Before we begin
I would like to thank SeveralTypesOfAmbiguity for the beta reading!
And now follow me to Malfoy Manor:
A house elf received Severus in front of the fireplace in Malfoy Manor and accompanied him to Lucius' new apartment. The guest room was already occupied by the Black sisters.
"Nice to have you here at last!" croaked Lucius, who'd had some glasses of mead already. "Imagine - the Dark Lord will make a personal appearance tonight." Severus had expected this. He took out his presents and Narcissa and Bellatrix pounced on the fruit gums in a very unladylike way. "Which fireplace did you take?" asked Lucius. "Headmaster's office," replied Severus nonchalantly. "Did he interrogate you?" Lucius dug deeper. "He tried. But he gained nothing. Not from me."
What did it matter, anyway, if Dumbledore knew?
Severus was quartered in Lucius' old nursery, though he did not really believe Lucius had ever been a child - it was so implausible.
Plausible - believable, obvious
However, the room still bore traces of Lucius as a child. Above the desk was a large poster of a Quidditch team from Normandy; beneath, some postcards of exotic places. The bookshelf bore no surprises, featuring the usual wizard stuff and two Muggle books: Robin Hood and The Three Musketeers. In a glass case next to the wall stood a model ship over 2 metres in length. Had Lucius ever glued together muggle sailboats? This was not a question to ask aloud, but Severus was amused to no end.
The room was simply furnished, but to him it seemed to be a little paradise, compared with his tiny garret at home.
Lucius introduced Severus to some aunts and uncles and to his parents. Some of them seemed to already know his name and mumbled something like, "Ah, yes!". Lucius told him to feel at home. Lord Voldemort would arrive late in the evening.
Severus became acquainted with the parents of Bellatrix and Narcissa and the other Blacks, Sirius's parents. Sirius' s younger brother Regulus was also present.
Regulus differed markedly from his vexatious brother and Severus let himself be pestered with questions about Hogwarts. "I sincerely hope that the hat sends me to Slytherin," Regulus said. "Not like that lame duck. The family was really upset when he was sorted into Gryffindor. I personally think he's probably defective." Severus was happy to agree with Regulus in this matter. Sirius Black had crossed his way on several occasions and was always in search of confrontation. And he had threatened that his "Gang" would be back soon, so he'll see...
Severus did not believe any such thing as a Gang existed; he was reminded of Samuel Lawrence, back at home, who always threatened people with his non-existent big brother.
Nevertheless, it would be useful to make friends with the smaller brother.
The meal proceeded in a polite, cool atmosphere. Severus observed Narcissa and imitated her table manners. Bellatrix and Regulus tried hard to be quiet, the grown-ups talked about politics. "It's a shame," said Lord Malfoy, "that more and more Muggles are introduced into our world. It is as if someone has an interest in infiltrating us. The proposal of the Wizengamot to require an oath from Muggle-born wizards to sever them from the non-magic world has been soundly defeated. I do not understand the reason. Every Muggleborn at Hogwarts means at least four accomplices in the Muggle world, which inevitably leads to disturbances."
Disturbances - as in trouble, noted Snape.
He'd been following the conversation with only one ear, but started listening closer when he recognized the words "Lord Voldemort" and "Muggle" in one sentence. "He will take matters into his hands, he promised us," Madam Black said categorically. "It is hard enough that our children have to give up their comfort to sponsor all these Muggle projects at Hogwarts." Severus almost had to giggle. As far as he knew, the private rooms in Gryffindor were closed some years ago. And the beloved son of Mrs. Black was a Gryffindor now – which she brought up immediately. "I cannot say often enough how disappointed I am that Sirius was sent to this Muggle-lover house. Personally, I do believe someone has tampered with the hat. Could he have a Muggleborn child sent there by mistake? I can imagine all sort of things, since Professor Dippet is no more." She sighed deeply and dabbed her eyes with a crochet-edged handkerchief. "Of course we've sent a protest note, but you know these Muggle lovers. We have to live with this stigma now," she sobbed.
Lord Malfoy waved his hand dismissively. "After his NEWTS and if he takes a respectable profession, nobody will ask about his House. However, you'll have to control his contacts a bit. Lucius, do you have an eye on Mr. Black?" he asked his son. Lucius, who was busy holding hands with Narcissa, looked up, startled. "He is friends with James Potter. And he was very upset about Frank Longbottom." he grinned. "It was great!"
