Ch.14
Year 2, 1972 - 73
Hermione had finally snuck away from a very attached Lily by shoving her off to Remus and Alice. From the redhead's account of her summer, a certain older sister was very peeved at her magic and made sure everyone knew it. As much as she wanted to console her friend, Hermione couldn't put off completing her map any further.
The few weeks staying at Hogwarts with Minnie allowed her to research in the library without much interruption. She really quite missed the quiet afternoons, cloistered in her armchair with piles of texts and a purring kneazle to keep her company. The witch had paged book after book, but it seems her theory behind the marauder's map would be coming true.
She needed to get access to the Black Library.
Her only options were an aggravating older Black or a complete stranger. Hermione was really weighing her choices because one summer was not enough time away from Sirius. Her only solace was his attention and flirtations were directed elsewhere most days.
Each book that didn't have the spell she needed made her heart drop lower into her stomach. She had no idea what she could do without drawing unneeded suspicion to herself. What she wouldn't give to have Harry or Ron or anyone really to bounce ideas off of. The weight on her shoulders quickly matched those from her third year timetable.
Hermione needed to get to the library.
Books would help her.
They had to.
The answer came to her just as she was on the brink of slumber that night. She shot straight up and pulled Hogwarts: A History from her bedside table. Having practically memorizing the book, she quickly flipped to the section regarding the process for Hogwarts' acceptance letters.
Although the first students of Hogwarts were individually invited by the founders, the population influx of the 12th century led to the creation of the Quill of Acceptance and Book of Admittance. The book and quill are still shrouded in mystery and many have endeavoured to unravel the spells and charms that were used in its creation.
The Quill of Acceptance is thought to have originated from an Augurey feather and spelled by the founders to record the names of children that present a magical presence at birth. The reach of its powers seems to be limited to the British Isles, as no birth has been recorded outside the area, except for those with pre-existing familial ties with the school.
The leading theory is by Professor Harold Matthewson, the wizard behind the first owl post. He identified the inherent power of names, in nominibus virtutem. In abstract, when a child is born and named, the very words become a part of their magical core and is forever embedded in their very magic. Professor Matthewson's was able to recognize and partially quantify a witch/wizard's magical core from his research with wandmakers around the world. The ability to associate a name with one's magical presence led to his innovating owlery training. Animals are believed to be able recognize magical signatures and for a new delivery system, owls were deemed the best choice.
There is much speculation that only the headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts are the only beings who hold the secret behind their acceptance process. Many have tried but no one has succeeded in replicating the same precision and magnitude in identifying an individual by their magic.
Hermione's brain was racing through new tangents. How could she never have realized or even thought to investigate more into wand making. She thought back to her own encounter with Ollivander and how his eyes always seemed to hold a gleam of knowing when he handed over her first wand. She initially thought the measuring and questions were all there was to it, but it seems the wandmaker shared much more with Dumbledore than she imagined.
Then there were the owls. Muggle delivery needed names and addresses, but owls were able to delivery the post even without all that extra information. You just told them who the letter was for, sometimes even completely forgoing entire names, and it would arrive to the right recipient.
She had already drawn the rules around the perimeter of the school and her new map would light up with a blip to indicate a presence in that area. Now it seems she would need to create a spell to attach a name to each blip.
The young witch had realized the map Harry had handed over to her before everything went pear shaped had disappeared in her first nights at Hogwarts. She had chalked it up to inexplicable time magic that since it hadn't existed yet, the map vanished back to nothing. At least she was making progress in her new endeavour.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
She knew books wouldn't let her down.
They never did.
~TT~
Her second year was much the same as her first year. Time between classes were divided between her so-called study sessions with her friends and sneaking away to work on her new spell. And of course, eating and sleeping and whatnot to survive.
An unforeseen activity she had recently taken on was matchmaking. Not in the romantic sense but friendship. Remus had strongly latched onto their little friend group and held little interest in getting to know his dormmates any more than necessary.
Hermione didn't want to push him but also didn't want to think what idiot things the other Gryffindors would get into without some voice of reason. As much as she disliked them in their early years, she knew they would grow to be some great men. And with everything she had going on, the young witch couldn't keep everyone alive and stay sane at the same time.
She had obviously added Severus, Alice and Frank by extension to her little keep alive and well list. It may seem optimistic, but it seems she inherited Harry's hero complex in her little time warp. Some days she would even think Peter could be saved or at least led to discover the courage to stand alongside his friends when things turned bad. Then the boy would laugh in that pitched whine when they pulled another prank on someone weaker and all sympathies melted away.
Remus' presence may not have subdued their pranking tendencies the first time around, but he didn't have other friends last time. He knew their stance on bullying, especially when directed at Severus, so he would be better capable of managing their meaner schemes.
It began with small pushes to spend time with the boys when Hermione would stage a girl's night in the dorm which effectively cut Remus out. His timid relationship with Severus was still flourishing, but the Slytherin was slowing warming up to the other boy. This left his nights to catch up with the other Gryffindors and help with their assignments.
