The next day I skip lunch, choosing instead to go to the dungeons to finish one of the potions I had prepared the night before. My stomach growls as I stir the antidote, gently tossing in the last two mistletoe berries. I am used to hunger- it doesn't bother me anymore.
All through the rest of my classes I check the clocks anxiously, my friends already know that I can't hang out right after class today. I only need to wait till Charms is over, then I will be able to run straight to the 5th year dorm again and give Lucius what I have prepared.
When the bell rings, I grab my bag, wave a hasty goodbye to Evan and the rest of my friends, and dash off to the Slytherin common room.
"Where are you off to so quickly, Snivelly?" asks a sneering voice. I skid to a halt, whirl around, and take out my wand. There is no way anybody is going to hold me up today.
"My name is Severus, and I'm not off to anywhere. Mind your own damn business" it's that boy with the messy black hair and his friend again.
"No thanks," says the wavy haired boy, "you have somewhere important to be? James, I bet he's going to the library to read more about Potions so that old Slughorn still likes him tomorrow"
"No, that's not where I'm going, but if I had your brains, I'd certainly be going there. You need all the help you can get!" I turn on my heel and dash away, trusting to the large amount of people in the corridor to stop the boys from hexing me while my back is turned.
I take a deep breath before knocking on the 5th year dormitory door. As I let it out, I shrug my shoulders a little bit to get rid of the tension that seems to live there. As I raise my fist to knock, however, the door opens, and a tall 5th year walks right into me, knocking me to the floor. He looks down surprisedly upon the sight of me sprawled on the floor, and begins to laugh.
"I didn't even see you! What a shrimpy little thing!" When I have gotten back up, he pushes me out of the way again as he leaves. I walk slowly into the dorm, eyes on the floor, cheeks burning, and coccyx hurting from where I hit the floor . This is when I wish most for my hair to be out of that hair tie so that it could fall into my face and hide my shame. Lucius welcomes me, and again sends the rest of the 5th years out of the room.
"Severus, your hair is a mess! Did you even try to do it nicely?" Lucius' disappointed tone makes me feel guilty and stupid and it is my fault
"I d-d-did try! I combed it back with my fingers this morning and everything! I just only fell down before, and it came out a little" I mumble. Lucius motions for me to turn around. He takes the hair tie out, brushes my hair back, and puts the hair tie back on. It feels tight and unyielding. I hate it, but I don't want Lucius to get mean and not like me anymore, like my father. When he is finished, I turn back around. Without waiting for him to speak, I shove the vials of potion I made into his hands, "These are for you. Antidote to Common Poisons and an Exploding Potion. I thought they might come in handy"
"Severus, thank you! I can absolutely think of something I would like to use this Exploding Potion for, and this Antidote certainly might come in useful at some point! You did very well! You're so smart" he purrs, and runs his hand over my smoothed-down hair. I glow with pride, and flash him a small smile. He returns it.
The next morning, the 5th-year-who-knocked-me-down-the-day-before's pumpkin juice explodes in his face as he goes to drink it. Nobody is as surprised as I, as I glance surreptitiously at Lucius. He checks that nobody is looking, then gives me a small wink. For the rest of the day, there is a new spring in my step.