At this point, public attention turned to Severus. "A really funny combination of hexes," remarked Lord Malfoy. "Lucius did owl me about it right away. Do you use uncommon hexes regularly?"
Severus felt his face redden and replied: "Well, it's just a hobby of mine. I examine everyday hexes for their suitability for duelling. Sometimes one gets unbelievable effects, if they're combined in the right way." Lucius grinned proudly as if he had invented Snape himself. "The Dark Lord thinks very highly of you, Severus," said Mrs. Black. "He often speaks about you. What would I give for my son ..." She paused and looked at the tablecloth.
Regulus put a comforting hand on her arm. "Don't worry, Mama," he said, "You've still got me!". "Fortunately!" boomed Lord Malfoy. "What do you think, ma'am, of leaving your son here overnight? He could accompany Severus and benefit from it. We'll introduce him to the Dark Lord." The last sentence was nearly whispered.
Madame's face lit up immediately. "Oh yes!" she said. "That would be wonderful!". The adults retired after the meal and so did the young adults. The children, Regulus and Severus, were left to themselves and decided to explore the garden while they chatted about hexes, jinxes, and even curses. The garden was more of an overgrown park with strange sculptures and pavilions, and a mysterious giant hedge maze.
Severus and Regulus marvelled at the sculptures, which represented various scenes such as centaurs with virgins on their backs, Leda and the Swan, but also warlike trolls driving the goblins in front of them. One wall of the manor was painted with a fresco of scenes from the war with Grindelwald. One of the Knights of Walpurgis clearly had the features of a Malfoy.
"Wow," exclaimed Severus. "I wonder if they'll tell us about the war, if we ask them?" "Oh, stop it," sighed Regulus. "My grandpa has already inflicted these stories on us so often.... Some of them are really adventurous, though. The Donnersberg meeting, for example, when they examined the messenger. They had balls of steel, these guys." Severus had to laugh at this formulation, but he was also fascinated. "What was it exactly?" he persisted.
"The messenger was given a cup with poison and he had to drink. When he hesitated, he was immediately killed. Of course there was no real venom in it, I think. Then he got a pistol, which he held to his head and fired. Do you know what a pistol is, Severus?".
Snape nodded, he was well acquainted with Muggle weapons, because the Snapes had a TV at home.
Regulus went on: "But there was no bullet in it. Depending on how he behaved, he was trusted or not. Life hung by a thread at that time," Regulus explained seriously.
"Rubbish!" replied Severus and immediately regretted his choice of words. "The messengers were certainly aware of what lay before them. And someone with bad intentions would make sure to know it, a fortiori." These wizards obviously had some deficits.
Deficits - the lack of something.
"The ability to do magic makes them careless," he thought and decided to write this in his journal, to remember it once and for all. Towards evening, the nervousness in the house increased. Regulus and Severus joined the Mesdames and Lucius, who amused themselves with fashionable question games. They also drank plenty of liquor and listened to music from a phonograph.
"The Dark Lord arrives around nine," Lucius announced. "Then dinner will be served. There is young peacock in plum sauce on the menu, a delicacy.
'If Malfoy says so,' thought Snape, shuddering at the thought. "Frankly, I would like chicken better." Bellatrix thought aloud and was laughed at by her sister.
"You'll never be a Lady," Narcissa railed. "That's not what I want to be. Unlike you, I am a born warrior, and as a warrior I'll die in the end," Bellatrix said stubborn.
Severus was impressed and amused at the same time. Somehow, her dramatics seemed ridiculous; on the other hand, she was a very smart girl and a good friend -- not like Lily, perhaps, but...
He pushed back the thoughts of his Muggle acquaintances and turned back to the business at hand. "What do you think, will the Dark Lord talk to us?" he asked excitedly. "Or is he not at all interested in such small kids?" Lucius flashed him a gracious smile. "Well, he will want to know if you've grown, Snape. The air will be thin there, I think." "This is just superficial," said Snape and his face reddened again. "Besides, I can show him the measuring spell, then he will see."
Lucius swiped his hand through the air impatiently to stop him "Yes, yes, six feet, I know!" he growled. "He may address one of us, but mostly we have to shut up. Unlike other known lunatics, the Dark Lord does not believe in children's crusades. Our job is to have outstanding NEWTs and hold the Muggle lovers in Hogwarts at bay. Nothing more, nothing less. Should he really once - I repeat, once - need our help, he will let us know. By the way, Snape, my mother wishes to see you. She wants to dress you properly." And Snape went off in the direction of the boudoir.
