Hey, so I was reading through Storytelling and decided to create an add on. Sadly this is NOT the full length fic. That will come later. I will add a chapter to this with a notice for the poll over which story I will be updating next. I have three stories I am currently finishing and there will be a poll for about five other stories which will also appear/ be updated again. Visit Court of Emrys chapter 8 for the full list of stuff.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this and please don't kill me for the ending! Thanks, bye!
If Severus had been asked, he would have said that Summer School was probably the best part of his life. As much as that revealed about his life at home, it also revealed much about his life at school as well. Hell would be the word Severus used to describe either place. Home was a place of beatings and curses, school full of bullies and conniving bastards all wanting him to join Voldemort. But at Summer School he was free to be who he wanted to be.
St Michaels School for the Gifted and Talented was built not long after Severus had been born. It wasn't far from Spinner's End where Severus was forced to return every Friday night until Monday morning, which worked for his parents as well as being free (a fact that was quite possibly the only reason Severus was allowed to go). It was also a very unusual school in the fact that it taught both a magical and mundane syllabus. Classes ranged from Chemical Potions, to Transfiguration, to Herbology and Healing Plants to Physical Education. Potions mixed both Chemistry and the magical Potions class, Herbology was almost like Gardening apart from the fact that it was also kind of like First Aid since many of the plants they grew were healing herbs (and in a mixed group such as those who attended St Michaels, it was needed).
However Severus found that this particular year, St Michaels wasn't doing its usual trick of cheering him up. The school was run by Martin Emerson, who Severus could swear didn't look a day older than twenty one even if he did claim to be thirty, and he was always available to talk for the various issues that his students had. And since many were fellow teenage residents on Spinner's End that included quite a few. Most of his friends were included in that list, in fact all of them apart from Kaithryn, who was much better known as Katherine (more than likely because it was easier to say). But it wasn't any of them who were the root of Severus' problem and so, undesirable of burdening them with troubles from his hellish school, he found himself outside the door of Martin's office.
"Come in," Martin called after Severus had knocked. Severus loved the interior of Martin's office, mainly because it was both close to and yet so very different from that of Albus Dumbledore. The room was comfortable and full of seemingly random magical objects. Unlike Dumbledore however, the room was mainly filled with medieval junk and was also home to two dragons of various sizes and ages. The youngest of which, Anthruil, was curled up like a cat on the desk and blinked sleepily at him and he approached and sat on the only available chair. It was an ancient wooden contraption and Severus often wondered if Martin had raided a castle to get all this furniture, including the great flag pulled over the wall behind him which was red with a golden dragon emblazoned on it (which Severus often resented as it reminded him he had almost been placed within the house of dunderheads). "What can I do for you Severus?"
Severus stared at his lap for a few moments. He needed to think things through for a moment but one of the summers now worryingly increasing number of migraines seemed to be coming on again. He rubbed at his temples a moment to think before gathering his thoughts in an attempt to voice them.
"It's about this year at Hogwarts…" Severus began trying to bury the particularly horrible memories.
"The marauders giving you a hard time again?" Martin asked gently. Unlike Dumbledore, Martin held no beliefs that the moronic marauders (as they had been so named by the student population of St Michaels) were forever only retaliating. In fact, Martin seemed rather annoyed by them but insisted that there was nothing in his power that he could do. It was something Severus would have to deal with on his own, but Martin forever stressed that while he may not be able to help in a physical way, he could help him build up mental barriers against their tricks and painful taunts. But it hadn't worked this year and Severus feared it would only get worse over the next two.
"I don't want to go back there Martin. I told you last year that I would much prefer to become a full time student at St Michaels," Severus said, avoiding the topic, trying to put off dredging up the memories for as long as possible. Martin sighed and placed his pen on the table, pushing the paperwork away from him.
"I'm sorry Severus, but I cannot remove you from Hogwarts to transfer you here. To the Ministry, it will be a waste of your education since we are officially labelled as a normal school. What is it that the wizards call non-magical people these days?" Martin was frowning, a usual sign that he wasn't happy.
"Muggles," Severus supplied quietly. Martin nodded and gestured that he should continue. "I can't take another day at Hogwarts though Martin! This year, they were… they were…" Severus lost words, his mind stuck in that horrible moment. Martin sat up straighter, the frown deepening.
