Chapter 6: The first day
Alex was really impressed by the inside of the castle, the talking portraits and the grand staircases. Although he still felt a bit scared, he couldn't help but look around as he hugged his sister's arm tightly.
Avery, like Alex, couldn't help but be in awe of the castle's appearance. She smiled at Alex when the prefects stopped them in front of a door. After one of them said what she guessed would be the password to the common room. Once inside, she was even more surprised by what the common room looked like.
Alex loosened his grip on Avery's arm a little, he too was very impressed.
But the twins came out of excitement when one of the prefects said, -"Okay, the dorms are that way. Boys dorm is that way and girls dorm is that way, dorm rules are on the board, curfew is 10:00 PM and no leaving the common room until 6:30 AM. Now go to your dorms"-
Avery looked at Alex as the boys and girls split into two paths -"Well, Alex, this is where we split up, come on, don't be afraid, I'm sure you'll make friends with you or your roommates"- She nudged him towards the direction of the boys' dorm.
Alex nodded as he let go of her, and waved goodbye before following the rest of the boys. He looked at the different doors until he found his dorm. He took a deep breath before opening the door. He slowly walked in and saw his trunk next to one of the beds, he noticed that there were two beds, that relieved him a lot, having one roommate would be better than having many. He walked to his bed and opened his trunk, he started to unpack. He was putting his clothes away in his wardrobe when he heard someone walk in.
-"Oh, great, I'm sharing a room with a first year"- A tall black-skinned boy complained.
Alex looked at him nervously and closed the wardrobe door. He went back towards his trunk and pulled out a book, he hugged the book tightly looking at the boy -"Hi"- He said softly before sitting on the bed and hiding his face in the book, he didn't like this boy very much.
-"What's your name?"- The boy asked as he unpacked.
Alex decided to ignore him, this boy scared him.
The boy scowled and walked towards him annoyed -"Stop being so scared, you git!"- He yelled as he took the book from him.
Alex flinched and moved all the way back until he touched against the headboard of the bed, -"I'm sorry, but I would stop being afraid if you wouldn't yell at me"- He said in a shaky voice, he blinked rapidly to stop the tears from falling down his face -"Could I have my book, please?"-
The boy throws the book across the room -"Get your head out of the book"- He says as he sits down on his bed -"If I remember correctly, aren't you a Potter?"- He asks hoping that this time he would tell him his name.
Alex gets out of bed and walks over to his book. -"Yes, I'm a Potter, Alexander Potter, and who are you?"- He picks up the book and looks at it to make sure it's okay.
-"Just call me Blaise and your sister is bold, I mean a first year telling off the professors on the first day, your older brother wouldn't even dare now!"- Blaise explained.
Alex shrugged before sitting back down on the bed. -"Yeah, she's like that, I admire her a lot for that"- He hugged the book tightly while keeping his gaze down.
-"You two seem like polar opposites. You're quiet and shy, while she's loud and doesn't watch her tongue"- Blaise said, a bit annoyed by the boy's attitude and a bit strange.
-"Mhm, I'm a bit tired, I'll go to sleep"- Alex decided to run away from him with going to sleep, he got off the bed and looked for pajamas in his wardrobe, he changed his clothes, he blushed slightly when he felt Blaise's gaze on him. He shuddered in fear, thinking that maybe his mother didn't heal him properly and the marks of his punishment were showing. He scurried into his bed and crawled under the covers -"Goodnight"- He said, closing his eyes.
Blaise raised an eyebrow as he watched him, his attitudes ranged from cute, to funny, to very strange. He really didn't like sharing a room with such a shy first year, but he couldn't help but think it was adorable. He turned off the light and went to sleep too; it was already a little late.
Avery, unlike Alex, took her time to greet her other housemates and year mates. It took her a few minutes to get to her dorm. She opens the door with a smile and sees a girl taller than her and with a black short bob-cut with bangs on one of the beds -"Umm, hi"- She says nervously but happily.
The girl looks up and rolls her eyes. -"A first year, great"- She said sarcastically.
