Six o'clock seemed to take forever to come around. Not only did Snape seem to have vanished but the other Slytherins were also stepping around him warily, as if being careful not to take sides. When lessons were finally over, he escaped the crowds and holed up in their room.

Even deciding what to wear seemed to take more thought than normal. After all, he couldn't wear the Unspeakable robes that were the best duelling outfit that he owned, or the Muggle tracksuit that gave him the most flexibility. He almost wished he could wear the Muggle clothes and forget about the mission - the look on Malfoy's face might just be worth it. In the end, he decided to wear a set of formal duelling robes, as much because they would billow less than his day-to-day robes as anything else.

At five minutes to six, he walked down into the communal area to look for someone who would show him where to go. To his surprise, especially given the time of day, the common room was almost empty. Normally at this time there would be a flood of people just back from classes, the first years would have got out the gobstones and the only thing keeping the noise down would be the senior students working feverishly at the desks pushed against one wall. Approaching a younger girl working at a desk, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Er sorry but could you tell me where the Upper Common Room is?" he asked. She turned to look at him.

"You're Derwent, the new sixth year?" she asked. Slytherins were strange: he'd never have dared speak to a sixth year with that kind of measuring tone when he was a first year. "Go through the portrait of Morgana - same password as for here - and up the stairs."

"Thank you."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"Good luck tonight, you'll need it against Snape. He may be a half-blood but he's an amazing dueller, he wouldn't be second in the house if he wasn't."

Second ranked in the house? Well, that was a little higher than Jason would have guessed. Still, it was too late to renegotiate now. He managed to smile at the girl, then looked around for the portrait. Following her directions, he quickly discovered where the other Slytherins were.

Coming through the heavy oak door at the top of the stairs, Jason looked for the first time at the traditional centre of Hogwarts politics, the Upper Common Room. It was maybe three times as large as the Slytherin Common Room, the roof arching far above them. Down the centre ran a traditional style duelling platform, the sides trimmed in dark green velvet. Around it, seated on wooden chairs that he would guess had been arranged specifically to watch the duel, were gathered what seemed like all of Slytherin House and, more surprisingly, a significant proportion of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

Snape was already standing at the far end of the platform with a few younger boys clustered around him, holding his outer robes and schoolbag. Pausing a moment to gather his courage, Jason climbed the four steps up to the platform and began stretching a little self-consciously. Clearly, the others in the house were taking this duel very seriously. He had to admit that had he known how highly placed Snape was he might not have rushed into this so quickly. That Snape was even considering throwing his support behind him was quite the compliment.

After what seemed like hours, he saw that Snape was walking down towards him. Hurriedly, trying to look completely confident, he straightened and met him in the middle.

"Are you ready?" Snape asked. Jason couldn't help noticing that he seemed totally calm about the whole thing. Well, if you'd been duelling here for five years already, maybe you would be used to the atmosphere and the spectators.

"Yes. Shall we start?"

"Very well. You know the terms?"

"Nothing that will permanently injure and nothing illegal but anything else is fair game."

"Close enough," Snape said, mouth twitched up a little. Just as suddenly, his face was serious again as he spoke the formal words to start the duel. "May your magic guide you."

"It'll need to," Jason heard someone mutter from nearby. A few others snickered. He felt his magic starting to rise up and clenched his teeth as he struggled to keep it under complete control. Blowing his top would most definitely come across as 'Gryffindor' and he had to stop it from happening.

"And may yours guide you," he managed to finish, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt.

Abruptly they spun on their heels and retreated ten paces as Lucius Malfoy climbed onto the centre of the stage to start the duel, as was traditional for the leader of the

house.

"Bow to your opponent," he drawled, sounding bored about the whole experience. They bent their backs slightly, eyes kept carefully on their opponent. In Gryffindor he would have trusted them not to hex him while distracted but here… No here, it was a game played with different rules.

Grimly, Jason settled into his stance. Snape was using the same one as he had used in that memorable single meeting of the Duelling Club in his second year.

"On the count of three. One… two… three!" Malfoy called and flung himself from the platform as two hexes whistled through the place where he'd been.

Oh yes, Snape was indeed fast, Jason thought as he swayed out of the way of a nasty looking streak of magic. Hell, half the spells the other boy were using he'd never even heard of and if nothing else, Jason had experience behind him!

