Chapter 3
Maria woke up and took a shower. As she felt the hot water hitting her pale skin she began to overthink… What did she get herself into? Why did she have to travel back in time? What about her family, her friends? What about all the plans she had made for the future? It all faded away. She couldn't escape this. She felt the urge to cry but realized it would solve nothing. She was slytherin, so she turned this situation into an advantage: she would avoid the war at all costs. Knowing that Severus, a war hero, was by her side tranquilized her a great deal.
She got dressed, brushed her hair and went to the Common Room. All eyes were on her, all eyes except a pair of black ones that had caught her attention last night. There were three boys who seemed to look at her with distrust: a blonde one, a sandy-haired one and a dark-brown-haired one. The sandy-haired one was in the middle, and Maria got the impression he was the leader of the pack of hungry wolves. She bit her bottom lip in nervousness.
"Who are you?" the blonde boy asked her in a rude manner.
Gulping, she answered, "Maria Ruiz."
The brown-haired boy lifted an eyebrow and commented, "You weren't on the sorting ceremony…"
"I missed the train, so I didn't get here until late," she immediately made up.
Crossing his arms, the sandy-haired boy inquired, "Ruiz, eh? You don't seem to be from here… You are a pureblood, right?"
Maria had expected this kind of question, but she had never thought it would have come right behind saying her name. These people were clearly obsessed with blood purity, something that Maria, being a muggleborn, couldn't really understand. She was a witch, with or without magical parents, thank you very much. The Spanish girl looked the sandy-haired boy in the eye and lied, "My father was a wizard, my mother wasn't."
"Have you heard that, Snape?" he leered. "The new one is a filthy halfblood. Maybe you should ask her out. You'd make a cute pair of halfbloods. Oh! I forgot! You despise everything muggle-related too, right? Like your ex-friend, that good-for-nothing mudblood."
"Shut up, Mulciber," a deep voice hissed. Severus had just come into the Common Room. He had bags under his eyes and Maria thought he looked paler than the other day. He musn't have slept much, she thought.
"We're going to have breakfast. See you, Ruiz," Mulciber snarled.
When they left, the brown-haired girl let out a sigh of relief. She noticed Severus was clenching his fits, turning his knuckles white. His black eyes were locked on the spot where Mulciber and his gang had disappeared. Maria took his hand and asked him softly, "Are you alright?"
Severus snapped out of his little trance and stared at their intertwined fingers. The feeling was foreign yet warm. Not used to it, he immediately pushed her away. Maria was a little hurt by his gesture, but she didn't let it show on her features.
"Severus?"
"What?" he rudely spat.
"Don't listen to them. I don't know them, but they seem like trouble. And about Lily... Maybe I can help you. I'll help you win Lily's friendship back. That's what you want, right?"
Severus was speechless. No one had ever offered him help. He was used to working alone and he liked it that way.
"I don't want your help, Ruiz," he sneered.
Maria wasn't surprised by the answer. He seemed to have many trust issues, but seeing their classmates, who wouldn't? She did what she considered the wisest move: let it pass and help him out later. He couldn't be helped if he didn't want to receive the help in the first place. They had just met yesterday, so she understood that something that personal would make him feel vulnerable. And nobody likes to feel vulnerable, especially in front of strangers.
"Do you want to have breakfast now?" the brown-eyed girl proposed nicely.
Severus was surprised at her change of topic, but he was glad she had stayed. Usually, the snarls and snarky remarks which slipped from his lips shooed people away. Yet, Maria acted as if nothing had happened. This girl really bewildered the young man, but he wouldn't show it.
They went to the Great Hall and sat as far from Mulciber and company as possible. They ate in silence, something which Maria didn't quite like. She was going to ask Severus what his first subject of the day was when she saw he was staring at something with mad yet sorrowful eyes. When she turned her head she saw a redhead snogging someone. She immediately guessed those where Lily and James, Harry Potter's parents. Glancing back at Severus she couldn't help but feel pity. He was so in love with someone that would never love him back like that, if Harry wasn't proof of that.
"Hey!" she mumbled as gently as she could, to gain his attention. When he looked at her, she continued in the same tone, "Don't think about it now, ok? It won't do you good."