Avery sat down next to her -"Look, I don't want to start an argument with my dorm mate on the first day, so why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Avery, Avery Potter"- She said her last name with a sour tone.
Pansy raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly -"Mmm, you have a strong personality, I like it. I'm Pansy, Pansy Parkinson"- She put her hand in front of Avery. -"Just don't be like your brother, and we'll get along"-
Avery smiled a little and shook her hand -"Harry? To be honest, I don't like him much. He's so against Slytherins, Malfoys and Snape that it pisses me off, considering I've talked to Draco Malfoy and Snape, and they're nowhere near as bad as he says. He's complained about you and how a Draco's fangirl"- She says, knowing that's going to start some problems.
Pansy continues to smile as her face darkens. -"Oh so he says that, that's very interesting information, well welcome to Slytherin, we'll get along for sure"- She lets go of Avery's hand.
Avery smiled at her before jumping off the bed and starting to unpack, she hummed as she put her clothes away in the wardrobe.
Pansy stared at her for a while before changing into her sleepwear -"Hey, you should go to bed, the first day is the hardest"- She said before getting into bed -"Don't forget to turn off the light"-
Avery nodded -"Yeah, good night"- Once she finished unpacking, she sat at the window, she was fascinated to see the water outside and with the green crystals generated a beautiful atmosphere. She took out a book and read late into the night, it was the first time in a long time that she felt at peace and not having to worry about making breakfast or cleaning anything. When she started yawning, she closed the book, changed into her sleepwear and climbed into bed, falling asleep a little later.
The next morning, Alex woke up to the noise Blaise was making as he was getting ready for class.
-"Hey Potter, wake up, breakfast is almost starting"- Blaise says putting on his robe.
Alex sits up, rubbing one eye -"Don't call me Potter, please"- He said softly.
Blaise looked at him smiling -"Well then, little Alex"- He let out a chuckle before grabbing his school bag and leaving the room.
Alex blushed and shook his head -"Silly"- He mumbled before getting out of bed, he couldn't help but smile brightly when he saw his Slytherin uniform. He got dressed humming before stuffing his books into his school bag. He grabbed his book of curses and hexes, hugged it to his chest, and left the room looking for Avery.
Avery had gotten up early, the bad house habit, she was jumping up and down with excitement at the sight of her Slytherin uniform, she was finally in her favorite house. She rushed out of the dorm, she held back the urge to go to Alex's dorm and drag him out, she wanted to go talk to Snape already. But when she saw Alex a couple of hours later she ran to him -"You really are a sleepyhead, come on, Professor Snape is waiting for us"- She said as she adjusted his tie that was crooked.
Alex blushed, realizing they were attracting attention -"Okay, okay, come on"- He pressed the book tightly against his chest.
Avery laughed and dragged him out of the common room. After asking a couple of students, they managed to find Snape's office. She knocked on the door, excitedly waiting for the answer.
Severus opened the door to his office, -"Good, you're here, come on in. Let's talk about something before something bad can happen, we'll have some privacy here"-
Avery nodded and entered the office without any fear. She sits down in one of the office chairs -"So, professor, what was it you wanted to talk about?"- She asked, a little confused.
Alex sat down next to Avery as he swallowed heavily; he looked around, not too surprised by his decoration.
Severus close the door -"Very well"- He walked towards them and leaned back on his desk -"First, as you must have realized yesterday, not only the students even the professors are very prejudiced towards this house and some will make life miserable for you in class. And that won't change even if you're Potters, you're in Slytherin, but the worst of all is the headmaster, and he expects you to end up in Gryffindor"-
-"Well we didn't, and I'm glad we didn't, we didn't fit in our family we never did"- Avery takes out her wand and points it at the dead plant, and she does the wand moves and says the incantation and the plant comes back to life -"And I don't think we ever will"-
Severus couldn't help but be impressed -"That was very impressive, and well the point is that you should be careful while you are here, more so with the headmaster, and the disciplinarian, Umbridge, both of them can be very pushy when they want something and can be dangerous"- He said seriously.
