Becoming a Chaser
By Monday morning Regulus had been released from hospital, and came to visit Severus at the breakfast table. 'Madam Pomfrey asked me to give you this,' Regulus said as he handed Severus a note.
Severus unrolled the small note, baring a pardon on Dumbledore's behalf that their usual session would have to be postponed until Monday next week, as the ministry was calling for his aid.
Not that Severus minded much. The ring, the locket, and potentially Hufflepuff's cup, were all objects that were somehow connected to the Dark Lord. He knew that Dumbledore was on track with the ring, the cup he had absolutely no clue on, and the locket, well, the only one who could answer that was sitting right beside him.
'Regulus,' Severus started, 'would you be up for it to spend the afternoon after classes with me?'
Regulus, who had been happily piling up breakfast food onto his plate, looked over at Severus with a raised eyebrow. 'If you're still after whatever Malfoy was looking for, I still don't have an answer for you.'
Severus shook his head. 'That's not what I'm after. Actually, theres something else that I''m looking for, and I think you might be able to help.'
'Sure,' Regulus said with a shrug. 'When are you done?'
'I got four lessons, so right after Ancient Runes.'
'I got quidditch practice right after Herbology,' Regulus said with an apologetic look. 'If you don't mind waiting for a bit, we can talk after that.
'Will do,'said Severus.
'Hello Regulus!'said a cheery voice. Lily had just walked up to the table. 'It's good to see you out of hospital. No more concussion?'
Regulus looked up at the ceiling, obvious that he hadn't been entirely honest. 'I kind of lied to madam Pomfrey,' he admitted. 'I didn't feel like lying around any longer.'
'You should be careful with that,' Lily said with a tone of disapproval. 'Just take it easy alright.'
'Can't,'said Regulus. 'Got quidditch practice today.'
The poisonous glare in Lily's eyes was amusing to Severus, and rather frightening to Regulus, as he subconsciously shuffled a little further away from Lily. 'When will you boys ever learn,' Lily gritted through her teeth, 'that your health is more important than bloody quidditch.'
'Rosier is still out cold,' Regulus said, twirling his knife in his hand. 'And we haven't got anyone to replace us. We've got to find someone by Friday.'
Lily looked at Severus, and it took a moment before Severus knew what she was silently trying to say.
'No,' Severus said with a dry throat. 'Absolutely not.'
'Wadnot?' Regulus asked with a mouth full of bacon.
'Lily wants to me try out for the team,' Severus said darkly. 'Which of course, is never going to happen.'
'It'll be my birthday on the thirtieth,' Lily said with a seductive pair of eyes. 'Won't you at least give it a try, as a gift.'
This time it was Regulus looking amused, and Severus repulsed. 'Yes Severus,' Regulus said, imitating Lily's seductive look. 'Why don't you try out for the team?'
Severus felt he would rather sink through the floor than end up playing quidditch. 'Lily,' Severus said with a growl. 'You know I'm scared of heights right?'
'I know I know,' Lily admitted, 'but it can't hurt to at least give it a try, right? I mean, look at Vanity over there.'
Emma Vanity was sitting at the very edge of the Slytherin table, looking as pale as a ghost, absentmindedly picking at her breakfast.
'She needs you,' Lily said in a feeble attempt to convince Severus.
'Yes,' said Regulus, nodding along with Lily's words. 'She needs you. Slyherin needs you. I need you.'
'No,' Severus stated. His arms folded over his chest. 'Don't try to guilt trip me into this. I will not join the bloody Slyherin team.'
By the end of the day however, Severus was standing on the quidditch field in full Chaser gear, holding onto Rosier's racing broom, looking defeated.
'You are so fucking whipped, Severus,' Regulus said in a fit of laughter. 'I still can't believe you're actually doing this.'
Severus shot Regulus a two-finger salute to shut him up. 'Me neither,' he said, failing hard at trying to sound confident. 'And I wasn't lying when I said that I'm afraid of heights.'
The latter he said a little too loudly, as Vanity caught on and stomped her way to Severus. 'You're our only hope, Snape,' she said in a murderous undertone. 'So either you get over your pathetic little fear right now, or you get off the field and stop wasting my time.'
Watching Vanity spit venom like that made Severus wish he'd rather face the Dark Lord than lose the match with her breathing down his neck. 'I'll try,' Severus said with a lump in his throat. 'I just can't guarantee a victory.'
'Looks like your little lion made it into the snake den,' Regulus said as he pointed behind Severus's shoulder. Lily was sitting in one of the watchtowers, and waved at him as their eyes met.
'So whipped…' was the last thing Severus caught Regulus say through a fit of giggles, and Regulus joined up with the rest of the team.
Lily, all huddled up with a blanket and a thick scarf, took off her gloves. 'Do it for Evan,' she signed at Severus. 'He will be forever grateful if you try.'
'I will,' he signed back. 'But only once!'
'You look ridiculous,' Lily signed in a manner that was obviously meant to poke fun at him.
'That is your fault,' Severus signed back in a pissy manner. 'Now if you will excuse me, I have to go fall of a broom and break my neck.'