He didn't utter a word and an awkward atmosphere was formed between both teenagers. On the one hand, he didn't like one bit that the girl knew so much about him, his deepest secrets. On the other hand, she wasn't making fun of him. Rather, she expressed her desire to help him. It was a comforting feeling that made him feel warm.
"I have Ancient Runes. What about you?" she wondered in order to break the uncomfortable air.
"Herbology."
"Oh! Well, maybe we'll see each other later anyway. Today I have Ancient Runes, Potions, History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
He shrugged and in a monotone voice replied, "Herbology, Potions, Astronomy and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
A bright grin developed on her face as she exclaimed, "That's good! I'll see you in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts then. We should hurry up though. Classes are about to begin. By the way, do you know anyone who takes Ancient Runes? I don't know if it'll be the same place than in the future…"
He stared at the floor and said, "Lily Evans does…"
Maria gave him a sympathetic look and mumbled, "Thanks, Severus. See you later."
The muggleborn witch got up and followed a redhead girl, who was showing her back.
"Excuse me! Are you Lily Evans?"
Green eyes met brown. When Lily saw Maria was a slytherin, she visibly tensed. Nonetheless, she tried to keep a polite tone and answered, "Yes."
"You see, I'm new here. And I've been told you take Ancient Runes too. I was wondering if you could tell me where the class is. Please?"
Seeing she was being honest and seemed harmless, Lily relaxed a little and offered to accompany her. After all, they were going to be classmates and she was a Head Girl. It was her duty.
"I'm Maria Ruiz, by the way," Maria said extending her hand and smiling. Lily seemed to be taken aback. Last time she had been friends with a Slytherin, it hadn't ended particularly well. All the same, she shook her hand and muttered, "Nice to meet you."
When they arrived to their destination they sat down. Lily looked uncomfortable with Maria by her side, but the snake girl wasn't one to give up. She was about to start a conversation when the slytherin blond boy from before entered the room.
"Well, well. What do we have here? Ruiz, you should know that slytherins don't talk to gryffindors and mudbloods. Tell you what? I'll do you a favour. Sit next to me. You don't want to get infected by her filthiness."
Maria really didn't like those arrogant two-faced boys. Fed up, she shot back, "Oh, really? This morning your friend called me filthy halfblood. Let me remind you that you didn't disagree. Yes, this girl is a Gryffindor and a muggleborn, but she's been nice enough to show me the way without insulting me. Forgive me if I prefer to sit by her side rather than to listen to you ramble garbage."
Lily narrowed her eyes at Maria, clearly disconcerted by her comment. It was the first time she heard a slytherin putting Rosier in his place, defendinf muggleborns
The blond boy was fuming inside. It was easy to tell that nobody had ever been so blunt with him.
"Have it your way, Ruiz."
He sat in the last row, far from the new student. When he was out of ears, Lily cried out, "That was amazing! I've never seen anybody talking to Rosier like that, and even less a slytherin!"
Maria blushed and confessed, "I don't know if I've done the right thing… That Rosier and his friends look dangerous."
Lily was about to reply when the Professor entered. The class began.
"I think I'll have fun this year. Ancient Runes is one of my favourite subjects," Maria commented.
"I like it too, but I'll admit I prefer others. Ancient Runes is quite complicated…" answered Lily.
"I still love it. Do you have Potions now?"
"Affirmative."
"Great! Can you show me the way again, please?"
Lily chuckled and together, they walked towards the dungeons.
"Hey, Lily, come here!" a handsome boy with grey eyes shouted, once they stepped into the classroom.
Maria smiled and encoraged, "Go on, I'll find a seat."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
In that moment Mulciber, Rosier and the dark-haired boy entered the room, with Severus by their side. Maria frowned.
"You think you can humiliate us, don't you? Evan's told us everything," the brown-haired boy hissed.
"Somebody had to put you down in your place," Maria countered back with fiery determination.
"You've made a big mistake, Ruiz. You'll regret it," Mulciber threatened.
Then, they sat down together. Snape gave her an apologetic look that didn't lessen Maria's sentiment of betrayal. Why would he sit with them? They had also picked on him that morning.
