The twins woke extra early that morning to meet Severus the library, Hermione was panicking that she got Severus in trouble. They waited by the doors for 20 minutes, with no sign of their friend at all. Lily gripped Hermione's hand tightly as they headed to the great hall. They were both surprised to see Severus already sitting with his house mates, eating breakfast. Lily tried to head over to them but Hermione pulled her to their own table.
"Do you think what that other boy said was true? That Sev won't be our friend anymore just because he's in Slytherin?" Lily asked sadly. James chose that moment to sit besides her smiling, happily.
"Who wouldn't want to be friends with you, Lily flower!?" He exclaimed loudly, everyone turned to look at Lily, who turned bright red and tried to hide her face.
"Don't call me that!" Lily hissed before she snatched up her class schedule and rushed out the door. Hermione rubbed her temples,feeling the start of a headache. She calmly grabbed her things along with some muffins before taking off after her sister.
"What did I do?" James cried watching the girls leave, his bright smile slipping from his face.
"She's upset her friend ditched her this morning. I heard them talking about it before you guys sat down." Said a squeaky voice beside him. He had watery blue eyes, short, pudgy, and bit his nails nervously as he watched his dorm mate nervously.
"What friend?" Sirius asked.
"Someone named Sev? They were talking about it on their to the library, I guess he ditched them cause he's a Slytherin now." Remus told them.
"They're all snakes, greasy git was trying to convince them to get placed in Slytherin. Can you imagine muggleborns in Slytherin?" James shook his head angrily as he loaded his plate with food.
"Yeah, my cousin told me the last muggleborn to be sorted Slytherin left the school due to injuries, only lasted 4 days." Sirius growled as his eyes darted to the doors, a frown marring his face.
Hermione caught up with Lily outside the transfiguration classroom and pulled her inside. After a silent war of choosing seats in the front or back, Lily won. Placing them front and center for their lesson.
"It's only been a day, Lila. Remember what Professor Minnie said, your house is your family, maybe Slytherin has some kind of bonding thing when you first arrive." Hermione said with optimism she hardly felt and held her sisters hand. They still had 15 minutes before class would start. Hermione looked up to see a tabby cat sitting on the professor's desk and smiled. She walked up to the front of the class and started to pet the cat, scratching behind its ears. "Aren't you gorgeous? Lila, look at the marking around her eyes, isn't she beautiful?"
The cat purred and as more students filed in Hermione returned to her seat, they were talking about maybe researching for a magical breed of cat to get next summer when suddenly the cat leapt from the desk and changed into their professor. Students clapped and cheered but looked to Hermione, snickering. She sunk low in her seat blushing as her sister giggled. Glaring at her sister, she tried to listen to her first lecture but found it woefully under stimulating. Hesitantly, Hermione raised her hand.
"How would I become an animagus?" Hermione asked when she was called on.
"It's very, very advanced. Most witches and wizards never become animagi, but we will cover the theory in your fifth year. Today you will be turning a match into a needle..." The professor droned and Hermione's mind drifted. Wondering what animal she would become. Once they were handed their matches, the twins looked at each other before waving their wands over the matches, completely transforming them on the first try.
"Excellent, five points each to Gryfindor to both Ms. Evans!" The professor clapped her hands smiling encouragingly.
"Do you think we have any books at home on becoming an animagus?" Hermione asked quietly as they turned their matches back and forth.
"I'm not sure we can add it to the letter we have for Tuney..." Lily replied, trying to toy with the size of her match, Hermione reached over to guided her hand.
"Like this.." Hermione whispered, embellishing the flick, Lily smiled as the needle grew.
"What are you two doing?" The professor stopped before them, she picked up the needle, that was at least 3 inches longer than her sisters, and inspected it closely.
"Well, we wanted to see if the match would revert back to its original size if we made the needle bigger?" Hermione said hesitantly. A few students around them stopped and looked over at their table.
"And...?" The professor pressed, her brow raised.
"The match is unaffected." Lily said quietly, sinking lower in her seat.
"Very good. 10 points each." With that she dropped the needle on their table and strode to help other students. Lily looked to her sister with a raised brow
"What? Would you have rather told professor Kittie you were bored. That woman's got a glare to rival Tuney. I'm not telling her I'm bored, you nutter." Hermione hissed in her ear. Lily burst into a fit of giggles.
"Professor...Kittie..." Lily snickered sinking low in her seat. Hermione smacked her in arm and pointed out Severus, who had his head down refusing to meet their eyes.
"I'll distract Minnie, you get this dungbomb into Sev's bag, okay?" Hermione whispered. Lily nodded and palmed it. Hermione stood and strode up the professors desk, smiling sweetly.
