A/N: Beta'd by the great MrsBates93. Review, subscribe and spread the word.
Chapter 4
"You have to move your hand like this Severus." Lily placed her hand over his, showing him the proper technique.
"Now, you try." Lily urged.
"Lumos!" Severus did the gesture and the spell worked. He almost wished it hadn't.
"Oh very good Miss Evans. Five points to Gryffindor and Slytherin." The diminutive Professor Flitwick praised.
"Thank you Professor." Thanks to Lily, they were the only ones who had mastered the spell.
"Have you made any friends in your house yet?" Lily asked. Severus kept mostly to himself. The only people who spoke to him were Malfoy and Stefano Zabini.
"Sort of. I still say we should be in the same house, I'm sure if we both go to the headmaster…."
"I don't know Severus, I don't think you would get on well with the Gryffindors, and I can see very well that the Slytherins wouldn't have my kind." Lily sounded a bit annoyed, so he chose not to push the matter any further.
He was about to change the subject when some sickly looking boy came over to them.
"Lily, do you think you can help me too? My light is barely flickering." He asked nervously. Severus eyed the new comer wearily. Lily nudged Severus gently.
"Severus this is Remus Lupin, Remus this is Severus Snape," She introduced the boys. Severus glared at the hand the boy offered. Lily sighed and began to instruct Remus. Severus quietly packed his books and moved to an empty corner of the classroom. He buried his head in his Defence Against The Dark Arts book, he couldn't stand the sight of Lily and that boy.
"Today class, we're going to do some practical exercises," Professor Agarwal announced, in her timid voice. She went around the classroom, pairing up the students.
"Um no, Potter and Black," She said as the two boys inched closer to one another, "Black with Lupin and Potter go over to Snape." Severus groaned to himself. Anyone would have been better than Potter.
"What's this Snape? Don't want to play with me?" Severus merely pursed his lips, looking away from James.
"You'll be practicing the shield charm, Protego. One partner will throw eggs and the other will try to protect himself. Let's see, um Zabini, um please throw an egg at me."
"But Professor, I could never live with myself for striking such a beautiful woman." Stefano said as he clutched his heart.
"Just throw it Zabini." Stefano closed his eyes and hurled the egg at the teacher. Agarwal waved her wand over her front and a silvery shield formed around her body. The egg splattered against the shield.
"Try the shield a few times before letting your partner throw the eggs at you."
Before Severus could get a chance to practice the spell, he felt a thick thwack at the back of his head. He turned to face James and another egg crashed against his chest. Severus stared at James with wide eyes. He could hardly believe what the boy had done to him.
"C'mon Snape, you're not taking the lesson seriously." James said, he threw another egg, which landed on Severus's foot. James started to take aim at Severus again, but this time Severus managed to produce a shield, however it was a small one which disintegrated when the egg passed through, hitting him squarely on the shoulder.
"What's this Jamie?" A boy with dark wavy hair asked as he sauntered over tossing an egg in the air. Behind him was Remus, the boy Lily had introduced to him.
"Snape here is having a hard time getting his shield up, thought I'd give him a bit of encouragement."
This time when James threw an egg at him, the other boy joined in as well. Severus managed to deflect one egg but not the other.
"Look Sirius, I think he's getting it."
Both of the boys continued to pelt Severus with eggs, but they soon got bored once he could fully shield himself.
The bell rang signalling the end of class. "Alright everyone, please put away your remaining eggs," Agarwal said as she dodged a flying egg. "Due next week; a foot of parchment about protective charms."
Severus bolted from the class as quickly as he could.
"Whoa Sevvie, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Severus had brushed past Kem, nearly knocking her over. But before he could answer James and Sirius interrupted them.
"Is he bothering you Okafor?" Sirius asked as he placed himself between Kem and Severus. Kem shoved Sirius out of the way, linking her arm with Severus.
"The only one bothering me, is you Black." Sirius furrowed his brow.
"Looks like Snape has himself a girlfriend." James nudged Sirius in the side, who for some reason had gone red in the face.
