A/N: Wait, what's this? Fiction was alive this whole time? I'm going to kill this b****!
Is probably what you guys are thinking as I've neglected updating for the past month. Really sorry about that guys! I've actually moved cities and have been dealing with some issues, which had resulted in writer's block. But thankfully, and for some odd reason, listening to Taylor Swift's music has me typing out paragraphs like a machine. Which is really weird since I'm not a huge fan of her music (wtf brain?!). And a few of you have PM'd me and pretty much inspired me out of my writer's block. Thanks for that guys! I invited all of you to PM. I fuckin love getting them and reviews.
But holy shit guys, as of right now, Scourgify has 103 favourites, 152 followers, 87 reviews, added to 8 communities, and has gotten 8k+ hits. Thanks so much! Flipping my shit 'cause I honestly didn't expect it to get this much attention!
Guest Reviews!
Marie: Thanks! And yeah, I kinda figured Hermione wouldn't be the only one who likes to help out elves.
anon: No no, thank you for reviewing and being generally all around awesome!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Warning: Um. Kids, don't drink firewhisky or smoke muggle weed. Contains references to the aforementioned.
Beta: Jin95 (Guys, I got a beta! And this person is awesome! Round of applause please!)
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
Chapter 10: Potions Class AKA Daddy Issues 101
Valeria stared at her father.
He stared back.
Well... he stared back as much as he could. He kept switching his gaze to the bowl of fruit, then Vinnie as he tore into his breakfast, the ceiling, and finally back to her.
He gulped.
She blinked.
'This,' Valeria thought dryly. 'Isn't getting any less awkward.'
It had been some weeks since their little 'heart-to-heart', and the excruciatingly awkward dance they performed around one another was still going at a frenzied tempo. Valere was an awkward person by nature, and Valeria was severely uncomfortable with the idea of getting close to a father figure. She wasn't sure if it was because she didn't know how, or because she was frightened of being let down in this life as well. Whatever the case, things were even more awkward than before.
'Like being stuck in the same room as your one night stand and your parents.'
Not that Valeria would know. She couldn't recall ever even kissing anyone, let alone having a one night stand. She briefly wondered what she had done with her short adulthood.
'Oh, that's right. I ran away to my aunt's house and brooded,' she thought idly. 'I was a brooder.'
Valeria rolled her eyes at her own silly teenage angst, and cleared her throat. "Father, could you please pass the syrup?"
"Yes, yes. Of course!" The man jumped and, in his desperate haste, practically flung the jug at her, the sticky contents spilling out and oozing down the ends of her hair and dress. He yelped and stuttered out, "S-so s-s-sorry, Valerie!"
"Well, I did ask for it," she huffed out, and the atmosphere around the eating family became even more heavy with awkward tension. Well... not for Victoria and Vinnie. They were completely at ease. She waited patiently while her father fished out his wand, muttering a scourgify under his breath to clear off the syrup.
The little reincarnation frowned longingly at her half finished pancakes, drenched in the syrup. She really missed Canadian maple syrup, the sweet, light golden goodness from her old life. Valeria wondered if Hogwarts might have some, or maybe if she wished hard enough, the Room of Requirement would magic it to Scotland. Her frown deepened at the now cold breakfast in her plate, her father's mournful gaze heavy on her. He sighed when she excused herself from the table.
"H-have a nice day, Valerie dear," the man called out haltingly to his daughter. She fumbled with her chair.
"Oh, uh. Thank you, Father. Likewise," her voice was a little too high, and her smile a little too strained. When Valeria finally rounded the bend towards her chambers, she muttered, "God, this father-daughter stuff is hard."
"Is it really?" Ms. Crabbe's amused voice sounded from her frame.
'How the heck does that even work?' Valeria thought incredulously, not for the first time. 'Does the oil paint vibrate to create sound?'
She cleared her throat and walked up to her friend, "In case you haven't noticed, your descendant is incredibly awkward. It's like he's been sheltered all his life!"
"He isn't my descendant," the portrait corrected absently. "And that's because he has been sheltered for a good portion of his life."
The girl frowned at that, "Really?"
"Did you think he spent his childhood roaming society freely?" Ms. Crabbe asked, amusement twinkling in her eyes.
"No, I wouldn't be surprised if he lived under a rock until he had to marry Mother," Valeria waved it off. "I meant the descendant part. I always assumed you were his ancient grandmother, or something."
"Or something," the painting smirked before muttering to herself. "'Ancient grandmother', do I look that ancient to you?"
"No," she admitted freely. "Your skin is very smooth for an old hag. I hope I inherit your complexion when I'm a century old."
The Crabbe swiftly grabbed an apple from the bowl next to her and chucked it at the divide between the two dimensional spaces, growling furiously while the reincarnation grinned deviously. Valeria's gaze was transfixed with the way the oily apple stretched the dimensional fabric, before shooting back to nail the woman right in the eye.
"Rowena's tits!" The older woman screamed. Valeria snickered.
"You kind of deserved that," the girl pointed out to the portrait, who was clutching her face in pain. "Child abuse and obliterating the structure of our dimensions is a big no-no."
"Oh please, it was an apple. When your father was your age he got the stick," Ms. Crabbe huffed and the girl frowned at that. "In my day, corporal punishment was the norm in raising children; your parents have never even raised a hand against you."
"So?" The girl raised a brow.
"So, I'm sure you could take a non-existent fruit without screaming child abuse," the woman glared at her friend's blasé attitude. "And look at you now, all snarky and ungrateful."
"Ungrateful?" The little girl snorted. "Of course I'm grateful. I'm grateful I've had the chance to meet you, father, Charlie, Alice, Binky, and Dobby. I'm grateful to even be alive."
The portrait gave her a sidelong glance and bit her lip, "Glad you met me?"
"Immeasurably so," the girl smiled.