All of sudden, someone grabbed her hand. She jolted and turned around, only to see it was the Head Girl.
"We've seen everything. Sit with us, Maria."
"But I'm slytherin! What will your friends say? We aren't supposed to talk to each other."
"You weren't supposed to shut Rosier down either. Slytherins have a certain disregard for the rules, don't they? Besides, my friends are actually impressed by you. They want to meet you," Lily argued.
Maria smiled broadly and muttered a thank you. She sat down in a table surrounded by lions.
"Guys, this is Maria Ruiz," Lilys introduced her.
"That was bloody amazing! I've never seen anyone doing something like that! And to Rosier, of all people! I'm Sirius Black, by the way," the handsome boy from before commented.
"Indeed. I'm Remus Lupin." He had lots of scars on his face. Maria wondered what had happened to him, but thought it was rude to ask about the scars, so she kept silent and grinned at him.
"Peter Pettigrew." Peter seemed to glance at Maria with an admiration which didn't go unnoticed by her. In fact, it made her feel a little uncomfortable. Nonetheless, she smiled at him too.
"James Potter, Lily's boyfriend and Head Boy," the last member finally said.
"Nice to meet you all guys."
The auburn-haired girl smiled and explained, "We have met earlier today. It's the second time she confronts someone from Mulciber's gang."
"What? I would have paid to see that…" James mumbled.
"Are you sure you weren't made to be a Gryffindor?" Sirius added. He didn't seem to be joking, though. This angered Maria, although she managed to keep her emotions in check. What was the deal? Did they think all slytherins were jerks? Apparently so.
"Look, I have nothing against Gryffindor, but I'm Slytherin, through and through. It's not something bad, you know? I'm not Mulciber, if you haven't noticed. Besides, the sorting hat seriously considered sorting me to Ravenclaw as an alternative… Not Gryffindor."
"You're right. You definitely aren't Mulciber, Maria. The sorting hat nearly sorted me to Ravenclaw too," Lily replied in a friendly way.
Professor Slughorn entered the room, putting an end to the discussion.
"Welcome to your last Potions year. As you all are well aware of, you will sit the NEWTs, so you'll need to study a lot. We have no time to waste, so please, take out your Advanced Potions books and brew Shrinking Solution in groups. You may start."
There were only three groups: the marauders plus Lily and Maria; Mulciber and his friends (including Snape); and a group of some hufflepuffs and ravenclaws.
All of them got to work. Maria seemed to be comfortable around the gryffindors, Snape noticed from the distance. It awakened in him a strange feeling. Was it jealousy? That was stupid, wasn't it? It hadn't been a whole day since he met her. He pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the task.
By the end of the class, Horace Slughorn congratulated Severus's group. Not surprising, Maria thought. Anyway, the shrinking solution from her group was nearly as good as Snape's, so she was proud. Unlike transfiguration, potions didn't come naturally to her, but Lily was pretty good at it, which had helped.
"I must say, it's the first time I've worked voluntarily with a slytherin… And it wasn't that bad," Sirius admitted.
Maria rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Right back at you."
Sirius smirked at her response, a special twinkle in his grey eyes.
"It's time for lunch…" Peter babbled. By his expression, everybody could tell he was clearly hungry, making the group laugh.
"I'll get going then, guys. It's been a pleasure!" the brown-eyed girl mumbled. She made a move to leave but someone grabbed her hand. It was Sirius.
"Wait! What classes do you have later?"
"History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"We'll see each other in Defense Against the Dark Arts, then. Until then," Sirius replied with a grin.
"Lily and I take History of Magic too, Maria," added Remus.
"Yes, I can show you the way again," Lily chuckled.
"Perfect. See you later, guys."
With that said, Maria went to the Great Hall.
"Do you trust her, Lily? You know what happened the last time you befriended a snake…" James expressed worriedly.
Lily kissed his cheek and assured, "Don't worry, James. You weren't there. She didn't just defend herself against Rosier, she also defended me. It's too soon to say anything, but I have a good feeling about her."
"If you say so…"
Maria spotted Severus in the Slytherin table. There was no sign of Mulciber, so she joined him. She knew this conversation would be hard, so with a soft tone she greeted him, "Hi, Severus."
