Submitted for Round 4 of The International Wizarding School Championship.
School: Durmstrang
Year 5
Theme: GrindelwaldWon!AU
Main prompt: Red [Colour]
Optional prompts: None.
Word count: 1,623
Author's Note: It has been nearly fifty years since Grindelwald's surprise victory and his annulment of the International Statute of Secrecy across the globe. Now, Wizards and other magical beings can overtly co-exist with non-magicals. However, it is not an entirely peaceful world. Mandates and reforms have only broadened the magical rift instead of bridging it. Now Muggleborns are forcibly taken from their homes and placed into a magical family.
One such Muggleborn, a Lily Evans by name, has suffered such a fate.
This is a what if tale of how Severus, Lily, Petunia, and Remus might have become friends in a world where Grindelwald had won.
Watch Over Her
"May I have a word?"
Severus looked up from his reading to meet the stubborn eyes of a Muggle girl, he believed her namesake was some flower or something else equally Muggle and mundane. The last name was Evans, though, that much he was sure of.
He studied her as he closed his book, a rather delightful read about crafting one's spells into defensive charms.
Although, unlike most Muggle girls around his age she did show an outstanding amount of moxie. Too bad she was dead common and well, not his sort.
After it was clear that Evans wasn't going to just silently scamper off instead of continuing the notion of talking to her superior and the only wizard in Cokeworth, he rolled his eyes and motioned for her to speak.
Maybe she would provide some much-needed amusement into his day.
"You being a wizard and all, you will be going to Hogwarts."
Severus felt his eyebrows rise. It wasn't a question, so he didn't answer.
"My sister," she hesitated, her eyes shifting from him to a spot beyond him. "Lily, she's like you."
Ah, of course. Now he knew what she wanted. She had not been the first to come to him or even his mother to ask after a Muggleborn relative. Grindelwald and his great strives for magical rights did not leave room for magicals to be raised in a non-magical family.
Feelings of inadequately and jealousy would only foster into dangerous... confrontations.
The famous Professor Riddle, the Heir of Slytherin and Headmaster of Hogwarts, himself had promoted interventions for all British Muggleborns. His support and him being the national spokesmen had naturally led the way to the formation of the Magical Child Care Welfare Unit.
Once a Muggleborn was born, and his or her name was scribbled into the enchanted census ledger, a team would be ordered out to collect the Muggleborn away from the contemptible Muggles.
It was an act of mercy and benevolence, really.
That was what he had always heard and thought. However, when he saw the loneliness and obvious worry peek through the hard eyes before him a wayward thought flickered across his consciousness: what if their positions had been flipped? What if Grindelwald had not won after all, would he have been taken away from his mother... or his poor brother Allen, who was a wizard-born?
It was a terrifying concept, and thus, he found himself willingly agreeing to whatever this girl's request would be.
"Could you watch over her? I would, but I cannot go to Hogwarts."
"Yes, of course."
Her smile was genuine and transformed her solemn, harsh features. It was too bad that her neck and slender figure made her look like an anthropomorphic giraffe; otherwise, she could have been considered cute with that smile of hers.
"I will be expecting a letter from you after your sorting." Eileen Prince reminded her oldest son as she straightened his tie.
Severus sighed while politely nodding. "Yes, ma'am."
Allen was curiously scanning the bustling platform and the scarlet engine that was the Hogwarts Express.
"Watch over her. Please?" Evans' words floated back to him for the thirteenth time since she approached him the month before.
Enduring the embarrassment of being sent off with a light kiss on the check from his mother he boarded the train. He was off to Hogwarts.
"Sweets from the trolley, dearies?"
"No—"
"—Yes, please." two voices giddily chimed up.
Severus blinked and looked over from his arcane text. He hadn't noticed them entering the compartment. He really needed to be more observant of the world around him.
Deciding that the duty of introductions fell upon his shoulders, he greeted and introduced himself after his compartment companions returned with their stash of various: "I'm Severus Prince," thankfully due to Riddles reforms he wasn't bound to his late father's Muggle surname.
The sandy-brown haired boy grinned while unwrapping his chocolate frog. "Remus Lupin."
"And, I'm Lily Evans."
Severus straightened and moved his book to beside him. She was entirely different than her sister. Red glowing hair and emerald eyes adorned her fair face. Slender in figure but unlike her sister it had not been due to the extensive food rationing placed upon Muggles.
Her dress was not as plain or tattered as Petunia's had been though it was a few years past the current styles and well worn it still complimented her fiery red hair.
"I met your sister."
Lily's eyes widened, and Severus immediately berated himself inwardly for his less than tactful admission.
"You know my family?"
Thankfully, she hadn't found his blunder to be repulsive.
"Yes, I'm from Cokeworth."
"Is that where I from? The Lupins have been great," Severus blinked and turned to look at Remus who shyly waved back, undoubtedly mute due to a mouthful of chocolate. "they took me in and taught me all I know, but they couldn't tell me anything from before…"
Severus adjusted himself as the tension of the compartment increased the longer the silence grew.
Thankfully the sudden arrival of two other first years broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Oi, are you the three that got the last of the chocolate frogs from that trolley lady?"
Both Remus and Lily looked up sheepishly while Severus stared back at the two newcomers with his typical expression of indifference which seemed to annoy the two intruders further.