"Your skills in sucking up are impressively advanced for one who is constantly talking back to her elders."
"What can I say? It's an inborn talent," the girl's saccharine smile morphed into a shit eating grin.
Ms. Crabbe's grin mirrored Valeria's own, "Well, my talented friend, let's hope that instinct of yours can withstand dear Severus' scorn. You'll need it for today."
Valeria's mouth immediately turned down into a dark scowl and she stomped off into her chambers, muttering to herself and opting to ignore her painted friend.
"Have fun at your Potions lesson, Valeria!" Ms. Crabbe hollered at her back jovially, before erupting into evil cackles.
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
Severus Snape hated kids.
No two ways about it. He despised every last thing about them, from their endless stupidity to their snot nosed faces. He even hated them when he was a child himself, especially during his time at Hogwarts.
Really, it was a wonder he even agreed to take the post of Potions Master at the old school. Spending the next twenty or so years teaching the little imbeciles how not to kill themselves with their own cauldrons, day in and day out. Severus couldn't have found a better way to torment himself, he'd take even Azkaban over this torture. He found himself wondering, not for the first time, how that old fool Dumbledore managed to convince him to take the blasted job.
Oh.
That's right.
To protect Lily's son.
Severus cursed the old git for playing on his guilt and feelings for the red-haired woman. He didn't care what the wizarding world said, Dumbledore was a manipulative bastard through and through. How was the man even sorted into Gryffindor? He had the heart of a slimy snake, if Severus ever saw one.
It was bad enough he had to play double-spy for the shrivelled up man during the war; now he had him using his old alliances as a means to infiltrate the other Death Eaters' homes. Why even bother with them anymore? They were all too afraid of the Dark Lord to go about reviving him, and the ones that were utterly devoted to the insane man were losing their own minds in Azkaban. It was Severus' vacation time, for Merlin's sake!He'd rather spend it relaxing and experimenting with his potions. Not stuck playing suck up to murderers and Flobberworms.
But no.
Dumbledore just had to convince himself that something was up. Never mind the fact that the aged coot wouldn't even tell his 'most trusted ally' what the hell that 'something' was. So where does this land Severus? Risking his life and his reputation searching in the homes of Death Eaters. For something he hasn't even a clue what it is!
Is it a Dark Object?
"Oh yes, Severus, it is most definitely a Dark Object."
Well that certainly narrows it down. Now all he had to do was sift through the countless Dark Objects a Death Eater would have, let alone a family like the Malfoys or the Blacks.
"It is not just any Dark Object. If I'm correct, and I dare hope I am not, it is a powerful artefact created by Voldemort that can spell the wizarding world's doom."
Oh, nice, thank you very much, Headmaster. He couldn't have found a better way to amp the pressure and frighten Severus simultaneously. A 'powerful' Dark Object of Doom then, that was simply stupendous.
And when the hell were Dark Objects ever not powerful?
The old man had sighed at the ex-Death Eater at the time, "Patience, Severus. Patience. All will be revealed in due time."
You'd think Dumbledore was the villainous mastermind, not Voldemort, with the way he goes about hinting at mysterious plans. The Head of Slytherin House had had the most intense and overwhelming desire he had ever experienced to strangle the old professor right then and there. He was now regretting not acting on that wrath.
Severus pinched his nose, trying to clear up the headache forming just behind his forehead. He desperately needed a drink. Swiftly getting out of his armchair, he approached the numerous crystal decanters he had collected after Lily's death and poured himself a glass of his strongest Firewhisky. He downed the shot like it was water and frowned.
Not because of the familiar burning sensation in his throat, nor because his tolerance had grown so strong that he barely felt the alcohol.
No.
He felt as though he shouldn't be trying to get intoxicated at this particular time. Which was ridiculous. It was summer vacation, Severus could drink himself into a miserable stupor as often as he'd want.
He rubbed his forehead.
Severus was forgetting something.
Why was he hating on children and Dumbledore's assigned mission in the first place?
... Bloody hell.
Severus angrily threw his glass across the room, the crystal shards scattering across the floor.
"I was going to ask if I could try some of that," came the unnaturally dry drawl of a child. "But now I'm considering slowly backing out of the room in case you're an angry drunk."
The Potions Master had not been expecting that. So, of course, it caught him by surprise and he whirled around to stare at the partial source of his misery for the past week. In the form of a pointy-faced, eight-year-old student still covered in soot after travelling by Floo, and no doubt tracking the black stuff all over his halls. Severus' stare quickly morphed into that of an irate and accusatory glare.
"Which it would seem you are. Quick question, should I go run and hide before you shove your experimental potions down my throat?"
Tempting, extremely tempting.
But alas.
He doubted his cousin nor her husband would appreciate that.
Opting to pretend he hadn't just displayed a lack of composure in front of his new student, he removed the mess he made with a flick of his wand and strode out of the room, barking orders to follow him. Descending into the comforting coolness of his basement, he made his way down to his brewing room.
Then, promptly marched back up the stairs to demand why the hell the little brat hadn't followed him down.
Severus found her eyeing a framed photo on one of the stands in the hallway, looking at a complete loss. He wouldn't know why she would have that reaction to a childhood photo of him and Lily. Unless she hadn't expected him to have any friends, least of all one that pretty. He would have been surprised too, he supposed.
"Miss Crabbe," he sneered and the girl looked up at the paintings around them in astonishment, as if expecting to see someone she knew in one of the frames. After finding nothing she recognized, she looked up at Severus with confusion swimming in the depths of her grey eyes.
"Where is she?" The little Crabbe demanded, a light note of eagerness in her sharp voice.
What a little idiot. Severus' sneer deepened.
"Are you daft as well as an annoyance?"
"Oh! You meant me. I thought-" the girl stopped herself and shook her. "Never mind. It was silly."