Avery nodded -"Thank you for telling us"- She looked at Alex -"And we want to talk something with you about something else, can we come after school?"-
Alex looked at her confused and nodded -"Yeah, it's very important"- He said knowing what his sister wanted to talk to Professor Snape about.
Severus nodded -"Well, I can after dinner, but can't it be now?"-
-"We have to look for some things, that's why we can't do it now, and we have to go to class"- Avery said getting up from the chair.
Severus frowned and nodded -"Alright, I'll wait for you here"-
Avery nodded -"Thank you professor"- She looked at Alex -"Come on, little brother, it's our first day"-
Alex smiled at her and stood up -"Okay, let's go"- He took her hand.
-"Bye, professor"- Avery waved and walked out of the office with her brother.
Once in the hallway, Alex spoke -"Shall we go tell him everything, already so fast?"-
Avery nodded -"Well, we won't tell him everything, but we'll show him things, so we can help refresh his memory"- She smiled at him -"And how did it go with your roommate"- She asked wanting to change the subject and find out if her brother had made a friend.
Alex blushed and looked away, -"Nothing, he's mean; he picked on me and made fun of me"-
Avery smiled at him -"Come on, my roommate didn't like me either when she saw me, but when I talked to her, we started to get along, just try talking to him, I'm sure you'll get along fine"- She encouraged him.
Alex nodded -"Okay, I'll try, but I'm sure he doesn't like me"- He grumbled.
Avery laughed -"Come on, stop pouting and grumbling and let's get to class"- She said, walking into the Great Hall to get their schedules.
Once they both got their schedules and a quick breakfast, the twins were off to their first class.
Their first day was fun, exciting, stressful, and a little awkward. Obviously, there was obvious displeasure on the part of some teachers and students at the fact that the younger Potters were Slytherin, but at the same time impressed by the great talent they had in magic. In contrast, the twins enjoyed their first day, although they tried to ignore the stares and whispers, it did not affect their day, no one picked on them and no adult insulted or shouted at them, instead, they were praised for being prepared for their first day. One of the best days of their lives and well, their amazing day was only going to get better after school.
Avery couldn't help but smile at the sight of her brother humming as he ate, she hadn't seen him so happy in years, though she was the same way, it was a good day, she opened her school bag where the things were in the attic, the roses, the memory book, the photo album and the notebook with the spells written by Snape. Everything was ready to start her plan. -"Did you finish eating?"- She said, looking at Alex.
Alex nodded -"Yep, let's go"- He said with a little more confidence than he had this morning.
Avery stood up, putting her bag on her shoulders.
Alex stood up and took his sister's hand before they both walked out of the Great Hall.
What the twins didn't notice in their excitement was that blue eyes were staring at them as he raised an eyebrow; he knew they were up to something, and he would have to stop them, or they would ruin his plans.
Once the twins were inside the office, Snape sat down at his writing -"Well, what did you two want to talk about?"-
Avery opened her bag -"Well, as I told you this morning that my brother and I were different from the rest of our family"- She states taking out the box of enchanted roses, then pulling out one rose and placing it on the table.
Severus looked at the rose and shook his head in slight pain. He continued to look at her, waiting for what she was getting at.
-"Our parents treat us very differently than everyone thinks"- Avery takes out the baby photos and puts them on the table, acting like she's just reorganizing her stuff when she's making sure he sees them.
Alex looked at her scared, thinking she would say more than she should -"Avery"- He mumbled.
Avery looked at him -"Relax, I know what I'm doing"- She said before taking out the notebook that had the spells that her and Alex learned in it, making sure he can see his handwriting. -"So, Professor, that's why I hope you don't think we're like Harry and James"- She called her father by his name for the first time, she just wanted to create a conversation while showing him things, waiting for a reaction.