"As if any girl would like a greasy git like him." In a fluid motion, Sirius hurled a final egg right at Severus's face.
"You arsehole!" Kem roared at Sirius. "Aufero!" A red stream of sparks hit Sirius causing eight of his fingers to fall off.
"Oh that," James chuckled, "Now that is just brilliant." He began to help Sirius gather his missing fingers which had dropped onto the floor. "Let's go to the infirmary mate."
"You'd better watch your back." Sirius said more to Severus than to Kem. Kem took out a handkerchief to wipe Severus's face.
"Are you ok? Did any of the shell get in your eye?"
"I'm fine," He replied curtly, pulling back from her, "I can handle myself." He averted her gaze as he cleaned his robes. Kem stared thoughtfully at her handkerchief.
"Did you like that jinx I placed on Black?" Kem asked.
"It was interesting." Severus smirked to himself; he'd hoped that the it was permanent.
"Well, I have a book on more curses and jinxes like that; we can go over them together if you want."
Severus liked that idea, and this would be his chance to practice the spells Ayo had taught him.
"Very well, but I won't go easy on you."
Severus sat at a desk in the common room. His homework long finished, he poured over a Dark Arts book loaned to him from Lucius.
"My word Severus, you certainly have an insatiable appetite for curious subjects." Lucius drawled from the most comfortable seat in the room.
"I like to know useful things." Severus said rereading a passage on tasteless poisons.
"Even if some of those things are dark?"
"If it helps me achieve my goal, that's all that matters."
Lucius nodded and let Severus go back to his personal studies.
For an hour longer Severus studied without further interruption, until he felt a tapping at the back of his head. Bobert landed on the desk with a parcel in her beak and another in her talons.
Hello there Severus!
Severus did not recognize the large grandiose writing. It was so flamboyant that it was barely legible.
Here's a nice care package from your mother. Hope all is well.
- Ayo
In the parcel were a thick deep navy blue overcoat and a medium weight black sweater. These articles were by far the nicest clothes he now owned. He also received a tin of assorted cookies and candies. Severus could not help but wonder how his mother had come to afford these gifts. He scribbled two thank you notes, one to his mother and another to Ayo for the use of Bobert.
Until dinner, Severus studied the mechanics of creating new spells.
"Snape. Dinner. Let's go." Stefano tugged at Severus with each word. Severus pursed his lips and shut his books in annoyance. He'd have liked to do a bit more studying, but he greatly disliked going to bed hungry.
When Severus entered the Great Hall he was beckoned by Lucius to an open place beside him at the table.
"Severus, let me introduce you to a few of my friends." Severus awkwardly yet politely acknowledged each boy. A seventh year boy Nott began telling them a story about a Dark relic he'd found over the summer. Severus was deeply interested until he caught sight of Lily. She was pinching the cheeks of that Lupin boy, contorting his face, so that he appeared to be pulling rather funny faces. Severus didn't like how she smiled at Lupin or how he smiled back.
He excused himself from his housemates and left dinner, with an empty stomach.
As Severus lay in his bed, staring up at the canopy he half regretted leaving dinner in such a rush. He didn't know where the kitchens were located, and disliked the idea of waiting until morning for breakfast.
"Severus Snape?" A little creature about the height of a toddler appeared at his bedside. It was very thin, with large eyes and ears. Severus moved as far away from the creature as he could, drawing his wand.
"Aggy means no harm, Aggy was sent to Severus Snape." Severus eyed the creature curiously; he lowered his wand but kept a firm grip on it.
"What are you? What do you want?" Severus asked.
"Aggy is a house elf. Aggy has brought you food from your friend."
"Which friend?"
"She didn't tell Aggy her name." Aggy quickly placed a small package on Severus's bed and then vanished into thin air.
Wrapped in a layer of dinner napkins were two miniature shepherd pies and an apple with a note. 'Saw you leave early.' The letter stated along with the signature of Kem.