The man's lip curled at the girl's antics, turning to sweep down the stairs of his parents' house. Only to storm back up again to glare at his new pupil.
"Any reason you find it prudent to disobey my instructions, Miss Crabbe?" He enquired, attempting to reign in his irritation. She was younger than his usual students, and thus increasingly more prone to bursting into tears in the face of his wrath. At least she wasn't clinging onto him like a barnacle, like the last time Severus saw her.
He suppressed a shudder at the memory. It was still fresh in his mind.
"Um," the girl began, eyes darting around nervously, fingers practically tearing into the fabric of her soot covered cloak. Severus waved his wand silently, the ashes covering the girl disappearing to an unknown dimension.
"Uh, right," she looked down at herself, a little puzzled at the gesture. "Thanks, I guess."
Severus raised a brow at the girl, purposely pointing his wand slowly to the small, dirty tracks left in the hall by the girl. They too, disappeared into the mysterious void.
"Ah," she nodded as if the world righted itself again. "Of course."
They stood there, staring at each other for several minutes, both waiting. A grandfather clock ticked somewhere in the old house. The Crabbe girl cleared her throat with purpose, looking expectant, albeit a little shaky with some worry unknown to the Slytherin. Severus crossed his arms importantly, looking just as expectant. Impatience won out over fear, and the girl huffed.
"Well? Aren't we going to get to the potions business?"
"We will," Severus said with irritation. "So long as you follow me."
The girl smiled sheepishly and nodded, although it looked more like a grimace to Severus. Sweeping away with grace, the snake slithered down to the wonderful coolness of the Snape family basement. He strode towards his table, the workbench and cauldrons set up next to it. He looked around and admired his handiwork; the bottled dry ingredients were displayed on one wall on the higher levels of the racks, with the fresher and liquid ingredients taking up residence on the lower shelves, the readymade potions were displayed along another wall, and a collection of books on potions on the third wall. They were all neatly arranged, and an impressive sight indeed. He turned to observe the girl's reaction and further instil awe and respect for the art of potion making, only to find nary a soul in the basement besides himself.
The Potions Master growled and began climbing back up the stairs in righteous fury. He stopped when he saw the girl standing in the doorway at the top. Her head was tilted back, eyes wide with fear, lips pressed in a thin line. Tremors ran up and down her body. She appeared to be staring down the steps to hell, the devil greeting her at the front door.
Ah.
If Severus were to be completely honest, he was a little miffed. He wasn't trying to be scary. If he was, the eight-year-old child would be in tears by now.
The girl audibly gulped.
"Miss Crabbe," the frustration was practically brewing beneath the surface. "Why is it so hard for you to follow instructions?"
"I can't help it, I'm a rebel," the words came tumbling out of her mouth almost against her will. She winced at the glare he pierced her with. "That's your basement."
"And this is a problem because..." Severus trailed off dryly. He briefly considered using Legilimency, simply because getting her to spit out what she was thinking was like trying to pry Madame Pomfrey from a sick student.
The idea of delving into an eight-year-old's mind, particularly this one, made his sallow skin turn a shade greener.
"My mother told me not to follow strange men into their basements," the girl hesitantly admitted. Severus thought he saw a hint of wry amusement flash in those grey eyes, but it quickly went back to fear and trepidation. It almost felt like, for that split second, he was looking at another set of grey eyes he hadn't seen in little over a decade.
Choosing to ignore the insult hidden in that comment, Severus simply raised a brow and said, "Your mother has also asked me to teach you the art of potion making. My workspace... the classroom is in the basement."
"So you won't be cutting me up and using my organs for potions ingredients?" There was a hint of desperate hope in her voice.
"The idea is sounding more and more attractive the longer we stand here," Snape glowered up at Victoria's brood. The child blanched. He resisted the urge to strangle something.
"I am a man of a questionable moral code, but I would not lay a hand against my... family," at that word Severus' lip curled and his little cousin visibly cringed at the reminder. He was pretty sure she gagged a little.
The feeling was mutual.
Steeling herself, the little Crabbe nodded and quickly made her way down the steps. Severus stayed where he was to make sure she actually found her way down, instead of staring blankly at another one of his photos or something equally ridiculous. He almost wished he hadn't, because he heard her mutter something most peculiar under her breath while she passed by him.
"... Get over yourself, Val! You liked Snape well enough when you were Valerie..."
Which was a very strange thing to say, indeed. It only served to confuse Severus, and almost make him wish he was never related to her in the first place.
Or Victoria.
Really, he wished he wasn't related to any of them.
Sighing through his nose, he followed the girl down to his chilly workroom. It was the ideal temperature for brewing potions, and reminded him of the dungeons in Hogwarts. Severus preened a little at the gobsmacked expression of his cousin, who was currently ogling the room with reckless abandon. It truly was a sight.
Severus summoned up two desks and a set of chairs. Indicating one of the spots, he commanded, "Sit."
The girl snapped to attention, and sat in the chair, her back ramrod straight and alert. Severus sat behind his own desk and steepled his hands, glaring at the little girl across from him. He took his time eyeing his relative.
The Crabbe girl practically radiated nervous energy; stiff posture, on the edge of her seat, fumbling with the ends of her silver lined cloak, and shoulders practically up to her ears. Her black hair, which was stringy and appeared unkempt the last he saw of her, was all over the place due to her Floo travel. There was even a piece that curled in on itself on the top of her head. He was sure her slightly sallow skin would have looked healthier if she spent a little more time out and about. Her mother mentioned she locks herself up in her room to read and do Merlin knows what.
Not that Severus had a right to say anything, he liked to lock himself up just as much and had even sallower skin.
His eyes narrowed even further at the little girl.
