When second period finished everyone packed their bags and left the room. Lucius hadn't shown up, and people could still hear him shouting in the courtyard, flipped upside down. His face was beet red as all the blood in his legs were going to his head. But no one bothered to help.
Cailan hadn't taught the class as he had teased. He went to the board and drew a few charts that Lucius would have drawn himself, and then went to his desk, letting everyone else decipher what he'd written on their own time. No one would listen to the outcaste, no matter how smart he was. Now, after two periods had finished, it was noon, and time for lunch.
Lunch was a curious time for Cailan, as he never did the same thing twice during the hour long eating period. Today, he decided, he would stroll around the lake. Perhaps he'd find a wild animal to practice a taming spell he'd been experimenting with. As he began his meandering he was passed, and shoved, by a familiar group of four Gryffindors. Lupin gave him a silent glance as Cailan pulled himself out of the water, shaking his sleeves and incurring a silent spell of swift drying; the water in his clothes sprayed out and he was left only slightly damp. They seemed to be moving with a purpose.
So, Cailan followed. A quick glance around assured him no one was looking and he manifested his form into that of a simple snake, shrinking himself smaller and smaller till perhaps the size of a rattler, about seven feet long. He slithered along the ground after them, melding into the shadowy undergrowth along the shore. Shouting at someone could be heard, and he sped up. Curling his spine upwards and lifting his head off the ground he could now see the object of their torment; Severus Snape.
"Expelliarmus!" James shouted, and Severus' wand flew off to the side. Another shout of "Levicorpus!" and he was hoisted into the air. Cailan hissed, slithering forward and debating whether or not to bite James in the calf. He thought better, though, as he heard another person shouting, approaching from behind him-he had to roll to the side to get out of her warpath. Lily Evans was not a forced to be reckoned with when irritated.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" She cried, flicking her wand and counter cursing the spell holding Severus up in the air-he landed with a whump. Cailan had sped across the grass and now held Severus' wand in his mouth, slithering towards him. Lily continued shouting at the four, scolding them, and sending them on their way. Hell hath no fury like LIly Evans. When the Marauders had left, laughing to themselves about what a great day they were having, she turned to Severus.
Severus, who was currently reaching towards the snake who held his wand out to him. A massive black creature that seemed to ripple in and out of existence, and a hell of a lot smarter than it looked. He clutched his wand at one end and the serpent released it, tongue flicking in and out of its mouth as it slithered away. Cailan would come back in human form, he couldn't just reveal his Animagus capabilities, now could he?
"Are you alright?" Lily asked, placing a hand on Severus shoulder. He lashed out. After several harsh and unintentional words of cruelty and disgust, Lily ran away, unable to take the insults. Severus started blasting the area around him, so angry at everything, at himself, pissed off at the world and his damn temper.
"Nearly hit me with that one." A calm voice came from his left. He raised his wand and sent a Confringo charm towards the source, who easily sidestepped the blast. "Another close one." The tree behind Cailan exploded into a thousand pieces, splinters shooting out but neither wizard caring.
"The outcaste Ravenclaw."
"The outcaste Slytherin." The reply made Severus bare his teeth, lips curling downwards. "What are you, Severus, a fifth year?" Those lips stopped curling.
"Yes. Aren't you a seventh?"
"Indeed..." Cailan let something fall out of his sleeve. "And you're quite the genius when it comes to...stuff."
"Expelliarmus!" Severus shouted. The black book remained in Cailan's grasp as he sidestepped the red flash of light just as easily as the Confringo. "Where did you get that?" The Slytherin hissed.
"The Half-Blood Prince. Funny, I always thought you Slytherin's were purebloods." Cailan continued nonchalantly, reading from the Advanced Potion Making book in his hands. He slapped it shut. "Picked it up off the ground while you floated. This stuff in here..." He tapped the cover. "You could make your own bloody textbook. And those sidenotes? Vicious."
"So, what? Bookworm one has Bookworm two's book on Potions and Dark Arts. What are you going to do with it?" Cailan hummed a moment, then strode towards Severus, ignoring the wand nearly poking him in the forehead when he got close.
"Nothing." He held the book out, and Severus took it, lowering his wand with a very, very confused expression on his face. "Odd ones out are even in their own book, Prince." Cailan held out his hand. "Call me Caduceus."
