Severus was relieved when no Howler came from his mum, a fate that Sirius wasn't spared. His mother and father (but mostly his mother) screamed at him for at least fifteen minutes, not just calling him a blood traitor, but accusing him of befriending muggle borns (only using the slur against them) and sullying the bloodline.

Several students, Lily included, asked the older students at their tables what "mudbloods" were, and he was glad that James allowed him to answer.

"Let's leave the hall," he said, shortly, in the midst of Mrs. Black's screaming.

She nodded, and they abandoned their mostly eaten breakfasts, retrieved their books, to walk far enough away from the hall to drown out the Black matriarch's slurs.

For everyone's sake, he hoped she'd run out of steam. Or lose her voice.

"You remember that I told you that lots of people who go to schools like this one come from wizarding families, but others don't," Severus began.

"Like me," Lily answered, studying him.

Severus nodded. "Yes. If your entire family is magical, you're a pure-blood. That is, if it's your mum and your dad, and their parents as well. That means you're from a magical family, like James and Sirius, and you're pure-blood." He waited for her to nod, or comment, before continuing. "Now, if it's just some of your family who's magical, you're half-blood. Me and Remus, we have one parent who's magical, who came from a magical family, but the other one's a muggle. So, we're half-blood." Again, Lily nodded. "Then, there's the last type. If you're the first in your family to be magical, well, you're muggle-born." Severus plunged on ahead. "It doesn't matter as far as your magic goes what your family is. But some pure-blood families want to remain that way, and they spread lies about how people who aren't pure-blood aren't as good. One of the things they do is call witches and wizards without parents who are magical is 'mudblood.'"

Lily stared at him. "That's me, then."

Severus gripped her shoulders. "It's a vile word, and anyone who has any sense knows it. It's a lie, that you're not as good as the rest of us, Lily. If you have magic, it doesn't matter who your family is."

She hugged him, then, and with only the slightest hesitation, Severus hugged her back.

"Sirius' mother is a nutter, okay? He's told us so, remember?" Lily grinned, nodding. "And besides, there's only so many pure-blooded families. Remember what you told me about those royal families who kept marrying their cousins and ended up dim-witted and with extra toes?" Severus murmured, still holding her.

Lily giggled, letting go of him. "I remember. Think Mrs. Black has an extra toe?"

Severus snickered. "Probably not, as we can fix those by magic. But, what happens is even worse. You ever read about squibs?"

"No..."

"They're from a magical family, but don't have magic. That's the wizarding version of a birth defect," Severus explained, with a grin.

"Oooh. What happens to them?" Lily asked, wide eyed.

He shrugged. "Usually get adopted by muggles. Easier for them, you know, than having to live in the wizarding world without magic."

"I suppose," Lily agreed.

"Anyway, don't worry about Sirius' mum, all right? She's bonkers, and he knows it. Sounds like a lot of his family is," Severus added. "Well, he seems all right."

"Yes." Lily nodded. Looking back at the hall, she added, "Shall we go back?"

"All right," Severus agreed.

It must be nearly time to leave for Potions, but neither he nor Lily knew how to get there on their own, yet. Anyway, he wanted to see how Sirius was managing.

They returned to the Great Hall, and Severus nearly fell to the ground as an owl narrowly missed colliding with his head. It gave a hoot, then dropped a letter into his hands. A glance at it told him his mother had returned his owl.

Well, at least it wasn't a red letter.

"Don't they usually come at once?" he asked, looking around at James and Sirius.

The latter, who looked stony faced, shrugged. "My mum's dulcet tones must have scared them off."

James gave a short laugh before putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Severus made a sympathetic face, and wondered if he should wait to open his own letter.

"Oh, go ahead, if you like," Sirius offered, his tone a bit softer, as he nodded at the letter. "Bet yours not half as bad as mine."

Severus snorted in appreciation, then opened the letter and laid it flat on the table.

My dear Severus,

I know you must be disappointed not to be in Slytherin, but the Hat knows our minds and hearts best. Moreover, it must think highly of you, to put you in the house renowned for bravery and honor.

I will only be disappointed if you do not work hard and use this opportunity to make friends with those among your new house. You should, of course, seek to befriend your Slytherin classmates-however, you should not take out your disappointment on your roommates.