Severus could definitely see the Prince blood in her. He would have even gone so far as to say she took after the Prince's more so than her father's blood- if it wasn't for her eyes and her face. It was almost uncanny how much she looked like a Crabbe or a Black, despite the obvious Prince colouring. Those two wizarding families intermingled their bloodlines back in the day so often, they bore many resemblances to each other. He was fairly sure Sirius Black's grandmother was a Crabbe, and looking at the girl's eyes, he could believe it. If her stormy grey eyes shone with mischief, he was certain he wouldn't be able to distinguish them from his arch nemesis'.
It was a fortunate thing her features did not lean towards the aristocratic look, like Black's did. Instead, they were pointy; pointy nose, pointy chin, and he was sure as she grew up and lost her baby fat, she'd have prominent cheekbones, if not pointy ones. The only thing Severus could find that was not pointed about the girls features, were her eyebrows.
Instead of seeing that blasted Gryffindor's face in hers, he saw another one with the same grey eyes. The nervous look her eyes had been sporting since she arrived here helped in reminding him that she was not that person and was-
Severus quirked an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. The girl was spacing out now, lost in her own thoughts with her eyes clouded over. It practically transformed her face, the pinched look smoothing out and relaxing.
Now he knew why none of the pureblood adults ever felt comfortable looking at her face.
This little girl really was the mirror image of that person.
How could her parents stand to look at her? He knew Lucius' lip curled an extra degree just for her, and he saw Narcissa stare sadly at the girl when she thought no one would see.
He wondered if the girl even knew how much she unnerved the Death Eater families.
Speaking of Death Eaters...
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the impending headache.
To no one's surprise, Severus did not find this notorious Dark Object of Doom. So what did Dumbledore have him do? Tutor the children of these Death Eaters in the hopes they'll let something slip.
A farfetched hope, true, but what could Severus say? Screw you, Dumbledore, you manipulative prick? The man was his bloody boss, he needed a paycheck no matter how much he liked to pretend he didn't.
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
"You know," the sharp voice broke Severus out of his self-pitying thoughts. "I'm very much relieved I'm not screaming bloody murder while you harvest the organs from my body, but I'm a little disappointed with this lesson."
Severus lazily drew his eyes to the girl.
"Actually, I'm extremely disappointed with it."
The snake levelled a glare at the sassy eight-year-old.
"I mean, it's been... what? An hour? And all we've done is sit here and stare at each other," the girl elaborated, her chin propped up on her fist. "I sincerely hope my mother isn't paying you for this."
"She isn't," he replied irately. "And you've arrived extremely early."
The girl seemed surprised at this. Whether it was at the lack of payment or the time, Severus didn't know.
"Oh, Sevvy. You do realize this isn't a nine-to-five job, don't you?" Her expression morphed into an almost condescending look. "Neither my mother nor I care about the exact time. We can start early and finish early."
'Sevvy' curled his lip and gave her his darkest look, "I do not like having to repeat myself. We will start at the appointed time."
"And why would you have to repeat yourself, Ickle Sevvy-kins?" The girl snickered to herself as though enjoying her own private joke. She probably was.
"Because, Valeria," Severus' lip curled further at the name. "We have another student joining us today."
"What?" Her brows furrowed at those words. She looked beside her at the extra desk. "Oh. Oh."
The girl took a moment to think before she narrowed her eyes at the chair and leaned back into her own, "No..."
"Professor Snape," came a polite voice from the stairs, which drastically changed to an unfriendly tone. "Valeria."
"Draco," the girl growled at the blond who had silently found his way into the basement. They sneered at each other.
"I must be horribly late, Professor, if Valeria is here before me," the Malfoy brat said in an unapologetic manner. "She and her brother are always terribly late. They move and think at a sloth like pace."
"Not at all, Draco. Miss Crabbe here simply arrived early," Severus may have sounded bored, but the girl's angry red face was anything but. He paused for effect. "By a whole hour."
The girl in question looked to be about to blow a fuse, which was incredibly satisfying to Severus. Both because the girl was such a nuisance, and that other person would never have gotten so riled up.
Severus was enjoying ganging up on this child far more than was appropriate.
"Welcome to Potions, Draco," the girl hissed. "You'll find fitting in here is easy enough. All you have to have is a cauldron full of daddy-issues, and you're set."
Severus glared balefully at the girl. While Draco's desperate need to please his father was obvious to even a troll, he did not think the little Crabbe would have known about his own father.
Victoria's been talking. No surprise there, really.
The boy flushed at the jab, "I could say the same to you."
Crossing her arms, she glared at the boy as he sat down in the seat next to her, "Unlike you, and some other idiots I could name, I recognize and accept the shortcomings in my relationship with my father."
Severus briefly wondered who those other idiots she mentioned were. Actually... Severus could name quite a few himself.
'British wizarding society, where virtually every witch and wizard has daddy issues of varying degrees.'
Or maybe it was just that wizards make horrible fathers.
The snake shook his head. He wondered why he hadn't thought of this before.
"How's the head, Valeria?" The Malfoy brat shot back at the raven haired girl. "It must still hurt from that tragic broom incident."
The girl's face, which had been slowly receding back to its normal colour, quickly went from pale, to red, to purple. Severus could practically feel the rage pouring off from her trembling form.
'Oh, this is good.'
He wished he had some popcorn.
"You!" The Crabbe spat angrily at her fellow classmate and continuously jabbed a finger at him. "Are not allowed to speak of that!"
"Why?" The boy asked with faux innocence.
"Because it is forbidden!" She hissed and clenched her fists. Was that a red spark Severus saw?
"Because you fell from your broom?" The boy ignored her. "Or because you and-"
The little girl flung herself at the blond before he could finish, and a fight commenced posthaste. Or rather, a catfight. They were children after all, and couldn't throw a punch good enough to please their messed up fathers. Angry shouts and grunts of pain emanated from the wrestling pile on the floor of Severus' basement.
"You-"
Slap!
"Three-"
Yank!
