Meeting The Man in Black
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The painting of the man in black was one well known in Hogwarts, especially by the students of the school. To the staff, he was a great man, the same man who gave his life at the service of Albus Dumbledore, and the same man who gave his life so Harry Potter could save the wizarding world and bring what they hoped to be an everlasting peace.
Just because he was great did not mean he was nice. In fact he spent the majority of his days wandering the halls through the many oil paintings attempting to dock points from the student's houses, and when he wasn't in the halls he was in the dungeons where potions was taught critiquing the works of the children leaving most of the first and second years in tears. His name was Severus Snape.
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Albus was nervous, sure he had Teddy and James to show him around the castle now and again, but what if he was bad at his classes? What if he did so poorly that they saw it fit to actually throw him out of the school! He'd been so distracted having these thoughts that the young boy didn't even notice that he was beyond lost, one of the stair cases having shifted the moment before he arrived at the stair well.
Walking down the hall Albus looked around quickly realizing that at some point he'd made a mistake.
"50 points…from Gryffindor." A voice said from behind him, and turning the only source that Albus could spot had come from a large oil painting of a man dressed in black. He had what appeared to be black greasy shoulder length hair, a hooked nose, and very dark eyes. Albus stared at the painting in confusion before it spoke up again.
"It appears as though he's done it again, you must be Potter's spawn, eh?" he asked.
"Um yes?" he said questioningly before realizing why the painting seemed so familiar, his big brother told him stories about how they would mess with the man in the portrait, and bother him because they knew he couldn't do anything about it or be punished for it, James was a troublemaker like that.
"Just like your father wondering the corridors out of turn. Go. To. Class." He said sternly glowering at the boy and watching as he paled.
"I-I'm lost I can't find it." He said quietly. The man in the painting sighed, the bridge of his nose being pinched by his fingers.
"You're as dense as your father is too." He said turning, his cape swishing behind him as he crossed his arms. "What class boy?"
"Potions."
"Follow me." And without another word he began moving through portraits leading the boy back the way he came as he hurried to keep up with the painting. There were still students roaming the halls, but all first years had classes at this time.
"20 points from Ravenclaw, stop loitering." He snapped passing a girl, and Albus watched as she jumped, startled by the sudden voice, passing her they continued down the hall taking a right down a set of stairs.
20 points from Hufflepuff."
"Why!?" a young man, probably a fourth year asked the laces of his shoes in his hands.
"30 points."
"What?!"
"40 points!" The man snapped and shaking his head the Hufflepuff finished tying his shoe and walked off thankful that point deductions done by portraits were not able to happen.
"He was only tying his shoe." Albus said softly, but after being cut a look he shut up. They were nearing the dungeons when Albus spoke up once again. "I'm sorry if my brother James bothers you." They paused outside the room as the man stared at him, the plaque near the door simply reading: Professor Snape.
"What's your name Potter?" The man apparently named Snape asked for the first time looking at his eyes.
"I'm Albus Severus." His eyes were green, the same green that Lily Potter once had, and for the first time in a very long time professor Snape smiled.
"My name is Severus Snape." He said walking through the portrait as Albus opened the door entering the room.
Professor Slughorn was still teaching potions and didn't seem to mind at all that Albus was late, instead he chuckled and marked it up to being new on the first week, though when the painting on the wall cleared his voice the students cringed preparing for him to go on his tirade about how they were horrible students before deducting points left and right. Looking over Slughorn made eye contact with the portrait.
"Yes Severus?" He asked also expecting the criticism and demeaning putdowns on the students.
"20 points…to Gryffindor." He said simply before turning and walking from the portrait leaving the entire classroom in shock, and blinking Slughorn looked from the now empty canvas to Albus who had entered the room with Snape.
"Very well…20 points to Gryffindor I suppose?"
The class passed quickly, and walking from the room Albus immediately turned looking for Severus Snape in the painting and found him.
"Could you help me find Herbology?" With a shake of his head and a ghost of a smile Snape began walking along the corridor through the portraits.
"Come along you bumbling boy." He said as Albus grinned hurrying along.
"You know, my dad said that I'm named after the greatest wizard in the world, and the bravest man he'd ever met…so do you suppose I have a lot to live up to, in order to be a great man?" he asked as they continued to walk. After a moment the portrait spoke.
"I don't think it will be as difficult as you think…, as a great man once said, 'It is our choices that show what we really are far more than our abilities.'"
That evening Albus couldn't wait to send an owl to his father, to tell him all about his new friend.