Befitting dress? Where am I going to wear velvet and silk? In the coal cellar, if the old man freaks out again and locks me up for hours? Or when I'm delivering the newspaper at five in the morning?
Thus, muttering to himself, he knocked on the door and an enthusiastic Mrs. Malfoy, who was drinking tea with both Black ladies, opened it. "There he is, our little friend" she said. "I thought to come to your aid and give you some clothes of Lucius's. Here you have a formal Slytherin dress uniform. I know, they are not that popular anymore because of the lunatic Muggle lover, but your house mates wear it with pride. On Salazar's Birthday, to annoy the old man. I think you should also have one." Severus's eyes widened. Since he had entered the house of Salazar, his eyes had been drawn again and again to the display case in the common room.
His comrades, in fact, owned every one of these uniforms, though they were not longer manufactured. The principle of these uniforms was, the older the better.
"You'll wear this tonight, when the Dark Lord appears," chirped Mrs. Malfoy enthusiastically. "He will be so pleased." Severus felt his heart beat in his throat.
"An uniform, that is so unbelievable!" he exulted and kissed the hand of the Lady. He had seen this in an old movie once. The ladies were touched by such a old-fashioned education.
Severus smiled awkwardly and thought about his father's belt. He thanked the ladies again and dragged his new treasures to his room.
At ten o'clock sharp, the excited teenagers gathered in Lucius's salon. Lucius admired Snape's new uniform and patted him approvingly on the shoulder.
Narcissa and Bellatrix were wearing the girl's version of the uniform and each looked gorgeous in her own way. Lucius had his prefect badge polished and was also adorned with a medal for outstanding performance in ancient runes. They were whispering excitedly to each other.
Not much later, a house elf appeared to bring them to the large dining room.
The Dark Lord was really there. He sat on the seat of honour in the magnificently carved oak chair, and looked down at the other guests.
It seemed to Severus that he had aged greatly in the last year - no, not aged, but his face looked lifeless - like a mask made of wax.
The Dark Lord smiled at the sight of the young Slytherins and waved at them to come over. First, he addressed Lucius: "Mr. Malfoy, are the NEWTs in sight? I hope you will bring us no shame?" Lucius knelt before him and kissed his ring. "Thank you so much, my Lord;, all will be well, I'm sure!" he answered.
"He kisses his ring! What now? Should I do this as well? Oh, damn!" S everus thought desperately and breathed heavily. Narcissa and Bellatrix approached the throne. "Ladies! " flattered the Dark Lord, "you become more beautiful each time! I hope your career at Hogwarts is as successful as your hairdressing?"
Narcissa giggled nervously and made a deep curtsy. Bellatrix shifted herself into position and replied: "My Lord, if I only have the honour to serve you, my hairstyle will not matter anymore!"
The Dark Lord laughed hoarsely and turned to Severus. "Come over here, my boy. We've not seen each other for a long time. I hear wonderful things about you! Keep it up! I'm counting on you!" he whispered conspiratorially. "Thank you, my Lord, I'll give my best. And thank you for the book, it's great" Severus replied and made a bow, as seen in the cinema one time.
The Dark Lord grimaced a smile and shooed the children back to their places.
Little was said during the sumptuous feast, which was accompanied by grotesquely costumed servants playing chamber music.
Lord Malfoy sent his younger guests to bed after dinner. "You'll be tired, and tomorrow at noon you must be back at Hogwarts." he said graciously and wished them good night. They said good night to the Dark Lord and retired to their rooms.
Regulus slept promptly - he was not used to staying awake so late.
Severus read one of Lucius' novels by wandlight. He listened every now and then for any sounds from the dining room or smoking room, but there was nothing to hear. Sighing, he finally closed the book and turned to the wall. He stared into the darkness for a while and finally fell asleep.
Oh no! He should not have drunk that last lemonade. Now he had to get out of the room; unfortunately, Lucius's old room had no en-suite bathroom. The next loo was down the stairs. Severus took his wand and sneaked down, barefoot. He was lucky to find the damned bathroom instantly, but as he left it...
Murmuring, whispering, grinding noises – then, suddenly, a muted wail!
Severus crept silently around the next corner and peeked through the banister. Two masked men dragging something were disappearing behind an oak door.
Severus breathed heavily and tried desperately to find some control.
