picture.
"So... she took care of herself?" Mom asked curiously, then looked closely at the newspaper. "Uh, I knew she was a pretty girl if she only took care of herself a little," Mom murmured.
"It's more than that! I mentioned it to her several times and offered to help her, but she never made any effort! But now she changes completely during the summer holidays, and I hardly recognize her anymore!" I said exasperatedly.
"But... weren't you not talking?" Dad murmured, confused. I groaned loudly.
"Even so!" I exclaimed irritably. Mom just frowned.
"You said... on vacation?" Mom asked worriedly, then looked at Dad almost urgently. Dad frowned before opening his eyes slightly and becoming deathly serious.
"What are you hiding from me?" I asked firmly, almost as a demand.
"We're not hiding anything from you," Dad said immediately, making a face. "I thought Serena had told you, but if you're not talking..." Dad said before falling silent.
"What?" I asked again, and Mom sighed wearily.
"Tobias Snape was arrested almost a month ago," Mom said without hesitation, my eyes widening slightly.
"Arrested?" I asked, confused. Dad nodded wearily.
"Yes, the neighbors talked about it for weeks," Dad said, shaking his head. "Apparently, he was arrested for causing a disturbance at a bar. He was so drunk that... he was saying he beat his daughter to death."
"When other customers confronted him at the bar, Tobias started hitting the others until a group stopped him and beat him up, then the police took him away and started investigating the whole Tobias affair."
"There were many questions for weeks, mainly because there was no one at the Snape house, so the police were asking the neighbors in the area, and they mentioned you since they always saw you with Serena."
"The police came to ask questions about her. We could only confirm that Serena was okay from some of your letters, that she was at boarding school and wouldn't be back for months, which seemed to be enough for them, and they just left." Dad explained, frowning. I looked at them both in horror.
"Serena almost died because of her father?!" I asked in shock and horror. Dad grimaced.
"From what we could find out, he talked a little while drunk at the bar, then confessed everything in front of the police, mentioning that Serena had bothered her and he was just 'educating' her, that she had simply been clumsy and fallen backward, hitting her head on the edge of a step and starting to bleed on the floor."
"Then Tobias ran away when he saw the blood and stayed away from Spinner's End. I guess he was waiting for someone to find Serena dead and report it while he was away." Dad said contemptuously. I just stared at him in shock, completely pale.
Serena… Serena had gone through that alone?! And I'm only finding out now? I couldn't help but shudder. It's not like she was going to tell me, not when I hadn't spoken to her for months.
" And then it's worse. If Malfoy or Black found her so vulnerable and needy, then it's almost certain they're using her." I said, my voice trembling but firm. Mom and Dad exchanged a glance before sighing.
"Lils, honey, are you sure? Serena seems like a smart girl. Besides, if you said they were dating before the announcement, then it's possible it was her choice." Mom said gently, and I shook my head.
"No, Malfoy and Black are manipulative; they're bad, I have to talk to Serena." I said firmly and without hesitation.
This was different from usual; I had told Serena many times to stay away from the… the Death Eaters. If Serena became engaged to Bellatrix, then they would practically have sunk their claws deep into Serena.
I… I needed to speak with her.
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January 2, 1977 – Lily Pov.
Serena had taken the Hogwarts Express at the start of the holidays, which meant she was back, or at least, that's what I would have assumed. But… I had visited Serena's house several times over the last week, and she definitely hadn't returned.
The large number of letters stuck in the mailbox, and the fact that when I looked out the window, I could only see more dust accumulating, were indications that Serena had not returned home for months.
A pang of worry stirred within me. There were only a few options if Serena hadn't returned; that meant she was with Malfoy, or most likely, with the Blacks.
On impulse, I almost wrote a letter to Sirius asking him to try to find out something; even though he had been expelled from his family, surely he could try to find out whether Serena was staying with Bellatrix or not.
Even so, each passing day was more worrying. Serena had already been unrecognizable after the summer, at the start of classes, but now? Now I feared I wouldn't be able to recognize her the next time I saw her.
Does she already have the brand? Would she already be a full-fledged Death Eater? Would she be attacking Muggles and Muggle-borns right now, along with Black and Malfoy?
I still remember the Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade, the screaming, the smell of burning, the curses being hurled around, the blood, everything. I haven't been able to sleep well since that day.
And now, I could only imagine Serena there, along with the Death Eaters, her face hidden beneath one of those masks.
That really kept me awake at night and made me go back to Serena's house again and again, hoping to find her.
And that's where my feet had moved once again. I had left the house and walked towards Spinner's End once more, retracing my familiar steps. I had no hope of finding her, certainly, but my feet kept moving.
Every time I came here, all I could do was picture Serena, alone in that house, after her father had beaten her and then abandoned her, and finally being taken in by Malfoy and used. I shook my head quickly to clear my thoughts.
When the house came into view, I approached only to stop when I saw a group of people in front of it. My eyes widened as I looked at the person in the middle.
"Serena?" Her name slipped out of my mouth unconsciously before I realized it. I saw Serena and her whole group turn around and stare at me. I almost gasped slightly. Serena… she had grown up, she seemed… more mature somehow. There was… something unfathomable in her eyes; they almost seemed to glow intensely despite the indifference with which she was looking at me, as if that glow were unconscious. She had… changed quite a lot in just a week without seeing her.
"Evans." Serena said coldly, and I shuddered. I tried to open my mouth only to see the rest of the people around her, finally. I… I didn't recognize any of them. All… all the girls beside her looked foreign and were ridiculously beautiful.
And exotic. I blinked slightly as I looked at them closely. There was a girl with turquoise hair and pink tattoos, half-naked. A girl with multicolored hair and eyes, like a rainbow. A girl with green hair and eyes. There were two blonde girls, one with the tips of her strands a different color, while the other had her hair in very pronounced curls.
And finally, there was a girl—no, a woman—with white hair—a completely beautiful woman, dazzling and almost mesmerizing.
"I- who are they?" I asked, stuttering. I looked away from them and focused on Serena, who opened her mouth only for the turquoise-haired girl to interrupt, hanging onto Serena's arm.
"We are her lovers," the girl said mockingly. I blushed completely and looked at Serena in horror.
"B-but weren't you with Black?! You're engaged to her! You were in the newspaper!" I tried to say quickly, lovers?! What do you mean, lovers!?
"Who said Bella isn't aware of this and that she's not joining in?" one of the blondes added casually. I looked at her, even more horrified by the implications.
"Okay, that's enough," Serena grumbled, only to be ignored by the white-haired woman and approached her.
"Oh dear, she's also your... lover? Will she be joining us tonight? " purred the white-haired woman, her voice making me shudder at how... seductive it sounded, almost as if she were trying to drag me and hypnotize me under her control.
I shook that voice out of my head before staring in shock at Serena and then… I turned around and escaped as I started to run.
W-what had happened?! Who were they?! Were they… really Serena's lovers?! Was… was this how the Blacks and the Dark Lord had brought Serena to their side? Giving her women to keep her happy or something? Were they buying her with their affection?
That… that was horrible.