It was a strange thing, a formal duel like this. At any rate, that's what he'd been told. As well as trying to defeat your opponent, he had to show his superiority as well, not just take him down with a lucky shot. It wasn't easy to remember that with an opponent as good as this.

"Protego!" he yelled again. Suddenly the barrage of spells seemed to slow as they paused to reassess the other. Snape's eyes were narrowed now. Apparently, he hadn't considered that he'd be struggling with this duel. Suddenly, Jason remembered the keys swarming at him back in his first year and conjured a flock of small birds.

"Oppugno!"

Snape's eyes widened dramatically and he frantically began to erect a shield around himself. Seeing Snape occupied, a glow of triumph spread through him as he sent hex after hex at him.

"Expelliarmus!" he called at last and Snape's shield fell, sending him flying backwards to land with a thud at the other end of the platform. Immediately, he vanished the birds he'd conjured - it wouldn't have been fair to leave them after he'd been defeated.

"Duel's over," Lucius Malfoy announced, looking carefully at them. "Derwent wins."

The hushed silence of the room suddenly vanished as a buzz of conversation began. Jason smiled - he'd managed to unsettle them at any rate. Quickly he strode down the platform to crouch by Snape.

"You okay?" he asked. Snape glared at him.

"I'm fine. Congratulations," he added grudgingly.

"Here's your wand back."

Jason passed the black wand to him and Snape seemed to relax enough to accept his hand up. They stood there staring at each other for a moment. It was impossible to tell what Snape was thinking - the dark eyes were as fathomless as ever.

Then Snape brought his wand up and slashed across his palm with it as if it were a knife. To Jason's surprise, a line of blood welled up where it passed. He clasped Jason's unresisting hand and held his gaze.

"I Severus Adrian Snape pledge my allegiance to Jason Melchior Derwent and seal the pledge with my blood, that I will follow and protect him whenever he bids me."

A glow of light started to encircle their hands. Those still watching the scene unfolding gasped. Jason froze, heart pounding, not sure what he should do. That said, it was considered dangerous to leave an blood oath unacknowledged and Snape must be sure if he was offering blood oath. He would simply have to do what he could to limit the impact, choose one of the less demeaning declarations and try to keep Snape as a friend.

"I Jason Melchior Derwent accept this oath and pledge in return to protect and aid Severus Aidan Snape in his endeavours."

With that, the glow became blinding and he had to shut his eyes against the glare. Their hands meanwhile, gripped each other with unaccustomed ease.

There were a few long seconds of complete harmony between them, Jason could feel his magic mingling with Snape's, enfolding them both and accepting him. Then, as the effect faded, they drew apart, carefully avoiding each other's eyes. Snape bowed awkwardly, his face a furious shade of scarlet, and strode off to collect his robes.

Jason watched him for a moment, then fled through the agitated crowd into the relative calm of Slytherin territory. He wasn't sure what had prompted that and he didn't know what he was going to do about it now. At any rate, he needed advice and fast. Shutting himself in their dorm room, hoping that Snape would be avoiding him, he took out one of the rare communication mirrors kept by the Department of Mysteries for cases such as his.

"Master Nemesis," he said urgently, "Are you there?"

There was a pause and the mirror shimmered to display the concerned face of his mentor.

"Jason, what's happened? I wasn't expecting a report this soon."

"Well, I started to make my move as we'd agreed and decided to try and make an ally of the guy I'm sharing a room with, Snape. He agreed to back me if I defeated him in a duel."

"That sounds the normal procedure. Snape, would that be the half blood boy who caused the scandal seventeen years or so back?"

"I guess so. It's Severus, Severus Snape. He has a sister in Ravenclaw. Anyway, I don't think he expected me to win but I did, just now. A moment later, he was pledging blood oath to me! What in Merlin's name am I supposed to do now? I can't tell him what's going on but it could be dangerous not to and I don't even know why he did it and . . ."

"You did accept the oath, didn't you?" Nemesis asked sharply. Jason nodded, still somewhat bewildered. "Well, that's one side sorted. The consequences if you hadn't might have been unimaginable. As to why: your friend Snape isn't in with Malfoy's crowd, is he?"

"No, they seem to be rivals. At least, he wouldn't be second in the house if he was one

of his allies, would he?"