"Ow! Pushed-"
Scratch!
"Me-"
Slap!
"Off!"
Punch!
'Something else happened during this... 'broom incident',' Severus thought to himself as he watched Draco push the girl off him, and the two brats began to wrestle for dominance like a couple of animals. He was curious as to what transpired, and had the notion of using a bit of Legilimency to find out.
Severus paused to consider this.
He seriously needed to get out more if the dramatics of eight-year-olds were his only entertainment.
Severus' eyes followed the girl as she found a spare vial, and threw it at the blond she was currently duking it out with.
'She has horrible aim. She won't get very far in Charms.'
To remedy this, the girl quickly found a wooden stirring spoon and waved it around dangerously. Draco crouched and began to edge around her, his puny fists at the ready. Both of their hairs were messy, their clothes ruffled, and the boy sported a scratch on his arm.
'It seems they do this often. That stance of his looks practiced.'
It wasn't a very good stance. He still got whacked on the head.
'I should probably stop this,' Severus realized belatedly. He was a firm believer in an orderly conduct in the classroom. It wouldn't do to have his students harmed on his watch.
But then, Severus was also a firm believer that every Malfoy should be taught a good lesson, whenever possible. Merlin knows they needed it.
So, he let the girl get in a couple of more good hits before he trapped the both of them in a body bind. The Malfoy brat looked to have tears in his eyes.
Good.
"I expect all my students to behave appropriately in my classroom," he began. Which was a bald faced lie, he always turned a blind eye whenever the Slytherins were misbehaving. Not that they need to know that.
"That includes children such as yourselves. If this ever happens again," Severus gave them an extra stern glare. "Your parents will be hearing about this."
The boy already pale complexion paled even further, but the girl wasn't too bothered. She even rolled her eyes. It seemed Severus would have to find another good threat. It wasn't as if he could take off points and assign a detention. He released the bind and ordered them to sit back down.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making, as there is little foolish wand-waving here, you will hardly believe this is magic," Severus began his famous introductory speech. He narrowed his eyes at the girl as she smirked and gave him this look that practically screamed at him-
" -Oh, no he didn't."
Severus quickly snapped his gaze away, lest he catch anything else from her mind. He almost never accidentally used Legilimency.
"I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a couple of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.
"Luckily for you two, you are starting my lessons years earlier than you should be," Severus continued. "We have plenty of time for you to learn, and for me to weed out your incompetence. You will be reading on the theory of potion making, and have it memorized before you even touch a cauldron. You will know the properties of each and every ingredient, the effects of near every potion you will brew in Hogwarts."
Severus could see the Crabbe visibly deflate and slouch into her little chair. The look of despair on her face was both insulting and humorous.
"You will learn every stirring method, how to time the brew perfectly, the intricacies of the ageing process, and every way to bottle potions from Borage's Bottling Technique to Merlin's Method. Potions requires a delicate, and practiced hand. As I have said before, potion making is an art."
The girl perked up at that, her attention riveted. Severus eyed her as he said the final part to his modified speech.
"It requires an artist's eye."
And that was that.
The girl smirked devilishly, radiating confidence. Those stormy grey eyes of hers sparked with mischief, and a lone, red fizz ignited underneath her splayed right hand.
Now Severus was certain he was looking at Sirius Black's face.
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
Severus glared furiously at the little girl in front of him.
"What do you mean you can't leave yet," the professor snarled furiously. He had spent the last hour teaching two hooligans, and an extra hour before that dealing with the female idiot. Now he had to spend even more time with it?
"I heard that. I am not an it," she grumbled irritably. "Mother said to wait for her to pick me up."
"She said that, did she?" Severus did not phrase it as a question. Suddenly, the little Crabbe's early arrival was overwhelmingly suspicious.
"Yes," the girl audibly gulped, the look of defeat evident in her eyes. "Yes, she did."
They both cringed in mutual frustration with the Prince-turned-Crabbe.
"Want to spend our time in mutual silence?" The girl offered up hesitantly. Severus grabbed onto the magnificent lifeline with all his worth. He nodded immediately, and they both sat on opposite armchairs near the fireplace in comfortable silence.
Which was absolute unicorn piss, and they both knew it. There was nothing comfortable about this turn of events in any way, shape, or form.
Severus knew with an absolute certainty that his cousin, Victoria, was concocting some devious plan. He wasn't sure if it was something as simple as lugging off one of her children on him as a reprieve, using her as a way to get something out of him, or if it was something even more sinister.
Like getting them to bond.
This time, Severus couldn't stop the shudder.
He knew there was a reason he didn't spend that much time around his cousin. She had mastered the skill of manipulation, more so than any other Slytherin. Those kinds of people were dangerous.
Then again, so were all Slytherins. You couldn't trust them with even a Knut.
It must have been about another hour, before the girl- who was spacing out again- lifted her head in confusion and got up from her chair. She stumbled around like a drunk, staring at the ceiling and tilting her head as if searching for the source of a sound.
"Huh," she muttered to herself. "Nothing."
She then set her gaze on Severus, which he obviously ignored in favour of their agreed silence. The girl just stood there, her eyes burning a question into the side of Severus' head. Several minutes stretched past, and the girl was now practically hopping on the heels of her feet.
"What?" The professor hissed out.
"You don't have any Dark Objects," she rushed out eagerly. "Why?"
Severus practically recoiled. Asking about a wizard's stash of Dark Objects was like asking about their stash of porn, or muggle weed.
How did she even know there wasn't a single Dark Object in Severus' possession?
"I beg your pardon?"
"I can't feel any slimy or scary magic," she explained. "I thought a wizard like you would have some."
Severus stared incredulously at the young girl. Did she just say what he thought she said?
"You don't feel any 'slimy magic,'" he repeated in a monotone.
