Hi guys, hope everyone is safe & doing ok. As perhaps some, or none, of you have noticed I deleted my story Filius Tenebris because I just wasn't happy with it and I didn't have a outline or a plan of any sort which meant that writing it month to month was mostly dependent on my mood, which also largely shifted the tone of the story from silly to dark completely randomly.

If you've read that great, this one might have similarities, if not, brilliant and I hope you like this new story with a plan and an actual plotted ending. Lemme know what ye think if you want to and if you've got a sec! Thanks!

Chapter One

Severus sighed as he gathered his books to his chest and strode through the halls, the previous emptiness of the Yule break like a forgotten memory. The only person feeling possibly more on edge then him right now was poor Professor Merrythought who, yet again, even after the Yule break still hadn't recovered from his nervous breakdown and had managed to hex 3 students almost consecutively whilst trying to show them a Shielding Charm. He was certainly some defense professor. Shoving away scornful thoughts, Severus groaned as the bell rung, freeing the students that hadn't already made their escape.

He ducked around the corners waiting to hear the shuffling of feet or a snickered jeer from the marauders, his hand clasped ready on his wand. He didn't have to wait long, as a Rictusempra was hurtled towards his head. He had a Protego ready and threw back a Stupefy. He dropped and narrowly dodged a Furnunculus from Black and flung a Defodio with a snarl.

"Howdy Snivellus, I'd say it's nice to see ya but I'd never miss your ugly mug. How was your hols here all alone? Didn't find time to wash your hair, eh?"

"Oh go to hell Potter, get some new material." Severus' sneer didn't falter, even though the four of them surrounded him, cornering him as the stairs moved with a groan of old stone.

"Langlock!"

"Protego! You slimy evil git, what sorta dark arts is that?! You're gonna get expelled for that I betcha."

"Yah good luck getting any mastery without your OWLs Snape!" Black laughed like he thought himself the funniest man on the planet. Lupin shuffled uncomfortably whilst Pettigrew shrieked with laughter, his rat face contorting.

"Here, as consolation, -"

Severus just had time to think 'Oh fuck' before two voices yelled out "Repulso!" and Severus felt himself vault off the stairs and fly through the air with wind slashing his hair for seemed like an eternity. He heard himself hit the ground before he felt it, pain radiating everywhere. When he managed to crane his neck, the looming stairwell was empty. He began to haul himself up, thankful his legs were nothing but bruised. As he hopped to his feet, shifting his wait and wincing, he nearly screamed when he noticed they'd dumped his bag over too, all his assignments covered in the remnants of his smashed inkbottle and his yearly allowance scattered and lost. His spare robes that he had learned to keep on hand were destroyed, doused in his sample potion for Professor Slughorn in an attempt to finally, finally get the man to listen, and his books were now in tatters. His eyes burned almost as much as his wrist and when he went to lick his lips, he found blood staining his face as he had broken his nose yet again. As if it wasn't disfigured enough already.

He knelt to gather his things, until his knees could not support him, and he collapsed, ink seeping through his tattered trousers. His bag was still intact, and he shoveled his stuff into it viciously, cursing the marauders with every breath. His head thumped and his vision kept blurring, annoying him to the extreme while he tried to regain his control.

"Severus!" That voice, he knew that voice, but as footsteps ran towards him, he whirled round and scuttered back, right onto the pieces of broken vial. He bit his lip as blood trickled down his hand but let a fretting Lucius Malfoy in new tailored Governors robes grasp his wrist to help him up. As Lucius opened his mouth, no doubt to ask a multitude of questions, a smooth voice sounded from behind him.

"Please, allow me." As a man with hair as dark as Severus' own but short and slightly coiffed with a long limber frame stepped into view, a bone white wand was waved and Severus felt the blood clear from his face, a cast support his surely broken wrist and his nose snap back into place, better than Severus himself had ever managed. Another flick of this man's wand had his homework moving on its own, spinning and clearing its ink stained pages as everything else danced all neat fixed into his bag. Severus could only gaze in awe at the effortless display of wordless magic and turned to face the man, about to proffer his thanks when he felt the telltale brush of Legilimency against his shields. This brought him up short and he set his fiercest glare on the man.

"While I am grateful for your assistance sir, I thank you to keep your mind to yourself." His voice was ice cold, but he was surprised to see Lucius flinch out of the corner of his eye. Who o earth was Lucius afraid of?