By mid-October the atmosphere at Hogwarts began to change. The poltergeist Peeves was more mischievous and annoying than normal. Students pranked and teased one another in a more open manner. This morning Stefano woke up with boils covering his face. Severus was sure that his screams startled the entire castle. In D.A.D.A, Potter and Black unleashed a swarm of Billywigs. The sting from the Billywigs caused nearly half the class into a fit of hysteria and some students floated a few feet off the ground. Potter and Black never faced any penalty for their pranks. Severus was on his guard at all times.
"That was brilliant Severus!" Kem said as she got to her feet. Severus had successfully cast a disarming charm and she had been flung across the room. They had been meeting for weeks in an unused classroom, practicing jinxes on one another. Severus felt as Halloween approached he would need the extra protection against Potter and Black.
"Do you want to try the Babbling curse next?" Kem asked, flipping through a book. Severus began gathering his things.
"I have to go, I'm meeting Lily."
"Oh, well I'll come with…" Kem started.
"No," Severus said abruptly, "I mean, she's not expecting you; we have plans."
"I see." Without another word Kem packed her belongings and left Severus.
Lily sat in the courtyard waiting for him. Several small paper birds danced and looped in the air as she twirled her wand.
"That's interesting." Severus said from behind her. Lily aimed her wand at Severus and the birds exploded like confetti around him. Severus smiled softy which caused Lily to grin broadly.
"Let's go for a stroll Sev."
Kem made her way through the castle with her bottom lip sucked in, to stop it from quivering. In the Ravenclaw common room a boy sat in front of the fire place arranging orange tear drop shaped fruits.
"Alright Okafor? Umgubular Slashkilter trying to steal your teeth?" He asked.
"No Lovegood. An Umgubular Slashkilter is not trying to steal my teeth."
"Would you like a Dirigible plum?" The older boy asked. Kem sat down next to Xenophilus Lovegood. They discussed various flora and fauna and ate Dirigible plums for the rest of the evening.
Going to dinner that evening, Kem caught sight of Severus and Lily walking into the Great Hall together. Lily happened to glance over her shoulder, and spotted Kem. Lily waved and beckoned her over.
"How are things going? The three of us haven't been together in ages."
'I wonder why.' Kem thought rhetorically. "We should have a picnic, like we used to do at home. I could write to Ayo and ask for snacks and things."
"Nice idea Kem. Won't that be lovely Severus?" Severus nodded and left the girls. He watched as Lily went to the Ravenclaw table with Kem. He saw Lily shake hands with the boy who wore a tuber necklace. For the rest of dinner Severus's gaze never left his plate.
"Severus!" Lily called to him before he got too far out of the Hall. "We'll have our little picnic at the unused classroom next Saturday at noon. Kem says you already know where it is?" Lily said, before quickly exiting the Great Hall, catching up to a group of Gryffindor girls.
The week passed swiftly. In classes, both Lily and Kem talked of the picnic which had turned into a small party. He nodded and agreed to whatever they suggested not truly caring either way.
"You can bring a friend, if you like Severus."
"What?" He asked, he had finally managed to transfigure his shoe into a wheel.
"I said, you can bring a friend." Lily repeated. The bell rang signalling the end of the lesson. Lily quickly turned her footwear back to its proper state.
"I have to meet up with Kem, come to the classroom tomorrow at noon." With that Lily rushed off before the hallways began to crowd with bustling students.
Upon entering the Slytherin common room, Severus saw Stefano with his head in the lap of some older girl and Lucius was surrounded by a small group nodding and agreeing to whatever he was talking about. The girls had told him to invite a friend. He waited until he could get them both alone and invited them to the party. Stefano readily agreed before Severus finished asking.
"Who is coming to this little soiree?" Lucius asked staring at his newly manicured nails.
"The party was Kem's idea and…" Severus trailed off.
"Okafor's going to be there? I just might have to make an appearance." Lucius nodded to his self, leaving Severus.
Entering his dorm, Stefano had clothes strewn all over the room. Tossing items here and there, on closer inspection Severus noticed that all of the clothing was his.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Severus yelled. He quickly gathered his things, placing them back in their proper places.