Finally, he was ready to sneak silently nearer.
He crept up on all fours to the door and peered through. A few torches were fixed to the walls , but otherwise it seemed to be just a long corridor.
Carefully, he slipped into it. He wandered vigilantly along the corridor and rested now and again in a corner, to calm his breathing. Finally, he heard voices. He identified the Dark Lord and some of the guests.
"It's just a symbolic act," he heard, "you will not understand, mister. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." An anxious voice answered, tortured: "What - what do you want from me? I have no money, really! And the police - I called the police, they will soon be here! " The answer was only derisive laughter.
Severus stretched himself cautiously in order to be able to see into the room.
Inside stood the Dark Lord and some men in a circle around a Muggle -- a small grey man in a cheap suit holding second-hand briefcase.
'A salesman' Severus estimated professionally. The man had a bleeding cut right across his whole face and a sleeve hung loosely over his yellow-white shirt. His tie was a horrible colour.
"What do you want?" he screamed again and his voice was unnaturally high. "You can have it all! Here - my money, my credit card, vouchers for Marks & Spencer ..."
The wizards looked at everything with great interest. 'Like the Indians in westerns , when they get glass beads and fire water, ' flashed through Severus's head.
"Well, well," said the Dark Lord, "But - we are not interested in Muggle things." "No," whispered the little grey man, panic-stricken. "No. We want to wipe you out!" the Dark Lord explained calmly. Severus, behind the door, swallowed hard.
Then the Dark Lord raised his wand and muttered only one word: "Crucio!"
The little gray man writhed on the floor and cried horribly. Severus bit his knuckles not to scream too. When the Dark Lord lifted the curse, the grey man was bleeding from his mouth, ears and nose, even from his eyes.
Severus turned and ran. He ran like a madman, not caring where. When he finally stopped and looked around, he sighed happily: he was on the right floor, just steps from his door. He yanked it open and stumbled over to his bed, breathing heavily. Before he climbed into it, he opened his bag and took out Floppy, the knitted rabbit.
He squeezed his scruffy pet and whispered to his long-eared friend: "We're fucked, Floppy. I'm all alone. All - alone. No one can help me, Floppy. Now it's just ..." Yes, what? He kept whispering in the rabbit's ear: "Alone, alone, alone."
Several days later ...
"Oh no! Not again!" Severus glanced anxiously at his wet bed sheet. No wonder, if you're running through dark corridors in each and every dream. Every night he heard the small grey man scream.
"That has to stop, Floppy" he whispered into the ear of his plushy friend. Fortunately, nobody was up and about yet. He waved his wand and intoned: "prope sudum!" No doubt, being able to do magic had its advantages. . "Oh, Floppy!" he breathed. "How can we make it stop?". The solution was obvious, written in his potions text book.
Unfortunately, there was no potion to fill his needs completely. So he took his notebook and sighed while he wrote a list.
Sleeping draught, sedatives, and - oh well - something against bed wetting. His Granny had told him once that there is a potion for nearly everything. Except, perhaps, against bad weather, because that needed a solid weather spell. He wrote down all the ingredients in question. He scored out, scratched his head, scored out again. Finally, he had a list that he liked and of ingredients he could obtain without difficulty. Next, he needed access to the lab.
Lucius was up to his neck in his studies, but he had a lab key because he had to do a few experiments for the NEWT exams. Well. That was settled. The pumpkin seeds, he surely would get from the gamekeeper. He checked his watch: almost one hour until reveille and another half to breakfast. Why not visit Mr. Hagrid now? The grounds were not forbidden before breakfast.
He sneaked to the bathroom and put on his uniform. Floppy was hidden in his trunk, which he secured with several hexes. He liked the Finger-Pincher most, because he had modified it himself. The spell had originally been intended for household uses, like threading a needle. Severus had made the spell a little stronger and taught it to tell unwelcome hands from his.
He skulked from the dorm, through the common room, into the hallway. Cautiously, he sneaked to the exit. He was lucky that the Head of Slytherin liked to sleep in and must not be feared before 8 am. Some minutes later, Severus crossed the courtyard and stood before Mr. Hagrid's hut.
The snow had thawed since the fateful New Year's Day and gray mist hung in thick banks over the lake. White smoke poured out of the hut and a big furry dog sniffed at the entrance. Severus had a certain fear of dogs, he'd been bitten once. But he did not let his fear show, and called into the hut: "Mr. Hagrid? Are you in?"