He got no more time to ponder as Lucius quickly cut in as though he feared letting Severus say another word "Lord Marvolo Gaunt-Slytherin this is Severus, Severus Snape." He gestured to Severus and sent a warning look his way.

"A pleasure I'm sure." He ensured acid dripped from every syllable and moved to hobble away when Gaunt spoke

"Indeed, and I see as you are a student of Slytherin House you will be going to report an assault to your head of house?" There was a threat in those words somewhere, a needle in a sweet sentence and it made Severus tamper the urge to smooth the hairs at the back of his neck down. "No sir I'm sure he has more important things to do." Severus couldn't help but sneer at the inadequacy of his head of house and move away. His assumption that this was the end of the conversation was very wrong as Gaunt stepped into step beside him-taller than Severus by a head of so and it rankled-and just kept talking "Nonsense, he certainly shouldn't. I shall accompany you. I would rather like to see old Horace again." Severus knew his earlier thoughts were right, for there was nothing nice about that smile. Lucius full on shuddered and smiled weakly "An excellent idea my lord."

So the three Slytherins walked to Slughorns office in silence, Severus humoring the man, somewhat bemused and cautious about this stranger just strolling Hogwarts floors. When they reached Slughorns quarters Severus wrinkled his nose immediately, knowing there was a potion somewhere going to blow up soon. He bolted to the next room down, a makeshift lab, only to find some sort of concoction bubbling away unchecked on the worktop. He grumbled about having to fix Slughorns mess again even as he rushed forward.

"What in Merlin's name is he doing?" He heard Gaunt ask in bewilderment as he watched Severus work, taking quick stock of the consistency, colour and temperature of the brew beside and rapidly become a machine, chopping, measuring, adding and stirring on instinct, grabbing things from the shelves like a madman. When at last the Pepper-Up potion looked as it was supposed to, Severus stepped back and rolled up his sleeves with a sweaty satisfied grin only to turn around and see two identical sets of raised eyebrows.

"That was…very well done, child." Gaunt murmured, looking Severus up and down speculatively as Lucius smiled and said, "I told you he was brilliant m'lord."

Gaunt actually rolled his eyes at this and then frowned as something else occurred to him. "Tell me, Mr Snape, does Horace often leave potions unattended in an unlocked classroom?"

"Yessir. He's often busy, goes to a lotta parties and stuff." Severus shrugged, not really feeling the need to defend his professors frankly irresponsible behavior.

"And you fix them often?" Gaunt queried and now Severus really wanted to know what this guy's deal was.

"Yessir, whenever I see 'em."

"And I assume you get extra credit, points and such?"

The thought of this was so ridiculous that Severus outright laughed "No Lord Gaunt sir. I don't think he knows who I am aside from being a 'nuisance' for fighting with the Gryffindors."

His own candor was unexpected, and he suddenly found himself curious.

"And no offence, sir but why exactly do you care if I get house points or not?" Gaunt's lips twitched as though Severus had said something faintly amusing, whilst Lucius looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole right then and there.

"It was simply a question, I was merely curious to see if the inequality was still as present as it was for Slytherins in my day what with Dumbledore in charge these days."

There was only person who would speak of the Great Albus Dumbledore with quite so much scorn and scare Lucius exactly that much. Severus flinched as his brain rammed the jigsaw pieces together in record time. Again, Severus thought 'OH FUCK.' Before rapidly trying to school his expression.

"Ah, smart boy. You figured me out. Lord Marvolo Gaunt-Slytherin, Resident Dark Lord at your service." He gave an exaggerated bow and Severus felt the blood rush from his head.

"My lord, I-what-I'm sorry, I don't understand." His words came out a bit breathless and were every bit as hopeless as he felt.

"Nonsense, dear child, wonderful to see a future Potions Master at work and seeing as Horace isn't hear we'll simply have to deal with Gryffindor fools another time." He stepped out of the doorway and swept a hand across his body to shoo him out.

Severus nodded somewhat absently and said "Yessir," before his feet carried him out of the lab, his thoughts a whirl a minute. Just what was the Dark Lord doing at Hogwarts and how? And what was he going to tell Lily? Did he tell Lily? Morgana's heart, he wasn't awake enough for this.