"Well, yeah. There's tons of it all over the place in the Malfoy Manor," she replied, a little frustrated with his questioning. "Don't you feel it too?"
He most definitely did not.
Normal wizards couldn't sense magic in the way that she described. At most, they would feel a slight tingle, or the hairs on the back of their necks would raise. But nothing so precise and obvious as this. Dark magic was insidiously subtle, and would ensnare one's senses before even the most sensitive of magic folk could register something was off.
For whatever strange and unexplainable reason, this Valeria Irma Crabbe was hypersensitive to magic.
'How odd. Dumbledore would love to hear about this.'
So, Severus, of course, will keep this to himself.
'Serves him right.'
"Of course I feel it too," Severus lied effortlessly.
The girl rolled her eyes, "Why don't you have any then?"
"I do not have a use for any power a Dark Object would grant me," even Severus could hear the superiority and pride in his voice.
"But don't tons of old wizarding families keep old Dark Objects around simply as a family heirloom, or artefact?"
"This is not a wizarding home," he replied simply.
"It's not?" She asked, confused, before her eyes widened in disbelief. "Are we in Cokeworth?"
Severus raised a brow, "Yes."
The girl sat back on her armchair, "Whoa."
She looked at the space around them with a renewed interest. The Crabbe licked her lips nervously and muttered, "I can't believe I'm actually here."
Severus really didn't know what to make of this. He supposed Victoria spoke of every single detail about his life, even his hometown.
Her gaze flicked from picture to picture, though there weren't that many. Severus threw out most of them after his mother passed away a few years back. He watched her stare at another picture of him and Lily, during their Hogwarts years. Lily was grinning at the camera, while Severus smiled slightly down at her.
"Alright," she said softly to Lily's image, so softly Severus was sure he wasn't meant to hear it. "Alright. I think I can do this. I already have to deal with one traumatized idiot, what's another? S'not as if I have a choice in the matter anyways."
Oh Merlin.
It was bonding.
This whole charade was for bonding.
'Damn you, Victoria!'
Someone kill him quickly.
'Please.'
"Hey, why don't you fix that?" The girl pointed at an old hole in the plaster of the wall. Severus remembered when that hole was made. His father hadn't exactly been pleasant at the time, and it certainly wasn't his happiest childhood memory.
"It's a reminder," he replied cryptically. The girl looked confused for a moment before- and this really astounded Severus- realization dawned on her features.
"Yeah, she kept it too," the girl muttered under breath again, and her eyes glazed over in thought.
Now, Severus wasn't exactly sure what possessed him to do what he did then. Perhaps because he kept entertaining the idea the entire time the Crabbe had been in his home. Or it was the mind bogglingly disenchanted view the child had of the world that drove him into it, or maybe it was the worrying comment she muttered under her breath just then.
But Severus did something very stupid.
He delved into her mind with Legilimency.
-I could hear the indistinct shouting and screaming even from our bedroom. Alice grabbed my hand without looking at me and dragged me out into the hall. Her brown curls bounced with the few steps she took to our elder sisters' doorway, and we stopped and stared at the red faces of Cass and our mother.
"Stop it," Cass shouted as she tugged at her short hair. "Stop trying to argue about it with me!"
Our other older sister, Riley, shifted uncomfortably in her bed while she stared at the scene in front of her.
"God, I should have seen this coming," our mother laughed bitterly and shook her head. "First my brother Kieran, now you."
"What the fuck, Mom?" Cass yelled in disbelief, her eyes wide with incredulity. "That's completely different. I'm gay not-"
"Shut up!" Our mother shrieked, grabbing the empty mug on the desk. "Shut up! You're not like him!"
"Well, yeah!" Our eldest sister groaned. "Are you even listening to me? There's a difference between being gay and tr-"
"Don't say that word!" The angry mother hurled the mug at the wall and we all jumped. I felt a small presence behind me startle.
Alice and I turned around to see our younger sister quietly watching from behind us. Her brown eyes looked up at us tiredly.
"Go back to bed, Ash," I murmured softly.
"I can't sleep," she whispered back.
I sighed and ruffled her hair, "Yeah. Neither can we."
I turned back to look into the room. Alice was still facing us, and our eyes locked. My gaze flickered to the mess the mug made of the wall, to the still arguing women, and back. Her eyes were solemn, and her lips were turned down in a grim frown. It looked so strange on her face. It was always so full of life and beaming with a radiant smile.
Now she just looked lost and so, so tired.
...It was in these rare moments that I thought my twin actually looked somewhat like me.
"What the hell?!" A sharp shriek shocked Severus out of the trance. The Crabbe girl was glaring angrily at him, affronted. The Slytherin stared blankly at her. She shouted again.
"What the hell did you do to me!?"
Severus cleared his throat and decided to ignore the obvious outrage exuding from the girl. He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers importantly, ruminating on what he'd just seen. He couldn't recall ever encountering a memory so strange or out of place. Perhaps the girl was highly imaginative, even delusional.
"Answer me!"
There was the possibility that her hypersensitivity to magic was connected to this. Maybe she was also hypersensitive to the memories of others? But where would she even encounter a muggle family...? Diagon Alley, probably.
It was a far-fetched idea for sure, but it would explain why the memory was so strong and prominent in her psyche. There was no possible way she could have lived through that moment, after all. Her hypersensitivity would also explain how she even knew Severus was diving into her consciousness. Most wizards and witches untrained in mind magic wouldn't even realize their mindscape was being invaded, let alone a child with unstable magic.
Of course, this hypersensitivity raises other questions and possibilities.
One thing was for certain, however.
The Crabbe's were head-achingly weird and absurd, and he was going to keep all four of them back with a ten-foot pole and several wards. They were the kind of family to cause trouble and unbalance, and Severus be damned if he was going to let them mess with his peaceful solitude.
Severus made a mental note to never use Legilimency on Valeria Crabbe ever again.