"You can't go to this party looking like you usually do Snape." Stefano spent the next hour going over Severus's small wardrobe. Stefano knew an array of tailoring charms and seamlessly patched a few items here and there.
"Here, try this on." Stefano tossed Severus a dark brown turtle neck and a pair of black slacks. Stefano cast a hemming charm on the pants and shrunk the shirt more to Severus's size.
"Almost there," Stefano smiled to himself. He went into his closet and pulled out a belt and a pair of loafers. "Put those on."
Severus unenthusiastically did as he was told.
"Now that's fancy!" Severus rolled his eyes as Stefano grinned at him.
"Will you STOP that?" Severus shouted, as Stefano was casting different charms on him while they walked to the unused classroom for the party. He doused him with several different colognes, re-shined the belt buckle and was currently attempting to smooth back Severus's hair into a ponytail much to Severus's annoyance.
The little picnic for a trio had grown to about two dozen people. Lily greeted Severus and Stefano. Stefano made a quick hello and headed towards an older girl who sported a blonde pixie cut.
"He's a charmer, that one." Lily said as she hooked arms with Severus, "Let me introduce you to everyone." Lily took him around the room for about fifteen minutes, encouraging him to smile or make some sort of small talk.
"This is Kem's friend; um… I'm sorry what's your name again?" It was the boy who wore the tuber necklace. Severus squinted to look at him; his clothes were the colour of butter and dandelions.
"Xenophilius Lovegood," He said, peering closer at Severus and then looked to the ceiling. "Have you caught sight of a Shining Kollyjop?"
"What on earth is that?" While Xenophilius began to explain, Severus felt Lily inch away. Within a minute Lily had made her escape. Xenophilius sounded knowledgeable but Severus could not find what he said very credible.
"And the female Kollyjop has a fuchsia derrière that glows bright red when …"
"Hi Severus," Kem interrupted, "Oh Xeno have you had any biscuits? The cranberry coconut ones are quite good."
"That does sound promising. We can continue this conversation later." Xenophilius said to Severus.
"Sorry about that. Xenophilius gets a bit excited."
"I had hoped to see fewer faces." Severus said glancing around the room.
"Lily and I thought we should meet each other's new friends. Who did you bring?"
"Stefano is here and I invited Lucius as well."
"No! Why did you invite Malfoy?" Kem rolled her eyes and hung her head back.
"He hasn't even showed up. What do you have against him anyway?"
"Ugh. He's just such an arrogant prat."
Severus gave a small smile; he had to agree that Lucius did have certain tendencies.
"Oh no! What are they doing here?" Kem charged towards the doorway.
Severus saw Lupin enter, followed by Black and Potter. Lily noticed as well, weaving through guests, reaching the trio first.
"Oh Remus, I'm glad you could make it. I don't think you've met Kem."
"What is HE doing here?" Kem asked Lily, pointing a finger at Sirius.
"Lily did say I could bring a friend, I hope its okay I brought two." Remus chimed in.
"Oh come on Okafor, you can't still be mad. That was …" Before Sirius could finish Kem had her wand at his nose.
"Now Kem," Lily placed her hand on Kem's, edging her wand down slowly. "Let's not ruin the fun. I'm sure these boys will be on their best behaviour, won't you?." Black and Potter nodded zealously in agreement.
"There," Lily smiled, and turned to Lupin. "Remus, my mother sent some Swiss chocolate, you must try some." Lily took Remus by the hand, Black and Potter following closely behind. Kem glared at the boys retreating figures and then began to scan the crowd for Severus. She immediately found him isolated in a corner.
"Ouch!" A hand grabbed Kem by the hair, pulling her backwards. She whirled around angrily, geared to attack the offender.
"What are YOU doing here?" She screeched.
"I was invited," Lucius replied coolly. He strode in, leisurely taking an account of the other guests.
"By who?"
"Snape." Kem groaned. "Follow me."
Kem led Lucius into an empty corridor away from the party. She shoved him into an alcove, giving her a temporary height advantage.
"Why are you hanging around Severus so much?"
"He's interesting."
