The Houses Competition (or THC)
House: Hufflepuff
Class: Transfiguration
Prompt(s) chosen: [First Line] Today would be the greatest day of their life (Alt, their/his/her/my; life/lives).
Word Count: 927
Disclaimers/triggers: Marauders Era Hogwarts while James and Lily are in about Fifth or Sixth Year when Snape destroys his friendship with Lily. Slightly darker seeming young James Potter that may seem OOC but then again we only hear from Snape that James was a right bastard in his youth so..
Today would be the greatest day of his life. At least, that was the thought racing through Severus' mind as he focused on making his final adjustments. His specialty was potions, not charms, so he had a few concerns about the gift doing what it was intended to, but outsourcing work would result in him owing favors to other older Slytherins and owing favors in the House of the Cunning was a veritable deathtrap. It made him shudder just thinking about the number of unsavory things done to others because they made the mistake of being indebted to an older student.
Shaking such worrisome thoughts from his head, the Fifth Year Slytherin carefully removed the engraving tool floating over the thin, silver locket and placed it in the unmarked case of tools he kept on his person at all times. This would surely sway Lily to see that the mongrel known as James Potter was no good for her. That all James Potter could offer her were problems and headaches. The prat lorded around the school with his band of yes-men and made the lives of everyone they disliked even the tiniest bit hell on Earth with their so-called 'pranks'.
"Fraternizing with the enemy? You must have a death wish, Mr. Prince."
Severus looked up to see Lucius Malfoy, a Seventh Year, looking down at him distastefully from the stairway leading to the dormitories. "I understand the way your thoughts must be tracking, Prefect, but you don't know her brilliance like I do. She is... lesser stock by most trains of thought, but—"
"Let us momentarily ignore her blood-status." Lucius began down the steps towards the Common Room. "I was referring to the fact that you are marking such a trinket for a Gryffindor who would gladly throw us under the Hippogriff if it would advance her agenda. You just don't see it. It is quite the pity; you do possess talent, Mr. Prince. It's a shame you waste it on a girl who will never give you the time of day in the way that you so desperately desire," he finished with a seemingly sympathetic shake of his head.
Severus knew better than to actually think that the blond wizard was being sympathetic. The older boy pitied him, and in a House like Slytherin, being pitied was a different but just as deadly death sentence. Being pitied in a House known for cunning and wit meant you were weak. Being weak meant that you were prey. Prey, in a den of vipers like Slytherin, meant exploitation and death.
"She is different from the others. It takes only one moment for the truth to shine. Wit and cunning to the point of lethality, isn't that what you preach to us as we scheme and plot our way through these halls?" he asked.
"Wit and cunning, not futility. We are proud Slytherins; failure is not something that we tolerate in any capacity, and what you seek to prove is a matter of when you fail, not if," Lucius countered as he drew a pocket watch from his robe and clicked the button to open it. It emitted a soft click before he pushed it shut. "If you insist on this fool's errand, I would offer you one piece of advice. For free."
Severus tensed, as anything being offered for free Slytherin always had a hidden string attached.
"Don't be seen." Lucius moved between the chairs swiftly without looking back at the younger man and exited the Common Room. "Punctuality and timing Mr. Prince, you could learn something of it" the older wizard said over his shoulder before he was completely gone.
Severus didn't move or breathe for a long moment. There was a catch in there somewhere; he knew that there had to be. Lucius Malfoy was notorious for making younger year students indebted to him; there would be poison in your medicine that only he could cure if your need was bad enough
Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he pocketed the locket and left the Common Room, intent on success.
Lily was halfway to the library when she caught the sight of Severus approaching her from the opposite end of the hallway. She hesitated for a moment and felt a tightening in her chest. They'd been on rocky ground for some time and, with it being so close to Christmas, she was still trying to understand why wizarding society clung to archaic notions like blood-purity. She wanted to believe that maybe her estranged friend would change for the better.
"Lily, I'm glad that I caught you. I wanted to give this t—"
Whatever Severus was going to say was cut off by the sudden appearance of James Potter and the Marauders.
"What's this here, boys? A slimy snake all by himself making unwanted advances on my Lily?" James asked with a sneer. "I thought that you would have learned by now not to mess with what is clearly mine."
Remus and Peter shared a look as the tension in the hallway ratcheted up to eleven in an instant. Conflict with the greasy-haired git was common but this, this felt different for reasons that couldn't be explained.
"I don't belong to anyon—"
"Hush, Lily-petal, it's all going to be ok, now. I'll get rid of the slimy snake personally."
Lily's eyes widened before she relaxed completely. "Of course dear, you're right," she said with a smile on her face.
"What did you do to her?" Severus snarled.
"No you slimy git" James smirked "what did you do?"