What was he even thinking?
Invading the nonsensical mind of an eight-year-old was begging for trouble.
"Hey!" The anomaly shoved her face into his, her face red and eyes like molten lava. "I'm talking to you!"
"So it would seem," Severus finally spoke, his voice dry as he used a finger to push the girl's forehead away.
"I know what you did," her eyes narrowed along with his and she pointed an accusing finger at him. "I know what you saw. And don't you try to deny it!
"Don't ever, and I mean ever do that to me again!" She hissed heatedly, and in that moment Severus knew for certain that she would find a way to get her revenge if he ever used Legilimency on her again.
Not that Severus could care less about the revenge plans of an eight-year-old, nor feel threatened by them. He and the Crabbe girl stared imperiously at each other for several moments, before the girl huffed and turned to sit back in her armchair.
He observed the irate girl muttering angrily to herself in her chair, her fists clenching every now and then. She may have been a Crabbe, but she certainly had the Black temper. It was almost abnormal to see a child so furious.
Severus foresaw anger management in her future.
Whilst pondering the aberration that was Valeria Irma Crabbe, the Slytherin was hit by a sudden and ingenious idea. He knew he had just vowed to maintain a certain distance from the Crabbes, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. He'll finally be done with this stupid mission Dumbledore assigned him.
"Miss Crabbe," Severus used his 'professor voice' to demand attention from the girl. She grunted in response, her glare fixed on one of the lamps. He hoped she wouldn't break it with a bout of accidental magic.
"You mentioned you... felt the magic of the Malfoy's Dark Objects," he paused for her to nod. "Have you ever felt that magic in your own home?"
She paused in thought, "No. I think my father locked the Objects up in a Gringotts vault, because there's not a shred of slimy magic in our home."
Oh, drat. Well, at least Dumbledore won't expect him to break into that.
He hoped.
"And at the Malfoy's," he continued quietly. "Was there any... that stood out to you?"
That caught her attention. She tilted her head to eye him suspiciously, "Depends. What do you mean by 'stood out?'"
"Any magic that was..." Severus paused to think about it. "Especially slimy."
"No," she leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers as well, mirroring Severus. "But then, I haven't seen the entirety of the Malfoy Manor. I don't think even Draco has seen explored the whole thing himself."
Severus nodded in thought. If the Malfoy's had this Dark Object of Doom, whose existence was questionable at best, then it was most likely in a private or hidden room. This was most useful.
"Although, I think Mister Malfoy's magic is a bit slimy as well, wouldn't you agree?" The girl mused aloud, piquing Severus' interest.
"You can feel Malfoy's magic?"
She rolled her eyes at him, "Uh, duh, of course I can."
Severus considered this.
"And what does mine feel like?"
"Yours?" The Crabbe asked, a little surprised. "Well... it's cold, and damp. Like a never ending, dark tunnel... or a dungeon, I suppose." She shrugged.
Severus' eyebrows rose. How curious. He wondered distantly what Lily's magic would have felt like. Probably warm and bright, like sunshine. Or hot and powerful, like a raging inferno... He'd never know.
No one would.
... Severus needed a drink.
He glared at the child keeping him from drowning his sorrows in Firewhisky. She glared back, still displeased with his invasion of her privacy. Another hour had passed, in which they intermittently shot a few glares or scowls at one another in silence. At this point, the girl was laying haphazardly on the armchair, and fiddling with a broken Remembrall she found laying around.
"Hey," she called out lazily. He ignored her.
"Hey, Sevvy," that earned her a lip curl.
"How would a muggle girl who tripped and fell into a hole, end up in Diagon Alley?" She threw the Remembrall up in the air and caught it in the same hand.
"She doesn't," he dismissed the silly question, and turned back to the Potions journal he was reading.
"For argument's sake," the Crabbe threw the crystal ball in the air again. "Say she does." It landed in her hand.
Severus barely even considered it, "She's not a muggle. She's a muggle-born witch."
"And if she's not a witch," the girl held out the Remembrall and looked through it with one eye, staring at Severus . "How did she end up in the centre of the British wizarding world?"
The snake looked up from his journal and examined the girl in front of him. She was testing him, he was sure. It irked him.
"There were several entrances to Diagon Alley before the Leaky Cauldron. It changes every century or so. This hole was one of those forgotten paths," he answered blandly.
The girl considered this and threw the crystal ball in the air again, "I'm sure a muggle wouldn't have activated the old magic."
"Then her mother was a Squib," he snapped and the Remembrall hit the girl right on her forehead. "And if not her mother, than her grandmother."
The Crabbe girl stared at him with her mouth hanging open, before she dissolved into brash laughter and guffaws.
"It's as simple as that, is it Sevvy?" She giggled. "Oh, Ms. Crabbe! You over complicate things far too much!"
Severus sighed through his nose, and turned back to his journal, ignoring her completely.
He really needed that drink.
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
"She's taking a while, isn't she," The Crabbe girl stared glumly at the cold fireplace. The snake nodded quietly.
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
Severus rolled his head, getting the cricks out of his neck, and set his journal on the stand next to him. The girl was fast asleep on the armchair across from him in a way that looked severely uncomfortable. He would have laid her down on a sofa or a bed, but Severus was a cold-hearted snake and really didn't care if she woke up with muscle aches and a few cramps. He checked the time.
He hissed under his breath.
It was nine o'clock in the evening, and Victoria still hasn't arrived. Maybe she's forgotten her child? At this rate, Severus was prepared to just Floo over with her. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
He should have done that in the first place!
"Sevvy," a groggy voice stretched out the annoying nickname he was recently christened with.
"What is it?" He snapped irritably.
"I'm hungryyy..." she whined, a hand stretching out to reach towards him, her eyes full of tears.
Severus wanted to cry too.