Kem sensed Lucius had ulterior motives, but wasn't quite sure what they were.
"He is a very good friend of mine, and if you're trying to…"
"Really? Must you think the worst of me?"
Kem looked at him, staring straight into his eyes.
"Listen Malfoy," She said pointedly, "Treat him well and I'll do the same to you. You're free to re-join the party, but if you're unpleasant to any of the non-purebloods I'll hex you bald."
Lucius blanched at the thought of the loss of his beautiful blond locks.
"I want you to show Severus some of your Malfoy socializing techniques."
"And what's in it for me?" He questioned, arching his eyebrows. Kem thought for a moment.
"I'll get you a week's supply of that shampoo you like."
"A month," He bargained.
"Two weeks and you must give him a few hints on table manners." Kem countered.
"Fine," Lucius accepted.
For the rest of the party Lucius stuck very close to Severus. He initiated him into conversations and did his best to make Severus the centre of attention. Lucius noticed that Severus's gaze would often fall on a red headed girl.
"Snape, who is that girl there, speaking to that sickly looking boy?" Lucius asked, rather curious.
Severus scowled towards Lupin. "That's Lily Evans; she lives near me and Kem."
"Are you good friends with her?" Lucius asked.
"We get along well enough, I guess."
"Didn't think a Malfoy would grace this shindig." A voice spoke behind them, thick with sarcasm. "The attendance of a Malfoy is a very auspicious sign."
"That makes you a very lucky dog, Black." Lucius replied coolly. The smirk fell from Sirius's face. He slowly reached into his pocket for his wand but was quickly stopped by James.
"Lily will have our heads if we act out. We'll get him later." Potter whispered to him.
Sirius nodded, pushing past Severus, they headed towards Lily and Remus.
"Do you get on with those two?" Lucius asked.
"I can't say that I do." Severus replied briskly.
Kem followed Xenophilus, making sure his tales did not confuse or distort other children's views on life. Lily and Remus did their best to keep James and Sirius in line. They had started two small fires and slipped bumblebee barbs; which caused pinching sensations in the stomach, into the fruit punch. The original trio spent very little time with each other.
Soon the party started to dwindle down. Lily made farewells as each guest left while Kem cleaned up. Severus was with Lucius, who had just finished giving his final character assessments on the other party goers before departing.
"I'm absolutely famished." Lily said as she went over to the snack table. "Oh bugger, everything's gone."
"No worries, I've set a little something aside just in case." Kem said. She went under the table and brought out a satchel.
"Could you bring over a couple of chairs Severus?" Kem asked. She moved some of the platters and things out of the way and set out the leftover food which she had saved.
"I enjoyed meeting your friends. Xenophilius is so informative; I'd love to see a Cerise Resserneb." Lily said, causing Severus to roll his eyes.
"They sting you on your backside, and the rash lasts for days. Then they come back and start again." Kem said.
"But they sound so pretty, I'd be sure to keep my bottom well protected." Lily giggled.
The trio sat together and talked until late, in their own world.
"I hope everyone has their work gear, we'll be in the fields today." The class groaned in response.
"Now, now." Professor Sprout said. "I'll have none of that thank you. Two to four in a group; get a sack of fertilizer and let's head out to the field.
Though it was relatively light, Lily and Kem grabbed each end of the bag and followed along.
"Does your common room have a Christmas tree? The giant brought one this morning and its massive!" Kem said swinging the bag a bit.
"We got ours last night and decorated it together, it's really lovely." Lily replied.
"Does your family have any plans for Christmas? I'll be spending part of the break in Nigeria." Kem asked Lily.
"Hmm," Lily thought for a moment. "I think we might go to visit my grandparents."
"Oh." Kem was silent for a while. "Severus will probably be alone then."
Lily frowned. "I hadn't thought about that. He hasn't spoken about his folks much since we've been here."
"Ayo checks on his mum sometimes. He says Severus's dad goes off and doesn't come home for days. His mum has been really out of sorts lately."
"That's awful." Lily said as she kneeled to the ground. Kem handed her a ball of dung in a hole in the soil.