"Severus, what did they do?" There was a note of anger rising in Martin's voice now and Severus was glad that it was not aimed at him. Martin may be mild mannered, but when he was angry- truly angry- he was probably the most terrifying person to be around.
"The usual, at first, except much more often. They only have to tell Dumbledore that I was the one who instigated any situation and they'll get away with it. But after the Defence Against the Dark Arts Owl Potter…" Severus trailed off, hiding behind a dark curtain of greasy hair to disguise the shame and humiliation these memories brought up. His fingers traced the still visible markings he'd given himself just before the end of term. Professor Slughorn had seen them and sent him straight to Madame Pomfrey but he had run from the Hospital Wing the moment her back was turned. They weren't any of her business. Martin had seen them but didn't ask. He never did in the end.
"If it is too much Severus you don't have to speak," Martin said softly. His eyes were blazing gold as they always did whenever he felt strongly about something and the thin veil that hid his magic fell away, revealing the warlock behind it. You don't even have to think it if you do not wish he whispered gently within Severus' mind. Severus didn't say anything else, just closed his eyes and allowed Martin in. After all, his mind was nothing like Dumbledore's, which was cold and unstable, the marks of an amateur.
Severus was scrabbling on the ground spitting soap from his mouth. He could see his wand just out of reach and he could hear Lily arguing with Potter as he inched closer to it. Technically he didn't need to use the wand but he had promised Martin to only practise Latin magic at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, just as he reached his wand Lily wrapped up her argument with Potter and Black spotted him just as his hand closed about his wand.
"Oh no you don't. Expelliamus!" Black shouted and again his wand flew away from him. Defenceless and resisting the urge to gag at the taste of soap in his mouth, a taste he had thought he was used to from all the times his father had tried to force feed him the stuff when he was a child before vomiting the whole lot back up again, Severus Glanced wildly around wondering what on earth was going to happen next. He couldn't prevent it from happening, he could barely speak and most of the people around were laughing and pointing at him. Severus Snape, the school loner and all around greasy git was finally going to get his comeuppance for existing.
Potter shouted a spell but in his panic Severus couldn't hear what he was saying. Then the ground suddenly disappeared and he was standing on the sky. No, that was wrong. Potter had cast a levitating charm and had pulled him up in the air, dangling him upside down from his ankles. He could hear more shouting from Lily and he begged her in his mind to shut up. She was only making it worse for him in the long run, didn't she understand that? Every time she blew off Potter's affection he would take it out on Severus and Black needed no excuse to have a go at him. Pettigrew followed Black's lead and every once in a while even Lupin would join in. Anger and humiliation welled up within Severus and he cursed Potter with every name he could think of in his head, magical or muggle. He could hear the laughter, could see his classmates standing and pointing and shouting about how 'poor Snivellus is in trouble again'. He hated them about as much as he hated Potter at the moment.
Lily was turning to look at him and he could see Potter's scowl behind her. Clearly he was on the losing side of the argument and more names ran through Severus' head that he wanted to call Potter except the one that slipped out was quite possibly the most inappropriate when Lily was the one facing him.
"Mudblood!" So it might not have applied to Potter but who cared. He fit the name perfectly but Lily's face twisted and Severus realised that she might not understand that he hadn't meant her.
"I don't know why I bother anymore," she snapped, picking up her back. "See you around Snivellus!" With that she stalked away towards her friends who were looking half mad and half triumphant that they had finally gotten through to her that Severus was nothing but a slimy Slytherin. Potter looked as if Christmas had come early as he gave what was quite possibly the worst smirk Severus had ever seen.
"Who wants me to take Snivelly's trousers' off?"
Severus clenched his teeth and viciously buried the memory before it could do any more harm. His head was throbbing in time with his heart now and he felt slightly dizzy. Martin looked positively thunderous but retained calm in his voice.
"Did you talk to her?" Severus nodded, one hand at his temples, trying to get rid of the headache.
"I tried to apologise but she wouldn't listen. She insisted that I had become one of them now and that she no longer wants anything to do with me," he murmured. Martin frowned and reached out, the tips of his fingers brushing Severus' forehead.
"Are you feeling well Severus? You feel as if you are burning up." Severus bit his lip as he shook his head. Wrong decision. The world spun crazily and Severus gripped the edge of the desk, feeling sick.