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
SIDE STORY #2
In an alternate universe, Severus started lessons with another class in his basement...
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making, as there is little foolish wand-waving here, you will hardly believe this is magic," Severus began in a quiet, yet intimidating, voice. He looked over his class with a look in his eyes that brooked no contention.
"I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a couple of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
One girl raised her hand imperiously, her face pinched in consternation.
"Yes, Miss Crabbe?"
"Professor," her high, clear voice pierced the air. "I take great issue with the presence of one of my classmates."
"Oh really? And who might that be?" He raised a brow.
"That," the girl sniffed and pointed to the seat next to her. Severus drew his eyes towards the seat's occupant.
A wraith of black smoke sat uncomfortably in the tiny kids chair, its legs folded up and twisted under the small desk at painful angles. It was currently glaring at the girl next to it with hate-filled red eyes, it's raspy voice whispering and slithering over their ears with various macabre death threats. It exuded a strong killing intent. Severus drew his gaze back to the girl, who's skin had gone a shade paler.
"I don't see what the problem is," Severus said lazily, expertly blocking out the hair-raising voice that emanated from the figure of black smoke.
"Like hell!" The girl slammed her fist into her desk angrily. "That's bloody Voldemort sitting in the chair next to me!"
All eyes moved to stare at the creature sitting in the kids seat, before swiftly looking away. A cry of pain came from one of the boys and the sound of two bodies hitting the floor could be heard, but that mostly went ignored.
"Why is he even here? Shouldn't he be haunting some bloody wood up in Albania, or something?" The girl continued crossly.
"Miss Crabbe, it is not in my place to question nor criticize the activities of my students, and it would be most unprofessional of me to discriminate against them," he responded blankly, to which the girl leapt up with a cry of outrage. "My duty and responsibility is to teach my students in an accepting and neutral manner."
"That's bullshit!" She shouted at him. The old man seated in another kids chair from across the room chuckled at her.
"Language, Miss Crabbe," Albus Dumbledore scolded lightly, his blue eyes twinkling. She shot a menacing glare in response.
"Professor Snape, this- this- creature!" She continued arguing. "Is a murdering psychopath! He's a safety hazard to all the other students!"
"Your concern is heart-warming, but I can assure you that I can take care of myself," Dumbledore piped up jovially, his voice soothing. Another groan of pain came from a boy, but, again, he was mostly ignored.
"Professor Snape!" The Crabbe girl's voice went even higher. "If these two powerful wizards start duking it out in the middle of class, the rest of us could be hit by a curse or a wayward spell! This is a disaster waiting to happen, I demand that you remove them from this class!"
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Miss Crabbe. Both have fulfilled all of the requirements to attend this class," Severus replied coolly. "As you have said so yourself, they must have at least one cauldron full of daddy issues to be here."
"At least kick out the Death Eater," she insisted, indicating a twitchy Barty Crouch Jr. "He's supposed to be in Azkaban right now."
At that remark, Barty screamed in fear, roaring that he will never ever go back to that hellhole. He thrashed, fighting against the restraints that held him there. Another scream came from a boy, but he was yet again vastly ignored in favour of the convict currently chained to his kids seat.
"Your complaint has been noted and taken into consideration, Miss Crabbe," Severus said blandly, drawing the class' attention from the shrieking man. "Should any other students come forward with similar complaints, I will consider removing them from this cla-"
"Any other students?! Have you taken a look at Harry, Neville, or Draco?!" She screamed at the snake. "Draco and Neville are currently knocked out cold because of this thing-" she pointed again at the wraith, "-and Barty Crouch, who by the way, tortured his parents to insanity."
All eyes moved to stare at the two eight-year-old boys splayed out on the floor, having fainted from fear.
"And Harry," she pointed at the boy currently twitching and clutching at his forehead. "Is having flashbacks because his parents' murderer is sitting five feet away from him! I mean, look at the boy, he's bloody seizing right now!"
The collective eyes of the class turned to look at the Boy-Who-Lived. His body was flopping about like a fish, and he was positively foaming at the mouth.
"This class is a mess!"
The Professor took a moment to stare at the three boys in question, before shrugging and waving it off, "While their health is certainly a concern, I hear absolutely no complaints from them. As such, we will continue with class as scheduled."
He turned to the blackboard behind and him and flicked his wand, the chalk magically spelling out the words,
POTIONS CLASS
AKA
DADDY ISSUES 101
Severus turned away from the board and addressed his new class.
"Get your books out."
(V)(°,,,,°)(V)
A/N: Wellll, I hope that 9k word update was enough to make up for the lateness (probably not, but whatever). Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Leave a review! Or send me a PM, whichever you prefer.
Any guesses as to what this Dark Object of Doom Snape's looking for actually is? Or any guesses as to what Cass was trying to say about their Uncle before she was rudely cut off? The answers are pretty simple. In fact, my beta's first guesses were correct.
BTW guys, after two updates, my review counter went up from 52 to... well, 87. I have a feeling I'll be writing those Perspective chapter requests a lot more often than I anticipated.
Poll up! I'm curious as to which House you guys see Valeria joining. Go and vote! (or don't, go live your lives, or some other such nonsense).
Oh yes, and I've updated my profile and added more future Harry Potter stories, so if you're interested in what's coming up next, go take a look!
One more thing!
So, there's this Harry Potter fic I've found in the recesses of fanfiction, and it's pretty good. Only when I looked at that stats for it, I was pretty miffed 'cause I felt it deserved a bit more attention than what it's got. It's Guardian Angel by chocolatecheesecakes. It's set during the First Wizarding War, stars a werewolf OC, and let me tell you, the way this authoress writes really makes you feel like you're reading from a werewolf's perspective. If you're feeling wolfy, go take a peek and see what you think, you can find it in my favorites. Siriusly.
And that's pretty much it for now!
Remember to review!
-Fiction