Shortly after that, the half-giant appeared in the doorway. "Hello! Who is it?" he asked with a friendly sparkle in his beetle-dark eyes.
"My name is Severus Snape, I'm a first-year, Sir," Severus answered respectfully. Hagrid came closer. "Funny, I could swear I know them all," he said.
"But I have never seen you." Severus shrugged. "Could be," he muttered. "And what do you want with me?" asked Hagrid "Did a professor sent you or Poppy?". Severus shook his head; he suddenly found his idea no longer so good.
What if the half-giant grassed him on and sent him to Madam Pomfrey? Unthinkable! Finally, he gave himself a jerk.
Mr. Hagrid, I'm looking for some potions ingredients, Sir." he explained bravely. "I'd like to test a potion and..." Hagrid was amazed. "You wee nipper?" He made sure he had understood correctly. "I'm still growing." Severus replied defensively. "Ye, sure," soothed Hagrid. "I did wonder that they let you experiment so soon." Severus did not answer.
"But it has to be safe!" Hagrid reminded him. Severus nodded vigorously. "Look, I need some pumpkin herb, pumpkin seeds, and fennel. The St. John's wort I will obtain from the greenhouse and the other things I'll find in the lab," he hastened to rattle through his list. "I even have payment." he added and pulled a bag of his self-made fruit-gum snakes from his pocket. Hagrid was amazed. He took a sample. "Good," he rejoiced. "That's a good trade-off. Stay right here, I'll get your things." He disappeared in his hut and Severus heard him rummage around.
Severus had to run back to the castle, because he'd needed more time than expected. Out of breath, he let himself fall next to Rosier ,and he was nearly too exhausted to eat. "Where have you been? I was worried," whispered Evan, "Thought for a moment the Gryffindors killed you."
Severus coughed, indignant. "No. I had business out there," he explained and, out of habit, looked over to the Gryffindor table. What he saw there did nothing to lighten his mood. Apparently this Black actually had a gang. Well, it was a gang of four different Don Quixote types: James Potter - the carrier of Frank's seat ring the pale and sickly looking Lupin, and a plump short bloke with sandy hair, whose name he didn't know - and lastly, Sirus Black himself -- a stocky roughneck without noteworthy manners. "I don't believe that there any threat of danger," said Evan. "Finally, we are also four. I've been thinking we should start a gang too. Wilkes, Avery and Bellatrix are in it too, what do you think?" Girls? In a gang?
Well, Bellatrix was, in the cold light of day, not a real girl, in the sense of hair bows and dolls. She could strike as hard as any boy and hex you till you see stars. "Alright," said Snape. "I'm in it. Finally, we're not going to let them prevail."
Prevail – have the upper hand.
No! That's out of the question.
Severus jotted down a note asking Lucius for some lab-time, folded it, and sent it over. Lucius nodded at him over the table to signal 'no problem'. Severus sighed happily and ran off to class.
The first two lessons were History of Magic with Professor Binns. Boring as always, apart from two paper balls to his neck. Once this was dealt with by a Protego, Severus felt free to hang on to his thoughts.
The adults never mentioned the incidents at Malfoy Manor. They appeared the next morning, as reserved and cordial as always. The children were sent to Hogwarts right after breakfast. Severus registered some slight changes, though. Madam Malfoy was hyper-nervous and her husband had large claw marks on his right hand. Mr. Black and Mr. Lestrange, the father of Rabastan and Rodolphus, talked with each other in a blasé tone; several times the word "fox hunt" was pronounced, with a strange undertone. Madame Black approached them and said 'pst!', gesturing in the kids' direction.
This had given Severus food for thought and he had come to the conclusion that 'fox hunt' probably meant something else.
Finally, the class was over and he clung to Lucius to enter the lab. "What do you plan to brew?" asked Lucius suspiciously. "Something against tooth ache," Severus replied gingerly and began to work. He checked his notes twice for plausibility and started to grate, cut, and crush.
Lucius minded his own business, especially when Severus's potion began to smell like a dead frog. It changed in colour from deep red to pink, as Severus wove a light sleeping spell into it. Now it only had to work. Snape made a fair copy of the recipe and disappeared from the lab. "Hey!" Malfoy shouted after him, but it was too late. The door closed with a bang. Lucius shook his head. The poor mite was really jazzed; perhaps childish excitement for his upcoming birthday, Lucius mused.