"And he's a Slytherin half blood with a certain amount of talent. My guess would be that he's trying to avoid becoming a Death Eater. Given his family and status in Slytherin, it's something he'd be expected to do. By giving blood oath to someone else, he must be hoping that it will enable you to prevent him being forced to take the Mark."

"But why me? Why not Dumbledore or someone from one of the Light families? And why would he have to become a Death Eater - I thought they didn't want halfbloods?"

"The Death Eaters will take anyone with sufficient power, money or talent. The Snape boy probably lies in the third category. That said, he would always be treated as a second class citizen, as it were. He'd never be given any power, any responsibility. The Derwent family is hardly Dark - they have always preferred fence-sitting, as it were. As such, it is less of a betrayal of his family to side with you and his grandfather is less likely to disown him. You also probably appear naïve enough that he could more or less do what he wanted anyway but still magically powerful enough to deny at least Lucius Malfoy if not the Dark Lord himself."

"So he's just sworn his life away so he doesn't have to become a Death Eater?"

"You forget that if he became a Death Eater he'd have to swear his life anyway: this is the lesser of two evils, not a dream come true."

"What shall I do about it? I can hardly tell McGonagall that I made him do my homework for me, or something?"

"I would recommend that you continue exactly as you have been. Treat him as a friend or an ally and trust him to advise you. After all, this manoevering is something he's grown up with. Remember also that you have responsibilities towards him as well. You should defend him from magical and verbal attacks. Make sure people know that you're taking your side of the oath seriously. That will encourage the younger Slytherins to trust you as well, since they will want a leader who will stand up for them."

Jason nodded, beginning to calm down. "I think I can do that."

That didn't stop him wanting to go back and hex Snape senseless for rushing him into something that important.

When Jason eventually descended to the Common Room again, mind considerably - though not completely - calmed by the logical explanation given by his mentor, he found himself the centre of attention once more. It was almost like being Harry Potter again, he noted wryly: as soon as he had entered the room, all eyes had been on him. He would be will to bet that people were almost falling over themselves to be introduced to him. First to approach him though, all the others drawing back from him, was Lucius Malfoy.

"Jason Derwent," he said eventually, looking him up and down. It really wasn't fair that Malfoy was half a head taller than Jason and could look down his nose at him with ease. "Of the Derwents of Norfolk?"

"That's right. And you are Lucius Malfoy, correct?"

The other boy didn't even grace that with an answer.

"Congratulations on your success. You could be a valuable ally."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Snape moving into position at his shoulder with great relief.

"He's trying to recruit you to his faction," Snape murmured in his ear. "Congratulations: that means he feels threatened by you. Don't lose that advantage."

"I could," Jason said at last. "But I'm not sure that the beliefs of my family align with those of yours. The Derwent's stand independent, as always."

"Naturally. Even so, should you require any… assistance, I have the contacts you might need."

"I think I can find suitable allies on my own, thanks," Jason said, wondering if the Malfoys had anything on their minds other than grovelling in front of Voldemort and making the 'right' kind of friends. "I will see you at supper tonight?"

"Certainly," Malfoy said, inclined his head and moved over to his seat by the fire. Jason turned with some trepidation to face the boy who had just pledged him his life.

"Snape."

"Derwent. That was well done."

"Thank you. I think maybe we need to talk sometime, after supper maybe?"

"If you wish. Meanwhile there are some people you should meet."

"Who?"

"Those who have already allied with me. Most of them have approached me already to ask that the arrangement continues with you included."

"Oh. Okay, lead the way."

Somewhat bewildered at what he was supposed to do with minions, Jason followed Snape over to the corner of the room where he'd been working the first time they'd met. A small group of people, mostly younger than them, was waiting there.

Each of them was named in his turn. About half of the surnames were ones he was unfamiliar with - probably halfblood - and that was probably the reason they'd chosen to align themselves with Snape. That or the fact that Malfoy was unlikely to accept them and to be male and survive in Slytherin house, it definitely helped to have support.

Jonathan Harper and his sister Estelle were purebloods, fourth and second years respectively, their family had been Slytherin for generations but were known for tolerance of mixed blood wizards. Fergus Macmillan, a seventh year from a traditionally light, Hufflepuff family, had been a surprise sorting into Slytherin. He was known for his talent in Astronomy and for his incompetence as a dueller.