Severus turned around and joined the rest of the team. 'You know the rules, Snape?' Vanity asked, glaring up at him.
'Do you take me for a daft idiot?' Severus snapped back at Vanity. 'Let's just get this over with.'
'At least you got the proper build for a Chaser,' Vanity said while observing Severus's physique. 'Skinny, and not too tall.'
'Thank you for pointing out that I'm a skinny twig, miss Vanity,' Severus said, narrowing his eyes.
'Jus saying,' Vanity shrugged. 'At least it's something that works in your advantage.'
As expected, the training went disastrous. It took a long time before Severus finally found the courage to rise higher off the ground on Rosier's ridiculously fast broomstick, and dropped the quaffle nearly half a dozen times as it slipped through his arms.
The new beaters, both third years whom Severus didn't bother remember the names off, we're at least doing a pretty decent job at trying to knock the chasers off of their brooms.
'We're doomed,' Vanity said as they all met on the ground, her face turned red in frustration.
'Just don't depend too much on me and everything should be fine,' Severus said, trying to reassure her. 'I'll just fly around for formality's sake.'
'No, you are participating, Snape,' Vanity said as she poked his chest with her finger. 'It's all or nothing.'
Without saying another word, Vanity stomped away from the team and headed towards the changing rooms.
Severus looked up at Lily. 'Well done,' Lily signed. She raised her hand above her head to indicate height. 'I am going to visit Hagrid. Want to join me?'
'I am going to spend some time with Regulus first,' Severus signed back as he pointed at a confused looking Regulus. 'I will meet you there later.'
'Okay,' Lily signed back, and she stood up and disappeared from sight.
'Looks useful, that signing thing you did there,' Regulus said to Severus as they headed for the changing rooms. 'I had no clue what the two of you were saying to each other.'
'And that's exactly why she wants to teach it to the rest of the Young Order,'Severus responded.
As both Regulus and Severus were used to the cold of the dungeons and weren't bothered by it, they decided on taking a walk around the frozen lake.'
'Alright then,' Regulus said to bring back the thing they had started talking about during breakfast. 'What was it that you wanted to ask?'
Severus let out a sigh to buy him some time to think of the right words to say. 'What I'm looking for, is a magical object,' Severus said eventually.
Regulus looked over at the castle. 'Found some,' he said dryly as he waved his hand in the castle's direction. 'Please be more specific.'
'It's an object that may once have belonged to Salazar Slytherin.'
'See, now you're downsizing it,' Regulus said in an approving manner. 'And what makes you think I know anything about such a rare object?'
'Because you're a Slyherin, too,'said Severus. 'And also because you come from an ancient family in which these types of heirlooms are usually passed around.'
'Fair enough,'said Regulus. 'Any idea what it looks like?'
'It's a locket made out of heavy gold,' Severus answered. 'And it has an emerald letter S inlay.'
Regulus's face fell from genuine interest to pure horror. 'Have you, have you—'
'—Have I what? Severus interrupted Regulus's shaking voice.
'Have you ever met the Dark Lord?' Regulus whispered as if he was afraid of being overheard.
'No,' Severus lied. 'Why?'
'I've met him,' Regulus said with a bitter tone. 'Well, seen him, rather than met him. He's got a locket around his neck just like the one you just described.'
Fuck. The very last place Severus had wanted the locket to be was on the Dark Lord himself.
'He was talking about it too,' Regulus continued. 'Said he was looking for some place to hide it.'
So there was a glitter of hope after all. Severus had no idea when Dumbledore would return to Hogwarts, but he hoped it would be soon.
'How come you know about it?' Regulus asked, looking a little skeptically as he said it.
'Because of Dumbledore,'said Severus. 'He thinks the locket may be significant to the Dark Lord's power, and it's something that needs to be taken away from him.'
Regulus didn't seem entirely convinced, but decided not to elaborate on it. 'Are you going to tell Dumbledore?' Regulus asked carefully. 'Because I'd rather stay out of this.'
'I don't think Dumbledore will consider it relevant where the information came from as long as the source is reliable,' Severus assured him. 'And since I consider you a reliable source I can guarantee that your name stays out of it.'
'Good,' Regulus said with relief. 'Anything else you wanted to know?'
Severus shook his head. 'Care to join me on a visit to Hagrid's?'
'sure,'said Regulus. 'He always struck me as a nice bloke.'
'Hagrid's a good man,' said Severus. 'I can assure you that.'
A/N Most of us assume Severus is a tall lanky man, right? Apparently that's wrong. In the fifth book if I'm not mistaken, Sirius is described as taller than Severus as they are having an argument. According to HP wiki, Sirius is 5"9.5, meaning that Severus is shorter, and estimated between 5"7 or 8. In other words, he's actually kind of a short guy. (Severus's impressive posture I blame on his billowing robes and Alan Rickman's superb acting.)
A/N The two-finger salute (or "The Vicky") is a thing Severus did at the beginning of the story towards his father. Basically you lift your index- and middle finger up in a V-shape and show the outer side of your wrist. It's the UK equivalent (most commonly in Scotland) of raising your middle finger.