"My head hurts," he whispered, trying to focus the spinning room back to where it had come from. Martin's eyes widened and suddenly he was at Severus' side, holding him upright in the chair.
"How long have these headaches been going on for?" Martin asked alarm evident in his voice. His anger at the marauders seemed to have been temporarily vanquished as whatever was going on with Severus took over.
"I don't know," Severus answered, vaguely wondering through the pain how Martin had known. "Since the end of term I think. But I've always been prone to migraines."
"Not like this you haven't," Martin said seriously. "Do you think you could move to the daybed in the corner?" Severus considered that a moment. The room was still swaying but not spinning.
"Maybe." Martin nodded and helped Severus to his feet. Two steps from the daybed however, the world tilted and a wave of nausea so intense gripped Severus that he only had time to say, "I think I'm going to be sick," before the world descended into darkness and a pair of arms caught him.
Severus wrestled against the tight feeling in his chest, tossing and turning in the bed. He could hear indistinct voices coming from all around him but he could only make out the two closest ones. Kaithryn and Martin.
"What is happening to him?" Kaithryn sounded panicked and he could hear the faint fluttering of wings, signalling she was nervous.
"The magic of the Old Religion is fighting for supremacy with that of the new Latin magic. I've seen it happen before."
"What happened to them?" Kaithryn asked, her voice wavering.
"Some lived and found they could only use the magic of either the Old Religion or the Latin magic taught at Hogwarts. But most died from the fever." Something cold was pressed to his forehead and footsteps approached.
"But you said he had a future," said a new voice. It belonged to Laci, a girl who lived up the street from Severus and worked in the pub as a barmaid. She was already eighteen and Severus wondered why she was still attending St Michaels. Perhaps she missed the scintillating conversation. "You saw it in the Crystals. So he must live."
"At the moment he's more likely to die." Martin sounded grim and the cloth was taken away from Severus' forehead. He moaned rolling in the direction that brilliant coolness had been taken. A moment later it was back, colder than before.
"But he can't die! He has his whole life ahead of him!" Kaithryn shouted, worry pouring from her voice.
"I'm doing the best I can at the moment. Has Fenris returned yet with the herbs I requested?"
"He's coming now," Laci said but the darkness returned before Severus could find out what that was.
He was still asleep and yet he was exhausted. He couldn't even open his eyes and the power of speech had been robbed some time ago. Martin was still with him and it was Kaithryn this time who was applying the cold cloth.
"He's getting weaker," she stated gloomily as she dabbed as his burning forehead. The sound of grinding filled the air and he heard Martin give a great sigh.
"I know. There's only one way I can think of which will allow him to live but…" Martin trailed off, shaking his head.
"But what?" Kaithryn demanded. "If there is anything you can do to help, you have to do it!"
"But at what cost!" Martin snapped suddenly, slamming something on the table with a loud BANG! "The only way to save him would be to separate the Old Religion from him in some secluded part of his mind until such time that it can be freed once again. Would you have me do that? Bind his magic in such a way he wouldn't remember any of this? Any of us? That he would only remember endless summers being beaten and abused by Tobias Snape and never know you or Laci or Fenris or even Callum?" He became quiet once again and Severus could imagine him leaning on the desk, staring intently at the work in front of him. "Could you ask that of me?" There was a long moment of silence.
"How would the spell work?" Kaithryn asked quietly. Severus vaguely thought that she was a lot like her mother right then, cunning in a way that no one else ever could. She would save him no matter the cost; he knew that much and so did Martin. The afore-mentioned warlock sighed and Severus imagined him rubbing his eyes and forehead.
"The spell would bind any and all magic and memories of the Old Religion. He would age as a normal Latin wizard and he would only remember anything pertaining to Latin magic. Anything that was related to the Old Religion would be wiped out or replaced with false memories based around the ones he already has. To him, we would not exist other than people on his road and children he went to primary school with but wasn't very close to. The only way to end this spell is if I was to release him or the Latin magic within him was killed and then the Old Religion would be free to take full reign."
"And then he'll be like Laci? A true Druid?" Kaithryn demanded. Martin sighed again and presumably nodded. There was another long moment of silence before Kaithryn uttered her last words. "Do it."