Thaddeus Flyte and Kevin Barker were second years with aspirations of playing professional Quidditch. There were a few others but the only one that Jason really noticed was the girl standing in the shadows behind the group, her arms folded over her chest and her hair cropped scandalously short. Gwenog Jones, now sixteen and in her fifth year, had long since declared her lack of interest in a well-connected husband and was already in training in hope of a career in Quidditch. Although Jason couldn't say it, he knew that her dreams at least would come true.

At last, mind spinning, he excused himself for supper. Snape followed, walking at his right shoulder again. When they arrived, Jason noted with surprise that there were two seats waiting for them towards the head of the already full table. Slytherin was a house where everyone was aware of his standing. He watched as Snape took his place one seat further down the table, only a slight sigh and the tightening of his mouth showing his disappointment.

That said, at least he didn't have to sit next to Malfoy any more, Jason thought with grim amusement. Sitting by Newt Scamander III, declared neutral, didn't quite compare despite his Quidditch obsession. From the death glares Snape was giving him, it appeared that he was not a Quidditch fan. To Jason, said glares seemed quite endearing - they had nothing near the effect they would in another twenty odd years.

After eating, Jason excused himself quickly and fled to their room. He'd spent his life from eleven onwards trying to escape his fame and here he was, ordered to establish himself just as notorious. Thankfully, he wasn't the naïve eleven-year-old any more.

When Snape joined him in the room, he had composed himself and was ready to have what was certain to be an awkward discussion.

"You asked that we speak, Derwent?" Snape said, coming in and closing the door softly behind him, looking very uncomfortable. As far as Jason knew, Snape simply didn't do submissive. The whole thing was making him jittery. That was it, he couldn't possibly be expected to keep calm through all of this.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Snape?" he demanded angrily. "What kind of idiot binds himself to someone he knows nothing about?"

Snape sighed and sat down on the floor by the bed.

"A desperate one."

"Tell me," Jason said. In Lucius Malfoy, it would have been interpreted as an order.

There was a long pause. It appeared Nemesis's guess had been correct. At last, Snape continued. Maybe his magic had interpreted the request as an order and encouraged him to answer.

"You've clearly been fairly isolated, so you probably won't know that I'm infamous in pureblood circles," Snape said, a twisted smile on his face. "I hear them whispering about it at parties, how low the honourable family of Prince has sunk in the past few years. My grandfather isn't a Death Eater - he refuses to bow before a man young enough to be his son - but that being where his sympathies lie, I'm something of an embarrassment. When I was a baby, he swore to give me to the Dark Lord's service when I came of age in exchange for being left alone."

"Bastard," Jason murmured. He'd known the purebloods could be ruthless when they played politics but not this ruthless.

"As you know, I'm now seventeen - my birthday was a month ago. When I go home next, I will be sent to him and I will be marked, I have no choice in the matter. Before you came, I was even considering going to Dumbledore and begging for his help, that's how desperate I was."

He laughed bitterly.

"And your sister? Will she be okay? And why me?"

"Artemis is a girl, the worse that can happen is that father disowns her and no pureblood will marry her. She's got talent, she can make her own way in the world if necessary. If I'm disowned, I would lose everything - my inheritance, all chance of a

decent job… As for my choice, I need someone who can protect me from the Death Eaters, at least in the short run, and until you came the only one more powerful than me in the house was Lucius Malfoy. I think we both know where that would have got me."

"An early grave."

"And now I have no option but to throw myself on your mercy."

Jason took a deep breath.

"I had thought that it might be something like that. I might as well tell you now - I have no intention of ever joining the Death Eaters. Quite the opposite actually, though I don't intend to follow Dumbledore either. As far as I can see, I need someone that I can trust. I haven't got much practical experience with politics so I'd like your advice on that. Other than that, I think we should proceed as we would otherwise. The last thing I want is someone obeying my every command."

The other boy looked at him thoughtfully. That had clearly not been what he'd been expecting.

"I could live with that," he said warily. "I assume you're going to defeat Malfoy soon."

"That was top of my list."

"I'm looking forward to it. I'd be willing to train with you, if you'd like. I've duelled him more than anyone else in the house. He's strong, very strong, but I think there are ways you could beat him."

Jason smiled. It seemed that now the immediate danger was over, Snape was willing to make his own concessions. He was coming to like him more than he'd expected. To dive headfirst into a situation like this took guts that any Gryffindor would be proud of and yet he seemed more ashamed of his actions than pleased.