Severus sat in the library writing in his journal. He wrote notes on spells to try, potion ingredients and their properties. He'd wanted to look at a few books from the restricted section, but he was sure none of the teachers would grant him permission.
"Hi Sevvie!" Kem greeted, nearly breaking his concentration. Severus merely grunted and quickly scribbled his current thought before he lost it completely.
Kem took several books from her bag. "Where'd you get this book?" Severus asked curiously, snatching one from her grasp.
"My grandfather sent it to me." Kem replied "He thinks I should offend as well as defend against the dark arts."
Severus flipped through the book. "Can I borrow this?"
"You can have it. Take these as well, they're weighing me down." She handed Severus three more books.
"What are you doing for break? Did your mum have plans?" She implored.
"No idea." Severus replied as he made notes in his journal. Kem sighed, she had a feeling she wouldn't get much out of him now.
"Lily and I are going away for the holidays and …"
"No thank you." He interrupted.
"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Kem exclaimed. The old librarian glared at Kem, shushing her.
"I'm staying here for break. There's research I need to do."
Kem sighed. If Severus wanted to do research, she might as well give him plenty of material. Taking out some parchment and a quill she began writing a letter to her grandfather.
Severus headed back to his dorm, arms heavy with books. He walked very carefully as the tomes obstructed his vision.
"Look Sirius, have you ever known books to sprout legs and go off on their own?" Severus groaned at the voice but kept his steady pace.
"It must be some very advance magic James, let's have a look shall we?" Sirius snatched one of the books roughly.
"Give that back!" Severus shouted angrily.
"This is some sick stuff." Sirius said, his lips curling in disgust. He threw the book to the ground, setting it on fire with his wand.
"NO!" Severus yelled, dropping everything he was holding and tried to save the book. Severus ignored the small flames that burned his hands but his efforts were futile. Sirius and James chuckled as they walked away. Severus glared at their waning figures.
Severus lay in his bed staring at the middle of the canopy above him. It was a week into Christmas break and he was one of a handful of Slytherins left at Hogwarts. Stefano had invited him to some Italian beach and Kem and Lily practically begged him to come home. But he had declined both offers; he didn't want to see his mother sulking around the house, and he was tired of his father finding new ways to belittle him, which wasn't as bad as outright ignoring him. "I doubt they even know I'm gone." Severus thought to himself.
A tap at his window startled him out of his reverie. Severus drew his wand, only to find Bobert swaying impatiently. He let the small owl in relieving her of the package bound to her feet. Once this was done, she flew to the heater.
He opened the first envelope which contained a card. On the cover were three crudely drawn characters that he recognized as Lily, Kem, and his self. The three of them held hands in front of a Christmas tree, little snow flakes and stars littered the background. "Hi Severus!" Lily's voice rang out when he opened the card. "Hope you're having a good break. I got you a gift, but don't open it until Christmas! See you soon." The message ended.
The second card, from Kem he assumed was decorated with a sketch of a white tiger that had deep blue eyes. He didn't know Kem could draw.
"Happy Christmas!" Kem and Ayo's voices rang out happily. "Hi Sevvie! We're in Niwango Nigeria. I wish I could have stayed home. We come here every year and it never snows. Is it snowing there? I bet it looks lovely. I've sent you a few books from my grandfather's library, and there's plenty here you'd enjoy. Maybe you'll visit one day. Can't wait to see you again, hugs and kisses!"
"You're not going to mention that I drew the tiger?" Ayo asked sounding far off in the distance.
"Oh Daddy…"Kem started but was cut off for some reason.
Severus opened the package and four smaller parcels enlarged. Two of them were presents and another was a neat stack of several books. The last was a metal cookie tin. Inside the tin were several kinds of mini tarts and cookies as well as crescent shaped pastries. Severus bit into one of the pastries; it was filled with spicy shredded meat and potatoes. He stored the rest of the baked food away and looked over the books.
For the remainder of the break, Severus played Lily's card over and over again, his heart immediately warming at the sound of her voice.