"Hi," he muttered without meeting her eyes.
Silence. Maria cleared her throat and tried again.
"About this morning…"
"You were with Lily," he cut her off. His voice held a resentment tone. "Not only that. You were with Potter and his gang."
Getting angry, she retorted, "You have no right to judge me when you hang out with people like Rosier or Mulciber. They insulted you this morning, for Merlin's sake! Yet, you don't seem to have a problem with being another of Mulciber's puppets."
Flashes of Lily saying similar things passed through Severus's mind. He was lost in his thoughts when Maria screamed, "Are you even listening to me?"
The girl stared at Severus's eyes. She saw vulnerability there, even though his face was emotionless. Maria's expression softened.
"I'm sorry, Severus. It must be difficult for you to see Lily with James. And I suppose the fact that I hung out with them earlier doesn't make it any easier, but they've actually treated me way better than my own house."
He looked away.
"Severus… If what you said in the Room of Requirement is true, then we'll be working together. On the one hand, it isn't my intention to cause you any distress… On the other hand, I… I feel alone, okay? I have no one here, and they have behaved politely towards me. They made me forget for a moment I was in 1977 instead of 2016."
Understanding registered in the black orbs of the teenager. Contrary to popular belief, he had sentiments, especially sentiments of solitude and regret. He knew better than anyone what feeling alone was like and he could relate to her up to one point. Yet, his facial expression didn't change and he didn't utter any word. At his lack of response, Maria lowered her head and started to eat.
"I'm sorry too…"
She immediately raised her brown eyes to meet his, shocked.
"I shouldn't hang out with Mulciber. Besides, I'm definitely no one to tell you not to hang out with anyone, even if I don't like the company you choose."
She knew that it hadn't been easy for him to confess that, so she replied, "I'm not going to lie to you… I'll probably be with Remus and Lily during History of Magic, but I promise you, I'll stay by your side during Defense Against the Dark Arts. If they don't understand it, then maybe they aren't as good as they seem."
It was Severus's turn to be stunned. It hadn't been a whole day since they met, but Maria kept on surprising him.
"What you said to Avery, Rosier and Mulciber back in potions… That was unexpected to say the least," the boy whispered.
"So I've been told. But I meant every word."
As promised, Lily accompanied Maria to History of Magic. This time, Remus was with them, although they didn't have time to chat since class started as soon as they entered the classroom. After it, they went to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Ruiz! Fancy seeing you here!" exclaimed Sirius.
Maria simply rolled her eyes at his behaviour. His tone had been almost flirty, and the girl wasn't certain she liked that. She suddenly looked forward to spend time with her slytherin classmate of black eyes instead.
"Look, guys, I'd love to chat with you more, but I promised Severus I'd be with him now."
"You mean Snivellus? The greasy git?" Peter asked in disbelief.
Maria didn't like one bit the way they referred to Severus. She was starting to imagine the reason why Snape disliked them.
"His name is Severus Snape," she said fiercefully.
"Don't trust him, Maria," Lily intervened.
"Why shouldn't I?"
"I was his friend once. It didn't end well."
"That's an understatement. He called her mudblood," her boyfriend added.
Mudblood? She would have to talk to Severus later…
"Look, you have to understand he is the only person of my house who hasn't disrespected me."
"Please! He was with Mulciber this morning!" Sirius shrieked.
"He isn't good for you, Maria," continued Remus.
"I made a promise, and I don't back down on promises. Besides, if I'm not with him, who will? Mulciber? He is bad for Severus. Maybe I can help him."
"It's not your fight, Maria," James said.
"It actually is. Do you know why the sorting hat shouted slytherin? Because I am ambitious enough to want to stop this prejudice nonsense. Houses and bloodstatus, both."
The marauders were speechless, and Lily glanced at her with a sad yet hopeful look. She seemed to be a different slytherin and she liked that.
"I'm sorry. I have to do this."
In that moment Severus came in. Maria waved at him and approached his figure. The marauders kept giving her preoccupated glances, but she pretended she didn't notice them. Severus and Maria took down theory notes side by side, until the class finished.
"Thank you, Maria."
"Whatever for?"
"For keeping your word."