Severus runs his hand over his face as he looks at the photos and the notebook. He gets up from the chair with a pounding headache. -"I'm sorry, I don't think I can talk anymore, I'm not feeling well, so you can go, please"-
-"Alright, Professor Snape, I hope you feel better soon!"- Avery hugs him quickly and let's go -"I'll see you in class!"- She says taking out the memory book and putting everything else back except one baby photo of her and Alex. She leaves, dragging Alex out -"I think it might be working"- She says once they have gotten far enough away from Snape's office.
Alex nods -"Yes, I hope it works"- He stands there thinking for a while about Professor Snape's warnings to them this morning. -"You don't think the Headmaster has anything to do with all this, do you?"-
-"I don't know, and I don't care. If the headmaster does anything to us, we know spells that could murder him"- Avery says quietly.
Alex shakes his head. -"That's not what I mean. You remember the letters, the cause of mom breaking up with dad and Mr. Snape and dad having their memories altered is because of a mission, he could be the one who gave them the mission"-
-"He could be, but that's not our focus right now, I purposely left the memory book on Snape's desk and if he chooses to go through it, he'll see the photo of him and mom's wedding"- Avery states adapting more of a stern tone of voice and a demanding look.
Alex sighs. -"Yes, but if he is the cause, he is a very powerful Wizard, I think a couple of photos won't be enough, but it will help a little. It's just that I'm worried, I feel that something bad might happen and not necessarily to us"- He said, slightly scared.
-"We'll being scared won't do us any favors I don't care, he should know about his fucking kids"- Avery says getting annoyed and slowly talking more like Snape.
Once the twins left, Severus looks at the album and his eyes widen when he saw the photos of his wedding. He knew Albus was involved in this; he walks out of his office to the headmaster's office.
The twins watch Snape walks down the corridor and followed him into the headmaster's office to listen in on the conversation.
Albus saw Severus enter, knew the twins were on the other side of the door, so he cast a silencing spell in the room. Obviously, unbeknownst to Severus.
-"What's this supposed to mean?"- Severus said, pointing to his wedding photos.
Albus stood up and walked over to him -"Oh Severus, my boy, I think you and I have a problem"- He pulled out his wand and quickly altered Severus' memories and made the memory book changing the photos from Severus and Lily's wedding to James and Lily's wedding.
Albus sat back down while Severus was still disoriented. -"I'm sure the Potter kids dropped it, why don't you put it back?"-
Severus nodded and walked out of the office, he was surprised when he saw the twins. -"Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, I believe this is yours"- He was still too disoriented to ask what they were doing there.
Avery knew something wasn't right, but then it clicked in her head -"It is, but I think you should have it professor, I left this on your desk for you to keep"- She said, smiling purely.
Severus looks at her even more confused. -"Oh, okay, though I don't know what I'm going to do with a photo album from your parents' wedding"-
-"Have you looked through it?"- Avery asked before smiling - "Never mind, throw it away if you want, it's no good anymore"- She said hiding her sadness at losing those photos.
Snape nodded, he was so confused that he didn't even think about anything before walking back to his office.
Avery looked at Albus -"Hold on"- She walks over to Albus -"What are you up? I know you're up to something"- She affirmed, looking at his wand, suspecting what had happened.
Alex follows her sister and grabs her arm. -"Don't be impulsive; we need to think things through"-
Albus smiles innocently. -"I don't know what you're talking about Miss Potter, but it's almost curfew and you both need to go to your common room"- He said, wanting to throw the twins out.
Avery looks at Alex -"I'm not being impulsive, I'm just curious, now go to your dorm, okay? Make friends with your roommate!"- She smiled and pushes her brother away -"Look, we're alone, I know you did something"- She goes back to talking to Albus.
Albus stands up. -"Like I told you Miss Potter, I didn't do anything, now go to your common room and enjoy your school year, quietly and without causing trouble, okay? You shouldn't get into adult things"- He smiled innocently, but he had a fierce look on his face.
Avery sighed and gave a fake warm smile -"Alright then, sorry for my actions, I just think something isn't right here"- She says in a kind tone while walking away towards the dormitories.
Albus just stared at Avery as she left, he knew that the twins were sticking their noses in his business and if he didn't put an end to this it would ruin his plans.