Above all, strive for excellence in all of your lessons. I know I can expect high marks in Potions and Defense.

Please write soon and tell me more about your friends and your time at school.

With love,

Mum

Severus reread the letter, and felt his heart rate slow to normal. He hadn't memorized what he'd sent her, of course, but had he implied that he was disappointed by his placement? He knew that he hadn't included that he'd asked to be placed in Gryffindor, so perhaps, she thought he'd been rejected from Slytherin?

A part of him wished he could speak directly to her, but he knew that this was impossible. Not until Christmas, at the earliest, and he had no desire to see his father for the holidays. He always got drunk, and it was never a happy holiday. His mother had spent hers at Hogwarts, and spoke highly of the festivities.

"Severus? How bad is it?" James asked, sounding concerned.

Severus forced his eyes from the letter, and shrugged. "Just said that the hat knows best, and I have to work hard. As though I wasn't planning on doing that."

"Wish my mum had taken that approach," Sirius grumbled. "Well, good for you, Severus."

He didn't sound angry, or not at Severus.

Severus glanced at Lily, who smiled at him.

Everyone was starting to pack up their belongings, and since Severus and Lily had already done so, they waited for their fellow first year Gryffindors to get ready to leave.

It would be all right. His mum wasn't angry, and he didn't have any enemies in his house. They had only one class that morning, and Severus was certain he would do well at it. Then, there was the weekend to study, explore the castle, and enjoy themselves.

Severus took another deep breath before following his classmates from the Great Hall, but before they could go any further, a Slytherin student approached them. Upon closer examination, Severus realized that it was Andromeda Black, which was confirmed when Sirius' expression changed into a smile.

"Hello, Andy," he greeted. Turning to the others, he added, "This is Andromeda Black, the favorite cousin I told you about.

She smiled, a bit formally, and nodded at the others. "Sirius, I wanted to speak with you. Do you have a few minutes?"

Sirius turned back to her, and began to say something before giving her a nod. "All right, but won't you be late for your class?"

"I have a free period," she explained. Turning to the others, she added, "I'll escort him to his class. Potions, isn't it?"

"Yes. Go on, mate, we'll save you a spot," James encouraged.

"All right, see you soon," Sirius answered, still smiling, and following his cousin into a corridor.

"Wonder what that was about," Severus murmured, once they were out of earshot.

James looked at him like he was a complete fool. "She's his favorite cousin, Severus, and he just got a howler from his mother. She likely wants to make sure he's all right."

Oh. Right, that made sense.

"And since he's in a different house," Remus added, in a more gentle tone, "she likely wanted to catch him when she could."

Severus nodded. "You're right, I should have guessed as much."

James turned, nearly crashing into Severus. "You don't have any family that you're close with, do you?"

Severus shrugged, like it didn't matter. "My father's a drunk, and I've never met my grandparents on his side. Reckon they disowned him for marrying a witch. It's what my mum's parents did."

James and Remus and even Peter exchanged a look.

"Most families don't do that," Peter spoke up. "My mum's a witch, and my dad's a muggle. We all get together at holidays."

Severus would have liked to snarled that not everyone came from a perfect family, but he didn't. Peter didn't deserve that.

"What about you?" he asked Remus, as they headed into the dungeons and took their seats.

"The same, but it's a bit different for my mum's family. Once they heard what my dad did for her, they couldn't exactly dislike him. And it's not as though they got married on the day he saved her," he added, with a grin.

Severus wondered if things would have been different had his mum saved his dad from a Bogart. Probably not. They had liked each other once, after all, and something had changed. Perhaps, it was because she hadn't told him until after they got engaged. Or, maybe it was because Severus was magical, too.

He knew that there was no point in wishing things were different. But he would make his father pay for hurting his mum (and yes, for hurting him) as soon as he returned home next.

Sirius returned, looking a lot happier, just before Slughorn arrived and began lecturing about potions for removing boils.

Author's note:

Next up: After seeing something about his roommate Severus would have liked to keep secret, a bond occurs between Severus and one (or many?) of the marauders. (G rated)

Thank you for all of those who have left feedback. I cannot express how much constructive feedback, and your ideas in general regarding this fic, mean to me! :)