"Afraid so," Remus muttered as he hastily wiped the chocolate from his face and hands with his handkerchief.
"I have two," Lily held up her two frogs in an attempt to appease everyone. She had only brought two just in case Severus would like one. Remus had gone through his allowance buying four frogs, but it was a special day, and it wasn't often either could buy chocolates and sweets. It was a reasonable indulgence, or so she thought.
"You're not bad Red," said the second boy who wore big rectangular glasses.
Both boys took a frog and sat across from Lily and Remus, and just down from Severus, who had moved closer to the window. The cocky attitude of the boys did not communicate a future friendship. If anything it was alarmingly hinting at the opposite. Years of safely blending into the backdrop seemed to have been in preparation for precisely this moment.
"I'm James Potter, and this broke is—"
"Sirius Black." the first boy supplied with a mock bow as he mercilessly juggled his chocolate frog before ripping a leg off and eating it.
Yes, most definitely not future friends of his, Severus inwardly mused as he also noticed Lily's and Remus' grimace at the callous act.
"Now what are your names? It is how introductions work."
"I'm Remus Lupin, and that's my sister Lily."
"Severus Prince." Severus gave Remus a nod of approval. Who knew what Potter and Black viewpoints were on Muggleborns—a sensitive subject even now with all the reforms and progressive amendments both Headmaster Riddle and Minister Slughorn had published.
There were still some wizards that demanded purity.
"So this is the Great Hall," Lily breathed, reverently as she glazed up to the projected night's sky above them.
"It's so pretty," another girl, a Marlene or a Marilyn, added as the group walked into the massive, ancient hall.
The Sorting Ceremony was upon them.
Shortly everyone would be divided up into different Houses, and for the second time since meeting Lily, Severus made a silent prayer that they would be sorted into the same House. Why exactly he couldn't rightly say for sure.
Too soon his hopes were dashed when the Hat exclaimed, "Gryffindor!"
He was no Gryffindor.
He watched as Remus, McKinnon, and then Potter join Lily at the festive Gryffindor table decked with vivid reds and golds before his own name was called.
"My, my a Prince. You're a little more jaded than your mother was, but then again most of you are now."
Severus frowned. Was this really necessary to go through? He just wanted to be placed in Slytherin, not discuss his personal outlook on life.
Severus winched as laughter issued forth from the old hat.
"Yes, this is necessary… mostly so. Now, why Slytherin? You could also do well in Ravenclaw… No? Then into the House of your ancestors is where you belong. You better be—Slytherin!"
Severus took his seat at the Slytherin table. He frowned, momentarily when he saw Black sitting across from him, thankfully Sirius was busily chatting with a second-year red-haired witch to his right and hadn't noticed his arrival.
Maybe he should have settled for Ravenclaw.
"Hello Severus," Lily beamed as she took the seat next to him. It was the third week into their classes, and a lose yet warm friendship had formed between Remus, Lily, and himself. Sadly, they only had two classes in common—potions and flying.
Today was potions.
"Hello," he turned and frowned, "where's Remus?"
Lily's cheerful, bright resonance dimed slightly. "He had a nasty fall yesterday down some stairs. He's in the infirmary."
"Oh, I see," was all Severus could think to say.
"After Potions, I was thinking of going to pay him a visit before lunch. Want to join me? Two is better than one."
Severus paled. Flashes of memories he rather not remember—especially not now, not here—forced their way into the forefront.
Screaming. Terrible screaming and pleading…
He shooked himself free of the vision of his mother crying at the hands of his father.
Again he thanked the stars that his father was dead and he didn't bare the same surname of the man that had almost killed Allen.
But… he really never wanted to be anywhere like a hospital again.
"No." he grimaced at the sharpness of his tone. "I can't," he quickly amended.
"Oh… Remus will be disappointed, I'm sure, but we can share lunch or something tomorrow."
"Yes, of course."
He almost recanted his stance when he saw her rotating a strand of her red hair between her fingers, it was a sure sign of her displeasure.
Yet he kept silent as the bell rang and Professor Goldstein entered the dank classroom.
"Severus! Over Here!"
Severus looked up from the covered walkway to the student stands above him. There waving and motioning to join them was Remus and Lily.
Today was the first Quidditch match of the season, and with the boasting from both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, it promised to be an exciting one.
Banners of red, gold and yellow, black flapped vigorously in the wind. With it being such a windy day every student had donned their respective scarves—just from the sea of reds Severus could tell that most of Gryffindor had shown up in support of their House's team.
He had just arrived from the Owlery after sending another letter to Petunia. It was actually two letters, one from him and one from Lily. It appeared that the two long lost sisters were on their way to reclaiming the close bond of siblings.
Look after her…
Those three words repeated in his head as he walked up to the stands. They were entirely innocent words by themselves, but they had had a real impact in his days here at Hogwarts so far.
He couldn't help but question how long all this would last before turning pear-shaped. Nothing good ever stayed good for a Prince. His mother's marriage to Tobias was testimony of that.
Maybe it would have been better if he had taken his father's surname—surely Snapes had some good luck somewhere in their line, even if it was a purely Muggle lineage.
Hmm, c'est la vie and que sera, sera as his aunt would say.
Fini