"Miss. Evans?" Professor McGonagall raised a questioning brow at the girl who stood before her.
"Professor, I was just wondering the time frame it usually took to become an animagus? If I needed to wait to be a certain age before trying?" Hermione asked innocently, keeping herself firmly between her professor and her sister.
"Ms. Evans, I told you it is very advanced magic, beyond NEWT levels. Some may take years, others I've heard months...some never at all. It took me 6 months when I was 23..." The professor trailed offer, eying her wearily. "Really it should not even be attempted until your core has matured, around 16." Hermione peeked at her sister to find the task done.
"Thank you professor, I'm just so curious as to what animal I would be, you know? Wouldn't it be awful to go through all the trouble just to be...say...a dung beetle?" Hermione chuckled.
"Yes, Ms. Evans but it has happened before." The professor mumbled dismissively as she stood to walk around the tables before the end of class. Hermione turned and went back to her seat, waiting anxiously for the end of class.
Finally at the end of class, everyone was packing up, Hermione turned, stretched flicked her wand towards Sev's bag muttering "diffindo". The bag split, spilling all his books as well as a dungbomb that rolled towards the professor. His face lost what little color it had as her lips pursed into a thin line.
"Mr. Snape, you will remain behind." She called as she picked up the dungbomb.
"I don't know how that got there professor, honestly, I have never even bought one before!" Severus cried. The girls rushed from the room, waiting around the corner to ambush him.
"You are very sneaky." a voice whispered in Hermione's ear. She yelped and spun around to see Sirius standing behind her with a lopsided grin on his face.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Sirius." She replied sweetly. James grinned as he moved to stand beside his friend.
"Oh, I saw everything, we were right behind you the whole class." He threw an arm over her shoulder. "My only question is, why? I thought he was your friend?" She huffed and threw his arm off.
"He has been avoiding us since the feast. We need to ambush him, you are in the way." Lily hissed as she sent an anxious glance towards the classroom, she glared menacingly at the boys who were smiling at her sister.
"All you needed to say, I'll see you in history of magic." James winked before sauntering off with his hands in his pockets, Sirius skipping by his side.
"I don't see why you like them, they are both cocky, arrogant toe rags." Lily huffed, resting her head on Hermione's shoulder.
"They are funny, cocky, arrogant, toe rags." Hermione giggled watching them walk away. Lily rolled her eyes at her sister
"What if he really doesn't want to be friends anymore?" Lily asked quietly as she toyed with the hem of her skirt, nervously.
"I don't understand how it could suddenly change overnight. He practically has his own room in our house. He gets tutored with us. Has spent every day with us for over a year. Are we boring?" Hermione asked.
"I don't think you're boring. Tuney is anything but boring..." Lily whispered.
"I think you are an amazing friend Lily. We have to figure out what is going on with Sev." Hermione rubbed her hand down Lily's arm. The door opened and Severus stomped out, rushing past them. Lily jumped first grabbing him by the arm. Hermione grabbed the other and pushed him into an empty classroom.
"What the hell are you doing? Did you really need to get me detention?" Severus bellowed, his face red as he glared at his best friends.
"You were avoiding us. It was pretty obvious you don't want to speak to us in front of your housemates, this seemed simpler." Hermione said bluntly as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
"Well, why would I avoid you, slipping dungbombs into my bag and getting me detention?" Severus grumbled, his hard stare softening slightly as he saw the hurt in their matching emerald eyes.
"Did you even come to meet me last night?" Hermione asked after a moment of silence.
"I couldn't, my dorm mates stayed up till half one, letting us know all the rules of Slytherin." Severus explained, feeling a pang of guilt.
"Is one of these rules that you have to ditch us?" Lily asked quietly, looking up at him through her lashes.
"Not in so many words..." Severus looked down, avoiding their gaze.
"So, you're saying you would rather be with your housemates than your best friends?" Lily cried out incredulously as she stomped her foot.
"No, we can still go to the library and study together. We can hang out on the weekends, I guess." He approached the girls slowly. "It's just they are all about a united front, safety in numbers and all that noise."
"So, tomorrow, you will meet us in the library to study?" Hermione questioned slowly.
"Yes, every morning, I promise. You're my best friends, I'm sorry." Severus said quietly. Lily launched herself into his arms, hugging her friend tightly.
"You know us Evans girls, Sev. We are rather forceful." Hermione smiled and hugged him. "I'm sorry about the dungbombs, I won't do it again...unless you try avoiding us."
"You really don't need threats, Mya." Severus chuckled.
"We need to get to history of magic, we'll see you tomorrow Sev!" Lily called brightly as they left the room.