Remus Lupin really was made to be a teacher.
Though he still preferred to spend time with his most studious friends, Remus found the other boys were nice when they wanted to be. They openly invited him to join them when they saw him studying alone. They also mumbled apologies about the bullying in the first year. He forgave them but reminded that he wasn't the one they needed to apologize to.
Their pranks had stayed pranks as Remus' disapproved looks were a force to be reckoned with. The young werewolf never imagined two years ago that the number of friends would grow greater than the fingers on his hand.
He couldn't help but grin when thinking that maybe someday all the people he grew to care about would be able to stand each other's company. It may seem farfetched, but he had a feeling, prejudices and houses aside, they could create amazing memories together.
And if he noticed the way Hermione would casually ask about his whereabouts and doings each time he was with James, Sirius, and Peter, he never let on to her meddling. Remus knew as much as she disapproved their actions, she also saw the same goodness they had in them.
~TT~
Severus separated from his friends – he never imagined the plural form would be connected to him – just off the main hallway. It really wasn't necessary for them to see him back to the dungeons, if anything a stomping herd of Gryffindors would make him more of target than anything.
He knew the not so quiet whispers in the common room and sneers in the hallway were as much due to his muggle father as it was to his choice of friends.
Yes, admittedly if Lily had been a Ravenclaw then things would be much simpler, but some point their study sessions for two grew to three, then four, and five. The wizard would never admit but they were his friends, at the very least they weren't your stereotypical lions who felt a need for attention and rampant stupidity, more often then not were like Ravenclaws than anything.
Then again, they did have a tendency to escalate discussions to arguments to outright screams. Those times Severus was glad he could retreat back to his quiet hole before he was dragged into it. He always knew Lily could have a temper, but adding in a moody Remus and stubborn Hermione, it was too much to deal with most days.
Who knew his greatest solace in their group would come in the form of Alice Peverell? Although she could also get caught up in all the emotions and thoughts of a twelve year-old-girl, Alice would always be the first to notice his discomfort. The times he would let his thought run away from him or after another heart pounding nightmare. She could seamlessly divert attention and conversation away from him, without anyone to think twice about it. Then the witch would ask silently if he was okay and slip him a small flower or treat or token from her bag to bring him comfort.
It was nice.
For so long, he only had his mother caring for him in his weaker moments. Then she left, but Lily came in to fill the void and with her, the redhead introduced her to this little of group. His group. And Severus knew he would do anything for these four individuals because they were his.
And he hated sharing.
.
.
.
A month after the start of his second year, he fell into his routine of taking the more deserted hallways back to the common room. Severus found that this passage was seldom used which meant the likelihood of running into any of his housemates. Granted they would never mess with him in the eyes of the other students or staff, but in theses quiet halls or within the confines of the dorm room the same comforts were not shown.
The boy was also smart enough to mix his routes frequently, lest anyone catch him alone. Severus would admit that he was not expecting for his arm to be dragged into the blackened alcove to his right. His wand was immediately wrenched from his hand by the assailant, and he was unceremoniously backed against the wall.
The space was lit with a lumos and before him was an even younger wizard. Severus immediately recognized the boy that had accosted him to be.
Regulus Black.
If this boy shared more than just looks with his older brother, than Severus was quickly thinking of a plan of attack.
"You're Severus Snape, correct?" The pureblood asked.
"Yes, now what do you want? Give me back my wand." He responded, reaching for his wand. The second year was weary but no longer afraid of who he was dealing with.
"I'll give it back once we're done here. You're the one who's always around those Gryffindors, aren't you? Why?"
"I don't answer to you." Severus sneered back.
"You do if you don't want me to snap your little wand in half. Considering what I've heard, you probably can't afford to get a new one, can you?"
Snape's vision turned red, but he couldn't deny that his father would never pay for a new wand. The money his mother had left for him at Gringotts would just barely cover his school costs, without any excessive spending. He also knew when he was older, his summers would be spent in some muggle job to earn some emergency funds.
"Lily is my friend and the other lions like to travel in their prides."
"What about the other Gryffindors? Do they also join in?" Regulus' steel eyes darting anxiously to the side.
A lightbulb went off.
"Your brother has his own merry little gang that goes around tormenting the student body with their pathetic pranks."
"I NEVER ASKED ABOUT HIM!" the boy flushed.
Severus raised an unbelieving eyebrow.
"Fine, whatever. I'm just making sure he's not sullying the Black name even more, considering the whispers going around since last year!" The younger wizard threw the wand down the hall and hastened down the opposite way.
Severus quickly picked up his wand from the floor, mind racing about the two Black brothers. As much as he didn't care for the older one, there might be something to gain from having the younger one on his side. Regulus was a pureblood from one of the oldest families, even as a first year, the other Slytherins would show him respect.
It seems he wouldn't be the only snake that cared for lions.
A/N: It's been a while! Thank you for your patience and everyone that's read, review, and/or followed the story in the past year. This chapter's a bit of a mishmash of shots that's been on my mind. It is a bit slow going but it is going somewhere so please stayed tuned!